No way back

A while back, I wrote some posts about the more scary sections of the Bible, one about whether God refuses forgiveness and another on getting through the narrow door. These are tricky passages that often startle us and cause us to question what we believe. These, however, are not the only scary passages of the Bible.

Yesterday, I got a text that read, 'Hiya, do you know what Hebrews 6v4-6 means?' My initial response was, 'Of course I do; I know what everything means.' (As a trainee English teacher, I feel the need to have a least one literary device per post. This is an example of hyperbole.) So, full of confidence, I dropped Hebrews 6 into Google and read the passage. The verses my friend was asking about were these:

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

I don't know about you, but I felt slightly tricked. The beginning sounded so positive; I was sure it was going to have a happy ending. When I was reading it, I was expecting it to go a bit like this:

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age to be separated from the love of Jesus. They will go to heaven, which we know is like Disneyland but without the queues.

But instead, it dropped a bombshell. It tells us that 'it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened... and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance'" Initially I was a bit stunned so I reread the passage. Then, just in case I missed an important 'not' somewhere, preferably before the word 'impossible', I read it again. There was no missing not. (I did debate with myself whether I should pencil it in, but I didn't.) Then a load of questions flew around my head. ('What happened to "once a king and queen of Narnia, always a king and queen of Narnia"? Did Alsan lie?'; 'But what about people who grew up Christian, had a wobbly moment but now are committed to following Jesus?'; 'Who was right, then, Calvin or Arminius?') Needless to say, this passage left me somewhat confused.

The Bible suggests that at least the appearance of original salvation isn't everything. Philippians 2:12 talks about continuing to work out your salvation. There are loads of other verses, some of which I have compiled for you here, that talk about falling away. Even Paul voices a concern at becoming "unqualified for the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:27). 

However, the Bible is clear that salvation is not based on what we do. It is based entirely on what Jesus has done, and it is a case of having to accept this gift. This is what really matters. The Bible also says this in a lot of places. So, Jesus saves, and that's where you have to put your confidence. Once you've done this, persevere in it and the evidence of your faith will be a life that bears fruit.

I don't think we should be surprised if we see people seem to put their faith in Jesus and, either pretty much straight away or over time, lose this. The parable of the sower warns of this. However, this does not leave us hopeless. James 5:19-20 tells us:

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

This passage explicitly states that those who have turned away can be bought back to repentance. As a brother or sister in Christ to such a person, we are to bring them back to repentance. And as they say, prevention is as good as a cure, Hebrews 3:12-14 is also helpful:

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

The prevention and cure both involve the role of others. It is, therefore, so important to be in a community of believers that can encourage you. Find people that will encourage you and find those that you can encourage as well. Run the race, run it well, and may you be blessed in doing so.

Quick Questions

• Who encourages you?
• Are the questions that come into my mind normal? Or are they an insight into a troubled psyche?
• What passages do you find worrying?

Want to know more?

• tweet your questions to @thomasashmead
• Have a read of Hebrews 6:4–6 and Losing One’s Salvation. I found it pretty helpful.

A Meal with Jesus

I have just finished reading 'A Meal with Jesus' by Tim Chester. If you like cooking for others and you love Jesus, then this is a good book to read.

This meant that I really enjoyed reading it. A few years ago, when I was choosing what I wanted to do next in life, my mum said to me, "I know exactly what you want in the future." Thinking that this was impossible and she'd get it completely wrong I asked to tell me what it is. She said, "you want a house where you'll have people over all the time and you'll share it with other people." As always, mums know best and she got it completely right. She knew how much hospitality meant to me.

Tim Chester discusses how a dinner table can be a way to show God's love, plan for salvation and hope. It shows an interesting picture of Jesus as a man who came eating and drinking. He points to various meals in the Bible: those that Jesus shared with others and the Messianic banquet that we are to expect after we die. By sharing our table with others, we are enacting these meals. Moreover, the way Jesus tells us to remember what he did for us is not through the recitation of liturgy or the singing of a certain song; it's through the sharing of food and drink. This act of communion is a way that followers of Jesus can join with one another to express and remember their love of Jesus and their salvation.

