He gives more Grace!

Thought it was about time I got this updated! Looking back over the past few weeks it is a bit weird being at this side and knowing that God has brought us safe thus far - again! There were times I really struggled to see the light at the end off the tunnel, but as ever God has provided the strength and grace when required to get through :) I really don't know where to begin...

I will start with what was to be a great honour, but at the same time one of my biggest challenges. The last time Fenella and I were up in Buckie preaching, we spent a good part of the afternoon visiting with Ian and Avril Bowie. We did not know that this would be the last time we would see Ian this side of eternity. We knew that Ian had been fighting cancer for the past year, but we were not prepared for the phone call just over a week later letting us know that he had passed away. Over the course of the phone call I was asked if I would take the funeral service. I felt instantly humbled at the thought that the family considered me capable of honouring Ian's life in this way. I remember getting off the phone and feeling so overwhelmed. It wasn't until Fenella got home from work and we got a chance to talk that things began to sink in. I just couldn't get my head around the question, "How do you do justice to the giant of a man that was Ian Bowie?" By faith, I rested in the thought that, of course I would do whatever I could to help the family. I spent the following day with the family up in Cullen. The day reminded me of how good a father and husband Ian was and also how much I loved this family. Fenella came with me on the next visit :) Avril had invited a bunch of their closest friends for a meal and we spent the day getting to know the precious things about Ian and Avril's life with the people who who were there through the thick and thin of it. What a blessing! As if it were not clear enough, the beautiful picture of Ian and Avril's life together radiated in the stories and conversations and left me with no doubt that Ian truly lived! This was to form the basis of the sentiments I would begin the service with, "It's not the length, but the depth of a life that matters." We shared and focused on Ian a s a Husband and a Father and of his worthiness to claim both titles because he truly loved his family! One of Ian's close friends spoke of Ian's love for the sea and about what Ian's friendship meant to him. Alan also touched on Ian's faith and made this comment, "I was talking with Ian about the great hope that we have in Christ, when he corrected me and said, "Not hope, but ASSURANCE!" Alan certainly honoured Ian and the family with his words. Towards the close of the service I remember having this mixed emotion of knowing I had said enough, but at the same time feeling we had only scratched the surface and there was so much more that could be said. After the service all I wanted to do was find the arms of Fenella and be reassured. I pray that Ian and the family were honoured.

Let me shift to the other extreme! I must share our Friday night lesson from a couple of weeks ago. Donald and I came up with this idea that we would have some fun with the lesson, since the previous weeks had been a bit challenging. We split the group into four smaller groups and gave them a piece of paper and pen to document what they were about to witness. Donald and I then made an exit to transform ourselves into two VERY silly looking people. We made our entrance and were met with some very shocked and confused faces. We looked at each other from across the room and made it obvious to the kids that we liked the way we looked and thought everyone else was boring. We went around the room doing some silly stuff and than made our exit. When we returned to teach the point of our little" charade" everyone was still in shock. We asked everyone what they had written down regarding what they had witnessed. The statements were ranging from witnessing something "very weird and disturbing" to other groups detailing everything about our costume and antics. We then went on to share what we were doing. We wanted the group to get a handle on why there are 4 different accounts to the life of Jesus and why they are written in different ways. The other point we wanted to make was our desire for the group to stand out and be different in regard to their faith and that in God's eyes they are as obvious to Him as Donald and I were from the crowd in the room. I have to say that I love Donald's sense of fun and his desire to make this connection with the group. Donald had our little performance recorded and I am informed it is on You Tube, but for fear of my integrity being compromised I will not be making the link public :) Donald even titled his clip "B.A.D" Billy And Donald!

I wish you all could see the trouble I am having to pick out stuff to put in here! There are a bunch of stuff that I must rest in the fact that God knows :) I have to mention our journey so far with JR, Dashia, Gideon and Naomi Sheets. They are now pretty much settled into some kind or routine and have their body clocks adjusted to our time. This is now 4 weeks we have been "Getting to know each other" and we like what we see :) We have three months to get enough of a picture to see if we are the right church them and if they are the right family for us. I must qualify that statement by saying that it is obvious that JR and Daisha are a kingdom minded couple and that their focus over the past years has been to prepare for ministry, so their hearts are not in question. We need to know if they are excited about what God is doing here and what God could do if they were here and we need to know if we are excited about what God can do through them, for His church here (hope you can make sense of that). May God continue to make the picture clearer for all of us.

