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The slow nature of Christian ministry


It was Jonathan Milton-Thompson who said to us a year or two ago, 'You may not see the fruit of the work you're doing now. Maybe your children won't see it. It might be your great-grandchildren's generation who reap the fruit of your labours. It doesn't mean it's not worth it - so keep on!'

As we head towards the close of 2010, we are ever conscious of the meaning of Jesus' parable: his kingdom looks like a mustard seed. Nothing. Yet we hold on to the truth that it will be seen to be biggest thing of all.

Like our snow-covered garden, our church's progress may seem so slow and quiet. Illnesses, setbacks, people drifting (as well as those coming, and growing), frustrations, disappointments... The world around us carries on in its wreckless complacency towards Almighty God. Jesus is now forgotton from Christmas. The people we want to reach out to are so ingrained in godless ways it's hard to know where to start.

Yet Jesus says to us, 'Take heart! I have overcome the world.' (John 16:33) Paul says, 'Therefore we do not lose heart.' (2 Corinthians 4:16) We look ahead to 2011 with fresh hope and energy, knowing Christ will build his church. We remain joyful, faithful, delighted by the gospel of Jesus, trusting in his providence over all, pressing on energetically with visible results or not.

Church planting the African way

Check this out: it's James Lagos Alexander, a bishop from Sudan. And here's how they do church planting.

So what do we learn from this? It's right to pray for many people to turn to Christ and be rescued by him. It's right to pray for church growth. But we should never expect that to be glorifying to us! Church growth is something God brings about, and if it happens, it won't make 'Wellfield' look good. It won't be so that we can feel nice about it. With growth comes pain. So if we're going to pray for it, we need to know we're praying for God's glory, not our comfort.

As some of us read in Torrey on Friday morning: "Many pray for revival... but many prayers for revivals are purely selfish. The churches desire revivals in order that the membership may be increased, in order that the church may have a position of more power and influence in the community, in order that the church treasury may be filled, in order that a good report may be made at the presbytery or conference or association. For such low purposes as these, churches and ministers oftentimes are praying for a revival, and oftentimes too God does not answer the prayer. Why should we pray for a revival? For the glory of God..."

We've got a lot to learn from the church in Sudan. True greatness is humility, that thinks not of ourselves but the wonderful kingdom of God.

God loves a nobody

One of the striking points from Luke chapter 1 last Sunday was the way God chose Mary for one of the most amazing jobs in history. She wasn't a princess or a well-known figure. She was an ordinary working girl from a Northern backwater. (I found on Sunday that jokes at this point don't go down well.)
That's the way God is. To him, our 'nobodies' aren't nobodies. This Christmas, let's think about that person who no-one bothers with - who will live and die and no-one will particularly care. Let's invite them to church, or Christianity Explored in January. And if you feel like that 'nobody', then know this: you're not, in God's kingdom. Please come to church - because you're 'somebody' there.

Devoted to... the Fellowship






To be a Christian is to be part of a community. The Bible teaches that Jesus died to make a people for himself - to bring sinners into relationship with himself and one another. Whilst coming to know Jesus is something an individual must do, continuing in the faith is far from an individual thing. Being a Christian is a hard task: people think we are mad, bad or just out of touch. If we are to keep following Jesus, then we need to help one another. Being devoted to fellowship therefore means being devoted to those in our local church, being devoted to our Christian brothers and sisters - not just on Sunday but all through the week.


We need to ask ourselves the question: do we spend time with others from Wellfield - not just our personal friends, but with all of our church? Wellfield is small enough that we ought to be able to spend time with everyone from our church within a fairly short space of time. We can do this through organised activities like Growth Group, Prayer Meeting and Sunday meetings; these are a great way to encourage people to follow Jesus as we look at the Bible and pray together. But if we only do this, I don't think that this counts as being devoted to fellowship. Socialising with each other, spending time just doing the ordinary things of life, shopping, chatting, eating, watching the game, whatever you do as part of your individual life can be done together with someone else. And it's often more fun that way.


This isn't about creating a separate community; far from it. It's rather about creating a strong community where Christian brothers and sisters can grow together, share their lives with one another, talk about the hard things, the private things and the things we're shy about; a community where we don't just talk politely but meaningfully so that we all go from strength to strength together. When we build such a community with the help of God, we find something which is very attractive to most of the world which is so often starved of such friendship and love. Then we can more effectively reach out to those around us, as we invite them to get to know us, and through that to get to know Jesus' community. Evangelism is made easier, as involving people in your life will naturally lead to them meeting others from Wellfield, a place where those gifted in answering questions or talking about Jesus can use their gifts, so those of us who aren't can concentrate on our own gifts. So lets pray and then start using our diaries to meaningfully plan people in to our lives, as this is the only way it will ever happen.






