Happy Times!

Just wanted to share some good news about Amy's weekend. Amy took part in the Fife Music Festival and came out on top! She is in the picture with her prize. Amy knows most of the girls well since they share the same singing teacher. Fenella went down with Amy on the Wednesday and I travelled down on the Thursday to see Amy's recital. It was all a bit tense, but when Amy stepped out and sang her 3 pieces it was so obvious to Fenella and I why Amy has chosen this path - she was amazing!

One other quick entry. Last Saturday night we went to "The Snow Ball." It was nice to see Fenella and the girls get excited about the night out and the whole clothes and hair thing. Not to be outdone I was encouraged to put on the kilt. If I say so myself we are a rather fetching looking family. The night itself was great. We had some food and the rest of the night was a Ceilidh. Fenella and I had a great time trying out some Scottish Country Dancing. There were times we went up thinking we knew the moves only to find out we didn't. It was so much fun! We had some great company at our table. A couple of days later we got a card through the door commenting on how much everyone had enjoyed Amy and Beth being there and for their very pleasant company. Again Fenella and I were chuffed and thank God our older girls are growing.

God Bless!

Worth the Wait!

I know it's been a while and I am going to stop saying sorry and just try harder to get more active with my blog. I am aware that many of you, especially in the States, rely on this to keep current with what's going on in our ministry here. Well, as the title suggests, this is a very exciting entry! As you are aware we had been working on the "Focus Week" for a number of weeks and it has now come and gone - but what a week it was! Alex and I were both individually involved and able to teach in various classes through the week about the person of Jesus, the proof of His existance, and about who He said He was. I can remember very few occations where I have been more excited about being a servant in the Kingdom. There was something special about this particular opportunity - I don't know if it was the age range that inspired me, since I am mostly accustomed to teaching in the primary schools, whatever the reason I just know God used me powerfully for the good of so many teens in Peterhead Academy. Just walking around the campus and being thrilled by the amount of teens who I have known over the years, either through the classes at church or the assemblies and activities in the primary schools - It was amazing! I am not saying this to blow some kind of personal trumpet, but I tend to forget the impact God has been through my ministry over the years. There were tons of kids, many I had forgoten, but many I have fond memories off. I met one long haired blond boy, who was now 15 years old, and he was talking to me as if he knew me well. I had to stop him in his conversation and ask, "Who are you?" He told me he was Matthew and he came to Tuesday night Boys Class when he was 6 years old! He remembered me from all those years ago. I have many memories of Matthew, who used to talk with a bit of a lisp, and was the cutest little boy! He came to classes when Lisa Stiles was here helping out and he remembered Lisa too. Time flies!!! Lewis Buchan "Snoops" is another who was so encouraging to spend time with and again we shared good times! Lewis is a faithful Christian and is living a focused and involved life. There were many similar stories that caused so many memories throughout the week to flood my mind, it was a true blessing without the fact I was in the classroom teaching Christ!

Right, time to make you all jealous!!! I was invited into the school to teach about the Christ and to spark discussion about who He was and what He did. I was given 40 minute slots, but this always ran into 80 minutes! Many of the classes were double periods and oroginally I was to teach for a single period, but the teachers would insist we continued into the second period! The discussions were active and inspirational! We discussed a number of artist impressions of Jesus there were 7 pictures ranging from a boxer in a ring to a Jamacan looking Jesus. The pictures were great for breaking the ice and led to some brilliant observations from the teens. There was usually a great deal of discussion over the "Rebelious Jesus" and also the "Light of the World" one too. From the pictures we then took a True/False test and investigated some stereotypes and missconceptions about Jesus. In all we were always struggling for time and even though we had an hour and 20 minutes, we were always in disbelief when the end of period bell would sound. I can only go by the level of involvment and the active discussion as to how engaged the students were and I can honestly say the level was high! I have no doubt that Christ was lifted high and many lives were having to face the challenge of answering the question in their owm minds as to who He was and what He came to do. When the weeks teaching was over I was tired, but soooo wanting to do more! I have no doubt that this is an area of influence I can be useful in God's hand and I pray for more opportunity to serve in the academy. I met with the head of religious study earlier this week and we are looking at ways to continue the contact with the academy - your prayers would be appreciated! We got to teach the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year pupils, that's 12-15 year olds.

