Three Chord Wonder

5 Loaves and 2 Fishes. Really?

2012-02-03T19:02:00.000Z

Lets get this straight: the feeding of the 5000 (John 6) or 5000 men plus all the women and children. That could be around 15,000? some estimates are even higher.

So from all of the men women and children, all the disciples could get is the 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish? Oh, really????

From this story we learn that God is so mighty and powerful that he can perform a miracle and provide for so many with such a small offering. We learn that we cannot out give God. We learn that we can give whatever we have to God and he can use it.

What we don't learn, and maybe we should, is that even amongst those who are happy to watch Jesus, listen to His teaching, follow Him even, it's still easy to hold on to whatever we have.

It's easy to settle for security but it can cost us obedience.

Even those blessings He has already given us need to be given back to Him. This giving cycle should not end with us holding on to anything too tightly because the blessing goes on. Somewhere in the region of 14999 people were blessed , and blessed abundantly, because of that little guy and the food he handed over. Is it your turn now?

YHWH.

Movember! Movember! Movember!

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000Z

Movember is all about 'changing the face of men's health'. Conceived 12 years ago the movember.com movement has grown (!) to include both raising money and awareness of men's health issues - particularly the male cancers.

And so, in 2010 I finally heard about it (too late) and then...completely forgot about it until October this year. A few social network reminders prompted me to think about doing it. Not for the money, but to get some conversations going. Believe me it worked!

If you're a guy and you've mentioned my mo' (AAC excluded) then you've already had a conversation about health.

At the risk of my marriage, and having learnt that I don't want to grow a mo', I embraced the silly and ploughed on. The result.....?

Actually there's something to add before you get the picture.....

The Men's Health Paradox

The biggest problem with getting guys to look after their health is the paralysing paradox we are stuck in; damned if you do and damned if you don't.

One one hand there are stacks of statistics showing that men don't go to doctors soon enough or pickup on their health issues or even talk about them openly enough. So we want guys to talk about their health more, right? Women want it, the medical profession want it and it's a message you can find in every type of media from magazines to TV.

But on the other, we have 'man flu'. A singularly divisive bit of humour. Used throughout the media and in general conversation, this one 'joke' may have been funny. It may even be funny, but it's also emasculating. If you get nothing but hastle and derision for saying how you feel, you're going to learn to keep quiet very quickly. Right?

So there you have it. You either promote the paradox or you have to actively chose not to. Maybe it's true that whatever you don't condemn, you condone. Whose side are you on?

Women, make your minds up, this is genuinely life or death stuff. Are you going to help us promote men's health issues or hinder us?

As for me, well, I have an appointment with a man and his cut-throat razor!

Picture to follow.......

Vision: Don't leave the house without it!

2011-11-15T22:28:00.001Z

Why is it that the best people, really good, wise, amazing people don't know why they do what they do? How is it even possible? When did we move from vision to routine?

I've recently asked some leaders I know what their vision is. Active, loving people. They could not tell me straight away.

I asked some others what their churches' vision was. They could not tell me.

If I asked you what your church or company's vision was, could you tell me? how close to what was written on your website would your answer be?

Bear in mind I'm not comparing how well your day to day activities relate to your vision; if they don't then you MUST STOP: the vision is not working!

Ignoring people abilities to communicate clearly, which may be a factor in telling me, these are all people who would only have taken on a role, responsibility or task with a good reason. So where did that reason go?

Anyone who's ever been any where near Willow Creak or Bill Hybels will know the phrase 'Vision Leaks'. Usually, Bill will draw a bucket on a flip-chart and then draw holes in the bottom to illustrate this. What he usually does is leave the remaining space blank but I wonder if that's right. Maybe, just maybe we fill our 'Vision buckets' with something else. Something more mundane, and less God filled. Maybe routine and comfort start to scale up our buckets. Perhaps even if we do get our vision topped up, there's not quite as much room there as there used to be. Do our visions start to get smaller too? or does a tension start to build albeit subtly at first?

I don't know about you but I want to be led by people with clear vision and I want to lead with clear vision.

God I pray that I would never leave the house without it!

Me and My Obsession

2011-10-31T20:24:00.002Z

Two moments have combined in the last few days to create and interesting effect in my life; a question and a description.

To start with the description: I was reading a blog post by Mark Tuma and as I read it, I just recognised myself. I have thought myself obsessive for some time and I wonder if my life had been different just how easy I would have found addiction. I can easily listen to the same album for literally months as I bike to and from work.

Yet, that obsessive (focused) behaviour does not cover all aspects of my life and indeed just like Mark, does not cover my faith (at least not often). In fact it can often be a distraction. I can obsess over all the areas of my gifts rather than focusing on the God who gave the gifts.

The second (which was actually the first) was a theological question posed to me; classic apologetics.

Only, I didn't know the answer. I postulated a little, but I didn't know. Now, I have been a Christian for as long as the person asking the question has been alive (!) and yet they prompted in me an urgent need to know and so I did went to the only source of information left on the planet and exercised my Google-fu.

However it's not enough to just have the answer, I needed to understand the answer and so, my obsession was focused on my faith and my theology. My in-built preference and style was aligned with what I want to be at the centre of my life.

I am grateful to the person who asked me the question and I am reminded of an phrase:

The Gulf Stream can pass through a straw; if the straw aligns itself with the Gulf Stream

I want to use my gifts and skills to know God more but that means it must be my way and my journey. I have to discover and develop that relationship myself, with God, and I cannot rely on other peoples experience alone. Of course, this effort must not be solely for my benefit alone though.

Brother Lawrence writes, "Let us often remember, dear friend, that our sole occupation in life is to please God"

God, I pray that you would be my obsession.

DiW: 2 Ways to become a better drummer - guaranteed!

2011-10-08T08:37:00.000Z

Two top tips for becoming a better drummer and yes, they really do work AND I'll tell you them for free...

The better the drums sound, the better you'll play

I was reminded of this one while talking to one of the Gateway Vineyard drummers about the newly tuned snare on the church kit. She had been energised by the fact that when she hit the snare, it had good sound. There were no distracting overtones, or disappointing noises, just a good sound that freed her up to be more musical and dynamic in her playing.

Good sounding drums help make good sounding drummers.

The better the musicians you work with, the better you'll play

I have previously outlined that one of the things we do in the kind of music I play in church, is to copy other peoples arrangements. It's all very well working on new patterns and parts but if those around you aren't able to play theirs, it's just not going to work as well. But, get together with a group of players who are better than you and they will stretch you, ask things of you musically, and you'll get better. When you're creating your own arrangements, that sort of interaction is vital to make new, interesting music that sounds like you!

Don't forget though that sometimes you'll be the better player helping others step up and sometimes they'll be helping you.

I can think of two bass players that I have worked with in particular, who have made me get better. They have had such good rhythm & tone that I've stepped up my game to match theirs.

Good sounding musicians help make good sounding drummers.

Motivation: a new way to do it?

2011-10-06T22:45:00.000Z

DiW: The hardest drum lesson?

2011-09-27T20:04:00.000Z

I think I was 16. I was surrounded by the gleam of cymbals and stands and that specific smell that music shops used to have that comes from the particular carpet they used.

In front of me stood pretty much the only 'drum guy' in Norwich at the time (not that long before he went to work for Premier). I'd taken one of my vintage Premier toms (White Marine Pearl, late 50's/early 60's) with a Remo pinstripe batter, Remo ambassador clear for the resonant and...and masking tape and paper towel dampening pad!!!

He was very generous and understanding and, that day, he told me the hardest drum lesson. It's a shame it took me a further 12 years to actually learn it.

He took a drum from one of the kits in the drum room (I don't actually remember what it was) but it had a single ply coated head and he held it in his hand and hit it. I remember it sounded strange, ringing and, to me, pretty awful. Then he reminded me that he was a busy drummer and that the drum he had just played was the kind of sound he used live. He told me to take off the dampening and try it without. He told me one more thing too.

So, I promptly went home and used o-rings on my snare and toms for the next 4 years.....

I'm not sure what it took to finally help me learn the lesson. Maybe I'd just got less and less happy with my drum sound and I suppose eventually I couldn't ignore the approach the drummers all over the world were taking. Maybe it was getting to play mic'd up more and more and getting used to IEM's and a more processed sounds. Now? I hear the mistake all over the place; made by drummers who haven't learnt the hardest drum lesson yet.

You see what he told me that day, and what forms the basis of my setup and tuning ideas today, is that wherever, and whatever I'm playing, my drums should sound the best for those who are listening to them.
Given the nature of acoustic drums, especially un-mic'd ones, this means that you have to allow a brighter and more resonant sound to come from the drums so that by the time the sounds leaves the stage and hits the audience it is more balanced. It also means playing drums that don't sound as 'nice' to me which is hard; that's why it's the hardest lesson.

But you know what? Nowadays that brighter, more resonant sound, sounds just beautiful!

DiW: THE sound

2011-09-26T22:55:00.000Z

The kick will have punch but with controlled energy.

The snare will be bright, cracking and short.

The Toms will be round, warm and will project.

The cymbals....well, they'll sound ok but they'll have to wait.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's the vision for Gateways drums. We will be playing un-mic'd for the time being but that'll be the vision when we're mic'd too.

We'll be using Evans G2's on the toms and a Power Centre Reverse Dot on the snare; porting the kickdrum and generally giving our Premier Artist Birch a jolly good clean!

DiW: What to play?

2011-09-19T22:20:00.000Z

Having had a look at why we use drums in worship, here's some thoughts on how to approach playing drums in worship:

As drummers, if we are aiming to play our part (pun intended) in leading people in worshipping God, then I think it's important to be deliberate about what we play, when we play it and what it achieves.

When I'm learning a new song, or writing a part for a new song or new arrangement, I have a few things to consider. They are not so much hard and fast rules, especially the first, but here we go anyway.

Original Arrangement?

With just about any kind of church based drumming this is a key question. Most church music I play (and have heard) requires you to learn someone elses drum part. Be it the classic (and somewhat predictable) Hillsong 16th note highhat/8th note kick drum/ cool tom pattern stuff, or the smoothed out, well produced (and somewhat uninteresting) Soul Survivour offerings or the almost chaotic, unstructured Jesus Culture coolness.