(By Mike)

1 Church, 4 Congregations


St Andrew's has changed its slogan. It was there on St Andrew's literature last Sunday, and people immediately asked, 'Ooh [yes, they did], is Wellfield no longer part of St Andrew's?' Well, the aim is to help clarify things for us. Now that Buckshaw Village Church exists, the idea is that St Andrew's is now '1 Church, 4 Congregations, and 2 Cousin Congregations'... but that's a bit of a mouthful. However, it is an opportunity to answer the question, What exactly is our relationship to St Andrew's?
[1] The terms 'Church' and 'Congregation' are, I think, a bit blurry - 'Church' is the gathering of God's people around God's Word (like the Israelites around Mount Sinai in Exodus). So we (Wellfield) aren't just part of something else - we are a church. (Hence the name of our website.) This is even more so given that we meet in a different place with a specific mission - to reach people who 'don't do church'.
[2] There are various ways of 'planting' churches. We are aiming to gradually gain independence. For the time being, we're dependent on St Andrew's financially, and accountable to the Church Council. We're grateful for the help and support. But the bigger the organisation, the more red tape, inevitably. For the sake of reaching people with the good news of Jesus we will need more and more to 'do our own thing'. (Of course, we'll always want to encourage them, and they us.)
[3] This 'moving away' is in no way saying we dislike St Andrew's, or anything they do! So, for example, the fact that we've not advertised any St Andrew's Christmas events this year does not mean we don't like them. But for the sake of our mission, we're saying we reach people through our ways. The more we throw ourselves into that, the more we'll need to pray, and own it, and the more we'll be excited about it.

12 ways to make the most of Christmas


Some of us are natural scrooges. We're wishing the next month or so away! Does your heart sink at the thought of presents to buy, shops to trawl round, food to cook…? Well think again! Christmas is a great opportunity for us as Christians. Instead of getting fed up, here’s 12 ways to make the most of it this year - if we plan now:

[1] Get to know your neighbours. Maybe you’ve been on ‘hello’ terms for years with the people on the street. Why not get them round for mulled wine and mince pies? I bet they’d come!

[2] Give you neighbours an invitation. Knocking on doors? No thanks! But at Christmas, it’s somehow natural: ‘Hello, I’m from no. 39 - we're involved in St Andrew's at Wellfield, and we're inviting people to come at Christmas...'


[3] Bring people to a Christmas service. Many people who don’t come to church love to come at Christmas - but they just want a friend to invite them. Could you be that friend?

[4] Chat to people. If you’re stuck in a shop queue for half an hour, don’t be sour-faced and miserable like everyone else - give the person behind a bit of the Christmas spirit!

[5] Invite people for Christmas day. Why should it be the same closed family group every year? Encourage someone from church by inviting them to join you!

[6] Enjoy the long evenings. They’re not something to moan about - they’re an opportunity to socialise! Don’t sit alone with the telly in December: have people round for food, drinks, games, films …

[7] Give real presents. Instead of indulging in the greedy materialism of our age, give something that counts: a Christian book, an offer of help, a financial gift to a Christian charity.

[8] Visit someone. Christmas can be a lonely time for some. Bring some cheer by taking time out of the busyness for a visit.

[9] Read a good book. Get something off '10 of those.com' that you’ll really enjoy, and have ‘Telly-free evenings’!

[10] Go to the staff parties. Spend time with colleagues … but stand out as different!

[11] Talk about Jesus … not Santa. Traditions can be fun. But don’t blur truth and lies! And show children the true wonder of Christmas, rather than ‘What are you getting…’

[12] Read your bible. Those accounts of Jesus birth in Matthew and Luke take our breath away. Why not read them afresh, and be thrilled all over again with Jesus?

Remembrance Day

I missed being at Wellfield yesterday morning! I heard you had a great time. As you know, I was at St Andrew's, speaking at the Remembrance Day service. There was a less pompous, quieter atmosphere this year than there sometimes seems to be at these things, I felt - perhaps because 112 more British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since last Remembrance Sunday. I always find it moving, and it is a truly important thing to consider the sacrifice of others on our behalf. But as I looked at the gathered crowd, it broke my heart to think that so many there do not know the wonderful life that Jesus brings.

