Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Long time no....
Hey
I am sorry for the delay in getting an update on here. Things have been very busy over the last couple of....months!!!
Margaret continues to work hard and pay our bills and Eva continues to grow and learn and develop everyday. She is now reaching the stage where she knows exactly what she wants and when she does not get it she thinks she will get it if she stamps her feet on the ground and slaps her hand of something. It is quite amusing to watch in one way and distressing in another. For the first 17 months of her life she has been so flexible and easy going. Now she seems only to want things exactly as she wants them. I suppose you could argue that she is just growing up because we are all like that aren't we - like to have things done out way and throw a bit of a fit in some way when things don't work out like that.
Anywho, along with this little hard side of her development has come many much cooler things that are completely worth a mention. We stgarted sending Eva to a child minder three mornings a week in order to clear some space for me to study and it has been going well. As you might expect, Eva was slightly anxious at the thought of daddy leaving her with a strange new person and I had to spend the first couple of months waiting until her back was turned so I could sneak out while she was not looking. there were a couple of mornings when she did not even want to go in because she knew I was going to leave her. but now she seems to be over that. now she smiles as her child minder comes to the door to open it for us and has a big smile for her as we enter the house. And I sit down to make sure she is okay before I leave. After a couple of minutes I stand up and say 'bye bye', at which she turns and smiles and does the same. Its very cute!
Her words are also coming along really well. She now picks up the phone - whether someone has called or not - and puts it to her ear saying "Hiyaaaaaaa". Again its very cool. When Margaret or I are in our bare feet she comes over and points and says "Toe".
She has also become more accident prone than ever. Last Saturday night she was trying to climb onto her new favourite perch ( a low window ledge in our front room) and she got her footing a bit wrong. She fell and clunked her cheek off the radiator that hangs just under the wondow legde. She screamed very loud and we knew that she had hurt herself a lot. The next morning she had a real black eye and it is only now (a week later) starting to go away. We are so expecting a call from Social Services in the coming weeks!!! Basically, like any child her age she has an explorers heart and this is matched by the ability to never sit in one place for more than 5 seconds. I suppose when you are 16 months old there is so much to take in around you that you just don't want to stop.
She can also now open the back door and be out there in a flash so we have to keep it locked at all times now. A couple of weeks ago you could have secured Eva in a room just by closing the door and now this is not possible as she is able to reach all the handles and knows exactly what to do with them. Clever little monkey!!!!
My studies are going well. I am continuing to love class and learn a lot from it. we are working on two modules at the minute. one is church history - it's okay but really a bit boring for me. the second is the Old Testament Prophets and I am loving it big style. I have never been a huge fan of the OT because I was never great at understanding it and putting it all in the over all picture. Now that I have someone to teach me about it and show me things about it, I am lapping it up and having my eyes opened to some cool things. I have been spending a lot of time and thought in Amos and with Elijah's story in Kings. Both have made me think hard about stuff.
Church has been good when we have been there. I have had a number of preaching engagements over the weeks and so have not always been able to be around. It's a good church to be around - a really wide ranging mixture of people with all sorts of backgrounds, stories, pain, testimonies, styles, etc. and a continuous flow of new people into the church. It is an exciting place to be. They got a new youth worker recently and I got to meet with her a couple of weeks ago. She is good and has a searching heart and I think this is going to be good for her and for the youth she works with. Keep the EBM youth ministry and Beth (Youth Worker) in your prayers as she works her way through things and starts making her mark on that ministry.
As I said I have been speaking at various churches and services and things. i got to be a speaker for a local school's Scripture Union (Campus Life) weekend retreat. I had 70 11-14 yr olds for the weekend and we spenmt some time learning some lessons from monsters Inc. it was a great time and they were a great group. Schools over here (Northern Ireland) are very different from USA schools in that there is no worries over seperation of church and state. Therefore, we have pretty much got free run in schools in terms of sharing the gospel. Pray for this work and all those involved in it. There were 140 kids in total at that weekend and it is not unique to find this number of kids attending this type of thing.
