ARTICLE

How Many Questions

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“Why?” I think this must be the most used statement from a child as they go through their 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s years and beyond sometimes. When they’ve asked their 1st why it’s so exciting it’s so great to see this little bundle of life growing up but when you get to your 5th and 6th “why?” on the same question it challenges you as a parent not to utter the final close down statement of “Thats why!”. We tried and tried with our children especially our 1st as every other word was “why?” not do the “that’s why” response but I did fail from time to time, as it became very tiring.

Questions must become our way of life, it’s important to know the questions that needs to be asked and the questions that don’t, it becomes hugely necessary to know how to ask questions to gain knowledge and simple answers to enquiries. In some conversations it is necessary to know how to frame the question 3 or 4 ways to ensure you’re getting the correct or unfortunately the truthful answer.    Questions are necessary for life.

The inquisitive mind of a child is astounding, that’s why it’s such a challenge not answer with the “that’s why!” response, its our aim every time the “why?’ is asked to try to be respectful to the growing inquisitive mind. It’s sad when parents see it only as an attempt to unseat their authority, questioning who they are at worst, it’s just growing up.    Just as at  a few months old everything seems to end up in a baby’s mouth, is just another way of asking “why?” through taste and touch but now words formed and the ”why?” word is asked.

Your world and my world is mysterious to most of us, and never mind if we try to take the mystery out of our world it has a life of its own and invades back in.    Mystery and questions we must live with.     To a child the world is huge and mysteries at every hand, even our conversation sets up more mystery for a child.     I remember once trying to slow one of our children down and just flipping off the top of my tongue a simple cliché “… Don’t do that you’ll run yourself into the ground…”, watching the child stopping and in every way in her mind trying to handle the thought of the ground opening up or her little legs becoming part of terra-firma.   More mystery for the child to deal with in an alien world.

The questions we ask often simple attempts to piece together the puzzle of life and for the child the “Why?” is an attempt to work with that.    Why can’t I do that, why can’t I stay above the 9 PM, why can’t I stay out like, why not need to, I’m sure you can think of your ceaseless catalogue of why’s.

Unfortunately for some people this childlike curiosity diminishes as they get older. Yet, we live in a world that I realise that has more and more to discover.    Any one who watches the BBC nature program or tried to get in contact with Facebook, web, iCloud, technology knows  Through my journey I have attempted to keep growing and probing and new ideas and ask myself continually “why?”

I have a ‘Duffty theory’ which is very simple that is “to keep fresh and young at heart is to remain a constant learner”. It’s not just a theory I’ve even asked around finding out that those young oldies are quite often the constant learners of society or group or church. Before we go any further I’d like to make a distinction between learning and being a learner, there are many in pursuit of learning which has its necessary place in all our lives. Learning, gaining understanding of information as part of our lives, however being a learner is a disposition and a way of life, an attitude I am trying to cultivate that every one can never mind on your academic ability.    These both being a learner and learning are good practices but one is to develop an attitude not just an ability.     I have noted for some who pursue learning unfortunately they sometimes become people who have a narrow field of learning as they get more learned, I am not bring this quality to forward, it’s the ability to be a learned even from the youngest, from life’s simple movements in creation.    To see in every day an adventure to be a growing learner learning from all, everyone and everything.

During life’s journey through my discovery, through others I would like to share with you some good questions in a world of too many questions that I believe will develop a continual learning disposition.

And I generally interested in others?

If you are in any form of influence, parenting or causing a direction to a group of people that is leadership each one of these requires the abilities to see before and seen more than others, as it is necessary for you to figure things out 1st.     The challenge with this ability is not to take advantage of others, some self-centred leaders manipulate and move people for personal benefit.     True influence/leadership will motivate people for the people’s benefit or for mutual benefit, the place that is best of others above themselves

This question probes your motive

Am I doing what I love, love in what I do?

No one will ever fulfill anything especially your destiny if you despise your tasks.    A good realisation is that none of us are anything unless it comes from a heart.     It’s frightening to discover a 25-year-old, 35-year-old, 45-year-old… wake up daily, go to work and cycle through routine processes and functions this is effectively they’ve retired. To make affect to be a ‘difference maker’ passion has to be brought to the table, commitment and caring to all you do. Passion gives you the energy to take advantage

This question provokes your passion

Am I my pleasing God?

