Remember Batfink? No, I didn’t think so. You probably didn’t grow up watching obscure cartoons on Saturday mornings in the 1980s. Or maybe you did! Batfink was one of my favourites—a super-hero . . . and a bat! No, he wasn’t related to the caped crusader. No spotlights in the sky. Batfink was a funny-looking bat, complete with bright yellow lycra suit and red boots and gloves, who arrived just in time to save the day. But his defining feature was his metallic wings which gave rise to his catch-phrase—which sticks with me to this day—‘My wings are like a shield of steel’. And it’s that catchphrase I want to draw your attention to today. My wings are like a shield of steel. I’ve been wondering if perhaps we sometimes use prayer requests like that. It’s an unhealthy habit I first spotted during my time at bible college. My year was organised into small groups with the aim of fostering relational connection and pastoral care. My group included a wise, challenging, and godly theologian whose married name is now Rebecca McLaughlin. You may have heard of her. As we were sharing prayer requests one week, she challenged the largely male group with words to this effect: ‘Stop asking for prayer for your wife—I want to know how I can pray for you personally.’ I’m not quoting her precisely—she would have expressed herself more graciously—but her point was profound. This time of prayer was meant to be a way of deepening our relationships and supporting one another. But rather than revealing anything about ourselves, we were directing the prayer attention elsewhere. Whether this was a conscious act or not is a moot point. The result was that we didn’t really get to know each other any more deeply. Relational depth suffered. Let me be clear that it’s not a bad thing to ask for prayer for your wife. And no doubt there are times when this really is the most important request you can make. Please pray for my wife, she’s facing huge challenges right now. But this is to miss the point. As I reflect on this now, I can see a pattern that has repeated itself over and over again through the years, in many different groups and contexts. Enter Batfink. Prayer requests can become like ‘shields of steel’. We use them to protect ourselves. We direct our friends’ attention away from us and towards what we consider to be more ‘noble’ and important causes. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we do this to avoid self-disclosure, honesty, and vulnerability. I was reminded of this recently during a conversation with a friend (who’s also in full-time ministry). His wife had noticed a similar pattern in the way he responded to requests for prayer. Let’s call her Sally (not her real name). Is there any hope for us inveterate Batfink pray-ers? Well, Batfink had a second catchphrase. ‘My supersonic sonar radar will help me!’ I confess this is how my brain has stored the memory, but it is from almost forty years ago! Perhaps it lacked the ‘sonar’. I can’t be sure. But you can’t miss the point, can you? His supersonic sonar radar had the power to cut through things. It was his secret weapon and it helped him save the day. I think Sally had come up with just such a supersonic sonar radar to help us cut through the prayer request impasse. She had noticed that her husband, like me and many others, possessed a real nervousness about sharing deeply. At times, we have steel-like shields around our hearts. Speaking theologically, our default position has more in common with Adam’s ‘behind the bush’ behaviour in Genesis 3 than with exhibiting our freedom in Christ. Sally’s secret weapon solution? When we ask someone, ‘how can I pray for you?’ and they request prayer for their friend, Algernon, she recommends a supersonic sonar radar response. Here it is. ‘I don’t know Algernon, but I would love to pray for you. How is Algernon’s situation affecting you? How is it making you feel? What can I pray for you that might be of help to Algernon?’ So much better. She’s Batfink! So, what is she suggesting? Like a good counsellor, she is refusing to be misdirected. She remains laser-focused on her priority, which is to show intentional care for the person in front of her. I won’t let you hide. I want to show I care for you, so please answer one of these questions. We can talk about Algernon another time. This is your time. Those are her thoughts. As I listened to Sally’s suggestion, I realised it would help me when leading a prayer meeting myself. No more hiding and misdirection among those gathered to share and connect more deeply. But I also felt challenged personally. I know this is an area in which I also need to grow. At times, my own ‘wings of steel’ need to be clipped. What about you? When someone next asks you, ‘how can I pray for you?’ how wiIl you respond? May I suggest a few possibilities? I will start by being honest about the challenges I’m facing, asking for prayer for myself. I will be as open as I can, without being inappropriate about my boundaries. I’m quite aware of what can be shared in a group, and what should only be for the ears of my spouse and counsellor. If I’m feeling weak, I will admit that I’m feeling weak. If I need advice, I will seek it. I will not hide or pretend. I will avoid the bad habit of directing attention towards others in order to hide or protect myself. As you grow in this area, I encourage you to use a supersonic sonar radar response when you hear others straying into this bad Batfink habit of using a ‘shield of steel.’ I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but people tend to mirror the openness of the leader. If we are open, vulnerable, and honest, others feel that they have permission to act in a similar manner. So we need to take initiative in this area. We cannot allow our communities to become places where people hide. They are hiding for a reason, and normally it has to do with their own hidden pain. God cares about that, and his grace is abundant. So it’s time we cared enough to ‘push’ a little, to express our desire to pray specifically for those whom God has placed in our circle. For them. Not Algernon. Not their relatives. For them. When we say, ‘how can I pray for you?’ we must mean it. We must break down those ‘shields of steel’ we place around our hearts. And we must encourage others by stepping forward ourselves and being honest about our own struggles. Not Algernon’s. St. Paul has given us a wonderful example of vulnerability, and so I leave you with the following verse from his second letter to the Corinthians. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12.9b-10

Earlier this year, in an attempt to be freed from the tyranny of the diary, I began taking one day a month out of my normal routine to spend time alone with God. The following is a reflection from one such recent day How do I listen to God? How do I attune my ears to hear God? How do I know that it’s God who is speaking? How do I drown out the things that are not God so that I can hear him? I’m hearing God today in the swooshing of the waters lapping up against the sea wall. I’m hearing God today in the chirping of the birds. I’m hearing God today in the conversations of passers-by. How am I able to say that I’m hearing God in these things? Well, I believe God is in all of these things. God is the Creator—the One who poured the water into the large basin of the sea and made the tides. God is the Creator who released the birds into the air and who watches over them. Indeed, he cares for each one of them. And yet how much more does he care for you and I? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matt 6.26 God is in the conversations of the passers-by because he has put those people together. They may not be aware of him. They may be completely oblivious of his existence, yet we can detect in each of our fellow humans something of the fingerprint, the DNA, the mark, of our Creator. We should never forget that he put us together in his image (Gen 1.26). So how do I hear God? The more years I spend in ministry, the more I realise that I must be intentional in hearing God. Some days it’s very possible to go through a whole 24-hour period and give not a thought to these things. But as we block out the extraneous distractions, rather than emptying our minds (as proposed by the mindfulness movement), we are guided to a far better approach, found in Philippians 4.8. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phil 4.8 When we do that, and when we have successfully eliminated the busyness and noise that distracts and diverts, then we can begin to notice God. We can start listening to him in the general day-to-day of life; we can hear him speaking through all that surrounds us. But how do we then listen in a way that’s personal? . . . In the way that Samuel was taught to listen? How do we listen in a way that elicits a response from us, which mimics that of the young boy in the temple sitting under the tutelage of his mentor, the priest Eli? Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. 1 Sam 3.9b Ultimately, this is about relationship. When two people start a relationship that is heading towards marriage, there is a great deal they do not know about each other. Indeed, it is the mystery, the intrigue that is so alluring and exciting. As they move from initial romance towards the prospect of a life commitment, they do so by spending time together, driven by a desire to know and be known. In the same way, the relationship that we have with God does not begin and end on day one. Eugene Peterson calls our relationship with God ‘A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.’ For each one of us, a new day presents a fresh opportunity to listen to God, to attune our ears to him. I’m particularly drawn to the words in Psalm 40. I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Ps 40.1 In the ESV, the wording is ‘he inclined to me and heard my cry’. It’s a tender yet potent image, isn’t it? In my mind, I see a dad leaning over the cot of his newborn baby. As he does so, he tunes in to the child’s cries. He bends his shape, leaning down to hear the baby. What a kind, loving heavenly father. Surely if he takes time to seek this kind of intimacy, we should reciprocate and lean in to listen to him. Surely this is the very minimum of a heart responding in worship and trust. Indeed, he invites us to draw near, to seek him, promising us that he will respond. Hear the words of James. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Jas 4.8a In writing this post, I’ve realised how much more I need to listen to my loving God. I must learn to block out distractions. In fact, I must cast aside anything that robs me of the pleasure of hearing him. I have a desperate need to hear him. For he has inclined towards me and has heard my cry. He knows me, hears me, cares for me. Now I must listen to his voice. Jesus himself often went off to a secluded place to spend time alone with his heavenly father. Someone once likened this to a call home from a faraway land. I wonder what you need to do today to place yourself in a position where you can hear God? He is speaking. Are you listening? Editor’s Note: Recently, I (Richard) finished reading Hearing God by Dallas Willard. I cannot recommend it enough. It is full of wisdom on this important subject.

