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.