Category Archives: Family

Apr 10 2013
Bible, Christianity, Church, Diamond Geezers, Evangelism, Faith, Family, Father God, Friends, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Manchester, Men, Message Trust, Prayer, stress.

The most tragic verse in the Bible?

I believe that this Saturday, God is going to do something supernatural in the lives of the men who come to the Diamond Geezers Day here in Manchester, releasing our potential for supernatural greatness.

If you’ll come along to the Message building and connect to God’s presence there, hearing His Word and doing what He says, I believe that God is going to raise up from the day some spiritual leaders to make a massive difference in this world. And the reality is that this is so important because there’s a huge shortage of godly men in our nation. In the church men too many men have relegated themselves into passivity, or fallen to compromise and shame.

One of the most tragic verses in the Bible is Ezekiel 22:30:

I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it…

God said:

I looked for a man like that…

How many did He find? The Bible tells us:

...but I found none.

NONE. Zilch. Not one; not one man who’d stand in the gap! Perhaps if God were speaking that verse today, He’d say:

‘I’m looking for a man with guts, integrity and commitment. I’m looking for a man who will use the strength I give him to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves; I’m looking for a man to impart spiritual truth to the next generation. I’m looking for a man who would stand in the gap.’

If that’s you (or you want it to be) please book in now and join us at the Diamond Geezers Day on Saturday. It’s not too late there are still spaces. There are various great speakers and activities, lunch thrown in with the very low price, the very first opportunity to buy my Diamond Geezers audio book (at a special price) and various freebies to equip you to make a difference where you are, standing in the gap!

Book in here http://www.message.org.uk/shop/diamond-geezers-mens-day/

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Mar 11 2013
Books, Christianity, Church, Death, Faith, Family, Jesus, Manchester, Religion, wisdom, Work

Multi-million best selling author GP Taylor visits Ivy MCR ahead of blockbuster Hollywood film release.

 GP Taylor visits Ivy Manchester this Sunday – as his blockbuster Hollywood movie is filmed. 

Graham_standing

I’m so excited that this Sunday Ivy Manchester will host a fantastic guest for interview at 7pm at our Didsbury site on Barlow Moor Rd, one of Britain’s best selling authors.

We recently hosted the author of The Shack, Wm Paul Young. Now it’s time for some home grown talent.

GP Taylor is the author of the best-selling novels Shadowmancer, Wormwood and Tersias. Like myself he has been a police officer and Anglican Vicar, but is also a former rock band roadie and motorcyclist. He worked in the music industry with such bands as The Stranglers, Sex Pistols and Adam and the Ants. He became involved in the occult and lived a life that was, in his own words “into all sorts of weird and wonderful things and wasn’t leading a godly life”. He goes on to say, “I was promiscuous: I was a liar, a cheat and a drunk,”

We will learn on Sunday how he then turned to Christianity. This is a great event to bring friends along to and I expect we’ll pack the event out so get there early!

Having dropped out of school himself, Graham Taylor is now passionate about the education of children, and believes we underestimate their potential. He tours the country giving talks to children. “There is nothing better,” he says. So at 4pm at the Church centre Graham will entertain families and kids with a story telling workshop with our children’s leader Dave Hill.

“Children relate to me,” GP says. “They get excited about books – what can be better than that?”

His books have been translated into forty-eight languages and are being now being turned into Hollywood films to the tune of £50 million, but he had to sell his motorbike to fund the first print run of children’s novel Shadowmancer. The book grew in popularity by word of mouth before Faber and Faber bought the rights to it, and his next ten books, for £3.5million. The rights to the production were sold for a further £2.5million!

He went on to write the Mariah Mundi series which critics hailed as ‘Hotter than Potter’  – a rival to JK Rowling’s franchise. It is now being turned into £25 million Hollywood film starring Michael Sheen, Sam Niall, Iona Gruffud and Keeley Hawes -’Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box’ is set for release later this year.

Graham is married with three children and now devotes most of his time to caring for his daughter Lydia, who has Chrohn’s Disease.