I should probably add that although I may describe these styles in less than flattering ways, they are all good and valid in their own context, especially those that are designed to be copied. Yes, believe it or not, some parts are written in such a way as to make them more easy for other drummers to play!

(Please bear in mind that I'm talking about the kinds of churches I would play in, which is just a small fragment of what's going in in the UK, let alone the World.)

If I'm learning someone else's part, I have to listen to it, or watch it (Youtube, yey!). Dissect it, decide what I can play given the other points, practice it and job done.

Writing new parts, or new arrangement probably needs it's own post.

What energy level?

Fast? Slow? Powerful? Majestic? Cool? Haunting? Emotional? Shouty? Minimal?

Someone is in charge. Someone can tell you what energy level the song it meant to be. Your playing, and that of all the other musicians involved, should match that. Bringing me to my next thought....

Other instruments?

Who else is playing? What do they contribute? Playing in your own space, whilst creating space for others to play, is a key musical skill in any genre. So make space!

As a key part of the rhythm section, you have a responsibility to bring rhythm, dynamics and energy to a piece of music. If you're playing with a bass player, you need to work with them to create the rhythm section part. Sometimes you'll play the same rhythm, sometimes you'll each play different things to create something together and sometimes one of you will create the bedrock for the other to play on top of.

Just work out in advance who's doing what!

Ostinato gone mad?

In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice.

This is a personal obsession of mine.

Most songs I end up playing have a repeating structure. Verse, Chorus, Bridge plus maybe some other made up bits like 'tag', 'pre-chorus'. My approach to these is to decide what each piece should be like and to STICK TO IT!
By doing this you're creating an accessible structure that those who you are leading can get to grips with much more easily and to be honest it's less distracting. I'm pretty sure you don't want to be distracting, right?

And finally.......Dynamics

I could say a lot about dynamics, again it probably requires a post of it's own. So for now I'll just add this:

Once you've figured out what pattern, feel and fills you want to play, be aware that you can play them all at differing volumes and with heavy or light feels.

And don't forget the why!

What job do you do?

2011-09-18T22:23:00.000Z

Christians seem to spend a lot of time thinkingabout what job they should do. What's God's plan for my life ? Where does He want me to be?

To try to answer these questions, we pray (fine)we talk to other, trusted people (also fine) we read our bible (yes, stillfine) and then we make our best guess.

Yet we seem slow to grasp that we arealready commissioned; we already have a job to do.

Matt 28:19-20
¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

So, what we do to earn money, even thevocational stuff, is really just a second job. We must be able to do the firstwhile doing the second.

Guess which job God will bless the most?*

What ever work you do, however hard you work,the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.

*To be fair I don't know, but I am sure that God will honour us living out the Great Commission.

DiW: Why?

2011-09-08T20:00:00.001Z

Why do we use drums in Worship music? What's the point?
Is there a biblical precedent that we're following? Well, yes and no. Yes in as much as gongs and cymbals are mentioned in the bible but no in as much as they are also used as a simile for us without Love.....

Yet there are countless drummers all over the world, playing all kinds of styles, in churches and meetings week in, week out. There must be a good reason for it right? There is and it's important to know it.

DC Talk once described God as a 'Creative Artist'. I've always liked that image, and I think it is the central reason to use drums, or indeed any gift/talent we have, in our Worship of YHWH; because everything we have is His and should be offered to him in praise and Worship. For me it is included in the 'Living Sacrifices' described in Romans 12 and that passage describes the relationship between physical worship and spiritual worship.

If, through playing music (no drummer jokes!), I can express my praise and worship of God and I can help lead others to do the same, then I have a very good reason to play!

Note that the reason isn't "to keep time" or "set a good groove" or "show how many chops you've got" or "annoy those who hate loud music!" or "because it's cool". What you play affects all of that stuff but it's no good making them the why. It would be a poor substitute for the real reason and frankly, I'd give up rather than play for any of those reasons!

Be clear about why you play. It will affect how you go about handling yourself and I think God is interested!

A Dark Time Indeed:

2011-08-10T17:11:00.002Z

It's hard to believe what's been happening in England in the last few days. Riots, looting, damage and fear all spreading.

I don't know what you think about it or whether you've signed one of the online petitions to have benefits removed from convicted looters etc.

As someone not directly affected by the actual damage, I think the worst point was a conversation I had with someone who just couldn't see any hope that things would get better, especially with the rest of the world feeling so uncertain; US debt rating falling, Stock Markets all over the place, entire countries on the brink of bankruptcy.

Just for a moment I joined them in feeling the despair of not having any hope. A few short seconds of swirling helplessness.

Then it struck me that I am not that stuck. I am not alone because I AM is I AM, and the King always has One More Move.

To quote some Delirious? lyrics: "Only God can save us now"

Unfathomable God?

2011-06-21T19:25:00.001Z

Is God really unfathomable? or How fathomable is God? How much of God can you unravel?

I don't know. But I do know that you cannot unravel Him completely.

What you can do is ask God to unravel you by revealing Himself.

It's dangerous though. Change will come.

If you want to break the mould, you have to....

2011-06-15T20:44:00.002Z

...find the cracks first.

There are lots of situations when you realise that it's time to change things. If you want to know where to start you have to look and see where the first signs of readiness are. If you do that, you'll find it much easier to explode the mould and reduce it to dust OR open it cleanly on the break line. Breaking moulds always seems wasteful, and, if it involves peoples lives then that kind of change can be too violent.

To switch analogies, Kurt Lewin likened the process of change to the process of freezing water:

You start as ice, thaw to water and reshape and then re-freeze to hold the new shape.

I love this picture of change and how to go about it. To take it one step further, think of all the conversations you've ever had where people are just not quite satisfied with the status quo; those are the first droplets of water forming on the surface of the ice.

Remember, the first people to see that a change may be necessary are NOT usually the ones in the middle of it.

I can think of times when situations were 'un-freezing' all around me; absolute chaos!

Then there are dreams and 'Holy Discontent', great forces for change.

If you find those cracks, or droplets and harness their power, you will find that change starts to shape itself. You'll soon find that early adopters will be able to buy-in to what your doing and you should also see that shared sense of ownership, that makes change stick.

Worship Confessional - 29/05/11

2011-05-30T07:15:00.003Z

Set List:

What to say Lord (Everyday) - Hillsong
Strength Will Rise - Chris Tomlin
You Alone Can Rescue - Matt Redman
This is Our God - Hillsong
Hold On (ch only) - Nigel Briggs (Trent Vineyard)

This was our first time out as our new band (although we were missing one member) and to be honest, it was a bit of a mare.

One un-muted guitar and one that really should have been muted (major noise from the socket) gave us a poor start with too many distractions.

BUT.

Good is good and it looked like once we got going, people were able to respond. It has to be said that @gatewayvineyard don't sing unless they mean it! For the first time in a long time, I played some hand-percussion using my snare in a quieter section. I love playing kit creatively :)

We looked at the big question of why does God allow Suffering and clearly this was something people had some God-business to do over.

(new Gateway website is www.gatewayvineyardnorwich.org.uk)

Drums in Worship

2011-05-25T19:52:00.003Z

I'll be adding some of my thoughts about drumming within church music teams, but I thought it might be good to summarise some of my experiences:

I have been drumming for about 16 years
I learnt to drum by copying drummers I liked, including the drummers who played for Garth Brooks, Louis Armstrong, Beautiful South, Cheryl Crow and Matt Redman.
I have never had a drum lesson!
I have played in small Saxon churches, Cathedrals, sports centres, marquees, cowsheds, outdoors at Pleasurewood Hills, schools, trailers, and just about anywhere I could
I have drummed at Christian Conferences/Festivals including Spring Harvest & Living Water
I'm looking forward to drumming on Cromer Pier this year (well, in front of it)
Tambourines are the most important percussive item in gospel music (save for pianos, but that's another Conversation)
I have had to play in so many different styles including having to impersonate a train

and.....

I would really, really like to own a Dave Weckl 13" signature snare

Mike Vance on Vision (Walt Disney)

2011-05-22T08:16:00.003Z

The legendary Walt Disney died before Disney World in Florida was completed. On opening day 1971, almost five years after Disney's death, someone commented to Mike Vance, Creative Director of Walt Disney Studios, "Isn't it too bad Walt Disney didn't live to see this?'"

"He did see it," Vance replied simply. "That's why it's here."

(Quoted from 'IT' by Craig Groeschel)

Worship Confessional - sort of

2011-05-21T18:51:00.005Z

A friend, who is currently some distance away, reminded me of how it used to be. He reminded me of a time when posting up thoughts and ideas on here was a bit like breathing in and out. He also reminded me that I miss him.

I used to need a place to bring my thoughts to reflect on and I used to think of this blog, and my private "My Eyes Only" blog, as a pensieve.

I don' t really know what changed. I'm aware that I don't think like that any more. I know that life is so very different now. And yet, I still feel as challenged and stretched as I did then. I guess the stretching has made some difference then ;)

So, apart from a bit of house-keeping that I need to do around here, I think I'm back. I have some thoughts and ideas that I would like to share and refine.

Just to update the background, I am back to drumming in church and we are just entering a new phase; we have formed 3 bands and are going to focus on how we can get better, together.

We'll also be looking at each discipline in it's own right, and I'm really looking forward to sharing with my fellow drummers, learning from their experience and planning how we approach bringing music to our home at gatewayvineyardnorwich.co.uk

You never know, you may see them on here.

I'm even going back to writing, so you may get some more of that too!

NYFC Gospel Choir support LCGC!

2010-12-15T20:52:00.005Z

NYFC Gospel choir are supporting London Community Gospel Choir ! How Cool is that!

Well, the whole gig is in support of the International Justice Mission, who do some of the most amazing work. Ever.

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems.

To buy tickets and for more info check out the Kings Church website. See you there?

Awakening

2010-09-23T22:14:00.005Z

I've been captured by a word, compelled by ten letters. Four Syllables that have my brain engaged and is seriously threatening to do the same to my heart.

Awakening,

What is now a long time ago three words shaped my future: Young-people, Depression and Restoration. Yes, I know, technically that's four words, but this is my blog.

There is plenty of change around, change everywhere. As I see it there are two types of change; the change you choose and the change that happens anyway. I've learnt to choose as much change as you can but it can be like sailing a boat in a fair wind, with the engine on, someone else in control of the tiller and a storm brewing.

