On this, the first episode of Season 5, we talk about how we use the phrase “I’m fine.”

We had a short break, but we’re back with a newly refined season of Endurance.

Endurance is your weekly spiritual workout, whether you think of yourself as a beginner, an intermediate, or advanced!

Steven begins his first ever GoDeeper by stating the rather obvious fact, that saying you are fine when you are not, is lying.

He goes on to unpack Colossians 3:9, which commands us not to lie to one another (other Christians).

He points out that when one lies about being fine, it is not helpful, because how can anyone help if no one knows that something is wrong.

GoDo 

For GoDo, Nathan asks Steven four questions regarding his #GoDeeper talk.

1.   How important is it really to be honest?

2.   When we say “I’m fine” without thinking, could that be partly the result of habit?

3.   Why might we be dishonest when others ask us how we are doing?

4.   What did you have for lunch on Friday?

Check out this week’s episode to find out Steven’s answers to these deep questions.

Steven and Nathan

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Well, that’s it - this is my 100th episode of Andy B 2 Minute Videos in this current season (and my 148th overall). We’ve only recently reached 1,000 posts across the BerryBunch, and now I’ve just finished my 100th episode of my weekday thought provokers. It’s a moment to celebrate what I’ve been able to do by the guiding, and providing, of God.

With this current season we saw the biggest changes to our online ministry:

• we’ve added another pair of studio lights
• we’ve invested in 2 x studio quality microphones
• we were blessed with a gift to buy BerryBunch t-shirts
• we were blessed with a gift to buy a studio camera
• we’ve added in brand new, funky jingles

I’m definitely no perfectionist, but I do like doing things to a high standard, especially when doing them for God and, at this point, I’m really thrilled with what we are able to produce in these short, weekday, devotionals. And I really like, with this current Season of Andy B 2 Minute Videos, that we’ve hit on what we feel is a good balance of everything necessary to make them come to life for you.

I also know the true value of taking a pause to recharge, refresh, renew, rethink, so, this will be my last one for a little while: God willing, I intend to return with more on Monday 22nd August, 2022, at 6pm as usual (UK time).

And, before too long, you’ll be able to read these devotionals, in the book that is so close to being published. I’m just waiting on a foreword by a friend, and a final spelling/grammar check.

What are enjoying, the most, in your serving God? Are you willing to give that back to God? Because, if you don’t, you’ll easily end up crushing the very gift He gave you. But, if you do, what might God give you in return? It might be the same desire or ministry. It might be something totally new. Either way, you win!

Just a thought…

Andy B

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On the floor of our studio, for about 2 weeks, has been a tiny piece of black foam.

I knew what it is – the foam cover from a pair of small headphones. But the studio floor is also a fairly busy place, so I left it, and then forgot about it and, then, well, rinse and repeat until I make an Andy B 2 Minute Video out of it!

Eventually I worked out who it belonged to when I spotted Jo’s earphones, missing one circle of black foam from one side - and I finally went to pick it up: I’ll replace the missing one from Jo’s earphones later today from the small bag of spare foam covers that we have, just in case someone loses it on the studio floor, just for example!

But this got me thinking about how often in life we leave things ‘cluttering up the place’. We tread on them. We kick then. They annoy us. We stumble around them. They irritate us. Or perhaps they just makes things look untidy and messy. But we don’t actually bother to do anything about it, even when we know it makes sense to do so. Even thought it would only take us, sometimes, just 10 seconds of our time.

I wonder where God is asking you to bend down, and pick up that small thing you can see in front of you so you can either throw it away, or give it to Jesus - so He can, perhaps, redeem it?

It’s too easy to just ignore things, and then move on. But, it can often be much quicker to just go pick up and either put it back where it came from, or throw it away – and then move on with one less irritation or distraction in the way.

It’s the same when I edit our videos for the BerryBunch. Sometimes there are left over guides from the last video I edited. I’ll get annoyed as they keep sticking what I’m trying to move to themselves (as they do what they are supposed to be doing, and what I wanted them to do with the very last video….but, just, not right now!!!). There is a simple solution – I can delete them all in one go, and start again. It takes a couple of seconds. But, as sure as eggs is eggs, I’ll get frustrated with these inanimate objects until I finally reach the end of my patience (or finally see sense and wise up!) and delete them all and start again - saving, well, loads of time and frustration!

