LICC's EG Magazine No.41

Example Given

No. 41 June 2016

Antony Billington on living with purpose (and books, of course)

Transforming Work Ruth Walker shares five stories

One Thing Mark Greene has an idea for your small group

Living with Purpose The tide has turned. Or so many now think. Christians are feeling the pinch on the exercise of freedom, the redefinition of marriage, the challenge of bioethics, the nature of family, the growth of Islam.

It’s too much of a stretch to say we’re facing outright persecution, especially of a kind suffered by many around the world. But today’s culture seems more alien to Christianity than it used to be, and many of us sense the need to prepare for a period of increasing marginalisation in society.

As such, despite the differences between us and our biblical counterparts, the metaphor describes something of our ongoing status in relation to the world. We are, among other ways of understanding our identity, ‘resident aliens’ in whatever culture we inhabit. And so we can look back not only to Peter but also to Jeremiah for wisdom for today.

What does following Jesus look like in such a context?

How should we relate to the culture in which we find ourselves?

Living with Purpose

Possible options are fortification (hunker down and wait for Jesus to come back), domination (take the world for Jesus), or accommodation (give in and blend in). An alternative which has commended itself to many is what sociologist James Davison Hunter has called ‘faithful presence’. A biblical model for this is found in Jeremiah 29, the prophet’s letter to the Judean exiles in Babylon, in which he exhorts them not to dig in or to fight back or to give up, but to live in and work for the well-being of Babylonian society.

Living in Exile?

It’s easy to overdo ‘exile’ language, particularly when it becomes a way of talking about the decline of society away from Christian mores. It can make us sound more beleaguered than we really are and cause us to forget the relative freedoms we still enjoy.

Purposeful presence

The very ordinariness of Jeremiah’s instructions in 29:5-6 may come as a surprise – ‘build... settle... plant... eat... marry... have sons and daughters...

Increase in number’. It’s not too difficult to HOW ARE EXILES TO see echoes here of God’s original mandate given to humanity, the commission to LIVE? BY EMBRACING cultivate his good creation (Genesis 1:28; ORDINARY LIFE...

2:15). Here, in 6th-century Babylon is BUILD, SETTLE, a reaffirmation of the significance of PLANT, EAT, MARRY… embodied, material, family, and social life, extended across generations.

Still, although the time and situation are very different, the apostle Peter applies this 6th-century BC exilic language to his 1st-century AD Christian readers spread across northern Turkey. They are both ‘God’s elect’ and ‘exiles scattered’ (1 Peter 1:1), called to live ‘as foreigners here in reverent fear’ (1:17). This is in keeping with descriptions of disciples elsewhere as ‘not of the world’, though ‘sent... into the world’ (John 17:14-18), as those whose ‘citizenship is in heaven’ (Philippians 3:20), who, like Abraham, are ‘foreigners and strangers on earth... longing for a better country – a heavenly one’ (Hebrews 11:13-16).

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Jeremiah urges the exiles to establish themselves in Babylon. They still take their ultimate identity from Jerusalem – which remains their true home, and to which their descendants will one day return. Yet, through a combination of presence, productivity and prayer, something of that identity and hope is lived out in ‘foreign’ territory.

How are ‘exiles’ to live? By carrying on doing what we have been called to do as those made in the image of God – to steward God’s good gifts to us, in relationship with others, in a way that represents his own gracious rule over all things.

We could still do this largely cut off from society around us, except that Jeremiah calls us to look outwards as well.

Purposeful productivity

‘Seek the peace and prosperity of the city’, Jeremiah tells God’s people (29:7), where ‘peace and prosperity’ translate the single Hebrew word shalom – the wholeness and wellbeing that is a mark of God’s blessing.

Yet resident aliens often live with opposition as well The active seeking of shalom means that our ‘faithful presence’ is not a passive compliance with the status quo. as affirmation. Jesus warned his followers to expect persecution yet taught them that others would see their Indeed, as those who have been the recipients of amazing good deeds and glorify God (Matthew 5:10, 16). Peter also grace in Christ, we seek the welfare of the places we live through our everyday work – in doing business, warns us to anticipate harassment, yet calls us to live in such a way that people will see our ‘good ma nu fac t u r i ng goods , prov id i ng deeds and glorify God’ (1 Peter 2:12). services, teaching children, writing WE SEEK THE WELFARE reports, designing software, mopping Through it all we live in hope. Jeremiah floors, stacking shelves, emptying bins, OF THE PLACES WE promises that God would end the exile changing nappies – in different ways and restore them to Jerusalem (29:10-14).

