Hope on the Street

 Live Music – Quiz – Thought for the Day

EVERYONE WELCOME

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Future Hope Cafés Dates 3.30pm

• 19^th February
• 18^th March
• 15^th April
• 20^th May
• 17^th June

Some themes we will tackle in following months:

• Lets Stick Together/ideas for getting on in relationships
• How to help your child succeed/parent survival kit
• Bullying – at home, work or school. Lets fight it
• Trust- where has it gone? Who can I trust?
• Past Times- what can we learn from the past?
• Valentine- what has love got to do with it?

How many of us tried the New Year resolutions this year? Who has already given up?  If you didn’t do a resolution this year, I bet you have tried in the past at some point! So what happened? Even if you did persevere were you disappointed that your life was not turned around as you had hoped? Isn’t it all a bit quick and shallow? There is a new book out on Amazon called “ 52 Small Changes in One Year to a Happier Healthier You”. Books like this make it all sound so easy. Can we really believe it’s that simple to get to the happier and fulfilled you? We may think, ‘yes great’, but if we are honest we know deep down there must be deeper things in our lives that need examining. Isn’t it true that most of what we worry about, how we look and feel, our status in the world, are surface things and symptoms of bigger problems on the inside? What if we were to get to grips with inside stuff, attitudes and heart issues and the outside stuff no longer mattered, what people thought of us, how we looked etc.?

But change, is tough and challenging; most, if not all of us, would sooner put it off and make no decision or a different one to the one we know we should make. Human decision-making has been studied and it was found that decisions were often illogical and based on prejudice, oversimplification and insufficient information.

I was up early this morning and when I came downstairs in my pyjamas my dog Oscar was very bouncy and wanted to play. It was very cold outside so I let him out the back door and he rushed off, then stopped and turned around, looking so forlorn and sad when he realised I was not following. Oscar stood for ages in desperate hope I would come out. He wanted attention and love so bad. They say that a lot of what we do looking to get that attention, to feel good, to fill that hole inside. Someone once said that all of us have a God shaped hole trying to fill. What if the things we do this year are trying to do that?

Our choices make such a difference. In history there are many examples of choices having significant consequences:

1)    Consider the Second World War- one of the reasons that historians say that that Germany did not win the 2WW was because it only built 12 submarines at the start of the war. Before the war their experts said they needed at least 300 submarines to win but Hitler and others ignored that advice. Instead of subs the High Command built big ships instead (It was not until near the end of the war that the Germans had 300+ submarines operating and by then it was too late). Because of that mistake the Allies able to keep supplies coming in by ship.

2)    Another decision that made a difference: in 1907 a businessman called Arthur Scott had a big paper shipment returned by a customer who complained the paper was too hard and crinkly. Arthur could have got into a strop and thrown the paper out or took legal action, but instead he thought of another use for it. He cut it into strips and made first paper towels, which sold like hot cakes.

3) Some decisions are a mystery. Perhaps you are a Spiderman fan? Well, so far there have been three Spiderman films made so far and if that’s not enough they are going to make another one this summer! The latest film will have a different lead actor for Peter Parker, a guy called Andrew Garfield. Will it make money? Only time will tell!

Ever wondered about the decisions you’ve made and wished you could relive that choice over again?

In the film Sliding Doors, made in 1998 a woman makes a simple choice but what would have happened if she had chosen different? Here is a woman and her relationships shown from two alternative histories. In one she catches out her boyfriend cheating on her, in the other she does not. In one she finds love but is killed, in the other she is let down by love but may find true love but we never find out. It all turned on whether she caught a tube train or not- went through those sliding doors. Some decisions are so simple but they last for an eternity.

