Hello and welcome 2007! I hope and pray that you have all enjoyed your Christmas and New Year celebrations. I have enjoyed a most pleasant Christmas. Kevin and Shirley were kind enough to invite me to enjoy this Christmas with them and their families. On Christmas day we went over to Kevin’s house where I was able to meet more of Kevin’s family; and then on the 27th we traveled four hours south to Cork to visit Shirley’s family. Cork moves at a much slower pace than the city of Dublin, which was a nice change of pace. It was nice to get out of the city and have the opportunity to slow down and relax. It was also wonderful to simply get to know both Kevin and Shirley’s families a little bit better.
I have discovered how easy it is to get online and download sermons from various speakers. One sermon that has recently had an impact on me was entitled, “Immersion in the Spirit” by Derek Prince. The Lord has been pressing on me lately the importance in the power of the Holy Spirit. He has been pressing me about the necessity to be walking in the Spirit, and the power that is available when we do. 2 Timothy speaks of, “having a form of godliness, but denying its power.” This seems to be very evident in many people today. I am uncertain if it is a lack of faith, or a sense of pride, or perhaps something else that causes us to deny the power of the Spirit. However, I am convinced that without it we are unable to affect anything regarding spiritual matters.
The first Saturday of every month I play guitar at an event called DV8. I had not felt very included there and was feeling a bit discouraged about playing. I felt the Lord telling me that in order to feel included, I was going to have to approach others and talk to them. I continued to pray for the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and prayed that He would move in the Saturday night service. I normally pray for the Spirit to be a part of all I do, but I have felt led to spend even more time in praying for His active participation in everything.
What can I say, God is good! I began to talk to a few different people at DV8 and I actually found some Americans. They are missionaries from Alabama and have been church planting since July. They have a twenty-year-old son named Tyler who is currently attending a Bible college in the Dublin area. He is a wonderful young man who loves the Lord. It was amazing to be able to meet these people along with others I met throughout the night. The Holy Spirit was clearly moving around me throughout the entire evening.
After such a great experience at DV8, I was honestly worried about returning to the Methodist Church. The church still seems to be spiritually dead. There are moments of hope every once in a while, but for the most part it feels empty. The church continues to maintain a congregation of about twenty every Sunday. I spent some time Sunday morning praying again for the Holy Spirit to move during the morning service. I emphasized how I was feeling to the worship team and they, too, joined me in prayer for the Holy Spirit to move. Again, God was faithful. The presence of the Spirit was once again evident. The service was a huge encouragement to me, and I am anxious to continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to immerse everything in which I take part.
I am still struggling to understand how to effectively share the Gospel with the kids on Friday night. We have had a few weeks off for the holiday break, but are scheduled to begin meeting again this Friday. I have a few ideas, but am unsure as to how well they will work. This is something to which I feel I have not devoted enough prayer. My prayer is that the Spirit will be a part of every aspect of Friday night: from playing soccer to sharing a message. Again, I have been praying for the outreach, but I have not been focused on the work of the Spirit in every aspect of the night. This is my continuing prayer for this week. I trust that the Lord will continue to answer my prayer and truly move among these kids.
Many people do not want to have much to do with Tallaght because it is such a rough area. I get the feeling that some people believe this place is too evil and is beyond redemption. However, I know that Christ desires a relationship with these kids just as much as He does with me. What a wonderful opportunity for the power of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to shine!
A few of us here have been praying for a revival in this area, and I am trusting the Lord will answer this prayer as well. It is hard to believe sometimes that any positive progress is going to happen. However, if we knew the outcome, then what cause would there be for faith? Jesus Christ said if we have faith as small as a mustard seed then we can move mountains. It is through faith and trust in God that He moves. We must step out in faith, become vulnerable, and trust that God is going to move mightily in this place. Again I say, where is the faith if you already know the outcome? It is the Spirit’s work. We are only His tools. We must step out in faith and continue to pray for Him to move. I trust He will be faithful to those prayers.
I continue to have a bit of trouble with the leaders for Friday night. It was disappointing at the end of the year because none of them were showing up. When they do not show up, I am not allowed to take the kids anywhere because of insurance issues. It was a bit discouraging. I have talked with all of them, and they have each agreed to recommit themselves for this next year. I had a meeting with them and talked to them about the importance of prayer. I asked if we could meet once a week for serious prayer. One of the leader’s responses was, “but that is two nights a week.” This, to say the least, was a bit disheartening. Please pray that the Spirit will move in the leaders’ lives as well. That He will convict them and bring them to a place of absolute obedience. Pray that the Spirit will give me the strength and boldness to be firm with them as leaders. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7.
A church from City Center, St. Marks, used our building to do a special Christmas service to which we were invited. They did a wonderful job and the message about Christ’s birth was clear. I spoke with Joy, the director, about the possibility of a joint service for Easter. I know some of the people here would enjoy being part of a choir and I, too, would enjoy getting involved. I am hoping to get in contact with her again soon to see what help I can be to her, and how we might get involved.
Our first attempt at a small ensemble here at An Solas was successful. I admit that I still feel a bit awkward when trying to direct them. I find myself acting like Jared Ross, my former choir director. I am usually doing all I can not to chuckle as I talk to the group about vocal technique. We sang “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” on Christmas Eve Sunday and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I have enjoyed purchasing more music for us to try, and I look forward to singing and directing some more. My parents are planning on coming out sometime in March. The plan is for us to practice a piece here, while my father in Denver practices the same music there. Then we will sing the piece together when they visit. I am excited about this opportunity!
“I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” - Psalm 7:17
Eating at Shirly's parents house.
Eating at Shirley's parents house.
Shirley's parents house in Cork.
"Slan" means good-bye in Irish. The English is written 
Jake Fox with the window down on the way to Cork. 
Here I am enjoying a smothered burito 
The Choir from St. Marks
