We are not alone...

Time for an update :)

In a nutshell most of my time has been spent trying to build up! It is first thing on Monday morning and I have come down to the coffee shop for a half hours peace and quiet to get some thoughts put down. This past weekend we were away to Loch Lomond with a group of teens and young adults. The weekend was organised by the Cumbernauld church and I have to take my hat off to them for hosting a fine event in one of the most gorgeous locations on the planet! The youth hostel we stayed in was right on the "bonnie banks of Loch Lomond!" Although physically I am a wreck, I am refreshed in spirit :) There were over 70 present for the weekend and any time you have a group of young people coming together for fellowship/worship the outcome is always going to be good.

As ever you can rule out and sensible idea of sleep - Youth don't seem to need the stuff! Anyway, that's just me showing my age. The good stuff - I loved the discussion we were able to engage in over the weekend. I was so encouraged to listen and share with youth who have an appetite for kingdom thinking. How refreshing to be surrounded by minds and hearts that are hungry for The Lord and for His ways! It was kinda special because we had 4 in our group for whom this was their 1st youth weekend. I was chuffed to be bringing Holly and Hannah for the first time and also Beth Mackie and Megan Cowie :)

On the Saturday afternoon I had the joy of getting outside and exploring this beautiful setting with Shaun Main and David Cope. We climbed part of the mountain and had a blast for a couple of hours. We did get spooked for a time as we explored and suddenly realised how far we had come and how easily we could be lost in this exposed and unforgiving habitat. It was beautiful and rugged and inspiring, but humbling at the same time. It was one of my highlights of the weekend and memories I will cherish :) it was good to talk and council and appreciate the unguarded openness of expressing godly things as if that was 'normal' and the distractions of the World seemed to be so muted and absent - so refreshing!

 I must mention our pit-stop on the way home. We were invited to pop in past Forfar and see Aubrey and Sara Boynes. They had made pizza and laid out snacks for us - most appreciated! It was a joy to see how at ease our group was in their home. I am not surprised in the least because that is just what happens when you step into a Christian Home! Thank you Aubrey and Sara :)

Sitting down this morning and thinking about the weekend and the bigger picture for our youth I am encouraged that we were part of this and that we saw groups just like us who are trying to stand out from the crowd and step up to the call of Christ. There is no doubt that we are the tiny minority in a culture that is increasingly turning from the truth of God's plan and purpose, but we do not shrink back or shy away from the reality that we are all His creation made in His image to do good for His glory.

We had a night for our over 60's in January. We had a Burn's supper - Haggis, neeps and tattles etc. What a beautiful night it turned out to be! The under 60's did all the cooking, decorating and entertainment. My responsibility was for the entertainment! It was obvious from the start that everyone was out to enjoy the evening and upon reflection the mix of good food and even better company meant it was memorable for all the right reasons.

The two stand out moments, which were spontaneous and heart felt, came from Betty Hepburn and Elizabeth Buchan ( Ronnie's Lizbeth). Betty got everyone's attention and shared the importance of a life spent in service to God and not forgetting the importance of fellowship. Elizabeth also shared her thanks and love for the church in light of her recent struggles and hard circumstances both she and Ronnie are facing. Both women instantly had the ear of all who were listening because they have both spent their lives in faithful service to our king. They provided the depth that made the evening memorable!

On a lighter note... I have to mention John Youngson! John is Jackie and Joyces' son. I think his name should be John 'the stomach' Youngson! John likes his food and after two bowls of soup, two main courses and 5 plates of trifle he finally called it a day!

For the entertainment I had worked on a slide show quiz that had all the members family tartans on the screen and in teams they had to link the various tartans with the family names. The second instalment was something Fenella came across on you-tube and was a "Doric Fish Quiz." What a laugh! There was a right good atmosphere and everyone was in the mood to enjoy themselves. Everything worked together to make this an unforgettable night :)

The classes are a work in progress at the moment. We are going through a period of testing. It is never easy when a new bunch come into the group and go through the process of finding their feet. Learning where the boundaries are and being exposed to teaching that goes against the grain to what they have grown up with will always mean times of friction, but in time can begin to produce fruit according to the Spirit. I never grow tired of those moments when you catch a glimpse in the face of one of the new-comers  when their face is totally engaged and focused on the lesson and you know their thinking and world is being touched by God. I need to balance this out with the other reality that highlights the immaturity that comes from reaching out to youth with little appetite for godliness. On numerous occasions I have found myself teaching and leading discussion to the point that you know the Word is active, only to be stopped in your tracks by mindless stupidity and attention seeking antics that throw me and test my patience to the limit! Anyone who says that working with youth is "child's play" has never been there! However, in spite of the testing it hit me again last night as we were circled up in class. Looking at all the faces and loving the fact that they are there, this continues to fill me with wonder and anticipation. I have been thinking a lot lately about the fact that the faces sat across from me in class are the lives that we have been blessed to instruct and share Christ with. It may not be clear why some of the lives are there in light of the constant challenges they present, but I am reminded that the lives most in need are the lives needing to be touched by Christ.

