Northern Ireland Update

Greetings from Northern Ireland. This past week has been refreshing, encouraging, and a blessing for Don and I. We arrived on Sunday afternoon April 17th and then spoke to around 50-60 young adults that evening from 3 different churches. God allowed us to encourage and challenge them to make disciples and to make in difference in their churches and communities. The next morning we shared for a couple hours with local youth leaders, pastors, and young adults about Off The Wall Ministry. There were many questions and it was encouraging to see how God is giving many people a desire for authentic discipleship and community. We learned a lot from them and hope that we could share some wisdom with them.

Over the course of this past week we have been able to follow up with people, observe and be part of a street reach event with local churches, and share coffee and meals with local young adults. There are some great people here with a heart and desire to passionately follow Jesus Christ, to reproduce people who reproduce passionate followers of Jesus Christ, and challenge one another to be the church God has called us to be.

In the midst of all this we have been blessed with incredible sunshine and the ability to do some fun tourist things as well. Along with taking many walks and enjoying the beautiful scenery we got to tour a castle and take a coastal drive. The history is rich over here and I am reminded how our Christian history should be important and dear to us as believers. We are where we are today because someone before us has paved the way. We have salvation in the name of Jesus because he came and died and rose again as an all-sufficient sacrifice for us. My prayer is that this weekend you will remember, celebrate Easter in its fullness, express to your God and Savior how thankful you are for all he has done.

A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

“Our fears and inner barrenness make love a narcotic, a way to medicate ourselves, and addicts always make foolish, destructive choices.” - Timothy Keller

We all do crazy things in the name of love. Jacob is a prime example. Not only did he want to make Rachel his wife but viewed her as his “savior.” When we reach this state we hear what we want to hear and see what we want to see. Our reality becomes jaded and we veer far from truth. In a sense we create our own reality and become governed by the idol of “love.”

Have you ever been here? Maybe its a romantic relationship, or parents and their children. The questions we must ask ourselves is where are we setting our hope? Are we putting are hope in Jesus Christ? In His plan, His purpose, His eternity or our wants, our desires, our fleshly needs? There is no person, not even the best one or thing outside of Jesus Christ that can give your soul all that it needs.

We must take our heart’s deepest hopes and place them in Christ. Living through your children, through a spouse, or just through a need to be validated will leave you empty, constantly searching but never finding. This path can be destructive, not only for you but those closest to you. The amazing and beautiful thing about the God of the Bible is that he came into this world to accomplish salvation for us and give us grace we could never attain ourselves. Today may you turn to Him, be amazed by His grace and allow him to be our heart’s deepest desire and hope.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world (something supernatural and eternal).”
- C.S. Lewis

Further Reading: Genesis 28-31