The Cross and the Switchblade
A tribute to the late David Wilkerson

I was a young teenager that enjoyed all the thrills and spills of life; school was out for the summer and the BMX track, football match between the gate posts and daily walk to the shops for a 10p mix beckoned. Summer holidays were loaded with fun but there was another word always looming in the background - boredom.
Every summer parents will at some stage hear the kids complain “Mum I am bored”. Thankfully there were a few local churches that took the initiative to run summer programmes for bored teenagers and churchy kids. From memory these where often billed as coffee bars which seemed strange as neither myself nor my mates would ever drink coffee. I certainly don’t recall us all planning a big night at Davy’s house were we would all sit around and drink coffee from plastic cups! Weird as the name was, they did provide an alternative venue to the street corner, laneways and school steps were we often hung out with friends.
It was at one of these evenings that Sunday’s movie night was advertised. A friend invited me to come along and the obvious temptation of free coffee was too much to turn down.
Inside the hall rows of wobbly plastic seats sat in front of a large TV set with a wired remote control. Below the TV in a welded metal box sat the Mecca of technology – a front-loading VHS video recorder; this was the equivalent of having a white ipad2 today! After the usual delay in getting the signal on the TV the movie started. Now I am told that this movie has been watch by over 50 million people worldwide and I think all them watched this particular VHS cassette copy of the show. If the box was worn and tattered you should have seen the movie quality. Until I visited New York 10 years later I thought the city was in a constant fuzz of snow both indoors and out!
The Movie was The Cross and the Switchblade. Once I got beyond the snow and distraction of the chatter from some unruly boys in the back row, I settled into watch a story that captivated me.
For those of you who have never read the book or watched the movie let me share with you a brief overview:
Set in the ghettos of New York, this is the true story of Nicky Cruz a member and leader of the Mau-Mau street gang and a preacher by the name of David Wilkerson. David is a small town preacher who is compelled to go and reach out to the gangs of New York. It was while he was preaching in a neighborhood that Cruz encountered him. The preacher told Cruz that Jesus loved him and would never stop loving him. A shocked Cruz responded by slapping Wilkerson and threatening to kill him. Wilkerson looked Cruz in the face and told him that he could cut Wilkerson into a thousand pieces, but every piece would still say Jesus loves him. Wilkerson said that no one can kill love, and God is love. That afternoon the preacher showed up at the Mau Mau's headquarters to repeat his message, and was again slapped by Cruz. Wilkerson just smiled, and then prayed for Nicky.
Two weeks later, Wilkerson had an evangelistic meeting in the neighborhood. When Cruz heard about it, he decided to go and teach the preacher a "lesson" and, with some of the members of his gang, he headed for the boxing arena where the rally was being held, on a bus sent specially by Wilkerson. According to Cruz, when he arrived at the arena, he felt guilty about the things that he had done and started to pray. Wilkerson preached, and then asked the Mau Maus to take up a collection. Nicky sprang to his feet and led a group of the gang through the crowd insisting on people giving money. Going backstage, he saw an exit, a means of escape but struck by the fact that someone had actually trusted him, he gave the money to Wilkerson on stage. Later, Wilkerson gave an altar call, and many gang members responded. Wilkerson prayed with Cruz, and Cruz asked God to forgive him.
The following day Cruz and some of the gang members who were converted went to the police and turned in all of their handguns and knives, shocking the police officers in the station. They said that if they had seen the group approaching, they probably would have shot them down.
As I watched the movie it left three very strong impressions upon me:
• That drug abuse is altogether ugly. The images of young boys and girls craving for needle injected drugs and their willingness to steal and kill for the next fix gave me a glimpse of a world I never knew existed and never intended to become a victim of.
• That people can be incredibly cruel. Being a Belfast kid, I grew up knowing all about the ugliness of bombs and bullets but this movie brought evil right up close. It wasn’t a news report or the sound of an explosion; this was a in-your-face hate, the stabbing of innocent people and cruelty, that made me shiver. I never wanted to be a part of that… to sign up for a gang of any sort was to enter a dark world that was very difficult to escape from. Maybe we didn’t have the Mau Maus but we had plenty of other options available.
• The love of Jesus shown by Pastor David Wilkerson. The love he showed for those boys, the willingness to put his own life on the line for the good of others, the risks he took for love and his conviction that Jesus could make a difference to the lives of these young people. David Wilkerson was committed to bringing the message of Christ to the brutal and terrifying ghettos of New York not just in words but in deeds. Perhaps for the very first time I saw evangelism in action in a way that made sense. The church I was sitting in, all the coffee bar projects and youth clubs I visited were not primarily there to keep me from boredom or to try the latest blend of Maxwell house; people were giving of their time to show me Jesus and his love.

