I'm Home...

Leaving Scotland was a bitter-sweet experience...I had such a memorable time, but I don't think that I could have gone without Linda another day!

I left Dunvegan on Tuesday morning and took the car that had been a loaner to me during my stay there. The the Johnstones and Morag MacLeod drove me to Inverness. We had a wonderful afternoon meal before having to say "Cheerio." They were so sweet to me during my stay.

I got to bed early, but did not sleep well. I did have an alarm clock, but the mind plays so many scenarios...it will quit working in the middle of the night; you won't hear it go off; you have it set wrong, etc. Well, it did go off, it was set right and I did hear it. I got up at 4am and was at the airport by 5:30. Flew from Inverness to London-Gatwick, to Atlanta and then to San Antonio. No glitches this time. In fact, my flight from Atlanta to San Antonio left an 90 minutes earlier than scheduled giving Linda, Elizabeth and myself a little more time to visit before I crashed.

I am thankful for many things:

• For God's goodness in providing the opportunity to proclaim His Word in Scotland


• For the financial provision to go


• For Linda's excitement for me to have this unusual ministry...I never sensed anything from her except genuine freedom for me to leave her and be separated for more than two months.


• For the prayers of many who offered prayers on my behalf, which impacted the next few points of thanksgiving.


• For the warm way that I was received by all the people I encountered


• For the seeds planted, lives touched and relationships established.


• For good health and protection in travel (I drove over 3000 miles without incident...all on the wrong side of the road)


• For all the magnificent scenery encountered


• And for much more...

I will hear from the Church of Scotland next week as to whether or not they have approved my ministry there. I will blog that. Until then, please know that it was my joy in sharing my experiences with you and a "Thanks" to all of you who responded to the blogs.

Till later, I remain His glad servant,

Robert Calhoun

This could be it...

The sweetest woman in all the world that I will be with in 5 days...God willing.

The last couple of weeks have been disastrous for my blog. I know! I have had difficulty getting to a computer with the Internet. The lady who offered me hers, has been out of town a lot and I have had other responsibilities that have hindered my updating the blog. The only real disappointment I have had is that in communicating with one of the church members the other day I found out that I could have had Internet here at the manse, but because the Session Clerk told me that it was not available, I just let it go. Well, with just under a week to go here in Scotland, I must move on.

I had a great opportunity to share the Gospel with a man who is terminally ill. It reminded me of the time in Kensaleyre. It appears that all that the doctors want to do to correct some intestinal problems will give him longer to live, but will affect the quality of his life. He told me that he was not afraid of dying. When I asked him where he got such courage, his wife began saying that he was such a good man, blah, blah, blah. All the things that she said about him being a good father, grandfather, etc., were commended by me, but I told him that that was not an acceptable offering, since the ultimate offering had already been made for him in the person of Jesus Christ. The assurance of a person’s acceptance by Christ is where one’s confidence should be in not fearing death. When I read various verses John 4, 11 and 16, I looked at him and tears were running down his face. I had already been there for over an hour and had another commitment that afternoon. But I asked him if he wanted to pray. His face went blank and I asked if he would like me to pray and he nodded in the affirmative. I prayed that the Lord would grant Him the peace that comes only by faith in Christ. That he would have the ability to humble himself and confess his need for Him. When I finished, he would not let go of my hand. He held it tightly. He was so moved he could not talk. I told him I would come back again. I have an appt. with him tomorrow.

I preached three times last Sunday in Broadford, Kyleakin, and Elgol. I have not preached that many times in one day in a long time. I got tired of hearing myself speak , but the Gospel was proclaimed, and that is what it is all about. I met some wonderful people in each congregation. I will be preaching in Kyleakin this Saturday night at a Communion Preparation Service. Most churches here do the communion once a quarter and three days prior to the Communion Sunday, they have services on Wednesday thru Saturday for a several of reasons. It follows the teaching in 1 Corinthians 11.27-32 calling all communicants to check their hearts. It also gives the congregants an opportunity to declare faith in Christ opening the way for them to baptized and receive communion. Lastly, the time allows for growing in the knowledge of the grace that is a part of the communion.