The writer in the in Psalms encourages each of us to “…number our days…” that this be aware of how short they are and how few we have. I am sure your history tells you that or even the thought of where has all the years gone?     In the shortness of our days we have great significance, significance often beyond what we can imagine.      Sandra and I enjoy watching films often we come away with concepts, clichés and one-liners that stay with us, actually I think the cinema is quite often the preaching platform of our day.    There’s a line in a classic film called ‘Gladiator’, just at the very early stages of the Romans characters journey, as he is about to lead his cavalry into battle he calls out for all to hear “what you do in life echoes in eternity”, the film proceeds to fill out his life then indicating the echoes of eternity he will have, it is a story of what he has done in his life out.     But how true this statement is, it provokes us to live our life well.   A life lived well is one with a clean conscience, honourable, generous, explaining God to our world living this before God and mankind.       Focus your efforts, your passion, your energy on worthwhile causes/purpose that will blast your time in a time/space world.

This question is an eternity question

 I leave with you 3 simple questions that could transform you and perhaps in my next blog we will return to a few more, perhaps you seek to make these three practical in your day. Don’t cross out the child’s “why’s” perhaps determining to ask a few more “why’s” yourself everyday.

“You Won…”

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We recently directed some guests of ours from overseas to Kings Cross station London as they wanted to see platform 9 ¾, I wondered what they wanted, 9 ¾ never heard of such a platform, cannot be really?  I had no idea what they were talking about, never heard of it, thought they are not from UK.    However I found out that they knew better than me, the platform was made famous through Harry Potter’s book, you go to the platform quite simply to get your photo opportunity… just in case you wish to see it take the Underground to Kings Cross / St. Pancras, (two main line stations that share the same Underground Station).        Follow the signs into Kings Cross Station when you get to the surface walk along Platform 8 (it’s totally free access).     When you see a sign directing you left to Platforms 9 to 11 keep going on along Platform 8 and the Platform 9 3/4 photo opportunity is a few yards further along on your left. There is normally a conspicuous sign on the platform pointing to the small alcove and out of the wall projects half a baggage trolley.   You have arrived at your destination.

I had no idea of how to get there or how to help others arrive there then the thought came to me, it is a real challenge for us all to answer the question   “where are we going and how can we help each other get there?”.    It is a timely question in the hour we live, with so many changes in society, politics and the economic world , in the business world and in the world of faith, the church change is coming at us as a fast speeding train, whether we want it or not.    Where is it taking us and how can we help each other get  there?

It  is a day for the prophetic people of God to come to the out from under the covers, a day in the midst of much noise and debate, to take hold of the word of God.     Gods’ words when uttered in the past created, they also sustained people who took them up.    These spoken words gave direction and knowledge to those who listen and heard them, those who listened  did not find themselves with out understanding.

Clearly we are in a day of discovering a deeper trust of the Father a new listening and obedience that will lead us into freedom and to the land of promise.    We have to grasp the idea that we are on journey,  that in itself  will empower, challenge and  mature all who embark.

Today as people of God in the west, we find ourselves so much part of societies thinking at large, that it has invaded the church and they way we think, becoming consumers in every way.   Seeking ever-increasing experiences for our emotions, listening to the word of God to consume that which we believe that will give us a quick advance, an edge on life or even fix?    Making decisions on that which we can get hold of immediately, the NOW rules us.    Yet the Journey men and women of old, the pictures of lives of people between the covers of the scriptures walked a journey, not a quick dash with immediate consumer gratification.    Consider the lesson of one of these journey men, Abraham, here is a man who had promise upon promise spoken to him, of peoples, fathering, sons, nation and land, God promises to bless all nations through Abraham, yet Abraham received none of these in his day, but  even 1000’s of years on the promises are still coming to pass.

Even more than that Abraham had a 644 Kilometer journey, once he was willing to entertain the promise.   A 644 Kilometer journey and a 4000+ year, time frame, to get the promises.   Now that is a challenge once he become obedient to the promise words of God it was a long haul walk and a massive time frame to content with.    Now don’t get me wrong on the journey there where evidences, victories of the promise but its fullness took walking on investing time, he become wealthy in his day, he had influence and did finally get a true son of promise, but certainly one son does not constitute a nation!   Once Abraham believed and entered the journey it was counted as righteousness to him, that is keeping in right line with the journey, and keeping it foundational to life’s actions and decisions.   The words of God are living, but how living are they ?  They require movement, obedience, a change of vicinity, a change of surroundings, a departure and a step in front of you.    Actually the words of promise to us all are to bring about sons of God who are led by the Spirit, to bring maturity in light of eternal promise.