The key turning point for me in my life, my ‘sliding doors’, was the time I went to hear a speaker and a sentence from the Bible, something Jesus said stuck on my head. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” I realised I wanted to open the door to Christ, to trust he means good to me. I had been trying hard to change myself but that had not worked, outside changes are OK but what if I let him inside to change me? Is it God’s job to change us from the inside out and not all down to our efforts? What if I forgot the usual shallow resolutions, and looked deeper, for a purpose, to really trust God; open the door and ask what would he want for me? Eventually, I made that choice for God and I can’t imagine what my life would have looked like if I had chosen differently. God has made such a positive difference, giving me hope and purpose and bringing out the best. If you are someone who feels they want more from life, to find out about the love God has for you and who Christ is, check out our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hopenews and web site www.hopeonthestreet.org.uk. Lets talk. No pressure, we want to help if we can.

DOES GOD EXIST?

Wouldn’t it be good if there were the evidence? Maybe you are someone who thinks Christianity is all about “believing in spite of.” or “blind-faith”. I want to let you know that this is not the case, that there is evidence for God. Problem is, are you willing to examine it? If you are someone who sets their mind against the possibility of God existing then won’t any evidence for God be missed or explained away? It’s just like the person who refuses to believe that people have walked on the moon; no amount of evidence is going to change their mind. Not photographs of astronauts walking on the moon. Not interviews with the astronauts. Not moon rocks. This is because that person has already concluded that people cannot go to the moon, so his mind is closed. If you can we come to this short article with an open mind, then the following three short stories may help in considering the possibility of God’s existence.

1) Goldilocks Story. In the children’s story Goldilocks came across some chairs, bowls of porridge and beds? On each occasion she went for what was “just right” for her. Scientists call the distance of the earth from the sun as ‘just right’ or the Goldilocks Zone. The distance of the earth from the sun at 93 millions miles; the Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day. Any less distance and the earth would fry and any greater distance and the earth would freeze. Freeze, fry or just right points to a deliberate designer or creator at work.

Consider the following: the Earth…its size is perfect. The Earth’s size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If the Earth were larger, its atmosphere would also not sustain life. In addition, consider the Moon, it is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull to be ‘just right’. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents. Two other compelling reasons to indicate this was no chance but the work of a master designer, a creator.

2) Man on a Motorbike. Have you ever been driving when it has just got dark and seen another vehicle without lights? I was driving back from Dunstable the other evening and it had just got dark, suddenly this motorbike appeared out of nowhere! No lights or reflectors. I was shocked for a moment. It struck me that you don’t have to be able to see something in order for it to be there. I know this is self-evident but some people seem to think God would have to show himself before they will believe. But there are many things we accept and trust in our daily lives that cannot be seen and we don’t know the full facts. We trust because we see it works or we do not have the time or wherewithal to test it. For example, love and relationships, when we press a light switch, when we trust the bus or train to get us to work (assuming the driver is healthy and fit, that the vehicle is mechanically sound). So maybe it is OK to trust that God is there even if we can’t see him, lets instead look for the evidence or results of him being there. Scientists too have this problem; because they can’t see or prove God with an experiment they make the assumption God is not there and write him out of their theories. This is seen with the theory of how the universe began; they say it happened with one giant explosion of energy and light and call this the Big Bang. Some scientists feel they do not need to ask who was behind the Big Bang, but surely we must ask where the Big Bang came from as it must have been created by something or someone? Does that not point to some kind of creator or master designer? C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Science when it becomes perfect, will have explained the connection between each link in the chain and the link before it. But the actual existence of the chain will remain wholly unaccountable. We learn more and more about the pattern. We learn nothing about that which ‘feeds’ real events into the pattern. If it not God, we must at least call it Destiny–the immaterial, ultimate, one-way pressure which keeps the universe on the move.”(CS Lewis, God in the Dock, p.78-79).

