An Irishman's Diary

Why the Green & Ag Caint as Gaelige?

2009-03-13T13:01:00.001Z

We're making a bit of a fuss again about St. Paddy's Weekend this year at Grace. Every year we get asked why? Wear the Green on March 15, and on March 17 (Sunday & Tuesday). The St. Patrick's Outreach on Tuesday, traditional Irish music & song & the Irish language on Sunday morning. Ag caint as Gaelige arís sa cruiniú ar an Domhnaigh. Well it's a lot of fun but.....it is a celebration of the real Patrick who introduced & spread Biblical Christianity to Ireland. The historical character who brought real change and the hope of the world into Ireland. And it's our national holiday!

Isn't the real question why are so many Evangelical Churches in Ireland ignoring it?

Secret Ballots

2009-03-13T12:49:00.002Z

The results of the leadership vote are sealed & delivered here at Grace Cork. Mike & I are delighted to be returned with such an overwhelming mandate of 99.6% yes vote. So, we continue on with the work, the ministry, the hope of the world being revealed in our corner of the Universe. Not the easiest of processes but so well worth it in the end. Thanks everyone......

Vulnerable Vote

2009-02-07T21:03:00.000Z

When this Church was founded 12 years ago by a small group of friends (11 of us in all) I personally felt it would be healthy and more transparent if every three years we would have all the adult membership vote by secret ballot on whether or not they believed those in leadership should continue or not. And also to nominate new people to the various leadership roles when necessary. In February 2009 we are in the midst of going through this process again, with Michael & myself up for re-affirmation.

It's not an easy season for either of us. In fact we both feel a bit vulnerable and exposed. But neither of us would have it any other way. "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to all of us" the book of Acts records. And there are a number of other NT scriptures about this such as Acts 1 & Acts 6 etc.

We have gotten a bit of flack about this from time to time from some leaders of other churches over the years, as well as a few eyebrows raised. Maybe they are insecure in their own situations. But....who better to be accountable to than to the people you serve and who see you up close week after week. Having a denominational overseer in another country or even another city seems a bit unreal to me. You may get the odd person in your own church with a grudge over something or other but the vast majority of Christians vote by their conscience. And if you are serving the Lord and His people then it's in His hands anyway.

I was asked what would I do if I was voted out. I'm not fully sure. Am I too young to write my memoires? I think the Lord isn't finished with me yet, whatever the outcome of the vote. I just want to serve Him, and if that means cleaning the toilets before or after Church that's fine Nothing worse than a pastor/church leader with grand notions about himself. Anyway...I heard Fianna Fáil might be looking for a candidate or two fairly shortly.

The Prophet Killers

2008-12-19T10:57:00.001Z

Paul the great New Testament writer gave some brilliant Godly advice to the younger Timothy, encouraging him to "watch his life & doctrine closely". His words are just as much needed today as they were 2000 years ago.. There are still con men around who are out to rip off or control sincere believers, and there are many who push heretical doctrines that can deeply warp our relationship with God or even cause us to make ship wreck of our faith. We need to examine our conscience on a regular basis, to repent of sin in our lives & after that to rest in His amazing Grace. When we hear a teaching we need to go, like the noble Bereans, and search the scriptures for ourselves, to see if what was said is true. In other words to"test all things". All of this is good and part of the normal Christian life. But some just keep on going and don't know where to stop. They cross a line from testing to constantly attacking. Taking on the garb of the Pharisees they are just like them. Jesus cried out against them in Matthew 23 saying "Woe to you Pharisees & hypocrites...direct descendants of those who murdered the prophets....whom you kill or flog or pursue from town to town".

In their eyes and hearts there is always a threat and a danger and somehow they are the ones God has called to put the rest of the church right. They are the ones who are protectors of the "truth". Anyone who disagrees with them is in league with the devil. Only they, and perhaps a tiny number of others (it's always a very small group) can keep the rest of us from certain disaster. They have inherited the mantle of "tithing mint & cumin & garden spices yet neglecting justice and the love of God" Luke 11:42

At Grace we have thankfully been spared this type of constant judgment for the most part. We have only had the odd brief encounter with the Prophet Killers, who usually moved on into wonderful isolation where they kept themselves "holy" and uncontaminated from the rest of the Body of Christ. But I have seen the destruction they have left behind in other churches and movements. Vicious! In my experience the Prophet Killer has a lot of turmoil going on in their own lives and as a coping mechanism they turn their focus to projecting their frustrations on others. As it's not acceptable in Christian circles to simply slander and attack in a raw and naked way, these people disguise their carnality in "Christian" clothes and become instead a self styled "watchman on the walls".

