irwinVision

New Site

2011-10-29T09:04:00.000-04:00

I've moved my blog to Wordpress, and it can be found using the same address: irwinvision.com

British Radio Oddities

2011-08-31T07:34:00.000-04:00

As I fall asleep or am wide awake in the early hours (as I've been lately) I usually occupy myself by listening to the radio, specifically BBC Radio 4 or Radio Scotland. There's many things to like about Radio 4, which can be likened to NPR in the States. The programs range from straight news and documentaries to quiz shows and dramas.

Then there are some distinctly British features, which harken from the early days. Here are a few I encounter:

Top of the Hour: The news is always preceded by five electronic beeps ("The Pips") to indicate top of the hour. At midnight, the beeps are replaced by the bells of Big Ben, relayed live!

Bells on Sunday: "The sound of church bells ringing on Sunday from around the country" It's a different church each Sunday, and the number of bells and various technical details (weight and key) are given before they play. It all sounds like cacophony to my ears.

Today in Parliament: When Parliament is in session, there is a roundup of sound bites (along with the narration of a news reader) of all the action in the House of Commons or Lords. At first, I found it very boring since I wasn't 'into' the political news here. It's definitely grown on me, and I especially like the back-and-forth debates and name-calling that passes for political discourse. The rhetoric is smarter than that of US Congressional debates.

The Shipping Forecast: Now this will put you to sleep, if nothing else will. I'm sure this is helpful for many, as this is an island nation. First, they divide the surrounding ocean into 31 different sections with special names, like 'Viking', 'Dogger', and 'Rockall'. Then the forecast is listed for categories of Wind, Sea State, Weather, and Visibility.

But, because you would be in the 'know' as a sailor, they don't say "The Wind is 50 MPH". Instead, it's just "Northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, decreasing 3 at times later." So I've come to learn that these are 'Force' numbers and correspond to levels of wind. Sea State would be plainly reported as, "Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate." Add this up for all 31 sea areas, read by a monotone news reader, and you've got a sleep-inducing miracle.

Prayer of the Day: This is early in the morning, included as part of the news program - time of 'reflection and prayer.' A religious leader says a short homily, then a 10 second 'prayer' to whatever god they serve. If you're lucky enough to get a Christian, they may not even mention Jesus' name. Usually, it makes my mind boil enough to get me out of bed.

For a more comprehensive description of Radio 4, check out this link.

Independence

2011-07-04T12:31:00.000-04:00

I'm in Ohio now for the next few weeks after attending a church planting conference in Dallas led by David Watson. It was very interesting, but it's been difficult to sort through what information is really helpful.

David Watson is one of the most prolific church planters with over 250,000 churches started through his organization. What he calls a 'church' is not what we usually think. They start as a small group of unbelieving, but interested, people (3-8). Over time, they read the Bible together and start to discover who God is and what He requires. Eventually they start to resemble the following definition:

"A church is a group of baptized believers in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who meet regularly to worship, nurture, and fellowship; they depart those gatherings endeavoring to obey all the commands of Christ in order to transform families, communities and nations."

How to start one of these groups is simple in theory, but in practice, somewhat complicated. You find someone that God is already moving in, creating a hunger to know more about God (this is a 'person of peace'). Then, you, as a leader, pour all your energy into this person and get them to invite their friends into a 'discovery' group. You yourself don't lead anyone in the group, only locals lead. The only teacher is scripture.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, this method has led to reproducing and multiplying churches all over the under-developed world. It works best when people don't already have preconceived notions of what a church is or who a Christian is.

Can this work in Europe? It becomes more difficult when the church has an existing or historical influence in culture, because a lot of times the church has given us a definition of 'Christian' which is not Biblical. In postmodern, urban settings, the family isn't as important and 'affinity networks' are not as large. You might find people who like the same thing gathering in groups of 3-5, and they don't live anywhere near each other.

That makes it difficult to start a church using these methods. But maybe it can be done, and while relying on God through lots of prayer, maybe I'll see it happen.

Comments

2011-05-26T06:19:00.000-04:00

I've been getting too much spam in my comments, so I've had to limit comments to registered Blogger users (or it might work if you have a Google account). Please comment away!

Prayer walking

2011-05-19T17:16:00.002-04:00

For a while, I've been wanting to see new churches started in a simple, low-intensity way. Some people call it 'organic'. It's meeting someone in the neighbourhood who is open to God and is influential in their community/tribe. Once they believe the gospel, it's natural that they start telling others and inviting people to their home. That's church.

I'm not a church planter. I have no training, nor do I have the exothermic personality. But I want to see this happen! So, it has to be ALL God's doing. I've been given more freedom on my team to investigate what this looks like.

If God's leading this, much time needs to be spent in prayer. I took some risks on what I thought I 'heard' in prayer and went prayer walking where I thought God might be leading me. I didn't meet anyone. Nothing spectacular happened. That's not surprising, but I have to push through the discouragement and keep open.

In June, Brian, Scott and I are attending a CRM conference on Church Planting Movements (CPM is what happens when organic churches multiply and change thousands, as in Asia). I hope to take what I've tried and see if this training will refine and redirect me if necessary.

Baptisms

2011-05-19T17:13:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday we had a record 9 baptisms split over two services! Some were long-timers who felt that it was time to do it, others were relative newcomers who only started believing in Christ a short time ago. I always love hearing the testimonies.

First Sunday

2011-04-26T13:40:00.004-04:00

Remembering the resurrection in our new building was fantastic! There were so many people that we had to put some in the balcony. Singing and worshiping in the smaller space was great. It really felt like God was there with us. There were some rough spots due to it being our first time, but overall they didn't distract from the excitement.

Please visit Brian's blog for more photos and descriptions.

Revitalized

2011-04-16T16:47:00.003-04:00

Here's some new pics of the result of our efforts this week:

The older children's hall-

The wood flooring in the hallway-

The final A/V set up with screens-

The 'creche' and toddler's area-

Work Week

2011-04-12T15:45:00.004-04:00

We're in the middle of 'work week' at the new building. The main activity is lots and lots of painting. So far, we've primed everything and gotten a first coat on about half of the space. The biggest room is the kids room upstairs. For that we had to hire some moveable scaffolding to reach the ceiling.

I've never had to edge and roll so much paint! My body aches, and I'm not even working as hard as some. Maybe that's because I'm older than everyone! In addition to the painting, all the flooring is up and the chairs (150) have arrived. The sound guys were installing our projectors and screens today, also. Thursday is the big day for laminate floors (hallway) and carpets (kids rooms).

New Building

2011-03-31T17:46:00.010-04:00

We own a building! Go to Brian's blog for the day in pictures, but here are a few that I took.

1)Advertising for the Holiday Club/VBS we're hosting next week.
2)People gather for the praise and prayer time tonight
3)Brian prepares us for prayer
4 & 5)Celebration time after

Building Update

2011-03-21T17:57:00.002-04:00

Ten days to go before we get keys, and I think we're almost ready. Utilities are set up. Insurance is online. Chairs were ordered. Sound installation guys have measured and ordered the equipment. There's definitely a lot going on during team meetings. And we've finally got a budget that is being tracked so that we spend wisely. What's funny is that we've got a big event using the building even before we do any work. The first week of April we're having a Holiday Club (VBS) with the help of a team from Michigan. This will be a first for us, so please be praying God intervenes.

New Building

2011-02-23T10:19:00.003-05:00

We're just about through the purchasing process for the new building, and we hope to have our first service on Easter, April 24. Then in June, we'll have a 'grand opening' to the public during the summer festival here in the west end. The building needs lots of work in a few areas, specifically the children's rooms, so March and early April will be busy. It's proving quite challenging to budget the money appropriately - it's going fast!

In Person

2011-01-08T20:47:00.002-05:00

Time in Virginia and Ohio has been short but essential. It's amazing what can change in 18 months and how encouraging the verbalizing of understood (but unspoken) support is. It's important to re-align myself with the state of affairs of my home churches. I need to remember what trials and joys they are going through and how my story fits in with theirs. I need to remember how they are a part of God's growing kingdom in my hometowns. I am also reminded of from where I came.

There's nothing like meeting supporters in person. Skype is great, but rare. Email is frequent, but can sometimes be one-sided. I can share photos and videos online, but it's hard to know who's seen them. So, when I meet with friends, it's so nice to be able to get 1st-hand reactions from the photos and stories I show and tell. I'm also reminded of how many people are praying for me and encouraged by what God's doing in Scotland.

It's fun to once again enjoy lake effect snow, Cracker Barrel pancakes, perfectly smooth roads and mottled, bumpy roads, driving everywhere, talk radio, favorite radio stations, Christian music on the radio, aisles of my favorite food in the grocery store, cheap clothes, and more.

It's time to return to Glasgow in a few days. Much awaits because God hasn't stopped moving.

Mission Response

2010-11-09T08:06:00.002-05:00

I volunteer at the Glasgow City Mission one night a week. It's a drop-in center for the homeless, disaffected, down-and-out people who have either chosen that lifestyle or are the result of years of abuse and neglect. Well, it's not only them, there's a good mix of people from asylum seekers to retirees/pensioners who are lonely to the mentally ill.

