Ephesians 2 Paul’s prayer – that we would have vision God needs to expand our vision Read the Hebrews Heroes 11:13 – they didn’t get it but they saw it from a distance and welcomed it. She told the great story about the Muslim woman sitting with her on the plane – I blogged it from Exponential – – search for her name on the blog and read it. She got to see behind the veil Then the girl asked ‘was I what you were expected’ Remember Hagar? Invited in, used, then excluded. Left to die in the desert. She’s excluded and alone and cries out – Then God shows up and she says ‘I have seen the God who sees me’ Then she goes back and says I’m not invisible any more. God is with us You’re not invisible Not to him, ever You’re not isolated He sees you You can see him Don’t hide behind a veil. He’s right here. No matter what. Even if it didn’t or doesn’t get better. You will never be alone in anything […]

I tire of reading either/or, incarnation vs proclamation opinions or even discipleship vs evangelism. Really? It’s a false dichotomy. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  It’s not enough to just say it, we have to share it. And vice versa. Both/And is ALL IN.  A great example of this came to mind as I reflected on a talk given earlier this year I heard at Exponential by Oscar Murio from Nairobi Chapel. I look forward to meeting him next January in Kenya to discuss the idea of ‘New Thing Global.’ Oscar passionately shared something of this challenging story, first recounted by Robert Murray McCheyne, so I tracked it down for a little more detail. At the beginning of the C19th a missionary from England happened to be on a hilltop in South Africa, and as he glanced over a wall that surrounded a leper colony, saw two lepers ploughing a field. One had lost his hands, the other had lost his feet. The one without hands was carrying the one without feet, and they would stop at each […]

I meant to get round to posting this earlier to my blog. Quite amazing, we certainly didn’t go looking for it they came to us. It started out as an invitation to tell my personal faith story but after they heard about Ivy that became a focus. Then one morning I woke up and after prayer started to have a conversation in my head with my friend the Holy Spirit. He was asking ‘what would you say if someone asked you about this.. And that…’ Half an hour later the reporter rang me asking me exactly those questions. If you’d told me the day before I would be answering such tough questions to be reported in the international press I wouldn’t have slept at all. Anyway if you haven’t read it yet – here’s the link. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/inside-a-church-for-born-again-christians-speaking-to-god-in-a-manchester-multiplex-9624138.html

I’ve seen the pre-print copy and generally the reporter who has put it together gives a fair assessment of what I said in answer to her questions which started as a ‘Why did you become a Christian’ but then ranged far and wide on issues including; Why some churches are growing and others not Women Bishops / women in leadership Homosexuality Abortion Christianity and other religions She isn’t a Christian, no church background, and so ties it together with various phrases that I wouldn’t be comfortable with at times (she says ‘Born Again’ a lot for instance, that was their angle), but the bits in quotes are the things I said and I stand by them. When you read the article please bear that in mind and read my words to hear my heart. These are all difficult subjects! But some years ago I made a commitment to God, I said that if He opened a door into media I would not chicken out but would walk through it and be bold, so please would he close doors that I […]

Great talk from the heart tonight – Nick leads our CAP outreach as well as helping lead Ivy Fallowfield. We don’t always see from the outside what’s going on in the inside. In a heart and in a home I wonder why we don’t cry more? When we see the need When we see the spikes put up to stop homeless people sleeping there There are 13000 households accepted as homeless this year What does God think about all the excess in my rooms when they have nothing and nowhere Government and education are part of the answer Is the church the answer? God says let there be light He forms us with a Word And breathes his Spirit He never gives up God chooses a slave nation for freedom To love him To love people To show who he is He gives his law to recreate them To restore what was lost God expected his words to be lived out and embodied To love God means to obey him To live consistent with our identity Israel were meant to […]

We call it the Ten Commandments But it’s actually in Hebrew the Ten Words In a covenant relationship Boundary lines come out of love God is saying ‘I want to show you my love, and out of that I will give you some words that help you in that love.’ The highest form of worship and love is obedience. This is not domination or control It’s to lead toward a full life Two categories 1-4 us and God 6-10 us and others Love me exclusively And Live a life of love, as you have been loved Cf Mark 12 – what’s the most important? LOVE GOD with all you are LOVE your neighbour Receive the love Give the love And repeat! It’s there in Dt 6 ‘Hear!’ It flows out of relationship It doesn’t come out of us It comes out of a God who brings us out of slavery – and we haven’t arrived yet- but I live loved. And afterward there’s this awesome power of God revealed, but then they pulled back from him. Fear stops them. ‘God […]

Exodus 16 There’s good news and bad news here The good news – God provides for 2 million people who have seen many miracles and are headed from slavery to promise God provides meat and bread When you follow God’s vision, you get God’s provision The bad news it takes 40 years for them to get into Canaan, because they could not enter in. What kept them out of promise? Disobedience. All the men who could fight but didn’t, had to die first. Be a man who obeys! Obedience attracts blessing & promise The word grumble is repeated 7 times here. It becomes a pattern for them. Despite all God has done. All the deliverance. Because they are hungry Do you get grouchy when you get hungry? We live in a place of plenty. We have enough! ‘I haven’t got anything to wear!’ (Really?) Give up grumbling – it’s the opposite of faith! They keep moaning – some people prefer to live in Egypt. Don’t want to move on. ‘Do all things without grumbling…’ Rom 4:16 Ask the people closest […]

Marriage is a bit like a game of cards You start off with hearts and diamonds And end up looking for clubs and spades If you want to be understood – that will hold you back Jesus wasn’t understood It’s part of being a Pioneer Gerald tries to build church around Jn 17 Love is doing the decent thing Even to your enemies If you want to be like Jesus you have to love what he loves Mk 16 Mt 24 Great command Great commission God is in you for you But he is on you for others How do we go from church to movement By moving By moving in the Spirit By moving in the word By moving in our gifting By moving together AW Tozer The prayer of the minor prophet God is getting you ready for your future Why does it feel like a battle? Because it is God allows us to go through things so onlookers will see how we do that and say ‘I want to be like you.’ God is the Creator He […]