Living a tasered life?

I've been following the 'Bible in a Year' daily passages over the past few days and have reached the story of Noah. One verse stuck out- 'Noah did everything as God commanded'. It led me to think about some things that have been going around in my mind over the last few days.

It started when I was listening to my dad preach at his church on Sunday.

Dad and I love a good debate.

Some of the things he said on Sunday I respectfully disagreed with but some things were very powerful and remain with me. He was challenging his church family about living in full obedience to Jesus Christ.

He asked the question, 'Are you living your life in partial obedience to God?'

Noah didn't live in partial obedience. He didn't decide to have a pick 'n' mix session with God where God gives His wise and loving instructions and Noah replies like Andy from Little Britain with 'I want that one....I don't want that one!'

He was in complete obedience. He had every reason to cut corners, doubt God and do his own thing.

But he didn't. He was a man of courageous faith in and total obedience to God.

I guess sometimes as a Christian I justify my living, my decisions etc. by making a little list. 'I obeyed in these big areas so it's ok that I cut myself some slack in this area, especially because no one will notice these ones. I'm being pretty obedient to God overall'. And so on.

The devil loves Christians who only partially follow their leader because we become vulnerable, weak and insecure.

We never live the full life Jesus' promises.

We never reach our full potential- in fact worse than that, we make the same mistakes,
going round the same circles, tripping up over and over again.

Did you know that the children of Israel took 40 years to get to the Promised Land when it should have taken only 3 weeks roughly? God had taken them out of Egypt; out of slavery. He had a land promised to them and yet most of them never saw it.

Why?

Partial obedience?

What are you and I missing out on because of partial obedience?

Partial obedience will lead to paralyzed existence.


We miss out on blessings, stress ourselves out, damage relationships and become quite inactive and immobile in our faith and work.

It's like we are tasered over and over again.

The taser gun that police are increasingly using doesn't generally kill anyone (though there have been a few) but it holds them back, trips them up, keeps them down, slows their progress, dis-ables them.

Is that how our Christian lives are at times? Living in partial obedience tasers us? Are we paralysed by making the same mistakes or allowing the enemy to trip us up again and again all because we don't 'trust' and 'obey'.

I love reading books on the emerging church, and post-Christian living etc. but when it comes down to it, my generation of Christians (of which I SO include myself) could do with a little bit more of the 'old time religion' simplicity.

Following Jesus was about trusting and obeying. Seeking, listening, hearing, trusting...and obeying.

Fully.

Totally.

How many of us know the experience of living in full obedience to God? How many of us believe it's possible? How many of us have the scars from not listening to God and following his ways?

How many of us know what it's like to be tasered?

Just some random musings on this January day.

Go Noah! The man who did EVERYTHING as God commanded.

Legend.

The Word 365

Enter 2009!

I don't know about you but I'm quite hopeful about this year. Usually I start off January feeling a bit grotty but I'm quite excited about all the possibilities another year can bring.

I'm a planner, so one thing that's helped is that I've put dates in my diary. I'm attending the S.A.'s first ever UK youth worker conference in February, at Easter we hope to bring some of our youth to Ireland, we're working on a new school musical for our local primary school, Andrea and I are off to Andrea's cousin's wedding in Italy in May....the list goes on.

Lots of things to look forward to.

I'm not good at resolutions but I do have a few things I want to work on this year.

- Being a better husband.
- Being a better leader.
- Taking more rest.
- Getting fitter....again!
- Knowing God more deeply.

The last one may be helped by something I've just signed up to.

You may have thought by the title that I want to talk about bringing back the ultra-cool 1990s Channel 4 show 'The Word' every day for the next year (Terry Christian and Dani Behr hosting of course).

Alas, my title is about things a little more heavenly!

I came across an initiative by Holy Trinity Brompton (www.htb.org.uk) and have signed up to it. They have launched the 'Bible in a Year' initiative and are encouraging people to sign up to commit together to read....you got it- The Bible in a Year!

