I’ve just been Beating the Bounds… no really, I have!

A good friend of mine in the village I live had an idea that he wanted me to join him with: To Beat the Bounds of our village to mark Rogationtide… does it sound like I’m writing gibberish?! It was certainly the first I had heard of Rogationtide and the proposal sounded fascinating when my friend described it… he wanted me to join in an old tradition dating back to the UK from the 740′ and where the origin dates from France in the 4th century! ‘It will be fun,’ he reassured me. Well, it was fun, and a wonderful tonic after a few days of late nights, too many cooked breakfasts and lots of meetings being away with our Baptist Union General Assembly in Blackpool. 

Here is some history and information that I dug up from  a useful web site: click here for more info but here is the cream of the info from the web-site:  

Rogationtide

The Rogation Days, the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day, originated in Vienne, France in 470 after a series of natural disasters had caused much suffering among the people. Archbishop Mamertus proclaimed a fast and ordered that special litanies and prayers be said as the population processed around their fields, asking God’s protection and blessing on the crops that were just beginning to sprout. The Latin word rogare means “to ask”, thus these were “rogation” processions. In an agricultural society, closely connected with the soil and highly vulnerable to the uncertainties of nature, this was an idea that took root quickly, and the custom spread around Europe and over to Britain. The Sunday before the Rogation Days came to be considered a part of Rogationtide (or “Rogantide”) and was known as Rogation Sunday. The Gospel formerly appointed for that day was from John 16, where Jesus tells his disciples to ask, and you shall receive.

While technically they were days of fasting, for which they were

Rogation procession in Bedford

also known as “Grass Days,” for the meatless meals that were enjoined, the Rogation Days developed into a popular festival, celebrating the arrival of spring and serving other purposes, as well. Other names for these days include “Gang Days,” from the Anglo-Saxongangen, “to go,” and “Cross Days,” both titles signifying the processions with crosses and banners around the countryside. In some parishes, the procession took more than one day and the whole business became an occasion for several days of picnics and revels of all sorts, particularly among those who trooped along at the fringes of the religious aspects of the procession.

The route of the walk was around the boundaries of the parish, which was a civil as well as a religious unit. Thus, the processions were useful in teaching people, particularly the young, their parish boundaries. Known as “beating the bounds,” the processions customarily stopped at boundary marks and other significant landmarks of the parish, such as a venerable tree, or a great rock, or perhaps a pond. The priest would read the Gospel and perhaps affix a cross to the landmark. Then the boys of the parish would suffer some indignity intended to help them remember the spot. Boys were bumped about against rocks and trees, thrown into the water, held upside-down over fences, thrown into bramble patches, or beaten with willow wands–and then given a treat in compensation. In later times, the marchers beat the boundary marker with the willow wands, beating the bounds, rather than the boys!

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For my walk with my friend I took a small bottle of oil with me and on various points of the walk I made a symbol of the cross as a silent prayer for blessing the land. It was for me a powerful prayer walk as well as a great opportunity to spend time with a good friend outside our usual meeting place of the local pub. 

On the walk we saw many things, like where ancient woodland used to be and clues of Oxslips and blue bells indicated the old boundaries of woodland where now arable farming takes place. We also spotted Fallow Deer, lots of birds like the Yellow Wagtale and a number of butterfly too. A sacred part of the walk for me was noticing the wildlife around us… I learnt much and caught hold of an ancient tradition of blessing the crops and land. 

How evangelical is your church?

As part of my work with The Light Project I’m on my way home from speaking at a CLAN Lothian’s event. When I phoned home this morning my son said ‘how’s your holiday?!’ While I was having fun I wasn’t exactly lounging around with a good book or sightseeing! I spoke on the Friday night and Saturday morning on 6 characteristics of Brave Christians whom, instead of a spirit of fear have been given a Spirit of power, love and self control. (2 Timothy 1.7)

CLAN sounds somewhat Braveheart but it’s less swords and horses then you may think and stands for ‘Christians Linked Across the Nation.’

As part of the training the churches had organised a family fun day with over 20 different activities for all the family from face painting, bouncing castles, great food and plenty of opportunities for people to engage with the Christian faith. This included stalls where people could ask for dream interpretation, prayer for healing. Everyone was also invited to a free concert in the evening.

I also sent teams out to do ‘Treasure Hunting’ and also offer gifts to people to remind them of God’s love. (The stories of these Devine appointments blew me away!) One couple met the person whom they had exactly written that they would meet, this man was so surprised that he took them to meet his wife to share how God had led then to him!

