Let's Be Honest...

Hebrews 11 is known as the faith chapter. This chapter is full of incredible stories of people with extraordinary faith. To be honest, I don’t know if I would make the cut for Hebrews 11…

 It is easy for me to think of myself as ok, or all set in the faith department. I have given up 9 months of my life to live in a foreign country and teach people about the love of Jesus… that takes faith.

But when I honestly think about my life, I know my faith is lacking. I choose to worry rather than trust. I panic instead of praying. I stress instead of resting in Gods peace.

When I read Hebrews 11, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. But I also felt inspired. 

One day, when your life is over, what will you be known for? The mom who had the best dressed kids? The dad who provided well for his family? The student who received the best grades? Personally, I want to be known for my extraordinary, Hebrews 11, faith.

“How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the FAITH of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By FAITH these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.

But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.”

Is your faith BIG like those in Hebrews 11? Do you have the faith to shut the mouths of lions? Or quench flames of fire?! One day, will you be known for your faith? 

When You're At the End of Your Rope

Dia dhuit readers! (That’s hello in Gaelic). I’m not sure how many of you have read the book Radical by David Platt, but if you are looking for a good, challenging book I highly recommend this one. I have read it 4 times and each time God speaks to me differently. The past few days Jenna and I have been planning some big events for our ministry here. I was beginning to feel inadequate for the job God has asked me to do. Truthfully, some days feel impossible.

I know some of you are feeling that way. Feeling like life is just too hard, God has called you to do something that is just too big, or he is asking you to give up too much.  But here is the thing…. It’s not about you. Harsh I know. Sorry about that, but it’s true. You see, when we are at our weakest and it feels like too much, that is when God is at His strongest. In the words of David Platt…

“In direct contradiction to the American dream, God actually delights in exalting our inability. He intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him. In the process he powerfully demonstrates his ability to provide everything his people need in ways they could never have mustered up or imagined. And in the end, he makes much of his own name.

            Consider the story of Joshua outside Jericho, a strong city with massive walls surrounding it. Certainly Joshua was anxious about leading the people of God in his first battle as commander. I can only imagine the sense of inadequacy he felt as he contemplated the task before him.

            That’s why, at the end of Joshua 5, we see him alone, wondering about the combat that lies ahead. But suddenly God appears. In that moment God promises Joshua that his side will win the battle, and he gives Joshua the plans.

            You can almost picture Joshua as he listens, thinking, What will it be? A frontal assault? A trick of some kind? Or just lay a siege and starve them out?

            Put yourself in Joshua’s shoes as you hear these battle plans:

       March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.

           Let’s be honest. That’s weird. If you’re Joshua, you’re wanting a second opinion at this point.

            Why did God design this battle plan for taking the first city in the Promised Land? Don’t miss what God was doing. He was divinely orchestrating the events of his people so that in the end only he could get the glory for what would happen. Read the rest of Joshua 6, and you will see them take the city of Jericho just as God had outlined. But notice carefully what you don’t see. You don’t see all the Israelites going up to the trumpet players and telling them what an incredible job they did that day. I can almost hear them now: ‘Abashi, I’ve never heard you play that well.’ ‘Nimrod, when you hit the high C, that was beautiful, man.’ No, instead you see the people of Israel realizing that only God could have done this.

            This is how God works. He puts people in positions where they are desperate for his power, and then he shows his provision in ways that display his greatness.”

Today, if you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure how you will accomplish the big tasks in front of you, that’s GREAT! This means that God is going to work through you just like he worked through Joshua. Get ready. 

Welcome to 2014!

Hello Readers! Jenna and I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s with family and friends! We certainly did. For those of you that don’t know, Jenna and I had the opportunity to go home for Christmas. We wanted to keep it a surprise for a few people so it was very hush, hush. We had an AMAZING time at home visiting with family and friends. You all were so encouraging to us, and we simply feel beyond words blessed. As great as it was being home, we felt ready to go back.

Being home provided us with the energy boost we needed, and it gave us a chance to reboot, reconnect, and come back ready to go! We are so excited for the next 5 months in Northern Ireland because God has given us so much vision and new ideas for our ministry. God is clearly working here and we are so grateful to be a part of it! J

P.S. To the anonymous donors that we have had lately….. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have blessed us more than you know. We wouldn’t be able to serve here without you.   

Christmas Party!

Hello readers! This past week has been busy, and full of Christmas activities! In addition to our usual drop-ins and youth programs, Jenna and I have been planning a Christmas party for the Dundrum community hosted at R.I.O.T. The point of the party was to open up the Youth Centre’s doors to parents, children, teenagers, and any newcomers who had not yet experienced a R.I.O.T. event.

            

 Jenna and I had a blast planning this party! We got a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments, decorations, and baked an endless amount of Christmas cookies. There was even a homemade photo booth where people could come take silly pictures with Santa! Overall, the night was such a success and the party gave us a way to reach out to the community.

It was such a blessing to see everyone having such a wonderful time! Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot like Christmas

Hello readers! Right now, many of you are preparing for Thanksgiving this week. Turkey’s are being bought, families are coming together, and pie is everywhere…. Mhhmm pie is good. On the other hand, since there is no Thanksgiving in Northern Ireland, we get to start thinking about Christmas! Jenna and I have already started playing Christmas music (we’re in love with Michael Buble’s Christmas album) and we are currently planning a lovely Christmas party for the kids at R.I.O.T!