Earlier this year we had the funeral of Marine Paul Warren at St Andrew's. A lot of his fellow Marines took part in the ceremony; and that evening I happened to be in the Eagle where they were all having a drink. They’d been drinking since the afternoon. And one lad sat on his own in the corner, near us, and made a few tearful phonecalls. Then he sat there quietly chucking up and sobbing, until his sergeant came over to talk to him.

He said, ‘Sarg - is this what it’s all about? I’ve lost two friends now. Is this what we do?’ And the Sergeant said (in a kind voice), ‘We just get up, and we get on with it. I’m going to give you 5 minutes to get yourself together, and get over there with the rest of us. But yes, we just get on and do what we do.’

I know he had to say that. And they were the words of a leader. And I understand that the Royal Marines is a hard living, hard drinking culture. And I am full of admiration for them, for what they do. But I want to say to all the lads like that, ‘We can do better! There is more!’ We can do better than train hard, work hard, and drown our sorrows. There is more to it: because there is a God, who has power over all.

I want to say to every person who feels that emptiness and worthlessness: - come back to God! With him, in the midst of death there is life. Why try and handle life without him, when we can’t? Why try and handle life without him, when what he holds out to us is so good? - Forgiveness; life; a future with no war. Why fight against him, when we could live life with him? Why settle for the pain of this world, when he holds out the gift of perfect everlasting life with him?
In the words of Psalm 46:
“Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

In a world that seems meaningless, uncertain, even disastrous sometimes - let’s remember that we find hope in the true God.

Humility and Helpfulness


We saw in Romans ch.3 on Sunday how a right view of our sin leads to humility. I've been reading on, and in ch.12 the point is made that humility affects how we relate to one another: "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought ... each member belongs to all the others." (12:3-5)


What we do affects all the other people in church. Therefore we need to think carefully before every decision and whatever we say.



  • If I spout off against another church member, I'll damage the relationship between the ones I'm speaking to and about.

  • If I'm negative about some activity we're doing, I'll stop others being involved.

What may seem to me like a casual conversation piece can have a big effect on someone. So let's make sure the effect we have is to build up, enthuse, serve their spiritual good - not drag them down. How could you do that at growth group tonight?

Pudding recipes

I thought you might like to have recipes for the puddings from last week - especially that gorgeous, decadent cheesecake!

Double Chocolate Cheesecake

Serves 8, Prep 20 mins Plus chilling

175g digestive biscuits
50g butter , melted
300g cream cheese
200g mascarpone
300g milk chocolate , melted
100g dark chocolate , melted

Crush the biscuits and mix with the melted butter. Press the biscuit mixture into the base of a 20cm springform tin. Mix the cream cheese with the mascarpone. Fold the milk chocolate into the cream cheese mix and then stir in the dark chocolate so that it looks streaky.
Spoon into the tin, level the top and chill for 2 hours or overnight.


Mary's Mum's Wholewheat apple cake

4 fresh diced apples
2 cups sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla essense
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups wholewheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)

Place diced apples in a bowl
Add sugar, oil, vanilla essence, soda, salt and eggs and mix thoroughly
Sift dry ingredients and add to wet mixture
Pour into greased pan (23cm x 35cm)
Bake at 175degC for about 30 minutes


Cream cheese topping


2 cups icing sugar
½ cup butter
100g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla

Who's the key member of your family?

Interesting. I've been reading Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, an American Psychiatrist and Psychologist, about Gender Identity Confusion in boys.

It is often said that a healthy adult relationship with the opposite sex results from a healthy childhood relationship with the opposite sex parent. This is obviously true for girls (Dr. James Dobson "Bringing up girls") where self-esteem is key to coping in the adult world relating to men. Self-esteem is something on which a father's love and affection has huge effect in girls.

How is this true for boys and how does it work? Dr. Nicolosi says that it used to be thought that GID in boys was caused by an unhealthy "symbiotic" bond between mother and son. But new observations and research shows that closeness between mother and son is fine, as long as dad is in the mix and does not withdraw. It is dad who teaches the son the appropriate level of interaction with the female world at the pre-pubescent stage, and also teaches how to relate to women in a loving, protective way. So- Dad is essential to creating a healthy relationship between mum and boy, with all the life-long consequences that gives.

This has whacked me in the brain this evening. Kirsten Birkett writes in "The essence of family", that modern culture puts mum as the lynchpin of family life, but Biblical study actually shows that dad is the key family member around which all others will gather. It's the pattern of loving patriarchy, and it's healthy.

