How great are you God!
You are so majestic, so Regal yet so relative and so humble.
You are so incredible, so marvellous that I find it so hard to express it.
I sit here in your presence and feel your Spirit so close, so near.
The changes you have effected in my being are too immense to speak of. I've changed, I am not Gary Lacey of yesterday.
He's gone.
You've dealt with things that only the king of the Heavens and earth could possibly deal with. The sadness, the damage, the inner turmoil, the wreckage of wrong thinking and living. The mess that accumulated as a result of those things.
The change is transformational and to me this very morning feels even sensational.
I suddenly find myself dealing with things that once seemed so impossible to deal with, I deal with them as a man. Not as a damaged child.
Thank you Lord for changing me.
I was once blind to you. In fact blind to anything of you.
I don't know why?
I just was.
But now I see you.
I see that you are my hope.
Buts it's not a 'let's hope so' kind of hope, it's a hope filled with assurance and certainty. You are so great. So magnificent. Thank you for giving me the strength to build a new life. A life full of love and beauty instead of turbulence and pain. And when pain comes thank you for giving me the power to rectify it, to stem pain quickly.
I go to the depths of despair and you are there, I go to the pinnacle of joy and you are there too! And everything in between these two extremes I am so glad that you are there.
Thank you for teaching me to see you in the eyes of the world.
I see you in the shabbiness of the poor and the needy.
I see you in the faces of the sick and dying.
I see you in the lives of those who are so far from you.
I see you in the broken hearted.
I see you in the brokeness of this world.
And I love to reach out to you in the lives of those who are in need.
It's my life's work now.
There was a time when selfish ambition just walked over everything in my life. I see now Lord it was a desperate cry for significance, but that really doesn't matter anymore because in your eyes I am massively significant. And in a world that needs a touch of the King, I want to bring that touch to whoever I come across in my life. I don't care about promotion, status or possessions, I really don't.
They are so temporary.
I just want the permanency of the miraculous.
The things that money just can't get close too. The smile and outstretched arms of my grand kids, the love my kids show me. The amazing relationship with Dawn that just outruns anything earthly I have ever known. The joys and sadnesses of my friends and family that I share in. The privilege of ministering for you.
No possession, no amount of money nothing in this world can replace those things.
So my life is rich and full and strong and real.
I just want to thank you, show my deepest gratitude this day as I am awash in your Spirit.
I recognise the work still to do in my life. The shaping, the rough edges that still hang on to my life that need to be removed still, Lord I look forward to it.
I want to know so much more, I want to discover more of you. I want to go from glory to glory as you reach into the depths of my life with you fiery touch. My purification is well on the way but I know there is more Lord and I really look forward to it.
Purity feels good Lord.
The impure life I led for so long, the life choices I made that caused me to miss out on a relationship with you for such a long time are disappearing into the mists of the past.
But that doesn't matter either.
I'm with you now.
Forever.
And you are mine!
I want to thank you for helping me through this period of wilderness too. The things you've taught me. The things you have shown me. The things you have given me. Things that will be with me forever as I go into today and into the future! To wherever you will send me, to wherever I will set foot. I trust you God with that future, all my tomorrows I commit to you.
How great are you God.
Love Gary X
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
One2oneInterview
Periodically over the next year I intend to do a series of interviews on my blog. I will be interviewing a wide range of people, all with important stories to tell. So watch out for the One2one series over the coming weeks. In this first interview I chat to a new Christian about his experience so far. So sit back and enjoy the read.
It was our second night in Sacriston, North east England.
We had just moved from Liverpool and someone had invited us to a community event at the local high School.
On this night, I met Gaz for the first time. We shook hands and the first thing he said to me was that his wife went to the Church that we had been appointed to oversee, but stressed that he didn’t go.
Gaz is a hard working North East guy who works in the physically demanding role of a mechanic.
Little did I know that night that God was up to something?
Little did I know that he was making a spiritual connection in the form of a relationship that would be crucial for Gaz and also crucial for me?
Gaz was not a Christian when I first met him.
He is now!
He has a story to tell. I recently interviewed him for this blog-post. As we chatted in an empty Church building one ordinary Tuesday night. He said some extraordinary things.
In the simplicity of his answers to my questions, I think Gary speaks a message to us guys who say we are church. I think he says some profound things that have a lot to do with mission, and how we need to be compelled to the mission field from the comfort of the church community.
Here is the transcript of the interview.
Be challenged as a new Christian speaks with honesty and raw truthfulness.
Me: Gaz, what was life like before we first met each other?
Gaz: I didn’t go to Church or anything. I’d been occasionally but although no-one forced me I always went unwillingly. Life just trundled along.
Me: What was life at that time
Gaz: Very busy! It was monotonous and i didn’t get much time to socialise. I also have a small family so it is difficult to socialise etc, but I went out with mates for an occasional drink so it was a pretty normal life.
Me: At that time what did you think about God?
Gaz: I really didn’t understand anything about God. I was one of those people who deep down thought there maybe something in that God thing, but really didn’t know what if that makes any sense? I probably sat on the fence about God. I had been to Sunday school as a kid so I knew about Church but not about God really. I knew that people went to Church and sang a few songs but that is as far as it went.
Me: When do you think you started to understand more about God?
Gaz: I think everybody is different, but i got to a point in life, you know, you’re working hard, looking after your family, you are sort of on a treadmill that seems to be going nowhere. It kind of grinds you down you know? I hated to ask for help, and got to a point that I thought it was going to be hard to recover from. I got to such a low point; my life seemed to be going nowhere. And strangely when I hit that point faith and God and all that stuff seemed to come to my mind.
Me: can you kind of describe that low point a bit more Gaz?
Gaz: I just woke up one morning and really didn’t feel like facing the world. I literally felt like I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t face work for the first time in my life. I felt tired and it was bordering on depression. And I just couldn’t face the world. I went to the doctors; I was run down, tired, I had absolutely nothing left in me to give. I had a lack of energy and no motivation left. The doctor didn’t do much but signed me off for a few weeks. In this time I knew I needed help.
Me: So what did you do about that?
Gaz: I think I prayed. Probably without knowing it was prayer. I wouldn’t say I prayed out loud, but I remember lying in bed one day and I prayed in my head. It was a kind of last resort. It was an alien thing for me to do. I couldn’t pray out loud because it felt so stupid. But I prayed for a turnaround in my life. I think I was desperate, and my prayer was just “help me out of this state please!”
Me: around this time what was your impression of Church?
Gaz: To me it was a structured institution. It seemed to have lots of rules and regulations and that caused a kind of mental barrier that made it hard for me to walk through a church door.
Me: so it didn’t appeal to you then?
Gaz: Er? No!
Me: Did you get the impression Church goers were weird or something?
Gaz: Maybe not weird as such but you formulate a kind of picture of a church person. Usually involving a blue rinse and a stern attitude!
Me: was that one of the barriers then?
Gaz: Yes definitely. To the world I think there is a stigma attached to the Church because of its attitudes, rules etc. People seemed to laugh at Christians; they seemed to be a bit of a joke! And I didn’t want people laughing at me. So a barrier forms in your head. People I know relate it to songs of praise on the TV and to be honest that doesn’t inspire you to go to Church!
Me: So Gaz, you started coming to Church regularly three years ago now, would you say you came because you were looking for something deeper in life?
Gaz: Yeah, firstly the Church I go to I was shocked to find isn’t your stereotypical Church, I like the openness and the acceptance. When I started coming I needed something deeper, something more in life.
Me: A deeper understanding of God maybe?
Gaz: Yeah, I was on that treadmill I mentioned and something inside my mind was saying, “There has to be more than this?” I felt like chucking it all in, and I was desperate for something more.
Me: Now you are involved in a Christian community. What’s changed in your life?
Gaz: well for example five years ago I couldn’t even look at a bible. Now I find it so interesting. Now you can’t just start liking the bible! Something, something spiritual I guess, sort of triggers it. All of a sudden I couldn’t put it down!
