Everything must change

Disclaimer

Everything must change is not a book for you if your theology is comfortable and settled.

Brian McLaren writes disturbing books so if you are very settled in your Christianity and do not want the boat rocked, then may I suggest you go else where for your reading material. He started asking questions that certainly took me out of my comfort zone.

And I too am writing disturbing things. When stuff starts to go wrong with the major organs of the body, everything must change; like the pancreas for example.

McLaren suggests that being saved and having our places in heaven assured are only the very first step of the Christian faith. God then expects us to go on and make a difference in his world; or as Jesus put it, bear fruit.

It's high time that Christians start to accept that if our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit we need to treat them reverently and with great care; otherwise they turn around and bite us.

• Treat Brother Ass kindly
  

Jesus' message is not actually about escaping this troubled world for cloud nine's blissful shores, as is popularly assumed but instead is ensuring that His will is being done on this troubled earth as it is in heaven.

And for that we need strong and healthy bodies; otherwise we are just a part of the troubled earth and there is serious threat that we may miss the boat.

How does one summarise a complex 300-page  book in one blog?

Not easily and in fact I am not going to try. What I will do is describe is what this book has meant for me personally.

Firstly McLaren has challenged the notion in me that the world's problems are so big that there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. So I will not even try. And that is a disturbing thought. Could I really make a difference?

Whilst men and women of great intellect have made profound changes to this world, men like St Paul and CS Lewis, there have been very ordinary Believers of little education, people like Brother Andrew, John Newton and George Muller who through living close to God have made a vital difference.

Now in my retirement there has been little thought of making a difference in our world. It is very comfortable making a compost pile and learning how to start beekeeping and such things. That has to change and I am waiting on Him for direction. Sealed orders are waiting to be opened.

The suicide machine

Secondly I have gained a far better perspective on how greed is driving the late, great planet Earth on a suicidal path. It is not sustainable either in terms of energy, resources and water; or pollution. We are leaving our grandchildren a heritage that will be hopelessly flawed.

Brian McLaren drives home the point. We have not been saved simply for pie in the sky. He rescued us from the powers of darkness so we can make a difference in the world. Starting with believers, everything must change.

Everything, he says. And the sad fact is that Christians are proving just as resistant to change as the world is. The prosperity gospel has convinced so many of us that God wants us to have more than we can possibly need. Greed is insidious. Less is more is a relic; a pagan and mystic philosophy.

Christians should be leading the way in using solar powered generators and wind turbines, designing new technologies that makes cars more efficient and for that matter driving smaller vehicles. Have you considered one that is powered entirely by batteries and generally leaves a much smaller carbon footprint?

Christians should be at the forefront of recycling, using less resources and being the creative people in God's world who are making it all happen; you and me.

Everything must change, starting with me.

Likewise if you have a major organ disorder, everything must change. You have almost certainly been breaking God's dietary principles of the universe. Even Jesus knew not to defy the law of gravity; he would not jump from the pinnacle of the temple when he had his man-hat on.

An aside

Does it eat you too when you look in the kitchen drawer and find about 15 chargers, 14 of which are derelict. Each time you upgrade your mobile you find they have changes the plug fitting, so you are forced to buy yet another charger. Greed is the name of the game.

---

Newsletter

Our newsletter is entitled "create a cyan zone" at your home, preserving both yourself and Mother Earth for future generations; and the family too, of course. We promise not to spam you with daily emails promoting various products. You may get an occasional nudge to buy one of my books.

Here are the back issues.

Consider the new Sony camera. They have changed not only the size of the battery but also the charger and the jack.

So you have to buy Sony and you have to purchase yet another battery size; and a different charger. I like their cameras but I will not get another. The greed of the company has got to me. That is assuming that Canon, Nikon and Olympus are different. They probably are not.

Joining the Peace insurgency

Perhaps one of the most difficult chapters is the one looking into how religion has under-girded the war machine.

Muslims blow themselves and innocent bystanders up, crying out, God is great. Some Christian leaders are encouraging US presidents to vanquish our enemies away in the name of the Lord. Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan come to mind. Violent extremists are increasingly deranged by their own religious certainty.

More recently the US president has threatened to completely annihilate the nation of Iran; total genocide worse even than Hitler. And he has the power to do it.