Every night after serving food, there's a time for a short Bible message. I volunteer to do it about once a month. It's hard sometimes to convey the gospel in a way that's appropriate for that audience. Most of the people have left by the time the message comes around, so it can be as little as five to twenty people who hear.

Last week I wanted to speak on becoming free from the enslavement to sin. It's something that our church has been talking about a lot, especially at the retreat. We've been believing that God can free us from our past hurts and sins, if we are willing to forgive and repent. Also, in the spirit of our church services, I wanted to directly invite people to come forward if they wanted prayer. I asked Ewan, the project manager if it was okay first.

When I spoke, it went much better than I had expected. I felt confident that I was saying the right thing. I asked people if they ever felt trapped doing something they knew was wrong and didn't want to do but could not stop doing it. The message was that God could free them from those things, but they first needed to let Him free them from the guilt of sin. Only with sin dealt with could His mercy work on the enslavement issues.

At the end, I asked for anyone to come forward who wanted freedom, who wanted prayer for these things. Surprisingly, four people came up. Ewan started praying for them at the table. One wanted to repent from sin. Another wanted prayer to be free from his drug addiction. One was an Iranian asylum seeker who, apparently, received Christ that night! It's hard for me to tell because His English is poor, but I'm willing to believe. It's pretty cool.

For years we've been praying for an awakening to happen in Glasgow. Just in the last few months, God's been restoring our church team and church, there has been repentance in the Christian Union meetings on campus, and now this. I know this is a limited sample, but is it too early to say that it seems like something is happening?

Prayer Revival

2010-10-19T08:42:00.000-04:00

The 1857 PRAYER REVIVAL in AMERICA
-extracts by Wesley Duewal.

A quiet, zealous forty-six-year-old businessman in New York was
appointed on July 1,1857 , as a missionary in downtown New York
at the Dutch Church. Jeremiah Lamphier had been converted in
1842 in Broadway Tabernacle, Finney's church that was built in 1836.

Lamphier felt led by God to start a noon-time weekly prayer meeting
in which business people could meet for prayer. Anyone could
attend, for a few minutes or for the entire hour. Prayers were to
be comparatively brief. Lamphier's group met on the third floor of
the old North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York.
Lamphier printed some handbills announcing the prayer meetings
with the title, "How Often Should I Pray?"

The first day, September 23, 1857, Lamphier prayed alone for half
an hour. But by the end of the hour, six men from at least four
denominational backgrounds joined him. The next Wednesday
there were twenty. On October 7 there were nearly forty. The
meeting was so blessed that they decided to meet daily. One
week later there were over one hundred present, including many
unsaved who were convicted by the Holy Spirit of their sin.

Within one month pastors who had attended the noon prayer
meetings in Fulton Street started morning prayer meetings in
their own churches. Soon the places where the meetings were
held were overcrowded. Men and women, young and old of all
denominations met and prayed together without distinctions. The
meetings abounded with love for Christ, love for fellow Christians,
love for prayer, and love of witnessing. Those in attendance felt
an awesome sense of God's presence. They prayed for specific
people, expected answers, and obtained answers.

Newspapers began to report on the meetings and the unusual spirit
of prayer that was evident. Within three months similar meetings
had sprung up across America. Thousands began praying in these
services and in their own homes.... By the end of March over six
thousand people met daily in prayer gatherings in New York City.

Meetings began in February in Philadelphia. Soon Jayne's Hall
was overfilled, and meetings were held at noon each day in public
halls, concert halls, fire stations, houses, and tents. The whole
city exuded a spirit of prayer.

Almost simultaneously noon prayer meetings sprang up all across
America in Boston, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond,
Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, New Orleans, Vicksburg, Memphis,
St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, and in a multitude of
other cities, towns, and in rural areas. By the end of the fourth
month, prayer fervor burned intensely across the nation. It was an
awesome but glorious demonstration of the sovereign working of
the Holy Spirit and the eager obedience of God's people.

INVISIBLE CLOUD of GOD'S PRESENCE

A canopy of holy and awesome revival influence - in reality the
presence of the Holy Spirit - seemed to hang like an invisible cloud
over many parts of the United States, especially over the eastern
seaboard. At times this cloud of God's presence even seemed to
extend out to sea. Those on ships approaching the east coast at
times felt a solemn, holy influence, even one hundred miles away,
without even knowing what was happening in America.

Revival began aboard one ship before it reached the coast. People
on board began to feel the presence of God and a sense of their
own sinfulness. The Holy Spirit convicted them, and they began
to pray. As the ship neared the harbor, the captain signaled,
"Send a minister." Another small commercial ship arrived in port
with the captain, and every member of the crew converted in the
last 150 miles. Ship after ship arrived with the same story: both
passengers and crew were suddenly convicted of sin and turned
to Christ before they reached the American coast.

HOMES, SHOPS, FIELDS and CHURCHES

Reports came in of hundreds being converted in prayer meetings,
private homes, workshops, and fields. Often the doors of businesses
held signs reading, "Closed, will reopen at the close of the prayer
meeting." Five prayer meetings took place daily in Washington,
D.C. Five thousand or so attended daily services in the Academy
of Music Hall.

In Philadelphia, Jayne's Hall removed partitions and added space
for six thousand people to attend daily meetings.... The services
consisted of simple prayer, confession, exhortation, and singing.
But it was "so earnest, so solemn, the silence. ..so awful, the
singing. ..so over-powering" that the meetings were unforgettable.
A canvas tent was erected for outdoor meetings, and it immediately
filled with people. In four months' time, a total of 150,000 people
attended the ministry in the tent, with many conversions..... the
best estimates are that 6.6 percent of the entire population of the
United States was converted during the revival.

-SOURCE - Wesley Duewal's book "Revival Fire" from Zondervan
Publishing House.

Yellin'

2010-10-09T09:59:00.003-04:00

Certain Glaswegians like to yell in public. It seems to be an acceptable way of communicating on the streets. They'll just be carrying on a normal converstation, except that everyone can hear it.

So when I hear yelling, I tend to ignore it. One day last week as I was walking to the office, I heard someone yelling at another person. I was tempted to look and see if it was for me, but because of his drunken incoherence, I make the conclusion that it wasn't.

A few minutes after I arrived, the secretary called up and said there was someone downstairs to see me. Huh? I thought, 'Who could it be, is it that guy who was yelling at me?' Turns out it was. A guy who'd been to Re:Hope a few years ago, but who fell off the wagon and has been in a bad state since. I run into him a few times a year.

He wanted to see me. He was upset, and he talked about how bad his life was, how all the churches around were corrupt, and a bunch of other incoherent stuff. Everytime I see him I tell him he needs to stop running from God and turn around.

I asked him if he would like me to pray for him. After thinking about it, he said agreed. So I put my hand on his shoulder and prayed a simple blessing for peace on him and asked God to help straighten out his life. This is something I am practicing and learning about. Praying and expecting God to do something.

God did do something because after the prayer, this guy said that he felt something. That the Lord was there. His demeanor was a little more peaceful than before. He thanked me for praying for him, and said he would try to come visit church. I'm encouraged as well to see God move in someone for whom I've prayed. Praise God for intervening in broken lives!

I think I need to start paying better attention to things that happen on the street, yellin' included.

Loch Baptism

2010-09-12T07:30:00.003-04:00

One of the great things about having a church in Scotland is being able to baptise people in a loch, if they want to. A week ago, a large chunk of the church went up to Balmaha to baptise Mike and Laura as well as to have a cookout. I love being able to make a public display of faith commitments. Other groups on the beach were trying to figure out what we were doing. I can just imagine, "What is he doing...oh no! He's holding her under the water, quick call the police!"

Changing Soil

2010-08-16T06:28:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, six of us met to experiment with some different ways of evangelism. It was more like loving people with kindness. The idea was to go to the park in the morning, when most churches are meeting, and hold up signs. One was for 'Free Hugs', another was 'Will Listen', another person handed out flowers to people say that God love them. Yes, it was very uncomfortable for me, but there were a few encounters that came out of it. One man asked if we could pray for his hand. Two other women were delighted for a hug or a flower and asked for prayer about specific situations. Laura was able to slip in a mini gospel presentation in her prayer for the woman.

I like what David, one of our team, said about the purpose of this. He said it's like changing the soil of Glasgow. Maybe it's one way God prepares people to hear the Gospel - a pre-evangelism. We pray that these several people might be more receptive to hearing the Gospel after their encounters with us.

Berry Picking

2010-08-09T16:56:00.002-04:00

Berry picking is one of my favorite summer things to do. I miss picking blueberries in Massachusetts the most. So, I was excited to having the chance to pick raspberries with the Ingrahams and the Roundhills at my first pick-your-own farm in Scotland. This one was near the Glasgow airport, near as in practically-on-the-runway-near. There were huge jets taking off about 1/4 mile away.

