SIGNPOSTS

Signposts

Signposts engender different responses from different people. For some a ‘Wet Paint’ sign is merely an invitation to touch the paint. ‘Keep off Grass’ may bring out the rebel in us. However, because of possible consequences ‘Thin Ice’ or ‘Beware of Dog’ signs tend to be obeyed more readily. Failure to see a street sign can get us lost. Ignoring a speed sign can get us fined. From traffic-signs to street-signs, whether warning signs or information signs, signposts are designed to assist us.

From Paradise to Patmos the Bible is full of signposts. The opening chapter informs us that God put lights in the heavens ‘to serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.’ Genesis 1:14 NIV. The sun, moon, planets, and stars are signposts pointing to God’s existence. ‘“To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.  Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.’ Isaiah 40:25-26. ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.’ Psalm 19:1. ‘Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.’ Romans 1:20. Who are without excuse? All human beings including those who ignore the signposts that point to God.

Then there are those who confuse the signpost with the thing signified. For example, creation is a signpost to God, but some worship creation and the creature instead of the Creator. (Romans 1:25). Others confuse the signposts of Old Testament Circumcision (Romans 4:11) and New Testament Baptism (its replacement, Colossians 2:11-12) for that which they signify, viz., salvation. Perhaps this could be illustrated by Magritte’s ‘The Treachery of Images’ painting of a pipe which has the following caption underneath, ‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe’, (‘This is not a pipe’). The idea being that it is merely an image of a pipe and as such is not a real pipe! Circumcision was merely the image of the removal of sin through the shedding of blood by the Promised One who was to come from the loins of Abraham. Biblical Baptism is merely the image that the Promised One has removed our sins by shedding His own blood. Water baptism is a picture of Jesus pouring His Spirit and His blood upon the recipient as per the Promise of the Father. ‘[Jesus] commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ Acts 1:4-5. Thus baptism pictures the outpouring of the Spirit who comes to the redeemed to apply the benefits of Christ’s cross, i.e., that which the blood He shed on the cross accomplished. The poured out or sprinkled water on the recipient is merely an image of the ‘Promise of the Father’ who cleanses us of our sins. (Acts 2:38-39). The rainbow in the raincloud is a signpost to that same promise. (Genesis 9:11-17). The Flood was the removal (i.e., the circumcision) and cleansing or washing (i.e., the baptism) of redeemed flesh. Every human being (albeit distorted by the Fall) is a signpost (i.e., an image) of God. (1 Peter 3:18-22; 2 Peter 3:6)

What kind of response do God’s signposts engender in you?

Man: Fallen in Nature

Man: Fallen in Nature

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned … as through one man’s offence judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many were made righteous.” Romans 5:12 & 18-19.

Introduction

            As the above verses attest the Bible teaches that the first man, Adam, federally represented mankind before God. After God had created Adam (and the rest of His creation) Scripture says, “Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed it was very good.” Genesis 1:31a. Therefore, Man and the creation in which he lived, was morally “very good” in the eyes of God its the Creator. However, Adam, as humanity’s covenant head, rebelled against God. As God was to say later on to His people, “Like Adam, they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt treacherously with Me.” Hosea 6:7 (margin, cf. Hosea 8:1b).

Good News

Scripture teaches that “Adam … is a type of Him who was to come.” Romans 5:14b. Thus Jesus Christ is the replacement “Adam” God sent into the world (see e.g., 1 Corinthians 15:45). Jesus is the new federal representative or covenant head. Through Adam’s disobedience all humanity were made sinners (i.e., covenant breakers which is another way of saying that we are transgressors of God’s Moral Law), but through Christ’s obedience (i.e., His perfect keeping of the covenant’s conditions and also paying the penalty owed for the breaking of it) those whom Christ represents are now righteous in God’s eyes. The Gospel is the Good News that God has reconciled fallen man to Himself through the perfect works of Jesus Christ. This reconciliation is attained by the individual by grace through faith in the completed works of Christ (see e.g., Ephesians 2:8-9). Thus the Gospel.

