Notes To Allan

Take The Corners Slowly

2014-02-13T05:19:00.000+11:00

Olympic skiers reminded me of an important life lesson this week. Watching a couple of ski contestants fly off the track failing to make a tight corner at the bottom of a hill got me thinking. Its not the straight stretches that get you, its the corners.

I have been negotiating one of life's corners this week. My father died. We held a funeral, placed his ashes, mourned with family and friends, reminisced, laughed and cried. And the important point is this, we did it all with a certain care that required time and attention.

Like you, my life is full. I like to go down hill fast. I have lots in my diary and people are expecting me to fulfil various expectations. Sometimes I don't have enough margin.

But on this occasion my dearest friends counselled me to slow down and take the corner well. Slowing down meant flying to Canada. It involved visiting friends, talking through details, and listening to family members unhurriedly, attentively and lovingly.

Another thing I learned is that you should look where you want to go. This is great advice when ploughing through a corner in life. Don't get obsessed with the stuff in front of you or that is where you will fall. To paraphrase Paul, "Ski by faith". This week I have been looking towards our eternal hope in Jesus Christ. The promises of 1 Thess. 4:13-18 have never seemed so important to me. I'm navigating a corner of grief with my eyes on the prize of resurrection.

Life presents many corners. Grief is a corner. Loss is a corner. New love is a corner. Deep disappointment is corner. Huge opportunity is a corner.

To win gold, take the corners wisely. Slow down and lean into God.

How To Say Clever Things

2014-01-21T16:43:00.000+11:00

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The social media was full of awesome quotes and clever things he said. Here are a few examples:

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle."

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bare."

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

How is it that he said so many clever things? Well, he was smart. He had a heap of public opportunities. His daddy was a Baptist preacher and he followed the same path. He was a precocious student. He quoted others a lot. He thought deeply and wrote extensively.

All true. However, the real reason is more powerful. The things he said sound clever because the life he lived was great. Bold sacrificial choices and an untimely death turned ordinary words into quotable gems.

A sure way to sound naive and awkward is to try and be clever. But the quickest way to become clever is to give your life away in service to others. Live a bold sacrificial life, die doing something that matters, and suddenly your ordinary words are supercharged with wisdom. It turns out that wisdom is more of a "doing-thing" than a "saying-thing".

So, how do you say clever things? Speak less and make greater sacrifices. (Prov. 17:28)

__________________

Listen to the closing moments of King's final speech ("the mountain top") the night before he was assassinated: click here.

An interesting fact: King was born Michael King, Jr. His father changed the name to Martin Luther while attending the Baptist World Alliance Congress in Berlin in 1934. The vision for greatness stuck!

God of New Beginnings

2014-01-13T06:00:00.000+11:00

January is named after the Roman god Janus. He has a pair of faces. One looks backward and one looks forward. What a great symbol of New Years Wisdom.

Look back. What are you celebrating as you close off your 2013? What stirs you to offer prayers of thanksgiving? Are there successes? Gains? Wins? And what about disappointments? Losses? Hurts? What loose ends do you need to tie up so 2013 can rest well?

Look forward. What positive change should you promise to make? Is it fitness, family, faith, fun-times, finances. Do you need to get organised, read your bible, sign up to serve or learn a new skill?

Did you know that you are 10 times more likely to succeed with a promise made at New Years? So says Dr. Mike Evans in this 6 min video. It helped me as I set 8 rather exciting personal goals for 2014. I hope it helps you too.

A simple word of wisdom. Don't make a resolution, make a plan! Think it through, break it up into little pieces, write it down, be accountable to someone, and invite the God of new beginnings to help you. Not Janus ... Jehovah! (Isa. 43:9)

The Rarest Kind of Friendship

2014-01-09T16:11:00.000+11:00

There is a friendship based on talking. It is common. Dale Carnegie says you can "win" these sort of friends. All you need to do is let them speak. So long as you nod and mumble with credible frequency you can assemble a substantial collection of these sort of friends.

This common friendship is epidermal. Surface conversations rubbing up against each other, with very little permeation. People taking turns to speak, but no one taking time to listen.

The rarest kind of friendship however, behaves differently. It does not wait its turn to speak. Sometimes it yields its turn and sits in silence for long periods. At other times it interrupts brusquely and speaks its mind. It does this because it is engaged, it understands, participates and even anticipates. In short it loves.

This is friendship based on active hearing! It is sacred because it sees into your soul and speaks wisdom, comfort and truth to what it sees there.

I am blessed. I have friends who occasionally touch my soul. Their words are kisses and their eyes sing my undeserved praises. They "get" me without making me explain myself. They can rebuke me or bless me but always I feel restful and improved when I have been with them. Jesus himself is one such friend, he touches my soul frequently (John 15:15).

I think I understand the goal (Prov. 17:17, 18:24, 27:6,9). I wish I did not fail so often. I pray that I might be a soul-touching friend for a few people at least some of the time as I live. And I pray that you would have such a friend and be such a friend too.

Who or what touches your soul? How do you practice deep friendship? Please leave a comment.

Ponder Your Life Mission Today

2014-01-01T12:58:00.000+11:00

What is your life mission? Over 25 years ago I wrote out my life purpose. I review it each new year. It inspires me to become a better person. It has changed only a little over the years.

