GOODBYE, REDEEMER CHURCH LONDON

Dear Redeemer,

I've never learned so much.

The last 18 months I have been surrounded by the energy and pace of Redeemer Church London. I’ve seen everything behind the scenes; the hard work, the passionate hearts and all the fun! From leaflets to videos, from the prayer ministry to the connections team, from organising huge events like Carols to just having a coffee with one of God’s precious kids. It’s been a blast.

I’ve never seen a Church that has such a urgency to reach out; Redeemer is hungry to impact people, to grow, host and bring others into a relationship with Jesus. The events like Little Fish, Carols, the Running Meet-up and an all year round Alpha aren’t just for fun - they are all charged by the desire to show people that Jesus is for you and wants to live in your heart. This church provides such a warm, welcoming open door to those who have never experienced Jesus before.

There is a rich foundation of community and love amongst the people of Redeemer that just oozes family. There is a solid bridge between the diverse generations and a beautiful mix of cultures and ethnicities that feels like peace, sounds like a friend and surely is a taste of heaven.

Megan and I have felt part of something huge, something that has a long and strong destiny. At only five years old I just know that Redeemer has loads more in store, this is merely the beginning. 

Some of my own highlights from the last year and a half:

• Leading the ‘Activating a Supernatural Culture’ Meetup in our living room, developing deep relationships that we will never forget.
• Preaching my first ever sermon about my story and how God speaks.
• The giant temporary office at Exchange Plaza! Hilarious space given to us by God.
• Learning from Pete and the Advance Church Planting team down in Cornwall for a week.
• Organising the 2018 Carols; a beautiful looking, great sounding event despite the busy period.
• Baptising so many, including my friends Mak, Sunny and Brooksy.
• Moving the Redeemer staff into the new office on Bond Street - pop in for a cup of tea with Pete and Rach anytime! I love those guys!

Of course there is loads loads more. But my true number one highlight is the time I’ve spent doing life with my brothers in Christ - I’ve got to know them so well, prayed with them, cried with them and journeyed with them. We’ve taken huge steps toward the heart of the Father and learn’t about who we are in Christ, that’s called church. Thanks lads, you know who you are!

Finally I just want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for being so lovely, so kind, so full of the joy of Jesus. Pursue that intimate, raw and vulnerable relationship with your best friend, Holy Spirit. Walk closely with each other as you do, share the blessings and share the struggles, hug each other and feed each other. Shine like Jesus shines.

Let’s go change the world,

Joseph x

To follow what Joseph and Megan get up to as they move to Brighton subscribe here: www.youtube.com/josephthedreamer

INGREDIENTS FOR CHRISTMAS

This advent and Christmas they'll be a lot of partying going on. Friends and family celebrating life, love and friendship.  For some it will be a joyful time and an opportunity for a family break.  For others it will be tough as the weight of troubles are considered through a fresh lens.
For both, without an understanding and experience of the love and life Jesus brings, without the family of God, Christmas will lack an essential ingredient.  
This Christmas I wish you each a chance to spend time with those who love you with no strings attached.  And I pray that the Christ of Christmas will come and bring with him love, new life and family that will change your life forever.

Here's what I believe: 

I believe baubles have way too much glitter,
that another new year won't make it all better.

I believe turkey tastes bland without stuffing,
that my secret santa was better than nothing,

that rich Christmas pud needs plenty of cream,
that thin paper hats are as cheap as they seem.

I believe parties can get out of hand,
that still silent nights need to be planned.

I believe Christmas can bring people down,
that relentless fake smiles hide many a frown.

That without the real Jesus it's a real waste of time,
that if He was here He'd call it a crime:

The way we ignore those under our feet,
the times we brush past the poor on the street.

Jesus just cries to see our behaviour,
so far from the path He set as our Saviour.

So this Christmas ask Jesus to soften your heart.
He'll give you forgiveness and bring a fresh start.

