Well hello again friends,
It's a new year and I am in a new job.
I started at Christians in Schools on Monday and it is sweeeeeeet! I love it!
I am shadowing Andrew for a while and so I've been into a couple of the clubs he does at lunchtimes. It's been exciting stuff! I'm also in the office quite a bit. We bought a desk for me on Monday and put it up and all. Got a nice swinging chair too. I get my own computer as well. It's brilliant!
Andrew and I popped into a school today to see how their Big Deal mission week is going. Sue, who we also work with, is in there all this week so she hasn't been in the office. We were in the back of a classroom which had a couple of The Message's band in doing a lesson. I got to meet one of the girls from Blush UK who was taking part of the lesson. She came and introduced herself to me which was great and said how much she's looking forward to working with me in the future. It settled my nerves about those guys which was good. You see, Blush UK and LZ7 are kind of Christian celebrities in this area and I'll be working with them directly when the Big Deal mission weeks take place in the schools I'm responsible for. Jess was great though and so nice when we were talking. I am actually really looking forward to working with them and the Message more in the future.
Tomorrow we have plenty to be doing as we go to Tesco, go into a school at lunchtime and then will be with Sue at her school from the afternoon into the late night as LZ7 and Blush UK have a gig there in the evening. I am looking forward to it although it will be a packed and busy day. Mightn't be home again until after 11pm possibly.
I do love this job already.
I keep turning to Andrew in the office and laughing as I say, "So we're going into school, then to a meeting, then in to see Sue and Blush UK". What a job!
P.S - If anyone didn't receive my latest newsletter and would like to, just leave a comment with your e-mail address or send me a wee e-mail and I'll send you one
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Iceland baby! Pictures, yeah!
We had just arrived and Jón and Marisa insisted on taking our picture, we had been up since early almost the night before! We were wrecked!
This is the 4 of us in the car, inspired by pictures on a certain group of Seattlites myspace
This was one big geyser...
You can't tell the time in the car as it's a bit blurry but this was the sun starting to rise at 10am. Yes, 10am. In the morning. Wasn't really light until near 11am
This was the waterfall that's part of what is called, "The Golden Circle". "The Golden Circle" is these waterfalls and the geysers as they are within about 10/15 minutes of each other
Even though we weren't at sea, Jón's dad and Lindsey did have flares on new year's eve
This was Marisa and I as we wrapped up warm on new year's eve. I was actually surprised at just how mild it was when we were out there. It only really got cold at night
We played football on a beautiful artificial pitch the night before we left with Davíd and Fjóla
Davíd and I appreciated the art on show at the national museum of Iceland. The lady who worked there did not appreciate Marisa taking pictures though...
Marisa and I decided to go into hat modeling. There is a distinct lack of hat models in Iceland and where better to start our new jobs than at the national museum of Iceland...
I did a bit of preaching when I was in Iceland, just at a few churches, here and there...
It's true, Christ rocks. So does Christmas.
Lindsey and I helped Jón and Marisa clean the kindergarten they work at...seriously...we did loads of cleaning...
This is another picture inspired by a group of Seattlites. We love them and we love jumping
Hallgrímskirkja - a church and also Iceland's tallest building. True story.
Marisa and I outside Hallgrímskirkja just having a think
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
God's arms
Hello there folks,
I just want to wish you all a very happy new year. I hope your celebrations on new years eve were fun and safe. I have to say, in Iceland my celebrations were a lot of fun. Safety on the otherhand...well...Jon, Marisa, Lindsey and I nearly got taken out with a firework that fell over and came straight at us! But as we say here in Northern Ireland, "it'll harden ye" i.e. "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger".
I've not really taken the time so far this year to look back at last year and reflect, which is something I've tended to do in the past. I think part of that is that I don't want to look back at the past year. I mean, there has been a lot of good that has happened but I feel that for me looking back, I will dwell on the bad which will then overshadow the good. I want to try to focus on the good though - I was in America for the first time, I saw such good friends again when I was in America, I got to work a couple of weeks at Capernwray this summer which was such a blessing for me, I got to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers again at the MEN Arena in Manchester with Gary and I finished the year off in a beautiful country with 3 good friends. Those are some huge postives. Some amazing experiences to name but a few.
But I think for me, the way to sum up the past year is with this verse -
"The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms."
- Deuteronomy 33 v 27 (NIV)
I have known this verse so practically, so realistically, so immensely in my life over the past 12 months that for me to ignore this or say anything else about last year without mentioning these verses would be dishonouring to God. I have known what God as my refuge means, I have known what His everlasting arms underneath me feels like and I have known that both He and His arms will never fail, never let me down and never drop me.
I spoke last night at a childrens' meeting in Belfast on this verse. I went to that meeting to thank the children who have been praying for me faithfully ever since I started Bible school and to hear them pray again last night for me was just overwhelming. I updated them on my situation over the past year or so and based it on this verse. The amazing thing was, when I was clearing out my drawers at home, after I knew I was going to speak to them last night, I found a card they had sent me last year. What verse was on it? Yup, Deuteronomy 33 v 27. I took the card with me last night and showed it to them. I honestly cried when I found the card and read the verse afresh.
"The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms."
- Deuteronomy 33 v 27 (NIV)
I hope that no matter what happens in 2007, no matter where you are geographically, no matter who you have around you, no matter what you want to do in life, that you will remember and trust that the eternal God is your place of safety and rest and that His arms that will never, ever, ever drop you are continually below you.
I just want to wish you all a very happy new year. I hope your celebrations on new years eve were fun and safe. I have to say, in Iceland my celebrations were a lot of fun. Safety on the otherhand...well...Jon, Marisa, Lindsey and I nearly got taken out with a firework that fell over and came straight at us! But as we say here in Northern Ireland, "it'll harden ye" i.e. "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger".
I've not really taken the time so far this year to look back at last year and reflect, which is something I've tended to do in the past. I think part of that is that I don't want to look back at the past year. I mean, there has been a lot of good that has happened but I feel that for me looking back, I will dwell on the bad which will then overshadow the good. I want to try to focus on the good though - I was in America for the first time, I saw such good friends again when I was in America, I got to work a couple of weeks at Capernwray this summer which was such a blessing for me, I got to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers again at the MEN Arena in Manchester with Gary and I finished the year off in a beautiful country with 3 good friends. Those are some huge postives. Some amazing experiences to name but a few.
But I think for me, the way to sum up the past year is with this verse -
"The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms."
- Deuteronomy 33 v 27 (NIV)
I have known this verse so practically, so realistically, so immensely in my life over the past 12 months that for me to ignore this or say anything else about last year without mentioning these verses would be dishonouring to God. I have known what God as my refuge means, I have known what His everlasting arms underneath me feels like and I have known that both He and His arms will never fail, never let me down and never drop me.
I spoke last night at a childrens' meeting in Belfast on this verse. I went to that meeting to thank the children who have been praying for me faithfully ever since I started Bible school and to hear them pray again last night for me was just overwhelming. I updated them on my situation over the past year or so and based it on this verse. The amazing thing was, when I was clearing out my drawers at home, after I knew I was going to speak to them last night, I found a card they had sent me last year. What verse was on it? Yup, Deuteronomy 33 v 27. I took the card with me last night and showed it to them. I honestly cried when I found the card and read the verse afresh.
"The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms."
- Deuteronomy 33 v 27 (NIV)
I hope that no matter what happens in 2007, no matter where you are geographically, no matter who you have around you, no matter what you want to do in life, that you will remember and trust that the eternal God is your place of safety and rest and that His arms that will never, ever, ever drop you are continually below you.
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