LIVE THROUGH OUR contributing to the broader welfare For us too, we actively pursue shalom on EVERYDAY WORK. of societ y. It also involves being a our frontlines, and we do indeed often neighbour to those around us – in our see the fruit of that. And we continue school, our university, our office, our to pray ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth canteen, our estate, our village, our town. It could involve as it is in heaven’, confident that God will one day bring becoming a school governor, joining a neighbourhood about the restoration of all things. Now watch scheme, volunteering in a charity shop, getting as then, living with purpose in exile is a involved in local politics. way of affirming that the world is in safe

It’s the same for Peter’s readers, neither abdicating from the culture nor attacking the culture nor absorbing into the culture, his direction for them is ‘to live... good lives among the pagans’ (2:12) – which he then applies to society, the workplace, and the home. It’s precisely in these arenas that his readers will be seen to follow a different pattern – the pattern of Christ, no less – where neighbours and colleagues and family members will be prompted to ask why they do so, even in the face of suffering.

hands, as we set our ‘hope on the grace to be brought to [us] when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming’ (1 Peter 1:13).

Going Further…

For the Life of the World: Letters to the Exiles Acton Institute, 2015

A brilliantly-conceived, beautifully-filmed series of seven short films on how to live out our salvation ‘for the life of the world’.

Purposeful prayer

Then Jeremiah says there is something else we can all do for the city: ‘Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper’ (29:7). This is perhaps the most revolutionary action of all. They were used to praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), but this was Babylon – pagan, idolatrous, God-defying Babylon! Again, here in the 6th century BC are echoes of Paul’s call to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2), and Jesus’ command to ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44).

The Church in Exile: Living in Hope After Christendom Lee Beach IVP, 2015

An overview of the theme of exile in the Bible and its implications for the holiness and mission of the church.

Joy for the World: How Christianity Lost Its Cultural Influence and Can Begin Rebuilding It Greg Forster

Crossway, 2014

Looks at how Christians can bring the joy that comes through the gospel to bear on every dimension of life.

Living in Hope This being Babylon, there will be dangers – as the books of Daniel and Esther make all too clear. Daniel and his friends are known for their witness in the face of possible death; they bear the cost of being faithful to God. Even so, they do not retreat into a holy enclave. They remain faithful even while accepting pagan names, learning the language and literature of the Babylonians, and serving in the administration of the ‘enemy’. They serve the God of Zion, even while seeking the shalom of Babylon.

The Whole of Life for Christ Antony Billington & Mark Greene IVP, 2015

‘Living with Purpose’ is one of several themes explored in this book. Produced in partnership with Keswick Ministries, the seven Bible studies offer individuals and groups the opportunity to explore whole-life discipleship more deeply.

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Ruth’s Reflections on Ruth Walker, our TW Lead Ambassador, shares some of her highlights from the past 12 months of the Transforming Work course…

“As someone who has been closely involved from the early days of developing Transforming Work, it’s hard not to feel biased about how good it is. I’ve always thought it was a great ‘product’: packed full of stories, ideas, Bible reflections, resources and testimonies, and all made easily accessible on an app. But as I’ve been chatting with participants about their experiences, I’ve discovered that it’s far more than just a ‘good product’ – it is life changing. People are seeing God at work in ways they’d never imagined; they are seeing genuine opportunities to change culture and to share something of the heart of our Father God. These are some of their stories.”

Pressure, Pressure There’s just one hour to go before Andrea’s holiday starts and she is busy trying to tidy up the loose ends when there’s a knock at the door.

The last few months have been terrible, dominated by a very difficult service complaint that just won’t go away – the pressure is getting to everyone in the team. For Lauren in particular, the stress has become too much. Andrea can see how hard it is for her and she thinks her day might be about to go from frantic to disastrous. The first words out of Lauren’s mouth confirm her fears: “I am here to give you my resignation; the pressure from the complaint is causing me too much stress”.