As you may recall, (though you may not because it has been three months ago), four days after arriving in Scotland I was called upon to preside over a funeral. Well, seven days before leaving, I did another one. In both cases, I, of course, knew neither man. One was a boat builder. The one yesterday was a former curator of the Dunvegan Castle. Listening to each family talk about these men made me wish that I could have known them. Both situations gave me the wonderful privilege of proclaiming the Gospel. Both churches were filled and members of both churches said that the majority of the attendants were non-believers. I praise the Lord for the blessing of declaring His love and grace in any circumstance. I may have another one before I leave. There is a 94 year old lady who recently had a stroke and is not expected to live much longer. I am to go to the hospital later today to see her.

Sunday will be my last opportunity to preach here in Scotland, for a while. We have our Bible study on Monday evening, and then on Tuesday I head for Inverness. My flight leaves Inverness on Wednesday morning at 7am, so I will have to spend the night there, in order to get to the airport by 5:30am. It is, in one way, hard to imagine that my three months is up. Conversely, this has been a terribly long time to be away from family, church and friends. This will probably be my last contribution to the blog, until I get home, but I have one last item to tell you about.

Last Wednesday, September 17, I met with the Credentials Committee of the Church of Scotland for the express purpose of seeing if I might be a suitable candidate for a permanent pastoral position. I responded to questions for two hours. I felt very much at ease and the Lord gave me the ability to communicate with them quite freely. They had great poker faces, so I have no idea whether or not I will gain acceptance. If they give approval for me to seek a pastorate, then, Linda and I will pray for God’s directive. Just because the CofS says, “Yes” will we see that as God’s answer. This is a big decision on our part. We do not want to be anyplace that God does not want us to be, nor do we not want to be where He does want us to be. Scotland is a magnificently beautiful place with great spiritual needs. But there are many such places in the world. The key is His clear leadership. I have never found God silent in all the places I have served. He has always given unmistakable guidance and peace wherever we have gone. Since He wants me to be where He wants me to be, I can be confident that He will Sovereignly show Himself again. Would you please pray with us and for us in this matter?

I have included some shots from favorite memories...

This was one fo the most brilliant rainbows I have ever seen. I followed it to the edge of town and found two pots of gold :)

Dunvegan Castle This beautiful princess found the fossil ruins of some ancient guy, propped him up next to her and someone took this photo.

Edinburgh Castle in the mist.

The Royal Tattoo...what an amazing night.


Trout fisherman's paradise

An old, still active church in Perthshire

Linda's parents next to the river that runs through Elgin

This was my favorite prayer spot.

Well, till I write from San Antonio, Texas, USA, I will say, “Cheerio” and God bless you.

And he went out to pray....

On Tuesday, I just felt that I needed to get away to pray and so I drove to an area south of the manse that a parishioner had told me about. I drove there and found a knoll that overlooks Loch Vatten, which is a smaller loch of the larger Loch Bracadale (that is probably way too much information for you, I know, but I thought if you wanted to Google the location you would have a good go of it…so, carry on). It was a beautiful, partly cloudy day as the sun played hide-and-seek with the clouds. I had my trusty staff, well actually a rod, and found the perfect rock to sit on and pray. I had been there about twenty minutes and I heard a faint cry. I perked up and heard a voice again. This time I understood what was being said to me. A lady, who looked to be in her early 70’s, was calling out, “Are you alright?” She had seen me with my head down and actually thought that I was contemplating suicide. I introduced myself telling her that I was the Dunvegan locum. What ensued, after that, was a conversation that immediately reminded me of the one that Jesus had with the woman at the well. She immediately said, “Well, you are sitting in my sanctuary. Isn’t it beautiful?” I felt that for some reason she was trying to defend herself. Not wanting to debate someone I knew nothing about, and probably would never see again, I felt like the Lord had opened up this window of truth for her. I said to her, “Well, I can see why this place is so special to you…I have been captivated by the beauty, as well. But, even the beauty of nature calls us to give praise and worship to the Creator of it.” I continued by saying, “Because God has given us His Spirit to indwell us, we can worship God anywhere, here or in a church.” At which she was quick to respond saying, “I used to go to church in England when I lived there, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. It just didn’t seem to have life anymore to me.” I said, “I have only been in Dunvegan a little more than a month, but I have found the people here to be warm, friendly and sincere.” Before I could say anymore, she cut me off…not rudely, but enough to indicate that she did not want to talk anymore. She said that I could come back any time and if I did, to come by her house and we would have a cup of tea. I wish I could report a similar response as the woman at the well, but perhaps a seed has been planted and perhaps I will go by for the cup of tea before I leave.

