A Post-Consumerist Age

We had a brilliant lecture today from a guy involved in 'indigenous church planting' amongst other things, as part of our discipleship lectures. We covered a whole range of topics but the one that most caught my attention was the subject of consumerism and discipleship. There was a lot of discussion about how we deal with the subject, the role of material possessions in our life and so on. This, in light of the current economic situation, brought out some good discussion points about the kind of message we as Christians should be sharing. It got me thinking. We talk a lot about poster-modernisation and post-Christendom and it made me wonder... are we heading for a time of post-consumerism? Could there ever be such a thing? Is this the time for us as Christians to pro-actively encourage those around us to reconsider our obsession with the consumerist culture we've come to depend on? Do we in fact have a responsibility to bring a message of stability, security and hope to the western world which is currently so wrapped up in the controlling tide of the economy?

Not sure quite how I feel yet or what I really think. Will need to look deeper in to the subject but it definitely sounds like something worth thinking about...

I Am

"I am a minister. I minister to the largest mission field in the world. I minister to children. My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical. My values are solid. My faith is tough. My mission is urgent. My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine. My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised. And my God is real.

In a world of cynicism, I offer hope. In a world of confusion, I offer truth. In a world of immorality, I offer values. In a world of neglect, I offer attention. In a world of abuse, I offer safety. In a world of ridicule, I offer affirmation. In a world of division, I offer reconciliation. In a world of bitterness, I offer forgiveness. In a world of sin, I offer salvation. In a world of hate, I offer God’s love. I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back.

I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I do not have time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, outdated methods, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender. I will pray when things look bad. I will pray when things look good. I will move forward when others stand still. I will trust God when obstacles arise. I will work when the task is overwhelming. I will get up when I fall down.

My calling is to reach boys and girls for God. It is too serious to be taken lightly, too urgent to be postponed, too vital to be ignored, too relevant to be overlooked, too significant to be trivialized, too eternal to be fleeting and too passionate to be quenched. I know my mission. I know my challenge. I also know my limitations, my weaknesses, my fears and my problems. And I know my God. Let others get the praise. Let the church get the blessing. Let God get the glory. I am a minister. I minister to children. This is who I am. This is what I do."

(Roger Fields)

Where is God on Monday?

Our church recently changed the format of the evening services. Instead of having a 'one sermon fits all' approach we have experimented with 'Mosaic'. Each night when it comes to the time of teaching there are three seminars happening at the same time. Each person chooses which they would rather go to. Currently we have, "A Potted History of the Church", "Issues in Contemporary World Mission" and "Where is God on Monday?". Guess which one I went to...

So, where is God on Monday? Good question. Through these sessions our group has explored the theology of work; the way the church supports its members in their day-jobs, the emphasis and importance placed on our employment as a mission field, the theological place and value of work and the ethical questions raised by Christians in the work place. So far this has proved most helpful and useful as I'm currently exploring the ethics of my own work in the pub. Although there are two more sessions to go, I thought I'd post my reflections thus far.

Church and the work place: Statistically a very low percentage of Christians say that their church supports them in their work (meaning their employment or 'day job') and that they have never heard any specific teaching devoted to faith in the work place. This is an issue which needs to be tackled, as we spend a large proportion of our waking hours (sometimes 12 hours a day or more) at our work. It is imperative that the church examines it's priorities where the employment of its members are concerned. Is the work they do in the church on a voluntary basis any more important than what they do every other day of the week? Do we see the potential and importance of our work as our mission field? I suspect that often we don't. I also suspect that for most Christians, their work place is where they have the greatest contact with people of no or other faith. Why is it then that we spend the weekend fishing in puddles when every day we work in a pond? That is; why do we seem to focus our attention on the limited amount of time we spend working in our church when we spend a proportionately larger length of time in our work place? We need to step up to the challenge of witness in the work place and this means that churches need to be fully supportive and aware of what this requires. How do we support one another in fellowship concerning our work?

The theology of work: A very important distinction made in the last seminar was that of the difference between work and toil. 'Work' by its very nature requires action and effort but it can also be enjoyable. God created us to work (Genesis 1:27-28 ... Genesis 2:15) However, toil is a different issue. It a the mundane, difficult, unenjoyable aspect of working. I have had a few part time jobs which to me were simply toil. I did it because I had to, I worked without enthusiasm or care and every day I looked forward to 5pm. However, my current job I still consider as 'work' but it is work that I enjoy. Even though I get tired and occasionally have a bad or stressful shift, I'm happy to be there and happy to work. We all have to work, but it doesn't always have to be toil. Another important biblical principle is that of rest. The pace of our society is getting increasingly faster as people get busier, deadlines get shorter, expectations get higher and people are beginning to burn out. God gave us the principle of rest and sets His own example for a reason. We need it.(Genesis 2:2-3 ... Exodus 20:8-11... Leviticus 23:3) This is a lesson which has resonated with me several times since the summer. I am one of these people who likes to be doing things, who likes to see my day filled with productive things to do. Sometimes I take on too much and don't leave enough time for rest. This, I have discovered, brings no merit. We get too tired or unwell to do our work properly and we eventually become miserable. Rest is important.

I found my visit to Italy a few years ago an interesting culture shock. At lunch time everything shuts down and people have a good few hours rest. They meet their families and friends for a long and social lunch or go down to the beach for a swim. They rest. I also noticed that, minus one McDonalds, there was no fast food in the town. There were no pre-packaged sandwiches or salads, no quick-fix meals. Why would they need it? They took time to rest and eat. I think they have the right idea. God gave us rest for a reason.

Ethical Issues: This was only touched on briefly in the last session and will be explored in more depth on Sunday. One ethical issue relates to the above point - should we work on a Sunday? Or even if we have to work on a Sunday should we ensure that we have at least one day every single week that devoted to personal or family time? I think so. Someone also raised a valid point about Christians setting an example of a balanced working life which sometimes might mean that yes, we refuse to do so many hours of over-time so that we can see our families or that we really do leave the office at 5pm because we have done a days work.

Another issue is the divide between serving our boss and serving God. The bible instructs us to work for our boss as though working for God - doing our best, being respectful and following given instructions with care. (Ephesians 6:5-9) But what happens when our employer puts us in a compromising situation or puts our integrity at stake? Where should our priority in work be - expanding our business or expanding the Kingdom? On another note there is the issue of suitable work field for Christians. This one I found particularly interesting as people followed two specific lines of thought. One involved working in finance. Is it wrong to make copious amounts of money? I don't think so although I believe it's how that money is used that is of importance. There was some question over people working in finance and their responsibilities. In this time of financial and economic unrest how should Christians in such jobs respond? Is there anything they can do to promote more ethical working in their sector? There was also questions over Christians working in pubs. Haha - that got my attention. Questions such as, "Is it ethical for Christians to be selling alcohol in a nation with such a high level of alcohol addiction and abuse?" were asked and a few more besides. They are right, there are many issues in my work I've had to consider and to me it's still an unstable terrain. I'm not quite sure where my principles rest with my various responsibilities. Even working on a Sunday is a new thing, one I've not had to do before, and I'm currently working out my position on this. I have my thoughts which I may share at another time. There are some jobs which will be seen as unethical but if we feel strongly that it's where we are called to be can we ignore that? There are many people who have given up their employment on the basis that it is to compromising to their faith to continute, and well done to them. For others it's not so easy. Some people have very little choice over where they work, they simply have to get a job. How do we decide which careers are ethically, morally and theologically acceptable. How do we work out orthopraxy in relation to our beliefs?

