Carvoeiro

It’s starting to look like this is the year that inhabitants of the British Isles don’t need to head abroad to catch some summer sun, with predictions of some fairly high temperatures this week.  Maybe we’ll catch the benefit of a home summer as well as the week we have just enjoyed on the southern coast of Portugal.

We spent the week in the Baia Cristal hotel which sits on a cliff top (a bit back fro the edge – not quite that dramatic) about a mile from the old fishing village of Carvoeiro.  It seems to be a quieter location than some of the bigger resorts in the Algarve, which suited us fine.  The hotel was great.  It was clean, quiet and run by courteous and efficient staff.  Its facilities included a couple of outdoor pools surrounded by a grassy area for sun worshippers as well as a small indoor pool and small exercise room.  There were ample breakfast and dinner buffets whose quality was reasonable but had a bit of a canteen feel – inevitable I suppose for a buffet-style at a half reasonable price.  On Friday evening, the staff donned bright green Hawaiian shirts for the weekly pool side barbecue – complete with after dinner entertainment in the form of a traditional folk dancing troupe.

The town itself – 20 minutes on foot, though the hotel provided a few courtesy coach runs during the day – has managed to retain its character.  It’s arranged around a sandy bay, with dazzling white buildings rising on either side and shops and restaurants lining the three streets running from the centre.  From the beach you can take a one hour motor boat tour of the caves that sit at the bottom of the seaside cliffs.  These are home to various birds and other creatures; some of them hide sandy beaches.

For eating, there is almost an embarrassment of choice, with a range to choose from.  We managed to go from a delicious salad lunch, through sushi, Italian food in a little place close to our hotel called the Mona Lisa, and one restaurant we visited on two occasions – A Rede, on the edge of town – with its magnificent fish of the day.

 

Sunshine and great food

It’s the middle of our week in Portugal. I suppose part of our early impression is that we had little idea it was this good. We are in a hotel just outside the very charming coastal village of Carvoeira, around 50 miles to the west of Faro. The hotel is bright and clean and well served by courteous staff. There are ample breakfast and dinner buffets. At the back the hotel grounds are surrounded by hedges which enclose a grassy area and swimming pools. The weather, of course, is superb – unless you prefer rain and cold.

There is not much need to leave the premises, but we’ve ventured out a few times – a walk to the nearby beach that sits at the bottom of the cliffs, a morning wandering around town and eating superb salads in a little restaurant, and dinner at another restaurant about 10 minutes from the hotel, whose fish of the day provided a large plate covered by a large grilled seabass.

A week in the sun

I’m writing this post from the side of a pool in the Algarve. Pauline and I flew down here today on a full EasyJet flight from Belfast. We are here for a week – a great chance to enjoy the sunshine and take it easy with a few books. I find the summer reading lists of some pastors quite quite intimidating, both in terms of quantity and content. I am in a less ambitious league – a couple of accessible books on life and calling and a couple of bits of humour.

Christianity set to music

On Saturday night we were fortunate enough to have tickets for the Belast event of Keith and Kristyn Getty’s In Christ Alone. As well as the Gettys and their band from America, Stuart Townend was there, along with the New Irish Orchestra and Choir which Keith pioneered about 15 years ago. Alistair Begg was also on the bill, his brief to bring a brief message to pull the theme of the concert together. It was the first concert the Gettys had done in Belfast for about 5 years.

It was a superb event, a mix of concert and praise gathering really. Music ranged from In Christ Alone – now a classic modern hymn – which launched the Getty/Townend collaboration in 2001, and The Power of the Cross, through newer pieces such as Come People of the Risen King and the very new By Faith. There were even a couple of traditional hymns: it was wonderful to hear 3000 voices fill the Waterfront Hall with When I Survey. The evening ended with Power in the Blood, though not the way most of us learned it!

As evening went along I was struck with what a great job these people have done in writing modern hymns that are so biblical and so gospel-centred. I had to sum it up, I’d say it’s Christianity set music.

Donegal

Heading towards the halfway mark in the first week of holidays.  Another chance for all four of us to explore Ireland’s north coast – this time a quick trip across to Donegal for lunch in the superb Ballyliffin Lodge Hotel.  

