Three years later

Exactly three years ago today I wrote my first ever blog. It included this quote: 'We'd much rather be included in something truly grand than to have to create the meaning of our lives.' A notion that I guess I was hoping was real truth at the time.

If you told me three years ago that I would now be a Dad and helping to lead a new church venue, I would not have believed you, despite wanting that quote to be true. If you told me that I would baptise well over a dozen people, start several Life Groups and see many people respond to Jesus' claims, I just simply would not have believed you either. 

This life throws up some amazing highs and some difficult lows - I'm sure we're all aware of that. But with the benefit of three years hindsight now, I can truly say that life with Jesus is the greatest of adventures. Through travel, unemployment, deaths, relaxation, witnessing childbirth, hectic schedules, countless weddings, quiet nights in on the sofa - you name it; it has been the most amazing adventure handing all glory over to Jesus and seeing what He does with it. 

I truly believe that Jesus takes the everyday bump and grind of Earthly living, even the boredom and the burdens and turns them into amazing blessings. He turns our mess into a powerful message. 

I pray the Lord's prayer over my son every bedtime, so the words are always playing through my mind these days. It's how Jesus taught us to pray,so I figure it's a great place to start, particularly as I'm not sure what a baby wants prayer for specifically. One line I particularly love is: 'For yours is the kingdom, the power and all the glory - forever and ever!'

It has been amazing to see some of His kingdom and power at work in these last three years, in so many different ways. But three years 'aint nothing like 'forever and ever' - and that sounds truly grand to me. 

With Jesus at the wheel, I can't even begin to wrap my mind around what things might look like in another three years time...

John 19 - read it and weep

There's something about the murder of Jesus that will forever stop me in my tracks. 

In my daily Bible reading, I have just read John 19. A brutal and detailed depiction of what happened to God in the final moments of his human existence.  

There is one parallel that runs through the chapter - the actions of others and Jesus' response.  

As you read through the sequence of shocking events, you see the meek and mild baby Jesus from the nativity scene getting mocked, flogged, twisted, struck, crucified, pierced, murdered and eventually buried. Terrible, yet totally necessary to fulfil what he set out to accomplish in the first place. 

Yet throughout, Jesus maintains silence when He is mocked and flogged by the soldiers. He shows authority and wisdom when scrutinized by Pilate. He is enthroned prematurely on Pilate's judgement seat at Gabbatha without bringing judgement there and then, as he very easily could have done. He looks on as the people confess that they have no king other than Caesar, despite the fact that he assures and proves to them on many occasions that he is King. He carries his own cross to Golgotha, alongside two common criminals - associating with sinners right until the very end. After he has endured countless tortures, he is stripped naked and his his clothes are divided by casting lots. And despite the agony of the previous few hours he continues to reveal his compassion and humanity by caring for his mother and by requesting a drink to quench his thirst. 

He is in total control throughout the whole ordeal, to the point of giving the final word when stating 'It is finished.' It ends when he says, and not a moment before.  

I have read that chapter on dozens of occasions, but what stood out to me more than anything this morning is just how in control Jesus was. The obedience he maintained towards his Father's plan was totally unwavering. 
 

Submit your life to the God who has already fought your battles and has already won your freedom. You may feel tried, tested and desperately in need of a Saviour today and John 19 shows in glorious detail the extent the Saviour went to secure that relationship with God.  

Read it and weep.

We are all carpenters.

I wonder who can lay claim to being the guy that made the cross that Jesus hung from? Which skilled tradesman got the woodwork contract from the Romans?

Somebody must be responsible for choosing the wood, measuring the two beams and meeting the deadline for the Nazarene's trial.

Considering who that bloke was is an interesting thought. I'm sure he wouldn't have imagined just how famous his work would become. Hundreds and hundreds of years later, his craftsmanship is still depicted on artwork, jewellery,  tattoos and t-shirts, the world over. Hard to imagine, considering he probably just fixed those two beams together in a dusty workshop somewhere in ancient Jerusalem.

The reason I prompt these thoughts is because I've had a portion of a verse going round in my head today. It's five words from Acts 2, during which Peter is addressing the large crowd at Pentecost:

"...this Jesus whom YOU crucified." (v36)

Despite the fact that the Pharisees caught him, Pilate didn't want to have anything to do with him, the Roman guards mocked, whipped and beat his limp body and a carpenter made the cross that this fellow tradesman would one day hang from, we're all implicated in the Messiah's murder.