3) Voice from Nowhere! I remember walking by the river in a place I used to live, Caversham, near Reading, and thinking what should I be doing with my life. I was between jobs and feeling lost. Suddenly I heard a voice cry out, “Go to Africa”. I was shocked for a moment and I wondered if it was heaven speaking, then I thought is there someone there? At that moment my friend jumped out from behind a tree! My friend was teasing me and thought that he would catch me out; he was over from Africa and getting recruits to go back with him. Even if my friend had not revealed himself I would not have taken the voice as from God without testing it, using the critical mind that God has given to think things through rationally. True Christianity is never about blind faith and the brain is bypassed somehow. The reality is the opposite, followers of Christ are encouraged to use their minds and examine the evidence. To test ideas and what they think is from God. Once we have done that then we to have faith and trust in God to look after us and that his plan for our lives is the best one; even better than our own plans. The New Testament accounts of Jesus’s life and death is full of evidence for any seeker of the truth feel confident in the resurrection. I am also confident in the Bible itself, as there is much evidence that the Bible we have today is very accurate to the one that was in circulation when Jesus lived and the writings about him were written within the lifetime of his followers or second-generation believers.  I find my confidence in the Bible as being written by honest authors because it shows many of the heroes of the stories as having many moral failures, some doubting, arguing and being jealous and self centred. The Bible is far from being a propaganda document, it shows all the participants at their best and worst, warts and all. The Bible even records that some of the followers of Jesus still doubted even after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. This leaves my in no doubt myself that true believers and not to follow in blind faith and that honest doubt is good; an open mind that seeks truth and looks for evidence is what God is looking for and he has left many clues and evidence. God wants us to think. Perhaps you are thinking if that is so why is it hard for me to hear him? Well I know from experience that God is speaking but we have to be listening.

So does God exist? Well examine the evidence with an open mind. Look at the world we live in created so wonderfully and at the ‘just right’ distance from the sun. Look at some of the unseen things that everyone takes for granted, the Big Bang who made that? Look at the evidence; use your mind, your doubts. Look at Jesus, who he is and what he did. Has there ever been anyone quite like him, the words he said, claims he made, and things he did as evidence to who he was. Not blind faith but faith seeking understanding. Evidence enough perhaps to start to relate to a God worth knowing.

Out theme this month was Does God Exist. Not easy to cover in a few minutes! We had great music from fabulous local saxophone player, Paul Ewers. Another brilliant local musician also played two of her own songs, Kisa Austin. If you get a chance to see either of these musicians it is well worth it. We want to thank everyone who came today and especially Costa for hosting us, the musicians, our quiz master, David Goss and Andy Humphries for his short testimony. The recommended books this month (if you are keen to look into this subject a little more): The Reason for God by Tim Keller ; Gunning for God by Professor John Lennox ; and a book linked to the excellent Christianity Explored course- If You Could Ask God One Question by Paul Williams and Barry Cooper

Talk from Hope Café, Leighton Buzzard 19 July

‘ Why Bother with Honesty?

‘Honesty pays but it don’t seem to pay enough to suit some people” (Frank McKinney)

Words, so easy to use in a way that they lose value:

“I’ll start my diet tomorrow”

“One size fits all”

“Your call is important to us”

“My age is….”

How many of us have had one of those calls that start, ‘I’m not selling anything’. Lies seem to be part and parcel of our society.

The film ‘Liar Liar’ really highlights how lies eat away at relationships. Max, a little boy is let down time and time again by his bad father, so he makes a wish at his birthday party that his dad will not be able to tell a lie for a whole day. Fletcher, the father, is a lawyer and his life falls apart as he becomes incapable of lying. He loses a court case, offends work colleagues, makes his secretary quit and his mother will never speak to him again. This film shows how corrosive lies are and unfortunately our society has a love affair with the them- the business man who thrives on creativity on his expensive sheet, the popular newspapers thrive on dishing out the grimiest dirt and biggest rumours, the white lies of infidelity celebrated on TV soaps time and time again.

Some years ago when working in sales with BT one of my customers was called Talk is Cheap. They lived up to their name as time and time again they unashamedly said to me face to face that they could afford to pay for expensive telephone systems, mobiles etc, eventually leaving hundreds of thousands of debt. Their drive was to make personal gain and they thought lies would further that aim.

Lying can also become a way of hiding how we really think. I remember one company I worked for insisted that we had a monthly call with the director. Sometimes there were up to 10 people on this call. The director was very pompus and quite rude at times and wanted reports on our successes, but things were not going well for many of us. A lot of truth stretching was going on. On one call in the middle of a particulary patronising comment by the director, we all heard a strange sound- someone was blowing raspberries! The weird thing was noone said anything and the director kept speaking, with muffled giggles in the background. My team was made redundant a few months later, I’m sure there was no connection!

