I am 'Young Blogger of the Year'

Well, this has happened now.

What an amazing evening last night was, and what a shock, honour and joy to win my category. I want to share a little of the evening with you all.

Let's start at the very beginning

The awards were at The Brewery on Chiswell Street in London. Mel and I met with our friend James, all dressed in our best finery (I told you Mel's dress was stunning!) and made our way there.

We immediately knew we were in for the classiest evening of our lives so far. It's not that we aren't classy people (we might not be), but in our lines of work we don't often get to dress up, take drinks off trays being held by people, or eat food that good!

When we sat down, we got to know the folks on our table. They were fantastic company for the evening! On our left, the wonderful Gillian Scott – the man behind the brilliant 'God and Politics in the UK' blog site. If you haven't seen it, check it out! On our right, Ian Paul and his wife. I read some of Ian's books while I was at uni, so that was fun. He was there for his blog site 'Psephizo' (which isn't as hard to pronounce as people made out).

I was thrilled by the results for our table. Gillian was named runner-up in the 'Best Christian Blog' category – that's the big one – and Ian won the 'Best Leadership Blog' category. Then there was me.

The big moment

The 'Young Blogger of the Year' category was actually the first to be announced, so I didn't have to wait long. As the nominees were read out, my heart started to beat very very fast. The brilliant Sam Hailes was then named runner-up, our host called for a drumroll, and I couldn't believe my ears as I heard my name announced as winner.

Mind. Blown.

After receiving my prize, I was beckoned over to say a few words. Which I did. I had no idea what I was going to say until I was saying it, but that seemed to work out ok.

The truth is that I am very touched. It is such a joy to know that this blog, which is a hobby and a way for me to process my thoughts and beliefs, also blesses others. It is so gratifying to know that others find what I have to say useful, encouraging and worth reading. So thank you, right now, for being part of that and reading my blog.

My favourite thing

I know, without a doubt, what my favourite thing about the evening was. The best thing was that the evening exists at all. This event (the conference and the awards) is important.

As I found myself saying in my 'speech', I am part of a generation that lives online, that cannot do life – cannot process things, cannot be – without the internet. The online/offline divide doesn't exist in our brains, really. Social media and social life are intrinsically connected.

So to spend a day 'Re-imagining the Church in a Digital Age' and then celebrating the many fantastic folk who are doing just that already is a brilliant thing. An important thing.

I was astonished as I heard about people in different categories, amazed by the quality, creativity and diversity of ways folk are being church in the digital age. I will probably point to a few in the next few weeks (the full list is here). We were told last night, "Tonight is about us affirming and valuing diversity... Awards are about the affirmation of that which is good."

And I haven't had a better, or more affirming, evening in quite a while.

What I'm feeling

My thoughts are usually very well-structured, and so are my blog posts. This one won't be, because my thoughts and feelings are a bit all over the place.

Three days ago, our beautiful and precious dog, Ralph, was hit by a train while playing with one of his best dog friends, Mishka, and they both died. It was a horrible evening, and we are devastated. I know some of you won't be animal people and may not understand our grief, but we really have lost a huge part of our family, in a sudden and awful way.

We are grieving.

But I can't stay off social media. I can't stop checking the many supportive messages on Facebook and Twitter. And I also know I need to blog, so here I am. My online presence is so much a part of me (and this blog is a huge part of that) that I cannot process this all without doing so here.

So here's what I'm feeling

I'm feeling many things. I don't feel all of this all of the time, but I feel it all.

I feel devastated, shocked, sad, absolutely overwhelmed with sorrow at points. This shouldn't have happened. It doesn't make sense.

I feel confused. Why did it happen?

I feel emptiness. I can't get used to how quiet the house is, to not being woken up by him in the morning or having to put him outside last thing at night. There's something (someone) missing.

I feel closer to Mel that I probably ever have in our three and a bit years of marriage.

I feel it isn't real. If I'm honest, I don't think I believe yet that I'll never see him again. He's just gone away somewhere and he'll be back.

I feel totally overwhelmed and undone by the support, love and prayers of our friends, and especially of our church family at Gold Hill. Within 48 hours, our small group had rallied around, we had contact (a text, a tweet, a visit and a phone call) from each of the 4 pastors of the church, and we knew we had people to lean on. It was spectacularly moving for me.

I feel excited about the awards tomorrow night. This week has seen the highest traffic to my blog I've ever had. Messages of condolence were mixed on Tuesday and Wednesday with tweets, retweets and comments about posts. Which was an odd mix of emotions. But I'm still as excited at points as I was when I wrote on Monday.

I feel guilty for feeling excited about the awards tomorrow night. I should be sad, not happy. I should feel despair, not hope and excitement.

I feel numb a lot of the time.

I feel lucky to have shared these two and a bit years with such a wonderful, nosey, happy, friendly and enthusiastic-about-life dog. He taught me a lot.

I feel the need to say every couple of hours, in my head or out loud, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord." It's the only act of worship I've got in me right now.

I feel like keeping busy, but often can't focus on whatever I've decided to busy myself with.

I feel happy when I think about the many happy memories of Ralph we have. We spent last night with the couple who owned the other dog. We spent the evening telling stories and laughing. It was beautiful.

Then I feel sad afterwards.

I feel no better for having shared all of this, but know it will have helped.

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I'm going to the BAFTAs! (almost...)

Me: What you up to at the weekend?
You: Nothing much. How about you?
Me: Same, not much. Except I'm going to an AWARDS CEREMONY at an AWESOME CONFERENCE!!
You: Ok.

Yes. It's true. On Saturday Mel, a friend and I will be dressing up all fancy (Mel got a new dress, and she looks stunning in it!) and going to an evening of awards as part of the Christian New Media conference in London. If you don't know Christian New Media, they're a great organisation and you should check them out.

Why I'm going.

I've not been talking about this too much, but the reason I'm going is that I'm on the shortlist for one of the awards. Or rather, the blog you're currently reading is. My very own 'Limping into Truth' is up for the 'Best Young Blogger' category. I'm really very honoured and thrilled about this.

I've not blogged about it yet because I've not wanted to be all 'self-promotion-y' about it. But, truth is I was blown away to find I'd been nominated (thanks again, by the way, if you're reading!) and even more blown away to find I'd been shortlisted. And when I look at the quality of the other bloggers in my category, I'm knocked off my feet. I want to point you to them now, because they're great! They are:

• samhailes.com – I love Sam's take on things. He's made me think and laugh in roughly equal measures, reflecting on everything from Halloween to deodorant...
• 'Stuck on the Rooftops' – Mike is an English Lit student, and he writes just as well as one of them (is it 'those', Mike?) should! I love his honesty and reflections on life as it happens.
• 'Neill Before the Lord' – This is Hannah Neill's blog. First off, I love a blog site with a pun in the name. I just do. But I also love Hannah's openness in sharing her spiritual life online.
• 'Live Laugh and Love God' – Claire's blog is not just thought-provoking and encouraging – it's so impressive that she blogs every day. Simple but meaningful daily reflections – love it.

