Happy (New)Birthday To Me!

Today is a very special day for me; no, it's got nothing to do with Andy Murray's triumphant come back from one set down to beat his opponent, Stanislas Wawrinka (no - that's not a spelling mistake or a nasty skin disease), at Wimbledon last night. It is, in fact, my New Birthday today. Twenty years ago on 30 June 1989 God changed my life forever. I was 16 and had just completed my GCSEs. A Christian friend invited me along to hear a man called Billy Graham speak at Earl's Court in London. Not having much else to do that particular Saturday evening I went.

I still remember that day. On arrival at Earl's Court, we could not get into the main arena due to the sheer volume of people. We ended up in the overflow area facing a large screen which would be broadcasting pictures from inside the arena. Now, this event was not anything special. There was a bit of singing but very little in the way of hype or expensive special effects, lighting etc. Billy Graham came to the podium and gave a simple, 20-minute message explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was ambushed. As Billy Graham spoke, the Holy Spirit came down and gripped my heart. It was not aggressive or frightening. I began to get quiet emotional and couldn't work out why! The Preacher's message actually stirred up more questions than provided answers but all that just faded away. As he invited people to respond to this Gospel Message I knew I needed to do something about it there and then and so I went forward. My friend came with me as well!

In the last week I have started an indepth study of the Book of Acts. The growth of the early Church is stratospheric; going from 120 to 3000 to 10 000 in a matter of weeks. What punctuated this growth was Holy Spirit-anointed preaching of the Gospel and an outbreak of signs, wonders and miracles. In many ways, the legacy of Acts continues. It is the only book that in one sense is still being written as millions of people, like me, see and hear the Gospel, see the Holy Spirit's work and repent.

I am grateful to Billy Graham for preaching this wonderful Gospel. I am grateful to my friend for inviting me along and I am grateful to God Who, after 20 years, has been so faithful and committed to me sometimes in spite of my own failings, sin and mistakes. He truly is an awesome God and anything that I have achieved in 20 years of walking with Jesus has been through Him. Thank You God!

Are You A Transformer - A Christian in Disguise?

Last week I went to see the new Transformers' film: Revenge of the Fallen. Not the best sequel I've ever seen (an hour too long, virtually no discernible story whatsoever) but still, it was an enjoyable 2 and a half hours and some of the special effects were amazing! For those of you who have been living in a cave recently, a Transformer is a robot who disguises himself (can't think of a female one can you?) as an 'ordinary' vehicle and protects earth (and it's human inhabitants) from the evil 'Decepticons' led by Megatron. Yes, I know it's starting to sound like a Geek-Fest but hang in there with me: there is a point!

Are you living a camouflaged Christian life? Do you just blend in to your surroundings and never really stand out through a living, dynamic, attractive Christian faith in Jesus? This is a real problem for all of us, but perhaps teenagers are most vulnerable to this because of the sheer power of negative peer-pressure. This week I was talking to a Young Person who had got involved in something on Face Book that did not offer the best Christian witness. His reason for getting involved? "I wanted to go along with my friends as they were all doing it." Please don't think I'm judging or criticising: it is a challenge we all face every day of our lives and none of us can say we always get it right (Matthew 5:13-16).

In stark contrast to this was the testimony of one of the Young People in ENERGY this week, who has got hold of a real vision for her school Christian Union. As part of next term's programme she will be doing some assemblies to the whole school explaining more about the C.U. and what they will be doing over the course of the year. This blew me away: getting in people's faces and staking out your ground for God! I know some of the youth are scared to let their friends know they are Christians let alone go and tell the whole school about it. I know that our whole lives should be lived out as a witness to Christ and I believe that with all my heart. However, I admired the Holy Spirit-led boldness coming from this young woman of God. No-one can accuse her of being a Transformer: a Christian in disguise!

Over-2-U

We are running a series of really good meetings with ENERGY at the moment. Or rather, I should say that ENERGY are running a series of really good meetings themselves! As part of the Youth Work Vision we want to see these young men and women of God activate their gifts This term it is our goal to see ALL the young people in ENERGY run a session. Vicki Hitchens did a session on how you actually put together an evening like this and despite bringing maths into the equation (geddit??), it was a very helpful time.

