Pressing On

I have been reading recently, and taking the opportunity over the quieter holiday period, to think about stillness. Three notable reads that I would recommend are "In the stillness" (Jock Anderson), "Too busy not to pray - Slowing down to be with God" (Bill Hybels) and "In the Name of Jesus" (Henri Nouwen) None of them present anything particularly new, or radical, in content - however they each point to a lifestyle that is radically different to that which we all seem to be living in this day and age ... particularly as we engage increasingly in social media. "the archenemy of spiritual authenticity is busyness, which is closely tied to something the Bible calls worldliness - getting caught up with this society's agenda, objectives and activities to the neglect of walking with God... time is required."(Hybels p100) So how do we live the authentic Christian life in a deep and meaningful way? They each point the reader to some helpful hints an...

Permit me if you will to give a little personal testimony that will help frame my motivation for obedience to Christ and for yieldedness - which I proposed was the key to a fruitful life in my last blog. I became a Christian at University, at the age of 19. I had little exposure to Church before that and was not 'seeking' or 'in a crisis' ... Therefore I could only conclude that I was 'sought out' ... But by whom and why? The short answer to this is that I believe it was the Living God in order for me, the created, to enjoy a relationship with Him, the Creator. A passage of Scripture that became very special to me, very early on in my Christian life, and one which has framed all my subsequent decision making was Philippians 3:10-12 (NIV). In this passage the Apostle Paul writes: " I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrec...

Can you hear it? What is God doing in the world today? What deep God-given longings stir in your hearts? UK Revival Prophecy: Smith Wigglesworth 1947 Shortly before he passed into glory he prophesied, “During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it, and will be characterised by the restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches. In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say, ‘This is a great revival.’ But the Lord says, ‘No, neither is this the great revival but both are steps towards it.’ When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidence in the churches of something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the word and those with an emphasis on the Spir...

So what is the final area in which we should seize the day? Carpe diem: knowing Jesus ... Taking every opportunity given to you to get to know Jesus more fully! Early in our time in Africa an older missionary took me to one side and shared something in a way that only older missionaries can: God had brought me there not because of the things I was going to do. He’d brought me because of the things He wanted to do in me, and through me. There then followed two of the most formative years that we have ever known. The thing I took most of all from this time was the need to serve God above all else, to commit our lives to doing what He wants to do, and to reap the reward that comes from serving Him and others. Ultimately, it was a period when something broke inside me and I understood for the first time that I was no longer my own and that he was Lord of my life - in a real sense, not a conceptual one. Seize the day Seizing the day is about taking every opportunity that God presents to us....

Having shared a little of my experience of my arrival in Africa as a Short term worker it might be good to explore why short term work is important ... Carpe diem: extending the Kingdom I firmly believe that the Church, who believe and proclaim a message that God lives and speaks, should be the path of least resistance through whom God might speak to communities His words of comfort, hope, truth and love.... Carpe diem! Short-term mission has an increasing and important impact on the growth of the Church across the world, and is one way in which we can "go into all the world" with our message. It is also a way in which the gifts and skills of a larger number of people can be enhance the long-term work and vision of others. In Missions as in the business world, organizations are having to re-examine their strategies to integrate a generation with a short-term or 'seasonal' pattern to life. This is is not something for Mission agencies to "tolerate", but rathe...

It is a long time since I posted anything here on my blog ... It is not that my life was on hold - in fact just the opposite! Anyway, I was recently asked to write an article for a mobilizing/recruitment magazine on the aforementioned theme. Which gives me the opportunity to 'seize the day', break the article down into four sections and post it on my blog ... So there will be a little more activity over the next few days. Of course if, reading this, you want to step out and engage with what WEC is seeking to do in the world today then either check out the website (www.wec-int.org.uk) or post a comment and I'll get back to you! Our first steps into overseas Christian work started with a short-term posting for two years in Senegal, West Africa. I was recently married, no kids, just graduated and looking for adventure ... Now, 20 years later, I'm still very happily married, with four kids/young adults, still learning and still looking for adventure! Part 1 - Arriving! Car...

Sometimes when we get to the end of the week we can look back and wonder what has been accomplished. Especially when the previous week seemed to fly by in a blur! Busyness can be deathly to a good spiritual life - if rushing from one thing to another becomes the focus of our energies, and we never feel as though we are accomplishing anything. Paul Yonghi Cho wrote "God is omnipresent (everywhere at the same time) but He is never in a hurry." Which I do believe to be true, however, this does not mean that moving quickly from place to place necessarily equates to being a rush ... We can know real peace and be confident of His presence at all times - nurturing that attitude is the key. So as I looked back on the last week I thought to myself, in the midst of the busyness and travelling what have been the highlights and where have I seen God at work ... On Sunday we went to St Marks Church in Versailles ... And enjoyed a weekend with Friends in Paris. It was wonderful to see what...

