Solid Rock in a World of Disruption

It is 3:30 in the morning and I am wide awake. I went to sleep at 10:00 pm and slept well
through the night. Now I am up and wondering where to start with all that I have to do. My
small world is disrupted and in disarray. Since last summer I have been going through 30 or
so boxes of personal and family memorabilia that I had stored in a small U Haul storage unit
for the past twelve years. For the past six weeks my stuff covered the floor of my small stu-
dio apartment as I went through boxes. My family heritage and even my own personal life
were strewn around me. I felt a good measure of relief and order when two friends helped
me move 14 boxes of family and personal memories out of my room and back into storage.

In just a few hours, just after Morning Watch, some guys will come and take away my bed,
desk ,and a chair that I've donated to a Christian ministry. Later today I will move into dear
friends' home for several days before my departure for Scotland. Again I am in transition
with no place to call my own. My little studio apartment has been the place where I have
met with God for over a year. It has become a special, even a holy place for me. My home
is being taken apart and I am sad. It is an end of an era that has been very precious to me,
even though I  didn't see it that way earlier last year. In a way it has been a wilderness exper-
ience for me. I never had a lot, but I always had enough.

I have gone through nine significant moves since 2006. It seemed that I was always packing
up and moving on to someplace else, especially during the first three years. For at least two
years, 2009 and 2010, I had a more stable and secure place to stay. Even then I always knew
it was temporary and that sooner or later I would be moving on. But moving to the pastoral
position at St Fergus Parish Church feels positively different. It is an end of a long process
that the Lord has put me through. I have received the orders for which I had been waiting. I
am no longer ordered to stand down, but to go into action. And I am ready and eager to do
that.

I have experienced disruption and disarray the past nine years, especially the last six. At times
I flailed and floundered, grasping for anything that would give me security. But over that time
I learned over and over that even though situations and circumstances change, the LORD God
is a fortress and high rock upon which we can stand. More specifically, Jesus is the solid rock
upon which we stand in a world full of disruption and disarray. Our settings and situations may
change, but the LORD never does. I am grateful to God for teaching me that, but I have the feel-
ing that I will quickly forget and have to learn it all over again. May we all learn that Jesus is our
solid rock in a world of disruption.

Blessings to you and yours,

The Fun of Doing Good to Others

I am thrilled to do good to people. Sometimes I get giddy being kind to others. It's fun to see
people receive a blessing, especially when they never expected it. Each day I make every ef-
fort to be kind to others and to do good to them. When I seek to do so throughout my day, I
never know when a situation might be ripe for being kind and doing good. Acts of kindness
and goodness, it seems, are never planned. I have found that to be kind and do good I have to
be sensitive to people whom I encounter and sensitive to God at work in our lives and in the
world. For followers of Jesus such as myself, showing kindness to others and doing good to
them become divine appointments with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There have been
times when I have been given great joy by doing good to others who never expected it.

By being around homeless women and men a lot, I have had many opportunities to do good
and to be kind to other people. Many of them are kindness-starved. I seek every occasion to
practice good and kindness among them. Because they rarely experience either, they let me
know how much they appreciate my practicing these qualities among them. Several times I
have sensed that several men and women who live on the street were touched when I did
something nice for them. But it is also fun for me. We who are believers in Jesus Christ have
been blessed in Him and have been called to bless others as a result. The sons and daughters
of Abraham have been blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:1-2). 'For we are God's work-
manship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God created beforehand that we
should walk in them' (Ephesians 2:10). This is why doing good to others and being kind to
them brings joy to those people who name the Name of Jesus Christ.

A dear friend from the church I grew up in blessed me with an old classic 1985 Ford station
wagon while I am here in the USA. I have had the fun of using it to bless others, especially
the homeless. Not too long ago I gave a ride to a guy who was homeless, but now has his
own place and is involved in a ministry to the homeless. It was raining and this guy had trou-
ble walking. A homeless friend of his came with us. After chatting with him I offered to drop
him off at the other guy's place to get speakers he was storing there to take to a homeless cou-
ple who had just moved into an apartment. So I did that. We picked up the speakers and drove
to a laundromat where the couple was washing their clothes. When we got there, I offered to
drive the husband, the friend, and the speakers over to the couple's place, and then to drive
them back to the laundromat. It would have meant a lot of walking in the rain for both guys,
and all the while lugging the big speakers with them. Both of them were giddy with happiness
that this was happening to them. It was especially fun for me.

This past year I have learned at least two things. First, believers in Jesus Christ have been
blessed to be a blessing to others. Second, God created us in Christ Jesus for the purpose
of doing good works. The good works do not save us. They are the fruit of a grateful heart
redeemed by the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
May we all know the joy of being kind to people and doing good to others because of the
kindness of the LORD God and the good work of His Son Jesus Christ on our behalf.

