Called His Own

Eleven and Twelve.

2012-01-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

It's so annoying. I've succumbed to the internal self-created pressure to write a blog about New Year. I'm sure tumblr, blogger, wordpress and all the other blog websites are bursting at the seams with new blog authors, new blog posts, and dusted down blogs with a fresh look and a fresh post ready to show the rest of the world who are keen to read and keen to write there own. And here I am, like a lemming following everybody else to write something that everybody else has probably written already, just written in my own way. So, enjoy/endure.

On New Year's Eve my wonderful wife created a template of two lists for her, our friend Rosie and myself to fill in. They had 2 names. The first was 'Eleven Great Things from 2011', and the other 'Twelve Hopes for 2012'. It now is firmly stuck in my journal.

It was great fun writing down and chatting through our completed list of the great things from 2011. Sharing memories and moments from this year that quite frankly, rocked. My list included a few events I went to, some different countries I had the opportunity to visit, and of course my wedding was pretty high up the list. Often we spend so much time thinking about the newness of January and all it brings, without enjoying what has happened. So many great things happened in 2011, and I guarantee that no matter how awful your year may have seemed, there will have been some good things that took place too. Write them down, stick them in your journal, tell your friends. Celebrate the good stuff that happened.
The second list of our hopes for 2012 was also fun to write down and chat about. It comes with a challenge though (12 challenges to be exact), which seems like far too much stress and hassle for a New Year I think, but ah well that's what I get for having a futurist wife!

I'm somebody who is quite goal orientated. I like to get things done, and having a list to tick things off and say 'job done' fills me with satisfaction. So, the sheer thought of having a list with uncompleted, or failed tasks scares me. I know I would get deeply disappointed with myself if I don't complete them, but you want to put big thoughts and plans down in order to inspire you to action! It's a dangerous game to play. Whether they are new plans for this year, or changing of behaviours or attitudes, or developing or launching a new idea, use the lists you write now to stir you to action later in the year.

Anyone can write a resolution. Anyone can have an idea they'd like to do. Anyone can say how they'd like things to be different. It takes an activist to take steps to see them happen. It takes a patient person to wait until you begin to see real results and productivity. It takes perseverance to keep going through the months later on in the year that aren't as fresh and interesting as January. It takes guts, courage and determination, and of course a ton of prayer.

Writing resolutions and plans down for 2012 is a dangerous game to play. But play it. I dare you.

Make Every Bird Count

2011-12-18T09:13:00.001-08:00

I realise I am years behind many, but I have recently got a new phone on which I am able to play this game that has consumed all phone-gamers..... Angry Birds.
The idea is simple, you catapult a load of birds toward some green pigs, attempting to knock them all and get a load of points. the early levels are simple: You are given plenty of birds and only need to hit 1 or 2 pigs in order to complete it. However, as the levels go on, it gets harder. There are less birds to fling, more pigs to eradicate and more obstacles to get the birds over or through. In these later levels, every bird counts. You need to use every bird in your arsenal in order to defeat every pig. What's more, each bird needs to be flung in the right way in order to smash down the obstacles, and take out every pig. It's really tough, and can be really annoying, but is always addictive, and of course is pretty mindless, but we've all got to relax some way!

However, recently a game of angry birds wasn't mindless for me. It got me thinking. In the same ways that in the later levels every bird counts, the same concept is applicable to us. Every Bird Counts.

We don't go around flinging birds at green pigs, but we have other obstacles to break down. We have other things in life to build up. Every bird to fling in Angry Bird can represent an opportunity we have in our lives. We have our character to build up. And if we want to get the most we can out of our 80 or so years on this earth, lets make every opportunity count, each day, each action, and each conversation. In Psalm 39:1 David declares that he will be careful that what he speaks about is holy and blameless. Lets do the same. Lets declare that with each conversation we are in, we make them count. Lets speak life into situations, speak encouragement, speak peace and joy into people's lives.

One moment where we get angry for no reason, where we put people down, where we slag somebody off can set us back, can prevent us from fully being who God has called us to be. I know I'm guilty of not making conversations count. Of wasting opportunitites to encourage somebody and instead being full of gossip or a 'moaning' attitude. But now I want to make every moment count, making every conversation I'm in count. For myself, and for others.

We're only going to get a certain amount of birds to fling in our lives, so

lets make every bird count.

Broken Bulbs

2011-12-12T12:35:00.001-08:00

Two days after putting our first ever Christmas tree decorations up,we had a problem. There was a whole bunch of stuff that went up; including the tree, the hanging bits, the table decorations, the candles, and even some outside lights.

Now these lights aren't full on, they are not tacky or over the top, just one simple set of white berry lights above our porch. I thought it would be simple, how wrong I was. Two days after them being up and on display for or whole neighbourhood to see (as we are new to our road there is a higher pressure to make a good impression!), I noticed something. One evening on my way into the house I saw a dark patch. Not only had 1 light gone out, but the Nearby bulbs were out too. So annoying. I spent a half hour trying to figure out which was the duff bulb to no avail. 1 light has gone (I still haven't sorted it), and it's knocked some of the others out too.

It reminded me about people. We are an easily influenced bunch. If 1 of our group is in a bad mood, everyone else in the group may get in a foul mood too. If one person begins to slag someone off, it's just so easy to fall in line and join in. Too many times have I seen whole groups of friends leave church and drift away from God because one of them decides to leave and the other follow behind them.

1 person going out can cause others to go out too.

Naturally, our relationship with God and our walks with God are all individual, and they are not based on other people's spiritual journeys. But we would be totally naive to think that we weren't influenced by other people. We can't control it, it's in our nature to be led by others, we cant stop being influenced by other people. But we can control who we are influenced by. Get the right people around you. People who aren't likely to be like bulbs that 'go out'. Be near LED people, who stay alight, who's lights shine brightly, consistently. Be influenced by those kinds of people, people who inspire and cause you to burn brighter. Then maybe we can avoid strings of people leaving churches, as we stick together, keeping our lights burning bright for Him...

Anyway, better get back to fixing these outside lights, any help greatly appreciated!

Hoovering Problems

2011-12-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

I generally love living. I quite enjoy all the different things that make up life. Except Cleaning. Mondays are my cleaning day. Well to be honest, its more of a cleaning morning but half a day of cleaning is plenty for me.

Hoovering isn't actually too bad when it comes to cleaning jobs. Simply pushing the sucking-tube backwards and forwards over the carpet is simple, straightforward and you see instant results. In fact, most dry spillages are solved with a quick once over with a hoover. We've all been guilty of hoovering over anything and everything, particularly those things that are slightly too big, or not really made for a hoover. Those kind of things are annoying, but its so much easier to run the hoover over them instead of doing the slightly harder task of picking it up by hand. Well it's easier most of the time.

Except when that 'thing' won't fit up the hoover.

Sometimes we run the hoover over the same 'thing' on the floor again and again and again, determined not to pick it up by hand, but telling ourselves that the hoover will pick it up, even when we know that the poor Henry or Dyson doesn't stand a chance.

Problems arrive all the time. We learn to expect them, and deal with them when they arise. However, lets remember that not all problems can be solved the same way, the easy way. Some problems will just need a 'quick once over', other problems require something different, Sometimes issues may take harder work in order for them to be solved. Some issues may take longer to resolve. However, if we try to solve all different problems in the same way we won't get anywhere. Whether they be relational, practical, emotional, home-related or work related, different problems require different ways of dealing with them.

Maybe you would call yourself a 'people person', maybe a 'task focused person', maybe somebody who is heavily influenced by how your decisions will effect other people, and led by other people's opinions. Or maybe you base your decisions on logic, facts, or passed successes. Lets realise that we cannot live in one of these camps alone. There will be times when we need to use logic and facts based decisions to solve problems and issues, and other times when we need to hear out and base our decisions on other people, how it will effect them also. Why not try both?

Some problems will need a quick fix solution by just running the hoover over it. Other times we will need to bend down and do some harder work to pick up the problem with our hands. Lets not be afraid to get our hands dirty in order to solve problems, as not everything will fit up that hoover.

My Sister.

2011-11-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

With my thoughts to blog more, I wanted to write this entry. I have read entries in other blogs where the author has shared how a close friend or family member are important to them, writing about the effect they have had in their life. Not only has that most likely been of amazing encouragement to the person being written about, but has also helped me feel encouraged, reading about the awesome types of people there are here on Earth. Here's a post about another one of these people, who is important to me.

You know those kind of stories and jokes that nobody else finds funny except for those couple of people who were initially involved in the joke or story? Please indulge me for this short moment as I discuss a few.

1. You may or may not have seen Bugsy Malone. I don't know what you think of that film, but I love it, especially this 3 second clip during the finale song where a group of the guys simply sing 'la la la la la la laaa' (it is 3:10 into this clip). My sister and I love nothing more than singing that little 3 second clip and laughing whilst others have no idea what we're going on about.

2. There are plenty of coasters and place mats at my parents house. The place mats have country pubs on, but there is one specific place mat that my sister and I spent probably days of our lives fighting over, carefully swapping them around on the dinner table so that we had the best one without the other seeing. Again, nobody else would care about this place mat but us, they would have no idea what we're doing.

3. 'Loads of moolar, loads of moolar, loads of moolar loads of moo'.....

OK. Private jokes finished now. Stay with me.

