Now you can see what it is I've been labouring on for the last five months:
DistillingWords.com
I'd appreciate your help to spread the word. Please leave a comment at the blog and share on Facebook, Twitter etc.
Thanks!
Chris.
Yes, I'm still here!
I haven't posted in a number of months because I've been devoting my time, almost exclusively, to creating a new blog for my fledgling freelance-writing business. It will be focused on writing and thoughtful living (a theme I hope will appeal to people who aren't Christians, as well as those who are).
I won't be abandoning Blame Lewis, because I love to write freely about faith here, but because of time (and energy) constraints, my main focus will be on the new blog, once it's up.
My launch date for the new blog will be Monday 16 April.
I'll put a post up here once I've launched it.
In the meantime you can follow and interact with me on Twitter (@distillingwords).
Thanks for hanging around! 
Richard Dawkins would say
I?m deluded for believing in God, and there?s always the chance, of course, but I?m betting he?s wrong.
I?m not going to argue creation versus evolution,
per se; I just don?t have the (scientific) knowledge to do that. And that's really not the point of this post anyway.
In fact, I'm going to talk almost entirely in subjective terms. That is, about things that can't be measured by science. I know that will frustrate anyone who wants 'hard' evidence before they accept the things I do, but my aim is not to convince anyone?that's God's job?it's just to tell you why I believe. And for the most part, my reasons are subjective.
So, why do I believe?
Because of early experiences
I don't remember how old I was?maybe ten?but I can remember standing in the shower praying. None of my family were Christians,
and I don't think I'd been to Sunday School at that stage, but I had
a sense there was a God, and I thought I'd try talking to him. I
don't remember what I said or asked, but looking back, that was
a significant moment, maybe the start of faith.
Later, when I was thirteen, I was travelling to school with my yet-to-be stepbrother and a friend when they asked me the question, "Are you a Christian?"
"I think so," I said, not really knowing what that meant.
"Well, do you believe in God?"
"Yes," I said.
"That's a good start."
Not long after that, I started going to a youth group with those
same friends, and one night we went to a Youth for Christ rally. From memory, there was a rock band playing, providing a soundtrack for some people acting out a dramatic story of redemption. Then a compelling speaker took the stage. He or she talked about this person called Jesus, who died so that I might have my sins forgiven and receive eternal life.
It was an impressive production, and I'm sure, along with the other thousand-odd kids who were there, I was emotionally manipulated by it. But I?m also convinced there was something genuine going on in me. I resonated with the message, with the story of this person called Jesus; and something made me think, this is true.
At the speaker?s invitation, I walked forward to the stage that night to ?give my heart to Jesus? (as much as I don?t like that expression now). My youth group leader prayed with me, and I went home feeling different. Quiet on the inside. Alive.
I really didn?t know what I was getting myself in for, but that was another significant moment for me, and I look back and think, God met me that night.
Those were the very beginnings (as far I can tell) of faith for me. There have been countless significant events since then, but beginnings are always significant, so I?ve included those.
Because of the Bible
The Bible is an amazing book and has given me a framework, which I haven?t found anywhere else, for understanding the world and myself. It reveals who God is, what he?s like, and how we are to relate to him. It also reveals our true, broken nature. And our need for God.
Often I hear people lamenting the increase in crime and violence and self-centeredness in society?and I agree, it?s getting worse?but they never seem to be able to pinpoint where this is coming from, or what the answer to it is.
The Bible gives the answer, the only one I?ve found to be clear, convincing and comprehensive: We were created by God, to be in relationship with him, but through a catastrophic event in history, ?the fall? of the first man and woman, that relationship broke down and we inherited a profoundly flawed nature, one that would destroy us unless God intervened. And he did. Jesus is that intervention, and his life, death and resurrection are the undoing of ?the fall? in us, if we will believe in him.
And that?s just the start!
The Bible presents us with a holistic understanding of (and approach to) life, an unvarnished view of its ugliness and beauty, and the overarching theme of God?s goodness and his plan to set everything right, under his glorious rule.
The more I read the Bible, the more I am blown away by its beauty, its depth, its harmony, its shockingness, its practicality, its mysticalness and the way the whole of it points to the person of Jesus. To me, God?s fingerprints are all over it.
Some people might misunderstand this, but I don't think anyone is smart enough, or stupid enough, to have written the Bible of their own volition, or for their own purposes. Having read it for many years, I?ve concluded it?s God?s book, not anyone else's, and I love it.
