The Parable of the Runner

A man set off to run 8miles. On Monday he started off too fast and ran out of energy after 3miles.  On Wednesday he deliberately ran much slower and ran 10miles.

Is this story about you?

A prayer for 2013...

I haven't been in the mood or had the inspiration to blog for quite some time, but I'd like to share one of my prayers for 2013 with you.  Perhaps something might help or resonate within your soul.

"Lord, all year long You'll prove Your promises & capacity to keep us from falling.

Though we may falter on the journey, the grasp of Your grace is steady & secure.

When we waver in our adoration of You, You will remain committed & fully engaged with us.

Even when you must discipline us this year, it will be in love, never in disgust or regret that You had adopted us.

We praise You for being the perfect Father to Your daughters & sons."

The blessings & curse of social media

I've been doing a bit of pondering on Social Media recently; I can't quite condense it into 140 characters, but perhaps this will spark a few of your own thoughts as to how you use it...

Social Media is here to stay... Facebook & Twitter may come & go, but engaging with each other in this way will be around for a long time.

Whilst I did know (& enjoy) life without it, most UK teenagers have grown up with "liking" "sharing" "tweeting" "following" "blogging" as part of their everyday life experience.

In itself Social Media is neutral.  It's only one means of communication; a tool to help people interact.  Like a hammer can be used to build a homeless shelter or smash someones' brains out, so Social Media is a tool which can be used positively or negatively, to build up or destroy.  And how this tool is used reveals a lot about the user.

Some challenges arising from Social Media:

• It can feed the monsters of self-obsession, self-promotion & image management, which lurk inside us all (as opposed to the Christian virtues of self-forgetfulness, humility & authenticity). 
• It can be a big waste of time.
• It gets in the way of helpful habits of stillness & solitude.
• It can hinder the building of community (constant phone fidgeting & status checking can kill the blessing of face-to-face interaction; plus I don't get birthday cards in the post anymore, which sucks!)
• Some research indicates that it makes you more stupid (reducing curiosity, attentive listening, memory retention & understanding context). 

Some blessings of Social Media:

•  It's great to enter into someone's cyber world & share their laughter, joy & tears (last Sunday it felt like I had 20 friends in the room as we shared silly/grumpy comments on the Olympic closing ceremony). 
• It enables a "presence" with people who live beyond our geographical reach.     
• It can be a blessed waste of time.
• It can be a community builder; enabling us to share messages, photos & banter and understanding each other a bit deeper.  It also helps me to remember birthdays (so I can send a 140 character birthday greeting).

Some questions (which according to the research mentioned above you won't be bothered to think about):

If we follow Jesus, the heart of His Gospel (Good News) is relationship - love God, love others, love self.  How does your usage of Social Media hinder or advance these relationships?

What are your boundaries? How often do you check your status updates?  What does this reveal about you?  What are you NOT doing when you are digitally connected?

Master or Slave: is Social Media a tool to serve you or are you serving it?

Right I'm off to upload this to Facebook...

 

An open message to my heroes - teenagers!

To all the young people who I have the pleasure to spend time with,
Thank you!  


At the moment I am journeying through the toughest & darkest periods of my life - after mum died so suddenly two weeks ago - but your messages & prayers mean so much to me.  Not only is God carrying me through them, but it is so encouraging for me to see that He is at work in your lives.


Most of you won't have met my mum, but she is a legend.  She was always dependable, reliable, thinking of others & got about life in a very quiet way - never wanting to make a fuss, but always working away in the background to help others.  I honestly can't remember her speaking badly of anyone; always giving people the benefit of the doubt.  

She had an active faith in Jesus & was heavily involved in our family church in Dundonald.  In fact, she was on her way to Sunday School to teach her P6 class when she collapsed.  The message she was preparing to give to them was Jesus promise in John 14:3 "And if I go to prepare a place for you (in heaven), I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."  I like to think this was the last thought that passed through her mind.


