Gravit8 in London

Last weekend we took 17 people from Gravit8 and Radi8 11-14s from Belmont to London for the weekend and it ruled!

We slept on the floors of my mate's church in South Harrow and they made us really welcome by cooking us fried breakfast on Saturday and they planned a whole day of adventuring around London too! We were in teams taking photos and videos of crazy things around the city and racing to get to the finishing point.

We had sessions over the weekend all about Jesus and we were thinking about who people say he is, who the Bible says he is, and most importantly, what we say too! We also heard about what 'Simon says' as he told us his story of coming to know Jesus for himself.

Only 2 nosebleeds, one broken door and one broken pool cue later, we found ourselves worshipping with the church there in Harrow on the Sunday morning and they made us really welcome. Two of our group did us proud by sharing their stories of knowing Jesus with the church there from the stage too. Brilliant!

Well done and huge thanks to Dave, Caroline and everyone at Roxeth Green Free Church! Keep up the great work!

Slum Survivor

Last weekend our 11-14s at Belmont did something called Slum Survivor where 18 of them and 3 of us leaders spent a few days the way a billion spend a lifetime - Living in slums. All weekend we ate nothing but rice and lentils and there were several challenges to simulate some of the things slum dwellers might experience every day of their lives.

The first challenge was building the slum. We had wooden pallets, plastic sheets, cloths, duct tape, etc and they had to build the slum village that we would be living in all weekend.

Then there was the rebuilding challenge. 3 of the homes were selected for clearing and were demolished and so the community had to work together to rebuild their homes.

There was a water collection challenge, a scrap soccer challenge and a crime challenge too.

Also, 2 of the group were told that they had contracted HIV and they had to walk to the nearest hospital to get treatment. This meant walking around Belmont for over an hour for a chocolate orange, only to find out that they would be denied treatment at the end of it all!

We had a lot of fun but it was also a tough experience and it was definitely a real insight into how hard it can be living in a slum. Or at least, it gave us a tiny glimpse of the reality.

We were raising money for Tearfund, working with slum dwellers around the world and we hope to collect sponsor money over the next few weeks of around £500.

I've just finished editing the DVD so ask me for a look!

Well done to everyone who took part. You're awesome!

James 5:13-20

This week I've tried to be brave in school by offering to pray with students and staff and parents when we meet to discuss important things. It's something that's very much allowed in school (which I find fantastically strange) and I felt God saying to me - 'Dave, what are you waiting for?!' So I've been praying for and with others all week in my school and it's been great!

Today James ends his letter by talking about how the amazing 'vertical' relationships we have with God should affect all the 'horizontal' relationships we have with others...

James 5:13-20

James is so down-to-earth and straight-forward when he describes what life lived with God should look like. He makes it sound so simple: Troubled? Pray! Happy? Praise! Sick? Pray! But then he says something really important. It's one thing to respond to God with all of our feelings and issues but he also says that because God is so gracious and forgiving and helpful, we should involve one another in this process (v16). We shouldn't just ask God to forgive us but we should confess our sins to each other. This is partly so we can have helpful accountability but mainly I believe it's about us enjoying and celebrating God's forgiveness together! Plus there's also the assurance that if we team up with other Christians who are more mature than ourselves, the prayers will somehow be wiser and carry more weight because they know what to ask God for in difficult situations.

Prayer is powerful. James uses Elijah as an example but not because Elijah was powerful but because prayer is! Elijah wasn't an example of a powerful person. He's an example of a weak person who prayed. When weak people pray - great things can happen. Especially when they pray in the centre of the will of God.

James also gets practical with his ideas about our relationships with others. As well as teaming up to pray together and enjoy God's forgiveness together, he tells us to push each other to drop bad habits and pick up good ones. We can be God's agents in rescuing each other from deadly sins that will do us a world of damage. And we can ask for others to help us. I have 2 great mates who I meet with each week to pray with and we do this for each other regularly. I've given them permission to ask me the difficult questions about my habits and I know I have to answer them honestly and they will accept me and pray for me and help me. I do the same for them in return.

Do you make the most of your 'vertical' relationship with God? Do you make the most of your 'horizontal' relationships with other believers? What do you need to ask a friend for help with this week so that your relationships will be about enjoying and strengthening your life with God? Is God also saying to you - 'What are you waiting for?!'

James 5:1-12

James seems to have a thing about money and the rich. He's properly slagged them off once already and now he does it again. What's his problem?