This means that the challenge for single mums and widows with young kids is a big one. In some sense, it's right to feel like "a family without an anchor". The loss for the family is huge. And the consequences for our society of "chucking dad out with the rubbish" are more serious than I first thought, for ongoing generations.

worry and beauty!

I am blessed that at the moment I have a garden to look out on during my quiet times. I love looking out of the window before and after my prayer time and seeing the world which God has made.

For the past few weeks the trees have been green and I marvelled at how God had made so many beautiful things which I never really look at like the leaves on the trees. Each one is individual and beautiful in its own way and God made them, each one, just because He could, just because that is who He is. This morning as I looked out though, the leaves were brown, and orange, and red and we just as beautiful as when they were green. They are in a different stage of their life but still just as beautiful. Again I was reminded of our great God and how he looks after and cares for his world.

I'm reading through Luke in my quiet time and a verse comes to mind 'Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.' Luke 12:27.  This is Jesus speaking and He goes on to say that therefore we should not worry, if God cares for each individual lily, on each individual leaf, whether it's new and green or old and brown, God will take care of us.

Too often I find myself worrying about what to wear, or wishing that I had the money to buy new things but there are more important things in life to worry about. 'For the... world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.' Luke 12:30-31

Do we really want a 'new creation'?


Jesus said, "I am making everything new" (Revelation 21:5). It's a wonderful thought, when you look at horrific war zones or natural disasters or famines or injustice. But what about when you look at the best bits of this world - like when we were out walking near Kirby Lonsdale the other day?
And yes, though we've renamed the town 'Kirby Ponsedale' (they can be a little stuck up), and though there's still farm junk and thorns and barbed wire, it is staggeringly beautiful. The British countryside; the crisp frost; great oak trees; friendly cows breathing clouds of huff! (And wow: our kids not being scared of dogs!)
The best bits of this world are evidence of how amazingly God makes things. The fact he holds out to us is a new creation not of dreamy vagueness, or floating clouds. It's a remake of this world in perfection. All that's good about this world, with none of the bad bits to spoil it. The more I think about that, the more I want it. As Mark Ashton said, "We believe for death." That's when we'll see true goodness.
Of course, what will really make it is relationships (especially with Christ), rather than environment. But the point is, don't fix our eyes on environment here. When we see it at its best, say to ourselves, "There's better to come! There's better to come!" And fix our eyes there.

Happy to Serve


No - nothing to do with a cheesy burger joint. Nor tennis. But church.

Jesus tells us (and sets the example) to be joyfully willing to be a servant of the church. He was the one who washed the disciples' feet. He was the one who gave up his life for our sake.

It never comes naturally to serve others, because we all think our needs are greater, and that our time is more precious than others'. But the funny thing is, the more we learn joyful service, the more we find we've got more time and more energy. Try it this week!

God, the Bible and Homosexuality

Reading through the letter to the 'Romans' in the bible on Sunday mornings has all sorts of challenges. But culturally, the bit on Sunday morning was as tough as it comes: chapter 1, verses 18-32. People don't like the idea of the wrath of God, nor the idea that other points of view to Christianity are a sign of God's judgement. We're not allowed today to make exclusive claims to truth. But perhaps most difficult of all is what's said about homosexuality: that it is a 'perversion'.
People object to these words, or try to get round them in all sorts of ways. But they only make sense in the whole bible picture: that originally God made man and woman to enjoy sex within the context of marriage. It's not that God is anti sex, or trying to spoil our fun. The truth is, he's a generous, fun, good God.

Of course, all sorts of questions are raised (as they were on Sunday) about the nature of homosexuality - and there are wonderful answers for those who will hear. As Christians, our responsibility is to recognise the truth and goodness of God's word, and to lovingly persuade others of it; for Romans chapter 1 is there because the first step to receiving 'salvation' is acknowledging the darkness of the human heart.

Harry Brown: Jesus gone wrong!




