Inshallah

Today I returned from my 3 day trip to Morocco. It was fantastic to be quite honest. I really did feel so blessed to be a part of the work that is going on there.

On Monday we flew to Tanger (we being Richard, Caleb and Hilary, Kelly and me) and met with Clyde, a missionary working and living in Morocco. We were cooked an amazing lunch, all sharing from the same big plate in the middle in true moroccan style and then we went exploring around the markets where I haggled a fez down from 20 euros to 1. Bargain. We met Joy, an amazing Moroccan lady who works within many organizations, hospitals, churches, orphanages and underground safe houses. She was an inspiration. She actually cooked us dinner and let us stay in her house.

Yesterday, Tuesday...I woke up early (thanks to the time change) and sat out in the beautiful african dawn and enjoyed the sound of the birds, the scooters and the bustling city (it reminded me so much of India). We drank some delicious mint tea (SO much sugar) and then we went with Joy to the Créche which is one of the orphanages which Mountainview supports with clothing, money and of course prayer. I fell in love with one little boy called Moetaz. We heard a lot about the work going on there and how we can best help them.
Then we went for a camel ride! It was fantastic. We had some delicious Cous Cous for lunch. In the evening we led the service at a small church plant in Tanger where we brought the music and preach. It was a real blessing to be part of the service.

Those were the highlights really. I got back today and I already miss the bustle and sounds of the city. I loved hearing the muslim call to prayer, seeing the city spread out across the valley and almost falling into the sea. And the colour and business of the markets.

There's a lot more to tell, but not here and not now.

Happy Birthday Zac

I got a new flat! Moving in on 1st of April. Super happy about that. It's raining cats and dogs out here...funny, I was misinformed that the rain in spain stays mainly on the plane. Mentiras.
No worries though, I'm off to Morocco on Monday.

Happy Birthday Zac :)

It ain't mine...

On the drive back from the leader's retreat today I was worrying about the situation at home (again). But then I heard this fantastic song:

Moneytree – It Ain't Mine

And it reminded me that the battle is not mine, it belongs to God.

2 Chronicles 20:15

¹⁵ He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

I've had the worst week since I arrive in Spain. Really, I've felt so desperate and lonely this week. And as you probably know, that's totally not me. I'm just trying to ride out this bad patch. But I'm being reminded more and more that this isn't something I can do alone. I need my God.

Kristian Stanfill – Holding My World - you should listen to this song.

So I will not worry or fret
My God is the God who will never forget
All of His goodness and all of His promises
He's holding my world in His hands

...

And I am Your child, Beloved
And all of my days my future is laid in Your promise
Jesus, to the end of the age, I am not alone or forgotten.

I will come forth as gold.

I've had a lame few days. Like actual crap. Basically I have to look for a new flat, which is a pain. But it has also been emotionally draining due to arguments with flatmates etc. I hate arguing. Anyway, I've been wondering where is God...why is he letting this happen, I finally felt settled in my little flat near Príncipe Pío and now I have to go elsewhere. Why would God do that when just a week ago I was excited about the good work that God was doing in my flat?

Today something occurred to me though. I realised that before this whole thing happened, I was getting a bit bored. I was going off reading my bible and becoming apathetic with my faith. Just a bit, but probably enough for God to notice and want to put a stop to it.

Job 23:10-11

¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
¹¹ My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.

2 things: 1) if God let this happen to give me a wake up call, that's amazing that he should care that much and 2) i'm now intent on keeping my feet firmly grounded in his word and not turning aside or going my own way, despite all this crap. God knows so much better than me, and that's just one of those things that I need to admit.

Suffering, glory and value

"You don't tend to value things unless you have had to stuggle for them"

^{Romans 8 v 17} Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory"

Decorpulation

I've just finished reading this fantastic book. I would describe it as 'laugh-out-loud theological discussion'. Although I disagree on a number of the points made by the two american writers, I thought it was packed with interesting ideas and a great message to love the bride of Christ, the church, in all it's "organic and organizational mess and beauty".

Some interesting thoughts/overviews:
The bible describes the church not only as the bride of Christ, but as his body of which Christ is the head, and his temple of which Christ is the cornerstone. Kevin Deyoung and Ted Kluck make the point that loving Jesus, but not the church, would be like having a best friend who's wife you hate, making friends with a floating head or moving into the foundations of a house.
Clearly these situations are all crazy. We are called to love the church.

In the same way that "decapitation" from the latin caput talks of removing a head from a body, decorpulation from the word corpus, should then be used to describe the removal of a body from a head. This, the authors argue, is how we should describe the recent trend of church leavers who love Jesus but not his church.

Something I've thought a lot about today as well was their image of the church as a sausage. It is better for you to just eat and enjoy your sausage than to find out all the messy ingredients that have been squished together to make it. The church is made up of humans, of sinners, of people, like you and me, who get it wrong. However, throwing in the towel and leaving the church is not how God intended for us to grow and be challenged in our faith.

Those are just some of the points that really challenged me and got me thinking. I seriously recommend this book. Though, as I say, I don't agree with it all and I can see why they have made lots of people angry, so don't read it if you get angry easily.

:)