This Blog has moved to www.nigelmyfireplace.wordpress.com

Hi All,
I moved my blog to word press it has some features that I enjoy, in particular it is easier for you to post comments and for me to track hits. So keep following, I exported the old blogs so you can find them all there. Go to www.nigelmyfireplace.wordpress.com
Thanks,
Nigel

Strategy and tactics

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is simply the noise before defeat. -Sun Tzu

I am currently reading "The Rhodesian War-A military history" a book which has become a classic study in many military colleges around the world. I grew up in Rhodesia and lived through the transition to Zimbabwe. In my younger years I swallowed hook line and sinker the propaganda of the Smith regime that the the brave "security forces" were defeating the "terrs" on every front so that when the war suddenly ended with a victory for the guerrilla armies my 11 year old mind could hardly believe this sudden reversal had happened. It appeared that the Rhodesian government had achieved the impossible, they had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I grew older and as Zimbabwe emerged from the isolation that had been Rhodesia I read a little wider and began to hear the other side of the war story but having been thoroughly fooled once I was not too interested in swallowing the new government's propaganda. As they say there are always three sides to every story my side, your side and then there's the truth. Today, even though the war ended almost three decades ago the memories of the war, the wounds it left in the national psyche, and the debates surrounding it are as fresh as ever due to the spectacle of Zimbabwe's national suicide as the new government appears determined to destroy the very freedoms it once paid in blood to achieve. So I picked up this book to try, belatedly, to get some sense of what really happened. It took me back to a time when everyone seemed to be in uniform, when I believed whole heartedly that it was possible to stand alone against the whole world and win. Like many white Zimbabweans scattered around the globe as I read I cannot help but feel admiration for the bravery, fortitude and ability of the Rhodesian forces whilst simultaneously feel ashamed that we ever fought at all, the knowledge that even if the Mugabe regime has fulfilled the darkest prophesies of UDI, Rhodesia was fundamentally unjust and that we were fighting for the wrong side.

The study illustrates perfectly the quote above from Sun Tzu in the "Art of War". These quotes particularly caught my attention.

" The armed forces of Rhodesia won virtually every battle and skirmish they fought against the guerrilla armies, yet they lost the war."

"The story of the Rhodesian armed forces during the civil war is one of tactical brilliance and strategic ineptitude"

With hindsight some of Rhodesia's strategic blunders are clear; amongst the one's that strike me are.

They defended the indefensible

It could be argued that part of the difference between tactics and strategy is that the former deals with how we fight whilst the latter concerns why we are fighting. As the war dragged on the Rhodesian strategic position on the ground grew steadily worse and as the nations around changed from friends to enemies the Rhodesians found themselves defending ever larger borders with ever shrinking resources and manpower. No matter how well they fought or how bravely, as the years wore on the task became more and more difficult. They were winning all their battles but strategically they lost the war. The longer the war carried on the more enemies they made and the more friends they lost. However, more significant than the war on the ground was the war in the mind. Rhodesians were fighting for a cause that could not be morally defended. Although much was said about fighting to preserve christian civilization against godless communism and the errors and disasters of the rest of Africa's failed states when everything was said and done Rhodesians were fighting to preserve a privileged way of life for a minority at the expense of the majority and as a result the weight of world opinion was always going to be against them and the more they killed their enemies the more enemies they made, and the fewer friends they found until even aparteid South Africa the last state that had stood with them could no longer stand against the tide of world opinion. Their rationale for fighting became, like their borders, ever more porous and stretched.

They allowed themselves to become isolated.

As romantic and brave as it sounds standing alone is a poor strategic decision. It was the undoing of Rhodesia. As the dominos fell around them and they grew increasingly isolated from world opinion many average Rhodesians lost touch with reality and any sense of the flow of history. We honestly believed Smith when he declared "Never in a thousand years" and failed to notice that the tide was turning against them they defied the winds of change but such defiance can only last so long without some strategy to make long term survival possible. Despite the fact that on the ground they won battle after battle and were tactically superior to their opponents in almost every respect the guerrillas only had to keep stretching them and wearing them down knowing that in the end without outside assistance they could only keep up the battle for so long. The fact that they held out for so long was remarkable, but in the end when even South Africa support fell away they no longer had the will nor the wherewithal to fight on.

They underestimated their enemies.