Yesterday, a couple from the Snizort Parish came by for a visit. We drove out to see the Neist Lighthouse. Neist Point is the furthest west point of Skye. It is a beautiful place. They had been there once before, a long time ago. The wind was blowing so hard you could not stand alone and take pictures. We had to stand up against the car or we would have been blown over. It was fantastic. (Yes, I love the wind. I am sorry for the kind of wind that S. Texas is going to have later today. I pray that wherever you are today, if you are in that area, that you will not been in harms way). We visited for over five hours. I had a wonderful opportunity to speak truth into their lives. They are young Christians and have found great joy in the fellowship at Snizort. I was thankful that God gave me the opportunity for some informal discipleship training with them.

Last night, I attended…now don’t laugh…a ladies guild meeting. The guild does projects throughout the year that strengthen outreach and support evangelism. Las night they invited a lady to come in show them how to do flower arranging. There is a rota of ladies in the church who do the arrangement for the sanctuary flowers each week and they wanted some fresh ideas. I was asked to open the meeting with scripture and prayer. I felt a little strange, as you might imagine, but it was really a great time. There were 11 ladies there and I reinforced to them that they could even make arranging a part of their worship to the Lord…using His created things for the beauty of the sanctuary. One woman came up to me afterwards and said, “I really appreciate your coming. We longed for this kind of support from our former pastor, who was with us for over four years. He never came to a single one of our meetings.” When asked to attend a few days before, I thought…naaa. The Spirit impressed me to go and now I know why.

Prayer Request

Some of you may know that Linda and I are seeking God's direction as to whether He wants for us to have a permanent position here in Scotland or not. What origninally seemed like an easy decision has turned out to be quite complicated. We certainly do not want to be here if it is not a part of God's plan for us. When it seems like to us He is saying, "Which ever you want to do is OK" are the times when it is most difficult to discern what His will is. I believe that God has a place where He wants us. I don't really believe that it is a toss-up and which ever way the coin falls is ok. But, it seems like that. I can see God using my gifts and calling, both here and stateside. I want more than anything for His will to be done...and I know that He will ultimately make that clear, for that is what He wants: me doing His will.

One of the bits of this puzzle is that I have a meeting with the Credentials Committee of the Church of Scotland on Wednesday, September 17th, at 10 am. If the C of S does not accept my credentials, the rest is a moot point. But, if they do approve me, that is when the fun begins.

Would you please pray that personal preferences do not get in our way. Though we don't even like to think about leaving family...including a new grandson, my 95 year old mother, our children, Linda's "ancient" parents (a family joke), siblings...and freinds, following God's direction is what we must do. We ask for discernment and peace. Our delight is in the Lord and we know that He will make clear His purpose.

I am putting together some more of the pictures taken during Linda's and her family's stay in Scotland. Will make every attempt to post them soon.

May each of your feel the warmth of God's embrace,
Robert

I'm Back

Linda at Cawdor Castle

This is the road, several hundred feet below where this picture was being taken that leads to Applecross on the mainland. Skye is seen in the background across the bay.

This rock formation is called "Kilt Rock" with the KR Falls

The Qiarang in the northern part of Skye

Linda...on our way back to Dunvegan from Inverness Airport

I’m Back…
The past three weeks…has it been that long?...has been a blur and a quite impossible task to get anything done on this blog!! From the time that I picked up Linda at the airport, until we picked up her parents, sister, Paula, and her husband, Steve, Linda and I only had three days together. And I must confess, the blog was the furthest thing from my mind. Not that I don’t love you guys and enjoy the blog…well, you know what I mean. Linda and I picked up her family on the 14th and then went on a nine day trip through the Highlands of Scotland, touring Culloden (the last battle decisive battle over the Jacobites), Nairn, Cawdor Castle, Forres, Elgin, the cathedral ruins at Elgin Lossiemouth (a family joke), Craigalleghie, Crieff, which included attending the Highland games (a kind of Scottish Olympics (races, hammer throw, bike races, shot put, telephone pole toss, tug-of-war,etc.), Edinburgh (pronounced Edin-buro), Edinburgh Castle, the highlight being the Tattoo (the finest Pipe and marching bands from around the world), Stirling (the home of William Wallace), which included the Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument, St. Andrews, Andrews Cathedral ruins (and, yes, the Old Course at St. Andrews), Dundee, Arbroath, the Arbroath Cathedral ruins, and theDoune Castle.