A month ago, I began a series of posts based on the movie, McFarland, USA*. Here is the second post in this series. CASTING VISION In the movie, McFarland, USA, Jim White, a high school sports coach, arrives in the small town of McFarland, and immediately faces disappointment, discouragement, and frustration. He doesn’t want to be there. He feels like he’s let his family down, he hates his job, and he experiences severe culture shock. McFarland is 95% Latino. On his first evening, he enters a restaurant, and is greeted by a woman speaking Spanish. The foods—tacos, tortas, burritos—are unfamiliar. He may not even know what some of them are. He’s disorientated. After he’s been there a few months, and after being fired from coaching the football team, he observes some of his students running to class from the fields. He sees something that no one else has seen. He sees potential. So he starts a cross-country running team. POTENTIAL Jim White doesn’t just see students running. He sees the gap between ‘what is’ and ‘what could be’. We see young people running. He sees athletes winning races. He sees potential. That’s vision (A previous post on this subject here). This is the definition given by Pastor Dave Ferguson, who writes, Vision is the distance that exists between the reality of ‘what is’ and the possibility of ‘what could be.’ ‘What could be’ is potential. And visionaries see this. But they don’t just see, they act to turn potential into reality. That’s the difference. Jesus was a visionary. He saw the vision of a kingdom built for the glory of God in the lives of those who followed him. Then he acted to bring in this kingdom. What about you? If we’re not careful, we can see leadership as simply the fulfilling of certain duties. Leading services and prayer meetings. Preaching sermons. Leading meetings and more meetings. But this isn’t leadership. Not really, even though all these activities are important. Leadership requires vision. A church community looks to the leader to provide that vision. Enter Jim White. How does he act to see his vision realised? Words Deeds When Jim White gathers his team together, hardly any of the students buy into his vision. Indeed, they resist him, and give him every excuse under the sun why they will never succeed. They come from deprived, low-income families, sometimes with absent fathers, and all they see is a life in the fields. Yet in spite of this constant opposition and negativity, they do still turn up for practice. And as they do, Jim White communicates his belief in their ability. But it’s a tough sell. One of the Latina teachers in the school, Maria, lays out the brutal reality he’s facing. You live in McFarland, right? Have you ever taken a look out there? This is one of the poorest towns in America. These kids are invisible. They’re expendable. They come from the fields and they go back to the fields, unless the prisons get them first. This vision has been driven deep into the psyches of the students. Thomas Valles, the fastest in the team, confirms this when he loses his temper at practice. He says, We’re not runners, we’re pickers and we’re always gonna be pickers. And every day we’re going to get up and do the same thing over and over again . . . it’s never gonna change. Let me put this in your context. See those church members out there? They’re never gonna change. See Gerald there, he’s been a Christian for 50 years and he’s still complaining about the music and the times of the services. And Gloria? She arrived 25 years ago, and started as a gossip. Thing is, she’s still gossiping. They’ve heard the gospel hundreds of times, and they still don’t understand grace. They still hold grudges, and they’re not growing. Not really. If that chimes with how you see your church community, then something has to change. Because believers possess tremendous potential. Indeed, the Bible seems to speak about believers as people who already have ‘this treasure in jars of clay.’ We are ‘risen with Christ,’ not just awaiting the last day. The problem is that just repeating these truths—as helpful as that may be—doesn’t produce perfection overnight. The Christian life is a journey of faith, and because many still struggle with their sin, they become stuck in a rut, with low expectations and the same struggles they’ve always had. So how did Jim White turn a bunch of discouraged, angry runners into an elite team of winners? He started by helping them catch a vision of their potential. This isn’t about self-esteem. It’s about self-belief. They are NOT the same. Self-belief is based upon the idea that I can achieve my potential, if I put in the necessary work. The potential is there. But I must discipline myself to realise it. Sadly, many church members have an unclear idea of their own potential. And they’re not sure what the vision is. Sure, they understand the grand vision like ‘making disciples’ or ‘sharing the gospel’ but beyond that, they don’t know what they are specifically expected to do to be a part of the project. Just turn up on Sunday? Surely it must require more than that. So visionary leaders don’t just announce the vision on a Sunday, they personalise the vision for each member. Essentially, they set about the work of Ephesians 4.12—equipping the saints for works of service. They recognise the many talents available as described by Romans 12, and then they create a church culture which releases the potential of each member to develop their gifts. But vision isn’t just about words. It’s about deeds. Jim White makes real sacrifices when it comes to training his team. He stays late and he takes their insults and abuse on the chin, but he keeps coming back. He is relentless. And it’s his tireless devotion to them, which ultimately wins them over. They have never met a person who is so committed to helping them realise their potential. For a church leader, I think this is about relationship. Indeed, almost everything about church leadership is about relationship. Does Mrs. Jones feel appreciated as she puts the coffee things away? Does the new student, Jack, feel welcome? Does every home group leader know their job, receive training and support, because the church vision is for flourishing small groups? A vision isn’t just about preaching sermons that contain the great truths of the faith. It’s about applying these truths to the individual lives arrayed before you. It becomes realised when you stay late with Mr. Johnson, and encourage him in his role as a home group leader, checking in with him personally, and assuring him that you’ll send that study to him, or visit his group as he requested. Vision communicated becomes vision realised when the gossips stop gossiping and start supporting. It becomes realised when grace is practised more, when love and self-sacrifice increases, when gifts are developed, and when the potential you see in your people to become more like Jesus . . . actually happens. We are supposed to grow. We are supposed to become more like Jesus. Visionary leaders see Jesus in people, and help them grow to be more like him. They see potential and reality (Christ in us) displayed each Sunday and by the work of the Spirit, draw those two together. Because visionary leaders don’t just spout nice words, they care deeply about the growth of each and every church member. And perhaps most importantly, each church member knows this, feels this. Each person starts responding to the vision that ‘Christ in me’ is not just a biblical idea, but a fully realised truth to be embraced. As the credits roll, the most significant impact of Jim White’s vision is revealed. We learn that these students didn’t just become great runners. They became people who caught a vision of who they might become. Their self-belief transformed their futures. Many went to college; some entered the police or became teachers. The discipline they learned from their running coach completely changed how they saw themselves. They came to believe that they were more than pickers. That’s how important vision is. It has the potential to change lives. And each Sunday, you are in a position to communicate the most powerful vision that exists in this world. Your people are listening. With the help of your God, over to you. *It is not essential to have watched the film, but it will help. You can find it on Rakuten, Amazon Prime, and Sky movies.

