steve

What an amazing job I have at the moment.

What an amazing job I have at the moment... Today I've been encouraging church planters, missional thinkers, youth workers and project entrepreneurs ... And get paid for it... Long may it last. I've got that nice tired feel when you feel you have achieved something for the Kingdom of God but all you want to do is jump into bed and sleep. Tomorrow speaking to a load of youth workers on hebrews, arranging a mission visit of some Melanesian bros from sth. Pacific , chatting to a friend about "leader as coach" and mending our doors. Plus big administration catch up - I feel a bit snowed under with paperwork back-log , pray for me and my family.

Sitting in church

sitting with nearly 1000 new church folks in exeter. Preacher speaking about Living in the present... Not letting the past grab our present or wreck our future , God forgives us, we need to forgive ourselves. I love this stuff... The emerging church movement sometimes loses jewel truths like this, sometimes I do.
Interesting thoughts about church, an assumption that local church equals church, the preacher might be right, discuss...

Sitting in a meeting

Sitting in a meeting where I can blank out for a while so I thought I'd blog ya !
Had a great fitness session - man , it really releases so much energy, well worth it. Meeting a cool church planter here in Exeter tonight called jon soper - planting an anglican network church ... Great bloke.

Bloggin on bus

Bloggin on bus again, got the tribe & me tonight , wife's out, choc-ice and chips again X5.... Trying a new fitness regime today, I ask you , is it worth it? Yeh, it gives me more energy, more vitality, the kind of stuff a 35 year old with 4 kids needs.
Generous Orthodoxy ( in current reads sidebar ) is an amazing book, I would have written this book, it resonates with me so much... I want to chew it for a while. I'm with the author next week in London & Steve Chalke, should be great. I'll reflect on the conference live through mobile blogging...

Watching squirrels

yep...Watching squirrels, loads of them , scurrying around, getting the winter stores in, oops a dog nearly ate one, that would really have spoilt my reflective moment !
Day doing my dreaded diy - fences, doors, all my worst nature comes out, help me God to enjoy today and live life as if it was my last day ( thomas a kempis 15th century). Help me to serve my wife and kids even though I feel like watchin tv!
Squirrels are back, got quickly over the dog trauma thing, scurrying around, getting the winter stores in.

Multitasking

i'm thinking a lot about how to mix fun with work, family with work, friends with a sense of mission. I have been brought up with dualistic view that I need to separate ministry from family, time for myself from time for others... And I still kind of believe that but not... It's a both/and thing.... multi-tasking stretches the heart...it's getting the right flow to life, the flow that fits you, a non-dualistic flow that mixes the whole of life, family, friends, church, Kingdom, work,play, ministry... 24-7 jesus following life. peace

Thanks exmouthguys

Great to meet the exmouth mob today... They're doing some really innovative stuff, matt, simon and andy, planting new expressions and really trying to shift into missional mode, Father's blessing on you all... You're a real encouragement to the region guys... See you soon. We've been exploring an informal emerging church/church planting network with ChurchesTogetherInDevon today...bring it on.
I've a weekend of hard graft ahead - it reminds me of some advice i've tried to take, see work as a holiday... There you go then ... The solution to your "i'm knackered" feelings on a Friday afternoon - don't say I don't give out quality advice...see work as holiday. Peace

Good night

Rolling into bed at 2.30am after some serious citywide prayer, very www.ihop.org and 24-7prayer. We did a gregorian chant intercessory thing, sounded like the angels joined in too. Feeling like you need a kick in the spiritual butt ? go to your local mad prayer city event, preferrably at 2 in the morning... God is still up at that time and very much awake.

Peace

Great quote from my eldest 6 year old son.

Dad, Why don't we cancel the war because it's nearly Christmas.

Bloggin' on a bus

Always wanted to do this .. Bit trickey on the corners and bumps though. Been thinking and reading about experiential learning today and the use of story in communication ... More, more, more, storytelling, coaching, mentoring... The landscape of leadership is morphing and I want to speak the new language or is it new? It's just Jesus styles of leadership in management speak.

Been thinkin about death too, (what a sad geek I hear you say  - thomas a kempis said meditate on death daily, it sorts the priorities ). My next door neighbour was in the train crash at Reading.

Variety & Spice

I'm reading brian mclarens new book about generous orthodoxy, a wonderful concept and something I live and breathe daily . One of my little core passions is to love the whole church. Being thrown into an Anglican role has wrenched me into this world of unity, spice and variety. Engaging in an advisory role with all sorts, I am forced (because I am a nice guy ) to see things from their perspective. IT HAS BEEN SO GOOD FOR ME. When you start loving the whole church and not just your ghetto, something happens in your heart, you pick up something of God, He loves the whole church everyday .

See the Kingdom in funny places. PeAce

I must read this later

here -

church planting dreams

Several people have asked me recently what has happened to my church planting dreams, I've gone a bit quiet apparently.  For nearly 14 years now I have seen my life as one big church planting trip, I've led one church planting initiative and been involved in planting two other congregations as well as various advisory roles to other church planters. Underneath I've burned  and wanted to step out and initiate something fresh, to lead a church plant. But so much of my thinking around the questions... what is church, what is family, what is evangelism and mission, what is spiritual formation, what is community, what is learning, what is worship, ultimately what is church planting... just little questions really... no seriously I have struggled in sweat, tears and sleepless nights.

Reflections

I'm sitting in my church in Exeter. ... Mobile blogging excellent !
Doing some interesting things this week, especially late friday night some eclectic praying for exeter with a bunch of young people .. Might mix hothouse prayer with some common worship liturgy, give space to the Holy Spirit's and our creativity. Tonight i'm with a bunch of young people from plymouth , Jesus please help me tonight , come and do what you want to do. Steve

Blogging as therapy

I sometimes wonder why I love the blogosphere so much ? Is it, as the critics expound, because I fear flesh and blood relationships - not really. Is it because I love the technology - a little . But as the article I linked to two blogs back adhers to, I love blogging because it is therapy .

1. journaling has long been known to aid self reflection , personal growth and spiritual formation, for the jesus follower ....to become more like Him. Blogging does this.

2. I can get to know personally, intimately and deeply my heros, I know what the people I aspire to be like had for supper last night, their struggles, their humanity, their disciplines. Blogging does this.

3. I feel I can express, I can publish, I can influence in a new way.. To all 2 of my regular visitors. Nah joking, it's actually 3. Blogging does this.

4. The Western world is really one flow of humanity going through extremely similar experiences.. I know americans, australians, nz, irish, scotiish, germans, scandinavians, all flavours of western missionaries, church planters, entrepreneurs, activists and thinkers. Blogging does this.

End of preach.

Have a jesus filled Sunday, love your family more than ever and serve till it hurts.

inclusive church - the conference of the year ?!

"THE INCLUSIVE CHURCH" 2 - 4 December 2004

iGeneration Survey

by Populus on behalf of The Times

Telephone poll of 1,004 18 to 30 year olds

interesing article on blogging and it's effect on spiritual formation and mission here . Thanks Andrew Jones.

'Bath'ing Beauty

Just spent a wonderful 3 hours having a pint in darkest somerset... With a cool bloke from Bath,Alexander Campbell..we had a beautiful chat. Check out his blog in my cool blogs links. We chatted organic church, blogs, webs, families , pda's, movement catalysing, tonnes of really helpful stuff, thanks Alexander, see ya soon.