Included in all of that were all the oooohhhhhhs and aaaaahhhhhhhs pertaining to, what I consider, the most beautiful and stunning scenery in all the world. In the nine days of sightseeing on the mainland, we stayed in the most incredible self-catering bed and breakfast. It is owned by a home builder and remodeler. It had everything and then some…hot tub, outside deck, beautiful gardens all around the house, three bedrooms, each with their own full baths, two family rooms, fully equipped kitchen, a stocked fish pond, wireless internet, and a dry sauna. We used this B&B as our headquarters while we did our day trips to all of the places mentioned.

After seeing the sights of the mainland highlands, we moved on to Skye. The weather was not all that cooperative here (of which I was most disappointed in because they did not get to see all the things that are so dramatic in the sunlight). But, all-in-all, we had a marvelous time. We went to see one of the light houses on the western coastline. However, the wind was blowing so hard I could hardly stand up…I am not kidding. It had to have been gusting to over 60 miles and hour. Add to that a blistering rain, and you know we were not able to stay there long. We saw the last remaining tannery on Skye…the complete process of tanning sheep skins. If anyone would like, I would be happy to have them send you one. They run between $60 and $90 dollars. They are beautiful. Let me know. We toured Dunvegan Castle, which is the longest standing inhabited castle since the 1400’s. The Clan MacLeod has never not had a Clan Chief in residence there. Amazing. We saw Kilt Rock and the waterfall beside it.

I am not through, but I have to get my loan car in for an inspection this morning. So, I will finish tomorrow with lots of pics.
Sola gratia,
Robert

She Made It

She made it!!! She is here!!! Therefore, I am behind in my blogs.  (for me)  (for you).
We have had a wonderful reunion. No longer do I wish that her eyes could see what I am seeing or that she could do what I am doing, or meet the people I am meeting…she is doing all that with me. We have seen some amazing sights, we have worshipped together and she has joined me in visiting the sick and the widows. She is not just along side of me; she is a part of me. We love ministering together. We saw a man who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and an elderly lady who is unable to leave her home, therefore, unable to attend church. Linda is so gracious and gentle with the elderly. She truly has a compassionate heart. She has taught me a lot about what encouragement looks like.

We had supper with our next door neighbors last night, prior to having the Bible study. We had a wonderful meal and then moved into their sitting room for a time of study in the first chapter of Philippians. There were eight people at the study. We sang choruses and hymns for almost an hour…yes they love to sing. Throughout the singing time, Fiona McFarland played the piano, guitar and recorder and John Angus MacCusbic played the guitar and on a couple of songs we sang a cappella. (sp?)

Robert is letting me say something now that I am here…..yea! Thank you for your prayers for my travel. It was a very easy, uneventful trip over here, and I am over jet lag and feeling great!
Dunvegan is a beautiful place…the Manse is very nice, with fantastic views out of every window. We are looking forward to my parents and sister and her husband joining us here shortly…and have the beds all ready for them…

I have already experienced one lane roads with my husband’s race car driving, going up to a mountain that had more hairpin turns than any I have encountered thus far in my life! It was breathtaking…in every sense! Especially going down! And speaking of driving and cars…the Lord has graciously provided a nice car for Robert while he is here….a church member in the Snizort Parish manages a car dealership and he is loaning Robert a car. The amazing thing is that even when he got switched from that Parish to Dunvegan Parish, he still is allowing him to use the car! That is such a huge expense here…cars are so expensive to either rent or buy, it is amazing how the Lord has laid on this one man’s heart to do that for him.

I got to sit in the balcony at Dunvegan Church on Sunday and watch Robert on his 15 ft pulpit do everything …he was a one man show! Lead the music, prayers, and announcements and preach….they really get the mileage out of the minister in the worship service! He preached a very good message in the series he is doing there on “encounters with Jesus”. This week it was Zacchaeus. Everyone seemed to enjoy the message. I was interested to see several of the church members wearing their kilts… they are the dress up clothes here in Scotland…I wish Robert would get one, but I can’t imagine him wearing it to church!