Me and you - the skilled craftsmen who may as well have whittled that cross out of tree trunks ourselves.

It's difficult to imagine the brutality involved - it's almost harder to stomach the fact that it was my sin that caused such an almighty response from The Almighty. The extent that He went to shows just how much God hates sin, whether it's a 'big' sin or a 'small' one (if you're trying to justify such differences!?).

The crowd that heard Peter's words were 'cut right to the heart' when this truth sank in. He urged them to change their life by turning to this crucified Christ as THE only antidote for sin.

Put down the sandpaper and the nails for a moment and read Acts 2 in it's entirety - what is your response to the charges going to be?

This seems too improbable to be possible. The notion that a Spirit so holy might indwell me. The concept that God would breathe a living power to reside within and enable me to see?! Please, you have to be joking me, this is surely a truth that must be too good to be true?!

   
So, can we take a step back, lets just be clear here - God's son, the Son of man, walks middle east dusty sands and is man-handled , broken and has nails driven into His bloody hands. Strung out on a tree, to bleed for me for what must have seemed like forever, so that I can see the good side of eternity? He knew such Father-intimacy yet cried a final breathe like 'Dad, why did you forsake me!?'. And then this Saviour's life that started in a virgin's womb culminates in a flesh-torn body being dumped in a tomb. There must have been a far bigger picture being outworked, I can only assume!?

This terrible tragedy might just be the build-up to a greater heavenly strategy. Whereby, God goes to the grave, exhumes Himself and like an encore returns to the stage, amidst disciple applause and Roman rage. They all thought He'd been defeated and gone home but the whole thing had just shown that when God faces the darkness and defeats sin and death, the Devil's cover is blown. Satan's ultimate weapon against us - stealing our life - will be overthrown. With the power of a nuclear drone, Jesus rolls away the ten-tonne tombstone and strides confidently back to His throne.

Heaven's greatest treat - His work now complete, blood-washed robes now replaced with a clean sheet and a new path that guarantees we can steer clear of Hell's heat. His life, death and then resurrection, reveals to us a new direction. No more laws, arks or man-made works - It's a life-changing offer for us lustful, greedy jerks. A redemptive deal-breaker so amazing, broken hearts no longer hurt!

He promises to walk before us, lead us, teach us, forgive us and introduce us to the Father. Some think He's mad, bad or just a liar, but I know which life I'd rather. On my own I'm ALWAYS weak - He's strong; He's right - I'm ALWAYS wrong. I know if I go alone I'll royally screw it up, so I'm gonna cling tightly to Royalty's loyalty and trust Him to bear this cup.

So back to this Spirit He sent. It'll teach us daily how to go where He went. It's an invisible but tangible force, so powerful it'll make the busiest doers pause for thought. It brings fuel to our Father-fire and passion to our Son-desire - allows us to see them more clearly and brings glue to the Trinity community. I need them far more than these three need me.

Allow Him to work into your life today - the way He'll make you alive will leave you with everything and nothing to say - mouthfuls of speechless. He's totally unimpeachable, none of this is deceitful and if you doubt me, my God, He is constantly reachable. It's not about old hymns and dusty pews - take your cues from this culture-challenging Jew - each day with Him is new and fresh like morning's due. A radical so extraordinary He'll reshape your world view. 

From start to finish this journey will unveil a love victory that will never neglect, bore or diminish.

When the Spirit takes the wheel.

I wouldn't say that I'm super macho - but I wouldn't say that I'm a sissy either. If you punched me in the face I wouldn't cry.  Give me a glimpse of Jesus and I will, almost every time. 

There's something remarkable at play when a grown man openly cries in a room full of people - most of whom are strangers. I've often struggled (and therefore not bothered, regrettably) with explaining who the Holy Spirit is to someone who is yet to believe in God. But one way of explaining who He is, is by saying that He takes me from standing there thinking God is pretty awesome, to being on my knees, crying at how spectacular He really is. From nonchalantly thinking that He's changed my life, to being totally floored by the fact that His grace is poured out over my life EVERYDAY and that His only Son's life was brutally handed over on the cross, so that I might regain my real purpose in God.  

Basically, the Holy Spirit is the game-changer. It's where freedom is found (2 Cor 3 v17). It's the difference between trundling along in the slow lane of casual belief and having your breath taken from you doing 0-60 in 3 seconds.  