I am still spending much of my time during the day between ministering in the schools and spending time with our teens. These past days it has been so encouraging to see many of them get their sleeves rolled up and help up at the building with stuff for our campaign that starts on Friday :) I can't believe the time has gone so fast and our "Mission UK 2011" begins in three days time!!! We are going to have a Ball! We have pretty much got everything done, but a couple of loose ends to tie up. I was able to meet with David Emslie and Paddy Sullivan yesterday to reassure each other that we are good to go! Jordan Sutherland came with me for the day as we met David and Paddy in Dundee and then went down to Edinburgh to empty Amy's flat and take everything home. Jordan was great company and I am enjoying getting closer to my baby brother in Christ :)

I must quickly mention about the fact that we are growing and that we have visitors coming to church! Wendy (The Human Dynamo) Sutherland is fast growing on our affections and her lovely nature is leading others to come in contact with the church. We are enjoying getting to know Helen, Sam, Kirsty and Chloe! They are a magic bunch and have found the church through Wendy's involvement. Sam and Kirsty are teenagers who are coming to pretty much everything going!

God Bless!

For the greater good...

The title of this entry is something I have had to remind myself constantly these past days. It seems that the past few weeks have been very different as far as what has consumed my time and efforts. We got a wee bit of a scare a couple of weeks ago to find out that someone had hacked into my "Facebook" account and circulated a very clever hoax about Fenella being rushed to hospital and needing immediate surgery. Of course, this was going to cost money which needed to be found immediately. I am thankful that some friends, who know us well, had picked up on some of the discrepancies within the hoax and raised the alarm. At the time we were in Aberdeen and couldn't do anything, other than get in touch with my brother George, who was able to let College Church (our Sponsoring Church) know for sure it was a hoax. It was not till we got home and saw the list of comments left by concerned people that we were aware how far reaching this hoax had gone. After contacting a bunch of friends to confirm the hoax I called the "Western Union" to see how we could shut down this scam. They were extremely helpful and withing 10 minutes we had checked to see if funds had been sent to this thief, to our relief there was not! They then shut down the account to ensure no further activity would be possible and passed the case on to their fraud squad for further investigation. So, let me apologise if you were preyed on by this scam and thank you all for the concern shown.

As many of you may be aware we have been making plans for JR and Daisha Sheets to be with us over the summer. They are due to arrive in just over a weeks time. Ministry can be challenging at times :) I have spent much of the past week on the phone to the UK Borders Agency or trying to comply with their MANY requirements for gaining the appropriate visa for Jr and Daisha to be with us. It is no longer easy to invite missionaries from the USA. I have to mention one positive throughout all this trying process. We have gained an insight into the character of JR and Daisha. We have been thrown many "Spanners in the Works" during these past weeks and there have been times I have been at the end of my tether, but seeing how JR and Daisha have dealt with and done what was required has been testament to their hearts and their desire for the kingdom. This journey has given us all reason to be encouraged. Even though there have been obstacles, God is faithful and we have seen His hand provide when things have been desperate. Prayers are still needed, in light of Jr and Daisha coming, as their applications are still going through the British Embassy for approval at this moment. We anticipate a great summer :)

Although much of our energy has been taken up by admin and talking to officials there has still been plenty of opportunity to minister. I have spent a fair bit of time and made a few visits to help council and encourage. I have also been able to spend some time with our young Christan's and in particular Donald. I am getting to know him well and enjoy any excuse to get together. We met up to clean the building yesterday after our Easter fun with the Monday night bunch and then nipped out to Crichie to book the park for our church Picnic. In all so glad he is part of the family now.