Sally is my sister. She has been for my whole life. That may seem a stupid, obvious thing to say, but to be honest, it isn't necessarily the standard practice families. Many people have distant, detached, or even non-existent relationships with their siblings. My experience is so far from that upsetting idea. She has been over and above what any sister should be like.
My sister is simply brilliant. Growing up with somebody who would always support, encourage, protect and direct me has been amazing. Sally has always been there for me and is always there for me. Despite the various things she goes through, she remains there for -not just me- but everyone around her too. I was never bullied when I was at school, but whenever I came under any trouble with anybody Sally would always tell me that she would stand up for me and protect me. I felt so loved and cared for. When she was a teenager and I was an annoying pre-teen, she still spent time with me, and we'd have so much fun together. Now she is a mother of three, she still has time for me, always up for a coffee and a chat, always available to go on mini-adventures, always available to cook tasty food, always available to make me warm and cool clothes and hats. And she is always available to do all the same for Heather.

Often I hear people say to Sally 'you are like a sister to me', or 'you've been like a big sister to me'. Well guess what. I have the awesome privilege to actually call her my actual sister. We don't get to choose our family, and I know I wouldn't change mine ever. She is kind, thoughtful, caring, genuine, honest, Godly, normal (not 'boring' normal, but not 'weird'. Well, she is 'funny' weird, but- well- you know what mean). She is real, compassionate, incredibly creative, idea-filled and brings life into any situation and conversation she is involved in. I know that in previous years when she was part of Kerith she had a huge impact on so many teenage girls who are now growing into amazing women, and now she is at the Beacon church in Camberley, she is having a similar effect, blessing, training and leading many people to become wonderful men and women of God.

She has 3 quality children, and an awesome husband. Nobody can know the Ropers and not be blessed by them. It's the 'Roper-effect'.

One thing that would never be said of Sally is that she's a woman of few words (haha!), but she is a woman of wonderful words, and I love the way she can spend 1 hour with people and they can be taken up in their lift, feeling encouraged, valued, cared for and wanted. She makes people like they belong. She speaks life and love into people.

She is like a sister to many people, but I'm the only one who can say that she is my sister. I love her very much and I'm very proud of her.

Tomato Timers and Giveaway #1

2011-11-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

Recently I've felt more challenged to write some more. I've finally began to write in my journal once again after a long spell of simply nothing being written down, and as well as that, I'm now stirred to write some more in this blog.

I received a delivery from Hong Kong yesterday that has now given me the idea to start something new on my blog that I've seen on other blogs (that's right, I'm stealing the idea) to give away things, and this is first thing to give away!

Quite a while ago now Simon Benham our Senior Pastor at Kerith Community Church preached on the importance of 'stopping' and finding Sabbath in your life (hear the message here). It was a great message that we all need to hear in our non-stop (or-feel-guilty-when-we-do-stop) lifestyles. Personally, my Myers Briggs type is an ENTJ, and a classic characteristic of an ENTJ is that I can rush from one thing to the next, not stopping or taking time to relax as I try to tick off everything on my 'To Do' list. I've even noticed that when I speak to people I can sometimes not stop to breathe, it's ridiculus!

So this idea of 'stopping' (or 'opping' - it could be a silent 'st') is so important for me, I need to remind myself of it regularly. On this weekend, a method called the 'Pomodoro Technique' was spoken of, in which you spend 35 minutes working, followed by 5 minutes of rest. This was classically kept track of by using one of those tomato timers. Well, way back when it was preached, I thought it would be a good idea to buy some of them to give to people if they are interested! So I now have 5 tomato timers all the way from Hong Kong to give away to anyone who wants them! If you want one, just leave a comment somewhere, either on this blog, or tweet to me, or somehow(!) tell me how it would be useful to you, and I'll choose who will get one! Or, (most likely to happen!), the first 5 to respond can have one.

By the way, they are hardly the most sophisticated, posh things, only paid a very small price for them, so cannot be held liable for how long or short their life spans are, but hey, everyone loves a freebie!

Teatowels & Toy Sheep

2011-06-25T03:15:00.001-07:00

Annoyingly, when 'we in the West' think of shepherds, the first things that enter our minds are tea-towels wrapped around heads, and stuffed toy sheep being dragged by pieces of string by gormless 5 year old boys staring into space as they meander across their school stage. Sure, it's a cute picture, and for me there's not much funnier than watching pre-schoolers in school nativities (moments comedy gold & oscar worthy performances, trust me).

But in reality shepherds were so much more than that.

A shepherd's Job Description would not look too appealing to be honest. Staying up all night protecting their sheep. Leading flocks of (arguably) the most stupid animal around from place to place. Ushering them together. Keeping strict count of the hundreds they would be in charge of. Finding and rescuing the lost sheep.

A stressful, exhausting, and all-consuming job.

To be a shepherd was also considered hugely dangerous. Amidst the protecting of sheep, it was not unusual for a shepherd to have to fight off animals in order that the sheep would not be harmed. A shepherd would need to be courageous, strong and always alert. They would do anything for their flock.

I don't know about you, but sometimes when I read certain passages, verse, chapters of the Bible, I can get used to them, and become familiar with them. When we do this, sometimes we can mentally 'numb-down' the power of what we have read.

'The LORD is my Shepherd'

A classic example of a phrase that has been read and repeated for years, and often 'numbed' by many. But this is a powerful image. In John 10 Jesus talks about how we are not looked after by a 'hired hand', somebody who doesn't really care, who has no real interest or commitment. We are lead, and protected by Him who is a shepherd, the good Shepherd. He is deeply committed, more than we'll ever understand. He is deeply courageous, powerfully faithful and always with us.

If you have an image of a teatowel clad boy as a Shepherd, then change that image. God is your courageous, strong, alert protector, who will do ANYTHING for you. And ultimately, he has done EVERYTHING for you.

Leaders & Followers

2011-06-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Just a short entry that for some reason I just feel compelled to write. I felt that I needed to write this down before I forgot it. Who knows if this is a God-thing or not. But, if this is a timely and helpful entry for one person, then I know it's worth it.

This week the Elders of Kerith Community Church are spending 4 days together. They have spent 2 days hearing from Ministry Leaders at the 'ministry review days', and they will then spend 2 further days discussing, praying into and considering the next moves for us as a church.

I spent sometime with them yesterday speaking about the bits of ministry that I lead. It was a great time to hear their advice, thoughts, answer questions and generally remember and know that I am led by some excellent people of God.

Reflecting on that time today has made me continually realise the importance of leaders. It is often said that an organisation can rise or fall on leadership. Great leaders will take an organisation/community/church to great places. Bad leadership will take an organisation/community/church to bad places. We have a fantastic group of 6 guys who are leading us, who are great leaders because ultimately, they are servants, serving us as a church, and more importantly serving God.

So what about us as leaders and followers? Well, there's a simple rule.

If you want to be a great leader, you first need to be a great follower.

If you cannot be led, you will not end up being a great leader. Trust me. Jesus came to serve, not be served, and was the greatest leader that has ever lived. Being led is not always easy, but it is essential. Humble yourself, let yourself be led, corrected, directed, rebuked by your leaders. Pride can ruin us if we let awful attitudes towards leaders set in. Be a servant. Keep an eye on yourself regularly, and 'do a David' by asking God to search your heart for any attitudes that need to change.

So, as God searches your heart, what's He finding?

My Fiancée - Heather Bryan

2011-05-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy couple of months, with all sorts of exciting things happening at church, our marriage and wedding preparations getting put onto a higher gear, as well as all the other bits and pieces that just end up taking space in our days and weeks. Now, suddenly I realise that it's been a good while since I've posted, and I think it's about time (well, its very over-due!), that I give a blog entry about my wonderful fiancee, Heather.

This August (in15 weeks!) I will be marrying the girl of my dreams. Since I was a teenager, I've been praying for her. I didn't know her then, I barely knew myself then. But I knew God knew her, and loved her and planned all our steps. I love how God put us together, as we awkwardly danced around a room together for an audition, not realising that in Aug 2011 we will be dancing our first dance together at our wedding. There's many things I love about her, here's just a few of them (in no particular order!)

1. She is wise. Yes, she's intelligent, but more than that. She reads people and situations. She knows what the Bible says about things, and then lives it. She gives me wisdom all the time. I love it. Inspiring.

2. She is Talented. Flippin' eck she is talented! She can paint, draw, create, sing, build, write, preach, cook, teach, listen, talk... Everything. And she's not just alright at them, she does these things (and so much more) to an incredible standard! I'm so inspired by her gifts, abilities, all the things she can do, and her total humility in it all.

3. She is funny. Not odd/weird-funny, she makes me laugh more than anyone, and she even humours me by laughing at my jokes too. I have so much fun with her. My best days are with her.

4. She is beautiful. Simple as that. She is the most beautiful person I have ever met. And outwardly she's pretty gorgeous too. If you know her, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you don't know her, get to know her... She's a good one.

There's so much more I could say about Heather. She makes me smile, she inspires me, challenges me, strengthens me, encourages me and even gives me amazing presents. God didn't just answer my prayer with Heather, but he exceeded any thoughts and dreams I could ever have.

She's pretty amazing. I'm sure you agree.

Saying Goodbye

2011-02-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

Some people hate saying goodbye.

I remember the first time I visited my fiancee Heather at uni. I travelled on a 9hr coach journey to see her. We had an awesome weekend, had loads of fun, I met a load of her new uni friends, spent some quality time together and before I knew it, the time came for me to leave. As you can imagine, another 9hr coach journey was not high on my list of fun things to do(!), so I wasn't looking forward to it anyway. But the main reason for the gloom of this journey was that it would be a good 8 weeks or so before I saw her again. Saying goodbye was difficult, I even had a little cry once she was out of sight. However, I had to say goodbye. I couldn't have stayed, she had tons of uni work to do, I had my own life to lead also. It would have been ridiculous to stay forever (the university didn't like me parking in the car park for a day, let alone a year!). To stay would have limited her and limited me. As horrible as the goodbye was, it was necessary for both of us.

