New Blog

I'm consolidating this site and Notes On A Scandal into a brand new one over at Stevangelical. Whether I'm more prolific in posting or not is another matter entirely... Read more!

Everyone loves a happy ending...

Everyone loves a happy ending. Or so it seems.

I just finished watching Terminator 2 with Amy today as a fundamental part of her upbringing (Marvel, James Cameron, Spielberg, Jedis, Tolkien, etc - all in the name of parental education) and it got the 3 of us talking. You see, Amy became concerned about 3/4 of the way through the film that this "bad" Terminator could actually win the day and the "goodies" might actually die. Well, yeah, that's part of the tension that good writing should evoke for a decent pay-off, but it did occur to me that there must have come a point in my own formative years when I happily accepted a film that DIDN'T end happily. Not all do.

Kids would be devastated if Bambi, famous for its matricidal moment, also ended with the young deer himself being eaten with a side of Thumper stew. It doesn't of course, but what if...

So, I was trying to recall the first downbeat-ending film I'd seen and how I felt at the time as I walked away. I'm not talking about bitter-sweet endings - I couldn't include Empire Strikes Back since there's still hope at the end - nor films with "sad bits" like E.T.. No, I'm talking about films that haunt you because the resolution you'd hoped for never arrived. I have a funny feeling the original King Kong was my first. And I think I coped pretty well.

As for more recent films that have the same tenor: some I accept, and still enjoy a re-watch, others I struggle with. Atonement, Revolutionary Road, American History X, Chinatown, Thelma and Louise, Das Boot, Oldboy, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest... The list goes on (and I've left others out to avoid spoilers!), but these endings work because they have a story to tell, they remind us that life isn't always happy, and we can accept what they show us. Others, like the The Vanishing (the original! Hollywood did its usual), Se7en, Rosemary's Baby, The Mist or The Wicker Man I personally find a bit too cynical. In fact, Jennie and I sometimes prefer ambiguous endings - or at least wish the film-makers hadn't tried to tack on an extra few minutes to sugar it up. Leave Source Code and A.I. Artificial Intelligence at a certain point some minutes before the end = even better films. I quote Orson Welles: "If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." 'Nuff said.

But why, ultimately, do we all love a happy ending? Because there is a sense of justice deep inside all of us and when it is not served, we feel cheated. I'm a Bible-believing Christian and the Bible says this: no, life is not always pain-free, and our individual stories do not always end happily, but there is a bigger picture. And that is the most glorious happy ending you could ever experience. Justice is served. And the redeemed live happily ever after. Go check it out. Read more!

Three-way Marriages FTW

I had the privilege of preaching at my great friend Darren Blaney's Herne Bay Baptist Church yesterday - my first "away match". It went well. I think. Ask them.

ANYWAY, I preached a version of my sermon on the church being the Bride of Christ and the implications of such for us today - it is far more relevant than its seemingly abstract metaphor/pretty picture suggests. I've had some interesting post-sermon conversations as a result (which I love - it means people are engaging with Scripture!) but one caught me out a little unawares.

A gentleman approached me afterwards and asked for advice about prospective marital partners...! I see the connection, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. The gentleman was a widower and has romantic inclinations for a couple of ladies and wanted my advice. Um, moi?

Appreciating his candour, I answered as best I could - and we can always think of better answers some hours later, eh? So I mentioned the usual "Does the thought of her make your heart skip?", "Can you not only see the two of you sharing the rest of your lives together, but actually desire it (as opposed to finding a simple compatability and convenience)?", "Is she thinking the same?"(*) etc, etc. But I had to share with him that always, always, always the bottom line must be this:

"Does she love Jesus more than she loves you?"

If not, she AIN'T the girl for you...

Thoughts?

(*always helpful in a prospective spouse, I feel.)

PS - I'm assuming prayer as being THE key element to seeking guidance and clarity in life! I hadn't forgotten it, and I did include it in conversation with the gentleman concerned :) Read more!

A Prayerful Attitude.

"Dear Lord,

So far today, I am doing all right. I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or self-indulgent. I have not whined, cursed, or eaten any chocolate.

However, I am going to get out of bed in a few minutes, and I will need a lot more help after that. Amen."*

How's your attitude today?