The results have been truly impressive. Some of the teens have decided to do a session on their own whilst others are working in Teams. Such has been their enthusiasm that we simply don't have enough sessions left this term for them to run a whole evening per group so we will consider 'raising the bar' and giving all of them an opportunity to run a whole night at some point throughout the course of the academic year.

Since ENERGY took up the challenge a couple of weeks ago, we have had sessions on evangelism, being in God's army, trusting God and the call of God on our lives. In future weeks the menu includes sessions on the Fear of the Lord, God's Plan and Vision, the Peace of Christ and much more. I can't wait!

Finally, I was really excited after this week's session as we concluded the evening with a short response time; it's so easy to simply let a meeting become an information exchange that develops knowledge but not faith. We prayed that God would give us some words of knowledge about medical, emotional, spiritual or mental conditions which God wanted to touch. The words which came through were pretty spot on and the people who responded received prayer and we await their feedback to see how things have been since then. This supernatural dynamic should be a 'normal' part of our lives together and something which 'spills out' into the world. More on that another time!

Check out http://www.bristolcommunitychurch.org/energy.asp for more information about the vision of BCC's Youth Ministry as well as our last four Annual Reports. Vicki's notes are also available from the 'OVER-2-U' minisite: http://www.bristolcommunitychurch.org/over2u.asp

Open Doors

During Faith Camp 2007 I received a really clear word from God. It came from 1 Corinthians 16:9, "...[A] great door for effective work has opened to me and there are many who oppose me." Last year we received some very exciting prophetic direction from Pastor Paul Taylor. He explained that there will be many dynamic new things for us to look forward to in the years ahead. In 2009 Pastor Gary Rumbold also encouraged us with a word that we are a 'breakthrough' Church. All this shows us that God is opening new doors of opportunity for us.

When we met this morning, it became clear that some new doors are already being smashed open for us by the Lord. Pastor John was sharing about some extremely exciting opportunities for developing our Zambia work including a powerful conference organised by Bishop Hudson Luwi involving over 250 Church leaders from Solwezi and the surrounding areas which took place during his last visit. Such was the success of this 'mini-conference' that we will be looking to run another week-long event in October with Pastor Richard joining Pastor John in Solwezi to provide support and teaching. There are some significant decisions to be made regarding these new developments and I believe Church members will be receiving a letter about this in due course.

Bob has also had an extremely profitable time with the Aid International Building Team with a dramatic turn of events just this last week which, if it comes together, will create a very new and highly influential work in Lusaka. I'm sure he will share more when he returns this week.

A bit closer to home, the new Associate Vicar at Holy Trinity Kingswood, Rev. Andy Mason, has been in touch with us to help develop some new initiatives for, amongst other things, youth outreach into the local community. He is keen for us to be involved and he is working hard to gather like-minded people from across Kingswood to pursue these strategies. I heard last week that Kingswood Congregational Church has also employed an evangelist, William Gaydon, to help them develop a greater community impact in Kingswood and beyond. What tremendous answers to prayer!

This is just the start. Keep praying - the doors are opening and we all have a part to play.

Shack Attack

Welcome to a brand new week. Have you read or heard of 'The Shack'? Yesterday morning, Pastor John did a very timely message about this growing literary phenomenon. Have a listen to it on the website now! For the uninitiated, The Shack has sold millions of copies around the world. It is topping virtually every book chart in the UK and in America and has been given some very strong endorsements by high profile Christians like Michael W. Smith, J. John and Eugene Peterson.

So what's all the fuss about? This book focuses on a character called Mac. Through a series of tragic events, he arrives at The Shack for a conversation with God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit about his life and what has happened so far. Through this narrative the author seeks to present a greater, deeper, richer understanding of the trinity, grace and human beings in relation to God.

I read this book last year and thought the story was very clever. The narrative twist took me completely by surprise. Young is a gifted writer, of that there is no doubt. However, as it progressed I grew uneasy about the theological content. I am not going to go into huge detail here but there are two things I want to say which follows on from Pastor John's message yesterday.

