Spent today over in Manchester with my good mate stefan. Had fun exploring the never-ending Trafford centre, eating Mexican food and taking a drive down to Liverpool this evening listening to Bruce Srinsteen and Lenord Cohen on the way...good times!! Also got the thrill of my life when we drove past the famous gates of Anfield...'You'll Never Walk Alone.' Photos to follow.

Breaking rules or cheating on a Lover

Came across a line the other day that i can't get out of my head.
'It is a very different thing to break a rule than to cheat on a lover.'
Why is it we so often live our lives in fear of breaking one of God's rules, as opposed to breaking the heart of the Lover of our souls. I think the former kind of mindset is one which sums up much of the evangelical understanding of God in Northern Ireland. It is one that we need to shake, a stronghold of the mind that needs to be shattered because quite frankly i think that it hurts the heart of God. I am not saying rules, or better, boundaries are not important. They are and we all need them. But surely our motivation as Christians is rooted in the love of Jesus, that God desires would capture our hearts so that our response to Him is out of love, aided by His Spirit. If it's not, i have to conclude, i think we are missing the point. God is not up there counting our rights and wrongs to see what score we can accumlate. Rather God is a Father who gets incredible deep joy from His sons and daughters who obey Him because they are infatuated with His son Jesus, and on the other hand, He is a God who is incredibly grieved when they choose to flirt with other gods and seek that love in other places. It's not about keep rules, ticking boxes or following formulas, it is about passionatley, obsessively, undeniably and dangerously loving Jesus.

some of the lads i had the pleasure of sharing the weekend with..a quiet and respectable lot!! Back into work today and full of meetings so will write again soon.

Sunny Salou!!

Sitting in internet cafe in sunny salou at the minute. Away for the weekend with my football team and experiencing some serious craic!! weather is great and i doing my best to slip out of work mode and relax! We on the beach today and going to have a mini 4-aside soccer competition on the beach. Should be fun! Will let you know

Cool Chats and Sorry Arsenal

Had one of those days today where i feel so glad that i do what I do. Chatted to three of our young people today and everyone of them blessed me so much. All of them in different places, and with different circumstances going on in their lives but all of them seeking to know God more, understand His ways in their lives and give Jesus their hearts. As I listened to them I became more and more aware of something that has caught me the last few days. God is a Lover, One who has tracked us down, One who will not let us alone, One who will fight for us and The One who has found me out with His love. I thank God for the young people I get the pleasure of working with who show me how to be won by the love of Jesus and who remind me that at His very heart, God is all about relationship, He is all about Love.

Also spent some time this morning with some of the leaders from glo seeking to work out the path for the next few months. Intersting stuff exploring how we can live out the values of community, sacrifice and prayer in deeper and more meaningful ways. It is hard to beat this kind of conversation with good friends.

On a different and much less important note I was a bit gutted for the Arsenal tonight - thought they were a bit hard done by but at least Thiery definitly outshone Ronaldinho on the night. Not the best game but always good craic when I am watching it with my mates...very entertaining!!

Weekend

Back into church this morning and trying to plot the course for the next month or so after being away for much of the last two weeks. Trying to take stock of the last year and look forward to plans for after the summer. Given everything that has happened over the last couple of months i feel a little bit disorientated so praying that i can start to find some routine again this week.

On a different note what a weekend!! Two words that describe the 13th May best are, Stevie Gerrard!! The boy is just a legend and while the rest of the liverpool team made us sweat a bit on saturday, once again Stevie G came up trumps. Was a great day, made all the sweeter by the fact that my mate Dixie Heasely, who is a Man U fanatic, had to sit beside me and watch the 'Pool' lift the FA Cup!! Was a great feeling!!

These feelings though, do not even get close to the feelings of admiration and pride, mixed with a tinge of sadness, i felt last night as i listened to my uncle Phil preach for the first time since Aunty Jill passed away. His words carried a weight of the presence of God that was almost tangible. A mix of honesty and faith that touches the deepest places of our hearts. Quite simply - a man of God.

