Testimony in the final week of the SoD. (7th May 2024)
I gave my testimony in the final week of the School of Discipleship. It’s structured around the themes covered.
An anonymised version of my notes, with links added, is below…
Introduction
I should be dead. Dramatic -but true. Its amazing I’m alive, but I’m not fully healed – disabled. (Traumatic Brain Injury, Epilepsy, Diabetes Insipidus, Double vision, Tinnitus… these are just the ones you may have heard of.)
One of the things I’ve learned from SoD is that to start you must wave a book. “Where is God when it hurts?” (Phil Yancey)
I was in a purposeless place prior to SoD. I made no contribution to the little c church. I was just a customer consumer.
Made contributions elsewhere – my Secular Survivor Story was valued and published on the SAMEYOU website by Emilia Clarke.
I had significant church roles prior to my accident 5 years ago. On BLT 330 Churches, CEO two MAT’s and DDE 110 church schools, Lay Canon of the Cathedral, Licence to preach. Was I successful?
I had no place to contribute in church with reduced capacity. Despite being the SAMEME.
I’ve had to rebuild my life. My measure of success has changed. Second book, “How to be unsuccessful -An unlikely guide to human flourishing.” (Pete Portal) My success criteria had been inadequate and worldly.
Time in the low points of valleys and the depleted wilderness, build strength and relationship with God.
Someone has been great with me. I loved their upside down leadership bit.
I’ve laid a fleece about membership of any church. Damp everywhere -no conclusion. Yet. Too much digital thinking in an analogue world?
Calling & discipleship
I needed new purpose, new calling?
I thought I’d have a go at the worst calling ever.
“I feel I’m being called to be an international speaker of faith. The great and the good will applaud and always want to buy more of my time. I’m going to be in demand and popular like Jesus. God blesses good and clever people like me.”
This calling is wrong it’s all about me and my, success and status,
income, influence, and intelligence, pleasure and popularity.
I think narcissism thrives in religion, politics and Christian Leadership.
Holy Spirit
The sessions prompted me to write my own 6-week Bible study in prep for Pentecost. Delivering to a group in church, I presented an introductory poem from the front. Miraculously the poem was still in my long-term memory post-accident. Fascinating neuroscience. Finished study 5 of 6 today.
Broken church and healing
300 visitors per week (16064 last 12 months) to my ‘reflections for resilience’ website. Many people are leaving church. Or is church leaving the people?
I receive emails from suffering people reading my posts that make me cry. Their position and feedback inexpressible. Sufferers just ‘get it.’ We open up and connect with one another remarkably. Long story.
I’ve written and recently delivered a 2hr Mental Health workshop to people in church, for churches together locally. Just a first step.
I believe I’ve had a real calling.
Confirmed by comments from clergy from more than one denomination. By sudden completely new contacts, requests, and engagements. From church/Church and secular settings.
The real calling.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
Because he has anointed me To proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
And recovery of sight for the blind,
To set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.
He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
(Luke 4:16-21 NIV)
This was Jesus relating his purpose to Isaiah’s prophecy. (Isaiah 61)
It’s recently reprioritised, repurposed, and restored my life. If you’re not sure about these as priorities, check out another sermon, the sermon on the mount – the beatitudes.
My calling, it seems, is to faithfully support sufferers & recovery.
I’m authorised by his commission on a co-mission WITH him.
Better equipped because of weaknesses, not just in spite of them.
I’ll conclude with 7 -the number of completion and perfection.
There are 7 I am statements in the Gospel of John.
- the bread of life (6:35),
- the light of the world (8:12),
- the door or gate (10:7),
- the good shepherd (10:11),
- the resurrection and the life (11:25),
- the way the truth and the life (14:6)
And number 7. The true vine (15:5). The only one where Jesus added, “you are” by more than implication.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NIV)
The key – relational connection. Our strength is in God, not us.