The Rhodesians own racism blinded them to the strength of their enemies stategy and position. Their tactical victories on the ground further gave them the impression that they were winning a war in which they were steadily losing ground. Towards the end of the war the government had given up holding territory and rather had taken to counting kill ratio's to bolster moral and to fuel the idea that they were winning the war. What had started as a war to hold territory became a war of attrition as if the government didn't like the score and so it just changed the way they kept score instead of playing the game differently. When you are a small minority a war of attrition can hardly be called a brilliant strategy. The guerrillas on the other hand had studied the works of Marx and Mao and understood that a long war was in their favour, that numbers and opinion was on their side and so they just kept on fighting, running, hiding, and fighting again.

I can't help wondering if the present government of Zimbabwe ever look back to draw lessons from their own revolutionary history. They increasingly repeat the strategic blunders of the Smith regime. Whilst they spout words purporting to be defending the revolution current policy appears to be far more dedicated to entrenching the power and privilege of a few at the expense of the many. The oppression of the masses, the testimony of the diaspora, and the disintegration of Zimbabwe's once thriving economy give the lie to all Harare's defensive rhetoric. They are defending the indefensible and justice will one day have to be satisfied.Once again the government of this small central African country finds itself increasingly isolated from the world even if on the ground it seems to be stronger than ever as time goes by even they lose support from erstwhile comrades and a once sympathetic world. The same clock that was ticking in government house in Salisbury in the late 70's ticks in government house for Mugabe now.

What do I get out of this for my own life? If I am going to live and die for something, live for just and noble causes. Selfishness and narrow self interest is a poor strategic life decision. As we seek to extend God's kingdom and spread revival and bring reformation to the nations we will face many hardships, trials reverses and defeats along the way but if we can keep in our minds a clear picture of the the righteousness peace and joy of the Kingdom we will have the legs to carry our struggle to victory.

Don't become isolated. We all need true friends around us, and if there is no-one with us we may need to stop and re assess our position, and realise that an isolated man is a tempting target. Many Christians and most churches tend to battle along alone, fighting private wars, winning and losing on our own. Isolation makes us weak and vulnerable to being out maneuvered by our enemy. This current revival is a revival of the body of christ, it is about all christians, and all churches. When we come together in the cause of Christ we will change the course of world history.

Finally don't under estimate your enemy, he has been fighting this war for millennia. Don't get obsessed with him or impressed with him but don't underestimate him. However be impressed with God. He is the greatest strategist of all.

Well, this has rambled on long enough. Post a comment or leave your thoughts for me via my facebook page.

Clichés of Christmas Past!

Clichés are like Christmas decorations, we all have our favourites, and like Christmas decorations we keep them for years, tucked away in some dusty place and bring them out at particular times of the year. Like the angel which leans drunkenly at the top of the tree minus it's halo, with one wing broken and bent they often grow more and more tattered and worn but we keep them and bring them out every year because frankly Christmas wouldn't seem the same without them and perhaps they are a reminder of past Christmases when they were newer and brighter. There are the general clichés like "Christmas is so commercialized" did you have that conversation yet, no? Well quickly dash out and get it over and then we Christians have our own clichés like "Jesus-the reason for the season!" and "Wise men still seek him!" we emblazon our churches, cars and cards with those slogans in the hope that the unchurched everywhere will flock to the altars on hearing these pithy pieces of wisdom. :)

Well, here is my favourite Christmas cliché, "Christmas is about being with the Kids!". Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending almost the whole day with my kids. We got up early and went to the mall to do some window shopping because despite the fact that I enjoy window shopping marginally more than root canal treatment Jessica my 12 year old loves it and I love her. Then at around 10 we all went to watch "Astroboy!" a movie that is unlikely to be remembered long in the Desmond hall of fame because my son Dan loves stories and movies are the best sort of story. In the afternoon I had a "Princess Party" at the Zoo with Jemima my 4 year old who rules my heart with one flick of her golden curls and a flash of her delightful smile. It was a wonderful day and it is what I am enjoying the most about this Christmas-the slower pace allows me to be with these beautiful little people. As I prepared for church in the evening I read again the story of the kid, the child that was given to us from heaven and it struck me forcibly that Christmas has always been about "the kids." At the heart of Christmas is a child, Jesus. Every year at this time we see countless images of Jesus the child asleep in a manger, star overhead with wise men and shepherds gazing adoringly on and if we are not careful we can look but no longer see the incredible truth. He is "Immanuel-God with us" Christmas is about the ultimate gift - the presence of God with us. Imagine Mary's wonder as she looked down into the eyes of the child God gave her on that first Christmas, she held in her arms the manifested presence of God!