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Jul 21 2012
Bible, Faith, Family, Heaven, leadership, Marriage, Prayer

The BEST Marriage – available at the Kindle store

Just finished the wedding of a fab Ivy couple. Congrats to Pete and Chloe!

This is not them by the way – they’re way younger but I’m praying their love will go the distance and they field-tested my new book as part of their marriage prep. It’s now available (today is the first day it’s out) on Kindle. So if you love your e-reader, ipad or Kindle (like me) go to this link to check it out, take a peek inside and if you do download it PLEASE review it so others can be encouraged.

I’ve been blogging about the book at http://bestmarriage.org too, so check that out if you have time.

Thank you!

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Feb 23 2012
Bible, Church, Discipleship, Family, leadership, Men

What makes us different?

Here’s my notes on some of the input from Rick Murrill – a great speaker I shared slots at a men’s event with last week. Man went to a men’s conference, heard that he was head of the house. Went home and told his wife. And after that he never saw her for 2 days.

Then… the left eye opened up a little bit.

What’s different about humans? Why are we different to chimps and gorillas? Is it just because we’re tool users? (Lots of men aren’t!). Actually some monkeys have done that. Burying our dead, and Fire are distinctive to humans. But none of that tells us what’s different. Gen 1 tells me twice – I’m ‘made in his image.’

 

That shows us… We’re CREATIVE – because he’s a Creator. Look at all that’s being built. And if there’s a Creator, I’m created as something – not just ‘by chance.’ We’re EMOTIONAL – because God expresses emotions. We’re FORGIVING – because God is a forgiver (no animal does that). These attributes of God are found in humanity. This didn’t just happen. But what actually makes us human? Gen 2;15 – God gave humanity a purpose, to serve the Creator. That’s unique to humanity too, though animals can serve. Jesus said the Greatest commandment is LOVE Mt 22, to God and our neighbour. When Jesus was asked,‘Who is my neighbour?’ He told them about a Samaritan. These are the things that make us unique.

We are his friends, if we love one another. Paul said he was a bondservant. Understanding that you’re a servant will release an understanding of the calling of God in your life. Human ambition = serve myself. That takes the call and brings it back to yourself. Seeking fame, becoming rich maybe- and empty. It will work against you in the end. People end up living a life of suicide. Someone who walks away from Christ, with a great call from God – but it ends up distorting. Cf Whitney Houston. Lived suicidally a long time. Despair because of a loss of value of a human life. Slavers used to value it on the amount of work they could get out of them. People today live as slaves in various ways.

Today we value a person on how much they can contribute to society. That’s not biblical. To base it on a bigger car or house. What do I put the value of my life on? The Bible teaches Ex 21, Mt 19, that we’re valuable from conception. More valuable than sparrows. More valuable than cats! Rom 5:8 – God shows our value here. Christ died for his most valued creation. US! So what is a human? It’s our incomprehensible value to God. We are valuable to God not because we’re better than anyone else. But when we understand how valuable to God, then we know the value of others and can love them (as we love ourselves).

John 13:37 People know HIM, if we love. That’s how we exalt Jesus. Know the value of your worth in Christ. If you don’t know that, you are going to express that. If we understand how valuable humanity is, we will value people.

Rick watched a documentary where an actor dressed like a homeless street person was rolling around and looking like they were in pain. People walked past. Nobody stopped. The same person next day was dressed in a suit, with a briefcase. Did the same. Everyone stopped. How do we value people?

Nov 29 2011
2 Comments
Bible, Christianity, Discipleship, Faith, Family, Jesus, leadership, Men, Religion, sport

Carl Beech: Iron Sharpens Iron

Here’s my notes on Carl’s recent talk when we were at Soul Survivor, Watford. Great stuff and it was a sell out! Looking forward to  playing at home for the ‘North’ version in January! Details of that so you can book in here (why not organise a group from your church?);

http://www.new-wine.org/events/mens-daysIron Sharpens Iron

IRON SHARPENS IRON

Life’s up and down, and often gets very hard – and we men retreat too often. Testosterone gives us ‘fight or flight’ but we run too much too soon, rather than go through the muck and mud.