You can live with new hope and sing with new meaning,
don't waste any more time with any more dreaming.

Happy Christmas to all and to all my best wishes.
May your Christmas be more than merry wet kisses.

May the God of this Christmas visit this year
and give you good reason to be of good cheer. 

By Steve Page

Not too big to weep: A poetry anthology  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1549894706/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_DGj4zbZZK23D6

HOW TO GET HAPPY WHEN LIFE IS GETTING YOU DOWN

While at Newday, a group of teenagers were invited to take part in the shooting of a video, Joy has a name. Newday gives a safe and fun environment for over 5,000 teenagers to worship and learn more about Jesus, God's Son.

Part of the thread of the 2016 festival was the connection between the fruit of the Spirit and the person of Jesus.

It strikes me that often when we are encouraged to 'take joy' from happy circumstances, this suggests that joy is something to be grasped while it's available.

"I took great joy in seeing my grandchild smiling up at me."

"I took joy in being able to bask in such a beautiful sunset."

But it turns out that part of the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus is Joy: It's not taken by us, it's given by Jesus.

Joy - like fruit - grows and develops by virtue of the life flowing through the tree that bears it; in this case, the tree is Jesus.

Being a follower of Jesus, having his Spirit within us, gives the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Like fruit, these take time to grow and develop, however they are not dependent on our circumstances, but on our connection to Jesus.

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Joy has a name

Joy has a name
Whispered in awe,
Shouted in triumph and
Partied abroad.

Joy out-runs
Mourning and tears,
Drowns out hatred and
Drives out fears.

Joy brings peace
And laughter soon after,
Joy gives release and
Heals much faster.

Joy has a name
Above all others
His name is Jesus
Joy of many colours.

If this seems like something out of your grasp, please come and find out more at Redeemer. You can find us on any Sunday morning at 10 am at Ealing Town Hall.

HERE IS WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON'T ENJOY YOUR JOB

I saw a video on Facebook the other day – it was headlined as something like ‘the most important thing you’ll see all month’, and I respected the person who had shared it, so I gave it a quick view.

The message of the video was essentially this:

You are going to be at work for the vast majority of your life, so make sure you’re doing something you enjoy.

This message rings true with me, as I’m sure it does with you. I don’t like the idea that I’m going to spend 40 years doing something with no purpose other than to get money to pay for stuff I can barely squeeze into my spare time.

Even if you have a stand-out ‘successful’ career and earn millions, if that’s only then used to fund a house and a family you barely see, what point is there to that really?

It all comes down to this:

Your life will be better, and you will be happier, if you’re doing something you love, even if that means taking home less money at the end of the month.

I agree.

But I don’t agree with the practical advice this video gave, which was ‘make sure you’re doing something you enjoy.’

Huh?

What would happen if we spun that around, to say instead:

Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing.

If I’m doing something I don’t enjoy, that turns me into a victim. This job is happening to me, and I’m subject to my evil boss’s nasty commands.

But if I’m not enjoying what I’m doing, that puts me in a position of power. I can solve this problem, by changing my attitude.

Instead of answering the questions of what else I could be doing that would make me happier, I’m answering the question of what I genuinely enjoy about this job I’m in. That feels a lot more positive – doesn’t that feel better?

I see the Bible telling us to be content with what we have, and I don’t see the Bible telling us that satisfaction lies in grabbing at things we don’t have.

Homework for today then: Write a list of the 100 things you most enjoy about your job, then if you bring it along on a Sunday morning and share it with me, I’ll share mine with you.

WAITING IS CHALLENGING. HERE'S HOW TO MAKE IT JOYFUL...

Waiting is one of my least favourite things in life.

Whether it's in a queue at the supermarket, waiting for results from an important exam or for an answer to prayer, I feel the same old tension build up inside.

These days I can get almost anything I can think of the next day on Amazon Prime, any kind of food I want delivered to my house within the hour, or rent a movie instantly without needing to get up off my sofa. Technology is moving forward at such an astonishing rate that the next faster, more advanced gadget always seems to come out straight after we get the previous one.