James 5:1-12

The reason I think James keeps coming back to money is because it represents the powerful hold that temporary physical possessions have on so many of us. It's what we talk about, think about, worry about. It's what we work for, save for and it's what we're proud of. And yet, when we die, we leave it all behind. Why do we care so much about things that aren't eternal? Like the No Fear slogan says - 'He who dies with the most toys, still dies!'

James is writing to those who care about money and possessions way too much. They're greedy and selfish and materialistic. We might be tempted to think that we don't fall into that category but personally, I think we probably do a lot of the time. Especially if we're among those in our world who don't have to worry about food, clothes and shelter. Do you really think you're not among the greedy rich that James is talking to? Having a look at your standing on www.globalrichlist.com might change your mind!

James wants us to care about and invest our lives in things that are going to outlast this dying world. He wants us to remember that Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead and only the forgiven will make it through that! This should be the ultimate comfort that brings hope to those who are suffering now. Those who have plenty of physical needs can see their spiritual need more clearly and are better placed to be able to reach out in desperation and ask for God's help. Those who are comfortable can easily think they needn't bother. Beware of this!

Are you comfortable? Are you relatively well-off? Probably. Do you suffer? Probably. Take comfort in the fact that Jesus, the one who is full of compassion and mercy, the one who brings about his plan in our lives will one day return. This is not all there is! Thank God for this today!

James 4:13-17

What are you looking forward to? I'm feeling really excited at the moment at the prospect of my school running something called Slum Survivor where students will spend a weekend the way a billion spend a lifetime - living in slums. They'll be raising money for Tearfund working with Slum dwellers around the world. It's especially exciting because I reckon we'll be the first school to run something like this, as so far it's mainly been church-based youth groups doing it. Bring it on!

Even though we only just started talking about it today, my imagination is already running away with ideas and visions of what it will be like. Nothing could stop me being excited about this idea right now. Or could it?


Should we still be excited about our plans for the future after reading this? James doesn't actually say that planning is wrong. Planning is an important and necessary part of life, especially if we ever want to achieve anything worthwhile. What James is getting at is what we plan and how we plan it.

What we plan to do is important to God. James uses the example of acquiring wealth as an example of selfish planning to get things that won't last beyond this world. He also rounds this section off by talking about sins of omission - or in other words not doing things we know we should be doing. We often moan about not knowing what God wants us to be doing with our lives when in fact, he's given us plenty to be getting on with. What about loving others as ourselves (Matthew 22:39), or defending the cause of the fatherless and the widow (Isaiah 1:17), or doing the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5), or teaching each other about God (Colossians 3:16)? He's given his people plenty to be doing and yet we manage to find ourselves at a loose end. James says 'if you know what you should do and don't do it - you sin!' (v17). Let's make sure we have plenty of cunning plans to be doing this stuff!

How we plan matters to God too. We shouldn't be so sure of ourselves when we talk about thefuture. Sometimes we're cocky about it and we make assumptions about what will happen or maybe even worse, we feel we deserve to have things happen our way in the future. James knocks us down a few notches. We need to remember that our lives are like 'a mist' that comes and quickly vanishes. Does God owe us anything? Absolutely not. Even our next breath is a gift of grace from God that we don't deserve. We have no rights before God. He gives life and he can take it away just as easily. When we're making plans, we shouldn't hold on to them so tightly. We should be totally ready for God to re-shape our plans or throw them out the window and give us new ones. This means we need to trust him and find our security in him rather than in the certainty of our own ideas.

So what are you excited about? Is it something that God has told you to do? Are you bragging about it like it was your idea? And are you ready for God to surprise you with new plans? The bottom line is that we need to trust God and be passionate about doing what he wants us to do. So maybe someone in charge will say no to my ideas for the school. Maybe we'll end up doing something completely different. Maybe God wants us to plant a church or wash cars or do an Alpha course instead. Anything could happen but at least just for now I think God wants me to be excited about the slum thing! What does he want you to be excited about?

James 4:1-12

At Christmas I'm going to be 30 and I'm already making a list of things I want. I can instantly think of three big pressies because they're at the top of my list (v-drums, Macbook and a new bike just in case you're interested!). I really want these things but I haven't prayed to receive them and I'd probably feel stupid if I did. I'd like to think that the things I ask God for are slightly more important than my birthday presents.

Today, James speaks to us about our desires and how to make sure they don't get us into trouble...