Questions, questions, questions. Perhaps I shall soon have some answers.

Update: Further to the discussion on Sunday I've been asked to be part of a question panel in the next session, allowing people to ask questions about my work; how I wrestle with the theological, ethical and moral issues surround the nature of what I do. I'm looking forward to it because it will certainly get me thinking and pose more questions that I may not have thought about already.

Flash

I thought I'd throw in a general update on things at the moment. I've not had much time to sit and reflect on the past couple of weeks as it's gone in a flash and I still don't know what's happening! So here's a general overview:

ICC - I started last Tuesday at the International Christian College and already I'm feeling quite at home. Both the staff and students are incredibly friendly and it's not full of 'hippy hoodie Christians' which was my initial fear. The past week however has been overshadowed by the illness and death of beloved Vice Principle Ted Herbert. Although I knew him only from a distance I knew from being in college only a day that he was the most loved and respected man, known for his integrity, compassion and open-door policy of never turning anybody away. Such a man is a living testament to love and compassion of Jesus Christ even when he is no longer here. This aside, college life has begun positively and I'm looking forward to settling in and getting down to work.

KBC - Life at my home church is going well. Things are settling down for a new term and I'm enjoying being back to my regular services. I was rarely at church over the summer just through working, being away or just sheer exhaustion. I must admit it's good to be back. Last week I was even back with a different role - taking the sermon! The sermon was split in to two parts. Fellow-student Keith did the first part, talking about how God builds our patience through prayer, and I did the second part, talking about how God helps us to understand His will through prayer. It was pretty nerve-wracking and I'll admit I wasn't as prepared as I could have been (our lovely DG is not so generous with pre-warning or forward planning!). Still, all went well and the message was well received. I had some good conversations and positive feedback afterwards.

Other stuff - I left my job at the pharmacy and worked my last ever shift. I'll admit I gladly rejoiced. I'll miss the people but certainly not the job. It will be so nice to have my Saturdays back! Work at the pub is going well. Last night was the staff night out which was good fun and although I was pretty tired I made it out till about 2am. It was good to just to socialise with people and get to know a bit more about them. There's a diverse range of personalities on the team and somehow that's what makes it such a good group for me. I genuinely love them and pray for them often. I also believe that many an adult would be impressed at the way a group of 18 to 20-somethings can efficiently run a fairly big operation every day. It's not easy but I'm always impressed and encouraged by the team work and capability shown on every shift.

Two weeks ago I started back at Friday Night Live. This was the 'week on' where we were running the new format of having pods (workshops of different varieties) and The Big Show (similar to the Friday Night Project??) which I co-host. It was pretty crazy! There are loads of new, younger kids and it's going to be a case of settling them in and getting them used to keeping within the rules which at the moment they seem quite adamant to test. The joys! Still, I feel it's going to be a good and productive year at FNL.

Friday and Saturday this weekend I'll be attending the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit which our church is hosting. I'll no doubt be back on here soon with further reflections from that.

That's me at the moment... Life is full. Life is different. Life is good.

Religion vs Relationship

It's a peculiar thing - telling people that you're going in to or are involved in Christian ministry. It can be awkward - very awkward. You never know how people will react. Sometimes I find it easier to have the, "I'm adopted, I've been in at least 6 foster homes, I don't know my birth parents and my siblings are in jail for murder..." conversation first. I haven't even begun my studies at ICC but sharing my plans for the next four years has provoked some interesting reactions. One reaction I have noticed most recently is the 'automatic stance' - that is, where people feel the need to immediately spell out their position in the faith spectrum, whether atheist, agnostic or other, and make quite clear their beliefs. Why is this? Perhaps it's a defence; a way of saying, "Don't try and convert me, I've made up my mind!". Perhaps it's an invitation or even a challenge; "Well I know what I think. What have you got to offer?". Whatever the motive, it's interesting. I rarely say much in such encounters, particularly when a person is new or unfamiliar to me. More often than not they seem to expect a reaction, a counter argument or perhaps a submission - an indication that I will not pursue it further. My response is neither. Instead, I listen... then I move on. To some it may appear as submission or even a lack of theological grounding to contest their viewpoint. In some cases this is certainly true. I am not foolish enough to take on arguments to which I cannot present a valid contribution. However, even where I feel able I rarely pitch in on these initial exchanges other than to ask a question or two. Why? Well, most recently it's because the viewpoints I've been presented with surround the issue of Christianity as an organised religion. In particular there is strong feeling about the church; the power of the global church and it's misuse, the unnecessary traditions, the irrelevance of the bible and the attitude of those in ministry. Very often if I dig deeper I find a significant history - people who used to go to church (or were dragged there), people who have been affected negatively by the church and people who altogether find little relevance in what they know of Christianity.

However, what I'm slowly calling in to question is this: Are people judging Christianity as an 'organised religion' or as an authentic relationship? Do they separate the issue of the church / the organisation of Christianity on a global scale, and the fact that Christianity is, according to the gospel, a living and authentic relationship between each individual and God. In many cases, I suspect not. It is for this reason that I rarely engage in any initial discussion about the organisation of the church, the authority of the bible or the impact of Christianity world-wide. If my understanding of the Christian faith is correct (and I am always willing to be corrected), it stems down to the individual. It is about being saved by grace through faith - faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, His defeat of death and the gift of grace which is an open invitation from God to everyone. It is the acceptance of this invitation, resulting in an authentic relationship with God. It is not about religion: it is about relationship.

When people have made up their mind about Christianity as an organised religion, sometimes no constructive debate, historical evidence or academic reasoning will change their views. They may not ever understand Christians or why people follow 'Christianity as a religion' until they have seen a demonstrative example of this relationship, between the individual and God, lived out. Therefor, in an attempt to witness I do not see it as my place to argue them down and change their views on the religion of Christianity and the relevance of the church. There is a time and a place for those conversations. I see it as my job to be an example of genuine faith to help them understand the gift of grace. I'm no saint. Very often I will fail to live up to the example I hope to set. But I will try - try to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ and the God's gift of grace through the way I live.

Perhaps then I will engage in conversation - not about my religion but about my relationship.

