Recently we took Reggie Dabbs on a schools tour of the UK. Reggie spoke to over 1000 students throughout one of the days. One noticeable factor was the lack of enthusiasm and energy on behalf of the staff. I have been in a lot of schools over the years, but I have never seen such a depressed group of people who ironically have been empowered and employed to energise, mobilise and empower teenagers to fulfill their dreams. The irony of the situation is compounded by the fact that the school has major challenges with regard to discipline etc.
PERHAPS the problem is not the students, but the those who are there to teach them. The staff room was depressing, lacking enthusiasm, fun and a general sense of LIFE and WELL BEING.
Leaders are responsible for creating atmosphere. Perhaps if the teaching staff choose to enjoy, rather than endure and love rather than lack...maybe the school will do lot better.
Atmosphere is determined by:
1. CHOICE - someone said, "people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be"
2. DETERMINATION - persistence is the key to creating anything - ask Thomas Edison
3. INTENTION - be clear - what do you want to achieve?
Leaders create atmosphere. If you don't, someone else will! The fact is: If you don't create atmosphere...then you are NOT the leader!
On a different note, we walked out of a movie later that day. After 8 minutes, it became clear that the rated 15 movie, should in fact have had an 18 rating. I spoke to the manger of the cinema who refused to refund the tickets (the money goes straight to the movie people) but I asked for a refund on food and drinks to which he graciously complied. He stated that movies that previously had a 18 rating are now classified as 15 - and previous 15 ratings are now 12a. I don't even want to think what a rated 18 movie is!
I am going to write to the licensing board for movies. WHY? because I want to! And because I want my kids to grow up in a world that is better for having had me in it.
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Bristol, Jason and Cost
One of the highlights of life in the ministry is lifelong friendship that you get to make - like Jason & Kim. I first met Jason 5 years ago at a conference in Vanderbiljt Park in South Africa. We were both speaking at it, and continued to do so over the next three years. Jason was the youth Pastor and Edge church in Adelaide, and was the person who asked Jaedon if he was a legend (See an earlier blog about spaceships and legends.)
Several years ago I jokingly said to Jason that it was nice that he was living in Australia, but that if he lived in England, he could truly change the world! It was a vain attempt on my part to coax him over to the promise land.
Two years, I was in Sydney airport, and Jason phoned me. His first words were ... "Guess what?" So i did. I said "...you are moving to England..." I was half joking, but he said that he was and that he was looking forward to moving to Bristol to the new church plant from Edge church.
Jason and Kim are now the Pastors of Edge Church Bristol - here to change a nation.
Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything. In Luke 14:25-35 Jesus tells us that we need to be prepared to give up, family, friends, culture and comfort in order to be a true disciple of his. Good on ya Jase, Kim and the kids...you are modern day heroes! Believing in a fantastic future for you in Bristol and beyond
Several years ago I jokingly said to Jason that it was nice that he was living in Australia, but that if he lived in England, he could truly change the world! It was a vain attempt on my part to coax him over to the promise land.
Two years, I was in Sydney airport, and Jason phoned me. His first words were ... "Guess what?" So i did. I said "...you are moving to England..." I was half joking, but he said that he was and that he was looking forward to moving to Bristol to the new church plant from Edge church.
Jason and Kim are now the Pastors of Edge Church Bristol - here to change a nation.
Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything. In Luke 14:25-35 Jesus tells us that we need to be prepared to give up, family, friends, culture and comfort in order to be a true disciple of his. Good on ya Jase, Kim and the kids...you are modern day heroes! Believing in a fantastic future for you in Bristol and beyond
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Positional Faith
“ Positional Faith!”
Take a moment to read 2 Kings 2:1-18
In v1 it says, "When the Lord was about to…" We have to understand that God is always about to do something. All he needs are the people who will say; “God here I am use me!”
