Work in Progress

While I’m here in the States chipping away at my degree, great things are happening back in my home Church, Re:Hope.

One of the many exciting things going on… our worship leader, Andy Ashworth, has just recorded some of his songs, and you lucky people can jump online and buy them. Go check them out… For Your Name

Our church is going through a series just now called One Prayer, and I’m excited about it. The idea behind the series is: “If God would answer ‘one prayer’ for the church at large, what would you pray?“

The answer:
“Lord, Make us One”.

One Prayer is a 4 week series that is being carried out in 1400 churches around the globe… simultaneously. It is a series that encourages us to think outside of our church building, and begin to look at the Church the way God intended it to be… UNITED.

Take a minute to dream with me. Just imagine for a minute that the Church did stand united. Imagine all the different congregations working together to display God’s glory. Imagine what would happen if churches stopped competing and started working together. Imagine the issues that would be solved if the Church began to pull resources, to work with one another to accomplish a common goal.

It is both exciting and challenging to be a part of this series. I am proud of Grace Chapel for engaging such an exciting project. I look forward to seeing the results.

And I encourage you to join in praying…

Lord, make us One!

I told myself I wouldn’t blog about it, but I couldn’t resist. Last night I read Leviticus, and man, I love that book! Every time I read it I finish completely blown away by God’s love for me!

It’s sad that so many Christians avoid the book, finding it irrelevant to them. They get bored in all the rules and regulations, the blood and the guts and the repetition, but what amazing truths lie amongst them! For me, Leviticus is a book about worship. It was a manual for the Israelites to know how they were supposed to worship God, and the steps they needed to take in order to enter His presence.

“I am the Lord, Your God”. It is near impossible to walk away from this book without that statement ingrained on your mind, because it is repeated so many times. This is crucial as we come to worship God today. It is about remembering who He is, and praising Him for His greatness. We have a tendency to get very self-focused, taking our eyes off of God and onto ourselves, but when we worship, we place our eyes back on God, putting Him in His rightful place, remembering that HE is our God.

Repeated numerous times is God’s command to remember where He brought them from. “Remember, that I the Lord, brought you out of Egypt”. I have become more and more convinced that our worship is intimately connected with the chasm between how huge God is, and how insignificant we are. I don’t know about you, but regularly I forget about things God has done for me and start to try to take control of my own life. Just as God exhorted the Israelites, so we must do what it takes to remember the life God rescued us from. What is your Egypt? Next time you are in a worship setting at Church and they start to sing the first song, stay silent. Instead of singing, talk to God reminiscing with Him about the life He rescued you from, and praising Him for that, and then see what happens as you sing Him praise.

Repeatedly God calls us to be Holy people. We are to be Holy because we made in His image and He is Holy! We are to be a people set apart for God, bringing glory to His name. In case we haven’t realised it reading through Genesis and Exodus, God asserts the importance of His Name. Throughout the book the Israelites are warned against the dangers of bringing dishonour to the name of God, and encouraged to do the things that exalt His Name. Are you set apart? Do you live that way? Or do you look like everyone else around you? We are called to be in the world but not of the world. God chose you! He handpicked you to be a part of His people. Created in His image, we reveal His glory to the world. Do people get a glimpse of God’s glory when they look at the way you live? What about when you “worship”? Do you rejoice that you are chosen? Are you overwhelmed that God set you apart? Do people see God’s Name being glorified?

One of the most repeated words is “atonement”, as the Israelites are given instructions on the kinds of sacrifices or rituals to go through in order to pay the penalty for their sins. When it is complete, the people are considered “clean” and free to be in God’s presence, but for those who disobey, they are “cut off” from god’s people and no longer allowed to live and worship as part of their community. This is where I get completely blown away! I read rule after rule, instruction after instruction, law after law. All of which were put in place to allow “unclean” people to be in the presence of the Almighty God. Did you grasp that? God knows we are unclean… yet gave us some steps to take because He wanted to live among His people! He wants to be with us. These rules were not the plan of an Evil God who wanted to watch people fall, but the gift of a God of Grace, who wanted to be known intimately!

