This weekend God was to be found in a water fight, in a bowling alley, in group discussions, on a skate ramp, in talks, with folk enjoying good food, and even with folk wearing good food.
The annual Crossover youth weekend was AWESOME!!!
Many thanks to all those who helped make this weekend possible with their generosity of time, love, prayers, money and smiles!
Today is St. George's Day and William Shakespeare's birthday.
Today is a day to celebrate deck chairs, fish and chips, castles, queueing, real ale, being the under dog, talking about the weather and looking forwad to St. Patrick's Day.
And never forget that being English is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.
From the office window I can see a man in the car park using a leaf blower. As he blows the leaves into a small pile the wind scatters them again. I hope he gets paid by the hour!
It makes me wonder whose day is more futile; the man blowing the leaves or the man watching him?
The wind blows to the south; it blows to the north. It blows from direction and then another. Then it turns round and repeats the same pattern, going nowhere. Ecclesiastes 1:6
Yesterday morning a friend was telling me about how someone had likened life's struggles and God's healing to a tangled necklace.
That afternoon Abby came running up to me and announced that she had found her necklace. It had been missing for months! Sadly, it was all tangled and knotted and she couldn't wear it.
I soon discovered that my chubby fingers, short nails and even shorter patience were not the ideal combination for the task.
Thank God that He alone is able to untangle our knots and restore our beauty.
It was suggested to me that the guys discipleship group should meet in Starbucks for a few weeks. After thinking and praying for almost a second, it was clear that this is exactly what God wanted.
Being all bundled up in a towel while having her hair dried, Abby was unable to deal with the itch in her ear. A quick scratch in the right place from Dad and all was well again.
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
The relationship between study and application has always interested and challenged me. We clearly need both. To only have one is a bit like using a see-saw on your own...not much fun.
How much should study influence application?
How much should application influence study?
I wonder (always dangerous) if a healthy relationship between the two is a bit like trampolining.
Let me try and explain.
Scripture is a trampoline and I am the person on the trampoline. As I push into scripture it propels me into action. As I return from my action I go a bit deeper into scripture and that propels me in to greater action, and so it continues.
The deeper I go, the bigger the bounce, the greater the joy!
With Thursday being the warmest day in the UK this year it was only slightly surprising to wake up to the biggest snowfall of the year...so far!
I had planned to get some photos of the snow after church, but sadly it has pretty much disappeared already. Fortunately I did have the foresight to take at least one picture earlier in the day. Seeing a spring flower covered in snow reminded me of a conversation I had with Abby a few weeks ago.
Abby: Dad.
Me: Yes.
Abby: What's the opposite of left?
Me: Right.
Abby: Dad, what's the opposite of up?
Me: Down.
Abby: Dad, what's the opposite of standing?
Me: Sitting. (I'm beginning to wonder where this is going and how long it might go on for!)
I was thinking about joy this morning and I was curious as to what a quick Google and images search would produce.
Shopping and sex.
My next stop was my concordance.
I was interested to discover that one of the three times joy is mentioned in the book of Matthew, also happens to be in the same verse I was thinking about last week in connection with the word everything.
Any guesses?
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold everything he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44
What I love about this is not only the total committment to God but the absolute joy in doing so.
The man didn't check to see what money he had in the bank or what he could reasonably afford. He sold everything in order to buy the field to get the treasure buried within it.
And even better, he didn't act out of a sense of duty or obligation or guilt, he was motivated by joy.
True, lasting and meaningful joy, drove this man to a whole-hearted course of action that cost him everything, but gained him everything too.
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
My boss gave me a book to read yesterday; The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. When this happens you feel kind of obliged to read it. Given that it was also highly recommended by, among others, Tony Campolo, Rob Bell, Tom Sine and Brian McClaren I really felt I should give it some attention.
I’m only half way through the book, but I am already extremely challenged by its message. It confirms a message that has been coming to me time and again over the last two weeks from a wide range of different sources. The message in its most basic form is, live simply so others can simply live. However, I think that requires some explanation as it is very easy to misinterpret that as nothing more than the naive dream of a liberal, social activist.
Forty years ago today Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. If there is one thing he is remembered for saying it is, “I have a dream.” These days the prevailing dream in the world is probably what has become known as the American dream. I think it is more accurate to talk of the Selfish dream, as the values embodied within it are to be found as much in Europe and the rest of the western world as they are in America.