Fallen World

The context for the aforementioned Good News (i.e., the Gospel) is that Man no longer lives in a morally “good” universe but a fallen world. This is not to say that creation itself became evil when Satan and subsequently Adam rebelled against God. For only moral agents (i.e., angels and human beings) can become evil.[1] God’s Moral Law is spiritual (Romans 7:14). Thus morals are spiritual.

What happened when Adam sinned against God by consciously disobeying Him? Scripture says,

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Romans 8:20-22.

We see then that on account of Adam’s sin everyone thereafter and we today live in a fallen world. Therefore, we ought to expect that at times things will go wrong for us. However, as human beings (i.e., as “moral agents”), we shall know both good and evil in the fallen world around us (Genesis 3:22a). (The “good” serves to remind us that God has not abandoned us. The “evil” or “bad” reminds us of our need for God’s refuge and daily protection, as the Scripture reminds us, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8a.)

Life’s a Struggle

God had created Man as the pinnacle of His creation (see, e.g., Genesis 1:28), but when Adam sinned as Mankind’s representative before God we became distanced from our Maker. This (moral and therefore spiritual) separation caused it to become hard for Man to eke a living on and from the earth. It is worth quoting in full what the LORD God said to humanity’s federal head,

Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it”: ‘Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”’ Genesis 3:17-19.

Thus life on earth is a struggle for all on earth; plants, animals and humans!

Fallen Man

Human nature has undergone a great transformation. We (collectively) have gone from being morally pure (pre-Fall) to morally corrupt (post-Fall). Another way of saying the same thing is that when Adam sinned we became spiritually dead. As the Scripture says, “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” Romans 8:7.

The character of God is expressed in His Ten Commandments. Like a coin with the sovereign’s head embossed on it so God minted us as His own image and likeness. However, we are like old worn-out and tarnished pennies. It is hard to see the Moral Law stamped on us. It is difficult for us to see it in ourselves. Thus we make morally wrong choices.

Adam and Eve made a morally wrong choice and all mankind thereafter suffered and still suffers Moral Injury unless and until God remedies it by grace through faith.

Moral Injury & Post Traumatic Stress

The Bible records the actions of Adam and Eve after they had, as moral agents, sinned against God. Their guilty consciences started accusing and excusing them as they tried to deal with their guilt and shift blame for what had happened away from themselves. Adam said to God, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” Genesis 3:12. Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:13b.

With Adam and Eve and their demise in mind let us remind ourselves of our definition of Moral Injury,

 

Moral Injury is an inner conflict based on moral self assessment of having inflicted or failed to prevent significant harm. Its symptoms are excessive guilt, loss of meaning, anger and shame.

 

Some may wonder why God was so upset with Adam and Eve and why they were so upset with themselves simply for eating a piece of fruit. However, it was not that simple. God had given to Adam and Eve (including us in them), as His moral agents, the Great Commission or Cultural Mandate - a portion of which is recorded in the following Scripture,

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Genesis 1:27-28.

The command not to eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were merely an outward test to see if Adam as our representative would keep the Covenant, i.e., to see if Adam would remain obedient to God. Adam broke his probation and thereby forfeited the life that was promised him (and his descendants in him) for his obedience. Thus Adam by his action caused the deaths of every human being!

How did Adam and Eve set about dealing with their present demise? Did they immediately seek to draw near to God so that He would draw near to them? We need to remember that God had threatened Adam with death for disobeying Him (which conversely was the promise of life for obedience). As Scripture says,

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17.

What happened? Scripture says,

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6.

Upon eating the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve went from loving God and their neighbour as themselves to becoming totally self-conscious and self-absorbed with their own problems. Thus they began to suffer Moral Injury – i.e., “excessive guilt, loss of meaning, anger and shame.” Quite possibly they also began to suffer some form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” (PTSD), which we have defined as, “A fear – victim reaction to a perceived life threat. It has clinical symptoms of flashbacks, nightmares, hyper-vigilance, dissociation.”   

Anyway Adam was afraid of God and what God was going to do to him! But what did God do to Adam and Eve? First, God came “looking” for them.

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:9-10.

