Alright, so I guess at this point I'm supposed to post something about New Year's resolutions or something like that. Part of me rebels. It says, "Yuck! Do I have to do that?" The other part says, "Just shut up and write something profound."
Hmm...
Here's the deal. A few weeks ago, on a Sunday afternoon, Beth and I were on our way home from church (yeah, I know, the whole "we are the church" thing...). Beth asked what I had planned for the rest of the day. I said, "Well, I'll probably try to get a few hours of work in, " to which she replied, "When was the last time you just took a whole day off?" I couldn't remember.
So that day, we just spent the day together, out and about, doing no particular thing. It was great!
Later it dawned on me. You know, I have been so busy doing the Lord's work that I hadn't given myself the luxury of just resting in the Lord. Nor had I spent much time in quiet reflection, allowing God to speak to me.
Throughout the Psalms there is a term which shows up from time-to-time. It is the Hebrew word "selah". It's generally believed that selah means to pause -- probably a musical term, but one which has spiritual implications -- benefiting the singer, after pouring out his heart to the Lord, by giving God a chance to speak to his spirit.
Psalm 46:10 quotes our Creator: "Be still and know that I am God..." Of course we know that He is God, because we read about Him and see His handiwork in creation and sense Him when we pray and glimpse His glory when we worship Him. But how often do we know He is God in our stillness? Do we allow him that chance?
It is in those "selah" moments that we allow God to have His say. As we meditate on His word and on His person, He will speak. How can we expect to hear His "still small voice" when we are only talking or singing and not pausing to let Him?
So I guess this is my resolution -- to be still and know...
Happy New Year!
Dec 30, 2006
Dec 11, 2006
On the Lighter Side
After yesterday's post, I felt that I should lighten things up a bit.
So it's just less than a month that we leave for Ireland again. I'm getting really excited about this trip. It think it will turn out to be as significant as our last vist -- maybe more so.
We have several workshops that we are conducting in local churches in Dublin and Cork. If you don't know what our worship workshops are like, you can find out on my October 15 post.
We also have a bunch of people to meet with to share about our ministry and establish relationships.
There is much to so before we go. We will be out-of-town for a week beginning Friday and then there's someting else.. um... let's see...
Oh - Christmas!
Then we have a lot of potential supporters with which to meet, and I need to get a lot of work in to have enough money to pay the bills while we're gone. All this before we leave on the 9th!
Whew!
In our weakness He is made strong.
So it's just less than a month that we leave for Ireland again. I'm getting really excited about this trip. It think it will turn out to be as significant as our last vist -- maybe more so.
We have several workshops that we are conducting in local churches in Dublin and Cork. If you don't know what our worship workshops are like, you can find out on my October 15 post.
We also have a bunch of people to meet with to share about our ministry and establish relationships.
There is much to so before we go. We will be out-of-town for a week beginning Friday and then there's someting else.. um... let's see...
Oh - Christmas!
Then we have a lot of potential supporters with which to meet, and I need to get a lot of work in to have enough money to pay the bills while we're gone. All this before we leave on the 9th!
Whew!
In our weakness He is made strong.
Dec 10, 2006
How many more?
This little diatribe isn't a reflection of bitterness, but simply an observation of questionable practices by Christians -- saved-by-grace sinners, of which I am the chief. These are questions I am asking myself...
How many more people for whom Christ died will we consider not worth the effort?
How many more times will we ignore the broken hurting person right in front of us because we feel uncomfortable with "that kind of person" or their situation?
How many more lives will be damaged by the attitudes, practices, predjudices, and pride of Christians?
How many more people will we, the church let fall through the cracks because they dress, talk or act "differently" and therefore "it must be a spiritual issue"?
How many more times will we attempt to remake a person on the outside before we allow God to do that from the inside?
How many more non-believers will we shun and look down our noses at with disdain and say, "I thank you Lord that I am not like that person"?
How many more believers will we deceive into believing that we have it all together -- that "if we were doing any better, we couldn't stand it"?
How many more people will we assume are unsaved because they are doing something that we have labled as sin?
How many more ways can we justify treating another person poorly in the name of Christ?
How many more issues can we invent that divide the Body of Christ?
How many more offerings will we attempt to bring to the Lord while we hold hatred, malice or ill-feelings toward a brother or sister?
How many more "I love you, Lord"s will we sing while being unloving to others?
How many more social or humanitarian issues will we ignore because we fear being associated with liberals?
How many more things can we, as believers do to invalidate the Gospel in the eyes of the world?
Just a few things to think about.
How many more people for whom Christ died will we consider not worth the effort?
How many more times will we ignore the broken hurting person right in front of us because we feel uncomfortable with "that kind of person" or their situation?
How many more lives will be damaged by the attitudes, practices, predjudices, and pride of Christians?
How many more people will we, the church let fall through the cracks because they dress, talk or act "differently" and therefore "it must be a spiritual issue"?
How many more times will we attempt to remake a person on the outside before we allow God to do that from the inside?
How many more non-believers will we shun and look down our noses at with disdain and say, "I thank you Lord that I am not like that person"?
How many more believers will we deceive into believing that we have it all together -- that "if we were doing any better, we couldn't stand it"?
How many more people will we assume are unsaved because they are doing something that we have labled as sin?
How many more ways can we justify treating another person poorly in the name of Christ?
How many more issues can we invent that divide the Body of Christ?
How many more offerings will we attempt to bring to the Lord while we hold hatred, malice or ill-feelings toward a brother or sister?
How many more "I love you, Lord"s will we sing while being unloving to others?
How many more social or humanitarian issues will we ignore because we fear being associated with liberals?
How many more things can we, as believers do to invalidate the Gospel in the eyes of the world?
Just a few things to think about.
Nov 28, 2006
What about Style? Pt. 2
The nitty gritty...
The way I see it (this will most likely never make it to a Starbuck's cup) music comes from the soul. It is often called "the universal language". But here's the thing, musical style is not universal.
I find it ludicrous that missionaries from the "civilized" West enter "uncivilized" cultures and teach the natives how to sing "Amazing Grace". Okay, so they teach it to them in their own language, I'll give them that.
But consider this little fable:
North America is a heathen society. Japan is the society in which Christianity has been native for two millennium. So Japan sends missionaries into North America to evangelize the natives. It has been a given for centuries that the only appropriate style of music for use in worship is Japanese Opera, so of course the missionaries begin to teach the North Americans worship songs (in their own language, I'll give them that).
What might be the response of these heathen natives to this tonal and rhythmic system that has no resemblance whatsoever with what they consider music? This is not their heart music.
Okay, so where does that leave us? Well, lets look at this from another angle.
Pretend you are a person. Another one, not yourself, silly. There is only one style of music that you have grown up with that really speaks to you. It is your heart music. When you think of good music, this is the style that comes to mind. Your emotions, your joys, your sorrows, your life -- it's all wrapped up in this style of music. You naturally express your heart through this music.
So someone shares the Gospel with you. You respond to God, and the emotion that you feel is like nothing you've experienced. You're natural reaction is a desire to worship, so you go to a worship service. The music begins and those around you begin to sing. But this music is not "your" music. You want to worship, but the music is such a distraction to you that you can't worship -- you can't express your heart through this music that is so foreign to you.
Then you find out that there is worship music at another church that is in the style you are familiar with and when you go there it's like going home. It's like an old pair of jeans, redeemed for a new use.
Stay with me now.
What is important to believe in as a Christian?
- God's grace through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
- One God.
- The Word of God.
- Commitment to walking in the light.
- Heaven and Hell.
These things unite the Body of Christ.
Now there are many other things that can easily divide the Body of Christ -- things that are unimportant.
Musical style is one of these things.
The unfortunate thing is that there are those who would major on the minors and divide the Body of Christ, rather than seek unity around the important things. We accept the fact that there are many different types of personalities, life experiences, cultures, etc., which bring diversity to the Body worldwide. Why then do we apply spiritual significance to cultural idiosyncrasies?
Well, it's been quite a journey. Here we are where we started -- kind of.
So now that you know my feelings on musical styles, hopefully you understand why we avoid "teaching" our style in our workshops. How do we do that?
It helps that Beth and I both have backgrounds in many different styles of music and are familiar with most of what we might come across. As we work with a band, we listen for basic musicality. We can then speak to musical technique and skill, doing what we can to help the musicians improve their ability to do the music they do within the style to which they are accustomed. If it is a style in which we feel comfortable, we will offer tips in making it work more effectively and give suggestions that they can then utilize or veto. This all has to be adjusted for each individual circumstance as the make-up of each worship team as well as their musical skills can vary greatly.
Does that make sense? It does to me, but let me know if further clarification is needed.
I'll let it lie for now.
Be blessed.
The way I see it (this will most likely never make it to a Starbuck's cup) music comes from the soul. It is often called "the universal language". But here's the thing, musical style is not universal.
I find it ludicrous that missionaries from the "civilized" West enter "uncivilized" cultures and teach the natives how to sing "Amazing Grace". Okay, so they teach it to them in their own language, I'll give them that.
But consider this little fable:
North America is a heathen society. Japan is the society in which Christianity has been native for two millennium. So Japan sends missionaries into North America to evangelize the natives. It has been a given for centuries that the only appropriate style of music for use in worship is Japanese Opera, so of course the missionaries begin to teach the North Americans worship songs (in their own language, I'll give them that).
What might be the response of these heathen natives to this tonal and rhythmic system that has no resemblance whatsoever with what they consider music? This is not their heart music.
Okay, so where does that leave us? Well, lets look at this from another angle.
Pretend you are a person. Another one, not yourself, silly. There is only one style of music that you have grown up with that really speaks to you. It is your heart music. When you think of good music, this is the style that comes to mind. Your emotions, your joys, your sorrows, your life -- it's all wrapped up in this style of music. You naturally express your heart through this music.
So someone shares the Gospel with you. You respond to God, and the emotion that you feel is like nothing you've experienced. You're natural reaction is a desire to worship, so you go to a worship service. The music begins and those around you begin to sing. But this music is not "your" music. You want to worship, but the music is such a distraction to you that you can't worship -- you can't express your heart through this music that is so foreign to you.
Then you find out that there is worship music at another church that is in the style you are familiar with and when you go there it's like going home. It's like an old pair of jeans, redeemed for a new use.
Stay with me now.
What is important to believe in as a Christian?
- God's grace through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
- One God.
- The Word of God.
- Commitment to walking in the light.
- Heaven and Hell.
These things unite the Body of Christ.
Now there are many other things that can easily divide the Body of Christ -- things that are unimportant.
Musical style is one of these things.
The unfortunate thing is that there are those who would major on the minors and divide the Body of Christ, rather than seek unity around the important things. We accept the fact that there are many different types of personalities, life experiences, cultures, etc., which bring diversity to the Body worldwide. Why then do we apply spiritual significance to cultural idiosyncrasies?
Well, it's been quite a journey. Here we are where we started -- kind of.
So now that you know my feelings on musical styles, hopefully you understand why we avoid "teaching" our style in our workshops. How do we do that?
It helps that Beth and I both have backgrounds in many different styles of music and are familiar with most of what we might come across. As we work with a band, we listen for basic musicality. We can then speak to musical technique and skill, doing what we can to help the musicians improve their ability to do the music they do within the style to which they are accustomed. If it is a style in which we feel comfortable, we will offer tips in making it work more effectively and give suggestions that they can then utilize or veto. This all has to be adjusted for each individual circumstance as the make-up of each worship team as well as their musical skills can vary greatly.
Does that make sense? It does to me, but let me know if further clarification is needed.
I'll let it lie for now.
Be blessed.
Nov 27, 2006
What about Style?
Okay, so on October 15, my entry about what we do at our Worship Workshops, I stated:
"The thing we try to stay away from is style. Our style may not be that particular fellowship's style and we don't want to put up any walls because of it. I'll get into musical styles in worship at a later date."
Well, it's a later date and I've had someone recently bugging me about when I was going to follow up -- so here goes...
Style is sometimes a controversial topic when referring to worship music. There are viewpoints all across the spectrum -- from those who believe that only instruments which are mentioned in the Bible should be used to those who use trance music in rave-style worship experiences. So where do I stand?
In a moment. Let me preface this by saying that the following is my opinion. I won't presume to present pure fact, but theory based upon what I have discovered in my own studies. It may be true or I may be wrong. One day we will know in full. Also, don't expect me to bring up every bit of Scripture that has to do with worship. That would just be too cumbersome.
Alright, so let's go back about 6 millennia. As languages are growing and changing within the various cultures after God gifted them with different tongues, music in different parts of the world is developing on parallel paths as well. In the Far East a tonal and rhythmic system is developing independent of what is happening in, say, North America, South America or Africa. Unique Music is even developing in the area of the Middle East from where the nation of Israel will arise.
So God calls Abram and he becomes a worshiper. There is no canonized narrative giving instruction on the tonalities or rhythmic structures that are appropriate for worship.
Fast forward to Jacob, when Laban, his father-in-law speaks of music on tambourines and harps at a celebration that never took place. Nothing to do with worship here, just a family gathering. There are several more Old Testament instances of these and other instruments being used in a secular setting.
Fast forward to Moses when he receives the Law from the Almighty. There are very specific instructions regarding the ways and means of worship, sacrifice, diet, etc., etc., etc. This is the Old Covenant given to Israel. Musical stye and instrumentation are neither one mentioned here.
Fast forward to David dispensing roles for leading worship. He asks the leaders of the Levites to appoint players of lyres, harps and cymbals, and Kenaniah is put in charge of the singing. Wait, aren't these the same instruments used in the secular music of the day? And David makes no indication that these instruments are the only instruments to be used, at the exclusion of all others. In fact, shortly after this, we see that someone has brought along rams' horns and trumpets. "Hey, who said you could play those in worship!?!"
Fast forward to New Testament times. Sorry, no record of what instrumentation was used in worship during this period. This is why certain denominations have made it a rule in their congregations to have no instruments. Still nothing to say regarding musical style either.
Fast forward to Pope Gregory and the time period when the chant was all the rage. Monophonic vocal music (only one note at a time -- no harmony) was considered to be the purest form of music and the only music appropriate for use in worship. When some miscreant decided it might sound nice to add a little harmony here and there, he was considered a heretic. Once polyphony (music with harmony) became the norm, there was one interval to avoid at all cost. (For those of you without any musical background who have no idea what an interval is, it is simply the distance between two notes.) What is very interesting about this is the fact that this particular interval, called "the devil's interval", is found in many of the hymns in use in churches today and in most "traditional Gospel" songs. Hmmm.
Another interesting point -- many hymns from the 19th century used sacred poetry set to secular tunes such as military marches, love songs and even murder ballads.
So today we have certain groups who feel that any instrument that is not used in worship in the Bible should not be used in worship. They seem to justify the use of the organ by saying that the organ is mentioned in the Bible. I'm really pretty sure that we're not talking about the same instrument. (After all the ducimer is mentioned in the Bible, but it appears to be a wind instrument, whereas today it is a stringed instrument.) I'm also curious where their harmonic structure originated. I'm guessing it is closer to the Western musical tradition than the Biblical, of which there seems to be no record.
So that's the background. Next we get to the nitty gritty.
To be continued...
"The thing we try to stay away from is style. Our style may not be that particular fellowship's style and we don't want to put up any walls because of it. I'll get into musical styles in worship at a later date."
Well, it's a later date and I've had someone recently bugging me about when I was going to follow up -- so here goes...
Style is sometimes a controversial topic when referring to worship music. There are viewpoints all across the spectrum -- from those who believe that only instruments which are mentioned in the Bible should be used to those who use trance music in rave-style worship experiences. So where do I stand?
In a moment. Let me preface this by saying that the following is my opinion. I won't presume to present pure fact, but theory based upon what I have discovered in my own studies. It may be true or I may be wrong. One day we will know in full. Also, don't expect me to bring up every bit of Scripture that has to do with worship. That would just be too cumbersome.
Alright, so let's go back about 6 millennia. As languages are growing and changing within the various cultures after God gifted them with different tongues, music in different parts of the world is developing on parallel paths as well. In the Far East a tonal and rhythmic system is developing independent of what is happening in, say, North America, South America or Africa. Unique Music is even developing in the area of the Middle East from where the nation of Israel will arise.
So God calls Abram and he becomes a worshiper. There is no canonized narrative giving instruction on the tonalities or rhythmic structures that are appropriate for worship.
Fast forward to Jacob, when Laban, his father-in-law speaks of music on tambourines and harps at a celebration that never took place. Nothing to do with worship here, just a family gathering. There are several more Old Testament instances of these and other instruments being used in a secular setting.
Fast forward to Moses when he receives the Law from the Almighty. There are very specific instructions regarding the ways and means of worship, sacrifice, diet, etc., etc., etc. This is the Old Covenant given to Israel. Musical stye and instrumentation are neither one mentioned here.
