Following in His Footsteps...

Mid May saw me driving a 550 km round trip across the mountains of southern Spain to the little town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, on the Atlantic coastline of Cádiz province. There we were running a short, discipleship focused youth camp for young people from the provinces of Cádiz, Málaga and Granada.

Around 50 teenagers and preteens came to the camp, and we were about a dozen staff, including the team who cooked the meals for us. Our theme was “Following in His Footsteps,” and we were considering how young people in the 21st Century can live godly lives in an ungodly and sometimes hostile society.

KKI Spain is in a re-pioneering phase and many of these teenagers were quite young in their faith. On the Saturday morning, I spoke briefly (in Spanish, of course) about how to spend personal time with God and deepen our friendship with Him.

Also on Saturday, we went out for a time of open air outreach with people from five churches in Sanlúcar. It was their annual “day of the Bible,” when they go out into the streets of their town to challenge people to read the Bible and discover what it truly teaches. Songs and testimonies formed the main part of the programme, and our young people had also prepared a flash-mob style hip hop dance to express the joy of knowing Jesus.

It was a long drive from Málaga to Cádiz, and my arthritic back doesn't cope too well with driving for more than an hour at a time, so I set off very early on the Friday morning and made the journey into a road trip where I stopped for a break at a couple of places along the way.

One place that I'd wanted to visit for a long time is the quaint little town of Setenil de las Bodegas. Its claim to fame is that the overhanging rock completely covers the streets in some places, and some of the houses in those streets are actually cave dwellings.

Our next stop, once we'd entered Cádiz province, was the town of Arcos de la Frontera, perched high upon the rock, with stunning views of the surrounding countryside and the nearby lake.

By mid afternoon, we arrived at our destination. Sanlúcar is a town on the Atlantic coastline of Cádiz province and is famous for its horse races along the beach. The busy camp programme meant that we didn't have time to visit the town, but our hosting church was right in the historic old town and so my car was parked overnight near the old Castillo de Santiago and our open air outreach was at a point where a historic old street in the town had been merged into a pedestrian shopping street.

The camp's theme of following in Jesus' footsteps was thought provoking for the teenagers, as it prompted them to think of the ways our modern world would squeeze them into its mould. We considered how Daniel and his friends (Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego) who were all teenage boys at the beginning of the Old Testament book that bears Daniel's name chose not to defile themselves by following the ways of Babylonian society, and made the courageous decision to obey GOD, rather than giving in to the different pressures that assailed them from people and from circumstances.

That gave plenty of food for thought to me too, as my own recent Bible reading in the Old Testament (in the book of 1st Samuel) had been challenging me a lot about what it means to choose obedience to God even when doing what He's asking of you seems impossible and you face all kinds of pressures from people and from circumstances. I haven't been blogging here this year, as those who've been praying for me and and asking for news have been receiving my updates in other ways. But God has been speaking clearly and loudly in recent weeks, and I think it would be helpful for me to document some of that in future blog posts.

Soon it was time to make the long drive back to Málaga again. The trip was through varied and often stunning scenery and it reminded me how blessed and how grateful I am to be able to live and serve God here in the beautiful southern part of Spain.

We again interrupted our trip with a few stops to stretch our legs - first of all by taking short walks by the side of the lakes in Arcos and Bornos, and finally by visiting the medieval castle and museum in the little mountain top town of Olvera. It was an interesting old castle, with absolutely breathtaking views of the olive groves and the surrounding countryside, as well as the famous church in the old town.

Maiki had been really good all weekend - lying peacefully on her bed in the church while 50 teenagers and preteens milled noisily around her and rehearsed their hip hop dance right next to her. On the open air outreach in the streets, she was a real star, enduring petting and hugging as well as performing tricks for every second child that passed by.  So our last stop on the homeward journey was at the El Chorro lakes, where she was rewarded by going for a swim and a run before we headed back to Alhaurín again. It had been a busy, fruitful and fun weekend.

Christmas with family...

As the year slowly draws to a close, I'm in Scotland, where I spent Christmas Day with family. It was our first Christmas at Mum's new house in Grangemouth, the one she moved to in February when my Dad passed away. It's strange to realise that we are literally 100 yards along the road from the home I grew up in - the one where my brother and I spent all our childhood Christmases.

My border collie, Maiki, had to stay back in Spain for Christmas, but my brother and niece both brought their cocker spaniels with them on Christmas Day. Hunnie just wanted to play and snuggle, while Beau seemed to be dreaming of life as an animal actor on Christmas TV.

Not pictured here is my niece (who was working hard in the kitchen to prepare the Christmas dinner.)
 

It's all about FOCUS...

I've been reading Psalm 119 over these past couple of mornings. If you're familiar with the scriptures, you'll know that it is the longest psalm in the Bible and that it particularly highlights the value of  understanding, loving and obeying the Word of God - the instructions that our Creator has given for our lives to turn out well.

In the section I was meditating on this morning, the word "turn" stood out to me and I was struck by how the psalmist understood the importance of having the right focus in life. In vs 36 - 37 and then in vs 59 - 60, we read:

• Turn my heart...
• Turn my eyes...
• Turn my steps...

To be faithful in following God, our heart (our motivation) needs to be turned towards God's instructions and not towards selfish gain.

Secondly, our eyes need to be turned away from worthless things that could be a distraction to us.

And then we need to take a third and very practical turn: we need to turn our steps without delay to putting God's instructions into practice in our own lives.

The writer of the psalm prays for God's help to turn his heart to the Word and to turn his eyes away from distractions... but then he takes personal responsibility for the needed action step, saying, "I have turned my steps to your commands. I will hasten and not delay to obey your instructions."

Turn my heart, turn my eyes, turn my steps... This is the sort of focus involved in seeking God wholeheartedly and experiencing His help to live life well.

Ducks in a row ?

As November draws to a close, I realise that it's been 11 months since I started searching for a new home.. and it's been 8 months of homelessness, moving myself, my pets and my possessions to new but temporary accommodation every few weeks. 

A couple of weeks back, I sought the advice of a property expert - recommended to me by two different sets of friends who had both bought their new homes with his help. This man was not the least bit surprised to learn that I had spent eleven months looking for a home and not managed to find anything at all. He said he knew a dozen people in the same situation, and his advice to me was rather shocking, “Stop looking!” In today’s climate, he advised me, it’s very unlikely that I will find a house to rent unless I can prove a monthly salary of several thousand euros. 

A far better idea, he counselled me, would be to consider whether I could contemplate buying a property instead of renting one. But there’s no point in even starting to look, he said, unless you already have the money available to purchase. The Spanish system of making a 10% down payment on a property you want to buy means that there is too much risk of losing that deposit if you don’t have assurance that the full amount will be available within a few weeks - either from the sale of another property or because the finances are provided for you in another way.

“Stop looking, “ he said, “until you have your ducks in a row!”
It was very hard to hear that, after the countless hours I’ve spent
this year in looking for a new place to live.

 But what does it mean to have my "ducks in a row" ?

It means first of all that I need to know whether God is asking me to trust for a huge increase in income so that I would be able to afford a monthly rental contract…. or whether He is asking me to take a step of faith and trust Him to provide me with a home of my own. This would be a big step to take; I’ve never bought, sold or owned a house in my entire life, and for all of my life I have lived on a regular income that is “below minimum wage.” But, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, my fruitless search for a home to rent has led me to suspect that God’s solution might be for me to own a home instead. I’ve lived in rental accommodation my whole life, and having a home of my own could also be God’s provision for my old age, when I no longer have regular missions support coming in.

And so, as a long and challenging year moves towards its conclusion, that's where I'm at. I believe that throughout the year I've taken steps that were the right steps at the time. The long months of searching for a home to rent have been the experience I needed to confirm to me that renting a home is probably no longer the way forward for me.  It's really looking as if I'm moving into a new season where I need to trust God to show me how to take new and unfamiliar steps forward.

I feel a little like the Israelites must have felt when they were crossing the Red Sea or crossing the River Jordan. At one point, God said to them, "You have never been this way before." (Joshua 3: 4) Or perhaps it's more like Peter who, amidst the storm of circumstances, chose to step out of the boat and walk on water to be with Jesus. (Matthew 14)

Read on below for some water walking reflections from my quiet time this morning.

Walking on water...

This morning, I was reading in the New Testament, in Matthew chapter 14. The second half of the chapter contains the well known story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water.

So much had happened before that point: they got the news of John the Baptist's death, then Jesus taught crowds of people all day and the disciples found themselves with the task of feeding fish and bread to thousands of people in a remote location. After that, while sailing back across the lake, they found themselves in a frightening storm... and suddenly they thought that they saw a ghost!

I don't know if they vaguely recognised Jesus walking towards them on the water and started to think that He was dead... or whether there was no recognition until He said to them, "Don't be afraid.... I am here." (vs 27)

Bereavement, tiredness, crisis, fear, uncertainty... this was the backdrop to Peter's walking on the water.

The story is well known: as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was doing fine. More than fine, he was experiencing a miracle, something impossible. But when he focused on the wind and waves, he was terrified and began to sink.

As I read the story, it struck me that I have experienced some similar pressures this year:

• bereavement and other losses
• tiredness from moving house so often
• the crises of homelessness and illness
• uncertainty about the right decision and the right way forward

And amidst these "storm factors," I'm contemplating stepping out and buying a home! Walking on water... as home owning feels so uncertain and out of reach. Something within me is saying like Peter, "Is that really You, Lord?" (vs 28) And another part of me is intimidated by how little I know about the process of buying or owning a home.

But if I'm going to step "out of the boat,' I need to keep my eyes on Jesus and not on the circumstances. I need to activate my faith, I need to say, "Save me, Lord," and I need to keep worshipping Him (vs 33) for who He is. 
 

From heaven to homeless...

Christmas is still quite a few weeks away, but this morning I was reading a devotional that made me think of the Advent season that lies ahead. The featured verse was 2 Corinthians 8 vs 9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."

It's one of the mysteries of the incarnation - that God Himself, the Creator and Owner of the universe, left the splendour of heaven and came to live a humble life among mankind on earth. He was born in a stable because there was "no room" at the inn. His earthly parents were simple people; we would probably describe them as "poor." Yet Jesus' material poverty opened the way for each one of us to experience spiritual riches.

For most of my life, I've lived on very little. I remember when I started out as a missionary, I needed to raise £150 to live on and I trusted God to give me 15 partners who would each support me with £10 a month. For many years in Africa, right up to 2007, I lived on an income of £200 a month... and yet I never felt "poor" or in need. I lived simply, I was never in need, and God even provided a nice car when I needed one.

It's only been this year, for the first time, that I've felt the weight of being "poor." It's not that I've been destitute or starving; I've always had enough to eat, I still have a nice car and I even have some savings in the bank... but losing my home this year confronted me with the sober reality that I simply didn't have enough income to rent a new place to live. Even the most humble accommodation came with a price tag that was considerably higher than my total monthly income. And when I plucked up the courage to investigate the option of buying instead of renting, I discovered that my budget would restrict me to looking in "poor" areas... like the neighbourhoods typically inhabited by gypsies and travellers.    

So it kind of caught my attention when I read in the devotional this morning that Jesus "lived as a homeless man for years." It wasn't that Jesus was sleeping in the street, like a down and out, but it's certainly true that He did spend the latter years of His life dependent on the hospitality of others. He Himself described it as having "nowhere to lay His head." What a radical commitment He made in order to reconcile us with the Father.

I've only experienced that homelessness in a small way this year, and it's been humbling; I've felt very vulnerable at times. For the first time in my life, I feel "poor" and without resources... and yet I know that my Heavenly Father created and owns the entire universe. All I can do is trust that my life is in His care, just as He cared for His own Son when He was here on earth.

Launching a wave...

During the last ten days of October, I was in Albania for the annual regional gatherings of KKI Europe. Four days with our regional leadership team (ELT) were followed by two days with KKI national leaders from across the continent, and then by three days with a larger gathering of young and old. 

Our theme for this KKI gathering was "Launch the Wave,” and we sought God’s heart for how to launch the next big wave of missionaries to take the gospel to the nations of Europe. 

It was interesting to remember how Loren Cunningham (recently deceased founder of Youth with a Mission) when he was only 20 years old had a vision of waves of young people - "my age and younger" - taking the gospel to the nations of the earth.  So it was fitting that more than two thirds of the participants at our KKI gathering were under 25 years of age, and the remaining third was people aged 25 - 70. 

We had some extended times of worship, prayer and ministry, as well as looking ahead to exciting outreach initiatives that will be held in 2024 and 2025. We expect to send many teams to France during the Olympic Games next year, and to have another SHINE event, possibly in the UK, during 2025.