Have you ever tried putting a jigsaw together with all the pieces turned upside down and with no picture to guide you how it is going to come together? As you try it, you will find different problem solving skills come into play. Skills of patience, persistence, observation and strategy will all be needed as you work with a grey canvas and pieces which look similar. By solving the puzzle, you will find you are learning from having to pay attention to how each piece fits together through its shape and design. You will feel a sense of achievement when you complete the puzzle.

Living in a world like the upside down puzzle, which is moving away from absolutes and boundaries set by God, we need to take time in God’s presence to ask Him to show us His picture and how to see things from His perspective. It is going to mean turning off the TV or radio, not turning on the computer or tablet and ignoring any thought of using the mobile to text or tweet. There will be a need to find a quite place, a place where we won’t be distracted and where we can be alone with the Father.

God can use many different ways or methods to show us how the pieces which form life’s puzzle fit together. His answers can come at any time, in any place or in any way He chooses. We have to be ready, willing and waiting to hear Him speak. He just asks us to be willing to receive from Him in the way he chooses.

When we complete the picture with God, which is our lives, He will show us a picture that is full of colour and we will stand in awe and reverence for what He has done.

The practice of the presence of God was popularised by Brother Lawrence  in the classic Christian book of the same name. (The Practice of the Presence of God on Amazon)  It is a great aspiration but one most of us find difficult to achieve.

I came across a guy who does a lot of driving and consequently found that his day, with all its frustrations, was very difficult and he quickly lost any sense of the God’s presence. He decided that he needed some way of being constantly reminded in his car to seek out a space to acknowledge God.

As traffic lights were one of his major frustrations he thought he would use them to his advantage.  Instead of cursing his luck as the lights turn red he would treat them as a reminder to turn his mind briefly to God.

He says it has made a big difference to his day making him more ‘God conscious’.  Is this something you could try? or do you have other ways that help you practice the presence of God in the everyday?

Roy Gregory

Where did you spend the summer? I was fortunate to spend mine in California/Nevada doing the LA, San Francisco and Las Vegas triangle. It was a trip of a lifetime that I will never forget.

One of the highlights was the opportunity to visit Saddleback Church in Orange County. Since I’ve been a fan of Rick Warren for a long time, this was a modern-day pilgrimage for me.

Saddleback is a mega church by any standards. It’s a wonderful campus of landscaped grounds and different venues (or tent pavilions), which share the message from the main auditorium (pictured above) but have individual worship styles in each tent.

The children’s building is amazing: the network of classrooms and modern facilities are above and beyond anything I have seen or could’ve dreamed in a church.

Welcomers were dotted around the campus offering ice-water bottles with the latest campaign wording: Better Together.

Fully appreciating the dangers of isolation in a mega church, Saddleback has a hugely active small group network emphasizing the need to live our lives together and with divine purpose.

Steve Gladen is the pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback and has published a book this year called Leading Small Groups with Purpose.

If you are leading or thinking of leading a small group you might want to check it out.

I found it a goldmine of inspirational ideas, clearly arising from years of experience. It made me smile, cry and cringe as I recognized my own shortcomings and failures in leading a group.

I give thanks for the blessed refreshment of holidays and for the opportunity to look afresh at my small group, its structure, format, members and their unique giftings and issues. I pray that we all would be truly better together this coming year.
If you are not a member of a small group: why not join one this autumn; if there isn’t one nearby, September is a great time to start one!

If you’re already leading, be encouraged in Steve Gladen’s book’s final words:

“You matter to God and leading and building health in your small group is an incredible and eternal privilege.”

… if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing … and now these three remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13)

Yes faith makes a difference, Yes hope makes a difference but without love the bible says many of our efforts may turn out to be hollow – without love we are nothing.

Sebastian Coe in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, said that the most important aspect to human life was the pursuit of the highest human achievement – whilst this is obviously a very commendable objective and to be encouraged, the bible shows us that this can be far from God’s main desire from us and humanity – he wants us to looks at our character and in-particular at our heart – his first priority is to see a foundation of love in our lives – this is even more important than human achievement, even more important than having faith to move a mountain.

When we look at all that Jesus went through, especially the cross, what do we think enabled him to endure such things and not fall – here again I believe the bible points to his relationship with his father God, a relationship built on love.

As Christian men we need to be clear about what is the foundation and motivation behind what we do in life and in particular what we do as expressions of our faith to others – it is not about charging into spiritual warfare guns blazing, not about winning at all costs, not about doing as the world does – No, it is about being men who unlike so many, do things differently and stand firm on God’s foundation of love, a love that is able to motivative us to do great things for our father, endure any weather and be there for and with our neighbours in any part of the world.

Do things differently … but the greatest of these is love.

I have some religious neighbours – they wash their cars every week. One does it Sunday mornings, another twice a week Saturdays and Wednesdays.

When it comes to car cleaning, I am rather agnostic and my car is only washed when it becomes embarrassingly necessary. Another key difference is that I usually do not wash it myself.