(*from John C. Maxwell's Today Matters) Read more!

Ad Nauseam Tracks

You know how you get that moment when you're driving in the car and the music's cranked up and *that* track comes on? How the raw energy and musical genius blend into this spiral of pure class? How the system's volume is at that perfect cliff-edge between filling your head and tipping into distortion? How, as soon as that track finishes, you have to repeat it? And again? And again? And again?

No?

Oh. Must be just me then.

Anyhow, I have certain tracks that grab a hold of me and won't let go until I've played them ad nauseam. I've just sat down to scribble out a little list of them and observed a pattern emerging: each of them demonstrate real guitar craftsmanship - guys truly at the top of their game - and feature guitar parts that I've always wanted to master and never had the time. So I've given up trying - more important things to do - and just enjoy them. Again and again.

These are great, great songs, so I thought I'd share them with you. Just in case you like them too. (no particular order)

1. Ghost - Slash
2. Summer Song - Joe Satriani
3. Locomotive - Guns & Roses
4. No World For Tomorrow - Coheed and Cambria
5. No Respect - Extreme
6. Star - Extreme
7. Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World
8. Bleed It Out - Linkin Park
9. Suicide & Redemption - Metallica
10. Black Magic - Reb Beach

(Observation #2: many of these aren't very positive-sounding titles...! I do wish song-writers out there would put uplifting lyrics to ridiculously good guitar riffs. Yarp.) Read more!

Ejaffacake and the Bulgarian Fun Bus™

Ejaffacake.

Ejallityanddiversity.

Ejabberwocky.

EjistheblokefromU2.

However it's supposed to be pronounced (I prefer "Fag Ash Rita"), the Icelandic volcano and its spurious offspring, the Cloud of Doom™, have taught me a few things since they made an appearance on our radar 11 days ago.

The 5 of us (myself, Jen, our Amy and my parents-in-law-in-tow) had been enjoying a lovely time at our Bulgarian retreat and our flight cancellation was initially a small issue. We could make up our hours at work within reason and accommodation was, by nature, free for as long as the extended stay needed to be. However, it soon became apparent that due to the horrendous backlog seats on any flight, once the airlines were willing to risk "passive smoking" of Rita's ash cloud, were not going to be available until well into May. To make a meal of a story into something more bite-sized, we ended up booked on a (what eventually became 45-hour) coach journey from Sofia to London. The trip took us through Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary (barely), Austria, Germany, Belgium and France - some of which had tight border controls, and some of which really didn't care. And here's what it taught me:

God can whip the tablecloth from beneath your carefully laid table-setting at any time. Nothing can ever be assumed or taken for granted. Things like this keep us humble, reminding us that we aren't the ones in charge around here.

God is good and does good (Psalm 119.68). He's the only reliable constant and He'll always keep his children safe. Worry has not been on the agenda throughout the uncertainties of the past week at all.

If it hadn't been for Fag Ash Rita, we still wouldn't have got round to seeing Sofia properly. We're usually just passing through. It's rather nice.

If it hadn't been for Fag Ash Rita, we'd never have travelled through Europe by road. Serbia is really beautiful. Austria even more so.

Our little Amy (6) is a star traveller.

I inadvertently cuddled Amy's Pinky the Elephant for the entire duration of France.

You still get to see customs officials take back-handers with your own eyes. (Not telling you where, but your guess will probably be very warm)

Forty-plus hours on a coach with no toilet is actually not as bad as it sounds. And I still fancy crossing India on a train. I may be doing that one without Jen or the others though...

When your drivers start buying souvenirs in each country you visit, your confidence in them having done this before takes a bit of a dive.

When they borrow a passenger's laptop to use her mapping software, that confidence sinks lower than current interest rates.

And when the driver's simple task of taking us from ferry passport control DIRECTLY onto the ferry itself involves driving us back OUT of the terminal towards Calais, INTO a short term car park, and BACK through passport control again, you give up on them entirely. Bless.

And so this simply proves: every day is most definitely an adventure. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?
(Apologies for the near-lethal overdose of metaphors. It's been a looooong journey). Read more!

Valentine's Day: Bah, humbug...