Well, I could say a lot more, but we are headed to visit some of the folks he knows and wants me to meet. We are enjoying being together in Scotland!! The weather has been grand and glorious, and I have already seen many fantastic sites. We pick up family tomorrow in Inverness and will be back on Skye on Sat. the 23rd. We have quite an agenda of sightseeing so if you don’t get a blog update this next week, you’ll know why. Thanks again for all your prayers for us!! Blessings! Linda

First Dunvegan Sunday

Yesterday was a wonderful Lord’s Day! I had a very warm reception by the DC, as well as the BC. There were well over 60 people in the morning service at DC and 16 at the BC. I am preaching a series on the personal encounters that Jesus had with individual people, in the morning service and working through The Beatitudes on Sunday night. Both churches seemed to receive the Word with warm eagerness. Morag MacLeod, the single lady that visited us with the Johnstones in San Antonio last year, drove up from Kylakin to worship in Dunvegan. I was glad that she was there to give me feedback on how she thought the service went. She was surprised by the numbers, impressed with the attentiveness and taken back by their warmth. She told me that, although she had never been in DC before, she had heard that it wasn’t a very friendly church. I told her that she was going to have to be more careful about presupposing that what people say is reality. She was very impressed with the reception given my by the DC church and left feeling relieved. She thought that this was going to be a difficult place of ministry. I am glad she was wrong.

It was qqqqquuuuiiiiittttteeeeeeee strange preaching in a box where my head is 14-15 feet above the floor. My nose started bleeding at one point I was so high up….not really . Until last evening I did not know why those things are like that. There was a family from Holland visiting D. and had come to church. We got on very well after the service and I invited them to the manse for a snack after my return from the BC. They were such a delightful family…Roel and His wifeYmkje (try to say that with crackers in your mouth) and their daughter, Tjslim, I’m not kidding, and Peter-jon. He is a Reformed pastor and his daughter and son-in-law are theology students in Cheshire…they have not found the cat yet. Anyway, Tjslim was sitting in the second row of pew on the main floor and had gotten a crick in her neck from looking up at me. Well, her father said that the reason the pastors are so high is for the benefit of those sitting in the balcony. I had never thought of that. The balcony seats are not on an incline, so that if the pastor were floor lever, he would never see those in the balcony. Well, it sounds reasonable. I always thought that it was so the pastor could always say that his parishioners “looked up to him.” Arrrr, Arrrr.

DC does not have a mid-week service (I think I have said that in another blog…since I am doing this away from the internet, I can’t ck the other blogs to see) and we will be doing a study in the book of Philippians. Originally, I thought that I would just do a more in-depth study of 1 Peter, as that is what I had already prepared for at Snizort, but the Lord impressed upon me the need to be fresh in what I am teaching. So please pray for this study. I have a feeling that since it is in a member’s home that being more informal can open some hearts for God to penetrate.

LINDA WILL BE HERE IN FIVE DAYS!! THANK YOU, LORD, FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS IN SUSTAINING US DURING THIS ABSENCE!!! Please keep Linda in your prayers. She took a cold last week and is still fighting congestion and all that goes with that…you don’t need me to tell you about the dripping nose, hacking cough, sleepless nights…no, no need to mention that. Seriously, please pray for the Lord’s healing to be upon her. Many of you are commenting about your prayers are with me. I give God praise for each of you and your holding me up before the throne of grace that I might grace and mercy from His heart.

Well, I must be off and do some prep for tonight. Let these words of the Apostle Paul be that which establishes your walk today….

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,13 contributing to the needs of the saints , practicing hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you ; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine , I will repay," says the Lord.20 "But if your enemy is hungry , feed him, and if he is thirsty , give him a drink ; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12)

I'm Here...in Dunvegan, That Is

August 2, 2008
I have now nestled in to the manse at Dunvegan. It is hard not to compare the two manses, but I would have to say that Snizort did a much better job of preparing for my arrival. Everything was very clean, food stuffs had been put in the cabinets and the manse itself is somewhat newer. On the other hand, however, Dunvegan does have a phone and a cordless extension. I will not have an internet connection here, either. However, just down the street from the manse, a lady in the church has offered me the use of her computer during the day. She is gone all day and so I will take advantage of that, as long as she is not there. I had supper with her and her husband last night and she allowed me on while they were finishing up preparations for the meal. The computer is much faster than in Portree and there is no 30 minute time limits…thank you, Lord.

The actual typing of this is being done in the manse and I will download it on Monday morning.
The manse’s bedrooms are quite small and there is no ensuite bathroom. It is just fine right now, but when Linda’s family arrives…well, it will be fun. It has a small full bath and a powder room. I wonder whether the men or the women will get the half-bath? Duhhhhhh! Two major benefits of this manse as opposed to Snizort is that this manse has a huge living area with two sofas and it also has a dining table, as well as a kitchen table. Either of the two tables will easily facilitate 6 people. It is not that big a deal, anyway, because the six of us will only be in this house for six days. No biggie.

