West Highland Way

This past week was crazy in a good way. Monday thru Thursday the internship did a trek through the Highland mountains. We saw some of the best of God's beautiful creation, faced challenges and deepened good relationships. I tell the truth when I say my body has never ached as bad as it did last week. But I'm sure it's not the last time as I plan to do many more adventurous journeys as my time here wears on.
Until next time, keep it real.

><>Geoff

An opportunity taken

Have you ever been around someone you know has spent large portions of their life in the presence of God? The concepts and ideas that come from their mouth are somehow very simple while at the same time quite complex. I had one of those experiences today. 3 of us staff at Stanley House got up early, drove 2 and a half hours to Dundee, crammed into a small room with 40 other people to sing worship songs and listen to this man talk for 4 hours via a translator. His name is Dr. Atif and he's an Egyptian man who apparently has spent many months alone with God in the desert, done multiple 40 day fasts ingesting nothing but water and spoken all over the world, among other things. His thoughts were deep and lofty. Thought-provoking and convicting. Revelatory and Bible-based. I took many notes but I know that I caught only a small portion of what was said. Now comes the task of processing and applying. But that's why we have the Holy Spirit...

Paisley Is Great

On Thursday, the 4th of September, YWAM Paisley held the first of many community outreach events under the title PIG. The idea was formed several months ago in the minds of two curiously inventive American men, both named Tim. These men happen to be in charge of the internship program at the YWAM base in Paisley, Scotland.
It begins with a pink shirt, and on the front you find the letters P-I-G. On the back side of the shirt you find the acronym: Paisley Is Great. The reason for this simple bit of inanity comes from an attempt to thwart the ideas of many Scots, ideas that nothing good comes out of Paisley, or that Paisley is nothing more than rubbish. Though many Paisleyites have wrongfully taken these ideas to heart they are certainly not true, even if the town may once have been one of the most crime-ridden towns in Europe.
That morning, as we spent time in prayer, worship, and preparation for our meager attempt to reach out to the people of this town, we had little idea what the response might be. We loaded up the van and headed to the town centre, all in our new pink pig shirts. As we set up in front of the large statue in the square people came and looked on, asking questions. The sun shone all afternoon as we grilled sausages (British style hot dogs), giving them away, playing guitar and striking up conversation with the many passers by. In less than two hours we gave away 300 sausages and talked with numerous people explaining that we only wanted to bless the people of Paisley and show that it was not a terrible place. Everyone we met was kind and friendly, even the goth teens with whom I shared my guitar with; our efforts were well received. The Lord was good to us and answered all of our prayers, those for good weather and open hearts etc.
This kind of love and outreach toward the people is intended to be a regular, even weekly, event for us at Stanley House that will lead to many other ministry opportunities. We know that this is the Lord's will and that He will use it to build a good reputation not only for YWAM but for Christians, in the eyes of the people. This is a good point of prayer for those of you who wish to support me in that way.

Time

Ever since I arrived in Scotland two weeks ago, it seems as though time has slowed down and although I have much to learn about the people and culture of this country as well as the regularities of this household, I feel as if I’ve lived here much longer than the short time it’s been. No doubt these feelings are partially due to the fact that there are so few people living in this mansion or that my schedule so far is, shall we say, less than full. But overall the atmosphere here is a much simpler one, not focused so much on getting things done or keeping ourselves busy but in living life, being in community and learning what it is to follow Christ. I feel right at home.

As an intern most of my time so far has been focused on getting to know the staff and also learning the inner workings of YWAM Paisley, things such as maintenance and office work, etc… Not so glamorous. But if you’ve ever read “The Practice Of The Presence Of God” (a book that seems quite popular around here) you know that it is possible for a person to find perfect joy in the mundane when one keeps his Lord at the centre of it.

Think about that… constant communication with the Father. A thought was brought to my attention this morning regarding the purpose of life. Many people think the reason God created us was to ultimately be like He is - perfect, holy, complete – or any number of other ideas. But why does a man or a woman choose to have children? There can be many answers but generally people do it to create a life they themselves can shape and mould as they wish, someone to love deeply and whom they hope will love them as deeply in return. It is about the amazing relationship that can take place between a father or mother and the life that is born out of them. He gave us an awesome gift when He breathed life into us, a chance to have an amazing relationship, like none other, with the infinite Father who creates life out of nothing and holds time and space together by His will alone.

…Lord, how’re we doing?

On arrival...

Well, I made it in one piece. I'm finally in Scotland and settling in alright. As much as one can without luggage... That's right, the airline misplaced my bags once again. Not surprising since they re-routed me from my original flight path via Chicago, Manchester and Glasgow after checking in with United, and put me on Air France through Paris, Manchester and finally Glasgow. Fortunately I learned my lesson last December when I flew here and something very similar happened so I packed a change of clothes in my carry-on.
But the jet lag is not so bad this time, since I could only get about one hour of sleep on the airplane and maybe an hour during my 5 hour layover in Paris I slept verrry well in my surprisingly comfy bunk last night.
Though I had been hoping for a bit of sun I was not surprised to walk off of the plane into the typical Scottish rain, so similar to my home in the Seattle area. I don't think the summer is quite over yet in Scotland so we're expecting another day or two of fair weather.
As soon as my bags arrive I'll post some pictures.

The art of...

Writing was never really something I got into. Not that I haven't enjoyed it, but it doesn't neccessarily come naturally to me. The thing about blogging is that just about anyone in the world can read what I write here... and I thought getting up on stage was freaky. So I apologize in advance for the times when I fail to present enough information to you or take too long to write. I don't expect that very many people will keep up on this blog but to the faithful few who do, thanks, I hope you are not dissapointed. As I do enjoy writing, it is also my hope that I will grow in my writing skills as time goes on so please, stay with me and feel free to let me know how I'm doing. I even welcome tips, helps and other constructive criticizms.

As I write this it will be 3 weeks tomorrow until I fly out. The excitement is building with only very few anxieties. 4 more days of work left and then I must begin cleaning home and car and selling things. Anyone need a guitar?