Let’s hope they keep the Foyle Ferry running – 12 minutes across the water in a boat is a bit quicker than the 50 mile drive.  It’s convenient for people like us in the Coleraine area, but it must be a great asset for tourism on both sides of the border (which runs somewhere up the middle of Lough Foyle), with a simple connection between places like Downhill and Mussenden Temple (just a few miles from the Northern Ireland ferry terminal) and the likes of Ballyliffin (with its quality golf and several hotels) or Malin Head, the most northerly point on the island (even though it is not in Northern Ireland – American and Australian readers, go figure!).

The weather forecast wasn’t great, but we decided to make a go of it.  There was enough sunshine to set the view of the ocean crashing in on Pollan Beach alight with brilliant colours.  And enough of a breeze to make the ferry crossing back a little choppy.

Sunday at Portstewart Baptist Church

Sunday past was the last day before a two week holiday break.  In the morning we finished the series on Philippians.  It’s the first time I have preached through that particular letter.  It’s a rich book with plenty to preach.

For the last message the focus was on the last part of the 4th chapter where Paul eventually gets round to thanking the Philippians for the gift they had sent with Epaphroditus.  He writes about the secret of contentment and what he says about their gift provides significant material for developing a theology of giving.

Here is a link to the audio of the message.  And here is a link to the written version.

In the evening, at our “conversation” event for June, I talked with Colin McIlvenna who has been working as youth co-ordinator with us for the past two years.

Sunday at Portstewart Baptist Church

On Sunday morning I preached on the first half of Philippians 4.  The issues range from resolving disagreement (the story of Euodia and Synthyche), through rejoicing and refusing to be anxious, to thinking about what is good and excellent.  I summed it up by talking about what it means to live positively relationally (seeking agreement), emotionally (replacing anxiety with joy and peace) and intellectually (thinking on what is excellent).

Here is a link where you can download a copy to read.

The evening was our monthly youth service which was taken, for the last time, by our youth pastor who is leaving to return to Scotland.

Rathlin Island

All four of us were off today and we decided to take a day trip to Rathlin Island – a place we had never been before.  Rathlin is a boot shaped island with around 100 residents, situated just off Ballycastle, on the North Coast of Northern Ireland.  A ferry service bridges the 6 miles of water between the two places.  Our journey out was on the slow ferry (40 minutes).  This vessel is equipped to carry vehicles as well as passengers, though with one lorry load of tar on board there was no room for any other vehicles.  There are a few options for places to eat close to the little harbour: we sat on an outside table with food that ranged from tuna sandwiches through sausages, beans and chips!  

The big attraction of the island at this time of the year is the annual visit of puffins who spend four months on the rugged cliffs, along with thousands of other birds.  It’s over 4 miles from the harbour to the RSPB lookout situated beneath one of the island’s three lighthouses.  It’s possible to walk or hire a bike.  We opted for the minibus ride.  It was a good choice.  For one thing the hilly terrain would have made a tough cycle, but rather than being a simple point to point shuttle service, it’s a guided tour.  Our driver was called Bertie and he proved to be a great source of local information.  The drive was slow – steep climbs and narrow tracks oblige – including stopping along the way for Bertie to share some information.

The views back across to the north coast were superb – all the way to Donegal.

Recommended as a day out.  The weather helps (we got a great day) and probably bets to go when the puffins are in town.

When to be certain, when to be open minded

I have been speaking recently from Philippians about what it means to be of one mind.  From other parts of the New Testament, from the witness of history, and from our own experience, we can see that it can’t mean agreeing to dot every 1 and tick every box in exactly the same way.  There will be areas of difference: part of being of one mind means agreeing on what is essential and agreeing that on non-essentials we don’t need to assassinate each other.

Of course that raises another question.  Who decides on the essentials?  How do we decide where it’s fine to disagree?  To be extreme about it, it’s hard to see how anyone can be a Christian in any meaningful sense of that word if they refuse to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, crucified, buried and raised for our sins.  At the other end of the scale, it’s hard to understand that someone might make agreement on the colour of the church carpet a condition of fellowship.  But where and by whom do the lines get drawn in between?

