Storms and Beacons

           The storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid,

but God is round about me, and can I be dismayed?

                Our country has faced some of the fiercest storms on record; even as I write I am watching the fir tree outside my window at Zion swaying violently; let us hope its roots are strong!  We have already lost eight roof tiles, but for many their lives have been simply decimated. Weeks of flooding, the devastation of watching nightmares realised. How can we respond to this crisis, what can we learn from these floods? These are not easy questions, we have seen much finger pointing, and certainly if you build on a flood plain and save money by not dredging rivers there will be consequences. One question remains and that is, are these storms freaks of nature… or a sign that nature has lost her balance due to human activity: ie global warming? You will be relieved that I am not about to pronounce these floods as some kind of godly vendetta against our nation, even though I acknowledge that they may be in part at least the consequence of human greed and poor stewardship.  What these floods and storms do remind us is how fragile we are, and yet how resilient the human spirit. In the midst of adversity some of the most godly and frankly fully human acts of kindness are being performed. This is worth celebrating, even as we weep with those who weep. For many of us our lives are only moderately affected, but we can and must expend the energy of love and prayer for those who face years to untie the consequences.

                Should disciples of Jesus react any differently to others through this situation? I am reminded of the story of Jesus in a storm; he simply slept while everyone around him panicked. There is something intrinsically attractive about those who can stay calm in a crisis. Very often they are the ones who can think and act most creatively.  Peace comes from knowing that ultimately all storms will pass, floodwaters will recede. As the hymn writer put it: ‘God is round about me,

and can I be dismayed?’ Jesus’ intimate knowledge and relationship with the Father meant that he seemed to be aware that nothing would befall him that wasn’t somehow timely. This did not of course spare him, ultimately from death. But it did mean in the face of the storm he was unafraid and able to command a stillness and calm.  In a few weeks time we will be celebrating as a church the building of a ‘beacon’ a lighthouse. I can only imagine the bravery of those who go to sea, in weather such as we have seen recently. Navigation and a battle with the wind and waves require real skill, but at last resort the beacon is both warning and guidance to where safe haven lies.  I am not sure as Christians we are called to be different, but we are certainly called to shine, to flood the darkness with light and offer a hope that whatever the storm, there is a love and a power who is more powerful. It would be sad to celebrate the opening of our beacon building, whilst those of us who are called to shine make little effort to rekindle our light or our faith by becoming better acquainted with the love of the Father. To this end I urge you all to look seriously into your own heart, are a desire to love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and a commitment to love your neighbour as yourself the chief aims of your life, do they give you purpose and energy? Probably the answer to that question is both yes and no, we want to love but find it hard. If that is the case I urge you to consider further our discussions about Inspire, and ask yourself the question who do I know who may be able to help me to burn a little brighter, and love a little better. This is the aim of the Inspire movement, to help us all to become the beacons we are called to be. Not asleep in the boat, oblivious, while all the waves crash upon others, but awake and alert with the confidence that comes from faith, ready to speak peace and love into every situation that confronts us.

Wake up o sleeper, rise from the dead , and Christ will shine (from) on you.

Stephen

Inspiring Imagination

Imagination

                Imagine… simply imagine, anything you want, how would your life be different? 

                This is a very important time in the life of mychurch, not because we are about to celebrate a half million pound building project (note the “Open Doors” weekend 22-23^rd March), but because we are about to set out on what I believe is the most important experiment that I have ever been part of. This blog is about a way of life called Inspire, a movement committed to develop our love, of God and neighbour. It is I think the most important movement that I have been part of in 23 years of ministry: an experiment to see if we can make discipleship work.

                Are you happy with your life? Is it doing what you wanted to do? I don’t mean simply are we comfortable, do we have enough wealth or friends, but are we living like we dream we could live: helping others; being fulfilled; truly developing as people? When we look at life there are many things that give us joy, there are also areas where we ponder, if only. However, even if we got a chance to live life again, could we act differently? I have chosen (or been called?) to live as a leader in the church, but am I a fraud? The hardest aspect of life, the development of character and a lifestyle that truly pleases God and brings light to others, eludes me. Neither could I say with certainty how I should help others in that development. I have been privileged to help some become Christians, to discover the joy of a life committed to God, and of course they have developed, but I am convinced there is something more. This is where the inspire movement has stepped in. It seems other leaders, particularly Phil Meadows who lectures at Cliff College, had a similar frustration.

The great commission from Jesus Christ was not to build churches, but to make disciples, transformed people. I think at times Christianity settled for believers rather than tackling the question of how to make our beliefs make sense. You are aware that most people treat Christianity as irrelevant, not primarily through lack of belief but because they do not feel a need. I do not think today’s answer is to “set the fear of God among them:” ie to threaten them with hell. Rather we need to place a beacon of heaven among them, the radiance of lives that do make sense, that offer peace. It is these lives that I long to see developing among us, but how?  I realise that there are “traditional” answers: bible study, a quiet time, practicing at serving etc etc and these have a place. I have tried them, but I spent 20 years looking for more, for both a way of life that was fulfilling and a means of keeping to it and growing. I honestly think that I have discovered this in the Inspire Movement. Inspire is, a simple way of life; guidelines to check which path we are travelling on, and also a small group who have committed to walk a similar path and who are committed to seeing me become more of what God imagines and knows I can become.  It is not a magic bullet, I still need to reflect on my own life and respond to insights either from God or from the group, but there is an intention to conform our lives to a different, ultimately more fulfilling pattern.

Over the next months and years at Zion we are offering everyone a chance to investigate whether Inspire could help them. This is not about “doing” more things; it is a means of becoming more fully you.  I urge others to approach this opportunity with an open mind, God knows and imagines all that you could become, he knows the people who can mentor and inspire you, and also who you can release to love their neighbour better. Building a Beacon was easy (relatively!!!) becoming beacons this must become our focus now we need one another and of course Gods help. I am willing to work with you, and this time I plan no “run away” sabbatical, we are in this together to become a people of imagination and love.

Stephen

For information                www.inspiremovement.org

Dates:

1^st March we are supporting an away day in Portishead entitled: “Inside-Out Discipleship” a chance to experience some of the principles and practices of Inspire.

1^st April (we must be fools!) 7.30pm Upper Cottage or Beacon: An evening to explore how we may choose to go forward with Inspire.

Zion also has appointed two “Inspire Champions” Mel Reed for the ladies and P-j Charters for the men. Please ask them any questions. (Also the elders and Peter and Stephen would be happy to answer any of your questions.)

Make Christmas special ..SPEND LESS

An extract from my Christmas Thought for the day!

                                Well I reckon the world about now basically falls into two camps. On the one hand there are the people, like my wife, who just cannot stop singing little Christmas ditties. They bounce through December with an ever increasing sense of joy and excitement, I love em. On the other hand there are those for whom the turnaround at the end of Dickens’ famous tale is a travesty… Scrooge was right all along… Bah Humbug!  Now by and large I’d like to think I don’t fall into that second category, but when they’re casting for Dickens’ tale I do get twitchy … oh no they’re offering me the lead role again.

                                It’s not that I don’t like Christmas, I do, I love all the lights coming on even the gaudy ones, I love the singing, I must admit I tire of mince pies after about 10, but what really sets the scrooge amongst my pigeons is the shopping and the advertisements.  I want to shout from the rooftops… STOP shopping CHRISTMAS IS FREE. For the truth is the things that really make Christmas are free. The chance to see family, time to go for a walk, a children’s nativity play, community carol singing and dare I say it all the church celebrations these are all free: I don’t even mind if you come along and put no money  in the collection! We are getting to the point as a society where people can’t afford Christmas, it’s ridiculous. Well think again remember the first Christmas every expense spared a night in a stable, a bed of straw, and yet I truly believe Joy to the world. So there’s my thought for Christmas, make it special again and spend a bit less and enjoy a bit more. 

Enough is Enough

Text below from my Radio Bristol thought for today:              

  I’ve simply had enough of Christmas adverts? There are certain times of year when I really notice a massive disconnect between the ways of society, of which we are all a part and the message that I proclaim as part of my calling as a Christian.  Funnily enough Christmas is one of those times.  I announce week after week the message the angels brought to the agrarian night-watchmen: “you will find this babe wrapped in cloth and lying in a feeding tough.” Yet our Christmas has become a feeding frenzy of opulence and overindulgence, which many of us simply can’t afford.  Now please don’t get me wrong, I am no scrooge puritan humbug, any excuse for a party me, I love good food and I certainly enjoy a drink or two.  However, as the old drink driving campaign said: know your limits! Enough is enough.

                

Nelson Mandela also in a very different way realised enough was enough. He knew a system where people were judged by their colour and not by their personality was a perversion of reality. When he, along with many others, made his stand he liberated many white people along with bringing dignity and grace to those who in South Africa had become the underside of society.  Every person whether black ,white or coloured is of equal value and should be afforded equal dignity and rights.  I’m personally glad that he and others had had enough, that he was courageous enough to make his stand.

                So that is my thought for today, if you’ve had enough of something, especially if it’s something that robs others or yourself of dignity, make sure you too make your stand. Mandela proved that if together we stand for what’s right, the whole world really can change. 