I get all "Bah humbug" about Valentine's Day at the best of times - Jen and I are still romantic and touchy-feely after 18 years together, and many of our non-Christian friends struggle to get their heads around why and how (they're working it out, slow but sure...!) - thus, we don't buy each other Valentine's cards or pressies for that reason. Never do. We do it year-round, when we choose. Love that...

So, when my mate Joey over at A Man On Fire posted this, I got all excited. He's a single guy who gets romance in the light of the Gospel. He's a dude. Read it. Read more!

Pandora-monium

Being a geeky kinda guy means I get excited at the mere mention of a new James Cameron movie. Ever since I first laid eyes on the immensity of Aliens back in '86/87, I've been a massive fan of his movies. Great spectacle with great storylines each time (forgiving Piranha II: Flying Killers in a moment of grace, of course...). Terminators 1 & 2? Brilliant. The Abyss? Far, far better than its critics will have you believe (watch the special edition and allow for the E.T. marshmallow coda). So when I heard that Jim was getting back behind the camera after a decade-long hiatus I was over the moon(*)...

Having had a little chat via Facebook with a bud of mine last night about it, I figured I'd add to the debate with an expanded cut and paste of my musings. There's been a big internet ding-dong regarding the lack of depth in Avatar's story, and the overbearing political allegory and saccharine coating layered across it. Not to mention the "Pocahontas-in-space/Dances-with-Thanators" swipes. But to be honest, I can see exactly what Cameron's been up to.

We must remember that while much as the likes of myself would LOVE Cameron to take risks with a script such as this, his unwavering vision right now is the future of cinema, not "art". Yes, there's more allegory than a Thanator can shake a claw at, and the Smurf-dom/Pocahontas shmaltz is pretty thick treacle, but he HAD to ensure nothing would prevent this from being the success it needed to be - for the sake of 3D and photorealism really winning the hearts of the punters. Financial independence aside, he still makes blockbusters (and still loves the process of such, not of small indie dramas!), and still has to work within the constraints of an INDUSTRY, which is all about the big $. I say enjoy this near-3 hours of escapism (plus another 30 mins in the upcoming special edition BD...) for what it is, and wait with bated breath to see what he does with Battle Angel Alita (or a possible Fantastic Voyage remake) in the next couple of years...

Because you see, there's something many others seem to be missing: the biggest star of the show didn't get any billing at all - the moon Pandora itself. THAT'S the point of the whole movie really: Cameron showing/convincing us what can be done for future reference... And what a thrill-ride it was.

On an alternative note, regarding the spiritual theme, I am a Christian who gets concerned when alternatives to my faith become "acceptable" simply because they're launched at us through the global media, and Avatar is utter pantheism in a pretty day-glo box. But that doesn't mean I should ignore the film, either. I say accept the film's message for what it is - and then make your own mind up, don't just accept it simply because it feeds into appealing/romantic Native American or Gaia theologies - and enjoy the movie for what it is. It's a thrilling ride to a moon/planet we could never have visited before, without the wonderful imaginations of men like James Cameron. Now watch this space and see what he does next...

(*sorry, Pandora-related joke. Couldn't resist) Read more!

New Year, new job, new challenges...

Yep! New Year, new job! As from the end of January, I'll be working a half-time post for The Beacon Church and am tremendously excited. The ambulance service have provided the means for me to work half a working week (= an average of one to two 12 hour shifts per week), freeing me to serve the church and community on other weekdays, plus Sundays (the ambulance service have agreed that I'll never have to work a Sunday. Hoo-ha! Thank You, Lord!). This is something that has been discussed for many a month/year and it feels strange now that it's finally come to fruition.

So, what is it I'll be doing for Beacon? Well, my responsibilities for overseeing our small group system and for website admin will continue, albeit now with more time to invest in them (particularly the former - the site ticks over nicely for now and needs little tweaking other than updates). The changes mean I'm now also available as often as required for preaching and leading worship in our Sunday services. Most regional leaders' meetings shouldn't be such a challenge to make it to anymore either, while on top I'll be focusing on supporting and motivating our ground troops: discipling the young guys, encouraging the rest, something that will take time to build momentum but that sort of investment clearly reaps huge rewards years down the line. We still need more leaders, we still need to see folks rise up and take hold of "that" (ESV reads as "it") for which Christ has taken hold of them (Phil 3.12). We ALL have a specific and significant purpose in this life for Christ (see my sermon on Ezra recently), and sometimes guys and girls just need the extra nudge to help them see that for themselves. I firmly believe we all have a part to play and, amazingly, I now have the privilege of helping folk in that direction.

