Getting my house in order

So this last weekend we had the privilege of having Jeff Lestz speaking at our church. People often label Jeff as "the finance guy." He is a successful Christian businessman and author who has a heart to empower people to be financially healthy and also see churches raise finances to further the kingdom of God. He uses sound biblical principles to educate people and build leaders within churches.

But in reality he is a kingdom guy. He is a people guy. He is a freedom guy. He loves God and loves people.
He is also a friend, despite his terrible jokes.

There were so many challenges that were laid down across the weekend that it could be easy to get overwhelmed by them all but three things stood out for me. None of these where new, more of a reminder really.

The first was a reminder of the character of a leader from Paul to Timothy particularly around the issue of money. We need to have our financial house in order.

Not just for the next month.

But are we planning for the future, our grandchildren's future (Prov 13:22)? We are socially conditioned to live for the now. Buy now, pay later. We were challenged to live within our fiances so that we see and use money as a servant to see the kingdom of God expanded. Lets put plans and actions into place that will allow us to live in financial freedom in the future. I have been using this phrase a lot lately but it is still apt in this situation. The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is now. Start now with your finances.

The second challenge was to think bigger but clearer. Have a CLEAR, CONCISE, MENTAL PICTURE of where we are going. Then put plans in to get there. I will be taking some time over the next few weeks to do that again.

The third challenge for me was a simple statement that Jeff made- Jesus was a friend of sinners and to be that He had to be their friend.

Yes I know that it is obvious, but sometimes we can overlook the obvious. Jesus was their friend. Not just friendly to them, but their FRIEND. Imagine that. He did what friends do. He didn't just hang out with them he supported them, challenged them, laughed and cried with them. Think of your friends right now. Think about what you do with them, how you feel about them. That was Jesus and his mates. We are not talking about his disciples, we are talking about those that were not like Him. The tax collectors, the party goers, the ordinary people, those with less than reputable backgrounds. Jesus was their friend. I guess I was challenged to ask myself if that's what I do.

I don't want to be just friendly, I want to be people's friend. Those outside my church community.

Jesus took time out to spend it with people who were not like Him but who needed Him. Do I?

Anyway hope you have found these simple reminders useful. 

Check your eyesight

How is your eyesight?

Last week I went for en eye test to make sure that my glasses

were still fit for purpose. In my right eye I have great vision but with my
left eye I could hardly make out the chart on the wall never mind read the
letters on the third row down. But that same eye is great for reading and over
the years my eyes have adjusted to favouring the eye that sees the best in the
given situation.

My problem comes when I inadvertently favour the wrong eye. So

trying to use my left eye to see over a distance leaves me confused and
misreading situations.

I don't know about you, but so often I have done the same with my

perspective on circumstances that I have been in or with people. I have looked
at them with blurred vision. I am reading them through my own bias or have
listened to the negative that other people have said and not seen the best in
the circumstances or the person.

How often have we looked with the wrong eye and drawn our own

conclusions from what the other person has said?

We look and hear what confirms what our perspective already is,

not necessarily what the truth is.

I watched Pastor Brian & Bobbie Houston give a fantastic

positive interview for Australian television this morning (you can watch it
here- http://au.tv.yahoo.com/the-daily-edition/video/watch/21563204/the-rise-of-hillsong/
) One of the things that Pastor Brian said when asked about difficult times was
that it was really hard when they were misrepresented by people.

I guess what I find difficult is when when people look at our

church and misrepresent her. They have believed what they want to believe.

We are not perfect but we are family. Family can drive you up the

wall but we make a commitment to invest in each other and see the best. Why?
Because Christ did the same for us. He saw past our brokenness and rebellion
and saw family. He showed us grace and that then enables us to see each other
through eyes of grace.

Church is not an organisation, she is the bride of Christ, she is

our community, our home, our family. Speak well of her, bring the best out in
her. The Message says this in Eph 5:26 "Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her..."

My question to all of us who call NCLC home is will we keep our

eyesight clear and see the best, see and speak with grace, the same grace that
Christ continually extends to us? 

I am committed to creating an environment where your life can

flourish. A place where the crowd becomes a community, where the house becomes
a home and where friends become family.

TAKEN

Just in case you didn't know I am a man. I very rarely leave the toilet seat up but I am a man. As a man, I am not the cause of all the world's problems but there is a time to stand up and say "this problem we are facing is a problem mainly caused by men for men". The problem I am talking about is the abhorrent global trade of human trafficking. Especially those being trafficked for the purpose of sex slavery.

The reason I am talking about this yet again is because a couple of the young woman from our church, NCLC, went to visit the A21 crisis house in Greece last week. A21 is an organisation we partner with in the fight against human trafficking across Europe. I also have just read the report from Hazel Thompson about her latest ebook "TAKEN". This is not the Hollywood glamourised version of events where Liam Neeson sweeps in using his set of special skills to rescue his daughter. That, unfortunately, does not happen. Most of the women and children do not have an ex-CIA operative to bring them home. Many are kept in locked rooms or cages until they are "broken" and never return home.

It can be easy to relegate that problem to another country. But this issue has been highlighted by our own Lindsay Bruce as also a North East problem. I challenge you to do an internet search on human trafficking in the UK. It is a problem here and now with us. Teesside's Ben Cooley felt so passionate about this subject that he has set up the charity HOPE FOR JUSTICE to help in the fight.

I can easily abdicate my responsibility as a man and say that I personally haven't caused it but maybe we, I, need to be part of the solution not just ignore the problem.

Get involved. Buy Hazel's ebook, go to the A21 or the Hope for Justice website and find out what you can do. We are VERY excited to have Ben Cooley, CEO of Hope for Justice join us for our IronMen Conference in November. He will challenge, inspire and get in your face. If you are a man, get to the conference, you can register here.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Breaking hearts

I have, in the past, asked God to break my heart for what breaks His.
This Sunday we had nearly 130 different children in the NCLC kids church.

There is a real cross section of socio-economic, racial and gender groups. I get to hear of the issues that some of these children face when they go back home.
I thought I would let you know of some of them. These are just from our kids church not the youth!!! Thats a whole other story.

These are some of the issues the children face:
-self harm of a 8 year old
-emotional & physical abuse
-parents mental health
-aunty's death the night before due to drug overdose.
-rat bites on ankles
-anniversary of dad's suicide
-dad sleeping with grandmother
-extreme poverty
-parents in prison
-lack of parental control or care
-the only carer for a disabled parent

I don't know about you but this is almost too much to bear at times. These are not little issues, some of them would crush many of us. Our children are trying to cope with this.
The church has to have an answer. The answer is Christ, but not just preached through clever sermons and intellectual theology or worshipped with great songs and production but worshipped with a towel wrapped round our waist and washing feet. Doing things for the least of these.
We are trying to build a church that places value on the young and old, on the rich and the poor, the broken and the captive.
A church that carries Christ into our world and brings hope.
A church that proclaims God's favour in a broken world.
We make mistakes, we lose focus and sometimes people get lost in the process but I guess, just like the early church we trying to be a faithful presence in our community.
Our answer is not JUST social programs but introducing people to Christ. Hope for this life and the next.

Our heart should be breaking because God's is.
Christ is the answer and the church is his vehicle.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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

Tough Mudder videos and pictures

So the event is finally over and done with for this year. I did a video just before the event and an update today.
I have also included a video of the event and some pictures.
I am hopefully doing 2 next year.
We raised about £1500 for The A21 Campaign against human trafficking.

The Arctic Enema

The day of reckoning has arrived. Tough Mudder TM 10

So the morning of the event is here. The team are turning up in half an hour.