Missional Revolution

blog changed

2008-12-16T14:36:00.003Z

Well the time has come for transition. Missional Revolution has moved! I can now be found at:

www.missionalrevolution.wordpress.com

Please feel free to change any settings so thast you don't miss out on up and coming posts - I'll be focusing on:

- Missional living
- Exploring what church means in today's culture
- Prayer on a noisy planet
- The usual devotional things you're used to hearing from me.

I really appreciate that you take time to visit/follow the blog and pray that it continues to be a source of blessing/encouragement/challenge and meaty thought-stirring stuff. you are the reason I blog!

See you at www.missionalrevolution.wordpress.com

With every blessing in Jesus

Stuart

Missional Revolution

2008-11-07T19:20:00.002Z

I've always loved the concept of revolution. It inspires me and maintains within me a drive and a desire to keep on pressing forward to see God move in great ways. I'm not sure that I've ever seen the move of God that I dream of. It's a move of repentance.

Revolution and repentance have this in common: They both change something from one system to another. They seek to change people from walking in one direction to turning around. Revolution changes structures and systems; repentance changes hearts and worldviews from the inside out.

The Church in Britain still needs a revolution of repentance. Until we stop and call out to God for His gracious mercy we will continue in decline. We cannot grow as the Church of God while we are not acting like the people of God. While we are loving our structures and our ways more than God and God's ways we cannot grow to be the mission force of Jesus to the world.

I'm not against structure (even the body needs a skeleton) but I'm struggling to see how structure has become our focus. I see some beautiful signs of God's Kingdom coming all around us, but I long for so much more. Don't you?

The Church has lost it's mission to bring the world to Jesus, and Jesus to the world. There is a revolution around us. the missional Church is rising up to take love to the lost, to take hope to the hurting and to take provision to the poor. It's message is powerfully spiritual and practically supplying.

Let us seek the face of God. Let us hear his powerful voice of truth speak into our hearts until we turn back to Him and are turned towards the world again with the power and practicality of the Gospel message.

Church...praying

2008-10-24T09:31:00.002Z

Church is pretty counter-cultural in a spiritual sense. Althoung we must engage with our culture, we also need to be aware of the spiritual forces and dynamics that drive those cultures. With this in mins it is imperative that we prayerfully engage. God obviously desires to engage culture through the missional thrust of the Church.

We must seek God. We must discern. We must be wise. We must be active. To do all this we must be praying. The Church must be praying - You must pray. I must pray.

Let us devote ourselves to prayer.

Counter Cultural - be an individual

2008-10-17T00:01:00.001Z

Young and old gather round...

All around us a battle is waging. Many sub cultures surround you, pulling you into their 'life choices' - fashion, music, attitude, character...

Where are you headed? What choices are you making? Your choices mould who you are becoming. What will you become?

Be an individual - you are made in the image of God, and you are made unique. There is only one of you and your life counts for everything! The question is...

...Will you be an individual who chooses for themselves, or will you let yourself be pulled along by whatever somebody else says is'cool'?

It's hard to be yourself sometimes, but take it from me, when you can be yourself you don't need to worry about fitting in anymore; you don't feel the pressure to keep up with everyone else. In fact you may find that people are drawn into your way of living.

I'm not following the crowd that seeks to make me just like them - I'm following Jesus. And d'you know what?

HE WANTS ME TO BE MYSELF - and I'm loving it.

follow Jesus.

love God. Love others.

Live Free!

Church is...3 - loving

2008-10-16T11:58:00.004Z

If the Church is to love God and love others then the core purpose of Church is to love! Yet, many experience that the Church is not unconditionally loving. Many have experiencved conditional love and exceptance in their experience of Church - this is a diminished view of the love God has called us to live and show. I've heard it said that True love waits, but in this context love does not wait - it just gets on with loving, in thought, word, and ultimately, in deeds.

It needs to be said that there are many floowers of Jesus and Churches that show amazing lives and communities of unconditional love. Yet as people look at the Church in the West this is not the most prominent image of Church seen. We need to be transformed from the heart out into the community.

Look at Jesus lifestyle: He loved the crowds by feeding them with words and with food; he loved the leper by approaching them, talking with them and healing them; he loved women through respecting them; he loved kids by giving them his time; he loved his disciples by disciplining, teaching and releasing them; he loved the world by serving, saving and sacrificing himself; he loved God through obeying him; he loved.

As God's Church we have much repenting to do for our lack of love. We have lacked:

Love for the lost - if we really cared about the lost our perspective would not be so individualistic or insular.
Love for God - we live our faith in our way (it's my life!) rather than in Jesus' way (He is THE Way!)
Love for each other - many churches are filled with people who love others when "they play ball" and fit unspoken rules and expectations.Love for God's word - our words have somehow become more vocal than God's inspired, Spirit-breathed word.

We need to repent. we really need to turn back to God and BE the Church that Jesus died to send into the world. We need to get on our knees and pray that god's mercy touches our hearts afresh. We need to let go of all the 'church' baggage that's got us bound up and be freed to follow Jesus as unconditional lovers of God who unconditionally love ALL people, even when they are different, wrong, right, or down-right strange.

Follow Jesus - Love God - Love others - with no conditions

Stop and think - participation

2008-10-14T14:44:00.002Z

Very quickly... how much participation do we allow God in our lives? Is he at the core of life walking with us? Are we expecting him to 'catch up' with what we're doing?

God wants to play a BIG part, not a BIT part.
God wants full control, not just a little permission to move when I want.
God wants to give us HIS dreams for our lives, not just bless OUR dreams.

It's easy for us to sing and pray "Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone" - much harder to live that out. We need God's help if that is our heart-cry. We can't 'go it alone.

May God's participation in our lives be absolute. M\y be be Saviour AND Lord. And may we participate in the fulness of relationship with him.

book: Youth ministry on your knees (Mike Higgs)

2008-09-24T08:00:00.000Z

I wanted to recommend this book for it's simplicity and accessability to youth workers short of time for a weighty read - definately not weighhty, but it covers excellent ground.

It starts with the character and person of the youth worker. Your ministry will go as far as your prayer life. we expect God to bless us, without giving him his rightful place at the head of our ministries. He moves on to the issue of purity - living a clean life before God without falling into wrong patterns of living.

This book is also really practical in terms of creating a praying culture amongst young people, and the lastter part of the book focussed on mobilising young people to pray.

I know I've been challenged by this book and have just begun reading it through a second time. Enjoy it when you buy it.

Book: Youth Leaders who last (Tim Hawkins)

2008-09-23T13:51:00.003Z

I had to recommend this book for a few reasons:

1. youth leaders burnout, run away, quit, grow out of it, move 'up' the chain of command faster than I can get a burger in a fast-food joint! Youth leaders don't last - there's a culture of 'transient youth leadership' where leaders don't keep going. this makes it hard for young people to trust new leaders. I bel;ieve god wants people in youth ministry who have the heart and mettle to go for the long haul.

2. It's a brilliant book filled with biblical truths that will grow persevering youth leaders.

3. It's a good read!

The book looks at the following:

Section 1: Grow your Leadership Vision
1. Your are Called by God
2. You are a Generation-Changer
3. You are a Shepherd
4. Three Relationships of a Shepherd
5. Three Tasks of a Shepherd
6. You are a Servant
7. Ten marks of a Servant

Section 2: Grow your Leadership Character
8. You are Developing Your Character
9. You are Faithful
10. You are Reliable
11. You are a Follower
12. You have a Biblical Standard
13. Eight Checkpoints for a Biblical Leader

Section 3: Grow your Leadership Skills
14. You are a Bible Teacher
15. You are a Small Group Leader
16. You are Many, Many People
17. You are a Leader who will Last

Section 4: Appendix
1. Biblical Leadership Lists
2. Above Reproach
3. For Further Reading

i love that Hawkins has a good section on the heart of a youth leader - what you are on the inside will affect the ministry you do, and will eventually manifest itself on the outside.

as youth leaders we share Jesus, but we also share ourselves (our lives) with young people we are discipling.

On the whole - a great read (in fact i've read this book numerous times now!!

Church is...2

2008-09-23T13:15:00.000Z

I have wanted to write about 'Church' for a while. Perhaps I've nothing new to offer, but at a time when there's much buzz about what Churchis not, and should not be, I wanted to put down my thoughts on what Church is. So here's the first installment.

Church is a community of believers
I love that community is a facet of current discussions on ecclesiology. we all know that Church is meant to be community, but I believe that this has to be more than 2 or 3 people gathering together in a pub and talking about Jesus (admit it...anybody can do that!). Church is a community OF BELIEVERS - people that love God and have a living faith in the saving power and person of Jesus Christ. Their belief is founded upon him; he's at the centre of it all; they live to please Jesus; they emmulate lives that resemble, copy and mimic the life of Christ.

Church is a community - a people with a common unity: they are lovers of God and lovers of people. They share common purpose: to glorify God through living lives that are lived as worship to Him; to 'make disciples' (not just get converts); to teach Jesus' way of living and being; to live out the great commandment and the great commission.

Belief is based on:

1. the teachings of Christ
2. The work of Christ
3. The authority of the Bible

I had a lecturer that talked about 'faith in faith' - faith in nothing really! Our faith has the basis of God's revelation of himself to us in scripture. Our belief needs to be placed alongside the 'plumbline of scripture'. If our belief is at odds with God's word then we have been deluded and deceived. When we stand on scripture our foundation cannot be removed. god is not a man that he should lie. His word is truth. we may not understand it; we may not even agree with it; we may struggle with aspects of it, but in the end it is still the word of God.

Any 'church' that does not hold fast to the authority of the bible is not the Church of Christ, regardless of what it names itself.

Our world is crying out for Churches that will shine the light of truth in the darkness - God has given the church his written word (your word is a 'light for my path - psalm 119), and he has given the church to the world to show the way to God.

Fransiscan Prayer

2008-09-22T13:12:00.002Z

I'm not a massive fan of written prayers that become 'rote' prayers, but this one is one that i will learn and pray from my heart. It's a 'Fransiscan Benediction':

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers,
half truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice,
oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who
suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand
to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in this world,
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Church 1

2008-09-16T08:00:00.001Z

Church - what is it? What is it not? Loads of us are asking these questions. Is it missional? Is it simple, organic or institutional?

It strikes me that our 'ecclesiology' (study of the church) focusses on what church is when we gather and I wonder if we have formed an incomplete ecclesiology. I have become unsettled with Church because it generally focusses on Sunday gatherings. Church employees are encouraged to put energy into Sunday activities most of the time. Yes, we have midweek endeavours - youth groups, clubs, cells. It strikes me that if we are to be followers of Jesus then 'The Church' needs to focus on Making Disciples - I believe that this should be through shared experiences of doing life together: meals; laughter, worship, talking, friendships that exceed superficial christian nicities, etc. Jesus spent time with his followers - they saw his struggles and his joys and they learned from how he handled life's complexities.

