Sheep Rustlers in Sutherland ?

Two weeks ago this headline took front pages news in the Northern Times. Apparantly its not the first time over the last twenty years that unaccounted high losses of sheep have been noted and recorded in the Bonar Bridge/Rogart area. Strange how no bones were found.

A need to be met!

Sun Lounge project pictures

As you know I am not in the habit of putting round requests, but I thought if some of our contacts and other connections could help - Tim and Ben would be delighted.

Hey Lets further the Kingdom Now.

I have had a communication from a friend who said to me this morning:

Tim said to Brian Robertson in Rogart

Ben, my son, is over at Saltcoats where he graduated from Bible College last autumn. He's stayed on in the Come Back to God Campaign and I'm trying to help him raise £50k or thereabouts urgently to tackle some structural collapse that hit the building. The were blessed with £16k received a couple of weeks ago but the builders have got on well and will need the next £25k instalment next week! They have faith in the Lord's Provision and Will but know too that we are His Hands and must take the necessary actions.

Do you mind having a look at the attached, think/pray if it's any good, and if you're happy sending it on to your Christian networks to seek any support that might be out there?

Any input would be great!

Tim

To see Ben's pictures click here
Add to the comments if you would like me to send a pdf of the work.....

Meal of the day

Cant beat a good curry.

Rogart last week

Getting over a sore throat and this week in to a holiday. Spring is on its way.

feedreader 3.08

I see there is a new version of feedreader out.

Future of your church

If you are wondering How to move forward as a church how about considering the following.:

Firstly I will not be advising whither you start a Mums or Toddlers group. I am thinking more about first steps in the process of gaining an insight in to the future work.

Need to Meet to find a "Corporate discernment"... moving forward inch by inch. Take time together to sift out ideas etc. Allow everyone their input. Have a facilitator as leader for the meeting. Also sometimes the quieter person has the answer or discernment.

Prayer and discussion on " How God, would you have us steer?"
This is realisation. and the need to go on or in other words you cannot go back...
Retreat a time of rest and reflection

An uncluttered time to reflect and breathe - away from it all - including the Sunday routine.
What does God want for us?
What might he be calling us to?

Often he wants you to stop something first. Is there activity continuing that has past is sell by date and is not producing...?

Show a high value in Missions home and away.

Community/City/region impact

Where is God currently working, look for opportunities something to get alongside?

Move from Doing....to... becoming
Rally to a cause seems easy. Rallying around God -more difficult.

How does one move forward?

Teach me to live my life the way he would if he were here. (physically)

Head off discouragement

Calm be the person you want to be!
When God reality is present and someone comes into the body.
Then God has brought them in.

Remember "Come follow me".
Too many in the full time ministry are in a "rat race".
The next step should be "a dance with the Trinity and others"

Living in love speeds the coming of Jesus.

1 Our Corporate lives as examples and patterns
2 our assumptions about ministry
3 Our ministry plan
4 Our life rhythms and ministry
rest periods
5 Our ministry results

Are the activities -one purpose?

Step back from the need to see immediate results.

Happy discerning in the way forward.

Church new or old...

I had a meeting with someone in Eastbourne last week regarding new churches.

Daniel is looking for leaders to encourage in new church activity. I am sure he will not mind the link as he needs to speak to lots of people.

My question to him was is this a "new style for an old church" or is it "new church" the conclusion was new church. So often we are loking to replicate with a modern feel the old systems of church. The emerging people have got it right - go back to first principles. Seek ye first the kingdom. Then how de we do that where we are in the community and how best will this be developed. It may result in a system or structure of leadership or activity but it needs to be born out of the "seek ye first" bit first.

We had a good conversation that crystalised some of my thinking as well as his.

He coped with the Robertson probe.

I am sure Daniel would be encouraged by your comments and e mails.

Judgement coming...

AN NEWS SERVICE PREDICTS LAST JUDGMENT 20 MARCH

An official Iranian state news service is predicting that the Last Judgment will occur on 20 March. The website of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) claims the Mahdi, or 12th Imam believed in by Shi’ite Muslims, will appear in Arabia on the spring equinox of the Islamic calendar. ‘Imam Mahdi will be the leader while the Prophet Jesus will act as his lieutenant in the struggle against oppression and establishment of justice in the world,’ the site claims. Iranian government policy is believed to be deeply influenced by expectations of the imminent return of the Mahdi, the Church of England Newspaper says. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is on record for expressing his longing for the Muslim leader’s return to ‘establish justice, peace and brotherhood’.

Source: Church of England Newspaper (26/1)

Strong enough to think?

If you are in a church that is rigid or controlling it may be a constraint to your personal expression. How do you vent your thoughts and concern. The house groups and indeed the House Group Movement sought to engage with one another in the comfort and less formal setting of home. There needs to be dialogue and in the appropriate place midweek business meeting etc. There is more than ever in the current churches a need to evaluate and seek the plan for the future. In 1970 if some one said the Boys Brigade will decline rapidly people would have laughed. Yet in the space a of a few years it did.

