I'm still going strong and walking in the light of Christ after the YES retreat. It seemed to really put some spring in my step...and in my prayer life. One thing that's been a key factor in staying strong is spending about 45 minutes to an hour every day in prayer. I've been following a 30-day devotional challenge called Thirsty that I picked up at a Christian bookstore here. I'm into the second week now, and I'm really loving it. Each day has a short passage of scripture to read, some writing prompts, some thoughts for prayer, and then a Christian song to look up and listen to. Thankfully the song is the last bit, so it's not too big of a deal when I get distracted while looking up the song on YouTube. :) The first week of the challenge was about God's faithfulness. Two of my favorite scriptures in this section were Psalm 89:8 ("You are mighty, O Lord, and Your faithfulness surrounds You.") and Proverbs 3:3 ("Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."). I've learned that God is always faithful, even when times are hard and it seems like He's not around. This next week in the Thirsty challenge is about the peace of God. God is challenging me to think about all of the worldly things I turn to to find peace...and then remember that only in Him can I find true peace.
Another thing that God has been doing in my life is speaking to me in themes. The first theme that God used (and is still using) is spiritual thirst. At first I noticed a dry, scratchy feeling in my throat and a little cough. I started to drink more water, and naturally those things went away. I think the Lord was trying to teach me about physical thirst first before He moved on to the much deeper spiritual thirst. Aside from the 30-day challenge devotional I mentioned above (Thirsty), God has been teaching me about this concept of spiritual thirst in several other ways. I got an email notification from the Christian bookstore back home telling me that Casting Crowns has released a new album (it hasn't come out here yet, but I was able to buy it on iTunes). The title of the album is "Come to the Well". Coincidence? I think not "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3). One of the songs on the new Casting Crowns album struck my heart pretty deeply. It's called The Well (look it up on YouTube!) I love the lyrics...and I love the idea that Jesus wants us to leave everything behind before we come to Him to be filled. He wants us just as we are...without our "pursuit of perfection", our "fear of rejection", our "temporary pleasures", our "dried up empty religion", our "rusty chains of addiction", or our "guilt that weighs us down". He just wants us to come to Him and let Him fill us up and quench our thirst.
As far as Spirit Radio goes, I spent my days last week mailing out thank-you letters and prizes to those who supported us during our pledge drive. This was quite a task, because not all 180 people got the same letter. Some made a once-off donation, so they simply received a thank-you letter (and a prize if they won one). Others made a monthly pledge, so we had to mail them a slightly different letter as well as a standing order form to fill out. My "boss" Anne and I spent an entire day doing this...and we still didn't finish. I tried to keep in mind that it was a good thing that we had so many letters to send out---that means there are so many people supporting us! I think I mentioned this before, but I really want to stress how blessed I am to be a part of Spirit Radio. First of all, it's a great way to reach out to so many people throughout Ireland. Another reason I love it is because of the people I work with. The CEO and his wife are part of the Community of Nazareth, so I know them pretty well. I'm still getting to know the others, but I can already see that they're very passionate Christians. Just about every conversation I have with someone at Spirit Radio involves our faith---what God's been speaking to us, what He's doing in our lives, etc. Plus we, as staff, gather together in the board room a few times a week for prayer and worship. I love love LOVE that I am part of a workplace that prays together! One of the men, David, invited me to hear him preach at his church this past Sunday. It was only a short ride away on the Luas (the light rail tram), and I really had a great time. When I walked in I was immediately greeted by a young woman named Krista, a student from the States (Oregon) who is staying with David and his family. She was very friendly and we got carried away in conversation right away. :) David's talk during the church service was really great. He talked about how God wants to draw us close to Him first before we can reach out and share His word with others. This "drawing closer" is referred to as intimacy...and we can obtain that by putting to death our worldly lives and living instead for God and the things of heaven. David ended his talk by quoting Psalm 118: "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." He emphasized that this is the day that the Lord has made. Today is the day. If we wait for tomorrow, we miss our today. Mmm...pretty solid stuff.
Last Friday I got to spend some time with Pat (and his wife and kids), Oonagh (Pat's sister), and Mary (a young woman from Oonagh's Christian community in Scotland). Chrissy and I met Pat and Oonagh a short while back when we helped them run some day-retreats in an all-girls school. I was invited over to Pat's house for dinner on Friday night and it was so wonderful to meet his wife and three children (plus one on the way!). We enjoyed fish & chips and some lively conversations with the kids during dinner. They are adorable. :) When the kids went to bed shortly after, we watched a movie. We settled for Legally Blonde, and all five of us huddled around Pat's laptop to watch it (he doesn't have a TV). He made loads of microwave popcorn, and we had some fizzy (pop/soda) and sweets (candy) as well. It was just like being in a movie theater (minus the laptop, of course)!
I didn't dress up for Halloween this year, but I did enjoy seeing my host family all dressed up. They really got into their costumes! Here's a picture of all 5 of them:
From left to right: Joe, Leanne, Paul, Stephen, and Ellen.
Joe dressed up as Piri Weepu (click for a picture), a New Zealand rugby player. Leanne is Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, Paul is an army man, Stephen is James Bond, and Ellen is Snow White.
I apologize for such a long post. Thanks for reading though! An extra big THANK YOU to all of my supporters back home. Without you I would not be here in Ireland experiencing God's presence so deeply and sharing it with others. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your financial support and prayers! Please say an extra prayer for me this weekend as I am going to Dromantine (http://www.dromantineconference.com/gallery.php) for a Community retreat. I am looking forward to some rich blessings and some fellowship with the others in Community. God bless you all!
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