I've never picked raspberries before. They fall apart easily and get squished. I paid £5.50 for 1.5 kg and will use them mostly on cereal and ice cream. Actually, some of the berries were so squished when I got home that I decided to make some raspberry sauce for ice cream. I've made strawberry sauce before, we'll see how this works out.

Glasgow Warship

2010-08-05T09:56:00.003-04:00

I found a great documentary/behind-the-scenes video on the new Type 45 Royal Navy Destroyer, Daring. For a long time, I've wanted to know what goes into making these ships which I can see right across the river from my apartment. It's quite incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LRWsBbgv74

CRM Conference

2010-08-05T09:22:00.005-04:00

The warm, sticky weather was a nice change from normal, but the best part of the week in Malaysia at CRM's World Conference was the experience of seeing God move in so many people, especially my team. I was surprised at the availabilty and opportunity for significant prayer. We saw so many breakthroughs, and that was encouraging. It reminds that God is with us. God reminds us that He loves us. My hopes are high for what God will do in Re:Hope through us.

While I didn't have super significant prayer times, I was prayed for and some words of encouragement came up. I couldn't make out what they meant at the time, but I'll hold on to them and ponder.

The theme of the week was "Leadership in Word, Power, and Deed", a really comprehensive way at looking at how we live as Christian leaders. I think this could be the theme each year and we would not run out of stories to tell. They produced a few good videos for the conference (can be found here)and a nice end-of-week roundup of photos below:

Actively Missional

2010-07-12T08:38:00.002-04:00

Wade has been preaching a series through James this summer. Yesterday, in Chapter 2, we looked at the command to 'show no partiality'. Sometimes it's easy to partiality and not even know it. Sure, we may not show preference to a rich person just because he has money, but do we fear him more than someone that is 'lower' than us? When it comes to sharing the gospel, it can be easier sometimes to look a little foolish in preaching to someone whose opinion we don't respect very much (someone begging on the street). When it comes to being a little foolish for Christ in front of someone we respect, that's a different story.

The one specific challenge from the sermon was to 'tell 500 people you want to pray for them...tonight'. We were going to pray for our neighbourhood. A group of about 30 of us took stamped envelopes with prayer cards in them. We were to knock on doors, introduce ourselves, and ask if they wanted prayer. If not, we'd leave a card. Or if they weren't home, leave one in the mail slot. Then people can write requests and post them in to us.

My group ended up with four buildings. Not many were home, and those that were, were not interested in real-time prayer, but two took the cards. It was definitely a challenging act, but it was good practice. When we all got back to church, it seemed like everyone enjoyed it and wanted to do it again.

Was it effective? Who knows. We're hoping we'll get some requests in our box, but if not, maybe God will use it in some small way to soften hearts.

Graduation

2010-07-04T07:03:00.005-04:00

Dan graduated from Trinity School of Theolgy (formerly Wales Bible College) this weekend. Three years ago he left Re:Hope after being with us for 1 1/2 years. Dan wanted to follow in the footsteps of Rees Howells, a man of prayer and faith. It's no small indication of Dan's success in that he arrived in Swansea with only £80 and has had all his fees covered, without debt. God did provide.

Dan is one of our '1000' leaders which we pray we send out from our church. Leaders who will be used of Christ to change the this country or wherever they go. The town of Rugby, current location of the college, will have Dan to reckon with over the near future. He was sharing with me some of his secret strategy; all I can say is 'watch out!'

Summer

2010-06-27T05:40:00.002-04:00

Brian and Kellie are gone. Mike and Jaelyn are gone. Half the students are away. Summertime at Re:Hope. Yet, even still, there are plenty of people on Sundays. More and more are sticking around in the summer. We've got a couple of mission teams going out and many other individuals.

What I really hope and pray is that these months will be a time for it to be evident that it's God who is doing the work, not us. I'm praying that instead of plateau-ing, we would be increasing and moving forward. Move God!

2010-06-07T16:13:00.003-04:00

Our 'share' time at Re:Hope is usually my favourite part of the service. It's essentially open-mic time for people to respond to what God is doing in them. Last night there were two (out of 5!) which were of particular interest to me. Two people shared stories of utmost dependence on God in the midst of crises, to which there were specific answers to their prayer. I am seeing more and more how God delights in getting the most glory when we're brought to the place of crisis, and we trust Him.

Our staff has been reading George Muller's biography, which is an example of a life lived totally on this principle. "If there were no crises and critical emergencies, how could there be critical deliverances?" That's why these two shares have really affected me. This is happening in our church! I'm led to look at my own life and ask if look at crises as things to be feared or anticipated so that God shows Himself great, amazing and faithful?

Man of Peace

2010-05-13T10:05:00.002-04:00

I've always wondered what Jesus meant by the phrase 'man of peace' when giving instructions to the disciples before sending them out. The historical background note is helpful:

MAKING YOUR PRESENCE KNOWN Luke 10:5-6

"Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace {be} to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.”

When you enter a house say: “Peace to this house; If a many of peace is there, you will know”

Historical background note: To really understand what is happening in this passage, it helps to understand the historical setting. Typically, in Jesus’ time, there were no hotels in which strangers could stay when they came to a town or village. A common practice was for someone in the town to show hospitality to a stranger and invite him to stay in his home.

God taught His people to take care of the stranger who comes to his town. (See Genesis 19:1-3; Job 31:32; Matthew 25:35; and Hebrews 13:2.) If no one invited the stranger to his home, the stranger would have to sleep out in the open. The stranger would go to the city gate or to the center of the town and wait for someone to invite him to his home.

Jesus sent his disciples into the cities and towns where He was going to come later. He sent them to preach the coming of the kingdom of God. So, when they went into a city they went in proclaiming that Jesus was coming and that He was bringing in the Kingdom. So if someone invited the two disciples into his home, he knew what these disciples were going to talk to him about. His invitation, “I want to hear more about Jesus.”

IDENTIFY THE PERSON OF PEACE – Luke10:6-8
* He will desire to hear more about Jesus.

* He will make “spiritual hunger” statements, like:
“As I listen, my heart is burning.”
“I like what you are saying; I want to hear more.”

* Often has a reputation as a “sinner” or will readily recognize his own sin.

* Eventually, this person of peace will believe in Jesus.

From Church Planting Movements

Emerging Church?

2010-05-10T14:47:00.002-04:00

I heard a news story on the radio about the Church of Scotland's efforts to develop new models of worship and reduce their £6m deficit. I don't really think adding video to church services is going to do the job! I feel bad for the church, but urgent prayer and Bible preaching seem to be more cost-effective.

Study God

2010-04-13T11:45:00.000-04:00

15 'Ifs'

2010-04-10T11:04:00.000-04:00

by Anonymous

If you never felt pain, Then how would you know that I am a Healer?

If you never had to pray, How would you know that I am a Deliverer?

If you never had a trial, How could you call yourself an overcomer?

If you never felt sadness, How would you know that I am a Comforter?

If you never made a mistake, How would you know that I am a forgiver?

If you knew all, How would you know that I will answer your questions?

If you never were in trouble, How would you know that I will come to
your rescue?

If you never were broken, Then how would you know that I can make you
whole?

If you never had a problem,How would you know that I can solve them?

If you never had any suffering, Then how would you know what I went
through?

If you never went through the fire, Then how would you become pure?

If I gave you all things, How would you appreciate them?

If I never corrected you, How would you know that I love you?

If you had all power, Then how would you learn to depend on me?

If your life was perfect, Then what would you need me for?

-Love, Jesus.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T15:52:00.004-04:00

Some photos from the weekend.

Passover Seder

Ceilidh Dance

3 Baptisms on Resurrection Sunday

Philippians

2010-03-22T17:57:00.004-04:00

Simply Philippians was held on Saturday. The fourth in our series on condensing teaching of vast topics into a weekend. Four speakers took a chapter each, and Brian gave an introduction. Mine was chapter two. I always get a lot out of preparing for speaking, though it's always stressful.

Though it was a smaller group this time, there was more time for discussion and application, which I thought very helpful. The letter to the Philippians touches on several themes: rejoicing in suffering, humility, unity, and perseverance. I was thinking about 3:14 this morning.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

What is this prize? A call? Not Jesus himself? So I was imagining what this call might be. I thought the call might be God saying, "Come on up here, you're in Jesus, let me love you. You can do it, keep going, come on home!" That's the prize! God's continual calling us into his love in Christ. Wow, that's pretty encouraging and joy-filling.

First Last

2010-03-10T06:49:00.002-05:00

In Matthew chapter 19, Jesus responds to the episode of the rich young man by telling his disciples that, "it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples are incredulous, "Who then can be saved?" they ask.

Peter then responds, "See we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" To me this seems like a giddy, proud response, seeing that Jesus told the rich man to sell he had. Jesus then seems to concede that they will receive amazing things in the kingdom. But so that their head doesn't get too big, he says that, "Many who are first will be last, and the last first."

The story seems to end there, but the very next parable is about the laborers in the vineyard. Typically, this is interpreted to be applied to the Pharisees, which may be true, indeed; however, there have been no Pharisees in Matthew since chapter 16. So I think this parable may be first directed at the disciples.