Speaking of Monday night, we did have a brilliant time. I love it when the kids faces are smiling from the time they enter the door till the time they are picked up. Fenella boiled a heap of eggs ready for the class. After our usual 20 minutes of chill out and games we got everyone together and set out tables ready for painting the eggs. There were some pretty good ones. Everyone enjoyed being creative for a while, as well as getting a bit messy (hence the reason for Donald and I coming the morning after to clean up). Next on the agenda was an egg hunt. We sent them in groups to find the eggs and timed them to see which group would return with one egg each in the shortest time. The youngest group went first and found the eggs in the quickest time :) I had filled a jar with as many mini eggs as I could and asked everyone to take a guess at how many there were. It was cute when the time came to reveal who had the nearest guess, as the winner was Abi, one of the younger kids who come. I must say I was quietly happy that Abi won. She is going to hide the jar under her pillow when she gets home so that no-one pinches them :) Ethian won the trophy for colouring in this week. Both he and Abi raised the bar this week when they not only coloured in their picture, but laminated it too! Maybe going a wee bit too far... Wendy told me he was taking the trophy up to school to show his class. We had two new kids tonight, Siobhan and Dylan. I must tell you about Ethian. I was in visiting and found out that he has a powerpoint presentation ready to share with his class at school about why they need to come to Monday Night Class. He went off to school with his memory stick ready to ask his teacher if he could share it with the class! Now if that is not evangelism, I don't know what is!!! Ethian has brought a bunch of his friends from school to class. It makes me so happy to know that he loves coming enough to invite his friends and in fact his whole class.

A couple of weeks ago I had the joy of heading down to Arbroath to the young adults retreat. We were to meet for the first time as a group and discuss our plan for the schools program during our campaign in June. The group are lovely and I am Hugely excited about working for the good of our community with them. Our focus for the group will be primary age kids and our theme will be, "Sons and Daughters of the King." We want to get the message out to the kids that they are all children of God. We got some of the ideas for what we wanted the program to include and how we wanted to interact with the kids during the assembly time. We will have opportunity to visit with every school in Peterhead including an additional 2 schools out-with the town. This means influencing every child between the age of 4 and 11 in Peterhead :))) Please pray for our ability to connect and leave an obvious and impacting message relating to God and His love for us all. It will be a big group this year, in excess of 20! With this in mind we will split the group and have a service element to our focus. It gives us a new challenge this year, but one that will give the chance to do much good. EXCITED!

While the school's were out for the Easter break we went down to Edinburgh for the weekend. We had planned to go in order that we could hear Beth perform with the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra at the Usher Hall. Beth had been rehearsing with the orchestra for 10 days before the concert and the results were amazing! In the opening piece Beth had a big solo on the Cor Anglais. She was outstanding! All the family were there to watch and cheer. Amy almost deafened us with her outburst of screaming and praise! We are very proud of our little first oboe :)

God bless!

Welcome to the family Donald!

I finished up my last post commenting that God may not be quite finished yet and today's events have backed this up! This afternoon I went round to talk with Donald as we had arranged earlier. I knew he was close to the kingdom, but didn't know how our time together would work out. It was not long into our talk when his honesty about exactly where he was, in relation to taking the next step, was made clear. Donald, like the rest of us, has a healthy respect for the "sinful nature" that is constantly waging war against us. He was worried that in his own mind he was not perfect enough to commit to Christ. In response I commented about God knowing our innermost being and that His desire is to transform us. Would Donald ever be perfect enough? The sooner Christ is accepted and the Spirit begins to convict and challenge, the sooner his life would begin to be free from the fear of sin and the guilt of falling short. I asked if he was watching one of his sons go through a tough time if he could just stand back and watch, or if he would get right in there to protect and provide. We talked about God's desire to give us, as His children, what we need to bring about the best in us. We talked about living with hope and forgiveness rather that fear and sin. I simply asked which of the two paths he would rather choose. From that point on there was clarity in Donald's voice and his thinking. I asked if he were to commit his life to Christ, when would that be. His response was immediate and deadly serious, "NOW!" His mind was made up and all the wrestling over the past weeks was at an end! We prayed together and then began the joy of sharing the news. I had to smile when he phoned Wendy to tell her. I could hear her scream from the other side of the room :) It was then a bit of a blur as we worked on getting things organised. A little side point here, I think Donald and I share a similar trait of forgetfulness! As I had no car I needed to get to Fenella's work to get the car, but on the way we were so busy talking that we were driving in the totally wrong area of the town. We both looked at each other and asked the same question, "Where are we supposed to be going?" Anyway, at 7.00pm we all got to the building and shared another heavenly moment witnessing Donald become a child of the King! I talked for a wee bit before taking his confession. I wanted to read Romans 6, but my eyes were blurry and I asked someone to read for me. Jordan (Donald's son) stood up and read - it was amazing! I loved being able to listen and to the words as he read. It was a special moment! It was my honour to then take Donald's confession. Donald could hardly make the "Yes" audible, but his expression and tears spoke louder than his voice ever could. We prayed and took the few steps down into the water and said goodbye to old Donald Sutherland, but then said hello to the new and Spirit filled child of the most high God! I have to comment on what Shaun said after we got changed and were mingling with everyone. Shaun who is 18 welcomed Donald who is, well a bit older, with these words, "I now have a baby brother!" It was priceless! Jordon caught on to the concept and pointed out that his dad was now his baby brother too!

