All day meeting

I was at an all day meeting today which involved talking talking and more talking. We are looking to establish a Jesus Centre in Birmingham and there is a lot of ground work to do. Over the last few months phrases such as "business plan" and "design brief" have entered my vocabulary. Of course a Jesus Centre requires strategy and funds so the meeting was about certain trustees testing our metal and scrutinising our plans. It can be tough, especially when your "baby" seems to be following the water down the plughole. But it must be done.

This accountability and strategic approach is so different from the "it'll be alright on the night" attitude that sometimes pervades christianity. You may have read the little book of short stories called "Joan and the Whale" the story about the Christian Airplane (it is American of course), tells how a bloke makes an aeroplane out of cardboard boxes and an old lawnmower engine. Of course it crashes before getting off the ground but the guy says the flight has been a success because the tail which has a large christian fish painted on it can be seen sticking up out of the wreckage. The moral of the story is that you can't get away with being shoddy just because you are a christian.

Why did the Israelites have to go seven times round Jericho or was it thirteen? anyway it was a lot. Imagine after five times they had said, sack this lets give it up? No victory.

I appreciate the fact that expectations are high, that nearly good enough is not nearly good enough. It's a challenge, at times a pain but I don't think I would want it any other way.