My friend Patrick O’Connell is the Global Director of NewThing, the network which I and Ivy Church are privileged to be part of, which exists to partner with movement makers and catalyse reproducing disciples, leaders, churches, networks, and movements. Here he tells the story of how he came to faith, having met his wife in a punk rock mosh pit, joined the army, he went into business and while finally successful in worldly terms when he finally after 4 years accepted an invitation to go to church and everything changed! He went from church goer to church planter, now serving thousands of church leaders and planters worldwide through NewThing’s dream – to see a church planted in every community around the world. We discuss, among other things – How might we help connect people far from God so they don’t just learn to cope, but receive hope. What army life taught him about teams and sacrifice, and how that applies to the army of God and ministry ‘in the blood and the mud.’ How do we collaborate and form networks that are all […]
Tag: Prayer
New Podcast Episode: The Life, Deaths, And Resurrections Of A Pastor-Prophet. Chris Wickland Has a Word for the FUTURE Church.
I met Chris Wickland recently when he came as one of the guest speakers at a leader’s retreat. I’ll never forget his incredible story of how he went from witchcraft to Christ. Having been aware of the supernatural realm and its realities more than most, Chris described seeing and hearing visions and dreams which have led to him publicly declaring major words regarding the church and the nations ahead of time. These include the rise and fall of various political leaders, Church closures across the world (publicly declared April 2019) to humble the church, providing insight to governments re natural disasters, and predicting economic upheavals and collapse both present and to come; However as a Pastor-Prophet Chris says in the podcast he always wants to bring hope not fear, so God’s people can be ready! As we talk I learn more about his story, his life (and deaths), hearing about how he was saved from a suicide attempt when as a new Christian he drove his car off a cliff, and how he has died and been resurrected (not just […]
WHY DID WONDERS EVER CEASE? New Podcast Episode with Jonathan Conrathe
Are we seeing the end of the powerless church while at the same time the Lord is raising up a new move, doing extraordinary things through ordinary people?
Money Talks
Do you know who hates it when someone talks about money in church? I’ll tell you!
The REAL Benedict Option
Benedict rose to the challenge (calling others who would awake to it also) of another way than that offered by the Church of his day – creating alternate counterculture learning communities to live simply, biblically and faithfully. He didn’t set out to change the world and had no idea how important these little groups of faithful, obedient disciples would prove to be for generations to come. What might such ‘apostolic hubs’ look like in our day?
Steve Addison – MIND THE GAP!
What if the gospel is NOT about ‘cities being transformed..’ We talk as if the gospel is here to change the city, socially, politically economically and so on, neglecting what the mission of God really is.
Curses and Blessings, Balaam & Barak
It’s not just the strange tale of a talking donkey. Numbers 22 has a lot to tell us about blessings and curses and how words work God’s way.
‘First the Church is lulled into acceptance, then the hammer falls…”
First the church is lulled into acceptance. Then the hammer falls.
What would WE do?
Don’t Drop Your Sword In The Fight.
The word of God is our only weapon against such attacks. Human strategies, philosophies and arguments are a vain hope – useless to push back the darkness. But hell trembles when we open our mouths and declare, “It is written.”
Is that too simple? Do we want to fight him on his own terms?
The Lord Jesus Christ did not do so.
THE VITAL ROLE OF PRAYER IN EVANGELISM. Thoughts From Reading ‘Tortured For Christ’ By Richard Wurmbrand. 1.
“My God,” he prayed aloud, “I’ve served You on earth.. And my reward should be that I shouldn’t die before I bring a Jew to Christ, because Jesus was from the Jewish people.” He sighed. “But I’m poor, old, and sick. I can’t go around and find a Jew. In my village, there aren’t any. Bring a Jew into my village, and I’ll do my best to lead him to Christ.”