It is a joy to know that we now have a family committed to God and a home where God is now honoured. I am excited to see how God will use them in the plans for His kingdom here in Peterhead.

Our God He is ALIVE!

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Another New Creation :)

Exciting or what? Rachel committed her life to Christ last night. The Friday night previous Rachel and Thomas came and told me they thought she was ready. We decided to meet up on the Thursday night to talk and find out exactly what they meant and in deed to explore Rachel's expression of faith. At the outset I was a little unsure whether Rachel was where she needed to be as far as understanding what her commitment involved. However, on the Thursday it became clear that she was convicted and was totally ready. We spent the night talking about how important Christ is and making sure Rachel started out her journey knowing it is about getting Jesus in the right place first and all the other stuff will be added over time. There was much tears and honesty about where sin and bad choices can lead us, but there was much more talk about hope and what we have to anticipate knowing that forgiveness is ours and that the Spirit will be active in keeping our path close to pattern of Christ. It was obvious from that time that Rachel was ready and passionate about her choice to become a Christian. On the Friday night we talked again toward the end of class and it became clear when I asked if she thought Sunday was too early to consider baptism. Rachel's face instantly lit up and and said, "Yes! Yes!" So, we met to study on the Saturday afternoon and made plans for the Sunday night to be when she would make her obedience to the gospel complete. On the Sunday night there was a great atmosphere following on from the joy of last Sunday and Jordan's baptism. We sang some of Rachel's favorite songs beginning with "Refiners Fire." When I took Rachel's confession, her response was beautiful! It was as though she couldn't express it quick enough and once her affirmation was out, she shed a few tears. We shared a prayer together and went down into the water to witness Rachel becoming a new creation! I have to mention something a wee bit funny. As Rachel went down the first couple of steps she slipped and almost went all the way under without my help!!! We had a laugh about it after and Thomas commented that he was expecting something like that to happen! I am so delighted for Rachel. Thomas and Rachel will now be walking in the same direction, with Christ as their life and the church as their support - they have a firm foundation :)

The amazing news is that I don't think God is quite done yet! This morning someone stated that they are seriously close to the kingdom and I pray that tomorrow afternoon we will have more good news to share! It has been a joy to watch this individual get drawn into the presence of God through the influence and involvement of predominantly young people. It is exceptional to think that our young are having this kind of impact!

As you may be aware God is doing marvelous things!

Lots more...