Me: would you say you became a Christian around this time?
Gaz: Well, I can’t say there was a particular point that i became a Christian, that I began to believe in Jesus, It crept up on me, it was kind of gradual thing. I began to believe that it had to be true especially as I read the scriptures and chatted things through every week with you.
Me: So you think scripture is changing you?
Gaz: yeah, I know it’s having an influence on me, you know, on the shape of my life. It’s a gradual thing with me. It can’t change my life overnight, but I think its impacting my life for the better. It’s given me a change of direction in my life, kind of got me off the treadmill.
Me: what about prayer? How do you find praying?
Gaz: I find it easier. Recently I have developed a better understanding of prayer. But mostly I realise how important it is to my relationship with God.
Me: Has prayer had any impact? Any examples Gaz?
Gaz: well, going back two years ago I prayed a practical thing. I prayed for a change of career I had come to the end of my patience working in the job I was in and needed a change. After I prayed that God would get me out of there, amazingly, an opportunity came to take voluntary redundancy. I took it. It could have been a stupid thing to do at the height of a recession, but I did it. I had an overwhelming feeling that it was the right thing to do. I also had a feeling that another job was waiting for me. So I left my job and took several months off. I prayed that I would get a job. It wasn’t going to well, the job hunting, but I prayed. I woke up one morning and had a strong feeling that I needed to get up and take my CV around some garages. So I got up went to about 10 garages and dropped off my CV. I just knew that day I was going to get a job. On the very last call of the day after having no real success in any of the other garages, I went in to see the boss at the last call. He said come back tomorrow and have a chat. The next day I went back and he gave mean job on a six month contract which was better than nothing. Two years later I am still on that six month contract! Still working there!
Me: that's miraculous really Gaz! So do you believe prayer works?
Gaz: yeah definitely.
Me: What about sharing your faith with others? I remember you saying to me you could never do that! What about now?
Gaz: It is easier now. It doesn't seem strange at all. I just want to do it. You get an overwhelming feeling that you have to do it. Also turn your Christianity into action. Just a few weeks ago I just felt God wanted me to clean up the car park at the Church so I just did it. There are so many ways to reach out and help. I just know we have to do it. Who else will reach the people for God if the Church don't?
Me: What kind of struggles have you come up against since becoming a Christian?
Gaz: I'll give you an example. My parents are both in I'll health. My mam particularly is suffering from a torturous condition. It's horrible to watch her deteriorate. I find it hard to connect how great God is with how I'll my mam is. It's a mystery. I can't seem to fathom it out. But I pray for my mam and I have learned to learn the lessons from it. Particularly that life is precious.
Me: If there is one thing you would want to say to a person who is maybe struggling like you were what would it be?
Gaz: Yeah, whatever your lot in life, wether you are rich or poor, whatever your situation. Getting to know Jesus will truly lift you. I've found it has helped me so much.
Me: And if there was one thing you would say to the Church?
Gaz: we can make a difference in the world. And I would say make the bible the number one thing. The whole lot is meaningless without the bible. From the bible we can help shape society for the better!
Me: Thanks Gaz so much.
This guy is a living example and visible evidence that Jesus Christ is touching this broken world. This story gives hope. Hope to the Church and hope for the world. The fact is Gary gets it! He gets the link between prayer and mission and the amazing thing is that he has naturally allowed that to happen in his life. He understands about breathing in God and breathing out God in a missional sense. He is a living example of the missio Dei- God already working in our streets, our communities, our cities, our Nations. God is still saving people, still transforming lives and communities
Gaz was lost. But God and him have connected
There are millions of Gary's worldwide. And we are the hope this world.
The Church.
The only hope as We join Jesus in his saving work.
It was our second night in Sacriston, North east England.
We had just moved from Liverpool and someone had invited us to a community event at the local high School.
On this night, I met Gaz for the first time. We shook hands and the first thing he said to me was that his wife went to the Church that we had been appointed to oversee, but stressed that he didn’t go.
Gaz is a hard working North East guy who works in the physically demanding role of a mechanic.
Little did I know that night that God was up to something?
Little did I know that he was making a spiritual connection in the form of a relationship that would be crucial for Gaz and also crucial for me?
Gaz was not a Christian when I first met him.
He is now!
He has a story to tell. I recently interviewed him for this blog-post. As we chatted in an empty Church building one ordinary Tuesday night. He said some extraordinary things.
In the simplicity of his answers to my questions, I think Gary speaks a message to us guys who say we are church. I think he says some profound things that have a lot to do with mission, and how we need to be compelled to the mission field from the comfort of the church community.
Here is the transcript of the interview.
Be challenged as a new Christian speaks with honesty and raw truthfulness.
Me: Gaz, what was life like before we first met each other?
Gaz: I didn’t go to Church or anything. I’d been occasionally but although no-one forced me I always went unwillingly. Life just trundled along.
Me: What was life at that time
Gaz: Very busy! It was monotonous and i didn’t get much time to socialise. I also have a small family so it is difficult to socialise etc, but I went out with mates for an occasional drink so it was a pretty normal life.
Me: At that time what did you think about God?
Gaz: I really didn’t understand anything about God. I was one of those people who deep down thought there maybe something in that God thing, but really didn’t know what if that makes any sense? I probably sat on the fence about God. I had been to Sunday school as a kid so I knew about Church but not about God really. I knew that people went to Church and sang a few songs but that is as far as it went.
Me: When do you think you started to understand more about God?
Gaz: I think everybody is different, but i got to a point in life, you know, you’re working hard, looking after your family, you are sort of on a treadmill that seems to be going nowhere. It kind of grinds you down you know? I hated to ask for help, and got to a point that I thought it was going to be hard to recover from. I got to such a low point; my life seemed to be going nowhere. And strangely when I hit that point faith and God and all that stuff seemed to come to my mind.
Me: can you kind of describe that low point a bit more Gaz?
Gaz: I just woke up one morning and really didn’t feel like facing the world. I literally felt like I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t face work for the first time in my life. I felt tired and it was bordering on depression. And I just couldn’t face the world. I went to the doctors; I was run down, tired, I had absolutely nothing left in me to give. I had a lack of energy and no motivation left. The doctor didn’t do much but signed me off for a few weeks. In this time I knew I needed help.
Me: So what did you do about that?
Gaz: I think I prayed. Probably without knowing it was prayer. I wouldn’t say I prayed out loud, but I remember lying in bed one day and I prayed in my head. It was a kind of last resort. It was an alien thing for me to do. I couldn’t pray out loud because it felt so stupid. But I prayed for a turnaround in my life. I think I was desperate, and my prayer was just “help me out of this state please!”
Me: around this time what was your impression of Church?
Gaz: To me it was a structured institution. It seemed to have lots of rules and regulations and that caused a kind of mental barrier that made it hard for me to walk through a church door.
Me: so it didn’t appeal to you then?
Gaz: Er? No!
Me: Did you get the impression Church goers were weird or something?
Gaz: Maybe not weird as such but you formulate a kind of picture of a church person. Usually involving a blue rinse and a stern attitude!
Me: was that one of the barriers then?
Gaz: Yes definitely. To the world I think there is a stigma attached to the Church because of its attitudes, rules etc. People seemed to laugh at Christians; they seemed to be a bit of a joke! And I didn’t want people laughing at me. So a barrier forms in your head. People I know relate it to songs of praise on the TV and to be honest that doesn’t inspire you to go to Church!
Me: So Gaz, you started coming to Church regularly three years ago now, would you say you came because you were looking for something deeper in life?
Gaz: Yeah, firstly the Church I go to I was shocked to find isn’t your stereotypical Church, I like the openness and the acceptance. When I started coming I needed something deeper, something more in life.
Me: A deeper understanding of God maybe?
Gaz: Yeah, I was on that treadmill I mentioned and something inside my mind was saying, “There has to be more than this?” I felt like chucking it all in, and I was desperate for something more.
