Watching and waiting...

I can hardly believe that we're at the end of May - almost half way through the year - and I still find myself with no permanent home to move to. We moved on 12th May to our second temporary accommodation, this time with an American missionary family who have a little granny flat attached to their house. It's not for long, though, and soon they too will be homeless. They'll be moving out of that house around 20th June, as their landlord is increasing the monthly rent to a staggering €2700.

But I'm thankful to have a place for these few weeks as I continue the ongoing search for something more permanent. As the weeks and months have gone by, I'm discovering that I'm far from alone in my predicament. At least five other families or individuals in our church are on the verge of finding themselves in the same position, and I even meet random people in the street (dog walkers, usually) who tell me that they're currently in temporary accommodation. It just seems to be a crisis time for housing at the moment.

My search continues, but it's slowing down a bit as summer approaches. Many homeowners like to take advantage of the summer holiday season, when they can rent their house out to tourists for €1500 a week instead of €1500 a month. So I'm still spending a lot of time each week looking at property listings, but there are far fewer possibilities at the moment.

All my usual summer travel (for outreach, etc) has been put on hold, but I'm continuing with ongoing local and international ministry commitments: teaching, translating, writing, coaching...

I have no housing lined up for the last week of June and first weeks of July, but I do have another temporary possibility from mid-July onwards. How I hope, though, that there might finally be a more permanent solution before we enter the second half of the year.
 

Just for fun...

More than a month has gone by since we filmed our last YouTube video at our temporary accommodation. We've moved to yet another temporary place, and the search for a more permanent home (an exhausting and rather discouraging process) still continues.  Our new temporary accommodation also has a garden and this has allowed us to film a new video in some of our spare moments. Just for fun, click on the photo if you'd like to watch Maiki's guide to "Songs of the 20th Century." You may be too young to remember them all, but here are more than a dozen songs from almost every decade of the 1900s.

To watch the video, you can also click here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzjn7BDNaXA

 

What does hide and seek have to do with learning obedience to God?

My dog has a favourite toy. It's plastic chicken that goes by the Spanish name of "Pollo." When Pollo was new, the toy made an awful crowing noise when squeaked. Now that he has a few puncture wounds, he is, thankfully, almost silent!

"Find Pollo" was our favourite rainy day game at our old house. When torrential rain stopped us going out for a walk, we'd play hide and seek inside the house. Maiki would wait in the kitchen while I went to hide Pollo in another part of the house. Then, when given the command, she'd rush off to sniff out the toy and bring it noisily out of hiding.

Now that we're living temporarily in a house with a huge garden, our "Find Pollo" game has risen to a new level. Scent games can tire dogs out, so it has become our pre-bedtime game. Maiki needs to sit patiently in some part of the garden while I go off to find a good hiding place for Pollo. Then, when the release cue is given, she bounds into action and the enthusiastic hunt begins.

Sniffing out the toy is the exciting part of the game for a dog. The harder part is having to sit patiently and out of sight during the couple of minutes while the toy is being hidden. It's a real test for the dog. Will she sit faithfully until given permission to search, or will she leave her "stay" to find out what is happening and get a head start on the hunt? And so this "hide and seek" game is a test of the dog's willingness to obey, her willingness to wait out of sight until given the command to move.

When it comes to Pollo, the "stay" command or the "emergency stop" is just a game. But in a different situation, it can save the dog's life - as we experienced yesterday.

I was just saying to someone last week that we almost never encounter snakes on our walks in the mountains and so I can pretty much ignore Maiki's obsession with stalking lizards in the undergrowth. Well, wouldn't you believe it.... on our morning walk yesterday, a rather large snake slithered right across our path; I almost stepped on it. Fortunately, all four dogs froze when I gave the command, without any attempt to pursue the reptile or grab hold of it. (It wasn't venomous, but could have caused some damage in a fight for freedom.) The photo above shows my four super-heroes. I was proud of each one of them. They had illustrated in a real life situation that learning to obey promptly could one day save our life.

So what does all this have to do with my Bible reading this morning in the book of Judges?

Yesterday, I wrote about how the people of Israel failed to obey God and how they allowed idolatrous, heathen peoples to continue living as their neighbours in the Promised Land. Today, in Judges 3 verses 1 - 4, we read that there were actually two reasons why God allowed peoples like the Philistines and the Amorites to continue living in the land of Canaan.

The first reason, as I'd already seen in chapter 2, was to test whether the Israelites were truly willing to obey the commands that the Lord had given to their ancestors at Mount Sinai.  Just as having to sit and wait in some corner of the garden (while Pollo gets hidden) is a test of Maiki's willingness to obey, the presence of pagan peoples in Israel tested whether the Hebrews would obey God and refuse to worship idols.

The second reason was to teach warfare to the generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle, the generations who had been born after their parents crossed the Jordan and had to fight to conquer the Promised Land.

In our own lives too, God seldom leaves us with completely plain sailing, with nothing but peace and harmony on all sides. He allows us to face some challenges in life, and it's for exactly these same two reasons.

Firstly, God wants us to learn to do spiritual warfare, so that we won't simply be passive victims when the enemy mounts an attack against us. If young David hadn't previously faced and killed the lion and the bear, he would never have had the faith and the courage to face the giant Goliath. Likewise, God allows us to face smaller battles in life so that we learn how to fight and aren't easy prey when the larger battles come along.

Secondly, like Maiki waiting obediently for permission to "find Pollo," our response to the difficulties and challenges we face allows us to demonstrate that we are making a heart choice to obey and to do things God's way. That demonstration is important to our own awareness that our allegiance to God is solid and trustworthy, but it's also an act of spiritual warfare in itself, as it is a demonstration to the enemy that we are wholly committed to trusting God... just as Job in the Bible refused to give up on God when Satan threw all kinds of trials and injustices at him.

When we're in school or university, we sit exams to prove that we have understood and mastered a subject. To get our driving licence we have to sit a test to prove that we know the rules of the road and are able to handle the car safely. Let's not be surprised that in our Christian lives there are also times that test our obedience and that teach us how to defeat the enemy. 

Generational failure...

As May begins, I'm reading each morning in the Old Testament book of the Judges. You probably know that it's a book full of incredible biographies (some of them have been made into Hollywood movies) but, oh my, it gets off to a dismal start. 

Yesterday I read chapter one, which is basically an account of how, despite some initial victories, the people of Israel failed to claim their inheritance and completely conquer the promised land that God had given them. Today, in chapter two, we find out a bit more about the reasons for that failure.

God had commanded the Hebrews to drive out the heathen peoples that were living in Canaan when they arrived there. Instead, they often lived among those people, intermarrying with them and idolatrously worshipping their gods. This prepared the way for the roller coaster of peace and war, victory and defeat, commitment and corruption that we read of throughout the whole book of Judges.

Have you ever wondered why God doesn't miraculously get rid of all the difficulties and temptations that could cause us trouble in our Christian life? Chapter 2 of Judges makes it clear that, although many of the predicaments and challenges we face may be from "the enemy," many are of our own making. Rather than simply wiping these challenges out of way, God sometimes allows us to face them (see verses 22 - 23) to test how we will respond to them and whether we will obey the things He has shown us.

The Israelites had created their own difficult circumstances: by not driving out the heathen peoples as God had instructed them, they had left those people to be a constant trial and their gods to be a constant temptation for them.

While the people were responsible for their own disobedience to God's commands, the previous generation also bore some of the responsibility: the fact that the generation who didn't personally see God's miracles when entering the land (vs 7 and vs 10) was so quick to fall away from following Him suggests a serious failure in mentoring and discipling. The "parent generation" had failed to keep telling them about what God had already done or to give them opportunities to experience God's power for themselves.

So what about you and me, whether we're parents, Sunday school teachers, or just ordinary church folks whose lives interface a little with today's children and teenagers or today's emerging church leaders? Are we faithful in sharing our stories of the ways we've experienced God at work in our life, in our family, in our church? Do we talk about the things God has spoken to us, the things He has instructed us to do? Are we diligently sharing the lessons learned and the ways we discovered more about who God is?

But, perhaps even more important, are we giving today's young people opportunities to experience the reality of God in their own lives.... or are we shielding them from the sorts of experience that would help them grow in their faith and know that God truly is who He says He is?

When our young people need finances to go to a camp, for example.... do we just hand that money to them, or do we help them step out and trust for God's supernatural provision?

When there's an opportunity to reach out and serve the homeless people or the refugees.... do we leave our children at home watching TV, or do we take them along with us on that ministry opportunity?

When there's some kind of outreach or evangelistic project in our town..... do we assume that our kids wouldn't be interested in that, or do we take them with us, giving them opportunities to give testimonies or to pray for people in the street?

When there's an all-night prayer vigil at church.... do we find a babysitter for our kids, or do we take them with us so that they too can pray and be part of hearing God's voice?

Things went better for the Israelites each time God sent them a judge, a hero to deliver them from their predicament (see verses 18 - 19) but it was an external restraint: whenever the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways.

Let's not be part of raising up a generation like that, a generation that will only do the right thing when they have parents or youth group leaders telling them what to do, a generation that will turn away from God once they've left home or moved away to university, or got married and had children of their own...

Let's be part of raising up a generation that knows the ways of God and that has experienced His goodness, His love and His power in their own lives. 

Wet matches in the sunshine...

At church this morning, one of the songs during the worship time included a line about God "lighting up the darkness." Shortly after we'd sung those words, I received a mental picture of a person holding a wet box of matches. The person had been trying again and again to strike the matches, but there was no hope of seeing them catch fire because they were soaking wet. The only thing that could be done was to place the wet matches in the bright sunlight and wait for them to dry out.  

As I watched the person lay those matches out on the ground, I saw that they slowly began to dry. Then suddenly, without the person even needing to pick them up and try striking them again, they spontaneously burst into flames.... like when a bush fire or forest fire is started by the sun's heat on the dry grass.

Recognising it to be a prophetic picture for someone in the congregation, I caught the worship leader's attention and asked if I could come to the microphone to share it. I described the picture and then offered the interpretation that I believed God was giving me.

"There's someone here who has been praying a long time for something," I said. "You feel like you're asking again and again, but nothing's happening; the fire just won't start. I believe that God is saying you don't need to keep "striking the matches" again and again, but you simply need to lay those prayers down in the Lord's light and warmth, so that He can deal with the hindrances and He can be the one to make the fire start."

As I returned to my seat, I could hear the worship leader asking the congregation if anyone identified with the word I had shared. One or two people raised their hands and the worship leader led out in a prayer.  But before I got to my seat, the lady behind me reached out and grabbed hold of me. "I had gone out to the toilet," she said, "And so I didn't hear what you said. Can you tell me, please?"

So, in a whisper, I described to her what I had just shared with the whole congregation. "Oh, yes, that's me!" she said, "Please will you pray for me."

Later, as I was walking home from church, I realised that the prophetic picture I'd shared for others was also very applicable to my own situation. (See the post below this one.) As we enter the fifth month of the year, I have temporary housing possibilities lined up for the next few months, but nothing long-term yet. I've been asking the Lord how much time and energy I should be putting into the ongoing search. I've had such a sense in recent weeks that the accommodation hunt is "eating up" time that could be used for other things - like ministry preparation - but I don't want to be irresponsible or passive when it comes to knocking on doors and checking out possibilities that might lead to finding my future home.

I'm asking myself now if the endless searching through websites, making phone calls and driving to see houses is a futile exercise at the moment - just like striking those wet matches again and again. What's the point in checking out short term rentals that are much more expensive than the temporary rentals I've already been offered?

I sense that I need to continue to do my part, so that I can completely trust God to do His part. So I will continue to search those real estate websites every week. That will be my way of laying those wet matches out in the light and warmth of God's loving attention. But I'll only pursue the ones that really look as if they could possibly be the long term answer, and not the ones that seem as if they'd only be a temporary solution anyway. As I continue to pursue the possible solutions, I can trust the Lord to "dry out the damp" (whatever those damp hindrances might be) and to bring about the right solution at the right time - whether it turns out to be one that looks possible or one that seemed totally impossible to me. 

Wisdom needed for the next steps...

I've dedicated my entire life to working with the emerging generations of children and youth... and to equipping workers to reach and disciple today's young people.

I was hoping to travel this year to teach in two PCYM (principles in child and youth ministry) training courses - one in Eastern Europe and the other in Western Europe. Sadly, my present circumstances (looking for a new home) have made it impossible for me to travel. However, that doesn't mean that my involvement in this important training ministry is cancelled....

Over the coming weeks (May and June) I will be teaching in a PCYM in Switzerland and another in Argentina, but I will be staying in Spain and doing the teaching over the internet by Zoom. One of the topics I'll be covering with the group in Switzerland is how to discern God's calling and direction for your own life and for the ministry you are involved in. (See title slide above.) Even as I prepare to share biblical principles and insights with the students, I'm very aware that wisdom for my next steps is also a very real need for myself at the moment.

There's still been no breakthrough when it comes to finding my new permanent home here in Spain, but a couple of temporary housing options have been offered to me. When I need to leave my present temporary accommodation in middle of May, I can move to a small one-roomed "apartment" at the home of an American missionary family here in town. That option can be my temporary home for around six weeks - until the end of June.

