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Thursday, 28 January 2010 00:00 |
Hi Friends
So much has happened since last time, you would be here all day reading if I told you everything.
The snow has left us all with memories we won't soon forget of this winter. But other things have left us with unanswered questions and a challenge to our faith. We lost a very dear friend in the church to cancer, after many months of battle and prayers. It's left deep impressions and many questions but also an enourmous ammount of grace to keep going on, to be united in our grief and our faith like never before.
I don't have any amazing things to say about it (who has) but I read in the Bible today that, "Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" because Love never fails. (1Cor13)
There are things we just won't know on our time here on earth, and maybe we shouldn't even be looking so hard for reasons, but we need healing, we need restoration and we need a way forward.
And I feel for me that the answer is given in the same chapter, "Love never fails." It's right there -
Only a life of Loving God will be the answer, only a life of Loving each other will give healing, and only Loving God more will heal our wounds.
Just like a parent who has to take a child to the doctors for that tear inducing injection, has to hold on to the crying child and hurts more than the child itself in the process. In that moment, only the deep love the parent carries for the child counts. Reason, explanation or rational thinking don't work in that moment (as you may have experienced.)
Only love carries through, holds on and gives it meaning. And don't imagine for a moment that our heavenly Father doesn't feel our pain, like a parent for it's hurting child...
So at the moment, we are out of answers, knowledge or reason. All we have is a Love, God's love and ours. If we stray out of that love, we have only anger, bitterness and loneliness left.
But if we trust His unfailing Love, really trust Him, then we will find slowly maybe, a healing, hope to carry on believing for healing and, well - God himself.
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Monday, 14 December 2009 00:00 |
Hi Friends
I like reading about wars. I have been reading about most of the world wars since I was quite young. My wife reads lovely books next to me and can't quite see the beauty in my books, I can see her point...
There are some lessons learned from these books though, one is this:
In the first world war ,1914-1918, a horrific and gruesome war, the tactics used by all powers
before a major offensive was to "soften" the opponents lines of defence by pounding their lines for several days and nights with heavy artillery.
This barrage, if aimed right would not only destroy defences but most importantly wear the defenders down both morally and mentally. After several sleepless nights and being in shell shock
the soldiers would not be fit for fighting.
There were several other tactics used; propaganda and leaflets to encourage soldiers to give up or desert a pointless war, the cutting off and disrupting the supply lines to starve and demoralise troops and so on.
The basic point is this, a weak,demoralised and hungry soldier will not be much of a fighter or put up a lot of resistance.
It's pretty obvious and has been the same in most wars in the world.
Take it to a spiritual level and it's the same. The propaganda war is constant, I hear it all the time; take it easy, you are the boss of your life, spend your life on yourself, as long as no one gets hurt it's OK, you need this and that to look good, what will people think if I don't keep up and so on. Our supply lines are under threat, we think we live on only food and material things, God says we live off His word too! The demand of the world is more and more and more, busy busy busy, pressure pressure pressure. And we slowly get sucked in, and God gets squeezed out.
And the funny thing is that it's so gradual and creeps up on us that we just think that's the way it IS. That's how it has to be if you are going to survive in the world. - Well is it?
It says in the bible, in Isaiah 7:9,
"If you don not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all"
The most important thing in the world is this; To love God with all our heart soul and strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Jesus said "The love of most will grow cold" before He returns. I can see that if we carry on like this we will all grow cold.
These are critical times, times of war and famine both in the spiritual but there will also be famine in the world. I believe we will have major upheavals and financial trouble soon.
The only way we will stand is if we stand in our faith. - And we have to start in our homes NOW!
The other way to stand is to constantly choose the way of Love. To choose Places of Love, people of love and words of Love. We have truths that can fight the propaganda, we have supplies for every soldier if we share, we have hope and courage if we don't give up meeting, we can strengthen each other and get up and take up this fight.
We have to move from being the Concerned to being the Committed!
There is no demilitarized zone, there is a good fight and it has to be taken up. For us and our children.
I speak peace over you, I speak courage over you, I speak STRENGTH over you, and I speak eyes to see what is really happening and ears to hear what God is saying.
Blessings and have a fantastic Christmas getting strengthened and built up in your most holy faith. (Jude v20)
Andy
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Thursday, 19 November 2009 00:00 |
Hi Friends,
We are playing carols tonight, can you believe it!!
It feels like it was summer last month. I suppose that's what everyone means when they tell us to enjoy this
time with our new baby; they all say, 'enjoy this time - it will pass quickly.'
So, if you want to know what we have been up to I can safely say that there have been many wonderful things
in a very short time. Our little boy is growing fast, it's amazing to see him develop daily. It has also been a very
exciting and pretty full few months with all the great people in church. I have personally been very challenged about the real and lasting fruit that my life will bear. Am I really sharing my life or am I just giving the little bits I choose to give, when I choose to give them? In other words, am I going to be a minister of the Good news of Jesus that intentionally disciples some chosen people (like Jesus), or am I just going to preach and teach (not bad in itself of course) and keep adjusting the things we do as a church hoping it will all become magically better one day?
The option of just preaching and adjusting gives me a sense of usefulness and people can 'enjoy' the services and
'listen' to the message. That's all very well, but I think it will totally miss the mark. It will make us feel good for a while but I don't think it will produce real devil-busting, world-loving followers of Jesus!
I think only a life shared intentionally and fully, without compartments, will start to MAKE people into something.