I'm really going to miss Mum.  Her quiet presence, her quirks and the way she loved her grandchildren so deeply and how they lit up her life in the last few years.  Most of all I'm going to miss Mum's smile and laughter; she really was so full of life and most of my grieving is for the years of fun & joy (especially with the kids) which we feel she has been robbed off.   

Yet in the mess of emotions and heartache, there is definitely some other-worldly presence of God bringing us peace, through the prayers of others & through God's Word to us.  Let me share some of them with you now...

"The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;

and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for You God are with me." Psalm 23:4

"God will cover you with His feathers,

and under His wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness will be your shield."  Psalm 91:1-2, 4

"We do not want you to grieve like others who have no hope." 1 Thessalonians 4:13 

Yes we grieve, but we also share in hope that Jesus who conquered the grave will return to defeat death forever & make us all perfect again - better & more alive than ever before.  As leaders of the Vibe, our dream is that you would know Jesus personally & share in this hope too.

Thank you for walking with me through my pain; I hope to see you all soon.

Johnny 

Some tips for reading your Bible...

Ok Vibers,

Thanks for clicking on this link... a few of you have got new Youth Bibles & are now wondering; "where do you start with this?" Others haven't read your Bible in a while & are just looking for a kick start. Here's a few pointers to get you going. I can provide more thoughts/answer questions if you like or just ask a Vibe leader for some help.

1) If you want to get to know God better (who He is, what He says, what He does), the Bible is always the best place to start as that's the main way that God decided to let us know about Him & Jesus' rescue plan.

2) Our world is quite noisy & we're easily distracted, so best to set aside some time when you turn off mobiles/computers & get some space in your house, so that you can tune into God's voice speaking to you through the Bible (even Jesus needed space to connect with God!!!)

3) You might find it helpful to start with a short, honest prayer. For example, "God, I'm not really sure if you exist or how to read this Bible; so if you're real, please help me." or "Lord, help me to think about you during this time."

4) Some people begin with the first book "Genesis", but if you're new to this my advice is to use "the Word 4U 2Day" notes we give out at The Vibe or start reading through one of the stories about Jesus (the one written by "Mark" is a good one to start with).

5) Don't try to read too much in one go; unless it's going really well. As you read ask, "what's going on in this story?" "what are you doing God?" "what do you want to teach me God about who you are or what you want me to do?"

6) It's often helpful to keep a wee notebook beside you. Write down your favourite verses that stand out (or highlight them in your Bible)... write down a prayer (just be honest)... draw a picture or write a song if that helps you... take a note of questions (and ask a leader about them).

7) Go to a church service or join a youth group (like RED!!!) where you can ask questions & get more help from others in how to understand the Bible.

Try to relax. When you give time to seeking God & getting to know Him - He is always pleased!

Spring is in the air...

I planted these with my 2 year old son last November and promised him that if we looked after them, showed them some love & watered them a little - a flower would appear.

Three months later there was no sign & I was starting to panic. Had I planted them correctly? Had I missed a vital ingredient? Would our son lose faith in his dad if no bloom would come out?

So it was with great relief that we discovered two daffodils this week (Jacob's is of course the bigger one).

It got my brain mulling over how often we are powerless to make things happen. We planted it, we watered it, we sang to it, but ultimately we had no control over whether it would grow or not.

In Christian leadership & church ministry it is similar. We are to love others, living out our faith with actions & words to those around us, but we cannot make anyone change or respond to God by our own efforts. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7,

"Apollos & I are merely servants who helped you to have faith. It was the Lord who made it all happen. I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout & grow. What matters isn't those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow."

So if you're involved in leadership or ministry this weekend, do the job you've been given with passion & determination, and trust God to bring new life & growth in the proper season.

Henri Nouwen on Unconditional Love

Henri Nouwen has been stimulating my brain juices recently. Here's a quote to bat around & hold onto...