In 1993, I lived in Sydney. My best mate & I decided to go into the city centre, to hear the announcement of who had won the right to host the 2000 Olympics. As the day of the announcement drew near, we were tired, & decided to watch it on t.v instead of going to the centre. As it was announced that Sydney had won the right to host the games, the whole city centre began to party, Fireworks, bands & free barbecues. It was an amazing party!! My friend looked at me & said; “Mate – we missed it!” We had the chance to be a part of something incredible, but chose instead to be comfortable in the lounge room.
Hey, God wants to do something radical with your life & you need to make a decision not to miss it. Jesus said in John 10 : 10 that He came to give life & life to the full. Too many people settle for life, when in actual fact God wants them to have life to the full! In others words, your life becomes the party that my friend & I missed out on.
Positional faith is all about making sure we are the right people, in the right place at the right time, so that we don’t say; “We missed the party!”
There are six questions from 2 Kings 2:1-18 we need to ask ourselves if we want to position ourselves right.
1. WHO ARE YOU WITH? "
v1 says; …”Elijah & Elisha…"
When I was a student, we used to have study triplets! Three of us would get together to study for the exams, but we would study different parts of the subject each. Then we would teach each other the stuff we had learnt so that together we had studied the whole subject. If one of my study partners hadn’t done his job well, it would affect the way I wrote the answers in the exam.
It is exactly the same in life. Choose friends who will help you, and encourage you, as you pursue God & your career! If you want to be a world changer, hang out with those who are! Who are you with? & how can they help you be all you can be? It’s a good question!
2. “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”
V1 says they were"…on their way..."
It was easy for God to use Elisha because he was already on his way pursuing destiny & purpose!
My friend Alan had a very cool car when I was 18 years old. It had electric everything! One day, as he was pulling into a petrol station, he saw some of the girls from the college class hanging around outside the shop. So being very cool, as he turned into the service station, he turned off his engine so he could glide into the forecourt to get some petrol. He didn’t realise, that when he turned off the engine, the power steering cut out too! Instead of coasting up next to the petrol pump, he ran into the pump, knocked it over, and looked very dumb as the girls pointed and laughed at him!
He couldn’t steer the car because the engine wasn’t on! It’s the same with God & us; it is very difficult for God to direct us if we are doing nothing! Our spirit is like the engine to the car. We need to make sure it’s running by; praying, reading the bible & serving in the church. When we do that, God sees & is easily able to direct us & position us so that we don’t miss what he is going to do!
Incidentally, choose friends who are going in the same direction as you. Choose friends who love God, & choose a boy friend or girlfriend who loves God also! Where are you going?
3. WHAT OBSTACLES DO YOU FACE In v 2,4,6 Elijah says to Elisha "…stay here…". Elisha was busy pursuing God’s plan for his life, BUT he was continually being told to stop. They were huge obstacles for him. The man he respected the most, was telling him to stop!” What Obstacles do you face? The truth is this, if your life is going to be significant for God, you will face obstacles!
Obstacles come in all shapes & sizes. Maybe your parents fight, are divorced, maybe its not being understood, or maybe its not being able to understand. Whatever it is, you need to dig down dip, & keep going, because you can beat any obstacle! Don’t ever say the obstacle is too big. It never is!
Why are there obstacles? Because you becoming a person significance & God is lining you up to be in the centre of his party when it kicks off!
4. “WHAT'S YOUR PASSION?”
In V2,4,6, Elisha shows his passion by saying "I will not leave you…"
The bible says in Proverbs 23:7 " As a man thinks - so he is". In otherwords; Your life will lead you toward your most dominant thought!
Proverbs also says in 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, because out of it will come the issues of life." The words “issues” literally means borders or boundaries!
If you are really passionate about something, and continually talk to God about it, and always do your utmost to live for God, then the boundaries of your life will be massive. So when you face obstacles you don’t stop at the obstacle and say- “It’s too big”, Instead you say; "The borders of my heart are massive , this obstacle can't contain me, I’ll just walk around it.
Be passionate about two things; God, & his plans for your life, & you will be a significant person, smack bang in the middle of the party
5. “WHAT'S YOUR REQUEST?”
In V9, Elisha replies "let me inherit double portion.." Elisha's request was Audacious - God loves that!
