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TAKING RESPONSIBILITY…

My friends and I are working a great deal with the generation of Twenty somethings . They are , on the whole , brilliant . Don`t seem as materialistic as we Boomers , more community oriented , wanting to experience and not just learn about and wanting to be mentored and not just lectured . Willing to be wrecked for the ordinary .

They have some difficulty with decision making and long term commitment . This is part of our challenge as 'fathers' in the faith . The lack of these two latter characteristics is something I continually think about . And , of course , how to help remedy it . Just one thought , then , today . Take responsibility . This can mean a lot of different things to different people !

I`m thinking of it like this , these days . Take responsibility , by having at least one other human being on planet earth looking to you as life source . I know , I know , the Lord Himself is our complete Life Source , but I think you know what I mean ! Somebody needing you to be strong , constant , having words of Life and encouragement to share , living filled with hope to lift the despairing , acts of kindness and selflessness – a life source . But to a real person , with a Name , day in , day out , night in , night out. That`s responsibility and will demand decisiveness and commitment !

God`s life , flowing through you , helping to bring dead things alive and turning barrenness into Eden`s beautiful bounty . A list starts with ONE name – I read the other day : Lasting change starts in first gear , not overdrive . Who`s on your list?

DEPENDS WHERE YOU LIVE…..

continuing….The economic situation continues to confound . Seems to me that the 'experts' are as confused as a termite in a yo-yo ! I`ve heard about people – good Christian people – panicking and deciding to sell their stock and 'get out while they can.' I am not even going to attempt to advise you on the economics . That is your call . I`m interested in how and why people make decisions , how much they depend for their future peace of mind and well-being on issues completely out of their control and based solely on material values . This is a really good time to check out where your confidence lies and how much you know of God`s voice and the 'umpire' of Holy Spirit in your soul .

My friend Michael Dearinger read a scripture to me yesterday : John 16:33 : “I have told you these things,so that IN ME you may have peace. IN THIS WORLD you will have trouble . But Take Heart ! I have overcome the world .” A clear choice there . We can either live IN HIM or live in THIS WORLD . Now , of course we live in this world in the sense that we breathe, eat , love and work etc , but what the Lord is saying is that your sense of peace depends on living in Him -the solid Rock – and not being sustained by a bankrupt , morally deficient and rebellious world .

I wrote a short while ago about a friend who lives in Zimbabwe . The rate of inflation , last week was 230,000,000% – I`m not making this up ! That`s 230 million percent . Insanity , of course . My friend hammered home to me as I marveled at how he was managing to prosper , build and spread the Kingdom in such circumstances : ' Andrew , I don`t live in Zimbabwe , I live in the Kingdom.' I was rebuked and encouraged at the same time . So where do you live ?
IN HIM , I hope . The Kingdom is here and is advancing .

A COUNTRY GOES BANKRUPT…

I read today in the British press that every citizen of the country of Iceland owes the rest of the world 116,000 British pounds ( approx $ 200,000) and has essentially defaulted as a Nation State . A 4 billion pound bailout from Russia is on the cards . You don`t need me to tell you that the economic situation is dire ! If you have investments in the Stock Market it makes horror reading . So , how`s your heart ? Where your treasure is , that`s where your heart is !

Thinking and praying today , bearing in mind my responsibilities as a Dad , Grandad and Husband along with many Ministry portfolios , my heart remained calm and blessed thanks be to God ! If my entire confidence for the future were in the Market , I would be most concerned , certainly in the immediate future . However , I read today that God would bless our food and water and we would live a full life span . I further read that while there was darkness all over the land ( of Egypt ) , yet God`s people “had light in the place they lived,” What is it like where you live ?

I`m not suggesting laissez- faire or casual dismissal . This is , for sure , a huge wake up call . What do we trust in ? What do we actually believe – by which I mean 'stake your life on ??' It`s a wake call away from materialism and waste of time and money 'stuff' , living on 18- 30 % credit cards ,living beyond our means and thinking that life consists of the things we possess . It`s nothing of the sort . What is happening is actually showing us that all that system is already bankrupt . It`s cisterns that can`t hold water… to be continued….

LOSING 2 OR 3 GENERATIONS..

Reading 'Time' magazine the other day I was startled . The article was about childbirth around the world . Here`s a quote : ' In 1985 the World Health Organization estimated that 500,000 women died in childbirth each year . By 2005, despite medical advances, that number had risen to 536,000.' I then went on to read from a UNICEF representative in Sierra Leone : ” We will lose two or three more generations , but the core message is one of hope.”

This blog is absolutely not intended to be critical of these organizations . Basically , we applaud all efforts to help the poor and the needy and the people involved here are at least in the arena and doing all they can . This representative was just being truthful . The whole article is about the the very small amount of money and , of course trained supervision ,it takes to improve an individual woman`s chances of survival and health. I`m thankful that the info is out there and the process might be gain some momentum .

I thought about the Church . I wonder how many generations we might 'skip' and lose before we make the right kind of investment in discipleship , commitment and 'fathering' a generation . An emphasis on people , rather than spiritual experiences or ministries , investment in the next generation of raw recruits who can be lion-hearted world changers, a calling out of a generation to get a full harvest and inheritance . For too many Christians , 'the core message of hope' is to 'fly away , O Glory…' and 'to get that mansion just over the hilltop.'

Heaven has been secured in Christ . Leaders should be getting their followers ready for earth , with all its messiness , pain and terrible beauty. It`s hard for me to conceive or accept that 2 or 3 more generations will be lost before we realign with God`s core values. That would be my grandbabies and their children . So do we write them off or make some changes ??