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Earlier this year I was preparing for a sermon series and, as often happens, found I needed to ask God some questions about myself in order to have any integrity when finally communicating the messages. Being a simple musician at heart, God stooped to my level and planted some music themed ideas in my head.

Since I delivered the series a few people have found this imagery of the church and their place in it helpful, so here it is:

God is the worlds Music Director. He wants music to be played that inspires people to relate to Him. He gave musical gifts to everybody, including an instrument to play and a genre that suited them. He then appointed orchestra conductors around the globe; often many in one city, town or village. Each orchestra conductor had a different genre or musical flavour and it was their job to form an orchestra and shape it in such a way that it enjoyed the music it played and its genre was attractive and accessible to the public.

The music made is a collaboration of God-gifted musicians, God chosen conductors and God-inspired genres.

Here are some points to chew over:

• The Orchestra Conductor (pastor) has no say in the giftedness of the musicians (followers) – God reserves this for Himself.
• The Orchestra Conductor will enjoy a different genre from other conductors in the same city, it’s just God’s love of variety and His wisdom in ensuring there’s something for everyone.
• The musicians in any one orchestra (church) should be drawn to the clear genre (flavour) of the conductor.
• The musicians who want to play in the public performances need to be committed to practising at home (devotions) and orchestra rehearsals (discipleship).

I guess lots more can be drawn from this and to be fait it’s probably not half as good as the image of the body given by the Apostle Paul in scripture, but hey, it worked for me.

God bless.

the revster.

So poor old John Sergeant has found himself having to resign from one of Britain’s most popular T.V shows because in his words, “there was a real chance I might win it”.

The process leading up to the Strictly Come Dancing’s most popular celebrity participant resigning has been a little tumultuous (if indeed anything can be “a little” tumultuous) with show’s judges and Sargeant’s fellow participants making noises of displeasure at his continued presence in the competition.

Better dancers were being voted out by the judges as they found themselves placed in the dance-off by the public. The result of this may well have been that the final would be decided by one competent dancer and an incompetent one though adored by the public.

So here is my take on it. John Sergeant should not have withdrawn from the show. Why? Because one of the shows central premises is that the public get to decide who faces the judges in a dance-off. What makes the show so accessible is that it purposefully set out to bow to the whims of the British public. To then blame the public or even the struggling dancer for making it through safely each week is grossly unfair. If the show’s producers wanted to guarantee emerging with the most talented dancers in the final stages then they should have relied solely on a judging panel of experts and not have implemented a public voting system. If John Sargeant had won, it would not have meant that the public thought he was the most talented dancer, rather that they thought he was the nicest and most accessible personality.

If the show’s producers wanted to guarantee emerging with the most talented dancers in the final stages then they should have relied solely on a judging panel of experts and not have implemented a public voting system

Democracy hardly ever results in the election of the best person for the job but almost always the person who has the ability to capture the spirit of the moment.

What a privilege it was for me on Sunday, though heavy with a cold and losing my voice, to preach the final sermon in a very important series at New Life, Scunthorpe. The series, “Service with a Smile” was designed to help the church launch a volunteer revolution and to encourage newlifers understand more about themselves and feel confident in offering their service to God.

The end of the series brought the start of a new season – a season where newlifers recognise how God has knitted them together and where leaders engage with people on this journey and create opportunities for meaningful service.

You can hear this final message in the series by clicking above. The message is highly New Life specific but I hope the heart of it is clear - for the Church of Jesus to embrace this journey from servitude into servanthood releasing resource into local churches everywhere.

God bless.

therevster

As I was leaving the venue after leading my final youth meeting as Youth Pastor, I was chased down by a young man who wanted to pray for me. Jamie layed his hands on me and prayed a passionate and powerful prayer. Jamie had Downs Syndrome but if anything, his condition allowed him to switch into the Holy Spirit’s wavelengths and speak very prophetically in very simple terms. One such example is when, during a ministry time he took the platform and said to the worshippers, “If you don’t have a dream, you can never have a dream come true”. Not original, but it was timely and poignant.

I like to think that since that time, around seven years ago, I and many of the church family around me have become more accomplished at dreaming big dreams and nurturing expansive visions. These kinds of words are now a natural part of our vocabulary and some people have witnessed their Godly dreams come to pass. Yet, many good and faithful people haven’t and have even given up on their dreams.

