I Believe in Friends

I believe in friends ...

I believe in God, the Father Almighty … and in Jesus Christ, His only Son ... the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church etc. etc. I’ve said it many times and what a noble statement of faith.

There’s only one thing, however: I wouldn’t mind just adding as an appendage at the end (or maybe it fits in alongside ‘communion of saints’): ‘I believe in friends.’ What I mean is, yes, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all most essential, vital parts of my life - and so also are my friends. If God has rescued me BIG TIME in a redemptive sense and in a million practical ways, my friends have also rescued me again and again from all the things that tangle me up and send me off course. There are times when I have just placed myself in their hands and trusted them to the uttermost with the most painful parts of my life. The strange thing, though, is that in the middle of all this is – God. I come away and my spirit is refreshed and renewed and lightness enters my soul once more. I feel full of fresh energy to serve Him, I who was so full of weariness. God Himself has nurtured, rescued me – through my friends.

I believe in friends. There’s nothing on earth like them. Give me a million pounds and that would be nothing compared to having a group of true friends.

Those who lack friends are, I believe, living in poverty, poverty of soul, of spirit.

That brings me on to this: enjoying friends must lead onto seeking to be a friend. To be a friend, a true friend, is a high calling indeed. O to be a good friend - as others have been good friends to me.

O I do, I do, I do: I believe in friends.

One of Peter's Conversions

Luke 5: 1-11

Can you imagine the scene? A tired Peter, first weary from a fruitless haul and now exhausted by a massive haul of fish, throws himself down at Jesus’ feet  saying: “Choose someone else better than me – go, leave me!” and Jesus’ heartening words: “Don’t be discouraged or afraid; I’m bringing radical redirection to your life: you will be fishing for disciples." (My paraphrase).

I reckon, in that moment, for Peter, Jesus ceased to be an exceptional rabbi; He became the one who demanded nothing less than everything and life would never be the same. What Peter perhaps did not realise was that his sense of unworthiness was the very thing that qualified him for the task He felt so unfit to do.

This was one of Peter’s conversions - I reckon those who, like Peter, choose to continue to follow Jesus have many such 'conversions' when we make an inward realignment, a choice that alters the course on which we are set, plunging us into a deeper surrender to God’s will. 
 
Peter, Peter, two steps forward, one step back. We see that pattern in your life but I guess we’re all a little like that. But even two steps forward, one step back is progress – and look where it got you in the end!

As long as these ‘conversions’ continue to take place, I’m happy.

Call to Front-runners – We Need You!

Now, the church I belong to is a second generation church; 'chapter two' of the story, we call it. Perhaps you get the picture, the fire has died down a bit - we all acknowledge that.

I've noticed the tendency is to panic a little to preserve; there's an inclination to a knee-jerk reaction to create rules to safeguard what we have; I can understand this but believe it's not the best way to stoke the fire.

I think we need pace setters, front-runners in the race, people we can follow. Yes, we know who they are. Steven, the  first martyr, was one in the early church; he wasn't an apostle but he was a pace-setter. People like that around convict us of our selfishness, show us we've slowed down and hopefully make us want to run faster too. After all, the writer of Hebrews didn't say walk the race, jog along as best you can; he wrote, 'run the race'(Hebrews 12:1).

“Hey, hey I can't keep up;” “I feel, well, just a little threatened by this one’s zeal.” This is no time for feelings of inferiority but rejoicing in another's strength; followers become leaders. One of the marks of Christ-likeness is the joy in seeing others do better than ourselves: John the Baptist was a true hero when he said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30 NKJ).

Isaiah, prophesying Messiah’ s golden age said:  “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb ... and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6 NKJ). These pace-setters need not be recognised leaders; they’ve just got to be lovers – of God, of His people, of every sort of person.

Young generation lead us on; we’ll try not to mind being followers; we just want to get there together!

Unwanted generation

“I feel wanted!” Those words are the best I’ve heard for a long time. “I feel wanted.” It’s sort of music to my ears, my spirit.  I’ve gone over those words a few times in my head and fed with joy upon them: “I feel wanted.”

Me thinks we’ve just got to be doing something right at Promise* for a homeless 21 year old, thrown out of home by mum, to come and stay with us and say that.