When you see someone cross the line from Biblical Follower to Prophet Killer, here's what Paul said to Titus in chapter 3. "Avoid foolish controversies & quarrels because they are unprofitable and useless. Warn the divisive man twice. You may be sure such a man is warped & sinful. After that have nothing to do with him." Biblical wisdom or what!

Oh Where have all the "Quakers" Gone?

2008-10-10T15:27:00.000+01:00

The worldwide Banking/Financial Crises seems to be huge and beyond the life experience of almost everyone. Nobody knows exactly how things will work out or how it will affect each of us as individuals or as families. The Irish government worked throughout the night last week to bring in emergency legislation in order to save the Irish Banks from collapse. Such drama!

But I can't help thinking of how all this trouble could have been avoided if only our bankers had something called Ethics. I could say Christian ethics, but in reality all ethics are Christian based, if you think about it. And I also began to think of how the banking industry started out in the 1600's with the Quakers & other non conformist Christians of the time. The reason they succeeded is that they were honest and reliable and therefore trustworthy, because they worked according to Biblical guidelines. No one else had the same level of trust as those Christians had. And so it was the Christian run banks who won the trust of both the gentry and the man in the street. And it was under their direction that banking became a vital part of everyday life.

How things have changed though. The culture of greed and machismo has destroyed our trust in the banking sector. And so the question. Oh where have all the "Quakers" gone? By "Quaker" I mean Christians with ethics in the banking industry. The modern day Quaker church is not evangelical by and large.....(in fact they have become more new age). But the original of the species were very much evangelical, Bible believing, Holy Spirit Filled.

When all the powerful leaders of the world gather to try and resolve this global crises how good it would be if they looked at the historical roots of banking. And how great it would be if once again Christianity and Ethics were moved back centre stage to the banking industry. Any modern day "Quakers" out there?

BUILDINGS BUILDINGS

2008-07-07T11:15:00.002+01:00

I'm often asked by both believers and non believers alike, "so where is your church located?" They obviously mean where is the church building. When I explain that it's the people who are the church not some chapel or whatever I get the glazed look thing and so move onto explain that we have made a deliberate decision to meet in a Catholic school rather than buy or rent a full time building.

The ECB (European Central Bank) raised the lending interest rate yesterday (July 3rd) which means many churches who are already struggling with mortgage repayments will now have to come up with even more money to fund their debt. That's really hard for those congregations, especially in a time of national & world economic slowdown.

It causes me to question though, why is it such an important thing with so many Evangelical churches to have their own building? I mean, it's not like it was a big thing in Scripture. And I think it's often a hindrance for new people coming in to check out a church, especially in Ireland. The visitor is really coming onto your own personal property, whereas coming into a local community school is way easier for the average guy in the neighborhood. We have had a good number of new people come in saying exactly that. And most of them have stayed on with us.

You do have a number of unique problems when you rent a facility for part of the week. It's vital that a good relationship exists between the church leadership and the principle and staff of the school. Mutual respect and honesty is vital. You also have a lot of work in setting up and clearing up, twice a week in our case. But you are also spared a lot of maintenance & expense issues, so I think one compensates for the other.

We have been blessed with the school we meet in. We have access 52 weeks of the year and a full time storage room on site, our own keys, classrooms, 2 halls, kitchen, and car park, all within 10 minutes walk of the city centre. Our landlords are a pleasure to deal with. It's often very difficult for a new Evangelical church in Ireland to achieve this. It took us a number of years to do so.

But it really is worth it. From a financial, evangelistic, and social point of view. It is true that you don't have the same security of tenure that you would if you owned your own building. And despite our good relationship we have no securities at all. But in our case that has only proved positive too. In our 11 year history we have outgrown our 3 different facilities 3 times. On each occasion we had the flexibility to either move on or try something new, such as currently with our Parallel Services.

Spiritually I also think it keeps both the church leadership and congregation on our toes, and helps keep us from getting too settled. And it avoids the usual money/property/decoration hassles that arise in many churches.

It's a bit of a cliché I know but, maybe it's time for churches like ours to think outside the traditional box on this issue. You never know the blessings God has in store when you do.

The Death of David

2008-05-16T12:30:00.000+01:00

No. I'm not talking about King David from the Old Testament. My neighbour, with whom I had been building something of a friendship, has just died suddenly. He was only in his late forties, & leaves behind a devastated wife and 10 year old daughter. He had lost both his legs a few years ago when a drunk teen age "joy rider" in Dublin crashed into him. So he got around fairly sucessfully with artificial legs.

The thing is, as I was getting to know him a bit, I found myself reluctant to some extent to let him know what I worked at. It always seems to be a conversation stopper in Ireland.

"So, what do you work at yourself?" the conversation usually goes....

"Well I work as a pastor for a non-denominational church" says I usually.

"A what?" comes the usual reply, "I mean what's that?" they ask with a worried look coming over their face.

"Like a minister.."....