Me: Now you are involved in a Christian community. What’s changed in your life?
Gaz: well for example five years ago I couldn’t even look at a bible. Now I find it so interesting. Now you can’t just start liking the bible! Something, something spiritual I guess, sort of triggers it. All of a sudden I couldn’t put it down!
Me: would you say you became a Christian around this time?
Gaz: Well, I can’t say there was a particular point that i became a Christian, that I began to believe in Jesus, It crept up on me, it was kind of gradual thing. I began to believe that it had to be true especially as I read the scriptures and chatted things through every week with you.
Me: So you think scripture is changing you?
Gaz: yeah, I know it’s having an influence on me, you know, on the shape of my life. It’s a gradual thing with me. It can’t change my life overnight, but I think its impacting my life for the better. It’s given me a change of direction in my life, kind of got me off the treadmill.
Me: what about prayer? How do you find praying?
Gaz: I find it easier. Recently I have developed a better understanding of prayer. But mostly I realise how important it is to my relationship with God.
Me: Has prayer had any impact? Any examples Gaz?
Gaz: well, going back two years ago I prayed a practical thing. I prayed for a change of career I had come to the end of my patience working in the job I was in and needed a change. After I prayed that God would get me out of there, amazingly, an opportunity came to take voluntary redundancy. I took it. It could have been a stupid thing to do at the height of a recession, but I did it. I had an overwhelming feeling that it was the right thing to do. I also had a feeling that another job was waiting for me. So I left my job and took several months off. I prayed that I would get a job. It wasn’t going to well, the job hunting, but I prayed. I woke up one morning and had a strong feeling that I needed to get up and take my CV around some garages. So I got up went to about 10 garages and dropped off my CV. I just knew that day I was going to get a job. On the very last call of the day after having no real success in any of the other garages, I went in to see the boss at the last call. He said come back tomorrow and have a chat. The next day I went back and he gave mean job on a six month contract which was better than nothing. Two years later I am still on that six month contract! Still working there!
Me: that's miraculous really Gaz! So do you believe prayer works?
Gaz: yeah definitely.
Me: What about sharing your faith with others? I remember you saying to me you could never do that! What about now?
Gaz: It is easier now. It doesn't seem strange at all. I just want to do it. You get an overwhelming feeling that you have to do it. Also turn your Christianity into action. Just a few weeks ago I just felt God wanted me to clean up the car park at the Church so I just did it. There are so many ways to reach out and help. I just know we have to do it. Who else will reach the people for God if the Church don't?
Me: What kind of struggles have you come up against since becoming a Christian?
Gaz: I'll give you an example. My parents are both in I'll health. My mam particularly is suffering from a torturous condition. It's horrible to watch her deteriorate. I find it hard to connect how great God is with how I'll my mam is. It's a mystery. I can't seem to fathom it out. But I pray for my mam and I have learned to learn the lessons from it. Particularly that life is precious.
Me: If there is one thing you would want to say to a person who is maybe struggling like you were what would it be?
Gaz: Yeah, whatever your lot in life, wether you are rich or poor, whatever your situation. Getting to know Jesus will truly lift you. I've found it has helped me so much.
Me: And if there was one thing you would say to the Church?
Gaz: we can make a difference in the world. And I would say make the bible the number one thing. The whole lot is meaningless without the bible. From the bible we can help shape society for the better!
Me: Thanks Gaz so much.
This guy is a living example and visible evidence that Jesus Christ is touching this broken world. This story gives hope. Hope to the Church and hope for the world. The fact is Gary gets it! He gets the link between prayer and mission and the amazing thing is that he has naturally allowed that to happen in his life. He understands about breathing in God and breathing out God in a missional sense. He is a living example of the missio Dei- God already working in our streets, our communities, our cities, our Nations. God is still saving people, still transforming lives and communities
Gaz was lost. But God and him have connected
There are millions of Gary's worldwide. And we are the hope this world.
The Church.
The only hope as We join Jesus in his saving work.
One2one: Interview
Periodically over the next year I intend to do a series of interviews on my blog. I will be interviewing a wide range of people, all with important stories to tell. So watch out for the One2one series over the coming weeks. In this first interview I chat to a new Christian about his experience so far. So sit back and enjoy the read.
It was our second night in Sacriston, North east England.
We had just moved from Liverpool and someone had invited us to a community event at the local high School.
On this night, I met Gaz for the first time. We shook hands and the first thing he said to me was that his wife went to the Church that we had been appointed to oversee, but stressed that he didn’t go.
Gaz is a hard working North East guy who works in the physically demanding role of a mechanic. He is married to Christine and has two girls.
Little did I know that night that God was up to something?
Little did I know that he was making a spiritual connection in the form of a relationship that would be crucial for Gaz and also crucial for me?
Gaz was not a Christian when I first met him.
He is now!
He has a story to tell. I recently interviewed him for this blog-post. As we chatted in an empty Church building one ordinary Tuesday night. He said some extraordinary things.
In the simplicity of his answers to my questions, I think Gary speaks a message to us guys who say we are church. I think he says some profound things that have a lot to do with mission, and how we need to be compelled to the mission field from the comfort of the church community.
Here is the transcript of the interview.
Be challenged as a new Christian speaks with honesty and raw truthfulness.
Me: Gaz, what was life like before we first encountered each other?
Gaz: I didn’t go to Church or anything. I’d been occasionally but although no-one forced me I always went unwillingly. I worked at Nissan car factory. Life just trundled along.
Me: What was it like working at Nissan?
Gaz: Very busy! It was monotonous and i didn’t get much time to socialise. I also have a small family so it is difficult to socialise etc, but I went out with mates for an occasional drink so it was a pretty normal life.
Me: At that time what did you think about God?
Gaz: I really didn’t understand anything about God. I was one of those people who deep down thought there maybe something in that God thing, but really didn’t know what if that makes any sense? I probably sat on the fence about God. I had been to Sunday school as a kid so i knew about Church but not about God really. I knew that people went to Church and sang a few songs but that is as far as it went.
Me: When do you think you started to understand more about God?
Gaz: I think everybody is different, but i got to a point in life, you know, you’re working hard, looking after your family, you are sort of on a treadmill that seems to be going nowhere. It kind of grinds you down you know? I hated to ask for help, and got to a point that I thought it was going to be hard to recover from. I got to such a low point; my life seemed to be going nowhere. And strangely when I hit that point faith and God and all that stuff seemed to come to my mind.
Me: can you kind of describe that low point a bit more Gaz?
Gaz: I just woke up one morning and really didn’t feel like facing the world. I literally felt like I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t face work for the first time in my life. I felt tired and it was bordering on depression. And I just couldn’t face the world. I went to the doctors; I was run down, tired, I had absolutely nothing left in me to give. I had a lack of energy and no motivation left. The doctor didn’t do much but signed me off for a few weeks. In this time I knew I needed help.
Me: So what did you do about that?
Gaz: I think I prayed. Probably without knowing it was prayer. I wouldn’t say I prayed out loud, but I remember lying in bed one day and I prayed in my head. It was a kind of last resort. It was an alien thing for me to do. I couldn’t pray out loud because it felt so stupid. But I prayed for a turnaround in my life. I think I was desperate, and my prayer was just “help me out of this state please!”
Me: around this time what was your impression of Church?
Gaz: To me it was a structured institution. It seemed to have lots of rules and regulations and that caused a kind of mental barrier that made it hard for me to walk through a church door.
Me: so it didn’t appeal to you then?
Gaz: Er? No!
Me: Did you get the impression Church goers were weird or something?
Gaz: Maybe not weird as such but you formulate a kind of picture of a church person. Usually involving a blue rinse and a stern attitude!
Me: was that one of the barriers then?
