Well, I'm back home in Swansea. Have met the new family pet Tom, the loveable (and hyperactive) 7 month year old Border Collie and am enjoying the comforts of home. Spoke at my old youth group last night, just telling stories about my last few years. I do forget how much I've been through! It's amazing to see how when we just say 'OK' to Jesus' invitation to follow him he just takes us on this amazing adventure of mystery and excitement.
As the title of this post says I have a busy month coming up. After this week at home, I'm going to Ibiza for a week to meet up with the 24-7 community there, before returning to the UK to do a mission training course called Kairos, before going to the States for a week to catch up with friends and go to a wedding. It's gonna be fun!
Would appreciate your prayers over this time. Pray that I would have fun, find rest and fall more in love with Jesus.
Saturday, 31 March 2007
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Why do I pray?
I've been blown away recently by God's grace and the way in which he answers our prayers. I've seen God provide money for both myself and others in the last few weeks, I've seen him heal my Grandfather from Leukemia and I've really been aware of the ways in which he has been constantly moulding and changing lives for the better.
It's been amazing, but also quite sobering at the same time. Sobering in the fact that when he has moved, I've reacted with surprise and often scepticism.
An example of this would be the healing of my Grandfather. For months now he has been suffering with Leukemia, which has eaten away at his body and robbed him of his strength (but not his humour!). I have been praying everyday for him, asking God to ease his pain and give peace to the family. When I was feeling a bit bolder, I would pray for his healing, although I think I had resigned myself to him not making it. He's old and cheated death before. Maybe this is his time?
So when God healed him I found myself in this mix of amazement and shock. I didn't expect him to be healed! But thankfully God had different ideas. Even in my unbelief, God answered my prayers.
I find comfort in the fact that this wasn't a dissimilar problem in the Bible either. Two examples spring to mind.
Firstly, there is the story of Zechariah in Luke ch1. Zec had been praying for years for a son, yet when an angel came to tell him that his prayer had been heard and God would give him and his Barron wife a son, he questioned the angel on the basis of their age!
What was he thinking?
When God heard his cry and answered his prayer, he rejected it. He questioned it. He doubted it. As a result of this he was dumb for the whole of the pregnancy, so that he could have time to think things over!
The other example is in Acts 12. In response to the arrest of Peter for preaching the gospel, the believers gather to pray for him long into the night. As they are praying, an angel comes and frees Peter from prison. Peter rushes to the house where they are meeting and knocks the door. A servant girl answers the door, sees Peter, and rushes back to everyone leaving Peter at the door (pure comedy). When the rest of the people hear the girl's story, they react with scepticism.
'You're out of your mind'. 'It must be his angel'.
They had found it easier to believe that it was his angel than the real thing. Again, why had they been praying? Why were they so surprised?
Through both my own experiences and these stories, God has really been challenging me about my prayer life.
Why do I pray?
Do I really believe God will answer my prayers?
Am I afraid to pray to big?
Am I ready for God to answer my prayers?
It is clear that we serve a good God who answers prayers (maybe not always in the way we want him to), even when our faith is small, but how much more is there? This is an exciting yet daunting thought. Could God really change a city around? Could he really use me?
The person that inspires me most when it comes to listening and obeying God is Mary the mother of Jesus. This is her response to the angel when he reveals that she will be the mother to the Messiah, through the conception of the Holy Spirit (craziness!):
"I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said." (Luke1:38 NIV)
She then busts out into a song, worshipping God. She chose to trust God. Amazing!
The challenge for us is not to be afraid to pray big prayers and then when they are answered, having the attitude of Mary that is humble and obedient, full of praise to God, not full of doubt and scepticism.
I pray that you would know more of God's grace in your life and would live with his praise being continuously on your lips as you dare to pray and believe.
It's been amazing, but also quite sobering at the same time. Sobering in the fact that when he has moved, I've reacted with surprise and often scepticism.
An example of this would be the healing of my Grandfather. For months now he has been suffering with Leukemia, which has eaten away at his body and robbed him of his strength (but not his humour!). I have been praying everyday for him, asking God to ease his pain and give peace to the family. When I was feeling a bit bolder, I would pray for his healing, although I think I had resigned myself to him not making it. He's old and cheated death before. Maybe this is his time?