What is the cost of dishonesty ? Financially, massive companies fail(e.g.Worldcom, Enron), markets are distorted and even stagger near collapse, Insurance increases because of bogus claims. The concept of an absolute truth and standard to live by is slowly disappearing. The philosophy popular is that there is no truth- every individual lives their own truth and there are no absolutes. This is contradicted by science, medicine, engineering which are based and operates on the basis that there is one truth to be discovered.

The erosion of honesty affects relationships, family, friends and work.

So how can we choose to live a lie free life if we want when the culture is against us?

In the book ‘10’ by J. John is the suggestion that we should speak the truth but only when it is spoken in love. A good test of this is to ask ourselves the following questions:

T- is it true?

H- will it help?

I- is it inspiring

N- is it necessary?

K- is it kind

So easy to build life on lies and Jesus has something to say about this, he says ‘ I am the way, the truth and the life’. We can choose Jesus as our benchmark and the example of how to live honestly and to no longer live to please the world.

We had a short discussion on angels at each table and it was interesting to hear what people thought. Someone said that she did not consider herself to be religious and that angels probably exist because we need a way to explain the unexplainable- some things cannot be explained by science or rational explanation. Another person asked why angels had to have an identity or personal name, for her it was just nice to know that something was out there. One table had a couple who were engrossed in conversation about other things but when asked what they thought said, ‘how do we know that the experiences that were spoken about today at Hope Cafe were really angel experiences?

When I am on the market stall or running one of our community groups I meet people who are asking for spiritual answers. The world has thrown out so much that was important in its search for meaning in science and materialism. In the mid 20th century we were asked to believe that science would answer all of humanity’s needs, some philosophers proclaimed God as dead. Yet here we are today with so many realising that material things are not enough and the pursuit of wealth has left an emptiness (as well as damaging our environment and society). That is why there is such an interest in the spiritual today and particularly angels. There are many books on Angels on sale but one of the classics is Billy Graham’s called, Angels:God’s Secret Agents. Graham talks about the difference between the angels that many follow and angels as described by the Bible.

I met someone on the market once who said that they spoke with angels. These angels gave advice and instruction. I asked how she knew the angel who spoke was good or bad and she said it was how she felt. I asked how she could trust her feelings as if she was like me feelings change with circumstances and my physical state- she looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. ‘How would you test it then?’ Well I said I would look for someone or something that would give me an objective assessment of the situation. Having looked at the Bible I have found it to be an excellent tool to help me test what feelings I have and what stuff people tell me about angels and other spiritual phenomena.

What angels are not :

1. They are not gods and something to be worshipped or followed
2. They not part of us, some inner consciousness
3. They are not beings that do our bidding
4. They are not cuddly, fairy like things that float around leaving little signs to make us aware of their presence

What angels are:

1. Powerful beings, mighty warriors. Beings who can fight against the evil in the spiritual realms
2. These beings are created by God to be his servants. They number many thousand upon thousand.
3. They act as guardian angels, guides, messengers but also sometimes as God’s representative in judgement
4. We are given a picture of angels worshipping God around his heavenly throne.
5. Jacob in the Bible saw angels ascending and descending on a staircase between earth and heaven

What does this mean to us?

At the cafe today someone said, ‘so what, what difference does this make?’. I said it makes all the difference to me. When I go through difficult times I find it very helpful to know that there is a spiritual side to the problems and issues, and that God is helping me through his angels at that level is a great encouragement. Someone said to me once that we are spiritually so poor in this country. We are like the famine victims so often shown on our TV screens from  third world countries,those who are wasting away through lack of food. In England we are materially rich and have so much food that we can overeat, but in contrast the spiritual part of us is so often neglected and wastes away. The nutrition that feeds the spiritual heart that is in all of us includes prayer, meditation and the worship of God. Spiritual things are more than just going to church but include wider questions that we all ask from time to time- what is the point of it all, there must be more to life than this- these are the spiritual questions of life and questions about angels are part of this desire to know the spiritual side in us. We often question when things in life go wrong. Angels are described in the Bible as having a large part to play in times of crisis, helping encourage and help God’s people; bringing answers to prayer, fighting spiritual battles on our behalf etc.