"You mean a priest?"

"Well, I am married, but yes, something like that."

"Oh right, well I'll catch you again I suppose, bye!"

Because of this, I normally keep that side of things discreet until I build a better rapport & trust with the person. Sometimes it makes sense when you can build that up over time and then gradually introduce it. But it also means that I keep quiet about my faith, which is the most important thing in my life. And when I think I have a long time to tell someone the Good News of what Jesus did in my life I can justify it.

But I thought I'd have years to tell David about Jesus. I was wrong.

I know he didn't have much of any kind of faith, a nominal Catholic like most Irish people. I failed David. And I don't know what the eternal consequences are.

If you know of any David's in your life, don't do what I did, saying nothing. Time is so short, shorter than most of us realise. And eternity is forever. God give us wisdom and courage, God give me wisdom and courage.........

An Taoiseach Nua

2008-05-16T12:10:00.000+01:00

Tá Taoiseach nua againn, níl aon nuacht nua ansin. Ach, cad é an céad rud a thosaigh sé ag caint faoi? Bhí sé ag caint faoi an Teanga. Is é Brian Cowen an 3ú Taoiseach Gaelgóir i stair an Stát (os comhair 80 bhlian ar fad!) Tá a lán suim ag an Taoiseach nua i nGaelige. Agus, tá suim an teanga ag Enda Kenny an Ceannaire ó Fine Gael agus leis an Ceannaire Eamon Gilmore freisin, Gaelgóirí an trúir acu go léir. Agus le Trevor Sergant agus a lán duiní eile i measc an Dáil agus an Seannad.

Tá ceist agum. An bhfuil an Eaglais ag éisteaht? An bhfuil na tréadaí ag éisteacht? Nach bhfuil sé an tábhachtach ar fad. Nach bhfuil athrú ag na duiní faoi an teanga sa tír seo. Tá siad níos páirteach ná roimhe, ó barr go bun. Tá níos mó de na páistí i n-ár Eaglaisí ag dul go dtí na nGaelscoileanna. Tá níos mó suim ag na dúiní Chriostaí sa teanga, na dúiní Eireanach agus na dúiní as na tíortha eile. Tá an teanga níos tábhachtach ins an lá atá againn innubh ná a raibh sé. An bhfuil aon Gaelige a úsaíd i na hEaglaisí Soiscéalachi i nEireann. Ceapaim nach bhfuil. Tá cúpla focail againn i Pobal Chríostaí Grás gach Domhnach leis na amhrání agus an seanmóir. Ach, céard faoi na hEaglaisí eile? Bí ag éisteach a cáirde le nuacht an lá, nuacht an Tír, nuacht an Phobail. Mar, is é sin an chroí, is é sin an todhchaí!

CRISIS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

2008-02-29T16:39:00.001Z

A few weeks ago the Catholic Bishop of Cork called a crisis meeting for his Diocese of Cork and Ross. This is in response to the crisis in vocations the Catholic church is having. In other words, they are finding it almost impossible to attract in young men to the priesthood. On the ground in Cork it is having a very real effect on the day to day running of the local Catholic parish churches. A number of my older relatives have been talking about various Masses being cancelled because there aren't enough priests to go around, not to mention how numbers attending Mass are falling constantly.

There are now plans to amalgamate some parishes and give more power to the lay committees who are increasingly being asked to take over much of the priest's non-sacramental role. Most of the priests in the Diocese of Cork and Ross are now over 55 with almost no younger men coming in to fill their shoes. The congregations at most Masses are also mainly older people, especially within the City and commuting belt. The only exception to this very strong trend is among the large Polish immigrant community, who still take their Catholicism very seriously, with many being very willing to walk for quite a long time in all weathers in order to attend Mass. However they tend to go to their own Polish language Masses and so not really have as much of an impact as their numbers would otherwise allow.

How should we as local Christians respond to this situation? Especially those of us who have originally come from a Catholic background and are now involved in the non-denominational fellowships often known as the New Irish Church Movement. Well, the temptation for some may be to gloat and say "I told you so!" How many of us saw the writing on the wall years ago and began to make plans to ensure a spiritual future for ourselves and our children. But...this attitude gets nobody nowhere. It's hurtful to those within the Catholic church and brings a harsh & cold atmosphere and attitude into our own gatherings. How much better to approach this situation another way.

Rejoice at the number of younger, and older, men and women who are both able and willing to get involved in the running of our local fellowships. Thank God regularly that we are seeing continued growth in spiritual terms and in numerical terms, not least the many young people who are coming to personal faith in Jesus Christ! And recognise, that most of those who are now committed to their local Catholic church take their faith seriously. Gone are the many who once went to Mass only because they wanted to keep in with society around them. This in effect means two things.