I loved some of the stories and anecdotes. I'm always encouraged and moved by what other Christians have experienced and how they have seen God at work.

The book, however, can get a tiny bit repetitive. Chester works through many different and subtle ways of viewing the table as an expression of God's mission and plan, but the nuances can sometimes get lost and it often feels like you've read that bit before. However, it does bring home how important the simple act of eating with someone else can be.

That's probably why, when Paul lists the attributes of a church leader, it's not a Theology degree or extensive experience in business management he looks for but a person of good character that shows hospitality to others (for the full list, see here). Inviting someone to your table is inviting someone to see a snapshot of God's kingdom.

A Meal with Jesus from Tim Chester on Vimeo.

Community is...

... Balsamic sausages and roasted red vegetables (recipe here) followed by a game of Uno.

The bigger picture

Last weekend, I went to Bulstrode, which is the UK headquarters for WEC international. There was a small group of about 12 of us sat in a lounge area talking and praying. I looked out the window and saw a red kite fly past. A few moments later, the red kite flew past again then disappeared. It was plain to see: it was level with the window and less than 100 feet away. However, I was surprised to discover that I was the only one who had seen the kite. I was the only one with the unique perspective from my seat and the personality that meant I would be gazing outside at the moment the bird flew past.

Quite often we see the world and Christian living from our own unique perspectives. My perspective definitely influences how I approach the Bible and what I get out of it. What is worrying, however, is how often I judge people when they don't see things from my perspective.

In terms of what my relationship with God looks like, I'm very Father focused. I often see thing in terms of glorifying God the Father and living in obedience to him. I would easily justify this through the verses that talk about how everything Jesus did was to glorify God. I know people who are more Jesus focussed. They would, perhaps, say that you can't be a Christian without Christ. I know that I have been frustrated with people who have seen Christian life in such a way.

Going back to the kite analogy, how ridiculous would it be if I was to say, "How stupid are these people for not seeing the kite? It was as plain as day!" (This would be all the more ironic as they were concentrating on praying, like I should have been, when I was watching a bird outside the window.) However, this is precisely how I think sometimes when it comes to approaching being a Christian. Either way of relating to God is correct. Both ways, however, miss the full picture: but that's okay. God made us to live in a community of believers who each have their different perspectives so we can remind one another of them. Moreover, God is so vast and unfathomable that we're never going to see the full picture.

So, when you're finding it difficult to agree with someone, try and think whether this is God giving you an opportunity to see the bigger picture.

Community is...

In Mosaic, we've been thinking about what community should look like. Over the next few weeks, Mosaic is looking at 'The Gospel-Centred Church' together. I'm going to be posting thoughts on this and photos of a small community of believers that are figuring things out.

So for the moment, community is... tea and cake?

Extrovert and Introvert

I've been reading a lot of things in recent months that talk about the church experience from the view point of introverts. Church, they say, is geared towards extroverts, who find energy from being with others, from expressing themselves, from loud music and colourful floral arrangements. The introverts, however, are those that find their energy from being on their own, quiet spaces and Gregorian chanting. Okay, my definitions may not be quite right, but you get the idea.

God created us all differently, we are all designed with different gifts and strengths, we are all different parts of one body. It's good to discuss this differences and to explore different ways in which we can worship God, in both the loud and the quiet. The gospel is not just for the extroverts, nor is it only for the introverts.

It's also really important to aware of how God made us. We can serve affectively is we know our strengths; we can see areas where sin is likely if we know our weaknesses. Perhaps some massive generalisations, but it could be said that extroverts may turn their need for love and affirmation into an idol, and introverts may put too much emphasis on their own space and time and not sacrifice it for the needs of others.

But, in amongst this debate we mustn't forget this: above all else we are children of God. If we need to spend time in quiet reflecting on God's word, extroversion is not an excuse. Likewise, the importance of corporate prayer and worship should not dismissed because you are an introvert. God's glory comes first. The needs of others come second. The needs of our own comes after that. We have presented ourselves as living sacrifices, Myers Briggs personality type and all.