I share it here to encourage you to write out your mission. You'll see I have lots of work yet to do. Share your thoughts on life mission below.

My chief aim in life is to honour God and live so as to hear him say: "Well done, good and faithful servant".

I am a Christian! I will live for Christ! I will ask: "What would Jesus do?" I will seek first God's Kingdom.

I will aim to make Christ visible in the world, to be a servant and a leader who will bring people into the Christian life and help them live it. I will make disciples.

I will model Christ's love in my marriage. I will raise my children to honour and serve Christ and to exercise their freedom to reach their full potential.

I will maintain a positive attitude and learn to live by faith. I will learn to rejoice in everything and be thankful. I will be a positive influence on people.

I will place the highest value on: humility, integrity, love, creativity, grace, listening, service and charity.

I will seek to live at peace with others.

I will take the bible as my rule of faith and practice in life. I will embrace the Ten Commandments, The Fruit of the Spirit, and The Golden Rule.

I am committed to personal growth and new challenges. I am free to fail and eager to learn from each failure.

I am a communicator and will use my gift and talent to its greatest possible benefit as a preacher, teacher, pastor and author.

Take some time at the start of a new year to think about your mission. Your life matters. It is a gift to all of us. Enjoy it and live it well. Happy New Year!

Do Angels Still Visit?

2013-12-24T12:20:00.000+11:00

At the shops this week I asked a women to explain her tattoo for me. It was an angel. The art was really beautiful. She was eager to tell me it was her mother. That got me thinking.

Five things I like about her answer: she believes in an afterlife, has a sense of her mother being alive, thinks of her as close, believes in angels and dares to put her feelings out there.

Five things I want to challenge (but didn't): people don't transform into angels when they die, angels in the bible are male, wings are unlikely, too much adoration of angels is not good (Col. 2:18-19) and angels are messengers - don't celebrate the herald and miss the good news.

Angels feature prominently at Christmas. In Matthew and Luke they bring good news and offer comfort. They come to enlist participants in God's salvation story. Their focus is God's cosmic work.

In the bible angels protect people (Dan. 6:22, Acts 12:7-11), bring messages (Zech. 1:14-17) and worship God (Heb. 1:6, Rev. 5:11-2). They are servants of God's purpose. They have a will and some even rebel against God (2 Pet. 2:4).

So, will you have an angel in your life this Christmas? Possibly! But if you do, two things are likely. First, you probably won't even know. Angels often appear as strangers so beware (Heb. 13:2). And, second, it will be about God's work of justice, renewal and peace in the world. Angels usually don't help us find our keys, think up great facebook posts or lead us to an empty car park at the shopping centre. Instead they form choirs and sing God's praise - and every few millennia a handful of shepherds hear them.

If you need an angel this christmas I believe God will send one. But don't wait for it, wish for it or wonder too much about it. You have something better. You have Jesus himself who said - "I will never leave you!" (Matt. 28:19) That's enough.

10 Things I Love About My Church

2013-12-19T19:16:00.000+11:00

Here's a love list. In no particular order here are ten things that make me say "Thank you God for NewHope Baptist Church". I love this place!

1. People transformations. I love to see Jesus change lives. I love baptism testimonies (60+ this year), healing stories and accounts of growth through suffering and loss.

2. Culture mix. Attending NewHope is like visiting the United Nations. I love our diversity - 60 birth nations in our worship gatherings and the colours of the rainbow on our staff team. We celebrate each other's background.

3. Our mission: "Love God, Love others, Serve the world". Hardly original or unique. But is works! I wake up in the morning thrilled that this focused call is what my life is all about. I love having a clear purpose in life and ministry.

4. Community engagement. I love eating with people who live on the street (Dinner Tonite), dialoguing with Federal politicians, praying with our neighbours, sharing the gospel with people in need. I love seeing what Spirit-filled, fully yielded people can accomplish serving together. I am glad NewHope has open doors to our community.

5. Our café. It feeds the "soul" of our church through a ministry of hospitality. We call it Middle Ground Café to celebrate its mission of connecting people to God. It is physically situated between the footpath and the worship seats. I love the coffee.

6. The care. I celebrate wonderful stories of attentive love to one another. I too experience this genuine care at church. Good people speak sincerely and powerfully into each other's lives.

7. Our Baptist-ness. I love it that we are a local church with a local "government" - that our properties, problems, programs and possibilities are all "owned" by us.

8. Our culture. We have a sweet spirit in the fellowship of NewHope. It is made real by a hundred acts of mercy and a thousand gestures of love every week. People absorb hurts for others. People point out bad behaviour and we all work to correct it. Culture is fragile. We are learning to treat it with care.

9. Mobilised people. I thank God for our many, many volunteers, vibrant small groups, ministries to all ages and a network of care. I love the way we can do life together.

10. Vitality. Because we built a Community Centre our property is active 7 days a week. We host everything from local school graduations to business training conferences. We serve these groups and take every opportunity to share Jesus. There is life here! Faith, doubt, love, pain, hope, hurt and the Spirit of God all intersect here.

I could easily keep going. I'm not saying it's perfect but I am saying there is a LOT to love here!

