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Alistair Shaw

Complacency Will Kill You

Alistair Shaw
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Complacency Will Kill You

It’s no secret, I love the outdoors.  I enjoy hiking and exploring wild life.  One of my favorite animals are birds.  I enjoy studying their calls and songs, their habits, breeding patterns; basically anything and everything about them intrigues me.

Today I want to highlight something fascinating about eagles in particular.  The eagle’s nest is made up of a strong structure and outer foundation consisting of twigs and sticks of various thicknesses and lengths, as well as a few thorns added to the mix.  The inner parts of the nest are lined with soft feathers and other materials the parents manage to locate, in order to cushion the young eaglets from the sharp edges of the sticks and thorns.

Once the eaglets are old enough to fly and leave the nest, the parents encourage them to leave by removing the soft inner parts of the nest so that the hard and sharp outer structure begin to irritate and frustrate the young, in the hopes that they’ll catch the hint and leave the nest for good.

When it comes to change we are no different as humans.  We enjoy the familiar surroundings, the soft embrace of our ‘normal’ and we become very protective of our safe little world and will protect it at all costs.

Sometimes you know change is on the horizon and there is nothing you can do to stop it.  It could be a restructuring at work, the graduation from school or university, the change of a name as marriage takes place; and the list goes on.  Sometimes, change is actually a wonderful thing, an amazing opportunity to expand who you are and become the person you were always meant to be.

Have you ever felt the need to relocate or change jobs?  Perhaps not even by choice, but because of a department closing down etc… God might speak to you and tell you to move on, but because of your comfort zone and your fears, you are reluctant to leave and you stay on, in the hopes things will change.  Then, the inevitable happens.  God begins to remove the feathers of comfort, and various things around you start poking you and frustrating you, encouraging you to make the change you so badly need.

Don’t be a dumb dodo, complacency will kill you.  Rather be a smart eagle and soar high above the rest!  Embrace change and take the bold step towards your better future.

If change scares you, click the banner below and make contact with us today!

Egyptian Offers To Build A New Country For Refugees

Alistair Shaw
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Egyptian Offers To Build A New Country For Refugees

Egyptian billionaire offers to buy an ISLAND from Greece or Italy and provide jobs so fleeing migrants can ‘build a new country’

An Egyptian billionaire has offered to buy an island from Greece or Italy and develop it to help hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from Syria and other conflicts.

Announcing the initiative on Twitter, telecoms tycoon Naguib Sawiris said: ‘Greece or Italy sell me an island, I’ll call its independence and host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country’.

More than 2,300 people have died at sea trying to reach Europe since January, many of them Syrians who fled their country’s four-and-a-half year conflict.

His comments also come just days after heartbreaking images emerged of three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi whose lifeless body was found washed up on a Turkish beach after drowning in the Mediterranean. 

Sawiris said in a television interview that he would approach the governments of Greece and Italy about his plan.

Asked whether he believed it could work, he said: ‘Of course it’s feasible.’

‘You have dozens of islands which are deserted and could accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees.’

Sawiris said an island off Greece or Italy could cost between $10million and $100million, but added the ‘main thing is investment in infrastructure’.

There would be ‘temporary shelters to house the people, then you start employing the people to build housing, schools, universities, hospitals.

‘And if things improve, whoever wants to go back (to their homeland) goes back,’ said Sawiris, whose family developed the popular El Gouna resort on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

He conceded such a plan could face challenges, including the likely difficulty of persuading Greece or Italy to sell an island and figuring out jurisdiction and customs regulations.

But those who took shelter would be treated as ‘human beings,’ he said. ‘The way they are being treated now, they are being treated like cattle.’ 

Credit:  Edited // Dailymail

Will Suicide Send Someone To Hell

Alistair Shaw
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Will Suicide Send Someone To Hell

Will suicide send someone to hell?

This question gets asked so many times, in fact just this week a friend of mine asked me that very question.  My response would be “prevention is better than cure.”

Reality

Through all the very real life experiences the suicidal person is going through, no matter how difficult or how pointless the ‘battle of life’ seems, it’s important to remember that there is always a solution, always a way out, and a reason to carry on and live.

I for one know exactly what it’s like to want to end it all. I’ve been through this three times in my life, three major events that caused me to want to end it all.

In hindsight I now see that every mountain eventually got turned into a mole hill (or was it that I perceived the mole hill to be the size of a mountain?)

Regret

I think about the people in my life that I will leave behind should I no longer be here.  They certainly are not better off without me, their lives would be ruined for ever and the giant hole I would leave in their soul because of my deadly actions would be catastrophic.

Salvation & Heaven

The Bible is very clear that the only way we have eternal life with God in heaven is through a relationship with Jesus and having repented of our sin.