If anyone is interested, I'm an ambivert, bang in the middle. I'm apparently an ENFJ Myers Briggs personality.

Quick Questions

• Introvert or Extrovert?
• Do you know your Myers Briggs profile?
• Does it matter?

Resource Wednesday

Yet another Resource Wednesday. I've been looking into worship music a lot recently, especially new workings of old hymns. This is the Sing Team, one of Mars Hill's worship bands. However, I love the mix of community and praise they've got going.

 

Meet the Sing Team from The Resurgence on Vimeo. 

I can't get enough of their music, especially Oh! Great is Our God! Listen to their album here. You can download the chords here.

Quick Question

• What are you listening to at the moment?

Philippians 4

We've come to the end to this little book. It's small but mighty.

Philippians 4

• v 1 tells us to stand firm!
• v 4 again tells us to rejoice. Chapter 3 has already told us the sort of things we should be rejoicing in.
• v 6-7 tells us how we should be continuously praying rather than getting anxious. Then we will receive the peace of God!
• v 8 is a real tricky one. We need to think about good things. I don’t think this verse is thinking about pretty dresses and cupcakes. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us we need to focus on Jesus, so perhaps it’s more about that.
• Get on with it! v 9 tells us to put into practice what we have learnt.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
(James 1:22-24)

• Sometimes it’s hard to be happy with what we have. Paul has learnt to in v 11-13

Implications for Mosaic

• We can encourage one another in standing firm (Hebrews 3:13)
• We need to rejoice together. Give each other things to give thanks for and tell each other what God is doing so we can praise him for it.
• We need to encourage one another to put what we learn into practice

Summary

• Love one another! Romans 12:10 tells us we need to “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves.” Sorry, all those commitment-phobes out there!
• Loving one another keeps us pure and righteous. Have a look at what Jesus says in John 15:1-17. Loving one another seems the way to get and remain plugged into Jesus.
• Jesus is our confidence and reason to rejoice.
• Rejoice some more.
• Get on with it! Paul constantly reminds us to put what we know into practice. 

Quick Questions

• Don't you just love Philippians?
• What do you do to avoid being anxious? (I have a prayer book, so when I'm worried I write it all down in there)
• Do you feel like your life is missing something or are you happy with what you have?

No one wants to be stuck with the new guy

In the last few weeks I have been in some situations where I was the new kid. Being the new guy is always an odd experience and most people will avoid those types of situations. For the most part I find them really funny. Being the outsider gives you a unique opportunity to observe the strangeness of humanity.

On Thursday, I went to a martial arts class at my local community centre. I saw it advertised on the internet and thought I'd give it a go. When I arrived there were no sign posts to say which room it was in, so I could only assume it was in the main hall. Fortunately it was and inside the hall was a group of men, mostly 30s to middle aged, although there was one teenager. I spoke to the instructor, we shook hands, and then I spent the next 5 minutes not being spoken to and being ignored except for some sideways glances. There's being on your own and then there's being on your own in a room full of people. The former is easy to deal with, the latter is just awkward. Fortunately, awkward situations amuse me, and it was hard not to burst out laughing as I watched people intently stretch and practice their positions. I had a feeling that they were all the more intent to avoid catching my gaze, and any conversations that happened between the group were more forced in order to pretend I wasn't actually there. Also, when people are concentrating they often look like they're constipated, have been lobotomised or someone just deeply offended them. I managed to control myself and avoid hurting anyone's feelings.

Then we began practicing positions and techniques. We did it in a bit of a circle and I was told to just copy the person opposite me. The training position felt a lot like I was squatting over the edge of a bridge in order to defecate into the river below (and some people's concentration faces just added to the humour of this). That ended and then we got into pairs. The guy to my right was happy to partner with me and teach me a few things, so I enjoyed this part of the session. Then the instructor told us to change partners. There was a panicked look on everyone else's face as it dawned on them that they could be stuck with the new kid. One guy turned away from me and walked around the room attempting to keep his back to me at all times. Alas, he was too slow and by that point everyone had paired up. He was a nice guy but he still keep gazing around the room in the hope that he could quickly abandon me and join someone else. I then ended up with another guy, when an opportunity arose for my partner to ditch me, who gave me the distinct impression that he'd rather be doing something else.