Some people avoid saying goodbye.

I'm sure we can all think of scenarios when we have held onto something for too long. When we know that something has come to an end, it has broken, or stopped functioning how it used to. Sometimes it can be difficult to throw away that phone that you've come so attached to, even though the back falls off, the battery only lasts for 30mins and the 'space' key doesn't work anymore. But what about relationally? What about those relationships that are doing you no good, or that job that you stick at because its 'safe', or that friendship group that leads you down paths you know you shouldn't take. What about those immature thought patterns you slip into, and even know you're aware of them, you're scared of how life will look without them?

In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel were led out of slavery into freedom through some awesome miraculous acts of God. They saw it with their own eyes, yet they would often complain about their situation and want to return to slavery. They couldn't say goodbye to that old way of living. Despite the excellent future God had in store for them, they couldn't say goodbye to the mediocre. Sounds ridiculous, but so many of us do the same thing: rather than enjoying the awesome new life Christ has for us, by default we favour the 'old skool' way of living by not saying goodbye to it. It's a spiritually immature place to be in.

Let's not be immature by avoiding saying goodbye to things, relationships, circumstances, or thought patterns that hold us back, that slow us down, that limit and prevent us from seeing greater things that are ahead. Whether its a goodbye forever, or for the short term, let's have the courage to make those decisions, and see them through.

So I dare you, be brave. Say 'goodbye' to the mediocre and the old life, and see God propel you forward.

Season Spotting

2011-02-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

We all go through seasons in life. Seasons where everything is rosey and splendid, and times when life just downright is terrible. Sometimes because of outside circumstance, and other times we only have ourselves to congratulate or blame.

That's life. Stuff happens.

Surprise surprise, the Bible is yet again awesome and relevant and talks about this(!), so read it.

The question 'how you doing with God?' has almost become a cliched joke with some as it's the 'standard Christian question', but lets get back to basics and ask ourselves: What season are you in now? How is life going? How is your relationship with God? How does life compare with last week? Last month? Last year? Are you closer to God than you were 2 weeks ago or further away?

Are those questions easy to answer honestly for yourself? Be aware of the season you are in, trust me, it will help you to either move on from that season or appreciate the season you are in.

I'm sure we all know those people that stay suffering or living under the same hassles, the same problems, the same scenarios for far too long. Whether they are plagued by an inability to forgive others, or maybe they just do not seem to move on from a bad experience or bad circumstances. Rather than taking steps to move onto the next season, they seem stuck in the rut of the same season, week in week out, month in month out, maybe year in year out, consumed by their own emotions and reactions to the circumstance.

Seasons are impossible to categorise. Some are long, some are short, some last weeks, months, years even decades sometimes. Lets be sensitive to others in their seasons. We cannot force anybody to 'get over it', (although a lot of the time I'd love to say that!). However, when people allow a season to engulf them, it can seriously prevent them from growing and moving forward in their life. In fact, it can shrink them. They can become weaker, emotionally, spiritually and at times physically too.

Don't let your seasons engulf or consume you. If we can not just experience seasons, but have an awareness of the season we are in, automatically we have a foothold to hold us strong throughout it. Please hear me right. There are a great deal of people I know who are just going through awful times, whether it is illness, relational problems, spiritual crossroads, financial difficulties, all sorts of things far greater that I have been through in my life. It is not easy or straight forward coping in these situations. We shouldn't have an attitude that says 'get over it and move on', but lets be sure of the hope that we have because of Jesus, and keep close to Him.

In a season of great blessings? Enjoy the time, make the most of each moment, be thankful to God for it!
In a season that is tough? Be aware of your emotions, don't let them rule. Now is the time for you to dig in, stay firm in Christ. Still be thankful to Him for what he has given you.

As we are aware of the season we are in, and aware of the emotions and feelings we have, it will help us ride the wave of that season, and come through it not surviving, but thriving.

Jesus was aware of his emotions. Just before he was arrested, he told his disciples that his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. He was aware of the emotions he was experiencing, which he shared with others, and helped him to take on the huge task of dying for you. That's what I call knowing what season your in!

End of 2010 thoughts

2010-12-30T04:13:00.000-08:00

Some things you decide to do end up being completed. Others don't. Publishing regular blog posts still elude me, and my nails remain less than a millimetre long before they end up getting munched off.

However, a couple of years ago, I was led through an exercise with 50 people in writing goals, ideas, thoughts and dreams for my future. This included personal dreams, career ambitions, adventures to go on, as well as the contributions I want to make to the world. Alongside these goals (some of which ridiculously audacious), were a timeframe of when I wanted them to happen by. The times ranged from 40 years, to some goals being achievable from now. Then I wrote steps as to how these goals can be achieved. Heather and I have done the exercise together a few times since then, we call it our 'Owen Crane List'!

I found the original list a couple of days ago. Wonderfully, many of these audacious goals, dreams, ambitions, ideas now seem a lot closer, with some of them coming into reality already:

The opportunity to be able to work full-time at Kerith Community Church is one of those dreams that has come a reality for me, and the opportunities I've had to serve in areas that I love and enjoy, what a privilege! I'm so thankful to God who has always known that this is where I'd be right now.
The fact that in 8 months time I will be getting
married to Heather is such an amazing gift from Him. I propsed in June, and know that we will be starting a great adventure together that will last the rest of our lives, so exciting! She is an amazing lady, I'm so grateful to God. I'm so thankful each day for all the joy, smiles, laughter, wisdom, guidance, support, help, fun and so much more that she brings into my life.
I'm also so thankful to be healthy, to have great friends and family around me.

God is a great God who answers prayers, who hears our cries, who knows our dreams, goals and ambitions. We know God is in charge. He has a greater plan for our lives than we will ever know and want.

Lets make goals though, lets have big dreams, lets be ambitious , lets plan to take steps to see our dreams come reality. I don't like the thought of New Years Resolutions - as if we have one time each year to make a new start, to make a change in our lives. We have this opportunity daily, so lets take it.

2011 is going to rock, can't wait.

WARNING This Blog Entry may appear like a Rant!

2010-09-28T14:56:00.001-07:00

There are some things that I no longer care for/enjoy/partake in:

Sticky Floored Bars
Clubs with women who are in desperate need of love and attention wearing awful clothes that reveal far too much of mostly fatty flesh. It's a shame
Clubs containing men looking "cool" (apparently), leaning on bannisters generally staring at women whilst drinking a so-called manly alcoholic drink. They are generally deeply insecure yet so afraid to reveal it to anybody. I feel incredibly sorry for them.
Club Toilets that have not been cleaned in months, and you know 100% that there won't be toilet paper. That's just a general dislike of mine!
Trying to impress these men dressed in black outside clubs in order to get inside the place just a few minutes earlier, as they let you know your social status purely by the way they look at you.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think clubs are 'wrong'. I just think there are very few things that I enjoy about them!

I'm not sure whether it is the fact that I am considered old by most clubbers now, or whether my relationship with God is better now and so I am more away of the 'not so holy' aspects of clubs, or whether I am more secure in myself now so will more readily give my opinion on these things. I don't know, probably a mixture of all of these things.

One thing I do know. We are not called to be of this world. Called has called us out of this world (John 15:19) to a life that is much more exciting, fulfilling, satisfying, challenging, adventurous and thrilling. This doesn't mean that we should be some odd creatures that don't relate to anybody here. It means that we should not feel bound and stuck to the mundane rubbish that others seems to be sucked into. Please hear me right, I don't think clubbing itself is wrong or bad. But I do think there are far better things to do on this awesome planet we live on.

Also, far too many times in my life I see people waste a good 3 or 4 years of their life in clubs. Their weeks revolve around that one epic night each week where they go to their favourite cattle market, spend the majority of their wages and spend the rest of the week recovering and reliving the same stories week in week out to the same people again and again. Which, to be honest, gets boring.

God has a much better idea for our lives. He has a plan that is exciting, that is adventurous, that is prosperous, that is challenging, yet so satisfying. Lets stop settling for this 'living for the weekend' mentality, and embrace what God has in store for us.

Learning New Things

2010-09-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

Well it’s been roughly a month since the last entry, so thought it’s about time for another, and a bit of a catch up. September has truly kicked in now and I’ve started a new job at my church.

My new role at church includes running the Kerith Academy (our Year long training programme), as well as being the PA to Ben Davies , the previous Senior Pastor of my church and now the Ambassador for Kerith. He now spends a lot of time training other church leaders around the World, and training leaders of our own church. I love it already. I have felt called to full-time ministry in church for a while, yet I did not think it would come so soon, I was ready for the wait, but God had other plans clearly, and I am so grateful!

A lot of my time and focus is beginning to be leading others; Leading small groups, leading serving teams, leading sessions at the Kerith Academy , leading the Young Adults Ministry. As time goes on I realise the huge responsibility that means, but also, the huge privilege it is. I’d love to continue to use this blog as a place to share what I am learning along the way, through study, through experience and through hearing from God.

