Windows 10 update in late summer

Questionnaire

Reminder I am looking for folks who live in the Highlands to fill in a short questionnaire. top right of the blog for the link. Please ask some others to help.

Thank you.

Sunday again... reflecting

When this goes "up" I will be most probably be in the Church I go to.

Sunday afternoon reflection

Consider a charity and in our case a Church. 

Looking at the dual aspects of leadership and Charity responsibilities for leadership lets consider the following:

We take without any thought that leadership would act honourably, for God, in care for the members and adherents, without considering their own personal taste or preferences.

How would Leadership stack up against the following based on the previous paragraph?

Hallmark 1: Clear about its purposes and direction

An effective charity is clear about its purposes, mission and values and uses them to direct all aspects of its work.

Hallmark 2: A strong board

An effective charity is run by a clearly identifiable board or trustee body that has the right balance of skills and experience, acts in the best interests of the charity and its beneficiaries, understands its responsibilities and has systems in place to exercise them properly.

Hallmark 3: Fit for purpose

The structure, policies and procedures of an effective charity enable it to achieve its purposes and mission and deliver its services efficiently.

Hallmark 4: Learning and improving

An effective charity is always seeking to improve its performance and efficiency, and to learn new and better ways of delivering its purposes. A charity’s assessment of its performance, and of the impact and outcomes of its work, will feed into its planning processes and will influence its future direction.

Hallmark 5: Financially sound and prudent

An effective charity has the financial and other resources needed to deliver its purposes and mission, and controls and uses them so as to achieve its potential.

Hallmark 6: Accountable and transparent

An effective charity is accountable to the public and others with an interest in the charity (stakeholders) in a way that is transparent and understandable.

Additional quotes and link

Belonging . belonging to where...

For many churches, the process of discovering themselves and implementing their desire to follow God is a hard one. This is caused by many different distraction as diverse as members not “buying in” to the mission conflict of time use,- be it work or family or worthwhile causes. Mankind creates a busyness that stifles the Work of God in the community. This is seen so often in the activities of organisations and they view expressed in actions ...” I am busy therefore I am important and needed”.

This expression comes from the wish from most people who have a sense and need “to belong”.

The early church had that sense of belonging meeting regularly to share in meals. Whilst life seems more complex in this decade the sense of belonging is still important. If leadership could harness the sense of belonging and gifting of their flock the work would be easier and perhaps move on quicker to complete the plan to fulfil the purpose of the community known as “such and such” church.

Part of the challenges after agreeing how the community should be, is the method and structure of such, I hesitate to say, an organisation that has control yet flexible to the changing needs of the community and its people.

Is there a sense of belonging where you worship? ( rhetorical)

Linthlithgow

 Had a good time in good weather in Linlithgow this week, see Van short post. The water side off the High street is looking good and welcoming. I could not get over the number of Coffee type shops and bars.


Here is a statue of Mary, Queen of Scots near the palace and Church. interestingly the church tower is seen as the Linlithgow land mark , with many thinking its the palace.

 What will you overcome today?
 

Have you...

Completed the small questionnaire?
Have you asked some one else to do likewise? go on.

Stop hiding in the rushhes and help me ...

Windows 10 update

Details of Windows 10 updates coming soon- to be issued on Monday. Come back and check whats in store next week.

Hy vans

Spent some time in Linlithgow this week and came across this snack bar. have you noticed they are popular as eating places on wheels. Citroens (Hy van) are commanding good prices.

Classic French vans  Is a good example of what can be done. or also here HY vans.

The Money Statistics July 2018...another month goes by.

Striking numbers  £4.21: The average UK household spend on gas, water and electricity a day. 96: The average use of cash machines per second in the UK. £46m: The fall in Public Sector Net Debt per day in 2018. 125%: The average rent in London compared to the rest of England (2 bed). £122m: The increase in net lending to individuals a day. 230: The fall in unemployment a day. 18.24%: The average interest rate on a credit card bearing interest. £64.40: The average price of 50 litres of unleaded petrol. 0.3%: The real terms increase in regular pay on last month.

For all the recent details visit, the money charity.

Views of Ayr trip

Some pictures from recent trip to Ayr.

For some time I have been concerned for the fellowship and communion of Christians in the Highlands. I have lived in Ross shire Sutherland and Caithness and have felt there is a need for some local regional coordination be it electronic or physical to link up Christians for support, prayer and discussion. I believe this would be for those who are like minded and can tolerate others in different denominations or theologies. The recent questionnaire is to gauge this need for those in the Highlands and the results may help plot out a work. I would value your input in the questionnaire and separately.

As I said last week its too early to say what is done to support the work but already I am seeing clear needs for example the daily devotion or questions to consider during the day.

At some point it would be good to clarify any requirements. 

Quarterly rallies? Daily thought for the day, Questions to consider? Local buddies for prayer... Local small worship sessions.

