Over the last few weeks, maybe even months, I've been thinking and praying for some friends who I know are feeling the pressure of walking with God at the moment. I've often wondered what I could or should say to them. Wondered what encouraging word I could share with them, or what gift I could give them to let them know that God is still there for them and still loves them and still hungers for them. Something that will let them know that whatever the situation is at the moment, set in the context of eternity it's so very small.
So here's something really simple that sits in the back of my mind and occasionally comes to the forefront.
King David was a great poet, that much we know. He was skilled in many things musical and things to do with looking after sheep. He was described as a man after God's own heart. But he made mistakes. He messed up big time with Bathsheba and paid a heavy price for his mistake.
One of the things God says about David is that he was a man with a good heart. David wanted to build a temple for God, he had the plans drawn up and the money set aside. He did all the work he could, but he didn't get to build the temple. Solomon got that job. In the story, not building the temple, was a direct consequence of David's moral failure. But although God punished his sin, he never denied his heart.
When it came to the temple, God said he didn't need one, he was happy with the old tent, but he knew David had a good heart and meant well with his plans, so he accepted the temple. When it came to David's sin God challenged him, rebuked him, punished him and forgive him, but he never rejected David's heart. He never told him, "I don't want your temple now you've messed up."
God simply said, "It was good that David it had it in his heart to build a temple" (1Kings 8; 2Chr. 6).
I wonder about what it is in your heart that God is saying, "It's good that you have this in your heart." You may not see the fulfilment of it, you may have to hand it over to someone else to do, but God says of you: "It was good that you had this in your heart."
These words were precious to me when I realised that my first ministry was to come to an end. 18 months before moving on, God spoke through these passages of the Old Testament and I realised that if I was going to walk with God then I needed to have a light hold on everything I considered my ministry to be.
Maybe they will be precious to you too.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Make your own reusable bag
I was watching BBC Breakfast this morning whilst tucking into my low-fat Greek yoghurt and granola (we're into low GL/GI eating these days) and I saw a piece about some folk who were making bags from old clothes and duvet covers etc. and giving them away for free in exchange for plastic bags.
It looked like a really good idea so I tracked down their website and you can find it here.
Recently I watched a documentary about the waste problems in the Pacific. There's one particular beach where all the rubbish washes up and it's appalling to see the amount of junk that's been thrown into the oceans.
According to statistics we use around 300 plastic carrier bags per head a year in the UK. So when I saw this piece this morning it caught my imagination.
We're going to have a go at making our own bags, if only to remove the bags we would use through a year from circulation. I guess that even though we reuse and recycle our plastic bags, reducing how many we use is always going to b e a good thing.
And then I wondered if we could make enough at church to give them away as an outreach event. Nothing too bold, just a simple way of expressing our concern for the environment as Christians.
When we've made our first bag I'll post a photo!
It looked like a really good idea so I tracked down their website and you can find it here.
Recently I watched a documentary about the waste problems in the Pacific. There's one particular beach where all the rubbish washes up and it's appalling to see the amount of junk that's been thrown into the oceans.
According to statistics we use around 300 plastic carrier bags per head a year in the UK. So when I saw this piece this morning it caught my imagination.
We're going to have a go at making our own bags, if only to remove the bags we would use through a year from circulation. I guess that even though we reuse and recycle our plastic bags, reducing how many we use is always going to b e a good thing.
And then I wondered if we could make enough at church to give them away as an outreach event. Nothing too bold, just a simple way of expressing our concern for the environment as Christians.
When we've made our first bag I'll post a photo!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Preaching themes or expounding texts?
I read a letter recently in my denominational newspaper that suggested that thematic preaching was the "junk food" of modern church life. By contrast, a healthy diet consists of good old expository preaching like we used to have. The problem is that the church has had centuries of good teaching, systematic theology and expository preaching and yet it remains largely ineffective when it comes to fulfilling it's primary mandate.
The letter writer went on to suggest that a "thematic" sermon was something that could be thrown together with some ease and without any real hard work or study. A few well chosen verses, a few hand-picked stories and or quotes gleaned from the Internet and the job was done.
But I happen to disagree with the premise that thematic preaching is to good teaching what a burger and fries is to a healthy diet. I know that a thematic sermon can, and should be, a carefully developed expository sermon too. I know that it takes as much, if not more, study and preparation to do a good job with a theme compared to a straight exposition.
And maybe the thing about a theme is that it forces you to think. It forces you to ask big questions of the text, and it forces to seek to hold together the whole message of the Bible and not just a small part. But then again that's probably true for the kind of expository preaching of which the letter writer spoke.
Perhaps, in the end, we need both. Perhaps the key to good preaching is making a connection between the Biblical world and the 21st century world. Between the world in which we live our day-to-day lives and the world of God's great revelation. Good old application as they used to say in my Bible study group.
The letter writer went on to suggest that a "thematic" sermon was something that could be thrown together with some ease and without any real hard work or study. A few well chosen verses, a few hand-picked stories and or quotes gleaned from the Internet and the job was done.
But I happen to disagree with the premise that thematic preaching is to good teaching what a burger and fries is to a healthy diet. I know that a thematic sermon can, and should be, a carefully developed expository sermon too. I know that it takes as much, if not more, study and preparation to do a good job with a theme compared to a straight exposition.
And maybe the thing about a theme is that it forces you to think. It forces you to ask big questions of the text, and it forces to seek to hold together the whole message of the Bible and not just a small part. But then again that's probably true for the kind of expository preaching of which the letter writer spoke.
Perhaps, in the end, we need both. Perhaps the key to good preaching is making a connection between the Biblical world and the 21st century world. Between the world in which we live our day-to-day lives and the world of God's great revelation. Good old application as they used to say in my Bible study group.