Gaz: Yes definitely. To the world I think there is a stigma attached to the Church because of its attitudes, rules etc. People seemed to laugh at Christians; they seemed to be a bit of a joke! And I didn’t want people laughing at me. So a barrier forms in your head. People I know relate it to songs of praise on the TV and to be honest that doesn’t inspire you to go to Church!
Me: So Gaz, you started coming to Church regularly three years ago now, would you say you came because you were looking for something deeper in life?
Gaz: yeah, firstly the Church I go to I was shocked to find isn’t your stereotypical Church, I like the openness and the acceptance. When I started coming I needed something deeper, something more in life.
Me: A deeper understanding of God maybe?
Gaz: yeah. I was on that treadmill I mentioned and something inside my mind was saying, “There has to be more than this?” I felt like chucking it all in, and I was desperate for something more.
Me: Now you are involved in a Christian community. What’s changed in your life?
Gaz: well for example five years ago I couldn’t even look at a bible. Now I find it so interesting. Now you can’t just start liking the bible! Something, something spiritual I guess, sort of triggers it. All of a sudden I couldn’t put it down!
Me: would you say you became a Christian around this time?
Gaz: Well, I can’t say there was a particular point that i became a Christian, that I began to believe in Jesus, It crept up on me, it was kind of gradual thing. I began to believe that it had to be true especially as I read the scriptures and chatted things through every week with you.
Me: So you think scripture is changing you?
Gaz: yeah, I know it’s having an influence on me, you know, on the shape of my life. It’s a gradual thing with me. It can’t change my life overnight, but I think its impacting my life for the better. It’s given me a change of direction in my life, kind of got me off the treadmill.
Me: what about prayer? How do you find praying?
Gaz: I find it easier. Recently i have developed a better understanding of prayer. But mostly I realise how important it is to my relationship with God.
Me: Has prayer had any impact? Any examples Gaz?
Gaz: well, going back two years ago I prayed a practical thing. I prayed for a change of career I had come to the end of my patience working at Nissan and needed a change. After I prayed that God would get me out of there, amazingly, an opportunity came to take voluntary redundancy. I took it. It could have been a stupid thing to do at the height of a recession, but I did it. I had an overwhelming feeling that it was the right thing to do. I also had a feeling that another job was waiting for me. So i left Nissan and took several months off. I prayed that I would get a job. It wasn’t going to well, the job hunting, but I prayed. I woke up one morning and had a strong feeling that I needed to get up and take my CV around some garages. So I got up went to about 10 garages and dropped off my CV. I just knew that day I was going to get a job. On the very last call of the day after having no real success in any of the other garages, I went in to see the boss at the last call. He said come back tomorrow and have a chat. The next day I went back and he gave mean job on a six month contract which was better than nothing. Two years later I am still on that six month contract! Still working there!
Me: that's miraculous really Gaz! So do you believe prayer works?
Gaz: yeah definitely.
Me: What about sharing your faith with others? I remember you saying to me you could never do that! What about now?
Gaz: It is easier now. It doesn't seem strange at all. I just want to do it. You get an overwhelming feeling that you have to do it. Also turn your Christianity into action. Just a few weeks ago I just felt God wanted me to clean up the car park at the Church so I just did it. There are so many ways to reach out and help. I just know we have to do it. Who else will reach the people for God if the Church don't?
Me: What kind of struggles have you come up against since becoming a Christian?
Gaz: I'll give you an example. My parents are both in I'll health. My mam particularly is suffering from a torturous condition. It's horrible to watch her deteriorate. I find it hard to connect how great God is with how I'll my mam is. It's a mystery. I can't seem to fathom it out. But I pray for my mam and I have learned to learn the lessons from it. Particularly that life is precious.
Me: If there is one thing you would want to say to a person who is maybe struggling liken you were what would it be?
Gaz: Yeah, whatever your lot in life, wether you are rich or poor, whatever your situation. Getting to know Jesus will truly lift you. I've found it has helped me so much.
Me: And if there was one thing you would say to the Church?
Gaz: we can make a difference in the world. And I would say make the bible the number one thing. The whole lot is meaningless without the bible. From the bible we can help shape society for the better!
Me: Thanks Gaz so much.
This guy is a living example and visible evidence that Jesus Christ is touching this broken world. This story gives hope. Hope to the Church and hope for the world. The fact is Gary gets it! He gets the link between prayer and mission and the amazing thing is that he has naturally allowed that to happen in his life. He understands about breathing in God and breathing out God in a missional sense. He is a living example of the missio Dei- God already working in our streets, our communities, our cities, our Nations. God is still saving people, still transforming lives and communities
Gaz was lost. But God and him have connected
There are millions of Gary's worldwide. And we are the hope this world.
The Church.
The only hope as We join Jesus in his saving work.
It was our second night in Sacriston, North east England.
We had just moved from Liverpool and someone had invited us to a community event at the local high School.
On this night, I met Gaz for the first time. We shook hands and the first thing he said to me was that his wife went to the Church that we had been appointed to oversee, but stressed that he didn’t go.
Gaz is a hard working North East guy who works in the physically demanding role of a mechanic. He is married to Christine and has two girls.
Little did I know that night that God was up to something?
Little did I know that he was making a spiritual connection in the form of a relationship that would be crucial for Gaz and also crucial for me?
Gaz was not a Christian when I first met him.
He is now!
He has a story to tell. I recently interviewed him for this blog-post. As we chatted in an empty Church building one ordinary Tuesday night. He said some extraordinary things.
In the simplicity of his answers to my questions, I think Gary speaks a message to us guys who say we are church. I think he says some profound things that have a lot to do with mission, and how we need to be compelled to the mission field from the comfort of the church community.
Here is the transcript of the interview.
Be challenged as a new Christian speaks with honesty and raw truthfulness.
Me: Gaz, what was life like before we first encountered each other?
Gaz: I didn’t go to Church or anything. I’d been occasionally but although no-one forced me I always went unwillingly. I worked at Nissan car factory. Life just trundled along.
Me: What was it like working at Nissan?
Gaz: Very busy! It was monotonous and i didn’t get much time to socialise. I also have a small family so it is difficult to socialise etc, but I went out with mates for an occasional drink so it was a pretty normal life.
Me: At that time what did you think about God?
Gaz: I really didn’t understand anything about God. I was one of those people who deep down thought there maybe something in that God thing, but really didn’t know what if that makes any sense? I probably sat on the fence about God. I had been to Sunday school as a kid so i knew about Church but not about God really. I knew that people went to Church and sang a few songs but that is as far as it went.
Me: When do you think you started to understand more about God?
Gaz: I think everybody is different, but i got to a point in life, you know, you’re working hard, looking after your family, you are sort of on a treadmill that seems to be going nowhere. It kind of grinds you down you know? I hated to ask for help, and got to a point that I thought it was going to be hard to recover from. I got to such a low point; my life seemed to be going nowhere. And strangely when I hit that point faith and God and all that stuff seemed to come to my mind.
Me: can you kind of describe that low point a bit more Gaz?
Gaz: I just woke up one morning and really didn’t feel like facing the world. I literally felt like I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t face work for the first time in my life. I felt tired and it was bordering on depression. And I just couldn’t face the world. I went to the doctors; I was run down, tired, I had absolutely nothing left in me to give. I had a lack of energy and no motivation left. The doctor didn’t do much but signed me off for a few weeks. In this time I knew I needed help.
Me: So what did you do about that?
Gaz: I think I prayed. Probably without knowing it was prayer. I wouldn’t say I prayed out loud, but I remember lying in bed one day and I prayed in my head. It was a kind of last resort. It was an alien thing for me to do. I couldn’t pray out loud because it felt so stupid. But I prayed for a turnaround in my life. I think I was desperate, and my prayer was just “help me out of this state please!”
Me: around this time what was your impression of Church?
Gaz: To me it was a structured institution. It seemed to have lots of rules and regulations and that caused a kind of mental barrier that made it hard for me to walk through a church door.
Me: so it didn’t appeal to you then?
