Sow... Water... Harvest...

Sow.... water... harvest.... You are called at different times to do one or more of the above... depending on what God is calling you to do. Do not be impatient if you are called to be a sower or a waterer more than a harvester for example as you are just as important in the changing of peoples hearts. A seed will not grow without the correct nurturing and same with people.. they wont come to the Lord unless we are there ... investing time and love into their walk to help them see the Truth and to support them through any troubles they may have in life (spiritual/physical/mental).. The growing process of the seed of Jesus in peoples hearts can differ greatly... from instant (very rare).. to 40-50 year etc.... it all depends on the amount of thorns/dry ground on that persons heart and how badly satan has tied it up in worldly things... For example my sowing, watering and harvest took 35 approx years... alot of people invested in this and took alot of abuse when I was alot younger.. those people who knocked on my door to friends who dare talk about Jesus to me. We want to see a harvest as much as possible but what we also need to be aware of is that the harvest that we are sowing or watering for may mean that that person is meant to be in another church and their calling in life is to impact the people around them there and not in the church we sit in... this is a hard thing to really get used to in a worldly church and mindset.. We need to realise what we are here for.. to build Gods Kingdom.. not our “church” or “bums on pews”!! Every saved person means there is a party in heaven as Scripture tells us.. so be a part of that party.. do your calling... So lets look at this in a worldly view.. why should a “church” spend so much money on outreach/mission etc when they are not seeing the bums on seats? Easy answer... God blesses us with the tools to build His Kingdom.. and if we use them correctly and to the full then He will bless us with more.. (this is not a prosperity thing).. its a showing that we are good trustees of Gods blessings and follow the teachings of Jesus that we are to give and give and give and not store things up... It can get the people of that church down if they appear to be slogging themselves to change hearts and not seeing a harvest.. but WE will see the bigger picture when we are called home OR when God sees that a harvest is ready in our area... We do not know if the new person who has just walked through our church door last week, for example, was as a result of years of sowing and watering by many other people in another church.. but we ALL need to keep one thing in mind... WE ARE WORKING FOR GOD AND BUILDING HIS KINGDOM....

Sweden Mission Trip 2015 - Round up

2 years ago God spoke to both my wife and I and placed Sweden on our hearts.

I would have never thought it would have happened let alone to the extent of what God has done during the time leading up to the mission trip and during it!..

So here is the brief information of the 5 cities over 2 weeks in Sweden. Walking and praying over churches in the cities. I went over with the fullness of my heart to ignore the "man-made" denominations and focus on God and His church as a whole!!

I landed in Arlanda Airport (just north of Stockholm) at 11pm and spent the night on the terminal floor ready for my train to Karlstad early the next morning.

First of all was Karlstad. 5 days (Wed Am-Mon AM) Very nice city! I managed to get hold of a map of the city free of charge and set out a plan of action to walk as much as possible around the city and outskirts to visit as many churches as possible and pray over them. I had done some research over the layout of the city and some churches before I left so I had a good idea of where to start.

In the first 2 days I had walked over 20 miles and visited, prayed, over 15 churches. Pictures of each church was posted onto twitter for those who were following me could see and pray over them as well. I planned a trip to the outskirts of Karlstad to a small place called Skare and some of the churches on the way. Purchased a bus ticket, as it was too far to walk, and left early. As I was not sure of exactly where to get off the bus I kept a keen eye on the map and the stops. I missed it! I couldn't believe it and was kicking myself over this. I thought I had wasted time missing the stop and that I had let God down for this short period of time. Little did I know it was Gods plan!! I jumped back on the bus in the other direction and got off the stop I needed.. Stood outside the church, took a picture, tweeted it and prayed over the church. The side door opened and outcome this woman and asked what I was doing. So I explained my purpose of why I was there that day and where I was wrong. At first, I think, she was a little taken back as it's not what you expect to have happen. She invited me in to speak to her team, as she introduced herself as the Pastor of that church, and pray with them. I accepted!! We talked and prayed over the outreach for the church. Anna, the Pastor, introduced me to her team and the other lady that was there from a different church. Also had the blessing to be invited to eat with them as well. It was such an encouragement to me to see and feel the love of Jesus, by them, to welcome me into their church and talk.. I just pray that my time with them and the prayers has encouraged them as well.. There is NO such thing as coincidence! It is ALL God!! I gave up after 2 days of measure how much I had walked as it started to scare me a little, I lost my step counter but also I felt that this mission was not about counting physical steps but leaving it all to God!

Attended a church, Korkyrkan, for worship on the Sunday, of my first week, and was blessed to have a good talk with the Pastor. The gentleman who was leading worship apologised that there were no English worded songs chosen that day but they normally do 1-2 every week. It didn't bother me and God, yet again, proved this is where I was suppose to be as the first 2 songs, whilst in Swedish, were the exact same ones I had learn from Youtube over the past few months. The whole service felt so welcoming. I was introduced to Simon, a pastor in another church who was here on his day off, who offered to translate the service and answer any questions I had during the service. After the service he invited me to go to the lake with him, his wife and some of his friends for lunch.. I was blown away by the offer and accepted. Sat there on these huge rocks on the edge of the largest lake in Sweden, bright sunshine, clear blue sky and great fellowship!! We talked about the struggles for churches in Sweden and share encouragement. It was an experience I shall never forget and the love/acceptance of those families was something amazing. I shall never forget them..

Monday morning I left Karlstad and headed, by train to Helsingborg.

(2nd week - Mon PM-Thur 4 AM)This was suppose to be my couple of days of rest but, being me, I couldn't. I once again walked and prayed for the churches of the city. Also by standing on the edge of the coastal wall I could see Denmark coast.. So I prayed over the churches in the distance. It was strange as I could actually see buildings and their colours too. Only person God put in my way to talk to here was a leader of the mormon church I visited and prayed over. I got to see my first look at the homeless of Helsingborg as I sat in the train station for about 2-3 hrs very early as I was waiting for the train to leave.

3rd city I was in was Jonkoping (Thur PM-Sat AM) Once again walking and praying over churches in the city, got hold of a free map to help me plan where to go and possible numbers. Also I had arranged to meet up with a church leader and also a Christian from another church. This was great fellowship as I got to hear about the struggles of the church in Sweden and Jonkoping but also how one of the churches is planning to do outreach into the community and the vision they had! I was so encouraged by not only hearing his vision but seeing it as well in my mind. I was blessed, once again, by a meal by both people. I felt love and acceptance again beyond words!!!

4th city was Stockholm (Sat PM-Sun AM) Was only here to visit one church and that was the New Life church just on the outskirts of Stockholm. The Pastor was so welcoming as we spent time that morning, as he collected me from the hotel and drove me to the church, showed me around and even took more time out of his busy schedule to speak to me before the service. Very open conversation and I saw great vision but, once again, felt pain for the church as it attempts to reach the community. Amazing service in both English and Swedish so I felt so at home. So much vision is planned for this church.. Truly amazing Faith!! Praying it happens.