This coming Sunday—8 October—is Pastor Appreciation Day. I must confess I’m as sceptical as the next man about the ever-increasing list of special dates promoted by greeting card companies. But I do like this one. I like the idea of intentionally showing appreciation for your minister. Firstly, this is because I know how little encouragement many ministers receive. And secondly, it’s because the Scriptures command us to honour those who work hard at preaching and teaching (1 Tim 5.17). Chronic under-encouragement of leaders is a blight on our churches. Occasionally I hear this directly from church leaders themselves. For example, one confided in me tearfully that someone she had served faithfully for years had betrayed her. Another told me that dinner invitations from church members dried up when he became a pastor. More often the leaders I meet don’t say it, but I can still hear the unspoken question that’s on their hearts: Why don’t they love me like I love them? Perhaps you think such a question is a sign of immaturity or unworthy of a servant of God, but you would be mistaken, because the apostle Paul asked this very question to a group of Christians he had loved and served faithfully. We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also. 2 Cor 6.11-13 Paul starts this section of his letter by describing his ministry. He writes that he is a co-worker with God, urging people to receive God’s grace while it is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6.1-2). If you are a leader, you will have some sense of that burden. You know the weight of shouldering a God-given responsibility to watch over souls; to be a spiritual parent; to protect and guide the flock that Christ has bought with his blood. Ministers are called to love as family the people who support them financially. Church is no refuge from workplace pressures. Church is the workplace. This means that ‘time off’ is never a complete ‘switch off’ any more than a mother can switch off from being a mum. And, of course, those who labour in prayer and the ministry of the Word face relentless opposition from the evil one. If you’re not a minister yourself, you probably have views on the subject. You may be aware of all sorts of flaws in your minister’s character and deficiencies in your minister’s gifting. Nevertheless, I believe the vast majority have given themselves to God as his servants for the sake of the gospel. Yes, some are wolves in sheep’s clothing and others have fallen into grievous sins, but in my experience, most genuinely seek to walk humbly with their God and serve his people in grace and truth. That is a noble calling. The apostle Paul lists some of the challenges which such a calling entails (See 2 Cor 6.3-9). Working hard, even losing sleep and being unable to eat. (v.5) Relating to people with purity. (v.6) Exhibiting love from the Spirit by patiently and kindly understanding their needs. (v.6) Speaking truthfully in the power God provides, fighting for what is right. (v.7) These are just a few things you might see in your minister. Each is worthy of your appreciation. Consider them as a checklist and ask yourself, ‘Is my minister . . . ’ Still serving my church despite challenges and opposition? Working hard and carrying the stress of responsibility? Observing wise boundaries in relating to others? Loving others, giving them time, and listening well? Preaching and counselling others honestly and truthfully according to Scripture? If you can tick any of these boxes, you have something to be thankful for. But Paul’s list doesn’t end there. Paul adds that he and his colleagues had done these things ‘through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report’ (v.8). Paul was criticised and slandered. At times people even ghosted him. He knew sorrow and poverty. Yes, there was joy and a sense of fulfilment, but it was mixed with real pain. Ministry was often a struggle. Paul’s honesty and vulnerability is refreshing. He writes that he and his fellow-workers had ‘spoken freely . . . and opened wide our hearts’ (v.11). Many ministers nowadays are not so candid. Sadly, that is often because they don’t feel able to trust their congregations with the truth of their own struggles. To be sure, there is an appropriate kind of sharing and a kind that is not helpful. Ministers must beware of the temptation to manipulate people through sharing their emotions. (‘He seemed so vulnerable so I didn’t feel able to challenge him.’) Equally dangerous is the use of our pain to deflect honest feedback. (‘I think something is wrong here but I can’t speak because I might hurt his feelings. He’s so soft-hearted.’) Nevertheless, a minister should not have to pretend that all is well when it isn’t. The ability to admit to struggles should be based on love and trust. The apostle Paul knew he was taking a risk in being so honest with the Corinthians. There were other more ‘impressive’ ministers around. Some in Corinth found them appealing. But Paul knew the truth that authentic Christian ministry always flows from weakness. The power to change lives is not in your minister. It is in the gospel of Christ and the Spirit who shines the light of new creation into people’s hearts as Christ is preached (2 Cor 4). There are no powerful preachers or mighty ministers. There is one Saviour and Lord—Jesus Christ—and pastors worth their salt will do all they can to direct people’s focus towards him. Paul was that kind of minister. One who relentlessly pointed to Christ. And the way he shared about his struggles was part of that, because he shared how Christ had met him in weakness. This was not a play for sympathy or a ploy to control others. It was Christ-exalting testimony from a man who knew that the pretence of being someone without struggles would keep people away from Jesus rather than helping them run towards him. Paul was motivated by love for these believers in Corinth. Having said that, Paul was troubled that the Corinthians did not love him as he loved them. He writes, ‘We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us’ (v.12). He calls them to make a ‘fair exchange’. To open their hearts to him as he had to them (v.13). Open wide your hearts also. If you attend church (but are not a leader), may I address this next part directly to you? You see, I doubt your minister has ever spoken in this way to you. Some people would think a minister who said such a thing was making a desperate plea for affection. But that just isn’t true. It’s a cry from a person who, like all people, wants to feel supported and loved. It can’t all be one-sided. Ministers don’t live in ivory towers, they are flesh and blood and they need to hear from those who love them. That’s you. So here’s my own plea. Open your heart to your minister! Do not be hard-hearted. Do not exclude your minister from the fellowship of those called to love one another. Honour your ministers and show them your appreciation through words of encouragement, acts of kindness, good working conditions and, if you can, perhaps the odd gift. I do not know how the Corinthians received Paul’s letter. But I am glad that the Holy Spirit guided him to write it and ensured its inclusion in our Scriptures. It gives me great comfort to know that he walked a path I recognise in my own experience and that of many others. So, If you are blessed with spiritual leaders who work hard for your sake, open your heart and appreciate them. When they think of you or write about you, may they tell a story of . . . Encouragement, not discouragement. Praise, not slander. Joy, not sorrow. For the sake of God’s glory.

