Wisdom part 2

Check out these bits from Proverbs…

“I call to you, to all of you! I raise my voice to all people.
Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right,”
“Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square…
Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.”
“I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.”

Wisdom is trying to speak all the time – Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit is trying to talk to us. Are we listening? Have you ever seen Bruce Almighty? There’s a bit at the start where he prays for God to show him a sign and then God uses all kinds of stuff to try to speak to him…road signs, TV ads, songs on the radio and even his pager. Bruce is oblivious to it all and refuses to answer his pager!! How often does God try to speak to me and I don’t notice? How much am I missing? Here’s a challenge for you – this next week, make a conscious effort to listen to God. Expect for Him to speak to you any time, any place, through anything!!

Wisdom part 1

Imagine if you took a guy from the Amazon who’d lived there all his life and put him in the middle of London without explaining how stuff works in England. He’d probably find the world a very scary, overwhelming and confusing place to be. He’d have no clue about money, buying stuff, finding somewhere to live, crossing the road even!!! Living in a world created by God without understanding God’s rules and ways of doing things can also be scary, confusing and overwhelming. The Bible says there are 2 types of wisdom – human wisdom and God’s wisdom. In order to thrive in God’s world we need to follow God’s wisdom, not our own!


Where do we get God’s wisdom? Check out a book in the Bible called Proverbs. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%201%20;&version=65; or if you’re too lazy to read it you can listen to the audio version here http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio ) The first 7 chapters talk about how important wisdom is, all the benefits of having wisdom etc. Then in Chapter 8 it talks about wisdom like a person…

“I, Wisdom…”, “I love all who love me. Those who search for me will surely find me.” At first glance it looks like the author is just being poetic but then you get to this bit…

“The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else. I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began.”

Compare that with these bits from Genesis 1 and John 1…

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.”

The Word is a nickname for Jesus. Proverbs isn’t just talking about knowledge, it’s talking about Jesus and about the Holy Spirit. It isn’t just saying ‘get real brainy’; it’s saying ‘get to know Jesus’!!! Jesus is the source of godly wisdom. If you want to know God’s way of doing things then get to know Jesus.

The Boss

Here's a little something someone wrote on the prayer room wall...
Date: Today
From: The Boss
Subject: Yourself
Reference: Life

I am your God. Today I will be handling all your problems. Please remember that I DO NOT need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, DO NOT attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. All situations WILL be resolved, but in my time not yours. Once the matter is placed in the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life right now.

eyes wide shut

Well, we're back from conference and had a great time. My talk seemed to go well and I got to lead worship one night too. Truth and treating went really well. We got to chat to a few people and one group even got to pray for healing with one guy on his doorstep.

We are currently at the start of a month of prayer in our church. We've kicked the month off with a week of 24/7 prayer and it's going great. The youth have really got into it and are putting the rest of us to shame with their passion!!! I spent a night in the prayer room with a few others over the weekend and though I found it easy to stay awake, found it really hard to actually pray. I really wanted for God to speak to me and had lots I wanted to pray about but just couldn't for some reason. I spent another couple of hours in there last night and that time didn't try to pray or listen, I just focused on being with God. I had an awesome couple of hours!!! I'm starting to see now that God wants me to be still and just be in his presence right now. It's time to just rest in Him and stop trying so hard!

Another thing I've been realising recently is that we're not called to make converts, we are called to make disciples. What does that mean? We're not called to get people to 'pray the prayer'. Though it's important to preach Christ crucified and to challenge people to make a commitment to Him, my focus should be on helping them to become a follower of Jesus. I need to teach people how to pray, how to worship, morality, what God's Kingdom looks like... Discipleship is so important. Recently I've got a little frustrated that I don't get to spend time with many young people right now. But it's quality not quantity that counts! I'd much rather get to spend a lot of time really pouring into a few people - seeing them transformed and then transforming others - than to have shallow connections with loads of people. Jesus had a small group that he spent loads of time with and he taught them to go out and change the world. I want to do the same!

Welcome back!!

Hello one and all. Sorry it's been a while since I've updated this. I've been offline all summer cos I only have internet access at work. But now we're back, the new team has started and we've almost finished our first half term!!!

