Update

I have just had a couple of weeks travel/holiday. I spent 3 days (5th - 7th June)in the north east visiting family and friends. Friday the 9th I spent with more family who visited Yeovil. Then on Tuesday 13th, Diego and I set off for a very enjoyable week's holiday in Malta. On returning we then went to spend a few days with my other son Martin in Cheshire.

I left the house keys with a friend who had arranged to re-do my kitchen. So the nice thing is that after two weeks I have come back home to a nice new kitchen without having to live through all the mess!

Polzeath

Saturday I spent in Polzeath, a coastal village in Cornwall where in the summer loads of young people gather to go surfing. The very small, elderly congregation of the Methodist church, situated right opposite the beach have a great desire to reach out to these young people and feel that God is telling them to open their church as a drop-in centre, a safe place to go. So a group of about 15 people travelled in to Polzeath from various places to stand with the local people in prayer for this vision.

During the day in the summer season, everyobody's enjoying the beach and water sports but when night falls the beach becomes a place for taking drugs. The police then move in and move them on which doesn't really solve the problem - it just moves it to somewhere else. This small group of Christians have such a heart for the lost. And so we prayed together that God would provide the people and funding to help. The sad thing is that other Christians in the village (of other denominations) are opposing the plans and are urging them to sell the property so it can be developed.

Two scriptures came to my mind. 'Where there is no vision, the people perish.' The other I was reminded of is about Sarah who in her old age gave birth to the plans of God to bring in a new generation. AMEN. SO BE IT.

Mississippi Squirrel Revival

I've just read a very funny post on Marc van de Woude's blogspot. Check it out. Click on my link to Marc's Messages and look at the post for May 21 entitled Mississippi Squirrel Revival and then click on 'this report'. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. By the way put your sound up so you can hear it as well as read it.

Got the point?

Today is my elder son's birthday. My sister-in-law who lives in Argentina tried to send him a greeting my email but it kept being returned to her. So finally she emailed me to ask if she had the correct address. I realised that she had left out the dot between his first name and surname. She tried again with the dot and this time it was sent without any problem. Just goes to show what a difference a little dot makes. You musn't underestimate the value and power of little things.
Point taken!

Trumpet Call

Went to Trumpet Call yesterday in Birmingham. It was good to meet up with friends from all over the country and to hear testimonies of what has been happening particularly in Manchester with city links and the Message Trust. It is always difficult to encapsulate in a few words what was said and done but here are a couple of quotes.

Referring to Gideon and how God chose him to fight the Mideonites who every year stole the harvest of the Israelites, 'I want my expectations to be shaped not on the past but on the future.' (Paul Miller)

Speaking about the verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14 - if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves ... ... 'The problem is not the quality and quantity of darkness but the quality and quantity of light.' (Lloyd Cooke)

Stand up and speak out!

This morning I spent in the Local Council Chambers listening to an application that had been presented for a sex shop to be opened in our town. In previous weeks, many Christians had written letters to councillors and signed petitions against such a shop. People have prayer-walked the street and stood outside the proposed premises praying that God would intervene. This morning was the public discussion for this application.

A good number of people opposed to the proposal gathered in the chambers and several of them had made arrangements to speak to the councillors on our behalf. Then it was the turn of the proposed 'business' to put their arguments in favour. In the discussion it was mentioned on a few occasions that it was NOT legal to reject the application on moral or religious grounds and so those of us who objected were a bit discouraged. Many of us sat in silence listening and praying.

The councillors then went to discuss the matter with their legal advisors. After about two hours they returned with the verdict. They had decided against the proposal. So now I'm in celebratery mood. It just shows that when we stand up and speak out we CAN make a difference. Of course it's not over yet. The sex shop proposers will possibly appeal against the result so we need to go on praying and seeking to lift Jesus high in our town.

Mega Shift

I'm reading a book called Mega Shift by James Rutz. It is also subtitled 'The best news since year one...' There are some amazing stories about healings, miracles and resurrections. It also talks of how these things happen in an Open church rather than the traditional gatherings. The difference is that one is organised by humans and the other by God. So why do we go on propping up the one that is going nowhere? Frank Battleman, explaining about the decline and fall of the Azusa Mission (which was the start of the modern Pentecostal movement) says 'Every meeting was now programmed from start to finish. Disaster was bound to follow, and it did so.'

Paul says to the Corinthians: 'Then what is the right course, brothers? Whenever you meet, every one of you has something to contribute: a song, a piece of teaching, some special information God has given him, a message in an unknown language, or an explanation of what it means.' (ch14:26)
'If someone sitting in the meeting receives a message or idea from the Lord, the one who is speaking should stop. For this way, you can all have an opportunity to give a message, one after the other, so that everyone will learn something and everyone will be stimulated and encouraged.' (14:30,31)

People are leaving the traditional church not because they have lost their faith but because they want to preserve it!