It’s not what we’ve said because we haven’t really said anything very much.

Wanted, wanted, wanted. Just imagine how many more unwanted people can come and stay amongst God’s people and say, ‘I feel wanted. I’ve found family.’

You know, this is what pleases God. He loves our worship, He loves our praise and He loves it when He knows He can send the unwanted to us and they will feel wanted. And we know, He will, in His time, send us more!

* a Christian community house in Coventry where I live.

The Mark of True Holiness

Driving along this morning, I’m musing ... mmmm ... I think I’ve decided how to recognize a genuinely ‘holy’ person. My definition? People who treat others as though they are really special. 

My first thought, on encountering them, is ‘I feel so special to them’ and this makes me feel great inside; then, I realise that actually everyone else they come into contact with has just the same feeling.

 It’s holiness; it’s Christ likeness. Why? Because that is how I reckon Jesus made people feel. Every individual was so important to Him, so loved, every one made in the image of God.

 In fact, I reckon, if you could just step into heaven right now, you’d probably feel God made it all for you, you’re so special, but then you’d look round and realise He made it for lots of others too – all equally special.

I want that sort of holiness, the sort that is not aloof, retiring, distant but that makes people feel when they meet me, ‘well, I just gotta to be someone special.’

That sort of quality of love, of holiness, is rare and I think this is the way to get it: go for an exchange – my paucity for His riches! And then practise it, practise it - until it becomes me! Hey, I'm in God's school so I'm going to learn.

Wispy Clouds ... Tiny Whispers

I have a self-imposed, inward principle I try to follow:

      Catch inspirations     
              while they're here
               act on them quick
                  they'll disappear!

 Inspirations appear, often from nowhere, like wispy, little clouds appearing in the sky, swept along by high winds and so, so soon, blown out of sight. So … grab hold of them and act on them. If not, they may well disappear and even if you remember them sometime later, they may seem empty and it’s easy to find an excuse not to do anything with them.

Ah, let me quote Amy Carmichael yet again: “Don’t only read and pray; LISTEN. And don’t evade the slightest whisper of guidance that comes. God make your very sensitive, and very obedient.” (Whispers of His Power.)

It is often our response to these wispy clouds, these tiny whispers, that opens doors to new opportunities, bringing joy, fruitfulness and fulfillment – not only to ourselves but to others as well.

Set Your Course:There's a Difference

There's a difference between

 a hazy and a sunny day
a sense of duty and loving service
obligated relationships and enjoying people
a handshake and a hearty embrace
enduring an adventure and enjoying an adventure 

Hey, there’s a difference between

a trudge and a walk
gritting one’s teeth to face a challenge and positively embracing it
hanging onto the past and learning from the past
wishing time away and savouring the moment 

Yes, there’s a difference between

treading water and swimming
existing in and living in the present
choosing what is good and what is best
acknowledging God and adoring worship
recalling others’ past sins and keeping no account of them
recognizing others’ help and gratefully appreciating 

Yes, there’s all the difference in the world between 

a dreary  sky and an inky sky arched by a rainbow
sticking to ‘safe boundaries’ and climbing over ‘our fences’ to love and serve
saying ‘I will’ and doing the thing
Christian service and a life of love lived all for Jesus’ sake!

Which one of these is ‘us’ does not firstly depend on our genetic make-up or our background, who or what we happen to be as people. It largely depends on the mindset we choose to adopt: we set our minds, our hearts, like the wheel of a ship, on the course we choose to follow. Yes, it’s no easy task, for like a ship, we face squalls, buffeting and storms of the utmost severity. Yet, it makes the difference, the difference, let’s say, between death and life. As Paul says, “the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace”. (Romans 8:6 NASB.)

Mother Teresa in Soho: summer 2012

 An unlikely place, Soho, to house an exhibition about Mother Teresa or .. mmmm ... perhaps not. Like Jesus, she specialised in the sort of people that most people prefer to bypass. Second thoughts, a likely place to find an exhibition about her.
 
There was her room, a replica of it anyway. A tiny hospital bed, two old telephones (I mean old), a primitive filing system and a cardboard box under her bed with ‘AWARDS’ written in thick black pen. Perhaps, most telling, was what she had on her wall: a photo of Theresa of Lisieux, (whose name MT adopted at her first vows) with the saint’s words, ‘My vocation is love.’ 

