3rd July (Friday) Tournus (South Burgundy), now staying near Etrigny
By Rev Andy | July 3, 2009
We got lost two days ago and have ended up at a Camping on a farm. It is cheap and only has water, showers and electricity. It is absolutely gorgeous though. Perefect countryside and a massive amount of wildlife. Internet is non existent (almost).
Will write tomorrow.
Bonjour Andy, Jan and the girls
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Now I know!!! 28 June
By Rev Andy | June 29, 2009
I knelt before the pastor and was prayed for and I know now why I came here.
This morning we all went to church as a family. It was a special day today as the church was having 8 baptisms. It was such a privilege to see the 8 people right from about 80 to 12. I was welcomed again with great enthusiasm, testimony went on for about an hour and the actual normal church service was two and a half hours (then we began the communion service and baptism service.. After an hour and a half the pastor (William) asked me to pray for the sick and afflicted. Jan and I began to pray and I began to move in discernment as I rarely have before. A woman came up bent and angry. I discerned a spirit and Jan said she thought it was to do with mediums, (this young Christian we found out later went to them many times). I began to stir up the evil spirit and I saw the evil in her eyes, I bound it and suddenly her whole face and body changed. She smiled. What a privilege to be a vessel to set someone free.
When we had come to worship I saw a spirit oppressing one of the men in the church. I felt I and the pastor needed to pray for him. I saw the weight on him and as we began to pray he was set free.
In all we prayed for over a dozen people and saw some weeping and a release of the power of God.
As we worshipped (Oh it was amazing, the French can worship, the words were so simple, only one guitar and music on CD but the Holy Spirit came and it was the throne room of heaven) God spoke to me about being the New Testament Church in Acts. Miracles and wonders were the norm. We heard the testimonies of those who were to be baptised, drugs, depression, alcoholism, immense sadness and bereavement and they testified Jesus had changed them.
Ordinary people who were loving one another and from different walks of life but they had a passion for Jesus. They loved and cared for each other.
I will be beginning a series of sermons from Acts in September about being the church God wants us to be.
At the end of the service I felt I needed a blessing from the pastor and he prayed for me – what power went through me.
Then we began the baptism service which I was asked to help with and I and the pastor baptised the 8 people. I was so moved. After eating together and enjoying such fellowship the service finished at 4 p.m. Let me underline that it started at 10:30 a.m. and finished at 4 p.m. No one went home, everyone laughed, sung, praised God and saw the power of God, Hardly anyone wore a watch. This was not in Africa but in France .
It was not a inconvenience that the car broke down and we had to stay here – but the design of God. He needed to show us what we came to France for.
PRAISE GOD
Andy, Jan and the girls.
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By Rev Andy | June 27, 2009
The Perfect Storm – 26th June We have a car that goes. I spent about five hours today fixing the car, the water pump went on. Assembled everything and suddenly there was a squeak when I started it. A squeak and a rumble.I thought maybe there was some antifreeze and water on the belt – so I sprayed it with silicone spray and viola – a silent belt. So everything seems to be perfect. I have run it for an hour without any problems. So tomorrow it goes to Joinville to see if everything is actually okay.
Today we had horrendous storms – lightening and torrential rain for about 4 hours, I fixed the car either side of the storm. Most of the area lost electricity – thankfully we didn’t. We have nearly been here three weeks and we have had to make some decisions about where we go from here. We wondered about the Ardeche and them Montepellier. However, that adds on about 800 miles to the trip. So we are going to drive down the Loire Valley and then explore Brittany for three weeks. This should mean that we can be fairly relaxed.
I need you to say a few prayers – my mum who is 77 has had a fall and broken her leg below the knee, she is in hospital. I thought I was going to have to come back, but my sister reckons she is comfortable and okay. I am a little concerned (a lot really). Please pray for her.
Blessings Andy and the girls.
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Warning – don’t mix those chemicals – 25 June
By Rev Andy | June 25, 2009
25th June – Joinville. HOT – Very hot. A pleasant distraction. The water pump is not here. So today I decided to sort it with the company from the UK. There had been a problem, it was out of stock ad only sent last night, and so was in Brussels today – arriving on Tuesday. I complained and asked how they could sort it (their website said two days). They came up trumps (I hope) and are sending it express to arrive tomorrow.
However, a friend (a new friend from Motherwell, Tom and Lynda) took us to the Supermarche and so we have some provisions. There is nothing like wild boar bacon.