What struck me about the whole day was that it didn’t seem unusual. The people running it naturally shared their faith and lives with their neighbours and observing the church leader engage with the people around him was greatly encouraging. This church was truly evangelical as it was heralding the good news in the most vibrant way. One of the people who attended the conference on how to be ‘brave in sharing your faith’ was a lady who wasn’t a christian but was there to serve one of the delegates as her ‘hands.’ She wanted to talk to me afterwards to encourage me by the way I communicated and also with the examples I gave in sharing faith!

The Big Hearted Tour is over

 

On a boat on the way to a village… The Big Hearted Tour may be over but I feel so blessed by the year!

The Big Hearted Tour is over and I feel like I’ve just got started! Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t twiddled my thumbs for 12 months wondering what to do. This year has been jam-packed as I have visited every association and spoken at over 120 different gatherings ranging from youth events to cream teas for seniors, from street outreach to children’s tea parties. I even had the opportunity to see first hand BMS World Mission projects in Kolkata! This year has truly been a once in a lifetime experience.

At a rough estimate I reckon 4000 people have attended Big Hearted workshops or heard me teach. Around 1200 have engaged with the message of ‘being Big Hearted’ by doing something practical, you see I didn’t want to just teach theory but do something. What has been the greatest encouragement of this year is that many are continuing to be active in sharing faith in gentle and creative ways. Not doing what I do, but doing what they do.

Throughout this year the challenge has been: ‘Will you be bothered enough to let others in on what you have got?’ It is impossible to work out how many people in our villages, towns and cities encountered Baptists sharing their faith and sowing the seed of good news in imaginative ways but it must be quite a few! Out of the tens of thousands I think of the individuals who were impacted. Like the lady on the streets in Godalming who asked for prayer and experienced the Holy Spirit tangibly as she was prayed for by someone from the local Baptist Church nervously. Like Mike on the Wirral who wanted to talk to me about his thoughts on seeing the church in the community: “It’s so good to see the church out of the building,” he commented. Like Sandra in Leicester who told me she hadn’t heard the story of God’s gift of Jesus before. Like Tim in Coventry who became a Christian after attending an outreach event. Like Sam who brought her children to a free Barbecue and fun afternoon in Norfolk and ended up asking me to pray for her family. I could write on and on… I have been aware of so many individuals this past year who have experienced that the good news of Jesus is… well, is so good!

This Big Hearted Tour hasn’t been about ‘the streets.’ Sometimes people think I’ve got a ‘wacky thing’ for the streets. Well, I haven’t. I’ve got a thing for people and it is on the streets I encounter them, with a hope that strangers become friends whom I pray will become disciples. We live in an age where we need to pioneer and meet strangers. The vast majority of people in our communities simply don’t know the story of Jesus and don’t have any Christian friends or family. As Baptists we desperately need to address this, and already I see a change in the dearth of good news sharing in the UK and pray that the Big Hearted Tour would be one small step towards Christians having more confidence in the gospel.

Over this year many people in our Baptist churches have asked how they can train to reach out to people at work and in their communities. Some have said, “I want to do the kind of things that you do!” Well, I have some good news. Alongside BMS World Mission, Urban Expression, the Incarnate Network and The Light Project, we have a vision for 400 new pioneers over the next five years to do new things in reaching people. It’s called the ‘Pioneer Collective.’ A tribal gathering of new Baptist pioneers pushing the missional boundaries in an emerging and diverse culture. We will seek to go where church isn’t and seek to make disciples. Joining this collective will require three things: 1) you train as well as do something pioneering – this could be a few days a month or full time 2) you are mentored 3) you gather with like-minded Baptists to be inspired to keep going!

If you are interested in knowing more please do contact me at chris.duffett@lightproject.org.uk

Lastly, to all those who took part on this tour, the regional ministers, my travel chums and all those who gave me a bed for the night, I want to say a huge thank you! Thank you to The Light Project for releasing me to spend time on the tour but most importantly I want to write my thanks to my family who gave up a daddy and husband over many weekends this year so that I could share the Big Hearted message. To Ruth and my children I thank you for your generosity in sending me off across the UK to show and tell of our Big Hearted God.

This article is from the Baptist Union wen site and can be found here: http://www.baptist.org.uk/blogs/big-hearted.html

I don’t have a thing for ‘the streets’ I have a thing for people!

The art of reflecting

My day job requires quite a bit of travel and this gives good time to reflect and evaluate what I do. I don’t mean that I navel gaze and become self obsessed but rather I try and reflect so that I may learn and grow as a Christian.

My work with The Light Project as founding evangelist leads me to places far and wide to teach and train. Each journey affords opportunity to meet new people or ponder… Or both. This very blog is being written on my phone as I enjoy a slow moving train heading to Edinburgh where I shall be teaching for the weekend. As I travel I’m thinking about the last Big Hearted Tour in the South East, which was the busiest of the 13 tours and yes, there was a sense of ‘the best till the last’ about it.