Romans 5:3 says ‘We glory in our sufferings’ why – because of what it produces! If we didn’t go through this we’ll be spoilt brats who sulk when something goes wrong. 9 out of 12 apostles were killed. William Carey saw his wife die. Peter preaches and sees 3000 saved, Stephen says, ‘I’ll have a crack at that.’ And gets 3000 bricks on his head. This helps us understand why so many men are down and depressed. The measure of a man is how you hold up in those times.

When you gave your life to Jesus, you got a target on your back. Carl had a medium once say to him Christians GLOW. Those who know who they are in Christ glow more strongly!

Paul the apostle was known in hell. (The sons of Scheva weren’t).

You are known in hell, too.

But what are you known for!?

Picture of a bullfight. The bullfighter stacks everything in his favour. He has helpers who put spears into its neck, so its losing blood. And all it can do is look at the ground. That’s how our enemy works. To get us men looking down. Men with spears in them.

But the Holy Spirit keeps saying, ‘Look at me! Look up!’

The enemy wants to take you out.

You might be just clinging on. Feeling a fraud.

God says, ‘Lift up your eyes.’

1 Kings 18. Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

vs 22ff

Victory!!

But then look at the next chapter and he’s running from this woman Jezebel, fearful and suicidal.

Fight – or flight!

1 Sam 17.

David and Goliath.

What’s the difference? He focuses on God. Fight!

But he had a wandering eye. He’s a passionate man. And passionate men have a flip side.  2 Sam 11. He can’t keep his trousers on.

Samson was a chancer. Strong alright, but he had a flip side. Your testosterone will take you places you don’t want to go. So how do we stay on the narrow way? How do we not fall?

Or when we do, get up again – because we have resurrection DNA .

This is not about solo Rambo Christians. We run alongside others, and if we do – we’ll get there in the end. We need relationships that are vulnerable and to pick each other up on things and pick us up when we fall.

The more you press into enemy territory, the more pressure we’ll face. We need to be like the army, the SAS, to get close to the enemy so you can be effective – you go into ‘hard routine.’ The enemy is overrunning the church because we refuse hard routine, and instead we sulk when we get a little knock.

The Lord can extract the spears from your neck. So you can lift up your head!

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Oct 11 2011
Bible, Church, Faith, Family, Jesus, leadership, Prayer, Uncategorized

TALE OF TWO BROTHERS: Charlotte Gambill: @CharlGambill – ALC Network Day

GREAT TALK from a fantastic Network Day! All our team who attended were blown away.
Well worth looking over and praying through in your teams etc.

Psalm 133:
1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, 
running down on Aaron’s beard, 
down on the collar of his robe. 
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon 
were falling on Mount Zion. 
For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Have we accessed this blessing to its full extent?1

We can INSTIGATE this, bring it in ourselves. If… we can figure out how to be united.

And that’s not about standing up and all hold hands. That can be purely external. We need this REAL unity. In our teams, churches, cities. In our marriage and with our kids is where it starts.

Where has this gone wrong?
Go and look for brothers in the Bible that got along – there weren’t many!

Cain and Abel
Jacob and his brothers
David and his
Joseph and his

The enemy’s having a laugh at our expense! We are praying for a blessing and it starts here. Or not.
There are two brothers (this goes beyond male/female). Two big categories. The enemy finds it easy to separate these two and bring tensions.

Brother Reliable.
Brother Restless.

Reliable – you never have to remind them twice, they’ll take notes, and pass them on. Think it through, plan it through. We celebrate him (behind the scenes).

Restless – fidgeting, twittering, never quite there with you. A million ideas all at the same time.

We have both of these people and we have to understand how it works.
The parable of the prodigal son was not about the failure of ONE brother, but of two. And the Restless one comes back – which doesn’t often happen in the house of God cos we push them out.
And Reliable brother doesn’t like it.
If you let Reliable run the show, on his own he’ll become Resentful (why are we throwing a party for you, not me?).
If you let Restless go for it completely he’ll become Reckless.

i.e.., They will go to their EXTREMES.
The father’s saying ‘I’m Dad of BOTH! If you’d keep these two skill sets together, a blessing would fall.