Monday, May 14, 2007
A prayer for the day
"Lord, here I am. I want to be available to you today to do whatever you ask, nothing more, nothing less. Give me an open heart and a willing spirit to follow your lead. Help me connect with the people you bring across my path today. Help me to point them towards you and leave them ready for the next step on their journey towards your kingdom."
Amen
Amen
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
The Connecting Church Association
When I found the Connecting Church blog I didn't have time to explore any further than the blog, which as I said is very new (and there's still nothing much on it!). Anyway, I eventually had a little more time and found my way to the website (not rocket science I know).
You can find it here.
I discovered too that I have the book on my bookshelf in the "books to read" section. I have a big "books to read" section, and I keep adding to it. I wonder if Amazon would survive if not for church leaders like me!
You can find it here.
I discovered too that I have the book on my bookshelf in the "books to read" section. I have a big "books to read" section, and I keep adding to it. I wonder if Amazon would survive if not for church leaders like me!
knowing the times
Remember the men of Issachar? They understood the times and knew what Israel should do (1Chr.12:32).
Well, I'm currently reading Building a Strategic Church by David Beer, and this thought seems to come up early in the book. In chapter 2 on Strong Leadership he begins by referencing Dr Sam Keen who said that a wise person was someone 'who knows what time it is' in their own life and the history around them.
David Beer goes on to say that: A strategic church is a church that knows 'what time it is' in their church and in their community. (p34)
So it seems that good leaders are people who have this sense of both destiny (I was born for this) and context (I was born to do this here and now). I guess it might be easy to become arrogant if you thought this way without a servant heart and the humility that goes along with that. I'm certainly conscious of my shortcomings, and that anything I achieve I do so by the grace of God and not by my own efforts. But I guess I do need a sense of destiny. Perhaps calling is a word that will sit more comfortably, but either works for me I think.
What I do know is that God does not want me, or anyone in my church or in my community, simply to fill time or fill a pew. God wants us to fulfill a destiny and knowing the times and knowing what we should do is part of that process of fulfilment.
Apparently, the men of Issachar still live!
Related posts; The men of Issachar; The men of Issachar again
Well, I'm currently reading Building a Strategic Church by David Beer, and this thought seems to come up early in the book. In chapter 2 on Strong Leadership he begins by referencing Dr Sam Keen who said that a wise person was someone 'who knows what time it is' in their own life and the history around them.
David Beer goes on to say that: A strategic church is a church that knows 'what time it is' in their church and in their community. (p34)
So it seems that good leaders are people who have this sense of both destiny (I was born for this) and context (I was born to do this here and now). I guess it might be easy to become arrogant if you thought this way without a servant heart and the humility that goes along with that. I'm certainly conscious of my shortcomings, and that anything I achieve I do so by the grace of God and not by my own efforts. But I guess I do need a sense of destiny. Perhaps calling is a word that will sit more comfortably, but either works for me I think.
What I do know is that God does not want me, or anyone in my church or in my community, simply to fill time or fill a pew. God wants us to fulfill a destiny and knowing the times and knowing what we should do is part of that process of fulfilment.
Apparently, the men of Issachar still live!
Related posts; The men of Issachar; The men of Issachar again
Monday, May 07, 2007
The world deserves better
You know how it is, you're standing in front of the congregation preaching away and you hear yourself saying something that stops you in your tracks. You keep going of course because it's usually important to do that given that there are people waiting to hear what's coming next! But in the back of your mind and somewhere deep in your heart and soul you've heard God speak something into your life.
In my experience this doesn't happen every Sunday, but it did this last Sunday.
We were exploring our third big theme: The community. We thought about how we understood community and how we could relate better to our wider community I talked about becoming part of the DNA of the community. I talked about how a cell is defined by the DNA it contains and that our communities are defined by their DNA. If the church is at the heart of the community then the com unity should be different because of it. And then I said it, a little phrase that God used to penetrate deep into my soul.
The community deserves a better church.
Now this is in no way a criticism of my church. I think we're on the right track, I think we're holding on to a dream and vision that God has given to us that is deeply rooted in this idea of being the DNA of our community. But the world deserves our best shot. The world deserves the church being the best that it can be at being the family of God. I don't want to settle for anything less.
I haven't figured out what it means yet, but I know deep down inside of me that God has something profound to say. Church can no longer be mediocre and irrelevant, the world deserves better than that.
As I spoke those words on Sunday I felt the emotion rise within me, I felt as if I'd touched the heart of God and shared, for a moment, his passion for the missing members of his family in a way I've not felt it before. Call them lost, call them missing, call them unchurched, it doesn't really matter, Jesus misses them and they deserve a church that points them back home and shows them what it means to be reconected with God.
In my experience this doesn't happen every Sunday, but it did this last Sunday.
We were exploring our third big theme: The community. We thought about how we understood community and how we could relate better to our wider community I talked about becoming part of the DNA of the community. I talked about how a cell is defined by the DNA it contains and that our communities are defined by their DNA. If the church is at the heart of the community then the com unity should be different because of it. And then I said it, a little phrase that God used to penetrate deep into my soul.
The community deserves a better church.
Now this is in no way a criticism of my church. I think we're on the right track, I think we're holding on to a dream and vision that God has given to us that is deeply rooted in this idea of being the DNA of our community. But the world deserves our best shot. The world deserves the church being the best that it can be at being the family of God. I don't want to settle for anything less.
I haven't figured out what it means yet, but I know deep down inside of me that God has something profound to say. Church can no longer be mediocre and irrelevant, the world deserves better than that.
