Profundity

So I've been working my brain over the past few weeks trying to come up with something profound to say about Christmas this year. The lack of a post up until now is indicative of my lack of inspiration. I think I've been a little overwhelmed by the commercialism for some reason -- more so than in the past. It's also been disheartening to here "it's the worst Christmas shopping season on record" over and over in the media.

Then it dawned on me this morning... The profound is to be discovered in simplicity -- looking once again at the root cause of this season we now celebrate. I've known this. I've known it well. But somehow, I still overlook it.

God, in order to reconnect with people, came to earth as a man. Simple.

Jesus, that man, lived among us, teaching us, showing us the heart of God. Simple.

Because He caused such a stir, the rulers of the time decided it would be better to get rid of Him. Simple.

Because He is God, the grave couldn't hold Him. Simple.

The simplicity of the account has been a stumbling point for many over the years. It doesn't jive with the thinking of many who continue to look for the Messiah, one who they think should be a mighty military/governmental figure in the tradition of man.

No, to look at the story of Jesus as the Messiah, one quickly realizes that it's much simpler than we would make it.

The complexity is then found behind the physical evidence. To look at the surface elements, it seems a straightforward plot. But what was His real reason for becoming one of us?

The story stretches back to the creation of man and woman. From the time sin entered the world, there was need of a Saviour. Thousands of years were spent making sacrifices, attempting to wipe away guilt. But that only carried us so far.

The one sacrifice that would suffice was that of God providing Himself as the sacrifice. This one, simple, profound act changed the course of history. Nay, eternity.

May your Christmas be filled with the simple and the profound.

O Come...

You never write, you never call...

To those of you who keep up with us via this blog - my apologies. The past couple of months have been so slam-packed with stuff, that to be quite honest, I didn't even really think about blogging.

A couple of months ago, I (Gary) finally got myself on Facebook. It's a remarkable world. I've connected with people from High School, college and adult life, who I never thought I would find. It's kind of easy to get sucked in to the Facebook vortex, so I have to pace myself and dedicate only small bits of time here and there to perusing, finding old friends and new, and catching up with what's happening in their worlds.

Just to let you know what's been happening lately:

- Our support level is still on the increase

- Our car died, so we had to replace it

- Molly turned 21!

- We made a trip to Columbus, GA to visit one of our supporting churches, Calvary Chapel Columbus. Had a great time visiting with Pastor Mark and his family, leading worship, reconnecting with old friends and gaining some new friends.

We're gearing up for Christmas, planning for Thanksgiving with our family and friends, working on our church's website and raising support.

Keep us in your prayers and let us know how we may be praying for you!

Success in the face of adversity

One of my mantras over the years to encourage people has been, "Don't focus on your circumstances; focus on the Lord." I must admit that it has always been far easier to say than to do. We want to feel in control, don't we?

We have been at this support raising thing for some time now. For those of you just joining us, we have been somewhat in maintenance mode for a couple of years, taking trips to Ireland to get our ministry started.

So right about the time we decide it's time to focus our efforts on raising the remainder of our monthly financial support to enable us to move to Ireland and continue our work full-time, the economy sinks to an all-time low. "Consumer confidence" is suffering, previously elastic products and services (those that are in demand, no matter the price, such as cable TV, etc.) are suddenly being considered luxuries, charitable giving is down by up to 25%. Everyone is holding their breath to see what the results of and reaction to the upcoming election will be.

Here's the kicker. We've seen a greater increase in our support level in the past three months than we have seen since we started the process. This tells us a couple of things...

1 - There are still people who place their confidence in the Lord over confidence in their circumstances.

2 - God must be in it. This must be His timing.

I believe in miracles and I believe we are witnessing one right before our eyes!

The truth hurts...

I have to thank our good friend and colleague, Phil Kingsley for this quote from comedian / satirist, Mort Sahl, which seems sooo apropos right now:

"There were four million people in the American Colonies and we had Jefferson and Franklin.

Now we have over 200 million and the two top guys are Clinton and Dole. What can you draw from this?

Darwin was wrong!"

This should be interesting...

You know how it is returning to a former school or place of work and the mix of emotions it stirs? You tend to become nostalgic, yet it often seems like you are seeing this once familiar place through someone else's eyes.

I resigned from Calvary Chapel Gulf Breeze 4 years ago. It doesn't seem it's been that long and at the same time it seems an eternity. So much has happened in the ensuing years and now we find ourselves preparing to move overseas for the next chapter in our lives.

This weekend marks 25 years of ministry for Calvary Chapel. We were there 15 of those years. Beth and I were invited by Pastor John to join in a homecoming celebration Sunday morning and share a song with the congregation. We are having a hard time deciding which of two songs we should do. May have to flip a coin.

I'm really looking forward to it, although I know it will also be rather strange. Pastor John is a gifted teacher and it will be good to hear him again. It will be great to see old friends and to lead them in a worship song. At the same time there will be a large percentage of the congregation who will have no idea who we are.

Should be a really good experience overall, but it is going to be quite interesting...

Sticker Shock

Imagine our surprise when, as we were driving to band rehearsal this evening, we noticed that gas was at $3.17. Woo Hoo!

Then on the drive home, we were shocked to see that it had gone to $3.11! Crazy!

However, I remember 3 1/2 years ago seeing the price jump to $3.20. We were totally in shock and thought it was the end of the world as we knew it.

Last time we were in Ireland we were paying around €1.40 per liter. Doesn't seem too bad until you start to do the math and realize that's almost $8 per gallon!

Interesting what a little perspective can do for your outlook.

Wow - scary...

There is a segment of our society who look to the European Union as an example of how government should be run, and I've heard that there are those within our government that would like to see us move toward such a model in the US.

For those of us who cherish our religious freedom, the following is a little scary (understatement).

Here are a couple of excerpts from Parliamentary Assembly, Council of Europe Resolution 1580 (2007), which outlines the Dangers of Creationism in Education:

“2. For some people the Creation, as a matter of religious belief, gives a meaning to life. Nevertheless, the Parliamentary Assembly is worried about the possible ill-effects of the spread of creationist ideas within our education systems and about the consequences for our democracies. If we are not careful, creationism could become a threat to human rights, which are a key concern of the Council of Europe.”

“18. Investigation of the creationists’ growing influence shows that the arguments between creationism and evolution go well beyond intellectual debate. If we are not careful, the values that are the very essence of the Council of Europe will be under direct threat from creationist fundamentalists. It is part of the role of the Council of Europe’s parliamentarians to react before it is too late.”

Text adopted in assembly debate on 4 October 2007 (35th Sitting)
(see Doc. 11375, report of the Committee on Culture, Science and
Education, rapporteur: Mrs Brasseur).

The resolution in its entirety can be found here:
http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/AdoptedText/ta07/ERES1580.htm

In general, there is this prevailing attitude in Europe that anything to do with anything that might be construed as "evangelical" must be considered dangerous to society.

For those who would like to adopt the EU model -- let's not and say we didn't...