A year ago, I moved from Birmingham to Bangor. For the first time, I have a seafront right on my doorstep. It’s wonderful. One of the first things I noticed was how much the beach can change over a 24-hour period. The tide, washing in and out, brings sand, seaweed, and bits of debris. Yet, one thing that doesn’t change is the bedrock, some of it protruding above the water when the tide is out. I wonder whether at times our joy is less like bedrock and more like sand. Washed in and out with the different tides of ministry. For me, this was quickly exposed while pastoring a church through the COVID-19 pandemic. Early on I was greatly encouraged. During the first few months, the church showed genuine love, expressed through community. Members supported each other however they could through the lockdowns. We also saw the church grow in number. However, for me the tide of encouragement soon began to wash away. I faced three serious pastoral challenges; a couple of church members became divisive, and I was so discouraged on hearing about a church break-up nearby. I have to confess—and it’s been humbling to do so—that my spiritual life suffered as a result of both encouragement and discouragement. It didn’t matter whether the tide was in or out. In the season of growth, I was busy, and fell into complacency and a lack of prayerful dependence and personal devotional time. The season of discouragement that followed left me wrecked. Not only was I physically and emotionally drained, but also spiritually flat. I had lost my zeal. The reason: my joy was too tightly bound to the ministry. Success made me proud and complacent. Failure or disappointment left me apathetic and flat. Maybe you can relate. It’s a danger for all in gospel ministry. At one level, it’s understandable that our lives are bound to our work, and of course we feel the weight of responsibility as we lead. However, this comes with the danger of misplaced joy. For me there were two symptoms. Day-to-day ministry dramatically affected my mood, and my family felt it. My prayer and devotional life were significantly affected. As I read through Luke’s gospel recently, I was struck by chapter 10, as Jesus sends out the disciples. I think Luke 10 offers a great introduction to the principles of gospel ministry. Here’s a quick summary. Jesus sends out 72 disciples, telling them what their ministry will look like. Founded on prayer (v.2). Live simple undistracted lives, yet live with urgency (vv.3 & 6). Proclaim a simple message—the Kingdom of God has come near. Then trust in the Spirit to work. Opposition. They will be lambs amongst wolves (v.3). A mixed response. Some will welcome, but many will reject the good news and will face judgement. He finishes by issuing a stern warning to two towns, Bethsaida and Chorazin, where he had preached and performed miracles. Their judgement will be severe. So there is a pattern to gospel ministry. The disciples are to expect both highs and lows. Acceptance and rejection. Fruit and apathy. The disciples are to expect the tides. Let’s start with encouragement. After their first venture into the world, they return to Jesus buzzing with excitement. The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Luke 10.17 Perhaps you have enjoyed a similar feeling. It’s the buzz of seeing fruit. Seeing God at work. Maybe not seeing demons driven out, but there is a such great joy in seeing God at work. Whether it’s seeing someone saved, a church planted, a believer grow, or a sermon making an impact, fruit produces joy. But that’s exactly where the danger lies. What happens when the buzz dies down? Jesus’ words to the disciples speak deeply to those of us who easily find our joy misplaced. His words speak to those experiencing the depths of high tide, as well as those floundering in the shallows of low tide. Take time to read these words slowly. He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10.18–20 What an amazing truth. Jesus gave his disciples (and us) the authority to overcome Satan’s power. No wonder they were buzzing! Yet Jesus rebukes them. Jesus knows his disciples, and their tendency to get things wrong. He does this because he knows their joy can easily become misplaced. THE BEDROCK OF JOY So what is the bedrock of joy? Here are some thoughts. Our joy is not to be in the gifts but in God’s grace. Our deepest joy must not be based on our success but on our salvation. Lasting joy is not in ministry but in membership. We are to rejoice that our names are written in heaven. This final one is what Jesus himself delights in. At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. Luke 10.21 Soak in this glorious and humbling thought—that Jesus doesn’t smile primarily on your ministry, success, or ability, but delights above all that you are his, chosen by him. You can see and understand what prophets could only dream of. In the tides of ministry, this is to be our deepest delight, our most constant joy, our everlasting satisfaction. That our names are written in heaven. For this reason, the following . . . Our daily joy must be rooted in the glorious truths of the gospel of grace. Our joy must come from the truth that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We have been reconciled, and have peace with God. Our joy must be found in the knowledge that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Our joy must burst from the truth that we have new resurrection life in the Lord Jesus, that we are new creations. Our joy must be rooted in the power of sin broken, and in the power of the Spirit, who lives in us and is transforming us into the image of Christ. Our joy must be based upon the glorious truth that our destination is glory—we are citizens of an everlasting Kingdom. Our joy must be embedded in the great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! Finally, our joy fills us up daily because we get to call Jesus both Lord and Savior but also brother and friend. And we have open access to his throne of grace. Indeed, one day we will see him face to face. So meditate on this wonderful truth today. Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Luke 10.20 As you reflect on your life of ministry, are you in danger of misplacing your joy? If so, I urge you to return to the bedrock of joy, that is found by rejoicing that your name is written in heaven. You are chosen. You are loved beyond words. You are called. Rejoice . . . for your name is written in heaven. Some questions for reflection Can you identify examples of when your ministry (tide in or tide out) has defined your joy? What symptoms have you seen in yourself? Which gospel truth(s) help(s) you return to the bedrock of joy?

It is summer. The car is packed. The water bottles are full. The satnav is set with the right coordinates. The journey is about to begin. You know exactly where the final destination lies. What you don’t know is what you might encounter along the way. But with the end goal in mind, you begin with anticipation and excitement. A journey on the open road! The spiritual life is often described as a journey. We enter into relationship with Jesus with excitement, gratitude, and anticipation for what lies ahead. We don’t know all that lies ahead but, like the apostle Paul, we have our eyes fixed on the finish line, the Lord Jesus. A journey implies movement. The kind of action we find in verbs. Our spiritual journeys are no different, and I wonder if it behoves us to pause and consider the movements of our spiritual journeys. So, a few thoughts. Consider the introduction to the Psalter, Psalm 1. Verse 1 interestingly begins with movements that we are to avoid. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. Psalm 1.1 Here we find a progression of movement that shows an accommodation to the ways of the unrighteous. From walking to a more permanent standing to the comfort of sitting down. It is a very visual cautionary tale. Do not go on this journey. Rather, the one who is blessed delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it. All the time. Delights and meditates. I wonder which comes first, the delight or the meditation? Either way, it is clear that they are linked. The more we meditate, the more we delight. And we meditate because we delight. Throughout the Bible, the children of God are continually reminded to ‘walk in the ways of the LORD’. This is the journey we are on. And how are we to walk? What verbs of movement do we find? One of my favourites is found in the book of Joshua, when the eponymous leader gives a commission speech to some of the tribes. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. Joshua 22.5 Be careful, keep, love, walk, hold fast, serve. And then there’s this verse from the book of Proverbs. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4.25-27 It’s a picture of intentional perseverance to keep to the path; to not let our gaze or feet wander. But then sometimes we come to a crossroads, the proverbial fork in the road. Small choices, big choices, the in-between. As people of the way, we are invested in making sure we stay on the right way and it is not always clear which way that is. In this instance, consider this verse in Jeremiah. This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6.16 Where is the movement? What are the action words? Stand, look, ask (twice), walk and find rest. But what is the quality of our movements, the intent? Where do these movements take us? In Psalm 1, the way of the wicked leads to nothing good. In Jeremiah, we see a desire to seek the good way and walk in it to find rest for our souls as we journey. I can’t help but think of this section in Matthew’s gospel, rendered by Eugene Peterson in The Message. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matt 11.28-30 What an invitation! That’s a journey I want to be on. Every journey has a destination and on our spiritual journeys it matters that we know the end goal. It is none other than Jesus himself. Listen to these verses. To this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you may follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 These are just a few of the many verses that command, compel, and invite us to walk in the way of Jesus. Walking with him. Walking towards him. As I write, I am aware that the phrase ‘action words’ is reminiscent of a children’s church service. And yet I am struck by the simplicity and strength of all the verbs. I wonder if we sometimes overthink our spiritual lives. We make things harder for ourselves than they need to be. Perhaps it’s good to become like children again, for whom action words are clear and obvious. Jimmy, sit down on the mat! Sarah, look and listen, please! Jeremiah’s instruction is certainly clear: stand, look, ask, walk, rest. How is your journey going? Which action words jump out at you today? Which ones describe the movements in your journey? Are you racing, full-paced to the finish line or wearily seeking to place one foot in front of the other? I think if we are honest, all journeys have varying paces. What is clear is that we are to fix our eyes on Jesus and keep our feet moving along the way of Christ. So, relish the movement you experience on your journey. Embrace the action words. And be encouraged that at journey’s end, we will all meet in the throne room of our God.