Mark Driscoll talks about closed hand and open hand issues.  There are doctrines that are not open for negotiation: hold them in a closed hand.  There are other things that we need to learn to hold lightly in an open hand.  Fundamentalists are more likely to err by holding too many things in a closed hand; liberals err by holding too much in an open hand.

That’s helpful, but there is still the question of how to decided what goes in each hand.  What about:

• millennial viewpoints, 
• whether women can lead churches or should wear head coverings (or both!), 
• playing or watching sport on Sunday, 
• systems of church government, 
• the amount of water used in baptism (and the age of those baptised), 
• whether churches should have Sunday evening services, 
• whether large churches should use video extension on other campuses, 
• whether Rap music is  acceptable in a church service, 
• should every Christian speak in tongues, 
• whether it is OK for 21st century Baptists to continue Spurgeon’s practice of relaxing by smoking a cigar?

Ray Ortlund (who will be preaching at Portstewart Baptist on the Sunday of New Horizon week – July 19) has been writing on this question at his blog.  He contrasts certainty and openness and helpfully highlights Paul’s expression “of first importance” in 1 Corinthians 15.

Some Christians seem “all certainty.” Maybe it makes them feel heroic, standing against the tide. They see too few gray areas. Everything is a federal case. They have a fundamentalist mindset.

Other Christians seem “all openness.” Maybe it makes them feel humble and cool. They see too few black-and-white areas. They’re giving away the store. They have a liberal mindset — though they may demonstrate a surprising certainty against certainty.

The Bible is our authority as we sort out what deserves certainty and what deserves openness. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 defines the gospel of Christ crucified for our sins, Christ buried and Christ risen again on the third day, according to the Scriptures, as “of first importance.” Here is the center of our certainty.

So we can approach this by saying that the closer we are to the person and work of Jesus, the more certain we need to be.  The further away we are from that centre, and the less impact a particular doctrine or practice will have on that centre, we are more free to accept reasonable, and biblically defensible, differences.

You can read the rest of Ray’s comments at his blog: Christ is deeper still: Certainty and openness.

Sunday sermon at Portstewart Baptist

This morning – warm sunshine, summer has arrived – we had a good crowd for a varied service at PBC.  Two special parts of the service were, first, a 10 minute talk from a local representative of the Gideons – famous for their evangelistic distribution of the Bible – and, second, a prayer for the world led by 8 people from 8 different countries around the world.  This was to tie in with today’s Global Day of Prayer.

The sermon was the 6th in the Philippians series, finishing off chapter 3 of Paul’s letter on gospel centred living.  The section is a reminder that the Christian life is a journey of hope. It does not end until it ends, so we need to keep pressing towards the goal; as we do so , we need to take note of the people who are on and around the path – some of them are worth following but others need to be avoided, and we need to remember that we belong to another kingdom whose King holds our glorious future in his hands.

Here is a link to a written version of the message.

FA Cup final 2009: Everton’s 25-second goal not enough

FA Cup final 2009: Everton’s 25-second goal – Telegraph

Stop Texting and Read This — The Thumb You Save May Be Your Own

From Albert Mohler:

In the fourth quarter of 2008 American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month.  That, dear friends, is nothing to LOL about.

Stop Texting and Read This — The Thumb You Save May Be Your Own

This week’s Sunday update from PBC

This past Sunday was a second (smaller) holiday weekend for May – so our overflow was in summer mode to accommodate the morning congregation.

In the morning we were looking at part of Philippians 3 where Paul talks about the difference knowing Jesus has made to his balance sheet of religious status and achievement.  The challenge for us is to see whether we tend to look at our status and achievements as the basis of our confidence and identity, or whether we look to who Jesus is and who we are and what we have in him.

Here is a link to the audio.

The evening was another one sermon look at an OT book – this time Malachi.  Malachi’s story consists of a series of six disputations between God and the post-exilic people.  I built the sermon around the them of spiritual half-heartedness and translated each of the six points of dispute into a diagnostic question on spiritual half-heartedness.  Here are the six questions:

1. Am I losing sight of how much God loves me?
2. Am I happy to give God the left-overs?
3. Do I consistently keep my promises?
4. Am I guilty of cynicism towards God?
5. Do I try to get away with partial obedience?
6. Do I think that serving God is a waste of time?

