My Yesterday

You know what?

God is good.

So good.

Blow-your-mind good.

Make-you-smile-and-not-know-why good.

Jump-up-and-down-in-the-road-and-be-pushed-out-of-the-way-by-your-friend good.

Laugh-when-someone-makes-fun-of-you good.

Sit-back-and-ask-how-it-could-be-this-good good.

God is good.

After a really difficult weekend at certain points, and some tears shed and sleep lost and many wee rants over Facebook Chat and Skype with lovely ladies from back home, I had a very great day yesterday.

It started out with a much-too-early wake-up in order to catch a ride in. And I was drained right from the beginning. I'll be honest, I didn't pray anything when I woke up, but if I would have it should've been, "Lord, just help me keep it together today. That's all I want."

When we went into the office, I was just counting down the time until I was to go and get my haircut, an appointment long overdue and scheduled two weeks prior (and was long overdue at THAT point). And I wasn't really too excited about spending so much money on hair...£19, which is twice that in USD...love it. But it went well, and I'm more than happy with the results. Paula at Hairizon, you are a STAR.

And then, it was lots of waiting. I helped out with a few wee tasks in the office, and I wrote a letter for someone back home, and then waited for detached work in the Milltown playpark. And no kids came. Not one child about, of any age. So I played on the swings, something I haven't done in ages.

For KFC that evening, we only had two show up--both girls, and both repeats. One four weeks in a row, praise the Lord we're finally starting up a regular attendance (even if it is small). They played ping pong, and I got out my set of Bananagrams upon request by the 4th-timer because we played it last week. And when the epilogue lesson was given by another intern and I could tell that the two girls didn't understand it at all, I did something I normally wouldn't. I jumped in and said, "So girls, do you kind of understand what that was about and what it means then?"

Blank faces. Just staring down at the Bananagram tiles.

So, it was time to go off-the-cuff in ministry. No paper sitting in front of me, no platform to stand on. Just sitting there on the carpet with two girls and trying to explain the gospel without putting on a "teacher" voice. And God gave me the words to speak, and even if the girls didn't understand it a whole lot better, at least it was rephrased. And I got to be a part of it instead of sitting in the background under wraps.

And all throughout this day, I had some of the best conversations ever. I slapped Ben on the back of the head multiple times for his Mexican jokes (which he only makes because I told him my background), and I told him that we're going to be best friends before he knows it. He's really the best brother in Christ I could ask for. Because the thing with me is, as much as I do enjoy have girl friends, there is always a need for me deep down to have one really solid guy friend whom I can tell basically anything to but still joke around with like that. And when all of those people left Crown this past year...I didn't have one of those anymore.

But praise the Lord, because now I do again.

Praise the Lord for he is good, and his love endures forever.

Thoughts from the Vineyard

This morning, I went to the Vineyard Church in Dungannon, and was finally fed. I've missed real worship and real community from the Body of Christ. It was good. And I wrote down a few thoughts regarding the message this morning, and I'd like to share them with you.

The pastor started out by mentioning the Lord's Prayer, and how Jesus said, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." If we want to see the Lord's Prayer actually happen, and see that will be done, then we need to be obedient to the will and do His will.

So, what follows are my few wee thoughts I quickly jotted down on the back of an offering envelope. I likely could have written for pages, but I used the space I had...

Here we go:

SOCIAL JUSTICE

I want to see God's will done on Earth.

I want to see mouths fed, broken legs mended, leprosy cast out, and strong foundations built.

I want to see life spring up from fields of death.

And if I want to see all these things happen by Jesus' hand, then it's time to be the hands.

If I want to see the Spirit bring life to people, it's time to b e a temple and bear the Spirit in the dark places.

If I want to see the dirt washed clean, it's time to really and truly walk out holiness in my steps.

I want to see justice in this world. I want to see real compassion and real mercy.

Easter Thoughts

Today, I've just been thinking about how I wish I could adjust a few things over here.

Like the fact that my legs have been eaten by bugs. (I'm not exaggerating.)

Or the fact that I'm sometimes teased for the way I say things, or my cultural mishaps.

Or the fact that I wish I had a dryer for my laundry.

Or the fact that I never seem to sleep a full night no matter how hard I try, because my brain never shuts down.

Or the fact that I wish hugs were more frequent.

Or the fact that I live so far away from town.

But then, I think about all these wee things, about the little adjustments and complaints I carry around in my head all day long, and I realize something important that I let myself miss all too easily.

