Turning 50.

On Friday the 1st of July I will turn 50…I have to say that it’s quite sobering to accept that I have been alive for five decades or half a century…the “seniors” jokes have already begun!!

For some time now my family and I have been considering how to best celebrate this milestone. Having lived in various Australian cities (Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and currently Melbourne) has meant that I have been blessed to know so many people from a variety of backgrounds - people I count as genuine friends - people whom God has used to shape, speak into and enrich my life in so many ways.

To help mark the occasion, Judy and I have decided to return with our children to my family roots, in South Australia, where we will be hosting a celebration afternoon tea in a little seaside town called Port Elliot, about an hour South of Adelaide. This is a place rich with memories from annual Summer holiday adventures during my childhood & teenage years. At this stage it looks like 50-60 adults and children will be joining us for the day – looking forward to it!

Whilst preparing for the upcoming Port Elliot celebration I have been looking over some old photos – I’ve really enjoyed doing this and have found it a helpful memory-jogger, bringing to mind a diverse collection of people, places and experiences that have served as markers in my life-journey thus far. I’ve appreciated re-visiting memories including my childhood birthdays (and cakes!), my first car, the development of my relationship with Judy, our wedding day, our first home, our travels around Australia together with the safe arrival of each of our four children into the world.

I’ve also had fun compiling a collection of my all-time favourite songs and artists from years gone by – not a bad soundtrack at all!

In thinking back over the years (and as I prepare to give the obligatory birthday speech) I can readily identify a few key themes, life-lessons and scriptures that have been significant and formational.

Here’s what I’ve been gleaning;

HERITAGE

“Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance - all who seek the LORD. Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined.” Isaiah 59:1

“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3

Put simply, family matters! Our Family of Origin matters – we can’t live in the past, but the past lives on - we ignore it and it’s significance at our peril. Our Godly, Christian heritage also matters – it needs to be appreciated, embraced and perpetuated through the present day and into the future.

COUNT

"Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.” Psalm 90:12

It’s important to retain a sober judgement concerning the brevity of life – aiming to walk in thankfulness, living in such a way as to count every day and make every day count – not wasting time, opportunities or experiences.

PURPOSE

“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1

God wants my heart and therefore my life to be aligned with His heart and His Kingdom purposes and assignments. I need to guard against drift and be careful not to be so easily distracted from who and what really matters in life – living intently with God-given, God-honouring purpose.

INVEST

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done…so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.”      Psalm 78; 4&6

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2

Don’t live only for the moment and what is seen today. Be a good and wise steward of all that is placed in my hands. Be prepared to count the cost of sowing into and helping to shape what is yet to come, especially through the people entrusted to me.

A.S.K.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

I want to demonstrate a growing child-like (as opposed to a child-ish) faith – even at 50 years of age! I need to continue to learn that it’s okay to ask others and God for help as needed. When it comes to prayer, I need to demonstrate a willingness to persist over time until an answer is received.

REMAIN

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

One final recurring theme for my life has been the importance of remaining (abiding) in Jesus. I need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to stay intimately connected to Jesus, THE Source of life, hope and peace. Meaningful and consistent practices of faith need to be…practiced. I need to be careful not to strive in my own strength or ability. I need to trust God’s pruning in my life.

I will close this post with some words I recently came across from Corrie Ten Boom - they really resonate with me, especially after 50 years of life. She said; “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration but its donation." Reminds me of something Jesus once said about losing your life to find it.

Nurture AND Mission

"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come."  Matthew 24:14

Our local church has been working through a Sunday morning sermon series about the Practices of Faith. In recent months we’ve considered practices such as prayer, bible-reading, fasting, communion, study, testimony and more. This week I had the opportunity to speak about the topic of Mission as another essential faith-practice of God’s people.

The term missio Dei informs me that mission is God’s idea, first. The Designer of the universe is a missionary God – mission is an essential part of His character and purposes. It is God’s intention that mankind (as a vital part of his entire creation) be lovingly restored to a place of wholeness, of renewed identity, of meaning and hope and fullness of life; all within the context of relationship to God and one another.

God initiates mission, seen ultimately through the sending of His Son Jesus to dwell amongst people on earth. Whilst mission is God’s idea, first, God wants the church to join Him on mission. God includes His people in His missionary assignments, all across the world.

The place of nurture in mission.

It is my observation and strong conviction that seated in our regular Sunday church services are essentially TWO types of people - there are people who predominantly have a heart for nurture, and, there are those who predominantly have a heart for mission.

