Do you risk failure?

I came across the following quote by Bruce Wilkinson. I had never heard of Bruce before but he features in Wikipedia (see here) so must be prominent in circles that use and promote Wikipedia. However the quote needs almost no comment (notice I said almost?)! Take a quiet moment to let it filter through one's brain and settle at the deepest level where our moral fibre and strongest convictions lay.

God's people are expected to attempt something large enough that failure is guaranteed ...


... unless God steps in.

To me it would seem this is a statement that demands one consider their faith and how much they are willing to exercise it. Surely it reveals the level of trust I have in God's power, and the limits of my belief in the words of Jesus. Matthew 17:20 says our faith only needs to be the size of a poppy seed. Mark 9:24 sees a similarly small amount of faith rewarded.

How willing am I to exercise my faith and risk catastrophic failure for the sake of the Kingdom?

Starting something

As far as starts go, my start at the Karapoti race on Saturday was below par. I wasn't wearing my gloves or my glasses and didn't realise until 1 or 2km into the race. The next day I had another start, Petone Corps plant kicked off with the first Sunday gathering (not service). This was a similarly apprehensive start with 20 people cautiously observing what was (and wasn't happening).

It did make me think about Church plants in general. Typically church plants grow, and grow quickly. Also every church plant I know about starts and has some specific aims about what will be different in the church going forward (Petone is no different in this regard).

However I do wonder, when do Church plants slip into the 'normal mode of church'? When does the youthful enthusiasm and reckless disregard for 'how things are normally done' be abandoned and the sprouting outpost of God's kingdom settle for something more normal? Why does this most often happen and is it possible to avoid it?

One of the strong themes on Sunday was a desire for Petone to be an outward focussed pursuit of God's kingdom (as opposed to an introverted pursuit of 'holiness') - I say 'holiness' as the introverted pursuit of salvation neglects the love of one's neighbour (see Matthew 22).

Karapoti Race Report

So the race is over and I'm still in one piece! However I didn't quite manage to achieve any of my goals! I had an off in the Rock Garden and while I was able to ride out I got a sore wrist and a scrape on my right hip (as well as a few other grazes). Goal 1 - FAILED!

Goal 2 (to ride Dopers) didn't quite come together either! While a couple of times I couldn't ride was a result of other racers coming off in front of me, there were a couple of spots I just got off and walked with fatigue being the only reason (maybe I can blame my wounds)! Goal 2 - FAILED!

Goal 3, was missed as well (just to make it a clean sweep)! I wanted to go under 4 hours which I knew would be difficult (apparently the average time is 4:30). I felt good heading out although was obviously nervous as I started riding without my gloves and glasses! However I thought I had a shot at the bottom of Dopers (the last hill), so I kept going. It took me over 30 mins to get to the top (longer than I had wanted by 5 mins), but I pushed hard the whole way down the hill and through the gorge. I was passing people all the way but crossed the finish line in 4:07:57 (my official time). Goal 3 - FAILED!

So chances are I'll do the Karapoti again to try and break the 3 hour mark. A few more rides and a LOT MORE WALKING may be all I need to break the 4 hour mark (did I mention the winner took 02:21:29 and the last person (to finish) took 07:37:11?

Oh God! #2

I suspect that I'll be hearing Oh God! a lot tomorrow as I ride in the Karapoti race! In addition to unrideable up hill sections (yes, 1 section aptly named the Devil's staircase is unrideable), there are some epic downhills (one called the Rock Garden because ... well it is just a bunch of rocks)!

Anyway, while I know (from having ridden the track twice) it is a spectacular piece of creation even by New Zealand standards (please don't ask for photos, I don't want to stop), I do know there will be moments when I won't be able to help but be astounded by creation. The rugged magnificence of the Akatarawa's is wowing even when you're gasping for air with your heart racing at your redline! I believe this is actually called worship (although I can't think of a church that would worship in this way unfortunately)!

Goals for the race (in order of wanting to achieve them):

1. Finish the race unscathed!
2. Ride Dopers hill - the last one!
3. Finish in under 4 hours (that may be a pipe dream)

Oh God!

Today is International Prayer Day and I can't help but wonder how many prayers start with, "Oh God!" but never continue. One could easily argue that this is enough, after all God is all knowing so doesn't need to hear me bleating on about the fact I'm skidding out of control on my bike at 50km towards a steep drop off! However I do remember pondering a billboard I saw in Hamilton that said:

Everytime you say my name I get excited - God


It made me chuckle, then made me think about prayer, what it is, what it is supposed to be, and the enormous chasm that often exists between the two.