And this is where I can’t contain myself and get overwhelmed and burst out in praise. Jesus… fulfilled the law. He completely the sacrificial system, allowing us to enter God’s presence freely, with boldness and confidence (Eph 3:12). Because the Church avoids books like Leviticus, we no longer understand the magnitude of what Christ did for us. We no longer have to dance around the Law. We no longer have to spend a week outside the community of God “unclean” because of our sin. We merely open our mouth to tell God we’re sorry and we’re already in His presence. The HUGE God doesn’t require us to come to Him… He chooses to live in us! We don’t have to, like the priests of old, go through a very strict procedure, getting dressed the right way, waiting until the right time, and offering the correct sacrifices… we are already covered in the Blood of the Lamb! GOD LOVE US! He loves us so much that He made it possible for us to come to Him freely.

I love the book of Leviticus! I genuinely and honestly love it! Christ died to set us free. He did more on that cross that we will ever understand. He allows us to live second by second in God’s presence.

One thing I really want to assert though: God is fussy about worship! If you read through Leviticus you can clearly see the lengths people had to go to to be right with God. Yes, Christ’s death means we don’t have to go through the physical process… but the heart process does not change! We no longer need to be physically circumcised, but God is still expecting a circumcision of the heart.

Do you get yourself ready to worship? Before church, prayer times, Bible studies, do you take a moment to get your heart right? Do you come to worship thoughtlessly? or do you acknowledge that God still cares how we come to Him?

I’m just scratching the tip of the iceberg. I could go on for pages about how God challenges us through this book, and about how relevant it is to us as we worship God today. You should read it with some of this stuff in mind and ask the questions… how is this relevant today? what does this teach us about God? What does it show us about worship? I absolutely LOVE the book of Leviticus!!!

God is fussy about worship.
But He loves us even though we come to Him carelessly!

I just booked my flight home.
I’ll be back in Scotland for just over 7 weeks.
Looking forward to seeing you!!!!

Leaving Portland - Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Arriving Glasgow - Wednesday July 2, @ 9am

(Back to America - Wednesday, August 20, 2008 )

I sure am getting through a lot of books this summer! This book Free to Disagree was written by one of my favourite professors at Multnomah, Dr John Wecks. It’s a pretty unusual book, in that I’m not aware of having read or seen any books that cover the topic… Gray Areas!

In those issues of life that the Scriptures don’t comment on, who is right and who is wrong? Should Christians smoke or drink? Should Christians dance? Should we watch R-rated movies or read certain books?

Primarily focusing on Roman 14-15 and 1 Cor 8-10 he paints a Biblical approach to conflict in the neutral issues within Scripture. Dr Wecks delves into what Paul means by his descriptions of the weaker brother and the stronger brother.

A weaker brother is a Christian, who, because of weakness of faith, might be influenced to sin against his conscience. (p23)

A strong Christian is a brother or sister whose strong faith and conscience allow him or her the freedom to participate in a debate matter without sinning. (p27)

The reference strong or weak doesn’t refer to the Spiritual Maturity of the person, but to the state of their conscience over the issue at stake.

In these neutral issues it is not the side taken that determines whether the person is sinning or not, but their attitude towards those who don’t agree. A weaker brother can sin by judging a strong brother for drinking a beer. A strong brother can sin by looking down on a weak brother for not drinking one. We are called to love one another… not to judge.

In a case where someone wants to drink beer (a strong brother, because their conscience permits it) and a weak brother mentions his discomfort (weak because his conscience does not permit it)… it is the duty of the weak brother to refrain out of love for the weaker brother’s conscience.

I read this book a couple of days after having a big conversation with a dear friend who thinks it is wrong to read books like Harry Potter. Her thoughts come from her upbringing in which she was taught that any association with things like witchcraft are dangerous and should be avoided. We had a great conversation as she asked my opinion. My conscience permits me to read the books, in fact, I adore them. We talked for a while exploring each others views about the books in a very loving way. There was no condemnation for me reading them, and there was no judging for her not. God loves me and I read them, and he loves her and she doesn’t. Who is right? Both of us! God blows me away. It is an amazing thing that God loves the Jew and the Gentile, the Wise and the Foolish, the Rich and the Poor, the Left and the Right, the Strong and the Weak, those who read Harry Potter and those who don’t!

