Reaching Ireland Update

From our latest newsletter...

"Are You Serious?"

Well, as a matter of fact we are! We're selling our house -- and in the first week on the market we had two showings!

We won't be moving to Ireland next week, but we are taking steps to insure we're ready. As you may know, we also teach music lessons out of our house and to simplify things while the house is on the market (and should we need to move out before our departure) we're going to begin teaching our lessons through the music academy at a church just down the street.

We're pulling up roots and getting ourselves footloose so that there's nothing holding us back from making our move to Ireland. (Yeah- we're just a little excited)
What now?

This is an excellent time for you to hop on board and help us reach Ireland! We only need 48 more people who can partner with us at an average of $75/month. Call us and we'll tell you how you can be a part of seeing this great nation return to it's Christian roots!

You don't even have to send any money right now. If you commit to a monthly amount to begin giving when we leave for Ireland, that counts! We just need to hear from you soon.

However - if you feel that you are to partner with us and can begin now, that money enables us to continue raising more support and also builds our account for all of our relocating costs.

We need to get all our potential Ministry Partners on board right away so that we can go to pre-feild training ASAP. Then, once we get through Molly's wedding in October we can quickly make final preparations and get our feet on the ground in Ireland, doing what we're called to do.

Email us or call us right away and let us know if you're on board!

Have You Seen Our Slide Show?

NO? Why not?

Call or email us and let's get together - in person or on the phone - and we'll show you pictures from Ireland while we tell you about the opportunities and the vision the Lord has given us for this work. No obligation - just watch, listen, ask questions and then pray about how God might use you.

Please Pray!

- For God's vision to come to fruition

- For the sale of our house

- For the Irish people who need Jesus

- For blessings on our Ministry Partners

OUR PROGRESS...
The green guys below represent our current support (the white is what we need). Get your own green guy today!

The Now and the Not Yet - St. Patrick's day musing

Being children of this age and western culture, most of us have difficulty with the concept of waiting. Fast Food is one of the biggest industries in the world. Precooked, prepackaged, "instant" meals are becoming the norm in many households - including pre-made, store-bought sandwiches and precooked bacon! Time and again I see drivers honking at cars that (heaven forbid) slow down in front of them so that they can safely turn into a parking lot or side street.

When it comes to results - whatever they represent - we want them now, with little investment. "Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, with no effort and at this low, low cost!"

Unfortunately, this spills over into our spiritual life as well.

When we set out to develop spiritual discipline with the goal of growing in our faith, we tend to think that we should see results quickly. We think that to attain "maturity" the process has finite parameters, and too often believe we have arrived, when in reality we've only just begun. Along with the "having arrived" mentality, we may also gain a sense of entitlement. We expect that whatever goals we have before us will be easily and quickly reached. We believe that, since God has placed within us a passion, gifting or vision, that all we need do is reach out a take hold of it.

I speak from experience here. I am one who can all too easily "grow weary in well-doing".

What helps me in those times is to look to others who have gone before as examples. Moses, for instance, was given a vision to rescue his people out of slavery and take them to a new homeland. When he finally had the guts to fulfill the vision he had to spend the next 40 years wandering the countryside with those he was leading, before they were allowed to settle in the promised land. Then there's Noah who spent the better part of 100 years building a huge boat nowhere near water because God had told him to do so. Shortly after he finished his little backyard project, God flooded the earth.

Finally, I'd like to tell you about Patrick. As a teenager, he was captured from his home in England and sold into slavery in Ireland, where he remained, tending sheep for several years. During that time, he developed a strong deep faith in God. God gave him a vision to escape by walking 200 miles overland to find a particular boat that would take him away from his captors. Through all that, God placed a love for the people of Ireland deep within Patrick and he found himself with a strong desire to return to the land that was once his prison to share about the freedom found in Jesus Christ. He was granted that opportunity when he was in his mid-40s and began his work, along with many others, to spread the Good News throughout this pagan nation. We don't know how much Patrick was able to enjoy the fruits of his labors, but we do know that within the next couple of generations after Patrick's death, Ireland became known as a Christian nation and remained that way for the next 1400 years or so.

