Saturday, April 30, 2011



February huh? Disgraceful.

Let's shoot off some bullet points.

  • I'M LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF MY TIME OVER HERE!
  • Next. The 3 weeks and events the Scripture Union planned leading up to Easter were, in a word, SPECTACTULAR-CHRIST-CENTERED-GOSPEL-GLORIFYING-AWESOME and just really really fun. (I come from a church where hyphenated words are actually one word :)
  • I have shaken hands with the head of the entire police force of Northern Ireland.
  • I'm learning to play rugby, throw a mean javelin, and am on a winning team in our Ultimate Frisbee Tourney.
  • I am coming to love the people here so dearly I don't know how I'll be able to leave.
  • Sarah Chestnutt is due on Sunday. She resembles a small continent...a very attractive continent, but a continent nonetheless.
  • Teaching is not as scary as I always thought is was. Actually, I really enjoy it.
  • I'm supporting my roommate as she runs in the Belfast Marathon this Monday.
  • If you think of it, pray for the community here in Mourne: we had another shooting this last week and a Lithuanian man was killed around the corner from my house. I'm not scared for my own safety, but I wonder at the folks who live here with that kind of reality everyday.
  • I'm learning new words, like "mingin" and "skundered".
All that aside I find I'm seeing that your walk of faith with God is often times nothing like a walk or a run, canter, gallop, or anything along those lines. Instead it's a fight-a bloody, uncomfortable, painful, and tiring fight to keep your thoughts captive to Christ and to delight yourself in Him only. The fighter verse this week is almost a barb because when I picture a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season with no withered leaves, I don't see the storm surrounding and lashing out at the tree. But then I read promises like:

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

And down a bit further...

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:12-15, 33

And then I know that my redeemer lives and that he has not left me to fight on my own. His very Spirit of truth will come and stand with me and remind me that He has overcome the world, so don't give up!

That's all you probably want to read for today so I'll end there. Jesus is alive and working and building for himself a kingdom that he will come into and he will reign over it with us at his side...
Get excited about our King!
Allison