Rusty

Saw this yesterday. It's rusting from lack of use and being in the wrong place...........

Yes, Indya, it is just a bike, but I am quite a visual person and we should allow the visual to inform the imagination and also the spirit.

That bike could represent a lot of people, who are rusting from lack of use and being in the wrong place.

washed up

Thank you for the birthday wishes and kind words. My wife and family bought me a fantastic digital SLR for my birthday, I have never had such a great camera and love it. I walk my dog everyday so have been taking it out and about with me, I took this one yesterday morning on my way into work. This boat has been washed up in San Antonio Bay since last winter. It will be interesting to see when the authorities eventually decide to remove it.

I might try and do a picture a day for a few weeks.

Maybe they should be prophetic pictures?

Is this boat the church?
Is this boat the hopes and dreams of youth?
Is the boat your relationships?
Is this boat how you view the future direction of your life or is it where your life once was?

I could go on, I think I am going to enjoy 40.

40

It's a big day for me tomorrow, the number should give you a clue. Do you ever think about where you started and where you are now and then try to join the dots? Life's not very predictable is it?

I'm not particularly happy about being 40, but you can't stop the march of time. Tomorrow will be a lovely day with my family.

I also find Psalm 40 really inspiring.

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods. [a]

5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced [b] , [c] ;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll. [d]

8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"

17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

Jacob

Been thinking about Jacob and that whole wrestling with God scenario. I have preached on it a few times recently.

What I am impressed about was his ability to hang on, I am not feeling desperate or down at the moment, but those times do come.

What I think helps is an attitude of "hanging on" it’s something we don't do once it is an attitude of mind that we need to carry throughout our whole Christian life.

Here’s the deal; despite your present reality, which we mustn’t ignore or pretend doesn’t exist. The thing to do is not let go.

But I’m tired. Don’t let go.

I’ve been praying for years. Don’t let go.

This isn’t easy. Don’t let go.

I’m hurt. Don’t let go.

I’m a mess. Don’t let go.

I feel down. Don’t let go.

I’m weak. Don’t let go.

Thats what impressed me about Jacob, he didn't let go.

Revelation 3: 11
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. to Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.

Christians that get quoted like the bible

Anyone else ever feel that you just have to throw in a quote from Bonhoffer or someone like that to give your writing credibility. What if they were wrong?

Maybe 24-7 Prayer is an institution

Although individual, formal organizations, commonly identified as "institutions," may be deliberately and intentionally created by people, the development and functioning of institutions in society in general may be regarded as an instance of emergence; that is, institutions arise, develop and function in a pattern of social self-organization, which goes beyond the conscious intentions of the individual humans involved.

Having read this on wikipedia, maybe we are an institution!

Anyway I don't really care what we are, how we organise just as long as we are like this:

The church exists for nothing else but to draw men
into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are
not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions,
sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of
time. God became a Man for no other purpose.
— C. S. Lewis

You'll find with most movements and even a to a degree institutions there can be a lot of discussion at the core about how things should be and the direction we should be heading, but most people who are distant from that, out at the coal face, tend to just do what they do and are happy and trusting of their leaders.

Maybe 24-7 Prayer is a movement....

More thoughts on movement, this was left as a link on Andrew Jones blog, (I swear I am not stalking his blog, I find it one of the best out there) it's from another blog called onmovements a fascinating site written by a guy called Jay Lorenzen, it is a summary of a talk given by Tim Keller an American author, speaker, and the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York City, New York.

Jay was particularly engaged by his discussion of movement dynamics, with the following characteristics:

Unified vision and beliefs,
Cooperation and catholicity of spirit,
Sacrificial commitment,
Spontaneity and creativity.

Below is a summary of his points as Tim compared a movement with an institution.

DYNAMIC 1: UNITY (THE FOCUS)

Oneness from common vision and beliefs: A movement is driven by a clear vision for a particular future reality, based on common beliefs.

