A thread on healing and spiritual abuse. I have two currently incurable conditions. One in particular is progressive and degenerative, Young Onset Parkinson’s. I do not believe I will be healed.
My mate gave his life to Christ today. I watched his whole demeanour and face change as he did so. He was still glowing with joy hours later. Former soldier/para. Combat veteran of several wars. I watched as the peace of Jesus swept over him.
#onlyjesus
Nearly every church leader I’ve spoken to is feeling heightened pressure. Many say they are exhausted. Some feel broken. Large numbers feel discouraged. The weight of expectation has been acute. Pray for your church leader. Be kind.
When someone who doesn’t drink alcohol, politely declines a beer and ask for a soft drink etc, don’t say “oh go on, just the one…” or probe and make things awkward for them. We would never do that with any other drug. Just accept it and be kind.
#sobriety
#alcoholfree
Praising the bishops preach on Facebook seems to have sparked a debate between clergy on the finer points of his theology. Doesn’t help all my non church going mates who felt stirred by his words. It was a wedding talk...it touched hearts...
We are heading towards a devastating and horrific season of pressure on household finances as we head towards winter. How about churches all over the UK create open living rooms for warmth/hospitality and free winter restaurants for nutritious meals twice a week?
Whilst the church expends energy into arguing to keep the buildings open, the vast majority of the population (who don’t go to church) wonder why we the church should stay open as their businesses close. Pour energy into innovating how we communicate gospel hope and then do so.
I suspect when I’m in heaven I’ll realise I got a huge amount wrong in my theology and completely missed the point hundreds of times. What I do know I’ll have got right, is that Jesus loves me and loves you. So I’ll bang on about that more than anything else…
#jesus
A rare selfie. 10 months alcohol free today after making a vow to God following 2.5 years resisting a sense of call to become the best version of me I could be for Christ, my family and the ministry he’s given me. It’s a journey. Glory to God.
#soberlife
#newnazarite
A lot of Christian events have names like “courageous” “glow” “quest” (guilty) and so on. I reckon we should start to embrace names like “oops” “plodding” or “I nearly did a runner…” and so on. Which I think, counter intuitively is more inspiring and deffo more authentic
I’m blown away and almost speechless at the number of men who have given their lives to Christ with great intention and certainty at
@cvmTheGathering
this year. Glory to God. Romans 1:16.
#gospel
If it is true that “faith” should have no place in public/political life then this should also apply to the faith systems of atheism, humanism, secularism etc and not just “religious” faith. Anything less is hypocrisy.
We didn’t prophetically see the pandemic coming. Lets be humble about our thoughts on 2021 and beyond. Maybe it’s time to be on our knees listening for a bit.
A thread about a Whiteboard and a dream.
2 months ago I felt compelled to purchase a whiteboard. My wife was confused as I rarely write anything down and can’t really write on a board either. But I did and placed it in my garden cabin next to a small chair. Complete with pens.
We saw large numbers respond to the gospel at
@cvmTheGathering
It was stunning. God moved powerfully amongst the men. It was perhaps the largest gospel response we have seen to date since we started it.
#gospel
#men
Can you contemplate what would be happening right now if the French ceremony producers had mocked or parodied a precious and deeply meaningful scene from Islam? You can’t because they would never do it. Utterly appalling.
#france
#olympics
#OpeningCeremony
Those speaking of judicial reviews re “closed churches” should be clear that the “church” isn’t closed. The review is about buildings. Some churches are growing rapidly. Some never had buildings. The church never actually closed. It was never about Sundays or buildings.
In 30 years of mission I’ve found that most opposition and obstruction comes from within the church. If you have a vision for anything new, fresh and pioneering be aware of this. It can come as a shock to the uninitiated. It goes with the territory.
Middle class people are used to meetings homes for soirées. So a “home group” is an easy transition. But many working class communities don’t do this. They chat out the front, outside the cafe over a smoke & a brew, in the pub. But they don’t do invites into each other’s homes.
