Meetings – Journeys of Heart and Mind

Community spirit

We didn’t see ourselves as a house church, more as a group of local believers from a range of denominations all wanting to be part of the exciting revival going on in the UK at the time, open to the gifts of the Spirit, but not wanting to become yet another splinter group.

Yatton, the village in Somerset where it all happened

developing faith – 3

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Moving on

Things were changing. We’d been fairly comfortable at Horsecastle Chapel in Yatton, and we’d learned a great deal and felt loved and made very welcome by the people there. But there were one or two niggles already mentioned in part two of this series. We felt it was not right, and rather unfortunate, that women were not able to take leading roles in meetings, that it was required that women wear hats (a minor thing, but an irritant nonetheless). It began to seem that some of these rules were made by people, not by our Father in heaven, and certainly not by his Son, Jesus. But the greater niggle was that we were not able to move in spiritual ways that were being revealed to us more and more as time went by.

An Anglican home group

For me it came into sharper focus when I went to an Anglican study group. Judy might have come to the same ideas in a different way, but she died in 1995 so I can’t check! I’m not sure we discussed it at the time, but we were moving on closely parallel paths, that I can say with certainty. I wanted to meet some of the Anglicans because I had the feeling there was supposed to be a single church, not a plurality of them. I couldn’t see any way that they could all be brought together, but I wanted to at least get to know some people of other denominations. Going along to the study group seemed a good way to approach this. I soon came to understand that the Holy Spirit was nudging me to go along, and rather quickly I discovered what he had in mind!

Friends and allies

The Anglican study group was held in the home of one of the St Mary’s congregation and was led by the Vicar, Revd Richard Acworth. I don’t remember what was discussed, but I very clearly remember the topic of humility coming up. There was a man in the group who protested, quite strongly, that he was not humble and didn’t intend to become so. I had the impression that he equated ‘humble’ with ‘impoverished’ or ‘weak’ or ‘demeaning’ or some other utterly unattractive idea. I think I was also a bit disappointed by the Vicar’s response.

Also in the group was a woman about my age and as we were leaving I mentioned the humility issue. She agreed quite enthusiastically and we had a brief conversation on the way home; her name was Faith. Judy and I would soon become good friends of Faith and her husband Tony. We shared a lot of views in common concerning Jesus, the Bible, and Church – and this excited me because we were from such different church traditions.

Meeting often

We began meeting quite regularly with Tony and Faith. We were like-minded on so many church matters, and some other things too. we both had young families so most often one of us would walk down to Tony and Faith’s house in Court Avenue in the evening while next time one of them would walk up to our house in Rectory Drive. We would do some Bible study, perhaps sing some of the Christian songs that were so common in those days, and we would pray together. But by far the most important thing we did was to listen to one another and to what the Holy Spirit seemed to be saying to us, sometimes in a whisper, sometimes rather loudly! We invited other people we knew to come and join us, especially Paul and Jenny who lived close as well, so four became six, and there were many other local people with us so on a weekly basis we took turns to host these larger meetings. Sometimes there’d be 20 people in our sitting room, on our sofa and armchairs or sitting on the floor. These were great times of blessing when all of us would feel the presence of the Holy Spirit right with us in every word read or spoken and in every song we sang. We were warned of the dangers we were facing by some of the elders at Horsecastle Chapel, we knew their hearts were in the right place and that the warnings were well-meant; but we knew we were following Jesus so we ignored the advice and warnings and carried on.

Music

Tony is a skilled bass guitarist, Paul was good on a steel-strung 12-string he had, And I would plonk along on a nylon-strung Spanish style acoustic guitar Judy and I had bought at a music shop in Park Street, Bristol while we lived in our flat in Belmont Road. This was an expensive instrument – I think it cost us £27 in 1970 or 1971 (around £540 today) and it replaced the two cheap, second-hand guitars we bought while at university. It seemed better to share one good guitar than to persevere with two older ones that were difficult to tune. Rather later, we were joined quite often by David and Mary Bolster, another couple living nearby. David worked for Scripture Union, and was usually busy with youth work of one kind or another. Judy and I went on a youth retreat with them one year at Wroughton near Swindon to help as assistant leaders, and visited them at a camp at Greatwood near Bridgewater in Somerset. The photo shows Fountain in the Church Hall at St Barnabas in Claverham (from left you can see Paul, Faith, me, Ian on flute, Jenny, Judy and Tony on bass). Ian joined us a little later but was a very useful addition providing a higher pitch in the mix and helping strengthen the melody line.

