http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/index.htmlMark's Column for the Letterkenny Postenmark@newlifefellowship.ieCopyright 2007 Mark Loughridge2010-03-02T15:15:50+00:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:31:23 +0000mark@newlifefellowship.ieBible2010-03-02T15:15:50+00:00http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/f32a5d89a4da92c9903099386f6ddb49-139.html#unique-entry-id-139http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/f32a5d89a4da92c9903099386f6ddb49-139.html#unique-entry-id-139Do you ever look over life with regret? So many things you wish you could have done? Abilities you have never had the opportunity to develop, or even discover? Perhaps you feel that you haven’t had a fair chance at life, or that you have so much more to give, or opportunities you’ve missed out on. Perhaps responsibilities for children or aging parents have placed restrictions on you. Or perhaps your life has been irrevocably shaped by wrong done to you, and you look painfully back and wonder what might have been. Or it may have been sickness, or accident, or… the list is endless.

That sense of ‘the way things could have been’ can sneak over us if and when we get a moment to daydream. There’s something deep inside each of us that longs for there to be more to life than there is.

Or perhaps you have looked at moments in your life, moments of deepest pleasure, and wished that they would go on forever. But they either fade away into everyday life, or are rudely interrupted.

And we long for more. Is that longing just the tail-end of wishful thinking, of long forgotten but cherished dreams? I don’t think so. I believe that that longing is a God-given longing.

We weren’t made for a few short years. We were made for something grander, something richer, something more noble, for a time and a place where there would be no disappointment, no sickness, no cutting short of days.

This month’s verse tells us: “God has set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

It isn’t wishful thinking; that longing is a God-given echo of what we were made for. We were made to enjoy an unending life in perfection. Every joy in this life is an echo of that perfection, every moment is a reminder to us of the unbroken stretches of eternity that lie ahead.

Next time you’re enjoying something beautiful, and find yourself thinking “I wish this could go on forever”, or next time you find yourself thinking “I wish I had another chance at life” – then remember forever is on offer.

That raises the question: Are we ready for that eternity? There is only one way to be ready—through Jesus, the eternal one who came into time and had pain placed in his heart, so that we could have eternity and joy placed in ours. Do you know him?

]]>mark@newlifefellowship.ieCurrent Events2010-02-23T15:15:49+00:00http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/a8693d9484a0c9657f9667c1aeff2ef1-140.html#unique-entry-id-140http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/a8693d9484a0c9657f9667c1aeff2ef1-140.html#unique-entry-id-140(by Jonny McCollum)
You’re stranded on a ski lift over 30 feet in the air and night is approaching. No-one knows that you’re stuck, and you have no mobile phone. As night arrives the temperature plummets to -18 degrees and the situation seems hopeless. If you jump, you’ll probably break your legs and freeze to death; if you stay on the lift you face a battle against hypothermia. What would you do?

This is exactly the situation Dominik Podolsky, a German snowboarder faced in the Alps recently when the ski lift he was riding was shut down for the night. As the hours went by and his cries for help went unnoticed he tried a different method of communication – fire.

Mr Podolsky had a lighter and several paper handkerchiefs, which he burned in a bid to be spotted. No-one noticed. Next, he burned a series of restaurant bills and business cards, but to no avail. Finally, with his limbs beginning to go numb, and as he struggled to stay awake, he began to ignite the cash from his wallet.

Six hours after getting stuck, the 22 year old was eventually rescued, but not before the fire had consumed the last of his money.

His story had a happy ending, but it came at a cost. In order to ensure his survival, Mr Podolski had to make a difficult sacrifice. If you were in his situation, could you bring yourself to burn your hard earned cash?

Of course you could! 120 euro is a small price to pay for life. All of us would take the steps this snowboarder took, because only a fool would value their wallet above their life.

But maybe we’re not as rational as we like to think. According to the Bible, we’re stuck, night is fast approaching, and doom is imminent. Yet the hope of life is held out – but often we miss it. Why? Partly because we value other things too highly. Our problem is that we have put ourselves and our interests above God. We need to reverse that and accept the offer of forgiveness that Jesus holds out.

The offer Jesus makes is literally a matter of life and death, yet it can be crowded out by the busyness of life. It’s a real tragedy that many never give this offer the consideration it deserves.