Thought I would add to the last entry a wee bit. I want you to know how excited I am regarding our classes. Our past couple of Friday nights have been outstanding. Last week we looked at excuses and why we use them. Ultimately we went to the words of Christ and His warning at the day we stand before God, "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven..." We discussed this hypathetical question - What will you say if God asks you, "Why should I let you into heaven?" We focused on the FACT that nothing but Christ will be good enough to get us into heaven! The week before we shared, possibly my favorite class ever, as far as the lesson goes. It was simply the right time and the right stage for the lesson. The truth is though, before the lesson I was not too sure whether I had the energy or the focus to get it across. With this in mind, I look back and know that it was God's timing once again and it was His power that worked for the good of all that night. The lesson was based on a movie that is about to be released called "Soul Surfer." The movie follows the challenge of a young competitive surfer who suffers a shark attack and looses her arm. The movie focuses on her faith and the faith of her family in helping her overcome the loss of her arm and eventually to her getting back on the board and competing again. The lesson hit home with the group in a way I was not quite ready for. One of the memorable moments was when I asked the question, "Are you surfing yet?" Of course this was in relation to their faith. Another moment was when we talked through the question, "Are you a surfer or are you paddling on the shore?" The responses were very real and honest to both these and gave the group opportunity to express where they are and how they are feeling about their faith. We then talked about where the power and momentum comes from. It does not come from the surfer, but from the wave! We talked about the work of the Spirit and God's desire for us to get up on our boards and get surfing. We talked about the FACT that every wave is not an easy one! Some will take every ounce of your effort and ability to get you to the

shore. At the end of the lesson I told the group I was going to show them a picture that was my vision for the group. I think back to when I was putting the lesson together and first saw the photo and when the concept hit me. The photo was of a group all surfing together on the crest of the wave! We talked about the reality of what they were creating as a group and the challenge to keep acknowledging that it is Christ who continues to bring about good things. Like I

mentioned at the begining, I was blown away at how God works in and through us, even when we don't think we have it in us! This is the reason it was one of my all time favorites, because I know it was not the result of my effort and I saw clearly the wind of the Spirit moving through the group.

Monday night are pretty healthy too. We have around 35 kids on the register and we have had as much as 27, but average around 22. I am sooo aware that ministry is not a numbers game! There are night when for whatever reason we may only have 15-18 kids and the opportunity is very different, as you can give much more attention to individual kids. We have a good group of teens helping out and they are taking much of the responsibility for the various phases of the class, from the prayer time, to the tuc shop, getting the task forms and pictures ready for the kids leaving and organizing the games time and fast pass challenge. There are normally between 5 and 8 teens helping me out. Donald was sharing his observation of the kids that come to Monday Night. He said he loved when the mums and dads drop the kids off and he watches the kids throw off their jackets and run through to the hall, barely saying bye to their parents! They just enjoy coming!

A couple of Sundays ago I was preaching on Sunday morning. I was touched with an overwhelming hatred towards an advert on the TV. It got to the stage that I would not watch it because it repulsed me so much. Lynx deodorant are now using angelic being falling from the sky and throwing their "Halo" to the ground in exchange for the irresistible scent of a man wearing Lynx! How man has cheapened the realm of the Spiritual! This along with an encounter involving a school child using God's name as if it were dirt shaped my thought to preaching on our lack of moral fiber and awareness of the "Holy." The challenge was to be Different, because a life focused on Jesus will mean separation from everything worldly! I used Luke's comments on David's life in Acts 13:36 where is says, "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep." I loved the idea of being remembered for having served God's purpose! We finished of with the idea of simply living lives "WORTHY" of our calling and the thought that "wholeness comes from holiness!"

I have to mention something about our lovely oboe player! Beth over the weekend was encouraged to take part in the Aberdeen young musician of the year in order to gain some experience. On the Saturday she impressed the judges so much that she advanced through to the final which was way beyond what was expected! Only 6 of the initial 22 gifted young musicians were selected to perform in the final. We rushed through to watch her perform on the Sunday afternoon. She was truly outstanding! The judges comments afterward was that her tone and control of the notes were beautiful! Although Beth didn't win, she was delighted with the way she played. Fenella and I could not have been more proud to see our beautiful girl play so beautifully! Amy was able to see her sister perform and it was heartwarming for Fenella and I to see the joy in Amy's eyes when Beth was performing :)

Friday marks the start of the easter break! We are so ready to wind down a little. On Saturday we have hired the local pool for an end of term treat for the youth group! It will be a fitting way for everyone to have a huge bit of fun before the break.

