It’s all in a name

Exodus 3:14-15

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “

At Breakfast Bible Study this week, we were looking at the fourth commandment, Exodus 20:7;

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

We discussed how we can challenge our secular colleges on this subject. Someone shared that their colleges often apologised after they had sworn in front of her, as a Christian, but she said how infrequently they would apologise when they used the name of our God in vain. Is that an appropriate conversation starter, to share our faith? Or would it just provoke a person more? especially if the individual was angry to start with – hence they had cursed!

Names are important. In the Old Testament times, the meaning of names played a huge part in a person’s identity. We read of people in the Bible whose names God changed, reflecting their identity and relationship with Him.

I was surprised by how few people knew the meaning of their own names.

I feel honored to know the meaning of my names; Kathleen, the Irish variant of Katherine, meaning ‘pure, virginal.’ And Elizabeth originates from Biblical Hebrew meaning ‘consecrated to God,’ or, ‘God is my oath.’

I love my flat mates name: Mawulolo, meaning ‘God is big.’ And her sister; Mawuse, meaning ‘God hears/God is loud.’ Both originating from Ghana.

If my opinion is worth anything, I think names are still important today.

N.B. Not wanting to keep playing an old record, but I do appreciate it when people take the time and effort to remember that I don’t like being referred to as ‘Liz.’

An Australian chap from church has been calling me Libby since I started. I haven’t corrected him to ‘Lizzie,’ because, well, I like it. Just probably doesn’t sound so cool alongside my family name.

Facebook Song

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Cockney Worship

A wonderful friend from LST has done some serious, lengthy research into Cockney Worship. Here is their presentation on their findings, enjoy:

Books

Just this evening, on an epic coach journey, I was having a conversation with the wonderful Richard, a music lecturer of mine from LST, about the merits of books, in their physical form. He had explained how he’d been reading The Hobbit this weekend via his iPhone, and how convenient it was for him; that he didn’t have to get out of bed to turn out the light before he turned in for the night, that he could pick up where he left off again on the coach journey, or wherever else he was.

Personally, I prefer having a book in my hand. I like carrying a book in my bag, it may be an inconvenience when the bookmark looses it’s place, but most of the time I am able to find where I had got to with ease.

I like the feeling of holding a book in my hands. I know how much of the book I have read, and how much I have yet to read. The comfort. The smell. The paper. The Ink. The collection of books upon my shelf. All adds that homely, warming feeling to my surroundings.

Maybe I’m not a child of my time?

But I spotted this evening, on my return from Manchester, that Lorraine Sommerfeld has similar thoughts…

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Aroma

Today I started my placement for the Autumn term. I’m working with Aroma, which is the Women’s Bible Study on a Wednesday morning. About 70 women of varying generations come each week, which is amazing! I’m in a group led by Melinda and Hilda, I’m really looking forward to getting to know these women of God better over the time I have here; learning and praying with them.

We’re studying John, and where better else to start off the first week than with John 1;

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood.

It’s the beginning of this passage which, at Advent and Christmas services has always made my hair stand on end, the shiver down your spine. Each time I read or hear it I am blown away by it. I remember it took me a while to comprehend that the Word here is Jesus, and that Jesus existed before the incarnation, and that he had an active role in creation. But once you grasp that, his life on earth, his sacrifice, giving up all that he had with the Father, is so much more powerful.

One of the things we discussed in our group, which I’d never thought about before regarding 1:5. The light shines in the darkness. Light can dispel darkness, but darkness can never dispel light. Amazing.

Breakfast Bible Study

Today I had my first Breakfast Bible Study shift. As much as getting up at 6:30am is a little painful, I really enjoyed being at work for 7am; it was fresh and had the added bonus of finishing the days work at 2 enabled me to have a trip over to Northwood to visit some LST folks

I was able to take part in BBS myself, I joined a table to do the study. We’re looking at the 10 commandments in the run up to Advent.

I was really challenged by the three verses we were looking at today; Exodus 20:1-3. We as Christians know what it means to love God, but really, do we actually do it 100% of the time? In 2 Kings 17:9 we read that they were ‘secretly’ against the Lord their God. Ironic, that they tried to do things secretly from their omniscient God! They started out blindly following the other nations, until, before they knew it, they were casting themselves idols. We often feel so distant from the Golden Calf incident, but we, even in the 21st Century, even those of us who work for the church, are not immune from idols.

I was challenged to think about what my idols are today. Obviously, we are surrounded by people who want to get to the top in their work, clothes and the latest fashions are many people’s idol, or the latest car etc… I know that my cello has been an idol in the past, but I realised that some of my friendships have been idolatrous, in the sense that I would turn to specific friends rather than to God. I’m working on it, but I still have a way to go.

It’s simple; Jesus instructs us to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength and soul.

I’m definitely going to make an effort to get to BBS even when I’m not working

Staff Fellowship groups

Today was my first Staff Fellowship group, starting up for the new academic year. I love Mondays; we have Staff Fellowship groups at 12, followed by Staff lunch at 1pm, then into meetings and CA Training.

It was nice to meet with the FG knowing that over the course of this year I’d get to know these people so much better as time went on. As an introduction, we played the two truths, one lie game, which we had played as CA’s back in our first week. As I’m the only CA in our FG, I used the same 3 statements. I obviously have lost my skill at lying, though, as everyone knew which one was the lie! – none of the CA’s thought it was that one!

We decided together a rough plan for the term; we’re going to read The Trellis and The Vine, by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. It’s a new book, which apparently everyone is talking about. It’s subtitle is The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything, challenging the way we do church and discipleship. I am looking forward to reading it, despite having a growing amount of reading to get through!

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I’ve just read the first chapter. Thus far I’m left with mixed reactions; they use the analogy of trellis work being the ‘boring’ jobs that need doing at church; the cleaning, the building, the finances, etc. and the vine work being actual ministry. They acknowledge the importance of trellis work; without it the vine cannot grow, but I felt like they were dismissing it, and thus dismissing the roles countless people undertake in the church. And, surely, trellis work in itself is ministry and a witness, too? Maybe I’m being overly sensitive; after all, my job has a lot of trellis work to it. But I don’t feel I’m not doing vine work, either. I’m probably not explaining myself so well here, and have yet to read the next chapter…