Last Sunday I got to preach at a service in a local Presbyterian church which was pretty amazing for me. On the morning of last Sunday I had been in my own church and really only found myself going through the motions of it all. I did not sense any real meaning or place in it all and really was asking myself, "What the hell am I doing here?" It really all felt dead to me - though there was nothing wrong with the worship, the prayers or the preaching. I think I was just feeling that inside and nomatter where I would have been last Sunday morning, I would have been asking the same question. You can imagine that I was then wondering that if this was the spiritual place I was in, how on earth was I going to preach that night. Regardless though, I had to go anyway and I did. i went early to meet a friend there and have a coffee and then the youth pastor and his wife came in and asked if they could pray for me and for the service. I said yes and we got to praying. I don't know what exactly happened after that, but as they were praying for me, I felt a real sense of the Holy presence of God and felt humbled by it. Everything that had gone on earlier in the day now pailed into insignificance as I became aware of God's presence and as I became more and more aware of it I sensed that even though I wondered how I was going to preach that night, I was in the right place and God would be at God's work. Then during worship, they sang a very significant song from my life and again I felt that God was placing his hand on me and saying "You are going to be fine - I am at work here". The sermon went well and the people responded well. God was at his work. Sometimes we get so smart that we think that God's work is dependant on us being in the right place but that is bullshit. God's work is God's work and we are used as part of whether we think we are in the right place or not. After last week, that is comforting and reassuring for me. Maybe it is for you too.
I am sure there is more for me to write about, but this entry has grown long enough/
Big shout out to all of you in PSL. We miss you. Big shout out to those on the mainland too - you are missed in our lives too.
Blessings
I am sorry for the delay in getting an update on here. Things have been very busy over the last couple of....months!!!
Margaret continues to work hard and pay our bills and Eva continues to grow and learn and develop everyday. She is now reaching the stage where she knows exactly what she wants and when she does not get it she thinks she will get it if she stamps her feet on the ground and slaps her hand of something. It is quite amusing to watch in one way and distressing in another. For the first 17 months of her life she has been so flexible and easy going. Now she seems only to want things exactly as she wants them. I suppose you could argue that she is just growing up because we are all like that aren't we - like to have things done out way and throw a bit of a fit in some way when things don't work out like that.
Anywho, along with this little hard side of her development has come many much cooler things that are completely worth a mention. We stgarted sending Eva to a child minder three mornings a week in order to clear some space for me to study and it has been going well. As you might expect, Eva was slightly anxious at the thought of daddy leaving her with a strange new person and I had to spend the first couple of months waiting until her back was turned so I could sneak out while she was not looking. there were a couple of mornings when she did not even want to go in because she knew I was going to leave her. but now she seems to be over that. now she smiles as her child minder comes to the door to open it for us and has a big smile for her as we enter the house. And I sit down to make sure she is okay before I leave. After a couple of minutes I stand up and say 'bye bye', at which she turns and smiles and does the same. Its very cute!
Her words are also coming along really well. She now picks up the phone - whether someone has called or not - and puts it to her ear saying "Hiyaaaaaaa". Again its very cool. When Margaret or I are in our bare feet she comes over and points and says "Toe".
She has also become more accident prone than ever. Last Saturday night she was trying to climb onto her new favourite perch ( a low window ledge in our front room) and she got her footing a bit wrong. She fell and clunked her cheek off the radiator that hangs just under the wondow legde. She screamed very loud and we knew that she had hurt herself a lot. The next morning she had a real black eye and it is only now (a week later) starting to go away. We are so expecting a call from Social Services in the coming weeks!!! Basically, like any child her age she has an explorers heart and this is matched by the ability to never sit in one place for more than 5 seconds. I suppose when you are 16 months old there is so much to take in around you that you just don't want to stop.
She can also now open the back door and be out there in a flash so we have to keep it locked at all times now. A couple of weeks ago you could have secured Eva in a room just by closing the door and now this is not possible as she is able to reach all the handles and knows exactly what to do with them. Clever little monkey!!!!
