Easter greetings from Northern Ireland...
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11
In June 2023 while on sabbatical from Lee Abbey I was able to spend a month volunteering at The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem. This garden is a very special place where there is what is believed to be a first century tomb, very close to a hill where there is a rock formation that has the resemblance of a skull.1 No one says for certain that this was the place where Jesus was crucified, buried and then rose again, but when you read the gospel narratives and see this beautiful garden it really does make you think.2
In my daily devotions3 for the last few years on the weeks after Easter the readings have focused on the impact of the resurrection on the disciples and therefore, the inherent impact on us as we seek to follow Jesus today. This week I have been struck by the way Jesus reveals himself to the disciples who struggled to believe the good news that he was risen. In particularly how he doesn’t condemn them for their disbelief, but encourages them to see and experience his risen body,
‘They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.’4
This reflection, where the writer says and prays…
‘The fact that Jesus addresses the doubts of those who feel things are too hopeful to be true gives me permission to bring my worries to him and exchange them for his joy and peace.
Risen Lord Jesus, I yield my heart and mind to the truth that your good news really is good news and that it really is for me!’5
…brings joy to my heart. The truth that despite all the times the good news has been revealed to me (as it was to the disciples in the gospels), is that Jesus continues to come to reveal himself to me today.
Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!
As we continue to celebrate the resurrection this Easter season we pray that all would know the path of life and would be filled with joy in His presence.6
Since our last post we have continued to be moved by the way that the Lord has gone before us showing his goodness: knowing and providing for our needs, sustaining us through challenge and leading us forward in prayer and mission.
Family news
As well as completing some much needed DIY projects on the house, we have enjoyed some lovely weather on the run up to Easter, meaning we could start to think about making the garden how we might like it (with some space to grow our own).
Samuel continues to enjoy college. He is so thankful for being able to focus on Music and is getting some good results for his written and composition work. He is also enjoying time with friends, volunteering for Duke of Edinburgh Gold and youth group at church.
Having picked Erin’s GCSE choices last month we are encouraged that she has not been asked to reconsider any subjects, hoping that this means the choices she made are all good (we will hear officially at the end of summer term whether she has been successful). Erin has got to know some lovely friends in school, but still misses her friends in Devon. She has one Devon friend coming to visit at the end of June, which she is very much looking forward to. We pray she will see even more than she does now, the huge blessings of being in Northern Ireland.
Eliza has had her birthday recently and throughly enjoyed having a friend over for a sleepover. This was followed by a trip to an adventure centre and pizza. Eliza continues to enjoy gymnastics and is getting involved in girls football, musical theatre and CU at school. She has also just done Youth Alpha at a friend’s church, where around 20 young people attended. Following on from a few health concerns she has had over the last months, she is trying a gluten free diet to see if this may help her sore tummy.
Alison continues to settle into work with Barnardo’s three days a week. Thankfully the organisation is family friendly and so is very open to her moving days around to fit with other responsibilities. Working 3 days has also enabled her to begin to go along to a number of prayer meetings and events during the week on her days off.
I continue to give thanks for the huge blessings of being in Northern Ireland. I was so thankful to not be ‘responsible’ for Christmas and Easter in a church setting this year. It has meant that I have been able to be around much more. That said, I am also hugely grateful for the opportunities for ministry that are presenting themselves.
Alison’s mum continue to have health challenges. She has some slightly better weeks, but generally is struggling on all fronts with her diminishing health.
A few weeks ago my mum was taken into hospital for the 3rd time in 14 months. She is struggling with her breathing and at one stage my brother and I were called to say we should come and see her as she was very poorly. This meant the very quick purchase of a flight to travel over to England. As I got to the hospital my mum seemed to rally and has continued to make some slow improvements. She is still in hospital, but with the right care package in place to help her at home, she is hoping to come out soon. It looks like she will be on oxygen for most of her time from now on.
We offer Gwen & Anne up to the Lord and ask that He will take them to be with him at the right time.
Prayer
Since the Police Service (PSNI) invited the local churches of the Ballymena area to gather for an evening to present some of the challenges they are facing with regard the drug issues in Ballymena in November, the amount of prayer and unity that we are seeing grow in the area is so encouraging.
On Wednesday mornings we continue to see Crack of Dawn Prayer grow. From 6.30-7.30am a group of 6-8 people has gathered for 2+ years. Since the PSNI call to the churches in November we have reached up to 35 people now. We gather to pray around the wider area of Ballymena, particularly praying into the drug crisis. We vary where we pray from around the town centre, to the estates around the town, to the gateways into the town. It is so encouraging to see what God is doing with this. A few weeks ago we heard the story from a friend who was in a shop in town and stood in a long queue. The women in front of her struck up a conversation saying,
‘Have you heard about these people that have been going out praying around the town?’ ‘They’re praying against the drugs - isn’t that great!’
Rebuilding the Walls
Another aspect of our response to the drug crisis is Rebuilding the Walls.
Inspired by the story of Nehemiah, who was deeply impacted by the situation of those Israelites returning from exile to Jerusalem and the ruined city they returned to. Nehemiah wept, prayed and fasted before rebuilding the walls of the city in 52 days. A group of leaders from across the denominations in churches across the Ballymena area, have also invited the wider church to pray and seek the Lord for this drug crisis. Rebuilding the Walls is a 52 Day prayer initiative from Good Friday to Pentecost. We have invited churches / ministries to take responsibility for a day or two to pray specifically over the 52 days.
Amazingly, we have also being able to set up a Prayer Room in The Braid, Ballymena Town Hall, each day from 12-1pm. We are so thankful for this opportunity as historically, before and during the 1859 revival that hit this part of Northern Ireland, there was concerted united prayer for the town in the old town hall building. We have been given so much favour for this from the Council, with the mayor attending and encouraging us all at the launch, and at no financial cost to the church. We are giving huge thanks!
Finally, we are immensely grateful to Dr Ruth Gregg, a local minister and author for giving us 52 Nuggets from Nehemiah to fuel the prayers of God’s people in this prayer marathon. Each day an edited Nugget is posted on rebuildingthewalls.substack.com and our social media with up to 130 readers each day.
Our hope is that over Pentecost Weekend we will be able to walk around the town to pray as a united church to spiritually rebuild the walls. We realise that there is much work to do in reaching out to those stuck in the challenge of addiction and this 52 days of prayer will only just scratch the surface of the issues, but we are encouraged that the Lord is going before us. We are looking into ways we can help the churches prepare for greater ministry to those on the edges and exploring whether we may work with Teen Challenge in Northern Ireland.
And finally…
We are giving thanks for God’s continued provision for us.
We are asking the Lord for 10% of our monthly living costs.
We are asking the Lord for provision to cover ministry costs, between £50-100 per month + a laptop.
If you are called to support us financially please scan the QR code or click the ‘Support us through Stewardship’ button
Thank you so much for your love and encouragement!
N,A,S,E&E
John 19:41-42
The Weekend that Changed the World by Peter Walker gives a very helpful analysis of the mystery of Jerusalem’s empty tomb.
Lectio 365
Luke 24:37-40
Lectio 365 - Joy and Amazement, Friday 25th April 2025
Psalm 16:11