I have decided to move my blog over to wordpress http://mardibum63.wordpress.com/ I will keep this one going for a while then shut it down down

Today we had Richard Mayabi from Kenya with us.He came to us along with Paul Ede who has visited his church in Nairobi and has been studying with him at ICC.
It was a great blessing to have him preach and to hear his passion for God,yes he comes from a different world but I felt challenged by his words.He reminded us of the power of Gods word to change things ,the power we have to speak that word not only to ourselves but to others.
I believe we have much to learn from our brothers and sister in Africa I think they can help us to believe again that with God all things are possible.So a big thank you to Richard and you never know I may take him up on his invitation to visit Nairobi next year along with Paul and a few others.

Found this on TSK thenines looks like it could be a great idea.An on line leadership conference with 9 minute messages from an amazing list of leaders .The event starts today and is free but you must register.You can dip in and out through the day and join in through twitter and a few other techno gizmos.

http://thenines.leadnet.org/

Here we are in the middle of the worst recession in living memory and all our elected officials care for is more politics.Our country is bleeding jobs like never before and not a word,apprentices are being laid of, manufacturing is being strangled of cash by the banks who have taken our cash and kept it, and hip hip hurray we have more "finance jobs" (call centre workers).These jobs add nothing to our nation and are moved out asap because the skills are easy to teach and it takes no time to replace them in another part of the world.

And the governments answer .Lets talk about independence lets put a minimum price on alcohol to stop people drinking.Apparently alcohol is responsible for people missing to many days of work as well as all sorts of social evils .Well those with no jobs wont need to worry about missing work now will they!

It has not taken long for those in Edinburgh to become completely detached from reality .These are people who think its more important to talk about Independence than it is to keep food on our tables.I have said this before and I will say it again.I remember voting for devolution and having such high hopes for it.But this programme shows that what we have here is just a glorified more expensive version of local council.A parliament that either cannot or will not get involved in the reality of life in Scotland today.

Shame on those up in there big expensive house I want to vote but not on independence I want to vote to get rid of this useless lair of politics that serves no other purpose but the stroking of small nation ego's.

Today the Scottish justice secretary announced that Al Megrahi' the man found guilty of the murders of 270 people in Lockerbie in 1988 would be released on compassionate grounds.

I have watched this develop over the last few weeks with great interest.Mr macAskill has come under great pressure during this process from those in the USA and some in the UK to keep Al Megrahi' in prison.This was a complicated legal matter but I want to mention the compassionate angle.

It seems to me that the need for compassion must be weighed with the need for justice.Justice is just as high on Gods agenda as compassion.This man was found guilty by a court and sentenced to life in prison.He is now dying from cancer and has asked for compassion to be shown.The Scottish minister has decided to show compassion based on medical advice the he has less than 3 months to live which i think is the usual grounds for this type of release.

During the announcement Mr MacAskill sought to lay blame for this mess at the door of the UK government which I thought was a cheap shot under the circumstances.He spoke of the victims families grief and he also laid on thick the christian reasoning behind his decision.Which some commentators said would be aimed at an American audience.

He also laid claim to speak on behalf of the Scottish people on this matter which I thought was a bit of a stretch.He spoke of our humanity and principles.There is no don't this was a very difficult decision and on balance one I think he got right.Compassion and mercy are the friends of God and it looks like the way of the kingdom has won the day here .This same compassion must be extended to the families left with the feeling of injustice they need to know that if there is a need for a new inquiry then it will be undertaken so that no stone is left unturned and the UK government should have gotten promises from the Libyan government before they went ahead with this .

As we see the the slow lingering death of Christendom in Scotland what will we see take its place.?How will our nation be effected by this?and will it be a good thing for the church?



I guess Christendom was on its last legs as I entered this world 45 years ago what we have now is that slow lingering death brought about by the use of modern medicine .Drugs to kill the pain and life support machines to keep it going .But nothing can stave of the inevitable.Christendom has tried in vain to keep any hold it has on our society for years now .From trying to be trendy and hip with the young team .To getting all righteous about the evils of this world .The charismatics gave us Godly entertainment while to proddies just said yes to everything .The RC church stuck to its guns on most things like the fundamentals eg abortion ,marriage.And nobody but nobody could prevent the death that will surely come.



Sometimes we have to admit that death has won and rejoice and give thanks for what was good.What was good about Christendom in Scotland was the reform to our society that we gained from it .Reform to the way we treated the poor the reform that set free the slaves not only literal but the slaves in the mines and mills.Reform that demanded care or those in most need which led to a social care system and health care system.I know that not all of these things came about directly because of Christendom but it does take some credit.Christendom sent out mission people all over the world with the good news but on that one we have to take the good with the bad.



So where do we go now?I believe its a chance for new wine skins and when I say new I mean new .Not refurbished wine skins but brand new ones.Church can once again become church .A body a community that puts Jesus at its centre and mission as its goal.Church where the value of "one another" replaces the value of me.A community of people able to be honest about there victories as well as there defeats.A community that could not care less about church growth a community that is passionate about healing and the poor.A place where those crazy dreams and visions are welcomed and a community where power is exposed for what it is.



This is a place that will take great courage to be part of it.It s shape will be unknown its ways will be fluid and its people will need to be brave.This is the church the community of the post-modern world and its coming to Scotland like it or not.Gods new thing will I believe shock those of us familiar with the old but excite those who have no knowledge of it.And for me that's the generation that is now coming through.I don't mourn the passing of Christendom I rejoice in it.Being in bed with the enemy made us compromise to much lets stay free from that and see what God can do.This new community must have at its core the kingdom of god no other way will work for us.The modern world was not fluid enough for the kingdom it struggled with the great generosity that the kingdom demands.I believe the post-modern emergent world is much better placed to see what God has in store for us and to be willing to take the risks needed to make it happen.

So the football season started again on Saturday.It was good to be back in the old routine wake up late get some breakfast watch some footie on the box including the return of Soccer AM and then head of to the match with my dad and a new recruit for this year my mate John bought a season ticket on Friday .

The game was a 4-1 win for rangers against Falkirk who are a good team with some good football players.They pass the ball well but just lack the cutting edge to score more goals.Rangers were sluggish and having made no signing this season the place was a little flat.The punters want a few new faces but the accountants wont let Smith spend and money.Maybe if Celtic don't make the champions league groups the extra money we get will be spent on a few new faces.In typical Rangers supporters way there was some complaing about a 4-1 win some people are never happy.

Swine flu has finally arrived in our house.
My youngest boy (14) looks like he has swine flu.We cant say for sure because the doctors only diagnose over the phone but they have prescribed Tami flu for him.I feel unsure about giving him the Tami flu as it has some horrible side effects.Now we have to wait and see if anybody else catches it.
Its funny how these things always make you pray a bit different .I found myself walking around the house last night at 2 am praying that God would drive the fever out of my son and keep the rest of us healthy.So far so good he doesn't seem to serious and the rest of us are still standing.

They say patchy fog is the most dangerous kind for driving in.One minute you cant see in front of your nose the next its clear.In the clear air you will be tempted to speed up only to be confronted again by the thick pea soup that slows you right down again.
Over the last few weeks I have been living through that same type of fog,most of the time you cannot see a thing then suddenly you feel like everything is as clear as a bell.

Up until now this has been my experience of trying to take some time out from church leadership.Some of this is my own fault as I find it hard to sit still and wait.But some of it is also due to feeling like I had to get involved again because of the serious situation we were in.going along to out team meeting only thickened the fog and on the way home my prayer was simply one of HELP!!

I have no doubts about what God has called me to .So I suppose the doubts must be about where he has put me.And if after 20 odd years it might be time to move on.My problem with that is my loyalty to those around I find it almost impossible to think about walking away and leaving them.In fact this only serves to make the fog thicker.

So I have asked for a few more weeks and after a rare moment in the clear last night I have a lot more peace about the future whatever that might be.So in all of this I remain convinced that God is good and that he has plans for all of us that go beyond even our wildest imagination.

I meant to post this a few weeks back but got caught up with holidays and stuff.

I was taken shooting recently by a friend who is new to the church .I was telling him that I needed to find some new ways to relax and spend my down time.he invited me to go shooting with him in a little place in Ayrshire called Moscow.

I went down on a Friday afternoon and met up with Robert who introduced me to the owner of of Cowans Law Jay.We grabbed 100 shells and of we went.I could see that Robert knew what he was doing by the way he handled the gun .I was a bit nervous having never fired a gun before.After the first 10 -15 shells missed there target by a mile I hit my first clay.I didn't take long for me to get my eye in.I really enjoyed the time there and it didn't take that long to get through 100 shells.They have a great set up with fishing in the small loch as well as corporate stuff for the big boys.

So thanks Robert for a good day out .I think I might head back down again with my son at the weekend.

Yesterday I left a tweet that I was going to see The Boss in Glasgow.I was looking forward to the gig and had high hopes.I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan in the world but surely that wouldn't matter.After all Ive been to many gigs where I didn't really know the band .

How wrong can you be.The worst gig I have ever had the misfortune to pay £50 for.We were quite a bit away from the stage but even taking that into account the sound was crap.Just not loud enough it was like sitting out in the garden with some music playing in the house.Now I'm not the youngest guy in the world anymore but when the folk next to me took out there sandwich and binoculars I knew we were in trouble.It was like being in some OAP club.I have been to gigs with my own father 69 and he has 10 times more life in him.So all thoughts of having a dance went right out the window.

Then came to music every song started like it would be great but after 2 hours every song sounded like one great big song.I heard 2 songs that raised the bar.Outlaw Pete and the River then we could not take it any longer and left.

My over all feeling is that for some reason it seems cool to say the boss is great but by the look on most peoples faces this is just an illusion.Sure there was great energy and the longest set I've ever heard but over all I could only give him a 2/10 and that's mainly for effort .its been 28 years since they last came to Glasgow I hope they don't hurry back.Now bring on Green day.

Last night I rememberd my wedding vows "in sickness and in health".My wife has had some health concerns of late not least having surgery a week ago.So it been down to me and a few friends to look after her,she was in constant pain before the op and that pain will hopefully go when the stiches are taken out in a weeks time.

Not sure if im cut out for nursing but I have found myself doing things that I never thought I would be able to.In a moment last night I was reminded that I married this amazing woman and took a vow to be there in sickness and in health.God just has a way of gentley reminding of us of the things we have promised .It was also a time to give thanks because its very easy to take each other for granted and forget what a gift of love we have been giving.

So changing a few dressings and staying up all night (well almost) making endless cups of tea as well as doing the house work (I want to kill the man who invented the Iron) this is love .Thats all from nurse Ratchet>

I just got back from a week in Disney Paris with my Son my nephew and my sons friend.It felt a bit like being in the twilight zone and after few days I was craving adult conversation.I did though have a great time in the land of the mouse.

But holidays are strange time they say you should never make and big choices for your life while on holiday.I say why not .You feel different and see things differently you feel detached from that treadmill that drives you all year round and you have time to see the world and God in a different light.I reflected on the time I have spent trying to plant a church in the inner city and wondered if it is possible.Thinking back over the years and all the knocks we have taken and asking "will I still pay the price?"Increasingly the answer is no.

I don't want to give up on my faith or run away from God but I don't think I want to pay any more.Its time to think about my family and my own sanity its time to think about what they need instead of others.In fact its time to have some time.Time to seek God time to hear him time to spend with my hurting wife time to heal family relationships time to strengthen what I have and time for just being.

I have taken a month of church and it feels good.Normally I would miss it and be thinking about what was going on and what needed to be done.But now if I'm honest I really don't care whats going on.At the end of this month I will decide what the future holds for me and my family and I have to say for the first time in a long time I feel relaxed about it.

On wednesday I went along to Findlay memorial church Glasgow to hear Tony Campolo speak on behalf of Singpost International http://www.signpost-international.org/main.php ,but truth be told he was speaking on behalf of the poor.His passion for what God is doing around the world touched me and challenged me.I always feel my spirit disturbed when I hear the kind of stories Tony shared.
And while I agree that the poor of the third world need all the help we can give my passion remains here in Glasgow .The challenge to bless the poor among us is perhaps the most difficult one.There is resentment about our own poor ,after all they are cared for by the state and they are not realy poor .This resentment can be felt accross the media and even in church cirlcles.
So we have to be creative in the way we reach our inner city urban poor .We need to try and change and challenge the dependency culture that has grown up in urban areas.As we now know we cannot solve the problems of the thrid worlds poorest by just giving them food in a crisis but we need long term commitment to there over all needs.The same principal applies to those in our cities who for generations have become dependent on goverment hand outs and petty crime to get by.
We need efforts like this http://www.tbnetwork.org/home/index.php and others to make an impact in our own nation so that another generation does not end up in the hand out booze crime drug circle that kills who God has made them and keeps them as prisoners in there own community .I have no magic answers but rather see the need to keep pluging away where God has put me and to keep looking for those creative ways the get involved in "doing it to the least of these"

Open door continues to amaze me.For such a small project it is having a great impact on the life of local people.We continue to hear amazing stories of God at work in the life's of ordinary people and more and more people are passing through our Open door.
Fridays are now a drop in day for women to come and have a chat and get a free massage and some aromatherapy kindly given by one of the church members.People continue to say its a place where they feel they can relax and be themselves which is great because this is what we have above our door"Open door a place to be yourself"

We continue to wrestle with God on the way forward and how we finance the place but we all have the feeling that God just wants us to focus on him and he will do the rest.Over the last few weeks we have seen a £1000 come in from other church's and the promise of over £200 a month more in giving from some other individuals.