I honestly recommend all of them. (The shortlist for all categories is here)

Why I'm excited.

Anyway, back to the awards as a whole. Why am I excited to go?

I'm excited because we don't get to do this kind of thing very often. Getting dressed up, having fancy food – it's all a bit of a novelty for us!

I'm excited because I love my blog and I love that others love it too. I have loved doing this since January, and I'm really psyched I'm not the only one.

I'm excited to hopefully meet the four people who've produced the four great blogs linked to above.

I'm excited about spending the evening with my gorgeous wife and great friend.

But most of all, I'm excited because I think social media and the internet matter. So much of the world's way of working is online now. Business, education, and – yes – social life. I think social media can get a pretty bad rep, but it is a phenomenal tool which can be harnessed for amazing good and for the growth of the Kingdom of God. I'm excited to spend an evening with people doing just that.

I'm excited!!!

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Halloween, Jesus and Eschatology

Tonight is Halloween. There is lots flying around the internet at the moment about how to engage, or whether to engage. This post – which will be a bit more theological than most of mine – is my contribution to the debate.

My thoughts hinge around this word: eschatology.

Esch-what-ology?!

Eschatology is the whole area of theology to do with God’s plans for the culmination of everything. The end times. Judgment Day. Christ’s final victory over everything – this is the stuff of eschatology. There are many divergent views in the study of eschatology, and opinions are often fiercely-held.

The best book I’ve ever read on the topic is Simon Ponsonby’s ‘And The Lamb Wins’. He deals with all the contentious stuff, and he even shares where he sits in the debates. But he is very clear that we cannot be absolutely certain about a lot of it until it happens. The one thing he's unbendingly certain of is the one thing he was willing to make the title of the book. The Lamb wins. Jesus has the victory. He defeats everything, and He reigns victorious.

But therein lies the theological rub. Because there are two equal but opposite dangers when talking about Christ’s victory, dangers which the church from its very earliest days have fallen into.

The first is to think all this eschatology stuff won’t happen for a long time, and in the meantime we’re in a battle that we could lose. That ignores the victory of Jesus on the cross, that Jesus, ‘having disarmed the [dark] powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them by the cross’ (Colossians 2:15). Jesus victory has been won through his life, death and resurrection. He has already won.

But that leads to the second danger, which is to think that because His victory has already been established (which it has) and is so certain (which it is), it has already come in totality and is complete (it is not). The Bible is very clear that those powers which Jesus defeated at the cross – sin, death, the world, the devil – are still around in our present age. Their downfall is certain, but still in the future.

Folk in the early church fell into both these traps. In response, we see on the pages of the New Testament what a lot refer to as an ‘already, but not yet’ way of thinking about eschatology. Jesus victory is already present, but not yet complete. I believe that’s biblical, and I believe it’s true.

How ‘real’ is Halloween?

So what does this all have to do with Halloween, then? Well, in one way or another, Halloween is about darkness. It is either celebrating or playing around with or tackling dark forces in the world. Forces of death, the demonic, ultimately the Devil himself.

Those are the things over which the victory of Jesus stands. That eschatological, ‘already but not yet’ victory.

And when I look at the way that our theologies affect our view of – and engagement with – Halloween, I see us getting close to those two dangers at various points. (There may of course be valid societal reasons for our views, but for now I'm interested in the theology that motivates us.)

Danger 1: we are unduly scared of Halloween because we are afraid of the powers it represents, and forget that those powers have already been made into a public spectacle. They have been named and shamed.

Danger 2: we are too blasé about Halloween, saying there is ‘nothing to fear’ because nothing dark has any power anymore – it has all been defeated after all, right? The truth is there are dark forces at work in our world, and we can’t pretend there aren’t.

We need to tread a delicate path between the two. We must recognise that the darker side of Halloween exists, it isn’t benign or devoid of impact and force. But we also know it is not the highest power. There is a power far greater that has already put to shame all the ghouls and spooks that Halloween can glorify.

So how to respond?

I’m not going to give answers to questions like ‘How should we deal with trick-or-treaters?’ or ‘Is dressing up as a skeleton wrong?’ That’s not what I’m trying to do. There are probably many right courses of action.

But in our heart, I believe we should have these attitudes:

• We should recognise we are in a battle, and that light isn't the only side there is in that battle. 
• We should not be afraid of darkness, because we know it is doomed.
• We can, in some ways, laugh at and poke fun of the darkness, because we know it is cheap and doomed and desperate. (That’s how Halloween started in the first place…)
• We should recognise we have a message to speak into the darkness, that Jesus is the King of Light.

The one thing I think we can’t do is just board up our doors and ignore it. If we’re in a battle, let’s engage in that battle. If we needn’t be paralysed by fear, let’s engage boldly. If we know Jesus has the victory, let’s engage hopefully. And if we know we have a message, let’s engage actively.

What might that mean for how we engage with Halloween in practice?

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I've changed my mind

I was asked a question recently as part of a staff retreat day: When was the last time you changed your beliefs? It's not an easy question, but a good one.

Why I don't like changing my mind

Changing my mind about what I believe is true has a lot of drawbacks. It means accepting that previously I was wrong. That knocks my pride. Given that I can sometimes (because of what I do and the way I am) be quite vocal about my beliefs, it means admitting to others I was wrong. That really knocks my pride. Also, because our belief systems are a whole organic body of interconnected ideas, it means having to rethink a lot of other things, and learning how to do things differently in light of it all. That's effort. Also, changing my mind about things I used to think reminds of the very real possibility that things I believe now are also wrong. I was wrong before, I could be again. That's probably pride again.

So, mostly I don't like changing my mind because I'm prideful, but also a bit because I'm lazy.

It's far easier to decide something is right and then just stick with it for life, being able to hold to it tightly with a clenched fist that will never be prised open.

Why I have to change my mind

Here's the thing, though. That's not good enough. It may be easier to have beliefs and ideas of truth that are like that, but that doesn't make it right. And after all, I believe that truth is to be entered into with a limp, not a stride.

I need to change my mind about things because (as much as I might not like to admit it) I can be wrong about things. I don't want to get to the end of my life and still have all the same convictions I do now, because it means I won't have discovered all the ways I'm wrong about things now. I'm fallen. I'm broken. I'm wrong.

But I don't want to stay that way if I can help it.

So, how about it?

