Mum

I received a phone call in the early hours of this morning to tell me that my mother had gone to be with the Lord. She was 98 years old and in a way it was a release as she had got to a stage of living in her own private world of the past and totally dependent.

It is a sad time for families but I also want to praise and thank God for a wonderful Christian mother who has been such an example to us. As a home mother, she didn't work out of the home - in those days women didn't - and so was not noteworthy or successful in the world's eyes. But in my eyes she was the wisest and cleverest person around. She always had time for you no matter what she was doing. She was never judgmental of others and was so humble, never seeking to be in the limelight, always seeking to help those who needed a hand. She was there to praise you when you had done well and to comfort you when things hadn't turned out as you'd hoped. She just always seemed to know and understand how you felt. Our home was an open house where all were welcome. She was a faithful Christian and as I think back over the time God allowed me to share with her, I thank God for the privilege.

'Well done, good and faithful servant.'

Revival or reformation

I was reminded today in an email I received of a prophecy given by Rick Joyner in 2003. Here are a couple of quotes:

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

The most common characteristic of successful people, business, sports teams and even nations, is that they never look for outsiders to blame for their problems but use that energy to look inside themselves for solutions.

Dictionary definitions:

Revival - a revived use of an old play; a revived use of an old practice, custom etc

Reformation - the act of reforming or process of being reformed, especially a radical change for the better.

God is reshaping his church and yet it seems we go on resisting. We don't want change, we just want more of the same. In which other walk of life would anyone dream of carrying on doing things in the same way or having the same type of system or set-up when they are not producing the desired results and in fact seem to be having the opposite effect? It seems that instead of revival we should be praying for reformation, instead of more of the old we should be seeking something new and different. This does not mean just following the latest religious fad but being prepared to look up and see a bigger picture, to be prepared to accept that maybe there are some things that we have got a bit wrong, to not try to make God conform to how we are used to doing things when He wants to show us something different and not to limit God to our limited thinking or ways. Let's stop putting God in a box shaped like a church building when He is desperately wanting to get out and be free to work in power and might to seek the lost and free the captives. His ways are not always our ways. We need to be re-formed.

Church in the Supermarket

I went to the supermarket. On my way round I met the chaplain (who happens to be one of the leaders of the church I attend) When he asked me how I was doing, I had to be honest and say that actually I was feeling quite down in spirit.

I went on to explain that my elderly mother (who is 98 ) had a fall at the beginning of March and broke her hip. She was taken to hospital and underwent an operation. The operation itself was OK but then pneumonia set in and she developed other difficulties. She lives 370 miles away in the northeast and so every day we have been phoning my other sister who lives near her. A number of times she has been called by the hospital saying that Mum didn't have long. She has been in a coma now for a week and the doctors don't understand how she is still alive.

So, yes, I was feeling very down, a bit in limbo, just waiting for that phone call but at the same time not really being able to get on with things I have to do. There and then, in the supermarket, the chaplain prayed with me. I don't know what other shoppers thought but it blessed my socks off!

Makes you wonder just how many people go about their daily activities when they are really hurting inside. I thanked God for those who realise that that's where we need to be 'doing church'.

Interesting websites

Today I picked up a copy of the February edition of Inspire Magazine. You can check it out on Inspire Magazine. It has some really interesting articles.

In the February edition I read of a young girl called Akiane Kramarik who was born into a family of non-believers. At a very young age she had visions and dreams and felt the urge to paint. She is self-taught but has produced amazing pictures. She insists that these experiences are from God and wants only that her pictures and poems bless others and bring them to God. She also had the privilege of leading her parents to faith in God. You can read more about her on the official website at Akiane.

Happy browsing!

Passion or activity

Yesterday I was part of a group who were talking about passion. The concern was why more people aren't passionate about God, the gospel and reaching the lost. It got me thinking how sometimes we confuse passion with activity. I suspect that some of the group who are active within the church setup may feel that others who aren't as visible in activity are not as passionate.

To give up 'ordinary' work in order to give more time to church activity or outreach is very commendable but not necessarily more passionate than someone who is either not in a position to do this or doesn't feel that God is asking him/her to serve in this way.

