Too hot for Pip (2)

"What do you mean, 'We don't have air-conditioning'?"

Too hot for Pip!

It's just too hot for a poor pussy cat to handle!

My brain hurts!

As a school governor, in fact as the chair of the governing body of a local school, I get a fair amount of paperwork across my desk. One of the things we need to do as governors is to complete the wonderfully named FMSIS (Financial Management Standard in Schools) assessment by March 2010.

I had a look today at the DCFS website to see what we needed to do and see if there were any useful documents. Apparently there are. In fact there are over 150 useful documents listed on the toolkit "useful documents" page. 150!

Exactly who the government think sit on governing bodies? People with nothing else to do expect read their circulars! I'm all for doing things well and doing them right, but at this rate I'm not surprised fewer and fewer people are interested in being governors.

If anyone has any influence in these things, please don't bury people who care about supporting schools in paperwork and expectations that become a full-time job in themselves.

Moan over!

Scripture Memory

I use BibleGateway a lot these days. It's fast and fairly easy to use, although I do miss some of the nuances of my old software. One day I will take a deep breath and buy some software for the Mac, but as I yet I haven't seen anything that I really like and can afford!

Anyway, as I visited the site as part of my study time I noticed a link to the "top 100 verses" searched in March and April this year. Intrigued I took a look. Unsurprisingly John 3:16 was top of the list, but out of the 100 almost all of them would be worthy of learning if only we had the desire and discipline so to do. I remember my early days as a follower of Jesus as I rigourously and diligently applied myself to Scripture memory.

In that first year I did more foundational stuff than I think most new Christians get to do and it was all largely thanks to the fellowship and encouragement of the members of the Navigator group in Cardiff at the time. Sadly, my discipline in memorising the Bible has never quite reached the level of those early days, but there are times when I find myself committing things to memory. Perhaps it's time once again to take up the challenge.

Anyway, take a look at the list and see how rich the resource is that we have to hand.

Fibre-glass first run

I was not the teenager who got a car at an early age and learnt to repair bodywork and fix engines. In fact I didn't learn to drive until I was 24 or 25. To be honest I couldn't afford it before then and when I did learn to drive the company for whom I was working at the time paid the bill. But that's a story for another time!

Anyway, not withstanding my lack of experience with fibre-glass, I decided that it would probably be the best solution to some broken spigots from a gazebo. It blew over a couple of years ago and while all the poles and the canopy survived, three of the spigots didn't.

Two of them were badly broken with one tube detached from the main body and two or three tubes split along their length.

Using some two-part epoxy glue, I repaired the cracks as best I could. I used hose clips to secure them and apply pressure to the glue joint. Next I dabbled with the fibre-glass kit I bought from a local motorist store.

For our first attempt (I was ably assisted by Ally) we cut longish strips and wrapped them over the cracked sections. It was quite messy and while I think the result will hold, it wasn't very pretty!

Second time around I cut shorter pieces of the mat and built up a patchwork. This worked much better and was far easier to push into the corners and around the curves. Hopefully both will hold, but we shall find out on Sunday when we use it again, weather permitting!

Woodworking bits

Not much happening in my outdoor workshop. I was doing a repair job on some bits from a gazebo that had broken when the wind picked it up and blew it across the garden! Lots of epoxy adhesive and some fibre-glass too. We'll see how well it works. I also used some jubilee clips as part of the repair. Quite a Heath-Robinson affair.

One job I did do for the tool chest project was to make a couple of trays for bits and pieces. I continued with my scrap philosophy and found some pieces of 9mm ply for the sides and 6mm ply for the bases. They will do the job.

Another little job that needed finishing off was an adjustable stop for my mitre saw. It's a simple hand saw, nothing fancy. I usually end up with a block of wood clamped to another block of wood clamped to the bench to provide a stop, but I knew there would be a better solution. Once again I looked at all the 12mm ply left over and created a simple base with a sliding block.

The block can be clamped anywhere along the bench and the sliding block gives me a measure of fine adjustment.

The central slot was cut in two passes using a 6mm cutter in the router table.
These simple little jigs are really useful things to make as you go along. It doesn't take much work and it's quite a nice feeling to solve little problems that crop up time and again as you try to make repeatable cuts.

My end stop can be used with my drill press with a minor modification and I guess with anything that needs a measured distance.