We are dangerously teetering towards judging people by online kangaroo courts. No longer giving people the benefit of the doubt, nor believing the best. Stay gracious and kind. These days you can be destroyed for life by one mistake. The way of the cross is higher.
The poor don’t need smoke machines and big lighting/sound, slick phrases and soundbites. They need the gospel, job creation, training, skills development, people who will believe in them and journey with them incarnationally
When I see posts & blogs with headings like “8 things that are the hallmark of… “6 things to build a healthier church” or “5 hallmarks of a spirit filled x,y,z” and so on, I feel the tentacles of weariness. Enough of this. Faithful plodding is where it’s at. Mundane obedience.
I’ve had encounters with people who don’t follow Christ lately where the power of the Holy Spirit has been astonishingly evident. A drug dealer being overwhelmed with Gods love and weeping as he felt a hot feeling all over his body. Stuff like that.
Actions speak. Lift the suspension of visas to Ukrainian refugees. “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter” is 57:8. History will judge us severely if we supply weapons but not shelter.
#ukraine
#RefugeesWelcome
I truly believe that only the gospel will ultimately transform and rescue individual lives and therefore society. That’s my focus and will remain so until I draw my last breath. Regimes and structures come and go. Christ is the alpha and the Omega. Beginning & end.
#jesus
Honesty, vulnerability, meekness, grace, being slow to anger, peaceable, self deprecating, tender and kind are all hallmarks of a truly strong and secure man.
Providing food in a warm room isn’t going to be an opportunity for the church this winter. It’s going to be a necessity. Families will be forced to make choices to feed their kids or keep warm. Let’s create pop up winter restaurants all over the UK.
#winterrestaurant
IMO you can’t read the Bible regularly and not grow a huge heart for broken, lost, hurting people, and anger at injustice and a desire to help the poor. Take those bits out of the bible and you have one very thin book...
I have journeyed through Complementarianism having come to Christ in a brethren church. After much study, prayer and heart ache I changed to an egalitarian view on preaching and leadership. I am president of a men’s ministry. We need all hands on deck. As you were.
This is a chance for reformation. Innovate don’t replicate. Release people to be creative and try stuff. Don’t rush back to what we once had. This is an incredible chance to recast mission, reform church, reach people we didn’t before.
In over 25 years of ministry, I’ve found that those not in the kingdom have rarely opposed any mission idea, vision or endeavour. Nearly all obstructive behaviour or opposition has come from within. We need to talk more about friendly fire and equip leaders to handle it.
It strikes me that to have a good theology of healing, you also need a robust theology of suffering. Otherwise people suffer and even die with a sense of shame and failure that they were not healed. This is spiritual abuse.
#spiritualabuse
#shame
#healing
#suffering
A thread. What has an incurable (currently), degenerative and progressive brain disease taught me as a follower of Christ? I’ll shall try to list them.
1) In Parkinson���s we are “on” or “off”. This is when the meds are working or they have run out. I take them 3 hourly.
Church planting conference organisers need to deploy more speakers who have actually planted and led churches. We especially need to hear from those planters who are in the most isolated and poorest communities with little resource. They’re the real deal and mostly never heard.
A woman came to one of our centres today.Fleeing domestic violence miles away. Being moved from hotel room to hotel room. She & daughter surviving on instant coffee. Only had the clothes they were standing in. Team were able to sort out benefits, supplies and share Jesus’ love.
We baptised two men this afternoon, and then after some worship we ate cake, laughed, prayed etc. A wonderful Easter Sunday afternoon.
#easter
@theedgestuff
A big day for me as I stand down from leading the church I planted
@Redeemer_King
. I’ll be staying on the board etc and be a mentor and support for the team. After 26 years of church leadership I feel called to focus on pioneering gospel ministry in areas of deprivation.
Two people have come to Christ in the last week at
@Redeemer_King
and joined online small groups. Both on online alpha. What a beautiful thing that is.