Perhaps I can see the benefit in letting go of some beliefs in favour of new ones because I have changed my mind quite a bit recently. Here are some examples:

• My beliefs about the fundamental goodness and badness of humanity has shifted significantly recently.
• My understanding of the person and work of the Holy Spirit has changed quite a bit in the last year.
• I have a different view of 'mission' than I used to.
• My view of what preaching should look like has drastically changed in recent times (though I don't always demonstrate that in practice - see above, re. pride and effort).
• I no longer have a view of language, words and grammar that see them as unchanging. Language evolves, words don't have fixed meanings. This has been a pretty big thing for me (also, check this out!).

Some of you reading this may have been on the receiving end of rants about some of those pre-change (especially the grammar one...) If so, sorry about that!

So, what about you? When was the last time you changed your mind? And when will be the next time?

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The Jesus who struggled

A few weeks ago I missed an opportunity, I think. I was preaching, and the sermon was on Jesus as our 'great high priest' from the book of Hebrews (4:14–5:10 if you must know). As part of it, I said this:

"Jesus is the perfect high priest because he entered into the grittiness and the reality and the pain of our existence. Life can be very hard indeed, but like the high priests of Israel, Jesus knows that. He has sympathy because he knows how it feels. He knows every last bit of it, more than we know"

And then I moved on. I sort of wish I hadn't. I wish I'd explored some of the many ways Jesus really did identify with our situations, not just as clever illustrations but because people there that Sunday (including me) were doubtlessly in some of those situations themselves. It could have been far more powerful and useful than what I did go on to say. So now I will, with twelve real things Jesus struggled with on earth.

My hope is that some of this will be of comfort to you. I would be astonished if at least some of this isn't something you have faced or are facing. Know that you are not alone.

1. Jesus had a job

How many of our struggles come because we have to work? Or have to balance working a job and living the rest of our lives? Jesus wasn't just a roving preacher-man for His whole life – He was a carpenter. He had a real job. He knew that struggle.

2. Jesus was 'used' by people

Jesus was exceedingly generous with His time, healing, teaching and friendship. That meant there were folk who took advantage. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus heals 10 men with leprosy. Only 9 come back to thank him. The rest just wanted His service and then they were done. Of course, Jesus kept being generous anyway. He knew that struggle.

3. Jesus got angry

Jesus wasn't oblivious to the things around Him that were wrong. Look at John 2:13-17 (turning tables in the Temple) or Matthew 23:13-39 (strong words to the religious elite). He saw injustice – usually perpetrated by the religious powerhouse – and it made him furious. And He couldn't help but act on that anger. Of course He still loved those He was angry with. He knew that struggle.

4. Jesus was misunderstood by those closest to Him

Our family and those we grow up with know us best, a lot of the time. But sometimes they are blinded to who we've become, or they don't like it. When Jesus went back to His hometown, He was so underestimated that He couldn't realise His potential there (Mark 6:1-6). And later on (Luke 8:19-21), He recognises that He shares far more in common with non-relatives because His family just don't get Him. But He still loves and looks after His family (John 19:25-27). He knew that struggle.

5. Jesus suffered bereavement

And He wept (John 11:35). He knew that struggle.

6. Jesus 'failed' at evangelism

Not every conversation led to a conversion. The rich young man couldn't accept what Jesus demanded and left (Mark 10:17-22), and many of his own followers dropped away as things went on (John 6:66). He didn't have a 100% success rate. He knew that struggle.

7. Jesus had anxiety for the future

Knowing what's going to happen doesn't always help. Jesus knew what lay ahead of Him as He prayed in Gethsemane, but He still struggled with it (Luke 22:39-44). He knew it was God's will, but He didn't want it to be. He knew it was right, but He didn't want it to happen. He was scared about what was to come. He knew that struggle.

8. Jesus was tempted with sin

The temptation Jesus faced in the desert was real (Matthew 4:1-11). He was tempted to put Himself first, to show off, and to take glory for Himself. All of this was a real temptation. The writer(s) to the Hebrews makes it clear He was tempted 'in every way' (4:15). But Jesus withstood temptation. He knew that struggle.

9. Jesus was abandoned by His friends

Judas betrayed Him (Matthew 26:14-16). The disciples fled (Matthew 26:56). Peter denied knowing Him (Matthew 26:69-75). All His loyal friends and followers, who He had chosen and poured His life into for years – every single one of them – deserted Jesus. He poured Himself into them knowing that, of course, and was willing to forgive them (John 21:15-17). He knew that struggle.

10. Jesus was persecuted

He was beaten physically, mocked, punished for things He had never said, or for things He'd said that were true. And eventually He was forced to carry His own torture device up a hill and was crucified on it. All for being obedient to God's will and kingdom. He knew that struggle.

11. Jesus experienced 'political' manoeuvring

Jesus' opposition didn't like Him and they were scared of Him, but they didn't deal with it openly. They engaged in back room deals, gossip, half-truths and outright lies. They were plotting (Matthew 21:46). And Pilate (John 18:28–19:16) knew there was no real case against Jesus. But instead of saying so, he tried the politically-sensible way out – Barabbas. That didn't work, but instead of sticking to His convictions that Jesus was innocent, he let Jesus be crucified to keep the people happy. All politically-motivated. He knew that struggle.

12. Jesus felt far from God

While He had mostly enjoyed a very close and intimate relationship with God in His life, as He hung on the cross God was nowhere to be seen or heard or felt. 'My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?' This wasn't imagined. God had turned His face away. When we feel God is distant, God's Son knows how we feel. He knew that struggle, too.

–

This list is by no means comprehensive. When I moved on in my sermon, I said this:

Jesus isn’t sitting in heaven looking down and judging us thinking ‘What are they doing? It can’t be that hard!’ He’s there shouting ‘Come on! Keep going! I know it’s hard, but I promise it’s worth it! Keep going! Keep going!’

I really believe that to be true. Jesus knows what we are facing, and He cares. God bless you.

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How does God speak?

Hello again, internet. It's been a while since my last post, so sorry if that's disappointed anyone. It has been a rather busy summer, and this is one thing that slipped a little. But I'm back.

What do we mean when we say God speaks today? It's something I hear quite often. Or I hear people say "God said to me..." and I want to interrupt and ask "How?" or even sometimes "How are you sure it was Him?" It's been on my mind recently, and here are a few thoughts I thought worth sharing.

God does speak today

I want to start by saying this: I believe strongly that God does speak, and He still speaks. The God I follow is not one who spoke many years ago, and then retreated from the world, never to step into human history again. Jesus ascended to heaven, He's still there, and He's Lord of history now in a very real sense not just in a 'That's what I say I believe on Sunday, but on a Monday who cares?' kind of way.

And part of the way He is directing human history, directing His church (He isn't just 'the Lord' but 'OUR Lord'), is by speaking to His people, His friends.