Blessings to you and yours,

Back in the Game

I have spent the last ten days frantically trying to get back to post on my blog. My University of
St. Andrews student account has been going through some changes and would not let me enter
into my account. Moving back to Scotland and closing my studio apartment only increased my
frustration. After considerable prayer and an abundance of perseverance, I finally was able to en-
ter my blog. All I can say is that I feel tremendous relief. I will be submitting new posts in the days
to come before I leave for Scotland. I will continue the blog when I get to St. Fergus.

Blessings to you and yours,

Continued Blessings as Plans Take Shape

I am still in shock as time rushes forward, whether I am ready or not. Over the past four years
I have had so many doors slammed in my face or been bogged down in times of waiting. I still
cannot rest with the reality that both my passport application and thesis were accepted by the
powers that be. I still wake up early in the morning wondering whether they were nothing more
than dreams of wishful thinking. Gradually I realize that they are real and that I have plenty to
do in the coming weeks.

I was informed that Thursday, June 14, was the earliest date for the service of my induction as
minister of St. Fergus Parish Church. All of the parties involved have agreed to that date. I have
heard that the village is all a buzz that I am coming. The children are busy practicing their con-
tributions to the service. My visa becomes valid June 1. I did consider entering the United King-
dom in late May, but broke it off when I saw the added expense and work to do in order to ap-
ply for a general visa. I will not risk being turned back from entering Scotland before June 1 at
an airport in Britain because I entered Britain before the date on my visa. I want everything to
be in order and legal.

I recently secured my flight to Scotland, departing from Vancouver, BC, Canada, on Canadi-
an Affair in the evening of June 5 and landing in Glasgow, Scotland, in the morning of June
6. Due to flying one-way during the summer period, I was very concerned about the price of
the ticket before I started my airline search on the internet. My concerns were validated when
I priced  one-way seats on a variety of air carriers at prices between $1300 and $1800 for late
May and early June. Feeling a bit forlorn, I looked at the Canadian Affair website. They are a
Canadian charter air service that flies between five Canadian cities and six British airports, one
of which is Glasgow.

When I searched for Canadian Affair flights from Vancouver, BC, to Glasgow, in early June,
I was astounded by a one-way flight on June 5 for less than less than 350 Canadian dollars. It
surprised me even more when I learned I could reserve an extra leg room seat for 80 Canadian
dollars. The grand total cost came to under 430 Canadian dollars. I quickly reserved my ticket
and seat and made the payment. In a few seconds I had my confirmation papers. There were
no other flights on other dates or other Canadian Affair routes that were that low in price. I had
the deep sense that the Lord was taking care of me and sending me a gentle message of His
graciousness and favor.

I hope to take the train up to Vancouver, BC, a day or two earlier so I can visit with friends I
knew when I was at Regent College over ten years ago. The flight departs Vancouver, BC, in
the early evening of June 5, and arrives in Glasgow, Scotland, in the am of June 6. I plan on
arriving in St. Fergus on June 7. I have one week to get settled in before I am inducted on June
14. It is all happening so fast. I am excited. As always, I covet your prayers as I journey through
these momentous times.

Blessings to you and yours,

A Most Significant Week

Last week, April 16 to 22, was a most significant week in a very significant year of my life. On
Tuesday, April 17, I was informed by email that the University of St. Andrews had accepted my
PhD thesis. On Thursday, April 19, I was informed by another email that the British Consulate in
New York City had issued me a visa. By 10 am Friday, April 20, I had my passport with the visa
in my hands. I have to say that I was in a state of shock; it had happened all too suddenly and un-
expectedly. I was stunned to say the least.

I had been expecting word on whether my thesis had been accepted or not for several months. I
had no inkling when I would learn of its status. To say the least, I was thrilled and relieved. When
I submitted my visa application early in April, I was expecting that I would learn of the success of
my application sometime in mid-May. But then last Monday, I received an email from the British
Consulate informing me that an Entry Clearance Officer was assessing my application. At anoth-
er website I read that the average time of the process was nine days. I figured that I would learn
whether I had been issued a visa or not sometime the following week. So at 9 pm when I read the
email informing me that a visa had been issued to me, I was thrilled. I could hardly sleep that night because I was so excited.

A lot of people have been praying that I would be receiving my visa so that I could return to Scot-
land to pastor St. Fergus Parish Church. For the past year I have been meeting every Thursday
morning with a group of pastors and Christian leaders to pray for the work of Christ in the area.
All during this time they have never ceased to pray for me to that end. Last Thursday I reported
to them that I expected to receive news of my visa sometime next week. There was a good ses-
sion of prayer on my behalf. Later that day, I read the email informing me that the visa had been
issued to me. It had been sent out at 12:30 pm, east coast time. The time difference between the
west coast where we are and the east coast is three hours. So the decision was made and the
email was sent about the time that we were praying on the west coast.