1. The religious "hold" that kept many from even listening to the Gospel is now largely gone. At times this hold seemed to have a dark spiritual force behind it resulting in many young Irish Christians being fairly badly persecuted in the 70's and 80's.

2. Those who remain within the Catholic church are now a lot more sincere, and humble, and willing to respect those from a different faith, even those, who like me have "turned". It seems to me we are no longer regarded as lepers, though some older people still cling on to this attitude.

This all means that from an Evangelistic point of view it is now a lot easier to "out" yourself as a Believer in Cork, and we have a far better chance of showing some a more excellent way and leading them to a personal relationship with Jesus. It also means that in many different forums we now have a voice that is accepted, whether that is with local Government, NGO's, Media, or simply renting a hall.

I don't rejoice in any faith community's crises, but I very much welcome the positive changes it brings to my life, to the lives of our community at Grace, and to our children's lives, as we follow Jesus as Christians in Cork during 2008 and beyond!

CHRISTIAN SINGLES & DATING

2008-01-28T16:03:00.000Z

As I write this blog I have a bit of a heavy heart. Maybe a better word is concerned. Lots to rejoice about, an awful lot! But, January is a month when many of us take stock of our lives and reflect on where we are going. And one thing I'm picking up a lot at Grace is how lonely it can be for the Christian single man or woman.

We have a lot of community activities on the go all the time as a church. It helps us all, married, divorced or single, to make friends and connect with those we click with. But if you're looking for a future marriage partner it doesn't always work out that you will find that significant other within your own church. Many at Grace have of course found their wife/husband at Grace. We've had lots of weddings over the last 3 or 4 years and many more about to happen this year and next where this has been the case.

There are also a number who have found their partners on Christian Dating Web Sites. I don't see any problem with this method myself, once it's run on Christian principles and not in any way seedy. But, it seems many young Christian singles feel very uncomfortable about such a method.

So, what to do?.....My fear is that some will in their need, begin to look to the world for their future partner. And so bringing upon their own heads heartache and trouble.

I'm going to set my face to see if we can do something proactive about the situation this year. If you are one of the many Christian single men or women at Grace, take hope! Your future partner may not be appearing on the horizon in Cork, but there are many other good Christian churches on the island of Ireland with Christian singles in a similar situation. We need to organise a safe place for you all to be able to meet up. With a little planning & connecting, and much prayer, maybe by this time next year you will have found your significant other who also loves and serves our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

If you don't find him/her within the year, you can always take out a lawsuit against me. I'm the guy with the red hair and the guitar called Michael O'Donovan, very definitely NOT the bald guy!

New Year New Bread

2007-12-21T12:56:00.000Z

I really can't stand that stupid song known as Auld Langs Aye or whatever it's called. The ditty that's sung at midnight every New Year's Eve. Nobody I've ever asked knows what it means, yet people sing it to each other, usually while they're totally polluted (drunk), to people they've never met before, in a pub or at some monument like Shandon Steeple in Cork. I mean, how strange is that? How about doing something with our friends that has a bit of meaning.

This New Years Eve at Grace we're celebrating with a gathering we call The New Bread, in Irish it's known as An tArán Nua. As a young boy growing up in Cork I remember how on New Years Eve a lot of the adults would throw a loaf of bread at the front door of their house at the stroke of midnight. The loaf of bread is called a skull, probably because it was the bread that was given out to the poorer children at school many years ago.. The Irish word for school is pronounced skull (Scoil). By throwing the bread at the front door, they believed that they were keeping hunger from the home & family for the new year.

Yeah, I know, a load of superstition. But it was very real for some of the older people at the time, who really knew what hunger was when they were young. And rather than have a laugh at them, why not take that old superstition and turn it upside down by bringing the Gospel into it.

So on New Year's Eve, as we gather together at church, our celebration will be called The New Bread. Instead of throwing a loaf of bread at the door we'll celebrate the Breaking of Bread (Communion),the fact that the blood of Jesus is on the doorposts of our homes and of our church community, even as it was for the children of Israel at Passover. And it's there because of the cross of Calvary today. It's there for all of us who believe. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the change of year than to do it with my brothers & sisters before the Living God! If you're in Cork on New Years Eve come along. It's better than Shandon Steeple anyday!

Ecclesia Christmas

2007-12-21T11:02:00.000Z

Christmas is a bit of a strange time. There's so much about Christmas that is very Biblical, and then there's so much about it that is anything but Biblical. The Nativity story is heard by many who would normally never listen to anything Scriptural. But then the excessive drinking, wild parties, and over the top materialism is closer to that which is from below than that which is from above.

For those who believe, for those of you reading this who love Him, and know His healing touch in your lives, remember.....
Remember that we were called to stand apart from the darker side of Christmas...
Remember, really remember, that you are part of the Ecclesia...
Ecclesia, the word that refers to the church and means literally The Called Out Ones. We've been called out, yet also called in, into be part of the family of God.