God also gives passion for different aspects of His work, some more visible than others. Those who are passionate about prayer and intercession are not always seen and may appear to be inactive but they are the ones who break down the strongholds in the spiritual realm. No amount of busyness in projects will do this. Jesus Himself said that some people could only be helped through prayer and fasting. It is also important to have this passion in place before we begin to put our plans into action.

I know that leaders of my local church agree with me on this but it did make me wonder just how often church generally confuses passion with activity and busyness in church projects.

Encouraged

I have had a very encouraging weekend. One of our church leaders here in Yeovil has set up, with a friend, an organisation they have called 'Send and Serve' (I have added it to my links) It is basically a group of people who are willing to go where God sends them to pray - mainly in Europe from the most western point of Ireland to the most eastern point of Turkey. I have joined with them and am going with a team to Spain during Holy Week.

Those who have read previous blogs of mine may be aware that I have struggled in my situation knowing this is what God has asked me to do but felt a bit misunderstood and a little alone feeling unable to share fully what is on my heart. So this weekend has been so good for me to meet with and share with others who are of a like mind.

Another interesting fact is that four of the people who are going to be on the team going to Spain have links with Argentina, one lady actually being of Argentinian nationality. Having lived there for 10 years myself and being married to an Argentinian and both of my children having been born there, I felt that this was another divine link that only God could arrange. Isn't He amazing!!

So today, after spending a wonderful weekend in the company of new friends, I feel very much encouraged and realise that God is connecting a whole network of people who are feeling and sensing God in the same way as I am.

A mixed week

It's been a strange week. This time last week I was at the wedding of two good friends. It was held in the local Anglican church, although neither are Anglican but are charismatic evangelicals. The vicar however is very evangelical and very happy to perform the necessary religious ceremony. It was different from the usual wedding ceremonies in that they included a time for Christian friends to gather round the couple and pray for them and to share if God had given anyone a picture or prophetic words to speak over them. We then shared tea and cakes in the church hall.

Then on Sunday my elder son Martin arrived to spend a week with us. My elder brother is very ill still in hospital where he has been since the middle of December having had a series of strokes that have left him unable to walk, talk or swallow. Martin came to help sort out my brother's flat and be of support to myself and my younger sister who are seeing to all the arrangements. It was good to have him with us although the reason for coming was not so good. He is always like a breath of fresh air for me and lifts my spirit when I'm feeling a bit low. This morning he returned to his own home in Cheshire.

This morning I went with a friend to share in a prayer breakfast in a part of the Body that meets in a farm and has, I believe, an important strategic place in the plans of God for this region and subsequently our nation. We had a beautiful time of worship and God really blessed us and spoke to us as individuals and as a group, confirming and encouraging.

Quite a mixed week really but it's wonderful to know that God is in the difficult as well as the pleasurable, in the practical, very earthly needs as well as the spiritual, out-of-this-world experiences. He is wonderfully in everything.

Lift Him up

I have just finished reading a not-very-new book called 'God's Favourite House' by Tommy Tenney. It is well worth reading if you have not already done so and worth revisiting if you have. Among other things he talks about the importance of worship. He reminds us that in heaven there won't be any pastors, apostles, preachers, evangelists, Sunday School superintendants, deacons, elders, Church Board members etc. etc ... He says, 'The only "job description" in heaven is that of worshipper.'

Duncan Campbell who was involved in the New Hebrides revival of a century ago tells how thousands came to Christ without hearing a single sermon, without listening to a preacher and without stepping foot inside a church building. This was because there was a small group of brokenhearted pray-ers and persistent worshippers.

We seem to have a knack of trying to do things the wrong way round. Jesus says in John's gospel, 'If I be lifted up, I will draw all men near.' Often we are so concerned about our plans and projects and how we are going to draw people in to church. God is very gracious and does give a certain amount of 'success' to our well thought-out plans. But sometimes it does seem like an uphill struggle and results don't always seem to last very long before the surge of the moment begins to wane a bit. Jesus told us the secret! Our task is to lift Him up and He will do the drawing in. Also that way God gets all the glory which is the way it should be.

Phyllis

Yesterday I went to the funeral of a very elderly lady called Phyllis with whom I had worked in a charity shop. She was almost 94 when she died and had lived a very full life.

