Braveheart starring Mel Gibson is a great film.
I had a brilliant night just laying on the couch watching this three hour epic unfold before my eyes.
Towards the end of the film, the part where just before William Wallace is due to be hung, drawn, and beheaded, he is sitting chained up in a jail where he receives a visit from the future queen of England who quite frankly fancies him. She pleads with him to pledge allegiance to Edward Long-shanks, the King of England, so that his death sentence may be put off or even overturned.
William Wallace says a very remarkable thing.
He speaks a sentence that caught my attention. A few words that really inspired me as I watched the screen that night.
He said this.
All men will die, but few men truly live.
As I lay on the couch I reflected on my life so far. I especially reflected on my Salvation Army Officership so far.
Have I truly lived?
Well there have been moments when I have felt kind of dead. There have also been moments when I have truly lived.
I have experienced failure, I have experienced successes.
But as I lay on the couch I suddenly sat upright.
Inspiration lifted me up from my lazy prone position.
It dawned on me that one thing is for certain. I will die one day physically. I don't know when, I don't know the day or the hour. No point even thinking about that! It's guaranteed so it's not really worth thinking about.
It also fell on my spirit that whatever has happened so far in my life that I can't actually do much about the past either. What's gone has gone. Good and bad.
But I want to truly live.
Few men truly live says William Wallace in the film Braveheart.
As I sat bolt upright on the couch that was my pledge to God.
I want to truly live.
My mind went back to a moment in my life that was pivotal in my shaping.
It was a moment.
Only a moment literally.
It was nevertheless a moment, a few minutes that brought restoration and healing and the platform from which to march forward in life.
It was when my father was dying. In fact it was the day he died. I went to see him and spent five minutes alone with him. He hadn't been the best of fathers. We hadn't really had a lot to do with each other for about fifteen years. He had left the family home years before and married another woman. He had hurt me and my family badly. This had left me bitter and angry with him.
This bitterness and anger is not great to have hanging around your life.
It is immobilising and quite frankly prevents you from truly living.
And that was the case for a large part of my life. Whether I knew it or not was really irrelevant.
But in that moment, when I had that five minutes alone with him, I looked at a frail man ravaged with cancer. I took his hand and the anger, the bitterness, the shame, the disappointment, just kind of left. It was almost as if they just walked away from me in that room. I looked into my dads opened eyes, whether he could see or not, whether he could hear or not, I really will never know. But I whispered the words, I forgive you, I love you. That was it, those were the words I used. These were the words that I had found it almost impossible to say when he was alive and well.
That was just a couple of years ago now.
As I thought of that moment, I felt that my dad hadn't truly lived and neither had I in terms of that relationship.
I couldn't change the past in that moment.
But I could certainly change the future.
I new that in that moment of forgiveness and healing came life.
A new platform from which to take my life forward. At that point in my life I was sick of the pain of that, I was also sick of the irrelevant stuff that was going on in my life, and in my ministry.
You know stuff that's not important or relevant, helpful, or life giving?
I remember thinking then that I wanted to do things that count. I want to count for goodness sake. I want my life to make a difference to other people.
That thinking resurfaced on that couch that night while watching Braveheart.
All men will die, but few men truly live.
And I knew for sure right then and there that the only way to truly live is to truly live for Christ.
2 Corinthians 5: 15 says, "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."
The truth of this really made my heart come alive.
William Wallace lived to bring freedom to the Scots. And he was dangerous individual.
Jesus lived and died, and rose again, to bring freedom for the whole of mankind.
Not living for ourselves but living for Christ means we have a cause, we have a purpose, we have a mission.
To bring freedom to the captives
That makes us dangerous people, in a good way, in kingdom terms.
So today it would be good to be challenged by God.
Who are we living for?
Are we living for ourselves? Are we measuring life in personal gains and success, in appearance? in finance? in possessions? In promotion? in fame in personal glory? In status? in position? in standing?
Do you know what? I reckon if that is the case, then you step out of that game.
It's just, well I hope you don't mind me saying, rubbish.
Are we living with unforgiveness and a lack of mercy towards others, especially those who have really inflicted hurt on us?
Sort it guys?
I know it's not easy I've been there, but listen, all men die that's guaranteed. Do you really want to get to that moment and you haven't really lived?
