The World's Strongest Mullet

"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in." Ephesians 3:16

God wants you to be strong on the inside more than he wants you to appear strong on the outside. For over three decades the World’s Strongest Man has tested the limits of human strength, power, and endurance. The best strongmen on the planet take on the most demanding challenges like the Atlas Stones, the Fingal Fingers, and the Keg Toss. Yet even the mightiest brute force of one of the top competitors was no match for the Biblical powerhouse Samson.

Tonight I told the story of Samson's life ( found in Judges 13 - 16) to my three children as we sat in dim light on our king size bed, tucked up and enthralled at every twist and turn in his amazing life. I love that not all Biblical characters are heroes. I love that not all of our examples are perfect. For my children, it is such a great way to learn, by looking at others mistakes - and Samson made plenty!

Samson was a man of brute strength but not inner strength. Strong on the outside. Weak on the inside. His muscles were toned but his character was flabby. It reminded me of the prayer Paul prays for his people, one that focusses on them being filled with interior not just exterior power. In a media centred, image driven, consumer orientated world and in a media centred, image driven, consumer orientated church, we can so often miss the point that Samsons life makes to us. It is a point driven home by Paul's prayers and Jesus' teachings. The point is this: What you can't see is more important than what you can see.

There is a moment at the end of Samsons life where he is chained between two columns about to be executed by his enemies. No eyes. No strength. No hair. No escape. In the midst of this scene he reaches a point of repentance and he prays "Lord God, remember me. God, please give me strength one more time so I can pay these Philistines back for putting out my two eyes!"

Samson realised in huis dying moments that he was destined to be a brute force for God's Kingdom. Through his life he was given to God, but he had made some bad choices along the way including lying, deceitfulness and choosing terrible partners (sounds like an episode of Eastenders!) But get this:

ONLY WHEN HE COULDN'T SEE WITH HIS EYES DID SAMSON BEGIN TO SEE WITH HIS HEART.

It can be all too easy to rely on our natural strength, talent and ability at times. We want to seem strong to others. We want to test the limits of what "we" can do. We trust what we see. Why don't you close your eyes right now. Take away what you can see in the natural. See the world through the eyes of your heart. Take a moment to look into the spirit. Open the door of your heart and begin to find your inner strength in HIM today...

The Curse of Chesney Hawkes and The Call of God...

If for some reason you have been on another planet and you don’t know who Chesney Hawkes is or if you fancy a little dance down memory lane then take a minute to visit him here

Out of approximately 50,000 single releases, The One and Only was the twentieth most successful release of the nineties. It was the very definition of a ONE HIT WONDER! Chesney is still performing today and a few friends of mine recently went to a Student gig where the crowd spent the whole time shouting “sing the one and only” and then “sing the one and only” and then “sing the one and only”. Poor bloke... Imagine the proud moment when your single becomes a big hit around the globe and then imagine the humiliation of a life spent having to sing that blasted song over and over again!

Now I am not blaming Chesney for this (not exclusively anyway) but I think that the spirit of his song seems to influence us when it comes to thinking about the Call of God on our lives. So often we think about “me and my ministry” without considering other people or seeing our destiny outworked in the context of community. To put it bluntly Gods plans are not just about you.

Jesus spoke loads about the Kingdom and only a few times about church (now that’s a blog in itself!) but one of the key church verses is here...

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

The word "church" here is translated from the Greek ekklesia, meaning "called-out" or "assembly." The "church in the wilderness" consisted of those called out of physical Egypt and slavery; the New Testament church are those called out of the spiritual slavery into new life.

Once again if you are wondering if you are ever going to be “Called by God” for great things then I am pleased to say it is already in your name and nature.

You are a “CALLED OUT ONE”. You are part of a community of people who have been called by God to extend the kingdom. It is God's ministry we are going for, not yours. There is in God’s mind only one super star and one hero and that is Jesus Christ. Amazingly, we are part of his body. The church is the super star not you or me. God is raising up a nameless, faceless empowered generation who will fulfil the purpose for which we were all Called out for. And you are part of the team.

You may become a legend but you will still be a Leg - End, you are still part of the body.

If you have a specific spiritual gift it is for the benefit of the body of Christ. If you have a unique destiny it is to be outworked in community. If you have a purpose then it is for the benefit of the world. If you want to dream, dream bigger. If you want to see the Kingdom truly come, begin to seek God for your entire generation, not just for yourself. Begin to reach out to those around you who are still locked into a mindset that believes they are not yet special. And begin to empower others to empower others to empower others in the called out community.

Am I the ONE AND ONLY? No my friend you are not. And the quicker we see the bigger picture, the faster we will see what we were called out from and called out to as his church.

Hollywood Toilet Attendants and The Call of God...

