Help my steering has gone!!!

My Audi A4 used to look like this way back in 1996 when it was made!!! Now my little baby has done over 200,000 miles, the paint is faded, the aircon has become irreparable after numerous re gasses!! and this week Tracy was taking the boys to school when the steering went!! So we are without a car!! and it will take the garage here a week to even tell us the damage and the cost for repairs. By the way Tracy and the boys were fine, it just ground to a halt on a safe bit of road at the bottom of our track....

Like an old pet I think it is time to get rid of my car before it becomes a money pit. We do over 250 miles a week in it which includes school runs, shopping, going to into the westend, football training, bringing people up to the farm all of that, it's generally a great family car. But it has to go, I didn't ever imagine you could be sentimental about a car but I am about this one as it is the car we drove to Ibiza with and now it's going to die of old age on the island. Maybe thats prophetic!

The main reason, other than age and mileage, for getting rid of it is that it can't handle our farm track anymore, we need something more robust.

Having done some research, this is what we are looking for it's a Land Rover Freelander TD4 ES on the 2001/2002 plate with manual transmission and diesel engine. The reason for 2001/2002 is that it had a new more robust engine put in that year by BMW. I'm being quite specific although if someone sees one with a better spec at a good price I would be happy to give it a look. I really don't want to go more than £4000.

The main reason I want to buy in the UK is that the same spec car here in Ibiza would be about 11,000 euros, which is roughly £10,000!!! it makes sense financially to get it in the UK.

You can help me by reading below





1. If you're the praying type a little prayer in the right direction would be a great help, this has become a very pressing need.

2. If your the giving type and feel you want to help us as a family in this way, please hit the donate button or contact me direct, especially if you are in the UK as by going direct we can do gift aid.

3. If you know of anyone who has one of these cars for sale could you let me know.

4. If you have a spare one lying around that you aren't using, I'd be happy to take it off your hands and give it a good home!

5. When the vehicle is purchased I will need some help and a few willing bodies to drive it to Ibiza from the UK, so if you fancy a road trip let me know.

Hope you don't mind me sharing my needs, people have been such a help in the past. This is the price of farm living, I'm not complaining or stressed, feel very calm but I need your help.

My Generation

What's a generation?

It is important to distinguish between familial and cultural generations. A familial generation is defined as the average time between a mother's first offspring and her daughter's first offspring. The generation length is about 25 years in the United States as of 2007 and 27 years in the United Kingdom as of 2004

A cultural generation refers to the cohort of people whose youth was shaped by a particular set of events and trends. According to wikipedia 20th-century cultural generations are shorter than familial generations.

I guess the lady in the song was singing about a cultural generation, and yes probably prophetically. I've heard a lot of these generations rising up songs over the years. I didn't mean to appear cynical I am optimistic that there is a new generation rising up to make a difference. Just a little worried when i read "maybe thats what you see in Ibiza" worried that the church doesn't see it in the UK. Occasionally I get unerved that we might all be singing about a generation rising up when in reality it's limited to our very narrow confines of church life. So I can imagine the goose pimples as the song is sang in a packed room with a load of christian young people, it would be awe inspiring but a little disconnected from reality.

Then I am torn; revolutions always start small, so maybe if one or two started thinking I am going to affect change, they could. It will be the geeks and the plodders who affect real change, the people who don't get into trouble and quietly and calmly infiltrate into world systems and change them from within.

Remember I also wrote my last post at 3.55am. I just keep thinking doesn't anyone else out there find it all a little overwhelming?????

I see a generation!

I was listening to a christian song the other night and one of the lines was " I see a generation, rising up to takes it place" possibly hoping to prompt visions of the church and young people within the church rising up to take there place.

I'm not to sure I agree with that, I see a generation rising up to takes it's place at the bar...

I see a generation of young people looking for intimacy and closeness in casual sexual encounters

I see a generation numb it senses to a bleak future with excessive drug use

i see a generation rising up to make as much money as possible at the altar of materialism whilst they worship the gods of celebrity.

I'm just trying to be realistic.

I see a church generation that is neutered in it's response to these problems. A largely female grouping who desperately want just to rise up and meet a nice christian man, but as age creeps up on them the options narrow and they slip away either leaving the church or settling for the mediocre. I see a male generation who can give so little because the pressures of life and work squeeze there time out and leave them with dregs to give others......

I see a generation that is failing, both in and outside of the church.

Something needs to change.