It's so important to continually be a learner. No matter what 'position' or 'status' you have, always remain a learner. No matter how old you are, what grades you have achieved, ALWAYS remain a learner. I heard somewhere that as a leader, it is great practice to always be ready to learn something and write it down, and be ready to take inspiration from all sorts of places and situations. I’ve been trying it out, and it’s working. I’m finding that as I watch one of my nephews/niece play, or see how people interact in the shopping centre, or experience situations and circumstances in my own life; I am finding that I can learn from it. Lessons can be learned from many places and situations if you have tune your eyes and ears to it. I’m being reminded of teaching from the Bible as I see scenarios play out in my life, and I’m learning from them.

For me my Blackberry Memo Pad works a treat, it’s always on me, ready to have stuff written down on it. What would work for you? A mini notepad? A day-planner? Dictaphone? Whatever would work for you, get some kind of note taking device. Lets not trust ourselves to remember moments of inspiration, because -if you’re anything like me- 30mins later we won’t!

Boring things to do with your Friday night...

2010-08-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I declared to Heather that there is a blog entry sitting in my head. She asked 'what about?', I said 'I don't know'. I sat in front of the computer and began to think and type a little, and then finished this entry this morning. I was trying to think of specific things that God has said to me or taught me recently. The truth is, I wouldn't say there has been anything so profound that I have been stopped in my tracks, the light bulb above my head hasn't lit up, and I haven't declared "THIS IS IT! Time for a awe-inspiring blog entry!". But we do love it when God speaks to us like that, clear, precise, obvious, challenging, thought-provoking, deep and meaningful, and all wrapped up in a one-liner for us to write as a status update and make some wall art for it, before slipping it into conversations with friends.

But sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes we feel ignored by God. Sometimes one-liners from epic War Films seem to challenge us more than what God is saying. That doesn't mean that there aren't other avenues to hear from Him. For many Christians, the term 'read your Bible' was over-used in Sunday School and now it is an empty phrase that has no meaning, rarely done and is probably widely considered in the Top Ten of 'Boring Things To Do With Your Friday Night'.

Please get out of that mentality asap.

Why do we think like this? I know it is not the Bible itself that causes us to think like this, it's the way we read it. It is so much more than a book. It is life-giving, thought-provoking, pattern-changing, direction-altering. Read it with an open heart, wanting to be challenged, ready to learn, prepared to hear from God. Too many of us want the divine audible voice of God, but aren't willing to simply pick up and read the divine words of God written down first!

If we are not hearing from God, pick up your Bible and get reading. Think about what you're reading, pray about what you're reading. Then listen to what He says.

God's goodness in the middle of tragedy.

2010-07-19T09:55:00.001-07:00

I couldn't possibly start to write a blog about Angharad Clague. Since her awful and tragic death on Wednesday 14th July, hundreds (and probably thousands) have been praying for her family and others involved in the crash, mourning the loss of an amazing friend, daughter, woman of God, children's worker, youth worker, leader and so much more to so many people. To me she was a good friend who I admired so much. She was so positive yet genuine, fun, happy, a laugh (her banter was better than most guy's banter, and that means a lot!), and she will be deeply missed.

I have read so many fantastic blogs and comments all over the internet the last couple of weeks and realised that anything I write, could simply not express to the quality of person Annie was, to the quality of writing she deserves. The other night, Heather and I noticed how high Annie was on our probable wedding guest list, and although she was a great friend to us, some of her best friends (and better writers than I) have written some amazing words, so I'll direct you to them: Laura Webber-Gant, Ellie Jackson, Sophie Harris. There are others who have also written about her (feel free to comment them and I may stick them here too).

One thing I have been blown away by throughout this whole time is church. Church was God's idea, has always been on his agenda and Bill Hybels famously says that "the local church is the hope of the world". My church, Kerith Community Church definately fits into that description. From the moment Annie died, the church have gone into a high gear, supporting, helping, comforting, strengthening, providing, mourning, guiding, serving and focussing all of our attention on the hope we have. Thursday evening, our church held a prayer meeting. The room was packed full of people, who began the evening with a tearful sense of despair, but ended with a united feeling of hope and a positive spirit. Friday evening saw many young people praying for each other, comforting one another, and worshipping God belting out lines declaring that amidst the mourning and sadness, 'The Lord is my Rock'. Sunday saw our Senior Pastor Simon Benham give a great preach to church into the situation, encouraging us all and reminding us of the hope we have through Jesus.

This Monday coming sees the Thanksgiving service for Annie, and I'm sure once again the church will come together to remember Annie, and thank God for all she did, and for who she was.

Throughout this awful tragic time, God's beautiful church has shined through, and at the same time as mourning, I can't help but look up in awe to see how good God is

This time last year...

2010-06-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading a book called 'One Day'. For the first time in ages I'm reading a fiction book.It has no Christian undertones, no profound purpose (although I'm sure the author would love to disagree), and even has swearing in it(!) (shock horror!). The annoying Christians are now pounding their fists and declaring their disgust at this. If you are one of these Christians, get over it and get out of your house more. Phew, rant over!

The book follows the lives of the two main characters. Each chapter takes place on the 15th July on consecutive years, starting 1989 as they both graduate from university, and finishing in 2006. It's a good book, read half of it so far in a couple of days, will read some more once I've finished this blog entry.

As the book shows this whistle-stop tour of their lives, I can't help but think about how quick their lives are going by. Years come and go, they have ups and downs, hoping that they would grow, learn from their mistakes and make the most of their lives. Then, I naturally think of my own life, but past the usual 'doesn't time fly!' thinking, and onto truly challenging myself. Somebody once said to me 'make sure with each year of your life, you are growing and developing', and this has stuck with me. This plan to continually grow, develop, be challenged, be stirred, be envisioned, be determined,be motivated,be daring, be adventurous always sticks in my mind.

So today, I had a think of what I was doing one year ago on this very day, 2nd June 2009,and how have I changed since then? Have I grown spiritually? Have I developed my skills,talents and giftings? Have I been challenged this year to take risks? Have I been daring enough to try new things? Have I been adventurous in our lives? If we want to see dreams,visions and plans come to fruition in our lives, we need to be focused on growing now, we need to be thinking what we can do now to ensure we are doing all we can to get there in the future.

Shock horror! We can learn from books that aren't 'Christian'

Routines & Interruptions

2010-05-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

Friday was a perfect example of how lacking I am of routine at the moment.

Thursday was Election Day in the UK. So I voted in the afternoon, and was able to stay up until the early hours watching the results come in. Friday I wasn't starting one job until 11:30am, so I was able to stay up on a 'school' night' really late, having midnight snacks in the form of mince pies and pringles (don't worry, it's far from the norm for me to do that, well the staying up late bit anyway).

I still woke up early yesterday, time to catch up on what I missed from last night's election results, have a quick read, and even squeeze in a blog entry before heading to a school 20 miles away to teach about living safely in terms of alcohol, drugs, sexual health and all that. Usually known as the 'drug man' at schools, I'm finished there at 12:30pm, ready to drive back to Bracknell, and to Kerith to work on the various things I'm involved with at church. Done around 5pm ready to chill in the evening with no plans (which is nice for a change!). But then realising that I am meeting up with somebody to mentor, before getting home for the evening around 7pm. That was Friday 7th May 2010, but every day is different.

I hope this doesn't sound self-obsessed blabbing on about what I've been doing, but my absence of a standard-one-job- 9 to 5 'routine' for me is teaching me some important things:

1. God has given us a spirit of self-discipline. This verse is one of those verses that sticks with me. Literally as well as mentally as its on a little card in my wallet (cliched I know, but I don't care what you think!). It is so important to remember that God has given us a spirit of self-discipline, so we need to live like it. With a lack of routine, we can become lazy, unmotivated, and stationary in our life. Be self-disciplined, get up at a decent time of the day, use your time wisely (split your days into 1 hour 'slots' to make each hour productive if that helps), if you're spending time relaxing, be purposeful in your relaxing. If you're working, work diligently and effectively.

2. Be ready to be interrupted in life. With no set routine, I try to always in an available place to be 'interrupted' by things in life, times to help people, times to strengthen and encourage people, times to build people up, times to correct and guide people, times to just be a shoulder to cry on. Remember that sometimes those unplanned chats with people end up having a fantastic impact on yourself, or them, or maybe or a lot more people. Those times when you are interrupted in your task in order to help somebody else with their task can have a huge effect on them. This needs us to be flexible and willing to serve other's needs above our own.

Jesus was constantly interrupted in his life, whilst walking through the crowds he'd be continually stopped in order to heal somebody, raise people from the dead, to teach somebody, to help somebody. Jesus was open to interruption.

Lets not be bound by our routines. It can be really annoying when somebody asks me for a quick 'chat' when I'm due to be leaving. It can be really frustrating when I don't get something done that I wanted to do, because I was helping somebody finish their 'thing'. But this such an important lesson in living a life of selflessness and humility.

Routines themselves aren't bad, but our rigid, non-negotiable attitudes to step away from them can be utterly destructive to us and others.

Its A Deep Burn!

2010-05-01T03:01:00.001-07:00

(Anchorman quotes are always relevant!)

Yesterday I entered into my last phase of training for the Bracknell half-marathon (9th May), running 12 miles a week before the final race. I spent the day hobbling around, and woke up this morning feeling pretty stiff, waddling rather than walking!

It's a classic example of the often neccessary stretching and pain we go through when we are growing and devloping in our lives, spiritually as well as emotionally and physically. As I am running further distances, my aches and pains are part of the development process. What used to hurt after running 4 miles, now is easy and painfree.

A good friend and mentor prophesied to me recently about a time I am heading into being a time of growing and stretching for me. He warned me that it wouldn't be easy, and now I'm beginning to head into this time, I'm beginning to see its not! Things are more complex, at times tiring, difficult sometimes, and I can feel the stretch! But its so important in my development, as a man, as a follower of Jesus, as a leader, as a future husband & father.