I can't clearly see what Jesus did for me without the Holy Spirit. I can't thank the Father enough without the Holy Spirit's intercession.  

Often, people are scared of handing control over to the Holy Spirit, afraid of what might happen. It's not hocus pocus or mind-trickery. It's not over-the-top or awkward Christianity. You'll need the work of the Holy Spirit to give you that panoramic view of God's love. And that isn't meant to sound like a pithy bumper sticker phrase. Without the Holy Spirit, God's throne really can look like any other seat in culture today.  

Baffled by the thought of going it alone without Him, Jesus assures His followers in John 14: 'And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you....All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counsellor  the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:16, 17, 25-27). 

Don't be troubled if you're struggling to see God for yourself - you never will do. It'll be like watching a 3D movie without the glasses. Ask Him for help. It may well floor you and make you feel vulnerable, but you'll see Him far more clearly. He's seriously spectacular!  

Do you believe? You're definitely going to need the Holy Spirit.

Marked apart.

This blog is going to be difficult for me to write. Not because it floors me emotionally, but because I'm typing with my left hand, while my phone balances precariously.

I'm sitting through a mammoth final sesh at the tattoo studio (appropriately named 'OhhMyGod' Tattoo Studio!). I don't want to specifically remark on tattoos - most either love them or hate them, and a blog won't likely change that. What I wanted to make an observation about is culture and more precisely, understanding how I've learnt (and struggled) to redeem parts of culture, while rejecting other parts of it.

As a Christian in 21st century London, there are so many quick judgements to make on a regular basis. Do I engage in that tricky conversation about a hot girl at work? Do I do that round of shots with mates at the bar? Do I watch the TV programme that everyone is banging on about? Is there a particular way I should dress or act? Is it wise to spend my money/time on such and such? Hours on Fifa/Poker/box set DVDs - you name it. Culture will pour itself into our lives at breakneck speed and discerning what is healthy to invest in and what we are to flee from, is vital.

In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul makes a helpful statement: 'For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.' (2 Corinthians 10:3&4 NIV)

As Christians, we wage war on a constant basis. Though we are part of God's Kingdom and living to shine amongst a culture riddled with defiance and sin (Philippians 2 15&16), our focus is on something completely different to most of those around us.

To reject outright all that culture breaths, would be stupid. To harness some of the good that culture breaths, would be helpful.

I love a few beers with mates. I love some of the amazing TV and films that are produced at the moment. I love art and music (in a variety of forms!). I love all kinds of international cuisine. I love social media. Being in the world but not of the world is tricky, but so important as we try to find ways of connecting the now (the world we live in) with the not yet (a future Kingdom).

Some Christians hate my tattoos, and would suggest that I have been a fool to get them. But they have opened up opportunities on numerous occasions for me to profess my faith, particularly in situations where it might have been harder to get that ball rolling. It's a huge part of culture these days that can be redeemed.

God is at work in the most ordinary of people. It takes discipline to reject the things that will blatantly bring Him no glory (such as drugs, greed, porn, selfishness - to name a few). But be on the look out for things that He can use - areas in your life or areas in culture that aren't necessarily sinful but that can be redeemed - your language, what you spend your cash on, even your Facebook status!

They can be very powerful weapons when wielded well.

It's easy to downplay Jesus, especially when you look at some of the bare facts and ignore the insane number of miracles and prophecies that came to pass through his life, death and resurrection. The focus on fame and fortune today in our culture is at polar opposites with such an ordinary 'man of the past'. 

Reading Mark 6, we see the people question this 'ordinary' Jesus that stands before them. 'Where did this man get these gifts? Isn't this the carpenter?' 

And they took offence at him (v3). 

Without a glimpse of his majesty and splendour, it's easy to think this historical do-gooder is just a character in folklore or nursery rhymes. Wasn't he just born in a stable? Wasn't he just the adopted son of a tradesman? Wasn't he just born to a teenage mum? Wasn't he just a carpenter? Wasn't he just a poorly-travelled guy from the outskirts? Wasn't he just some random figure in history?  

It seems so easy to replace the very powerful with the very plain. 

It's easy to think of Jesus as so ordinary that he must (surely) be make believe - and it's easy to take offence at him today as well. Why does such a man have the right to speak into our lives and offer such a radical solution?! Surely someone so distant in the past, who was captured, tortured and buried, cannot impact my life in 21st century London? Surely a story so far-fetched is closer in connection to Santa or the Tooth Fairy than being a genuinely life changing option? 