This is the mad dash from New Life to Uppsala in which I had about 2 3/4 hrs to get to. I was so blessed by a family who were waiting at the bus stop just up the path from New Life. It was a trek to the metro station if I had of walked. I went to the bus station to get directions and they said it would be quicker to jump on the bus as it was due in a few minutes. I found out from the chat at the bus stop they were all from New Life church and were heading home. Chris, the one gentleman, who helped me, asked what I was doing and we spoke. He and his family helped me get on the right metro train and directed me to the right platform in Stockholm train station as this is where we departed from each other. Got onto the right train and headed to Uppsala! Jumped off the train and found the bus I needed to get on! Was planning to get to the service, which was in a possible of 2 locations depending on the weather. I misread the weather and went to the wrong location. I would have only been 5 mins late!! Kicked myself so much and jumped on a bus back to Uppsala city centre to get to the park. Really panicking the bus ride back to the city centre. Ran through some of the park, with all my luggage on my back, and it was huge.. Had no idea where they were!! I knew what the blokes face looked like but apart from twitter, had no contact details. I walked around the park briefly and was giving up hope. I thought I better walk to the hostel and arrange to meet him the next day. So I walked and then suddenly heard some music being played, walked closer and heard singing in English and walked around the small group and saw him playing the guitar. So I sat just outside the group and waited for the sing to be finished.. I made it!! 45 mins late but thanks be to God!!

5th City - Uppsala (Sun Pm-Tue AM) Spent a great afternoon with the group having worship in the park. They asked about what I was doing in Uppsala. So I shared Gods mission. It was nice to worship outside and having the people in the park see the love of Jesus and not just stuck in a church. Managed to walk around some of the churches in the city centre that evening as well. Monday I walked around the other churches I had seen on the map of the city centre and was blessed again with a nice chat and lunch with the Pastor and the gentleman, who I arranged to meet, that afternoon. We went to Gamla Uppsala to visit the old church and eat. The history of the church and city, the fellowship and discussion was, once again, amazing. I was planning to travel out of Uppsala on the Monday night and spend the night sleeping on the floor of the airport check in for my early flight Tuesday but I was offered a sofa for the night in Uppsala.. What may seem to some people as a small thing was a huge blessing. It meant a decent rest before a busy day of travelling.. Woke up at 5am and walked around the block to the bus station. Jumped on the bus to Arlanda Airport and checked in that very morning to bring me back to the UK.

My wife, Smoffi, who was at home in the UK the whole time also had to deal with her own mission being without me for the 2 weeks, having to deal with the household things, her emotions and worries about me and life in general on her own.. Also listening to my journey and worries. I will never know what she fully went through but, I do know, she is an amazing woman and so blessed by God!! She went against her own worries and fears to allow me to follow me calling by God.. I am so humbled and blessed by this.

Would I do it again? Of course! Was it Gods calling for me? Of course.. I have no doubt in this as I saw and felt things I could never imagine.

What would I change if I did that same 2 weeks again? More support for my wife to help her. A support network for me as being there on my own was hard at times. Will this be the only mission to Sweden? Of course NOT!! God has stoked the fire within even more.. I feel there is so much to be done for His Kingdom over there. What will the next mission hold? I have no idea as God has not made anything clear as of yet. How do I know I have achieved anything? I don't know exactly what this mission has done for Gods Kingdom but I know it has increased it in some way. God answers prayer!! Those churches will see something happen now or in the future because of this.

Please just pray for the churches I visited and all those people within them! Outreach, strength in Gods Word and to change hearts for Jesus. Fire up people in Sweden to answer Gods calling on their lives. Please also pray for the church people who helped with the funding of this mission trip, the support given to my wife and put up with me not saying anything else but this for over a year!

If God speaks to you about a calling upon your life.. Pray over it, speak to your church leaders, (if you can) fast over it, then if it's from God..DO IT!!!

Worried About Missing The Stop?

Do you go through life thinking you are "missing the stop" you need to get off the bus on?? Do you think what life would have been like if you had of got off on the stop you thought was "right"?? Sometimes we are meant to miss our stop and, as we see it, waste time to get back to the place where we feel we should be. Let me give you an example on something that happened to me.. I was send by God to go Sweden for 2 weeks and find churches, pray over them, share outreach, gospel and encourage etc... there was this one church in Skane (a village north of Karlstad) I had to get a bus too as it was beyond walking from Karlstad!! I had my map and marked out the stops on it I had to look out for.. as I felt like I had alot of other churches to visit that day and all by bus!! but here I was the bus didnt stop at the stop... did i not push teh button?? did i miss the bus automated voice telling me that the next stop was? did I just think it was behind me when it was actually one of the stops ahead?? it took me 2 more stops to read the map and find out that i had actually missed it... I kicked myself and got off the bus a fair few miles away from where I wanted to be... I was not impressed.. felt like I had wasted Gods time in standing in the middle of an industrial estate waiting for a return bus... but it finally arrived.. I counted the stops.paid attention to the sign on the bus and my map... Finally there it was.. the stop I wanted.. right outside of the church.. how could I miss it.. never mind I was there... I took the pic of the front of the church.. prayed over it as God led me... But something happened... the pastor came out.. She greeted me and asked if i needed help.. I then explained everything was ok and I was just praying over the church as God has told me to... She seemed a little set back as its not the normal day to day answer you may get... She asked about how and why.. I replied and she asked if I wanted to come in and pray with her and the team as they are outreaching to the youth soon... So we prayed and so did I.. They asked abit more on why I am there and I explained Gods calling on my life to them for this mission.. I was blown away when they said that had I been there earlier then I would have missed them after I shared that I actually missed the bus stop!! I was invited to have lunch with them and we all great fellowship, share Gospel and encouraged each other in our calling... So we all were stunned to see how God worked that lunch time to bring us together for that short period of time.. but during that time, I feel, that fires were set alight in all of us for sharing the Gospel in our calling in this world... Do not be so haste when thinking "your" plans do not go to how you want them to... So I ask you this.... Next time a plan does not go how you think.. just ask yourself... Would I have been able to encounter these people and share the gospel?? Peace and blessing