Why this post? My denominational leader, Daniel Bullock, suggested the idea in his Christmas letter to Pastors. He asked: "Do you still love the church?" I do!

Now, why don't you make a list. What do you celebrate about your church?

Home(less) For Christmas

2013-12-10T17:47:00.001+11:00

Millions of people will NOT be home for Christmas in 2013. Consider joining them - if only in your prayers.

Refugees. According to the UNHCR 10,400,000 of the world's people are refugees. Driven out by war, disaster and persecution, they will NOT be home for Christmas. Pray for them.

Bereaved & Destitute. Many people have "lost" their home to ill circumstance. A death, a divorce, a disaster or a departure will displace many this Christmas. The home that was, just isn't there any more. Spare a thought for those who grieve at Christmas.

Workers & Carers. A significant number of people will not be home because of an obligation to work or a choice to serve. Some will be too far away to get home and many will be making a calculated sacrifice. Open your heart to those who serve this Christmas.

In the original Christmas story no one is "at home". The young couple are in a foreign city with inadequate provisions (Lk 2:4-7). The Saviour is leaving his "home in glory" to come and "tent" among us (Jn 1:14). And the shepherds (Lk 2:8) and the wise men (Mt 2:1) are on the job and on the move. Christmas year one is not cosy.

I'd like to propose an addition to an old song. An added stanza just to help us reflect.

In 1943 Bing Crosby recorded the hit single "I'll Be Home For Christmas". The words are the wishful thoughts of a WWII soldier on active overseas duty. He longs to go home. The song ends: "I'll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams". This is a powerful and winsome sentiment, but not a specifically Christian ideal.

So, here's a new stanza. Sing it with a prayer.

Christmas Eve will find me, sharing Jesus' cares,
I'll be with the homeless, if only in my prayers.

One Step Formula For Getting What You Want

2013-12-05T17:19:00.000+11:00

Here is a simple formula to get what you want. Consider using it this Christmas!

It has only one step. Ready? Train yourself to NOT want what you don't get!

Stoics do this by simply enduring the hardship and suppressing their feelings. Buddhists (some at least) do it by denying desire altogether. Cucumbers succeed by having neither opinions nor aspirations.

Those who follow after God can achieve this joyfully, energetically and mindfully. Believers can train to not want what they don't get by learning to connect deeply and intimately with the one who gives all things. By relating so completely to the Creator that the very structure of heart and mind slowly shifts.

So here is what we need to do: "Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Ps. 37:4) Rather than petition a Santa-Claus-God, open your heart to the giver of life and let His goodness surprise you.

Disclaimer: This "formula" is for well-healed Westerners and what they "want". People can't train themselves not to want basic needs like food and safety. But if you have plenty and you take Ps. 37:4 seriously, you will soon find yourself becoming an active participant in God's answer for the destitute - and you'll love doing it!

An Unbelievable Public Announcement

2013-11-24T20:00:00.000+11:00

Recently in my local shops I heard this announcement over the public address system:

God is ruler of the world. The Nations are instruments in his hands to demonstrate his power and love. He comes to pour out blessing on people and to end the curse of sin that brings so much sorrow into our world. Everyone should make room in his heart for this King. The Saviour reigns! The whole world must know about this and sing with joy!

The announcement was set to music. It was declared in poetry. People were humming along. Some even knew the words. It was a truly sacred moment as I realised what was happening. Most people missed it. I almost didn't notice myself. We were all preoccupied. None of us had come to the shops that day expecting an announcement about God. But there it was! This is the text of the announcement.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Saviour reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.

At no other time of the year is the gospel message so clearly spoken out in our culture. This is a season of unique opportunities. Take note. Pray. Speak up. Celebrate. Give thanks. Worship.

You can read an earlier more authoritative version of the original announcement in Luke 2:1-20. Have you had a moment of worship while shopping at Christmas? Leave a comment.

Slavery Is Wrong!

2013-11-19T06:30:00.000+11:00

Slavery is wrong! Today is a good day to think, pray and act on that proposition.

Seven score and ten years ago Abraham Lincoln brought forth a vision of "a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal".

The battle for that "new birth of freedom" under God is not yet complete. People are still enslaved by people (estimates range from 21-30 million). And there is as yet government of only SOME people, by SOME people, for SOME people most of the time. While MANY people perish from the earth, victims of human trafficking, forced labour, organ harvesting and sex exploitation.

Gettysburg and Lincoln have passed into history. But this great vision of equality and freedom for all people has yet to be realised globally.

On this 150th anniversary day of the Gettysburg address think, pray and act on this proposition ... slavery is WRONG!

______________

Potential to-do list items for today:

visit a coffee shop that does not sell fair trade coffee and ask them to begin doing so. Tell them why you're asking Today.
find a store that sells fair trade products and tell them that both Abe Lincoln & you say thanks!
write a letter to Just Jeans and ask them to stop exploiting Bangladeshi workers
Get the Ethical Shopping Guide and the Ethical Fashion Guide and research your favourite shops. If they score poorly, ask the manager to be proactive.
thank God that you are free. Cry out to God for those who are not.
watch the movie Lincoln.
listen to the Gettysburg Address.