The ministry of David Wilkerson exploded over time into a thriving Church at Times Square New York and an international outreach programme called Teen Challenge reaching hundreds of thousands of boys and girls, pulling them from a life of crime, alcohol and drug abuse. David travelled the world encouraging church leaders and touched the hearts of millions of people.
He will be remembered for a dynamic ministry spanning 60 years in which he constantly gave himself to reaching the widows and orphans, the addict and the angry youth that he might win them to Christ.
Davy showed me evangelism. He showed me scarifies that must be made, that Christ and his love can make a difference, that prayer works and that hard work pays off. Davy showed me that evangelism isn’t so much something for the platform but for the streets; he demonstrated that perfect love casts out fear and that the bible is not to be hidden behind our methods.
One event in the story of The Cross and the Switchblade sums up Davy’s life perhaps more than any other…
Nicky Cruz was so incensed with Wilkerson’s message, that Jesus loved him, that he twice beat Wilkerson up. On the second occasion, Cruz described how Wilkerson, whilst lying bloodied on the floor with broken glasses, said to Cruz, ‘you can cut me up into little pieces if you like but every piece will tell you that Jesus loves you and he always will’.
May each of us be stirred to action today: to tell the world of Jesus and his love.

David Wilkerson went to be with Jesus on 27th April 2011.

Evangelism and cooking: Some food for thought

Evangelism and cooking
Some food for thought:




O, scent of daubes (stews) of my childhood!
During the holidays, at Gemeaux, in the month of August, when we arrived in my grandmother’s dark kitchen on Sundays after Vespers, it was lit by a ray of sunshine in which the dust and the flies were dancing, and there was a sound like a little bubbling spring. It was a stew, which since midday had been murmuring gently on the stove, giving out sweet smells which brought tears to your eyes. Thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, spices, the wine of the marinade, and the fumet of the meat were becoming transformed under the magic wand which is the fire, into a delicious whole, which was served about seven o’clock in the evening, so well cooked and so tender that it was carved with a spoon.
Les Meilleures Recettes da ma Pauver Mere 1960 by Pierre Huguenin.



If you didn’t feel hungry before reading that introduction there is every chance that you do now.
I love food… I enjoy not only eating but also cooking it and often my bed time read could be a good cookery book! The mixing of flavours, heat of the stove, presentation on the plate can all can be very rewarding and of course there is always that special moment when someone sits down to the food you have prepared and give that very British nod of the head and moan of approval. I don’t class myself as a great cook but I enjoy cooking.
The last twenty years in the U.K. have seen a massive shift in our eating habits. We have been invaded with foods and cooking options from around the world including Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Spanish tapas and nouvelle cuisine from France… little portions of semi-cooked meat all dressed up in a raspberry sauce and a sprig of thyme. (The French incidentally never eat like this, they tuck into whopping big bowls of mussels, limousine beef or tartiflette served with olives, garlic and bread and all followed by hot apple pie and coffee)
Much as I enjoy the choice and glad that we don’t have to rely on seasonal food (sorry Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall) I wonder if we are in danger of dropping everything British and Irish to make small pictures on plates or eat curry so hot it would strip the paint of a car. Variety is of course the ‘spice of life’ but let’s never get away from our roots of classic food.
Boiled bacon and ham, beef and lamb stews, Sunday roast joints, chicken that tastes like chicken, vegetable broth, fried mackerel, sausage and tomato pie, jacket baked potatoes, bread and butter pudding, apple crumble, trifle or hot pears in a homemade custard!
In many ways our journey with evangelism through the Church has been much like our journey with food. We have been so busy painting nice pictures, searching the internet for new forms of media and cooking up events that explode in our senses with flashing lights, big sound and entertainment that sometimes we miss the point: a clear presentation of the good news of Jesus. We can spend 100 hours putting on a show and only 10 minutes marinating ourselves in scripture and prayer. When this happens we end up hiding the real meat under the dressings….
Zech 4: 6 says “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit”, says the Lord.
I wonder if I could spin a paraphrase of this by saying ‘not by lights nor by power point, but by my Spirit.’
Now don’t misunderstand me, I am all for creativity. Modern ways to express the message of Jesus are not to be binned…so long as we don’t leave people feeling empty, hungry and disappointed at the end. I remember a friend telling me how he and his wife spent £100 on a meal only to stop at the kebab shop on the way home. The promise of quality was there but it had no substance.
When we are serving up a feast of outreach, we need to ask ourselves some simple questions:
1. Will the message be clear or lost in the sauce?
2. In bringing new ideas are there some older ‘traditional flavours’ that we need to hold on to?
3. Have we spent too much time, money and effort on the side order instead of the meat?
4. You can’t cook a good stew in 2 hours… like evangelism, it’s better to take time than to rush it, burn it and have it ‘too tough’ to enjoy. Are you leaving your outreach to the last minute and then racing to get it ready on time?
5. Will the flavours work? Just as you don’t offer hot chili sauce to babies, neither should we make people suffer through a presentation which could damage their spiritual palate.

Once we have asked these questions we need to focus on the essential ingredients. What essentials should our evangelism consist of? There are 5 things that should be on every plate:
1. God’s love for us
2. Mans rebellion
3. Jesus in his life
4. Jesus’ death and resurrection
5. Our need to respond to and live for Him

Next time you’re in ‘God’s Kitchen’ to plan an outreach through your church or house-group draw a picture of a plate, write the 5 essentials in the middle and then work your sauce, dressings and side orders from there.

Onwards!!

Mitch

What is your religion? census 2011

Firstly I think the census should be taken seriously and we should all endeavour to write accurately and honestly. However the question 'What is your religion?' will irritate some people…
Thousands will follow facebook groups and others writing 'Jedi' 'heavy metal' etc.



In response to anything religious they will do what millions have done before them... kick back, mock and rebel.

Other questions on the census are clear to identiy and answer:
Male or female, how many rooms in your house, what is your date of birth etc... this is generally ok for us to answer but religion? Now you're getting under our skin, you are looking at the condition of persons faith, failings and frustrations. People don’t like that… It’s making them think about the questions and subsequent questions that they usually aviod like swine flue. Maybe they should have a box called ‘mind your own business peeps!’

The questions made me uncomfortable at first glance...personally I don't like to identify myself with the word religion. I have a relationship with Jesus but the word religious is loaded with things that I generally don't form to.

So what do we do with it?
My primary school teacher used to say "The key to answering any question correctly is understanding what is being asked."
What is your religion is a 'loaded question' particularly in Northern Ireland!

What is being asked?

Deputy Director of the 2011 Census, says "the question 'what is your religion?' aims to discover general affiliation not practice." In other words this question is not about belonging, it’s not about believing, it’s not about practice, or any of those things, it’s about just whether people feel they align themselves with different religious persuasions.

The question is looking to find some broad values that society shares. The key dimensions for survey and census questions about religion are affiliation, practice and belief. The Humanist society are up in arms saying that the question gives no indication of actual religious practice, involvement, belief or belonging of the population. They have a point but that is not what the census is looking for? As a Christian I could equally complain that the question does not go far enough but lets just be honest in answering it in context.

Finally remember ticking a box Christian does not make you a Christian. But neither does going to church every Sunday.
Christianity is about a relationship with Jesus, it's about discovering that Jesus is everything He claimed to be and that he alone can bring us into the peace, purpose and presence of God.

let's try and answer the question openly and honestly.
It was never the intention of the census to look at things at a deeper but maybe you and I can take a moment or two to actually stop and think...
What do I believe? and does my lifestyle back this up?

Men, evangelism and camouflage

Men posses this amazing ability to hide... and Christian men are no different to others.

Maybe it’s something from our childhood, we enjoy the fun of hide-and-seek and role playing…

We have this ability to be a different person at home, in church, on the football field and at work.
I have worked with men who blend very well into their different environments; acting tough, boast about their bench press and curse like a truck driver…

But at home, in front of their wives butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth... “Yes dear… no dear… sorry dear. Would you like some more tea dear?”... It’s like a different person!

I have met men who are active for Jesus on a Sunday …
…but disappear on a Monday

We hide; we blend into our surroundings and as a result the message and life of Jesus is lost…


Many men are looking for something real and we hide it from them. Young men are searching for a true friend, someone to trust, a role model, a father figure and they can’t find any…


Why do we compromise the message of Jesus and blend into the background?
Because we are scared. Almost all of our excuses can be put into one word… FEAR.

May God help us to overcome our fear, stop being invisible and stand out from the crowd.


May we become men of courage, men with a backbone who will wash off the paint, stand for truth and let the world see that Jesus lives.
There is no place for the Christian to hide…
except behind the cross.

Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)
14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Science and Christianity

Science and Christianity.
Below are some quotes and notes used on a recent talk on the above subject. These are posted for the benefit of those who attended the course.
Werner von Braun the father of space science said ‘the vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its creator. I find it difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe’

Sir Fred Hoyle former professor of Astronomy in Cambridge and one of the most respected scientists of the 20th century said, “The idea that life was put together by random shuffling of constituent molecules can be shown to be as ridiculous and improbable as the proposition that a tornado blowing through a junk yard may assemble a Boeing 747. The aircraft had a creator – so might life”
Today how many scientists in the field of cosmology and astronomy hold to the theory of a big bang? In truth - virtually all of them, the evidence is very strong that the universe had a beginning and they choose the term big bang.
Over the last 50 years predictions about the Big bang have been consistently verified by scientific data.
William lane Craig a writer for ‘Astrophysics and Space science’ says ‘The big bang was not a chaotic, disorderly event; instead it appears to have been fine-tuned for existence of intelligent life. The big bang was not an accident but designed.’
The big bang model should not make the Christian feel uncomfortable – it does not discredit the bible it affirms it.
Stephen Hawking has said ‘Almost everyone now believe that the universe and time itself had a beginning.’
Many scientists today agree that life had a beginning but they don’t have the slightest idea how…
John Chapter 1v3
All things were made through Him, and without him nothing was made.
There Atheist believes there is not God. That life then came from nothing. That view is not only opposed to Christianity it is opposed to the laws of science. In truth the atheists has greater faith that anyone else.
Evolution of man
Darwin knew the follies records failed to support his tree of life and he hoped future fossil discoveries would vindicate his ‘theory’ – But it has not happened.
One example of this is the evolution of man.
Of all the fossil evidence of human evolution was gathered together you could fit it in a shoe box, and if you opened the shoe box you would find lies, shoddy excavation work and lots of imagination!
The following are still printed in textbooks today:
Nabraska man is said to be 1 million year old missing link. Discovered by Harold Cook what was it that Cook discovered? A tooth! And out of that tooth an artist had imagined an entire race of men and women. The tooth was also later to match that of a pig!
Java man discovered by Dr Eugene Dobois was the top of a skull, a piece of thigh bone and 3 teeth. It was announced to the world as the missing link of a 750,000 year old man.
Truth: The femur didn’t match the skull, the skull matches that of a human beings skull size today, the finding where 12 months apart and would never qualify for even consideration by scientists today.
Piltdown man was discovered between 1906 and 1915. Still in text books today in 1953 it was exposed as a forgery. It was an ape and its teeth had been filed down and artificially coloured.
Am I saying that science is misleading us? Sometimes yes.

Now as Christians we can accept changes in species – a butterfly can change colour or dogs bred for appearance but never a butterfly becoming a chicken. Never that protein cells to green algae to amoeba to fish to reptile to bird to monkey to me!
Jay Gould of Harvard University says text book writers should be ashamed of themselves for using the drawings of Ernest Haeckel’s and others. He said “It is the academic equivalent of murder.”
Dr Etheridge, British Museum of science says ‘nine tenths of the talk of evolution is sheer nonsense, not founded on observation and wholly unsupported by fact. This museum is full of proofs of the utter falsity of their view.’
Sir Isaac Newton the greatest scientist of all time wrote:
This most beautiful system of sun, planets and comets could only proceed from the council and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being.

Albert Einstein said “In the absence of any other evidence the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence.”

Stephen Hawking – author of the best seller ‘A brief history of Time’ writes this at the end of his conclusion on Quantum physics
‘If we where to discover a complete theory – then we would know the mind of God’ (Note: Capital G)

So why is it that we, and are children are taught a theory which is so often lacking in proofs and evidence?
There is no complete answer to that but I do believe the following quote will help:

Dr George Wald, professor emeritus of Biology at Harvard University, Nobel Prize winner 1967 and one of the top scientists in the world until his death in 1997 wrote this:
There are only 2 possibilities as to how life arose. One is spontaneous generation arising to evolution. The other is a supernatural creative act of God. There is no third possibility.
Spontaneous generation that life arose from non-living matter was scientifically disproved 120 years ago by Louis Pasteur and others. That leaves us with only one possible conclusion that life arose as a supernatural creative act of God
So far so good. But then Dr Wald goes on to commit intellectual suicide by writing;
I will not accept that philosophically because I do not want to believe in God. Therefore, I choose to believe in that which I know is scientifically impossible, spontaneous generation arising to evolution.

Dr Wald is like many people today that do not want to believe in God because to do so requires change.
It requires us to worship God and have a change of heart. Jesus is very real and his message demands a response from our live a response that people often do not want to face…
I believe science is highly important and complementary to the Bible but this can only work when there is honesty, integrity and less arrogance from both camps!