Christians with a heart for nurture want to shepherd, teach and support those people of faith in their midst – they are burdened to play their part in contributing to the maturing process of God’s people, seeing them raised up in the ways of Jesus.

People with a heart for mission are compelled to do whatever it takes to take and tell the good news of Jesus to those people who are yet to hear the message and know Jesus personally, beyond the ‘walls’ of the established church. 

Nurture and Mission - I think each of us as Christians tend to lean more towards one more than the other. I wonder which expression best describes your own heart, experience and passion?         

It is also my conviction that for any local church or ministry environment to be healthy and well integrated (alignment with God’s heart, God’s purposes, God’s rhythm of life) then it is important to explore and practice meaningful and active expressions of both types of ministry. I don't think it's a choice between nurture or mission, but rather, it's about persuing nurture and mission, together.

So, something that could be helpful for a local faith community to do sometime would be to firstly identify where people are individually at (heart for nurture?, heart for mission?), and secondly, identify where any existing expressions of ministry are at. Then, next, the church/ministry can determine to align the right people with the right ministry pursuits, including any new initiatives.

Wouldn't it be great if those Christians with a heart for nurture were empowered to be proactive in nurturing those directly involved in the hands-on expression of mission? In other words, people who love to nurture others can actively support those on-mission (locally or cross-culturally) through prayer, finances, encouragement and advocacy.

Furthermore, people with a heart for nurture could then be further championed to provide support, encouragement, modelling and instructiion for any new or young believers in the practises of faith, including those people introduced into the Family of God through any missional initiatives.

The bible tells me that our God is indeed a missionary God and that He has commissioned His people to be a blessing to all peoples, across His world. May God help us and our churches to be wise and creative in how we go about practising nurture and mission, together.

"Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”  Revelation 15:4

Sacred seasons, symbols & significance

As you may be aware, I’ve recently returned home from Youth Ministries Australia’s Immerse Thailand Mission Project, based in and around Korat in Northeast Thailand.

Our team concluded our Thailand adventures by participating in the first day of the Songkran new year water festival – it’s certainly a unique and colourful event, running from 13-15 April during the Summer (hot-dry) holiday season right across the Country.

Songkran appears (at least from my perspective) to be one crazy, all-in, non-stop National water fight – people of all ages seem to get involved; they use buckets, hoses and super-soakers to saturate anyone and everyone. People parade the streets by foot, ute, truck, bus and motorbike and there are definitely no water restrictions!!

Songkran raises a few questions for me and I’m interested to understand more about the symbolism and background of this festival.

The use of water in Songkran is indeed symbolic – it represents the process of purification and cleansing through the washing away of any misfortunes and evils from the past year, welcoming in the new year with a fresh, clean start.

Thanksgiving is also a central cultural value of Songkran. This is demonstrated in ceremonies such as the bathing of Buddha statues and the pouring of perfumed water over the hands of elders and respected individuals. I personally experienced this hand-watering custom following a local church service during our time in Korat.

During Songkran there is a traditional custom of ‘spring cleaning’ in temples and some family homes. Also included is merit-making and offering food and alms to monks. People wear brightly coloured floral shirts and there is the hands-on application of white floury paste/powder across people’s faces as a sign of protection, warding off evil.

My limited research tells me there is indeed significant spiritual meaning and tradition associated with Songkran; something I suspect that may be lost amongst the younger generations throughout Thailand who seem more intent on having some extreme fun with water-throwing, loud music, alcohol consumption, late nights and other exploits…I can’t help thinking that for so many this festival is spiritually shallow.

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With the experience of Songkran fresh in my mind, I’m now back at home with an Australian Easter long-weekend closing in – a distinctly different season with its own sense of spiritual meaning, traditions and symbolism.

I wonder what a predominantly unchurched, non-Christian Aussie society sees as the most important symbols of Easter..?

I expect many would see a few days off work and the opportunity to get away and hang out with family and friends as sacred (well, maybe they wouldn’t use the term ‘sacred’). Many Aussie children would undoubtedly identify chocolate eggs and rabbits plus hot cross buns as being significant symbols.

I know my own family certainly appreciates the chocolate and hot cross bun treats we can enjoy at Easter – there’s always an abundance to choose from!!

But, I also know that my family appreciates the deeper spiritual significance of Easter as a time when we can especially remember and reflect upon the death and resurrection of Jesus.

On Wednesday evening we will celebrate a ‘last supper’ family communion time at home – we’ll sit around a candlelit table together. We’ll read God’s Word. We’ll say some prayers. It will be a quiet and meaningful shared experience.