6 Leadership Insights I Learned From Kevin Rudd

2013-11-16T15:06:00.000+11:00

I'm no political analyst. I am a pastor with a love for God, love for others and a passion to serve the world. I think Kevin Rudd shares these values. I don't agree with everything, but I think he did some good during his time in the lime-light. I know it was not easy!

He visited NewHope in 2011. We were all impressed with his razor sharp intellect, winsome persona and commitment to issues of global justice. Here's a few things I learned from K Rudd (the good and the bad) concerning leadership .

Say "Sorry!" His Sorry Speech was a brilliant piece of leadership. It did enormous good. We'll remember this for a long time. There is great power in an apology. And you don't have to be the one who did the wrong to help make it right. Pastors should be artists of the "sorry". We could all use the word a bit more often!

Change your voice slowly. When Kevin "flipped" regarding the definition of marriage he left many of his supporters confused (I was one). I have no idea how long he wrestled in private but it was a break-neck turn in public. We didn't see much anguish of heart in the search for truth and so it looked like political expedience. Pastors should change their minds over the course of a ministry but we should do it with open dialogue and a bit of visible wrestling. We'll still disappoint people but they'll know our hearts.

Read theology. Kevin is a Dietrich Bonhoeffer scholar. He reads N.T. Wright (he told me so himself). He thinks deeply about the ideas that undergird his policy commitments. This doesn't make a person right all the time, but it does make our leadership powerful. We pastors will lead better when we read, study and think more.

Control your temper. That swearing thing wasn't very impressive. I'm willing to cut Kevin some slack here. Even greater luminaries lost their temper (e.g. Moses). But it's bad form and bad leadership. I do wonder if it's partly why he did not enter the "promised land".

Hang in there! What a bumpy ride Kevin endured. Twice PM, twice expelled. Loved and unloved. Hailed as great and derided as evil. He quit his seat in Parliament, but I'd be surprised if he's done. He's a stayer and that's impressive. It takes guts to fall down in public and get up ready to lead again. That's what Pastors MUST do.

Hold your evaluation. Kevin Rudd is stepping down. Most of his story is untold. I for one wish his term in politics could have been more productive. I think he is a good man whose gifts didn't gain the traction they might have. I actually know lots of pastors who are in exactly that situation. God's judgement of these things is different. I choose not to pronounce a final word on his life or mine or yours - not yet.

I hope Kevin can enjoy time with family, move on to new things and serve Australia in new ways with his considerable leadership ability and wisdom. All the best Kevin!

What's A Christian For Anyway?

2013-11-12T06:00:00.000+11:00

What is a Christian for? What earthly purpose do we serve? A few years ago Rick Warren wrote a book reminding us "It's not about you!" More recently Miroslav Volf has demonstrated what it is about. It's about the Common Good, he argues, that's what Christians are for.*

Volf is an author I love. He is a leading theologian in the world today. He is Croatian, was raised Pentecostal (his father was a minister), educated at home (Zagreb) in an American Seminary (Fuller) and a German University (Tubigen). Today he is a Professor of Theology at Yale University. Midway through his doctoral studies (with Jürgen Moltmann) he was drafted into military service and fought in the Serbo-Croatian war. It turned his faith inside out. He's an amazing academic, refined by fire and filled with the Spirit.

If you don't know theological schools, suffice to say that Volf's education and experience is a garden salad of diversity. He is unique. He writes great books. And he is ideally suited to tell us what a Christian is for.

If you are a believer as I am, according to Volf, the two of us should be working together to help humanity flourish. Our stance must not be coercive but it must not be evasive either. Christian faith must raise its head in the public dialogue, but how?

"Wisdom", answers Volf. Christians have really useful things to say about life. We DO know something about what works and what is needed. But we need to be humble: quick to forgive, eager to receive as well as offer and full of hope for ourselves and others.

It is true that Christian faith can malfunction. It occasionally fails to live up to its own calling. But the way forward is to acknowledge this, confess our failures and get on with the good work of public engagement to which we are called. Here is some of Volf's insight on wisdom sharing.

1. Share nuggets of wisdom. Ours is a tradition full of rich treasure. We should claim it, explain it and offer it freely. Christians who are switched on and Spirit-infused have good stuff to say. We should say it more often and more loudly.

2. Model a wisdom lifestyle. We should also be able to demonstrate the power of our treasure over the long haul. The Christian voice in the public square should rest on the empirical data of locally lived wisdom. Churches should be people of joy, welcome and healing. Christian families are brilliantly placed to give evidence of Christ's wisdom.

3. Point to wisdom as a person. The premium gift Christians have to offer is the insight that wisdom is personified in Jesus. Real wisdom is not bookish, mystical or antique. Real wisdom is embodiable! But only at great cost. It happened once. It changed everything.

Western culture needs Christians. The public square needs our voice and the back alley's need our loving intervention. We have "words of life". We need to do them.

To put it another way, Christians are for the world, just like God is (John 3:16). We should be more like antibodies in the public bloodstream and less like busybodies in the private affairs of people. Christians are for the public good. At least that's what Miroslav and I think. Get his book and enjoy a great read.

Note: Miroslav Volf will be in Sydney 18-20 March 2014 at the Re:Thinking Conference.