She had lived and worked in four continents, becoming fluent in Bengali. She was also a qualified music teacher and nurse. But she was always humble enough to get her hands dirty and do the most menial task or manual work. She returned to England to care for her father until he died in the 1970s. She decided to 'retire' when she was well in her 80s and so came to live in the southwest of England.

She still busied herself with her local church and became involved with the 'Stroke Club' and the Christian charity shop. In her early 90s, she learnt that she was gradually going blind. Not deterred, she decided to learn Braille!

What an amazing lady and what a privilege to have known her.

Prayer walking

In a weekly prayer letter I receive, we were urged to pray for creative and courageous intercessors. One example is a young man called Stephen Deeming who is currently walking the east coast of Africa praying for healing and forgiveness for Europe's colonial and imperial past. He has been in Egypt only a few days and is walking his way south. He shares each day on his blog. If you would like to 'journey' with him you can do so by clicking on Wandering Clay

Relationships

So many things have been going on in my head lately about 'church' and 'worship' partly because of this insatiable hunger I'm feeling. I just want to shout 'Come on God. I want more!'.

This morning I had a really good conversation with someone in my local church for whom I have great respect. We chatted for some time about our hopes for the Body of Christ in our town. We kept coming back to the conclusion that really it's all about relationships. Christ gave us the supreme example. He chose 12 people who were so different one from the other it is hard to believe that for 3 years they actually lived and travelled together. There was the quite, reflective type and the noisier one, the business man and the revolutionary, the academic and the dreamer, the impetuous one and the doubter. What a bunch!

How often does the Body of Christ today think that we cannot work together because of our differences when Jesus showed us that this surely should be exactly what we are showing to our community - that it doesn't matter what sort of character you have or how you prefer to express yourself, you are accepted! Why can't we just forget about trying to get people to be part of our particular group or to agree with the way we do things and just be a friend? Having a relationship with God is about having relationship with others because that is what He is about - Father, Friend and Counsellor.

So I guess that 'church' and 'worship' is really about relationship with others and with God.

God knows

So much seems to be happening that I haven't had much time for blogging. We had a good family Christmas at my sister's home and New Year at ours. Sadly our elder brother was not able to join us as he has been in hospital since the middle of December. He has had a series of strokes and water infections which has left him unable to walk, talk properly or swallow. We have had to make arrangements to take over all of his financial affairs, home situation etc and at the moment don't really know what the future holds. So I have a little trouble trying to focus on deep spiritual matters. It's almost like 'grab and go' food but I know that Father knows and understands and is in control and keeps us standing.

Last Sunday He blessed me with the time of worship we had at my local church (especially as in previous blogs you may have noticed that sometimes I struggle in this a bit!) and in the evening a small group had decided they would like to meet just to wait on God - no set programme, worship songs or talk/sermon - my kind of worship! There were only 17 of us but God came in power, words and pictures and we were blessed indeed! He knew exactly what I needed and in His outrageous grace, He gave it to me. Thank you God.

Octopus or Strawberry?

Continueing my thoughts about what it means to be 'church', it seems as though most churches are like an octopus. They reach out into the community, get hold of people and bring them back to be swallowed up in the centre. This seems OK except all they are doing in effect is feeding the centre. It seems to me that instead of being an octopus we should be more like a strawberry plant. The strawberry plant reproduces by putting out long trailers and producing another offspring which itself grows roots and begins to grow in another place. Eventually it becomes independant of the parent plant. Then it in turn produces its own offspring and so it continues. This is a truer picture of the New Testament Church - they went out and instead of bringing people back to the main centre, they established themselves wherever they were.

So why, if we consider ourselves to be 'church', do we insist on just feeding the main centre instead of producing offspring where we are? One friend wrote in his blog about outreach, making the point that we can only reach out to somewhere where we do not already inhabit. Surely as Christians we should be inhabiting the community and not just reaching out to it in order to feed our own congregation. It just seems to me at times that we are more concerned about increasing our own numbers and getting people to congregate with us than to help people to connect with God and have a real relationship with Him - even if they do not wish to join our particular group.