Its ok to ask big things from God! In Ephesians 3:20 it says “Now to him (God) who is able to do more than you can ask or imagine…” So then, what do you imagine your life could become? What do you imagine God could do in your life? He says; “I can do more!”
In the New Testament, there was a woman who had been bleeding for many years. When she heard Jesus was in town, she pushed through the crowd & touched Jesus. Jesus said; “Who touched me?” The disciples said; “There’s loads of people pushing in to touch you!” But Jesus said “No there was one person in the crowd who REALLY touched me!” What happened? Loads of people were asking Jesus things, loads of people were there, but only one woman made a request of significance.
Make your requests, significant requests of God! God says; “What can I do for you?” You need to say; “God, I don’t want to miss out, I want to be there where the party starts, when you bring revival to my city / school / friends. In fact God, let me help you to do it!”
6. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?
In V 14, Elisha has come back to the place where the water had parted, but the problem now is that Elijah was no longer there to do the miracle. People are watching Elisha now, & he comes out with the classic line"…Where now is God Elijah"
In the same way people were watching Elisha, your friends, school & family are watching you. When was the last time you were in a place where you needed God to come through for you or you were sunk?
Hey, following God is an adventure, because sometimes you feel the prompting of God to do something ridiculous, even bizarre. But when you act after hearing God to tell you to do so, amazing things happen – the bible calls them miracles! The God of Elijah and Elisha is your God! If he can do amazing things through them, he can through you.
Lets not be a generation that misses what God wants to do, lets position ourselves right! How? Lets run through it again;
• Who are you with?
• Where are you going?
• What Obstacles do you face?
• What’s your passion?
• What’s your request?
• What are you gonna do?
It’s not a magic formula, but maybe it’ll help you be the right person, in the right place at the right time.
See you in the middle of the party,
Take a moment to read 2 Kings 2:1-18
In v1 it says, "When the Lord was about to…" We have to understand that God is always about to do something. All he needs are the people who will say; “God here I am use me!”
In 1993, I lived in Sydney. My best mate & I decided to go into the city centre, to hear the announcement of who had won the right to host the 2000 Olympics. As the day of the announcement drew near, we were tired, & decided to watch it on t.v instead of going to the centre. As it was announced that Sydney had won the right to host the games, the whole city centre began to party, Fireworks, bands & free barbecues. It was an amazing party!! My friend looked at me & said; “Mate – we missed it!” We had the chance to be a part of something incredible, but chose instead to be comfortable in the lounge room.
Hey, God wants to do something radical with your life & you need to make a decision not to miss it. Jesus said in John 10 : 10 that He came to give life & life to the full. Too many people settle for life, when in actual fact God wants them to have life to the full! In others words, your life becomes the party that my friend & I missed out on.
Positional faith is all about making sure we are the right people, in the right place at the right time, so that we don’t say; “We missed the party!”
There are six questions from 2 Kings 2:1-18 we need to ask ourselves if we want to position ourselves right.
1. WHO ARE YOU WITH? "
v1 says; …”Elijah & Elisha…"
When I was a student, we used to have study triplets! Three of us would get together to study for the exams, but we would study different parts of the subject each. Then we would teach each other the stuff we had learnt so that together we had studied the whole subject. If one of my study partners hadn’t done his job well, it would affect the way I wrote the answers in the exam.
It is exactly the same in life. Choose friends who will help you, and encourage you, as you pursue God & your career! If you want to be a world changer, hang out with those who are! Who are you with? & how can they help you be all you can be? It’s a good question!
2. “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”
V1 says they were"…on their way..."
It was easy for God to use Elisha because he was already on his way pursuing destiny & purpose!
My friend Alan had a very cool car when I was 18 years old. It had electric everything! One day, as he was pulling into a petrol station, he saw some of the girls from the college class hanging around outside the shop. So being very cool, as he turned into the service station, he turned off his engine so he could glide into the forecourt to get some petrol. He didn’t realise, that when he turned off the engine, the power steering cut out too! Instead of coasting up next to the petrol pump, he ran into the pump, knocked it over, and looked very dumb as the girls pointed and laughed at him!