God wants you to grow in areas of your life, whether relationally with family or friends, maybe with more responsibility at work or church, growing in your relationship with him. But realise that a great deal of the time, this development, this stretching time will not be easy. It may feel uncomfortable, annoying, difficult, complicated, hopeless even. But if you can push through this time, keep pushing on, keep training, keep developing, you will find yourself looking back at this time wondering what all the fuss was about! What hurts now, will seem like nothing in the future.

I know the 'running a race' image is used so often, but let's think about the training in our lives we go through, and not just the final race. Only the fool will enter into races without training and devloping.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

"Give them something to eat"

2010-04-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

So many people's blog posts begin with the words 'sorry I haven't written in a while', so I won't write it...(although I still apologise unofficially!).

I want to use this blog as a space to get down on 'paper' (or screen), thoughts, teachings and messages that God gives me. This last weekend I was given a fantastic opportunity to give a 10min 'minipreach' at my church (Kerith Community Church). There were 10 speakers in total over the 3 meetings, and everyone did an awesome job. Give them a listen by going through the website! Here are my notes about what I spoke on.

Got a spare 10 minutes?
Give my message a listen here.

Give this a read first, otherwise the rest won't make sense.

Matthew 14:13-21

In the same way the disciples give excuses as to why they couldn't/shouldn't help the crowds with something to munch on. The two main excuses were that they didn't have the resources ('this is a remote place') and timing ('its already getting late'). Lets be real, we do the same, come up with excuses why we 'shouldn't' or 'can't' help others when we are sometimes asked.

But God calls us to 'give them something to eat'. It's costly having compassion on the crowds and individuals do it. It's costly to help others in many ways; time, effort, energy and money. But this is the awesome adventure we are called to with Christ!

Lets stop responsibility dodging, buck passing and opportunity avoiding. Lets follow in Jesus' lead, not sending people away, but giving them something to eat.

P.S My awesome lady Heather said I should post some of my doodles on the blog with blog entries, so why not. Enjoy my terrible, yet mildly cute artwork :)

3. It's Not About You

2010-01-28T14:23:00.000-08:00

and finally...

3. It's Not About You! (1 Corinthians 12:19-24)

So many of us strive for the 'top position', doing all we can to get to that coveted place where everyone will then know us, love us, adore us and appreciate us. We'd be inundated with emails telling us how fantastic that preach was, how the way we led worship was awe inspiring, that the book we wrote was the best book they had ever read. Once we make it to that 'ministry leader' position, we feel we have "made it", we feel we are now worth something, because "people know me".

Lets get over ourselves shall we?

Pride and selfishness is a real 'bug-bear' of mine (is that how you spell it?!). It seeps into so many areas of our lives, in so many ways, any cracks it can see, it seeps through them. It is so easy to see in others, yet often so difficult to see in ourselves (mainly because of the pride!). We have a shallow concern for the needs of others, but ultimately we are thinking of our own interests, our own problems, our own status.

Lets lift our gaze off ourselves, and face up, towards Jesus. As we do that, we'll see so much more, and be such a blessing to those around us, those who are part of this 'body', and those that aren't yet in on it. On his way to preach, Jesus was so focussed on others, he'd stop for others, the children, the ill, the hurting, the needy. Sometimes our eyes are so set on our plans for ourselves, that we either ignore or miss out on the opportunities that are sitting right infront of us.

Be part of the body, realise that God has planted you there for a great purpose. You are MORE significant in the body, not less. And don't be a lone ranger, you won't get far. As we look to the one who created us, He will help us see those around us, the opportunities that are waiting for us to do something with, the people we can bless and honour, the lives we can help in so many ways.

This is part of the vision of the exp Young Adult Community at Kerith Community Church, but it should also be all of our visions for our lives, so lets break the selfish mould and get going.

2. In the body we are MORE significant, not less.

2010-01-23T02:18:00.002-08:00

continuing from my previous post...

2. In the body we are MORE significant, not less. (1 Corinthians 12:14-18)

With celebrity culture, we are very concerned in making sure people know us. We like to think that as in individual we can draw a crowd because of who we are, that our name is known to as many as possible, and hopefully we can make a name for ourselves. We want to be considered significant because of who WE are as an individual. Often when we are in groups of people, we feel we blend into the background, and lose some of our importance and validity.

We all have many people we like to aspire to be like. Maybe its the globally known worship leader, or the million-copy-selling author, or the preacher who preaches and the hundred and thousands in the congregation go 'wibbly-wobbly-shabba-dabba-doing' in the Holy spirit (yes, that's a Bible term). We see their status as an individual, call them significant and then feel that the only way WE will be signifcant is through some individual effort.

There is nothing wrong with role models, but realise that "God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it." I love that. We are significant because of the place we have IN THE BODY. Not because we are seperate from it, not because we are a lone-success. It is through our place and how we function in the body. Jesus considers us all significant. We are children of God, that is our identity, not what we do, not what our role is, not our social status, our job status, our financial status. Our individual identity comes from the fact that we are sons and daughters of a living, loving and powerful God.

1. We are ONE body

2010-01-19T15:49:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night 'exp' had our first ever 'Vision'. This is a night for us as Young Adults to gather, have a laugh, worship, stir each other up, have some teaching, encourage each other and then be filled with vision and purpose for the next season. I thought I'd use a few blog entries to mention the points I made in my message from the night, as really it applies to everyone, not just our group.

1. We are ONE body. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

In our culture today, we often isolate ourselves.

We sit in different homes, alone, and watch the same programmes on TV as everyone else at the same time as everyone else. Also, have you noticed that it's not until we have snow disrupting our days that we actually begin to open up and talk with others in our street? The sense of community is being lost, and as individuals we are becoming more isolated around the globe. The world is getting smaller, but the world is also becoming more lonely. But God has not called us to this. He has called us to be in community, part of the body of Christ.

We are called to interaction, to communication, to mutual support, to mutual encouragement, to help. We don't need to do it alone. As son's and daughters of Christ, we are brought into His family, and we are automatically part of the big adventure. This is a global, planet transforming body. God is using the local church to represent this body in our area, lets step up to the responsibility and the excitement! If we can truly enter into this community, and truly realise what it is to be part of the body of Christ, what an exciting life we have ahead of us! Let's live out what it is to be part of His body, part of the greatest community in the world, where everyone is invited.

In Conclusion... 2009

2009-12-20T07:52:00.001-08:00

We’ve all seen them, that ‘Christmas Newsletter’ from relatives, friends, random people you don’t really know, all filling you in on their year just gone. I’ve never written one of these (partly because I have a paragraph in the Pocock newsletter written about me), but I thought I’d take this blog entry to do one of my own, part of me feels slightly self-centred doing this, but hey, might be interesting to try it out nonetheless!

So, 2009 started for me at the Abundant Life Church Leadership Academy in Bradford. Up till the end of June I lived, worked and studied up there, in what ended up being the most life changing, transforming and encouraging years of my life so far. I feel a lot more confident, determined and strong than previously. During the year God redirected me, I no longer want to work in radio which had been a dream of mine, but I felt that God has directed me to a different direction. A direction that seeks to help, bless, encourage and teach people, a direction that uses my giftings, my talents, my abilities and my passions to full potential. It’s not that I now hate radio, who knows, maybe at some point I will have an opportunity to do that again, but not for now. It’s been so exciting stepping into something so different, yet so thrilling! The Leadership Academy was amazing, I met so many wonderful new lifelong friends, grew and developed in so many areas (still growing btw!), and will always hold the church and people up there close to my heart. I was really happy to receive the Study Application award at the end of the year, which I will always treasure and brag about, hence this sentence of my blog!

Since returning to Bracknell (oh how I missed it so!) in July, I’ve been volunteering at my local church, Kerith Community Church. I have a passion for young adults, and have started a ministry called ‘exp’, for 16-30ish adults. I absolutely love it, and even though it’s still new and developing, I enjoy it, and know that if I stay close to Him, God will bless it. I am also being given all sorts of opportunities in church to lead, host, plan, help and teach which I am enjoying so much, it’s not like work at all! I have been given the privilege of helping in the organisation of the Sunday evening meetings, taking the lead of the volunteers on a Sunday night. They are a great bunch of people, and I love seeing people step into the adventure of serving at church, it’s awesome to see .

From July to November, despite the volunteering at church, I was considered ‘officially’ unemployed, which naturally financially was tough, and I felt prepared after a year in Bradford living on minimum income. Also, I have been supported by an amazing family and friends, and now I have an awesome job working as a Youth Support Worker in Hampshire, teaching young people about alcohol, drugs and all that, so rewarding and so fulfilling for me. This is for half my week, and the 2nd half is at church still, so life is generally busy, but wonderful!

From September until 10 days ago, Heather (my lovely lady), has been living and studying in Finland for her uni course. Obviously, its pretty rubbish having your best friend living in a different country, and having the annoying frustrating delay of Skype as your communication, but it was a quality adventure for her, and I’m so proud of her. She is back now, ready for the rest of her 2nd year. Together, we had a trip North in Finland to Lapland at the beginning of December, which was a once in a lifetime, fantastic holiday, and of course we met the REAL Father Christmas, what a man.

I’m in the danger of making this entry far too log (too late), so I’ll stop there. As for 2010? There’s all sorts of things that I’m hoping and praying for, but I’m not going to share them on this at the moment I’m afraid, still wary about ‘baring-all’ on this kind of public gallery!

