POST-CHRISTMAS ROUNDUP

Hope you had a good Christmas!

As well as enjoying eating goose, I enjoyed the Christmas Day swim that a few of us from church went for - most invigorating. And we enjoyed going to the Boxing Day meet of the South Dorset hunt - the kids have a thing about foxhounds...



Some friends visiting from Sidcup pointed out this article about the impact of Christianity in Africa by Times columnist Matthew Parris to me - interesting Christmas reading:

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

Click here to carry on reading.

New for me this Christmas was an audio download of the ESV. Only $30 for the entire Bible - well worth the price. I now have it loaded on my phone and listened to 14 chapters of Ezekiel while out for a run this morning.

JUST ABOUT CHRISTMAS

HAPPY CHRISTMAS! dear readers.

First, an apology to all those who might expect a Christmas card from us but haven't had one - we have had an almost complete failure in that department this year. Much more ecologically friendly of course, and I tend to assume that anyone who wants to know how the Hosier's are will find their way to this blog anyway, but please forgive me!

Wherever you are, and whatever you're eating, I hope you have a wonderful time. I carry the catering responsibilities in our house this year, and am doing goose, which I am very much looking forward to.


This has been a dramatic year for my family, with our move to a new town, and also a dramatic year politically and economically. Of course, the economy has been the hot news the past few months, and as we end 2008 there is still a volatility that makes it very hard to make financial predictions for the coming year. Oil is now down to below $40 a barrel, having been at $140 in July while cocoa is at its highest price since 1985. The lesson of this would seem to be buy more petrol and eat less chocolate...

The message of Christmas has economic consequences for the world. The baby that lay in a manger is now the king who claims supremacy over all aspects of human life and activity, including the economy. What we do with our money, both at a personal and national level, matters to the king, just as what we wear and what we eat do not escape his notice (hence my recent series of sermons on these subjects). Ultimately, Christmas is about justice - the overcoming of evil by good and the hope of a world where there really is peace towards men.

A story that was in the headlines last week, but has rapidly slipped out of the news, was the true killer of Rachel Nickell confessing to his crime. For years the police had pursued Colin Stagg as the man they were convinced had carried out the murder, while ignoring Robert Napper who was the real culprit. This kind of injustice is very ugly - a young woman murdered, her family devastated, an innocent man unjustly treated. It is hard to know who to feel most sorry for, and who to feel most angry with.

The divine irony in the Christmas story is that the baby in a manger was himself unjustly treated, and murdered. But this injustice is what made ultimate justice possible. The man who was killed is alive again, and will judge all the peoples with justice.

I hope you enjoy a Christmas that is touched by the grace and peace that this baby, this man, this king, this judge has given to the world. May your mouth be full of praise to him, as well as of turkey (or goose!).

MORE PICTURES FROM ZIM

Kezi is in an incredibly beautiful location.


There are big snakes at Kezi. This black mamba had been killed by some of the apprentices.


These grasshoppers are not so dangerous as mamba's, but they do tend to eat stuff they shouldn't. Look pretty though.


Molly Manhanga helping clear land for the Crossroads church plant. Swing that axe girl!


Johannesburg's Apartheid Museum. If you ever visit Joburg visit this museum. It is good to be reminded of past follies.

For more reports on our visit from the Ebenezer blog click here and here.

IF YOU'RE IN POOLE IN JANUARY...

ZIM IMAGES

People seem very interested in my Zim trip, so I am going to be putting up a few more pictures representing our experiences.


At the Ebenezer training centre apprentices are given a plot of land and trained in growing crops that can generate them an income - in this case tomatoes.


This dam is a miracle - it should never have been built in the climate of instability of Zim, the resources to do it should not have been available, and it was meant to take years to fill (in fact it only took weeks). Peter Cunningham who set up Ebenezer and is responsible for the dam is a truly inspirational figure.


This is Terai and Mike who are based at Mguza, near Bulawayo, where they are planting a church and teaching people Farming God's Way.


This is Joel, one of the pupils at the pre-school at Mguza. He walks two hours - barefoot - through the bush to get there. He is five years old, but looks much smaller, and has never smiled or laughed.


This is the Alder Road/Gateway team - what a great bunch!


Andrew Wilson gets everywhere...! Incomparable for sale at Johannesburg airport.

PJ PROPHESIES OVER POOLE

While in Johannesburg last week, PJ Smyth shared a word of encouragement with the Poole team for Gateway Church. This is the gist of it:

Acts 17:22-27
So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him.

Towns, cities and conurbations give the impression of existing for very rational reasons – trade and commerce, a river, mineral deposits, a harbour – but actually they exist in order that people might be gathered together to hear the gospel. When Poole was first founded God was looking on and planning for the day when Gateway Church would make him known to thousands of people. This is the reason God created Poole.

Matthew 28:16-20
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

This is your commission. Be bold, zealous and oozing authority. The commission does not get accomplished by hiding away or shrinking back. God has given authority, now go and exercise it.

Matthew 5:13-16
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Be visible, confident. You are not the periphery in Poole, but rather those that usher in God’s eternal purpose for Poole. Arise and shine. Stop false humility. There should be a confidence about Gateway which enables great exploits for God. Just as the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae proved immovable against overwhelming odds because of their sense of who they were – “We are Sparta…!” – so Gateway should boldly declare their identity in Christ and win battles. Be what you are!

1 Chronicles 11:4-6
And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You will not come in here." Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. David said, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander." And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.

This is how to take a city. When things look impossible there is a need for Joab’s to step forward. Gateway needs many Joab-like people to step up to the mark and take the city.

Let’s make 2009 a year in which Gateway Church makes a much bigger impression in Poole!

ON-LINE

The Hosier blog is back.

A quick Zim roundup...

Poverty
There are a lot of very poor people in Zim. Life is tough, and everything is complex, and expensive. The Zim dollar is worthless and has to be handled in quantities of billions and quadrillions. Those who can are dealing in hard currency, which means lots of people are trying to juggle Zim dollars, US dollars & South African Rand. A lot of people are very hungry. At a pre-school we visited some of the children only eat when they come to school, which means three bowls of sadza (maize meal) a week.

Government
People were more openly critical of the Mugabe regime than has been my previous experience. Zimbabwe needs a change in leadership and everyone knows it. The teachers, doctors and university lecturers are all on strike as they are not getting paid. The place is collapsing. Pray for change!

Cholera
This is scary, and unnecessary. We were very careful about what we drank, but not everyone is able to make those kind of choices. Too many people are going to die needless deaths. Apart from one member of the team suffering a 24 hour stomach bug we were all kept very healthy, which was an answer to prayer.

The Church
As always, my faith was encouraged and stirred by being with my Zimbabwean brothers and sisters. They have such faith and joy despite great difficulty. It was a privilege to be with them. My friends are continuing to demonstrate hope by continuing to make plans for the future - they are ministering to the poor, planting churches, keeping faithful to the Word.

The Team
The Alder Road team did great. It was excellent to have them with me and they all commended themselves very well. I especially enjoyed having one of my daughters with me and it was very healthy for her to see a part of the world with so many contrasts to home. We also got to do some fun stuff, like riding on elephants, and we finished our time with a weekend in Johannesburg. This was an inspiring way to end as PJ Smyth gave us a tour of the 20 acre plot that GodFirst have bought for a building and pumped up our vision muscles. We also visited the Apartheid Museum, which was a sobering experience.

For a Zimbabwean perspective on our visit click here and here.