He couldn’t steer the car because the engine wasn’t on! It’s the same with God & us; it is very difficult for God to direct us if we are doing nothing! Our spirit is like the engine to the car. We need to make sure it’s running by; praying, reading the bible & serving in the church. When we do that, God sees & is easily able to direct us & position us so that we don’t miss what he is going to do!
Incidentally, choose friends who are going in the same direction as you. Choose friends who love God, & choose a boy friend or girlfriend who loves God also! Where are you going?
3. WHAT OBSTACLES DO YOU FACE In v 2,4,6 Elijah says to Elisha "…stay here…". Elisha was busy pursuing God’s plan for his life, BUT he was continually being told to stop. They were huge obstacles for him. The man he respected the most, was telling him to stop!” What Obstacles do you face? The truth is this, if your life is going to be significant for God, you will face obstacles!
Obstacles come in all shapes & sizes. Maybe your parents fight, are divorced, maybe its not being understood, or maybe its not being able to understand. Whatever it is, you need to dig down dip, & keep going, because you can beat any obstacle! Don’t ever say the obstacle is too big. It never is!
Why are there obstacles? Because you becoming a person significance & God is lining you up to be in the centre of his party when it kicks off!
4. “WHAT'S YOUR PASSION?”
In V2,4,6, Elisha shows his passion by saying "I will not leave you…"
The bible says in Proverbs 23:7 " As a man thinks - so he is". In otherwords; Your life will lead you toward your most dominant thought!
Proverbs also says in 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, because out of it will come the issues of life." The words “issues” literally means borders or boundaries!
If you are really passionate about something, and continually talk to God about it, and always do your utmost to live for God, then the boundaries of your life will be massive. So when you face obstacles you don’t stop at the obstacle and say- “It’s too big”, Instead you say; "The borders of my heart are massive , this obstacle can't contain me, I’ll just walk around it.
Be passionate about two things; God, & his plans for your life, & you will be a significant person, smack bang in the middle of the party
5. “WHAT'S YOUR REQUEST?”
In V9, Elisha replies "let me inherit double portion.." Elisha's request was Audacious - God loves that!
Its ok to ask big things from God! In Ephesians 3:20 it says “Now to him (God) who is able to do more than you can ask or imagine…” So then, what do you imagine your life could become? What do you imagine God could do in your life? He says; “I can do more!”
In the New Testament, there was a woman who had been bleeding for many years. When she heard Jesus was in town, she pushed through the crowd & touched Jesus. Jesus said; “Who touched me?” The disciples said; “There’s loads of people pushing in to touch you!” But Jesus said “No there was one person in the crowd who REALLY touched me!” What happened? Loads of people were asking Jesus things, loads of people were there, but only one woman made a request of significance.
Make your requests, significant requests of God! God says; “What can I do for you?” You need to say; “God, I don’t want to miss out, I want to be there where the party starts, when you bring revival to my city / school / friends. In fact God, let me help you to do it!”
6. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?
In V 14, Elisha has come back to the place where the water had parted, but the problem now is that Elijah was no longer there to do the miracle. People are watching Elisha now, & he comes out with the classic line"…Where now is God Elijah"
In the same way people were watching Elisha, your friends, school & family are watching you. When was the last time you were in a place where you needed God to come through for you or you were sunk?
Hey, following God is an adventure, because sometimes you feel the prompting of God to do something ridiculous, even bizarre. But when you act after hearing God to tell you to do so, amazing things happen – the bible calls them miracles! The God of Elijah and Elisha is your God! If he can do amazing things through them, he can through you.
Lets not be a generation that misses what God wants to do, lets position ourselves right! How? Lets run through it again;
• Who are you with?
• Where are you going?
• What Obstacles do you face?
• What’s your passion?
• What’s your request?
• What are you gonna do?
It’s not a magic formula, but maybe it’ll help you be the right person, in the right place at the right time.
See you in the middle of the party,
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