Finally, merry Christmas, have an amazing year and lets be purposeful with 2010, step forward and take hold of what God has in store for you.

'Rules Rules Rules. Oh, and by the way, have a good life'

2009-11-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

“Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial”.

This is such a difficult concept to grasp as a (spiritually) ‘older’ Christian. Ask most people their thoughts on Christians and one of the first words that will come out of their mouth will be something to do with ‘rules’ or something they are ‘not allowed to do’.

How has God’s awesome story of His love for His creation become a book of rules and regulations? Too many Christians read the Bible as a whole set of rules and laws that need to be obeyed otherwise they are not ‘good Christians’. Sure, the Bible gives the greatest help and guidance to us, how we can get the most out of our lives, how we can truly ‘live life to the full’ and come into a real relationship with God. But, I feel the Bible is being used and distorted by so many in order to condemn others and elevate the self. The Bible is entirely inerrant, but unfortunately we are not! Too many of us use the Bible as a way to belittle others or a way to justify our judgemental attitudes towards others.

I don’t discount myself from this. I know in the past I have read the Bible as a ‘don’t do this, or that, or that or that. Oh and by the way, have a great life’ (yeah, sounds great). From this way of reading the Bible I have then found myself judging others because of their lifestyles because according to me they are 'below par' in comparison to my life. This is not helpful to myself, or them. However, daily I’m changing this attitude.

So in conclusion, a little message to us ‘older’ Christians. Let’s get off our high horses about everyone else, lets stop judging others, throwing Bible verses at people which makes them feel condemned, guilty and totally alienated from any possibility of ‘living life to the full’. Instead, let’s love people in the way Christ loved them, meet them where they are at. Our obedience to God needs to come from a love for him.

Thoughts on a postcard (or a comment to save 26p on a postage stamp).

A Taster of the Future

2009-10-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about Moses today, and noticed something I haven't seen before (forgive me if this is obvious!)...

Exodus 3:1 is the pre-story before Moses has his famous encounter with God through the 'burning bush'. God speaks to him about his future, about the plans He has for Moses to free the Israelites from the Egyptians, and to lead them to the Promised Land He has for them. If you don't know the story, read all about it in Exodus, or if you are a true child of the era, watch The Prince of Egypt (I guess that will do for now!).

In verse 1 of Exodus 3, it says how Moses was tending after some sheep, and led them to 'Horeb'. I read this today and wondered why? Why was it recorded that the burning bush was in Horeb specifically? Why did Moses lead the sheep there? Did he know where he was going? All we know from the passage is that he led the sheep there.

The name 'Horeb' means 'desert' and 'desolation'. As my study notes say, it is around the Sinai peninsula, and is likely to be an alternative name to Sinai. Mount Sinai was where God gave the 10 Commandments to the Israelites years later. Isn't it interesting that Moses was commissioned by God near the same place he would find himself in the future, when he would be in the middle of his mission! (well, its interesting to me anyway!). I don't think this is a coincidence. I think that God intended to reveal Himself to Moses at this place, showing it as a 'taster' of Moses' future. As he previously was a shepherd of sheep leading them to Sinai, he would later be a shepherd of the people leading them to the same place.

Currently, I feel as if I am in a place of being shown a 'taster' of my future. I have a fantastic opportunity to lead some volunteers at my church, and have recently started a Young Adults ministry. I love every bit of this, it is fun, satisfying, fulfilling, and so much more. However, I refuse to believe that this is the final place for my future role in God's Kingdom. Infact, in all humility, and through the grace of God, I know its not the final place for me. God is showing me a small part about what He has for me in the future, and I am determined to make the most of it. Jesus said that "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much" and I feel that this is relevant for the things I am involved with at the moment. God is showing me and providing me with this taster as he reveals my future step by step. Not only do I need to make the most of today, but enjoy the glimpses and possibilities that may lay ahead for me.

I encourage everybody to do the same. Look for the times when God may be giving you a 'taster' of the future. We may feel that we are walking to a random area of no consequence or doing something of no purpose or meaning, but at this place, God may want to reveal to you so much more than you can imagine. It may not look as obvious as a burning bush, so lets be alert and aware and astute to God's voice. The taster we may be getting now may be different to what we ultimately want, but be content where you are now, and make sure you are trustworthy, so that you will be able to be trusted with much more in the future.

Not many children called Judas...!

2009-09-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I've blogged. Started a whole load of new things recently. And although I'm still in the thick of these new things (new ministries/roles/responsibilities starting, trying still to get into a new routine of life down South etc.), but I thought it's about time I blogged again anyway, before blogger cuts me off (I don't know, can they even do that?! Who knows!). Anyway...

So, recently my reading has brought me through the gospels (it's so worth continually going back to them, its what the whole Bible points to), and I re-read the tragedy of Judas Iscariot's suicide. It's a shame really that Judas is known for this. I'm not surprised though, as this is a major aspect of the story of Jesus, being betrayed by one of his own followers, who then could not deal with the guilt and committed suicide.

I guess because of Judas' reputation, in this time of a revival of biblical baby's names being used (all the Jacobs, Joshuas, Esthers, Noahs, Elijahs etc.), Judas never seems a popular one! That's not really surprising either!

There is something we all need to grasp from Judas' life though as followers of Christ also. Think about how Jesus felt for him. As we know from the last supper, He knew that Judas was going to betray him (Matthew 26:20-25), in fact Jesus knew from before Judas was born that he was going to betray Jesus. Remember that Jesus was fully man, and fully God, therefore Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, including the fact that Judas would betray Him. Jesus even knew this when he selected Judas Iscariot as one of His disciples.

This is an awesome truth. Despite knowing Judas' flaws, knowing the decisions Judas would make, He still chose him. Judas was still given the power to drive out demons and heal the sick along with the other 11 disciples, despite Jesus knowing his future failings.

Today, we often reject ourselves from God's plans, saying that we are not good enough, thinking that as we stumble, as we 'mess up', when we fail God, that we have had our chance and that's it over. Lets remember that God has chosen us, remember God has chosen you. He has called us for a specific purpose that we have been made for. Who are we to reject ourselves from this? God knew from the start the decisions we would make and the paths we would take in life. Remember that He still chose us anyway. As a society today, the name 'Judas' may have a rough reputation, but God still chose him as one of the people closest to Him, regardless of what He knew Judas would do.

Lets be thankful of that, that despite our failings, God still loves and selects us. And, lets be determined to continue on the path God has set for us, as He knows us better than we'll ever know ourselves!

Bridging The Gap - Serving Others.

2009-07-27T05:31:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine (Tom Lancaster) who I met this last year during my time at the Abundant Life Church, Bradford on their Leadership Academy directed a video for his final spoken assignment. This spoken assignment was all about sharing the importance of helping others, serving others, and how we have done this over the last year.

He created the below video as a thought provoking starter to his assignment. Personally, I knew all about the video and saw it being made, had fun being in the actual video and chatted to him about it so much that looking back, didn't get a chance to truly reflect on it myself, and see what God spoke to me about through it.

After seeing it on the net today, it has got me thinking about being consumed by God and his Kingdom. So many of us are users at church. We go along, get what we can from it and leave. It is my passion to see people's eyes light up at the thought of serving God's Kingdom. The thought of being able to serve excellently in church, helping to build the community in any way we can is so exciting for me. And, it is my passion and desire to lead others to experience this in their lives also. As we help others in church, lets be a catalyst, so that those we help become helpers themselves, those we serve become servants also, those we welcome, become welcomers also. Jesus is our ultimate example as "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve". I know I can sometimes get into a habit of just doing my 'bit', getting my job done and purely focussing on that. However, I feel we need to be setting examples, and helping to lead others to do the same. This is in our speech, our actions, our serving, our lifestyles. Lets not be afraid to guide others, help others, correct others (with a right attitude), so that collectively we can advance the Kingdom of God.

The church is the people, not the person.

Enjoy the video, well done Tom and Desmond, it rocks.

Bridging the Gap from Jezta on Vimeo.

'Confessions of a Reformission Rev.' - Mark Driscoll

2009-07-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

In yet another distraction from my initial purpose for blogging, I’ve decided to take the chance to write about a book I’ve just read. Too often I read through books, and whether I enjoy them or not, I often don’t give myself the time to process what they were saying/showing/teaching me. Now I’ve finished my first read of a Mark Driscoll book, thought I’d give it some comments, mainly for my own benefit, but I guess for anyone else too! I’m not really in the mood to make it all ‘journalistic and fancy’ with my words, so for those ‘wordy’ people, bear with my lack of linguistic creativity!

“Confessions of a Reformission Rev.” - a really apt title for this book, as Mark Driscoll most definitely bares all , sharing the ups and downs of leading the Mars Hill Church , as he founded the church, and saw it grow in number from 0 to the thousands that attend today. Especially sharing all when he speaks about the time he pooed himself whilst preaching (!). (apologies for the use of the word ’pooed’, couldn’t bring myself to write ’crapped’ in a blog. I’ve just done it then, oh dear).

Mark Driscoll, from what I have gathered through reading, this book, listening to podcasts and having lengthy chats with others is a very confident, and blunt leader, who holds no punches to share what he believes the Word of God says. To be honest, before reading this book I had a thought that Driscoll was a bit arrogant, who hasn’t got the word ’sensitive’ in his vocabulary, and was one of those ’lets-be-controversial-for-the-sake-of-it-just-to-get-a-reaction’ type of men. However, this book has shown me how vulnerable he has made himself in order to share his convictions of what the Word says, and his determination to follow Christ wherever that takes him.

The book contains so much practical advice for leaders, and even though I am not leading a church, I felt there was plenty of fantastic biblical content for all people to learn from. However, personally, it wasn’t necessarily the practical advice and guidance that will stick with me from this book. What inspires me about Mark Driscoll from this book is his appreciation of each season of his journey. He speaks of his weaknesses, but was confident in his strengths, giftings and abilities. Driscoll is continually on a growth journey, he never settles for mediocrity, and will do all he can to seek God first in order to fulfil all that God has in store for him, whilst always serving his church and family also. ‘Confessions…’ is definitely worth a read, changed my opinion of Driscoll, and helps me to see where he is coming from when listening to the Mars Hill podcasts.

Men on a rampage, and Animals that smell.

2009-07-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

Matthew 8:28-34 - Have a little read first.

So, here we have Jesus, a couple of demon-possessed men on a rampage, and a herd of pigs. Coming across a couple of demon-possessed men is hardly an everyday occurance of the majority of us today, lets be honest. But for Jesus, he knew exactly what to do. The demons within the men also had some idea of the power of Jesus, and were understandably scared of him. Jesus cast the demons out of the men and into the herd of pigs, before the pigs then ran off a cliff and died.

It is verse 34 that I want to focus on in this blog entry. After seeing the power of God for themselves as Jesus performed this miracle, the town gathered together and 'pleaded', 'begged', 'implored', 'besought' (depending on translation) Jesus to leave. There may have been a couple of reasons for them wanting him to leave. One reason could have been because of the financial loss Jesus caused the town. As the livestock ran off the cliff to their death, it had clear financial effects on the owner of the herd. However I feel that it was a different reason that they wanted him to leave, which is a similar mindset to what we have now in today's society, whether followers of Christ or not.

Fear of the supernatural. Why is it that now, we are scared of the supernatural? For those who do not believe in a 'higher power', the majority feel that a scientific, logical response to unexplained circumstances needs to be found. Even for many believers, the supernatural is often dismissed as religious fanaticism or false practise that scares everybody, so should be ignored and rejected. In the story above ,the townsfolk were scared of this situation, did not know what to do and their reaction was to get Jesus to leave. Many churches have done the same, leaving their communities void of any Godly supernatural space.

We are spiritual beings. God is a supernatural God. I am not saying that we need to be stupid, weird or unbiblically abnormal with our faith, but we need to embrace the fact that God wants to work in our worlds supernaturally. He heals supernaturally, restores supernaturally, provides supernaturally and works supernaturally. Rather than neglecting God's supernatural power, lets biblically embrace it, expect it, and be radically supernatural.

A fantastic story...

2009-07-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

With the danger of going against my original thoughts on blogs (oh dear, I hate how I change my opinions on things, it's like admitting I'm wrong!), here is a fantastic story of Brian Welch, ex-Korn member. He speaks on his struggles with drug addiction, and his determination to be a good father to his daughter.

This is the power of Jesus. Enjoy the film.

OK, I'll be honest... Maybe I am enjoying blogging and want to put more in than what I have been putting in. Some mix of material may find itself sneaking into it now.

Jericho (2)

2009-06-20T03:04:00.000-07:00

See the previous post to have a read of Joshua 5:13-15. So, in the last post I wrote about how we need to fight our own battles a lot of the time, God has promised us victory but all we need to do is actually face up to the battle, instead of shying away.

The second part of this passge sees Joshua fall facedown, and ask the angel for the message that God is sending. However, the angel ignores this request initially and reminds Joshua that he is standing on Holy ground, and needs to take his shoes off.

I want to highlight the importance of worship in this final comment on the Fall of Jericho. When Jesus gave us some help about prayer (Matthew 6-9-13), the way He structured it began with a line of worship and thanks: "hallowed be your name". This shows the essential quality of having firstly a heart that puts God where He should be, at the top. At the top of priorities, at the top of your thinking, at the top of your lifestyle, above everything.

In the same way, Joshua was asked to fundamentally and initially worship God before anything else. Before asking for a message, before receiving from God, Joshua needed to take off his sandals, fall facedown and realise who God is. In the same way, I feel that we need to just worship God first before we go ahead and do the whole human 'want want want' thing. Too many of us are desperate for the message, desperate for that word from God, desperate for that direction or guidance without worshipping Him first. I don't just mean to sing a few Hillsong classics before asking God what you need for the day, I mean having a lifestyle of worship. Life habits and thoughts that elevate God first, place Him higher than your needs.

God will ultimately provide us what we need, but we need to live a life of worship to Him first, and through this, our attitudes will be right, as we will see God for who He truly is and what He can truly do for us.

So in the end, got a lot more out of the Fall of Jericho than I first thought I would get! A fresh read is always worth it!

Jericho (1)

2009-06-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

God sometimes leads me to certain parts of the Bible, and initially, I have no idea why! I may read a passage (often one I have already previously read, and heard teaching on numerous times), and it seems to stare blankly back at me. But God keeps ensuring I read it over and over, think about it, mull over what I have read until it twigs, and I finally 'get it', as if the light bulb above my head lights up and I grasp what God is wanting to say to me.

The other week, the story of the Fall of Jericho was on my mind, give it a read to get an idea of the story. Personally, I've heard this story again and again, heard teachings on how God will give us victories, and we shall see the 'walls' in our lives fall as we obey Him. Also, I've heard the songs sung in kids church all about the walls of Jericho, and the pictures to help illustrate the victory of the Israelites going into the land God promised them.

However, as I read this the other week, it just seemed like empty words on a page. However, God kept drawing me back to it again and again, and it continually felt like I was wasting time reading about concepts I knew already. This was until I read one verse again.

"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" The commander of the Lord's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so."Joshua 5:13-15

The first part of this passage that grabbed me was the fact that the Commander of the army of the Lord (considered to be an angel by most theologians), said that he was neither for or against Joshua. This seems to go against the traditional phrase 'God is on your side' claimed by most Christians. I was puzzled by this at first: Surely, if God promised the land to the Israelites, and they are obeying him then he would be on their side in battle? However, this isn't a 'typo' in the Bible, we can get something from this.

For too long, I feel that Christians have left battles up to God. We have given up all power that we can have through Christ, as if we hide away until the battle is over and we can show our heads again. Some battles are for us to fight. God will guide us, give us help, but we need to show our faces in the battle. The power that defeated death, the power that comes from God is inside us, and as followers of Him, we need to step up to the plate, and fight battles ourselves, with an attitude that says 'maybe God will show up'. For too long we have been weak-minded, and super-spiritual about everything, saying "I won't move until God tells me to". But the truth is, we sometimes need to hear that God is not going to fight our battles for us, and we need to be told that he is neither for us or against us, in order for us to get up and fight our own battles that God has promised victory over.

I'll discuss the second part of the passage in Joshua in my next blog entry, that's just a little thought for now...

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

2009-05-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life is not what it cut out to be. Things happen, people let us down, nature lets us down, circumstance lets us down, we let ourselves down. All sorts. What does God do in these times? A lot of the time it seems like He's doing nothing, ignoring our situation, sleeping whilst our lives seemingly are flying off the rail as things seem like they are collapsing around us.

Psalm 121: 1-4 says:

I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

There are two things to realise in this verse:
1. We need to lift up our eyes.
2. God never sleeps.

1. We need to lift our eyes. When will we realise that we need to lift our eyes to God, lift ours eyes away from the ground, where we look at our feet in self pity, focussing on our problem, our difficulty. Lets take our gaze to God, look at who He is, look at the bigger picture. A sky view is a lot better than a floor view.

2. God never sleeps. Just because He may seem inactive, that is not the case. God is always moving, working for the good of those who love Him. He is always there, always with us whether we 'experience' Him or not. God will always provide us with a glimmer of light in situations. It is down to us to actually look up and see them!

Sometimes I feel that throughout history, many Christians have taken all responsibility off themselves and onto God. It is time that as followers of Him, we realise that we can look up ourselves. 'to lift' is a verb, therefore it requires ACTION to look up and see God in situations. So lets not sit back, staring at the ground waiting for God to lift us out of problems, when we are not willing to even lift our gaze to Him and see Him already in action.

Eloquence

2009-05-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

"You remember, friends that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did - Jesus crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:1-2.

Why is it that the church has a history of totally alienating the outsider? This last weekend I was at my hometown Bracknell, for a conference with Erwin McManus . A fantastic speaker, who is a really radical thinker, considering concepts in a refreshing way. He spoke on many subjects, the main one that will remain with me is the importance of simply loving people, being genuine, honest and open with them, which is the best way to spread what we know of Jesus.

Language is an important tool in how we communicate with people. As Paul writes, he didn't try to impress people with fancy lingo and dynamic ideas, he kept it simple and easy to understand for all people. We need to do the same. Instead to using 'church language', trying to either look 'mega holy' or intellectual, use language that is simple to use and can relate to people, whilst keeping the truth of the Bible clear. Lets use some more words from the dictionary instead of the usual 'Christianese' words! Easier said than done, as churches and all organisations use their own language often without realising how ingrained into the culture it is. But it's a challenge that we need to all embark on I feel.

Still am processing the day with Erwin McManus, a quality guy with some awesome things to say.

A Visit to Coventry: Handling Your Purpose

2009-04-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

This last weekend a team of us from the Leadership Academy had the fantastic privilege to go to Coventry and run the Sunday's meetings at Northpoint Church, led by Patch Boyle. Personally, I was incredibly blessed to preach on the sunday morning, so I thought I'd just say a few words as to what I spoke on...

