How big is your dream

Posted on 1 October, 2009 by Daniel

Too many of us dream man-sized dreams. Things that could potentially be done if we really focused and put our skills to work. God doesn’t have man-sized dreams for us. He has God-sized ones. Dreams that are big and scary – terrifying even. Dreams that we can’t fulfil. Dreams that can only come to pass when it’s not just me pursuing them – but me pursuing God, in His power, along with those that I’m called to run together with.

“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we’ve dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we’ve sailed too closely to the shore” – Jeanie Curry (Missionary) 

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What will you settle for?

Posted on 25 September, 2009 by Daniel

image Many people will know the story of Abram: How God came to him with a big promise of what God was going to do with him and his family, and then God asked him to leave where he was and to go to a place that God would show him. (You can check it out in Genesis 12 and see this post for more)

What’s interesting is what is written before this in Genesis 11:31

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

Terah, father of Abraham, sets out to the land of Canaan (which was actually promised to his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Shem – see Gen 9:26) However, something happened along the way. They settled somewhere short of their destination.

The story doesn’t record why, or what happened. Maybe they encountered some opposition or hardship. Maybe they just lingered along the way a little bit too long and it became more comfortable to stay than to keep going. We don’t know. All we know is they set out for the land of promise but they settled on the way.

And that causes me to pause and ponder. Is there anything in me that’s settled where I am? Are there any areas of my life where I set out in pursuit of the promise, but I’ve settled along the way instead of persevering to the destination? Is there any part of me which is willing to settle for less than the fullness of God’s promise?

What about you? What will you settle for?

In Terah’s case he never makes it. He dies in that place, short of their intended destination, and God leaves him there and asks Abram to get moving instead.

The history of God’s people is full of those who set out in pursuit of God’s call but then settled on the way – requiring God to leave them there and call the next generation to follow him. My prayer today is that will never be the case for us who follow God today. I pray that we may never settle for anything short of what God has promised, but instead to press on in faith, and so receive all that he has promised.

13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:13

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Walk and talk

Posted on 22 September, 2009 by Daniel

There aren’t many things on TV these days that I wouldn’t be bothered about missing. However, one programme Amanda and I used to follow avidly was the West Wing. Probably the most famous story-telling technique used in this show was the “walk and talk”.

It seemed a lot of the real dialogue and decision making didn’t happen so much in quiet rooms, but in the in-between moments. Characters were on their way to do something, have a meeting, sit down in their office, do a briefing, whatever it might be. Yet an awful lot of the stuff that mattered was getting done as they walked and talked along the way.

When Jesus said things like “remain in me” and “rest in me”; and talked about the Holy Spirit (parakletos – literally “called alongside to help”) being with us to guide us, direct us, and help us; I think this is the kind of thing he had in mind.

Yes, we need to take time out, and set time aside to be alone with God to learn from him and be strengthened by him. It doesn’t end there, though.

God wants us to walk and talk: To experience fellowship and conversation with him as we go about our daily lives. It’s then that he’s able to use us, direct us, and provide the strength we need.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

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Just one Step

Posted on 21 September, 2009 by Daniel

image

Preached yesterday at church on “Just one step – finding God’s way in the world today”, asking the question “If God has a plan and a purpose for me, then how do I find it and what do I do today?”

You can get it from our website, but here’s the summary:

God doesn’t ask us to take leap impossible distances, just to take one step at a time. We discover God’s path as we take one step of obedience out of our comfort zone that requires sacrifice.

And how do we find that one step? By taking that one step closer to God and learning to walk and talk with him.

Want to find God’s ways? Here are a few questions to ponder:

  • When was the last time I took time to have a conversation with God?
  • Do I have a routine of seeking God daily?
  • Is there one step has God asked me to take that I haven’t yet taken?
  • What should I do to take a step out my comfort zone today?

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Idolatry in the church

Posted on 8 July, 2009 by Daniel

No, I’m not talking about gold crosses, smells, bells, or icons of saints. I’m taking about the idolatry that is “Any time we take a GOOD thing and make it a GOD thing that’s a BAD thing”.

I was listening to a good message this morning by Mark Driscoll on Idolatry. He was speaking to pastors and church leaders but starts with some great foundation which applies to anyone who wants to follow God. You can get it here

It confirms my growing belief that the problem we face is not so much the sin and idolatry in the world, but the sin and idolatry in the church at large…. And the problem we face in our church is often not the sin and idolatry in the church people, but the sin and idolatry in ME. Can I get an Amen/Ouch to that?