And yet, in all of that, God is saying...Awakening.

In our hearts, Lord, in this nation Awakening
Holy Spirit, we desire Awakening

For You and You alone Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing
For the world You love Your will be done, let Your will be done in me

Our Giving Affects Eternity

2010-05-09T10:22:00.003Z

Why is it so easy to connect some parts of our lives to eternity but not others?

Whether we accept Jesus as saviour in our lives, clearly connects to eternal life. Or rather it does if we add in some biblical knowledge.

So why not money? Surely if we spend our money on 'kingdom building' then the anticipated outcome is more people in Heaven, right?

Why do we let ourselves reduce money to an earthly, temporary life time issue?

Threechordwonder answer? because we want to.

Giving is so much easier, so much more natural if we let God show us how it should fit in with our lives. toit can become a spiritual discpline
and a key to spiritual growth.

You can be who you choose to be

2010-04-25T11:47:00.003Z

This morning at Gateway Vineyard, Alex brought a message about the offer God makes; we can give up our lives in exchange for external life.

As often happens with me, this triggered a song in my head.

I've had Stacy Orico's album for ages now, but I often go back to it. When you listen beyond the very cool music and hear what she's actually singing about, there are some very clear lyrics there.

In 'I Won't Look Back' she sums up a problem I have faced and which if we all paid more attention to, we could make more of a difference to our world:

You can be who you choose to be
But whether you do, or whether you don't
Depends on your priorities
Lord help me to choose them wisely

The decisions we make are based on a complex set of 'rules'. These rules are made up of things like our values, moral code, life experience, things we've seen on TV...the problem with this is often there are 'rules' in action that we aren't aware of.

The more of these we identify, the more we can offer up to God to be 'refined in the fire'.

Imagine a time when your reactions and snap-backs were actually based on God refined 'rules'. Would they help build up people? or knock them down?

What do you think? Worth spending some time thinking about priorities, I would say.

The New Home

2010-04-18T12:16:00.004Z

I'm just back from church. Lunch is in the oven, the kids are in the garden (which is in full summer mode, even the BBQ is up and running!) and I'm feeling reflective.

We've been going to Gateway Vineyard for a little while now and the Switch has led to the start of what we were looking for.

Lots of getting to know people, catching names learning about what's going on etc. I'm really looking forward to getting some more roots down via a small group and am resisting the temptation to get involved in music stuff straightaway.

But this morning summed up the change for me; sitting down, full of breakfast, cuddling Elle during the musical worship time, it struck me that this is what family should look like in church. I'm not sure I can translate it in to words, but the aspects of being together in a place where we can all share in the same things and music and God all came together. I'm looking forward to building on that.

If you use the Jesus Analysis, then I'd have to answer with a resounding YES!

Switch

2010-02-19T21:33:00.003Z

This may seem abrupt, but it isn't. Not to us anyway.

Some will have read the last 5 months of posts and status updates and listened to comments and will not be surprised at what follows. Some will be like the guy I followed out of the cinema after the 'Six Sense' who was telling his girlfriend that he had totally got the twist from the beginning...of course you did.

Hol and I recently spent an evening recounting what we've been through in the last few years and, quite frankly, I was shocked! Yet we're still here, and God wants to make sense of it all. He's great like that.

It's a truth that, when you give your life to God and ask Him to lead you, He has the uncanny ability of taking you up on the offer.

So, one Sunday morning in September, God stirred both of us. That moment has, eventually, led us to the decision to leave Oak Grove Chapel, after nine years, and head over to Gateway Vineyard. It's time to switch.

This is about who we are in Christ; as individuals, as a married couple, as parents and as a family. I really don't know where we're going and what the rest of the year will be like, but I'm looking forward to it!

We've learnt a lot about community and community engagement at OG and it feels good to be leaving OG for good reasons, even if it does mean leaving some very good people. I like to think that God has that covered.

This Sunday, 21st February 2010 is our last 'official' Sunday at OG and I'll be playing. So, if you want to see me drum for that last time at OG then....don't come. Find a better reason to go to church!

YMCA's £4.2m Norwich flats plan gets green light

2010-02-04T20:18:00.000Z

YMCA's £4.2m Norwich flats plan gets green light

Woop Woop!

The Jesus Analysis

2010-01-31T17:14:00.008Z

This has been vaguely in my mind until Dave Elverson added his thoughts which crystallised mine.

Dave suggested that we often think of the gospel equation being:

(accept God's love) + (accept God's forgiveness) = (Forgiveness of our sins) + (a place in Heaven)

(my paraphrase)

He says this leads to a 'small' version of the gospel, leaving with only part of God's treasure and the ability to forget the gospel all too easily. I agree and it's dis-appointing.

So how does the Gospel become BIG in your life?

It's something I've started to think of as the Jesus Analysis. Being threechordwonder, you know it's going to be simple, so here goes, the Jesus Analysis in just one question:

Is that Jesus?

Told you it was simple. It's kinda like WWJD? but way bigger.

We often want ways of being guided (whether we admit it or not) and we often settle for less than the best, but imagine if you inserted the Jesus Analysis in to your life, would you go in a different direction?

Say someone snaps at you and you, without pausing for thought, snap back and think 'fool'. Even if you're 'right' do you come away from the exchange feeling uplifted, edified and closer to Jesus?

Lets try again. Someone snaps at you *stop* Is that Jesus? is it stress or a wake up call from a friend? *carry on* you comment back *stop* the comment on the end of your tongue, Is that Jesus? *carry on* your judgement of that person, based on your experience is what? OK, Is that Jesus?

A friend, who's been having a hard time, calls you when you're tired, you look at your phone and see who it is, so do you answer it? or not? ask yourself, Is that Jesus?

You could of course ask what would Jesus do? and that might help but here's where I'm coming from.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

The parable talks about a kind of detail and attention to other people's needs that is about as practical as it gets; food, drink, clothes, welcome, care for the sick and those in prison. If you want to find God's Kingdon and live in the God News, get involved with the 'Least of these brothers of mine'.

And God is really interested in helping us to do that, all we have to do is look. If you ask Is this Jesus? and it is, he will say Yes it is!

Luke 11: 9-10 9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Dis-appointed

2010-01-23T17:36:00.011Z

John Ortberg - The Life You've Always Wanted...I am disappointed that I still love God so little and sin so much. I always had the idea as a child that adults were pretty much the people they wanted to be. Yet the truth is, I am embarrassingly sinful. I am capable of dismaying amounts of jealousy if someone succeeds more visibly than I do. I am disappointed at my capacity to be small and petty. I cannot pray for very long without my mind drifting into a fantasy of angry revenge over some past slight I thought I had long since forgiven or some grandiose fantasy of achievement. I can convince people I'm busy and productive and yet waste large amounts of time watching television.

Does that sound familiar? If so, who else knows you well enough to know that about you?

...These are just some of the disappointments. I have other ones, darker ones, that I'm not ready to commit to paper. The truth is, even to write these words is a little misleading, because it makes me sound more sensitive to my falleness that I really am. Sometimes, although I am aware of how far I fall short, it doesn't even bother me very much. And I am disappointed at my lack of disappointment.

In that last sentence John Ortberg describes one of the most clever and destructive aspects of me and plenty of other Christians I know; to not care enough to fight.

Not caring actually takes a lot of energy. It's amazing how well we can do it really, but the cracks soon show. Stone is not the natural state of our hearts and they will feel something, or we will find some stimulation that makes us feel at least something, be it bad relationships, drugs or maybe fetishes, to name but a few.

So how do we challenge that? What can we do to help us care?

Well, the reality is God wants us to care. He wants us to care about all sorts of things; Love, Justice, Mercy to name a few. And because God is good, He will help us to care.

Practically, I like the Jesus Analysis...

Two Arguments

2010-01-15T23:29:00.000Z

There are only two arguments that I have ever lost*.

One was about whether steam from a kettle was wet, and the other was about whether you could have a constant rate of acceleration.

I should have won both. Oh well, Mr Hall and Lizzie, I was right, even if only I know that.
(* I was right in both cases)

Worship Confessional: 20/12/09

2009-12-20T15:45:00.003Z

This year the Sunday before Christmas has fallen right in the middle of far to much activity. Oh, hang on, that's normal nowadays...

I feel like I've had to many things to organise, and for that, not done all of them as well as I'd have liked.

So with that in mind, I arrived in the snow to face the service feeling less than 100% up for it. Add to that genuine concern for people trying to get to the Hub with bad roads (we lost our bass player to being stuck at home) and it's not exactly what you'd call a good start. Which is exactly what life should be like; praising God in the good and bad times.

It was nice to be able to choose some carols, without excluding some more of the usual stuff. I enjoyed planning it that way, but I really had no idea what to plan for the end of the service, which could have gone several different ways.

My main thought was to give some space in the bedlam to think about what God did ll those years ago, and to set the challenge to 'Hold up a light' for him.

Set List:

(Warmup - God is Here and With Us - Phil Heald)

The First Noel - trad. with a new arrangement (but I don't know who!)
O Come All Ye Faithful - John Wade
O Come Let Us Adore Him - (adapted from John Wade)
No Sweeter Name - Cari Jobe
CD- Hold Up a Light for Me - Take That (yes, Take That!)
Light of the World - Tim Hughes
This is My Desire - Reuben Morgan
Hark The Herald Angel Sing - Charles Wesley

Hehehe, hohoho

2009-12-17T09:55:00.000Z

Google Wave

2009-11-30T20:19:00.003Z

So I just got my invite to this:

Having started learning what it can do, and starting to ignore some of the hype, I'm looking forward to geting started.

Hopefully it'll start cleaning up some of the splintered 'conversations' in the vast, tiny world of the www.

I'll let you know, and if it works how I think it does, you may see some of it on here...

Worship Confessional: 22/11/09

2009-11-24T23:53:00.004Z

Leading at OG is rarely a case of plan a list and stick to it, but never more so that last Sunday.

Pitched to the church body as a 'Bring and Buy' service (yes, you read that correctly; not 'Bring and Share') The idea was simple; you only come if you bring something, when you're their you share and 'buy-in' to what's going on.

The conversation regarding between me and the service leader was:

Me: So, Sunday then...
Him: Can we have some Worship?
Me: Yep.

