Epilogue: A Beautiful Collision

"When our depravity meets his Divinity it is a beautiful collision." - David Crowder

Maybe because these words were so fresh in my mind, but mostly because I believe they are true, as I sit in my office on a Friday morning sipping Earl Grey tea, I feel "a beautiful collision" is a fitting metaphor for our experience across the pond: Baptist meets Anglican, American culture meets British worldview, post-Christian Europe collides with the evangelical South. There are a million differences between us and the people of Northeast England. And what shouldn't work, does. And out of that comes something, well, beautiful. Beautiful because God has put in us the wonderous capacity for relationships, shared experiences and self-denying demonstrations of grace. While we are undoubtably stained by our depravity, God still uses us, imperfect us, to build bridges, to correct misconceptions, to become verbi divini minister - carriers and servants of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit in us connected with the Spirit in the lives of every believer, and testified that God is alive to those who are not yet.

I was truly awed to see 1 Timothy 4:12 lived out in the lives of our students - Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you are young. Teach believers by your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. I think the words of Alan Farish, vicar of All Saints Church says it best: "This was the American team that has been here the shortest amount of time, but they have had the greatest impact. Young people are the great evangelists of the church - and we have much to learn from young people like these."

So our week in Northeast England is over for now, but our journey is only beginning. With our new friends at All Saints and in the schools of Eaglescliffe. With our own church and ministry, that longs to see God raise up a generation of students that fan these sparks into a movement of God, a revival that rescues a lost world. With each other, as we truly become partners in the message of hope, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:3-6).

I close with a Celtic meditation I discovered in the Cathedral at Durham:

Grant to me O Lord
An eye of vision
A sensitive mind
A gentle heart
And make me kind.

Grant to me O Lord
A discerning taste
A life of love
An awareness of You
And hope from above.

Ey, you're in Edinburgh

Today, I sat upon the Royal Mile in the heart of Olde Towne Edinburgh, with a cup of coffee in my hand, great friends and students all around me celebrating a great week of mission. To my left, the sun set over the Castle which has stood for a thousand years. To my right was the house of John Knox, one the most brilliant theologians of the Reformation. Further to my right, the full moon rose over the Holyrood Place, the Queen's Palace here. I can truly say this was one of the most sastifying moments of my journey so far - not on this trip, but in my life. God's grace is exceedingly good and abundant, that he would bring me so far. Amen.

The Mission-Minded Church

If you've been checking for updates, we apologize they have been slow in coming, as we have been constantly on the go from dawn until the wee hours of the morning, and often our access to the internet has been limited...so today's entry will be brief, as Amy Burns is coming to 'collect' me as they say here, for our final meeting and then on to Edinburgh!

For those of you have been praying, especially for our team to be used and to see the sparks of revival, God has answered. After last night's service, which our team led, over 40 parishoners responded to the vicar's call to come forward if they felt God leading them to be 'mission-minded' and have a 'fresh anointing for the work of evangelism' in this estate. He asked our team to be the ones to pray over them and with them, and hours later, there were still people praying, face buried in the church carpet, asking God to give them the same passion for souls that they had seen in the lives of our students this past week. What was amazing that the ones who came forward were not just the youth of the church, but many of the older saints as well. To watch one of our 17-year old Baptist girls pray for a 70-year old Anglican, holding each other, weeping as they asked God to breathe new life into this church and this country, was truly a moment I will never forget.

As our friend John Thomas from South Africa says, the sermon is preached but it is yet to be done. Both here and at home, we desperately need God to awaken within us that apostolic ethos that truly is mission-minded, other-minded, and gospel-minded. If we are going to become mission-minded churches, then we must first be mission-minded people, because we, the people, are the church. Coming across the pond, serving, loving, and encouraging another church, our students have realized just how wide the arms the body of Christ truly are. And just how blessed we are as believers we are to join Christ in his mission to seek and save those who are lost. Because what is evangelism, but just one beggar showing another where he found bread? (II Kings 7:6).

