OK, I promised to post about my recent meetings... For me one of the great challenges we have as a church is to liberate God... from our own insecurities, prejudices, culture etc. "God, can't be boxed!" you may say... maybe not, but don't we try hard!? Fortunately God just gets on with operating outside of the boxes we create...
There are two things I want to reflect on; firstly God has a great sense of humour... well, what I really want to say is it is easy to get hoist on your own petard! If you asked me (as some have) "Where are your core group going to come from?"... and I would have said (and did) probably from the fringes of church, those who struggle with christian sub-culture etc. etc. and who would the least likely folk be... well, probably Evangelical, Charismatics... er, guess what... God is a God of surprises! I have met with several guys who share a passion for mission and feel that our vision is where God is leading them, but they are all from the theological place I would least expect... they even invited me to a Revival meeting (sorry guys ;-) )! But they have a REAL heart for mission and a sense that God is calling them to step out of traditional models of evangelism... hey, I made it pretty hard, I supose I have even tried to put them off... but they kept smiling! So no false expectations! Now this may not be a big deal... but I love it... Yes, I am a nervous, but it reminded me, in a way that had me laughing out loud in a pub... that this is God's project, God's vision not mine! Time to learn a lesson! So anyway, in faith we step out together!
The second reflection today is following on from the filming at AFC Telford Utd... My friend and Colleauge at the Church without walls (which has the wonderful... maybe ironic... maybe accidental URL of www.churchwow.co.uk) and I were thinking about biblical mission principles... the harvest is ripe, cornelius etc. and the one we both felt strongly called to was the call to find the "people of peace"... to rest with them and in their hospitality... My guess is that we have found one such person in Lee Carter, Chairman of the club. So... I shall be buying my season ticket on saturday! Whoever thought of a football club as a place of peace? Another box smashed :-)
BTW the Midlands Today TV broadcast was short but sweet, thanks if you made an effort to watch.
Comments