Today a reader, tomorrow a leader

"Books to the ceiling, books to the sky, my pile of books are a mile high. How I love them! How I need them! I'll have a long beard by the time I read them" (Arnold Lobel, American Author)

This describes the scene in our library as this week we received the perfect Christmas gift from a gracious friend - around 500 new books! We instill in our children the importance of reading yet it is perhaps a bit of a lost art among some adults. Many of us live in an instant access throwaway culture where we are bombarded by vast amounts of information through a variety of media. However, there is something about a book which invites you beyond its surface cover to savour its pages and dwell on thoughts, thus allowing time and space to absorb and assimilate ideas and form convictions which is essential to the learning process. We all need to cultivate the discipline of reading which enriches our thoughts and awakens our imaginations.

As we near the end of one decade and anticipate the next, our recent acquisition has caused me to reflect on how the college has grown and developed since we moved to Oxford at the beginning of the new Millennium. I remember the days when the entire contents of our library fitted into a cupboard sized room which formed part of our make-shift premises located above a car-rental firm. This lack of space certainly facilitated a 'close reading of the text' ... humble beginnings indeed!

As we enter a new decade we find ourselves at a key moment in the life of the College as we cross into new territory. Such moments of transition bring things into sharp focus as we gaze intently upon that which is important and of eternal value and that which is less so fades into the background. It is during these times that we discover who we really are and what we are really living for. I'm grateful for the seed of faith that has been planted through this recent gift. As we take steps towards validation and all that entails, our library is going to have to grow substantially in the coming years to fuel the learning of many students. Books can serve as doorways to new places and I'm excited as I think about the priests, prophets and pioneers God is going to entrust to us to train as part of their journey and the adventures God has in store for them as life-long learners.

What makes leadership less of a drag?

Yesterday during our early morning prayer time Rach had a picture of a flock of geese migrating in a flying V formation which is a great image when thinking about teamwork and leadership …

According to an article in Science, when flying in a V formation all birds experience approximately the same amount of benefit from their neighbours, even the leader at the tip of the formation benefits from the wind currents produced by the birds directly behind it. Researchers have discovered that a flock of 25 birds in formation can fly 70 percent further than a single bird using the same amount of energy. Many Canadian Geese fly thousands of miles between their Mexico wintering spots to their summer homes in Canada and Alaska. They can reach up to 60mph during their flights and can reach an altitude of 8,000 feet. Apparently Geese are very loyal birds, a family group will stay together even within the flock. The V formation gives the geese the ability to watch out for one another and communicate about landing locations – they regularly honk to each other while they fly! The same bird does not always fly in front. When the leader tires, it falls back and another bird takes its position. This happens on a regular basis. So the first goose is not necessarily the flock's strongest or most dominant, it's just that bird's turn to take a lead.

As we seek to develop new courses and work towards validation I’m grateful for the mix of gifted leaders God has brought to KBCTC who are taking us places! We’re looking to develop leadership which is loyal and has longevity, soaring together, travelling great distances together, keeping an eye out for each other, speaking up when we need to be heard, being courageous in taking the lead when its our turn and being humbly prepared to slip back when its not, let's fly!

The journey continues ...

Reflections on our 2009 'transform' weekend ... praise, paint, prayer, healing, hope, holy ground, breakfast, bacon, sacrifice, singing, scripture, stories, silence, soaking, sunshine, surprises, tears, laughter, butterflies, picnic, footy, ancient, future, rest, reflection, tiredness, curry, ‘kbctc’s got talent’, awakening, open doors, open eyes, open hearts, open homes, neighbourhoods, bbq … life springs forth from unexpected places!

Walk on ...

My heart was ‘strangely warmed’ this summer by the sound of 90,000 voices joined in unison at Wembley stadium during U2’s 360 tour. At the end of the 1980s Bono boldly declared “its time to go away and dream it all up again’’. This led to the rebirth of the band and after more than 30 years together, Bono’s desire to break down the barrier between the band and their audience continues to drive them to pioneer new approaches to making music which keeps them a cut above the best of the rest. Surrounding themselves with creative designers who are unafraid to think outside the box and who dare go beyond what they’ve seen, architect Mark Fisher and long-term techie Willie Williams designed ‘the claw’, a revolutionary stage design, the result of collective collaboration, inspiration, innovation and perspiration!

Its easy to lean back and rely on the safe, tried and tested ways of doing things but the things that worked yesterday won’t necessarily work today or tomorrow. As we kick-start a new year at KBCTC there’s a sense in which we still haven’t found what we’re looking for. The search goes on looking for God’s blueprint for this unique group of students, trying new shapes, imagining new possibilities, finding new ways of training people … its time to dream it all up again!