Second, God spoke to the serpent, to Eve, and to Adam, in that order. When speaking to the serpent God said,

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. Genesis 3:15.

Theologians refer to this as the protevangelium, i.e., the promise of the Gospel. Therefore, Adam and Eve heard the Good News (albeit in embryonic form). Third, God also showed Adam and Eve the Good News,

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21.

Conclusion

On account of the Fall all of Mankind suffers Moral Injury. Moral Injury is spiritual. Those who have been diagnosed with Moral Injury, if they were not before, are now aware of their spiritual problem. God is able to heal Moral Injury – for good! Thus the Gospel.

---

[1] Stars, planets, rocks, trees, dinosaurs, snakes, sharks, crocodiles, lions, tigers etc., are not inherently evil because they, (unlike fallen humans and fallen angels), are never disobedient to God’s Covenant or Moral Law, i.e., the Ten Commandments. Only fallen humans and fallen angels are “moral agents.” However, animals dangerous to humans are to be controlled which may include putting the creature down should it maim or kill someone (Genesis 9:5; Exodus 21:28-32).  

THE RATS OF TOBRUK 2014

I was “surfing the net” the other day and my eyes were drawn to a little article that mentioned the Rats of Tobruk. It was on the Australian War Memorial website. There were a few introductory lines then it went on to say,

“The second year of the war had begun with a series of impressive British and Commonwealth successes against the Italians in Libya. Australian troops led the advance. But a rapid German offensive quickly reversed these early victories. All that stopped the Germans’ march on Egypt was the defiant garrison at Tobruk.”

Did you get that line? “All that stopped the Germans’ march on Egypt was the defiant garrison at Tobruk.” I like that word “defiant”, especially when the defiance is against an unlawful aggressor. That little garrison, that defiant garrison at Tobruk, was the line in the sand, the desert sand. It was as if they had sent the Germans a letter, saying, “Dear German offensive. If you wish to march on Egypt, first you will have to go through us. Signed, ‘The Rats of Tobruk.’” Defiance!

So, how did the German offensive and their Italian cohorts reply to this khaki line in the sand, this letter of defiance as it were? The article went on to say,

“For eight long months, surrounded by German and Italian forces, the men of the Tobruk garrison, mostly Australians, withstood tank attacks, artillery barrages, and daily bombings. They endured the desert’s searing heat, the bitterly cold nights, and hellish dust storms. They lived in dug-outs, caves, and crevasses.”

The “Rats” were called “rats” by the Germans because, “They lived in dug-outs, caves, and crevasses.” That is bad. The living conditions were deplorable. And then there was the weather, “the desert’s searing heat, the bitterly cold nights, and hellish dust storms.” No central heating. No air-conditioning. No fridge to fetch a cold beer from. Just searing heat, bitter cold and eye-stinging winds! Wouldn’t this be bad enough? Wouldn’t enduring this sort of hardship for eight months even without being surrounded by the enemy be a real test of endurance, a real test of determination?

I’ve seen tanks up close on exercise. I have seen them fire rounds that blow giant craters in hillsides. Such terrifying firepower! I would hate to have to face a tank while I was in a dug-out, a cave or some crevasse. Imagine undergoing artillery barrages and daily bombings! The German offensive really wanted to cross that line in the desert sand! “Too bad,” said the Rats of Tobruk. Such defiance!

The article went on to say,

“The defenders of Tobruk did not surrender, they did not retreat. Their determination, bravery, and humour, combined with the aggressive tactics of their commanders, became a source of inspiration during some of the war’s darkest days. In so doing, they achieved lasting fame as the ‘Rats of Tobruk’.”[1]

So the defiance of the Rats of Tobruk “became a source of inspiration during some of the war’s darkest days.” There is something about defiance that inspires! It is the story of David and Goliath. It is the story of Jesus and the Devil! Defiance in the face of what would seem to be certain defeat takes a certain amount of bravery. I would suggest a great deal a bravery!

We say a humble and grateful “thank you” to those who fought at Tobruk. And, to those who lost their lives at Tobruk Scripture says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus Christ said those words, and He should know!