We were called out of The World, with it's values and ways of doing things that are based on selfishness & greed. We're called to a higher way. A better way. Not that we are higher or better than anyone else, far from it! But He is!!!! And His way is the way, the narrow path that leads to life.

And we are called to be a part of the Ecclesia, the Community of God's people. This Christmas let's take what is good about the season, leave what's not so good, and celebrate the reality that His birth has called us out and also brought us in. Celebrate with the Ecclesia this Christmas.

All By Myself

2007-11-09T12:02:00.000Z

I was sitting at a large table having a meal with 10 other people last week at a really cool, small intimate wedding. The seat I had was facing out through the nearby large old window looking towards the beautiful view of a lake with swans gently gliding by. It had been a busy week and I had been busy talking to those seated around me. I enjoyed the talk and banter that went on. But I found myself every now and then just being captivated by the view and silently drinking it all in. I'd love to say that I was having a real God moment for myself right there and then....but I wasn't. I was just enjoying the view and the stillness of the lake.

And then, in the middle of one of these moments, a caring sensitive soul looked over and called out to me "Ah Tom ya poor thing, nobody's talking to you!"

And that was the end of that sublime moment.

And no, I didn't mind talking to that person at all.

And I never said anything rude like "Ah go away & leave me alone will ya!"

And I never even thought like that, not then, not now.

It started me thinking of how sometimes, during the community times at church, before and after meetings, new and not so new people are left on their own while many regulars are happy to just chat to their own circle of friends, not realising that someone nearby is alone. Many people of course are shy and would find it very hard to just start a conversation. That's fully understandable. But surely there are enough of us extroverts at Grace to go around and make people feel welcome in a real way.

Many of course do exactly that and thank God for all of them. But how we need more "brave souls" to just, well.... mix.

I didn't mind looking out at the lake for a few moments, but I wouldn't have liked to have been ignored all through the meal while everyone else chatted with their friends. That everyone else there is so popular but nobody even noticed that I was there on my own. I mean, would you like that?

Would you hang around a place where everyone more or less ignores you?

Lots of laughter and interaction and you are just passed by as if you don't exist?

Blanked by all around you?

Is that anyones idea of a good time?

Lets face it lads, we all like to be made feel welcome. And that's why at church it's even more important!!! So often someone who is on a spiritual search will finally work up the courage to come into a totally new and strange environment which is the local Christian Church. Probably never been at anything like that before. Loads of questions going on in their heads like 'will they be normal or weird' or 'will I stick out like a sore thumb in here' etc. etc.

No matter how good the view out the window may be, I'm always really glad when someone cares enough about me to notice my still silent moments and wants to rescue me from my 'loneliness'. I think it's so important that Christians keep an eye out for one another AND FOR VISITORS!. And it's 100% vital that we look beyond ourselves and our circle of friends, to the needs of others, especially at church.

So how about it lads? An even more welcoming and inclusive church?

All right, sermon over. I'll get back to talking about country walks next time. Really I promise, I think.....

Declan & The Déise

2007-09-03T11:08:00.000+01:00

I've been spending a lot of my free time over the last year on the coast of West County Waterford. A beautiful part of the world, with stunning mountain & sea views along with quaint fishing villages, and still only one hours drive from Cork city. Part of this area is an Irish speaking or Gaeltacht area, where the Irish language is spoken as the main language of communication, alongside English. Gaeltacht na Rinne as it's called, is made up of two parishes or communities, An Rinn (Ring) and Sean Phobail (Old Parish) and is collectively home to about 1900 souls in all. I find it a great place to prayer walk & to reflect, & recently I began to wonder why these two communities had these names.

An Rinn means Headland or Peninsula, but why is the other community called Old Parish? As I began to talk to the locals I discovered that Sean Phobail or Old Parish is exactly what it says on the tin....the oldest parish or Christian community in Ireland!

While the ministry of St.Patrick was the main wave to bring Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, there was a Christian ministry that existed many decades before Patrick arrived, led by a man called Declan. In fact, it was because of St. Declan's ministry that almost the entire Déise tribe of County Waterford became the first of the Irish to convert from paganism. We know from historic annals that the Déise were the only Irish tribe that Patrick did not evangelise during the many years of his ministry on the island of Ireland.

Ardmore is a beautiful seaside village just a few miles down the coast from Old Parish on the way to Cork. It still has a fantastic old Irish Round Tower from the early Christian period known as St. Declan's Tower, & local history credits Ardmore as the main base from which Declan began his ministry, founding the first community or parish, just down the road at Old Parish/Sean Phobail.

