gatecrashing

For the last few days I have been in Nantwich on a programme called Emerging leaders in whicg we get to hear from some great leaders. Yesterday we had Malcolm Duncan speak to the group. After the evening meeting I gatecrashed a curry with him on the invitation of a friend in which they were due to talk about social issues and Elim's engagement them. It was a priviledge to be able to spend a bit of time listening to someone who is doing the business.

vision sunday video

vision

Sunday gone saw us launch the vision for the church along with a 5yr plan as to how we think that the vision will be worked out what do we want to see happen at WBCC "Christ-shaped lives transforming our town". This is our vision statement and we have a 10 page document that sets out the things that we see as enabling this to happen. 

Its foundation however is based upon what God does in the life of his people to transform our lives so that it may be work out in the world in which we live. This is effectively to create a missional community (buzz word I know but it best describes what the church is meant to be - missionaries) which seeks to impact our town with the dynamic and powerful demonstration of the Spirits power to heal and mend that which is broken - our humanity in relation to our creator. 

I'm excited about what will happen in the years ahead as we gear all that we do to creating and empowering disciples of Jesus to be effective missionaries to West Bromwich! 

Till next time...

some recent rusty footage

celebration of discipline

I have had this book sat on my bookshelf for several years, it is on that I inherited from my Dad when he cleared out some of his books. As the title of this blog it is called "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster. I guess I have been drawn to it because of a personal desire to simply be a better at my job but owing to a pursuit of wanting to know a deepening of relationship with God. This is an extract from the opening chapter...

"Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but but for deep people. The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm...We must not be led to believe that the spiritual disciplines are for spiritual giants and hence beyond our reach, or for contemplatives who devotes all there time to prayer and meditation. Far from it. God intends the Disciplines of the spiritual life to be for ordinary human beings: people who have jobs, who care for children, who must wash dishes and mow lawns. In fact, the Disciplines are best exercised in the midst of our normal daily activities, If they are to have any transforming effect, the effect must be found in the ordinary junctures of human life: in our relationships with our husband or wife, our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbours." ( R. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1984, pg 13-14)

 

This is really encouraging as I don't consider myself to be a spiritual giant nor a contemplative! I do know however that the transforming grace of Jesus must work out in our normal pattern and rythmn's of life and that is why I'm looking forward to the challenge of this book. 

discipline

It has been a while since my last blog which has been for no other reason than I have had nothing to say. In the last month Rachel and I have been setting about training Rusty how to behave well. Now he is still only a puppy but if we do not start with good practice now it will be to late later on. But this has got me thinking about the role of discipline in our lives and sometimes the lack of it.

We see that lack of discipline everywhere. Some say that supposed rising gang culture and violence amongst young people (I say supposed not because I do not believe it, I think that that actually incidents involving youth violence just get more exposure than they once did) is a result of a lack of discipline in the home and in schools. There is probably some truth in that although if truth be told nobody really likes being disciplined.

Now the kind of discipline that I talk of is not self-discipline but the discipline that is carried out by another person who has responsibility for you. This could be a parent, guardian, boss, elders/pastor, teacher etc.

Now I am learning a lot about discipline in the training of Rusty. You see if he is to be trained well he needs consistent training and discipline. Now that is not easy on our part as those big brown eyes are a killer, but Rachel and I must be consistent for his benefit. We get it wrong - a lot! But I guess those of you are parents know that children also must be disciplined and taught so as to learn how to behave in appropriate ways.

This has got me thinking about how our Heavenly Father disciplines us. Hebrews 12 (read it here) gives us valuable insight into how God deals with His children, these being anyone who has believed in Jesus and is following him as prime example of how to live life. Our place in his family was bought with the cross of Jesus and anyone who places their trust in him and his work on the cross he give them rights to be called the children of God (John 1:12).

How does God discipline us and teach us endurance in the faith? It is through the hard times. Then what about our failures? Does God ever expect us not to fail? Absolutely not they are an opportunity for God to teach us and discipline us so that we learn and grow in his grace love. This does not mean that we carry on deliberately sinning but our hearts should be longing to please the Father, but the reality is in the trying we will get it wrong sometimes. One thing we can be sure of our Heavenly Father is always consistent and always just in what he does as that is his character and he cannot deviate from it!

I have endured the discipline of the Father and I'm sure you have also if you are a child of God, as what loving Father would not bring discipline to a child he loves? The thing is I know I will endure it again. The question is not how can I get round it (I couldn't even if i wanted too) but how quickly do I learn and and change because of it. If undergoing the Father's discipline it is a sure sign that he loves us and is working for our good to bring a greater degree of holiness and Christ-likeness in us. Let's not fool ourselves that being disciplined is pleasant or easy but the fruits and the benefits of it are eternal not just temporal for those in Christ Jesus.

some more video

Rusty not quite getting the hang of his collar and lead or is that me not knowing what to do?