Swedish Mission Itinerary - Mission Aug 2015

Mission To Sweden - Timetable Leaving Birmingham Int Airport: 17:25 - 18th August Arriving Arlanda Airport: 23:00 - 18th August Whilst in Sweden I shall be visiting churches, praying over them. Speaking to other Christians to share outreach ideas, encourage and to pray for them so they are aware they are not alone in the spreading of the Gospel!! I shall also be speaking to non-believers whom God puts in my path.. But overall sharing the love of Jesus in all I say and do, for one cause, to build Gods Kingdom! 19th August: 05:05 to 08:02 Train From Arlanda to Karlstad Staying in Karlstad for 5 days. 24th August: 10:09 to 15:19 Train from Karlstad to Helsingborg Staying in Helsingborg for 3 days Rest Day 27th August: 04:17 to 07:49 Train from Helsingborg to Jonkoping Staying in Jonkoping for 2 days 29th August: 07:20 to 10:39 Train from Jonkoping to Stockholm Staying in Stockholm 2 days 30th August: Train from Stockholm to Uppsala Dashing from sunday service in Stockholm to Uppsala at lunch time Staying in Uppsala for 2 days 1st Sept: Uppsala to Arlanda (late night on 31st or very early 1st travel to airport) Flight Home! Departing Arlanda: 09:35 Arriving Birmingham Int: 12:30 During the mission trip I shall be tweeting (@SheepOfJesus) and using the hashtag #wfgSWEmission if you wish to follow or contact me!!! Please pray that Gods Kingdom is grown even if it's by 1 heart.. That ALL is done with His grace, His vision and that I keep myself open to His Word at all times.. Please also pray for Smoffi and TJ too.. Peace and blessings and thank you so much for your support.. Mike

Mission - A Quick Thought and Feelings

About the mission God has asked me to do and I accepted fully... I am feeling a huge number of emotions every minute of everyday... 7 days to go.... Excited by seeing somewhere new, doing something new, God asking me to do this, building the Kingdom in anyway I can, God having the trust in me that I will listen and do... and the trust I have in God for all this too... Yet when I look at the practicalities it does terrify me.. 2 weeks, 5 cities, walking around the cities/towns, (some by bus) laying hands and praying over them all that I can get too.. speaking to brothers and sisters in Christ trying to encourage, share Gospel and talk about how we all can build Kingdom in different types of outreach.... Seeing how Jesus is working in different places.. The people who follow and their stories.. Sleeping either in a tent or hostels (mostly in hostels thanks to a brother!!)... Keeps going around my head.. what if i miss something God is telling me to do, someone to speak to etc.... I have been told many times to not to worry about to do all in Faith and enjoy the time out in Sweden... and I am as best as I can.. I will also miss my wife Smoffi O'Leary​, TJ O'Leary​ and family ALOT... whilst I know this is a big thing for them as well.. They have been amazing and I am so humbled and blessed for their support in all of this. I have seen God move within the church (Tabernacle Baptist Church​) and the support and love from them all in this has been amazing.. I also do not want to let them down.. Wise words have been given to me by many.. I have looked at the map to show others where I am going to be and the distance, timescale and what I feel God is calling me to do is mind blowing... So for all those who are starting on the "Is this what God has asked me to do and worrying that its too big and overcome with fear on it all... I say this to you.... Trust and Faith in God.. He will guide you.. listen and follow with all your heart.. Feelings are normal,, accept them, speak to others about them and, once again.. TRUST IN GOD! Yet 1 thing keeps coming back to my mind (as It was there from the start)... If in all of this my purpose is to speak to just ONE person and their heart is changed to accept Jesus my work is done...

Insane Idea, Pork Scratchings, Church and a Pub!

Insane Idea, Pork Scratchings, Church and a Pub!

So how do these all link together?

Background: A few months ago I had the idea for the Mens Group at Tabernacle Baptist Church Wolverhampton (TAB) (www.tabbaptistchurch.org.uk) to have a Pork Scratchings tasting evening. Just a simple bit of fun, 9 packets of pork scratchings we purchased. A score card which graded them on 5 different categories and scoring them 1-5 for each. Adding up the scores for each packet and finding an overall winner.
So I tweeted the results and the next turn of events can only be explained as a huge working from God.

So here we are... I had 3 companies get in contact with me in relation to the tweet I put out there and ask me questions. So I explained what I had arranged and that I was thinking of taking it out of the church building and into a pub!! YES Christians in a PUB!! (It is where we meet once a month as well for #prayerspsalmsandpints anyway.
So the 3 companies (Freshers Foods, Alf Turners Butchers and Black Country Snacks) all camer back to me and said if I was going to do it then tell them closer to the date of the event and they will provide some samples.!!

Next obstacle was to approach the pub, to be honest I thought this would be my biggest brick wall, but when I spoke to the owner of The Summer House Pub in Wolverhampton (Newhampton Road) she was excited for it to happen and welcomed it with open arms! Blown away.. The staff I had spoken to to arrange it and on the night were so helpful.. Really great customer service!

I spoke to one of the members of TAB  to design a poster to advertise this on church and the pub. Amazing poster!! really fun and above what I could have ever thought!! Thanks Steve!!

I was blessed to have a total of 19 different products turn up from the 3 companies.. One of them being a line that was NOT released onto the market yet!!

So last night!! Monday 15th June 2015 8pm I set it all out, 19 bowls, blind taste test, just a number in front of the bowl and a score sheet. The scoring was done over 5 categories.. Appearance, Smell, Taste, Crunch and Spicy.. Giving them a score from 1-5 (1 being poor and 5 being good).
Everyone was given a score sheet and allowed to wander around the tables.. We took over half of the side of the pub.. Normally it would have been full of noise with people talking and stuff but you could have heard a pin drop.. The look of intense on peoples faces trying to work out how they felt about it,changing scores based on others they had tried earlier, being lost over 19 different varieties..

I took away all the packets so peoples scores were not affected by the packaging as we tend to judge on
first impressions rather than what's on the inside.1 Samuel 16:7  

We had a nice turn out of 20 people as I chose a quite day at the pub to also look at bringing more people in on this day to benefit the pub rather than use a full pub and be no benefit.

I spend a good 30 minutes totalling up the scores that evening to give a "premlim winner" and announced I would confirm the results when I have checked them all the next day. Thanks goes to my wife for helping me that evening when I got home around 11pm and was checking my maths!!

Alf Turners Butchers provided: their new Dragons Fury and Traditional Pork Scratchings.
Black Country Snacks provided: MSG Gluten Free,  Double cooked porkies, BBQ pulled pork, Traditional P/Scratchings, Q Pork Crackling (Pork Idle Winner), Sams Pork Scratching, Big Bag (plain), Big Bag (Salt n Vinegar)
Freshers Foods provided: Openshaws Big Bag Traditional, Pub Original Pork Crunch, Pub Original Pork Crunch Hellishly Hot, Pub Original Pork Scratchings, Pub Original (Small White bag), Openshaws Finest Pork Crackling, Openshaws Cumberland Sausage, Openshaws Pulled Pork, Openshaws Black Pudding

So after totalling up all the scores and rechecking them we had an overall winner...