Maybe our ecclesiology needs to incorperate 'living lives together'?

More later

Reformission Rev

2008-09-15T12:43:00.004Z

I've Just finished reading "Confessions of a reformission Rev" by Mark Driscoll. I must say that it's the most challenging and inspiring book I've read for a while. therefore you must stop now and do the following:

1. Rush off to the nearest book store
2. Buy it!
3. Read it!
4. Chew on it (think about what it's saying)
4. Apply it to your situation

Mark shows us his own journey of leading a ministry, highlighting very effectively the effect theology has on growing a biblically baded ministry.

I was particularly challenged about working through my own Christology, ecclesiology and missiology (look them up in a good dictionary if I've used big words) and felt a groqing thirst to study scripture even more. Mark's passion for the bible oozes out of every page, and while I might not agree with 100% of his views I felt inspired and encouraged to make disciples from a biblical foundation rather than from a 'consumerist' model of Church.

This book is probably aimed at Church leaders but is written in a very accessable style for all christians, and I'd recommend it very highly.

Abuse: Broken Vessels

2008-08-20T01:27:00.000Z

A friend of mine made something really amazing. He took some dust from the ground and began to create the most amazing work of art. He worked tirelessly, devoting both time and energy to his creation. The dust took form as the day passed and it wasn’t long before the creation was completed. It really was quite remarkable – the finest creation my friend had ever made. He was extremely proud of it. That creation was you!

You were created by God to be perfect in every way. Each of us has been made by God and he is very proud of us. When He made you he looked at the perfect finished product and he said “It is very good”. I’m sure that God smiled over you when you were born.

Each of us has been hurt by aspects of life. The abuse victim knows hurt at a very deep level. We come to God weak, with hearts full of hurt and tears. We come to him with our insecurities and with our shame. We wonder if he can ever make us whole again.

Here is the truth about God. The Bible teaches that God is loving and full of grace. He is slow to be angry and very quick to love you. He wants you to come to him with every hurt and pain, with every wrong ever done by you or to you, and he wants to make you like him once more. You were created in God’s image and that image can be restored again.

The Bible shows us that that God began a good work in you and that He will work in you until that work is complete. You can take hope in the fact that God will heal and restore you to be made whole from the hurts of abuse and life. It may take time and it may take a lot of work, but the possibility of a restored life makes it all worthwhile. There is hope after the storm. There is fullness of life after the experience of abuse when we invite God in to heal us. Shall we pray together?

Loving God, thank you for accepting us and restoring us to be all we are meant to be – made in your likeness. Heal our hurts. Show us the light of your love in dark situations, and help us to be like you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Abuse: Why?

2008-08-19T01:26:00.001Z

Have you ever observed a young child enquiring about something that interests them? The conversation may go something like this:

Dad, what’s that?
It’s a hairdryer for Mum to have dry hair?
Why does Mum want dry hair?
She’ll catch a cold if it’s wet.
Why?
Because it’s cold outside.
Why?
Because it’s been raining.
Why?
Because it always rains in April.
Why.
It just does.
Why?

This can go on for hours until either Dad gets annoyed or child loses interest. Often it’s because Dad gets annoyed and then the child is left feeling like they’ve done something wrong. I’m sure you will agree that the child has done nothing wrong in this situation - He has just exercised his right to be inquisitive about something. Yet often when children ask ‘why?’ in this manner they are treated like they are in the wrong. Granted it can be annoying, but they are not wrong.

We are like the child sometimes. When things in life go wrong we look to heaven and ask why. We have seen this recently with the Tsunami. Many who have gone through abuse daily question “why?”
The abuse victim asks why they were abused, and why did God allow it to happen. A parent or guardian of an abused child may be asking why they were unable to see the signs of abuse as it occurred. In reality there are often no answers to these questions, but there is comfort in God who helps us through our hurts.

It is not wrong to ask “Why?” As God’s children we have the right to ask big questions. It is encouraging to remember that God has boundless amounts of love and patience for us, his children. He will not scold us for asking hard questions, but he will love us and carry us through when we cannot understand. As well as asking why we can also ask for help.

Let us turn to God for strength today.

Loving God, thank you that you never stop us from trying to find answers to lives hard questions. Thank you for accepting us just as we are. Help us to remember that one day everything will make sense and all pain will cease. Help us to keep looking to you for the strength, help, and the healing our lives need. Amen.

Abuse: Fear

2008-08-18T01:26:00.000Z

Can you remember a time when you felt so afraid you were frozen to the spot? Perhaps you were waiting in the queue for a thrill ride. Perhaps you were about to make an important presentation or speech. Fear is no stranger to us and it is no respecter of people. At some point we all feel afraid.

For some people life is lived in fear. Those who have been abused know the reality of fear. Imagine living every day in fear of an individual who had hurt and tormented you. Even now, years later, the very mention of their name may strike fear into you. We wonder, ‘how can I ever escape these fears and these memories?’

Now imagine living a life without fear. It is a life where the memory of abuse does not haunt you and you are free to be what God created you to be. For many this life is never a reality, but there is hope through God’s grace.

My wife used to have nightmares frequently. She would awaken in the night screaming in fear. She was so afraid that she thought the object of her fears was in the room with her. Each time I would hold her and speak gently to calm her down. As she relaxed I would tell her ‘It’s okay I’m here and I love you.’

God can help us overcome fear in a similar way. Today, your heart may be heavy with various worries and fears about the future. God is saying “It’s okay, I’m here with you and I love you”. For others, your experience of abuse has meant that life has been one big experience in fear. God calls to your heart today to give you hope and peace. When you have gone through your struggles God has seen and he has wept with you. Today He opens his arms of love to you and says “It’s okay, I’m here and I love you”.

The Bible has much to say about love and God. Perhaps the most important things we can hear today are that ‘perfect love casts out fear’ and that ‘God is love’. God will never force his way into our lives - He’s the perfect gentleman who waits for an invite. As the presence of God’s Spirit fills our hearts we can be transformed by his love. As we pray today why not invite God to reveal his love afresh to you.

We now pray,

‘Lord, we thank you that you want our hearts to be free from fear and filled with your love. Help us to know and live in this perfect love through the indwelling power and voice of your Holy Spirit bringing perfect peace. Amen.’

Abuse: Secrets

2008-08-17T01:24:00.000Z

Have you ever had to keep a secret? If you are anything like me you probably want to tell the world. A secret can be a lot of fun – like a surprise birthday party. How do we handle secrets that are not nice? Bad secrets are the ones that we really want to tell someone, but for some reason we find we cannot. Robert is 37 and he has a secret.

Robert was at his grandparent’s house for the weekend. His family also were there and he had got bored with the adults talking so he began to explore the house. He looked in every room. He looked at every picture. He looked in every corner. After a few hours he found himself at the entrance to the attic room. He entered and began to rummage around. A few minutes later he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Robert hid behind a wooden box. His grandfather entered the room and closed the door. Robert sheepishly came out from behind the box, while apologising quietly for being there. His Grandfather reassured him that it was okay and that he wouldn’t tell Robert’s parents, but Robert would need to do something in return. Ten minutes later Robert was in the garden. Tears flooded his eyes as he tried to forget the secret. Robert had a secret and he would never tell.

It has been estimated that one in every four girls and one in every ten boys are sexually abused before the age of eighteen. There are many adults today who have carried childhood secrets about abuse into adult life. Often we feel ashamed or guilty about what we have experienced. Often we think no-one will understand, or even believe us. Secrets like Robert’s ought to be broken. It took me a very long time to tell my parents what I’d been through, but I remember the relief I felt when I’d told my secret. It was my first step towards healing and restoration.

If you have a secret like Robert’s that is causing you pain and stealing your enjoyment of life please talk to someone today. Chat with a friend or phone your Church leader and arrange to discus it. You could call the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service for a confidential chat. Whatever you do, let the secret out.

Please allow me to pray with you now.

Loving God, please help all of us to openly talk about the things that have happened in secret. Thank you that nothing is hidden from your eyes and you understand everything perfectly. Help us to take whatever steps we need to take to walk in freedom. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Abuse: The Storm

2008-08-16T01:18:00.001Z

A few years ago I wrote some devotions on the subject of abuse. I thought I'd post them here this week.

The rain lashed down as I sat at the window gazing out into the storm that surrounded the house. I curled up tight as I blankly looked out into the night. Would this storm ever cease? Would the sun ever rise? At ten years old I could see only storms.

Every day I feared what would happen after school. We’d go to our friend’s house till Mum got home. For four years I was subjected to various forms of physical and emotional abuse in that house. Although I managed to smile on the outside, on the inside I had already died.

Now I am eighteen. Recently, God touched my heart with his love. It was amazing – Imagine walking around in the dark for many years and then one day someone came along and turned the light on. That’s exactly what God did for me. I went to Church and a Pastor prayed for me. As he prayed God just flooded my heart with pure divine love. The hardness I’d built up and my resistance to love was broken down as God swept through me in the most gentle and loving way possible.

That night the storm began to disappear. I devoted my life to God that night and change began to happen. As I read my Bible and spent time with God in prayer I was quickly touched by God about letting go of the past and looking forward to the future. At that time it was like standing at the edge of a cliff and being told to jump off. I was terrified of moving forward, yet because I trusted God, I decided to take a step of faith and face up to the pain of my past. So I jumped.

Now I am thirty. As I sit at the computer writing this devotional my heart is overwhelmed by how much God has done for me. Having taken a step of faith to face up to the abuse I endured I can say today that my life is filled with hope and joy as God has brought healing to my wounded soul.

What is your step of faith? Some of us may need to begin by putting our trust in God. For some, we may need to talk to someone about our experiences. For others it may be the step of releasing forgiveness. Whatever steps you need to take we can ask God to guide us through the storm. Let us pray together.

Loving God, whatever storms of life we face help us face them with you. Where our lives feel dark, turn on the lights and reveal the path we must walk towards healing and hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The next 5 days

2008-08-15T12:30:00.000Z

Over the next 5 days I will be posting some devotions on the subject of abuse. These may raise questions or concerns in your mind, or even cause painful past memories to surface. If so, please speak tov someone about them. You can email me via my profile, or you may wish to speak to your Church leader.

