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 […]

From staff meeting today – thanks Dave Challis, & Paul Scanlon. Amos 9 Here the order seems wrong There’s so much change going on at once it feels out of synch You think change is difficult? Try irrelevance Change is always personal It’s not just a system or a process It’s not the change that mixes you up It’s the transition Leaders will always get there first Followers will take their time You could change by being married But not do the transition of living like a married person You could say a prayer and make a decision to follow Christ But have you transitioned to be a disciple? The grief cycle applies to change too; People deny it or its need May resist it Then begin to explore it Before committing to the new way God says ‘Moses is dead – move on now Joshua.’ There’s a gap between where you were and where you’re going People fall through that gap if you don’t help them in that neutral zone. That place is a great opportunity time actually – […]

Exodus 7 Moses had the longest apprenticeship ever. 80 years long. How frustrating! John Norman came to the Message and said God often takes those he uses through these stages- 1 Appointed 2 Disappointed 3 Anointed Are you in the disappointed stage? Moses was in that place for 40 years in the desert. The impulsive Moses of Ex 3 The hesitant Moses of Ex 4 The triumphant Moses of Ex 5 Wouldn’t be able to do it. In chapter 7 he’s coming into his anointing. Remember this is not a kids story. It’s a real historical story and a parable with us to learn from. We are on a rescue mission. God is angry about sin. About how it messes you and the world up. How the thief keeps stealing, killing and destroying. The bible says clearly if we harden ourselves toward God we will experience judgement. Preachers don’t preach this any more because we are nicer than God. God brought plagues, disasters, darkness on Egypt because it stood against him. This is a world under a curse and every […]

We like to think we are thinking people who feel, whereas actually we are feeling people who think.