.

Riots

Browsing the news headlines again today I came across this article. It caught my attention because the reported incident took place not far from my home town. Admittedly I don't know much about the St Marys Kenmure Centre and had to to a little further research. As with my previous entry this article threw me more questions than answers. My first question would perhaps be why the young people were so keen to hurt and destroy the facilities which are supposed to offer them a better, more secure way of life and the people who are volunteering to help and support them? I understand that the young people who are placed in the centre have emotional and behavioural issues which will be the main factor playing a part in such incidents - these are not just your average teenagers. Personally, I can't imagine what life must be like for them. It saddens me to think of young people living their life in such detention - no matter how good the facilities it's still not a 'normal' life however much the centre claims to provide. What makes me even more curious is that those involved in the riot have been sentenced to four years detention. For young people already living in care centres, how will detention contribute to the progress they are supposed to be making? Will it strengthen or destroy the work already done by volunteers there? I can't make too much comment on the issue as my own experiences are different I know very little about the children's panel and related systems but I would like to know more about it.

However, apart from calling out for my compassion articles of this nature also present a real challenge to the church. What are we doing to help young people like this in our area? One of our own church ministries, FNL, takes in a lot of kids from the local area each with their own history and certainly some of them are challenging. I love being involved in this ministry because we provide safety, security, activity and a certain inclusiveness to our local young people. I do think that such an outreach can be extended. Does our local council know the kind of support that we provide? If they did would they make better use of it? Can we extend our ministry from bringing young people in, to taking our volunteers out and extending our mission to places like St Marys? Could the local church make better links between themselves and council projects across the country?

I know great work is already being done - I always like to challenge us to do more.

The Great Commission is the greatest challenge to Christians to show the love of Jesus Christ in this world. If we fail to reach out beyond our own doors are we rising to that challenge?

Headlines

While browsing the BBC news pages I came across this article . It was this caption that took my notice: "So many parents have been chasing university places for their children that the admissions system is now letting parents act as their agents." My instant reaction was, "Please tell me you are joking..." but it appears to be true.
So, from this article I gather that when young people enter in to the university admission systems they can 'opt to' choose a parent or guardian to be their 'agent' - someone who will deal with the majority of the admission process including sitting in on the actual interview. For children whose lives are already governed by pushing parents who have already decided what they would like their children to do, can you imagine anything worse? It may be optional but how much option do they really get? I know several people whose parents pressurised them in to doing medicine or law when it quite clearly was not what they themselves would have preferred to do. Latterly, such people have left their degree with much anguish and disappointment caused to their parents. The choice of degree or further education or even an alternative option, is very much the choice of the young person and not their parent. Why, therefor, should parents be allowed a greater degree of input than is already in place?

I understand from a parent's point of view, as discussed at the end of the article, that they do not want to simply hand over cheques and start renting flats when they have no idea or little understanding as to what it's all going towards. I understand that this choice for a parental agent is 'optional' (though somehow that thought makes me laugh...). However, the responsibility lies with the young person to inform their parents sufficiently as to what is going on and the parents are quite entitled to say 'no' to paying out if they feel they are insufficiently informed. Is this bid for greater parental access and input going to replace the need for family communication or take away the independence which young people feel they have finally been granted? Could it be that roles are reversed and that in turn, the young people will be the ones left out?

Independence is a primary concern for me but to educationalists there is also a secondary concern as noted in the article. Is this new parental control going to blur the professional line between school and higher education? Tutors and university faculties have a professional relationship with their students much like an employer and employee. Few employers would dream of phoning to consult an employees mother over professional issues, surely? Why then are those in higher education so keen to allow it? Does it allow the lazier students to hand over the their responsibilities and have someone else to the work for for them? Does it hinder those who see university as a step towards independence and a step away from parental control? How are university faculties going to 'manage' this system and ensure that the students really have actually opted for a parent to be involved rather than being pushed? There may be benefits to this system but it seems to be the drawbacks and need for further questions that immediately stand out to me.

Your thoughts?

Bars and Beer

For the past three weeks now I have been working in my local pub. It's been a bit of a change from working in the pharmacy but a much needed one. This change of course brings all the usual uncertainties of any new job - a new workplace, new skills, new managers and staff and an altogether very different atmosphere. So far I've enjoyed it. As always I'm still learning the tricks of the trade but the staff team have been exceptionally helpful and understanding as I make mistakes and learn along the way. It's definitely been a change for the better.

Of course, as could be expected there has been the issue of being a witness in a new workplace as well. As far as I know I'm the only Christian on the team and it didn't take long for people to work it out. Asking for Sundays off was probably the first give-away, haha. I make no effort to hide it but I am always conscious of people's reactions and like to get to know people before having 'that conversation' to avoid being labelled from the offset. Interestingly, when it's come up in discussion the usual reactions are questions about my permissible activities; "Do you drink?" and "Are you celibate?" being amongst the most frequent. Some are curious and others complacent but so far all have been quite accepting. It does make me wonder about people's preconceptions of Christians and Christianity. Do they see it as a religion of "Dos and Don'ts" ? Do they see Christians as "the ones that do..." and "the ones that don't..."? So far most of the questions I've been asked have been very much along this line. Over time I'd like to find out what people think about Christianity from an outside perspective. Until then, I'm enjoying the company and even the work. Long may it continue.

We Are Together

I recently watched the docu-film on channel four "We Are Together" - the story of the Children of Agape. It was crafted sensitively and beautifully and refrained from becoming a typical Oxfam-esque appeal to the wealthy nations. The film followed the lives of the children at Agape - an orphanage in South Africa.

"Agape was founded by a lady called Gogo "Grandma" Zodwa. She was working as an HIV counselor and found that many of the people she was counseling expressed deep concern about what would happen to their children when they were no longer around. So Zodwa established Agape to look after these children. Agape has had a tumultuous journey, but under Zodwa’s loving guidance it continues to grow stronger. Agape is a Greek word meaning “unconditional love”, which is exactly what the children at Agape receive." (http://wearetogether.org/children/)


Grandma Zodwa noted that she wanted to show these children the unconditional love of God that everyone deserves. This was not a story of destitution and lives torn apart, but a quiet observation of orphaned children getting on with life as they know it. The hope-inspiring twist to this tale is the music. Singing, as naturally as breathing, takes place morning, noon and night in the orphanage. The children formed a choir and together they express their love, hope, dreams and sorrow through the songs they sing. They have no written music, no instruments and no accompaniment. They simply sing - and they are fabulous. The man who conducts the children said that, "We cannot all speak at once but we can all sing." How true.