Do you like running? What about inspirational movies? If you like either of these two, then you may enjoy following my posts on the second Thursday of each month. I’m going to be writing on leadership and basing my comments on the movie, McFarland, USA. It is based on a true story. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend watching it before next month’s post (you can rent it on Rakuten TV or Sky Store). It’s worth adding, however, that the posts in this series can also be appreciated by those who haven’t seen the film. I’ve chosen this movie, because it contains a veritable feast of leadership themes. Indeed, they seem to burst out of the film like confetti at a wedding. Jim White, the main protagonist, is a teacher, who portrays a multitude of behaviours associated with great leadership. If I were training leaders in a company or a non-profit, and I had limited time, I would simply screen this movie and say, ‘You want to be a leader? Watch Jim White. Be like him.’ Before my opening comments, here’s a very brief synopsis. Set in 1987, a college football coach named Jim White loses his job, forcing him to re-locate to McFarland, USA, an overwhelmingly Latino small town in the fertile central valley in California. He notices that many of the students are strong runners. They work in the fields as fruit pickers, before running miles to get to school, then returning to the fields in the evenings. He forms a cross-country running team and begins training them. He has no experience and has to watch videos to learn how to train cross-country. The students call him ‘Blanco’ or ‘homes’ (short for homie, or homeboy). They start out showing very little respect. He comes into conflict with his team. They come from families in which there is no expectation of anything else but fruit picking. That or petty crime. After his fastest runner, Thomas Valles, argues with him and runs off, Jim finds him sitting on a bridge contemplating suicide. He talks him down. Gradually, the team improves. It starts to win. But then a setback—the Diaz brothers (three of them) are taken off the team to work in the fields for longer hours. White decides to join them, doing the back-breaking work of picking cabbages. He persuades them to return by altering the hours when they train. They start to call White ‘coach.’ His wife, Cheryl, further integrates into the community by running a tamale and car wash sale to raise money for new uniforms. They also hold a quinceanera (a fiesta when a girl turns 15) for their daughter, Julie, an important ‘rite-of-passage’ event in the Latino community. Eventually, the team qualifies for the State Tournament, setting the movie up for its triumphant ending. However, as all movie script writers know, the coming glory must be placed in peril just before the end. This happens when Julie, in the company of some of the team, is almost seriously injured after the party (the actual event is not shown). This angers White and he contemplates an offer of employment from another school, much richer and predominantly white—a position he had always hoped for. The movie ends with McFarland winning its first State championship, after which Jim White breathes out “McFarland,” announcing his decision to stay in the small town that has become his home. ~~~~ McFarland, USA is based on a true story. The makers do not claim to be recording the story with historical accuracy. White himself is quoted as saying, ‘It’s not a documentary. It’s based on a true story, but not everything’s factual. It’s still an enjoyable movie.’ Jim White didn’t arrive in McFarland in 1987 after being fired from another school. He started teaching there in 1964. The running program started in 1980, but they didn’t win their first championship until 1987. Jim and Cheryl White have three daughters, not two, and there were no overweight runners on the team. These are just a few of the differences between reality and drama. However, don’t let these differences detract from the many lessons contained in this wonderful story. Let’s start with humility. I start here because it’s important to recognise that White is never portrayed as perfect. Nor does he see himself as a person without faults. Indeed, his very first act in the movie is to lose his temper and throw a running shoe—spikes first—at a football player, which causes accidental injury. When the family arrives in McFarland, he is quite open about his desire to move. He doesn’t speak Spanish and shows no particular desire to integrate. His language skills (which never improve) are terrible. In conversation with a Latina teacher, he’s invited to participate in all kinds of social action projects. His response is, ‘You know, it’s not really my sort of thing’. He forgets his daughter’s birthday; he can be terse and taciturn. He’s got hard edges. And yet he’s humble. How is this communicated? He apologises. I’ve long wondered what humility really looks like when properly expressed by a human being. As Christians, we often point to Christ’s humility, especially as described in Philippians 2. But how do we ourselves display it? If it involves the notion of ‘emptying’ (kenosis) and ‘giving up’, then we see this in spades in Jim White’s life. (A post on this subject will come later.) However, how often, when conveying humility, do we end up presenting ourselves with false modesty? (Previous post here.) Downplaying one’s role as a leader with false modesty destroys one’s ability to cast vision, and inspire a community. It’s also a sure route to sounding like Uriah Heep. There has to be another way, and thankfully there is. First, we can start by apologising. And we can start by being honest when things aren’t going well. No more spin during congregational meetings. Inspirational leaders take responsibility. They apologise when they make mistakes. Second, I propose an approach to leadership based on the principal idea in Alan Noble’s book, ‘You are not your own’. What liberation awaits us when we consistently and regularly remind ourselves that our lives belong to God. He made us, he has bought us, he owns us, and he invites us to live for his good pleasure. Having embraced the idea that our lives are not our own, we are called to willingly and freely turn our attention to becoming ‘other-focused’. We give our lives away to other people. We seek to live for the benefit of others. As a leader, we need skills (we’ll come to those later) but they’re futile unless we become people who lay down their lives for others. That’s why leadership is primarily relational. It’s people-focused. And people are hard to love. It’s costly. Jim White modeled an ‘other-focused’ life, but it pales in comparison beside the Lord Jesus, who gave himself up for us. He surrendered his glory to get his hands and feet dirty among sinners. Because he loves us. So be honest when you make mistakes. And give your life away. That’s the thing about humility. The truly humble don’t spend much time thinking about it. And they certainly don’t aim for it. They just live. For others.