Fast forward to David dispensing roles for leading worship. He asks the leaders of the Levites to appoint players of lyres, harps and cymbals, and Kenaniah is put in charge of the singing. Wait, aren't these the same instruments used in the secular music of the day? And David makes no indication that these instruments are the only instruments to be used, at the exclusion of all others. In fact, shortly after this, we see that someone has brought along rams' horns and trumpets. "Hey, who said you could play those in worship!?!"
Fast forward to New Testament times. Sorry, no record of what instrumentation was used in worship during this period. This is why certain denominations have made it a rule in their congregations to have no instruments. Still nothing to say regarding musical style either.
Fast forward to Pope Gregory and the time period when the chant was all the rage. Monophonic vocal music (only one note at a time -- no harmony) was considered to be the purest form of music and the only music appropriate for use in worship. When some miscreant decided it might sound nice to add a little harmony here and there, he was considered a heretic. Once polyphony (music with harmony) became the norm, there was one interval to avoid at all cost. (For those of you without any musical background who have no idea what an interval is, it is simply the distance between two notes.) What is very interesting about this is the fact that this particular interval, called "the devil's interval", is found in many of the hymns in use in churches today and in most "traditional Gospel" songs. Hmmm.
Another interesting point -- many hymns from the 19th century used sacred poetry set to secular tunes such as military marches, love songs and even murder ballads.
So today we have certain groups who feel that any instrument that is not used in worship in the Bible should not be used in worship. They seem to justify the use of the organ by saying that the organ is mentioned in the Bible. I'm really pretty sure that we're not talking about the same instrument. (After all the ducimer is mentioned in the Bible, but it appears to be a wind instrument, whereas today it is a stringed instrument.) I'm also curious where their harmonic structure originated. I'm guessing it is closer to the Western musical tradition than the Biblical, of which there seems to be no record.
So that's the background. Next we get to the nitty gritty.
To be continued...
Nov 23, 2006
Happy Thankgiving
We hope that you are with those you love today -- but even if you aren't, remember that the One who loves you the most is always with you.
Be blessed...
Be blessed...
Nov 21, 2006
It's a smaller world after all...
Don't you love technology? I just had to share this...
A few moments ago I got on my computer, opened Skype to call my brother in Hungary. Cool in and of itself.
After several rings I'm talking to Dennis. He laughs and says, "Do you have any idea where I am? I'm standing in Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg South Africa. Just a second, I have to smile for a photo."
He proceeded to tell me that, yes, water does indeed go down the drain counterclockwise. He also said how strange it was to see ads for those planning their summer vacations in January. He hadn't yet seen the up-side-down man-in-the-moon. That's a-lot-of-hyphens!
I love Skype. I love global cell phones. I love digital cameras.
I assume I'm not the only one, am I?
A few moments ago I got on my computer, opened Skype to call my brother in Hungary. Cool in and of itself.
After several rings I'm talking to Dennis. He laughs and says, "Do you have any idea where I am? I'm standing in Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg South Africa. Just a second, I have to smile for a photo."
He proceeded to tell me that, yes, water does indeed go down the drain counterclockwise. He also said how strange it was to see ads for those planning their summer vacations in January. He hadn't yet seen the up-side-down man-in-the-moon. That's a-lot-of-hyphens!
I love Skype. I love global cell phones. I love digital cameras.
I assume I'm not the only one, am I?
Nov 19, 2006
Give Thanks
There is often much confusion for those who encounter this scripture for the first time:
"Are you crazy?" one might ask.
It does seem rather ludicrous on the surface to give thanks in all circumstances, when there are so many circumstances for which we can't even begin to feel grateful. All of us have had times of sorrow, times of struggle, times of frustration -- times that saying "thanks" is the last thing on our minds.
So why would Paul write this? I mean, look at some of the things that he suffered for the sake of the Gospel...
Five times received 39 lashes of the whip.
Three times beaten with rods.
Once stoned.
Three times shipwrecked.
Spent a night and a day in the open sea.
Constantly on the move.
In danger from rivers, bandits, his own countrymen, Gentiles, false brothers.
In danger in the city, the country, at sea.
Labored and toiled and went without sleep.
Often went without food.
Often cold and naked. (2 Cor. 11:24-27)
Yet he writes this as well -- "...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." (Phil. 4:11)
You see, he wasn't necessarily thankful for his circumstances, but thankful through them. He knew that the end reward is far greater than the present suffering.
In many different, often difficult circumstances we find worship in the Old Testament often taking this form: "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (1 Chron. 16:34)
(For a really good example of thankfulness in the midst of seemingly dire circumstances, read 2 Chronicles 20.)
It's not about our circumstances -- it's about God's goodness and his love for us.
This year, this week -- yeah, let's be thankful for our loved ones, for the things with which we have been blessed, for all the good gifts we have received.
But more so -- let's be thankful because we know that God is good and that His love for us never ends. All other circumstances pale in light of this fact. Our circumstances are temporary. God's goodness and love will carry us through eternity.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
"...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess 5:18 NIV
"Are you crazy?" one might ask.
It does seem rather ludicrous on the surface to give thanks in all circumstances, when there are so many circumstances for which we can't even begin to feel grateful. All of us have had times of sorrow, times of struggle, times of frustration -- times that saying "thanks" is the last thing on our minds.
So why would Paul write this? I mean, look at some of the things that he suffered for the sake of the Gospel...
Five times received 39 lashes of the whip.
Three times beaten with rods.
Once stoned.
Three times shipwrecked.
Spent a night and a day in the open sea.
Constantly on the move.
In danger from rivers, bandits, his own countrymen, Gentiles, false brothers.
In danger in the city, the country, at sea.
Labored and toiled and went without sleep.
Often went without food.
Often cold and naked. (2 Cor. 11:24-27)
Yet he writes this as well -- "...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." (Phil. 4:11)
You see, he wasn't necessarily thankful for his circumstances, but thankful through them. He knew that the end reward is far greater than the present suffering.
In many different, often difficult circumstances we find worship in the Old Testament often taking this form: "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (1 Chron. 16:34)
(For a really good example of thankfulness in the midst of seemingly dire circumstances, read 2 Chronicles 20.)
It's not about our circumstances -- it's about God's goodness and his love for us.
This year, this week -- yeah, let's be thankful for our loved ones, for the things with which we have been blessed, for all the good gifts we have received.
But more so -- let's be thankful because we know that God is good and that His love for us never ends. All other circumstances pale in light of this fact. Our circumstances are temporary. God's goodness and love will carry us through eternity.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Nov 15, 2006
Only two months away
So our next trip to Ireland is only two months away. We fly on the 9th of January to Dublin, where we'll spend a couple of days before traveling to Cork for the weekend.
While in Cork we will be conducting a worship workshop for Grace Fellowship, a large (by Irish standards) church body with a great worship ministry. The picture to the left was taken at Grace in September.
A very exciting thing is going to be meeting with the pastor of Cork United Methodist Church. His church is exploring the possibility of moving into doing some contemporary worship. In fact, they are to have a meeting later this month for all those who are interested in being a part of a praise team. Maybe by the time we arrive there will be a group of people to meet with and help them to focus and envision what God may have for them in the area of worship renewal.
We also plan to meet with Niamh Varian-Barry, who leads worship at Calvary Chapel Cork, and hopefully several other worship leaders from the area, for a time of encouragement, fellowship and vision-casting.
Back in Dublin we have a vocal workshop on the calendar at Swords Baptist Church and will be leading worship there on a Sunday morning.
We don't yet know what else the Lord has in mind for this trip, but I'm expecting it to be a full three weeks.
I realize that we didn't do a great job of keeping everyone updated when we were last in Europe, but we have solved some of our technical issues and hope to do better this time.
Prayer request time:
- pray for the events I have mentioned and for any others that may crop up -- that God would do His work in us and through us.
- pray for all those with whom we will meet one-on-one or in small groups -- that God would open up more doors for ministry.
- pray for us as we are away from three major sources of income for three weeks -- that God would provide our every need, as always.
Of course another thing to pray about is that we wouldn't freeze our tails off, which would make the plane ride home very uncomfortable! From a Florida winter to an Irish winter -- what were we thinking? Na -- it'll be great.
While in Cork we will be conducting a worship workshop for Grace Fellowship, a large (by Irish standards) church body with a great worship ministry. The picture to the left was taken at Grace in September.A very exciting thing is going to be meeting with the pastor of Cork United Methodist Church. His church is exploring the possibility of moving into doing some contemporary worship. In fact, they are to have a meeting later this month for all those who are interested in being a part of a praise team. Maybe by the time we arrive there will be a group of people to meet with and help them to focus and envision what God may have for them in the area of worship renewal.
We also plan to meet with Niamh Varian-Barry, who leads worship at Calvary Chapel Cork, and hopefully several other worship leaders from the area, for a time of encouragement, fellowship and vision-casting.
Back in Dublin we have a vocal workshop on the calendar at Swords Baptist Church and will be leading worship there on a Sunday morning.
We don't yet know what else the Lord has in mind for this trip, but I'm expecting it to be a full three weeks.
I realize that we didn't do a great job of keeping everyone updated when we were last in Europe, but we have solved some of our technical issues and hope to do better this time.
Prayer request time:
- pray for the events I have mentioned and for any others that may crop up -- that God would do His work in us and through us.
- pray for all those with whom we will meet one-on-one or in small groups -- that God would open up more doors for ministry.
- pray for us as we are away from three major sources of income for three weeks -- that God would provide our every need, as always.
Of course another thing to pray about is that we wouldn't freeze our tails off, which would make the plane ride home very uncomfortable! From a Florida winter to an Irish winter -- what were we thinking? Na -- it'll be great.
Nov 4, 2006
History Repeated - the Other Side
On Gardiner Street in the heart of Dublin stands a building constructed in 1839 to house Dublin's famous Trinity Church congregation. In 1909, the church closed its 
doors. Since then it has been occupied by various concerns -- most recently Dublin's Labour Exchange. Today it stands empty -- but that's about to change...
In the 1970's, Trinity Church, Greater Europe Mission's first church plant in Ireland was established. It is now perhaps the largest evangelical congregation in The Republic of Ireland, with three congregations throughout greater Dublin. Recently the Trinity Central congregation has been crowding into a small church building which happens to be only a few blocks from the aforementioned Trinity Church building.
Now, nearly a century after Trinity Church abandoned the property, in an interesting twist Dublin City Council and Trinity Church have worked out a swap of sorts. The city is taking possession of Trinity's current building while Trinity has agreed to pay a certain additional sum and gain the Gardiner Street property. The plan is to completely renovate the property so that Trinity Church (the congregation and the building) will once again fulfill its purpose as a beacon of light in a spiritually dark society.
Is that a God Thing, or what?
doors. Since then it has been occupied by various concerns -- most recently Dublin's Labour Exchange. Today it stands empty -- but that's about to change...In the 1970's, Trinity Church, Greater Europe Mission's first church plant in Ireland was established. It is now perhaps the largest evangelical congregation in The Republic of Ireland, with three congregations throughout greater Dublin. Recently the Trinity Central congregation has been crowding into a small church building which happens to be only a few blocks from the aforementioned Trinity Church building.
Now, nearly a century after Trinity Church abandoned the property, in an interesting twist Dublin City Council and Trinity Church have worked out a swap of sorts. The city is taking possession of Trinity's current building while Trinity has agreed to pay a certain additional sum and gain the Gardiner Street property. The plan is to completely renovate the property so that Trinity Church (the congregation and the building) will once again fulfill its purpose as a beacon of light in a spiritually dark society.
Is that a God Thing, or what?
Oct 31, 2006
Funny
Funny how when we step out and make a decision that has the potential of changing your life, it seems that very decision is then tested.
So my post from last night, about "...all things are possible"...
This morning it's being tested.
Two big disappointments within an hour.
Funny, huh?
But here's the really funny thing. I still believe it!
I'm not giving up.
Ha!
So my post from last night, about "...all things are possible"...
This morning it's being tested.
Two big disappointments within an hour.
Funny, huh?
But here's the really funny thing. I still believe it!
I'm not giving up.
Ha!
Oct 30, 2006
Revolution
What's our excuse?
Why do we hold fast to some Scripture and believe it so fiercely, and act as if other Scripture doesn't apply to us, or couldn't be entirely true? What if we were to believe it all and live our life to that extent? Would we be setting ourselves up for ridicule? Perhaps.
But in the end it wouldn't matter. When you stand before your Creator, wouldn't you like to be able to say, "I thought you meant it"?
This week I was faced with this verse again:
"...with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26b)
Beyond this being Scripture, these are the very words of Jesus. I mean...
Let's analyze this verse...
First -- what is possible? All things.
Second -- All things are what? Possible.
What's missing here? Well...
"Some." "A few." "Not." "Im-."
Don't you get it?
ALL
THINGS
ARE
POSSIBLE
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That dream of yours. That's possible.
That situation that is just beyond your reach. That's possible.
That thing that you don't feel equipped to do. That's possible.
That "unsavable" person saved. That's possible.
That broken relationship healed. That's possible.
That overwhelming financial situation no longer an issue. That's possible.
That bondage in your life left far behind you. That's possible.
Believe me now or believe me later...
"With God all things are possible." (Don't forget the first part. Very important.)
Can we make a pact together? Can we agree that we will start living as if we believe this simple truth? What then?
Revolution.
Why do we hold fast to some Scripture and believe it so fiercely, and act as if other Scripture doesn't apply to us, or couldn't be entirely true? What if we were to believe it all and live our life to that extent? Would we be setting ourselves up for ridicule? Perhaps.
But in the end it wouldn't matter. When you stand before your Creator, wouldn't you like to be able to say, "I thought you meant it"?
This week I was faced with this verse again:
"...with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26b)
Beyond this being Scripture, these are the very words of Jesus. I mean...
Let's analyze this verse...
First -- what is possible? All things.
Second -- All things are what? Possible.
What's missing here? Well...
"Some." "A few." "Not." "Im-."
Don't you get it?
ALL
THINGS
ARE
POSSIBLE
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That dream of yours. That's possible.
That situation that is just beyond your reach. That's possible.
That thing that you don't feel equipped to do. That's possible.
That "unsavable" person saved. That's possible.
That broken relationship healed. That's possible.
That overwhelming financial situation no longer an issue. That's possible.
That bondage in your life left far behind you. That's possible.
Believe me now or believe me later...
"With God all things are possible." (Don't forget the first part. Very important.)
Can we make a pact together? Can we agree that we will start living as if we believe this simple truth? What then?
Revolution.
Oct 27, 2006
Revelation
The small group that I lead each Wednesday is just beginning a study of the book of Revelation. What was I thinking?
It wasn't my idea. Really. They made me do it. I simply asked, "So do we want to study through another book of the Bible?" and someone (I won't mention names) suggested the Revelation. Before I knew it, the whole room was backing the idea. So then optimistic me went along with it.
But here's the deal. No other book of the Bible says anything like this:
"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." (1:3)
How can you ignore that?
So last week we, as a group, read through the entire book in about an hour and twenty minutes. I've done that many times. In fact I once produced and directed a, shall we say, production of the Revelation wherein we had 6 narrators, a group of musicians providing a soundtrack and multimedia elements being projected.
I think the most enduring image(s) from my encounters with God's final written word is the worship. To begin with we have many fabulous descriptions of our risen Savior. Those in and of themselves offer sufficient reason to worship Him.
Then there are the descriptions of those worshiping. In chapter 5 we see worship beginning at the throne of God with the 4 creatures and the 24 elders. They are soon joined by "the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand."
Our author continues: "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!' The four living creatures said, 'Amen,' and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Wow! I've been in some worship services where it seemed that everyone was really into it, but man, I look forward to experiencing heavenly worship, don't you?
There are several other mentions of worship that stick out to me. One is where John twice tells us that after seeing the fantastic things that he saw, he fell down at the foot of an angel to worship him. I love what the angel tells him. "Don't do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"
The other aspect of worship that sticks with me is the worship of the counterfeit. John speaks of those who worship demons, idols, the dragon, the beast and its image. Satan is seeking worshipers just as God is. For him it matters not whether people worship him or some idol. What matters to him is that people don't worship God. He wouldn't even mind if we were to worship godly angels.
When you see all the alternatives there are in world of religion, one thing becomes clear to those who know the truth. There is the One True God and there are the counterfeits. No gray areas. No "other" paths to God. Jesus himself says, "I am the way the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except by me." He didn't say "a way, a truth and a life."
Selah
So - I'm glad we're studying the Revelation. It will be a challenge and will take commitment from the whole group, but it will be good. In the end, it is a book of hope. We all need that today.
It wasn't my idea. Really. They made me do it. I simply asked, "So do we want to study through another book of the Bible?" and someone (I won't mention names) suggested the Revelation. Before I knew it, the whole room was backing the idea. So then optimistic me went along with it.
But here's the deal. No other book of the Bible says anything like this:
"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." (1:3)
How can you ignore that?
So last week we, as a group, read through the entire book in about an hour and twenty minutes. I've done that many times. In fact I once produced and directed a, shall we say, production of the Revelation wherein we had 6 narrators, a group of musicians providing a soundtrack and multimedia elements being projected.
I think the most enduring image(s) from my encounters with God's final written word is the worship. To begin with we have many fabulous descriptions of our risen Savior. Those in and of themselves offer sufficient reason to worship Him.
Then there are the descriptions of those worshiping. In chapter 5 we see worship beginning at the throne of God with the 4 creatures and the 24 elders. They are soon joined by "the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand."
Our author continues: "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!' The four living creatures said, 'Amen,' and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Wow! I've been in some worship services where it seemed that everyone was really into it, but man, I look forward to experiencing heavenly worship, don't you?
There are several other mentions of worship that stick out to me. One is where John twice tells us that after seeing the fantastic things that he saw, he fell down at the foot of an angel to worship him. I love what the angel tells him. "Don't do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"
The other aspect of worship that sticks with me is the worship of the counterfeit. John speaks of those who worship demons, idols, the dragon, the beast and its image. Satan is seeking worshipers just as God is. For him it matters not whether people worship him or some idol. What matters to him is that people don't worship God. He wouldn't even mind if we were to worship godly angels.
When you see all the alternatives there are in world of religion, one thing becomes clear to those who know the truth. There is the One True God and there are the counterfeits. No gray areas. No "other" paths to God. Jesus himself says, "I am the way the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except by me." He didn't say "a way, a truth and a life."
Selah
So - I'm glad we're studying the Revelation. It will be a challenge and will take commitment from the whole group, but it will be good. In the end, it is a book of hope. We all need that today.
Oct 21, 2006
History Repeated
How many times have you heard it? History repeats itself.
I've just started reading A Global View of Christian Missions by J. Herbert Kane. In his chapter "Encounter with Islam" Kane describes the demise of the church in Northern Africa during the seventh century. While there were many contributing factors to this displacement of Christianity with Islam, it would seem that one of the primary reasons is that "Church members had long since left there first love and were Christians in name rather than fact." (pg. 53) This came about not only because the Christians didn't have the Scriptures in their native language, but the practice of the faith had been reduced to ceremony and form and not the relationship and discipline that should be at the center.
In Europe today, there are reminders that the Christian faith was once the driving force in society. These reminders, built with stone and mortar are aging and crumbling -- echoing the collapse of the spiritual house of living stones in the last century. The church in Europe has now suffered the same fate as that in Northern Africa. In this case, however, the change was precipitated by the machinations of atheistic thought in politics, philosophy and science (as opposed to the alternative theistic thought brought about by Islam in N. Africa).
So now my thoughts turn to the North American church. The influence of the Scriptures and the Church has been nearly eliminated from the "politically correct" public forum. In many congregations, form and ceremony has replaced relationship and discipline. The U.S. has been known from its inception as a Christian nation and is still regarded by many as such. But has it become a Christian society in name rather than fact? The implications are sobering.
However...
"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This promise from God to Israel in the seventh chapter of 2 Chronicles refers to a physical healing of the land from drought or famine. Yet, might God do the same for us in a spiritual sense, if we were to humble ourselves and return to being the living stones that we are called to be - committed to rebuilding the spiritual house that was once at the center of American culture?
Could it not also happen for Europe, which is much further down the path than the U.S.? Greater Europe Mission is committed to seeing this post-Christian society return to its first love, long since abandoned and mostly forgotten.
We have seen first-hand in Ireland the ambivalence, lack of hope, and at times hostility when talking with nationals about God. There is much work to do. The national churches are doing what they can, but it takes a concerted effort with those from other nations (i.e. the U.S.) who have dedicated their lives to help build the church overseas.
You can make a difference. In your neighborhood. At work. At school. And even if you aren't called to take it to foreign shores, you can pray and financially support those who are called to go.
Be a living stone, not a dormant one.
I've just started reading A Global View of Christian Missions by J. Herbert Kane. In his chapter "Encounter with Islam" Kane describes the demise of the church in Northern Africa during the seventh century. While there were many contributing factors to this displacement of Christianity with Islam, it would seem that one of the primary reasons is that "Church members had long since left there first love and were Christians in name rather than fact." (pg. 53) This came about not only because the Christians didn't have the Scriptures in their native language, but the practice of the faith had been reduced to ceremony and form and not the relationship and discipline that should be at the center.
In Europe today, there are reminders that the Christian faith was once the driving force in society. These reminders, built with stone and mortar are aging and crumbling -- echoing the collapse of the spiritual house of living stones in the last century. The church in Europe has now suffered the same fate as that in Northern Africa. In this case, however, the change was precipitated by the machinations of atheistic thought in politics, philosophy and science (as opposed to the alternative theistic thought brought about by Islam in N. Africa).So now my thoughts turn to the North American church. The influence of the Scriptures and the Church has been nearly eliminated from the "politically correct" public forum. In many congregations, form and ceremony has replaced relationship and discipline. The U.S. has been known from its inception as a Christian nation and is still regarded by many as such. But has it become a Christian society in name rather than fact? The implications are sobering.
However...
"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This promise from God to Israel in the seventh chapter of 2 Chronicles refers to a physical healing of the land from drought or famine. Yet, might God do the same for us in a spiritual sense, if we were to humble ourselves and return to being the living stones that we are called to be - committed to rebuilding the spiritual house that was once at the center of American culture?
Could it not also happen for Europe, which is much further down the path than the U.S.? Greater Europe Mission is committed to seeing this post-Christian society return to its first love, long since abandoned and mostly forgotten.
We have seen first-hand in Ireland the ambivalence, lack of hope, and at times hostility when talking with nationals about God. There is much work to do. The national churches are doing what they can, but it takes a concerted effort with those from other nations (i.e. the U.S.) who have dedicated their lives to help build the church overseas.
You can make a difference. In your neighborhood. At work. At school. And even if you aren't called to take it to foreign shores, you can pray and financially support those who are called to go.
Be a living stone, not a dormant one.
Oct 20, 2006
Here we are then.
So, as of Oct. 1 we are now "officially" commissioned as missionaries to Ireland with Greater Europe Mission!
What that means is that that we are now eligible to receive a salary for our mission work. At the moment, we are on a part salary. As our support level grows we will be able to increase that salary until we are on a full salary, which we hope will be in the next few months. As it is, Beth and I are teaching piano and voice lessons, respectively, I am still doing furniture restoration and the odd carpentry job AND we are putting in many hours with ministry work. Whew!
If you want to know about what all our ministry work entails, see my Oct. 5 post.
We need your prayers as we work to raise up Ministry Partners, those who are part of our ministry through their faithful financial support. If you would like information about becoming a Ministry Partner, simply drop us an email at garyandbeth@gmail.com.
I think this will be my shortest post so far, unless of course I continue to ramble like I often do and just fill the page with meaningless words because I like hearing myself type. Or I could just stop here.
What that means is that that we are now eligible to receive a salary for our mission work. At the moment, we are on a part salary. As our support level grows we will be able to increase that salary until we are on a full salary, which we hope will be in the next few months. As it is, Beth and I are teaching piano and voice lessons, respectively, I am still doing furniture restoration and the odd carpentry job AND we are putting in many hours with ministry work. Whew!
If you want to know about what all our ministry work entails, see my Oct. 5 post.
We need your prayers as we work to raise up Ministry Partners, those who are part of our ministry through their faithful financial support. If you would like information about becoming a Ministry Partner, simply drop us an email at garyandbeth@gmail.com.
I think this will be my shortest post so far, unless of course I continue to ramble like I often do and just fill the page with meaningless words because I like hearing myself type. Or I could just stop here.
Oct 15, 2006
What is a "Worship Workshop"?
We keep talking about doing these worship workshops in Ireland and it occurred to me that there are probably many that have no idea what that is all about. So if you have been wondering what a worship workshop looks like, here's my best effort to describe it...
Beth and I meet together with worship leaders, worship teams and anyone else who might happen to be interested, and have an open floor discussion about Biblical and practical issues regarding worship and worship leading.
We have had as few as four and as many as a couple of dozen so far. We don't lecture. There are several reasons for this. First, we feel that learning is best done interactively. When one actively participates, rather than passively absorbs, one will remember what has been discussed. Second, participants will stay awake. Third, discussions are dynamic and unpredictable, so participants enjoy the process and are stimulated to learn. Fourth, we (Beth and I) nearly always come away having learned something. One thing we learn is how the group thinks and feels and we can make modifications to our plan on the fly. We also might actually gain new insights into the topics discussed by way of comments and observations by the participants. We are also learning about the culture and its prevailing attutudes and viewpoints.
Our discussion times, while free flowing, are directed and focused. We have an outline to follow that is tailored to each particular workshop as suggested by the worship leader. If we use the entire outline, our discussion times may take up to about 6 hours. That doesn't include a lunch break, or any type of practicum with the worship team.
A practicum might be allowing the band to do a few songs and then giving constructive criticism and pointers as to musicality and presentation. Alternatively we might divide the group into vocalists, keyboardists, etc. and give practical insights in the use of particular instruments or vocal harmonies. We also may teach a new song and demonstrate effective rehearsal techniques. The thing we try to stay away from is style. Our style may not be that particular fellowship's style and we don't want to put up any walls because of it. I'll get into musical styles in worship at a later date.
I'm sure by now, you're wondering why in the world I'm boring you with all this. I don't know. Just felt like it. Thought there might be a couple of people who might think it was interesting.
I'll finish up with our basic discussion outline:
The Theology of Worship
- How do we define worship?
- Why do we worship?
The Philosophy of Worship
- Why is the worship of God important?
- What else seeks our worship?
- Why does God seek our worship?
- Forms of Worship
- The Role of Music
- The Music/Spirit/Worship Connection
- What is the right music for worship?
The Practice of Worship Leading
- What does it mean to “lead” worship?
- Who needs a worship leader?
- Who is the ultimate worship leader?
- Why have a worship leader?
- What are the requirements of a worship leader?
- How is one enabled for the task?
- What are the worship leader’s responsibilities?
- Planning Times of Worship
- Planning the Rehearsal
Practicum – Working with the team
- Effective Rehearsing
- Effective Arranging
- Playing as a unit
- Yes, even the bass player is a worship leader (Leading From Your Instrument)
- Developing Flow
- Q&A/Discussion
Beth and I meet together with worship leaders, worship teams and anyone else who might happen to be interested, and have an open floor discussion about Biblical and practical issues regarding worship and worship leading.
We have had as few as four and as many as a couple of dozen so far. We don't lecture. There are several reasons for this. First, we feel that learning is best done interactively. When one actively participates, rather than passively absorbs, one will remember what has been discussed. Second, participants will stay awake. Third, discussions are dynamic and unpredictable, so participants enjoy the process and are stimulated to learn. Fourth, we (Beth and I) nearly always come away having learned something. One thing we learn is how the group thinks and feels and we can make modifications to our plan on the fly. We also might actually gain new insights into the topics discussed by way of comments and observations by the participants. We are also learning about the culture and its prevailing attutudes and viewpoints.
Our discussion times, while free flowing, are directed and focused. We have an outline to follow that is tailored to each particular workshop as suggested by the worship leader. If we use the entire outline, our discussion times may take up to about 6 hours. That doesn't include a lunch break, or any type of practicum with the worship team.
A practicum might be allowing the band to do a few songs and then giving constructive criticism and pointers as to musicality and presentation. Alternatively we might divide the group into vocalists, keyboardists, etc. and give practical insights in the use of particular instruments or vocal harmonies. We also may teach a new song and demonstrate effective rehearsal techniques. The thing we try to stay away from is style. Our style may not be that particular fellowship's style and we don't want to put up any walls because of it. I'll get into musical styles in worship at a later date.
I'm sure by now, you're wondering why in the world I'm boring you with all this. I don't know. Just felt like it. Thought there might be a couple of people who might think it was interesting.
I'll finish up with our basic discussion outline:
The Theology of Worship
- How do we define worship?
- Why do we worship?
The Philosophy of Worship
- Why is the worship of God important?
- What else seeks our worship?
- Why does God seek our worship?
- Forms of Worship
- The Role of Music
- The Music/Spirit/Worship Connection
- What is the right music for worship?
The Practice of Worship Leading
- What does it mean to “lead” worship?
- Who needs a worship leader?
- Who is the ultimate worship leader?
- Why have a worship leader?
- What are the requirements of a worship leader?
- How is one enabled for the task?
- What are the worship leader’s responsibilities?
- Planning Times of Worship
- Planning the Rehearsal
Practicum – Working with the team
- Effective Rehearsing
- Effective Arranging
- Playing as a unit
- Yes, even the bass player is a worship leader (Leading From Your Instrument)
- Developing Flow
- Q&A/Discussion
Oct 5, 2006
What does it mean to be a missionary?
So I've been thinking, and Beth and I have been talking about this whole thing of being a missionary. What does that really mean?
When you say the word "missionary" to someone, it usually conjures up images of stalwart Christian men and women giving up their Western lifestyle, selling everything they own and moving to the remotest parts of the earth to work among the "natives" who have never heard the Gospel. They work for years with the indigenous tribes, gaining their trust, learning their language, teaching them about Christ and how to sing "Amazing Grace" in their own language...
(the sound of screeching tires is heard)
In walk the Hodges. They live in a regular home in Florida. They drive a car. They don't look like missionaries. They don't even live in Ireland yet. (Does Ireland really need missionaries?)
"Now what is it you're doing in Ireland?"
Well, we're Worship Trainers!
"But I thought a missiona..."
I think it's time for a new definition. Now don't be alarmed at the following statements:
We aren't going to Ireland with the primary focus of evangelization.
We don't have an agenda to do tent meetings and large outreach events with altar calls.
We aren't setting out to save a whole village.
That said, this is in no way intended to belittle the ministries of those whom God has called for the purposes mentioned above. God has all sorts of people in all sorts of roles -- all of them important.
Here's the deal. Europe is what is referred to as a "post-Christian" society. There are many churches, cathedrals and other religious structures throughout the continent and into the British Isles. However, the church as a spiritual institution is languishing. In fact, in Ireland -- which was once the center of Christian scholarship and evangelism -- less than 1% of the population are Bible-believing Christians. That means that greater than 99% are NOT Bible-believing Christians. This figure holds pretty close throughout Europe.
Our organization, Greater Europe Mission has as its purpose statement:
"...to assist the peoples of Greater Europe in building up the Body of Christ so that every person is within reach of a witnessing fellowship."
For GEM, it's not about invading a country with an American model of how to do church. Instead it is working within the belief that God has people within the cultures of Europe whom He is raising up as the leaders of the church in those cultures. GEM is there to come alongside those individuals and assist them in establishing fellowships that are indigenous. This method establishes a grassroots foundation that is not then dependent upon foreign leadership.
Do we evangelize? Of course! In the same way that the vast majority of Americans are evangelized -- through one-on-one relationships over time. (And every now and then an outreach event is organized.)
So Beth and I have an interesting role in that we are coming alongside worship leaders, worship teams and pastors to encourage, mentor, train, resource -- in short, to equip those whom God has called to lead others in worship in the local church setting. It just so happens that the focus of our ministry is Ireland.
"How does that work now -- long distance?"
I'm glad you asked.
For the next year or two, until we make a permanent move to Ireland, we will be traveling to Ireland and Europe several times throughout the year. During those visits we will be conducting workshops, retreats and training seminars, as well as developing relationships with local church leaders -- providing whatever assistance we can to enable local fellowships to develop the most effective worship ministry possible.
During our time at home in the States, we will be developing curricula for said events, planning and scheduling those events, making contacts with new people via email and phone, maintaining relationships with those with whom we are already working, building our website (to be used as a clearinghouse of information and resources for worship ministry), developing other ministry tools for training, maintaining our own musical skills and ministry, working for GEM in the area of recruiting, etc., and anything else that happens to become a part of our ministry.
It's a full-time job, despite the fact that we won't yet be living in Ireland.
Which brings me to my final point.
The definition of what it means to be a foreign missionary is not quite as clear-cut as it once was -- especially in our case. Our ministry is focused on Ireland. That makes it foreign. Yet we live in Florida -- for now. Our ministry also doesn't quite line up with the traditional definition of "missions", does it?
There is another full-time missionary with GEM that I know who lives in Memphis. Tennessee, that is -- not Egypt. His children are at that critical age of transition from high school to college (sounds like us), so he and his wife made the decision to be based in the States for now. However, his ministry is ongoing to Europe and beyond. It is an effective ministry that impacts hundreds each year.
All that to say -- if there is confusion, try not to think of our work as missionaries in the traditional sense, but instead as more of a multinational ministry working in the area of developing worship ministries in the local church.
Yeah, I think that's it.
Thanks for listening.
When you say the word "missionary" to someone, it usually conjures up images of stalwart Christian men and women giving up their Western lifestyle, selling everything they own and moving to the remotest parts of the earth to work among the "natives" who have never heard the Gospel. They work for years with the indigenous tribes, gaining their trust, learning their language, teaching them about Christ and how to sing "Amazing Grace" in their own language...
