I was really challenged by my aunt and uncle's Christmas letter this year. I've cut and pasted an extract below.
The whole Israel/Palestine issue is something that I've never really got my head round, I'm quite ashamed to say. It's not been helped (he says rather defensively) by the prevalence of pro Israel groups I've come across since being down here on the south coast. It's not just the fact that Christians are keen to pray for Israel but that amongst some there's a view that Israel can do no wrong at all and even to suggest that Israel might be at fault is tantamount to blasphemy. Anyway this naivety just annoys me so I've kept my distance.....which I shouldn't have done really.
So I'm reading John and Jane's letter and I'm moved... I'm still not sure what to believe or what to do but I am stirred....and I want to know more....
We have had a full and interesting year – with a number of highs and lows. Our highlight was a 10 day visit to Palestine / Israel in May with the Amos Trust, We spent 6 nights in Bethlehem and 4 in Nazareth. It was inspired by people we have met over recent years, and particularly at Greenbelt last year, who indicated that if you want to understand what is actually happening in this land once called Holy, you need to come and see and listen to the Living Stones. It was a life-changing experience. The effect of being within Bethlehem which is now surrounded by the 27ft Israeli wall is quite horrific. Many of the population, both Christian and Muslim, are cut off from their land, their livelihood and their roots. The number of Christians is diminishing at an alarming rate. We met with Palestinian and Israeli groups who are working for justice and peace for all the people of the land using non-violent means and we were deeply humbled at their faith and determination. However the corporate humiliation and daily obstacles being imposed on the Palestinian community are shocking to witness. Our group was a diverse one and we met and shared with so many people of real faith and determination. You may be interested to learn more of what is happening through the new organisation – Just Peace for Palestine – www.justpeaceforpalestine.org . John is hoping to return to Palestine with Amos Trust in April 2011 to help rebuild a Palestinian house, demolished by the Israelis, just outside Bethlehem. This will be a challenging experience in every way, but hopefully a symbolic act of solidarity. 'We have each been asked to raise £1,000 for materials and I have set up a JustGiving site to invite donations -
http://www.justgiving.com/John-Henson0
As we approach Christmas we are aware particularly of the pain of those who live in Bethlehem and in occupied Palestine - aware that there are few visitors who come to that city to celebrate the birth of our Saviour and where the Shepherds’ Fields are now largely overlooked by illegal settlements. The Wise Men could only reach Bethlehem today by accessing endless checkpoints and would need a permit to come and worship the Christ child! A quote from Canon Naim Ateek seems to sum up our thoughts – ‘it would be good for today’s Magi to visit Bethlehem. They do not realise that the genuine answers to peace lie in everything the child of Bethlehem has stood for – humility, openness, love of others, forgiveness and even sacrifice of oneself for others’.
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Craving Fidelity
In prep for the 10 Commandments series next term I just read this and thought "Flip me...that's sooooo true!"
In spite of the high divorce rate and the cavalier attitude we seem to have about marriage, something in our human soul hankers after that elusive fidelity that marriage promises. When actress Jeniffer Aniston and her handsome actor-husband Brad Pitt broke up, one stunned and disappointed fan bemoaned the split: "If they can't make it, who can?" Though perhaps misplaced, the hope of these fans taps into a structure that God placed in the world as a picture of his fidelity to his people.
Edmund Clowney, How Jesus Transforms The Ten Commmandments
We all want fidelity, we really do.....
In spite of the high divorce rate and the cavalier attitude we seem to have about marriage, something in our human soul hankers after that elusive fidelity that marriage promises. When actress Jeniffer Aniston and her handsome actor-husband Brad Pitt broke up, one stunned and disappointed fan bemoaned the split: "If they can't make it, who can?" Though perhaps misplaced, the hope of these fans taps into a structure that God placed in the world as a picture of his fidelity to his people.
Edmund Clowney, How Jesus Transforms The Ten Commmandments
We all want fidelity, we really do.....
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
How Human Was Jesus?
I listened to Mark Driscoll yesterday preaching about the humanity of Jesus....best thing I've done in a long time I can tell you. Do the Kingdom a favour and take some time to listen (or watch) this sermon. Not only will you get some profoundly good input you'll laugh till your sides ache.
I guess most of us will be comfortable with the idea that Jesus is fully God but do we really get that He was fully man? This doctrine has profound implications for how we do life.
"When you need Jesus most you don't get disappointment you get get sympathy".
He understanding our weakness because he's been there..... check it out....
http://bit.ly/2sk64q
I guess most of us will be comfortable with the idea that Jesus is fully God but do we really get that He was fully man? This doctrine has profound implications for how we do life.
"When you need Jesus most you don't get disappointment you get get sympathy".
He understanding our weakness because he's been there..... check it out....
http://bit.ly/2sk64q
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Baptisms, Plectrums and High Speed Trains
Well, it's been a while has it not. I sort of missed blogging and didn't miss it all at the same time.....
Last Sunday morning was amazing. I don't mean "amazing" as in what all pastors are supposed to say about their church services in the week following, I mean really breath taking.
We baptised six people. (Yeah I know, kind of like buses, nothing for ages (12 months in our case) and then loads come at once). I knew them, of course, and I knew their stories but it was only when I was standing in the water, hearing them share their story and make significant affirmations about their faith in Christ before the congregation that I was really confronted by the sheer grace, goodness and power of God. Six people; a cross section of ages, backgrounds and Christian experience, some knowing the Lord for a long time, others for just a short time, all declaring how God had saved them for a new life with Him.
They say that the person with an experience is rarely at the mercy of a person with an argument. It was certainly a powerful witness to the many non-believers who were present.
In the evening I was leading the service. I was speaking about Holy Communion and how it was like a birthday party and a high speed train (great images I'd picked up from Tom Wright). Anyway, just as we're about to start, my younger son Jack who was playing bass in the band, swallowed his plectrum and began to choke. He was whisked out the back and a medic started the old Heimlich Manoeuvre. Meanwhile I'd spotted a guy in the congregation who I was pretty sure was medical consultant (he'd never been to LBC before) and he came to join the fray. Anyway, long story short, he stopped choking and was taken to Southampton A & E.
Meanwhile I cracked on with the service. Singing hymns about the faithfulness of God and preaching on His real presence with us was all the more poignant knowing Jack had had a very narrow escape and still wasn't out of the woods.
Is God only faithful and His grace only effective when things go well....what if things had turned out differently as they so easily could have done....? With Spurgeon I believe (I hope in all circumstances) that in trials the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which I lay my head. And what's more the simple fact is that the only reason, any of us, ever take a next breath at all is because of the mercy and grace of God. It's only because of Him....
So an eventful day that started, and ended, well.....by His grace.
Last Sunday morning was amazing. I don't mean "amazing" as in what all pastors are supposed to say about their church services in the week following, I mean really breath taking.
We baptised six people. (Yeah I know, kind of like buses, nothing for ages (12 months in our case) and then loads come at once). I knew them, of course, and I knew their stories but it was only when I was standing in the water, hearing them share their story and make significant affirmations about their faith in Christ before the congregation that I was really confronted by the sheer grace, goodness and power of God. Six people; a cross section of ages, backgrounds and Christian experience, some knowing the Lord for a long time, others for just a short time, all declaring how God had saved them for a new life with Him.
They say that the person with an experience is rarely at the mercy of a person with an argument. It was certainly a powerful witness to the many non-believers who were present.
In the evening I was leading the service. I was speaking about Holy Communion and how it was like a birthday party and a high speed train (great images I'd picked up from Tom Wright). Anyway, just as we're about to start, my younger son Jack who was playing bass in the band, swallowed his plectrum and began to choke. He was whisked out the back and a medic started the old Heimlich Manoeuvre. Meanwhile I'd spotted a guy in the congregation who I was pretty sure was medical consultant (he'd never been to LBC before) and he came to join the fray. Anyway, long story short, he stopped choking and was taken to Southampton A & E.
Meanwhile I cracked on with the service. Singing hymns about the faithfulness of God and preaching on His real presence with us was all the more poignant knowing Jack had had a very narrow escape and still wasn't out of the woods.
Is God only faithful and His grace only effective when things go well....what if things had turned out differently as they so easily could have done....? With Spurgeon I believe (I hope in all circumstances) that in trials the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which I lay my head. And what's more the simple fact is that the only reason, any of us, ever take a next breath at all is because of the mercy and grace of God. It's only because of Him....
So an eventful day that started, and ended, well.....by His grace.
Friday, 22 October 2010
Fat Face and the Voice of God
I heard a guy I know say this evening that he'd felt God speak to him through the label attached to a t-shirt he bought in Fat Face. It said:
"It's never too late to be the person you could have been"
Feel like saying: "Discuss. 2000 words"!
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Gutsy Guilt
The dominant pastoral issue in my ministry over the last ten years has been sexual sin. I've spent more time giving spiritual direction in this area than any other. I know that some who read this will be shocked. I know some will want to bury their head in the sand. I know that some will not be able to relate to it at all. I understand that but the reality still stands.
In many ways none of us should be surprised because we live in a sex-saturated culture where sex is used to sell anything and everything and where our children are sexualised from their earliest years. We live in a world where young girls who can barely walk are first cajoled into wearing high heels and T-shirts with Playboy motifs, before progressing into a grim future dominated by an internet-based youth culture that pressurises them into dress and behaviour which defines them overwhelmingly as sexual objects. What's more we can access any image we like from the privacy of our own home and it's only a mouse click away.
What are we expecting? That God's people would be immune?
We've got to fight back!
Not with the banning of porn or ever more sophisticated internet accountability software (which I heartily endorse and if you've not got some get it (see covenanteyes.com)) but with the historic, orthodox gospel which brings us a far greater vision to capture our affections and the power to find our joy in God (do the Kingdom a favour and read something by Tim Chester that will help you unleash the power of the gospel - You Can Change and Captured by a Better Vision to name but two books).
But we also need to fight satan himself who wields the lie that sexual sin disqualifies us from God's favour and service. This lie has been devastating to so many (you want to know why the church is struggling to engage men......?)
Today I was reminded of an article that John Piper wrote some years ago called "Gutsy Guilt". How we need to hear its message today. Please read it and be bold enough to share it with others. By God's grace sexual temptation might not be a challenge for you but if you're part of the LBC community it's a challenge to a good number and, at the risk of repeating myself, we're in 21st century so it shouldn't be a great surprise.
He was speaking at a conference with George Verwer, the founder of the mission organisation Operation Mobilisation. He writes:
Verwer's burden at that conference was the tragic number of young people who at one point in their lives dreamed of radical obedience to Jesus, but then faded away into useless American prosperity. A gnawing sense of guilt and unworthiness over sexual failure gradually gave way to spiritual powerlessness and the dead-end dream of middle-class security and comfort.
In other words, what seemed so tragic to George Verwer—as it does to me—is that so many young people are being lost to the cause of Christ's mission because they are not taught how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. The problem is not just how not to fail. The problem is how to deal with failure so that it doesn't sweep away your whole life into wasted mediocrity with no impact for Christ.
The great tragedy is not masturbation or fornication or pornography. The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have. In their place, he gives you a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures, until you die in your lakeside rocking chair.
I have a passion that you do not waste your life. My aim is not mainly to cure you of sexual misconduct. I would like that to happen. But mostly I want to take out of the Devil's hand the weapon that exploits your sin and makes your life a wasted, worldly success. Satan wants that for you. But you don't!
To read the rest of this article click here.....http://bit.ly/947Mw1
In many ways none of us should be surprised because we live in a sex-saturated culture where sex is used to sell anything and everything and where our children are sexualised from their earliest years. We live in a world where young girls who can barely walk are first cajoled into wearing high heels and T-shirts with Playboy motifs, before progressing into a grim future dominated by an internet-based youth culture that pressurises them into dress and behaviour which defines them overwhelmingly as sexual objects. What's more we can access any image we like from the privacy of our own home and it's only a mouse click away.
What are we expecting? That God's people would be immune?
We've got to fight back!