Free to Disagree is an extremely Biblical book and as such, refreshing to read! It’s great to say that I expected nothing less from Dr. Wecks. He is probably the man I respect most in how he handles God’s Word, and I pray that I can become more like him! I have several classes with him over the next semester and am thoroughly looking forward to being around him more. Hopefully he’ll rub off on me some more!

Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones.

This was a really helpful book! I’ve never read anything about preaching before, but this book was suggested to me by a few people who all said that it was very beneficial in their growth as a communicator. So, as any person-who-wants-to-grow does, I ordered the book and read it.

His approach is very simple, encouraging the speaker to pick one point to communicate, and then shape the message around it. When I prepare a message I can sit with pages and pages of notes which I have to synthesize down to fit in one message. I want to teach it all, but that’s never practical. Yet, even in knowing that, I can finish speaking, get off stage, and wish I’d narrowed down the scope. My best messages are always the ones that that are more focused, and so it has been good to read what Andy has to say. I spend weeks praying that God would work in people’s lives transforming them to be more like His Son. I preach because I believe that God wants to use me to communicate his truth as His Spirit challenges people to Change. I don’t want to fill their heads with knowledge… I want to see them living out what they hear.

In the book he explains the “seven imperatives” that define his approach to communicating for life change. I’ll do a very crude summary, and if you’re intrigued, buy the book… it’s worth it! (more…)

You need to watch this!
I really mean it!

I watched this for the first time at my class prayer retreat back in March, and was completely blown away.  It’s a message spoken by Louie Giglio at one of the Passion conferences.  In the message he looks at our HUGE God by exploring the universe and the gigantic dimensions of the stars in the solar system.  After he’s amazed us with how incredible the universe is, he begins to explore the intricacies of the human body, showing the hand of God in the human body.  With amazing ingenuity Louie convinces those watching that God will hold us together no matter how bad things may seem to get!

I watched it and was close to tears by the end.  When I got back from the retreat I was determined to show the DVD to the Young Adults that I work with at Grace.  So, this week, instead of preaching, I put on the DVD and sat back watching people’s faces as the truth of how GREAT God is was poured out to them.  I sat in tears of joy knowing that the “star-breathing” God designed me in great detail, knowing that one day I would give my life to serve Him.  I prayed for people as they watched longing with everything in me that they would be blown away with revelation of the truth of the greatness of God.

My ability to cope in difficult circumstances is strengthened when I contemplate the vastness of God in comparison to my problems.  God is so much bigger than any obstacle I have to overcome, whether that be sin issues; trying to discern God’s will; what to preach on; or trying to raise the support for the next year of school.  God is IMMENSE! My passion for God is fueled in the chasm between how HUGE God is, and how small and insignificant I am.  My love for Him, and my worship comes when I realise that such a GIANT God chooses to dwell in me despite my failings, and that part of His gargantuan plan was to make me for His glory.

God is so much bigger than we can ever comprehend, what a joy that for eternity God will continue to reveal more of his greatness, and we get to spend eternity trying to wrap our minds around who He is!  Bring it on.

So, I got back yesterday from a week vacation in Antioch, California… and I feel grrreat! It was a busy week, but wonderfully refreshing to get out in the sun, let my hair down, play a lot, and best of all, be part of a family for the week. Joe and I left at 5am on Friday 23rd, and drove for 15 hours down the amazing Highway 101 to San Fransisco and then across to Antioch. I even got the joy of driving across the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was an action packed trip:

• 15 hr drive - i enjoyed getting to drive most of the way through the amazing landscapes!
• meeting his family and friends
• playing with pet Iguanas (!)
• hanging out with Joe’s brother Josh as he got ready for “prom”. (I felt like I was in an American movie!)
• visiting Joe’s church
• a day hanging with Joe, Eddie (his step-bro), and Jasmine (Eddie’s girlfriend) in San Fransisco.
• a wonderful sunny day at Great America, an amusement park near San Fransisco.
• hiking the beautiful golden hills of Contra Loma
• front row tickets to a baseball game (A’s -v- the Blue Jays)
• time with God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you can see, we were busy, but in amongst it all was ample opportunity to rest with God reading and journaling!