If I were to murder someone, I would spend time in jail, but God would forgive me if I asked Him to and if I repented and made a 180 degree turn from a life of murder.

Suicide is also called self-murder.  Now, in self-murder there isn’t room for repentance because you’re dead, there is no room for repentance because you can’t make a 180 degree turn from the sin.

Origin

Suicide generally comes from a place of utter hopelessness, loneliness and despair.  By committing suicide, I am indirectly saying that not even Jesus can rescue me from the darkness I find myself in – and that just simply isn’t true.  Jesus’ blood is all powerful, conquers all things and forgives sin. It sets me free when I am captive and bound, and restores hope.

Having said all that, I do know that God’s grace and mercy is amazing, but He is also a just judge.  There is no knowing how God will react to you when eternal judgement comes your way should you commit suicide. He may forgive you and pardon your sin, and He might not.  It’s a risk I am not willing to take.

My Reality of Hope

I know this is much easier said than done. I was terribly depressed last year, and I also thought I would never get through it, but God did pull me out of the darkness, in more ways than one, and restored me.  It took time, lots of prayer, many mind-set changes and even a few life coaching sessions.  It also required an intervention of me removing myself from the situation where my depression was rooted.  I found great healing in an amazing church I recently discovered which has a healthy environment that could help me, could meet my needs, and help restore my life.  Because of that, I now in turn became beneficial to those around me.

My point is this – God gave life to me, for very specific reasons.  I don’t always understand them, I don’t always feel that I want to exist and live, I sometimes don’t see the point; but even in my darkest days I realize that God gave life to me.  Out of a million, He literally chose me, with all my flaws, faults, difficulties and complexities.

I choose to live, because I know He has a plan for my life, and if I approach life through His eyes, everything becomes clearer.

I speak from tangible experience and success, that God has lead me through the valley of the shadow of death plenty of times, and has brought me into His glorious light.

Whether you have contemplated suicide or even attempted it, just know that life is so precious and you are valuable, even though you might not feel that way!

Hang in there my precious friend, God has a massive plan for your life. You have to hold on and hang onto His promise of victory and breakthrough.

If you’re depressed or feel lonely please click on the banner below and make contact with us today!

The Scientific Case for Forgiveness

Alistair Shaw
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The Scientific Case for Forgiveness

Jesus and science are in complete agreement on the matter of forgiveness, as studies have given scientific evidence for many of the things the Bible tells us about forgiving others.

When You Forgive, You Heal Faster

Scientists have found that victims of severe abuse who forgive their abuser receive measurable improvements in psychological and physical health.

But there’s a catch—forgiveness isn’t a one-time, leave-it-all-behind moment. It’s a continual process.

Scientists show us that our brains can’t forgive people who’ve hurt us until we:

#1 Grieve the pain we’ve experienced,

#2 Work to understand the perspective of our abuser,

#3 Decide to forgive them

#4 Work toward some level of acceptance or compassion toward the one who wounded us.

You can’t forgive and forget—our brains don’t work that way. You can only learn to move on without wishing harm on the one who harmed you.

Unforgiveness Physically Limits You

Have you ever been hurt so badly by someone that you can’t stop thinking about them? People who’ve hurt us live in our heads rent-free, showing up in our mind’s eye when we have coffee with friends, enjoy nature or spend time with our family.

Sadly, research suggests that holding a grudge against one who wounded us doesn’t affect them, but instead impairs us. This impairment can manifest itself in surprising ways.

Ruminating over the one who hurt us takes cognitive energy, and affects our brains and bodies. It raises the levels of stress hormones in our bloodstream, and can elevate our blood pressure and contribute to weight gain. It even affects our ability to focus and form new memories.

Holding onto hurt creates a fog around your mind and a weight on your body. In one study scientists found that people could actually jump higher after consciously forgiving someone. Another study showed that people who thought about a grudge viewed physical tasks are more demanding.

When we don’t forgive others, we put ourselves in mental, emotional and physical bondage. The person who hurt us may have put us in a cage, but we’re the only ones who can set ourselves free.

Forgiving Doesn’t Mean You Accept Further Harm

Studies have show that forgiveness is effective and beneficial even in the most severe cases of abuse, trauma, oppression and neglect. Both our faith and modern science emphasize the importance of forgiving others for transgressions—no matter how badly we were hurt.

But, it’s important to define forgiveness well.

Forgiveness is accepting what happened and moving on without wishing harm on the one who hurt you.

It is not placing yourself in situations where you will continue to be hurt or abused. You can forgive someone and still maintain necessary boundaries in a relationship. In cases of severe abuse, that boundary may need to be no further contact.

If you’ve been abused or are struggling to forgive someone, please click on the banner below.