These types of situations I'm usually okay with. I can accept that when a new person comes into a group it's often difficult for the established group to relate to them and it makes people feel uneasy. There is one context when I do find it frustrating, really frustrating, because it should not be happening. This is within a church or a christian organisation. I have been to enough churches, CUs and Christian Events to see the welcoming done really well or really badly.

My pastor said the other day that most churches think they're far more welcoming than they actually are. They did surveys where they asked usual congregation members how welcoming they thought their church was and then they also surveyed first time visitors. The results from the two groups were rarely the same. This should not be the case. We should always be showing the all-welcoming love of our Lord and Saviour. We are told in Hebrews 13:2, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." It's too easy to focus on our friends and the people we know but Jesus tells us we shouldn't:

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14)

When the opportunity to show hospitality to strangers and welcome people is dropped in our laps, we should jump on it (on the opportunity, not the visitors).

Quick Questions

1. When have you felt really welcomed?
2. What awkward situations have you been in?
3. Do you think hospitality is important?

Other links
Rachel's post on What does it mean to be hospitable?
What does the Bible say about hospitality? 

Philippians 2

This is my second Bible study on Philippians. We've been doing it in Mosaic, and I just love this book. It's short but has a major impact factor. It's like well good, innit.

Philippians 2

• v 1-4 Humility, like that of Christ
• As Christians we are:
• United with Jesus
• Loved
• Tender and compassionate with each other
• United in purpose, love and attitude: that of Jesus (v 5)
• We have a fantastic passage about Jesus (perhaps an early hymn)
• This tells us about humility and the lack of ranks in the church.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 28:25-28)

• v 14 & 15 again emphasises the importance of our relationships. It results in being blameless and shining out like stars (what a lovely image!)
• v 12-13 interestingly tells us to ‘continue to work out your salvation’. Hasn’t Jesus done that for us? Here Paul is writing about the fact that having a faith in Jesus, which results in salvation, will have a response in how we live our lives. Have a look at James 2:14-19.

Implications for Mosaic

• Love, love, love, love one another
• Unity in purpose and attitude. We are ultimately united by a love of Jesus (not our age!)
• We need to serve each other and all that come into Mosaic’s midst before the needs of ourselves.
• We cannot have a faith that isn’t outworked somehow. Otherwise it is dead.

 Quick Questions

• What parts of the Bible have you been studying recently? What did you learn from it?
• Is humility something you've either got or you've not? Is it something that can be worked at?
• Isn't that a fantastic passage about Jesus? What are your favourite passages about him? 

  

Philippians 1

I've recently been leading a Bible Study on Philippians. I have seriously fallen in love with this book. In order to help you do the same I thought I'd post my notes up here. Read Philippians 1 before reading the rest.

Background

• A thank you letter from Paul to the church in Philippi; the sort you write to your nan after Christmas.
• Lots of gratitude going on.
• Theme of unity in Christian community, and rejoicing.

Philippians 1

• v 3-6 Paul gives thanks for the Philippians, due to what Jesus has been doing in them and what is being worked to completion. Who are you thankful to God for?
• Paul’s prayer is fascinating (v 9-11). He prays for an increase in love, which has more knowledge and insight. This leads to discernement; being blameless and pure; having the fruit of righteousness and all for the praise and glory of God.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13)

• Paul’s chains advance the gospel, which is awesome.
• v 18 is perhaps surprising: as long as Christ is being preached, the motives are unimportant.
• End of chapter has some challenging truths about facing opposition: that we are to stand firm in unity and in one spirit, and we are to be without fear.
• v 29 suggests that we treat suffering for the gospel as an equal gift as faith in the gospel (see Acts 5:41).

Implications for Mosaic/others

• We need to love one another in order to have discernment and to be blameless
• We need to rejoice due to one another
• We are to face opposition together and without fear

Quick questions

• Do you have a favourite book of the Bible? Why do you love it so much?
• Who are you thankful for?
• Is it possible to treat suffering as a gift? How do you do it?

