MOVING

This blog was first begun in order to keep the Friends Of The Hosiers updated on what was happening with us as we tried to work out what to do and where to be post-SE London. More than two years on we are finally about to move into our own house.

Developments with the house we bought last December have not featured much on this blog, partly out of some sense of embarrassment - as I try to cultivate a 'pilgrim mentality' (to use Randy Alcorns phrase), an undue focus on bricks and mortar doesn't sit very comfortably with me. But it will be a mighty relief to be in!

Next week is moving week, and I have cleared my diary in order to be able to give full-time attention to the remaining painting, filling, sanding and tiling. So thanks to all those friends who have been following our progress these past two years - we look forward to welcoming you to our new place soon!

GLOBAL SHIFT

If you have any interest in politics, economics, or social justice, you have got to watch this - Hans Roslings barnstorming talk about when China and India will match the UK and USA in income and life expectancy.

Fascinating stuff.

DIVERSITY

In yesterdays sermon, one of the points I made was that the children of God are freed to celebrate diversity. This is different from the diversity agenda that is at the forefront of current social politics, but a celebration of diversity born out of our celebration of the Creator who has made a universe stuffed full of diversity. The contemporary diversity agenda is but a pale and shallow imitation of what is ours in Christ.

Anyway, having preached about the wonder of a world in which there are five million species of beetle, and a galaxy of 100 billion stars (including blue stragglers, bright giants, carbon stars, giant stars, high-velocity stars, hypergiants, hypervelocity stars, main sequence stars, red dwarfs, red giants, runaway stars, supergiants, and Wolf-Rayet stars) it was fascinating to see this report about new discoveries in the ocean deeps.

Just imagine what the new heavens and earth will be like.

THE PRICE OF POWER

The last Queen's Speech of this Parliament today; pretty irrelevant in terms of any legislative program, but interesting as a pre-election hurrah. Our American friends must think we are very quaint, but I think it a mistake for the lamentable John Bercow to ditch the traditional Speakers costume - the whole point is that he is meant to represent an office, not project his personality.

Anyway, looking at our politicians is revealing. Gordon Brown looks like death, while Cameron is still fresh-faced. But should Cameron make it to Prime Minister we can be pretty sure he, too, will be looking jowly, wrinkled, grey, and stressed out in a few years. The perils of the job...



This is how Brown looked back in '97. The world was his oyster then...

FAMINE IN KENYA

From Nigel Ring's blog an interview about the famine in Kenya with Edward Buria, who leads the Newfrontiers churches there:

Famine in Kenya from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

And here and here are reports from the BBC which further explain the situation.

At Gateway, part of the offering we take up for the poor at Christmas will go to help our friends in Kenya; or if you wish to make a donation this can be sent to Newfrontiers, The Matrix Complex, 91 Peterborough Road, London, SW6 3BU and marked ‘Kenya Crisis 09’.

FREEDOM

Last week my Life Group met at the Bankes Arms on Studland, one of my favourite pubs. I took the opportunity to walk up there, from the ferry that crosses the harbour mouth at Sandbanks. It was a great evening for a walk – dark and stormy, with the sea whipped up by the wind. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I was the only person on the beach. I like to walk in the dark (not in the spiritual sense of course) and consider it a basic freedom. It might not appeal to everyone, and some would consider me odd for wanting to walk for an hour in the dark and the wind and the rain, but that is no reason why I shouldn’t do it.

I am in the middle of a preaching series on freedom, based in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Having preached about being free to resist anything that would hinder our spiritual freedom, one of my church members commented, “I think that Christians should also be resisting loss of freedom when the Government takes it away too, does this come into things we should be doing?” To which I replied, “My quick answer is this: We should resist anything that limits the freedom of the Word – anything that stops us declaring the gospel. There will then be other things that different believers will have different positions on, E.g., I think the unchecked rise of CCTV is a gross infringement of our civil liberties and should be resisted, but other people might consider it a good thing, to be encouraged.”

I normally try to avoid anything on this blog that might appear Party Political – one reason being because I do not have allegiance to any particular party, and another being because it is probably not wise for me to express party political views when I have responsibility for a church in which there is a spectrum of political opinions. But I do of course have political opinions! So I thought I would risk lisitng some of the things I consider a threat to our civic freedoms, and which should be resisted:

• CCTV – as already mentioned above, I do not like the ever increasing intrusion of cameras into our daily lives.
• Making sex education compulsory for 16 year-olds. This policy was recently announced by the Government, and I think it is wrong.
• ID cards. Being partially and sneakily introduced in Manchester this week, but hope the scheme gets shelved.
• Storing the DNA records of those who have never been convicted of a crime.
• Unrestricted permission for Police intercepts of email.
• Not being allowed to take photos of the police.
• Anti-terrorist legislation being used to stifle legitimate protest.
• The ability to track peoples movements through location devices in mobile phones and other electronic devices.
• Any suggestion of road pricing using in-car tracking devices.

In short, I want to be able to walk to the pub, in the dark and the rain, without being filmed doing so, or having my movements tracked, or being asked for my reasons for wanting to. These are basic rights, but in a world increasingly gripped by the opportunities provided by technology, and scared about terrorism, and increasingly authoritarian, we probably shouldn’t take them for granted.

GOING DOUBLE

Its been a long time... Lots to do, and not much time to do it, but I'm going to start trying to post again.

In January we are planning to go to two morning services at Gateway. We are not a large congregation, but our building feels overly crowded as soon as we have more than 150 people there, so other than moving building, our only option for growth is to go to more than one meeting. It is a strategy with some risk, but also lots of opportunity for blessing.

So this morning we had a test run, with the fabulous Phil Turner from Christ the King, Brighton, preaching. It was a great morning, with some room for improvement, and overall I now feel more confident about us going for it in January. It was also the second anniversary of my official "preach with a view" at what was Alder Road Baptist Church. Two years ago tomorrow the church took a vote as to whether they wanted me to come as their pastor. The vote was unanimous in my favor, which has always given me great confidence in my leadership of the church (even if some of those who voted for me with their hands have subsequently voted with their feet and left the church!). I preached that Sunday on what I believe about the role of elders in the church, so no-one could complain that they didn't know what they were getting! We've been through a lot together since then - revamped our building, changed the name, and now going to two meetings.

I'm grateful for all the blessings we have known, but hungry for more - even a doubling.