There are several simple yet significant symbols featured during this sacred time; unleavened bread and cups of grape juice. Christians the world over will relate to them, as has been the case for many generations.

These symbols communicate to us the deep truths of what Easter is really about…and it’s something we can remember during any season of the year.

“He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” Luke 22:19

“This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Luke 22:20

Experiencing God in Thailand part 2

“I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4b                                                                                                    
What a wonder-full week we’ve shared at this year’s Immerse Thailand English Camp in Khao Yai…undeniably an inspiring and transformational experience for so many!

As has been the case in previous years, we have seen God’s hand at work. The young Thai leadership team have stepped up their involvement and are obviously maturing in their faith and their desire to serve. Around 100 or so Thai students attended camp, plus a combined team of 30+ leaders, all mostly volunteers. Approx 30% of students were Christians coming into the camp. The Family of God had welcomed more children into the fold by end of camp!

This year’s camp saw us pilot a new Immerse (Story of God) program YMA is developing, framed around the 'Presence’ story episode (life and ministry of Jesus). It has been a lot of work, seemed to flow quite well, with valuable insights gained for how to improve this, especially from a cross-cultural perspective. The Thai team did an awesome job in providing all the necessary creative resources to compliment the program.

Yesterday the YMA team shared an affirming time reflecting about the camp at a local Korat coffee shop.

One of the questions we addressed was;

“During your time at Immerse what stands out as a defining moment for your experience?”

Here’s a summary of some of the personal responses from our team;

*The Thursday evening response time – witnessing a powerful expression of both established and new Christian young people drawn together into an authentic community of faith.

*everyone’s an ‘expert’ – God uses everyone; whatever age, experience, maturity or ethnic background.

*seeing God move in the heart of our (Christian) camp translator, who was deeply impacted by the servanthood of young Thai leaders and the demonstrated commitment of a young generation rising up to make a difference for Jesus in their own country.

*”Kingdom of the forgotten” experience – Thai students testifying to how they could relate their story to the stories of broken people from within their culture. Then, observing the sensitive way the Thai leaders affirmed these students as people, lovingly bringing God’s perspective into each life narrative.

*Blessed by the spirit of love and compassion of the young Thai team, especially evident during daily team devotion times.

*To observe the obvious growth amongst the emerging Thai leaders (from last year) – many are still such young Christians yet they are being mobilised into practical service and thriving in it.

We praise God for the work He is doing here in Thailand. And, we’re thankful for the support offered from His people back in Australia - today the YMA team will share with God’s people by ‘doing church’ in several contexts…this promises to provide yet another rich taste of Christian community with God moving in our midst.

“I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed."      
Isaiah 46:13a

Experiencing God in Thailand

"Taste and see that the LORD is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!"

Psalm 34:8

Today I fly out to Thailand to serve with YMA’s Immerse Thailand Mission Project. Team members from Melbourne and Perth will partner with a dedicated team of young Thai Christian leaders to facilitate this year’s Immerse English Camp from 4th-8th April in Khao Yai, NE Thailand. Around 130x teenagers plus leaders are expected at this year’s camp, with up to 50% yet to experience the genuine life transformation that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Since 2002 Youth Ministries Australia has been developing a strategic equipping partnership with an emerging movement of young Jesus-followers from amongst the high schools  and churches of Korat in Northeast Thailand. Aussie teams of youth workers and students have taught English in schools, facilitated outreach events, discipleship training, camps, shared in churches and visited slums; seeking to interact, serve and learn whilst engaging with  the somewhat perplexing contrast of the local Isaan (NE Thailand) culture and ever-increasing Western influences.

This will be the third Immerse camp that has been hosted in Thailand. As with any short-term mission project there is always such a lot of preparation that goes on (at the local level in both sending and receiving countries) in readiness for what we can refer to as the "live-in-country" phase of  this crossing cultures experience.

It’s been wonderful to see the practical ways God’s people from across our country have stepped in to support this Project, especially through sacrificial giving and prayer. It’s so encouraging to fly out to Thailand knowing this Immerse camp (accommodation and catering for students and leaders, transport, printed resources and more) have been sponsored by the generosity of the Body of Christ here in Australia. I‘m in no doubt that God will bring a good return on this investment – I’m convinced we shall indeed see produced some fruit that will last.

I’m also excited to see the growing ownership amongst a team of young Thai Christians, each playing their part through programs such as Immerse to serve and influence their own generation.