Live to fight for a cause.
It makes life worth living. The cause of Jesus to save the world from total spiritual destruction is cause enough.
And in Christ we will truly live.
So today guys choose life.
Choose to truly live.
Are you tired of stuff that has been going on way too long. Those relationships, those issues, those fights?
Drop the battle guys.
Because, all men die, but few men will truly live.
For me, I want to truly live.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Futuristic
I've been thinking about my future a lot recently.
Isn't it funny how your mind creates pictures of the future. What it will look like, what it will bring and before long your convinced that's how it is going to be.
I have big dreams.
I have things I want to see. I have things I want to accomplish.
Of course it's healthy to have dreams and visions. They are ultimately important and sometimes spiritually essential.
Iv'e found myself in daydream overdrive recently.
But the thing is, in that state of overdrive they can become really distracting too.
They can distract you from the now.
And the now is really the fulcrum of life.
What we do now effects our future. The now becomes our past and shapes our future.
In our bathroom at home there is a little white porcelain picture frame. Written in the middle of it is this. Life is what happens when we are busy making plans.
I've kind of being doing a bit too much making of plans in my head lately, and the life that has been happening around me has kind of passed me by.
In leadership I have to dream big. I have to discover God in the future. Because one solid feature of following Jesus is that we have a future and others have a future because of our future if you know what I mean?
But!
I also have to deal with the now.
There are real people in the now. There are people who need me in the now.
Life is happening!
Now.
I can't spend my hours and days busy making plans for the future.
I know a guy who calls himself a church planter. Every time I see him he plans. He has plans to plant in this area of the UK. He has plans to move to such and such a place. He is always talking about plans. I've never heard him mention what's going on now! He is futuristic! A man who incessantly lives in the future.
I asked him a couple of weeks ago, "what's happening with you right now?" he answered excitedly, "God has said to me I am going to build a church and paint it gold, I don't know yet where it's going to be but I know I am to call it the golden Church!
I had asked him what's going on now?
But what was happening for him now was still futuristic!
Golden Church?
OK? (are you thinking the same as me?)
He still hasn't built the church of a thousand souls that he told me about last year, or the curry church he had dreamed up last year. (Curry Church? How original! That's one church I would love to go to! Can you imagine chicken Korma, pilau rice, a poppadum and God! mmmmmmm!
The problem I guess is that if he doesn't get himself into the now the future will never materialise.
And I guess that is teaching me that I need to get in to the now right now!
Life happens when we are busy making plans.
I guess it's best to leave the future in Gods hands.
He says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(Jeremiah 29:11)
So if God has plans for us why do we get so wrapped up and busy in making plans.
We love making plans for our lives and our churches. Hey we even set up planning committees, appoint organising people, we plan our strategies, our mission plans. And I guess they are valid? (I'll say that to be nice!)
But what's happening now?
No I reckon if God has plans for us, especially plans to prosper us, not to harm us and plans to give us a hope and a future. I think I'll get on with now and leave the plans to God.
Abundant showers of blessing on your amazing life today.
Isn't it funny how your mind creates pictures of the future. What it will look like, what it will bring and before long your convinced that's how it is going to be.
I have big dreams.
I have things I want to see. I have things I want to accomplish.
Of course it's healthy to have dreams and visions. They are ultimately important and sometimes spiritually essential.
Iv'e found myself in daydream overdrive recently.
But the thing is, in that state of overdrive they can become really distracting too.
They can distract you from the now.
And the now is really the fulcrum of life.
What we do now effects our future. The now becomes our past and shapes our future.
In our bathroom at home there is a little white porcelain picture frame. Written in the middle of it is this. Life is what happens when we are busy making plans.
I've kind of being doing a bit too much making of plans in my head lately, and the life that has been happening around me has kind of passed me by.
In leadership I have to dream big. I have to discover God in the future. Because one solid feature of following Jesus is that we have a future and others have a future because of our future if you know what I mean?
But!
I also have to deal with the now.
There are real people in the now. There are people who need me in the now.
Life is happening!
Now.
I can't spend my hours and days busy making plans for the future.