I was fascinated to read a newspaper article by the film director Ken Russell in which he quoted a fellow New York based director Marshall Mason. “Most people in the world have a dream”, Mason says, “But New Yorkers have the guts, drive and pizzazz to make that dream come true.” The quote of course is greatly exaggerated, but does highlight correctly the positivity and ambition of many New Yorkers as well as their tireless energy in the pursuit of their goals.

“New Yorkers have the guts, drive and pizzazz to make that dream come true.”

Now “guts”, “drive” and “pizzazz” are not the most spiritual of words but there is something about them which sits very comfortably with the encouragment of the bible for followers of Jesus to advance His kingdom. For “guts” substitute, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self‑discipline (2 Tim 1:7)”. For “drive” try “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me (Phil 3:12).” Finally for “pizzazz”, how about, “So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13)”

The Bible never discourages believers having “ambition”, rather warns us only against “selfish ambition”. So if you have a godly dream then be ambitious about it and add some New York flavour to your pursuit of it with a bit of guts, drive and the Holy Spirit’s pizzazz.

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The French President, Nicholas Sarkozy has called for “a blossoming of religions“. Why would he do such a thing in the face of increasing secularisation of Europe? Monsieur Sarkozy explains, “A man who believes is a man who hopes” and he clearly considers no greater form of belief than that which is held by people who are devoted to a religion.

If ever there was a people that needed belief and hope, it is the people of the U.K in this season. Things that were once deemed safe and secure have proven unreliable; property value, banks, job security. In an effort to prop up the national economy the Government is having to borrow heavily, certainly a not risk-free act in this present climate.

Followers of Jesus Christ have an antedote to the rising atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. The testimony of any Christian is based on the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus made relevant in contemporary circumstances - it is a neat package of hope and belief.

The testimony of any Christian is based on the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus made relevant in contemporary circumstances - it is a neat package of hope and belief.

Though our own politicians are fearful of bringing God into politics, let those of us who follow Jesus take inspiration from President Sarkozy and deliver our packages with prayerful confidence.

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CBS Outdoor, an advertising company specialising in advertisments on public transport, are about to launch an ungodly campaign. It’s reported that the Athiest Bus Campaign supported by people such as Professor Richard Dawkins have funded the following advert: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy life”.

For Christians, this advertising campaign is so annoying, because it seems detrimental to our cause. Our cause of course is to spread the good news that Jesus the Christ came to save sinners. The son of God is wanting to rescue people like me from our hopelessness and replace it with true and eternal hope. Yet it’s important that Christians don’t react in the wrong way to this campaign.

The best reaction is one of prayer, calling on the mercy of God to forgive us and our country for our current state whilst also battling in prayer against the spiritual powers which are key in this manouvre. One of the worst reactions would be to make a big public fuss about these adverts. Christians of course have used adverts, even on a national scale, regularly. Consider the Alpha campaigns which too use the rear and side of London Buses to market the course exploring Christianity.

To complain publicly about the Athiest ads would open the door, quite rightly, for opponents of Christianity to condemn us as unfair at best and hypocrites at worst.

I am reminded that even our Lord Jesus Himself didn’t go around complaining about people who didn’t believe He was who He said he was, no not a hint of it. He did however, have harsh things to say to people whose walk didn’t match their words and also to people of office whose behaviour left much to be desired.

So, let us be annoyed and even angry if this bus campaign bursts onto the streets of London. But let it drive us to righteous acts and righteous prayer.

therevster

During a recent chat with my Board at the Church I was reminded that I have been the Senior Pastor of New Life for over seven years. The Board have decided that it would be great for me to have a sabbatical and I gratefully accepted and will be taking a couple of months “out” in Winter/Spring 2009. They also recommended that I take a week away as soon possible before the Christmas season starts and before we launch the second phase of a Community Project.

 So here I am. In a log cabin (mobile home with wood laminate cladding) just north of York. I’m miles from anywhere and without a vehicle and its bliss. I have a well stocked fishing lake just a few steps from my door and scenery to die for.  I have a fishing rod, camera, guitar and a few books and intend to both relax and find some refreshment in my spirit.

Being a preacher I can’t help but collect anecdotes from life and I’m sure a few will appear in this blog over the coming week. Today however I want to do some product placement and recommend a recording artist to you.

My Worship Pastor passed me a CD of a singer/songwriter he had recently come across called Jason Upton. I had never heard of him but listened to his latest album last night and it was something very special. The songs on the album are recorded live at various churches around the USA and it sounds quite raw but don’t let this put you off. The worship songs are very free flowing, some a clearly spontaneous and most have a propheticness to them which overcomes any style issues people may have.

I have to be careful because I know nothing about Jason Upton, his life or his beliefs. Gift without character is a dangerous thing and I am ignorant about the latter, however Jason Upton’s giftedness is without question and God uses his songs to unlock people and speak to their hearts.

I’ve been having some profound heart experiences lately, in-line with where God is leading my church, and yesterday walking in the countryside listening to this album was something I won’t forget and I hope affects me for the better in some way.

Album: Jason Upton: 1200ft Below Sea Level.

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God bless.

I wonder if you have ever engaged in some act of Christian service and done so with great effort but soon found that there is no joy in it and that it seems a bit of a chore. Perhaps you’re feeling like that right now - about the acts of service your engaging in within your local church. The last thing you would call this is Service with a Smile - yet in your heart of hearts you know that serving Jesus and his church should be rewarded with joy and peace and happiness.

In Session 3 of a recent series of talks titled, “Service with a Smile, I explain that the cause of this is all down to the type of fuel we put in at our spiritual service station. The talk causes us to take a look at our motivations and often well hidden roots of our service and highlights 3 possible areas of concern. If you like you can think of them as 3 types of fuel which are incompatible with Service with a Smile.

If we want joy and peace and happiness as a bi-product of our service then we have to discover a place where our primary motivation is love. But what happens when far too many believers have guilt or duty or favour as a catalyst for their service.

Find out by continuing to listen to this podcast and the 3rd part of the series Service with a Smile.
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This is Russ Westfield saying God bless and thanks for listening.

According to a scientific study, the funniest joke in the world has been found. Personally, I find the winning joke very funny. The chances are though that many of the people reading this newspaper would not find it funny in the slightest.

Our personal preferences are a very powerful thing and are most often revealed in our initial reactions to different experiences, e.g. whether we laugh at a joke, whether we cry at a film, whether we find a restaurant appealing.

Interestingly, some of the most influential decisions we can ever make are ones which are done contradictory to our personal preferences. These decisions are the ones which take us outside our comfort zone, challenge our mindset or require extra will-power. Millionaires have found success by being adventurous, real life heroes have changed peoples lives by performing unusual feats, I have been recently deeply affected by reading a book which I would usually steer well clear of.

I would encourage you to venture out of your comfort zone and try something new. Try it by changing a small thing in your daily routine as well as doing something which needs a bit of courage. You will be surprised at the opportunities it will bring. Why not visit a church this weekend and experience something new – it could open up a whole new world for you.

Oh, the funniest joke in the world. Here goes. Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, “My friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator says “Calm down. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says “OK, now what?”

Well done for making it to this page of the newspaper. I can guarantee that one thing you are not short of is information. It screams at you and me from every page, through television screens and of course the internet.

Within all this information are gems of wisdom which assist us in living life better. There is no doubt that we all have enough tips and techniques floating around in our minds which if put into practice would make our lives more enjoyable and productive. So why do people like you and I see so little improvement to our all too often mundane days. The simple answer is that “knowing things” will never make a difference if it doesn’t affect our diaries.

For anything to change it has to make it into your diary in order for you to give time to it. Here are some examples; Knowing you need to show more affection to your children is not enough – you will have to plan some “child time” into your day; Men, if you want to bring a spark back into your marriage, then plan 10 minutes a week to buy a bunch of flowers for your partner; If you’re pressured by a heavy workload then you might benefit by a 30 minute slot on each Monday morning planning your week carefully.

In order to give yourself a chance of having a truly fulfilling life experience let me recommend two more tips; Plan a trip to a church each weekend and allow yourself to experience the wonder of a powerful and loving God; lastly, spend just one minute at the start of each morning asking God to reveal something important to you through the day. If you don’t believe in God, try it anyway, He believes in you.