Who do you preach to? Do you make one feel good at the expense of the other feeling bad?
He’s the father of both. He’s not excluding either.

Joseph and his brothers came from two very different vantage points.

Gen 37: 1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

REPORTS can replace RELATIONSHIP

The first indication of the difference. Reliable (Joseph) – sees something that the others don’t see. They’re having a laugh, not taking the work seriously, a way they could improve etc. Something that could be given a better system.
When Reliable people enter in and see that, but there’s no RELATIONSHIP, then he’s just filing a report. What we’ll have in teams is SNITCHES.

And notice that what Reliable sees is RIGHT, it’s something we DO need to change/tweak. But without relationship it’s putting brother against brother. And division creeps in – and it will go to whatever team/ network they’re in. And then we pray, ‘God bless us’ but he can’t. The way you say it matters.

Not everyone is like you – and God designed it that way.

We can build a staff top heavy with one type of people or another, and try keeping the same people all together. Like separating kids off into their bedrooms. False peace. We need to mix them up.

ROBES can divide RELATIONSHIP.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

We mistake God’s favour for his favourites. God gives us his favour to commission you for what you’re going to do next. Titles, bonuses etc can become a dividing issue. If we put a robe on someone, do we think about it beforehand? How it will effect them and the team?

That robe or this one may fall on one, and all the others should celebrate that. For Joseph, it may have felt very awkward to wear that robe. The others may have felt overlooked – but God says, ‘figure it out’ – celebrate this, because it’s a robe of responsibility = more work.

Be careful how you speak over other’s lives. Put words in that defuse the other brother spirit in those around.

5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

RELIABLE bluntly says it as they see it. Reliably. ‘Deal with it.’
A Restless person would bring it very differently. Talk all about how they feel etc. Creative, passionate, persuasive.

Reliable people need help with discernment.
Restless is sensing something else.

You need BOTH to give you a report. Listen to both reports:
Reliable, ‘It was great, started on time, finished on time…’
Restless – It was boring, nobody engaged.

The dream that caused division – was a dream of future restoration, in a moment when robes would not be an issue.

How is this FIXED?
In our teams.
(Especially in worship teams where the divas are!).

Don’t kick one out – say, ‘You’re brothers – figure it out. Seek to work together for the long term – the blessing comes there.’

How to bring reconciliation?

The Reliable ones have to be willing to drop their guard – even lose control.

Gen 45: 1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

Be willing to show your vulnerability. That you’re not perfect. That we need to talk about this. To say, ‘Hey – we’re brothers! let’s see the big picture.’ He’s showing his human side.

Close the Gap
vs. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”

Explain the dream – a different way.

When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God..

If there was ever a day when robes could divide – it was that day, but he now had a come close attitude.

Talk about it together

Not shout. Not compete. Talk. About how we can be more united.
14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

We want Psalm 133 in our team!

How about you?

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Oct 06 2011
Andy Stanley, Bible, Faith, Family, Jesus, leadership

Andy Stanley: DO FOR ONE – Catalyst 2011

Be Present.

The more successful you are, the less accessible you’ll become. This is not good or bad, it’s just true. The more people become part of what you’re doing, the less available to everyone you’ll end up.

But we think, ‘I don’t want that. My door will be wide open…’

But if we refuse this truth, the more you’ll burn out by trying to be accessible to everyone. You’ll do life spreading yourself razor thin, not accessible to those you’re with really anyway. Distracted. The hard thing is, we come into ministry because we’re all about people.

OR we may use our success as an excuse to be more inaccessible than necessary. People will come up in your own church and say, ‘I know you’re busy, but…’ You’ll hide form them.

Unawareness is bliss!

Because the more people’s needs and problems you’re aware of, the more you’ll know there’s no 15 minute solutions. That will wear you out. The more need we’re bombarded with, the less able to handle it we feel. So much cancer, so much debts and prodigals. Your heart breaks for people, but you’re thinking, ‘But what can I do?’ Too much Information!