Snatched from the Fire- life with a purpose Chapter 1

Dracula

Hello peeps!
Below is an extract from Chapter 1 of Snatched from the Fire.
The book is available from all good bookshops from 18th Feb 2011 published by IVP








Dracula: The problem is me

The blood was catching the back of my throat as I slowly began to regain some sense of consciousness. I felt nauseous from the smell and taste of blood as I held a cotton rag to my mouth, catching the watery mess running off my lip. I looked a sorry state but I didn’t care. I just needed to get to a safe place and recover. Given a couple of hours, I would be strong and ready for action again.
The drugs were beginning to ease off, but not fast enough to allow my legs to function. Walking was a challenge, and any change of direction was almost impossible. Like a drunk on a bouncy castle I wobbled and struggled. Failing to negotiate a left-hand turn on the corridor, I almost went to ground. In fact, had I not received some assistance, I would have been flat on my face nursing another wound.
Finally we were outside, and I slumped against the wall while my accomplice waited anxiously for our car. Things were not going to plan. Our rendezvous point was overcrowded, the pick-up was running late again and I was going nowhere fast. It was windy, grey, cold and threatening to rain. Belfast was always threatening something, especially at that time in our history.
At last a red Cavalier pulled up in front. A quick glance at the registration plate confirmed it was our man. DXI 9164. We made our way over, faces screwed up in the rain. I was bundled into the back seat. In the front there was the usual silly argument: ‘You were late, Gerry.’ ‘No, you were in the wrong place!’ I was silent with the exception of the occasional whimper. I was a victim – at least that’s how I felt.
A visit to the dentist is a horrible thing. At least it was for me at the tender age of ten. If my introduction seems like something from an Andy McNab novel then there is good reason for it. My experience of the dentist was one of capture, interrogation and torture. Mum was always the supporting act, while Dad when possible supplied the getaway vehicle. The short walk to the dentist was fine for Mum and me, but while I was coming off the ether (or whatever else they filled my tiny lungs with), I would never manage to climb the hill home. The getaway vehicle was essential.
For all his smiles, my dentist intimidated me. He looked like Dracula – not that I have ever seen Dracula – but the Count from Sesame Street and snooker legend Ray Reardon gave me an idea of his appearance. His surgery was on the first floor, but if you needed a tooth extracted you stayed downstairs. After you passed the reception window you entered the waiting room which was not exactly an explosion on your senses. Once-white net curtains hid a grey outside wall, and hanging on the magnolia walls they had a faded picture of a child. She was dressed in Victorian rags, clutching the arm of a teddy bear and leaning pitifully against a stone wall – perhaps she had visited my dentist too. The furniture was a mixture of plastic chairs and chrome-framed seats with brown padding. In fact, the furniture at our hut in the local dump was better! The waiting was as bad as the extraction – the butterflies in my stomach would eventually leave to be replaced with a thousand flapping seagulls.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour of prayer and fasting, the dentist would escort me into the torture chamber. The room was clinical in appearance, with a large black leather-like chair holding centre stage. Once in the chair there was no return. My dentist would smile (I never trust a man in a white coat who smiles, except of course Mr Ruddock, my woodwork teacher) and place a black rubber mask over my mouth and nose while turning on the gas. I would try to resist, tears running down my cheeks. I would give my mum a look that yelled a million silent cries for help.
What were my parents thinking of? I was terrified. Even now I can smell the rubber mask and hear the sound of the gas. Let’s make no bones about it, the extraction of that tooth at the hands of my dentist was one of the most traumatic moments of my life. He asked me to count to ten slowly, and I felt the seat spinning off into the darkness and a whirring noise developing in my head before I passed out.
Someone asked me recently if I had been afraid of the dentist as a child. I said ‘no’. Fear was too inadequate a word! Petrified, panic-stricken and scared-to-death would be much more apt. No offence to my dentist or my parents, but what were they thinking? I will never put my kids through that … Do dentists still use gas? I don’t know. I don’t plan to find out either.
* * *
Anyway, welcome to my book...

INTER-VARSITY PRESS
Norton Street, Nottingham NG7 3HR, England
Email: ivp@ivpbooks.com
Website: www.ivpbooks.com
© Keith Mitchell, 2011
Keith Mitchell has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton, a division of Hodder Headline Ltd. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790.
First published 2011

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978–1–84474–502–9

Snatched from the Fire

Hello peeps,


Why did I write a book?

The answer is pretty simple: As a Christian communicator I am passionate about sharing the message of Jesus in a relevant way. Over the last ten years at Crown Jesus Ministries we have used a wide variety of tools to share the Christian message including, dance, drama, puppets, blogs, hip hop, worship, preaching, letters, power points, videos, magazine articles, testimonies, multimedia, summer camps, sports, art, family fundays, rap music, quiz shows, mime, story telling, illusions and much more so why not write a book!

