Holiday

It's been an incredibly busy and fulfilling summer but this has come at the cost of my blog being somewhat neglected. I am about to neglect it further as we as a family gone on a two week holiday to the UK.

It's hard to put into words what has been happening here but it has been very good. We are on team 4 and they are from the USA, Ireland and England, all girls which is interesting!!


The weather has been unbelievably hot yesterday 36 degrees with close to 90% humidity, so I am seriously looking forward to going back to the UK for some cloud cover.


Both our boys are ill, which is a bummer, so we are praying that they get better quickly so that they can enjoy the break.


Last night we had over 50 people in attendance at our service 15 of which where either local spanish or local year round residents, this is good and we are loving the fact that this is growing. I'm enjoying preaching nearly every week which is probably why I am not blogging as much. I have to direct my mental energy towards communicating well on Sundays!


Anyway, see you all when I get back, hopefully refreshed and up for a whole new season of blogging.

Camels

Currently I am on a train to Birmingham, UK where I will be speaking this weekend on Prayer, Community and Missions.

There is a 24-7prayer room in the United Arab Emirates this week, please pray for all involved!!! I can't tell you much but I UAE is a real hub for so many places. A major trading partner with Iran etc.. 3 hours from India, 2 from Pakistan, bordering Saudi Arabia. We need to pray for this region and the arab world.

Join with our christian brothers and sisters this week who are calling out for transformation for water in the desert and for Kingdom come in places such as these!

Hope you like my camel snap!!!!

6 Years

Been living in Ibiza 6 years today, although I am presently in Dubai visiting some friends, which is why I haven't blogged in the last week.

When we moved to Ibiza it was meant to be from 3 - 5 years! So we are already a year over the mark.


We have loved it, it has been the best time of our lives. Not been completely easy but as Bill Johnson says "It's hard to speak of the price we pay when we get Him in the exchange."


Sorry just a short post, but wanted to give God the glory for sustaining us, providing for us and leading us on our journey.


Also thank you for reading this blog and sticking with us as well. It has been an interesting journey for me to have done this but I look back at old posts and it's almost like a journal. Thank you for reading it.


It's time to get this book written, I can tell you now it's going to be called "Stumbling Journey" thats how t's felt in Ibiza for us!


"alla ysalmak"

Ring out the wild bells

A poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, powerful, prayerful and prophetic

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Travels

Had a great few days in Guildford, its an extremely lovely place made all the better by the people who live there. I had great fun staying at the Greigs hanging out talking, watching x-factor and raking the leaves off the back lawn. The Guildford boiler room community is very exciting.

I got the chance to do a little video for 24-7prayers weekly rewind video, check it out here you need to watch the out take at the end, it was very cold!!!!

Anyway I am now at Billy and Caroline Kennedy's for a few days in Southampton which is also very cool.

Blagging

My lap top has finally died, so I am blogging from my son's little note book. I will get a new computer next week so my blogging may be a little sparse.

Have you ever heard the phrase "blagging it"?

Blagging means getting by on the minimum, or last minute dot com, or rocking up to a meeting and pretending you know whats going on, or getting to an exam without revising, or doing a talk with out any prep (most speakers will say something like this when they are blagging it "I had something prepared but I am just going to share whats on my heart" read that as code for "I haven't prepared")

We can blag our way through life. Blag our spirituality, in the end it gets found out.

Anyway you will see limited blogging here for a week, and hopefully limited blagging!

My 13 favourite photos

I was given a camera for my 40th, I have posted loads of photos here. Thought I would post my own top 13!!!!!. Slightly egotistical I know. I have thought about getting more serious with it. If you click on the snap you can see the big version of it, they are in no particular order.

1. Loved the spider, love the idea of webs, interconnectedness, relational webs....

2. People are beautiful, even with make up! God didn't screw up when he made you.

3. Old and new, bikes and doors, I think this captures a Mediterranean vibe.

4. I like messy faith.

5. Sunsets declare His glory.

6. I like grey just as much as I like blue.

7. Although blue is more cheerful.

8. This one reminds of some lines from Dante's Inferno, the steps coming out of the ominous water:"To get back up to the shining world from there My guide and I went into that hidden tunnel, And Following its path, we took no care To rest, but climbed: he first, then I-so far, through a round aperture I saw appear Some of the beautiful things that Heaven bears, Where we came forth, and once more saw the stars."