If you fail to investigate this Jesus further yourself, and just rely on the snippets of opinion about him circulating modern culture, then you'll likely take offence at him too, just as they did in the days prior to his crucifixion. 

There is a beautiful, ordinary and very very unassuming quality to Jesus. One thing I always find so fascinating is that God, the Saviour of mankind, walked dusty roads to get to work. He ate, slept, sneezed, laughed, learnt and yawned. It's through the seemingly incredibly ordinary that the extremely extraordinary happened.  

Don't let the everyday, 'ordinary' details, stop you from delighting in a far more grand picture.

He was a carpenter. But He was also far far more.

Where the paths get even more narrow

There's a place that people are often led to. It has rougher terrain than the usual green pastures and it's climate isn't always bright and sunny. The paths are incredibly narrow and the guide doesn't normally use a light to illuminate the necessary steps - he takes his visitors by the hand instead - such is the care they will need when treading along it's pathways.  

Some get held up in this environment for quite some time. They are used to demanding that their guide takes them from A-B at their speed; revealing truth, direction and results as quickly as he can, like it's an on-the-go fast-food snack. He's into more long-term nourishment though and will often slow things down from time to time. He will often show them milestones on the journey on more than one occasion and when he continues the journey down a familiar path or sends the itinerary round and round in circles, they are likely to get angry, hot under the collar and start doubting that he even knows what he's doing. It's hard for them to see the beauty of the surroundings when it has all become so seemingly commonplace or not what they were expecting/hoping for. 

But, you see, he does know what he's doing. He has been guiding people down this path time and time again. Generation after generation. As each person finds themselves in this difficult of places to navigate through, they always want a quick-fix solution to get them back to their familiar track - to the landscape where they think they know the route better. Where a guide isn't so obviously necessary. Where his hand-led direction isn't so vital. Those places are usually called Comfort and Control.  

This tougher terrain is called Patience.  

The guide is more than happy for you to be there every now and again, even if it's not where you'd hope to be at that precise time. He knows that if you always got what you wanted at the exact time you wanted it, he'd probably never get quality time with you - so he doesn't mind Patience because it's where you speak to him the most. For it is there that he can teach you best about the grander schemes waiting in the forthcoming chapters. It's in the frustration of being there that he can reveal just how intimately he guides you; just how carefully he has chartered those most narrow of paths.  

Walking the pathways of Patience are so important. Your time spent on those tracks are best dictated by the guide - stray from his grasp and it's so easy to get lost and infuriated with your surroundings. But stick close to him and it becomes a season of great training. He'll explain to you that your frustration being there can breathe fuel into your dreams. 

He doesn't promise never to lead you to Patience (he almost certainly will in fact) - but he does promise never to leave you while you're there. The outlook can sometimes look bleaker and the pathways more treacherous - but it's a place where you will get to know your guide much more intimately as he helps you navigate through. Don't lose heart if you're in Patience at the moment - God, your guide, is still right in front of you and he knows precisely where he's taking you. He knows that time in Patience feels like it moves a lot slower than in other places and that really is OK!

Pathways out of Patience are often linked to places such as Breakthrough, Maturity and Responsibility.  

Keep trusting, regardless of your circumstances, regardless of the time frame involved.

From the cosmos to the cradle

(With Luke chapter 2 in mind)

Picture the nativity scene. A well-groomed Mary and Joseph are sat comfortably in their seats. Freshly washed linen swaddles a placid baby in Mary's arms. Some very respectful farmyard animals graze nearby. Well-wishing shepherds and long-travelling wise guys from the East turn up - and they show up with some carefully considered gifts. 

It's scene of contentment and order. One that we've been able to identify since we were little children in the school play. 

That's the final scene anyway. The baby has been born, the gifts and pleasantries have been exchanged by the visitors and the whole setting pretty much hangs in time until we pick up the story some thirty years later - and the baby Jesus has become a healing tradesman-prophet with exceptional oratory skills.  

But what about those cosy, cute scenes in the early days!? What a quaint little image to warm our hearts in preparation for the feasting, boozing and present unwrapping in just over a week's time. 

