Josh. James. Joe. Jethro = Quality music, quality event.
(featuring Benny Maslin on backing vocals -back behind the camera that is!)
Showing posts with label Events Week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Events Week. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Blogging attempt 2...and a memory of FREE Week...
Currently Reading: Desiring God/John Piper; The Busy Christian's Guide To Busyness/Tim Chester
Currently Listening to: ()/Sigur Ros; In the Name of Love, Various Artists
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Hello once again...sometime in the future i'll get round to summarising RUCU's FREE Week and the amazing-ness of God before, throughout, and after. I couldnt say which rates highest really, or which to emphasis more. In sort...it was, and continues to be good.
Just downloaded an amazing little application I orginally heard about from John Young, a fresher at Reading, and then Jethro Atherall, a good friend and fellow RUCU second year. It's called 'Spotify', and with it you can stream ANY song live, and best of all, its LEGAL! I may never have to buy music again...this thing was made for Christian students I'm sure.
That reminds me of a great quote Tom Riches told us at an RFC men's breakfast a while back, that we "are not students who happen to be Christians, but Christians who happen to be students" which he got off someone a few years before.
Via Spotify stubbled across a great album a teammate of mine in India had -an album of U2 covers by American (it think, mostly) Christian bands, including a Delirious?/Tree63 cover of 'Pride' which, I have to say, is almost as good as the original. I really like it...go check it out. [In the Name of Love, 2004, Artists United for Africa]
I digress: I felt a good way to get 'back' to blogging -assuming I was some kind of presence here in the first place- was to share a quality little thing that challenged me at approximatly 9am the (miraculously) frosty morning that the FREE marquee went up.
After aging 3 years the previous morning as the marquee guys turned up, and being told we couldn't put the marquee where the Uni had said it was ok to, and coming close to having to cancel the whole week, a few little miracles resulted in the marquee going up the next day behind Mojos/the Student Union, not a bad location at all.
I arrived at half 7 to pray over the site before the Marquee guys arrived, and was joined by Peter Harley, Lee Burgess, and 'Benny' Maslin, who had kindly volunteered to come help put the marquee up faster than the four Sandhurst marquee chaps could.
At a pause in our activity (putting up marquees is really easy btw!), we observed a student came riding up on a small BMX bike, and stopped on the patio area behind mojo's. He moved all the tables to the sides, and began to practice tricks and jumps silently and devotedly. Someone commented on how 'sad' it was, but it really struck me- this guy had got up on saturday, when everyone else was asleep, when he would normally have been sleeping, and come from his house outside campus, moved obstacles out of his way, so he could be alone and free to do the thing he loved, getting better at what he did and more in tune with how the bike handled. Now...when was the last time I got up early in the morning, went to a quiet place, moved heavy obstacles and put in physical effort, and read my Bible and prayed? Isn't that what I claim to be most important to me? Isn't that what I say that I love doing most? But when did I last show that kind of commitment to God and made such an effort to be with Him and learn about him? I can't recall... and He deserves better. He far did more than moving tables for me...
Currently Listening to: ()/Sigur Ros; In the Name of Love, Various Artists
-
Hello once again...sometime in the future i'll get round to summarising RUCU's FREE Week and the amazing-ness of God before, throughout, and after. I couldnt say which rates highest really, or which to emphasis more. In sort...it was, and continues to be good.
Just downloaded an amazing little application I orginally heard about from John Young, a fresher at Reading, and then Jethro Atherall, a good friend and fellow RUCU second year. It's called 'Spotify', and with it you can stream ANY song live, and best of all, its LEGAL! I may never have to buy music again...this thing was made for Christian students I'm sure.
That reminds me of a great quote Tom Riches told us at an RFC men's breakfast a while back, that we "are not students who happen to be Christians, but Christians who happen to be students" which he got off someone a few years before.
Via Spotify stubbled across a great album a teammate of mine in India had -an album of U2 covers by American (it think, mostly) Christian bands, including a Delirious?/Tree63 cover of 'Pride' which, I have to say, is almost as good as the original. I really like it...go check it out. [In the Name of Love, 2004, Artists United for Africa]
I digress: I felt a good way to get 'back' to blogging -assuming I was some kind of presence here in the first place- was to share a quality little thing that challenged me at approximatly 9am the (miraculously) frosty morning that the FREE marquee went up.