This weekend is about something bigger. It's about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Starting at Isaiah 52:13, we hear about what Christ went through, in quite graphic language. This was the road set out for him. This was the life his Father had in store, years upon years upon years before that first Christmas. He was sent to be nothing significant in appearance, in skills, in anything. No, his job wasn't to glorify himself. It was solely to glorify God the Father.

I may have more bug bites than one can possibly fathom (still not exaggerating), but I'm never made to wear a crown of thorns.

I may be teased for my accent, or for my mishaps, or for my uneasily-controlled emotions from time to time, but I'm never forced to stand naked with a sign above my head in mockery.

I may be uncomfortable in my clothes and wish my skinnies would fit me again like they used to, but I'm never made to be ashamed of my appearance, not even in the slightest.

I may not get enough sleep, but I have a bed. And a roof over my head. And warm blankets. I have a home.

I may not get enough physical affection, but I'm not treated as one who touches the lepers, either. (Though I don't ever want to be afraid to touch lepers.)

I may live out in the middle of nowhere and often feel stranded and isolated and alone, but I never have had to walk for miles, carrying my own means of death on my shoulder.

This weekend is Easter weekend. And the Lord is good. And though I'm not, he still loves me anyway. So I'm going to do my best to push aside my complaints and instead set his thoughts higher, his will higher, and his dreams higher. Because Jesus knows what's best anyway.

We haven't talked much this week, I see...

It really was a strange sort of week. I don't feel I got much of anything accomplished.

The KFC program on Tuesday went well, except for the fact that I got a headache during the end of it--a rare occurrence for me. (Oh, and here they don't call it a headache, they'd call it a "sore head".) I guess I need to work on my sleep and hydration patterns. Time to invest in an aluminum watter bottle or something.

Following the program, because of Holy Week, we went down to a special youth event at the Church of Ireland and just kind of hung out with the kids. I laughed along with a couple girls after one dropped her ice cream cone in the bathroom--oh, to be 15 again! And I stayed up much too late that night with all my thoughts pooling up and then running around once the lights were off in my bedroom.

Wednesday, Ben's car went out of commission. Now he's been demoted to bicyclist, and we've been demoted to bumming rides/working from home today. There's so much to get done before next Wednesday (as that's when our 4-day long StreetReach event begins, which I'll inform you of later), plus next Tuesday's KFC lesson, plus we have Monday off as a holiday...AY YAI YAI. Lord, give me patience...and speed when Tuesday comes.

Yesterday was just kind of depressing. But the intern from the Church of Ireland came in with a gaggle of teens, so that brightened my day for the 20 minutes they were in the Centre.

I really shouldn't be so down. I've got so much to be thankful for.

I'm starting to get back into the Word again.

I get to sing and lead worship during StreetReach, something I've always wanted to do.

I got to Skype with girls on Wednesday, and get to do so again tonight.

I received a package from one girl on Wednesday with Bananagrams and a card inside.

I received another package from my mom this morning with a load of Easter stuff inside!

I have fantastic friends, even if they are just as stranded as I am at the minute.

I got into the best housing possible at Crown next year, which will keep me sane after leaving NI.

And to top it all off, I'm in stinking EUROPE. Living in Northern Ireland. Every single day.

So, today, I'm going to enjoy my day off. I should take it as a work-from-home day, but I doubt I will. I'll take advantage of the sun, of the time to knit and watch some garbage on TV, of the time and space to deal with some of the thoughts rushing through my head of late. It'll be a good day.

Oh, and a shout-out:

Aunt Kathy, next time I go to the store I'm going to be looking for the ingredients for all those fab recipes. :)

My Wake-Up Call

This morning, I woke up with this song in my head.

Hillsong United, Consuming Fire:

There must be more than this

O breath of God come breathe within

There must be more than this

Spirit of God we wait for You

Fill us anew we pray

Fill us anew we pray

(Chorus)

Consuming fire fan into flame

A passion for Your name

Spirit of God would You fall in this place

Lord have Your way

Lord have Your way with us

Come like a rushing wind

Clothe us with power from on high

Now set the captives free

Leave us abandoned to Your praise

Lord let Your glory fall

Lord let Your glory fall

(Chorus)

Stir it up in our hearts Lord

Stir it up in our hearts Lord

Stir it up in our hearts

A passion for Your Name

I don't know if it means anything about the kind of day I'm going to have today, but I hope so.