Why do we do it!!

In the Salvation Army weekly paper "The Salvationist" was a small review from "The Times" newspaper regarding the bus adverts in London by the Christian Party. They put posters on buses saying "There is a God" in response to the British Humanist Associations poster that read "There is probably no God." The Christian Party's advert got 1045 complaints, the forth highest received by the Advertising Standards Authority. Two things popped into my mind;

Firstly, this is a reflection of peoples lack of interest in religion or desire to seek a relationship with God. It could be a sign that Christianity is (or has been for a while) on the back foot and people are fed up of the church. It also highlights to us that people want to be left alone o make up the mind about whether or not there is a God.

Secondly, I was left feeling that if we have to resort to putting adverts on buses, we really have lost the plot. I believe that news like this does nothing but harm to the church at all levels. People will look at us and think that we lack confidence in our faith and in our claims on the power of the God we worship. Our mission, if done effectively, should never need a publicity stunt or packaging.

My hope is that I can be confident in my faith and in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for His people.

Matt

Rhythm or Retreat

I have been on our SA leaders retreat for the East Midlands this week. It is was nice to get away, have time to read, catch up with a few friends and have some teach on Servant Leadership. The teaching was good with stuff for me to take away and think about.

However, I was prompted to think about the retreats purpose and value via a line in a song we used. The 4 words were "rhythm of His grace". I wonder how many of the leaders present were there to get away because they are worn out, burned out, spiritually low or just far to busy and don't get time to stop. Without trying to sound like I have it sorted, retreat for me is not necessary or vital for my well being yet nor is it a thorn in my week.

My experience is that you need a good rhythm to your week, whether an Officer, centre manager, office worker, at school etc. Having a rhythm allows you to have free time to read, think, time to do the house work and have leisure time in your week. As I look at Jesus life there is always times of rest, time for friends, teaching, others and doing His Fathers work. When He is arrested, charged and crucified He is ready for it, He know God's grace is what will sustain Him for what was to come.

Matt

Taking to the streets

I have given up my car for driving to the church for lent in an attempt for me to do more walking and save some money. One of the things that has also been good is having some time to myself either silently or with my ipod with the occasional hello to those people who stole by.
On Monday evening as I was walked home, I walked past the local C of E church where they were in full swing with bell ringing practice. I took of my ipod to listen and I have to say they were pretty good. As I popped my ear phone back in Matt Redman's "take it to the streets" came on.
What a contrast between the bells calling people to come and worship and a song challenging us to GO and worship on the streets.

Matt

Thanks is not always easy!

The last 10 days has been a tough one in our house. It has been a time of hurt and pain for us as a couple as Lizzy miscarried at 7 weeks. It has at times been surreal and at others desperately sad. Some of the times I haven't really thought about it but the all of a sudden the emotion and feelings have crept up on me.

I emailed my best mate Mark (who is in South Africa) to let him know and to ask him to pray for us. We exchanged a few emails and in on of them was this comment; "Thanksgiving is not circumstance dependant". Which may seem a little insensitive but that's what good friends are about. It really made me think about our circumstances, others who may have experienced the same thing. Even in times of pain and loss can I still praise God, can I still thank Him for who He is and His presence in my life?

It still isn't easy, I think about what could have been, dates and stuff like that but I am also grateful to God for a wife to share my pain with and someone who I can rely on. I give thanks to God for the last week because He has been in it in many different ways, like friends, family and our church community.

This sentence popped up on a PowerPoint slide this week: "Gods answers are always better than our prayers!"

Thanks

Matt

Is this Church?

Is this church?

Of course I know the answer to my question. This picture is from the Saturday Party of our Children's Weekend in Aspley. It was amazing to have about 70 people playing games, singing songs, eating food and chatting to each other. I can imagine heaven to be quite similar! Probably 80% of the people do not have a faith yet they were all worshipping. Dose it matter that they don't realise it or even that they can express it the way we think they should?

So what now, we had a great party and a great Sunday morning meeting but it doesn't stop there. What's next, how do we deepen the relationships and give opportunity for conversations to take place? We need to keep thinking about how we relate and the way's in which we can serve those families in our community. Also, we must seek ways to get out into our community to show that we are willing to get out of the confines of our church and onto "their patch".

