Great Class Tonight

Tonight's class was amazing! I just wanted to share some of these pictures with you all. Just look at their happy faces and say a little prayer of thanks to God that we have an influence over their young lives. I am writing this with no voice left - it finally gave out on me, but it was well worth it! It is so rewarding to know that for 90+ minutes tonight there was nothing but good things touching their lives. We had the perfect mix of helpers too, everyone was up for some fun as you can see from the pics. Over here it is a tradition during the time of "Halloween" to have some "Ducking for apples" and we tried out another traditional game in the "tied up Do-rings." The kids loved it all, and we will try and put up some photo's on the notice board for them to laugh about next week at class.

A Full Weekend

Well, we said goodbye to Amy and Beth this morning as they left to spend a week in Norway as part of a school music exchange. They have been sooo excited about this trip and every now and again either of them would just blurt out, "We're going to Norway on Monday!" It was hilarious watching them pack and convincing each other what they needed to bring and how much "Kroner" (Norwegian Currency) they would need to take with them. Both by the weight of their cases and the spending money they have accumulated (thanks to everyone!) you would think they were of for a month!

As a dad I was happy to see them both sharing the same excitement and interest and it was a thrill to see them constantly together feeding of each others joy. It was also crazy for a while as they zipped from room to room trying to gather everything up from the four corners of the house as well as ironing and nipping back and forth to the computer to "facebook" the Norwegian girls they were staying with - women!

Having said all that I am so proud of them both. I have no doubt that they will be a joy to host and will be considerate and diligent in all they are involved in as they represent the school. They had already established that their host families were Christians and that their lifestyle is very similar to our girls, so again I take great joy in all that.

Yesterday was a pretty full day for me. I went to bible class not anticipating having to teach the adult class. As everyone arrived there was a growing realisation that no-one had been prompted to cover the class. So, I took the plunge and shared a study on the Lord's Table. The response was great and the discussion around the teaching was an encouragement. The only thing was that during the class my voice started giving out and I had to preach at the worship too. Things got stretched when I ended up song leading too, which was great, but the whole time I was praying that there would be enough left for preaching. I drank plenty water and am glad to report that all was well. I preached on HOPE and wanted everyone to realise that when God's involved we need to be expecting and anticipating that every day has the potential to be huge, when we exercise the "Living Hope" that is ours in Christ. Everyone was encouraged, not least myself! It was a good day and even being thrown in at the deep end at the bible class made me realise that if we are willing God will give the strength needed to bless others.

Yesterday happened to be my dad's 60th birthday! It is incredible to believe he is 60. I found it really hard to find the right thing to say in his card. This is a huge milestone in his life and I wanted him to know that I have appreciated his life thus far. He continues to be a big example in my life and Thursday coffee times are an important part of my life. I am prayerful that God has many years mapped out for him yet as I know his heart for the kingdom.

Well, enough of the sentimental stuff! God bless you all.,

The 3rd Sunday in The Month

I have to share what happened on Sunday night with you all. It was decided a wee while back that we could try a different approach to the format of the Sunday night meeting every 3rd Sunday in the month. It is a chance for us "younger" men to take leadership of the format in an effort to encourage visitors to come and see. This was our 3rd one and although John Campbell was away on holiday, David Chapman did a fantastic job in making sure the night got off to a welcoming and relaxed start. David was great at involving the audience and leading the singing in a focused and thoughtful way. When it was time for me to get up and preach, it just seemed so natural for me. I love the setting and the tone we are able to create on occasions like this. As usual I had spent a lot of time on the presentation of the message and had PowerPoint to use images that help engage the audience. I preached about the fundamental truth of Good and Evil and used Snow White V's. Wicked Queen, Batman V's. Joker and Darth Vader V's. Luke Skywalker to illustrate. I then put up a slide of Mother Teresa and Mira Hindley to bring the reality home, that we all have the potential to pursue good or evil. I talked about Jesus prayers and His will that we be protected and delivered from the evil one. I finished up focusing on two facts, the fact that Jesus IS good and if He is in us we can OVERCOME evil and the fact that Christ is GREATER than the one that is in the world. We finished up and enjoyed a time of fellowship over a cup of tea. Everyone stayed a good while and enjoyed being together.

I must tell you about who all was there! That afternoon I spent a lot of time inviting people to come. I called families who have kids coming to classes and couples who I thought might be interested in coming. I also called a bunch of our teens who come through the week to come. The response was amazing. I have a drive in me now to invite people to come that was not as powerful before. I have hope that what we are doing on these Sunday nights has the potential to impact the lives of the lost and seeking. The result was that we had almost as much visitors as our own brethren. It makes a huge difference when preaching to know there are souls out there in need of the Words of Life. We had 14 teenagers there. Two of them were there for the first time, Shaun Main and Andrew Forman. Shaun is a great young man and is a potential leader in our developing group. It was sooo encouraging to see him come. Thomas Dickie and Rachel came again, this was their second time to come and I am hugely impressed with Thomas. His eyes the whole time I was preaching never moved! Shari, Thomas' mum came too! I was so thrilled that she came and after talking a while I can see that she has a sincere spiritual side. The following morning I got a very encouraging e-mail from Shireen, expressing how impacting the message was for her. I am confident that the next time we have our 3rd Sunday meeting that we will have more visitors and more opportunity to plant the beautiful seeds of the gospel in the hearts of the lost and seeking.

If you all have opportunity to keep our efforts in your prayers, that would mean so much! I am hopeful that God is using this time in a big way and it would mean everything to know that you are helping with your prayers.