After aging 3 years the previous morning as the marquee guys turned up, and being told we couldn't put the marquee where the Uni had said it was ok to, and coming close to having to cancel the whole week, a few little miracles resulted in the marquee going up the next day behind Mojos/the Student Union, not a bad location at all.
I arrived at half 7 to pray over the site before the Marquee guys arrived, and was joined by Peter Harley, Lee Burgess, and 'Benny' Maslin, who had kindly volunteered to come help put the marquee up faster than the four Sandhurst marquee chaps could.
At a pause in our activity (putting up marquees is really easy btw!), we observed a student came riding up on a small BMX bike, and stopped on the patio area behind mojo's. He moved all the tables to the sides, and began to practice tricks and jumps silently and devotedly. Someone commented on how 'sad' it was, but it really struck me- this guy had got up on saturday, when everyone else was asleep, when he would normally have been sleeping, and come from his house outside campus, moved obstacles out of his way, so he could be alone and free to do the thing he loved, getting better at what he did and more in tune with how the bike handled. Now...when was the last time I got up early in the morning, went to a quiet place, moved heavy obstacles and put in physical effort, and read my Bible and prayed? Isn't that what I claim to be most important to me? Isn't that what I say that I love doing most? But when did I last show that kind of commitment to God and made such an effort to be with Him and learn about him? I can't recall... and He deserves better. He far did more than moving tables for me...
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Finally.....FREE is here....
Hi again....
Check these out for the Vision and manifestation of this Vision in the videos posted in the next blog (having problems posting them in this one)
Unfortunatly, my pretty awful performance in front of a camera meant the vision is not expressed so clearly! It comes down to this: we want to be bolder than ever before in proclaiming the gospel in Reading. We want to be a tanglible presence on campus, not letting the truth of Jesus be hidden, but displayed for all to see. We want to take away as many of the barriers that get in the way of people hearing the gospel as possible.
To do these things, we are having all our events in a 200 seater marquee in the very centre of campus, between the four most used buildings on campus. We are doing the same evening gospel focused talks with added invitational-ness, culminating in a Curry night on friday plus a full gospel talk from Micheal Ots. Five apologetics based lunchbars will happen, followed by 'Question Cafe' where people can stay behind and have drinks and discuss the talk and have thier questions answered. We will (hopefully!) have a smaller gazebo near the marquee giving out Free Gospel, and tea and toast in the mornings for those coming out of lectures. Monday night is given over to hall events, so we as a CU can realise the importance of these and take them seriously.
We hope and pray that having such an open venue and noticable venue those who normally wouldnt go out of their way come instead of continuing on their way, and that our vision to take the gospel out to campus, rather than drawing people in, will work for His glory!
Please pray there would be no de-railing problems in these last few days of prep, and that many people would hear the gospel and respond....
Check these out for the Vision and manifestation of this Vision in the videos posted in the next blog (having problems posting them in this one)
Unfortunatly, my pretty awful performance in front of a camera meant the vision is not expressed so clearly! It comes down to this: we want to be bolder than ever before in proclaiming the gospel in Reading. We want to be a tanglible presence on campus, not letting the truth of Jesus be hidden, but displayed for all to see. We want to take away as many of the barriers that get in the way of people hearing the gospel as possible.
To do these things, we are having all our events in a 200 seater marquee in the very centre of campus, between the four most used buildings on campus. We are doing the same evening gospel focused talks with added invitational-ness, culminating in a Curry night on friday plus a full gospel talk from Micheal Ots. Five apologetics based lunchbars will happen, followed by 'Question Cafe' where people can stay behind and have drinks and discuss the talk and have thier questions answered. We will (hopefully!) have a smaller gazebo near the marquee giving out Free Gospel, and tea and toast in the mornings for those coming out of lectures. Monday night is given over to hall events, so we as a CU can realise the importance of these and take them seriously.
We hope and pray that having such an open venue and noticable venue those who normally wouldnt go out of their way come instead of continuing on their way, and that our vision to take the gospel out to campus, rather than drawing people in, will work for His glory!
Please pray there would be no de-railing problems in these last few days of prep, and that many people would hear the gospel and respond....