It was great to get to spend time with Joe learning more about him as his family shared stories, and as I observed the place he came from. He is such a great guy, and it was a real blessing to get to spend time with him this week. I hope I get down there again before I leave America, and hope he makes it over to Scotland some day to check out where I came from.

The highlight of the trip for me however was the journey home. As Joe drove me from Antioch to Sacramento airport we stopped off to meet his pastor’s family. I enjoyed a quick lunch stop with the most inspiring couple I have ever met. In the mid-eighties, they have been married for 65 years (!) and faithfully serving God for longer than most people are alive! They served as missionaries in the Philippines, pastored churches, and raised a family who are very active in the church. They oozed godliness. They couldn’t speak without quoting God’s Words!

A few weeks ago their daughter passed away. They were filled with a profound joy because of the blessed assurance of salvation! As they shared stories, we laughed and we cried, all the while proclaiming God’s goodness and His faithfulness. I desperately desire another opportunity to meet them and hear some more of the incredible wisdom they have gained over the years.

What a legacy they have! Children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren faithfully walking with the Lord; as well as spiritual children all across the world! I long that one day I too would have such a legacy to leave behind.

As I got in the car, fighting back the tears and the laughs, I was so overwhelmed by God’s goodness and how’s these people’s lives showed it. Joe and I shared some profound minutes of silence as we reflected on their lives, and then God blessed me even more as my phone rang and I enjoyed a much longed for conversation with my mentor, Brian.

God is good. He is faithful.
May my life show that to the world until the day I go to be with Him.

So, while I’m here back at home people are working hard at Re:Hope! I was excited to pop onto Stephen’s blog last week and see a video of some of the work they’ve done at Re:Hope, taking down the stage erected by the school who used to use the building, restoring the amazing character of the church. I can’t wait to get back to see it (and hear it!). But for now… check this out.

Well-Intentioned Dragons is another of the books assigned for my Conflict Resolution class this summer, so as you can guess… it’s about conflict in the church. The book is filled with stories of pastors who encountered problems with people in their churches, along with practical tips on how best to deal with conflict. In it, the writer defines different types of “dragon”, while also walking through disciplinary procedures showing the good, the bad and the ugly, as well as pointing out how things could have been done better. Towards the end of the book Marshall Shelley writes:

Anyone who looks closely knows the church’s biggest problem is people - sullen, sassy, sometimes savage, always sinful people. (p140)

Because the book contains stories from a number of pastors, there are many nuggets to live by scattered throughout the book. Usually, in explaining how a problem-person in a church shook the pastors confidence, the pastor explains a principle he ran the church by and how it was challenged. Some of these principles are wonderful insights into leadership.

Ministry is all about people! God intended us to be relational, and so conflict is an inevitable part of the vocation. Over my life I have had to deal with conflict, and sadly at times have even been the cause of conflict. We all have and will continue to deal with conflict wherever we have relationships. God asks us to love one another:

Our job is to remain faithful to the two greatest commandments: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love even dragons as ourselves.

Father, I exalt you, for you are love! When your wrath is aroused, unlike us, your wrath is righteous and a product of your love. How true it is that you teach us to love by putting “dragons” in our lives. You teach us to love more by allowing us to experience conflict and teaching us what it means to forgive and to continue loving those we have had disagreements with. Forgive me Lord when I fail to love well. Forgive me for the times I have handled conflict badly, and for the times I have caused other people problems through things I have done, by my intentions good or bad. I love you. I don’t just say that because it sounds good. You know the longings of my heart and know how I yearn for more of you. Fill me with your Spirit. Teach me to love as Jesus loved. In his name and for the glory of your Kingdom I pray. Amen