I know a guy who calls himself a church planter. Every time I see him he plans. He has plans to plant in this area of the UK. He has plans to move to such and such a place. He is always talking about plans. I've never heard him mention what's going on now! He is futuristic! A man who incessantly lives in the future.
I asked him a couple of weeks ago, "what's happening with you right now?" he answered excitedly, "God has said to me I am going to build a church and paint it gold, I don't know yet where it's going to be but I know I am to call it the golden Church!
I had asked him what's going on now?
But what was happening for him now was still futuristic!
Golden Church?
OK? (are you thinking the same as me?)
He still hasn't built the church of a thousand souls that he told me about last year, or the curry church he had dreamed up last year. (Curry Church? How original! That's one church I would love to go to! Can you imagine chicken Korma, pilau rice, a poppadum and God! mmmmmmm!
The problem I guess is that if he doesn't get himself into the now the future will never materialise.
And I guess that is teaching me that I need to get in to the now right now!
Life happens when we are busy making plans.
I guess it's best to leave the future in Gods hands.
He says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(Jeremiah 29:11)
So if God has plans for us why do we get so wrapped up and busy in making plans.
We love making plans for our lives and our churches. Hey we even set up planning committees, appoint organising people, we plan our strategies, our mission plans. And I guess they are valid? (I'll say that to be nice!)
But what's happening now?
No I reckon if God has plans for us, especially plans to prosper us, not to harm us and plans to give us a hope and a future. I think I'll get on with now and leave the plans to God.
Abundant showers of blessing on your amazing life today.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
From this dark mess
I want to take this opportunity to thank those who read my blog, so many now, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
Every day I come across so many lost people.
So many beautiful people who are just so far away from God in their own experience yet it's so frustrating because God is so near to them.
Who is praying for them?
Prayer for the lost is mission.
Prayer for the lost is vital.
So vital that God says this.....
"And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him." (Isaiah 59:16)
God here is seeing no- one interceding for the lost! In fact he says therefore his arm brought salvation to the lost.
Of course he is referring prophetically to Jesus Christ here.
One of the reasons he had to send Jesus was that there was no intercessor?
God really wants his people praying.
The salvation of this world really depends on it.
So why does the church so often relegate prayer to some back shelf place in the scheme of it's mission?
You hear comments like, "Well I can't do much else but I can always pray!" or "the house bound people in our church are praying while we do other stuff."
Prayer meetings are often Poorly attended, even discarded.
"I'll pray for you!" often resonates around the draughty corridors of Christianity.
You get a kind of picture that prayer is a bit of an afterthought? Especially praying for the lost.
God says where are the intercessors!
Wow!
That sounds like a challenge! A challenge I think we need to hear in the now.
I've just been speaking to a young girl from the city here in Durham. She is right now, as I speak, hammered with drug addiction. She looks like shes just hit a fix. She is pregnant, she is vulnerable and in danger, she is alone, lonely, and lost. She comes into the Salvation Army everyday for a cheese toastie.
Everytime she comes in she writes a prayer card out.
The prayers she writes out are not your normal prayers.
They are deep cries from the heart.
They are pleas out of the dark mess of vulnerability and mistreatment.
They are not the language of a lovely warm big-cheeked Christian grandma (I'm not talking about you mum) The words are the language of the lost, and some of that language is not very pleasing to the reformed ear.
But they are intercessory. The lost crying out to God whether they know it or not.
And God hears their cry.
She's praying for herself in a way.
But where are the intercessors?
Where are we Christians?
Are we bringing our pleas on behalf of the millions of people who are trapped in all kinds of hellish traps?
Where are we?
Are we feeling the desperate cries of a lost nation? Do we bring them to Jesus?
Are we feeling their pain?
The thing about praying for the lost is that it doesn't seem like we are making headway.
Yeah, in the natural realm sometimes it's hard to see results of prayer.
So?
The thing is prayer is supernatural. But has an effect on the natural world. It's necessary because God has raised the Church to be his hands and feet.
Being Gods hands and feet and eyes I might add, means work.
Hard work.
Prayer for the lost is hard work.
It is about looking beyond ourselves, our church issues, our self indulgence.
And it's not up to a chosen few. We all have a responsibility to chip in.
In fact if God deems it important enough to send Jesus because one of the reasons is that no-one was praying for the lost? I guess enough said?