I find myself being reminded of one date daily as I plan for the days ahead. I was talking to the youth group last night about the upcoming East Kilbride Youth Weekend on the 29th March and was instantly flooded with thoughts that, God willing, Jr, Daisha, Gideon and Naomi Sheets will be here in Peterhead! Every time I think of an event or am asked to take part in something I am thinking, that's before they get here or that's after they arrive. We are prayerful that as they are applying for visa's and making the final preparations for their move over that God's hand will steady their feet and cause them to walk by faith. I was reminded of the journey we have been on from the first encounter of God's providence way back when we had just come out of a leadership meeting and we had highlighted our need for a family to come and join our efforts here in Peterhead. The following morning I was sitting reading an e-mail, out of the blue, from the Sheets expressing a pull to come over to Scotland and work with the church! How things have moved and fallen into place from then until now can only be credited to our Father's hand - I am confident that He will bring this good thing to fruition :)

My day to day ministry is full of lesson preparation, visiting members of the congregation, meeting up with the youth for coffee, keeping in contact with the local schools doing assembly talks and some football coaching and making sure the various classes at the church building are organised and providing a caring and godly environment. God continues to give the strength and the encouragement needed to keep giving.

He is able to do immeasurably more...

Looking Forward...

Happy 2013 everyone! There is always something refreshing about entering into a new year. It almost gives us a chance to draw a line under the previous year and muster a whole new perspective for the year ahead. There is a real sense of effort and change amongst many of the youth group and although much of it may well dwindle over the coming weeks, it is still a joy to see them with renewed purpose and opportunity for growth. I have come to realise that any time a soul makes a conscious choice to renew their focus toward godliness is an opportunity for them to deepen their relationship with their Father.

This is our second week of classes being back since the Christmas break. The early signs are good and as ever cause us to sit down and consider how we can best accommodate the development of faith in the group as a whole. This is always a bit of a head scratcher with the limited help and the vast array of ages and faith! Last night was the perfect example. There were around 30 kids there from 6.15 to 8.00 pm. The age range was between 5 and 20, funnily enough so are the attention spans! This term we have the same skeleton crew of teachers who have to balance the needs of kids with hunger for spiritual things against the needs of the kids who have hunger for attention. Funny, as I am writing this I am getting flashbacks to the fact that this is not a new issue :) Yes, in an ideal world we would love to have more helpers who love kids and allow us the ability to cater for a more tailored needs based program, but that is not where we are. The opportunity we have is beautiful and it causes us to rely heavily in the provision of God, rather than in our own strength or ability. Yes, there are times we are tested to the extreme. Yes, there are times a lesson does not impact the way I had thought because of attention seeking outbursts. Yes, there are times we question if real growth is occurring. In spite of all this I am reminded DAILY that God brings about the increase in His time. There are times we sit and struggle over individuals who, in our thinking, we would be better off without. However, we know that their lives are in chaos because too few people sit and struggle over their well being. So, is ministry easy? Yes, it can be, if we choose not to reach out to the lost and the broken.

We had a lovely Christmas holidays! Fenella and I have often looked at each other, since Amy and Beth have gone back to Uni, and know we miss them sorely. It was complete JOY to have the house full of family! Of course, we are delighted with their choices and the direction their lives are now heading, but we now know what it feels like to live with and without them. Holly and Hannah had their big sisters home and made the most of every day! There were few nights when the four of them didn't find their way into the same bedroom for sleepovers and movies. Fenella too would deliberately go up to bed early and shout down stairs for one of the girls to come up and keep her company till I would come up and thank them for making my side of the bed nice and toastie. It is God who brings peace and love into a home.

We have much to be thankful for and in spite of some challenges that will follow us into this new year, we are able to say with confidence, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

The days ahead a already getting busy and the list of events and commitments are growing. One of our priorities is getting our older teens and young adults to enjoy Christianity and to find real joy in their lives. Even though this world is screaming in their ears our prayer is that they will listen to the still quiet voice that whispers to their hearts. We will be taking a group to a retreat in mid February which will be on the banks of Loch Lomond, hosted by the Cumbernauld Church of Christ. This is good timing for some focused time with the group away from the noise and into the stillness of fellowship with godly people.

I am allowing myself to get excited about the arrival of JR and Daisha Sheets! For a while we have prayed and anticipated their arrival, but it always seemed to be away in the distant future, but now it is almost time! The 21st of March is the date everything is pointing too for the move over here. Please be praying for this. They are now going through the process of applying for their visa's and we need this to go smoothly for them. God's plan has been obvious and His hand has and will carry this through to fruition. Although this is just the start of a new chapter we have seen so many twists and turns through out this partnership that it has been a story in itself getting to this point :)

Much of my daytime ministry is taken up with visitation and meeting up with young Christians to encourage and help out in any way I can. I am still active with schools, but I have cut back on the amount of my time spent within the schools. It became clear a while ago that working in large group settings is good but there has to be a balance and time devoted to building more one on one relationships. Again in an ideal world it would be great to have more like indeed people to share in outreach opportunities like these, but I must prioritise and have a more rounded outlook to developing our youth and encouraging the struggling.

It has been a welcome change to have Fenella back to her 3 1/2 days a week rather than the full time hours she was doing the months leading up to Christmas. I know that I function better knowing on Wednesday's we get to spend the day doing something together. It usually means a simple trip down to Simpsons Tea Room, but it's sometimes the simple things in life that are the best :)

Home for Christmas :)

Hannah's new rabbit - Hazel.

Christmas in their "onesies"