God has BIG plans for Beacon Church, of that I'm convinced. For the church in Herne Bay in general, in fact (we're making great headway into joint initiatives with the local evangelical churches for A Passion For Life already). I can't wait to see what God unfolds for us here in Beacon Church over the next few years. To have this opportunity to get so stuck in to such an adventure is both humbling and mind-blowing. It's not without its difficulties and challenges - pray for me, my family and for Beacon themselves - but God's desire is to see His name glorified in Herne Bay and beyond, and He WILL see his plans come to fruition. Can't wait. Read more!

Matt Chandler: Advice for Preachers

Matt Chandler is a guy I've very much come to trust through his advice on preaching and, more significantly, through listening to many of his sermons via Village Church. For all you preachers and those aspiring, here's a taste of what it means to LIVE preaching...

Read more!

Healing captured on video...

My Jennie has been experiencing healing in stages for her back - numerous problems due to curvature of the spine and a spinal fracture have been touched supernaturally by God already (for more details, I explain in depth during my review of last June's Church on the Farm), and here is yet another example of God doing exactly the same thing - lengthening a shortened leg - for a BBC reporter (see the original article here). God is real. And neither is He an absentee landlord; He cares about us enough to get involved in the details too:



(thanks to Phil Williams over at Worship the Rock for the heads-up) Read more!

"I refuse to believe that I am part of a lost generation..."

While my faith doesn't wholly align with the beliefs of Romancing Your Soul, this short video of theirs certainly strikes home. There IS hope. It's just that the answer doesn't lie within ourselves, but Someone else (let me give you a clue: His name begins with a 'J' and ends in an 'S'). Watch, and be inspired to pray and act for change:

Read more!

The country life...

Read more!

The internet: boon or bane?

Read more!

Notes on a Scandal

Don't forget to head over to my other blog "Notes on a Scandal" for updates of our Beacon Touchpapers, plus recent sermon notes...

You can find it here: Notes on a Scandal Read more!

Ghost Fleet

Reports are appearing of a "ghost fleet" off the Singapore coast: 12% of shipping charters are currently redundant and many are being "parked" together out of public view... a further symptom of the current global economy, and a sign of possible stock issues on our shelves in the months to come...

As one reporter puts it:

"These empty ships should be carrying Christmas [stock] over to the West. All retailers will have already ordered their stock for the festive season long ago... much of it should be on its way here if it is going to make it to the shelves before Christmas.

'We will find out at Christmas whether there are enough PlayStations in the shops or not. There will certainly be fewer goods coming in to Britain during the run-up to Christmas.' "

...But you know what? This should be a good lesson for us all. It's all just stuff, and as much as I like "stuff" - Wii, PC, DVD's and so on - I should never let that dictate my security in life. Unfortunately, many others do. I'm determined that I and my family find our security in the King of the universe:

"Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places."

(Hab 3.17-19, ESV)

Read more!

ELCA decision

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have voted 559-491 for allowing gays in "life-long, monogamous" relationships to serve as clergy.

"We live today with an understanding of homosexuality that did not exist in Jesus' time and culture," says a lay delegate during the debate. "We are responding to something that the writers of Scripture could not have understood."

Um... really? That's rather a statement. And anyway, the writers may not have understood how modern culture will look and act today necesssarily, but the Author of Scripture most certainly would. My post from last year spoke on similar issues so I won't repeat myself: read it here.

John Piper has added to the discussion already this week on his Desiring God blog. Some have already jumped on the bandwagon and hurled obvious accusations his way. What John is saying is that, regardless of "coincidence" or otherwise, we need to take all our assumptions, prejudices and own desires, and compare them to what God wants. To quote John: "The church has always embraced those who forsake sexual sin but who still struggle with homosexual desires, rejoicing with them that all our fallen, sinful, disordered lives (all of us, no exceptions) are forgiven if we turn to Christ in faith." Judging those outside the church and judging those within are two very different things (see 1 Cor 5.9-11 - love the lost, but do not approve of sinful conduct amongst His own).

