Reputations

Been down at New Wine today to nick any good ideas from the London team for next week… it was great to be there and catch up with friends, drink excessive amounts of coffee and eat bad food…

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about my reputation. I am the kind of person who cares about what others think of me. I (like most people) want to be liked, thought well of, respected etc. I don’t like it if others misunderstand me or dislike me… I want to do something about it.

At a conference a couple of weeks back, there were some interesting things happening – the vicar of the church challenged us to lay down our reputations (being respectable) for the sake of being obedient to Christ. His words have stuck in my head ever since…

Here’s what I’m thinking about the whole thing.

I don’t want to be respectable if it means keeping myself “clean” and away from people who might get in my way or waste my time.

I don’t want to be respected for being diplomatic if it means that I’ve made the radical claims of Jesus into a self help course.

I don’t want people to like me because I tell them what they want to hear. I want them to like me because I’m brave enough to value them above their friendship.

I want to look stupid and foolish if it helps one person become a follower of Jesus.

I don’t want people to walk out after I’ve preached and gone “wasn’t he great”. I want people to walk out and go “isn’t Jesus amazing”.

I don’t want to be someone who tries to be a “rebel with a cause”… I want to be Chris

I don’t want to get promoted. I’d rather be demoted (in the Anglican church that probably means becoming a youth pastor again!!!!!!!!)

I REALLY want to learn what it means to be a FOOL for Christ.

Hmm.

RE:ACT Family Fun Day (well afternoon)

Great day today – as part of the HOPE 08 thing that we’re doing in Tewkesbury a team of people headed up by Rachel – youth worker at the Baptist Church, and Urban Saints (Christian Youth Charity) came and put on a family fun afternoon on the Vineyards in Tewkesbury.

We had loads of large inflatables, a free BBQ, free cakes, ice creams, drinks, German chocolate (don’t ask), a roadshow on the back of a lorry run by the team from Urban Saints, a prayer tent, face painting, hair braiding and a big 5 a side tournament.

The weather forecast didn’t look good but we had blue sky for most of the day, which led to about 1000 people turning up. Every single activity had huge queues. The whole day went fantastically well. After the games and free food had gone, we had “Church Outdoors” running afterwards with about 60 people present.

All in all a great day - big well done to Rachel and her fab team.

I spent my time teaching people how to look busy whilst doing nothing.

I think I should do a seminar on it at New Wine…

New Wine North (well at Newark anyway)

Had a great evening last night – spoke at the THIRST (14-19s) venue at New Wine North… having been working at Shepton Mallett for the last five years, going up to the North was fantastic. They’ve got clean cow sheds for a start!! The whole festival had a great community feel – its about half the size of the weeks at Shepton Mallett and I think that helps.

I think New Wine is a fantastic movement… I love the festivals, but more importantly, I love the focus on the local church – equipping it to be all that it should be… to be ready for ministry and mission. In fact if they didn’t have that focus, I’d probably have lost interest by now… because I L O V E the local church. 

I also managed to crash the leaders cheese and wine evening… very nice. Just a shame I had to drive back as they had some fantastic beers there.

My last preach

Spoke today at Trinity for the last time… spoke on the healing of the paralysed man in Luke 5.

If you want to listen this click HERE and follow the links to the sermon downloads.

Last weekend – anniversary of Tewkesbury Floods

Last weekend was a year on from the infamous floods that hit Tewkesbury (along with many other places). I have to say that it really was a significant anniversary for us in the town – not a time to celebrate, but a time to remember and a time to move on.

My lovely wife and some neighbours organised a fantastic street party including a pig roast, kids games, and generally just hanging out with those we live next door to. It felt like a great way to draw a line under the last year…

It feels really sad to be leaving such a great community… we all know each others names, we genuinely call our neighbours our friends. So contrary to the majority of places where people might not even know the names of those next door. I feel like I’ve tasted something good…

The gospel in nine words

Death is dead

Love has won

Christ has conquered

 

 

(thanks to Stuart Townend and Keith Getty)

Lakeland Outpouring

Had an excellent day at St Andrews Chorleywood yesterday with some of our team from Holy Trinity. The day was all about finding out more about the events in Lakeland, Florida, where it appears that God is moving powerfully… lots of others I know have blogged about the whole thing and I don’t think I’ve got anything to add on that front (see Hitchmo and David Gate’s blogs for their comments). Nonetheless, I am CONVINCED that this is a wonderful move of God – firing up the church for the benefit of the world.

We had a wonderful time worshipping the Lord – to be honest, that would have been enough simply because it was like standing under a cool waterfall on a hot day. Then Mark Stibbe (vicar at St Andrews) led a time of prayer, asking God to meet with His people and to empower them for ministry in the different places we were.

God did just that. Quite dramatically. For me, it was like Someone blew away the cobwebs that had accumulated over the years. I had such a great time… laughing, singing, and a bit more laughing.

However… I’m determined that this won’t just become for me a good opportunity for a “bless up”. There is no point in that – God gives to us so that we can give away. I for one intend to do just that. There are too many people who have never heard about Jesus… too many people who have a bad experience of lifeless religion… too many people dying in poverty… too many people… too many people… too many people.

Let Your fire fall…

A very good Sunday

Yesterday was a great Sunday…

Baptism and confirmation service at Trinity… my lovely wife got confirmed, and I got to help baptise one of the girls in my cell group.

I never get bored of those kind of services… listening to stories of lives changed by God.

In the evening I went to speak at a great little church in Awre (by the River Severn in the Forest of Dean). A 14yr old guy at their church was so inspired after being at New Wine (Christian festival) that he set up a monthly service at their church with more contemporary music, teaching and prayer ministry. I took a friend to lead worship, and a couple of teens from my youth group and we went along.

It was a great evening… we all came back totally inspired and knowing that we’d met with God… in a tiny village that most of you have never heard of.

Portugal

Just had a fantastic week in Portugal on the Algarve with friends… blue sky, BBQs, beaches. Shame I missed all the good weather here.

Less than three weeks until I finish my job here at Trinity… about 6 weeks till we move to Brizzle… 2 months and I’ll be studying again.

Time flies when you’re having fun…