As I spoke those words on Sunday I felt the emotion rise within me, I felt as if I'd touched the heart of God and shared, for a moment, his passion for the missing members of his family in a way I've not felt it before. Call them lost, call them missing, call them unchurched, it doesn't really matter, Jesus misses them and they deserve a church that points them back home and shows them what it means to be reconected with God.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
The Connecting Church
I'm working on the third in our series of big themes (The Community) this morning and I ran a search on the internet to see what might be out there. I came across a really new blog called The Connecting Church. It's really new, nothing much on it at the moment, but it might grow.
If you're interested in the concept or have some questions, stories or ideas, then you might want to visit the blog here or at the very least monitor it through your feed reader.
If you're interested in the concept or have some questions, stories or ideas, then you might want to visit the blog here or at the very least monitor it through your feed reader.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Doing an ordinary thing
Tomorrow I'll be doing an ordinary thing. It's not a big thing, just a simple thing. Tomorrow I'll give someone the help they need to get a job done. It will cost me some time, it will cost me some effort. I'll have to make conversation with someone I don't know that well, but I hope I'll know a little better by the end of our trip.
I could spend my day doing extraordinary things. I could do some big things. I could, but I won't because often I find God in the small things.
I'd love to do some big things. I'd love to tell you stories of how God has used me to influence this person and that person. I'd love to tell you all about the people who have come to faith because of the amazing ministry I have, but I won't. I can't. Mine is not a ministry like that.
Mine is a ministry of small things. I don't minimise what I do, after all I'm in the business of doing things that have eternal significance. There are people wandering around this small green/blue planet who are living lives closer to God, not because of me, but because of something God spoke into their lives through me.
This is not a delusion of grandeur, it's what I do, it's what God does through me, and I like being used by God. It's just I'm a minster of small things, and I don't despise the day of small things because maybe a big day is coming. And if it's not, then I'd be wasting my time waiting around for it and I'd be missing out on such a lot of opportunities to do something significant for the kingdom when I do a small thing in a small way at a small cost.
So here's to the small things.Here's to my little road trip tomorrow.
You never know, I might be reporting something big because of it!
I could spend my day doing extraordinary things. I could do some big things. I could, but I won't because often I find God in the small things.
I'd love to do some big things. I'd love to tell you stories of how God has used me to influence this person and that person. I'd love to tell you all about the people who have come to faith because of the amazing ministry I have, but I won't. I can't. Mine is not a ministry like that.
Mine is a ministry of small things. I don't minimise what I do, after all I'm in the business of doing things that have eternal significance. There are people wandering around this small green/blue planet who are living lives closer to God, not because of me, but because of something God spoke into their lives through me.
This is not a delusion of grandeur, it's what I do, it's what God does through me, and I like being used by God. It's just I'm a minster of small things, and I don't despise the day of small things because maybe a big day is coming. And if it's not, then I'd be wasting my time waiting around for it and I'd be missing out on such a lot of opportunities to do something significant for the kingdom when I do a small thing in a small way at a small cost.
So here's to the small things.Here's to my little road trip tomorrow.
You never know, I might be reporting something big because of it!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
One small step
A little while ago I wrote about our aims and objectives at church. This last Sunday we began to explore them together as a congregation. Rather than just give everyone the answers, we decided that it would be a good idea to try something a little more interactive. So I presented the first of our big themes "The Journey".
Briefly I went through the background and then some basic principles of what I believe is a Biblical approach to walking with people on their spiritual journey. After that we invited the congregation to divide into small groups and answer three questions. These were:
1. Who is on your heart at this time? This could be someone for whom they have been praying for a long time, or maybe someone with whom they have recently made a connection.
2. What groups of people are on your heart at this time? This could be "the elderly" or "the homeless".
Neither of these proved too hard for anyone. We had a big board at the front with a line on it to represent the spiritual journey and we wrote the names of folk down on post-its and stuck them on the board along the line. Not very scientific, but it served to illustrate the point that every person can be in a different place on their spiritual journey and that means that we will need to do something different for them to help them along the way towards Jesus Christ.
The third question stumped almost everyone.
3. What should we do differently to help these people take another step on their spiritual journey?
Over at withreach.com there's an interesting quote from a survey done about church credibility in the community. I'll simply quote the thing in full (if you want to go to the webpage it's here):
Perhaps the nuts and bolts of the answer lies in the coming alongside and the listening.
I'm looking forward to next week when we talk about building great Christian community. Let the revolution begin!!
Briefly I went through the background and then some basic principles of what I believe is a Biblical approach to walking with people on their spiritual journey. After that we invited the congregation to divide into small groups and answer three questions. These were:
1. Who is on your heart at this time? This could be someone for whom they have been praying for a long time, or maybe someone with whom they have recently made a connection.
2. What groups of people are on your heart at this time? This could be "the elderly" or "the homeless".
Neither of these proved too hard for anyone. We had a big board at the front with a line on it to represent the spiritual journey and we wrote the names of folk down on post-its and stuck them on the board along the line. Not very scientific, but it served to illustrate the point that every person can be in a different place on their spiritual journey and that means that we will need to do something different for them to help them along the way towards Jesus Christ.
The third question stumped almost everyone.
3. What should we do differently to help these people take another step on their spiritual journey?
Over at withreach.com there's an interesting quote from a survey done about church credibility in the community. I'll simply quote the thing in full (if you want to go to the webpage it's here):
- A large religious publisher asked on a nationwide survey what churches ought to do more of in order to be credible and true to purpose. Among respondents who are active in a church, the predominant answers focused on sharing Christ (and on worship). The predominant answer from non-church attenders:
Do more for the poor and the hungry
We often validate ourselves by outreach, by the Great Commission. The people we want to reach validate us by the Great Commandment.
But it’s slightly more subtle than that.
