'Tis the season... and a very Bennish learning curve...
The trees are getting greener the evenings longer and the clothes getting pastelier which can mean only one thing.....
.... The Chrsitian festival season is upon us!
It's the time of year where all my youthy smiley stage-fourless bretherein go away for the week in daddy's wallet and come back with the hoodies saying `I got well-hyped in a tent for an hour`.
I'm not sure where i stand on festivals, having never been to one myself before, but i think there are many people who treat them a little too much like a scout camp. Or even those spiritual junkie sorts who have a well holy July then wait eleven months for the next hype camp when they can tell their church friends:
``ah, I was so far from God i didn't even realise! But when they played that really overpowering song with the shouting preaching and everyone else around was crying and being alter-called, i started crying too and the holy spirit came over me because i felt all thingly and i realised how great God is. Look at my t-shirt I bought my testimony in a four word slogan so we can all remember it!``
I think my today's churchy rant is an extension of the post I made on `the dreadded stage four` (linked above), but more my personal account.
Today's hypothesis, children, is:
Now I've learned to include God in the little things, I'm off to save the world.
I've grown up in church where I've always been looking over my shoulder for the revival that was promised every week from the pulpit. NFI Gorleston always talked about the revival in Yarmouth. Tabernacle Yarmouth always talked about the revival in Cobholm (=area of Yarmouth). City Church Norwich always talks about the revival for this nation - and not one of these ever came into fruition. (Which is why my tongue reaches for my cheek when Proclaimers talk about the Norwich revival). As such, I think i've developed as a Christian to pray for revival. Pray for the nation, and act like the world is on my shoulders. Much like the 7 stages of becomming a Christian* this is, on paper, a whizzo approach to church culture and Chrsitianity. However, my experience and observations beg to differ.
Since moving out, I haven't been away from the church, but being more distant from it than when i was in the band at Park Baptist in Yarmouth, I've had more time to not only find myself, but also find God - and God in me. This has had a wiggly path into where i am now, which involves, being away from God altogether, hating church, pining after church, thinking fellowship is all we need and not formal church at all, random God-spurts, and ultimately: waking up in the morning, thanking God for the new day and just not stopping praying for anything. Learning that God wants me to not laugh at the fat-chick over the road before i pray for all fat-chicks in the revival-district to find God. I've learned that God wants me to train my eye on only Laura before I ask her to be mine offer to be hers alone.I've learned not to waste the pennies, before praying for the £thousends. I've learned God wants more to bring one new soul to Him than to revive the dusty-distracted proud church. I've learned God wants to jump in my heart, before the band tell me to jump for Him. I've learned God wants Laura and me to thank Him for the daily bread before we ask Him for the things we can live without.
In conclusion - I've learned that I want to be trusted with my own life, before I ask for revival for the nation to be put on my shoulders.
How did I learn this? I think it's from cutting through the carp and never minding the buzzards. I've learned to be a Christian without the indulgence of church or the CDs or the clothing that tries to bridge me to God. I've learned that I get to the Father through the Son and not to use use merchandise as a means to an end. (Perhaps that's why the Spiritual junkies fail in the August as they're away from the crutch of bought and payed-for communion with God. ).
The other day, I aksed the most beautiful girl in the world to be my wife (praise the Lord, she said `yUp`!). Two days before, I went to pray in the sun at the top of the hill by our house after voting. Laying in the sun with my Bible, I opened to the good old tried and tested Psalm 23. I layed on the bench with the sounds of the children laughing in the park behind me. My intention was to ask God - petition His guidence into such a major decision as this, but instead, my heart longed only to praise Him. Thank Him for the sun, worship Him for our salvation, thank Him for every blessing in my life and in my friends lives. I didn't ask for provision (though that was how church has taught me to pray), nor did I dote more than was healthy on the confession of my sins before the saving Grace of Christ. Instead, all I did was worship and praise and tell God of my love for Him... and only after that did I realise that the decision I had been prepeared to lay so easnestly before Him... the decision over which I had been willing to fast and petition - God whispered so freely and joyfully to me as I had layed my heart in adoration before him moments previous.
Perhaps being a Christian is all a question of balence. I still consider it my duty to pray for the nation, and to make desciples of men, but I've realised that it's not the evangelists or the pasters i respect - the people I respect are the men and women of God who bless my life. the people whose Blogs I've linked to (right). In high school (and to a lesser extent VI form), I tried to win noteriety by building the biggest CU, or speaking to as many people as I could about God - but there is futility in bearing the power of the Gospel message without the control to live it.
My prayer now is
Father God, bless this street, this city, Your creation with the happiness you give to me.
Lord, prove Your love and make men and women content of heart and abundent in love.
Because, God, the amazing grace You've given to me for eigteen years, is the gentle love that wipes every tear from every eye. It's the power that makes the blind see. It's the strength that helps the user drop the needle. It's the domain that rains for forty days and nights, and stops for three years. It's the grace that dies for grace's sake. It's the wisdom that asks `who do you say I am?`.
But most of all Lord. It's the reason I wake up in the morning. It's the reaosn I breate, it's the reason I type this. and it's the reason I love you more than I love anyone or anything.
amen
* seven stages of becomming a contemporary Chrsitian...
1- Be sinner
2i- Go to preacher seminar
2ii- Be convicted
2iii- Be Born again
2iv- Raise hands
3i- Join church
3ii- Shake hands, raise hands (at appropriate places)
3iii- Serve Tea
5- Join house group
6- Share testimony/sermonette
7- Join worship band
8- Join deaconate
.... The Chrsitian festival season is upon us!
