At home in Cupar with Ziggy the Cat

Ziggy is the house cat and Margaret the landlord of the house in which
I live in Cupar. Cupar is a town of 8000 people in the Kingdom of Fife,
Scotland. For nearly 16 months I have enjoyed getting to know the peo-
ple of this ancient Scottish town and exploring its streets and byways.
Over the winter I've seen more snow than usual fall on the streets of
Cupar and the surrounding hills.

I have enjoyed getting to know Ziggy the cat, who also lists the place
where I live as his residence. I could say that Ziggy is a ferocious guard
cat, but his gentle and friendly nature would never allow for that in any
way. It has been quite an adventure sharing living space with Ziggy,
about whom I have written in one or two previous blog postings. He has
made a mighty effort to train me to respond to his every request. In
this endeavor, Ziggy has been quite successful.

Ziggy has figured out that Margaret, in her room down the hall, will
not open her door for Ziggy when he paws and scratches her door at
5AM. That's because Margaret is smart and knows her cat. She takes
out her hearing aids when she goes to sleep so she won't hear Ziggy de-
manding her immediate attention. But Jeff, on the other hand, is not
smart like Margaret. Because he is usually up fairly early, is tender
hearted, has been well-trained by the cat, and still has his hearing left,
Ziggy knows that the human will respond immediately when summoned
by his meowing and scratching at the human's bedroom door.

Last summer Ziggy spent a lot of time outside, often until early in the
morning. In the spring, he would be let out around 8PM and stay out
all night. At daylight Ziggy would camp out at the kitchen window,
waiting for me to come down from my room around 6:15AM. Then he
would get my attention and head to the back door to be let in.

But the winter is a different story. Ziggy still wants out around 8PM,
but doesn't stay out the whole night because it is so cold outside!
Trouble is, he wants in when Margaret has gone to sleep and I am up in
my room. No one is in the kitchen to see him and let him in.

Poor, poor Ziggy.

But Ziggy has figured out that he can get up on the roof of a nearby ga-
rage and then jump some ten feet or so to the ledge outside my bed-
room window. It may be late at night and I'm still at my desk, or early
in the morning when I'm asleep, I'll hear a thud at my window followed
by a pathetic little meow. I open the curtains and see Ziggy hugging the
narrow ledge, staring at me, wanting to be let in. I am astonished by his
nerve at the demands he puts on me, but I marvel at his amazing leaping
ability.

During the daytime, Ziggy often takes long naps on my bed as I work
at the desk in my room. Or he settles down on my desk and paws at my
different notes and papers. He's fascinated by such things as paper clips,
iPod earphones, and blue pens. If Ziggy wants some personal attention,
he plops himself down on the keyboard of my laptop and challenges me
to continue working. Almost all the time, he wins. I am such a wimp! In
situations like that we stare each other down, and then give each other
an affectionate little headbutt. Such is life with Ziggy the cat.

Blessings to you and yours,

Another Closed Door

On Monday aftenoon, yesterday, I got the news that a church I had ap-
plied to last week had just called a new minister. The candidate was in-
vited to preach last Sunday, and then was called by the congregation in
an election after the service. In the Church of Scotland, he or she -the
candidate- is referred to as the 'sole nominee.' If he or she is elected,
the candidate is said to be 'successful.' I really desire to be a success-
ful sole nominee, but all the doors I have tried have been closed to me.

Late in 2009, I sensed that the Lord was calling me to be willing to
serve in any linked parish with two or more congregations way up
north in Scotland. I had heard that churches were having difficulties
attracting ministers to come way up there to pastor churches. I identi-
fied five parishes with vacancies. One had been vacant for seven years
and another for ten years. I made contact with the five. I was not a
good match for two of them; one was not yet seeking a permanent min-
ister; and the other two had just called successful sole nominees. The
vacancy that had been vacant for ten years was one of the two that
had just called a minister. All the doors were closed up north.

So I started looking for vacancies elsewhere, and soon found myself
looking for vacancies in urban Glasgow. I was attracted to one partic-
ular church that expressed a love for Jesus, expected biblically-based
preaching, and was reaching out to the people around them. It was
the type of church that I wanted to serve. I went over to Glasgow to
visit the church and check things out. I was excited about the people
there and submitted my application last week. So it was a real downer
to receive the news that a sole nominee had been successful there last
Sunday. I was happy for them, but felt a bit disappointed.

But just last night I read about another church in Glasgow that might
be a good match for me. They, too, love Jesus, seek biblically-based
preaching, and are reaching out to the people around them. Plus there
are several other things about them that attract my attention. They
will be accepting applications until March 29, and then make a decision.

Ever since early January when I began to seriously look for pastoral
positions I have been learning a lot about God, about trusting God,
and about my own calling as a pastor. I am being reminded daily about
what it means to trust God. Friends here in the area have been encour-
aging me that there will be closed doors, but God has just the right place
for me. Those are good words. Meanwhile I am reminded that whether
I am in a pastoral position or waiting for a call, I am to trust and obey.

As always, I ask for your prayers.

Blessings to you and yours,

24-7 Prayer: Prayer, Mission, and Justice

Last Saturday, February 6, I again travelled down to Edinburgh to join
750 other Christians at an Alpha Scotland Vision Day. The theme for
the day was 'Let's Make Jesus the Talk of Scotland.' It was a long and
busy day, but one that both refreshed me and excited me. A growing
number of churches here in Scotland have been using the Alpha course
to introduce the claims of Jesus Christ in a friendly manner. I have wit-
nessed how meeting Jesus in the course has changed lives, families, and
churches.

There were seminar tracks for those who lead Alpha courses, for those
who wanted a basic understanding of Alpha, and for people who wanted
to know about Alpha courses on family life. But I signed up for the track
on 24-7 Prayer. There are churches and ministries that have someone
praying every hour of a day, everyday for some period of time. Some
churches do this over a weekend or for three or four days, and others
do this for a week, a month, or some longer period of time. Several cen-
turies ago the Moravians practiced 24-7 prayer for 100 years! It seems
to be bringing new life to people, and revival to God's people here in Scot-
land.

I am increasingly aware of a mighty move of God coming upon the
Church in Scotland. There are more and more churches joining the
24-7 prayer movement. I have also come across Pray for Scotland
that is calling Christians to pray for the nation every day at 12 noon.
There are other ministries arising that are calling God's people to
prayer. I like the key words of the 24-7 prayer movement: Prayer,
Mission, and Justice. Prayer is not an end in itself, nor is it a private
affair. Rather it propels God's people out in mission and action for jus-
tice in the Name of Jesus.

Back in the mid-1990s I experienced mighty things happening at the
daily early morning prayers at New Covenant Christian Center in Bos-
ton. Over 100 believers from different churches in the city gathered
at New Covenant for 5 am and 6 am prayer sessions. The main topic
of prayer was racial reconciliation. And now I hear exciting things are
happening at Northlake Baptist Church in my hometown of Longview,
WA, where a large number of believers from different churches have
been meeting early in the morning every day for the past three years.
Now that is exciting! Many of us here in Scotland are starting to sense
that the Spirit has been doing amazing things here, too. I feel privileged
to be here to experience it.

There should be material on 24-7 Prayer in your nation on the web. The
same is true regarding Alpha. I also recommend Pete Grieg's Red Moon
Rising and Punk Monk.

Blessings to you and yours,

Two Afternoons at the Movies

I really enjoy going down to Edinburgh! It is not often that I get down
there, but when I do have an opportunity, I go by bus. It takes 90 min-
utes to go from Cupar to Edinburgh. The bus is much cheaper than the
train, is not as crowded as the train, and allows me the precious oppor-
tunity to chill out. I know right where the seats with extra leg room are,
and they are usually vacant, but not always. However, that is ok. In
many bus trips to Edinburgh I rarely have had a person in the seat next
to me. On the bus I can leave the driving to the driver and enjoy the
Scottish scenery passing by, or read, or listen to my iPod, or nap, or do
nothing!

I was down in Edinburgh for two meetings on two separate days last
week. I decided that each day I would go to my meeting and then
treat myself to a movie and a good meal. One of my favorite places in
Edinburgh is the FilmHouse,with its excellent selection of films from
around the world. The cafe serves homemade meals at a very reason-
able price. I have often lingered in the cafe after watching a film, sip-
ping on a hot chocolate and writing my reflections in my journal. I had
a lot to ponder last week after seeing The Road, a newly released film
about the travels of a father and his young son through a post-apoca-
lyptic America. It is a disturbing film that is both horrifying and beau-
tiful at the same time. Survival is a daily struggle for the pair. It is a
film that will stay with me for a long time to come.

On the other day last week I went to another cinema to see The Book
of Eli, a film that is also set in post-apocalyptic America. I had read
about both this film and The Road, and was interested in them. Plus
both films were showing at matinee prices. I try to see films at reduced
prices if I am able. I often consult Rotten Tomatoes online to read re-
views of movies that interest me. It is a resource that I have found
very useful in discerning which movies I see. Despite the negative re-
views of The Book of Eli and its poor ratings among movie reviewers,
I went to see it anyway. I figured that if so many reviewers trashed it,
it must be good. And it was.

Denzil Washington excels in the role of Eli, a man called by God to guard
the last Bible on earth. He protects it through a 30-year journey over a
violent and bleak post-apocalyptic landscape. All kinds of bad guys
threaten to keep Eli from fulfilling his God-appointed mission, but they
all meet their death in all kinds of wildly-creative ways. The violence was
a bit much for me, but I hung in there. What I especially appreciated was
an underlying Christian message that gradually seeped onto the surface
of the film. The ending was ingenious and intriquing, one that I will pon-
der for a long time to come. The movie definitely had its faults, but it did
not deserve the bashing that so many critics gave it.

I thought a lot about The Book of Eli after I left the cinema. I had some
time before I caught my bus to Cupar, so I sought out a place to eat. I
don't go there often, but I always enjoy going to the golden arches, to
MacDonalds. I am certain that many of you do not know that it is a fine
Scottish eating establishment that has spread all over the world, and is
especially strong in North America. Every so often, a Big Mac and gold-
en fries make my day!

Blessings to you and yours,