Though we cannot see Angels normally, this should not surprise us as there are many things we cannot see but we know that they are there nevertheless. Billy Gram says, “our ability to sense reality is limited. The deer of the forest far surpass our human capacity in their keenness of smell. Bats possess a phenomenally sensitive built-in radar system. Some animals can see things in the dark that escape our attention…so why should we think it strange if men fail to perceive the evidence of angelic presence?”. The Bible presents many different angel encounters, none more strange than the one with Balaam and his donkey. Perhaps the donkey was given special ability to see an angel whereas Balaam could see nothing in front of him. For the full story see the Bible ( Numbers chapter 22, sentences 23 onwards).

Personally, the sense of the spiritual has been a great source of strength to me over the years. Knowing that there is something beyond this life, that I will have a place there and will see loved ones again gives me hope. Most importantly, angels indicate to me that there is a loving God who is concerned and involved in this world today. Belief in angels also points me to Jesus Christ. Some compare Jesus to the angels but Jesus said he could have commanded legions of angels to help him, and the Bible speaks of him as their commanded and far higher than any angel.

We will probably look at this topic again soon at Hope Cafe so look out for details.

At the next Hope Cafe on 19 June we are looking at, ‘ Why Bother with Honesty?’. Hope to see you there.

This a the monthly live music/quiz event we run in Costa Coffee, Leighton Buzzard. Everyone is welcome. The theme for this Sunday is Angels

Hope Cafe usually takes place on the third Sunday of the month but this month we had to move to the fourth Sunday because we did not want to clash with the fantastic New Christian Music Weekend.

This month Costa Coffee, Leighton Buzzard was full to the brim again. Our theme this time was ‘Justice and Fairtrade’. We invited an enthusiastic supported of Fairtrade to speak for a few minutes about why Fairtrade was important and making a difference to real peoples lives around the world. Feedback from the tables was that most people seemed to think that Fairtrade was a good thing and deserved the support of shoppers. Some were sceptical at the development aid provided by governments because of the corruption and bureaucracy which can mean very little money actually gets through to those who need it. On the other hand supporting Fairtrade means that money gets to the right people and avoids going through government agencies or big charities. A few extra pence on coffee, bananas, chocolate etc is a small price to pay for helping a family stay out of poverty. Live music this month was from one of our celebrated local musicians, Paul Ewers. Paul plays saxophone and his music is easy listening, idea for a cafe style environment. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event, especially the table who won the quiz!

There was also a short talk on justice and how everyone has an inbuilt sense of justice from when a small child, something that is God-like in them. Every child almost as soon as it can speak and play with other children will say, ‘its not fair’ when something happens that is not to their benefit. As Christians we believe in a God that the Bible describes as being righteous and with a sense of justice that is as “high as a mountain” and as “deep as the ocean”. Colin suggested that those who criticise God and say he is unjust do not know or understand him. Just because something happens that we think is not right does not necessarily disprove the goodness of God. Perhaps other forces are at work, in the human heart or in the external environment.

Hope Cafe, Debra Goss singing and Andy Humphries on guitar

Paul Ewers playing sax at Hope Cafe, Leighton Buzzard

Decisions can make you into a hero or a victim and can have consequences that last for moments or a lifetime!

Someone told me recently the true story of his great-grandfather, living before the First World War. He was a sea pilot and helped ships navigate along the Kent coast into the port of London. One day a couple came to him, a young man very keen to show off his new boat to a young lady friend. The pilot advised them strongly not to set sail as the weather looked to be blowing a gail and that part of the coast was treachorous because of the Goodwin Sands, a notorious stretch of sand that had been the cause of many shipwrecks. The young man would not listen and set sail. Some hours later the pilot saw in the distance the boat in trouble and made the decision to attempt a rescue. Neither boat or the souls on board were ever seen again.

