Welcome to Kingscross

Before I fell in love with a woman, I had a love for shoes. So, it was natural then to be standing in a shoe shop, calling my girlfriends father, to ask her shoe size. I told him they had running shoes on sale, and asked if I could buy her a pair. His response stuck! He graciously suggested it was not the best idea, as she had no reputation of being a runner, or of doing any exercise really, in a word, she had not yet proven ‘faithful’. I was putting the kart before the horse. That afternoon I took her for a run; I was determined to get her to build the reputation that would allow me to buy her new running shoes. It’s a funny thing, ten years later she has become a decent runner… I wonder if those shoes are still for sale?

I know my dad is my dad because we have the same toes, true story! What we all inherit from the womb is whatever is given to us genetically. I was in our local museum. I couldn’t get my eyes off an old picture three ladies. It suddenly dawned on me… the one lady had my fathers smile. I began to read the note below her picture and felt my spine tingle as I read her last name… which was my Fathers last name – ‘Tapping’. This lady in the picture was my great aunt! Through this old ladies smile, she shared something with my dad, genetic code.

FOREWORD: This is not a blog about exercise, but running will be mentioned.

Eric Liddell said: “When I run I feel his (Gods) pleasure”. I think he was positive when he said that, like he enjoyed running? Fortunately I have found the place I hear God best. Unfortunately that is running. My feet swear at me constantly, threatening to trip me up. My knees are like bamboo scaffolding… seriously who over 6’ is gonna get up on that? Every stride my hands try stretch closer to punch me in the face. Running is a war, and yet it’s there that I know I can seek and find God. Finding that place is the content of another blog, what happened in one of those runs is the content of this.

The Bible reverberates with the message of redemption from the book of Genesis in the beginning to Revelations at the end. This is because Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and break relationship with Him in favour of self-determination and self-governance. They chose to listen to the devil who ‘comes to kill, steal and destroy’ (John 10:10) instead of listening to their creator and Father. As a result they came under the curse of sin and death and eternal separation from God. They were doomed to die unless God stepped in to save and redeem.

I recently returned from Thailand, a country of rich diversity, unique foods and unusual smells.  Never have I been so aware of the impact of worldview on a nation than during this visit.  Where more than 95% of the population consider themselves to be Buddhist, Thailand have entwined cultural Thai and Buddhism, which effects every part of their daily life.  It seemed as though the spectacles they were wearing were significantly different to mine, and it was obvious that the way they view life shaped the way they eat, sleep and drink (and everything else), which has resulted in a life very different to mine. 

What if everything we were looking for in our leaders was wrong? The 'born leader' is easily recognisable, but when Jesus chose the men who would start a worldwide movement... he didn't choose whom we might have expected. Who Jesus chose, actually made Jesus quite unimpressive. The other Rabbis had the most gifted young men begging to follow them, literally imitating their every move. Jesus however, had to pick his own disciples, who were anything but extraordinary (Matt 4:18-22). So what does the 'humbly confident' leader look like?