Phils focus

Julie and I begin a three month sabbatical from the start of May through to the end of July. This is something that we have been planning for a couple of years in response to a clear sense from the Lord that this should mark a new season of life for us and for the lovely church we lead. Some have been asking; ‘so what is a Sabbatical?’ so here is a quick overview. It is rooted in the biblical principles of ‘Sabbath’. Sabbath is the (weekly) rhythm of rest built into the creation story and echoed by the instructions in Leviticus and Exodus that every seven years the land was to be given a year of rest and remain ‘fallow’ to recover its nutrients. Our understanding of healthy rhythms of weekly Sabbaths and seasonal Sabbaticals are that they are a time to STOP and ask: what do I need to do to really cease from all my work? To REST and ask what kind of things will enable me to rest during this break? To DELIGHT and ask what will replenish my soil and fill me with energy, and to del...

Warning: This blog gets a bit more theological than my more usual testimonial style here. When I listen to some teachers I wonder what bible they are reading. They seem to hold the opinion that God was angry in the OT but that he went through a change of personality after the cross and suddenly becomes merciful, kind and forgiving. The common scripture they reference is Paul’s teaching on the difference between living 'under grace' or 'under the law'. ‘The OT is law’ they conclude and the NT is grace’. Which is all well and good, except that every now and then the same people will suddenly pop up declaring that God is ‘judging’ a place, a person or a city because of their various sinful behaviors. It appears as if God has snapped back into his OT ‘angry mode’ and has forgotten the unconditional love and grace of the NT that they were referencing earlier! This inevitably presents people with a rather schizophrenic view of God and of the bible. To be fair, the chall...

This Sunday i will be doing what many of my neighbours do, at least those without small people in the family. l be waking up slowly and enjoying a short lie in before having a leisurely breakfast and a read of the news. I'll then help my wife with a few chores and prepare for a late lunch together with a few local friends from The Well. We'll enjoy our meal together as an extended family and then pray briefly for the late afternoon gathering of people in our local park. Each year a large number of locals gather for a 'Christingle'  celebration around our park bandstand.  Christingle  means 'Christ Light' and is a symbolic advent object used in many denominations to celebrate Jesus Christ  as the "Light of the world". Usually this is an orange - representing the world - with a candle and four cocktail sticks with sweet on them representing the four gospels and the gifts of the Magi. Most of those present won't be churchgoers, nor even have a...

I have realised that I have a small issue with a commonly and popularly held way of looking at the life and ministry of Jesus.  I think it was John Wimber in the late eighties who coined a popular phrase; 'the words, the works, and the wonders of Jesus'. This was a neat little alliteration that summed up the three areas which most people saw as the life of Jesus; his amazing teaching (words), his remarkable acts of kindness (works) and his supernatural miracles (wonders). This remains a valuable lens. However, it is possible in some peoples minds that there is a distinction between Jesus' 'acts of kindness' and his supernatural acts. I am referring to the fact that some people will point to Jesus' feeding of the 5000, or his healing of the sick, as examples of a kingdom value of kindness and justice, but in so doing miss the fact that most of his 'acts of kindness' were simultaneously miraculous! He fed the hungry supernaturally! He healed ...

There are times when no amount of slow breathing or relaxation excercise will achieve the goal of inner rest and calm. Our agitation at the demands and duties of life can accumulate to where we cannot resource our own peace. This morning a thousand thoughts and anxieties rushed at me and took my wind before I was even fully awake. They were each insistent that they were the priority of the day, each threatening that if I didn't give them my full attention I would pay the price. I felt literally overwhelmed.  My frequent response is to seek a caffeine or sugar rush to enable me to kick start my day and gain the upper hand in some measure. 'I NEED coffee!' my body screams.   Our conditioned response to pressure is so often to seek an adrenalin 'kick start' that makes us feel alive enough to face the challenges of the day. These can come in various forms, and as we know, practices become habits which become lifestyles that affect our health and lead to other is...

What are we talking about when we talk about money? In our series of teaching on fasting, praying, and giving, this month we are exploring giving. What does it means to build a culture of generosity and to grow in the art of giving? It has opened a reservoir of memories and reflections on the times and seasons where I have made the most generous choices and felt the most freedom. Let me tell you a love story. A long time ago (..in a far away galaxy..) I met the vision of grace and beauty I am privileged to call my wife. I was 19 years old. She was a teacher, and I was only a year older than her ‘A level’ students. One of the first things I did, after working up the bottle to invite her on a first date, was to start bringing her gifts; A large clay pot, a mirror, a steak. The latter gift of raw meat I brought to her flat one evening as I had observed that as an exhausted secondary school teacher she appeared in need of energy, so my best solution was...

Fasting, praying, giving  To his disciples living in a world full of danger Jesus makes this remarkable statement; “ So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ” (Matthew 6) Of course, he has just introduced us to a brilliant short teach on the assumed habits and disciplines of a disciple, and he caps it all with this summary statement, saying in effect; ‘if you practice these things in this way, then you will be better equipped to live the life of faith’. Each of us is most prone to anxiety in one of three areas; appetite, affirmation, or ambition. We may know them by other names; (provision, position, and possibilities), but they are the three areas in which Jesus was personally tempted at the start of his ministry, and which we encounter on a regular basis; Will we have enough? Will we be recognised and attributed worth? And will good things happen to us? One or more of t...