We have an awesome opportunity to make a difference, to provide a place of love and care. I pray we get it right!

Matt

Tragets, priorities, projects and people

I was at a meeting yesterday with local partner organisations from the West area of Nottingham. It was really helpful for me to get a extended view of what is going in the area and meet a few local workers and show that the church is interested in community. Yet as the meeting went on, I grew very aware that allow a lot of "good stuff" was going on, they were all targeted at certain groups or priorities and actually could be quite harmful to communities. All the projects had strings attached, funding stipulations or a certain percentage for certain groups. People were spoke of as commodities rather than as human beings who exist in community.

It has really got me thinking again about how we do mission, how we do effective mission in Aspley as a church. Projects and events are all well and good but are pointless if they are not firstly grounded in the gospel and secondly built on a foundation of relationships. Whats the point of mission without being intentional about our reasons? Are we scared that we won't get funding from people if we tell them we are Christians? Should we just do our own thing in isolation anyway?

I believe that the church needs to be more positive about it's intentions and be willing to be bold in it's mission. Yet, we need to make sure we do not alienate ourselves from reality, from other organisations, those who make decisions and of course our communities.

Matt

No second generation!

Whilst watching the cricket (which England look unlikly to win) I was reading my current book "Total Church" by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. It very interesting and challenging my thoughts about church. One such sentance has stopped me in my tracks and I had to blog about it.

They said "There need be no second-generation churches if the church is constantly re-configuring itself through church planting."

The Salvation Army has in the past been successful at growing its congregations by keeping families in the SA and their children "coming through the ranks." Yet our numbers are in decline, churches are struggling to survive and attract people to its fellowship. Have we been guilty of seeking to maintain the SA/church fellowship rather than be confident to growing and dreaming of what the SA could be. Being a forth generation Salvationist maybe I am to blame.

How do established churches break out and seek to focus on community and mission without losing faith, committed people from its fellowships who are use to the way things are. But is that a good enough reason not to investigate planting? Surely a church plant in essence is a second-generation church!

All I know is that we need to look at all the options and be ready to change.

Matt

Big Church Little Church

So what is it to be? Small Church or Big Church? What is the future for the church in our country? Will people find large professional places of worship inviting or small intimate settings! What abouts cells, interest groups or house churches? Is every church suppose to grow numerically and look for bigger premises or is planting the future?

I so feel so confused as to what is "the best thing to do" for a church to grow and develop. Currently I find myself in a Salvation Army church in Nottingham that has been here for many years with committed members. I am really enjoying the challenge, the community and hope that comes through lead a group of followers forward. I want to be in Aspley for as long as possible. One day, I would love to plant a new church one day. Go into a community where there is no expression of the church and believe that God can raise up a community willing and ready to worship and serve.

But I keep coming back to the question "what is best?"

I am learning that every church/worshipping community can grow, can be what God desires it to be and that there is not one perfect model of church. We have tried to do that in the past and it only worked for so long. We need to be prepared to re-think, re-shape and re-imagine what the church should be and what it can be.

Matt

Conversion or Conversations??

I read this last night.

In a post modern world we should count conversations rather than conversions. In other words the church should not be driven by numbers of new people, converts or members but by the conversations that occur within the community regarding the Kingdom of God.

So are "Kingdom conversations" equal to seeing people make a decision to follow Christ? I guess there is a wider debate to be had about the place on conversion in the 21st century. My head as a Salvationist says that providing opportunity for people to make a decision is part of who we are, our history and a tool for spreading the good news.

But my heart says that we do not live in a world where people can make such a clear cut choice (for various reasons i.e unable to live up to the standard, commitment is to much etc) and sign on a dotted line to say that they are a Christian. Certainly in my time in Aspley it has been the conversations that have led to decisions, changes, opportunities and deepen faith. I don't need to record them but store them as encouragement for me and the church.

By it's very nature the good news of Christ will also stir peoples hearts to change but is that how we measure the effectiveness of a church in sharing the story of God.

Matt

What have I been thinking about lately?

Thanks to Brian Mclaren's book "A New Kind of Christian", I have had loads of stuff running through my head lately and just wanted to get it out of my head as it started to hurt!!!

I have been mulling over what the challenge of the church is in the 21st century, what should the church look like, focus on and do to show the heart of God. Is every church suppose to grow numerically and look for bigger premises or is planting the future? Is the church to be poor or rich? How important is Sunday as part of the churches weekly life? Is Post-modernity something to be embraced or is it an enemy of the church?

Not really sure what I think at the moment but that's OK. I believe that as part of a healthy christian journey we must wrestle with these questions and seek God's inspiration to discover the future of the church other wise we will have none.

Over the next few blogs, I will look at a few of the issues.

Matt

Getting away

Being away with Lizzy is great. We are in st ives with friends just chilling out and eating far too much. It has great to get away, too take stock of whats going on at church, read and get lots of fresh air. Cant wait too get back and see what God has in store for us in the coming months. Matt

Patience

Lizzy and I went to see "Strictly Come Dancing - Live" last night. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The evening's only down point was getting out of the car park afterwards.

We were on the level 9 of the car park with most of the audience fulfilling the spaces. There were large lines of people getting their tickets with only one visible attendant, which didn't help. Once we had our ticket and got back to the car we had to sit for 20 mins before we moved anywhere. within a few moments of getting back to our car the beeping started of impatient drivers waiting in line. Not only that car inched forward every so often to gain that extra few inches in the line. I sat there relaxed and content with my lot and spending time with Lizzy. Yes it was frustrating but really not worth getting wound up about.

It seems that we have become a society where we are unwilling to wait, impatience to get on with our own life no matter what is going on around us. Sadly, I am sure that there will be people who would have got all worked up, maybe even writing complaints when they got home but for me, I got home safely, went to bed and forgot all about it (apart from writing this blog).

How often do we treat God like this, expecting Him to sort out all our problems and issues instantly and for our benefit and not His. This week why don't you stop what your doing and wait.....................................

Matt

P.S - As I was writing this, the story below was being played on News 24.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7490776.stm

A note from a piece by a US composer is to be played this weekend in a German town in what has been called the world's slowest and longest concert.
The church organ in Halberstadt will play the next - sixth - chord of John Cage's As Slow As Possible work.
The performance began in 2000 and is scheduled to last a total of 639 years.
The idea of taking so long to get through the composer's piece is to find a musical way of countering the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Will Obama’s inauguration be an opportunity for the world’s poor?

Got this email from the Micah Challenge: Will Obama’s inauguration be an opportunity for the world’s poor?

The short answer is No! But I really do believe it can have an impact upon the way that our world can refocus it's priorities and values. With Obama in office there are reasons to be hopeful, he is high intelligent, motivated and also passionate about peoples freedom but not forgetting the communal responsibilities we have. The reason why I don't think that his inauguration will be an opportunity for the poor is because he is just one man (even if he is the President!!).

We all have the opportunity to serve and support the poor, even in this difficult economic climate. We can't pin our hopes on one man and leave him to it. He is going to need some help.
Whether in the US, UK or Africa each of us can do something. Our church has raised £225 to buy a cow and goats for families in Africa and we run a Breakfast and After School club for children in a deprived area of Nottingham.

We have loads of opportunities within our local community to serve the poor. Obama is more than welcome to join us but I am sure we will manage without him.

Matt

There is no God!

'No God' campaign draws complaint

Scientist and atheist Richard Dawkins backed the campaign
An atheist campaign claiming "There's probably no God" has been reported to the advertising regulator.
Posters with the slogan appear on 800 buses in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as on the London Underground.
But organisation Christian Voice has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority saying they break rules on substantiation and truthfulness.
The British Humanist Association, which backed the campaign, said it was not taking the complaint seriously. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7818980.stm

I can't help feeling a little embarrassed that the Christian Voice have lodged this complaint. The God I believe in isn't worried about what people think of Him, he's worried if people know Him.

So maybe we should let the athesit waste thier money on expensive ads and we should concentrate on the people in our community who don't yet know Him.

Matt

New Year

For someone who has a lot to say, I have been very quiet on the blogging front. I have being thinking about it lots but have not mustered up the will to do it. Not only that I have not being running since we moved to Aspley and I am feeling very unfit!!
So my new years resolution is to blog three times a week and run twice a week. So here is my blog entry and tomorrow morning I will be out running!!!!