The devotions will be as follows:
1. The Storm
2. Secrets
3. Fear
4. Why?
5 Broken Vessels

May God bless and restore us as we read and pray

Poem: My heart lies broken

2008-08-14T12:00:00.001Z

My heart lies broken.
No one sees it.
No one hears its irregular beating.

My swollen heart beats.
Inflamed with love.
No one understands its way of feeling.

Love has blinded me.
I can see it.
I can feel the pain love causes me.

You cannot perceive.
You are unable to penetrate my heart
And see the undetectable beatings
my heart has taken for you;
my heart is broken for you.
O that you could enter into my heart;
be part of my soul!

Then you would comprehend my thoughts for you.
Then you would realize my love for you.
Then you would understand me.

I am my love for you my body was broken.

A homeless dream

2008-08-14T00:37:00.000Z

I was out doing my shopping. I feel ill-dressed when out in Harrogate so I was a little surprised to see a homeless bloke on the pavement. Was he trying to sleep? Could he sleep and dream as I do?

Just sitting there with his sleeping-bag keeping his legs warm.

Just sitting. Not begging. Just sitting, staring into space. Maybe daydreaming.

What are his dreams? What does he want in life?

Perhaps just a warm place with simple home-made food - the type of food that's cooked with love.

He looked tired. I mean real tired. The bags on his eyes had bags on them.

I walked past him six or seven times and my heart...

...it just broke as I imagined that I was in his place.

How on earth do you dream of a brighter future when the world is walking past you, not even daring to make eye contact with you?

This question filled my head and spun around till I had to walk past again just so I could give the man a friendly smile.

So I walked. And I smiled. In return I saw the purest smile in the whole town.

I began to dream that this guy would find God's love - That he would find it in our smiles and in our generosity. That he would find it in our actions and our attitude as we stop to say 'what can I do for you?'

God had dreams for me and they are my reality now - some of them anyway. I want to follow God's example to see His dreams come true for all of us who sometimes find it hard to dream because life gives us hard knocks - today's hard knock may lead to opportunity knocking tomorrow.

May you be blessed by dreaming for those who cannot dream.

Book: You see bones, I see an army (Floyd McClung)

2008-08-14T00:22:00.003Z

Floyd McClung is a total dude! If you haven'y read anything of his then read "The father heart of God"

If you've read that then get your mind stuck into "You see bones". Floyd calls us to imagine chuirch in a new way - simple, organic and rising up! What he says is also being written about by many others, but what makes this a great book is it's passion, simplicity and Floyd's ministry experiences that inform his writing and his ecclesiology.

A great bonus in this book id Floyd's understanding of apastolic ministry. the role of 'apostle' has long been shrouded, clouded and ousted - Floyd shows us a proper place of apostolic ministry for the 21st century.

Book: God On Mute (Pete Grieg)

2008-08-13T15:13:00.003Z

I thought it was about time I started recommended some books - so here's the first:

I'm a huge fan of all the 24-7 prayer stuff, and this book is a warmly welcomed addition to their writings on the subject of prayer. It's refreshing to read a book with wit, warmth, honesty, vulnerability and sound theology within it's pages. Grieg manages to encourage us about the hard aspects of prayer, drawing on the example of Jesus' praying, as well as from personal testimony to ground it in today's reality.

I've read a few books on prayer and I'd rate it as one of the best.

Missional Distinctives

2008-08-13T01:05:00.002Z

The following are five biblical distinctives form the foundation of a missional perspective:[6]

1. The Church is sent by Jesus Christ (John 17:18; 20:21, Luke 9:2; Matt 28: 19–20;Acts 1:8)
2. The Church is sent with the Cross (1 Cor 1:18, Eph 2:16, Col 2:14, 1 Pet2:24, 2 Cor 5:17–24)
3. The Church is sent in Community (Acts 2:42–47; 5:42; John 13:34–35; 1 John 3:16–17)
4. The Church is sent to every Culture (John 1:14; Matt 20:28; Acts 17:22–34; Luke 5:29)
5. The Church is sent for the King and His Kingdom (Matt 10:7; 25:34; Luke 4:43; Rev 11:15–17; Jer 10:7; John 18:36)

(Cited from: Dave DeVries, Missional Transformation: Fueling Missionary Movements that Transform America, Bakke Graduate University, 2007, 8-12)

loneliness

2008-08-13T00:50:00.003Z

It's 2am. My kids are asleep and my wife has gone to Soul Survivor festival for the week. I can't sleep. Maybe I've been married long enough to need Jenna here with me all the time. i miss her.

It's strange how we can feel lonely when living in a community - London has about 12 million people in it (I think!) yet here I am feeling lonely after only 2 days!! I lie here and imagine how the lost, the least and the last must feel almost 24/7!! I realise that I am fortunate to feel lonely like this only once in a blue moon.

So to all those of you who feel lonely, may God bless you with authentic community, friends and The Divine Presence of God.

Persevere in Prayer

2008-07-27T08:41:00.003Z

Luke 11:9-13 (New Living Translation)

9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

These verses come in the context of Jesus teaching on prayer. Jesus moves from teaching us how to pray into encouraging us to keep on praying. He tells us:

Keep on asking!
Keep on seeking!
Keep on knocking!

Keep on keeping on - don't stop. Pray without ceasing.

How often do we stop seeking God because the answers don't arrive within our designated time-frame? - too often. Giving up in prayer has become our habit!
Perhaps this is why Jesus encourages us to persevere.

Jesus (the Son) then discloses vital information about the character of God (the Father). Jesus knows what he's talking about because his whole life is in dee intimacy with the father. He tells us that God desires to give to us even more than other fathers - even an evil father will give to their kids. Interesting that Jesus refers to 'evil fathers' - perhaps he's aware that we have created mental barriers in our minds towards God because of our hurts and disappointments. Jesus knows that we have each resented God, questioned God and doubted who he is - we have at times thought of him as 'evil', mean and harsh.

Yet Jesus shows us a different Father - a Father who will give if we keep on asking. A father we will find when we seek (cf, the lost son - luke 15). A Father who will open doors when we keep on knocking. A Father who will give us his very own Holy Spirit if we ask.

Are we asking, seeking and knocking to the Holy Spirit's presence and power in our lives?
How ardent is our desire for God's presence in our lives?
Where do we need to fix our relationship with God so that we can come to him as loving Father?
Will we persever in our talking with God until we see answers come down?

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened"

Our reality as a painful place

2008-07-26T20:31:00.002Z

Tonight I feel I want to write but don't know where it's heading. I have 5 minutes and that's not much time, so time is wasting with this pre-amble.

I sometimes wonder where faith is taking me: I know that ultimately it's eterniy with God and that will be awesome. Moving from one place to the next leaves a hole in us where we are missing places and people. The emotional and psychological attachments that we have to them can be strong, and we often underestimate them.

Having said this, sometimes we need to go. Our feet move and our stuff moves with us, but our hearts are torn. Sometimes this tearing of the heart-strings is painful and it's not easy to bear that pain. Yet in following what we sense God leading us into we (at times) will experience pain. Our telling of God's story and our response in faith often denies the pain we feel. I feel that this is a shame because I know from experience that God meets us in our pain.

So what am I saying. I guess I'm trying to encourage you to take your pain - your torn heart - to Jesus' feet. Pour out your tears to him if you have to (wash his feet with your tears) - I'm sure that Jesus said that is a beautiful thing. "Religious" christians may reject us as weak and unfaithful, but Jesus will never turn us away - he's looking for our lives to be given to him in complete reality - even when our reality is a painful place.

all change to missional living

2008-07-14T13:34:00.002Z

Well we've moved. Following Jesus isn't always settled - it is active and that activity can take us into new situations. we find ourselves in London after a whirlwind few months. The tornado landed us in Stanmore and there's no way back to Kansis for this dorothy!!

We've now begun a new job, have a new house, new neighbours, and the kids will start a new school (or preschool). New things can be difficult, there's no doubt about it, but on the other hand new situations present us with new opportunities to live out our faith as Jesus has shown us.

My prayer is that the mission of God would be lived out in our lives as we adjust and as we meet new people. May God's kingdom come with us and extend in grace and love towards our neighbours.

Perhaps you too are facing new situations, challenging experiences or meeting new people. Let not your hearts be troubled - perhaps God is working in and through you to broaden your understanding of Missional living.

May we live our lives to the Glory of God as we seek his kingdom come here amongst our neighbours as in heaven.

Missional weblinks

2008-05-29T14:56:00.001Z

Check out the two new links "Missional Church Network" and "Missional Apologetics" for more on being missional.

Blessings fellow missioners

missional missing?

2008-05-28T14:35:00.003Z

My wife and I have been exploring "organic" and "simple" Church recently. Our experience in Trad structures has not been most positive to be honest. I've been on the journey for 30 years in one way or another (i'm 33 now!) and have been a commited Jesus Follower for 15 of those. I come to a point where I'm wondering if our "christian service' is doing more to oil the Church machinary than to reach the lost with the amazing love of God. I mean it seems like mission is an 'add on' to being Church.

You go into most churches and you see a crappy mission notice board with out of date newsletters and ancient photos (ok, I'm being a bit mean !) and other than that you need to stay alert during the service (that probably lacks transcendence - being mean again!) to hear the passing mention of mission work. Mission happens elsewhere and it's somebody else's calling! It's almost like we've been blinded to God's mission around us.

we have got it all wrong - Jesus' life portrayed in the Gospels was a truly missional life. He ministered everywhere. He listened to people and to God and lived a life that connected the two together. That's being missional in my estimation.

we've got so caught up in trying to keep Church going that we've stopped going into our world and being Jesus to our neighbours. Is being 'missional' part of our life.

Read MARK 10:46-52 (go on, do it now)

Answer these questions in your own mind:
1. Ask God to show you your 'blind spots' in being Missional
2. Ask God to open your eyes and see the world as he sees it
3. Ask God to lead you to the people that you can share the love of Jesus with (in wrds and in works)

May we follow Jesus into the messinesss of people's lives and communities.

Do it

2008-05-10T05:46:00.005Z

Just preparing for a talk from Matthew 25 where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. His system of separation was simple:

Those who receive an eternal inheritance from God are those that lived lives of "Just Love" (they lived as Jesus lived - they followed Jesus' way of life).

All others were cast out eternally from God's presence.

The message is simple - if we say we are followers of Jesus we need our lived to follow him too. Saying it is not enough.

We need to Do following Jesus.

"Whatever you did for the least (the marginalised; the poor; the lowly; the loveless; etc) of these you did for me"

Faith without works is dead

No trouble

2008-05-08T13:03:00.003Z

Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me

Comfort. We all want to be in this state, yet often we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations. Jesus was aware of this and when his disciples were troubled in heart he advised them with the statement above. As I read the words I'm struck by how obvious they are - Don't let your heart be troubled!