It's been a heavy night on the street.......................

Carbon Footprint

My contribution to the destruction of the planet was 2.88 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere on my recent trip. If I am correct I need to plant 3 trees to offset this!!!

Well we saved a tree the other day, could have cut it down but didn't. Planted an orange tree, which is Helen's, but I bought it for her birthday. Do potatoes count? What about onions?

Solar panels and rain water in my cisterns must also be a contribution. Eating my own eggs and saving on packaging is good. Recycling all our plastics and stuff like that is helpful. Taking boxes to the supermarket rather than plastic bags.

Using dead wood for heating purposes, urinating in the bushes must also be of some good.

I don't know if there is a lot more I can do, what about wind power?

What scuppers me is the flights and travel, if everyone lived as I do we would need 4.31 planets for it to be sustainable!!!!!!

33 Hours

Thats how long it took me to get home from Kansas yesterday!!

Had a great time lots of meetings and fantastic conversations. I must admit to feeling a little tired this morning. I flew from Kansas, via Washington, London and then Dublin, 3 capitols in one day!!!

I don't know how Jack Bower manages it?

I am excited about the future of 24-7 prayer this movement keeps going advancing and surprising me. I love to be connected with so many great people who are doing cool stuff all over the planet.

As a movement we will be 10 years old next year and believe me the time has flown by.

Great Day

Yesterday got better and better, I was obviously tired and a little jet lagged in the morning!!!

I love this movement, these people and the honesty and love that is shared between us.

Lisa we really miss you.

KC

We arrived last night after a rather pleasant flight with United leg room was excellent. Had a drink at a revolving restaurant called skies! Then tried to get some sleep.

Easier said than done as I am sharing a double bed with Pete Greig, slightly weird but we will be okay as long as we don't cuddle in our sleep. Actually its totally weird.....

Bit of a boring day ahead as we don't have a meeting until tonight, in all honesty wish I was back in Ibiza and feel like this journey could be a slight waste of time. We'll see....

Selfish

I have just flown from Ibiza to the UK, I have noticed that basically you meet a lot of selfish people when flying. For starters I queued for 30 mins in the Thomson queue, then realized I had booked with Thomas Cook, not a major dilemma just a waste of time!!

Then I got in the Thomas Cook queue and some guys in front of me saved a place for their friends, I don't know why this wound me up but it did!!! you stand in a queue for 30 minutes then some people breeze in at the last moment and get the spot in front of you..... because it was early I realised I was in the grumpy zone so didn't say anything. One of the guys was a DJ so I guess he expected special privileges.

Of course the plane gets held up for 20 minutes by two girls who where in the burger king queue and didn't want to miss their chicken burger at the expense of making 100 other people late!!!

Anyway I am in the UK now and despite what I have said the flight was uneventful and I had 3 seats to myself which was cool.


It's raining here......

Kansas

Tomorrow morning I am off to England where I will stay with the Greigs for a night and then on Thursday morning I will be traveling with Pete and a few others to Kansas for the weekend.

It's a 24-7 prayer gathering, I am looking forward to meeting with old friends and generally getting the chance to hang out. Of course work will be done, meetings will be had and stuff will happen.

I've been to Kansas before, it's definitely not like New York or San Francisco.......

I get back to Ibiza next Tuesday I'm hoping I'll be able to blog whilst I am away.

Courage

I love heroes, it's one of my favourite TV programmes, alongside Lost, Prison Break and 24.

For me my all time hero is Winston Churchill, closely followed by Muhammad Ali.

I am currently reading Churchills "History of the English speaking people" it's a good read, my favourite biography is Churchill written by Martin Gilbert.

The reason I admire Churchill and Ali is courage; they were both gifted men but they were also courageous .

Churchill Said Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others. "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. " Churchill stood up and spoke when others said he was mad, he persevered, he was courageous.

It was Ali who once said "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." even in defeat I have always thought Ali was courageous "I never thought of losing, but now that it' s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That's my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life." he also said "Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even." so courage isn't always a quality of the victorious, but is more likely to help you gain victory.

Francis Ford Copolla who is my sort of hero, but only because he directed the God Father movies once said "You have to really be courageous about your instincts and your ideas. Otherwise you'll just knuckle under, and things that might have been memorable will be lost."

Without wanting to sound pretentious I want to live a courageous life.