1st Place: Alf Turners - Pork Scratchings - 228 points
2nd Place: Openshaws - Big Bag Traditional - 223 points 
3rd Place: Alf Turners - Dragons Fury - 222 points 
Tied 4th Place - Q Pork Crackling AND Sams Pork Scratching - 217 points!

So a big thanks goes to all 3 of the companies above AND The Summer House Pub for enabling this all to be possible and a fun night had by all..

Praise also goes to God for giving me the insane idea to push it out into the social media world and keep going!!

So when you are next in a pub OR supermarket (possibly) ask them for a packet.. try them and see how you like them. But remember... do NOT judge them by the packet.

It is ok..It is REALLY ok.. Mission....

IT IS OK.. IT IS REALLY OK... MISSION..

Well I thought about this long and hard and realised that I can't be the only one feeling the way I do at the moment.. So I have decided to share it..

This is not meant for any sort of cry for help but to support those who are/were/soon to be in my position when God has spoken to them about their first ever mission trip!!

Well Its been nearly 2 years in the preparation of Gods mission to happen... still there, at the time of writing this, are a few things left to do and confirm... It is April 2015 now and it is all happening in August 2015.

How am I feeling?? Excited by everything, really blessed God has chosen me to do this for Him.... But.. BUT... terribly scared about it all... What if I don't manage to get everything done over in Sweden that God wants me to do? What if I don't do it as good as He wants it??  Every day I feel scared about all of this.. I am not doubting Gods vision for me.... just ME... and I know this is from Satan!! 

Still a few things to arrange which are also playing on my mind... I know!! I know!! God is in ALL of this and He has confirmed it is His wish for me to do this and it will happen in HIS time... I have that, I don't worry about God stuff... And yes I shouldn't worry about the stuff I have mentioned above as it's ALL God stuff...

It is a strange situation, which I am sure that everyone has gone through at some point and probably still does to some extent..

The start of 2015 has proven to be a huge slap in the face of Faith given to me by God.. He said I couldn't do this alone and to involve the "church"... He said to humble myself far beyond where I am comfortable with... He has shown me the huge importance of involving the "church" in all of this...

The support I have been shown by the "church" and even alot of non-Christians has been amazing and something I really didn't think would happen..

Surrounding yourself with wise and trusted people who have also been on mission is VERY important!! I can't stress this enough.... 

I have a great core of people.. starting with my wife I (who has been so amazing through all of this) and my family.. whilst it is hard for them as well and I realise this.. (so supporting them is also important!! not just your support to them but also others around them they can speak to in confidence) a handful of people I trust to be open and honest in ALL areas of my life...  Those who have been and still doing mission to help with the pitfalls over "on the ground" issues... Also a trusted person in Sweden who God has placed in my life. All these pieces are only possible because I listened to God and I broke down the wall of "I will do this myself" 

Like I said there are still alot of things to work out and it is a huge "Trust in God" lesson... It isn't as easy as it says on the tin.. but I have seen a small part of what happens if I trust in God and I am sure He will put it all together...

So no matter how you feel about what God has placed on your heart to where ever your "mission for God" may be .. ALWAYS speak to others, surround yourself with trusted people and be honest about how you feel on it all.. 

It is OK to be scared, worried, nervous, excited etc..... but remember... speak to others and TRUST IN GOD!! 

I pray for you to hear, listen, test and act on Gods vision for you.. 

Peace and blessings

You only had ONE job!!!

"You only had one job"...

On twitter there is a profile called "you only had one job" and it is about all the silly mistakes that people make such as painting a sign on a road and making spelling errors, building stairs that go no where, signs with the wrong translation on them and loads more...

I was thinking how this may apply to our Christian lives...

What is our "one job" we are called to do?

I think that in Mark 16 and Matt 28 we see exactly what our "one job" is on this earth.

Mark 16:15.....He said to them "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation"

Jesus also said to the disciples in Matt 28:19

Then Jesus came to them and said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus saying this was the formal start of mission into the "Gentile" world..

So it got me thinking even deeper into how much of the NT would be left if you took out all the parts about "mission"... I would have it as a guess there would only be less than 20% if that!! We can see from this that our "one job" is so important to the Kingdom of God.. I am not talking about conversions, as some people say.. I am talking about a changing of hearts.. because that's what God wants.. A love for Him is not a forced one! Remember He is Our Father not our dictator!!...

Well how does mission impact on our life? Well even if our mission is to preach the gospel to our next door neighbour, the street, the place of work, the town, city, country or to another country then we must do it with the same passion regardless of the scale of calling!!

Scripture tells us that in Luke 15:8 onwards

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it and when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents....

So you can see from that that EVERY single person is so important to God so never devalue what your mission is in life.. Bringing one person to have that change of heart towards God is so valuable!

It can be just one person, or a church of 3, 33, 333 or 33,333 it doesn't make a difference to God.. just go out and do it!! change that one heart.. Our motto at TAB this year has been "Changing the City one heart at a time" and that's how we have to look at mission every day.. Yes everyday...

Spreading the gospel is done in many ways such as speaking to someone, helping someone and also you dont even have to be aware that someone is watching you from a distance and that even may be a heart changing moment...

I want you all to have a look at this... (drops a rock into the bowl)...

What one thing did you notice? What was your focus drawn to? Splash? Ripples?

Let me put it this way... Rock = Jesus.. Splash = your words hitting the world ...the Ripples = the ongoing effect of that Word!

This all will work for God IF we always proclaim the Truth...

Mission is all about dropping a rock into a pond... we focus too much on the splash to see if we can get a big splash!! but most of the times its a small splash but the ripples go far and wide which we don't see either...

Sometimes it may only take a small rock or two to change someone's heart but other times It may take thousands, and not all by you. It may take rocks dropped by other people as well that you may not even know... So see how important your rock is in Gods bigger picture.

If you do not drop that rock at that time, at the time God has put that person there infront of you, then you are breaking the effects of the ripples created by you and others... you may even be the start of the ripples!!!

Take yourself back to before you accepted Jesus.... Try and think of all those people who "dropped rocks" into your life... Imagine if one of them didn't drop that rock maybe you would not be here today.... Maybe not even have accepted Jesus yet... Yes it could have been!

We do need to keep in our mind that we are not always harvesters but sometimes sowers and waterers so we may not see that person have a change of heart but God knows and we will see in Heaven.. We must always focus on dropping that "rock" as much as we can!! if its a small rock or a large rock.. keep dropping it...

If we go out with the focus and goal of thousands of hearts each and every time and get disappointed when we don't see it how much as we undervaluing that ONE person who we have affected?? God doesn't so why should we? As we read in Luke 15

So just because someone is called to go overseas, for example, doesn't mean their mission is any more or less important than yours.. we need to support each other for that one heart..