“We often confuse unconditional love with unconditional approval. God loves us without conditions but does not approve of every human behavior. God doesn’t approve of betrayal, violence, hatred, suspicion, and all other expressions of evil, because they all contradict the love God wants to instill in the human heart. Evil is the absence of God’s love. Evil does not belong to God.

God’s unconditional love means that God continues to love us even when we say or think evil things. God continues to wait for us as a loving parent waits for the return of a lost child. It is important for us to hold on to the truth that God never gives up loving us even when God is saddened by what we do. That truth will help us to return to God’s ever-present love.” - Henri Nouwen

Love Actually

Admist the chocolate, roses or admiration greatly desired or welcomely received on this Valentine's Day, I'd like to encourage you to reflect on a deeper love. A love given as the perfect gift which rather than distracting from other gifts of love (Valentine or otherwise) gives value, meaning & perspective to them. This is of course God's love which John writes quite eloquently about in 1 John Ch.3...

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" v1

A love far from stingy, but poured out upon us with an extravagance that we only dare to imagine. It's in this love that we find our true identity & our deepest value. If you've lost this recently, stop here & take a good, slow chew over its meaning.

"This is how we know what love is..." Chocolates, flowers, encouraging notes, sex, a ring of commitment? All potentially good, but no "... Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." v16

We were dead. Spiritually dead inside. Lifeless & without hope.

But in Jesus' sacrifice He exchanged His life for ours and opened the way to receive the greatest love gift... life, to the full.

And as we embrace this life what will it look like? John helps us out again, amongst other things our response should look like this... "And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers & sisters... let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions & in truth." v16,18

So receive love where you can today. Savour & enjoy it.

Then give it away where you can. Pass it on.

Love your spouse or partner or girlfriend/boyfriend. But also love others you encounter - your parents, your siblings, your friends, your boss, the poor, the marginalised, the bullied, the elderly, the forgotten, foreigners, strangers, even your enemies.

And love not just with your words, but with your actions & leading people into what is true. For this is love actually.

Disappointment at Christmas

It strikes me that much of the Christmas story is full of disappointment & unfulfilled expectations. A more sanitised version may be appropriate for children's retelling, but as adults have we settled for a watered down or selective version of events?

As we enter the Gospel narrative hopes & dreams are dashed left, right & centre.

Joseph discovers his beloved young bride is pregnant, and he is not the father.

Mary gives a quite remarkable answer to the angel Gabriel on the announcement of her pregnancy - "I am the Lord's servant, may it be as you have said"
- but no woman dreams of giving birth in a dingy manger, estranged from family.

Or what about Herod? He was disappointed by the potential arrival of a new king. So terrified that his power would be usurped, he ordered the brutal murder of hundreds/thousands of baby boys in a mad fury.

What about the parents of these children? What of their hopes & dreams for these beautiful, energetic little boys, just discovering this world & savagely removed from it?

The Christmas story is horrific. It is distasteful. Even offensive. And yet it is Good News. How?

Because into this dark, evil world full of disappointment a light was coming that could not be snuffed out... ever.

John grasps this as he writes from first hand experience of Jesus Christ "in Him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overpowered it."

Perhaps there are unmet expectations & great disappointments in your life at the moment. Perhaps horrific things have happened to you like that first Christmas.

Real hurt & disappointment is to be unveiled, not buried deep, but my prayer for you this year is that you would know the light of the world breaking into your darkness & obliterating it. He is waiting to come in, if you will but open the door & receive Him.

Mountain Mover

Are you standing in the dark shadow of a huge mountain?

Recently, I've observed that many of the young people & young adults with whom I spend my time, find themselves in dark & difficult places, facing huge & unmovable obstacles.

Perhaps its a struggling relationship... a challenging decision to be made with no obvious solution... a destructive habit or character flaw... limited work prospects... a financial burden... a physical disability or a mental health problem.

This mountain just will not move. For some they have stood in its shadow for so long that they have grown accustomed to the darkness.

These difficulties are not to be overlooked or belittled. We should never make molehills out of mountains. But only focusing on the mountain will not bring us hope, only despair.

If you find yourself here. You are not alone.
Can I encourage you to shift your attention from the size of your mountain to the power of the Mountain Mover? In this season of Advent, a dark time in which we wait for the "light to shine the darkness", may we learn to wait patiently on our Messiah's arrival.

Psalm 65:5-7
"God our Savior, You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,
who formed the mountains by Your power,
having armed Yourself with strength,
who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations."

Seeking Applause

In his book What God Thinks When We Fail, Steven C. Roy tells a fictional story about a young violinist who lived in London many years ago. Although he was a superb musician, he was deathly afraid of large crowds, so he avoided giving concerts. But after enduring criticism for his unwillingness to give concerts, he finally agreed to perform in the largest concert hall in London.

The young violinist came onto the stage and sat alone on a stool. He put his violin under his chin and played for an hour and a half. No music in front of him, no orchestra behind him, no breaks—just an hour and a half of absolutely beautiful violin music. After ten minutes or so, many critics put down their pads and listened, like the rest …. After the performance, the crowd rose to its feet and began applauding wildly—and they wouldn't stop.

But the young violinist didn't acknowledge the applause. He just peered out into the audience as if he were looking for something—or someone. Finally he found what he was looking for. Relief came over his face, and he began to acknowledge the cheers.

After the concert, the critics met the young violinist backstage …. They said, "You were wonderful. But one question: Why did it take you so long to acknowledge the applause of the audience?"

The young violinist took a deep breath and answered, "You know I was really afraid of playing here. Yet this was something I knew I needed to do. Tonight, just before I came on stage, I received word that my master teacher was to be in the audience. Throughout the concert, I tried to look for him, but I could never find him. So after I finished playing, I started to look more intently. I was so eager to find my teacher that I couldn't even hear the applause. I just had to know what he thought of my playing. That was all that mattered. Finally, I found him high in the balcony. He was standing and applauding, with a big smile on his face. After seeing him, I was finally able to relax. I said to myself, 'If the master is pleased with what I have done, then everything else is okay.'"

So, whose applause matters most to you?

Henri Nouwen on Leadership

"Too often I looked at being relevant, popular & powerful as ingredients of an effective ministry... However, the truth is that these are temptations.

Jesus asks, "Do you love me?"

Jesus sends us out to be shepherds.

Jesus promises a life in which we increasingly have to stretch out our hands & be led places where we would rather not go.

He asks us to move from a concern for relevance to a life of prayer;

from worries about popularity to communal & mutual ministry;

and from leadership built on power to a leadership in which we critically discern where God is leading us & our people."

Cave Hill & Reflections on Life

The sun came out to play in what has turned out to be a smashing day in Belfast & I felt that it was time for a long overdue trek up our featured mound... Cave Hill. Sitting on the edge of our wee city, Cave Hill (Binn Unamha in Irish) overlooks Belfast Lough & is distinguished by its famous ‘Napoleon’s Nose’ feature which some claim to have inspired Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.

I decided to take the moderately challenging circular route to the top which lends itself to spectacular views over Belfast (making it look like a matchbox town) & on such a clear day it was easy to spot Scrabo Tower, the beautiful mountains of Mourne & even a man in a kilt drinking Iron Bru on the tip of Scotland. As I was a failed member of the YOC in my childhood I couldn’t tell the difference between the kestrels, peregrines & buzzards flying over head, but they looked pretty majestic gliding through the air.

It was supposed to be a leisurely stroll to give my head a bit of breathing space & spend some time thinking with God about some of the things that have been happening in my life recently. However, about 45mins into my journey I noticed that I was “bombing it up.” The sweat was lashing off me, my breathing was heavy, my legs were getting tired and I’d already passed several of the wonderful look-out spots without pausing to admire the fantastic scenes on display. The guide had suggested 2hours for the journey, but was body was keen to finish as quickly as possible.