9. Es Vedra is a beautiful granite rock, I love the shifting light, the dark the blue and the fact that the rock never moves. It speaks to me on immutability.

Same rock, almost love this photo more than the first one, although my camera hood is showing in two corners!

10. My friend Alain got married to Rachel this year, after losing his first wife, this shot reminds me of Hosea, "For he has wounded us but he will heal us"

11. I love clear blue skies and this shipwreck. Faded glory. This washed up fishing boat reminds me of some churches!

12. I enjoy lines, perspective and looking at things from different angles.

13. Heres one I think I could do better, although I love deterioration and rust.

All good

The op wasn't quite so bad I waited 5 hours to go in and then was out of the hospital in 4 hours. I am now recuperating in Essex which is lovely and will fly home on Sunday afternoon.

No bad side affects just can't lift anything for a few weeks, and can't go to the gym for 6 weeks!!!

Trying to do some reading this week, I am really useless at sitting about doing nothing.

the op!!!

I am in England at the moment, off for a double inguinal hernia operation in the morning. If you are the praying kind I would value your prayers that it all goes smoothly. I am not too stressed, it's keyhole surgery under a general anesthetic but I should be in and out on the same day.

The worst thing is not being able to eat anything from midnight tonight! Not that I normally eat after midnight its more the morning. I am grumpy without food but will work hard at being pleasant to the nurses tomorrow.

Its around my groin area, the consultant said I shouldn't feel to bad his exact word were: "just like you have been stabbed twice in the stomach"!! The staff nurse told me my testicles could turn black and blue!!!! Don't worry I won't take any photographs...

I might not blog for a few days.

I have never blogged from an iPhone before! I am here in Edinburgh for the 24-7prayer international gathering. I struggled last night because I was tired. Looking forward to today a guy called George Verwer is speaking this morning. Thank you Christine for lending me your iPhone

Edinburgh

I am going to the 24-7 prayer gathering called Magnify in Edinburgh.

It should be fun. I get back Sunday night.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

You should read this....

Read this on John Alderdice's blog he's leading one of our 24-7 prayer two week teams in Ibiza, you should read his amazing stories

One of his team member read this out in a team time, it's from Bill Hybels book “Holy Discontent”. I think his words really summed up my feelings:

“If you expose yourself to all that´s broken in our world but neglect to view the brokenness from heaven´s perspective (which promises that everything is in the process of being restored), then you´ll get into an impossible, downward spiral of aggravation and anger….. Once that frustation and anger is understood as being your holy discontent, though – your spiritual connection to the God who´s working to fix everything – it´s as if an enourmous wave of positive energy gets released inside you…. this energy causes you to act on the dissatisfaction that´s been brewing deep within your soul and compels you to say yes to joining forces with God so that the darkness and depravity around you gets pushed back…. your perspective shifts from that which your eyes can see to that which God tells you is true. And it is in this reality that what is enslaved can still be set free, what is broken can still be mended, what is diseased can still be restored, what is hated can still be loved, what is dirty can still be made clean, and what is wrong can still be made right.”

I'm really looking forward to getting home tomorrow

Chilling in Ireland

Having a lazy morning on holiday here in Ireland, it's been great, very refreshing.

I have had time to hang out with my great sons



See some beautiful scenery



Chill with my beautiful wife




and do some memory lane stuff with two of my brothers

Jesus Walks

I'm off to stay at Castlewellan, and am speaking with the young people at Castlewellan Christian Holiday week for the Methodist Church in Ireland. Tracy and the boys will be with me for the week and then we are all staying on in Belfast for an extra weeks holiday.

The Methodists in Ireland are fantastic supporters of all we do here and it's a privilege to be able to put something back.

We are staying in this Castle, which should be fun.

My theme for the week is Jesus Walks, based on this Kayne West song....

Ireland adventure

I have just had a great few days in Ireland, there is so much going on there and it was lovely to hang out with old friends and make some new ones.

The funniest thing I had to do was take a seminar on prayer spaces in schools, just funny because it's not something I know lots about. Tash who is part of our 24-7 Ireland team did a great job and I just added some theological padding......