Have you seen the film? It's classic Michael Caine: good old-fashioned working class man has enough of the violent louts on the estate. It's gritty, for sure - the opening scene is of a couple of lads burning a little motorbike round the estate, shooting at a mum with a pram for fun. And it's deeply satisfying, as the old man Harry Brown decides he can do something (with perfect one-liners thrown in: 'You should have called an ambulance - for the girl!').
But as one critic (voxy.co.nz) points out: 'Even the basic tenant of vigilantism, not exactly a hot new concept, gets a stupefyingly simplistic treatment – it just plain works. Kill the kids who are part of your neighbourhood’s woes and the problems will simply go away.'
I thought the film was great. But, yes, the simplistic plot sells us short on four accounts:
(a) In real life, you can't do it. You can't sort out the problems. 'I see violence and strife in the city, day and night' (Psalm 55:9). We have to watch films about it, because real life it so rarely ends well.
(b) The film portrayed the depth of evil very well, and the reality of a godless society. But the seeds of utter depravity in the young thugs were sown by the previous generations who thought there was decent morality without Christ. Start making your own rules, and that's where it leads. Harry Brown: I'd rather have you as my neighbour than most. But you too are partly responsible for the mess. 'There is no-one righteous, not even one' (Romans 3:10).
(c) Films like this presuppose that Jesus is pretend. And if he's pretend, we have to take judgement into our own hands. But he will judge, utterly and fairly, in reality. I love the Michael Caine and Clint Eastwood characters. But they're hopelessly pale shadows of the real thing. And we have what they're craving: 'Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.' (Romans 12:19)
(d) With Jesus, there is the hope of mercy. The society in Harry Brown's estate seems totally beyond redemption. So kill 'em. Actually, we've seen that the grace of God has the most incredible power to turn the hardest of them. Lives ravaged by heroin, violence, lovelessness and perversion of every kind are not beyond the power of God's Spirit. We've got plenty of testimonies to prove it. It's true that 'There but by the grace of God go I'; but it goes further still: my sin is no less serious in living my 'upright' life ... in total disregard for my loving Maker. 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst.' (1 Timothy 1:15)

Devoted to ... the apostle's teaching


What is a church? And what should it do?

Acts 2:42-47 in the bible give us a snapshot of what the first church was all about. This is the first in a series of five short articles on those fundamentals.

There are many things in the world which people use to base their life on. Some base their life on the culture they find themselves in, others choose a teacher, or a philosophy, a book or whatever pops in to their head on a minute by minute basis. Most Christians have based our lives on something like this in the past but have come to realise that these ways of doing things really don’t satisfy. Instead we believe we have a better way of life, something better to base of lives on!

We believe we have found the person who showed us how to live and who died and rose again so that we could have the 'slate wiped clean' and start to live this new life. This person was Jesus Christ; but Jesus lived two thousand years ago. So how do we go about following this God-man today?

Well Jesus prepared for this by choosing twelve men (‘Apostles’) who would live with him and whom he would teach, so that after he had died, risen and gone to heaven, they could stay and teach others about this amazing good news. So its no surprise that when we look at Acts 2 we find the first gatherings of Jesus' followers listening carefully to these men, and being ‘devoted’ to their teaching. They wanted to know what Jesus' life and death had meant and how it affected them.

As the church grew and the apostles got older it seemed wise for them to write down what they witnessed and what they had been taught so that future generations could benefit as well. When the writing was done, all those letters and books and visions of the future were eventually collected together and form what is known as the New Testament. This is the completion of all God has to say to mankind until he comes again. That’s why Christians, including the church at Wellfield, devote ourselves to it to this day!

We do this in a number of ways: we read the Bible by ourselves; we read and study in small groups; and we listen to someone explain it every Sunday. But if this is all we did, it would be a good start … but it wouldn't really be devotion - because knowing what the Bible says is only the first step. So the real challenge is to help one another to live out the teaching and example of Jesus on a day to day basis. It affects our conversations. It means we want to spend more time together. It means we care about each others’ lives. Because we know that the apostles’ teaching is life to us.

I believe in a God of love!

I went to the 'Evangelists Conference' yesterday. The speaker was Sinclair Ferguson. (A Gordon Brown look-a-like ... and sound-a-like.) He made the point that when people say, 'I believe in a God of love', the honest answer is usually, 'No you don't.'

See, if you really believed in a God of love, you'd adore him and entrust everything to him; he'd be your passion and your life. The truth is, we generally believe the same lie that Eve fell for in the garden: that God is not being good to us. He doesn't have our best interests at heart. The truth more often is, 'I believe in a spoilsport God, a cruel God.'

Even as Christians, whenever we do our thing, instead of obeying God, we're doing the same thing: we're saying we don't believe God is good. Even after he's proved his love by sending his Son to die for us, we still hold back from him. What a bunch of eegits.

Wish I could have a chat with Russell Brand



That's assuming I would be able to get a word in.