It was then that I felt something inside me (present, but not physical) put the brakes on. Something within my spirit was telling me to slow down & pay attention. Our spirit can be hard to define & get our heads around, but it is the place within us that God so often communicates. It felt as if God was whispering, “woo... slow down, enjoy the view, experience my artistry, be still for a moment & appreciate my work, it’s a gift for you.”

In that moment I realised that this walk up Cave Hill was like an analogy of how I tend to live my life, especially within youth ministry. I often find myself so focused on the multiple tasks to be completed or the goals to be achieved, that I miss out on important experiences along the way. I concentrate so hard on reaching the final destination that I lose the wonder & enjoyment of the journey. I become so focused on the finishing line, that I get fatigued, anxious & hurried trying to cross it & in doing so become blinkered to the soothing, joyful & reassuring voice of life’s great Travel Guide.

This autumn my congregation has given me the gift of Sabbatical – a chance to rest & reflect & listen for the gentle whisper of God. It is my hope that this gift will help me to better hear His instruction & find a more sustainable rhythm to life & ministry. To walk slower, but still with purpose so that I can prolong the journey, reach that finish line walking rather than crawling & stop off to enjoy the process along the way.

So next time you spot a kestrel on Cave Hill, perhaps spare a thought to what pace your life is moving at – and whether it is helping or hindering you from hearing from your Travelling Companion.

Convenience Store Christianity

There’s been a question rattling around in my head for quite some time. It’s quite a challenging question so I’ve tried to run away from it, ignore it, or repackage it as something easier to swallow, but God’s Spirit keeps barging back in there with it. It’s a question that I think He is posing firstly to myself to wrestle with, but also to the young people & young adults with for whom I have a pastoral responsibility in our church.

How seriously are you taking your discipleship?

This is the initial, overarching question, but it leads to many more. It pokes & prods at my heart & asks “Be honest, how committed are you actually to allowing God to lead & shape your life? Are you really living “All for Jesus... surrendering all of your ambitions, hopes & plans into His hands” or just the bits that are convenient? Are you not just doing enough to lead a cushy life & keep a healthy public image?”

Discipleship put simply is following Jesus. But what does this actually look like in day to day living? How does following Jesus impact upon our attitudes, actions & words?

To help let’s think of call of discipleship as three things (although it is more than this)...

The call to wise training: God has given us some training tools to help us receive the power & perspective that we need to live the life He has prepared for us. The most commonly cited are prayer, Bible study & church worship, but there is also solitude, silence, fasting, sacrifice, meditation & confession. These things do not earn God’s favour, but they are the means by which we begin to live like Jesus (in a similar, but greater way that a strict diet, daily training sessions & disciplined lifestyle helps an Olympic rower achieve a gold medal).

The call to obey God’s way of life: a willingness to listen to God’s moral code for living revealed in the Bible covering everything from our attitude to money, sexuality, immigrants & our enemies, to how we use our time, who we date/marry, where we live & work and coping with stress, failure, disappointment & hopelessness.

The call to serve God with our lives: working out how you can use all of your life (work, family, friends, church) to love other people & help them to discover who God is, what God has done & follow Him for themselves. We often refer to this process of working out who God has made you & for what purpose as our calling, but calling embraces the first two also.

So let me ask you (as I am asking myself), how seriously are you taking your discipleship journey? Are you training well? What is your attitude towards spiritual discipline? Do you go to church, read your Bible & pray when you feel like it or because you know that you need it?

How seriously are you taking the call to obey God’s way of life? Have you brought all of your life before Him & asked for His direction – your anger, your friendships, who you date, where you work, how you feel about money & stuff? Do you listen to & obey His advice when it’s easy (or even just a little challenging), but ignore that thing which is most difficult?

How seriously are you taking the call to serve God with your abilities, passions & gifts? Is this one of the central organising principles of your week or something you squeeze into what’s left (if anything) when you’ve done what you want to do? From what I observe in my own life & in the church, we try to serve God without embracing the call to wise training & holy living. I guess it seems easier, looks better to those around & often costs us less to do so, however, I’m starting to wonder whether this not only cheapens our service for God, but actually makes its redundant.

