meeting place

Just home last night from an amazing weekend with St Michael’s Church of Ireland down in Ballina in Co.Mayo! After a 4 hour drive, we arrived at our hotel (yes…that’s right…a hotel!) and it was the most amazing hotel I’ve stayed at in ages! A whole double bed all to myself…! ) And I haven’t had a shower like I did those two mornings since being in London in January! Was sooooo powerful…lol! The banter was also totally rife!

It was just an awesome time teaching this 10 year old kids to play a song and to play and sing as part of a band for the first time ever. It was also awesome chatting to a 30 year old Down Syndrome girl about her life and her gold medal in the Special Olympics and watching her as she concentrated with all that was within her to try to play the drums…and really try to learn. Janet was amazing and was just so great to be able to chat to her and watch her have a class day! And then there was wee Dillon. He was such a wee messer who just walked up to me and in my face announced “you’re ugly” but by the end of the afternoon he was sitting on the grass with me chatting about how to make daisy chains and about his experiences go-karting for the first time that afternoon after lunch! He was also all made up when Steve gave him his egg-shaker and was told he had to be heard using at the praise service, which he did! Out of beat, but it was so special. These two kids just made such a wee impact on my heart…

And the praise service. Well, that was the first time for powerpoint, and a service like it in anyway. Most watched, just drinking it all in and thinking about what was going on. Some entered in. But God was at work. He was speaking to hearts in new ways, fresh ways for this church.

The Sunday morning service was my first time in a Church of Ireland morning service. But it again was cool. Rick shared a bit and he spoke so well (as did he on the Sat night!) and people were really listening as he told of what God has done in his life. The people there are just so genuine and cared so much for us and would have done anything!

So, then started the long, but immensely beautiful drive home! The mountains were amazing! Roads were terrible…lol! It was just so eye-opening to the beauty of what God has created. And it was just nice to have some banter with Rick for the time periods were I wasn’t sleeping! Whoops.

But, one of the most important things I learnt this weekend. I don’t like boys. Boys are smelly and vulgar! Almost taking their trousers off at the car wash….smelling a room out like nothing I’ve ever witnessed before….making very rude comments during breakfast/lunch/dinner/or just generally at different times. They are not pretty. (Although Rick was the best out of the lot so I still like him!)

Lol. Aw well. This is just one of life’s flaws! )

Some bad pictures of our beautiful drive down….

The amazement that was the toilet roll….

At Maud’s in Enniskillen….having some food and banter….

All in all….a great weekend…although I’m exhausted….xx

So, just about to head to Mayo for the weekend…..goin to be running music workshops for young people on Saturday morning, doing some street outreach in the afternoon, and leading worship at a youth service that evening, and then on the Sunday we will be taking a church service…all very excited!!!

Looking forward for some banter as this week has been minus banter cuz of all the hard work!! Lol.

Better go or I’ll be late!!! :0)xx

i want to sign Your name to the end of this day……..may I bring a smile to You.

We were in Ballyclare High last night with the Strong Words guys. It was just so cool. These guys have each an incredible story of God written over their lives. Each different, but each so challenging. Check out: www.strongwordsni.co.uk! They are big gentle giants…with an amazing infectious joy and fullness in Christ!

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
- 2 Tim 1:7

So, last night I was just chilling in number 20, about 23:20 I began to feel very tired and started to really want bed. So I said my night nights…all was fine….opened the door to leave…rain was pouring it down…so ran out past 22….over the little fence….on the doorstep of 24….tried the door handle….

Door was locked. Had a mare. Didn’t lift my keys because our house was full of people and just thought they were going to be there all night. Hmm….what to do?!

So, ran back to 20. Phoned Ruth. She answered it and I could bearly hear her cuz of the background noise…so asked where they were…they were at Mono (still dono what it is…!) and all 3 of them were there. Gutted. Just wanted to cry!

However, on my run in the rain, I noticed Lauren’s upstairs window was open. So, as we chatted, Julie decided that we should break into my house!

Julie’s an amazing gymnast and is fully up for a challenge…and this definitely was. So Julie, Ruth, Kerryann and I got some hoodies on and piled outside. So the plan was bring the bins round (thankfully this doubled up as today is our bin day so they had to come round…) and then get on it and pull herself up onto the window ledge and into the window…

Just then the boys arrived home. So Kyler and Bobby joined in. All to get me into bed…!

So at the base, the two bins, then Kyler and Bobby on one bin each….both bend down, Julie climbs up, feet on their shoulders, then stand up, Julie pulls herself through the window….done….

