Where do I find Him?

When life gets busy and the pressure is mounting, and your to do list is looking like it could take the next month to finish not the next day it can be hard to see God or know His presence. When some national disaster strikes people will often say "where was God?" as if He missed the whole thing. When some personal tragedy happens we can find it very hard to see God at work in it. But be assured God is in it.

When these types of issues or difficulties arrive our common anchor is that "God has a plan and a purpose in this." But there has to be more than that. Don't get me wrong, it's a good anchor. It's true, solid, dependable. But God gives us more than an sovereign insurance policy.

God is not only working behind the scenes, weaving His amazing tapestry of life. He also longs to be centre stage with us in the midst of the storm. As we cry out "where are you God in this storm", he replies "I'm in it".

Psalm 46 has some great comfort in these times.

The Psalmist says that "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." Some versions say "a very present help". Maybe God is most available and present when we need Him most. We on the other hand are often most conscious of His presence when we need Him least.

I like how The Message puts part of this Psalm "God lives here, the streets are safe". We can often forget God lives where you live. His presence is here.

But often our cry is "I can't feel him" but the Psalm doesn't call us to feel His presence but to know. However our ability to even know is hampered by our rushing.

“Be still, and know that I am God!" the Psalmist says. God says "know that I'm in it and you will know my peace and feel my presence."

I learnt a really simple technique to help with this. When my mind is rushing and I'm struggling to see God at work or know His presence I say the following:

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

I say this a few times and as I do I try to slow down each time. As I do, I often find I know where God is.

He is here.

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Before you preach

Let's face it, the bar is set pretty high for preachers. We can often have too high an expectation. When we realise they have faults and struggles like the rest of us it can be a shocking revelation. Just because you preach doesn't mean your perfect or have it all sorted. Paul spoke of his 'thorn in the flesh' and his struggle to do the very things he wanted to do. Nonetheless nobody wants to be taught by a novice. If you wanted to get better at a sport you would go to an experienced coach. If you wanted to learn to cook better you may look for someone who has actually catered before, or been a chef in a restaurant.

The same is true with the pulpit. The congregation expects to hear from someone with experience. In fact God expects the preacher to not just 'talk the talk' but to also 'walk the walk'.

This is something Ezra understood. Ezra 7:10 records 'For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.'

This simple single verse sets a template for preachers. - study it - do it - teach it

I get to preach on a reasonably frequent basis. This verse alone has served as a timely wake up call. It's easy to draw from the latest thing you believe God has revealed to you. A recent teaching you've heard. Or a passage of scripture you've never noticed before. But many times when that happens it's primarily an intellectual exercise. 'here is what I've read now you can read it too'. There's a place for that sort of preach but when you draw from life experience something entirely different occurs.

You're humbled. By actually doing what you've studied before you preach it you see how challenging or tough something is. Or you realise how gracious our God is. Your overwhelmed by his mercy and favour. It's stops you getting puffed up and thinking 'its simple, God says it, I believe it, you just do it.'

Keeps you stable. You can get a revelation in an instant. Living it takes time. The Bible speaks of not being 'blown around by every wind of doctrine'. Living it before you preach it helps prevent this.

Puts things in context. A single verse in the Bible stands in context with the whole council of God. If we just read 'I will bless the Lord at all times' without also reading there is a time for weeping we may get unbalanced. Putting what we study into action into our lives places it in context with everything else God is doing in our lives.

It's credible. When you speak from experience people see it. They can tell you've been there first and are living to tell the tale. You're not asking them to trust God in a way you haven't already. You can truly say 'guys this works'.

So I read this verse 6 months ago. I've been putting this principle into practice in my life. And now I'm teaching it!

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Encouragement from the sidelines

Hebrews 12:1 speaks of "a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith" and running with endurance. I love the scene of people running in a marathon with crowds lined along the side screaming "come on!", and "keep going!". Far too often this isn't picture of christian community. As people run a long and tough race there is often opposition and others looking to criticize and "correct in love". It's not the way God intended it to be. He intended for us to encourage one another. Hebrews intimates that even those gone before us, the great heros of faith, are our crowd of witnesses encouraging us to keep going.

I used to blog regularly. I posted my daily blog on youversion, blogger and facebook. If you're reading this entry, you're probably on one of those sites now. i don't do this so often now. Not because I don't want to. But I've found I need to focus more on my private blog, my journal. Just between God and I. But I've also found that there are some really good bloggers out there. Far more accomplished than me. And I'm not talking about the pro's. Those who do this for a living. They may be great but what blows me away is the insight of the amateurs and the young. My 14yr old daughter has started blogging and she's really good. I know a father would say that but really, she is good.

So in line with the verses in Hebrews I join a great crowd of witnesses to those of you blogging and commenting on youversion about the word of God and shout "come on!" and "keep going!".

When you blog or comment about scripture you rarely get positive feedback. People seem to take more effort to correct your theology. But for my part I want to say what a blessing so many of these entries are. Praise God for the big names. But in fact there are thousands of unknown people, engaging with scripture on a daily basis and blessing the socks of people like me.

Church Taboo's

On my facebook page I recently asked the question:

What 'taboo' subjects are not spoken about at church but should be?

The responses from people were fascinating. Personally I didn't find anything (other than a refernce to quiche at church lunches) that was off limits from the pulpit. However I did have to recognise that maybe we don't provide enough teaching on some areas. Probably because they are tough to speak about, and tricky to make sure you are provide meaningful answers that are both full of grace and totally biblical.