Reputation

According to Fortune magazine, the five companies with the highest reputation in America are Apple, Google, Amazon, Coca-Cola and IBM. But what is it about them that makes them so highly regarded? The magazine cited their innovation; their ability to invest in long-term plans and ability to expand as some of the reasons. It probably isn't their ethics (Apple has been linked with sweat shops, worker suicides and child labour; Coca-Cola accused of misusing water supplies and linked with the murders of union leaders, as some examples). This got me thinking about the importance of reputations and what I want a reputation for.

Personal experience has taught me how reputations can make or break someone. When I was at sixth-form I had a reputation for being chronically disorganised. It'd be quite easy to say at this point that I was disorganised because people labelled me that way, but I probably need to take responsibility for my own actions.However, when I left for university I bucked my ideas up. I bought an academic diary, I made myself a colour coded timetable, I got a pencil case properly prepared, and put my clocks five minutes fast. Then I began to get the reputation of being organised. So, in order to maintain this facade I worked harder at being organised. I put various systems in place like I would staple my library receipts into my diary so I knew when the books were due and for every essay I read I created a cover sheet with the bibliographic information, key quotes and links to other articles. I was the one that always knew what was going on, to the extent that people will ring me and ask me if they didn't. People started making comments like, "I wish I was as organised as you were." I can now safely say that I am pretty organised.

Probably linked to this reputation and being forced to manage other people's life as a result, I also gained the reputation of being in control. I was never worried, never phased by things and took everything in its stride. In Mosaic, however, I have somehow gained the reputation of being neurotic. One off-hand comment by someone stuck and now I'm seen as a worrier. This week I realised that, actually, I have been worrying a lot, and far more than I used to. I spoke to my friend at university about my reputation for being neurotic and she pretty much scoffed at the idea. Since then, the things I was worried about seem far more manageable and I've found myself less stressed.

I think we see an instance of how Jesus uses the idea of a reputation to shape someone. In Matthew 16:18, he tells his disciple Simon, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Jesus changes someone's name to "Rock". He is publicly declaring, "you are stable, a firm foundation. I believe in you." If we look at what Peter was actually like, he probably didn't deserve that reputation. He was a bit unsteady, brash and unreliable. Jesus saw the potential in him and gave him the reputation of being stable enough to build his church on. And history has shown that the gates of Hades have yet to overcome it.

This has quite a few implications. We can build people through giving them a positive reputation, but equally we can destroy their potential. Ephesians 4:29 states:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

We can work, through the words we say, to dismantle negative reputations of people. We can help people fulfil their potential by shaping what others think of them and what they think of themselves. So remember:

Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)

Quick Questions

1. What do you have a reputation for?
2. What would you like a reputation for?
3. Has a reputation ever shaped how you've behaved?

 I have written about similar ideas in other posts. If you want to have a read then here they are:

• Words
• Identity Issues

Philadelphia

James has recently returned to work after the birth of baby Maisie. To welcome him back I hid quite a few heart shaped post-it notes around his desk, each with the simple message "I ♥ U". I don't think he's found them all yet. "So what has this got to with cream cheese?" you ask. In all honesty, not much. So if you came here looking for insightful recipes using the soft creamy filling, sorry.

The Greek word for brotherly love is Philadelphia (which apparently looks like this φιλαδελφίᾳ). A little bit of research led me to some really nice verses about loving one another in a brotherly way.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10 NIVUK)

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. (2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT)

These verses are awesome. I love how we are called to honour one another above ourselves, how we are to have a generous provision of Philadelphia in our lives. We are to be devoted to one another. Our friendships are not meant to be fleeting or superficial, but deep and committed.

So, to all the guys in Mosaic:

I love you. I really do. You are all amazing.

Quick Questions

Have you tried the new chocolate Philadelphia? Yeah, weird.
What makes a good bromance?
How have you showed loved for someone else recently?

Helpful things to say when someone is grieving

Although I've been trying to keep up to date with Mark, the subsequent blogging hasn't happened. Stuff has been going on (you can probably tell by the content of this post it wasn't too cheery).

