soul friends

We ran a men’s retreat earlier this week. I was amazed by the positive take up and the way the spaces I’d booked at the conference centre quickly booked up. There is obviously a real hunger for men to get together.

We had a brilliant time together exploring mentoring with Tony Horsfall and Rick Lewis, 2 guys I know well. What really struck me was spending time with an old friend and colleague called Carl. We’d worked together years ago, laughed and cried, shared moments of great triumph and real frustration (often with each other!), but we’d just not seen each other for probably over 10 years.

In the few minutes we had together over our 24 hour stay  it was great to connect again. As Christians there are deep bonds forged when we open ourselves up to one another, soul friendships is a term that’s often used. I realised that although we don’t keep in touch now , we still have a real bond, it was so easy to talk together. Brothers in Christ is what we truly are and seeing my old friend again did me good.

Tragically often as men we never bond at significant times and in significant ways  and our lives are the poorer for it. I learnt a lesson this week. We’ve both moved on but in our hearts there is still a genuine knitting that God’s Spirit has forged between us when we walked the road together. God bless you Carl, thanks for the memory  

sails and ballast

A lot of my best thoughts come in conversations with others, may be it’s a case of “iron sharpens iron” as Scripture says.

Ian ( a church friend), had opened up  a conversation on the new testament concept of eldership not being specifically linked (in Paul’s teaching) with the ministry gifts as outlined in his letters. I likened it in some ways for the needs in sailing ships not only for the sails to propel you forward (catching and utilising the winds power), but also the ballast to keep the ship stable and balanced on its journey. Both are vital otherwise in stormy seas you capsize! Ian knows far more about sailing than me so I’ll stop the analogy here before I shipwreck!

I’m writing this from a room at Bawtry Hall during a  Men’s retreat on mentoring which I’ve organised. I think the analogy works at two other levels also. In our personal life unless the “unseen” we have a solid foundation of integrity of character worked on by God’s Holy Spirit then we lack spiritual stability and credibility ourselves. Our works of service can also be affected in that we can be all over the place in our storms, struggling to keep it together. It also occurs to me that in our community or fellowship life within church that visitors or newcomers are often struck by what they see immediately, the sails, the activity, the direction, but unless we fundamentally as churches are stable “down below” at the deeper levels of  generosity of spirit, forgiveness, loving and believing the best in one another and promoting one another over ourselves once again we are undermined and unstable at the centre of who we are together.

I’m excited by “catching the wind”  but I’m convinced unless we our holds have ballast in them we shall struggle at times to stay afloat.

Glory in the Pub

On Monday evening in the upstairs room of the Big Tree  pub in Woodseats (which was in full swing down below) about 60 christians from a variety of churches met together in an upstairs room with the windows open to worship God. Its in this room that the Sheffield  Healing Rooms takes place offering prayer for healing to whosoever would like it. Godfrey Birtill led us in 90 minutes of raucous and sometimes wild  (goose) worship and intercession for our city. There’s someone wonderful about taking our faith out of our buildings and into the areas we so often don’t reach. This won’t be the last time a group of us will worship and pray together in that room. My expectation is that more and more we need to be flexible in how  where and when we do church and not confined to times and places. The declaration and demonstration of the kingdom of God needs fresh and creative ways and means of expression. This Saturday our church will host probably up to 200 christians from across the city doing acts of kindness on the streets of our local housing estate. Litter picking, painting, gardening, prayer and kids events will all be happening. God wants to continue to turn our churches inside out so that His Spirit is released beyond the church scene and into the world He created loves and actively through His people wants to redeem. Are you ready ready ready??