Prayer Week Starts Monday 28 February 2008
Posted by jamesbutler in What we're up to.....add a comment
The next prayer week is almost upon us.
I bought 17 metres of purple material yesterday, people have been painting, praying and planning in preparation and on Saturday the room will be transformed into a reflective tour through lent and Easter. Please sign up for an hour slot. I’m sorry we don’t have any means for online sign-up (if anyone can help us with this do get in touch), but you can sign up by replying to this, putting a wall post on facebook or dropping me an email. Equally go along to the methodist church on Victoria Street, Englefield Green, and sign up there.
Everyday there will be led prayer at 8am and a simple meal and prayer at 7pm.
Do join us.
“I ran out of money” 26 February 2008
Posted by boilerroom in What we've done....2 comments
A note from Colin
I just wanted to share something that happened leading up to and on mission week that i believe i kind of kept under the radar.
I ran out of money.
Leading up to mission week, i’d seen my account go further and further down and had been asking Jesus for something to help me out. It sort of weighed on me as i had no means of earning any money, and to be honest, i couldn’t see any way of bringing money in myself.
I didn’t want to particularly start asking people for money, and i believed that Jesus would supply for my needs but i had no idea how or where it would come from.
Heading out onto mission week i had about $25 (around about 11 pounds) and i was looking at it thinking, this is going to have to last me until the end of transit (end of July). I remember looking at things like my toothpaste, deodorant and soap and thinking (in hindsight, really faithlessly) ‘Jesus, what’s going to happen when these run out, as they were all running very low
While on mission week i heard beth talk about someone who got a tax return and saying that “they needed it”. I remember saying to jesus “thanks for providing for them,’ but also thinking ‘Jesus, what about me? have you forgotten about me?” Beth also shared at a youth club about Jesus providing the money for her to come on transit, and again, although i loved hearing it, i still saw no change in my money situation.
So I tried to live as cheep as i could over the mission week. One morning we went as a team to a cafe that i’d heard about, (which was set up by a church in aberwysyth) and thought that i’d love to by a coffee. So i borrowed, (yeah i made sure it was ‘borrowed’ 
money off a friend but at the same time thinking “i have no idea how i am going to repay this” and was still quietly asking Jesus for some money, as i saw the little that i did have running out. i’d also run out of credit on my phone and so couldn’t buy any more, so sadly (and quite stressfully, received txt after txt and knew that i couldn’t reply to). On the last day of the mission trip i was quite happy to be returning home, though quite literally had close to 0 pounds left, but was at least thinking that i could be in a place where i could get by without spending money. Again, i really didn’t have any money and wasn’t sure what i could do. (i think kind of faithlessly i kept asking Jesus to provide, though i had thoughts of ‘maybe i should have been better prepared before coming out, and maybe i should have looked after money differently.)
Underlying all this i was stressing out, thinking i was going to have to live with no money in the bank and what was going to happen.
Then, on returning to guildford i found that i’d recieved an amazingly beautiful email from a friend in Australia saying “i’ve put some money in your account, and would love to help support you for the rest of your time in England. Also let me know how much you’d like and i’ll try rally some support for you.”
… there’s not to much more to say, except that i cried. I had so much relief and was just overwhelmed. I’d seen Jesus supply for me through a friend, and i was just so thankful to both Jesus for supporting me, and his mercy in helping me out, and of course my sacrificially giving friend 
it also meant that things that i’d committed to financially i could pay off too!
Funnily in writing this, i just see that more and more, that i want to live in a place of knowing that Jesus Can & WILL supply for me, and that he is a ROCK that i can trust in for all this and not stressing out when i can’t see how it’ll work, so Jesus, please forgive me for my lack of faith in you, and please grow me in my dependence on you and trust in you for your provision (and that goes for all of us, cheers
Following your dreams… 25 February 2008
Posted by jamesbutler in What we're thinking about...add a comment
We were up at the City of London Boiler Room hosting the 24-7 tour a couple of weeks back. I’d had a pretty strange week, and that continued on from there. Everywhere I looked there seemed to be questions of who I was, where I was heading. Everything that a few months before had felt quite natural suddenly felt uncomfortable. That Monday was very much about reigniting dreams and dreaming bigger visions. About having a liberated imagination to see what the future might look like. I was very challenged that instead of following those things God had put on my heart, I’d done things out of other motivation. I’d allowed other things to swallow those dreams and I’d lost some of the excitement I felt for my job and for 24-7 Prayer.
It can be quite easy to put dreams on hold when “normal life” seems to take over, but I think that is exactly where our dreams need to be lived out. It’s too easy to say “If my circumstance were different” or “when I get there, then I can live out my dream” when actually it’s not easy to live out something radical. It’s not easy to live counter-culturally where ever you are. One of the things I’ve been thinking about is how do we affect where we are today. How do I affect my nieghbours? How do we affect people in the places we are, whether that’s the work-place, university, school, etc.
I’d really like us to think and pray about how we can make a difference today. How we can cause ripples of the kingdom today. How we can see lives changed today.
Any thoughts?
Prayer Week 15 February 2008
Posted by jamesbutler in Uncategorized.add a comment
Our latest prayer week was all about praying for the local area, churches, youth clubs, schools, shops pretty much anything and everything in the local area. Running over 5 days and while not drawing the same numbers as in previous prayer weeks we did fill more hours than the previous prayer week which was awesome to see. It was amazing to see the late night shifts being taken up in the middle of winter, but is great to know that people out there are wanting to really get in there and pray God’s will be done in Egham as it is in heaven!
On Monday evening, the 1st day of the prayer week we had our boiler room community meal up at the prayer room with about dozen or so gathering to share a meal and listen to what Andy Freeman from 24-7 prayer had to say about Jesus ‘knocking at the doors of our lives’.
We are really looking forward to getting the word out there and getting more people involved and excited in praying for the local area and all that goes on. Seeking out God’s heart for Egham and surrounds and getting in there and getting our hands dirty!
Next Prayer Week 3rd – 7th March – find more details here very soon
The Media and Society 12 February 2008
Posted by jamesbutler in What we're thinking about...add a comment
I’ve been rather concerned over the last few weeks with the way the media have swarmed over some subjects. I think it’s been a growing problem, but there seem to have been a number of things over the last few week that I think highlights this.
The big one over the last few days has been Rowan Williams. In a slow news weekend, with 24 hour news channels, websites, podcasts and radio anything becomes news as long as you twist it enough. Rowan Williams talk has been taken out of context and everyone seems to have jumped on the band wagon to take their swing at him. He’s perhaps been a little clumsy with how he’s presented his ideas, but when all people here of a talk is a one sentence sound bite how are we supposed to have debate. I would like to think that no-one has made comment without reading his speech(es) first, but I doubt that is the case.
Yesterday with the McCartney – Mills divorce we are left with hours and hours of speculation because no-one has a blind idea what was going on – and yet it’s still news! HOW?
I want to encourage us to be a thinking community and a community that isn’t taken in. I’m reminded of Ephesians 4.14-15
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
I encourage you to check out the following websites….
I’m not saying I always agree with them or they are always right – but they do think carefully and sensibly.