I think its time to discover not only the joy of the immediate but the eternal will of the Father, knowing that we have been called to an eternal purpose, to depart from the tent of  the immediate and become the tent of meeting for our life and then our world around us.     We are, the people of God, the ecclesia, the church are to be the place where people will meet the love of God along with a people who are a prophetic journeying people.

Let me encourage you to find others people who will also ask the question, where is all this taking us?  where are we going and how can I help you get there rather than making sure I can get there.

Traveling in a plane has its challenges, but no more for me than the initial film or safety demonstration, we are all shown, there is one difficult line there to listen  to, it goes something like this …make sure your mask when it drops from the roof goes on you first before you see to children or others… that is so against the journey of prophetic people,  firstly seeing to ourselves before others, so that we can all arrive together.    Many years ago  we were taught to play croquet by a great Godly man called Arthur Wallis some 15 or so of us, in a retreat centre in Sheffield.   As we came to the end of our game and our instruction Arthur being the master crossed the line, won the game and a shout of “…you have won Arthur…” went up from all,  with this he turned and said “…no I only cross the line when all my brothers cross…” and with that he fell with his head at the foot of an old wooden cross in the gardens becoming one of the host of witnesses who now continues to cheer on this seen world to ultimate intention of the Father.   What a line to enter eternity with, to depart this expression of life with, what a way to live, asking more how can I help you get to the destination of the will of God rather than consuming, to get there myself.

So find journey men and women, young people, children sojourners who are pursuing the will of the Father in eternal promise and plan and seek to help each other fulfill the prophetic purpose of God.

O really the devils is in the Detail

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“The Devils in the detail” ever heard that quoted to you?   I am not sure why the statement is such perhaps this is where we miss out, or is it that where we get caught out in the work necessary involved in detail?     By what I can tell, it actually means that small things in plans and schemes are often overlooked and they are the things that can cause serious problems later?  Like many proverbs which involve the devil, it is meant to sound a note of caution. It may also be used to excuse or explain the obfuscation of an otherwise very simple project or task, now that’s a new word to look up!.

In one sense, one might say “the devil’s in the details” to refer to small but ultimately important components of a larger task.  For example, performing a scientific experiment in a laboratory is a hugely involved task which can sometimes be highly dangerous. A small error at the beginning can translate into a useless experiment at the end, so experimenters are reminded that the devil’s in the details. This reminder is intended to encourage the scientists to check their work, and to be thorough and careful in the lab.

But really I would suggest to you that this is far from the truth and it’s not the devil there, but “God is in the detail”, that all life is detailed through a wonderful and marvelous Father and not some other.     It is rather a miss statement that is a distraction,  it is actually quoted incorrectly, there is a great in the detail of your life, from time to time we have to be reminded of this fact that so easily gets away from us.

The Psalmist reminds us of the very fact that  GOD IS IN THE DETAIL and none other, some times we just end up not seeing God but I can assure you God is.   It is a wonderful truth  that we need  to be reminded of, especially in our society today.     We are reminded loudly and clearly that our Father, God is in the detail.    It is so simple yet we forget, if we could grasp it and live by this simple truth,  it would be transformational.

God is there, God made us wonderfully and we cannot ignore him,  this is the Psalmist in Psalm 139:13-18 he wants everyone to know that God is in your intimate moments, in your beginning, in every detail and continues throughout your life. To be able to see and realise that God is in every detail brings great security and challenges us to step out into great adventures.

This is one of the greatest passages of literature about the miracle of human conception and birth, Eugene Peterson once said “in the presence of birth we don’t calculate – we marvel.”     This small thought is here to trigger you to discover God in the detail of your life.  There is no devil there but there is a God who is intimately interested in every bone formed, every bend of every artery intrinsically weaving, embroidering each one of us and each one of our lives. What a tragedy to miss this truth that God is there, embroidering the pathways of our life before we even walk, God is in the detail!

He planned and determined our days (V16)  which includes the length of our lives (Job 14:5)  and the tasks that God wants us to perform (Eph 2:20; Phil 2:12-13).    These plans coming from a loving God with a loving heart planning all the very best for us (Rom 12:2).   Let us fix in mind and settle on the security of this confession of God is in the detail!

