HOPING THE FISH BITES

Last weekend I visited some friends who were caravaning in the New Forest. They tried to persuade me to join them in their gypsy ways and buy a van of my own.

Instead, I have bought a boat. I feel this is a much more biblical thing to do, as Jesus was often in a boat, but we have no record of him ever using a caravan. There have been a couple of shameful occasions when I have stayed in a caravan, but generally I feel such contraptions are destined for burning. Being on a boat offers much more scope for spiritual development.

Anyway, we took her out for the first time this evening and enjoyed seeing Poole Harbour from a different angle. Next on the shopping list is a fishing rod so we can have barbequed fish for breakfast, just like Jesus and the apostles.


No doubt my mother will at some point read this and say, "I don't believe he's bought a boat - he's meant to be buying a house." But if it hadn't been a boat it would have been a motorbike - which would you prefer mum?!

FISH BITES

On Friday evening some friends were over and for some reason we got talking about weaverfish. These unpleasant creatures are common on the south coast of England, lying buried in the sand in shallow water. If threatened they have venomous spines in their dorsal fins that effectively defend them. Over the past 38 years I have spend countless hours on the beaches of southern England and never encountered a weever. My brother got stung once in Cornwall, about 25 years ago, but I never have.

Lots of things that pose a potential threat are like weevers. We know they might be there, but they never bother us.

This afternoon I took the kids for a swim and - you've guessed it already - trod on a weever. The pain was intense - an electric shock, multiplied bee-sting type pain. The lifeguard said I was about the twentieth victim of the day. For 30 minutes I sat with my foot in a bowl of hot water, trying to relieve the sting.

It made me think of all the Christians who seem to go well through life when suddenly a temptation that was always there but they never thought would get them appears out of the blue and takes them down.

Watch out for weevers.

Another friend of mine has been taking some photos for me for our church website redesign. I particularly like this shot - it looks like a wider horizon.


Watch out for weevers, and embrace a wider horizon of God's grace.

THE POWER OF WORDS

Here is a fantastic video advertising the forthcoming conference "The Power of Words & the Wonder of God" being run by Desiring God in September.



Mark Driscoll is one of the speakers at this conference, which will be especially interesting as he has a reputation as the cussing pastor. Words do have awesome power. After all, the ultimate power is Jesus Christ, the Word.

What words do you use or not use? Why?

ONE YEAR ON

This blog is a year old today.

When I started blogging I didn't imagine it would still be going a year later. Nor did I plan to start the other blogs I now write. This is a very small blog compared with the likes of Adrian's, but even so I am pleasantly surprised that it has had nearly 10,000 visitors.

Looking back over my blogging year there are a number of things I have enjoyed about it:
1. It has helped me make some new friends. I tend to be suspicious of relationships that are virtual rather than face to face, but through the blogosphere I have got to know some people I otherwise wouldn't and some of these virtual contacts are developing into real relationships.
2. Writing The Worship Poole the past couple of months has been a good spiritual discipline for me, and The Sermon Poole is an easy way to get my preaching notes out.
3. This has been a good way of keeping lots of people updated with what I am doing - this was especially the case while Grace & I were working out where to move to after New Community.
4. Writing a blog enables me to say things I wouldn't otherwise get to say, or to say them in a way I wouldn't otherwise put it.
5. I like writing!

The downside has been that blogging becomes one more thing to do. Technology is addictive and there are days when I need to just switch the Mac off and forget about it. To this end there will be radio silence on all my blogs through most of August.

Whether you have been a regular reader these past 12 months or just an occasional dipper, thanks for dropping by!

IN THE PICTURE

I like to imagine that people visit this blog for the profound theological insights I offer but am aware the reality is most of you simply like the pictures I put up! Its rather like preaching - never mind the content, was it funny?!

Anyway, always willing to please, here are some more pics from the last couple of weeks of Hosier life:

Pastor Scott Thomas:


Scott is an elder at Mars Hill, Seattle, and was in the UK with Mark Driscoll. I only got a few snatched conversations with him, but he seemed a great bloke and I would love to be able to pick his brains properly some time.


Three mighty men:


Last Thursday we had a regional Newfrontiers picnic at Hengistbury Head. Pictured are Guy Miller, who leads the apostolic team under which I serve, and John "more together than we are apart" Groves from Winchester. Also in the shot is Mbonisi Malaba from Zimbabwe. All three are men I feel privileged to be able to call friends.


School's out for summer:


We took the girls to our favourite local beach today. Barbequed sausage and bacon for breakfast, played beach cricket, swam, had an ice-cream... Its tough in Dorset!

MOVE OVER TIM HUGHES...

Grace & I try to encourage the kids to praise Jesus. Here are Daughters No. 1 & 2 performing a song Daughter No. 2 penned earlier today:

FROM THE HORSES MOUTH...

