Fire!

Just under 5 weeks before the ISIS murders in Paris on Friday November 13th 2015, I was on Elder duty. In order to start the time for Open Church when everyone share their testimonies, I shared mine since Saturday October 25th 2008. Within 6 weeks I had made the decision to leave my job and begin the journey to full time mission in France.

John 1:14-17 14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace AND truth came through Jesus Christ.

Today it is Open Church. I would like to encourage our young people to share what God is doing in their lives but first let me tell you a brief testimony of my own. As some of you know, I have been helping run a Soccer Academy through PACT for the last 7 years. This is the story so far...

At the beginning of 2007, I had an idea to set up a soccer academy after taking our boys to a small holiday programme run by Wynrs in Royal Oak. Good things take time. Over a year later, I approached Brent, the director of PACT with the idea. We prepared a schedule, applied for some grants and ordered the gear but just 2 weeks after we started, I broke my leg at a football tournament in Mt Maunganui during labour weekend 2008. Through the support of others we managed to complete the first academy and have been running it ever since.

After going on a family trip to UK/France at the end of 2012, I had a new thought to go on a mission trip to Mexico to run a Soccer Academy for a couple of weeks. On Christmas morning at breakfast with some friends, Tim Wills who some of you know, advised me to contact Kim Beale who is running soccer missions from NZ.

I happened to meet Kim at Easter Camp in 2013. As a result of that, Sean got a trial with the NZ Crosswhites and was selected to go to Australia. Kim was planning a soccer mission to Chile/Paraguay at the end of 2013, I was going to go but unfortunately the trip had to be cancelled as too many pulled out at the last moment. However, this year Kim asked me to be his assistant director for the the Crosswhites for their trip to Sydney to compete in the National Titles. It's been quite a commitment but last week we took a group of 4 teams over there. Though we didn't win, it was a great experience making all the years effort worthwhile. The kids were awesome. I am very happy that Kim makes the message of the Gospel core to what he's doing and the football comes second to that. Over the same 7 years,

I have had another parallel development in my life as a direct result of breaking my leg resulting in a trip to France in May. They are both connected in a way I don't know yet. In 2016, Kim is taking a group to Valencia to one of the top sides in Spain and I have this thought to go. We will be able to receive coaching from some top Spanish coaches at the same time as seeing how our team performs against their academy sides. I also think I'm meant to go back to France for a period of time, I have a lot of thoughts on that and smaller details are slowly being filled in. But obviously there are some difficulties in doing that which I'm still processing.

In fact it can be and often is a struggle to do the things that God gifts to us and there can be unexpected twists and turns. For a lot of us it is part time but I'm sure working full time is exactly the same. I do want to say that this is what gives meaning to our lives and is not for nothing. Which is why I'm ready to do it! For me it has been the culmination of; Initial inspiration God working out the connection details Reading the Bible, listening and receiving words Support of others The work is easy but the difficulty is in the commitment

Matthew 11:39 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Step by step we run the race before us.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
 3-2-1 the tortoise is off ; )

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." 
Jim Elliot