I love returning to Thailand. I love the stimulation of the senses provoked by such an amazing array of sights, sounds, tastes and aromas. I love being welcomed and moved by the humility, hospitality and gentle spirit of the Thai people. I love the way Christians of all ages display an unashamed joy and passion for the God they worship. And, I love experiencing the authentic ways God “turns up” to reveal Himself, His heart and His genuine desire to bring hope and restoration to an emerging generation who respond so well to story, the biblical meta-narrative and the compelling love of Christ found in authentic Christian community.

As I fly out to Thailand, I take with me an expectant heart, with the assured belief that our mighty God will do more than any of us can ask or imagine – ready to experience first-hand the expressions of joy from all those who choose to take their refuge in Him.

I hope to post of few updates as this Project continues over the next few weeks.

“The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps." Psalm 85:12,13

The Work of Our Hands - part1

”May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”      Psalm 90:17

Over the summer school holidays I took a few weeks off to have a break, hang out with the family and work on a garden project at home. I’m not an overtly DIY kind of person, but over the years I have enjoyed working on various projects around the home. I find they bring much personal fulfillment, are good for my personal fitness, provide me with a change of focus and they save some money at the same time.

This summer I invested my time, energy and some sweat into building some retaining walls and a new bird aviary in our front yard. The end result looks okay and thankfully everything has (so far) stood up well to the regular downpours of heavy rains that have recently come our way.

As I reflect on my own ‘hands-on’ garden project endeavours, I realise that something I particularly appreciate about the entire experience is that I can actually see some results (ie the finished product) from the work of my hands and the energy expended. It’s encouraging to take on a building or gardening project and see it through from start to finish, and to see something tangible as a meaningful return for my work.

A find that this is often not the case in ministry. Ministry certainly demands our time and energy and even our sweat. Ministry is a worthwhile work, but all the same it is hard work.

I observe that there can be specific ministry projects we take on that have a predetermined starting and completion date, but we may not see the result (fruit) of our labour – particularly when we invest ourselves into the lives of people - in other words, spiritual formation and life change takes time; it’s hardly ever a short-term thing. We may happen to see some 'results', which can encourage us to persevere in good faith. However, as people move on, or as we move on, we may not be privileged to see the outcomes during our watch.

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I love the prayer of Moses recorded in Psalm 90. Here we have included for our benefit some heartfelt words from a man who toiled long and hard as God’s appointed leader over the Nation of Israel. The constant grumbling and complaining of these people must surely have ground him down over the years; still Moses stuck to his task yet never got to see the Promised Land for himself.

I find it interesting to note how Moses closes out his prayer to God in Psalm 90 where he prays;  “establish the work of our hands for us-yes, establish the work of our hands.” This tells me that serving God is very much a hands-on kind of arrangement, ordained by God - it’s not a bad prayer to be praying as we continue on into a new year of Christian ministry, wherever and with whoever God has called us to serve.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

Life as a House?

”If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.”  Psalm 127:1 The Message

I’ve been thinking a lot about houses lately…

During this past week the Aussie media have provided extensive “rolling” coverage of the devastation caused by recent record downpours and ensuing floods in southeastern Queensland – incredibly confronting, distruptive and emotional times indeed for so many people, who together with their homes and businesses have quite literally been caught up in the flow of such an unstoppable and destructive force; a surging body of rising water.

As the floodwaters have now begun to subside, we’ve seen coverage of people returning to their family homes – the clean-up has already begun for some. I wonder what proportion of damaged properties will eventually be able to be adequately dried out, repaired and restored?  I wonder what proportion of homes, because of the extent of water damage, will simply have to be totally replaced or rebuilt?

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Almost 10 years ago I watched a movie about a house – it was entitled Life as a House - an American drama about relationships, reconciliation and rebuilding. The movie storyline was based around a terminally ill architect named George (Kevin Kline) and his dream to pull down his tired old coastal shack and replace it by building a new greatly improved and more functional house. Along the way, whilst George’s physical health was deteriorating, and as the building project continued, a number of important family relationships were restored...rebuilt.

I really liked the movie and found it a useful metaphor for my own life, faith and ministry context at the time.

Only the other day I was reading the final few pages of my CS Lewis ‘Mere Christianity’ journal and I came across this quote – quite timely really;

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing…but presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of…you thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

After the events of this past week I find it reassuring to know that despite the often-changing surrounding circumstances of our lives (most of which we really have no control over) there is a Master-Builder God who is nearer than I may think, who knows what’s going on and what He is doing – in and around me - even if it may not make much sense at the time.

“God wishes to test you like gold in the furnace. The dross is consumed by fire, but the pure gold remains and its value increases.”  St. Jerome Emiliani