Tongues

One evening after walking down to Tony and Faith’s, Tony mentioned that he’d received the gift of tongues. We’d read about this in Acts and in some of Paul’s letters to the Greek churches. and we’d read about it in modern times too in books by Colin Urquhart, David Watson, Graham and Betty Pulkingham and others. On hearing this news from Tony I felt mild surprise, delight, frustration and envy all at the same time. So, of course I asked about how it had happened and what it was like. Tony told me he’d been having a bath so was very relaxed and he just started talking scribble. He felt warm and encouraged. As I walked home after that evening at Tony and Faith’s. I gave it a try – I talked some scribble words myself. I learned a valuable lesson right at that point. Was this a gift from the Holy Spirit or was it just me talking scribble and being really foolish. I realised right away that there was no way to tell. And I understood something that I’ve never forgotten since that evening. It’s not about me doing something or not doing something. Specifically, it’s all about Jesus doing something in me, and the only skill needed for that is the simple ability to listen to him and do what he wants, not what I want. This tiny revelation changed my entire life. Everything became real in that moment. In this journey with Jesus it’s not for us to do anything more than rest in his presence. If I do that one thing, consistently, he will do anything else that is necessary. My effort is not required, and life is often far better if I keep well out of the way, especially at moments when he’s touching someone else. My surprise and delight are in order, but never frustration or envy.

As the weeks and months went by, our home meetings grew in numbers, but more importantly in depth and in our appreciation of receiving gifts. We were being invited to bring music and teaching to local churches around the county of Avon and the northern areas of Somerset. We called ourselves ‘Fountain’, played all the latest choruses and songs, as well as some of our own songs and acted out little sketches to help people understand the charismatic revival that was taking hold all around us. Tongues and interpretation became normal for us in meetings, as did prophecy, but the most important things for me were the spirit of caring for one another that grew in our hearts and minds and the determination we all had to follow Jesus in everything.

Jesus provides gifts, but will we open them?

One of those sketches sticks in my mind so I’ll share it with you, Tony played the part of Jesus, and Paul was a typical church member. Tony had a cardboard box wrapped in colourful paper, perhaps with a ribbon tied in a bow. He gave the box to Paul, saying I have a special gift for you. Paul took it and made a point of thanking Tony several times, saying, ‘Oh it’s really lovely, thank you so much, but I don’t think I really deserve it’. He put it down on the table, walked round it, looked at it from all angles and carried on saying how lovely it was. Tony (Jesus) asked, ‘Aren’t you going to open it?’ I chose it specially for you, it’s just what you need, you know.’ Oh no, I couldn’t possibly open it,’ said Paul, ‘That would spoil it, it’s so beautifully wrapped, it would crumple that lovely paper. Jesus responded, but if you don’t open it you won’t find out what it is and you won’t be able to use it. I want you to open it’. And this went on for a while. Then we explained that Jesus has gifts for all of us, but we do need to open them and start using them. And without the gifts being unwrapped and used as intended, Jesus will find it a problem to help us do the work he has in mind for us. His work, building his church, growing his people. Pouring his grace and love into us so that we can share those things with those around us. He does not want us to be timid. We must gratefully receive everything he has for us. It’s for his glory, not ours and we shouldn’t stand in his way.

Good News Crusade

Another thing we did around the same time was print a monthly local newsletter called ‘Community Spirit’ with details of forthcoming meetings at churches around the area, and any special events in the pipeline too. One of these was a Good News Crusade with a series of pre-Crusade rallies beforehand at a church in Portishead. I recorded many of these meetings on a portable stereo cassette machine, and I produced copies from the originals so they could be passed around the community as widely as necessary.