(sorry for the darkness….light wasn’t at all bright enough…but you’ll get the general idea….)

So, this taught me how amazing:

Julie, Ruth, Kerryann, Kyler and Bobby

are and how important it is to actually bring my keys so I don’t get locked out of my house!

However, as Bobby rightly pointed out at the end – the police were at the bottom of our street….while we broke into a house….hmmm…..

So, if that excitement wasn’t enough, while the rain continues to pour down…we went for a wee walk to find out what the deal was with the police and their blocking off the road….apparently there was a suspicious device outside the Beauro….so that was all very exciting too…..

we could have got arrested for breaking and entering………and then we could have got blown up……!

Glenavna banter…..nothing like it…..

Yesterday was a horrid day. Last night was a beautiful night. I was working in the labs til Rick picked me up at 8, and I thought I was going to have to go home and make both Rick and I dinner, but Rick being amazing, took me out for a long walk and dinner. It was beautiful.

I’ve never been so grateful for a walk and meal before. The sky was gorgeous – the picture doesn’t do it fully to justice…and just being able to spend some time with Rick just chatting and laughing loads…just being able to be fully ourselves.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

- Proverbs 18:24

I was just watching through a few Shawn McDonald videos on YouTube and I can across this one and the words have hit me like never before.

“I want to be ready….to stand in His light….for His eyes to gaze upon me in His glory and might….”

I have such a desire to live Col chp 3…to set my heart on things above, to put to death those attitudes, to rid myself of the old self, to be clothed in those clothes, to live in those terms, to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart, to have an overflow of gratitude, and to let whatever I do, whether in word or deed, to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Yet – Paul’s words just ring so so true…

“The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” – Rom 7:14-15

Living in the tension. Living in the twilight.

I want to be ready…

Why is it that every time you’re having some banter with friends, it always seems that the most inappropriate things are said just before a prayer time is announced?! And for little people like me who laugh so easily, the prayer time is just disastrous until I finally control myself and focus! Hmm….it’s slightly disturbing! Lol.

The reason for this is that it happened last night – except this time it wasn’t a room full of people who I knew and was really good friends with – this was a room full of people who I met two hours previous apart from Rick and Dave Parkinson….it was one of the most embarrassing, yet hilariously funny moments of my life! Rick was there to spend some time with their praise band in St Patrick’s in Newry and help lead at the evening church…so it was fully ridiculous!

Just was having a browsing session and randomally decided to try to listen to Becky and the Demolition man – the 8 year old Dublin girl who does the prank calls….and I found a whole pile of them! Have a listen if you’re in the mood for a laugh…!

Enjoy laughing…

I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

- St Patrick’s Prayer

This week has just been hectic – I’ve been in the computer labs in uni at 9:30 every morning and worked right through for as long as I can. I’m completely exhausted! Aw well…that’s what I get for doing no work over Easter! I’m fully paying for it now! Whoops.

I was at CU last night though, was so challenging – Steve Auld was speaking and it was just incredible! He has such an anointing of God on his life and I just drink everything he says when he is teaching the Bible. He so easily creates and spreads a picture of normal Christianity! And too often that picture is so far from reality for me. Normal Christianity is continually passionate, continually journeying with God, continually seeking God and continually in love. Normal Christianity is when I care more about my soul and about God than I do about my hair or whether my bum looks big in these trousers! Normal Christianity is when I wake up in the morning and feel glad to be alive, jump up and can’t wait to live another day for God’s glory. Then, that night, go to bed to rest and get ready for the next day for living for God – pray for that millimetre more of knowing God in my life for that next day, and pray that that little more of Heaven will be brought through me to earth and to those who surround me. This is normal.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise. Thou my inheritance, now and always. Thou and Thou only, first in my heart. High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

Knowing You Jesus, knowing You, there is no greater thing. You’re my all, You’re the best, You’re my joy, my righteousness, and I love You Lord.

*… So here goes for today…more work, another school concert this time in Rainey, and more work at night…may God be in it all…

The point is simple – living in a earth body in an worldly place with a higher calling with heavenly desires and heavenly priorities isn’t easy.   One foot on earth, one foot in heaven.  Living God’s way in a ungodly society.  But my life is about seeing people as God sees them, living how God planned it and enjoying it like God designed it. But it’s not all straight forward and not always that clear. So in order to make it easier to live this life how I desire to, clarifying my thoughts is the new starting point.