A Prayer Nook.

With a brand new project in the works, the end of last week and beginning of this week included renovating an old office into a completely innovative fresh modern prayer space for all of the community at the Leith Acorn YMCA Center. This has been my favorite venture so far for several reasons. It included more painting (just for you, Circuit staff), decorating an entire area from scratch, and creating a space to be consumed by prayer in various forms. The process included fabric shopping, painting shopping, thrift store shopping, and IKEA shopping…all with a common theme and personal favorite, shopping! I mostly free-hand painted the prayer tree on the wall in the picture and the final product makes me so happy. Thank you, Leith Acorn Center, Kerry, Hayley, and staff for letting us contribute to the great work you do in ministry there! I can't wait to see how God fills that space...

blessings and cheers.

Hands Held.
I, and my teammate, Lis, were in charge of planning and leading an entire "all age" worship service at one of the local churches in the community of Rosyth yesterday morning. The service included an array of pieces from the call to worship, introductions, hymns, prayer, teaching a Seed's song with sign language (shout out to Highway56), scripture readings, and I was given the wonderful opportunity to give the homily, "Hands Held" (see a clip above). I touched on the many uses of our hands, the importance of prayer, and how our hands can aid in unity. To my complete surprise in fellowship shaking hands with people after the service concluded several people told me these words, "What an incredible message" and "That was something I will remember for a very long time". Wow. I mean, wow. I was so taken by the overwhelming impression my words made in just sharing the gospel from my heart. It astonished every one of my senses and left me whirling in joy. I wish I could have bottled that exact feeling I felt in that very moment as a reminder for the times I do not feel effective at all in ministry. God's ways revealed through his people are always so exquisite when we let go of our own agendas and fully invite them in.


On the same morning in two other "boroughs" of town, two pastors, Mack and Jeff, and 12 boys from my church at home with my common link preached in two of the Methodist churches here I am working with in the Circuit. Following the services and controlled chaos in the web of moving people from one place to another, my team of 4, Andrew, his wife, Belinda, Jeff, and Mack met for lunch. It was a grand highly-anticipated sight as my two worlds collided around one table over a shared meal connecting two Methodist communities with my great hopes to build a long lasting partnership in ministry together. 'Til again...blessings and cheers!

World Cup 2010...
Yesterday was the start to football festivities all over the world. We went to a local pub to watch and be right in the action of the game, USA vs. England. The best part was that the Scots would rather root for anyone besides the English so 99% of the pub was cheering on the Americans, it felt like a taste of home, but with soccer, a severely unappreciated sport in our part of the world. We enjoyed taking in some of their love for the sport, it was full of excitement, indeed!

Happenings over the past couple of days...

We put our painting skills to the test for several days being renovators for the oldest Methodist church in Scotland where John Wesley, himself, preached long ago. Lots and lots of paint! A fun project, indeed.

We explored a "Women in Mission" seminar during the festivities at Edinburgh 2010. The picture highlights a canvas of prayers from people all over the world with the Methodist church in the background.

We were provided "VIP" tickets to the closing ceremony service for Edinburgh 2010 Mission Conference that was held in the exact same venue at the Edinburgh 1910 Conference, 100 hundred years ago. There was an incredible African choir, music for all over the world, descendants of people from the 1910 conference that spoke, and a beautiful Indian dance depiction of two different scriptures. It was such a powerful authentic unifying picture of the world representing one mission: the love of God.

With a great local guide, Mike, our fellow painter, we went off the beaten path to discover some hidden wonders of Scotland. The is a shot of the Hales castle.

One of my favorite things are lighthouses. They are such beautiful structures and are beacons of light for the nautical world (I just love their purpose in life). In conversation with Mike about these navigational shelters of light, he knew one that was close by to stop in for a visit...it was a very sweet moment.



We had a great evening of worship and music on Sunday with "The Weatherfolk and Ice Cream" sharing in lyrical offerings and good community.

After a couple of days of enriching meetings with our Scottish minister friends and engaging Circuit events, our team shared dinner and dessert last night in the "Grass Market" part of town, my local favorite spot. This was by a landslide the best strawberry cheesecake I have ever had in my entire life, hands down delicious!

Finally....videos to share!

United Community.
Helping lead a litany in a Sunday morning worship in Kirkcaldy (on the North side of the Bay) with Rev. Letby (our "Scottish boss") with Lis accompanying a great hymn on violin. It was a very special moment for me. (Hwy56 - me in true action here ;)).


Feast of Celebration.
We had the honor of participation in the 122nd Anniversary of Cockenzie Methodist providing worship for their event. The team brought prayer, songs, Scripture, and an energetic mediation of praise (by Lis) finishing with a fellowship of cakes and tea. It was a magnificent evening of shared celebration!

Sick.
I apologize for a lack of blogging over the past couple of days. I have been pretty ill in bed with a nasty bug the past two days, and it is driving me crazy not out helping my teammates and our Scottish team with our tasks. I cannot stand it, but I have been sick for over a week only getting worse. So even though I am quite stubborn, I am very thankful to Dan, Lis, Casey, Ken, Barbara, Hayley, Jo, Geoffrey and Andrew that have taken care of me, offered words of healing, and made me completely stop my normal speed to get well again. Thank you to my friends and family back home for your "feel better" words, too! I cannot wait to get back out helping in Scotland.

(In the photo...my very sweet boy back home sent me beautiful flowers to brighten my sick days)

Listening and Hearing.
The end of last week included great discussion between visionaries to help facilitate using our best gifts with the most potential. With a stuffy head, I took a walk around the city including sitting in the park to just take in my surroundings. Saturday, we enjoyed a Seafood festival outside of town as well as finding a new hot spot in town called the Grassmarket, full of cafes, shops, pubs, and a big central courtyard.

Sunday morning began with two girls on their way into town to participate in another new service and thriving congregation in the heart of the city. However, missing a vital piece of information as to the name of our bus stop where the church was located lead us scrambling for our phones, but we both came up empty-handed, phone-less and map-less in the middle of the city. SO we put our old school navigation skills to the test...hail a taxi ;). Finally arriving at the church with a quarter of an hour to spare, we took some breaths with last minute preparations for the morning. The church and service were beautiful and going quite well until I disrupted with a violent coughing fit. I quickly proceeded out of the back of the Sanctuary nearly hurdling over some congregants to get out as fast as possible not to draw too much attention to me. A very sweet lady, Jackie, immediately came to my aid providing water and stayed with me to make sure I would be ok after almost choking. We shared some of our over-lapping stories from the States only confirming how small the world is in each interaction. I observed the rest of the service from outside the Sanctuary. The church has a very diverse and welcoming community; we were grateful to a part of it that morning. It was that afternoon that I was confined to my room by my teammates due to a week of fighting sickness.

Angle of Approach.
A common coined golf term alludes to that which the head of the club hits the ball directing its travel and spin. One, I thought all too fitting for this post as our day trip yesterday was to the infamous golfing epicenter of St. Andrews. The city has some of the most acclaimed golf courses in the world including that of the British Open in the coming weeks; however, the city holds so much more, too. There are beautiful landscapes including a large Cathedral ruin with encompassing cemetery, St. Andrew's Castle, St. Andrew's University, quaint shops and restaurants-lined downtown, and captivating views of the North Sea. We met a kind Scotsman taxi-driver that navigated us around town, and a great couple from Georgia in the States celebrating the husband's birthday with a golf trip there that decided to add a day trip to Edinburgh onto their trip with my encouragement. I am adoring all of the newness and listening spots God is presenting in my daily interactions...it is invigorating and rejuvenating all at the same time. An idyllic "sight" of a day. 'Til tomorrow...blessings and cheers.

Just a Coffee House Kind of Day.
You know you love coffee when there are two coffee shops directly across the street from each other and you end up at both of them! I set out to go to The Elephant House (birthplace of Harry Potter), but it was too busy so I jumped across the street to Cafe Lucano. Then, I met the group back at The Elephant House for lunch and more good coffee/journal time after. It was just lovely!






A view of The Elephant House from Cafe Lucano.













Lunch time! (notice, I have coffee there, too)















Now flipped, the view of Cafe Lucano from The Elephant House.

One hundred twenty two years in the making.
Yesterday, Sunday, was a full day assisting in two different churches, two different services, both sharing the common theme of celebrating the anniversary of 122 years in which they began. In the morning we were a part of worship at Kirkcaldy, a port community on the North side of the bay. (Picture at the left, original window from dedicating of church). The service was intimate and powerful including Charles Wesley hymns, a terrific sermon, and finishing with a partnering litany accompanied with the sweet sounds of the violin.






The evening brought a beautiful service in Cockenzie completely lead by "the Americans" as we are quite commonly referred to around here. The four of us worked to integrated our gifts equally in the service combining passion, prayer, and praise to offer a night of celebration to the church and community. Here, after almost every event anything from a meeting to a worship service is complemented with tea and cakes. This breeds a setting of community and fellowship coincided with delicious treats. And, if you ask me, that is just brilliant and should be done everywhere. All around it was a spirit-lead and spirit-filled day with our Scottish friends.

Atop a Peak.
Arthur's seat is the infamous hill that makes Edinburgh's city views so picturesque. In the shots, you will find the ascent up the hill with aerial views at the very top. We made it to the top putting our rock climbing expertise to the test. We also visited St. Andrew's chapel ruins that sit on the edge of the hill. In the background of these pictures is the town below with the North Sea beyond that. My first sunburn of the season accompanied our outing today. It was truly magnificent and breath-taking (in every sense of the word ;)).

Unity.
I feel as though I am finally understanding the lay of the land in Edinburgh. The bus system and routes are becoming more clear, and I am starting to recognize places as we pass them on the street. It is amazing the process of how you adjust to a place. It takes time to map out a place in your mind while operating in it all at the same time. One of my favorite things here is that every day is fresh and refreshing. Although, my awareness and clarity of landmarks is finding fruition, it is still completely indefinite what new things we will experience and witness each day. In the States, we tend to be set in a routine based on the job we hold as each day starts to have it's patterns based on what we need there is to be accomplish. This then becomes a familiar structure from week-to-week. It is very different here with our roles. Since we are here to serve the Methodist church we are not tied to a job description and staying with in those parameters along the way. We can literally say, "How can we best help you today?" This is the truest form of a servant: to be completely available to aid another in any way that is needed and for as long as needed. I am so thankful God has placed myself and the rest of our team in this place for this time to be that servant to represent him and our love for our neighbors. Where ever God takes me, I am still learning to better love, and at present, it is the Scottish way.
Just a clip of youth interactions (esp. to share with Highway56):

Walk on.
A collaboration in staff meeting started the day followed by a worship music practice session this afternoon. Our team then split for the evening with Lis and Ken leading an adult bible study at a local church, and Casey and I participating in a girl's age 10-14 group study at the Leith YMCA Acorn Center. There we assisted in games of dodge ball and cooking a Scottish dessert, Banoffee pies. Now, that dessert was down right yummy! It made me think about my Highway56 kids back home, missing your faces, but do know that I daily spread stories of you and our ministry over here. Casey and I concluded with a sweet shared meal for dinner outside on a canal near the coast. God's goodness is my treasure in each of these days. 'Til tomorrow...blessings and cheers.


Our home base...the Methodist Circuit office.


Leith YMCA Center, housed in a past Methodist church. This is where the Girl's group meets each week.


Our charming dinner spot.

Toes in the Sand.
With an Edinburgh holiday, we embarked on a day of local coffee shop sweets, shopping the city streets, walking in wonder, and taking an excursion by bus over to the coast (3 miles) to see Portobello beach. We took pictures, played in the sand, and finished with a fun dinner at a pub on the water. Great adventures filled the day.

Days Go By.
So this is a package deal.
Friday...

Where my day began in reflection over looking the city...


One of the Methodist churches we will serve while here, note the American flag they flew just for us!


Inside the oldest Methodist church in Scotland, John Wesley preached here 21 times. And, the first church I had the privilege to serve in two days later on Sunday.


A view from a serene quaint little coast town.



Site of an old castle....part of the castle still remains (the upper right hand side of picture) along with the home of many, many seagulls.


Terrific group shot of the Scottish/American Methodist team. This was followed by delicious fish and chips on the coast.

Saturday...we had a exciting and full day of welcoming festivities at Andrew and Belinda's house complete with a fun lunch, fellowship with those in the community, more eating, sharing music, more eating, watching authentic futbol, and more eating. It was such a heart warming day for us on the team.

Sunday...the first morning to be a part of church was held at Dunbar Methodist Church for Lis and me while Ken and Casey were at Central Square to aid in their service. I was so filled by the spirit in that church. First of all, imagine this, the youth can out number the adult congregants on many a Sunday along with their active participation in the service. Several of the youth are there on their own apart from their parents. They find a refuge there with a strong leader named Hayley and a core small group, but so genuinely dedicated volunteers. We enjoyed a very gospel-driven mixed-culture service together. It was a truly grateful moment for my heart that morning, a beautiful picture to witness and be a part of with that congregation. In the afternoon, we witnessed the closing of a church building participating in the last service in the building. It was a reverent service with a touch of sadness. We were then on our way to one of the Circuit pastor, Helen, and her husband, Colin. at their home for dinner. The home-cooked meals here have been overflowing with good food and graciousness. We shared great night together!

Lady on a Bus.
I found myself observing all sorts of walks of life on the bus today. We had a longer bus route traveling to the city of Leith to explore the Leith Acorn Center partnered with the very familiar YMCA. We participated in a men's drop-in along with putting our feet to the payment to walk the streets to explore the city dynamics. Every person we came in contact with today displayed a diverse face of the journey from a minister to a grandmother to a homeless man to name just a few. In our journey we process countless things and those around us. The word, perception, kept resurfacing in my mind today as I encountered people in conversation or just watched them from a distance, and it made me think about how I am perceived along with others. How are we each perceived in every moment of our day? If it is passing someone on the street, one single interaction, or daily communing with friends and family in our lives, how are we being perceived? Is it truly the way we want to come across? Are we expressing the fullness and the truest of who God envisioned us to be in those moments? Even though I fully want to be, I cannot even say myself that I am completely accurate in each of those instances. What I do know is today made me more aware of the goodness present in others especially those that we might typically never even offer a chance to when we have the opportunities to fully engage in it daily. A wise minister said today, instead of trying to make better disciples, we need to start with making better humans. It struck a poignant chord with me. Why not take the chance to discard the judgments and apply new perception the next time you sit next to someone on a bus or waiting in line or before a church service to see how God encompasses the moment, I know I will from now on. Blessings and cheers.

Where The Streets Have Names.
Today, I had to let the brilliant pictures share the story instead of words. A day exploring Edinburgh's core with the Royal Mile and streets of the city all sandwiched between some valued relational ministry visiting a city church and witnessing a storyteller's cafe of local talent. More to come...blessings and cheers.