A dog's life

15 years ago Beth and Molly came home from the Humane Association with Rosie. We think she is a Sheltie mix. When Rosie was 4 we got Snicker, a beagle mix, who was 2 at the time.

Rosie is now nearly completely deaf, has arthritis, kidney disease and is senile as the day is long. Other than that, she has always looked younger than Snicker.

Snicker, at 13 has been as ornery as ever (never mean, just getting into the trash or the pantry and trying to run away). I have always said, "It's a good thing she's cute." Aside from a degenerative disc that hasn't really bothered her for several years, and allergies, we felt she would go on forever.

Over the past couple of weeks, Snicker's breathing has become difficult, as she had apparent nasal congestion. We figured it was due to her allergies and treated it as such. Last week, her cheek swelled up so we took her to the vet. Figuring she has an infected tooth (Snicker wouldn't let them look at it), they put her on antibiotics and hoped it would clear up not only the tooth problem, but her breathing as well.

Sunday, I reached down to pet Snicker as I usually do and she yelped as I touched her face. Upon closer examination, I saw that her eye was looking really weepy, almost conjunctive. She also had swelling over her nose. She looked miserable.

Today, the vet looked at her briefly and diagnosed a tumor in her face. The options were few and not very promising. He told us that prednisone might help alleviate her discomfort for a week or two. Other than that there really wasn't much they could do to save her.

So we brought her home since we hadn't given Molly a chance to say good-bye if she wanted to. Snicker slept hard when we got home - absolutely worn out. I spoke with Molly this evening to tell her.

By the end of the week, I'll make that journey I dread. You wanna know the truth? One of the biggest reasons I dread it is what condition I will be in as I lead her into the vet's office for the last time. It's the right thing to do. I won't regret it. It will just be hard.

Despite her orneriness, she's a sweet dog. A good companion. And still really cute.

We'll miss her.

I am so over it...

So I go to weather.com today to see what it's going to be doing over the next week or so, and within certain days they include these little links to tips for dealing with certain weather conditions, right? Now, it's end of September. It's officially fall now. And what tips do they have for us here in sunny Florida?

"Top 10 ways to beat the heat"
and
"Tips for exercising in high heat"

Give me a break! I was over the summer heat in June.

But I shouldn't be surprised. It's always like this here. We usually get a little taste of fall about mid September, but we know now that if we get too excited, we'll only get our hearts broken.

Oh well. It can't last. October is the best month of the year here and we're almost there.

And who knows...

Maybe this will be the last Florida summer up with which we'll have to put. (grammatical bow to Winston Churchill)

We can hope and pray that we'll be in Ireland by June. We'll see what the Lord has in mind...

Uphill can be exciting

Lately, we've been working hard, implementing a new approach to Ministry Partner Development (MPD) (a.k.a. Fundraising; a.k.a. Friendraising; a.k.a. Deputation; a.k.a. Whatever) and it's working!

We've had a few exciting weeks and we are seeing our support level on the increase.

Yes, it's still an uphill climb, but it's been actually fun and fulfilling. The joy comes from not viewing it so much as raising support, but sharing the vision that God has given us for Ireland. It's a big vision and I love it when, as we are sharing with friends about our work, you see the light bulb go on and you know that they "get it". Then they, too get excited about it and begin asking all the right questions.

Had an email from a colleague in Ireland who is about to have 6 months in the States. He was offering us the use of their house if we were going to be moving there before they returned next spring. Aah! If only...

I don't think that's going to happen (I know - "ye of little faith").

We don't know the Lord's timing on this thing yet, but we keep plugging away at it and hope to be there soon.

Hey there, Cowboy!

Went to Baton Rouge on Tuesday with a group from our church. We took along water, MRE's, tarps and gas cans and spent the day doing some relief work.

Hooking up with Healing Place Church, we were each assigned to a crew to go out work. Some of us were on chainsaw detail, taking care of downed trees and branches. Others headed out with tarps to patch damaged and leaking roofs. The rest went into one of the hardest hit areas in Greater Baton Rouge to help serve hot meals to the residents there.



Beth and I were with two local guys, Rob and Trice on a tarp crew. The first house we went to was the home of miss Stacie, who had her 5-year-old grandson, Jason with her. As she stepped out to greet us, Jason slipped past her, came up to me, grabbed my hand and said, "Hey there, Cowboy! Can I be your partner?" (Notice my chapeau in the picture) Looked and sounded like Opie from Andy Griffith. He latched onto Beth and I and wouldn't leave our side.



After installing tarps on 4 roofs we made our way back to the church to join up with the others from Coast, clean up a bit and head home. It may seem silly -- 10 hours of driving for 4 hours' work. But it was so worth it. We don't feel like we did much, but the locals were so very appreciative.

I sometimes think that if I can't give a large amount of time in an important effort such as this, that it's not worth giving any. It was very clear to me Tuesday how wrong I have been in that mindset.

Sitting out the storm

Tropical cyclones are at the same time exciting, frightening and boring. If you could only see Beth and I right now. We've been sitting around glued to CNN and The Weather Channel, as well as our local news channel, watching as Gustav bears down on Louisiana. From 4 am to 9 am, we were under constant tornado warnings. We've seen gusts up to 45 mph here and a couple of inches of rain.

Yesterday evening we drove out to the beach and took a walk on the pier. I wish I'd had my video camera. The clouds were amazing. The surf was big -- not huge -- but building and the wind picked up quite a bit as we stood with dozens of others watching dolphins play. We also saw some really cool jellyfish, a ray and a huge sea turtle.

The cool thing about a hurricane or tropical storm is how it brings a community together. The parking lot at the beach was quite full and as we walked over the boardwalk to the beach we were struck by the number of people standing at the water's edge, talking with one another, sharing stories, sharing lives.

Before the storm, wherever you go, whether the supermarket, a restaurant, a hardware store, it's what people are talking about. "Be safe," is a common replacement for "goodbye." You find people helping others in making preparations to their homes.

After the storm, you find rampant acts of kindness and neighborliness. It's really rather remarkable.

But I'm bored at the moment. There's that whole mix of wanting to see something dramatic happen on the TV coverage of the storm, but not wanting the dramatic thing to happen because you know it directly affects another person's life in a negative way. Does that happen to you?

Guess I'll go eat lunch now.

And watch some more Anderson Cooper and Jim Cantore.

How not to wake up

So Beth is already up and I'm lounging in bed, not ready to leave it when Beth comes in and says, "We have no water."

Oy.

So of course, being the man that I am, I have to see for myself. Dang it if she isn't right.

What now? Well, of course, we have to get dressed and go to Starbucks. Duh...

(You know, there are things that have to be taken care of first thing in the morning)

We walk into Starbucks and there are signs on the restrooms stating, "Out of Order. We have no water."

Oy. OY!!

We ask if they know anything and they said that there is a water main that ruptured. I grab a tall brew and we head home again. Just for the heck of it, Beth turns on the kitchen faucet. Voila!! Water!! Thank you, water people!!!

We're happy again.

Goodbye Fay, hello Gustav

This should be interesting...