Not with the banning of porn or ever more sophisticated internet accountability software (which I heartily endorse and if you've not got some get it (see covenanteyes.com)) but with the historic, orthodox gospel which brings us a far greater vision to capture our affections and the power to find our joy in God (do the Kingdom a favour and read something by Tim Chester that will help you unleash the power of the gospel - You Can Change and Captured by a Better Vision to name but two books).
But we also need to fight satan himself who wields the lie that sexual sin disqualifies us from God's favour and service. This lie has been devastating to so many (you want to know why the church is struggling to engage men......?)
Today I was reminded of an article that John Piper wrote some years ago called "Gutsy Guilt". How we need to hear its message today. Please read it and be bold enough to share it with others. By God's grace sexual temptation might not be a challenge for you but if you're part of the LBC community it's a challenge to a good number and, at the risk of repeating myself, we're in 21st century so it shouldn't be a great surprise.
He was speaking at a conference with George Verwer, the founder of the mission organisation Operation Mobilisation. He writes:
Verwer's burden at that conference was the tragic number of young people who at one point in their lives dreamed of radical obedience to Jesus, but then faded away into useless American prosperity. A gnawing sense of guilt and unworthiness over sexual failure gradually gave way to spiritual powerlessness and the dead-end dream of middle-class security and comfort.
In other words, what seemed so tragic to George Verwer—as it does to me—is that so many young people are being lost to the cause of Christ's mission because they are not taught how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. The problem is not just how not to fail. The problem is how to deal with failure so that it doesn't sweep away your whole life into wasted mediocrity with no impact for Christ.
The great tragedy is not masturbation or fornication or pornography. The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have. In their place, he gives you a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures, until you die in your lakeside rocking chair.
I have a passion that you do not waste your life. My aim is not mainly to cure you of sexual misconduct. I would like that to happen. But mostly I want to take out of the Devil's hand the weapon that exploits your sin and makes your life a wasted, worldly success. Satan wants that for you. But you don't!
To read the rest of this article click here.....http://bit.ly/947Mw1
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Redeeming Singleness
It's hard for a pastor who's been married since he was just turned 22 to teach about singleness . But I've always had a passion to see people, particularly married people (I figure single folk know most of the stuff), well taught in this area. So consequently when I want to lean in to this area I've sought to draft in others to help. I'm doing the same now by advertising Barry Danylak's recent book, Redeeming Singleness, published by Crossway. John Piper wrote the forward - here's the whole thing. I commend it to you whether you're married or single (that is of course, after you've read everything you can by Tim Chester!)
The greatest, wisest, most fully human person who has ever lived, never married. Jesus Christ. His greatest apostle never married, and was thankful for his singleness. Jesus himself said, that in the age to come we do not marry. And he added that the age to come had already broken into this world.
Therefore, the presence of single people in the church not only “attests the sufficiency of Christ for the reception of God’s covenantal blessings in the new covenant,” but also reminds us “that the spiritual age has already been inaugurated in Christ and awaits imminent consummation.”
When I met Barry Danylak at Tyndale House in Cambridge, England, in the summer of 2006, I was amazed at the research he was doing on a biblical theology of singleness. Not only was the scope of it unprecedented, but the theological and practical insights struck me as biblically compelling and practically urgent. I don’t know of anyone else who has ever provided the extent of biblical reflection on singleness that Barry has provided for us here.
Both marriage and singleness demand the most serious and solid biblical insight. These are realities that affect every area of our life and thought. We cannot settle for superficial pep talks. Our lives cry out for significance. And significance comes from seeing ourselves the way God sees us. Including our singleness. My guess is that virtually every single who reads this book will finish with a sense of wonder at who they are, and how little they knew about this gift and calling.
Barry is keenly aware of the progress of redemptive history and its stunning implications for the single life. Early in that history, marriage and physical children were fundamental to the blessings of the Mosaic Covenant. But they are not fundamental to the New Covenant the way they were then. And what is beautiful about the way Barry develops this historical flow is that the glory of Jesus Christ is exalted above all things.
Barry elevates but does not absolutize the calling of the single life. It’s greatness lies in this: “It is a visible reminder that the kingdom of God points to a reality which stands beyond worldly preoccupations of marriage, family and career.” Indeed. And that greater reality is the all-satisfying, everlasting friendship of Jesus himself in the new heavens and the new earth. Marriage and singleness will be transcended, and Christ himself will make those categories obsolete in the joy of his presence. A life of joyful singleness witnesses to this.
The greatest, wisest, most fully human person who has ever lived, never married. Jesus Christ. His greatest apostle never married, and was thankful for his singleness. Jesus himself said, that in the age to come we do not marry. And he added that the age to come had already broken into this world.
Therefore, the presence of single people in the church not only “attests the sufficiency of Christ for the reception of God’s covenantal blessings in the new covenant,” but also reminds us “that the spiritual age has already been inaugurated in Christ and awaits imminent consummation.”
When I met Barry Danylak at Tyndale House in Cambridge, England, in the summer of 2006, I was amazed at the research he was doing on a biblical theology of singleness. Not only was the scope of it unprecedented, but the theological and practical insights struck me as biblically compelling and practically urgent. I don’t know of anyone else who has ever provided the extent of biblical reflection on singleness that Barry has provided for us here.
Both marriage and singleness demand the most serious and solid biblical insight. These are realities that affect every area of our life and thought. We cannot settle for superficial pep talks. Our lives cry out for significance. And significance comes from seeing ourselves the way God sees us. Including our singleness. My guess is that virtually every single who reads this book will finish with a sense of wonder at who they are, and how little they knew about this gift and calling.
Barry is keenly aware of the progress of redemptive history and its stunning implications for the single life. Early in that history, marriage and physical children were fundamental to the blessings of the Mosaic Covenant. But they are not fundamental to the New Covenant the way they were then. And what is beautiful about the way Barry develops this historical flow is that the glory of Jesus Christ is exalted above all things.
Barry elevates but does not absolutize the calling of the single life. It’s greatness lies in this: “It is a visible reminder that the kingdom of God points to a reality which stands beyond worldly preoccupations of marriage, family and career.” Indeed. And that greater reality is the all-satisfying, everlasting friendship of Jesus himself in the new heavens and the new earth. Marriage and singleness will be transcended, and Christ himself will make those categories obsolete in the joy of his presence. A life of joyful singleness witnesses to this.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Just DO Something
Here's a snippet from Kevin DeYoung's book from last year, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will. Sounds like my kind of book on guidance to be honest. I really don't know where this obsession with "finding God's will for my life" has come from. Western, individualistic narcissism at it's worst...OK maybe that's overstating the case a bit. Anyway let DeYoung rattle your cage a bit!
Simply put, God's will is your growth in Christ likeness. God promises to work all things together for our good that we might be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). . . . God never assures us of health, success, or ease. But He promises us something even better: He promises to make us loving, pure, and humble like Christ. In short, God's will is that you and I get happy and holy in Jesus.
So go marry someone, provided you're equally yoked and you actually like being with each other. Go get a job, provided it's not wicked. Go live somewhere in something with somebody or nobody. But put aside the passivity and the quest for complete fulfillment and the perfectionism and the preoccupation with the future, and for God's sake start making some decisions in your life. Don't wait for the liver-shiver. If you are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you will be in God's will, so just go out and do something.
Simply put, God's will is your growth in Christ likeness. God promises to work all things together for our good that we might be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). . . . God never assures us of health, success, or ease. But He promises us something even better: He promises to make us loving, pure, and humble like Christ. In short, God's will is that you and I get happy and holy in Jesus.
So go marry someone, provided you're equally yoked and you actually like being with each other. Go get a job, provided it's not wicked. Go live somewhere in something with somebody or nobody. But put aside the passivity and the quest for complete fulfillment and the perfectionism and the preoccupation with the future, and for God's sake start making some decisions in your life. Don't wait for the liver-shiver. If you are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you will be in God's will, so just go out and do something.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Sign Me Up!!
Check this out from Carl Beech and the guys at CVM..... really, you need to see it. Ok so it's written specifically for bloke's but who's going to say it's not right on the money.
Love the bit about the need to stop sulking, take it on the chin and get over it.....would like to say that to a few people I can tell you! (perhaps I just did.....).
Am talking about some of this stuff at E4 on Sunday....think I'm on a roll from last w/e! We so need to get in the game.... 7 marriages, 8 leaders.....
http://youtu.be/yHZIPAVY1DE
Love the bit about the need to stop sulking, take it on the chin and get over it.....would like to say that to a few people I can tell you! (perhaps I just did.....).
Am talking about some of this stuff at E4 on Sunday....think I'm on a roll from last w/e! We so need to get in the game.... 7 marriages, 8 leaders.....
http://youtu.be/yHZIPAVY1DE
Friday, 17 September 2010
No Sacrifice
Andy Doel is a top bloke and I'm so chuffed he's part of our church. I dropped into the youth club tonight and took the opportunity to thank him for co-leading the youth camp the previous weekend, he'd done a brilliant job. The guy's got a full-on job, two kids, he does youth work on Friday nights and Sunday mornings as well as stuff in the gaps and he said.....he said, "I enjoy it, it's no sacrifice." And he meant it. He loves serving. I told him he reminded me of the thing David Livingston (the pioneering missionary and explorer) had said whilst addressing Cambridge University students on 4 December 1857.....
People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.
People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.
How to Glorify God at Work
It's a great Q. How can you glorify, that is to say, how can you shine a great spotlight on Jesus whilst at work? Surely it's got to involve a little more than not cheating on expenses and showing up on time. John Piper describes well what it means:
Do your work in such a way that Christ looks more important than your work. Seek to make and use money in such a way that Christ looks more important than money. Seek to have relationships with people in the work place such that Christ is more important than those relationships.
Now, that doesn't imply that relationships go down in effectiveness and importance. It means, in fact, that they go up! Because if Christ is infinitely precious to you, you will now have resources for the relationships and for the work that you wouldn't have had otherwise, if those relationships were god.
If they are god, you are drawing strength from them and eventually people are going to feel that. "You are using me. You may be really really interested in me, and you may want to spend time with me. But I'm starting to feel drained by you."
Whereas, if Christ is all, and he sends you into that relationship with resources, then the feel should be, "I like being around you because you are ministering to me. You are not taking from me."
So whether it is people, whether it is money, whether it is activities, we do them all. We are very good at them. We should be creative and industrious and excellent in all of our work in order to adorn the gospel and do it in a way that Christ is shown to be more valuable than any of those things.
Do your work in such a way that Christ looks more important than your work. Seek to make and use money in such a way that Christ looks more important than money. Seek to have relationships with people in the work place such that Christ is more important than those relationships.
Now, that doesn't imply that relationships go down in effectiveness and importance. It means, in fact, that they go up! Because if Christ is infinitely precious to you, you will now have resources for the relationships and for the work that you wouldn't have had otherwise, if those relationships were god.
If they are god, you are drawing strength from them and eventually people are going to feel that. "You are using me. You may be really really interested in me, and you may want to spend time with me. But I'm starting to feel drained by you."
Whereas, if Christ is all, and he sends you into that relationship with resources, then the feel should be, "I like being around you because you are ministering to me. You are not taking from me."
So whether it is people, whether it is money, whether it is activities, we do them all. We are very good at them. We should be creative and industrious and excellent in all of our work in order to adorn the gospel and do it in a way that Christ is shown to be more valuable than any of those things.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Social Networking Boot Camp
Irony of ironies I'm writing this from a day seminar in London on social networking and the church. To be honest the subject matter leaves me cold but I knew it was something I had to be at - to find answers but more importantly to learn what the questions are. So I'm here with Lawrence who's tech savvy and who I'm hoping will help apply some of the learnings. The challenge is to cut through the dross and total inanity of much of the stuff to get the good that can, potentially, be massively significant for the mission and discipleship. Let's see what happens.....
Friday, 20 August 2010
Vintage Willard on Spiritual Growth
Dallas Willard is the leading writer in our day on spiritual formation (the business of becoming more like Jesus and becoming more centered on him as our ultimate, God-honouring, joy and treasure). In this bit of video he's being interviewed by John Ortberg (who wrote what amounts to an "Idiot's Guide to Willard" in his book The Life You've Always Wanted - Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary Life). Definitely worth a look. (it's 6 minutes). I love the thing he says about grace being opposed to earning not effort - a common misconception.....
http://vimeo.com/13268061
http://vimeo.com/13268061
Thursday, 19 August 2010
What's the Minimum Required?
