Praying for the Todman Family

During my sabbatical Woodgreen was blessed with a number of visiting speakers who filled the pulpit while I was absent. One of these was Neil Todman,  Lead Pastor of Headley Park Church in South Bristol. He, his wife Elaine, and two young boys Isaac and Oscar, visited Woodgreen on 28th July when he preached in the morning service.

A few months before this in March Neil's brother Clover visited Woodgreen with his two young daughters for one of our 'More to Life' guest services. Few will forget the moving testimony he shared about the death of his wife Sarah, to cancer. He testified how God had been his rock through this terrible time.

Imagine the shock then, when just before Christmas Neil's wife, Elaine, was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

On Tuesday Elaine underwent surgery to remove  cancerous tissue in her colon and ovary. This was successful, however during the operation the doctors discovered that the cancer has spread to her abdomen. Neil and Elaine were told on Tuesday that there is no surgical or medical cure for  this.

Carolyn and I have known Neil and Elaine for 22 years. Carolyn was at university with them both and I met them through her. They are among our closest friends and the fact that they are also in full-time pastoral ministry has only drawn us closer together. Put simply, we are heartbroken for them as a family.

Today we visited Royal University Hospital in Bath where Elaine is recovering from the surgery and we had a wonderful day with them both, reading the Scriptures, praying, crying and laughing - yes, laughing - together. In human terms the future is bleak, but their faith in the fact that God is good and trustworthy is secure. God's sustaining grace is so evident.

For those who wish to pray and keep up to date with their news, Neil is writing a blog on the Headley Park church website.  Can I encourage you to read this. Not only to fuel your prayers, but also to witness how a godly couple are responding to a heartbreaking test of faith. Please pray that God will heal Elaine. But if that is not His will, please pray that they will know his peace and presence as Neil and the boys face the future.

CLICK HERE to go to the blog entry where Neil broke the news about what the doctors had discovered during Elaine's operation.

As you will see, rather than accuse God - they are clinging on to him. Rather than question God - they are trusting him. And therefore, rather than radiating despair - they are radiating grace and hope.

In the darkest of times, Jesus is shining brightly through them.


Direct Link: http://www.headleyparkchurch.org.uk/news/latest-news/post/84-update-on-elaine-s-illness--14th-january-

12 Blogs of Christmas Day 12: Being Better At... Prayer

Well done if you've stuck with me for the last 11 days. This is day 12 - the last day of Christmas (also my birthday!).

Our 2014 church motto texts are both to do with prayer:

Let’s be honest: prayer is hard work.

And let’s also be honest: we don’t always welcome challenges to pray more because it reminds us how little we do and makes us feel guilty!

We know the Bible commands us pray - ‘Pray without ceasing’ (1 Thess. 5:17) – but DUTY isn’t a very good motivator.

DELIGHT would be a much better reason to pray!

So why pray more this year?

In THIS SHORT POST, Jason Helopoulos gives 9 heart-warming reasons why we should pray more in 2014. What I love is his emphasis on delighting in prayer.

Why not have a read... and then plan to pray 5 minutes more each day than you do now.

12 Blogs of Christmas Day 11: Being Better At... Reading good Christian books

As a Pastor I’m sometimes asked by those in my church to recommend a book on a particular topic: ‘what’s the best book you’ve read on THIS subject?’

I am convinced that a person cannot grow as a Christian without reading good Christian books that take us back to the Bible and feed our minds, hearts and souls. We are bombarded with secular messages from the world every day and we need to be constantly counteracting that barrage.

One of my favourite ‘go to’ verses in the Bible us Romans 12:1-2.

‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.’

If we are to be worshippers who please God, then we need to not only offer our bodies, but also our minds, in sacrificial service. We need to have renewed and transformed minds.

That happens primarily as we fill our minds and hearts with God’s Word. But one of the ways in which we can do that is by reading good Christian books that teach and apply the Bible into our lives and make us think more carefully about the culture in which we live and how it might be subtly and unhelpfully moulding us. In the same way that we should grow as we listen to sermons on a Sunday, we will also grow as we read a Christian book that helps us to apply God’s Word into our lives.

So let me challenge you for 2014: how about reading a book every month?

Twelve good Christian books in twelve months.

Are you up for it?