A subtle difference

I've just spent a couple of days in Totnes with friends on a prayer ministry time. Overnight I stayed with a lovely friend who commented how words change their meanings. She mentioned the word 'prodigal' - how we come to think of it as meaning someone who has strayed from the Father or someone who has wasted his/her inheritance. In fact originally, she said, it held the meaning of being generous. I was a little surprised so looked it up in my dictionary when I got home. Sure enough, one of the meanings said 'lavish'. When you think about it, there seems to be a short way to go from being lavishly generous to being recklessly wasteful. It just reaffirms how Satan will take the good things and twist and abuse them until we cross over the invisible line and the good somehow becomes wrong. He is so clever at this subtle difference that we so often don't even notice it.

When this line is overstepped generosity becomes wastefulness; healthy goals become obsessions; leadership becomes abuse of power; freedom becomes licence etc. Let me know of any more you can think of.

A few more photos

I am preparing to go to Totnes for a couple of days with another prayer team tomorrow. But just wanted to post a few more photos from New Caledonia before I go. (I think I'm finally getting the hang of it!)

New Caledonia

Arrived back from New Caledonia on Saturday after a 40 hour journey with very little sleep. We had a good time and God blessed us. We found the people to be warm and generous in spirit and they really welcomed us into their hearts. We all came away feeling we have a load more friends. Thought I would share a few photos with you. Please note the dates in the bottom right hand corners are incorrect. We were there from 3rd - 14th April not in January. I'm afraid I forgot to correct the date since the last time I used the camera. Ooops!

Sorry I'm having a little trouble uploading the photos. I'll have another go tomorrow.

Busy and preparing

It's been a while since I wrote anything. This is because my brother has been moving house and he depends on my sister and me to do most things for him. So I have been kept quite busy for the last couple of weeks. He is now settled in his new home in a sheltered housing complex.

So now I'm looking forward and preparing for my travels. Next Saturday (1st April) I'm off with another three friends on a prayer ministry trip to New Caledonia. If you're not sure where that is look at an atlas, locate Australia and it's an island a little north and east. It's about as far as you can go (from England, that is) before you start coming back! We will be away for 2 weeks arriving back on Easter Saturday. We have been meeting regularly for months now to worship and pray about our visit but don't have any clear plan or strategy. We sense that God is not telling us much for our own spiritual protection. What the enemy doesn't know he can't do much to hinder. So we are going prepared to be surprised by God and open to whatever He says. Exciting stuff!

Another glimpse into Swanwick

Looking through my notes from the conference in Swanwick I was reminded of a saying of the Dakota Indians: 'When you discover you are riding a dead horse, it is advisable to get off the horse.' Yet we western Christians tend instead to - use a stronger whip, change riders, form a committee to study the dead horse, go on an overseas trip to see how others ride dead horses etc. etc. The speaker gave a longer list but I was a bit slow at writing and so stopped so I didn't miss any, and now can't remember them all! But we get the picture - why do we insist on 'flogging a dead horse'?

We ride a dead horse because we do things earth to heaven instead of heaven to earth. Much of the conference was about Abraham and his two sons. God had given him a promise to become the father of a great nation but when nothing happened he felt, in all sincerity, that maybe he should do something about it (earth to heaven). The result was Ishmael, born of a slave woman. Many years later Isaac was born of Sarah, Abraham's wife. He was the son born of the promise of God (heaven to earth).

We want results at any price! And preferably not to have to wait for them. In the end Abraham had to get rid of Ishmael and his mother. We need to choose - earth to heaven or heaven to earth; our way or God's way!

Prayer Alert

I have just added a link to Prayer Alert. This is a well researched and informed weekly newsletter with subjects for prayer particularly for Britain and Northern Ireland but also with items about Europe and the wider world. Why not check it out? You can also subscribe to receive these weekly updates directly by email.

Still waiting?

Heard someone say the other day, 'We are the people we have been waiting for!'. Made me think.

Swanwick

Just come back last evening from a 3 day prayer conference at Swanwick. It was good to meet again with friends and share together. In the first session Ian Cole (who heads up the World Prayer Centre in Birmingham) said: 'We have a sort-of programme but we'll just see what God wants!' And that's exactly how it went. We worshipped and prayed as God led us and the teaching was awesome! No milk, pure meat! I think it will take me some time to process all the things I heard. Might share some of it as I unwrap it in the days ahead. My mind keeps thinking and going over what we experienced. But need to catch up now on the practical 'home' stuff like washing, ironing, shopping etc etc.