I also believe that the fullest revelation He has given us is in His Son, Jesus. In Hebrews 1:1-2 we see that while God has spoken in a variety of ways and contexts, His fullest revelation is Jesus Christ, His Son. He is not the final revelation, but the full one, and if God speaks in any other way – through the Bible, through His Spirit, through other people – then that revelation must sit under, be understood through and be weighed against the person of Jesus.

Our job is to listen

So that all said, how do we hear God. Well, we need to listen. I had a friend recently who, when I asked what I should do with my life (results here!), told me to become great at listening to God. And he was absolutely right. The more I've thought about it, the more I've realised something: God is speaking to us in so many ways, and we need to tune ourselves in.

It's very easy to listen to someone if they've shouted our name, grabbed our attention and then look us directly in the eye as they speak. God does that. I believe God can speak to us in an audible voice, and that sometimes He does. He can write in the sky, whisper in our ear or rearrange those little alphabet fridge magnets on so they say something directly to us. He can do this stuff.  He does do this stuff. Those times, hearing isn't too difficult because it's so direct.

The problem, I think, is that we can sometimes expect God to do that for us all the time. We are so busy waiting for our big 'Thus says the Lord' moment that we miss out on what the Lord says. Sometimes, listening is harder work than that. Abraham is one of the people in the Bible who walked closest with God (he's called 'God's friend'!), and he had a direct voice from God approximately once every 25 years. Was God not speaking the rest of the time? (I actually find that statistic very comforting.)

What listening looks like

God has spoken to us far more than we often realise, and that is because too often we want the voice to be specific to us. What do I mean? We want God to tell us what He wants us to do. Us, here and now in our own situation. We forget, though, that through His word He has already told us. Make disciples, pour ourselves out on behalf of the poor, seek justice, proclaim God's truth boldly, seek holiness. Isn't there enough to be going on with there?! And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I mean sure, we have to figure out what that means for us right now. Making disciples in 21st Century Britain is very different from making disciples in 1st Century Israel, but then Jesus didn't really tell them how to do it. He told them what to do, and then He remained with them by His Spirit while they figured it out and got on with it. We need to figure some of this stuff out too, instead of expecting all of it to be given straight to us.

This post is getting longish now, so I'm going to wrap it up. It may sound like I'm saying God speaks to us only through the Bible, but I'm not. I believe the Bible is God's primary way of speaking to us, but not His only one. I'll do a post soon on some of the other weird and wonderful ways we should be listening to God's voice.

But however God speaks, directly or indirectly, we need to decide to be people who are attentive, who listen – even if it means some hard work.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on different ways God speaks to us, so if you have any please comment!

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The Nazareth Manifesto, and why I don't label myself

Here are a few verses from Luke 4 which I (and lots of other people) really love!

These words are part of a passage in Luke's gospel commonly known as the Nazareth Manifesto, where Jesus heads to the synagogue, opens up the scroll of Isaiah and quotes these words. Then he preaches, starting with the words: "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:21)

Lots of Reasons

Like I said, I love these words, and this passage as a whole. And I'm not alone – lots of people adore this passage, and rightly so. What I have found odd, though, is the huge diversity of opinion about why this passage is so awesome! (I'm about to use some 'labels', which I very rarely do, but you'll hopefully see why I'm making an exception...)

I've heard 'charismatic evangelicals' (who place a high emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit) effuse about this passage because of the huge statement that the 'Spirit of the Lord' was upon Jesus in order for Him to carry out His work. Wow! The ministry even of Jesus, second person of the Trinity, was empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit. How much more so ours?!

I've heard 'conservative evangelicals' (who place a high emphasis on the revelation of God through the Bible) speak excitedly about Jesus' use of Isaiah and His statement that He fulfils it. Fantastic! The ministry of Jesus was heavily rooted in Scripture, and He recognised Himself as its fulfilment. This has all sorts of implications for how we understand both Jesus and the Bible in light of the other.

I've also heard the more 'socially-minded' (who place a high emphasis on social action and social justice) get very animated about this passage because of the content of the prophecy Jesus attributed to Himself. It is all about liberation and restoration for those who are marginalised and oppressed in one way or another. Jesus is making THAT the manifesto of His ministry. Wonderful!

The problem with labels

Here's the thing, though: they're all true! I believe that this passage speaks to each of those things, and we should take each of them seriously. Word, Spirit, action – we need them all.

This is the danger of labels. We can end up defining ourselves so much by one (vital) part of Christian theology or spirituality, that we miss out on the importance of other aspects. How sad to miss any part of God's revelation to us or any part of His plans for us because we were too focused on just one thing?

The only label that I whole-heartedly and unashamedly apply to myself is 'Christian'. I use other labels about myself rarely and with reservation. I know how easily I could start to place my identity in being 'charismatic', 'conservative', 'Baptist', 'socially-minded', 'Protestant'... In some ways I am all of those, but they are not my primary identity.

It may sound like I'm saying I have this cracked – far from it! I confess that, while I believe in each of those three points taken from the Nazareth Manifesto (action, Spirit, word), I'd be lying if I said they all actually excite me the same amount. Certain parts of it appeal to me more acutely than the others. But that is because of my personality and my own particular passions. And I refuse to allow myself to limit or shape an understanding of God's word specifically, or His purposes generally, based on my own personality. I need to embrace the whole of what God has for us and has revealed to us, not just the bits that excite me the most.

And I feel that being too quick to label myself in a certain way would lead me, eventually, to start doing just that.

Reaching for it all

The ideal, I feel, is to try our very hardest to reach for it all. A deep and deepening understanding of God's word, allowing Him to reveal Himself and His purposes through it. A deep and deepening relationship with the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to equip and enable us into all that He has planned for us. A deep and deepening partnership with Jesus in serving the vulnerable and downtrodden, allowing Him to use us in that transformational work. All of them, all at once.

Reaching for all of it is difficult. It would be far easier to 'specialise' as a Christians. But I feel, very strongly, that if I did so it would be a disservice to God.

So if you know me, and you feel I'm starting to do that, please tell me and help to keep me honest.

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Time to dream

Google is well known for allowing employees to spend 20% of their time not working on whatever it is they're meant to. They can play around with anything that gets them excited, and Google owns the results. As a result, Google produces loads things it never planned to want. Like Google Maps.

Here are two stories about me in a similar vain.

Story 1: a new colleague

In March, a new staff member joined us at church. He's great at what he's here to do, and a fantastic guy. But what I've appreciated most is that he'll chat about what he's working on or thinking about. He'll notice something in the Bible or have an idea, and instead of staying in his office to mull over it by himself, he'll step out and share. We'll chat about it, and then go back to our work. It doesn't take long.