I'm thinking 'like I have a choice'. As I thought about that it struck me that perhaps Jesus was saying we do have a choice. I read it like this:

Don't allow your heart to be troubled - guard your heart from trouble

There are two verses in the bible that say "Guard your heart". One is in proverbs. It says

'guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life'.

Tthe other is in Philippians 4 where Paul tells the Church:

Don't be worried about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends our understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus

Those words are life and beauty to our hearts. As we pray - as we focus on Jesus - God's peace enters our hearts and minds. We guard our hearts from trouble through trusting in Jesus in the place of prayer. Prayer focusses our heart on the solution and takes it off our problems.

God's peace is not a fabrication of our imagination - it is transcendent. Perhaps we need to persevere in praying until God's peace comes to guard our hearts from trouble.

Are we in an uncomfortable situation where troubles are welling up like storms around and within us?

Then let us pray...

2008-04-29T15:19:00.003Z

After scribbling a few lines on worship I saw again this image. I don't know about you, but I often find myself 'begging' God for change (normally in myself!). I'm longing to see more of God's kingdom come into our daily reality. We can ask God for the obvious stuff (health, stuff, blessing, etc.), or we can pray as Christ taught us ("your kingdom come..."). When His kingdom comes it will mean 'change' but perhaps not in the obvious (and selfish) things we're regularly asking for.

Perhaps we will need to be the change. Perhaps this 'come-coming-not yet' kingdom will show us our need to be follwers of Jesus that love God wholeheartedly (with no regard for ourselves, but rather for God's agenda) and love others (viewing ourselves less highly than we ought and seeing others as highly as we should).

So we pray, let your Kingdom come...your will be done on earth as in heaven...

A Delirious breakfast

2008-04-29T15:18:00.000Z

I was breakfasting with the kids this morning and we're listening to "The Mission Bell" album. my son is playing air guitar, I'm singing like an idiot, and my daughter is doing some sort of weird expressive dance (she's only 18 months old and doesn't know any better!).
I then began playing air guitar. My son (who's 3) stops playing, looks me straight in the eye and says, "What you doing Dad! I say I'm playing the guitar and he (very seriously) says "you can't do that, you're the singer!!"

I began singing again. It's great that our worship can occur at any time. Have a great day!

dark roads

2008-04-27T00:08:00.001Z

sometimes the road ahead is scary and dark.

During these times we need to trust God's word to light up the path - so right now I'm trusting in his word.

He knows the beginning from the end and I'm convinced that in the end...

...it all works out

even dark roads have lamp posts

sent - to die

2008-03-19T13:56:00.002Z

Happy Easter!!

Easter reminds me that Jesus died for me personally. The question is "can we die to ourselves?" and live for him. It means laying down our dreams, ambitions and agendas.

Easter reminds me that in death there is new life - In laying down our stuff we give God the space and permission to breathe his life into our dry bones - we find that life means so much more with Jesus in control than it did when we were trying to do our own thing.

May we die to ourselves and be alive to Christ and our world as we reflect on the cross this Easter.

sent to act

2008-03-04T07:41:00.003Z

I was reading Luke 4 with my son this morning. in this passage Jesus reads aloud in the Synagogue. He reads:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to procliam freedom to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."

we all know that this is from Isaiah and that this is generally thought to be Jesus' own description of his ministry and calling. So how did Jesus fulfill this calling and ministry. Jesus tells the people that this was already fulfilled, and it was in that Jesus had already been sent by God to do these things. Yet he then goes out and begins doing the things he was sent to do.

We also have been called and sent out into the world to demonstrate the great love of God. The question is how do we do this?

Jesus fulfilled his calling by touching one life at a time. Read any of the Gospels: A woman by a well; a religious man in the night (Nicodemus); a demonised man be the lake; an adulterous lady forgiven; a tax-collector accepted; a fisherman restored; etc.

Yes, crowds followed Jesus and he taught them. But in the crowds there were individuals seen by Jesus - and he made it his life's work to make a difference in those lives.

Will we follow Jesus today to allow God to use us in touching someone's life? God can make a difference as we are willing and open to his calling on our lives. you have been sent - will you go?

Make a difference

2008-03-03T16:22:00.002Z

The riverbed was dry - bone dry. there hadn't been a drop of rain in months. Life was struggling to survive and it looked like there would be no hope.

A single whiite cloud floated across the clear blue sky above. As it gazed down from it's vantage point its heart began to break and a tear rolled down its cloudy cheek and fell upon the arid river-bed.

"What can I do?" sobbed the cloud with the broken heart, "I am one cloud and I cannot make a difference: it's so unfair!"

Another cloud rolled up and saw that the small white cloud was crying. "What's making you sad little cloud?" asked the second cloud.

"The river is drying and life is dying and there seems to be no hope", cried the little white cloud.

The second cloud looked down and saw the situation. He also began to weep for the world below as he moved slowly away in the breeze.

"Does no one care?" thought the little white cloud as his heart was torn and the tiny tears grew in intensity. He began to weep so profusely that he did not see the second cloud return with a crowd of clouds. The crowd looked down and their hearts were also torn. they all began to weep at the situation. Their tears fell heavy upon the land below.

the little cloud opened his tear-stained eyes and saw a marvelous sight. A multutude of crying clouds poured out their hearts on the ground below. The river was filling. Animals becan creeping towards the river bed. Life began to move.

The little white cloud cried all the more at this hopeful sight: tears not of sadness but of joyful delight. There can be hope when even the smallest is moved with compassion.

Will we be moved?

God is a whisper away

2008-03-03T07:42:00.002Z

Perhaps this week holds stress and worry. Perhaps it holds blessing anf joy. Whatever it holds, God holds it.

God is a whisper away:

He's in the breeze, he's in the sea
He's in your thoughts, and he's in me
He's in the person that shouts you down
he's in the sadness of the clown.

he's in the concepts we have of truth
he's in the Word, he's not aloof
He's even closer than we see
He's close to you, and he's near to me

Emergent Church?

2008-02-12T16:44:00.000Z

the following article has been lifted from the "Simple Church Blog". I thought it was excellent and wnated to share it wider. Enjoy!

Perhaps the church is neither emerging nor re-structuring so much as re-claiming its true nature as an underground, insurgent movement. By that I mean that the truest work of the Holy Spirit always seems to be initiated among the least and the unseen bringing forth true kingdom life that is contrary and even subversive to the surrounding culture.

Tom Sine, in his new book (not yet published) “The New Conspirators” talks about “joining the conspiracy of the insignificant”:

In spite of the fact that our world is changing at blinding speed and the church is going through some very tough times God is still at work in ways that aren’t always immediately apparent. For some reason, God seems to delight in conspiring through the small, insignificant and ordinary to renew the church and transform the world. Eugene Peterson wrote, “The metaphors Jesus used for the life of ministry are frequently images of the single, the small and the quiet, which have effects far in excess of their appearance: salt, leaven and seed.”

He goes on to say:
Changing the world through the conspiracy of the insignificant has always been God’s strategy. God chose a ragtag group of Semite slaves to be the insurgents of a new order. God sent a vast army to flight with three hundred men carrying lamps and blowing horns. God chose a shepherd boy with a slingshot to lead his chosen people. And who would have dreamed that God would choose a baby in a cow stall to turn the world right side up?

Perhaps the real emergence of today’s church, the primary re-structuring that needs to take place, is in our own hearts. That we would be willing to be the unseen, unheralded ambassadors who heroically refuse to walk in the ways of this world for the sake of demonstrating a love that throws money-changers out of temples, embraces sinners, and forgives those who nail us to a cross.

Maybe, the moment we are no longer underground (unseen) nor insurgent (counter-cultural), we are no longer really the church.

Maybe, the moment “our movement” is recognized, written about, or even blogged about, it no longer has the characteristics of the true church.
Maybe, the moment we receive an accolade or an applause for what we are doing, it is time to look to see if the recognition has come because we have begun to agree more with our culture than the radical kingdom that Jesus preached and demonstrated.
Perhaps it is the underground, insurgent nature of the church that needs to be re-claimed above all else and maybe, just maybe, all of the “emerging” and “re-structuring” will take care of itself.

I will build my Church

2008-02-11T16:00:00.000Z

Jesus said,

I will build my Church

As I thought about that today I thought that it's amazing how the Church in the UK is in some areas growing, while in other areas groaning. I'm sure the above phrase has thoughts to offer.

The Church that grows is Jesus' Church - not ours. Are we at the helm, or is Jesus?

The Church that grows is in the 'will' of God. Stagnation cannot be the will of God for His Church. Why not?

Because the Church of Jesus is being 'built', not broken down. Growing, not slowing. worshipping, not wilting.

If we're in any doubt as to who should 'own' the Church we are reminded that Jesus said it is 'my' Church.

The Church that grows is not a club, a cosy huddle or a commitee - it is a biblical, relevant, spirit-filled revolutionary body of people that are following Jesus by loving God and loving others.

I wonder if we're spending too much time 'doing' Church instead of 'being' Church. Are we letting Christ build himself into our lives? Are we growing from faith to faith, strength to strength, and glory to glory?

Jesus will build his Church - are we willing to surrender and BE HIS CHURCH?

Following Jesus into rejection?

2008-02-04T15:19:00.000Z

In our youth group last night we explored reasons why we find it hard to share our faith story with others. The number one reason was REJECTION.

We all want to be liked. We all want to be loved. We all want to be accepted. None of us really wants to be rejected.

As I've thought about this today it struck me the Jesus' most glorified momnet was also his moment of deepest rejection:

At the garden of Gethsemene his closest followers ran off - peer rejection!
His best mate (who promised to be there for him!) denies knowing him three times - friendship rejection!
The crowds that hailed him a king now hates him and calls for his death - community rejection!
God the Father turns his face away - ultimate rejection!

We will never be rejected as badly as Jesus - God will never turn his face from us as long as we live. But we need to know that if we are to follow Jesus we will most likely find ourselves being rejected by others. Jesus tells us to take up our cross.

Are we willing to follow Jesus even if we are rejected by family, friends or community? We at least know that when we are rejected by others becuase of faith - God stands with us.

We had Church

2008-01-28T15:47:00.000Z

Last night 18 people met after Church. The sanctuary was empty and the lights were off. The vicars had gone home and the building was at peace knowing another Sunday had passed and it could heave a weary sigh of relief till next week.

Lights on in the narthex, laughter spilled out into the darkness of the Church sanctuary. The buzz of conversation filled my ears and I sat thinking "this is Church".