The Shack reflects current emergent church theology. There is a strong emphasis on universalism (the belief that everyone will be saved). There is a strong anti-authority flavour which permeates all aspects of the book. Judgment, hell, sin and other less palatable aspects of Biblical theology are ignored or simply glossed over with a 'we just love you' mentality. The clear delineation between gender roles is blurred (in the book God the Father is portrayed as a woman) and Christianity is positioned alongside other belief systems. Whilst not endorsing an 'all routes lead to God' view, simply permitting the juxtaposition with no critical analysis is dangerous. Humanity is presented in a very positive light and hints that we can improve ourselves by demonstrating more love, kindness, tolerance and diversity. This in turn reflects a very limited view of eternity as much of the focus is on living in the now.

Test the Spirits Christian subculture always creates the latest 'in thing' and then markets it to gullible Christian who never question what it is they are actually allowing into their lives: just because it's got 'Jesus' written on the front or is sold in a Christian bookshop, it doesn't mean He has anything to do with it! It is a matter of discernment and of doing what the Bible says: testing the spirits behind something or someone before we wholeheartedly embrace it (Ephesians 6:12, 1 John 4:1-6). The speed and success of this book also staggers me; there is a powerful force at work behind it. Having read it myself, I don't see what all the fuss is about and I certainly would not put it anywhere vaguely close to Bunyon's classic The Pilgrim's Progress!

In closing, let's allow Scripture to interpret everything we read, watch or listen to (I'm not singling out The Shack for criticism) and not vice versa. Remember: this is a work of FICTION and comes from a writer who clearly has things he wants to say about God, faith, Church and so on. If you want to read it then go for it but (as Pastor Neil reminded us yesterday) follow the advice of Proverbs 2:1-4 as you work your way through it. Personally, I think there are far better things you can spend your time (and money on). Have an awesome Monday, see you tomorrow.

For an excellent Biblical critique of The Shack which really digs deep into the heart of it's message check out Pastor Mark Driscoll's message from one his sermons in Mars Hill Church: http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/doctrine/trinity-god-is/the-shack

Party On - And That's An Order!

In Bill Hybels' book Axiom, he says that Leaders should be well-read individuals who regularly pursue knowledge expansion through the important discipline of personal reading. Whilst his remarks include all manner of different literature, I think that every Christian has a holy obligation to get hold of the Bible and diligently pursue Holy Spirit understanding as they tackle every dimension of God's Word.

After a month or two of study, I am coming to the end of the Book of Leviticus. It has been an interesting journey! Some of it has mystified me (even with a very good commentary) whilst other sections of it have taken on a life of their own and God has really spoken to me. It is not the easiest book of the Bible to get your head around but it has sparked off some very interesting thoughts in my mind, one of which I'd like to share with you today.

In Leviticus 23, God is instructing Moses on the various different feasts that made up the Israelite calendar. The one which caught my attention was Tabernacles (vs33-44). This was to commemorate the Israelites release from Egypt and the ensuing journey they took into the wilderness, led by the Lord. What distinguishes this feast is that every Israelite was to live in a booth for seven days (vs42-43). I wonder if this was some sort of forerunner to Faith Camp?! Can you imagine the atmosphere that would have permeated that camp as men, women, children and teenagers (who probably moaned and slammed a few curtain doors, all the while mumbling under their breath) all lived in these specially made tents for a whole week. I can imagine the word 'Why?' was regularly heard in these families as the children wanted to know what this adventure was all about. In fact, I think this is why God asked them to form this prophetic picture; a reminder of what it was like and the awesome work God did for them all.

This Feast was also a celebration. God actually commands the people to have a big party and celebrate hard for a while week! Verse 40-41 "One the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars and rejoice before the Lord for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year." This partying is not an irreverent, disrespectful knees-up (Ephesians 5:18). Rather it is permission from the Lord to party with Him not away from Him. Sometimes we need to be told to lighten up and enjoy what God has done for us. Christians should throw the best parties on earth as it is a reminder of the most amazing party yet to come (Matthew 25:10, Revelation 19).

Yes, there is important, serious matters to be attended to but I think the Lord likes to offset some of this work with fun, laughter, celebration and a big party - that's an order!

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

You will be pleased to know, I'm sure, that those Hollywood movie-makers are planning a new, up-to-date film of the retro 80s hit tv show: The A-Team. The leader of the Team (Hannibal - no, not Lecter) had a phrase which I have been thinking about recently. At the end of every successful 'mission', whether that be exposing corruption, dishing out their own brand of justice for the underdog or dealing with bullies and con men, Hannibal would always take a big puff on his cigar, look around with a very satisfied expression on his face and say, "I love it when a plan comes together". Like Hannibal, I too, love it when this happens.

Most of us will know Jeremiah 29:11. In this oft-quoted verse, God reassures us that His plans are perfect and executed according to his perfect timing in accordance with His perfect sovereign will. Part of the adventure of faith is our role in outworking these perfect plans. This week I have seen God outwork His perfect will as I have taken the time to track His leading through what could have been an extremely difficult situation. A couple of months ago, I know that God gave me a brief insight into one of His plans but it was up to me to do something about it. This is often the way it works.

Through careful discernment, discussion with other key players and prayer/fasting, the outcome has been very significant (although far from 'straight forward') and I can honestly say, "I love it when GOD'S plan comes together." I encourage you today to stick to God's plan and if He shows you something it is probably because He wants to involve you in outworking it. This will cost you! It may well be painful, difficult and challenging but, as John said in a recent preach, 'Obedience is beautiful'. That this pleases God and advances His Kingdom here on earth is our reward for this obedience.

The Faith Factor

There are only 46 days to go until Faith Camp! I think this year is going to be one of the best ever. BCC is in a strong position; we are united, we are excited, we are moving forward and we go to Camp in a very different place from previous years.

This morning, Rich, Neil and myself met for a catch up and time of prayer. Faith Camp came through again and there is a sense of expectation and excitement about what God is going to do. Can I ask you to begin to prepare yourself for this important week? I know it seems like a long way off at the moment but time will go very quickly and before you know it, you'll be loading up the car and heading up the motorway.

In the coming weeks, set aside some time to pray either on your own, with others, in Home Groups and so on. Let's pray for the Team running Faith Camp (Robin Crosby, Colin, Clive and so on) as well as Dave and Nicky who are running the Unit, ably supported by Gerry and Fran. Pray for the kids and youth. Listen to the Lord and see if there is anything He wants to say to you BEFORE you arrive. Involve the kids in preparations for Faith Camp - God always moves powerfully in their lives and the quality of the work is extremely high. Are they excited about what God is doing to do in their lives?

At the time of writing we have 55 Adults and 39 children/young people attending Faith Camp this year. If you are not coming, then can I suggest you dedicate a few minutes in prayer to check it out with the Lord? God always imparts something very special into the corporate life of BCC during the week which we bring home to Bristol and you don't want to miss out!

It's going to be a great time and even if you are not going, please pray for this event and we can expect God to do some very, very special things in and through us which will continue way beyond the end of Faith 2009.

Please Note: there will be a special preparation meeting in the King's Rooms on Wednesday 22 July from 8pm for all those going to Faith Camp this year. Please make every effort to attend even if you have been before. Thanks.

Soldiering On

If you were not in Church yesterday you missed a truly inspiring time. There was a very clear, prophetic theme coming through: we are the army of God and we need to advance. Joel 2:1-11, and Joshua 1 and 6 spoke to us very clearly. It was a bit of a 'God-Gamble' to get everyone lined up and marching around the Church, Car Park and Castaways but it helped us see in a very visual form an important Biblical principle. There were three things which stood out for me from the meeting...

1) The Shout The time we spent in intercession and prayer, stood around the sides of the Bourne Chapel, shouting out in victory and pushing back the the enemy was truly inspiring. Just like Joshua and the Israelites who faced a tightly shut-up and barricaded Jericho, this shout of victory brought down those walls of opposition and released the breakthrough. I am sure that we will hear more testimonies of personal and corporate breakthrough in future weeks.

