Pressing On

Read this recently by a man called Ray Stedman. Adapted it a little to personalise it, but what a great summary prayer to an excellent commentary. My Gracious Father, I ask that you who have called me with a holy calling, have imparted to me the Holy Spirit, and given me your Holy Word, may keep me and make me to be faithful. Give me the diligence of a farmer, the discipline of an athlete and the dedication of a soldier that will make me equal to the times in which I live. Father grant that my eyes may be lifted above the common place obscurity of my every day life to the great things that lie beyond the invisible curtain and see myself living constantly in your presence, even in this hour. Challenge my heart to be strong in the midst of weakness, and to be faithful in the midst of that which is false. I ask in Jesus' name, Amen. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

One of the downsides of twitter, facebook etc. is the growth in accessibility of sound bites, especially when we are limited to 140 characters. Each sound bite or slogan can seem so plausible, and maybe readily accepted, unless you take time to think a little more deeply into them. An example of this would be a tweet I read last year which confidently stated that "If it is not miraculous then God is not in it!" ... which might sound great but the more you think about it the more one realises that perhaps God is, in fact, very much present in the mundane things of life. Another quote that I have been thinking about recently is this "A crisis is really an opportunity" ... Now, when crises present themselves to us we do have a choice as to how we respond to them - and rather than respond as helpless and hapless victims, we can respond in faith or rather in trusting God, who is good 'all the time'. However, when this type of statement is made by Christians it ca...

What difference does it make to be a Christian? What does our relationship with God mean in the ongoing machinations of life? For some there might be some expectation that becoming a child of the Living God might mean that He, in His Sovereign power, will construct a wall around all His children, protecting them from anything bad ... after all, He wants to bless us right? No doubt, the first few weeks of life as a Christian demonstrated that this is not the case, but rather than allow your experience to cause you to doubt His presence use it to drive you further into experiencing His presence in all that you go through. In Hebrews 4:16 we read "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need" (ESV) It has been a long time since I have written anything in this blog, and I suppose what has been happening since I last wrote is indication sometimes blogging is not a priority. There are times when mini...

Due to the fact that I am a verbal reasoner, someone who prefers to talk things out rather than write about things, as well as the fact that in my current role a lot of time is spent on laptops writing emails, debrief reports, Conference minutes, vision statements etc. etc. ... you know 'the fun things!' ... I have recently been exploring options for less typing and more talking - which will alleviate the admin burden but also make tasks themselves perhaps more enjoyable. Here are my three easy solutions tried thus far and comments ... 1/ Phone a friend (or Skype) ... the bad thing about email is that it is a trap - People email me, I email a response ... but does it need to be this way? If people email me I could always ring them back ... duuuhh! However this is not as easy as it sounds ... if a response is required then I can write an email when it suits me, ie I am in control of the time, if I phone then they have to be available to take my call and talk - this is n...

Have just finished watching the review of the news on the Andrew Marr show, a political discussion show on BBC UK TV ... nothing out of the ordinary today except a comment that got me thinking. One contributor to the show was the Editor of 'The Huffington Post' http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ which currently has some 18k likes on their facebook page. At one point Andrew Marr was bemoaning the lack of real journalism and journalists in the press - to which she replied that at the HP there were only ~26 journalists but some 3000 bloggers whose opinions were included. The comment seemed to be expressing a desire for more facts and research rather than opinion. I also watched the film 'Contagion' last night which included a character, played by Jude Law, who had some 12m followers on his blog post and who swayed public opinion in what transpired to be a very unhelpful way (Hope that is not a spoiler ... watch the film - quite good!) Obviously Social Media has me...

I read this a few weeks ago ...  RT “ Thought you might be interested in this story- Minister To Atheist:  http://fry.am/JmDOEc  ” What an amazing story!  It got a small response at the time, but as Stephen Fry wrote it the millions who read his Tweet might have pursued it. (If the link above does not work try this  http://www.npr.org/2012/04/30/151681248/from-minister-to-atheist-a-story-of-losing-faith?sc=tw&cc=share ) There is a lot in this story that saddens me - not least the compassion I feel for anyone grappling with issues of faith. It would be great if there was just one button that can be switched on which removes all doubts and issues - but there isn't. What we have is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth, the Word that provides guidance and the 'body' that should encourage faith. That is 'the Church' but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much space for anyone, especially those in leadership, to acknowledge that they have doubts a...