I believe God wants us to be there but more than that he wants to be there and to bless the lives of those around us who are hurting and in need of some loving support.Please continue to pray for us so that we can see his kingdom come and his will be done.

I went along to the Starbucks coffee shop in Glasgow last night to meet some folk for the first time.This came about through the Emerging Scotland site and a desire to put some faces to the people who post there.
Firstly let me say Starbucks would be the last place I would ever go to meet with anybody in town just not my scene.SO I went along feeling a but stupid and nervous not knowing anybody.But I'm glad I went it was great to meet people who are on a journey that is open and honest .

After some general chat I found myself in full flow and relaxed .So a big thanks to those who listened to my chatter and to those who chatted back.

Picture says it all.

Trying to understand God is a bit like trying to catch the wind.

Over the last few years as a group we have been through many changes but our group remained about the same size.We gave up on the whole idea of church growth in fact we killed that golden calf .
But all of a sudden people have started to join with us.These people are not being asked to come along and spend time with us.They are asking if they can come and join with us on our journey.Some of them have been hurt in the past by religion some have been hurt by life and some are just hungry for God.
So as we thought about why now and what God was up to we came to the only conclusion we could which is that somehow or other people must be seeing some thing of Jesus in who we have become.So our job is not to try and figure it out but to respond to God and those around us and give them the courage they need to move closer to God .I feel blessed to be part of peoples journey and hopefully we can respond the way Jesus responded to those who came to him.Show them the kingdom and then walk with them whatever comes along.

So now its the turn of those honourable members of parliament.

Voted for by us paid for by us the tax payers.Watching them and reading about them this week has made me think about whether or not God might be involved in this whole thing behind the scenes.
Is it him who is now revealing to us the results of our culture of greed.Has he decided that enough is enough and opened the door so we can all see what our country has become.I don't stand in judgement of any MP or banker who have reached out and grabbed all they can .But I do want to see our country move away from this culture that rewards simple greed.

Our country has rejected the idea that being productive is a good thing and run headlong down a path that put all its energy into finding more and more elaborate ways to steal money instead of working for it.
The banking crisis and this (expenses crisis ) for MP's are rooted in the same basic problem.Everything was hidden in complicated ways that we the punter were never going to find out on our own.The banks were able to come up with ever more complicated ways to sell money.No one tried to stop them .MP's were able to come up with a system of expenses that nobody really knew what they could or could not claim for .And through time they just claimed for anything.They governed themselves and now God has brought it out into the open for all to see.This is our chance to make sure we have not only a good open and accountable system but to root our the worst abuses of our trust.

Our un_lock course has know come to an end.But what a great journey it has been over these last 7 weeks .We finished up the course last night but will meet next week and have a curry together.

It was great to hear peoples stories of how God has been at work in there lives it was great to see and hear those stories un-locked .What was even better was how people began to have a realisation of just how much God is at work in there lives .I'm amazed at some of the stories I heard and encouraged that God is indeed at work in the lives of everyday people.Normal working class people who have encountered God and who are finding ways to express that and the confidence to share it with others.I feel both inspired and blessed to have been part of the journey.

A few of the folk on the course have now started to come along to our gatherings on a Sunday.What is so exciting about that is the fact that we never asked them to come they just came along to find out a bit more about us and they seem to like us.

One of the challenges that came out of the course was how people with low income are limited in the ways they can fulfill there dreams.the low income reduces there ability to make choices.A few folk expressed a desire to go along to college or even university so that they could follow the dreams they had when they were younger.This shows how the power of the empire is still at work in the lives of the working class.One grandmother simply wanted her grandson to be able to join a football club but could not afford to but the boots he needs.There is a great challenge to those of us in the kingdom to be creative in the way we help people fulfil there dreams and the dreams they have for there families.