2) The Worship There was a noticeable passion for Jesus in our worship times, especially after we had been praying, marching and shouting to God. 'Found In You' captured this cry of people's hearts perfectly and as i stood at the front of the Church, I could hear people singing their hearts out behind me. It also set the scene perfectly for Neil's message 'Found in God' (now available for download from itunes or our website). As always, the worship helped us go further into the Lord's presence and respond to His word: the two times of ministry at the front were particularly potent.

3) The Youth Some of the young people bravely came to the front and shared with the whole Church. Their contributions were extremely high quality and carried a prophetic anointing. It is always encouraging to see young people in a Church, but to see them engaged with God, worshipping and giving something back is truly miraculous but it is also challenging; those of us who resist sharing/contributing can look at the young people and provoke ourselves to step out and go for it too.

If you have any thoughts about what happened, please fell free to leave a comment. Have a great day.

Where There's A Will, There's A Way...

On Wednesday evening our Home Group met at Mark and Vicky's; Ian and Alison were having a well-deserved evening off to celebrate Mike's birthday. I was particularly impressed with the quality of treats on offer that evening: chocolate mini rolls, cornflake crispy cakes AND SOFTMINTS! I love softmints. [In style of Homer Simpson] Aaaaagghhhhh Softmints!!! Anyway, back to business.
I led the session and we took some time to think a bit about our spiritual legacy.

In the natural, an inheritance is something which gets passed on to other people (usually family members) and doesn't cost them anything. It helps give them a 'leg up' in an area that would otherwise have been very time consuming, costly or downright impossible! A spiritual inheritance is no different.

Proverbs 13:22 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children" and we can often think that only people who are nearing the end of their lives should give this principle any serious consideration. However, I think it is something we should all consider now otherwise we will come to the end of our time on earth and realise that our legacy to the next generation is not what we wanted it to be.

In his book The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, Bill Johnson says, "Righteousness causes us to realise that our daily decisions affect several generations away. We must learn to sow into the welfare of a generation we may never live to see." Your life will leave a legacy. I'm not talking about the material possessions you will gift to family and friends when you die. No, this is something much more important, this is a spiritual legacy which will either speed up or slow down the advancement of the Kingdom of God in the generations behind us. So where do we begin with this?

In Wednesday's Homegroup, we took some time to think about the legacy left to us by key influencers in our lives whether that be parents, significant others, BCC and so on. I know that John has always felt that much of his ministry is passing on a powerful inheritance to those who follow him. He has fought the battles so we don't have to. We identified just a small fraction of the rich, glorious spiritual inheritance which is being passed on to us.

We then turned out attention to our own life legacy. On first consideration, this may seem relevant for married couples with kids and nobody else! Nothing could be further from the truth. God has given ALL of us work to do which, if completed properly, we can pass onto the next generation. This becomes our legacy. I may not have biological children but I still influence people and my life models values, principles and theology which is being transmitted to others. I am fighting battles which will clear the giants out of the way of those passionate followers of Jesus who may not even have been born yet. My prayers unlock God's will into my life which flows out into the lives of those around me.

What an awesome purpose and hope we have in God! What an exciting, dynamic reason to follow Jesus! As we head into another weekend, I encourage you to reflect on your own spiritual inheritance by asking yourself these questions:
1) What spiritual inheritance have I received in my own life? Consider WHO has given you something in God whether they be family, friends, a Church (BCC perhaps?) etc.
2) What do you want your legacy to be for generations to come? Ask this question NOW because it will be too late when you die!

Pair Power

There is something very powerful about a pair. Consider the fact that God created Adam AND Eve (Genesis 1:27), indeed pairs are preferrable to 'go-it-alone' saints any day of the week (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Consider how Jesus sent out the disciples IN PAIRS to go and drive out demons and heal the sick (Mark 6:7). Remember that prayers always work better in pairs (Matthew 18:19). Confession is a commandment and for this to work, it requires another person (James 5:16).

This week a young person came to speak to me about some extremely personal issues. I'm not going to go into details but I was deeply moved by his bravery, boldness and transparency; I'm not sure I would have been able to do that myself. God met with both of us and what helped move this young person on was talking to someone else. The Power of the Pair was evident again.