Last night was a great night for me. As a group we were young (teens) and old (the leaders!). We shared fellowship in our laughter; but more than that, we shared our lives. We learned from each other as we listened to scripture read and pondered on it in silence together. We explored the inadequacy of our own faith-sharing and found encouragement that our struggle is corporate - we are not alone. We prayed and we played. We wept (one instance) and we laughed. We ate and we drank. And in all this God was there.

For me, this was a beautiful picture of being the body of Christ. this was being Church. I hope and pray and plan for more times of being Church together. I'm convinced that the kingdom of God moved forward last night. And I'm convinced that God smiled upon us. May he continue to smile.

guilty as charged

2007-12-28T15:55:00.000Z

I don't know why, but I always have mixed feelings about this time of year. I sat with my family on Christmas day and we gave God thanks for the meal and the gifts. I then pray for those who have little or less than little, and I'm overcome with a torrent of guilt that almosts sweeps my to tears. Compared with many I have little, and compared to billions I am rich. I guesss this truth touched me again and reminded me of the reality that many face - a little is a great blessing when you have nothing, and a lot is meaningless when you have much!

Then comes New Year with the pressure to change your life for the better. We've all made and broken resolutions. I always recommit myself to God at this time of year and I've found that in doing so I gain a fresher and stronger visoin of Jesus. This 'tradition' has become an important aspect of my 'religious calander' and I recommend us all to take time to be with God (even if it is just a few minutes before the bells!) and affirm our ardent desire to follow Jesus by loving God and loving others.

may your new year take you into new spiritual places with God, as well as take you practically into new situations that allow you to shine bright for Christ as you walk in life.

Happy New Year with blessings for 2008.

right or wrong place?

2007-12-21T22:52:00.000Z

I was just thinking that I often think "where will I be in ten years time?", but I've never thought "Am I where I though I'd be ten years ago?"

It's funny how the future impacts us here and now, isn't it? As I look at where I wanted to be ten years ago, I'm amazed at how life's journey has taken a different twist.

I'm happily married. I have two brilliant, smart and funny kids that make me happy even when I'm tired and grumpy, and i'm being used by god in life. It's not how I imagined life yet I can see God's faithfulness as I've journeyed with Jesus.

Don't get me wrong - I've not got it right - I've made massive mistakes and I've hurt people close to me on the way. I'm trying my best to follow Jesus and to trust him.

My point is this - despite our mistakes and the fact that most of us are not in the place we expected to be...

...GOD IS FAITHFUL TO LEAD US AND STICK TO WITH US. Following on from this: We see part of the picture God has already painted for our lives (1 Cor 13 - verse near end of chapter!) but He sees it all - we don't try to work it all out. As we follow Jesus in simple faith he will lead us into places we don't expect. Some of them will be amazing and some of them will be difficult, but all of them will make us more like Jesus if we're simply looking to him. After all, He's the author and the finisher of our faith (Heb 12:1-3)

So wherever you are keep looking to Him. Don't live life with regret. Live life with gusto and simple faith in Christ. He does have a plan - even if we can't see how it will all work out.

Be blessed. Be faithful and be encouraged. God really is in control!

Blessings to you today!

Stuart

joy in the journey

2007-12-12T22:04:00.000Z

Today has been a funny old day. My motivation has been low and my heart has been happy. life is good and troubled at the same time. It amazes me that life can be many things all at the same time. Why isn't life all that we would want it to be. we all just want the perfect life or the best job or to retire or to have enough time to enjoy the relationships that matter. we can spend so much time wishing our dreams would come true. we spend so much time wishing our lives away!

And yet Jesus said "I have come that you may have life to the full".

are we to believe that he doesn't understand what we're going through? Becuase he really does know!

Are we to believe that he doesn't care about our dreams or even the mundane stuff we routinely have to be doing? Becuase he really does care!

The truth is that life to the full is all about following Jesus. His life was not 'perfect' - he was an itinerant preacher (imagine it!); he suffered misunderstandings from the religious leaders; he died on a cross after enduring immense pain! Our lives are easy compared to what Christ endured.

His was a life of sacrifice and yet he could still promise us life to the full. The secret was that he stayed close to God the father. We journey as followers of jesus into the very presence of God. God's Kingdom enters our lives through that relationship with Jesus. That doesn't mean life will be simple or our dreams will all come true - but it does mean that God is with us in all that we are going through.

I love that even in my struggles God brings happiness into my heart. It's a perk of the journey with Christ I'm sure.

Happy travelling

adventure

2007-12-12T14:25:00.000Z

Following Jesus is an adventure!! Oh yes, and adventures are fabulous...

...to watch!

But participating in an adventure is a whole different ball-game. you see, to be in an adventure is to experience the exhileration of the highs and to know implicitly to lows as well.

Too many of us Christians have preached and been told that following Jesus is the adventure of a lifetime that will transforn our lkives so that we will ne 'set free' from anything that's negative. This message sounds great - it's good news - but it's not the message Jesus taught. One only has to look at the gospels to see that Jesus taught a hard gospel.

"Take up your cross and follow me"
"In this life you will face hardships"
"Count the cost"

These are just a few examples of Jesus' claim that following him would not be easy. Read Paul's account of his life. for the sake of the Gospel he was beaten, shipwrecked, attacked by bandits, forsaken by other believers, imprisoned, martyred! The bible does not teach that a life of faith in Jesus Christ will be easy, but it does say that it is possible. Following jesus takes guts, perseverance and character - a character that he builds within us on the way.

Are you experiencing the rugged side of following Jesus? Fix your eyes on him. Are you tired and burdened? Throw your burdens on him. He's with you now. He see your struggles and he's cheering you on. Run the race with perseverance and see the prise of knowing him more now and being with him in eternity. So, fix your eyres on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of your faith. He's with you leading, guiding and working to see you finish following well.

Blessings in Christ to you all.

smiles

2007-11-29T11:42:00.000Z

I jotted down a silly poem about smiles. Here it is:

smiles go for miles
and they stretch from ear to ear.
they wipe away the worries
and wash away the fear.

If your smile is lovely
it will brighten up the day;
but if it's slightly freaky
it will make us run away!!

Make someone smile today

:-)

simple and hard

2007-11-28T15:59:00.000Z

I was reminded today that following Jesus is not always an easy thing to do. As you read through the gospels and take in the things Jesus said you see that they are very simple requests:

Love your neighbour
love your enemy
follow me
bless those who persecute you
Go...
preach the good news

These are not hard to understand, but they can be hard to live out - How do you follow someone you can't even see? How can you love when you are emotionally ship-wrecked? How can you love when you feel like hating? How do you bless when you don't feel blessed?

Following Jesus sounds simple, but can be very hard. we're asked even by Christ to 'count the cost' and to 'take up our cross'. There are amazing times when it's all sunshine and smiles and times when we feel like we're trudging for miles in the slough of despondancy. It takes faith to take this jouney of following Jesus. Faith hopes for what it does not see and helps us carry what we cannot bear. Faith unites us with Christ who says 'come to me all of you who are tired and heavy-laden'.

Does following Jesus seem hard? simply put, have faith and keep on. It's simple, it's hard and it takes faith. He never said it would be easy, but we'll get there with his help. We might be following him, but in a mystical way...
...he's also walking with us.

Sometimes...and wait

2007-11-15T15:35:00.000Z

Sometimes...

...we feel weak and insignificant
...we are lost and need direction
...we are poor and needy

Sometimes...
...God uses the weak and insignificant to confound the 'strong'
...God uses our loss of direction to direct us in his ways
...God meets our needs to show we are rich in Him

Life is a strange mixture of highs and lows. I have mine and you, no doubt, have yours! Yet God has this amazing habit of meeting us in those times. When we are weak, lost and poor we tend to call out "GOD HELP!!" and it's then that we can feel his presence with us.

Sometimes we need to struggle to find God. I don't understand much about life but I know that God meets us in our needs. He doesn't always do what we want. In fact, my experience is that God doesn't always meet my needs, but he does always meet with me in my needs. Perhaps the truth is that he's always there for us and we're way too busy to sense him there.

those that WAIT upon the Lord shall find renewed strength

(Isaiah 40:31)

To wait upon God is to seek his face. When we do this we get the added bonus of being blessed with his strength. Strength to carry on. Strength to love our neighbours. Strength to keep on keeping on following Jesus. God knows we need that strength!!

Why not stop right now. Breathe in his presence, whisper his name, and simply wait.

Right now. Right here. Wait...

hard times require hard - huh?!

2007-11-07T15:48:00.000Z

Life is made of ups and downs. The question is Will we follow Jesus when life throws a wobbly?

My experiences have shown me that life is not always sunshine and smiles. It can be darkness and worry-lines across our brows. So how do we follow Jesus in these times? A look at the garden of Gethsemene shows us an important principle:

Jesus is having his 'dark night of the soul' and is at the pub drowning out his reality. No no no!!! He is in the garden calling out to God in prayer. He pours his anguished heart out to God while his disciples are sleeping their worries away (knowing now he may die).

Life is hard sometimes and Jesus shows us in the garden that we need to be staying close to our heavenly father during such times. The apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:6-7,

Do not be worried about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition present your requests to God with thanksgiving

he goes on to tell us that,

the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

In dark and hard times hold on. Look to your heavenly father through prayer. call out to him until His prefect peace fills your heart. It's not easy, but neither is taking up a cross. Jesus has walked the path you now tread - follow him through your valleys as well as onto the mountain tops.

every blessing in Christ with peace to you.

Love your neighbour (2)

2007-10-14T13:17:00.000Z

So we're meant to be loving our neighbour. Sounds simple, but when we get to the nitty gritty it's a huge request. I love that Jesus didn't illustrate how to do this by showing us how to change the world massively - he shares the story of one human being helping another human being.

What can you do today to help one other human being? (take a moment to think about it and then reslove in your heart to go and do it)

As lots of individuals do something selfless for another human being the love of god is practically shown to many people - in that way our little bit makes a huge difference globally. Love is a shared thing - there's no such thing as unshared love! We got to give it away every day.

Love your neighbour as you love yourself - walk in other people's shoes and meet their needs accordingly. It's simple, but it might not be easy. Trust that as you follow Jesus he will show you the people you are called to draw alongside.

Have fun being loving!

Love others (1)

2007-09-16T17:42:00.000Z

I've been thinking recently about what it might look like if we were to really love others. I'm not sure I'm even close to seeing this as God sees it and the view from the bottom of the mountain looks hazy, but here's what it might mean for us:

Jesus tells us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. He really means that! In the West we really love ourselves (although it may be at a superficial level!!) - we make sure we eat. We make sure we have clean water. We make sure we wear the 'right' clothes (one's that look good; make us fit in; present an image; have the right brand; avoid brands; etc.). We have enough technology to kill R2D2 stone dead with confusion. We have great holidays. We're rarely alone (although, did you know there are lonely people in every crowd - so, who's in your crowd?).