It is this gift of music that has provided significant funding and hope for Agape. The orphanage was destroyed in a fire and the centre lost everything it had. However, the children were invited to perform in New York with Alecia Keys and they recorded an album. I thought that perhaps given this opportunity they would get a big band and make their album a stunning, technical, musical masterpiece. Thankfully they recorded only their voices, keeping the album as pure and true as the gift they have been given. The money from this was used to raise a new centre which could house even more children than before. It was a truly moving piece. There was no narration, special effects, fancy camera work or significant bias. The cameras merely recorded and reflected real life. I would encourage anybody to download some of their music from iTunes or buy it online. Watch the DVD and you will understand it even better. In the title track from the album, "We Are Together" the children sing, "We are together, we are family." This is what Agape provides along with unconditional love - a family.

Thankyou Lord for the gift of music and the hope that it brings.

Mission Field

I have recently returned from my Stepout Mission in the infamous Bo'Ness. It was lovely to be back. It's another place I can consider 'home'. I struggled a bit as I had to work at the pharmacy on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, therefor I had to drive there and back late at night every day. It got quite tiring and I struggled having missed out on all the kids club work. None-the-less I had a fabulous time when I was there. Half of the team were completely new to me and I had the opportunity to get to know some interesting people. I was reunited with the usual suspects from the church - all of whom are absolutely treasures and so hospitable you wouldn't believe. So here's a basic run down of the week...
On the Sunday evening the team attended the church service and basically introduced ourselves and laid out our plans for the week. We invited anyone who was interested to come along and help or to simply visit and observe. At the end of the service the minister led a time of hands-on prayer for the team. It was a truly moving moment as individuals from the church were united in prayer and poured out compassion and support for the week ahead. I felt so privileged to be among such Godly people. After the service the work began.

Throughout the week we had a total of 37 kids attending the RockStar club in the morning. A lot of these were from families who have no other contact with the church. There were plenty of games, stories, activities and memory verses. One of the crafts involved using the little round boxes that package Dairylea Cheese. Cindy had been collecting them for some time but still hadn't managed to get enough. I phoned the manager at Asda in Grangemouth, flirted precariously and managed to score another boxes for free. God is good. The kids had a fabulous time and although I only got to visit the club on the first and last day I saw a marked difference. The children were happy, safe, secure and very much enjoying their time spent in the church. God bless them. A lot of the boys between P5-7 turned up in the afternoons and evenings just wanting to hang out with us and play football. We felt really blessed that they genuinely wanted to be there. One young, non-church-related boy made a commitment to Christ on the last day. I think he was about 10 years old. It was a really special moment for us all.

Every evening I helped at the youth cafe. It was a very chilled out set up - music, board games, the Wii , football and various other activities. All week the centre was quiet with maybe only 4-6 youth turning up at any one time. However, throughout the week, as testimonies were told, questions were asked and conversations were had. Two girls made a quiet, conscious commitment to follow Christ. There was no dramatic alter-call and no sudden transformations of the crows; simply two young people carefully considering the effect of having Christ as their king and accepting freely the grace of God.

On the Friday evening we had a BBQ for all the children, parents and youth who had been in contact with us throughout the week. We invited and encouraged them all week to attend and arranged catering for about 100 people in the hope that they would all come. We had a fabulous turn out. There were parents and kids galore. We had good weather and were able to use all our outdoor space. At one point I stopped and stood back, looking out at what was going on. I liked what I saw. There were kids playing football on the grass. There were children drawing with chalk on the concrete. There were parents playing games with their family and just enjoying their children for what they were. I nearly started crying as I looked out and just saw families and community alike being drawn together simply because the church had given them the space and the freedom. Moments like that make it all worth it.

Cindy asked me to give my testimony or the 'story of my life' as I like to call it. I readily agree to these things but when the time came I was quite nervous because the room was full and I suddenly wondered what all these non-churched, non-christian parents would think of it all. I just prayed that I wouldn't ramble. It seemed to go well. I had some really good conversations with parents after that and with a couple of church members too. On the Sunday morning one of the ladies who had been there came and had a long chat with me about 'the story of my life' and asked if I would considering speaking to the social work students at Napier about it. I said I'd be glad to and whether or not this will come to fruition it's good to know that the opportunity is there. All the talking about where I've come from and where I'm going makes me stop and marvel at how God's hand has been in my life from the very beginning. Before I was even old enough to stand or speak He was watching over me and shaping the path that my life could take if I would only choose to follow it. I thank Him whole-heartedly that I made the right decision. He has blessed me more than I can ask or imagine.

It was a great week and I learned so much and saw so much of God of work. I would like to extend a real heart-felt thanks for the people of Bo'Ness Baptist - for their enthusiastic involvement and prayerful support. May God bless them.

The Prayer Room and Other Stories

Well, camp ended a few weeks ago but it's taken me some time to gather my thoughts on the week. I was extremely ill the week after camp and it took a while to recover. I had a great but stressful week. I thought I was only getting four campers in my group but arrived to find that I had eight. However, to balance out this little surprise I also found that I was in a leaders dorm with my best friend Emma and my trainee Sarah - what a blessing! God is good. Lynn and I went through two days early to begin working on the prayer room. The plan was to get the four gazebos up to begin with and then start all the walls and decorations. However, it took us over two hours to get two gazebos up and we were both almost in tears after the third one simply refused to fit together. We went home closer to midnight than we had intended feeling somewhat defeated. Many a desperate prayer was uttered before we headed up to try again the next night. God gave Lynn a brainwave for measuring the gazebo poles and lo and behold - the last two were up in a matter of minutes! We were so relieved. Several hours and lots of material later the room was up and ready. I have to say it looked fab and I was so excited to see what God was going to do there. If you want to know more about what was in the prayer room just let me know and I'll explain it!





Over the week the kids went in to the prayer room alone or with friends and spend time exploring, looking, watching, thinking, reflecting, praying, creating, wailing, crying, learning and praying. Each day there were new things up on the walls - all honest outpouring of what was going on in their heads, hearts and lives. A couple of days I went in to spend some time with God and it was so fulfilling. With all the worship to organise I got a bit stressed out and it was so good to have a little corner of quiet where I could rest with God and seek His council. The room had that feeling that one cannot readily describe but the room felt covered in prayer and filled with the spirit. It was a place for healing, for listening, for learning. Several times I was brought to tears just looking at the evidence of prayer and praise that had been happening throughout the week. All our effort was truly worth it and more.





Apart from the prayer room many good times were had at camp. The campers were responsive to the worship and praise party on the Friday night just blew my mind. Leading the whole thing was truly exhausting and I had to keep it together and hold in a lot of emotion. I could see lives changing, God working and the spirit moving. The kids worshipped with true abandon and the commitments made were a testimony of God's grace and love sweeping through their lives. These times always serve to remind me of what a privilege it is to be involved in the work of SU because I get a glimpse of God at work and am reminded every time of the way in which Christ loves us. It was hard work - but oh so worth it. I want to say a huge thankyou to all those on the team who made it such a special week for me. You know who you are. =)

A day in the life...

