Holiday on an estate

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Let me tell you about my house.

It's a big countryside house with at least 10 bedrooms. The grounds have orchards, large gardens, wells and even a small wooded area, and all this on the outskirts of a small village in Northamptonshire, with only one (well behaved) neighbour.

As the summer approached I decided I should get away for a while. I've always been a last minute man, so with the help of a few friends on the Sunday we made the decision I should go away on the following Tuesday after work. My place of residency for my trip away, House of Miracles, is also a 10 bedroom house with one large lounge, a golf course (well sort off), and even a piano, situated in a small cul-de-sac on a large housing estate in Northampton Eastern District!

Why? Simply because God told me to!

House of Miracles is a Christian community house where seven adults live together serving God and the local community. I've lived in Christian Community for four years now, but always in the remote countryside with good neighbours. For a long time I've had a vision for living in community on an estate, where it's not uncommon to have neighbours knocking on the door at 10pm asking for a lift or to borrow some sugar.

This really is 24 hours, 7 days a week Church.

Meet God, my mate!

I often hear it said in meetings that we need to pray more. I’m sure that for many of us that’s true.

Occasionally I've been inspired to do something about the lack of prayer in my life, and I’ve set time aside to pray to God. But it doesn't last long; after about five minutes of God not answering I’m bored, and start thinking that these Christians who pray for half an hour every day are either loners or big fat liars, or maybe God just doesn't like me. But I knew this couldn't really be true, I must be missing something key!

Now I’m sure we have all heard prayers in meetings. If you’re new to faith you’d be forgiven for believing that the more times someone says the phrase “Father God” the more God listens.

However, on one of these very occasional times that I was inspired to pray God spoke to me (so He doesn't hate me). As I was walking around the garden I thought I was doing well, I was about three minutes in and I had got at least ten "Father Gods" in and I still wasn't bored, when I sensed God wanted me to shut up. I sat on the grass and tried to listen to what the Big man had to say (I struggle with listening too). After listening for a few minutes I sensed God trying to tell me "I’m your Friend". To start with this confused me, to think that one of my friends was God. Then again "I’m your friend, talk to me as a friend". Then it clicked, talk to Him as a friend. It’s not about all the "Father Gods".

I can't imagine that I'd have too many friends if I only shared my problems with them, and every three words repeated their name over and over again.

"So Joe Blogs thank you for my present, but Joe Blogs its all ready broken Joe Blogs. Joe Blogs if you could just see if it can be replaced Joe Blogs, thanks Joe Blogs"

Sounds slightly odd am sure you would agree.

 

Like you are with your friends, God wants a normal conversation with you. He doesn't want to hear just your issues. He wants to know you, the good and the bad. And like a friend, he needs time to reply.

So with this in mind, I will often just talk away to God about all manner of things, at all manner of times. Maybe this is what it means to have a prayer life.

God delights in seeing drug dealers in his church.

I recently went to London on a Friday night to evangelise in the West End. One of the first people I spoke to, Desmond, said when asked his thoughts on Christianity "I don't believe in Christianity because the Churches don't do what they are meant to do".

As excuses go, I liked that one.


But what does Desmond mean? What are churches meant to do?

Who better to ask than Desmond? His answer: "Churches shouldn't be in their flashy buildings, they should be with the broken families and in the police cells."

I already liked this guy, because he's right. Church isn't a building but its a people, and its people should be involved with the sinners. Don't get me wrong, of course there is time for Christians to spend time with Christians, but we are called to reach and to serve the unconverted and the unsaved. This can't be done by sitting in our comfortable homes with just the people we like. Everyone can love the people that love them. As a Christian we should love the people that are socially rejected. Why? Because that's what Jesus did; the word 'Christian' means "Christ-like". So if we are not doing what Jesus did, are we Christian? Are we Christian, just because we believe in Christ?

I was proud (a Godly pride, that is) that I could tell Desmond that our Church is very involved in the local gangs, the poor and the broken families across the UK. In fact our Sunday meetings our held on a "rough" estate, where it's not uncommon for children as young as 12 to be involved in drugs. Teenage pregnancy is becoming the norm, and its "cool" to have a criminal record

God wants to reach out to the drug dealers and the prostitutes, therefore I'm sure God delights in seeing drug dealers in His Church.

I am friends with a man who shared a bed with an apple.

It's not uncommon to share the same interests as your friends, in fact many would say it's a must in their criteria of choosing friends.

I'm a massive geek when it comes to photography and could talk cameras all day, I love my stage lighting and would happily spend all night rigging lights and programming the desk. Oh and I'm a Norwich City fan, no one supports Norwich unless they have to. The only excuse is if you're a local boy.

So my friends, you suspect, would be either a photographer, a lampie or a city fan. 

But strangely some of my closest friends are neither. One of my closest is Andy, he's a "keen" apple fan. "What is an apple fan"? I hear you ask. Andy works with apples, talks apples and has been known to sleep with an apple by his side. It's so bad that when walking through any major supermarket he has to stop for half an hour judging and commenting on the apple collection.

Another one of  my friends, Michael, is an IT geek. He loves everything to do with computers and in fact a well known in his field (not to be mistaken with Andy's field).

Dan is a trainee pharmacist, and loves watching Glee and other such strange TV programs.

So why are we friends, 4 men with nothing in common? Well we do have one thing in common- we are all Christians and love spending time together. Last year these unlikely friends spent the day climbing Snowdon. No apples, no computers, no drugs and no lights. Just friends and God.

going home!

(From left to Right) Dan, Jason,
Micheal and Andy

Richard (me), Andy, Dan
and Micheal

And that's what Christian community is all about- Loving being together even when everything is going wrong.

Hello and welcome to my blog, "Church with a camera".

I live in a house with 20 other young men, women and families. No its not a B&B, young offenders centre or a detention centre. I live in a buzzing Christian community house at the heart of the Jesus Army New Creation Christian Community.

Recently we took a bunch of young lads out in to the hills. Malvern Hills a beautiful area between Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. So with the promises of sun and views of beautiful countryside, off we trecked  - all 12 of us. And we were rewarded with stunning views across the hills and valleys best only described by taking you there.

Did I mention we were all friends and I like to think close friends too. This friendship was tested to the limit when we went to set up camp. The big dark clouds that began to form decided it was the time to open up. So its raining, we had no campsite, we were tired and it was getting dark. Just as tensions were reaching the limit "G" found a site and the rain stopped. GREAT- until we noticed the 20 man tent we brought had no poles. (My error) However what we thought was the "pole bag" in fact had a 10 man tent and the correct poles inside.

So we cracked on with the fire to cook the food and began to reform the relationships we love. And that's what Christian community is all about- Loving being together even when everything is going wrong.