No, we do not wish to glorify war. We hate war because we love peace. We all wish it did not, but peace comes at a price. Yes, thank you “The Rats of Tobruk” for the important part you played in winning peace for us!

---

[1] http://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/tobruk/

 

BALANCE

From tightrope walking to finances it is always good to have a proper balance. When kids my heavier big brother would leave me teetering on high on the teeter totter. Seesaws work better when equal weights are on opposite ends. Then there is Jesus. Some deny that He is human. Says the Apostle John, ‘By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.’ 1 John 4:2-3a. And others deny that He is God. Writes John, ‘The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.’ However, true Christianity is well-balanced in that it confesses that Jesus is both God and Man. This is where we need to be careful. Jesus is not two persons. Jesus is one divine Person with two natures forever. His God-nature does not sit on one end of the seesaw leaving His human-nature teetering in the air. Rather, each of His two natures is distinct from the other. A couple of examples? As a human being He cannot be in two places at once, but as God He can. As a human He cannot know all things, but as God He can. If you are struggling to understand how the same Person cannot be everywhere and know everything at once, then it might help you to understand some of the differences between God and man.

God made man in His own image. We did not make God in our own image. We cannot imagine a being who is omniscient and omnipresent. It did not please God to share these two of His attributes with His image. Thus a human being cannot know everything or be everywhere at once. As God’s likeness man is creative. But God alone is the Creator. He is the Creator because He alone is omnipotent. The Almighty spoke creation into being from nothing at its beginning.

Jesus is God because, before He became Man, He was the Word through which He and the Father made all things by Their Spirit: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.’ John 1:1-3 (cf. Genesis 1:1-3). It was this eternal being, (i.e., the Middle Person in the Trinity), who became also a Man. John says, ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’ John 1:14a.

The following is a lengthy but accurate description of what the Bible has to say about the Word becoming flesh. ‘The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father, did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon Him man’s nature, with all the essential properties, and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin; being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, of her substance. So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God, and very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator between God and man.’ Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 8 paragraph 2.

If you keep the two natures of Christ in balance you will develop a well-balanced view of God and what human beings are supposed to be like. In turn this will result in you developing a well-balanced theology, cosmology, and anthropology.

INTERVIEW

1. Hi Neil. Can you start by telling us where you were born, and what places you’ve lived in during your life? 

I was born in Ajax, Ontario. For obvious reasons I refer to it as the cleanest town in Canada! From there I crossed the Atlantic as a two-year old (not single-handedly!) to live in Alexandria which is on the southern end of Loch Lomond, Scotland (not Egypt). Then it was back to Canada as a twenty year old. I spent a year and a half living in Toronto, before moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba. There were a couple of trips back to Scotland for a few months among this. It was after ten years of shoveling snow in "Winterpeg" that Dorothy's brother sent us some photographs of Brisbane, Queensland. Dorothy and I arrived here with our three daughters in 1990. We started in Toowong, moved to Browns Plains, (plus a three month stint in Innisfail), and from there, went to Springsure in central Queensland after graduating from Theological College. Then it was back to Petrie, north west of Brisbane. I also did five years in beautiful Tasmania before returning to sunny Queensland where we hope to remain till our departure.  

 2. Give us one especially warm memory from your youth. 

Swimming in Loch Lomond! Perhaps not a particularly “warm memory”, but we were hardy back then. In "summer" we used to dive off the Balloch Pier when the "Maid of the Loch" paddle steamer was away up the

loch showing off “yon bonnie, bonnie banks” to tourists. Those were the days! Anyway, “Jimmy” was quite a distance out in the water when he suffered a severe cramp. I dived in and swam like a madman out to rescue him only to get clobbered and pulled under by his flailing arms and thrashing legs. However, another mate arrived on the scene, and, between the two of us, we managed to manhandle our sinking cargo back to shore – bruised and exhausted! An incredible feeling of euphoria wells up within when you realise that you have just saved the life of another human being! Warm memory! 