We are all aware of the game "simon says" and when we are told to put our hands on our heads we do it... but when Jesus says "go out and spread the gospel" we memorise the verse and do nothing about it!!!

It hit me suddenly when this all came to me that and everytime I have an opportunity to "drop a rock" I do not want God to be thinking.... "Well, you only had one job!"... What I want is God to be thinking this Paul moment..

Matthew 25:23 "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! "

So I leave you with just one question today.....

Are you wanting to have a "You only had one job" moment when you meet God or are you wanting a "Paul moment"?

The choice is yours....

Let us pray!

Lent 2014 And Me!

Lent 2014 And Me!

Well since Jan 2014 my heart and mind was troubled with Lent and it felt like I really had to make a difference to my life this time. I have never really done anything for Lent before with any sort of conviction or kept to it.

For the few months before I could not shake the idea of "giving up food" for Lent... at times I had thoughts of giving up both food and liquids for sun up to sun down... but due to health issues and concerns from my wife due to health it was just decided to be just food.. Prayed about this and it felt even more right thing to do..

First thing I wanted to make sure of is that only those who needed to know knew about it. Why?
Matt 16“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

This by no means told me that I should not tell anyone at all.. but not to go around seeking praise for this for me.. This is not about me at all.. and I was/am fully aware of this!!

People I had to tell were my wife and my littlen as they were around me 24/7 and it was apparent to them for everyday reasons for meals and so forth...

So that's the behind it stuff sorted out..

I can honestly say it was not an easy time for me some of the time... It took some getting used to and Sundays were a nightmare!! Being able to eat and my mind and body screaming not to was confusing! Thursdays were the next hardest day which is the longest day for me due to work and travel..

What did I get from the Lord on this?

Well my life is in exciting times at the moment on where it will be lead to and what God wants me to do...  I prayed almost everyday that I can remember (not sure if a quick Hi God, thanks and look after my family today) also counts.. if it does then it's everyday.. but sometimes prayer is just like that as its a personal conversation with my Father..

I had several affirmations of directional issues from God.. A gratitude for eating properly and being grateful for what I have, even at times it does not appear alot.. Thought of I am still getting food today when there are some out there who are not even getting this!

Strength in my believe in God even more from just simple little things He spoke to me on and "one liners".. Reading the Bible, praying with my wife and everyday life bought more and more to me.. 

I did have to tell other people that I was fasting during Lent which led to many interesting conversations with people of different religions and most with none at all.. I found a fellow person who I didn't realise what a Christian as well was fasting fully for sun up/sun down. Which was also encouraging at times I found things difficult. Speaking about it to everyone game me a chance to open up a little more about my Faith and plant seeds of thoughts in their minds.. I was not after any sort of "conversion" but just to be open and honest in why I am fasting, Jesus and the Bible in general.. The last day was probably one of the hardest and funniest.. We had a buffet and I was asked if I minded this.. Of course I said no because it really didn't! But I was told that I could have a doggie bag and take some for later on during the evening... I had it on my desk for most of my day and it was a huge temptation of the nice smells made me bang my head a few times and laugh about it all.. 

Temptation is easy when it's not infront of you is easy but when it's right in front of your eyes and you can just reach out and touch it, then it becomes a struggle. This is something we face every day and we need to realise this and not give in. Strength and encouraging one another is something we should practise on a daily basis.. Accountability for our actions with a brother or sister in Christ is a good practise to have.

I have been studying Swedish via online and apps since this was placed n my heart Oct 2013 and have been scraping whatever money I could get to save.. For what purpose I was not entirely sure... but towards the last week of Lent my wife and I sat down and we talked about several professional language learning packages. So I looked, asked questions and prayed on it. Found the one that I feel I was led to and opened my tin.. To my surprise I had enough to get it at the advertised price and they had an offer on as well.. So I thought I'd email them and explain why I was looking to purchase their software. I had an email back giving me a link to an offer to 50% off but only for this month! So I went and purchased it..  A blog on the Swedish side of my life will be written when the time comes.. 

This is just so much more I have rattling inside me on this but cant/unable to say, not for a negative reason but mostly because I can't find the words to get the message across in full.. 

So Lent for me has been a massive Spiritual improvement and the insight I had to Gods vision is mind blowing.. Whilst I do not see the full picture yet and may never will, I do see a stronger path to follow and must work towards it.. 

I do have to give alot of thanks to my wife who really stuck by me, gave me strength, focus and adjusted meal times on everyday so I had a cooked meal in the evenings.. A pure blessing from God!! 

Like I said at the top of this blog.. I do NOT want any praise on what I did for Lent.. The praise should always go to God.. 

Peace and blessings

Missing/Ignoring Signs.....

Missing/Ignoring Signs is a huge thing within Christian life... If we love God then we should be asking and looking for His signs everyday to guide us to do what we should do which is to build His Kingdom.

Over the last few months, especially, it has filled me with fear to miss any that He has put before me and, I'm not sure if this is just me, but the fear of missing any of His signs, worse than that, and not following them if I do see them!! 
We pray all the time... Lord show me a sign, show me what you want me to do in this situation.. There is nothing wrong with that at all.. After all we seek to see Him and follow Him and do His works which is why we were put on this earth for. Sometimes we will ignore what He tells us and ask for more signs to "clarify" what we think He has shown us even if it is clear as day...

I was at school of preachers at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Wolverhampton last weekend and we were split into groups to read a selected passage of Scripture as a small group, see what the message is, discuss and find a basis for a sermon.. the small group I was in was given Mark 8:1-13 which is widely known as the feeding of the multitudes, but don't get me wrong it is a great passage and a real miracle but something struck me and has stayed with me over the last few days.. This is "Missing/Ignoring Signs"...

We were given 15 mins on our own to pray, read and make notes before discussing in our small group. I could not get past verses 11-13 and how it spoke volumes to me!

11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.

The Pharisees would have heard alot of "Jesus" and the teaching and miracles he was performing throughout his ministry so far which is why thy approached him and started asking questions.. I do believe that they were trying to "trip him up", discredit him or how ever you want to put it.

This passage spoke volumes to me on just one verse... Verse 12... First of all He "Sighed DEEPLY".. to sigh like this would have been a huge thing and really a disappointment to Jesus. Imagine the thoughts going through his head.. "here we go again... do they not see .. why cant they just believe... they were asking for signs when they pray in the temples and yet.. HELLO can you not see??...Don't you get it lads?? Come on... is this not a big enough neon sign?... and you could go on..

