Where are you looking ?

On Saturday evening Clayton my 9 yr old son and I trekked off to the Clacton on Sea Pier. We had a blast. With the writstband ticket He was in heaven. He went on everything numerous times. I went on mostly everything maximum twice !
Anyway I used to find the Paratrooper the hardest to stomach! The one at Clacton swings you out over the sea off the edge of the pier. And even though I knew I was safe, I was petrified. It wasn't until I fixed my gaze on the carriage in front of us that I felt safe. It occurs to me that looking at the "danger" I was in caused the fear. I able to overcome my fear by focussing on what had gone before me.
It reminded me of Hebrews 12:2 where we're reminded to fix our eyes on the one who has gone before us. Are you in fear? Where are you looking ?

I have come to give you church and church in abundance!!!

Reggie McNeal's new book Missional Renaissance lays out the shifts the church needs to make, to be who she's meant to be today.

One paragraph that sticks out for me is this one- it comes after he makes the point that people go to the airport to go somewhere else, the airport is not the destination even if it's beautiful:-

When the church thinks it's the destination, it also confuses the scorecard("Measuring success in Church"-me) It thinks that if people are hovering around the church, the church is winning The truth is, when that's the case, the church is really keeping people from where they want to go, from their real destination That destination is life Lucky for us, it just so happens this is what promised to bring us (He did not say, "I have come to give you church and give it to you more abundantly") Abundant live is lived out with loved ones, friends, and acquaintances in the marketplace, in the home, in the neighbourhood, in the world.

What do you reckon ?

Easter in Halstead

The Churches got together in Halstead, Essex to re-enact the Easter story for all to see last Saturday. It was very effective and moving.

You gotta start off right otherwise you wont get there !

Love this guy. I find him really challenging in a good way!

From Alan Hirsch's blog
In a remark ascribed to Gordon Cosby, the pioneering leader of that remarkable community, Church of the Savior in Washington. DC, he noted that in over 60 years of significant ministry, he had observed that no groups that came together around a non-missional purpose (i.e. prayer, worship, study, etc.) ever ended up becoming missional. That it was only those groups that set out to be missional in the first place (while embracing prayer, worship, study, etc. in the process) that actually got to doing it. This observation fits with all the research done by Carl George and others that indicate that the vast majority of church activities and groups, even in a healthy church, are aimed at the insiders and fail to address the missional issues facing the church in any situation.
more here

Expectations and excitement

Carey Niewhof has a great blog about getting what you came for. It got me thinking about what gets us excited. More over what do our kids see us getting excited about.
A question I asked my son last year - "What would you bring me if I asked you to bring me what was the most important thing in my life ?" - He told me my computer ! What a challenge !
How would your kids answer that question ?

It broke Dad ! Can you fix it ?

I'm not a poetry kind of guy, but every once in a while a poem will really grab me. Ratna, one of our amazingly hard working and caring office staff here at First Alliance Church shared this poem with me last night.

First I was reminded of my son who had just yesterday morning asked me to help him build a Lego project, but then immediately after I start to help him pushes me out of the way so he can build it. A few minutes later he comes and grabs me again and syas he really, really really needs my help this time, because it seems to be broken and not working out right.

Next my mind goes to Moses and his grasping God's calling on His life to save his people in Egypt. He starts off by killing two Egyptians who abusing his fellow Jews, which he seemd to think fitted into the plan. However that only made him have to wait another forty years to nove into his calling!

Anyway I'll let you read the poem ...

Broken Dreams

As children bring their broken toys

with tears for us to mend,

I brought my broken dreams to God

because He was my friend.

But then, instead of leaving Him

in peace to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help

with ways that were my own.

At last, I snatched them back and cried,

"how can you be so slow?"

"My child," He said,

"what could I do?

You never did let go."

Author unknown

As a child I remember being taught that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey that there was a large crowd that welcomed him. That was Palm Sunday. I was also taught that by the end of the week the whole crowd has turned against him. I've often wondered about that.
I've just been listening to a Bruxey Cavey podcast where he talks about the place Pontius Pilate offered to release Jesus, where the "crowd called for Barabbas to be set free and Jesus to be crucified. He explained that as far as he could make out the court where this took place held at best a maximum of 200 people. The Sanhedrin had arrested Jesus the night before and brought Jesus in the morning. He goes on to say that there were probably more than 3 or 400 in the Sanhedrin and thousands of staff at the Temple who would probably follow the "company" line. So it could have been that the "crowd" was a crowd of mostly the Sanhedrin. So maybe the crowd that welcomed and loved him on the Palm Sunday still loved him and hadn't turned 180 degrees.
Makes sense to me !

What do you think ?

Where to find joy ? Me! Me! Me!

Mark Driscoll - Helps us look for joy in the right way. Along the way he does a critique of the most popular preacher in the US. What a timely reminder for this day and age. Thanks Paul Dazet for finding that.

Change, growth and maybe, even discipleship !

As you can see our Church's vision prayer focus is asking God to change us.

"Oh God, make us a body of people so transformed and empowered by
Your Spirit that our community, nation, and world will see and know
Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life"

I think we need to keep growing otherwise we go stale, stagnate and get bored. so where do we go from here ... John Johnson helps us think about this ...