The two churches I will pastor in this parish are light years apart in many ways. Dunvegan’s congregation (DC) is in this huge church. They will have anywhere between 60 and 90 people on any given Sunday. Dunvegan is a large tourist attraction with a couple of hotels and many bed and breakfasts in the town, which will cause the attendance to fluctuate even more. The church building was refurbished in 1983. I have seen the pictures of it and it was quite a project. It is very old church style with an elevated pulpit. I don’t know if it was elevated to make it harder for people to reach the parson with rotten fruit on a bad preaching day or what. But, for me, I see the advantage as being, if Jesus comes back while I am in the pulpit, I will have about a 15ft. head start on everyone else in the pews.

The Bracadale Church (BC) is about 45 minutes from the manse. It is only about 25 miles away, but, because the road is so winding, your average speed is somewhere around 40-45 miles per hour. The BC will have between 14 and 20 in attendance on any given Sunday. The BC meets only at night and DC meets on Sunday morning. The BC does not have a “crow’s nest” and is very informal.

I was quite warmly received in D. by the MacLeod’s (pron. McCloud), Donald and Rosemary. He was a member of the British Foreign Diplomatic Service for 30 years. Everyone told me that he was a rather formal chap, but I found him to be very down to earth. I would love to listen to him talk about his many travels with included, Burma, Indonesia, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Rumania. His wife is a charming, gracious and hospitable person. They had me over for supper on Thursday evening…fresh halibut, green veggies, leeks, potatoes and a fruit dessert. We talked about our relationships to the Lord and I found them to be people of deep faith and have many opportunities to live it out among their unsaved acquaintances.

Last night, I had supper with the lady and her husband, who are giving me access to their computer. Their names are Anne and Peter MacAskill. She is the church clerk and is the secretary of a building contractor, who also employs one of the elders from the Snizort Parish, Archie MacDonald. Archie and his wife, Jan, were away on vacation most of the time that I was in Snizort, but he and his wife were two of the most vocal and expressive in the services showing strong acceptance with my preaching. Well, not taking anything away from Anne’s warm reception of me, as to her being that kind of person, but I don’t think it hurt that Archie had prepared her for my coming by saying to her, “You are really going to like him. I wish we weren’t losing him to the DC.”

Tomorrow will be my first Sunday at Dunvegan Parish. I am just about ready, but I am closing now to finish up work on my pm service. I am excited about the coming two months of ministry. Please continue in your prayers for me. I have felt them and appreciate your remembering me before the Father. “Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible.” (Eph. 6:23,24) Cheerio!

Cheerio To Snizort

Sunday was a difficult day for me. The Lord has wonderfully melded the hearts of the folk here with mine in such a short period of time. I have had some wonderful fellowship, learned a great deal about the Scottish worship culture…if there is such a thing…have had wonderful opportunities to speak the Gospel into peoples’ lives, both in and out of the pulpit and have been allowed to speak into the hearts of some of the more mature Christians of the need for intentional discipleship (which was warmly and enthusiastically received.) So, all that to say that Sunday was just a wee bit emotional, knowing that I will not, often, see some of these dear people again. The Lord has made a rich deposit into my life through them, and, hopefully, the same is true from me to them.

Last night, I had the joy of having Ben and Annette Johnstone in the Snizort manse for a spaghetti supper. You will recall, Ben and Annette were our friends that we met in 2006 whom the Lord used to precipitate my being in Scotland . They were on their way to the Isle of Lewis, where they will live when they retire, to do some work on their retirement house…scraping, painting, etc. So I feed them a delicious meal (if I do say so, myself, which I thoroughly enjoyed) and then put them up for the night. The ferry that goes to Lewis leaves out of Uig, where I was this past Saturday. We had a good time of fellowship and he gave me some information that I will have to let the Lord filter through my heart in the days to come…said news being that chap that handles the initial applications for transfer into the Church of Scotland told Ben that he felt that there did not seem to be anything that would hinder or prohibit my acceptance.