Now consider the church- ok more established, yet it, recognises the decline. What now?

Of course where there is dialogue there will be differing opinion!

This can be seen, by some as inconsistent with a rigid theology of black and white! Debate can only improve the understanding. This together with a more thoughtful process linked to solitude will surely provide a positive Christ centred practice rather than a regimental, all believe the same, untested theology of the “Victorian age”. Sure there will be mistakes but the distilling down will be a purifying process. Can you imagine Abraham trying to answer the question while he was in the desert ;
Where are you going? “Eh... Following God, he told me to follow this column of cloud... of smoke.” “and the end result?”...”eh the best land a promised land.” How will you know what its like? “ Sorry don't know... but when we get there we will know I simply have to trust in God to take me and lead the people to where ever that is.”
The conclusions from the discovery walk or the de-construction, I await rather than dismissing as out of hand. I am encouraged that the de-construction that many fear, from their so called established church, is questioning not purely for the sake of it but with a God fearing responsibility. While Emerging people will not simply set up Churches as we have known them, they will, seek to find a way of expressing the Kingdom in the community which has a more holistic approach.
So where in the say 70's and 80's indeed the 90's the church set up “alternative church” which took the flavour of a sub-culture we see the emerging people wanting to be the culture and shape the culture head on. (Like the Joshua story “tread the land” -possession). The difficulty comes from within the established church which is trying to keep doing what worked or did not work over the last 300 years. Status Quo (not the group) is seldom forward thinking. Where are the visionaries?

Great Omission

Just finished Dallas Willard's "The great... Omission".
It was refreshing and re encouraging that some of by thoughts back some years ago he concluded in some bits of his book. As a busy man who needed time to write a book I look forward to his next piece of print which will be written on allocated time so to speak.

I see why his thinking gels with emerging people. He thinks. Not many christians do!


Paul M Dubuc writes

Dallas Willard's latest book is a collection of previous writings and lectures surrounding the importance of discipleship for Christians. This book is a great introduction to Willard's other books and a stirring exposition of his chief concern: That becoming a disciple of Christ is seen as optional in most churches today. It is enough that a person accept Christ as saviour and affirm certain beliefs to be a Christian. While these things are absolutely essential, they are not enough and they only partially fulfill the teachings of scripture and the commands of Jesus.

When many people consider discipleship, or spiritual formation, they think of what it costs (a la Bonhoeffer). This is a valid perspective, but Willard asks us to take a look from the other side: The cost of nondiscipleship:

"Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith
that sees everything in the light of God's overriding governance for good, hopefulness
that stands firm in the most discouraging circumstances, power to do what is right
and withstand the forces of evil. In short, nondiscipleship costs you exactly the
abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10)."

Discipleship is essential for every Christian, not just for the "super Christians." There is nothing in the teaching of scripture that suggests that being forgiven and "saved" is all there is to being a Christian. To the contrary, Willard shows that Christians need to be undergoing a profound transformation in character becoming more like Christ from the heart. How does this happen? By the faithful acceptance of everyday problems, interaction with God's Spirit in and around us and spiritual disciplines. He recommends four spiritual disciplines as basic to discipleship: solitude, silence, fasting and scripture memorization. For those to whom spiritual disciplines sound like "works righteousness," Willard repeatedly emphasizes the difference: "Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action." The process of transformation isn't passive on our part. Its effectiveness is all due to God's grace. But our effort makes us receptive to this grace. God will not impose it upon us. Willard likens spiritual discipline to the physical discipline of an athlete (cp. 1 Cor. 9:24-27). The spiritual disciplines aren't meant to be burdens that we groan under. They are tools which we can help us make God's grace more effective in our lives. In fact, our bodies themselves are tools for spiritual growth.

The heart of the book is chapter 9, "Living in the Vision of God." Here Willard distinguishes between the substance of devotion to God and its effects. When we become too attached to the latter we are in danger of losing the former. Here there is a very good analysis of how this happens and what can be done about it. We are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength in Mark 12:30 and Willard assures us that, "It is something we are to do, something we /can/ do. We /will/ learn learn how to do it if we /intend/ to do it. God will help us, and we will find a way." Amen! Let it be so.

The book ends with a few short chapters about various books on spiritual living that have been a tremendous help to Willard and which he commends for our use. I've added a few of them to my reading list.

Dallas WIllard is a very wise, and practical teacher. He has deep and valuable insight into what it means, and what it takes, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ today. He is a trustworthy guide for the efforts of any Christian who wants to break an addiction to mediocrity in their relationship to God. This book will never be the classic that _The Divine Conspiracy_ is bound to become, but it provides a a much needed impetus for modern evangelical Christianity to reclaim the great omission for its life and mission. I hope it gains a wide reading.

Windy.... winding on

Its been very windy in the UK these past few weeks.
The new year is fast moving. How are your resolutions?

Weather report...

Minus 6 midday last week. Then plus 9 the next day. Strange weather here. plus 10 this morning. Let me wish you all a happy new year for 2007 . Picture: neighbour off to feed sheep in his "banana splits" vehicle!