Lessons from Tough Mudder

 I pray you are having a great start to the week. As most of you will know, on Saturday, a team from NCLC competed in the event aptly named "Tough Mudder." It was tough and there was a LOT of mud. We finished, having completed every obstacle.
It made us all confront the fear in our head whether that was of heights, ice baths, dark holes, long runs or electric shocks (you REALLY should have a fear of electric shocks). Between us we managed to raise about £1500 on behalf of the A21 campaign
against human trafficking.

One of the things that was most evident throughout the event was teamwork. We were in it to complete it. The only way that we wanted to complete it was together. We all needed encouragement at different points of the course. We contended FOR each other not WITH each other in the tough times.
We all made a decision that we start, run and complete the course together.

The Bible in Psalm 84 says:
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

We have committed to the journey together as a community. We go through the tough times together. I want as many of us to start, run and complete this journey together. We are encouraged in Hebrews not to step away from meeting together.
The amount of times I talk about leaning into community when times get tough, yet it still breaks my heart to see one or two people step away using weak excuses or some even great sounding reasons but it still comes down to a decision to step out of what God has placed you in.

There is strength in our community.
There is companionship in our community.
There is accountability in our community.
There is discipleship in our community.
There is growth in our community.
There is healing in our community.
There is value placed in our community.
God is found in our community.

Those that are planted in the house of The Lord will flourish (Psalm 92).

I am committed to building a church where lives will flourish.
I have no plan B.

Flourishing is not just about things going well. It is about staying the course when things get tough. It is about being able to withstand the harsher seasons yet still bear fruit.

Let's contend FOR each other in tough times, celebrate WITH each other when times are great and stand ALONGSIDE each other to complete the journey and win the prize. A prize which is much more than a cool T-shirt, a not so cool orange headband and a pint of cider.


Yours
Pastor Jon Cook

Finishing the year well.

Many of us have made well intentioned New Year's resolutions only to have broken them within the first week. So how do we change that this New Year?
One thing I am learning is that how we finish one season is how we start the next. So how we finish this year will impact whether we can realistically fulfill our resolutions in the next.

Here are 5 ways to help us finish this year well.

1. Tidy up the loose ends. Phil 1:6 states that "...He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion..." Are we bringing things to a completion before entering something new. What are the things we need to tie up & complete once & for all? I have some unfinished projects to complete by the end of the year. 
2.  Who ya gonna call? What relationships have you let slide this year that you need to re-establish? Make that telephone call and arrange to meet up. Don't wait for them to do it.
3. Look at my successes. Have a look at some the successes that you have achieved in the last year. They don't have to be big ones. All of us have achieved something. What are they and did I celebrate them.
4. Look at their successes. Are you able to celebrate the success of those around you? Why not help someone celebrate their achievements in this last year. Maybe you might be the one person that notices it and helps them end their year well.
5. Look at how I have overcome one of my personal constraints. Flip Flippen talks about how to overcome our personal constraints. Look at what you have overcome this year to help build a platform for what we can master next year.
   

Let me know if any of these help you in the last couple of weeks of this year.