THE DAYS WHICH LIE AHEAD...

Don't these days intrigue you? There is something so weighty about the days that we awaken to. Tony Fitzgerald said that 2009 was a year of repositioning whilst 2010 will be a year of fruitfulness and harvest. Now I am not sure how he reaches that conclusion but it certainly sounds profoundly encouraging.

These days seems to be loaded with:

1. Uncertainly - it is driving us to our knees,

2. Vulnerability - I am not in control,

3. Loneliness - friends have not been there for me,

4. Fragility - my 'Braveheart' passion has been found wanting,

5. Disappointment - the way things were supposed to turn out, did not happen,

6. Weakness - mine, have stared me in the face,

Obviously, this is not true for everyone. However, for many, this time has been very challenging. Could it be that God is on about a number of things that have required this level of shaking? Let me try to suggest what God could be doing yet in no way suggesting I am a prophet:

1. Humility - CS Lewis said that success is the first step towards failure. God still loves a humble follower who is more impressed with their Jesus than they are with themselves;

2. Theology - By divine mercy, the Father has revealed to many that theology had been replaced by many other things as the hubs of believers, churches and movements. These distractions include - ecclesiology, prophecy, causes, celebrities, power, encounters, manifestations... all except the gospel;

3. Reinvention - the sociology of movements clearly show how the 25 to 30 year window in a movement is when it is at its most vulnerable. It is around this time that the prophetic barbarian energy that changes the "world" slowly drifts towards defense of the past and status quo repeated - those who reinvent themselves will reemerge from the ashes of uncertainty;

4. Partnerships - there are definitely realigned friendships - many old but some special God authored new ones as well;

5. Mission - will never be forgotten by the Holy Spirit - the nations beckon, multitudes in the valley of decision;

6. Community - must be biblically compelling, it must stand the flames of testing and find a deep and sublime love for each other;

7. Priesthood of all - captivated the reformers. We are being detoxed from the celebrity brand of Christianity but I do wonder how long that will last!?

8. Marketplace - that is where we do our best faith expression, where our Christianity finds its greatest traction and where its impact is most measured...

Ok, these are just a few thoughts as I sit in London waiting to go away with a group of pastors... got to love this life