The new team is made up of me, Jeff, Lydia and Courtney from last year plus...
Claire, Joe and Steve from Yeovil
Jess from Yorkshire
John from Birmingham
Grace and Alia from Bethlehem
Cosmina from Romania
Riina from Estonia
and Israel from Brazil

They are all great and settling in really well. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to show you really soon!!
It's been a busy first term of meeting with the schools, starting to do assemblies, planning for the cafe, learning street dance and running youth groups. Half term is almost here and a lot of us are gonna be involved in taking our 15-18s youth group to Wales for a week, while others of us help with a football camp in Yeovil.

The week after that we all go away for a SWYM training conference where I've been asked to do 2 hours of lectures on mentoring. Please pray for us over these next couple of weeks cos we're gonna need it!!!!

Some people shouldn't be allowed on the road!!

After almost a year of incident free driving I had my first near death experience on my way to visit my folks in Kent. I was merrily driving along the A303 enjoying the sunshine. I'd reached one of those annoying single lane sections but, though the road was busy, the traffic was still moving at a constant 60mph. To my right was a junction with some cars waiting. It seems that the driver at the front of the queue was a bit sick of waiting and so decided to try to create his own gap by pulling right out in front of me while I was doing 60!!!! I had to do an emergency stop (and embarrassingly stalled in the process!) and thought I'd just missed him. As I slammed on the breaks I quietly prayed "please God don't let me hit them, I really don't wanna lose my no claims bonus!!" Thank God the person behind me was paying attention cos they were very close to going into the back of me. I can't believe what an idiot this driver was!! But I feel very awestruck and humbled by the way God protected me.

Unfortunately, it seems I did actually hit the other car (not that he stopped to check!!!). When my Dad got home from work he said "why is there a big puddle under your car?" Looks like I've got a small crack in the radiator :0( So please pray that I'll get back to Yeovil ok and that it won't cost too much to fix!!!

Happy Birthday to me.....!

Yep, yesterday was my birthday. Any guesses how old I am now? Ha ha!

Had a great time skating at Unit 6 in Wellington. Think I've got fakie 18os proper nailed now. As usual the other girls were bugging me to try dropping in and as usual I stubbornly refused! But Adrian dragged me onto the volcano and persuaded me to drop-in from there - holding his hand of course haha!! I'm such a wuss - but I did it. And it wasn't anywhere near as hard as I thought. Hopefully I'll have nailed dropping in on half pipe by the end of the summer.

After skating we headed to Taunton for a few drinks. Ended up in the Perkin cos we were hungry and spent a very pleasant hour or so relaxing on their leather sofas. So, in conclusion, a good time was had by all!

Pearls of wisdom from Pearl Jam

I was listening to an old pearl jam album the other day and as I flicked through the album sleeve I found some interesting stuff...

“Whom to marry or not to marry
One of the greatest causes of unhappiness, nay, misery, in the world, is the steady adherence to the superstition that 2 young people who feel, when in each others company, the sexual excitement that is so often mistaken for love, must marry. It is folly for which thousands upon thousands are constantly paying a most fearful price. Love! Why, love means self sacrifice. It means wisdom….

Nature has decreed that certain dispositions will antagonize certain other dispositions. Marriage is often so hasty that these faulty dispositions are not discovered until after marriage, when it’s too late to retreat!
1. Two people of similar complexion and temperament should never marry.
2. Two tall slim people or two short, heavy-set people should not marry.
3. A nervous fidgety person should never marry another nervous person.
4. A man should never marry a woman who is given to finding fault, or who is peevish and cranky, or who scolds her little brothers and sisters.
5. A woman should never marry a man who is naturally inclined to be arrogant and cruel or who is inordinately selfish.
Don’t marry a girl whose chief aim in life is dress; to dress extravagantly is a blot upon any woman’s character. When the activity of the mind is taken up with finery the soul grows pinched and lean, the mind fails to develop, and such a woman cannot make a decent partner for any sensible man.So, too, should no girl think of accepting any young man for a lover who is addicted to the use of liquor, or who spends money in speculation or in fast living. Shun such as you would an idiot or a fool.”

I think we would all agree this is wise advice not just in selecting who to marry but in choosing who to go out with too. I now realise where I've been going wrong haha!!

No, but seriously, there's some good advice here. I like where it says 'love means self sacrifice'. So often we get into a relationship because of what we can get out of it. But relationships should be about giving. Instead of looking for the 'perfect guy' who's gonna give me all I want, I should be focusing on what I can give to a relationship. I'm starting to see that being in a relationship is a calling. How cool to think that God could use me to help a guy grow, to encourgage him and to help him become all that God intends for him to be.

stuff and things...