Gaz: Er? No!
Me: Did you get the impression Church goers were weird or something?
Gaz: Maybe not weird as such but you formulate a kind of picture of a church person. Usually involving a blue rinse and a stern attitude!
Me: was that one of the barriers then?
Gaz: Yes definitely. To the world I think there is a stigma attached to the Church because of its attitudes, rules etc. People seemed to laugh at Christians; they seemed to be a bit of a joke! And I didn’t want people laughing at me. So a barrier forms in your head. People I know relate it to songs of praise on the TV and to be honest that doesn’t inspire you to go to Church!
Me: So Gaz, you started coming to Church regularly three years ago now, would you say you came because you were looking for something deeper in life?
Gaz: yeah, firstly the Church I go to I was shocked to find isn’t your stereotypical Church, I like the openness and the acceptance. When I started coming I needed something deeper, something more in life.
Me: A deeper understanding of God maybe?
Gaz: yeah. I was on that treadmill I mentioned and something inside my mind was saying, “There has to be more than this?” I felt like chucking it all in, and I was desperate for something more.
Me: Now you are involved in a Christian community. What’s changed in your life?
Gaz: well for example five years ago I couldn’t even look at a bible. Now I find it so interesting. Now you can’t just start liking the bible! Something, something spiritual I guess, sort of triggers it. All of a sudden I couldn’t put it down!
Me: would you say you became a Christian around this time?
Gaz: Well, I can’t say there was a particular point that i became a Christian, that I began to believe in Jesus, It crept up on me, it was kind of gradual thing. I began to believe that it had to be true especially as I read the scriptures and chatted things through every week with you.
Me: So you think scripture is changing you?
Gaz: yeah, I know it’s having an influence on me, you know, on the shape of my life. It’s a gradual thing with me. It can’t change my life overnight, but I think its impacting my life for the better. It’s given me a change of direction in my life, kind of got me off the treadmill.
Me: what about prayer? How do you find praying?
Gaz: I find it easier. Recently i have developed a better understanding of prayer. But mostly I realise how important it is to my relationship with God.
Me: Has prayer had any impact? Any examples Gaz?
Gaz: well, going back two years ago I prayed a practical thing. I prayed for a change of career I had come to the end of my patience working at Nissan and needed a change. After I prayed that God would get me out of there, amazingly, an opportunity came to take voluntary redundancy. I took it. It could have been a stupid thing to do at the height of a recession, but I did it. I had an overwhelming feeling that it was the right thing to do. I also had a feeling that another job was waiting for me. So i left Nissan and took several months off. I prayed that I would get a job. It wasn’t going to well, the job hunting, but I prayed. I woke up one morning and had a strong feeling that I needed to get up and take my CV around some garages. So I got up went to about 10 garages and dropped off my CV. I just knew that day I was going to get a job. On the very last call of the day after having no real success in any of the other garages, I went in to see the boss at the last call. He said come back tomorrow and have a chat. The next day I went back and he gave mean job on a six month contract which was better than nothing. Two years later I am still on that six month contract! Still working there!
Me: that's miraculous really Gaz! So do you believe prayer works?
Gaz: yeah definitely.
Me: What about sharing your faith with others? I remember you saying to me you could never do that! What about now?
Gaz: It is easier now. It doesn't seem strange at all. I just want to do it. You get an overwhelming feeling that you have to do it. Also turn your Christianity into action. Just a few weeks ago I just felt God wanted me to clean up the car park at the Church so I just did it. There are so many ways to reach out and help. I just know we have to do it. Who else will reach the people for God if the Church don't?
Me: What kind of struggles have you come up against since becoming a Christian?
Gaz: I'll give you an example. My parents are both in I'll health. My mam particularly is suffering from a torturous condition. It's horrible to watch her deteriorate. I find it hard to connect how great God is with how I'll my mam is. It's a mystery. I can't seem to fathom it out. But I pray for my mam and I have learned to learn the lessons from it. Particularly that life is precious.
Me: If there is one thing you would want to say to a person who is maybe struggling liken you were what would it be?
Gaz: Yeah, whatever your lot in life, wether you are rich or poor, whatever your situation. Getting to know Jesus will truly lift you. I've found it has helped me so much.
Me: And if there was one thing you would say to the Church?
Gaz: we can make a difference in the world. And I would say make the bible the number one thing. The whole lot is meaningless without the bible. From the bible we can help shape society for the better!
Me: Thanks Gaz so much.
This guy is a living example and visible evidence that Jesus Christ is touching this broken world. This story gives hope. Hope to the Church and hope for the world. The fact is Gary gets it! He gets the link between prayer and mission and the amazing thing is that he has naturally allowed that to happen in his life. He understands about breathing in God and breathing out God in a missional sense. He is a living example of the missio Dei- God already working in our streets, our communities, our cities, our Nations. God is still saving people, still transforming lives and communities
Gaz was lost. But God and him have connected
There are millions of Gary's worldwide. And we are the hope this world.
The Church.
The only hope as We join Jesus in his saving work.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Dead-Ends
Having coffee before I venture out into the city today my mind was sharply thrown back in time a few years to an obscure moment in my life that really does matter to my future.
I was speaking at the launch of a North Welsh churches combined 24-7 prayer week. The gathering happened in a large Church building somewhere near Wrexham. I had finished my talk, a talk basically geared at motivating people to pray, when the host for the evening stood up before the closing worship session and said that at the end of the service there would be opportunity for people to respond. He pointed out the large prayer team standing to the right of the main stage and proceeded to add that 'Gary would be there to pray with people to!'
There were loads of young people there, and as the gathering came to a close many were responding and coming forward for prayer. As I looked out over the massive church and the sea of people that had gathered, my eyes caught sight of an old guy. A strikingly old guy in a sea of youth! This guy looked to be in his eighties or nineties, 96 as it turned out. I saw him struggle out of his seat, I watched as he moved slowly forward, heading for the prayer area at the front. He seemed to take an absolute age to get to the front. As he approached the front he didn't even look up, but I just sensed he was coming to me. Two guys had to help him up the steps to the raised area that the prayer team was located on. He walked towards me without looking up, only lifting his eyes up to look me in the face when he was about two feet away. He had old, weathered skin. He had two bags of floppy skin under each eye that from a distance made him look tired and ancient. But when he lifted his eyes, they shone like the brightest stars. They were searingly blue and vibrant. He looked me straight in the eye, and I felt my heart almost stop. He had an authority about him. Not a worldly authority but a spiritual authority that radiated outwards from his whole being. A guy that you just knew you needed to listen to.
I get so many prophetic words wherever I go, and I appreciate them, but I've learned to be careful, especially of picture prophecy that can often mislead. I remember being at an event about five years ago where a well meaning woman came up to me and said, 'Gary, does the word plant pot mean anything to you?' it took me all my effort not to say, 'yeah, I'm looking at one!'
Yeah I know that's bad!
Back to the old guy though! He said to me, 'I have a word from God for you.'
And I knew.
I knew I had to listen.
It was a very simple word.
He said this.
'You, my son, are going to come up against a very big brick wall in your ministry. But God wants to tell you here and now he is going to get you over it. Just fix your eyes on him and stay with him.'
With that he lowered his eyes and began the long walk back to the back of the hall.
I knew it was a serious word because I felt the spirit of God all over me, so much so I had to ask Dawn to drive home. And believe me that takes some doing! (just joking she's a better driver than me really!)
As I thought of this incident my mind rested for a while on some of the brick walls that had been in the way of my movement forward in life and ministry. And yeah God had gotten me over them.
And I know there are more to come.
I wanted to write this blog post today to all those who feel there is a brick wall, a dead end, or something that has gotten in the way of your journey.
I want to say there is always a way.
A way over or around or even through.
I think the problem can be that we see these things as an ending.
The end!
Things that we are so positive about or convinced are right sometimes seem to die before our very eyes.
And we pick up the death.