My studies are going well. I am continuing to love class and learn a lot from it. we are working on two modules at the minute. one is church history - it's okay but really a bit boring for me. the second is the Old Testament Prophets and I am loving it big style. I have never been a huge fan of the OT because I was never great at understanding it and putting it all in the over all picture. Now that I have someone to teach me about it and show me things about it, I am lapping it up and having my eyes opened to some cool things. I have been spending a lot of time and thought in Amos and with Elijah's story in Kings. Both have made me think hard about stuff.
Church has been good when we have been there. I have had a number of preaching engagements over the weeks and so have not always been able to be around. It's a good church to be around - a really wide ranging mixture of people with all sorts of backgrounds, stories, pain, testimonies, styles, etc. and a continuous flow of new people into the church. It is an exciting place to be. They got a new youth worker recently and I got to meet with her a couple of weeks ago. She is good and has a searching heart and I think this is going to be good for her and for the youth she works with. Keep the EBM youth ministry and Beth (Youth Worker) in your prayers as she works her way through things and starts making her mark on that ministry.
As I said I have been speaking at various churches and services and things. i got to be a speaker for a local school's Scripture Union (Campus Life) weekend retreat. I had 70 11-14 yr olds for the weekend and we spenmt some time learning some lessons from monsters Inc. it was a great time and they were a great group. Schools over here (Northern Ireland) are very different from USA schools in that there is no worries over seperation of church and state. Therefore, we have pretty much got free run in schools in terms of sharing the gospel. Pray for this work and all those involved in it. There were 140 kids in total at that weekend and it is not unique to find this number of kids attending this type of thing.
Last Sunday I got to preach at a service in a local Presbyterian church which was pretty amazing for me. On the morning of last Sunday I had been in my own church and really only found myself going through the motions of it all. I did not sense any real meaning or place in it all and really was asking myself, "What the hell am I doing here?" It really all felt dead to me - though there was nothing wrong with the worship, the prayers or the preaching. I think I was just feeling that inside and nomatter where I would have been last Sunday morning, I would have been asking the same question. You can imagine that I was then wondering that if this was the spiritual place I was in, how on earth was I going to preach that night. Regardless though, I had to go anyway and I did. i went early to meet a friend there and have a coffee and then the youth pastor and his wife came in and asked if they could pray for me and for the service. I said yes and we got to praying. I don't know what exactly happened after that, but as they were praying for me, I felt a real sense of the Holy presence of God and felt humbled by it. Everything that had gone on earlier in the day now pailed into insignificance as I became aware of God's presence and as I became more and more aware of it I sensed that even though I wondered how I was going to preach that night, I was in the right place and God would be at God's work. Then during worship, they sang a very significant song from my life and again I felt that God was placing his hand on me and saying "You are going to be fine - I am at work here". The sermon went well and the people responded well. God was at his work. Sometimes we get so smart that we think that God's work is dependant on us being in the right place but that is bullshit. God's work is God's work and we are used as part of whether we think we are in the right place or not. After last week, that is comforting and reassuring for me. Maybe it is for you too.
I am sure there is more for me to write about, but this entry has grown long enough/
Big shout out to all of you in PSL. We miss you. Big shout out to those on the mainland too - you are missed in our lives too.
Blessings
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
So, I put up loads of pictures for you all last week and promised that a blog entry or update was on its way. Finally I have time to sit down and write something to you. Probably too much time. I have recently started some relief work at Hosford House - the homeless project of East Belfast Mission. Tonight is my first night as their night man - basically I stay awake all night and do security - in as much as I need to through the night, it should be fairly quiet. So as long as it remains quiet, I have lots of time to update - I hope you have lots of time to read.