Rarely is there any obvious practical application in mind. Most of the time it's just, "Hey, I just noticed this and I think it's cool! Don't you think it's cool too?"

I've noticed a few things as a result of this. First, I've really enjoyed it, and it's made me look forward more to going to work. Second, I've started sharing more about the things I'm working or thinking on. Third, it has raised the level of my work. If I'm thinking about something and come across an idea that I can't get my head around then instead of saying "Hmmm... I'm not sure, I'll just ignore that", I share it, toss it around a bit with others and develop it into something cool. My time management has got better. My preaching has got better. My attitude has got better. I work harder.

So if you're reading this, cheers dude!

Story 2: dreaming dreams

Yesterday, over lunch, Mel and I started talking about something we'd love to do in our lives, a project that will hopefully one day be possible for us. It's not the first time we've talked about it, but we fleshed it out a little.

With smiles on our faces and a lightness in our hearts, we made plans and dreamed up ideas. We thought about things which get us excited, the gospel which inspires us and the values that drive us. And we thought about how we'd love to live it all out. The conversation flowed, and there were a number of "Oh my word, that would be amazing!!" moments.

Because of the nature of the project we have in mind, we know it won't happen right away. Not long ago I thought that made it a little pointless to talk about in detail. It would only get us frustrated that we weren't doing it now... But I was wrong. We need vision and inspiration. We need to be able to dream big dreams, look to the future, and get excited. Why? Two reasons.

First, unless we're dreaming those dreams now, it is unlikely ever to happen. We need to keep the passion and excitement alive, to keep the drive now precisely because it can't happen right away.

And second, it infuses today with a new sense of meaning. I went back into work after lunch yesterday and had a new desire to work harder, commit more. I could see in the things I was doing new motivation, because all of it is building towards something bigger. Whether that 'something' is the thing we have in mind or not doesn't matter just yet.

But I've been reminded of the gospel and values we have, and even if the project has to wait, striving after that gospel and those values cannot wait.

Doing this more

So I'm promising myself that I'll do all this more. I will dream dreams with Mel. I will keep having ad hoc conversations with colleagues. I'll explore things that get me interested even if I have no idea what 'practical purpose' they will serve. I'll try to think big, not small. I'll imagine new things, not just rehash old things.

In today's very busy world where we barely have a moment to breathe out sometimes, I think we all need to learn to do this more. We can't wait till we have the time. We need to make the time. I don't want to live my life so bogged down I never have time to dream.

Who's with me?

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Bad language (3): being inaccurate

I've been a little hung up on words recently. We need to be growing in our understanding of the language of our faith, but not in a way that excludes people or makes learning theory the most important thing. There's one other thing, though, which I think we need to be wary off...

Getting sloppy

As we grow in our understanding, we learn all sorts of new and wonderful things. One common side effect of that is that we can forget the basics, or not consider them as important. We often don't spend that much time thinking about how we use simple language, and how that affects those who may not understand things as we do.

Let me give an example: the word 'church'. Of course we all know the church is the people, not the building. But in what ways do we most commonly hear and use that word. Is it about people? Really? I can think of lots of ways we use it:

• To talk about a building ('This church was built in 1846')
• To talk about one room in that building ('We start with coffee in the foyer, then move through to the main church for the service.')
• To talk about an event ('I'm looking forward to church on Sunday')
• To talk about a denomination ('I'm part of the Baptist Church')
• To talk about an activity or style ('This is how we do church')

None of those is about a group of people. None of them is something that is inherently wrong (I don't hate buildings, events or rooms), but they aren't quite what the word 'church' originally meant.

Does that matter, really?

And this is where you might well say, 'Come on Dave, does it really matter? Language evolves and changes. Words change in the meaning they have. Just deal with it!' I have some sympathy for that. Why can't 'church' mean both the people and the building? We all understand what we mean in any given context, surely, so it's not that much of a problem.

But that's the point. If we all did always understand, and everyone else did, then fine. But that's not what language is about – language is about communicating so that everyone can understand what is going on. I think we are in deep confusion about what the church really is. Lots of people – forgivably – do think the church is first and foremost a building.

The way we use words shapes the way we end up thinking about things. 'Church' is an important word, and when it starts to mean 'building' then buildings suddenly become much more important than they were ever meant to be. And as it stops meaning 'people', people become less important than we were always meant to be. We start to think in the ways we speak.

And it's not just us! People who weren't taught at Sunday School that 'the church is the people, not the building' (a truism that wouldn't need to exist if we just used 'church' to mean people all the time) don't have any defences against such a misunderstanding. When we use that word to mean all sorts of things it doesn't, we add layers to their confusion.

Ultimately, I don't care if the words start to change. Call it whatever you like – I care deeply though if our theology and understanding starts to change as a result, or if we lead other people's to do so. That matters a great deal.

Trying to be different

I don't think that suddenly using all words 'correctly' will solve the problems, but I try to be as accurate as I can to avoid leading myself and others further astray. I make a point of referring to our 'church's building'. I'm glad that our pastor encourages our church to call the main room the 'auditorium' instead of 'the main church'. I also try to ask people if they will be at the 'meeting', not if they will be 'at church'. If we really believe the church is people, surely that should come out in the way we speak.

Other words I think face this kind of danger include 'worship', 'pray' and 'mission'.

Any others, anyone? Not so we can enjoy having a rant and enjoying our own sense of being more correct than others, but so we can avoid unnecessary mistakes in our underlying theology.

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Bad language (2): missing the point

I've been exploring the importance of learning and using the language of our faith. Last week I considered one potential danger: being exclusive in our use of language. Today, I want to consider a second way language can go wrong.

Words have limits

Words are great. I love them. I used to spend my free periods in 6th form playing Scrabble. I used to go to the pub at university with friends and play Scrabble. I still really enjoy a good game of Scrabble. It's great. I love words. (If anyone wants to get together for Scrabble, I'm in.)

But words have limits. They are tools – they're the means, not the end. We use words to express something deeper than the words themselves. Words and phrases are like signposts which point to truths. They aren't, in themselves, the truths. My pastor has said that 'words are the clothes our thoughts wear.' It's the thoughts that matter. We just use the words to get there, to provide a framework with which to understand those thoughts and to communicate them with others.

An example. I can say the words 'I love you' to Mel (my wife). It's true, and it's one way I can express my love. But what matters aren't the words, rather the truth that underlies them – that I do in fact love her. Take the words away, and it's still true. If it weren't true then knowing and using the words wouldn't suddenly make it true.

Words point to things that are true. If they don't, they're meaningless. Words are limited.

Missing the point

So what, Dave? Well, as I think about growing in our understanding and use of language, there's a real danger that we miss the point. I think it's important to pursue greater understanding of our faith, and part of that is language. But the language isn't the point – it is just a helper to get us to the point.