Perhaps we can value our wallets (or anything else) above our lives after all.
]]>mark@newlifefellowship.ieCurrent Events2010-02-16T15:14:49+00:00http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/b8a487578bf7b2cde9386edb1b3d1bd6-141.html#unique-entry-id-141http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/b8a487578bf7b2cde9386edb1b3d1bd6-141.html#unique-entry-id-141I wonder how Jerry Flannery feels today. He's been looking forward to the 6 Nations for months, he's put in hours of backbreaking work on the training field, and after 2 matches his involvement may be over. All because of a split second of madness. As I write this, Flannery faces the possibility of a lengthy suspension ruling him out of the tournament.

And what about Welshman Andy Powell? His drunken antics on a golf buggy have brought a premature end to his campaign. I'm sure these two men would love to turn back time and put things right. They'd give anything to be able to walk out for their country next weekend, but they'll almost certainly be absent.

A very different absence caught my eye during the first round of matches. Euan Murray sat out Scotland's opener against Wales, not because of injury or ill discipline, but out of choice. The Scottish prop voluntarily sacrificed the opportunity to play for his nation because it's match was on a Sunday. Murray put his religious convictions above his country and his career.

Why would someone who has dedicated so much of his time to the sport spurn the chance to do what many of his peers can only dream of? Let's hear what Murray has to say. Speaking to the Guardian, he said:

“Ultimately rugby's not what fuels my happiness in life”

This man has tasted success and experienced the prestige, wealth and glitz that are part and parcel of being a prominent sportsman. And what's his verdict? They're like shiny bubbles. Murray explains:

“They're bubbles that appear perfectly spherical, all the colours of the rainbow. They're bright and shiny and light as a feather, and you chase them because it's good fun, but the minute you get them they burst and they're empty.”

We're fixated with chasing the dream – we want fame and fortune, we want to be popular, we want to be the best. Most of us will never fulfil these desires, and even if we do history tells us they won't bring lasting happiness. For that most elusive dream we need to look somewhere else.

Where can we find real happiness? In the same place as Euan Murray. Jesus Christ, died so international sportstars like Euan Murray and average joes like you and me can find a happiness that nothing can take away, and that outweighs all the shiny bubbles this life has to offer.


]]>mark@newlifefellowship.ieBible2010-02-09T15:14:49+00:00http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/ff2f0b8fe8f0d62be321d12e497ed0a2-142.html#unique-entry-id-142http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/ff2f0b8fe8f0d62be321d12e497ed0a2-142.html#unique-entry-id-142(By Jonny McCollum)
Nostalgia’s a big business. The internet is teeming with clips of kid’s TV shows from decades gone by, websites dedicated to yesterday’s toys, and campaigns to resurrect seemingly-forgotten confectionary.
Sometimes it’s nice just to remember how things used to be. For many, childhood was a happy time: free from bills, hassle and responsibility. But things change.
Change can be unnerving. Ask anyone who’s recently moved to a new area. Ask the thousands of people who have lost their livelihoods because of the changing economy. Ask the countless patients who have received devastating news from a doctor.
It’s a fact of life – things change. Our deeply held dreams and everything we hold dear can be shattered in the blink of an eye. Perhaps that’s why we’re so nostalgic – at least nothing can take away our precious memories.
Where can we turn for help when things change for the worse? To our politicians? They’re always changing. So often they get a taste for power and a generous expenses account – and the position changes them.
What about our families? In an ideal world they would love us unconditionally and always look out for us no matter what. But this isn’t an ideal world. Divorce rates tell us that much. Sadly, even our nearest and dearest can change to become almost unrecognisable from the people we used to know.
Where can we turn then? The verse on the calendar this month offers some hope.
“From everlasting to everlasting, you are God (Psalm 90:2)”
The writer of this song looked back through history, he examined the evidence, and he reached a conclusion – “God hasn’t changed. In years gone by, He was faithful to His people, and He is still faithful today.”
Several thousand years have passed since this song was written, and the world has been transformed. Yet God is still the same – He still loves His people, He still has their best interests at heart and He still keeps His word.
In fact, we have even more cause than the writer to celebrate God’s faithfulness because we know even more about His love - Jesus Christ was born into this world to be a servant. He gave His life to serve His people and to rescue them from the devastating effects of sin.
Things change, but God doesn’t. What we need then in a changing world is a relationship with the unchanging God through Jesus Christ.]]>mark@newlifefellowship.ieCurrent Events2010-02-02T15:14:48+00:00http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/b6eb8cee955ce5ca5cf565cd5a0440c5-143.html#unique-entry-id-143http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/b6eb8cee955ce5ca5cf565cd5a0440c5-143.html#unique-entry-id-143It was a weekend of tragedy in the county, not least on the roads. Firstly, let me extend sympathy to the grieving families in Carrigart, Ramelton and Bunbeg. But such is the nature of life that by the time this column is printed heartbreak and hurt will have been stamped indelibly across the lives of others.