Imagine a Church on it's knees crying out for the nations, for the needy. We hear guys with a microphone on stages imploring us to pray and what could happen if we pray. A favourite line of loads of speakers is "every great revival was birthed in prayer."
Yeah?
That's cool information.
They are right of course.
So where are the intercessors?
I looked into the eyes of this poor wrecked slip of a girl. O how she needs God. God I look into her eyes and almost see hands reaching upward to be picked up.
It moves me to my knees.
I love it when my two year old grand daughter puts her arms up to me when she is crying. You know the way kids do? I just cannot resist picking her up and holding her tight.
Listen. No matter what we see in a person. No matter how much they have hurt us, no matter how far from God they are, whatever religion they are, whatever race, whatever social standing, whatever they look like, smell like or speak like. That is what God must feel he wants to pick everyone up and just hold them tight.
And we can take them into those arms as we pray for the lost.
I kind of implore those who read this today. And believe me I am challenging myself too.
Let's bring the masses to God in prayer.
Let's trust that God will touch the nations through an outpouring of passion and compassion for those whom we have been sent to reach.
Let's allow the love and compassion of God to move us to our knees.
Whoever is reading this now? You are amazing! God says so.
Every day I come across so many lost people.
So many beautiful people who are just so far away from God in their own experience yet it's so frustrating because God is so near to them.
Who is praying for them?
Prayer for the lost is mission.
Prayer for the lost is vital.
So vital that God says this.....
"And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him." (Isaiah 59:16)
God here is seeing no- one interceding for the lost! In fact he says therefore his arm brought salvation to the lost.
Of course he is referring prophetically to Jesus Christ here.
One of the reasons he had to send Jesus was that there was no intercessor?
God really wants his people praying.
The salvation of this world really depends on it.
So why does the church so often relegate prayer to some back shelf place in the scheme of it's mission?
You hear comments like, "Well I can't do much else but I can always pray!" or "the house bound people in our church are praying while we do other stuff."
Prayer meetings are often Poorly attended, even discarded.
"I'll pray for you!" often resonates around the draughty corridors of Christianity.
You get a kind of picture that prayer is a bit of an afterthought? Especially praying for the lost.
God says where are the intercessors!
Wow!
That sounds like a challenge! A challenge I think we need to hear in the now.
I've just been speaking to a young girl from the city here in Durham. She is right now, as I speak, hammered with drug addiction. She looks like shes just hit a fix. She is pregnant, she is vulnerable and in danger, she is alone, lonely, and lost. She comes into the Salvation Army everyday for a cheese toastie.
Everytime she comes in she writes a prayer card out.
The prayers she writes out are not your normal prayers.
They are deep cries from the heart.
They are pleas out of the dark mess of vulnerability and mistreatment.
They are not the language of a lovely warm big-cheeked Christian grandma (I'm not talking about you mum) The words are the language of the lost, and some of that language is not very pleasing to the reformed ear.
But they are intercessory. The lost crying out to God whether they know it or not.
And God hears their cry.
She's praying for herself in a way.
But where are the intercessors?
Where are we Christians?
Are we bringing our pleas on behalf of the millions of people who are trapped in all kinds of hellish traps?
Where are we?
Are we feeling the desperate cries of a lost nation? Do we bring them to Jesus?
Are we feeling their pain?
The thing about praying for the lost is that it doesn't seem like we are making headway.
Yeah, in the natural realm sometimes it's hard to see results of prayer.
So?
The thing is prayer is supernatural. But has an effect on the natural world. It's necessary because God has raised the Church to be his hands and feet.
Being Gods hands and feet and eyes I might add, means work.
Hard work.
Prayer for the lost is hard work.
It is about looking beyond ourselves, our church issues, our self indulgence.
And it's not up to a chosen few. We all have a responsibility to chip in.
In fact if God deems it important enough to send Jesus because one of the reasons is that no-one was praying for the lost? I guess enough said?
Imagine a Church on it's knees crying out for the nations, for the needy. We hear guys with a microphone on stages imploring us to pray and what could happen if we pray. A favourite line of loads of speakers is "every great revival was birthed in prayer."
Yeah?
That's cool information.
They are right of course.
So where are the intercessors?