If we don’t act on these tiny little things, they soon build up and we run the risk of our minds being overrun with the petty, and the inconsequential, and can all too easily miss out on something far more important that God id desiring us to hear or see (or do).

All for the sake of a minute, bending down and picking that little thing up and tidying the floor space. Or hitting that delete button.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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The UK has seen a terrifying increase in costs for heating and cooking. In the middle of summer, heating seems like something to not worry about. But the latest estimates are that a family who are paying £300 in the summer, will be paying £500 by October and £550 by January. As a family we were only paying £100 at the start of the year. That’s a five fold increase!

In the midst of this our UK Prime Minister has been forced to resign, which leads people to wondering what – and who - comes next, and I struggle to see how we won’t have a Summer, and Autumn, of strikes and protests as poverty bites ever harder on the poorest people of our nation, which is rapidly spreading to those with greater wealth as bills grow, while wages shrink rapidly by comparison with rising living costs.

All of this breeds fear!

But, as Christians, we have access to something that is guaranteed to provide peace, joy hope – no matter what our circumstances are. And that comes from the bible, because the bible contains the very words of God, that show us how to live a life that is not controlled by fear; it comes from a relationship with God’s son - Jesus Christ.

So, if you’re worrying about the future, please do know that while God doesn’t ever promise to make our lives easier as Christians in this world, God will provide us with something much better – a certainty of our future, and the promise that He will walk through those difficulties with us and peace no matter what is going on around us, or however difficult life gets.

Jesus is the answer to the greatest struggles of our time, and John 3 v 16 reminds us that the only way to living that life, now, of peace and hope is by choosing to follow Jesus.

It is Jesus who will help us defeat fear, in order that we can know peace instead, through the power of His Comforter – the Holy Spirit.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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Kindness doesn’t have to be something we reserve for special occasions. It doesn’t have to cost us everything we have either, but it will always cost us something.

At the time of writing there’s proof of the need for kindness in our world as a former South African satanist - of many years - recently became a Christian. Why? Because of an unprompted act of kindness from someone he didn’t know, that led Him straight to the face of Jesus Christ, and His love.

Yesterday evening I was doing some shopping. In front of me was a lady who was about to pay for her shopping, but she couldn’t afford a pack of biscuits as well, so she had hand them back to the cashier. And, with her shopping bill now low enough, she paid and started to leave. 

I knew what I needed to do, but I hesitated. What if she was offended at me asking? What would she think of a strange man offering to pay for some of her food? What would the cashier think? Excuses poured through my mind at lightning speed!

But, then, the Holy Spirit shouted louder and my voice found itself - I offered to pay for her packet of biscuits.

She initially said no and, after some hesitation on her part [“see, God, I knew I was wrong to ask, now she’s offended” – shut up Andy (my own voice here!)…wait……], and after a rather direct prompting by the Holy Spirit to stop being stupid – and silent – I found my voice again and persisted with my offer to buy those biscuits for her!

The biscuits went through with my shopping but, as she was leaving, she came right back, grabbed my hand, looked straight in my eyes and told me how exhausted she was after a 12 hour shift. Those biscuits were her way of keeping herself going a bit longer!

Kindness doesn’t have to cost the world. But it will cost us something. It’s also a one ninth of the Fruit of the Spirit, so it’s something we should always be pouring out to others as a result of our relationship with God!

So, be on the lookout for opportunities to be kind! Who knows what difference your kindness make to someone else? And, remember, that you might be the only piece of Jesus they see that day…so make it count!

Just a thought…

Andy B

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I was cycling the exact same route for several days in a row. However, the wind direction – and speed – changed each day. I went from having a tail wind on a stretch of road one day, to a head wind on the same section of road the next. I saw my average speed double with the wind behind me, and drop to half when it was against me. It was quite noticeable!

