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I stand at the door and knock 29 January 2008

Posted by jamesbutler in What we're thinking about.., What we've done....
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Perhaps I didn’t expect for yesterday to be a normal day, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. We began the week of prayer, particularly focusing on the week of prayer. We left ourselves a bit short of time to get everything done, and I think there are a few other things we would have like to included in the room. We did a little better at getting the word out, but we still need to improve. I was stood in the prayer room, putting the last few things in place before the first person was due to arrive at 10am. Just before ten, some walked in through the door with a large bag on his back and a big smile. I didn’t recognise him but he soon introduced himself as Steve and that he was leading through the retreat for the chaplaincy at Royal Holloway this week. I love the idea of what he’s doing, leading through a retreat within the context of normal life, but perhaps it’s another story. He comes from a Jesuit community near Liverpool called Loyola Hall. We went for coffee and had a great conversation, finding out what he did, what the community life where he lived was like and about what we are doing here in Egham.

The day continued well, spending time in the prayer room, followed by lunch with a good friend Tom Gillum from the Community of St Jude. It was exciting to begin to exlore possibilities of connecting up over lent with some of the things the’ve got going on leading up to Easter. I love meeting up with Tom, he brings such wisdom and shares a similar desire to see community life centred on Jesus and focused with prayer built where he is.

Later in the day I had coffee with Andy Freeman from 24-7, who brings a similar heart and discernment. It was a blessing to spend some time with him talking through some of my questions to do with Boiler Room life. He then came on to the Boiler Room meal, which we had up in the prayer room. It was a real celebration of what God is doing and Andy challenged us with some reflections on Rev 3, looking at Jesus being the one who constantly knocks on the door and asks to be let in in a bigger way in to our community lives. Steve also came along and lead us in a short meditation before we ate.

As I drove Andy down to the station, he remarked on how it felt very like a family. That there was a love for each other and an openness to him coming in. I feel the same, and love having all of you as family!

Living in Exile 21 January 2008

Posted by jamesbutler in What we're thinking about...
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I’ve just been leading the teaching for the “God Story Slot” on transit this morning – the Exile of the Jews to Babylon. It’s an amazing time for the people of God; they spend 70 years away from their homeland. It’s so easy to brush over it, we know the outcome, but I was really challenged as I looked at the exile and how it molded so much of Jewish life.

The people had lived in Judah for generations and generations. There were stories of slavery in Egypt, and longing for the promised land, God’s works of salvation, 40 years in the wilderness battles as they took the promised land. But now life was ‘comfortable’. They lived in the promised land, as God’s people. Jerusalem was their joy, it encouraged their worship, they knew how to live there, they knew how to go about their lives there; everything they saw reminded them of God and their history.

But suddenly the dream slips. Babylon destroys Jerusalem, and carts thousands off to Babylon in the exile. Everything seems lost, the unthinkable has happened, Jerusalem is lost.

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!” O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
(Psa 137:1-9) ESV

Their pain, grief and disbelief is so clear. We may question the theology of these verses, but we can’t question the passion, pain and anger they portray. This is the biggest disaster to fall on God’s people, God’s house is destroyed, his people are out of his land, and Jerusalem, the pride of the Jews has fallen. Their theology was indeed in taters.

But we see God bringing his prophets with their explanation, initial bringing the words of judgment and the explanation. The questions go from “is God not as powerful as we thing?” to “is God against us?”. One thing is clear as we study passages like Jeremiah 18, Ezekiel’s 36 and Jeremiah 29 that God is not finished with them yet. This is indeed judgement, but he has not finished with them yet, his purposes still remain and his promises will find their fulfillment.

As the people ’settle’ into the life in the exile there are three types of people. There are the ones who will ultimately stay there when the exiles return, those who embrace Babylonian life, forget their Jewish roots and quickly find their place on society. There are those who hide away, holding onto the promises that they will return to Jerusalem and counting the days, and there are those, like Daniel and his friends, who decide to live in Babylon as if it was Jerusalem. They bring Jerusalem to bear on Babylon. I can’t help but spot the similarities today, as we live, people of a different kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven, yet on the Earth. We have a choice, we either totally embrace the things of the world, we live trying to remain as separate as we can from the people of the world, or we bring heaven to bear on Earth.

The following verse from the middle of Hebrews 11 where the writer is listing people who have lived by faith. It says..

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
(Heb 11:13-16)

See Laurens thoughts here.

Prayer Week 28th Jan – 1st Feb 18 January 2008

Posted by jamesbutler in What we're up to.....
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Phil’s Visit 15 January 2008

Posted by jamesbutler in What we're thinking about.., What we're up to.....
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It was great to have Phil Togwell with us for our Boiler Room meal this week.  Phil heads up the 24-7 Prayer UK team, and is also part of the prayer community where he lives.  Phil’s love for God, and his heart for people is so obvious and he shares it generously and openly.  It was a comfort and a challenge to have Phil sharing with us.

“We don’t build community, only Jesus can build community, we are called to seek first the Kingdom of God.” I was really struck by Phil’s words, realising that it’s so easy to start striving for the wrong things.  I loved the way Phil talked about Jesus’ stories and life being like little explosions of the Kingdom of God, and rather than regurgitating just Jesus’s stories, we give them life when we tell them within the contexts of our own stories and the way we live, and we too create those little explosions of the Kingdom.

I’m excited to see what God wants to do in us, and I believe that over the next six month God is going to begin to take us down a path of what it means to be part of the community and what it means for us to cause little explosions of the kingdom of God is what we do.

Thanks Phil!  Please do visit us again….

(and check out Phil’s blog through the link)

The new term 10 January 2008

Posted by jamesbutler in What we're up to.....
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Happy New Year from the Boiler Room.  I hope you are all well!
I want to remind you that this Monday (14th) our boiler room meals kick off again, with Phil Togwell sharing a about their 24-7 community house.  Phil is the leader of 24-7 Prayer UK.  It should be a good evening.  It will be 7pm as usual at the Transit House.

A couple of other things to draw your attention to
We are establishing a regular rhythm of prayer, alongside the praying the Lord’s Prayer at midday everyday we are introducing a prayer time at the Prayer Room at 5-6pm Tuesdays, and 7.30-8.30am Thursdays.  This coincides with the Prayer Room being open for use on Tuesday afternoons (1pm – 6pm) and Thursday Mornings (7.30am – midday).  Please let everyone know.

Secondly there is a prayer week at the end of January; 28th – 1st Feb.  Will be sending out more information, but if you’d like to be part of planning and coordinating then let me know.

2008….. 1 January 2008

Posted by jamesbutler in What we're thinking about...
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Where are we heading?

What do we want to see in 2008?  Where is the Boiler Room heading?  What do we want to be as a community? How do you want to change this year?

I’ll put some ideas up soon, but do leave a comment on where you see us heading in 2008.

So, Happy New Year, may it be an exciting one!