Wild Crazy Adventures

Day off today (sorry if you're at work). Spent some time worshipping this morning, singing along to one of my favourite albums of the season, Tides, by Bethel Music. Absolutely loved these lines in the song 'Chasing You':

This life, this love
Was always meant to be
A wild crazy adventure
Discovering, the thrill, the rush
The more I see
The more it leaves me wanting
Your everything
Your everything

The song is generally about our chasing after God, our pursuit of him, because he is so incredible, so wonderful; because Jesus is so mighty, powerful and loving all in one, we're to pour all our energies into finding and following him: chasing after him. He really is so captivating.

This verse that caught me (or if your'e a muso it might be a bridge?) captures well the Christian life. It instantly rem

The pain of the end of ride massage!
(our ITBs for those in the know)

inded me of 2 of the greatest thrills of my life: Cycling the Zoe Challenge last year - 2720km across Europe in 19 days in an amazing team to raise money and awareness to rescue people from horrific slavery; and 4 hours of white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi in Zimbabwe.

The cycling journey captures the 'adventure' of following Jesus. How when you meet him, your heart changes and passions rise to reset injustices, and you find yourself in places doing things with people you've never met before that you would never have guessed. And that the adventure of following him is darned hard work: it aint no sprint, and its gonna hurt some! The Zoe challenge involved getting on the bike early in the morning when everything ached, and churning out another 95 miles, till early evening, day after day. It taught me even more about team, community and the dangers of isolationism and individualism (and i thought i knew quite a lot).

The white water rafting was the biggest image though, simply because it was so 'wild and crazy' an adventure. It was always something i had wanted to do but never got the chance. So after serving with the brilliant and inspiring Zimkids charity, I pounced on the opportunity on a visit to the majestic Victoria Falls.

Why is white water rafting like following jesus? Because of the thrill the exhilaration, the adrenalin rush, the excitement, the amazement of the power of the river, the beauty of the scenery ... and the fact that you could lose your life! Yep. It is both wonderful, but it is also dangerous, and a risk to your safety and health. Our boat flipped 3 times, one of which i was trapped under the boat during a level 5 rapid! Pretty scary. I could feel the power of the vortex below me, sucking my down, but I clung on to the safer rope, and all it to was my watch, and my friend's shoe! I would do it again tomorrow if I could. Why? Because I had been taught what to do, how to look after myself; because I was in a team,  who were looking out for each other because our lives depended on it; and because the captain of my boat was none other than the awesome 'Sir Wilson'. If you ever go there, get in Sir Wilson's boat because he is quite simply the best (Unashamed plug: Shockwave Adventures!). This guy is the boss of the river.

You know, being a Christian is not easy: Jesus said tough things like "If anyone want to be my disciple, they must take up their cross and follow me". We have to die to our self, to let go of everything we lean on, depend on, and lean on him. We have to be ready to die at any moment. But we get to go on the wildest craziest adventures with him as the captain of our boat.

The good thing is it's not wild all of the time. And after periods of several sections of rapids there was a lovely long slow meander with no white water. Instead of gripping the boat for sheer life, we were able to lie back on the edge of the boat and bask in the sunshine, resting from the exertion.

So whether you're  on a section of the river that is quiet and restful, or dangerous but exhilarating, remember the Captain is always with you, and he is the Boss of the River. The most important thing is to be in His boat, and let him steer you, trusting everything you have into his hands, and not caring what you lose in the process, coz we dokn't get to keep anything when we die anyway.

This life, this love was always meant to be a wild crazy adventure ... the more of you I see, the more it leaves me wanting your everything. Too right!

Laughter's Medecine

Discussing last week's blog about consumerism with people I've got some further thoughts about it. When we've applied insights on consumerism to the area of Christian teaching we've got into some hot water, offended some people, confused others, and possibly misunderstood by both. So my thoughts centre around the mechanism of consumerism: the addiction we have to consuming things, that others have produced for our own benefit and convenience. No sooner do we have something than we're tempted to want more of it or a better version of it. The experience becomes addictive. So, imagine the new Christian, who gets into the rhythm of going to a church service every Sunday and experiences brilliant teaching. the sermon is fantastic and God speaks so clearly, so profoundly, that Christian has an incredible time in God's presence. This becomes the pinnacle of her/his week. Consumerism works within that person to say, "you need that again, and again ...and again". And if the preaching continues to be good, the addiction is sealed in a never ending repetitive cycle.

Whilst the Bible is clear about the importance of good teaching (the disciples were devoted to the apostles teaching -Acts 2), I believe Jesus modelled something different to us than just endlessly receiving teaching: 'freely you have received, freely give' (Matt 10:8). So rather than getting on the treadmill of receiving great teaching, we change our mindset to one of living out what we've been taught before we try to get more teaching; giving freely what we've received. I'm not criticising anyone, just trying to point out our slavish addiction to consumerism and how the ways of Jesus rub up against that, compelling us to live counter culturally, in a rhythm of giving and receiving that is anathema to western thinking (of course there are many wonderful people who listen to a great sermon on Sunday and that fuels their life, I'm simply pointing out the opposite ideology and how  we can be blind to our culture). This is, I believe, one of the reasons why many Christians today simply cannot comprehend living without a service / sermon every Sunday. Once again, I'm not saying services and sermons are wrong every week - goodness me I've spent the last 17 years of my life preaching most weeks in a church service. I just want to be fully aware of the forces at work in our culture, to be free to do something different like having freely received we can freely give back to others, and to have some honest mature reflection and debate about the rampant consumerism around us and how it might affect our faith. Cool.

So onto this week's thoughts.

laughter, boy do we need it. We need it anyway don't we, but also in Jan and Feb, the hardest months for mental illness in the UK, we need it even more; AND  when we've had storm after storm, and rain belt after rain belt all winter, well i think we should book ourselves in for a whole weekend of comedians!

Did Jesus laugh? You bet he did. It's quite important that we get a right view of Jesus. Was he sombre, dour, serious, even grumpy, most of the time, as some churches might portray? No way. Laughter is very healing and mentally beneficial. I've just read some research about it having a positive effect on the immune system, and that we need it daily. When was the last time your ribs ached from laughing so much? So let's have more fun in our lives. Do fun things together too. This week in my house we've ended up laughing because of a  broken finger, and physical exhaustion! The Bible speaks about having life to the full, and the joy of the Lord being our strength. Sure;y that includes laughter. Next week I'll write about the cost and challenges of being a Christian today, and hope that we can see the tough side of life through the lens of God's love, and hold laughter and tough challenges in the same hand.

Unexpected threats

On the 1st May 1991 I started following Jesus. I was 20 and I had been brought up an atheist. Up to that point I lived for myself essentially. But at the moment I humbled myself before Jesus and asked him to forgive me and lead me, everything changed. That moment was the game changer to end all game changers. Huge things happened. Over-night I stopped swearing, and no longer needed all the crutches I was using up to that point like alcohol.

As time ticks by, and you grow as a Christian you begin to appreciate a whole host of other things that have happened. As we follow Christ, other things that ruled our lives are deposed. One I’ve come to appreciate more and more is the idol of consumerism. Now an idol is a false god, something that takes the place of God in our life, that you bow down to, consciously or unconsciously. Consumerism is a massive driving force of western culture and its power is growing around the world.

One of my children was doing some homework recently on the food chain and at the top was humans who consumed what other animals/plants produced. It’s a good summary of us as a race. We consumer what others produce. And in the last 3 years with the proliferation of smart phones and screens everywhere (cafes, pubs, doctors surgeries, hospitals, tube stations, corner shops etc) that bombard our brains with subtle messages that in effect say: “You need me, can’t survive without me, must have me”. Of course I understand in our complex urbanised society there is a relationship with consumerism we can’t do without, but we don’t have to worship at its altar.

High Halter and Matt Smay in their brilliant book, The Tangible Kingdom, explain that consumerism is a major barrier to the church moving out of a strong relationship with God into mission. I can see that in the church in the west today it is  powerful force that infiltrates the best churches too. Recently Carl Beech from Christian Vision for Men was recounting a conversation with a Christian leader in Cambodia who said the greatest threat to the Cambodian church at present was consumerism, and that if it wasn't reversed it would destroy them in a generation. Wow.

You hear phrases like “I want better/deeper teaching, I don’t like the worship, there’s not enough X, it’s not meeting my needs” instead of “how do I best follow Jesus and become like him or how can I serve?”

So why’s it a problem? Consumerism puts “me” at the centre, and asks “what’s in it for me, what do I get?” whereas Christianity puts Christ at the centre, and after that comes everybody else, and then finally comes “me”. There can only be 1 person on the throne of someone’s life, and that should be Jesus, but if consumerism is there, Jesus and his values of giving up our lives for others get knocked down a few places.  

I don’t have all the answers, and i include myself in the challenge, but I know a problem when I see one. Some of the greatest challenges to us we are often blind to, because they are ingrained in our culture. Sociologists call it cultural blindness. Shall we help each other overcome the challenge of consumerism in the church? Or would you rather shop elsewhere? (joke! haha) 

Sky's the Limit!

Happy New Year to the Blogosphere

One of my Christmas presents was a cycling book: Inside Team Sky by David Walsh. Some things have struck me that I'd like to share. But first maybe some background on the book for the poor people who don't much about the world of professional cycling.

Most will probably know that the American rider Lance Armstrong who won the Tour de France 7 times, was stripped of the titles because he was finally found to have used performance enhancing drugs. Team Sky is a very new British cycling team with a zero tolerance for doping, but because they are backed by a massive sponsor have the best equipment, and have produced champions in the last 2 years after only been together for 4 years, rumors spread and animosity grew. Team Sky's boss Sir Dave Brailsford was at his wits end as to how to prove to everyone they were clean. So he invited the Times journalist

David Walsh - Sunday Times Journalist

David Walsh to come and spend a year with team with absolutely free access to everything and anyone at any time he wanted. Walsh was the fist journalist to suggest Armstrong was doping (and Armstrong sued him and the Sunday Times for what he wrote - who's laughing now?).

It was a fascinating read as the skeptical journalist tries everywhere to find evidence of drugs. His final conclusion is that Team Sky is clean. Hurray. One very poignant part of the book was describing in the Tour de France when Britain's Chris Froome was leading the tour and climbing on those narrow mountain roads, and many in the crowds were shouting abuse and accusations at Sky and Froome.
The journalist reflected how bizarre it was when the crowd were ignoring another rider, Alberto Contador, who had just come back into the race after a 2 year suspension for drugs! They left him alone, but persecuted the clean team Sky. Walsh described this as the Barrabus factor: a crowd wanting to punish the innocent and exonerate the guilty. Not willing to believe the winner got there by sheer good training and good science.

I really felt for Sir Dave Brailsford - what else can he do?

Froome battling up Mont Ventoux amidst the crowds

It's a lesson in prejudice and gossip and the behavior of crowds. He did the right thing in inviting the most skeptical journalist to see how they lived. There are so many parallels: inviting atheists to come and see how live our lives, to see our authenticity, to see how our faith works; to forget what people think of us and only value what God thinks of us; to remember that you can never please the crowds, but focus on the people around you, and do the things you were sent to do, and everything else will take care of itself or its not worth the energy. People will have prejudices (within and without the church), but if we do what we are supposed to do (seek the kingdom), with honesty openness and integrity, God will take care of the rest (isn't that what Matt 6:33 means?).

Sir Dave Brailsford answering a barage of accusations

One more lesson: I really admire Sir Dave Brailsford and his leadership of Team Sky and British Cycling too. He's made mistakes for sure. At the end of the book, Walsh describes Team Sky's approach to failure: embrace it and learn from it; use it to become better next year. Now that is what we in the west need in our churches: courage to try new things in the knowledge that we'll fail along the way, but that's part of the journey of discovering the best way to do things and to getting better at what we do. Let's not be afraid of failure, for such fear kills off any innovative, adventurous and faith-filled spirit, and the Church of the west needs those things in bucket loads if it is to halt the decline its in the middle of.

Fully Reliant or Just Playing at Faith?

Just a few quick thoughts this week ...
When do we really rely on the power and strength of God?

Thinking / praying / mulling this week flash bulb moment happened: i/we are totally reliant on the power of God to grow the church. I heard myself say something like "You don't say?" in a very sarcastic tone! But then the thoughts flowed too about how so much in the past i / we have relied on lots of other things to grow the church first: a high street building bringing visitors, great children's and youth work, big worship band, great technology, a reasonable crowd already with a good age spread meaning anyone will see an age group they can identify with. I could go on. And of course (hear me out before you jump to the wrong conclusion) these things are good, not bad, but my mistake has been to trust in them first, and then hope and pray too that some day the kingdom will break out with signs and wonders.

Instead, with a more missional model, and smaller weekly congregation, we simply have to rely on the power of God coming and breaking out. Which raises my faith. I want to see that desperately. Everywhere: clusters, services, small groups, mid-week groups, everywhere. It reminded me of being in Zimbabwe this summer where everyone prays about absolutely everything,; where the first port of call is God, because there is no other place to go or person to go to. Why do African Christians see more healing? Because they don't have an NHS to go to first, they put all their faith into God and prayer. Car breaks down, pray, coz there aint no AA!

How good it is to be in this place. This place of desperation, of growing faith growing hunger, growing peace and growing delight. It's uncomfortable at times - but being totally reliant on God is the best place to be.
Know what I mean?

The Sheep Factor

Most images used for discipleship are of solitary
 plants. This is unhelpful. Discipleship is supposed
to be  done in community

What’s in a word? Discipleship. This is THE  word for the church – the most important thing – yes, I am going to say it and you know how much I love mission – discipleship is more important than mission! I was with 15 other church leaders the other day and all of us were wrestling with the issue of how we make disciples and how we make help disciples make other disciples. Discipleship is the practice of following Jesus – so what we’re saying is how do we make followers of Jesus that make more followers of Jesus? How do we create churches where Christians have it built into them to pass it on?

More and more thinkers and church leaders are waking up to the staggering realisation that most don’t know how to do this. Wow! That’s what has been behind the huge challenges we have faced these past 4 years as we've tried to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus (as opposed to the traditions of the church). We had some great old friends to stay a few weeks ago, Geoff and Caroline Shave. We know them from our church in Newcastle 20 years ago, and now they’re with Agape, doing a student ministry in Namibia. They spoke brilliantly at our church a couple of years ago about the difference between growth by addition and growth by multiplication. We too had the same conversation about making disciples that make disciples, and realised God had been teaching us both about the same thing. We had so much to learn from them and they were really interested in what we were trying to do and very supportive too.

What we’re going through – is the beginning of something wonderful. It has to be  - because we’re rediscovering the essential beauty and simplicity of Jesus’ ways. Whatever we do in 2014, it has to be about discipleship and nothing else: being better disciples and making better disciples. Following Jesus with everything we have and are, and passing that on to others. What has Jesus taught you this year? What are you better at in following Him? Who have you discipled this year? I ask this to myself too, and receive the challenge to myself first. I pledge myself to helping others be better disciples and make better disciples. It may get me into trouble. It may upset the apple cart a bit. It may offend some – if it does then it’s only because the gospel of Jesus tends to do that.

Spotted in TFL Tube window!

Speaking of following, have you seen the sheep around Morden? Messy Church’s brilliant sheep hunt is going on – 40 woolen sheep placed in different shops and businesses around Morden for the children to spot and write down and then post through our sheep letter box. Love it. Well done Messy Church for creating loads of opportunity for discussion. They've even been seen on Twitter!

One last tip. If you’re feeling the pressure of the month and feeling down, try skipping. I found out by accident last week that if you skip along (not with a rope, just the walk/skip thing) it’s very hard to do it and not grin. Have a go. Does it work for you?

Street Cred!

A couple of weeks ago I joined the Street Pastors team in Wimbledon from 10pm to 2am on a Friday night, and had a brilliant time. Yes, it was cold, yes it was late, but yes, people were open and receptive to us, and people needed helping. If you've forgotten what goes on in town centres at night go and sit in a cafe to be reminded of the dynamics: people in search of fun can get into hairy situations and need help – and so the church is there to help. In fact I learned that Wimbledon town centre has a pop up men’s urinal! Yep, just outside of Tesco by the bus stops there is a urinal that disappears into the ground in the day – how bizarre. I did pose for a photo but it has to be said, it was only a pose!

What amazed me (although I am getting used to this phenomena even though I will never tire of it) is the warmth and respect of people towards the church (street pastors in this case), especially the door men and staff at the various pubs and clubs. This is a huge credit to the street pastors who are out week in and week out, befriending and helping, being and sharing God’s love where it’s needed and received. When non-Christians see the church out on the streets serving the community and helping they are very receptive to their message. Obviously when they see preachers proclaiming judgement they are instantly turned off and abrasive. I’m so thankful for movements like Street {Pastors that can turn that image around and build up an excellent reputation that Jesus I know is proud of and pleased with. Well done to our own Ruwani (who led the team that night), Colette, Jim and Sidi who do this regularly. It’s a tough job; we should be proud of them.

My kind of wreath: chocolate!!

... It’s now a week later since I started this blog! Advent is here and I’m excited about encountering Jesus afresh through the Advent process for myself and who might encounter Him of the first time. In the last 6 weeks we've seen a rise in spiritual temperature: a few people choosing to follow Jesus, half a dozen healings at least, and many miraculous answers to prayer in challenging circumstances. What’s God teaching us? Pray more. Seek him out more, and do it more in community. Pray together and for each other – standing together ... 'if 2 of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven', (Matt 18:19). Please email us in your testimonies or leave a comment about them below. Let’s be encouraged by this.

In the busyness that December brings, may you truly meet the Christ of Christmas!