I want to grow in my relationships with God. I want to know Him deeply. I don't just want to know lots of words or things about Him – I want to know HIM.

I believe that books, study, words and theology can help massively in that pursuit. But I also know – from my own experience and others' – that they can get in the way. We can get fixated on the framework of language and systems that we've built up to help us understand God, so fixated that we never really get to know God any better. It's like getting so focused on the scaffolding that we forget the building behind it.

This series of posts wouldn't have started if it weren't for a slight frustration with a lack of interest in theology and theological language in some quarters. But I don't want to swing from lack of interest in theological language which leaves us without valuable tools in growing deeper with God to the other extreme: an excessive and unhealthy interest in theological language which distracts from really growing deeper with God.

Words are great. Theology is wonderful. But they are only ever the tools, helping us understand more about God. We must never stop there. We need also seek to know God. Let's not miss the wood for the trees.


I have one more thought on language going wrong, and that will come soon.

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Bad language (1): forgetting the journey

I wrote a post on here last week called 'Learning the Lingo'. I suggested we pick up vocabulary about the things we care about. Sport, TV, hobbies, professions – they all have technical language. If we care enough, we pick up the relevant lingo.

I also suggested the same is true for Christians. If our faith matters to us, we will grow in our understanding of it, and that means learning and using the language of our faith.

But that's not the full picture. The pursuit and use of language can be exceedingly damaging. In my next three posts, I want to explore three things to avoid with our language. First up...

Forgetting the journey

I know a fair amount of theological language. I had to pick it up while I was studying, and a lot of it I still use in some way. Lots I don't. But every theological term I have in my head was once not in my head. I had to learn it at some point. Whether it was as simple as 'Bible' or something more extravagant like 'pneumatology', at some point I went from not knowing what it meant to having some idea.

I have come on a journey, and so has everyone. We are all at different points on that journey. And we don't all have to get to the same place – there is no fixed goal. But we often have very short memories, and start using terms and concepts as soon as we know them, assuming others do too. We forget the journey we're on, and forget that others are on one too.

Whether it's in a sermon, a Bible study, a casual conversation, a blog(!) or wherever, we can assume others are equipped with the same vocab we are. They might be. They might not be. But we shouldn't assume.

Here's the thing: it can be really damaging. It makes people feel stupid. It makes people question their commitment. It makes people feel as if their faith is deficient. Or it just confuses them and acts as a barrier to growth. It can be so exclusive and harmful.

Being careful

This is something that those who regularly preach or do similar things probably need to pay attention to the most. But it is not exclusive to them – everyone needs to be careful.

I try to be so conscious of this when I teach or speak (particularly in public where there isn't always the chance for people to ask for clarification), just because I know how small I sometimes felt in lectures at university where every sixth word felt like a foreign language. We need to be careful we don't forget our journey. We need to treat people at a different point on that journey in a way that will help to build them up instead of knocking them down.

I think there are little things we can do to help avoid this pitfall:

• Deliberately remembering when it was we picked up certain terms so we don't fall into the trap of thinking we always knew them.
• Being careful to consider the background and context of the person/people we are speaking to, so we neither patronise nor speak over their heads.
• Explaining terms and phrases that we know might confuse.
• Trying to create a culture where saying 'I don't know' is not a sign of weakness or stupidity, but a sign of desire to grow. We can start by admitting our own ignorance.
• Asking people to be honest and tell us if the way we speak is exclusive, alienating or off-putting.

On that note, please please be honest and tell me if the way I speak is exclusive, alienating or off-putting.

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Personal Life Statement

During my year as an intern at Gold Hill, I have been part of a training programme called 'Growing Leaders'. I've mentioned it here before, and it has been very good indeed.

One thing we were encouraged to do (which I'll admit I found a little daunting) was to work through a process to come up with a 'Personal Life Statement'. This is like a mission statement for a church, company or organisation – only for an individual. Me. It is meant to help give direction for your life, to work out what priorities should be and when you should say 'no' to things because they aren't where your focus should lie. Of course it will develop through life, and we've been encouraged to revisit it continually. I have found it extremely useful, and would encourage everyone to do something similar!

Where to start?!

In case you want to explore this for yourself, this is the process I went through to arrive at mine (I should add, the whole process should be doused in prayer):

1. Reflect on your 'SHAPE', making notes at each step:
• Spiritual Gifts
• Heart's Desire
• Abilities
• Personality
• Experience
2. Ask yourself some searching questions:
• What 3 things would I like to achieve in the next 5 years?
• What opportunities would I like to have in my life?
• At the end of my life, what would I like to be remembered for?
3. Ask other people who know you well to answer a simple question:
• "What should I do with my life?" (I found the answers to this part from the people I asked to be so enlightening and helpful!)
4. Look over all the notes from this whole process, and pull together themes and recurring ideas.
5. Formulate it into some kind of short paragraph.
6. Continually revisit, re-evaluate and adjust throughout life.

For various parts of this (especially around 'SHAPE'), I have some additional guides and material that is very useful – happy to put it your way if you'd like me to. I would strongly encourage you to explore this. I have found the end product useful in evaluating future direction and options, but I've found the process of putting it together just as – if not more – useful. Go on, it can't hurt!!

My Personal Life Statement

I also feel that it would be useful to share with you what I came up with. Probably not useful for you, but for me! A bit selfish, I know... I feel these words encapsulate much that I believe my life should be and become, and I want to share it so I don't forget it and I can be reminded of it. So here goes:

“I want to know God deeply, have strong relationships with others, lead others authentically into real discipleship, teach truth powerfully and sensitively in a way that transforms hearts, minds and lives, and be wise in interpreting truth for present situations so that churches and individuals are able to live the gospel in ways that make sense today.”

Since I've packed a lot in, I also wrote some short notes to unpack the highlighted words:

Know God: I want to grow in ever-deepening, freeing and sacrificial relationship with Jesus, and to be a catalyst for others to do the same. 

Strong relationships: I want to grow in good, honest and life-giving relationships, first and foremost with Mel, but also with friends, family, and those I am serving. 

Authentic leadership: I want to lead in my own way, having the integrity and boldness to do something new, not just copying others or settling for their traditions and structures, so that real discipleship can happen. 

Transformational teaching: I want to be committed to wrestling with truth, and teaching in a way that challenges, encourages, empowers, envisions and actually changes people. 

Interpretive wisdom: I want to interpret truth in ways that are relevant and life-giving now, driving the church and individuals to real and authentic community and effective service of all, including the poor and marginalised.

So go on then, what's yours going to be?!

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Learning the Lingo

This is another thought I've had while sailing (the last one is here), but it probably actually applies to most activities or things which we learn. It's about learning the right words.