I looked into the eyes of this poor wrecked slip of a girl. O how she needs God. God I look into her eyes and almost see hands reaching upward to be picked up.
It moves me to my knees.
I love it when my two year old grand daughter puts her arms up to me when she is crying. You know the way kids do? I just cannot resist picking her up and holding her tight.
Listen. No matter what we see in a person. No matter how much they have hurt us, no matter how far from God they are, whatever religion they are, whatever race, whatever social standing, whatever they look like, smell like or speak like. That is what God must feel he wants to pick everyone up and just hold them tight.
And we can take them into those arms as we pray for the lost.
I kind of implore those who read this today. And believe me I am challenging myself too.
Let's bring the masses to God in prayer.
Let's trust that God will touch the nations through an outpouring of passion and compassion for those whom we have been sent to reach.
Let's allow the love and compassion of God to move us to our knees.
Whoever is reading this now? You are amazing! God says so.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Breathe
Words sometimes penetrate the very fabric of your life.
Particularly simple words, the type that make you say, "o yeah! That is so true."
The bible does it all the time.
On this occasion the words were not from the pages of the bible but from a book I happened to be reading.
They were in the form of a question. "How come Christians hold on to so many dead things when we say we believe in the resurrection?"
And you know what?
It's true isn't it guys?
But I am not sure if we hold on to dead things or whether they just need new life breathed in to them.
This has been rattling around the airspace that surrounds my brain for a few weeks now!
Especially in my prayer space. My one on one times with God that have been pretty potent lately.
Once in a while amazing revelation comes in these times. Although I have to admit that most of the time these times are fairly tough, and I have to commit to work really hard to maintain the work of personal prayer, and any other type of prayer for that matter!
But it's well worth it.
On occasions though I get real clarity from God.
I guess you know what I mean?
I'll skip back to the prayer times later!
But for now I want to share something with you today that is simple but important. Important enough for me to feel compelled to write it down to share on my blog today.
And I want to put a health warning on this blog! Please read it to the end, especially those who love SA bands! I love you honestly!
This last week brass band fever has hit the SA. A concert featuring a number of Salvation Army Staff bands was happening in London at the weekend just gone. The brass band community of the Salvation Army has been really excited.
I am not a lover of brass bands. They do not float my dinghy!
Which is a real big thing to say considering I was for a large part of my life in the Salvation Army probably affectionately considered as a bando! I was brass band mad. It was my life in the Salvation Army.
For a long time I did everything band.
My life had room only for football and brass bands, O and the occasional girlfriend!
But didn't know God at all. Even having been born into the Salvation Army and being a fifth generation Salvationist.
I had no understanding, and absolutely no relationship with God whatsoever.
But I loved my cornet. (for those who are reading this who have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, that's a brass instrument not an ice cream!)
God saved me from all that band stuff.
I say saved because I was not a Christian. I was just doing the band thing in the Army.
And I really needed saving from that because it kept me from having a relationship with Jesus.
Big time!
I have managed to keep myself away from the band scene for many years now.
But this week I was invited to a concert in Durham. A concert featuring the Chicago Staff Band. So I felt I had to go.
And during the concert I found myself amongst a very niche market of people. Mostly people who liked Salvation Army bands. And I was once an integral part of that niche market.
But it was as if I was in a concert in the 70s, 80s or any other time in brass band history because it was pretty much the same as any concert I've played in or listened to. And I found myself praying all the way through asking God to show me what was the point to this?
I could appreciate the skill of the musicians. I could acknowledge the limited appeal of brass band music to a certain minority of the planets public. The red tunics were resplendent even if they did make a person look like a wine gum. The shoes that they wore you could see your face in them wow! But if we say that everything should be missional in Christianity then what was missional about it?
I still couldn't make head nor tail of it.
The best thing to do in that situation is talk to the king of the heavens.
So I prayed.
"What's the point God?"
It was a genuine request.
I didn't get an answer that night.
I went from the concert with a heavy heart.
Back to the prayer times.
In fact, fast forward to the very next morning following the concert. I was locked in a prayer room at my church. I had actually forgotten about my question the previous night.
I put some Albert and Kimberly Rivera on my iPod. Quickly I connected with my beautiful Jesus. I had just started to talk a few opening sentences to him when a picture just dropped in my head from seemingly nowhere.