So when God healed him I found myself in this mix of amazement and shock. I didn't expect him to be healed! But thankfully God had different ideas. Even in my unbelief, God answered my prayers.
I find comfort in the fact that this wasn't a dissimilar problem in the Bible either. Two examples spring to mind.
Firstly, there is the story of Zechariah in Luke ch1. Zec had been praying for years for a son, yet when an angel came to tell him that his prayer had been heard and God would give him and his Barron wife a son, he questioned the angel on the basis of their age!
What was he thinking?
When God heard his cry and answered his prayer, he rejected it. He questioned it. He doubted it. As a result of this he was dumb for the whole of the pregnancy, so that he could have time to think things over!
The other example is in Acts 12. In response to the arrest of Peter for preaching the gospel, the believers gather to pray for him long into the night. As they are praying, an angel comes and frees Peter from prison. Peter rushes to the house where they are meeting and knocks the door. A servant girl answers the door, sees Peter, and rushes back to everyone leaving Peter at the door (pure comedy). When the rest of the people hear the girl's story, they react with scepticism.
'You're out of your mind'. 'It must be his angel'.
They had found it easier to believe that it was his angel than the real thing. Again, why had they been praying? Why were they so surprised?
Through both my own experiences and these stories, God has really been challenging me about my prayer life.
Why do I pray?
Do I really believe God will answer my prayers?
Am I afraid to pray to big?
Am I ready for God to answer my prayers?
It is clear that we serve a good God who answers prayers (maybe not always in the way we want him to), even when our faith is small, but how much more is there? This is an exciting yet daunting thought. Could God really change a city around? Could he really use me?
The person that inspires me most when it comes to listening and obeying God is Mary the mother of Jesus. This is her response to the angel when he reveals that she will be the mother to the Messiah, through the conception of the Holy Spirit (craziness!):
"I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said." (Luke1:38 NIV)
She then busts out into a song, worshipping God. She chose to trust God. Amazing!
The challenge for us is not to be afraid to pray big prayers and then when they are answered, having the attitude of Mary that is humble and obedient, full of praise to God, not full of doubt and scepticism.
I pray that you would know more of God's grace in your life and would live with his praise being continuously on your lips as you dare to pray and believe.
Monday, 12 March 2007
Injustice
A travesty of justice occured on the weekend.
Wales are trailing by 3 points having just conceded a try with 2 minutes to go. The referee blows for a penalty. Wales have a chance to draw level, but the players want the win. 'Have we time?' they ask. 'Yes' is the response. Young Hook kicks to touch. Ref blows final whistle. The Italians have won the game. How could the ref do that? How can he abuse his power like that?
I can assure you, I was shouting a few other things at the TV at that point. In my view it was more of an injustice that the guy who scored the winning try had punched our captain in the face in the first half. I punched the floor. My face red with rage. This was wrong. Very wrong. This feeling carried with me through the rest of the evening and into the next day. It was only when I calmed down a bit that I heard God whisper,
'Why don't you get this passionate about the real injustices of this World?'
D'oh! God's done it again!
I had got myself so worked up and incensed about an incident that in a couple of weeks will be forgotten about. Yes, it does affect lives, but certainly not as much as people trafficking, pollution, debt, poverty, etc etc.
Where is my passion for this? Why do these issues not affect me as much?
It has troubled me. Lord, I need more compassion. Have mercy on us! There is so much junk in the World today and I don't want to become numb to it.
In a lot of ways, who cares if the ref misled the players and blew his whistle. What's more of an injustice is a woman being promised a job in Britain, having her passport taken off her and then finding herself trapped in prostitution. That happens on a regular basis in this country as does so many other acts of injustice. It has to stop!
The greatest injustice, however, is someone dieing without hearing that Jesus loves them and died for them.
'How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' Romans 10:14-15
I pray that God would open our eyes to the World around us and that he would break our hearts with the things that break his. Amen.
Wales are trailing by 3 points having just conceded a try with 2 minutes to go. The referee blows for a penalty. Wales have a chance to draw level, but the players want the win. 'Have we time?' they ask. 'Yes' is the response. Young Hook kicks to touch. Ref blows final whistle. The Italians have won the game. How could the ref do that? How can he abuse his power like that?