What are your greatest desires? What things do you want more than anything else in the world? James tells us to do four things that will help us make sure our priorities are good for us:

Pray real prayers (v1-3). We should ask God for what we really want and we should really want what we pray for. If we're embarrassed to ask God for what we really want, then maybe we shouldn't really want it! Likewise if we're asking God for things we don't really want, then why are we asking? God sees right through our prayers to our hearts and motives so let's make sure we're honest about our priorities as we bring them to God and let's be ready for God to re-order them too.

Be different from most people (v4-6). James is basically saying - 'Don't want what the world wants.' Most people have their priorities up-side-down. They want things that won't last and don't bother with things that last forever. Let's make sure, that our priorities are the same as God's and not like most people's.

Resist Satan and love God (v7-10). Some excellent promises from God here. First, the promise that if we're prepared to resist the devil, he starts getting scared and runs away. Second, the promise that if we come to God, he will come near to us and welcome us every time. And third, the promise that when we do this, God will forgive us and purify us once and for all. We go to him with our guilt, shame and mourning and we walk away forgiven, clean and innocent!

Remember God's the Judge - not us (v11-12). With a proper perspective of God as ultimate Judge, it's not so easy to slag off others and put ourselves up above them, even when we know we're rightand they're wrong. We're ALL in the wrong when measured against God himself and our disputes become embarrassingly insignificant when we consider the things God could level against us if he weren't so gracious.

Maybe one of the four things above stands out because you know you need to make a change or realise something afresh. Thank God for his grace and ask his help to shape your priorities and relationships along the lines of his own.

James 3:13-18

I've just bought a monster truck and it rules! I'd let you see it but it's being worked on at the moment...


OK, so I don't actually have a monster truck but it's so easy to brag about things when they're hidden away because no-one can know whether you're lying or not. The problem is, there are often lots of give-away signs that show the real truth. Most of you knew I was lying straight away because you know that if I actually owned a monster truck, I'd be showing it off to everyone and driving over their cars and stuff!

Earlier, James was talking about faith and works and the fact that real faith is proved by its actions. Something hidden (faith) is proved by something shown (works). Today's section follows a similar idea of things hidden being proven things shown...

If we think we're really wise, James says our wisdom will be proven by our humble deeds. If the humble attitude and good deeds aren't there, people won't believe it when we say we're wise and mature. Likewise, the things that we'd like to hide (false wisdom or foolishness and immaturity, bitterness and selfish ambition) are also given away by our actions.

So what is James saying we should do? Well, I don't think it's so much about the fruit as it is about the root. If our roots are in Jesus and we're becoming truly wise and understanding then the fruit will be humility and good deeds but if our roots are anywhere else, then the fruit is likely to be a bit squishy and it will taste rough! In fact, James' language is very strong - demonic!

Where are your roots? What are the fruits? Read verse 17 again and ask God to help you display these qualities as you plant your roots in him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to drive my monster truck over some cars!

James 3:1-12

People say that I talk too much. Can you believe that?! I don't think so, but then I take a look at how long my blogs have been and I start to wonder. The thing is, I really want to help explain things so that people can understand. Other times it's because I really want people to laugh and enjoy having me around because I'm so funny. Or maybe it's because I need to say my thoughts out loud so I can honestly figure something out for myself. Inevitably, people around me are frequently thinking (and sometimes they say it): Shut up, Dave! You're boring me!


This is going to be a shorter blog than the others. I promise. Partly because I'm in a hurry to go to London with my youth group this weekend (no more blogs until Monday now) but also because what James is saying here is not complicated at all. It's just difficult to do!

Words are powerful. When we speak we can worship or sin, love or hate, build up or destroy. It's a shocker how praise and rubbish can come out of the same mouth. This kind of thing doesn't happen anywhere else in nature (v10-13) and it's not natural for us to be the exception. James wants us to stop and to think carefully about how we use our words. Sometimes we think they don't count for much but James warns us that they are a big deal and they show what our hearts are really like. Reflect on the power of words and how you use them. Remember God's forgiveness is certain and he can help us change.

James 2:14-26

One thing that sets Christianity apart from all the other religions and worldviews is that it’s not based on us trying to be better than we are. Everywhere else we find people trying to climb up to something. People are trying to be better than they are, whether it’s for Allah, for God, for a better reincarnation, to reach nirvana (not the band!), or whether it’s simply to be a better human being. Everywhere we look, people are climbing up but in Christianity, God comes down. He comes down to where we are. He came down to earth 2000 years ago and he still meets us where we are today. All we need to do is put our faith in Jesus and ask God to forgive us and give us a fresh start and guess what - He does! It's all about faith and not about works... Or is it?


"But hang on a minute! I thought Christianity was different because people aren't climbing up." Right! "I thought it was all about grace." Right! "I thought it was all about faith and not about works." Wrong!

James isn't saying we're saved by our works. Or at least he's not saying we're saved by faithless works. The kind of works that James is talking about are the works of faith. The thing to realise is that faith isn't just a mental decision or intellectual ascent to something. What James is trying to say is that faith does stuff! Faith acts! Faith works! You can't separate them because wherever real faith is, you'll also see the works. And it follows that if there's no good works, there's a big question over whether there's any real live faith there. Faith in Jesus should change lives, defend the cause of the weak, welcome the marginalised, feed the hungry, give to the poor, save the lost!

Faith works! This is so important. People get into all sorts of tangles with this passage and we need to avoid two main mistakes...
  1. Workless faith - This is what James bangs on about very strongly. Academic faith that makes no difference in real life. It's a waste of time. It's no real faith at all. It's dead. All biblical theology should be applied biblical theology; otherwise we're not doing it right! People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!
  2. Faithless works - This is the other danger. This is where Christianity becomes like all the other religions and worldviews because it starts doing what everyone else is doing - climbing up. Doing stuff to try and earn God's love. It never works! We'll never be good enough for God in our own strength. That's why we need grace, forgiveness and a fresh start. God loves us as we are but he loves us too much to leave us that way. 
Or to put it another way: Faithless works don't work but workless faith isn't faith!
    If you're a Christian, thank God that you have peace with him because of his grace and forgiveness. Worship him for this and ask his help for you to instinctively live out what you have received from him. If you're not, consider what it is that you're climbing up to. What are you aspiring to and will you ever get there? What if having peace in life was as simple as saying yes to God's offer of forgiveness? (1 John 1:9).

    James 2:1-13

    Sometimes people can be a real effort to hang out with can't they? Or is it just me? In a room full of people, I find myself walking past certain characters so I can avoid another conversation with them, or looking the other way so they can't catch my eye. I find myself making excuses on the phone about how 'I must go because I've got lots to do', just so I can avoid a long conversation with that person I can't be bothered with. Is it just me? I don't think so (but if it is - I'm in big trouble now)!

    James 2:1-13

    The truth is, we all make choices about who to give our time to and although it's right to prioritise certain relationships above others, we often have certain people we'd rather not bother with if we're being honest. The thing is, when we do this - when we neglect people and choose others above them for superficial reasons - we're the ones who end up missing out. Not only do we show favouritism, but we inevitably show it to people that we've got little to learn from and we miss out on the hidden richness of others (v5). We even prefer to invest in people who end up doing us the most harm (v6-7).

    James sees that his readers have a problem with superiority too. They think they're ok with God because they do other good things but they overlook the poor and invest in the rich instead. James wants to wake them up to the fact that they're not ok with God if they do this. So often we think we can earn God's love by getting a few things right and we kid ourselves into thinking we've got it all sorted when all the time God knows our secret sins and he sees all our intentions, motives and thoughts. No matter how good we are, we all stumble when it comes to living a life for God and we all need his grace and forgiveness on a daily basis. Only with this perspective can we truly start investing in others without any favouritism. We should show mercy to all because God shows mercy to all - even us!

    God finds us irresistible. He has to love us and show mercy to us. Next time I'm hanging out in the crowd, maybe it shouldn't be so much of an effort to engage in conversation with people who are different from me. Maybe, if I'm really appreciating the grace of God, I should find others irresistible because I can see God in them.

    A prayer - Father, thank you that you do not have favourites but you show mercy to all. Please forgive me for neglecting others. Please help me to see them through your eyes. Amen.

    James 1:19-27

    Late blog again today but if you know me, you're probably not surprised. At least I'm getting the day right! My wife, Chrissi's been in hospital today having an operation and although it's gone very well, it's been a nerve-racking day and we've been tested with uncertainty at times.

    Remembering the amazing realities God brings us that we looked at yesterday is all too easy on paper. Living them out in real life is often much harder. This next chunk of James is about living out what we claim to believe.