What if we decided to do that for someone else? What if we sacrificed what we need to provide for someone else's needs? What if we gave all our disposable income to a charity that would supply people with clean water for that month? What if we didn't buy a new CD each month and supported an African child's education instead? (look at www.compassionuk.org) Sound's good, doesn't it?! Yet the reality is, we face these choices every day and don't make the right one - we keep feeding ourselves the luxuries that will one day stifle us.

Loving our neighbour as we love ourselves is not an easy lifestyle to choose, but the benefits for others could potentially be MASSIVE. Let's encourage one another to make loving choices about loving others, and in the process share the life that Jesus died to give us all.

on the mountain

2007-09-04T15:29:00.000Z

Looking down from my vantage point I could see Glencoe stretching out before me. As I slowly turned, taking in the grandeur, I gazed upon the beauty of Glen Etive, watching the rain make it's way towards me. I await that time of refreshing. It was a beautiful moment it would have been perfect if it was forever.

Years later I'm in the town. Life passes by with such a torrent that I'm never sure how long I can stop before I'm feeling swamped again. I think back to that mountain-top experience, and the peacefulness of that time envelopes me once again.

From the mountain-top the ascent has been overcome and all other mountains look like molehills in the distance. I reflect on that thought now and it stirs me to see things from God's perspective again. He lives on the mountain, inviting us to sit with him in heavenly places. I'm reminded that he is always with me, and that if he is for me then I can rest in his peace during the storm.

May his rest and peace be with us all as we climb our personal mountains.

Revolution to the max

2007-08-30T10:32:00.000Z

REVOLUTION: A complete turn-around. An overthrow of one system in place of another. To go round and round in circles.

These are just a few ways we can use the word 'revolution'. I wonder how we would apply it to our faith lives? I love the second definition - it tells us something of what God seeks to do in our lives:

To stop worshipping other stuff above God and to make Christ the object of all our worship and affection! I was at soul survivor this summer and was so encouraged to see young people from my Church losing themselves in worshipping God - laying aside all pride to cry out in adoration and awe of him who made us. It was awesome and moving and beautiful.

To live as 'people of the bible' rather than being moved by cultural trends and political correctness. To hold out the word of truth and speak up for God, for justice and for what's right. Don't just read it - live it!!

To love our fellow human beings like we love ourselves (and you got to admit we're pretty self-indulgent!) - to go the extra mile and serve others. To love enough to pray and then pray some more. To love enough to challenge. To love enough to connect - really connect - with people. To give people the gift of presence.

What does your revolution look like? Is your heart being transformed into the likeness of Christ? Does it beat with the love of God and weeping for the lost? Are your resources being used to extend the kingdom of God rather than building the altar of self?

Let's not just talk about revolution - let's live the revolution!! Let's take a stand for the stuff God is standing for. Let's take our lead from the greatest revolutionary leader there ever was or will be - Jesus Christ.

Let's follow Jesus, love God and love others - if we could do this consistantly we'd really be living the revolution.

Angst

2007-08-14T10:30:00.000Z

Today I'm full of 'angst'. No, I'm not reverting to being a teenager (fun as that would be!): I'm frustrated that life continues and the Church generally stops and has a picnic while people are falling apart and crying out for the love of God (although they often can't articulate that's their need!).

I found myself walking this morning and I was trying to pray for my Church and my town. I coulod not articulate the words I felt in my spirit. All I could pray was "RRRRRghhhh!!!" Not a brilliant prayer I must admit, but I just felt that words are not enough. Could it be that this is the Lord's prayer for his Church today? Indeed, the Spirit groans in prayer on behalf of the Church (read Romans 8).

I commited my life to god 15 years ago (I'd been in Church much longer than that, but it was then that the proverbial penny dropped!) and i told god I would do anything for him (he deserves no less!). My heart yearnns and longs with love to see the Church arise with power - to be a revolutionary force in the community, town and world.

A spiritual revolution will only come through spiritual angst. May God fill our hearts with prayers that are felt rather than uttered. May God stir us up to take the sword of the spirit and boldly proclaim it without fear of offense. May god fire us up with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. May we throw ourselves on the most revolutionary god-man that ever was. May we follow Jesus into righteous revolution!

Put out into deep water

2007-08-12T18:45:00.000Z

I seem to be continually challenged about not settling for the depth of relationship with God that I have, so when I read Luke 5 last night it was perhaps not surprising that I sensed God drawing me to this phrase:

"Put out into deep water"

Are we willing to follow Jesus' advice to 'go deeper' with Him?

Although this passage doesn't explicitly relate to our walk with God, it is a direct call for the disciples (and therefore, us!) to follow Him. Jesus has just finished teaching the crowds the 'word of God' (there's a great place to begin digging deeper into God!) and he turns to the fishermen and tells them how to do their job.

As I thought about that I wondered how we would feel if Jesus started to tell us how to live our lives. Yet that's exactly what he wants to do - he wants to show us how we can live more fruitful, fulfilling lives by doing things his way. He wants to be your life coach. He wants to be your spiritual director. He wants to at the helm of the boat that is your life.

Surprisingly, the fishermen do his bidding and are amazed and humbled at the result. The text tells us that they became followers of Jesus that day -that was the important result (rather than the number of fish caught!). This passage challenges me, and I hope it does you too (Luke 5:1-11).

Are we willing to leave our safe shores to "put out into deep water" so that Jesus can direct, humble and amaze us into being closer followers of Jesus?

Climb A tree

2007-07-19T13:53:00.000Z

I've been reading Luke 19:1-10 this week and I was struck by a phrase in the text. It is in verse 4 and it tells us that Zacchaeus (the tiny tax dude!) was 'seeking for Jesus' but that he could not see him becuase of the crowd. That really got my brain spinning round!

Firstly, are we actually seeking Jesus - you don't usually find what you're not looking for!

Secondly, what are the crowds in our lives? Is work our 'crowd' - too busy for Jesus? Is blogging our crowd - too busy with our thoughts for Jesus' words. Is myspace our crowd - too busy connecting with friends to connect with the Son of God who is the friend of sinners.

Thirdly, what will we do to escape the crowds and start searching seriously for Jesus? Zacchaeus actually climbed a tree!! The Message translation tells us he was 'desperate to see Jesus' - I believe he was! Are we willing to do whatever it takes to connect with Jesus.

He's always passing by, seeking for us (v10) - let's desperately seek after him.

Who am I?

2007-07-18T10:17:00.000Z

After 33 years you would think that I know the answer. The truth is we can only know who we are in the same measure as we know who God is. I've been greatly encouraged today with the truth that God is my heavenly Father - I know it's a simple truth, but sometimes the simple things are hardest to get hold of.

This ties in with the truth that "I am his beloved son, in whom he is well pleased". I am God's kid and his love is perfect even though I am not. Let that sink in about you:

You are God's kid and he loves you perfectly even though you are not perfect!!

That's amazing grace!

I've been listening to a band called "Casting Crowns" - I'll leave you with words from one of their songs.

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Rockin' or Radical? You decide!

2007-07-16T13:15:00.000Z

Reading 'the good samaritan' last week I was struck by the contrast between the 'religious' ones and the samaritan. a lady I know shared with me her opinion that much of the Church has a 'rocking chair mentality'. I began thinking about this, and on Sunday was privlidged enough to preach on it. the following is the bare bones of that talk.

Rocking chair christians SIT in the comfort of their pew expecting everyone else to get on with helping others.

Radical Christians SERVE where they are and GO out to those that need help.

Rocking Chair christians are SELFISH - they consume rather than serve. they aren't concerned with the needs of others. they don't love others - they just love to rock gently!

Radical Christians SACRIFICE everything to love God and others - the samaritan gave his wine, oil, time, donkey, money and reputation to help the wounded man! He dropped his own agenda to help the needy!

Rocking Chair christians are SOUL-LESS - they don't care about others enough to get out of their chair let alone their religious bubble.

Radical Christians see the need for SALVATION and will seek and save the lost whatever the cost. The samaritan saved the life of the wounded man.

Rocking Chair christians SEE God's words and seek to justify themselves like the religious scholar.

Radical Christians SUBMIT to God's word and let it mould them in Christlikeness.

Rocking or radical - where do you see yourself right now?

Stop rocking and start walking - what did Jesus tell us to do at the end of the samaritan story? He said, "Now you go and do the same".

Let's go.

(for a more accurate telling of the Samaritan story read Luke 10:25-37 (the Bible)

Don't Quit

2007-06-29T19:56:00.000Z

Ever have a bad week - me too. Me three. Me lots!

I'm burdened - by my own stupidity and the weight of living alongside others. yet in burden there is opportunity to let someone share the load.

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest - Jesus said that, so it must be true - Don't give up: let him partner with you under his yoke.

Simply trusting...

Filled and being filled?

2007-06-07T15:16:00.000Z

Are we already filled or do we need to be filled with the holy spirit?

I believe that we are all filled with the Holy Spirit at conversion. There is also the same desire at various other points in our faith lives. So, yes, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Yet at the same time we have the word of Paul to the Church in Ephesians 5:18: “Be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Paul was writing to Christian believers. The tense used here is present-future – meaning that Paul is saying be NOW filled with the Holy Spirit and KEEP ON being filled.

In my prayer life I am seeking to be filled with as much of God’s Spirit as possible, because I see that the more I allow the Holy Spirit to fill my life, the closer I will be in my walk with God through his son Jesus Christ.

Take time today to seeek for a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit so that you are growing ever closer to Father God.

reveal & conceal

2007-05-09T20:24:00.000Z

Having not blogged for a while my head is spinning with thoughts. I read a FAB passage from Matthew 11:25-30 that gave me a thought.

25At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.[g] 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Jesus prays to his Father (our glorious God!) thanking him for revealing and concealing stuff from various groups - concealing from those that think themselves to be clever, while revealing to those that are childlike.

In our faith we need simple childlike trust in our heavenly father - after all we are HIS children. Why not take a moment today - now - to drop all charades and masks and simply be the Father's Child? To lay every heavy load and burden at his doorstep and enjoy the rest he provides. Don't keep walking in heaviness - partner with Christ through life and experience the lightness of his burden - it's lighter than ours because he's with us!

He will give us rest.

He will teach us.

He will give you rest (stated twice just in case we're not sure it's true)

Who will? He will. And that's a promise!