The subtly has to do with the very concept of outreach. Outreach categorizes people as “in” or “out,” and targets the ones who are out. We tend to be very skilled at this. We name committees and annual campaigns “outreach,” we have “outreach” training, buy “outreach” programs. But few people like to be targeted.
What people do respond to, is when we seek to come alongside, connect with them naturally and at a meaningful level, develop community with them, listen for their heart’s dream as well as their hurts and needs, discern what God may already have begun within them, and journey with them toward God and toward God’s dreams for them and for us.
As to the matter of doing more for the poor and hungry, people in contemporary America – think of your neighbors – are far more likely to respond to being asked to help, than to be the “target” of our charity. “Withreach” applies to the Great Commandment as well.
Perhaps the nuts and bolts of the answer lies in the coming alongside and the listening.
I'm looking forward to next week when we talk about building great Christian community. Let the revolution begin!!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Just a thought
Been away at Spring Harvest. Quite enjoyed ourselves too.
While away, I read this verse in Luke's Gospel:
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.
(Luke 15:1 NLT)
Now I know this is not true of my ministry, and I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing it's not true of many other ministries either.
This is not a criticism, it's just an observation. I mean, wouldn't it be really great if people who needed Jesus actually came to listen to us talk about him? But they don't. Perhaps we just don't have the same draw that Jesus had. Perhaps they don't think we want them to come into our nice tidy world, a world where they fear judgement rather than expect acceptance.
Perhaps.
While away, I read this verse in Luke's Gospel:
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.
(Luke 15:1 NLT)
Now I know this is not true of my ministry, and I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing it's not true of many other ministries either.
This is not a criticism, it's just an observation. I mean, wouldn't it be really great if people who needed Jesus actually came to listen to us talk about him? But they don't. Perhaps we just don't have the same draw that Jesus had. Perhaps they don't think we want them to come into our nice tidy world, a world where they fear judgement rather than expect acceptance.
Perhaps.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Finishing well
Last Sunday I finished off the series on The Sermon on the Mount that we've been doing at church. We reviewed what we'd been learning about character, influence, righteousness, disciplined discipleship, and relationships. The final part of course is all about the wise and foolish builders.
It strikes me that one of the reasons Jesus finishes with this illustration is that the gospel is all about choice. It's your choice whether to follow Jesus or not. So he says make a wise choice. But secondly, I think he is also making the point that you need to make a wise choice of foundation precisely because the storms of life will come. You will have days when the rain pours down and floods rise up against you. And on that day, you need to know you're on a sure foundation.
This got me thinking, and I asked myself a question and I asked the congregation the same question too. Why is it that too many Christians appear to start strong and finish weak? Why do they, do we start well and finish poorly?
I have an unwritten goal for my Christian life and that is to make my last day my most effective day for the sake of the kingdom. I want to finish well. I haven't defined what finishing well might look like, perhaps I don't need to. Perhaps that's best left to God who will, one day, welcome me into heaven. If I do need to define it, it won't be defined in terms of numbers or how well-known or influential I've become on some grand scale. I just know that finishing poorly is not on my agenda. I want to finish well, I want to finish strongly.
A few years ago my Dad passed away, and a couple of years before that my Mum died. Both of them were around 80 years of age. By my calculation that leaves me around 30 years if I reach the same age. Maybe I'll live longer, maybe not, only God knows that one. But 30 years is a long time to wait if it's going to be a poor finish. So I'm thinking 30 years is long enough for me to make a real contribution to the kingdom.
So, in the words of Isaiah, a favourite among the prophets, "Here I am Lord, send me."And maybe, my epitaph will be, "He finished well!" Or maybe not.
It strikes me that one of the reasons Jesus finishes with this illustration is that the gospel is all about choice. It's your choice whether to follow Jesus or not. So he says make a wise choice. But secondly, I think he is also making the point that you need to make a wise choice of foundation precisely because the storms of life will come. You will have days when the rain pours down and floods rise up against you. And on that day, you need to know you're on a sure foundation.
This got me thinking, and I asked myself a question and I asked the congregation the same question too. Why is it that too many Christians appear to start strong and finish weak? Why do they, do we start well and finish poorly?
I have an unwritten goal for my Christian life and that is to make my last day my most effective day for the sake of the kingdom. I want to finish well. I haven't defined what finishing well might look like, perhaps I don't need to. Perhaps that's best left to God who will, one day, welcome me into heaven. If I do need to define it, it won't be defined in terms of numbers or how well-known or influential I've become on some grand scale. I just know that finishing poorly is not on my agenda. I want to finish well, I want to finish strongly.
A few years ago my Dad passed away, and a couple of years before that my Mum died. Both of them were around 80 years of age. By my calculation that leaves me around 30 years if I reach the same age. Maybe I'll live longer, maybe not, only God knows that one. But 30 years is a long time to wait if it's going to be a poor finish. So I'm thinking 30 years is long enough for me to make a real contribution to the kingdom.
So, in the words of Isaiah, a favourite among the prophets, "Here I am Lord, send me."And maybe, my epitaph will be, "He finished well!" Or maybe not.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Burying my head in the sand
According to a raft of emails I've received over the last week or so, this is exactly what I'm doing if I don't protest about a planned mosque to built in time for the 2012 Olympics in London. According to the email Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, plans to use taxpayers money to build this mosque and we should, as good Christians, protest at this.
Now I don't know what Mr Livingstone's actual plans are, and I have to say that I would be a little concerned if the plan was to use so-called "tax-payer money" for the whole project. But another part of me is really concerned at the way we're being drawn into protesting about these kind of things. I'm just wondering if it's the right approach.
