Andy B Podcasts and Stuff

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Being able to tell the time is a benchmark in our family. As each of our children has learned to tell the time, on an analogue clock, they get their first wrist watch - and a special trip with Dad to go pick out their very first wristwatch.

Knowing what time it is, at any point in the day, can be incredibly useful - so we’re not late for work (I’ve been there), or collecting the children from school (I’ve done that), or being in the house so a parcel can be delivered – even if you know that that 0800 to 1300 window of time you’ve been promised simply isn’t going to happen (I’ve popped out and missed it expecting them to fail to deliver when they said they would).

Every year we mark time by celebrating birthdays, and Easter and Christmas, or an Anniversary. And time marks occasions - reading the time helps us not miss out on those occasions! Well, mostly, anyway. Admittedly I’ve been late taking medication, despite having two alarms, that go off twice a day to remind to me to make my medication at the right time!

Knowing the time is great. Being able to tell the time is even better. But it only helps if we do what we’re supposed, at the appropriate time.

Habits can develop which help us. Triggers can render us needing to know the time, useless. For example, if the sun has gone down, it is no longer daytime, but time for bed!

Sometimes our reliance on technology can be a real issue, because unless it is working properly, and functioning correctly, and has been set right, that expensive gadget becomes just a useless paperweight.

And, for those of a certain age, it didn’t matter if we set the timer on the video recorder, if we didn’t also tell it which channel we wanted it to record. And even if we did set the channel right, someone can always come along and change the channel to something they wanted to watch, not know you’ve set a timer, and you lose your recording anyway.

Am I showing my age?

Just a thought…

Andy B

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"Broken beyond repair." "Needs some TLC." "Don’t know what’s wrong, but it’s yours if you want it."

Looking through Facebook Marketplace at “FREE STUFF” and you can be surprised by what people give away for free.

Now, admittedly, some of that free stuff is not. There are people who list as free, but have no intention of giving it away for free – they’re just hoping to get more ‘hits’ of people looking at something they wish to sell. To be honest, that’s just a bit foolish.

There are others who clearly, simply, don’t wish to take something they’ve destroyed to the local tip themselves, so are hoping you’ll take their “Nearly New, free 72” SMART TV”, even listing all of the connections it has - that also just happens to have fallen off their wall, judging by the dent and smashed screen.

Some things break, and are beyond economical repair. Others, simply need a quick fix and they’re as good as new. The difference between those two things, and knowing the difference between those two things, is the difference between a bargain, and a white elephant.

And, so it is with my recently purchased, used, desk chair.

Despite checking it, before I bought it, it drops every so often, because the hydraulic ram is worn, or faulty, or both.

However, it’s a super comfy chair, and looks great. Thanks to the internet, I can happily use this for many years to come because, as it turns out, there are some super simple ways of making it keep going.

But, how glad are we, as followers of Jesus Christ, that He does not abandon us when we appear to be faulty? 

How grateful are we that He does not ever see us as beyond economical repair or not worth his time and attention?

Just a thought…

Andy B

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Crutches can be a hindrance to getting on with life, easily. However, if you’ve broken your leg, it is a necessity to enable you to walk, while your leg heals.

Christians can be negatively accused of using our relationship with Jesus, or our choice to become a Christian, as some sort of ultra-negative thing.

As a Christian, I’m happy to state that I lean on Jesus more than I’ve ever leaned on any other crutches in my life.

I’ve used all sorts of things to help me get through life, from drinking alcohol, to working harder than my body can cope with, or caffeine to get me up in the morning, or keep me going late into the night.

And, like anything else, while a glass of wine can be good for your heart, a bottle a night is not; while a cup of tea in the morning can help you kick start your day, consuming caffeine after lunchtime is not good for your health.

This isn’t about moderation, but the very opposite – actually it’s about developing a healthy and absolute dependency on Jesus Christ, who is the only thing we need to wake us up and sustain us through each and every day.

We instinctively know that restricting the air we breathe is a bad thing. As Christians, our relationship with Jesus IS the air we breathe, so let’s not restrict how much Jesus we allow in our life.

We need ever more of Him, and He is ever there to supply us with more of Him, for the lives we live – to build God’s kingdom here on earth; to be Jesus’ hands and feet.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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It’s so encouraging when we can advise someone, or help them, and see a burden lifted from their shoulders.