* Rick Warren "A Purpose Driven Life", Zondervan, 2002; Miroslav Volf, "A Public Faith", Brazos Press, 2011 (148 pages). Also worth reading is Volf's award winning book "Exclusion and Embrace", Abingdon Press, 1996 (306 pages).

Educating Nearly-Born People

2013-11-08T06:30:00.000+11:00

In Victoria, Australia it is legal (since 2008) to abort a foetus anytime prior to delivery. This can't be right. I don't know where the line is between not-yet-human and nearly-born-person but I believe that Victorian law has drawn a line in the wrong place!

I recently learned about the work of Dr. Diane Colombelli-Négrel of Flinders University.* She and her team have discovered that superb fairy wren chicks begin their education before birth. Her work made me think about parents who play music for their unborn babies. How much can a foetus learn? (Lk 1:41-44)

A few days before the chicks hatch the mother sounds a unique note repeatedly in her song which will serve as a kind of feeding password in infancy. Post-hatching, the chicks incorporate this particular note into their begging song and effectively verify their identity at feeding time. Intruders, like the notorious cuckoos, fail to produce the note-code and are ignored at feeding time.

So, apparently bird-education begins pre-hatching. It makes me wonder what marvels a near-born-human has learned. What pre-delivery-living she or he has already begun to experience. And what favour God has already bestowed (Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5).

It just can't be right to legalise the termination of healthy nearly-born people. Surely we can find other ways to support women and help families through unwanted pregnancies.

* Australian Geographic #113 (March-April 2013), pg. 115.

Three Things I'd Like to Tell Every Year 12 Student

2013-11-04T07:00:00.000+11:00

Year 12 is nearly finished in Australia. Pressure! Cramming. Worrying over an ATAR*. This is the common story in hundreds of families. If I could say three things to every hopeful graduate facing exams here is what I'd say:

First, this is a rung in your ladder not a fork in your road. God will use this experience to elevate you if you let him. It is very unlikely that your second employer will ever ask you about high school (unless you are employed real young and change jobs quickly). Study hard, but check out this surprising list of high school dropouts just to keep perspective.

Second, school exams are not scoring what matters most. Character. They test for memory skills, aptitude with numbers, knowledge of literature, and so on. What will make or break you in life however, is character (Gal. 5:22-23). If you don't do your best or you cheat, then you have failed regardless of your scores. On the other hand if year 12, with all its pressures, makes you a more Godly person, then you possess a greatness which the ATAR can't measure.

Third, God wants to help you. Ask him. Invite some friends to pray for you. If you attend NewHope know that we are praying for you this week.

Contrary to popular thought, final exams are not final, they are not comprehensive and you don't need to take them alone. Asking God to go with you is NOT cheating.

Encourage a student this week. Pray for them and care for them this month.

If you still have exams ahead of you click here for some practical tips. And, please leave a comment below.

*Australian Tertiary Admission Rank

The Practice of Vulnerability

2013-10-29T20:00:00.000+11:00

Vulnerability is powerful. But the way it works is more or less counter-intuitive. You need to risk feeling bad, in order to feel good.

Here's what I am learning. Open and honest people are more interesting. Truthful, risky self-disclosure puts energy into relationships. The more I practice opening up, the easier it becomes. If I have less to hide (or pretend about) I feel more joy, security and kindness in each relationship.

When people betray my vulnerability it hurts like heck. There is no completely safe way to do this. But there is no way to be fully alive and not do this.

Vulnerability is making my "real self" just a little more visible than is comfortable. Our lives are like flowers, most attractive when fully open. That's counter-intuitive.

Over the years I have explored these 12 ways of practicing vulnerability (I've actually repeated most of this in the last month):

Asking for help even though it made me feel uncomfortably weak
Offering advice and examples from my failures rather than my successes
Expressing my affections (appropriately) where previously I had been silent
Naming my doubts and fears out loud
Finishing this sentence: "Do you know what I am really feeling..."
Confessing my sins and weaknesses to another person
Saying sorry and promising to do better
Refusing to pretend that I liked what I didn't or that I agreed when I couldn't
Risking ridicule and misunderstanding in order to be helpful to someone else
Weeping while praying for someone in bitter pain
Asking others to pray for me in the area of my weaknesses
Letting silence linger until it got uncomfortable, and then it got real

Result: Most of the time I experienced a connection. Something vital shifted in the relationship, it went to another level, it blossomed. Not every risk paid the same dividends, but over all my "vulnerability-portfolio" has proven enormously profitable.

How do you practice vulnerability? Leave a comment.

For a brilliant talk on this theme check out Brené Brown's June 2010 TedTalk here. And if you want to read a business application of the theme, explore Patrick Lencioni's book "Getting Naked".

Have Christians Done More Harm Than Good?

2013-10-25T07:40:00.000+11:00

During the past 2000 years Christians got some things wrong, true. But they got a lot of things very, very right.

It is said that our missionaries stole children, imposed colonialism and ran rough shod over cultures and traditions. Well, that was wrong. We all know about the Crusades and religious wars and inquisitions and narrow minded clerics. For all of that we say sorry. Very sorry!

But that is only part of it. A small part actually.

It also needs to be said that our missionaries cared for victims of the plague, built hospitals, educated young people, dug wells, empowered farmers, raised the flag for justice again and again, improved the status of women, achieved prison reform, brought hope to darkened lives and fostered peace accords. For all of this I say Hallelujah!