We often choose to pick up the ending and hold it tight to our chests. We accept the end, we become resigned to the end.
David Adam makes this observation. 'it's amazing how many Christians keep holding on to dead things when they say they believe in the resurrection.'
It's so true! We all know as Christians the need to die to self and for the self to die in order to experience much more of Jesus.
But I think there is also a need to drop the dead things.
You know, those dead things that we know do not matter really yet seem so comforting to hold? You see it in the Church, pointless useless traditionalism (the bad kind) that stifles, jams mission in the barrel of the missional gun, ruins people, families and church communities.
A dead thing we hold on to.
In our lives we know we come up against brick walls that are dead. A dead end. But we grab a hold of the dead wall and just say it's the end.
We say we believe in the resurrection?
The resurrection is the matrix.
A point from which we can be changed.
A new beginning, a step over the wall.
The resurrection is the only super-power this world truly has.
It's the only power that can diffuse dead ends, get us over the large brick walls.
To claim the resurrection we have to drop the dead things.
The matrix, the revolution that is the resurrection, laughs in the face of dead things. And it spawns new direction, a new us, a new way.
So today be challenged to drop the dead things that are causing us to be stagnant.
You know what they are ? If not ask God today to show you.
Those rubbishy things that seem to be brick walls.
But God is going to get you over them.
Understand the matrix today.
You are amazing!
Eternal blessings on you and your loved ones today.
Gaz
I was speaking at the launch of a North Welsh churches combined 24-7 prayer week. The gathering happened in a large Church building somewhere near Wrexham. I had finished my talk, a talk basically geared at motivating people to pray, when the host for the evening stood up before the closing worship session and said that at the end of the service there would be opportunity for people to respond. He pointed out the large prayer team standing to the right of the main stage and proceeded to add that 'Gary would be there to pray with people to!'
There were loads of young people there, and as the gathering came to a close many were responding and coming forward for prayer. As I looked out over the massive church and the sea of people that had gathered, my eyes caught sight of an old guy. A strikingly old guy in a sea of youth! This guy looked to be in his eighties or nineties, 96 as it turned out. I saw him struggle out of his seat, I watched as he moved slowly forward, heading for the prayer area at the front. He seemed to take an absolute age to get to the front. As he approached the front he didn't even look up, but I just sensed he was coming to me. Two guys had to help him up the steps to the raised area that the prayer team was located on. He walked towards me without looking up, only lifting his eyes up to look me in the face when he was about two feet away. He had old, weathered skin. He had two bags of floppy skin under each eye that from a distance made him look tired and ancient. But when he lifted his eyes, they shone like the brightest stars. They were searingly blue and vibrant. He looked me straight in the eye, and I felt my heart almost stop. He had an authority about him. Not a worldly authority but a spiritual authority that radiated outwards from his whole being. A guy that you just knew you needed to listen to.
I get so many prophetic words wherever I go, and I appreciate them, but I've learned to be careful, especially of picture prophecy that can often mislead. I remember being at an event about five years ago where a well meaning woman came up to me and said, 'Gary, does the word plant pot mean anything to you?' it took me all my effort not to say, 'yeah, I'm looking at one!'
Yeah I know that's bad!
Back to the old guy though! He said to me, 'I have a word from God for you.'
And I knew.
I knew I had to listen.
It was a very simple word.
He said this.
'You, my son, are going to come up against a very big brick wall in your ministry. But God wants to tell you here and now he is going to get you over it. Just fix your eyes on him and stay with him.'
With that he lowered his eyes and began the long walk back to the back of the hall.
I knew it was a serious word because I felt the spirit of God all over me, so much so I had to ask Dawn to drive home. And believe me that takes some doing! (just joking she's a better driver than me really!)
As I thought of this incident my mind rested for a while on some of the brick walls that had been in the way of my movement forward in life and ministry. And yeah God had gotten me over them.
And I know there are more to come.
I wanted to write this blog post today to all those who feel there is a brick wall, a dead end, or something that has gotten in the way of your journey.
I want to say there is always a way.
A way over or around or even through.
I think the problem can be that we see these things as an ending.
The end!
Things that we are so positive about or convinced are right sometimes seem to die before our very eyes.
And we pick up the death.
We often choose to pick up the ending and hold it tight to our chests. We accept the end, we become resigned to the end.
David Adam makes this observation. 'it's amazing how many Christians keep holding on to dead things when they say they believe in the resurrection.'
It's so true! We all know as Christians the need to die to self and for the self to die in order to experience much more of Jesus.
But I think there is also a need to drop the dead things.
You know, those dead things that we know do not matter really yet seem so comforting to hold? You see it in the Church, pointless useless traditionalism (the bad kind) that stifles, jams mission in the barrel of the missional gun, ruins people, families and church communities.
A dead thing we hold on to.
In our lives we know we come up against brick walls that are dead. A dead end. But we grab a hold of the dead wall and just say it's the end.
We say we believe in the resurrection?
The resurrection is the matrix.
A point from which we can be changed.
A new beginning, a step over the wall.
The resurrection is the only super-power this world truly has.
It's the only power that can diffuse dead ends, get us over the large brick walls.
To claim the resurrection we have to drop the dead things.
The matrix, the revolution that is the resurrection, laughs in the face of dead things. And it spawns new direction, a new us, a new way.
So today be challenged to drop the dead things that are causing us to be stagnant.
You know what they are ? If not ask God today to show you.
Those rubbishy things that seem to be brick walls.
But God is going to get you over them.
Understand the matrix today.
You are amazing!
Eternal blessings on you and your loved ones today.
Gaz
Monday, May 16, 2011
Fight!
Last week I had the privilege of watching the memorial service to David Wilkerson beamed live as a webcast across the Internet live from Times Square Church in New York City. David Wilkerson was a hero of the faith. His book Cross and the switchblade, the true story of how David, a skinny preacher, was led by God into the darkest streets possible in the Darkest areas of 50 s New York, and ministered into the violent gang culture that resided there. The story particularly highlights the dramatic conversion of gang leader Nicky Cruz, who today is still going strong touching lives with the power of God.
David Wilkerson's life came to an end a few weeks ago in a horrendous car crash in Texas aged 79.
The memorial service was such a blessing. Amazing heart searching worship, surrounded fantastic tributes from family members and from his co pastors at Times Square Church and from some people who's lives had been touched through Davids's ministry. Interspersed into the service were moving clips of some of David's most profound words both from his preaching and from his writing, particularly his blog.
All the people who spoke gave really amazing tributes. But one theme came through from all of them.
The theme was, that David Wilkerson lived to love people and to help and save people. Everything he did was for God with his mission being precisely to love, help and save people.
And as I learned that the webcast alone was being watched by millions of people, something really dawned on me.
Something leaped in my Spirit.
One man!
One man had this much impact for God in the world.
This one man had brought literally millions to seek God and have their lives changed around.
My own transformation started in the pages of the cross and the switchblade.
My own desperation to see the world transformed started as I almost walked the streets of Brooklyn in those pages.
One man.
My thoughts turned to the church. If one man can have such an impact?
What can be achieved for the kingdom if the whole church lived to love, help and save people?
I was reminded that we are called to be world changers.
This week since the memorial service, I think my life has taken a step further into the depths of God.
I genuinely want to make an impact in the world. I want to devote my life to love, help and save others.
And I really believe God is calling his people now more than ever to make it our life's work to love, help and save the lost.
We are called to fight!
To fight for the lost, the hurting and the dying, the broken and the needy, the unloveable, the seemingly unreachable.
So I throw the challenge out there today, just as the challenge is there for me too!
Fight!
Fight for the very lives of those who need Jesus.
Do whatever you can to love, help and save people.
Is it time we picked up the fight?
Is it time we intensified the fight?
If one skinny preacher can bring the power of God to so many, then why not you?
Rise up today. Take our focus of things that really aren't that important and fight. Go to the darkest places, not just geographically but the spiritually dark places that people reside in their everyday lives.