Andrea doesn’t have long to consider what to say, but she knows she wants to show care for her colleague: “I really can’t accept your resignation”, she says, “I believe there is a way round this”.

Lauren’s reply surprises her: “I look at you and I wonder how you can behave as you do. You are under stress and always busy yet you always have a smile, you don’t seem stressed, you seem to have a different perspective.”

“Well,” Andrea says, “I do have a different perspective. I look at everything with the perspective of faith and I believe there must be a reason for everything that happens. I know I can trust God in all circumstances however hard.”

Andrea is amazed: what looked like an almost impossible conversation has just become an opportunity to speak up about her trust in God. It’s unusual for her (for any of us) to get an opportunity to

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speak so directly in the midst of a busy day, but Andrea has been seeking to live out the difference that Jesus makes.

She says that her Transforming Work group has helped her see work as “a place of mission, a place to shine”. It’s given her eyes to see situations and people differently and a desire to show kindness and concern to all her team. She may not often be able to speak about what she believes but she is always able to reach out with Christ’s love.

So on this Friday, Andrea can show compassion for a colleague in crisis. She can persuade Lauren to hold off resigning until they’ve had a chance to talk about it properly.

And she can share how her own faith in Jesus gives her a different perspective in a stressful situation.

“So today has actually been brilliant!” says Andrea. Not just because she’s had an opportunity to talk about Jesus. Not just because someone has seen something of the fruit of the Spirit in her own life. But because she’s been able to protect her employee and bring perspective and hope – and, of course, go on holiday in peace.

A Few Words on Woodwork It’s Christmas 2015 and Nick, a woodwork teacher, is working with his class on their final project of the term. For most teachers, the fortnight before the Christmas break is an exercise in perseverance. But being part of a Transforming Work group has encouraged Nick to pray for opportunities in the classroom, even when the end of term is nigh.

He’s decided on a relatively straightforward project for one class of increasingly rowdy teens: fashioning a simple nativity scene in MDF. As he helps the class make their Christmas ornaments, Nick sends up a quick prayer: “Father God, please help me to shine a light at work.” And an idea pops into his head that could help this class connect their project with the truth of Christmas. So, on the back of their ornaments, Nick asks the students to laser on a verse: John 3:16. A little touch of the gospel; maybe it will cause a few students to stop and think.

It’s Christmas 2016, and when the same class comes to make another set of Christmas ornaments, they have an idea of their own: “Sir, could we have another of those verse things to put on the back?” Here’s a group of teenagers who now are asking to hear something from the Bible. Faithful prayer leading to small changes; as Nick says, “It’s in the name – transforming work!”

Love & Judgement Tim is a young manager in the NHS and he’s working on a software project. The team have employed contractors: a group of experts. But as Tim looks at their work, it becomes clear that it’s not very expert at all.

And these verses cut through all that he has been thinking.

Tim is raging inside. He’s been working so hard and they’ve jeopardised his project. He finds himself wondering why they should be allowed to get away with such poor work. Surely he shouldn’t have to pay for something so badly done?

“I had been telling myself that my reaction was motivated by a holy justice: these guys were squandering taxpayers’ money and that was wrong. But actually, that was just what I was telling myself to justify my reaction. I was really motivated by my own pride: I wanted to deliver. I didn’t want to accept we had failed or that I had contributed to that failure.”

Now the commissioner and the commissioned are in dispute. So bitter is the conflict that they have had to bring in mediators. Asked by the mediators how he feels about the situation, Tim gives one word: “Betrayed”.

As part of a Transforming Work Group, Tim has been growing the skill of reading the Bible with workers’ eyes.

And preparing for a Transforming Work session during the dispute, he finds himself reading Romans 12:17-19: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

As he said, “As I read this passage I saw that I had got love and judgement mixed up. I needed to treat this supplier differently. I needed to leave it to God.”

So Tim surrendered his role as judge in the situation. He left the decision about how to manage the contract to others and focused on leading his team, who were feeling bitter, frustrated and hurt. After a couple months of working well together, his organisation and the contractors ended their working relationship by mutual and amicable consent.