Breaking through

2007-04-02T16:28:00.000Z

I've been haunted by a spectre. It's one that eludes me and is always near. It's the spectre of numbers. When was the last time you heard somebody in Church talking about 'how many' came to a meeting? Or how about phrases like, 'we're down/up on attendance compared with last year'? I hear stuff like this all the time. Go into any meeting of youth workers or ministers and very quickly the number crunching begins - we're fascinated by them because we see numbers as the main evidence of failure or sucess in our ministry.

Something about these conversations has always made me feel uncomfortable and I'm normally to be seen side-stepping the question in one way or another (normally by being sinfully super-spiritual!!). Well yesterday I had a revelation - rather, read a revelation!

The kingdom of God is not about numbers - it's about God working through His Church in a broken world to bring healing and restoration. How would it be if we stopped tlking about numbers and just allowed the Spirit and word of God to move in our lives and our congregations?

Imagine if God really turned up and began to heal our hurts and infuse our worship. Imagine if we were so touched by the love of God that it actually 'moved' us to love our neighbour rather than just talking about loving our neighbour. Imagine if we wanted to hear God's word so badly that we wouldn't leave the Church building until we were satisfied, and even then talked about it all the time. Imagine what would happen if I consistently displayed the fruit of the Spirit in my relationships. Imagine if we stopped to listen to those around us, and to respond with compassion.

People would then be touched by the kingdom of God - the kingdom would be breaking through into the reality of life around us. This is following Jesus. This is loving God. This is loving others. Will we let God's kingdom come in us? His kingdom is coming in the world - will we let it come into our lives?

Build

2007-03-25T15:20:00.000Z

An architect designs a grand building. He draws the plans, rolls them out on a rough wooden table in the middle of a muddy field, and then begins making bricks. He makes a brick and lays it on the ground. He makes another and places it beside the first. This continues until a wall is begun.

What is wrong with this picture?

You got it... the architect is involved in the building of his masterpiece, but he does not do it alone.

Jesus said to Peter, "...you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

Jesus is the architect of the Church - the Church is his building project, not ours. Youth ministry belongs to God, not us. But he does say to Peter that he will build the Church using him. Peter has just declared that Jesus is truly the son of God, and Jesus tells him he will build the Church on that truth.

But even more, Jesus uses those of us that will confess Jesus is the son of God to the glory of God the Father. He wants to use us. In fact at one point he said "the harvest is plentiful, the workers are few". We are his workers. We are his co-builders.

Will we commit our lives to building the Church of Christ with our confession of him, and our service to him? May we build the kingdom to the glory of God the father.

So Much More

2007-03-24T17:30:00.000Z

Recently I was in Whitby with my family. As we chatted we enjoyed space and time and we looked out to the horizon. It struck my wife that there is always so much more to see than what our eyes see in the horizon.

I thought about that as the next few hours passed by.

There is so much more.

These words hung in my mind, haunting me with their mystery.

There is so much more.

There is so much more.

Our horizon
I'm thinking about the horizon. And I'm thinking about how far the world stretches beyond it. And as I think I realise something. There is so much more to God. We think we have him labelled. We think we know Him. We believe we understand him. And I realise we are wrong. There is so much more to God. We've settled for a God as big as a harbour when he is bigger than the oceans.

The Bible says of God,

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable"

How big is God? Huge! He’s bigger than we can ever know. We cannot confine him or define him. We cannot think all there is to think about him or know all there is to know about him - but we can journey into him to know him better.

Are we content with our knowledge and experience of God? Can I encourage us to leave the safety of our ‘harbour thinking’ and adventure into the horizon with God? I am longing for so much more of God. I am discontent to be where I am in God. I want him more - so much more. I cannot contain him with my peanut brain. I am longing to travel with God into the unknown so that I can know him more.

The horizon is only the beginning. It's the first step in the journey. At the end of that horizon where we know God that bit better, we are bound to see that the horizon is still ahead of us - there is so much more and there always will be, but the journey to the end of the horizon will teach us amazing things about God as we grow in our knowledge and experience of him.

Dream. Pray. Ask. Seek. Knock. God will reveal himself in the so much more as we journey into him.

Restless

2007-03-20T15:08:00.003Z

My wife and I slept so badly last night so today we are tired and grumpy. Not a brilliant way to start a blog - I know. Not very encouraging - I know. Not very interesting - I know!

But it got me thinking about what makes me tired. I am tired. But it's not just the lack of sleep. I'm tired of the status quo. I'm tired of going through the spiritual motions just so theat I can feel good about my faith, yet attaining little for the kingdom of God. I want something more! How about you?

I was playing guitar and screeching like a cat the other day and I began singing a Matt Redman song I know from about ten years ago. The words went:

We will give ourselves no rest
till your kingdom comes on earth;
you've positioned watchmen on the walls.
Now our prayers will flow like tears,
for you've shaed your heart with us;
God of heaven, on our knees we fall.

As I sang the song I began to feel restless for God's kingdom to come here on earth as in heaven. Can you feel that restlesness within you? You know there is so much more that God wants to do through his Church in his world. I'm convinced that God does not want us to settle for the status quo. There are thousands in our home towns that are lost without hope and without God. They need Christ's help. They need a Church that rises in the power of the Spirit with healing in her wings. They need to hear God's word preached passionately and with power. They need God's kingdom to be proclaimed as it was in the apostle's day.

God chose us to be his messengers of hope to a hurting world. We should be restless to see God bring that hope through us.

May our restlessness give way to prayer that cries out for God to move in power. And may we draw strength and courage from his word to hold onto the promise of the coming kingdom. May we be restless enough to go into all the world with Christ's hope.

Lord let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Enthusiasm

2007-03-14T10:44:00.000Z

I love to be enthused about something that really counts. I am especially enthusiastic about loving God and sharing that with others. In fact I've been accused at times of being too enthusiastic (as if that were possible!). I am convinced that as followers of Jesus we should be enthusiastic about loving God and loving others. We should be enthusiastic about seeking his face and understanding his word. We should be enthusiastic about sharing Christ Jesus with others. Enthusiasm is often mistaken for the shallowness of 'youthful zeal'. I'm at the stage of life that I am not sure I can really be called 'youthful' yet my 'enthusiasm' for God is not waning - rather it is growing the more I get to know God and grow in my understanding of his word.

So what is enthusiasm?

Webster's dictionary (1913 edition) gives the following definition:
Enthusiasm \En*thu"si*asm\, n. [Gr. ?, fr. ? to be inspired or
possessed by the god

There's a definition I can go for! When we are inspired by God and our lives belong to him we should naturally be enthused about all that he is and does. Perhaps the problem is not that some of us are enthusiastic, but rather most of us are unenthusiastic!

What are we to be enthusiastic about?

God. Think about it - he's the living creator of the universe; he holds the world in his hands; he's phenomonal; he's unconditionally loving; he's utterly uncontolable; he's indisposable; he's magnificently merciful; he's indescribable; he's all of this and so much more. Why should we not be enthusiastic about loving this God who has moved hell and high-water to be in loving relationship with us? - who sent his only son to the cross to die in our place! Why should we not be excited to speak of him? Why should we try to hide our admiration and adoration of him?

If the bible is true (and it is!) we have so much to be enthusiastic about. May we follow Jesus, love God and love others, with all the depth of devotion and enthusiasm that we possibly can.

Every blessing in Jesus

the need to pray

2007-03-12T16:15:00.001Z

seems obvious to say it but we need to be praying. I'm working really hard at my youth work stuff - speaking, preaching, making a fool of myself for Christ, chatting, sharing, working, worshipping...

...it can be tiring as well as exciting stuff (and it's very exciting!). Yet, I see the real need is not for more activity or excitement - it's to be where God is. It's to be seeking his face rather than his blessing. It's to be quiet...listening...learning from the wisest in the universe. To be with God...in relational prayer.

In Exodus 3 Moses has the most exciting meeting with the living God. It both excites and terrifies him (God can be like that! youth work can be like that!), but then God began to share the burden of his heart with Moses. He told of a people crying out for freedom. How we need to listen to our father's heart to hear his concern for those crying out for spiritual and physical freedom. How we need our hearts to be broken for God.

Then our work will have purpose - because God will show us the needs and...ask us to help. He will show us what TO DO. Our doing must be preceded by waiting and listening to God.

May we wait upon the Lord so that he will show us the stuff he wants done - then we will speak, preach, making fools of ourselves for Christ, chat, share, work and worship AS UNTO GOD. And I'm sure we will love doing it!!

Let's pray...

I wanna get out of here!!!

2007-02-05T15:18:00.000Z

I was in Church the other day and I was so bored. I should have known to run out when I heard the first song - we sing it EVERY week and it drives me crazy! Do you ever have those moments when you are sure that this is not planet earth, but rather that you've been cast into infernal hell?! It was one of those moments. I know... I should have cut and run - got as far away from that place as possible - but I couldn't... I work for the Church.

Anyway, we've gone through chorus hell and are ready to sit down, when this three year old kid verbalises very vocally (he shouts with no shame!) "I WANNA GET OUT OF HERE!!!" I could've laughed as on the inside I imagined myself screaming back at him, "SO DO I!!"

But Church shouldn't be like that - I should never be bored with meeting with God. And that makes me want to question two things:

1. My attitude
2. The Churche's relevance

First, my attitude. I need to ask myself frequently, "is my attitude to Church a right attitude?"

Do we go to Church to give God praise, or to 'have a great time'? I think it should be both, but we need to be going to Church expecting to give God praise - after all, we worship for his benefit, not ours!

Tied in with this question is the idea of expecting to hear from God when we go to Church. When I go to Church am I asking God to speak to me (even through the familiar!)?

Then there's the second question I have - the Church's relevance. I'm convinced that Church should be, and can be, relevant to us all. I'm sure of this because worshipping God is a relevant discipline for every believer. Also because the truths of God shown in scripture are intentionally relevant to every human being.

I think the Church in Britian generally speaking needs a quick kick in the butt to become more relevant (especially to teens!). We're so busy trying to maintain the status quo that we're missing the fact that that the world is a fast-paced and changing place (not to mention the fact that every moment we waste millions slip into a lost eternity!). I don't think we should be adpoting every idea from 'the world' but we could use the creativity God has given us to reflect our worship back to him!

Let's start with a basic characteristic - JOY - let our Churches be joy-filled places where we are encouraged to reach out more to God and to others. Or another attribute - BE LOVING - show acceptance and welcome strangers as old friends. The early Church father Tertullian was struck by the Churches' love - If God is love let him fill every member to flood-point so that our Chuches are bursting with love, concern and compassion for all people. Love God and love your neighbour - if we are truly Christians we would do this. It's not that God can't or won't do it - rather that we don't let him in! WE ONLY DO WHAT WE TRULY BELIEVE. What would observers think we believe from our services?