As a guy who has recently witnessed childbirth, I can only imagine how messy things actually got for Mary and Joseph. The toned-down, photoshopped image of the stable and the manger must have been totally gruesome in reality. The mind boggles at the lack of support and sterilisation.  Mary was in her early teens. Joseph was a calloused-handed carpenter. There were no beds, midwives, pain relief - nothing. 

It must have been horrendous. 

It's easy to lift up praise to God as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords - victorious, great, powerful. But it's equally important to recall those times when He was helpless, small, naked and crying.  

To recall just how far He had to come in order to begin His work of intervention and salvation on our behalf is vital. From the cosmos to the cradle. 

How messy must our situation be that it requires God to come down from Heaven!? To go through any one of the circumstances that He went through while walking on Earth - being a baby, eating, working, washing, learning a trade - the list is countless - so that He might literally be able to walk in our shoes (and that's before even mentioning the crucifixion that His life resulted in). 

Many of the carols we'll sing this Christmas will contain the word 'Emmanuel' - God with us.  

For the other 364 days of the year, He is still very much with us. But this Christmas time, look deeper into the quaint nativity scene. That messy scene depicts the early moments when God stepped down into 'real world', in order that we might know that He really is forever with us. Through our mess, sin, folly, pride and shame came a tiny little baby who quickly grew in wisdom and understanding to become a King who overcame a crucifixion just 3 decades later. 

From the very beginning to the very end, it's a captivating set of facts.

When I was younger I used to quite like taking communion at church. My mouth would be so parched from all the beer and smoke from the night before, so the shot of fruity grape juice was always a welcome relief.

Last night I sat in the living room of some friends of ours - there were seven of us there in total. The first (and only) people who have yet to commit to join Everyday Church Southfields in about 100 or so days time.

We took communion together. The bread didn't taste like flesh and the grape juice didn't taste like blood, but it did help us to remember what the most successful of all pioneers and visionaries ever sacrificed and achieved.

Many, many centuries later, we're feeling the sense of adventure from the mission ahead. It 'aint gonna be easy; we will (and already have) made some difficult decisions and it will certainly take our all. It's not quite on the same scale as the mission that Jesus faced (!), but it feels thrilling and costly nonetheless.

My wife and I have been reading through the book of Philippians recently. In chapter one, the author, Paul, says: 'I thank my God every time I remember you; in all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.'

More will sign up, we're sure of that. But last night it was such a privilege to break bread with 6 partnering pioneers.

I was chatting to someone recently who is grappling with an identity rooted in something that is doing him no favours at all. Something he has been trying to run free from for about as long as I've known him for.  

It got me thinking about my identity as a Christian man. After a while, I was taken aback to discover the amount of little lies I had allowed to creep in to my identity as a 21st century Christian, living in London. Lies that have not necessarily been massive stumbling blocks or thrown me off balance, but things that I have tried to put in place to build up who I am in Christ (with emphasis on the fact that it was 'I' and not'Him' who did/does these things!) 

Regardless of the scale, I think I walk taller (and therefore with pride) because I don't get drunk any more; because I give my money; because I don't watch porn; because I have a Bible verse inked on my arm; because I gave my kid a Biblical name; because I live in a church; because I committed and got married young...and even because I write a Christian blog!  

Things that COULD glorify God, but because they're what I've 'worked' for, they often subtract from what He did.  

I think there is a desire as a 21st century Christian to be edgy, with a gritty story of faith. I often hear of people who say they have a boring story because God raised them in the security of a Christian home - as though His grace from an early age may be seen as mundane! 

Trying to become the Christian 'someone' that you think culture needs is dangerous. Standing firm and effecting the surrounding culture as a Christian, starts and ends with Jesus. I think we like the thought of being cutting edge and not too far removed from culture.  

When we try and stay casual in our being 'sold-out' for Him, it usually means we worship reservedly, evangelise too covertly and give safely.  

I have huge dreams and plans for what I'd love to see God do in my life. Some of them are already under way; some are some way off yet. But a fatal thing I could do in the process is try and fabricate my own path, when His direction and timings remain so trustworthy.  

Paul marvellously says in one of his letters to God's people: 

'So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life.' (Colossians 3 v1-3) 

Just one identity and agenda.  

His.

A brand new life awaits

I had the enormous privilege of baptising a few people yesterday. And what's more, the other person doing the baptising was my wife. 

One thing that I said to one of the people we were baptising, was that she would be asked two questions that were arguably the most important questions she would ever be asked: 'do you acknowledge that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour?' and 'will you seek by His grace to follow Him for the rest of your life?' 

