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- Far more than a course
Paul Blackham, Leader of the Farm Fellowship, Tarlton, linked to Bretherton and Croston (Blackburn), writes:
'One of my favourite verses in the whole Bible is Acts 2:46-47 (NIV): "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God."
'This is such a profound insight into the kind of lifestyle and spirituality that led to the incredible revolution that turned the world upside down. The features that always strike me are "every day"; "together" and "with glad and sincere hearts, praising God".
'The desperate need of our age is for the authentic discipleship that covers the whole of life, every day of the week. We need to be following Jesus together, encouraging and sharing every day. It is this shared pilgrimage of learning and serving that awakens in me a joyful heart of sincere praise. This is why I have enjoyed Foundations21 so much.
'Foundations21 is far more than a course. There are all kinds of discipleship courses available, many of which are very helpful. However, Foundations21 is far more than that. It is an experience of following Jesus every day in fellowship with all kinds of other people.
'When I get up in the morning, I can log on to Foundations21 and receive input, inspiration, meditation and community. As a minister it is so refreshing to receive spiritual food that gives me a chance to recharge and refresh. Many days I simply follow the daily scripture study, pray about the highlighted area of the world and see what people are sharing in the forums.
'When I am struggling to find inspiration or just finding it hard to get going, knowing that I'm sharing the journey with others, who feel the same or have been through the same, changes my day.
'In Foundations21 you don't get forced into a style of study or discipleship that isn't right for you. When you begin you find out what kind of person you are, your journey reflects that.
'I have done some sections more than once, when I wanted to reflect more deeply on something I did earlier on the journey.
'No matter how isolated any of us may feel where we live and work, we can log on to Foundations21 and feel part of the Christian family. Sharing the journey with others gives confidence and encouragement.
'Having registered All Souls with Foundations21, I can now invite members of the church family to share this community. That way as I go through a mentoring process with them physically in central London, we can also keep in touch in a structured way through the Foundations21 experience.'
The Revd Dr Paul Blackham
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