Credit: Edited // Relevant Magazine

Muslim Refugees Convert to Christianity in Germany

Alistair Shaw
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Muslim Refugees Convert to Christianity in Germany

Hundreds of Muslim refugees convert to Christianity in Germany after seeking asylum. Many have converted from Islam to Christianity at an evangelical church in Berlin. Though the country has taken in thousands of refugees from Syria in recent weeks, most of the converts at Pastor Gottfried Martens’ Trinity Church in the last two years are from Iran and Afghanistan. According to the AP, the local evangelical church has gained a reputation for reaching out to Muslims and offering a course in the basic tenets of Christianity.

One factor that may be contributing to the high number of religious conversions though is the increased chances of receiving legal political asylum. In countries like Iran and Afghanistan, converting from Islam is a grave crime, meaning Germany could be more likely to grant refugee converts asylum if they faced almost certain persecution if they returned home. However, pastor Martens told the AP that just 10% of those who convert abandon the church, adding, “I know there are—again and again—people coming here because they have some kind of hope regarding their asylum. I am inviting them to join us because I know that whoever comes here will not be left unchanged.”

Credit: Relevant Magazine

Finding God’s Will For My Life

Alistair Shaw
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Finding God’s Will For My Life

How many times have we all wondered what God wants us to do with our life, and secretly wished for a burning bush experience?

There are three parts to answering the question about finding God’s will for my life.  Today we’ll speak about point no 3 in detail.

  1. Generally, what does God want from every person?
  2. What does God uniquely want from men or women (depending on your gender)?
  3. What does God want from you as an individual?

The foundation of a building, is the most important. If you build on the wrong premise, the other levels will be in constant stress. Everything flows through this level. So, let’s start at the foundation – What does God want from you as an individual?

This is likened to your fingerprint, you as a specific individual, a person uniquely crafted and gifted by God to perform meaningful tasks of service to Him and to others.

Scripture makes it abundantly clear that God first and foremost wants us to know Him, to have a relationship with Him, to bring glory to Him by the way we live our lives, by how we relate to Him and others, summed up best in Matthew 22:37-39:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Parenthetically let me add this. Before we dismiss God as an insecure egomaniac, let’s quickly remember that He became one of us, entered into our suffering, and gave His life so that we could experience the primary purpose of our existence — to know Him. He defined Love by His actions. He did not create then abandon. He created and stayed and acted. He loved to the point of death and secured a path for our ultimate fulfillment: eternity with Him.

So, we start with God, not us. If you are making decisions based primarily on what makes “me” happy, then you have your priorities backwards and you will stumble at every turn. God first, then you.

In the same way that a hiker must orient himself to true north before he can begin his journey, so we must orient (and continue re-orienting) ourselves to the absolute truth that life is not to be driven by what makes us happy, but by what brings God glory. That is life’s “true north.” Only by doing so will we ever begin to experience the fulfillment and adventure of life. So, the better way to ask your question is this, “How could I live my life in such a way that brings God the most glory?”

If you need direction for your life click on the banner below.

Credit:  Edited // Focus on the Family

6 Ways To Tell You Are In The Wrong Job

Alistair Shaw
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6 Ways To Tell You Are In The Wrong Job

There’s always excitement and motivation in starting a new job, especially if you’ve been in the market for a while or just started working your real first job. However, at some point, you’ll hit a plateau – the excitement will be over when you’re fully versed in your job, alongside the culture of the company. What now? Well, you’ll typically experience one of two feelings:

1. You love it and you want to climb up the ladder, or

2. You hate it and you’re tempted to drown yourself in the job market (again).

It’s simple to tell if you’re in the right place because you’ll generally be happy going to work and see the people you work with, despite the nuances that occur in the job. However, if you’re struggling to decide whether or not you should jump ship, here are 6 ways to tell you are in the wrong job:

#1 You’re more interested in the Internet than your actual job.

Since we’re pretty much always online, it’s completely normal to browse the web or shop every once in a while. However, if you’re constantly on the Internet doing things totally unrelated to your job, you’re obviously not engaged or interested in what you’re doing.

#2 You’re ready for the weekends by the time it’s Monday.

So you dread going to work Monday right? If you’re endlessly watching the clock and waiting for the end of day to arrive or wishing it were Friday by the time you enter work on Monday, you might as well admit you’re miserable.

#3 You’re a loner.

You just can’t seem to immerse yourself in the company culture. Your values don’t align and there’s not really anyone you truly enjoy being around. It’s hard enough to be in a job you don’t enjoy, but if you also find yourself in grief with the people you work with, you should definitely reconsider your situation.

#4 Your strengths aren’t maximized.

There are always things to learn in the beginning, but if you no longer feel like you’re growing or have room for advancement by the time you’re proficient in what you’ve been doing, then it seems your potential won’t be used to its fullest. First things first, you should always be invested in your own development.