Personally I think that 'Oh God' is a great starter for prayer. I'm sure we could fill a book (a large book) with prayers everyday people would actually pray if we started them all with that simple 'Oh God' phrase. Often it is said as a statement as opposed to an opening line, and even as a statement it still sounds to me like some of the Psalms (it is just they only printed the ones which continued)!

The challenge to me of the 'Oh God' prayer isn't finishing it (after all sometimes it doesn't need to be finished)! The challenge is remembering that if prayer is a conversation, then hollering 'Oh God' as a skid out of control towards a crash may be a statement, but it is one that needs to continue.

MTB Skills Clinic

Currently there is the mountainbikefestival.co.nz going on and there have been loads of events happening (which culminate on Saturday in the Karapoti race - well in my mind anyway)! Last night there was a skills clinic happening and I was able to take B1 (7 years old with me).

I was blown away by his attitude and skill level (a few more years and he'll be whipping me). He honestly was better than some of the adults present. Anyway, the point of this is a video of him riding part of the skills area. It isn't the best quality because it was shot on my mobile phone as I rode along beside him. Unfortunately it doesn't quite capture the difficulty of the skills are - However it is a safe bet his Mum would only have ridden it AFTER he had successfully navigated it (and then only so she wasn't shown up)!

Change

Following on from the Adventure post yesterday, I've been thinking about change. Often it would seem in the middle of an adventure one has to make some changes. Maybe you crash your bike and break part of it midway through a 50km ride ... you have to make some changes to your approach! Or maybe the weather changes suddenly (for the worse) and you need to reassess your path and riding style.

Speaking of change, there is a proposed change in the law here in NZ to raise the driving age from 15 to 16. To my way of thinking this seems illogical. If 15 is too young why is 16 any better? As I read what different people think about the matter it seems that the problem we have in NZ (with our road toll) is not related to the age someone gets their license but the training they go through in order to get it. Apparently we are a nation of hopeless drivers (the exception being myself and N)!

Change! It makes a lot of sense to make changes at many times. Change can right a wrong, correct a wayward behavior or habit and ensure a greater good is achieved. However change can also be futile and meaningless. Take raising the legal age of driving. From what I can tell moving the age to 16 won't solve the problem, we're just delaying the problem from occurring until 1 year later! The real change that needs to happen (from what the experts seem to think) is to create a new driver license system that increases the skill of drivers, equips them with the necessary tools to handle a car on the road, and doesn't just make them learn when to indicate or giveway (although those are important things)!

When you think about church, is it achieving what it sets out to? Is this an honest answer? When change comes in church (and it will come), is it a superficial change (like raising the age from 15 to 16) which isn't really going to do much ... or is it a change which looks at the problem and seeks to address it completely?

The adventure of life

Increasingly I'm aware that I desire and seek out adventure. This may be old news to some people, but I'm astounded how I have a naturally tendency to take the challenging road and not the easy one. This is obvious when I'm riding and evident in the fact I'm looking forward to the Karapoti.co.nz  race this Saturday. It is going to be 50km of both lung crushing climbs (which I'll most likely be walking) and epic, wind licking your ears down hills as you pedal in top cog!

I haven't read the book, but came across a quote from the Jon Ortberg book, The Me I Want to Be (find out more at the Zondervan site). The section seems to sum me up well:


God has wired us so that our bodies, minds, and spirits require challenge, and we flourish especially when we face challenges for a cause greater than ourselves. We experience the flow of the Spirit most deeply when we focus on challenges that enrich the community and when we cease to be preoccupied with our own advancement.


Life is not about comfort. It is about saying, "God, give me another mountain." It might be a story that gets told - or it might not. No one may know about your story but you and God. It doesn't matter.


Living the adventure God planned, becoming the person God created you to be, is not one pursuit among many. It is why you were born. It is worth wanting above all else.


Sums me up well ... how about you?

You'll laugh if you're a geek ...

Sorry about the fact some of you won't get it ... and sorry about the language (it isn't my work). But I did almost fall off the chair laughing when I saw this brilliant cartoon from xkcd.com!

A beginners guide to productivity

The saying goes that a picture paints a thousand words. I guess that means that a lot of training could be substituted with pictures. Take this Dilbert guide to productivity: