Deputation in Northern Germany

Yesterday we made the 10 hour journey to Claudia's parents home in Neumuenster and this morning we shared in Claudia's home church about our ministry and I preached from Matthew 18. We are so thankful for this opportunity and for the warm welcome we received. This evening we will share at a house meeting and during the next 14 days we have more meetings planned. Please pray for safety in travel and that God would lay it on peoples hearts to pray for us.

Online peer pressure

I have submitted to the pressure and fear of being out of vogue... it's official, I now am a member of Face Book. If you want to be my friend :) click here and sign up!

Also, tonight we had our second JYC meeting and it went really well again. Everybody came back and we had one more new person there.

First JYC in our new home

Tonight we were delighted that 10 young people turned up for our first JYC! Most of them either go to our church or have some connection to it.
As it was the first night, our priority was just to get to know each other better, so we played a few games, got everyone to introduce themselves and discussed some of the themes we want to look at in the future. Claudia gave a short testimony and then we had some refreshments. The two hours were over quickly.
We felt that all in all the night went very well and that the young people really enjoyed themselves. We will move it around the leaders homes for the next while and hopefully by the new year our church will be into its new building where there is lots of room for us to meet.

Teaching at a German Bible School

Today was a public holiday in Germany (Reunification Day) so the boys were off school. That meant that I was able to take the family with me for the classes I had at the Bodenseehof Bible School on Lake Constance. Claudia was able to share some of her testimony and the boys behaved themselves. I am so glad that my new role within CEF allows for this type of work. I love sharing with people about the work of CEF and speaking to a large group of young people. We finished the day with a visit to the Rhein Falls, the biggest waterfalls in Europe.

Following in her sisters footsteps

We spent this weekend as a family at our former Bible College (Bibelschule Brake). It was great to meet with students and teachers again and to sit under the ministry of Dr Erwin Lutzer (Senior Pastor at Moody Church, Chicago).
However the main purpose of our visit was to attend the graduation service for Claudia's (wee) sister Ann-Christin. We praise God for His work in her life and pray for her as she goes now to the University in Flensburg, Germany to study to become a teacher.
It was a special honour for me to be asked to take part in the Saturday evening service by reading the scriptures and opening in prayer.

More photos from the conference

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Simply the best in Word and Song

Since first hearing him speak in 2002 at the Evangelical Ministers Assembly (EMA) in London, and meeting him personally in Portrush at the Irish Baptist Pastors Conference in 2003, I have frequently visited the Truth for Life website to download the sermons of Alistair Begg. He is, in my opinion, up there among the best when it comes to faithfully expounding the Word, illustrating it appropriately and earthing it to our lives.

The second person(s) that have greatly blessed my life in recent years have been singer/song writers Keith and Kristyn Getty. I have never met them personally (even though they come from my home country N. Ireland) but their music has been used of God to give me many wonderful and intimate times with my Lord. Although most of Keith's best known hymns were co-written with Stuart Townend, Keith and Kristyn have recently started to release recordings together. Their hymns are now well established in many churches across Europe and North America, hymns such as, In Christ Alone, See What a Morning, Higher Throne and that hymn, which I can hardly sing without being overcome with emotion and deep, deep gratitude that my sins are forgiven, The Power of the Cross. This song, for me, is deserving of being up there with John Newton's Amazing Grace.
It was so wonderful to learn last year that Keith and Kristyn had accepted an invitation from Alistair Begg to join him and the staff at Parkside Church, Ohio. What a team! The best in Word and Song. However, it gets better! Parkside have just started to offer video streaming of their services on their church website, where the Gettys can often be seen leading the worship before the sermon! So if you want to be truly ministered too then go get a Bible, turn up the speakers and click here.
Have you too been blessed by the ministry of these dear people? Use the link below to leave your comment.

A Sunday afternoon cycle = 3 countries - 33 Km - 40,000 people

Yesterday I took part in the "slowUp Basel-Dreiland" along with 40,000 others on bicycles (90%) and Rollerblades (10%). This was the first time on my bicycle for two months (since my elbow operation) so I opted for a 33 km route rather than the full 45 km which went into Switzerland, Germany and France. The route crossed the border 5 times and the Rhein river 4 times. All of the roads were closed to traffic and everyone (well most people) went around the route in a counter-clockwise direction. The weather was superb as was the organization of this huge event. This was the first time for this event in Basel but it looks to become a yearly event. Next year I want to do the full route. Anybody want to join me?

Visit from my parents

It was great to have my mum and dad visit for a long weekend. We enjoyed showing them around our new home and area and just relaxing with them. Of course it was also very special for Joel and David to have their Granny and Granda visit.

First day at Kinderschule

On Friday we all visited the local Kindergarten. We also talked to the staff about Joel and they agreed with our opinion that he is not yet ready to enter the German primary school system. Joel turned 6 last June and since we moved here in July, he has been improving greatly in his grasp of the German language. We have now asked the primary school to keep Joel’s place for next year.
Today was Joel and David’s first day at the same school. The Kinderschule has 3 classes. David is in the first class and Joel is in the third class, which is very much, a preparation class for ‘the real school’. The children in Joel’s class are of the same age.
While this decision was a difficult one to take, both the teachers and we believe that it is the right decision for Joel. Now we just have to fill in a few forms to get this formalized.

Click on the video above to see a short film of Joel and David’s first day at Kinderschule!