diet

An all-day meeting out of town today: a conference type of thing with folk from all over the country.

So an early start and a very full day. Two sessions, one in the morning on Acts 2, the afternoon one on building bridges into the community and building community across those bridges. And in between, lunch and chat with a range of different folk.

The day flies by and there's never the time that you want to be speaking with so many people.

But it's a full on day and good for the soul at all sorts of different levels.

Not least the intellectual.

I've known of the morning speaker for years. Professor Doug Kelly, along with his wife, were two of the folk we prayed for in the fellowship I was a member of when I first really came to know the Lord and gave my life to Christ. And because that fellowship over the years has continued to pray for me, this couple have known of me.

So although we've not actually met that much, it was really like meeting old friends.

Doug Kelly is a professor at an American theological seminary, and a very able man. He's over here in Scotland at this time for a year's sabbatical. Writing up the second volume (of three) of his 'Systematic Theology'. A very able man, like I say.

His theme today was the gift of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And the talk that he gave was the richest of spiritual fare. A rare treat indeed.

Those who serve need fed. I long since learned that truth. A liquid diet just doesn't suffice. And that's why the trend that there is today towards a preaching which makes no demands upon the hearers' minds is a disturbing, dishonouring thing.

Disturbing because it does not really build the sort of character the cause of Christ requires. Dishonouring because God made us with the minds we have and we're called, each one, to worship, love and honour him with all our minds.

Sunday worship is hard work. And I don't just mean for the preacher. I mean for us all.

Our minds are meant to be stretched.

But by a process too subtle to track all that well, we've been slowly beguiled into thinking that worship on Sundays is really a 'leisure activity'. A kind of recreational pastime which makes no demands at all. A sit-back-and-enjoy-it-all experience.

God has some news for us all and it's this - that sort of notion is nonsense.

The sooner we get back to how it's meant to be (the real, and not our 'virtual', artificial world) the better it will be for everyone.

Those who would serve need fed. Good, solid, mind-expanding food.