Life Principle #1

Leave memorials from things God has done.

Mark Wilson from City Gates Church came to speak at FHCC on Sunday. He said so much noteworthy stuff, that it wouldn't do it justice to record it all here, but I'll pull out one or two thought-provoking points. Firstly, he gave me a message from God, likening me to Tim Henman, which really would confuse you if you weren't there at the time. Suffice to say, I'm feeling encouraged that God DOES have plans for me, he IS pleased with what I've managed to do for him up until this point, and he ISN'T just a git who enjoys making me suffer.

Secondly, (and here's where Life Principle #1 comes in,) Mark reminded me of the importance of memorials. If God does something good (and if you really think about it, you'll find he does something good very often indeed,) you should make some kind of record of it; write about it, take a photo, come over all Israelite and build an altar - anything which will remind you of God's goodness, and which, when asked about it, will enable you to tell other people about God's goodness. It builds your faith, and it helps you tell people about Jesus. Cunning, eh? And if we set up memorials for what God has done, it'll give our kids a headstart in getting to know God themselves. Mark even says he wants his kids to start from where he left off. Why expect the next generation to start from scratch and fight to get as far as we have? Why not give them the chance to do things for God we've only dreamed of? I'm with Mark on this. Let's give our kids our ceiling as their floor.

So, amazingly, the England cricket team can actually play a bit. Victory in the ashes is sweet indeed. 18 years of ridicule from those insufferably smug antipodean gobshites are finally over. Which was enough to put a spring in my step this morning, despite making my way to work for the seventh day of a job which a trained dog, nay, a trained canary could do. I'm amazed they haven't found a canary for the position actually - they wouldn't even have to pay him £6.50 an hour. It is a relief to be working at all at the moment, but I hope I find something a bit more stimulating soon. I'm practically gnawing my own hands off in sheer boredom. I wonder if the England team need anyone to polish their trophies for them?

Greenbelt

For the uninitiated, Greenbelt is an arts festival, taking place at Cheltenham race course every August bank holiday weekend. No showers, unfortunately, but plenty of thought provoking stuff to see and do. Greenbelt is basically a Christian event, but without the huge worship meetings you find at Soul Survivor, for example. The ethos is that different ideas are shared and explored, but you won't catch anyone telling you what to think. This year was my first Greenbelt experience. Good food, good beer, good company and lots to argue about. I'll be going back, I think.

Probably the seminar that will stick in my memory the most is Jonathan Bartley's exploration of post-Christendom politics. I won't attempt a complete description of his ideas, because I wouldn't do them justice, but the basic thrust of his argument is this:

• The church began as a minority movement, subversive to the government of the day in not just a religious but a political way
• When Constantine declared the whole Roman empire to be Christian, and institutionalised the faith, this dynamic changed profoundly
• We today need to accept that Christianity is no longer part of the institution of this country - effectively we're back to how the church began
• Our values no longer reflect those of the establishment, and we need to have the courage, the faith and the creativity to live out these values, even, indeed especially, when they are politically subversive

Hmmm. The church as a movement for anarchy. Does this mean I can go and set fire to things? And how do we square this viewpoint with the idea that "there is no authority except that which God has established" (Romans 13:1)? Is there any way of submitting ourselves to the government, while still subverting it?

The frenzy of summer festivals is over and I'm home. I'm facing life as a temp, and reflecting on what's gone before. In fact, now I've finished as church youth worker, I'm reflecting on the past three years, which have gone by in a blur. This, of course, is the point where the self-doubt kicks in. Have I really accomplished anything worthwhile? Would the church's youth ministry have looked any different now if they'd hired someone else three years ago? Was resigning just wimping out? I suppose deep down I'm still sure that resigning was the right decision, but the future still looks very uncertain. I'm in the middle of preparing something on "manna in the desert" for Graceland tomorrow night, and it's uncanny how similar my thought process at the moment is to the Israelites.

"Wow. The desert/unemployment isn't much fun. Was this really God's idea? Come to think of it, Egypt/church youth work wasn't so bad. At least I had enough food/money there. Shouldn't I just go back? I can't even provide for my family/myself and my wife. Manna/temping's all well and good, but I'd feel a lot more secure if I could plan a it further in advance..."

I know it's all about God teaching me to rely on him, it's just not exactly enjoyable. I just hope I don't have to wait 40 years to enter the promised land...