Encouragement

Since my move from Stirling to Belfast, I've been blessed so much by the number of words of encouragement through prayers, cards, presents, and through some websites. It has truly humbled me and has made transition back to Belfast Life much easier.
Encouragement is something that drives me to inspire and motivate others and to do my best, but at times in Christian life its something we don't seem to come across that often. Encouragement I would say is something that we all need, and desire.

Some of the encouragements I've found so far while surfing the net have really blessed me and encouraged me to keep going, and to keep waiting on the Lord and he will do more amazing things in me and through me.

I want to encourage you and me to seek out more encouraging words, and actions towards our friends and relatives, pastors, church staff, and the community around us. Words and actions that speak love, integrity and honesty. How annoying is it when people share lame words of encouragement with you that have no depth! For example "you have done well"? How? "that was good"! in what way?Y ou get what I mean.(I hope) I wish I could be more creative in the way I encourage, because honestly its an area in my life that I find I fail to be effective in! Although that is not my intended out come.

In summary I think I long to be more of a creative encourager you inspires and motivates people! I thank the lord for creative encouragers and for the ones who inspire and motivate me, sometimes without even knowing it.

"Some Recent encouragements I have found"
Yes I confess. I was one of those who having waited hours for the American Team to show up for practice at the Ryder Cup yesterday, booed them. Why? They didn't tee off at the first as we expected and just did nine holes of mucking about. Disgraceful, outrageous, disgusting, rude discourteous, crass, arrogant..I could go on and I did until Priscilla said "get over it!"
The things we get upset about. I had to wait for an hour [I know I said hours but it feels like that when you are waiting.] AAAhhhh waiting. How we hate waiting for anything especially when we are waiting for God to come through.
You know it wasn't that bad. I spent the time talking one of our new Youth Pastors, Colin. What a star. The ideas and dreams he has to see young people touched by God. He inspired me. And we enjoyed the fresh air and the beautiful Kildare countryside. I had a double sausage and bacon butty. You know it was a great time of waiting! I'm sounding like those two old guys on the Muppets who used to shout insults at the show.
But when we finally get it, that waiting is part of God working in our lives to produce something beautiful and it can be enjoyable, you relax and it feels good.
Isaiah 41:31 They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength...
Come on Europe and bless our wee Darren Clarke.
(Paul Reids Blog, www.cfc-net.org)
Friday, September 08, 2006

NEW STARTS
The office is getting too small! today we have new desks arriving as there are some changes to staffing in the youth dept. Tim has left (somewhere in between Brasil & USA), Colin Stitt has taken over his role. Colin has returned from Stirling where he ran a youth cafe project to pursue a theology degree thru SOURCE. we are fortunate to have bagged his skills and experience, he will be a real bonus on developing our wider youth curriculum. Mark McFetters has also just started, this is an exciting new project with our friends over in West Belfast YOUTH INITIATIVES. Mark's remit is to develop a project for 15-18's unchurched young people in East Belfast and allow them to build cross-community links with catholic young people in West Belfast. One of my goals when i started the post 4 years ago was to build the team up to 5 youth workers - now we are there! really looking forward to the year ahead and seeing how we can bless and inpact young people in our part of the city
(adrian eagleson's blog www.cfc-net.org)

was church any gd??? its a shame cos now colins left we've lost the best worship leader we had... so worships never gonna b the same again....
(Bebo Comment)

Thanks to everyone whose Encouraged me, I just hope I can return the blessing to you and many others
Colin

Ryder Cup and Tigers Exploits

Poor Tiger's just hit another one in to the water! His game has gone to pot, from the moment he choose not to tee off at the first at the practice round on Wednesday! Thanks to Paul Reid and Garath Baxter from CFC i managed to make it down to the K club on Wednesday despite the heavy rain and the tail end of a hurricane? Paul, Garath, Hugh and Myself sat and waited for the americans to arrive to tee off at the 1st hole, for over an hour. The excitement was building and the grandstand was filling. Over a thousand people sitting waiting for a glimpse of tiger teeing off at the first, is what we were eagerly awaiting. However, as you may have heard Tiger choose not to tee off but teed off 100 yards down the whole with the rest of his american buddys! The crowd went mental, with crys of boo boo echoeing from the stands and paul reids mouth (honest!) Then the crys of Europe resounded around the 1st. The Crowd were not happy! The same occurence happend at the 2nd, 4th 5th and so on..
So Two days in the Ryder Cup, and europe are currently winning 5-3 with Tigers game being none exsistent.
A certain religion would say that choice of not teeing off at the first on Wednesday led to bad karma! What would we Christians say about Tigers bad luck!
You reep what you sow big lad! Come on Europe!