The book is aimed primarily at blokes who are not-yet-Christians but not exclusively to this audience.

What is the book about?

This is a book about me. It’s also a book about God. These are the two most important personalities in my life and most of the time I come first- that may not seem like the right thing to say but it’s the honest one - and this is an honest book. It takes life stories and my experiences mixing them with Christianity.
I’m not the most educated bloke in the world so you will find it an easy read; no long sentences or fancy words. If you do find an impressive phrase it's probably copied from someone else or slotted in by my publisher/editor.

The Curry Tour?

From the 15th February to coincide with the book launch I will be running a curry tour over 28 venues in Ireland. This is an opportunity for lads to invite their non-Christian friends for a curry and afterwards I will share the message of Jesus in a relevant way. A full list of venues for the tour is available by visiting:

http://www.snatchedfromthefire.co.uk



Below are some comments from those who have read my new book Snatched from the Fire.
It is available from 18th February and you can order it from a number of online retailers including:
Amazon, Tesco, WH Smith, Waterstones and IVP books.






I am delighted to recommend this book to you for three reasons.

First of all, Mitch is quite simply a good friend and fellow evangelist whose work I value: from my experience anything he says is worth listening to.

Secondly, in this book Mitch interweaves Christian teaching and real life in a way that is both compelling and utterly biblical. It is not uncommon to hear speakers and preachers whose teaching, for all its merits, seems to be separated from reality. The result is a message that can sadly seem inauthentic or even irrelevant. The pattern in the Bible is of theory and practice shown together. We read not just of Moses’ teaching, but of Moses the man; we are told not just what Jesus taught, but we are shown Jesus himself. Even with Paul, that greatest of theologians, we see interspersed with his teachings accounts of a flesh-and-blood man wrestling with applying the message of the gospel to his own life. That invaluable pattern of God's Word and a human life interwoven is here in this book. In these pages you will read of a real gospel and a real life. Learn from both!

Finally and most importantly, this is in every sense a good read. It is a common rule of Christian books that the deep ones are dull and the entertaining ones shallow. Snatched from the Fire breaks that glum rule. It is at the same time entertaining and educational, compelling and challenging, interesting and instructive.

Read this book, be blessed by it and pass it on to someone else for them to be blessed too. Thank you, Mitch. You have put us in your debt.

J. John

They tell me that 80% of all Christian books are read by women. I predict that this trend is about to be wonderfully 'bucked' by this book. While believing its message will snatch from destructive fire, it will also powerfully start another cleansing one.

The late Derick Bingham, Adjunct Professor of English Literature at John Brown University



Disarming honesty, alarming reality, personal experiences and biblical bombshells all combine to make this book fascinating reading. In the midst of love and laughter, suffering and pain, bereavement and romance, a life story unfolds. Fire fighting as a job, and sin fighting as a life commitment, are just two of the strands in Mitch’s journey. This personal story of vulnerable humanity and amazing grace will inspire and instruct. Seeing God at work, in the life of someone I can identify with, has stimulated in me a hunger for God himself. Any book which does that is well worth reading. Prepare to be stirred to pray, aroused to action, and motivated to be real with God. This book will start some fires of faith which no fire fighter on earth will extinguish!

A great read, but more importantly, it bites where many of us need to be bitten!

The Right Reverend Ken Clarke, Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh



This book grabs your attention from the first sentence and will hold you through to the end. It is funny, well written and aimed to change lives. Buy it and then give it to a friend.

R. T. Kendall, author and speaker



Engaging and eloquent, this book is a story of real life written by an ordinary man, but it is also the story of sin and the need for grace. Mitch has beautifully articulated that the answers to the needs of this broken world can be found only in Jesus Christ.

Gavin Peacock, former Chelsea FC and Queens Park Rangers Captain



For firefighter Mitch there is nothing more rewarding than a successful life-saving attempt. He himself has been rescued and lives to tell others how they too can be saved forever through Jesus Christ. Mitch is one of my heroes of the faith. You'll grasp his heart for God as you read Snatched from the Fire.

John White, President and Chaplain to Firefighters For Christ International

“The disaster in Pakistan is bigger than the Tsunami, Haiti and Kashmere earthquake put together!”

