...up to my ankles in mud!!

Well, once again I've left it far too long since my last post - its just been one thing after another!

(There'll hopefully be a video blog following this post where I'll share a little more about what's been happening over the last few weeks!)

Last week I was stewarding at Forum, UCCF's annual conference for the CU leaders from all over the UK. Travelling from as far afield as Aberystwyth, Edinburgh and Oxford, over 700 students descended upon The Quinta centre, and the quiet rural village of Weston Rhyn in Shropshire.

I've been to Forum three times now, but the sight of so many students coming together to hear from God, and to be enthused and equipped to live and speak for Christ on their campuses still thrills me.

On Monday evening we received excellent teaching from Richard Cunningham, who took Jonathan's "...Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf..." from 1 Sam 14:6 and challenged us to be more adventurous in our Gospel proclamation. We can all too easily become like Saul, who was sheltering under a tree, being entertained by Ahijah the priest while his son, Jonathan, was engaging with the enemies who stood in defiance of the living God.

Our declaration of faith in God becomes just words unless it is accompanied by actions that demonstrate our reliance on Him.
We learn in verse 23 that Jonathan's demonstration of faith in God ended with 'the LORD rescuing Israel that day and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.' 
As the Church we need to seek the Holy Spirit imparted confidence that Jonathan had, so when we face insurmountable odds and threatening opposition we can boldly declare;

"Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few" 1 Sam 14:6

John Piper spoke a number of times during the week, unfortunately I didn't get to hear them all but Dave Bish did! (Check out his blog for links to the audio files etc. Click Here!)

I did get to hear his first and third talk on Ruth.
In Ruth 1 we were confronted with the misery of Naomi's circumstances (Ruth 1:3-5), her inability to see any hope in the darkest times (Ruth 1:11-13) and her correct theology of God's sovereignty (Ruth 1:13).
We were encouraged to draw comfort from the over-arching message of the book of Ruth, 'God is at work, even when we can't see His hand in our experience'.
While talking about this Piper made reference to the great hymnist William Cowper and how he spent his whole life battling depression and suicidal thoughts. He then recited one of Cowper's hymns - God moves in a mysterious way.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

Piper then pointed out the importance of fellowship. Just as John Newton was there to minister to Cowper in his darkest hours, we too need people who will, as Piper put it, 'catch us by the scruff of the neck and tell us; 'you might not be able to see even a glimmer of hope at this time, but I can and I'm going to keep reminding you of it''
Church isn't an optional extra for Christians, it's a vital part of God's provision for our survival.

Piper then showed us the importance of a correct theology of God's sovereignty and suffering. God is in control, even when difficult and painful things happen to us. We were reminded of Joseph and his statement;

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Gen 50:20

We were then taken to the Calvary and the horrific sin that was played out there, the murder of God's only Son. God was at work, even in this evil act, to bring about our salvation!
Our God truly works in all things 'for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose'

I'll post another blog on the message from Ruth 3 as this post is already becoming ridiculously long! (I'm sure I said I was going to try and be more concise on this blog!!)

One last thought on Forum '08. The weather was incredibly wet all week - the net result of this was two very muddy fields, 100 flooded out campers and 16 very tired stewards.
The one thing that stood out to me over the whole week was the gracious, gospel-shaped attitude of the students. Some people, even some Christians, would've let the weather and conditions get the better of them and seen it as license for them to be grumpy, rude and selfish - the students didn't. They used it as an opportunity to love each other well, to serve each other and encourage one another - it was a joy to be there and serve such wonderful ambassadors for the Gospel.

My prayer is that having dried off and cleaned up after Forum, the students will seek to love and serve their campuses in the same way, so that universities all over the UK will have CU's that declare a Gospel of Grace that is authenticated by a grace filled witness.