ID's Blog

What Is This...I See Before Me

ID — Tue, 23 May 2006 15:00:59 GMT

[ Mood: Amused ]
[ Currently: Eating ]
The more you travel the opportunities present themselves to try different kinds of foods. And this last weekend was no exception.

Most people who know me that I'm one of those people who - when it comes to food - will try anything once ans in my time have eaten cow huff; whale; something akin to a squirel; and sheep testical soup (!) to mention but a few. Well I can now add sometihng new and exotic to my list.

While in the Faeroe Islands one of my culinary ambitions was realised. But before I reveal what it was, let me tell you a little about it...

I was expecting a white meat, when what was presented to me was very dark red. Similar in colour (not texture or taste ) to liver. While chicken is a loose almost stringy meat, this was compact and so had a slight toughness in its texture, though it was not a particularly tough meet. The taste was slightly salty - possihbly as it was from the sea. However, this saltiness did not detract from the mellow rich oakiness which permeated the taste buds with featherlite bursts of flavour.

What was I eating?

Puffin

The Da Vinci Coade.....

ID — Fri, 19 May 2006 10:48:12 GMT

[ Mood: Amused ]
[ Currently: Reading ]
Just travelled from Scotland to the Faeroe Islands to speak at a youth weekend.
Guess what?
Whereever I looked yesterday at airports in Glasgow, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or on the three planes; people were reading reviews and news about not the crisis in Darfur or of more unnecessary deaths in Iraq, but about the Da Vinci Code film. It's premier was at the Cannes film festival abd the hype train roles on...

I got to Faeroes to discover that in all probability it will not be shown here are the only cimema is owned by Christians and is considered blasphemous. From what I can read the only other countries possibly taking such action are Indonnesia and India.

Anyways, as part of all the debate, I would like to point my readers to an excellent article by Tom Wright.

http://www.spu.edu/depts/uc/response/summer2k5/features/davincicode.asp

Trev

Will He Make It

ID — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 19:04:46 GMT

[ Mood: Confused ]
Well am now in Paris having so far travelled from Glasgow to Amsterdam, where I met up with Peter Boskamp. From there we travelled to Paris. But...
Peter has to re-check in both himself and his bag, which should not be a problem...more a hassle.
The real worry at present is for John Renfrew. Big John missed his flight from Birmingham to Paris. So, as I write this, he's speeding his way to Heathrow to catch a flight which gets in 45 minutes before the Buenos Aire flight. Nowthat might seem a good amount of time but...he lands at terminal 2F and needs to be in 2C. Between the two is a coach ride and a security check point.

Will he make it?
I'll keep you posted...

Lift Off

ID — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 12:25:49 GMT

[ Mood: Cool ]
[ Currently: Waiting ]
'My bags are packed
I'm ready to go
The taxi's here, he's blown his horn
O Babe I hate to go...'

This song remindes me of the time i was shown around Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It was September 1998 and had just a few hours before my flight home. I'd spent 2 weeks in this amazing country and for the last 14 days had spoken 3x a day to 3 different meetings each day. Together with my translator, we'd travelled all over the country. I was exhausted but now this young guy was making me jog around Lisbon as he wanted me to see the city.

As we jogged I asked him how he learnt english. His reply made me stop and fall about with laughter. In fact as we looked over the castle walls we both howled with laughter and tears from exhaustion but also because of John Devnor...You see the guy I was with, Joaquim, had learnt to speak english by listening and singing to John Denvor albums. And this was his favourite song, 'I'm leaving on a jet plane.'

Needless to say that for the city tour we sang this hit as we jogged along!

And now this episode is one of my memories which is recalled nearly every time now I sit and wait at airports. Sad but true.

In fact this is the 3rd time I've been sat in Glasgow airport in the last 7 days. Last weekend I was in Holland for 24 hours, then Tuesday a flying visit to London, and now today. Sat waiting for list off of the 1st ever missionNOW mission consult Team.