I think those words could be a summary, actually, of MT’s life.
 
Walking around the exhibition reminded me of my university days. I was studying Theology and finding much of it tedious and dry: reading books written in seminaries or theology departments by academics. Not that I’m against academia or theological study but theology springing from real life, actually life in the gutter, takes on a new and exciting dimension. I remember, in my third year, walking round a reservoir with a book of MT’s sayings in my pocket and finding it, well, a reservoir of life to me at that time, water in a largely desert place. I felt as if I had found ‘the real thing’.

It was fascinating to see her simple blue and white habit, her cardigan, the worn cloth she darned, her handwritten notes and letters  asking for this and that. It made her a little more tangible and gave  insight into her humanity. ( I hate the iconizing of even the most saintly of people.)

Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Albania, Mother Teresa felt the call of God to become a missionary nun when she was eighteen. She joined an Irish order - the Loreto Sisters - and in 1929 arrived in Calcutta where she took her final vows.

Mother Teresa taught for many years. It was not until she was recovering from a serious illness in 1946 (aged 36) that she received what she called her 'second calling'. The voice of God was clear: she was to leave her convent and work with the poorest of the poor.

The exhibition displayed her conversation with Jesus at this time:
“To leave that which I loved and expose myself to new labours and sufferings which will be great. These thoughts were a cause of much suffering – but His voice kept on saying, ‘WILT THOU REFUSE?’

Jesus said to MT, “Come, carry Me into the holes of the poor. Come be My light, I cannot go alone, go among them, Carry Me with you into them.”

Mother Teresa's life had many similarities with St Francis of Assisi. Like Francis, strict poverty, abandonment of every personal possession and celibacy were all integral parts of her calling. Like Francis she formed her own order - known as the Missionaries of Charity - whilst remaining firmly within the structure of the Catholic Church. Whilst the number of monks and nuns has been steadily declining the brothers and sisters in the Missionaries of Charity has been growing and growing, numbering about 4000 today.
 
The exhibition revealed MT's inner crisis of faith (what a relief to find people like her had crises like you and me). ‘For nearly 50 years MT clung to Jesus in blind faith, not feeling His presence yet profoundly united to Him, radiating His joy and love to each person she met.’
 
MT wrote: “Within me everything is icy cold. It is only that blind faith that carries me through. The smile is a big cloak that covers a multitude of pains.”
 
Mother Teresa referred to herself as 'Christ's spouse', as do all the sisters. She commented that being ‘Christ’s spouse’ is similar to the love of a wife for a husband. “We are all women who have the ability to make use of this love. We should not be ashamed of loving Jesus with our emotions.”

Speaking of her celibacy once, Mother Teresa said, "I cannot in conscience love a creature with the love of a woman for a man, I no longer have the right to give that affection to any other creature but God."

For Mother Teresa, the love she would have given to a spouse was first directed to God. To her it was marriage of a different kind. Commenting on this 'marriage relationship' she found with God she once dryly said, "But sometimes I find it difficult to smile at Him because He can be so demanding!" 

MT's achievements are formidable in their international scope and she has become a byword of sanctity. The exhibition, however, showed us not only the depth of a love born out of suffering and obedience but a woman who was a human, like you and me. 

‘My vocation is love.’ MT got it right and I guess, if we have those four words emblazoned on our hearts, we can’t go too far wrong either.

A kind of evangelism – Trafalgar Square

Recently I took some time off work to go on EDP which stands for 'Eat, Drink and Pray. ‘Our church (Jesus Army) takes a double-decker with basic kitchen facilities into central London once a month for three consecutive evenings. Why? To love people by offering food, drink, prayer and friendship and bringing the good news that Jesus offers new life to all. It's an early hours job, starting around 9pm and finishing around 2-3am. Worth it? Most definitely yes. 


Trafalgar Square, 10.30pm, Friday 14 September.. I’m armed with an entire box of Snicker bars (48 in total), slightly out-of-date but thoroughly edible (I can vouch for that.) We're just giving them out with a simple message, 'This is our way of saying, ‘God loves you.' It sounds a bit trite, maybe, but it's touching hearts and isn't it good to just give things with no strings attached. We don't want anything; we're not selling anything. People are surprised, guards are dropped and some are genuinely thankful. 

The Olympic crowds have gone now and the square feels very large and rather empty; I notice a shadowy figure on the top of St Martin's steps, his sleeping bag spread out for the night across the top step. I introduce myself and find his name is Mark (it's in the Bible, you know, he proudly points out to me.) We get chatting and he tells me he's an agnostic with an open mind. 

I ask him, “What would convince you that God is real?” Quick comes his reply: “People being nice to each other, that would convince me. Here, in Trafalgar Square, you see it all, pickpockets stealing from tourists and other bad goings on but every now and again you see the opposite. It's not hard to be kind. If people are lost, I sometimes take them to their destinations – after all, I've got nothing else to do.” 

 “Scuse me,” says Mark after a few minutes, “I’d like to sleep now.” 

“Of course,” I say, “I’ll move on. Will you sleep? I mean, with the noise in Trafalgar Square, the sirens and endless traffic ...” 

“Depends what’s going on,” says Mark. “Not if someone kicks me or pees on me.” 

I tell Mark about the London Jesus Centre – he'd not heard about it and is very keen to go. He may even see what he's looking for there. “By this all men will know ...” (John 13:35) 

“See you then, Mark, here's a Snickers bar for you, no, let's make it two … and hope you sleep well ...” 

(2) What would you feel like if ... life at Coventry Jesus Centre

Yes, life goes on and, if you are a member of staff or a volunteer at the Jesus Centre, you see life ......

I mean, what would you  feel like if …

Your husband was murdered in the country you come from, you fled and haven’t seen your only child for three years; your asylum case is dragging on and on … no chance of settling yet .. no chance of seeing your child ...

You miss a vital appointment at the Job Centre because you couldn’t read the appointment letter. You are afraid you may lose your benefits.

You are a trained doctor in your own country but you don’t speak much English. You would love to use your professional qualifications but that’s just not possible at the moment ..

If you live in a multiracial city like Coventry, the chances are there are people living near you, your ‘neighbours’, who are facing dilemmas like this.

Hey, what did Jesus say about neighbours? 

“Love them ..”

All the following people have come to the Jesus Centre recently (I never use their proper names):

Michel is a refugee from west Africa. He fell into bad company when he came to England as a teenager and ended up in prison.

Michel has had very little education in is own country. He has done over 80 hours learning at the Jesus Centre. His English has really improved and recently he wrote a letter to his daughter whom he rarely sees. He takes great care and pride in his writing …

 Filip is a homeless man from eastern Europe. He drinks a lot and sometimes I see him staggering down the street. I was so proud the other day when I gave him a certificate for attending ten English classes. We had to hold onto it for him as he has nowhere to keep it safe.

Filip has his ups and downs – sometimes drinking, sometimes not. Recently he had an accident and I haven’t seen him at class for several weeks.

Filip’s got a great smile and sense of humour and I can’t stop teasing him which he enjoys. We laugh together and, you know, fun and banter is just what he needs … he’s got to speak back to me in English. Come back soon, Filip … you do me soooo much good … especially when I’m having a stressy day.

 Lewis is from England but he never learned to read and write well at school and he comes into the Jesus Centre each week to learn. He’s so keen I have to tell him at least three times each week that it’s time to go home now when class finishes!

Shirley struggles to tell the time. She has to ask people what the time is if she has to go somewhere.

I’ve been explaining to her the difference between the big and the small hand. Shirley doesn’t find it easy but she is learning. Keep coming, Shirley!

(1) What would you feel like if ... life at Coventry Jesus Centre

What would you feel like if:

You had to make an emergency 999 call and you couldn’t speak English …

Your child comes home from school, aged 5, and can read better than you …

You had an interview for a job but were unsuccessful as you didn’t understand the questions you were asked …

We meet people every day at the Jesus Centre who face predicaments like these and we try our best to help them out. After all, that is exactly what Jesus has told us to do. He told us to love people and not ignore their human needs. Remember … that story of the Good Samaritan?

Let me tell you about a few people that come to the Jesus Centre (no one’s real name is used.)

Malika is from India. Although she is about forty she had never had a paid job as she spent her time looking after sick relatives. She applied for a job in a care home and was terrified when she heard she had an interview.

Preet, my helper, and I gave her lots of interview practice and all three of us were over the moon when she got the job.

Malika is coming to see me later today. I’m longing to hear how she is getting on.
 James is homeless. He wanted to set up an email address and learn how to email so he could contact people. We spent an hour or two with him and now he can use the computers at the Jesus Centre and email whoever he wants ..

Brigita is from Latvia. She feels really unconfident in her English skills. She understands, but struggles to speak, English. She comes twice a week to the Jesus Centre to learn and she is doing really well. We love having her in the class. When it was her birthday she bought us all some chocolate!

Recently Brigita helped us with the cleaning at the Jesus Centre. We made sure she knew a range of cleaning words: toilet, sweep, mop etc. She really wanted a job, a job doing anything.

Today Brigita’s friend came to the Jesus Centre for breakfast. He had a smile on his face. “Brigita has got a cleaning job,” he said.

He told us that Brigita had received a phone call about the job. He said it was because she has been learning at the Jesus Centre that she understood the call.

Elwira and Wincent are from Poland. They were homeless and joined our Bond Scheme and now they have a home. They also come to learn English regularly. They are very grateful and Elwira gives me a hug when it’s time to go home.

Benazir is a young Pakistani woman. She is separated from her husband and lives in a hostel.

Benazir can only read and write a little so she comes to learn. She’s doing really well and picks things up very quickly. On Monday she was very happy. She read a sentence unaided! Benazir has also joined the Bond Scheme.

The thing about working at the Jesus Centre is ... you never know who is going to step through the door  next… and it’s stretch, streeetch, streeeeeeetch all the way … mmm … as long as we’re being stretched, pulled, fashioned into having the heart of Jesus i think it’s OK …

 The ‘Bond Scheme’ is run by Coventry Jesus Centre to enable people who are homeless to access and hold onto private rented accommodation

(3) What would you feel like if ... life at Coventry Jesus Centre

I’ve been telling you about life at the Jesus Centre. Hey, why is it called the Jesus Centre? Well, here’s two reasons:

We think it’s a place Jesus would love to hang around in – and hope it’s worthy of His name. I mean, the sorts of people that come in are just the sorts of people He used to hang around with... and I’ve learned that no one is too far gone to be reached and changed by Him  …

We want to call it the Jesus Centre, too, because we want to share His heart, His love, for all the people that enter the doors ... not always easy at times. Sometimes I see it as an unfair but wonderful exchange: I give Him (Jesus) my tiny, cramped and sometimes messy heart and He gives me His … and there’s not much comparison.

Anyway, here’s a few more stories (they are all true but people’s real names are not used):

John is from a country where people can die if they become Christians. He is a zealous Christian, a young leader and loves to tell people about Jesus. He showed me photographs of about twenty people being baptised in a river at once – I mean, in the open. When a death warrant was put out for him, he fled to England. John wanted to learn English words found in the Bible.

I told John that the UK needs evangelists like him!

Dave is homeless. He had all his papers stolen in the park where he slept. He had to fill in a form to get a crisis loan and can’t write.

We helped Dave fill in his form. Hopefully one day he will learn to write with confidence. It’s hard to concentrate on learning when you haven’t got a home..

Jim can read but he struggles with the long words. Each week we read something from the Bible. I enjoy it as much as him. We talk about the meaning of the verses we read together. I love this hour of the week!

Viktor is from eastern Europe and was homeless for a long time. He used to tell me how cold it was, sleeping by the canal. One night it reached minus15.

Viktor always came to class, wherever he slept, and he was always so grateful. His English improved and improved.

Viktor is not living in Coventry at the moment. When he moves back he tells me he will come to English classes again.

That’s it for now. Hope you’ve enjoyed these stories and got a feel of our slogan, ‘Jesus Centres - where everyone is valued.’ We’re all learning, with many pitfalls and many mistakes but we’re in His school, we’re His disciples … can’t be bad…and, as I said, it’s an unfair exchange but that suits me!