Not a house church

Eventually we would be hosting home meetings of up to twenty people once a week at our house, Tony and Faith’s, or Paul and Jenny’s and one or two other homes in the nearby village of Claverham. There were other similar house meetings going on (for example the Bank House Fellowship in Clevedon). We didn’t see ourselves as a house church, more as a group of local believers from a range of denominations all wanting to be part of the exciting revival going on in the UK at the time, open to the gifts of the Spirit, but not wanting to become yet another splinter group. Much of the leadership effort at the time was spent on starting new streams of churches, New Frontiers for example or Vineyard, or on the other hand bringing spiritual gifts into the established denominations – Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and so on. Both of these efforts became successful and widespread, but from my perspective today I can see very clearly that we made by far the better, and perhaps more obedient choice. We thought the way forward was more about bringing people together in freedom to follow Jesus in flexible ways, while providing information, help and encouragement both in the established churches and chapels in our area, and amongst Jesus followers with no connections to established churches. We were also keen to encourage new and deeper spiritual growth in all the local churches, though our links with some of the larger places were more tenuous than those with the smaller and self-governing groups. I still feel privileged to see things this way – as if I had a narrow escape from taking a wrong path. I think we all had a narrow escape, Jesus was protecting us and whispering to us, ‘Not that way, this way, just follow me!’ Many of the churches and chapels we encouraged still exist and remain active, some of their websites are listed below under the See also: heading.

Prophecy

It wasn’t just Tony, as time went by we all found ourselves receiving spiritual gifts in a variety of ways. For me, visions and prophecy became the main gifts and I well remember the first time I became aware of it.

I was sitting on the floor in Tony and Faith’s front room, it was just the three of us. (so before Paul and Jenny became involved). In my mind I saw us as children playing on a building site. There were muddy puddles and stacks of bricks all around. We took some of the bricks and stacked them up to make little ‘houses’, four bricks for walls and another balanced on top to make a roof. We were happy playing with the bricks together, but just then the builder arrived and spotted us. He walked over and smiled, though we thought he’d be cross with us. Somehow I knew the the builder was a representation of Jesus. And he said to us, don’t play with the bricks but bring them to me because I know how to use them to build real houses. If you bring them to me you’ll save me time and I’ll be able to build faster.

So that’s what we did, and the first real house started to rise! It wasn’t much of a stretch to see that the real house represented the church, and our job was not to build something ourselves but to bring people into Jesus’ presence and watch while he builds the church.

It was an important lesson and a growth point for me personally and perhaps for all of us as a group. And I’ve been used that way in meetings ever since. Sometimes it’s been well received, sometimes not.

The Fisherfolk/Community of Celebration

Around this time we became aware of the Fisherfolk, a music ministry that wrote and recorded many new Christian choruses focusing on spiritual growth, and particularly the receiving and use of spiritual gifts. This was right up our street! We bought the music books with words and, most helpfully with keyboard score and guitar chords as well, we bought the LP recordings and avidly absorbed it all, practicing Fisherfolk and other songs as well as creating some of our own.

But then a special opportunity came up. We learned that a weekend of music, praise and worship was planned at a site in Dorset – Lytchett Minster. There was a field for camping, the Fisherfolk would be playing and there’d be a lot of like-minded people to discuss things with. We booked space for three tents and went along. It turned out to be a time of growth and learning, just as we’d hoped – hugely beneficial, confirming much that we were already doing and encouraging us to continue.

Impressed as we were by the community style of living demonstrated by the Community of Celebration, we briefly toyed with the idea of selling our three homes and buying an old farmhouse with some land around it, Faith, Paul and I thought this would be a great idea, but Judy, Tony and Jenny disagreed and we didn’t follow through on the plan. It was only an idea in the back of our minds, we didn’t even start to look into the practicalities. but without unanimity, it couldn’t get off the ground.

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Living in the presence

To come away with a shining face you must first go into the place where the glory is, you must stand face-to-face with the One who is the Presence.

Reading Chris Dryden’s ‘Concepts’ post, I was aware that I should write about how Father deals with me face to face. He always does this when I’m least expecting it, but I always know it’s him.