There are a couple of places near my home where you can pay a fiver and have your car hand washed while you wait. It struck me that there are lots of areas where we have the choice to do it ourselves or pay someone else to do it for us.

Clearly there are some things where it is wiser or a necessity to pay someone else to do for us. – Cutting my own hair would not be a good idea!

However when it comes to church can we do the same?

A recent talk at my church discussed 2 models for church structure.

The first model is a pyramid like that found in business, where you have the CEO at the top and those at the bottom have to do as they are told. There are churches which follow this model, with a minister or pastor at the top, a hierarchy in between and at the bottom – the members or congregation who are expected to be in submission and pay for the minster.

I recall that Jesus turned the world model for leadership on its head – Matt 20:18-28.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”.

So the second model discussed in the talk was one where the pyramid is upside down. 
It is one where the leadership structure exists to support the members as they carry out the ministry of the church.

The point of this is simple. Our church giving is not about paying someone else to do what we should be doing. We each should have a purpose and a part in the ministry of the church.

Even if you happen to be in a church where they have pyramid the wrong way up, can I suggest that you should seek to serve in some way – you do not have to have an official title / position to serve.

Finally, as we are the over 50’s and allegedly have a bit more experience, perhaps this may take the form of enabling / supporting others.

The Stranger stood in the shadows of the stadium
Unnoticed by the spectators as they walked by
So engrossed with expectation
As the clock counted down towards the hour
For the event that had been years in the planning to begin
He moved amongst them as their anticipation grew
Yet amidst all this passion He felt pain in His heart
Because the question that was unanswered
Had they come not to glorify the Father?
Or to praise the achievements
Of the athletes who were about to compete
Yet as the bell tolled and the ceremonies commenced
A thread was woven into the tapestry of the day
That there is a way which brings hope
Even when in each competition there is only one winner
Many will receive a blessing from taking part
And the accolade they had done their best
But as the excitement reached a crescendo
The realisation began to dawn
Each one was made in the image of the Father
And it was He who had given them the skills
To achieve the required standard
But it is only He who gives greater benefits
Than any winning any competition can
Why oh why are so many of God’s people
Lacking the desire to heed the call
To be passionate in living for the Father
In the same way as an athlete
Is when training to win a medal
So when are God’s people?
Going to turn back to Him
Humble themselves and pray
So that their land
Can receive healing from their Lord
Or are they going to be swept
Along with the tide
That is the Olympic Games?
Here for a while
But then gone for a time
Leaving memories which will fade
And a line in the record books
Yet the Father has something to give
That is greater than any medal
Or life expectancy
A gift that will last for eternity.

© Mike Bartrop 27.07.2012

People often say that Christianity is simply a set of rules and regulations … a bit like SSOs (Ships Standing Orders … the rule book for each ship in the Royal Navy!) for life … Helen was once asked ‘As a Christian, what is that you aren’t allowed to do then?’ Faith is seen by many as negative, limiting, constricting your life … rules and laws are there for the courts / police to hang you by – that’s why they were written wasn’t it? Or could it possibly be to allow the country to function as a unit … with everyone following the same basic guidelines etc … I like this description of what it means to be a Christian … (from Psalm 18)

God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
he gave me a fresh start.
Now I’m alert to God’s ways;
I don’t take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I’m watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

Note the line ‘alert to God’s ways’ … that’s what we should be … and that’s what the ‘rules and regs’ in the bible are about really … if we are alert to Gods ways that is what He wants … and the rules etc. no longer seem negative, but they are there for our protection, give us boundaries etc … if we had had this sign on the bridge wings of HMS Cumberland, maybe the Captain would not have jumped over the side to test the Man Overboard routine …. but then again as Captain should he have been ‘alert to the ways’ of a ship at sea??

As we get to know God better we become more ‘alert to his ways’ … and those ways are not there to constrict us or choke the life out of us, but to free us to enjoy life as we were meant to … and how do we become more alert to his ways??? Spend time with him … as our bit from the psalm says ‘every day I review the way he works, I try not to miss a trick …’ it all started when ‘I got my act together’ … great biblical quote!

And finally do you know who the smallest man in the Bible was? No, it wasn’t knee high Mya, it was the Roman guard who fell asleep on his watch …

On 12th June more than eighty Christian leaders from throughout the UK gathered alongside Parliamentarians for an hour of listening to God in silence in Parliament. Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, and Christian leaders from a wide cross-section of ministries were present. Following the time of silence they all had an opportunity to share what they believed they had heard. The following is a short summary of that feedback:

• God’s appointed time to judge the nations of the world is very nearly upon us. Our nation, and its church have turned away from God and His standards and we are beginning to see and feel the resulting judgement.
• A remnant of Britain’s covenant past, its Christian heritage and the good fruit of our worldwide missionary zeal remains. We should embrace our spiritual sons and daughters from the nations, who have returned to help us. It is possible that God may yet act out of mercy to avert the very worst of the judgement that we have brought upon ourselves. The Church is called to be the voice of hope and compassion.
• The shaking of every part of man’s world-wide economic, social, political and religious systems has begun. It will be a time of great humbling, purification and refining in every aspect of society. Only what is built on the foundations that God requires will be permitted to remain – righteousness, truth and justice.
• When the judgement has run its course, God has promised to restore us. This restoration must follow God’s revealed strategies and guidelines and not be led astray again by man’s initiatives and good ideas.
• Because of His great love for this nation and all of its people, God’s heart is breaking and He longs for us to respond to Him, as individuals, as a church, and as a nation. The time to respond is now.