I’ll keep saying it re church. Innovate don’t replicate. Release the creatives. Slay sacred cows. Raise up leaders from the margins. Deploy the unexpected. Be prepared to lose control. Agitate, catalyse, take risks.
We need to hear more voices from leaders who may not have the slickest presentation but who have “actually” led churches for many years. Particularly those in tough places, with less population & money to grow and resource churches. These are the leaders feet we should sit at.
A little personal update:- Karen and I are moving from our family home to an ex pit village on Friday. Seeking to pioneer a new work in a forgotten community. I don’t believe you can have a national story without a local one. We’re also embracing a new journey of simplicity.
A ministry career; Small struggling church. Cut your teeth. Progress to a church with a team. Then become senior leader of a flagship. Fine. But we need the most gifted & experienced leaders in areas of acute deprivation who can build with little or no resource. People or £/$.
I’ll start this year being the same old one trick pony. Only Jesus can transform both your life and destiny. Only he can truly give you peace and life to the full. No one else. Nothing else. That’s it. And I’ll be saying the same all through the year. Cos that’s all I’ve got. HNY
A flaw of some evangelical circles is the need to have an answer for everything. At least that’s what’s presented. Yet there is a very strong place for mystery and quite frankly, not having an answer.
The churches that will suffer most on exit from lockdown, will be those who have tried to replicate online what they did offline. Those who will flourish have focused on connection, community, belonging and reaching out authentically with care. There’s time to correct and prepare
The culture of being deeply offended at everything - and even actively searching for possible offence is simply toxic and destructive to relationships and society.
The apologetics focus on “why does God allow suffering” is inherently middle class. Asked whilst pontificating over a glass of red. In deprived communities where people are spiritually & materially suffering I’ve never been asked why. They expect to suffer. I just present Christ
I can’t stand personal attacks on people. Whoever they are. Politicians or not. I just don’t get it. If you follow Christ you know they need the gospel. So why slander, belittle, mock. Some of these people have children who see this hate too. Be objective. Aim higher. Ditch hate.
Preached the gospel tonight. People decided for Christ. Because the unfiltered, unapologetic, simple, stripped back to basics gospel works, this happens a lot. In whatever context.
Broken, hurting and lost people need a church blazing brightly with hope, peace and grace. Not a church ripping itself apart in public with debates on ethics and politics. Having the necessary conversations is different to making it your shop window.
I’m grateful for Parkinson’s and diabetes. They are teaching me a greater depth of humility and a recalibration of what’s really important. My new fragility is fostering a much greater reliance on God and a deeper empathy for those who are struggling.
In a narcissistic age perhaps leaders need to increasingly point away from themselves. Less selfies, less pulpit shots, less phrases like “would you join ME in…” Speak more about “us” and “we”. Pointing beyond ourselves to Christ and His Kingdom. 1 cor 11:1
Leaders are often in receipt of facts and knowledge others don’t have meaning they are making decisions and judgements based on more info than others. Give the benefit of the doubt. Believe the best. Be gracious. Cheer them on. It’s never easy - especially right now.
If you’re invited anywhere to preach, don’t end your talk with a deal on your books. End it with Jesus. Honour the invite, honour the gospel, put the kingdom first. Become useless at self promotion.
#preachers
Christian hospitality isn’t a dinner party with people like you. It’s being prepared to be inconvenienced & spending time with people not like you. “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers” Heb 13
In my long experience of working & living in the absolute poorest communities, wealth simply does not trickle down to those places. My best response right now is to get my head down & crack on. Ducking, diving, praying to find the resources we need to help those who need it most.
Breaking news. Myself and
@SteveLeggUK
are planning a tour for 2024, sharing our stories. An evening of laughter, tears and hope. Watch this space!
#hope
#faith
Don’t use this post as a political punchbag. I just really feel we need to pray for peace across the USA. The potential for division and bloodshed is acute. Respond with a prayer or 🙏🏻 if you join in.
Lots of people in political despair and angst. I just think, what a privilege to be alive at such an unprecedented time - when the need for the gospel is being bought into sharper focus than ever. My God works all things for good.