I went to see the film Amazing Grace the other day. I was deeply moved by it. I'm still not sure if it really did justice to the issues and the story, but it was okay. Here was a man, Wilberforce, who was moved by God and encouraged by others to protest at the highest levels of government. For years his protests led nowhere, but eventually the transatlantic slave trade was ended.
Through Wilberforce's Bill, the world was changed and he went on to be involved in many other examples of social change in the UK. This is Christian "protesting" at it's best.
If you are going to sign, or have already signed, the petition about the mosque then let me ask you what you're doing about modern slavery or issues of social justice. Are you as vocal about these issues as you are concerned about a religious building? I know for some this building project is another step along the road towards the eventual suppression of all things Christian. I know many people fear the rise of philosophies and religious movements that might one day remove our rights and erode our Christian heritage. But maybe the best way to preserve our heritage is to focus on the issues that move God's heart. Remember the words of Amos the prophet:
He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with the Lord your God. (Amos 6:8)
Now I don't know what Mr Livingstone's actual plans are, and I have to say that I would be a little concerned if the plan was to use so-called "tax-payer money" for the whole project. But another part of me is really concerned at the way we're being drawn into protesting about these kind of things. I'm just wondering if it's the right approach.
I went to see the film Amazing Grace the other day. I was deeply moved by it. I'm still not sure if it really did justice to the issues and the story, but it was okay. Here was a man, Wilberforce, who was moved by God and encouraged by others to protest at the highest levels of government. For years his protests led nowhere, but eventually the transatlantic slave trade was ended.
Through Wilberforce's Bill, the world was changed and he went on to be involved in many other examples of social change in the UK. This is Christian "protesting" at it's best.
If you are going to sign, or have already signed, the petition about the mosque then let me ask you what you're doing about modern slavery or issues of social justice. Are you as vocal about these issues as you are concerned about a religious building? I know for some this building project is another step along the road towards the eventual suppression of all things Christian. I know many people fear the rise of philosophies and religious movements that might one day remove our rights and erode our Christian heritage. But maybe the best way to preserve our heritage is to focus on the issues that move God's heart. Remember the words of Amos the prophet:
He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with the Lord your God. (Amos 6:8)
Friday, March 23, 2007
Taking it on the chin
One of the key leadership skills that I don't hear many people talk about is how to handle criticism. It's bound to come your way from time to time, and how you deal with it is key to moving forward. So here are some of my random rules for dealing with criticism.
1. It hurts. Criticism always hurts. Recognising that it hurts helps me to process it more objectively. I think that's because I know it's okay to hurt but it's not okay to lash out and strike back or to dwell on it or let it fester.
2. Don't make snap responses. I remember a good friend of mine saying that once you're in ministry, you're in the firing line. The best thing, he said, was not to respond by justifying yourself. That just produces an argument. In fact make your first response a thank you for the other person's courage to be honest and their care for you in bringing the matter to your attention. You'll be surprised at how often that calms the storm.
3. Reflect. Often, no matter how poorly handled and presented, there is a seed of truth in the criticism. The things I most often get criticised about usually reflect an area of my character, ministry or life that needs addressing. Not necessarily in the way the purveyor of the criticism thinks, but in some way. Sometimes they are so wide of the mark, that there is no basis for the criticism. If, after reflecting, I feel that way, I try and check out my conclusions with someone I trust. Rule 4 kicks in.
4. Always have someone who can help you process the big stuff. Actually processing the little stuff can need help too, because unprocessed or processed badly just makes it big stuff sooner or later.
5. Discern the voice behind the criticism. My friend Andy White blogged about working alone and the issues surrounding the inner voice of doom. Discerning the root of the voice of criticism is vital to healthy processing. When criticism comes it often arouses feelings of low self-worth after you've finished being angry. (If you're only ever angry about criticism see rule 3!) The inner voice begins to tell you that you have no value, that you're not cut out for leadership, that God can't possible use you etc. etc. It's simply not true. I'm doing what I do because God has called me and gifted me to do it. I just don't do it the way some people want it done. Sometimes that's my fault because I get things wrong, I focus on the wrong thing and I'm not too hot on organising myself. But if I'm anybody's failure then I'm God's failure and I know he still loves me even.
6. Be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up, there are plenty of people out there in the wider world who would gladly do that for you, and they'd probably do a better job anyway.
7. If the first 6 rules haven't worked, go buy yourself a cup of your favourite coffee, or in my case fruit smoothie, and put the criticism to one side until you're in better shape to deal with it all.
Now, where are my car keys....
1. It hurts. Criticism always hurts. Recognising that it hurts helps me to process it more objectively. I think that's because I know it's okay to hurt but it's not okay to lash out and strike back or to dwell on it or let it fester.
2. Don't make snap responses. I remember a good friend of mine saying that once you're in ministry, you're in the firing line. The best thing, he said, was not to respond by justifying yourself. That just produces an argument. In fact make your first response a thank you for the other person's courage to be honest and their care for you in bringing the matter to your attention. You'll be surprised at how often that calms the storm.
3. Reflect. Often, no matter how poorly handled and presented, there is a seed of truth in the criticism. The things I most often get criticised about usually reflect an area of my character, ministry or life that needs addressing. Not necessarily in the way the purveyor of the criticism thinks, but in some way. Sometimes they are so wide of the mark, that there is no basis for the criticism. If, after reflecting, I feel that way, I try and check out my conclusions with someone I trust. Rule 4 kicks in.
4. Always have someone who can help you process the big stuff. Actually processing the little stuff can need help too, because unprocessed or processed badly just makes it big stuff sooner or later.