(For reference, that's not how we work!)

People had two weeks notice, but with 15 minutes to the start of the service, I had two songs for definite and we had an idea to thank two children who had, pretty much on their own, set out all of the chairs for the service.

Then, people came.

They brought gifts and money to be re-distributed, they brought scriptures, and stories and thoughts on loneliness. I had loads of input from the band with their ideas for extra songs and we finished with a 'you so have to play that again' song.

Before the service we prayed a lot that people wouldn't be held back by fear and they weren't; praise God! For me though, it felt quite normal to be seeking God on a minute to minute basis. I've said before on here that playing guitar and singing are my weakest instruments and that I know I can't do it on my own, so I have to rely on God.

Highlights from the service for me are:

1) The moment when a wave of release came, and something happened. I'd love to talk to someone who was on the receiving end, but I have not yet had the pleasure

2) The moment near the end of the service when the service leader asked anyone who had heard from God to stand, and almost everyone stood up. What a change, what a difference!

Set List:

(Warm up) Your Voice Is - Vicky Beeching

Hosanna - Brooke Fraser
This is our God - Hillsong

This is My Desire - Reuban Morgan
How Deep the Father's Love for Us - Stuart Townend
I Have Heard So Many Songs - Matt Redman

Faithful One - Brian Doerkson

(or something like that...)

The best phone ever!! - The Pomegranate Phone

2009-11-14T09:22:00.002Z

Seriously, check out this phone at it's website here

God's Character

2009-11-10T22:33:00.003Z

I'm becoming more and more obsessed with God's character.

Celebrating it, learning it, meditating on it, discussing it, sharing it and praying it.

With my 'worship leader' hat on (which is where this has all come from) if I think about leading a group of people in musical, corporate Worship, what else am I trying to do if not point towards God? The trouble being, we can't handle all of God, so we have to work on one or two 'facets'.

One season it might be God's grace, another His wisdom. Whatever it is, it's changing the way I worship.

As the old, and well ingrained in my brain, saying goes, "You can't lead people where you haven't been". It's enough to try to see God in Jesus, let alone anything else, so it requires a constant washing of the brain; through reading your bible, enjoying creation and sharing in fellowship.

So, do you know much about God?

For me, I've always loved names in the bible and why God (and Jesus) seemed obsessed with changing names. In the culture I'm in, most names don't mean much, but nicknames do. They ascribe characteristics to people, they set people apart (or draw them in) they build people up, or knock them down.

If you're feeling a little jaded, go and look at some of God's names. Why is he called them and what do they mean? What do they reveal about his character?

Incidentally, my favourite name for God is YHWH.

The Lady at the Lights

2009-10-21T18:23:00.003Z

The light was red, but her name was not Roxanne.
(At least I don't think so.)

Picture a grey, cool autumn morning; the morning rush hour; nameless faces taking the same routes; not sad, not happy; just routine.

Two friends, who travel the same route each day find themselves waiting at a crossing. And then the tears come...

Didn't see it coming? Me either.

One friend holds the other as the cold day is checked by the warm tears.

I have no idea what was going on, no idea why, but there, at 8:43, was a clear picture of what Jesus taught us to do.

Talk about pouring out compassion when it was needed, wherever it was needed AND at a time when it could so easily have been missed.

So GLS 2009 then....

2009-10-11T16:03:00.003Z

Well, once again it was all incredibly good. The standard was the same but there was a noticeable shift; there were no 'creative' elements.

Bill Hybels explained at the start of the Summit, that one of their responses to the current economic situation is that they have changed their meeting. Every element of the meeting is about getting ministry in to people. Then, they have changed their ministry times; blurring the start and finish time. One part of that is that they have a vocal team that will sing over people. They will sing for as long as it takes. They will sing until the last person leaves the auditorium.

That gives me a question....which I'll get to.

I have in my head lots of phrases and points that the various speakers have made, however the things I will remember are mostly visual.

It will be a long time before I forget about the rider, the elephant and the path, for example.

I have lot of books to read (!) and have already started....

It was a uniquely wonderful time spent hearing the GLS from a work POV and then processing it with non-OG people.

Of course the main part of the GLS is not the two days spent engaging with the speakers from the summit, but how you take what you hear back to your situation. That, of course takes time and deliberate action. Either that or you put the binder on the shelf and book up for next year....

For the time being though, my question is: Just how much am I, and those around me, prepared to do to see God's change?

(wherever that may be and whatever that may mean)

GLS 2009

2009-10-08T11:05:00.003Z

I've been working really hard to keep my ears and eyes away from the Global Leadership Summit this year.

It's everywhere, like never before. Facebook and Twitter have been full of updates, the emails and free downloads, podcasts Q&A's are all there for the taking...but no.

I only have to wait one more day.

I'm praying that it will be another good year, especially as I'm going with work, not church.

God, you have some work to do and then, so will we!

Worship Confessional - 13/09/09

2009-09-14T18:00:00.002Z

A great time for me this morning. I always play better when my IEM's sound good. Today, John had it all sounding great. (Thanks John!)

There was something else going on too though. A sense of team, or cohesion or something. We've been 'there' before, but it's been a while (for me at least.)

As a new thing, I took a copy of the desk recording home with me and I've been listening to it on loop since. Happy to hear the good stuff, happy to hear the not quite so good and always surprised at the details that only listening back can pickup. Things like just how talented Keef is; his bass playing is solid, yet incredibly musical. Lots to be discussed and learned from.

It wasn't without it's hitches. Given that we start at 8am, to not have coffee at the start, is not a good thing! Praise the Lord when the coffee machine was returned! (from a Wedding the day before.)

We looked at what Ian called CK People. C = covenant. K = Kingdom. The point being needing to hold on to the difference God's covenant with us makes in our lives (i.e. life or death!) and the need to bring God's Kingdom in the places we are.

Given that the music was good (IMO) and had some space in it, and the teaching was solid, I can't help feeling the break for the notices kinda blocked the flow. More inspiration required for communicating with the church at large so we can get the notices out of the Sunday service.

We also had a time of praying for our leaders linked to Christians in Government. It's something we should do more and that the Catholics (in my past) are very good at.

Counselling is like taking a really hot bath

2009-08-28T18:26:00.004Z

I've spent a lot of time with people who are in or are providing counselling. Listening to their experiences, and walking with them through some painful parts, I've come to view counselling like taking a really hot bath.

Counselling has the potential to clean. Generally speaking, it has no answers itself, but can help people to work out answers for themselves. You might be totally naked afterwards, but at least you can move on (and get dressed!)

So, to the bath; the really hot one! You start out gently, one bit at a time, feet first. You could paddle around at this level for years if you wanted to.

Hopefully you make some progress, it feels OK; to a point. Maybe you clean up some things, but you can't clean up everything, yet. You think of going deeper. You get some courage and get ready to go deeper.

Then a tense moment, just before lowering your self and breaking the surface. You feel exposed and really sensitive (!) You sense the heat; it feels really close. Yet you almost know that it could change everything. Can you face it though? This is make or break.

Sometimes this is the end. Sometimes this is a point that will be repeated at different times in life, each time taking new courage and energy. Sometimes it's the start of the real depth of counselling.

Lessons Learned vs Lessons Earned

2009-07-23T21:27:00.007Z

Another leadership axiom, very much based on where I'm at right now.

Lessons Learned vs Lessons Earned

Lessons learned are those that people give to you. The ones where you receive wisdom from those who seek to guide you. Be that family, friends, colleagues, managers, pastors etc. Often refined to a set of rules, of procedures, or theologies (or even axioms...)

Lessons earned are something altogether different. Lessons earned are precious expressions of pain, joy, effort and experience. They rarely seem to come easily, but for all that they are irreplaceable. They usually become a part of you, so much so that you don't even realise it and often they make your decisions for you.

So treasure those lessons but remember this warning: Not all lessons earned are good ones, especially those learned through abuse of people or systems. They require grace to combat them. These are the lessons that have to be unlearned; no easy task if they've taken year to soak in .

Leadership Axioms

2009-06-19T18:57:00.003Z

Last year at the Global Leadership Summit Bill Hybels spent some time talking about his book Axioms. Inspired by Colin Powell's 'Powell Principals' he wrote down the phrases that summed up his leadership wisdom.

I don't have quite as many as him, but I do have two that I think of regularly.

The first is - It can only go, horribly wrong.
Used as a response to new initiatives or the question 'What's the worst that can happen?', this axiom helps me to get a BIG picture perspective on things. Once you accept that the the worst outcome is that it can only go horribly wrong, then you face the fear. And that, is the crux of it. Hence the reason that the most common command in the bible is 'Do not fear', so don't.

The second is - Catch the Clash Curve.
Anytime someone comes in to your organisation, church or group they have to adjust to your culture. In fact you'll probably be encouraging and help them to learn the ropes. For the first few days/weeks or possibly months, they will clash and then, rise up on the curve of learning your ways; the longer they are involved the quicker they'll learn. It's exponential. There is, however, a one off, time limited, chance for you here. These same people are the most likely people you know to be able to see you and your team as they really are. They'll notice things, question things; things that clash with the culture they're from. Use this opportunity to learn about yourself and your team. Seek out conversations, formally or informally, to get this information and the mark out time to reflect on it, but be quick, the chance will be gone before you know it!

Life Audit

2009-06-18T23:33:00.003Z

If you made a list of all of the things that you do in a week. Then marked each item with a plus if it brings you closer to God, and a minus if it takes you further away.

(I'm not sure if there should be a 'neither' or 'it's about equal' option so be ruthless.)

What would the split be?

50:50?

70:30?

or

97:3? As in 97:3 the wrong way?

Going to do anything about it?

Worship Confessional

2009-06-03T23:11:00.003Z

What? - If the plan goes ahead, I'm going to need to start filling out these Worship Confessionals again

So What? - I think it's a good thing to be getting back to music ministry. I hope it will be different, more connected and more deliberate.

So What now? -I wait a bit longer (but not much)

In the meantime, I heard this recently and it made my think:

If you cover the entire state of Texas in 50p pieces (similar size to a 50cent coin) to the depth of 2 feet and marked one of the with an 'X' you'd have the same chance of finding it as one person had of fullfilling just 8 of the Old Testament prophesies about Jesus.

And yet he did (and more.)

