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Rob's Blog
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Spiritual life
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Sunday, 29 January 2012 17:26 |
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 The first sign of Summer Camp 2012 was the arrival of port-a-loos. Then came a delivery van with vegetables, and a call from the butcher to come get boxes of meat. 30 young people (aged 15-30) descended upon Salt Clay Road to set up tents, bedding and bring equipment for the service day on Sunday. Needless to say, it was a full house - with the Hefren family and us making 45 in all.
The theme of the weekend was the Heart of David - and I taught from the overview stream of the Davidic School of Ministry. We looked at the way in which the heart, ministry, throne and kingdom of David prefigure or model the heart, ministry, throne and kingdom of Christ. Look at some of the connections:
• Jesus is the son of David (Acts 13:22/Isa. 11:1,11).
• God established an everlasting covenant with David in Christ (2 Sam. 7:4-17/Isa. 55:3)
• The church is the restoration of the tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11/Acts 15:16).
• The key of David is in the hands of Christ (Isa. 22:22/Rev. 3:7).
• Jesus sits on the throne of David (Luke 1:32/Isa. 16:5).
• David's government is ever increasing and has been placed upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ (Isa. 9:5,6).
This was a wonderful time of teaching, discussion, debate and prayer. In the evenings we gathered for ministry and worship. On Sunday many arose early to work on community service projects - mowing, weeding, building & babysitting. Meals were made and taken as a community. Probably the thing that blessed my heart more than anything else was the way the younger ones - some of my kids and some of Dean and Sue's kids stayed in the teaching sessions and participated. |
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Spiritual life
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Saturday, 22 October 2011 07:17 |
 "David fled to Samuel, and they went to Naioth and stayed there... the group of prophets were gathered, prophesying and Samuel was amongst them as their leader." (1 Samuel 19:18&20)
In the cut and thrust of ministry, I have shared with, taught, imparted to and equipped a wide range of people: leaders, servants, educated and not; men and women, children and the retired. 80 percent of the time I am sharing the bottom 20 percent - the low hanging fruit, the easy to impart aspects of ministry and walking with God. Occasionally you get asked to run an intermediate group, or return five or six times to really have a go at downloading more. Along the way you gather a group who take it further. I have yearned to share the next level with them.
Along the way I have had rare moments when someone who knew more, had experienced more and had embraced the personal development journey took an interest in me. They allowed me a glimpse into their world, shared a few meals, sat in the circle of peers or friends they had - and those moments changed my live forever. They downloaded that "next level" for me.
It was a privilege this weekend to invite a group down to the farm to experiment with what it looks like to talk advanced material. Mario and Kurt drove (not fled) to Cootamundra (not Naioth) and we gathered with the prophets (and their spouses) there. We were explicitly there to discuss the next level - the territory long left undiscussed - the troubles we find ourselves in by rarely get to debrief. I found myself, like the proverbial acrobat at a carnival, saying the equivalent of "children don't try this at home." Mario, Kurt and I shared from our life journey, and the conversation and interaction was bracing and invigorating.
It gave me pause the think about working with, mentoring and helping others on the journey - and reaching for the higher branches, the sweeter fruit. There is always danger in climbing, but you know me, always up for the thrill. |
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Spiritual life
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Wednesday, 14 September 2011 07:51 |
Brian Medway - xlink conference
 Sometimes you find God is at work in the things you go do to make ends meet. You might be trying to work your way through Bible College, and doing a part time job. But God is more at work in your job than in your college. God is there, in the periphery. At times he speaks to you tangentially, perhaps by creating a pattern of events, a series of happenings or chance encounters. If the one thing happens more than once, that'sinteresting, but by the third time, he should have our attention.
At other times he speaks head on - but in a quite unexpected way. God can stir the heart of a business partner, a pastor or your mentor. That person might bring a challenging word to you,during a conversation that was otherwise going quite smoothly. They offer un-asked-for advice. You feel offended. Perhaps the rebuke comes from an elder who is rather set in their ways. But they are there for you when nobody else is. And that matters.
- Like Elijah showing up at the field in Tishbe and throwing his coat over Elisha.
- Like Paul wrote to his beloved friends in Corinth: "Your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted." (2 Corinthians 11:3)
I call such valuable people, such confronters our community of more. THey are more than us, and they bring more to us. They are not under us, nor affected by our gravity. They will simply speak their mind. They will simply show up. we all need that kind of apostolic accountability - someone on the straight and narrow. Someone who can call our number, call us on the carpet. Every leader needs at least two people to whom they are accountable. With whom they can be vulnerable, utterly transparent. We all need a community of more. Apostolic ministry - people who love you into your fullest potential in Christ. |
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Spiritual life
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Tuesday, 13 September 2011 07:08 |
Rod Denton - xlink conference
www.roddentoneng.com.au
 Rod spent 27 years as a Baptist ministering Adelaide, but only across two churches. One day he realized that good stands in the way of the best and he resigned. Rod has a heart for mentoring and raising up the next generation "Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, until I do something, until I declare the wonders of your power to the next generation." (Psalm 71:18)
In pursuit of helping others, the aim is not to get people to model off you, so much as it is your role to get them to connect with God. God is looking for someone to partner with - but not a capable, strong, magnificent person - but rather someone who is broken, humble, contrite (Isa 66:2) willing to lay down his agenda, and pick up God's.