I know that it is supposed to be one of the greatest places in the world but I actually think that Hollywood is potentially a really sad place. Every year thousands of young oscar hopefuls flock there to become the next Tom Cruise, but they always seem to end up bitter, frustrated and working in a bar on the edge of town along with all the other washed up actors, singers and musicians. Why else would you have so many good looking and amazingly talented toilet attendants in one city? Hollywood is a place full of people who missed their big break, people who didn’t get “the call” for the next big thing.

To be honest I think that some people see the church in the same way I see Tinsel Town (minus the attractive toilet attendants!)

Have you heard the Call of God yet? another young person asks me as they sit pondering what it is they are meant to do with their lives. THE CALL OF GOD is a much used phrase but sometimes it can leave you waiting for something to happen before you feel like you have made it. It can sometimes seem like you are amidst a whole generation who somehow missed the call to the next big thing.

The truth is that hearing the “Call of God” is much easier than we think. It is not necessarily a commissioning to a specific task that must be discovered, but rather a completely different way of life, that must be uncovered, in the context of friendship with God. In other words, our calling is not to do something but to be someone based on the knowledge that we are already called.

In fact, the Bible tells us we were CALLED BY GOD even before we became Christians and there are loads of scriptures which help give shape to the kind of calling we have already received. The NIV BIBLE tells us we are:

CALLED TO A LIFE WITH JESUS

• Called to belong to Jesus (Romans 1:5-6)
• Called into fellowship with Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:9)
• Called to become like Jesus (Romans 8:29)

CALLED TO A GODLY CHARACTER

• Called to live a worthy life (Ephesians 4:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:11)
• Called to be holy whilst connected in community (1 Corinthian 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:9)
• Called by God’s goodness after being given everything we need to serve God (2 Peter 1:5)
• Called to freedom (Galatians 5:13)
• Called to peace (Colossians 3:15)

CALLED TO A HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE

• Called by heavenly, not human, standards (1 Corinthians 1:26)
• Called out of darkness (1 Peter 2:9)
• Called to win a heavenly prize (Philippians 3:14)



We are ALL called for great things, even YOU. If you are struggling to see why you are here, it is time to remember who you are here. We are each “God’s Workmanship” created to do the good works he has given each of us to do. There are no “has beens” “mismatches” or “misfits” in the Kingdom of God.

Heaven is not Hollywood.

Each of us has unique gifts, tasks, purposes and seasons we will discover along the journey of our life, but first and foremost we are CALLED to be with Jesus. Maybe we should stop worrying about what we are supposed to do with our lives and start enjoying him. Read this verse from Thessalonians:

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfil every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.
2 Thessalonians 1:11

The writer is implying that God’s power is ready to be outworked in any of our good plans and any of our faith filled acts right now. Why? Because of who God has ALREADY called you to be. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A EXTRAORDINARY SUPER STAR YOU JUST HAVE TO BE AN ORDINARY SERVANT! Sometimes I think that we are waiting for God, whilst in fact God may be waiting for us.

The time has come for us to stop waiting to hear the call and start living and acting as if we had heard it already... It might just be SHOW TIME!

Kung Fu Noodles and The Call of God...

I have recently been asked the age old Christian question "What am I called to do". This question has reminded me again of the concept of "the call of God" which is a phrase people often associate with super Christians who have somehow stepped over into some super form of super service for God. "Have you heard the call of God yet?" they say as they float out of church into the spiritual sunset.

It is almost as if there are two levels of Christians - those who are simply born again and then those who are "called by God". Its a funny idea but it can affect our thinking in a couple of potentially damaging ways. Firstly it can leave us feeling inadequate and unfulfilled and secondly it can prevent us from "ministry" (which means service to God) because we have not "heard the call" we are waiting for. It can almost be like we are hanging around for a phone call from God ( I just called to say I love you?) before we get on with his business.

I think I used to believe three things about God's Call which I have begun to have my doubts about:

1. The Call of God is Elusive: It is something that must be sought for, discovered and found through long hard discipline and self sacrifice.

2. The Call of God is Exclusive: It is usually reserved for the few who have special tasks for special times in special places and normally involves the phrase "full time for the Lord".

3. The Call of God is Explosive: It is always highly impactive, highly visible and amazing fruitful at all times.

What about you? Do you think these are myths or do you think they could be true? Over the next few posts we are going to look at what it means to be "called by God" and whether or not it is something reserved for the few. In a way, the whole point of what I want to bring out for us, reminds me a little of the moral in the story of the film Kung Fu Panda.

I love that bit in Kung Fu Panda when Po is finally awarded the scroll and he sees that it is blank. He leaves the temple, convinced that he is not the mystical Dragon Warrior after all, and that he will never achieve greatness. Darn it - he missed the call!

Back home Po's noodle vending father made a fortune off if his special dish called, “Secret Ingredient Soup.” Believing that his son is finally ready to take over the family business, his father shares the secret ingredient with him.