Because of Jesus
Where do I start with Jesus?
No one I know upsets my apple cart like he does. No one so consistently and shockingly challenges every trace of selfishness, uncreativity, destructiveness, complacency?sin!?in me. No one comes close. And yet I?m drawn to him.
Everything about Jesus makes me uncomfortable, and yet, everything about him seems like everything I need!
The way he lived, the Kingdom he spoke of, the way he treated people, the hope and life he offered, the explosive mix of love and truth he detonated in people's midst. It just couldn?t be ignored; and it
still can?t. Not by me, anyway.
And his words ring true. Although they are so contrary to the philosophies and ideologies of the world we live in?love your enemies, die to live, give up everything to have true riches?they feel like just the medicine our hearts need!
That Jesus is (arguably) the most influential person in history, and the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, also convinces me that he and the Bible are more than just a person and a book.
Yes, there has been a lot of unfathomable evil done in the name of religion?I won?t deny that?but how much of it can be reconciled with the person and teachings of Jesus? Were the people who did these acts truly his followers? I would argue no.
I suspect most of the good, life giving, loving, world changing acts of his true servants have gone under the radar (such is the way of his Kingdom) and won?t be revealed this side of his return. Only God knows their true extent, and he will reveal it one day.
According to C. S. Lewis, there are only three conclusions (and I?m using a paraphrase of them here) we can come to when faced with the historical Jesus: he was a lunatic, a liar, or Lord. Having considered the options, I?ve concluded that we are the lunatics and liars (Romans 3:4), and he is Lord.
Because of Creation
I see God everywhere: the stars, the sea, the bewildering variety of plants and animals, rainbows, rugged landscapes, fair and furious weather...
I just can?t look at creation?people, in particular?and think it is the product of chance.
That we have the ability to think intelligently, creatively, rationally suggests to me there is an intelligent, creative and rational mind behind us.
Yes, there is ugliness, pain and loss in the world, and in nature, but I don?t believe that?s how it always was, or will always be. The Bible tells us ?... all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time? (Rom 8:22, NLT). Sin has laid an unbearable burden on it. But, one day, God will set everything right: ?... the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God?s children in glorious freedom from death and decay? (Rom 8:21, NLT). Although it is veiled and defaced, I see evidence everywhere of God?s goodness, power and glory. And I too look forward to the day when the
groaning will end!
Before I leave this topic, I want to add, I also see God in our creations: books, movies, music, art. Whether he is being explicitly invoked, or there is a noticeable absence of (or opposition to) him, he is there, whispering to us, infiltrating everything we do.
Because, in God, I find meaning and purpose
I can?t imagine a life without God. He is the source of all meaning, purpose, beauty, truth and love. To suggest we can have any of those things without him just doesn?t make sense to me.
Nor does it make sense to me that death is the end.
When I was a kid, I foolishly tried to imagine what it would be like to die and just end. Gone. Finished. No life after death; no hope of seeing family or friends again. Gone. As if I?d never existed. It totally freaked me out.
Now, I can?t imagine a life that ends at death, or one without God, and I don?t think we?re supposed to.
He made us to be in relationship with him, and although sin has come between us and brought with it the consequence of physical death, the story doesn?t have to end there.
And it doesn?t.
We can be reconciled to God now, and we can know and enjoy him beyond death. But it?s dependent on us putting our trust in his son Jesus. How we respond to Jesus this side of death will determine the kind of life we enter after:
John 3:36 (NASB)
?He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.?
The second half of that verse is hard to swallow, but when we start to understand the destructiveness of sin, and what God has given?the lengths he has gone to?to reconcile us to him, we start to see his perspective. And we realise we have a choice: to live with him, under his blessing, or apart from him, under his curse. None of us is forced into the former, but there really is only one alternative, and it?s not something I want for myself or anyone else.
Life is so full and rich with God now. I notice and experience things I never would have otherwise. I don?t know where I?d be, or who I?d be, without him. He infuses my whole life with meaning and purpose?even the smallest, most mundane things.
He is my map, my compass, my journey and my destination!
Because I?ve seen people change. And I?ve changed.
Sometimes dramatically; other times it's subtly, but no less significantly.
People who come into contact with the living Jesus don?t walk away the same. Either they harden their hearts and head off to their destruction, or they willingly bow and are transformed by his truth
and love.
This is no easy process, but the reward is more than worth it.