5. Discern the voice behind the criticism. My friend Andy White blogged about working alone and the issues surrounding the inner voice of doom. Discerning the root of the voice of criticism is vital to healthy processing. When criticism comes it often arouses feelings of low self-worth after you've finished being angry. (If you're only ever angry about criticism see rule 3!) The inner voice begins to tell you that you have no value, that you're not cut out for leadership, that God can't possible use you etc. etc. It's simply not true. I'm doing what I do because God has called me and gifted me to do it. I just don't do it the way some people want it done. Sometimes that's my fault because I get things wrong, I focus on the wrong thing and I'm not too hot on organising myself. But if I'm anybody's failure then I'm God's failure and I know he still loves me even.
6. Be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up, there are plenty of people out there in the wider world who would gladly do that for you, and they'd probably do a better job anyway.
7. If the first 6 rules haven't worked, go buy yourself a cup of your favourite coffee, or in my case fruit smoothie, and put the criticism to one side until you're in better shape to deal with it all.
Now, where are my car keys....
Friday, March 09, 2007
Take an ordinary walk
Back in 1991 I attended what I believe was the first Willow Creek conference in the UK. It was in Birmingham, and I remember driving from my then home in Newark in Nottinghamshire each morning at 6:00am to be there.
That conference radically affected my view of church. For many years I’d wondered about the relationship between the “unchurched” and the church. Like many events, and books, and conversations since then, that conference opened up a whole new vocabulary for my thinking.
Since then I’ve wandered through the worlds of Ordinary Attempts, emerging church, organic church, servant evangelism and a few others along the way. All the time I’ve been trying to synthesise how I feel about the church, about mission and most importantly how God feels about it.
I’m still trying. But what I’m beginning to find is that there is a thread running through many current ideas and approaches to outreach. I’m hoping one day to find a way of connecting the dots and seeing a bigger picture emerge. At church we’re getting clearer about our vision and the kind of church God is calling us to become.
Recently I got hold of a new resource from Willow Creek called Just walk across the room. It must be two or three years since I first heard Bill Hybels talk about this approach to evangelism. One of our small groups is about to engage with the four-week programme and I’m looking forward to being a part of that group.
In a nutshell the course is all about how to take simple steps that point people to faith. For me, it sits comfortably alongside everything I’ve been learning about serving others, doing OA’s and simply trying to connect people who are far from God with the God who loves them.
A quote from the book helps explain where it all begins to connect up:
If we share the dream to become radically loving, outwardly focused, grace-giving people, then we ought to be the first ones to expand our hearts and invite folk to come into the kingdom.
Just walk across the room, p66
I’m desperate to become more effective in inviting others to join this journey of faith. And I believe passionately that it was never meant to be as hard as we’ve made it over the centuries since Jesus began his world-changing movement.
Later in the book, Bill Hybels talks about the incident in the gospels when Jesus heals the man with the withered hand. He talks about how the Pharisees were looking for something to hang an accusation on and how they might even of found the guy with the withered hand and invited him to the synagogue to see what would happen He finishes by speculating about the conversation Jesus and the healed man might have had.
… I envision Jesus saying, “… what are your plans? Juggling? Piano? What is it that you dream about doing, my friend?”
In my imagination, they chat about this man’s long-awaited passion pursuits. And possibly the man turns to Jesus and says, “Well, what are your dreams?”…
I imagine Jesus articulating his dream with words that are absolutely captivating to me:
“You know, I dream that someday, places of worship will be filled with people who lay awake at night concerned about the human beings my Father created. Who care about broken bodies and broken souls and hopeless futures and hell-bound eternities. I dream of the day when people who gather in my name are so filled with the love of the Father that they go out and spread his love and extend healthy hands to withered hands-praying, coaching, and encouraging them to live walk in the fullness of life. I dream of worship centres filled with radically loving, outwardly focused, Christ-sharing people. That’s what I dream about.”
Walk p 74
These extracts don’t do the book justice and they certainly don’t tell the whole story. But I dream about it too. Do you?
That conference radically affected my view of church. For many years I’d wondered about the relationship between the “unchurched” and the church. Like many events, and books, and conversations since then, that conference opened up a whole new vocabulary for my thinking.
Since then I’ve wandered through the worlds of Ordinary Attempts, emerging church, organic church, servant evangelism and a few others along the way. All the time I’ve been trying to synthesise how I feel about the church, about mission and most importantly how God feels about it.
I’m still trying. But what I’m beginning to find is that there is a thread running through many current ideas and approaches to outreach. I’m hoping one day to find a way of connecting the dots and seeing a bigger picture emerge. At church we’re getting clearer about our vision and the kind of church God is calling us to become.
Recently I got hold of a new resource from Willow Creek called Just walk across the room. It must be two or three years since I first heard Bill Hybels talk about this approach to evangelism. One of our small groups is about to engage with the four-week programme and I’m looking forward to being a part of that group.
In a nutshell the course is all about how to take simple steps that point people to faith. For me, it sits comfortably alongside everything I’ve been learning about serving others, doing OA’s and simply trying to connect people who are far from God with the God who loves them.
A quote from the book helps explain where it all begins to connect up:
If we share the dream to become radically loving, outwardly focused, grace-giving people, then we ought to be the first ones to expand our hearts and invite folk to come into the kingdom.
Just walk across the room, p66
I’m desperate to become more effective in inviting others to join this journey of faith. And I believe passionately that it was never meant to be as hard as we’ve made it over the centuries since Jesus began his world-changing movement.
Later in the book, Bill Hybels talks about the incident in the gospels when Jesus heals the man with the withered hand. He talks about how the Pharisees were looking for something to hang an accusation on and how they might even of found the guy with the withered hand and invited him to the synagogue to see what would happen He finishes by speculating about the conversation Jesus and the healed man might have had.