For any leaders/aspiring leaders in the church, here’s a quick summary of some specific idols and related heart-questions he covers:

  1. Attendance: Does your joy change when attendance is up or down?
  2. Gift: Do you feel God needs you and uses you because you’re so skilled, thinking “God you’re so smart that you picked me and you use me because I’m a good tool in your hand”
  3. Truth: Do you think you’re more righteous than a simple Christian who doesn’t know or understand much. Reading books and overlooking humility.
  4. Fruit: Do you point to your success as evidence of God’s approval of you
  5. Tradition: What traditions are you upholding that are thwarting the forward progress of the gospel?
  6. Method: Do you worship your method as your mediator?
  7. Office: Are you motivated primarily by God’s glory or your title?
  8. Success: Is winning what motivates you at the deepest level?
  9. Ministry: Do you use the pressure of ministry to make you walk with God, or do you walk with God because you love him.
  10. Innovation: Does it matter to you that your ministry be considered unique?
  11. Leader: Who do you want to be like/your church to be like?

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What makes people successful?

Posted on 7 July, 2009 by Daniel

Really good, punchy 3 minutes of wisdom:

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God is… Love – OnePrayer

Posted on 1 July, 2009 by Daniel

Throughout June our church was participating in an international initiative called OnePrayer. I think about 2000 churches were participating or something, but basically any participating church could upload a video sermon on the theme “God is…” and we then showed different ones from different churches in the 4 weeks.

The ones we used were “God is for you”, “God is able”, “God is love”, and “God is waiting”. Here’s the “God is love” message from lifechurch.tv. We had lots of great feedback about this one.

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Your battle to build

Posted on 29 June, 2009 by Daniel

This year has been one of pressure. If you haven’t faced any yet then consider yourself blessed. Most people I know have been facing some serious challenges.

As a church, even last year as we were gathering and praying as elders, we felt calling us to enlarge and expand with an opposite spirit to the world. That this would be one of the greatest times for us as church, but that it would have nothing to do with our abilities and strengths, but all down to God’s power at work in us.

Well, that’s the power we need right now. There is a battle, but we know Jesus has won the victory. Check out this promo for the series we’re launching this Sunday. It’s going to be powerful – check it out in services or get the download from our website at http://www.everynation.co.uk

If there’s one couple who know about battling to build something in simple obedience to God’s instruction – against all the odds – it’s Wolfi and Ali, senior pastors of our church. Expect some great truths and great encouragement.

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Some great leadership thoughts

Posted on 7 May, 2009 by Daniel

Catalyst TV: Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel from Catalyst on Vimeo.

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How attractive are we?

Posted on 24 March, 2009 by Daniel

Started re-reading “Whatever happened to worship” by A.W. Tozer this morning. So many good things stood out. Here’s one of them…

If we are led by the Spirit of God and if we show forth the love of God this world needs, we become the ‘winsome saints’

The strange and wonderful thing about it is that truly winsome and loving saints do not even know about their attractiveness. The great saints of past years did not know they were great saints. If someone had told them, they would not have believed it, but those around them knew that Jesus was living his life in them.

We can make this whole ‘being a witness’  thing pretty complicated, but essentially it really is about Jesus living his life in us, and us being led by his Spirit.

Our goal is therefore not to ‘live a life which is attractive to people’. Our goal is to be led by him. The by-product of that is a life which is attractive – whether we realize it or not.

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Failure is not Fatal

Posted on 23 March, 2009 by Daniel

 

Some of our church staff team went to a seminar on “Pastoring and Innovation” last week which was run by Bobby Gruenewald from Lifechurch.tv. He shared several good and helpful thoughts on how churches can innovate and become better at what they’re called to do.

One great thought was to embrace a culture of failure. If we’re going to achieve anything great then failure along the way is inevitable. We need to give people room to fail, as in many cases failure is the first step towards success.

John Maxwell puts it like this in his book Failing Forward:

“The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.”

The most important thing is really not whether we fail or not. It’s how we respond when we do fail.

Our tendency is often to let our failures define us. Our enemy would love nothing better to keep us in that moment and mindset for the rest of our lives. However, failure doesn’t have to be fatal. We serve a God who is never taken by surprise, is always faithful and never fails.

