Media

How come the church always get bad press? One dodgy vicar does something stupid and it gets high press coverage, or a church says something and it gets taken out of context and ends up looking cruel and harsh.

How about when it comes to the church doing good things? How much press does the church get then?

I was reading the article in the Times today about street pastors in Plymouth (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4877404.ece) and was thinking, "Why aren't there more of these?". The church does so much good. If you took Christians out of volunteer/charity work it would probably suffer a great deal! Let's remember it's because of Christians that we have the abolition of slavery, women have the right to vote, we have free education and free health care, among many others!

We do good things all the time but all it takes is ONE stupid thing and it's all over the place. Wouldn't it be nice to get just as much coverage for the good stuff? I was at New Wine this summer and over 300 people got healed! Over 300 got miraclously healed by God from physical pain!

How about that for a headline?

My life is not my own

'My life is not my own' may sound like a confession of identity theft but surely it should be the heart cry of every Christian around the world? We are told in several places and in several contexts that “You are not your own; you were bought at a price...” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

We were BOUGHT. Jesus was beaten, nails were hammered into his hands and feet, a spear shoved into his side and he descended into hell instead of us. That's a price I'm sure we are all grateful he paid for us but now because of this we are not our own.

I've been contemplating this fact over the last week. What does it actually mean that my life is not my own? How does that work?

It means that My success, My relationships, My bank statement, My possessions, My life are nothing. It's not about me. It's about Him. My success is about Him, My relationships are about Him, My bank statement is about Him, My possessions are about Him, My life is about Him. It's not my glory, it's His glory. It's not my name, it's His name. Sometimes we get so caught up with what's going on with us that we forget that it's nothing to do with us in the first place.

So what's your response? Will you continue living for you? Or will you proclaim 'my life is not my own' and start living for God?

God of this city

There's a new song that has been stuck in my head.


You're the God this city, You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation, You are
You're the light in this darkness, You're the hope to the hopeless
You're the peace to the restless, You are

There is no one like our God, there is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city


Amen to that. Now lets get out there and do it!

God's heart

In the last few months I've come to realise more and more how rubbish I am. I say/do things I shouldn't, I don't do/don't say things I should. I have a big problem....I'm human (good to know I'm not alone). I'll always do something wrong but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try.

I've noticed this has impacted the songs I've been writing as a trend has occurred. Lines like -

"I need YOUR heart to break ME", "I need YOUR heart", "Give me YOUR heart"

keep coming up again and again. I need God's heart, I'm rubbish on my own. I constantly need to go back to God and ask Him to sort me out.

I long for that day when I'll be complete and I stop annoying myself and other people

My prayer-

'Create in me a pure heart, O God...' Psalm 51:10

The lies we sing

I think Tozer is quickly becoming one of my heros. He says exactly what people need to hear but are too afraid to say. I came across this quote recently:

"Christians don't tell lies they just go to church and sing them" A.W.Tozer

How often do Christians go to church, go through the motions, sing the songs and arive at the other end completely....UNchanged?

We sing lies. We sing, "In all I do, I honour you", but we don't. We sing, "I surrender all to You", yet again we don't. We sing so many reponses to what God has done for us and we simply walk away and don't.

I know that I'm one of the worst culprits. I lead people in these songs every week and then I do nothing...

It's time to stop singing lies and to start singing truths.

ilike - Jonny Patton

Passion?

I've been thinking a lot about Passion. What does it mean? Do I have it?

When Tom (Youth minister) and Gavin (Vicar) were asked to wait on the Lord for what He sees when He looks at me. They both had the same word...Passion.

God sees passion? Is He really looking in my direction or was He looking at someone over my shoulder? I think as I've pondered this I have some words to add to how God sees me.

Passion...(on my terms)

I have a great passion for God and for leading people in worship to Him but sure that's just leading some songs? As long I look lost in 'worship' and seem like a respectable chap in church service then job done...right? Oh how wrong.

I think this word is meant to challenge me as I live my life as 'a holy and living sacrifice' because after all that is TRUE worship. Everytime I don't help a friend, don't clean the dishes, hold back from doing something because I don't really want to do it, I'm not living as though I've got Passion!

I need help

I need more of God

I need more Passion.

Pure Flame

Saviour, lo! The isles are waiting,
Stretched the hand and strained the sight
For thy Spirit, new creating,
Love's pure flame and wisdom's light

Arthur Cleveland Coxe

Patience

Patience seems to be a word on my mind a lot.
No matter if it's work or in my personal life God always seems to be saying, “Be patient!”. Oh how I've come to not like those words at times. “I want it now!” I yell, but God again replies, “Be patient”. I know that patience is one of the seven mentioned in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But why then is it so difficult?

Have I just missed that one out and got six (some would argue I have less)? Did I miss that talk at church that taught me how to be patient? I wish there was an easy fix method but unfortunately it involves us to do something....love. Not only love for God but love for those around us, at work, at church and at home.

How often has God wanted you to be patient? What did you do? Did you wait....or did you rush in and get stung and then wonder what happened? It may sound like a Sunday school answer but waiting on God in prayer can help us a lot. Actually waiting for the answer though, not just saying the prayer! In Bill Hybels' book 'Too busy not to pray' he has an amazing little poem to help us remember what to do in response to prayer:

If the request is wrong, God says “No”.
If the timing is wrong, God says “Slow”.
If you are wrong, God says “Grow”.
But if the request is right, the timing is right and you are right, God says “Go”.

If the timing is wrong, God says “Slow”. He says, “Not yet, it's not part of my plan for it to happen now, trust me”.

The next time you're struggling with a friend, family member or colleague remember these words from Ephesians 4:2, “...Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love”.

Take a time out, pray, pray for them and most of all love them.

In the words of the theologically accurate boy band Take That, 'Have a little patience'