It was a blast from the past.
I pictured the ROOTS conference big top a few years back.
In one of the praise sessions I remembered a fantastic trumpet player called Raul, who was part of Graham Kendrick's backing band for the weekend, coming down from the stage and walking in and out of the aisles playing his trumpet over the gathered people. I remembered the spiritual high I experienced as those notes landed in my heart with Exocet like precision.
As I pictured this blast from the past.
I heard the voice of God in my thoughts.
The voice said, "I am in the breath."
I am in the breath!
I connected quickly my question from the previous night and the words that had just been spoken into my ears.
I had asked, "What is the point of SA bands?"
God had answered, "I am in the breath."
And. Realised a simple thing. If the breath of God isn't in SA banding then it is meaningless.
But if the breath of God is in the hearts of the bandsmen, the notes of the music, then it is has to be missional because Gods breath is being breathed over those who hear.
And I warmed to SA bands once again almost immediately. And I bless what they do, and admit here and now that maybe I have been wrong about them for some time. And I truly hope that they touch the lives of thousands as they embrace the breath of God.
But the breath of God isn't just about brass bands. (thank God!)
Those of us who say we are Christians have the breath of God breathed into the centre of our lives. I think sometimes we breathe in the wrong air, that's all.
But the breath of God, the ruach, (a Hebrew word used to describe words such as wind, Spirit and breath in the bible) the wind that comes from all directions and the wind of the Spirit that flows out from us is mighty powerful and without it Christianity is completely worthless.
I began to picture this guy Raul playing his trumpet over these gathered people but then suddenly, the people had been replaced by lots of bones, very dry bones.
But as he played they formed and fleshed out and then became alive as the breath of God came from the end of his brass instrument and into the bones.
I obviously then read Ezekiel 37 as I saw this picture. To see if God had anything more to show me.
1. The hand of the lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
2. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
3. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "Sovereign lord, you alone know."
4. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the lord!
5. This is what the Sovereign lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
Every breath we breathe. Everything we do, If we are serious about mission, it has to be done fuelled by the breath of God. If God is in it, dead things come to life, seemingly spent things can receive life, a new lease of life.
It doesn't matter how clever our mission plans are, how cool our churches are, how hot our evangelistic work is, or whether we have a brass band or a few guitars, or a kazoo for that matter. What really does matter is whether or not the breath of God is flowing through it.
Because if it isn't.
IF IT ISN'T!
WE HAVE NO CHANCE.
We have no chance of reaching anything or anyone, anyhow.
When I surfaced from my prayer session, full of revelation and changed just that little bit more, I headed upstairs for a coffee at our church.
Sitting in the couch area was a girl of about 23.
A girl who we know is broken by poverty, abuse, mistreatment. She had spent the night in a local park sleeping in a bush.
She was tired, hungry, unwashed and by large parts of society, unloved.
There was a vacancy in her eyes. She had a kind of empty blank stare going on.
She just looked like a dry useless bone.
God asked me the same question as he had asked Ezekiel.
Gary, can this dry bone live?
I think this scriptural question is one of the biggest questions facing the church right now as we do our task of reaching the world for God.
On the face of it. This young girl looked hopeless.
But wait. God says I will breathe life into those dry bones?
And I saw the potential, the hope, the possibilities in her sad eyes.
I began to speak to her.
As she spoke back in her beautiful soft voice which kind of cut through the matted hair, the smudged make up, the pallor of her skin. She spoke of her night I the park, how scared she was, how cold she was, how hungry she was.
I really felt her pain.
I heard God again say to me, "speak to her of me."
And I did.
I couldn't find what I thought was an appropriate thing to say.
So I just began to speak words of comfort, encouragement and let her know that God really had plans for her.
We had dealt with her physical needs such as warmth and food. But she needed much more.
As I spoke it dawned on me that the same breath I had been thinking of in terms of the brass band thing was in my lungs as I spoke. And even if the words didn't seem to be landing in her heart too easily.
I knew.
I knew the Spirit of God was in the breath.
And God can do immeasurably more than we dare ask or imagine.
And I knew that a little life was being breathed into the life of this amazing girl who is desperate for a saviour.