Daughter number 2 makes Drummer number 2

2009-05-10T13:13:00.005Z

Check it out

And her in action...

*Video to be added when blogger plays ball!!!*

Unfortnately I wasn't quick enough with the video phone, but she played a nice single stroke roll and developed it in to a push roll.

VPD - Very Proud Dad!

Have you forgotten Easter yet?

2009-04-26T21:43:00.002Z

Have you forgotten the lessons of Easter yet? The power of the Resurrection? Did Easter pass you by? or did you catch hold of a bit more this year?

Then bursting forth

2009-04-12T12:08:00.000Z

Easter Sunday:

The grave, finished. Death defeated. The tomb empty. The battle won. 1-0 heaven full time.

No extra time, no do-overs, no ifs no buts, no reruns.

Don't ask me how. I don't know. But history was changed forever. How the universe works was rewritten. Irrevocably.

Jesus has done it; it is finished.

So whatcha gonna do now?

Choose life?

Jesus is for life, not just for Christmas.

Celebrate and live!

And Then...

2009-04-11T15:41:00.002Z

Nothing.

The heat of the day. The cool of the tomb.

All hope was lost. The greatest chance for freedom was slain.

Jesus' believers were left alone.

It continues

2009-04-10T08:09:00.000Z

You can say it's unfair. You can say it's unjust. But it's to late. The conviction was made.

The consequences are on their way.

The cross, the tree, the ruthless efficiency. Don't be blinded by the torture, the violence and the cruelty.

Jesus went willingly. He knew the consequences. The consequences that would come. The wonderful, eternal consequences that would make IT possible.

And so it begins...

2009-04-09T09:13:00.000Z

The final play.
The last move.
The end game.

Knowingly, willingly, lovingly.
With strength greater than Samson and the innocence of a Dove, Jesus let them. He let them betray Him and take Him. Accuse him and abuse Him. Knowing all the time what was to come.

Phil is...looking forward to the new RED DWARF

2009-04-07T18:13:00.002Z

As reported here...the second most important reason to celebrate this weekend!

Changing Worship

2009-03-16T22:06:00.000Z

Recently a friend in the states put out a challenge to write a piece on what 'Worship Means to Me'

So I thought I'd have a go.

It's not finished but hopefully it will be. I'm surprised at the range of thoughts the title brought to mind. Most tell of my journey in the last 3 or 4 years including what I've discarded.

Interestingly, none gives a full answer and maybe that's the best thing I've learned; If I am growing spiritually then my worhip will be as changing as God is unchanging, because He does not change but my worship must reflect who I am and who I am becoming.

Living What You Sing

2009-02-17T19:38:00.004Z

"As for living what you sing, well I couldn't agree with you more, but if you like being challenged, try singing what you live. Then compare notes..."

I just left this as a comment on another blog.

I seem to be having a lot of conversations about authenticity at the moment. That and accountability.

Both are good things but both are also just means to an end. The end being a growing relationship with the living God.

That said, I like 'means'. A least I know I need some good ones. One in particular I have at the moment is that when I read a book that really captures me, or I think teaches me something about God's caracter, I make myself read it twice. Simple really but effective; it's why I am going through John Burke's 'No Perfect People Allowed' again and making notes as I go.

Disciplines like this work because, as John Ortberg taught me (indirectly), you indirectly practice the areas that you are weak in. The example above teaches me to dwell, and not rush on; to reflect

Another idea I like is taking a song, and re-writing it to match your own reality. Kind of like 'Men of Doubt' instead of 'Men of Faith' which Jonny Baker posted a copy of years ago. Then compare it to the original.

What do you see? Where are the differences? Where are the similarities? What can you celebrate? What do you need to take to God?

Try it and see? Especially if you lead musical worship.

Worship Confessional: 08/02/09

2009-02-09T19:53:00.004Z

Now here's a curve ball...

Remembering that I'm not in any bands at the moment; I've done one dep gig in the last 6 months and one event and both of those were drumming; I have a worship confessional to write because I led worship at OG yesterday!

In the absence of the usual suspects, someone needed to step in and give Sarah a break. Her Grandad just passed away and that someone, was me.

Difficult in that I haven't led for a while and the band is not in the same place I left it. Difficult in that there was a brand new song to learn. Difficult in that the band layout has changed. Difficult in that the band themselves had worked out most of the songs and links and I had to make some changes to make it possible for me to lead.

And Yet.

And yet God is good. And yet I believe God prompted me to offer to lead. And yet God gave the new song in perfect time to match what the speaker was about. And yet setup flowed, and the band flowed and the coffee flowed...

Mostly I like it that God spoke and I listened and obeyed. I feel in a God place with God and that's cool!

Set List:

(Warmup - Heaven's King - Noel Richards and Kees Kraayenoord)

When I Was Lost - Kate and Miles Simmonds

Heavens King (as above)

Holy Holy, God Almighty - Brenton Brown

No Sweeter Name - Kari Jobe

Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing) - Brenton Brown

(We had more but the speaker spoke for quite a while!)

Standing in the Gap - 3

2009-01-22T23:33:00.005Z

Stepping up to the plate; Standing in the gap.

Nehemiah inspires me to do both. To seek out where I should be and to go for it.

That doesn't mean it will be easy, or that everything will go to plan. It doesn't mean that you can do what you want without God stepping up to the plate with you, but it's a pattern with God that every time you step up to what He's calling you to do, He's right there with you (irrespective of whether you 'feel' He is or not.)

So, what about you?

Are you waiting to find your gap? If you are, how are you looking? Are you reading your bible and asking God to inspire you too? Are you praying? On your own or with a group? Do you have a mentor or similar that you can go to? to test stuff?

Do you know what your gap is? Have you stepped up to the plate? If not, are you afraid to? If you have, are you glad? Are you tired? Is it getting hard? Do you want to give up?

The time, is now. The command, is clear. Go.

Is Parkour the way of the future?

2009-01-07T18:16:00.003Z

I keep seeing the same bunch of guys hanging around Norwich. They're young. They could look a bit dodgy, as they tend to be hanging around in the wrong kind of areas. The last time I saw them they were hanging around on the roof of a disused public toilet, see what I mean?

Yet, I wonder if they are the key to success in their generation. Seriously.

They may wear jeans and hoodies but they're no slackers, you see they're practicing 'Parkour'.

I saw one guy pop a handstand and just hold it. He had the sort of bodyline that Olympic gymnasts work hard for. Then, he just stayed there...

Another guy did a standing front flip, which he landed very cleanly. I've seen them make all kinds of jumps, spins and flips over various, rather solid objects.

I guess that's all very well, but the reason it all caught my eye so much is that I see those guys practicing one of my favourite, male spiritual disciplines. Not, I suspect, that they realise it.

You see, they are testing their strength. Testing it in a way that means taking risks that, if they succeed, will make the victory much more worthwhile. They're learning in a very real way how strong they are and where they are strong.

Do you think that would make a difference to how they approach life?

I certainly hope so.

Two Thousand and Nine

2008-12-31T18:05:00.002Z

The year is about to end and it is inevitable that at least some time must be spent reflecting on 2008.

It's been a really mixed year. Possibly the most impacting thing that has happened was the sudden loss of my Father-in-law. It will affect 2009 in a big way, just as it did 2008.

I can only describe it as unexpected that I end the year without a 'ministry' position. I don't regret it though. I feel protected, while other issues work themselves out. Maybe I'll go back, maybe I won't but I feel at peace about it all.

Promotion at work means I am more challenged (and excited) than before as my role changes and develops.

We run our own business, which I look forward to continuing to grow through 2009.

The girls keep growing and growing! which is beautiful.

As I turn 30 in a couple of weeks, I feel ready to get stuck in to 2009, irrespective of the fact that my twenties are about to end. 30 holds no fear for me (though suspect it will mean plenty of ribbing...)

Alongside all of this, I seem to have become a 'shirt wearer'. I'm not sure exactly what this marks, but I feel it marks something. When I figure it our, I'll let you know.

God continues to be good. All the time. I feel strong in God right now and I pray 2009 holds more of him for me and mine.

Happy New Year and God Bless.

Growing a bit more

2008-12-21T18:04:00.002Z

Hmmmm...

Ok, so, since you asked. I think I'm growing-out, right?

Well, I don't think I can find what I'm looking for where I am. Whatever that means.

I'm going (but I don't know what that means either!)

Yet.

Growing

2008-12-15T19:31:00.002Z

I'm Growing.
I think I'm growing-out.
I might even be out-growing.

Standing in the Gap - 2

2008-12-12T00:53:00.007Z

Nehemiah prays. He prays audaciously. He dares, as do others, to remind God of His promises! And yet, in his audacity he stops short of telling God what to do, or how to do it. He doesn't even start to get in to specifics. Just that his heart has broken for something, he brings it to God and then he prays that God would make him successful.

We don't know what Nehemiah was thinking. If he was starting to map out a next step, the story doesn't tell us, but we do know that he knows who he is and what his sphere of influence is.

Then, God steps up to the plate...

Starting with a conversation that is only possible because of Nehemiah's good service to the king in the past, God sets in motion a series of events, without which His-story would just stall.

I have to apologise if I run ahead and I need to encourage you to read this story and see how it develops, but...with the Kings permission, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem, the whole thing snowballs and the exiles unite (all tribes & tongues etc) and rebuild the walls (and gates!) of Jerusalem. Of course there are enemies that aren't happy about all of this, but God has it in hand. So with the walls partially rebuilt, but a lot of work to do, Nehemiah takes action...

Nehemiah 413 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."

Standing in the Gap - 1

2008-12-11T23:59:00.011Z

I love Nehemiah. He's very real and a guiding light.

Nehemiah 11 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.

So, Nehemiah weeps. I think this is the same kind of 'weeping' that Jesus does when Lazarus dies. That is, a wailing, emotional outpouring. Why? Jesus is mourning a friend. A friend so close that when Mary and Martha call for Jesus to come to Lazarus they don't even use him name (John 11:3 "Lord, the one who you Love is sick") So what is Nehemiah so worked up about.

Well, he knows what this means. The old testament is all about God's promises. Some of the most ridiculous promises, if you ask me (especially Abraham.) Promises of chosen people, and generation after generation. So imagine seeing those promises in ruins. In this case, quite literally.