Welcome back to the Living Leadership blog! As we relaunch after the summer break, we’ve decided to increase the diversity of voices contributing to the blog. There is a wealth of wisdom in the growing ranks of our Living Leadership Network, and we want you to benefit from these voices, ones you may not have heard before. Richard Collins, the author of the majority of posts up to now, will continue to contribute once per month, but the rest of the time he will focus his excellent wordsmithing skills on editing posts from other contributors (including me)! You can expect a variety of styles, tones, and approaches, focused on either leadership, pastoral care or soul health for leaders and their spouses. We hope you find the blog encouraging and thought-provoking. We’d love to hear your feedback. My posts, on the first Thursday of each month, will bring you thoughts from 2 Corinthians. It’s (arguably) the apostle Paul’s most personal letter, in which he exposes his heart and defends his ministry. I never cease to be challenged by my namesake’s vulnerability, as he lays bare his weakness and struggles, while also affirming his rock-solid confidence in Christ. That’s why 2 Corinthians is my ‘go-to’ book to read with leaders I mentor. These posts won’t be sermons or summaries but snippets of apostolic wisdom. I want to focus on things Paul says that most ministers wouldn’t. This is either because they wouldn’t expect their people to understand them, or more negatively, because they’d be too proud or scared to be as vulnerable as he was. In doing so, I hope you’ll be challenged to examine your hearts and to be renewed in Christ-shaped service. I issue this challenge not just to you, but to myself. So, let’s begin with Paul’s first words, his standard greeting. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1.2) It’s easy to skim over these words because they are so familiar. But pause for a moment and ask yourself, what is the relationship between grace and peace? The same two words—grace and peace—crop up again close together towards the end of the letter—grace (verse 14) and peace (verse 11). You’ve probably used Paul’s final words hundreds of times as a benediction: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (13.14) Again, these words are so familiar that we can easily miss their power. So, pause to think about what Paul is wishing for the Corinthians. He wants them to experience the living, transforming presence of the triune God. He wishes them to rest in, draw upon, and enjoy the grace of Christ, the love of God and their partnership with the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that what you want for your church? The good news is that it’s possible because God has given us exactly what we need – himself! But just before that closing blessing, Paul gives his readers a final challenge: Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (13.11) Notice that the presence of the God of love and peace is contingent on their relationships with each other. They can’t expect to experience his closeness if they don’t strive for full restoration of broken relationships. He is the God of love and peace, so we ourselves need to be people of love and peace. To love each other well, we need to encourage one another more often. To live in peace involves the hard task of pursuing “unity of mind”. In short, it means laying down our own demands in order to be of one mind with our brothers and sisters. What a challenge for us as leaders and spouses of leaders. We want to see our churches filled with the living, transforming presence and power of God. We want to see our ministries bearing fruit. These are noble and honourable goals. But how often are we beset by strained relationships that are seldom fully restored? How often do we find discouragement instead of encouragement, and strife instead of harmony? We want to lead in peace, but our church is in pieces. How can we mend a fractured fellowship? How can we heal a broken church? How can we find peace with one another? Not simply the ability to coexist without fighting, but the peace of God—his shalom, which brings wholeness and wellbeing. A simply blessing at the end of a service won’t do it. It takes hard work. It often requires tough conversations and the patient work of mediation. It surely entails repentance and humility, forgiveness and goodwill. And so we’re left with the question: how can we lead people together into God’s peace? Another command in Paul’s letter is key. Rejoice. Just one word, easily lost in a list of commands. But it’s absolutely vital. One reason why Christians don’t live peacefully together—perhaps the main reason—is lack of joy. Joy is a prerequisite for peace. But how can we obey a command to rejoice? References to joy and rejoicing dotted through 2 Corinthians can help us learn. Paul assured the Corinthians that he was committed to working with them for their joy (1.24). His reason for writing an earlier letter was that they might share in his joy (2.3). Joy overflowed in him amidst his various trials because of his pride in them (7.4). Pride in their repentant response to his rebuke (7.9), their concern for him (7.7), and, especially, the joy Titus had experienced when they refreshed his soul (7.13). So, joy is not circumstantial – it is rooted in appreciation of people and of God’s work in them. One pathway to joy for leaders is to stop and think over the good things you see God doing in the people you lead. You may wish there was more, but don’t miss what there is. Joy grows as we appreciate Christ and his work for us and in others. And the consequences of joy are beautiful. This church that had brought joy to Paul was encouraged to learn from the example of the churches in Macedonia, whose “abundance of joy” led to “a wealth of generosity” (8.2). Joy breeds generosity. That’s how it leads to peace. When we rejoice, we become generous people. The Macedonian churches gave financially despite their poverty. Why? Because of joy. When we find joy in God, we find it so much easier to forgive freely and to bear with others patiently. That’s because joy is the fruit of grace. The Greek words are closely related. Joy (chara) is a consequence of grace (charis). Joy is grace celebrated. Grace generates joy. Joy breeds generosity. Generosity fosters peace. If you want to lead a community of peaceful fellowship, you’ll need generosity and, as leaders, that must start with you. So, as you start a new season of activity in your church, how are your generosity levels? If they’re low (i.e., you don’t feel like giving much to anyone and certainly not without repayment), then check your joy tank. If it’s near empty, stop and reflect on the gifts of grace you have received from the Lord. You can’t manufacture joy. It grows as a fruit of the Spirit as you appreciate grace. So, stop and meditate on God’s grace to you. Soak in it. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (8.9) God did not only give you his Son. Through his Son, God has given you all things. So, give thanks and let joy grow. Remember also that his grace is abundant, a source of strength in the face of trials. My grace is sufficient for you (12.9). Grace is supplied and grace is sufficient. But heed Paul’s warning. We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain (6.1). Grace is not just for your soul’s justification. It is also for your soul’s joy. So, as you soak in his grace, ask how you can lead in grace, by grace, and with grace. How can you help your people to delight in God’s extraordinary grace, experiencing him in fresh ways? Grace generates joy. Joy breeds generosity. Generosity fosters peace. So, my prayer for you is simple. May you lead God’s people into his grace, rejoicing in his love and overflowing with generosity, that by so doing, your communities might experience the enduring peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.

The following post is taken talk given by one of our Associates, Alli Clear, at our Refresh Community for Spouses session earlier this month. Summer holidays - time to get away and have a break from the busyness and business of life. I don’t know about you but trying to get away for a family holiday can be a logistical nightmare! Planning, packing, making lists of lists – and by the time the car is packed to the rafters with kids, bags, camping equipment, food, beach gear and so on, you’re exhausted and seriously question is it worth it! You always go hoping that it will be a time of rest, refreshment, relaxation and recalibration so that you come back full of beans and recharged for the next season. It’s a time to reconnect as a family and build some precious memories. But the reality is things don’t always go as we hope. If I’m honest what I really longed for on those summer holidays was time out from everything! I certainly didn’t want to think about church or ministry for sure. But there were times when I came back physically just as tired, and instead of harnessing the time as a gift to replenish not only my body but my soul, I had failed to do that too. Becoming more Christ-like is central to the Gospel and God works in us and through us, by the power of the Holy Spirit to help us in that transformation process. As Paul tells us we ‘are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit’ 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) Transformation is at the heart of becoming more like Jesus. In his book ‘Renovation of the heart,’ Dallas Willard reminds us that every human being has a spirit that is continually being shaped and formed, and that this influences our outlook on life, informs our choices and motivates our actions. He goes on to say: ‘The life we live out in our moments, hours, days and years wells up from hidden depths-what is in our heart matters more than anything else for who we become and what becomes of us.’ Or as someone recently said to us ‘the story you live in, is the story you live out.’ But some of the thoughts, attitudes and motivations that become part of our story, have been influenced by a world that denies God, often without us realising it. The good news is that if our spirits have been formed, they can also be transformed and that is the hope of the Gospel. The renewing of our mind through the power of the Holy Spirit, to become more Christ-like. How amazing! We are called to partner with God in this transformation process (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3) and told that ‘Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did’. 1 John 2:6 So, if we want to do what Jesus did, we need to become more like him; to be transformed in our depths to see the world as he did; to love as he does. We can only do this by spending time with him, to learn from him as all apprentices do. We have to be with Jesus, to become like Jesus in order to do what Jesus did. Over the summer, when church life is quieter, we have an opportunity to focus on our relationship with the Lord, dig deeper and be re-energised in our spiritual lives. If finding time to do this is a challenge in the normal busyness of life what better time to use to re stoke our faith-fire and refresh us for the next season? In Romans 12:11 Paul says ‘Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.’ Or as Eugene Peterson puts it in the Message – ‘Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fuelled and aflame.’ Keep your spiritual fervour/keep yourselves fuelled and aflame… I wonder over this summer what you will do to refuel and refresh not just your body but your soul so that you are refuelled and aflame for the next season? So, I ask you this question on your journey of becoming more like Jesus…how do you draw close to God? What helps you to worship him and find intimacy with him? Psalm 139 reminds us that we are unique individuals, fearfully and wonderfully made and 1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that we are also uniquely gifted. It is no surprise therefore, to imagine that there are different ways for each of us to best express our love for God and be replenished on our spiritual journeys. In his book ‘Sacred Pathways’, through his research of biblical characters, church history and understanding of personal temperaments, Gary Thomas identifies nine common sacred pathways or ways that we most naturally draw near to God. He illustrates that there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to how we love God and find refreshment for our souls. He suggests we usually have a combination of these spiritual temperaments but when we understand what these are, we can write a personal prescription, that will help us tend our souls most effectively on our personal journey of worship and discipleship. My sacred pathways may be different from yours but they all have the same end goal - to bring us into a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father. So, my encouragement for you, as you take time out this summer is to prayerfully consider what draws you into intimacy with the Lord, and to write your own personal discipleship prescription so that you can be refreshed and tend your soul in the best possible way for you; so that you can keep your spiritual fervour, refuelled and aflame for life and ministry in the coming months. Happy Holidays! At Living Leadership we talk a lot about making sure to take a good, long break at some point in the year, and to have a sustainable rhythm of work and rest throughout the year. During the summer we practise what we preach and take a break from much of our usual activities (including this blog) and give our staff opportunities to work at a different rhythm and to take long times off for refreshing. So, this will be our last blog until September, but we wanted to leave you with our traditional prayer for the summer. Do join us to pray this for yourself and others in ministry: Father, You are the giver of every good gift and I am your finite creation and beloved child. I receive the gift of days without work as a good gift from you. Free me from false guilt and help me to make the most of this time. May my “holiday” be a sequence of holy days, encountering and enjoying you. In my “leave,” may I abandon burdens I was not made to carry, and rejoice in you and your creation. In my “vacation,” help me to be unoccupied with work and its stresses. In my “break,” fracture the grip of unhealthy attitudes and patterns in my life. May my “days off” be unhurried days of delight in those closest to me. Recreate in me a clean heart during this time. Refashion my rhythms in tune with your heart. Restore my joy in your salvation. Renew a right spirit within me that honours you in rest and in work. Refresh my love for you and others. May I live each day without work, aware of your presence and alive by your Holy Spirit, Through Jesus Christ, my Lord, Amen.

As we finish up this academic year, we are going to be sharing some of our most viewed posts in the last year. Here is our most-viewed post this year... We are excited to let you know about a new phase in the growth of Living Leadership’s ministries, and how we hope it might enable us to serve more Christian leaders, their spouses and churches or organisations. In recent years, we have seen significant growth in the number of leaders, spouses and churches we are able to support. In the last financial year alone, we were able to support more than 350 leaders from around 200 churches. And yet, we are aware that many more leaders, spouses and churches do not know about the support available for them. Following an unexpected and generous donation, we have been able to set aside some money to employ three part-time “Ministry Development Leads” for three years to develop ministries and expand our support in three key areas: the Midlands, the South of England and Women in Ministry. Whilst there are many other regions that we could have devoted energy to, and hope to in future, we are looking forward to being able to serve more people in these areas through One-to-Ones, Refreshment Days and other ministries as we deem necessary. Phil Sweeting will be the Ministry Development Lead for the Midlands, Graham Cooke for the South of England and Melinda Hendry for Women in Ministry. Phil and Graham are already in post, with Melinda starting later this month. If you’d like to find out a bit more about them you can do so on our website, or we recently interviewed Phil on our podcast about his life, ministry and what he hopes for this role. You can listen to that on a podcast app of choice (search Living Leadership) or on our website. We will be doing similar interviews with Graham and Melinda in the coming months. Please pray for them as they take up these new posts, and for the rest of the staff team as we reconfigure after this growth.

As we finish up this academic year, we are going to be sharing some of our most viewed posts in the last year. Here is our second most-viewed post this year... In Psalm 73 the writer Asaph reflects on how his spirit is oppressed by the apparent godlessness, success and ease of the wicked. His heart was grieved and his spirit embittered. What, he asked himself, had been the point of him keeping his heart pure when they hadn't - and had flourished while he had not? Praise God for such realism. Asaph still clings to God, trusting his goodness and sufficiency. However, it is not shallow and sugar-coated religion, but rather real faith in action in real and distressing situations. The verse that sprang out at me is v15: "If I had said "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children" This is very hard indeed. What he appears to be saying is that while he is feeling very painful, true things, and even though the wicked are prospering, if he had said it at the time it would have damaged rather than helped the people of God. He doesn’t elaborate on the reasons and, clearly, he feels that now, at the time of writing the Psalm, he is OK to say it. But previously he felt constrained, and the constraining factor was not whether he would have been correct, but the good of God's people. To apply this to Christian leadership, sometimes the good of God's people is served by not saying things that are true and could be said legitimately. Anyone who has been in pastoral ministry for any length of time discovers that making these kinds of judgements is among the hardest things they ever have to do, especially if speaking would not merely be cathartic, but might exonerate them or protect them from some present or future accusation. (I should note that I am talking about pastoral decision-making here, not about things that leaders have a statutory legal duty and responsibility to disclose). I've been in a number of situations over the years where there was no choice but to take a difficult decision, which leaders could only defend at the cost of damaging other people or their church. I praise God for godly people who have chosen to absorb the misunderstanding and flack themselves, or have allowed their personal reputation and trust to take a hit, for the sake of others and of the church, rather than speaking. Taking decisions that could legitimately be defended, but that can't be without damaging the church, is incredibly debilitating. It provokes rumblings and accusations of power-misuse. It might even cause factions or cause people to question people's suitability for ministry. It causes loss of sleep and fretting through the night. Ministries have ended, livelihoods have been damaged and mental health has been destroyed because leaders chose to not defend themselves in hard decisions when they could have done, and done so truthfully. How should church leaders approach these kinds of issues? Processes and plurality are crucial. When decisions cannot be defended, if it is clear to all that there has been a legitimate process, with legitimate scrutineers (either inside or outside the local situation), and that it has been handled not just by one person who takes the decision and then carries all the responsibility alone, then it may be easier to find ways through. Of course, it opens the possibility that a whole group of leaders are then distrusted rather than just one. They are deemed to be "circling the wagons" and moving to protect one of their own rather than being open and honest. Under such circumstances, wider groupings and denominations may have further mechanisms for investigation, but independent churches do not. They are dependent only on the cache of trust they have placed in their elders and in their processes and policies. I remember a situation in which I decided not to tell my ministry team some things that were happening in the wider organisation, that they would have found distressing and debilitating. Subsequently, they found out from a third party and together asked me why I hadn't told them, and whether it was because I didn't trust them with the information. I told them that it had been to protect them from things that weren't actually their business and that wouldn't have helped them to know. However, seeing as they had heard some details, I had to fill them in on what was actually going on, rather than them relying on rumour and hearsay. When I did, they responded, "you're right, we would rather not have known that and it would have been better if we hadn't." In another ministry situation, I was wrestling with whether to reveal information about a church leader's behaviour. I spoke to a third party who was in the know. They had decided that the likely negative consequences to the church of doing so outweighed the possible benefit, and that speaking - while correct and truthful - carried a significant risk of "leaving a church as a smoking crater". And that is the agonising wisdom issue for leaders. What is it better for them to carry and absorb, and for the church or ministry to not know? What information should they not disclose for the sake of individuals or the church, in the knowledge that if it comes out later people will make incorrect assumptions about why they were silent? In the social media age, it is now normal to assume that silence indicates some kind of complicity in the misuse of power, rather than a prayerful and careful desire to not damage other people or a church. Of course, no leaders make perfect decisions all the time. Sometimes hindsight shows them to be wrong or only partially right, in ways they couldn't know at the time. Sometimes they have to judge, on balance, what a least-bad approach is when there are no obviously good options. After much thought and prayer, I concluded that the other person was probably correct, but it was very much a judgement call "on balance". I am very sympathetic to the wide range of difficult decisions church leaders have to take, some of which are in areas that are simply intractable. They have to make decisions that others will find distressing or deem to be wrong whatever decision is taken. The critical thing is that such decisions are made in trustworthy ways. Are they done plurally? Are they done with appropriate transparency to the appropriate structures and scrutineers in the church (especially elders or church wardens)? Are procedures and policies followed so that the church can trust that leaders haven’t made decisions to benefit themselves at the expense of others? These things create an environment of trust. And, under it all, are leaders, like Asaph, wired to not speak when it would benefit them personally to do so, but in the process would damage and betray God's children? His response is to seek refuge in God, in God’s justice and in his ability to bring things to the right conclusion: “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” v16-17. And refuge in God’s comfort, counsel and eternal security: “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by your right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterwards you will take me into glory” v23-24. The mark of shepherds is that, following the example of Jesus, we rather lay down our lives for the sheep than defend ourselves. But we don’t need to defend ourselves because God has us, even when we are at the end of ourselves: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” v25-26.