I feel like I have only touched the hem of the garment in trying to share the experience with you all, but there it is. I know my life has been inspired because of seeing God's Word work powerfully in the hearst and minds of those young people and their lives were too, just hope there is opportunity to keep watering the seed!

One last comment on this entry - please stay with me for a little longer. During our last Friday night class with the teens at church we again got a little insight into where some of their lives are in light of Christ. I asked the question, "What do you believe to be true about Jesus Christ?" I stressed that I wanted truthful answers and that it was OK to put doubts and uncertanty on the answer. Shaun Main relayed this series of statements about his Jesus that shocked me. This is not for added drama, but the hairs on the back of my neck did stand tall - it was really that profound! There were more outstanding statements that made us take note and also some honest doubts shared too. Rachel talked about her feeling of sitting on the fence and struggling to make that final step to committing to Christ. What happened next was beautiful! John Campbell who we have been prodding for months to take an active part in the teaching of the teens made a convicting point to the class. He responded to Rachel's honesty about sitting on the fence and shared his experience of being challenged by a young girl at camp one year who simply asked, "Why are you not a Christian?" John shared how he was so ashamed because he could not give her a reason. For the following days he was haunted by her question and this was the spark that convicted him to do something about it. There was silence the whole time John spoke and I could see the engaged looks in ALL their faces. God was active through John and hearts were soft! Our prayer continues for these young lives that are faithfully trying to make sense of Jesus in spite of living in Christ-less homes.

God is good and His love endures Forever!

PS. The strangest thing just happened for the first time - I clicked the "Spell check" and nothing was highlighted!!! (If you know me you will understand why this is such a big deal)

Snow - Hinderence or Blessing?

The past week has been dominated by snow. The schools have been out and travel has been restricted to only go out is necessary. I can't tell a lie and say I have not enjoyed the extended time out, but at the same time I am getting a wee bit anxious and starting to "chomp at the bit." I was sad last night to have to cancel our Friday night Teen class. I was ready get stuck in and enjoy the first class of the new term, however, the weather and the fact that Alex was still in America, John was out in the middle of the North Sea and Angie was feeling under the weather, meant I didn't have a back-up adult. Today I need to pick myself up and get ready for things to start next week. Looks like the first class will be Monday night with the younger kids. The truth might be that this class is a fitting one to start the new year out with. Over the past months Monday nights have really thrived and we have a fantastic bunch faithfully coming and enjoying their class. All this may be a prod to notice the potential that this group are and to see the joy in their young lives. Whatever is going on there is one thing that is constant - I am ready for the new term and am excited about all the opportunity that this year will bring. God is Great and His hand continues to hold out lives that need Him and the classes are a channel of blessing to bring about His will.

Well, I was a bit lost yesterday when I realised the class had to be cancelled and in some weird way I noticed the sky and the beautiful colours that were on display. I was on my way to the church building to check all was well when I was grabbed by the beauty. I went home and got my camera and began to notice the beauty that was so obviously all around us. The snow that I thought was a "thorn" in preventing ministry had become a rich blessing that I could not escape.

God is Great and we are surrounded by His beauty!

Made it through December - Yeah!

Happy New Year!!!

For all of you that know our family well, you will know that December is crazy without all the Christmas and end of year stuff thrown in the mix. We have had an amazing month! It was Fenella an my 20th wedding anniversary on the 1st, it was Holly and Hannah's 9th birthday on the 4th, it was my birthday on the 12th, it was Amy's 18th birthday on the 21st and today it is Fenella's birthday. On top of all this I'm sure Fenella commented that we have been to 15 various concerts and school services with the girls and Fenella's various orchestras and choirs. There was almost too much activity and not enough time to enjoy everything that was happening. This much I know, however, my five girls have made me so proud and as a result I have the joy of being their dad and husband.

