The Lightfoot Lane Blog

Thank you all so much for your continuing prayer and practical support - we appreciate you all so much. For the last month or so, Fulwood have begun meeting to pray for us as a family on a Sunday night after the evening service, and when they began Linda was really quite rough. Since then, she has felt so much better, so much so that the last couple of weeks have been some of the best she has had for a long time, and for us as a family, almost normal!!! Thank you.

Last Sunday night we were able to go together to Lancaster FMC where I was preaching in the evening, and the folk there asked for a picture of us as a family so that they could pray for us - and know who they were praying for! We’re not great at family pictures, but here is a couple for you!

Anyone who knows our kids know they are a real scream! Well, a week ago I had to do my first funeral…we will really miss that hamster! It was really interesting watching our kid’s reactions to the death of a pet. Kids are remarkable, and listening to them and their comments was quite revealing. When they told me that Squeaky was now in hamster heaven, the Pastor in me wanted to correct their theology. The father in me on the other hand felt completely different as I watched their faces, and just wanted to hug them and assure them how loved they were. What a picture of our Heavenly Father - not someone far away who is oblivious to how we feel, but rather a good loving Father who just wants to hold us tight when we hurt, a Father who understands pain.

Mind you, when Tim asked if Squeaky had died because he’d thrown him across the room………..(he hadn’t it was old age!)

Thank you all for your prayers. It is truly humbling to know people across the world, many whom we have never met or know of, are praying for us. Thank you so much. Last week saw Linda have a blood transfusion, and as a result she is a bit perkier. The chemo has helped as well, and so we are trying to make the most of a rest in this before resuming again next week - the medical emphasis now seems to be emphasising quality of live more than anything else.

Cancer Research say that more than one in three of us will get some form of cancer at some point in our lives. The thing is, you never think it will be you.

When Linda was diagnosed in 2002 with a grade 3 aggressive breast cancer, that’s what we thought. Linda was expecting our 4th child at the time, and had been told in the August by our GP that as she was too young to have cancer it was probably just a cyst. Imagine our shock when she was finally seen by the hospital 4 months later, 10 days before Christmas and we were told something different. And so the emotional rollercoaster began. 

I’ve talked before about how God stepped in but what lessons have I learnt? Is it possible to cope? I think sometimes people are waiting for me to fall apart as if coping were not possible! Linda and I took a vital decision together right at the beginning that helps us cope; we agreed to take the decisions of faith and leave the medical decisions to the doctors. The release that this brought has been incredible, as we have discovered that although doctors want the best for you, treatment is more often cause and effect than a scientific certainty. Having released this, we do not have to chase after every medical wind that blows to find hope, especially when they admit that they cannot cure her cancer.

I believe that mankind was never meant to do life on its own, and placing our hope in God has brought a peace in the middle of the storm that is tangible. I never understood Psalm 23 before -

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Your rod and your staff they comfort me.”

When we read the Bible, do we actually believe what is written? Is it true, or just nice homilies that get trotted out by someone on a Sunday? Can it really transform your life? I’m just an ordinary bloke who said OK to God. I never knew that I’d face this. Yet as I’ve said before, “If God is who he says he is, then I can stand.” I don’t know how you cope with the storms that life throws up - we all have them, I’m not unique. But I appreciate in hindsight how valuable it has been getting my relationship with God right, putting my armour on, in a time of peace. I don’t have to pull the arrows out before I can lift up my shield of faith. That’s why I say to anyone who will listen, put your trust in God in a time of peace, so that you can face the tough times with someone alongside you who cares. It doesn’t mean you don’t feel pain, but you have someone with you who can give you real peace and security.

They say you should preach messages that impact you first, and in preaching on Fighting your Giants With Faith this was certainly true for me. There were many things that come out of this passage, but for me one of the most helpful came from comparing the reactions to Goliath of the Israelite armies and David. (1 Samuel 17:25&26)

Linda and Tim just before her cancer returned

It’s an old chestnut I guess, but one that takes on greater urgency when you are facing giants. The Israelites compared their giant to themselves. David compared his giant to God. Who had the right perspective?

