“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” - Psalm 32:7-8
“So, are you enjoying your sabbatical?” must be the question I've been asked most frequently over these past weeks and months. Though, no doubt, I have enjoyed myself in many ways over this period of 'rest' (which, as I write, is now swiftly coming to an end), I don't feel I could use the term 'enjoy' to describe it! Generally, it has been a challenging and testing time. A time when, separated from normal ministry activity, a lot of inner searching and evaluation has gone on. It is very hard to understand, let alone put into words, what the Lord has been doing during this time - save to say that, a lot of 'soul-searching' and 'inner' work seems to have been taking place. Of course, I am keenly aware that a lot more work needs to be done! However, we believe the coming months and even years will evidence the benefits of some of what has been accomplished over this unusual time.
This sabbatical has also been a time of upheaval and transition in many ways. We believe a kind of recalibration of life and ministry has begun. Again, we aren't entirely sure what this will look like in the long term, but we believe this will also become more evident in the coming days.
I realise this is somewhat of a strange 'post-sabbatical update', but this simply reflects the very different period through which we have come. We would ask, for us as a family, that you pray in the Spirit that we would have clarity and the Lord's continued direction and grace as we work out what God has been working in us over this season.
Though we kind of 'see through a glass darkly' in understanding all of this, we are sure that one aspect of this season has been preparation for what the Lord is doing and is about to do in the land.
On one final note, the 'God Encounter' 3-minute daily devotional programmes I recorded previously with UCB UK are now airing each weekday morning at 7:50am on the UCB Ireland station. This is the first time these have been broadcast in Ireland. Please pray that they will have an impact on listeners! You can find out more details on how to tune in on Satellite, Internet and DAB radio on the UCB Ireland website.
Visit the 'Preaching Schedule' page for the latest updates to my upcoming itinerary...