Reggie McNeal

Great video we showed at church tonight

Preaching

Interesting survey on preaching
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6993099.ece

Pause for thought!

Did My Radio Shropshire "Pause for thought"
Like Mike George who presents the show, very easy to get on with and knows Ross on Wye well!

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I am not a great gardener but I do like to have a go, so one blustery autumn day last year my daughter and I wrapped up warm- put our wellies on and headed down the garden armed with a trowel and some daffodil bulbs acquired from a local gardening centre .It took us a while, but eventually we had planted the bulbs near an apple tree, in a sunny spot about 8 inches deep and 6 inches apart as per the instructions on the bag. Job done we headed back to the house for a nice warm cup of tea!

In the recent cold spell I happened to be in the same spot, the ground was covered in snow and rock hard with frost. It was so cold the local brook had partially frozen over .I glanced down at the ground and right beside my feet just peeping up above the earth almost covered by snow; I was amazed to see one of the daffodil bulbs which had now become a tiny and seemingly fragile bud.

It hadn’t yet opened but despite the arctic weather it had survived, and one day in the not too far distant future it will flower and herald the fact that winter is ending and spring is on the way!

That small bud pushing its way up through frozen ground reminded me again of the value of perseverance

One of the books I was given for Christmas was the biography of the former England fast bowler Harold Larwood a shy young lad with little self confidence and small physique who became one of the best and fastest bowlers the world has ever seen. How did he do it He practiced for hour after hour after hour day after day so he could land the ball on a sixpence not once but time after time ....that is the value of perseverance as has been said genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration!

Inspired as I am by Harold Larwood;I am much more inspired by Jesus who persevered through hostility, opposition, hunger and even betrayal, yet all the time he kept moving forward towards the cross. Indeed on that cross his last words before he died were “it is finished!” Not a cry of despair but declaration of victory The task is done the goal is reached!

Nowhere is perseverance needed more than at times of difficulty and disaster
The people of Haiti in the midst of tragedy are demonstrating this perseverance but we in wealthier parts of the world must persevere in our attempts to help and alleviate such dreadful suffering

But we need perseverance on a personal level too

What do you want to achieve in the next year? What are your hopes and dreams for the future they are very unlikely to come easily they will probably need hard work; perseverance .the ability to keep on going on no matter how fragile the dream and how hard the ground to be covered! A person who perseveres does not stop till they reach their goal.

The Bible tells us to ``run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us'' It tells you to do so by fixing your eyes on Jesus!

As the bulb becomes a bud that becomes a flower that heralds spring is on the way so the perseverance of Jesus through death to the resurrection should give us hope for the future and should encourage us to keep going now

Haiti

many of the pictures are too graphic to put on a blog, but the pain is all too real
We will have an offering on Sunday towards TEAR funds work in Haiti

Reggie McNeal

Very powerful message from Reggie McNeal. Take the tinme to listen
It really speaks to my heart !

YouTube - Anthem - Leonard Cohen

YouTube - Anthem - Leonard Cohen

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Just think this is a fantastic song !
Love the line "there is a crack in everything,its how the light gets in"

5 questions to think about this week

1 How did you see God at work in your life this week?
2 What is God teaching you in his word this week?
3 What conversations are you having with pre-Christian people?
4 What good can we do around here and how can we get some of our neighbours in on it?
5 How can we help each other in prayer?

BBC!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6951450/BBC-is-driving-religion-to-the-margins-says-Simon-Mayo.html

Interesting reflections on the BBC from Simon Mayo in todays Telegraph

Mayo expressed concern at the way issues surrounding relligious belief were treated by the Corporation.

Mayo, who has joined The Telegraph as a columnist said: “I’ve just listened to David Tennant on Desert Island Discs. His father was a minister and that was seen to be a problem [by Kirsty Young, presenter]. Religion is increasingly driven to the margin.

“I was listening to a BBC news bulletin during Easter 2008 about services to mark "the rebirth of Christ", “a line clearly written by someone who had no contact with or understanding of the concept of resurrection.

“My brother works for the BBC religious affairs unit and told him I couldn’t believe it.”

The corporation was criticised after it recruited Aaquil Ahmed, a Muslim programme-maker, as the BBC's new head of religion and ethics last year.

Mr Ahmed's appointment raised concerns at the top level of the Church of England, which warned that the BBC must not ignore its Christian audience.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, was reported to have told the director general, Mark Thompson, that the "Christian voice" was being sidelined.

Mayo, 51, the former Radio 5 Live presenter, suggested that an anti-Christian theme is now apparent in television comedians from Eddie Izzard down.

"They are at the forefront of the new atheism", he said.

Mayo, who has been presenter of a BBC Radio Five Live weekday afternoon programme since May 2001, will take over the Radio 2 Drivetime show from Chris Evans on Monday.

great quote

Alan Hirsch "The holiness of Jesus is a redemptive holiness that does not separate itself from the world, but liberates it ~ Untamed"

Had our light lunch new year meal today at The Prostar stadium !
Light lunch has been a great ministry for getting to know people better and building good relationships within the church and in the community
Hope 2010 is a great year for it

I believe !

Found this quite a moving song

Reggie McNeal is an excellent writer and his The Present Future and Missional Renaissance are well worth reading so am adding to the reading list!



"The church is not the destination; the kingdom is the destination. Jesus does not say, "Thy church come." He spends 40 days before His ascension teaching about the kingdom. Acts closes with the kingdom. Jesus uses "church" twice, but "kingdom" 90 times. When the kingdom breaks out, things change. People's lives get radically re-altered; their entire worlds get re-ordered."

quote from Reggie McNeal