Standing at the Dusk of 2008

This little montage shows a snapshot of most (although not all) the people who have, at some point in 2008, been part of the same mid-week small group as me. (Yes I have their permission post their photos on a public site, but because the blog-o-sphere is full of nutters and weirdo(e?)s, I won't introduce you to them here.

Just before Christmas, we had our last get together of 2008.

I love those meetings, and I love these people! Amongst other things that evening, we each had to give a word that summed up our 2008. Cheesy and predictable I know, as well as notoriously hard if you want to be objective!

Moments like those are special because in a small group like ours, a ramshackle bunch of people who's lives wouldn't ordinarily meet, not only meet, but share their hearts and lives and grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus together. I love these guys and I heartily look forward to doing 2009 with many of them!

So what were the words?  They can tell you theirs if you know them.  That is not for me to share.

The word I used to sum up my year was openness-vulnerability-honesty (yes I know that is three, but if you know me you'll also know that limiting myself to 3 is actually quite an achievement in the best sense!) - to the Living God and to people.

There are many things that have happened this year which have brought joy and satisfaction.

There are others that have brought pain and frustration. Whether it has been my falling short of others expectations of me or disappointments handed to me by life. Whether it has been wondering if I really have what it takes or wanting others to think that I do! The temptation in those moments has been to run back to my cave and do some long sitting.

I am by no means perfected... yet! Part of the process in getting there is being humble enough to sit in the light, even when what it shows up ain't that pretty and (because I'm proud) makes me want to squirm for Britain. Yet paradoxically, and nasty as it feels, it is testimony that I am truly alive. and that God in his grace, as given by awesome Jesus, is working in me.  To put it another way: dead men don't appreciate open heart surgery.  

That fact in and of itself, inspires my heart to humble, joyful worship of the one who loved me and gave himself for me and so I rise and press on in faith!

They are Lining Up!!

Clive James, hot on the heals of Parris (perhaps), is effusive in his praise of Christ, but not necessarily how you would expect.

Read it here, listen here (11mins).

How would you respond?

A Strange Ally

Bish got there first.

Matthew Parris' latest comment in The Times Newspaper makes pleasing/interesting reading. Go see.

What do you pray after reading something like that?

Interesting Bits of News... Well I think so anyway.

I am a fan of the Today programme on Radio 4.  I grew up listening to it with Dad over breakfast and without even thinking, just carried that habit on into university and right up to the present day!

Here are some bits from today's Today, I found interesting:

Jesus in a Manga (3:55)

A somewhat comic (?) nativity story!

An assessment of the Bush presidency (11:03)

America is the nation everyone loves to hate.  Bush is the president that everyone loves to hate.  I think the guy deserves a bit of a break from pompous armchair critics like us!  Would you have done any better?  Here is an alternative point of view for proud, cynical Western Europeans like us to chew on.

The Pope on Gender Theory (6:52)
I wince when I hear the Pope being referred to as Holy Father.  That said, I have to hand it to her, Joanna pulls no punches and is more blunt (in a good way) than I probably would have been had I been in the same position!

They also interviewed Richard Dawkins (a very famous atheist) on what he does for Christmas.  But they don't seem to have posted that interview there! :-(

How do you follow this?

If anyone is thinking of getting me a Christmas present...  Don't get me this!! I'll have as many ties and socks as you want!  

That said, it is very funny! ;-)

Rebekah Barnard

Rebekah is in her 2nd year studying Natural Sciences at Reading University and is in the same mid-week cell group as me.

She is a top little sister and has been an encouragement to me in many ways. Here are three of them:

1. She is a faithful member of our cell group.

2. She is displaying what it means to have Jesus be Lord of every part of her life, even when it hurts (a lot).

3. She made a comment on Facebook that she had "got church tonight." All she was doing was meeting with others in someone's house to worship God, study the bible and pray, not a meeting in an official building or anything. No smells or bells or robes or strobes (the last one I guess you'd find in some trendy relevent church, no doubt). She knows what church is really about! Not style, form or ritual, but real substance - lives united together to Jesus, transformed by his mercy and love and waiting in hope for his soon return!

It ain't any more complicated than that! :-)

A Heroine of whom the World is not Worthy

Last week I had the privilege of preaching at RUCU's main weekly meeting. As I did some of the preparation for it, I came across this. It is magnificent; the testimony of Lisa Beamer, who on 11th September 2001 lost her husband and the father of her 2 (+ 1 on the way) children in the plane that was kamakazied by Islamic extremists into the Pentagon. I found myself welling up! And yet curiously strengthened by her testimony, in a way that only God the Holy Spirit can do.

Here she is being interviewed by Larry King on national American TV. I haven't embeded it since it is in two parts and you can find the second half here (14mins in total). Other videos are in the side menu are of interest too.

Oh... and the text I was preparing to preach on at the time was this.