Spent yesterday in birmingham at 24/7 leaders network day. Was a nice day, some interseting discussion about Christ-centred communities and was encouraging to see so many pockets of groups rising up all over the uk developing a heart to pray for their communities, their campuses and the nations. The thing that i love is the whole idea of how prayer and mission are so interwoven within the context of a sacrificial community. When i look at Jesus life the things He seemed most passionate over was prayer, His community and the poor. I thinking i need to concentrate more and more on these areas of my life and less on the relgious games i sometimes get caught up in.

To be honest though the best part of yesterday was hanging out with my mate Adrian. One of those people you are glad that is in your life.

Having a fun day today down at mum and dads to raise a few more funds for going to Uganda - looking like a good day for it at the minute!!

Come on the mighty Liverpool!!

Made some adjustments to the site thanks to the ever dependable dave hewitt...going to have to learn how to do this myself soon!! Hope you enjoy

some pics from Albania. You will notice Akil his wife Lindita and their children Jonny and Deborah. They looked after us so well. The other is me with the worship coordinators of Emmanuel church (!!) and the last me trying to offer some advice to the church leaders of Akils church.

Budapest

Landed into budapest last night to a beautiful red skyline as the sun set over the Danube. really was a lovely sight. Ended up sitting over two hours chatting over a meal at a restaurant situated on the banks of the Danube. Was so relaxing and glad we stopped over for the night because when we left Tirana we just wanted to head on home with the rest of the guys.

Went to the turkish baths this morning in the hotel we stayed in which by the way was amazing - i scored so many points with the choice!! The whole baths experience was so funny. I think i brought the average age down about 30 years - loads of wrinkley old men too fond to express their masculinity. They wore these things called "discretion towels" which are not discrete at all!! Very funny.

Lins went to the womans version of the above and completly shocked!! Me laughing my head off at her when she told me.

Anyway off to see more of this beautiful city for a couple of hours before we jump on the plane home.

No formulas please!!

Preparing to leave Tirana in a couple of hours. Sad in a way because we have connected so easily and so beautifully with the people here. Our guys have been amazing at not just teaching the guys different skills but having a laugh with them and enjoying life with them. Has been a lot of fun. Will try and work out how to get some pictures up later...

Reading a book while i am here - Searching for God knows what - Donald Miller. It is a follow up to Blue Like Jazz which is amazing. This one is definitly worth the read. I only half way through it but really enjoying it. It is has reminded me that christianity is not some self-help formula to a successful life or a set of rules we must fulfill before we die but rather it is an dynamic interaction with a Person and because of that there will always be a degree of mystery with it. Even more so when we are talking about a relationship with the Almighty. Simple, i know but hey, i am stupid.

thankfully Jesus never used formulas. He never tried to fill heads too much, instead He was intersted in mending hearts. It seems truth, mercy, and compassion win the day!!

ok people, this is the first time i have been able to get access to the flippin internet since i got to Albania!! So i am now sitting in some dingy little computer place in the middle of Tirana-the captial of albania. So sorry it has been so long to any of you that actually read this!! i wish my last post had been a bit more exciting!!

HAving a great time here. Our link here is with a couple called Akil and Lindita. They pastor a young church in Tirana and really our seeing amazing things happen. I had to speak at a retreat for the leaders on friday and saturday at a beautiful place beside the beach. Was a great time.

Unfortunately got sick yesterday. Woke up early in the morning with a dodgy stomach and it came out of me all roads!! Was real bummer to miss the church service and the opportunity to share something but at least i feeling better today and managed to go with some of the church leaders up the mountains for a bbq. Amazing view of the city from the top of the mountain. Quite stunning. Still trying to process my thoughts from this time away so hopefully will not be as long until next time! |I have missed my bloggin!!

Leaving tomorrow although me and lins spending another night budapest on the way home. Looking forward to that.