This is a summary report on an ‘Hour of Listening’ in Parliament on June 12th 2012 by Dennis Wrigley, Michael Fenton-Jones and Nicholas Szkiler of ‘Together for the Nation’ – a coalition of Christian ministries. Nick Szkiler has been praying with Eddie James for 10 years, and he believes this should be reported and prayed through widely. A full transcript of the feedback is available upon request.

50 plus blog is produced by a team of 10 writers, it’s a weekly blog that is published every Thursday. Eddie James co-ordinates the blog and is looking for a few more writers – interested?

We are encouraging the churches involved in level 1 and 2 events to broaden their activities to include community service (such as the Besom) and also to involve teams of men of all ages. It is important to show a wider spectrum of activities in the CVM presentations and also to encourage the church members to be involved in all age teams. Besom works in large geographical areas, e.g. across a city and across all denominations, so that small churches and individuals can be involved.

We are also looking for specialists and advocates to speak on behalf of the lonely, vulnerable, sick and the old. For example men in old people’s homes need activities such as invitations to football matches and pub quiz nights. A recent survey showed that men in homes were not being stimulated mentally or spiritually as they were outnumbered by women and felt ignored by the overworked staff. Many churches are not aware of this and don’t invite the men to their services. We need to encourage the older men who are housebound.

Another important and urgent area of communication to the churches is reaching the ‘Boomers’. The Boomers were born between 1944-64 and are the last generation in the UK to have a background of the life of Jesus. Many have left the church as they found it boring, unadventurous and irrelevant. Roger Standing in his book ‘Re-emerging church’ has researched this and I have found that the few churches that are focused on the Boomers are alive.

It looks as though we will need many advocates as the public sector becomes underfunded and overstretched during this recession. Jesus commanded us to preach and heal. Word and deed.

So far I have outlined only 3 areas:
- Social action
- Care for the elderly
- Adventure for the Boomers
but I am sure that this is only the start.

A big thank you to Mike Bartrop, Steve Martin, Kevin Cruise and Dave Lodge for their encouragement in this venture. And of course a big thank you to the blog team.

Now I am one for camping. I am happy to sleep in a flimsy tent half way up a mountain. I am familiar with tents of all types. The one-man kind that you could carry in a ‘manbag’ (if I used one) right the way up to the 20 person dormitories that come with a set of instructions bigger than the yellow pages.

But what I got involved in this weekend made every other tent that I had ever handled look like some sort of a complex tea-bag. The tent I have just been involved in putting up and taking down was HUGE.

A few stats;

• 5 tonnes in weight
• 48 guy-lines
• tent pegs of over a metre long that would hold a truck
• 133 poles; the smallest being 2½ metres – the largest being 20m high
• area covered about 4,000 square metres

It took 20 blokes a day and bit, a lot of grunting, sweating, shouting and other bodily noises (but never a cross word or a swear word – really) to put this monster up.

And for why? To welcome 1000 men to a conference in a small Yorkshire Dales town and hear the word of God spoken into their lives.

The vision started with one man who felt that he heard God say “Do something for me” and that something was to ask Angus Buchan to the UK to speak at the Mighty Men conference (25-27 May 2012). Some of you might know Angus from the South African ‘Mighty Men’ conferences and the book and film ‘Faith like potatoes’.

Questions were asked at the start – How many people do we think might come? 200?, 300? Can we believe for 500? But that was the wrong question – the real question is how BIG should we think. You see, if we think in terms of numbers we limit what God can do to that number. Instead if we go for the biggest we can (and then some) God has promised to do the rest.

Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep … Isaiah 54:2 (MSG)

OK so I know that the scripture is a bit obvious for this blog, but it makes the point well. Ian, the bloke who had the vision to ‘do something for God’ has a saying he often quotes. “If your vision doesn’t scare you, it isn’t big enough”.

So a man with a tent was found. What’s the biggest tent you can let us have? One that will seat between 2500 and 3000. (gulp) Ok we’ll go for that (scared or what) Hang on – How many will we cater for then? How many seats? How many stewards, how many … well … everything!!!!

We thought perhaps 500, God sent 1000, and on the Sunday morning when the men’s wives and families were invited we welcomed nearly 1500.

Think not how many, but think HOW BIG. God has promised to fill your tents, make it a big one!