I love what he does next. He takes it to God. He hangs out with God. He tells it like it is and then he steps up to the plate...

God's Facebook Status:

2008-12-02T22:54:00.002Z

God is Unchanged

8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

Open; soon to be open?

2008-12-01T19:27:00.002Z

This is good news. A new music venue for Norwich AND a great, alcohol free, place for young people!

Meditating on the Bible...

2008-11-20T22:51:00.003Z

...with the help of google.

This is more to aid my memory than a fully formed post.

Some time ago, I heard some teaching on Christian meditation; how meditation is in fact biblical, but not the same as the meditation that is stereotyped from Eastern religions, IE clear your mind of everything!

Since then, I have added it to my list of ways to study my bible. I really like the idea of taking just one story or scene from the bible and really dwelling on it. Asking yourself questions about the people, the motives or the setting. One of the reasons I seek out John Ortberg's teaching is that his understanding of language, and cultural norms really help me to look deeper at what was going-on in and around any given story.

I'm currently reading through Acts. I have just read Acts 3 11-26. Not exactly a famous passage. (I've never seen it quoted on a bumper sticker!)

Just before this section, there has been a miraculous healing at the 'Beautiful' gate of the temple. People, unsurprisingly, are amazed and focus on Peter, John and the 'beggar'. There's a sort of address by Peter in this passage to the onlookers. Peter asks why they're looking at him and John like it was their power that had healed the man. He then goes on to talk about Jesus and the death and resurrection (what an opportunist!)

So, I read the passage a couple of times and started to picture the scene and I noticed that all of this was happening in 'Solomon's Colonnade'. So I thought I'd google it. I was a little surprised to see it come up as an auto-answer on google.

So I checked it out. For your information, Solomon's colonnade was a roofless walkway, 45' long with 38' high columns (according to google.) It was part of the temple complex but not of the temple itself. Gentiles could be in that area.

What struck me more as I searched was what else had happened in that area. In John 10, at pretty much the end of His ministry, Jesus is in discussion with the pharisees. He claims to be the Messiah and to be One with God. Pretty much the beginning of the end for Him really...

So, on the same spot (ish) where Jesus said that, just a short time later, Peter stands there declaring that what Jesus had said was true and that the miracle they had witnessed was in fact proof of it all!

Kinda takes an average miracle (how Western does that sound!) and makes it a part of something much bigger. God showing that through the life and faith of one man, His glory can be shown.

No Longer Bi-vocational

2008-11-17T19:59:00.003Z

I guess I need to wrap up my sabbatical, seeing as it's now finished.

The idea of the sabbatical, as you may remember, was to make church work better for us as a family. That just didn't happen.

So I asked the band leadership to release me from my return date. Based on an understanding of sabbaticals that I did not know, we agreed that what I wanted was more like stepping down from the band, so that's what I did.

I'd be really interested to know what you all think of sabbaticals and how you'd define them. I don't usually ask for comments, but I'd really appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think on this one.

The main difference in what I was looking for and what I found, is that I have now come to a place of completely letting go of both my leadership role, my playing roles and my promise to return. Now, I have nothing.

Having been in this band for about 7 years, this is not a little scary! It is, however, exactly where I think I should be. I now understand that to lead a ministry which costs too much (IE family time or relational pressures) is to lead it badly. It is to model a type of leadership which is systematically dangerous, when taken to the nTh degree. It's very tempting to do this though; it's like getting too carried away on just one area. We do the same thing when we condemn homosexuals whilst forgetting what the bible says about loving people, but I digress...

In the meantime, God is showing me rather a lot through John Burke's book 'No Perfect People Allowed". More to come on that one. Work is busy but also a great place to be challenged and to grow. God is there too.

Most importantly, I am starting to see a shift in Sundays. We're getting better at how we do the practicalities, which impacts how prepared for the services we are. How the morning goes then affects the rest of the day. This Sunday was really good for us as a family.

I look forward to seeing what God does in this season.

Don't forget to post up below please!

Paphos 2008

2008-11-12T18:19:00.004Z

Aphrodite beach. Towards the end of the day. We had just spent the day driving in to the mountains, eating warm toasted cashew nuts and having fantastic moussaka. Troodos is random but such a stand out place when you spend the rest of your time at the coast.

It's 2000 miles away from home, but Cyprus is no small, simple island. It has a tumultuous history that leaves it as politically and socially scarred as it looks with it's ridge of mountains rising high and green above the tourist areas.

Yet everone we met had a real sense of something which came across as kindness. In fact it became a real aspect of the holiday how we were treated, beyond the 'usual' service you'd expect from the people who are looking after you. I have to thank Agneska, Hami and the others who made it such a great time away.

Elle and Eva had a great time exploring the pools, slides and watery fun that we had a great time too.

Holidays are really important. Make sure you have one sometime.

Paphos is not so far away

2008-11-04T20:15:00.000Z

So it's my last night on holiday. I'm sat outside reception catching a few minutes in the cool evening air to enjoy the quiet.

I'll post a proper piece about the holiday, with pics, later.

I just wanted to note that travel is important, it changes your perspective.

Thanks to the power of the media and the internet, from this distance I could still keep up with the US elections if I chose.

Today, I climbed up and then jumped off a 43 foot pole. I paid for the privilage. Once the election is over, whoever wins, the world will effectively be jumping off a tall pole. We don't really know where we will land. Me? I made sure that before I jumped, I was attached to something secure.

I pray whoever wins is attached to a wisdom and power beyond our own.

God Bless America.

Blogger in Draft

2008-10-14T23:58:00.000Z

Stumbled across this today. draft.blogger.com I was looking to make sure my inline comments section was working properly, as commented on below by Helen.

I'm looking forward to trying all of the new little features in this 'draft' version of blogger.

Without

2008-10-13T15:37:00.005Z

Without Risk, Life is nothing.

Without Life, Risk is nothing.

Without Love, neither is anything.

James, Jesus' half brother said "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2)

You can't expect anyone to believe what you say about God unless they can see it. What you show other people through the way you live therefore must be real, authentic. This means showing the good and bad. The easy and hard. That's risky.

Any yet there's no point in taking life risks unless what can be gained is worth it.

Love makes it worth it. Yahweh makes it worth it.

Willow Creak Global Leadership Summit 2008

2008-10-09T22:14:00.007Z

Catching up a little with blogging, last weekend I was at the GLS in Norwich. 100,000 leaders, across the world watching great teaching (not all in Norwich though...)

My highlights include:

Bill Hybels - Talking about compressing our wisdom in to Axioms, and using them in leadership. One of his that I like is "Vision leaks". It does and we need to plan for that. I have one of my own that is about naming fear (and therefore reducing it's power) My axiom is "It can only go horribly wrong".

Gary Haugan - Who talked about leading in the real world; when it seems hopeless, scary or difficult. He reminded us that "If you want your leadership to matter, lead in the things that matter to God." He also reminded us that if God is passionate about getting something done, then HE is responsible for getting it done! (kinda takes the pressure off really.)

Wendy Kopp - We often look to the bible for stories of how God has worked in the past and draw lessons from them. Wendy Kopp is a modern day example of how God speaks and leads today. You can check out what she did to end up so reviled at teachforamerica.org. This is real social justice without the hyperbole that I've seen so often. The program seems genuine, well spoken but not boastful. Incidentally, I took no notes during this session as I was so interested in her passion about the injustice she saw. (So, you social justice/action lot, lose the arrogance and pass on the passion to the rest of the church...)

Craig Groeschel - The guy from lifechurch.tv He was mainly talking about IT, which he can't define but has ironically written a book on...I digress. Another encouraging example of a group of people who are determined to share the good news and prepared to take risks in order to do it. If you don't know anything about lifechurch.tv then you should check it out. The idea of mastering production and technology to work the sites as they do is beyond pretty much every church in the UK. There's a thought... Anyway, he said two things that really stuck with me "In order to reach people no one is reaching, you have to do things no-one is doing" and "Failure is not an option, it's a necessity. Failure allows us to see Jesus as He really is; full of Grace."

and finally...

John Burke - Led a session on Leading in New Cultural Realities. He talked about letting God work but working hard to create the right conditions for spiritual growth. This guy and the church he's leading really spoke to me. They have a few catch phrases (of course) but they're things like "Come as you are" and "No perfect people allowed". As John Ortberg said at his home church a few weeks ago, there's real power when people are accepted as they are by people who know what their problems and faults are."

I was so attracted to the ideas John was unpacking that I bought the book. I was a little surprised to start reading it to be greeted by phrases like the 'post-modern experiment' and 'post-modern','post-christian' and others, but it is interspersed with real life stories that show how the reality of today is formed by the reality of the past. I'll post more on this later.

My final thought, and one in John's book, is that his study is of America and therefore you have to draw principals from the book in order to apply it elsewhere. More on that later.

P.S. For the complacent, the U.S. is, according to John Burkes book, the third largest mission field in the world.

(Can you tell I'm a little belligerent at the moment?)

Revelation 3:16

2008-09-25T22:18:00.000Z

16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Never become this.

The Future for Faith Groups in Politics

2008-09-18T22:08:00.002Z

Started here.

This dialogue has huge implications for faith groups in this area, especially if you're looking for funding.

As a wise man said to me recently "It's no good working really hard making apples when what we need are grapes"

If churches want to engage with local and national government then they'd better find out what's important to local and national government.

Manifestation of Reputation

2008-09-14T12:31:00.011Z

I was in a business meeting recently and someone was being praised. Their boss said to them that they had become the acceptable face of the company and known for delivering service.

That is, by their actions they had shown consistency, integrity and value. They had become the manifestation of the business' (good) reputation.

I believe that this is what evangelism is all about. Over the years I've heard evangelism 'repositioned' in the way people think of it and attempt it. Ultimately though, I think we have it a little backwards; putting the actions, be they relational or an event, first and the reason last.

Jesus didn't phrase it this way.

John 17:20~22...I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

In John, chapter 17 is like a summary, where Jesus is praying about protection and the things to come. Chapter 18 then carries the story on to Jesus' arrest.

The above quote is just a small part of a fairly complicated chapter, but we can see a pattern that Jesus has set many times. That is; God first, the world second. As I commented here, Jesus summarised the Law as Love God then love the world. Our love with God produces an affect. Our relationship with God motivates (or at least it should.)