For Tim, this was one of the hardest things he has had to do in his career so far. But he was able to act with integrity and grace, to support his team in a difficult time and to trust the outcome to the God who is perfectly loving and perfectly just.

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Building Plans Caroline is a senior project manager and all her work is around physical projects, bringing life back to areas that have been left derelict or uncared for. She needs to ensure the detail is right, so that buildings and structures are durable.

And just recently she’s been reading through Exodus 26: “Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle and make forty silver bases to go under them – two bases for each frame, one under each projection.”

The Rottweiler The receptionist is fearsome.

She has a well-deserved reputation for snapping at her colleagues, often sounding aggressive and rather difficult to approach. David thinks of her as The Rottweiler (not to her face of course!) He worries about her impact on colleagues and clients.

So this day, David prays for her. How might he treat her differently?

What is it that makes her as she is?

Can he treat her like a human?

And so he turns up at her desk.

“What is it?” she snaps, ready to do battle.

“What do you want?”

“Would you like a cup of tea?”

A simple question.

A simple kindness.

That treats her like a human, not like a dog.

And she says….

“Yes please.”

And the relationship changes.

Her attitude changes.

Her response to people changes.

As she is treated like a human being… …so she begins to treat others like humans.

No longer a Rottweiler.

Many of us might find it hard to see what relevance such biblical blueprints have for our lives, but as Caroline reflects on the building of the tabernacle she sees that God values the skills of each person who contributes. She sees that “how I organise the structures and buildings matter to God – he’s interested in the details”.

And gradually her prayers for her workplace begin to change: she starts praying for the physical detail of the projects she is involved in and for the people involved in each step of the process. She brings each email, each meeting, each individual, each order form, each blueprint to her Father to see how he’ll work in the details of her day.

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Transforming Work is an innovative, liberating resource for Christians in the workplace - whether you’ve been working for one year or forty years - offering a distinctive blend of ingredients. It brings together a group of likehearted people for eight sessions over a year, creating space between gatherings to reflect, to try things out, and to pray... and leaving time for seeds to grow, discoveries to be made, change to happen and for God to do what only he can do. Visit www.licc.org.uk/tw to find out more about how you could get involved.

thıng one

Mark Greene on one little thing that could change the culture of your small group and have a big impact on your frontline.

“What can we do in our small group to help people be more fruitful on their frontlines?”

intentionally and proactively to embrace longer terms, strategic concerns. And indeed our own spiritual growth.

It’s a common question at seminars. And of course, there is much that might be said. And there is much that might be asked before even attempting to answer that question.

But if there is one thing I’d look at, it’s what the group prays about.

So try experimenting with a framework for group prayer that includes the three overall areas in the Venn diagram.

Of course, it’s not just the scope of what we pray that matters, it’s also the perspective we bring to our prayers, including the crises. How can we pray not just that God might resolve the situation but that we might ask for eyes to see what he wants to do in the situation? In us, through us, in others? How can we help each Frontline/ other respond to it with faith, Mission love, hope?

Opportunities

In many, many groups, whether they’re called home groups, life groups, connect groups, pastorates, hubs, pods, cells or subatomic quarks, when we are asked for prayer requests, Pressure we instinctively tend to Points talk about the pressure What are the big What are the ‘kingdom’ Now, it ’s not ea s y to challenges we’re changes we want to see in points – a crisis at work, a change the praying culture concerned about people, situations on our sick relative, an upcoming right now? frontlines and the of a group – even if you are wider world? app oi nt ment . A nd of the leader. course it’s right to pray You might need to model it about pressing needs and for a while yourself and then to intercede for those who are Spiritual Growth introduce it, giving people a little card grieving, sick, exhausted, depressed, In what particular area(s) is God prompting me with the three sections on...You might overwhelmed... But it can easily end to seek to grow in him? start more slowly, giving everyone a there. What about our daily, weekly Character, closeness, post-it note and asking them to write the resisting temptation, encounters and frontlines, our ordinary embracing risk..? name of one person on your frontline who daily missional opportunities? What’s you’d like prayer for, or one situation you’d God doing in all of that? Do we secretly like to see improve, and then passing it on to the believe that these are not important enough, person on their left to pray for one week. Ideas abound... urgent enough, spectacular enough to be worthy of group prayer?