Keep coming back. Subscribe and share please.

Over 30 folks... want to follow, at Rosskeen- 1742

A bit of Sunday reflection and consider the"awakening" some years ago if you go to my previous post on awakening you  will find out a bit more about historic changes in the community.

Come back and consider:
What signs are there of people looking for faith?
What is in my church or community to encourage faith?
Where are the hindrances?
Am I the blockage to an "awakening" ? 

For a community to be revived some would save certain conditions are required or helpful. What are these conditions?

When an awaking took place in the past in the islands, Rev Kenneth Macrae had strict tests to affirm it was a work of God and not just some minor hysteria.

He as well as other denominations would hear reports at there centres of works in communities. ( Free church, Church of Scotland, Scottish Baptist Union etc.)

By 1939 a wide revival work was present in lewis. At the Free Church Assembly he( Kenneth Macrae) recorded “evidences... that the Lord is effectively working in the hearts of men”.

There was concern over certain phenomena. At Point meetings were reverent and with solemnity. There was elements of excitement and hysteria. Yet clear evidence of lasting conversions.

By 1938 the phenomena of swooning, of out cries, of temporary paralysis of limbs and muscular spasms or jerks drew much attention. The press searched for stories. People would collapse, others rise together, some weep or call in Gaelic on their relatives. Some lost all power to their limbs and would be carried to other rooms to recover. These things caused controversy. Some ministers affirmed the physical effects as God's. In their thinking All the phenomena was linked to revival. Others were concerned how the media were presenting the situation.

MacRae spoke at one meeting of the Free Church Stornoway on the:

Unusual features of the present religious movement in lewis.

He was convinced there was a revival in Lewis and a work of God. But he wanted people to consider some of the peculiar features of it.

In particular MacRae wished the meeting to consider that in Park... convulsive fits.

Grimshader ...trembling or tremors...with crying.

At point and Shader ...trances and women praying and exhorting ( ...and a good deal of disorder). He noted further:

• Those or some could not give an explanation to what was happening. Rather than looking for the work of the Holy Spirit people were disappointed if there was no manifestations.
• Secondly MacRae saw a sense of superior order of Christians taking hold with those who had experienced some of the manifestations.
• He felt that matters might lead to unscriptural extravagances.
  
  

He also talked and reported on other happenings in the country, quoting Kilsyth and Cambuslang.

He concluded that the manifestations were neither good or evil but hysteria.

He quoted the medical observations for hysteria.

• Highly strung people mainly young women
• Infectious
• Associated with convulsions tremors and trances
• Attacks are always in an audience never alone.
• Those effected say they could not help themselves.
• If wanted to those effected could have controlled themselves.
• Delusions and hallucinations
• Consciousness not lost.

MacRae was concluding that mass hysteria was happening in Lewis and his concern was separating it from the work of the Holy Spirit.

Hi did specifically acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit at that time.

Quoting the action of McChenye from Dundee. He was supporting the need to have religious meetings closed by 11.00 pm. “Lest Good be evil spoken”.

It is clear from MacRae there is a need to discern what is of God and a work of the Holy Spirit and what is not. While he saw the Lewis revival as of God, not all was his making. It is easy to be tricked in times of revival to assume all phenomena are in connection with the spirit of God, and to question it is to hinder that Revival. There is a more discerning Church today- but a good warning nevertheless.

There have been many Scottish revivals and in particular in the 19^th century the country had “breakouts” in different parts. Alexander Macrae tells us that almost all revivals have been started by lay preachers. He has also noted that some if not all revivals have started when someone talked about a previous revival. The retelling of past works has inspired and moved the hearts of others. Whilst we would acknowledge that a Blessing of God transforms a meeting which can continue into revival, it is when people “work at it” with a sense of urgency and expectation that we see results in terms of a deepening of faith across communities. The work of the Haldanes is a good example of this. The North East coast revival in 1921 shows the spread and catalytic effect from a work. it started in Norfolk in 1921 and spread to Caithness Scotland the the travelling movement of the fishermen.

Now go back and ask the questions at the begining of this post again and reflect.

Caithness work -on this blog 

Alexander Macrae, Revivals in the Highlands and Islands, 1998

 

Kenneth MacRae, Diary of Kenneth MacRae

revivals  Scotland wiki

Extreme Teaming

Amy C Edmondson and Jean Francois Harvey have a book on lessons in complex and cross-sector leadership named Extreme Teaming.

You have probably heard of the manager who hires people who are like him which makes life simple but means there will be gaps in skills and a lack of challenge. this book takes this further and suggests you go outside your organisation to have your team enlarged by people who are not on the payroll. Their insight might be valuable.

Extreme teaming was used in the successful  mining rescue in Chile 2010.
If you are looking for a refresher or some new ways to have an effective team this book might just help. Published 2017.