So I’m musing on what made this last one stand out amongst the others and what have I learnt?

Well, firstly and I guess I should be used to it by now, I was genuinely amazed how many Baptists responded to the challenges and tasks of the workshops so enthusiastically in this bit of the tour. This past weekend time and time again people reflected on ‘going out’ to meet people and were surprised how they had met people who wanted to hear and engage with good news. One lady in Godalming joined 25 others by leaving the safe confines of the Sunday morning service to join a team out on the streets and ended up praying for a lady who had a sore shoulder. As she did so she encountered the presence of God right there on the streets of a sleepy town where they stood! This took both of them by surprise.

The way we share good news determines how it is received. If it is shared angrily, judgementally or without integrity it becomes something that isn’t good, and the news bit becomes propositions that cant find a home to connect with other hearts or a sales patter with slickness instead of heart-felt genuine love filled news.

This last part of the tour I saw more people than ever from local churches seeking to share what they know and love as truth with those who hadn’t been graced with the opportunity to hear it.

Secondly, I am reflecting on numbers. Over the year I have spoken to well over 4000 people who connected with or did big hearted things. Sounds impressive? Not if you consider I have spoken at 120 different events. That means an average of 33 people joined in each one… I certainly wasn’t inundated with crowds at all! The best illustration of this reflection on numbers was at my very last event was attended by 7 people and two left early! I felt God speak through ‘the 5′ at my last event. I was tired and cream-crackered from the travel and amount of speaking and quite frankly I was just about to say: ‘let’s cancel as there isn’t enough people to run this training afternoon.’ Phew, I’m so pleased I didn’t. You see numbers do measure success to some extent, but when it comes to faith sharing success needs to be measured by a grace yard stick.

Those who took part lapped up the ideas like I have never seen and went for it with the practical projects… since then they have done similar projects again and again and again! Moreover, our simple efforts on the day meant we met people who saw and heard good news, perhaps for the first time.

If I tried to add up the numbers now from the 5 of people experiencing something of the big hearted tour I would loose count! These 5 have carried on and multiplied the efforts of what seemed a last failing training session.

Lastly, I’m reflecting on the use of art in assessing this past year. Instead of talking of the year in our coming baptist assembly I’m going to show the year through an art piece, a poem and a short film tracing the year… This not only should convey something of my once in a lifetime experience but I’m also experiencing something quite profound personally as I reflect in this way. Art seems to spark thankfulness in me for the year as well as a sense of moving on now that I will soon move on from this honoured role. Doing something creative unlocks the lessons learnt and moves me on to something new. Here is the initial outline of a poem and art piece that I’m making this week…

Big hearted tour ploughs through the snow in Yorkshire

Picture the scene: I’m chomping into a hearty breakfast on a motorway services on the A1 early Friday morning with my friend Matt Wild who heads up a project in Peterborough… then the phone rings. Jane Day regional minister for Yorkshire Baptist Association sounds concerned and asks how our journey is going. There is only a dusting of snow, so I explain that we are making good progress and will be with them on time. But then, I’m gutted to hear that the Friday training for church leaders may be cancelled as people haven’t been able to get their cars out… as we travel closer to Yorkshire I understand why as we are greeted with thick snow and the traffic is crawling in the treacherous conditions.

I am pleased we didn’t cancel, as despite the snow I had one of the most rewarding times delivering training on the Friday and over the week-end we only had to cancel the Saturday night concert and reduce the training for the Saturday day ‘get out there’ into Huddersfield due to the bitter wind and thick snow!

But what if we decided not to plough on and rather beat a hasty return from the winter wonderland of the North to softer climates down South? I would have missed out on a rich experience. Let me offer 4 from my arctic-type tour:

1) Adventures with the Holy Spirit.

On the Saturday daytime we were due to offer a training session at New North Road Baptist Church in Huddersfield (http://nnrbc.org/) but we soon realised that with only a few people and the snowy conditions getting worse we should plan something different! After a short training session we split into two teams. One would go and offer home-made soup out and about and the other would do some treasure hunting (asking God for some clues as to the people we would meet and then go and meet them.) Maybe it was the absurdity of the whole idea of venturing out in the cold, but I had the most amazing time meeting people and sharing something of God’s heart with them. Our treasure hunt led us to a pub and seeing as I had brought a snow shovel with me I helped clear out the beer garden to provide room for smokers to use… the landlord asked, ‘How much is this going to cost me?!’ He couldn’t quite get his head around why it was free and looked even more perplexed when I shared we were from the local Baptist church and positively puzzled when I spoke about being a Baptist minister looking for people who we could pray for! Yet he was grateful for the help in clearing up and after a short while of shoveling a lady ventured out for a cigarette. She matched the clues we had. Two of the clues for prayer we had was: wrists and shoulders. She explained that she had carpel-tunnel syndrome in her wrists which affected her shoulders as the nerves sent a pain message to her shoulders which caused great discomfort. ‘How do you know this!?’ She asked. ‘Are you physic?’ We spoke about God knowing her and loving her and that he had sent us to her in this pub! She asked if we could also pray for her daughter and granddaughter. ‘You have blown me away- I don’t believe in God, but you have got me thinking!’ The treasure hunt led us to others. The two ladies working with me seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the adventure.