Of copiers and mortal men

For about 3 months now I've been trying to get a photocopier fixed. You'd think it would be fairly simple, call an engineer, pay the fee, fix the copier. Not so easy. I have to confess that some of the delay is because it's not been No.1 on my priority list.

The company from whom I purchased said copier (a Canon IR1022A for those who want to know), have been helpful but I've struggled to get to speak to an engineer. I tried Canon themselves, but they were less than interested given that I didn't buy it directly from them and haven't got it on a service contract with them.

Finally I thought we'd cracked it this week having made contact with an engineer and arranged a service call. I thought too soon! I got a call this morning to tell me that I should call Canon because according to their records I'd only taken delivery of the copier in December of last year and therefore the problem would be fixed by Canon under warranty.

So I called Canon.

"Your contract isn't with us, it's with the distributor, you'll have to get them to organise it." I was not impressed. No matter how I pleaded for an explanation there was no moving Canon.

So I'm now back to very near square one, not knowing if anyone is going to fix my problem. And I'm rather frustrated. Canon is not on my Christmas card list!

And you know what's really frustrating is that when an engineer finally makes it to my door, he or she will plug in a laptop, download a bit of firmware and the thing will wake up and copy away as it did before the dreaded "Standby download" message appeared.

And the Doctor tells me to reduce my stress levels!!!

Simple ways to live out the mission of God

Back in April of this year the Church Planting Novice posted this "8 ways" article about being missional. Here are the 8 ideas, you can read the full post here.

1. Eat with Non-Christians.
2. Walk, Don’t Drive.
3. Be a Regular.
4. Hobby with Non-Christians.
5. Talk to Your Co-workers.
6. Volunteer with Non-Profits.
7. Participate in City Events.
8. Serve your Neighbours.

Following my Grandfather

I've had a little question buzzing around my head for a little while now. Should I follow my grandfather and go to the Gambia? Not  permanently  but at least for a visit. Let me tell you the story.

One day, while I was at college in the late 1980's studying theology I got a 'phone call from my father. He had a question for me about my grandfather. Now I knew very little about him. I knew that he'd been a Methodist minister at some point and that he'd left the church for some reason but that was about my sum total knowledge of the man. My father's question was about his father's nickname at college. He was called Typhos, and my Dad wanted to know what it meant. Well, it's a Classical Greek word not used in the New Testament so I looked it up in my big Greek dictionary and told him it meant a small lake or pool. Fairly obvious given that the family name is "Pool". Clearly they were nothing if not inventive at the turn of the 20th century.

Having shared this information with my father, I then asked why my grandfather had a Greek nickname. It turns out he was at a Methodist training college in Birmingham (which I think later became BBI) and cut short his studies to go and serve in Africa. Sadly the yearbook that had his photograph in and a something of the story of his call and response was lost in father's later years when he was suffering from dementia.

As I recall, someone came to the college to speak and talked of the desperate need for workers in the Gambia and my grandfather dropped everything and went. Suddenly I was no longer the only member of my family that had ever shared a passion for God's mission in the world. 

And now I have the opportunity to visit the Gambia and stand in the place my grandfather stood. I wonder if he felt the pressure of living on a limb, I wonder if he felt the burden of the church in the UK that I felt when I was in Africa in the 1970's. I wonder if he prayed for more people to follow God's call into kingdom service. I wonder if I am part of the answer to a prayer my grandfather prayed.

Such wonderings make me worry that my view of his life and ministry has more in common with the little house on the prairie than it does with the reality, but I can't help feeling that there's part of my journey that somehow connects with his and that it would, at the very least, be interesting to see the land he once felt compelled to serve.

Father's Day

Here are a few characteristics of our heavenly Father that you might want to reflect upon as Father's Day approaches.

He was willing to pay any price in order to save you.

He is always ready to meet your needs.

He loves you so much he is willing to disciple you to bring you to maturity.

He continues to do what is best for you even when you rebel against him and reject his love.

He does not make his love for you conditional upon you loving him.

He loves you even when you are not loving him.

He has made you an heir and has a home reserved for you in heaven.

Quite a tall order to emulate as a father!

These characteristics were paraphrased from a daily devotional in Experiencing God day-by-day, June 17th.

On moving

The penny is slowly but most definitely dropping that we are moving in the autumn. September is not that far away, and the enormity of the decision we've made casts quite a shadow! I guess that ministry has few peers when it comes to the factors involved in the change process.

