Denominational renewal seems to be a point of great pain, stalling and infighting in the Christian world right now. I am saddened by the sight of good, godly men, who find themselves lost in the quagmire of organisational disagreement, having to waste valuable energy on difficult organisational renewal. This has led me to think about…
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In July 2017 I sat outside The Queens House looking up towards the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, home of the Prime Meridian of the World, the site from where we get Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It is the place where east meets west, and put simply, it is the place where we on earth interpret…
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I think we (me included here!) sometimes use “weakness” to relinquish responsibility. We use it as a get out clause for failure, in-discipline, procrastination, debilitating addictions and laziness. “O I’m weak, please don’t expect me to be too strong, to endure, to succeed”. Now I know, in many ways, we are indeed weak, broken, in…
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“Master, it is good for us to be here.” Peter said. “Let us put up three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying). Luke 9:33 Many an ageing pastor has informed me, usually with tears in his or her eyes, “We have no…
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I have discovered the greatest hindrance to a move of God can be quite simply right between my ears! My arrogant senses of right and wrong, godly and secular, acceptable and unthinkable. My religious education. My British culture. They can all hinder the divine, eternal culture of heaven from piercing through the dull temporal culture…
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In the spirit of the thought that “They overcame by the … word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11) and, “if God does it for them, he’ll do it for you”, then here’s a few more testimonies from this year… At the ONE Event in Lincolnshire, where we run the Holy Spirit stream each year, our…
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I hear the “sound of a heavy rain”. The horizon is awash with small prophetic clouds, “the size of a man’s hand” 1 Kings 18:41-46. Something is going on in the heavenlies and here’s my reasoning: 1. The “great” can feel it: The Queen states “Jesus wasn’t a Philosopher …. but a Saviour who came…
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Lord, can I go to this church please….. I want to be part of a Church that embraces both Spirit & Word, contemporary excellence AND powerful outpourings of God’s Spirit: … where there is an ebb and flow of the Spirit/Word dynamics. One week you might think you’re in a Joel Osteen meeting, the next…
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I realise this may be an utter surprise to those who don’t lead churches… but us pastors can have bad, bad days. Often, Sundays! Now, lots of things make me grumpy. I know it shouldn’t be so, but sometimes Sunday isn’t so much holy for me, as grumpy. Here are the top ten things that…
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There are endless unity meetings I could be in. As a minister I could literally spend most days in some networking meeting or another. But I feel we actually have a job to do in reaching millions of souls (not reaching each other!)…..and I have discovered…. 10 things Unity is not… Unity is not a group…
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The following is a compilation of Health Check lists from denominations around the world. Amazing how similar so many are: Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches: Natural Church Development 1. Empowering leadership 2. Gift-oriented ministry Development 3. Passionate spirituality 4. Functional structures 5. Inspiring worship service 6. Holistic small groups 7. Need-oriented evangelism 8. Loving…
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I have discovered the greatest hindrance to a move of God can be quite simply right between my ears! My arrogant senses of right and wrong, godly and secular, acceptable and unthinkable. My religious education. My British culture. They can all hinder the divine, eternal culture of heaven from piercing through the dull temporal culture…
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1. The Invitation Be clear about what you are offering the protégé. Be sure it is exactly the sort of mentoring relationship you can both sustain and want. How much time and support can you realistically give? Unfulfilled expectations on both sides lead to disillusionment and ultimately, relational breakdown. Don’t make rash, emotional promises. 2.…
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As I ponder the ebb and flow of the movement of God’s Spirit in churches today, my mind is drawn to an email I received a few years ago. I had spent several days teaching a South African congregation about the presence of God, and then experiencing something of God’s glory with them. I left…
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Read the amazing story of an encounter in the African bush that changed me forever. It’s the intro to my book Glory in the Church, now available to download from Amazon for Kindle here Today was the day my worship ministry would change forever and I didn’t even know it. I woke at 6.30am to…
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