Firstly, I should update you on what's happening with the whole call to ministry and studying for that purpose. I had applied to Queens University this year to study Theology there as part of my ministry training and for long time now have been in limbo as to whether or not I had been accepted onto the course. I now know for certain that I am not going to be able to start my studies this year. Instead I have to go and spend the next year studying what is known as an A level so that I will meet the standard required for entry to the University. It's a shame because any other university in the United Kingdom would probably be able to accept me as I am, but not Queens - theology there is an oversubscribed course. If you had have asked me 6 months ago if this was the route I would like to take I would have given you a resounding no and told you that I did not want to tread water for a year by doing this A Level. But now, actually finding myself having to pursue the alternative route, I am okay with it. Yes it is another year out of my life before reaching the goal that I am aiming for (ordination), but -and there is always a big hairy butt!!!!!!!!! - this extra year will be advantageous in many ways. Firstly, I will continue to look after Eva and we will continue to bond and be cool with each other just like we are now. This will also have financial advantages in that we will not be paying someone to look after her every day. Secondly, this year will give me a lot of space to move through the candidating procedure for those who want to be ministers in the Methodist Church in Ireland. This is a year long process that I was initially hoping to marry with my fist year at university. It will be good to have the space to think and reflect along that journey and prepare myself for the training that will follow. Finally, I have also been building up a good number of preaching engagements and contacts here since coming home and I want to be able to build further upon that. The A level will also be a good foundation and grounding for re-entry into academia. So I am settled with not getting in this year - it's not how Margaret and I thought it would work out, but that's okay. We remain in God's hands in terms of call and direction and believe that he is right in the middle of all this. It's all good!
As I said, I have been preaching a lot, especially in the last month it seems. After the guys left Northern Ireland to return to Florida at the beginning of August, I had about a week and then there were about four weeks after that where I seemed to have a lot of things on - preaching at church services and delivering training events for gap year volunteers. Coming up I have some more church services as well as some school fellowship meetings and a couple of weekend retreats. I have also been asked to speak at Mannafest (Northern Ireland's big Christian Youth event held once a month). Please keep Margaret and I in your prayers as I/we fulfill these dates. I long to be true to what I believe God wants to say through me and so would covet your prayers for boldness and self discipline in study.
Speaking of study, I have been reading an amazing book at the recommendation of Rich Edwards. It's called The Irresistable Revolution by a guy called Shane Claiborne, and it has spoken a lot to me. I am reluctant to say what it is speaking to me just yet because I want to finish it and give it to Margaret to read. I don't want to say to much because I want her to read it and then for us to see what god might be saying to us together through it. Personally though, I have found it extremely moving and potentially life altering. I recommend it to anyone who reds this and is interested in the Christian world view. It is by no means typical, and is thoroughly enjoyable.
Eva rocks. Nothing more needs said. However, out of decency I will say some things for those of you who are missing the things that are happening in her life. We have just bought her first shoes this week and she is walking around everywhere in them. She finds it very funny to stamp her foot on the ground now because it makes such a cool noise. She is also starting to recognize more and more words and showing signs of understanding what we say. We will ask her simple questions like 'Is it time to eat?' Or, 'Is it time to go to bed?', and she will answer the question with a yes or a no. She is realizing her loudness potential with alarming frequency these days, especially when she is in the stroller or in a cart at the supermarket - we will be pushing her along and she will just start singing loudly to herself. She is terrorizing the life out of Brandy, our small dog. She has taken to coming up behind Brandy and grabbing her tail and not letting go. In fairness to Brandy, she has remained patient with her on most occasions, but we do have to keep and eye on her. The last 15 months have flown by so fast, I dread to think how fast her childhood will disappear. But right now in this moment, I am loving it. I am loving being home with her and spending time with her. Eva rocks.
So much more has happened but I think I will leave it for now. I know that a lot of the people that come to this blog are only here for the piccies and not the words. I am on night duty again on Sunday night. Maybe I will write some more stuff then.