Through this challenging year of waiting, I have grown in faith in the Lord. I have also experi-
enced anew the faithfulness of God. These have always been lessons that I have had to learn
over and over for over forty years. I am overwhelmed by God's love, care, provision, and pro-
tection. God has guided me. I have been royally blessed by having gone through the past three
years. All I can say is God is good.

Blessings to you and yours,

The Heart of the Gospel

Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday (Easter) are joined together with Christmas as my three
favorite Christian holy days. For nearly two millennia these three have been the centerpiece of
biblical faith. Christmas highlights the Incarnation: the Son of God became human, was born
into the world, and dwelt among us. Good Friday is the day when we remember Christ's death
on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Resurrection Sunday celebrates God raising His
Son, the crucified Messiah, from death to Resurrection life. They do not point to anything that
we humans have done, but entirely to what God has done in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Resurrection Sunday is a great and glorious day. Last Easter Sunday we celebrated with Chris-

tians throughout the whole world the historical reality that on the third day after Jesus Christ
was crucified, God raised Him from the dead. Christ was indeed victorious over sin and death. 

Jesus, God in human flesh, really did walk among us 2000 years ago. He really did suffer and 

die on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus really was raised from death to life. His 

tomb really was empty! The Crucified and Risen Savior was seen by over 500 witnesses. His 

death, burial, and resurrection fulfilled the promises that God had delivered to God's people cen-
turies before Jesus' birth in Bethlehem so very long ago. 

Our salvation is securely anchored in what God did through the death, burial and resurrection 

of His Son Jesus Christ nearly 2000 years ago. Saving faith is grounded in what God has done
in Jesus Christ: it is not based on anything we have done to earn our salvation. By grace we are
saved through faith. Yet the constant refrain I often hear from well-intentioned evangelical Chris-
tians focuses on such human activities as faithfully attending Bible-believing church services or
caring for the poor and needy. When we focus primarily on these good and proper Christian ac-
tivities, I find that the Cross and the Empty Tomb tend to be neglected. The Gospel of Jesus is
not about what we do; it is grounded in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God cre-
ated us to do good works, but they flow out of the Good Work that God has done through Jesus
for us and our salvation. The Cross of Christ and the Empty Tomb are the heart of the Gospel. We
put our trust in what God has done through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Blessings to you and yours,
    

Between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday

Some more liturgically-minded Christians refer to the day between Good Friday and Resurrection
Sunday as Holy Saturday. On one side is the day when the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was cru-
cified for the forgiveness of our sins. On the other side is the day when God raised the crucified
Savior from death to glorious new creation life. In between is Saturday, to some Holy Saturday. It
is a time when nothing seems to be happening; we do know that Jesus Christ died and was bur-
ied. I try to feel what those followers of Jesus felt that first Saturday after they had just witnessed
the long-expected Messiah's suffering and death on a Roman execution instrument. I can only im-
agine the devastation, dismay, and depression they were experiencing during that first Holy Satur-
day.

Even in this day and age, the Saturday between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday is a day
characterized by darkness, silence, waiting, and inactivity. I have known God's Story for many
years now, but still all I can do on this day between two emotionally-laden days is sit and wait.
That's how I have felt the past year here in my home town in the States. Behind me is the visa
refusal and hopefully before me is my being granted a Minister of Religion visa to return to Scot-
land to minister at St. Fergus Parish Church. Ever since I received the visa refusal letter in March
of last year, I have been living through my own Holy Saturday between Good Friday and Resur-
rection Sunday. For the last twelve months I have not been experiencing feelings of devastation,
dismay, or depression. In no way does my journey even compare with Jesus' journey of passion,
suffering, and death. But still I experience my own period of silence, darkness, inactivity, and
waiting.

Yesterday I remembered Jesus' death on the Cross of Calvary. I know it's Saturday, but Sunday's coming! Even though I rest in God's Story, I still don't know how my own story will turn out. Noth-
ing is certain, especially when I am dealing with the Bureau of Immigration of the United Kingdom.
I have been royally blessed these past twelve months. I have submitted all my papers and paid all
the fees to the British Consulate in New York City. My visa application is in their hands. Now all
I can do is wait; there is nothing more I can do. All that I hear from God right now is silence. I do
not really know what God is up to. It feels to  me like Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday
and Resurrection Sunday. But I know for certain that God is in control and that He is leading me.
To those of you who pray, I ask for your prayers.

Blessings to you and yours,