Today, our team went to the Continental Christmas Market in Belfast. This market has everything! Jenna and I decided to do some Christmas shopping for our families. As I looked around and tried to think of what they would like, I realized how hard Christmas was going to be without them. I wondered if it would feel like Christmas at all. I thought about our traditions, decorations, and food and how I was going to miss it all this year… Especially the food.

But then we went into a small shop. The shop owner made beautiful pictures and signs that all had inspirational and positive quotes. There were so many quotes. She had them in frames, small booklets, and pictures of all different sizes. Clearly a lot of hard work and design had gone into her work. I felt so inspired! We chatted for a few minutes and she was such a happy and encouraging person. I thought, what a way to spend your life by giving other people hope and encouragement. Then I realized that’s exactly why I’m here. I’m in Ireland to bring hope to people. To tell them of the love Jesus has for them, and to serve them in any way possible. Isn’t that what Christmas is about? Having hope. Serving others. And being grateful for the love Christ has for us? It may seem basic, but this basic realization hit me like a brick wall.

This year we’re getting back to the roots of what Christmas really means. Consider today an early Christmas present. How are you going to make it matter?

                      (Group photo! These are some of the other interns that we work with)

An Average Friday

Hello readers! First of all, Jenna and I would like to apologize for our lack of blogging! The Northern Irish life has been busy, and the past few weeks have flown by. God has been working mightily in our hearts and lives! So much has happened it is impossible to choose just one day or event to tell you about! Therefore, we would like to show you exactly what our day has been like.

       This was our day today…..

8:00 am: WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BACEY (Reader, if you happen to be my older sister, you will smile at that J)

9:20 am: Richie, our host missionary, picked us up in Dundrum and brought us to Kairos in Newcastle.

9:30 am: Walked to Savoy Café to get a hearty breakfast

10:00 am: Training/Community Development class at Kairos. During this class we  are learning how to improve and reach out to our community. Today we watched Billy Graham’s newest speech. We highly recommend it!

1:00 pm: Break for Lunch. Pancakes, American style…nice and fluffy J

2:00 pm: Walked to the post office to buy a card for my little sister’s birthday… HAPPY 12^TH BIRTHDAY JESS!! J

2:30 pm: Cappuccino time (In celebration of national cappuccino day) 

3:30 pm: Walk to Presbyterian Church to set up for Drop-Zone. Today, I got to jam out and have a spontaneous worship time with one of the girls!

6:00 pm: Dinner (Our Irish mum, Jen, keeps us full and happy) 

7:30pm: RIOT Drop in= Tonight I had some interesting conversations about religion and church. Bringing it back to the relationship, not the religion. We also played a few intense rounds of spoons! (If you have never played spoons you are missing out on life.)

12:00 am: Drop in ends/ Debrief

1:00am: Bedtime!

Life is good. It is full of laughter, crazy kids, and moments that make us want to pull our hair out! We love every bit of it. God is moving in Northern Ireland and we are grateful to be a part of it.

Thanks again to our supports for getting us here J

Danielle's 19th Birthday

Hello readers! Danielle here.

Ever feel like you are completely useless? Or frustrated because nothing you do is going right? I had one of those days, but God gave me a huge opportunity to explain my love for Jesus and why I have dedicated my life to Him. God decided to use me on one of my weakest moments to show that it is never something I say or do, it is always Him.

Friday, we had our R.I.O.T. youth drop in, which is a time for kids ages 11-18 to come and hang out, play some pool and ping pong, and be in a safe environment. At this drop in, Richie asked me to share my testimony. My first thought…. Oh boy.

I don’t like speaking in front of people to begin with, especially when it is personal. As I sat there starting to panic, I remembered John 16:33 which says, “In this world you will have many trials and tribulations, but fear not for I have overcome the world.” I knew I had no reason to fear because Jesus has ALREADY overcome the world! Along with that, the Taylor Swift song Fearless popped into my head (I believe Jesus can speak through Taylor Swift). I was ready. This public speaking thing is nothing!

A few hours later I sat in front of about 30 students and told them my story….

I told them that I grew up in a Christian home with two wonderful parents. When I was 12 years old, I understood, “It is by faith that we are saved through grace.” (Eph. 2:8)  I was a good kid. I went to school, got good grades, listened to my parents (unless you are my parents reading this, then you might beg to differ haha). But I was never going to be good ENOUGH!! I was sinful, yet Jesus loved me anyways and died on a cross to take the punishment for that sin. That is GRACEFUL. All I had to do was have faith in that.

So I had faith. But my life did not get easier, and the story continues on….

When I was 14 years old, my dad struggled with serious depression. He had a mental breakdown one night and unknowingly got in a shootout with a police officer. He spent four years in jail, and it was the hardest four years of my life. My family was torn apart, and I felt completely abandoned. I continually asked God, "What in the world are you doing?!" He simply said, trust Me. So I did.

I had to rely on God for everything! But He also provided everything. Once I truly let go and trusted Him, I found so much freedom! Trusting Christ is the greatest decision I EVER made! He seriously is the One True God who absolutely never abandons you.

Reader, I hope this made sense to you today. I hope that , just like me, you understand that Christ loves you and died for you. He took the punishment for your sin and offers salvation. Just ask him for it.

Thanks for reading J

Danielle