What is the quality of your decisions? Have you thought about the consequences for your work, career, relationships and health?

Looking back I can see I have made some very poor decisions. I remember leaving school and taking a job as a technician against advice. My teacher at the time said how surprised she was that I was going into that sort of work as my strength was English subjects not technical. Would I listen? I did not last in that job for long and then I tried becoming a trainee accountant against friends advice with similar failure. The problem was I did not know myself and my teacher and friends knew me better. So the first point in making good decisions is to become self aware, and it really helps if you can get a trusted friend to advise you. I also find I get deep insight into the person I truely am and can become through reading the Bible.

If youare serious about making a decision then some knowledge of Gerard Egan’s three stages. Egan is very popular in the coaching, training and counselling world. In a nutshell there are three stages to help someone:
1) Tell the Story- where are you now, stand back and look at your situation. Look for the blind spots in your thinking and motivation for change.
2)What are the Possibilities? What is stopping you changing? Is it fear, lack of confidence, faulty thinking etc?
3)Action Strategy. What possible actions are open to you and which is the best fit for you and your situation? Have a plan to go forward. Dream your dream.

Jesus tells many stories that can help. Here are two of his parables. Jesus said suppose one of you wants to build a tower, will you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if enough money is available to complete? For if he lays the foundation and cannot complete the tower everyone will ridicle him. It is therefore important to remember to count the cost of any decision that we make.

Jesus also tells the story about a banquet,where a king sends out invitations to many guests but everyone is too busy to come. One person is busy with his business (he bought a field), another is busy because he has the equivalent of a new car or something for work, another is involved with a relationship. The point being that we must get our priorities right. This is an area where we so often get it wrong, putting all sort of things and activities before important relationships, especially our relationship with our God.

A book that has some helpful insights is Paul McGee’s book, SUMO. SUMO stands for ‘Shut up, Move on’. Shut Up is about moving on from wrong patterns of thinking, negative or unproductive thought habits. McGee says imagine walking through a field of long grass, as we walk through we make a path through the grass which takes effort and care. Every time go through the field again we will follow the same path over and over again, as to make a new path will take a lot more effort. This is the same with life and how we behave in our relationships, how we behave, handle finances and look after ourselves.

So we need a new start that says ‘shut up’ to the old way of living. This is so similar to what Jesus is tryig to get us to do when he say we need to be born again or a new creation.

The ‘move on’ part of SUMO relates to the motivation necessary to break free from the old life and follow through with the decision we want to make. What stops our motivation is a cant be bothered attitude. Being honest about that is important, looking to what we will gain if we follow through with our decision and not looking at the negatives.

It is also very important to have someone who believes in you, someone can be unconditional with support, someone to cheer you on from the stands. Jesus made a decision and choose 12 people who would be his followers and he offered them his full support and believed in them, in what they could become. Some of them responded so well to that belief. God wants us to know he believes in us in the same way and that is where faith can really help us in following through on the decisions we need to make, especially the difficult ones.

One of the 12 people Jesus chose turned out very badly and betrayed him. What can we learn from this? Well one point to consider when making decisions, when people are involved, is that sometimes the ones we trust will let us down badly. We can blame ourselves when this happens and lose our ability to trust and make good decisions again. I was talking to an elderly lady some weeks ago and she said that she had been let down by a close friend over 30 years ago and now she can’t mix or trust people. That was 30 years ago but all her decisions about joining group or going out is governed by a decision she made 30 years ago to trust someone!

Finally, it can be useful to write out the pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses when making a decision. To look at the impact the decision will have on your family, close friends, circumstances and finances. What issues and feelings are blocking your decisions plans, what is stopping change. What will the world look like if you could wake up tomorrow and the decision had been made?

As a Christian I would think about how this decision fits into God’s plan for my life. This will ensure that the decision fits with my values and ethical stand so I will not regret the decision in the future.