#5 You’re in it for the money.

Bills and expenses will always exist so those are definitely not valid reasons to work a job you hate. Life is too short to hate doing things you spend most of your time on (e.g. your job) so don’t let the money keep you there.

#6 You’d rather stay home than get paid.

And if you reach a time where you’d rather call out sick or use all your vacation days than go to work – even if it means taking it unpaid – you’ve hit a point of no return. It’s really time to go.

Credit:  Edited // Zanita

Bear Grylls Prayed Over President Obama

Alistair Shaw
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Bear Grylls Prayed Over President Obama

As you may have heard, President Obama recently traveled to Alaska and along with visiting some local villages and speaking about climate change, he’s taping an episode of the outdoor reality show Running Wild with Bear Grylls. In addition to be a British military veteran, survival expert and adventurer, Grylls is also a devout Christian.

Grylls posted this image to Twitter, where Bear Grylls prayed over President Obama on their expedition. He accompanied it with the caption “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” The episode airs later this fall.

Credit:  Edited // Relevant Magazine

What to Do When a Friend Is Depressed

Alistair Shaw
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What to Do When a Friend Is Depressed

Perhaps you’ve experienced loss before and now you’re finding yourself thinking of someone in your life that has recently suffered loss, and who might be depressed. I encourage you to reach out. It’s hard to know how to be there for someone going through tragedy. Every person is different and every loss is not experienced the same, yet there are few ways you can be present in their pain:

Be Available Without Added Pressure

Some of the most comforting people in my life lately have been the ones who are quick to say, “I’m here for you when you need me. But if you need to be alone, that is OK, too.” They have been the ones who are only a phone call away, but who have given me the permission to grieve in the ways that I have needed to grieve. They are the ones who have made their care for me known, who have offered companionship, but who haven’t taken it personally if I’ve needed some space. They are the ones who have shown up at our house with flowers, but said, “I won’t stay long. I’m just here if you need me.” Or have texted or emailed to say, “My phone is with me, call if you need.”

Everyone mourns differently, and being given the space to mourn on my own timeline has made all of the difference.

Ask, Don’t Tell

Sharing our stories is so important, and the story of someone’s loss is no different. That story, too, needs to be shared. It needs to be shared so that it is not carried alone.

There is so much healing to be found in telling your story. So, ask. Ask to hear the story of a friend who is going through loss. Ask how they are doing, how they are getting along.

It is tempting to offer up cliche comforts when we don’t know what to say. It is tempting to try and explain. And while yes, it is important to be reminded that God is in control, that it will all be OK, fight the urge to tell them how to heal.

Just ask to hear their story, and then make space for sharing. Create a space for the pain, for the mess, for the heartache. And trust that in that, you are creating space for healing.

Say Something, Even if You Don’t Know What

Not saying anything at all can be more hurtful than saying the wrong thing. One of the most honest and life-giving things someone has said to me recently was, “I’m not sure what to say, but please know that I hate that you are having to go through this.”

Through this entire experience, the support we have gotten from our family and friends has been invaluable. Our community has been so faithful to walk through this with us. They have covered us in love and in prayer, and made sure that we know we are not carrying this alone. They have cried and grieved for us. They have dropped by our house, invited us over for meals. They have called, texted or emailed every day. They have reminded us of God’s love time and time again; reminding us that we are not alone, and we are not forgotten.

So even when you don’t know what to say, do say something. Because in acknowledging the pain, you are offering to carry even a little of it. And for a grieving friend, that is one of the most healing and sacred things you give.

If you’re suffering a loss and need comfort and healing today, click on the banner below!

Credit:// Edited Relevant Magazine

Shrek The Sheep

Alistair Shaw
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Shrek The Sheep

Meet Shrek – The renegade sheep that avoided shearing for six years by hiding in a cave!

renegade sheep

Shrek really, really, really did not like getting his hair cut. So for six years, this New Zealand libertarian managed to avoid spring shearings by hiding in a cave.

By the time he was found in 2004, his owners couldn’t even tell he was a sheep.

shrek the sheep

According to modern farmer, when Shrek was eventually sheared, there was enough wool to produce 20 men’s suits.

sheep wool

So if a sheep does not get sheared, will the wool keep growing and growing?

Yes, but only if it is a domesticated sheep. They’ve evolved based on the way humans groom them. Primitive sheep, like Bighorns in the West, still shed most of their wool every year.

Perhaps Shrek the sheep realized he needed help (heat stress, mobility issues, vision impairment) and wanted to be found. We may never know, but he’s certainly got a great smile!

funny sheep pictures

Credit: Modern Farmer& Sunny Skyz

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