Monday 20th February
Term II
Oh Wow! The bliss holiday does bring. As I write the train is departing from Nottingham station, almost two months since returning from Christmas I feel ready for some rest. Life continues to be exciting as I enjoy life lived in Fathers arms. He really has carved out the perfect place for me. Recognising the logistics of how it’ll work itself out continues to provide opportunities for faith building exercises, but the opportunities and potential continue to go from glory to glory. There are times, like today, where one desires a simpler more conventional life, but despite the apparent circumstances or fatigue there remains that deep hope of one’s calling in life. I know I’m in the right place, pursuing the right things, and this, along with His never ending love and faithfulness keeps my hope burning strong.
After arriving back to Nottingham on the back of two wonderful days at the Global Legacy conference I moved house into the Meadows to live in community with Ste, Sophie, Dave, Caroline, Dan, Eli and Little Miss Baby Hammond (who just today the parents found out was a girl) not to mention the Chickens and Jesus (Eli’s rabbit). After 3 ½ blessed months with the Payne’s the timing finally fit and I made the transition across town. Now 5weeks in I’ve slowly gathered furnishings and my space is taking shape. Next step is a prayer wall and some new curtains me thinks.
Just last week Ste, Sophie and I had a skype call with a friend from Sheffield who gave us some good food for thought about what our model of community living is to look like. It was a really beneficial time and we’ve each gone away with questions to ask ourselves about the purpose of the house and the purpose of us being together. It’s exciting dreaming and praying together. There’s a big heart for the house to be used as some kind of hang out for local youth as well as being a personal retreat place and even a business centre for Ste and I as and when our Social Green ventures take off. The big realisation for me was I hadn’t laid down my life to serve my housemates, an attitude that has since begun shifting. With all these guys it’s been great feeling the love and relationship deepening. Myers Briggs has helped but also time together doing life and serving one another has cemented this.
Moving in here has been an answer to prayer. Back 10months ago when Martha came to visit me in Bethel she asked what my ideal living arrangements would be. I voiced then the desire to live in a house with a few passionate Christian’s hungry after His presence. He has given me that and much more. Both our pad and next door (Dave and Caroline’s) have designated prayer rooms and amongst us all there is a wonderful rhythm of prayer, worship, obedience and stepping out flourishing. Just last week Ste got to pray for a Christian team mate who’s knee got healed there and then, in front of another, somewhat creeped out, team mate!
The Youth ministry is budding beautifully. One of the girls who rubbished the idea of Jesus initially is really taking to praying and requesting to pray whenever we meet. Even a film night aimed at being more of a sociable occasion was intersected with some time up in our prayer room lighting a candle and each saying some prayers. One of which, for Sophie’s phone to be unlocked, was shortly answered a few minutes after her prayer. Please pray for continued wisdom regarding our momentum moving forwards. There are a few regulars who have a real sweet community and are growing in the Lord which we don’t want to disrupt but there have also been occasions when more boisterous lads seem to have disrupted the atmosphere. We want to reach the lads as well, but not at the cost of what we’ve already been given. So wisdom would be great.
University continues to be an exciting journey. 2 papers were submitted in January, one has been accepted for publication in the last month with another abstract securing an invite to present a paper at the Sustainable Energy Technology Conference in Canada this September. My plan is to involve Martha’s street dance crew in some ‘Dance your PhD’ inspired presentation... the crew are up for it in principle but we’ll explore this further when back in the country.
Further developments involve various application preparations for different funding sources. In January my Career Development Loan was refused opening up the opportunity for God to provide in debt free means. Thus the drive to find suitable funding avenues gathered pace. I found out today that one rather large bid, which I was quite excited about, didn’t make it through the University system in time and so has failed. My supervisor is still hopeful of securing funding from other sources with a similar bid so we’ll see what develops. Pray for him over the next few weeks that he’d land on some perfect pot of gold that would open the way to the research God would have me give myself to.
We find out soon whether the collaboration with a local Tarmac Building Products branch will be profitable. So I’m hoping that upon my return the direction of my PhD will be slightly clearer! It’s a fun adventure with the Lord and I trust Him to provide for all my needs and to put my skills to work in the best possible arena. I thank the Lord for my supervisor and the work he continues to do. I feel looked out for and I know he would love to secure a profitable funding source to release my work. He spoke of giving me a salary if the big bid went through, but with that down, alas, still I know he believes in me and what I’m capable of, so for that I’m thankful. Today he linked me up with an undergrad that requires some tutoring so those doors seem to be opening once more. God is good. I’m glad to be here and can see real world impacting change coming through our research. He knows the journey marked out for us and so I follow Him.
Life with My Beautiful Lady has been really sweet. Just this weekend we finished off a DVD series we’ve been watching through called Define the Relationship. It’s a little pricey but if you can get hold of I thoroughly recommend. Each session provokes a wonderful opportunity to share our hearts and grow deeper together. There are challenges, but with each one comes the opportunity to grow closer, overcome and finish stronger. We led worship just over a week ago. The Lord showed up sweetly which resulted in us ditching the plan and sweetly following His leading. I enjoy worshipping together.
Church is growing ever sweeter with a real family feel. Communion fills us all with joy and the faith in the place is rising at a galloping rate. This last week we were all struck by the realisation that Jesus rarely asked the Father for anything. More often His manner was to hear what the Lord was saying and declare it into being, loosing heaven on earth. This realisation loosed us all into some real faith filled prayers, calling kingdom into being in our lives and or area. Its exciting being with such a body of believers hungry to see the Lord move powerfully and willing to be the test dummies!
This last weekend took it out of me. I know I didn’t always follow as I should have done, and I have received forgiveness and set my heart on Him a fresh. Never the less, the natural seemed to conspire against me, if spiritual attack before a season of refreshing, then I’m all the more excited for these coming weeks. Friday night I took a tumble from my dad’s bike. The Lord (and my helmet) looked after me as, after dusting myself down, I rode away from the 20mph tumble with bumps, bruises and grazes. The bike took quite a knock on the handle bars so I’ve been a little unsteady the last couple of days but kept it upright. Then hockey was good Saturday but I picked up some more bruises on my shin and hand. After the injuries and late nights the news this morning that the funding app was too late knocked me back.
So whether all this is spiritual attack before this season of blessing or whatever I’m glad to be in Nottingham and glad to be on holiday. God is increasing our love. He continues to connect me to folk with big dreams to change the world. Just last week I spoke to a colleague who is sending out his prototype bio gas catcher to Malawi to offer sustainable energy harvesting in remote locations.
And so, beyond any affliction or distraction or lie the enemy may tempt us with, the Kingdom advances. Graciously, almost secretly, it is invading the streets, the universities and our relationships. I’m glad for the Lord to have provided this opportunity to explore with Him. I look forward to catching up with friends and worshipping in His presence, amidst hungry believers, but more than anything, I look forward to soaking in the prayer room. To penning the thoughts that will make up my first book and in doing so unleash grace on the church to harness revelation and turn it into innovation. The exploration for this season is boldness and sensitivity –though the big context for the exploration is a large wallowing gooey mess of God’s love. I’m ready to dive into His love tank and be overwhelmed. There’s room for you to jump in too! Take us deeper Lord! Amen.
Abundant love and blessings,
Praise