If we always help people with everything, they will struggle to learn how to do that for themselves. At the same time, we need to balance helping someone learn, with helping someone thrive. It takes time to let people learn, but it is so much rewarding for everybody when we let them – and resist that urge to just get the job done ourselves.

God wants us to do well. But that doesn’t mean a good job, with a nice house, 2.4 children, a new car every year and an amazing retirement plan. It may be that there is some comfort for you in your life! But that isn’t how God ever measures success in our lives, because God cares for our hearts far more than our physical comfort. And, to be honest, that physical comfort often gets in the way of our relying on Jesus anyway.

Do remember that, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should! 

So, take everything to the Lord in prayer – whether good or bad – to ensure you’re being pushed enough to encourage you, rather than make you lazy. And, to ensure that any headwinds are good for you, rather than those headwinds actually being God trying to gently dissuade you from a wrong path.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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Today's topic idea was sponsored by Devotional Treasures: Alan suggested I use a tin opener as a hook for an Andy B 2 Minute Video, so here it is.

There is a particular tinned meal which can be rather popular in the BerryBunch household. We eat it seldom, but MAN IS IT GOOD! It’s simply a pie you bake in an oven, in the tin it comes in. In very clear instructions, on the back, is the need to use a good quality tin opener, because this tin uses much heavier steel: flimsy, or cheaper, tin openers simply won’t cut it (pun warning): to access the goodness within, you need something built for the job!

When it comes to understanding the Bible we can easily take what we read literally, or legalistically (or liberallistically – this should be a word…even if it isn’t, yet…). The problem with either approach is that they don’t help us grasp what God is actually seeking to speak into our hearts. And, the Pharisees were legalists…just sayin…

For example, we should take literally God’s own account of how He states He made the heavens, earth and everything in it in just 6 actual days. You can argue against it and you can wrestle with it. But, that is what God said He did Himself, so to deny that, is to deny God. Simples!

For example, we should not be liberal in our reading, and change God’s nature as Male, as Father, as Him, just because we don’t like it. I once, sadly, heard a minister state that you could call God either He or She. That sort of warped thinking helps no one and is, in no uncertain terms, blasphemy – not good! That minister said that God wasn’t really a man, so it didn’t matter what we called Him. We didn’t stay long in that church – run away from such teaching as it will never help you become more like Jesus one bit!

When we struggle with a passage of scripture it is almost always, I believe, because we don’t like what it means to our own life.

I had a friend who only ever read the Gospels and, perhaps, the odd Psalm or two. He didn’t enjoy what was said elsewhere. But, that sort of approach just ends up with the tinned goodness in a mess on the floor being eaten by the dog, and we go [spiritually] hungry.

The bible is beyond just an over rich supply of all we need.

The Holy Spirit is waiting with the heaviest duty tin opener you can imagine, with the lightest touch – ready to help each one of us gain access to the eternally liberating, life sustaining goodness within it.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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I’ve always said that perception trumps reality. It doesn’t matter what the truth may be, if our projected image doesn’t back it up. And the bible tells us that we shall be known by our fruits – it’s the basic underlying principle that lifted up the widow who emptied her purse against the rich man who gave so much, but only a tiny portion of what he had.

As Christians it’s easy to think that we need to blend in to our surroundings, in order that we can maintain our witness, and maintain that opportunity to witness to others.

In my truck driving jobs I was routinely ostracised by my colleagues, and managers, when I stuck rigidly to speed limits. However, sometimes, I’d found myself alone with a driver and they regularly told me how much respect they had for me, but knew they couldn’t never drive the same way. They wanted to, but didn’t have the courage to do so because of the other drivers (who also, generally, wanted to drive legally too).

I randomly met one of those drivers, quite a few years later. My boss had followed my following career change – setting up a high street shop – with obvious pride for one of ‘his’ former drivers. He would speak of me often, and it seems there was no small amount of pride at what I had gone on to do.

If there was a line up of people in your workplace, would you be picked out as being a Christian? Or would that finger move on to somebody else, and skip over you, because you were too silent and hidden about your love for Jesus Christ?