I've always wanted to do this but haven't had the time, committment or accountablity. I've signed up to this because:

a) I really believe getting into the Bible more is the best way to start my year.
b) I thrive in community. I'll be joining hundreds from all over the world as we do this together; keeping each other accountable and sharing our thoughts, confusions, insights etc.
c) There are lots of posts from bible teachers to help you get the best out of the passage.

I sent a quick email to my small church community and already 5 others have said they'd like to join me in the challenge. We're gonna meet for coffee every now and again over the next twelve months to talk about what's helped us and what we have discovered or struggled with.

It's very simple to register. Maybe you'd like to give it a go as well.

I'm just a bit worried I'll give up at Leviticus. ;-)

Shalom

What a weekend!

Ten of our team headed off to Cefn Lea in Mid-Wales for the annual gathering of NEO teams.

I think this was the fifth annual retreat and was the best by far. The whole weekend was based around the hebrew concept of 'Shalom'.

There are a number of definitions for this word- completeness, wholeness, well-being. None fully suffice. We were told it's kind of like our English word 'peace' but so much richer and broader than that.

When we talk about having peace in our country, town, community etc. it's often about the fact that there is no violence, no fighting etc. Shalom is not just about the absence of something, which is quite passive, but about being active in creating just relationships and living in a way that brings about justice to those around us. We were challenged to consider the way we interact with each other as a church and within our community; we were challenged to consider how we spend our money and time and how we use our possessions. Do we, as a church, live in such a way that others see beauty, generosity, justice, integrity, grace, selflessness? Is my home a place of hospitality? Does my bank statement speak of wise spending, simplicity and generosity? Does it show my concern for the poor? Are my relationships marked with grace, kindness and goodness?

Our team had space this morning to spend a few hours in a lovely wee static caravan to be open and honest with each other about many things. We looked at what it would mean for us to become more of a 'shalom' community. There was honesty, brokenness, laughter and repentance as we shared about the ups and downs of following Christ together. I guess that's a good start right there!

It's such an honour to be part of an amazing church community- not because of the services, the programs, the building- but the people. They shape me in so many ways for the better.

We're a small bunch. We don't make a big fanfare and don't have a huge impact on the world however each day I see my church community adding beauty to grey places, bringing light to the darkness and hope where there's despair.

I see so many churches that seem to constantly rush about doing this, that and the other but never really have much of an impact on anything or anyone.
I'm reading a book called 're-imagining church' at the moment. I found this quote which lays out some of the differences between 'organic' churches and 'institutional' ones.

'Institutional churches are a lot like trains. They are going in a certain direction, and they will continue in that direction for a good long time even if all hands try to make them stop. As with trains, the options for turning the direction of institutional churches are limited at best. If a switch or siding is available, the train could turn. So everyone aboard had best hope that he is on the right train headed in the right direction.

Organic churches, like those in the New Testament, are different. They are not trains, but groups of people out for a walk. These groups move much more slowly than trains- only several miles per hour at the fastest. But they can turn at a moment's notice. More importantly, they can be genuinely attentive to their world, to their Lord, and to each other.

'Like trains, institutional churches are easy to find. The smoke and noise are unmistakeable. Organic churches are a bit more subtle. Because they do not announce their presence with flashing lights at every intersection, some believe that churches like those in the New Testament died out long ago. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Organic churches are everywhere. Once you learn how to spot an organic church, you will soon discover groups of people everywhere meeting just like the New Testament church- as bodies, families, and brides, rather than institutions. Organic churches are groups of people walking with God. The trains pass them by all the time. Sometimes the people on board wave. Sometimes they cannot because the train is moving so fast that people going a few miles per hour just look like a blur.' Hal Miller.

I'm coming across so many people in my own denomination who are struggling to stay on the train. Some are finding it too fast, others are concerned that in spite of its speed and power and noise, it could be headed in the wrong direction. I'm not sure if you can be an organic church as described above when you are working within a very powerful train-like institution.