There are no other questions that anyone could ever pose to you that would carry greater significance. The implications to your answers are incredible. As far as milestones in life go, these questions are probably THE pinnacle. They exceed the markers of 'which University do you want to go to?'; 'will you marry me?'; 'do you take this women to be your lawful, wedded wife?'; 'what are you going to name him/her?' Being asked whether Jesus is your Lord and Saviour will always be the most significant thing anyone could ever ask you.  

God has many, many amazing things in store for you and me, but no two paths are alike. The only thing that remains a constant through every story of faith is that from the beginning, He chose to lay down His life for us, so that we may one day do the same for Him. 

That is what baptism symbolises - going under the water as the old you and coming out of it as a new person in Him.  Every journey of faith looks different - but the springboard needs to be from that water.  

The Gospel of Matthew  (c 28 v 18-20) famously details Jesus' position on baptism: 'Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: 'Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.'

It has been almost a decade since I came out of the water myself, and I can still imagine the feeling of the water washing over me. Strange, huh? Not at all. There is such power in making that decision and He totally knew it when He gave the instruction. 

Are you prepared to take that first step of obedience? A brand new life awaits. 

To infinity, and beyond!

Yesterday afternoon I went for a long walk with my brother in law. Through fields, coastline, sand dunes and country roads. At one stage we came to a church building, embedded in the hillside, dating back 1,000 years. Entering the building, surrounded by gravestones centuries old, it's mad to imagine the community of people who began meeting there, such a long time ago. Fuelled by the gospel and hungry to establish something for God's kingdom.  

Who knows what kind of successes and failures they encountered along the way. 

Our church is fast approaching an exciting threshold of our own, as we go from one church venue to three (in three different London boroughs). And after MUCH prayer and consideration, my wife and I have made a sizeable decision to join the team going to Everyday Church Southfields, in Wandsworth borough.  

I think a lot of credit for wanting to be a part of this adventure can go to our elders at church. When you have such great leadership to follow, it gets you excited and ready for action. Week in, week out we're presented with captivating and challenging themes through the gospel that galvanise and prepare us for the week ahead as missionaries in 21st century London - a great distance apart from the community of believers who once launched a kingdom work centuries ago, from within the building I visited earlier. 

My wife has been at our church her whole life and I have been there since my teens. We met Jesus there; we got baptised there; we met each other there; got married there; many of our family members attend the church; I worked there and we've even lived there for the last 4 years. And even though we'll still be part of the same church family, it was a big deal coming to that decision to move to a new site.  

If I have learnt one thing over the last 12 months, it's that God's grace never fails to get dished out in perfect measure at exactly the right moments. We have been trying to plug into what's happening at our church for some time now, and God has made us so excited about what He has been doing and what He still has planned. We'll be asking Him to do the same when we relocate a few miles up the road (not exactly the most treacherous of moves in the grand scheme of things!). 

Over the years I have been praying (along with many others) for God to do something significant with our church. It's funny that when those kind of prayers get answered, the reaction is usually one of surprise or hesitance; as if we didn't see it coming! As the plan unfolds, it's bigger and better than we ever had pictured. The longer I am a Christian, the more I realise that that's exactly how He works.  

So, these are terrifically exciting times to help shape a new work for the kingdom of God. Much as they would have been for the believers at St Enodoc church in the tenth century. I hope and pray that the foundations of what we're launching in the coming months will still be having an effect on the surrounding area in centuries to come.  

Let His kingdom come and His will be done.

You may have noticed a certain leave of absence from this blog in the last few weeks. It's not that I haven't had anything to comment on - I have just had my hands full, getting to grips with some very important new life lessons (and some especially grubby nappies).  

Prior to becoming a dad, I tuned into various theology and teaching regarding parenthood and family in general. Most, if not all, advised to putting children and family above other personal interests and becoming more of a servant at home - despite all that would vie for your affections elsewhere in a regular routine. I have always been a big subscriber to being as present and committed to people/circumstances around you as you can be - not giving someone/thing half your attention. So this mindset seemed to make sense. 

With most things, that has been fairly easy to stick to. Aside from being with people, I love reading, writing, fitness/sport, cooking, music etc etc. Hobbies that are generally quite manageable, that I can pick up and put down regularly.

However, I'm currently getting to grips with a new task/hobby/love that's proving to be slightly more of a handful!  