So how seriously are you taking your discipleship? Perhaps the answer will be best revealed in how long you spend prayerfully pondering some of these questions.

A final note to those who might feel smug or guilt ridden after reading through this... There is always a danger of feeling self-satisfied when thinking about our discipleship practices (reflecting on what you do do & what others don’t) or indeed to feel deflated or overwhelmed (“I am so rubbish, I could never....”).

God is a wonderful (& perplexing) God of grace. We’ve all messed up when trying to follow Him, this realisation simply helps us to remember that we need Him more & hopefully open ourselves more to His power. The Gospel is not just for us before we become believers, but for every step along the journey. Let Him lift you, restore you, challenge & shape you... but most of all let Him love you.

Redeeming FaceBook

Warning! I’ve hummed & haa-ed about posting this blog for a week for fear of sounding like a bore with a prudish overreaction. Please read this as my evolving thoughts/experience & I’d love to know what might ring true for you...

Here goes!

I like FB. I am one of the 600million account holders & use it almost every day. I am grateful to Mr Zuckerberg & Co for their invention which helps me to remember birthdays, connect with friends in faraway places, enjoy other people’s happy moments (engagements, passing exams, photos of children, etc), laugh at goofy videos & status updates whilst making failed attempts at humour with the “comments” function. I also partake in the odd games of Uno, Scrabble & FB stalking.

As a Christian, I find it a helpful & appropriate forum to receive & share thoughts, insights, encouragements & questions to help us on our spiritual journeys (indeed this is what I am attempting to do at the moment!)

However, I have some concerns. Mainly about myself & the impact that my relationship with FB can have on my character. I suspect I am not alone in this so let me share some thoughts & see what you think (please do post a comment).

Since acquiring a “smart” phone I have made the following observations...

Ø The amount of time I spend on FB each day has greatly increased.

Ø I often feel “disconnected” if I haven’t checked out what has been happening in my social media world (although it is rarely anything of significance).

Ø I sometimes find myself getting a little upset if people have not “liked” or “commented” on my status updates (especially in the ones where I try to be funny).

Ø Whilst I enjoy sharing ideas, comments & photographs with my friends, I sometimes find myself under a compulsion to share useless information (I’ve just examined previous status updates wondering, “why on earth did I need to share that?”).

Whilst I like FB & enjoy its many benefits, it has the potential to promote self-obsession (e.g. a recent application allows you to see how many people have looked at your account recently) and a compulsion to over-share (do we really need to know what you ate for breakfast, that you can’t sleep, how many times you have visited the toilet or what you’d change your name too if you were transgendered?)

Here are some questions I’ve been asking of myself recently, perhaps you might find them interesting too...

Ø How much time have I spent on FB today/this week? How does this compare with the amount of time I have invested in my spiritual formation (prayer, Bible study, serving others etc)?

Ø How would I react if I chose not to use FB for a week/month? If I wouldn’t even consider this or if I try & find it really difficult, what does this reveal about me?

Ø Do I ever use FB when I am in the company of other people? What message does this send out to the people I am with?

Ø Do I check FB last night at night & first thing in the morning? Why? Do I find myself using FB as 2min time filler between meetings or on the toilet? If so, is this the best use of my time?

To be honest I’ve found these questions quite challenging so here are a few action steps which I feel the Holy Spirit is leading me towards to ensure that my use of FB doesn’t hinder my spiritual development.

Ø Regularly “fast” from FB. Stop using it for a day, week, month.

Ø Don’t check your status or updates when you are in the presence of someone else.

Ø Instead of using FB as a “time filler” as I wait for someone to come to a meeting (or even on the loo!), use those few moments to notice the good things that God has given me that day.

Ø Take part in my FB Challenge (every time I log onto FB, say a quick prayer for first 3 people in my news feed).

So it’s your turn. What do you think about FB?

Ephesians 4:29... Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.