Not only do you change jobs, but you change location, you change house, you change friends! The last of these is sometimes the hardest to bear. Maybe it's just me, but I always consider the people around me as friends more than "clients", so moving has quite an emotional cost. The truth is that busyness takes over and no matter how deep the friendships might be, busyness can rob you of the relationships you once enjoyed.

The nice thing is that you know that there are people all over the country, well at least in 6 places for us, with whom you have a strong connection. A connection that can be renewed through a chance encounter or an intentional visit. Just recently I bumped into an old friend at the Christian resources Exhibition. I hadn't seem Ian in a long time and it was great to pick up a conversation that rumbles on through our lives whether we're together or apart.

So here's to more friends with whom to enjoy the journey with God and for the many friends we already have who still mean much to us and who we miss now and will miss in the future.

Great Commission Resurgence

This is interesting.

I came across the GMR through a Google alert I have set for anything missional that pops up on the internet. If you've not tried using alerts, give it a try. It's a useful tool to capture themed ideas and resources.

Anyway, back the Great Commission Resurgence. GMR sets out ten core commitments for Southern Baptists with the intention of refocusing SBC churches on fulfilling the great commission of the church. Restoring the missional mandate to the church you might say.

Whilst not all the points would translate for every church, clearly some arise directly from recent debates within the movement (I'm no expert on SBC history and debates), there are some valuable core commitments that we should all take note of and consider.

I'm particularly drawn to the principles of Biblical communities, a clear focus on the great commandments and the great commission, gospel centredness, the Lordship of Christ and diversity. But it's all good.

Wood storage

It was high time I did some sorting out of all the accumulated bits of wood from last summer's projects and this year's woodworking. It had become a bit of a mess, and given that I work outdoors, it was getting unsightly too for anyone sitting in the garden.

The problem is that off-cuts always have a potential use someday!

So, with the able assistance of Ally, we made a bit box for all the off-cuts. In fact we made it from off cuts in the first place. A truly green woodworking project.

Now at least the waste wood looks tidy and the bonus was sorting out all the little blocks I'd cut for protecting surface during gluing and clamping.

Tool Chest Project (update 4)

Not much to report. I still need to decide what I'm going to do about the "tote" that goes in the back of the tool chest. I'm considering a sort of parts case of some sort, but then again, a simple tote for screwdrivers and bits and pieces that you don't want to go searching in the drawers for might be a good idea.

The thing is, I haven't actually decided if this is a workshop caddy or a portable tool chest. It's a bit on the heavy side for lugging around, and when it's got tools in it, it will obviously be even heavier!

It looks quite nice sitting on top of my router table cabinet, so maybe it will become a workshop cabinet for chisels and other things. So that begs the question, what would go in a tote for a workshop tool chest? Hmm. The metaphysical conundrums of woodworking!

The finish is yacht varnish, just two coats has produced quite a nice surface.

Dreaming of lathes

Well, I can dream can't I?

I've been looking, longingly at times, at lathes over the last week. I'd sort of settled on the one I was thinking I might buy and then I came across this Axminster lathe that looks exceptionally well priced.

Of course it doesn't stop at a lathe. I'll need a good set of turning tools (£100-£130), a decent scroll chuck (£100), a face plate and revolving centre (another £30-£40, although some lathes come with these and some don't) a bench grinder (£50-£60) and some wood to turn!!

Still, if I can sell the cross trainer, the airwalker and my golf clubs...

Maybe it's time I took the plunge and investigated ebay?

Daniel's Prayer

In chapter 9 of the story, Daniel prays a prayer of repentance on behalf of the nation. He associates himself with their failures, although he himself has lived a life of dedication and wholehearted commitment to God. He understands the times and knows that God spoke through Jeremiah about how long the exile would last.

In all of this there is no hint that Daniel judges the people for their sin or that he adopts a attitude other than that of a fallen human being desperately seeking grace from the God ho has come to know and trust throughout his faithful life.

When we pray for our nation, do we pray prayers of judgement or repentance? Do we pray for others the prayers they cannot or will not pray for themselves?

I wonder what difference it might make if we took Daniel's approach in our time?

Create Booklet

Ever since changing to a Mac I've been looking for something that will produce a booklet nice and easily. I've tried a couple of things including Clickbook which worked brilliantly on the PC but never seems to do what I want it to do on my Mac!

I may have found the solution courtesy of a friend of mine who pointed me to this neat little utility. It may not have the bells and whistles of Clickbook, but at least I get a booklet at the end of it in the format that I want.

The next step, and I hope the author finds it in his heart to do this soon, is to be able to shift the margins so that when I print out my address list for my diary, there is a suitable margin for the hole punch!

Missional Renaissance

A few quotes from Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal:

Missional is not a place you arrive at but a direction in which you are moving.

The role of the church is simply this: to bless the world. In doing this, the people of God reveal God's heart for the world.

The true vitality of a congregation rests in the abundant lives of its participants and in the blessed lives of the community it serves.

Our acts of service and love, not our oratorical brilliance and institutional success, will intrigue people with our message. Jesus followers live the truth; they don't just study it. Because of this, others are invited into truth and life.

Q&A from "The Church Must Change"

What was interesting, and not really surprising, was that many of the questions about engaging with the world beyond the church focused on "doing evangelism". It was as if the only way we can think of engaging with our far from God peers is to share the gospel with them.

Sharing the gospel is important, why wouldn't we want to tell them the truth about who God is and what he's done or them? But it wasn't what I was trying to get at. 

It was really interesting and challenging to hear and see that we haven't really got it yet when it comes to what living missionally might mean.

I hope I can make it a little clearer when I preach for them tomorrow morning. We shall see!

The Church Must Change

I went to speak at a nearby local church's weekend away this morning, although they are staying home for it! My topic was "The Church Must Change" and I was asked to be provocative! In brief, this is what I said.

I believe that the fundamental shape of that church is missional (and I’ll define that in a moment) and it’s focus is not internal, meeting the needs of the gathered faithful, but external, influencing the world through sharing kingdom life.

I would not argue with those who quote the creed and say that the chief end of man to worship God, but I would dispute that as a definition of the church. That, it seems to me, is where we have gone wrong. We have turned the missionary movement that we were meant to be into a gathered community of like-minded people who share their sense of collective disappointment that the rest of the world doesn’t realise how wrong it is.

The missional church refocuses our attention where it ought to be, on God’s redemptive work in the world he made amongst the people he loves. To be a missional people means simply:

To be partners with God in his mission.

That mission is redemptive (restoring the broken relationship between humanity and God through the cross of Christ) and it’s active (God came looking, Jesus said, “Go!”). God’s intention was made clear through his covenant with Abraham when he declared that he would bless Abraham in order that Abraham’s descendants would be a blessing to others.
Time and time again this principle of the people of God being a blessing to the world beyond the confines of the people of God is seen in the Old Testament story. Jonah is sent to Nineveh, Daniel serves in Babylon.

Fast forward into the New Testament and although the Gospels make it clear that Jesus focused his ministry on the Jewish people, he consistently blessed those beyond the nation of Israel. The Roman Centurion’s servant, the Syro-Phonecian woman’s daughter, and a Samaritan woman of questionable moral standards.

More telling than that was the derogatory title the religious people gave him: Friend of sinners. Not only did he bless people beyond the confines of the nation, he also befriended those within the nation but excluded from the religiously faithful community.

This is the kind of church I believe Jesus wants to build. A church made up of people who will partner with him on his mission to bless the world and share the message of his redemptive love and sacrifice.

What must Change?

Two fundamental things have to change. The church’s view of the world, and the church’s view of the church. Alongside these fundamental perspectives, our motivation for evangelism must also change.

The world is not the enemy, and it’s not the fault of the world that it finds itself as it is. Let me explain. Darkness is by its very nature dark. The problem is not the darkness, but the lack of light. When light shines, darkness disappears. Darkness does not overcome light, but where there is no light, darkness will rule.

Most church rules set out the responsibilities of members somewhere. They are almost always internally focused. It is heartbreaking that the expectations on members of the greatest missionary movement of all time makes little reference to the mission in which it's supposed to be engaged.

Secondly we must stop seeing ourselves as the faithful few who remain, but as the kingdom task force we are called to be.

Finally we must reshape the church. We need to adopt the principle of Christology drives missiology which drives ecclesiology. In other what we believe about Jesus determines how we understand our purpose and this in turn shapes the kind of church we become.