Then you get to the 2nd half of that passage... "There shall be no sign given unto this generation"... What .. no more signs?? Is this saying that if we miss or ignore the signs from God He will just leave us where we are in life and wait until we do what he says before he moves us onto other things to build His Kingdom?? Jesus just didn't argue or try to persuade them .. He got back in the boat and went off!!.. Are you standing there watching Jesus get back in the boat in your life? If I saw Jesus getting back in the boat after I had seen the signs and not taken them into my life I would be distraught and so upset.... 

I said it earlier in this... It fills me with fear.. yes fear.. 

Some of the signs God gives us do appear so wacky, so large and so unachievable but this is where "Belief, Trust, Faith and Love" come into the picture... It was mentioned on Saturday at the school of preachers that Following Jesus comes with a huge price... My thought on this was.. Yes it does totally and I found myself asking the question in my heart.. "Am I willing to pay that price"... Yes..

Over the last few months God has spoken to my wife and I and yes it is a huge thing and yes it does come with a "price". I wont go too deeply into this as we are in our season of preparation, but it did reaffirm things to me that we cant ignore what God is telling us to do and what we are to do in this life...

We were created by Him to spread the Message, the Gospel or however you wish to put it.. NOT for our own pleasure or to build up our own little nests of security. Our security is in God and God alone!

Are we being like the Pharisees when we constantly asking for signs from God on what to do? Are we being like them when we ignore it because it does not sit well with what WE feel is right? Are we asking for more signs to back it up as it seems to much of a risk? Do we really have Faith and Trust in God in our lives??

After all in Scripture Jesus says.... Go out into the world and proclaim the Good News....

Remember.... Gods Time .... NOT yours!!

I leave you with one question....

Are you holding back on following the sign that God has given you?

Peace and blessings to you all... 

Watering down Baptisms?

Well after seeing in the news recently about what the CofE (Church of England) have said they will be testing out really, to me, is quiet shocking... So I have taken the time to think it over and write my view on it... 

I see that the CofE is trialling a change of wording in baptisms.. and to quote some taken from a Church News site.. One person has said..

He added: "You do not have to have the whole of Christian doctrine in every part of the service."

Another has been quoted to say:

there was a need for balance. We indeed today face a challenge of not wanting to lose the true meaning of baptism while at the same time wanting to attract more people to church. Our churches attract many non-churchgoers who wish to have their children baptised."

If you look at both of these comments you can see that they are taking the meaning out of Baptism just to attract people into the church which is totally the wrong way to go.. .If people want to bring their children to church to be baptised they should do it with the meaning and actions that are SCRIPTUAL .. not just a worldy symbolic thing to make them feel all warm and tingly and tick a box…

Watering down (pun not intended) of the Scripture on baptism, or any Scripture, is not something to be taken lightly… After all it is the Word of God..

Christianity faces so much pressure to change so that its adapting to the worldy way of things which is looking more and more to be taking it away from Gods way of things.. Yes there can be found a balance as long as we always keep one thing in mind.. The Word of God is never wrong and we should be fitting it NOT it fitting us…

Does this all come as a surprise.. to me.. no not really.. we do see it all in revelation especially as the description of the seven churches… and later on where it says even church leaders will change into following worldy things…

I do feel that alot of the "changes" the church is making over the last few years is moving things away from God just to be accepted or to keep the flack from the church.. Scripture says we will come up against struggles by this world to pressure us to change away from God and that we should be steadfast!!

Personally if a church I attended strayed away from Scripture I'd say something about it to the Leadership Team/pastor/vicar etc... and find out the reason behind it.. asking them to provide Scripture references to support this and pray over it... if i felt it will still against God I would do what I can to oppose it (in a Christian way) and if the church still decided to stick on their way then I'd leave...

So how do you tackle such a large institution such as the CofE on a matter like this? I cant go up and speak to those who made this decision... Having a discussion over email/social media is difficult... So I will will just pray and put my voice out there by my blog and twitter... 

I have searched my heart on this for about a week and still feel that "watering down" Scripture is not a way God would want us to go... 

Praying for the CofE....

Christianity in Interviews, Covering Letters and CV's

This is something I have been finding tough since becoming a Christian and trying to write a true reflection of myself and skills in a CV and Covering Letter (CL).

I got turned down for several positions because my CV and CL were not as strong as other people who had applied for the same positions. This made me think a lot about what I was feeling about how I "sell myself on paper" but remain true to my belief in humbleness and true to God, as I thought! Trust me it rook a huge amount of pain and hurdles to get over what I thought and felt was so right.. but now I do see it clearer!

Well I did speak to a member of management who has got a lot of experience and would be able to be brutally honest with me on how I felt and my beliefs on all of this.

I do not think this person is a Christian but I got the clearest answer that I could ever want on this subject...

It was so simple!! So I really changed my outlook on this all and also slapped me in the face on my focus on this... I still can't believe it!

Basically...
Write everything down that you have done, honestly and humbly and as long as I am true in all that I have written whilst not painting a picture that I am better than others or I am creating an ego monster I can be true to God and my beliefs and still stand a better chance of showing my real qualities...

God has blessed me with the "gifts" and given me the knowledge to achieve so if I am NOT showing them to their FULL extent am I really shining Gods Light as best as I can from me?
After all we keep going on about "Gods doing this, Gods doing that" so why do we have such a  problem saying "Gods blessed me with the ability to do this".. As long as its in humility and right for God!

If I was asked the question which you get in most interviews...
"Why should I choose you over the other applicants?" 
It's a question I have not yet to be asked as my CV and CL revamp which has only been over the last 2 months of writing this blog...

How would I answer it now? I feel the answer I'd give is something like this:
Well I can only tell you how much of a benefit I can be for your business with all the knowledge and experience I have gained during my working life. I can reassure you that I would aim to increase the business sustainability/profit etc.
Just be sure not to run anyone else down (just look at politics) but be true and show what you can do..

This is a difficult issue to really come to terms with and has to be an individual basis and with God.

After a twitter discussion with 2 of my fellow brothers in Christ I felt compelled to write this. I am not saying its a definitive answer but it has helped me!!

It may not get you the job/promotion but what is right.. To be honest and right for God or to go the worldy route and get the job by developing an ego issue and run others down?

All I can say is take your time.. be honest and pray/fast over it all..

Missing Direction??

Are we missing some of the point of direction from God within our "church"?

Imagine a conference being held in a city you have never been to. The host of the conference invites 20 other delegates there as well and you are all told to meet outside the train station and wait for him to arrive as the city is large and has many streets.

After 10 minutes 1 or 2 who are more of a "controller" by personal nature start speaking about making their own way to the place.. A few of the group are "reflectors" and you of course have some others who will just tag along as its the easy way to go and do not like confrontation...

Well the controllers who are good with their talk convince a few others each to go with them.. Leading by what they think is right but referring to the details the guide has given them in a broad way...

