The FOUNDATIONS Of The FUTURE...

"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." James 1:22

When I was a Kid I used to dream about the what the future would be like and look ahead at those amazing days when we would as Prince (or squiggle) told us to "party like it's 1999".

It was a future where everyone wore shiny space suits, flew around on hover boards and had robots that did everything for them especially school work. It was a vision that was a combination of Back to The Future with a bit of Button Moon thrown in for good measure!

Naturally my predictions about the future were quite wrong and it seems that I am not the only one to look at the world today and try to judge what things will be like in the distant future. Even so called "experts" don't always get it right - check out these quotes...

The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty, a fad. Advisor to Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company, 1903.

There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. President of Digital Equipment Corp arguing against the PC in 1977.

Television won't last because people will soon get tired of staring at a wooden box every night. Darryl Zanuck, movie producer, 20th Century Fox, 1946.

We laugh at these and other crazy things that people say are supposed to happen (remember the millennium bug?) but when it comes to things we say about our own future and the predictions we make about where we are going, we fail to see how often we miss the mark. We say things without ever knowing how we are going to make them happen. We are quick to talk the talk without intending to walk the walk.

Sadly thousands of young people who set out with passion and positive motivation for the days ahead end up distracted, sidetracked or worse still fallen away all together. Why? Because like the people that thought horses would rule the world and wondered why people would ever want to sit googling at a box night after night, they failed to see the bigger picture. And they failed to be a part of painting it.

Our futuristic vision should not only be founded on what we want to be for God tomorrow but how we can build towards it today. Are too many Christians living in static religious fantasy rather than living according to the dynamic dream of God? Are we not called to be doers of the word and not just speakers of it?

As we begin to conclude our look at foundations, we are challenged to be those who are willing to see the big picture now in order to build a foundation for our futures. Why not take some time to review some of the foundational mindsets we have looked at over the last few posts and see how you can begin to outwork them in reality of your life NOW. I have one risky prediction and I am desperate for it stand the test of time. My prediction for the empowered generation is that we will be those who don’t just fleetingly aspire to be History Makers but we will begin to purposely shape our futures today. Let the history books say we were more than those who simply knew it in our heads, but those who were willing to do it with our lives.

Our FOUNDATIONS are built on a new identity...

He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him... Ephesians 1:4

The crowd are silent in expectation as the presenter holds his thumb on the flap of the golden envelope, poised and ready for the big reveal. The background music grows ever tenser as the judges look helplessly towards their final acts, desperate to see them on the winners podium with sparkling confetti flying around their head. Then the drum roll quickens, the reminder of the phone lines long closed, and then there is deafening silence before these immortal words...

"And the winner of the X FACTOR 2008 is..... SILENCE........for a very long time................... more SILENCE....... and then..... ALLLLEEXXXANDRA!!!!" The crowd go wild. The crowd cry hallelujuah as another diva is born. The crowd go home.

I have often wondered what it must be like to stand before crowds of millions, knowing that you have been put through to the final round and basking in the knowledge that someone's vote made you special.

And then I think of what the Bible says about me. And maybe I know how it feels already? Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that you and I have been chosen by God? We have been picked out from the crowd by the ultimate judge.

Now when it comes to X Factor, everyone knows the difference between Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh. To be chosen by Simon you have to be the best, you have to be a unique talent, impressive, perfect in every way and packed with potential for success. You have to be good looking, a great singer and able to strut your stuff. To be chosen by Louis Walsh? You simply have to be Irish. He will always go for one of the clan anyday.

I am convinced that God is much more like Louis Walsh than Simon Cowell.

And you can quote me on that. Why? Because we are set apart as special (btw that is what "holy" actually means) not because we have some amazing talent but because we are part of the clan - God's own flesh and blood. It is not because we have gifts to offer but because Jesus is a gift himself that we make it through to bootcamp.

Perhaps our most important foundation is the wonderful knowledge that God lovingly picked us out and chose us to be his child. Sometimes I wonder if our prayers should be less like a "pick me" grovel to an impersonal judge and more like a grateful acceptance speech. Sometimes I wonder if I really understood how blameless I am in his eyes, whether I would stop trying to improve on my performance but simply begin to sing the victors song.

FOUNDATION CHECK: Have you taken time today to remember how God chose you before he even made the world? How does that make you feel? About yourself? About God? About your place in the world?

Our FOUNDATIONS are built on sacrifice...

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish...' Luke 14:28-31



"I've started so I'll finish". This was the catchphrase of the famous host of the old popular gameshow Mastermind. According to the words of Jesus this kind of talk is no laughing matter. It is apparently one of his favourite quotes.

At this time of year people get a big buzz from making New Years Resolutions and all sorts of plans for the future don't they? The top resolutions for the average person in 2009 include losing weight, getting organised, giving up smoking and spending more time with family. Whether or not they will look back on the year and see it as a success will largely depend on how long that gym membership lasts, how much will power they can muster up and how much they can stick to what they say they will do. At the end of the day, making resolutions in this season is often seen as a bright idea as opposed to a binding contract. But when it comes to laying the foundations of God in our life, Jesus challenges us not to make our "anytime resolutions" lightly.

