Interesting how things seem to come together.

There’s a bunch of stuff going off with Chris and me right now. Not completely sure what’s in her head, but there’s certainly some cross over.

Randall’s post a week or 2 back about being called to work in a church group he didn’t want in a town he didn’t want etc found a much deeper target in me than I’d have expected. We’ll see how that develops.

Last night a bunch of us were praying together and I was asking “why is there a gap between what the bible says about power and the reality we see in our own lives?”. 5.30am this morning I was awake and God said “go down and pray”. Bluergh! “Can’t I sleep?” “I thought you wanted to see some power?”.

I made it downstairs at 5.40something.

Praying was sleepy. Started off with Rev 22 about the river of life, and praying it would flow through the village, then worked my way round everyone I have responsibility for plus whoever seemed important at the time. I have no idea where this is going, except that I think I’m supposed to do it for the next 6 weeks. Expect blogging to suffer horribly and my ability to enjoy a disgustingly late night to totally vanish.

But I’ve been wondering why? WHY WHY WHY do guys like Todd Bently, with all their wacky ‘kick me in the face for Jesus’ theology apparently close this gap? Is it obedience? I’m starting to think it is. What I don’t understand is also why they peter out, like all the power disappears as more people get saved. Do the ‘founders’ of these things get bored/familiar, slip into patterns of casual obedience (as I think I have) instead of radical obedience. Maybe even fall into sin as the size of their ‘ministry’ goes up and private jets become affordable?

I think this is really challenging the attitude that’s developed in me over the last 3 or so years, that I’ve got my own time now to spend as I want. I’ve long known this to be an anomaly that couldn’t last, but just let it be as it was quite pleasant.

Who’s a hero – certainly not me! But the question has been asked “what are you willing to do to see the power of God – how much effort would you put in so that He might put effort in?”. It’s not that I think God will respond to me, the harder I try to persuade him, but instead there is a heart issue. Will I respond when I’m asked, even if it’s something as strange as standing on my head while singing happy birthday to someone in Tesco, or will I decide it’s too silly and ‘God would never ask someone to do anything stupid like that’. How about prejudice? Would I get involved with an Anglican church – an organisation I’ve felt at odds with almost all my Christian life?

One thing I HAVE learned is that God’s not really that fussed about our detailed theology (Marc V proves that – joke!). Actually we all prove it as a church, since we can see that God blesses, loves and cares for His church, despite it doing so many things contrary to His character over the years.

So where's this leading - I've only a bit of an idea, but I'd rather wait and see than state we'll do such-and-such and hold us up to ridicule later if we've got it wrong.

Guess I should probably try to go to bed soon too.