Off to Scotland we go...

Dodgeball & Durham

After two full days in the schools and a full night hosting two youth clubs, I can officially report the following...

First, we have successfully imported the game of American Dodgeball to the UK. What they played wasn't anything like it, and, captializing on the apparent success over here of the rather 'cheeky' American movie, we turned it into a ministry opportunity. 3 continuous hours of throwing, diving, and sweating later, Jared Burke and I ('that big American who throws really hard') had the privilege of sharing why we came all this way with about 14 guys, many of who were in self-proclaimed 'posse' (gang) and came to this church only because of the opportunity to play Dodge Ball. Funny how play, conversation and laughter can break down walls so quickly. So maybe Dodge Ball should be required for international diplomacy...

Second, All Saints is a church on the move. They are, without a doubt, unashamed of the gospel and having an amazing impact on this community. The servant leadership starts from the top (the vicar himself served us tea and hot chocolate upon our arrival) and extends all the way through each host family, all who were so gracious to us. In only a few days, this church (people, not buildings) have made us feel like family. What do Baptists from the South and Anglicans in England have in common? Jesus. And everything else flows out of that to give us the very real and abiding sense that we are truly one family in God.

Third, everyone should be required to worship in a cathedral and visit an English pub (restaurant) at least once during their lifetime. Durham today was stunning. A true medieval town, we were drawn to speechless moments of wonder at the soaring vaults and history of the cathedral. We were also drawn to laughter at the sight of Mitch with his Harry Potter scarf in the cloister yard (this is where they filmed part of the first Potter movie). We sampled steak & ale pie for lunch with our British friends, who have not forgotten their manners nor the simple joy of redemptive conversation and story. For the evening meal, we did more of the same at the Londonerry Arms in Stockton, laughing, joking, and talking until late into the night. As we re-connected with Pastor Pete Spence from last year's journey ('cheers'), as our students laughed with the All Saints students about Monty Python movies, and as we shared with all their what God is doing both Stateside and on the British Isles, I couldn't help but think that this is way it is supposed to be - koininia - the fellowship of the believers.

As we lay our weary traveling heads down tonight, the words of the Venerable Bede (the ninth century monk/historian who gave us the system for numbering years that we have to this day and whose grave in found inside the cathedral) are echoing in my mind:
Christ is the morning star who when the night of this world is past brings to his saints the promise of the light of life and opens everlasting day.

Pants, Biscuits and a Boy Named Andrew

So the first full day serving in the Preston Village neighborhood in Stockton-on-Tees is quickly drawing to a close! Stories of the day...

We led a school assemblies that included games...and we apparently had about 100 junior high student actually believing that Clint Alwahab was the TN state champ at line dancing, of all things, for a few minutes! What was also quite comical was that they had a harder time believing he worked at a fried chicken restaurant.

Kara Bellenfant, in her tired stupor, forgot that the King's English differs a bit from our own, and asked if she could iron her pants. Pants, of course, means 'underwear' here. After her host got doon (yes, I mispelled that on purpose - that's how they say it) laughing, she ironed her entire outfit. At least she didn't repeat Karyn's misstep from a year ago, asking if she could wear corduroy pants to school. That host's reply: 'Well, you can, but I don't think it would be too comfortable.'

While we're on language, the hosts of Eric Griesheimer quizzed him about his breakfast of choice. When he responded with pop-tarts (which the British find horribly tasteless with fresh bake shops in every town center) they gave an awful look, but when he suggested biscuits and gravy, they were down right disgusted. It wasn't until later today, when I told Eric that biscuits are cookies over here, as in the sweet kind, i.e. Oreos or Chocolate Chip, that he realized why they thought him so odd.

But my personal favorite story of the day is a boy named Andrew. Andrew is a year 7 student (meaning 6th grade in the States) who I randomly picked out of our assembly demonstration to come up to the front and do a trust fall into my arms. To give you a visual, Andrew reminds me of a cross between Harry Potter (glasses, uniform, messy boy hair) and Hamilton 'Ham' Porter, from the movie 'The Sandlot.' Needless to say he kept catching himself to the amusement of the other students, which proved my point about the connection between relationships and trust quite well. But thinking that would be the last I would see of an eager 6th grader who has eaten a few too many Krispy Kakes, I instructed the students to give him a round of applause. And then I noticed it. As the students clapped, the biggest grin I've seen in ages spread across this kid's mug. Later, he found me during lunch and wouldn't leave my side. He introduced me to all his friends as if we had been friends all our lives. He started calling me his 'big friend from America.' He even introduced me to his big brother...star football (soccer) player, a full foot taller, and by the looks of it, the big-man-on-campus guy. Needless to say, it's got to be hard for my boy Andrew to live in that shadow. After school, we're passing out flyers, inviting more students to the church this weekend in front of the Tesco (a convenience/market store that is everywhere up here and evidently takes in one of eight pounds spent in the UK) and guess who finds me again? This time, Andrew tells me that he's coming to the youth club we're hosting at All Saints, although he doesn't really go to church, and asks me for my email address. I ask him what he does after school, and he comments that he eats dinner, spends about 3 or 4 hours on the internet (Habbo Hotel and MSN Messenger, mostly) and then goes to bed. I'm tempted to suggest adding sit-ups to the routine, but I resist and give him my email address, telling him to send me a message sometime. He hurries off to catch his ride, telling me he'll send me 3 or 4 emails...tonight.

So I have yet to check my email, but I wonder out loud in prayer and thought: Was it by coincidence or design that I plucked a random student out of the audience...and he was the exact one who was starving for applause, a friend, and a reason to send emails? Would God lead me and 14 others this far for each of us to touch at least one solitary life this week? Does God have to bring me across the ocean to slow me down, to remind me that one individual soul is of immense worth to Him, and that time spent in conversation with one lad who needs to hear the story of Jesus is a worthy calling?

Pray for Andrew...and the 'Andrews' in your world, as tomorrow this story (and countless others here, there, and everywhere) will go on...

Arriving: Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

After 16 hours, a delayed plane, a mad dash through the Minneapolis airport, and a very crowded red eye flight we arrived at the Newcastle-Upon-Tyne airport bleary-eyed but excited to be here.

Our team spent the rest of the day riding down to Eaglescliffe in Stockton-on-Tees and meeting our host church, All Saints. We knew were in the right place when the vicar himself greeted us with lots of piping hot tea and freddos (small chocolate desserts that are simply 'smashing'). Amy Burns, the youth worker, has done a great job setting up opportunities for us all week. Already I can see how God is at work connecting our students to a place that will challenge them, but that matches their gifts and abilities quite well.

We spent last night in our host homes, sharing our 'Who am I' books and watching England on the 'telly' compete in the World Cup qualifying, during which, apparently, the country stops and everyone, man, woman, child, and corgis, watch 'football.' England beat Poland, 2-1, which is good for us, because it seems that everyone in the entire nation is in a much better mood this morning, despite the typically brutish weather, which spits, sleets and threatens to pour at any moment.

This AM, we're off to a great start, with one team teaching RE classes on moral purity in Middlesburgh, one team doing assemblies at Preston Primary for children, and our team doing assemblies at the secondary school called Eaglescliffe.

Pray for us, that our eyes will be wide open and that we will be in step with Spirit as we go today...

Crossing the Pond

T-minus 3+ hours before we head off for England. I'm excited and wondering what adventures God has in store for us in the next eight days.

Last week, I stumbled upon this quote and gave it to our students to ponder as we prepare.

"It takes the supernatural to break the bonds of the natural. You can make a community mission-conscious. You can make a community crusade-conscious. But only God can make a community God-conscious. Just think about what would happen if God came to any community in power. I believe that day is coming. May God prepare us all for it.”
- Duncan Campbell, the British evangelist who led what historians call the “last significant revival in the United Kingdom” in 1948

May God use our trip, our ministry, our church, and the churches of our friends in England, as the sparks that will lead to changed hearts, changed lives and a changed world...something the old-timers call "revival."

Turkish Delight

I was introduced to an album of electronica-acoustic-praise-and-worship-hymns-and-random-yet-pleasing-sounds about four years ago by a friend. Like the guys in the Underground who introduced me to coffee at Greenville College, I now hold this friend responsible for my addiction. This little outfit, better known as the David Crowder Band, has consistently fused some of the most theologically sound God thoughts and inventive sounds in all of Christendom, to the point that I can no longer get their discs out of my player or their songs off my iPod playlist. My goodness, I am even tempted to download “Open Skies” to my cell phone, but I fear God too much to have such a great worship song emanating from the left pocket of my blue jeans. Never before have I promoted a band on my blog, but their latest project, “Collison” is no disappointment. And then today, mostly out of sentiment, I make a sudden emotional purchase of “Music inspired by The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” only to find a stunning cut on the project by the aforementioned band. And just when I think they can’t get more creative, they totally pull off the best sounding disco track this side of Saturday Night Fever, brilliantly and boldly wrapping C.S. Lewis’ classic metaphor for temptation inside yet another metaphor of the hedonism and excess of the 1970’s. Save yourself a few bucks and just download this cut and the Jars of Clay pop brilliance of “Waiting for the World to Fall” from said soundtrack, and it will be the best $1.98 you’ve spent in awhile.

Changing the Routine

So this weekend, it’s been just the girls and I. Tanya has been away on the BBC women’s retreat, and so we’ve had a weekend of “dad time.” Quick recap: Friday night we go out to eat at McDonald’s and I play the monster on the playset for my daughters and seven of their newest, screaming pint-sized friends. Then my two little cheerleaders accompany me to the Brentwood High-Franklin High Football Game. The game is a good one (props to Tyler Sinclair, for the momentum swinging interception that helped BHS to victory), but my girls keep me busy mascot-watching (they’re freaked by high school kids in silly costumes…but maybe more of us should be, now that I think about it) and begging for dippin’ dots. So I cave, and end up wearing more frozen ice cream balls that we eat, but fun is had by all. Saturday is Eliza’s fourth soccer game of the fall. A lucky goal in practice Thursday boosts her courage, and she mixes it up, scoring her first goal ever on a loose ball in front of the net. A grin from ear to ear shows how proud she is! Now, she’s suddenly David Beckham in the body of a five-year-old girl, and my timid little defender breaks free from the pack for a break-away goal, and almost gets another – a regular offensive machine! She calls every relative in my cell phone on the way home to tell them the news. The bill will be worth it. Sunday morning I get to experience what my wife does every week. Getting up early, fixing oatmeal, getting them dressed in Sunday best, getting oatmeal off of Lexi’s face, attempting to do their hair, getting oatmeal out of Lexi’s hair, etc. It totally changed my routine, but that was a nice change of pace. It made me appreciate my wife more, and I hate it she has to feel like a single mom every Sunday. I parked with the normal people at BBC (now known as “The Church That Swallowed Brentwood,” according to friends of our students), and I appreciate the parking lots guys more. I sat with the Bowman, the Tyler and Matt the Pringle on the north wing of the worship center and from my new vantage point I watched Dennis trying to get spectators to join him in worship, and I appreciated him and all our folks who worship God and not music or performance or self more. I saw a mom put her arms around her teenage daughter and pray with her during the prayer and altar time, and I appreciated holy little moments like that more. So Tanya’s back, and I am very glad for that. But the moral of today’s lesson: do something today to change your routine – you might be surprised how fresh it makes life feel.