It's an interesting perspective to live at the target end of a shooting gallery.

So Fay was pretty much a non-event for us, although I know that there are many for whom is has been and still is a major problem. We were expecting Sunday morning to be crazy stormy, but we awoke to blue skies and clear air. Early Monday morning was when we got the tail whip of stormy weather, but that lasted only a couple of hours really.

Gustav? Anybody's guess for now...

August! What happened to the rest of the year?

Can you believe that school is about to start back -- that the summer, for all intents and purposes, is over?

BTW - I don't have in my possession the 4th-of-July-in-KS pictures I promised -- yet.

Right after returning from our trip I got slammed with an upper respiratory infection that laid me out for a full week. I had a cough that felt like the end of the world. I'm still on my second round of antibiotics.

Then I lost my voice. Then I strained it, so I chose not to speak for about 4 days and I've been struggling to get it back since. It's been rather difficult for me. I mean -- I'm a singer for cryin' out loud! I also teach voice. There is something disheartening about a vocal coach who can barely croak his way through a conversation, much less actually sing and demonstrate technique. Oy!

Sunday mornings have been brutal leading worship. I've made it through, but barely.

And now I'm back at raising support which means I'm on the phone hour-after-hour.

And waaa, waaa, waa. And waaa, wa waaaa.

Pray for me.

We had a good weekend attending a training seminar for missionaries raising support. It was, on the one hand, brutal and tiring -- 2 days, 10 hours each, sitting on standard church folding chairs -- as well as intense (we spent 26 hours in preparation for the weekend). But on the other hand, it was encouraging, motivating and informative and we came away with some good tools.

That's about it for now.

Peace out...

Good trip, good times

We landed in Tulsa at 2 pm on Wednesday last week. It was somewhere near 100˚, but it was a dry heat, so we hardly felt it. Yeah, right. Last year, when we flew into Wichita we made our way to a local mall and, while I got the best massage of my life from one of the guys set up in the middle of the mall, Beth got a pedicure. These are indulgences we enjoy maybe once a year, so as we arrived in Tulsa, we thought, "Why not?"

We didn't want to go far out of our way, so we looked on a city map and found a mall that would suffice. I started to get a funny feeling when, as we came closer to the location of the mall, there were fewer and fewer new, or even open businesses, especially things like restaurants.

Coming up over a hill, I said, "There it is."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, the name's not quite the same, but maybe they've changed it."

It looked all but abandoned. We had to give up on our dream of self-indulgence. Oh well.

So we drove to my sister Dianne's house on Tonkawa, about an hour and a half away.

After having dinner (delicious grilled chicken prepared by our nephew Mark) Dianne, Beth and I made our way to Tonkawa Methodist to meet with the missions committee and share about our mission work in Ireland. The meeting went really well and we should hear back from them in the near future as to whether they will be able to become a Ministry Partner.

Thursday we drove to Elm Mills in southern Kansas. It's about 15 miles south of Pratt, the town I grew up in. (Wow, double preposition at the end of a sentence -- call the grammar police!)

Here's a list of the cast:

Beth - my wife
Molly - my daughter
Me - me
Dianne - my sister
Ken - her husband
Mark - her son (18)
Stephen - her other son (16)
Dennis - my brother
Judit - his significant other

It was a great weekend. Time to spend with family and reconnect with old friends. Photos and videos will follow.

Sunday morning, Beth and I got up early and drove into Pratt. We spoke at three services and a Sunday school class. We came home with a few donations and contact info for a bunch of individuals. We also had a good number of giving envelopes disappear (pray for those!). We originally were only going to be able to speak at the first and third services, as there wouldn't be time at the second one. However, Beth and I were praying (unbeknown to one another) that we would be able to speak at that service, as well. Right after we arrived, Pastor Dan said, "Good news! Well, kind of. At least for you it is. The guy that does our Children's Sermon second service has to perform surgery this morning, so now we will have time to let you speak."

Many familiar faces. Not quite as many names came to mind as faces I recognized.

Monday we drove back to Tulsa and stayed overnight with my college roommate Chris Theis. Tuesday morning we were up at 4 am to catch a 6:20 flight. Tuesday afternoon, we both taught lessons.

Today, we're tired.

And...

While we're in Kansas and Oklahoma this coming week, we will be visiting two churches in hopes of gaining more Ministry Partners.

Pray for us!

Heading home

Growing up, the 4th of July was bigger than Christmas in my family.

Early in the 20th century, in the midst of a gentle valley in southern Kansas, a man-made lake was created and a group of several dozen cabins built around and near it. It was developed by the Elm Mills Corporation -- the old Elm Mill which once ground the grains that were grown in the area had been defunct for some time.

My grandfather bought one of these cabins in the 50's and our family tradition of spending the 4th at "The Mill" began. There are fireworks galore, sack races, three-legged races, row boat races, scavenger hunts, turtle races (you have to catch your own) along with many more activities and a lot of eating. It's Americana in its highest glory.

The cabin was passed to my dad and now is owned by my brother -- yeah, the one who lives in Budapest. My sister and her husband now own the cabin next door. To get a good picture in your mind, think "On Golden Pond" with a smaller pond.

The last time I was "home" for the 4th was, I think, 2000. This year (this week!) we will be back -- myself, Beth and Molly. My sister Dianne will be there with her family and my brother Dennis with Judit, his significant other.

Just thinking about it warms my heart. I feel like a kid waiting for... well, Christmas.

Expect many pictures!

Audacity

This morning at Coast, we continued in our series "One Prayer" with a message from Stephen Furtick. His one prayer, and the focus of his message was "Lord, make us audacious."

It really hit home with me. How audacious is it for us to not just believe that "all things are possible" with God, but to begin to live that way? I know I've blogged about this before, but I must admit that it still hasn't sunk in completely. How about you?

But here's the deal...

God has given us this vision for Ireland, placed us with a wonderful sending organization and allowed us to begin our ministry through short-term trips, which made it possible for us to be sure that Molly was ready for us to go.

The time of the short-term, part-time ministry is now behind us and we press on toward the goal of making our permanent move to Ireland.

Furtick honed in on one word which sat in the midst of what is otherwise an heroic story of Jonathan and his armor bearer going to (just the two of them) face a powerful army. In verse 6 of 1 Samuel 14, as they prepare to go out, Jonathan says, "Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf." Perhaps? Perhaps!?!

It rang in my ears -- this doubtful word. Have I allowed this word or its implications to make its way into my thinking? Oy!

So here's my prayer:

Lord -- give us the audacity to believe that your promise of our full-time ministry in Ireland is not only true, but inevitable -- even imminent! Give us the audacity to believe that everything we do in our work of MPD (Ministry Partner Development) will bring us closer to that goal. Give us the audacity to believe that the monthly support we need is there -- we just need to unearth it. Finally, give us the audacity to believe that You will show us where to dig and when we dig, that we will find Your reward.

Do you have something that has had a big PERHAPS hanging over it?

Pray for the audacity to believe...