Despite the fact that his birth was promised in prophesy, announced by angels, awaited by the religious elites of the day when it happened it came in a shockingly mundane fashion. A child was born to a teen aged girl in a small rural backwater in a conquered nation. The pregnancy was controvesial and for some suspisious the birth was humble and hidden this was hardly an inspiring start for the life which would change all of human history. It was so ordinary in some ways that if you were not paying attention you could have missed the event altogether, today many of God's promises arrive in the same way. They seem small, insignificant and fragile some times they are also unexpectedly controversial but they are none the less full of promise. The revival which is even now beginning to burn in South Africa is like that, we are experiencing more and more of the manifest presence of God, it is wonderful and miraculous but like that first Christmas it is also controversial, messy and seems to be small, insignificant and fragile as if any moment the slightest gust could snuff it's life out. However, from the prophetic promises that have been given over the years it seems that the birth of this wave of God's presence is destined to change the destiny of nations. If we are faithful to care for and treasure the presence of God among us it will grow, mature and spread, to touch nations and to change the world. Don't miss what God is doing because it does not look the way you expected it to, or it comes with controversial elements, or the "experts in God" condemn it, if you stop and listen you will hear the report of heaven.

So what is Christmas all about? The Father wanted to spend time with his kids. Jesus made that possible. Ultimately Christmas reminds us not of our obligation to live a moral life or to live according the golden rule or any other principle but it is an invitation to spend time with God. On Christmas morning as you watch kids eagerly unwrap presents that you left beneath the tree enjoy the moment and remember that your Father has also set up a tree, the tree of life, and has left presence there with your name on it. Go on -open it! Delight in his kindness and generosity and as you do you may just hear the delighted laughter of Daddy enjoying being with his Kids. Have a great Christmas!

Nailing our Colours to the Mast.

Colours can define us, divide us or decide us. I grew up in a time and a nation that was defined by colours. Your colour determined your options, your status and your destiny. I also had a father who at times would wax on lyrical about Colours. Not skin colour or pigmentation but the Colours. To fully appreciate what he was speaking of you need to understand that my father was an old soldier and the last of the great Victorians, a man who was in love with an England that no longer existed, if it ever existed at all, the heroic England that from her small soggy island had once dominated the world map with Red. When he spoke of colours, it was THE colours that moved him, England's colours or the regimental colours.

He would regale me as a child with stories, and more often than not poetry, of gallant heroes who rallied to the colours and with deeds of desperate heroism and would save the day. It is little wonder then that I have to this day a love of naval stories and in many of these tales you get insight into idioms from a bygone era when navies determined the destinies of nations.

Two of these are "Nailing the colours to the Mast" and "Showing your true Colours". In naval warfare of the Napoleonic era during a battle if a captain wished to capitulate or surrender he would "strike his colours" or lower the flag of his navy or his vessel signaling his defeat. Sometimes however a determined captain would take hammer and nails and permanently fasten his colours to the mast in full view of his crew and the enemy as a sign that he would never surrender and would rather fight to the death. Dramatic stuff!

The other idiom referred to a practice of deceiving your enemy by flying false colours, perhaps of a friendly or neutral nation, in order to get close enough to engage him and then at the last moment of hauling up the vessels true colours for the battle.

We too fly a set of colours as we fight the battles of our lives and there is nothing like a little gunfire and smoke to make a man's true colours surface. Those colours may define us, determine our destiny, and limit our options. I was thinking about this late last week as we returned from a frightening scan in Port Elizabeth where the obstetrician had given us bad news and some unpleasant statistics about the unborn child that is in Debbie's womb. As I waited, praying I sensed God saying to me "Hold the course Son, hold the course" That got me thinking in Naval terms, and on reflection I decided that it was time to nail my colours to the mast.

What are those colours? That God is Good! He is a good God, he is completely good, he is good all the time and he is good to me. I am nailing those colours to the mast, no matter what! It seems to me that Satan's primary aim is to get us to capitulate from this simple truth, that every temptation to step away from faith in God and his providence is not just a call to disbelieve in his existence but to doubt the nature of his existence. As it says in Hebrews 11:6
"without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
In Eden Satan never challenged God's existence, indeed he implicitly affirmed it, he merely questioned his motives and his goodness by implying that God was denying man something good. He questioned the nature of that existence, he questioned God's goodness. The first step away from faith is stepping away from our belef in God's goodness. Eve struck her colours when she believed that God was less than good.

