Keepin' On Keepin' On

I have not posted to my blog since mid-July. I have been focusing on several efforts that have
demanded my attention. I preached at my home church two weeks ago and preach at another
church next Sunday. Each time I preach I never use what I preached before, but seek to do
something fresh and personal. It is nice not to have the heavy demands of parish ministry on
my plate right now. I have more time to put into home cooking of fresh sermons. I won't have
as much time when I get going as pastor of St. Fergus Parish Church. Meanwhile I have con-
tinued to address the visa issues to return to the United Kingdom and keep in touch with the
St. Fergus congregation. I also have a little bit more work to do on my thesis.

My weekly schedule has become routinized. Five or six days a week I arise at 4:30 so I can
attend Morning Watch at 5 am and Israel Watch at 6 am. I usually walk to the church, praying
for the town during the 15 minutes it takes me. If it is raining hard, I drive.  There are usually
15 to 20 people at Morning Watch, some of whom stop by before going to work. They come
from no one church in particular, but from a variety of churches in the area. As a vocalist ac-
companied by guitar or keyboard sings mellow worship songs, people take turns at an open mic
reading Scripture or offering prayers that focus on the theme for the day. I have been attending
since mid-March and have found it refreshing. I especially pray in preparation for my return to
Scotland. Thursday mornings I meet with local Christian leaders and ministers to pray for each
other and for the area. It has been a rich time of fellowship for me since I arrived in January.

I always stay for Israel Watch that follows on from Morning Watch, but a number of people
leave at 6 in order to go to work. Usually there are 10 to 12 of us, but occasionally there are
just three of us. Taped messianic Jewish music is played over the sound system and people
take turns praying and reading Scripture at an open mic. We pray for various messianic Jew-
ish ministries in Israel as well as for the tremendous troubles that confront the people of Israel
in these challenging times. An abiding concern is the sustained efforts by nations that seek to
do Israel harm, seeking to reduce Israel to indefensible borders. These are challenging times,
indeed. On Wednesday morning at 7 am, a small group of us have a Torah study by Skype
with a messianic rabbi in Israel. Then on Saturday mornings I meet with another group to study
the Bible from a messianic Jewish perspective. I have always enjoyed studying the Old Testa-
ment and the Jewishness of Jesus and the New Testament. It has been a fun and refreshing time
for me.  

The two Prayer Watches shape my day. They  take place early in the morning when I used to
have my most restful stretches of sleep. But I firmly believe that these times of prayer are criti-
cal to my time of 'exile' while I am away from St. Fergus. If I have the time, I take any oppor-
tunity to take a long nap in the late morning or in the afternoon. Meanwhile, I always have
meals to prepare, dishes to wash, groceries to buy, laundry to do, and my small studio apart-
ment to keep clean. For the past four years I have listened to podcasts downloaded to my iPod.
While I walk to places, cook, eat, wash dishes, or rest, I listen to podcast of the likes of Ravi
Zacharias, Hugh Hewitt, R.C. Sproul, Michael Medved, The White Horse Inn, or two BBC
podcasts on great figures, great ideas, and great events in history. Since I don't have a TV or
radio, I go to online news from the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today,
the BBC, and Fox. Plus there are several blogs and websites (conservative in orientation) for
news analysis. I am also trying to find more time to take pleasure in reading just for the fun of it.

I find great enjoyment in meeting with other people. I meet with four close friends every Tues-
day morning at 6:30 for breakfast. On most Wednesday evenings, I have enjoyed the Life
Group that my best buds Steve and Ellen attend. Thursday evenings I go over the basics of
the Christian life with a guy who just came to know the Lord. On Sunday evenings I attend
a small men's group at my home church. Throughout my week there are always what I call
divine appointments when I have amazing conversations with people I meet on the way. To-
night I went to a training session for those who have been cleared to be ministry volunteers
in the local jail. It is scary to me, but I believe the Lord is calling me to that. I'll be working
with a good friend of mine who is a pastor of a local church and involved in weekly minis-
try in the jail. I am also working with a good friend who is gifted in the ministry of Deep Heal-
ing. Perhaps the only things I would ask God for are opportunities to see a number of close
friends in the area whom I haven't been able to see. That's a great desire of mine.

I have my hands full of activities. There is plenty for me to do in terms of Christian minis-
try, service, and fellowship. My time has quickly filled up. I sense that much of it is prepar-
ing me for serving the people of St. Fergus Parish Church and the people of that area of Scot-
land. Perhaps it is providential that I have not been offered opportunities for work or pastoral
ministry in a congregation. I am doing ok financially and have found community resources
that can help me out. I am at a good place for the time being. It seems to me, however, that I
can pack up and leave at a moment's notice if the opportunity comes for me to head back to
Scotland. So be it, Lord, so be it. Meanwhile I keep on keepin' on.

Blessings to you and yours,