A good visit

Last week we played host to a friend of ours from Belfast, Northern Ireland. David Porter is working on a doctorate from The Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville. Having begun in January, he is required to be on campus for a week very 6 months while working on his degree and decided to come a few days early to spend them with us.

We met David last April in the Czech Republic when we were there for the Europe Worship Link Conference. Then, in September we spent the weekend with his family in Belfast and joined him singing in the choir for New Irish Arts' Ireland in Praise.

It was really good having him here and we had many engaging discussions about Ireland and what's happening there, as well as what the Lord is doing in each of our lives.

Last Sunday morning (the 8th) the three of us sang Be Thou My Vision and David played his tin whistle, which gave everyone goosebumps. People loved it. There is just something so close to the soul about Irish instruments.

David then shared a bit about the state of the church in Ireland and why the ministry that we are doing is so important. We had some who have heard all about it from us tell us that they finally get the vision and realize that we really need to be there.

I'm ready.

New Car Names

Jeep Laredo

Kia Sonoma

Hyundai Santa Fe & Tucson

Chrysler Aspen

Dodge Durango

The list goes on and on. Vehicles that are named for cities or towns. VW even has the Tuareg, named after a tribe in Africa.

So I thought it would be fun to come up with a few of my own:

Kia Kankakee (IL)

Saab Walla Walla (WA)

Toyota Two Egg (FL)

Chrysler Crappo (MD)

Pontiac Paradox (CO)

Buick Boring (MD & OR)

Dodge Dead Horse (AK)

Honda Hazard (KY)

Pontiac Poopoo (HI)

Ford Fart (VA)

Hummer Yonkers (NY)

Subaru Bucksnort (TN)


Got any of your own?

Where have you been?

I mean, seriously, how long has it been since you checked in here?

Okay, okay. I guess it does follow that if there is no new content, what's the point? You're right. Sorry.

How 'bout that David Cook? Woo hoo! Definitely one of my favorite American Idols. Not that I condone idolatry. I don't. I wouldn't, couldn't do that. It's bad.

Maybe we can call it idolism. I don't think that's in the Bible. Or how about idolocity? Idoloidalidity?

This past month has been a blur. Crazy busy and just a lot of stuff going on. Hopefully we'll be able to get refocused for the next little bit. We are excited to see what God has in store for us.

Stay tuned...

A Father's Advice

Like a sour sponge

Don't you hate it when you pick up a sponge to wipe down the counter, or do some other cleaning and after you're done you realize your hands smell sour? There's hardly any way to get all of that smell off your hands! It's especially bad when you don't notice the smell until you pick up something to eat and as you bring it to your mouth -- well you get the picture...

Today at staff meeting at Coast we were reading and discussing Philippians 2. We talked a little bit about Paul's description of being "poured out as a drink offering".

It was then I remembered the first sermon I ever preached, back in high school, lo these many years ago (almost 30!). In that message, I used the illustration of the sour sponge. Goes something like this:

We are like a sponge. If we choose to simply sit and soak in all that God pours into us, we will eventually become like said sponge -- dank, smelly and basically unusable.

However, should we choose to pour ourselves out "as a drink offering", benefiting those around us with what God has been pouring into us, we will remain pliable, fresh and continually usable.

So now I have to ask myself, "What have I done today in the way of pouring out to the benefit of those in my little world?"

Mail from Ireland

Very odd to get snail mail from Ireland, especially something in a window envelope with our name and address printed as if by a computer. I had no idea what it could be.

So I opened it.

Duh. It's a bank statement. I mean who doesn't get bank statements from overseas on a regular basis?

No, here's the deal. During our latest trip to Ireland, after jumping through many proverbial hoops to prove that we weren't money launderers, we opened an account in Dublin. It will make it much easier to deal with our expenses while we're there, should we happen to be there anytime before we actually move. Plus, when we do move, that will be one less thing we'll have to deal with while getting settled.

It was really remarkable experience getting this account opened. Last April we stopped by AIB (Allied Irish Bank) to see about opening an account. We were helped by a young man by the name of Stewart. He was very friendly and helpful, giving us a list of the documentation we needed to get from our bank in Florida, as well as proof of our US residency.

When we returned in September, 5 months later, he remembered us and our situation right away and spent the next few weeks helping us work through the red tape. He then contacted us after we were back in the US to let us know that our account had, in fact, been approves and opened.

I have no idea why we haven't received any statements before now, but I guess that's not important. I mean there isn't any money in the account right now anyway...

Since we're kind of stuck here for now (until we get more funds raised), it does our hearts good to receive little serendipitous reminders of Ireland like this.

Molly's recital

Molly and another student are doing a joint recital this coming Tuesday. Now, you need to understand -- this isn't a requirement. They just wanted to do it.

If you want to come, send me a message with your email address and I'll give you the particulars.

Here's a sample of Molly playing, along with her friend and harpist, Stephanie:

Back home

Okay, so I didn't let you know that we were going out of town.

Sorry.

Can we still be friends?

Just got back this evening from Birminghamhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif, AL where we attended "All Access 2008", a conference by (Association of Related Churches).

We were there with 6 others from Coast. Coast is a member of ARC, a remarkable group of churches from all across the US from numerous denominations as well as independent non-denoms who are dedicated to church planting.

We were very encouraged and challenged personally, gathered a lot of inspiration for the future of Coast, and gained new motivation for our work in Ireland.

I'm really tired right now, and I think I'm fighting off a cold, so I'll say more about all this later.

Nighty night.

I'm so happy

One of our all-time favorite restaurants went out of business a couple of years ago.

But now there is a new sign up at a local strip: "Niki's Restaurant". In the window is a hand-written sign: "Opening Soon".

Woo hoo -- it's coming back! This is a great little Greek place that has the best gyro meat, roasted on a spit and then sliced off fresh and grilled until it has crispy edges. Man, oh man, is it good!

I can't wait for the grand re-opening.

Okay, I guess I'll have to...

Warp Speed

So, say you could actually travel faster than the speed of light without the use of any vehicle...

Set up a super powerful telescope on earth that can focus on you standing on the moon. Stand there, on the moon, for a few moments. Then speed back to earth (faster than the speed of light), look through the telescope and you'll see yourself standing on the moon.

In this next exercise, you can utilize a warp-capable spaceship. If you are traveling just over the speed of light and then slow to just under the speed of light, you can look in your rear-view mirror and see yourself coming up on your tail.

Have fun!

Through Walls

You've all seen 'em. Superheroes or ghosts or other life forms that can walk through walls.

I remember a particular scene on Star Trek: The Next Generation, where two persons, chasing one another through Enterprise were out of phase with the rest of the crew and because of this, they could walk (or run) through the walls.

Now think about it. The walls aren't solid to them and allow them to pass right through, but the floors are still solid.

What's up with that?

sign o' the times

Just read this headline:

"Americans prefer energy fix to cancer cure: poll"

The article goes on to detail the results of a survey of "nearly 700 people", suggesting that "Americans would prefer more money be invested in technology to solve the nation's energy ailments than to cure cancer or other diseases."*

If this isn't a sign of the times, I don't know what is.