Wow, can't believe how hot it is! Been gagging to go skate for days and now I have time it's so humid my head is throbbing. boo hiss! Loving the sunshine though.

So, tonight we've got 31 Brazilians showing up - not sure when, who ever knows with these guys! Gonna be a crazy and exhausting couple of days. Gotta be at work for 8am tomorrow - ouch. But I'm really looking forward to spending time with them and hearing all that's going on in Brazil. I tell you, God's really doing some amazing stuff out there. And the Brazilian church have such a focus on reaching out to others - it's awesome.

The church I visited in Uberlandia has 28 congregations and they have a strategy for planting 250 more congregations in the next 10 years. It's great to see the church growing and thriving and embracing all different cultures and styles of church. I'd love to see similar stuff in the UK too. One of our Brazilian friends preached on Sunday and God really used him to speak to people. I was very challenged about prayer. Amaury was saying that everyone of us who's a Christian has had someone praying for us before hand. Prayer is so powerful!! It's like the key to the storehouse of heaven. I'm really looking forward to seeing what else God wants to teach me while the team are around.

Hope you're all doing well and not too depressed by the football results!!

God's on our side

"If God is for me, who can be against me?" Romans 8:31

...who can be against me? I'm sure we can all think of a long list of stuff we feel is against us. Bad health, financial problems, fear, insecurity, exhaustion, stress, difficult circumstances...

But there's good news - God is for us, He's on our side! Let's think about this phrase - say it out loud, declare it for all to hear, let it really soak in - God is for you!!!

GOD is for me - though other people may be against you, God is with you. The all powerful creator of the universe is on our side.

God IS for me - not might be, not was, not will be one day. It's true, it's certain, it's current. Right now at this very moment as you read this God is with you. It's not dependant on anything you do or don't do. God is totally 100% with us right now.

God is FOR me - he's on my side. He's like the guy on the sideline cheering you on. He's like the guy at the finish line waiting to congratulate you. He's there to carry you when you can't go any further.

God is for ME - it's easy to think he's looking out for everyone else but not me. But the truth is he's crazy about every one of us. If God had a calendar your birthday would be on it. If he had a wallet your picture would be in it. He's got your name tatooed on his hand. He's your number one fan.

So, if God's with us what trouble could possibly overcome us? My purpose can't be taken. My value can't be diminished. Nothing and no-one can defeat me. I'm protected. God is with me. Why was I even stressing?!!

Hiding

Can’t believe another year is almost over! Where does the time go? Old people often talk about time seeming to pass quicker the older you get – am I getting old?

Today I realised that though the year is almost over I barely know most of the team. I’m surrounded by an amazing bunch of people who I love dearly but who are still relative strangers to me. Why do I do that? Why do I wait so long to open up to people? There’s been times this year I’ve found real tough but I kept it all inside instead of leaning on these people that God has given me for support. Isn’t it funny how we all wear masks – trying to hide who we really are for fear of how others will respond. Fear of rejection is such a big barrier to building real strong friendships – it sucks!!! Often there’s a big gap between who we think we are and how other people see us. For instance, I’ve noticed recently that most people seem to think I’m not a very affectionate person. When it comes to handing out hugs I often get missed cos people think I’m just not like that. Truth is, I’m just scared to initiate affection but actually I love it.

Humans are funny old creatures. I sometimes feel like life’s a bit of a game of trying to figure each other out – a game which I suck at!! I’m sick of hiding and I’m sick of playing games. I wanna be real with people. I want to show them who I really am, warts and all, so I can have real friendships! So, how do I change? Father God, please lift me out of this rut I appear to be stuck in!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Many happy returns to Jeff - happy 21st!!! Well, today's been a pretty chilled day. After a pretty heavy and emotional morning of talking about getting our relationship right with God and with each other we headed for pizza hut. I foolishly made the mistake of having pepsi with my all you can eat buffet - school boy error!! Then feeling suffiently bloated we all went to play pitch and putt. A very pleasant afternoon was had by all. Of particular note were Emily's amazing skills (beginners luck or future pro?) and Annan's hilarious habit of talking to the ball! Now we're all chilling back at the Gateway and as I write this there's a game of Buzz going on in the background - another hard day at the office!!
So, Jeff, what are you going to name your badger?!