As we finish up this academic year, we are going to be sharing some of our most viewed posts n the last year. Here is our third most-viewed post this year... Editor’s Note: I (Richard) was very encouraged to receive this post from Phil. The following is a joint effort—Phil’s thoughts with some input from me. Most of all, however, please hear Phil’s voice on this subject. As a leader “in the trenches”, he speaks from personal experience. Here’s our post: But we came here to hear you preach. Just eight words, but eight words that are very revealing. And not in a good way. Indeed, they cut to the heart of what we so often get wrong in our theology of preaching. Because, let’s face it . . . What leader doesn’t want to hear such words? You want to hear me preach? Why, thank you so much! But hold on, because something is not right here. What’s going on when someone says this to a leader? I had cause to consider this question recently when a friend who is contemplating church planting asked about our own church planting experience. First, a word about my own approach to ministry. I had always seen the heart of my role as a pastor in the words of Ephesians 4. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph. 4.11-13 To equip the saints for works of service. There it is. There’s my job description. So even though we were only a small group of twenty-five or so, I set up a preaching group. What better way to fulfil my calling to “equip the saints for works of service”? I believe strongly in the call to “equip the saints” so this is something I have done wherever I have been involved in ministry, and I have always found it immensely rewarding. There can be downsides, of course. It has meant that some of the sermons from the trainees have been a bit rough and ready. Perhaps not as bad as my first sermon. If you had heard that, you would never have asked me to preach again! Preaching is a gift that only grows through its use. You cannot improve without actually practising the gift. As a result, we discovered that one or two had different gifts and needed to drop out of the group. However, most grew in their abilities, and this was wonderful to see. Back to those eight words . . . But we came here to hear you preach. This came from a couple who had joined our church plant and didn’t really get this part of our DNA. So they complained to me with the words you read above. Now I don’t know exactly what was going on in their hearts when they uttered those eight words. However, there were several things going on in mine. The first was a sense of smug pride. Good. They like my preaching. Well done me. But the more I reflected on their words, the more I realised what was wrong with my heart response, and as far as I could read it, with theirs. Here, then, are some lessons for both hearer and preacher alike. HEARER, HUMBLE YOURSELF Why do we listen to sermons? To hear God speak. Plain and simple. Though God uses the gift of communication and the personality of the preacher, this should not be our focus. This is not why we come to church. We should be coming to hear God speak—not to hear the wit or wisdom of the preacher, but to hear the living Word of God as He speaks by His Spirit through His Word. If we’re coming to hear a particular preacher, then we’re coming for the wrong reasons. That was why we rarely used to publicise who would be preaching on any given Sunday. If we’re coming to hear God speak, and if we believe that He does so by His Spirit and through His Word, then it follows that we can be fed and encouraged by “terrible sermons.” I know this for a fact, since I have preached some very shoddy sermons. It has encouraged me no end to hear that God, by his grace, has still spoken to people through them. I love the phrase that someone once shared with me: The mature Christian is easily edified. If we’re coming to a gathering longing for and expecting God to speak, then we are very likely to hear His voice. The challenge for us as hearers is not to harden our hearts. I have listened to thousands of sermons over the years, and I know that my own spiritual health is a critical element which often determines how much I get out of any sermon. As a preacher myself, there is always a terrible risk that in my pride I will be judging the sermon (and the preacher) rather than humbly sitting under God’s Word. So, listener—humble yourself. We come to hear God speak. PREACHER, HUMBLE YOURSELF I suspect that most of us who preach regularly have far too high an opinion of our preaching gifts, and far too low a view of God’s sovereignty in speaking to His people and building His church. The longer I’ve served in ministry, the more I’ve come to understand that my preaching belongs to Him—it is His work—and I can trust Him. Of course, I still work hard and try to be as well-equipped as I can be. But as I enter the pulpit, the words in my mind are “I believe in the Holy Spirit, I believe in the Holy Spirit.”[1] Because unless He is working, then I am waffling on in vain. It puts me in mind of Numbers 22.28. If God can speak through a donkey’s mouth, He doesn’t need me or you! As Exodus 4.11 reminds us, God is the one who gave human beings mouths. He is able to achieve what he wants with them. Preacher, surely the gospel makes it clear. We live to glorify God. So, humble yourself. We want to hear God’s voice not yours. Does this mean we are absolved from working hard to study God’s Word and prepare our sermons? Of course not. Indeed, according to 2 Timothy 2.15, we are encouraged to “rightly handle the word of truth.” Two more Scriptures are helpful here. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Eph. 3.20 If his power is at work in us, when we rise to speak, we know that He is working, He is speaking through us. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. Col. 1.29 How encouraging to know that the energy within us comes from the Lord Jesus. Notice, however, that Paul says “I strenuously contend.” (In other translations, we read, “striving” or “struggling”.) Effort on the part of the preacher is expected but Paul argues that this striving, contending, struggling is with the energy Christ works within us. Imagine that. We prepare. We speak. We strive. We struggle. But He’s right there within us. He will have His way, and He will speak. Of that we can be sure. THE FRUIT OF OUR LABOURS Who produces the fruit of our labours? The farmer sows the seed and harvests, but God sends the soil, the water, the nutrients and of course, the sunshine. We work; God causes the crop to grow. When you feel overwhelmed, when you’ve not managed to prepare quite as well as you would have liked, be encouraged. There is no need to be anxious. If they have come to hear you speak, they are there for the wrong reason. But if they have come to hear God, then He will speak. He always speaks to those with ears to hear, with those of humble heart eager to hear His voice. After all, if He can speak through a donkey, He can speak through you. 1. The prayer that Spurgeon reportedly prayed every time he entered the pulpit.