Gordon MacDonald says, "The most difficult person you have to lead, is yourself" and goes on to say, "spend 20% of your time on leadership development, and at least half of that time on personal development."
Personal development is made up of three things
- Character development (e.g. Joseph growing from 17-30)
- Skills development (e.g. Paul and Timothy - study to show yourself approved);
- Strategic development (e.g. Moses and Jethro - raise up others to judge).
The one thing that separates a leader from a follower is perspective. A follower has his own perspctive, and that is very often limited. An immature leader has a slightly higher perspective - some life experience, some practical knowledge but frankly that dosn't count for very much. A mature leader has God's perspective. As Moses prayed, "Teach me your ways" (Exodus 33:12,13)
The tragedy is that most of us do not know his ways "Today, if you will hear my voice, do not harden your heart as they did in the wilderness... they have not known my ways" (Hebrews 3:7 & 10) |
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Spiritual life
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Monday, 29 August 2011 11:11 |
 Last Saturday (in Canberra with Home of Glory) and this Sunday (in Cootamundra with Storm Harvest) I undertook one of the most rewarding things I ever do: running prophetic equipping. What a delight it is to see people either introduced to the concept of hearing God's voice for themselves, or to be reminded/encouraged to get back into it.
Both weekends I ran a mixture of activation (having a go at it yourself); teaching (going over relevant Scriptures) and workshops (looking at real life examples and discussion). But before one goes into the core material, you need to ensure that everyone is on the same page. The two groups included people from a wide range of churches like Anglican, Lutheran, Wesleyan, Four Square, Charismatic and Pentecostal.
I come from a background of faith that does not believe in cessation (that God stopped speaking when the "Canon" of Scripture was closed) or dispensation (that church history can be broken up into phases or seasons of God's dealing with humanity (including the idea that he no longer speaks).
But rather I come from a group of believers that think the Church is the best we have as God's instrument on earth and she is not to be abandoned (also known as orthodoxy); Scripture is God's inspired word (also referred to as fundamentalism), that God still speaks and His gifts are for today (referred to as Charismatic) and that the Spirit has been poured out for all of us (also referred to as Pentecostalism). I'm also pro house/simple church and love the missional/incarnational style of Christianity.
The truth is that each and every one of these labels drives me crazy - and I certainly do not agree with the whole of the tenants held by each of them. I guess I am an "ortho-funda-pente-charismatic?" There was no category for me to say that in the Census. |
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Spiritual life
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Saturday, 16 July 2011 13:26 |
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 Jesus was the most centred, confident, loving, balanced person I have ever read about. He was connected to the Father. He prayed all night at times. He withdrew to the wilderness, went up the mountain, he went to be alone. The nearest I have come to his practise is one to three day hiking retreats by myself to the mountains nearby my home. The mother of a friend of mine hikes into the snow and camps. Bracing, cold and stunning in the alpine region. She's keener than I am!
In the recent Hollywood sequel "Tron Legacy" the father (Kevin Flynn) is trapped in an arcade game he created 20 years ago. The son goes into the game to find his dad. They are reunited, but the world Flynn created is violent and has turned on him. As a reaction, Kevin has become a reclusive, meditative guy. The son meanwhile gets into some heavy action (fights, blade battles, motorbike racing) and the dad makes a critical comment, "You're ruining my Zen thing kid!"
I can't tell you how that sentence hit me. I'm not into meditation, I never sit cross legged and I find stillness more of an enemy than a friend. I'm a Christian and I find solace in prayer. I love God's word and often sit gazing at nature in wonder. But "Zen"? That I don't have. I asked God after that movie, "What's a Zen thing anyway Lord, sitting in a cave, up the mountain in prayer, peaceful? It sounds pretty good. Where's my version of that?"
The next day he woke me up at 5:30am and said, "Hey son, it's time for your Zen thing," then the Father left me alone, in silence, for an hour. At first I thought it was a joke. But it has happened day after day, week after week since then. It's like a balm to a wound I didn't know I had. It's like an elixir for the soul that touches a place that needed solitude. I can sit through a blistering rebuke without flinching now. My restless leg syndrome has dried up. I'm sleeping better. Who'd have thought silence could fix things? |
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