When Jesus saw Zacchaeus, He didn't suggest to him that if he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath He would get someone to pray with him. He went to where Zacchaeus was in his own surroundings, where he felt at ease and uninhibited. He met him where he was. I know some churches do this but it seems that the vast majority are only interested in activities or projects that will in some way benefit themselves and increase their numbers or standing in the eyes of others. No wonder so many really committed Christians are opting out of church as we understand it. As one friend explained to me - 'I am not prepared to be just a pew-filler any more.' Octopus or strawberry?

Loyalties

I have been thinking a lot lately about loyalties. Partly because of what God is doing in my life. I occasionally go away in prayer teams and when I get back I feel so desparate and hungry for more of God and get so frustrated when I visit my own local church. I often wonder if I'm on the same planet and feel so unable to share with them sensing that most of those in the church really don't have a clue as to where I am spiritually.

I feel that most look at me as a bit of an oddity - why go to other places to pray when so much is going on in my local church? Why not support them? It makes me sort of feel a bit disloyal until I start to question where exactly do my loyalties
lie?

It's a bit like party politics. I suppose most of us have a tendency to one party or the other at election time but still have some reservations about all of the policies of our preferred party. On the whole we agree with what they say but there are some things that we don't agree with. Our loyalties go beyond party politics to what is right or wrong, what is best for our country and not what is in keeping necessarily with the politics of a particular party.

I guess it's a bit like like with church. On the whole I can go along with what is going on but my loyalties really are not to a particular church (group of people who meet in a particular building)but they are beyond that to what is right for me according to God's will and purpose for my life. My loyalty to Him far exceeds any other sense of loyalty and if that means being misunderstood, then so be it!

I'm Back

I haven't posted anything for ages as I have been disconnected from the internet because of changing from one provider to another. All the customer service advisors in the call centres are very well trained in apologising but unfortunately that doesn't actually solve the problem! We can say 'sorry' but unless we actually do something about the problem, nothing really changes.

Hope to post more frequently now that I've caught up with a backlog of updating and writing.

Loughborough

We had a good day yesterday in Loughborough. We worshipped, prayed, cried and interceded for our nation. We heard of a report that said that Britain has more obesity, more drug addiction and more credit card debt than any other nation in Europe. This surely is a sign of a nation that has become selfish and greedy in every sense.

We were reminded of the passage in Mark 11:15-17 when Jesus cleansed the Temple. It was noted that this was not an action on the spurr of the moment - verse 11 says that He had been to the Temple the day before and noticed what was going on. Then He went back and in a premeditated act,cleansed it. He also stopped people from going through who were carrying stuff. How much do we bring into the Temple? How much irrelevant 'stuff' and excess baggage are we hauling along with us? God wants to cleanse His people so they can be a Temple of prayer for the nations of the world. The trouble is that when God blesses us, we just sit back and enjoy for ourselves and don't realise that what we have is for the benefit of all nations. So we prayed for forgiveness and interceded for our lost nation to return to God and fulfil its God-given destiny of going into the world and showing the love of Jesus.

Last week God spoke very deeply to me about intercession for our nation and I had begun to feel a very deep ache for its lost ways. So yesterday was a continuation of what He had already been doing in my life. Next Saturday (21st) I'll be in Birmingham with another few thousand people, again to intercede for our nation. We need to get our own house (Temple) in order so that we can then go and fulfil God's purposes in the world. May God have mercy on our nation.

Keeping busy

I realise that I haven't written anything for ages. I have been so taken up with other things and haven't had much time.

For 11 days I was house-sitting for friends while they were away. I managed to call in home most days but just to catch up with mail. Then at the same time my brother had a stroke and was in hospital. He was transferred for convalescence to another hospital 20 miles away. So I felt that much of my time was taken up with travelling here, there and everywhere.

I did manage to get to a prayer day on September 30th. It was held at a farm/church. The farm used to have cows but God changed that and now the farmer has no cows but makes a living with other produce. Instead the barns are now converted into a chapel and a storage place for equipment to be taken/sent abroad for those in need. Centuries ago that same farm was a monastery and it seems that this is the time when God is opening up again the old wells in the South West of England. We had a good day together waiting on God and interceding for our nation.

Yesterday I spent in Birmingham (central England) at the World Prayer Centre with others who wish to be part of prayer teams going out to other places/nations to stand with those there in prayer, intercession and encouragement.

