PADDY MCCOY

FOCUS TEXT
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake." Matthew 24:9 ESV
RECALIBRATE

1.  Are we seeing the persecution in our world referenced in this verse, or is this just the warm-up to something much bigger?

2.  Jesus seemed to understand social justice in a way that Christianity doesn’t represent well today.  How do we change this reality?

3.  Why does persecution have to be a part of being a Jesus follower?

SHARE

verb
1. have a portion of (something) with another or others.

What are we focussed on, that’s not Jesus?

WATCH // Martin Luther King Jr's Love Your Enemies Speech 
Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, on November 17, 1957.
MUSIC // Jeremy Riddle — 'All Hail King Jesus'
MUSIC // Cory Asbury — 'Reckless Love'
MUSIC // Hillsong Worship — 'King of Kings'
WATCH // Florence Nightingale: A Holy Troublemaker and Unconventional Saint
STORYTIME // The MONSTER at the end of this Book
So often we are our own worst enemies. We are so focussed on what we are afraid of we are missing the wonder of the moment we are in.
Paddy says keep our focus so fixed on Jesus that our response reflects his.

What would our day look like, our week look like, our life feel like, if we let go of fear and fixed our focus on Jesus?
WATCH // Why Do Starlings Flock in Murmurations?
What is a murmuration? Watch this mesmerising video to find out.

Imagine if we moved together in love. Imagine if we moved in a way that protected each other because we were together. What would that look like?
MUSIC // Mother Teresa Hymn — 'Come be my light'
ART // Viewfinder by Joel Adler
Towards the end of his message, Paddy talks about looking away from other things and looking back to Jesus, and being so focused on him that our response mirrors him. Look at this clever artwork by Joel Adler and consider how reflections work, what we choose to see and focus on, and the value of perspectives and differences between limited and expanded views. There are some great images of the work, and also a brief interview with the artist that really got me thinking about the views we choose.

ART // Daniel Rozin, Artist and Professor
Consider the artwork of Daniel Rozin to think more about reflections, what we reflect and the process of reflection, and the intentionality of reflection, as well as our necessary participation in creating and responding to reflections.

MAKE

verb
1. form (something) by putting parts together or combining substances; create.
2. cause (something) to exist or come about; bring about.
MAKE // A Mini Gethsemane
Paddy describes the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane- a scene that I have always found fascinating,strange, and beautiful all at once. A place of prayer, endurance, conflict, and gentleness. Have you ever seen those mini gardens that people make? Sometimes they are themed, like a fairy garden or a Japanese garden or even a medieval style garden.  I’ve seen mini Resurrection gardens, but I haven’t seen a mini garden of Gethsemane. Consider making a mini garden, to contemplate and remember Jesus experiences and his response, and to use as a prompt for prayer, meditation and discussion with your family. You could do a google search of images of the garden of Gethsemane for landscape inspiration, or watch one of these videos for some ideas to get started 
Why not plan an outing to a garden to pray, and read the story in Matthew 26 and Mark 14. If you are able, visit a Botanic Garden, or some other decorative gardens and find a place to sit and read these passages.

TRY

verb
1. make an attempt or effort to do something. Use, test, or do (something new or different) in order to see if it is suitable, effective, or pleasant.

“The devil doesn't care what you are focussed on as long as it's not Jesus.”

TRY // A Staring Competition
Try starting a  staring competition with someone. Who is the first to blink or get distracted? Focussing on Jesus is so much more than just looking or listening. Focussing on Jesus, really seeing Jesus and being seen by him will change how we see the world and everyone in it. This is why the Devil does not want us to see or know how much Jesus loves us.He will throw everything at us to get in the way of our relationship with Jesus.
“ So what are we focussed on that is not Jesus?” 
Put that aside and focus on his love so that our response reflects his.
TRY // Find your reflection.
Try finding your reflection in a variety of surfaces.
What works for you?
Watch this clip of Simba from The Lion King.
 Know that you are made in your Heavenly Father's image and he will never leave you. Never forget that you are a child of the King. Remember who you are, who loves you and what you are born to be. A child of the King proclaiming his name.

PLAY

verb
1. engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation
PLAY // Tennis, Table Tennis or Volleyball

WATCH // Isner's record 113 aces against Mahut
Have you ever played a game like this, where someone was so much better than you that you didn't even get a chance to get in the game? Even the video is boring. Jesus doesn't play like this. Jesus invites us to play along with him, not so he can beat us, so we can get better and better at returning the ball. So we can be better players. Tennis analogy over. (Not Yet)  Hit back in love people! Serve with the spirit and rally your relationships to keep each other in the game. Play like Jesus. Love all.