As a leader in my church I have to evaluate whether we have left some gaps in our preaching that have left people with unanswered questions. I should hope overtime we could redress that.

But I am so encouraged that while our church (small 'c') may need to pick up on a few areas we are part of The Church (big 'c'), the body of Christ. Across this church there are some great preachers and teachers who have the kindness to make their resources available to others.

So in order to address some of the "taboo's" raised I have attempted to find some really good resources to answer peoples questions. I would commend each of these sources and indeed taking the opportunity to listen to other preaches from these sources.

Some of the responses from people were as follows:

Sex - Homosexuality, Sex before marriage, Pornography, Masturbation, Contraception, Teenage pregnancy, Sex for pleasure and not just for reproduction!!

The best teaching I have heard is from Gateway Church, Austin, Texas. They did a five week series on Sex that covers most of the issues raised. I would highly recommend the teaching on "Same Sex" as the most sensitive I have ever heard. You can listen to them individually but they really work best as a series.

• God Sex
• Married Sex
• Single Sex
• Unfaithful Sex
• Same Sex

An alternative source would be from Willow Creek. Go to their media player and look for "What intimacy requires" under the Summer at the Creek 2010 series.

For specific teaching on Porn visit the teaching from lifechurch.tv with their Porn Sunday message.

Debt

The best practical and spiritual teaching on money and debt is from Dave Ramsey as guest speaker at Lifechurch.tv. Listen or watch their series on Life, Money, Hope.

Violent films

There was a series from lifechurch.tv called Toxic. This covered many subjects but the week on Toxic Influences specifically dealt with this subject.

Hell

The classic question "How can a loving God send people to Hell" is answered in a sermon by my brother from Hope Church, Orpington.

Others I am still looking for are as follows:

• Leadership vs empire building (I am sure I have heard some good teaching on this but need to find it!)
• Politics
• Child protection
• Suffering, Sickness, Healing, Disability (I am sure I have heard some good teaching on this but need to find it!)
• Calvinism (Plenty of sources for this just looking for the best one)
• Consequences of sin as Christian.
• Christian divorce
• Swearing

If you listen or watch any of the above then I would really like to hear if you found them useful or not. Comment here or on Facebook. If you want to recommend any good teaching for the above topics then let me know also.

Left to soak

Romans 2:4 "Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?"

In our house we have a few consistent meals that we will cook on a regular basis. One of those that is a favourite with everyone in the family is Chicken Breast cooked with Sage & Onion Stuffing. Without turning this into a recipe blog you cook fillets of chicken breast covered over by a thick layer of stuffing in the oven for about 2hrs until everything is cooked and the stuffing forms a nice crisp surface with a soft texture underneath. While this tastes wonderful the major draw back is cleaning the dish this was cooked in afterwards. Due to the way it's cooked you get a rim of stuffing almost welded to the dish afterwards.

You have two choices. You either scrub away at this for about an hour afterwards, wasting all your effort, scoring (and probably ruining) the dish and deciding never to cook this again, or fill up the dish with warm soapy water and leave overnight to soak. In the morning the dry burnt on stuffing is saturated with the water it simply falls off and can be thrown away and cleaned with ease.

I have seen people who are exploring Jesus start to come to church. They come under the sound of the gospel. They become part of the social life of the church. They form friendships with people in the church. Maybe they join a home group or start to socialize with people in the church. In fact they are watching, listening, waiting to be convinced. If you dearly love this person its a frustrating wait. You look for minor sign of change, or a "damascus road moment".

In fact, God has them in soak. He's just working on them in His own way and His own time. His kindness leads them to repentance. Be patient. He doesn't want to attach them with the spiritual scrubbing brush and ruin the wonderful person he placed inside of them to be. He wants to prepare them. Lavish his love and get them to the point where a mild soaking causes the pain and ugliness to melt away under His grace.

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Dangerous Prayers

If God answers prayer (which He does by the way) then I've been looking through the Bible for the most dangerous prayers to pray.

As I find them I shall add them here:

#1: "SEARCH ME, O God, and know my heart, TEST ME and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and LEAD ME in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

#2: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. SEND ME!” Isaiah 6:8

#3: "yet NOT MY WILL BE DONE but yours." Luke 22:42

#4: 'GIVE ME AN EAGERNESS FOR YOUR LAWS rather than a love for money!' Psalm 119:36

#5: 'TEACH ME TO DO YOUR WILL, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.' Psalm 143:10

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Eat the cookie?

Galatians 5:13

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.


Just had a lesson of greatest frustration. Went to get a pile of biscuits (cookies to those in the USA) and a drink of milk (a too frequent indulgence). Started eating one of the four biscuits and felt the Holy Spirit say "so you want to thank me for healing your tooth ache and then carry on eating the very thing that caused it?"

After 30 seconds of arguing with God (you know you're going to lose that one) I gave up and put the uneaten 3 back.

God's grace is that He puts things right even if they were caused by our mistakes. But grace is not a license to carry on doing wrong while in the back of the brain saying "God, get ready to mop after this one!"

Boy, I hate being wrong. Galatians 5:13 says "Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh".

I know Joyce Meyer says "Eat the cookie" (http://www.joycemeyer.org/cookie) but she wasn't in the kitchen with me!

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