The disciples could be the laborers hired last, but they could also be the first ones. Jesus' point may be that, yes, indeed, you were hired first and endured great suffering and gave up all, but there will be others who come later who don't 'sell all their possessions' and don't endure the same suffering as the first 12.

God's generosity and sovereignty are the key factors in who enters the kingdom, not our sacrifice, suffering, or 'earning.'

Stewardship

2010-03-10T06:28:00.003-05:00

I finally figured out what I would do with an obscene amount of money, should it come my way. First off, I'd probably give 50% away to church/mission/charity. With the remaining (still obscene) amount of money, I would, perhaps, buy a nice, but modest sports car. What follows, though is what might be the most pleasureable.

First, I want to start a business that does some crazy idea, probably start a cafe or restaurant which has exactly the decor I want, plays exactly the music I want, and serves all my favorite food. I would treat my employees generously, and I would not care if it made money. Maybe I would even price things very cheaply. I would simply want to create an enjoyable atmosphere.

Second, I want to be a benefactor. Someone who gives or loans money to entrepreneurs or people who hold promise to implement grand ideas. These are the types of organisations I would use or model:

Kiva
Kickstarter

Ash Wednesday

2010-02-17T06:30:00.002-05:00

My Bible reading took me through Joel this morning. A fitting reading for the beginning of Lent, I think.

Yet even now, declares the LORD, Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting and weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.
Joel 2:12-13

Help me return to you, O Lord, and help me to see what fasting, mourning and weeping is required.

Vicarious snow

2010-02-11T10:12:00.003-05:00

I am missing the snow on the US east coast. This is the kind of stuff my dreams are made of. Being pounded with blizzards twice in a week. So I'm living vicariously through traffic cams and YouTube videos. I want to know what it's like to be driving down I95 when it's covered in a foot of snow. I want to know what it feels like to be the only one on the road. I like the feeling of trudging through the elements to make it to my destination. I suppose if my car were not up to the challenge, it might not be as fun. But with the right tires, perhaps it would be manageable.

Promises

2010-02-11T10:07:00.002-05:00

therefore I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. And I, The LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.
Ezekiel 34:22-24

I love seeing such an blatant Jesus-passage in the Old Testament. Now when it says 'he will feed them himself,' does that mean he will feed them by himself and of himself? I like think that it does, because that's what Jesus does. So rich. How easily it must have been for the Pharisees to conclude that Jesus was relating himself to this verse.

Intense week

2010-01-25T14:49:00.002-05:00

Just finished a week of new things. We launched The City at Re:Hope, for one. The City is an online network thingy, like Facebook, which will help us communicate better as a church. So far, 69 people have signed up. I'm hoping for 100.

Last night we held our first Christianity Explored (we're calling it 'Cake and a Christian') at a friend's flat. It's an Alpha-like course with slightly better theology. There were 10 people who came, with some great questions to start. There was pizza last night, not exactly a cake (pie?), but the real cakes will follow.

Isaiah

2010-01-25T14:27:00.004-05:00

Photo by Missional Volunteer

Reading through Isaiah for Bible group this week. It's one of my favorites. Stunning passages. How in the world did Isaiah get this from God? It's just so out there.

62:5
For as a young man marries a virgin,
So your Builder will marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So your God will rejoice over you.

[the word for 'Builder' can also be translated 'sons', but it doesn't seem to make as much sense in context.]

A 'wow' for God's love.

57:15
For thus says the high and exalted One
Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
"I dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
And the revive the heart of the contrite.

Who is this God? Why would He dwell with the contrite?

54:10
"For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But my lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My convenant of peace will not be shaken,"
Says the LORD who has compassion on you.

God's permanence...keeps promises.

45:18
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and id not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited.)
"I am the LORD, and there is none else."

This earth is not an accident! It is for us!

Office Space

2010-01-14T10:52:00.004-05:00

There's seven desks and some worn out chairs, but we have internet and a printer. That's the basics of our new office space which is located about 15 minutes walk from my flat towards the church meeting place. We moved in Tuesday and had our staff meeting there. The idea is that it will be a crossing point for Re:Hope staff and assist in communication. The office will also help by giving us an focused place for work, getting us out of our homes which is where we've been doing most of our work. It's a new era for our team!

7 Years

2010-01-04T14:49:00.002-05:00

Seth Godin writes that:

A friend worried out loud to me the other day, "I spent the last seven months doing this [job] and I have nothing to show for it. If I had known I would have spent seven months and gotten nothing, you can bet I would have done something a lot more fun."

Seth goes on to write about thinking ahead 7 years. Where do you want to be? I always hated that question (it was 5 years) on employee evaluation reports I had to fill out. Maybe it was because if I were honest, it would be to say, 'Well, I certainly don't want to be here!'

It got me thinking to 7 years ago. Well, that just happened to be exactly when I made a decision to quit my job and look for a missions job. I think it's safe to say I feel like it was a good decision. I would never have been able to say, 'I want to be in Glasgow Scotland working for a church plant team in 7 years.'

Maybe if I had stayed in my engineering job or switched jobs I would be happy today. But I also think it's possible that I would have looked back and said, 'what if?'.

Even now, if I try to visualize where I might be in 7 years, I get stuck. How I can I answer that question. Ok, what about what I want to accomplish? Or what skill would I like to have?

Bottom line is that it matters less what I want than what God wants. If I allow myself to be guided, conformed, converted, convicted, persuaded to His will, I think He'll make sure I'm where I need to be in 7 years.

Panty Bomber

2009-12-29T12:50:00.003-05:00

You carefully pack to avoid any liquids more than three ounces. You stand in a security line. You take off your shoes. You get your fingernail clippers confiscated. You run your carry-on bags through an X-ray machine and walk through a metal detector, with an extra wanding if your spare pocket change sets off the alarm. And after all that, it’s still your responsibility to subdue the terrorist in the next row trying to set off the pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) secreted on his body. Rich Lowry

I think all Department of Homeland Security employees should now be required to get to work 1 hour earlier, to remain in their desk chair for 1 hour before quitting time, and no reading materials at their desk. Oh, and full body searches each day. At least until they figure out how not to grant visas to terrorists on watch lists.

Quiet

2009-12-27T15:22:00.002-05:00

Church was pretty quiet today, we had 30-40 people. I was down with the kids and had to really scramble to find someone to do Powerpoint for me (thanks Stephanie). Wade gave his final sermon on Jesus being 'ADVENTageous', which, sadly, was not recorded. Next Sunday Brian will be back, which I'm sure Wade is happy about.

Over the last week I joined some of the international students for some gatherings. There is some sort of camaraderie among people who aren't in their homeland and aren't able to go home. Maybe some of them didn't want to leave. I did meet people from all over, though.

I've got the training materials for The City, a new online network which our church is joining. It is similar to Facebook, but only for our specific church. I'm definitely excited about the potential to consolidate a lot of our communication and assimilation.

Christmas, Re:Hope - Style

2009-12-15T10:01:00.003-05:00

Sunday was our annual, no-holds-barred Christmas service. How does a young congregation want to celebrate it? By having a choir singing carols, backed by an organ, of course! Kirsty did a wonderful job of honing the choir over weeks of practise, and they sang Go Tell it on the Mountain, O Holy Night, and God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Litle Town of Bethlehem, and O Come, All Ye Faithful. Click the link to listen. Even the organ was played by our multi-talented Ryan. Amazing, Christ is born!

Simply Holy Spirit

2009-12-07T09:01:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, Re:Hope continued our new tradition of having teaching sessions every few months. They are entiled "Simply...", and this one was "Simply Holy Spirit." As a church we've not spent concentrated time teaching on the Holy Spirit, His fruit, and His gifts. Included in the sessions was a spiritual gifts assessement that people took. It's a goal of ours to help our people use their spiritual gifts better. That's one thing we've been lacking.

One of the talks was about the 'baptism' of the Holy Spirit. This is, historically, a controversial subject, so we were careful to look closely at what the Bible actually says. The conclusion was that the baptism in Acts 1 was meant to be an empowering for Christ-exalting ministry, given to the disciples, who were already believers, for boldness and power. All believers today have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, but God does send His Holy Spirit in power at certain times to fill His children for specific ministry. The point is that this filling is to exalt Christ and not ourselves.

I was disappointed that there weren't more people attending this time. This was one that more people needed to be at. The last Simply (Everything) may have scared them off, since it was so comprehensive. This one was a little more manageable, as far as the weekend went.

Boston

2009-12-07T08:47:00.003-05:00

I spent my Thanksgiving in Massachusetts because that's where it all started. No, not really. I was there because my sister was getting married! I'd never heard of a Thanksgiving wedding until now. Whenever extended family gets together, it's usually fun times. When I haven't seen people in a while, there's always the questions about what I do. I even had on extended conversation with a distant relative who really believed that God is an anthropomorphic construct of the mind. That was a challenging conversation. Highlights of the weekend were reading the Gospel passage at the wedding and walking the Freedom Trail through Boston.