When I was a child, back in the 1950s and early ’60s, I had one or two luminous toys, and later a luminous watch. I never tired of holding these up to the light at night time and then turning the light off and watching the weird, greenish glow fade slowly over the next few minutes.

Some background

Let’s begin by setting the scene. Here I was, married and with an infant daughter, living in a very modest house in a very modest street, Judy and I had to be careful with the little money we had. Second hand everything, no car, riding my bike to work. A very typical story in the early years of married life. We were friends with another couple just a street away and had been meeting with them to read the Bible, pray together, and explore what the Holy Spirit was doing at that time in our area. They were Anglicans, we were from the Evangelical chapel at the far end of the village, but differences like that seemed utterly irrelevant.

On one particular evening as we were praying, a picture came into my mind. We were children, playing with bricks from large piles stacked on the ground. We were making little houses with them, walls of a few bricks with a gap for a doorway, another gap for a window and a few more bricks balanced on the top for a roof. We’d made several of these tiny ‘houses’ when the builder arrived on the scene.

He strode towards us through the mud and puddles and looked down at us. We thought he’d be cross so we jumped up to run away; if we ran in different directions we might all get away! But he smiled down at us and said,

‘I’m here to build a real house. If you scatter the bricks around, it’ll slow down my work, but if you bring the bricks to where I’m working, you’ll save me time and the house will be finished sooner’. So we did exactly that, we ran around collecting bricks and stacking them at his feet, while he got on with the work of building the house. And up it went, it was magnificent.

What we understood from this

I shared this ‘picture’ with my friends, Tony and Faith. And we could all see what it meant right away. The house is the church – not Anglican, not Evangelical, just the church. And the bricks were people – us, our friends, anyone we could bring into the builder’s presence. And the builder, of course, was Jesus. He is the one who said, ‘I will build my church’. And what resulted over the next few years was that a number of people including us (the living stones) were built into something very special indeed. It was a body pulsing with spiritual life and energy, especially when we met, but overflowing into the world around us too. I can say that for me, having this foundation and experience changed how I viewed my life more generally – at work, at home, with my parents, with friends, with family.

So don’t build structures with the people who belong to Jesus, but assist him as he directs and builds. Chris Dryden, writing on his site Life with CD, wrote recently about Moses speaking face-to-face with Yahweh. Maybe you should read his post and then come back here afterwards…

For 40 days – Day 8: Covenant Renewed: Concepts

…Reading the concepts article sparked a new thought in my mind. All those years ago in the mid 1970s I’d had face-to-face conversations with Father through the presence of his Spirit! That describes the way it felt (and still does).

Moses in the Presence

Chris Dryden wrote about Moses and the conversations he had with Yahweh, face-to-face, created-to-creator, follower-to-leader. That was a mighty privilege; it still is! And it left Moses with a glow on his face (and I imagine, a glow in his heart as well). Do I have a glow on my face after conversing with Jesus through the power and presence of his Spirit? Yes, I think I do. The connection and the conversation leave me changed in a way that people can see. Not a visible glowing, but a glowing heart and a face that relaxes and smiles in a new way as I describe the revelation to those around me. Really, I suppose, an awestruck and amazed face!

Have you witnessed the glowing hearts and faces of people who’ve been in the Presence, in conversation with the King of Kings? If you’ve spent time in meetings when the Holy Spirit is allowed in and there are prophesies and pictures and singing and dancing and arms raised – then yes, I bet you’ve seen those shining faces! There is nothing to beat face-to-face time. That’s true with family, with friends, and it’s true with Jesus as well. We come away encouraged, lifted up, newly informed – there is nothing like being in the Presence. We all come away with shining faces, you bet we do!

But, just like Moses, to come away with a shining face you must first go into the place where the glory is, you must stand face-to-face with the One who is the Presence. The Shekinah Glory is his and his alone. Our faces shine with an absorbed light, just like those luminous toys.

But what is even more precious is that going about, living my ordinary life, the Spirit often surprises me. I see something, hear something, think something, and suddenly in that moment I realise there’s a spark from him. He speaks face-to-face with me without any effort on my part. He lives within me even when I’m unaware!