Pre-FREE Week Confessions & Chapter 4's...
Well. That wasnt the kind of start I imagined when I wrote that last blog! My last few weeks have been well and truely hijacked by a fast approaching deadline for the biggest single peice of coursework I have ever done, and the boldest RUCU events week ever attempted.
Planning this events week has been a real challenge. Its coming up to 6 months since I took on this assignment, and many of my 'endless thoughts' have focussed around it. I thought and described earlier today how I am currently in an 'events week shaped crucible', in which I am slowly being refined and strengthened. Doing this job has seriously challenged my dependance on God, how much I trust Him, my leadership skills, organisation, shown me the importance and effectiveness of prayer, why we do an events week, why we do CU at all, and many more things that I havent yet noticed.
One of the biggest things I have and am still learning is to trust in God in all circumstances. I often feel that we Christians can know all about a situation and Biblical truths and encouragments theoretically -that is, we could easily give a perfect answer to a dilemma, or to someone else in the situation or when challenged by someone on that issue, but often when I find myself in the position where the Biblical truth that once so easily slipped from my lips is forgotten. Practically don't know how to react to a situation. This seems so simple, but the fact it does so shows it to be true. We know its true theorically, but practically, when we are in the think of it, we find it hard to live out.
With this in mind, one way I have been refined by God (and still am bit by bit) is in the aforementioned trusting in God at all times that He is in control of Events Week, knowing in practice that it is not RUCU's week, Josh Betts', but in fact it belongs to Jesus. Salvation comes from Him, not us.
This truth was really brought home to me in two passages of scripture. The second and most recent a simple but profund lesson for me, which I have now explained tens of times, but still is hard to explain to a computer rather than a person! Will give it ago anyway..... Looking at our amazing FREE gospels at a cell leaders training event on the Sunday before term, we read though Mark 4. We did not dwell upon it, but Mark 4:35-41 jumped out of the pages at me:
Mark 4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
This perfectly sums up my own personal situation before God over Christmas, as I recieved the news we were not allowed to provide any food on campus that wasnt bought from them and had complete health and safety checks. This sort of screwed things up in my mind. Let me share with you how I have a problem in that I seem to need to be in total control of situations I am responsible for. And everything has to be perfect. So when my perfectly formed plans started to unravel, along with dreams of a massive public debate, bold first contact evanglism teams, big name testimonies falling through (that very phrase greatly encourages me now in hindsight as an image of God sifting through my plans to leave the ones that fit into his plans -with a plastic sieve like the one we seem to have lost in my house to my comparatively great annoyance! I just ruined that nice point with that insight into my imagination....dang) I was in a bit of a state.
Its hard to describe past thoughts and emotions, and convey them with the same weight they once had. Maybe if I got good at this blogging lark, I might capture them in the moment....Anyway, having worked this through, Mark 4 put the ball in the back of the net.
In those moments of frustration, I have called out almost exactly as the disciples did: "God! Do you not care that Events Week is about to fall to peices?!". For me, the situation reflected a whirlwind of decisions, impossibilities and chaos as I tried to hold down everything Events Week (EW). Here, the guys are in a situation much more tangible than the depths of my mind, a phycial storm. They should have been 'cool' with it, after all, Jesus was with them, and it was a safe bet that his 'time had not yet come'. But like me, they forgot in the 'practical' situation the truths they had learned thus far. To read verses 39 & 40 deeply challenged me. This is the same Giod. The same one here planning His glory through EW and beyond. Why was I afraid? Suddenly the clouds cleared and I saw so clearly, that He who has "delivered us from the domain of darkness" (Col 1:13) is so perfectly in control of my plans for EW and has not forgotten the task at hand. He is in control. Why did I ever doubt him? How great is that. That changes everything.
This put the icing on the cake of Philippians 4:4-20, which I had come across when wrestling these issues and more with my mentor-type, the amazing Keith Morgan, which is pretty self explanatory....
Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Planning this events week has been a real challenge. Its coming up to 6 months since I took on this assignment, and many of my 'endless thoughts' have focussed around it. I thought and described earlier today how I am currently in an 'events week shaped crucible', in which I am slowly being refined and strengthened. Doing this job has seriously challenged my dependance on God, how much I trust Him, my leadership skills, organisation, shown me the importance and effectiveness of prayer, why we do an events week, why we do CU at all, and many more things that I havent yet noticed.
One of the biggest things I have and am still learning is to trust in God in all circumstances. I often feel that we Christians can know all about a situation and Biblical truths and encouragments theoretically -that is, we could easily give a perfect answer to a dilemma, or to someone else in the situation or when challenged by someone on that issue, but often when I find myself in the position where the Biblical truth that once so easily slipped from my lips is forgotten. Practically don't know how to react to a situation. This seems so simple, but the fact it does so shows it to be true. We know its true theorically, but practically, when we are in the think of it, we find it hard to live out.
With this in mind, one way I have been refined by God (and still am bit by bit) is in the aforementioned trusting in God at all times that He is in control of Events Week, knowing in practice that it is not RUCU's week, Josh Betts', but in fact it belongs to Jesus. Salvation comes from Him, not us.
This truth was really brought home to me in two passages of scripture. The second and most recent a simple but profund lesson for me, which I have now explained tens of times, but still is hard to explain to a computer rather than a person! Will give it ago anyway..... Looking at our amazing FREE gospels at a cell leaders training event on the Sunday before term, we read though Mark 4. We did not dwell upon it, but Mark 4:35-41 jumped out of the pages at me:
Mark 4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
This perfectly sums up my own personal situation before God over Christmas, as I recieved the news we were not allowed to provide any food on campus that wasnt bought from them and had complete health and safety checks. This sort of screwed things up in my mind. Let me share with you how I have a problem in that I seem to need to be in total control of situations I am responsible for. And everything has to be perfect. So when my perfectly formed plans started to unravel, along with dreams of a massive public debate, bold first contact evanglism teams, big name testimonies falling through (that very phrase greatly encourages me now in hindsight as an image of God sifting through my plans to leave the ones that fit into his plans -with a plastic sieve like the one we seem to have lost in my house to my comparatively great annoyance! I just ruined that nice point with that insight into my imagination....dang) I was in a bit of a state.
Its hard to describe past thoughts and emotions, and convey them with the same weight they once had. Maybe if I got good at this blogging lark, I might capture them in the moment....Anyway, having worked this through, Mark 4 put the ball in the back of the net.
In those moments of frustration, I have called out almost exactly as the disciples did: "God! Do you not care that Events Week is about to fall to peices?!". For me, the situation reflected a whirlwind of decisions, impossibilities and chaos as I tried to hold down everything Events Week (EW). Here, the guys are in a situation much more tangible than the depths of my mind, a phycial storm. They should have been 'cool' with it, after all, Jesus was with them, and it was a safe bet that his 'time had not yet come'. But like me, they forgot in the 'practical' situation the truths they had learned thus far. To read verses 39 & 40 deeply challenged me. This is the same Giod. The same one here planning His glory through EW and beyond. Why was I afraid? Suddenly the clouds cleared and I saw so clearly, that He who has "delivered us from the domain of darkness" (Col 1:13) is so perfectly in control of my plans for EW and has not forgotten the task at hand. He is in control. Why did I ever doubt him? How great is that. That changes everything.
This put the icing on the cake of Philippians 4:4-20, which I had come across when wrestling these issues and more with my mentor-type, the amazing Keith Morgan, which is pretty self explanatory....
Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
So, EW is only a few days here. Please pray for the practical details that still need to come together, of which there are many; for Micheal Ots, the speaker and his enegy and health as we are somehting like the 6th or 7th mission he has done this year (academic year!); finance -this is the boldest and most expensive events week we ever have run, and things like food -for reasons mentioned above- are cost huge amounts more than previous years. (I will outline the actual plans for the week in my next post) God has already provided huge amounts of money for it, but we still have a little way to go to be confident of pulling it all off; and most importantly, that the CU would grasp the urgency of the situation and grow in thier passion for God's glory, and invite their friends, and finally that God would soften hearts, open eyes and unblock deaf ears so people hear the gospel, respond and be saved! That God would be glorified by and through this week.
Phew. Serious blog no2 done. Didnt end up writing what I intended, but its a start! Another post coming soon covering the details of EW, and then day by day reports of it as it happens -I guess the phrase "I'll believe it when you see it" comes to mind......
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