ALL THINGS DANGEROUS!!!!! I have been laughing each time I go to the Supermarche. Any terrorist cell in the UK does not need to go on a booze cruise to France, but a bomb cruise. They seem to sell everything in the Supermarche. There is an aisle of industrial chemicals, Sulphuric, Nitric, Hydochloric Acid, Acetone, concentrated ammonia, the list goes on. I wanted to ask in Aldi which aisle was the petrol bombs on. If I had been a boy in France with all these chemicals, there would have been some interesting holidays. You can even buy banned Chinese fireworks (how do I get them through customs??). I was amused in the Peche (fishing shop) the other day. They sell guns, rifles, with silencers and telescopic sights. Now as far as I understand they have changed the system for a firearms licence. You used to go in with ID, declare your intention and all the details went to the French Police, they checked you out for seven days and if you were okay (not a known bank robber etc) you got a gun licence. Now that system is seen as too cumbersome. Now you go into the shop – ask to buy a gun (you no longer need ID). They sell you your gun and they write down the details you give, seven days later they send you a gun licence if you are okay to have one. Come on!!! You intend to rob a bank, you give false details and you have robbed the bank before the Police find you have given false details. Surely everyone will always be truthful???
We wandered to Joinville on Saturday before the car died. On the street market they sold everything, including lots of weapons, spears, penangs, machetes etc. I was also accosted by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, they backed off when I said, “Pastor Protestant Eglise”. Back to the plot, surely they do not think that huge spears will be always stuck on a wall or that martial arts stars or knuckle dusters will be used on a mantelpiece. (reminds me of a guy I knew who was stopped on the Mauritanian border with a flare gun, the customs confiscated it as a dangerous weapon. At the next town he saw a stall selling Klashnikovs, grenades, surface to air missiles and every other weaponary you could think of. Obviously Surface to air missiles are used for Eagle shooting!!!) .
I am praying for you as it is the Circuit Meeting on Saturday and I want to pray a special blessing on my good friend Ken. Also I want to hold Louise in prayer as she prepares for the Holiday Clubs.
Every blessing Andy and the girls.
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WATER WATER – PLEASE
By Rev Andy | June 24, 2009
24 June still stuck in Joinville – now know all the staff by first name.
I would love to say the part for the Land Rover has arrived but it hasn’t. So we are going to stay here another week. As after 16 days we get five free days. Hannah stayed at the owners daughters house (Bethany who is seven also) last night. We also have an invite from them to stay in their chateau.
I have been following the UCB notes over the last few days – for those of you who have, I think there is going to be a few sermons out of it.
I want you to pause though: I want to put everything here about the last few days on UCB, reflect on these thoughts.
Blessings Andy and the girls :-
MON JUNE 15
‘…Let each one of you speak truth…’ Ephesians 4:25 NKJV
Rules for handling anger (1)
Two forceful personalities in a relationship are like two rivers flowing into one; there’s going to be a strong current. Anger can be instant like a flash of lightning, or prolonged like the rumble of thunder. Sometimes we clash painfully, other times we distance and silently abandon the relationship. But anger handled the right way doesn’t have to destroy. Here are God’s rules for handling your anger.
Rule 1: Keep it honest. ‘Stop telling lies. Let us tell…the truth…don’t sin by letting anger control you…’ (Ephesians 4:25-26 NLT). When you’re angry don’t deny it. Anger can be constructive. We’re right to get angry when people are mistreated and wrongs are not made right. Saying, ‘I’ve been feeling angry and because I value our relationship I’d like to talk about it,’ is honest, non-threatening and invites resolution. Observe: a) ignoring, stifling, suppressing, or pretending you’re not angry is basically dishonest b) another form of lying when you’re angry is exaggeration. ‘You never listen to what I say.’ ‘You always ignore my wishes.’ ‘Nobody does anything around here except me.’ Such generalisations are untrue and serve only to aggravate and polarise, guaranteeing the real problem gets obscured and goes unsolved c) another way to lie when you’re angry is blaming. ‘If you’d arrive on time I wouldn’t have to nag you,’ or ‘If you’d quit nagging so much, maybe I’d start being on time.’ Blaming is a way of evading your own responsibility while pointing the finger at others. It angers others, perpetuates your own anger and never produces the result you want. God’s way is, ‘Let each one of you speak truth,’ and it works when you do it in love.
TUE JUNE 16
‘…Let each one of you speak truth….’ Ephesians 4:25 NKJV
Rules for handling anger (2)
Rule 2: Keep it non-lethal. Paul writes: ‘In your anger do not sin…’ (Ephesians 4:26 NIV). What do Paul’s words mean? Don’t let your anger escalate to the point of doing damage. Don’t use your words as a weapon or a control mechanism. It’s okay to express your emotions in a healthy way, but keep them in check. Your goal must be to resolve the problem and strengthen the relationship, not ’sound off’ and wound the other person. Is this easy to do? No. You’ll need a good strong dose of grace to do it. Words spoken in jest, sarcasm, self-righteousness or ‘righteous indignation’ wound people, sometimes permanently. ‘…Perverseness [of the tongue] breaks the spirit.’ (Proverbs 15:4 NKJV). ‘…A crushed spirit who can bear?’ (Proverbs 18:14 NIV). ‘The tongue can bring death…’ (Proverbs 18:21 NLT). Angry words, once unleashed, can: ‘…Go down into a man’s inmost parts’ (Proverbs 26:22 NIV). Your words can live in the heart and memory of a person and go all the way to the grave with them. We say, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me,’ but it’s not true. A person can die of a crushed spirit, and the one who spoke the words can live to regret the damage they inflicted and never get a chance to undo it. On the other hand, anger properly handled never needs to be repented of. So learn to differentiate between the anger you feel and the words you speak. Anger carefully thought through, can reveal important information about needed changes. Focus on that, and ask God to show you what needs changing in the other person; and you!