We live in a day and age where we're pretty keen to know, in all sorts of situations, what's the minimum that's required. Students want to know what the minimum required standard is for a certain grade, we want the best deal, the least cost solution, we want to be able to get as close to the fire without being burnt, husbands want to know.....actually, just let's leave it there. I think we get the idea.
Anyway sometimes I'm asked what's the minimum that's required to be "saved" (why do I wince inwardly when I use that word even though it's straight out of the bible?) What are the most basic things a person needs to believe in order to be put right with God. It's a good question and one worth pondering particularly, if the bible is to be believed (and it should), our eternal destiny is at stake. we could spend a long time in the wrong place if we mistakenly believe that "believing that Jesus is the Son of God" is all that is required, or even that "He died on a Cross".
I found this from John Piper quite helpful:
Paul says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." He says, "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved."
So I take texts like that and begin at the core—the death of Jesus. He died for our sins, which means I must believe I am a sinner. A person that doesn't believe he is a sinner can't be saved. If there is nothing to forgive, Jesus didn't do anything for me. If he didn't do anything for me, I'm not believing him for salvation. If I'm not believing him for salvation, then I'm not saved. So you must believe you are a sinner.
You must believe that there is a God who has created the possibility for sin. That is, sin by definition is the falling short of the expectations of your Creator. So there has to be a Creator God out there who has expectations of humans. God expects humans to trust him, love him and live for him. And we fail.
Which leads us to the third thing we must believe. Because we fail to trust, love and live for God we are under his holy judgment—his wrath. You've got to believe that.
If you are a sinner and there is a holy God, and if you are defining sin as a falling short of that God, then in order to understand what he is doing to make things right you must understand that God is angry about sin. He is a good and just judge.
So, what has he done to solve the problem of our alienation from him? He has sent his Son into the world. You've got to believe in the deity of Jesus. Psalm 49 says that no man can pay a ransom for another man. A few verses later, in verse 15, it says God will pay the ransom.
He couldn't have used John, or Peter or Paul to die for us. He had to have the God-man die for us. So the deity of Jesus is essential.
You also must acknowledge what Jesus did. He lived the perfect life. I don't think you can believe that Jesus sinned and still be saved. Because then the sacrifice made for you was not what God required, and you aren't believing in what God did for you. So Jesus is the sinless Son of God and he gives himself up to die in my place.
This substitutionary dimension of the death of Christ for my sins is necessary. There are lots of ways the Bible talks about this and I think you can be very confused about some of them while still being saved. I don't want to start listing off all the ways the Bible talks about the atonement and how confused you can be about them while still being saved. Let's just say that what is required is the core of the gospel—that the remedy is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who never sinned got in my place and took the wrath of God for me. He died in my place.
If he had stayed dead, we would still be in our sins. So you must believe he rose from the dead. So now he has risen from the dead.
I am willing to stop there. This is the cluster of essentials for salvation. You might be able to bring to mind some things that are so theologically attached to this cluster that I would say, "OK that has to be included as well." But if someone asks, "What do I have to believe to be saved?" My answer is, you must believe this cluster of things about yourself, about God, and about the cross.
One more thing. I am assuming something because the question was, "What do I have to believe?" But I should make clear that you have to believe something about belief. Meaning, you must believe that belief is required. If you say, "I get all of what was said, but now I'm going to work so that God can make all of this count for me. I'm going to keep the law 85% so that all this redemptive work will count for me," then you've missed it. You're not saved.
For salvation you must believe that instead of working for this salvation, Jesus has already done what needs to be done. We receive it. "As many as received him, who believed in his name, he gave them the right to become the children of God." So I think sin, God, cross and faith. That is the summary, the core of truth surrounding those four things.
Anyway sometimes I'm asked what's the minimum that's required to be "saved" (why do I wince inwardly when I use that word even though it's straight out of the bible?) What are the most basic things a person needs to believe in order to be put right with God. It's a good question and one worth pondering particularly, if the bible is to be believed (and it should), our eternal destiny is at stake. we could spend a long time in the wrong place if we mistakenly believe that "believing that Jesus is the Son of God" is all that is required, or even that "He died on a Cross".
I found this from John Piper quite helpful:
Paul says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." He says, "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved."
So I take texts like that and begin at the core—the death of Jesus. He died for our sins, which means I must believe I am a sinner. A person that doesn't believe he is a sinner can't be saved. If there is nothing to forgive, Jesus didn't do anything for me. If he didn't do anything for me, I'm not believing him for salvation. If I'm not believing him for salvation, then I'm not saved. So you must believe you are a sinner.
You must believe that there is a God who has created the possibility for sin. That is, sin by definition is the falling short of the expectations of your Creator. So there has to be a Creator God out there who has expectations of humans. God expects humans to trust him, love him and live for him. And we fail.
Which leads us to the third thing we must believe. Because we fail to trust, love and live for God we are under his holy judgment—his wrath. You've got to believe that.
If you are a sinner and there is a holy God, and if you are defining sin as a falling short of that God, then in order to understand what he is doing to make things right you must understand that God is angry about sin. He is a good and just judge.
So, what has he done to solve the problem of our alienation from him? He has sent his Son into the world. You've got to believe in the deity of Jesus. Psalm 49 says that no man can pay a ransom for another man. A few verses later, in verse 15, it says God will pay the ransom.
He couldn't have used John, or Peter or Paul to die for us. He had to have the God-man die for us. So the deity of Jesus is essential.
You also must acknowledge what Jesus did. He lived the perfect life. I don't think you can believe that Jesus sinned and still be saved. Because then the sacrifice made for you was not what God required, and you aren't believing in what God did for you. So Jesus is the sinless Son of God and he gives himself up to die in my place.
This substitutionary dimension of the death of Christ for my sins is necessary. There are lots of ways the Bible talks about this and I think you can be very confused about some of them while still being saved. I don't want to start listing off all the ways the Bible talks about the atonement and how confused you can be about them while still being saved. Let's just say that what is required is the core of the gospel—that the remedy is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who never sinned got in my place and took the wrath of God for me. He died in my place.
If he had stayed dead, we would still be in our sins. So you must believe he rose from the dead. So now he has risen from the dead.
I am willing to stop there. This is the cluster of essentials for salvation. You might be able to bring to mind some things that are so theologically attached to this cluster that I would say, "OK that has to be included as well." But if someone asks, "What do I have to believe to be saved?" My answer is, you must believe this cluster of things about yourself, about God, and about the cross.
One more thing. I am assuming something because the question was, "What do I have to believe?" But I should make clear that you have to believe something about belief. Meaning, you must believe that belief is required. If you say, "I get all of what was said, but now I'm going to work so that God can make all of this count for me. I'm going to keep the law 85% so that all this redemptive work will count for me," then you've missed it. You're not saved.
For salvation you must believe that instead of working for this salvation, Jesus has already done what needs to be done. We receive it. "As many as received him, who believed in his name, he gave them the right to become the children of God." So I think sin, God, cross and faith. That is the summary, the core of truth surrounding those four things.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Purity
John Tauler was a 14th century mystic who although having some theologically, lets say, creative ideas said this great thing about purity.
A pure heart is a heart which finds its whole and only satisfaction in God…to which all that is not of God is strange and jarring.
Which is interesting given Jesus said:
Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.
A pure heart is a heart which finds its whole and only satisfaction in God…to which all that is not of God is strange and jarring.
Which is interesting given Jesus said:
Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.
Are There More Gifts For You To Unwrap?
I found this really helpful from John Piper:
Is the Holy Spirit under emphasized in Evangelical circles?
Sometimes we hear people say that the Holy Spirit is the "forgotten person," or that he has been ignored and that we need to bring the Holy Spirit back in full force.
I have been around long enough to know that there are seasons when the Holy Spirit is over attended to. And there also are seasons when he is under attended to.
If you are asking me about right now, I would say that he is probably under attended to somewhere, maybe in "young, reformed and restless circles" — or whatever this movement is called - especially as it concerns the fullness of the work of the Holy Spirit. Not his role in effectual calling, but his gifts. His necessity for powerful witness. 'Wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes upon you... You will receive the Holy Spirit and you will be my witnesses.' So maybe we are under emphasizing the necessity and the power of the Holy Spirit for witnessing.
Also, I was just thinking the other day that we downplay the work of Holy Spirit in terms of his varied gifts. This is under emphasized too much in our reformed churches, and in typical evangelical churches.
Here is an illustration. If you've been praying for a person, or maybe even for yourself, to be delivered from a sin or sickness and if that moral or physical issue hasn't yielded to your prayer for years, but you still struggle from the moral or physical ailment, there are a few things to consider.
One absolutely biblically correct factor to take into consideration is God's sovereign timing. He wants you to pray and he is going to answer you, but it may not be for 13 years. In David Mathis' teaching the other night on Psalms, he drew attention to the fact that Joseph was sold into slavery and didn't understand why he was going through tremendous pain for 13 years. But when he became the vice president of Egypt and saved the seed of the Messiah, it all became clear. "OK, now I get it Lord, I'm willing."
But at year 6... 7... 8... 9... 10... 11... 12... you are saying, "God I'm trying to be faithful and I get lied about. I get thrown in prison. What is up with your children being treated this way?"
Everybody has stuff like that in their life. And timing is one answer. What about gifts being another answer?
Here's what hit me the other day. If there are gifts of healing. If there are gifts of faith, gifts of miracles, gifts of discernment. That means some Christians are going to be granted answers to those prayers where others aren't. So maybe the reason I'm not getting the answer to my moral struggle or my physical struggle is because I haven't asked Jane to pray for me. And Jane has the gift of healing. Or Jane has the gift of discernment of spirits and can see something here that needs to be seen.
But I've locked myself in my closet, "God save me. God help me. God strengthen me. God deliver me!" And God is saying, "Uh... I have taught you about spiritual gifts and you don't ever avail yourself of them. Don't come complaining to me saying that I haven't responded to you when I have gifts waiting for you and you never open the package."
So I think that I could do better, and we can do better at that level.
So the answer is that in various groups, various ministries of the Holy Spirit are probably underrated and under emphasized.
So in what ways might we be missing out on the Spirit's ministry because we don't seek and ask? How about we make more of a point of sharing in our different groups (Core Groups and Life Groups) the needs that we have and see what gifts the Lord might be wanting to use to bring about His work?
Is the Holy Spirit under emphasized in Evangelical circles?
Sometimes we hear people say that the Holy Spirit is the "forgotten person," or that he has been ignored and that we need to bring the Holy Spirit back in full force.
I have been around long enough to know that there are seasons when the Holy Spirit is over attended to. And there also are seasons when he is under attended to.
If you are asking me about right now, I would say that he is probably under attended to somewhere, maybe in "young, reformed and restless circles" — or whatever this movement is called - especially as it concerns the fullness of the work of the Holy Spirit. Not his role in effectual calling, but his gifts. His necessity for powerful witness. 'Wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes upon you... You will receive the Holy Spirit and you will be my witnesses.' So maybe we are under emphasizing the necessity and the power of the Holy Spirit for witnessing.
Also, I was just thinking the other day that we downplay the work of Holy Spirit in terms of his varied gifts. This is under emphasized too much in our reformed churches, and in typical evangelical churches.
Here is an illustration. If you've been praying for a person, or maybe even for yourself, to be delivered from a sin or sickness and if that moral or physical issue hasn't yielded to your prayer for years, but you still struggle from the moral or physical ailment, there are a few things to consider.
One absolutely biblically correct factor to take into consideration is God's sovereign timing. He wants you to pray and he is going to answer you, but it may not be for 13 years. In David Mathis' teaching the other night on Psalms, he drew attention to the fact that Joseph was sold into slavery and didn't understand why he was going through tremendous pain for 13 years. But when he became the vice president of Egypt and saved the seed of the Messiah, it all became clear. "OK, now I get it Lord, I'm willing."
