Motion Sickness

Where am I headed, and what are the great questions that will challenge me along the way?

What kind of a person am I becoming as a result of this journey?

What does God expect of me as I run the race?

What have I been equipped to accomplish?

What can I give?

I can’t live with Alice’s perspective on the journey: “I don’t much care where . . .” But I do aspire to Merton’s: ask me what I’m living for, and ask me what gets in the way.

 

I am currently ploughing my way through the book, " The Resilient Life", by Gordon MacDonald. It's a great book...It is a book that has sat on my shelf, and in the "not yet read" category.

and boy am I glad I am reading it now, its really helping me.

The above questions/statements are from Chapter 6, and they are amazing questions and I strongly suggest that all leaders read this book. You can get it from Amazon Kindle for around $10... as an EBook.

 

I reckon one of the biggest issues facing Christians today is these unanswered questions.

It may just also be the biggest deal with the modern church (TSA).

I mean, think about it, if we were to honestly answer those questions for our lives and for our churches and corps, things might start changing in how we go about our business.

 

For too long, too many have just been going through the motions.

If you go through the "motions" for too long you start wearing a "rut" into the road.

When you are stuck in a rut ( an open ended grave) you cant get out, unless there is an intervention.

An interuption to the "motion".

 

Our TSA churches need some of these interventions. Some of these interuptions to our motion sickness.

 

So here's a little test... ( see if this applies to you and your church)

 

1. Are we seeing people discipled and saved in our churches every week ? When was the last person saved (born again) in your church ?

 

2. Are we more excited about our "program" and people attending to be entertained, than what we are attending worship and "really" connecting with Jesus ? ( A good test of this, is how many are attending prayer meetings vs how many attend concerts )

 

3. How is the journey I live, shaping me for Heaven ?

 

4. Am I just going through the "motions" ?

 

well if you are honest, you will see what must change in your life and what needs to be strengthened and what needs to be discarded, as well as what must grow, and be nurtured.

you may need to start attending a small group, join in on prayer meetings, start living a holy life, and start placing God in priority over "whatever else" currently sits in His place . ( be brave... be honest... what is in the way ?)

 

I do. Need to make some adjustments that is. Most likely, we all do.

 

I need to tweak my life. My Ministry. My leadership. My personal life. My personal holiness.

 

I dont want ever..to have motion sickness.

 

as a new year approaches, it's a great opportunity to start again. a clean and clear slate.

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I am unsure of how things sit for you. You know how much praying you do in your quiet time. How much reading and growing in His Word you do. How much personal worship you get your self into. You know all there is to know about yourself. God knows it too. You can choose to stay the same and just go through the motions again in 2015, or you can choose to tweak and adjust.

One thing I am dead set certain of.... everyone who surrenders and submits to the Lordship of Jesus in their life is never left in a rut, or stuck in motion sickness.

Jesus is our life ! He is the intervention and interuption we all need.

 

May He bless you in this last day of 2014, and awaken you to new things in the new year of 2015.

 

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For My Officer / Pastor Mates and anyone else who is interested in the Kingdom of God.

A key member of our Ministry Team here at Ringwood shared this with me this afternoon.
It was good to read it again.

In light of my last Blog entry...  it seems fitting to share this as an encouragement to you to keep at it.

to not give up when it gets too hard. of if you havebeen treated or spoken to unfairly  or hurtfully.

to persevere, to remain faithful, to preach truth, to be courageous.

I love it that I have mates around me, Great Salvo Officers who are slogging it out in the battle for the Kingdom, fellow co workers, who Love Jesus and desire to serve Him and win others for Him.

Take these words,  attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero who was assasinated for his service to the Kingdom, take them ...let these words speak into your spirit and being, and allow Gods Holy Spirit to strengthen you deeply within.



.....  Oscar Romero (1917–1980)....

A Future Not Our Own 

It helps now and then to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of
saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith. 

No confession brings perfection, no pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the Church's mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about : We plant the seeds that one
day will grow. We water the seeds already planted
knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects
far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of
liberation in realizing this.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's
grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the
difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not
messiahs. 

We are prophets of a future not our own.

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Seriously friends, let's be liberated and live out our God given calling to  preach the truth, even to a people who may not want to hear it.   To lead with integrity and sincerity and humility. But also with Authority as servants of the Most High God.

He loves you.  He loves me.

We are His.

What is wrong with the church ?

The other day I good friend and colleague confided in me that he had been receieving hate mail. People being mean, nasty, rude, and basically wanting him to just be gone. It was very sad hearing this from him, for he is a good man, a great leader, a passionate follower of Jesus and a really genuine and sincere bloke for Jesus.

So why does the church have to be so nasty towards their leaders ? It isnt right, in any situation or in any church.

Officers, pastors, are sent people, people who usually have given up their lives to follow Jesus, to do their best, not alwasy getting it right, coz not one of us are perfect... we are all just trying our hardest to do our best at what has been asked of us to do.

For me, the church must not be like this... but sometimes it is. People who are sinners are in our churches, who have not yet surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and as such they are an open opportunity for the devil to use them.

There are always loads of cliches or catchphrases we can use to justify or defend or even excuse this kind of behaviour, yet ...for me that doesn't cut it either... we simply must be living in obedience to Christ, making our churches and our corps, places of grace. Places where love can be experienced, forgiveness celebrated, repentance an opportunity to be acted upon. and we ought be patient with one another, and yes that even means the Officer / Pastor.

Heaven help any leader who gets up Sunday morning, feeling apprehensive and fearful for what the day might bring at church.... worried over what bad or nasty thing will be said that day, what criticism will fly, what complaint will come loudest...

So... if you find yourself one of those grumbling saints, a well intentioned dragon in the church ? here'ssome advice to you.

STOP IT !

it is not the way of the Kingdom.

It is not the way of Christ.

STOP IT, stop hurting the Jesus appointed leader among you.

Support them, pray for them, pray with them, you will find yoru complaint will dissappear if you prayed togther often.

and to my officer friends, my pastor friends,who find yourself on the receiving end of this, sometimes every weekend.

let's love one another, spur one another on towards love and good deeds, join with like minded pastors and officers to support each other and pray with each other. remember you are the appointed and annointed by God Himself, and whilst they may not necessarily respect or trust you or even believe in you, keep preaching the message, keep living it out, do your best to be the servant of the most high God that you were called to be, chosen and positioned to be. we live for His purpose. We are His people, we are not better than anyone else but we are surrendered. We are His.

AND remember that not everyone in your church is like the nasty ones....there are some very good people in your church and corps, who are praying for you every day, loving you, hanging onto every last word you might speak when you preach, these are your saints. the People of God who are with you, they are on the same page as you, they will do everything they can to join you in the mission.

seek them out.... pray for them too...and be blessed that God has given some really awesome and amazing people to you to minister to in your church and corps.

and finally to my mate, who i spoke of earlier... I am not going to mention your name, but if you end up reading this blog, I love and respect you, you are an awesome man of God and doing a fantastic job, dont let the enemy steal your joy, through the words of that nastyness.....

May your Christmas be blessed in every way.... and to all my mates in ministry I say the same.

Keep praying and believing and trusting, that He who called you will sustain and use you for His glory.

 

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