Jesus prays that we will be 'in' the Trinity as He is, and that He will be in us. Firstly Jesus just asks for that to happen then, secondly, He asks for it to happen so that the world would believe that Jesus had been sent by God. What reason does Jesus have for His first request? What comes before the need to prove who He was? See the pattern again?

Effective evangelism can only happen if we have God in us, and we are in God. It is the only way.

By being in and with God, we can be transformed into the manifestation of His reputation.

Tesco Value Vodka...

2008-09-12T00:00:00.002Z

Why on earth does this product exist?

What a cynical product.

Drool

2008-09-08T21:14:00.001Z

still drooling...

Re: Turn

2008-09-03T16:32:00.008Z

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them......God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day...And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;......but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."......When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

A potted history of Adam and Eve. The reason for the world as we see it. The reason it all changed.

Often called 'The Fall', but I think I prefer 'The Turn' and I'll tell you why:

If we fall, we need to be picked up again, right? This leads us to being 'saved' or 'rescued' and overall this is pretty much what Jesus did, but it paints us, human kind, as powerless or helpless.

Compared to God, that may be, but actually God didn't make us like that. Make what you will of 'Free Will' but I believe that God allows us to choose rather a lot in our lives and that it is our decision whether we are 'saved' or 'rescued' (isn't Grace wonderful!) Jesus only made it possible.

God is looking for relationship. Even and equal, friends or lovers, not master and slave. That means we should be in relationship with God because we choose to, not because we think we should or are forced to.

The trouble is, we have to keep making the same choice; to be with God, and that often means that we have to reposition ourselves, realigning ourselves with God and His purposes.

Once we turned away, now we can re-turn and face God.

Do you need to re-turn to God?

I Hate You and I Love You?

2008-08-14T22:18:00.007Z

(Driving in car)

Elle: *mumbles*

Hol: *turns down CD* sorry sweetheart?

Elle: How can you hate someone and love them at the same time?

Hol: *slightly stunned silence*

...and so continued a stunted conversation until the penny dropped. I had left my old Stacie Orrico CD in the CD player and they had been listening to 'Stuck'.

The line goes "I hate you but I love you; I can't stop thinking of you; It's true, I'm stuck on you"

So Elle had heard the lyric, thought about it and understood it. Then realised that the two ideas were incompatible and questioned it.

Wow.

If only we could apply this to the lyrics we sing and the lives we live a little more often...

Advertising that is just not good enough

2008-08-13T19:50:00.003Z

We seem to be having a season in TV advertising looking at where people come from and what they've achieved; then associating a product with that person (relevant to the achievement or not...)

More than one brand is doing it.

They include in their adverts people like siblings, friends, random strangers and Mothers.

Not one of them mentions Fathers.

That is just not good enough.

In Spirit AND In Truth

2008-08-11T16:06:00.003Z

In John 4 Jesus talks to a despised woman about Worship and the nature of how people will Worship. He talks of Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.

As I was riding home tonight, listening to the Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil here (see My Friend Sam,) I was wondering if this was another situation where we get it wrong, and, if we're careful, a situation we can learn from to get it right.

I've come across the argument from non-Christians that you don't have to be a Christian to be good. It's not much of an argument really, not when I agree with that statement... so it's pretty obvious that goodness, social responsibility, kindness thoughtfulness and more importantly the 'spirit' or idea that might compel us to act in these ways is somehow embedded in to our very being. These actions alone though, do not Glorify God, and though you could argue that they do indirectly I would not agree that they are Worship. This is because they lack the Truth.

The Truth on it's own is also no good! Look at 'dry' churches. No heresy. Maybe some hypocrisy but certainly Truth proclaiming, but no Spirit, no action, no movement.

As James points out, Faith without deeds is no good, and I believe that Worship without deeds is also no good. (I'm not sure what limits that statement should have.)

So, as Worshippers, we need a combination of Spirit AND Truth; that is what the Father seeks.

(I'm reminided of this old post and why we would want to seek any of this in the first place)

Assaulted by Church?

2008-08-10T12:55:00.002Z

Have you ever felt assaulted by church? Like you'd been mugged?

I think that's what I feel right now. Not that it's malicious, but it's worth remembering, for those of us leading services, that not everyone is running at the same speed as you and that if they're not then they can find it hard to get back on board with where you're going.

I don't just mean those who miss a week, but those who come in and out of the service (chirldrens workers etc)

Ever felt like this?

Post up in the comments please, I'd be really interested to know.

Etienne De Crecy

2008-08-06T22:38:00.001Z

This is incredible. If you don't like the music, just mute it!

Outwell Nebraska XL 2008

2008-08-03T18:15:00.013Z

Our new tent. Well. Tent is not quite the word. Tent implies small and light and damp and cold.

What we have is big and solid and dry and warm and big. Did I say that already?

Today's adventure was to do a dry run of the setup and tear down of the tent, to find any faults and to really find out how big a pitch we would need when we we looking for campsites.

The tent is an 8 birth with a large living area and a fairly large porch. We were looking for enough space to live in in any weather. We also wanted to have a space that we could be in during the evenings away from the kids so as not to waked them! Oh, and a covered space to cook in, away from the main living space. I think we have exactly the right tent.

Setup time was in line with the suggested 1 hour. This included going back to the car to collect sun hats and extras like toys. I think that without interruptions, the two of us could have had it assembled & pegged in 45 mins.

When you lay it out, it really is long!

So the method is simple, lay out the flysheet (sewn in groundsheet and fitted inner tent), lay out the roof and upright poles. Then, working from the centre section and using the colour code system (there are only two colours) fit the roof poles into the flysheet sleeves. Then lift the centre ones (my job, amazingly) and fit the uprights.

Lastly peg it all, fit the tub groundsheet in the porch, and place the complimentary doormat at the entrance!

Obviously we had help setting up....and Elle soon decided which bedroom was hers!

A note for Martin: It's even bigger than I thought. Not only could we get the Irish Guards in there, but you could stand upright in there too!

God's Heart

2008-08-02T07:51:00.003Z

This is taken from Winterfest, Knoxville, TN in 2006. It's a picture of life and God. Watch it.

It's very simple but very clear. I actually cried (which is very rare for me, though becoming less so.)

"The more you know about someone, the easier it is to become friends with them" - Mama Mirabelle

"You cannot worship what you do not know" - Andrew Wilson

Thank God that we have creative people to help us learn what God is like.

Worship Confessional: 27/07/08

2008-07-27T19:37:00.003Z

My last time leading worship before my sabbatical. My last time getting to the church for 8:00. My last time feeling the quiet anticipation of the Hub before people arrive. My last early morning coffee with the setup teams.

And yet I'm not sure it's sunk in yet.

Still, it was a really a special kind of morning for me. I had a kind of excitement beyond how I usually feel.

We were looking at the third part of 1 Peter in our series. Looking particularly at how Peter was writing to a church in/about to be in serious persecution.

I am constantly amazed at God's ability to bring together a theme through the individual preparation of people, simply by inspiring them. God is good.

So I tried something that I haven't used before; I followed Psalm 95 and choose songs to follow what it says. I found it really easy to do and the result was not something I would necessarily have thought of.

I also loved the fact that some of my family were there (other than the usual.) There is something humbling about leading your own family in worship and song.

So this is the last Worship Confessional for a while. My sabbatical is over in November by which time I have no idea where I'll be!

God, it's over to you.

Set List:

I Lay My Life Down (One Way) - Jonathan Douglass & Joel Houston
Oh Our Lord & King - Alan Rose
Give Thanks To The Lord - Chris Tomlin
Your Voice Is - Vicky Beeching
Sovereign Lord - Martyn Layzell
The Cross Has Said It All - Matt Redman
We Bow Down - Viola Grafstrom
There Must Be More Than This - Tim Hughes
There Is A Day - Nathan Fellingham

(Yes, that really is a lot of songs!)

Here's Another Song For The Radio - McFly

2008-07-23T02:11:00.004Z

"So don't say you hate us and then sing our songs..."

Apart from being a great pop song with some really hooky, syncopated guitar stuff going on, this is a facinating reflection by the band (and their writers) about how their music is received.

I've liked plenty of their songs, but there's a genius in the honesty in their (and their writers) lyrics which I'd love to be able to do.

The only problem is then to counter balance it they throw a really stupid line in at the end of the chrous; "Dancing on the kitchen tiles"- It's All about you & "We all look the same in the dark" - Here's Another Song For The Radio.

Why Men Hate Going to Church - David Murrow 2

2008-07-17T23:02:00.001Z

...and another thing that bugs me.

The premise of the book is that 'real men' hate church.

Rubbish, they don't care enough about church to hate it.

Sabbatical Countdown

2008-07-15T23:35:00.003Z

Tonight was my last band rehearsal before my sabbatical starts. I only have our end of term BBQ next week and I will be released to whatever I end up doing for the next three months.

To be honest, it all went too quickly. I had to roll-out lots of new kit, which meant getting the team working together to make it happen before it was time to pack up ;0)

We setup more IEM's, we now have a 4 way mono (dual stereo) system with up to 7 packs. I have re-racked our FOH house rack and our Hd24 multitrack is now in place (just need our MY16AT cards now, for those who are interested.) We got our new wedges (for those not on IEM's) and I am so pleased with them. I didn't get much of a listen but I know them well enough; I spent all of my time at Spring Harvest listening to them. They're a great stand alone PA too, but I digress. (We even got them in black rather than HK Grey which is even better!)

We also removed a broken butterfly catch from a our road trunk and I checked the programming on our Logic LMS.

More importantly, we said a kind of goodbye, and thank you, to John A who has been serving on our PA team for 15 years. I mention him last because he's a good example; a good example of a servant. He has served beyond when he wanted to, beyond when it was convenient for him and it has cost him a lot. I am so glad to be able to release him from his ministry. We took some time to pray for him and kinda celebrate him.

So, in amongst all of that, and line/sound check, getting band members up and running with IEM/s which is a difficult transition to make, guess who drilled out the rivets on the road trunk? and swept up the metal shavings afterwards? John, of course. What a great guy. Showing us how to serve to the very end!

Worship Confessional: 13/07/08

2008-07-14T18:51:00.002Z

My sabbatical is coming. This was my last Sunday behind the drums. Boy, was it an odd one!