#gospel
My daughter and I decided to go for a short walk. It escalated en route to a 2 hr one. We strolled past houses, fields, horses, along the old railway line and then the canal. Talked about nothing of significance. Laughed a lot. Simple stuff. No punchline. No dramas. Nice.
Be kind. Then be kinder. Imagine being on the receiving end of ridicule or denigration etc. Then be even kinder. Remember a world is watching how followers of Christ behave towards each other. Then smash kindness out of the park.
If you are a man who loves football. And is incensed at England losing. Do not take it out on your wife, girlfriend, partner. Wind your neck in and be a real man.
He started to hear the birdsong in that moment. Something the PTSD had blocked out. We went back to the whiteboard and he wiped it clean, wrote his name and underneath wrote “son of God.” I baptised him yesterday and he tells me he feels a peace he hasn’t felt for a v long time.
What if we stopped thinking about Sunday meeting formats (in person, online etc)? What if we decided to start thinking about approaches that would allow the mass scaling up of discipleship, evangelist training, leadership development. Unbranded, non tribal.
Over the years I’ve had many senior leaders advise me on how to become more appealing
@CVMen
to the church and not just to “blokes” They totally miss the point. We’re engaging the missing working blokes who never go near the church and create spaces for them to hear about Jesus.
Disciples of Christ are wobbling where there has been a reliance on vibe and atmosphere. We’ve inadvertently fed this. It’s a day of reckoning. We haven’t prepared the western church for hard times. I don’t believe we should go back to what we had. That would be a failure.
I know this is contentious. But we won’t be physically meeting as a church
@Redeemer_King
Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Obvs many considerations including context, deprivation, protecting vulnerable people, local witness. Every leader has to make their own decision.
A consortium from my church
@Redeemer_King
led by
@andykindcomedy
has put in a successful offer to buy the best coffee shop in chesterfield. It’ll be used for mission as well as to serve great coffee. Exciting times! A few details to sort to get the deal over the line. Please 🙏🏻
Honestly, there’s so much in life I just don’t get. And whilst there’s a lot of joy, there’s a whole lot of stuff that’s just painful. Sometimes extemely so. But I trust my God and I trust my saviour. I read my bible and I believe what it tells me. That gives me
#hope
.
Sometimes I find myself writing a tweet then deleting it. Mostly because it won’t bring life and hope. Christ bought life and hope to me, so I need to try and live that out myself. We can redeem social media.
We should as leaders challenge people who say “God told me..” ask how he did that. People remove themselves from accountability and the ability to challenge and question their actions. It’s also unhealthy. Sometimes thoughts are simply your thoughts. It can lead to mania.
We are all broken. All in recovery from something. All a work in progress. I’m glad I know Jesus loves me. I’m grateful for his patience. I’m beyond humbled and highly moved that God is my father in heaven and that I am his child.
Twice last week I saw the sons of fathers who have been to
@cvmTheGathering
come to Christ
@creationfestuk
. In one case the Dad came to Christ at The Gathering as well on the day he planned to commit suicide. His life changed and now his son. That’s really special for me actually
Sometimes I see the cruelty and bitterness with which Christian’s post on here towards people and I literally feel choked with sadness. Have a view, but don’t be hateful, bullying, cruel and unkind. Politicians are people too. Made in the image of God.
I’ve been reading how Booth and Wesley had churches ban them and actively protest against them. How mobs of Christian’s would jeer them. It doesn’t happen like that these days. You get unfollowed, unfriended, blocked or muted. Yesterdays brick is todays click.
Middle class people objecting to Christianity often use the argument “why does god allow suffering.” Said from a position of comfort and wealth. I’ve never heard this objection from someone who is living in utter deprivation. They expect to suffer and welcome the good news.
I rarely comment on politics - but don’t be surprised by these results. Ive spent years working in broken places. Labour are tone deaf. Twitter is an echo chamber for mostly elite middle classes (who can afford smart phones). On the ground you hear something completely different.