(the sound of screeching tires is heard)
In walk the Hodges. They live in a regular home in Florida. They drive a car. They don't look like missionaries. They don't even live in Ireland yet. (Does Ireland really need missionaries?)
"Now what is it you're doing in Ireland?"
Well, we're Worship Trainers!
"But I thought a missiona..."
I think it's time for a new definition. Now don't be alarmed at the following statements:
We aren't going to Ireland with the primary focus of evangelization.
We don't have an agenda to do tent meetings and large outreach events with altar calls.
We aren't setting out to save a whole village.
That said, this is in no way intended to belittle the ministries of those whom God has called for the purposes mentioned above. God has all sorts of people in all sorts of roles -- all of them important.
Here's the deal. Europe is what is referred to as a "post-Christian" society. There are many churches, cathedrals and other religious structures throughout the continent and into the British Isles. However, the church as a spiritual institution is languishing. In fact, in Ireland -- which was once the center of Christian scholarship and evangelism -- less than 1% of the population are Bible-believing Christians. That means that greater than 99% are NOT Bible-believing Christians. This figure holds pretty close throughout Europe.
Our organization, Greater Europe Mission has as its purpose statement:
"...to assist the peoples of Greater Europe in building up the Body of Christ so that every person is within reach of a witnessing fellowship."
For GEM, it's not about invading a country with an American model of how to do church. Instead it is working within the belief that God has people within the cultures of Europe whom He is raising up as the leaders of the church in those cultures. GEM is there to come alongside those individuals and assist them in establishing fellowships that are indigenous. This method establishes a grassroots foundation that is not then dependent upon foreign leadership.
Do we evangelize? Of course! In the same way that the vast majority of Americans are evangelized -- through one-on-one relationships over time. (And every now and then an outreach event is organized.)
So Beth and I have an interesting role in that we are coming alongside worship leaders, worship teams and pastors to encourage, mentor, train, resource -- in short, to equip those whom God has called to lead others in worship in the local church setting. It just so happens that the focus of our ministry is Ireland.
"How does that work now -- long distance?"
I'm glad you asked.
For the next year or two, until we make a permanent move to Ireland, we will be traveling to Ireland and Europe several times throughout the year. During those visits we will be conducting workshops, retreats and training seminars, as well as developing relationships with local church leaders -- providing whatever assistance we can to enable local fellowships to develop the most effective worship ministry possible.
During our time at home in the States, we will be developing curricula for said events, planning and scheduling those events, making contacts with new people via email and phone, maintaining relationships with those with whom we are already working, building our website (to be used as a clearinghouse of information and resources for worship ministry), developing other ministry tools for training, maintaining our own musical skills and ministry, working for GEM in the area of recruiting, etc., and anything else that happens to become a part of our ministry.
It's a full-time job, despite the fact that we won't yet be living in Ireland.
Which brings me to my final point.
The definition of what it means to be a foreign missionary is not quite as clear-cut as it once was -- especially in our case. Our ministry is focused on Ireland. That makes it foreign. Yet we live in Florida -- for now. Our ministry also doesn't quite line up with the traditional definition of "missions", does it?
There is another full-time missionary with GEM that I know who lives in Memphis. Tennessee, that is -- not Egypt. His children are at that critical age of transition from high school to college (sounds like us), so he and his wife made the decision to be based in the States for now. However, his ministry is ongoing to Europe and beyond. It is an effective ministry that impacts hundreds each year.
All that to say -- if there is confusion, try not to think of our work as missionaries in the traditional sense, but instead as more of a multinational ministry working in the area of developing worship ministries in the local church.
Yeah, I think that's it.
Thanks for listening.
Oct 4, 2006
The Good, the Bed and the Ugly
Okay, really corny title.
This is the story about the awful Bed & Breakfast in Cork, Ireland to which I alluded in my post on 9/7. We had booked a room at Edelweiss House online before we left on our trip. We were intrigued by the pictures and description which made it sound really nice and quaint so we took a chance and booked it for the three nights that we would be in the Cork area.
We left Shannon late Saturday afternoon for the drive to Cork. The directions that we had printed out from the website were very confusing so we decided to call the B&B to get directions. The lady with the rich brogue on the other end of the line seemed to be quite a character and I thought we would probably enjoy our stay in her lodge.
The directions were roughly thus:
"Ye have to teek de exit fer Blarney. Y'go troo de town, pass de castle and go 5 kilometers out frome de town center. You'll tern left just pass de Huntsman, teek de next left and go for 7 kilometers. At de garij (garage) teek a right and we're just dere on de right." Sounded easy enough.
It was dark when we came to the exit for Blarney. We made our way through the town and soon found ourselves at the Huntsman Pub. We turned left just past the pub (actually, the road made a sharp curve to the left, so we had no other choice), took the first left and after a couple of blocks found ourselves in the midst of a housing development with a small shopping center.
I called the lady at the B&B and told her our predicament. Obviously irritated with us she gave me directions from there and we found ourselves right back at the Huntsman. Hmmm.
So we thought, maybe we would try again from there. When we found ourselves back at the Huntsman for the third time (this was getting old) I realized that the only thing to do was to call again.
I heard the lady's voice, "What!"
"Uh, well it seems we've found ourselves back at the Huntsman again. I'm sorry."
"Okay, now lissen. Go left pass de Huntsman, go to de end of de road and turn left..."
Ah ha! It dawned on us that when she said, "teek de next left," she didn't mean, turn left at de next road, but turn left at de end of de road.
She ended the conversation with, "Don't call me again!"
It was getting late and I was getting drowsy. It was a good thing that we were so close. A few minutes later we were pulling into the driveway at Edelwiess House. The lady(?) of the house greeted us at the door with a scowl, and showed us to our room.
The first thing we noticed as we entered the house was the unmistakable lingering aroma of old cigarette smoke. The room was, shall we say, cozy and decorated in early rummage sale. The brass canopied bed looked stunning next to the wicker lawn loveseat with its faded floral design cushions, which set off the pressed wood wardrobe beautifully. To complete the look, the floor was tastefully covered in green indoor/outdoor carpeting. There was a wonderful selection of Irish glossies to read.
Like a good hostess, she followed us out to our car as we unloaded our luggage. "What time would ye like breakfast in de marnin'?" she queried.
We had to be at church in Cork in the morning so we said, "Eight o'clock would be fine."
"Ye can't have it then. Cook doesn't arrive until 9."
We smiled and said, "Nine then."
We decided then and there that Edelweiss House would be the perfect B&B to stay at for one night if you'd made the mistake of booking it online and arrived there late at night. We agreed that we would check out in the morning. After breakfast.
It was prudence which told us to keep our suitcases closed overnight, lest all our clothes absorb the cigarette-laden atmosphere.
When I told the lady of the house that we would be checking out, she was none too happy. "I could charge ye fer de full tree nights since dat's what ye booked. But I'll just charge ye fer de one." Her charity warmed my heart.
As we made our way through the dining area with our luggage, there was nervous silence from the other guests. You could almost hear them thinking, "Lucky stiffs. We wanted to check out early, but how would that look now that you've jumped ship?"
After church that morning we made our way to an internet cafe and found a few possible B&B's and began calling them. The first one we called, Rivermount House, had a vacancy, so we booked it. We were intrigued by the pictures and description. Yeah, I know, but this time it was different. Really! It was a bit further out of Cork near Kinsale to the south. We told them to expect us in the late evening.
We ate dinner in Kinsale and made our way to Rivermount House, arriving just at dusk. The man of the house greeted us and told us as we climbed the stair that we got the last room -- they were fully booked -- so they had to put us in the family suite. It seemed to us the Taj Mahal. It was beautifully decorated and not so "cozy" as the previous night's accommodation.
The next morning we were not only stunned by the view from our room, but "Claire's Special Porridge" was out of this world. We never realized that oats could taste so good.
Our hosts were very gracious. They were dead set against smoking. We had breakfast at eight o'clock. It was just what we needed after our night in hell -- I mean Edelweiss House.
This is the story about the awful Bed & Breakfast in Cork, Ireland to which I alluded in my post on 9/7. We had booked a room at Edelweiss House online before we left on our trip. We were intrigued by the pictures and description which made it sound really nice and quaint so we took a chance and booked it for the three nights that we would be in the Cork area.
We left Shannon late Saturday afternoon for the drive to Cork. The directions that we had printed out from the website were very confusing so we decided to call the B&B to get directions. The lady with the rich brogue on the other end of the line seemed to be quite a character and I thought we would probably enjoy our stay in her lodge.
The directions were roughly thus:
"Ye have to teek de exit fer Blarney. Y'go troo de town, pass de castle and go 5 kilometers out frome de town center. You'll tern left just pass de Huntsman, teek de next left and go for 7 kilometers. At de garij (garage) teek a right and we're just dere on de right." Sounded easy enough.
It was dark when we came to the exit for Blarney. We made our way through the town and soon found ourselves at the Huntsman Pub. We turned left just past the pub (actually, the road made a sharp curve to the left, so we had no other choice), took the first left and after a couple of blocks found ourselves in the midst of a housing development with a small shopping center.
I called the lady at the B&B and told her our predicament. Obviously irritated with us she gave me directions from there and we found ourselves right back at the Huntsman. Hmmm.
So we thought, maybe we would try again from there. When we found ourselves back at the Huntsman for the third time (this was getting old) I realized that the only thing to do was to call again.
I heard the lady's voice, "What!"
"Uh, well it seems we've found ourselves back at the Huntsman again. I'm sorry."
"Okay, now lissen. Go left pass de Huntsman, go to de end of de road and turn left..."
Ah ha! It dawned on us that when she said, "teek de next left," she didn't mean, turn left at de next road, but turn left at de end of de road.
She ended the conversation with, "Don't call me again!"
It was getting late and I was getting drowsy. It was a good thing that we were so close. A few minutes later we were pulling into the driveway at Edelwiess House. The lady(?) of the house greeted us at the door with a scowl, and showed us to our room.
The first thing we noticed as we entered the house was the unmistakable lingering aroma of old cigarette smoke. The room was, shall we say, cozy and decorated in early rummage sale. The brass canopied bed looked stunning next to the wicker lawn loveseat with its faded floral design cushions, which set off the pressed wood wardrobe beautifully. To complete the look, the floor was tastefully covered in green indoor/outdoor carpeting. There was a wonderful selection of Irish glossies to read.
Like a good hostess, she followed us out to our car as we unloaded our luggage. "What time would ye like breakfast in de marnin'?" she queried.
We had to be at church in Cork in the morning so we said, "Eight o'clock would be fine."
"Ye can't have it then. Cook doesn't arrive until 9."
We smiled and said, "Nine then."
We decided then and there that Edelweiss House would be the perfect B&B to stay at for one night if you'd made the mistake of booking it online and arrived there late at night. We agreed that we would check out in the morning. After breakfast.
It was prudence which told us to keep our suitcases closed overnight, lest all our clothes absorb the cigarette-laden atmosphere.
When I told the lady of the house that we would be checking out, she was none too happy. "I could charge ye fer de full tree nights since dat's what ye booked. But I'll just charge ye fer de one." Her charity warmed my heart.
As we made our way through the dining area with our luggage, there was nervous silence from the other guests. You could almost hear them thinking, "Lucky stiffs. We wanted to check out early, but how would that look now that you've jumped ship?"
After church that morning we made our way to an internet cafe and found a few possible B&B's and began calling them. The first one we called, Rivermount House, had a vacancy, so we booked it. We were intrigued by the pictures and description. Yeah, I know, but this time it was different. Really! It was a bit further out of Cork near Kinsale to the south. We told them to expect us in the late evening.
We ate dinner in Kinsale and made our way to Rivermount House, arriving just at dusk. The man of the house greeted us and told us as we climbed the stair that we got the last room -- they were fully booked -- so they had to put us in the family suite. It seemed to us the Taj Mahal. It was beautifully decorated and not so "cozy" as the previous night's accommodation.
The next morning we were not only stunned by the view from our room, but "Claire's Special Porridge" was out of this world. We never realized that oats could taste so good.
Our hosts were very gracious. They were dead set against smoking. We had breakfast at eight o'clock. It was just what we needed after our night in hell -- I mean Edelweiss House.
Sep 18, 2006
Last few days in Ireland
We're home now. Good ol' HOT Florida. Dang it's hot.
So Thursday, the 7th, we had lunch in Dublin with a young man, Daragh Hoey. Daragh plays electric guitar at Trinity and is also in a band that is working on getting wider recognition - Star Turtle. They are already popular in the Dublin area and look forward to seeing what the future holds.
We had a great time with Daragh. One of the things that we have found very beneficial are those Irish who are willing to help us understand the Irish mindset -- the dos and don'ts; the ins and outs.
Friday we spent the day looking around the city at areas that we may be interested in living (when we eventually move there) before heading up to Swords, north of Dublin for dinner with Rory and Mindy McDonald. Rory is one of the key worship leaders at Swords Baptist and Mindy is an American who went to Ireland as a missionary and ended up marrying an Irishman. After taking a nice, unplanned tour of the entire village (I should have listened to my wife), we found ourselves at the McDonald's where we enjoyed the meal and the conversation and spent a little time talking through our plans for the worship workshop the next day.
Saturday, we held the aforementioned workshop at a school that Swords Baptist uses for it's Sunday services. There were somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 or so Worship Team members and others who were able to be with us. We had the hall from 10 am to 4 pm and expected that we wouldn't use up the whole 6 hours. When we finished, I looked at my watch and it was 3:55. What a wonderful group of people and what great conversations we had regarding worship and worship leading. We hope to be back there in January to do a vocal workshop, some keyboard instruction and maybe some other intensive training.
Sunday morning we attended St. Mark's Church in the heart of Dublin. St. Mark's is one of the largest and most influential evangelical churches in Ireland. They had a great worship team and solid teaching. You may be familiar with Maire (Moya) Brennan. She and her husband are key people at St. Mark's and she happens to be Enya's sister and a successful recording artist in her own right.
Sunday afternoon we packed and then went over to Phil and Cheryl's to debrief, say goodbye and talk a bit about our next trip, which will probably be in January. They were very encouraged with our trip and very encouraging regarding the future.
All-in-all it was a very successful trip. While it was a lot of work, leading worship in Hungary was a great joy and blessing. Spending time with my brother, Judit and Vivi was awesome. The events we held in Ireland came off without a hitch - and those for whom we did them want more of the same. The meetings we had with various individuals were exciting and opened up many more opportunities for the future.
So far, for our January trip, we could easily have 3 major events and already have plans to meet with several individuals with whom we were unable to meet this trip.
Check back here often, as I will be sharing some highlights and reflections on this trip with greater details of our adventure.
So Thursday, the 7th, we had lunch in Dublin with a young man, Daragh Hoey. Daragh plays electric guitar at Trinity and is also in a band that is working on getting wider recognition - Star Turtle. They are already popular in the Dublin area and look forward to seeing what the future holds.
We had a great time with Daragh. One of the things that we have found very beneficial are those Irish who are willing to help us understand the Irish mindset -- the dos and don'ts; the ins and outs.
Friday we spent the day looking around the city at areas that we may be interested in living (when we eventually move there) before heading up to Swords, north of Dublin for dinner with Rory and Mindy McDonald. Rory is one of the key worship leaders at Swords Baptist and Mindy is an American who went to Ireland as a missionary and ended up marrying an Irishman. After taking a nice, unplanned tour of the entire village (I should have listened to my wife), we found ourselves at the McDonald's where we enjoyed the meal and the conversation and spent a little time talking through our plans for the worship workshop the next day.
Saturday, we held the aforementioned workshop at a school that Swords Baptist uses for it's Sunday services. There were somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 or so Worship Team members and others who were able to be with us. We had the hall from 10 am to 4 pm and expected that we wouldn't use up the whole 6 hours. When we finished, I looked at my watch and it was 3:55. What a wonderful group of people and what great conversations we had regarding worship and worship leading. We hope to be back there in January to do a vocal workshop, some keyboard instruction and maybe some other intensive training.
Sunday morning we attended St. Mark's Church in the heart of Dublin. St. Mark's is one of the largest and most influential evangelical churches in Ireland. They had a great worship team and solid teaching. You may be familiar with Maire (Moya) Brennan. She and her husband are key people at St. Mark's and she happens to be Enya's sister and a successful recording artist in her own right.
Sunday afternoon we packed and then went over to Phil and Cheryl's to debrief, say goodbye and talk a bit about our next trip, which will probably be in January. They were very encouraged with our trip and very encouraging regarding the future.
All-in-all it was a very successful trip. While it was a lot of work, leading worship in Hungary was a great joy and blessing. Spending time with my brother, Judit and Vivi was awesome. The events we held in Ireland came off without a hitch - and those for whom we did them want more of the same. The meetings we had with various individuals were exciting and opened up many more opportunities for the future.
So far, for our January trip, we could easily have 3 major events and already have plans to meet with several individuals with whom we were unable to meet this trip.
Check back here often, as I will be sharing some highlights and reflections on this trip with greater details of our adventure.
Sep 6, 2006
Ireland, cont.
I haven't kept up on a daily basis with this blog and there is so much to tell that I will never get caught up. So...
I'm going to give a quick overview of our time here so far and include a few pictures as well.
Beginning Sunday, the 27th of August:
We attended two churches -- Trinity (www.trinity.ie) in the morning and Core (www.corechurch.ie) in the evening. We met a few people that we plan to get together with later to talk about worship and how we might be able to assist them in our ministry.
We had an interesting meeting Monday morning meeting with other missionaries. We were there to meet and talk with the board members of Church Planting Resources, a group of missionaries from various organizations formed to strategize and share resources for the purpose of building the church in Ireland.
I finally got my insulin Wednesday morning. Fortunately it wasn't critical that we leave for the west of Ireland Tuesday.
We had hoped to connect with some people in the Galway area while were traveling, but that never happened due to various circumstances. We did have some good days of sightseeing and getting familiar with that area of the country.
Saturday we had a great time in Shannon leading a worship workshop with the worship band of Jamzone, a youth ministry lead by Elton Goode of Shannon Evangelical Church. It's kids like this that are the future of the church in Ireland.
Saturday evening we drove to Cork and stayed in a really awful Bed and Breakfast. I'll try and relate this saga at a later date.
Sunday morning we were at Grace Fellowship. Monday, we met with Michael O'Donovan, the worship leader at Grace and had a really encouraging conversation. We are planning to do a worship workshop with his worship team next time we come to Ireland (maybe January).
Although it didn't work out to meet with him, we spoke with Laurence Graham, the pastor of Cork Methodist about meeting with him and one of his key musicians who has a heart to see contemporary worship in their church. We will also look to doing this when we return.
Tuesday morning we met with Michael Neglia, pastor of Calvary Chapel Cork , his wife Rachel and their worship leader, Niamh (pronounced Neeve). It was the beginning of a long term relationship and we plan to meet up again on our next visit and perhaps pull together a workshop for several worship leaders in the area.
Tuesday night we were back in Dublin and had a great time of playing and worshipping with several guys who are traditional Irish musicians and a part of a new church plant. We also had good conversation about leading worship and arranging music, etc.
Today we are meeting with one of the worship team members from Trinity, so I guess I'd better close for now.
Cheers...
I'm going to give a quick overview of our time here so far and include a few pictures as well.
Beginning Sunday, the 27th of August:
We attended two churches -- Trinity (www.trinity.ie) in the morning and Core (www.corechurch.ie) in the evening. We met a few people that we plan to get together with later to talk about worship and how we might be able to assist them in our ministry.
We had an interesting meeting Monday morning meeting with other missionaries. We were there to meet and talk with the board members of Church Planting Resources, a group of missionaries from various organizations formed to strategize and share resources for the purpose of building the church in Ireland.
I finally got my insulin Wednesday morning. Fortunately it wasn't critical that we leave for the west of Ireland Tuesday.
We had hoped to connect with some people in the Galway area while were traveling, but that never happened due to various circumstances. We did have some good days of sightseeing and getting familiar with that area of the country.
Saturday we had a great time in Shannon leading a worship workshop with the worship band of Jamzone, a youth ministry lead by Elton Goode of Shannon Evangelical Church. It's kids like this that are the future of the church in Ireland.
Saturday evening we drove to Cork and stayed in a really awful Bed and Breakfast. I'll try and relate this saga at a later date.
Sunday morning we were at Grace Fellowship. Monday, we met with Michael O'Donovan, the worship leader at Grace and had a really encouraging conversation. We are planning to do a worship workshop with his worship team next time we come to Ireland (maybe January).
Although it didn't work out to meet with him, we spoke with Laurence Graham, the pastor of Cork Methodist about meeting with him and one of his key musicians who has a heart to see contemporary worship in their church. We will also look to doing this when we return.
Tuesday morning we met with Michael Neglia, pastor of Calvary Chapel Cork , his wife Rachel and their worship leader, Niamh (pronounced Neeve). It was the beginning of a long term relationship and we plan to meet up again on our next visit and perhaps pull together a workshop for several worship leaders in the area.
Tuesday night we were back in Dublin and had a great time of playing and worshipping with several guys who are traditional Irish musicians and a part of a new church plant. We also had good conversation about leading worship and arranging music, etc.
Today we are meeting with one of the worship team members from Trinity, so I guess I'd better close for now.
Cheers...
Aug 30, 2006
Ireland - Week 1a
I realize it's been a week since I've blogged.
Sorry.
Here's the first installment of a recap of what we've been up to since last Thursday.
We arrived in Dublin Thursday night, got our luggage in good order, picked up our rental car and made our way to Phil and Cheryl Kingsley's house. Phil is GEM's field director for Ireland and their house is in Shankill in the south of County Dublin. To get there from the airport in the north of the county, we drove through the city since it was late and the traffic was light.
While we were in Budapest, I realized that I had left one vial of insulin in the minibar of our hotel room in Sopron. It was hopeless trying to retrieve it and we decided to wait until we got to Dublin to deal with it. I had enough insulin to last me a while, so it was not an emergency situation.
Friday morning we hung out and caught up with Phil and Cheryl. In the afternoon, we made our way to Dundrum, on the south side of Dublin, where there is a shopping center (mall) that opened just about a year-and-a-half ago. We went to a pharmacy there and told them our situation. We were told that I need to have a prescription from an Irish doctor, but that they carried the type of insulin I needed and could get it in the form that I required by the next morning. There was a doc-in-a-box on the next level just above the pharmacy, so we made our way up there. It was 3:30 and the clinic was going to reopen at 5, so I made an appointment for 5:15.
After we ate I saw the doctor. He asked me into his office, I told him my story and he wrote me a prescription. I saw the pharmacist and gave her my prescription, getting the assurance that they would have it for me in the morning. Once we left Dundrum, we drove around the south end of the county looking at housing areas in which we might possibly be interested in living once we move to Dublin.
Saturday morning we went once again to Dundrum Town Centre and was told by the pharmacist that their regular supplier didn't have what I needed, but that they would check with their other supplier Monday morning and have the insulin there no later than Tuesday morning.
Our plan was to leave Tuesday morning to go to the West of Ireland, so we explained that we really needed to be sure that it would be there as they were promising.
Saturday afternoon Beth and I met with John Yoder and Andy Sloane at the Kingsley's. John is an expatriate American who leads worship and Andy is a member of the youth group, but plays on the regular worship team at City Gates, a church in Cabinteely near Shankill where we have ministered in worship several times previously. We spent some time just chatting about worship and their experiences, joys, frustrations, etc. Then we shared songs with one another and each of us came away with some new songs and new perspectives.
John happened to mention that a friend of his and fellow worship leader at Core Church in the City Centre was moving to Australia and getting rid of most of his equipment, including a good keyboard. Ray McCarthy is his name. We had been considering purchasing some portable sound equipment and a keyboard that we could leave in Ireland for our travels there and then for our eventual move, so that we didn't have to haul such items back and forth from the States. So after calling Ray, we went to his house and checked out the keyboard. We're not yet sure if we will buy it, but we did hit it off with Ray and his wife, Helen and ended up sitting around their kitchen table sharing stories for some time.
Sunday, we attended two churches and had two very different experiences. More on this to come.
And the insulin saga continues...
Sorry.
Here's the first installment of a recap of what we've been up to since last Thursday.
We arrived in Dublin Thursday night, got our luggage in good order, picked up our rental car and made our way to Phil and Cheryl Kingsley's house. Phil is GEM's field director for Ireland and their house is in Shankill in the south of County Dublin. To get there from the airport in the north of the county, we drove through the city since it was late and the traffic was light.
While we were in Budapest, I realized that I had left one vial of insulin in the minibar of our hotel room in Sopron. It was hopeless trying to retrieve it and we decided to wait until we got to Dublin to deal with it. I had enough insulin to last me a while, so it was not an emergency situation.
Friday morning we hung out and caught up with Phil and Cheryl. In the afternoon, we made our way to Dundrum, on the south side of Dublin, where there is a shopping center (mall) that opened just about a year-and-a-half ago. We went to a pharmacy there and told them our situation. We were told that I need to have a prescription from an Irish doctor, but that they carried the type of insulin I needed and could get it in the form that I required by the next morning. There was a doc-in-a-box on the next level just above the pharmacy, so we made our way up there. It was 3:30 and the clinic was going to reopen at 5, so I made an appointment for 5:15.
After we ate I saw the doctor. He asked me into his office, I told him my story and he wrote me a prescription. I saw the pharmacist and gave her my prescription, getting the assurance that they would have it for me in the morning. Once we left Dundrum, we drove around the south end of the county looking at housing areas in which we might possibly be interested in living once we move to Dublin.
Saturday morning we went once again to Dundrum Town Centre and was told by the pharmacist that their regular supplier didn't have what I needed, but that they would check with their other supplier Monday morning and have the insulin there no later than Tuesday morning.
Our plan was to leave Tuesday morning to go to the West of Ireland, so we explained that we really needed to be sure that it would be there as they were promising.
Saturday afternoon Beth and I met with John Yoder and Andy Sloane at the Kingsley's. John is an expatriate American who leads worship and Andy is a member of the youth group, but plays on the regular worship team at City Gates, a church in Cabinteely near Shankill where we have ministered in worship several times previously. We spent some time just chatting about worship and their experiences, joys, frustrations, etc. Then we shared songs with one another and each of us came away with some new songs and new perspectives.
John happened to mention that a friend of his and fellow worship leader at Core Church in the City Centre was moving to Australia and getting rid of most of his equipment, including a good keyboard. Ray McCarthy is his name. We had been considering purchasing some portable sound equipment and a keyboard that we could leave in Ireland for our travels there and then for our eventual move, so that we didn't have to haul such items back and forth from the States. So after calling Ray, we went to his house and checked out the keyboard. We're not yet sure if we will buy it, but we did hit it off with Ray and his wife, Helen and ended up sitting around their kitchen table sharing stories for some time.
Sunday, we attended two churches and had two very different experiences. More on this to come.
And the insulin saga continues...
Aug 23, 2006
Loving Budapest
Just a quick note about Sunday's tragic thunderstorm. The news is saying that there were four confirmed dead and 500 admitted to local hospitals. Many of the injuries were due to roof tiles blowing off buildings. I don't know what the wind speeds were, but I would guess they were in excess of 60 mph at times. The raindrops were definitely painful as they hit us. Apparently authorities knew the storm was coming some time before the fireworks event. Of course those in the government are blaming one another for the way in which the evening was handled.
On the lighter side, we are really enjoying Budapest. We traveled up river a ways the other day and enjoyed some historic buildings and villages. Budapest is a beautiful city. Today, Beth, Molly and I will be exploring on our own, as Dennis and Judit left this morning for business in Rome. This will be a real test of our Hungarian as we do some shopping.
Tomorrow, Molly flies home and will move into the dorm on Saturday and begin classes Monday. Beth and I fly to Dublin later in the day. We are really looking forward to our time in Ireland, seeing old friends and meeting new ones; engaging in ministry and planning future trips.
Molly is ready to be home. Beth and I are ready for some more time abroad. I guess that works out well, as we are not yet half way through our trip.
Photo and video updates are forthcoming. We haven't been able to upload from our computer while here in Budapest, but we will have that capability once we get to Dublin.
On the lighter side, we are really enjoying Budapest. We traveled up river a ways the other day and enjoyed some historic buildings and villages. Budapest is a beautiful city. Today, Beth, Molly and I will be exploring on our own, as Dennis and Judit left this morning for business in Rome. This will be a real test of our Hungarian as we do some shopping.
Tomorrow, Molly flies home and will move into the dorm on Saturday and begin classes Monday. Beth and I fly to Dublin later in the day. We are really looking forward to our time in Ireland, seeing old friends and meeting new ones; engaging in ministry and planning future trips.
Molly is ready to be home. Beth and I are ready for some more time abroad. I guess that works out well, as we are not yet half way through our trip.
Photo and video updates are forthcoming. We haven't been able to upload from our computer while here in Budapest, but we will have that capability once we get to Dublin.
Aug 21, 2006
A story to tell our grandkids...
Last evening was one of those experiences that you never forget.
It was a beautiful St. Stephen's Day in Budapest. With the summmer sun shining, we made our way to the city center to Horizont Mozi, an old cinema that has been converted into a very comfortable space for Calvary Chapel Budapest to meet. Great worship and rich teaching. Pastor Greg Opean teaches in English, and as he teaches it is translated into Hungarian.
After church we had lunch at Dennis' flat and then headed back into the city on public transport to take in the festivities along the banks of the Danube, including a Red Bull airplane race over the river. If you've ever heard of the "Blue Danube Waltz" by Strauss, this may come as a shock to you and I'm sorry...
The Danube is not blue. It's muddy brown. Always has been. Always will be.
From what I understand, it was a joke that Strauss named it "Blue".
For the evening fireworks show, which is shot from two bridges over the Danube and from nearby Gelart Hill, the bridges are closed to both motor and foot traffic. We needed to get to the other side. BTW - if you never knew this -- Budapest is one city formed from two. Buda is on the West side of the river and Pest one the East. We were in Buda, heading for Pest.
Once in the city center on the Pest side of the river, we found a nice little Italian restaurant called Replay Cafe. This is apparently a chain, kind of like we have in the states with TGI Friday's or Olive Garden.
Then we headed back to the riverfront to stake out a spot from which to watch the fireworks. We found a place on the Metro rail tracks at about 8 pm. The fireworks were slated to begin at 9 and go until 9:30. The crowd continued to grow until by 9 about 1 million people were lining either side of the Danube.
As I was shooting video of the castle on the Buda side of the river, I noticed lightning behind the Castle. The Castle sits atop a hill that extends north to the bend in the river and south to Gelart hill. The lightning became more numerous and I got some really great footage.
The fireworks began with a bang (Ha) right at 9:00 and we immediately become enthralled. At 9:10 the rain started lightly falling and I thought, "Oh this may not be so bad." HA!
At 9:15 I looked across at the Castle to see it becoming enshrouded in heavy rain, giving it an earie, ghostly appearance. I turned to say, "Look how cool the Castle looks," turned back toward the river and WHAM -- the rain and wind hit us full force. Shrieks went up from the crown around us and people began to huddle together in their own little groups. When the intensity increased, there were more shrieks.
It soon became apparent that this was no small rain storm. The crowd turned from the river and began to surge back in to the city streets. There was a metal rail fence about 12 feet behind where we had been standing. It took us about 3 or 4 minutes to get to that fence, which we had to climb over to get out of rail right-of-way and towards the Marriott Hotel, where friends of Dennis were staying.
Beth's glasses were worthless in the driving rain and her vision is very poor without them, so for all intents and purpose, she was blind. By this time, we were soaked through to the skin and with each wave of rain came more shrieks from the crowd around us. People were pressing in on every side, scrambling to escape the storm. Then we were pelted with either sleet or small hail and the crowd once again screamed.
Once we got over the fence, we joined the river of people streaming away from the waterfront. All the while the fireworks were still going off. The Marriott was a mere 50 yards away, but we had to go across the flow of people to get to it. We formed a human chain and made our way through the masses.
Earlier in the day, the hotel had placed a fence around its property to keep the crowd out. By now the fence had several breaches and people were streaming into the restaurant. On the terrace outside the hotel, broken plates and glasses were crunching under our feet. It was actually a humurous site to see people, who had just moments bfore had been enjoying a quiet dinner, now watching as hoards of dripping wet people made there way through the restaurant.
In the lobby, the floors were puddled and the hotel staff was scrambling to control the crowd. We could still hear the fireworks exploding and looked to see a live broadcast of the them on the TV in the bar.
We were safe.
It didn't take long for the hotel to send out housekeeping staff with towels and sheets to hand out to their uninvited guests. There was announcement over the loud speaker in broken English which went something like, "We are having an emergency situation. Please to stay on the hotel until the thunderstorm ends. And please be a little quieter."
We hung out at the hotel in the room where Dennis' friends were staying for awhile and after finding out that traffic was not moving at all out of the city, we decided to walk to the metro (subway). We took two trains and a bus and ended up in the Dennis' neighborhood. From there we walked home.
The fireworks stared at 9.
We arrived home at midnight.
God's protection was with us. We found out later that 2 people were killed when a tree fell on them at the riverfront and two are missing from two boats that collided on the river.
Now it's warm and cozy and looks like another beautiful day.
It was a beautiful St. Stephen's Day in Budapest. With the summmer sun shining, we made our way to the city center to Horizont Mozi, an old cinema that has been converted into a very comfortable space for Calvary Chapel Budapest to meet. Great worship and rich teaching. Pastor Greg Opean teaches in English, and as he teaches it is translated into Hungarian.
After church we had lunch at Dennis' flat and then headed back into the city on public transport to take in the festivities along the banks of the Danube, including a Red Bull airplane race over the river. If you've ever heard of the "Blue Danube Waltz" by Strauss, this may come as a shock to you and I'm sorry...
The Danube is not blue. It's muddy brown. Always has been. Always will be.
From what I understand, it was a joke that Strauss named it "Blue".
For the evening fireworks show, which is shot from two bridges over the Danube and from nearby Gelart Hill, the bridges are closed to both motor and foot traffic. We needed to get to the other side. BTW - if you never knew this -- Budapest is one city formed from two. Buda is on the West side of the river and Pest one the East. We were in Buda, heading for Pest.
Once in the city center on the Pest side of the river, we found a nice little Italian restaurant called Replay Cafe. This is apparently a chain, kind of like we have in the states with TGI Friday's or Olive Garden.
Then we headed back to the riverfront to stake out a spot from which to watch the fireworks. We found a place on the Metro rail tracks at about 8 pm. The fireworks were slated to begin at 9 and go until 9:30. The crowd continued to grow until by 9 about 1 million people were lining either side of the Danube.
As I was shooting video of the castle on the Buda side of the river, I noticed lightning behind the Castle. The Castle sits atop a hill that extends north to the bend in the river and south to Gelart hill. The lightning became more numerous and I got some really great footage.
The fireworks began with a bang (Ha) right at 9:00 and we immediately become enthralled. At 9:10 the rain started lightly falling and I thought, "Oh this may not be so bad." HA!
At 9:15 I looked across at the Castle to see it becoming enshrouded in heavy rain, giving it an earie, ghostly appearance. I turned to say, "Look how cool the Castle looks," turned back toward the river and WHAM -- the rain and wind hit us full force. Shrieks went up from the crown around us and people began to huddle together in their own little groups. When the intensity increased, there were more shrieks.
It soon became apparent that this was no small rain storm. The crowd turned from the river and began to surge back in to the city streets. There was a metal rail fence about 12 feet behind where we had been standing. It took us about 3 or 4 minutes to get to that fence, which we had to climb over to get out of rail right-of-way and towards the Marriott Hotel, where friends of Dennis were staying.
Beth's glasses were worthless in the driving rain and her vision is very poor without them, so for all intents and purpose, she was blind. By this time, we were soaked through to the skin and with each wave of rain came more shrieks from the crowd around us. People were pressing in on every side, scrambling to escape the storm. Then we were pelted with either sleet or small hail and the crowd once again screamed.
Once we got over the fence, we joined the river of people streaming away from the waterfront. All the while the fireworks were still going off. The Marriott was a mere 50 yards away, but we had to go across the flow of people to get to it. We formed a human chain and made our way through the masses.
Earlier in the day, the hotel had placed a fence around its property to keep the crowd out. By now the fence had several breaches and people were streaming into the restaurant. On the terrace outside the hotel, broken plates and glasses were crunching under our feet. It was actually a humurous site to see people, who had just moments bfore had been enjoying a quiet dinner, now watching as hoards of dripping wet people made there way through the restaurant.
In the lobby, the floors were puddled and the hotel staff was scrambling to control the crowd. We could still hear the fireworks exploding and looked to see a live broadcast of the them on the TV in the bar.
We were safe.
It didn't take long for the hotel to send out housekeeping staff with towels and sheets to hand out to their uninvited guests. There was announcement over the loud speaker in broken English which went something like, "We are having an emergency situation. Please to stay on the hotel until the thunderstorm ends. And please be a little quieter."
We hung out at the hotel in the room where Dennis' friends were staying for awhile and after finding out that traffic was not moving at all out of the city, we decided to walk to the metro (subway). We took two trains and a bus and ended up in the Dennis' neighborhood. From there we walked home.
The fireworks stared at 9.
We arrived home at midnight.
God's protection was with us. We found out later that 2 people were killed when a tree fell on them at the riverfront and two are missing from two boats that collided on the river.
Now it's warm and cozy and looks like another beautiful day.
Aug 18, 2006
Looking back, looking forward...
We are now in Budapest at my brother Dennis' flat. The train ride from Sopron yesterday was interesting. It was a rather hot day -- somewhere in the 30's (that's the 90's for those of us in the States). The train had no airconditioning and the windows were spring loaded so that some didn't want to stay open. With some creative engineering using belts and scarves we were able to rig a couple of the more troublesome windows so that they remained open, thus providing us with a good breeze as we traveled.
We had several people, on and off, sharing our compartment -- none of which spoke any English. We were able to say "Good morning", and "Goodbye", and that was about it for our conversations; although with one older couple there was a fair amount of non-verbal conversation which was fun.
Looking forward to the next several days with Dennis, his girlfriend Judit and Vivi, Judit's 12-yr-old daughter. Today we will take a bit of a road trip to a couple of towns that I can't spell or pronounce yet. I'll get to that later.
Looking back on this past week in Sopron, I can honestly say that I wish we were still there ministering in leading worship, but also really glad that we're done with it. It was such a wonderful experience, but so much work. By the end, we were all three exhausted. I thought for sure we would sleep most of the train ride to Budapest, but we ended up traveling with our good friends, Frank and Andrea Zauflik along with several others that we had met at Conference, and ended up talking the whole time.
To encapsulate what Conference was for us, I'd say it was about -- encouragement, challenge, faith-building, relationships, connections. Being basically thrust into the spotlight, we were warmly and graciously received, and lovingly cared for. We were blessed to be able to serve our fellow missionaries in this way.
So now we have a few days in Budapest and surrounding environs. Tomorrow is Stephen's Day. Stephen was the first true king of Hungary and his day is much like our Fourth of July. We will be attending Golgota Budapest (that's Calvary Chapel) in the morning. Frank and Andrea and another couple we know who work with GEM in Budapest may join us for church. Dennis, et al, will be going with us and then we will hang out in the city until the evening's fireworks display over the Danube.
Gotta go for now...
We had several people, on and off, sharing our compartment -- none of which spoke any English. We were able to say "Good morning", and "Goodbye", and that was about it for our conversations; although with one older couple there was a fair amount of non-verbal conversation which was fun.
Looking forward to the next several days with Dennis, his girlfriend Judit and Vivi, Judit's 12-yr-old daughter. Today we will take a bit of a road trip to a couple of towns that I can't spell or pronounce yet. I'll get to that later.
Looking back on this past week in Sopron, I can honestly say that I wish we were still there ministering in leading worship, but also really glad that we're done with it. It was such a wonderful experience, but so much work. By the end, we were all three exhausted. I thought for sure we would sleep most of the train ride to Budapest, but we ended up traveling with our good friends, Frank and Andrea Zauflik along with several others that we had met at Conference, and ended up talking the whole time.
To encapsulate what Conference was for us, I'd say it was about -- encouragement, challenge, faith-building, relationships, connections. Being basically thrust into the spotlight, we were warmly and graciously received, and lovingly cared for. We were blessed to be able to serve our fellow missionaries in this way.
So now we have a few days in Budapest and surrounding environs. Tomorrow is Stephen's Day. Stephen was the first true king of Hungary and his day is much like our Fourth of July. We will be attending Golgota Budapest (that's Calvary Chapel) in the morning. Frank and Andrea and another couple we know who work with GEM in Budapest may join us for church. Dennis, et al, will be going with us and then we will hang out in the city until the evening's fireworks display over the Danube.
Gotta go for now...
Aug 14, 2006
Hard work - Big payoff
It's early morning and I'm sitting in our hotel room in Sopron writing as Beth and Molly continue to sleep. We were all really exhausted last night.
Conference is an interesting mix of really hard work and wonderful blessings. But that's the way ministry is. My experience over the past 16 years has shown me that. God desires to bless us in many ways, but he doesn't want us to grow lazy or complacent. In Luke 9 Jesus compares the ministry to a farmer in the field guiding a plow. Now that's hard work! But work that pays off in the end.
We have really enjoyed getting to know other missionaries -- to hear their stories; their triumphs, their foibles, their joys, their frustrations. Leading worship for this group is so easy. You see, through the year, most of these people never have a chance to engage in corporate worship in their own heart language of English. This is the one week that they can do this and they are hungry for it. All we have to do is get it started and it takes off from there. In fact there was a point in last night's worship set where I was going to end a song and they kept going! It was great!
Molly is doing such a wonderful job running sound. She is very serious about it and works very hard to make sure that everything runs seemlessly -- which isn't easy when you have wireless microphones that decide to not do what they are supposed to and we have to (as descretely as possible) sneak up to the stage and trade out the wireless microphone with a wired one so that the person talking can continue.
One of the great blessings is our Service Team. This is a group of volunteers that are not GEM missionaries, but volunteers who devote a week every year serving GEM at conference, taking care of everything from childcare to room setup to serving cookies in the evenings.
Sopron is an interesting city. It's kind of difficult as an American to get my mind around the fact that there has been a city here since ancient times. In fact, you can see part of a Roman road and ruins of dwellings. Most of the buildings in the City Center date from the Baroque period when the city was destroyed by fire in 1676, but you can find older, Medieval buildings as well, sometimes built upon Roman foundations. In the US, if you find a structure built 200 years ago, you think that's old, but it's really nothing.
Today, Sopron is surrounded on three sides by Austria. In the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, four western Hungarian counties were awarded to Austria, but Sopron remained Hungarian. It is called "The Most Loyal City" to this day.
Well, I must get a shower and get ready for the day.
More later...
Conference is an interesting mix of really hard work and wonderful blessings. But that's the way ministry is. My experience over the past 16 years has shown me that. God desires to bless us in many ways, but he doesn't want us to grow lazy or complacent. In Luke 9 Jesus compares the ministry to a farmer in the field guiding a plow. Now that's hard work! But work that pays off in the end.
We have really enjoyed getting to know other missionaries -- to hear their stories; their triumphs, their foibles, their joys, their frustrations. Leading worship for this group is so easy. You see, through the year, most of these people never have a chance to engage in corporate worship in their own heart language of English. This is the one week that they can do this and they are hungry for it. All we have to do is get it started and it takes off from there. In fact there was a point in last night's worship set where I was going to end a song and they kept going! It was great!
Molly is doing such a wonderful job running sound. She is very serious about it and works very hard to make sure that everything runs seemlessly -- which isn't easy when you have wireless microphones that decide to not do what they are supposed to and we have to (as descretely as possible) sneak up to the stage and trade out the wireless microphone with a wired one so that the person talking can continue.
One of the great blessings is our Service Team. This is a group of volunteers that are not GEM missionaries, but volunteers who devote a week every year serving GEM at conference, taking care of everything from childcare to room setup to serving cookies in the evenings.
Sopron is an interesting city. It's kind of difficult as an American to get my mind around the fact that there has been a city here since ancient times. In fact, you can see part of a Roman road and ruins of dwellings. Most of the buildings in the City Center date from the Baroque period when the city was destroyed by fire in 1676, but you can find older, Medieval buildings as well, sometimes built upon Roman foundations. In the US, if you find a structure built 200 years ago, you think that's old, but it's really nothing.
Today, Sopron is surrounded on three sides by Austria. In the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, four western Hungarian counties were awarded to Austria, but Sopron remained Hungarian. It is called "The Most Loyal City" to this day.
Well, I must get a shower and get ready for the day.
More later...
Aug 10, 2006
Arriving Sopron...
It's 6:30 AM here in Sopron Hungary, whic means it's 11:30 PM yesterday back home. Had a little trouble sleeping through the night, but I feel well rested now. Beth and Molly are still sacked out.
I suppose yesterday's travel could have been rather exciting, had we even known that there was anything going on. We didn't find out about all the activity at Heathrow until we met our party in Vienna.
The drive to Sopron was a wild ride. Our Hungarian driver, who spoke no English, but was able to somewhat communicate with our fellow missionary from Germany seemed to be a hurry after having to wait for us due to our hour-and-a-half delay leaving Paris (which may have been due to the crisis in the UK).
We didn't see much of Sopron as we drove in , but what we saw was intriguing. A few modern buildings, including several modern gas station/convenience stores were mixed in with very old residences and commercial buildings. We also drove past some apartment blocks with distictive Soviet architechture.
The Hotel Fagus, where we ar staying is very new and quite comfortable. "How can a bunch of missionaries afford to stay in such a place?" you ask. It's simply a matter of GEM finding a hotel during the off-season and getting a really good deal for hosting it's Annual Conference.It was good to reconnect with some friends at dinner last evening. Looking forward to doing more of that through the week as well as developing new friendships.
Today, we set up the sound and technical systems and hopefully have a chance to explore a bit.
Aug 1, 2006
The next step...
So here we are, ready to embark on our first, really "official" ministry trip with GEM. The way this trip came about is rather remarkable.
Beth and I had it in our heads that, since we now had a new direction in our ministry and we were going to be able to begin sooner than expected, we wondered if it would be possible to attend GEM's Annual Conference (AC). This gathering of all the missionaries and staff persons in Europe is a time of teaching, fellowship, encouragement and vision casting. This year it takes place in Sopron Hungary.
Since we are still only "appointees" (in our fundraising phase) and not yet commissioned as full-time missionaries, we humbly asked our field director if it would be possible to attend AC this year. His response was, in essence, "Well as a matter of fact, I was just yesterday speaking with Durand Robinson (who oversees the technical aspects of the conference). He won't be able to attend this year and wondered if you might be available to go and run sound. I have also heard from Craig Collier, the conference director, and he is also needing help with leading worship, so maybe the scope of opportunity is even wider." We also talked about maybe setting up an extended trip to Ireland following AC. Phil's only reservation was that August is the time when most Irish are on holiday and he felt that it would be better to wait until closer to September. Hmmm.
I took it upon myself to contact Craig, and in our conversation, he asked if Beth and I would be willing to lead/coordinate worship for the entire conference! Silly question, duh! But that still left nobody to run sound. This was Thursday morning (the date is unimportant).
I immediately emailed my brother, Dennis who lives and works in Budapest, Hungary to see if he would be around the week following conference, so that we could visit him in Buda, which we have not been able to do since he moved there 5 years ago. He said, "We'll be here. Come on!" (The "we" is him and his girlfriend, Judit, who is a native Hungarian.) The other advantage to this is that it fills another week to get our start time in Ireland closer to September. Please don't misunderstand, our time in Buda is NOT filler. Dennis and I have only had about 5 days together in the past 7 years. This is important time!
Friday evening, Molly and I were eating out together and Molly said, "So, will I be able to go to Hungary with you and Mom?" I told her that if we could work out the financial aspect of it that we would love to have her come with us. She has wanted to visit Hungary since Dennis moved there. Since she will be starting her fall semester at University of West Florida at the end of August, she wouldn't be able to go to Ireland with us on this trip.
In the midst of our conversation about Hungary, I got my foot in good position to slip right into my mouth and said, "How would you like to run sound for us at conference?" She loved the idea. I did, too, because not only would it give her something to do that week, her expenses could come out of our expense account! So now I had to contact Craig about this, not knowing at all whether he would go for it or not. His response was swift, to the point and unmistakable.
"That would be such an answer to prayer! Are you sure?" Once again, silly question, duh.
So a week from tomorrow, we set out for Sopron (pronounced show-prone) for a week at AC, a week with Dennis and Judit (pronounced "You-dit", as in "You-dit what? You-dit not!") and two-and-a-half weeks in Ireland to return to the States September 11. That's right, 9/11. We figure it's either the worst day of the year to travel or the best. Haven't decided which.
Our time in Ireland will be spent meeting with pastors, worship leaders and others, learning about their needs and how our ministry can best benefit them. We also have some worship workshops set up with worship bands in several local fellowships and hope for a couple of other events to come together. We plan to be based in Dublin and visit Shannon, Cork, Roscrae and several other places to be determined as our plans solidify over the next few weeks.
We will be posting often while in Europe, so check back. Our website should be launched this week and will also have much info during our trip.
The adventure continues...
Beth and I had it in our heads that, since we now had a new direction in our ministry and we were going to be able to begin sooner than expected, we wondered if it would be possible to attend GEM's Annual Conference (AC). This gathering of all the missionaries and staff persons in Europe is a time of teaching, fellowship, encouragement and vision casting. This year it takes place in Sopron Hungary.
Since we are still only "appointees" (in our fundraising phase) and not yet commissioned as full-time missionaries, we humbly asked our field director if it would be possible to attend AC this year. His response was, in essence, "Well as a matter of fact, I was just yesterday speaking with Durand Robinson (who oversees the technical aspects of the conference). He won't be able to attend this year and wondered if you might be available to go and run sound. I have also heard from Craig Collier, the conference director, and he is also needing help with leading worship, so maybe the scope of opportunity is even wider." We also talked about maybe setting up an extended trip to Ireland following AC. Phil's only reservation was that August is the time when most Irish are on holiday and he felt that it would be better to wait until closer to September. Hmmm.
I took it upon myself to contact Craig, and in our conversation, he asked if Beth and I would be willing to lead/coordinate worship for the entire conference! Silly question, duh! But that still left nobody to run sound. This was Thursday morning (the date is unimportant).
I immediately emailed my brother, Dennis who lives and works in Budapest, Hungary to see if he would be around the week following conference, so that we could visit him in Buda, which we have not been able to do since he moved there 5 years ago. He said, "We'll be here. Come on!" (The "we" is him and his girlfriend, Judit, who is a native Hungarian.) The other advantage to this is that it fills another week to get our start time in Ireland closer to September. Please don't misunderstand, our time in Buda is NOT filler. Dennis and I have only had about 5 days together in the past 7 years. This is important time!
Friday evening, Molly and I were eating out together and Molly said, "So, will I be able to go to Hungary with you and Mom?" I told her that if we could work out the financial aspect of it that we would love to have her come with us. She has wanted to visit Hungary since Dennis moved there. Since she will be starting her fall semester at University of West Florida at the end of August, she wouldn't be able to go to Ireland with us on this trip.
In the midst of our conversation about Hungary, I got my foot in good position to slip right into my mouth and said, "How would you like to run sound for us at conference?" She loved the idea. I did, too, because not only would it give her something to do that week, her expenses could come out of our expense account! So now I had to contact Craig about this, not knowing at all whether he would go for it or not. His response was swift, to the point and unmistakable.
"That would be such an answer to prayer! Are you sure?" Once again, silly question, duh.
So a week from tomorrow, we set out for Sopron (pronounced show-prone) for a week at AC, a week with Dennis and Judit (pronounced "You-dit", as in "You-dit what? You-dit not!") and two-and-a-half weeks in Ireland to return to the States September 11. That's right, 9/11. We figure it's either the worst day of the year to travel or the best. Haven't decided which.
Our time in Ireland will be spent meeting with pastors, worship leaders and others, learning about their needs and how our ministry can best benefit them. We also have some worship workshops set up with worship bands in several local fellowships and hope for a couple of other events to come together. We plan to be based in Dublin and visit Shannon, Cork, Roscrae and several other places to be determined as our plans solidify over the next few weeks.
We will be posting often while in Europe, so check back. Our website should be launched this week and will also have much info during our trip.
The adventure continues...
Jul 23, 2006
A Not So Brief History, Pt. 14
Cont'd. from 6/27...
So here we are trying to figure out the best thing to do so that we're fulfilling the ministry to which God has called us, yet meeting the needs of our 18-year-old daughter at a critical time in her life.
One day, Beth came to me and said, "I have an idea that came to me during my prayer time and I wanted to run it past you in case it might be from the Lord." She proceeded to tell me that she was impressed with the thought that perhaps we could have our ministry to Ireland be based from our home here in Florida and for the next couple of years or so take regular trips to Ireland and Europe to conduct various worship oriented events. Between our trips, then, we could spend our time planning future trips and events, making contact with those with whom we will be ministering, and developing curricula and materials for training. Eventually, when we felt that it was time and Molly was well grounded, we would then make our move to Ireland to be there fulltime.
The most intriguing aspect of her proposal was that I had just had the same thought. Coincidence? I don't think so. I am fascinated by the way the Lord works. Some people look for the Lord to always work in ways that are mystical and supernatural. What we have found in our years of experience is that God will use the very basics of life to accomplish His will. It is often through our humanity and things ordinary that God works. If His Holy Spirit dwells within, why wouldn't this be so? So we examined this idea from the "how does it make us feel" angle. In all honesty, although my heart's desire is to live in Ireland, I felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. This just seemed right.
The next step was to approach GEM and see if this was at all possible. We didn't feel at all confident that this plan would be something that they would approve. So our first contact was with Phil Kingsley, our Field Director in Dublin. When we told him of our proposal, he immediately thought it was a great idea. He has, over the years, seen instances of missionaries who, at the same juncture in life as we are, get to the field only to have their college age child spin out or get into trouble, which causes them to have to leave the field and return home. In fact, we know of a Calvary Chapel pastor and his wife who were serving in Cork, Ireland, who experienced this exact thing and are now back in the US. We don't expect Molly to go off the deep end. However, she is an only child and doesn't have too many people, besides one set of grandparents to lean upon when we leave.
So Phil took our proposal on up the chain of command and everyone along the way thought it was a great plan. So what this means is that we are starting our ministry sooner, but we have more time with Molly as she begins exploring life on her own.
All of our closest friends and our family have been very supportive and somewhat relieved. They all knew our move away from Molly would be difficult for the three of us and had been praying for us about how we should handle it. Here was our solution.
The tricky thing is that we are still trying to raise our support for fulltime ministry, but some people think that if you are not "on the field" you aren't a fulltime missionary. We know several missionaries who do work overseas in various parts of the world, who are living in the US and yet are fulltime in their jobs. The work they do and the work we will be doing is a fulltime job, whether on the field or not. in fact, even now we are spending upward of 20 hours each week at this work and not even coming close to doing everything that we could be doing.
This approach to missions is possible today, more than any other time in history, due to the technology that exists in the area of communication combined with the abillity to travel anywhere in the world in a relatively short amount of time.
So now, we begin planning trips overseas. In fact, we have one coming up in just a couple of weeks -- and boy is it a doozie!
To be continued...
So here we are trying to figure out the best thing to do so that we're fulfilling the ministry to which God has called us, yet meeting the needs of our 18-year-old daughter at a critical time in her life.
One day, Beth came to me and said, "I have an idea that came to me during my prayer time and I wanted to run it past you in case it might be from the Lord." She proceeded to tell me that she was impressed with the thought that perhaps we could have our ministry to Ireland be based from our home here in Florida and for the next couple of years or so take regular trips to Ireland and Europe to conduct various worship oriented events. Between our trips, then, we could spend our time planning future trips and events, making contact with those with whom we will be ministering, and developing curricula and materials for training. Eventually, when we felt that it was time and Molly was well grounded, we would then make our move to Ireland to be there fulltime.
The most intriguing aspect of her proposal was that I had just had the same thought. Coincidence? I don't think so. I am fascinated by the way the Lord works. Some people look for the Lord to always work in ways that are mystical and supernatural. What we have found in our years of experience is that God will use the very basics of life to accomplish His will. It is often through our humanity and things ordinary that God works. If His Holy Spirit dwells within, why wouldn't this be so? So we examined this idea from the "how does it make us feel" angle. In all honesty, although my heart's desire is to live in Ireland, I felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. This just seemed right.
The next step was to approach GEM and see if this was at all possible. We didn't feel at all confident that this plan would be something that they would approve. So our first contact was with Phil Kingsley, our Field Director in Dublin. When we told him of our proposal, he immediately thought it was a great idea. He has, over the years, seen instances of missionaries who, at the same juncture in life as we are, get to the field only to have their college age child spin out or get into trouble, which causes them to have to leave the field and return home. In fact, we know of a Calvary Chapel pastor and his wife who were serving in Cork, Ireland, who experienced this exact thing and are now back in the US. We don't expect Molly to go off the deep end. However, she is an only child and doesn't have too many people, besides one set of grandparents to lean upon when we leave.
So Phil took our proposal on up the chain of command and everyone along the way thought it was a great plan. So what this means is that we are starting our ministry sooner, but we have more time with Molly as she begins exploring life on her own.
All of our closest friends and our family have been very supportive and somewhat relieved. They all knew our move away from Molly would be difficult for the three of us and had been praying for us about how we should handle it. Here was our solution.
The tricky thing is that we are still trying to raise our support for fulltime ministry, but some people think that if you are not "on the field" you aren't a fulltime missionary. We know several missionaries who do work overseas in various parts of the world, who are living in the US and yet are fulltime in their jobs. The work they do and the work we will be doing is a fulltime job, whether on the field or not. in fact, even now we are spending upward of 20 hours each week at this work and not even coming close to doing everything that we could be doing.
This approach to missions is possible today, more than any other time in history, due to the technology that exists in the area of communication combined with the abillity to travel anywhere in the world in a relatively short amount of time.
So now, we begin planning trips overseas. In fact, we have one coming up in just a couple of weeks -- and boy is it a doozie!
To be continued...
Jun 27, 2006
A Not So Brief history, Pt. 13
I want to apologize for keeping so many of you hanging for the past ten days -- especially pastor Robert. I know that all of you depend upon this blog for a sense of completeness in life and I have let you down. I'll strive to do better...
So now it was somewhere around May, 2005...
Coast Community Church is one of those church fellowships that has a true missions focus. Now that we were a part of the fellowship there and getting such strong support for what we were doing, it seemed only natural to ask them to be our sending church. We asked Pastor Robert if Coast would indeed be that and the prospect was welcomed with excitement and grace. We would, in fact, be the first missionaries sent out from among the body at Coast and everyone got excited about it.
We have have no qualms or reservations whatsoever about our decision and know that Coast will be caring, supportive and a solid base from which to work. Coast has been a great blessing to us and will continue to be so.
So for the next 10 months or so, there's not a lot to tell. Only that we continued in our pursuit of supporters while working and maintaining a family.
Speaking of family -- Beth and I were in a growing quandary regarding Molly and what role she might play in Ireland. Would she go with us? Would she stay here? What did God have for her? She turned 18 in November. She was now technically an adult. She had pretty much decided that she didn't want to go to Ireland to live. She loves Ireland, but began to feel that she wanted to stay here and pursue a career as a violinist.
Here's the breakdown:
- We feel called to Ireland as missionaries - no doubts about that
- God has opened widely every door that we have tested and we've walked through
- In order to honor the Lord in this we feel we need to raise our support as quickly as possible and move to Ireland
- Molly isn't planning on moving to Ireland with us
- Molly is just now 18 and we don't feel like we're ready to leave her here on her own
- We can't abandon her at this critical stage in life
- I have known for the past two years that if God was in this, His plan would be perfect
What was happening? Where was God's perfect plan? What are we to do?
Once again, God opened another door. A biggie.
To be continued...
So now it was somewhere around May, 2005...
Coast Community Church is one of those church fellowships that has a true missions focus. Now that we were a part of the fellowship there and getting such strong support for what we were doing, it seemed only natural to ask them to be our sending church. We asked Pastor Robert if Coast would indeed be that and the prospect was welcomed with excitement and grace. We would, in fact, be the first missionaries sent out from among the body at Coast and everyone got excited about it.
We have have no qualms or reservations whatsoever about our decision and know that Coast will be caring, supportive and a solid base from which to work. Coast has been a great blessing to us and will continue to be so.
So for the next 10 months or so, there's not a lot to tell. Only that we continued in our pursuit of supporters while working and maintaining a family.
Speaking of family -- Beth and I were in a growing quandary regarding Molly and what role she might play in Ireland. Would she go with us? Would she stay here? What did God have for her? She turned 18 in November. She was now technically an adult. She had pretty much decided that she didn't want to go to Ireland to live. She loves Ireland, but began to feel that she wanted to stay here and pursue a career as a violinist.
Here's the breakdown:
- We feel called to Ireland as missionaries - no doubts about that
- God has opened widely every door that we have tested and we've walked through
- In order to honor the Lord in this we feel we need to raise our support as quickly as possible and move to Ireland
- Molly isn't planning on moving to Ireland with us
- Molly is just now 18 and we don't feel like we're ready to leave her here on her own
- We can't abandon her at this critical stage in life
- I have known for the past two years that if God was in this, His plan would be perfect
What was happening? Where was God's perfect plan? What are we to do?
Once again, God opened another door. A biggie.
To be continued...
Jun 18, 2006
A Not So Brief History, Pt. 12
Cont'd from 6/10...
Yeah, I know, it's been a week now. A rather crazy week around our house.
So back to fundraising -- the daunting task...
We have felt all along that God was in this. It was apparent in the way things just happened without our planning or striving. But now, this is (to use an over used cliche) where the rubber meets the road. We were told that the average time of appointment (the time between orientation and going to the field) was 2 years. We thought we could easily accomplish our goal in much less than two years. Yeah, right.
Fundraising could easily be a full time job. In fact, many appointees start living off partial support as they near the last of their fundraising and spend that time concentrating solely on getting the final pledges needed.
Taking into account that we were both teaching music lessons and I was doing carpentry, computer work and other odds and ends to make a living, plus the time spent in family matters, the hours left over in a typical week to actually do fundraising (a.k.a. Ministry Partner Development or MPD) were few and it remains that way today.
There were some remarkable things that began to occur as we contacted those on our list, or as we would run into people in public. As we would share what was going on with us and how God was calling us to Ireland, we heard time and again, "How can we be involved?" or "Where can we send a check to support what you're doing?" We even had one individual say, "I want a piece of that!"
We quickly realized that there were many who counted it a privilege and not a burden to financially partner with us. When we contacted a man (who had expressed an interest when we saw him out somewhere) and gave him particulars as to how to go about supporting us, he said, "Thanks for taking me at my word." Gee, people really wanted to give their money for God's Kingdom! Go figure!
At the same time, we were beginning to feel a bit dry in regard to ministry. At Calvary Chapel, because we had been in such a highly visible role for such a long time, there was no practical ministry role for us there. We had been in contact with a friend, Robert Pooley, who had planted Coast Community Church in Gulf Breeze 7 years earlier and was still the pastor. Since it's beginning, Pastor Robert had led the worship as well, but was at a place where he felt that it was time for a change. Not wanting to throw ourselves into such a position, we did volunteer to help him out in any way that was practical. So we began playing on their worship team and have had somewhat of an "advisory" role in the worship, while at the same time I am working with a couple on the team who are up and coming worship leaders themselves. It has been almost like pre-field training for us in that these are some of the types of things in which we will be involved in Ireland. We also have opportunities to lead worship at Coast from time-to-time.
But the best thing about us being at Coast we hadn't yet discovered.
To be continued...
Yeah, I know, it's been a week now. A rather crazy week around our house.
So back to fundraising -- the daunting task...
We have felt all along that God was in this. It was apparent in the way things just happened without our planning or striving. But now, this is (to use an over used cliche) where the rubber meets the road. We were told that the average time of appointment (the time between orientation and going to the field) was 2 years. We thought we could easily accomplish our goal in much less than two years. Yeah, right.
Fundraising could easily be a full time job. In fact, many appointees start living off partial support as they near the last of their fundraising and spend that time concentrating solely on getting the final pledges needed.
Taking into account that we were both teaching music lessons and I was doing carpentry, computer work and other odds and ends to make a living, plus the time spent in family matters, the hours left over in a typical week to actually do fundraising (a.k.a. Ministry Partner Development or MPD) were few and it remains that way today.
There were some remarkable things that began to occur as we contacted those on our list, or as we would run into people in public. As we would share what was going on with us and how God was calling us to Ireland, we heard time and again, "How can we be involved?" or "Where can we send a check to support what you're doing?" We even had one individual say, "I want a piece of that!"
We quickly realized that there were many who counted it a privilege and not a burden to financially partner with us. When we contacted a man (who had expressed an interest when we saw him out somewhere) and gave him particulars as to how to go about supporting us, he said, "Thanks for taking me at my word." Gee, people really wanted to give their money for God's Kingdom! Go figure!
At the same time, we were beginning to feel a bit dry in regard to ministry. At Calvary Chapel, because we had been in such a highly visible role for such a long time, there was no practical ministry role for us there. We had been in contact with a friend, Robert Pooley, who had planted Coast Community Church in Gulf Breeze 7 years earlier and was still the pastor. Since it's beginning, Pastor Robert had led the worship as well, but was at a place where he felt that it was time for a change. Not wanting to throw ourselves into such a position, we did volunteer to help him out in any way that was practical. So we began playing on their worship team and have had somewhat of an "advisory" role in the worship, while at the same time I am working with a couple on the team who are up and coming worship leaders themselves. It has been almost like pre-field training for us in that these are some of the types of things in which we will be involved in Ireland. We also have opportunities to lead worship at Coast from time-to-time.
But the best thing about us being at Coast we hadn't yet discovered.
To be continued...
Jun 10, 2006
A Not So Brief History, Pt. 11
Cont'd from 6/8...
We have spoken to several people who wonder at the amount of support that GEM missionaries are required to raise. Most people have the concept that, of you are a missionary that God has called you to be poor -- to sell everything, to live in the most modest housing available and live hand to mouth.
Let me give you a little perspective on this. There is a couple that we know of whom God has called to reach out to a particular segment of society in Italy. Now, to reach the people in their, shall we say, "target market", they need to live as those people do. There needs to be a common ground, or they will be ignored and ineffective in their mission field. In the same way that someone trying to reach the bush people of Africa, this couple must live like those who they are trying to reach.
Now in the case of the one going to Africa, that person most likely would downgrade their lifestyle and live as close as practical to the way the natives do, to establish a commonality and open the doors to ministry. This couple going to Italy, on the other hand, must live in an area where the average small apartment rents for about $5000/month and people drive only the finest cars. There is no way they would be able to establish relationships with the people in their field if they were perceived to be from an inferior segment of society.
Regarding what we are required to raise, it is enough for us to live comfortably in Ireland. Not in excess, not in want. It could be argued that the number one reason that missionaries leave the field is because they are underfunded. GEM wants their workers to be as effective in their ministry as possible without having to worry about money. In addition to living expenses (Ireland's cost of living index is 64% higher than the US) , we also are covered on our insurance, retirement and tax preparation.
Now back to our story...
So now it was time to begin our fundraising. A daunting task, to be sure, but we had been given some good tools and training at orientation. One of the things that we were asked to bring with us to Colorado was a list of potential supporters. It was suggested that there should be 200-400 names on this list. If memory serves, we were able to come up with about 360. (Even now, there are still about half of those that we haven't yet contacted.)
Here are some things we had to keep in mind as we began this process. First, God's pockets are deep. Second, this was a test of our resolve -- did we really feel called? Third, we began to see that this process of raising support was also ministry in and of itself.
I'll explain...
To be continued...
We have spoken to several people who wonder at the amount of support that GEM missionaries are required to raise. Most people have the concept that, of you are a missionary that God has called you to be poor -- to sell everything, to live in the most modest housing available and live hand to mouth.
Let me give you a little perspective on this. There is a couple that we know of whom God has called to reach out to a particular segment of society in Italy. Now, to reach the people in their, shall we say, "target market", they need to live as those people do. There needs to be a common ground, or they will be ignored and ineffective in their mission field. In the same way that someone trying to reach the bush people of Africa, this couple must live like those who they are trying to reach.
Now in the case of the one going to Africa, that person most likely would downgrade their lifestyle and live as close as practical to the way the natives do, to establish a commonality and open the doors to ministry. This couple going to Italy, on the other hand, must live in an area where the average small apartment rents for about $5000/month and people drive only the finest cars. There is no way they would be able to establish relationships with the people in their field if they were perceived to be from an inferior segment of society.
Regarding what we are required to raise, it is enough for us to live comfortably in Ireland. Not in excess, not in want. It could be argued that the number one reason that missionaries leave the field is because they are underfunded. GEM wants their workers to be as effective in their ministry as possible without having to worry about money. In addition to living expenses (Ireland's cost of living index is 64% higher than the US) , we also are covered on our insurance, retirement and tax preparation.
Now back to our story...
So now it was time to begin our fundraising. A daunting task, to be sure, but we had been given some good tools and training at orientation. One of the things that we were asked to bring with us to Colorado was a list of potential supporters. It was suggested that there should be 200-400 names on this list. If memory serves, we were able to come up with about 360. (Even now, there are still about half of those that we haven't yet contacted.)
Here are some things we had to keep in mind as we began this process. First, God's pockets are deep. Second, this was a test of our resolve -- did we really feel called? Third, we began to see that this process of raising support was also ministry in and of itself.
I'll explain...
To be continued...
Jun 8, 2006
A Not So Brief History, Pt. 10
Cont'd from 6/6...
Okay, so it was the president of Greater Europe Mission, Ted Noble, with whom we were having dinner.
The next 8 days were some of the most intense days we've experienced. It was a time of GEM getting to know us and us doing likewise with GEM. We had made a conscious decision to be totally up front with our shortcomings and failures as we went through the process. The purpose for this was so that we knew that we hadn't manipulated things in our favor at all. We wanted this to be a God thing. The last thing that we wanted was to be oversees living in a foreign land and realize that we weren't supposed to be there.
There was so much to cover in just over a week and our days were jammed full of
general meetings and one-on-one evaluations. We did, however, have enough time to get to know our fellow candidates and formed some really great friendships that I'm sure will last a lifetime. Many hours of a game called Farkle were played. We had learned this game on our first trip to Ireland. Including ourselves, there were 14 individuals in our orientation class -- 6 couples and 2 single persons.
Wednesday was the day we met as a couple with a committee of GEM personnel and were asked all the hard questions -- those which help to determine if you are really cut out to be a missionary or not. At the end of the interview, we were told that we would be recommended for appointment to Ireland! So we had passed the mustard -- whatever that means. They liked us and we liked GEM, so we accepted the post as "appointees".
The next morning, everyone seemed so much more relaxed and convivial, as all had been appointed. The remainder of our week was mostly spent learning how to raise funds. Then it was back to the real world.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It snowed while we were there! We hadn't seen snow in years, having been in Florida. It was a wonderful treat. Many of you reading this may live where it snows and think, "I don't care if I never see snow again in my life." You might feel differently if you lived where it never snows.
So now -- the task facing us was no small one. We had a large monthly sum of financial support to raise. We had been given tools to work with and now came the challenge of putting those tools into service. Could we raise that much money? We'll see...
To be continued...
Okay, so it was the president of Greater Europe Mission, Ted Noble, with whom we were having dinner.
The next 8 days were some of the most intense days we've experienced. It was a time of GEM getting to know us and us doing likewise with GEM. We had made a conscious decision to be totally up front with our shortcomings and failures as we went through the process. The purpose for this was so that we knew that we hadn't manipulated things in our favor at all. We wanted this to be a God thing. The last thing that we wanted was to be oversees living in a foreign land and realize that we weren't supposed to be there.
There was so much to cover in just over a week and our days were jammed full of
general meetings and one-on-one evaluations. We did, however, have enough time to get to know our fellow candidates and formed some really great friendships that I'm sure will last a lifetime. Many hours of a game called Farkle were played. We had learned this game on our first trip to Ireland. Including ourselves, there were 14 individuals in our orientation class -- 6 couples and 2 single persons. Wednesday was the day we met as a couple with a committee of GEM personnel and were asked all the hard questions -- those which help to determine if you are really cut out to be a missionary or not. At the end of the interview, we were told that we would be recommended for appointment to Ireland! So we had passed the mustard -- whatever that means. They liked us and we liked GEM, so we accepted the post as "appointees".
The next morning, everyone seemed so much more relaxed and convivial, as all had been appointed. The remainder of our week was mostly spent learning how to raise funds. Then it was back to the real world.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It snowed while we were there! We hadn't seen snow in years, having been in Florida. It was a wonderful treat. Many of you reading this may live where it snows and think, "I don't care if I never see snow again in my life." You might feel differently if you lived where it never snows.
So now -- the task facing us was no small one. We had a large monthly sum of financial support to raise. We had been given tools to work with and now came the challenge of putting those tools into service. Could we raise that much money? We'll see...
To be continued...
Jun 6, 2006
A Not So Brief History, Pt. 9
Cont'd. from 6/2...
A month to get $5000 together. This was way outside our capability. Then we found out that we could do fundraising for this and that those donations would be tax deductible. We also found out that the orientation fees could be "borrowed" against our future support. But we still had a chunk of change to raise to cover our travel and have it in time to book our flights ahead.
We were planning to sell our trave trailer and thought maybe that was how God would provide the funds we needed, But something about that just didn't seem right. That seemed as if it would be us coming up the the money and not allowing God to provide it for us.
The next two weeks were two of the most faith-building weeks we've ever experienced. We made a few phone calls to friends and let them know what we were doing and in two-weeks' time we had raised $3650! "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19)
Here's the deal. When we were told we should start moving toward Ireland and see what God would do, we never realized it would happen like this. You know how you will try a door and sometime it will open and other times be locked and that is your indicator as to whether you're going in the right direction? The doors were being flung wide open before we even touched them!
So February 5 we fly to Denver and rent a car to drive to Monument. The car rental facility is located off airport property and we have heavy luggage and our guitars. Once we get to the rental place, there is a bit of confusion because two companies are sharing the same building. We finally get our car assignment and Beth waits while I get the car. After wrestling for a place to pull up the car to the curb, we get our things loaded and we're on our way. It's a bit of a drive, but it was so much cheaper to fly into Denver than into Colorado Springs. We're running a bit late, so we called Bonnie Rudeen, our contact person with GEM. She is going to wait for us at the lodge while everyone else goes on ahead.
You see, we're having dinner that evening with the president.
To be continued...
A month to get $5000 together. This was way outside our capability. Then we found out that we could do fundraising for this and that those donations would be tax deductible. We also found out that the orientation fees could be "borrowed" against our future support. But we still had a chunk of change to raise to cover our travel and have it in time to book our flights ahead.
We were planning to sell our trave trailer and thought maybe that was how God would provide the funds we needed, But something about that just didn't seem right. That seemed as if it would be us coming up the the money and not allowing God to provide it for us.
The next two weeks were two of the most faith-building weeks we've ever experienced. We made a few phone calls to friends and let them know what we were doing and in two-weeks' time we had raised $3650! "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19)
Here's the deal. When we were told we should start moving toward Ireland and see what God would do, we never realized it would happen like this. You know how you will try a door and sometime it will open and other times be locked and that is your indicator as to whether you're going in the right direction? The doors were being flung wide open before we even touched them!
So February 5 we fly to Denver and rent a car to drive to Monument. The car rental facility is located off airport property and we have heavy luggage and our guitars. Once we get to the rental place, there is a bit of confusion because two companies are sharing the same building. We finally get our car assignment and Beth waits while I get the car. After wrestling for a place to pull up the car to the curb, we get our things loaded and we're on our way. It's a bit of a drive, but it was so much cheaper to fly into Denver than into Colorado Springs. We're running a bit late, so we called Bonnie Rudeen, our contact person with GEM. She is going to wait for us at the lodge while everyone else goes on ahead.
You see, we're having dinner that evening with the president.
To be continued...
Jun 2, 2006
A Not So Brief History, Pt. 8
Cont'd from 5/31...
The rest of the week was spent meeting people, sightseeing and lots of talking to Phil (GEM) and Kevin (Crosspoint) about ministry opportunities.
Now when we began this trip, we really felt that we didn't want to leave the Calvary circle. We had served in a Calvary Chapel for 14 years. We felt comfortable with the doctrine, liked the style of ministry. In short, we thought that if we went with GEM we would be abandoning Calvary Chapel, and we weren't sure we were ready to do that.
The reason we took this trip to begin with was to clarify the options we had and discover the direction we were supposed to move. By the time we left, however, we were as confused as ever. We arrived home on a Monday, so Tuesday night, Beth and I sat down and made a couple of lists -- pros and cons of going with Crosspoint and pros and cons of going with GEM. While Crosspoint would have been new and exciting and a way for us to remain directly connected with Calvary Chapel, it seemed that it would be basically the same type of ministry that we had been doing the past 14 years. With GEM, it was obvious that this was the next step in our ministry -- using what God had taught us all these years to encourage, mentor, resource and equip the church in Ireland. Based upon our time with Phil, it was obvious that this would be a broad-based ministry with many facets. Once we made the decision a great peace filled us and we knew it was right.
What we have discovered since then is that GEM has worked with some Calvary Chapel people in Ireland, so that connection remains.
This was November 16. We decided to wait and pray about it before we made a firm commitment. By the time Christmas arrived, we began to realize that we should go ahead and send in our formal application. We contacted GEM and discovered that if we could get our applications to them by January 1, that they could approve them in just a few days and then we would qualify to go to Orientation in Colorado Springs February 5-12.
Somewhere around January 3 we got word that our applications had been accepted and that we were invited to attend orientation in February. So now we had four weeks to come up with about $5000!
How in the world could we come up with $5000 in a month?
To be continued...
BTW - as of today, Beth and I have been married 22 years! I couldn't have dreamed that it would be this good after all this time. Praise God for a wonderful wife and wonderful marriage.
The rest of the week was spent meeting people, sightseeing and lots of talking to Phil (GEM) and Kevin (Crosspoint) about ministry opportunities.
Now when we began this trip, we really felt that we didn't want to leave the Calvary circle. We had served in a Calvary Chapel for 14 years. We felt comfortable with the doctrine, liked the style of ministry. In short, we thought that if we went with GEM we would be abandoning Calvary Chapel, and we weren't sure we were ready to do that.
The reason we took this trip to begin with was to clarify the options we had and discover the direction we were supposed to move. By the time we left, however, we were as confused as ever. We arrived home on a Monday, so Tuesday night, Beth and I sat down and made a couple of lists -- pros and cons of going with Crosspoint and pros and cons of going with GEM. While Crosspoint would have been new and exciting and a way for us to remain directly connected with Calvary Chapel, it seemed that it would be basically the same type of ministry that we had been doing the past 14 years. With GEM, it was obvious that this was the next step in our ministry -- using what God had taught us all these years to encourage, mentor, resource and equip the church in Ireland. Based upon our time with Phil, it was obvious that this would be a broad-based ministry with many facets. Once we made the decision a great peace filled us and we knew it was right.
What we have discovered since then is that GEM has worked with some Calvary Chapel people in Ireland, so that connection remains.
This was November 16. We decided to wait and pray about it before we made a firm commitment. By the time Christmas arrived, we began to realize that we should go ahead and send in our formal application. We contacted GEM and discovered that if we could get our applications to them by January 1, that they could approve them in just a few days and then we would qualify to go to Orientation in Colorado Springs February 5-12.
Somewhere around January 3 we got word that our applications had been accepted and that we were invited to attend orientation in February. So now we had four weeks to come up with about $5000!
How in the world could we come up with $5000 in a month?
To be continued...
BTW - as of today, Beth and I have been married 22 years! I couldn't have dreamed that it would be this good after all this time. Praise God for a wonderful wife and wonderful marriage.
May 31, 2006
A Not So Brief History, Pt. 7
Cont'd. from 5/30...
I hadn't seen my brother Dennis since 1999 -- 5 years. We had stayed in touch, but hadn't been able to get together for one reason or another. One major reason was that in May of 2001 he became marketing director of UPC, a Europe-based communications company and was living in Budapest, Hungary.
When he found out that we were going to be in Dublin, he told us that he could fly there very cheaply and would love to see us. We reciprocated the sentiment and he made plans to see us there. He found a room at a small hotel in Rathmines not far from where we were staying.
So I called Dennis and we planned to begin walking towards one another, meet up and then go back to our place. As we walked down the Victorian street toward the heart of Rathmines, a figure rounded the corner with a gate that is such a part of my conscience that there was no doubt that it was him. My heart jumped, my throat lumped up, my eyes misted over. It was such a great feeling as we embraced. Do you ever have those moments when everything is right? You know that this is the way it's supposed to be? That was this moment. Five years is too long. This was my brother.
Dennis was only able to be with us Saturday and Sunday and had to be back in Buda on Monday. The weekend was a whirlwind of activities. Saturday we went to Phil and Cheryl Kingsley's to meet them and then to rehearse for Sunday morning worship at City Gates, a church that meets in Cabinteely, a suburb of Dublin.
That evening we spent with Dennis exploring the city centre. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant and then found a trad session (live traditional music) in a pub. Sunday we were at City Gates in the morning and then exploring more of Dublin in the afternoon. That evening, Dennis and I ended up in the city centre looking for another trad session without success, so we ended up in a bistro sipping coffee until we could hardly keep our eyes open.
I got up early the next morning to drive Dennis to the airport. Two days weren't enough, but I wouldn't have traded the time for anything.
So now we needed to focus on our reason for coming to Ireland in the first place. How was the Lord leading us? We had a week to get to know these people we had come to visit and determine God's direction. No small task.
Calvary Chapel (Crosspoint) or GEM? What would it be?
To be continued...
I hadn't seen my brother Dennis since 1999 -- 5 years. We had stayed in touch, but hadn't been able to get together for one reason or another. One major reason was that in May of 2001 he became marketing director of UPC, a Europe-based communications company and was living in Budapest, Hungary.
When he found out that we were going to be in Dublin, he told us that he could fly there very cheaply and would love to see us. We reciprocated the sentiment and he made plans to see us there. He found a room at a small hotel in Rathmines not far from where we were staying.
So I called Dennis and we planned to begin walking towards one another, meet up and then go back to our place. As we walked down the Victorian street toward the heart of Rathmines, a figure rounded the corner with a gate that is such a part of my conscience that there was no doubt that it was him. My heart jumped, my throat lumped up, my eyes misted over. It was such a great feeling as we embraced. Do you ever have those moments when everything is right? You know that this is the way it's supposed to be? That was this moment. Five years is too long. This was my brother.
Dennis was only able to be with us Saturday and Sunday and had to be back in Buda on Monday. The weekend was a whirlwind of activities. Saturday we went to Phil and Cheryl Kingsley's to meet them and then to rehearse for Sunday morning worship at City Gates, a church that meets in Cabinteely, a suburb of Dublin.
That evening we spent with Dennis exploring the city centre. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant and then found a trad session (live traditional music) in a pub. Sunday we were at City Gates in the morning and then exploring more of Dublin in the afternoon. That evening, Dennis and I ended up in the city centre looking for another trad session without success, so we ended up in a bistro sipping coffee until we could hardly keep our eyes open.
I got up early the next morning to drive Dennis to the airport. Two days weren't enough, but I wouldn't have traded the time for anything.
So now we needed to focus on our reason for coming to Ireland in the first place. How was the Lord leading us? We had a week to get to know these people we had come to visit and determine God's direction. No small task.
Calvary Chapel (Crosspoint) or GEM? What would it be?
To be continued...
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