Befriend.
Love lavishly.
Touch lives.
Fight!
Massive blessing on you this day guys!
David Wilkerson's life came to an end a few weeks ago in a horrendous car crash in Texas aged 79.
The memorial service was such a blessing. Amazing heart searching worship, surrounded fantastic tributes from family members and from his co pastors at Times Square Church and from some people who's lives had been touched through Davids's ministry. Interspersed into the service were moving clips of some of David's most profound words both from his preaching and from his writing, particularly his blog.
All the people who spoke gave really amazing tributes. But one theme came through from all of them.
The theme was, that David Wilkerson lived to love people and to help and save people. Everything he did was for God with his mission being precisely to love, help and save people.
And as I learned that the webcast alone was being watched by millions of people, something really dawned on me.
Something leaped in my Spirit.
One man!
One man had this much impact for God in the world.
This one man had brought literally millions to seek God and have their lives changed around.
My own transformation started in the pages of the cross and the switchblade.
My own desperation to see the world transformed started as I almost walked the streets of Brooklyn in those pages.
One man.
My thoughts turned to the church. If one man can have such an impact?
What can be achieved for the kingdom if the whole church lived to love, help and save people?
I was reminded that we are called to be world changers.
This week since the memorial service, I think my life has taken a step further into the depths of God.
I genuinely want to make an impact in the world. I want to devote my life to love, help and save others.
And I really believe God is calling his people now more than ever to make it our life's work to love, help and save the lost.
We are called to fight!
To fight for the lost, the hurting and the dying, the broken and the needy, the unloveable, the seemingly unreachable.
So I throw the challenge out there today, just as the challenge is there for me too!
Fight!
Fight for the very lives of those who need Jesus.
Do whatever you can to love, help and save people.
Is it time we picked up the fight?
Is it time we intensified the fight?
If one skinny preacher can bring the power of God to so many, then why not you?
Rise up today. Take our focus of things that really aren't that important and fight. Go to the darkest places, not just geographically but the spiritually dark places that people reside in their everyday lives.
Befriend.
Love lavishly.
Touch lives.
Fight!
Massive blessing on you this day guys!
Friday, May 13, 2011
DNA
Grissom, Kathryn Willows, Sarah Sidle, Nick Stokes, Dr Ray Langston! These are names I live with almost every day! My absolute favourite TV series, CSI Vegas. CSI has fuelled my fascination with the world of forensic science and the way that amazing techniques in forensic technology can incriminate criminals and ultimately solve crimes. I'm particularly taken by the advancements in DNA knowledge. DNA discovered by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1951 is a complex science but basically it means every living thing including humans have a unique code, a kind of blueprint that underpins our individuality.
It gives us our uniqueness.
Someone came and addressed me aggressively recently about my Salvationism. I don't very often write about the Salvation Army on my blog but feel this may help some people this time. This person came up to me at Sanctuary 21 and clearly wanted to get some stuff off his chest about what he thought about S21. This guy is a lifelong Salvationist and was visiting Durham for the day. His less than friendly start to the conversation began with these words. "This place is not 'Army'. He then went on to give me a long list of reasons why he thought we were not 'Army'
Here are all the reasons he stated.
There is no brass band.
I can't see a flag.
You are not in full uniform and you are the officer!
You only have red shields up and not a crest.
There are no war cry magazines hanging around.
You work with other churches and there is no place for multi denominationalism we were raised up to be separate.
There is no car park
This is not the tradition of the Salvation Army!
And finally he went off the subject of Salvationism and added a finishing shot, "and the coffees rubbish!
As he was aggressively imparting this anti-encouragement one of the guys who is a part of our community, a guy who is homeless and sleeps most nights behind Argos in the City Centre came in. He was cold from a night on the pavement. I half watched, one eye on the ranting Salvationist one on the homeless guy. I watched as one of our team sat by the homeless guy put her arm around him. Got him a hot cup of tea, then say and talked to him before making him some breakfast.
This really set me thinking about what really marks us out as unique?
What is our DNA?
Here was a very angry guy with his eyes fixed on the mechanics of Salvationism. What we look like, what we have in our buildings, what the Salvation Army is perceived it should look like.
Then there was a guy who was poor and needy and whatever the factors that have led him to this lowly place in his life, desperately needed love, acceptance and compassion.
So what is our DNA?
I don't think, it's shiny shoes, crests and tambourines. I'm not knocking those things, and I certainly am not judging Salvationists who choose to put their stock in those things.
But more and more I am convinced our DNA is Jesus.
It's love, acceptance and compassion.
It's the whosoever.
It's the whatsoever.
It lies in meeting needs.
It's saving dark souls.
It's sharing what we have.
It's having down to earth conversation.
It's not judging.
It's trying not to be critical.
It's encouraging one another and others.
It's befriending the friendless.
Giving hope to the hopeless.
Cleansing the dirty, practically if we have to.
Doing whatever we can for the kingdom.
It's taking massive risks with mission.
Loving the nobody.
Healing the broken.
Loving the lost.
As William Booth challenged all Salvationists across the generations, prophetically, I believe, to fight. Fight for the very lives of those who desperately need Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
I got a sense as the angry Salvationist was in the throws of his torrential outpouring, that us Salvationists really need to drop the wrong battle. The one that has been raging for the longest time about how we look, how we appear. Because frankly, if we don't have the DNA of Christ running through our veins then how we look ain't really going to matter at all.
If we could just grasp the real DNA. The compassion, the love, the acceptance of the whosoever (including each other). I honestly believe we can be a real Army once again. A massively effective Army. An Army that sees it's mission actually working as it touches thousands of lives worldwide with the love and power of God as the Holy Spirit works through us.
I'm not mad with the guy who thought we weren't Army. I know we are, I know I am taken by it's mission and it's original passion for reaching the needy and the broken.
I think that's our DNA.
That DNA will ensure a victorious Salvation Army, a victorious Church.
There are good times ahead guys.
Massively good times
Gaz
It gives us our uniqueness.
Someone came and addressed me aggressively recently about my Salvationism. I don't very often write about the Salvation Army on my blog but feel this may help some people this time. This person came up to me at Sanctuary 21 and clearly wanted to get some stuff off his chest about what he thought about S21. This guy is a lifelong Salvationist and was visiting Durham for the day. His less than friendly start to the conversation began with these words. "This place is not 'Army'. He then went on to give me a long list of reasons why he thought we were not 'Army'
Here are all the reasons he stated.
There is no brass band.
I can't see a flag.
You are not in full uniform and you are the officer!
You only have red shields up and not a crest.
There are no war cry magazines hanging around.
You work with other churches and there is no place for multi denominationalism we were raised up to be separate.
There is no car park
This is not the tradition of the Salvation Army!
And finally he went off the subject of Salvationism and added a finishing shot, "and the coffees rubbish!
As he was aggressively imparting this anti-encouragement one of the guys who is a part of our community, a guy who is homeless and sleeps most nights behind Argos in the City Centre came in. He was cold from a night on the pavement. I half watched, one eye on the ranting Salvationist one on the homeless guy. I watched as one of our team sat by the homeless guy put her arm around him. Got him a hot cup of tea, then say and talked to him before making him some breakfast.
This really set me thinking about what really marks us out as unique?
What is our DNA?
Here was a very angry guy with his eyes fixed on the mechanics of Salvationism. What we look like, what we have in our buildings, what the Salvation Army is perceived it should look like.
Then there was a guy who was poor and needy and whatever the factors that have led him to this lowly place in his life, desperately needed love, acceptance and compassion.
So what is our DNA?
I don't think, it's shiny shoes, crests and tambourines. I'm not knocking those things, and I certainly am not judging Salvationists who choose to put their stock in those things.
But more and more I am convinced our DNA is Jesus.
It's love, acceptance and compassion.
It's the whosoever.
It's the whatsoever.
