On Sunday, at Cafe Church, Matthew and Adrian encouraged us to think about seeing our work as an opportunity to worship. Not just work in the sense of paid employment, but the things we do as a volunteer or at home…
So often we compartmentalise our lives - maybe one of the most dangerous divisions that we make is between the secular and the sacred. This video helps us to think about breaking down that division.
Whilst I don't think the secular / sacred divide is a helpful one - if you want to stick with it then I recently read something along the lines of: it's not what you do that makes something sacred or secular, it's why you do it.
Tuesday 28 January 2014
Thursday 23 January 2014
Just a fiver
This time last year I was in training to run the London marathon for Christian Aid. This year I'm not - but Christian Aid are still working hard to tackle poverty. Here's their latest video:
Saturday 18 January 2014
Our new table
On 15 December I blogged about a theology conference I went on in which I came away knowing I needed to buy a bigger dining table - you can read it here.
Well, here's the result…
…which got its first fully extended test drive today.
Well, here's the result…
…which got its first fully extended test drive today.
Thursday 16 January 2014
Let your gentleness be evident to all
On Sunday morning at CBC we were continuing the series through the New Testament book of Philippians. We were looking at Philippians 4:2-9 and I focused on verses 4-7, particularly the bits about rejoicing always, and never being anxious - about anything…
But how does verse 5 - 'let your gentleness be evident to all' fit in here? Why has Paul highlighted gentleness?
One of the things that Paul wants his letter to do is to encourage the Christians in the city of Philippi to live the sorts of lives that were consistent with their faith. In another letter to a different church Paul lists some of the characteristics that you would expect to see in a Christian - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). He calls this the fruit of the Spirit. These are the sorts of things that God develops in us as we follow Jesus.
So why gentleness in Philippians 4?
It was not easy being a Christian in the Roman Empire at the time Paul was writing. Nero was the Emperor. Christians were being persecuted. Paul himself was writing from prison. He is in prison for his faith, and he is writing to Christians who are being persecuted for their faith.
And in the face of this persecution he encourages them to rejoice and to pray and to experience the peace of God. But he also urges them to gentleness.
I don't know why he specifically highlights gentleness. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Philippi was a place in the Empire that many ex-soldiers in the Roman Army went to retire. No doubt some of these soldiers were now a part of the church. And the right response to persecution is not to fight back. It's no longer right to have an attitude of revenge. Maybe it's because their lives as Christians are so different to their lives before - not just in terms of actions but also in terms of motivation and attitude, that Paul wants to remind them of this.
Whilst their natural human response to persecution might be fear and anxiety mixed with thoughts of despair and revenge - Paul wants to remind them that because God is near - even in the face of persecution - a different way is possible. As they listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit reminding them of what is true they can rejoice, they can know peace and they can be gentle.
I doubt many prizes were given out in macho Philippi to gentle ex-soldiers. There are lots of environments today where gentleness does not rank highly. But Jesus calls us to a different way of living.
But how does verse 5 - 'let your gentleness be evident to all' fit in here? Why has Paul highlighted gentleness?
One of the things that Paul wants his letter to do is to encourage the Christians in the city of Philippi to live the sorts of lives that were consistent with their faith. In another letter to a different church Paul lists some of the characteristics that you would expect to see in a Christian - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). He calls this the fruit of the Spirit. These are the sorts of things that God develops in us as we follow Jesus.
So why gentleness in Philippians 4?
It was not easy being a Christian in the Roman Empire at the time Paul was writing. Nero was the Emperor. Christians were being persecuted. Paul himself was writing from prison. He is in prison for his faith, and he is writing to Christians who are being persecuted for their faith.
And in the face of this persecution he encourages them to rejoice and to pray and to experience the peace of God. But he also urges them to gentleness.
I don't know why he specifically highlights gentleness. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Philippi was a place in the Empire that many ex-soldiers in the Roman Army went to retire. No doubt some of these soldiers were now a part of the church. And the right response to persecution is not to fight back. It's no longer right to have an attitude of revenge. Maybe it's because their lives as Christians are so different to their lives before - not just in terms of actions but also in terms of motivation and attitude, that Paul wants to remind them of this.
Whilst their natural human response to persecution might be fear and anxiety mixed with thoughts of despair and revenge - Paul wants to remind them that because God is near - even in the face of persecution - a different way is possible. As they listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit reminding them of what is true they can rejoice, they can know peace and they can be gentle.
I doubt many prizes were given out in macho Philippi to gentle ex-soldiers. There are lots of environments today where gentleness does not rank highly. But Jesus calls us to a different way of living.
Wednesday 15 January 2014
Build Your Kingdom Here
One of the good things about visiting different churches is that you get to hear and sing some songs that you may not have come across before. Following my induction service on Sunday I went along to a similar service for another new minister on Monday in a nearby church. Here's one of the songs they sang…
Friday 10 January 2014
Live a life worthy of the calling...
On Sunday I'm going to be preaching from Philippians 4, fitting in with the on-going series at CBC.
For those of you who need a quick refresher on Philippians here's a five minute overview.
For those of you who need a quick refresher on Philippians here's a five minute overview.
Wednesday 8 January 2014
Vocations
There are a whole range of topics that get discussed on running websites / forums - not just running. The latest thread that I was pointed towards a couple of days ago was one asking the question, 'Do you have a vocation?' A range of answers have come from a variety of perspectives - both Christian and otherwise.
When we talk about a vocation we're talking about following a calling. And if we're coming from a Christian perspective then we'd be talking about following a particular path in life (usually in terms of a job/career) in obedience to God's calling. And I expect that if I was to ask a congregation to list the sorts of people who have a vocation the list would include jobs like ministers, doctors, teachers, nurses.
If you've read the last few posts on here you will know that I am settling into a new church. This weekend I am going to be officially inducted into my new role as minister. Part of that service involves telling the story of how I came to hear the call to leave my past church and settle in this very different context.
But do you have a vocation? What is it that God has called you to do?
There are a number of passages in the New Testament that help us to see that God equips every Christian to fulfil their part in what God is doing. Sometimes when we read a sentence like that we think about the sorts of things people might do in a church - such as preach or play an instrument or help with the children's work or lead a Bible Study group. But we don't always think about our 'secular' work or our daily routine.
I recently heard or read someone say something along the lines of: it's not what we do that makes something secular or sacred - it's why we do it.
I guess this can be both an encouragement and a challenge. An encouragement that whatever we're doing - if it's what God has called us to - is important. At times it may seem routine and unappreciated but if it is what God has asked us to do then there is nothing more important. Maybe as we start a new day we need the reminder that what we'll be involved in today is part of what God has called us to.
A challenge in the sense that we need to ask 'am I doing what God wants?' Maybe we need to go back a step and ask 'what is it that God wants me to do?'
When we talk about a vocation we're talking about following a calling. And if we're coming from a Christian perspective then we'd be talking about following a particular path in life (usually in terms of a job/career) in obedience to God's calling. And I expect that if I was to ask a congregation to list the sorts of people who have a vocation the list would include jobs like ministers, doctors, teachers, nurses.
If you've read the last few posts on here you will know that I am settling into a new church. This weekend I am going to be officially inducted into my new role as minister. Part of that service involves telling the story of how I came to hear the call to leave my past church and settle in this very different context.
But do you have a vocation? What is it that God has called you to do?
There are a number of passages in the New Testament that help us to see that God equips every Christian to fulfil their part in what God is doing. Sometimes when we read a sentence like that we think about the sorts of things people might do in a church - such as preach or play an instrument or help with the children's work or lead a Bible Study group. But we don't always think about our 'secular' work or our daily routine.
I recently heard or read someone say something along the lines of: it's not what we do that makes something secular or sacred - it's why we do it.
I guess this can be both an encouragement and a challenge. An encouragement that whatever we're doing - if it's what God has called us to - is important. At times it may seem routine and unappreciated but if it is what God has asked us to do then there is nothing more important. Maybe as we start a new day we need the reminder that what we'll be involved in today is part of what God has called us to.
A challenge in the sense that we need to ask 'am I doing what God wants?' Maybe we need to go back a step and ask 'what is it that God wants me to do?'
