Undefended leaders

Distant valleys long remembered, grassy fields ploughed up and plundered,
Turbulent seas, foreboding skies, hills that beckon, a mountain to climb

Drawn into the Shepherd’s fold, inside warmth, outside cold
A table prepared, a place to dwell, heaven’s bread, time to fill

Unwrapped hearts, unpacked souls, lives are shared, stories told
Hidden heartbreak soon discovered, undisturbed now lies uncovered

Violent storm tugging deeply, tender words touching truly
Piercing pain, cleansing rain, landscapes shaped, windswept change

Plunged in darkness, coal black night, heaven's sun, breaking bright
Threat is foiled, foes are rattled, peace is found in communal chapel

Small steps made, giant leaps abound, long-held fears are swept aground
Outstretched hand, an unveiled place, safely known, met with grace

Undefended, redefined, fresh surrendered hope-filled life
Setting sail, free to fly, distant shores, horizon beckons

Searching for a thin place ... be bald!

This week our leadership team is off to Ffald-y-Brenin, a house of prayer in west Wales where there are some wonderful things happening under an ‘open heaven’. Early Celtic Christians described places where heaven and earth intensely intersect and interact as ‘thin places’, witnessing that there are locations or events in life where the dividing line between the holy and the ordinary blurs to the point that the ordinary becomes holy and the holy becomes ordinary.

God’s intention has always been to make his presence known within the sphere of earth, to dwell among his people and for us to dwell with him. There are countless biblical references to this: Jacob saw angels going to and fro on a ladder between heaven and earth; Moses took off his sandals when he discovered he was standing on holy ground. Indeed, a considerable part of the Exodus story is devoted to the description of the tabernacle, a holy tent where God dwelt in the middle of his people. The main focus of Israelite belief in the overlap of heaven and earth became the temple in Jerusalem, the place where God dwelt. The Apostle John gained a glimpse into heaven through an open door and described the sense of overlap between heaven and earth ultimately expressed in God sending his Son, fully divine and fully human, who tabernacled among us and who now indwells his people, a living temple, by his Holy Spirit.

The question for us today is not ‘where is God’? but rather ‘where isn’t he’? God is not confined to tents, houses or temples, the whole earth is full of his glory and in humility he makes himself wholly available to humanity. We can meet God anytime, anyplace, anywhere. And yet busyness, countless meaningless distractions and the noise levels of modern life make it difficult to dwell. We become limited by our sameness and our schedules, yet there are no limits with God! As a group of ordinary people gather to eat, drink, pray, laugh and learn together I’m expecting to encounter some extraordinary things ‘on earth as it is in heaven’.

Off the beaten track ...

Our 10th year in Oxford is now well underway and we are finding our rhythm together with a fantastic group of new students. In many ways there is a warm familiarity to the pattern of the College year although each year-group proves to be very distinct, people whom God has gathered to walk together for a period of formation. Amidst the familiar routine God has been speaking about the need for us to explore the unfamiliar.

One of the key recurring images God has spoken about in recent years is that of a mountain climb. At times the journey has been tiring, painful and has seemed relentless but we can't expect a mountaintop experience without being prepared to put in the work required to get to the summit.

At the beginning of the academic year God spoke again about the same mountain but encouraged us that there were different aspects to explore through taking a different track, the narrow way, and that we should be prepared to encounter some rugged terrain which was off the map leading to us discovering something new.

I'm excited and invigourated by the process of exploration and when content to settle for what is I'm grateful to be following God who has vision for his people to find more expansive places in him and faithfully leads us there - here's to pressing on ...