The question is simply this: Will we learn from failure, use it as an opportunity to reinforce our dependency on God, and find ways to grow because of it?

The Bible puts it like this:

“for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again….” – Prov 24:16

Feeling a failure? It’s time to rise again.

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At the end of myself is where God begins

Posted on 17 March, 2009 by Daniel

Preached a message last Sunday on ‘How to be strong’. You can get it from our download browser if you want to listen. Main theme was looking at how God works differently from the world. We looked at Gideon – you can read the story in Judges 6 and 7.

Funny thing is how God seems to be so deliberate about working every message I preach through me before I deliver it. So I started last week feeling weaker and more unqualified then I’ve ever felt in my life, and ended up feeling stronger than I’ve ever felt.

How can you be strong? I don’t really have 5 keys to how you can experience God’s strength. I tend to try to make the world simpler that that. The central thought for me was simply this:

Contrary to what the world may suggest, “coming to the end of myself” isn’t a bad thing. In fact – in God – at the end of myself is exactly the right place to be, because at the end of myself is where God begins.

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What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.

Posted on 16 March, 2009 by Daniel


And we wonder why people turn to caffeine before they turn to God….

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What’s the competitive advantage?

Posted on 24 February, 2009 by Daniel

Here’s a thought:

Communicating the gospel in a postmodern context can make us feel forced to compete with the entertainment industry. You might be able to compete if you have millions of dollars and that level of expertise. Most of us don’t. We have only one advantage that neither Hollywood nor MTV has. We have the presence and power of the living God!

Why in the world would we eliminate God’s power from our core strategy and actually move to a deficit rather than to an advantage?

unfairI’m a creative, thinker, imaginer, dreamer, engineer, problem-solver, strategizer,  architect, designer type person. These elements of my character over the years have had a tendency to drive me crazy. What can start off as a simple desire to “be the best we can be” can lead to the traps of perfectionism and self-reliance.

There are many things that I can do well in my own strength. The funny thing is that even when these things turn out really well, they can end up ultimately not taking me – or the things I lead – any closer to where they need to be.

All this has increasingly led me – painfully sometimes – to this one conclusion: When all is said and done, there is only thing that really makes the difference…..and that is my readiness to surrender it all to God. And when it comes down to it, He is not only the only competitive advantage that we have. He’s the only one we need.

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Community or Cause?

Posted on 24 February, 2009 by Daniel

There’s been much talk in recent times about community. In a world seeking to define what community really is, and a sense that something has been lost in the modern individualized and bust western culture. In the world of modern technology, from chat rooms, forums, social networking sites and the blogosphere which have all created their own forms of community.

Little wonder that the church, too, has been seeking to grapple with understanding what  community is. More and more churches are coming back to what is in many ways a more accurate understanding of what church really is. Church as it is seen in the Bible: When it wasn’t a building, it wasn’t a set of programmes, and didn’t require masses of money just to be maintained. It was the people, living real life together, in pursuit of Jesus.

I wonder though, if maybe all this talk about community can lead to us mistaking what it is we’re here to do. Our mission is not to create community. Our mission is to show the love of God and share the good news of how we can find relationship with him through Jesus Christ.

Churches throughout history have died because they have turned into social gathering places and communities which are no different to any other you might find in the world. People find friendships and a sympathetic ear for their problems, but ultimately nobody is ever changed and the love of God and the good news of Jesus Christ is never shared with the world. Consequently these little communities stay little. They get insular, introverted and weird, and eventually they die – either through petty relational issues, or through old age.

Relationship is really important. We need to share love without conditions or pre-requisites. Indeed Jesus said that is was through our love for one another that people would know that we are his disciples, and it was through the world observing how Christians related to one another and lived their lives that they came to be called Christians in the first place. Love in action produces ears which are willing to listen.

However we must never forget that the thing which ultimately satisfies our soul, sets us free, and restores us to the relationship with God that we need is not community itself. It is Christ. Interestingly real community is only really found where Christ is central anyway. It’s only when I am fulfilled in God that I am free to love people in the selfless way that true community requires. As I read in a book by Mark Driscoll, “Community is an effect of mission, not an effective mission”

There’s a great article here you might want to check out for more: Cause driven church – Erwin McManus

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