I am back from holiday – hence the gap in posting. While away, I’ve had time to read several inspiring books, not least of which is The Shack by William P Young, a self-published novel that is bestselling in the USA and is generating much excitement here as well.

The book centres on Mack, a grieving father after his young daughter’s abduction and murder, who is invited by a typewritten note to meet God at an old wilderness shack that was the scene of the crime. Repulsed and yet inrigued, Mack makes the journey. Most of the remainder of the book describes his encounter when he arrives.

The story is not so much a straight novel as a series of conversations that explore life, faith, loss, the Trinity and so much more. The result is a fascinating mix of challenged perceptions coupled with a pervasive message that God’s love for Mack (and hence for us) is deeper, more earthy and more redemptive than most of us have ever considered. I found it stimulating and moving, and I couldn’t shake it off for days after finishing it. Some of it was a little cheesy, but all in all I’d recommend it to anyone, especially someone wrestling with the effects of tragic loss.

The Shack is published by Windblown Media and available from the usual places

I am the proud owner of a new iPhone which means I can blog from Starbucks now! Hurrah for technology…

On that day even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words: SET APART AS HOLY TO THE LORD. And the cooking pots in the Temple of the LORD will be as sacred as the basins used beside the altar. In fact, every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be set apart as holy to the LORD Almighty. All who come to worship will be free to use any of these pots to boil their sacrifices. (Zec 14:20-21a NLT)

Zechariah foresees a time when there will be no distinction between sacred and ordinary vessels. Even ordinary cooking pots can become holy objects, useful for service to God and as holy to him as any other.

One of the striking features about the New Covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31ff) is that it eliminates the division between those people who are specially dedicated to God and the rest of his people. Jeremiah spoke of a time where no-one is needed to be a priest over everyone else, saying “You should know God”, because all his people would know him. The prophecy in Joel 2:28 (repeated famously in Acts 2 at Pentecost) was that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on everyone – men, women, servants and masters, old and young. This is what Zechariah has also seen. And the apostle Paul picks up Zechariah’s imagery:

In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive ones are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:20-21 NLT)

So let’s not count ourselves out! Nor should we flatter and inflate anyone who we feel is particularly sacred in God’s eyes. This is not to decry leadership or to mean we fail to recognise different gifts and abilities. But we must not insist that certain Christians are holier than others. We are all set apart for God, all holy – whether we feel like fine silverware or battered aluminium pans. We are New Covenant people: both ordinary and sacred. Thank you Jesus!

If you haven’t seen this clip before, it’s well worth it. Ordinary people with honest but faith-filled snippets about their experience of God. I found this very moving – the kind of feeling that makes you want to laugh and cry all at once. Thank you Jesus for loving us so.

The WWJD bracelets have become well known even outside Christian circles in recent years. WWJD stands for ‘What Would Jesus Do?’. It serves as a visual reminder to Christians to think about their response to everyday situations. (My wife Jane wants me to wear one meaning ‘What Would Jane Do?’ – she’s convinced this would improve my life ) In fact I had the silicone version and only wore it for a few days (anyone else find having a rubber band around your wrist annoyingly itchy?)

I think asking what Jesus would do is great. But it can suggest that Jesus is absent, long-gone, and we are trying to make decisions in his place. For me, it also contains a nugget of guilt – what ought you do right now to live up to what Jesus would have done? That’s a tall order indeed, and one liable to make me feel I am not measuring up.

Recently I have been rephrasing the bracelet: What WILL Jesus Do? This seems a much better way of looking at things. Jesus is not absent. Nor is he waiting to see if, through our own efforts, we can live up to his enormous expectations. Instead, he is in us, working through us by the same Holy Spirit that raised him from the dead (Romans 8:11). We are co-workers with him, not second-rate replacements for him. I have found this new way of thinking profoundly liberating. I might even dig that old bracelet out of the cupboard…

Just finished watching another gripping, moving, faith-building meeting in Lakeland (last night’s show). The boy with spina bifida (see clip) was so obviously thrilled that God was healing him and that he could walk straight without crutches. A woman with steel rods in her neck could now move freely and was full of joy.

At certain points there’s a real sense that Todd Bentley and the others on stage share a blend of excitement, surprise and sheer enjoyment that miracles are happening all around them. Not just them, either – we were cheering, praying, shouting and calling on God for more of this in Loughborough. Bring it on!

Todd Bentley is generating huge amounts of controversy right now. Having watched the Lakeland Outpouring most nights for nearly three months, my impression is that he genuinely loves Jesus, wants people to receive from God and knows how to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He’s passionate, raw and yet I think is showing remarkable maturity about how he handles all this. So if you feel the same – keep praying for him to ’stay in step with the Spirit’ (Gal 5:25). If you feel differently about him, make sure this is based on your first-hand experience and not based on second-hand dismissal.

By the way, Roy Fields (the worship leader at Lakeland) is doing a great job, but he needs to check out Ezekiel 44:18. Think this may be a word of God for him

I guess many of us are amazed at the things going on in churches across the world – outbreaks of healing, fresh intimacy with Jesus, plus all the weird-but-exciting stuff like gold dust / flakes / teeth etc appearing to Christians. We have had the above happen to people at King’s Church and for me, it stirs a hunger for all that God has. Whether it is easy to understand or not, if something is the result of a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, I for one want it.

There is a difference between becoming hungry for Jesus and staying hungry. I feel very challenged by the latter – e.g. not to become a spectator of the Florida Outpouring meetings but to actively participate in worship, prayer, study and reflection until the hunger becomes all-consuming. Thinking about this, I am reminded of the story of Bartimaeus, a blind man in Mark 10. He knew that Jesus was passing by and was determined to get his attention, shouting for help. Despite plenty of detractors telling him to keep the noise down, he became all the more determined to reach Jesus. And sure enough, Jesus spots him and, recognising his faith, heals him.

So I am determined to live in the spirit of Bartimaeus. I will not allow my spiritual hunger to become dull, or to keep quiet and get on with normal church life. Jesus is passing by in a fresh way, and I will press on in my quest to know him and to live in all he intends for me. I am shouting help –  for physical healing, for intimacy and to see the power of the Spirit unleashed through me when I pray for the sick and the distressed.

Hello world. Having read so many of my friend’s blogs, I have decided to join the blogging arena. Not sure how regularly I will post…