“The disaster in Pakistan is bigger than the Tsunami, Haiti and Kashmere earthquake put together!” James Caan (Dragon’s Den and British Pakistan Foundation.)
Maybe it’s been the limited coverage on BBC, ITV, SKY and other news reports but the recent disaster in Pakistan has not seen anything like the response for aid we have known in the past.
While blood diamonds, school diners, house prices and pensions all seem to get priority news this is my wee shout to the world... THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN NEED YOUR HELP.
The rains show no sign of letting up and there are now 14 MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED. Children have spent days on the tops of trees and houses escaping the floods but they have no food or clean water. They survived the floods but will die hungry.
Villages have lost their crops, livestock and homes. Over 500 schools have been destroyed as well as bridges, government buildings and hospitals. While the death toll to date has yet to be confirmed to be above 2,000 this will reach tens of thousands in the news few weeks unless people like you and I respond faster. Disease and malnutrition is now the biggest threat to life.
Pakistan government have said the floods have set the country back decades!
How can we help?
For the Pakistan earthquake appeal in 2005 we raised £6 billion pounds.
To date (10th August) the flood appeal has raised just £6 million.
£6 million has been raised in the U.K to date, this is not enough – we all need to up our giving.
• Visit Unicef website http://www.unicef.org.uk and Support their appeal for children affected by floods in Pakistan a donation of just £30 could provide vaccinations helping to protect more than 45 children against killer diseases.
• Ask you local church what they are giving to this tragedy- suggest the take up a special offering for Pakistan
• Ask your football/cycling/rugby club, local pub, shop to support the appeal.

The bible says the true test of our faith is how we respond to the needs of widows and orphans... lets express our faith with action and donate now.

http://www.unicef.org.uk

Closer to your calling

Closer to your Calling
Below is the outline of the talk at the last night of Hillsborough Bible Week 2010.

Let me take you back just over 3000 years... to a time when China began flying kites, the Greeks discovered Yo Yo’s and the world population is the same as the population of England today – approx 50 million.
(Just a thought – if the world population 3000 years ago were all English they still would not have won the World Cup!)

Its 1000B.C and Israel is in a mess; a moral snake pit of corruption across its political and religious status. The word of the Lord is rare in those days and out of this context Samuel is born to Hannah.

Read/ Paraphrase following verses:
1 Sam 2: 18 -21 and 1 Sam 3 v 1 -11
*******
‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ That’s a good question to ask ourselves! By growing up I am referring not so much to age but more to do with our maturity in God.
Samuel was just three years old when he began to minister before the Lord and it’s about ten years after this that God calls to him.

I believe that there are three occasions when the Lord calls us:

1, The bible says that God desires all men to be saved (1 Tim 2:4) – this is the first calling. A call to Salvation and a personal relationship with Jesus.

2, Then there is the calling to ministry. The bible says that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the prophet of all.(1 Cor 12: 7) God has not called us to be just a bum on a pew. My Pastor often says – 'every member is to be a minister!'
3, Then there is the calling home – (Revelations 20) the names of those who will enter heaven are recorded in the book of life. As the old song declares 'When the role is called up yonder I’ll be there.'

This talk will focus primarily on that second calling. The call to serve God.
Three points I want to draw out from the Text:

1, Samuel prepared
2, Samuel Heard
3, Samuel Shared

1, Samuel prepared:

How do we prepare for the calling upon our lives?
Samuel prepared by committing himself to the ministry within Gods house. We need to be a people committed to the local Church. Thirty years ago it was a big deal for someone to switch from one church to another – but today it happens all too often. People no longer commit to the local church. They ‘hover’ until the buzz goes or the preacher has a bad day and they are off. They move because the worship band is better down the road or there is a bigger youth fellowship.
People date church; they go until they are bored and then move on. God is looking for people who will commit to the Local church and love the family of God.
Samuel showed obedience to leadership.
For ten years he serves Eli the priest faithfully. That is evident by the text and also the bond that developed between them.
Let’s be a people who offer our time and energy to the local church leadership.

Samuel dreamed big dreams.
Samuel would eventually become the Prophet over Israel, Judge and director of affairs and Chief advisor to the King. But as a boy I have no doubt he dreamed of God using him in a special way. From three years of age he wore the clothing of a priest, very cute but very poignant. He knew what he want to become and God did more than the lad could ever imagine!

2, Samuel heard:
How d you hear God? First you need to be in close proximity! The place of prayer is the place to surrender to his presence; it’s a place to talk to God, listen to God but also just to surrender and sit.
You need to block out the distractions. There are many things that will call upon a man’s heart but only one is worth giving you life to. Don’t become distracted by other things. Most people miss Gods calling because they are easily distracted.
When you feel you have heard from God; check it with the Bible and with those who you serve in leadership. God will never call us to a work they contradicts scripture. Also the wisdom and council of Godly men and women can help steer us in the right direction and advise us. Samuel was directed by Eli to say ‘Speak Lord, your servant hears!’ that’s a good position to take before God - That of a servant.