Why is this important to me, you may well ask? Well, the beliefs & practices of the early Celtic Christian Church in Ireland were very similar to the Irish Christian Fellowships of today. With the exception of monasticism, and the obvious time issue differences, these guys were our forerunners, the very first to take the Gospel command of Jesus to heart by bringing the Good News to the very "Ends of the Earth." The island of Ireland, along with Scotland, was in the Roman worldview of the New Testament, Ultima Thule" or Ends of the Earth, given that the Romans saw both lands as being on the edge of the world.

As I've prayer walked the roads and lanes of Old Parish & Ring this Summer, I kept thinking of those who must have done something very similar over 1600 years ago, praying for a nation that was then, and is now, largely pagan. And yet a few decades later a great move of God hit this land back then..... We need Declans in today's Ireland, and I thank God that many are being raised up. But my prayer is that many more would be raised up, so that every tribe on this island would once again change this nation to an Island of Saints & Scholars.

How can I resist the GAA call that has been shouted out so often recently when Waterford were playing in the Munster Hurling finals. But I call it for a spiritual victory Na Déise Abú.....Victory to the Déise, the Spiritual Déise of today!

YELLOW PACK CHRISTIANS

2007-07-12T17:17:00.000+01:00

The Pope has just issued a declaration that the Roman Catholic Church is the "One True church". All other churches, such as Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Non-Denominational, even Russian Orthodox, are not real churches at all. In fact all non-Catholic Trinitarian Christian churches are just "ecclesiastical communities". It's never really bothered me at all what the Pope thinks, but when I heard this statement coming out over the airwaves it sent a chill through my soul.

I vividly remember a time when young Irish men and women came into Christian Fellowship meetings with black eyes or smashed car windscreens or having been thrown out of home, and all because they had made a decision of conscience to stop going to Mass. Ireland in the early 1980's was a very difficult place to live as an ex-Catholic. The Catholic Church operated what amounted to an Islamic type policy on the ground when dealing with those who choose to convert to a different faith. It was a lot worse in the fifties and sixties when you had no choice but to emigrate if you converted.

Thankfully today in Ireland most Catholics are a lot more tolerant of religious minorities here, and some, including the Christian Brothers, have become a joy to deal with. Courteous, respectful and tolerant are the words I would use of my experience over the last few years in Cork. However, only last week we also had an encounter with one of the "old guard" of Catholics, an unknown lay person who came in to tell us exactly what he thought of Christian Fellowships (the words were hissed at us). He happened to be in the vicinity of one of our meetings and came over to us uninvited and offered us his opinions, free of charge! To say he was hostile would be an understatement, and I was left thinking that if he were an Islamic extremist, he would be first in the queue for a suicide bombing. Probably aimed at us, or some other "ecclesiastical community" that doesn't quite fit into the current Pipe Dream, or should that be Pope Dream?

You see what the Pope says influences people like him a lot. And if a member of his family starts attending a non-Catholic church with all the One True Church stuff going on in the background, then we're not too far away from black eyes and smashed windscreens again. This superior, proud, arrogant attitude is saying to the hundreds of millions of non-Catholic Christians that we are only yellow pack Christians, just like the really cheap brand of groceries sold in bargain supermarkets here.

There's a time to keep your opinions to yourself, but there's also a time to speak out. I have to speak out against this arrogant and dangerous statement from Pope Benedict. It's wrong and untrue, in every sense. If I as a church leader were to announce that Grace Christian Fellowship is the one true church I would immediately be written off as some kind of cult leader, and rightly so. But the Pope can say it, and it's accepted?

Thank God, that for the most part, the real people of Ireland are not so easily led anymore, even if it is the Pope who says it. Besides, I always preferred yellow pack toothpaste anyway.......

POLITICO

2007-05-25T17:10:00.000+01:00

During the recent general election campaign here in Ireland, the political party representatives canvassed people going in and out of church on Sunday mornings. In essence, that meant people going to Mass. It has traditionally been a very important part of wooing voters, and this time around it has remained an important focal point for all parties. In fact, on a number of occasions, rival party leaders have turned up at the same church gate at the same time, giving much amusement to both locals and to the onlooking press alike.

On the last Sunday before the election, I was driving to our own church, Grace, and passing the Catholic Church nearest to Deerpark School Hall, where we as a church meet. Turners Cross Catholic Church is a beautiful edifice built in the Art Deco style of the 1930's. I'm not sure how many attend the Mass each Sunday at Turners Cross, but it would hardly be more than 100, mainly elderly people. I know the parish church nearest to Turners Cross, known as "The Lough" very well. It was the church I attended as a child and teenager in the 60's and 70's. Back then there would have been 6 weekend masses in The Lough with an attendance of about 2500 to 3000 overall. A well known and very committed member of The Lough Church recently told me that they were now down to just 2 masses each Sunday with a total attendance of just 50 or so each week. The attendance at churches like Grace back then was of course zero, as no church of it's sort existed, and we only started 10 years ago.