Town and gown

Some really productive chats with Russ and Rich this week planning a week for Uni students and continuing conversations about a joined up training strategy for S&L respectively. ‘Think, live, make … deeper sense of God at Uni’ aimed at equipping university students is taking shape for 12th – 16th April 2010. In a way we’re all still students: “take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new” (Og Mandino).

Chrysalis

In June one of our daughters was given an innovative birthday present by her aunt. With it came instructions to call a phone number resulting in a number of caterpillars being delivered by post which we dutifully popped into their new habitat. After the initial excitement began a long period of waiting … and waiting … and waiting … and wondering if anything was going to happen (or whether we would have to break the sad news to our three year old that they had died!). Then suddenly, without warning, one morning butterflies began to emerge. Colour, life and movement replaced dull, lifeless inactivity.

After months of frustration and seeming inactivity today we received two new applications along with our long awaited accreditation award. Among other things, recognition as an educational provider for Further and Higher Education by the British Accreditation Council means we can sponsor international students to enter the UK under the new Border Agency rules.

The things of God often take time to form, grow and emerge. Much is happening under the surface in unseen places even when we don’t perceive it and transformation awaits if we remain patient and embrace times of transition. A metamorphosis is taking place in the life of the College … its time to spread our wings!

Tales of transformation

I spent the evening immersed in the 08/09 student yearbook. The before and after shots are a great reminder that God is weaving together countless precious individual journeys which intertwine to form something beautiful …

This year has formed me from a boy to a man
Once in the shadows, now in the light
It was about what I said, now its about who I am
I thought I was my own man but it is God who owns me
Before: self hatred and guilt
After: found freedom in Christ
Before: searching for purpose
After: his gift of breath and life makes me serve him with pure joy
Before: insecure about the opinions of others
After: secure in God’s love and Fatherhood
Before: lacking in confidence and questioning my ability
After: knowing the authority in leadership that I have in Christ
Before: I can’t, I can’t, I can’t
After: Erm, actually … I can!
I’ve learned to learn
Searching … found in the arms of my Father
God has challenged my pride and perspective and grown my heart
I’ve learnt who God is, who I am and if I put God first, everything else follows
Challenged not to be closed-minded; envisioned for community
Before: withdrawn, frustrated and dispirited
After: vulnerable, at peace and ready to go
I now know the meaning of life more fully; what it means to be human!
Before: lukewarm, uncommitted and indifferent
After: ruined by God’s goodness, indifference isn’t an option
Before I wanted maturity and heart knowledge of God. I have found both and also my calling – to be David preparing for Solomon to build the temple
Before: hard hearted, unloved, no purpose in life
After: enlarged heart with passion of Christ
Before: self sufficient
After: broken, but growing strong through dependence on God
I was trapped, now I am free. I’m God’s daughter.
I was searching, but now the searching is over
I didn’t know God as a Father, now I do
I used to be driven by fear, now I am driven by joy
God unwound me and taught me about resting in him
Before: aging 80s rocker, a loose cannon
After: ten years younger, full of peace, calm with a zest for life
Before: held back by fear and insecurity whilst trying to do everything in my own strength
After: secure in my identity in Christ, with a renewed trust in a faithful God who is strong in my weakness and whose perfect love casts out all fear

We walk on holy ground.

No line on the horizon

Enjoyed catching up with Tim and Gra today together with a surprise appearance from Nikki! I'm grateful for friends who show us the way and always appreciate having horizons broadened from spending time with them as God continues to give us glimpses into his global purposes. 'You can accomplish anything in life provided that you do not mind who gets the credit’ (Harry S Truman). This quote seems to sum up the heart of working together and offers ongoing challenge as God continues to sift our motives so that all we are and all we do is all about his glory in all the earth.

Crossing over

Last weekend students and staff took on 10 tors to raise 10 grand for the development of the College. As we were trudging across deepest darkest Dartmoor through ferocious wind and torrential rain (true British summer weather!) it struck me how much of our experience reflected the ups and downs of KBCTC’s journey over the last 25 years. Exhilarated and exhausted a few of us left Devon walking with a limp but we’re in good company, its all a part of breaking new ground.

The dog and pony show

Sparks of creativity are flying around KBCTC this week as we are thinking about the coming year and Rach is in design mode ... we’re planning on taking KBCTC on the road! Look out for the 'Encounter Tour’ 2009/10 (or ‘the dog and pony show' as Dave is affectionately referring to it!!!) coming to a church near you. For more info: http://www.kbctc.org/