The Holiness of God

This is the banner outside St Andrews Church/Peterhead
that announces the seminar on the holiness of God

It seems that for the past ten years  I have devel-oped a passion for the holiness of God. I never had a plan to speak to this glorious theme until several months ago. I was given the opportun-ity to carry on with the seminars begun by my dear colleague Abi near-ly three years ago at St Andrews Church in Pe-terhead. 

When Abi left St An-drews Church to pastor another Church we agreed that I would con-tinue with the seminars. I was rather reluctant at first, but stepped out in faith to do that. I was astounded and amazed at the way the Lord opened up the path for me to do this. I couldn't believe the way things opened up for me. It didn't take long for me to chose God's holiness as the theme for the autumn seminar. 

The holiness of God is a great and magnificent theme. Even though God is proclaimed by the Seraphim as holy, holy, holy in Isaiah 6, it is neglected by most of God's people whom I encounter. We (I put myself in this camp) spend little time tending to the majesty and glory of the Holy Triune God. I explore and develop the biblically and theologically rich theme of the holiness of God. I speak to the theme on three evening services at St Andrews Church in Peterhead. The congregation is like a big sister to St Fergus Parish Church which is just up the road and where I pastor. I have developed strong connections with people in other churches in Peterhead. I really look forward to proclaiming God's holiness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those assembled in the next few days. 

My first evening service is only hours away. I am ready, but I always struggle with my ability to speak to this marvellous theme. I have spent tens of hours preparing for each of the three evenings. Yet I am anxious about my ability to execute the plan of my speaking to God's holiness. In times such as these, the Lord always gently reminds me that God has called me to do this and that I am called to trust in God's Spirit to carry it out. This seminar is a big step for me. I have to trust in the Lord that God has called me to this and will empower me to carry it out. 

I ask that you lift me up in your prayers, that I would be faithful to what God has called me and trust in God rather than focusing on my own abilities or inabilities. May the services be honouring to the Lord and life-giving and a blessing to the people who come.

Blessings to you and yours,   

Thursday Night Bible Study

Thursday night Bible Study at St Andrews Church / Peterhead 

There is currently no Bible Study at St Fergus Parish Church, the congregation where I am pastor. I ask around to enquire if there would be any interest in a Bible Study here in the village. There just is not any interest in studying the Scriptures together in a small group. Several people have shared with me that there was a 'Bible Study' twelve or thirteen years ago, but it was not well attended. It was more of a lecture by the minister rather than an interactive study of the Bible. One of my goals for St Fergus is to have a group Bible Study in two or three years. Meanwhile I make every effort to encourage the people of the congregation to study and ponder Scripture. 

I have valued meeting with other people in small groups of 8-12 persons several times a month to study the Bible together. Studies of individual books of the Bible or biblical themes have enriched my spiritual growth over many years, even decades, of my life as a believer in Jesus Christ. I can't say enough about the support I have received from being a member of a group. I have long term friends from my time in these Bible Studies. While I was at the University of St Andrews, I was supported and nurtured by a group from a Scottish Episcopal Church in the town. When I spent over a year in my hometown in the USA awaiting my visa to re-enter Scotland, I was invited to be part of a Life Group of another church in town. The group encouraged me and sustained me in what was a difficult time in my life. Small Group Bible Studies and other types of small groups have been an important part of my life, nurturing me more deeply in the Christian faith and providing support for my walk with Christ. 

For close to two years here in North-East Scotland, I did not have contact with any small group of Christians. That changed when I heard about the Small Group Bible Study at St Andrews Church in Peterhead, the big town just down the road from St Fergus. My good friend and colleague Abi, who recently assumed the ministry at another Church of Scotland congregation in the south of Scotland, attended a Bible Study in the church. He didn't go there to direct it, but handed over leadership to two elders. It meant a lot to him to attend and he encouraged me to attend as well. There had always been some sort of Bible Study Group since the 1980s at St Andrews Church, but it really took its current shape and direction in the last ten years. Two elders, Kath and Joseph take turns leading the Bible Study on various topics in Scripture. We are currently studying prayer in the lives of biblical characters. Last week the group studied Hannah's story in I Samuel 1 as a model of prayer. Each Thursday there are fifteen minutes of visiting and singing, forty-five minutes for Bible Study, and half an hour for prayer. There is always plenty of discussion and reflection based on our study of the Bible. I always leave feeling satisfied and refreshed. 

I am always impressed by the attentiveness of the people in the group to God's Word. I would say that each week twelve to eighteen people show up. The group has faithful members. They read the Bible seriously and are not afraid to speak up to make comments or ask questions. Nor are attendees shy about speaking up. Discussion is always lively. They are hungry to study Scripture. It is so good to see this because I haven't witnessed too many fellow Christians here in the North-East having such an interest in God's Word. I am always touched by seeing the careful way they handle tScripture. This is truly a work of the Spirit. But people who attend the Bible Study are saddened that there are so many other members of St Andrews Church who have no desire to study Scripture. They pray for the time when there will be many people involved in Small Group Bible Studies. They wonder why the majority of the congregation finds no benefit in studying the Scripture together. 

I find that I really need the fellowship and spiritual care that a Small Group Bible Study provides. I don't know how I would cope if the St Andrew's Bible Study were not there. I am heavy hearted that there is no such Small Group Bible Study at St Fergus. Some day I trust there will be. I constantly pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work in the hearts of the dear people of St Fergus Parish Church so they would have a hunger for the study of Scripture, a thirst to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and a desire to fellowship with one another. Our small congregation will continue to slowly fade away unless the Spirit of Christ Jesus is at work in our lives. If you are so inclined, I ask that you pray for us at St Fergus Parish Church. 

Many blessings to you and yours, 

Jet Lag

My theme verse for the last two years of ministry at St Fergus Parish Church

I have now been back in St Fergus for more than one week. I still feel like my mind has been fried. It is hard to find stability in a world spinning around me. My thinking is muddled and my brain feels like mush. I continue to savour my recent visit back to see friends and a few family members in SW Washington, USA, and Vancouver, Canada, but I am seriously challenged by all the demands that call for my immediate attention. I had hoped that all the demands would take care of themselves and be dealt with and solved by the time I returned to town. Fat chance of that ever happening! They are still very much present. Now they even more forcefully demand my immediate attention. My foggy mind makes it difficult to bring a sense of order to my schedule and life. More than a week after my return to Scotland, I still feel like a wreck. That's jet lag for you.  

It was so good to be back home in Longview/Kelso, Washington, USA. Somehow or other, I was able to cross out names on a long list of friends I wanted to see. Unfortunately, there's now a short list of names of those whom I was not able to contact and visit. Time just flew by. I bit off a little more than I could handle and I was worn out by the middle of the second week. It was great seeing friends I had not seen for nearly two and a half years. After nearly two weeks in Longview/Kelso, I spent a quick 24-hours in Vancouver, BC, Canada, visiting friends from my Regent College days. Again, I didn't see everybody I had wanted to see. 

It was great being back in my USA hometown. But it also felt good coming back to my second home here in North-East Scotland. I have found that getting to feel at home in a new place requires leaving it for a period of time and then returning. I have had two plus years of experiences and memories here in St Fergus to add to a lifetime of experiences in Longview/Kelso in the American Northwest. When I returned to my house in St Fergus after being away for over two weeks, I really did feel like I was coming back home. It left a nice, warm feeling in my heart. Emotionally, it is a good place to be. This is home because the Lord has called me to be here in order to serve God and others in Jesus' Name.

It is now more than one full week since I returned from one home to my current home in Scotland. I still am looking for a pattern of sleep that I need to be refreshed for a new day. Most mornings I have awakened early and set about reading for two hours or more. Then I go back to bed and sleep soundly for two hours or more. As a result I have been getting up later than I am used to. Most days I have had to take deep draughts of long afternoon naps that leave me more dull of mind than refreshed. There were nights when I dreamt that I was still in transit from the USA to St Fergus. This caused me to feel stressed and anxious as I slept. My mind repeatedly failed to recognise that I was in my own bed back home in St Fergus.  I have not had restful sleeps as a result. Please pray that my mind may settle down and rest so that I in turn may have a peaceful and restful sleep.  

   

Proverbs 3:5-6 comes to mind as I reflect on my life and ministry here in St Fergus and my recent trip back to my hometown. Wherever I am, I realise that I never know what I am doing. There is always so much to do and never enough time to do it. I have come to realise that my life is not in my hands, but in God's hand. Jesus is the Lord of my life and the Lord of my time. Therefore I trust in the Lord with all of my heart and do not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways I submit to Him knowing he will make straight my paths. I can never handle my life and my time. Therefore I entrust them to the Lord, not trusting in my own abilities and efforts. May this be our constant prayer.  

Every blessing to you and yours,