Where do we find help when tragedy strikes? Let me point you to the familiar words of Psalm 23, also known as ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’. If you have a Bible near to hand I would encourage you to read them. I want to comment simply on three phrases.

“He makes me lie down … He restores my soul” – Tragedy tears us apart and leaves us broken and hurting in the innermost recesses of our lives. Sleep becomes difficult, a place where memories haunt us and our tears are the loneliest. The ancient songwriter tells us that God is a God who restores souls. What beautiful imagery – it calls to mind an artist tenderly and carefully piecing together a damaged masterpiece. There is a God you can go to who will restore your soul with such care and tenderness, and in doing so you will find peace even to lie down and sleep.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death … you are with me” – Part of tragedy’s agony is the loneliness it brings. Each person affected feels the pain differently, and so even within a family people can feel isolated. The songwriter tells us from his own experience that in the dark valleys of life he has found a companion, a guide who has been there before, and who knows the hurt and the pain and the loneliness. He is pointing us to Jesus Christ, the one who has gone right through the valley of death and who offers companionship in every dark valley.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” – In these words we see a God who provides strength and sustenance even in the hardest of times. When the enemies of pain, loss and grief surround us the songwriter tells us that God will provide from the deep resources of his strength.

In this ancient song we find that although the pain does not magically disappear, the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, offers to come to us in our loss and to go through it with us. Whatever your hurt I pray that you will look to and find help from the God who restores, who accompanies and who sustains.

]]>mark@newlifefellowship.ieBible2010-01-26T15:14:47+00:00http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/08140df21d71de22f820c40f711f8010-145.html#unique-entry-id-145http://www.newlifefellowship.ie/newspaper/files/08140df21d71de22f820c40f711f8010-145.html#unique-entry-id-145Happy New Year!

Like last year, our church has been giving out a calendar around Milford. It’s our way of saying Happy New Year and pointing you to God’s word. This year’s calendar is all about eternity, and the life which God gives which is eternal life.

There’s something deep inside each of us that longs for there to be more to life than there is. Perhaps we feel that we haven’t had a fair chance at life, or we feel that we have so much more to give, or that there are opportunities we’ve missed out on. And we long for more. That longing is a God given longing, and over the course of the year we will be exploring it.

January’s verse is one of my favourites. It’s found in John 10:28, where Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.”

What I like about this verse can be summed up under three words: gift, certainty, safety

Gift: Jesus says that this great longing in our hearts for more, for a life that is the way it is supposed to be, is met by him. He gives it as a gift; that means it isn’t something we earn, or even deserve. It’s not what church you’re born into, or what religion, or how well you behave that gets you eternal life. Instead it is a gift that Jesus gives—other places in the Bible tell us that he gives this gift to those who come to him in sorrow for sin, and trusting him for his gift of eternal life.

Certainty: As we become increasingly aware of how uncertain our world is we long for a certainty about life. This life that Jesus offers has a colossal certainty about it. “They will never perish” – this isn’t directed at super holy saints, but at anyone who comes to him. Certainty isn’t the product here of pride, but of trust in his great gift. Here is the offer of eternal life that is a cast iron certainty, not a tenuous hope.

Safety: There is something touching about seeing a young child completely at ease in their father’s hands. They may be balanced seemingly precariously on their father’s shoulders, but the child is happily bouncing along giggling, because they know that their father is holding on. That’s the imagery evoked by these words, “no-one can snatch them out of my hand”. Its one of safety, and because the life is eternal it is eternal safety. But more than that, it’s a safety in this life for eternal life. He will keep us safe until we get there. Nothing can snatch those who have put their trust in Christ out of Christ’s hand.

Let me invite you, if you haven’t already done so, to come to Jesus seeking forgiveness and asking him for this gift of eternal life. Ask him to transform you, and to give you this new life that changes, not only our future, but changes us in the present.

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