WED JUNE 17
‘…Let each one of you speak truth….’ Ephesians 4:25 NKJV
Rules for handling anger (3)
Rule 3: Keep it current. Storing anger in your hard drive only hurts you. When you download old resentments you start to rehearse them and grow bitter. ‘The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks’ (Luke 6:45 NIV).
When you’re angry deal with it quickly. Don’t passively allow time to decide your options, or sit around hoping the other person will see the light and apologise. ‘If your brother sins against you, go [to] him…’ (Matthew 18:15 NIV). Try to resolve it and restore the relationship. When you repress it you add one more skeleton to your closet. Sooner or later, doctors say, it’ll be at your stomach lining, attack your immune system, predispose you to heart problems, cancers and other physical, social and emotional disorders. Meantime, it’ll preoccupy you, dissipate your energy, cripple your creativity, hinder your fellowship with God, your friends and fellow believers; not to mention that it denies the offender the opportunity to clear their conscience, repent and get right with God and you. Stop dragging up the past, trying to blackmail the guilty by hauling skeletons out of closets at ‘auspicious’ moments, plotting revenge, and passing down resentments for the next generation to carry. Ask God for the humility and courage to deal with today’s problems – today. When your head hits the pillow tonight, know that your issues are current, up to date with God and everyone else, and sleep well!
THUR JUNE 18
‘…Let each one of you speak truth…’ Ephesians 4:25 NKJV
Rules for handling anger (4)
Rule 4: Keep it solution-focused. Someone has said that fellowship is like two fellows in a ship: one can’t sink the other without sinking himself. By seeking to gain the upper hand you both lose. By seeking to save and strengthen the relationship you both win. So when you speak, be sure it’s ‘…helpful for building others up according to their needs…’ (Ephesians 4:29 NIV). Try to understand what the other person needs. Don’t bring up previously confessed offenses; don’t drag in other people; don’t use wisecracks about people’s weight, height, colour, IQ, physical, mental and emotional limitations; don’t bring up unrelated things that cloud the issue and keep you from finding a solution. And don’t raise the volume in order to intimidate and manipulate. God made you with a capacity for anger because when handled the right way it’s the fuel that brings needed change and the medicine that heals. So: a) Seek a solution, not a ‘victory.’ Name-calling and ‘diagnosing’ others only makes things worse. Your focus should not be on what they did, but on what you can do together to resolve it b) admit your own flaws and ask for forgiveness. Since it takes two to tango, acknowledging your own imperfections makes it easier for someone else to acknowledge theirs c) every time you take a ’swing’ at someone, offer them a positive ’stroke.’ ‘…If there be any virtue…think on these things’ (Philippians 4:8). For each of the difficulties you address, give a compliment. ‘I’m sure this wasn’t easy for you to hear. Thanks for listening to me so graciously.’ Being solution-focused gives people something positive to live up to, not down to!
FRI JUNE 19
‘…Let each one of you speak truth…’ Ephesians 4:25 NKJV
Rules for handling anger (5)
Rule 5: Keep it in the laundry room. ‘Don’t treat each other with malice’ [ill will, spite] (Ephesians 4: 31 NIV). When you’re angry, spreading gossip is hard to resist. But malicious talk is like wildfire; it consumes those who spread it and those who listen to it. Don’t display your dirty wash; keep it in the laundry room. Dirty laundry gets aired in two ways: 1) Open embarrassment. You say it where you know others are going to hear it. 2) Subtlety. You make jokes about their figure, family members and friends, etc., in order to belittle them. This results in embarrassment for the person you’re angry at, widens the gap between you and makes reconciliation impossible. Solomon writes: ‘…He that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter’ (Proverbs 11:13), and ‘…Love covereth all sins’ (Proverbs 10:12). Paul writes: ‘…In malice be babes, but in understanding be mature’ (1Corinthians 14:20 NKJV).
Rule 6: Be part of the clean-up crew. We say, ‘They brought it on themselves. Let them get over it.’ They may have deserved it, but we can’t walk away and leave open wounds to become infected. We ‘…forgive, even as Christ…has forgiven’ us (Ephesians 4: 32). How did Christ forgive us? After we’d acknowledged, confessed and repented of our sins? No. ‘…When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…’ (Romans 5:10). God took the initiative, so forgive, before the other person asks for forgiveness. And should they remain your enemy for life, forgive them anyhow. That’s mopping up after the war. Only then are you yourself forgiven, the wounds you inflicted healed, and your record before God expunged!
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