    Have you ever reacted instantly in anger, only to be embarrassed when you find out you've misunderstood a situation? I have! Once I yelled at one of the lads in my youth group for lobbing a brick that narrowly missed one of our leaders only to discover afterwards that it had been a loaf of bread! Somebody once told me that the reason we have two ears and only one mouth is that we're supposed to use them in that same proportion. This sounds like good wisdom to me (although the main reason is probably because we'd look stupid if it was the other way round)!

    James knows that we find it very easy to shoot our mouths off, especially when we feel frustrated or angry. Our instinct should be first to listen and then to react. In fact, when we act on this instinct, we're showing that we're made in the likeness of the God who is 'slow to anger and abounding in love' (Exodus 34:6).

    James is talking about words and particularly 'the word' a lot in this section. He's talking about God's word. This can mean the written word of God: the Bible, but also the living word of God: Jesus! James tells us that if God's word is living and active in our lives, people should be noticing the following things about us...
    • We listen carefully before speaking into a situation (v19)
    • We react patiently when we're angry inside (v19-20)
    • We take the Bible seriously and try to live it out (v21-25)
    • We take Jesus seriously and try to become like him (v21-25)
    • We use our words wisely and deliberately (v26)
    • We care about those in real need and act to help them (v27)
    Reading the things listed above and understanding them is the easy part. The hard part comes when we have to react wisely and compassionately to someone spreading lies about us behind our back, or to being let down by people who have broken their promises to us, or to having to see someone you love go into hospital when they're really scared! That's when it's easy to forget what we've read in the Bible, just like the guy who forgets what he looks like after checking his reflection. The good news is that it's not so much about our effort as it is about our trusting in and depending on what God says to us in the Bible and through the life of his Son, Jesus. James tells us it all starts with humbly accepting the word that God has planted and wants to plant in us (v21).
    If you're a Christian, remember that God has planted his Son, Jesus in you by his Spirit. Have another glance at the list above. How much are people noticing these characteristics in you? Are they increasing? Ask God to help you. If you're not, consider the wisdom James has for us about the way we use our words. What is the source of your wisdom? What impact does this have on the way you live your life and is it enough?

    James 1:1-18

    So I woke up nice and early this morning to do the first James blog of the week only to discover that our modem had stopped working so we had to go out and get a new wireless router. Doh! I guess it's not a complete coincidence that the first bit of James is about trials and suffering...

    James 1:1-18

    We quickly discover that James isn't someone who beats around the bush. He's not afraid to be blunt and in the face of his readers. In this short passage it feels like he's already told us to enjoy suffering (v2), that we're unstable if we have doubts when we pray (v7-8), that we'll be lucky not to get snuffed out if we're wealthy (v11), and that we're all going to die because of our sin (v14-15)!

    Although it might feel like James is out to get us, he actually cares about his readers a great deal and three times in this chapter he describes us as his close family (v2, 16, 19). Maybe he's not gunning for us after all. Although he seems harsh at times, there's more to it than that. This is why he also wants us to know that...
    • God allows our faith to be tested so we can grow strong and be complete (v2-4)
    • God offers us wisdom and he's generous and gracious (v5)
    • God has little regard for earthly wealth but values the humble (v9-11)
    • God promises rewards for those who love him and persevere (v12)
    • God is not a tempter but he allows us the freedom to choose our own way (v13-14)
    • God loves to give us good things and he never changes (v17)
    • God offers us new life and a fresh start with him (v18)

    This is the amazing reality on offer to those who choose to follow Jesus. To be honest, I think it's a wonder how anyone survives without it! It's certainly taken my mind off the frustration of losing the internet today! If you're a Christian, have another look at the list above and thank God for his character and his gifts to you, even in the midst of trials and suffering. If you're not, consider what James is saying about God and try and think about where on earth you could find this reality anywhere else.

    Blogging on James

    In October 2007, I read the book of James in the Bible and blogged about it bit-by-bit. It was a bit of an experiment really. I invited all my contacts from Facebook to go and check it out, hoping and praying that people might find it useful.

    I basically read through the book of James a bit each day and then wrote down a few thoughts about it. Nothing too clever. I tried to be as down-to-earth as possible and help think about how the things God is saying in the book of James apply to real life today. I tried to ask relevant questions for people to consider for themselves and I included a prayer or something at the end.

    Some chose to read James along with me and commented on what I wrote. Others just checked it out when they felt like to see what I was going on about. The rest didn’t bother with it at all because they weren’t interested and that was absolutely fine too. If nothing else, I know it helped me read the Bible for myself.

    More blogs and that