A.R.T. Antics

During a social media fast recently I felt God speak to me really clearly which set me off on a train of thought which results in this blog. It is so true when you take the distractions out of our lives such as social media. You can be left with a lot of time on your hands. Beyond this you are faced with yourself and those things you try to distract by social media that are your own sometimes painful realities. So one morning at the beginning of this media fast I had been faced with one of these painful realities ( that's perhaps for another time) and was struggling and thought to myself I could sure do with a quiet time right now but I was so busy, oh boy Jesus how . After a day of full activity I was sat on my bed and thought well I feel better I can't remember why I was struggling and I don't really need to spend time with God now. In that instance I had this revelation was that it, did I just go to God when I needed something or I was feeling down. I mean what kind of r...

I have always really loved Wesley and even his contemporaries. I really believe they an amazing and revolutionary group of people. In many ways I aspire to be like them today. The back drop to which Westley and his contemporaries rose was an England that was under a lot of strain. Poverty was endemic in the poor class with people living in squalor and being addicted to alcohol in great measure and children having to earn a wage in terrible conditions at such an early age. The rest of Europe had seen revolutions but there had only been small outbreaks in Britain but  nothing like the French Revolution. The industrial revolution was just around the corner and Britsin ruled the waves with its Empire in many continents perhaps for the richer class life looked good but not for the poorer class.  Furthermore the poorer classes were outlawed from Church buildings where the Anglican Church had become very middle class. I believe that all that Wesley stood for and did created a cat...

I can't believe that I only have 2 months or so left until I finish USMM. I have had an amazing year so far it has been incredible. I have had the privilege of spending time with some awesome people. We have become such an amazing family, it has been great to hang out with these people I have learnt so much from them. I couldnt have spent this year with better people. I am sure we will all remain really good friends after we have finished this year. So then the teaching from USMM has been so life changing. I thought I had heard everything and pretty much heard all the teaching I could. However tearning we have received could fit into two categories that which I heard when I was in youth with a mission and that which is totally new. Repenting and renewing your mind and being reminded that the sprirtual realm is something which I learnt in YWAM however I have been reminded of this and it has been reiterated to me with greater ferocity. The ideas that have spoken to me the most ...

For some time now I've been thinking and even dreaming about heaven. I am very aware that my tendency especially as a person who likes to get involved in mission is to think about the here and now and forget about life ever after. These thoughts have been fuelled by by the course I am doing at the moment which has really delved into the questions of what are we here for and what is it all about. I hear some of you saying well it's all about Jesus and the Kingdom and of course I would agree with you but as this is unpicked you realise that this is an absolutely massive subject.  So I want to start from some way off ideas and state the obvious. I think we often assume we know what we think about things and actually when we go a little bit deeper we have merely swallowed what someone has taught us and it became part of what we believe. So what are we here for ?  God created for relationship with himself and with each other. So most of us are on this earth for around 80-90 years. ...