SIMON PHIPPS

Today I turn 31. My 30's have been a great source of joy to me. 30 is also the time that I began journaling again, to ensure that I captured all that I have learnt. The following are 30 of those things that I have learnt whilst I was 30. 1. Knowing your values is integral to maintaining momentum  I first heard this on a Robcast episode with Susan David about Emotional Agility . Later, whilst reading " Man's Search for Meaning " by Viktor Frankl I came across this great quote that confirmed it again: “as long as man has a why he can endure any how”. 2. The sweetest sound to a person is their name Anybody who has read Dale Carnegie 's classic " How to Win Friends & Influence People " will know this. I have always been terrible at names. And even if I was sure I knew someone's name I would often not say it in case I got it wrong. Now I redouble my efforts to learn names and always try and say people's name even if I am not 1...

Why did Jesus kick everyone out of the temple? Last week I introduced a series of 8 stories . The stories are found in Johns Gospel and centre around different Jewish establishments*. In these stories Jesus shows that he is the fulfilment of these establishments. We first looked at the wedding in Cana in John 2 where Jesus turns water into wine. This week I want to turn our attention to look at the clearing of the temple in John 2. The Story At this part of the narrative, Jesus has turned the water into wine at Cana and then gone down to Jerusalem. John tells us that it is the Jewish festival of Passover . Within the Temple , animals are being sold as sacrifices and money changers are exchanging money. Jesus enters the Temple, makes a whip from chords, and drives the animals out of the Temple. He overturns the money changers tables scattering their coins everywhere . Jesus then tells the people to stop turning His Father’s house into a market. Understandably, the leaders are an...

Why did Jesus turn water into wine ? and what does this have to do with you sitting there 2,000 years later? In the first half of Johns Gospel, John lays out eight stories* . Four of these stories are to do with Jewish Institutions: Wedding , Temple , Rabbi , Sacred Well . Four of these stories are to do with Jewish Feasts: Sabbath , Passover , Tabernacles , Hanukah . In each of these stories Jesus takes these institutions and feasts and re-orients them around himself. The stories end with Jesus at the centre of each of them . To understand why this happens we first have to look at the grand sweep of Johns narrative; particularly, John’s love of the number 7 , and his love of the statement “ I am ”. Number 7 Within Judaism the number 7 held particular importance. Within the book of Genesis, the created order (including God resting) takes 7 days to complete. Due to this the number 7 came to represent “ completion ” or “ fulfilment ”. I Am Within Jo...

My Story I struggle greatly with personal confidence, especially around my intelligence. When I was 14 I was told that I was not clever enough to learn German, and was put into the bottom curriculum for French. When I was 15 I was told that I was not clever enough to study Geography, and was put into the bottom curriculum for a combination of History and Geography. When I was 16 I was told that I was not clever enough to study Physics (I have always been fascinated by cosmology) and was told to pursue other subjects. Combinations of remarks and feedback from teachers and others left me feeling that the intellectual pursuits were out of my reach. It wasn’t until after I finished full time education that several people began to encourage me about the way that I thought. I am slowly starting to build my confidence up, and have realised that I love using my mind. I love tackling challenging subjects and expanding my knowledge. If these few people hadn’t started to...

Food is a great unifier. Throughout the Gospels we see Jesus using food to bring people together. When He wanted to get through to Zacchaeus He went round to his house for a meal. When He wanted to explain what the kingdom of God is like, He did it using a meal ; and told us to carry on that practice. Jesus came from a tradition that also used meals to signify certain things . In the Jewish tradition they celebrated feasts such as Passover, Pentecost, Yom Kippur and Tabernacles; handing on the wisdom to the next generation. The same is true for every civilisation. Food acts as a central point that people gather around. It was a place where stories were told and wisdom was passed down.  It was a place that fostered community and developed family, because we all need food to survive . We are moving further and further away from the origins of our food. The food we consume is more heavily processed and perfectly cleaned than ever before. We expe...

Last week I wrote about thin places and their importance inour busy lives . So often we associate thin places with physical space , so I want to write a post about people as thin places , specifically us. It starts with Christ. If thin places are about bridges between heaven and earth , where the divine feels more tangible, then Christ is the ultimate thin place , the ultimate conduit for the glory and presence of God.  In ancient Israel, the priesthood acted as the go-between for God and His people .  It was the priests who performed the ritual sacrifices, and the priests who entered the holy of holies in the temple where God’s presence dwelt. The writer of the book of Hebrews calls Jesus our  High Priest . When Christ died Matthew records that the curtain in the temple, separating the holy of holies from all else, was torn in two. Jesus is now the new mediator, the new thin place. The writer and apostle Peter makes bolder claims, that we are the ...

I live in a valley. I often make time to walk to the top of the valley, onto the hill. The wind stinging my eyes and ringing my ears, I look out across the whole valley. I see patches of sun breaking through the clouds illuminating fields and houses. I see a mass of rain falling on a patch of heather in the distance.  In this moment I gain a heightened sense of perspective about my place within reality.  I gain a heightened sense of self spatially as I realise just how small I am.  But I also gain a heightened sense of self temporally, about my time on earth.  This valley and hills were here long before I was, and will be there long after I am gone.  In this moment I am drawn close to God, seeing my life spread out before Him, I recognise that I am held in His hands, kept at bay from ultimate chaos. What Are Thin Places Celtic Christianity had a word for these kinds of places, they called them Thin Places . The saying goes: “ heaven and earth a...