But at year 6... 7... 8... 9... 10... 11... 12... you are saying, "God I'm trying to be faithful and I get lied about. I get thrown in prison. What is up with your children being treated this way?"
Everybody has stuff like that in their life. And timing is one answer. What about gifts being another answer?
Here's what hit me the other day. If there are gifts of healing. If there are gifts of faith, gifts of miracles, gifts of discernment. That means some Christians are going to be granted answers to those prayers where others aren't. So maybe the reason I'm not getting the answer to my moral struggle or my physical struggle is because I haven't asked Jane to pray for me. And Jane has the gift of healing. Or Jane has the gift of discernment of spirits and can see something here that needs to be seen.
But I've locked myself in my closet, "God save me. God help me. God strengthen me. God deliver me!" And God is saying, "Uh... I have taught you about spiritual gifts and you don't ever avail yourself of them. Don't come complaining to me saying that I haven't responded to you when I have gifts waiting for you and you never open the package."
So I think that I could do better, and we can do better at that level.
So the answer is that in various groups, various ministries of the Holy Spirit are probably underrated and under emphasized.
So in what ways might we be missing out on the Spirit's ministry because we don't seek and ask? How about we make more of a point of sharing in our different groups (Core Groups and Life Groups) the needs that we have and see what gifts the Lord might be wanting to use to bring about His work?
Back in the Saddle
My sabbatical and the family holiday which followed has been great.... life giving, energising, inspiring- all that it should have been and needed to be. Now it's time to re-engage and I can't wait.
Whilst away I saw the 10th anniversary of my induction to the pastorate at Lymington and I'm more committed and excited than ever about the work here. I'm gaining steam not losing it!
I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do in us and through us as, together, we learn to love Him well and enjoy Him greatly.
Whilst away I saw the 10th anniversary of my induction to the pastorate at Lymington and I'm more committed and excited than ever about the work here. I'm gaining steam not losing it!
I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do in us and through us as, together, we learn to love Him well and enjoy Him greatly.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Counterfeit Gods
I’ve really appreciated reading Tim Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods. It’s helped me to identify the idols in my own life, that is to say those things that I look to instead of God to give me what only He can give. But more than a personal challenge it’s helped me to understand how we might connect the message of the gospel to our friends who, in many ways, appear to enjoy better lives than we do as Christ followers. Published just as the financial markets crashed it couldn't have been more timely.
In a chapter that looks at the idol of power Keller talks about how we are unable to heal ourselves. Try as we might we need Another to heal our hearts so that we no longer look to power to give us the security, identity and purpose that God alone can give. The same could be said of every other idol (success, political ideology, beauty, the opinion of others, children, relationships, morality….), we need God to work in us to heal our addiction to false gods.
Keller uses an extract from CS Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to illustrate this superbly well. He writes:
One of the main characters (in the book) is a young boy named Eustace. He clearly had a lust for power but he expressed it in the mean and petty ways that only a schoolboy could; in teasing, torturing animals, tattling and ingratiating adult authorities.
One night Eustace found an enormous pile of treasure in a cave. He was elated and began to imagine the life of power and ease he would now have. When he woke, however, to his horror, he had turned into a hideous dragon. “Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself.”
Becoming a dragon was “a cosmic natural consequence”. Because he thought like a dragon he had become a dragon. When we set our hearts on power we become hardened predators. We become like what we worship.
Eustace was now an enormously powerful being, far more powerful than he had ever dreamed, but he was also fearful, hideous, and completely lonely. This, of course, is what power for its own sake does to us. The shock of his transformation humbled Eustace and he longed to be a normal boy again. As his pride faded the idolatry in his heart began to be healed.
One night Eustace the dragon met a mysterious lion. The lion challenged him to “undress”, to try to take off his dragon skin. He managed to peel off a layer but found that he was still a dragon underneath. He tried repeatedly but made no further progress. The lion finally said:
“You will have to let me undress you.” I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.
The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off…he peeled the beastly stuff right off…and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again.
The lion of the fairy tale, Aslan, represents Christ and the story bears witness to what all Christians have discovered, that idolatry – seeking to find our ultimate joy in something other than God (in Eustace’s case, his idol was power) – leads to spiritual and, more often than not, emotional and relational death. What’s more it points to the fact that we cannot save ourselves. Try as we might to modify our behaviour, as hard as we try to find our security and value in God we can't do it. We might see modest change but deep down we remain the same.....we need Christ to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
However, as Keller points out, if we let the futile experience of chasing after other God’s humble us and we turn to Christ then out of death there can be resurrection. We can emerge, finally, fully human with a tender heart that is reoriented towards God. But….it’s a work of grace that He does as we yield ourselves to Him.
In a chapter that looks at the idol of power Keller talks about how we are unable to heal ourselves. Try as we might we need Another to heal our hearts so that we no longer look to power to give us the security, identity and purpose that God alone can give. The same could be said of every other idol (success, political ideology, beauty, the opinion of others, children, relationships, morality….), we need God to work in us to heal our addiction to false gods.
Keller uses an extract from CS Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to illustrate this superbly well. He writes:
One of the main characters (in the book) is a young boy named Eustace. He clearly had a lust for power but he expressed it in the mean and petty ways that only a schoolboy could; in teasing, torturing animals, tattling and ingratiating adult authorities.
One night Eustace found an enormous pile of treasure in a cave. He was elated and began to imagine the life of power and ease he would now have. When he woke, however, to his horror, he had turned into a hideous dragon. “Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself.”
Becoming a dragon was “a cosmic natural consequence”. Because he thought like a dragon he had become a dragon. When we set our hearts on power we become hardened predators. We become like what we worship.
Eustace was now an enormously powerful being, far more powerful than he had ever dreamed, but he was also fearful, hideous, and completely lonely. This, of course, is what power for its own sake does to us. The shock of his transformation humbled Eustace and he longed to be a normal boy again. As his pride faded the idolatry in his heart began to be healed.
One night Eustace the dragon met a mysterious lion. The lion challenged him to “undress”, to try to take off his dragon skin. He managed to peel off a layer but found that he was still a dragon underneath. He tried repeatedly but made no further progress. The lion finally said:
“You will have to let me undress you.” I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.
The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off…he peeled the beastly stuff right off…and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again.
The lion of the fairy tale, Aslan, represents Christ and the story bears witness to what all Christians have discovered, that idolatry – seeking to find our ultimate joy in something other than God (in Eustace’s case, his idol was power) – leads to spiritual and, more often than not, emotional and relational death. What’s more it points to the fact that we cannot save ourselves. Try as we might to modify our behaviour, as hard as we try to find our security and value in God we can't do it. We might see modest change but deep down we remain the same.....we need Christ to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
However, as Keller points out, if we let the futile experience of chasing after other God’s humble us and we turn to Christ then out of death there can be resurrection. We can emerge, finally, fully human with a tender heart that is reoriented towards God. But….it’s a work of grace that He does as we yield ourselves to Him.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Returning from Retreat
I’m on the train travelling back from being up North. When I say up North I’m talking proper North, not what I used to consider North – Birmingham – but like, north of Newcastle! I’ve spent a week pretty much on the Scottish border in the middle of absolute nowhere. In fact, we were so far north that at 10:50pm it was still light, I kid you not – proper North!
Anyway, I was spending a week at the “Mother House” of the Northumbria Community. The Community is a network of hugely diverse people, from different backgrounds, streams and edges of the Christian faith that’s committed in its desire to express an ongoing exploration into a new way of living for Christ that offers hope in the changed and changing culture of today's world. They’re inspired by, draw from and live in the spiritual tradition of monasticism with an identity rooted in the history and spiritual heritage of Celtic Northumbria and, whilst a dispersed community, they have a base (Mother House), Nether Springs, which is where I stayed.
I was there for a “Leadership School” for church leaders and it was some of the best leadership input I’ve received. However, unlike other retreats and conferences I’ve attended the twelve of us on the programme were actually part of the Community, living and sharing life with them including the regular Offices (set times of prayer) and chores.
Richard Foster right at the start of his ground breaking book Celebration of Discipline says that "superficiality is the curse of our age". I remember quoting this when I first arrived at LBC and talking about the need there is to live deeply. We skim over the surface of life as we move at break-neck speed and just as it’s impossible to create anything of any real value (a painting, a meal, a relationship…) whilst at Mach 2 we can’t cultivate life in God whilst moving so fast. I’m really aware of this issue in my own life and hence, not only a 12 week sabbatical, but a five day incarceration in this monastic community. To submit to a rhythm of prayer, reading, reflection, rest, work and even a couple of pilgrimages was a gift and I know it’s been hugely helpful.
The trick, of course, will be maintaining a healthy, biblical and life giving rhythm on my return to normality. But the whole point of what I’ve been exposed to this week has been keeping attentive to God in the ordinary….saying the “Midday Office” in the time it takes for a kettle to boil, acknowledging the grace of God not simply before a meal but before enjoying any of God’s good gifts (TV, chess, watching a play, reading a newspaper, taking a bath), detecting grace in a bit of banter over washing up….that’s the real issue, noticing, trusting and enjoying God in the whole of life.
Anyway, I was spending a week at the “Mother House” of the Northumbria Community. The Community is a network of hugely diverse people, from different backgrounds, streams and edges of the Christian faith that’s committed in its desire to express an ongoing exploration into a new way of living for Christ that offers hope in the changed and changing culture of today's world. They’re inspired by, draw from and live in the spiritual tradition of monasticism with an identity rooted in the history and spiritual heritage of Celtic Northumbria and, whilst a dispersed community, they have a base (Mother House), Nether Springs, which is where I stayed.
I was there for a “Leadership School” for church leaders and it was some of the best leadership input I’ve received. However, unlike other retreats and conferences I’ve attended the twelve of us on the programme were actually part of the Community, living and sharing life with them including the regular Offices (set times of prayer) and chores.
Richard Foster right at the start of his ground breaking book Celebration of Discipline says that "superficiality is the curse of our age". I remember quoting this when I first arrived at LBC and talking about the need there is to live deeply. We skim over the surface of life as we move at break-neck speed and just as it’s impossible to create anything of any real value (a painting, a meal, a relationship…) whilst at Mach 2 we can’t cultivate life in God whilst moving so fast. I’m really aware of this issue in my own life and hence, not only a 12 week sabbatical, but a five day incarceration in this monastic community. To submit to a rhythm of prayer, reading, reflection, rest, work and even a couple of pilgrimages was a gift and I know it’s been hugely helpful.
The trick, of course, will be maintaining a healthy, biblical and life giving rhythm on my return to normality. But the whole point of what I’ve been exposed to this week has been keeping attentive to God in the ordinary….saying the “Midday Office” in the time it takes for a kettle to boil, acknowledging the grace of God not simply before a meal but before enjoying any of God’s good gifts (TV, chess, watching a play, reading a newspaper, taking a bath), detecting grace in a bit of banter over washing up….that’s the real issue, noticing, trusting and enjoying God in the whole of life.
Sunday, 13 June 2010
It's Been a While!
Well it's been a while since the last post and it isn't because not much has happened, quite the opposite. Let me mention some of the highlights now and over the next few weeks I hope to pick up on some of the detail.... so, what's been really good?
Attending a day seminar with Dallas Willard. This guy is one of the leading writers on spiritual formation (how we become more like Jesus) in our day. He loves Jesus and when he's not writing books he's a professor of philosophy at a state university in the USA. A very bright guy who said some extremely useful stuff - much of it I have to say went over my head. I got the impression that if you asked an awkward question he could just prove your non-existence! Glad he's on our team though...
Reading Adrian Warnock's book Raised with Christ. Great to think for a bit about how the resurrection impacts everything. Previously I'd had a far too narrow understanding of its implications but this book has really helped me to see I'd missed quite a lot!
Listening to a guy who used to be a senior manager with John Lewis and is now Director of Hospitality and Welcoming at Birmingham Cathedral. He was leading a day for the Baptist Union on welcoming and integrating newcomers to church. Some really helpful stuff not least the sobering statistic that in a survey conducted for the C of E 92% of all the people who go to church for the first time never return because they don't feel welcome........exactly!