I love the Church. I desire to see us being all that God wants us to be - full of his fruit that is the evidence of his being in our hearts faith commnuities and our hearts.

So, my attitude - go and be the difference as God does his work of changing my heart (cos that's part of his church!). In seeing the Church's faults I'm really seeing my faults so perhaps it's me that needs the spiritual kick in the butt. Think I'll go read 1 John now.

sent out to save & love the world

2006-12-02T21:34:00.000Z

“Sent out to the End”

Luke 21:25-36
25"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
29He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32"I tell you the truth, this generation[a] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

In recent weeks at our Church we have been looking at the subject of being “sent out” into the world. We remember that this stems from Christ’s commission to the Church in Matt 28:19-20.

19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Looking at these words of Jesus, we can see that in Christ’s mind an end would come. This is not normally the case with us – we have hopes and dreams. We hope to make it through whatever trials we face with the hope of a better future. We hope we can be happy in life. We look forward to our children’s successes – graduation; marriage; grandchildren. We look forward to retirement. There normally seems more to look forward to than what we have. Could it be that we are wired by God to have hope for brighter tomorrows?

In Christ’s mind an end would come – there was a future to be looked forward to; there would be an eternity with God. The apostles carried o this theme in their writings:

Paul wrote about “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Peter encouraged the Church to persevere in living godly and holy lives because the end would come like a thief:

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.[a]
11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b]That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

In 2 Peter 3:10-12 Peter’s wording agrees with our reading in Luke 21 – the end will not be a happy occasion for every human. He tells us destruction will come. Luke talks about nations being in anguish (v25) and men fainting from terror (v26). Not exactly joy to the world with this coming of Christ!

So how are we to respond to these things? Are we left thinking that God is cruel to be the destroyer and bringer of terror? I believe the answer is given in the Great Commission – we are to go and tell the world about the gracious love of God. It is because judgment will come upon the world that we are to go and share Christ with our friends, families, neighbours and strangers.

Why do we share Christ with the world? At the simplest level, because Christ shared himself with the world and with us. Why are we sent out in mission? God’s mission today is to transform this present, tired old world so that it resembles more and more the new world he will one day create, and to gather together the community which is destined to live in it - a community, entered by faith and centred on the cross, whose present name is ‘the church’ (from www.emergingevangelism.com). Jesus loves this world so much that he sent us into the world to shine and speak out for him.

If anything, the verses we have heard read tonight should sober us each to our Christ-given calling. It seems that when the end comes there will be great confusion and even suffering – yet God loves the world. For the Christian there is hope:

Verse 28 tells us, when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

For the Christian there is a coming redemption – this should fill us with hope at one day seeing our Christ-redeemer face to face. Our faith will be fully realised and we will spend eternity with God.

But for those who have lived without acknowledging God in there lives there is reason for anguish and terror – God has called his Church to share Christ with people so that redemption comes to as many as believe. It was love for the world that compelled Christ to take up the cross and die (John 3:16).

Does love compel us tonight to consider being bold and sharing our faith until the end comes? Do we care for those that are living without Christ? Are we willing to live our lives in such a way that others are drawn into relationship with our loving God?

Eternity will come like a thief. We do not know when, but we need to be sure that we are being faithful to the commission of Christ to his Church – Go and preach the Gospel (and if necessary use words. Live different. Where the world has mixed values, may we live holy and honest lives that glorify God and bring a smile to his wonderful face.

In the passage Luke shows us many important things, of which we shall take two:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

If we are to be sent out to share the truth of God, we need to know the truth. God’s word is his revealed truth to the world – we are to live and share this with those we meet. Read the bible regularly – get to know personally what God’s word says – then we will be more confident about what we are sharing. Imagine you read the football scores in the paper every day – soon you would be confident enough to talk about football with others. Having a knowledge of what we believe gives us greater confidence to speak of it.

Secondly, Luke encourages us to Be always on the watch, and pray (v36). Pray for those you meet that they will meet with Christ through you. We are encouraged all through the bible to pray – it makes ALL the difference to us and to those for whom we pray – do not underestimate the power of your prayers! If they did not make a difference, God would not tell us to pray. Do you find sharing your faith hard – pray that God will make it easier for you – you may be surprised at how he answers your prayer.

In closing, we have seen that there will be an end to our world as we know it. For the believer there is a coming redemption that inspires hope within us. For the unbeliever there is a coming judgment that should motivate us into being ‘sent out’ to share God’s Gospel message of grace, love and mercy. As we share our faith we have God’s word to help us and give us confidence, as well as the prayer, through which we seek God’s advice and help, as well as to ask God’s blessing upon those we are ‘sent out’ to share with.

As we consider Christ’s thief-like return, let us stop for a moment to pray for ourselves and our world.

spiritual lethargy

2006-10-12T08:42:00.000Z

I am tired today - my boy is waking in the night at the moment, which means I am too, and it's taking it's toll. It's true that if we don't rest we will be tired, sluggish, probably grumpy and have a lack of energy.

The same is true of our spiritual life. When we don't 'rest' in God the same occurs in our spirit. We need to wait on God so that we can be renewed in our spirit. Do you feel tired and heavy laden - rest in God and bring your burdens to him. Let him be your vitamin - he will pick you up!

Jesus said, "Come to me those of you that are tired and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest for your souls". Simply...come.

I know I need to do this now. Every blessing to you this day.

world cup blues?!

2006-07-10T15:43:00.000Z

Well it's all over - Italy have the title for the next 4 years and Scotland & England have time to improve. We held a world cup youth event last night and it was fab - well done the lads for playing so well.. I mean the band that played at half time - you guys are brill!! Well done.

Gratitude to everyone that came - you are the event!!

What's the goal of all this - I hope we each aim to be lovers of God and people and to follow Jesus who is the saver of the weak, and the lonely, and the hurting, and the lost, and the losers, and the sucessful, and the beautiful, and the young (who often are rejected by the Church).

If you are any of the above (and I'm many of the above!) remember Jesus' words:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Ever thought about really following Jesus - I did about 14 years back and I made it my goal to follow all the time. Life changed...

...for the better (still hard sometimes though, but now I know he's helping me along!).

Think about setting these three goals as aims for your life:

Love God with everything you have
Love people the way you want to be loved
Follow Jesus - his lifestyle example and his awesome teaching

Maybe you're doing that already - stick in there! If not and you want to know how to, speak to us, phone us email us, chat to someone you trust, ask a vicar, read a bible, say a prayer - do something!

England may have bailed on the world cup, but I'm excited about life with God, and excited to be spending time with you guys.

Till Tuesday - stay smiling!

Stu & Jen x

GOOAALL!!!

2006-06-28T13:59:00.000Z

With all the footie on at the moment you can't fail to escape it (even if you are Scottish like me! - tough luck Scottish team - you only had to ask me!). I'm thinking about my life goal - to be used by God as he wills in turning others to Christ so thay we all aim for three Goals. They would be:

Love God
Love others
Follow Jesus

How cool would it be if we'd just do those three hardly simple things? For more about these goals I'd recommend you look at www.thesimpleway.org and www.purposedrivenlife.com. Also, check out Matthew 22 in the Bible (the greatest commandment).

Make God's goals your goals and you can't lose (even if it seems your luck's out part way though the game!).

All the Best

Stu

trees that kill?!!

2006-06-27T12:10:00.001Z

Thought I'd write a bit of meaningless drivel - just waiting for stuff to print off cos I got a meeting in a wee while. Just thinking how much paper I get through in a week printing like this. Thing is I need to print the stuff. Imagine if trees could tell what we do to them (maybe they can!!) - but imagine they wanted to get their revenge. Makes you want to not walk in forests - might never get out!!

What if your heart was the printer? Huh!

Well imagine every thought you had was printed out the top of your head on that weird hole-ridden printer paper - how freaked would you be? I'd be dying!! Imagine everyone knowing exactly what you think...about them, the world and everything? We'd have no mates!

Thing is, God sees it all so clearly - he knows the deepest, most scummy thoughts we can have - and he still says "I love you guys cos I'm your father God. I'll always love you cos I know you fully".

It strikes me that God is not striking me (down dead for the state of my heart!) - must mean he really does love us.

Worth thinking about, don't you think?!

See you, Stu

what's it mean to be a Christian?

2006-06-25T19:03:00.000Z

What does it mean to be a Christian? I'd like us to stop for a moment to think about our faith. How does our view of Christianity affect our faith? I came across the following paragraph recently, written by Josh McDowell. Read it slowly a number of times and let it sink in.

“Being a Christian is not about learning a system of correct performance or going through one programmatic course after another. It is about a personal spiritual revolution in which you experience Christ so intimately for who he really is and respond to him so completely in a love relationship that it continually transforms every aspect of your life”

How does this definition fit your view of Christianity? Read it again.

It strikes me that Josh is right, yet often we live our faith as if it was all about what we do rather than because we are unconditionally loved by God. The Church in the New Testament was not founded on rules and courses – They were a group of people that were totally devoted to Jesus - they loved him, and because they loved him they wanted to do the things he said. Their faith was about relating to Jesus. They lived to please him. They lived to love him. They lived to love each other because they loved him.

Josh is totally right - being a Christian is not about 'being good' or about 'being involved'. Being a Christian is all about experiencing Christ intimately. As we meet Christ and he begins to change our hearts our whole outlook on faith and life begins to change - it's like God births a spiritual revolution within us. As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17,

"If anyone is in Christ Jesus he is a new creation,
the old has gone, the new has come"

When our faith is based on relating to God through Christ Jesus something new happens within us. His Spirit begins to work at transforming from the inside out. Life takes on a whole new meaning.

I could not be a Church youth worker if I did not personally know God. To be honest it would drive me crazy!! It is only through God we have the character to do what we do and the strength in which to do it. In your work what do you depend on - leaders, are you depending on the youth programme, or the written materials you use? Young people, are you in a relationship with God that makes you want to live different? When we depend on programmes and systems we may find ourselves getting tired and weary, even to the point of rejecting faith. When we depend on God, looking to him to guide us and strengthen us, we can stay fresh and enjoy the work we do for him. Let’s remind ourselves of the definition we read earlier:

"Being a Christian is about a personal spiritual revolution in which you experience Christ so intimately for who he really is and respond to him so completely in a love relationship that it continually transforms every aspect of your life"

May we all experience Christ intimately for who he really is, and may we all respond to him in that love relationship that transforms every aspect of our lives.

all the best on the journey

Stu-Mack