… I envision Jesus saying, “… what are your plans? Juggling? Piano? What is it that you dream about doing, my friend?”
In my imagination, they chat about this man’s long-awaited passion pursuits. And possibly the man turns to Jesus and says, “Well, what are your dreams?”…
I imagine Jesus articulating his dream with words that are absolutely captivating to me:
“You know, I dream that someday, places of worship will be filled with people who lay awake at night concerned about the human beings my Father created. Who care about broken bodies and broken souls and hopeless futures and hell-bound eternities. I dream of the day when people who gather in my name are so filled with the love of the Father that they go out and spread his love and extend healthy hands to withered hands-praying, coaching, and encouraging them to live walk in the fullness of life. I dream of worship centres filled with radically loving, outwardly focused, Christ-sharing people. That’s what I dream about.”
Walk p 74
These extracts don’t do the book justice and they certainly don’t tell the whole story. But I dream about it too. Do you?
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Another "Proud Dad" moment
Here's Ally talking to Kevin MaCloud, the presenter of Grand Designs about her photographs.She was asked to submit some of her work to be used in a new Estate Agents in the town. Six of her photographs were chosen.
Apparently they were well admired.
Here's a picture of the display.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Say thank you, and see if it makes a difference
I was reading through various blogs this morning and came across two things that tweaked at my imagination. The first was a post on Tim Sanders blog about the need to make sure we compliment each other.
He comments:
The premise is simple: You cannot let your people wither away and die at work. Many of them desperately need their talents recognized by you, be they as small as they might be in your P&L view...
...When it comes to management strategies, remember, Love Is The Killer App.
It seems to me that this principle applies at church too. As a leader I make it my business to say thank you to people. I thank the members of the worship group each Sunday. I also try to thank everyone who has made a contribution that day, and I guess I ought to thank folk for just turning up and being a part of what God is doing in our midst.
This kind of connected with the next thing I read from Total Leadership on the leader and corporate worship.
Tad Thompson writes:
Now this one may sound easy for a pastor or even a lay leader. But for me, it is possible to preach and not worship corporately. See the temptation is in viewing the preaching as my job and not as worship. Ministry can become a job and not worship. In the days of Josiah, the temple was no longer the place of worship and the book of law had been lost somewhere in a dark, dusty corner. The temple was in disarray because corporate worship had been ignored.
A true leader worships God with God’s people. This is a non-negotiable. Today worship has become negotiable because it is seen as entertainment. It is not seen as a means for the protection of our very soul.
Now what struck me is that whilst not everyone will agree that worship has become entertainment, we must agree that it certainly has to compete with many other things for a person's commitment. Perhaps they get thanked for their involvement with Sunday football, but never thanked for being at worship. Perhpas people are not committment shy but feeling under valued at church.
I know it's not about us, but we live in such a self-centred world that we need to connect with people where they start and not where we want them to finish. So let's try saying thank you a little more often.
He comments:
The premise is simple: You cannot let your people wither away and die at work. Many of them desperately need their talents recognized by you, be they as small as they might be in your P&L view...
...When it comes to management strategies, remember, Love Is The Killer App.
It seems to me that this principle applies at church too. As a leader I make it my business to say thank you to people. I thank the members of the worship group each Sunday. I also try to thank everyone who has made a contribution that day, and I guess I ought to thank folk for just turning up and being a part of what God is doing in our midst.
This kind of connected with the next thing I read from Total Leadership on the leader and corporate worship.
Tad Thompson writes:
Now this one may sound easy for a pastor or even a lay leader. But for me, it is possible to preach and not worship corporately. See the temptation is in viewing the preaching as my job and not as worship. Ministry can become a job and not worship. In the days of Josiah, the temple was no longer the place of worship and the book of law had been lost somewhere in a dark, dusty corner. The temple was in disarray because corporate worship had been ignored.
A true leader worships God with God’s people. This is a non-negotiable. Today worship has become negotiable because it is seen as entertainment. It is not seen as a means for the protection of our very soul.
Now what struck me is that whilst not everyone will agree that worship has become entertainment, we must agree that it certainly has to compete with many other things for a person's commitment. Perhaps they get thanked for their involvement with Sunday football, but never thanked for being at worship. Perhpas people are not committment shy but feeling under valued at church.
I know it's not about us, but we live in such a self-centred world that we need to connect with people where they start and not where we want them to finish. So let's try saying thank you a little more often.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Wisdom to live by
Check out these 6 principles of wisdom form the churchrelevance.com site.
Beeson's wisdom.
My favourite:
Just keep doing the next right thing.“I don’t have to worry about everything, I just need to focus on doing the next right thing, right now, in front of me in this very minute. Then, after that decision is made, I can move on to the next right thing.”
Beeson's wisdom.
My favourite:
Just keep doing the next right thing.“I don’t have to worry about everything, I just need to focus on doing the next right thing, right now, in front of me in this very minute. Then, after that decision is made, I can move on to the next right thing.”
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Looking for unity
There is a well known phrase drawn from the Old Testament that goes something like this:
Where brothers (and sisters) live together in harmony, that's where God commands a blessing.
It comes from Psalm 133, but, as I far as I know, it's not a verse form the Bible although it's often quoted as such. I've searched in as many ways as i can, and as ever I have this nagging thought that I've missed something, but as I said, as far as can tell it's not a direct quote.
That's not the point though. The point is that in-fighting in the church has to stop. There is too much at stake. The world needs a better example of problem solving and difference resolution than we currently give it.
We are one, church. We share one faith, one Lord, one baptism. Now I know how hard that is to accept, but it's the truth.