Am currently attending a 10 day conference in Malaysia ... at the introductory session we were asked to reflect on this poem. Oh God I have tasted your Goodness, It has both satisfied me ad made me thirsty for more. I am fully conscious of my need of further grace, I am ashamed of my lack of desire. Oh God, Triune God, I want to want You. I long to be filled with longing. I thirst to be filled with longing. Show me Your glory, that I may know You, Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul ... rise up my love, my fair one and come away. Then give me grace to rise and follow You up from the misty lowland whare I have wandered for so long. A W Tozer Ponder, enjoy and be satisfied! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I was recently challenged by reading through the book of Haggai. To set the scene the Old Testament prophet was speaking to the people of Jerusalem following their return from exile in Babylon - ie. post-deliverance from their bondage. So how does this speak to us today you might ask? For the purposes of my thoughts I was comparing their situation to mine, and to that of any Christian, we live post-deliverance ... Having been delivered through faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, from darkness into light, from bondage into liberty to live an abundant life in Christ. The question Haggai poses, and one we should all ask, is "What do we do with that freedom?" The phrase "Give careful thought to your ways ..." occurs a number of times. This comes as a challenge both to reflect on 'how your life actually is', and 'how your life should be'. This is what we must be doing as we seek to grow as disciples and mature in our faith. Questions such ...

I have nothing to add ... Suffice to say I trust the integrity of the source. I only publish these to give you the opportunity to "see" what God is doing around the world to draw people to Himself ... you may disagree with them, or you may have another plausible explanation - that is fine. What matters is what God is doing in someone's life due to the external circumstances as much as the external circumstances themselves .... He is at work to bring forth eternal life! I am often troubled by a verse in the book of Jonah in the Old Testament which says “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." As it demonstrates how strongly we can cling to things, practices etc which we hope will bring us peace, grace, mercy and love etc. and insodoing refuse to receive what is being offered so freely, Salvation in Christ, the receiving of which gives us the very things we are trying so hard to achieve ourselves. This in from a friend in Cambodia, a...

By which I mean 'spiritual discipline' - those practices and habits in life that the Spirit uses to refresh our communion with God! Now doubt people have many reasons for blogging ... communication, promotion, nothing else to do, self-aggrandisement - the list could go on. Probably, in some way, all of these are relevant some of the time. One of the benefits of blogging for me is that it causes me to 'reflect' ... for instance, you may have realised that I have not written anything on my blog since the 13th of March ... so, has my life been vacuous since then, with nothing to report back? No, and Yes - some things I do are not to be publicly declared on a blog site - they are to be hidden away before God in the quiet place! And this is the discipline that the blog page can encourage - sit, think, ponder what has happened, reflect on it before the Lord. What have I learnt? What glaring lesson has passed me by, which reflection brings to mind afresh? What was good? What w...

I have been very exercised recently for a number of reasons; 1/ Extended conversations with my teenage children about Sex trafficking (Initiated by the recent LZ7 track!) 2/ The dialogue online concerning the relative merits of Kony2012 campaign. 3/ Spending a morning praying for Street Children in Senegal (Talibes) and Prostitutes in Cambodia. 4/ Recently listening to a Dr M Loyd-Jones podcast - in which he refers to the state of 'apostasy' that the Church had got itself into at the end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th Century, as it cared so much for social, justice and poverty issues that it ceased to preach the gospel. (His words of course!) Now, where do my kids find their place in the midst of all of this? Our discussion centred around how meaningful is it to download a track and feel justified that you are doing something about sex trafficking? Is that simply consumer activism ... would we be so concerned to spend our 69p if we weren't getting a download out ...

Here is a brief overview of the future vision of WEC International - If you feel led to be a part of this international movement then get in touch. We are looking at 20 new workers joining us in the Autumn which is a great answer to prayer. Always space for many more though ...