Marks of a movement

1. Organized around a common vision for the future.

2. All leaders and key players share same goals.

3. Forward movement through arriving at consensus or near consensus on next stage in reaching the vision.

Marks of an institution

1. Organized around by-laws and ground rules.

2. Each leader/department presses for own differing agenda.

3. Forward movement through negotiated compromises to form agreed upon ‘strategy.’

DYNAMIC 2: CATHOLICITY (THE OPENNESS)

Emphasis on cooperation across lines: A movement is peopled by workers who put the vision ahead of other differences and learn from and work with people of other preferences, temperaments, and secondary beliefs.

Marks of a movement

4. Leaders have high tolerance for ambiguity and organizational “messiness”; what matters is the cause and vision. Result: lots of cooperation with those outside your organization who share the primary beliefs and vision.

5. Responsibilities of leaders overlap; everyone ‘owns’ the overall organization’s health; result is much cooperation within. Emphasis on ‘roles’ – who you are in the movement. Structure looks more ‘flat’ and like a network of teams.

Marks of an institution

4. Leaders have high need for clarity and compliance; what matters is proper procedure. Result: little cooperation with those who don’t share secondary and tertiary beliefs.

5.“Silo”and turf consciousness; the result is contentiousness. Emphasis on ‘tasks’-what you do in the organization. Structure is more ‘top-down’ like a pyramid of individuals

DYNAMIC 3: SACRIFICE (THE COMMITMENT)

Devotion to God’s kingdom over self or tribe: A movement is peopled by workers who put the vision ahead of their own interests and needs.

Marks of a movement

6. Great sacrifice is tolerated: low pay, long hours, poor conditions. Leaders need less approval and encouragement; self-starters.

7. High level of trust. Less need for accreditation and close supervision.

Marks of an institution

6. Individual needs more important than progress of the whole. Workers need rewards, much accountability from top.

7. Little trust. Constant meetings. time-consuming reporting, long approval processes.

DYNAMIC 4: SPONTANEITY (THE ORGANIC NATURE)

Spontaneous growth without top-down command: A movement constantly generates new ideas, new leaders, and new initiatives across itself—not solely from the top or from a command center outside of it.

Marks of a movement

8. Movement spreads through recruitment from relationship networks. Organic growth through friends’ enthusiasm and an appeal to sacrificial commitment.

9. New ideas are solicited and incorporated quickly. Lots of openness to creativity; freedom to try and fail. Leaders give workers more support than control.

10. Relationships strong; much “off-line” thinking occurs through friendships. Leaders naturally attract and ‘train’ new leaders through relationships.

Marks of an institution

8. Organization grows through formal processes of communication and “sales” appealing to individuals’ self-interest.

9. Innovation is seen as threatening if not coming from top. Great fear of any failure. Leaders keep tight control, give little support.

10. Few friendships; little happens outside of meetings. New leaders have to be recruited through formal processes.

This leaves me feeling pleasantly optimistic, still I am not to sure why everybody is so frightened of becoming an institution?
It can't be all bad.

There are some great institutions out there.

Is 24-7 Prayer a movement?

Was just reading Andrew Jones blog with an interestingly titled article called "How to spot a church movement" As you may know I am obviously deeply involved with 24-7 Prayer and we like to think of ourself as a movement as a pose to an institution or an organisation (not that either of those two words bother me).

But are we a movement?

Its interesting because we almost have a two dimensional modus operandi on one level we exist to inspire prayer and call the church to prayer. Which in many ways is not so much a movement but an organisational task which involves the logistical and practical outworking of a biblical concept. Admittedly it's an exciting task but it could just be a job, lets face it you can call people to prayer without even being good at it yourself. This doesn't happen much but I could see 24-7 prayer weeks etc. being run by theorists not practitioners. Once again I have no worries with that because in the end it's win win, the result is hopefully the same: More People Pray.

I think what makes 24-7 prayer a movement is what the prayer has birthed. It's the mission focussed communities and activities that have been spawned by praying people that make it a movement. Thats the bit where we constantly feel like we are playing catch up, this is more than an organisational task, more than counting the amount of countries we have had prayer rooms in, this is the constant surprise we feel when someone comes to us and says "I've started this" or "I'm thinking of doing...". There have been moments when we have had to stop and almost say "How did we end up here?" a question I ask myself on a pretty regular basis! When something is a movement it feels like it is being blown along by the wind of the spirit, it's wild and unpredictable, new things happen.

