The Week In-Between & the Atheist Church

The Week In-Between & the Atheist Church

The Week In-Between Christmas and the New Year has become a significant week in my adult-married life. During this week, I have always chosen to take holiday/vacation time. This is because it gives me an extended period over the Christmas holidays that I can spend with my wife and my children. Over the years, it has also become a time where we as a family enjoy spending it with friends, playing games, and watching college football bowl games.

This in-between week has gradually become a significant week for me, as I mentioned. It is when I get to enjoy extra time with family and friends, and also take time to reflect on the year and look ahead to the coming year. As I have been reflecting on all that the year has entailed, I’ve gained proper perspective for dreaming, planning, and strategising for the year to come.

In reflection, one thing I like to do is make a list of 7 Highlights of the Year. In doing so, I’m able to be thankful and give praise to my heavenly Father for all that He has done, both in my life and through my life, during the previous year. As I have thought about this today, I’m not going to list my 7 highlights here in this blog, but I am going to share a few in a photo montage.

During this reflection time and as I look forward to 2013, I find myself contemplating this fact that has come out of our most recent census here in the UK.

FACT: 1 in 3 people in the UK indicate they are atheists: The 2011 census for the UK indicates that now 1/3 of its residents, or 1 out of every 3 people in the UK, claim to be atheist. This coupled with the announcement of the first-ever Atheist Church has confirmed to me that NOW, more than ever, is the time for the Kingdom of God to be expanding in Scotland and the UK.

Stand Up Comedians Launch UK’s First Atheist Church
http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/stand_up_comedians_launch_uk_s_first_atheist_church_in_islington_1_1747944

12th Year We are in our 12th year as missionaries here in Scotland, and I have never seen, nor experienced, a more desperate need for the Gospel to advance in Scotland and Europe than what we face today. This is why we are committed to sharing the Gospel here in Edinburgh and are working to help establish churches that reach the lost.

Additionally, I have been drawn to the words Paul wrote to Philemon.
Philemon was considered to be an ordinary pastor.

Philemon’s Love and Faith
Philemon 1:4-7 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

I guess I can say as I look ahead to 2013 that the words of Paul to Philemon will be one of the prayers that I pray for myself.

My Prayer: “Dear Jesus, I pray that in each and every relationship of mine that the sharing of my faith will become EFFECTIVE for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in me for the sake of Christ. I also pray that the hearts of the saints and others will be refreshed through me.”

So during this WEEK IN-BETWEEN, I would encourage each of you to make your list of 7 Highlights of the Year from 2012. And my prayer for you is that you would be thankful for the past and be encouraged and inspired for the year to come.

From my family to you and yours, may we all grow in grace and mercy, be filled with peace and joy, and be extravagant in LOVE! Here’s to a very blessed 2013!

Love, Kent

Tacos for 50

Tacos for 50
Today was a very special day for us as we celebrated beginning our 12th year as missionaries/church planters in Scotland.

It was special because we were privileged to serve 49 friends tacos made with love in our home.

This was a Kingdom event, because at the very heart of our Taco Sunday was a desire to participate in bringing about UNITY within the Body of Christ, in particular both churches that we have been working with, Centrepoint Church & Mosaic Edinburgh. Thanks to Nathan (Centrepoint) & James (Mosaic) for helping make today a tremendous success! God blesses unity.

We came together to honour God, to demonstrate a united stance to see God’s Kingdom expanded in Edinburgh & to pray for both churches.

Ps.133:1- How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

This coming Sunday, 23 September, Centrepoint Church Edinburgh will pray for us, and send us as we transition to serve with Mosaic.

If you missed my SHOCKING FACTS blog earlier in the week, then I would encourage you to continue reading. If you have already read it, then I want to thank you for taking the time to do so.

SHOCKING FACTS:
As we begin our 12th year here in Edinburgh, Scotland as missionaries/church planters, we would like to give God glory and praise for allowing us to preach the Gospel as we worked with YWAM and helped establish two separate churches. We have been privileged to help plant the Almond Vineyard church for 6 1/2 years, and the Every Nation/Centrepoint Church for the last 4 1/2 years.

As we transition into the next part of our journey here in Edinburgh as missionaries/church planters, we would LOVE for you to take the time (because it is very important to us) to read this letter explaining some details about our new role as we transition to help another church plant, Mosaic Edinburgh.

KEEP these SHOCKING facts in mind as you continue reading:

FACT: It would take 160 new churches being planted, that each grew to 500 people, in order for 20% of the UN-CHURCHED in Edinburgh to be reached!

You might want to read that again to take it all in.

LETTER: James Petticrew, Catalyst for Mosaic Edinburgh, whom we will be working with has written this letter on our behalf. We would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to read it.

Love, Kent

Mosaic Edinburgh

A Movement of Faith, Love & Hope

On Tuesday 3 February 1931, a devastating earthquake hit the area of Hawkes Bay on the South Island of New Zealand. Tragically that earthquake cost 256 people their lives and it also changed the lives of everyone who lived in the area. The tremendous upheaval in the ground made some bits of land disappear, some new pieces of land appeared where there had been a lagoon and new hills literally overnight came into being where the ground had been flat before. In an instant all the maps for the area had been rendered useless and the residents were left feeling consumed and bewildered in this new landscape. The people of Hawkes Bay went from living somewhere they were familiar with and which felt like home to living in an area that had changed almost beyond recognition. All of a sudden they had to learn new ways of navigating in what had been once a familiar and friendly landscape.

When I first heard that story it reminded me in so many ways of my experience as a church leader in Europe over the last 20 years. For much of the last 1000 years Europe felt like “home” for the church, it was familiar and friendly territory for Christianity. However more recently it increasingly feels like the church here is experiencing the same kind of upheaval the people of Hawkes Bay did back in 1931. That is because Europe over the last 30 to 40 years has been hit, not by a physical earthquake, but a by a cultural one and it feels like everything has changed. The old familiar landmarks in our Culture have gone, our culture which used to hold most Christian values now seems to oppose those self same values. The old ways of navigating in our culture, the old ways of doing and being church, just don’t get us where we want to go any more. Christianity has been pushed from its central position in European culture to the edges. No wonder the great missionary thinker Lesslie Newbigin said that Europe was the most difficult mission field the church had ever faced because it was the only mission field created by people thinking they had rejected Christianity. Following the earthquake in Hawkes Bay the church buildings had to be rebuilt and now in Europe there is a desperate need for new churches to built, not new physical buildings, but new expressions of God’s People committed to God’s mission in this new culture.

Vision of Mosaic Edinburgh: The vision of Mosaic Edinburgh is to be just such a fresh expression of church. We are committed to learning how to be God’s people, to learning how to make the Kingdom of God tangible, in this new culture we face here in Edinburgh with all of its challenges and opportunities. We are thinking and experimenting with new maps to help us navigate this unfamiliar cultural landscape. We are trying to rethink what the essence of being church is and how we can authentically express it here in our beautiful, historic city. We have gathered a core group of people from around Scotland and across the globe to launch what we are praying will be a significant new missional movement in Scotland’s capital. A huge amount of prayer over the last few years has gone into gathering this core group, specifically praying that God would lead people with a passion for and experience of mission in this challenging new environment for the church. It has been incredible to see how God has answered that prayer and to me, as one of the leaders of Mosaic, without doubt one of the clearest and most significant answers to that prayer we have seen has been Kent and Debbie Chandler’s step of faith in deciding to become part of the leadership of Mosaic Edinburgh and join us in this bold new God inspired experiment in mission. If you know Kent and Debbie well that won’t come as a surprise to you.

THE CHANDLERS: The Chandlers came to Scotland over 11 years ago with YWAM with a passion for being part of what God was doing in Europe particularly to see new churches planted in a continent that has seen so many die. Since then they have had considerable experience of mission in Edinburgh and have been part of teams which have helped establish two separate congregations in the city. I cannot think of anyone else I know of who has that kind of track record and experience of church planting in Edinburgh. They see their role in Mosaic as being the next step in following God’s missionary calling for their life. Kent will be becoming part of the core leadership group of Mosaic, serving as a pastor with several key roles and he and Debbie together will be planting a new missional community focused on reaching the unchurched which they will lead. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have Kent and Debbie Chandler joining the team at Mosaic. I believe that our mission here in historic and scenic Edinburgh is incredibly strategic. In just two years Scotland will vote on becoming fully independent and whatever the outcome of the vote the culture of Scotland will continue to change. Edinburgh may be Scotland’s capital but its becoming increasingly multicultural with some of the brightest best from around the world coming to study at its world class universities or work in the finance industry. We believe that God has called us to launch Mosaic Edinburgh to join Him in rising to these to strategic opportunities for the Gospel here. I know that Kent and Debbie with their wealth of church planting experience and very clear giftings will be key people in helping us become the missional church God is calling us to be.

Commend Kent & Debbie: For all those reasons I want to commend Kent and Debbie to you and ask specifically if you could support and partner with them in this new chapter in their calling as missionaries to the unchurched of Europe in several ways? Would you firstly, and perhaps most importantly, support them in prayer? Nothing of any spiritual significance will happen in this city or continent I believe without the sustained focused prayer by God’s people and of course that includes the Chandlers work here. I know they are acutely aware of their need for God’s power to be unleashed in what they plan to being doing and that won’t happen without prayer. To be frank they also need financial support as Edinburgh is an expensive city in which to live, the second most expensive in the whole of the UK. I know personally that its never easy to ask for financial support so I am going to do it for them. Would you consider making for the for the first time, or continuing to make, contributions to their ongoing support fund. I am ask you to support them financially not so much just to fund a great family to serve here in Scotland but so you too can partner with God in seeing an impact being made through His Kingdom in this strategic city? I know this is a difficult financial climate for many of us but I also know that many of us fritter money on things of little importance which could support work in the Kingdom of God which is of course of ultimate importance. So if you can commit to support them I would ask you to prayerfully consider doing so. If you have any questions about Mosaic, our vision or mission please don’t hesitate to contact me at jamespetticrew@rocketmail.com

Yours in Christ,

James Petticrew, Catalyst Mosaic Edinburgh

Shocking Facts!

We have had a friend here from Atlanta, (Leigh Craven) visiting us over the last 10 days, and have really enjoyed spending time with her as we have shown her around our beautiful, historical city, Edinburgh. You might have even seen pictures I posted on Facebook from our day trip last week to Holy Island of Lindisfarne.

Holy Island– The significance of Holy Island is that St. Aidan, who chose Lindisfarne as the site for his church & monastery brought the Gospels to this area, called Northumbria in 635. And missionaries, trained by Aidan, were among the first to travel Britain and journey as far as into the Netherlands preaching and bringing the Gospels.

It was great for us to share our experience of  Holy Island & to learn how the Gospels were spread throughout this nation. However, as we travelled around our city of Edinburgh, it was very tragic for her to see the demise of the historical, traditional churches & their buildings.

As we find ourselves in a post-Christian culture and society, many of these once great churches are no longer churches but have been turned into other things like indoor rock climbing arenas and, sadly, a nightclub called SIN!

SHOCKING FACTS:
As we begin our 12th year here in Edinburgh, Scotland as missionaries/church planters, we would like to give God glory and praise for allowing us to preach the Gospel as we worked with YWAM and helped establish two separate churches. We have been privileged to help plant the Almond Vineyard church for 6 1/2 years, and the Every Nation/Centrepoint Church for the last 4 1/2 years.

As we transition into the next part of our journey here in Edinburgh as missionaries/church planters, we would LOVE for you to take the time (because it is very important to us) to read this letter explaining some details about our new role as we transition to help another church plant, Mosaic Edinburgh.

KEEP these SHOCKING facts in mind as you continue reading:

FACT: It would take 160 new churches being planted, that each grew to 500 people, in order for 20% of the UN-CHURCHED in Edinburgh to be reached!

You might want to read that again to take it all in.

LETTER:  James Petticrew, Catalyst for Mosaic Edinburgh, whom we will be working with has written this letter on our behalf.  We would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to read it.

Love, Kent

Mosaic Edinburgh

A Movement of Faith, Love & Hope

On Tuesday 3 February 1931, a devastating earthquake hit the area of Hawkes Bay on the South Island of New Zealand. Tragically that earthquake cost 256 people their lives and it also changed the lives of everyone who lived in the area. The tremendous upheaval in the ground made some bits of land disappear, some new pieces of land appeared where there had been a lagoon and new hills literally overnight came into being where the ground had been flat before. In an instant all the maps for the area had been rendered useless and the residents were left feeling consumed and bewildered in this new landscape. The people of Hawkes Bay went from living somewhere they were familiar with and which felt like home to living in an area that had changed almost beyond recognition. All of a sudden they had to learn new ways of navigating in what had been once a familiar and friendly landscape.

When I first heard that story it reminded me in so many ways of my experience as a church leader in Europe over the last 20 years. For much of the last 1000 years Europe felt like “home” for the church, it was familiar and friendly territory for Christianity. However more recently it increasingly feels like the church here is experiencing the same kind of upheaval the people of Hawkes Bay did back in 1931. That is because Europe over the last 30 to 40 years has been hit, not by a physical earthquake, but a by a cultural one and it feels like everything has changed. The old familiar landmarks in our Culture have gone, our culture which used to hold most Christian values now seems to oppose those self same values. The old ways of navigating in our culture, the old ways of doing and being church, just don’t get us where we want to go any more. Christianity has been pushed from its central position in European culture to the edges. No wonder the great missionary thinker Lesslie Newbigin said that Europe was the most difficult mission field the church had ever faced because it was the only mission field created by people thinking they had rejected Christianity. Following the earthquake in Hawkes Bay the church buildings had to be rebuilt and now in Europe there is a desperate need for new churches to built, not new physical buildings, but new expressions of God’s People committed to God’s mission in this new culture.

Vision of Mosaic Edinburgh:  The vision of Mosaic Edinburgh is to be just such a fresh expression of church. We are committed to learning how to be God’s people, to learning how to make the Kingdom of God tangible, in this new culture we face here in Edinburgh with all of its challenges and opportunities. We are thinking and experimenting with new maps to help us navigate this unfamiliar cultural landscape. We are trying to rethink what the essence of being church is and how we can authentically express it here in our beautiful, historic city. We have gathered a core group of people from around Scotland and across the globe to launch what we are praying will be a significant new missional movement in Scotland’s capital. A huge amount of prayer over the last few years has gone into gathering this core group, specifically praying that God would lead people with a passion for and experience of mission in this challenging new environment for the church. It has been incredible to see how God has answered that prayer and to me, as one of the leaders of Mosaic, without doubt one of the clearest and most significant answers to that prayer we have seen has been Kent and Debbie Chandler’s step of faith in deciding to become part of the leadership of Mosaic Edinburgh and join us in this bold new God inspired experiment in mission. If you know Kent and Debbie well that won’t come as a surprise to you.

THE CHANDLERS:  The Chandlers came to Scotland over 11 years ago with YWAM with a passion for being part of what God was doing in Europe particularly to see new churches planted in a continent that has seen so many die. Since then they have had considerable experience of mission in Edinburgh and have been part of teams which have helped establish two separate congregations in the city. I cannot think of anyone else I know of who has that kind of track record and experience of church planting in Edinburgh. They see their role in Mosaic as being the next step in following God’s missionary calling for their life. Kent will be becoming part of the core leadership group of Mosaic, serving as a pastor with several key roles and he and Debbie together will be planting a new missional community focused on reaching the unchurched which they will lead. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have Kent and Debbie Chandler joining the team at Mosaic. I believe that our mission here in historic and scenic Edinburgh is incredibly strategic. In just two years Scotland will vote on becoming fully independent and whatever the outcome of the vote the culture of Scotland will continue to change. Edinburgh may be Scotland’s capital but its becoming increasingly multicultural with some of the brightest best from around the world coming to study at its world class universities or work in the finance industry. We believe that God has called us to launch Mosaic Edinburgh to join Him in rising to these to strategic opportunities for the Gospel here. I know that Kent and Debbie with their wealth of church planting experience and very clear giftings will be key people in helping us become the missional church God is calling us to be.

Commend Kent & Debbie:  For all those reasons I want to commend Kent and Debbie to you and ask specifically if you could support and partner with them in this new chapter in their calling as missionaries to the unchurched of Europe in several ways? Would you firstly, and perhaps most importantly, support them in prayer? Nothing of any spiritual significance will happen in this city or continent I believe without the sustained focused prayer by God’s people and of course that includes the Chandlers work here. I know they are acutely aware of their need for God’s power to be unleashed in what they plan to being doing and that won’t happen without prayer. To be frank they also need financial support as Edinburgh is an expensive city in which to live, the second most expensive in the whole of the UK. I know personally that its never easy to ask for financial support so I am going to do it for them. Would you consider making for the for the first time, or continuing to make, contributions to their ongoing support fund. I am ask you to support them financially not so much just to fund a great family to serve here in Scotland but so you too can partner with God in seeing an impact being made through His Kingdom in this strategic city? I know this is a difficult financial climate for many of us but I also know that many of us fritter money on things of little importance which could support work in the Kingdom of God which is of course of ultimate importance. So if you can commit to support them I would ask you to prayerfully consider doing so. If you have any questions about Mosaic, our vision or mission please don’t hesitate to contact me at jamespetticrew@rocketmail.com

Yours in Christ,

James Petticrew, Catalyst Mosaic Edinburgh

Friday Night Lights

10:00 o’clock on Friday Night…It’s 10:00 on a Friday night in the city centre of Edinburgh Scotland.  The city is buzzing with tourist who are filling the streets and pavements to a near maximum capacity during this festival season, so much so,  that it makes it almost impossible to walk.  Entertainers galore are busking, Fringe attendees and participants are are filling every possible venue spot.

Pubs & Clubs…  The pubs and clubs are full of young adults who are steaming, not from the summer heat. but from drinking to sheer excess, in an effort to drown out their worries and anxieties.  They are looking for something to fill the void that is in their lives, but unfortunately are looking in ALL the wrong places.

One of my Scottish friends told me once that,  “us Scots drink so that we can puke, so that we can drink some more.”  That is a sad statement, and a sad place for our society here in Scotland to be in. But it is reality and the numbers are alarming!  Obviously, not everyone drinks or thinks this way, but it is a problem.

The following are some of the effects that this kind of behaviour has on our culture:

• the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe
• Random violence and abuse at an all time high
• Drug overdose and Alcohol Abuse, one of the highest rates in Europe

Every year in Scotland 60,000 individuals and families are declared homeless (Homeless Stats for Scotland 2010)

On this past Friday night, the lights were burning bright around the city and a group of us from Mosaic Edinburgh decided to bring the light of Jesus to the streets, and to share his love in a tangible way to a group of homeless and vulnerable people who are sleeping rough.

We partnered with Bethany Christian Trust (this is the charity that Debbie works with and they work with the homeless and vulnerable in Edinburgh and Scotland).  We prepared buttered rolls, cups of soup and hot tea and coffee as we drove the Bethany Care Van to several strategic locations around the city where we served the homeless and vulnerable.

That may not seem like much to some,  but I tell you that to Tommy and Marc from Poland it meant a great deal to them.  Tommy has been in Edinburgh for five years, and recently just lost his job after 4 1/2 years in the same job.  He has been unable to find more employment, so he has lost his flat, and is now sleeping rough.  I heard similar stories from a couple of young Scots as well.

At Mosaic Edinburgh, we want to live by faith, to be known for love, and to be a voice of hope.  On Friday night, I think we practically lived this out in a small yet very tangible and meaningful way.  Prayerfully and hopefully those 50 homeless we served would agree.

I am very grateful to Bethany Christian Trust for ALL the work they do, and especially in providing this Care Van nightly, year round in partnership with some of the local churches in Edinburgh.  I was blessed for being there with our Mosaic Edinburgh team, and am still on a high from it.

A buttered roll, a cup of soup, a coffee and a tea served with the love of Jesus can make a difference.

Keep Serving…

Love, Kent

Taco Sunday Celebration

As most of you know by now, God has spoken to us about transitioning into the next part of our journey in ministry here in Edinburgh. We are very excited about this because as a missionary/church planter, one of your goals is to help establish a church plant and then step aside so that the local leadership can take its place.CELEBRATING 11 YEARS: This week we are celebrating completing 11 years in Edinburgh & Scotland as missionaries and church planters. Over these past 11 years we have worked with YWAM, and helped establish two separate churches. We spent 6 1/2 years with the Almond Vineyard church and 4 1/2 years with Every Nation/Centrepoint Church. Over the last year, Nathan (now lead pastor at Centrepoint Church Edinburgh) has been very gracious to loan me out a bit and for Debbie and I to help another church plant, called Mosaic Edinburgh, pull together a core group of people. STARTING YEAR 12 in Edinburgh, Scotland: So, as we transition from helping establish another church , Centrepoint Church, and move on in our journey in ministry here in Edinburgh, it is time for us to celebrate unity, and honour God. The next phase in our ministry here in Edinburgh is to continue to invest in a missional church movement called Mosaic Edinburgh, a movement of faith, love & hope. (More detailed information of what our role is going to be with Mosaic Edinburgh can found in an upcoming blog that will include a letter from James Petticrew at lovefromkent.wordpress.com) We want to honour God, and to celebrate unity amongest the body of Christ, and unity as we advance the Kingdom of God together here in our beautiful, historic city, Edinburgh! Thus, we have created the event, Taco Sunday Celebration!At this Taco Sunday Celebration, we will take time to bless and pray for Nathan & Ailsa as they lead Centrepoint Church Edinburgh, & to bless and pray for James and the leadership team of Mosaic Edinburgh! When: Sunday Lunch on 16 September Time: 1:30 for 2:00 until 5:00pm Place: our house, 28 Redford Bank, Edinburgh EH13 0AQ We will provide homemade Tex Mex Turkey Tacos (the meat) & Kent’s famous homemade Salsa, and we would ask everyone else to bring one of the following additional sides to go along with the meal.Salad (chopped lettuce & tomato) Flour tortillas Cheese Sour cream Tortilla chips Drinks Could you please RSVP via text or on the Facebook event so I can know roughly how many to cater for?We are really looking forward to this celebration as we honour God and bless and pray for our city. Love, Pastor Kent & Debbie

Confessions of a Father’s “Dadisms”

Confessions of a Father’s Dadism’s
This past Father’s day I decided it would be interesting to poll my family and ask them to give me their favourite “dadism”. Each joined in, and now it’s confession time…
“I love that you cry during touching movies or shows, especially when the underdog does well or is helped.” “You use malaprops (saying the wrong word that sounds similar).” ” You always sign ALL of your text messages, Love Kent” “Dad, you are the King of Mixed Metaph(ers).””I love that you always say signs & WANders instead of signs & wonders.”
I’ m so blessed to have such an amazing family. I would like to honour them by bragging on them. Each one of them, Debbie, Joshua, Jacob, & Hannah contribute so much to the work of the ministry & advancing the Gospel here in Edinburgh, Scotland.
CHARITY DINNER for NAOMIS VILLAGE, MAAI MAHIU, KENYA

Before my total knee replacement surgery, God gave Jacob and myself a vision to put on a charity dinner at my local pub, Centre Court. The vision was to gather together different groups of people, friends from Centrepoint Church, Mosaic Edinburgh, Destiny Church, Ironmen & friends from the pub in which I had developed relationships. We wanted to bring together these two different communities (Believers & Not-yet believers) for this one evening. The common goal was to raise money and awareness for an orphanage in Kenya that is located on the Aids Highway. The majority of the children at the orphanage are HIV positive. It was started by some folks from Village Church, Dallas, Texas, & are associated with Lost Orphans International. You can check them out at http://www.naomisvillage.com.
The theme was Tex Mex, and the pub allowed Jacob and I to come in and use their kitchen for preparations and the cooking of a Tex Mex Trio, all homemade from scratch (cheese enchilada, crunchy turkey taco & smoked chicken fajita). For dessert, we served a Dr. Pepper brownie, with a Green & Blacks chocolate dark ale sauce & whipped cream.
We served 38 people and could not have done the evening without Debbie, Joshua, Hannah and Jacob. Everyone contributed from cooking, hosting, serving, & clean up. And Hannah, painted an amazing painting that was raffled off in the evenings raffle.
The evening was a huge success thanks to my amazing family and friends. The communities mingled with each other, and many of my friends from the pub asked more questions. We were able to show the love of Christ in a practical way. And, one of my highlights, in addition to doing this with the family was my friend Davey from the pub, volunteered to help Jacob and I in the kitchen both in the preparations and the cooking for the two afternoons and on the evening.
I want to give all glory, honour and praise to God. We will be looking for more missions of mercy as we continue to preach the gospel, reach the lost & advance the Kingdom of God in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Love, Kent
John 13:34-36New Living Translation (NLT)34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

The Day Before

The Day Before Surgery has now come. I am thankful that I was able to grab some peace and quite time in the sun refreshing my soul and resting my body this morning.

It has been a very hectic few weeks leading into this time. I’ve got some great stories to tell in a future blog about the community charity dinner that we cooked for and put on in my local pub, Good Friday/Easter Sunday, Hannah’s X Factor auditions in Glasgow & the arrival of our family friend Meghan Johnson who is here living with us and working with us as an intern for the next 6 months to name just a few.

Leading up to today, there has been a shortage of laptop time for me, & so Debbie has suggested I update my blog with stories and photos during my recovery time after I am feeling better. So, I have agreed.

PrayerI would like to ask you to pray for me and my family as I go into hospital at 7:15am tomorrow to have the first of two total knee replacements. They say I will be in hospital for 5-7 days. & to expect to be pretty miserable during recovery for the first six weeks. Thus, I/we need your prayers.

Debbie and I will be updating my progress during the hospital stay and once I get home on Facebook.

We love each one of you!

Love, Kent

Musings of Christmas & Community

An excerpt from “The Case for Christmas” by Lee Strobel

“The Chicago Tribune newsroom was eerily quiet on the day before Christmas.  As I sat at my desk with little to do, my mind kept wandering back to a family I had encountered a month earlier while I was working on a series of articles about Chicago’s neediest people.  The Delgados – sixty year old Perfecta and her granddaughters Lydia and Jenny – had been burned out of their roach-infested tenement and were now living in a tiny two-room apartment on the West Side.  As I walked in, I couldn’t believe how empty it was.  There was no furniture, no rugs, nothing on the walls-only a small kitchen table and one handful of rice.  That’s it.  They were virtually devoid of possessions.  In fact, eleven-year-old Lydia and thirteen-year-old Jenny owned only one short-sleeved dress each, plus one thin, gray sweater between them.  When they walked the half mile to school through the biting cold, Lydia would wear the sweater for part of the distance and then hand it to her shivering sister, who would wear it the rest of the way.  But despite their poverty and the painful arthritis that kept Perfecta from working, she still talked confidently about her faith in Jesus.  She was convinced he had not abandoned them.  I never sensed despair or self-pity in her home; instead, there was a gentle feeling of hope and peace.  I wrote an article about the Delgados and then quickly moved on to more exciting assignments.  But as I sat at my desk on Christmas Eve, I continued to wrestle with the irony of the situation: here was a family that had nothing but faith and yet seemed happy, while I had everything I needed materially but lacked faith -and inside I felt as empty and barren as their apartment.  I walked over to the city desk to sign out a car.  It was a slow news day with nothing of consequence going on.  My boss could call me if something were to happen.  In the meantime, I decided to drive over to West Homer Street and see how the Delgados were doing.

WHAT JESUS WOULD DO

When Jenny opened the door, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Tribune readers had responded to my article by showering the Delgados with a treasure trove of gifts -roomfuls of furniture, appliances, and rugs; a lavish Christmas tree with piles of wrapped presents underneath; carton upon bulging carton of food; and a dazzling selection of clothing, including dozens of warm winter coats, scarves, and gloves.  On top of that, they donated thousands of dollars in cash.  But as surprised as I was by the outpouring, I was even more astonished by what my visit was interrupting: Perfecta and her granddaughters were getting ready to give away much of their newfound wealth.  When I asked Perfecta why, she replied in halting English: ‘Our neighbors are still in need.  We cannot have plenty while they have nothing.  This is what Jesus would want us to do.’  That blew me away!  If I had been in their position at that time in my life, I would have been hoarding everything.  I asked Perfecta what she thought about the generosity of the people who had sent all of these goodies, and again her response amazed me.  ‘This is wonderful; this is very good,’ she said gesturing toward the largess. ‘We did nothing to deserve this – it’s a gift from God.  But, she added, it is not His greatest gift.  No, we celebrate that tomorrow.  That is Jesus.’  To her, this child in the manger was the undeserved gift that meant everything – more than material possessions, more than comfort, more than security.  And at that moment, something inside of me wanted desperately to know this Jesus- because, in a sense, I saw Him in Perfecta and her granddaughters.”

My prayer is that this short excerpt from “The Case for Christmas”  by Lee Strobel will in some way encourage, inspire and challenge us to reflect during this season that it really is ALL about Jesus. He is the greatest gift!

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:9-11 esv

Celebrate!

Kayleigh's Baptism

Excited to have had the privilege of  baptizing one of Hannah’s friends, Kayleigh during this past month.

Community: We’ve Got to Come Together   God has been speaking to me a lot about the important role that community plays in our daily lives.  So, I’ve included a link here if you would like to listen to my sermon on community from a few weeks back. (38minutes).

We wish you a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Love Kent

The Changing of Seasons

Every turn of a new season brings a reflective mood in my soul.  I can’t believe that winter is on its way, and the leaves have all turned their glorious colour, seemingly willing to shine one last time in the glimmering autumn sun for our enjoyment.

While the end of this summer brought about the completion of a DECADE of ministry here in Scotland for us, the autumn has given us new challenges and vision for embarking on another 10 years of ministry and preaching the gospel in Scotland and Europe.

In looking at what scriptures say about seasons, I’m encouraged, challenged and admonished by both of these.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 esv “For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

1 Timothy 4:2 esv “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

Here are a few highlights of ministry here in Scotland from this past season:

A decade of ministry in Scotland!

on this late August day, we celebrated 10 years in Scotland by serving and worshiping with Centrepoint Church, Edinburgh and Mosaic Edinburgh.

Salvation for Hannah’s Friend!

one of Hannah’s friends, 16 yr old K gave her life to Jesus, and we are baptizing her on 27 November.

New life with Jesus 

18 yr old homeless young man, S gave his life to Jesus and was baptized in August.  We have since helped him to get into his own flat.

Brotherly love & baby dedications

Debbie and I are the proud godparents of Oma Edeh.

We are continuing to share the love of Jesus with all those that God brings us into contact with whether at the pub, bus stop, the meadows, or at Deb’s charity shop with Bethany Christian Trust.  We are seeing deeper relationships and friendships form, and also continue to see more and more healings.          Praise God!

Won’t you please join us in praying over our city, Edinburgh!

Embarking on the next 10

As we embark on the next 10 years preaching the gospel in Scotland and Europe, we are  praying for more of the lost to be reached.  We want to THANK ALL of you who have supported us and partnered with us over the years, and appreciate you continuing to do so.  During this new season, honestly, we are at a critical stage where we need to increase the number of our partners who can join with us to help resource our ministry in spreading the Gospel.

Please Take a Moment

Please take a look at how you can partner with us under the “supporting our ministry” tab here on the blog.

Love, Kent

Sound-bites of Summer Pt. 1

6 Month Check- Up   –    Still Cancer Free!

12 July 2011- ‎6 mo check-up at the cancer centre today & I was told my scans were all clear & still cancer free. Praise Jesus for healing me! Thanks for your prayers.

LG’s healing and salvation

God has miraculously saved this 16 year old girl as she committed her life to following Jesus, and has healed her by growing her leg, arm and dissolving a tumor in her leg.  She’s recently moved to Australia with her family and sent me this message…

“everyone loves my story on finding god! im so glad that i get to tell people my experience with god! anyway, cant wait to come back to scotland for a wee visit and see yous all”.

Water Baptism

Recently, we had a very special Sunday where we baptized 4 people including LG.

NightLife

Our monthly outreach where we share the love of Jesus with dancers and bouncers. One young lady, E, has now heard the Gospel several times and has expressed a desire to get out of this work, but has felt trapped do to debt and a high tax bill.  God is loving her & wooing her, and recently her tax bill has been reduced significantly.

Missions Week

In June, we had a missions team  from America serving with us for 10 days.  Our main outreach was a picture survey asking questions that would give us an opportunity to share the Gospel.

Two highlights for me: (1) Met a Religious Education teacher from a local high school who turned out to be a not-yet believer. Can you imagine, teaching religious education and not being a believer?  I was able to share some with him, and got his email so we can meet up for coffee.  (2) an impromptu baptism at a local beach.

Community Group

We’ve got a heart for Edinburgh!  We are a group of people that God has brought together from the nations to reach the lost here in Edinburgh. Scotland, America, Zambia, Nigeria, Columbia, Nepal, Poland & Hong Kong.

Ministry Partnership

Please continue to pray for us as we reach out to Edinburgh, Scotland and Europe with the Gospel.

Critical Stage

Honestly, we are at a critical stage where we need to increase the number of our partners who can join with us to help resource our ministry in spreading the Gospel.

Please Take a Moment

Please take a look at how you can partner with us under the “supporting our ministry” tab here on the blog.

Love, Kent