But what an encouragement it is when you know that other Christians are standing with you, If we do, then our praying will tend to be reactive and cheering you on, praying short-term. And we will miss out on opportunities to pray for you – for fruitfulness as a group for situations on our frontlines: connections at in stormy weather and the school gate, blessing on our office, greater trust and for fruitfulness in the joy in our team, the salvation of three particular people e b b a nd f lo w of a n whose names we’ve shared. Yes, group prayer needs to ordinary week. be swiftly responsive to urgent needs, but it also needs

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Resources, reviews Billington on Books

Our Head of Theology, Antony Billington (and a couple of his friends), reviewed some of the books that have been at the top of the pile in recent months…

On living well…

The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts Joe Rigney (Crossway, 2015) Some of us may remember singing the old hymn about turning our eyes on Jesus, looking full in his wonderful face, whereupon ‘the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace’. Joe Rigney confesses to being puzzled by that; actually, in the light of God’s face, his gifts become brighter, better, and more beautiful – whether it’s scrambled eggs, woolly socks, or the laughter of children. Despite the ways we misuse God’s good gifts, it has always been his idea to meet needs and give joy through creation. In places this is a demanding read, but rewarding too, arguing that we don’t have to choose between our love for God and our enjoyment of his gifts. They mutually serve and enhance each other for God’s glory and our joy, and that remains true even if God takes those gifts away from us or we give them up for his sake.

Just Living: Faith and Community in an Age of Consumerism Ruth Valerio (Hodder & Stoughton, 2016) Ruth Valerio is as much at ease discussing Aristotle and Aquinas as she is at describing her exploits in keeping chickens and setting up a pig cooperative! It gives this book a wonderfully distinctive flavour, as Ruth joins the dots between our cultural context, our faith, and our lifestyle. The book ends with a series of recommended practices related to social and ecological concern, money, material goods, food, and more. It matters that life is lived well, but we do so in full awareness of the globalised world and consumerist society in which we live, and in the light of the rich resources offered to us in Scripture and Christian tradition. Here especially, the book helps us navigate between therapeutic narcissism and world-denying asceticism to a way of life which appreciates what it means to use pleasurable things rightly and for good ends, whilst remaining committed to justice and the welfare of others.

On church & mission…

Christian Mission in the Modern World (updated and expanded edition) John Stott and Christopher J.H. Wright (IVP, 2016) First published in 1975, John Stott’s Christian Mission in the Modern World consisted of five concise and eminently readable chapters which sought to provide a biblical definition of five words – mission, evangelism, dialogue, salvation, and conversion. Forty years later comes this new version, updated and expanded by Chris Wright, a close friend and colleague of Stott. The book includes the original chapters, lightly revised, still brilliantly clear and theologically compelling. The additional bonus is that each chapter is followed by one from Chris Wright, exploring how Stott continued to reflect and write on the topic covered and how discussions have moved on since 1975, as well as offering his own

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& recommendations reflections – sometimes developing what Stott said, sometimes respectfully diverging from it. The book allows us to eavesdrop on the two voices, but also invites us to the table, encouraging us to reflect on our own understanding and practice of mission.

Shaped by the Gospel; Loving the City; Serving a Movement Timothy Keller (Zondervan, 2016) These three books are essentially a reissue of Tim Keller’s Center Church, first published in 2012. For those who missed it first time round, or who struggled with the large hardback format and columns of small text, or would simply like to read it again (it repays a second read), this is a much easier way to access the material.

Keller’s vision is articulated around three core commitments, reflected in the titles of these volumes: gospel (proclaiming the gospel and its implications for the whole of life); city (exercising wisdom in how we contextualise the message, neither overadapting nor underadapting to culture); movement (the church engaging in mission as both ‘institution’ and ‘organism’, rooted in tradition and reaching out through its members). In addition, each of the books contains reflections from two or more critical friends, to whom Keller then responds – a helpful reminder of the need for ongoing conversation in these areas.