Either - Or

"If we maintain the open-mindedness of children, we challenge fixed ideas and established structures, including our own. We listen to people in other denominations and religions. We don't find demons in those with whom we disagree. We don't cozy up to people who mouth our jargon. If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or: either creation or evolution, liberty or law, sacred or secular, Beethoven or Madonna. We focus on both-and, fully aware that God's truth cannot be imprisoned in a small definition. "
Brennan Manning

Depth 2

I liked this so much I lifted it straight from Katrinas Blog

We have been silent witnesses to evil deeds. We have been washed with many waters and have learned the arts of pretence and ambiguous speech. Through experience we have become mistrusting of people and often have not been truthful and honest with them. Through unbearable conflicts we have become worn out and perhaps even cynical – are we still useful?

We will need not geniuses, not cynics, not misanthropes, not refined tacticians, but plain, simple, straightforward people. Will our inner power of resistance against what is forced upon us remain strong enough and our uprightness against ourselves ruthless enough for us to find again the path to simplicity and straightforwardness?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Thank you Katrina

Depth 1

I want to go deeper???

I guess over the years we have all heard that kind of statement, we have probably said it, or sang it, a deeper level of commitment, a deeper level of spirituality, a deeper level of friendship. But what does it mean? I know on one level it makes sense but how do we do it? Do more, spend more time with God, be more open in our friendships.

But do we actually go deeper?

My hands sometimes feel tied by my history, by DNA, by my understanding of God. I can jump all the hoops and push through but in the end I am still me and I don't feel particularly deep. A friend of mine once said "we spend our lives becoming more of who we really are" but what if I am not deep and just spend more of my life becoming shallow, anyway who defines shallow? one persons deep could be another persons shallow. In fact I find it hard sometimes to relate to "deep" people, they seem so serious.

I like fun and laughter and sometimes can't resist making an inappropriate comment at a serious moment. Not because I don't like serious moments I just get the impression that the world is in danger of taking itself too seriously.

We need to laugh more, love more and have more fun, then perhaps we will become deeper, or is that too simplistic? easy to say if your not going through a hard time.....

I think you are deep if you can get through life and still laugh, but then in the words of Smokey Robinson "take a good look at my face if you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears". I understand sometimes that depth is developed through pain, I don't like it but it's true.

In my eyes deep people are happy people or maybe peaceful people, people who have found peace with themselves and others in hardship.

Do you ever find yourself in situations where everybody is trying so hard to be deep and profound that you don't know what to say because you are afraid you will be found out as shallow?

People pray long deep prayers that stifle your own short whisper of a prayer. People talk about the Bible like they have the inside track when I sometimes find it hard to make any sense of it all. We become frigthened to say "I don't get it" or "your answer just doesn't seem to work for me" My advice is embrace the shallowness don't be deterred in being you, it's ok to not get it or have all the answers. God can be found in the shallows.

If we link simplicity to shallows is it really shallow? Keep it simple stupid. I don't mean simple answers, because there aren't any, but simple responses to deep questions are better. The response I find myself using more and more is "I don't know"

I don't know why good people die, why the evil get rich and the rich stay poor, I don't know really what God thinks about homosexuality, sure I can quote a few bible verses.... What about tithing.... what about Sunday morning meetings.... do babies who die go to heaven (we'd like to think so but if we truly believe the doctrine of original sin can they??) Why do people who teach prosperity always seem materially rich... Why do people get healed in Africa and not the west... Sometimes I think deep answers to these questions are clever boxes we put God in. We can formulize and define God to easily with clever answers.

Depth to me is about being true to yourself, keeping it simple, being at peace, laughter and living with the questions.

!!**??***?

I am in sitting in our centre in the westend, just hanging out with people meeting some new faces, chilling and having a good time.

We've had a nightmare with our plasma screen, we ordered a new one online now the Spanish company say they don't have them in stock and that it will take 30 days before we get a refund!!! another frustrating day with a poorly organised spanish company.

Then we phoned telefonica today and they said we are going to have to re order our phone as they only now know that it can't get a normal fixed line!!!! This is weird as this is what one of their engineers told us when he visited us in January!!! Surely there must be an alternative to this dreadful company. Or are they so crap because they have a monopoly?

To top it all off I just realised I stink of chicken pooh, I was feeding the chickens earlier and forgot to change my shoes. I am becoming a smelly farmer.

Anyway life is good, just a bit more complicated, I am now seriously praying that Germans would take over telefonica and sort it out to run like a proper company.