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I will build my church

If Jesus builds something, then he may ask us to help – but he will be in charge. He will teach us how to build, he will give us tasks he knows we can do.

What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘I will build my church’? And what are the implications for us in our attempts to follow him? Here are some thoughts on the word ‘church’ and the action of building.

Aramaic is similar to Hebrew and was probably spoken at home and in the villages in Galilee in Jesus’ day, it was a widely used language in the region and even today is still used in a few areas of, for example, Syria. Jesus would have been taught Hebrew, as all Jewish boys were; this was the language of the Old Testament and was used in the Synagogues. There were some Greek towns and villages in the region, as there were throughout the Mediterranean more generally, so Jesus likely understood Greek. He might have known some Latin as well because that would have been spoken in imperial government and military circles.

In a conversation with his follower, Peter, he may have used an Aramaic word or possibly the Greek equivalent, ekklesia (church); and that’s how it’s recorded in the New Testament (Matthew 16:13-20). As a word it seems to have its roots in daily life; the village or town elders would have gathered as a local council to discuss and manage local affairs. As people meeting together more or less regularly, groups of people following Jesus may have been been given the same label – a gathering, therefore an ekklesia.

In the conversation described by Matthew, Jesus asks his followers, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ Of all of them, Peter was the most outspoken and would offer an opinion when the more cautious held back. Peter didn’t seem to worry about the risk of giving a wrong answer and looking foolish. So several of them gave the answer to the easy question – ‘Who do people say I am?’. But it was Peter who responded to the much more tricky question – ‘Who do you say I am?’

What Jesus says next seems ambiguous, at any rate the way Matthew describes it is ambiguous. Some people think he’s saying that Peter is the rock that he’ll build his church on. Others think the rock is the truth Peter expressed, the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Most High. Personally, I take the second view.

Jesus says that he will build his ekklesia, his church.

If Jesus builds something, then he may ask us to help – but he will be in charge. He will teach us how to build, he will give us tasks he knows we can do, but he remains the top man, the boss, the giver of instructions. We can’t just build what we want in the way that we want, call it church, and expect him to approve!

So let’s start by asking Jesus to show us what he wants us to do. And then when we each do our part, let’s keep checking with him that what we’re doing or saying is in line with his design. And then, as the job progresses, we’ll be able to gasp with astonishment saying, ‘Wow! This is far more amazing than anything I’d dreamed or imagined!’

It all starts with Jesus. The next step is that we have to learn to follow, to be Disciples. That will will steer us into Mission. And out of the results of mission we will see Church appear and grow.

Jesus, then Disciple, then Mission, then Church.

JDMC!

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Jargon and the Holy Spirit

It’s not about hearing a voice or seeing an image, it’s simply trusting that the Holy Spirit will inhabit the thoughts you are having and that it’s OK to express them.

People have a way of jargonising more or less anything (is that even a word? – well, it is now!). We need to understand the value and the dangers of inventing and using jargon. It may be convenient, but it can also be quite misleading. This is just as true for the Spirit as it is for more or less anything else. Over the centuries people have used jargon to streamline conversations, but latching onto words can obscure meaning.

What does the Bible say?

When it comes to Jesus followers and the Holy Spirit we need to be alert to the difficulties jargon can introduce. What do we really mean when we talk (or write) about the Holy Spirit’s presence in our meetings? As usual we need to see what the Bible and particularly the New Testament has to say and then take a careful look at how church has dealt with ideas that have sometimes seemed difficult. Here are a few New Testament quotes:

Matthew 3:11 – [Jesus] will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire: In other words, he will ‘drench’ you in the Holy Spirit and Father’s presence!
Mark 13:11 – Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit: Don’t try to process it or understand it, just say it.
Luke 1:15 – he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. You don’t need to be older than an unborn child to be filled with the Spirit.
Luke 1:67 – Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. Whatever prophecy is, if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit you can do it.
Luk2:26 – It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that… The Holy Spirit can show us what we don’t already know.
Luke 10:21 – Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit… He can fill you with joy.
John 14:26 – … the Holy Spirit … will teach you all things and will remind you of everything. You will know and remember everything that matters.
John 20:22 – [Jesus] breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. Receiving the Holy Spirit is like receiving life! Yahweh breathed on Adam in the same way and he became a living being.

Those are some verses I picked from the gospels, but there are plenty more New and Old Testament references to the Holy Spirit’s nature and activities. Given those quotes, think about what the Holy Spirit has done for you (has done, not will do, and not might do):

He has thoroughly drenched and saturated you, he gives you what you need when you need it, you are certainly as capable as any unborn child, you are prophetic, he’s shown you things you didn’t already know, he’s filled you with joy, he’s taught you and reminded you, he’s made you fully alive.

The problem with jargon

Let’s think for a moment about the things people say about the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. Here are some examples with my translations and suggestions what to do. (Jargon always needs translating, and what to do should be simple and easy.)

I had a word or I have a prophecy – I have a sense that the Holy Spirit wants me to say something. – No need to announce it, wait for a pause and just say it. Sometimes, once you start to speak more will come as you go along, if so keep speaking, but if not that’s fine too.

I have a vision or I have a picture – I had a thought about a hill, or a scarecrow, or a crashing wave, or an alligator, or a king on a bike. – Wait for a pause and just describe it; if you don’t know what it means, perhaps somebody else does. Don’t worry about that, but share what you have been given whether it’s a little or a lot.

Let’s sing… or We should sing… – I have a hunch this song will be useful at this point. – If you are brave enough, simply begin singing, or humming the tune, if not, ask if others know the song, if there’s someone there with a musical instrument they might be able to start, or break in and restart if the key was wrong.

Let’s turn to the passage xyz – There’s something quite relevant in the Bible. – Just read the verses and briefly explain why they’re relevant or outline what you’ve just thought about them. Try not to use up too much time (don’t preach a sermon).

Speaking in a tongue – These sounds are buzzing around in my mind and I think I should speak them out. – No need to say what you’re about to do, just start when there’s a gap. As with the prophetic words, once you start it’s quite likely that more will follow. Someone may interpret what you say, but if not, be prepared to step in and say something yourself. If you only have a short and simple interpretation that’s fine; let others have the chance first and if a long silence opens up, then say something even if it’s brief.

Let’s pray or Let’s turn to the Lord in prayer – A prayer is jiggling around in my head, wanting to come out. – Start to pray when you sense a suitable gap. Avoid being over-long, you will know when to stop with an, ‘Amen’ or a ‘Thank you, Father’ or just silence.

Interpret a tongue – I feel I should share what I’m thinking after hearing that. – It might be praise, or explanation, or like a translation. But however it starts, just go for it. The Holy Spirit wants someone to speak so that everything is done in an orderly way. Someone should say something in English and it might as well be you!

Sing in the Spirit – I just have to sing with unknown words; I can’t express what I feel any other way. – This can be delightful to hear, especially when several or all the people join in. It’s often very uplifting and feels like praise or worship; unlike tongues, nobody needs to interpret. I remember one occasion when I sang like this and after a pause of several seconds, somebody else sang the interpretation. That was amazing, but it’s just fine without.

The important thing here is not that we avoid jargon, but that we recognise it for what it is and don’t allow it to intimidate us. Remember that whatever words or phrases we use, it’s just labelling aspects of people expressing how they feel. It’s not about hearing a voice or seeing an image, it’s simply trusting that the Holy Spirit will inhabit the thoughts you are having and that it’s OK to express them.

I think the intimidation comes from the lack of transparency brought along by the jargon. There’s a sense of mystery when we hear, ‘speaking in a tongue’, ‘having a vision’, ‘interpretation’ or ‘prophecy’. But what is really happening is not mysterious at all; it’s just a matter of ordinary people expressing themselves when all is said and done! And if you’re taking part for the first time there’s the normal slight anxiety and nervousness we get when speaking to a group at work for the first time. How will I be received? Will I get this right, will I embarrass people, will I embarrass myself? All of this makes it harder to get started. But afterwards there’s a sense of relief (I did it!) and it’s much more comfortable after that. Just push up over that little hump in the road, and it’s downhill the rest of the way.

We’re not used to having opportunities to be really free and open, but it’s important that we do because this is how the Spirit guides us in our meetings. He will speak to each of us through the others. It’s not necessary for everyone to speak out, but it’s not unusual with smaller numbers that they will do. This sort of sharing together works best with groups between five or six and up to ten or twelve. The dynamics with two or three, or twenty-five to forty, are very different – and not always conducive to the sort of shared hearing from the Spirit described here. ‘Practice makes perfect’, as they say. So don’t be fazed by what seems to be slow progress or a bad meeting now and then – meet again anyway, keep going.

Finally, here’s a thought about confirmation. During a meeting there’s little opportunity for confirmation. Sometimes somebody might say, ‘I’m so glad you mentioned that because…’. But towards the end, it’s not unusual for a pattern to emerge, and everyone begins to understand that the whole meeting was on a theme of some kind. The sum of the parts was more significant than the individual contributions. When that happens, be grateful and be excited!

There can, by definition, never be a better meeting than one led by the Holy Spirit.

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Blast from the past… 5

Do things when you can. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate, who knows what tomorrow might bring…

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Notes from bygone years – A load of Aprils

A year ago

I didn’t post an article in April 2022, but Donna and I visited Weston-super-Mare and I spotted this fruit and vegetable shop in one of the back streets. There were strawberries here, but they’re not in season; there were pineapples but those don’t grow in the UK; there were pears that should be ready to pick in September or October. Almost nothing in this shop was grown locally. Why?

It’s lovely to have choices like this, but they come at a cost to the environment that we usually overlook. The solution lies in my pocket and yours; we should try to buy locally produced fruit and vegetables that are within a few weeks of being in season.

Two years ago

No blog posts in April 2021 either, but on 4th April the weather was warm and bright and we enjoyed eating outside for the first time in 2021.

But oh my word, look at the same table just three days later. Snow! The moral of this little story is plain, do things while you can. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate, who knows what tomorrow might bring…

Five years ago

In April 2018 I had a bit of a rant about rescuing Britain from the dreadful mess it seemed to be in. I grumbled about the effects of Brexit, about poverty, the underfunded health service, an underfunded education system, the need for food-banks, the excessive cost of homes.

Read the article. Let me know if you think things have improved in the last five years.

Ten years ago

In April 2013 I wrote about ‘Men, women and children‘. The topic really was leadership, and I stand by all I wrote at that time.

Can men lead in church? How about women, are they allowed to lead? And what about children? Perhaps it depends who you ask, there are different opinions and different traditions.

Read my post from ten years ago and let me know what your views are.

Fifteen years ago

There was no article in April 2008. However, we had a holiday in Catalonia and visited Barcelona where we took a look at the famous Sagrada Familia with its amazing ‘biological’ shapes. What an astonishing place it it!

To learn more about this wonderful feat of design and engineering by the architect Antoni Gaudi, read the Wikipedia article.

Twenty years ago

In April 2003, I wrote about a meeting at home. Father spoke to us about leadership, coincidentally I drew on what I’d learned in this meeting when I wrote the article mentioned in the ‘Ten years ago’ section above!

We are weak, like freshly poured concrete; but Jesus is patient and knows we will become strong enough for the task he’s given us.

Twenty-five years ago

In April 1998, Donna and I were on our way home from our honeymoon in Florida, and I began a new job at Unilever’s Colworth Laboratory north of Bedford.

Thirty years ago

In April 1995 my first wife, Judy, was recovering from failed chemotherapy for bowel cancer metastases. Clearly this was not a great situation, but she was fitter than she had been since before her operation to remove the primary tumour. We began meeting again at home with friends in Yatton, near Bristol, where we lived. These were by far the best meetings with friends in Jesus’ presence that any of us had ever experienced. Awesome and hard to describe adequately.

Erm… I can’t count! That was not thirty years ago, it was twenty-eight years ago! Ah well, I’ll let it stand.

Thirty years ago

I’ll try again! In April 1993 Judy and I were living in Yatton with our daughters, and my Mum and Dad visited us on 15th. We drove into Bristol and looked around the covered market and The Galleries shopping centre.

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