Somewhat to my surprise, I've also been offered a further short term option from July onwards. The American family introduced me to an English couple who run a Christian retreat centre out in the countryside of Malaga province and these people have said that I can rent a small cottage on their property if I'm still searching for my long term housing when the summer months come around. 

Although I feel incredibly thankful for these short term offers (which mean that I don't need to feel the constant pressure of having nowhere to go), it's nonetheless a bit disconcerting to contemplate the possibility that I might still be needing temporary housing as the summer advances.

And so, this is where I need wisdom for my next steps. Until now, I've been looking both at houses/flats for rent and houses for sale. I began by looking for long term rental accommodation, like I've always had in the past... However, recognising that current rental costs are considerably above my monthly support level, I've also been wondering whether God's long term solution would be for me to buy instead of renting, and whether renting will be only a short term solution - possibly until I can sell our house in Scotland and have that money to invest in buying a small home here. At the beginning of every week, I scroll through dozens of property websites to find the new listings - both of places to rent and places for sale.

But now I already have short term rental possibilities for the next three or four months.... rental accommodation that is with fellow Christians and that is within the budget of my present monthly income. What should my weekly home-hunting look like now?Should I keep phoning about flats to rent - even though their cost is double or triple the price of the short term housing that has already been offered to me? Should I focus more on looking at little places for sale.... in case God opens a door for that in the future? Should I be beginning a process of fund raising - trusting God to raise up new supporters to increase my monthly income for longer term rental costs ahead?

Please would you join me in praying that I'll know the right way to invest my time and energy? I've emailed, phoned and driven hundreds of kilometres in going to visit so many different flats and houses over the past four months that I've lost count of them all. Now that some short term options are assured, what should be my priority when it comes to finding the long term home that God has for me here?

Of peace and provision...

Over the weekend, I finished my reading of the letter to the Philippians, and this morning I began reading in the letter to the Galatians.

I was struck yesterday morning by the well known verse in Philippians 4: 7 - that we will experience God's peace, far beyond human understanding, if we follow the three simple instructions in vs 6:

1) don't worry about anything

2) pray about everything

3) be thankful for everything you already have.

These four months of searching for a new place to live have felt really long and have sometimes been stressful. I reflected on the fact that I've been doing pretty well on the whole with appropriating God's peace for the journey - during the first three weeks of the month, at least - but then the renewed weight of impending homelessness makes it harder to be at peace during the last week of the month: there are more tears, more questions, as the end of the month approaches.

But I do make a conscious choice not to give in to worry. I do present my concerns to the Lord in prayer. And I do place a value on living a lifestyle of thankfulness, often writing in my journal a list of the things I am grateful for. 

Yesterday, as the awareness of "only six days days left in my temporary accommodation" set in, I renewed my focus on those three things... and in the evening, just before bedtime, I got some welcome news: it turns out that guests won't be staying in this house for the whole month of May, but will only arrive after the wedding that is happening here on the 12th. That means that I don't need to move out of this temporary accommodation next weekend, but can stay an extra week and a half if I need to. What a huge relief that was, even if it only adds a few days to the time frame I still have for finding a longer term solution!

This morning, I read the first chapter of the letter to the Galatians. In vs 6, the writer, Paul, alludes to a theme that he will unpack later in the book. The Galatian believers have been turning away from the true gospel of total dependence on God, and have embraced an alternative path that is based on human reasoning, with lots of rules and regulations.

I remembered a sudden thought that had come to me yesterday when I was walking to church: I may not be following a false gospel like the Galatians did, but in my search for a new home, am I limiting myself to things that are "humanly possible," instead of taking risks and expecting God to do things that are completely impossible? Although, in my search for a rental property, I'm enquiring about and visiting places where the rent is equal to my total monthly income, am I believing, for example, that it would be irresponsible for me to go above that threshold? As I consider the fact that buying a home might be the only solution to the current rental crisis, am I believing that this step in impossible for me until our house in Scotland is sold... instead of believing that God could provide in other ways if He chose to?

Those questions gave me a lot to think and pray about. I already feel that I'm living "on the edge" during these months, so it was a wild thought to consider that God might want me to take an even bigger risk in some area.

So, as I renew the search again this week, searching the new property listings online, making phone calls, driving around the region..... my prayer is that I will have renewed sensitivity to what God is saying and to what is on his heart for me.