There is a great song that says, "This is the air I breathe!"
God challenges us today. Is it? Is the breath of God the air that we breathe?
If it isn't?
Let God breathe his breath into you this day.
Can you imagine?
Dead things come to life when the breath of God touches them!
Can you imagine every time a brass band plays dead things come to life?
Every time we speak, sing, shout or act, dead things come to life?
Surely that's what we want to see?
I know I do.
You are amazing (especially you SA bandsmen and women!)
Blessings
Gaz
Particularly simple words, the type that make you say, "o yeah! That is so true."
The bible does it all the time.
On this occasion the words were not from the pages of the bible but from a book I happened to be reading.
They were in the form of a question. "How come Christians hold on to so many dead things when we say we believe in the resurrection?"
And you know what?
It's true isn't it guys?
But I am not sure if we hold on to dead things or whether they just need new life breathed in to them.
This has been rattling around the airspace that surrounds my brain for a few weeks now!
Especially in my prayer space. My one on one times with God that have been pretty potent lately.
Once in a while amazing revelation comes in these times. Although I have to admit that most of the time these times are fairly tough, and I have to commit to work really hard to maintain the work of personal prayer, and any other type of prayer for that matter!
But it's well worth it.
On occasions though I get real clarity from God.
I guess you know what I mean?
I'll skip back to the prayer times later!
But for now I want to share something with you today that is simple but important. Important enough for me to feel compelled to write it down to share on my blog today.
And I want to put a health warning on this blog! Please read it to the end, especially those who love SA bands! I love you honestly!
This last week brass band fever has hit the SA. A concert featuring a number of Salvation Army Staff bands was happening in London at the weekend just gone. The brass band community of the Salvation Army has been really excited.
I am not a lover of brass bands. They do not float my dinghy!
Which is a real big thing to say considering I was for a large part of my life in the Salvation Army probably affectionately considered as a bando! I was brass band mad. It was my life in the Salvation Army.
For a long time I did everything band.
My life had room only for football and brass bands, O and the occasional girlfriend!
But didn't know God at all. Even having been born into the Salvation Army and being a fifth generation Salvationist.
I had no understanding, and absolutely no relationship with God whatsoever.
But I loved my cornet. (for those who are reading this who have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, that's a brass instrument not an ice cream!)
God saved me from all that band stuff.
I say saved because I was not a Christian. I was just doing the band thing in the Army.
And I really needed saving from that because it kept me from having a relationship with Jesus.
Big time!
I have managed to keep myself away from the band scene for many years now.
But this week I was invited to a concert in Durham. A concert featuring the Chicago Staff Band. So I felt I had to go.
And during the concert I found myself amongst a very niche market of people. Mostly people who liked Salvation Army bands. And I was once an integral part of that niche market.
But it was as if I was in a concert in the 70s, 80s or any other time in brass band history because it was pretty much the same as any concert I've played in or listened to. And I found myself praying all the way through asking God to show me what was the point to this?
I could appreciate the skill of the musicians. I could acknowledge the limited appeal of brass band music to a certain minority of the planets public. The red tunics were resplendent even if they did make a person look like a wine gum. The shoes that they wore you could see your face in them wow! But if we say that everything should be missional in Christianity then what was missional about it?
I still couldn't make head nor tail of it.
The best thing to do in that situation is talk to the king of the heavens.
So I prayed.
"What's the point God?"
It was a genuine request.
I didn't get an answer that night.
I went from the concert with a heavy heart.
Back to the prayer times.
In fact, fast forward to the very next morning following the concert. I was locked in a prayer room at my church. I had actually forgotten about my question the previous night.
I put some Albert and Kimberly Rivera on my iPod. Quickly I connected with my beautiful Jesus. I had just started to talk a few opening sentences to him when a picture just dropped in my head from seemingly nowhere.
It was a blast from the past.
I pictured the ROOTS conference big top a few years back.
In one of the praise sessions I remembered a fantastic trumpet player called Raul, who was part of Graham Kendrick's backing band for the weekend, coming down from the stage and walking in and out of the aisles playing his trumpet over the gathered people. I remembered the spiritual high I experienced as those notes landed in my heart with Exocet like precision.
As I pictured this blast from the past.
I heard the voice of God in my thoughts.