Just watched Russell Brand on Newsnight, and, although his high-energy speeches and unnecessary use of long words become tedious, it was fascinating to hear him say that he believes in God, is scared of death, and wants to make himself a better person but isn't finding it very easy.

It made me really want to have the chance to chat to him. He's reaching out for something greater than himself, but he doesn't know where to look. I am so grateful that I don't have to reach out into the darkness and find nothing to grab onto. Various people showed me, all those years ago, how I could meet God and be confident in the face of life and death. Where do we meet God? Only in the person of Jesus.

It is life. No guilt or slavery to my own weaknesses. No sting in death. Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Tony Curtis - what a legend!

So Tony Curtis is dead. I have to say he was one of the MOST gorgeous actors of his time. And young, strong and talented.

It really shocked me to see pictures of him as an old man. Just brings it home, that we are not long for this world, and whatever we have now (health, youth, family, money, strength) is not ours to keep. I don't know if Tony was ready to meet God, but I'm trusting Jesus to make me ready.

How is it POSS?

We've got good news. We want people to know about it. That's one of the main reasons we exist. Just to keep ourselves motivated, we've said we want 40 adults to be meeting regularly together by October next year. We'll see how it goes, under God. The question is, how's it going to happen?

We don't believe we're so impressive or attractive that people will flock to us. We not going to stand on the street corners and shout about it, or do much knocking on people's doors. No real objection to those things - we just don't think it gets the message across very well. (And understandably puts some people off!) We just want to keep telling people we know and meet. Not in a scary intense way. But we pray for people; organise our social lives; actually socialise; and, as opportunity arises, speak. (And listen, too!)

Book review: "Bringing up Boys" - James Dobson


I've only read five chapters, and I love it already. Having said that, I wasn't expecting anything else. James Dobson is one of the best Christian authors on the family and parenthood around. Some classics well worth reading are "The strong willed child", "Dare to discipline", and "What wives wish their husbands knew about women".

Some quotes from chapter 5 of "Bringing up Boys":

"Historically, when the family begins to unravel in a given culture, everything from the effectiveness of government to the general welfare of the people is adversely impacted.....the future of Western civilisation depends on how we handle this present crisis...Nations that are populated largely by immature, immoral, weak-willed, cowardly, and self-indulgent men cannot and will not long endure."

"We must make the necessary investment to counter these influences and to build within our boys lasting qualities of character, self-discipline, respect for authority, commitment to the truth, a belief in the work ethic, and an unshakeable love for Jesus Christ."

Very helpful. We know the challenges of our particular culture, and we know the challenges of our particular children! Perhaps we don't apreciate the likely consequences of our efforts with them now. An encouragement to all christian parents to keep at it, and to those whose kids are boys, a challenge in the face of a huge social attack on manhood and masulinity, to nurture healthy character in our sons.

ten in two

I stumbled across a blog the other day and one post stopped me in my tracks. It was just what I had been thinking I should be doing with my life... Only the writer was actually doing it!

I really, really want you to have a read. It's short.
Here's the link to the post. Go on, read it now - I'll be here when you get back.

*    *    *    *   *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Good isn't it?

I think he's summed up pretty clearly what were trying to do at Wellfield. His challenge is to help ten people get to know Jesus and become Christians and his timescale for doing that is two years.

Do you remember at growth group when we were talking about where we'd like to be when Wellfield is five years old? That's two years off, almost exactly.

Who is up for the challenge?

I think having 'ten in two' as our main goal (both as individuals and as a Church) would absolutely transform Wellfield. It would totally change our priorities, wouldn't it?

We will have to rethink how we use our time, our service, our homes. Our prayer lives will change. It will affect the choices we make for our kids and our friendships.

But we'll be in it together - You get to know my mates, I get to know yours and we share Jesus together.

So, each of us aiming at ten people in two years? Are you up for it?

I'll post again later in the week with some ideas for how we could do it and with some encouragement if, like me, you read this challenge and felt like hiding for the next two years instead.

Godly saints and old hags

Fron Mark's sermon this morning:

There are two types of old lady, aren't there? The lovely type... and the other. If you want to end up as the lovely, godly type, start practising now! Olive Bell, whose funeral was this week, was one of the first type. She was lovely. I remember her talking about when she and Ray had their son, how they lived in one room, with a curtain to pull across after the baby went to bed! It was one of her many fond memories!

Her granddaughter asked her to write answers to a load of questionsin her old age. One of the questions was this: "what's the best advice you could give to a younger person?", and her answer was this: "always be optimistic; look on the bright side; the Lord will provide and be with us always."