Regardless of how others around us may choose to live, those of us who are genuinely God's children are expected to live life His way. That is unconditional and essential. His Word tells us how. Read more!

Book review: "Church Unique", Will Mancini

This book was originally brought to my attention by Matt Hosier's blog and I'm very grateful that he did so.

If you're a church leader, no matter how large or small your flock might be, then give this book a strong consider for your to-buy list (I know, I know, my own to-buy list is eternally 50-plus, no matter how many I buy, beg, borrow or steal*, so I know what it's like whenever another leader recommends further material!) (*except the steal part. Honest.)

Will Mancini has a clear, deep-seated passion to see church leaders around the world press further into God's purposes for them, for those in their care, and for the communities around them. I'm always wary of books that appear to enjoy "corporate"-speak, and have pretty diagrams and flow-charts that visualise the "process" discussed and so on. This is the glorious church of Jesus Christ, and I'd hate for us to reduce His bride down to number-crunching and conveyor-belt systems that enable "growth". So, having said that, I trust you'll take my word for it that this is not one of those books. It is possible that upon a quick glance or a scan "Church Unique" can come across as such, but spend time digesting it and you'll see Mancini has the right heart for Scripture-based, Spirit-soaked dependence whilst still being deliberate for the kingdom.

So, what's so special about this book? I won't list all its features and points - this is a review not a rewrite! - but, in a nutshell, Mancini's message is this:

• Every church has a unique call by God.
• Vision-casting formulae cannot be lifted from one "successful" church and transferred to your own.
• We need to discover how to enable growth and health uniquely for ourselves.
  

A brief rundown of how Mancini helps us do so is thus:

• Discover your "Kingdom Concept": if we take a close look at the resources God's given us (always unique), combine them with the local need(s) (always unique), and filter them through what it is that most prayerfully stirs our leaders' hearts (always unique), we find our specific calling. Mancini says, "Whoever you are and wherever God has placed you, therein is uniqueness. Whoever co-labours with you, in front of you, behind you, all around you, therein is uniqueness." So true.
  
• Once discovered (over a decent period of time; it doesn't take a 2 hour meeting!), Mancini then leads us through how to ensure the vision is pursued: decent collaboration (team development, outside counsel, etc), articulating the vision through mission, values, strategy, and measures (he articulates these in a new way; read it to find out!), and the need for excellent communication and use of language.

And THAT's the slightest of overviews, so it skips all the meat, but I trust at the very least it captures the essence of the book.

Being deliberate in leading our churches is essential: take a closer look at Rev 19.7-8. Familiar verses to most, but as well as a glorious picture of a day to come, don't they also tell us of an intentional attitude? That we clothe ourselves, not wait to be clothed? We've got some work to do...

My own heart has always been that we learn increasingly how to be church, not how to do it. That's been the apostle Paul's message throughout his letters, and it compels me to pursue how we see that unfold for ourselves today. "Church Unique" is a book that helps us on our way.

Read more!

Naked tweeters

After the social networking outages this week, it appears the light has been shed on how much emphasis people place on internet "relationships"...

Read this CNN article on folks' responses: Twitter blackout panic

One girl's reaction was "I was pretty upset... It feels like a lifeline for me ..." Another said, "I did absolutely nothing. It's like my heart was gone."

Now, I've swum over to Twitter to reduce my online time, setting my Tweets to appear on Facebook automatically (a few seconds on Twitter saves me minutes or hours on FB; I tend to only go there for a message or an odd Scrabble move now, and it's done me the world of good...) And I'm determined to ensure I allow my posts/tweets to His advantage as well: by using such sites to actually network and to post Truth amongst my random movie references, it can be used for good and not for otherwise (I'm with John Piper on this)

For some, however, perhaps this past week would be a bit of a wake-up call, don't you think? Or perhaps not...
Read more!

How to ensure that "Every day's an adventure" with Him...

The reality of praying for our "daily bread"? Both immensely challenging and humbling.

(credos to Josh Harris for sharing)

Read more!