No one likes being laughed at by anyone, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. But this is what may await us if we start and don't finish the greatest resolution we will ever make. We have to be willing to see it through to the end. And it may cost us dearly.

Have we "estimated the cost" to follow Jesus? Because today's "Page 1" foundation mindset asks us have we carefully considered the worth of the foundation we are about to lay? How much are we holding onto our cosy, comfortable lives and how much are we willing to let an inconvenient God take over? What about that friendship, that career dream or that reputation? What if it all has to go? Is it really worth the hassle? Is HE worth the hassle? These are questions not to be laughed at.

Jesus finishes his mastermind challenge in these verses by saying "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." Tough words, but perhaps they contain a secret grain of hope. What if the things we give up were not worth as much as that which we will gain in return? What if the things we see as oh so important now, won't be oh so important in eternity, and by letting go of what we see in front of our face, we may catch a glimpse of what we will see in front of the throne.

Is that the kind of foundation we would be willing to lay... and one we could stick with till the end?

FOUNDATION CHECK: What things have you had to give up in order to follow Jesus? Is it worth it so far? Is there anything else you need to let go of in order to start building your life in a fresh way?

Our FOUNDATIONS are built with Eternity in mind...

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss... I Corinthians 3:11-15

Our friend Paul starts a pretty deep conversation aimed at those who wish to build God's Church. At the point we join him above he makes the statement as clear as he can that no one can build on anything other than Jesus. Sound familiar? Are not we supposed to build our own lives with Jesus as the centre? In the same blueprint for constructing the church we can also see the plans for our own lives being drawn up too.

This is where it gets scary. Not scary, as in the "Ryan and Sharpay" from High School Musical Scary (it's much worse) but potentially the "Same Difference" kind of scary. It's that bad. Why? Because we are informed that we must build with eternity in mind...

Eternity is a very very very very very long time. I mean eternity is a very very very very very very very very long time. It's like forever! So what do we know about "forever"? One thing we do know is that some of the things that seem so important, so vital and so special to us now, will suddenly seem pointless, useless and may even vanish in eternity. Some stuff will last, other stuff won't. Perhaps you could take some time out today to consider what those eternal things may be?

At the end of time, each one of us will have the "fire test" applied to the work we have done in our lives. It is not that we will get kicked out of heaven if we don't become a goody two shoes: our place in God's loving arms is forever secure in Jesus. But what we do with our time - the "works of our hands" - these will be judged and filtered by heaven, and only what is eternal will remain. Yes that is scary, but at the same time I am filled with hope and a little bit of excitement too. What if what I do in life could echo in eternity? What if the words of my mouth, the imaginations of my heart and the deeds of our day could make a lasting mark in heaven!

Today's "Page 1" mindset is a prayer about foundations. It is a prayer that above all that our lives will be filled with things that will last and not pass away. May our dreams be focussed on the eternal Jesus and his eternal word. May we find our days filled with rumours of hope and outbursts of thankfulness for our lives that are being used by God to shape the future of eternity.

We finish with the wise words of high school musical: Let us not be those that seek to "bop bop bop to the top" of this worlds system but let us be those that look to be "the start of something new" today!

FOUNDATION CHECK: Make two columns on a page and then begin to list some of the common things you think, do and say with your life now. In one column put the heading "Temporary" and the other column write "Eternal". As you write out the activities and attitudes of your life, why not take some time to prayerfully consider what you see will one day be found as "wood, hay and straw" and what will shine forever as "gold, silver and precious stones". How could this list shape what your thoughts, behaviour and actions for tomorrow might just become?

Our FOUNDATIONS are built on words put into action

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7:24-27


The title of this passage in my Bible says "building on strong foundations". Most of us who have been Christians a while will remember the silly kids song about the wise man building his house upon the rock complete with actions and all (I bet you are singing it now in your head). I bet you know the song, but I also bet you used to read this wrongly like me. I always saw the wise man as a Christian and the foolish man as a Non Christian. This is slap bang wrong actually.

Looking afresh we see that the wise man is the one who not only hears Jesus's words but he puts them into practice. He is the one who builds his life on a solid foundation, not by what he knows, but by what he does in response. We have an active faith that only really makes sense when it is lived out through deliberate choices everyday. This is our Page 1 mindset - we hear the words of Jesus and then we do em!

Christians tend to spend a lot of time figuring out every single thing that they believe about every subject in the world. They try hard to get their knowledge of God correct in the hope that this will give us more faith and security. The reality is that Jesus said if you have even the tiniest bit of faith you can move mountains. As soon as we receive "mustard seed" faith by hearing the word of God, we are challenged by Jesus to move mountains. And you can't move a mountain without doing something!

Jesus's favourite song was "Don't Stop Moving" by S CLUB 7.