And if you want help knowing WHAT to read, I’ve enlisted the help of my fellow pastors to compile a list of the best books we have read on twelve different topics.

Twelve topics – twelve months.

All these books come with a 5-star rating from us – so why not give them a go!?

You can download the list HERE.

And buy them all HERE.

Direct Links:

Book List for 2014: https://www.dropbox.com/s/p9jbzq1jwmcwie1/If%20you%20only%20read%20one%20book%20this%20year_2014.pdf

10ofthose books: https://www.10ofthose.com/

12 Blogs of Christmas Day 10: Being Better At... Forgiving

In church life – as in life generally - people sometimes hurt us and we sometimes hurt other people.

It’s part of being a sinner living in a fallen world.

The grace of forgiveness is therefore an important habit for a healthy church and healthy Christian to display.

However it’s not always easy to forgive. The toxic mixture of pride and hurt can often make asking for, or offering, forgiveness very hard. And the bigger or more damaging the sin, the harder it is to forgive.

And what when we’re wronged against and the perpetrator never seeks forgiveness or reconciliation?

I read a wonderful blog post at the beginning of December on the subject of forgiveness by Thabiti Anyabwile, who was one of the speakers at last years New Word Alive conference.

In it he gives very practical down-to-earth Biblical principles on ‘How to make a Confession’ and ‘How to Extend Forgiveness.’ It’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read.

It might just stop you becoming bitter, resentful and angry.

It might just enable you to hold on or rediscover joy, freedom and gratitude.

You can get to it HERE.

Direct Link: http://thegospelcoalition.org/mobile/article/thabitianyabwile/how-to-make-a-confession-and-extend-forgiveness

12 Blogs of Christmas Day 9: Being Better At... Welcoming

Five years ago Woodgreen was visited by a ‘Mystery Worshipper’. This is the spiritual equivalent of a ‘Mystery Shopper’ that market research companies sometimes use to test the quality of customer service in shops.

Of course, a church isn’t a ‘shop’ and those who attend aren’t ‘customers’. However the Mystery Worshipper idea can be healthy.

What is it like for a complete stranger to walk into our church?

Would they feel welcome?

Do people talk to them?

What do fresh eyes make of the way we do things?

Sadly, the Mystery Worshipper who visited Woodgreen rated us badly on ‘welcome’. While they had a handshake when they came in the front door, nobody spoke to them after the service, even though they sat on their own for some time.

I think things have changed over the last few years. Visitors now regularly tell me how well they have been welcomed and how friendly people have been. In our recent Community Carol Service one of the last people to leave the building was one of the guest visitors!

So I don’t think we would be rated as badly on welcoming now as we were then.

However, our Mystery Worshipper visit all those years ago does illustrate the role we ALL have when it comes to being welcoming, hospitable and Christ-like on Sundays.

I read an article recently by Ed Stetzer who highlights the ‘3-minute rule’ when it comes to welcoming.

‘The three-minute rule begins when the final prayer is said or song is sung. This is not the time to talk to your best friends. During those first three minutes, two things are going to happen: people who are familiar are going to talk to each other and people who don't know anyone are going to leave quickly. This is where it's crucial. If you take the time in those first three minutes to talk to the people who aren't connected, you will have time afterward to talk to your friends who are more likely to stick around.’

I think he makes a really good point here and gives a really practical strategy to help us all be better at welcoming.

Being better at welcoming isn’t actually that difficult!

In part it just means being selfless with our time after the service and using at least the first three minutes to be on the lookout for people we don’t know, whom we can speak with and encourage to take that next step closer to us... and to Christ.

12 Blogs of Christmas Day 8: Being Better At... Worshipping

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ever wondered what the view is like from the International Space Station?

At the beginning of a New Year it’s good to be reminded of how great AND good God is. 

In this stunning 2 minute time-lapse video we’re shown the view from the window of the ISS. It’s yet another reminder that in grace, God didn’t just create a functional world for us to enjoy, but also one that is breathtakingly beautiful.

‘The Earth reminded us of a Christmas tree ornament hanging in the blackness of space. As we got farther and farther away it diminished in size. Finally it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine.’

(James Irwin, Apollo 15 Astronaut)

‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.' (Psalm 19:1-4)