“The secret is nothing.” Says the father. “To make something special, you just have to believe it is special.” The Panda opens the scroll again and realizes that he can see his own reflection in the golden paper. The moral of the story: “The secret ingredient is YOU.”

When Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs, he gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition. He sent them off with these instructions (the Message):

"Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment."

In other words, you are the secret ingredient. Now that's just about all the "call of God" I need to motivate me to get on and minister... I don't have to be an elite Christian who has some unique purpose in life guranteed to make history forever. I simply have to be myself. .

If you want to empower people you have to include them... Gareth Duffty

A NEW KIND OF LOVE...

What is love? (Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me. No more...)

Now that really is an excellent question ( minus the weird song bit). This Saturday couples all over the country will be expressing their love for one another through a well planned and executed romantic experience or by a slightly panicked BP Garage visit.

Each year during Valentines in the UK, £22 million is spent on flowers including 7 million red roses, 12 million cards are sent and 30 million WUBMV texts are sent every single February 14th.

I recently asked a load of young people what they thought love was and the responses were both predictable and interesting at the same time. The two main ideas coming through were that love is both emotional and physical. It is emotional in the sense that is an intense feeling people have for each other and physical in that an assortment of sexual phrases were mentioned over and over again during the brief survey!

One of the challenges of seeing love as purely emotional or physical is that feelings and experiences change so often that without a sense of commitment they can leave LOVE itself as throwaway or upgradable as the latest gadget or gismo in our consumer culture. We tend to band around the word love as fairly throwaway sometimes don't we? I love my cup of tea. I love my football. I love movies. And I really love that iPhone.

But what if love could be seen as emotional, physical and spiritual as well? One of the best ways I like to see what "spiritual" love could look like is to explore the life of the original St Valentine. The most popular belief about St Valentine is that he was a priest from Rome in the third century. Emperor Claudius had banned marriage because he thought married men were bad soldiers. Valentine thought this was unfair, so he broke the rules and arranged marriages in secret. When Claudius found out, Valentine was sentenced to death and thrown in jail. There, he fell in love with the jailor's blind daughter. When he was taken to be killed on 14 February he sent her a love letter signed "From your Valentine".

What I like about this story is that we see a kind of spiritual love expressed by St Valentine that:

a) Thinks more about others than Self
b) Sees beyond the Sacrifice
c) Looks beneath the Surface

This new kind of love is what we see God wants us to express in 1 Corinthians 13. This Love never gives up. This Love cares more for others than for self. This Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. It is a Love that doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head and doesn't force itself on others. This spiritual love isn't always "me first."

I am reminded that God himself is Love.

And it is this new kind of "God love" I want to give others and the kind I need to receive right now. St Valentine gave his life because he refused to believe that in the midst of a time of war and turmoil the light of love could be extinguished forever. I am not sure if Valentine himself is real or is just a legend, but it reminds me a little bit of true story I know where the sacrifice of a hero meant that the blind prisoner could go free. And that story is one that is not celebrated with the giving of chocolates and flowers once a year, but it is marked by the giving of our lives everyday...

Desperate for a snow day!

Whilst I love living in Coventry, I have to admit I am slightly disappointed at its inability to harbour any amount of dangerous snow. It seems to dissolve to an icy puddle every time it looks about to settle. Working in a school means that this week I have been like an excited teenager waking up each day to the vain hope that the Principal may just call a SNOW DAY!

The chance of a day off is always fun, but in reality isn't is a bit random to think that tiny flakes of frozen water can seem to bring the UK to a standstill.

The amount of chaos a bit of snow causes in our "health and safety" mad society is crazy. The whole country (except my bit of it) has virtually ground to a halt for fear of danger from Jack Frost. My Norwegian Friend told me today that her Dad once had to climb out of an upstairs window and shovel 6 foot of snow out of the way just so they could get out their own front door. And she still had to go to school! Apparently in Minnesota, some people's brains actually freeze it is so cold. And we moan about our driveway being slightly slippy.

Despite the silliness, I can still see the appeal to a young person who gets to miss school for that beloved snow day. It is like an unexpected holiday. A break from the routine. A little injection of "freedom" into our week.

My favourite verse in Micah talks about three things we can do to break the daily routine and inject freedom into our lives and others, without the need for faking weather reports to our mum and dad. It tells me quite simple to look out for others, to love being merciful and to walk humbly with God. These values can make everyday seem less than routine.

What could your Micah Moment look like today? Perhaps you could take some time to deliberately seek out justice for someone you know? Could you bring a fresh feeling of freedom to others? Why not throw a snowball of kindness to someone and take them by surprise? What if you could be the one person who walks humbly through the day by not moaning about having to be at school or work when others get to stay in bed?

Forget snow days. Go for some more Micah Moments instead.

You never know, your life might just start an avalanche of hope...

The Lord has told you, human, what is good; he has told you what he wants from you: to do what is right to other people, love being kind to others, and live humbly, obeying your God. Micah 6:8