Another Holy Spirit adventure we had was on the Sunday afternoon meeting some people from a Baptist Church in Leeds. As we were eating together and talking we experienced the Holy Spirit also sitting around the table (sounds weird I know) and abandoning our puddings we simply prayed for one another. This impromptu outpouring of the Spirit was just the best- I cant describe it other than it was powerful! Reflecting on my experience of Church while in Leeds on Sunday I must say that the activity that wasn’t labeled ‘church’ was more ‘church’ than the service that was labeled ‘church.’ Don’t get me wrong, I love singing songs and gathering together, but the Sunday afternoon together being church and eating while we were meeting just excited me- I loved it and I don’t just think it was because of the good food involved.

2) Frank conversations.

While at one of the churches over the week-end an embarrassing thing happened to me. In the middle of my talk over the power point slides, my accountability software popped up for all to see.

I had to explain to the guy operating my computer how to close it down and what ‘x3Watch pro’ is. “I have software on my computer that stops me accessing porn and keeps me accountable to some friends.” Afterwards I spoke with 6 people who said something on the lines of, ‘thank you for sharing what you did…. I am so pleased that the accident of the software happened…’ Others wanted to know where to get the accountability software. If you, like me, struggle with the ease of accessing pornography on line I can highly recommend the xxxChurch software. Click on the picture below to access it:

3) Yorkshire hospitality.

I have been on the road quite a bit this year which means I have stayed in lots of people’s homes and enjoyed the most awesome hospitality. The sense of being ‘snowed in’ added to the Yorkshire experience and I must say that I loved making new friends and being looked after so lavishly- what a treat, including the worlds most chunkiest bacon butty on Saturday morning!

4) Inspiring people to be big hearted.

I must admit that I love the idea that those who take part in the tour and come and listen to what I have to share will be challenged to do like-wise and continue to let others in on what we have as followers of Jesus. Perhaps one of the most astonishing comments came from a teenager who said:

‘Listening to you today has made we want to be brave!’

Perhaps the surest sign that someone had connected with the whole idea of being big hearted was when they came up with the idea of offering soup among the frozen shoppers in Huddersfield-What a great idea which connected with lots of people who loved the gesture and enjoyed the tasty soup!

While it is a shame the concert had to be cancelled on the Saturday night, the whole weekend worked well. What an honor that people should gather and give me an opportunity to share my passion in sharing good news.

At a Friday night ‘Desert Island Disks’ with Wayne Clark (by the way the number one disk I would take with me is ‘Guten Morgen Mein Engel’ by Jason Carter: hear it here) I was asked whether I will miss serving as President of the Baptist Union of GB. Honestly, yes, I will. Very much so.

How else could I have shared my heart to be Big Hearted with so many people over this year? Yet, I know the adventure will continue, there is so much still to do to fulfill that great command to go into all the world and make disciples, baptising people and teaching them what Jesus has taught us.

Bring on the adventure!

Compost and prayer

I’ve got a day in Milton Keynes today… Meetings and catching up with Sue, one of the amazing students of The Light Project who works with me in Peterborough.

One of the meetings was delayed so in-between with 10mins spare I picked up some bargain compost. The guy who helped me load up the heavy bags needed prayer for his children and asked for protection from Jesus for them.

It was humbling to pray with someone just by chance… Love how God knows the timing of stuff and loves to use us whenever and wherever…

‘Can these dry bones live?’ conference

I love getting invites to speak at events and offer training in outreach too. The more ‘out there’ the better in my opinion. Here’s some thoughts from 30 minutes of teaching followed 90 minutes of application of the teaching… a good ratio I reckon! 

It’s from ’Can these dry bones live conference’ hosted by a creative partnership between Urban Saints, Hope Revolution, 24/7 prayer and the national day of prayer and worship. Here’s the link: http://thefatherslove.co.uk/can-these-bones-live/ 

 

2013 is a year many are encouraging more and more prayer… good idea I reckon: