Notes from a head-case

Just a brief post from mid way through the TSCF Mid Year Conference. My colleague & friend, Andy Shudall is posting excellent summaries of the talks on his blog, which can be found here. We're thrilled to have Andy back with us, as just over a year ago, he had a significant head injury following a bike accident. We've missed him & are so glad he's getting back to normal!
(By the way, Andy is sat next to me as I type this & knows I was using the title for this post.)

Conference Calls

Normal blogging service will resume next week - I am currently in between 2 TSCF conferences.

This weekend, we have had our first Catalyst Conference. Catalyst is TSCF's new Graduates & Marketplace ministry and is headed up by my friend & colleague, Mark Grace. The conference was excellent, particularly as it was the first time we have tried something like this. Shortly before it began on Friday, two of the people coming to Catalyst were in a 4 car crash just at the turn off to the camp, which resulted in them going to hospital. They had been stationary & indicating to turn right, when they were hit from behind by a car at speed. They were spun into oncoming traffic & hit again at speed, fortunately from the rear. We were glad they were able to join with the conference, having been released from hospital.

With that in mind, please give thanks to God for their protection and pray for others travelling by car & plane tomorrow to our student's Mid-Year Conference. The theme is "Living the Dream" from the book of Daniel. We would appreciate your prayers that this would be a significant week in the life of many of our students.

In Praise of Windsor

As I first wrote sat down to write this, it was the 1st June. I’m afraid, for various reasons the blog post didn’t make it up & I’m only just getting chance to put it up now, but here’s a rather belated post from that date!

Here in NZ, it's the Queen's Birthday holiday. For those in Australia & Canada, you'll have to celebrate it at a different time. For those in the UK, I'm not sure why we don't celebrate it! If it's any comfort, it is our last public holiday weekend until October, so the long weekend has been enjoyed!

However, as thankful as I am for Her Majesty's birthday and the holiday that it gives us, it's not that Windsor I wish to draw your attention to. Rather, today's post has been overdue for a while and thankfully, the holiday gives me a useful segway (a word I learned here in NZ - look it up!) to talk about Paul Windsor.

I first heard Paul speak 3 years ago with the team I brought out to NZ from the UK. We'd just arrived, I was rather jet-lagged and was told Paul would be speaking & was worth hearing. I don't remember all the details of what he said, but do remember he caught my interest by speaking on "Christianity & the MTD virus". I had no idea what this was, but suspected I didn't want to catch it! After Paul's talk, we'd learned MTD stood for Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. You can find out more about it here. 3 years ago, whilst the spiritual state of NZ was depressingly described to me, Paul was someone who stood out as a beacon of hope.

Since moving here, I have got to know Paul a little more. I've still not heard him preach, but have heard him teach in a few settings and I have seen his impact throughout these islands. Paul has recently stepped down as Principal of Carey Baptist College to become Associate Director of Preaching for Langham Partnership International, the organisation founded by John Stott. His brief is to train and develop preachers in the Majority World, particularly Asia and the Pacific. For Paul, a seminal moment was hearing John Stott preach at the Urbana Missions Conference in the USA & realising God was calling him to give his life to Biblical preaching. I too attended the Urbana conference (some years on from Paul!) & though it was a different experience for me, it was still a significant experience in God's making and shaping of who & where I am today.

Paul has graciously given me time to ask questions of him and hear his thoughts on how we raise up Biblical preachers and evangelists here in NZ. His insights are drawn from wide-reading, a knowledgeable mind and a willingness to listen and learn. Here in NZ, there is a concept of "mana", a reverance and respect which brings authority. Paul is a man with mana, as people listen to him, learn from him and trust him. Within TSCF, we are grateful that he is part of our National Board, bringing his insights and wisdom to have their effect upon our student movement.

At the end of April, Paul brought together people from across NZ to consider what Biblical preaching that was authentically Kiwi would look like. Under the title "Kiwi-Made Preaching" (drawn from a recent advertising campaign encouraging people to buy Kiwi-made products), over 200 attended a series of seminars which considered what that may look like and how we can encourage the development and growth of Biblical Kiwi preaching. The seminars were led by a variety of people looking at different aspects of Biblical preaching. One of the helpful aspects of the day was that the seminars weren't given by "experts", but rather people trying to work out how to do Biblical preaching in NZ. This determination also led Paul to invite various younger people to share, of which, I was one. My seminar was thinking through the question "Is there still a place for evangelistic preaching in NZ?" - you'll be pleased to know that my answer was "yes", but I believe if we are to preach evangelistically, that is only the start of many questions we must consider for it to be effective. It was a significant day in many ways, but was also the first time for me that I really felt the outlook for Biblical preaching in NZ had the possibility of some brighter days ahead.

A few weeks later, I was able to take our Minterns (Phil, Elaine & Greg) to Palmerston North to be inolved in a Preaching Course which Paul has developed. Held over a Friday evening & Saturday, it takes you through Paul's First XV (we are rugby-obsessed here!) of preparing a sermon. Many of them were similar things to the homiletics (the study of preaching) course I did at Bible College, but with their own Kiwi-flavour. It was super to be reminded of these basics and I look forward to deliberately using Paul's First XV in some future sermon preparation as a deliberate discipline. Again, it was tremendous to see a good crowd there, learning and gleaning from Paul's wisdom, humility and passion to see Biblical preaching developed here.

There have been times where the lack of confidence in Biblical preaching and lack of emphasis on the opening of God’s Word has been a concern for me here in NZ. However, throughout these 2 recent times with Paul, I have been encouraged in great measure by the influence Paul is having and the emphasis he is placing on Biblical preaching. He has trained a generation of new preachers whose influence will spread throughout these islands and beyond. We long for more, but praise God for the effect that this has already had.

Paul is a wise man with a genuinely tender Pastor’s heart. When he speaks, people listen. I have been concerned reflecting back on my UK culture that we have a tendency to only like and promote those we know, those we trust. I think it’s a spin-off of the celebrity-obsessed cultures that both Britain & the USA are. No doubt, it has affected the UK church and it certainly has affected me. So, I have deliberately chosen to blog in praise of (Paul) Windsor. Not because he is more special than anyone else, or that he deserves praise that belongs only to God, but because he is a man worth reading & listening to, a man worth praying for and someone who I trust that God will use throughout the majority world in the future. (For those interested, you can check his insights out on his blog here & Paul, if you’re reading this, along with others, I will push you to write more & possibly a book...your thoughts are worth hearing!)

Under His Wings

Jen & I shared these great verses today on one of the Bays overlooking Wellington harbour & watching Air NZ planes land at Wellington Airport.
Psalm 91

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. 8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! 14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”