Sorted Magazine

Category: Faith

  • Beyond the banter: A man and his map

    Beyond the banter: A man and his map

    I like to think I know the way to somewhere. Even when I don’t know, I like to pretend that I do. And dare I admit that I’m reluctant to take advice on directions?There is a solution to this quandary. A map!

    Wherever I go on holiday I feel the need to have a map. I think it’s to do with being secure, getting my bearings, establishing where I am. Perhaps it’s an ancient call from the hunter-protector within, to ensure that the way ahead avoids points of potential ambush while passing through places of peaceful refuge. I have a whole box full of maps from a lifetime of going places.

    Maps are great! They can help you identify remote beaches, rugged coastlines and off-shore islands. Maps are really useful for working out the quickest route to anywhere from somewhere. You can trace the meanderings of rivers, streams and footpaths. You can pinpoint post offices and other timeless features. Most importantly, you can find your way when you are lost.

    These days, many of us make use of digital maps and Satnav. But as clever as these things are to get you from A to B, a man with a massive concertina of a physical map in his hand is clearly an explorer, a pioneer, a master of all his eye can see.

    Until, of course, it’s foggy. Then, it’s a different story. Suddenly there’s an insecurity, an inability to intuitively know the way; a reluctance to bluff or speculate; a lostness; a longing perhaps for home and safety. A torch might be helpful but we didn’t think to bring that, and anyway, it’s not that much use in fog because there’s too much reflection. What we need at that moment is not a map or a torch, but a compass, to enable us to press on in the right direction.

    It’s a relief when the curtain of fog is raised and the sun pierces through. Everything is clearly visible. We know exactly where we are again and we can see where we’re going. No more need to guess or pretend everything’s okay. In the aftermath it’s a small story to tell in the midst of a bigger story of life’s adventure.

    For me, God’s word works a bit like a compass, helping me to find my way back home through the fog. Psalm 119:105 in The Message says: By your words I can see where I’m going. They throw a beam of light on my dark path.

    Main photo credit: Abillion Tefccu via Unsplash

  • Beyond the Banter: It’s Only a Winter’s Tale

    Beyond the Banter: It’s Only a Winter’s Tale

    Amid the clamour of consumerism, David Essex singing It’s Only a Winter’s Tale stopped me in the middle of the supermarket. I have no idea why. I don’t know the rest of the lyrics, only the title. It’s not one of my all time favourites, but perhaps the music evoked memories of childhood Christmases from the deepest recesses of my mind. Salvation Army bands have a similar effect on me at this time of year. Is it pure nostalgia?

    It seems to me that the origins of Christmas are sometimes obscured by tinsel and trappings. Consumerism promotes a celebration of a different kind. It asks us to impress our family with expensive catering, gaze in wonder at the latest gadgets and have our best Christmas ever.

    Is the Christmas story “only a winter’s tale”? It goes something like this: The King of Heaven broke into our earthly existence in Roman occupied Palestine. He arrived as a baby, to a trusting Mum and Dad. Shepherds out in the fields, familiar with the night sky, were alerted to a bright, moving star. They followed it to a stable in Bethlehem. They knelt before a new born baby. Wise men saw that same star and followed it from a far away country. The gifts they brought held clues to the baby’s royalty (Gold), his priestly calling (Frankincense) and his ultimate sacrifice (Myrrh). I doubt they came to worship in confident faith. It’s more likely they came with unspoken questions.

    So as I hear the sound of David Essex singing his familiar Christmas anthem, I pray that, despite the increasing secularisation of Christmas, we might not lose sight of the reason for the season, and approach the Christmas story with honest questions, because for me it’s so much more than a winter’s tale.

    Main photo credit: Laura Baker Unsplash

  • Interview: “We would find drug dealers and rob them …”

    Interview: “We would find drug dealers and rob them …”

    Last Saturday on The Big Lunch radio show I chatted with my mate, John Lawson, a former violent criminal, bouncer and body guard. John’s worked with some famous household names such as the Rolling Stones and Neil Diamond and in this interview he opened up to me and gave an incredibly honest account of what some of those experiences were really like for him. He’s also been a significant player in the criminal underworld and I was privileged to hear first hand about John’s mindset during that dark season of his life. John went into great detail about some of the staggering exploits and risks he took. Here are a few highlights from the show:

    On emigrating from Scotland to South Africa:

    John Lawson (JL): “I was born in Glasgow, we emigrated (to South Africa) when I was three, that was a huge contrast!”

    On being abandoned by his father as a child:

    JL: “Unfortunately I was a bit of a wild child really … came to the UK … raised on one of the toughest housing estates in Europe, just developed a violent mentality. By the time I left school I got involved with my uncles who were running most of the sex industry in Soho.”

    On leaving prison and working as a bouncer:

    “I enjoyed the violent aspect of it … we were a tight team … for a bit of pocket money we would find drug dealers and rob them the night before they bought their drugs. Believing we were good guys we would flush all their drugs down the toilet, believing we were doing society a favour, but really it was nothing but pure violence.”

    On the police catching up with him:

    “The police caught up with me … they had my voice recording, they had CCTV footage, I got done for four years for attempted extortion … I was a foolish idiot … but that prison was the best place that I could ever be cos that’s where my life completely changed.”

    I asked John how it was for him to walk into prison on the first day and what his experience was like during all those years inside. I was aware that John came to faith in prison and was interested to know exactly how that came about. What followed was one of the most dramatic, inspirational and emotional stories I have ever heard. Listen to the full interview here. Read John’s autobiography in novel form here, his ministry work is here and there’s a song inspired by a poem he wrote for his wife here.