By the way, I have just swallowed my chewing gum, hope this doesn't happen to me.....

Eggs

I know a lot of people live this way but I was very excited to eat my boiled egg this morning. The reason being that on Tuesday we got 6 chickens!!!! I stole the pic from helens blog, by the way we have discovered chickens don't like onions. They are doing ok when you move chickens it takes them a little while to start laying again so yesterday we only got two eggs, and I have eaten one. I don't think we will give the birds names, they are not pets.

They seem quite happy mincing about in their home, I have to get some fencing so that they can have an outdoor run, however the outbuilding they are in right now is very large and they have loads of space and lots of sunlight. The problem with the fencing is that I have to make it dog proof, my dog wants to eat the chickens and I don't think I can train it out of him. So I need to raise about 300 euros to get a good fence!!!!

We also have Clare and Christine with us who have joined to help us for the summer, Christine is here for 6 months and Clare is here for two months, our household has got larger which is fun. The girls went out on the street with Tracy and Bruce last night, they had a good time, it's still very quiet, but good conversations are being had.

I like this quote by C.S.Lewis “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”

My egg tasted fantastic, much bigger than a supermarket egg, and no writing on the side.

Gordon

I have heard God been called many different names over the years, not all of them complimentary! People have lots of opinions about God, me included. All shaped by our history, out heritage, our families and our learning. In fact I had a guy say to me last year that if God was sitting in the same room as him he would head butt Him!!! I think he had a low opinion of God or was just damaged by life and needed someone to focus his anger on.

Tonight Tracy and I where out on the Westend we were talking to a bar owner who kindly took some of our prayer request forms to distribute to people and keep behind her bar. Whilst we where standing outside chatting a guy came along, he was pretty drunk, she gave him a prayer request and said he could talk to God. He then said 'why would I want to talk to Gordon?" we all just fell about laughing.

It's the first time I have ever heard God referred to as Gordon, I think it kind of suits Him....

And so it begins.....

An overly dramatic title for an underly dramatic day! We opened our centre and had our first evening out on the westend today.

It went really well, we had about 8 people drop into the centre, which considering we started a week later last year and only had one person on our first day, is a massive improvement. People just coming to use the computers and one guy posted a prayer request.

Helen and I then had an evening out on the Westend, it wasn't really busy a lot of the bars are still closed, so we left at about 2am, nice to have an early night. It was cool to talk with old friends from last year, it felt like most people where gearing up slowly and hoping for a busy summer. I am praying that we all have a good one this year, that the euro doesn't put people off and that others still fancy coming to Ibiza.

Was just saying to one of the guys tonight, this will be our fifth summer in Ibiza, for me that is amazing. I don't know why it should be but really my expectations of what we could achieve here have been more than met, I love the streets in many ways I feel born to be out on them, although this year, to preserve our sanity and relationship, Tracy and I will only be out 3 nights a week between us instead of the usual 4! We'll still do two nights each but we will do one of those two nights together, which will be fun.

The farm has obviously changed things, but not to drastically. A few people told us we looked healthy!!! probably because we have been working outside and naturally caught a bit of the winter sun, which is all good.

Well I have been up since 7am which is actually only 19 hours ago and I don't feel too bad, although I think it's time to hit the sack.

Goodnight and please stay with me on this journey.....

Whispering hope

This is a great painting by an artist called William Chill it's called Whisper

William says "My paintings explore the relationship between the empirical and the mystical. I see abstractions and color fields as meditations on experience. If the paintings are real, then the experience was real - the paintings are evidence." If I had the cash I would buy one of this guys paintings.

There is a great line from gabriel and the vagabond a song by Foy vance. The story goes that the angel Gabriel stops and meets a vagabond he shows the man love and salvation and gives him hope

The next verse goes like this:

"When the vagabond turned around well without a sign
Gabriel just smiled and disappeared
Then he looked to the crowd and they were laughing out loud
But he could not see them fore tears
When his vision came round
There was a young girl on the ground
I knew she was finding it hard to cope
She never was a fighter until he laid beside her
And gently whispered hope"

I love that line at the end "gently whispered hope"

I guess for me it's not about preaching, or trying to win someone over to my ideology it's about gently whispering hope. We just want to be a gentle whisper here, a whisper of goodness and compassion. A whisper that says don't worry we'll get you home, don't worry we'll feed you, don't worry we'll listen, a whisper of kindness here in the westend.

It's not hard, it's my call.

Whispering hope.