Shoutlouder

Counting the days

// January 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Inspiration, Thoughts

It seems 2010 has started with a lot of counting of days!

Last week I was counting the days as we fasted and prayed for breakthrough across Hope City. Then this week I’m conscious that we’re now already at Day #11 of our ‘70 Days of You’ theme. It’s certainly making me think a lot about time and how much every day is such a big deal! It’s also making me think how fast time seems to flow past if we don’t give it enough thought!

This year I turn 34 years of age. My son turns 6. My daughter will turn 2. In September it will have been 5 full years since we took on our role pastoring the Leeds congregation of Hope City Church, 6 years since the congregation started out in the Radisson Hotel. It will also be 14 years that I’ve been married and 15 years that I’ve known the beautiful woman that I ended up marrying.

Time really does fly!

It feels like only yesterday that I was walking into school. It was just the other day that I was discovering a new and exciting church that was then called the Hope of Sheffield Christian Church. It seems just a blink of the eye since I first sat behind the wheel of a car and I could swear it was just the other week when I was saying goodbye to my parents as I left the family home for college – never to return to live there in full again.

Time doesn’t just fly – it zooms!

I can remember sitting at the top of a 600ft cliff enjoying a packed lunch whilst hiking in the Polish mountains with my wife. I can remember missing her dearly whilst on the other side of the world, riding at high speed across Darling Harbour in Sydney on a midnight speed cruise. There’s the memory of drinking iced coffee at the foot of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpa and the moment that I walked out of the middle of nowhere to share the Gospel in a small village somewhere deep in the countryside of Zambia.

Time doesn’t stop for anything.

As time passes by in the next few months I’ll be tasting the sights of New York, walking the streets of Warsaw and celebrating more birthdays and anniversaries that I can remember. I’ll see the completion of yet more of our vision for the Megacentre in Leeds, be part of the fast expanding work of our multi-congregations and be privileged to see God do even more incredible things in the lives of those around me.

Time is on the move.

The only question is what are you doing with yours? Is timing passing by unnoticed or unheeded? Is time running away from you? Is time running out? Or is time your friend? Are you making the most of it? Are you counting the days and making every single one of them count? Today is Day#11 of ‘70 Days of You’ – that means I’ve got 59 more days to look firmly in the mirror and make the changes that need to be made. Then when that’s done – there will be time for something new!

return to normal

// September 11th, 2008 // 4 Comments » // General, Self-Development

The last few weeks seem to have been absolutely rammed with work so huge apologises for not blogging. I am just about getting back into the swing of things as deadline after deadline begins to pass by – having been finally accomplished. This is indeed the life of a Pastor / Graphic Designer!

My youth pastor asked me the other day “how on earth do I manage everything?” after I’d made some comment about being run off my feet but still going. It’s an interesting thought – but I guess the answer is I don’t really think about it. Thinking about it would lead to such dead end cul-de-sacs of stupid questions (or whinges) such as “am I really coping?” – “should so much be expected of me?” – “my senior pastor doesn’t care enough for me and my family?” – “I don’t think I’m being paid enough to work so hard…?” – etc. after stupid etc.

The real answer I’ve found is to stop asking questions and get on with what you’ve been called to do! My passion is to build God’s church and so that will require me to do whatever it takes. The great thing is I have a God who cares about my family, who cares about my health, who cares about how I am doing and who cares about how much I get back from what I do… so why not leave those things in His very capable hands. That doesn’t mean I leave my brain at the door when planning my time… but it does mean that I know that for everything there is a season. Right now we’re in that pioneering and launching season till you drop… and my wife appreciates it and releases me to it – but October will soon swing round and we’ll start riding the wave of momentum that we created during the last season!

So – if you’re wondering how to cope with everything – stop wondering, stop wasting thinking time on it and just get on with it!

(If you’re married – pop into the Co-op on the way home, buy your wife some flowers, have dinner and then make sure you switch the channel to a good chick flick before you make your excuses and disappear into your office for a late night!)

Anyhow – back to work… I can’t spend all night blogging… (not just yet anyhow!)