The voice said, "I am in the breath."
I am in the breath!
I connected quickly my question from the previous night and the words that had just been spoken into my ears.
I had asked, "What is the point of SA bands?"
God had answered, "I am in the breath."
And. Realised a simple thing. If the breath of God isn't in SA banding then it is meaningless.
But if the breath of God is in the hearts of the bandsmen, the notes of the music, then it is has to be missional because Gods breath is being breathed over those who hear.
And I warmed to SA bands once again almost immediately. And I bless what they do, and admit here and now that maybe I have been wrong about them for some time. And I truly hope that they touch the lives of thousands as they embrace the breath of God.
But the breath of God isn't just about brass bands. (thank God!)
Those of us who say we are Christians have the breath of God breathed into the centre of our lives. I think sometimes we breathe in the wrong air, that's all.
But the breath of God, the ruach, (a Hebrew word used to describe words such as wind, Spirit and breath in the bible) the wind that comes from all directions and the wind of the Spirit that flows out from us is mighty powerful and without it Christianity is completely worthless.
I began to picture this guy Raul playing his trumpet over these gathered people but then suddenly, the people had been replaced by lots of bones, very dry bones.
But as he played they formed and fleshed out and then became alive as the breath of God came from the end of his brass instrument and into the bones.
I obviously then read Ezekiel 37 as I saw this picture. To see if God had anything more to show me.
1. The hand of the lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
2. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
3. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "Sovereign lord, you alone know."
4. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the lord!
5. This is what the Sovereign lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
Every breath we breathe. Everything we do, If we are serious about mission, it has to be done fuelled by the breath of God. If God is in it, dead things come to life, seemingly spent things can receive life, a new lease of life.
It doesn't matter how clever our mission plans are, how cool our churches are, how hot our evangelistic work is, or whether we have a brass band or a few guitars, or a kazoo for that matter. What really does matter is whether or not the breath of God is flowing through it.
Because if it isn't.
IF IT ISN'T!
WE HAVE NO CHANCE.
We have no chance of reaching anything or anyone, anyhow.
When I surfaced from my prayer session, full of revelation and changed just that little bit more, I headed upstairs for a coffee at our church.
Sitting in the couch area was a girl of about 23.
A girl who we know is broken by poverty, abuse, mistreatment. She had spent the night in a local park sleeping in a bush.
She was tired, hungry, unwashed and by large parts of society, unloved.
There was a vacancy in her eyes. She had a kind of empty blank stare going on.
She just looked like a dry useless bone.
God asked me the same question as he had asked Ezekiel.
Gary, can this dry bone live?
I think this scriptural question is one of the biggest questions facing the church right now as we do our task of reaching the world for God.
On the face of it. This young girl looked hopeless.
But wait. God says I will breathe life into those dry bones?
And I saw the potential, the hope, the possibilities in her sad eyes.
I began to speak to her.
As she spoke back in her beautiful soft voice which kind of cut through the matted hair, the smudged make up, the pallor of her skin. She spoke of her night I the park, how scared she was, how cold she was, how hungry she was.
I really felt her pain.
I heard God again say to me, "speak to her of me."
And I did.
I couldn't find what I thought was an appropriate thing to say.
So I just began to speak words of comfort, encouragement and let her know that God really had plans for her.
We had dealt with her physical needs such as warmth and food. But she needed much more.
As I spoke it dawned on me that the same breath I had been thinking of in terms of the brass band thing was in my lungs as I spoke. And even if the words didn't seem to be landing in her heart too easily.
I knew.
I knew the Spirit of God was in the breath.
And God can do immeasurably more than we dare ask or imagine.
And I knew that a little life was being breathed into the life of this amazing girl who is desperate for a saviour.
There is a great song that says, "This is the air I breathe!"
God challenges us today. Is it? Is the breath of God the air that we breathe?
If it isn't?
Let God breathe his breath into you this day.
Can you imagine?
Dead things come to life when the breath of God touches them!
Can you imagine every time a brass band plays dead things come to life?
Every time we speak, sing, shout or act, dead things come to life?
Surely that's what we want to see?
I know I do.
You are amazing (especially you SA bandsmen and women!)
Blessings
Gaz
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
A Prayer
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
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
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.
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