Looking ahead…

I like dreaming. I like planning. I like asking God what’s next.

Over the past year it feels like The Oak has begun to get it’s roots down into God and into the communities where we live. We’re beginning to figure out how to bless those around us and serve our city together. There are a million ideas bubbling up from Life Groups and Missional Communities and I, for one, am excited about what might happen in this part of Leeds and Bradford.

With that in mind, Lisa and I wanted to share with you in written word what we’ve begun to communicate through conversation.

We think this autumn will be significant for us as individuals and as a church. The autumn term is often one where we’re refocused, re-energised and ready to dig deep and work hard. We’ve had some prophetic words of late that have likened this next season for us at The Oak to ‘soaring’ (like birds in the air) and we’d certainly like to do that. But to soar means to commit to the journey and commit to the climb.

There are three things we’re doing to respond to where God might be leading us:

1. Having talked with the leaders at Mosaic Church and other Churches supporting us, we are beginning to meet informally (BBQ’s and the like) with a few men and women from The Oak who seem to have character, competency and a chemistry with Lisa and I that could work in eventually forming a Leadership Team. This is a growing process that will hopefully lead to us appointing some form of leadership Team around Christmas Time.

2. We are in conversation with the incredible Dan Hockley, who has been giving The Oak a day a week on top of his normal service to work and serve the church, about coming on staff for one additional day. This will mean he will work one day as a volunteer and one day on paid staff with a specific remit of increasing our missional impact in the city.

3. We are offering a one year part-time internship at The Oak beginning September 2012. Interns will work on 1-2 projects, take part in leadership and staff training and serve at our Family Gatherings (if you’re interested please speak to me). We already have two people interested in serving us!

As you might have guessed, we’re very excited about what September holds – please pray for us.

If you have any comments on the above steps that would be helpful in our decision making over the next few months, please email us.

Thanks

Chris & Lisa

Team Leaders at The Oak

Prep…

So, i just read a really interesting post about what sermon prep really looks like (see here) and, whilst i laughed out loud, quivered inside and would like to deny it, my prep often looks just like that.

I’ve got a bit of routine thing going, as some of you might expect from my slightly weird nature, which helps me get my study done earlier on in the week but sometimes it all goes belly up and i’m left scrabbling for time toward the end of the week. What is that all about? It’s as if everything is just more important, aren’t they?

Well, if i am honest with myself no, they’re not. They are more pressing but they are not more important. They are more in my face but they are not more important. If you’ve emailed me, it is unlikely that the content of your email was as important as communicating faithfully God’s word to His people – but in my mind i probably responded as if it was!

With that in mind i find myself asking [myself] the question “why then, do you wait till the end of the week you numpty?”. And i’ve come up with a couple of comments, far from complete but nevertheless some comments (please feel free to throw in yours).

In each comment: A is why i do it like that, and B is my solution

1.
A. Because i people please – i like you, the emailer / caller to think i like you and am efficient, so i reply immediately.
B. Only check my emails at certain times and turn them off during study periods, re-schedule meetings outside of prep times.

2.
A. Because it’s not pressing and “i work better under pressure”
B. It is pressing therefore it cannot wait and i don’t work better under pressure i just work faster and narrower in thought.
If i want to be ‘better’ i have to start earlier. I have to re-prioritise what is important and start with the highest.

3.
A. Because i live under the in-complete, ‘part-of-the-answer’ expectation that if i don’t do it God will
B. And He will. But he also wants me to engage with Him, seek Him, find Him and communicate Him – faithfully!
My strategy is now: Pray, put in the study, pray, write, pray, preach.

4.
A. Because sometimes it just happens that way
B. It does and sometimes there’s nothing i can do about it. Thank God He is in control and loves His church more than me.

Some of this sounds a bit harsh doesn’t it? Well, if we’re to do the things that are important to us, we have to prioritise our time and energy in order to do them. It really is that simple.

So, it’s been a while…

It’s been a while since i blogged. To be honest i just kinda stopped and didn’t start again, so here i am starting again.

I like thinking:
Thinking is a good thing that can become a pain in the rear end. You start thinking about things and then you get carried away and you end up somewhere completely different. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes that’s bad. I’d like to some of my thinking here – is that ok with you?

I like writing:
Every week i write thousands of words in emails and texts and tweets but the words i like writing the most are the ones that i hope change peoples lives. I write a preach for sunday at the oak out in almost word for word fashion (depends how much time i have and how detailed i want to be) and i so enjoy it because i feel like i am writing to people about stuff that matters – our lives, our God, and the mess of our minds! I’d like to do some of my writing here, that ok?

And i like talking:
Talking is fun, it really is. You can be serious or funny, sound cool, sound bad – a whole bunch of stuff! People can come away from a conversation with you and have smiled and participated all the way through and yet still have no-idea what you just said. I’d like to do some talking that makes sense, and if you’d like, i’d like to have a bit of a conversation, you up for that?

“I DON’T WANT TO BUILD A MUSEUM!”

With TheOak being planted at the moment, fresh in mind everyday is thought: who is God going to add to this body, how is this community of God going to grow? I know there are tonnes of answers, most obvious, but it doesn’t stop me daily asking the question.