It could be as simple as lending someone a phone, or giving them a life. Perhaps we take them a meal or two when they’re ill, or even just moving house, so they don’t have to think about preparing a meal for themselves.

It can be so very simple, easy and straightforward to help others.

There are some very specific skill sets, which the church will have within it’s walls. It’s no wonder that many churches choose someone who runs a cleaning business to help organise the cleaning in the church. Or a builder to help ensure the buildings are maintained well.

It’s really great when we can do something that is life changing, or at least that we can see is life changing – in the life of someone else.

The church family that God desires is made up of all sorts of people, from different backgrounds and with different skill sets – as well as people with different strengths, and weaknesses.

God isn’t just looking for people who can be strong for others, but also for people who are willing to be weak for others, too. Because, when we admit our weaknesses, and failings, and struggles, not only do we encourage others to know they are not alone with their struggles, we also make it possible for people to use the gifts that God has given them into our life.

Which makes the church much richer.

Don’t always seek to be the helper who is always doing. Because, helping others can just as easily be accepting help, as much as it is giving help.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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We love accomplishing things. Perhaps, like me, you use a digital To Do List. It is immensely satisfying clicking that little tick box, and having the satisfaction of having accomplished something else.

It can be addictive.

We can end up working so hard in order to have achieved something, that we miss out on the actual achieving!

We’re really good at being busy. The church excels at this, sadly. I think we sometimes feel that if we work really hard then, perhaps, God will love us more, or we’ll feel less guilty about something else.

And, yet, there is a pattern of working and resting that was set in stone by God, when He made the world in 6 days, resting on the 7th.

That cycle of working and resting is important!

During World War II, it was discovered that the human body can only go for so long, at a heightened state of ’working’ (in that case patrolling an enemy jungle) before the soldiers would simply drop down dead. They had been perfectly healthy, but as convenient as it was to have them patrol for longer, because it was so complicated to get soldiers in, and out of their patrol areas, it also wasn’t healthy for them.

It was realised that they actually do need periods of rest, in order to be able to function.

Many of us won’t have to work to those sorts of extremes. But the truth, and the principle doesn’t change.

Working without rest is, ultimately, very unhealthy on our bodies and our minds.

Which is why resting can be such a proactive part of our working.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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In order to kickstart this week’s theme Andy B gives some real-life examples of inexperienced people thinking they know better than those with experience, reminding us of the downsides of being proud.

He provides reasons for why humility is such a good thing to reach for, and why pride and arrogance are not such good things to reach for.

He talks about truck drivers, fact-checkers, diesel engines, and more…

Andy B

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Introduction

In this week’s Marriage Matters, Andy B and Jo talk about dating - that period when we hang out with someone, do things together, get to know one another, that time before marriage….

As always, Andy B finds us some relevant bible verses to see what the bible says about dating and as Jo points out, it doesn’t say anything specifically about ‘The Dating Game’, but there are principles in the bible to be found:

1 Corinthians 7:1-9

As Andy B points out, the purpose of dating should be marriage, not to try out different partners. And both Andy B and JoJo together explore the issues around dating and the dangers, giving as usual some of their own experiences to help us get our heads around this stuff.

#RealTalk – The Dating Game

Tips and Resources

Jo shares how she asked God to help her choose the right husband and how Andy was an answer to prayer.

Andy recommends two books and a website:

Hot, Holy and Humorous: J. Parker (https://hotholyhumorous.com/ )

XES. Why Church Girls Tend To Get It Backwards and How To Get It Right: Joy McMillan (http://www.simplybloom.org/ )

The Marriage Bed (https://themarriagebed.com/ )

Andy and Jo

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Catch us on Konnect Radio for our weekly show - Family Focus: Sundays, 3 til 6pm

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It’s easy to be bamboozled by people telling us their truth. And we’ve seen, during COVID, media sources confuse everybody by spreading their own opinions, while calling their opinions fact and, at the same time, deleting and blocking any, and all, comments that they simply didn’t like. The truth has been belittled to opinions, just shouted ever louder!

MSM means Main Stream Media – I had to look it up. And the trouble with MSM is that they do exactly the same thing as social media, only they do it while wearing business suits on our television sets.