I have nothing to add to these two stories ... Suffice to say I trust the integrity of the source. I only publish these to give you the opportunity to "see" what God is doing around the world to draw people to Himself ... you may disagree with them, or you may have another plausible explanation - that is fine. What matters is what God is doing in someone's life due to the external circumstances as much as the external circumstances themselves .... He is at work to bring forth eternal life! Each story raises a lot of questions for me ... As I hope they do for you! God's blessing and favouritism, the use of seemingly mundane human action to draw someone to Himself, why send a flood in the first place? Etc etc. It is good to ask questions, and please don't be afraid to ask God directly! A Christian family’s experience after the devastating flood which affected 68 of Thailand’s 77 provinces: they saw their field of tapioca completely destroyed. They had photos taken ...

What future for mission - Wes White As I listened to this and thought through the implications there was one over-riding factor that come to my mind ... do we genuinely have confidence in the gospel? Is it indeed the power of God unto salvation for them that believe ... or is it a life-style choice for some which is of equal value as the choices others may make to believe in something else or nothing at all! How much more of a struggle is it for those brought up in a post-modern context, where truth is reckoned as relative not absolute, to move forward to a place of conviction? Of course it is a work of the Word and the Spirit, so we can trust in the One who is able to do all things to bring this conviction ... But this conviction is vital if we are to take the gospel to the communities locally, nationally and internationally. The gospel is for all regardless of age, culture, gender - it is the unique revelation of a holy, gracious and loving God who has made the way to have communion...

Have blogged about this matter in the past Church as Business but reading two particularly helpful books/papers recently has brought it to the forefront of my thinking again. For those who are wondering OD is not a disorder but simply means 'Organisational Development.' WEC UK are embarking on a long process of review of everything we do and we trust that at then end of the process we will be in a better shape to respond to the challenges we face today. So, how do we go about it? What leadership will be required? That is crucial question. In an excellent paper 'Space for Grace' The author states that "Many change processes in Christian organisations are fraught with frustration and disunity. Why should this be? Part of the reason at least, is that some Christian OD work is functionally agnostic, if not atheistic. Our strategy or team-building exercises, for example, are sometimes no different from a secular process. We treat them as simply technical processes. B...

Have you ever been hit in the small of the back with a baseball bat? Or doubled over in so much pain that you are feverish and nauseous? No ... congratulations. I have - just yesterday in fact ... problem was diagnosed as kidney stones! Interestingly this has happened to me before - though the last time it happened I was in Senegal in West Africa. (Apparently living in the tropics can be one factor that increases the likelihood of getting them.) This is not a blog about Kidney stones per se - but it did cause me to reflect on how differently I dealt with the problem and the vastly different treatment I was given by the local healthcare facilities. Here in the UK I had breakfast and was preparing to get my train to Derby for a meeting ... within 30 minutes the pain begins and builds slowly ... by 9:45 my wife returns from the office expecting to take me to the train station instead finds me pacing like a caged animal ... 9:50 phonecall to GP quick discussion of symptoms instructed to g...

As one part of WEC UK's mobilising strategy we have developed the use of Bulstrode our hq, Springhead Park House in Leeds, and Portadown in Northern Ireland as "Centres of Influence for Missions" - places where people can come, meet with God, and be inspired for Mission." Part of this process has been the redevelopment of the facilities. So, where have we got to at Bulstrode? Are we still in the process of redevelopment? Yes, the practical work is ongoing and we are about to embark on the planning process for the next phase. Is this holding us back from praying and working together to fulfil the vision? No ... Bulstrode already hosts many people, all of whom we seek to influence!!! In the last 12 months we have seen over 7,500 visitors to Bulstrode, 1200 staying for at least one night - church events, pastors' retreats, Mission & Me weekends, missions courses, leaders' days etc. We seek to serve each person that comes through the door, share our heart...