Also note that the voice of God to Samuel is like that of a father and a priest, that’s why Samuel thought it was Eli calling him.

3, Samuel shared:

Matt 28:19 say for us to go and make disciples. Luke 24:49 says to wait in Jerusalem?
One says go the other says wait!
Why?
There is a difference in being ‘sent’ and ‘went.’
In the bible;
Some people went but were never sent.
Some people are sent but never went.
God want us to do both. To wait until He calls us and then to GO.
Samuel brought a hard message for much of his life but he never shrank back from his prophetic ministry and calling and when to time was right he was willing to pass on the baton.

Conclusion:
God has called every Christian to some means of service, that’s a great honour and I pray we can all take a few lessons from Samuel to find out what that is. These lessons will also help us to remain in Gods calling.

Mitch.

Today’s man

This is the outline for talk given at Ulster Temple on 15th May 2010.

The three points: Today’s man need to be better:

Lovers
Labourers
Leaders


Lovers

‘Our Father who art in heaven’ Matthew Chapter 6 verse 9

This is an important verse to me for two reasons:

1, It was the first verse of Scripture I every learned at home. My dad began teaching me the Lord’s Prayer at bed time when I was perhaps 8 years old. He wasn’t a Christian at the time but it was the ‘Protestant’ thing to do… teach your kid the Lord’s Prayer and send him to Sunday school every week.

2, It was a very controversial prayer in the day Jesus said it as He was introducing God in a new way to the Jew’s. They had always emphasised the holiness and fear of God and now Jesus was introducing something new… He was saying “call him Daddy”. Not that we don’t fear Him but this was something new and challenging to the culture of the day. This verse introduced me into a relationship with God I didn’t know you could have.
Jesus was calling us to an intimate and loving relationship with God.

Many men have lost that idea of a loving relationship today, we have a messed up view of love and this effects how we love others, love God and appreciate His love for us. This love that comes from a heavenly father is unlike anything that the world can offer, it’s not egoistic and self centred and it’s unconditional. We may not have all had brilliant fathers but I hope we can appreciate what Jesus is saying.
To call Him Daddy we need to surrender to His presence and embrace His love.

Man today need to become better lovers.


Labourers

Read Proverbs 6 v 6-11 and Chapter 24 v 30 – 34

Here you will read the story of the sluggard. One dictionary today translates the word sluggard as ‘an inactive man who watches a lot of television’. Or in my words: A lazy couch potato. The U.K today is filled with lazy couch potato men.

T.V marketing body thinkbox last week released the statistics for this years T.V viewing figures for the first quarter of 2010.
Up 8% on last year the average British viewer now watches 30 hours and 4 mins of T.V per week! That’s lazy… very lazy. More shocking is the fact that 18 hours and 29 mins of this time are commercials!
Men today are becoming like the sluggard in Proverbs Chapter 24. Their business, church, family life and economy suffer because many men can get their hands out of their pockets and away from the remote control.
Men need to be labourers, workers. We need to be working in our churches; working to support the needs of our world and in working we become positive role models for our children. It’s not just about money. The bible says a slack hand tends towards poverty.


Leaders


In Numbers 14: 7-18 Joshua had a good report but he wasn’t a good leader!
He had no influence and people didn’t follow him.
Many men have great ideas and opinions, often God given, but they have no influence. If we can’t take people with us on the Journey we fail as leaders.
When a leader has little influence little will be accomplished.
Let’s be men of integrity and influence.

Joshua would eventually become a great leader and man of influence. In Joshua 24 14-18 he does lead the people into the Promised Land with these words “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua learned to be a leader by serving Moses but also by leading at home. “As for me and my house”. Before we can become successful leaders in our church and community we need to become successful leaders at home.

When a leader puts his family first the church benefits.
When a leader puts the church first, then his family and church will suffer.

Today’s generation are crying out for leaders… young people are coming out of School, College and University and they still have no idea what to do with their lives; why? They need leaders to follow, to motivate them and take them forward.

Conclusion:

What kind of man will you be today?

Let’s intentionally be men who learn the art of love, who work for His glory and lead by example.
Go on take up the challenge.
Today people often make an L shape with our hands (index finger pointing up and thumb at right angle to it) as a symbol of a looser.
Tomorrow in church challenge the men to put an L shape up as a declaration that we choose to be Lovers, Labourers and Leaders.