On leadership…

5 Voices: How to Communicate Effectively with Everyone You Lead Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram (Wiley, 2016) This looks like a book you’d catalogue under ‘work’. You wouldn’t be wrong, but you might miss its heart: it’s about relationships. The underlying question is this: what is it like to be on the other side of me? Kubicek and Cockram are convinced it’s a question as important for families as for workplaces. Using the framework of five Voices – Nurturer, Creative, Guardian, Connector, and Pioneer – the authors offer a pathway to greater self-awareness and intentionality in all relational contexts. Not only do they explore differences in personality and how that mixes with experience and personal choices, but they invite you to discover the ways in which your ‘voice’ both helps relationships thrive but also risks causing all kinds of collateral damage.

Truly engaging with the material will take humility and perseverance, especially when handling relationships that seem stuck or frustrating.

Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing Andy Crouch (IVP, 2016) Some books have a significance that belies their length or size. This small book sets out to answer two simple questions: ‘What are we meant to be?’ and ‘Why are we so far from this?’ Crouch’s answers are simple: we are designed to flourish, and that happens by being both strong and weak. We flourish best when we accept both the strength needed to live well as well as the weakness that goes with this strength. This may be a small book, but it’s not simplistic. With rich stories and profound biblical reflections, it would be helpful for anyone wanting to reflect on how they use the power they have to help others flourish. For those wanting to think deeply about what it means to be fruitful on your frontline, this book provides a new lens for what it means to live well.

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800,000 copies sold so far 30 radio interviews 30 articles and blogs

including Christianity, Church Times and Evangelicals Now.

A slot on Songs of Praise Available in Braille, large-print edition, and as an audiobook (www.torchtrust.org).

How are people using the book?

Even more exciting than the statistics are the stories we’re hearing about how the book is helping build relationships and change lives. Here are just a few…

A church in Birmingham organised a cream tea and gave out copies to everyone who came.

A financial services advisor bought 100 copies so that he could give them away to clients.

Jen ‘accidentally’ left 5 copies of the book on the Tube.

At Gold Hill, a Baptist church bought 3,000 copies to give away at a community celebration on the common.

A grandfather in Islington saw it as an opportunity to share his faith with his family and bought copies for all nine grandchildren.

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In Stratford-upon-Avon, Andrew bought 60 copies so that his church bookshop could give a free copy to everyone who spent over £10.

In Bedford, a chiropodist bought copies to give to all her customers.

A business coach in Blackheath gave a copy to her hairdresser for her elderly clients to read while they wait and asked the local GP surgery to keep a copy in their waiting room.

On his evening commute, Tony’s fellow passenger commented on how interesting the book looked; Tony promptly handed over his copy!

Susie leaves a copy ‘lying around’ on a table near her front door so that it catches the eye of anyone who comes into her house…

The book makes a marvellous gift for anyone interested in the Queen: for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas. For more copies visit www.cpo.org.uk/thequeen

Coming up…

Changing Light – Young Adults’ Retreat 9-11 September 2016

Changing Light is for those either in their first year of working life or preparing to start work.

We’ll be offering biblical and practical insights for transition, and commissioning you in the next phase of your vocational adventure. Hosted

by LICC and Latimer Minster with guest speakers from The Zacharias Trust, there will be a mix of teaching, worship, discussion, mentoring and ref lection as we connect with a God who cares deeply about our work. You can register your interest at www.licc.org.uk/changinglight (only 50 places available).

Robert Banks on C.S Lewis October 2016

What can we learn from C.S. Lewis about communicating the gospel today?

53 years after his death, do his words still speak with relevance and impact?

This October, Robert Banks, world-renowned biblical scholar and practical theologian, will help us think through what insights Lewis would offer the Christian world in 2016. Visit www.licc.org.uk/events to find out more.

Executive Toolbox Alumni Conference 2016 Flourishing in a Performance Culture 25-26 November 2016

Join us for a joyous, purposeful 24-hour residential workshop at St Katharine’s with Antony Billington, Mark Greene, Charles Hippsley, Beverley Shepherd, and special guest Paul Valler on ‘Using Performance Evaluation Well’.