This simple confession, God is in the detail, displays that the Psalmist has the most mature individual faith in the Old Testament, it also indicates that the writer has the clearest anticipation of the life to come. God is in the detail means unbroken companionship, intimacy, detailed knowledge and understanding, we can’t go anywhere to hide from God.

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

The security of “…you know…” is wonderful and life without it would be all to pot I think.    The knowledge of you knowing is a gift to you and me, a gift of God that he knows, that there is intimacy in his knowledge that there is detail, there is minute inspection in Fathers knowledge.   This is too wonderful for me the Psalmist says and it how great that a great mighty God can have such detail intimate working in you.

You know me inside and out

You know every bone in my body

You know exactly how I was made

You know me – every – exactly  its marvelous, what and who you are with this insight, more than that onward interest.   Great God I want to shout, wonderful  Father, I want to cry  help me as i throw my self back on you  every moment of every day.

God saw every detail.    God pre-recorded all the days of the psalmist before he was even born. This statement may mean that God determined how long he would live, but in view of verses 1-4, it more likely refers to everyday details. God marvelously planned out his life.

Okay where do we go to from here, daily confession that God is in the detail. As we awake, as we journey to work, as we start every day, as we deal with the detail of life we discover God is in the detail and it will change the way we look, change the way we work, change the way we treat life, in the small  things, realise God is there, God is working, and this is his way of displaying his intimacy.

Trends of the Spirit – Servant – Leader – Influencer

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Today the Spirit is re engaging our theology and consideration to realise that our God is a Trinitarian God and not a hierarchical God, as we have so often been instructed.   This simple change in understanding has major ramifications on all thinking and practice within our world.  We realise that theology is at the base of every decision and action in each society – it is time to review and adjust to the instructions of the Spirit and allow the impact to  stretch across our world.

There has never been so much debate regarding the way forward as there is today, with markets changing, people changing, with the needs and requirements of modern men and women.

We actually say that everyone is a leader in some way or another, whether a parent at home discipline, schooling, empowering their children or as a successful business entrepreneur.   You are influencing someone!

Leadership in most people’s’ mind would be thought to be seen, in the charismatic decisive directive goal filled person, with every one else listening and doing as they are told, yet over the years we have seen that this is so far from the servant leadership model, we are all called to.   Willing to pour oneself out for the advance and empowerment of others.

We live in a season where leaders are to be honoured yet Christ poured himself out; this was his style of leadership and influence.    I would even step out and say for true, lasting and worthwhile leadership it has to be “servant style” to be lasting.   As a matter of fact it is in vogue to talk generational in church settings and in mentoring business settings, yet lasting success can only be achieved through servant style leaderships or influence!    It is about time we discovered that once again.

“In times of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists”.

Eric Hoffer

The only way to avoid control or domineering of people’s identity, is to rediscover our call to servanthood once again.

As you read through the Psalm’s you can come across gems of thoughts on all emotions and experiences of life, one recently caught my attention “…Finish what you started in me, God.    Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now…”(138:8), we are reminded that we have a God-given purpose, The Father has begun something in us and through us.        We are told in Paul’s writing each one has been given a destiny that has been for ordained, that was placed before the beginning of time.  Then in Philippians we are told that “… he who began a good work in you will complete it…” you see there is no shadow of turning on his behalf, when it comes to his will towards us and towards his purpose.

Each one of us are given the opportunity to imprison, empower, liberate others around you we can entrap friends and employees or bring them into the “… wide open spaces…” the liberty of God. It does not matter whether it is in the work arena or our faith arena, each one of us should be looking to enlarge others.

“The most immediate risk in your present way of operating may be that you could not be replaced, it there should be a need of that”

Robert Greenleaf, Servant Leadership

Decades ago a new book arrived on the shelves called ‘Servant Leadership’ written by Robert Greenleaf it has always amazed me how few books have taken on this focus, although I do believe for lasting impact we are beginning now to realise the distraction we have been brought into.    The term Servanthood, Servant, has been part of our vocabulary for many years and yet we still seem to struggle with its’ full implication in leadership and influence but subtle distractions come our way.   We seem to be still much more comfortable with a dominant leadership style, rather than one the soul reflects the Godhead and the modeling of Christ in pouring oneself out. Perhaps if we considered a different vantage point we could see a change, and move from the idea of being the chief to being a builder.

The servant leader is not the center of attention but the one that matures, releases and promotes others into their position. The servant becomes the stepping stool for others.

It is time that the church becomes aware of their lasting effect and become the leaders and influencers to bring about maturity.