I've run out of time and steam for the blog at the moment. Life's business is taking over but I thought I'd post a general update until I have any form of intelligible thoughts to share.

I have several projects going on at the moment which are taking up most of my time. First and foremost I've been helping to put together a youth programme for the volunteers who are going out a Stepout Mission with the Baptist Union this year. This is the first year there has been material provided for the youth events as normally it's just given for the children's work. It's been a long and difficult process trying to think of things that would connect with young people from across the spectrum - all ages and stages, churched and unchurched, urban, suburban and country kids! The pack is almost finished and I'm not as pleased with my work as I could have been but hopefully it will serve to inspire the teams to put it to creative use. At the training weekend on Friday I led a couple of activities from the pack as exemplars. I had anticipated there would be about 25 people there but I think there was around 45! Still, it seemed to go well.

As well as the Stepout stuff I'm preparing for camp at LM - my favourite week of the year! This year we're incorporating a prayer room - inspired by the one we had at church recently. It's been a bit of extra work and I'm having to go up a couple of days early but I'm so glad it'll be available. It's been a good chance to let out some of my creativity and share good times with close friends. I've also been asked to co-ordinate the worship for the week so I'm trying to ensure that those who volunteered all get a chance to play, that those doing the talks get to make the arrangements they need and that rehearsal times co-ordinate with all the other rotas. It's a work in progress! Still - I'm very much looking forward to camp and I anticipate that I'll see great things happen. It's always a privilege to be involved and I've never been at a camp where God didn't show up in both subtle and obvious ways. It will be most interesting to see what the prayer room will add to the week. Watch this space!

Frenzy 08

This year has been a good year so far. I've been to lots of exciting places and events. On Saturday I attended Frenzy for the first time with some friends from church. I decided to go this year since David Crowder*Band were playing and they've been a favourite of mine for a few years. I didn't know what to expect but I can tell you that the whole day was brilliant!

We arrived early - about 10:40am - and didn't have to wait in much of a que to get our wristbands and programmes. The sun was shining and straight away I began meeting people I know from various different places. I love these big Christian events because you're guaranteed to meet at least ten other people you already know. At a rough count I think I met at least 20.

We spent most of the early afternoon outside having some food and wandering for the initial sets. After the first band came on there were some general promo videos which I didn't take much interest in until lo and behold the SU promotional video was played! There I was on the big screen at Frenzy. Bit of a shock but pretty cool.

Most of the bands I had never heard of and didn't take a particular interest in until Leeland came on. A fabulous band. These guys were just so humble and Earnest - there was no attitude from these guys. I really loved their music but the moment that won it for me was when they sang "Come Lord - Come to Scotland." I think that right there and then they won the patriotic hearts of every Scottish person in the hall.

DC*B wasn't on till later but I went in early to make sure I got a good view. Did I get a good view or what - right up at the barricades in front of the stage - nobody in front of me and 7000 people behind me. It doesn't get better than that! All the gigs I've been to I've been in the middle or at the back without a great view but this made up for them all. The crowd was clearly anticipating their arrival and got really hyped up a good 15 minutes before they appeared. When they finally did the place erupted. They did a great set and got everyone really excited and it was clear that they were enjoying themselves too. I just loved it.

Following DC*B was Chris Tomlin. I kept my spot at the front for that and I wasn't disappointed. Again there was a real humility from him and the band as they played. They did most of my favourites and somehow even the songs I'm usually sick of seemed so much better - fresher even. At one point the audience overtook the band with chanting and the band just stood back and watched. There's no crowd like a Scottish crowd!

Words can't really describe how immense the day was but it was just amazing and definitely a memory to treasure. I can say I've been there, done that and I even got the tshirt.

Jesus

Jesus was...

A challenge to the hypocrits

A healer to the sick

A comfort to the broken hearts

A friend to the sinner

The one who chose the weakest and somehow made them strong.

A man who gave the outcasts somewhere to belong.

Jesus is...

The teacher with faith in his pupils

The shepherd who watches his flock

The father who loves his children

The creator who delights in his creation

The light in the darkness

The hope that chases out fear

The salvation of the lost

The lamb who chose the slaughter

The gift of life

Jesus will....

Work undeniably

Move unexpectedly

Love relentelessly

Forgive endlessly

Heal miraculously

Care tenderly

Accept graciously

Reveal intentionally

Appear triumphantly

Last night in my prayer time I was directed to read Ezekiel Chapter 2. I'm not sure why but I feel like I have a challenge ahead and this is God's warning or direction. I'm not sure what it's about right now but I'm anticipating that God will work undeniably, unexpectedly and unimaginably.

Heroes

Last weekend I was back at LM for the SU Bearsden/Milngavie schools weekend away. It was a fairly relaxed weekend and I enjoyed it. I had a group of S2 girls so I got to sit in on the senior teaching times which is a nice change since I'm usually in the primary section. Over the weekend we looked at four biblical 'heroes' and what we can learn from the journey they each made with God. More specifically, we looked at the lives of Joseph, Moses, Simon-Peter and Paul. Although the teaching was short I really loved looking at an overview of their lives and the way God used them to change the course of human history. Joseph saved the lives of almost an entire nation, as did Moses. Peter and Paul spread the gospel and helped the beginning of the Christian church as we know it. With each person we looked not only at what God had to say to them in their lives but what we can learn from them to apply to our own lives. So what did I learn?

First of all, each of the four 'heroes' was a complete and utter sinner. Murder. Lies. Denial. Doubts. Despite these faults God forgave each of them and was willing to use them despite their inherently sinful nature. My group picked up on the concept of forgiveness pretty quickly and asked questions like, "Does God really forgive you even if you murder someone? Did God really forgive Saul even though he'd killed loads of Christians?" Even as I explained it to them I began to see more clearly the sheer depth of God's grace that such things are forgivable. I always imagine the Old Testament heroes like Moses and Abraham to be the mighty leaders who never stumbled, never doubted, never strayed. Just looking at these guys I realise how human they were and that there was nothing perfect about them. God used weak and sinful men in mighty and wondrous ways. So it is for us, that despite our failings, our weakness and our sins that God forgives us. Not only does he forgive us but He is willing to use us for His divine purposes. Jesus didn't pick disciples who were perfect either. Each individual had some really obvious flaws: Simon was a zealot, Thomas doubted, Peter denied, Judas betrayed. As Rob Bell points out in his Nooma DVD 'Dust', not only were guys imperfect but they were unqualified for the job. These were the guys who didn't make the cut for any other Rabbi. They weren't good enough and yet Jesus called them. He called them and used them in incredible ways. So we see that we don't need to be perfect either. Jesus will call us to follow Him and if we have even a little faith we'll go. We don't need to perfect, we don't need to be great: we just need to follow.