 3. What do you like to do in your spare time?

 Spare time? What’s that? I can’t really remember ever having nothing to do! I mean, even when I’m on holiday I’m doing “holiday stuff!” But, I do like moments when I can relax in my outdoor spa, but even then I always have a book with me. I once remarked to someone that I wished they would invent a waterproof laptop so that I could use it in the spa. The person replied, “You need to learn to relax!” I’m sure there’s a lesson here somewhere… I guess the bottom line for me is that even reading, no matter the subject or genre, is actually study for the work of the Kingdom. But yes, I do like to watch a good movie.

4. When did you become a Christian?

By the grace of God I became a Christian in 1988. I had been wondering about the meaning of life and began to feel hollow inside and so terribly alone in the universe – even in a crowded room! Life for me had become like a night in a dark forest, with the moaning voice of the wind in the tree tops, creaking boughs, distant howls, and oppressive darkness. Canned dread and bottled fear! I mentioned in a letter to one of my brothers that I was, as I indelicately phrased it, “checking out the God thing.” He had been a Christian for many years. I still have a couple of epistles he wrote to me at the time, trying to guide me out of the dark woods. One of his quotes from the Bible was the verse in which Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14:6. By His Spirit, Jesus, the Word, met me in the depths of my darkness and with His light led me to the Father. What’s the meaning of life? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever! The way out of darkness is in Christ the Way. Life has true meaning and true enjoyment only in Him who is the Truth and the Life incarnate! 

5. I understand you were once involved in Freemasonry. What was the decisive factor in your move towards Biblical Christianity?

I entered Freemasonry as part of my “checking out the God thing”. I had been interested in becoming a Mason since teenage. The apparent mystery of Masonic inner workings appealed to my inquisitive nature. Couple that with what seemed to me to be the greatest mystery of all – God – then it seemed logical that I should enter the lodge to have these deep questions answered. Ironic may or may not be the right word to describe it, but I was converted while fully immersed in Freemasonry. I know this may not be what a lot of Christians want to hear, but nevertheless it is true! There are loads of Biblical references and direct quotes from the Bible used in the various Masonic degrees I went through. One in particular was a reference to “the stone the builders rejected”. Utilising the KJV Bible the lodge had presented me with, and cross-referencing Isaiah 8:13-15 with Luke 20:17-18, cf. 1 Peter 2:6-8 ,  I went on, by the grace of God, to discover that the “stone” being referred to in the Old Testament as Jehovah, referred to Jesus in the New Testament. It was earth-shattering for me when I discovered that the mysterious God had actually become incarnate as Jesus! Upon this discovery I immediately fell at His feet as it were and worshiped Him as God! Christ has been my study ever since. And to learn that He has taken away all my sins makes Him more than worthy of my worship and evangelical obedience that I might show my love for Him and gratitude to Him for such a wonderful gift of salvation!   

 6. You’re now an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church of Australia – what do you think is the number one challenge facing the church today?

Hopefully this won’t sound like a rant, but here goes: I believe that the apparent declension of Christianity in the West today has to do with the authority of Scripture. Is this Book reliable and therefore believable? Should I stake my present and my future life on the claims of a Book written thousands of years ago by a bunch of men, some of whom were not that well educated? That is what it amounts to – trust in God’s Word. This has always been the number one challenge for the people of God even since Satan said to Eve in the Garden before the Fall, “Hath God said?” If I cannot trust what the Bible says about Adam, then how can I trust what It says about the Second Adam, Jesus? If we didn’t Fall, then we don’t need to be saved. If I’m not a sinner, then I don’t need the Saviour. Why should I worship God, why should I pray, why should I attend church, why should I bother about anything in the Bible, if it is simply the ramblings of a bunch untrustworthy men, liars, who are trying to trick me into thinking that they were moved by God to write It? And what does it say about God’s Sovereignty if He could, as claimed therein, create the heavens and the earth and all that is in them by merely speaking, but not preserve intact written revelation of the way of salvation? If the Gospel is not the power of God unto salvation, then why does the Bible claim that it is? Of course, I believe in the authority of the Bible and the power of the Gospel unto salvation. However, having lived through the unsteady days of the “Church Growth Movement” (where the Church became like the world to attract the world) I am left wondering about the Church at large and my own Denomination in particular. What’s wrong with simply preaching the Word in season and out of season? Why all the seeming panic in the churches when numbers dwindle? Scripture was using irony when the Holy Spirit said through His Apostle, “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (1 Cor. 1:21b). “So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”(Rom. 10:17). So, the number one challenge for the Church today is not to be ashamed of the Gospel, but to trust it – even during times of sifting. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” (Psalm 127:1a). We all know it because God has said it. But do we believe it?    