It lies in meeting needs.
It's saving dark souls.
It's sharing what we have.
It's having down to earth conversation.
It's not judging.
It's trying not to be critical.
It's encouraging one another and others.
It's befriending the friendless.
Giving hope to the hopeless.
Cleansing the dirty, practically if we have to.
Doing whatever we can for the kingdom.
It's taking massive risks with mission.
Loving the nobody.
Healing the broken.
Loving the lost.
As William Booth challenged all Salvationists across the generations, prophetically, I believe, to fight. Fight for the very lives of those who desperately need Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
I got a sense as the angry Salvationist was in the throws of his torrential outpouring, that us Salvationists really need to drop the wrong battle. The one that has been raging for the longest time about how we look, how we appear. Because frankly, if we don't have the DNA of Christ running through our veins then how we look ain't really going to matter at all.
If we could just grasp the real DNA. The compassion, the love, the acceptance of the whosoever (including each other). I honestly believe we can be a real Army once again. A massively effective Army. An Army that sees it's mission actually working as it touches thousands of lives worldwide with the love and power of God as the Holy Spirit works through us.
I'm not mad with the guy who thought we weren't Army. I know we are, I know I am taken by it's mission and it's original passion for reaching the needy and the broken.
I think that's our DNA.
That DNA will ensure a victorious Salvation Army, a victorious Church.
There are good times ahead guys.
Massively good times
Gaz
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Was it a celebration?
The weekend started with a wedding.
The wedding of HRH Prince William to Kate Middleton.
TV screens throughout the world beamed pictures of the Royal wedding live.
It was a joyous celebration.
The weekend ended with the capture and subsequent death of the worlds most wanted man. Osama Bin Laden had been responsible for the senseless slaughter of men, women and children, in many parts of the world over many years.
As this news was beamed across the news networks of the world the weekend seemed to end in joyous celebration.
Thousands of people, especially Americans who had seen the horrendous results of this guys strategic terrorism, when 3000 plus people met their deaths in the tragic destruction of two of the worlds tallest skyscrapers, the twin towers in New York, were on the streets immediately, waving flags, shouting wildly their shouts of justice and victory.
I was intrigued at the immediate response to this of many Christians on Twitter and Facebook. Mostly people almost condemning the celebration. Comments such as 'I'm not sure celebrating the death of a tyrant warrants celebration.'
But was it really a celebration?
Was it really?
I am not saying here that the eye for an eye killing of a tyrant is the way forward, or that the decisions of President Obama or the actions of the crack American military were justified. That one is really hard to get ones head around quite frankly.
But when I saw the thousands waving their flags and shouting their words. What I saw was the outpouring of deep hurts. The cry of a lost society. These people had to endure seeing young vibrant citizens have to jump from the top of unbelievably high skyscrapers to their deaths. They had to endure the senseless loss of loved ones, work colleagues, fellow countrymen. They had seen brave firemen, policemen, even clergy lose their lives as they bravely fought for the lives of people who were trapped.
I don't think the mass ranks of people seemingly celebrating really was that at all.
It was interesting to note that the following morning to the capture and death of bin Laden, outside the perimeters of ground zero in New York. There really wasn't a celebratory scene. People could be seen reflecting. An almost flaccid scene of sombre contemplation.
I think it was an outpouring of deep hurt.
A demonstration that hurts were coming to the surface. Hurts were rising from the dark places in the soul out into the light.
When hurts come into the light that is when healing and transformation can take place.
As I watched the flag waving scenes, it reminded me that the world is crying out for healing. The world is crying out for transformation. The world is crying out for restoration.
The world quite frankly is crying out for a saviour.
It reminded me that those of us who say we know Jesus and live out Christianity in the world are the ones who have the means to bring these things to meet the cry of a broken society.
So I woke this morning with the words 'I have overcome the world,' inexplicably ringing in my mind and my heart. I want to walk in a world that has been overcome. I want to be a peace maker. I want to change the world. I want to be an imparter of healing of restoration and transformation.
The immediate reaction to the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden seemed at first glance to be celebratory.
But was it?
Or was it the cry of a broken people, a hurting people who desperately are searching for healing?
Whatever your views there is one thing that remains clear?
Us Christians, as we join Jesus Christ in our Nations, our Cities, wherever we are, are really the hope of the Nations.
The hope of peace.
The hope of healing.
The hope of transformation.
So We go into the world today knowing that there isn't a second to waste.
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whoever you encounter, be an overcomer, a peacemaker, a healer, a transformation bringer.
Try to look beyond the issues of the church today. Look to what you can do in your everyday circumstances.
It could change the world.
The wedding of HRH Prince William to Kate Middleton.
TV screens throughout the world beamed pictures of the Royal wedding live.
It was a joyous celebration.
The weekend ended with the capture and subsequent death of the worlds most wanted man. Osama Bin Laden had been responsible for the senseless slaughter of men, women and children, in many parts of the world over many years.
As this news was beamed across the news networks of the world the weekend seemed to end in joyous celebration.
Thousands of people, especially Americans who had seen the horrendous results of this guys strategic terrorism, when 3000 plus people met their deaths in the tragic destruction of two of the worlds tallest skyscrapers, the twin towers in New York, were on the streets immediately, waving flags, shouting wildly their shouts of justice and victory.
I was intrigued at the immediate response to this of many Christians on Twitter and Facebook. Mostly people almost condemning the celebration. Comments such as 'I'm not sure celebrating the death of a tyrant warrants celebration.'
But was it really a celebration?
Was it really?
I am not saying here that the eye for an eye killing of a tyrant is the way forward, or that the decisions of President Obama or the actions of the crack American military were justified. That one is really hard to get ones head around quite frankly.
But when I saw the thousands waving their flags and shouting their words. What I saw was the outpouring of deep hurts. The cry of a lost society. These people had to endure seeing young vibrant citizens have to jump from the top of unbelievably high skyscrapers to their deaths. They had to endure the senseless loss of loved ones, work colleagues, fellow countrymen. They had seen brave firemen, policemen, even clergy lose their lives as they bravely fought for the lives of people who were trapped.
I don't think the mass ranks of people seemingly celebrating really was that at all.
It was interesting to note that the following morning to the capture and death of bin Laden, outside the perimeters of ground zero in New York. There really wasn't a celebratory scene. People could be seen reflecting. An almost flaccid scene of sombre contemplation.
I think it was an outpouring of deep hurt.
A demonstration that hurts were coming to the surface. Hurts were rising from the dark places in the soul out into the light.
When hurts come into the light that is when healing and transformation can take place.
As I watched the flag waving scenes, it reminded me that the world is crying out for healing. The world is crying out for transformation. The world is crying out for restoration.
The world quite frankly is crying out for a saviour.
It reminded me that those of us who say we know Jesus and live out Christianity in the world are the ones who have the means to bring these things to meet the cry of a broken society.
So I woke this morning with the words 'I have overcome the world,' inexplicably ringing in my mind and my heart. I want to walk in a world that has been overcome. I want to be a peace maker. I want to change the world. I want to be an imparter of healing of restoration and transformation.
The immediate reaction to the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden seemed at first glance to be celebratory.
But was it?
Or was it the cry of a broken people, a hurting people who desperately are searching for healing?
Whatever your views there is one thing that remains clear?
Us Christians, as we join Jesus Christ in our Nations, our Cities, wherever we are, are really the hope of the Nations.
The hope of peace.
The hope of healing.
The hope of transformation.
So We go into the world today knowing that there isn't a second to waste.
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whoever you encounter, be an overcomer, a peacemaker, a healer, a transformation bringer.
Try to look beyond the issues of the church today. Look to what you can do in your everyday circumstances.
It could change the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Hi My book Dejunk has now been released To get a copy please make a payment either by cheque made payable to William Gary Lacey to Gary...
-
Every morning I have to park in a city multi storey. I park on level 4. Every working day. The thing is I have to jump a lift up to le...