Promise

2009-11-16T11:20:00.004-05:00

Suffering in Eritrea

2009-11-09T10:27:00.003-05:00

Most western Christians have no idea what persecution really looks like. Other than reading about it in the Bible, or books from over fifty years ago, there aren't many well-documented first-person examples in current times. In Re:Hope on Thursday nights, we're doing series on The Seven Churches of the Apocolypse. The second church to whom Jesus Christ writes a letter, is the church at Smyrna. That church suffered greatly, yet persevered. Even so, Jesus warns them about more suffering to come.

As a supporter of Release International, a organisation that is an advocate for the persecuted church, we receive materials which bring to light the suffering of the church from around the world. Last week, when I picked up the mail, I opened up this book, Song of the Nightengale by Helen Berhane. A native Eritrean (northeast Africa), she tells of how she was detained and tortured for about 3 years simply because she would not give up her faith. It's an incredible story that left me evaluating if I had what it took to, not only endure that treatment, but to thrive with God's help to be a living testimony.

She says that over 50% of the population in Eritrea has been imprisoned at some point in their life! A mad, paranoid ruling party throws people in prison camps, sometimes for no reason other than to strike fear. It is also against the law (just in the last 10 years) to meet as a church unless you are part of a registered church (mainline). Helen preached and did not back down and ended up in a shipping container with up to 18 others in the hot desert. The indignities she suffered were at least as bad as those in the Nazi death camps.

Now safely in Denmark, Helen is recovering from that ordeal and speaking out on behalf of those she left behind in Eritrea. It's a great book that helps a western Christian gain a better perspective and suffer along with our brothers and sisters in those situations.

Soda Pop Stop

2009-11-07T07:54:00.001-05:00

I love Coke, but this makes me want to confirm my preference. I love what this guy says about drink ingredients, small business ownership, and the government.

Visa

2009-10-29T08:51:00.002-04:00

I received my visa today! It's for three years and allows me to work some if needed. That's a relief and great answer to prayer. One month ago I was ready to pack my bags to travel home with no visa. I also saved a great deal of money applying for the three year extension rather than a one year now and residency a year from now. My passport is getting quite full with all these visas from the last five years. The next challenge will be renewing my passport by 2013 and getting a new visa in 2012.

First Day at New Location

2009-10-20T16:08:00.002-04:00

The sign in the entryway said it all: "KSM Church Welcomes Re:Hope". We were greeted by the church officers who helped us move in and set up. For setting up in a brand new place, things went pretty smoothly. The pews will probably be the hardest to get used to, for me, because they make it very difficult to mix socially, which is a Re:Hope trait. The children were downstairs and had lots more room than at the student union.

The church is located on a main thoroughfare for students walking to the university district, so during worship, many were looking in the doors as they walked by. A challenge is where to store things. Right now everything is on two back pews on the side of the sanctuary. I think we put a little more than they expected, but they are still looking for more permanent storage for us. So there will definitely be some growing into this building, but it's a more consistent, not dark, place to meet for us.

Risk

2009-10-13T07:40:00.004-04:00

Our team is taking the GripBirkman assessment and will be trained in understanding the meaning of the results when Tim McDonald comes and visits in a few weeks. Apparently, my preferred style when relating in a team is 'Let's be careful'. That's not surprising, really. In general I'm risk averse, but mostly when I don't or can't appreciate the reward if the worst fears are not realised.

Then I read this by Seth Godin:

There are people who I will never encounter in a restaurant.

That's because when these people go out for dinner, they go to chain restaurants. These are the tourists in New York who seek out the familiar Olive Garden instead of walking down the street to Pure.

That's fine. It's a personal choice.

But it got me thinking about the difference between apparent and actual risk, and how that choice affects just about everything we do.

The concierge at a fancy hotel spends her time helping tourists and business travelers avoid apparent risk. She'll book the boring, defensible, consistent tour, not the crazy guy who's actually a trained architect and a dissident. She'll recommend the restaurant from Zagats, not from Chowhound.

Apparent risk is what keeps someone working at a big company, even if it's doing layoffs. It feels safer to stay there than to do the (apparently) insanely risky thing and start a new venture.

Apparent risk is what gets someone who is afraid of plane crashes to drive, even though driving is more dangerous.

Apparent risk is avoiding the chance that people will laugh at you and instead backing yourself into the very real possibility that you're going to become obsolete or irrelevant.
When things get interesting is when the apparently risky is demonstrably [less safe] than the actually risky. That's when we sometimes become uncomfortable enough with our reliance on the apparent to focus on the actual. Think about that the next time they make you take off your shoes at the airport.

I need discernment to know which risks are 'apparent' and where the real danger lies.

New Meeting Place

2009-10-08T12:23:00.002-04:00

We've got a new church venue! Starting October 18th we'll be at Kelvin-Stevenson Memorial Church on Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings.

View Larger Map

Down to the Wire

2009-09-30T06:27:00.002-04:00

The visa application is off in the post this morning! The clock gets reset, and there is a reprieve from anxiety until early November. Since I'm traveling at the end of November, it's pretty important to get my new visa by then.

Visa

2009-09-29T09:59:00.001-04:00

Good news! Today I received the information I needed to log on to the sponsorship system for the church. Now I have the number I need to put on the visa application, which means I can stay until I get the new visa. Praise God for that!

visa

2009-09-24T17:55:00.001-04:00

The good news: I received confirmation that Re:Hope is accepted as a sponsor! The bad news: There's still some hurdles before I can apply for my visa (expiring in one week).

First, they post mailed the username I need to access the online system only today. Once I get that, the church has to fill out an online form to grant me a 'certificate of sponsorship'. There are some questions on that form which are a cause of concern because missionaries don't fit a neat category for immigration. This is something that the Evangelical Alliance in the UK has written a paper about and is lobbying the government to change.

For instance, there's a requirement that all job positions be advertised for either two weeks or one month (need to clarify) so that locals can apply first. This is for a missionary job, how could locals apply?

The second is how much money the church says I am compensated a year. Well, the church doesn't pay me a salary, and there is no provision for a non-UK source for funds of an immigrant in my designation!

So the first part of next week will be trying to contact some people to ask questions, or I may just submit the form and see if it comes back ok. A lot is up to the discretion of the person who looks at the church's application. This is before I can even send in my visa application.

Induction

2009-09-13T11:44:00.002-04:00

Brian Luse, fellow CRM teammate, was inducted as minister of Renfrew Baptist Church on Saturday. Renfrew is a town (still a part of the greater Glasgow area) a few miles towards the airport. Brian initially came to join the Re:Hope team in January of this year expecting not to stay. He had ideas about planting another church or leading another church in some way.

Brian initially got involved with Renfrew Baptist Church when we has accompanying some of the Bible college students who were filling the pulpit on Sundays. Eventually, Brian, too, got to preach. This church had been without a pastor for two years, and was seeking someone to fill the spot.

This is a mostly older church, about 50-60 in number, but they have a building(!) and a manse(parsonage) for the Luse family. So Brian will have his own challenges in helping this Jesus-following church do what it longs to do: refocus its vision. It's really exciting to be able to send Brian to do this, to carry the Re:Hope values and desires to see Glasgow re-awakened, to carry it to Renfrew.

Building a Church

2009-09-06T15:25:00.001-04:00

Then there's always this.

Good Day

2009-09-03T09:08:00.004-04:00

Lately, I haven' t had many good days. I am at my worst when I see little fruit from my work or feel unable to change my situation, especially if it involves getting other people to do stuff who don't. Basically, if I were in the apostle Paul's place in jail, I wouldn't be much use (maybe).

Well, today is the day that two long term anchors have been raised. In what could only be an answer to prayer, problems involving the church and money were solved. In one case a large regulatory fee was cancelled (putting the cap on a eight-month accountant debacle). In the other, someone who owed us money (for the last 15 months), finally paid.

While these don't completely eliminate stress, saying 'bye' to these long term life-suckers is a relief.

Evangelism v Mission

2009-08-29T15:33:00.001-04:00

Evangelism vs. Mission by John Piper (from www.DesiringGod.org)

Why is differentiating between evangelism and missions important?

I think it's important because it's easy to lose missions if you define everything as evangelism.

I'm troubled when a pastor says, "Everybody is a missionary," unless he defines what missionaries do as something other than that. If everybody is doing missions, then very likely missions is going to be lost.

So here's the distinction I'm making:

Evangelism is speaking to anyone anywhere the gospel. You don't have to succeed at it. Evangelism is happening even if somebody is not getting saved. But you need to say it.

So saying the gospel to anyone is evangelism. It could your mother or your father. It could be a Christian, but usually we think of it as somebody who is not a Christian.

Missions is doing that by crossing a culture. It usually involves learning a language, learning new cultural things where there is no church in which people are doing evangelism of those in that culture. They don't have any access to the gospel.

And there are thousands of those. If you go to joshuaproject.net you'll see a list of about 16,000 people groups in the world. And I think the recent listing I saw was something over 6,000 where the church either is totally missing or exists so weakly that there isn't a self-sustaining base from which evangelism can happen.

