Chance meetings, or are they...?
'When I pray, coincidences happen; when I don’t, they don’t.' - William Temple, Former Archbishop of Canterbury
In the summer of 2021 having read of the story of 24/7 Prayer and hearing the inspiration for 24/7 Prayer being the Moravian 100 year prayer meeting in Herrnhut (that many say sparked the modern missions movement1) Alison and I discovered Gracehill.2 As I have written about before, Gracehill is a Moravian settlement in Ballymena. That summer we went to look around the Gracehill Village Museum (which tells the story of God’s work in planting the settlement). We walked around the village and, by ‘chance’, met a gentleman looking after God’s Acre (the Moravian Grave Yard) and chatted with him about the village and church. This was the start of our journey of discovering God’s call to Ballymena.
Last Saturday as we continue to build friendship with many across the church traditions around Ballymena, we went to an exhibition looking at the archives of the Moravian Church in Gracehill. As I was looking around I met an elderly gentleman who asked if I was a Moravian. I explained that we had recently moved to Ballymena to follow God’s call to un-dig the wells of prayer that God pioneered here in Ballymena. The gentleman said to me, ‘Did I meet you in God’s Acre a few years back?’ As soon as he said that, I remembered meeting him and I was filled with joy. I explained more of our call and this second ‘chance’ meeting reminded me of the beginning of God’s call to our family to move to Ballymena (and made my day).
Another ‘chance’ meeting last week was at a United Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As I drove to the service I prayed that God would use the time and that God would go before me in any conversations I might have. On the way in I said hello to the ministers from Gracehill Moravian Church and when I sat down they came to sit by me. We chatted further and by the end of the conversation, by ‘chance’, I had been invited to lead and speak at the Moravian Church in early February.
Since we have moved to Ballymena the amount of ‘chance’ encounters we have had have, have been numerous. The amount of times Alison and I have quoted to each other the title of this blog, ‘He goes before us’, have been many. ‘It’s like he has gone before us…’
Two weeks ago we were praying about our financial situation and a week later from two local sources, that we did not expect (that were previous ‘chance’ encounters), God provided. Hallelujah! Again our hearts were encouraged.
We are learning to listen to the chance encounters that God puts before us and as we do he opens up relationship, ministry opportunities and provison.
Have we got our eyes and ears open?
As I reflect on this learning I am reminded of Jesus’ conversation with his disciples about the parable of the sower:
‘…blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.’ Matthew 13:16-17
I once had the privilege of interviewing Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury, for some research and he said, ‘Mission… is finding out what God is doing and joining in.’3 In order to find out what God is doing we need to be people whose primary call is to look and listen. Williams understanding is expanded in the work of Henry Blackaby, a Canadian pastor who authored the book Experiencing God4. Blackaby says,
‘Look and see what God is doing, and join him in His work. If Christians around the world were to suddenly renounce their personal agendas, their life goals and their aspirations, and begin responding in radical obedience to everything God showed them. the world would be turned upside down.’5
I wonder what might change in my and your life if we renounced our personal agendas, life goals & aspirations? What might happen if we opened our eyes and ears to see what God is doing and join in His work? Even though Aliosn and I have spent the last 20 years in ministry, in lots of ways, we are learning to see, look, listen and hear in new and deeper ways.
Thank you Lord!
We are looking to see God at work in and through our lives as a family, as we settle in Ballymena, in the wider area and, if God wills, wherever he connects us to folks across Ireland. The question is, how willing are we to listen and learn how to follow the Lord’s lead.
Over January in our Ballymena House of Prayer (BHoP) meetings we have being reflecting on what it is that the Lord wants to say to BHoP to direct and lead us. As we have reflected together the Lord is drawing us to a place of deeper relationship and trust.
To finish this reflection I was reminded of a picture I took in July 2009 while we were on holiday on the Isle of Lewis and Harris, the last place on the British Isles to experience revival. The footsteps are Samuel’s, with mine taking the lead.
How willing am I to follow the Lord’s lead?
How willing are you to follow the Lord’s lead?
Please join with us in praying for eyes to see and ears to hear the Lord.
Christmas was a challenging time for us as we missed friends and the previous rhythm of life at Lee Abbey.
We are thankful for the new and old friends we were able to connect with over the Christmas season.
We continue to be thankful for God’s provision and the prayers and financial support of so many people.
I am thankful for a short trip in early January to visit my mum & my brother and his family in Huddersfield. My mum’s breathing is not good and so prayers for her and us all as she comes to terms with failing health.
Alison’s Mum has been relatively stable but her memory is sadly deteriorating which, as many who have experience with dementia will know, is hard to watch.
We are all getting used to the new rhythm that Alison’s job brings.
The job is a gift using many of Alison’s natural gifts to bless the team and children at the Barnardo’s respite house.
Samuel continues to enjoy studying music at Northern College, Coleraine and through his church youth group he is about to start his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Please pray for continued good relationship building for him at his church and beyond.
Erin is in the midst of picking her GCSE subject choices and so we would ask for prayers for wisdom and space on the best subject streams for her. She misses her friends in Devon greatly.
Eliza has been through a few challenges with health over the last few weeks and is under going some health tests to discover what is going on. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors and any treatment she may need.
We are thankful to be able to start some DIY projects in the house.
There have been some significant meetings that I have been able to be a part of in drawing the churches together in prayer and mission over January.
Please pray for continued movement towards fulfilling Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-23,
‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.’
God continues to go before us in the Crack of Dawn early morning prayer gathering as we pray around the town. This has seen 200% growth since September.
God has put on our hearts to draw together some of the folks we are meeting to explore Christian Community.
Please continue to pray that we are able to see and hear the Lord leading, and join in with His work…!
Please consider becoming a partner in God’s call to prayer and mission in this beautiful island.
Our partner support team is like a jigsaw puzzle with some pieces missing…
We need people who are willing to commit to pray for us and give financially to the ministry.
Could you be the missing jigsaw pieces on our partner support team?
Please use the below links to help make the puzzle complete!
If 40 people gave £20 per month that would meet our monthly costs.
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Please scan the QR code to go to our Stewardship supporter page.
Or click the ‘Support us through Stewardship’ button to go directly to our Stewardship Individual Partner Account where you can give in a tax efficient way.
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/one-hundred-year-prayer-meeting
https://gracehillvillage.org
http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/1826/archbishops-presidential-address-general-synod-york-july-2003.html
https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/spiritual-growth/discipleship/experiencing-god/?site_id=162595&adtype=pla&device=c&product_id=5539578&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_MZYCp-mSj09Z0oiHJaO5BlIxum&gclid=CjwKCAiAzPy8BhBoEiwAbnM9O3coEZa64nqFbdnz7uEXBwqyIc5atiU5-AGb5r-VICf3XI2spjtyrRoCBWgQAvD_BwE
https://exponential.org/blackabys-experiencing-god-metaverse-edition/
What a powerful message about watching and listening for what God is doing and then joining him there. Thank you. Thanks too for the specific prayer points to enable us to pray for you more specifically.