It's no wonder we can start to get frustrated when the rest of life doesn't work out that way and we have to wait on something.

But when we think about God's view of time we see some pretty different thinking.

God is outside of time. He isn't constrained by it, and he knows the end from the beginning – nothing comes as a surprise to him. If he knows the end, and I don't, why do I think that my expectations on timing might be better than his?

What does our struggle with waiting say about who we think we are?

So much of our identity is in what we do, the measurable and achievable.

Noise and activity, not silence and waiting.

We often have nothing to show for our waiting, and this is uncomfortable. But waiting gives me a unique opportunity to pause and look inside and see what I really believe about myself. Brennan Manning talks about this in his book Abba's Child:

‘Our longing to know who we really are - which is the source of all our discontent - will never be satisfied until we confront and accept our solitude. There we discover the truth that we are the beloved. We are often so busy trying to prove to ourselves that we are loved that we do not hear God telling us he loves us. Silence is not simply the absence of noise, but rather a process of coming to inner stillness, and this requires waiting.’ (My paraphrase)

So how can we wait well?

These three concepts have challenged and helped me recently in the things I'm waiting for and I hope they can help you too:

1. God is always working good things in me even when I’m waiting – I don't need to wait until I've arrived for this. ‘There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.’ Philippians 1:6
2. God is never late. And his timing is focused not on the transient results that I look for, but things that matter for eternity. ‘The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.’ 2 Peter 3:9
3. And most importantly, completely aside from whether you're waiting or not, and whatever is or isn't happening in our lives, we can be sure of this one thing: He is with us. ‘I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.’ Matthew 28:20

Sometimes we have to make a choice about how we want to face these seasons of waiting and uncertainty. I love the attitude of this quote I recently came across:

‘Let's find the unknown irresistible, let's sit in its calming presence and be glad that we are never 'lost' but wandering with purpose, excited, free, expectant. Loving the mystery of it all.’

HERE'S HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD MAKE EALING EVEN HAPPIER.

Ever since the Panama Papers news story, I've been thinking a lot about money. Then I read this, in the Financial Times of all places.

A couple of weeks ago the top 'reader's question' in the Management section was essentially:

My partner and I have similar jobs at the same organisation. He just got a 20% pay rise. Should I force him to pay 20% more than I do towards rent and other expenses? What do you think?

The answer to this relationship issue is obvious to me.

Forget about the money.

Surely a relationship is priceless.

I love my job.
But if my employer didn't pay me, I wouldn't turn up to work.
I don't get paid to be a husband and a daddy, but I still turn up anyway.

Dear Financial Times reader: I assume you love your partner. Why not try being generous to them with your money?

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Money has a way of appearing incredibly important.

We've been sold the idea that more money will make us happier, in spite of celebrities' ludicrous lifestyles that publicly fall apart on the pages of every newspaper.

For example, it's easy to judge wealthy people who can afford to avoid tax, but I can guarantee you two things:

1. If you or I were in the same situation, we'd do exactly the same thing. Don't even pretend that you wouldn't. When the Government announces an increase in a tax-free allowance, I don't tell them to keep my money anyway. Tax avoidance is legal, and should be expected. (As opposed to tax evasion.)
2. If a wealthy person is happy, it's not down to their wealth. They'll be happy because of the relationships in their life, or experiences they're having.

So...

QUESTION: How much money do I need to be happy?
ANSWER: Just a little bit more.

I implore you, don't stake your happiness on the amount you earn or your bank balance.

Instead, please look at all the evidence and realise that you'll be happier if you're more generous, regardless of how wealthy you are.

Here's the really good news...

Every Sunday we have an opportunity to get happier by giving away our money - Redeemer will use it to transform Ealing and support others around London and around the world!

There's only one question left:

How happy do you actually want to be?