Definitely a symptom of the "need" so pervasive in today's society wherein the immediate holds more sway in our decision making than the eventual.

The majority of the population today has grown up with an ever-increasing ability to have their desires met at a moment's notice. And I dare say that this mindset has infiltrated the church, making it difficult for those of us who sometimes find ourselves in the role of "counselor" to offer guidance that will be heeded. Most significant change that occurs in the life of a believer comes through perseverance over time and not in the form of a vending machine. But few are willing to stick with it.

Consider this: "...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom 5:3-5)

Thanks for listening.


*Reuters

American Idol Gospel Night!

So, I wasn't surprised to see Ramiele go home. I think it was definitely her time. I hated seeing Brooke in the bottom three. She'll probably end up with a good career, but I don't see her winning AI.

I appreciated the feature they did on past non-winners who have made a good career.

BTW -- Loved David Cook again this week. I had been interested in seeing him do an original arrangement.

But the highlight for me was getting to see the Clark Brothers again. I don't know of anyone else who could take "This Little Light of Mine" and do that with it! We loved these guys on The Next Great American Band last summer. Full-on Christians, who made an obvious positive impact in the lives of others on TNGAB.

Then Dolly steps out there and testifies! I'm afraid her voice is lacking these days, but she still has the spunk.

However, to hear two songs on AI in one night that basically say "Put your faith in Jesus", was pretty astounding.

Loved it.

hmmm

We have a local exotic bird shop called:

Bird House of Montague

So I thought it might be cool to open a shop next door called:

Cat House of Capulet

Then reason overtook me and I realized that "Cat House" might be misconstrued.

I would also fear that a lack of general knowledge of things Shakespearian might cause the irony to be lost on most people.

Crazy times

So yesterday I was in Panama City, FL (about 2 hours east of Gulf Breeze) to install an art display in a furniture store. Because of a mix-up in communication, I was unable to finish the job, so now I've got to go back to finish.

I worked until the store closed at 6 PM and then headed home, knowing I needed to stop to get some supper. My first choice was to stop for a quick meal at Zoey's Kitchen in Destin. I then think about the Spring Break crowds that will make parking difficult and the fact that what I would be eating would give me really bad breath with which to greet Beth.

About that time, I was passing Cheeseburger In Paradise, so I stopped to see if there was a wait. They were a bit busy, but I was assured that I can be seated in 5 to 10 minutes.

I would guess it was about 45 minutes later that I was escorted to my table.

I arrived home around 9:30 PM, exhausted.

Today, I spent the entire day until 4:30 this afternoon working on the computer to finish editing and rendering 6 videos that are to be played tomorrow for Coast's 10th Anniversary service.

We left to go to a party for church leaders, after which we went to the church to load the video files into Media Shout, the presentation software we use, but the files failed to load. Back home, I'm now in the process of saving the files so that they will play on my iPod, which can then be played through the system tomorrow morning.

Monday... my day off!!!!

Ireland?

So what's happening regarding Ireland? Glad you asked.

We are still madly working to raise support, and we're seeing things pick up!

Here's what we know -- the money's out there. God knows and is in control. We just continue to pray that He will lead us to those who He has ordained to become Ministry Partners with us.

We just got an interesting email from a GEM colleague of ours in Ireland, Durand Robinson. He heads up a ministry called Creative Works. Recently, a grant has become available to GEM Ireland to set up a fully equipped audio and video production facility in the Dublin area.

Durand is asking us if we would be interested in using this facility as a base of operations for our ministry where we could do training and recording. We would also be utilizing our skills for composing music and hopefully scoring for ministry video projects. He is also asking us about equipment that we would want in the studio.

Are we excited by this? Duh!

This could open up a whole other area of ministry that could dovetail with what we're currently doing over there. But we've got to get there.

Durand says, "Get your little selves over here yesterday! We can't wait."

We're ready! Bring it on, Lord!

Eeeeeaster

Had a great Easter morning at Coast. A full house, an electric atmosphere, exciting time of worship, great message.

The choir sang. What a blessing! For those of you who don't go to Coast -- our choir is more of an ensemble, but with a BIG sound. I was blown away by them. Got people to their feet.

The band -- wow.

Hope you had a great Easter weekend as well.

Cáisc Shona Duit!

St. Patrick - Final Post

“I arise today
with God’s strength to pilot my course,
with God’s power to uphold me,
with God’s wisdom to guide me,
with God’s eye to give me seeing,
with God’s ear for my hearing,
with God’s word for me to speak,
with God’s hand to guard me,
with God’s path to become my road..."

When you begin to take a close look at the life of Patrick, you quickly see that he traveled quite a lot.

- Taken captive in England and enslaved in Ireland
- Escapes Ireland and travels who-knows-where
- Is taken captive again for 2 months
- Escapes once again and eventually finds his way back to his family in England
- Finally makes his way back to Ireland, where he is constantly on the move

At the end of his life, Patrick writes this in his confession:

"And I went about among you, and everywhere for your sake, in danger, and as far as the outermost regions beyond which no one lived, and where no one had ever penetrated before, to baptize or to ordain clergy or to confirm people. Conscientiously and gladly I did all this work by God's gift for your salvation."

In our own lives, whether in physical travels or simply life's journey, the best path to follow is God's. How is it that we know the way of God?

We first depend upon His power, strength and wisdom for direction and guidance. We rely upon his vision and urgings to find our way. We trust His hand to guard us.

Finally, we rest on His Word to light the way.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path." (Ps. 119:105)

Patrick has left us a great legacy. Would that any one of us could accomplish half what he did in his lifetime. And he didn't even start his ministry in Ireland until he was in his mid-40's!

Arise today - and walk with God.


Beannachtaí Lá Fhéile Pádraig

St. Patrick - Pt. 8

“I arise today
with God’s strength to pilot my course,
with God’s power to uphold me,
with God’s wisdom to guide me,
with God’s eye to give me seeing,
with God’s ear for my hearing,
with God’s word for me to speak,
with God’s hand to guard me..."

Patrick didn't have an easy life. He went through many perilous times, found himself in many dangerous situations, and met with much persecution from the time he was young to the end of his life. But knowing that the Lord was with him, he never allowed his circumstances to slow him down.

In the midst of a particularly trying period, Patrick states, "I was mightily upset, and might have fallen here and for ever; but the Lord generously spared me, a convert, and an alien, for his name's sake, and he came powerfully to my assistance in that state of being trampled down."

Too often we, in our struggles, look to God to pull us out of our circumstances. Somehow we think that is how God delivers us and protects us. But more often than not, God has a purpose in our going through difficult times and circumstances. He wants us to turn to Him, not to take us out of the situation, but by His strength, make it possible for us to endure and emerge victorious.

Consider Job. Everyone around him thought they were offering the best advice as he dealt with numerous devastating events. But he knew that God's hand was on him no matter what was going on around him.

