Global Vision 2009

Today was Global Vision...a yearly conference held by the Methodist Missionary Society (Ireland) to highlight overseas mission and to inform people of what is going in out there in the world of overseas mission, with our overseas mission partners and other current issues.

There was a great range of seminar topics to choose from including feedback from a mission partner recently returned home from Tonga, the story of a previous Muslims conversion to Christianity, the changing face of mission, Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan.

Everybody that spoke had a wonderful and engaging story to tell but for me the best part of the entire day was the last 15 minutes or so when the General Secretary summed up the day and added his thoughts. What were we going to do with what we had heard, learnt or felt called to. Would we go home saying we had, had a great day or would we go home changed...prepared to make a change...go home to pray...fast...and if we need to cry...but most of all let God use it and listen to how He wants to use it.

What would you attempt if you knew you wouldn't fail??

I'm not quite sure what we were talking about or how this came up at SAP this week but someone mentioned that little phrase..."what would you attempt if you knew you wouldn't fail?"..It's so true that often we don't step out or attempt to do something because we are scared of our own failure.

There was one thing that came to my mind...which I am not going to reveal!!...and it's something that i've often thought, yeh i'd like to give it a go. So why haven't I? Am I scared what others will think, am i scared of rejection, scared i'll not be good enough, ultimately scared of failure?!!! Or maybe it's not something God has in my future, I guess it's something that needs a little more thought and prayer, all prompted by that little phrase.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

snow...woohoo...

Tonight...there was snow...yay!! I love the snow it's just so fresh and pure.

But it can cause so much hassle for so many people. As a country which doesn't get very snow we are totally unprepared when it comes and everything just seems to shut down.

Which is why I was even out in it in the first place! To be fair when i left the house there was none in sight but when I arrived home a few hours later this was the scene. I had been babysitting for Janine as Clifford had been stranded in England...airports closing down because of the snow!


As much as I like the snow I'm glad it didn't even last the night...its nice to look at but it's not much fun to drive or walk out in!!

All for love...

We have been following a series on Grace and Gideon in our evening services over the past couple of weeks which Ive really been enjoying or perhaps to put it a better way Ive got a lot out of it and learnt a lot.Something that just seems to keep popping up for me at the minute is just how incomprehensible God is. From studying Job who's suffering is inflicted by the Satan with God's approval. But suffering is not the only topic to be found in Job but also the journey that Job takes with God coming to the point of submission because he will never understand God's ways or means. Then there is the divine name of God...'I AM who I AM'. This is something that has always intrigued me...there is just so much meaning in those 2 very small words I AM. 2 words that sum up the essence of my God who was, is and evermore shall be...transcending all space and time...any wonder we could never possibly understand all that He is.

This was the conclusion I had come up with regarding the sacred name for my Old Testament exam but never got to use...but that's a whole other story!!!

In the diverse cameos which emerge in an attempt to unravel the complexity of the origin, meaning and significance of the sacred name YHWH, a rich tapestry of challenging ideas can be taken for our worship today. When we enter God’s presence is there the same echo of excitement which evokes an ecstatic cry from the depths of our being as we reflect on the otherness and greatness of God in creation and all of life. We often have a casual familiarity which can easily degenerate into a performance. But as it is revealed in the culmination of the passage in Exodus in which God’s name is revealed, Yahweh’s name and nature exists in all time, in all directions, for ever and for all generations. God is essentially the God of presence in every conceivable experience that life throws at us demonstrating that the unpronounceable I AM speaks in the life death and resurrection of the One who claimed in John 8:58 – ‘before Abraham was , I AM’.

It can really be quite mind bending stuff which i guess for me is where faith comes in...He is the great God...Yahweh...I AM...and He cares about me...how awesome is that. The creator of the universe who breathed life itself wants to know about me...even though He already knows everything about me, He still wants me to chat to Him about it!

And it was this I was thinking about as we thought a little more about grace and prepared for communion on Sunday night and there was a verse that kept running through my head...

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:19

How can we understand a love that is prepared to die for us...a stranger...but that's just it...we aren't strangers as God knows every little intimate detail about us and just loves us that much.

The Lion King

Today was particularly exciting for me!! :)

I absolutely love the film the Lion King so when Rach asked me if there was a show i'd like to go see when I was over my immediate answer was the Lion KIng. So I was very excited all day.



As i have mentioned before i am emotional little soul and the Lion King makes me well up everytime...even before the actual film starts...the opening credits with the animals all making their way to pride rock for the presentation of SImba to the Circle of Life...wow!! And the musical was no different, it was awesome the way all the animals made their way in and the costumes were brilliant...i particularly liked the giraffes and the elephants.


The best character however had to be Rafiki the monkey, she was fantastic and really brought the character to life.

It was awesome watching the percusion guy up in the gallery playing the bongos etc he was just so full of life and animated...just how it should be. There was such an african feel about the whole thing which was just so good, they really had a wonderful atmosphere in the theatre and really made me feel like I wanted to be back again! :)

All in all it was a wonderful show and I reckon has cemented my love of the Lion King even more.

Happy Chinese New Year...

Monday saw the dawning of the Chinese year of the Ox and what better way to celebrate than going for a chinese in china town??

After a relaxing day and some wandering around shops and of course a visit to Starbucks I met Rachel and 3 of her friends in china town for a particularly tasty meal and some 'interesting' conversation.

There was evidence of the new year all around china town as it was wonderfully decorated with lanterns that seemed to wind for miles up and down the streets. It created a wonderful atmosphere and i thought it looked very pretty.

Reliving our youth...

It's very handy when you know somebody in the media business. Rach is usually able to get tickets for some concert or other and when she got tickets for NKOTB how could we possibly turn down the chance to see them!!


I was never a huge fan have to admit...I was more of a Brosette but I did recognise a few of the songs...the classics, 'Hangin' tough', 'step by step' and the 'right stuff'. I did however have to be told who was who as I just couldn't recognise them. It was quite a few years ago after all!!


Ah the classic boy band all in white ballad...you just gotta love how cheesy they took it!!

And how awesome is that...they are spelling NKOTB...ingenius!!! ;0)

But seriously they put on a good show despite the cheese. But it was unreal seeing grown women screaming and cheering as if they were still 14. Particularly how they engulfed the 5 of them when they came up to the balcony...I was literally waiting for someone to go over the edge!! Alot of them even still knew all the words to all the songs!!! There's just something weird and obsessive about that!!