So evangelism is speaking the gospel to everyone, especially those in your culture. Missions is realizing there are cultures and linguistic groups that don't have anybody in them to do that.

And therefore we must make a special effort to learn languages, learn cultures, do all of the anthropological, methodological thought that is necessary in order to be effective culture-crossers to plant a church there who would then do evangelism.

Denied

2009-08-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

Our offer for the church building, slightly more than its appraised value, was rejected last week by the owners. I fully believe that God is giving us the best in this situation, but we'll have to wait and see what that means. It's possible that we can stay in the Queen Margaret Union, but we're keeping all options open.

A step closer to what?

2009-08-20T11:34:00.003-04:00

Friday, we submitted an offer on the building for more than what it's worth as a church. The caveat is that the value for the repair work is much higher than anticipated. I don't know what this all means yet, but we'll be waiting for a few days, at least, for the expected 'no' from the owners. September 13 is the last Sunday we have in the QUDOS room at the university. Time is tight, and we're waiting for that unanticipated option to appear, this includes any miracle with the building.

Kelvinbridge

2009-08-17T11:27:00.004-04:00

by innoxiuss

Hanging Clouds on the Sky

2009-08-17T10:54:00.003-04:00

By innoxiuss

The Bible is...

2009-08-17T09:36:00.002-04:00

To me the Bible is Oracle of God, the essential truth for me to know who I am and Who God is. It is an invitation to relate to God on His terms. Jesus is "The Word of God" so I have trouble saying absolutely that the Bible is "The Word of God". The words of Holy Scriptures are mundane ink molecules on paper molecules, but they represent truths that cannot be contained on paper. I believe reality occurred as described in these pages, and I submit to it's authority. The Bible can be frustrating because I don't know how to interpret some parts. Sometimes the grammar (or lack) can be so tricky that I want to give up, but that's only 1% of it.

Big Week

2009-08-17T09:27:00.002-04:00

This is the week where we find out: how much is the building worth? A lot depends on this number, but it's really out of our hands. Worrying won't do any good. I truly don't know what God might do, surprise!, but I think it will be amazing in the end. If the value is more than a certain amount, we just can't afford it. Even if we can, there's no guarantee that the owners will sell at that value. We're praying that they will feel like they need to sell it (or give it) to us.

Lifeguard finds it

2009-08-17T09:21:00.002-04:00

A girl gave a succint testimony yesterday about her re-turn to God. Back home, she was a lifeguard and either witnessed or made a failed rescue attempt on a drowning victim. She gave up on God and vowed never to return to church. Within her first months in Glasgow, someone invited her to Re:Hope. She didn't want to and tried several other churches first. Then she did come to a service, and after a couple weeks, she said she knew God was after her. And she encouraged all those who felt far from God to come near, because God is looking for them. Or something like that. I like our share times.

Jesus-Centered Spirituality

2009-08-13T07:38:00.003-04:00

I really like this expression of a church's beliefs/doctrine, how they track scripture from Genesis, using the Spirit to reveal Jesus as their center.

Jesus-Centered Spirituality

When it's good

2009-08-09T12:17:00.002-04:00

I heard someone recount a painful time in their lives. Though a strong Christian, he admitted that he had the common question: "Where was God in all of this?" God was 'silent'. I can identify with this having had some hard times in my life. God does seem silent, even though I know the theology that He's there with me.

I later analysed the question and came to a startling thought. It's obvious that hard times make us ask this question, and that in good times, we don't ask this question. This is human nature, to cry out for help in pain.

What startled me was asking myself to think of good times in my life and pose the question: "Where was God in that?" Or to think of the present: "Where is God in this?" If I am happy and content, do I REALLY care where God is? Or would I be just as content if He were as silent as I perceive Him to be when I'm in pain? If God were not with me in the good times, would it matter to me?

The point of the question is related to one that John Piper asks, "Would you want to go to Heaven if God were not there?"

What are the evidences that God is with me when I am happy? Are they the same as when I'm suffering? Do I care enough to scream the question, "Where are you God?!"

Prayer for Europe

2009-07-29T08:54:00.001-04:00

h/t JJ

Shortsighted

2009-07-28T16:00:00.002-04:00

Oh how tempting it is to get discouraged! There is no humanly way possible to meet in a place that could hold our church numbers. Let me be more clear...the place must be inside and dry. Add on to this that church legal business has encountered delays and extra fees, and personal tax bills loom. There has got to be a reason for this. We've got to make war against the lure of discouragement. We know the Lord will take care of us, but we need wisdom and perseverance to get through this rough time. We can't stop being the church!

Exile

2009-07-19T16:44:00.002-04:00

Jeremiah 29:7 - But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Today was my first Sunday back in Glasgow. There's a new meeting place, new rooms, new procedures, new prayer time, etc. It felt -almost- that I was at a different church. This is what church looks like without our comfortable surroundings. The same bright, enthusiastic people were there and the same desire to see God exalted and received was present.

Wade passed on some encouraging words from his aunt D: We're not in exile, we haven't done anything wrong. God's still in control and has something good planned for us. But as I read Jer 29:7, I wonder if maybe we are to be as 'for' the QM Union and QUDOS room as we have been 'for' the church building? Would we pray out the darkness with as much vigor as we have in the past?

I know this is only temporary (and that Jeremiah verse was for a different situation), but for me, anyway, it's a reminder to be for the city where we are.

God's Will

2009-07-03T17:35:00.002-04:00

When asked how he determined the will of God on any matter,
George Muller listed the following steps he believed were necessary:

1. “I get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own
in regard to any particular matter.”

2. “I do not leave the result to feelings or simple impressions.
That can make one open to great delusions.”

3. “I seek God’s will through, or in connection with, his Word.
If you look to the Spirit without the Word, you open yourself to
delusion.”

4. “I consider providential [God-controlled] circumstances.”

5. “I ask God in prayer to reveal his will to me.”

6. “I make sure I have a clear conscience before God and man.”

7. “Every time I listened to men instead of God, I made serious
mistakes.”

8. “I act only when I am at peace, after much prayer, waiting on
God with faith.”

Those who walk by faith, seeking only God’s perfect will, are often
sorely tested and tried. More and more in my own life, I am finding
out how important diligent prayer and Bible reading are. Sadly, not
many of God’s people pray diligently nowadays. Instead, there is
much TV viewing and very little of waiting on God.

When I give myself to prayer, my faith rises. And when I feed on
God’s Word, my confidence in his power to lead and help me
increases. The Lord becomes my banker, my advisor, my
attorney.

(quoted from David Wilkerson)

Moving and QUDOS

2009-06-17T21:37:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday we had our first Sunday meeting in the QUDOS room of the University of Glasgow's Queen Maragaret Union. Since I'm not there to report, check out Brian's and Kirsty's blogs. They detail the last week of Re:Hope as it pertains to moving to our new, temporary dwelling. Photos too!

Scottish Invasion

2009-06-08T22:16:00.002-04:00

Mark headed back to Glasgow today after 10 days of helping me support raise and communicate with my church in Ohio. It was such a good idea to invite him to visit (if I do say so myself). He is visible evidence of the God's work in Re:Hope over the last 4 years. Sometimes supporters just need to see that firsthand, even if they already believe it is happening. Mark just needed to be who he is and people were attracted to that. He gave me a louder voice to speak about what Re:Hope is, and many were encouraged by his brief testimony when he spoke in front of 500 people on Sunday. Maybe he also got a vision of what life might be like in the USA when he comes to Multnomah Bible College - bar the Mustang and guns.

2 weeks

2009-05-31T17:30:00.002-04:00

I received bad news Friday. We were told we have 2 weeks to vacate our church building, the minimum required in our church lease. Perhaps they got permission to build or someone else made an offer that has high enough. This couldn't come at a worse time, since Wade and I are out of the country. I don't like being away at times like this. So I'm asking for prayer for the church:

-wisdom to know how to respond, especially for Brian
-that God would fight for us
-that our church would glorify God and become more holy through this
-for alternative venues to be made known
-even that somehow we would be able to stay in the building
-my own attitude would be one of faith and trust, not fear and anger

Join us in prayer. God can do impossible things!

Ohio home

2009-05-25T09:52:00.002-04:00

Week One back in the States. After a completely smooth journey to Richmond, I soaked up some sun and briefly bonded with my parents before driving to Ohio in our old 1992 Ford Explorer. The car is not the ideal travel vehicle, but it's free and the seats are comfortable. By going the speed limit, I was able to eek out 23 MPG, which I think is a record. (and that probably only interests me!)

Reached Ohio and made my home in the basement of some friends. Sunday I spoke at three services of Northampton United Methodist Church and led the prayer time. I only had a few minutes, so I gave some examples of how God is clearly, miraculously at work in Re:Hope and reminded people that God still hears prayers and is still intervening. I was greeted very warmly by friends and received lots of hugs. God has blessed me.