For me living simply so others can simply live is about not only rejecting the Selfish dream but embracing the Community dream. It is about embracing a dream where the needs of others are at least as equally important to me as my own needs. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the law and the writings of the prophets depend on these two commands.”
If we truly loved God with our whole life then it would be a natural overflow of that love for us to love our neighbours as ourselves. We are very good at loving ourselves, making sure we are well cared for and having many things beyond those that we need. We work hard to surround ourselves with comfort and avoid suffering. The truth is we don’t work anything like as hard to alleviate the suffering of those around us. We should weep and repent over our selfish indifference. To quote MLK once again; “At the end of the twentieth century most of us will not have to repent of the great evil we have done, but of the great apathy that has prevented us from doing anything.”
Following Jesus is not just about personal holiness anymore than it is just about community living. Following Jesus is about both. All and Everything. Whole life discipleship that affects every single aspect of or lives. The featured topic of the day on desiringgod.org is, “Faithfulness Is Better Than Life - Faithfulness means that you trust God and obey, no matter what impact it has on your safety or standard of living.” In answering the question, what does it mean that faithfulness is better than life, John Piper suggests that it means to “set your face like flint against the American dream.”
Anyone who knows me and who is reading this is probably thinking, “What a hypocrite! Who are you to say any of that to anybody else?” They would be right to think that. I haven’t got it right, not even close. I just want to begin to respond to the challenge. I want to respond to the love of God in a way that changes me, not comforts me. I have said before that I have some fear about going to Ghana in the summer. Today I still have that fear, but I don’t know whether is a fear of how much it might change me or a fear that it won’t change me at all!
I stumbled across this youtube clip while getting my thoughts together for this blog post. It is well worth 3 or 4 minutes of your time.
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Just found the cheque I forgot to post weeks ago, doing it now.
Again, sorry
Nick
In an attempt to be gracious (and ever so slightly mischievous) I sent the following reply:
Nick
No worries.
God
It got me thinking though and reminded me of a song by Godfrey Birtil.
THERE'S A LOT OF PAIN, but a lot more healing There’s a lot of trouble but a lot more peace There’s a lot of hate but a lot more loving There’s a lot of sin but a lot more grace
Oh outrageous grace oh outrageous grace Love unfurled by heaven’s hand Oh outrageous grace oh outrageous grace Through my Jesus I can stand
There’s a lot of fear but a lot more freedom There’s a lot of darkness but a lot more light There’s a lot of cloud but a lot more vision There’s a lot of perishing but a lot more life
There’s an enemy That seeks to kill what it can’t control It twists and turns Making mountains out of molehills But I will call on my Lord Who is worthy of praise I run to Him and I am saved
This weekend God was to be found in a water fight, in a bowling alley, in group discussions, on a skate ramp, in talks, with folk enjoying good food, and even with folk wearing good food.
Today is St. George's Day and William Shakespeare's birthday.
Whilst Abby was doing some painting the other day she looked up at me and said, "This is not the best day of my life."
It is windy here today.
I don't remember being five, but I'm sure it was great.
Yesterday morning a friend was telling me about how someone had likened life's struggles and God's healing to a tangled necklace.
Like any child Abby asks a lot of questions, the answers to which always lead on to more questions!
If there is one thing that most people know about chameleons, it is their ability to change colour and blend in with their surroundings.
There is lots of noise and lots of distraction around us all the time. This can make it very hard to hear God's voice.
It was suggested to me that the guys discipleship group should meet in Starbucks for a few weeks. After thinking and praying for almost a second, it was clear that this is exactly what God wanted.
Yesterday morning Abby called me into the other room to "come and see a giant carrot on the wall".
Abby: Dad, you are the most beautiful daddy in the world.
The relationship between study and application has always interested and challenged me. We clearly need both. To only have one is a bit like using a see-saw on your own...not much fun.
With Thursday being the warmest day in the UK this year it was only slightly surprising to wake up to the biggest snowfall of the year...so far!
I was thinking about joy this morning and I was curious as to what a quick Google and images search would produce. 
My boss gave me a book to read yesterday; The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. When this happens you feel kind of obliged to read it. Given that it was also highly recommended by, among others, Tony Campolo, Rob Bell, Tom Sine and Brian McClaren I really felt I should give it some attention.
