by emma | Aug 29, 2005 | Exodus, Faith
Friday night past was our Exodus recommissioning service – sending us out again, but this time into our homes, schools and workplaces, to be Jesus hands and feet here at home, not just on a two-week summer missions trip. The guy that spoke, Jeremy Gardner (youth pastor at High Kirk, Ally’s church) spoke on servanthood, and I really connected with something he said for the first time…
Is servanthood the best way to live?
A ‘successful’ life, as defined by the culture we live in, is one that is self-focused, all-about-me, and insular. It’s one where your world gets smaller and smaller.
A life of servanthood, by contrast, is one where you give yourself away. A little here, a little there, all over Ballymena, Northern Ireland and the world. It’s one where your world gets bigger and bigger.
Is servanthood the best way to live? Of course!! It’s logical – your world increases in time, not decreases.
So there you have it… something I’ve been thinking about over the weekend.
by emma | Aug 27, 2005 | Exodus, Travel
When we were in Holland the main thing we were involved in was an outreach with the church called Lightbulb ministry. (Just realised I’ve never said what the church was called! It’s Living Water. You can check it out an www.levendwater.nl) This was basically us going around the doors of a local area called Tanthof, giving out free lightbulbs.
The neighbourhood of Tanthof has a population of 60,000 people – roughly 10% of Delfts population – and there is no church there at all! We were not necessarily going out to get long , God conversations with people, but simply to touch them with the love of God. Over two days we gave out about 1100 lightbulbs, and had some awesome conversations. One lady even came to church!
We got to keep our funky tee-shirts too – Ist er licht in uw huis?
by emma | Aug 19, 2005 | Exodus, Travel
Holland was amazing! I’m still kinda taking it all in, reflecting on it and working out what it really meant to me. There are so many bikes everywhere, like seriously!! I know I expected it to be flat and there to be lots of bikes, but I guess the full extent didn’t really hit me till we got there… this is the view from Leiden train station, where we had to change trains to get to Delft.
Man, I miss Delft. I had got used to cycling my wee bike around – one gear, peddle backwards to brake – and kinda gotten to know my way around too. The church gave us bikes to get around on while we were there, and i’d guess we cycled about 5 miles a day on average. We had gotten so used to cycling into the centre to have pancakes or whatever… the picture below shows the cathedral in Delft, it was so beautiful. We climbed up to the top one day and took a whole pile of pictures, I’m hoping to put together a panoramic one when I get the time.
by emma | Aug 12, 2005 | Exodus, Travel
…i’ve missed blogging!!
just got back from my Exodus team last night, flew into Belfast at 5.45. Ah where would I start with it, the guys on my team are fantastic, like family, I made a lot of new mates and got closer to old ones, and God did a might work- both in our lives and in the lives of the people we touched. Many seeds were planted. The picture below was taken one day when we went to Antwerp (in Belguim) and did some street worship and dramas, just talking to people. Its our whole team plus people that joined us for the day. I shall post more as time goes on, but God has indeed done a lot in my life and taught me soo much, I couldnt possibly post it all at once. So that’ll do for a start.
I’ve also been hearing great stories about Deep Fish, an outreach programme running from the Wash Basin at the minute, today is the last day, and so far I hear there have been about 70 people become Christians! I had to ask them to repeat it a few times, I thought I was hearing them wrong! How awesome is our God guys, seriously!!
by emma | Jun 25, 2005 | Exodus
I have had soooo little sleep over the last few days! Last night was the Exodus commissioning service, so I met up with the guys on my team. We had a great night, the service was fantastic and it felt so short, even though it was half ten before the service finished, and another hour before we actually left! After that we headed out round to Portstewart for some scran, and then down onto the beach. (Go Pizza Express, by the way, great food!)
By the time I got home and into bed it was 2 am. We then had a fundraising event this morning, a car boot sale, and we were meeting at 6 am to set up etc. So I was out of bed again at 5 am – a whole 3 hours in bed! Great fun. As you can imagine I am knackered now, and am just about to get ready and head to work! Hopefully it will be a nice quiet night, just ally and me in tonight I think.
More later… maybe when I wake out of this semi-zombie like state!
by emma | May 15, 2005 | Exodus, Faith
Camping at Rod’s was great, we had such an awesome time. Sat up half the night (some of the guys ended up just falling asleep around the camp fire), spent some time just worshipping, praising God in the bottom of the field, in the still of the night. There were so many stars in the sky, it was beautiful! Seriously, i’ve never noticed it so much before.
As we sat around the fire, I was reminded of the day the Holy Spirit came, and descended like tongues of flames. On a Friday night I would normally be at Pulse after our team meeting, but i missed it to go camping with these guys- it was the last night. As i’ve since found out, God did a big thing at Pulse on Friday. Many people recommitted themselves to Christ, or made that desicion for the first time. As I look back, I cant help but think, but wonder- dream, even- that this is the start of a new revival. I spent a long time while camping just staring at the moon, and reminding myself of the prophecy of Joel:
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call.
[Joel 2: 28-32]
Thats the vision the started the 24/7 Prayer movement rolling – a red moon rising, a generation learning to pray as never before. Is this the begining?
The big thing our Exodus team has been captivated by is the vision of ‘Generation 24’:
Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who does not lift up his soul to another or swear by what is false.
He will receive blessing from the Lord
And vindication from God his Saviour.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
Who seek your face O God of Jacob.
[Psalm 24:3-6]
Thats our passion, our dream. To be a generation who seek His face.
Is this the beginning?
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