Blessings
Firstly, I should update you on what's happening with the whole call to ministry and studying for that purpose. I had applied to Queens University this year to study Theology there as part of my ministry training and for long time now have been in limbo as to whether or not I had been accepted onto the course. I now know for certain that I am not going to be able to start my studies this year. Instead I have to go and spend the next year studying what is known as an A level so that I will meet the standard required for entry to the University. It's a shame because any other university in the United Kingdom would probably be able to accept me as I am, but not Queens - theology there is an oversubscribed course. If you had have asked me 6 months ago if this was the route I would like to take I would have given you a resounding no and told you that I did not want to tread water for a year by doing this A Level. But now, actually finding myself having to pursue the alternative route, I am okay with it. Yes it is another year out of my life before reaching the goal that I am aiming for (ordination), but -and there is always a big hairy butt!!!!!!!!! - this extra year will be advantageous in many ways. Firstly, I will continue to look after Eva and we will continue to bond and be cool with each other just like we are now. This will also have financial advantages in that we will not be paying someone to look after her every day. Secondly, this year will give me a lot of space to move through the candidating procedure for those who want to be ministers in the Methodist Church in Ireland. This is a year long process that I was initially hoping to marry with my fist year at university. It will be good to have the space to think and reflect along that journey and prepare myself for the training that will follow. Finally, I have also been building up a good number of preaching engagements and contacts here since coming home and I want to be able to build further upon that. The A level will also be a good foundation and grounding for re-entry into academia. So I am settled with not getting in this year - it's not how Margaret and I thought it would work out, but that's okay. We remain in God's hands in terms of call and direction and believe that he is right in the middle of all this. It's all good!
As I said, I have been preaching a lot, especially in the last month it seems. After the guys left Northern Ireland to return to Florida at the beginning of August, I had about a week and then there were about four weeks after that where I seemed to have a lot of things on - preaching at church services and delivering training events for gap year volunteers. Coming up I have some more church services as well as some school fellowship meetings and a couple of weekend retreats. I have also been asked to speak at Mannafest (Northern Ireland's big Christian Youth event held once a month). Please keep Margaret and I in your prayers as I/we fulfill these dates. I long to be true to what I believe God wants to say through me and so would covet your prayers for boldness and self discipline in study.
Speaking of study, I have been reading an amazing book at the recommendation of Rich Edwards. It's called The Irresistable Revolution by a guy called Shane Claiborne, and it has spoken a lot to me. I am reluctant to say what it is speaking to me just yet because I want to finish it and give it to Margaret to read. I don't want to say to much because I want her to read it and then for us to see what god might be saying to us together through it. Personally though, I have found it extremely moving and potentially life altering. I recommend it to anyone who reds this and is interested in the Christian world view. It is by no means typical, and is thoroughly enjoyable.
Eva rocks. Nothing more needs said. However, out of decency I will say some things for those of you who are missing the things that are happening in her life. We have just bought her first shoes this week and she is walking around everywhere in them. She finds it very funny to stamp her foot on the ground now because it makes such a cool noise. She is also starting to recognize more and more words and showing signs of understanding what we say. We will ask her simple questions like 'Is it time to eat?' Or, 'Is it time to go to bed?', and she will answer the question with a yes or a no. She is realizing her loudness potential with alarming frequency these days, especially when she is in the stroller or in a cart at the supermarket - we will be pushing her along and she will just start singing loudly to herself. She is terrorizing the life out of Brandy, our small dog. She has taken to coming up behind Brandy and grabbing her tail and not letting go. In fairness to Brandy, she has remained patient with her on most occasions, but we do have to keep and eye on her. The last 15 months have flown by so fast, I dread to think how fast her childhood will disappear. But right now in this moment, I am loving it. I am loving being home with her and spending time with her. Eva rocks.
So much more has happened but I think I will leave it for now. I know that a lot of the people that come to this blog are only here for the piccies and not the words. I am on night duty again on Sunday night. Maybe I will write some more stuff then.
Blessings
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Climbin on the coffee table
She has started climbing onto the coffee table and has taught herself that if she pulls out the drawer, she can use it as a step up onto the coffee table. Too smart for her own good is our girl. Oh yeah...she has also learned that she can reach dor handles - nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!
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