His words are designed to be put into action. You would never do a driving theory test and never start to drive. You would never but a wide screen telly and read the instructions but never turn it on. In the same way you can't listen to Jesus's words and say "that was nice" and then walk off and live like a man chilling in a house of sand. YOU GOTTA GET MOVING!

If you want to build a strong foundation, don't get tricked into the idea that hearing the words of Jesus is enough. You have to start living them out. Soon enough the wind will start to blow on both the wise and the foolish person, and then we will get to see which kind of person we are, not by how much we know of the Bible, but by the way our house stands up to the pressure of storm.

FOUNDATION CHECK: Do you know what the words of Jesus really are? How are you putting them into practice today?

A Response to the Foundations Series

My friend Faith's comments on my series on Foundations ring so true that I felt they deserved a whole post of their own.

"I am so challenged by this... so much of what the world has to offer is all about the 'rush', you would think the church would have it differently! The truth is, christians can be so focused on external things like miracles and moving in the spirit, that they by-pass the importance of building and caring for the foundations of what it truly means to follow jesus in their own lives. This can often lead to disappointment, as people constantly compare themselves to others around them, based on 'how many times did you pray in that meeting'. But really, if we recognise the importance of strengthening our foundations on the rock, Jesus, we will be completely secure in God, and gifts of the spirit will flow from that place."

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Our FOUNDATIONS are built on Jesus...

"Together, we are his (God's) house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself." Ephesians 2:20

Foundations are probably the most important part of any building. One of the first Bible Verses we find in the New Testament that talks about foundations refers to a different kind of building project that doesn't use bricks, but instead uses people - today we call this the church.

One of our "page 1" (where we start) mindsets we must have in place is the idea that when we become a Christian we are not alone anymore. We cannot exist independantly of one another. It doesn't matter who our family is, what our background is or how many people are in our little youth group on a Friday night. We are now more connected than Bill Gates. Any foundation we build must be laid in the context of community and never independence. It is never just about you and your own journey or how much you can be used by God personally. It is about seeing yourself and others as amazing living stones being built according to an awesome blueprint that includes people from all over the nations, who are joined as one. It is so much bigger than YOU. But it is not JUST about you being connected with other people.

Ephesians 2:20 tells us that we are part of God's House (the place where God hangs out - wow!) being formed and constructed on the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets. Prophets are the ones in our lives that take God's words and speak them into being for us at the right time in the right way. Apostles are the ones who are able to see the bigger picture, taking the words of the prophet and helping us outwork them into a life that counts for Jesus.

These supportive roles of people in our lives are foundationally important. Who is in our life that helps us hear from God for ourselves? Who is there to help us see the bigger picture and know where our journey is heading? But the most vital support of all comes from the one they describe as the cornerstone. the one the whole building is built on and without him the whole caboodle falls apart.

The foundation of your Christianity is Christ. You did not sign up for Churchianity.

When you signed up, you signed up to following a person. Not a programme, not a meeting, not a method, not a trendy youth group, but a person. If you want to build a strong foundation in your life, you must begin to build with Jesus. Without Jesus at the centre, we are not building God's House at all, we may simply be building a little shack, full of floating words, empty promises, self effort and good deeds. Maybe it is time to check our security is being built on the cornerstone and not just in the comfort of the house.

FOUNDATION CHECK: When was the last time you looked at the life and words of Jesus? Is it time to begin to rebuild your life with Jesus really at the centre?

Building Solid Foundations

A couple of weeks ago we managed to blag a free visit to Centre Parcs for the day from some of our lovely friends. Whilst we were there we were swimming in the massive subtropical dome and chilling with our friends. At one point my six year old daughter asked if she could go with me down the outdoor rapids which run fast, dipping and diving into little waterfalls all the way down the outside of the pool area. The problem was that she couldn't yet swim and had to wear an inflatable vest which those pesky life guards would be sure to pick up on and chuck us out. As I was trying to explain this all to my little girl, a random thought got stuck in my head: "We long for the excitement of the rapids, but we don't even know how to swim".

This phrase seems to sum up for me so many of the issues and challenges young people face today in church life. They are easily excited by adrenaline fuelled issues like healings, miracles and amazing signs of power but they are stumped by basic stuff like bible reading, prayer and the simplicity of knowing Jesus for real. They long for the excitement of the rapids, but they have not yet learned how to swim. In other words the foundations of their life are not in place.

A Foundation is that which holds any structure in place. It could be the roots of a tree, the concrete slabs at the bottom of a sky scraper or in symbolic terms the way in which we construct our lives. Our personal foundations are the ideas and behaviours that we build our life on and these are the basic building blocks by which we stand strong or fall flat on our faces.

Over the next few posts I am going to look at some of things that the Bible says should be our foundation for life. It may even surprise you when you really look at what it is like to start to build a life following Jesus. We will look at the "page 1" things that we need to get to grips with in order to be able to stand on the rock while the world keeps rolling...