I've just read a blog entry outlining a talk given by Thom Rainer, and he speaks powerfully about the choices we need to make to work towards a better unity in the church. I know he's speaking from the perspective of the SBC, but surely it goes beyond our narrow denominational boundaries too.
Here is his list of commitments. I know nothing about the first one, but everything after that is a challenge!
Though I am a fallible and sinful person, I will seek God’s power to stay true to the following:
1. I stand firm on the inerrant Word of God. I support without reservation the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
2. Though I may disagree with some on secondary and tertiary issues, I will not let those points of disagreement tear down bridges of relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ.
3. I will seek to join with those who will work together on the common causes of missions, evangelism and the health of the local church.
4. I will seek God’s will in prayer before I write or speak a word of disagreement against another brother or sister in Christ or even a non-Christian. I will seek to see the plank in my own eye before pointing out the splinter in another person’s eye. I will follow the truths of Matthew 18 when I feel that I need to confront a brother or sister in Christ.
5. I will spend more time rejoicing in the Lord (Phil 4:4).
6. I will seek God’s power to have a more gentle and Christlike spirit (Phil 4:5).
7. I will pray that the lost and the unchurched world will know me by my Christlike love.
Such is my commitment.
If God so leads, I invite you to join me in building bridges.
Where brothers (and sisters) live together in harmony, that's where God commands a blessing.
It comes from Psalm 133, but, as I far as I know, it's not a verse form the Bible although it's often quoted as such. I've searched in as many ways as i can, and as ever I have this nagging thought that I've missed something, but as I said, as far as can tell it's not a direct quote.
That's not the point though. The point is that in-fighting in the church has to stop. There is too much at stake. The world needs a better example of problem solving and difference resolution than we currently give it.
We are one, church. We share one faith, one Lord, one baptism. Now I know how hard that is to accept, but it's the truth.
I've just read a blog entry outlining a talk given by Thom Rainer, and he speaks powerfully about the choices we need to make to work towards a better unity in the church. I know he's speaking from the perspective of the SBC, but surely it goes beyond our narrow denominational boundaries too.
Here is his list of commitments. I know nothing about the first one, but everything after that is a challenge!
Though I am a fallible and sinful person, I will seek God’s power to stay true to the following:
1. I stand firm on the inerrant Word of God. I support without reservation the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
2. Though I may disagree with some on secondary and tertiary issues, I will not let those points of disagreement tear down bridges of relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ.
3. I will seek to join with those who will work together on the common causes of missions, evangelism and the health of the local church.
4. I will seek God’s will in prayer before I write or speak a word of disagreement against another brother or sister in Christ or even a non-Christian. I will seek to see the plank in my own eye before pointing out the splinter in another person’s eye. I will follow the truths of Matthew 18 when I feel that I need to confront a brother or sister in Christ.
5. I will spend more time rejoicing in the Lord (Phil 4:4).
6. I will seek God’s power to have a more gentle and Christlike spirit (Phil 4:5).
7. I will pray that the lost and the unchurched world will know me by my Christlike love.
Such is my commitment.
If God so leads, I invite you to join me in building bridges.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Aims and Objectives
We, the leadership team at Cotton End, spent the day away together to talk about various leadership issues. One of the things we've been trying to do over recent months is to get some real clarity about the vision and call that God has for us.
As part of that process we worked on some aims. There's still a lot to do, but when I and a helpful church member distilled it all down, we came up with the following.
Cotton End Baptist Church - Aims & Objectives:
Our Five core values are a deep commitment to: (1) Jesus, (2) each other, (3) The Community, (4) authentic Christian lifestyle and (5) to prayer & worship.
Our Purpose is: To love as many people as possible into a deep and growing relationship with Jesus. To support everyone on their spiritual journey so that everyone can be involved in ministry and mission. Enabling more people to follow Jesus better.
In order to fulfil this call from God, our Aims are to:
Walk with people on their journey with God (recognising that we are all on that journey).
That means:
As part of that process we worked on some aims. There's still a lot to do, but when I and a helpful church member distilled it all down, we came up with the following.
Cotton End Baptist Church - Aims & Objectives:
Our Five core values are a deep commitment to: (1) Jesus, (2) each other, (3) The Community, (4) authentic Christian lifestyle and (5) to prayer & worship.
Our Purpose is: To love as many people as possible into a deep and growing relationship with Jesus. To support everyone on their spiritual journey so that everyone can be involved in ministry and mission. Enabling more people to follow Jesus better.
In order to fulfil this call from God, our Aims are to:
Walk with people on their journey with God (recognising that we are all on that journey).
That means:
- Being a place to ask questions about life, that is safe, without prejudice or pressure.
- Enabling all to come under Biblical Teaching and adopt increasing Biblical lifestyles (which are authentic Christian lifestyles, or Holiness).
- Giving people space and time to grow in their understanding and experience of God.
Accepting people who wish to belong before believing. - Helping everyone learn to worship & pray, in ways honouring our God given diversity.
- Offering support to all at every age and every stage of life and spiritual journey.
Build Great Christian Community (based on the Bible’s teachings)
That means:
- Building great friendships
- Spending time together
- Opening our lives to each other
Play Our Full Part in the Rest of the Community (because churches are part of it too)
That means:
Getting involved in what is already happening in The Community
Work “with” The Community and not just “for” The Community
Engaging on issues of justice, poverty and oppression
Seeking to improve education, health and social welfare.
Social responsibility and caring for our environment
Being part of the DNA of The Community
Reach Out to our Neighbours
That means:
- Being intentional about building relationships and doing mission.
- By planning (disciplined thinking) and disciplined action.
- Loving as many people as possible into relationship with Jesus. (including: through kindness, influence, generosity and genuine love, helping people and serving people.)
- Showing and telling people that God loves them and Jesus has shown it
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