Perspectives

I am clear that what I write here will be a personal perspective, not a universally applicable ‘horoscope‘ (horrorscope) prophetic template for the year. I hope though that there might be some resonance. Gayle and I completed 9 years in Spain on January 1. Seems like yesterday that we arrived with 2 suitcases, yet since then we have lived in 3 locations (4 apartments), visited all the communidades of Spain (17), probably 35-40 of the 50 provinces, slept 40 nights last year in the back of our furgoneta (affectionately labeled as ‘el furgo de san lorenzo’) as we covered 8000 kilometres seeking to retrace the steps related to the ‘conquest’ of and expulsion of the Muslims in Spain. Each year has been different and last year was the most intensely Spain-focused year.

Some of what I will write below will make it sound as if our lives are filled with supernatural interventions. It is easy to make it sound like that when picking out specific stories from a period of time. Some days, are filled with ‘get out of bed, drink coffee, drink loads more, still try to figure out what we are to do, go to bed none the wiser’. Yet it would also be true that there are supernatural interventions… we still believe in that crazy stuff!

Our lives have been shaped at times by some ‘left-of-field’ dreams that have sidetracked us. Or they have shown us what we thought was the main track had some twists in it that we did not anticipate. We have lived now in this apartment the longest we have lived anywhere – 4 years in March – and it seems the shortest time of anywhere. We are here because of two dreams, one of which Gayle entered an address in google maps as to where we were living. Around this time four years ago we saw this apartment. At Christmas time, 2013, I had a word that we would put an offer on three places, that we would get the third place, and that it would be a grace package, but each one would cost more than the one before. The last part I want to underline, as so often is the case we look to interpret things along well-worn lines or according to our expectation. A ‘grace package’ seems to indicate it would not cost as much as we would normally expect, but in this situation it was going to mean the opposite. Apparently the emptier our pocket the more opportunity to God to fill it. We came to Oliva end of December 2013, met with an estate agent who has become a friend. He asked ‘how much do you want to spend?’ Our reply was as little as possible as we are really headed to Madrid and need to keep the maximum amount of money for there. (Eventually we spent almost 3x the figure we gave him that day.) We offered on one place – they countered and we did not want to go any higher. We offered on a second place, and offered the asking price. They took for ever to reply and then said ‘not at that price!!’ We offered on a third, the owner said ‘don’t talk to me about it!!’ The agent said that he had worked the area for 14 years and had never experienced anything like this. He said – it looks as if you are attracting it. I replied ‘probably, but we will be OK so stick with us’. Out of the blue Michael from Hannover called and said that there were three angels waiting to work with us. The key one (at that time for us) was to help us leave Cádiz. We went to where we were sure that angel would be, and within 30 minutes of praying, the agent called us (after many weeks of no communication) with ‘I don’t know what has happened, but you have the property’.

(I now realise this might be a long blog – hope I do not get bored before the end… and for the record we are on the way to Madrid, by the grace of God with / without a pocket that is empty or not!! The Madrid statement was not by way of information, but to keep me focused.)

Anyway dreams… We were sent a very simple yet clear dream. Gayle and I were standing in our living room with invites on the table in front of us on pieces of paper. We did not know how to respond to them, and there was someone there waiting for our response. Eventually I looked up at him and said that we would go and consult the ‘man of Spain’ who would help us know how to respond and then we would make a response. Last year in our travels (yes it is subjective and a little mystical) but we certainly met the substance of the man of Spain in the land as we travelled. Not all those who have contributed to the substance of the ‘man of Spain’ have been male, nor have all been Christians, but one that certainly shaped us has been San Lorenzo, who died in Rome on August 10th, 258. We named our van after him – his gift, and our prayer as we drove through Spain, was to revalue all things. The emperor demanded the wealth of the church to be given to him, and so on the appointed time he showed up at the emperor’s abode with the marginalised of society, proclaiming that this was where God’s riches were manifest. The revaluation of all things!

At the end of the year we felt as if a season in our journey in Spain had been completed, and knew that 2018 would look different. Within weeks we were having renewed connections with people from 10+ years ago, as well as new connections from some former geographies and also new geographies. Of course we still need wisdom to see what that means but something was moving.

So this year will be different. We will still have a strong focus on Spain, and into the re-working of the constitution. We are not disrespectful to what has gone on before, but believe strongly that the body of Christ has the primary responsibility to create space (yes kick those demons!!) so that there can be a reshaping of society. We take responsibility to hold space for the future, not to occupy the places of power and dictate. Into this we would love to get a base in Madrid – loads to say on this. We have made an offer on an apartment that needed total reformation (by total I mean ‘total’ – it had a toilet but nothing else, no kitchen, no electricity, gas etc…) We entered a sealed bid offer with 27 others. We were completely outbid. Mammon loves to speak with a loud voice. Beyond Madrid we will make a focus into Europe wider. When there are major people movements, and shaking of powers on the earth, we need to realise that an era to re-shape things spiritually is right there. This wonderful continent is ready to yield a shape to something not yet seen.

Here though is what I want to focus on. First a Scripture:

The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, signs and wonders and mighty deeds (2 Cor. 12: 12).

I was praying into this Scripture and this is what I want to release for this coming year… There is an apostolic movement being released that will not adopt titles, nor establish a headquarters, but will be marked by patience. The true apostolic can wait a generation, a century or more, knowing that what is sown will bear fruit. The short term, insular, visions will be shown for what they are.

National boundaries might be practical (but we should not draw a straight line between ‘nations’ in biblical language with ‘nation-states’ as we have them) and could even be a way of releasing gifts for the nations, but a church that defends a national vision cannot be the context in which an apostolic spirit is nurtured.

The birth of the Pauline apostolic was not in Jerusalem… it was not for Jerusalem… the apostolic vision being born now is likewise away from the centre…