Using the right words

When I first started to sail, the most helpful instructions would have sounded something like this: "When the big white thing at the front starts to move over when we turn, pull on that rope so it doesn't flap around." There is no technical language in that sentence at all – anyone could understand it, and anyone could follow the instruction.

But there's only so long that can be useful. Having to explain everything in the most basic terms means we can never advance beyond a certain stage. It's much more efficient to say, "When we tack and the jib moves over, pull on the sheet." Only once we use that sort of language can we begin to do more complicated things and move on to more advanced aspects of sailing.

I've sailed in three consecutive years, and each year I've got better. I've also learned, and started using, more technical terms and language. The two things go together.

It's probably true of anything. Football. Engineering. Dance. Politics. Literature. They all have their language associated with them. Even as we become engrossed in a book or a TV series, we start to learn the names of characters, places and events. As we become more familiar with a subject and it becomes part of our lives, we use more of the right words.

Speaking Christianese

I think the same is true of being Christians. There are lots of 'churchy' or 'Christian' phrases or words out there: 'grace', 'atonement', 'mercy', 'justice'. Then there are ones which might be even more unfamiliar: 'justification', 'sanctification', 'hermeneutics'. I don't think we all need to know all of them. That's not the point.

The point is that as we grow up in our faiths, we should also be growing in the language of that faith. Of course there's all sorts of lingo floating round that is just weird and can be exclusive, making us part of the club and other people on the outside (this video is both hilarious and true). But that doesn't excuse us, I think. We need to avoid being exclusive, but we also need to embrace growing up in our faith.

We all care about certain things. The things we care about, we want to find out about. The things we find out about, we become more knowledgeable about. And as we become more knowledgeable, the language comes along with it. How many of us know more technical terms in our fields of work or hobbies than in our faith? I probably do, in lots of ways. I could tell you in more detail the storylines of Lord of the Rings, Lost or The West Wing than I could most of the Bible. I probably need to ask myself some questions about why that is.

Not the whole picture

Of course just knowing the language isn't enough. Knowing all the sailing lingo (or even theory) doesn't make you a good sailor. But it is part of it. I may be wrong, but I have sensed a certain unwillingness among a lot of Christians to become familiar with the language of their faith, almost an anti-intellectualism. 'We don't need that fancy mumbo jumbo.'

I don't think we would apply that sort of criticism to other areas we are passionate about. So why not try to learn a little bit more Christianese?

Any thoughts? Am I right? Please tell me if you think I'm not!

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You can't go out that way

I've never just blogged about a verse or passage that's struck me before, but this time I am. Maybe I will again. Maybe I won't. It's anyone's guess.

I've been reading Ezekiel recently. I'll be honest with you – I find Ezekiel a bit hard... The declarations of judgment are long, the visions hard to picture, and the whole thing a little confusing. And then there's chapters 40–46, which are visions of the restored temple and descriptions of what proper worship would look like. I found it tough going, I didn't understand a lot of what I read. One verse, in particular perplexed me. It left me asking, "Why?"

"When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed festivals, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which he entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate." (Ezekiel 46:9)

There are two gates into the temple. One north. One south. Whichever you come in through, you have to go out through the other one. Again: why? Why would God give such an instruction?

One answer I came across was that it was to establish and maintain order in worship, keeping it calm and straightforward. But if we think about this practically, it would do anything but that! The way to have order would be to have everyone come in one door and go out the other so everyone's moving the same way. Or everyone leaving the way they came which is presumably the door they are sitting or standing closest to. The system God gives means you have two huge groups of people (this is all of Israel!) all trying to barge past each other to get out. It's a scrum!

So. Why?

This changes everything

I chatted about this with one of my colleagues at work. One thought we had (which I was pleased a couple of commentators also suggested) was that this is part of the symbolism of Israel's worship. An encounter with God – and revelation of who He is – mustn't leave you unchanged.

It would be wrong for the whole nation to come together for one of the few annual festivals to worship God and leave the same way they arrived. They have been reminded of God's grace and provision, the redemption they received from Him. How can they go out the same way?

Even the directions for coming and going point to that. You don't turn around and go back out the same way. No. There is forward motion, moving onwards and leaving a different way than you came in. This may seem farfetched, but the instructions for Israel's worship was SO full of symbolism that I find it easy to believe there was a spiritual intent to this very practical command.

Worship – or an encounter with God – should not leave us unchanged. We need to be ready to leave in a different state than we entered.

The journey home

But there might be more. Maybe the walk home is impacted. Let me explain. The temple was HUGE, and people lived all around it  in their tribes (at least this is the ideal given by God). The natural thing to do when going to the temple would be to go to the gate nearest where you live. So if you leave through the other gate, you are being forced to take the long way home.

Perhaps there is an intent that people do not just get back home and into the routine of things so quickly, but have time for what they have seen and heard to impact them. If they have been changed – as they should – then this needs time to sink in. It would do a disservice to God simply to get home, put the kettle on and carry on. Those were my thoughts, and I thought they made sense.

My colleague, though, took it one step further. For a society so clearly divided into different tribes, all living in their tribal region and with no reason to venture out, this walk home would be quite significant. It would force them not just to walk for longer, but through parts of the city they would never otherwise see. It's like deciding to drive home from a church service by going through the neighbourhood on the other side of town, the one you never go to because you don't live, shop, or go to work there.

He suggested this would unite the whole community and increase their love of neighbour. I think he might be onto something with that.

Should we care?

So, my question may not be "Why?" anymore. Instead, if any of what I've just suggested is true, should it affect us? Should we be doing anything differently to encourage ourselves to be changed, to invest in that change and to increase our awareness of the community around us?

Any thoughts? Please comment below if you do – I'd love to get your take on all this.

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Please, be nice to your leaders

As part of my internship, I am taking part in a course called 'Growing Leaders', which is all about equipping and enabling people to lead, whether that's in a church context or any other context. It has been a really useful course, and I have certainly grown as a result.

On Saturday, we had a morning at the course entitled 'Embracing Cost as a Christian Leader'. It was a very good session. Essentially, the message was this: leadership is hard, so expect it to be hard, but God is good and remember to place your identity in Him.

I have some thoughts about this as a leader, which I will probably blog about sometime soon. But I also have some thoughts as a follower, and for all who follow someone.

Leadership aint easy

Why is being a (Christian) leader hard? We discussed many reasons on Saturday. Criticism, loneliness, spiritual attack, hard work, lack of privacy, pressure, wrong expectations, unreasonable people, sacrifice. And many others. Of course some of these are true for people who are not leaders, but a lot of them are heightened once you are in the position of leadership.