The head off which ever way they see fit... whilst the reflectors who have listened to the guides simple instructions have waited... Only having to wait another 10 minutes for the guide to arrive. Who then apologises and explains the traffic was terrible and asks the small group that are there where the rest are.. One pipes up and says they got impatient and went their own way based on the information they had and took their own interpretation of it..

Are we are "denominational" states of church kind of doing the same things as those controllers who went with their own "best intentions" ??

Jesus said there will ONLY be One church.... One head, One body... are we in our "world wisdom" being like that group of delegates at the train station?? What can we do to risk being cut off from the Heavenly Realm that Go has planned for us??

Do we REALLY reach out and work WITH, not against, the other local churches to better serve the community and God rather than against by pointing out faults and doctrinal issues (our issues with their understanding and their with ours!)

God did not put us on this world to judge others.. He put us here to do His Work.. Praising Him as we go.. Preaching the Good News and building His Kingdom.. (notice its all Him and NOT us!!)...

Yes I am guilty of this as well and am not here to point fingers at anyone but to just try and put something at the front of our minds and allow us to look through Gods vision rather than ours.. After all we are only dust... After a time we will disappear.. He has always been and always will be!

So reach out to another church near you... Join in Gods name not your own...Work together as brothers and sisters of Christ are instructed to.. Build His Kingdom.. not bums on pews, do not take stock of your numbers increasing for you own good or pride.. but for Gods glory!!

We are a vessel...(just for the taste of it)

Learning that God speaks to me in the weirdest of places.. Today was no different..

I was taking a shower and thinking of the empty Coke bottle my daughter had left on my bedside table to show me.. It had our pastors name on it and for the next few minutes I thought about humours ways I could use it to wind him up and then it hit me.. Sermon!!

We are really no different to the empty coke bottle.. A name and empty of anything.. well at one point we were!!
God knows us by name.. God can and will fill us with the living water. We sometimes on our walk tip some of it out by our actions and words. Sometimes we refill it.. prayer, fasting etc.. It also struck me that we see ourselves fuller than what we actually are..we do need to take stock of this.

So take a look and see if you can buy a bottle with your name on it.. Place it somewhere you can see it everyday and half fill it with water (of course God will fill you with the Living Water) and see if this helps you to remind you to keep walking on the path of God more and more..

Sometimes God will fill us with overflowing but we must ALWAYS keep in mind that all of this is because of God..

Those who are without God are still this empty Coke bottle.. It is your mission to help them realise they can be filled with the Living Water and never go thirsty unlike when you buy a drink and drink it all..

You can also use these as prayer tools.. Even if you cant find the Coke bottle with someone specifics name on it you can make your own name tag.. or even leave it blank.. If God is asking you to pray for someone but not saying who this may a good thing!!

Remember that God is above everything in this world and can do things that blow our minds away.. Keep open to Gods Word..

Peace and blessings

Church - A Community Shelter?

Church - A Community Shelter?

On the back of everything that has happened over the last few weeks with the bomb blasts around mosques and possible bombs as well. I am writing this as a thought provoking movement for all churches to make a difference in their community!..

Let me first of all say that I do NOT condone this act of stupidity to what the people are doing to the community (not just Muslim community as it affects everyone!!) in the UK. God created us all EQUAL..  Christianity is a message of love and not hate!
I pray that those who are terrorising the people who are using the mosques and the community are caught and bought to justice before lives are lost..

Well back to what thoughts I have been having...

When these things happen in our community the lives of people are shaken and some are even removed from their homes, for a period of time, to try and ensure they are kept safe... but my question in this..

What are the churches in the area doing?? Yes your church!!

Do you have a system in place to cater for a call at a moments notice to open those church doors to the community to give them shelter, food, drink and comfort??

Do you have the ability to keep them there overnight if the situation requires it??

Do you have blankets, sheets, pillows food and provision in place?  Do you have a willing group of people to be able to call to help??

Is your church holding out the hand of Jesus to help those when they need it??

I hope and pray this is provoking movement within your church.. Peace and blessings

Try A Year With God

Well how did it all start?

Unlike most ideas this came about whilst sitting on the 126 bus to work one morning. I was tweeting as normal and thought about putting a “challenge” out there to anyone who picked it up as just as best you can in 140 letters.

This will hopefully elaborate a lot more in this so hopefully I put in some sort of guidelines for you. This is, of course, not a strict way of taking up this challenge as everyone is different and their searching is also unique.

What is the aim?

The aim of all of this is to get people to take the time to walk in the life of a church for a year and hopefully dispel the myths/rumours and false beliefs that people have about Christianity. Also to, hopefully, help one person to make that step and change their live for the better by becoming a Christian. If one person makes that decision that all the work gone into writing this has done its job.

Trying God for a year… there are many “courses” out there that are good at covering the basics of Christianity and I would never rubbish them at all as what is good for one person may not be good for another, just like I said in a previous paragraph that everyone is different! I would also encourage everyone to get involved into some of the other courses, such as the Alpha course, which is a world known good and proven course. Other courses I would also look into but like everything look into it fully before committing to anything.

How do you start this??

Well there are many ways you can do this, first would be to get yourself a Bible. You do not need a huge expensive one. Just one which you are able to read in a language you can understand, there are many different variants of English out there such as the “Ye Oldie” King James Version (if you like a Shakespeare type of read), the NIV (New International Version, ASV( American Standard version) but do not get all wound out and confused by them all. A good library will have a copy of each and you can flick through and get to grips with the wording of things then you can look at being buying a cheap one from a good Christian bookshop, who will also help you as much as they can to find one you are comfy with!, or if you have a Christian friend then ask them if they have a spare or can help you choose one.  It is important you get a bible that you are happy with the style of its writing as you want to be able to understand what you are reading easier than having to tackle every single word. Also you do nto require a large Bible with a lot of commentary and other things in it unless you are interested in understanding things a little deeply during your reading and the background behind it all. Of course this has to be an individual choice!!

 Of course you can download the bible free of charge if you have a kindle or a phone that can use it.. Either way I would always have a look at many different “versions” and see which you are able to read the easiest. As we are all different it is not a case of whether or not you are an educated person to which you can read but more of a preference of your style of reading. So do not take it in the wrong way if other people are using a different one to you at all.

Next step would be to find a “Bible believing church” which is not as easy as you think. Yes there are many churches out there that say they are 100% bible believing and preaching every word God says. What I will strongly suggest is that you visit a few churches in your area, of a few denominations (such as Baptist, Methodist, Anglican etc) and see which suits you the best and, most importantly, which challenges your life style in order for it to change to the way God wants you to. Also when you ever hear someone preaching or saying “its in the bible” always read that section and before and after for yourself and take time to think about the message you were hearing and what your understanding into that Scripture tells you. The most important thing is to challenge your current life and make the changes for the better. Of course I would never expect you to change your life over night and, of course no one would expect you to be “perfect” and be able to keep to everything 100% as we are not perfect, If you meet a Christian who says they are either lying or they are Jesus, so just be warned.