Anyway, as I drove past Turners Cross, I noticed the Minister for Industry & Commerce, Micheál Martin of Fianna Fáil, outside the church looking for votes. He's often known as the third man in the Government and is a local T.D. (MP). When I saw him so near to Deerpark, I felt like stopping the car and asking him why would he spend hours on a Sunday morning canvassing the votes of a small group of people while at the same time, just around the corner there were up to 500 people attending Grace, most of whom take their civic duty to vote fairly seriously. And yet neither he, nor the local politicians ever come anywhere near us.

But.....is that their fault or our fault? And, do we really want them coming near us anyway?

In fairness to them, we have kept a very low profile as a community. Not having a full time traditional building probably doesn't help them in identifying us, and we haven't exactly been beating down the political party doors. However, even a casual Google search on Christianity or Spirituality in Cork should lead them to our web site, which you as a reader have found without too much fuss. And we do have a full time office with a large sign outside the door on a fairly busy street. Is part of the solution that we as Christians have to start to get involved in politics?

I'm not sure I fully agree with Christians throwing their time and energies into the things of time such as politics. It's the heart of man that needs to change far more than any particular government. However, we are called to pray for the Government, and to be good citizens, and as the evangelical community in Ireland grows, sooner or later we will have Christian politicians who could do a whole lot of good. Whether we like it or not we are affected by decisions government makes. "Pray for the prosperity of this city" Jeremiah told the Israelites in Babylon. "If this city prospers you too will prosper"

Because our community has always been a tiny minority in Ireland, we kept our heads down and hoped we would be left to get on with building up our churches. But the recent census figures show that across the various categories, evangelical Christians now constitute almost 2% of the population. That's a huge increase! So whether it comes to our children's education, government funding for church charities, abortion, etc. etc. our voice should be heard. I mean, we live in Ireland too, don't we? We pay our taxes too, don't we? Our children are growing up here too, aren't they?

The election is over and gone now and you won't see any politician outside a church gate on a Sunday morning for a long time to come. But maybe, the next time round, we should raise our heads above the trench, and tell Micheál Martin et al that we're here too. And I think we have a message that's worth listening to. Don't You?

THE MYSTERY OF IT ALL

2007-05-01T10:52:00.000+01:00

Mystery! I love it and I hate it, all at the same time. I love the adventure and the romance of it, but I hate the fact that I can neither control it or fully understand it. It weaves it's way into our personal lives and relationships and also into the life of our churches. As a leader it's hard to understand what you did wrong when nothing seems to be happening spiritually, and you wonder what you're doing right when things are going well. Over the last few weeks in the church meetings here we've sensed the presence of God among us in an almost tangible way. The worship has probably been the best I've ever experienced, the gifts of the Spirit have been unusually accurate, people have been getting saved at almost every meeting, many others have come forward for water baptism, passionate times of Bible study, genuine love & fellowship between us all. My problem is, I don't understand why it's happening now, and I do like to be able to understand what's going on around me.

I'd love to be able to say that we've been doing deep battle in prayer recently, or that we've started to do a lot of fasting, or tried out new forms of evangelism. The truth is, we've been praying the way we've always been praying, no more no less, no extra fasting or evangelism or anything like that. And, when I remember the times that we did do a lot of prayer & fasting, or extra evangelism and so on, nothing seemed to happen.

So....either there's some kind of delayed reaction thing going on, or the Lord is overriding our time schedules, or maybe it's all to do with seasons. Seasons that are covered by the Grace & Mercy of God, far above our human thinking and endeavors. Seasons of salvation, and of testing. Seasons of trials and of blessing. Times when God speaks and times when it seems He's silent. Times of healing and times of pain. Just like the Book says.

It's great to see this happening all around us, and part of me loves the Mystery of not really knowing why. But the control freak in me just has no hope at all of having anything to do with this. "Let Go and Let God" used to be a very cheesy slogan used a lot in the 80's, but I think I'm finally beginning to see just how true the cheesy slogan is.

THE CELTIC DISEASE

2007-03-16T21:41:00.000Z

There's a blood disorder called Haemocromatosis, which means the sufferer has too much iron in their blood. It's usually not all that serious, but can be if it's not treated over time. And the treatment is indeed strange, no medication, no physiotherapy, just bloodletting..... literally bleeding the person of a pint or two of blood so that their iron level goes down. This genetic fluke or disorder is only found in a tiny minority of people throughout the world, except for the Celtic nations along the Atlantic fringe of Europe, most particularly Ireland. Estimates are that somewhere between 11% to 25% of the Irish have this mutation. Many think it goes back to the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840's when only those with this genetic mutation survived, because they had the energy to survive, with so much iron in their system.

