The Lightfoot Lane Blog

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!

When I came to Fulwood at the beginning of 2005 as Pastoral Evangelist, I really began to wrestle with the question “If we really want to grow as a church with people finding Jesus as Lord and Saviour, how do we do it?” I’m sure minds mightier than mind have much better ideas than me on how to answer this, but what has excited me is walking with God and the folk from FFMC as we have discovered together something of how we might do this - what if Each One, Reached One?

As someone not originally from a Wesleyan background, I found many encouragements and inspirations from looking at what God did through Wesley. He observed that in his ministry, he did not set out with a predefined strategy but rather responded to what he saw God doing, and the needs that presented themselves to him, and to some extent, I think that is what we are currently experiencing as people are coming to faith in Christ on a regular basis here.

As a result of reading David Watson’s book “Discipleship”, I arrived at FFMC with 3 P’s burning within me, and having drawn a fantastic, amazing team of people around me to oversee our outreach work, 3 became 4 P’s and in my mind, these formed as follows:

Most people these days focus on Personal Evangelism, or do little more than pray for the lost. What about being SALT as well as LIGHT in our world? What about loving unconditionally whilst creating opportunities for God to move in power and transformation? Whilst prayer and personal evangelism are vitally important, we need to realise that we are living in a post-Christian, messy mucky world that has a big, Jesus shaped hole in it. What an opportunity for the church today to rise up with hope for our nation, for our city, for our communities. The gospel still works!

But what do you think - how do you bridge the gap between a world that just does not seem to have room for God, and a church which let’s face it, seems a pretty strange place to those outside?

Well, I have some ideas and thoughts - and in my next blog I’ll begin to share some of these; but I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Watch this space!

Pastor Chris

At last! I’ve done it! I’ve worked my way through the Windows installation instructions and arrived in Cyberspace! Now what?!?! What to say!

Watch this space……..

So Chris preached on family on Sunday 22nd October. Quoting a modern translation of Proverbs he said, “Don’t fail to correct your children. They won’t die if you smack them.” Proverb 23:13 New Living Translation

Well, I confess to having smacked my girls when they were little, but I do believe this passage points to something beyond smacking. The real issue is understanding that loving discipline is vital for our children. It teaches that there is a right and a wrong and that there are consequences to both. As parents God’s book makes us responsible to do this in a loving and constructive atmosphere. In fact, if we don’t, the Bible says we are disowning our children. See Hebrews 12:9-11

Looking back, I regret resorting to smacking as a short cut to better more imaginitive and patient discipline. But I don’t regret loving them well enough to discipline them and giving them lots of big hugs and telling them in three simple words, “I love you!”

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I think the real issue for many Christians is, “To what lengths will you go to be holy?” We act like holiness is something God the Holy Spirit will magically waft into our lives. Clearly God may encounter us with His holy presence and this can make a huge difference� - see Isaiah 6:1-8. But whilst He does change our heart, Jesus says that if our eye offends us, we should pluck it out. (Matthew 5:29) So what action will we take to become holier? Automatically sending our web visits to a friend on a weekly basis may remind us not just that our friend, but our God of holy love is watching, working�and waiting with longing for us to “Be Holy!” (Visit www.xxxchurch.com�)

So when I preached about sex within marriage I mentioned a web site - xxxchurch.com I said they had free software which you could download to you and a friend who would then receive a log of all the web sites you had visited. How intrusive or how holy making is that?

Personally, I have found that a friend who asks me hard questions is well worth it.

A first post on the blog bog from Sue Chastney - Pastoral church worker I would like to welcome all of you to the Lightfoot Lane Blog . My husband is an accomplished blogger but this is something very new to me ! I am actually unsure of what to write but my husband ( The web site administrator) is keen that someone makes a start, so why not me ! I hope that you find our web site enjoyable & informative. Although still very much a novice with all things IT I do enjoy reading blogs and surfing the net.I am constantly amazed at what you can find at the touch of a button. At the moment a lot of my time is spent�preparing for our ladies weekend away in just over two weeks time. I have searched for some illustrations that I can use and that are funny and have found some great ones ( if your coming on the weekend I hope you enjoy them).�I also get sent a lot of funny things from friends and colleagues some of them seem to come just at the right time, they cheer me up when I am sad & encourage me when I am�low. Some just make me count my blessings and turn my heart toward God.� Although I do find computing a constant learning curve I do enjoy having it. I love not having to rub out and start all over again when writing something, cut & paste is brill! I love MSN ( It’s often the way I call my son from his bedroom for his tea !!!) I enjoy email, its the first thing I do when I get home is to just check to see if I have anything in my inbox. It is no substitute for real letters though but will do as a good second.

Welcome to this blog, at present it isn’t really active.

We still have a little bit of development to do to.