Being the centre of attention

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear . . . 

For some people, these are pleasant words; for others, well – they would rather do a bungee jump than hear them. The words themselves are innocuous, but they represent a moment when they are the sole focus of attention. They would do almost anything rather than be exposed to those seconds of scrutiny. It doesn't seem to matter whether people are being friendly to them or not; it is just the sheer embarrassment of being the focus of attention that gets to them.

 

There are times when none of us like being the centre of attention. Last year, I had an accident as my wife and I started our annual holiday. I tripped and ended up with a severe gash on my head. As I sat and waited for the paramedics to arrive, I realized that everyone who passed by was having a good look at me. It was most uncomfortable to be scrutinized by a pulsating throng of tourists.

It got me thinking! So often, people are watching us. We can be unaware of it, but we are being observed. Now, it's not a good idea to live life looking over your shoulder, but it is wise to remember that you are a role model to someone. A good example is a great teacher, but bad behaviour is often inadvertently copied and has devastating effects. What type of role model are you? Would your family have a good example to follow if they imitated you? How about your colleagues – are you a good example to follow? What do your friends admire you for?

Are you open-minded?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

If you read my blog regularly, you will know that I write to help people look beyond their present circumstances and think about the big questions about human existence. My advice and thoughts are all from the Bible. You may think that this is narrow-minded and restrictive, but I have discovered that God’s word, the Bible, ‘is truth’, and in reality, it has opened my mind more than it has ever closed it.

But please, don’t just take my word for it. See for yourself whether it makes sense. I believe that the Bible is not a book of theory but that it changes lives through faith in the author, God. The sacred writings, the Bible, state that they 'are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus,’ 2 Tim. 3. 15. Sadly, many people are afraid to read it because they don’t know what it is about or are anxious about the demands it might make on their lifestyle.
 
Think about it like this. What if everything you need for living this life and the next is in the Bible. At the end of the day, the only reason you will miss out is that you never got round to reading it and receiving the gift of life that was offered. Many people have been brainwashed into thinking that the Bible is irrelevant and outdated. As a Christian, I don’t believe that this is true.

I believe that the Bible is God’s message to humans. It reveals things that we could not have discovered through experience or investigation. Having said that, we need to be careful not to assume that the Bible is just a book of legendary tales that have been passed from generation to generation. The truthfulness of the Bible can be verified in many ways. History, archaeology, science, meteorology, and many other disciplines have all demonstrated that the Bible is a factually accurate book. Bear in mind that it was written when most of these areas of expertise were either in their infancy or were undefined disciplines. How did the Bible writers know that there were paths in the oceans, Psalm 8:8, or that all that is needed to sustain life is transported and regulated through blood, Leviticus 17:11? These are only two examples - there are many more! 

The information in the Bible about history, geography, health, the natural world, science, and medicine has to date always been proven to be accurate. This gives me the confidence to believe what it says when it talks about the beginning of life, the cause of evil, suffering and death and the provision that God has made for our individual salvation. Let me leave you with two sample texts – 
 
‘Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men,’ Romans 5:12.
 
‘But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,’ Romans 5:8.
 
In light of my comments, please read the Bible with an open mind. It was written ‘that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name,’ John 20:31.

A scientist decides that there really is a God

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

I was looking at the books on the shelves of a shop in Weston-super-Mare when my eyes alighted upon a specific title.  It said in bold red letters, ‘THERE IS NO GOD”.  On closer inspection the word ‘No’ was crossed out and the letter ‘A’ had replaced it  and so it actually read, ‘THERE IS A GOD’. I could not resist purchasing the book especially as the sub-title said, ‘How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind’.  The book was written by Professor Antony Flew who had been a writer and defender of the philosophy of atheism for many years.

Blood

All photos are courtesy of Unsplash 

Using an average of 80 beats per minute, the heart beats around 115,000 times a day. Although a typical adult human body contains near to 5 litres of blood, the heart pumps the equivalent of 7,500 litres of blood a day through around 60,000 miles of blood vessels. That is equivalent to more than twice the circumference of the earth’s surface, and some of the blood vessels are as thin as 5 microns — that is 5 thousandths of a millimetre, thinner than a human hair.