But at the same time, I want to be PRESENT.

The apostle Paul addresses this in Gal 6:9-10.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

NOTICE - As we have OPPORTUNITY (time), let us do good to all people…

He goes on to say.. Carry each other’s burdens., and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ…

in other words, You can’t shut it all out

- BUT ….

 

you can’t take it all on.

This never goes away. We live with the tension – limited time and opportunity, but open to people, engaged with the.

So how? What do you do?

Do FOR ONE, what you wish you could do for EVERYONE.

The person behind the sweet counter says, ‘If I give you one, I’ll have to give everyone one…’

Actually, NO YOU DON”T! I won’t tell anyone…!

This can creep into our ministry…

If I counsel you, I’ll have to do it for everyone

NO YOU DON”T!

Choose to do for one, what you wish you could do for everyone. That will stop you getting cold to everyone. If you’re helping ONE through grief, or marriage issues.

But that’s not fair!

Well, fairness ended in the garden of Eden.

Don’t be fair. Don’t try to be. Be engaged.

How?

 

  1. Go DEEP rather than WIDE.

Be available to someone.

2. Go LONG term rather than short term.

Don’t give everyone 15 mins and not give someone many hours. Take one or two and be in them with it – until it’s over.

3. Go TIME not just money.

Don’t just give money to missions- go to one. Track the miracle in the lives in that place.

Don’t let anyone guilt you out of doing for one what you wish you could do for all, because if we all did that – we might change the world, but even if you don’t, you’ll change one life – and it might be yours.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the one who did for us what they didn’t have the time or resources to do for everyone. It wasn’t fair, but we received your grace through them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Oct 05 2011
Church, Discipleship, Faith, Family, Religion

BE AVAILABLE – Jon Acuff at Catalyst 2011

Quitter – Jon Acuff at Catalyst 2011

A diamond is just a rock we’ve assigned value to. Do we assign value to the wrong rocks?

How do we BE PRESENT to the things God is doing?

  1. Be available.

To what God has in motion. One sign of how available you are is how much you feed to social media. When you give life to the mobile phone rather than the people you’re actually with. Hang up before you arrive. We are the first generation that has to have a Twitter/ Facebook conversation about what they put online etc. Let the family be your family, not your content. Don’t document for strangers what your family are relating to. It makes them feel like silver medal.

Another sign? You don’t have real friendships. Who are your heart friends – those you’d really miss? Hang out with some people. Spend time with a few. Build it.

Another sign? You get drunk on what’s next and new, and miss NOW. Just sit there, and grow. Culture feeds us to think next. We want what’s new. We create a list of books just to finish them. Movies just to have watched them.

Why do I want to start a ‘new one’ – why not get behind an existing one?

In the prodigal son story, there’s an elder son – who’s not available. Too busy for the party. When the whole farm began to celebrate, he was in the field. Doing what? ‘Slaving for you!’

A beautiful picture of availabilty? Christ. He had time for tax collectors in trees and women at wells. Dinner with sinners.

How to get available.

  • Push away from the table. Self help? Don’t always try to be better at being who you are.
  • Unplug. Don’t kid yourself that how you relax is to read leadership books. every city needs its parks, green space – or it’ll suffocate! How do you cultivate space. Why do you have great ideas in the shower? Because its the only place you get quiet. Make shower moments in your week, to receive. Musician’s first albums are often great, the second is squeezed out.
  • Ask WHY. Why do I need to worry about that? Why do I need to write a book? Have you lived it yet? Ask why and a lot of problems disappear.
  • Get counselling. Why do we think it’s great to get pre-marriage counselling, but not for marrieds!? His counsellor asked him, ‘What do your voices tell you?’ Write them down. His voices say, ‘Are you happy? why don’t you do something perfectly then you’ll be happy.’ That voice sounds like a friend but it’s a foe.

Everyone hears this voice: ‘Who are YOU, to do THAT?’

We think that’s God, but it’s not. He knows who you are. He knows what you are there    for.

