Adam Baker Music

Radio Worldwide:

Radio worldwide is a ministry of WEC that provides radio shows for using in other countries. Some include, preaching/teachings, stories, testimonies and educational shows. Radio Worldwide also offer training for radio broadcasting. 

This week we visited Radio Worldwide who are based in Leeds, England. We had some opportunities to see what they do and take part as well as having classes in things like communication skills and health care in other countries.

Resonance:

Resonance is a ministry of WEC that specially focuses on music and it use in worship contexts in other cultures. Ian Collinge spoke to us this week about “heart music” in other cultures.

More than half way through the orientation course already and I am more and more realising that we are in a pretty strange place in our lives. We are in a transitional stage of our lives and ministry that will stretch across a number of months, visits to “home”, a tour, visiting supporting churches and so on. 

What have we been doing?

• classes - on things like missionary kids, spiritual warfare, church planting
• fellowship - with candidates and wider WEC Community
• leading worship - in WEC’s HQ 
• church - visiting an HTB plant in London, regularly attending Soul Survivor Watford (this is optional)
• Household duties - washing up, serving dinner, cleaning
• discovering - more about WEC, more about God’s heart for us and working with children

Follow our prayer updates by emailing contact@adambakermusic.co.uk

Musical exploits available from www.adambakermusic.co.uk

Tweets www.twitter.com/bakeyman

I have been reflecting recently about ‘gospel’, what is it? what does it mean? I keep hearing people saying “share the gospel” , “preach”, and “proclaim” it. I have been asking these people what do you mean by gospel? And then I usually get the typical ‘evangelical’ penal substitution understanding of gospel in response to my question.

And in Steve Bell’s words (‘World Changers’, 2012) that model of the atonement is 1 of 9 others and is only a thin slice of the cake. Going on to speak about non verbal ‘proclamation’ of the ‘gospel’ Steve drew attention to the role of Christians displaying the richness of “Christ in us…the hope of glory”.

So when I think about gospel I think much like Bell on this and agree that what western evangelicals call ‘gospel’ is a thin slice of the cake. The court room analogy and penal substitution model is foreign to many cultures. The concept of guilt isn’t embedded into cultures such as middle eastern, african and even among most people in the UK. In fact, shame is perhaps more easily grasped and understood by such cultures. What if we thought about Christ’s death on the cross as an intercession. In Genesis at the fall Adam and Eve are first aware of their nakedness and then they feel shame. The prominence of ‘shame’ in the Bible would indicate that it is important for understanding the ‘gospel’.

When Jesus says he has come to “proclaim good news” it is first directed towards the poor, and then Jesus continues “liberty to captives”, “sight to the blind”…etc. He doesn’t say that He has come to preach the penal substitution model of the atonement. In fact Jesus’ concept of gospel in Luke 4 is much more socio-political orientated than it is eternal rest orientated. Jesus is concerned about transforming the globe and all people in it, and this is His mission because He has been anointed.

All of the models of atonement have something to offer and can give insight into a much more biblical and holistic understanding of what good news actually is. After all that is what ‘gospel’ means, “good news”. Each slice of the cake is valuable, but lets enjoy the whole cake not just the same old stale piece.

http://step.fairtrade.org.uk/

Join in and take a step!!!

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/gold/

Wedding rings, engagement rings and other finery that glitters and shines, how pure is it really and what could be more precious?

Not easy to answer a question like that since we all have different value systems and give value to certain things more than others. The link will direct you to a short film about gold and how it affects those who mine it.

I have the joy of knowing that my wife’s engagement ring and our wedding rings are ethically sourced. Chocolate Couture made us great rings at great prices and more importantly left our conscience feeling good about the decision. For us people are worth more than gold.

Gold is a killer, just like diamonds, and other precious stones and metals.

What will you choose?

It’s a difficult world to live in ethically, so many things that seem out of our control and yet small changes can grow and lead to bigger ones and when many people join together something can be done.

http://www.fairstory.com/watch/

I like this new video from the folk at Fairtrade Foundation