Christianity has contributed to world health, human dignity, an elevation of morality, growth in charity, the birth and growth of modern science, the arts, music, literature, the calendar, the language, and the betterment of society. And all this is ongoing.

Let's not under play what the followers of Jesus have achieved. Let's celebrate when we tell the Christian story.

And one more point. Not everything done in the name of God is God's idea, fault or story. Christianity is a great movement. We should not be surprised if it's name and sometimes its proponents get hijacked for devilish purposes.

I'm proud to be a Christian! It is a world changing phenomenon. It works. And there's much more to come.

Three Ways to Avoid Misspending Your Masculinity

2013-10-21T06:00:00.000+11:00

I just learned a shocking stat. Every week a woman is murdered in Melbourne by her partner or ex-partner. Every week!

Police Commissioner Ken Lay who reports the statistic says: "Our culture is heavy with warped and misspent masculinity." I fear he's right.

Violence and family abuse is the extreme case but the problem exists in lesser shades of grey as well.

So how should I spend my masculinity anyway? Watching sport. Guzzling beer. Growing hair. Living hard. Having sex. All good in moderation. But surely that's not all there is.

A bloke is built for more. You know this because you bristled when I added the word "moderation" to the list above containing "sex" and "sport". Guys don't want to slow down. We don't want to drive a Ferrari in the car park. We want some open road!

So, here's my odd prescription for spending masculinity. Take the three top "guy-insults" and live them LIKE A MAN. There's a gem of truth in each of these offences.

1. You're soft mate! Thanks, I'm trying my best. It's tough. Any brick wall can be hard on all sides. It takes character, strength and courage to cushion someone with your love. It takes a bold and powerful person to stand between injustice and someone who is vulnerable. Spend your masculinity cultivating a soft side that you can turn towards those who need a real man to protect and care for them.

2. Ya' big loser! Great, that means someone else is the winner. If I can loose occasionally, say an argument with my kids or letting my wife choose the movie we watch, I can serve people. If someone else wins because I choose to lose, who's the man, eh?

3. You chicken! Yes I am. I cultivate important fears. I fear God (Prov. 1:7). I fear the one who can put me in hell (Lk 12:5). I fear the person I can be when I am not in control. What I don't fear is you, the names you call me or the harm you think you can cause me.

So here's my daily masculinity expense sheet. Was I soft enough to cushion some one in need today? Did I lose so some else could win? Did I fear what should be feared and did I walk away from folly? Call me soft, call me loser, call me chicken ... call me a real man!

I've got masculinity. It's an awesome gift, and I intend to spend it WELL!

PS. If you lose your temper with women, you need help! Visit NewHope Counselling if you are in Melbourne or find a centre that offers men's support programs near you.

For another excellent speech by Police Commissioner Ken Lay given in Nov 2012, click here.

Christians: The Most Persecuted People on Earth

2013-10-18T07:30:00.000+11:00

About 100 million Christians around the world are being persecuted. That's more than 4 times the population of Australia. Pray for them, now!

A few things to ponder:

An estimated 70 million Christians have been martyred in the first 20 centuries of Christian history, 40 million of them in the last 100 years.
Christians face restrictions and hostility in 111 nations
The most unfriendly countries for Christians are North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan
15 European countries have laws that restrict Christian practice and speech
Persecution takes many forms: legalised discrimination, violence, imprisonment, relocation and forced conversion
Statistically Christians are persecuted more frequently than any other religious group, yet the media dedicate the least time to reporting these stories
While Christianity is strong in number (2.2 Billion), its commitment to peace has frequently made it the target of violent minorities
Jesus foresaw all of this! (Matt. 10:16, Mk. 8:34, Acts 9:16)

Despite these atrocities, Christianity continues to flourish. It remains the world's largest religion and continues to grow rapidly.

Persecution should not be confused with Western Christian experiences of marginalization and inconvenience. If someone laughs at you and your faith, deal with it. But if someone is violent towards you because you love Jesus, or they pass laws against your freedom to worship in Jesus' name; then read 1 Peter 4:12-19 and practice what it says. God is with you!

And, if you're not being persecuted today, lift your face toward heaven and pray with energy for those who are.

Sources: Hilary White of LifeSiteNews; Tom Heneghan of Reuters

Stop Building Churches!

2013-10-15T13:30:00.000+11:00

What should a group of Jesus' followers build? A Cathedral? A Tabernacle A Church? Well, according to the Australian team at McCrindle Research, that's not a good idea. If you want to stay community connected, don't build a church. Study the chart in this blog. Take note that the Aussie populous would rather have a dog park than a church!

But now take a closer look. What does the community say it needs? I'm impressed by the fact that churches - of every denominational stripe - are exceptionally well placed to deliver on 4 or 5 of the top 6 perceived community needs.

I suggest we quit our churches and build Community Centres, Youth Centres, Cafés , Children's Parks and the like. Some could turn car yards into public parking and existing church halls into community libraries.

My proposal is not a retreat. It is a advance. Everything Jesus calls us to do as the gathered church (people, not buildings) can happen in spaces that we share with others in the community. And what a great witness to build what the community wants and then share it with them.