Yet more Foreigners - Richard Tiplady How ought we to respond to the challenge of migration in our praying and ministry direction? Obviously with love and grace towards the 'alien' ... But what struck me is the next step ... When the 'alien' comes to faith here in the UK then they can very often be 'alienated' from the 'alien' ... And what do we, the Church, offer in return? How we grapple with the issue of migration is complex ... And perhaps difficult to do in a cultural box. Firstly, our response is probably determined by how we view ourselves. Do we consider our primary identity to be British? (Or whatever nation state you were born in?) If we do then there will inevitably be conflicts as allegiances will be divided on some issues. Even today there is a report being published that states clearly that immigration from outside of the EU has indeed affected jobs for British Citizens ... if you are looking for work then this could be a very challenging ...

I am very concerned at the blogosphere being alive this evening with repostes, or worse, of Mark Driscoll's comments on UK Pastors and Teachers. None of which will make a jot of difference to anyone else's opinion - and all of which will confirm what the world thinks of the Church. Sorry Lord! There are surely bigger concerns that merit our thought, attention, time and endeavour? Poverty, our neighbours suffering, the persecuted Church .... Etc.

Post Colonial and the Changing Role of the West - Kate Coleman Herein we have an explanation of some of the potential effects of the shift of power, both Christian and secular, from the global North to South and West to East, which leaves us functioning in a post-colonial world and the change in attitude that it will necessitate in our relationships with others, changing from 'Patronage/Paternal to Collaboration/Partner'! The key word for me, if we are to be successful in responding to these trends, is humility ... At one stage in my missionary life I was leading a team of some 30 people from 17 different nationalities in a western school establishment in Senegal, West Africa!! Until one has been in a genuinely cross-cultural environment, and brought face-to-face with our prejudices, it is very difficult to accept how deeply engrained racist/superior attitudes can be. We often cover them over with humour but Brits seem to have major differences with every other culture ... Fre...

Post 1 - Thoughts on Mission 2020 Vision - Mission in times of uncertainty Eddie Arthur - Exile to Exile Thanks Eddie for provoking the grey cells ... I commend the message to you all! It raised two interesting questions for me ... on which I have the following thoughts. 1/ The place of the Church in UK Society. I have long held the opinion that whenever the Church (or any individual therein) holds, uppermost, the desire to be viewed as a popular and respected part of society there will eventually be a conflict of interest. viz. when that desire conflicts with the truth as presented in Scripture. Thus what we should hold as uppermost is faithfulness to the Jesus whatever the cost. There will be seasons where that will be viewed by society around as good and other times when it will be viewed as antagonistic, fanatical or even evil. We are indeed in a season where Christianity is not viewed positively, and our only response should be to continue to be faithful to Christ in all that we d...

In Matthew 5 Jesus explains His radical agenda and describes the pratical outworking of the life that He makes possible ... which would otherwise be impossible. In vv3-10 of this chapter Jesus paints a picture both of the type of life we long for, what fulness of life looks like, ... and He also explains the means through which we might receive the expression of that life. In other words we need not bother praying for the type of life we want if we are not willing to commit to a life that seeks to express the means by which that life comes; Am I willing to be poor in Spirit mourn be meek hunger and thirst for righteousness be merciful be pure of heart be a peacemaker be persecuted because of righteousness This is such a radical agenda and pattern for life that whoever genuinely commits to living it will get a reaction everytime they interface with the 'world' that beats to such a different drum ... and every reaction gives a further opportunity for us to demonstrate the power...

If you are British then the answer is probably NO! ... but if you were you will have enjoyed what seems to have been a blessed time - well done to all those who worked so hard to get there and helped it run so smoothly ... as usual George Verwer did what George does best! (http://www.christiantoday.com/article/george.verwer.makes.call.for.fulltime.mission.workers/29116.htm) If you don't follow @missionnet then can I encourage you to do so keep up to date with the follow up ... I trust that there will be a huge response to this event and that the Lord will raise up a fresh wave of people from Europe who are prepared to 'Go"! May all those who attended, and those they come into contact with when they return home, be inspired afresh with passion for the Kingdom. I would like to know how many people from the UK made the effort to go as historically these events are poorly attended by us Brits! Perhaps we are all Europhobes at heart, or perhaps we are saturated with other optio...