When some one has lost a loved one there are some helpful things to say. Then there are some things which aren't so helpful. They may sound fine, but if you were to say them, the person often hears something else.

1. "It's a part of God's plan." You know all that grief and pain you're experiencing? Well, God wanted it to happen. That's right. He decided it will happen and it's a part of his plan. Don't ask me why. I don't know. Only he does. But he's so good, right?
2. "Were they saved?" "Did they know Jesus?" You know that person who just died? Well, heaven or hell? An eternity of peace or fiery torment? That's all I want to know. And if it's hell, why didn't you do much about it? I'm not going to go as far as to say it's your fault...but, it's pretty much your fault.
3. "Did you pray for them?" I mean, if you were praying for them, they wouldn't have died right? Maybe you didn't pray with enough faith. I'm not going as far to say it's your fault...
4. "At least you still have..." Two grandparents. What you complaining about, man.
5. "They're now at peace" To be honest, I can't really be bothered to think of anything new to say, so I'll just knock out this old cliche.
6. Nothing. What, you're in pain? You're hurting? Look, it's just a bit awkward for me. I don't really do the 'helping friends when they're down' thing. And you'll get over it and it'll be like it never happened.

If someone gets me this card, I'll do something unspeakable...

Maybe, here are some things you could say:

1. Man, that sucks. I can't imagine how you feel.
2. I'm really sorry.
3. I love you.
4. How are you?
5. I'm praying for you and your family.

A hug would be nice too.

Fortunately, although I've had a few of the frustrating comments, I've had a lot of the positive comments too. Just a huge thanks to all the guys in Mosaic!

Building community the fun way...

//A month and a half ago two of our group got married. So, whilst on honeymoon we pranked their house. James wrote a post about it here.

Now, whilst the Bemroses were on holiday, they foolishly gave the keys to Erica so she could water the plants. Erica thought it was time to seek revenge. Reluctantly, I thought I would help her with this task.

If you ever see a welcome sign, be afraid...

We took the labels off their cans. As we thought it would be too mean to leave them not knowing what was in the cans, we created a colour code system using shiny stars.

We had hoped to print off the faces of everyone from Mosaic. However, only my face and Duncan's printed. We stuck them all around the house. I expect in years to come, they'll still be finding photos of us.

I don't think the Bemroses have realised the extent of our mischief. Here's a clue:

One final word:

Now I do realise that one day I will get my comeuppance. And it will be severe.

Quick Questions

1. Have you ever played a prank?
2. Have you ever had a prank played on you?

Ten thousand beside

Two weeks ago I scraped my mum's car along a wall of our church office. It wasn't a particularly pleasant experience. It was made even more unpleasant by the apparent costs and hassle involved in fixing the car. The main problem was the bumper. It had come loose behind the driver's wheel and was hanging down. That was an obvious hazard and we didn't want it to get any worse.

But God is generous, and one of the ways he has shown this is by providing a really loving church community. It is really like a family and everyone is so willing to bless others in small and practical ways. Some people in the church are quite handy with the old DIY, so yesterday I was able to take the car to someone's house and they fixed the bumper for me. For free.

Also, with all this car stuff and other factors (like I haven't received my previous deposit back yet and I'm loosing my interest free overdraft at the end of this month) I've been a bit worried about my money situation. Yesterday some friends from Mosaic, who knew about my worries, gave me an envelope with some cash in as a gift.

Yesterday, I really experienced God's blessing on me. He is an awesome and generous God. The day ended with a meal at James and Steph's with copious amounts of curry, and dessert where communion was also shared. It was a really lovely way to recognise all that God has done for us.

I'll leave you with the final verse of the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own great presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

Quick Questions

1. How has God blessed you recently?
2. How could you show God's love to someone else?

Exilio Explained

Some things you need to know about my church. It's a bit unusual. First, its name is unusual. Exilio. It's Latin, or Spanish, or Portuguese for that matter, for Exile.

Another way we're unusual is the way we meet. Most churches meet once (or twice) a Sunday and that is their main meeting. Everyone gets together for that one-and-a-half hour slot and then there are extra things within the week you can plug into. Exilio, however, does not meet all together once a week. Instead, we meet in small groups we call clans. There are six clans, and they're all define by a particular trait, value or purpose.

Our clans (in alphabetical order, not to reveal favouritism) are:

Living Lordswood
This is our geographically focused clan. They live in Lordswood, an area in Southampton. They're also united by a love of nature and they are heavily involved in cleaning up the area.

Mosaic
Mosaic is an ageist clan. It is for the 18-30s (although the age keeps creeping up as James gets older). We meet weekly on a Wednesday and Sunday. Our Sundays vary from car washing, BBQs or just hanging out at Trago Lounge. We also go to the Trago Lounge pub quiz every fortnight (where we have varying success). We're exploring what it means to be a missional community (what does it mean? I would quite like to know) and how we should fulfil John 13:34-35 in our lives:

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

Revitalise
This clan is exploring how God brings wholeness, in spiritual and physical wellbeing. They hold pamper evenings, go on walks and provide support for those who are struggling. They often hold events for the Polish group that one of the group teaches.

Solace
Solace provides a place of belonging to those who need support and time to rebuild their lives. This might be through relationship breakdown, health, poverty, or just about anything. They often have breakfast together on a Sunday, and are involved with other charities such as the Depression Alliance and SCRATCH.

Treehouse
This is the group for families with children under 10. They meet weekly to explore the Bible together but also spend time building up the family both spiritually and practically.

x:cell
The teens! As led by the youthwork (a.k.a. me). You'll read a bit more about what we do through the whole blog, so I won't write too much here.

So they're the six clans. We all meet together about once a month, in what we call "The Gathering of the Clans". This often involves food (gingerbread men one time, cupcakes another), songs and a little bit of craziness.

Quick Questions

1. What is strange about your church?
2. What is the weirdest church experience you've had?

Resource Wednesday

Recently I've been posting quite a few videos and they're all coming from one particular site.

It's the Verge Network site. It has really good resources on being a missional community, giving us the why, how and who of proclaiming God's glory on Earth.

There's some really challenging posts, especially in my role as a youth worker. How can I remind the teens that they're meant to be trying to give people the opportunity to know about Jesus? How do I try and x:cell from being a holy huddle? How does Exilio disciple the teens to be counter-cultural but whilst also engaging with those around them?

This site may not provide all the answers, but does definitely prod and poke and encourage reflection and prayer.

The RSS feed of the site appears in my "Elsewhere on the web" side bar (when it hasn't been updated recently, click the "show all"). So if you want to know the latest, then click there.

Quick Questions

1. What resources do you use?
2. What type of resources would you like me to hunt out for you?

An atypical week in the life of a youth-worker

One thing about my church, my job and my life in general is that I don't really get typical weeks. There are elements that stay constant but the bits around the edges seem to change all the time. This used to be a source of stress as I can be a bit of a control freak but now I really like it.

As my weeks are less than typical it's hard where to start with these things. I've had some quite busy weekends so I'll probably end and finish on those.

Saturday 2nd July
I got the keys to my new house the evening before and aimed to move some stuff in during the morning, but I got up late, had an argument with my brother and was generally too tired to do it. I made up with my brother; we argue every now and again but the hurt feelings never last more than an hour. So, instead I got ready for the wedding of Erica and Andy, two people in my church. I didn't have lunch, because I was really nauseous with nerves. I was playing the piano for the service and it was the first (and hopefully last) wedding I've ever played at. It was probably my stress that had a major contributing factor to the argument in the morning.

I arrived at the wedding, played (some people said I played well, I was a bit too dazed to really notice), and went to the reception. I ceilidhed the night away. Well, actually I left at about 10.30, because I'm a light-weight. The wedding and reception was really nice. It was good to be involved in the process (not only did I play but Andy had me, half of Mosaic, the bridesmaids and most his family slaving away over the favours, Orders of Services, and name place cards).

Sunday 3rd
I got to our church's monthly gathering, about 10 minutes late. I sat there bleary-eyed and a feeling like I had a hang-over (I only had a flute of champagne and a glass of white wine during the meal. Honest). I think I got myself a bit worked up about the playing and the effects of the stress had finally hit me. Mind you, some people (mention no names) didn't even get up until the gathering was over.

I moved most my stuff to my house, gate-crashed the Bumroses for a bit, played with giant chalk crayons and then slept my first night at my new abode. I did skive off a clan-leaders meeting.

Monday 4th
It was Duncan's birthday so went over his house for pizza. I bought him The Action Bible: God's Redemptive Story. (Just to clarify, it was his 24th birthday, not his 14th. He happens to like comic books, okay? It says nothing about his reading/mental age. It's far lower than 14.)

After pizza we went to the Trago Pub quiz. There was quite a few of us so we split in to two teams. One of the teams came second. It wasn't my team, unfortunately.

Tuesday 5th
This is a "church" day. I only work part-time and Tuesdays are my office day. This Tuesday I was meeting with Pete, my boss, and Suzy, Chair of Trustees. The meeting started late and went on for quite a while, so I didn't leave until about quarter to six, nearly two hours after I normally leave.

Wednesday 6th
Mosaic night. Probably my favourite evening of any week. We were thin on the ground, Andy and Erica were honeymooning and Duncan was "ill". We're nearly coming to the end of a series looking at the book of Acts. It's been quite good. I prefered the weeks where we were asked to respond to them in a practical way, like go for a prayer-walk. Lately they've been mostly reflective and it seems too similar to what I normally do.

Thursday 7th
My "day off". It was mostly restful but I did have to bail two of my teenagers out of a soul-survivor situation they've got themselves into.

I was meant to be meeting with Duncan for accountability stuff (the technical term) but he was "tired" after being ill for the last two days. Bless him.

Friday 8th
This is my long day. I go to my sixth-form job from 8:30-4:30 (well, there abouts) and then go to church job from 5:30-10:00. A long day. It went okay. I've been doing content light session recently, mainly because the attendance hasn't been great. I think it's mainly because the sun is out, it's music festival season and parents tend to take weekend breaks about now. So we're doing bring and share sessions, where the teens have to bring and share thing to read, watch, discuss or pray about. I did kick this one off, to give them an idea of what to do. I shared a clip from Sister Act, Psalm 139:1-18, and this job vacancy of a disciple. There was also a bit of Q and A opportunity, where they got to ask about my journey with Jesus.

Saturday 9th
I moved the rest of my stuff into my house. Then I helped the Bemrose's set up Immy's 2nd birthday party. There were fifteen small people. FIFTEEN. I was exhausted by it. Steph made an amazing Pepper Pig cake. A lot of additives and sugar was consumed. There were the obligatory tears. They were mostly mine. I went home and slept for a couple of hours. Then went to my parents (I was staying the night there as I was off to Devon the next day) and went straight to bed. I slept straight through until morning. I don't know how parents do it.

Quick Questions

1. Do you have quite structured weeks? Or is it all free and easy?
2. What would you bring to a bring and share?
3. Do you feel sorry for Duncan? I give him a bit of a hard time, don't I?

Mosaic and Morris Dancers

Recently Mosaic has been getting to know it's neighbours. By that, I mean James and Steph's neighbours. First was through the Big Lunch, then last Sunday we washed their cars. Both seemed to involve water, mostly in the form of rain. The picture above was stolen from James' blog, who wrote about the Big Lunch in more detail (the photo was taken by me, so I have some right to nab it). It was good to see how these two things meant that neighbours who hardly spoke to each other had an opportunity to share their lives with one another.

Yesterday I went to The Guide Dog, a small country-pub-on-the-city place with my dad. When we got there we were confronted by stick weilding, bell jangling Morris Dancers. What was interesting is how the strange (and, in my opinion, slightly disturbing) sight bought people out their houses. So maybe James could consider that as Mosaic's next thing. It has a ring to it, the Mosaic Morris Dancers, doesn't it?

Quick Questions

1. Do Morris Dancers scare you too?
2. What things bring your community together?