The link to the audio of the sermon is here.

Sunday at Portstewart Baptist

Already half-way through the week, but here and here are the audio links to the two sermons I preached on Sunday.

In the morning we were looking at the second half of Philippians 2.  Technically the first paragraph of that (from verse 12) belongs with the rest of Paul’s appeal that started in 1:27, but we ended up with that bit grouped together with what he had to say about Timothy and Epaphroditus, all under the heading of character.

In his appeal he wants the Philippians to work out the implications of their salvation and live out their calling as lights shining in darkness.  Timothy is highlighted by his genuine concern for others, he does not live to serve himself; Epaphroditus, and others like him, are to be honoured because they are prepared to risk their lives for Christ.

In our evening service I attempted to give an overview of the message of the Old Testament prophet Haggai, under the heading, First Things First.  Being fully involved for God can be hindered by either misplaced priorities (as with the people who built their own houses while neglecting God’s house) or by misdirected nostalgia (as with the people who were discouraged when they saw that God’s new house was not as glorious as the previous one that had been destroyed).

You can read the two messages by following the links.

Philippians  - character  

First Things First –  Haggai

The Leadership Journey of Moses

This week sees the annual meetings of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, of which our church is a member. On Monday I was invited to speak at an event for Baptist workers – mostly pastors and retired pastors and their wives.  I used Stephen’s 3 part outline of Moses’ life (see Acts 7) to outline the leadership journey.  Moses spent 40 years learning to be somebody, 40 years being a nobody, and the final 40 years serving as an instrument in God’s hands.  While the journey was linear for him, and may be for some of us, it can be cyclical and we might spend several phases of life going through the particular aspect of the journey.

I highlighted one particular issue/principle that emerges from the stages of Moses’ journey.

• In phase 1 – Our strengths do not guarantee our success.  Moses thought he was the man for the moment; no one else saw it and he had to run.
• In phase 2 – Our questions do not disqualify us from the race.  Moses at 80 was far from a freedom fighter and he wanted no part in the mission.  God’s plan was greater.
• In phase 3 – Our high points do not guarantee that we will finish well.  Moses was at is best when he chose God’s honour over his own prosperity in Numbers 14; he failed 6 chapters later when he hit the rock in a moment of frustration and in so doing failed to obey God to uphold his holiness.

Sunday morning at Portstewart Baptist

This morning’s message looked at then theme of attitude from Philippians 1:27-2:11.  The best known part of that section is the group of verses that deal with the humbling and exaltation of Christ.  There has been a great deal of speculation that this may have been an early Christian hymn: whether or not that is true, the passage is sometimes taught and thought about in isolation from the rest of its context.  It is well worth consideration on its own and is a high point in the New Testament teaching about Jesus.  But set in its context, it has the additional value of an ethical dimension as it serves as a powerful example of how considering the gospel is meant to shape Christians – not just save them.

Paul calls his readers to courageous unity for the gospel – that is what it means to live a life that is worthy of the gospel – and humble unity in the church: Christ’s example should help us see how badly out of place are our attitudes of self-promotion and pride.

You can read the sermon here.

What makes a good team?

Gary Collins, well known in Christian counselling circles, has an interesting article in his latest newsletter on teams.  He reports from an interview with Professor Richard Hackman in this month’s edition of the Harvard Business Review.

Here are some of the conclusions that Collins highlights from the interview:

• While some teams are effective, research consistently shows that teams underperform despite all their extra resources. This is because competition and problems with coordination and motivation often undermine the benefits of collaboration.
• Small teams whose members stay together for long periods of time are the most effective.
• The effectiveness and productivity of a team often is set in the first few minutes of the first team meeting. Conductor Christopher Hogwood said that orchestra members make a quick assessment at the beginning about whether or not they will work together to make great music. Do audiences also decide in the first couple of minutes whether or not they will respond positively to a speaker or new leader?
• Every effective team has a deviant – sometimes a person appointed to that role – who challenges the team’s decisions and purposes. “Teams with deviants outperform teams without them. In many cases, deviant thinking is a source of great innovation” and creativity.  Too much homogeneity can stifle creativity, productivity, and learning.
• Good teams have structure, a compelling purpose, and a respected leader who articulates a clear direction and purpose.
• Some people are not good team members. They undercut progress, refuse to work on collective solutions, and sometimes dominate.
• Coaching with individual team members does not lead to more effective performance. But teams benefit from coaching as a group to help them function as a team, especially at the beginning, mid-point and conclusion.

Gary R. Collins PhD. — Psychologist / Teacher / Author / Speaker Extraordinaire   

 

 

Men, church and macho hymns

A number of news sources have reported an item this week about men and church.  Among the findings is that men prefer to sing hymns that are proclamational or anthemic.  There are other comments about hugging and sitting around discussing.  

Following is the top ten list of hymns from the survey on which the item is based:

• Onward Christian Soldiers
• And Can It Be
• Guide Me O Thy Great Redeemer
• All People That On Earth Do Dwell
• Be Thou My Vision
• How Great Thou Art
• Amazing Grace
• Eternal Father, Strong To Save (For Those On Peril On The Sea)
• Our God Reigns
• Lord And Father Of Mankind Forgive Our Foolish Ways

Male UK worshippers prefer macho hymns
| Lifestyle
| Reuters

Sunday at Portstewart Baptist Church

This weekend is a holiday weekend here in Northern Ireland and it tends to give us one of our biggest Sundays outside of July and August.  This morning I was preaching the second part of our gospel-centred living series from Philippians.  We were looking at Paul’s personal update in 1:12-26.  Although his circumstances were difficult and uncertain, he was able to respond as he did because his life was about Christ (”For me to live is Christ.”)  The fact that Christ was being proclaimed meant that his prison was not wasted; in his dilemma about whether to look forward to execution or freedom, the most important issue was Christ.

The sermon’s question to us was to examine what our lives are about.  How do we complete the phrase “to me to live is…”?  How we answer this question determines how we respond to our circumstances.

You can read a copy of the sermon here.

ESV Study Bible

This week we took delivery of an order of over 50 ESV Study Bibles.  We ordered them towards of the end of last year when Crossway was launching the new Bible.  Unfortunately we had to wait over 6 months as the success of the ESVSB meant the publisher running out of copies and having to wait for a reprint.  Apparently there are now 250,000 of these Bibles in print.  We received our order through Eden in the UK and ended up getting quite a bargain as the prices have increased dramatically since we ordered – Eden were gracious enough to honour the original deal.

Our editions are burgundy leather: they look great, though there is no hiding the fact that the ESVSB is a massive tome.  The reason for this is the amount of resources that are packed in.  As well as book introductions and fairly comprehensive footnotes there is a range of articles and extras that include an overview of biblical doctrine and articles about Scripture itself.  Added value is access to an online version of the study Bible and its notes.

Philippians at Portstewart Baptist

On Sunday morning I preached the first of what is planned to be an 8 week series on Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi.  I’m putting it under the heading of Living a Gospel-Centred Life.

The first message looked at Paul’s prayer for, and partnership with the Philippians (1:3-11).

• He was grateful for their partnership.
• He was confident about their future.
• He was prayerful about their growth.

You can read the sermon here.

Saturday running mates – The Gospel Coalition

It was a windy morning for running on the North Coast.  The physical challenges were offset, though, by the quality of this morning’s running mates.  I have already written earlier in the week about the Gospel Coalition conference.  The audio of the main sessions is now available for download, so I loaded up my iPod with a few of them and set off.  My focus was on the panel discussion where the panel consisted of Tim Keller, Ligon Duncan, Crawford Lorrits and John Piper.  I always enjoy these discussions and today was no exception.  It is stimulating to listen to these men talk, but beyond the wisdom reflected in practical answers, there is a wholesome sense of being built up through exposure to good men whose ministry and character are in step with each other.  Among the highlights, John Piper talking about the importance of attention to Scripture and Tim Keller on how life experience over years leads to more effective preaching.

It’s available on the Gospel Coalition website (which seems to be having traffic problems – too popular at the moment!), along with the other main sessions which are mostly a series of expositions through 2 Timothy, supplemented by 3 other talks.

Gavin Peacock practises what he preaches in new career | Premier League – Times Online

Just around a year ago we had Gavin Peacock speak at a joint initiative in Coleraine.  Here, the Times runs a nice article on where he is now – preparing for ministry in Canada.

Gavin Peacock practises what he preaches in new career | Premier League – Times Online

More on the Gospel Coalition Conference

It is indeed amazing what technology can make possible.  Aside from the fact that there is a 6 hour time difference, which puts some of the conference sessions quite late, and the fact that there is no possibility to have a coffee with the speakers, browse the books or pick up the many free giveaways, it’s possible to sit at your computer in Europe and take in the main teaching content of the event.  It is possible to participate in a live community of sorts, as quite a few people are “twittering” from the event as it happens.  (Once a speaker utters a quotable quote, you’ll get it reported by a host of amateur reporters who are listening in.  I must write a bit about this social network/micro-blog phenomenon sometime.)

All I have been able to catch so far today has been Joshua Harris’ workshop on ministry to “church hoppers.”  His main point is that we pastors are not faithful ministers of the gospel unless we teach our people the vital role of the church in helping them to hold fast to the gospel (see Hebrews 10).

Much of his emphasis was on teaching: what do we need to teach and what are the key teaching moments?  He ended with a powerful call to pastors not to be professionals in our view of the church.  We need it too and we are to demonstrate our commitment to it.

The link to the webcasts are here – you can watch live – and apparently the archives should be available within the next 8 hours.

PS – twittering and webcams also make it possible for people to broadcast themselves.  I just saw one guy asking his tweeting friends if they had seen him pop up in front of the camera (which apparently was left running after the session).  I hope his loved ones saw him!

Gospel Coalition Conference

Through the miracle of modern technology I have just been able to watch (live) the opening session of The Gospel Coalition’s three day conference in Chicago.  The Gospel Coalition is what it says – a coalition of people who are seeking to make the gospel the centre of their ministry.  This week’s conference (I think the biggest event in the two years or so of the organisation) is built around a series of expositions of 2 Timothy, with further plenary sessions and a number of workshops.  The plenaries are being broadcast live over the internet.

Tim Keller was the opening speaker.  He used the story of Paul’s preaching at Ephesus (Acts 19) to address the way the gospel has to taken to the idols of a culture.

We need to discern the idols: in Acts 17 Paul discerned the idols and went to the marketplace – a place which meant more than just individuals on the streets.  Idolatry is to be understood as what happens when we look to a created thing to give what only God can give.

We also need to expose the idols – the personal idols such as money, romance and children; the religious idols of truth, gifts and morality, and the cultural idols, whether those that tend to elevate family or those that promote the individual and his feelings.

And we need to destroy idols.  This is dangerous.  Biblically, although idols are nothing (something we make ourselves), they become a means whereby the powers of darkness can oppose us.  Objectively the destruction of idols took place through the death of Jesus Christ; subjectively, we need to see and know more deeply what he has done for us.

It is as we take the gospel to the nations that we can turn the world upside down.

Upcoming speakers over the next few days include John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Bryan Chapell, and Don Carson.  Time difference between Chicago and the UK is 6 hours.  I imagine that anything you miss live will be archived and available for later viewing.

Gospel Coalition Webcast

A kingdom of reversals

One of the most puzzling of Jesus’ parables is the story, in Matthew 20, of the man who hired five teams of workers to work in his vineyard. The first group started early in the morning; the second group joined the work at the third hour, the next at the sixth, then the ninth, with the last group of workers recruited at the eleventh hour.

What puzzles us in the story is the fact that all the workers received the same pay, regardless of whether they had worked all day or whether they had worked only the final hour. Most of us probably subscribe to the idea of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Why should someone who only works for an hour be paid the same amount as the person who has been hard at work from early morning to late at night? It doesn’t seem fair.

Before we start to imagine that Jesus is aiming this story at employers with advice on how to structure the salary scheme in their company, we should remember that the Bible is not opposed to the idea of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Paul applies this principle to church leaders who work hard at their ministry; he also addresses people in Thessalonica who had stopped working, perhaps because they thought that the Lord’s return was imminent, or perhaps because they were just lazy and reckoned that they could sponge off wealthier church members: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

So what is Jesus talking about in his story?

The story seems to be an illustration of the principle that “the last will be first and the first last.” The two verses that serve as “bookends” to the story each make this point. Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom of reversals. Followers who have given up much to follow Jesus will find that what they have lost is restored many times over.

It is also an illustration of grace. In the economy of grace, we all get more than we deserve. None of us really earns what we end up with. I don’t and neither do you. That’s good news, but it is also unsettling when we see some of the people to whom God chooses to extend grace.  Sometimes we get so unsettled that we forget that grace has given us what we have not earned too.

A few weeks ago, one of our church families lost two relatives in the space of just a few days. One of the people had been a missionary overseas: the other put his faith in Christ just one week from the end of a life that had spanned ninety-one years. One life lived out in service to God; the other knew Jesus for just one week. Both needed – and found – grace: it was God’s to give and did not depend on the person’s length of service.

Penalty Shoot-out and Z-Cars at Wembley

Humanity and balance in Philippians

We are going to be heading into an 8 week series on Philippians, starting next week.  I think the letter provides some good examples of what a gospel-life looks like.

One reflection as I have been preparing is how there are a couple of places where Paul demonstrates a healthy balance in areas where it would be possible to get off on a perfectionistic approach.

The first is in relation to the death of a believer.  Paul is clear that when it comes to himself, death means to be with Christ – and that is something he anticipates as being “far better.”  Yet when he talks about the illness and near death of Epaphroditus, he is grateful that God has been merciful in sparing this brother.  God’s mercy is seen in allowing Epaphroditus more time to live and serve him; it is also seen towards Paul in that Paul has been saved the sad loss of a companion.

What I think is worth noticing is the fact that, although Paul would have been able to draw comfort if Epaphroditus had died, knowing that he was with Christ, he still recognises that it was a mercy on God’s part to spare him the pain of loss.  In other words, the promises of life in Christ are not meant to remove all pain of loss.

The second example is when Paul encourages his readers not to be anxious about anything.  Gratefully entrusting our needs and requests to God in prayer is meant to be the antidote to anxiety.  Yet when he talks about sending Epaphroditus back to Philippi, he reckons that this will make him (Paul) less anxious.

While we have a responsibility to grow in faith and in our grasp of God’s promises, God is aware of our weakness and humanity.  It seems that these two sets of balancing passages in Philippians point us in this direction.

Leading with a Limp

If you want your perspective on leadership changed somewhat, you could do worse than read Dan Allender’s Leading with a Limp.  Despite some of his theological credentials, Allender is far from conventional.  His treatment of leadership steps away from the idea that leaders need to be powerful people, leading from their strengths and keeping everything under control.

I’ve begun reading the book over this past weekend when we’ve had a Sunday off and I’ve found it a stimulating read.

Allender sets out a number of challenges that leaders face, such as crisis, complexity and betrayal.  He examines the ways leaders often respond to these challenges and suggests a path where brokenness leads to courage and where hope replaces fatalism.

If you are a leader who wonders how you got where you are and you are sometimes tempted to run, you’ll be encouraged to hear Allender say that flight is the only sane option.  But I don’t think that’s the desired outcome of his book: better to embrace the challenges and find Jesus in them.

Everton in the FA Cup Final

It’s been a long time since Everton made it to a cup final – 14 years, actually, since a Paul Rideout header, allied to a great performance from Neville Southall set up a 1-0 win over today’s opponents, Manchester United – but at last they are back.

This time it was even tighter as the game went to penalties, having ended goalless after 120 minutes.

Alex Ferguson’s team selection seemed to have opened the door of opportunity that bit wider, but chances were few and far between: MU might have had a penalty in the second half, James Vaughan should have done better in front of goal in extra time.

A penalty shoot-out seems like a lottery: there must be a list somewhere of great players who have missed in these settings.  Cahill got things off to a bad start, blazing over the bar, but once Berbatov wasted MU’s first penalty and Tim Howard saved well from Ferdinand, Everton stayed in front with cool and confident efforts from Neville, Baines, Vaughan and Jagielka.  It was good to see Jagielka succeed: he played well – as he has all season and his last shoot out effort was an unsuccessful attempt in last season’s UEFA Cup.

So, a final at last for David Moyes.  Now for the silverware!