So, where on earth, do we seek out the actual truth? Certainly not from fact checkers, who have already been forced to admit that they are nothing more than opinion think tanks, and not – as we were told – conveyors of the absolute truth.

In courts, a line is used about the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But, how can we find that? Where is it?

Well, as Christians, a great way to find the truth is to simply go back to what the Bible says. It is not, of course, going to tell us about the finer points of the current situation in Ukraine and the terrible, unprovoked atrocities being maliciously perpetrated by the Russian forces against the Ukrainian people. But it does help us find the truth, none the less!

So, if you – like me – don’t know where to turn for information and news, since all the news outlets have long abandoned any actual news reporting, and have drifted into what they repeatedly have started labelling as opinion pieces instead, read around the subject and check with scripture. Find a number of sources, including from news sources you wouldn’t prefer to read.

And trust that the Holy Spirit WILL guide us to the truth, if we ask Him. James 1 comes to mind here!

Ultimately, however, the reason why I say the bible helps us seek out the truth amongst the myriad of news reports we can read online, in newspapers, on apps and on our televisions, is because it tells us how to respond, and why people behave in a certain way.

If we know the why, it helps us understand the what much better. And, so like so much else, it helps lead us not into worry, but into action, and to prayer!

Just a thought…

Andy B

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We all like to think we’re special and unique. And, in many ways, we truly are.

But, we’re gonna have issues when we think that our specific uniqueness is somehow superior to that of someone else.

You may not be in to Star Trek. But, whether you are not, there is a fascinating point worth noting from the Mission Statement of the United Federation of Planets, of which earth is a part (that only Captain Kirk ever seems to be able to save!). And that, in really bad paraphrase, is that no culture will force another culture to be like them – cultural differences will be, essentially, accepted as they are.

As bad as that paraphrase is, if you’re a Trekkie, let my bad paraphrase go – I’ve been to Star Trek conventions and I can even tell you what the Ship’s registration number is for either Captain Kirk or Captain Piccard!!

Which is, actually, the whole point with this Andy B video.

We’re all individuals, with unique skills and gifts. Too often we place value on particular skill sets. For example doctors or barristers or teachers tend to be overly valued in churches, when they’re just people (and would say as much themselves).

We value based on all sorts of judgements we make, but we are all of equal value and worth before God, which is why the church is never supposed to represent just one tiny part of a community – usually the wealthier and more educated.

We need to see people through God’s eyes, and comprehend how God values even those that we think the least of us. And, generally, children fall to the bottom of the pile – which is why Jesus broke all sorts of cultural rules when He was speaking with women and children.

Let’s not forget that not one of us needs Jesus more than another – we all need Him equally, because we, all of us, equally need Jesus for the opportunity to choose eternal life with God in heaven, if we’ve decided to make Jesus our Lord and Saviour. None of us is closer to heaven, or further away – we’re either going to heaven or hell, and Jesus is the only way to have a choice about that.

So, let’s not fear the fact that people are different, but embrace it. Those differences really can build a stronger church.

However, let’s remember that the bible is the only way we can truly know what God sees as either good or bad, so let’s use that, rather than any other method of assigning value to people.

Just a thought…

Andy B

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It’s easy to shut a door, or close a window, without it actually working. 

My grandfather once, because he was so busy concentrating on leaving for a holiday, actually was in a taxi, being driven to the airport, when he realised he had lost his keys. When the taxi had popped back for him, he found the keys! They were in the front door, with the door wide open.

It’s easy to think we’ve done something we haven’t.

In our house we’ve got doors that close easily and ones that, while not stiff, do need a bit more help.

In our kitchen, one of the windows can be both closed, and locked, without being shut – because the seal around the window doesn’t actually meet on both sides. So, you can feel and hear the wind coming in through – making for a very cold window, and that’s just from a tiny crack.

If we want to actually close the window, properly, we need help – someone has to go outside and push, gently, from the outside. Then all is good.

And it is the same in our lives. We can easily think we’ve done all we should, just to realise we’re letting in the cold wind of sin lifestyles creeping back in. And, also like just in life, we need help from outside to truly close those gaps we want closing!

Just a thought…

Andy B

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