As I have been reflecting on these thoughts, I've realised that we may well be looking at a key which could unlock a fresh move of the Lord in the Church and out into the world. It all comes through pair power. Reaching out to someone else is not an easy thing to do, especially for men. As a Youth Counsellor, many lads are reluctant to come and see me unless things get really desperate and even then it is no easy choice to make. Oddly, most of them find it very helpful when they do make it into the counselling room.

Pair Power is not just limited to married couples. It can come in many varied and creative forms. For example, Contend and Unique have set up prayer partners in the Church and all of us have friends with whom we can open up. Make it your aim to activate pair power in your life. Based on the above scriptures, powerful spiritual work is released as we reach out to someone else and together look to Jesus.

Beam Me Up

In a scene from the new Star Trek movie, a very young James T. Kirk is caught up in a pub brawl. The then Commander of the Enterprise (Captain Pike - no relation to B.C.C.'s Jon Pike as far as I'm aware) finds Kirk and challenges his with these words, "Your Father saved 600 men, your Mother and you...I dare you to do better." This talking to inspires Kirk to join Star Fleet and the rest, as they say, is history. In recent weeks I have been talking to some of the young people about where they are at in God. These conversations are still being worked out but it has got me thinking about the importance of Jesus' followers carrying this same sense of challenge and adventure as we live for Him.

I think the early disciples went on the adventure of a lifetime: they saw Jesus do awesome, life-changing miracles and then had a go too! Hundreds of thousands of people wanted to see Jesus but they were the ones who had the quality time with Him. Imagine waking up every day not knowing what was going to happen. Pause and reflect how these men and women were filled with the Spirit and saw 3000 added to the fledgling Church on the Day of Pentecost. Think about how those disciples and subsequent converts went on to plant hundreds of Churches across the middle east and beyond. They carried a sense of adventure, mission and PASSION! It cost them all they had but they were willing to pay the price, live the life and do greater things than Jesus did, just as He promised they would (John 14:12)!

As I talk to young people I am concerned that they have lost this prophetic 'dare' to do greater things for God than any preceding generation. I am concerned that today's young people are more interested in Face Book than faith. They want to party rather than party with Jesus. They love the world more than they love being followers of Jesus. Some of them are spiritually bored, lazy and overweight! I'm not tarnishing everyone with the same brush but we must continually challenge them and one another to live this adventure of faith. "To go boldly" into the world with a message of life-transforming salvation based on personal experience, dynamic faith and spiritual signs/wonders.

How do we do this? Well, it all starts with us. Are we living out this message ourselves? Are we seeing healing, signs and wonders following us? Do we love Jesus with an intense passion which influences our choices and decisions? I believe there is a generation who are hungry for meaning and just need a cause to which they can dedicate their lives which tests, stretches and provokes them to go further, live harder, pray longer and love stronger.

Small Things Make A Big Difference

Yesterday's meeting carried an interesting prophetic emphasis: the need for us to maintain a positive attitude towards the 'day of small things' (Zechariah 4:10). Much of what we do in the Church is 'small'. Indeed, in comparison to other numerically bigger Churches, B.C.C. is a small work!

What I noticed throughout the course of yesterday's meeting was how our 'small' works are making a big difference. In recent weeks both John and I have preached on the Widow and The Oil from 2 Kings 4. It is a very prophetic picture of where we are as a Church. She only had 'small' pots, jars and other containers to hold the miraculous flow of oil but as she sold them and gave them away to those in her community and circle of influence, they made a HUGE difference. It was so encouraging to hear and see how God is using our own small jars of oil in B.C.C. to touch the world.

Yesterday we heard about the amazing work of the Saturday Outreach Team who continue to touch many people despite there being only three of them! We prayed for Dennis, Bob, Colin and Nathaniel who are going out to Zambia today to build a wall and minister to the poor in a very practical way as part of Aid International. John is joining this trip to oversee the ongoing work and commitments we have as a Church in this region and to spend time ministering to Hudson Luwi and the small but influential work he leads. Some of you joined Sandie in her prayers for Jack at the back of the Church as we continued to worship and seek God. All of these are simple, small works with little or no 'glamour' attached to them. Yet God not only sees them all but owns them and releases His rich pleasure over those who participate.

Don't despite the day of small things. God will never give you more until you can handle the little. Have a great day.

He's Got The Whole World In His Hands

Psalm 24:1 (NLT) says "The earth is the LORD's and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him" (emphasis added). Think about that for a minute. EVERYTHING belongs to God. Absolutely everything. ALL the people on this planet are carried in His hands.

Yesterday I was praying about a challenging situation which I am dealing with at the moment. Have you noticed that when there is something important in our line of vision, that is what can become our vision? We can focus on it, devote time and effort and energy to it and devise ways to handle it, fix it, improve it etc. It is so easy to lose perspective, lose heart and lose faith.

During this time of prayer, God really spoke to me and reminded me, through Psalm 24:1, that He is very BIG and I am very small. Such a simple idea but I've found over the years that it is often the simple things which are the profound things. Yes, I still have to see this thing through to the end and it may get messy! However, my faith was strengthened. I felt God draw near to me and reassure me. God reached down from heaven and stepped into my situation. To me it is a big deal and I want it resolved but to Him it is held perfectly and solidly in His hands. His perfect will will prevail and I can trust in Him. What an amazing Kingdom Lesson!

The old children's song says it all, "He's got the whole world in His hands, He's got the whole world in his hands, He's got the whole world in His Hands, the whole world in His hands."

Have a good weekend, see you back here on Monday for more blogging!

Marathon Man Part 1

I'm going to run the London Marathon in 2010. Yup, you read that correctly. I AM GOING TO RUN THE LONDON MARATHON IN 2010! Lol. I have been thinking about it for a while and have been talking to some people about it in recent weeks. Some of their reactions ranged from a high-five "GO FOR IT"to peels of mocking laughter. Thanks!

Now, I don't want to over-spiritualise things but I did really pray about it too. As some of you will know, I'm not a great athlete so I needed a really strong conviction that it was the right thing to do and that I would be able to achieve my goal. Moreover, I did not want to give time, effort, energy, money, blood (hopefully not but those blisters can get bad!), sweat (bucket loads) and tears (come on, if it's not OK for a man to cry at the end of running 26 miles when is it?), to something God did not own. It matters to me. You will hear alot more about this in the coming months as God uses this whole experience to teach more some more amazing truths about being a Christian.

Unfortunately, I've already hit an obstacle - I've injured my foot! In recent weeks I have been doing some practice runs and really enjoyed it. For some reason, I came back from a run last week and my foot was extremely painful and I could hardly put any weight on it. I rested it for a bit and tried to go for a brisk walk last weekend but it deteriorated again so I visited my Doctor this morning. Annoyingly, he said I should rest it completely as I've probably strained a ligament/tendon.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

Already I'm learning a valuable lesson about patience. This lack of patience is a weakness in my life as I like to get things moving quickly and see results. Hanging about when there is a job to be done is not my idea of fun. The recent sunny weather has also been ideal for running too. However, this is what I'm having to do now. I MUST rest my foot as continuing to stress it will only make it worse. Patience is important. There will be plenty of time to get training in the future. Some seasons of our lives can demand a far greater measure of patience from us than we want to give. Labouring in God's harvest fields, working day in, day out with people's issues and pastoral problems, disappointments, the daily grind of every day domestic life can easily become obstacles from the enemy designed to trip us up and knock us out. However, when patience is applied, we can remain strong and in good shape for future seasons of activity, growth and fruit.