Yes, there are plenty of messed up Christians around, and to some extent, I?m one of them! But I know enough who are becoming un-messed up?and more than that, Christ-like?to know this works.
Because I?ve experienced God?s presence and love
This is not something I can explain to you. Unless you experience it for yourself, you won?t know what I?m talking about.
It comes at the most unexpected moments?a tangible sense of God?s nearness, his holiness, his consuming love?and is overwhelming. Inevitably, I end up in tears. And yet, I think what I have experienced is only a tiny taste of who God is.
Once you?ve experienced it, it?s very hard to deny God?s existence. Some people do, but I cannot.
Because of Christian authors, thinkers, apologists, teachers and theologians
John Bunyan, Madame Guyon, Charles Spurgeon, Oswald Chambers,
C. S. Lewis, Watchman Nee, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Francis Schaeffer, Art Katz, David Wilkerson, Os Guinness, Ravi Zacharias, John Piper, Philip Yancey.
All of these people (and more) have in some way encouraged, challenged and spurred me on. They have answered my intellectual questions, given me reason to discard my doubts, challenged me to be honest in my struggles, confronted me with the need for obedience, taught me how to think critically, inspired in me passion for God, and always pointed me back to Jesus.
I thank God for them. They have been another consistent conduit of faith into my life.
Because of my name
My name is Christopher, which means "bearer of Christ". I don?t think that?s a mistake. I was made to follow him, to be his.
Because I do!
This may be the bottom line, the most straightforward and honest answer I can give. I just do!
God has given me faith, and, in the ways I?ve just written about, sustained it, but it?s still a bit of a mystery to me how it all works.
The big picture
These things form a big picture for me. They are pieces of a puzzle that points to God. I may not have all of the pieces yet, or always put them together correctly, but what I see in them looks remarkably Divine.
Yes, it?s a subjective puzzle, an unscientific one, but as I was reminded recently by David Berlinski?s book The Devil?s Delusion (and this post on Internet Monk), even scientists have to exercise faith in some things.
Please don?t get me wrong. I do, along with many others, think there is objective evidence for God, and for the biblical Jesus and the veracity of the Bible itself. But that?s not where it started for me, and that?s not where it will end either. For me, the bottom line is faith, and that is what has carried me the whole way.
Do I ever have doubts? Yes. But like Peter, every time I consider the alternatives to faith, my heart cries out, "Lord, to whom would [I] go? You have the words that give eternal life"! (Jn 6:68, NLT)
1 Peter 3:15 "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (NIV)
Image credit: NASA, ESA, M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)
Just a short post, as I'm detained with some freelance writing at the moment.
One year's blogging is a modest accomplishment, but one worth celebrating, I think. The amount of posts I've written in that time is even more modest?39 (including this one), only about 10 of which were full-length?but I'm happy with what I've produced, and it's a start. Quality over quantity, as they say!
It's been interesting to see which posts were the most popular.
Here were the top five:
- A beautiful undertaking
- David Wilkerson
- God's one answer
- Reasons to write
- Featured blog: Naturalchurch
Three things I've learnt from blogging over the last 12 months:
- Of the tweaking of blogs there is no end (a slight re-working of Ecclesiastes 12:12)!
- I definitely like writing, and I'd like to do more of it.
- Writing does help (for these reasons, and probably more).
Thank you to everyone who has been reading. I hope you'll stick around.
And thank you, God, for the grace to do this. Forgive me where it's been my striving. Let me rest in Jesus and glorify you, increasingly, with my words and my life.
Image by gizzypooh
Where have I been for the last month?
Well, writing, if you can believe it. And scrambling about on the jungle gym of life!
I?ve been working on a slightly more informative ?About? page and four new posts, one of which is by far the longest I?ve ever written! (Not that I've written that many.)
I?ve also been spending quite a bit of time on Twitter, which can be a distraction for me, but also worthwhile. There is some great stuff flying around there: encouragements, challenges and links to resources for Christians. It just takes a while to find and follow the right people.
As of tonight, I?ve added a ?Books? page, with Shelfari widgets on it, to the blog. You can see there what I?m currently reading and what my all-time favourite books are, books I would highly recommend. I?ve only added a couple so far, but I'll add more.
Watch this space for a new post. And, in the meantime, join me on Twitter! (Username: @blame_lewis)
Grace and peace to you.
From my notebook:
It seems to me that if we only have a little bit of faith, that's where we have to start. As long we do something with it?a bit like in the parable of the talents (Mt 25:13?30). 
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