  • Gemma Hunt: “Christmas is about Jesus, the light in the darkness.”

    Gemma Hunt: “Christmas is about Jesus, the light in the darkness.”

    The Cheeky Pandas has released a pack of free resources, including a special Christmas episode, The Best Present Ever. Featuring CBeebies’ star, Gemma Hunt, there’s a special message for kids; Christmas is really about a person called Jesus, who is the best present of all.

    In The Best Present Ever Christmas preparations are falling apart for the Cheeky Pandas. Milo is sad at the lack of snow, Rory and Benji are fighting over which Christmas lights to use, and CJ’s cooking is less than perfect (pies in the kettle and turkey in the toaster!). Lulu just wants everyone to be happy. Every panda has a different idea about how Christmas should be. When the pandas get a special gift from the Pandaroo Delivery Service, will it remind them who Christmas is really about?

    The Christmas episode and song are both available on YouTube and The Cheeky Pandas website. The downloadable activity pack contains questions, prayer points, craft activity and a super-easy recipe (no ovens or mixers required). A free assembly plan will also be available for use in schools and a new Cheeky Pandas book The Best Present Ever accompanies the Christmas episode.

    CBeebies star Gemma Hunt said: “It’s an absolute joy to be a part of The Cheeky Pandas family. The fun, free Christmas resources that they are providing for children this year to remind them of the life-changing message of Jesus, the greatest gift this world has ever seen, is great! In the aftermath of the pandemic, as we face a cost-of-living crisis and a world that often feels in turmoil, children and families are more in need than ever of hope that can’t be taken away from them. Through this year’s Cheeky Pandas Christmas episode, song and bumper pack of crafts, recipes and activities, they have a timely reminder that Christmas is about Jesus, the light in the darkness.” 

    Access The Cheeky Pandas Christmas episode and song here

  • News: Survivors of modern slavery safe, supported and seen

    News: Survivors of modern slavery safe, supported and seen

    What bird do you associate with this time of year? For most people, the answer is the robin. But for the team at Hope for Justice, at Christmas especially, they think of the bird in their logo, the swallow. Tim Nelson, Chief Executive at Hope for Justice explained: “Over winter, swallows travel an incredible 6,000 miles from the UK to South Africa and Namibia. It takes them six weeks, and as well as coping with extreme weather conditions, they run the risk of starvation and exhaustion. But, despite their long migration, swallows nearly always come back to the same colony, and almost half have been found to return to the exact same nest.”

    This process has close parallels to the work at Hope for Justice. As well as rescuing people out of exploitative situations, they work to safely reunite survivors of modern slavery with their families. Many of the survivors they work with have been trafficked across continents. Even more feel worlds away from the person they once were and the life they once had.

    Tim said: “No matter where someone is on their journey, we walk alongside them so they feel safe, supported, seen. And our greatest joy of all comes when we step back, and watch them fly. This Christmas, you can help a survivor feel like themselves again. You can help a survivor return home. And you can be the reason they can soar to their full potential.”

    Thanks to a generous match-donor, whatever you can give to Hope for Justice this year will be doubled, meaning you can have twice the impact. Please donate here.

    Main photo credit: Julian at Unsplash

  • News: Churches campaign for women’s safety

    News: Churches campaign for women’s safety

    Christian campaigners are highlighting the realities of violence against women during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Red chairs are being placed in churches, businesses, train stations and schools to raise awareness that, globally, a woman or girl dies at the hands of an intimate partner or family member every 11 minutes.

    The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an annual campaign that begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs through to International Human Rights Day on 10 December.

    The Red Chair Project began in French churches, but now through the Christian Network to End Domestic Abuse, is being replicated throughout the world by Christian organisations who want to galvanise the church to speak up and do something about violence against women and girls.

    The Red Chair Project involves reserving an empty chair in a public place with a sign in red highlighting facts about domestic violence. The empty chair also serves as a visual symbol of the lives lost to gender-based violence. The colour red reminds us all of the violence faced by millions of women in war zones, on city streets, and also in their own homes. The sign is available in French, English, Spanish, Hindi, Romanian, Hungarian, and more.

    Bekah Legg, CEO of Christian charity Restored says; “At Restored, we speak up about violence against women 365 days a year, but this is a great opportunity for everyone to do something simple. Violence against women is such a pervasive problem, that most people don’t know where to start, but this project makes it easy to make a difference and start to change a culture which normalises violence against women.”

    Restored will be sharing pictures of Red Chairs around the country on their social media over the 16 Days of Activism. If you would like to get involved and set up your own Red Chair in your community, find out more and download the resources at www.restored-uk.org/redchair.

  • News: UK charities fight slavery and injustice

    News: UK charities fight slavery and injustice

    The World Cup in Qatar is marred with controversy: reports of migrant workers exploited, injured or killed, working in terrible conditions to build stadiums, hotels and infrastructure for the tournament. Sadly, these issues aren’t limited to this football tournament: exploitation and slavery is happening everywhere; it’s rife in the supply chains of the smartphone we check the latest score on, and in the clothing we wear.

    An estimated 28 million people are in forced labour slavery globally, three million more than five years ago. Three charities, Compassion, IJM, and Tearfund have joined forces to take a stand against the injustices that force people into slavery around the world. They had this message for Sorted readers: “With your support we will help families through the global food crisis and empower communities to lift themselves out of poverty so that they are less vulnerable to traffickers; and we will bring victims of slavery and violence around the world to safety and see perpetrators brought to justice so that they can’t harm others. We believe in a God who calls us to seek justice, and that when churches and charities unite, miraculous change becomes possible.”

    Desmond Tutu famously said: “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”

    Find out how you can get involved at: Justice United