Enlarging our borders

Something that should be pretty evident from reading this blog (assuming you've been here before) is that Jen and I aim to allow God's power and influence into every corner of our lives. We are so aware that, despite our human "talent" to try to do things our way, the more that we ask Him for guidance and involvement, the more He can have His sovereign way and be glorified in our lives.


Amy was recently given a place at our local primary school, which was not our choice. We'd asked for a church school 10 minutes' drive away on the basis of faith. There's nothing inherently wrong with our local - it's a good school and we know parents with kids there - but our choice was a school that most definitely wears its Christian values & beliefs on its sleeves. Just like we do. If we want God to invade every corner of our lives, then we want that to include Amy's education too.

Well, we went to appeal and had the hearing last week. Before a panel of 3 (none of whom are affiliated in any way to the Education Authority OR the school) I presented the case for our faith and how strongly we believed that our lives - not just as attendees, but as leader(s) in our local church - should envelope those values. Then Jennie - she was amazing, I must say; her grasp of the system and how to demonstrate statistically that an extra space could be argued for left me gobsmacked - presented the case on the grounds of how the system works (or doesn't) and our appropriate response. The representative of the education authority couldn't compete!

Well, we left happy that we'd done our bit and then prayed like crazy. Talk about old testament prayers: "Enlarge our borders!"; "Favour your people!". We were convinced this was a right thing to ask for, and yet were also able to leave it in His hands, knowing that if the decision remained the same, it was because of His will and not man's.

We waited...

... and the letter arrived today. She got the church school! But what's best about it all is this: the (independent) appeals board felt that to make an extra space in the class for Amy would be prejudicial, but that the case for her education to reflect our faith and values was strong enough to do so anyway. Hallelujah! It was on faith and not on secular, statistical reasons that she got in!

God loves to enlarge our borders and honour those that love Him. We have asked for things in the past that have not happened 'our way' but we've stuck with him through thick and thin, knowing that He knows best. And He will always honour that heart... Read more!

Sacred Pathways

Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas is a fantastic book; so much so that I figured a review was needed. If you're someone who hankers after an increased intimacy with God, and would love to know how best to utilise your quality time with Him - or how to increase that time in the first place - then this book is for you.

Gary Thomas - an author of books and articles on Christian marriage and parenting amongst other things, and a teacher at Western seminary in Portland, Oregon - has carefully unfolded nine distinct spiritual temperaments in such a way that we can either relate to them, or clarify that they are NOT the way we're wired, and then learn from this subsequent knowledge. Wisely, he lists the pitfalls/dangers of each temperament, and also acknowledges that NO temperament is completely exclusive, nor that their unique paths of time spent with God should ever supercede or contradict the authority of Scripture.

The nine pathways and their characteristics are:

NATURALISTS... who worship God best when surrounded and inspired by God's creation; they just love that outdoorsy stuff...

SENSATES... are moved by a devotion that incorporates all the senses: the sight of a beautiful sunset or majestic cathedral, the song of a violin, the smell of incense can all stir their heart to commune with God...

TRADITIONALISTS... worship God through ritual and symbol; they love liturgy and find structure extremely helpful in enabling their quality time with Him...

ASCETICS... need simplicity and solitude to commune with Him effectively; they are otherwise easily distracted, and quiet focuses their thoughts on God...

ACTIVISTS... are fired up by injustice and a heart to see greater holiness in the church; they love nothing more than seeing God's Truth changing society, and are not afraid of confrontation...

CAREGIVERS... love and serve God by serving and loving others; they are the Mother Teresa's, big and small, public and private, of this world...

ENTHUSIASTS... are God's cheerleaders; they thrive on celebration, big musical worship, the inescapable urge to clap and dance in response to His revelation and revel in His supernatural power... Hallelujah!...

CONTEMPLATIVES... are bowled over by the love their Lover casts upon them; they spare no hesitation in sitting at His feet, gazing adoringly and wondering in awe at the "divine romance" they have the privilege of entering...

INTELLECTUALS... love nothing more than to study systematic theology and church history; academics who allow their 'head knowledge' to flood their hearts, they feast on Scripture, exegesis, hermeneutics, apologetics (hmm... I'm getting carried away here; guess which is one of my pathways?) and so on, and each revelation spurs them deeper into worship...

So that's the nine. Like I say, most people relate to more than one, or even a few, and Thomas is quick to point out the inevitable, and avoidable, extremes of each, and also how we can learn from those we don't naturally relate to. We need to learn from each other.

All in all, this is a fantastic book that reminds us God is wholeheartedly committed to revealing Himself to us and turning our hearts to Him yet more. We are all wonderfully and fearfully made, no one else can have a relationship with Him like WE can, each of us is unique. Moses, David and Mary each had an insatiable heart for quality time with Him, and each demonstrated that in very different ways. And God is equally desiring of that depth of intimacy with you and me. Wow.

(And if you're still not sure from my little clues, I'm an Intellectual Enthusiast with a bit of Caregiving on the side: I devour theology, jump about and sing songs when the Truth hits me, and express it elsewhere by caring for others, by helping my friends and those in need. Those are the times when I, personally, am drawing near to Him...) Read more!

Madly in love

I've just finished reading Gary Thomas's "Sacred Pathways" - a book I'll be reviewing in the next few days or so - and was rather struck by something he says whilst on the subject of ascetics and their 'strict' ways. Whilst neither of us are ascetics in any way (my review of the book will explain its actual theme in detail), this still sums up my and Jennie's faith so perfectly...

"Ninety-nine percent of communication is in the interpretation. A man who begins giving a portion of his income to the church and its work, carves out time two or three times a week to attend church services, tells people on the street about his God, and reads books about God on a regular basis may appear to be a 'religious fanatic'. If, however, the same man were to begin making payments on a diamond ring, spend his weekends going on dates, tell all his co-workers about the lovely woman who has come into his life, and read love letters over and over, the world would simply say he's 'in love'."

That's us. Madly in love. With each other, for sure, but also with the King of kings. Read more!