The Mike Rimmer Internship

…Ok, so It’s not as big as an Internship with the BBC or Guardian Media or one of those big corporations but it’s still a great experience and what i’ve decided to call it. People ask me “What do you do?”, especially as i’m new in Birmingham so i think from now on my elevator pitch will be “i’m a Journalist and Broadcaster on the Mike Rimmer internship. I’m his sidekick on Cross Rhythms Radio in Stoke, edit some of his other shows and write features and music reviews.”

I’ve been doing this job now for almost three weeks and it’s been great, not just to learn the practical stuff and get a kick up the back side with my writing skills but hearing all the stories from a man who has working in the media for 25 years, has been presenting Rimmerama for ten years and travelling to Gospel Music Week In Nashville, every year for 10 years too. I’ve been so inspired and often excited at the prospect of where I could be at the same stage in my career in 20,30 or even 40 years time!

Revival analysis

Many Christians on the streets across Britain and no doubt around the world have been talking about the Florida Outpouring and its ripple effects with similar things happening in Dudley in the last few months. I have been wanting to put my view across about these extraordinary events for a few weeks, but i believe It’s not right to make a judgement about such a big subject without having the indepth knowledge to back it up. I don’t simply want to tell you i think that it’s biblical or celebrity preaching or a cult or any other explanations i’ve heard in the last few weeks without knowing why. So without any specialist Theological degree just a bible and an interest in research I will be taking a look at the subject of Revival, what it means and how it compares to the events that are taking place at the moment.

The simple question to ask first of all would be what is Revival? These are some definitions from from Dictionary.com which may apply to the outpourings in Florida and Dudley

1.	Restoration to life, consciousness, vigor, strength, etc.

It’s claimed hundreds of people are being healed and upto 20 people connected to the Outpouring have been claimed to have been raised from the dead at the Flordia Outpouring that is being shown on God TV. Although we don’t see each one independantly verified by a qualified Doctor this has to be something out of the ordinary and something this to me consitutes restoration to life, vigour or strentgh

2.	An awakening, in a church or community, of interest in and care for matters relating to personal religion.

Much of the church has clearly woken up to what is going on. In many Charasmatic church’s i hear about leaders who have been to Florida or Dudley to receieve some of the outpouring that is taking place and taking it back to their church’s and starting similar events, because people are seeing and hearing about what is happening and want it for themselves. But the big question many people are asking and is if these events are part of a new revival then why aren’t we seeing out communities affected as in the definition ‘An awakening in Community of interest in and care for matters of personal religion’. Although this is a valied point in considering whether we’re in an age of revival surely revival takes a while to spread to the streets and it takes people like Christians in the media and evangelists to do the work.

3.	An evangelistic service or a series of services for the purpose of effecting a religious awakening: to hold a revival.

 The outpouring meetings that have been shown on God TV so far, have been far from evangelistic in my view. But i also think there is a place for what we have been seeing. The hundreds of healings that have been taking place are causing an awakening of the church around the world and i believe it is only a matter of time before mass evangelism follows.

.4	The act of reviving.

 As i’ve pointed out above, it seems that the current outpouring’s have revived some Christians and some church’s around the country and around the world. But are they reviving our communities? -This has to be the ultimate aim.

 In my next blog in this series i’ll start to look at biblical revival’s