A weekend in Brum

Well, had a great time in birmingham over the weekend. Was really nice to see a few old friends. Money's been a bit tight recently and I was worried about spending too much while away so had second thoughts about going. I'm so glad I decided to go and it turned out to be one of the cheapest weekends ever!! Had a great time at Epic - nice to finally see that place! Kinda wish I'd taken my skates though. I'm such a wuss about skating when there's lots of people around haha! Was nice to see Rich again. The sweaty hug after he'd been skating for 2hrs wasn't so nice though haha!

I had a very nice morning with Clare - sat chatting for hours about life the universe and everything. Don't you just love those kinda friendships where you can lose touch for months and then when you see each other again it's like you've barely been apart.

Big thanks to Rob for driving me up there and keeping me amused for the long drive with his interesting music taste and random questions (hmm, how would I spend £130 million???.......)

I HATE football!!

Argh! The world cup is doing my head in. it's all anyone talks about at the minute and it's driving me crazy. I don't mind watching the england matches with a few mates - good chance to socialise and all that. But there's matches on all the time - it's like I can't escape it! Everyone seems to be planning their life around the matches and in the office all work goes out the window as soon as there's any game on. I wish I could move to a small island with a few other football haters just while the world cup is on. Anyone with me?

this is me...

emerging church

Seems like a lot of people have been having a bit of a rethink about how they live out their relationship with God and what church looks like. Someone sent me a link to some great articles on emerging church that I've found really interesting and thought I'd share with you guys...http://www.emergingchurch.info/guide/index.htm

I'm naturally someone who likes order and structure. I like things to be black and white. But I'm starting to see that God doesn't work that way. We often categorise people as Christian or non-Christian, non-churched, un-churched, religious, non-religious, irreligious, athiest or whatever else. I used to use those labels too but recently my thinking has been really challenged. I've started to see that there's people in my life who don't neatly fit into any of these boxes! I like the article about the church who descibe themselves as "becoming church, becoming Christian". How do we define what a Christian is? At what point would you say Jesus disciples became Christians? Was it when they first decided to follow Jesus? But they knew so little about who he was or what they were signing up for? Or was it when they first realised he was the Messiah? They may have come to a deeper understanding of who he was but they still messed up, doubted and misunderstood. Peter denied even knowing Jesus only a few weeks later - hardly a dedicated follower? Was it when Jesus rose from the dead? Even then some doubted him! Not so easy to pin point is it??! And yet so often the church puts an emphasis on seeing people 'converted' from a non-Christian in to a Christian.

The Bible prefers to use the term 'follower' instead of Christian. I would suggest the disciples became followers of Jesus from the time they first met him. From then on they were on a journey. There were many key points on that journey that brought them to a higher level of understanding and a deeper, richer experience of God. Our lives are much the same. I think it's unhelpful to view being a Christian as a destination to be reached or a level of holiness to be attained. I'm sure at some point we've all felt like we're not good enough and don't match up to what a Christian should be!!! To view Christianity as a journey instead of a destination brings so much more freedom! No more feeling guilt or frustration that I've not reached a certain destination. Instead I'm learning to kick back, enjoy the ride and take in the scenery. I'm learning to savour what God is doing in my life right now instead of always wanting to rush on to the next thing. It's an adventure of faith that we are all on together. Let's stop comparing where we are at and just enjoy each others company on the ride.

sorting my thoughts

Well, this is all a bit strange and new. Never thought I'd find myself setting up a blog but here I am. Why? Been doing a lot of thinking recently, about a lot of things. One of those things is community - particularly Christian community. As I read the Bible I see that the early Christian church was all about community - real people making real strong connections. It was all about parties, BBQ's on the beach, going to the temple together, sharing meals, sharing their whole lives together. As I read I see strong bonds of genuine love and concern. Then I started examining my own life to see how it compares. Is strong community a part of my relationship with God? I attend a large church which has many good points but it's hard to have a deep connection with 500 people. Sometimes I long to move to a smaller church but I know that's not what God wants right now. So how can I make deep relationships a bigger feature in my life? I've started to realise that part of the answer lies in me getting off my butt and making more effort. Part of it is about being more creative in the ways I connect - hence setting up a blog. God created us to be interdependant. There are many lessons in life that I can only learn if others teach me and things I can only understand with others help. To be me, I need you. I'm hoping this blog will give me a chance to explore my thoughts and share my experiences alongside other people. I guess like a cyberspace pilgrimage? So, greetings my fellow pilgrims. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey.