Monday with...Brennan Manning

Every Monday I will put a quote up for reflection. This weeks is from Brennan Manning..."The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny him with their life style. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." Take from DC Talks album Jesus Freak on prelude to What if I stumble?

Mediocre Faith...

I have recently been studying Acts in my devotional times and astounded once again by the very thought of all the miraculous, radical and dangerous place the early Christian find themselves in. I love reading of the scrapes that Paul and his friends find themselves in with the political powers and authorities of the day. Those speak so strongly of a deep, pure faith that we are all searching for. A faith that believes so strongly in name and power of Jesus that they’re willing to lay down their life to join community that is built on that foundation. I am struck that people gave up all the possessions to join these crazy radical communities of head cases who went back into cites where people wanted to kill them to tell them of the love of Jesus until they believed. They put the message they had to proclaim, higher above everything else. I sometimes find myself looking around the Christian landscape and I am struck by a quote from Capon-Farrar “The good news is no longer good news, it is ok news. Christianity is no longer life-changing it is life enhancing. Jesus doesn’t changer people into wide eyed radicals but into nice people”. How true is this quote? How true is it in our own walk with Jesus? I think I would love to say it isn’t true in my walk with God that every time I spend time with Jesus I am struck by his love and am changed and transformed to live out this radical faith that I see in Acts but if I said that I would be lying. There is something in our human state that settles for so much less with God and we somehow justify this with him or rationalise it somehow. But I wonder why that I do that sometimes? I wonder what makes us settle for that when in the rest of our lives we always want more. Whether it’s more clothes or a better house or car. We always want the next technological item in the saga of an ever-increasing consumer driven culture. I am shocked about how wired in to this culture we all are and how hard it is to withdraw from this. Coming up to the time of lent I am struck by this becoming a theme for all our lives in the preparation for Easter. Preparing our hearts for real and radical sacrifice just as Jesus did.

That life over a wider-eyed radical is still on offer if we all just learn to tap into it…

Importance of Prayer!

There has been a growing trend that I have observed and at times fallen into the trap of, that the prayer life of a young spiritual leader is becoming less important. Rhymes notes in his book Prayer in the Secular City that many young clergymen are void of an understanding of prayer life and the importance of it. He noticed a deep spiritual hunger that was in a group of young clergymen fresh out of theological college. This is increasingly a problem that we need to address. In my own life I noticed that when my prayer deteriorate that is a significant impact of my relationship with God and obedience to him, and also my vision and drive loses focus on God and being in tune with his heart. Therefore if we look at Jesus’ example and his commitment to His prayer life and also in the big moments the importance of taking yourself out of the business and committing the situation to God. ‘In nothing should a spiritual leader be ahead of his followers more than in prayer.’ This call for spiritual leaders is clearly important and something I consider to be a huge area of growth that I have to understand and learn more of.


But how do we go about learning more about prayer? Oswald Sanders says ‘there is now way to learn prayer expect by praying’ I believe Oswald Sanders puts forward a simply argument for prayer that embracing is important. Sometimes in my life I over complicated prayer and I think that there is specific formula that you have to say to get God to hear you. That it’s like a club and you need the entry code to enter, without it, its like talking to a brick wall but with it your in the club and you will always be in the club. This concept of prayer is false, yet it is one many people hold even if they don’t believe it. There is a distinct lack of good teaching of this area of prayer and the importance of prayer in our lives.

Salvation in the moment and the future....

I have been looking at the story of Zaccheus since the service and have been struck many times since by the nature and power of what Jesus says in Luke 19: 9 "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Today has implications for the very present of the situation, that isn't to say salvation doesn't isn't for both the past, the Prevenient grace that Wesley placed at the centre of his theology, and future grace that Piper speaks so much of. I wonder why we place so much emphasis on the future and past, and this presents grace we see in the story of Zaccheus, that he is saved for something better than his old life. I wonder if we as a church are so focused of the other two, that they are the ones that happen with less work on behalf of the church and call for less sacrifice. This present grace calls for a transformation of the person presents situation and calls for a change of the heart to happen in that moment. I am struck by this in the story of Zaccheus and how he is changed and moved into a transformational response in the moment of meeting Jesus. I just wonder whether the church could focus evenly on all 3 and call people to be more like Zaccheus. More thoughts to follow.... let me know what you think....

Celebration...The Little Man In the Tree

Jesus Friend of Sinners

Theme: Jesus Friend of Sinners

Intro and explain
ahead of the crowd
Rock Star- Nickelback
Mediation 1
Preach
called by name
I still haven’t found what I am looking for- U2
Mediation 2
Name Calling
Preach
pay back time
Greatest Day- Take That
Mediation 3
Preaching
Altar Call
Worship

Wow what a week full of craziness but on Tuesday (3rd Feb) we had our celebration at college (thats our fortnightly service) and the theme was Jesus Friend of Sinners, we used the passage about Zaccheus. It was pleasure and honur to lead the creative parts of the service. It has really been the first time since I left the States that I have really been involved in creatively leading worship. So when I suggested our call to worship being Nickelback people were understandably ready for something different. I did however love the service because I really felt by leaving the worship to the very end that the whole community worshipped at the same place because we had led them there. The mediations were diary entries imagining the full story of Zaccheus we used some "holy imagination". The guys that put that together were amazing. Piers did a great job at pulling together the whole worship service together. And the altar call at the end were people wrote down something bad they had done and picked up a receipt which were amazing. Piers did raise a great point that we as Christians get so obsessed with the eternal element and forget that Jesus said to Zaccheus "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." But did he mean salvation of the soul for entirety.
Well yes of course he did, but he also meant so much more, he meant salvation of his past, present and future. And its the present we sometimes forget as a church. Its the previous grace that Wesley spoke so much of that we see here as well. A great point I would say.

Barack Obama "Hope"

Hey Guys,

Well its been a whole long while since I last posted on here so I thought I would get back to it. I have been slightly obsessed with Obama in recent times and have finished reading his books "Dreams From My Father" and "Audacity of Hope". Man he can write, these books are inspirational even if you don't like the man. For all our hatred and dislike of America I do wonder what other country would elect a, black, son of African immigrant, non-politician to lead it in a time of deep need. I watched a video of you tube the other day called "American Prayer". I wonder if we should not all just take a moment to think of that hope that electing a black man to one of the most powerful offices in the world. Ever since I visited Gettysburg I have wondered what is so special about this young country and why I felt so I at home and so much hope there. And I think I have seen some it in the Obama team and in the country. America is a young country and so full of life that it sometimes bubbles over but was built of the hands of men who believed in a promise of equality and the chance for any man of race or color or belief to rise to the top. I am struck what hope he brings when I read this article what Dave Stewart wrote about the song

Earlier this year when I was recording "American Prayer," a song I originally co-wrote with Bono, the phrase, "When you get to the top of the mountain, remember me" seemed to take on a whole new resonance, given the inspirational candidacy of Barack Obama.
The song always contained one of my favorite passages from Dr. King, which was hauntingly delivered the night before he was assassinated. King says: "I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!"
People long for a connection -- whether it is to music, to their country, or to a big idea. Regardless of what happens in November, Senator Obama has reminded millions of people that they have the power to connect to bigger ideas. He is, in essence, the embodiment of a new anthem for change. He has continued King's narrative from what was once thought of as a dream to a reality. I find it especially relevant that Barack Obama will accept the Democratic Party Nomination for President 45 years to the day of King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
When we were originally writing the song, Bono was crafting the words in a way that would make people think about the fact that 'America' as a concept was a truly great idea, based on the bedrock of equality. I find it more pertinent than ever to release it now; to the moment America finds itself in, daring to re-imagine itself and its place in the world.
When I set out to make a video for the new version of this song, I wanted to honor all of those millions of people, especially young people, who are, for the first time, feeling empowered to voice their beliefs. I wanted to capture how Obama's message of change has echoed across the broad fabric of what is America. To do that, we've cast the film with an eclectic array of personalities, including Forest Whitaker, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Cyndi Lauper, Barry Manilow, Joan Baez, Macy Gray and Joss Stone. They appear alongside veterans, teachers and everyday citizens -- all of whom have been touched by this simple idea of change.
As an Englishman, I'm not an expert in all the intricate details of American politics. But as an artist, I understand how rare it is to inspire a connection to a bigger idea or purpose. This video isn't so much an endorsement of Barack Obama as much as it is a celebration of all those who have picked up a sign, who have registered to vote and are working to make the world a better place. So as Senator Barack Obama ascends to the mountain top, let us not forget all of the others who for the past 40 years have sung anthems of change to make this moment possible.

I am English and actually no very little about politics but what I do know about is hope because we all know about it. And I am proud of America for its bold step of faith to be on the cutting edge of equality and freedom.

Fall is here...

Well fall is here. Sorry it has been so long since I last posted on my blog. Well life is busy. I have been enjoying American life and seeing some more of the states.

For starters the youth group has been growing and is taking up more of my time. This has been interesting and challenging because my kids are both amazing and huge pain in the butt. But its all good. Church is also keeping me busy and still learning the whole American deal. I am also learning how much I still have to learn to be a great leader and how weak I actually I am. And how much I stil have to go.

I still really miss home. And everything else is good. My life seems to have ups and downs and then I look at my kids and see how worth the downs.

I also juts have to dry down my road and look at the wonderful colours of fall and see how amazing Gods worlds is and how he did a good job of it. I will be back on the posting front...