More soon
Trev

Prep Time

ID — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:15:40 GMT

[ Mood: Distorted ]
[ Currently: Listening to U2 ]
With just a two days to go before the first ever missionNOW team leaves Europe on a trip to assist an agency in Argentina in establishing a mission congress, and it's a case of writing lists of what needs doing.
* Hair cut
* Pack
* Preparation

Ho-hum....

2 Corinthians 1:1-7

ID — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 13:59:28 GMT

[ Mood: Hypnotized ]
[ Currently: Reading ]
Paul's theme throughout this letter is the exploration of a cosmic & Godly comfort that comes through suffering, death, and the new resurrection-life of Jesus - the Lord of the World. This is the letter where Paul explores the meaning of the cross in terms of personal suffering - his own and that of all Jesus Believers.

Galations is marked by Paul's anger, Philippians by his joy, and here it's his deep sorrow and raw wounds of his own recent suffering. There are passages of great wit and humour, and yet he is one who writes from the depths of his own experience which gives him an added edge of authority, sympathy, and spiritual maturity.

In this openning we have the lens through which Paul is determined to view all suffering, all the trouble of the world - his own included. It is the lens of the gospel - and here the gospel is turned into prayer

'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Tom writght in his brilliant Commentary on 2Corinthians, Paul for Everyone' picks up on the word comfort and writes:
'The whole idea of the word is that one person is being with another, speaking words which change their mood and situation, giving them courage, new hope, new direction, new insights which will alter the way they face the next moment, the next day, the rest of their life.'[/color]

2 Corinthians

ID — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 12:11:13 GMT

[ Mood: Angelic ]
[ Currently: Reading 2 Corinthians...again ]
Have you ever been trapped?...in a book...in a book of the Bible...and no matter how hard you try you just cannot escape?
I suppose it's a bit like a recurring dream which you go through night after night after night. It's not a nightmare, it's not frietening, it just sort of happens again and again and again.

Well for the last 18 months I've been trapped in 2 Corinthians...and boy is a great place to be trapped in. There is so much spiritual reality here, so much heartache, so much pain,joy, praise, death & resurrection. It's a book you can bath in, be comforted by, challenged and taught, discover more depths and insight into not just Paul as a person, but also his incredible relationship with God.

It's a book not written for the feight hearted or suprt-spiritual who are running for the next personal bless-up. It's a book written for those who have gone out in faith, grace and expectancy to share and live 100%+ for Christ and are finding it hard. It's not for those who want fame, notoriety or celebrity. It's for those who want to influence and infiltrate their faith in Jesus into every synu of their being and life.

Is it a self-help book?
YES. One written by an expert who will boast not of his achievements but of is weaknesses and hardships.

It's a book jam-packed with poverty of faith and richness of grace in Christ. Written by a man who did not have it all together, but had one incredible joy and love to share because of the grace showered upon him.

Try it.

Preparations

ID — Thu, 26 May 2005 10:16:58 GMT

[ Mood: Confused ]
[ Currently: Listening to Adiemus - live ]
I'm speinding today...and possibly the next few days getting everything in order for a trip to Argentina next week.

CEC are have asked for my help as they arrange a South American Misison Congress for 2007. Next week is a series of meetings with the leaders as they begin the hard work of putting this congress together. The CEC congress will be the first internaitonal dedicated youth mission congress in Latin America for Spannish speakers. Believe me, it a great honour to be asked to help them as I draw on my ecperience of working on a similar congerss in Europe for 5 years.

But before I leave there are a number of book reviews to write and some other planning work for the WEA:Mission Commission track on mobilisation. So, its a case of getting my head down.

Photos

ID — Fri, 20 May 2005 16:10:39 GMT

This is just trial, but let's have some fun.

Me at the tender age of 18.
Now today I've 1 wife, 3 kids and 1 dog....AND lots less hair!

Welcome

ID — Fri, 20 May 2005 14:00:07 GMT

[ Mood: Shocked ]
[ Currently: Listening to Rojo ]
I am totally amazed at the brilliance of the missionNOW WEBSERVANT, Tim.
Only yesterday I mentioend to him the idea of openning up a blog section for members and now here it is.
He's truely one talented guy.

Thanks, Tim