Spending the day with Mark Mitchell in Chester. Mark runs three car dealerships with an annual turnover of £35million, he's got 100 staff (with the lowest turnover in the business) and is one of the most successful operators in the industry. He also loves Jesus and runs his business accordingly. It was quite amazing to see him in action, to sit in on meetings, to meet some of his managers and to have the opportunity of asking a multitude of questions. I hope to write more about this visit but suffice it to say that the overwhelming impression was that Mark was a Pastor to his people - staff and clients.
Visiting St Mary's, Upton (Wirral) for their monthly "Sundays at 7" service. For the last 6 years the pretty ordinary, traditional church has run an incredible monthly event to strengthen believers and reach seekers. The format is simple; glass of wine, special guest (this month they had Henry Olonga, the international cricketer) who is interviewed, presentational music and high, high quality everything (sound, video, lighting, publicity). It's so simple and very effective.
Meeting Andy Hawthorne, CEO of The Message Trust in Manchester. The work this organisation does is truly transformational as they take the gospel to the most difficult to reach young people and the toughest housing estates in the city. Again this was another opportunity to quiz a Christian leader about vision, faith, and leadership.
Spending time with Graeme Skinner, the vicar of St Mary's, Upton, and asking about his experience of leading a local church. He's a wise man who's leadership has changed in recent years through an experience of significant loss.
Having lunch with Russ Lowman, a full time elder with Church Central, an NFI church in Birmingham. Again, great to be able to talk church leadership and share some best practice. They're doing some great stuff in the city and it was really useful to hear some of the story.
Receiving regular spiritual direction from David Hugget. He's helping me to reflect on some of the issues raised as I visit places, read books and meet people. I'm really grateful to him.
Enjoying a week with the family during half term. Two sets of friends came to visit plus we had a day on the Island.
So hopefully that gives you a bit of a taster. Much food for thought!! Please pray I continue to keep attentive during this privileged season.
Attending a day seminar with Dallas Willard. This guy is one of the leading writers on spiritual formation (how we become more like Jesus) in our day. He loves Jesus and when he's not writing books he's a professor of philosophy at a state university in the USA. A very bright guy who said some extremely useful stuff - much of it I have to say went over my head. I got the impression that if you asked an awkward question he could just prove your non-existence! Glad he's on our team though...
Reading Adrian Warnock's book Raised with Christ. Great to think for a bit about how the resurrection impacts everything. Previously I'd had a far too narrow understanding of its implications but this book has really helped me to see I'd missed quite a lot!
Listening to a guy who used to be a senior manager with John Lewis and is now Director of Hospitality and Welcoming at Birmingham Cathedral. He was leading a day for the Baptist Union on welcoming and integrating newcomers to church. Some really helpful stuff not least the sobering statistic that in a survey conducted for the C of E 92% of all the people who go to church for the first time never return because they don't feel welcome........exactly!
Spending the day with Mark Mitchell in Chester. Mark runs three car dealerships with an annual turnover of £35million, he's got 100 staff (with the lowest turnover in the business) and is one of the most successful operators in the industry. He also loves Jesus and runs his business accordingly. It was quite amazing to see him in action, to sit in on meetings, to meet some of his managers and to have the opportunity of asking a multitude of questions. I hope to write more about this visit but suffice it to say that the overwhelming impression was that Mark was a Pastor to his people - staff and clients.
Visiting St Mary's, Upton (Wirral) for their monthly "Sundays at 7" service. For the last 6 years the pretty ordinary, traditional church has run an incredible monthly event to strengthen believers and reach seekers. The format is simple; glass of wine, special guest (this month they had Henry Olonga, the international cricketer) who is interviewed, presentational music and high, high quality everything (sound, video, lighting, publicity). It's so simple and very effective.
Meeting Andy Hawthorne, CEO of The Message Trust in Manchester. The work this organisation does is truly transformational as they take the gospel to the most difficult to reach young people and the toughest housing estates in the city. Again this was another opportunity to quiz a Christian leader about vision, faith, and leadership.
Spending time with Graeme Skinner, the vicar of St Mary's, Upton, and asking about his experience of leading a local church. He's a wise man who's leadership has changed in recent years through an experience of significant loss.
Having lunch with Russ Lowman, a full time elder with Church Central, an NFI church in Birmingham. Again, great to be able to talk church leadership and share some best practice. They're doing some great stuff in the city and it was really useful to hear some of the story.
Receiving regular spiritual direction from David Hugget. He's helping me to reflect on some of the issues raised as I visit places, read books and meet people. I'm really grateful to him.
Enjoying a week with the family during half term. Two sets of friends came to visit plus we had a day on the Island.
So hopefully that gives you a bit of a taster. Much food for thought!! Please pray I continue to keep attentive during this privileged season.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Do you Sin Comfortably?
Here's a good articulation as to why being in the Bible regularly is imortant if you want to grow and change as a Christian:
"The more we instil the Bible into our heart, mind, soul and bloodstream, the harder we will find it to sin comfortably. The Bible enlivens our conscience and drives us back to God in repentance and a longing to live as it pleases him."
Chris Wright Life Through God's Word: Psalm 119, cited in You Can Change, Tim Chester
"The more we instil the Bible into our heart, mind, soul and bloodstream, the harder we will find it to sin comfortably. The Bible enlivens our conscience and drives us back to God in repentance and a longing to live as it pleases him."
Chris Wright Life Through God's Word: Psalm 119, cited in You Can Change, Tim Chester
Monday, 10 May 2010
Staying Awake
It's the first day of my 12 week sabbatical. I get quite embarrassed talking about it actually. I feel bad that mine seems to be the only profession that offers such a thing and even then my Anglican friends get them only every ten years.... if they're lucky. I guess I know that if I don't pay attention to the condition of my own soul in a really intentional way then I'm going to end up totally ineffectual at best or out of ministry and probably in a nut house at worst.
After working really hard to get my "desk cleared", staying up all night to watch the election, overseeing Forest Fire, getting three hours sleep on Saturday after collecting yp from an event and burning midnight oil into the early hours of this morning I feel knackered.
And so it's my core stability class (I arrived bang on 2pm) and I'm laying on a mat breathing gently and trying to stay engaged with what the physio is saying, desperately trying to stay awake. Trying but failing. Falling asleep wouldn't have been so bad but it turns out I was snoring.
Think I need a rest. As I write the ferry is just pulling into Yarmouth.... 4 days of solitude. A bible, a notebook, John Grisham and a book about dead Christians.......soooooo looking forward to it.
After working really hard to get my "desk cleared", staying up all night to watch the election, overseeing Forest Fire, getting three hours sleep on Saturday after collecting yp from an event and burning midnight oil into the early hours of this morning I feel knackered.
And so it's my core stability class (I arrived bang on 2pm) and I'm laying on a mat breathing gently and trying to stay engaged with what the physio is saying, desperately trying to stay awake. Trying but failing. Falling asleep wouldn't have been so bad but it turns out I was snoring.
Think I need a rest. As I write the ferry is just pulling into Yarmouth.... 4 days of solitude. A bible, a notebook, John Grisham and a book about dead Christians.......soooooo looking forward to it.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Sitting and Waiting
A couple of months ago the physio department at Lymington hospital suggested I take one of their 6 session core stability programmes to help with some ongoing back problems.
So I turn up for the first week.
In fact as I write this I'm sitting in the reception area waiting to be summoned to who knows where. I'm 15 minutes early and I'm here, waiting, with NOTHING to do. I never go anywhere without at least some of the contents of my "reading tray" but not today. What was I thinking as I left my study? I tried as best I could to time it so that I could drive to the hospital, park, find the place and be just in time to go straight in. Something has gone terribly wrong. What a complete waste of 15 minutes. I could have DONE something, but no, I just have to sit here waiting.
Note to self.......either come prepared to sit and "be" or take something but but don't put yourself through this ordeal again. A guy's just arrived and signed in. Now he's got it right, 4 minutes to spare. Oh to be him! But wait, here's someone who's arrived with just one minute to spare. Awesome performance. Much respect etc.
Ok time to go........
So I turn up for the first week.
In fact as I write this I'm sitting in the reception area waiting to be summoned to who knows where. I'm 15 minutes early and I'm here, waiting, with NOTHING to do. I never go anywhere without at least some of the contents of my "reading tray" but not today. What was I thinking as I left my study? I tried as best I could to time it so that I could drive to the hospital, park, find the place and be just in time to go straight in. Something has gone terribly wrong. What a complete waste of 15 minutes. I could have DONE something, but no, I just have to sit here waiting.
Note to self.......either come prepared to sit and "be" or take something but but don't put yourself through this ordeal again. A guy's just arrived and signed in. Now he's got it right, 4 minutes to spare. Oh to be him! But wait, here's someone who's arrived with just one minute to spare. Awesome performance. Much respect etc.
Ok time to go........
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Top Ten Reasons to Vote
Not sure what all the fuss is about? See if this helps....
1 Voting publicly recognizes that we submit to the authority of the political system in our nation as established by God (Rom. 13:1–7).
2 Voting recognizes the equality of all people and their right to speak and be heard (Deut. 10:17–19).
3 Voting is one way that we can obey God’s command to seek the good of those around us and our nation as a whole (Jer. 29:7).
4 Voting shows that we care deeply about who our leaders are as we are urged to offer prayer and intercession on their behalf (1 Tim. 2:1,2).
5 Voting is a simple yet significant way we can do something about politics in our nation. ‘All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing’, Edmund Burke (see Ps. 34:14).
6 Voting makes a difference the way a grain of salt makes a difference, and that is how we are to influence our society for good (Matt. 5:13).
7 Voting is a privilege not to be taken for granted. Those of us who reap the benefits of living in a democracy should play a part in upholding the principles of democracy.
8 Not voting is a form of voting, as it will influence the outcome. We need to take responsibility for our actions, as well as our lack of actions (Luke 10:25–37).
9 Voting is part of our stewardship to use all the resources we have been given in ways that honour God; to waste a vote is to squander a gift.
10 Voting is the way we delegate our own responsibility to take care of the planet to others more capable, so we can pursue our own vocation.
(Source EAUK)
1 Voting publicly recognizes that we submit to the authority of the political system in our nation as established by God (Rom. 13:1–7).
2 Voting recognizes the equality of all people and their right to speak and be heard (Deut. 10:17–19).
3 Voting is one way that we can obey God’s command to seek the good of those around us and our nation as a whole (Jer. 29:7).
4 Voting shows that we care deeply about who our leaders are as we are urged to offer prayer and intercession on their behalf (1 Tim. 2:1,2).
5 Voting is a simple yet significant way we can do something about politics in our nation. ‘All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing’, Edmund Burke (see Ps. 34:14).
6 Voting makes a difference the way a grain of salt makes a difference, and that is how we are to influence our society for good (Matt. 5:13).
7 Voting is a privilege not to be taken for granted. Those of us who reap the benefits of living in a democracy should play a part in upholding the principles of democracy.
8 Not voting is a form of voting, as it will influence the outcome. We need to take responsibility for our actions, as well as our lack of actions (Luke 10:25–37).
9 Voting is part of our stewardship to use all the resources we have been given in ways that honour God; to waste a vote is to squander a gift.
10 Voting is the way we delegate our own responsibility to take care of the planet to others more capable, so we can pursue our own vocation.
(Source EAUK)
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
The Curse of Public Swearing
You know how sometimes you come across someone who says (or writes) just what you've been thinking (or saying) but haven't been able to express. You think "Yes - that's it - what he's just said...that's what I want to say!"
This happens to me a huge amount. I guess that's one of the reasons I use a blog - I'm always finding stuff that's someone else has said so much better than I could ever articulate.
The latest occurrence was a few minutes ago when I read Ryan Gilbey's column in the Guardian online. I think he's got a great point:
Last Sunday, I took my nine-year-old daughter swimming. There was a towel hanging up at the poolside, bearing the letters "fcuk. "Isn't that a rude word?" she grinned. "Almost," I replied. After swimming, we passed a billboard advertising an exhibition by the photographer Rankin. The poster posed the rhetorical question: "Fancy a Quick Rank?" Classy.