Today I start to get to work on a project that must be dealt with before I leave: emptying my storage unit! Through a combination of selling and giving away, I need to rid myself of all my American earthly possessions to save myself $75/month. It's Memorial Day today, but I don't think I'll be doing any real memorialising, except in my head.

1 week

2009-05-06T11:36:00.004-04:00

There's a week left before I go to the USA for some 'furlough' time. These times are usually stressful with lots of things that need to get done. There's never a great time to leave Re:Hope, and this time is no exception. Wade and Leah will be gone for parts of the summer, and that will leave room for others to step into our roles temporarily.

There's been much going on lately. There was a baptism last week and one this coming Sunday. This past weekend we held 'Simply Colossians,' a blitz through a study of Colossians, where six people spoke on different sections of the book. It was retreat-like, except that we were in the church building. Can you believe that about 40-50 people attended? That's 25% of Sunday attendence! Some people have exams this week and still took the whole day Saturday to learn from God's word.

Next week we're hosting a missions team from Multnomah Seminary in Oregon. One of their tasks will be to assist in the production of our La Nuit Deux music event. Should be great. Wish I were going to be there.

In addition good things have happened recently that I can't write about here; these give me lots to give thanks for and fresh news to tell when I get home.

Flowers for God

2009-04-27T13:19:00.002-04:00

John Piper uses a great analogy to illustrate when selfishness is good - when it is concerned with and springs from the delight in another.

A husband wants to surprise his wife. So he walks up to the front door of his house with a bouquet of flowers. He rings the doorbell. When his wife answers, she's very surprised, and says, "Dear, you're so sweet!" And the husband says, "No, I'm just doing my duty."

That's strange to us because we can see that this is not love.

The second illustration is like the first, except it ends differently. When the wife answers the door she says, "Dear, you are so sweet!" And the husband says, "Come with me right now, I've arranged for a babysitter, and you and I are going away for the night. I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than with you."

What if the wife then said, "You're so selfish! All you can think about is you you you! You wouldn't want to be anywhere else? Hmph."?

The point Piper was making is his famous "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him." It's not selfish to love God so much because we get joy as a result.

I wonder how far this analogy can be pushed, because reality sometimes feels like this to me. Apologies to the Lord, this is not how I feel all the time:

Flowers in hand, I walk up to the door and ring the bell for God. On the door is a note, "Hi dear child, I'm away for the moment. I'll be back as soon as I can, but it might be a few years. While you're waiting, open the box I've left in front of the door. It's got all our old love letters. I've saved them! Keep reading those and remembering those sweet times til I return. Love, God." It starts to rain. A few times He rings me on my mobile, but I can only pick up a word or two and the rest is garbled.

Piper says we can only be 70-80% delighted in God during this life, that there will always be distractions and sin that get in the way. Maybe that's why the analogy is imperfect. I just want to see God and delight in Him as He is. Or maybe this is an occasion when feelings aren't describing the situation accurately. That I need to remind myself of the truth that God is here and I can meet with Him and delight myself with Him.

Power of Ten

2009-04-20T12:22:00.003-04:00

Seth Godin writes that for the 'new' marketing, you must forget going for the anonymous masses and pick ten people you know. If they don't buy it, then start over with a new product.

I know evangelism is not marketing, but isn't there some truth to how the Gospel truly spreads? Change 'ten' to 'twelve' and you've got Acts. The major difference is that when your closest ten don't buy it, you should either change your method, rethink what message you're actually communicating, or move on to another ten.

Are there ten people in my LIFE who have heard me tell (or show) them the message of Jesus and really bought into it, that it was the best thing they ever discovered? Hmmm, I don't think so. That's embarrassing.

Smart

2009-04-18T10:42:00.004-04:00

On the window of one of those cheque-cashing stores (i.e. predatory lenders). Silly me, I thought that the cause of the 'crunch' was people going into debt who had no business going into debt. Obviously, the solution to a lot of debt is going into more debt (and high interest debt at that!). Brilliant!

Reminds me of "Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford". "So, let's say I don't have the money to buy something, should I buy it anyway?" "Noo.."

Back of the Room

2009-04-16T17:02:00.002-04:00

Read a great story by Dan. Now you know what goes on in the back of the room on Sundays.

More Wales

2009-04-11T11:23:00.004-04:00

near Swansea

Oxwich Beach near Swansea

Single track roads, ice cream, cool wind, sun, Dan's poor navigation skills and snide comments, and Bruce Springsteen.

Ingredients for Revival

2009-04-07T11:52:00.002-04:00

Went to a small conference in Wales at the Moriah Chapel near Swansea this weekend. This was the location of the great church revival in the early 1900s. The focus was on messages and prayer for revival to return to Wales. David Servant spoke on the Secrets of Revival. These are not guarantees, only key ingredients :

-The right place, right person, right time, right message
-The church being moved to repentance, not just of sin, but changing our ways.
-Loving international refugees in your city
-Supporting foreign missionaries
-Praying for and looking for hungry people
-Fasting with prayer

Paul's Purpose Statement

2009-03-29T09:04:00.002-04:00

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things. Ephesians 3:8-9

I was studying these two verses and wondered how I missed them! They sum up everything which Paul stood for and speak of truths which blow the mind. He knew his place and his job: to preach and reveal. A mystery hidden for ages? Not just hidden, but hidden in God and now revealed? And that what Paul has told us about Christ doesn't even scratch the surface?

Why did God choose to reveal this mystery to us?

Caught in the Act

2009-03-21T03:42:00.000-04:00

I'm on Google Streetview in Glasgow!!

View Larger Map

Ignatius

2009-03-19T15:13:00.003-04:00

Ignatius from travis hawkins on Vimeo.

One of the better faux-documentaries, and with less irony (refreshing!). Sometimes I laughed, sometimes I cringed at the embarrassingly realistic portrayal.

Fear

2009-03-19T14:59:00.003-04:00

I sometimes get upset and depressed about the state (economy/politics) of America these days. I know, I shouldn't read the news. Not a good idea recently. I found this post, which was in response to someone's "prophecy" that there would be calamitous events (sometimes the 'end of the world') coming soon and for Christians to prepare. When I hear of supposed prophecies, there's always that temptation to think, "What if they're right?".

This excerpt below reminds of me something Piper said about the recession at the beginning of the year. A very sobering perspective re-alignment.

Does it occur to most Evangelicals that their brothers and sisters around the world sort of LIVE in the Apocalypse? If we have a Columbine or a Katrina, John Hagee is n TV the next night with a chart so big you can see it behind him. Meanwhile, in Sudan, it’s all just another day at the office.

Americans are afraid of the end. They are afraid of losing their life here. They don’t want II Thessalonians 1 to happen. They want to keep running up their credit cards and driving the leased SUV.

Kingdom? New world? End of old world? Resurrection? Christ all in all?

Missional hope? Reach the nations? Gospel to every people group? Bible in every language?

2009-03-16T07:20:00.003-04:00

There were a record number of shares at the end of our evening service yesterday! Seven total. Usually I pray for two. There were answers to prayer, responses to messages from weeks ago, reports of healings, and words from Scripture. As Brian said, this is what share time is supposed to be like. I love this part of the service because anything can happen. We see evidence of the Holy Spirit moving and getting people to respond to what they've experienced, seen, and heard. It encourages the church to hear these things because God is amazing.

The Coming Evangelical Collapse

2009-03-11T06:04:00.004-04:00

From the internetmonk. I don't agree with all his points, but he's right about a number of things. I guess the church is always in a transition, but it's pretty obvious that what we've got now looks a lot different than even 50 years ago. What are we going to look like in 50 years?

Read the whole article:
The Coming Evangelical Collapse

Points to note:

"We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught

"There are three kinds of evangelical churches today: consumer-driven megachurches, dying churches, and new churches whose future is fragile. [I'd add another category: healthy churches at risk of plateau-ing]

"Evangelicalism needs a "rescue mission" from the world Christian community. It is time for missionaries to come to America from Asia and Africa. Will they come? Will they be able to bring to our culture a more vital form of Christianity?

"Evangelicalism doesn't need a bailout. Much of it needs a funeral.

"We need new evangelicalism that learns from the past and listens more carefully to what God says about being His people in the midst of a powerful, idolatrous culture."

Resurrection, the Trailer

2009-03-05T13:17:00.003-05:00

"When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled." John 11:33

I've heard two interpretations of this verse and v35 (Jesus wept). One is that Jesus was deeply moved and sad that Lazarus had died; he joined in with the mourning. The other is that Jesus was saddened at their lack of faith that He could raise the dead. I suppose either might be true, but usually John tells us if it's really important that we know.

Consider a third option (I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought this!). Jesus, so in tune with the coming events of his own death, feels the same 'trouble' and is as deeply moved in spirit as He will be in Gethsemane. Consider how many elements of the Lazarus story are similar to His: deeply loved man, dead 3-4 days, in a cave, stone in front, and women friends weeping.