God's organizer

I had commented that it was unusual that I had nothing in my diary for the month of March and yesterday it became clear just why that was. My older brother has come to a point that he needs a little more care so he is about to move into sheltered accommodation. I was a bit concerned about when this would happen because next week I will be away for a few days and then in April I'm off to New Caledonia for two weeks with a prayer team. You guessed it! Yesterday I received a letter saying that he was being offered a flat in the exact scheme that he had hoped for. The flat isn't actually being officially vacated until Sunday and the elderly lady who lived there was well into her nineties and nothing had been done to the flat in the way of decorating for a number of years. So contrary to the usual policy, the scheme manager has requested that the flat be decorated throughout. This will save my sister and I a lot of extra work. This of course means that I will be able to go away next week and enjoy the 3 day prayer conference without wondering about the situation. It also means that we will be able to have him settled in his new flat before I go off to New Caledonia. The time slot is just perfect. I couldn't have planned it better myself. It really does pay to let God sort out the dates and appointments in my organizer. He does it so much better than I could.

Doing what He wants

I am reading a very good book by David Orton called 'Snakes in the Temple'. In it he explores how Satan has got into the church through hidden idolatry. He talks about the fact that we are all familiar with the idea of doing bad things outside the will of God but that the idea of actually doing good things can also be outside the will of God. He quotes Matthew 7:22-23 'Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; Depart from Me.' Here Jesus is actually saying that even if we are operating in the supernatural we can still be outside of God's will for us. How many of us can even say that we prophesy, cast out demons and perform ANY miracles let alone MANY and yet Jesus says to these people that He doesn't know them. We can do all manner of wonderful things but if God hasn't asked us to do them then we are outside of His will. 'To obey is better than sacrifice' (1 Samuel 15:22) Again Jesus says in the previous verse in the book of Matthew 'Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord", will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father...' It made me think really hard about what I am doing and why. I want to make sure that whatever I do is because the Father has asked me to.

The Arts

I met up with a friend this morning to have a coffee. He was telling me about his wife who is working towards a degree in the arts and how God is using this to help her communicate with others about the things that are important to her. She has studied the various aspects of art - painting, collage, sculpture etc and at the moment is into photography. She has found that the various projects that she has had to do have helped her to communicate to others, in class and in exhibitions, about her life, God, her spiritual journey, poverty, injustice and the desperate plight of humanity in its search for meaning and purpose to life.

I began to think of a number of my friends who are involved in various aspects of the arts - painting, drama, writing, film-making etc. and realised again with a certain reassurance that we are all equal in God's sight and that He uses all sorts of ways to communicate to people. Sometimes the visual aspect of art in its various forms reaches people that no preaching, books or verbal interaction can reach. It reminded me of the news report, given by Michael Buerk over twenty years ago, of the plight in Ethiopa that was a catalyst in Bob Geldorf's involvement in Live Aid and the subsequent efforts of many people for the plight of those living in poverty. One image, captured on film can speak volumes.

Isn't God so amazing! Whatever we're into, He wants to use it to bring His message of hope and freedom to a lost world. I'm so pleased that the Body of Christ is beginning to accept the need for the arts in worship and that it's not just about singing and listening to sermons! We need to pray and support more those whom God is calling in this way to reach those who would never go inside a church or listen to what we have to say. God loves the lost and wants to reach them with His love. I pray that God will raise up a new generation of those to whom He has given these giftings, that their lives and unique expression through the artistic media will speak for Him and point many to the Way.

City-Changing Prayer

I have just finished a book called 'City-changing Prayer' by Frank and Debra Green. It's about a prayer network in Manchester that has had a great impact on the community. This morning in church I was asked to give an 'interview' about prayer and what it means to me. I took the opportunity to mention this book (well worth reading) and also promote the Trumpet Call IV to be held in the Birmingham NEC Arena on May 13th where the ideas from this book will be launched nationally. I do urge all who are able to attend to do so. It is a truly inspiring story. Read more about it on www.worldprayer.org.uk and www.citylinks.org.uk

A game of football

Today has been lovely and sunny considering it is January and supposed to be the middle of winter! This morning I was walking through the recreation ground near our home when I saw a group of 7-8 year olds playing football. There were a number of parents watching. I don't know what was more entertaining - watching the children playing football or watching the parents cum frustrated footballers offering their own particular offspring the wealth of their experience. Even a younger sister got really excited when her brother had the ball and was approaching the goal area only to give sighs of disappointment when it didn't result in a goal. It seemed like there were about 2 dozen coaches/trainers/referees on the sidelines, each with their own 'pearl of wisdom' and a desperation to share it.

I walked on feeling cheered to see a number of parents on a Saturday morning sharing a time of healthy pursuit with their children. It makes a change from the usual headlines about the younger generation.