“Servant leaders want to see the company even more successful in the next generation, comfortable with the idea that most people won’t even know that the roots of that success trace back to their efforts” 

Jim Collins, Good to Great

This “servant leadership” will be built on integrity and therefore will attract trust, people will enable men and women to sleep at night as they pulled out their lives for others. There will come a time with the using of others step is to achieve power will cease only as the impact of servant leadership is allowed to be seen.

To lead with the desire to become a successful as you aim to succeed in the very process, servant leadership it is our day greatest cover our call and vocation to evolve into Servant Leaders, to follow the Christ and explain the Fathers ways.

As we move more and more into the day of the saints, advancing from the priesthood of all believers to the ministry of all believers it is the lasting hand of the servant leader that will bring about a lasting impact for the Kingdom of God and his King.

This Kingdom will fill the whole of creation, and the joy of God, the church, will cause Christ to be seen in our world, by being the exact representation of his style in every way.   To love and empower, to free and give course for life, to be the incarnation in our generation through servants of Christ and leaders who are servants of all creation.

This is not a style of leadership but it is a leadership that endures and therefore brings about true lasting enduring advance

It Starts Here.

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I recently listened a quote attributed to Nelson Mandela in the film ‘Invictus‘.   An enjoyable film with some really good thoughts and many one liners, worth watching and mulling over.
The quote “The Rainbow Nation starts here. Reconciliation starts here…Forgiveness starts here too”.    Too long and too many times we expect every one else to do the changing, this  quote brings home to me the responsibility for a nation, a people group, it  is not with the politician, or its business people or its educators but it starts RIGHT HERE,   that is,  in my heart, the new nation will not happen unless we as individual contribute to the advance and take responsibility beyond ourselves.
This is not an appeal for individualism but for a together understanding, that it is each one playing their part corporately that will bring about change and transformation.    It is in the process of forgiveness we find true humanity and responsibility and bring advance and change.
Well what more do I need to say it is a time when the church the ‘ecclesia’ of God, the lovers of the Christ, realise that we too need to take responsibility.     It is  a baptism of WE, and an experience of Together, a move from me myself and I to  “We”.      We have been born to become sons of God, into sonship,  we are to learn to live from inheritance rather than just live and draw on the grace of God, gaining an understanding of how the Father distributes and uses his stuff, as we mature we can be entrusted with inheritance, being the extension of the Father, doing what he would do?   The trouble is, in grace people get healed, delivered  and raised from the dead but Jesus lived his 30 years not simply from grace but from a sonship inheritance position.     Rather than us seeing our world from our own personal feelings we should begin to see  it from a corporate perspective, as this serves the Christ.      The Father has always only had one son in view, and will only always have the one son in view.    The people of God are to be the image and likeness of the Father and display the practices of the Father, as I have outlined in other writings the “…explain the Father…” as Christ came and did rather than us having our own trip and encounter, we are here to explain the father and encounter  him in the explanation.    Anything less than this is simply just about my trip in God, which means my next encounter needs to be a bigger buzz or greater impact than the last one to keep me in and believing God is there?   Gods’ purpose is much more, we have been invited  into an authentic relationship, to be his explanation,  authentically in our world.
The people of God seem to fallout and divide over experience, with irretrievable break downs, yet we are to be the model of reconciliation, being firstly reconciled to the Father then displaying and becoming that attitude in our world.   We are to develop an attitude of forgiveness, not just forgiving by numbers, first if my brother has anything against me, go to him, secondly and thirdly….  Forgiveness is seen as lives touch each other without needing to rely on a system of actions, but when a disposition of forgiveness, that explains the Father is displayed, “…forgive them Father they know not…” was Christs’ ultimate cry before he was crucified.      We are to be the LOVE of the Father in our world, not only being loved by the Father but we are to be the exact love in our world, so that the world might know….
In the film Nelson Mandela when asked about who his family was, says  “My family is very large. 42 million”.    Let us be baptised into a corporate experience that takes away individuality and allows us to be ourselves while also realising my family is ……millions?
Baptise us O God into a WE understanding and life style, a RECONCILIATION experience and life style,  a disposition of FORGIVENESS  “…it starts here…”   YOU, not one of us is an island or self-made, we are so interwoven into each other, a collage of many, it is supposed to be that way.   Self made is from another place,  it is certainly  not God and Christ Centred,  God is never singular,  yet our world tries to make the single the individual higher, God is always in more than one, God is never alone!