7. You write both fiction and non-fiction books. How would you describe your writing style?

My writing style is usually a cross somewhere between the written and the spoken word. I noticed long ago that when I read, for example, a Bible commentary by, let’s say, Charles Hodge on Romans and then a commentary on the same by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, I noticed that there was a glaring contrast of two styles. Don’t get me wrong, I love Charles Hodge’s writings, but he and others like him, may perhaps be described as dry and academic, yet clear but clinical, whereas Lloyd Jones, being no less clear or academic writes in an easier to read style. Upon further investigation I discovered that Lloyd-Jones’s Commentary on Romans is comprised of a series of sermons he preached on the subject. Ah! I thought. I will try to write in a style as if I am speaking rather than writing. And I will even try to include my Scottish accent and idiom (while trying to withhold words unfamiliar to non-Scottish ears). Of course I am aware that there is a difference between writing a doctoral thesis and an adventure novel, but neither should be dry and dusty. CS Lewis, for example, was an expert at switching writing styles. Perhaps Peter the Apostle too? I suffer from a low self-esteem as a writer. However, the greatest encouragement I ever received to persevere as a writer came from my old theological professor, when he said to me, “I wish I could write like you!”   

8. What do you hope people will gain from reading your non-fiction works?

The short answer to this is that I hope they will gain a deeper understanding of Christ. He is the centre of the Trinity. He is the centre of the universe. He is the centre of the Bible. And He needs to be the centre of your life if you are ever going to make sense of God, the universe, and yourself. I think it was when my big brother said to me years ago that Christ gives doors their “door-ness” that I really began to cotton on to the fact that it is Christ who gives all things their meaning. If Christ is the door, the gate, the lamb, the lion, the bread, the life, the light, the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, etc., etc., then these things, and everything, gets its meaning from Him, and in turn reveal something about Him. Even marriage gets its meaning from Christ and His relationship to His Bride, i.e., His Church. This means that marriage is about Christ, not homosexual rights. I digress, but I merely wish to illustrate that my non-fiction works are about centring everything on the Christ who gives meaning to the cross, Adam, sin, redemption, the Gospel, water baptism, the Lord’s Supper, salvation, angels, demons, cats, dogs, horses – everything! I just hope that people will gain a better and deeper understanding of Christ from reading my non-fiction works!   

9. Are you currently writing anything at the moment?

I’m between books at the moment. However, I’m always tweaking the stuff I’ve already written. The beauty of publishing e-books is that the author doesn’t have to wait till the next print run to fix mistakes and make improvements. I’ve noticed one minor typo in my hardcover book that will have to wait till such times as there’s another print run. This might never happen! I am working on an idea for a sequel to my first Christian novel, “A Stick In Time”. It has to do with the “Stone of Destiny”, a.k.a., “Jacob’s Pillow” – the stone that sits under the coronation throne at Westminster. That stone might somehow end up in Australia…   

10. If you could give a budding author any advice, what might it be?

Hone the gift that God has given you. Write to the glory of God. And write for the joy of it. No longer are we authors at the mercy of pernickety and fickle publishers! With e-books the sky’s the limit. Writing a book is the easy part. Marketing your book is something else entirely. Crave feedback but grow a skin as tough as the back of a cane toad! Learn that bad criticism might be good, and good criticism might be bad. But know that all criticism can be helpful. Know your intended audience, but don’t be presumptuous, especially never underestimate their intelligence. No one likes being talked down to. Someone jokingly said that we ought never to use a big word when a diminutive one will do! There’s a place for big words, but it’s not when trying to show off! One piece of advice I’m still working on and probably have yet to master is in regards to fiction writing. Someone said that we ought to “show” rather than “tell” the reader, which is simply a verbose or wordy way of stating ye olde saying, “A picture tells a thousand words.” Use word pictures and learn the difference between garbled verbiage and verballed garbage!

