I found this an excellent idea and so simple too!
Paul’s Missionary Tube Map
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London Love
As I was driving through London on Sunday I was vividly reminded of all the traffic. In Ashford traffic is an annoyance but compared to London it is a pleasure ride. People here complain about the ring road or ‘rush hour’ but in context to the greater cities it is not worth the complaint. So there I was in London with trusty Sat Nav and vigilant wife guiding, directing and warning me as we meandered through the streets to get home. It took a long time and what I observed made me think.
Many people pushed through without regard to anyone else. Some in the middle of the oncoming traffic turned around and went back the way they came… no doubt to encounter an even longer queue elsewhere. Others were kinder letting us out of a parking space on the A1 or forgiving us for making a mistake and blocking a turning. On a previous journey through London I mistakenly went through a bus lane. It was so brief but I received a fine in the post. I write to appeal but grace was not forthcoming. Once we got through and were heading out on the A2 and M2 back home I reflected on the journey.
When driving you really need to put others first. If you look out for what others are doing or need to do I found my driving improved. I was more aware of my own driving by observing the environment around me. By being vigilant my wife and I wee able to stop when something unexpected happened and speed up when things cleared up. I realise that should we do this in life perhaps we wouldn’t feel we were in so many jams. If we put others first and perhaps we can better appreciate our own living and how it impacts others. If we draw on the vigilance of others who journey with us we can better navigate our way through the streets of life.
I love London. I love the lessons city life can teach me. What would be great is if London could love one another with the same intensity that it seems to love traffic jams!
Hope or Fear
New Year – a time of hope and fear for the entire world. Hope is set with resolutions and promises whilst bitter realities bite like the wind on a winter’s day. Hope and fear battle for our attention and we usually give into one or the other. Yesterday we watched a film where the main character was told the one thing greater than fear is hope. Many of us will sigh with a wonder when we hear these words but I was struck by the fact that I really didn’t know what they meant. Especially considering the hope that they referred to was not real. It was a possible hope set against a very real fear.
Not wanting to be a ‘Scrooge’ at New Year but I feel that the promises and resolutions are similar in that they offer hope but they subside to the reality of temptation and failure. Is this hope we seek fictional so that fear is forgotten. A vain rally against the tidal forces of a dark world?
There is a real hope beyond the vanities we profess at New Year. A true hope that establishes itself in the deepest part of our lives if we submit to it. It is not an easy hope – we must fight for it and give it room to grow. Our hope is based on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness. I cannot promise to be good because only God is good. If I am good it is his goodness at work in me and I will give him the praise for it. His promise for a New Year is the same yesterday, today and forever – ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’. He promises that though life will be hard for all of us his power is at work in us and is available to those who trust him. If I want to be a better person in this world it has to be Christ at work in me.
I start this New Year with a plea. It is not to myself nor to the world around me. A plea that humankind needs to make – not with fireworks or speeches but a simple plea that resonates the truth about our souls and our future. A plea that speaks of fear but promises hope. It is a plea that is for the rich and poor alike, the wise and the foolish and those of us in between. The plea is this – ‘LORD Jesus, rescue me.’
I hope and pray that this New Year will be one in which we do not gratify the fear in the world but submit and confess to the Hope of the Nations.
Vision
As someone who believes in vision I find this a thought provoking article.
Vision has to be one of the most overworked words in Christian vocabulary.
Saying “I have a vision” rather than “Here’s an idea” is an attempt to invest something with a greater weight of spiritual authority. In reality it takes time to evaluate whether it really was a God-given vision or simply a bright idea that went nowhere.
A long time ago I heard Floyd McClung say God-given vision is born and sustained by a combination of two things; intercession and involvement. And as the years have gone by, I have seen those twin principles confirmed. Prayer and, in particular, sustained prayer is the ignition. And a getting-your-hands-dirty kind of involvement earths dreams in the real world.
John Maxwell has some helpful things to say about vision*.
The credibility of the vision is often determined by the credibility of theleader
We need to be believable people that inspire…
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The Pen’s Might…
Do you have trouble with confessing sin? It’s supposedly an easy idea – confess and be saved. Some churches encourage you to have someone you can go to (like an AA sponsor!) when you have or feel you want to sin and share with them. I love that idea – it’s just the shame I feel before I get to that person. Do you ever feel to ashamed to tell someone your sin? We have God before us always and we can tell him but some sin – if not all sin – needs to be brought into the light. In the light sin can’t hide but be dealt with and eliminated.
