May 5, 2009

Testing out posting from phone

Ok so I should be going to sleep, it's been a long day but I couldn't resist trying out this feature and post a blog entry from me phone.

I'm sure it'll be easier from an iPhone app but for now I'll give this a go when I'm out and about.

I'm actually sitting infront of my computer right now, which does seem a little geeky whilst blogging on me phone. Now to send and see of it works.

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May 5, 2009

Gathering Takeaway

So a change from the normal worship event, we're making space to go a little deeper. And so Gathering Takeaway is born. Our first is tomorrow night, you can see the details on the facebook page, we (I) still need to update the website so facebook it is for now.

If your in the area, come and join us

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May 5, 2009

One of those days

Have you ever had just one of those days? Unfortunately mine was this Sunday, our last sunday for the foreseeable future at Christ Church. Lou and I were leading worship and it started with some music books that had gone missing, then at the beginning of the service as we were teaching a new song the song wasn't projected so not everyone could follow us, as that finished someone then felt the need to shout out something about me needing to sort out the technology (like it's my responsibility). You might get the picture, and if your reading this and not a christian then I don't want to put you off, but sometimes these things happen.

I asked myself and because I'm still reflecting on it I'm still asking myself. Were my expectations too high for Sunday? Or is it more likely they were in the wrong place. Maybe I was too focused on me and it being my last sunday than what God actually wanted to do?

As always I'm left with more questions that answers, one thing I won't stop doing though is expecting things of God, not because I deserve it, but because I know he is willing and he is able.

So a chapter ends and a new one starts at a new place, for now we'll be worshipping at CGC already we've made friends who share our passions heart, we really see God working in these relationships.

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February 18, 2009

New Virb, New Me?

So I suppose this means after all the hard work that the virbsters have done that I should start using Virb as it was intended. It's hard to know where to call home online but maybe, just maybe I could put down roots here?

So expect some more of this, my ramblings thoughts, right here.

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November 5, 2008

Well done America, Congrats Obama!

I stayed up till about four this morning to watch the results as they came in live and it was so interesting!

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September 21, 2008

Urban Expressions and curry with a Stag

Yesterday was one of those days that you know is in the diary but just creeps up on you, so I wasn't quite up for travelling into London for the day.

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September 11, 2008

Remembering

Today is the 9th of Sept 2008.

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September 9, 2008

The end of a book, a day away and some hope

It's fair to say that this long overdue.

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August 26, 2008

The Shack

I finally got a copy of The Shack at the weekend, it's the must read book of the moment and friends have been raving about it. Tears and laughter are promised so the blog reviews might make for interesting reading. I've not started it yet but I'll update u as I get along. I'm also writing this from a blog app on my mobile so this is a first as well.Posted with LifeCast

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July 22, 2008

so long, farewell and something new...

so long farewell

I always knew it would be hard to sit down and write farewell but I didn't realise just how hard it would actually be. In many ways it's not goodbye, but you'll need to keep reading to find out why that is.

And the end of July I'll be leaving Christ Church as the Youth Outreach Worker, after nearly four years here time has flown by, ministers have gone and come, young people have left school to go to university and for Lou and I we have become three with Jaden in our lives.

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May 12, 2008

A New Week

Well it's another week, and it's still really sunny!

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with an old friend and hearing about what God is doing in the ministry that he's involved in.

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May 9, 2008

Feeling Light Headed

I don't know what it is about the sun but it brings out the best in me.

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May 5, 2008

At the end of the day

It's been a scorcher, we've chilled out with friends,

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May 4, 2008

Good week, bad week

In our school lunch time groups we have a great discussion starter called Good week Bad week. We share a good and bad thing about the week and then pray for each other...

Bad Week -

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May 2, 2008

Dangerous

There is something about the gospel that is dangerous, it's dangerous to our 9-5's and our daily humdrum, it will turn you upside down, inside out. Thats what it means when we truly start to embody good news, to embody God's love and live in resurrection.

The word dangerous is a word that Shane used a lot wednesday night, and he would know. His passion to chase after all the things of God has seen him get arrested, have his car blown off the side of a road in Iraq, hang around with crack addicts and gang members. And yet when you read his book and you see him in person you see a gentle fire ball of faith!

Dangerous is a word that I've heard before. Some of you may be familiar with the 24-7 prayer movement, and part of the Vision is this:



Jesus is the vision, and I truly believe that as we embody everything that he was and live and operate in a place of being loved by God then we can live and love as ordinary radicals. Dreaming big and living small, those little acts of love that make more noise than me in a pulpit ever could.

If you want to check out the community that Shane lives and serves then check out
The Simple Way.

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May 2, 2008

In your face...

After the great night at church.co.uk I was confronted full in the face with what Shane had been talking about. I arrived at Liverpool St Station and was starving! So I made my way up to McDonalds and there she was sitting just out of the rain at the front door.

Somehow money didn't seem enough, what else could I give her, I racked my brain. Instead I asked her if I could buy her some food, she had just eaten no doubt someone else's generosity. I had my wallet in my hand now and I dug around for some change. I gave her the money but it still didn't seem enough. How could I demonstrate Jesus to her?... I asked if there was anything else I could do and she replied no, someone else came then and gave her some money and I just said take care as I walked inside to get my burger!

Was it enough, is there more I could have done? I'm still not convinced that I did the right thing. I probably won't see her again, in fact I'm sure I won't, but did I do enough. Was it enough for her to see Jesus. Am I hoping for to much, did I falter at the first challenge.

This gospel is dangerous, it is in your face, how much of Jesus' did she see, how much good news was there?

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May 1, 2008

The day after the night before...

If your expecting a drunken rant then your gonna be dissapointed. Last night I went to hear Shane Claibourne speak at Church.co.uk in Lambeth. It was a joint Tearfund, Faithworks event and it was great!

If you've read his book, then you can't help to have been impacted hugely. I think Its always dangerous reading books like that because they shake things up, and I guess that's Shane's intention, I guess that's God's intention! Shane told a lot of stories last night that he's used in his book, but uit was good to hear it from the horses mouth. Just like when I read the book it's taking me time to digest and take in everything I heard last night so this is by way of saying stay tuned while I get my head round it and blog something of substance!

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March 26, 2008

Easter

So it's been a while since I posted here. Some post easter thoughts seemed like as good an excuse than any.

At advent I was pleased with myself that I hadn't got crazy busy with stuff, this was not the case for the Easter weekend. It's wednesday already but fresh in my mind was our sunrise service. After just a couple of hours sleep at the church at a sleep over with the young people we made our way out to one of the country parks.

It was frosty and the ground underfoot was crispy, and it was bright. The sun had already been for a while up so we'd missed greeting the sun on that morning. There was about twenty of us and I asked everyone to stand round the little bench with our humble little meal on it and then we looked out across the fields and back over Billericay. I remember seeing the sun just above the tree line on my right and it hit the tress and the open ground on my left, a pinky glow was filling the sky. There had been such a sense of hopelessness on friday but now I just knew everything would be ok, don't ask me how, but I knew that I knew that I knew. He was back, a dead man walking. I was hopeful for the new day and what God has to bring.

A few hours later it was snowing and as we met in the warmth of church a blanket of snow covered the town, a fresh start.

2008 is definately a first for easter snowmen though.

Here's another thing. I got to thinking when I was hearing that day about the resurrection when people were looking for Jesus in all the wrong places. There we were in church, celebrating and congratulating ourselves that although we didn't deserve it we now had a fresh chance. It was were we expected to see Jesus, but would he really have been there, Church was the obvious place to look, but what about all the unexpected places that we didn't look that morning and s often don't look. In the gospel of Matthew after the account of the resurrection what comes quickly after is the great commission. The other gospel accounts fill in more detail, but thats why I got up easter sunday morning, thats why I get up every day, to find out what the mission might be today, and how I can be involved.

Easter is our big hope and I'm still being changed by the remembering of Jesus' passion, but what's next...

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January 13, 2008

Some Big Decisions

There is a mixture of excitement, sadness and yet faithful expectation of what God might be leading us into. Of course we have some idea of what we might be doing but it's not firmed up, and I know that not knowing where your going especially now that we have Jaden, can seem irresponsible. And yeah we are stepping out into the unknown but we have so much peace and excitement about it.

I was at some training yesterday and Jonny Baker used this prayer. St Brendan was a Celtic monk and he along with other celtic monks got in their small leather covered coracles and traveled where waves and wind blew them. It it sums up where Lou and I are. We are setting sail, without sail or any idea where this adventure might take us at the whim of the one who made us and provides for al our needs.

The Prayer of St Brendan:

Shall I abandon, O king of mysteries
the soft comforts of home? Shall I turn my back on my native land, and turn my face
towards the sea?

Shall I put myself wholly at your mercy,
without silver, without a horse, without fame,
without honour? Shall I throw myself wholly
upon You, without sword and shield,
without food and drink, without a bed to lie on?
Shall I say farewell to my beautiful land,
placing myself under Your Yoke?

Shall I pour my heart to You, confessing
my manifold sins and begging forgiveness,
tears streaming down my cheeks? Shall I
leave the prints of my knees on the sandy
beach, a record of my final prayer in my
native land?

Shall I then suffer every kind of wound that
the sea can inflict? Shall I take my tiny boat
across the wide sparkling ocean? O king of the
Glorious Heaven, shall I go of my own choice
upon the sea?

O Christ, will You help me on the wild waves?

(An excerpt from 'Navigatio Pocket Liturgies'. - published by proost.co.uk)

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January 4, 2008

I am Legend

When films come out I wonder where they get their names from and often just like 'I am Legend 'it isn't made clear until the end, when it's spelt out for us.

The legend is the story of Will Smiths character his struggle to find the cure for the disease that has turned most of the worlds 6 billion population into zombies that only happen to come out at night, and stay in the shadows. I got to thinking about Legends, and the type of legends woven into our everyday. The legend of King Arthur, Robin Hood and others, all based in reality but films and stories have made them into fantasy.

What would my legend read, the legend of Mark Pape doesn't sound very exciting. Will Smith's character eventually sacrificed his life, a common thread and it's one that draws me back to Jesus. The sacrifice of one to save the many. He took daily risks on his life to pursue the salvation, in this case cure for all humanity.

Back to reality and I've been shocked by the recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto, she entered the country and the risk of her own life, even after continual threats and attempts to kill her she still went our on the streets because she believed passionately in democracy and freedom for Pakistan. She risked it all. Politicians in the west no nothing of risk taking. Ok sure they may get ridiculed in the press and it may be a bit uncomfortable but have any really taken risks, have they counted the cost? I think not.

So what risks am I willing to take, what will my legend read. It won't be for personal gain or fame, after all I'll be dead and it won't matter to me, but now in the reality of my situation will I step out of the fantasy of my comfortable life or live in the potential that God sees in me and believes that I can be more.

I am legend

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