Recently Justin managed to swing an interview with the guys at CrossRhythms as well as getting the 2 of us on their radio show for about 20 minutes to plug our On the Road tour. Not bad for our 2nd month in the country. Read the interview
14 October 2006
NGUK on CrossRhythms
Recently Justin managed to swing an interview with the guys at CrossRhythms as well as getting the 2 of us on their radio show for about 20 minutes to plug our On the Road tour. Not bad for our 2nd month in the country. Read the interview
10 October 2006
Temple
An article for One Magazine.
Thesedays the word temple doesn't really pop up that often, and when it does we probably think of ancient places of worship in the Far East or a tourist attraction we've seen on the Travel Channel. But the Bible speaks about temples over and over again and, back in the day, the temple was “the place where God lived”, where people could come to get hold of Him. A big, visible reminder that God wanted to make Himself available to His people, and make sure everyone knew where to find Him.
In modern terms you could liken the temple to a mall, a supermarket or a fast-food joint. Each of them visible with their neon signs and billboards, all claiming to have what you need to make you happy. Whether it be the golden arches with their promise of a quick burger or a Happy Meal, a Nike ad subtly suggesting that their latest high-tops are all you need to make that dunk, or another smooth iPod commercial wooing you into the world of digital downloads. All of them with something on offer. All of them visible. All of them available.
Ask any young European today if they know where they can get a fast-food fix, find a packet of cigarettes or buy a new pair of Chuck Taylors, and they'll point you in the right direction. But try getting them to give you directions to the nearest church or asking if they know where to find Jesus and the percentages drop. Thanks to media and technology we have pretty much everything at our fingertips, yet God appears to be less and less visible. Less and less prominent. Less and less available.
Recent surveys say that over 80% of European teenagers are interested in topics regarding religion and faith. Read that again! Over 80%! That means that young people today are out looking for something, and there’s more on the market to choose from than ever before. In the meantime, we Christians seem to be suffering from acute invisibility!
Corinthians tells us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. That means mobile, modern-day venues where God can dwell. Living neon signs displaying God's name. Walking, talking billboards making God available to our generation in our schools, universities and workplaces. Every young person standing up for Jesus in their class is like a 21st-century temple. A point-of-contact between heaven and earth. When John from Weston-super-Mare put up that poster of himself with the words ”I’m a Christian, ask me why!” in his college, he turned himself into a contact-point. When Lina from London stood up at assembly and announced that she was a Christian, or when those girls from Nottingham put up hearts with Christian messages on them on Valentine’s Day, God didn’t just see a poster, a trembling girl, and red pieces of cardboard…God saw temples!
By deciding to be visible you can join together with thousands of other young people across Europe who are giving Jesus the chance to reach a generation that He’s longing to touch. You can be the point-of-contact in your world, and show your friends where to find God. You can help make God visible again.
Thesedays the word temple doesn't really pop up that often, and when it does we probably think of ancient places of worship in the Far East or a tourist attraction we've seen on the Travel Channel. But the Bible speaks about temples over and over again and, back in the day, the temple was “the place where God lived”, where people could come to get hold of Him. A big, visible reminder that God wanted to make Himself available to His people, and make sure everyone knew where to find Him.In modern terms you could liken the temple to a mall, a supermarket or a fast-food joint. Each of them visible with their neon signs and billboards, all claiming to have what you need to make you happy. Whether it be the golden arches with their promise of a quick burger or a Happy Meal, a Nike ad subtly suggesting that their latest high-tops are all you need to make that dunk, or another smooth iPod commercial wooing you into the world of digital downloads. All of them with something on offer. All of them visible. All of them available.
Ask any young European today if they know where they can get a fast-food fix, find a packet of cigarettes or buy a new pair of Chuck Taylors, and they'll point you in the right direction. But try getting them to give you directions to the nearest church or asking if they know where to find Jesus and the percentages drop. Thanks to media and technology we have pretty much everything at our fingertips, yet God appears to be less and less visible. Less and less prominent. Less and less available.
Recent surveys say that over 80% of European teenagers are interested in topics regarding religion and faith. Read that again! Over 80%! That means that young people today are out looking for something, and there’s more on the market to choose from than ever before. In the meantime, we Christians seem to be suffering from acute invisibility!
Corinthians tells us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. That means mobile, modern-day venues where God can dwell. Living neon signs displaying God's name. Walking, talking billboards making God available to our generation in our schools, universities and workplaces. Every young person standing up for Jesus in their class is like a 21st-century temple. A point-of-contact between heaven and earth. When John from Weston-super-Mare put up that poster of himself with the words ”I’m a Christian, ask me why!” in his college, he turned himself into a contact-point. When Lina from London stood up at assembly and announced that she was a Christian, or when those girls from Nottingham put up hearts with Christian messages on them on Valentine’s Day, God didn’t just see a poster, a trembling girl, and red pieces of cardboard…God saw temples!By deciding to be visible you can join together with thousands of other young people across Europe who are giving Jesus the chance to reach a generation that He’s longing to touch. You can be the point-of-contact in your world, and show your friends where to find God. You can help make God visible again.
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