Time will tell!

There but for the grace of God

My mate Andrew who's part of our church in Gibby sadly told me last night that his buddy Dave was found dead in his mother's house. Dave had come to church with Andrew a few times and we got to know him at different social gatherings.

He was a lovely guy. Always had a smile for you. I always thought that there was a lot of hurt inside him though. He had been struggling with alcohol for many years and the probability is that alcohol may have had something to do with his death.

I'm once again soberly reminded of the darkness and despair that can be found in so many homes in our community. He was only in his late 30s. The line that's been going into my head is 'There but for the grace of God'.

Andrew is one of my heroes here. He became a Christian about three years ago and has come out of addiction and depression himself. He's a legend and a dear friend. When Dave has been homeless, Andrew and Silke took him in, no question. Even a few weeks ago they let Dave crash at theirs in spite of just having had a baby girl a few months ago. That was the last time they saw him.
Andrew and Silke witnessed to Dave of Christ's unconditional love through their words and actions.
Please pray for Dave's family but also for Andrew. This is his fourth mate who has died this year, all of them substance abuse related.

November 4th

For me, the most exciting date this year, slightly behind my 1st wedding anniversary of course, is November 4th.

The day of the U.S. Presidential Election.



You may think I'm sad but I can't wait. I'm staying up ALL night to watch the coverage. I've been a fan of The West Wing ever since my wife and her then flatmate, Mrs Carrie Knuckey, introduced me to the addictive substance. I finished Series 7 last year and was rather depressed for a while when it ended. It was like my closest friends weren't around anymore.

You see, I'm sure those who loved the show agree that you found yourself becoming the unseen character in the West Wing battling it out with Josh, agreeing with Leo, flirting with C.J (you know it's true!) and revering the mighty President Bartlett.

Thankfully, just as I finished the series, the real deal began to heat up.

You have had all the great characters- Mormon Mitt, P.O.W. McCain, Billary Clinton (two for one!), Iraq Bahama....Hussein Pyjama....Hijack Banana...who cares if you can't say his name- He's awesome (I....think?)....Good ole american pie Joey Biden....and just when you thought these characters were satisfying enough....enter the gun shooting, polar bear throat slitting, oil guzzling, God's will discerning, ready to wrestle with Russia, folksy, cutsy, hockey mum, pitbull with lipstick... Sarah Palin!!!

As soon as she entered the stage in her wee glasses and beehive, I knew that Tina Fey from SNL fame would not be able to resist impersonating her.

I was right.

The next 28 days are going to be immense.

And guess what? One thing we can know for certain....the next President of the United States will NOT be called George W. Bush!

No place like home

Well, I'm back to blogging but who knows for how long!

There are two reasons I'm back.

Firstly, I went back home to Northern Ireland last weekend. I love Wales and am very settled here but there really is nowhere like the place you grew up in.

It's quite a powerful thing to visit your old church, your family and friends when you don't see them very often. I miss them. The hardest thing for Andrea and I living in Wales continues to be being far from family and friends. Just to have your dad scoot over to help you put a shelf up or your relatives calling in to say hi or heading over to your parent's house for Sunday lunch.

The normal stuff.

God's blessed us with surrogate family here and we're so grateful for that but it can still be a bit difficult at times.

We stayed with my lovely sis and bro-in-law, Mel and Dave, in Lurgan and had a great time with them (town and county!). They just celebrated their 1st wedding anniversary and are a real inspiration.

Yesterday we went out for lunch.....Oh yeah, and I really miss the food!! We were joined by Dave's mum Iris. Iris is one of those great godly women who's love for Jesus is infectious. Her and her husband Andrew run a charity called HOPE which helps people all over the globe and supports poorer churches in Eastern Europe.