- Another voice, ‘You’re not as good as theirs.’ Thanks to the internet, it’s so easy to find others to compare to and we never give ourselves chance. Comparison? Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.

  • Another voice, ‘By now it should be… bigger/more..’ Why can’t I just learn from others? Why can’t I be humble enough – rather than have that sense of entitlement and jealous that makes you want something you don’t really want, and ignore the things you already have.
  • Another voice: ‘The critics are right.’ I brush off positives., but listen too hard to critics. Critics Math = 1000 compliments plus one insult = 1 insult. Why do we worry about one critic so much that it makes so many other thousands of positive people’s voices fade away.
  • Last voice. ‘If I had enough time, I’d do it.’ The devil is afraid of people who DO, not just DREAM. Dreamers who DO change the world. When you don’t give time to the things that matter, those things will suffer atrophy.

Luke 15:

Sheep

Coins

There was a SON….And he doesn’t explain it. In the prodigal son story, the father never says a word to the son. He never talked to him, but to the servants. What if when God’s quiet it’s not because he’s mad with us but because he’s planning a party or hugging us.

Be available to God. Get empty to let him fill you up.

Oct 05 2011
Faith, Family, Jesus

DON’T LOSE HEART. Michael Hyatt at Catalyst 2011

Michael Hyatt

Don’t Lose Heart. 

The people who don’t stay the course, are those who lose heart. Most Christians – 80%? lose heart and become ineffective by the age of 55.

You can get your heart back

- and lead from the heart.

You will maximise your influence as a leader when you embrace 5 truths about the heart.

Your heart is the essence of your identity.

The Bible uses the word heart over a 1000 times.

Matt 5:8, 6:23, 15:18, 22:37 – love God with your heart.

Your heart is YOU. Who YOU are. The inner sanctuary where you connect with God and others from. The world ‘s focus is external image, but the Lord looks at the heart. Why? Because it matters most.

The big question is not how’s your family/ career – but ‘How’s your heart?’

Your heart is your most important and valuable leadership tool

Prov 4:23 – above ALL else! (It’s not your knowledge, your skills that counts) – your heart is the WELLSPRING of your life. If you stop up springs, the streams stop flowing. Pollute a spring, the stream is toxic.

Your heart directly impacts your influence.

Physically your heart is what keeps you alive. Your body can survive without many different organs. You won’t miss your gall bladder that much. But lose your heart, and you’re dead. Your heart is what keeps your organisation alive. It’s what keeps those around you alive too. Your organisation can’t survive without your heart. It’s the greatest gift you give to your team.

Your heart is either healthy or unhealthy.

You may have spiritual cardiovascular disease. The flow is constricted. You’re scarred over. This is the silent killer. It takes people out and they function a while without knowing. Is your heart open or closed?

Symptoms that your heart is Closed? 

Distant, aloof, can’t get close to people, focus on what others are doing wrong. Life dries up around you. Cynical.

When it’s Open…

You’re fully present and accessible. Other-focused. You connect to people. You’re a resource to them. You may focus on what’s missing, but not on what’s wrong (some people want to find what’s wrong all the time). Being a good leader in an organisation is a lot like being a good parent. Affirming, encouraging. People feel FREE.

 

People around you now know whether your heart is open or closed.

Can you discern the difference? You find all through the Psalms, David is talking to his heart.

Your heart is under constant attack.

Satan wants to take you out, and he aims at the heart.

If you let discouragements, offences etc take root in your heart. There’s no point where you can let your guard down. Older couples get divorced too, you don’t have to be young to do something foolish! GUARD your heart- it’s precious! You don’t have to guard your rubbish, nobody nicks it. If the enemy can take you out, a lot of people will go down with you. People are watching, hoping you stay the course. www.pastorburnout.com shows there are too many that don’t. 70% of pastors don’t have any close friends. Eccles 4:9-10 – two are better than one! 57% would leave the ministry if they could in the same survey. Be on your guard. Pull the drawbridge up on your heart sometimes, so you can let it down when you need to.

Cf. Capture the flag. You can have a long game – but when it’s captured, it’s game over.

Guard your heart!

You can recover your heart by keeping the disciplines of your heart.

Eg?

SABBATH.

Finding time to cultivate the inner you.

It’s hard to do that in a busy world. How do we compete with those who have no margin?

BY FAITH! That’s the purpose of the Sabbath. God blesses it. Find time to take care of yourself. If you always put yourself last, you’ll be of no use to anyone. Make time.

Once a week, ask yourself, ‘How’s my heart?’ 

Get his free ebook on having a life plan.

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Jun 19 2011
Bible, Christianity, Church, Faith, Family, Jesus, prophecy

DEBRA GREEN: Nehemiah 10 – 13. The house of God.

Debra rounded off our series tonight.

She began by talking about competing voices – a time in the week when there were 2 sat navs going in the church, which one do we listen to?

God’s word to is the Bible, and Nehemiah kept having to come back to that, and call people back to what the Lord had said. 10:28 Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding— these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes. At what age can a child understand and come into the things of God?

Josh 24:15 – Choose who you will serve! As for me AND MY HOUSE we will serve the Lord. That’s a mission statement – it means you will live different:

to be committed will affect your relationships. The Jewish people were told to keep their culture and lifestyle separate from those who did not have that same mission, or else it would end up deflecting them from his best for them.

It will affect your pocket: It’s making God Lord of our finances, giving back to the Lord from all he has given to us: …if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year’s produce and the exacting of every debt. Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God: or the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at the appointed times year by year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God as it is written in the Law. And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the LORD; All this is about offering it all back to God. You can’t make Jesus Lord of all except your money. You may think you can’t afford to tithe? ‘As for me and my house…’ conflicts with that! You can’t afford not to. Making a serious commitment financially is part of your discipleship.

It’s our RESPONSIBILITY – that’s a word that comes again and again here. As people who belong to the house of God, will you also look after God’s house – or do you just want him to look after yours?

They say, ‘We will not neglect the house of our God.’

Chapter 11: Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.

10% of the people volunteered to go and move back into the city, even though it was still a mess! This is incarnational ministry, like the Eden workers going into the inner city in the name of Christ -to just love and serve in the hardest and most broken places. There’s a blessing that comes when we respond to a call like that.

Let’s pray for Eden, and whether we are called to that or not, we are ALL called to live a radical life for Jesus

verse 22: Also the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha, of the sons of Asaph, the singers in charge of the service of the house of God. 23 For it was the king’s command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a quota day by day. God talks about worship here: that we should give him thanks and praise.

It talks about one of Asaphs descendants; he was in charge of the worship teams, and Asaph was worship leader in David’s day; so one generation is passing something on to the next.

If you teach the laws of God unto your children you will pass on the blessings of faithfulness. There is a lot in Nehemiah about families worshipping together.

When something was achieved, many times in the Bible – there was an act of worship, celebration and purification: we see that again in Ch 12: Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps. And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the villages… I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs.

Musicians came and stood on the walls, with 2 large choirs on them. That’s how big and strong the walls were! That’s worth singing about!

The people got the trumpets out – that’s significant; warfare instruments, that called people together. 1 Cor 15:52 – it’s associated with bringing the dead to life! God is blowing a trumpet over your sound, a clear sound that raises you. When the choirs come together, there will be a sound in the city that will be heard far and wide.

The choirs went in opposite directions round the walls, to dedicate the whole city to the Lord. People did this for 40 days around the M60 when it was completed!

vs 43- Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.

There is a sound that can be heard a long way off. It’s getting louder, this isn’t about volume. It’s about holiness, about people saying, ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord…’ everyone could hear that.

We need to take the love of Jesus out into the streets. vs 46: For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God..

There had not been anything like that in 600 years – but when the people of God restored, rebuilt and they remembered the God who had done it and celebrated him, it affected generations after them.

When they celebrated his goodness and thanked him, great power was released! They often got a memorial stone and set it up as a visible reminder of a spiritual milestone. When Jacob did that, remembered that God had been with him, the name of the place – to the house of God.

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