We will all experience difficulties. While he may not deliver us out of those circumstances, God will guard us and strengthen us in the midst of whatever it is we are dealing with.

"Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Ps 73:25-26)

St. Patrick - Pt. 7

“I arise today
with God’s strength to pilot my course,
with God’s power to uphold me,
with God’s wisdom to guide me,
with God’s eye to give me seeing,
with God’s ear for my hearing,
with God’s word for me to speak..."

Patrick never held back. Whenever he was given an opportunity to speak the truth, he would do it. In fact, when he was confronted by the starving sailors with whom he found himself traveling, his encouragement to them was the Word of God, molded and imparted in just the right way, at just the right time: "Be converted by faith with all your heart to my Lord God, because nothing is impossible for him, so that today he will send food for you on your road, until you be sated, because everywhere he abounds."

God placed within him timely creativity which is exemplified in Patrick's explanation of the Trinity to the high king of Ireland, in which he used the shamrock, which is three leaves in one. That simple act is commemorated even today, as we see the image of the shamrock nearly anywhere there is anything Irish.

If we are to be remembered for anything we say, is there anything better than the truth of God's Word?

Paul's request to those to whom he was writing in Colosse was that while he was in prison they might pray, "...that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains..." (Col. 4:3)

It is my prayer that more and more followers of Christ might follow the example of the first century Christians, about which it is written: "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:31)

St. Patrick - Pt. 6

“I arise today
with God’s strength to pilot my course,
with God’s power to uphold me,
with God’s wisdom to guide me,
with God’s eye to give me seeing,
with God’s ear for my hearing..."

There were many times in his life when Patrick would hear a voice giving him directions. The first time he mentions is in regard to his escaping his captivity. The Spirit told him to get ready -- that he would be "going to his home country." Then, "Behold, your ship is ready." At a later time, Patrick had a group of men who were bringing charges against him, based upon sinful activity in his youth, before he had become a believer. In the midst of this, God's voice comforted him, and assured him, "He who touches you, touches the apple of my eye."

When we hear the voice of the Lord, we may hear an audible voice. But more often than not, it will be the Lord speaking to us through inklings and urges. It may come in the form of Scripture echoing in our mind.

God will direct our steps, actions, thoughts and words, if we allow Him to. Isaiah puts it this way:

"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
'This is the way, walk in it,'
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left." (30:21)

It would behoove us to learn to hear the voice of the Lord.

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Eph 5:15-17)

St. Patrick - Pt. 5

“I arise today
with God’s strength to pilot my course,
with God’s power to uphold me,
with God’s wisdom to guide me,
with God’s eye to give me seeing..."

Once Patrick had returned home to Britain after his harrowing travels subsequent to his escape, he was given a vision one night wherein a man handed him a letter with the title The Voice of the Irish. As he read, he heard the cries of those in a particular region of Ireland. The voices were saying, "We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us."

After this, and several more visions, Patrick began to realize that God had work for him in the very nation where he had once been kept as a slave.

I would dare say that most of us would not claim to have had visions like this, although I know for a fact that they are actually quite commonplace. Oftentimes visions are given in the manner that we see here -- in a dream. Sometimes they may come in what seems to be a more "supernatural" way, such as Saul experienced on the road to Damascus. Other times they are much less spectacular -- glimpses and insights through images that may flash across our consciousness. I'm afraid we too often ignore many of these God-given inklings.

For instance, there are the times that I have driven past a stranded motorist and have the impression that I should stop to help them, and in the process exemplify Christ's love for them. At that point, I begin to reason with the Holy Spirit that I have somewhere I need to be and important things to do and surely someone else will stop to help them -- if indeed they even need help.

But I believe that one of the most common ways that God gives us vision, is simply by changing our world view. Seeing those around us as Christ sees them. Being aware of opportunities that God lays before us everyday to be His hands and feet.

With His eyes to guide us, Christ says, "he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do..." (John 14:12)

Without God's vision, we miss out on so much.

St. Patrick, Pt. 4

“I arise today
with God’s strength to pilot my course,
with God’s power to uphold me,
with God’s wisdom to guide me..."

In his confession, Patrick describes himself thus:

"I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many..."

"...today I feel ashamed and I am mightily afraid to expose my ignorance, because, [I am not] eloquent, with a small vocabulary..."

But he didn't allow that to keep him from doing that to which God had called him:

"Therefore be amazed, you great and small who fear God, and you men of God, eloquent speakers, listen and contemplate. Who was it summoned me, a fool, from the midst of those who appear wise and learned in the law and powerful in rhetoric and in all things? Me, truly wretched in this world, he inspired before others that I could be-- if I would-- such a one who, with fear and reverence, and faithfully, without complaint, would come to the people to whom the love of Christ brought me and gave me in my lifetime, if I should be worthy, to serve them truly and with humility."

This is a great example of what Paul wrote: "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."(1 Cor. 1:27)

I don't know about you, but this gives me great hope! I am often astounded at my own foolishness. Yet I have seen God do amazing things in me and through me -- things that are so far outside of my own abilities that I can only attribute them to Him.

Always remember that, if we are seeking God, no matter our level of learning or worldly wisdom, His wisdom will guide us.

Oddly enough

Check out this headline:

Cemetery Full, Mayor Tells Locals Not To Die

Click for article

St. Patrick - Pt. 3

Sorry for the late posting...

"I arise today
with God’s strength to pilot my course,
with God’s power to uphold me..."

After having sailed from his enslavement in Ireland with the crew of a ship, whom he described as "barbarian", he was at sea for three days. When they landed, the men traveled together overland through wilderness where they encountered no other humans for 4 weeks. Their food ran out and they became desperate to satisfy their hunger.

In their frustration, the others turned to Patrick with this indictment: "Why is it, Christian? You say your God is great and all-powerful; then why can you not pray for us? For we may perish of hunger; it is unlikely indeed that we shall ever see another human being." Patrick encouraged them to seek out the Lord for themselves and said, "because nothing is impossible for him, so that today he will send food for you on your road, until you be sated." That day, God sent a herd of wild pigs to them and saved the lot.

Patrick knew of the power of God and was bold to proclaim it. He knew that God had a plan and would exercise His will to draw these men to himself -- which, by the way, was the result.

How do we receive this power in our own lives? Acts 1:8 states, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..."

We must rely upon the strength of God, experienced by the presence of the Holy Spirit within us and not on our own power, to sustain us in the extremes of life. We are frail beings, made to depend upon the power of our creator. We who know Him, know this power is there, but too often forget that it is available to us.

It simply takes faith.

I Arise Today - Pt. 2

"I arise today
with God's strength to pilot my course..."

At the age of 16, Patrick, not yet having knowledge of the one true God, was taken captive from his home in England and sold into slavery in Ireland. It was during this time of captivity that He became aware of God and began his journey toward becoming a believer.

In his own words: "And he watched over me before I knew him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and he protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son."

As his faith grew, he began to sense the leading of God in all areas of his life, including a 200-mile trek, on foot, across Ireland, led by the Holy Spirit, to a particular ship which would take him away from this land and his captors.

When Moses and the people of Israel had escaped the pursuit of the Egyptians, they sang a song of celebration. One of the lines says:

“In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling." (Ex. 15:13)

They knew that God had led them out of their captivity by His power and that they could rely upon that strength and guidance to see them through the remainder of their days.

Even though we know these things about God and how He works, it's good to be reminded of them on a daily basis, isn't it? This is where Patrick is coming from when he writes this.

Let us "not forget all His benefits." (Ps. 103:2b)

I Arise Today - pt. 1

Today I begin a series of posts based upon a poem of St. Patrick’s. We will look at one line each day adding to the previous lines as we go, leading up to St. Patrick's Day on the 17th of this month.

Here's how it begins...

"I arise today…"

When you read his confessional and look at the work that Patrick did throughout the nation of Ireland; when you consider the fact that he was working in a society built upon paganism with but a few pockets of Christianity; when you realize that he was in his 40's when this work began and by the time he passed away Christianity was "running rampant" across the island -- this phrase, "I arise today..." takes on new meaning.

The Lord had work for him -- a lot of work. I would imagine that he made every day count and knew that as he arose each morning there were divine appointments awaiting his attention.

May we look to this example, provided by David:

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
Awake, my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn. (Psalm 57:7-8)

Our day should always begin with this exuberant desire to worship our creator and be the "steadfast" person that he desires us to be -- ready to arise and see to the work He has for us.

On St. Patrick

With St. Patrick's day coming up on March 17, I thought I would do something a little different over the couple of weeks leading up to it.

I found a quote from Patrick that is somewhat of a creed. I would like to break it down, line-by-line, introducing a line a day until it's completion on the 17th. It will actually read like a devotional, with the passage from Pat, scripture relating to the passage and then a short commentary about it.

I hope you'll follow along with me and hopefully gain, not only some insights into the life of an incredible man of faith, but maybe some practical applications for your own life.

Join me beginning March 3. And don't forget to leave comments. I'd love for this to lead to some good dialogs.

And I thought the guys were a let down...

Watching Idol last night, I was so disappointed with the girls. It was the night of the bad song selection. Standouts for me were Carly Smithson (the Irish girl - duh!) and Brooke White, with her Carly Simon cover. Both chose songs that really fit them, IMHO.

Carly made me nervous when I heard the intro to "Crazy on You" by Heart, but she tore it up. Brooke had a few low notes that were a bit of a problem, but otherwise the song flowed from her quite naturally.

It's still way up in the air, but I think David Archuleta has a really good chance of winding up on top.

We'll see...

I am a blessed father

My daughter is amazing.

(I know -- I've bragged about her before, but I can't help myself)

I'll never forget when, at the age of about 1 year (before she could talk), Molly would sing along with familiar melodies on the radio, matching pitch perfectly. Then within the next couple of years, she was writing her own songs on the piano.

At 8 years, we asked her if there was an instrument that she would like to learn to play. She quickly responded, "The violin!" A short time later, we just happened to stop at a yard sale where they had two "her-sized" violins for sale. That was the best $75 dollars we ever spent.

She is now a second-year violin performance major at University of West Florida. She has aspirations of getting her Masters and most likely a doctorate. But in the mean time:

- She is a member of the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra (NSFO)
- She is a provisional member of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra (PSO)
- She is the volunteer director of the strings program for inner-city kids at the Belmont Arts Center in Pensacola
- She is making a living (no, really) with her orchestra gigs (including the Pensacola Opera), playing for weddings, corporate events, etc. and teaching private violin lessons.

We got to see her play with the NSFO on Friday night. Wonderful.

Saturday night, Molly and I went out for dinner and then spent some time at Starbuck's. That's the first time we've been able to spend time together, just the two of us since I-don't-know-when. It was great. We mostly talked and theorized about "Lost".

Beth and I prayed for it, and now we're witnessing the fact that she is going to be ready (at least from a practical sense) for us to move away. It won't be easy, but knowing that she is becoming a gracious and responsible young woman makes it tolerable.

Love you, Molly. We're proud to be known as "Molly's parents".

From Empty Nester to AARP

Woo hoo! It finally arrived! My AARP card!

It was bad enough when at 38 I realized I needed reading glasses. I'm now 46, our daughter is out living on her own, so we've had an empty nest for about 6 months.

I'm okay with all that. But today I received in the mail a true, honest-to-goodness AARP membership card with application. AARP is for citizens aged 50 and older. Please -- let me have my 4 years! I plan to be on top of the hill at least that long.

But you know, there are some pretty good benefits...

Hmmm...

U23D

Wow. What a great show.

We went to see it last night with our pastor and his wife. Those guys (U2) are amazing (so are you, Robert and Vicki). If you are any kind of a U2 fan - go!

Good Morning

Not, "Good morning", but rather -- it was a good morning. We are really blessed to be working with a group of musicians that are sold out to the Lord and truly desire to provide a comfortable atmosphere for worship. Everyone in the band stepped it up today. What a blast!

Things are happening at Coast. There is an excitement in the air. God is getting ready to do something great.

The importance of worship

In our work, it is always a thrill to find those worship leaders and pastors that have a firm grasp on the role that worship plays in the life of the believer.

But so often we encounter believers (not just in Ireland) who, while they love worship times and "the song service", haven't quite grasped its relevance to their daily lives. It's simply something that happens when we gather with other believers once or twice a week. I can't count the number of times I've heard this referred to as their chance to "recharge their batteries".

A few months back I gave a sermon on the importance of worship in the life of the individual. The Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it this way: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever." In this quote, when it uses the term "end", it's not referring to our final, ultimate state, but instead the reason for which we exist; our purpose.

We were created to worship. Not only that, we were created to be worshipers. Think about it. When given the opportunity, people will worship anything that they consider greater than themselves. Consider that every culture in the world has its idols or objects of worship, whether that be false gods, personalities, government systems or what have you.

The nature of the worshiper is dictated by that which they worship. Psalm 115:8 puts it this way: "Those who make [idols] will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." We are called upon throughout the New Testament to be imitators of Christ and how else are we to accomplish this than to spend quality time with Him. As we worship Him and maintain that spiritual connection with Him, He places His Spirit within us. "We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit." (1 John 4:13)

God seeks worshipers, not just worship. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman in John 4:23, "...true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." He knows how it benefits us to stay by His side. It reminds me of the protective mom who hangs on tightly to her toddler's hand as they navigate a busy parking lot.

Worship brings victory in our lives. When Judah was confronted with the imminent attack by a massive enemy, they were instructed to go out against them with the singers leading the army, singing praise to the Lord. They were focused upon the Lord, not their circumstances and the Lord routed the enemy before them. (2 Chronicles 20)

Consider this. What would happen if every believer took their role as a worshiper to heart and made a commitment to worship God in private every day and not just when the body gathers once or twice a week? What would our corporate gatherings look like? How exciting would that be?

You and I were created to be worshipers. It's in our DNA. Let's live it!

Prayer Warriors

It happens from time-to-time, in our meeting with people to share with them about our ministry and invite them to partner with us financially, that the meeting turns out entirely different than expected.

Such is the case with two appointments we had in the past week.

Both meetings ended without gaining any monthly financial support. But that's obviously not what the Lord had in mind at all.

One meeting gave us the opportunity to reconnect with old friends. Not only that, they felt compelled that they should be praying for us very specifically and very fervently. They took detailed notes as to how they should be praying for us and promised to intercede on our behalf.

The other meeting gave us the opportunity to minister to and pray for some very specific things going on in their lives. They also have a desire to partner with us in prayer, and if things turn around for them financially, they want to join with us in that way as well.

But for now we have a few more prayer warriors. We love that, as prayer is the foundation of our ministry.

I heard this analogy once: When someone joins with a missionary or other Christian worker to pray for them and the success of their ministry, they are like the archers in ancient warfare. As those on the front line move forward to take ground and engage the enemy, the archers, behind the front line, fire their arrows over their compatriots to soften the defense of the enemy and make a way for a successful campaign. In the same way, the prayers of the prayer warriors precede the ones for whom they are praying to give them greater success in their work.

Let us know if you want to join forces with us in prayer as we continue to do the work He has called us to. Just drop us an email (garyandbeth@gmail.com).

Some days...

You know how you have a day planned and then from the get go, it takes on a life of its own and you live a day you didn't expect at all? That was today for us.

I was planning to work on some furniture repairs and do some ministry work and end up with a meal out with friends.

At 7:30 am I get a call from Molly who tells me that her car won't start. She lives on the north side of Pensacola and had class at 9:00 -- we live south of Pensacola, across the bay in Gulf Breeze. She describes the problem to me and I tell her I'll swing by Walmart to get her a new battery and then come to get her on her way. I had figured that the problem was with her battery or her starter.

Beth and I throw on some clothes and set out.

We arrive at Molly's apartment about 8:15, plenty of time to change out the battery, give Molly a hug and get her to class, right? Ha...

I test the battery. It's fine. But upon inspection of the connections, I quickly realize that the battery cable clamp has cracked where it attaches to the battery. I make a few calls and find out that I'll have to order a new cable (it's proprietary) for 80 bucks and wait 2-3 days for it to arrive. So I decide that I can fix it. Ha...

6 hours later, after several failed methods, I have effected repair of the battery cable successfully, but the car still won't start. Oy! So not only was there a problem with the battery cable, it now appears that her starter is dead.

After finding a garage that can repair it reasonably (that term is so relative, isn't it?), we call AAA.

Beth, who by this time has gone home, returns with a change of clothes and I take a quick shower. We then have 45 minutes to go to All Pro Sound to buy something that I need in the morning and make it to Chili's to meet our friends.

After such a day, it was nice to sit, relax and share together over a meal.

Now it's nice to put on our PJ's and go to sleep in our bed.

Good night.

Speaking of Hymns...

One of the things that is often overlooked by those involved in contemporary worship these days is the rich tradition of music left to us through the history of the church. This fact came back to me full force over the Christmas season, when I was reminded how many of the old standards in Christmas hymnody are unknown by the majority of today's non-denominational churchgoers -- especially the younger ones.

A friend sent me the words to this old hymn, which are a great example of the artistry found within many of the songs which have been left behind:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

One problem is that most of us aren't used to language such as this anymore. It requires a lot of brain cells to think through the imagery and get to the heart of the message in the midst of engaging in worship.

Is there some way to practically and effectively bring back some of the depth and riches that may have been left behind?

Hmmm...

Times, they are a'changin'

Got this from Rick Muchow -- worship leader at Saddleback...

Top Reasons For Opposing the New Music Trend

1.It is too new, like an unknown language.
2.It is not as melodious as the more established style.
3.There are so many songs that it is impossible to learn them all.
4.It creates disturbances and causes people to act in an indecent and disorderly manner.
5.It places too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than on godly lyrics.
6.The lyrics are often worldly, even blasphemous.
7.It is not needed, since preceding generations have gone to heaven without it.
8.It monopolizes the Christian’s time and encourages then to stay out late.
9.These new musicians are young upstarts, and some of them are lewd and loose persons.

Adapted from a statement directed against the use of hymns, in 1723!

Some things never change, huh?

What's up?

Okay - four full weeks with nary a peep.

Sorry.

My life is so ridiculous right now. I never know what I'm going to be doing from day-to-day and so many little things are slipping through the cracks.

Hopefully that's about to change. There is a big job looming that may make it possible for me to have a set weekly schedule for the next several months. Please, Lord let it be! Then I can have specific times set aside for specific tasks and the cracks (through which diminutive paraphernalia evanesce) should then decrease in breadth and I'll have a little more control over things.

Personally, we're doing well. Without any physical evidence or reasoning, we are looking up.

The Psalmist writes: "I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord."

You see, we could look to the hills, the circumstances or the the hopes we have in others for what we feel we need. But we are choosing to look higher -- to the Lord -- for that which we truly need. He will do it!

"My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Psa 62:1&2

Interested?

On my gmail account there are always special messages -- marketing, news, etc. -- that appear at the top of the page. Here's the latest:

Nairobi Flights from $746 - www.BT-STORE.com - Discounted Flights to Kenya. Book Now and Save Big

Yeah, I bet...

A New Year...

Last night it was Beth and I and good friends Keith and Jen King enjoying our annual New Year's Eve junk food buffet. We were joined for a while by Molly and her boyfriend William.

We all watched a blockbuster that I gave Molly for Christmas. It doesn't get any better than "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians". A couple of my favorite lines:

Voldar (the bad martian): "All this trouble for a little fat man in a red suit."

and

Santa: "Oh, feedle-ee-dee and balderdash Billy boy."



So looking ahead...

I don't do resolutions. Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.

Instead, I have been really imagining what I would like to see happen in 2008. For one thing -- I don't want to spend next Christmas and New Year's in the U.S. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get to Ireland by then.

And I know that with God all things are possible.

So, God willing, we will be moved in 2008. BUT -- we have a huge hill to climb to reach our goal of monthly donations needed to make that happen.

We are feeling such a need to get to Ireland to conduct our ministry full-time. You see, we firmly believe that revival is coming to Ireland. Revival the likes of which hasn't been seen since the days of St. Patrick. One of the greatest needs right now in the Irish church is the training of leadership that needs to be in place when significant growth begins to happen and our ministry is all about that.

On our last trip to Ireland we had a national church leader tell us, "You don't know how important your ministry is" regarding this preparation. Needless to say, we are ready to be there doing our part in preparing for the coming revival.

Do you want to help us get there? Click here and you can find out how to make a donation or join us as a monthly Ministry Partner ("How can I be a part...?").

I don't generally use this forum to solicit support, but I just felt that I should on this occasion.

God is doing great things this year. Hang on for an exciting ride!

Please pray about supporting us. Then, no matter how God leads you, please keep praying for us, for Ireland and for its church leaders and missionaries.