stop, revive, survive

I've had quite a few weeks off blogging. Partly, due to having had three weeks holiday - in Australia, visiting our middle son, Ben, which was an accumulation of a host of wonderful experiences. Partly, I've needed to follow the advice on this sign, of which we saw countless numbers, driving around.
We all need to stop, sometimes. I think it's the weekly rhythm of sabbath, we neglect at our peril, but applications can be made daily, weekly, monthly, and annually. However, what began to frustrate me, reading these signs everywhere, was: I don't simply want to survive, I want to thrive. 

Holidays are great, but they don't automatically deal with the issues, which may be causing us the stress, to put us in the place where 'I need a holiday'. For example, last year. We had a break, a great time, a switch off from everything else. Then I returned!
Some of you know where this is going. September is typically busy, the beginning of the year, in so many respects. So, arriving home to a pretty full diary of commitments, I have a back-log of accumulated e-mail, new demands, some of which appear to need attention sooner, rather than later, plus another massive amount of time required to attend to unavoidable legal matters (I clocked up 61 hours on this alone in one month).
So, my holiday helped me survive, but until the underlines causes could be addressed, that's all it would do. 
This time around, I find I don't have the drains on my energy, which were around last year. I'm still catching up, still have demands for my time, but I'm not content to simply survive now. The only barrier to thriving, remaining, therefore, is me!

PS 'slowing down' is one of the key practices I'm highlighting in Christian DNA Groups.

Re-visiting Mission

Re-Visiting Mission conference last Saturday, in Bristol. This is being headed up by Var Smallwood who's taking the lead in a new planting initiative here. It's a Baptist / Church of God of Prophecy partnership, the first of its kind, so we're watching and waiting.

http://www.one-hope.co.uk/2013/03/great-conference

National Regional Leaders as Abbots/Abbesses

I received the following, from  The Missional Network and commend the full article to anyone, trying to engage with the missional transitions, I suggest, even more desperately required in the UK than the North American context, into which Alan Roxburgh is speaking here:

If the North American church is to become a missionary movement in our culture, it will need a leadership that is not primarily shaped by executive, administrative and expert roles. These leaders will need to become more like Abbot and Abbesses; men and women whose vocation is cultivating local movements of God’s people. This is about a fundamental shift in imagination. Up to now the dominant focus of national and regional leaders has been upon the established roles that think, primarily, of how the local fits into national/regional agendas and priorities. The whole agenda of these leaders has to be turned on its head. The transformations required to achieve this are immense, but without this change the viability of the church as a missional community is questionable. A major adaptive response to leadership is required.

http://www.themissionalnetwork.com/index.php/our-blog/92-leadership/237-a-proposal-national-regional-exes-as-abbots-abbesses?

Character is of the essence

Tom Wright, in todays 'Lent for Everyone', commenting upon Matthew 24: 45-51 and the challenge to wait and behave appropriately, during a long time of 'delay' is very timely. he writes: 'this is a severe warning for all Christian leaders and teachers. Sometimes people seem to suppose that it doesn't really how you behave, that we can keep the wheels of the church turning all right without paying too much attention tot he teaching of Jesus himself, or the doctrine and lifestyle taught by his followers'. Although deeply grateful for the writing of Tom Wright, it's sad Tom Wright is no longer in post as a Bishop, as we need people of integrity, whose gravitational pull is towards the person of Jesus. 
I was struck recently by the response to a comment, I made, along the lines of character needing to be our clear priority, for the next ten years: particularly with regard to the formation of people entering, or contemplating, ordained Ministry. No one was arguing; it was the note of surprise, this should have been said, which struck me. I'm sure I said it should always be our priority, never mind the next, or last, ten years, but it appeared to strike some people as a novel thought. A number of individuals spoke to me, commenting how important this observation was. I felt, though no one said it this way, they were saying: 'this sounds like common sense, so obvious, how could we have missed it'. (!!!)
Much has been under the spotlight, in terms of review and re-structuring recently, among every mainline UK denomination. A remaining question, however, is how seriously we have reviewed and reflected upon what kind of people we are encouraging into our Ministry. It feels as if much within the processes and systems is more concerned about getting people in to fill positions and provide fees for training establishments, than to nurture the growth of the likeness of Jesus.

Slow

The best things in life happen slowly, don’t they? Somehow, in an age in which I’m being taught men can multi-task, via every Apple product I own, this man is learning he can’t …. well, not very well, if at all, certainly not for long. Of course, Maggie could have told me that, long ago, but realisation comes … slowly! 

One problem, with being lulled into the illusion of multi-task competency, is it ends up becoming a battle of the sexes and frankly, I'm giving up. The problem with multi-tasking is, not only is it over-rated, but the lure of getting things done quickly, can become self-defeating and easily under-mining, of self, church, leadership, etc. For example, it's easier to lose integrity with a quick decision, rash review, or fast conclusion, but integrity is neither mass produced, nor forged quickly.

Journey’s, relationships, evangelism, cooking, eating, prayer, making love, art, just off the top of my head, are better appreciated slowly. ‘Slow’ gets a bad press, but slow is of the essence, of pretty much anything, which is deep, lasting, resilient, strong. So, it’s with mixed feelings I’m buying an i-pad. In some ways, e-mail is already the bane of my life, or maybe the frustration of those who don’t get instant replies. However, i-pad is where I must go, if I’m to make DNA group material accessible to the i-pad generation. I see so many team and business meetings in coffee shops these days, I’m dreaming of a DNA group in every coffee shop. This will happen … slowly.

Discipling movement again?

I’ve been thinking again, about the need for us to, more deeply, acknowledge we are called to be a discipling movement. It appears we tend to polarise towards ‘mission’, or ‘church’, as if we can somehow separate what God has joined together. This often ends up in an either/or, whereas my Bible teaches me it’s a both/and. It’s one of the reasons we’ve abandoned the unhelpful mission and ministry distinction in describing our regional ministry roles, in WEBA, preferring ‘missional’, which embraces both wings. In individuals, this finds its expression in words like discipleship, character, integrity. In the community, we call church, this finds its expression in words like discipleship, values, authenticity. Hopefully, they amount to, pretty much, the same thing.

The creative tension, between ‘mission’ and ‘church’ is best found in discipleship. It’s fascinating to observe how people so easily polarise towards the extremes. Some of us find it exhilarating to be ‘out there’, on the adventure of mission, as opposed to ‘in there’, stuck in the darkened room, called ‘church’. On the other hand, we might find it lacking in common sense, not to mention throwing away the boundaries of appropriate disciplined living, to disregard the patterns and pathways, worn by the feet of pilgrims, over the centuries. We’d rather stay, thank you your kind, but adolescent invitation, within. Obviously, (I hope you realise!) this is a caricature, but with sufficient embedded truth to resonate with not a few of us, I guess. 

let us fix our eyes upon Jesus

I've been slow, deliberately, over the last few weeks, to blog, or comment on a whole variety of issues. Partly, because these words, 'fix your eyes upon Jesus', familiar verse, from Hebrews 12:2 - fix your eyes upon Jesus - has been imprinted on my heart and mind, since the shortest day in 2012, whilst watching The Hobbit. 
Listen Nigel, before you speak. Look to Jesus, before you point anyone anywhere.
Back to The Hobbit - I was well into the film and loving it. My mind was simultaneously playing with the 'unexpected journey' motif and strap-line, used for the film's publicity. I was reflecting on my life during 2012, etc., normal stuff. The realisation this was the shortest day, developed another train of thought, which dovetailed nicely, with the film and the explorations in my own mind. Then it came, into sharp focus, 'fix your eyes upon Jesus', one of those, so clear, almost audible impressions on my mind, you just know is of God. So, I thought, when I get around to it, that can be my new year greeting, my first blog entry, my motto for 2013, etc.
Of course, life is never less than complicated. So, whilst theoretically away on retreat, in Northumberland, news breaks regarding Steve Chalke's article on the response of the church to homosexuality. Steve, for those who don't know, is a Baptist Minister and, therefore, included in our covenant of Ministerial practice, which doesn't permit the actions he has taken. On the same day, my colleague and friend, Gary McFarlane, hears his appeal, to the European Court of Human Rights, has been turned down. This is what the BBC are regarding as a 'milestone' in the Christian- secular debate.
So, first blog entry subject of 2013 for me? No contest.