It was a well spirited setup with only one coffee.... We had a good sound check and it felt like a goods time to be playing together.

When it got to the service itself, the feeling was like the sea. The spirit seemed to come in waves where the peaks were passionate but the troughs were like 'swimming in treacle'.

I ended up playing some pretty strong patterns and dramatic fills. It will be interesting to listen back to.

We launched our new series on the letter of 1&2 Peter. We had a good background setting, looking at Peter's journey in the Gospels and the persecution he was writing in to.
Ian included a question that is one I love to dwell on; As Jesus changed Peter's name (from Simon) do we live with the right name?

With all of the issues I've been thinking about, I did have an almost heart breaking moment looking out across the church; so few of the men were engaged and singing. So few men were even there. (It is of note that the ones who were there and singing are serious men of God. Some firm foundations to build on?)

Set List:

(Warm up )
Celebrate - Ben Cantalon
Hallelujah - Brown/Doerkson
I Stand Amazed - Trad (SS version)

Light of the World - Tim Hughes

Be Thou My Vision

Just got my last Sunday leading Worship to go. I think I may have something in mind for that.....

Why Men Hate Going to Church - David Murrow

2008-07-11T22:49:00.004Z

This is unlikely to be my last post on this book; Why Men Hate Going to Church - David Murrow.

There's a good link to some of it's key points here. Some good background reading on the issues raised is at church for men.

I have not yet finished reading the book but it already has provoked quite a reaction in me. Mostly that it's very frustrating and I'd like to throw it away or shred it! I'm struggling to read it partly because I don't like how it's written, partly because the pace of the book is slow and therefore frustrating and partly because I cannot decide what I think about it.

It's either a genius piece of research and commissioning or it's awful rubbish interspersed with a few genuinely useful points. At least David Murrow doesn't present it as a 'complete' work.

I don't wish to be rude about it, but because it focuses so heavily on men, and I believe in family and the usefulness of the unique skills of both of the sexes, it's hard to keep pushing on. I just hope it delivers on it promises.

I'm reminded of a phrase I used to find helpful (I may have coined it, or not)

Feminism stole my masculinity and I want it back!

Anyone else read it?

Sabbatical

2008-07-09T18:00:00.003Z

Just to note, I will be taking a sabbatical from leading worship and leading the band, starting at the end of July.

The idea is to be able to go to church as a family; they do bear a lot of the brunt of the sacrifice!

I'm still excited to be playing for the WC Global Leadership Summit, arranging sound crew for our Summer Community Concert and our Christmas celebration.

I expect God will have much to say an I hope I listen; He seems to be talking about men and worship, so we'll see!

Delirious? Really? Bye then.

2008-07-07T18:24:00.005Z

Delirious? - The end of an Era

Following Stewart Smith's announcement a while ago, the band have agreed to call an end to Delirious?

What a bunch of legends God has made them! The UK, the US and Aus have all received a lot of blessings based on their actions, let alone the rest of the world.

Thank you God for all they have given and please bless them as they try new things and spend more time with their families. Amen

Lakeland Revival

2008-07-05T10:03:00.003Z

No, not the useful plastic gadget shop, Lakeland Florida.

I've heard rumours of what's going on over there. First at church (probably promted by God TV coverage, Brian Heasley commented on it here with some further links and now there's a report from Jill Gower on Network Norwich. Link here.

A couple of quotes from the article that I find encouraging:

"We felt too, that for people just watching the evening meetings on God TV, however good these are, it is still only part of the picture."

"It is not flaky in any way, nor is this move a kind of “bless me” one either – the whole point is to take it out onto the streets, back to where you come from and release the Kingdom of God."

It's worth a read and it leaves me thinking that the sorts of things that I would be looking for are present.

If that's so, then go God go!

Another First - Elle

2008-07-02T20:02:00.004Z

This is one for the family.

Elle had her first 'school' trip. She went to Banham zoo armed with her packed lunch and 'school' uniform.

Here she is showing of her lunch bag

Song Man, Man Song

2008-06-29T18:59:00.003Z

So, I'd like to write a song for men. A song men would like to sing. A song 'manly' men would like to sing.

I'd like your ideas and comments.

What would such a song be about?
What kind of words would such a song use?
What style would such a song use?
What other disinctives would such a song have?

Thoughts in the comments section please.

And those of you would are reading this on RSS, please click through and leave your thoughts.

Worship Confessional: 22/06/08

2008-06-22T17:32:00.004Z

We had Rob and Marion White with us today. It's been an interesting week at OG and so it was great to have two people with such presence come in and minister to us.

Marian brought a message about Stop the Traffik. If you don't know what's going on that the word is 'slavery' (not just the sex trade.) You have to click the link and read what you can. Don't expect it to be easy going though.

They are running an event called 'The Stand' which is a chance for a generation to take a stand against what is, in fact, the second biggest crime internationally.

Rob spoke on God's promises and how to hold on when you don't see the answers you are looking for. Basically, Faith. He talked of calling to God to rescue us when our experiences do not seem to match up with the promises in the bible.

Given all that, I can't help but grin to myself looking back at how God made it flow so well, given that the service leader and I had no idea what Rob was going to speak on. To wrap us the service I used 'I Lift My Eyes Up' which we haven't used for years. Ironic (?) then that it should wrap up nearly word for word what Rob said!

I also felt that I should use 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 which is part of my favourite part of the bible; Therefore we do not lose hope...

It was also an unusual morning in that I had the two other band leaders on the front row with me, which I'm not sure we've done before. I really liked it.

So, God is good, all the time, and if it doesn't seem like it, we should look to Him to rescue us. A bit counter intuitive but we often can't save ourselves!

Set List:

Warmup - Lord Let Your Glory Fall - Matt Redman

Rainbow - Hillsong Kids

In Chirst Alone - Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

Majesty - Garrard/Smith

To Be In Your Presence - Noel Richards

I Lift My Eyes Up (Psalm 121) - Brian Doerksen

I Stand Amazed - Trad (SS version)

Fathers Day

2008-06-15T20:26:00.003Z

This morning, few things felt as appealing as going back to bed, pulling the duvet over my head and staying there until it became Monday.

I was not looking forward to today nor expecting it to be in any way celebratory.

But.

We all got up, we all got ready and we all went to church. We saw friends, we listened to Phil Stoddart talk about his experience since the night two of his daughters died in an accident (which was not as hard going as it could have been or as hard going as being there in the first place.)

We then had a family lunch and spent time together. It the light of my last post this was none too uplifting either.

Two years ago I nearly lost my wife, last year we baptised family, this year we did lose family.

For me, Fathers Day holds little to celebrate (baptisms aside) and for now, I'm looking forward to Monday (if you can believe it.)

I hope, and pray, that one day Fathers Day will be redeemed for me. One day it will; just not this day.

The Shock, The Loss and The Life Left to Live

2008-06-01T21:49:00.002Z

The Shock - is physical. I keep thinking of the phrase from my latest first aid training about 'treat as for shock'. The physical wrench has been incredibly strong for all of us. Keeping the basics going seems essential. Eating, sleeping and all that. Still, shock remains and keeps surfacing.

The Loss - is not so much in the day to day, but more in the tomorrow. Birthdays and holidays without him. No more memories with the grandaughters. for me that's the most overwhelming part of the whole thing.

The Life Left to Live - is calling me deeply. I can't forget the blessings God has put in my life. I can still see life ahead. The future is not orange, but it is bright, even without him.

It's a funny balance, but it's how life is, and has become, in the last 8 days since John died.

Dear Worship Dude

2008-05-31T10:51:00.003Z

Just linking back to a post on Ragamuffin Soul about the relevance of leading Worship - Dear Worship Dude

The gist is that it's no good to be passionate in worship yourself if you don't teach others how to do it; that's the difference between Leading Worship and Leading the band.

It's taken me an age to figure that out.

Yet I remain convinced that when we meet together, any non-christian or 'seeker' should be slightly uncomfortable; or at least require an amount of learning. Otherwise we assume that they understand about God whereas neither we, nor they, really do.

Hence the need to teach...

The worst kind of news

2008-05-28T22:03:00.002Z

I'm sorry to announce that on Saturday 24/05/08, John Andrews, my father-in-law, died suddenly.

We are not designed to lose people like this.

I believe that he's in Heaven and is released from Sin.

I can get my head round none of these concepts.

Sunday Eighteenth May Two Thousand and Eight

2008-05-19T21:46:00.004Z

Became the day that I first preached my church. Or any church in fact.

Following from some of the challenges that God gave me a few months ago, I met with Ian (Savory) to talk about what God was up to and what I should do about it. In that conversation, I asked if I could speak at OG.

When Hol and I first went to OG, Ian would often ask me to speak , and each time I thought about it and said no. I never felt I knew enough to speak or that I had anything to say!!

I'm not seeking knowledge for the sake of it, but I have since read stuff, and heard stuff and lots of it has sunk in! This time, it was the right time.

So, bravely, Ian gave me a slot in our series on Spiritual Gifts to look at the gift of Shepherding. This turned out to be kinda ironic given that between being given the topic and speaking on it, Keith Hazel turns round and gives me a prophesy which includes shepherding.

How did it go? Well, quite well I think. I had lots of positive feedback which was very encouraging, including several people saying that I was very 'clear', which I'm very happy with. In fact, based solely on the feedback, I'm the best speaker in the land! What that really means is that I have yet to hear the 'improvement' type comments or worse still, that I will be my own worst critic when I listen back to it (which I will be doing, painful though it sounds...)

I enjoyed the preparation, which I didn't leave until the last minute. I enjoyed being at the front and talking to the church as a whole. My head has not swelled. I was not nervous.

One aspect that I'm very pleased was a technological challenge. A piece of video that I was going to use just would not play on the church machine (missing CODEC I believe.) It was the only visual element I was going to use. Though it was short, it would have made an important point, yet it didn't throw me and I think I managed to keep the flow of my notes without it.

For those that want to see it, click away:

I may post my thoughts on shepherding when I have more time, but suffice to say that I hope this is not that last chance I get to speak.

Another Myth Busted

2008-05-16T16:19:00.002Z

I have spent a lot of time discussing the importance of worshipping as you lead worship. In the latest of his MythBuster series, Rich Kirkpatrick gives a clear explanation of his views on this, pit falls and all: click here to read on