This month was crazy and amazing all at the same time. There were times I was totally out of control and other times when it was obvious that God was the one in control. There was the time at Crimond School when Alex and I took their end of term assembly and just knew we were in God's hand as we connected with the kids and saw the Spirit fill the atmosphere. The staff and kids were great and the flow of the assembly was special. End of term stuff is a unique time, especially at this time of year. There was only one school I had heard that did not have some sort of "Nativity" focus during their Christmas concerts. And before we get all uptight about the whole Christmas not being the actual birth etc... I am really delighted about this time of year because there are so many families who HAVE to talk about the Christ because their children are coming home singing the carols and the songs for their concerts. There are loads of children and parents receiving a blessing as a result of this time of year - Fantastic!

In our classes we had good reason to be happy. We had our Christmas party for the Primary school age. It was so much fun and a fine way to see the year out. Everyone had a blast and as usual we never got through all the games we had planned, but that's OK because when time flies you know it is time well spent. On Wednesday we had a movie night to close out. We watched the Veggitales "Saint Nicholas." The kids enjoyed the message and the time of fellowship. We began meeting earlier on Wednesday nights to incorporate more Fellowship time. Since we started this it has been a great success and the kids are thriving around some "Old Fashioned" games like, Yahtzee, Draughts (Checkers), Dominoes, Snakes and Ladders etc... Wednesday nights are a joy and we are excited to continue this format into next year. Again we are reminded of the need for constant evaluation and change to make sure blessing can be found when the kids come into our care. On Friday we had a good last class. The worship time continues to be a challenge. Since we had an influx of younger teens it has changed the class. Although this is a trying time just now, I am confident things will move on as the "New" begin to understand and accept what we are about. In spite of some trials we still had some nuggets of gold. The message we wanted to get across was that we will only have content lives when we know we are prepared for what life throws at us. We challenged the group to write out something about themselves that they wanted to change and that would help their character be more like Christ. I have a stack of 25 statements of varied content from teens who want to improve their lives. Later in the new year we will visit these and evaluate. This lesson was on the tail of our last challenge for the group to be more prayerful and asking God's help to bring about blessing in their lives and also for someone else in the group. There are some trials ahead for this class, but God willing, they will be overcome with something good.

I have to be honest and share that this term has been tough. It is becoming so obvious that encouragement and support are essential. This break has been timely and refreshing. Please continue to pray for us.

God bless us all in 2010!

Following in their big sisters "Musical" Footsteps!

This was taken this morning at their School Christmas Service! They went on to play "Jingle Bells" but our camera ran out of battery - hence the rather abrupt end to the clip! The piano accompanist, who goes around all the schools, said they were the best he had heard. Fenella and I can't believe where all this talent comes from - certainly not me!

P.S. Holly and Hannah are the two red heads on the left!

Spirit willing - Flesh weak!

So much to say so little time to say it! It's late and I know it's been ages since my last update - so here goes! Hope my memory serves me well. There have been three big things and tons of regular stuff. My work in the schools has been so rich these past weeks - I have been amazed at the responses to the assembly talks. It is obvious that God is blessing many through the ministry of opportunity in the schools. This past round of talks I have shared a lesson based on Disney's interpretation of Dickens "A Christmas Carol." The kids describe the character of Scrooge as anything from grumpy and selfish to afraid and lonely. We talk about the absence of kindness and how that can make us unhappy. I challenged the children to stop twice each day and decide to do something kind for someone else. I told them that I don't want any of them turning into the kind of person Scrooge was. As the kids left the hall they shared what kind things they were going to do. I love being a channel of blessing! The lunchtime clubs and other school involvement is going great. I wish I could convey the relationships I have with the staff at the schools - it's all good stuff.

We had a good night this past Sunday. Alex and I organized a night of fellowship around the theme of "Deal or No Deal." We had a cup of tea and stuff when everyone arrived so that we were cosy and connected before getting together in worship. John Campbell led the singing and welcomed everyone. Alex and I shared the lesson time and presented lessons with "Deal or No Deal" as the theme. I challenged everyone from 2 Kings where God told the people to Dig Ditches in order to hold the blessing of rain that He was going to send. Unless we are anticipating and planning for God's blessing, our purpose and fullness will always be compromised - our ditches need to be big! And of course we finished with the obvious challenge of sharing Christ as God's part of the deal and asking the question will you accept or reject God's deal? After the meeting time we played the game with some added twists. We stuck some Quick Draw and Duel stars to some of the boxes so that there would be some competition. For the quick draw there were two bibles and the first to turn to the Book, Chapter and Verse - won. For the duels we had a putting contest. The night was fantastic! To top it all the last team to play actually finished up with the choice of the £5 or £250,000 boxes! They did not deal and ended up winning the £250,000! We were all in shock that this had actually worked out. (by the way there was no actual real money prizes).

