A Life of Worship Quote

"A life of worship does not occur when we are told how to feel about God but instead naturally occurs when we begin to comprehend who God is."

Praying to Dad!

Becoming CREDEMPTIVE...

This extract from an article about redeeming culture makes very interesting food for thought...

Instead of simply condemning, critiquing, consuming, and copying culture, the way forward is to create a good alternative. Otherwise, we are simply left at square one, with very little Christian progress in various cultures. So, instead of bemoaning bad movies, make better ones. Instead of copying contemporary music and inserting Christian lyrics, create new music and contribute to cultural change through innovation and creativity. Draw attention to your Creator through superior or innovative cultural action.

I suggest that we engage culture redemptively and creatively (“credemptively”?). Instead of choosing between the two, what would it look like for you to bring a redemptive worldview into your workplace, where you bring a gospel perspective upon a problem or person, while also working well to generate new solutions and answers? When you gain success, redemptive engagement calls you to make much of God, not of yourself. Instead of bemoaning the failing copier, you take the time to fix it and then use it to make copies of your new ideas to better your company! Instead of bragging that you fixed the seemingly unfixable copier, you remain humble and rejoice in the fact that it is working! Instead of just making new innovative music, make music that gives proceeds to relieve poverty and rest in Christ for your significance, not in your notoriety. Be credemptive!

Visit the full article here...

http://www.theresurgence.com/series/Redefining_Culture_and_Engagement

"Do you know what an idol is? An idol is anything you have to check with before you say YES to God" Kris Vallotton

No Matter What Is Going On For You.....

Mark 5:25-29 (The Message)

"A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years, a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well." The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with. "

Watch this here... Nicole C. Mullen One Touch [Press]

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THE LIFE OF THE LEGACY LEAVER

When I was at school we all had the opportunity to receive "misplaced" careers advice from a so called "qualified" professional who spent her days keying random bits of info into a computer and calculating a useless list of careers that we would all be most suited to. I kid you not that my biggest job choices came out as hairdresser and flower arranger. This vital conclusion was reached after asking me a series of inane questions such as "do you enjoy stacking things such as shelves?" and "what kind of meat would you not be willing to pack in a warehouse?" and so on...

Aside from the fact that I would make a terrible daffodil arranger, there are at least three jobs I am quite positive I would never be recommended to try out.

I mean can you imagine what it would be like? Being sleep deprived for days. Being woken up at 5am by the sound of a man in uniform shouting at you. Eating leftovers from the bin as a main meal and running aimlessly for miles without a clue where you are going. Before you ask, I am not talking about freshers week at uni as a student. I am thinking of what it must be like to be in the army.

In all honestly, being some hot shot SAS soldier is probably one of the things I am least suited in the world. I sort of share the army's motto to BE THE BEST, but my "best" doesn't stretch to doing 1000 press ups naked because I forgot to shine my shoes before my potato peeling shift.

Another career I would be certain to underperform at is that of the professional athlete (how to state the obvious I hear you say). One famous basketball coach once said "For an athlete to function properly, he must be intent. If you are not intent about what you are doing, you aren't able to resist the temptation to do something else that might be more fun at the moment.” The reason I would be rubbish is that I am too caught up with doing the fun things in the moment. I sometimes think I would rather have a short term kitkat break than a long term gold medal plan.

Finally, The Farmer is one role that I am in awe of and think is something that has been wildly undervalued over the last few years in Britain. I don't think I could ever do it. I have great respect for anyone who can have the resiliance and commitment to ensure that everyone has enough food on their table often at the expense of having it on their own.

Whilst the roles of soldier, athlete and farmer freak me out in the natural, I open my Bible to 2 Timothy and find my good friend Paul encouraging young Timothy to consider and copy the mindsets of these examples.

Like a soldier we must obey the commands of Jesus and not get caught up with affairs that are "civilian" or in other words "temporary not eternal" and not worth getting sidetracked by. These are the things that can hinder our lasting legacy. These affairs seem to be different for each one of us, but the challenge is always about heeding the call to longterm obedience rather than the draw to short term pleasure. I wonder what these things look like for you? This picture of the soldier is a stark reminder that we need to toughen up and realise that our walk with God may sometimes simply be downright difficult and hard. Something I rarely hear preached on a Sunday.

The key to not being caught up in "civilian things" is to take on the attitude of the athlete who learns to keep one eye on the rulebook and the other eye on the prize. It is about a disciplined approach of setting your sights on the eternal prize without letting go of knowing the right steps to take along the way. It is a form of earthly self control with heavenly vision that each of us must consider to ensure we win our race.

The great principle that we reap what we sow is of course correct in farming terms as well as in the spirit. It is simple justice that a farmer should be the one to taste the best of their crops, even though nowadays they rarely seem to do so. Not so in Pauls times, the farmer knew the season, knew the seed and expected to reap. So too in my life, I am to prepare for the season I am in, sow the right seed and live with fresh expectation for my share in the harvest. This is the attitude of the legacy leaver.

Lord, may we all live with the perseverance of the soldier, the vision of the Athlete and the wisdom of the Farmer. After all, these are three jobs I could never do, but three attitudes I am challenged to live by. Anyway, I am off to arrange some flowers and attempt to cut my wifes hair...

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things. 2 Timothy 2:3 - 7

How to leave a Legacy Part 4

Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 2 Timothy 2:1-2

I am quite sure that if Paul the Apostle was alive today then it is perfectly obvious (!) he would have used the examples of Paul Scholes, The NoroVirus and Pylons to demonstrate to Timothy the power of passing things on.

According to popular opinion, Paul Scholes is supposedly the greatest midfielder in the Premier League at the moment. His ability to pass the ball is legendary. The reason he is so effective in the field is that Paul Scholes knows how to pass it on.

Affectionately known as the "winter vomiting bug", the infectious Norovirus caused Heston Blumenthal a nightmare recently when it decided to infect 40 of his guests at the £130 a head Fat Duck restaurant. This badboy spreads faster than Anchor butter straight from the fridge. It knows how to pass it on.

According to pylons.org there is a Pylon Appreciation Society for people who "appreciate" electricity pylons. Before you laugh, heed the warning of the clubs creator who says "It's funny how many people accuse me of being mad or geeky - and then they send me photos or ask for more information!" I will give their fans one thing - these pylons really know how to pass electricity on. (You know you wanna join!)

When Paul writes to Timothy with a deep desire for him to create a lasting legacy with his life, one of the clearest points he wants to get across is that he must learn to pass things on to others. It is not just about having a sense of history, we must have a spirit of destiny as well.

The picture of four runners in a relay team is a really good one here. Paul (1) has the baton first, he passes it on to Timothy (2), who must pass it on to others (3). These men (4) must in turn be equipped to pass it on in order for the race to be won. There are four generations and beyond that must be able grasp hold of the baton of truth. It is almost as if Paul does not consider success until eternal truth has been passed down the line.


This makes me want to think ahead. Way ahead. It makes me question what I am sowing into now and wonder if it will last into the future. I often wonder about the church, project, people group or plans I am involved in right now, and if am I building in the capicity for it to flourish in four generations time. It makes me soberly assess the work of my hands and ask if truth in my life really is being passed onto the next generation. If this is how I win the race, then I'd better start passing the baton.