Many believers today are afloat under a false set of colours, they fly the colours affirming the goodness of God but once confronted with Satanic warfare of fear, intimidation and things we do not understand we are quick to strike our colours and to fly colours of a theology that questions God's goodness or his motives. As a result our prayers are often half hearted and double minded, and consequently powerless. The time has come for a generation who will nail their colours to the mast and say "God is Good!"

Does this mean that we will never have questions again? Of course not, but if we will allow his self revelation to be greater than our questions we will find the strength to face the broadsides of life and not surrender.

How has he revealed his Colours? 2000 years ago, he literally nailed them to the mast when the red banner of the love of God flowed from the outstretched arms of Jesus giving the lie to the enemy's contention that God would hold anything good back from our lives. As Paul wrote in his blog ;) to the Romans

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? "

In the cross we see the goodness and love of God. Jesus, so in love with you and I, that he took on himself the sorrows, sins and sicknesses of lost and alienated humanity so that we could once again have access to all that He is and the abundance of his heavenly kingdom. The ultimate act of kindness and goodness!

He nailed his colours to the mast for you, have we nailed our colours to the mast for Him?

Fighting Fire with Fire

Revival is here, it is unstoppable! Across the city of East London, and across South Africa we have begun to hear stories of God visiting his people in a new and fresh way. It is not just in one church or stream, there is no one church that can claim a monopoly, in fact the greatest stories appear to be coming from ordinary Christians, not the famous pulpit personalities of our day. It is "The day of the Saints" and the pace is accelerating.

Almost exactly two years ago Alice, my God-daughter, lay in hospital fighting for her life. The doctors feared the worst and began to prepare her parents. They believed that at best Alice would survive disabled for life no one had ever completely recovered from this disease however they realised they were losing the battle for her life. This beautiful, vivacious fourteen year old was lying in bed, she couldn't move below her chest, she could no longer swallow more than a little water and was unconscious most of the time. The grim faces of the doctors inspired little hope.Colin-one of our leaders, Victoria-Alice's mother, and I gathered around her bed and laid hands on her praying for a miracle. As soon as we did something changed, a tangible presence filled the atmosphere, it felt like someone else had entered the room. The Score changed! I heard myself say to her mother "Alice is healed, she just needs to recover!" Only later would I realise how accurate those words were. Doctors were able to trace the course of the disease in her body and found that in the nick of time, amazingly, the virus had died right across her body. It had been searing it's way up and through her spinal column and if it had gone a little higher it would have shut down her heart, if it had burned through a little more it would have severed her spinal cord leaving her paralyzed, as it was it just suddenly died! Later her father asked the docs when it had halted. Some time on Thursday afternoon came the reply. We had prayed at 2 o'clock. Over the next few weeks and months, displaying great courage, Alice fought her way back from the brink of death. months later her father sat with one of her doctors who remarked "We call Alice our miracle child" her father replied "I know she is a miracle, but why do you say so?" "Because no one that we know of has ever recovered completely from this disease, one third of patients die, one third are severely disabled and the rest have at least partial handicaps for life. Alice is a miracle! "

To mark the anniversary of her miracle the young woman who was not supposed to walk again just completed a gruelling 18 day trip hiking, canoeing and cycling down the fish river. Not bad for a girl who was never going to walk again!
Since that first break through we have seen hundreds of healings ranging from headaches and back pain healed to deaf ears opened,legs growing out, blood diseases disappearing. Not only that but the manifest presence of God has been increasing in our services and in our "soaking" services that we had grown used to seeing the strangest things. People staggering as if drunk, a room full of people laughing, shaking, crying, rolling and even dancing as they encounter God in a tangible way. Last week one of our pastors had to be driven home after church she was so overcome by God's presence, she was literally drunk on his love. People have seen visions of angels, had gold dust appear on them, people have been saved, restored, empowered and encouraged. Across South Africa testimonies are increasing of miracles signs and wonders.

Next week we are holding our supernatural family week, a conference designed to "Raise a generation of Superheroes" We aim to teach children how to live in encounter with God, to prophesy, to heal the sick and to do signs and wonders. It is going to be explosive. The angels are gathering in East London for the release of wildfire.
This is what I meditate on as personally my wife and I face one of the greatest trials of our lives. It seems from scans that the baby we are expecting shows signs that seem to indicate that there is a high risk of some sort of "chromosomal abnormality" -something like Downs syndrome. God is birthing something new in South Africa, and he is raising children to do it, the enemy wants to kill or twist what God is birthing. So I am listening for his voice...and I hear him in the silence saying "Hold the course , Son! Hold the course!"

So as we believe for your kids, please be praying for my little one, because this is what I believe;

Is 61v9
My offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.