There are worse things that can come out of our mouths than obscenities; I'd be more upset if one of my children used the word "gay" as a pejorative. What grates is the commercial potency that becomes attached to swear words and sexual innuendo through the determination of ad agencies to smuggle as much schoolyard naughtiness as possible past the Advertising Standards Authority. What must that say to children about the preoccupations of the adult world? Only that coarseness sells.
This happens to me a huge amount. I guess that's one of the reasons I use a blog - I'm always finding stuff that's someone else has said so much better than I could ever articulate.
The latest occurrence was a few minutes ago when I read Ryan Gilbey's column in the Guardian online. I think he's got a great point:
Last Sunday, I took my nine-year-old daughter swimming. There was a towel hanging up at the poolside, bearing the letters "fcuk. "Isn't that a rude word?" she grinned. "Almost," I replied. After swimming, we passed a billboard advertising an exhibition by the photographer Rankin. The poster posed the rhetorical question: "Fancy a Quick Rank?" Classy.
There are worse things that can come out of our mouths than obscenities; I'd be more upset if one of my children used the word "gay" as a pejorative. What grates is the commercial potency that becomes attached to swear words and sexual innuendo through the determination of ad agencies to smuggle as much schoolyard naughtiness as possible past the Advertising Standards Authority. What must that say to children about the preoccupations of the adult world? Only that coarseness sells.
Well said.
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Weird....In a Good Way
I worked a couple of hours at Costa yesterday. OK, I wasn't feeling 100% but it was exhausting. I left after my short shift and headed back to my study at the church absolutely done in....and I still haven't mastered the Flat White.....
I'd only been in a few minutes and one of the guys was telling me that they'd gone to church recently. Their friend had wanted to go and didn't want to go alone and so my colleague had nobly volunteered to go along too.
I asked him how it had gone and he said:
"Yeah, like, I mean, it was really kind of like really weird [said as a question....!]. Somewhat hesitantly I said:
"Weird in a good way?"
"Oh yeah weird in a good way!" He asked if my church was like that and I said:
"Weird in a good way...I guess it is!"
I want to be weird in a good way. I'm not sure I should blend in as much as I do.
Ditto the church. I want us to be weird for good reasons like the fact that we're seeking our joy and satisfaction in Christ rather than other stuff, that we're serious about living for the honour and reputation of Him rather than anything else. I want us to be that kind of weird.
I'd only been in a few minutes and one of the guys was telling me that they'd gone to church recently. Their friend had wanted to go and didn't want to go alone and so my colleague had nobly volunteered to go along too.
I asked him how it had gone and he said:
"Yeah, like, I mean, it was really kind of like really weird [said as a question....!]. Somewhat hesitantly I said:
"Weird in a good way?"
"Oh yeah weird in a good way!" He asked if my church was like that and I said:
"Weird in a good way...I guess it is!"
I want to be weird in a good way. I'm not sure I should blend in as much as I do.
Ditto the church. I want us to be weird for good reasons like the fact that we're seeking our joy and satisfaction in Christ rather than other stuff, that we're serious about living for the honour and reputation of Him rather than anything else. I want us to be that kind of weird.
Friday, 2 April 2010
CPR for Spouses
Came across this on Piper's Blog and was deeply moved by it's simplicity. He got it from Ray Ortlund who I've never heard of but who sounds like he's got some good stuff to say....
“Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33
God made Adam first and put him in the Garden with a job to do, a mission to fulfill.
In the heart of every fallen man is the self-doubt that wonders, “Am I man enough to climb this mountain God has called me to? Can I fulfill my destiny?” A wise wife will understand that question at the center of her husband’s heart. And she will spend her life answering it, communicating to him in various ways, “Darling, I believe in your call. I know you can do this, by God’s power. Go for it.” In this way, she will breathe life into her man.
God made Eve from Adam, for Adam, to help him follow the call.
In the heart of every fallen woman is the self-doubt that wonders, “Do I please you? Am I what you wanted?” A wise husband will understand that question at the center of his wife’s heart. And he will spend his life answering it, communicating to her in various ways, “Darling, you are the one I need. I cherish you. Let me hold you close.” In this way, he will breathe life into his wife.
“Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33
God made Adam first and put him in the Garden with a job to do, a mission to fulfill.
In the heart of every fallen man is the self-doubt that wonders, “Am I man enough to climb this mountain God has called me to? Can I fulfill my destiny?” A wise wife will understand that question at the center of her husband’s heart. And she will spend her life answering it, communicating to him in various ways, “Darling, I believe in your call. I know you can do this, by God’s power. Go for it.” In this way, she will breathe life into her man.
God made Eve from Adam, for Adam, to help him follow the call.
In the heart of every fallen woman is the self-doubt that wonders, “Do I please you? Am I what you wanted?” A wise husband will understand that question at the center of his wife’s heart. And he will spend his life answering it, communicating to her in various ways, “Darling, you are the one I need. I cherish you. Let me hold you close.” In this way, he will breathe life into his wife.
Friday, 26 March 2010
The Lens of the Exodus
Ever since Tim Keller helped me to understand that the Gospel is not the "way in" to the Christian life but the "way on", not the "ABC" but the "A to Z" (obviously needs to be said as an American!) I've believed and taught vigorously that the Gospel is the lens through which we should view the whole of life. It effects everything; how we pray, our self esteem, how we view others, how we cope when stuff goes wrong, how we're motivated....the list goes on and on. What I hadn't fully appreciated until about 20 minutes ago was that we see this modelled in the Older Testament. In my QT's these days I'm in Deuteronomy and this morning I read:
If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
Deut. 15:15
In other words Moses is instructing the people to view life through the lens of the Exodus. "Allow the reality of the Exodus, your deliverance from slavery - a deliverance that was not of yourselves but entirely of God - allow the truth and reality of this to infect the way you think about others."
If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
Deut. 15:15
In other words Moses is instructing the people to view life through the lens of the Exodus. "Allow the reality of the Exodus, your deliverance from slavery - a deliverance that was not of yourselves but entirely of God - allow the truth and reality of this to infect the way you think about others."
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Reflecting on the West Wing
I've been watching Season 1 of the West Wing with Jack and we've just watched episode….whatever…..the one where the President has the opportunity to save a guy who's on death row. Long-story-short, without Bartlett’s intervention to commute the sentence the dead man walking will be toast. The episode sees him seeking the advice of all those who come across his path during that most crucial of days (and all tell him he should commute). Finally, as midnight, the time of execution rolls around, Bartlett, a reasonably devout (whatever that means) Catholic is in The Oval Office with his family priest (he’s already spoken to the Pope on the phone – as you do).
There’s a really powerful interchange about how Bartlett wants to be addressed…..
FATHER CAVANAUGH: I don’t know how to address you. Would you prefer Jed or Mr. President?
BARTLET: To be honest, I prefer Mr. President. You understand why, right? It’s not ego.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: I didn’t think it was.
BARTLET: There are certain decisions I have to make while I’m in this room. Do I send troops into harm’s way? Which fatal disease gets the most research money? It’s helpful in those situations not to think of yourself as the man but as the office.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: Then Mr. President it is.
…..and then Bartlett talks about the fact that he’s been unsure what to do about the death row guy, and he’s deeply, deeply troubled.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: Did you pray?
BARTLET: I did, Tom. I know it’s hard to believe, but I prayed for wisdom.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: And none came?
BARTLET: [shakes his head] It never has. And I’m a little pissed off about that. [He looks at his watch, which says it’s a few seconds before midnight. It hits him hard.] [dead serious] I’m not kidding.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: You know, you remind me of the man that lived by the river. He heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town. And that all the residents should evacuate their homes. But the man said, “I’m religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.” The waters rose up. A guy in a row boat came along and he shouted, “Hey, hey you! You in there. The town is flooding. Let me take you to safety.” But the man shouted back, “I’m religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.” A helicopter was hovering overhead. And a guy with a megaphone shouted, “Hey you, you down there. The town is flooding. Let me drop this ladder and I’ll take you to safety.” But the man shouted back that he was religious, that he prayed, that God loved him and that God will take him to safety. Well... the man drowned. And standing at the gates of St. Peter, he demanded an audience with God. “Lord,” he said, “I’m a religious man, I pray. I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?” God said, “I sent you a radio report, a helicopter, and a guy in a rowboat. What the hell are you doing here?”
[He pauses. Bartlett looks very upset.]
FATHER CAVANAUGH: Today He’s sent you a priest, a rabbi, and a Quaker, Mr. President. Not to mention his son, Jesus Christ. What do you want from him?
[Bartlett is given a note by an aide confirming that the execution has taken place, he crumples the paper and looks desolate.]
FATHER CAVANAUGH: Jed. Would you like me to hear your confession?
BARTLET: Yes, please.
It doesn't get more profound than that, on so many levels.
There’s a really powerful interchange about how Bartlett wants to be addressed…..
FATHER CAVANAUGH: I don’t know how to address you. Would you prefer Jed or Mr. President?
BARTLET: To be honest, I prefer Mr. President. You understand why, right? It’s not ego.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: I didn’t think it was.
BARTLET: There are certain decisions I have to make while I’m in this room. Do I send troops into harm’s way? Which fatal disease gets the most research money? It’s helpful in those situations not to think of yourself as the man but as the office.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: Then Mr. President it is.
…..and then Bartlett talks about the fact that he’s been unsure what to do about the death row guy, and he’s deeply, deeply troubled.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: Did you pray?
BARTLET: I did, Tom. I know it’s hard to believe, but I prayed for wisdom.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: And none came?
BARTLET: [shakes his head] It never has. And I’m a little pissed off about that. [He looks at his watch, which says it’s a few seconds before midnight. It hits him hard.] [dead serious] I’m not kidding.
FATHER CAVANAUGH: You know, you remind me of the man that lived by the river. He heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town. And that all the residents should evacuate their homes. But the man said, “I’m religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.” The waters rose up. A guy in a row boat came along and he shouted, “Hey, hey you! You in there. The town is flooding. Let me take you to safety.” But the man shouted back, “I’m religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.” A helicopter was hovering overhead. And a guy with a megaphone shouted, “Hey you, you down there. The town is flooding. Let me drop this ladder and I’ll take you to safety.” But the man shouted back that he was religious, that he prayed, that God loved him and that God will take him to safety. Well... the man drowned. And standing at the gates of St. Peter, he demanded an audience with God. “Lord,” he said, “I’m a religious man, I pray. I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?” God said, “I sent you a radio report, a helicopter, and a guy in a rowboat. What the hell are you doing here?”
[He pauses. Bartlett looks very upset.]
FATHER CAVANAUGH: Today He’s sent you a priest, a rabbi, and a Quaker, Mr. President. Not to mention his son, Jesus Christ. What do you want from him?
[Bartlett is given a note by an aide confirming that the execution has taken place, he crumples the paper and looks desolate.]
FATHER CAVANAUGH: Jed. Would you like me to hear your confession?
BARTLET: Yes, please.
It doesn't get more profound than that, on so many levels.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Changed by Faith
From Tim Chester's wonderful book on progressive sanctification, a kind of John Owen for dummies!
In Greek mythology, the Sirens would sing enchanting songs, drawing sailors irresistibly towards the rocks and certain shipwreck. Odysseus filled his crews ears with wax and had them tie him to the mast. This is like the approach of legalism. We bind ourselves up with laws and disciplines in a vain attempt to resist temptation. Orpheus, on the other hand, played such beautiful music on his harp that his sailors ignored the seductions of the Siren song. This is the way of faith. The grace of the gospel sings a far more glorious song than the enticements of sin, if only we had the faith to hear its music. (You Can Change, 64, Tim Chester)
In Greek mythology, the Sirens would sing enchanting songs, drawing sailors irresistibly towards the rocks and certain shipwreck. Odysseus filled his crews ears with wax and had them tie him to the mast. This is like the approach of legalism. We bind ourselves up with laws and disciplines in a vain attempt to resist temptation. Orpheus, on the other hand, played such beautiful music on his harp that his sailors ignored the seductions of the Siren song. This is the way of faith. The grace of the gospel sings a far more glorious song than the enticements of sin, if only we had the faith to hear its music. (You Can Change, 64, Tim Chester)
Friday, 5 March 2010
Are You Sinning by Not Rejoicing?
I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to “rejoice” as much as by anything else. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Teaching on What?!
The teaching for the next couple of E4’s will centre around church leadership and in particular the role of Elders, Deacons and the “Church Meeting”.
Now I know what you’re thinking.
“Isn’t there anything else more useful that we could be hearing about? Surely there must be something (anything in fact) that’s more relevant to “whole-life missionary discipleship” than stuff about church government?”
Well, here’s the thing:
The church is a reflection of God’s Son. That’s why leadership of the church is of utmost importance. The church is how the great hope – eternity with God in Christ – is to be seen. In the time between Christ’s ascension and His return, Christians in covenant with one another – loving and caring, encouraging and sharing, correcting and bearing over the years – present the clearest picture of God’s love that this world can see. (Mark Dever in Elders in Congregational Life, Phil Newton)
If the church is the hope of the world (and I passionately believe it is), if it exists to reflect Jesus to the world (as Mark Dever says) and if it’s designed to display God’s plan of salvation to the heavenly realms (as Ephesians 3:10 says) then how the church is organised and led must matter. It must be the case that the stuff in the Bible about how to arrange things concerning church leadership is important to pay attention to because, to put it bluntly, it impacts the greatest enterprise that’s taking place on the face of the planet.
For a long time now I’ve been prayerfully considering what the Bible has to say about the important role of Elders and Deacons and our Leadership Team spent part of an away day twelve months ago reflecting on some of the issues. I’m planning to share some of this material at E4 with the aim of strengthening our understanding of what the scriptures teach and also to encourage people to pray into what we discover.
If you’re around it would be great to see you for the first of this series which will be on Sunday 28 February, 11:45am.
Now I know what you’re thinking.
“Isn’t there anything else more useful that we could be hearing about? Surely there must be something (anything in fact) that’s more relevant to “whole-life missionary discipleship” than stuff about church government?”
Well, here’s the thing:
The church is a reflection of God’s Son. That’s why leadership of the church is of utmost importance. The church is how the great hope – eternity with God in Christ – is to be seen. In the time between Christ’s ascension and His return, Christians in covenant with one another – loving and caring, encouraging and sharing, correcting and bearing over the years – present the clearest picture of God’s love that this world can see. (Mark Dever in Elders in Congregational Life, Phil Newton)
If the church is the hope of the world (and I passionately believe it is), if it exists to reflect Jesus to the world (as Mark Dever says) and if it’s designed to display God’s plan of salvation to the heavenly realms (as Ephesians 3:10 says) then how the church is organised and led must matter. It must be the case that the stuff in the Bible about how to arrange things concerning church leadership is important to pay attention to because, to put it bluntly, it impacts the greatest enterprise that’s taking place on the face of the planet.
For a long time now I’ve been prayerfully considering what the Bible has to say about the important role of Elders and Deacons and our Leadership Team spent part of an away day twelve months ago reflecting on some of the issues. I’m planning to share some of this material at E4 with the aim of strengthening our understanding of what the scriptures teach and also to encourage people to pray into what we discover.
If you’re around it would be great to see you for the first of this series which will be on Sunday 28 February, 11:45am.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Walking in the Light
At MSG on Tuesday we were thinking about “walking in the light” (1 John 1:5-2:6) and how in doing so we expose our hearts. It’s quite a painful thing in many ways because as long as you’re in the “dark” you can kid yourself that things aren’t that bad. But, step into the light and you see that actually….
....the reason you didn’t help a neighbour out wasn’t that you “just didn’t have the time” (as you’d told yourself and them) but that you didn’t think of it as terribly advantageous to you…
....and the reason you got “delayed at the office” wasn’t that you really were so busy but that you couldn’t be bothered to help bath and settle the kids and so chose to walk through the front door just as your wife was coming down stairs….
Walking in the light of Christ shows us to be who and what we really are and then, and then we can repent, trusting in the work of Jesus for forgiveness, receiving grace and mercy, moving on knowing the strengthening work of the Spirit. All the time I walk in the dark I’m ignorant of my true situation and I miss His grace.
Anyway, we talked about this and other stuff for a while and then I shared a list I’d compiled, from a number of sources, of questions we can ask ourselves (or those who have given us permission) to help ensure we’re walking in the light. One of our number, quite understandably, made the point that reading the list was pretty depressing because, if we were honest, we were probably not doing very well on any of them.
On one level this person was right……if it were a list of things we “had to do” then absolutely let’s give up now! But on the other hand it could, I suggested, be viewed as a joyous thing that keeps us from deluding ourselves (and how badly do we need that!) These questions expose our hearts and if we aren’t where we should be we can respond accordingly, namely repent and receive grace. When we do this with others it’s even more of a transformative and life-giving thing.
Here’s the list we shared. May it help us walk in the light that we might have fellowship with Him.
Questions we can ask one another to help us walk in the Light:
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
5. Am I self‐conscious, self‐pitying, or self‐justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give it time to speak to me every day?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Do I disobey God in anything?
13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?
21. Is Christ real to me?
22. Have you been a testimony this week to the greatness of Jesus Christ with both your words and actions?
23. Have you been exposed to sexually alluring material or allowed your mind to entertain inappropriate thoughts about someone who is not your spouse this week?
24. Have you lacked any integrity in your financial dealings this week, or coveted something that does not belong to you?
25. Have you been honoring, understanding and generous in your important relationships this past week?
26. Have you damaged another person by your words, either behind their back or face‐toface?
27. Have you given in to an addictive behavior this week? Explain.
28. Have you secretly wished for another's misfortune so that you might excel?
29. Have you been completely honest with me?
....the reason you didn’t help a neighbour out wasn’t that you “just didn’t have the time” (as you’d told yourself and them) but that you didn’t think of it as terribly advantageous to you…
....and the reason you got “delayed at the office” wasn’t that you really were so busy but that you couldn’t be bothered to help bath and settle the kids and so chose to walk through the front door just as your wife was coming down stairs….
Walking in the light of Christ shows us to be who and what we really are and then, and then we can repent, trusting in the work of Jesus for forgiveness, receiving grace and mercy, moving on knowing the strengthening work of the Spirit. All the time I walk in the dark I’m ignorant of my true situation and I miss His grace.
Anyway, we talked about this and other stuff for a while and then I shared a list I’d compiled, from a number of sources, of questions we can ask ourselves (or those who have given us permission) to help ensure we’re walking in the light. One of our number, quite understandably, made the point that reading the list was pretty depressing because, if we were honest, we were probably not doing very well on any of them.
On one level this person was right……if it were a list of things we “had to do” then absolutely let’s give up now! But on the other hand it could, I suggested, be viewed as a joyous thing that keeps us from deluding ourselves (and how badly do we need that!) These questions expose our hearts and if we aren’t where we should be we can respond accordingly, namely repent and receive grace. When we do this with others it’s even more of a transformative and life-giving thing.
Here’s the list we shared. May it help us walk in the light that we might have fellowship with Him.
Questions we can ask one another to help us walk in the Light:
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
5. Am I self‐conscious, self‐pitying, or self‐justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give it time to speak to me every day?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Do I disobey God in anything?
13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?
21. Is Christ real to me?
22. Have you been a testimony this week to the greatness of Jesus Christ with both your words and actions?
23. Have you been exposed to sexually alluring material or allowed your mind to entertain inappropriate thoughts about someone who is not your spouse this week?
24. Have you lacked any integrity in your financial dealings this week, or coveted something that does not belong to you?
25. Have you been honoring, understanding and generous in your important relationships this past week?
26. Have you damaged another person by your words, either behind their back or face‐toface?
27. Have you given in to an addictive behavior this week? Explain.
28. Have you secretly wished for another's misfortune so that you might excel?
29. Have you been completely honest with me?
Monday, 15 February 2010
Another Monday
They come round with frequent regularity and here we are again, almost at the end of another Monday.
Stephen is a student at Moorlands College and he's on a five week block placement. He wants to find out whether pastoral ministry is for him so not only is he shadowing me (an eye opener I think after just one day) but he's also moved in to our house. I figured he may as well as get the whole "pastor with wife and three kids" 24/7 experience!
I'm 24 hours free from my Episodic Cluster Headaches so I'm praying that they've gone for another season. They really are the weirdest (and most painful) thing. By the end of this cluster I could set my watch to within a few minutes of when they would come - bizarre. I got supplied with another 4 O2 cylinders today as well!
Preparing for an overseas conference I'm speaking at this w/e. Well OK, it's the Isle of Wight which is as close as I'm likely to get.
Really behind on prep for E4 where I'm going to be teaching on biblical eldership.....really need to put some time into this as its a critical subject for reasons I hope to blog about shortly.
Soooooo looking forward to listening to Part 2 of Matt Chandler's series on progressive sanctification tomorrow night at MSG. Again need to prep for this to get maximum return on it. Love the fact my group get to hear this great teacher.
Back working at Costa tomorrow afternoon which I'm really looking forward to.
Need to reflect on the degree to which many evangelicals have a faith more akin to something out of the New Age rather than the Bible....it's just that I'm meeting so many people who believe that if they do a pile of stuff like read the bible, show up at church, do a mission trip, not get drunk etc then somehow God owes them a nice life. When life hits them in the face, as it does they say, "How could you do this to me God?!" and stomp off. Anyway......
Night in tonight - yes!!
Stephen is a student at Moorlands College and he's on a five week block placement. He wants to find out whether pastoral ministry is for him so not only is he shadowing me (an eye opener I think after just one day) but he's also moved in to our house. I figured he may as well as get the whole "pastor with wife and three kids" 24/7 experience!
I'm 24 hours free from my Episodic Cluster Headaches so I'm praying that they've gone for another season. They really are the weirdest (and most painful) thing. By the end of this cluster I could set my watch to within a few minutes of when they would come - bizarre. I got supplied with another 4 O2 cylinders today as well!
Preparing for an overseas conference I'm speaking at this w/e. Well OK, it's the Isle of Wight which is as close as I'm likely to get.
Really behind on prep for E4 where I'm going to be teaching on biblical eldership.....really need to put some time into this as its a critical subject for reasons I hope to blog about shortly.
Soooooo looking forward to listening to Part 2 of Matt Chandler's series on progressive sanctification tomorrow night at MSG. Again need to prep for this to get maximum return on it. Love the fact my group get to hear this great teacher.
Back working at Costa tomorrow afternoon which I'm really looking forward to.
Need to reflect on the degree to which many evangelicals have a faith more akin to something out of the New Age rather than the Bible....it's just that I'm meeting so many people who believe that if they do a pile of stuff like read the bible, show up at church, do a mission trip, not get drunk etc then somehow God owes them a nice life. When life hits them in the face, as it does they say, "How could you do this to me God?!" and stomp off. Anyway......
Night in tonight - yes!!
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Two Films, Two Fridays
Yesterday I watched The Damned United, the film of David Peace's book about the 44 day reign of Brian Clough at Leeds United. Now I’m not a football fan but what a cracking film! The previous Friday I'd watched Ron Howard’s film Frost/Nixon which, by coincidence, also starred Michael Sheen.
Two Fridays, two great films but I realised afterwards that what would have really added to the enjoyment would have been to have watched them with someone else - so long, of course, as they didn't chat, ask questions or generally make any noise at all during the showing (I'm a bit OCD like that!).
Now I like my own space, which is why I'll often watch films by myself but I now realise that there is a loss, there is a downside, and that is the fact that with noone to share the experience then the enjoyment is, well, just not as great as it might have been.
And as it happens CS Lewis said a similar thing in his book Reflections on the Psalms
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with. . . .
Good point well made!
Two Fridays, two great films but I realised afterwards that what would have really added to the enjoyment would have been to have watched them with someone else - so long, of course, as they didn't chat, ask questions or generally make any noise at all during the showing (I'm a bit OCD like that!).
Now I like my own space, which is why I'll often watch films by myself but I now realise that there is a loss, there is a downside, and that is the fact that with noone to share the experience then the enjoyment is, well, just not as great as it might have been.
And as it happens CS Lewis said a similar thing in his book Reflections on the Psalms
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with. . . .
Good point well made!
Monday, 1 February 2010
A Passion for World Mission
I've just finished leading the first meeting of our newly launched World Mission Team - I'm buzzing.
I went into the meeting knackered and suffering the aftereffects of my second cluster headache of the day (yes, they're back! Google it if you want to find out more) and, as much as I wanted to be there, I didn't want to be there. However the enthusiasm and energy in the room was so energising!
We've got a clear plan for giving WM the high and central profile it should have in the church and we've got a team of people committed to making it happen. Love it!!
There's not much more important than taking the Good News about Jesus to those who know nothing of it; partnering with others to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. It really is a privilege.
I went into the meeting knackered and suffering the aftereffects of my second cluster headache of the day (yes, they're back! Google it if you want to find out more) and, as much as I wanted to be there, I didn't want to be there. However the enthusiasm and energy in the room was so energising!
We've got a clear plan for giving WM the high and central profile it should have in the church and we've got a team of people committed to making it happen. Love it!!
There's not much more important than taking the Good News about Jesus to those who know nothing of it; partnering with others to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. It really is a privilege.
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Starting on "The Path"
At our MSG (Mid Sized Group) we’re starting a series looking at how God brings about change in our lives, what's knownin the trade as “progressive sanctification”.
This isn’t just a nice thing to do know about – it’s the ball game!
We’ve been called by God to become like his Son (Rom 8:29, Gal 4:19, 2 Cor 3:18 just for starters…it’s all over the place….the image of God in us which is all marred and distorted is to be straightened out so we can reflect his glory to the world) and this isn’t just “something we gotta do”, it’s our purpose, our calling AND the source of all joy.
I want more than anything to find, ultimately, all my joy and satisfaction in Christ.
I want to be a man who says “all I need is Jesus” but I quickly discover that, in fact, I need a pile of other things to be satisfied (the affirmation of others, healthy kids, a tidy work space, time for “me” so I can watch the films I want to watch, evidence of fruitful ministry, friends who don’t disappoint me…..and the list goes on and on.
So the question is how do I get to a place where these things, great as they are, have their rightful position and are not in the place of Jesus as the source of all joy and satisfaction in my life. But most importantly of all, how on earth do I make sure these things don’t rob God of the glory that is due to him because of the fact that I end up saying “Hey Jesus is really good but he, the Son of God and my Redeemer, is not, actually, when it comes down to it, in the final analysis enough for me.” To say such a thing is an outrage, a grievous evil against the holy God who is our Father and yet…..and yet, you and I say it by our actions all the time.
The great news of the gospel is that God wants to change us by his grace. He loves us and wants to rescue us from a life wasted by making other stuff ultimate. He loves us as we are but he loves us too much to leave us as we are. That’s fantastic!
So at MSG for a while we’re going to be taught about how this ongoing work of God changing us, this sanctification, actually works. The Bible teaching is going to be done Matt Chandler as we listen to his sermon series “The Path”. I think his teaching is superb and incredibly helpful and the Lord has certainly used it to work in my own life.
I'm looking forward to it!
This isn’t just a nice thing to do know about – it’s the ball game!
We’ve been called by God to become like his Son (Rom 8:29, Gal 4:19, 2 Cor 3:18 just for starters…it’s all over the place….the image of God in us which is all marred and distorted is to be straightened out so we can reflect his glory to the world) and this isn’t just “something we gotta do”, it’s our purpose, our calling AND the source of all joy.
I want more than anything to find, ultimately, all my joy and satisfaction in Christ.
I want to be a man who says “all I need is Jesus” but I quickly discover that, in fact, I need a pile of other things to be satisfied (the affirmation of others, healthy kids, a tidy work space, time for “me” so I can watch the films I want to watch, evidence of fruitful ministry, friends who don’t disappoint me…..and the list goes on and on.
So the question is how do I get to a place where these things, great as they are, have their rightful position and are not in the place of Jesus as the source of all joy and satisfaction in my life. But most importantly of all, how on earth do I make sure these things don’t rob God of the glory that is due to him because of the fact that I end up saying “Hey Jesus is really good but he, the Son of God and my Redeemer, is not, actually, when it comes down to it, in the final analysis enough for me.” To say such a thing is an outrage, a grievous evil against the holy God who is our Father and yet…..and yet, you and I say it by our actions all the time.
The great news of the gospel is that God wants to change us by his grace. He loves us and wants to rescue us from a life wasted by making other stuff ultimate. He loves us as we are but he loves us too much to leave us as we are. That’s fantastic!
So at MSG for a while we’re going to be taught about how this ongoing work of God changing us, this sanctification, actually works. The Bible teaching is going to be done Matt Chandler as we listen to his sermon series “The Path”. I think his teaching is superb and incredibly helpful and the Lord has certainly used it to work in my own life.
I'm looking forward to it!
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
God @ Work
I have a passion to help people to see their workplaces as arenas for gospel ministry.
Historically Christians have so majored on the church "gathered" that the church "scattered" has been the poor relation. The fact is that we are as much church when we're in the board room, factory, kitchen, classroom, or bar as we are when we are "at" church. However to our shame and great cost we've created a sacred-secular divide where we believe that the stuff that really matters to God are church services, bible studies and "singing carols outside Tescos" but closing a million pound deal, reducing our golf handicap or putting in the third lot of washing is well....."secular". The fact is, of course, that God is mad keen about all of it and everything can, and should, be done in such a way as to shine a spotlight on Jesus.
This term at LBC we're going to be ramping up our commitment to encouraging whole-life missionary discipleship in several ways including a five part sermon series. I'd also like to make available the following prayer that I hope will be a challenge and an encouragement:
My Heavenly Father, as I enter this work place, I acknowledge your presence ahead of me.
I speak Your peace, Your grace, Your mercy, and Your perfect order into this office.
I acknowledge Your power over all that will be spoken, thought, decided, and done within these walls.
Lord, I thank You for the gifts you have blessed me with. I commit to using them responsibly in Your honour.
Give me a fresh supply of strength to do my job. Anoint my projects, ideas and energy, so that even my smallest accomplishment may bring You glory.
Lord, when I am confused, guide me. When I am weary, energise me. When I am burned out, infuse me with the light of the Holy Spirit.
May the work that I do and the way I do it bring faith, joy, and a smile to all that I come in contact with today.
And Oh Lord, when I leave this place, give me travelling mercy.
Bless my family and home to be in order as I left it.
Lord, I thank you for everything You've done, everything You're doing, and everything You're going to do.
In the Name of Jesus I pray, with much love and thanksgiving....Amen.
Historically Christians have so majored on the church "gathered" that the church "scattered" has been the poor relation. The fact is that we are as much church when we're in the board room, factory, kitchen, classroom, or bar as we are when we are "at" church. However to our shame and great cost we've created a sacred-secular divide where we believe that the stuff that really matters to God are church services, bible studies and "singing carols outside Tescos" but closing a million pound deal, reducing our golf handicap or putting in the third lot of washing is well....."secular". The fact is, of course, that God is mad keen about all of it and everything can, and should, be done in such a way as to shine a spotlight on Jesus.
This term at LBC we're going to be ramping up our commitment to encouraging whole-life missionary discipleship in several ways including a five part sermon series. I'd also like to make available the following prayer that I hope will be a challenge and an encouragement:
My Heavenly Father, as I enter this work place, I acknowledge your presence ahead of me.
I speak Your peace, Your grace, Your mercy, and Your perfect order into this office.
I acknowledge Your power over all that will be spoken, thought, decided, and done within these walls.
Lord, I thank You for the gifts you have blessed me with. I commit to using them responsibly in Your honour.
Give me a fresh supply of strength to do my job. Anoint my projects, ideas and energy, so that even my smallest accomplishment may bring You glory.
Lord, when I am confused, guide me. When I am weary, energise me. When I am burned out, infuse me with the light of the Holy Spirit.
May the work that I do and the way I do it bring faith, joy, and a smile to all that I come in contact with today.
And Oh Lord, when I leave this place, give me travelling mercy.
Bless my family and home to be in order as I left it.
Lord, I thank you for everything You've done, everything You're doing, and everything You're going to do.
In the Name of Jesus I pray, with much love and thanksgiving....Amen.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Reckless?
Challenged by tonight's service led by the young people of the A2 group. Their theme: Being Reckless for God.
They made the point that there's good and bad recklessness and the kind that the Bible advocates is the kind where we act in response to the call of God and leave the outcome to Him. We were reminded that it's not just about the big stuff like getting martyred, it's also about the small stuff.....walking across a classroom/boardroom/factory floor/open plan office/bar to deliver some act of undeserved kindness....abandoning the outcome to God. Faith.
Given that it says somewhere that without faith it's impossible to please God I'm asking what I'm currently doing that without God coming through with his presence and power I'm going to fall flat on my face. What am I doing that constitutes this reckless, "abandoning the outcome to God" kind of faith?
I'm also reflecting on the motivation for this "reckless" living. It's got to be the Cross. Surely it's the Cross that propels me into risky living and enables me to know that however it turns out God is still 100% for me and he will use all things - even spectacular failures - to display his glory.
Anyway....great service from the YP.
Also liked seeing my elder son "in the pulpit" doing his first bit of preaching!
They made the point that there's good and bad recklessness and the kind that the Bible advocates is the kind where we act in response to the call of God and leave the outcome to Him. We were reminded that it's not just about the big stuff like getting martyred, it's also about the small stuff.....walking across a classroom/boardroom/factory floor/open plan office/bar to deliver some act of undeserved kindness....abandoning the outcome to God. Faith.
Given that it says somewhere that without faith it's impossible to please God I'm asking what I'm currently doing that without God coming through with his presence and power I'm going to fall flat on my face. What am I doing that constitutes this reckless, "abandoning the outcome to God" kind of faith?
I'm also reflecting on the motivation for this "reckless" living. It's got to be the Cross. Surely it's the Cross that propels me into risky living and enables me to know that however it turns out God is still 100% for me and he will use all things - even spectacular failures - to display his glory.
Anyway....great service from the YP.
Also liked seeing my elder son "in the pulpit" doing his first bit of preaching!
Eastwood's Last
Watched Gran Torino (2008) last night. What a great film! It's hard to describe it and do the theological reflection I'd love to do without giving away the killer twist at the end. But I'll have a bit of a go....
Clint Eastwood, in what he says is his last appearance as an actor, plays a racist veteran of the Korean war who despises the ethnic minorities who have moved into,and he would say ruined, his neighbourhood. James Christopher in The Times wrote: "I doubt there's another actor who could smuggle this much toxic xenophobia into a thriller and make it look like a forgivable generational quirk". He plays the part brilliantly. However, when his "gook" neighbours find themselves harassed by gangs Clint comes to their aid. In so doing he finds a level of redemption for himself and, in a climax that spectacularly avoids the easy Death Wish/vigilante cliche, the neighbours also find their freedom.
Definitely worth a look.
Clint Eastwood, in what he says is his last appearance as an actor, plays a racist veteran of the Korean war who despises the ethnic minorities who have moved into,and he would say ruined, his neighbourhood. James Christopher in The Times wrote: "I doubt there's another actor who could smuggle this much toxic xenophobia into a thriller and make it look like a forgivable generational quirk". He plays the part brilliantly. However, when his "gook" neighbours find themselves harassed by gangs Clint comes to their aid. In so doing he finds a level of redemption for himself and, in a climax that spectacularly avoids the easy Death Wish/vigilante cliche, the neighbours also find their freedom.
Definitely worth a look.
Friday, 1 January 2010
A Great Night!
Last night's LBC party was just fab.... I reckon it was one of my favourite New Year's eves I've had. I just loved it. We've not done one before and it worked brilliantly with young and old having a great time with trad party games, combined with a bit of a barn dance and a bit of a disco. At LBC we never used to be much good at doing this kind of fun stuff together but with a number of events under our belt I think we're getting there.....we're learning to play together which is more than just a nice thing, it's really significant for our calling.
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