I can assure you, I was shouting a few other things at the TV at that point. In my view it was more of an injustice that the guy who scored the winning try had punched our captain in the face in the first half. I punched the floor. My face red with rage. This was wrong. Very wrong. This feeling carried with me through the rest of the evening and into the next day. It was only when I calmed down a bit that I heard God whisper,
'Why don't you get this passionate about the real injustices of this World?'
D'oh! God's done it again!
I had got myself so worked up and incensed about an incident that in a couple of weeks will be forgotten about. Yes, it does affect lives, but certainly not as much as people trafficking, pollution, debt, poverty, etc etc.
Where is my passion for this? Why do these issues not affect me as much?
It has troubled me. Lord, I need more compassion. Have mercy on us! There is so much junk in the World today and I don't want to become numb to it.
In a lot of ways, who cares if the ref misled the players and blew his whistle. What's more of an injustice is a woman being promised a job in Britain, having her passport taken off her and then finding herself trapped in prostitution. That happens on a regular basis in this country as does so many other acts of injustice. It has to stop!
The greatest injustice, however, is someone dieing without hearing that Jesus loves them and died for them.
'How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' Romans 10:14-15
I pray that God would open our eyes to the World around us and that he would break our hearts with the things that break his. Amen.
Moustache competition
Last Thursday we had a moustache competition in Transit. Check out these photos!
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
They're back!
So I read this week that the Police are reforming. I can't tell you how much this warms my soul! Let the good times roll!
Sunday, 4 March 2007
"Cool guys with the Video Nights!"
Since Christmas the Transit (the discipleship course I'm helping to lead) guys here in Guildford have been exploring ways of getting to know their neighbours without being too out there and a bit weird! So, cookies have been made, babies have been sat (is that correct?), hello's have been said in the street and films have been watched. Yes that's right, every other week the house turns into a mini cinema. A projector is rented, as is the movie, and fliers are sent out to every house in the street. It's a wonderful idea.
What person wouldn't want to come and watch a movie on a big screen?
The attendances thus far have, however, been low and somewhat disappointing. Three turned up to the first one, none to the second, one to the third. Heads dropped, hearts sank. Should we continue?
Well, last night as a result of the bi-weekly fliers, the guys were invited to a cocktail party at no.12. I tagged along as usual and we went a little unsure as to what to expect. We entered the house to find we were a lot younger than most of the people there. They were in their late 20's, early 30's and very smartly dressed (I had fortunately decided to wear a shirt, although I am sporting a mustache this week. Another story), yet we felt so welcomed and comfortable. We introduced ourselves as the guys from number 2 and suddenly everyone was saying 'Hey, these are the cool guys from number 2 who do the film nights.'
Cool? We've only just met!
It suddenly hit me that just by opening up the house for a film and letting people know they are welcome breaks down so many barriers.
The night went on and we were able to share why were in Guildford and how we wanted to serve the street and the community and people loved it. We started dreaming together about street parties and barbq's. Friendships were being formed.
I guess this experience has taught me again that we don't always get our prayers answered in the way we expect them to and that forming friendships with our neighbours is a lot easier than we think. It's just about being open, honest and inviting them into your homes and lives.
I think this is what they call being incarnational?
What person wouldn't want to come and watch a movie on a big screen?
The attendances thus far have, however, been low and somewhat disappointing. Three turned up to the first one, none to the second, one to the third. Heads dropped, hearts sank. Should we continue?
Well, last night as a result of the bi-weekly fliers, the guys were invited to a cocktail party at no.12. I tagged along as usual and we went a little unsure as to what to expect. We entered the house to find we were a lot younger than most of the people there. They were in their late 20's, early 30's and very smartly dressed (I had fortunately decided to wear a shirt, although I am sporting a mustache this week. Another story), yet we felt so welcomed and comfortable. We introduced ourselves as the guys from number 2 and suddenly everyone was saying 'Hey, these are the cool guys from number 2 who do the film nights.'
Cool? We've only just met!
It suddenly hit me that just by opening up the house for a film and letting people know they are welcome breaks down so many barriers.
The night went on and we were able to share why were in Guildford and how we wanted to serve the street and the community and people loved it. We started dreaming together about street parties and barbq's. Friendships were being formed.
I guess this experience has taught me again that we don't always get our prayers answered in the way we expect them to and that forming friendships with our neighbours is a lot easier than we think. It's just about being open, honest and inviting them into your homes and lives.
I think this is what they call being incarnational?
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