Executive Toolbox 2017 3-4 February – 17-18 March – 23-24 June

Join a cohort of just 36 people for a six-month programme based around three 24-hour workshops. Designed for Christians in mid to senior levels of influence, Executive Toolbox uniquely combines teaching with case studies, worship, prayer and accountability triplets. You will develop biblical foundations, skills and spiritual practices to significantly impact the way you work, your relationships at work and the organisations you work in. Find out more at www.licc.org.uk/executivetoolbox About the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity The vast majority of Christians (around 98%) spend the vast majority of their waking time (around 95%) in non-church related activities. So just imagine what the impact might be on our neighbourhoods, on our schools and clubs and workplaces, on our whole nation if all of us were really able to help one another to make a difference for Christ right where we are, out on our daily frontlines. That’s LICC’s focus: empowering Christians to make a difference in God’s world, and envisioning and equipping church leaders to help them do it.

“Looking back, starting work felt weirdly permanent I’ d never done something that didn’t have an end date before.

The transition was huge and might have been less of a collision if I’ d reflected and prepared more for the shock of bringing my Christian ideals (for myself and for the world) into the complex world of work.”

Katie, 24

“[Lewis] was a very ordinary man in many ways – resolutely so... what he found was not only did God speak to him in those everyday tasks, but it gave him a way of speaking about the most central Christian convictions to people who would not normally understand the Christian jargon.”

Robert Banks, 2013 Bible Society interview

“What a blessing the course has been to my workplace leadership these past few weeks.

I think the key learning for me so far is about ‘awareness’ and ‘ being intentional’ as God’s co-worker in the workplace… the God of the universe is intensely interested in how I work with him.”

Mark, 2016 cohort

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‘‘That’s just not normal!’’

Joe Warton has been catching up with some people who’ve been using our Frontline material in their small groups. Stories abound. Here’s just one…

“I’m really not the gymming-type”… at least, that’s what she used to say.

It’s funny how God takes us into places we swore we’d never go. It’s interesting the people that he uses to take us there. And it’s incredible what can happen when we arrive.

Deborah had a concern – a teenage son to be specific. He was in a bit of a funk: lacking direction, his days were spent with his hands clasped around a PlayStation controller. Not exactly living life to the full, although many a teenager might beg to differ. Mum was worried, but what could she do?

The f irst thing she did was speak to a f r iend f rom her small group, who had an idea: “ Maybe he cou ld get involved at the local gym? They’re a friendly bunch and there’s loads going o n d o w n t h e r e .”

Hmmm, maybe.

They prayed about it, as did her small group when they met a few days later. It felt like a good option.

The next day, Deborah did what every teenager (secretly, oh so very secretly) loves a parent to do. She took matters into her own hands and went down to the gym, booking an appointment for her and her son to look round and discuss membership.

On the walk home, Deborah prayed like mad, not knowing how he’d respond to her ‘meddling’. She knows

that you can’t make a horse drink, but, in this instance, she didn’t even know if she could take the horse to water.

that this alien environment was where God wanted her to be. This was a place she could see his kingdom come.

To her surprised delight, her son was actually quite up for it and he ended up joining. He continues to go regularly and is making excellent

Weeks roll on like the running belt on a treadmill, and as her strength and stamina increase, so do opportunities to minister to fellow fitness enthusiasts. She listens, she cares, sometimes she is able to bring a Christian perspective to bear, and sometimes she’s been able to pray with people.

progress physically, mentally and socially. This problem shared truly was a problem solved. Result!

Deborah seeks to remain open to what else God might want to do at the gym, so she always prays on the way.

But one morning she decided not to go in.

As she was getting ready for all the other jobs she had to do that day, she felt a nudge. She sensed that the Holy Spirit was prompting her to go and buy flowers for some staff members at the gym. And she obeyed; flexibility is just as important as strength.

Later that day she arrived at the gym, But it didn’t end there, because ‘notbut with roses rather than Reeboks. really-the-gym-type’ Deborah joined She gave one of the bouquets to the too. Teleported into a world of kettle receptionist... who burst into tears. bells, Zumba classes and foam rollers, “That’s just not normal!” And she’s she wondered, “What am I doing right – it’s not. But Deborah does not here?” She’d not been there long follow a “normal” God, but a God before an answer emerged. Casual who loves to bless, freely, radically… chats before and after classes became just because. something more, as members began opening up to Deborah about all sorts: divorce, health problems, situations of stress and conflict. She started to see