God Bless!

Oh, What a Night!

Where to begin? Well, I will try and share how God has been working these past weeks, but I fear I will not be able to put in words just how powerfully and obviously His hand has been seen. I want to start off with a conversation I had with my dad. We went for a coffee last week and I think the essence of our time and conversation was that God's ways and timings are amazing, but at times near impossible for us to cope with. These past days especially I have been quite simply overwhelmed by God's power to bring about good things - in spite of my humanity. I have been hanging on by my finger nails as God has revealed a glimpse of His power. Sunday night shook me to my core and caused me to come face to face with the scale of opportunity God will at times put in front of us. I mentioned in my last post that Jordan Sutherland was close to the Kingdom, well Sunday was the night he committed his life to Christ! Donald, his dad came home from sea on the Saturday and after spending an evening in their home talking with the family, everything was set for the following night. On the Sunday morning after worship I asked Jordan, Thomas, Rachel and Shaun to help with setting up for the night's service. As we began setting out the chairs in the fellowship hall, Jordan commented that we need to put out more chairs. I said there was plenty, but he wasn't so sure. It later became obvious that he was right and we had to put out a bunch of extra chairs! Wendy, Jordan's mum, had been busy inviting family and friends to come and witness Jordan's baptism. I didn't count, but I am sure there were around 50 visitors that night! When I opened the building and the visitors began streaming in, I was all of a sudden aware that something very different was taking place. The challenge from scripture came to my mind about being prepared to give an account for the hope we have. However, it took on a whole new meaning to me that night! As we began the service and I looked out at the sea of visitors I couldn't help thinking, are any of them believers and how will they react to tonight's events? In the end I silently prayed for God's hand to still my fears and for His Word to take hold of my tongue and for Him to take control. We began with some singing and this set the right tone as it sounded great. I had prepared to use a short video clip to introduce the lesson (feel free to enjoy it), titled, "It's Friday, But Sunday's coming!" I have to say my fears did grip me for a second, because it was to be a pretty challenging lesson and in light of all the visitors I was doubting a little, but again with a time of prayer as the clip was running I was able to ask God to conquer my fears and again use me mightily for His purpose. The message was pretty pointed and asked whether you live as though it were Friday, when the world was winning and sin was overcoming and death is triumphant or on the other hand, as if it were Sunday! When God raises Christ and He is triumphant over death, sin and the powers of this world. We were challenged to ask if we live in hope as we anticipate something better or live in fear and darkness as this world drags us under. We then looked at Jordan and what this decision meant to his outlook on life and what God has in store for him as he commits his life to the safety of His hand and to the pattern of Christ's life. Shaun led a prayer before we went through to share in the beauty of Jordan's baptism. I wish you could have heard his prayer! We took a little time sharing Jordan's journey leading to this point and commitment. Jordan is 15 years old and his testimony is already impacting lives! After I had the joy of taking Jordan's confession we went down into the water and came up as brother's in Christ! We sang a song and Thomas led a closing prayer. Again, I wish you could have heard Thomas' prayer! Shaun commented to me that it's no longer the dynamic duo, but the Three musketeers! God is doing amazing things!

I have to mention something about Donald and Wendy. I love the fact that they are delighted for what Jordan has done, but quietly I think God is working in their lives too! I am prayerful that it will not be too long before there are more Sutherland's added to the Lord's family :) Wendy is one of a kind! I am always uplifted when I am in her company. She has a big heart. I can't think of many people who could have invited so many people to come to church and for them to have come!!! Wendy obviously has a great influence for good in many peoples lives. I am starting to get to know Donald and I consider him a friend. I love his love for the young! His influence, especially with the teens, is pretty special. This last trip was a pretty long one and he shared how getting a bunch of comments on his facebook from the youth group changed his mood to being one of loneliness to one of being blessed!