Biggles Meets Bond

Having grown up in the same Scottish town on the same bonnie, bonnie banks as the story's likeable hero I was therefore more than interested in reading this short novel. Set immediately prior to WWII the tale taxies down the runway and takes off at a fairly fast-pace with its Biggles meets Bond main character confidently at the controls. Its fictional storyline is almost believable, though its ending is perhaps a wee bit too predictable. However, had the author not brought this adventurous yarn in for a landing the way I was eagerly anticipating and hoping (nay, begging!) he would, I would have shot him down in flames myself and wanted my money back! I am pleased to say that I was uplifted! Hugh Wilson had me soaring, even looping-the-loop, in Caledonian Skies! Well done!

The Story Behind ‘From Mason To Minister: Through the Lattice’

From Mason To Minister: Through the Lattice is an autobiography at heart. It is about one man’s lonely journey in his quest to find the meaning of life. Therefore, in some ways it’s a journal. As I began writing down some of the events that led me to my present place in life I began to see that I had a rather interesting life story. I have lived in Scotland, Canada, and Australia. These places seem exotic to those who have never lived there. I could see that even just with that I could have an interesting book. However, it was when I started adding it all together that I began to see that it was more about the invisible leading of God than the haphazard journeys of a young adventurer. So, God was the inspiration for my book!

The Through the Lattice part of the title has to do with a verse of Scripture: “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice” Song of Solomon 2:8-9. Along the way on my journey, though I didn’t realize it at the time, I was catching glimpses of God through the lattice as He watched me through the lattice. The Bible says that God is reflected in the things He has made (Psalm 19; Romans 1). In my search for God I was actually catching glimpses of Him at every turn.  He was like that elusive highland stag on a Scottish mountain…

When we were growing up people would refer to God as “the man upstairs.” The school I attended as a kid was next door to a church. There were dormer-like windows on its steeple. We thought that God was upstairs watching us through those windows! (A friend of mine actually wrote a poem about this very thing!) At times we were sure that we saw someone looking out the window at us! Anyway, the fertile imagination of my young mind has stayed with me now that I’m much older.

The idea of God looking at us through the lattice was very inspirational to me. I entered into Freemasonry where the Omnipresence of God is spoken of as “the all-seeing eye”, like that depicted on an American one dollar bill. Some people don’t like the idea of God watching them, while others, find it a reassuring comfort. My trouble was that I had begun to wonder who God was. Was he some old guy with a long white beard that lived up in a church steeple? Who is God? That’s what inspired me to write From Mason To Minister: Through the Lattice. I want to tell people about God, about how He can be seen in the things He has made. As strong as an ox, as graceful as a gazelle, as gentle as dove, as wise as an owl, I’m sure you’re getting the picture. All of God’s creation reflects something of God. I found this to be amazing and I wanted to tell others.

In Freemasonry I learned a lot about symbolism, how certain objects and ideas can be used to illustrate other things. At theological college I learned about typology, how certain themes and principles are played out or contained in the Bible. For example, David slaying Goliath is also a picture of Christ tying up the strongman, i.e., Satan. Solomon and his Temple is a picture of Christ and His Kingdom. All the Old Testament sacrifices and the shedding of animals’ blood pointed to THE sacrifice and the shedding of Christ blood to take away our sins. The list of Old Testament types and New Testament anti-types is almost endless. I wanted to share a lot of these in my book.

So, in summary and in conclusion, I was inspired to write my book because I was just bursting to tell others about God in Jesus Christ and how God can be seen in the things He has made. However, my book is peppered with Biblical references because it was in the pages of the Bible (the Masonic Lodge had presented me) that I found the One to which everything in creation and in Scripture points, i.e., Jesus Christ.

(Read the original article at):   http://thestorybehindthebook.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/the-story-behind-from-mason-to-minister-through-the-lattice/

Purchase From mason To Minister at: http://www.nordskogpublishing.com/book-through-the-lattice.shtml