Remember - God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways our ways. (see Isaiah 55:6)

Thus, his timing is not always our timing and his goals our goals.

If we have a vision, a passion, a goal that God has given us, we need to believe that it will happen. And if it takes longer than expected, realize that there are reasons - and they are in large part to benefit us in our growth as his children. It's in the journey that God does his best work in us, not in reaching the goal or attaining the prize.

What's in a Name?

I had discovered this years ago and every now and then I return to it. This is a great example of God at work throughout the history of mankind. What you are looking at are the names of the men in direct line from Adam to Noah as given in Genesis 5. In parentheses are the meanings of their names. Those meanings are then put together in following sentences...

Adam
(Man)

Seth
(Appointed)

Enosh
(Moral)

Kenan
(Sorrow)

Mahalalel
(The Blessed God)

Jared
(Shall Come Down)

Enoch
(Teaching)

Methuselah
(His Death Shall Bring)

Lamech
(The Despairing)

Noah
(Rest, Comfort)

“Man appointed moral sorrow. The Blessed God shall come down teaching; His death shall bring the despairing rest (and) comfort.”

Incomplete Disciple

Since I became a follower of Jesus (33 years ago), I have always known that I was imperfect. Yeah, I know. I'm sure you're shocked and disappointed to hear that.

Over the years, my growth as a disciple has ebbed and flowed, waned and waxed. While there has been forward movement, I can't say that I have been completely consistent in my pursuit of the holy life - the one which we are called to live.

And yet, I know that I have grown a tremendous amount since that day I first committed myself to being under Jesus' lordship. Through deep study of and meditation on His Word, and by putting into practice at least a portion of what I've learned, I've become who I am today.

But from time-to-time it becomes glaringly apparent that I am far from complete. "What now?" you ask.

Well, I'm considering a few things that I have had the tendency to ignore previously.

Here's one...

"I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead." (Phil 3:10a NLT) I'm okay with that. I'm excited by that. I really do want that.

But it's the next sentence that gets my goat: "I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death..." Am I okay with that? Does that excite me? Do I really want that? I'm not so sure.

And what about when Paul says, "...and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2 Tim 3:12) Have I really experienced that? I mean REALLY? Truth be told, any "persecution" that I may have suffered for being a follower of Jesus amounts to nothing. Only words. Nothing of substance.

Jesus himself tells us, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23 NIV) How prepared am I to deny myself on a daily basis? I'm reticent at best.

So here I am - an incomplete disciple - not having disciplined myself to the fullest extent of Christ's expectations.

Still got a long way to go.

Self examination

Lately our life has been crazy. I usually work 12-15 hours most days and have to force myself to take time off.

Being so focused on my work, it's all too easy to become inward-focused. I've been asking myself, "What am I doing to reach out to those around me with the love of Jesus? What effect am I having on my neighbors, or the baristas at Starbucks, or the clerk at the grocery store?" Okay, I'm nice. I engage them in pleasant conversation. I try to encourage them in their work. That's all good.

But is there more I can be doing? Do they know that they are loved by the Creator of the universe? Do they know that their lives have meaning beyond the menial, daily tasks of making a living?

I was challenged this morning as I read this in Greater Europe Mission's Vision and Mission Blog:

"We must always remember that as Christians, we carry Jesus’ light wherever we go. When we enter the local grocery store, coffee house, or restaurant, we can take Christ into that situation with us. We can choose to use every simple transaction or conversation to bring a touch of Jesus into others’ lives. Will we keep Him under wraps or will we, in faith, reach out and bring the Kingdom into the establishment?"

Shyness is no longer an excuse. Fear is no longer an excuse. Lack of time is no longer an excuse. Pride is no longer an excuse.

All these things... I must leave home without them.