I want to share another sunny story and again express my pride in how God is bringing about good in lives that draw near to Him. This has not been Rachel's best season in life these past months. She has had to deal with some tough circumstances and although there are times she has struggled I am delighted with the way she has made wise choices these past weeks. Her heart is eager to learn and she is genuinely considering the commitment of her life to Christ. I continue to pray that Thomas, Rachel's boyfriend, will continue to be the example he is to her and that they might share the joy of walking the same path in their journey through this life.

There is so much more! God is Great!

Expressions of faith

This past while has been strewn with a proper mix of ups and downs. I want to start this out with the good news that we have finally been approved by the UK borders Agency to be sponsors for religious workers coming into the UK. This means that we are able to have JR and Daisha Sheets with their children Gideon and Naomi here in May to work with the congregation for 3 months. This will give us a good indication if there will, God willing, be the possibility of them coming for a longer term in the near future. They are a beautiful family and we are praying that we as a church and they as a family can work together to further the kingdom here in Peterhead. Please keep the Sheets family in your prayers as they make the final arrangements to visit with us. If you are in a position to help with their efforts and would like to give some funds you can do that via their web page: http://www.sheetstoscotland.blogspot.com/


I want to mention a couple of big things, expressions of faith, that has crossed my path this week. The first is a little snippet from Monday night with the primary school class. I came home pretty tired, because there had been a big group of kids and there were a group of 4 boys who were a handful and needed a firm hand. Fenella was asking me how it went and I started off telling her about the issues I had with these 4 boys and not long into the conversation it struck me, I had missed something huge that had happened during the class. When everyone was lined up ready for our prayer time Paul McLean motioned to catch my attention. Normally in the class Paul brings some DVD's that he thinks are good and we either give then a thumbs up or down (always ends up with thumbs up). This Monday was different. Paul didn't have DVD's, but he brought his new bible. He expressed that he wanted to read a bit before our prayer. So, he started reading. What you have to understand is that Paul doesn't form his words like we do and it can be a challenge to know what he is saying some times, but on Monday night there was complete silence as Paul "Read" from his bible and even though the children didn't know what Paul was saying they could understand that it meant a lot to him. When Paul had finished there was a big round of applause, spontaneously started by the kids. I now know that we had witnessed something pretty special and I am blessed, along with 30 others to have been there to hear Paul's expression of faith. My heart is full just recounting the story. I was so caught up in other issues during the class that I almost missed one of the most beautiful things of my week.

The second came about Last night. I got to the building at 10 past 6 to get our group underway. At 6.30 Jordan and CJ came to me and I heard those lovely words, "Billy can I talk to you?" You may not get the significance of what lies behind this simple question, but every time I hear those words and see the focused look in the eyes of the one asking, I know what is coming. We found a relatively quiet place and I listened to Jordan share how he is considering the commitment of his life to Christ! I am always humbled by the fact that I get to see and listen to a heart share how they have come to find their way back to God! Life does not get any better than that :) Our journey begins and God willing, Jordan can follow through with his commitment as we begin exploring what his commitment needs to be. I must share another angle to this chapter that is truly great. I mentioned that CJ came with Jordan to find me. Jordan is getting together with Shaun on Friday to study together. Shaun will share his journey to finding God with Jordan and help him make sense of his journey! That is AMAZING! CJ and Megan along with JP have all been instrumental in taking the opportunity to guide Jordan closer to finding God. I can only hold my hands up and say with all certainty that God is doing some pretty big things through the lives of these young, willing people who want to share what they know to be good. With all this in mind I must tell you of part of our class last night. I shared something that hit me last week with the group. I asked them if they were aware that if it were not for Christ, I wouldn't know any of them? They looked with questioning expressions at first, but then the penny dropped and they understood. I even went a bit further and asked what they thought it was that motivated me to persevere with some of them who, in the past, had been hard to work with. Again I was able to share that it was Christ in me. I put a comment on our youth facebook page last night in response to all that has gone on this week, "I look forward to seeing what the next "Ripple" of influence brings." It is truly inspiring when you see Christ being shared and shared again!


I mentioned that there are some downs at the beginning of this entry, but now all of a sudden they seem so insignificant I don't know that I even want to mention them :)


Let me finish by exalting God and again reminding us that, "He is Worthy!"