But what about the shame of telling someone – looking them in the face and confessing. Actually there is possibly another way of helping you and me to confess even as we are being tempted. It occurred to me a few weeks ago as I surfed on the internet. Theoretically I was looking for study material but in actuality I was being distracted by my favourite sites on my bookmarks bar. It dawned on me that sin works in a similar way – we are going along life happily with Jesus as our centre then out of nowhere comes the distraction, the enticement, the fall…
I began to write down what was happening to me. I wrote out what I was doing and what the distraction was. I named it, and prayed about it. I began to realise that writing down the sin or distraction before it took hold of my heart was an effective way of taking captive every thought and making it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:10). Write down how you feel when you are being tempted. Write it down and give it to a trusted Christian friend or mentor to pray through together. perhaps you are alone and need to read aloud what you have written as a prayer. Share with God the confession of your heart. Place it at the foot of the cross and walk away. I wonder if this was what David did in his Psalms – declaring his pain, sin and redemption in word and song. Don’t let the sin or shame stop you from bringing it to the light – write it, confess it and let the blood of Jesus do its work. 1 John 1:9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Living Words
Just a short note today as I read the news from friends around the UK who are engaged in Evangelism. I was reading through a journey my friend, Hector, took to South Wales. Hector is in the latter end of the prime of life and hasn’t let up in sharing his faith.
It amazed me the story he was telling because he would speak to everyone and anyone he met. It was amazing and encouraging to think how many people are out there ready to talk but just don’t have the means. Hector was unperturbed by indifference and even sarcasm. He actually used certain comments to open up the word and share his testimony – Here’s a quote from his news – “a man in the next avenue saw me coming and said aloud – for no apparent reason – ‘Money, money, money is the main thing.’ I questioned him as to its true value, and told him Jesus died and shed his precious blood on Cavalry’s cross to redeem us, and the Apostle Peter says ‘Not with silver and gold.’ A long conversation continued with me giving him my testimony of Christ Saving Grace. He took tracts, please pray for his salvation.”
Hector lives the Word he has believed in – I wonder how many times we wish we could have said or done something that might have made a change or impact on someone’s life. The good news is that we can. I can. Just this morning as I walked passed a neighbour I chatted with him. We didn’t talk much but the connection was there and now when we see each other again we will speak again. There are people in need everywhere and all we need to do is live the word we believe in outwardly. We might be nervous or unsure but we know it is not ‘we’ who do the saving work – it is Christ.
I hope this encourages you today as it has me.
There’s my short note for Monday!
Have You Been To Ashford Cathedral?
Aside
Many will have heard of Canterbury Cathedral, but have you heard of Ashford Cathedral?
It has a tall spire that you can notice far away, you hear the bells of car horns as they rush to park and you even see the clatter of folks giving their money in the offering boxes – the more you put in the longer you get to stay!
The thought occurred to me recently as I sat in a restaurant at the designer outlet in Ashford eating with my wife. A man next to me had been spewing some vulgar words which I tried to phase out but then all of a sudden insightfully commented that the outlet centre was now the new church based on a religion of economy. I was quite taken up with the thought which I usually hear at a Christian conference in London. But here in this little restaurant a jewel of insight is revealed.
We already have the theory that materialism is the new religion but do we often observe it and even make the most of it as a way of sharing our faith. I did not have the courage to speak to that man despite the obvious opportunity and I can see Paul shouting at me “That’s your cue!” Paul used the many gods and religious nature of the Greeks as his canvas for presenting the Good News about Jesus and perhaps we need to begin to consider shifting our focus to these ‘marketplaces’, ‘temples’ and ‘cathedrals’ – let’s consider that the human race is still as religious as it always has been, it’s just the focus of worship has changed.
There is also a warning here isn’t there. I was doing a kids club talk and we were enacting the story of the wise and foolish builders. We thought about what we build our lives upon and concluded that Jesus and his promises is the only steady rock we can be sure to build anything on. This ‘economic religion’ has a very sandy base – one wrong day in the stock market and ‘CRASH!’ it falls down flat! Perhaps we need in our witness to the world demonstrate the shakiness of financial foundations for a temple to be built upon. Rather we build on the rock that is and has been for millennia a sure foundation on which the poor or the rich, the weak or the strong can have a place guaranteed in the kingdom to come – a kingdom that knows no end.
I recommend going to Ashford Cathedral – or perhaps there is one like it near you. Listen to what people are talking about, identify what people crave and look for that opportunity to offer something better. I’ll end on this – when I was in Leighton Buzzard my good friend Colin set up a market stall which had the sign ‘Free Books’. It was stacked full of Christian Literature. The buzz word for the folks who came was ‘free’ and they came hungry to the altar of ‘economy’. The buzz word for us is ‘Jesus’ and we draw people to altar of the cross to which the greatest treasure is offered – the price already paid.
“For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God.”
Monday’s Motivator
I find Mondays wholly frustrating! I make a list of the tasks for the day and week. I start very well with ticks to show my progress. Then comes the inevitable afternoon… my initial beginning of the week enthusiasm wanes and I find myself surfing – all in the name of finding a suitable illustration for Sunday’s Message.
No such excuse this time – not speaking this Sunday. Today has not been the usual Monday. I made my list and I felt the wane… but I’ve ticked off every task on my list, sent the emails and freepost offers, checked the train times for tomorrow’s trip… I’m done…
I often read about how to motivate yourself to work and get jobs done. I’ve tried them all in the past – even an early morning Bible Study to demonstrate my resolve. Never worked – I just fell back into the habit of reassigning my undone items to the next day. So what happened today?
Well it started a few days ago – it was one of those fantastic afternoons when you know that you have some work to do but decide to take part in a personality test online instead! I was bored and I said so on the test! The result was a firm kick up ‘la derrière’. Amongst the warm and encouraging comments the feedback said something like ‘You’re bored – then do something about it!’ What useless advice – if I knew what to do then I’d do it!
The thing is this – there is always something to do and no amount of self actualising or motivational prep will get it done – it’s like making you feel you are doing something when actually you are doing squat. This test spoke directly to my habitual afternoon wane. As I began to get to that place today a voice – possibly Jimmy Cricket – said ‘Get on with it.’ So I did and I have and there sitting in my diary is the completed list.
All of this reminds me of a scripture I’ll end with because it all comes down to this really – all we do, all we say, when we play or sleep, or avoid speaking to our neighbour about their loud music – it comes down to this word –
“Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God’s glory.”
A Flight Too Far
A fjord in Norway, with the Norwegian flag in the foreground. Taken during a day cruise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I love record breakers. People pushing the boundaries of human potential. I am currently flying from Bergen, Norway through to London Gatwick after 1 week in this visually dramatic country. Sailing through the fjords I wondered how the first sailors perceived these giant cliffs, calm waters and seemingly endless maze of water valleys. Mankind’s potential to sail every sea, conquer every mountain and establish remote cafes at the top of hills can be inspiring, but like today I sometimes ask myself, ‘why’?
In a film a man is free climbing a mountain and a friend asks why he wants to climb it, he answers ‘Because it’s there.’ Is this the sum of human potential? Achieve because you can, conquer because you can, do everything, fear nothing because you can! I must confess I admire the creative ability and perseverance if mankind, yet many of the feats I have seen and the stories I have heard I still wonder if they worked out ‘why’.
The Norwegian passion for life is well documented and there was nothing they would not try. When missionaries came to Norway they found their love of living it up a barrier to the gospel. Not surprising when in certain histories it is told that Norwegians epitmosied ‘live, drink and be merry!’ The same historian claims that ancient Norwegians after living such a full life would deck themselves with flowers and throw themselves off a cliff – a flight too far? This attitude of living is not so far fetched. Indeed, the heart of a record breaker is reach the unreachable – even today people hurtle over cliffs, albeit with a safety harness!
What is our purpose? To live the best we can and then hurtle ourselves into oblivion, one final flight into an unknown and undiscovered country? So many of the human race live striving for something – but the unknown is what always makes either fight or take flight.
In Athens Paul encountered men who had erected a statue to an ‘unknown god’. He said
“People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” (Acts 17)
Why worship what we do not know or understand? ‘Because its there’ is not enough. But because I have one who designed me for a purpose, created me for a reason, loved me enough to die for for my sin. This is worth worship. This is worth something.
I can do all things through him who gives me strength. (Romans 8:28)
Listening to God
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Listen, Understand, Act (Photo credit: highersights)
I was recently speaking on ‘Listening to God’. It wasn’t until I had nearly finished my hard work that it occurred to me the whole point was to ‘learn to listen’ – something I hadn’t really engaged my heart or mind in.
I decided to take a day out and really listen to God. I listed the questions on my mind. read Scripture about how God wants us to listen to him and then I waited.
I have only heard God audibly in my ear once – well I say audibly as that is what the experience was like. I had been considering a mission trip to somewhere in the big wide world – I became aware of a voice inside distinctly saying ‘NO!’ A week later I applied for a job with London City Mission to which I knew God had opened the door to.
So back to me waiting – I did not hear audible words coming over the car radio, nor were there words in the sky. I felt prompted that the questions I was asking were not the right questions – instead of me asking how to get out of a difficult situation I began to ask how God could use me in the difficult situation. What did God want me to do in this time of struggle?
I began to read Isaiah 50 verse 4 onwards – it is the third of the Servant Songs – it describes the obedience of the Suffering Servant. One particular line caught my attention – actually two but of the two this one I’ll share – Therefore I have set my face like flint knowing I will not be put to shame.
Listening to God involves not only hearing the word but putting it into action (see James 1). I decided to take courage and peacefully confront the difficult situation I found myself in. Questions flooded my mind to ask those I needed to speak to – these wee not easy questions but I knew I had to ask them. If God has brought me into this place then what has brought me here to do? Sometimes we need the courage to ask those difficult questions.
I often think that I do not hear God because he won’t always tell me what I want to hear. From Scripture I read that there will be trials and hardships but like Joshua I am called to be strong and courageous. Yet I also read that God has good things to give as well and if I set my face like flint and persevere I will see those good things come into fruition.
The best place to start hearing God is at his Word. Set aside the time to listen to him. Show him how committed you are to wanting to hear what he has to say. And prepare for whatever the answer might be.
Long post but it’s been one of those months!
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