Now, I know it sounds a bit far-fetched to start commenting on fatherhood when I've still only been in the game for 5 minutes, but when people warn that it'll demand your all, they seriously mean it. I don't think I had fully appreciated that! 

**queue brief pause while I change a particularly explosive nappy** 

As I've looked to the Bible for wisdom/guidance over the years, I've been constantly reminded of the steadfast love of the Father; that He only has my best interests at heart; that He will stop at nothing to serve and protect me.  

Looking at the 8lbs bundle wrapped in swaddling blankets in my arms, I can totally see that perspective developing further in me, more than ever before. I thought I had understood that the Father was all for me - but again, another life stage comes along and reveals yet more of that truth. 

Everyday, I place a load of 'dirty nappies' at God's feet. Different sin, issues and impatience that I expect Him to wipe clean. And do you know what? Every single day He does.  

Everyday, He lays something aside so that I might be able to encounter Him, get clean and know His plan for me.  

My son is yet to thank me for putting up with his crying, pooping and demanding. But just as the task is relentless and consuming here, so is the amazing example of love set by God my Father in Heaven.  

You may see me on this blog a little less frequently than I'd like, but it's only because there's some big lessons being taught from a Father to a son.

He/he demands my all. 

Love at first sight #part 3

**WARNING  - this following blog does not ignore the fact that there are 101 other sins that I commit on a regular basis!**

If you’d said to me in my early 20’s that I would be married with a kid by the age of 27, I would have either laughed or fainted. At that point in time my main concerns were partying hard, getting up late, doodling in lectures, drinking pints, playing football and generally coasting without focus.

Responsibility was absolutely nowhere to be found. Direction, vision and discipline were not on the agenda. I was very good (or so I thought) at getting away with committing to anything. I was generally a good guy who loved his mates, music and sport and liked going to church because it was something that I had grown accustomed to doing – it just felt like the right thing to do. Getting to a church service once a week was probably about as much as I would/could commit to.

But somewhere along the line, God’s grace has picked me up and dusted me off in a way that I cannot believe. He has blessed me with four years of marriage to a girl who is mega Godly, focussed and out of my league and has now given us this bundle of joy as well – Elijah George.

From my perspective, I don’t deserve any of it and it should be a task that overwhelms me - but for some reason it doesn't at all!

The reason is that God has shown me how much of a sin adolescence can be. That gap between being a boy and man that most guys stretch out for as long as possible. Some do it by not working; some do it by not committing to a girl and instead commit to dozens of girls online in private; some do it by not paying rent and staying at home for as long as possible; some do it by blowing their cash as often and as freely as they wish, without a second thought. There are heaps of examples – but generally speaking, it’s just not maturing and taking responsibility when they should.  

As a young guy living in London, it only takes a quick glance around you to feel challenged and overcome by the responsibility of growing up. The media is saturated with a call to young guys to extend their youth for as long as possible – often into their 30’s.

I've read otherwise in the Bible; I've experienced otherwise through several years of marriage, and now there’s a little guy in a Moses basket next to me who is helping me to think ‘long-term’ as well. I was just reading something in 1 Corinthians 3 which helped me get my head around this even further – in the passage, Paul is referring to a work that he began in the church in Corinth, but it’s applicable to this as well: ‘By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder…each one should build with care - for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ It’s tough being a faithful steward of everything God entrusts you with – but not when you have Christ as your cornerstone.

   

You could play the field, blow your cash, free-load off people, hit the snooze button until midday, get hyped about Fifa 13 and care more about your looks than reading your Bible. Or you could surrender it ALL to Jesus and watch an absolutely amazing journey kick up a gear. Whether you end up just taking responsibility for yourself, a wife and a kid or a greater numbers of lives, it’s a dangerous adventure to begin while you’re still young, but it’s totally worth it.  

Later, Paul says: ‘Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight’ (1 Cor 3 v18-19)

The high streets, the media and the bars/clubs argue against laying down foundations, taking responsibility and building wisely in your youth. Surely it would be foolishness to go counter-cultural too early!?

Worldly foolishness/Heavenly wisdom = get married to that girl, build a family, give your money away, get up early, surrender your time over to your church, fall to your knees, go public about your faults (the list could go on and on).

Buck the trend and become a ‘fool’ – you’ll love it. 

Now, excuse me while I go and change this kid's nappy.