Monday Message

At it's most basic, covet means to desire, which isn't a bad thing. Where it turns from healthy to dangerous is when what we desire belongs to someone else. Our society demands we consume. We are bombarded by advertising designed to make us desire the latest and greatest thing available. The average expected lifespan of a modern smartphone is about 15 months. Most people wouldn't need a new phone that soon, but they'll probably want one. But why do they want a new phone when their current one still works fine? Marketing; Pure and simple. We are told that our old phone is outdated and doesn't ave the latest software with the best features. It's not just phones, but pretty much everything that we are told we need to replace at regular intervals. A capitalist society requires consumers to consume so that a few at the top, the 1%, can be fabulously wealthy. Unfortunately, if you don't have your wits about you, you'll be drawn in. But how did God...

In this the penultimate week in our series on the Ten Commandments, I'll look at our relationship with those around us; Our neighbours. But who exactly is our neighbour? Is it Jean from next door and Merv from down the street? How big is a neighbourhood and who is in it? Take a look at the video to get a small glimpse of the people in your neighbourhood. Exodus 20:16  “You must not testify falsely against your neighbour. Put simply, tell the truth. Seems easy enough when it's on the page, but how does real life stack up? I think the easiest way to look at this is to start by looking at why we might have a false testimony against our neighbour. This is not an exhaustive list, just the things I could come up with at short notice. Revenge: We feel slighted in some way and have taken it upon ourselves to exact retribution. Should we? Have a look at Romans 12:19 . Spite: They have it better than us and we want to bring them down a peg or two. Again I'll le...

Exodus 20:15 “You must not steal. Well that seems simple enough. I mean, most of us know not to steal. We live in a culture that encourages us to 'Get what you can for yourself'. A self serving attitude to life that blurs the lines of just what stealing really is. I'm sure we'd all put our hands up and say we don't steal. Although... don't look at my iTunes library; Or that folder marked 'Movies'. Other than that... I'm all good. If we were honest with ourselves, how many of us have taken stationery home from work; Or taken the credit for someone else's accomplishment? Do you always give back the extra change you get if the cashier isn't paying attention? I'm not trying to point the finger at anyone. Just trying to get us to really look at how we live our lives and where we draw the line when it comes to right and wrong. Today in church we had a guest speaker who talked about what being a christian meant to him. For him it wa...

This Monday Message is definitely the one I've spent the most time over. Not because it was long, or hard, but because I feel it touches on areas that could make me seem a little judgemental. So let me first state that my aim with these messages is not to judge, but t process the thoughts I have while reading the Bible and, hopefully, distilling them into a format others enjoy and gain insight from. Today I continue the theme of the Ten Commandments in view of relationships. This commandment focuses on the marriage relationship. Exodus 20:14 You must not commit adultery. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines adultery  as " voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and someone other than his wife or  between a married woman and someone other than her husband ." The key part, in my opinion is the word voluntary. Adultery is not an accident. Adultery is a choice made by someone to seek physical pleasure from someone with whom they don't share a marria...