I find that facing the cancer giant is tough, scary and hard work. It saps my energy, strength and battles my will, forcing me to have to make conscious decisions and choices. There are also no guarantees - David could have been killed! Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could have burnt in the ovens (Daniel 3) but chose to say instead “We know our God can save us, but even if he doesn’t…” Choosing to fight giants means counting the cost of authentic Christianity, living in the battle with faith, hope and love. We say we want to see God move in power, but to engage in a battle means we will get battle scarred before we get battle hardened. If you don’t believe me, just read through the book of Acts! 

My giants may not be your giants, but your giants are still giant to you. Don’t put yourself under even more pressure by comparing your giant to your situation, or even to someone else’s giant. Instead, try looking at them through eyes of faith that compares them to God and says instead “Still my heart will say, blessed be your name.” “Come Lord Jesus, come.”

It’s exciting when you see God at work. It’s REALLY exciting when you see God at work among people you know and care about!!! It makes you think that this God stuff really works…………!

Each One Reach One picks up this excitement by encouraging us to INTENTIONALLY walk and journey with those we care about towards the cross and beyond into the church. Taking responsibility for our friends is at its heart, recognising that your friends actually like you (!) and are more likely to be interested in what is important to you if you are interested in what is important to them!

But isn’t being intentional cold? Is it wrong to have an agenda? What if my friends turn round and say “You are only my friend because you want me to be a Christian?” Surely we should just let things happen?

I was reading Mark 4:26-29 (the parable of the growing seed) recently and this intentionality struck me afresh. As churches across the UK, we don’t have hundreds of people breaking our doors down wanting to become Christians, our expectations are more likely to be to “eat what grows by itself.” I’m not a farmer, however, if a farmer’s approach to his crops was to harvest what grew by itself, he’d go out of business quickly! No, a farmer intentionally sows seed, nurtures and cares for it (fertilises it!) and then harvests it. God may well make it grow, but the farmer has a part to play!

So being intentional in walking with our friends far from being cold and uncaring is actually the most loving thing we can do for people we care about. Loving unconditionally means that if our friends do turn round and say “You are only my friend because you want me to become a Christian” we can reply ”Whether you respond or not, I’ll still be your friend! But the Jesus I know is so amazing that how could I be a true friend and not share him with you?”

5th February 2007 - a brilliant night for our church. We took a massive decision for the future when we decided to build a new annex and to re-develop the front of our building. Buildings are definitely not the be all and end all of church life, but when you personally have journeyed for twelve years towards something God put in your spirit, you can breathe a huge spiritual sigh of relief when your people come to a place of unity and hope together. And that’s worth waiting for!

You see it’s not really about a building at all. It is about a people walking as one together in the faith that God is and will use us to bless others with His love and the Good News about Jesus…buildings can help!

“Blessed be Your name, On the road marked with suffering,
Though there’s pain in the offering, Blessed be Your name.

You give and take away, You give and take away.
My heart will choose to say: Lord, blessed be Your name”

For a while now I’ve been encouraged to write a blog about Linda and facing her cancer together; the words of this song sum up a lot of how I feel! After a great weekend together in London, this week has been especially hard, being told that her cancer has progressed and her liver is now beginning to fail. With 4 young kids, that’s tough.

Linda on the London Eye Sat 27^th Jan

Sunday night I’m preaching in our David series on Fighting your Giants with Faith and for me, and I guess many, giants don’t come much bigger than terminal cancer. That’s my giant, but I know I’m not alone. And then when you try and give answers to the “why does God allow this to happen” question, anything you say ends up sounding trite.

In living with cancer I have learnt a few lessons, which I’ll try and explain in time. For now, a few lessons I’ve learnt as a starter for ten…

• We all face giants, and my giants may not be yours, but yours are still giant to you
• Better to face them with God than on your own
• We were never meant to try and do life on our own
• Faith isn’t faith until its all you’ve got to hang on to
• Better to put the armour of God on in a time of peace before the battles start
• Better to get yourself straight with God in a time of peace than when the bullets are flying
• Christians weren’t saved to be safe, but secure
• God is very, very real and worth trusting
• With those you love, intentionally and deliberately create special, memory times

Yesterday at a minister’s fraternal we looked at Colossians 1 v15-23, the whole passage is great but v17 jumped out at me – “In him [that’s Jesus] all things hold together.” For me, in tough times I have learnt that for real peace, I have to choose Jesus, to drive back into him, place my trust and hope in him. In all of that Jesus is no fair weather friend, and I have learnt that my faith is not dependent on whether or not he comes through for me.

“Blessed be Your name, On the road marked with suffering,
Though there’s pain in the offering, Blessed be Your name.

You give and take away, You give and take away.
My heart will choose to say: Lord, blessed be Your name”

[If you don’t know this song, see

http://shop.kingswaysongs.com/product_info.php?products_id=22  

For those not familiar with our story see my testimony http://www.fulwoodfmc.net/content/view/17/26/ or the second issue of our magazine "Heart" (copies available on request!)]

 FFMC is about to embark on a major building project. To finance this we pray, we trust God, but we also give. In my experience of several building projects and fund raising campaigns, I find it hard to get people to understand a few key issues. Firstly we have not “arrived” because we built a building. The novelty of a new home, a newly decorated room a new conservatory can also be the novelty of a new church building. It’s great whilst it’s new, but this passes! Secondly, everyone takes a deep breath when they get to know how much it costs, but then discover that God steps into people’s pockets as well as their hearts and finance is wonderfully found! Thirdly, getting the right perspective; that buildings are useful, liberating and enjoyable tools for the work God has called us to.

I recently read of two men laying bricks. Someone asked the first man what he was doing. “I am laying bricks,” was the reply. They went to the second man and asked the same question. His reply said it all. “I am building a cathedral!”

During the spring of 2007 we will be following two series. In the morning we will be looking at 1 Timothy and how the standards from the first century apply to the twenty-first century. In the evening we will be looking at the life of David.

Follow this link to find out more.

Cyberspace is very quiet! Where is everyone, are there no travelers on the information superhighway? Since I posted my first each ONE REACH one blog, no-one has replied! I thought blogs were about conversations, not monologues!!!!

Maybe the questions I have been asking are not unique?

Someone leant me a book a while back - a short one ‘cos otherwise I’d probably not have read it! It was by Mark Greene, and called “Imagine - how we can reach the UK.” [It is usually the titles of books that do the most for me - when I left the NAO to move here, my old pastor gave me a book called "The art of pastoring - without the answers!"] The idea of being imaginative and creative got me thinking - with such a creative God, such a fantastic role model to follow, how can we be creative with the timeless truths we’ve been entrusted?

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church to “set forth the truth plainly for God has made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.” (2 Cor 4:2 & 6 paraphrased). When I think of this, I think of Aesop’s fable, of the wind and the sun competing and battling to get a traveler’s cloak off. The wind battered the individual, and the traveler pulled his cloak tighter; the sun sweated, and the traveler voluntarily took his cloak off.

The message of Christianity is true! Jesus really lived, really died and really rose again, it was an event in history. It is an event that gives real hope for a hurting world, and when we realise what we’ve been rescued from and for what, we should be the happiest people on the planet (or at least in Preston!!!) In fact we should be so happy, that we shine infectiously so people see something attractive in us that makes them want to know more.

And this is what excites me now, that we are seeing this happening. each ONE REACH one was an idea I began to develop into a missionary approach last year from the idea “Imagine - what if we each reached one person?”

• If you could reach one person, who would it be?
• If you could reach one person, what would you have to do differently to what you do now?
• How can you invest in someone’s life over the next 12-months to walk with them towards Jesus?

It was from this that the creative thinking sprang. Christianity, and being part of an incredible family should be attractive, it should be fun, yes fun! It should also be natural, not forced, pressurised or heavy, but an integrity that says this is real, it’s the best thing you could ever do, but it’s your choice.

That’s not to ignore the battles of life - but as that great philosopher Adrian Plass wrote, “you need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow!” And that’s why each ONE REACH one is about intentionally journeying with people toward Jesus, something that we’ve developed and still are developing here at FFMC, and something that I’ll talk about more in my next blog!

But for now, how can you shine with an attractiveness that makes being a Christian the best choice anyone can ever make?

We’ve always either put Christmas dinner on at church or had a handful of people round to our house for Christmas dinner. It’s definitely good fun, but hard work.

All the presents, pressure, parties are great ,but has any one some brave new prescriptions for a hype free wholesome Christmas?

No and don’t suggest I buy a goat from Oxfam. I got one last year thanks, but it was immediately given to a family who had more felt needs than I, or so this was perceived. I am sure the goat got eaten anyway which is what I would have done if I actually had received it and then been given the choice as to how I used this particular gift…

Me, I definitely like gifts, but I also like the simplicity of the stable, but where is it nowadays? And don’t say Bethlehem!