The problem is this. Once a group of people get to a certain size, they need to appoint leaders. The idea that 'we can all lead each other' doesn't work. Those leaders then have to lead the people. But those people are people, with their own ideas and thoughts. And everyone has an opinion on the leaders, and on everything the leaders do and say and believe. The leader has taken the huge risk of stepping out to lead a group of people, and then often comes under attack from the people they are leading who 'wouldn't do it that way' or 'could do it better' themselves.

It's tough. It's a situation (humanly speaking) where you can't win.

Add to that the inherent pressures of leadership in terms of increased visibility, lots of hard work, the need to split your focus a dozen different ways, costs in relationships and time with loved ones. It isn't an easy gig. There are of course great blessings and it is a privilege, but it is not easy. It's why the burnout rate among pastors and church leaders is so high.

Please don't make it harder

Why have I said all this? Well, the chances are you follow someone. Someone leads you. In fact there are probably loads of people who do. I stopped counting when I got to 10 people who lead me. You may think your leaders are amazing. You may not.

My plea is that we try our very hardest not to make it harder. Maybe in addition to a course on growing as a leader, we need to run courses on how to be good followers. I have never been led by someone and agreed with 100% of the things they say or do. I doubt you have either. I'm certainly not saying we follow people blindly and agree with everything just because they're our leaders. I'm calling for support, for gratitude that they have undertaken a task that is hard for our sake.

I believe we need to give our leaders our support, love, dedication and submission. Instead of just our moaning, grumbling, judgments and criticism.

For their sake, because they are doing a very hard job. But also for our sake, because we all need people to lead us, and if we constantly exercise negativity toward our leaders, we aren't going to be able to follow very well.

The people who lead me have taken on a huge burden so I don't have to bear it. I don't want to make that burden any heavier than it has to be.

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Christlike: the bare essentials

The last few posts on being Christlike have been quite long and wordy. I want to take this forward a little, but to do so I think I need to summarise. I shall allow myself only six bullet points.

If being Christlike is all about embodying the overarching story of Jesus – His incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection, then that means the following:

Being Incarnate

• HUMILITY. Not clinging to any power or authority we may have, but rather being willing to lay it aside in service of God and others, pointing away from ourselves and towards God.
• ENTERING. Not staying separate from the people we seek to serve, but coming alongside, entering in and taking part in their situations for ourselves, not in condescension but in solidarity.

Being Crucified

• HOLINESS. Being ruthless in shunning sin, rejecting anything which is unworthy of God, and rooting out all sources of impurity in our lives.
• FOOLISHNESS. Dying to all the ways the world thinks and refusing to adopt purposes, methods and attitudes that are not God's, even though that is foolishness in the world's eyes.

Being Resurrected

• EMBRACE. Choosing to embrace and adopt God's worldview, seeking to see things in new ways through His lens not our own, and so living in new, exciting and counter-cultural ways.
• POWER. Seeing things change and happen instead of embracing the status quo, because the power of the empty tomb is alive in us and great power lies within.

In the next few weeks, I'm going to try to apply those characteristics to various activities and areas of Jesus' life, to see if I might be onto something, and then apply them to some areas of life now to see how we might be able to embody Jesus more fully ourselves.

The whole 'Christlike' series can be found here.

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Christlike: Being Resurrected

If being 'Christlike' is about embodying the big story of Jesus, in his incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection, what does the last part mean? How can we embody the resurrection?

The easy answer is that we can't now but one day will. Jesus' resurrection assures us death will not hold us, and we too will be resurrected when Jesus comes to complete His work (see 1 Corinthians 15). But that's a cop-out! We cannot become flesh in the same way as Jesus (we already are flesh), nor are we all called to literal crucifixion. I've still argued we must embody both.

So, how about resurrection then?

'somehow...'

I feel in good company. If I'm honest, this is the part of the big picture of Jesus' life which feels least concrete in its application for us. But like I said, I'm in good company. Paul wrote:

'I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection of the dead.' (Philippians 3:10-11)

Paul seems pretty clear on the whole death thing, and he writes a lot in a number of places about being buried with Christ, our old lives being gone (as I discussed in the post about being crucified). I love that Paul, when talking about participating in the resurrection, can only be as specific as 'somehow'! It's a bit of a mystery.

But it's a mystery we must live in. The truth is that we have been buried with Christ, but that's not the whole story. Whenever Paul talks about it, he goes on to say we have been raised with Him too. Not will be raised, have been raised. It is true not just that the old has gone, but also that the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

There is a new life to be lived, and to be resurrected means living it.

The essence of being resurrected

So what does this new life look like? I think there are a few answers. First, it doesn't look like the old life! For example, if Jesus' death calls us to reject old concepts of power, empire and authority (which it does!), then living the resurrection means an embrace of humility, submission and – yes – weakness.

We must embrace the values of the kingdom of which we are now citizens. We were not raised to belong to this world, but because we belong to Christ. We must constantly be striving to live in His resurrection, living for all the things His victory achieved. If this sounds similar to the stuff about crucifixion, it's because they're two sides of the same coin. Being crucified is a rejection of all that is wrong. Being resurrected is dwelling in all that is right.

Second, being resurrected has to be exciting! Shane Claiborne quips that Christians are well known for believing in life after death, but you'd be forgiven for wondering if we believe in life before death! We have been raised in a way that means we will never die. Jesus' resurrection shows that God desires life to be lived, not cut short or curtailed. So let's really live! Jesus meant what He said:

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Finally, our lives should be marked by power. Not power in the sense of dominance or position. Nor in the sense that we don't need to work ourselves. Power in the sense that there is power in the name of Jesus. The power that defeated death lives in us. We will never be defeated, even if these bodies are taken from us. In the book of Acts, the case is made that if the church has power from God, they will be unstoppable (Acts 5:34-39). Well, we do. And we are!

We can certainly expect setbacks, but we can also expect to see things, exciting things, in our lives and our churches and our efforts to further God's kingdom here on earth. It is the resurrection that marks God's greatest display of victory and paves the way for new life, and it is through embracing that new life and living in that victory that we too can be a display of God's great power.

To embody the resurrection is to embrace the new life we have, in all its vibrancy and all its power.

What might that look like?

As before, some non-comprehensive ideas about what this could look like in real life:

• A commitment to embrace only those values which embody the kingdom of God.
• Accordingly, a life that is countercultural, confounding and confusing worldly expectations.
• An excitement and vibrancy in life.
• Amazing things happening and breakthroughs in our lives and communities in the power of God and in ways that are not natural or down to us.
• Holding onto things here lightly, because we know we are citizens of a different kingdom.
• A lack of fear over death, because we know it is not the end of this life, but a continuation of the life we are already living.

Any other ideas? Please, I'd love your thoughts as I try to flesh this out.

The whole 'Christlike' series can be found here.

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