"Handling Your Purpose".

Some church meetings/conferences are amazing when we come out of them feeling invigorated, goal focussed and driven to live a purposeful, destiny seeking life. But what do we do with this during the following days, weeks and months? Unfortunately, more than often we do nothing. So as time goes on, we find that we are no close to our callings, our desires, and the plans God has in store for us.

I suggest there are 3 guidelines to help us handle our purposes, to help us in seeing progress and fruit.

1. Patience.
Looking at Davids life, we see how patient he was as he was anointed as king but it wasn't years until he saw his purpose and calling actually happen. In the Psalms we can see how David went through bad times, yet he was always patient (Psalm 13:1-6).

2. It's Not About You!
This society is full of people who's primary objective in life is self-gratification. We are continously trying to proove ourselves, get ourselves honoured, and make sure that we have all that we need.
However, God calls us to be people that seek him first in humility.
Our purposes that God has for us are exciting, fulfilling and satisfying for us, yet lets make sure that all we want to do, all that we want to be needs to be totally rooted in God. We cannot do things for our own gain and expect to see the great fruit God has promised for us, we need Him in all we , and it needs to be all about Him!
Again, looking at David we can see an excellent example of how to keep God at the centre of all we do (Psalm 16:5-6). Lets always be thankful for what we have, and what God has in store for us. Through this continuous praise, it will be easier to give all we have to Him.

3. Make sure there is a root in the local church.
Psalm 92:12-15 - "Planted in the house they will flourish".
People that remain and are rooted in God's house, will be powerful, creative, caring, loving, compassionate, beautiful and fruitful with their lives. Church is the hope of the world, and we need our purposes to be rooted in it. This does not neccessarily mean we are all needed for full-time employment by the church, but it does mean that we need to be deeply committed to the local church and involved in seeing it grow, develop and meet the needs of the world.
God will never give us a purpose that would not somehow involve the local church.
In this Psalm there is a challenge for the older generation also, a call to be fruitful. Even though you may be later in years, are you still being fruitful with your life?

So, 3 guidelines as to how we can handle our God given purpose, be patient with it, keep God at the centre (it is not all about you!), and remain rooted in church. I have tried to condense this material into one blog entry, there is a great deal more I could write, but this will do for now! The fact we have a God given purpose and destiny is incredibly exciting, lets make sure we handle it excellently.

Treading paths...

2009-04-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was wandering around the hills in Cornwall with Heather and her family, 'Port Isaac' to be specific. (Apologies for the shocking photo, my phone isn't so hot on the 'camera' feature).

Walking around the hills and countryside, you have choices when walking 'off the beaten track'.

1. Walk the created, concrete paths.
2. Walk the rugged, worn paths.
3. Walk through the harder way, making new paths behind you!

Its made me think about being a leader and innovator in life. Taking the paths already walked before, paths that have already been made is easier and more straightforward than walking the 'rough' way. But everything you see has already been seen and done before. By going places that have not been walked before, not only can you see new things, discover new places, do new things, but you leave behind you a new path for people to choose to go down.

Jesus' teachings today can be viewed through a 'comfortable' lens nowadays. The Christian world is generally used to his teachings, but it is essential to realise that when Jesus first taught these lessons to the people at the time, it was ground breaking, controversial and challenged the society's ideologies and preconceived ideas (in many ways it still has the same effect today!). Jesus didn't walk down the paths that were already made, he challenged the norm, stood against the religious traditions of the time in order to bring the new truths to the world.

Being the first to make a new path may be hard, tough and at times slower, but think of the benefits!

Just a thought!

Realising Longevity (2)

2009-03-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

In the last entry, I began to look at the importance of being purposeful with our futures, by having a spirit that endures for the long term. Personally I am declaring over my life that:

"I'm in this for life God. Where other things crumble, other things fail, where I may fail in other things, my love for you and your desires will never cease. I will follow you forever, no matter what."

In this entry, I want to think about longevity in times of difficulty.

The truth about life is that not everything results in the way that we want it to. Things happen that is not always our fault or what was planned that effect us negatively at first. These 'storms' in life can rock our lives, our eyes can be taken off our goals, our focus taken away from what we want to achieve. It is easy to be purpose driven, and goal orientated when things are going well. When the cash-flow in a business is good, when a relationship is flourishing through good times, when good grades follow hard work.

But what about when failure hits? What about when things aren't so fruitful, many would give up, lose hope and be ineffectual.

As followers of Christ, to sustain ourselves in him, we need to be prepared for these storms in life. Look at the parable Jesus taught of the men who built their houses on the sand and rock (Matthew 7:24-27).

The wise man who built his house on the rock found his house remain when the storm hits. He knew that the storms would come and therefore built accordingly. In the same way, we must built our lives accordingly, prepared for storms, ready to be hit so that we stand strong against adversity.

God will protect us, but we also need to be aware that they will come, and not be fearful, or try to run away from them. Instead, built our lives faithfully, with our roots deep into God's word, and aware of his hand over our lives. This way, longevity in Him can become a reality, not just a blind hope.

Realising Longevity (1)

2009-03-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

This will be the first blog entry on the importance of longevity in our faith, keeping going, and how this manifests itself in our daily lives...

Recently God has been speaking to me about the long term, speaking to me about what may happen in later than a year's time, later than this current season of life I'm in. I am studying in Bradford at the moment until the end of June at the Abundant Life Church's Leadership Academy. It has been a fantastic course so far, and the end is rapidly approaching. The end of seasons often catch us out a bit don't they! We can happily be stuck into what is happening with us now in our worlds, when suddenly we hit the end. Whether the end of studies, the end of the year, the end of a job contract, the end of a holiday or end of a GAP year. Some of us are suddenly surprised when we come to the end of an era in our children's lives as we pack them off to school or university and find ourselves in an empty house for the first time in years! We all come to the end of things periodically in life, but how many of us come to these ends with a sense of purpose, a sense of completion and a sense of confidence in the next part of life? I'm afraid to think that unfortunately the answer is 'not many of us'. Generally, we tend to end up in places and situations by accident, by 'default' and this is a real shame, as it is something that is easily avoided. Our ultimate destination as Christians has been set, and finalised. This is an awesome fact, but there's so much to happen before all that. In the great commission, Jesus sent us out to the world to make disciples of all nations, this was not any means a task to do now and then when we remember last weeks church sermon. This is a call to have a lifestyle declaring the awesome news of Christ whilst we are here, not just sitting around waiting for God to 'beam us up' to heaven like a science fiction movie.

I have been driven to declare a truth over my own life in the last couple of weeks, that shall have eternal effects. It is a declaration that says "I'm in this for life God. Where other things crumble, other things fail, where I may fail in other things, my love for you and your desires will never cease. I will follow you forever, no matter what."

Easy to say, but tough to live up to. As local churches may split, or fail, as other followers may fall away, are you sticking still? Is your stake in the ground for life?

I'll stop for now, and write some more around this subject at a later time. But I shall certainly keep making that declaration to God each day, determined to stick by him, no matter what.

the meaning of the blog...

2009-02-18T23:00:00.000-08:00

"To blog or not to blog?" - that is the question I have been asking myself before starting this. So many people are doing this (and I have had a couple in the past), but I don't want to start one merely because everyone else is.

What are the purpose of these? Excuse my seeming cynical nature, but I have some reservations. I can definately see why it would be helpful for a leader of a business/church/organisation/community to have a blog. The traditional idea of 'community' is fading (or already faded) in a huge part of todays world, and for a leader to share what is happening, or what is on their heart makes sense. Everybody can keep upto date, and feel part of this community to a new level through knowledge and this developing relationship with the leader through their openness.

However, why else would a blog be helpful? I know personally on this blog I am not going to be declaring my deepest darkest secrets to the world (or however few readers there actually are), I save those for my close friends over a starbucks! Even my minor secrets are unlikely to feature I'm afraid. And I'm unsure as to any positive effect that can come through this type of "bearing all" blogging. At first glance it must be great to get down your thoughts and feelings on paper for others to validate and comment on. But I feel that this may well show an insecure, possibly selfish attitude, eager for others to know what they need not know, so that I can get a few comments of encouragement to keep me going on for a few days.

Looking at this from a Christian perspective, as believers we need to find our security in God. We are children of God, loved unconditionally, eternally cared for and perfectly made. We need not seek assurance from other people, as our acceptance and validation comes from Christ. It is great to receive encouragment, and it is important to live an open life with some people in order to be able to help each other through life's circumstances. But must we really plaster these circumstances all over the net for all to see?

Also, I would not want to write a blog in order to show the world what I WANT them to see of me, to create a representation of who 'Ben Pocock' is, which may not be true. Sometimes as I read blogs, I wonder whether what is being written is a true representation of how the person is doing or feeling, or whether it is being written to give a perception of the author that quite frankly isn't true, but is trying to impress or prove a point to the community they are writing for.

Personally, I journal. This is a private place for me to write, nobody else to read it apart from myself at a later date. This is my place for private thoughts, feelings and emotions, not an open blog.

So after all this cynicism, why do a blog? Sorry if this has come out negatively, I'm just wary of some of blogging's pitfalls. After all my previous thoughts, I have still decided to begin a blog and see how it pans out! I won't write things that should be saved for close relationships, but I will write some things that God speaks to me about. I feel that often when God speaks to me, it can be helpful for others too. So by jotting these thoughts down on this blog, if others wish to read and gain from them too, then that's wonderful. Also it is a place for me to store these teachings for possible future use if I am blessed to have an opportunity to share them with others

Thanks! Ben