If I were Jesus (and aren't you glad I'm not!), I would be thinking and experiencing the weight of death and my sacrifice, the pain of my friends, the loneliness of the tomb, and the miracle of my own resurrection. I imagine Jesus doing this 'trial run' resurrection just weeks before His own, and He is engaged, heart, body, soul, spirit, and mind in the truth this Lazarus resurrection previews.

Remove the stone. See the Glory of God.

ReAwakening

2009-02-24T17:20:00.003-05:00

(Photos courtesy Megan Ansdell)

ReAwakening Conference happened! I suppose that's an answer to prayer itself. About 50 people attended Friday and Saturday at Partick Trinity Church. Brian spoke Friday and Saturday night, while Hugh Halter took Saturday morning. The focus of the messages was the question of whether or not we are going to be 'all-in' with Jesus and let the reawakening start with us. That this country is not going to change unless we change. Hugh's message was more concentrated on whether we will live out Kingdom lives rather than 'Christian' lives.

The breakout sessions were: Prayer, Bible Overview, and Making the Kingdom Tangible. Dan Peterson spoke on Prayer, and gave an enthusiastic overview and basis for prayer. I came away with some good book recommendations to look at. I heard that the third session with Hugh Halter was particularly good as well.

It was so encouraging to hear different reactions to the conference. I think a lot of students were hearing some of these ideas and challenges for the first time. It will be some time before we get an idea of what long term effects have resulted, but I think we're already seeing some changed people. It was also good to see other churches coming together to put this on as well as those represented in the attendees.

St. Valentine

2009-02-14T17:38:00.002-05:00

Who the heck was St. Valentine? No one really knows, but I like this possibility:

The Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine, compiled about 1260 and one of the most-read books of the High Middle Ages, gives sufficient details of the saints for each day of the liturgical year to inspire a homily on each occasion. The very brief vita of St Valentine has him refusing to deny Christ before the "Emperor Claudius"[19] in the year 280. Before his head was cut off, this Valentine restored sight and hearing to the daughter of his jailer. Jacobus makes a play with the etymology of "Valentine", "as containing valour".

A surprising 'fact': some relics of this guy are apparently at a church in the Gorbals here in Glasgow.

From Wikipedia

Lincoln Commercial

2009-02-08T09:09:00.004-05:00

My brother's work is finally getting some good recognition. He participated in a competition sponsored by Lincoln to promote their new MKS car. John's team had one week to shoot and edit and was only provided the car and the music. Their video exceeded Lincoln's expectations (it won!) and will be playing during the Grammys, along with the others, tonight.

It's the first thumbnail that you'll see and also the one they chose to autoplay as soon as you visit the above link. The video is directed by Varda Hardy and the song is "The Race" by the band, 'The Heavenly States'. CBS, is doing a separate voting thing for the videos so vote for 'Varda Hardy' as your favorite!

http://www.cbs.com/lincoln

5 Years

2009-02-03T16:27:00.003-05:00

Today is five years from one of the darkest days of my life. It was a day of rejection on many fronts. Not only was I turned down from a missions organization which I thought was the answer to my search, the reasons and methods they used to justify their decision picked at some emotional scabs. I was left with the prospect of returning, defeated, to a job in which I felt rejected every day. As I left that meeting, hope was very dim. In fact, the next month was to be one of my darkest at work. On the drive to Universal Studios in LA, there was a rainbow. Through the rain drops and my tears, I took that to be a sign from God that everything was going to work out okay.

Five years later, I thank my God for where I am now. I thank Jesus for bringing it about. I couldn't have chosen a better job, team, leader, church than right here. There's so much that is suited to who I am. On that day, I would not have believed God if He had told me this was to be. The hurts of that day resurface once in a while and require engagement with forgiveness, but I don't think I can ever again doubt that God will keep his promises to me.

Whitefield RIP

2009-01-31T13:07:00.002-05:00

I finished the Dallimore biography of Whitefield. The second volume was a little more ponderous than the first but still worth it. George Whitefield excelled in preaching, evanglising, and being a reconciler among church movements. But it was his inner life which astounds. In the conclusion, I think this passage sums up Whitefield well.

Before his mind he held a vision of the day when he would 'appear before the judgement seat of Christ' and in the lifht of that accounting in eternity the affairs of time lost their importance. He was enabled to turn a deaf ear to the voices of men - whether in praise or blame - and sought only that his life should be worthy of the divine approval in that solemn hour. And this awareness of living beneath the all-searching eye of Omnipotence and of giving account remained a great underlying principle of his life.

I want to have this perspective.

ReAwakening

2009-01-25T17:26:00.002-05:00

ReAwakening is a 2-day conference for students, primarily, which will emphasise the Word, Prayer, and holy living as pre-requisites for any sort of awakening that will happen here in Scotland. Author and church leader Hugh Halter will be speaking. He recently wrote Tangible Kingdom which is a call to the church to reform the way we present Jesus to our friends and neighbours.

The dates are 20-21 Feb 2009, and we're really excited about it. Watch a video promo for it here. (Great job on the video, Ryan)

Taxes

2009-01-22T17:36:00.003-05:00

Oh, the joys of the first quarter of the year. This is time when I get to celebrate having a particular job title, one of the many undisclosed job descriptions of what passes for a missionary these days. In addition to,

'international currency trader',
'metric conversion expert',
'English-to-English translator',
'time-zone difference manager',
'de-facto American ambassador',
'dealer in imports and exports',
'American food radar operator',
'minister of religion',
and let's not forget, 'image bearer of Christ',

I get to exercise my 'expert in international tax law' qualifications (or lack thereof) this season.

Sadly, very sadly, my deficit in this area has been revealed for what it is this week. I discovered, in a moment of panic, that I probably underpaid my taxes over the last few years. Small mistake, surely, right? Haha, how about thousands of dollars? Oh this is rich (poor?)!

Not only do I have the actual problem to deal with, but I'm attacked by these thoughts of 'let's go home', 'I'm sunk!', 'I already need more support, I can't deal with this!', and (let's just throw this in for fun), 'This country blows!' (and when I say this country, I mean my country, the USA)

I think maybe that's spiritual attack, so I could really use prayers at this time. I need to trust God's faithfulness and not start doubting my call to be here right now.

Planning Application

2009-01-14T11:21:00.003-05:00

So, this is the first official news on the building in a while. Planning permission has been sought to convert 'our' church building at Lilybank Terrace to a residential development of 15 flats. It's unclear if this is by the owner or a potential buyer. There are major hurdles for its being approved since the building is 'listed', or has historical status. There is a means by which comments can be submitted on the application by the public, so we will look into doing that.

Back to Work

2009-01-07T09:45:00.002-05:00

After two weeks of laziness, it's time to focus on a big month ahead. Students are heading back to town, and the Sunday attendance is shooting upwards again. In less than a week we add another staff family to our roster, which will be exciting. The last week of the month, we host a missions team from Washington state who will be tackling much needed work on the building.

Personally, I've signed up to lead a personal finances workshop for people in the church this month. Based on many anonymous prayer requests over the last two months, I though it would be helpful to offer assitance. We'll be doing four meetings covering stewardship, debt, savings, and budgeting. I've also got to tackle some church financial issues involving getting our accounts off to be reviewed and making sure our interns get paid.

The rest of the year promises much with a ReAwakening student conference in February, my return to the USA in May for eight weeks of support raising and church relationship building. I even hear rumors of a potential trip to a Biblically-significant country. In August, some of us staff will head to Hungary for a CRM-Europe conference. In the Autumn, I will probably go back for a brief visit when my sister gets married. And finally, I plan on taking the 'life in the UK' test to pave the way for obtaining residency status for my next visa renewal this September.

Africa's Need

2009-01-03T07:52:00.001-05:00

An atheist requests more Christian missionaries for Africa...not to build hospitals, but to convert!

Times article Dec 27

irwinVision

New Site

British Radio Oddities

Independence

Comments

Prayer walking

Baptisms

First Sunday

Revitalized

Work Week

New Building

Building Update

New Building

In Person

Mission Response

Prayer Revival

Yellin'

Loch Baptism

Changing Soil

Berry Picking

Glasgow Warship

CRM Conference

Actively Missional

Graduation

Summer

Shares

Man of Peace

Emerging Church?

Study God

15 'Ifs'

Easter Weekend

Philippians

First Last

Stewardship

Ash Wednesday

Vicarious snow

Promises

Intense week

Isaiah

Office Space

7 Years

Panty Bomber

Quiet

Christmas, Re:Hope - Style

Simply Holy Spirit

Boston

Promise

Suffering in Eritrea

Soda Pop Stop

Visa

First Day at New Location

Risk

New Meeting Place

Down to the Wire

Visa

visa

Induction

Building a Church

Good Day

Evangelism v Mission

Denied

A step closer to what?

Kelvinbridge

Hanging Clouds on the Sky

The Bible is...

Big Week

Lifeguard finds it

Jesus-Centered Spirituality

When it's good

Prayer for Europe

Shortsighted

Exile

God's Will

Moving and QUDOS

Scottish Invasion

2 weeks

Ohio home

1 week

Flowers for God

Power of Ten