All the aim of this is to, like I have mentioned earlier, is to make the changes to your life to enhance it so you can see the real meaning of the life that God has given us and Jesus died for you and the meaning behind it all. Life as a Christian is not an easy life but with our Faith it is a lot easier to deal with as we are fully aware why things happen and for what reason, also with God behind us we can and will overcome it all. Hopefully you will see this to the fullest effect over this next year or praying even longer!

There will never be a “perfect” church out there at all, so please do nto expect it. Just like you and I those who are in church and those who preach and work for the church are not perfect either. We are all on the same journey to just be better people for God and try each and every day to do His work and to please Him.

Of course this first bit will never be as smooth as we all want it as it does take time but it is an important step as is everything else you do in the process of this whole situation.

What to read?

The Bible contains 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 26 in the New (Old is before Jesus and new is Jesus onwards..) and can be a huge and complicated matter when you first pick it up as to “What to read!!!!” Regardless of who you ask a lot of us will have our own views on what is the best to read first..

Most Christians would say always read one, if not all, of the “Gospels”. They are the first 4 books of the New Testament (Usually found ¾ the way through the Bible).  I have had it suggested to me that the first gospel to read is “Mark” (2^nd book in the New Testament) as it gives a good outline.

Do not worry if you are unable to understand everything in one go as there is no one out there who knows the Bible inside out, most Christians will have “their view/theology” on it, which is not to say they are wrong at all but always read it for yourself and pray on what you are reading. This is to ask God to help you to understand what He wants you to at this moment in time. It is always good to pray before you do any reading of the Bible and ask God to help you understand and try to allow Him to help you. If you don’t allow yourself to be helped then it’s like trying to push an elephant up a hill with a straw when its asleep. Always also remember to take everything you read into the context of what is before and after it as it is, as you may be aware or heard that Christians always quote just one thing from the Bible and that’s it. Well yes it may be in there but only a full understanding and meaning may be gotten by reading what is written before and after it. This same thing can be applied to any written information as well.

Other books of the Bible which I would say are a good starting point , after Mark, would be Acts (5^th book in New Testament) which gives you the “Acts of the Apostles”

Church…..

I would never say as soon as you step into a church you will have your life changed straight away, yes its possible, but its rare.. What the aim of this is to get you to regularly attend a church, get the feel of the welcome and family feel in there. Get yourself involved with the life of the church as well by offering to help with whatever the church is doing to help the community. I know our church has several things within it that are outside the “Sunday service”. Such as a mens group whereby men can sit and be open with issues of life and encourage each other, ladies groups which help the ladies in the same way. We have a soup kitchen to help the homeless once a week with a hot meal and there are many others. Of course you wont be able or feel comfy doing all of them so pick and choose which one/two etc you are able to help and get stuck in. Every church will have different things on different days so take the time to look, ask and of course pray over which is something you feel you can help out with. A lot of churches will do things just for the sake of helping others but there are some churches out there that do things and then brag/boast about it which is not really a Christian thing to do as we all work for God and, as you go through out the year, you will see that the whole mission of Jesus was to help others. He did not stand there shouting “Hey man, I fed 5,000 and I ROCK!! “

I came about being in the church I attend on a very “weird” way from just walking through the door and sitting down.. I was hit by a car just up the road from the church and several weeks later send an email into a Christian TV show asking for a bible believing church where I live and got 1 reply… So my wife and I went there 2 weeks later, when I was able to walk on my crutches and hobbled through the door.

That’s the short story of it all and maybe later on through this I will share the miracles that were behind it further.

Who knows maybe the “miracle” of finding your church is by accepting this “challenge” and trying God for a year!!! You may even look back on it 20-30 years from now and laugh at all of this and think to yourself “if it wasn’t for that through a guy had on a bus one day I would never have found God, let alone changed lives and even, maybe, bought others to find God as well!!” It can happen!!

I would never say anything is beyond happening as God works in way that we are unable to understand.

I know I am probably saying some of the things you have heard before and they might have put you off going to church, God and or Christianity, but let me first of all say that I have been in the same shoes on this instance!!!

I was put off “God” when I was a child due to a lot of family issues and the lack of help from the church, but it is not the same church I am part of now and I do see that what happened to my family in that church when I was a child was not a God driven church and what they were teaching was not from the Bible either!! It has taken me many years to get over this and take the step to be even near a church let alone to the place where I am now and what I am doing.

I am not a preacher nor am I someone who has been a Christian for very long, looking at the length of my life so far, nor am I a well educated person but what I do is I write from my heart which is why something I may have written does not make total sense and/or appear I am babbling!! I feel that writing with emotion and not just to say “you must you must you must” in a robotic way is not me!

So just hang on in there and hopefully things will be made clear.

Being a Christian is not just a “Sunday thing” its something we all try to live everyday, and sometimes we do fall down as we are not perfect.

When I first made the decision to change my life to be a Christian it was tough change I wont deny it. Its not an easy thing to do but its all about looking at the bigger picture in what you are trying to achieve and the “finish line”. Simple things like changing my language use from swearing to not (well trying), getting drunk to cutting down and enjoying maybe just 1 and many other things…. “These are things I have chosen to do as far as I see its something Jesus wouldn’t have done or would do if He was next to me.. The gospels do not tell of Jesus using swearing words or being a drunk and as it is the aim” for all Christians to be “like Jesus as best as we can” then this is my aim!! Of course it will be an ongoing thing every day and things of this world will make me trip up but then that’s what prayer is for as well, to ask for forgiveness and admit my mistake. Its not about beating myself up constantly about it at all.

Everyone is different so my issues I have been through and changed to get to this point in my life are and maybe not the same as yours but hopefully through me writing this and you “Give God a year” will help you to make the changes and you will see the benefits in your life and your outlook on things.

Well that’s the church and a brief look into church life done… May touch on church life later on through this!!

What to expect??

First of all do not expect miracles to happen every single day or time you enter church.. it may do but generally wont!.. Miracles that you may not, and probably wont, see will happen within you every day. With your constant trying to change your life for this year, the way you look at things, the way you speak to others and generally your outlook on life you, like I said earlier, will look back on it and say I can see it now.. I know I have said it to myself many many times!!  It’s like a huge bucket being filled with sand one grain at a time. If you watch it you wont see the change straight away but if you leave it and change your focus and go back to look at it you will see an increase in the sand. Same with you if you focus on your change you wont see if but if you focus on helping others, for instance, and then months down the line look at how your has changed.

Also do not go into a church “expecting” this that and the other as said earlier that every church is different and things happen differently but if you see things happen that you feel are weird then step back and look into it a little more.