That's a lesson to our whinging generation. One for me anyway.

The Pope, Humanism and Hitler

"As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the 21st century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society".

This is the conclusion of Pope Benedict XVI's speech today, with which the British Humanist Society has been so offended. Nice to have the boot on the other foot, and use the "intolerance" card to show the aggressive atheist and secular agenda for what it is. The Pope knows about the Nazis. He was in the Hitler Youth, and deserted from the army of the 3rd Reich towards the end of the war.

As Mark washed the dishes and I sat on the sofa reading about all this, Mark made the point that people only ever (try to) get rid of God so that they can do evil. So, although no papist myself, it is great to have someone with such a platform pointing these things out. Nice one, Benedict old man.

Dog Blog

At the top of the blog page, there's a button that says 'Next Blog'. I didn't know we had another one, so I clicked on it. Turns out, it just takes you to another random blog. I clicked through about 10 or 15 other blogs. What was interesting was not the blogs (no way, mostly...), but that of that small number, three of them - yes, THREE of them! - where about people's dogs!

Now, I like dogs. At least, some dogs. And I like it that people have them at pets, and I'm happy for them to like them. But really, who thinks the world wants to know about their dog? Are these people dyslexic or something? Surely the world wants to know about God, not their Dog.

The order of things as laid out in the Bible is: God, people, animals. So in Genesis 3, as sin enters the world, it is seen in the order being turned upside down. The serpent leads the woman, who leads the man, who both disobey God. It's nice to have pets. But our obsession with pets as a society is a sign of rebellion against God. We care more for flea-ridden muts than we do about the glorious creator of all and giver of life.

Jennifer Aniston on families


So Jennifer Aniston thinks it's just SO GREAT, we can have babies in our 40s, 50s and beyond, via medical whizzery. No need for a real man. Or a relationship. Or a family.

Jennifer Aniston doesn't know the God who made her. What does she really have? She's rich, pretty and famous. Dog poo.

Families are surely complicated, none can claim to be perfect, and some are very unusual in the way they work (!). But Ms. A. doesn't know better than God about the best place for kids. I think I'll stick with what he says.

Holiday of a lifetime?


Aah! We've just got back from holiday. And the truth is, we're really glad to be back! Not because we had a rubbish time. (We didn't.) Not because the kids were driving us mad. (They weren't.) Not because the weather spoiled it. (It couldn't.) We're glad to be back because that's what holidays are for - coming home from!
If you live and work for holidays, they tend to leave you just slightly disappointed, don't they? 'You can have the best time ever, do whatever you want, spend money...' - and deep down, there's a nagging frustration. (Even if it's just because you know it's coming to an end soon.) But the question is, what are you living for? We're refreshed and rested, and grateful for the privilege of another family holiday. But we've come back to get on with the purpose of our lives: - to live for Jesus, to tell people about Jesus, that they may come to have life in his name just as we have done. Isn't that great?!

quiet times - help!



Time to share some ideas and encouragements for quiet times!

When we chatted about regular Bible reading and prayer a few months ago, most of us said that holiday time is difficult and it's at this sort of time that our routine wobbles, wavers or goes out of the window entirely.

I know I'm finding it hard!

But September is coming, and along with it, the urge to buy new pens. It's a good time for a fresh start. So leave a comment with a recommendation of something worth reading or tell us what you're planning to read when September comes or share a tip for prayer. Any ideas and encouragements will be a real help!

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. (Psalm 5:3)

Longing for home


Recently I've had the task of arranging the service for my mum's funeral. Dad had said that one of mum's favourite hymns was "Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer" (sometimes "Great Jehovah"), known to most people as the "Bread Of Heaven" song. Whilst looking up the lyrics online I came across one of two original verses which had since been omitted. The one which particularly struck me was this:
Musing on my habitation,
Musing on my heav’nly home,
Fills my soul with holy longings:
Come, my Jesus, quickly come;
Vanity is all I see;
Lord, I long to be with Thee!
Lord, I long to be with Thee!
What really gets me is that the hymn writer (called William Williams a Welshman, believe it or not!) brilliantly weighs up life here and life in heaven, and the result is a strong longing to be with Jesus. 
Over the past week I've been thinking a lot about John 14:1-6 (see below) for a talk I had to do. I've read those words loads of times over the years but after everything that mum's been through and all the grief we're going through, it's such a personal comfort and joy to know that she's now in the wonderful place prepared for her by Jesus. What's more I know these aren't empty promises about life after death from Jesus, but words spoken by the One who came from His Father's house to earth and who rose again from the dead. In other words, stuff from someone who knows what He's talking about when it comes to the afterlife.
And as I read these words of Jesus once again, I'm left like William Williams - longing to be there myself.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." 

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"  Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:1-6)

talking and walking

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
I think this is the biggest and best part of teaching our children about Jesus.  It's a big challenge to those of us who are parents of young children. As fun and important as ‘Bible times’ are, there is nothing like just getting in the groove of chatting naturally with our kids about Jesus. I think that’s a big step for most of us: we often find it hard to talk about Jesus with our close Christian friends and it can feel even more strange and peculiar talking to a 2 year old about God!

When Mikey first moved in, I didn't feel like a ‘natural’ mum – you know, one of those women who just know what to do with babies because they’ve just got the maternal knack. I had to learn how to talk to a baby and I felt a bit self-conscious doing baby-talk and singing nursery rhymes when other people were around! I soon learned though!!

It’s a bit like that with chatting to them about Jesus – it’s something we often need to consciously learn rather than being something that just comes naturally. BUT I think it’s an essential. It’s too easy to slip in to the mentality that says, “my kids learn about Jesus at Sunday club”, or, “reading a Bible story before bed is enough”. We don’t do that with any other part of their education, so why do it with the most important and thrilling part?

For example: we don’t expect our kids to learn numbers because we count to 10 once a day – no, we count the steps as we walk up stairs, we sing number songs, we tell them ‘one more’ go on the slide, we count mouthfuls of food and count as we play hide and seek.

Numbers are handy to know, but Jesus? Essential!!

What opportunities could you take over the next few days to talk to your kids about Jesus? I’ve started posting some ideas and examples of what our family does on this blog. Why not share your ideas and experience - we could all do with a good bit of encouragement in this area!

Alice xx

Don't worry, be ... sleepy!


On Sunday, Mike preached on Psalm 3. If you know Psalms 1 and 2 to be true, you can begin to learn not to worry. As the Colin Buchanan goes, "The Lord is King, he's gonna look after everything." David, in a nightmare situation ... well, he doesn't have a nightmare. He can sleep sound. Because he knows the Lord is taking care of it all. Two lines stood out in the sermon for me. The first was that it's not about peace from trouble, but peace during trouble. God doesn't make life easy, but helps us through the difficulties. And second, there's nothing God likes more than to hear his children's prayers. The way God loves to work is in answer to our prayer for help. Not that no harm will ever come to us - but ultimately, he will deliver us.

Near the end of Paton!

We've nearly finished reading through John Paton's autobiography on Friday mornings! As I was reading it last night, I thought, "What are we going to talk about from the end of 'Part Second?'!" It's just a bunch of info about how he raised money for a new ship. But wow: (a) the way people gave to his work was seriously sacrificial - a real challenge to our attitudes to money; and (b) doing admin is not the enemy of Christian ministry - doing it well is very much a part of Christian ministry. They were the things I was really challenged about.

The blessing of birthdays


Someone asked me this morning, 'Is there a special birthday prayer in the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer?' I've had a look: there's a thanksgiving prayer 'For fair Weather', 'For restoring Publick Peace at Home', 'For Deliverance from the Plague, or other common Sickness' and 'For Rain' (a Lancashire special). But none for birthdays. Perhaps back in 1662 they didn't bother with birthdays. Maybe, like some rural African friends I've had, they didn't even know their birthday or how old they were!


I'm 37 today. As I think back over those years, I'm deeply grateful for the life on earth God has given me. For some (strange) reason, I never expected to live past my 20s; by rights, I never should have - road accidents, hernia, rheumatic fever, measles, malaria, snake bite ... and as I think of other near misses, I'm quite sobered. But here I am with the blessings of a wonderful wife and three children, a great church and exciting ministry, and so much more.


The headstones in the graveyard remind me that plenty have died before this age. I've conducted several funerals of younger people. A birthday is a great opportunity to thank the Lord. He may not give me another - but he has been extremely gracious to allow me what I've had. Nothing on earth is ours to keep. But while he gives us good to enjoy, we thank him.


God's zoo


We went to the zoo yesterday! I'm not big on anti-evolution (who cares how God made it?); but how can anyone look at the wierd and wonderful animal kingdom and not admit there is a beautiful and creative God?


There were information signs up everywhere saying how much people are just the same as animals and stuff like that; why can't we just enjoy them for what they are?