I need to mention our time with Ian and Barbara Starrs! We spent an evening with them and were hugely encouraged by their hearts. Ian and Barbara have been in ministry for a long time and listening to their wisdom and experience was a blessing to Fenella and I. It's always good to have "Pit Stops" like this and it is encouraging to know that in Christ there are always people who know and care.

Well, enough for now - God bless!

Slowly, but Surely

The last week has been fantastic! Last Thursday was top of the list. The group that we had together on Thursday night was great. We had 21 there which is a healthy sign that things are back on track again. Many of the boys have football training which was moved from Tuesday to Thursday nights. In spite of this we still have a group of 16 boys there and at 8,00 we had 6 of the girls come down as well. The atmosphere is back to being what it was and the joy has returned. Teaching the class was refreshing and I pray that the seed will continue to bring about it's purpose in their lives. At 9.30, after I had finished dropping everyone home, I felt an air of calm in my heart. I know form the evidence of the class that things are OK.

At the weekend we were sent into a little bit of a spin. I was reminded on Saturday morning that I was preaching at Buckie on Sunday. When Bill Pirrie phoned to confirm, my first reaction was panic. Up to that point the week had been pretty hectic with surgery and various other family stuff and my first reaction was, How am I going to get two sermons ready for tomorrow. Then I calmed down and thought, the truth is, Buckie is exactly what Fenella and I need. Every time we go up to Buckie we are deeply refreshed. And it turned out to be no different this time. We are always so well received and leave feeling encouraged and content. The Buckie church is so appreciative of us being there and they are not slow to let you know that. I am confident that the lessons I brought blessed the church and in the same way that we were encouraged I know that the church was too. As I write this I can't help thinking that this is what it 's all about, Christians encouraging one another as they share the Lord.

On Monday night with our primary school class at church, again the signs are encouraging! We had a great class with 18 kids there. One of the encouraging happenings from Monday night was the example of Claire Geddes. Claire left primary school and went up to high school this year. Claire made her own way up to the building and wants to be a helper at the class. She was without doubt a good help on Monday night and the encouraging thing is to see her desire to be involved in a more leading way at the church classes. I was making a big deal of inviting the kids to come on Wednesday night. It looks like both Thursday and Monday nights are back on track, but a little work is still needed to get health back into Wednesday's.

I have to tell you all about yesterday lunch time at Central school. Yesterday marked the first lunchtime club since I got back from America. I was looking forward to working with the P1-3's (ages 5-6). Normally there is a limit of 20 kids. Yesterday when the bell rang to mark the start of the ball-games I was blown away to see a seemingly never ending line of children march into the hall. Once everyone was in there and settled down I counted how many there were - 42! There was no way I could work with so many in the little time we had, so I had to send the P2's back to class and kept the 24 P3's. We had the best time, but I felt horrible having to send almost half of the children away. I talked to the headmaster afterward and suggested we try to work out something for the P2's later in the week. The encouraging message from yesterday was how excited the kids were to be a part of the lunchtime clubs and I look forward to working with Central after the October break.

Well, I know there are many of you have responded to my plea for prayers! There is no other explanation for the response these past days. It seems that everything I have been involved in has been blessed and in some way has grown. Thank you!!! My energy levels have increased and my heart is encouraged for the days ahead. I am reminded of the verse that says, "Be careful if you think you are standing, lest you fall." Please continue to keep our efforts in your prayers so that the church here in Peterhead blossoms. I must say that I am aware that the tone of this blog is so much more positive than my last couple of entries. So, like I am, take courage in the strength of our God.

God bless!

Painful

I decided to title this blog "painful" for two reasons. The first is pretty obvious in light the surgery I underwent on my elbow on Monday. I had a nerve decompression and some cleaning up done to my left elbow. I am happy to say that other than a little pain and an awkward bandage around my elbow, which makes it hard to get warm clothes on, I am doing great. The only down side is that I have to stay away from playing any football or sport for a wee while. I am still able to keep up with my regular school stuff which is magic, I just have to be very disciplined not to join in.

The second reason for the title is a little tougher to handle because it affects my heart. I was always concerned that leaving for America would have an impact on my ministry and I was not wrong. It breaks my heart to see that so many kids have got out of the loop of coming to classes at church. I am most concerned about Wednesday nights. Last night we had only 15 kids there. Don't get me wrong I loved being with them and we had a great time together, but it hurts my heart to know that so many are not being blessed on Wednesday nights. The story is similar throughout all the classes, but not to the same extent as felt on Wednesday nights. I have to be honest and express that my heart is sad to be faced with this reality. It is my desire to be a blessing to as many as possible and that Christ might be seen through me.

With this in mind I need to say that I am now excited at the challenge ahead. I know that the opportunity for growth is very much there and the increased opportunities I have within the schools means that I have ears willing to listen and who will receive an invite to "Come and see." My prayer is again that we might be a place where kids are consistently shown care and love that stems from the Father. I want to echo again to all of you who have a passion for working with children that the key in today's culture is "CONSISTENCY." We have to be there on a regular basis. To break this cycle can take a while to build and establish again.

Although the sentiments of this blog are a little on the negative side, I want you all to know that I am in a great frame of mind and I anticipate that we can rebuild and again be a force for good in the arena of the young lives starved for a connection with their loving Father. I would ask for your continued prayers, I am well aware that I have limits, but God is the source and the power. It would mean the world to know that you were holding up our needs to the Father, who is able to do all we ask or imagine, for the sake of His kingdom.

God bless!