Two years ago my brother was diagnosed as having haemocromatosis and has had to go for regular sessions of bloodletting every 3 months. As a family we were all tested for it as well, and we all turned out to have all this iron in our systems. Thankfully I don't have so much iron that I need bloodletting but I get the iron levels checked once a year. One of the side benefits of this is, if your levels are within safe limits, you tend to have lots of energy.

But...do you get the rich symbolism here. Hearing my brother talking of his blood flowing out and how that enables him to have life, I just can't help but think of Jesus who shed His blood that we all might have life. Hallelujah! Maybe with one in four of us Irish having this condition there's a whole new opportunity to evangelise in a way that's up close and personal....The shedding of blood doesn't just give physical life to us here and now, but His blood gives us abundant life on this earth and eternal life for ever and ever!

The "Haemocromatosis School of Evangelism", has a ring to it don't you think? No, well, maybe we'll call it something else then.

WATER IN MY MOUTH

2007-03-09T12:43:00.000Z

Sounds like something profound is about to come forth doesn't it, lots of yeah's & verily's. Not really. I was just thinking about a preacher I heard many years ago who used to swim every day for an hour in the sea. Not in the cold wild Atlantic of course, but in the Caribbean....nice if you can get it. And he said back then how he would spend an hour praying in tongues everyday while he swam. When I first heard this I didn't swim regularly, so after a few days I forgot about it but thought he must be a great guy to do all that praying.

Don't know why, but after many years that memory came back to me the other day. I swim 3 or 4 times a week now, so maybe that's why. Anyway I started to pray in tongues as I swam in my local pool in Carrigaline. Try as I might I couldn't get the hang of it. I swallowed so much pool water, and the life guard started giving me strange looks. I decided to make a hasty retreat only to be approached by an older gentleman from the next swimming lane asking if I felt allright today.

Maybe that preacher was a better swimmer than me, or had a different shaped mouth, or more of an anointing, or maybe he was just mouthing off all those years ago. Just as well we're not cynical!

WHY I REMEMBER PATRICK

2007-03-09T12:37:00.000Z

St. Patrick's Day, or Paddy's Day as most of us now call it, is our National Holiday on March 17th. As children, my siblings and I loved to go into Cork city centre to watch the parade, wearing our St. Patrick's Day Badges as well as the Shamrock. We only got a little sprig of shamrock but my Dad used to wear a huge bush of the stuff (he still does). When our kids were small we used to bring them into the parade too and wave the Tricolour flags with them. Now they're teenagers and far too cool for that.

For most of us Paddy's day is a nice bank holiday, a day off, a time to wear green if you're so inspired. But for me, it goes a little deeper. I really like it that the national saint is someone who both in his Confession and his Epistle (his two authentic documents) clearly point to a man who had a personal relationship with Jesus. I mean, we could have had someone like St. Gobnait as our national saint, who only seemed concerned with turning ordinary water into holy water. Imagine that as a legacy to the Irish nation!

So, here's to Paddy's Day, and to the memory of someone who played no small part in the conversion of the Irish in his generation. May the Lord raise up more Patrick's for our generation. And, sorry if you're into St. Gobnait....but maybe you need to get a life?

CAN WE USE PRAYER BOOKS?

2007-03-09T12:34:00.000Z

Like many in the church here at Grace I come from a Catholic background. As a child we never opened the Bible but would often read from prayer books both at Mass and at home. To me the prayers seemed distant and cold, addressed to a far off God or Saint. When I came to know the Lord in a personal way I put all such prayer books far behind me. Now I read the Bible, and prayed only from my heart...prayers of thanksgiving, living requests, and pouring out my deep felt needs to the Lord. The thought of using a prayer book was like taking a step backwards from a living relationship to cold formal religion.

But then.....as life became more hectic, I found my prayer life began to take more and more of a back seat. Not good. Not at all good for any Christian, not to mind a church leader. Then one day I was listening to a friend who also leads a church (in the UK) and he mentioned that he uses a Christian Prayer Book to help him in his prayer life. In my 26 years as a Christian I had never heard of a Bible based Christian Prayer Book. At first my old prejudices began to rise up within, but because I respect my friend I listened carefully. What he said made sense. And I decided to check it out for myself.

I ended up buying 2 prayer books by Eugene Peterson called "Praying with Moses" and " Praying with the Early Christians". This has really helped my prayer life. Some days during the week I have the time to pray in my own style, the way I've prayed since I came to know the Lord in 1980. But some days when it's wall to wall, I read out these beautiful prayers from the prayer books during my devotional time. It helps me focus in faster, yet still connect with God. I've found my relationship with God has gone deeper, introducing new thoughts and reflections that otherwise may not have occurred to me.

So to all those who have thrown out "religious" practices, take another look.....You may find a baby or two swimming in the bathwater.