She is a great storyteller as well. We were listening to some great insights and stories over homemade soup and wheaten bread (I REALLY miss the food!) when we got to talking about people's blogs. Iris is also a typical 'norn irish' mum who loves finding out what the young 'uns are getting up to on their blogs! She was able to tell me that I hadn't blogged since April 10th precisely!!!

So Iris, this blog is for you! :-)

Secondly, I've been reading a book recently called Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola. Great, great book. It's a very simple read but quite a big revelation. It takes you through the various practices and traditions of mainline Christendom and challenges their position, their relevance and even their biblical basis in churches today.

A lot of my own musings were confirmed. That is, that much of the practices and traditions we THINK are 'by the book' actually originate from Roman pagan culture and have NO biblical basis.

Why is the Church often perceived as irrelevant, boring, out of touch, hierarchal, even un-spiritual?

Firstly, because in so many places IT JUST IS! Fact!

Secondly, I think it has to do with many practices and traditions which are seen as non-negotiable but, as the author of this book points out, actually have little biblical weight and stifle the very life of the church.

Have you ever asked any of the following questions?

1) Why are clergy often elevated as holier than the laity?
2) Why is everyone so solomn and depressed looking when they CELEBRATE the Lord's supper?
3) Why do people in many churches wear their best clothes (or even military uniforms!) to church?
4) What's with all the singing?
5) What's with one person leading a service and the other hundred sitting like sardines listening then leaving?
6) Why do we sit in rows at all?
7) Why does it feel that you need a degree to go to most churches and be able to comprehend what's going on and being said?

This book delves into these and many more questions about why we do what we do.

It's got me thinking a lot about my own denomination, The Salvation Army. There are some real heroes of the faith in this movement doing some fantastic things. However it seems of late, (or maybe it's just me) that there is a different vibe in the movement these days than a few years ago.

Like it's settling down again.

This concerns me. There are few forums in our denomination for healthy debate and discussion about the relevance of practices and traditions that we hold dear.

Other than a few advisory councils and officer-led committees at the top, who's asking the tough questions about why we do what we do? Is renewal taking place? It just seems like it's a 'keep your head down, get on with it and don't ask questions' period.

In fact institutional denominations like the Church of England and the Methodists seem much more open and secure about challenging each other and having healthy debate about their own sacred cows at every level than we do at the moment.

I can think of nothing worse if we are to engage with a deeply complex world than to keep our head down and just go with the flow. Perhaps I'm just not hearing this stuff or moving in the right circles.

I'm concerned that we are going into self-preservation mode in many places, shying away from the hard questions and difficult challenges that any mainline denomination has to face in 2008. Many corps (churches) up and down the country are closing down or are very close to sutting their doors for good.

Where are the leaders with vision, creativity, and inspiration?

Where are those who are taking risks and not just doing business as usual? And I don't just mean the leaders.

Where are the prophets who are challenging the status quo?

Where is our 'first love' for the last, the lost and the least. The ones that The Shepherd came to save.

Are we really ready for a 21st Century world?

I love this movement and its rich history. I love it TOO much to not speak out when I feel it isn't very well health-wise.

I've decided to have a go at writing some of my own thoughts on my blog in the weeks to come. It would be great if it stirs a little bit of healthy debate amongst a few bloggers. I don't care if people disagree with my views.

It would just be good to see some passion out there!

Feel

I don't know about you but I so often find it hard to remain in awe at some of the basics truths of my faith. Why did Jesus die? This life-changing event sometimes doesn't move me. I believe it, I'm thankful for the knowledge of it and what it means. I don't need to always feel what it means but now and again it helps. It's hard for it to reach the heart when you've heard it for so long, so many times.

Words. Words. Words.

Then along comes a video....pictures, sounds, movement.

The video below dramatically reminded me afresh of why we ALL need a Saviour, what it really cost Christ on the cross and just how amazing it is to be delivered, set free and given a new life 'in Christ' because of what He's done for us.

It may look a bit cheesy at first, and kind of is, but this is VERY powerful.