Sea Horses are Predators and long noses can be beautiful

A blog from my recent Radio Bristol Thought for the day

                I am of the opinion that everyone has a particular gift, something that makes them special. I discovered recently that in the underwater world of sea horses this is also the case.  I think we’d all agree that sea horses are fairly odd looking creatures.. and despite living in the sea, they look like pretty poor swimmers. However scientists have recently discovered that despite looking slow and awkward they are actually ferocious and ingenious predators.  Well ferocious if you are an extremely small crustacean! The weird thing is these crustaceans, or dinner, as the Sea Horses like to call them, are incredibly fast swimmers. If humans could move like they do, we could swim at 2,000mph, and yet these fast food escape artists are no match for the Sea Horse. Apparently it is all down to those strange noses, they are simply perfectly designed. They allow the Sea Horse to creep up on the crustaceans causing no ripples or warning signals, before they pounce.

                Watching Rebecca Adlington discuss with Miss Universe Amy Willerton  aspects of female beauty I am led to a similar conclusion; everyone has beauty in their own particular way. Coming from a family with long noses, who says that long noses aren’t beautiful and actually who really cares, when attitudes and actions and kind words are so much more beautiful than simply an hourglass figure or perfect skin. So my thought for today is, look more carefully at the people around you and watch out for they are all surely amazing and potentially beautiful people. Who knows once we start appreciating all the beauty around us we may even get a little better at realising the beauty we have within us. God bless

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25103455    

Caged Contentment

A blog from my latest Radio Bristol thought for the day

              

   Let’s start with chickens; a recent report from Bristol University suggests that with “new enriched cages”, caged hens may actually now be better off than some free range hens. They have, and I quote, “space, they've

Contentment when the family are around

got a little perch and they've got things they can scratch on!”  I’m no expert on hens, but that sounds fairly limited. Truth is though that some, in the carnage of the Philippines or witnessing the on-going grind in Syria, would probably be happy with those provisions.  In Bristol do we have enough? Well you have access to a radio and probably electricity, you may struggle with some bills, or even attend a food bank to keep yourselves fed, but these are there. I wonder how many are living on a wage below the, “living” wage of £7.65 an hour. And with rising energy bills, is that really just an enriched cage, just enough to scratch by.

                 For me, this isn’t a one way street; I am not convinced that everyone gets happier or fulfilled the richer they become. Too much, seems often to be nearly as destructive as not enough. There is a lovely phrase in the bible saying godliness with contentment is great gain. I am convinced there are plenty of people in Bristol who have all they need, or even want, but still they are not content. On the other hand, some have no job, no prospects, not enough to feed their family nor enough heat to feel warm, but from my experience they can sometimes be wonderful contented generous people. So I guess my thought is, scratch it out with what you have, and always keep an eye out for other chickens less fortunate than you are!

Cold Tea

              I am becoming quite an expert in drinking cold tea. I am not referring to iced tea, a refreshing drink that I discovered first in America… no I mean good old fashioned tea… that has just got cold. I’m drinking some now, as it happens. One of the problems is that I don’t really mind cold tea, but it is not a good thing to be drinking too much of it!

                I am drinking cold tea, because I am distracted. I set out well, I plan things carefully, the cup and the kettle are all brought together in a perfectly brewed symphony of organisation but then it all goes wrong.. I am distracted here or there and an hour or so later I wander past and spot a cool cup of tea. At which point I decide if I try and make another one, I am just as likely to drink that cold so I gulp it down.  This habit of distractedness is not a good thing, it is symptomatic of a life that is unfocused and so I must make amends. But changing habits is not very easy at all. Children go through enormous stress simply at the thought of not sucking their thumb. Or adults can get confused if a particular rhythm is disrupted. I remember my mother had actual palpitations at the thought of missing her favourite TV program. (She was once reluctant to speak to me on the phone, simply because I interrupted her from watching Countdown. I wouldn’t have minded but I was ringing her to tell her I was engaged to be married… and she was watching Countdown.. on VIDEO!)

                I believe that the Christian life ought to become a habit for us, a way of life, a rhythm that gives meaning and order to our lives. Of course the easiest way for it to become like this, would be if we abandoned the calls of the world and all went off to live in monasteries where a bell would establish the rhythm of eating, sleeping, work and prayer. For most of us this will not be possible, but it is interesting to experience this rhythm if taking a retreat or a short break as I did last year on my sabbatical… no cold tea that week!  In normal life we will still face the distractions and opportunities that for me at least, leave that tea cold! How can I change and develop habits that leave me able to savour my tea, and truly experience all the other opportunities I often miss. I think the answer begins in confession, an acknowledgement that things are not right, cold tea is not good tea! Confession is not simply about accepting that something isn’t right, it is also to be accountable that you want to change. Hence I am confessing to you my desire to re-order my life around hot tea! (Actually I’d really like to see my life re-ordered around the values of God’s Kingdom… but warm tea seems like a manageable first step!) Finding someone or a group who can help us to make the transitions we need is vital if we are not to keep on making the same mistakes. People who have an inkling of what a balanced way of life might look like are very valuable. If we can find such people then we need to be prepared to make ourselves accountable to them.  Hence I make myself accountable to you, I must drink no more cold tea, but rather slow down and savour and enjoy all the opportunities that God places before us.

Stephen