It's the time of year where all my youthy smiley stage-fourless bretherein go away for the week in daddy's wallet and come back with the hoodies saying `I got well-hyped in a tent for an hour`.
I'm not sure where i stand on festivals, having never been to one myself before, but i think there are many people who treat them a little too much like a scout camp. Or even those spiritual junkie sorts who have a well holy July then wait eleven months for the next hype camp when they can tell their church friends:
``ah, I was so far from God i didn't even realise! But when they played that really overpowering song with the shouting preaching and everyone else around was crying and being alter-called, i started crying too and the holy spirit came over me because i felt all thingly and i realised how great God is. Look at my t-shirt I bought my testimony in a four word slogan so we can all remember it!``
I think my today's churchy rant is an extension of the post I made on `the dreadded stage four` (linked above), but more my personal account.
Today's hypothesis, children, is:
Now I've learned to include God in the little things, I'm off to save the world.
I've grown up in church where I've always been looking over my shoulder for the revival that was promised every week from the pulpit. NFI Gorleston always talked about the revival in Yarmouth. Tabernacle Yarmouth always talked about the revival in Cobholm (=area of Yarmouth). City Church Norwich always talks about the revival for this nation - and not one of these ever came into fruition. (Which is why my tongue reaches for my cheek when Proclaimers talk about the Norwich revival). As such, I think i've developed as a Christian to pray for revival. Pray for the nation, and act like the world is on my shoulders. Much like the 7 stages of becomming a Christian* this is, on paper, a whizzo approach to church culture and Chrsitianity. However, my experience and observations beg to differ.
Since moving out, I haven't been away from the church, but being more distant from it than when i was in the band at Park Baptist in Yarmouth, I've had more time to not only find myself, but also find God - and God in me. This has had a wiggly path into where i am now, which involves, being away from God altogether, hating church, pining after church, thinking fellowship is all we need and not formal church at all, random God-spurts, and ultimately: waking up in the morning, thanking God for the new day and just not stopping praying for anything. Learning that God wants me to not laugh at the fat-chick over the road before i pray for all fat-chicks in the revival-district to find God. I've learned that God wants me to train my eye on only Laura before I ask her to be mine offer to be hers alone.I've learned not to waste the pennies, before praying for the £thousends. I've learned God wants more to bring one new soul to Him than to revive the dusty-distracted proud church. I've learned God wants to jump in my heart, before the band tell me to jump for Him. I've learned God wants Laura and me to thank Him for the daily bread before we ask Him for the things we can live without.
In conclusion - I've learned that I want to be trusted with my own life, before I ask for revival for the nation to be put on my shoulders.
How did I learn this? I think it's from cutting through the carp and never minding the buzzards. I've learned to be a Christian without the indulgence of church or the CDs or the clothing that tries to bridge me to God. I've learned that I get to the Father through the Son and not to use use merchandise as a means to an end. (Perhaps that's why the Spiritual junkies fail in the August as they're away from the crutch of bought and payed-for communion with God. ).
The other day, I aksed the most beautiful girl in the world to be my wife (praise the Lord, she said `yUp`!). Two days before, I went to pray in the sun at the top of the hill by our house after voting. Laying in the sun with my Bible, I opened to the good old tried and tested Psalm 23. I layed on the bench with the sounds of the children laughing in the park behind me. My intention was to ask God - petition His guidence into such a major decision as this, but instead, my heart longed only to praise Him. Thank Him for the sun, worship Him for our salvation, thank Him for every blessing in my life and in my friends lives. I didn't ask for provision (though that was how church has taught me to pray), nor did I dote more than was healthy on the confession of my sins before the saving Grace of Christ. Instead, all I did was worship and praise and tell God of my love for Him... and only after that did I realise that the decision I had been prepeared to lay so easnestly before Him... the decision over which I had been willing to fast and petition - God whispered so freely and joyfully to me as I had layed my heart in adoration before him moments previous.
Perhaps being a Christian is all a question of balence. I still consider it my duty to pray for the nation, and to make desciples of men, but I've realised that it's not the evangelists or the pasters i respect - the people I respect are the men and women of God who bless my life. the people whose Blogs I've linked to (right). In high school (and to a lesser extent VI form), I tried to win noteriety by building the biggest CU, or speaking to as many people as I could about God - but there is futility in bearing the power of the Gospel message without the control to live it.
My prayer now is
Father God, bless this street, this city, Your creation with the happiness you give to me.
Lord, prove Your love and make men and women content of heart and abundent in love.
Because, God, the amazing grace You've given to me for eigteen years, is the gentle love that wipes every tear from every eye. It's the power that makes the blind see. It's the strength that helps the user drop the needle. It's the domain that rains for forty days and nights, and stops for three years. It's the grace that dies for grace's sake. It's the wisdom that asks `who do you say I am?`.
But most of all Lord. It's the reason I wake up in the morning. It's the reaosn I breate, it's the reason I type this. and it's the reason I love you more than I love anyone or anything.
amen
* seven stages of becomming a contemporary Chrsitian...
1- Be sinner
2i- Go to preacher seminar
2ii- Be convicted
2iii- Be Born again
2iv- Raise hands
3i- Join church
3ii- Shake hands, raise hands (at appropriate places)
3iii- Serve Tea
5- Join house group
6- Share testimony/sermonette
7- Join worship band
8- Join deaconate
posted by Ben F. Foster Esq. (c) @ 10:44 PM
1 Comments:
At 8:32 PM,
Carl said…
Thanks Ben - that's very interesting stuff. :-)
Post a Comment
<< Home