day 6 - thinking big

Over the centuries church has always been at the very forefront of social change, invention and innovation and creative excellence.  That is because God is passionate about people, massively creative and the source of all good ideas !   There are any number of world changing, life improving, beautiful and clever new ideas waiting in heaven for a listening ear and engaged heart to catch hold of and activate.   So many of the tools and gadgets we take for granted came to people in dreams, or were the product of one persons God-given passion.  God never stops inventing things and painting pictures.  I dont know about you, but I want to join in with Him and be a creative, inventive person too.

Last night in church we were looking at the 15 year plan which the city council has put out for consultation.  We sat round tables, the black and the white, the young and the old, the employed and the unemployed, the sick and the healthy - and we talked about what our city needs, and what we need in order to make life better for us all.   The views we expressed will be fed back to the council.  But the discussion wasnt just about contributing to the councils plan, it was also about energising the church to see where we can make a real, practical contribution to the life of the city.  How can church contribute to the economy, the social fabric, the education of the young, the foster care system, the health service, the anti-social behaviour problems, provision for the poor, etc etc.  We batted about ideas, asked questions, listened to each other, expressed views and got to know each other better in the process.  

And interestingly, the worship at the start of the evening was awesome.

God likes it when the church gets down to the nitty gritty of ruling and reigning.  We are supposed to set the agenda , make it happen, use the authority we have been given to bring the kingdom of God to earth.   Of course doing that involves hard work.  We have to get our hands dirty.  We might even have to take up a cross daily.  We might have to wash a few feet or visit a few people in prison or open our homes to the homeless.    Challenging isnt it?   But surely it is what we are her for.

Oh, and the other great thing...... there were donuts.  And cookies 😉 

                                                            Gotta love church