With the intent of writing something each week at the back of my mind I realize, with a very small sense of disappointment, that it is some time since I wrote anything ... Not that there has been nothing to write about ... Very much the opposite in fact!! Over the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to spend 10 days in Germany at a meeting of International Leaders from around the WEC world to plan and discuss future strategy and direction of the work of WEC worldwide. It is always a privilege to meet together with others from our international fellowship - and whilst we might not see each other very often our life together in Christ, which expresses itself in shared aims and objectives, is a rich blessing to be enjoyed! No sooner had we returned from this then we were straight into the UK Conference here at Bulstrode for all UK workers and ministries. Again, whilst there is much diversity it is always an encouragement to regroup twice a year, refocus, share, pray and encourage ea...

WEC's vision is to see 1200 new workers join us, to see Churches established amongst 33 of the least reached people groups, in 180 new locations around the world ... All over the next 8 years!!! - What kind of people do we need to join us in fulfilling this vision? CT Studd the founder of WEC wrote of the following qualities of people who should think of joining the work of WEC International some 75 years ago ... People gripped by a vision (Rev 5:9) - not people interested in a theory. People apprehended by Christ - not people employed by a mission. People hungry for a fight - not people gorged with educational schemes People who will obey to the uttermost - not people who wish to "do what they can"! This has not changed, and whilst it might sound fanatical, these words really only describe the level of passion and commitment that Jesus expects from all His disciples, whether or not they become missionaries ... The need for people like this is still real and the challenge...

Just come back from a week in Devon, sunning myself, reading and generally refreshing myself for the next few weeks - which are fully booked to say the least! But, having read the last blog post, I am also working hard to remain in the 'place of rest' ... And even fall asleep with Jesus in the boat as it were. (Read it for these comments to make any sense at all!) So, this week a few thoughts on good books I have read, and some software I have been playing around with for some weeks - and which have proved to be extremely helpful for me in this role ... I know they won't suit everyone and there are a few things that you need to be aware of; My job involves a lot of travel ... Locally, nationally and Internationally. I need constant access to files, docs and email ... I am not a naturally organised person .... I could never get on with a Filofax, because you needed to be organised enough to remember to take it with you ... And I was never that organised. So some very helpful...

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at the WEC Holland Conference ... A bit of a road trip with my son, which was very good, but also the opportunity to meet with other folks whose commitment to know and serve their Lord has led them through many and various journeys is always an encouragement. The caramel waffles that are so popular is also a great reason to visit this country!!! In preparation for this conference I was pondering the words of Luke 8 ... Where it is written.... Luke 8:22-25 (NIV) One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he aske...

The theme of worship is an interesting one ... It impacts on structure, tradition, culture, personality, expectations, style, attitude ... But if collective worship is done well, it is such an enriching environment in which to grow as a believer ... Experientially not just theoretically ... Note I use the word environment and not experience! What strengthens? Whenever we meet together as believers, be it small groups, large groups we should come away feeling A/ encouraged B/ strengthened C/ developed in our gifting D/ equipped for life/ministry Personally and corporately - Do you feel that when you leave a Church meeting each time? Too many leave Church feeling discouraged, bored, annoyed, unchanged etc etc Worship is both a noun and a verb ... Each individual believer has the responsibility to express him/herself outwardly in worship, through whatever means are open to that individual in every area of life. One expression of that is the corporate worship service of a...

In John's gospel we read "Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." What do we see the Father doing? And do we join in or carry on as usual? Is it something different He is doing 'today' or is it something He has been doing for some time ... a trend as it were? It is a mixture of both no doubt, but to have the capacity to have a discerning heart is a wonderful gift, and one that needs to be nurtured ... As I sat at home one morning last week, looking out across the fields (I am blessed to live in a very beautiful place) the mist was filling the valley between the hill and the trees ... Eventually the sun rose and broke through, bringing it's warming light, which then had two effects - it dispelled the mist and brought clarity to the vision before me - in other words in place of the hazy vision of greenness I could...

In 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV) the Apostle Paul wrote "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." It struck me afresh how important "hope" is ... This was brought home in stark fashion this week as we saw the traumatic scenes in Japan, where thousands are still missing, but hundreds are "camping" on gymnasium floors. However they have a 'hope' that the Japanese Government or International Community have the infrastructure and resources to deal with this and that they will eventually be able to return back to what they had before. I hope there confidence is well placed. I was struggling as I remembered those millions around the world who would, if given the chance, probably trade their lives for those Japanese people living on the gymnasium floors. Again, the pictures that bombarded all of us who watched any of the Comic Rel...

Another week done and a week of watching events unfold in other areas of the world that seem to have a surreal apocalyptic nature the them, having the luxury of viewing this from a distance can lead to a sense of helplessness and disconnectedness. It is encouraging to see the UK Government offering support, but I am waiting for the inevitable backlash from those who feel that we, in the UK, should not be spending any money supporting those overseas when we have such cutbacks here in the UK. I hope the Government will have the strength of conviction to press on ... a dose of perspective is what is needed at times, to stop us being inward looking! What can we do to the people of Japan? ... Pray for them of course! As for the rest of the week, which seems so mundane in comparison with the other events on the world scale!! On Monday we attended the funeral of a very special lady, Dr Helen Kennedy, who had first arrived on West African soil as a WEC missionary in 1954. What then followed w...

The turmoil that is going on across the Middle East and North Africa, has dominated my thoughts and prayers this week, and has had an effect on the working week ... One knock-on effect of the crisis in Libya, is the almost 100,000 displaced people, forced out of their adopted countries due to the fighting. We spent time as a family praying for this situation and everyone around the table was asked 'what would you take if we only had one suitcase into which all we could take with us was placed?' an interesting topic of conversation. (Incidentally, throughout our time in Africa we always had an emergency bag in case we needed to evacuate quickly, so it was not quite as unusual exercise as it might have been for them.) but this is also an opportunity to give of our time and effort to support the people so deeply affected by this, so it was a real privilege to work with other Christians to bring teams together to go and support the humanitarian effort taking place on the border. Th...

So, last week was the half-term holiday! Which meant, of course, that we have the children at home needing entertaining at various stages and in various ways. Thankfully, we have The flexibility and opportunity to have a little change in the normal course of events to have time at home with them. This week involved many trips, one was to the Library with the littlest one, to get some books, and whilst I was there I decided to indulge myself with some Agatha Christie books. It never cease to amaze me that, even after nearly 30 years of reading them there still seem to be many more titles that I have not yet enjoyed! I don't think I have ever got to the end of a book having worked out 'whodunnit!' - and that includes my trip to the Theatre last year to watch 'Mousetrap' - I know who did by the way, but won't let on! And so it was this week that I found myself reading 'Appointment with death!' ... That was interesting, but what drew my attention was this qu...

The last week could be summed up in one word ... Hassle! But was it any more 'hassle-ful' than any other week? I don't think so - or was it how I tackled it? Definately Yes! Hassle comes from a whole host of sources, some my own making and some the makings of other people ... but wherever the cause of my hassles I have a choice in how I respond to them - that is always my choice! So what are some of the hassles last week? Losing half a tooth ... (sorted now thanks to Oscar, my Spanish dentist), juggling work between the normal office and home (drop box is great, but you need to remember to put key documents in it.) Snatching moments between dropping one child here, and another there and then finding you don't have the document you need ... good to have Kindle readers and good books on hand! Okay, so really I'm not good at multi-tasking in the way my wife does with such ease!!! Okay ... emails, admin, too! All seem to crowd into the areas of work and life that bring...

And so we come to the end of week 5 ... I have had the challenge of juggling many different balls as my wife continues to recover from the operation on her shoulder. It was a very busy week of meetings anyway, but the additional demands have meant that at about 3pm on Saturday and Sunday I hit a wall of tiredness that was best succumbed to .... I always considered that siesta was a good thing throughout my seven years in Africa!!! Perhaps I should start a campaign to see it established as part of the working day here in the UK! One thing that constant demands from other people can bring the surface is our pride. Especially when, as is my case, you are a borderline introvert/extrovert ... Needing to retreat regularly to be refreshed ... As this can lead to a sense of justification when we cry out 'what about me?' But have been thinking this week about the effect of pride ... And have come to conclusion that the effect of pride can be explained using the analogy of calcium carbon...

Where has the week gone? It is already Sunday afternoon and the week 5 is about to begin! So, once again time to take stock, reflect and see what the last week held. Bit of a busy week, so grabbing some time between helping the youngest with her homework ... The daily life of Celts! ... And preparing for tea! (anyone know where I can get my hands on a copy of Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals? Even if they do take and hour and a half!) On a personal note, my wife had her operation on the shoulder, which I understand is an incredibly painful procedure ... The Doctor said it would be, and my wife confirms it!! This has meant that since Thursday I have also been chief cook, sandwich maker and everything else that we normally do together for the family. The kids have rallied round and filled in the inevitable gaps that I leave between what 'Mum' usually does, and what 'Dad' remembers to do! Also had a great time queuing for a KS2 Disco with my youngest daughter ... The fev...

Aarrrrggghhhhh! No this is not a reflection of my week ... But of the fact that I had already written this blog out once when I inadvertently pressed the wrong button and discarded it instead of saving it ... Still I have now learnt what buttons to press in case it should happen again. Now .. What did I say last time? I had intended to write something each week so that I could break my record of blogposts in one year .... Which I think currently stands at 24! ... But here we are in week 3 and I am only on post 2 for 2011 ... It was not a resolution so I don't feel bad in any way!! The last few weeks have been manic to say the least, not because of workload but because an operation that my dear wife has to have on her shoulder has been brought forward by a month to next week. So the arrangements I had had in place to be available for the extra driving, shopping, work and household chores that will fall upon me as she is convalescing are now needing to be changed, and four weeks work...

At the start of the year I seek the Lord for some verses of encouragement, and as I looked back over the last three years I noted that the Lord has led me to Isaiah. This year I am currently reading through the book of Isaiah as part of my normal reading - so it comes as no surprise to realise that this is again where I have been led to look afresh and receive for this year. I encourage you to read the whole of chapters 49 and 50 ... Relating to 'The servant of the Lord', which has obvious Christological meaning, but is also addressing the attitudes that all the 'servants of the Lord' should display ... Ie. You and me and all His people! I pick up the chapter in Isaiah 49:4 the prophet writes "But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God." " We all have phases when we feel like this ... And ask questions which I am sure are commo...