Postcards from the Edge

Hot off the press is my latest book, just published by IVP. Here’s an extract from the Introduction by way of a taster;

“In my living room there hangs in pride of place a dark brown frame. It contains three items;

• A black and white photo
• A crumbled letter
• A postcard

All three are connected to a man I never met – my grandfather, Thomas Coffey.

The photo is of his grave, close to the Belgian battlefield where he died on 12 July 1916. The letter was the last he wrote home to his wife, Ada, just a few weeks before he was killed. The postcard is dated a few months earlier and was standard issue to the troops bearing a drawing of a soldier dressed for the trenches writing the card balanced on top of an upturned box. It contains the following lines;

In memory of the days gone by

Although we’re now apart

I send this postcard just to show

You live within my heart

The three reminders are all we have of my grandfather. They came to light when clearing through my father’s papers after his death. They were special to him as a link to a father he never knew, as like tens of thousands of children, their fathers didn’t return from the war that was meant to end all wars.

The letter and card were written in pencil. Tom thanks Ada for the photo she had sent of baby Arthur (my dad) and asked for pairs of socks as he’d been issued with boots that were too big for him. He signs himself as “your loving husband” and adds the poignant P.S. “Please excuse writing as I am writing this standing up”.

A Postcard and a letter from the Edge filled with special meaning for my family and me.

This book is along the same lines as it details some people who found God in hard places. Their stories are contained in the pages of the Bible and remind us that in every age, people have faced challenges and difficulties. These men and women of faith discovered strength beyond themselves by relying on God and have left behind a legacy that lingers.

The Christian leader, Paul, wrote to the community of Christ’s followers in Rome reminding them;

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Romans 15:4

Three key words in that statement sum up the purpose of this book; endurance, encouragement and hope. I pray that these postcards, written from the front line, will bring you all three.”

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Last Sunday on the way out of church a young woman asked me “Why did you write this book?”

Good question.

The answer I gave was simply that many of us face (even live with) tough issues such as loss, doubt, fear, despair, inadequacy and failure. Followers of Jesus are not immune to such pressures.

So how do we survive and thrive when living on the edge?

That’s the question the book sets out to address.

The book can be ordered direct from IVP: http://thinkivp.com/9781783592050

What Kind of Leaders?

I came across a journal entry a few days back. It’s dated November 2o02.

This is what I wrote;

“What kind of leaders are needed in the UK Church over the next ten years?”

I was asked that question by a final year student at a Theological College where I had spoken at a leaders day when he sidled up to me at a coffee break and dropped the question into the conversation like a grenade. My reply was intuitive rather than studied……fortunately he wrote them down and gave me a copy.

This is the list I came up with;

1. Sharp theological skills – an ability to understand, interpret and apply biblical principles in a world that is clueless.

2. The ability to manage change.

3. Strong people skills – knowing how to shepherd and orphaned generation.

4. Excellent communication skills – preaching, teaching and motivating abilities of the highest order. Someone people will cross the road to listen to.

5. The ability to build team – identifying, training and releasing gifts in others.

6. The ability to be strategic – to see the big picture and understand the journey path from here to there.

As I re-read that list I realised  if I was asked the same question today, twelve years on, I don’t think my answer would change much. The one thing I would add is that these skills need to come from a seed-bed of devotion to Christ and a desire to serve Him above all.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

Staying on Course (3)

The third mark of leaders who last is, developing spiritual stamina.

Long distance leaders are those who cross the line running.

Paul knew the feeling when he wrote; “..the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6-7). His prize was in view and it spurred him on to finish well.

Not all Christian leaders finish well. I have just put the phone down after a long conversation about one such leader who (if they carry on behaving the way they are) will leave a nasty taste rather than a lasting legacy.

But the race can be hard, muscles tire and setbacks occur. How can we develop and maintain the stamina it needs to be long distance leaders?

Let me suggest five principles;

1. Nurture your soul

Keeping that inner life of devotion fresh and real is a great antidote to becoming a professional Christian who is paid to pray and look holy for a living.

2. Look after your health

Rest, diet, exercise and treating life as a gift to be cherished will keep us fit for royal service.

3. Guard your time

Invest it, spend it – but learn  to never waste it.

4. Cherish relationships

Hold on to the friends who love you, tell you the truth and are always there.

5. Stay sharp

Never give up praying prayers that begin, “Lord teach me…..”

Walter Wright has helpfully expressed what it means for a leader to live with Christ at the centre of  life;

Solitude – time alone with God

Study – time to reflect on Scripture

Worship – time to focus on the presence of Christ

Community – time to celebrate shared relationships

Ministry – time to experience and share God’s love

(Walter Wright, Relational Leadership – A Biblical Model for Influence & Service, Cumbria: Paternoster, 2000)

I have a saying from Mohandas Gandhi on the wall of my study, and I look at it most days;

Live as if you were to die tomorrow

Learn as if you were to live forever

Keep running well.

 

 

Staying on Course (2)

Leaders who last have learned the secret of managing time well.

I call it a secret because not all leaders discover it, but it would be more accurate to describe it as a discipline.

Jesus never used a cell phone, sent an email and didn’t go on Facebook or Twitter but he managed his time with a simple maxim: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).

There are some helpful books out there that teach a theology of time management (yes, it does need a theology). One of the best I have come across is by Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy – A mercifully short book about a really big problem.  Nottingham: IVP, 2013. It’s biblical, practical – and actually quite funny as well. He warns of three dangers of busyness;

• It can ruin our joy
• It can rob our hearts
• It can cover up the rot in our souls

Here are some life lessons on managing time that we pass on to students about to set out on ministry.

1. Get a diary……and use it!

2. Plan your time on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis.

3. Let others who need to know in on the plan.

4. Use a “To Do” list.

5. Learn to prioritize URGENT/IMPORTANT/CAN WAIT

6. Set realistic goals and measure them.

7. Review with others your big picture priorities at least once a year.

And I always include three golden rules about time off.

Rule One – Plan it or it just won’t happen.

Rule Two – Be flexible about time off when real emergencies occur.

Rule Three – Don’t make an idol of time off.

I’d love to add more – but it’s time for a day off………

 

 

Marks of a Missional Church (3)

If you’ve ever flown long haul you’ll be familiar with the picture. A crowd of passengers all seated, watching in flight movies and eating from plastic trays being served by a small, dedicated cabin team. Call buttons light up and they come rushing. Pillows, blankets, food and answers to questions, your desire is their command. The majority being served by the minority.

This is the opposite of what a missional church should be. The third mark to consider is expressed by the word values.

Missional churches believe the quality of their serve is of the utmost importance. But the common mistake made by many 21st Century disciples of Christ is that it’s all about us being served where, in fact, it’s about us serving others. So if a local church is made up of a crowd of passengers demanding to be fed, entertained and having every need met – then the situation is serious. Perhaps terminal.

If we think service is the job of the hired professionals we fall short of Jesus’ intention for his people. Take a moment to read through Ephesians Ch 4 where some ministry gifts are listed and we are told their function is the equip God’s people for works of service. The local church is the place where we learn the skills of service and develop the selfless attitudes that are sorely needed in a self-centered society.

At the heart of any congregation seeking to shape up to a New Testament shape of church must be a desire to serve rather than be served. That is the core value of a missional church.

Sharing a meal with a  pastor and his wife a few nights ago I asked what changes they had noted in their twenty or so years of Christian ministry. This was their devastating reply; “Church members now are demanding more but giving less”.

There is a chapel in Nazareth that has chosen a copy of a carpenter’s bench to act as a communion table. Laid out are replicas of 1st century tools of the sort that Jesus would have used as he worked in Joseph’s carpenter’s shop.

Whoever came up with the idea has a good understanding of missional church.

Because the handles of all the tools point towards the congregation.

 

Five Marks of a Missional Church (1)

I have a good friend who gets hot and sweaty whenever the phrase ‘Missional Church’ is used.

The reason for his angst is he claims it is an oxymoron – a phrase that contradicts itself. He argues that a Church that isn’t missional isn’t a church. As someone said, the church exists for mission as a fire exists for burning.

But as I have often argued, some churches suffer from amnesia and need to be reminded of their ‘main thing” and the importance – as Bill Hybels puts it – “to keep the main thing as the main thing”.

So what does a missional church look like? I want to suggest five marks or characteristics that make the difference between maintenance ministry and missional church.

The first is all about theology because what we believe affects how we behave. As Paul urged the christian community in Rome, “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

We need to get our heads straight in order to walk straight. John Stott explained the rationale for mission, pointing out that it’s origin lies within the very nature of God;

“Mission arises from the heart of God himself and is communicated from his heart to ours. Mission is the global outreach of the global people of a global God.”

(John R.W. Stott, The Contemporary Christian: An Urgent Plea for Double Listening, Downers Grove: IVP, 1992 (335)

God is always revealing himself to those who don’t already know him because he is on a mission. And once people have met him, they are enlisted for the same mission.

So missional church begins with a belief expressed in confession and demonstrated by action.

But that is uncomfortable for some who want church preserved solely for the faithful, an escape from a noisy and hostile world. (A kind of fridge for the frozen chosen!) When Jesus says; “Follow me” he means exactly that. And it flies in the face of a privatized faith that is based more on sentiment that revealed truth.

C.S. Lewis challenged the very idea that all that was needed was a kind of vague religiosity.

“In fact, that is just why a vague religion – all about feeling God in nature, and so on – is so attractive. It is all thrills and no work: like watching the waves from the beach. But you will not get to Newfoundland by studying the Atlantic that way, and you will not get eternal life by simply feeling the presence of God in flowers and music. Neither will you get anywhere by looking at maps without going to sea. Nor will you be very safe if you go to sea without a map. In other words, Theology is practical: especially now.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, London: Collins, 2012 (155)

Missional church begins with missional theology.

Born Free?

I guess it’s a mark of getting older.

Today, I spent a fascinating few hours wandering through Melbourne Zoo (which, by the way, is well worth a visit).

The trip was occasioned by a by a wonderful few weeks catching up with our Aussie grandchildren. As I pushed a stroller through the sunny crowds I realized it’s the third zoo I have visited this year….and it’s only July………

I didn’t make that many a year when I was ten years old.

About coffee time this morning I realized I have become a zoo connoisseur who can spot a grubby gibbon from a depressed dingo and a flaming flamingo from a pouting parrot. Perhaps this is what my future looks like? A Trip Advisor expert on happy days out for kids and senile grandparents?

But, as they say, it set me thinking.

A couple of years ago we had the privilege of spending some time in the African bush. It was a once in a lifetime experience, witnessing a leopard propped up a tree devouring a freshly caught impala – and all from about 6 meters.

Actually it was frightening to spend a few days in the bush aware this was a potentially dangerous place where you need to be constantly aware of where you are and what is happening around you. And hoping that someone with a gun was close by.

I thought back to that this morning as I watched elephants controlled by electronic gates and orangutangs waiting for gourmet breakfasts to be delivered by hand, and pondered on the difference between life in the wild and life in the zoo.

There’s a world of difference.

So here comes the theological question:

How have we made church more tame and less scarey?

How has faith become safe and sanitized instead of dangerous and demanding?

I am reminded of C.S. Lewis’ take on the fearsome Aslan in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe;

Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Church in the wild.

Less sanitized, more edgy; less predictable more prophetic; less formal more free.

More of the bush and less of the zoo.

Yes, please.