Christian leaders everywhere are re-thinking what we should build and why. NewHope Baptist Church embraced this challenge 6 years ago. We built a Community Centre as a gift to our neighbourhood. We share the space with the community. We are on an amazing journey and it is working a treat. We are growing wide (outreach) and deep (discipleship). Our witness is strong.

Let's stop building churches. Let's build stuff the community wants and then share it with them. And who knows, maybe they'll let us share other things too - like the gospel!

You can read more stats from McCrindle here.

Scaffolding Your Ministry With 5 Types of Prayer

2013-10-11T06:30:00.000+11:00

Many Christian leaders delegate prayer. They wisely recruit prayer supporters and empower those with prayer gifts. All good!

But some prayer should NOT be outsourced.

Re-reading Nehemiah refreshed my prayer life. Here is a leader who accomplished a lot and his ministry is scaffolded with 5 ways of praying.

Nehemiah really helped me. I'm an activist, not a contemplative. I don't run at the front of the prayer pack, I'm a lagger. But I AM in the race and I WILL finish this marathon. Nehemiah's prayer life is an achievable model for any leader.

1. Anchoring Prayer (1:4). Bad news inspires Nehemiah's first prayer. The city he loves is in decay and he knows he must respond. His "call" comes as he weeps, fasts and wrestles with God for three full months. This long season of anxious prayer anchors his new vocation in a new city with new challenges and new people. Leaders need these seasons of deep discernment. They are infrequent (only once in this book), but invaluable. While such episodes can't be rushed and are often painful, they stabilise ministry for decades.

2. Arrow Prayers (2:4). Nehemiah's second prayer stands is stark contract. It's a quickie. He shoots it up to God as he draws breath to answer the king. Godly leaders will shoot dozens of arrow-prayers every day. Afraid? Shoot an arrow-prayer. Perplexed? Fire away. Dumbfounded? Stuck? Discouraged? Awestruck? All are occasions for quickie prayers. Do it continually (1 Thess 5:17).

3. WIT Prayer (4:9). Stands for "We're in trouble" prayer. All great projects get into trouble, and there is no need to pretend things are good when they are not. Nehemiah simply rallied the people to prayer. He undid his trouble makers by calling on God and posting a guard. Leaders gather people in times of crisis and put courage into them. They urge the people to call out to God together and they expect God to join the team.

4. Armour Prayer (6:9). Very few leaders actually have the proverbial "tough hide". Most of us get hurt. That hurt can become toxic. As Nehemiah's opposition escalated he called on God for Strength. He also ranted to God (not his co-leaders, family or flock) about his enemies. He preserved his soul by first, asking God for protection and second, expelling his leadership bile God-ward not people-ward (4:4,5; 6:14).

5. PTL Prayer (9:5). This is "Praise the Lord" prayer. Nehemiah and his colleagues led the people in celebration of a job well done. They took time to sing, pray, rededicate and praise God. Leaders offer praise and stir it up in the hearts of God followers.

These three forms of private prayer and two of corporate prayer make a strong and reliable scaffolding for ministry. These are prayers I cannot outsource. And the more I practice them, the less I want to.

Bill Wants Cake: The Art of Asking

2013-10-08T22:45:00.000+11:00

Mr. Balding wants a decent carrot cake. So he writes to the age.

"I'm a 90-year-old bloke with a passion for carrot cake. My late wife used to make them for me as long as I grated all the carrots. Any suggestions where to buy a good one?" he asks.

Result: Bill Balding is overwhelmed with kindness and cake. Emails, notes, deliveries, promises - cake, cake and more cake.

People are wired to care, but get stuck. We don't notice. We don't know how to help. We think we don't have enough resource to share. Stuck!

So, if you need CAKE (or some other kind of help) what do you do? Learn the art of asking from Bill.

Connect. Reach out to others. Put your story out there. Be vulnerable.

Ask. Simply and clearly. Figure out how others might actually help. That's your responsibility. Bill says: "Where can I buy a good carrot cake."

Kindle. Spark interest and emotion in others. "I'm a 90-year-old bloke with a passion for carrot cake." That's engaging. "I'm sad, lonely and angry." That's boring!

Enjoy. If you get a little help, take delight in it. Say thank you. Gossip your story.

Finally if you have cake, share.

If you are CONNECTED, know how to ASK and get answers, can easily KINDLE interest in others with your charm and have a life you ENJOY, then find someone who is needy, confused and still telling a boring story and help them eat cake!

Enjoy the heart warming interview with Bill here.

Make plans to bake a carrot cake here.

What Is Jesus Good At?

2013-10-06T19:23:00.000+11:00

Dallas Willard asks: “So what is Jesus good at?”* If we intend to mentor under him it’s a good idea to know his specialty.

If we aren’t clear, we will be poor students. We may experience disappointment, and misunderstanding. People sometimes want Jesus to teach them things that he is simply not good at. Then they get frustrated when it doesn’t work out. This is wrong.

Jesus is not good at keeping everyone happy. He’s not good at helping rich people get richer. He’s not good at maintaining the status quo. He’s not good at holding his tongue when powerful people are acting unjustly.

So don’t go to Jesus to learn these things. Don’t pretend he taught you.