We don’t have to go around with a large bible, holding loud prayer meetings on our lunch breaks – that isn’t a good strategy to endear people towards you! But we should be obviously Christian through our actions.

In our workplace, our professionalism should shine out because of our faith. Does your faith stand out enough to be seen through your work ethic?

Actions matter, because that is how people judge us. The bible even tells us that we will be known by our fruit (what we are seen to do). 

So be careful what people see of you!! Do be authentic. But, never hide your love for Jesus – you can’t possibly know who needs that most, next. When they have a need, will they know that they can be safe to turn to you?

Just a thought…

Andy B

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Washing machine companies spend an eye watering amount of money on advertising. I cringe as I remember some of the adverts on TV in the 80s and 90s. But, not, perhaps for the reasons you may think. Although, saying that, some of those adverts truly dreadful.

Not all that long ago the BerryBunch ran a high street shop - we sold everything eco-friendly, including alternatives for washing detergents, until a recession forced our profitable business to have to close.

Washing detergent functions just like a bar of soap – it attracts dirt, before washing the combined solution down the drain. No matter how much you spend, your detergent behaves in the same basic way. And the idea that if you use a particular detergent your clothes will smell better, or be brighter, or more coloured, just doesn’t really hold wash or hold much water (two puns in one!).

If you ever stop using washing detergent, you’ll know exactly what I mean as two things happen – your clothes suddenly lose a greyness you didn’t even know had been building up over time, and your machine stinks worse than a backed-up drain from your toilet on a hot summer day!

That smell is simply old detergent in your machine that is no longer being masked by fresh perfume from new detergent. It does not smell good! The greyness leaving is because the detergent – which was trapped in the clothing – is now being finally washed away, revealing the true colour of the fabric.

An old cliché you may have heard is ‘have you been washed in the blood’? This has origins with an initiation ceremony Roman soldiers might go through. An animal was suspended over them, while it was slaughtered. The blood would, literally, wash over them.

When Jesus died on that old rugged cross, He became that literal sacrifice as He took the place we could never take ourselves. His blood washed us clean as He defeated death, and makes us clean enough for heaven, should we choose to follow Him.

Life agitates us, just like a washing machine. But don’t try and avoid all of that agitation because it can also serve to refine us too, and wash us clean – if you choose to let it. All we need to do is call upon Jesus, and He will walk with us through whatever trial we’re facing, and make us whither than fresh fallen snow.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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Someone tried to steal some signalling cable for train lines in the UK along an 8 mile stretch of railway. This created a huge problem as trains were cancelled all together, or simply delayed by 2 hours or more. As you moved away from the centre of where the problem began, those issues simply grew, exponentially!

At one train station one particular man had finally boarded a train, but became so angry when asked to get off that the police had to be called. The problem wasn’t one of him being unfairly targeted, but simply that he was standing where the train guard needed to be able to be. No train guard, no train!

The staff had similar altercations with people who simply became abusive at them for the problems with the train being overcrowded, delayed or cancelled. People who had reserved seats became enraged that they couldn’t sit down at ‘their seats’. But, when a train is that overcrowded, you’re fortunate to even be on the train at all. Seat reservations were removed by the train company until the problem had been resolved.

We’re not always very good at accepting things, and it’s so simple and easy to allow a sense of entitlement to grow, resulting in us shouting abuse at staff members simply trying to do the best they can, in an impossibly difficult situation that wasn’t of their making.

Pride goes before a fall – which is why pride is such a terrible evil in this world; arrogance simply makes people not want to come near you and creates isolation, and a lack of humans wanting to come near you; stubbornness prevents you from enjoying life, as you hold on, desperately, on to what you perceive as yours.

As followers of Jesus, we’re only too aware that this life is very temporary, and that we leave this world exactly as we entered it -with nothing but the memories of a life lived, for others to enjoy…or not!

So, always be willing to surrender your seat – whether to someone older, someone pregnant, someone physically struggling with more shopping than they can carry: let’s be kind to one another, and please let’s try and ditch the pride, arrogance, selfishness and stubbornness – can you imagine how much better the world would be if those attitudes and lifestyles disappeared?

Just a thought…

Andy B

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