On Saturday in the Pub after football I had a fairly random conversation with a guy called John. I had never me him before then but hopefully will again. We got chatting about my "Salvation Army hoddie." what he said has stuck with me over the past few days. He said "I thought you lot had gone, where are you!" A good question for us a church to answer. That is the second time I have heard that question in a few months - Jimmy Carr that asks that question at his gig.

So where are we? What are we doing? Who knows who and where we are? These are the questions we both locally and nationally we need to answer......and quickly.

What are we going to do about it?

Matt

Carolling or Football

Today was the first carolling gig for the Aspley band indoors at Homebase. It was good fun and a few people were around but it didn't seem that busy. A few people stopped and listened and a few people chatted to our collectors. We raised some money for our corps work which is obvious one of the main reasons why we go out over the festive period.

At 1pm, I had leave early to go off to play football for my pub team. I hadn't played for a few weeks so was looking forward to seeing the guys and maybe get to play. It was a cold afternoon and I was sub so happily took the flag to keep warm on the line. I didn't get on but it was a close game which we came away 3-2 winners.

So which is more important? Do I have to put my role as Corps Officer over playing football? Should I not play football because I should support the band? Or, is my passion to play football and build relationships with guys in the team a good enough reason for leaving early?

Where would Jesus be?

Matt

Is God extinct?

Found this article very interesting, two scientists talking about the whether science has "buried God."

It was really helpful in trying to look at something that I don't doubt (the existence of God) from a hard line scientific point of view. Sometimes it is hard to be subjective about such things because the significant part faith plays in my experience and belief of God.

http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/vw-issue/B2EEA54CB5882BE2802575040053CDF2?opendocument&id=2235A1F2C9E5E225802575040052259C

The "God Delusion" has been sitting on my book shelf for a while maybe I need to dust it down and see exactly what Richard Dawkins has to say.

Matt

P.S - have just recieved the new Rob Bell book - "Jesus wants to save Christians". Thanks Chris and Lib.

Strictly Moaning

I can admit that I watch Strictly Come Dancing. It's good fun watching the trials and tribulations of celebrities leaning to dance. This series how every has started to annoy me. Here's why:

John Sergeant has come under a barrage of abuse and moaning from the judges for still be in. They continue to complain that he has not been voted out by the public. Each week I get more and more annoyed with them because, by now, they should know the premise of the show; to entertain. This is exactly what JS is doing, and personally I love it. The judges can't seem to grasp that the public have the right to vote for who they want, it has been like that for 6 series!! If they wanted a dance show then pick 16 people that can dance to start with. The BBC purposefully get people like JS in because they can't dance to make people watch in the early stages.

The great thing is by the judges moaning only makes people vote for JS even more. I will be voting for him next week!!

I do realise that my street cred(what I had of it) has now disappeared.

Come on John!!!!

Matt

It's not all about money!

Tomorrow is the Stanford 20/20 between England and an All Star team who will play one game of cricket for $2o million, winning team takes all! If England win each player will get about £600,000 for about 3 hours work. It is the richest sporting single game ever.

I love cricket and think that 20/20 is a great asset to the sport that can encourage people to watch and/or play it but it is obscene to think that single game can be worth that much. Kevin Pietersen (England Captain) came out this week and said that "it wasn't about the money only pride in playing for England." I am sure the money helps though. If it was really about pride they would either not have gone of offered the money to charity.

Matt

Unlikely conversations in unlikely places

Since moving to Aspley (Nottingham) I have joined a local football team, The Beacon. I have only started one game so far and came on as sub in the others. Saturday I should have started but because we had a water leak in our dining room so had to hang about whilst a friend sorted out for us (I am not safe to be doing plumbing). As a result I was late and couldn't start the match so was on the side lines as sub.

I was a little annoyed but it was one of those things. Yet, I was soon to find out as to why I was on the bench. During the first half I got chatting to one of the girl friends of our team. She told me that they are expecting a baby in April 09. She knew that I was a minister at the SA and so asked me if I would dedicate their baby next year. I said I would and that it would be an honour to do so. Not only that her boy friends mum comes to our parents and toddlers each week and her brother is the teams manager.

You never know when an opportunity might arise. Kepping looking for them.

Matt