We were hosting a prayer space at a huge gathering called Summer Madness, it was so well done and Summer madness is a truly amazing gathering. Loads of fantastic speakers and great worship leaders. I was also impressed by Rachel and the guys from Romance Academy and organisation helping young people find their true identity.

I heard a really great band called The Rend Collective, I think they have the potential and the humility to become a very popular band. They also had a guy called Ben Cantelon he is like a young Matt Redman pretty boy clone. I am sure he is a lovely chap, but it all sounds much of a muchness to me.

It was great to hang out with friends from Emmanuel church Lurgan, catch up with Aidy, hang out with Gillian Best and Helen and then finish up with friends in Newtonards. Generally I ate too much but felt like I had connected with loads of people, which is all good.

I also stayed in Belfast Bible College where both my parents went in the 70's, which was cool I found their class photos on the wall.

Belfast bound

I'm off to Belfast for a few days, I'll try and blog whilst away but may not manage it. I will be back in Ibiza next Tuesday evening.

I love Belfast

In fact I could live there

Silence

Ok so I know I have been very blog silent over the last few weeks.

I was in the UK for 4 days last week getting my hernias looked at!!! The frustrating thing is I will have to return again in 6 weeks for more scans before they can schedule me in for an operation! I got home late Thursday night was kind of busy on Friday, then I preached at the Anglican church on Sunday morning, which was lovely.

Yesterday I caught the ferry to Denia and drove to a little town just outside Alicante to get our vomit van converted from a UK vehicle into a Spanish vehicle. Believe it or not they couldn't do it in Ibiza, because it's a Japanese import to the UK and they never made a european version. I had to find a specialist which is expensive but we need it done by the summer.

The hotel I am staying at until Friday said it had internet, it did, but somehow my power book won't connect, so I am paying extra at a little cafe over the road!!!

Got to stave off the boredom, so I have brought 3 books to study and am going to read through Exodus. Along with some preparation for the summer with regards prayer walks, team orientation and small tours for our teams. I am treating it like being on a little mini retreat.

This is elderly ex-pat world!! I can't believe how grey and how british this place is.

Not a lot of people to talk to here so I am going to practice silence whilst here!

I love this quote from Mother Teresa:
“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.

Travels

I'm in the Uk at the moment seeing a doctor, nothing to worry about. Although i was told yesterday that I have to come back in 6 weeks for some more scans and stuff, which is just an inconvenience.

We have now landed on a bible design and I just wanted to say thanks to you all for sending designs in.

I get back tomorrow and then on Monday I am off to Alicante for 5 days to get our 24-7ibiza vomit van sorted out. New lights, re registration the whole deal. Still haven't heard anything about our fine.......

Also spent yesterday getting a 24-7 ibiza CD together, which is all good.

Out and about

Been out and about for the last 6 days! I went to Northern Ireland for the 10th birthday celebration of 24-7prayer, then flew to the UK for a 24-7 council meeting in Guildford. Did a little bit of teaching at the UK 24-7 prayer training course called Transit. Then yesterday popped along with Pete Greig to Holy Trinity Brompton for their early morning prayer. Had a few hours to spare in Kensington so went to the Natural History Museum and then the V&A which is a truly wonderful museum.

Got to Stansted yesterday afternoon for my flight home, we boarded on time but once we got on the plane we didn't take off for over 2 hours!!! It was a nightmare, once air traffic control gave us the all clear to leave we had to wait a further 20 minutes while they defrosted the plane!!! I took this shot just before we boarded bu we waited so long it froze again....



So today I am tired, but it is warm and sunny here and my soul is being restored.

24-7 communities

Flying out tonight, thunder and lightning going on so it should be a bumpy one!!!!

We are leaving our boys with Bruce and Helen for 3 days whilst we go to a 24-7 prayer communities gathering in the UK, it's going to be busy but fun. A great chance to catch up with loads of friends at once.

Tracy has only ever been to one 24-7prayer gathering and that was called "I am 5" when we were commissioned to go plant a community in Ibiza. So 4.5 years later she is looking forward to another one.

Just chatting with my son and he asked me "what do you reckon is your best ever post?" I don't really know, if you've got the time I would value your input on this one...

I probably won't blog again until Thursday night.

So please tell me, what do you enjoy the most? what should I do more? what should I do less?.

I am off to pack and get ready to take off in a thunder storm........