I'm going to be running for Aid International. For more information please check out their website: http://www.aidinternational.net/

Take It To The Streets

Last night we had our quarterly extended Leadership Team Meeting. This includes representatives from all of the ministries in BCC and provides people with an opportunity to come and update everyone on what has been happening. It is always a very encouraging time as we hear about the different things God has been doing. As you know, mission is taking centre stage in our thinking, planning and praying and as people outlined what had been going on in some of these different ministries, I realised just how much outreach is already happening. Here are three:

1. Saturday Outreach
Since it's inception, the work carried a pioneering spirit otherwise it would not have lasted. As Gerry, Mark and Tim were sharing last night, I realised that it has moved into a new season and the pioneering work required to set it up at the start has evolved into a steady, consistent outreach that is well established and built on excellent foundations. They described some recent experiences of conversations and opportunities they have had to pray for people on the streets and each week they are seeing consistent fruit e.g. they have handed out hundreds of the special 'Good News' newspapers, a former member of the Church who had backslidden approached Gerry for a chat, there have been times of prayer with the three guys and then God has pointed them towards someone to talk to, the local security guards working for the King's Chase Shopping Centre are professional and supportive and regularly take away the latest tract to read!, there are some 'regulars' who the team see every week and build relationship with them, they have had words of knowledge and prayed for non-believers there and then and some people have come along to Contend and Sunday morning Church to find out more.

2. Bourne Family Project
Kirsty was explaining that the Project has been visited by representatives from Barnados who were very impressed with the set up and want to refer more people to join the Parenting Courses. Another one, facilitated by Zasha, will start at the end of June and there are already 8-10 people booked in with many more in the pipleline. A new play therapist has joined the Team as well as a new Christian Counsellor who will be working with Jill to try and reduce the current wiating list of over 25 people.

3. Castaways
Anna sent us a short written update explaining that Castaways is still in a very strong position despite the challenging economic climate. I was really encouraged to hear that the Team running Castaways is strong and we have some good people in place. Of particular interest was the huge success of Treasure Tots. Run by Wendy, this has proved to be very popular and both Mums and Dads have been extremely complimentary about the quality of what is on offer: "Castaways represents really good value for money in comparison to other indoor-play centres" said one Mum. We also offer parties for special needs children which run on Mondays. These are proving to be a real hit with different groups and our reputation is spreading across Bristol and beyond!

All these areas represent mission. Let's not narrow our definition to a very traditional, limited view. All that we are doing is advancing God's Kingdom and expressing His heart to this world. We can also be encouraged that all of us have a role to play and that in the coming weeks and months ahead it is going to get better and better!

Just Deserts

Congratulations to Diversity who won Britain's Got Talent on Saturday. Did you watch the final? Nearly 20 million people did and I think that on the night, the right act won. This street dance genre is growing in popularity and influence and they remind me of our own Youth Street Dance Team. Maybe they should apply for next year's show? Come on ENERGY, let's see a new group come through now!

I really enjoyed yesterday's Guest Service. It was great to see so many people in the Church and there was a real buzz about the whole thing: Paul's kids' slot was simple but profound, the Band led us really well, Tim preached an excellent message (you'd never know he's not preached on a Sunday for nearly a year now) and I thought the testimonies from ENERGY were superb.

What stood out for me was the theme coming through some of the young people. As they shared about their experiences from the Croyde Weekend a few of them had described being in a dry place with God and struggling in their walks with Him. As they talked about this, I really felt the Holy Spirit encourage me to give time to this and let Him move in their lives. We must not overlook these seasons. Those people who did respond (and there were quite a few) were very brave - it takes a lot of courage to be humble and let people see you are struggling a bit and want prayer.

Interestingly, this tied in with something I have been reading in Leviticus. Let's remember where the Israelites were when Moses received these divine instructions relating to worship: they were in the desert. They had not entered the promised land. God had not even directed them towards it. Leviticus 9:23-24 says, "Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out.they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portion on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face down."

What this says to me is that even in the desert place, you can encounter God in worship. Moreover, you can experience an inexplicable joy despite being in this dry, barren place. I have been to Israel and driven through the Judean Desert. It is an unforgiving, scorching wilderness with precious little shade under a searing , relentless sun. Sometimes life can be like this; we are dry and thirsty for God. There are problems and difficulties. We have lost that flow of Holy Spirit life into our own lives. Yet, God will meet us there if we worship Him. God will draw near and release into our souls an explosive joy (v.24). We will have a holy encounter with our Holy God and although we will still be in the desert once it is over, we can move forward knowing God is actually in it with us (Hebrews 4:14-15).

What an awesome truth for us to live in as the start of a brand new week.