But heres my quandary, what about when we get so used to the wild and unpredictable we take it for granted? 5 years in to Ibiza we still have crazy happenings but if the truth where told it doesn't feel so wild! The situation hasn't changed, in fact in many ways our summers seem to get wilder and wilder. Maybe it's us! If you hear about something long enough it becomes part of the furniture or just another everyday story, we lose some of our wonder and our awe at God's wildness.

Think of it this way, if you sat through a hundred thunder storms one night after the next, they would lose something of there impact. I don't want that to happen, but then again I wonder if it's inevitable.

Maybe 24-7 Prayer will transition from being a movement into an institution. Isn't that what happened to YWAM?

Or maybe there will be a two way split:

1. We bank prayer.
We just get on with organising, facilitating and administrating prayer rooms, prayer weeks, prayer years across the globe. Inspiring people to pray.

2. We become a church planting movement
We just get on and independently plant communities in areas that need them, we build a credible network of support and encouragement for pioneer initiatives around the globe!

Prayer births movement, but is prayer a movement?

Maybe thats what we are doing already, maybe we don't need clear de-lineation.

Right now I am happy with being part of 24-7 Prayer.... whether, it's a movement, an institution or and organisation.

Personally I think becoming a movement is relatively easy, maintaining a movement is the tricky bit.

Fat Map

I got this from The Huffington Post via Life without walls.

This is written by Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein:

"In 2006, the World Food Program produced, but never publicly released, a map charting food consumption. Dubbed the “Fat Map,” it shows where the world’s calories go. Nations grow or shrink based on how much the average person eats. Depending on your perspective, it maps starvation or overeating.

The mis-distribution of food goes deeper than even the “Fat Map” implies. In India, for example, more than 300 million overweight people coexist with another 300 million who starve. Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease that often stem from overeating are growing at a far faster rate in developing countries than in the more prosperous West. In my own region, the Middle East, obesity is skyrocketing, especially among young people.In 2007-2008, a global food crisis surprised us as prices soared. But would the crisis have been as severe if we were not so accustomed to wasting the food we have?

Globally we are moving to an "energy morality" with young people lobbying against wasting energy -- yet there is no "food morality" even though food is organic energy. We sit by and watch each other overeat and discard food without a thought. Extravagant overindulgence is viewed as hospitality and many assume that being a good parent requires that we force feed those we love."

"We pay dearly for this overconsumption. Recent calculations set obesity-related health spending just in the United States at $150-$200 billion -- more than all foreign aid worldwide. The cost of extra medical care for the obese runs as high as $1400 per person annually. Over 2 billion people do not earn that much in a year."

Would cutting overeating and waste really change the contours of the "Fat Map"? Not by itself. The UN estimates we need $30 billion more invested in agriculture yearly. But each of us can consume more wisely and donate food we now waste to a food bank or charity. If it makes sense to save energy, why throw away billions of dollars worth of food and overeat until it endangers our health and our future?

2010

I can't wait for the world cup, I love it.

So here we are at the start of another decade it makes me want to use words that have meaning like "resolve" and "resolution" I want to talk about a more "disciplined" year!

I want to eulogise about "new challenges" and "fresh starts"

I want to set new "goals" I need "vision" for 2010

Then maybe I don't, what if we couldn't really plan these things? What if we did and life kept messing them up? A bit like the world cup I am sure there about 8 teams who are seriously planning to win, yet it will only happen for one of them!

Anyway just clearing my head! we need all of the above. I was talking to someone about church they said that it's a family, not an army or a business. I think some of the above statements can make it feel like an army or a business. Abraham went to war, Abraham did business but first and foremost he was the head of a family.

Thats why I overreact to the statements above, they sound a bit business like and a little military, families don't run that way. Saying that I do think you can apply them to family life... we just have to be careful we don't make it all to systematic and we are open to fluctuations and changes in the plan!

I'm ready for 2010, actually I am excited about 2010.