My favourite statement by Jesus is, "Make disciples" - IT'S ABOUT MAKING SOMEONE INTO SOMETHING!!
And that kind of a life will require a power, and only the kingdom of Heaven kind of power will work because it takes its energy from the Love of Jesus himself. He lays down his life for us and we find the power and courage to follow Him and lay down our lives for others. He intentionally goes about hearing His Father and then operates
in the world totally freely and boldly, always at peace within. And so we receive that peace from Him and we operate from a sense of Identity and 'abiding' in Him. - It doesn't look like a lot at first but it gradually becomes
a bigger and bigger rock, a bigger and stronger foundation that can never be shaken. And that quiet, solid unmovable strength is the platform for incredible power. Power for healing, power for speaking, power for truth, power for society change and power for reversing the hopelessness- A NEW KINGDOM POWER!
The bible says that, "the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power" and I believe that as we lay down our lives for each other intentionally, and follow Jesus in how he did that, we will see that Kingdom more and more. It will be the only thing that will produce lasting fruit and will become literally "a mountain that fills the earth."
Blessings and speak again soon,
Andy
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Monday, 21 September 2009 00:00 |
Hi there friends
Im in the office drinking bovril (of all things) and enjoying a great day.
I've been thinking about this last weekend quite a bit since me and Louise went to visit someone dear to us in hospital with cancer. There was this moment in the weekend when you come to the end of all
your resources and there is only one thing left, - a power encounter between the Kingdom of heaven and the cancer.
Let me explain a bit, you see for years this thing has been creeping up on us, this thing of when we pray, is it always up to God or do we have some authority to exercise. Is it up to God's good will if people are healed or do we, like Jesus, know we have authority, exercise it over sickness or whatever and see obvious results, like healing or deliverance.
In the life of Jesus and then consequently the life of the disciples there seemed to be a clash of authority as if the person praying was personally , directly and confidently confronting the sickness
or demon.
In most of the praying that we do these days we are asking God to do something.
Then when we don't see healing we simply decide that it wasn't God's will on this occasion to heal that person. So we put the responsibility back on God for healing!
I am beginning to see that neither Jesus or the disciples walked in that way. The work of the cross is finished, the goodwill of heaven is guaranteed, the word of God is sure, God is no liar nor changes his mind like we do, and Jesus was raised from the dead once for all.
All this tells us that God's will is never in question, neither is His goodness, integrity or amazing love.
What IS in question is whether we have really learned to walk in this kingdom.
The issue is not if God can do it, which we all know he can, the issue is whether we actually believe that he has enabled US to lay hands on the sick and HEAL THEM.
Challenged is not the start of it. I think this is a HUGE siesmic change in how the kingdom of heaven is going to break out in our society. I would say that if the good news about Jesus is not accompanied with signs and wonders like it used to be, it will not in these last days accomplish God's great work in the earth.
I don't claim to have covered all the issues here or that I indeed have many answers, I thnk my answers are becoming fewer but what I am finding is that God wants the humility of a child
in me and that I receive the kingdom of heaven like that, and THEN I will simply be the answer
through my being united with Jesus, both in the power of his resurrection, and in sharing in his sufferings.
Amen, let your kindom break out here in our towns, and let me be a person through which it will come.
Speak again soon, Im really excited!!
Andy
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Thursday, 03 September 2009 00:00 |
Wow what a few weeks it's been. We are now three in our family and the new third member is definitely the noisiest! We are all really looking forward to Camp this weekend and judging by the prayer and the hunger for God we had in the field at Gubbins Hole earlier this week it's going to be a special one.
Last blog I said I really felt this was going to be a summer of opportunities. I have been looking back to see what I did about them and If I took them. And I have been looking out to see if others have aswell (sneaky!)
Looking back at my routine over the last few months is like looking over a rollercoaster. Getting up and getting before God has been anytime from 5 to 9 with a little baby on my shoulders sometimes. But still I found that there has been a change for the good.
Somehow, the smallest difference makes a huge change. I found that taking the opportunity to pray as I walk through Bure Park instead of being in the house for an hour is far better. It's the same time, the same me and so on, but I'm different outside, no distractions,no responsibilities, and my family is better off if I REALLY pray than if im praying at 50%.
It's a small opportunity but it made all the difference.
Another one is the contact with friends, especially friends not from Highway.
Taking an opportunity over babytalk to meet up with people, to reply to their texts in time and actually FIX a time to see them has made all the difference to how I feel.
It's the same with the little practical things that need doing all the time, like keeping up to date with paperwork and especially those little things we always said we would do, because they have come out of dreams and not duty, like a tax return or whatever.
No they are things like - I really should see so and so in that old peoples home, or I really need to take that bike to the person I promised it.
Those little things that are born out of our hearts make a big difference and opportunities like that move us forward in life. They connect us to people and make us feel alive.
Doing the little things well gives us peace and make us really present and alive to others, there is no guilt in our hearts, no unfinished business and no negative energy.
We feel settled and at peace. It makes a huge difference.
This summer has taught me that the smallest of change, like where I pray makes a huge difference. And going with theose little changes and opportunities brings the bigger things in. Like Jesus said, "If you are faithful in the small things, I will put you in charge over the bigger things"
Most of all I think the change comes from God making us willing somehow. We pray and
slowly we actually become the answer, the willing ones, the humble ones.
Praise God that he always leads us forward, into opportunities, away from our old selfdestructing patters. He leads us into our destiny. He is so kind. So amazing.
Speak soon, see you at Camp!
Andy
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