Blogging - The End

I have decided that I have given up the blogging thing so this will be my last post. I have some new things going on in my life and I think its time to spend time on them, rather than in front of my pc.

Thanks to all who listened to my ramblings. Please feel free to remove me from any links you might have - I will not be in the slightest offended :)

Love and blessings to all.

Peace out.

Crescent moon - a love song from God

This is a Song by a guy called Retif Burger, which a friend translated for me. I know you guys who struggle with the whole manly love for God stuff might not get this, but I think its awsome!

Its even better with music, so if anyone is interested then I can let them have a listen (though its not in English).


Crescent moon.

Tonights' crescent moon is just for you,

may He dance into your heart and wrap His arms around you,

cause if He could talk He would simply say;

How deep My love lies for you

And child of man, I know your heart is dry

Cause the doubt pulls you skew

and you're empty and dejected

but if you could borrow My eyes for a moment,

you would see a bride clothed in white

Do you know who it is

Can your hearts soul comprehend who I desire?

It is you, my bride for eternity,

one look from your eyes, and the wood's pain disappears

cause it's you, beloved of my side,

I am here, with you , around you, in you,

to love you

And if you closed the door on me,

and the lies convince you that I don't exist

I will still show my love to you,

a broken body hanging on a cross

Do you know who it is

can your hearts soul comprehend who I desire?

it is you, my bride for eternity,

one look from your eyes, and the wood's pain disappears

cause it's you, beloved of my side,

I am here, with you , around you, in you,

to love you.

Church Leadership

I heard some teaching on leadership modeling for the church the other week.

I enjoyed hearing about the model and how it would work in practise. I cant really do the model justice here (especially since it was a two hour discussion, with another 2 hours still to come), so I wont try and describe it all. However, something that stood out to me was the idea of relational and accountable leadership, not just with their team and other leaders to whom they are accountable to, but also to the church (all modeled by Paul Gal 1:2, Gal 1:18, Gal4:12-20). Obviously in order for this to work in practise the leader must be known by those he is accountable to, otherwise its just a nominate accountability.

One of things that was discussed was the importance of the approachability of the leadership. This is important for two reasons:

1. It is important that leaders receive concerns (and compliments!) in order to stay in touch with where the congregation is at. We heard of sad instances where unapproachable leaders have ended up with splits in their church when they were unaware that there was even a problem, because no-one wanted to come to them with their concerns.


2. It is also important for the flock to feel they have a forum for their concerns. If they don't then they will talk to others in the congregation instead, allowing gossip and bad feeling to be stirred up against the pastor.

What does a leader have to do to become approachable?

I am a gift

I was distracted in church this morning - sent a text - read a text. The speaker was saying things I had heard before.... yawn yawn.......

..... but then he started to talk about the leadership vision for the church and I was drawn back as he described every person in the meeting as a gift from God to that fellowship. Wow! That says something about how leadership value the congregation, and how we should value each other.

He went on to talk about everyone there had our own gifts and talents and role to fulfil right there in church. He described how they as a leadership were committed to having everyone fulfilling their role and using and developing their gifts. This included *everyone*. The old and the young and the in between. The ordinary and the strange, the popular and the outcast. He stated that obviously it could take time and effort to discover those special purposes and gifts, but they were committed to helping each person find them. I would love help with that......

I loved this idea, and it followed on from a previous week's sermon in which the leader outlined how he wished the church to be characterised by grace, not just the grace of God, but by grace relationships between us. I think its working - you can sense it. Grace in relationships.....lovely......

Church - Mixed Community ?

Tim Challies highlighted this quote on church:

A Journey Worth Taking by Charles Drew,

“Church” is not an event. It is people—people whom God calls us to love. What is more, it is in a very important sense an involuntary community of people: we don’t choose our brothers and sisters—God does. And sometimes (oftentimes) those people are not terribly compatible with us—not the people we would choose to hang out with. But it is this very incompatibility that is so important, for at least two reasons. First, learning to love the people I don’t like is by far the best way to learn how to love (it’s easy to love people I happen to like). Second, the church is supposed to be a sociological miracle—a demonstration that Jesus has died and risen to create a new humanity composed of all sorts of people.

This challenges me in the way I understand the idea of belonging in a Church - is it about how many friends you have, or if there are others at the same place in life as you, or have similar background/education/life-goals/etc?

I still feel its important to have support, but if you surround yourself with similar people where will your real growth come from?

Perhaps its more important to ensure your local Church is a place where you are growing spiritually, where you can explore and be encouraged to use all the gifts God has bestowed on you, and discover those which He is just waiting to give as you become ready to receive each. Also, importantly I think it should be a place where you can serve using those gifts, and receive encouragement and support as you seek to operate in your place in the Body.

Does such a Church exist?

Ephesians 2:21 - 22
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Supersize Me?

Me: Argghh! I am sick of getting emails offering to enlarge my p*&^%. I get so much spam every day.

Crazy B: Yeah I get loads like that too.

Beautiful Daughter: I dont get anything like that..... ...... But then I dont sign up for anything.

Me and CrazyB eye each other suspiciously ...... wondering if the other really signed up for male body parts enlargement.......

Housegroups

I have often wondered what the point of house groups are to me personally.

I understand if a person wants to improve their Bible knowledge and the group is very theological college level Bible focused. Or if they want to get to know more people in church and build some new relationships and the group is quite social. Or receive support, if the group is very pastoral. Or to give out to the others in the group, assuming your own support needs are being me elsewhere. If you are a church leader/hardcore evangelist you might say they are for church growth (though I remain completely unconvinced that this can be their sole purpose without another means of support in place).

I just don't see me fitting into any of those groups, so I struggle with why to go to a house group....... and yet I do when I can. I just don't know why. Am I wasting precious time?

I have asked many people over the years what house groups are about and receive mostly one or more of the above answers, or some other one that resonates even less with me.

And if someone comes up with the idea of what house groups are really supposed to be all about, will the group ever come close to realising that?