Healing in the Streets

A week ago at this time I was winding up a three-day conference put on
by a ministry called 'Healing in the Streets.' A ministry team from the
Causeway Coast Vineyard in Northern Ireland came to Edinburgh, Scot-
land, to conduct training for the program that emerged out of their
church. The team has done similar conferences throughout Britain, Ire-
land, Europe, and North America. The conference focuses on taking the
healing gifts of Jesus out of the church and to people outside the church
building. The conference was thus called 'The Church Has Left the Build-
ing.'

I really learned a lot at the conference and enjoyed it immensely. It was
also a special time of refreshment for me. I do have a special interest in
both physical and inner healing. I have been part of a team of people
from several churches in the area who started a 'Healing Room' ministry
three weeks ago. I was encouraged to attend this conference to get fur-
ther training in the ministry of healing from a slightly different, yet com-
plementary, perspective.

But I especially appreciated the seminars geared to church leaders for
equipping churches for ministry to the poor and needy of the commun-
ity. Thus the reason for calling the conference 'The Church Has Left the
Building.' I benefitted from seminars on 'Embracing the Value of Graci-
ous Hospitality,' 'Building an Outward Focused Church,' and 'Tackling
Poverty on Our Doorstep.' The conference stretched me and challenged
me to pray, think. and act outside the box. I am serious about reflecting
critically on the mission of the Church, and the conference contributed
greatly to my thinking about the Church's mission. It shaped me in ways
I probably will not realize for some time to come. I continue to mull over
what I saw, heard, and picked up at the conference.

Over and out for now. Blessings to you and yours,

A Slice of My Life

I am rushed for time, so this will be short. I leave for Edinburgh soon
for 'The Church Has Left the Building' conference. It will start tonight
and run through Saturday evening. It is sponsored by a Vineyard church
in Northern Ireland. The conference enables the participants to explore
ways that believers can take more seriously the reality of the Kingdom
of God and to reach out in mission to people around us, especially the
poor and the sick. It should be quite a challenging time for me and I ex-
pect to be stretched to the limit.

Last Thursday a small group of us from various local churches put on the
first Healing Room ministry time here in Cupar. For the past four months
we had been meeting together for prayer every Thursday and receiving
teaching at workshops. Despite it being our first time doing this, and de-
spite the snow and ice on the ground, one person came by. We will be
meeting every Thursday evening for two hours. I have been committed
to healing ministry for over ten years now, and I was grateful to be able
to express that area of ministry here in Scotland. One track available at
the conference I am going to in the next few days presents the 'Healing
in the Streets' ministry. I hope to be able to talk with other Christians
about the gift of healing and ministry of the local church.

I have been busy with many things: the thesis, searching for church
positions, and the essential tasks of daily life. As always, I covet your
prayers.

Blessings to you and yours,

In the Dark, Cold Mornings

Early mornings are quite challenging for me, especially when it is dark
and cold outside. Most mornings I am up by 6am. Often Ziggy the Cat
scratchs at my bedroom door and meows well before that. I quickly let
him in and either go back to sleep until my alarm goes off, or I slowly be-
gin to enter into the new day.

As I ponder what I need do in the hours of the new day and in the com-
ing months ahead of me, I can become quite discouraged. I still do not
know what my next step will be. I also wonder whether I have it in me
to complete my thesis, and whether a church will call me to be their min-
ister. And in recent days my heart has been heavy for the people of Haiti.

In the fall of last year I was struck by Psalm 143:8, and I memorized it.
Now I find myself meditating on it throughout the day. It forms the foun-
dation of my prayers as I begin each new day. It has a gentle way of
calming my anxious heart and giving me a sense of direction, even
though the way is not clear.

Psalm 143:8 reads:

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

I always seem to focus on God's steadfast love. It refers to Yahweh's
unrelenting, redeeming covenantal love, to God's love that will never
let go of us. I am struck that David lifts his heart up to God. It never
fails that when I reflect on God's steadfast love, my heart takes cour-
age.

As always, I ask for your prayers, and let us especially lift up to the
Lord the people of Haiti.

Blessings to you and yours,

Good Words from Proverbs

One biblical text that Mom did not underline was Proverbs 3:5-6. But
ever since I first took notice of it some time in the mid-1970s, it has al-
ways meant so much to me. It reads: Trust in the LORD with all your
heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (ESV). I mem-
orized the passage way back then and it has been engraved onto my
heart ever since.

Through all these years these verses have been important to me, but
more so the last couple of weeks. There are times when I personalize
the verses so that I address the Lord: I trust You, O LORD, with all my
heart, and do not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways I ac-
knowledge You so that You will make straight my paths. I do confess
that there are many times when I don't trust or acknowledge God. By
meditating on this passage my heart starts to be re-aligned and put
back on course again.

There have even been a few precious times when I have heard in my
heart God addressing me, especially when I am feeling downcast about
the current situation: My dear Jeff, trust in me with all your heart, and
do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge
me; I will make straight your paths. That really blesses me and knocks
my socks off!

During the past month I have realized just how much I seek the glory of
my own name, the building up of my own kingdom, and the doing of my
own will. The Lord is hard at work corraling my wild and still unbroken
bronco heart. God has certainly gotten my attention and I can sense that
God's heart surgery is giving me new life in Jesus. I just wish it were a lot
easier than it has been!

Blessings to you and yours,

From My Mother's Bible

The snow that first fell the week before Christmas is still frozen on the
ground, and new layers of fresh snow are being added every day. Weath-
er forecasters expect the arctic freeze to remain in Britain into next
week. It is the most snow and the coldest temperatures here in over 20
years. I have not experienced anything like this in the six years I have
been in Scotland.

Ken, the minister of Cupar Old Parish Church (the church where I
served as assistant minister for twelve months last year), is on holiday
from December 28 until January 8. I was asked to provide ministerial
cover for him while he is away. As a result I made a funeral visit last
week, visited a stroke victim in the regional hospital a few days ago,
and led an Epiphany-themed service at morning worship on Sunday.
I will conduct a funeral on Wednesday and visit another person in the
regional hospital who is not doing well. I have enjoyed having the op-
portunity to be active in pastoral ministry once again. I have missed it.

Now that Christmas and New Year festivities have passed, I am resum-
ing my search of church vacancies for a ministerial position. I have iden-
tified three churches (two in Glasgow and one way up north in Wick)
that interest me. I am the most interested in the one in Wick and will be
enquirying there first.

Perhaps because of the recent Christmas season just ended, the length
of daytime darkness here in winter, and the challenging process of dis-
cerning where God would have me minister, I often feel I am on the
verge of discouragement. It seems to me that I have been taken out
of action since 2003 and told to wait for further orders. I'm tired of
waiting. I have been eager to get into action. But I feel I am being put
on hold repeatedly. So, I spend a lot of time in the Psalms.

I use my mother's Bible to read through the Psalms once every month
or two. I take a special interest in the verses of Psalms she highlighted
or the notes that she placed in the margins. One that she highlighted
has become special to me in the last few weeks. I have memorized it
and constantly reflect on it, especially when I sense panic is starting to
rear its ugly head in my heart.

Psalm 27: 14 (RSV) reads: 'Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your
heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!' That verse has become so
significant to me in the last few weeks, especially in calming me down
and seeing my life from God's perspective rather than my own. My
heart is uplifted as that verse is translated from my memory into my
life.

As always, I welcome your prayers as you remember me.

Blessings to you and yours,