I was reading the book called "a serious call to a devout life" the other day and was struck by the power of intention, or setting your mind to something, like flint, or stone. The writer's point was that people failed in their life of constant dynamic faith, simply because they never really intended to succeed, at least as evidenced by the way they prepared for and acted in their life with Christ. Sola scriptura, rather like solar panels, does not get you anywhere, unless connected to something, that can conduct these entities to the place they were intended to go, and the purpose they were intended to meet.

The rigidity and passive solidity of granite and flint, the firmness to withstand, or stand against, rather than the progressive, walking, approaching and moving implication that, "to," gives this phrase caused me to think.

Setting your mind to something sounds like you are going somewhere and doing something, but jittery, purposeful, strident rocks and minerals are hard to find. Dynamothermal metamorphism sounds like a new religion but is, when all is said and done, just more heat and pressure formed solid rock!!!

Radio 4 listeners in the UK are treated to a shipping forecast, where they are inducted in to the mystic speak of the shipping lanes, "Silly Aisles," Dogger Bank, and the legendary Rockall, so mystically named as some have said because there is rockall to do there.

Actually it should be named All Rock, since it is a piece of Rock in the middle of a Large Ocean, the remains of a once active volcano now extinct leaving just a piece of rock standing proud in the middle of nowhere,187 miles from any other pieces of rock, "nowhere," to be precise. A dynamothermal metamorphic shadow of its former self. Those who have found it unawares have regretted it to their loss, as it stands proud and jagged in a sea of nothing. A picture of obduracy, stubborn, dogged and demanding in its insistence to existence. If anything was set, then, it is. Being a rock is all well and good, but it gets you nowhere.

I fear sometimes that we(speaking royally here) have been guilty of imitating the rock, rather than setting our mind to life in all its fullness and abundance. Holding the line, standing firm, being steadfast while the billows roll, fastened to the rock that cannot move, guarding our lentil patch, and the like. Our idea of faithfulness requires non movement as we have the last word on things, we stand firm(or try to) against all comers and assaults upon us, and the "truth" we hold to. All the while however we are talking life, but living death, and rigidity, and we become in danger of falling into an ironic petrification of the very faith, that is supposed to move mountains rather than create them, nail them down, fortify and defend them.

I think it not insignificant that the Lord's ministry was marked by much walking, movement and a refusal to set up HQ/healing and retreat center, day spa, etc, where the people could come to Him. He did not stake his claim and hunker down to receive all onslaughts, he set his mind to go and to do in certain places... and then did it. He invaded, not evaded. In Jesus' case, His face of flint and granite was connected to some pretty active legs that got to movement and intention on the road pretty frequently.

It would have been easy for him to stay in one place and cause others to come to him. However this was no hermit you visited, you had to chase this guy, because he was not hanging around and he was not selling tickets to the show either. If you came to Jesus you did not reside you accompanied and walked as He walked. No situating here, just perambulating there.

You did not come and then hang around waiting for some event or special festival. You walked with Jesus because He was not sitting and waiting for people to come to him, I repeat this because I believe it is central and intrinsic to dynamic living faith that saves, heals, ignites and transforms those around you wherever that may be. You had to chase Jesus if you wanted to hear Him, and you still do. This is one good intention that does not pave the path to Hell. but to the kind of life with Christ that begins here, and like Enoch walking with God, just translates to the eternal, in the flutter of an eye, the exhalation of a breath or the up shift of celestial gear that catapults us in to new dimensions and atmospheres. Some came to Jesus received a healing or a blessing and then went home, to live it all out and do their best with their new revelation and belief.

Others stayed with Jesus and showed the kind of dogged intention to accompany that resulted in the kind of growth that never needs to end. They walked with, listened to, responded to, asked of, and received from Jesus. He said where I am, there will my servant also be, or is that not clear enough for us, not systematic enough or complex and intricate enough a system of faith for us.

Peter's insightful, visceral, yet desperate cry of, "to who else will we go, for you have the words of eternal life," should be enough for any and all, that feel they need to go home, hang up their spurs, pull up the stumps or take it to the bank.

When I understand and believe this, my "karma" will run over my dogma every time.

Being with Jesus meant walking with Jesus and does still....

The wind blows, the river flows, the mustard seed grows, and without faith, mountains stay put, That is rockall use to me and rockall use to Jesus. Burying rocks, talents or treasure never made them grow. Faith that moves this 3xl mountain is what I want to see by, live by and walk by.

Never let our song be:-

"Lord make me an obstacle, an obstacle to others,
I stand in the way of their faith."

Rather let it be sung of me, that "he has decided to Follow Jesus" rather than wait for Him to come back as some seem happy to do.

I once described missions work as "the unwilling, and unprepared being sent by the ill informed to the disinterested.

Some doctrine leaves me feeling like a new definition coming on, such as the disconnected, defending the undefendable and unassailable from the disassociated and disparaging.

Who wants to defend the line, next to the rock, in the ocean, by the desert, in the wilderness, where no one else but devils really care to go anyway.

I want to be part of a jumpy rock that all of a sudden crashes in to some gates and knocks them down, that makes "H.E double hockey sticks " jumpy and whiney, about infiltrators, immigrants and "wetbacks" escaping because their border security has been compromised, due to the inability of their gates to withstand that rock. Oh yes, that is the Jesus rock on which we are built and He continues to build as we walk and accompany Him.

As a lone bastion of dark hair(with chromed highlights, as my third passion likes to tell me),surrounded by a sea of female yellow hair(mostly natural) I can tell this joke, since no blondes will ever read my blog....

Two blondes were standing on opposing banks of a river, and one shouted I want to get over to the other side. The other blonde looked up the river for a bridge but saw none, then down for a bridge but saw none. Finally in a flash of inspiration and revelation she cried out to her new companion with a beaming smile....

"you are on the other side."

I guess it all depends on how you look at it, and where you are standing.

Siding with no one but Jesus, 3xl signs out..