Next Saturday I'll be in Loughborough (also in central England) for a day of prayer and fasting for our nation and the following Saturday back in Birmingham for Trumpet Call, a day of national prayer for our nation.

In November I'm returning to France with a prayer team for a week. Oh the joys of retirement! I'm loving it!

I'm one of the lucky ones!

Today I have been to our local hospital to have laser treatment on both my eyes. My appointment was at 12:30 pm and by 1:10 pm I was at the main entrance waiting for my friend to pick me up to take me home. The reason for the treatment was the build of pressure behind the eyes. The laser treatment itself took barely a couple of minutes. How amazing that a beam of light used in a particular way can, in a one-off treatment, resolve the problem of pressure once and for all.

I have no after effects, apart from 'sticky' eyes from the drops put in beforehand so that I didn't feel anything. I feel so privileged to be living in a day of such medical expertise and in a country where it is readily available. In the west we have so much that we take for granted and feel that because we have worked then we have in some way earned it. I am just so grateful. I have so much. May God remind me of just how fortunate I am the next time I moan!

Major Breakthrough

To others it may not seem much but for me it was a major breakthrough. Let me explain. My sister and I take responsibility for our older brother who is becoming less able to care for himself. He always insists that he's OK and manages everything, no problem, when we know that is not true.

On Thursday when I took him shopping I had a chat with him about various issues, trying to persuade him to accept help - without much success. Friday I spent quite some time moaning at God telling him just how frustrated we were becoming not knowing just how to get through to him. Must say that just offloading my frustration helped me a lot.

Yesterday my brother came to our home for dinner. In the afternoon my son had asked me to trim his hair (I'm not a hairdresser but cut it very short all over with hair trimmers!) So I asked my brother if he wanted his hair trimmed while I had the trimmers in my hands. He agreed. Then I suggested giving him the full 'beauty treatment' and cutting his finger and toe nails. To my amazement he didn't exactly say yes but as he didn't say no I went ahead and did it. It was so obvious that he cannot bend in order to see to his feet so I suggested putting in place a regular visit from a chiropodist and he thought it a good idea! I thought that while I was on a roll I would suggest a visit from an occupational therapist to see what other aids he needed and could get to help him continue living an independent life in his own flat. Again to my great amazement he agreed.

As I say, this might not seem a big thing to many who read this but for me it was a major breakthrough. God reached his heart and mind and changed his way of thinking in a way that we were unable to do. I just wanted to share this with whoever might read it to say that with God nothing is impossible and He really does listen to our moans as well as our praise.

Free or Fair?

Jim Wallis in his book 'God's Politics' refers to world poverty and quotes the Top-Ten Facts as highlighted by Christian Aid. They are:

1. International trade is worth $10 million a minute.

2. Poor countries account for only 0.4% of world trade. Since 1980 their share has halved.

3. The UN estimates that unfair trade rules deny poor countries $700 billion every year. Less than 0.01% of this could save the sight of 30 million people.

4. Income per person in the poorest countries in Africa has fallen by a quarter in the last 20 years.

5. The 3 richest people in the world control more wealth than all 600 million in the world's poorest countries.

6. Nearly half the world's population (2.8 billion people) lives on less than US$2 per day (and 1.2 billion on less than US$1 per day).

7. The prices of many poor countries' key exports are at a 150-year low.

8. Global trade is regulated through policies and priorities set by international institutions, including rules made at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and conditions attached to loans provided by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These bodies are controlled by governments.

9. At the last full meeting of the WTO, the European Union had 500 negotiators and Haiti had none.

10. After the last round of trade negotiations rich countries estimated that they would gain by $141.8 billion per year and Africa would be $2.6 billion per year worse off.

Jim Wallis goes on to say that this is beyond politics. World poverty is a moral and spiritual issue. On several occasions the prophets of the Old Testament talk against the rich exploiting the poor - Isaiah 5:8, Micah 7:3, Jeremiah 5:28 to quote just a few. When Jesus talked about the reason for His coming to earth, His first words were 'the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor'. If we follow Him then we cannot detach ourselves from this problem claiming that we should not mix religion and politics. If we can successfully separate the two then maybe our 'religion' is not of Jesus.