Some great advice from Bill Gates…

Here’s some advice Bill Gates gave at a high school speech about 11 things they did not learn in school. (I’ve seen these before somewhere, but thanks to my friend Mike Watkins (Leading a new Every Nation church plant in Kiev, Ukraine) who sent me a link to these posted on Forrest Berry’s blog.):

Rule 1:  Life is not fair – get used to it.

Rule 2:  The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3:  You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone, until you earn both.

Rule 4:  If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.

Rule 5:  Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping – they called it opportunity.

Rule 6:  If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7:  Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So, before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8:  Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9:  Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10:  Television is NOT real life (nor are video games). In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11:  Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one!

 

 

 

Do you have a life rule of your own to add? leave it as a comment for us below…

My Lakeland Outpouring / revival experience…

I’m writing this from Lakeland in Florida where I have spent the last couple of days at the so-called “Lakeland Outpouring/revival”, today in its 98th day of consecutive meetings with 1000’s of people from all over the world coming here looking to “get some” and take it back to wherever they came from. (And off course there are a bunch of people – including a crew from CNN last night – who are just “checking it out”)…

Would I have come to Lakeland just for these meetings? Probably not, but since I had a trip to the States planned, and have had some deep hungers stirring in me for a while, I decided that I’d swing by Lakeland and get into a different type of atmosphere to my usual. I asked myself why I came here, and here are my answers:

First, what I didn’t come for: I’m personally not looking for or particularly into gold dust, gold fillings or even diamonds (sorry Ali!), although I’m sort of open to God doing all these things…I guess I just want more of the “true riches” Jesus speaks about…so: I came because I am hungry for a few things which aren’t as real/evident in my life as I’d like the to be, being:

1. The “power of the Spirit” …something the early church Christians seem to have had in massive doses more than me…In Luke 4 Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, and came out “in the power of the Spirit.” I want that – preferably without the temptations, wilderness, and fastings please – I guess that’s why places like Lakeland seem an attractive option!
2. The “fire” part of the “you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit and with fire”… Still not really sure what that is supposed to really look like. Maybe its the same thing as the “power” of point one above?
3. More evidence/activity of the “gifts” of the Holy Spirit in my life and ministry. I have had much more “gift activity/activation” in my personal ministry lately, and its been great and effective, but I do long for more. healing’s. accurate words of knowledge. discernment. the GIFT of faith…I need/want these more…
4. At a point today I wondered whether I came for my own healing of the effects of the crippling arthritis I had in my late teens and which destroyed both my wrists.  Its marked my life for 26 years now. Do I believe God can/will heal/restore these?

What have I found so far?

1. I have found a gathering of hungry/thirsty Christians from all over the planet who for the most part are genuinely looking for something to power them up to effect change wherever they came from by their 10’s of 1000’s.
2.  I have found a place and leaders who emphasise and actually believe the “signs and wonders and healings” parts of New Testament teaching which many of us move away from over time…and they seem to be seeing a massive bunch of people reporting to be healed of all sorts of stuff…there were some truly incredible miracles reported. this challenges me.
3. I found people who are pressing into something they feel God has lead them into and called them to, and they have been going for 98 days! They certainly haven’t let their strategic calendar get in the way…
4. I found 1000’s of people genuinely passionately worshipping Jesus – He definitely seems to have centre stage, and doing something.
5. I found a few things relating to style and practice which irritated me and which I purposefully had to decide not to get distracted by or hung up on. (Note to self & other leaders visible on meeting “platforms” during worship times: If you aren’t going to participate in worship like you expect the congregation to participate, then stay off the stage and out of eyesight if you want to joke and chat while the worship leader is leading the congregation…its distracting and rude.)
6. I found a people and leaders who are being severely criticised from some quarters for all sorts of reasons. I haven’t checked this all out, but my suggestion is: don’t criticise what you haven’t personally fully checked out, and don’t criticise that which you don’t need to criticise. Yes, there are always “wheat & tares” growing in the same field (even in your & my life & churches). My advice: Don’t kill the good stuff by a  hasty witch-hunting attitude.  I think its time we all looked at the log in our own eye a lot more closely…
7. I found that just because something has been chosen to be aired on God TV doesn’t make it THE revival. There are incredible things happening in churches all around the world which will never make it to the limelight, but God is pouring out His Spirit in many parts. Get into a solid Bible-based, God-honouring, Spirit-fuelled disciple-making church wherever you are and let God use you to bring His glory to your world…

Have I found the “power, fire, gifts, and healing”? Cant say I have yet, but its been a good time of being alone for two days with God and in an environment of passionate faith with people from every nation. On my final evening meeting there tonight I experienced an amazing passionate and unrestrained worship time with the other 3-5,000 people there. At one stage I had a strong impression of Jesus joining in this wild worship dance with this praising & worshipping international crowd of admittedly mostly first-world believers…  The last time I had a similar impression was at our Every Nation world conference in Manila last year, with 14,000 people from around the world packed into the Areneta stadium – it was really awesome and a taste of heaven! 

Anyway, I’ve been challenged in my faith to step out more boldly in these areas.  I’ve “stirred up the gifts,” and I’m as committed as ever to ”go and make disciples of all nations” – and expectant to see this followed by at least a few more “signs and wonders”…in His power…using his gifts…

PS (added on 17/6) – What I won’t be doing on my return to London is starting “special meetings” in addition to what we do already. I am persuaded that all our meetings should be “special”, allowing room for all of Gods “special works.” – if they dont, we shouldnt be having them in the first place…and we should get back on the mountain with God to revisit the why? what? and how? of what we are doing what we’re doing “in His name.”

“Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” – I Thessalonians 5:19-21

Know God – Be Strong – Do Great this summer…

Our summer theme at Every Nation London focuses on the powerful truths of Daniel 11:32, which declare that “…those who know their God will be strong and do great exploits.” We are trusting for a great season of KNOWING GOD, BEING STRONG, AND DOING GREAT EXPLOITS.

This week I travel to Nashville for some Every Nation International Policy Council meetings, as well as attending part of our US pastors F.U.E.L. conference there. On my way over I’ll be stopping over in Orlando and attending the Lakeland Outpouring/revival meetings there, which are reporting some phenomenal healings etc. I’m simply trusting for a great time of God stirring and igniting my heart and giftings. After Nashville I’ll be visiting my good friends Joe & Nancy Martin in Dallas, and preaching at Valley Creek Church with pastor Kevin Evans, who has been a hero getting involved with some of our church planting efforts in Europe.  

I’m pressing in to know my God more, because to know Him is to love Him, and to love Him is to know Him intimately, and be fully satisfied in the deepest part of your being. I’m pressing in to more of His strength infusing my often glaring weaknesses, and I am trusting to step out of my boat and come out of my caves, and do all the great to which he has called me. Join me on this great adventure this summer…