Getting ahead of yourself

A few weeks ago I preached at the six:thirty, our evening service here at Gateway. My talk was about having faith in God, and I used/borrowed/stole some ideas from a Rob Bell talk where he identifies 3 things the Israelites were taught by God in their Exodus from Egypt. The three things were…

1 - they had to trust God for food/provision for one day and one day only.

2 - God would only give them one step at a time in terms of guidance.

3 - on the journey, relationships would undergo trial and turmoil.

I’ll be honest, I enjoyed working on and delivering this talk. It’s here if anyone wants to have a listen.

Anyway, people were very positive in their feedback, and I was feeling pretty good about myself… until a few days ago when God basically made me realise (wasn’t exactly a painless process!) that I’ve pretty much got the rest of my life mapped out. I knew exactly what I’d be doing in 1 year, knew fairly well what I’d be doing in 5 years, and could give a good guess what I’d be doing in 20 years time. Hmm… not exactly the same as the Israelites who followed a cloud and a pillar of fire whenever it moved. Sometimes it moved every day, sometimes it stayed for months at a time. Whenever it moved they moved, whenever it stopped they camped.

So I’ve decided to throw my plan out of the window and start again from scratch. I still have hopes and dreams for the future and there are things that God has laid on my heart, but the plan has gone.

We’re now in that very scary place (but a scary place that feels right) of not having a clue what is next. We’re asking God to show us the next step and, in the meantime, trying to serve and love Him and others with everything we have.

It’s not a comfortable or a secure place, but in my experience comfort and security breed mediocrity and take the excitement out of life.

I guess it’s not that plans are a bad thing, it’s about leaving room for God to lead us and guide us.

BBC breaking news tweeted this today…

1,600 arrested so far and 796 appeared before courts in connection to #riots; 17% are under 18 - Ministry of Justice bbc.in/tjNf0

I figure Patrick Regan was right (see earlier post). Interesting that most news outlets were using the term “youths rioting” when 4 out of 5 appear to have been adults!

What’s wrong with the kids?

The recent riots have made me think a lot about what on earth has happened to our nation that something so ugly can happen in the blink of an eye. 

I’ve tried to get my head round it, but not sure I’ve come to any great conclusions. However, I have come across some opinions that resound with me.

First, Patrick Regan, a legend who works with gangs in London. I went first to see what his thoughts were. I came across this interview and a press release where he basically reminds us that the vast majority of young people in our country aren’t involved in riots, and in fact it was mainly adults who were instigating them. He also urges a patient approach to investigating the issues behind these riots.

The Archbishop of York offered his opinion in a statement. His views that the government’s role is to police, and that we as a society have to take responsibility for what’s happened both resound with me hugely.

Mark Easton, BBC home editor, usually has some interesting thoughts on society in Britain. His article suggests we have an underclass in Britain and picks apart the different government approaches over the past few years.

For some time Don Miller has been running a project in the USA where young men without positive male role models are mentored by volunteers from churches. They find that giving young men positive role models cuts down the chances of them turning to crime or other risky behaviour. Most people will tell you that not having a father at home increases the chances of a young person being involved in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Someone pointed me in the direction of this Andy Hawthorne speech recently, and I really do think what he has to say speaks into the issues that have resulted in the recent riots. I’d love to be even half as passionate as he is about reaching the lost!

Finally, BBC news has an article offering 10 opinions on why they happened. I’m really drawn to the consumerism and entitlement ideas, they’re interesting observations. 

I’m reminded that someone once said “if you want to know what’s wrong with a society, look at it’s children.”

My gut reaction is that we really can’t blame the young people who are rioting. Kids always model themselves on other people around them. They’re always going to get dragged along by a crowd so it’s not a surprise to find them looting shops with older peers. We have to take a collective responsibility for what has happened over the last week. We can’t turn this into a “them” and “us” because we’re all part of the same society.

And I’m more determined than ever to reach as many young people as possible with the good news of Jesus, see them discipled and see our society looking more and more like the Kingdom of God.