Another thing I noticed is that these guys didn't always have it easy. Joseph lived a real roller-coaster life. Just when things were good they took a turn for the worst. Just when things were bad he got a 'Get out of jail free' card. He lived an extremely unpredictable life. Moses... well he didn't have it easy by a long shot. He gave up a life of royalty and security because he killed a man, then lead an entire nation out of slavery against the will of the very man he called his father. Paul started out by killing Christians. Peter who declared his undeniable love for Jesus denied Him to save his own skin. It's so easy for us to read the bible now and say, "Well yes but you can clearly see that God had a plan and these bad times were a necessary part of it!" Hindsight is a wonderful thing but neither Moses or Joseph knew what lay ahead. Given their circumstances it would have been easy to give it all up and walk away. How often in our own times of trouble do we keep absolute faith that God has a greater purpose and that this is all part of his plan. We like to quote Jeremiah 29:11 at people but do we believe it ourselves? Very often when we take the time to look back over the journey that we've made so far we will see that God has been in both the bad times and the good and that we are indeed part of His great plans.

I learned a whole lot more besides this but that would make for an incredibly long post! Still, I feel I've been challenged a little and given plenty to think about. Times like this give me a real desire to spend more time in the Old Testament looking at individuals and the way God used their lives. There are so many lessons to be learned.

Resolutions

New years resolutions. It's a bit late I know but I didn't want to make them at the time. So, my resolutions for 2008 are:

> Go new places

> Meet new people

> Take more opportunities

Last year was pretty restricted because of teaching placements and other things but this year is much more flexible now that Jordanhill is behind me (resits permitting!). Therefor I want to make the most of my time by going to new places and meeting new people. On Saturday night I went to a random 21st and met a few new people which was good. I have also met a few great new people at camp. I'll be the first to admit I suck at keeping in touch with folk so part of my new resolution is to properly keep in touch with people after camps and parties etc. In particular I have a great set of friends from uni who I really want to keep up with. Meeting new people specifically includes those of the non-christian variety. It's easy to meet new Christians because the Christian networking in Scotland is immense but I need to spend more time out-with Christian circles. Take more opportunities: By this I mean take up those opportunities for random weekends away or going to gigs that might not come around again or whatever it may be. Last year I spent too much time thinking about things and never got round to doing them. So far I had a nice weekend away in Dundee, I've booked my tickets to Frenzy and a weekend in London. Hopefully this year will continue to open up opportunities that I can really make the most of.

Did you make any resolutions? How are you doing so far?

Happy Campers

I am now back from what was a completely exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable week away at Lendrick Muir. As always, God moved in unexpected, undeniable ways and I had a fabulous time. The team as a whole got on so well - no personality clashes or internal issues. The kids were mostly well behaved and responsive during the worship. I love it. LM is like my spiritual home (however un-PC that might be, I can't really explain it.) It's the place where I've been challenged, I've learned, I've grown and where I've been loved and supported by those who, over the years, have become close friends and family to me. Countless lives have been changed by God in there and those who go are eternally grateful for the goodness of God in providing such a place for his ministry.

So what have I learned this week? Not to judge kids before I know them. Sounds obvious but I realised that very quickly I took a dislike to a couple of the younger boys who I found arrogant and irritating. However, after actually spending some quality time playing pool or on the ropes course with them I discovered that they were little gems and was ashamed of my snap judgements the previous day. I also learned that these weeks are not all about 'converting' the campers and making sure they leave as Christians. These weeks are about giving the kids the best week of their lives through loving them, caring for them, getting to know them, sharing experiences with them and sharing a little about Jesus with them too. Some kids are not ready to hear about God or make any kind of life-changing decisions. All we can do is sow the seeds and let God take care of the harvest. I also lead the worship which I'm not used to doing and found it a bit scary but God by His grace used His strength in my weakness and we saw some great responses to the work of the Spirit during the worship sessions. All in all I had a fabulous week with lots of great people and I feel all the more blessed for being there. A special thanks to SU for the incredible work they do. Thanks be to God for his providence and care.

Role-Model Education

"No printed word, nor spoken plea can teach young minds what they should be. Not all the books on all the shelves – but what the teachers are themselves."
Rudyard Kipling


role model: n. A person looked to by others as an example in a particular role or situation. (Concise Oxford - 9th Edition)

I am currently trying to work my way through a short essay on teaching and learning. Can't say it's the most exciting way to spend the Easter weekend. Still, while doing some research I came across the above quote, used in this article. Some of the results in the research mentioned, though unsurprising, are certainly interesting and relevant to educators and Christians alike.

The research from the article expressed the fact that most children and young people identified their role models first and foremost as the people closest to them in their circle of family and friends. Celebrities and media figures came after these in terms of significant influence. Daniel Rose suggests that this is because, "The gap between theory and practice is bridged, as ideological concepts become realities before the eyes of the students. Once they have truly understood an idea, because they have seen it at first hand...they are only then in a true position to judge its validity to their life, and then make the relevant lifestyle decision." An interesting and somewhat scary thought. After reading this I considered the most significant role models in my life and, agreeing with the research of Anton Bucher, I found that these were in fact the people closest to me in my circle of family and friends. These people are from whom I have sought help or advice from, talked to about their values and have then seen for myself the validity and integrity of what they do in practice. This has then in some shape or form influenced the decisions I have made in my own life. I think that teachers, as Rose suggests, can have an incredible influence over their pupils and not one that they should use without consideration. With ACfE focusing on values and lifestyle pupils will seek to establish role models and identify the connection between theory and practice in the lives of their teachers. This is a huge responsibility, because if the practice of the teacher cannot be justified according to the values they are trying to pass on, their integrity will lie in tatters and I imagine that the pupils' respect will be lost. However, this also has huge implications for us as Christians too. The words that we say and the faith that we profess can be powerful, but those who wish to inspect our faith more closely will probably seek to evaluate the link between our thoughts and our actions. If this link is somewhat tenuous then not only will our integrity be at stake but our witness could be catastrophically tainted.

Rose says that, "Children, especially during adolescence – their most vulnerable and impressionable age - are in need of role models, and take them from all areas that are close at hand". This then begs the question, what kind of role models do our children find in church? A scary question and when children are honest in their opinions we sometimes dislike the answer. Children will not only look for role models in individuals but will also look at the church corporately. I suspect that they will notice where the church as a whole fails to put in to practice the value of children that they profess to have. I suspect that they will notice when a commitment to making church enjoyable and accessible to younger people is lost in translation between word and action. We can teach them about the example that Jesus sets, but I feel that the integrity of our teaching can be seriously diminished where we as individuals and as a church fail to live this out in our own lives. A case study I recently examined showed that a primary 5 pupil knew that, despite the teacher talking about fairness and equality, she only directed questions to children who were likely to know the answers. If children can spot the difference then we are presented with a huge challenge - a challenge not only for those who work with children. If we wish to be good role models for our children, in church and in life, then it requires integrity, honesty and commitment. Let's be the kind of role models that Jesus taught us to be. Perfect? We are not. Honest? We can be. Good role models? Let's find out.

Hope and Prayer in Troubled Times

I've been praying a lot for some very close friends recently. There seem to be so many things going on at once with various people and I find myself asking God to carry the burdens which are just too heavy for the rest of us. Sometimes I find myself saying, "There's nothing we can do but pray..." and I get frustrated by that. Prayer is one of the most productive things you can do and saying that makes it seem like a last resort. What better to do than to bring the problem to the almighty creator of heaven and earth? However, I do understand that in a time of crisis we like to be able to 'do' something practical to help. When my friends present a problem and I'm not sure how to help sometimes it's best to just ask, "Is there anything I can do?". However, I struggle when it comes to non-christian friends. When there's nothing practical to be done, and we can only pray for them, how do we present them with any hope? Though they may doubt it at times, Christians will most likely understand that God has a plan and a purpose for them and that He will not let them carry more than they can handle; but with our non-christian friends how do we offer any kind of hope or solice in desperate times? Sometimes I tell them that I am praying for them but does this help? Is it a comfort? If they don't believe in God, much less the power of prayer, I suspect it doesn't. So how do we help? How do we really show that care and compassion in our outreach? How do we convey that we are doing the best thing that we know we can do, when their own beliefs may be a barrier to them understanding what we mean? More questions than answers I'm afraid. I confess that I am neither confident or consistent when it comes to praying but deep down I know that doesn't matter. When it comes to my friends I pray with honesty and hope because I want to see God moving in their lives. I just wish that people could understand more clearly the love and compassion that goes in to prayer and that, although to them it might not seem like much, some times it really is the best I can do.

The Road Ahead

At last!

At last night's members meeting the church (KBC) voted through the decision to employ a part time Children and Families Worker. Everyone was supportive of the decision and recognised the needs of our children as a separate entity from the youth. I am SO pleased about the potential for our children and families to get the support and vision that they've been needing for so long. God is gracious and does not forget his children. Thank goodness the church hasn't either. I have an optimistic feeling that this is the start of great journey for the children and families in the community of Kirkintilloch...

From the Mouths of Babes

Today in church we had the primary and nursery aged kids coming up the front to participate in the service. They were asked to think of something to thank God for - something they couldn't buy from the shops. A young boy, who I guessed was somewhere in the early primary stages, said something to the effect of: "You can't buy yourself or your abilities - like being able to swim" . Isn't it great that our kids can be so insightful?

Planning Our Journey

For those of you who pay enough attention to education these days, you will know that the national curriculum guidelines are changing. Out with the old and in with the new. It's about time for a change and although there is no guarentee that the Curriculum for Excellence will be as wonderful as it claims, it's child-centred approach is one I'm all in favour of. The plan is that those who teach under ACfE will support and enable their students to become Confident Individuals, Successful Learners, Responsible Citizens and Effective Contributors. If all this works and the 'yoof of today' is transformed in to such things I would be mightily pleased. (Sarcasm? Me? Never.) Still, despite reservations, I think that the key principles of working with our young people to help them become all these things are good. Rather than ticking boxes I think that CfE allows teachers and pupils to go on a journey together and to observe more rewarding progress. With the ever-present power of 'linking-thinking' this led me to think about the journey that we plan for our children in our churches. What exactly do we hope for them to become? How do we envision their growth? Do we actually have a plan?

All too often I have seen Sunday schools whose primary focus is on getting through the service and getting through the material. Week by week each tick box is complete as another worksheet is done and another story is told. In all of this, what is it that we intend our young people to be doing? In what way do we see them growing?

I think it's important that, just as we do for our church and sometimes our youth, we set out a coherent vision for our children and their place in the church. We must define our key strategies for enabling this vision and ensure that we have team who is working well towards achieving it. If we don't our kids are left floundering and bored with the little opportunity for growth that sunday school provides. I would also suggest that working towards an agreed vision rather than through an agreed material allows far more space for individual leaders to exercise their creativity. I believe there are many people who can communicate wonderfully with our children but are restrained by the step-by-step, worksheet-by-worksheet regime that currently exists. I have a vendetta against worksheets being a main resource but I will admit that on occassion they do have their place. I'm more in favour of an experiential type of learning; taking our kids out and letting them experience God in a whole variety of contexts. That means not just learning stories and verses (which is of course important) but actually doing and seeing and trying and thinking. So, in a very students-with-placards way, I'd like to say: "Abandon the worksheet! Let our children grow!".


We want to see spiritual growth in our children, that they may become confident individuals in themselves, effective disciples to their peers and welcomed contributors to the life of our church. It may well require more thought, more preparation, more trial-and-error but let's give these kids the opportunity. If we don't, we'll lose them younger and quicker as church slowly turns them away from Jesus or at least away from church. I have seen kids as young (or even as old...) as Primary 7 truly worship and weep with love for Jesus. It's possible! So let's plan a journey with our children and let's be part of it. Let's prepare our kids for knowing Jesus now and just when they're 'older'. Let's enable our kids to be diverse, creative, expressive and loved as we nuture their growth and uncover their potential. Let's provide genuine opportunities for our children to engage in worship, to wrestle with scripture and to walk with the whole church. Let us never underestimate what our children can teach us about God - if we only let them.

The Christian Message

Oh how true this can seem.

Thanks to http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/page/2/

Embracing Our Culture for 21st Century Ministry

Bet you took one look at the title and thought, 'Ooft - sounds heavy. Not reading that!' but perhaps if I say the words 'Bebo' and 'Forums' you might change your mind? If so, read on!

Very recently a young girl in our church died, age 16, after a two year battle with cancer. It was a devastating occasion for all those who knew her. On the day she died I got a phone call in the early afternoon to let me know. By the time I got home from university at 4pm and checked my bebo (there it is again!) I saw that many of the young people who knew EJ had set up a bebo page in her honour. It was a beautiful thing to see. To some it might seem inappropriate or unkind to create such a site but as I thought about it I began to see a different side to that story. This is 21st Century youth culture. It is how young people communicate, keep in touch, let others know what is going and how we show our common interests and appreciations. What better way to celebrate someone's life than to bring them in to this culture? Our minister kindly acknowledged the Bebo page during the remembrance service. It seemed surprising that such a thing should be mentioned in a church on such an occasion but I realised that it was a validation and an acknowledgment that the young people had expressed their love for EJ in the way that they knew best.

When we seek to engage in mission and ministry, as with teaching, it is so important that we learn to embrace the culture of our mission field and understand the way it works. This is a vital way of showing people how relevant the Christian faith is to every aspect of life and makes the church, in a sense, more accessible. If we wish to meet with the unchurched community around us we must, where appropriate, acknowledge and validate their surrounding culture and seek to engage with them in a time and place where they will understand the relevance of the Christian faith in their lives. As a good friend once said, "There is no aspect of your life that God is not interested or involved in." Where our kids are passionate about sports and skating, let's bring the gospel to the skate parks. Where our young people struggle with the morality of conversations held on msn or by texting, let's talk about it in bible classes and house groups. What ever their culture let's acknowledge it, respect, talk about it and use it.