Walter Brueggemann was asked—“If you came into a room of ten of the brightest, committed, determined to change the world kind of pastors, and had one word of advice, what would it be?” Without any hesitation, he responded—“Discover how it is people change, and build your ministry accordingly.” I hear him saying—find what it is that more than inspires—find what transforms people, what transforms all of their
being, and give your best ministry to that. This seems to be what Thomas has devoted himself to doing in his latest book—and where the church needs to get
its focus.

Short cuts and other efforts at being efficient :)

I don't know about you but I'm always trying to do more with less - trying to be efficiant with everything God has given me. But when I stop and think about it - I don't think that's the way God operates. For instance wouldn't it have been more efficient for Jesus to go and heal Lazarus then raise him from the dead after he had died! Steven Furtick has a great observation on another Biblical short cut -

As God led the children of Israel out of Egyptian slavery, the Bible
records that:
God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.
Exodus 13:17-18

God knows me much better than I know myself. And sometimes He takes me the long way because He knows that if He took me straight to my destination, I wouldn’t be ready.

Are you single and wishing God would hurry up and bring you a man?
Maybe God’s taking you the long way for a reason…to cultivate and prepare
and stabilize you.

Do you feel like God has got you in a place of obscurity and monotony in this season of your life?
Maybe God is sharpening your skills, perfecting your gift, and fortifying your character.

Are you praying a prayer that seems to be met with silence from heaven?
God is infinitely wise, and He knows what you need, when you need it, and He’s
navigating your route according to His limitless knowledge.

Sometimes God takes us around by the desert…the long way…
Because He knows what battles are ahead, and when we’re ready to fight.

Grace first !

Grace is never far from my thoughts - it's something I need more of, I ask God to work into me, to give me a double portion of my grandfather's spirit (like Elijah/Elisha). As I look around there are a few pastors who stand out for me when it comes to grace. My senior pastor is pretty near the top. He exudes grace. In fact the tougher the challenge, the more he exudes it.
I had the opportunity to visit another church last weekend. The pastor, Brendan Witton, was spelling what they were about too - their DNA and he said they had to be grace-based.
In the gospels Jesus is full of grace and truth. Obviously we need both perhaps it is no accident that grace proceeds truth when Jesus is described in John 1

What are we doing ? let's think about this !

From http://pathwaypaloalto.blogspot.com/2007/02/church-20-series-incarnational-living.html via http://weallspeak.blogspot.com/2007/02/redesign-what-is-our-focus.html

Think for a second about what Jesus did for us. He became one of us, lived with us, then died and rose again from the dead for us. That’s the method he used to reach us. He made himself known and showed His love to us. Jesus modeled incarnation as a way of ministering to the world. He showed us the power of going to a group of people and loving and serving them as one of them.He also revealed this as the method we should use when he gave the disciples this command in Matt. 28, “Go into all the world…”

But Jesus isn’t the only one to reveal this method! Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23… 19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

This is the way the Bible reveals to us to reach people! It tells us these simple instructions: Go to people in a way they can understand. Serve them. Love them. Tell them the truth. That’s it! This is the incarnational way to reach people.

But for some reason many churches focus on the opposite way to reach people: Make them come to you. Make them become like you and learn your lingo. Get them to serve the church. Get them to love the church. If they can do all that they’ll learn how to be saved!This is the attractional way to reach people. Do you see how opposite these two ways are

to learn or unlearn that is the question :)

Have you thought about unlearning some things. There come a realization that sometimes what we think or more the way we think is not the best way. So what's the choice - keep on keeping on with the less than best way - I guess some people can do that or to unlearn the less than best way and learn a better way.


Bob Roberts shares 9 things he's learning and unlearning

Bob Roberts on church and mission:9 Things I'm Learning and Unlearning

I'm learning … that mission begins with Christology not ecclesiology. Following Jesus leads us to mission, which leads to churches gathering.

I'm unlearning … my assumption that starting churches naturally leads to mission. It doesn't. Churches default to self-focus unless a commitment to be like Jesus in the world comes first.

I'm learning … that being glocal means decentralizing power, decision making, information, all of it. The kingdom of God means ministry opportunities are available to almost everyone.

I'm unlearning … the American church's traditional focus on a super-star speaker, worship leader, educator, and shepherd, which serves mainly to attract spectators rather than igniting the power of everyone else.

I'm learning … that we serve not to convert but because we have been converted. We serve because Christ has changed us and made us servants to people who are hurting and lost.

I'm unlearning … the assumption that "Christian" is defined primarily as acknowledging a moment of conversion. Becoming a follower of Jesus depends on what happens after that.

I'm learning … to love people, which means to see them healed, educated, and given the same opportunities that we have.

I'm unlearning … that the Christian faith is all about heaven. I believe the church has denied the future by just waiting for the Second Coming. We need a story that includes the future.

I'm learning … the kingdom will be established not by human power or entertainment, but by realizing God's concern for humanity and the whole of society.

What are you learning or unlearning ?

Jesus to be crowned king ?

If some people in Poland get their way Jesus is going to be king of their country. I wonder if more people will listen to him if he is their king - perhaps they will - a different kind of evangelism to be sure.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/20/jesus-poland.html?ref=rss