I read a church planting blog by some friends in Manchester, UK, who’ve been posting some really great stuff recently. One of these caught my eye. I purchased the book it references a while ago but haven’t got round to reading it yet – i think maybe now it will be the next book i read.

The video below is the promo and it raises some interesting points that are well worth pondering – very well worth indeed!

Darrin Patrick – Re-Lit Book – Church Planter Intro from Bryan Steele on Vimeo.

Church Planting comments…

Morning,

So, i was checking through some blogs i follow and came across this interesting Acts 29 vox-pop with Driscoll on his encouragements and concerns for the new generation of younger church planters. As planters, Lisa and I are on the scout for as much help as we can find in a. scripture, b. our relationship with God, and c. those who have walked before us.

Obviously its Driscoll, so some of you already have an opinion about what he may say, but pre-suppositions aside, I found really helpful comment that Churches planted without missional and spirit-filled elements end up in Christian fundamentalism – i don’t want that!

Life Together – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesu Christ.
What does this mean? It means, first, that a Christian needs others because of Jesus Christ. It means, second, that a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ. It means, third, that in Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity.”

Lisa and I have been exploring these last few months and years i guess what community in the church looks like. Bonhoeffer has, on first glance, a radical and rather extreme understanding of community whereby it is founded and held in the relationship with Christ and not built around a geography or group. But after some ponder, he may have actually really got it. If community is first established in the God-head, then in the relationship between Christ and the church, then in relationship to each other, Christian community has at it’s core Jesus Christ. If He is the head, we are the body; if He predestined us before time and chooses us right now; then the church is His community centred around Him.

hmmmmmmmm

To be honest this is hugely freeing. It’s not centred around me. I don’t have to work hard to build community around myself because it is designed in such a way as to be centred around Christ. Around me, it contains people like me. Around Christ, it contains people of “all tribes and tongues” – everyone is accepted and welcomed because of His headship and His union. My role is to partake in this community bringing unity under the head, Jesus.

Turkey 2010 – Day 9 – Wednesday 18th August

Today’s blog is written by Ella.

Watching another sunset over Turkey, as we travel through Izmir and are wowed yet again by how vast and beautiful this city is, we are all aware of how our time here is coming to a close.

A city or a country is understood not merely by its buildings, politics, belief systems and history but by its people. Although we’ve been in Izmir for only 3 days, it really does feel like these days have stretched out against the rule of time as Izmir stretches along and inland from the Aegean coast. I know for me, as I’m sure it is for the rest of the team, it has been the people we have met here that have made our trip so precious.

Yesterday we had the chance to go out ‘treasure hunting’ in Izmir. The group I was with were led to a lovely couple. He was wearing white branded trainers similar to the ones that Neil had seen when he was praying. The most amazing thing was that, out of the 4 million people that we could have met, she had visited the church here before! She also spoke some English, so we were able to share with them how much God loves them, and share a New Testament with them.

Later in the day most of the team set off with some of the Life groups, carrying bags, boxes and bottles in tow for what promised to be a fun picnic. I have been staying with a Turkish host here, and it was good to be able to spend some more time with them and meet other friends, and of course to eat more Turkish food!

In the evening yesterday I was able to pray alongside a few others from the church with someone as they made a commitment to Jesus- it is so exciting to be there with a new believer! Although I couldn’t translate what others were praying, and had to ask what was being said, I could see the beauty and excitement in her face! Through a volunteer translating I was able to share a bible verse and a word I felt I had for her, and to hear another being shared. How awesome is God!

This morning’s devotion was focussed on the resurrection of Jesus in the gospel of John. How yet again he fulfilled the needs of the old covenant in order to bring the new. How yet again he challenged the expectations of the disciples and the Pharisees, this time by first appearing to a woman. How yet again he has given us authority in his name and has commissioned us, so that we know both freedom and forgiveness and the responsibility to share this with others that this brings. Katie also reminded us that ‘our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against… the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).’ Please pray for us against spiritual opposition as we see God move.

Our morning was spent getting very dusty and sweaty by helping to clear out and order a storage area owned by the church. Animal puppets, angel wings and a T-Rex were found alongside a library of kitap (books), office equipment, and a fridge. We obviously were not at all distracted by any of the more fun items. Obviously. By that I mean that, yeah, we may have played hunt-the-thimble with the plastic T-Rex, and the occasional moment of dress-up with bits of Christmas costumes…. But we did work hard as well! Our evening meal was in an old Greek style house, where I was able to learn from another life story, this time from our host, as I helped to prepare the salad. Yemek çok lezzetliydi (the meal was delicious).

It’s the people who have made our time here. (As well as the food, the gorgeous landscape and sunny skies!) This evening we were welcomed into the home of a Kurdish family to share çay (Turkish tea) and biscuits with them. Was brilliant to hear how they discovered Isa! Even though it was sıcak (hot) (I know we shouldn’t complain about the sun…) we had a great time chatting and being taught clapping games (I wasn’t very good!). Has been amazing to be invited in and welcomed by so many people.

Tomorrow is our day trip to Ephesus! We’re really expectant to experience more of an understanding of the context in which the bible was written… I am sure we’ll describe in detail and with copious pictures exactly what it’s like! But for now, görüsürüz (see you),

Ella and the Team.