Religious communities edit their versions of Jesus to fit their narrative.

Rather, conversion is about Jesus editing us to fit his narrative. So many Christians today have the boot on the wrong foot.

Brian McLaren asks embarrassing questions; why is the value of arms sales by Christian USA to Africa exceeding the aid given?

Watching the insurgents in Damascus, Dafur or the Congo one is increasingly impressed by the sophistication of the rocket launchers and fire power of the trouble makers, yet no one asks, where are these arms manufactured and who sells them to the rebels? There appears to be a conspiracy of silence of the part of the super powers who are profiting from these agents of death.

Why is Christian America still not a signatory to the ban the landmine treaty? It is the ultimate terrorist weapon.

To sum up

Everything must change by Brian Mclaren is a profoundly interesting, disturbing, very spiritual book that every educated Christian should read. But beware, the Spirit might just grab you by the jacket lapel, shake you violently and call you into something entirely new; profound venture that will enable God's will to be done on Earth, as it is in heaven.

It will be something difficult. Like persuading Christian America to stop killing innocent civilians with their drones.

Well done, Brian. It's a wonderful book.

Oh, a last thing I should mention; do you too quite often have difficulty finishing Christian books? This one I enjoyed and was challenged to the last drop.

Did I say enjoyed? Mm, that's the wrong word. Felt challenged, was enriched and thought about starting again at page 1; occasionally wished I had never heard of Brian McLaren. I do not know about everything but I am a different person and some things have certainly already begun to change.

Now to Brian McLaren's next book.

Kindle

Brian McLaren

There are quite a lot of second hand books available too, for a song. But do Brian McLaren a favour. Buy the new "everything must change." He can use your support, this is a profound tome that took a huge amount of time and study.

Study book

Everything must change would make a great group-study book. At the end of each chapter are numerous provocative questions for discussion and thought. Expect the sessions to be disturbing, rowdy and boisterous rather than a solemn cloistered assembly.

Useful Links

Go from Everything must change by Brian McLaren to Bernard Preston home page...

Go from Everything must change to Solar Power Energy ...

1. Brian D McLaren
   

The stunting of children

Nearing my eighties now, God has begun pruning away some of my first loves. I have I felt in the last five years a deep concern and compassion for the stunted children of South Africa; an ignored generation whom few seem to care about, least of all in government.

Nearly 30% of all children are permanently stunted by the age of five; mentally and physically. Unfixably so no matter how good a diet they get later in life. It's a national disgrace that no one in the upper echelons will acknowledge or address. Ultrarefined maizemeal, a staple in South Africa is at the centre of this conundrum.

The Lord has led me into milling maize and wheat for the last fifty years; I believe I hear his voice calling me to make a difference in His world. Starting in a small way I take freshly milled cornmeal to the children in a very poor creche; a drop in the ocean.

Now I hear a call to start training small millers to fill this desperate meal. Unrefined maizemeal, especially from yellow corn, is completely unavailable. It is perishable product.

Everything must change; retirement from practice, giving up my love of bees and supplying the local farmers' market. All my energy must now go into milling. Can one person make a difference in such awful circumstances? I am just a "tiller of the land" and "lone reed rustling in the wind." Few are interested in whole grains and even less about the plight of our children.

• Stunting story recommends local mills
  

Discovering I was on the edge of diabetes

A routine blood sugar test after what I thought was a healthy starchy meal brought a shock; the figure was way above normal. That led me into a journey. A great deal of reading of the scientific literature made me realise that everything would have to change.

Using food as medicine and short brisk walks after all starchy meals enabled me to achieve a very healthy 5.4% for the standard HbA1_c test.

Central to the process was discovering the foods for a healthy pancreas; everything had to change. Enabled by the Spirit of Almighty God it proved to be less difficult that I thought it would be; first I had to pull the sweet tooth.

Did you find this page interesting? How about forwarding it to a friendly book or food junkie? Better still, a social media tick would help.

Address:

56 Groenekloof Rd,

Hilton, KZN

South Africa

Website:

https://www.bernard-preston.com

Create a Cyan Zone at your home; one which complements blue areas for longevity with green for protecting Mother Earth.