10th Dec 2010

An excerpt from the 1st draft of my new book - The Cloud and the Line


knights

Where have all the Knights gone?

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.[i]

A long time ago, I read a magazine that said its greatest feedback had come from an article entitled; why are Christian men such wimps?

That bothered me.

I did not want to grow into a wimp. I did not want to be someone who would flake out and give up too easily. I wanted, and still want, to be strong. I wanted to live up to the motto of The Gibbs Family.

The Gibbs family has Scottish origins. The name Gibbs means “bright hostage.” In later medieval times, the family crest was created and to this day displays three battleaxes. When I was a little boy, my father told me that these battleaxes represented my mother and two grandmothers.  

It turns out that was not true.

The motto of the Gibbs’ knights was “firm of purpose.”

I don’t want to be a wimp: I want to be firm of purpose. But what is my purpose? What is the purpose of a Christian? Is it to wage war on those with a different opinion? Is it to extend the boundaries of our faith through bloodshed and crusades? Is it to demand that others agree to the rules of our religion?

Or may our purpose be found not on the battlefield but in the sky?

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[i] Ephesians 6:10-18