Since last weeks TOAM conference the question on everyones lips has been, "What did Terry think of Driscoll?" Well here is the answer from the man himself.

John Lanferman also has a very helpful summary of Driscoll's sessions, and some good commentary.

A NEW DAY FOR ALDER ROAD

As well as all the overseas friends we have had pass through Alder Road over the past month we have been blessed by the ministry of people who have never even visited the church. Last Sunday evening Keith Hazel from Canada was at Citygate church in Bournemouth and brought this incredibly encouraging word for us.

FEEL THE LOVE

Our roller-coaster ride of international visitors continues at Alder Road. This evening Mbonisi Malaba from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe was preaching for us - a magnificent message about the victorious and glorious church. Last night and tomorrow evening Ian & Adie Wilsher from Harare are taking seminars - last night on parenting and tomorrow on handling conflict. All these talks are available to listen to on the ARBC (soon to be redesigned) site.

Here is Bones quoting Spurgeon...



John Lanferman also posts a very kind report about his time with us here. We love you too John!

The post-Driscoll buzz is still buzzing - there's plenty of it over on the Newfrontiers Bloggers page.

CONFERENCE COMMENTS

Well, three days since the TOAM conference finished for another year, but I’m still trying to process it all. I approach the conference like a spiritual binge session – it’s a pretty intense schedule and I fill whatever gaps there are by catching up with as many friends as possible. I don’t expect to sleep more than five hours a night, don’t get any exercise, and eat odd food at strange times. Its great!

Of course, the thing that stood out this year was the ministry of Mark Driscoll, who challenged, inspired and generally performed open heart surgery on Newfrontiers. You can listen to his talks (and everyone else’s) here. We have had some pretty solid speakers over the years – John Piper, CJ Mahaney, Wayne Grudem – as well as more left-field men like Rob Rufus and David Carr, but none has spoken so directly to us as bold Pastor Mark.

I had read and listened to quite a lot of Driscoll previously but it was great to meet him in the flesh, as well as fellow Mars Hill elder Scott Thomas who was with him for the trip. One evening I was fortunate to be able to have dinner with Driscoll and a small group of other pastors. Being able to ask questions up close and personal was a real privilege, and lots of fun. He is the real deal.

Last night Grace and I, along with daughter No. 2, went back to Brighton for the evening meeting at Church of Christ the King at which Driscoll was preaching. CCK have spent some money on their AV kit since I was last there and it looks and sounds good – a standard for Alder Road to aspire to.


Mark was in top form and enjoying himself. This is a talk that needs to be listened to by all young men!


Back home at Alder Road we had a great weekend with Greg Shepherd from New Community and my friends Stephen & Molly Manhanga from Zimbabwe. Greg led us in worship and Stephen preached an awesome word about the hills we need to take and the giants we need to slay.

Today Grace and I managed to get some down time together and I went in search of an iPhone, but they have all sold out. Tomorrow we are back into international mode as more Zimbabweans pile into town to bless and enrich us. They are a remarkable bunch. Downloads of all the sessions they are doing are available on the ARBC site.

TOGETHER WITH MOBILISE

Tom Shaw leads the Mobilise 20s & students event at TOAM. Yesterday I caught up with him and got this clip:

TOGETHER WITH MARK DRISCOLL

Here's a quick clip of Driscoll talking at a leaders seminar about being a good husband and father:



And here's one with Bryan Mowrey from Jubilee Church, St Louis, USA:

TOGETHER

TOAM has now begun and I thought it might be fun to post some short videos of people at the conference. I am starting with some Zimbabwean friends...

Together With Stephen & Molly Manhanga from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe:



And Together With Tapiwa Chizana from Bulawayo, and Simon Leigh-Jones who grew up in Bulawayo but is now based in Sidcup, UK:

WAVES OF FRIENDS

We have had an outstanding weekend at Alder Road with John & Linda Lanferman. We wrung them dry and it was great to get some of John's wisdom & experience infused into the church. Yesterday we had a gift day for some building work we are doing and John, not knowing this, preached from 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 - in our giving God is able to make ALL grace in ALL things at ALL times with ALL sufficiency abound in us. It was magnificent, prophetic, faith-stirring stuff.

In between meetings I managed to get an hour on the beach and the very strong winds we have been having kicked up some great surf and I had the most fun in a long time thrashing about in the waves. This is a great place to live!

Tomorrow the Together On A Mission conference starts in Brighton and I am looking forward to catching up with lots of my friends and being encouraged by the preaching of the word and worshipping with believers from 53 nations. Mark Driscoll is the main speaker and he makes some comments about his travels here. Also, Adrian will be live blogging the event, which isn't quite like being there but a pretty good second.

LANFERMAN LANDING

This weekend we have John & Linda Lanferman with us at Alder Road. By strange coincidence, Adrian has here posted an interview he did with John last year.