Our church has recently opened a discussion forum online for the worship teams to discuss any aspect of worship, the music, the services etc. and to engage in the sharing of thoughts and ideas. It has only been running for a short time but has proved itself to be a productive and valid way of communicating. We don't have time to come to meetings every week and discuss all our current thinking and ideas. We tend to share them with close friends who perhaps pass these conversations on to others, but rarely have time to sit down as a whole team and talk about it. Opening the online forum has provided an easy and accessible way for us to do this and to formalise our discussion. Of course, every online venture has it's dangers but where there is a genuine desire for productivity and meaningful discussion, such forums can be a valuable tool for the ministry of our church and the mission in our community. Naturally, all the outcomes will be brought to meetings and face to face discussion in due time - it is essential that we do so - but until then let me be thankful that we are moving forward with the times and culture of today and using it to further our thinking and effectiveness as a team.

"Therefore go..."

For those of you who browsed my blog a while ago you may have noticed that on my "Currently Reading" section I had posted Vaughan Roberts' book 'Distinctives'. The book did not sustain my interest although generally I liked and agreed with the concept of each chapter. However, the other day I was flicking idly through it when I came across a small paragraph which seemed to click in to place with a lot of my recent thinking. The chapter title is, "Certainty in a world in which everything is relative" in which Roberts explores our response to the Great Commission set by Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20)

Here Roberts makes what I found to be a very acute observation of church evangelism.

"It is tempting to respond to that pressure by limiting our evangelism to the 'Christianized' - those who have a church background but have drifted away from church activities. That, in effect, is what most churches have done. Evangelism means inviting those on the fringe of church life to attend an event in our building. We have turned the 'go' of Jesus' Great Commission in to a 'come', and we interpret the 'all nations' as 'those like us'." (p.85)

How right he is. It would seem that sometimes in a desperate attempt to prove our evangelistic capablities we are tempted to reach out soley or mainly to those on the periphory of church life. Why is this? Perhaps it is because we know they are already familiar with the gospel and we can skip over explaining 'the basics'. Perhaps it is because they are less likely to put up a resistance to hearing the message and we can appeal to their already-Christianized nature. Let me be clear that it is important that we should continue to reach those on the edges of our church as they are no less important. However, if we are to be following the Great Commission as it was given then we must be going out before we start inviting people in. The word 'mission' translates from Latin roots meaning 'to send'. Therefore the Great Commission was not a command to invite others to our church but to take the church to the community and the nation.

As Roberts points out very few people in Britain are actually church-goers now compared to the last century. Church is an unfamiliar, uncomfortable place and many would rather not darken our doors. Why then is it that we expect them to come to our place of worship to hear the gospel? How ineffective waiting around inside the church may prove to be if this our only strategy for mission and evangelism.

All of this struck a chord with me because of the aforementioned challenge from Luke, where the disciples went out to the place Jesus sent them to catch fish. Jesus did not say, 'Sit about in the boat just here and I'll herd the fish over to you'. No. Jesus said, 'Get out there - I know you don't think it's going to be productive, it's not a likely place for a catch, but get out there!'. If we followed such a command with even greater faith, we truly could be 'fishers of men'. We cannot simply wait in our comfort zone and expect Jesus to send the nation to our doors. No. We must go to the empty places, or indeed the places where there are so many other destructive pressures that there hardly seems to be room for the gospel. If we go out, commissioned by Jesus, we need not fear that our efforts will be fruitless. The fishermen were sceptical yet Jesus displayed his power despite their doubts. How much more could Jesus do if we went out, encouraged by such a message and inspired by such a commission?

Roberts, V. (2005) Distinctives. Milton Keynes. Authentic Media.

Miscommunication

Communication, it would seem, has been greatly aided by all the modern technologies of the 21st century. If we wish to contact someone, even someone a great distance away, it only takes a call, a text, an email or even, dare I say it, snail mail. It would seem that communication is so easy and that we as a church or as Christians should have no trouble in getting ourselves heard in sharing the gospel. However, in church this morning David Gordon brought about the concept of noise as viewed by communication theorists. In a world where communication seems so clear and easy there are a variety of ways in which 'noise' - whether it be physical, semantic, psychological or cultural - interferes with what we are trying to communicate and what is actually heard. He then brought about the reality of this concept by relating it to the passage in Luke 11: 37-54. Here Jesus challenges the Pharisees about what they are trying to communicate, what is actually being communicated and the 'noise' which is interfering with the whole process. In this case, the noise preventing them from clearly communicating the gospel is that of their 'religious protocol'. Jesus challenged the Pharisees on the way in which their pedantic obsession with external matters was greatly deflecting the reality of Godly living. By creating an uneccessary need for perfection they were distracting people from hearing the real message of God that they were trying to get across. They created too much noise to communicate clearly.

By exploring the passage we find that not only did Jesus challenge the Pharisees on their actions and attitude but He also challenges us with six very important issues.

1. Our priorities. Are we more concerned with ensuring that we have given enough of what is demanded of us to withhold our reputation or are we concerned with the matters of justice and salvation? (v.42)

2. Are we too concerned with our own importance and place within our church community? (v.43)

3. Are we modelling Christian living in a way that will have a positive effect on those around us? (v.44)

4. Do we burden others with our high standards and demands or do we help them to carry their own load? (v.46)

5. Are we listening to God? (v. 47-51)

6. Are we a help or a hindrance to others in terms of bringing them to faith? (v. 52)

Jesus presents the pertinent example of the bowl - clean and shiny on the outside (which is nice but doesn't help) and filthy on the insde; the part which has a greater impact on the effectiveness of it's use. Such is the nature of hypocrisy that our appearance and importance soon outweigh the importance of our heart and our faith; the parts which make all the difference to the effectiveness of our witness. It is easy to focus on external issues such as reputation, importance and being seen in the right places with desirable people, however, this will not only deflect the heart of the gospel but it will fail to engage the community around us.

God is in the process of challenging me about my 'image' or the persona that I try to convey, with particular relation to where I'm seen and who I'm seen with. A lot of opportunities have come up for hanging out with non-church / non-christian people in a variety of places which some would deem as 'unsuitable' places for a Christian girl to be seen. However, what this passage confirms for me is that no matter the external image which is presented, what God is concerned about (and indeed what the church should be concerned about) are the motives and the attitude upon which our actions are based. No matter how shiny we are on the outside we can be in tatters, barely clinging to our faith on the inside. If this is the case, how then will we communicate as effectively with the world around us?