Wednesday 1 January 2014
Happy New Year
Happy New Year.
One of the people I follow on Twitter mentioned, along with his New Year greeting, that he felt no different today than in 2013. And of course there is nothing inherently significant in today - it's not even as if we're marking the point at which the hours of daylight stop getting shorter and start getting longer again.
But it is good to have times in the year when we acknowledge the passing of time - times when we can look back and look ahead. Times when we can pause for a few moments. Times when we can think about whether there are habits we want to break or new habits we want to start. Maybe a chance to wipe the slate clean and begin again. Obviously we can do those things at any point - but the hardest part is often starting. And for many people the first of January provides that extra incentive to start (or stop).
Whilst the middle of winter may not be the best time to start something new, (particularly if it involves going outside in a pair of shorts) today is always better than tomorrow. Waiting for 'the right time' usually just proves one thing - there is never a 'right time' - other than today. Life always has a habit of getting in the way. As I look back over 2013 it is safe to say that it did not turn out as I imagined - but as I look back over the past year, and further, my experience is that God is faithful. And that gives us confidence as we enter into the unknown.
On Sunday, as we said goodbye to our previous church, I preached from one of my favourite passages, 1 Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath. And one of the key messages I see in this passage is how David's perspective compares with everyone else's. Only David sees God in the situation - the 'armies of the Living God' as opposed to 'the armies of Israel' for example. David faces Goliath with confidence because he sees the situation from God's perspective. Everyone else is fearful because they see things from a human perspective.
So how is my perspective as I face the future? Is God right at the heart of it?
It can be very easy to get things out of perspective and one reason for this is that our memories are very selective. It can be very easy to remember the negatives and forget the positives. We focus on our failures but forget God's blessings. We easily forget what God has done and we don't stop to say 'Thank you'.
When it comes to keeping a diary or a journal - that's just not me. But as we drew a line under ten years in our past church I would love to be able to look back and remember more. So much happened in that time. And so one of my resolutions for 2014, as we start this new chapter in our lives, is to keep a journal. If I think about it too much I know I won't start. So I'd better go and just get on with it...
One of the people I follow on Twitter mentioned, along with his New Year greeting, that he felt no different today than in 2013. And of course there is nothing inherently significant in today - it's not even as if we're marking the point at which the hours of daylight stop getting shorter and start getting longer again.
But it is good to have times in the year when we acknowledge the passing of time - times when we can look back and look ahead. Times when we can pause for a few moments. Times when we can think about whether there are habits we want to break or new habits we want to start. Maybe a chance to wipe the slate clean and begin again. Obviously we can do those things at any point - but the hardest part is often starting. And for many people the first of January provides that extra incentive to start (or stop).
Whilst the middle of winter may not be the best time to start something new, (particularly if it involves going outside in a pair of shorts) today is always better than tomorrow. Waiting for 'the right time' usually just proves one thing - there is never a 'right time' - other than today. Life always has a habit of getting in the way. As I look back over 2013 it is safe to say that it did not turn out as I imagined - but as I look back over the past year, and further, my experience is that God is faithful. And that gives us confidence as we enter into the unknown.
On Sunday, as we said goodbye to our previous church, I preached from one of my favourite passages, 1 Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath. And one of the key messages I see in this passage is how David's perspective compares with everyone else's. Only David sees God in the situation - the 'armies of the Living God' as opposed to 'the armies of Israel' for example. David faces Goliath with confidence because he sees the situation from God's perspective. Everyone else is fearful because they see things from a human perspective.
So how is my perspective as I face the future? Is God right at the heart of it?
It can be very easy to get things out of perspective and one reason for this is that our memories are very selective. It can be very easy to remember the negatives and forget the positives. We focus on our failures but forget God's blessings. We easily forget what God has done and we don't stop to say 'Thank you'.
When it comes to keeping a diary or a journal - that's just not me. But as we drew a line under ten years in our past church I would love to be able to look back and remember more. So much happened in that time. And so one of my resolutions for 2014, as we start this new chapter in our lives, is to keep a journal. If I think about it too much I know I won't start. So I'd better go and just get on with it...
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