The Simple Pastor
Simplicity & Generosity
The early church: unbelievably generous: I’m reading Henry Chadwick’s history The Early Church and there are some ... http://bit.ly/a5CIUn 11 hrs ago
I love running, I even have a blog about running and while I don’t want my identity to be in that and all that jazz. Every now and then you see something that is just cool. This made me want to go out for a run, which I did last night and this morning. Made me want to buy the product too, but I haven’t done that yet.
In this short video Terry Virgo is interviewed about what it means to be a reformed charismatic. A few minutes in he talks about church and uses this phrase that just thrills me that church is a spirit-filled community ‘gathering to the presence of Jesus’. That’s exciting
Terry Virgo: Being Reformed and Charismatic from Jubilee Church on Vimeo.
A conversation with activist Micah White who writes for Adbusters. It’s a 17 minute video but has some interesting ideas
In 2004 I became one of the owners of a Christian bookshop. I believed that there was a place for a business that made Christian books, resources, music and most importantly the Bible readily available on the High Street. The selection of Bibles in your average Waterstones or WH Smith is, after all, not too great.
I believed that this shop could have a different ‘spirit’ to it, run (as best we could) with Christian values, that could offer employment and most importantly be a place that was a witness to non-believers and an encouragement to the family of God.
In this I think we have in some measure succeeded. Recently a woman gave her life to Christ right there in the shop, others have been prayed for, found encouragement and a listening ear. The coffee shop is beginning to provide a venue for fellowship and friendship. Not to mention those who have found the Word of God, resources to build faith, strengthen marriages, give generously, be creative, and live wholeheartedly for God. The stories continue to grow.
I hoped it would succeed and provide me with the opportunity to be generous with the proceeds and on this front we have failed. It’s a tough word failed, but when it comes to making money this bookshop has done the opposite. It’s been frustrating, confusing and painful. I was sure, I am sure that it was the Lord who led me to take on this old business and give it new life. In my head I know the life of even one soul who has found Christ is worth more than tens of thousands, my heart and bank balance struggle to agree.
There are a number of frustrations. I get cross with Christians who tick us off for selling say a Joyce Meyer book or The Shack because they think its theology is dodgy and then go and buy stuff from Amazon which sells any old godless crap. I get frustrated by the lack of reading and hunger to learn about our faith (it’s just such a wasted opportunity). I’m bothered by a belief that penny pinching somehow equals good stewardship, and upset that some churches think they have a divine right to a discount.
Anyway my time as the owner of a Christian bookshop is soon to come to an end but not I hope for the bookshop. I’m hoping that the Christians of Shrewsbury (and further afield) will see the vision I have, see the reasons why there should be illumination, light on the high street, why it’s important to help someone in person find a copy of the Bible they can read or give and will buy shares in a new charitable trust in order that not just the bookshop but the mission of the business can carry on. This video explains the campaign more
Help keep the light shining from Illuminate Trust on Vimeo.
If you want more information you can find out more by emailing trust@illuminatebooks.co.uk.
HT: To Andy & Gareth for plugs on their blogs
This on the other hand is a whole other side of amazing…I am constantly in awe of people’s creativity
My friend Simon Guillebaud is a constant source of challenge to me in the best possible way. Spend four minutes of your life watching this and it should speak to you more than most other things you’ll do today.
Just to lighten the mood a bit….awesome creativity and fun on display
My friend Simon Guillebaud does challenge better than anyone else I know. Watch this video to see what I mean.
You can watch more of these videos here
HT: Peter Ould
The more I read and hear about Francis Chan, the more I like what I see. I’m praying God would make our church ‘unstoppable’.
(HT: Jared Wilson)
In my last post I said I was convinced about climate change. I received an anonymous comment that said, “the reason many people are climate skeptics is that the science is just not convincing.”
This short video (4 minutes) gives you an insight into the amount of work that goes into the IPCC. You might still think their findings are politically biased or scientifically in error. Even so the work done is quite remarkable.
You would think no one could make this stuff up and be serious about it. I mean really. Who actually falls for this?
OK, where do we start? The premise of the advert is that modern life constrains us, forces and squeezes us into a generic bland consumer one-size-fits-all mould. It shows us all facing the dull hindrances of life, with dull jobs just like everyone else. Just like everyone else.
So far it’s compelling, it’s a line we’ll buy because it has the grain of truth to it. Much of life does exactly that, or at least that’s the way we let it unfold. Of course God is in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary, the rainy day as much as the glorious sun rise and set. God is with the street cleaner, office temp and call-centre operator as much as the fire woman, paramedic, celebrity adventurer or whatever other glamour job we imagine. But there’s something that usually encourages us to miss that point.
And there’s an irony. TV reminds us on a daily basis that our lives are dull but what we see through the screen is interesting, fascinating and worthy of comment. Most of it quite blatantly is none of the above. LG on the other hand are convinced that a life of unrestricted possibilities (cue muscled man jumping into the ocean in his trousers), a life where we achieve our full potential, the life we’ve always dreamed of can be achieved if we bought one of their new TV’s with bluetooth technology. Now you know.
If these had been around at the time of Queen Elisabeth there would be no Shakespeare. I mean come on, do we really think in a 100 years time we’re going to look back on today and say, ‘the golden age of culture was when they made X-factor’? TV doesn’t open up possibilities for us to live, it narrows them down – but it cons us that it’s the other way around. It’s an illusion.
LG (life’s good) isn’t simply selling TV’s but the promise of freedom, the promise of real life, the promise of individuality (to the millions that buy LG), it’s offering salvation from dreariness and drabness. You can see where this is going?
It’s counterfeit, it’s fake but our culture must produce these promises because despite our rejection of the old sources of such hopes (such as Christianity) we still need to believe that there is more to life than this. There is. Switch off the TV and find out.
OK we have urban dance acts and singers…but would we ever get this on Britain’s Got Talent. Sadly I think not. Compelling art that tells a story is a powerful thing.
HT: Peter Ould
This video makes for uncomfortable watching
The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.
HT: Out of Ur
TED consistently produces thought provoking videos. This one is on how consumerism is changing and shifting. It’s not all bad it seems, although I think it’s a bit early to be so certain…
I like this.
The Movement of One Day’s Wages from One Day’s Wages on Vimeo.
Meant to post this ages ago – sorry
Actually this isn’t a proper adbust. In fact Dove have done most of the hard work for me.
HT: Richard Walker “In it’s so-called wisdom, our culture has tried to divorce just about everything from its source in Christ, including notions of beauty and strength. Beauty is vanity unless it springs from Christ-like reverent holiness. Strength is vanity if it isn’t, merciful, just and self-giving like Jesus.” – Great quote
I did an assembly to a group of Year 10 students this morning & I played them this:
It’s a spiritual song of searching and longing. It’s also one of confusion and at the end of the day hopelessness. You get the feeling from the song that they think, ‘it would be nice if Jesus did die for me but I just can’t believe it’. There are a lot of obstacles to faith.
I talked of the search for significance and meaning, the quest for hope and love and I said it could be found in Jesus. I had less than 10 minutes, so I’ve no idea what sunk in, but maybe something did.
Here are some others that have reflected on this new Robbie Williams song:
I believe Jesus when he said 'life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions'. I believe he offers something better. This blog is mostly about that search.
I'm also a church pastor, a bookshop owner, a husband, a father, a keen runner, reader, and motorcyclist. These and a few other things make guest appearances from time to time.