To be continued....

Tiredness has got the best of me - God bless!

Things never stay the same!

We've had a very full past few weeks - hence the neglect of this blog! I know I am going to suffer while writing this one because the memories will have got a little dim. There are a few highlights I want to share in this entry. Firstly, preaching, I was blessed the last two weekends as I studied for the gospel two weeks ago and the morning exhortation last week. The gospel was focused on the statement, "He restores my soul..." For some reason that lay on my heart for the whole week leading up and became the motivation for the lesson. I simply talked about God's character seeking to Restore, His plan of Salvation seeking to Restore and our mission as the church must be to seek to Restore. Last Sunday morning, again there was an underlying thought in my mind that motivated the lesson, "Set free to do what?" I looked at 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 and went with three obvious purposes there - We are to, "... do all for the glory of God, "Seek the Good in others and Salvation for the Lost. I came across a cool quote in relation to seeking the good in others, "A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae removed from a kick up the backside, but is miles ahead in results!" I know I have been blessed in preparing these lessons.

The title of this blog, "Things never stay the same" is in response to the evidence being seen in our Friday night class with the teens. Before the October holidays we thought things were going well and the group were gelling nicely. However, a new influx of younger teens have totally changed the dynamic of the class. After reasoning things through with John and Alex over coffee yesterday, we concluded that it is a good thing. There is life and new faces who have accepted the invite to come and see. We have come up with a new plan that involves the older and more focused teens. We will cancel the fourth Friday night class in the month and have a class on the Thursday night especially for the older ones who need more specific and relevant stuff. We have reasoned that this will give the younger ones something to aspire to and the older ones evidence that we are taking their needs seriously. We are prayerful that this is the direction God is opening up to us and hopeful that His Spirit will have room in this new arena to work powerfully. Please keep this in your prayers!

I was invited to come and be a part of an impact planing committee to use the opportunity that is available to minister within the High School! I have been quietly desiring an opportunity like this to be able to minister in the Academy. Alex and I went to the meeting and were excited to be a part of the events. We are in a great place with our classes at the church for the academy age kids to reach and influence more. We will be invited into the academy to hold class discussion on Christian viewpoints and hold bigger scale assembly talks on things from a Godly perspective. The event will run in late January 2010 and already my heart is singing for joy. Again we need your prayers in light of this opportunity and how to wisely develop this into something more so that we can have a more regular and consistent influence in the Academy - incidentally there are 1,500 students attending Peterhead Academy!

Last Monday night we had an "Arty Party" with our younger class. We challenged them to come dressed up in colourful clothes. We had an amazing time with the kids! We organized a challenge where we stuck around 300 "Arty Party" posters all over the building walls and sent out 3 kids at a time to find as many as they could in 30 seconds. It was simple but hugely effective! We also had extreme ducking for apples, where we filled a paddling pool with water and had 4 kids at a time trying to get their apple out first. We made a simple change to the old classic "Chocolate Game" by having the kids pair up and get stuck into the huge bar of chocolate with one holding a fork in their left hand and the other a knife in their right hand. Rolling a six meant the kids ran up and put on the gloves wig and red nose before being let loose on the Big Bar of chocolate - Great fun!

I have had a good response in the schools with my latest assembly talks. I have been talking to the kids about the importance of having a good name. I lead with the movie "UP" and talk about the two promises Carl Fredrickson makes - one to his wife and one to Russell. His character depends on his keeping his word and having a good name. I talked about God loving the lips of the honest, but being disappointed with the mouths of the dis-honest. At the end of the assemblies, especially at Clerkhill, as the children left the hall many of them told me their names and what good things they had done recently. It was a lovely response to the lesson I had taught! God is great!

God bless!