What is Jesus good at? Willard’s answer: Jesus is good at living in the Kingdom of God. He’s good at obedience to the Father. He’s good at telling stories that steer people’s choices towards the transforming, peace loving, will of God. He’s good at actions that bring justice and offer mercy. He’s good at humble living.

If you want to learn any of these things (and more), follow Jesus. But know what he is good at, before you commit.

* Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy pg. 282.

Displacement

2012-09-25T06:00:00.000+10:00

Ephesians 5:18
“Be filled with the Spirit.”

God’s Spirit takes up a lot of room. When holiness is poured in, it wants to push everything unholy out. Being filled with the Spirit sets us up for a spiritual tug of war.

The Spirit-Counselor that Jesus sends doesn’t keep office hours in the city. The Spirit moves in! Sits in my lounge room, takes over my TV, reads my magazines and sleeps in my bed. Uses my computer, visits my facebook, explores my bank account and has opinions about most everything I do. If it is not right or doesn’t foster peace or kills joy, the Spirit gets rid of it.

Don’t get me wrong. The Holy Spirit is kind. Like God’s gardener at work in our lives, the Spirit is all about what’s eternally best for me and for you. But you can count on this: a relentless determination to take over. If, that is, you want to be “filled”.

A kookaburra and her mate tried to move into the possum box in our garden recently. Problem was the box was already filled. A possum had been living there for some months – a possum with no holiday plans or visions of up-sizing to another neighbourhood. The squabble was loud and lasted more than a week. It was entertaining to watch. The possum won. No displacement. No change.

I’m keen to be filled with the Spirit. I know that it leads to character growth and spiritual power. But I also know that it involves displacement. Being filled means being emptied again and again. That is our challenge.

And this is what helps me. I remember that its not a possum at home in me but something more like a feral rat. And the Spirit who comes is a gift from the creator whose laugh never mocks and whose help never fails. I say bring on the Spirit.

Questions:

What gives you courage to seek the Spirit's filling?
What gets in your way?

Scripture: John 14:15-27, Rom 8:1-17, 14:17, Act 2:1-12,39

The Positive Power of Discipline

2011-10-13T11:20:00.000+11:00

Proverbs 12:1
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”

Discipline is a simple idea. You or someone else applies pressure to your life in order to bring about positive change. Get discipline, it's good.

Discipline comes in three flavours.
1. Self-imposed Challenges. Example: You choose to workout at the gym.
2. Fair Consequences. Example: You speed, you get caught, you receive a fine.
3. Unjust Hardship. Example: Someone with authority over you acts badly and you pay an undeserved price.

No matter what flavour your discipline, if you eat it up, it will grow you. Just because you didn’t choose the arena and method of your hardship doesn’t mean it can’t do you any good. God-discipline is potentially even better than self-discipline.

Here are a few thoughts on how to get the most out of discipline.

Don’t refuse the ugly flavours.
All discipline has an unpleasant taste (Heb. 12:11). Even the stuff we choose, like practicing an instrument or saving up for a purchase. It has an initial pleasure price tag that we must be willing to pay. As you go down the list of flavours (from self-imposed to unjust hardship), the taste gets worse!

No one likes flavour two. Punishment is unpleasant and usually humiliating. If however I take it like a good medicine it can heal me. If I can learn, I can grow. If I can grow, I can improve and succeed in life.

The third flavour, unjust hardship, is putrid! It often tastes so bad that people cannot stomach it and they get no good from this form of discipline at all. This is understandable but disappointing. If you are able to plug your nose and swallow, this ugly, ugly flavour can yield some amazing benefit.

Why? Because all discipline has positive potential. Even the stuff you do not deserve, like copping an injustice. It can yield a good harvest of righteousness, peace, holiness, maturity and much more. You see it in people like Victor Frankel, Nelson Mandela or Helen Keller. And you see it in lesser known people if you look. (Heb 12:11, James 1:3-4)

Don’t confuse the different flavours.
Many people fail to distinguish between flavours two and three. They presume that hardship and punishment must be the same thing, especially if God is involved. This is NOT true.

Think of it this way. Hardship is like the wind. Wind blows pointlessly until you raise a sail in it and then you have the possibility of movement. Unjust hardship is the same. This pointless flood of pain becomes an opportunity for growth (and even blessing) when you open your heart to God and let him use it for good. Ask God to do something positive with your hardship. Be patient and wait for it. That’s what it means to love discipline. (Prov. 12:1)

To experience hardship as discipline (and not just pointless pain), you need to surrender control to God. Flavour number three operates much like flavour number one (but it tastes completely different!). God uses hardship the same way we do when we go to the gym and lift weights for example. God can discipline us without punishing us in the very same way that we can discipline ourselves without having done something wrong.

One reason people hate the discipline of God is they fail to understand God’s heart when justice is delayed. Discipline is how God expresses his love in the midst of a troubled world. He turns hardships into useful episodes in our maturing lives. These painful seasons are to our spiritual muscles what weights at the gym are to our physical muscles. God takes control, if we let him, and it is good.

Self-discipline is excellent. God-discipline is better. Don’t be put off by the taste. Get discipline, it's good!

Questions:

How do you exercise self-discipline? What victories have you had? What failures?
Do you accept that discipline is not always “punishment”? How are they different?
Do you agree that all discipline has positive potential? Why?