Homeward bound!!

On Monday, May 7th (a week from today, or as our kids tell time….7 sleeps) we, as God allows, will get to board a plane at 1:30pm in Portland headed for Amsterdam and then on to Glasgow. Such good news!!

At that time, we will have been in the US, an extra 13 weeks from our original plan and budget. Our kids will have missed approximately 4 months of school, and 1/3 of the year will have passed.

We had three birthdays here in the US, instead of just one, Connie and Shauna. We stayed overnight at roughly 13 different places. Bought snow chains and returned snow chains. Wore out some clothes, bought some new ones, and generally lead a pretty nomadic life.

Through it all our faith has been strengthened. God has owed us nothing in all this, but He has blessed us with everything we needed at just the right time. We could not have done this without His strength and without the help of countless people who listened to His call and helped our family. We are so very, very thankful!

We will leave Eugene tomorrow, Tuesday, and head to Portland for a few days to meet with folks and say some good-byes. What a great God we have, thank you Jesus for your grace in salvation!

 

An Act of God

We have received word from the  British Consulate in New York, that after having reviewed our case, they are now satisfied that we meet the requirements for a visa, and so, Dylan will shortly be able to return to his place of birth, Scotland!

Each and every day has been an act of God.  He has been overseeing and ordaining every move.  No government, no people, no one, moves without His moving.  My heart beats at His pleasure, my lungs fill with air because He wills it, He alone.  He owed me nothing in this process, and yet He has given me grace to return to our home in Renfrew.

Praise to the God of glory who gave His son, who placed Him on that cross, and who raised Him from that tomb three days later!

We go home soon, and we do so because He has made a way.

Denied and Appealed

We received word that Dylan’s visa request had been denied.

The letter was two pages, with the explanation of why, at the bottom of page one. Only problem was, when they printed it off, they failed to print the last few lines…you know…the ones that tell you the issues they had.

It picked up again mid-sentence on page two.

With some contextual reading, it appears that there were two issues:

1. They could not confirm that Shauna had leave to remain in the UK. (I don’t quite get this because everything is so computerized now, we have these little credit card type, micro chip things that have all our details on them….all it would take is a quick look in the computer system)

2. They did not believe that we could support Dylan financially in the UK because the document proving that support that I sent was not they wanted. (On this one, I sent proof of my employment with RBC and proof that I was sponsored in the country by RBC, but that’s not what they care about. They have a calculation that tells them a figure that we need RBC to state they will cover for one month….)

So, last Thursday I spent the day at Willamette Christian Church hammering out the online appeal and getting together the two documents that they specifically need. Looking over the paragraph 319H again, there should be (again…should be) no issue with approving us. We meet all the requirements and now have the specific documents to prove it.

When I finished the appeal, it stated that they will let me know that they received my request for an appeal in 10 days if I was in the UK and 28 days if I was outside. Wow! I sure hope this is just a government over-estimation, but right now, I’m not getting my hopes up.

We are moving again on Thursday to spend a bit of time with Shauna’s sister and will pray and await news.

On we go to week 7 of a very extended furlough!

 

A challenge to be hated

Sunday, I began the new year off at RBC with the words of Jesus, and a challenge this year to be hated, ostracized, reviled, and to have your name drug through the mud for the sake of Christ.

We looked into Luke 6:22:

Blessed are you when men hate you,

when they exclude you and insult you

and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

 

As I look back on 2011, I have to ask myself in light of the teaching of Jesus,

“Who has hated me for the boldness I have displayed in following Jesus?”  

“Did I stand up for righteousness no matter who might have called me ridiculous?”

“Did I make clear that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life, that there are no other Gods, and without His gift of grace, hell is waiting?”

I have to say, that if I am honest, I was not that bold.

I did not value Christ highly enough this last year.

I far too often value the praises of men to the hard sayings of my Lord.  And, sadly, this is what Christ has to say about that:

Luke 6:26  Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

 

Wow, when I please all men…when I blend in so well to the culture that I offend no one for the sake of Jesus Christ, I am a false disciple.  This is a distinction that I do not want.  This is a distinction that none who call themselves Christians should desire.

We were never brought into the family of Christ to “blend in.”

This new year of 2012, let us be a church that is hated because we love God alone, love our neighbors as ourselves, and make disciple of Jesus everywhere we go!

Almost a new year

January, 2012 will mark the point at which our family has been in Scotland for three years.

For Dylan, Scotland is obviously all he has known. (He’s almost three months old)

For Taren, Scotland is all he has known (He’s two)

For Caileen, Scotland is where she has spent most of her years

For Connie, Scotland is going to be most of her years too…soon.

This country has become home in a very short period of time.

The other day, Raiden commented that he wished his two younger brothers were American.

When I asked him why, he couldn’t put his finger on it.  He just did.  It didn’t matter to him that they hold US passports and that they are not citizen’s of the UK even though they have been born here.

I think, that in his own way, he is coming to grips with the oddity of our family.  Some of us have been born in the US, some in the UK.  Some have spent most of their lives in the US while, an ever increasing number have spent their lives in the UK.  We visit the US occasionally, but it is not home.  Accents are changing all the time with the kids, not to mention their vocabulary.

And, as a parent, it is a bit odd to think that my kids will not be like other kids in our family.  They don’t fit in to the US anymore, neither are they Scottish.  They will be, I believe, stronger and more resilient, and maybe at times, a bit confused and lonely.

Through it all, God will never lose control.  He will never cease to ordain what occurs in our lives.  That is comforting.  We will always be first and foremost, citizens of the Kingdom which has come in Christ Jesus!

 

Christmas Eve!!

Here’s an open invitation to our Christmas Eve service  tonight!

We will have a carol service from 7:00pm to 7:45pm at the church, with treats and drinks after.

Hope to see you there!

God uses people

If you look at Matthew 1:1—-

Matt. 1:1  A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Matt. 1:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Matt. 1:3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

And it goes on for a bit.

A genealogy of Jesus.

What does that long list say to me?

God uses people.

Is God sovereign?  Undeniably, Yes.

Does God chose who will receive grace?  Absolutley.

Does God use people to accomplish His will?   There is no doubt.

The only real question is: “How will He use you this Christmas season?”

Memorial for Margaret

The memorial service for Margaret MacKenzie will take place this Friday (December 2nd) at 2:00pm at Renfrew Baptist Church, 77 Paisley Road.

It will be followed by a short service at Woodside in Paisley and a tea in the back hall of the Renfrew Baptist church at 3:45pm.

 

Two Powerful Sundays

On October 30, our associate pastor, Iain Kennedy brought us teaching from John 17:15-19.

He encouraged us to be bold and proclaim the gospel message of Jesus Christ, reminding us that a life lived for Jesus in the world is not one of action only, but consists also in word!

What response will you have when a co-worker asks why you are so joyful day in and day out?

Yesterday, Pete Rennie taught us from John 17:20-26.

He encouraged us to be like Jesus Christ, with the knowledge that He has given us His glory in order that we may accomplish this task.

How will you discipline yourself to continue on this journey?

What is the source of your joy?

That is the question Iain Kenndey, associate pastor at RBC asked us all on Sunday.  A very good question indeed!

Why?

Simply put, very few Christians truly live a life that reflects their belief that it is due to God alone and through God alone that we have what we have.   Because God is glorious, you have:

Children in which you take great joy…….and……no children

A job in which you are able to provide for your family………and…….no job

Health………and……..no health

Food and drink………and……..lacking food and drink

The very beat of your heart………and……a faltering heart beat

Do you see?   The source of your joy must be in God’s gloriousness, because one day, those things which you place so much of your hope will come to an end, or fail.  In that day…..how will you continue to be joyful?

One of the greatest myths that we have believed, that the world, the flesh and the devil have sold us, is that we are self-sufficient, we do what we do on our own strength.  That lasting joy can be found in an act, or person apart from God.

James shows us how foolish this thinking is:

James 4:13   Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”

James 4:14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Did you catch that?  If the Lord wills, you will live……..

Do I find joy in the smile of my children, in a job well done at work, at a good meal prepared and set before my family?  Absolutely, and I give God all the glory because it is from His great grace and mercy that all these things find their origin.

God is truly the source of all joy!