The past year or so I have sensed something working in my heart about Scotland as a permanent place of ministry. I have struggled with those feelings not knowing if they were from the Lord or fleshly intimations of wanting to be here. I have been keen to keep my eyes on the Lord, because I don’t want to be led by the flesh. I don’t want to be anywhere He doesn’t want me. My heart cry is to be in the center of His will. So, the conversation that Ben and I had about his conversation with the rep. from the C of S, has presented me with a further inclination that the desires that I have been experiencing are not of the flesh, but of God. It is still early. And even with this additional information, I am certainly not going to presume upon the sovereignty of God, in any way. I am opening up my heart to you in this way is for the purpose of pleading with you who have been reading the blog and praying for me to pray very specifically about this issue.

I moved a part of my stuff over to Dunvegan this morning and met a lovely man and his wife…Donald and Rose Mary MacLeod (pronounced like McCloud). His career was in the British diplomatic corp. He is quite…sorry, but there is presently a patch of very white thunder clouds exploding out of very dark clouds that is just breath-taking…oh, I wish you could see it…again, he is a very proper chap, but so warm, open and inviting. He lives in the former Dunvegan manse, which is about 200 yards to the west of the manse where I will be living for the next two months….only 10 days, Linda…here I go again with the mushy stuff. Anyway, his son and family were with them for a few days and I had a wonderful time visiting with them. At one point, his son excused himself so that he could go practice his bagpipes. I said, “By all means, just play loud so that I can hear you…and he did. It was wonderful. I will be having dinner with the MacLeods tomorrow night and look so forward to deepening new roots in Dunvegan.

I have one more gathering with the Snizort members tomorrow night for the mid-week prayer service. What began as a fish-bowl experience, has turned into a rich time of study and prayer. One of the fellows that did not seem to get on with me in the beginning, asked my on Sunday, if I would like to join him this evening at the weekly Rotary Club meeting. I told him I would love to. In the course of our drive into Portree, we had a chance to share testimonies and he told me of his burden for the lost in his community. He is a Gideon and committed to the Kingdom. I am so thankful that the Lord opened up this relationship to me. I was really blessed, but it makes it even harder to say, “Cheerio.”

The Northern Lights

Yesterday, Sat. July 26th, was another stunning day, both weather-wise and in terms of the scenery. I had earlier mentioned to you that John and Margaret Burnley offered to take me to the northern parts of Skye. Well, they picked me up, yesterday, and took me to see some breath-taking scenes. (You might want to Google Skye to get a feel for where we went.)

Our route took us first to Uig. Uig is where people go to pick up the ferry when they want to go to the outer Hebrides. Coming up on A87 when you round the bend, you get this picture of a most idyllic scene. The water is dark blue and the mountain landscapes create an unforgettable picture. Houses line the slopes that bend down toward the water.

As you move up the mountain and look back, the change in perspective causes you to think that you are leaving a place that you really didn’t see or that you didn’t visit. But, that is not unlike so many of the places here on Skye. The placement of clouds, the degree of sunshine, a movement up or down in elevation completely changes the visual impact of a sight. Moving away from that location we arrived at the “Monk-stadt.” It is the ruins of a monastery formed by St. Columba in 1400. He is said to be the first one to bring Christianity to Skye. And, not far from that place is the farmhouse where Dora MacDonald hid Bonnie Prince Charles from the authorities in early 1740’s. There are so many different versions of the prince…it reminds me of all the fables that surround someone like Daniel Boone.

Further along on A87, after passing through Balgown, Kilmiur, Bornisketaig, Kilmaluag (the most northern community on Skye) and Digg, we came to Staffin which is the largest community on the northern part of Skye. The mountains, locks, and ocean were breathtaking and, hopefully, never to forgotten beauty. “The whole earth is full of His glory.” If you were to follow the road on south, it would take you into Portree, but we took the one of the narrow, one lane tracks back across the peninsula that ends back at Uig. As you start across the peninsula, there is a peak that is probably 600 ft. off the road that you can climb up and get the most spectacular view. It is not a bad climb because it is on an continuing slope of about 45 degrees. I think God made it like that so that people could get the view. I didn’t even take a picture knowing that my camera would not come close to capturing the sight.

We drove back to the Burnley’s home and had tea and scones…eat your heart out…home-made fruit scones...yummmmmmmm! Diabetics are allowed a little fun, every now and then, ha! John is a very accomplished amateur photographer. He has some remarkable equipment that has allows him to do remarkable development of his pictures. I am hopeful that he will sell me some of his work. They have one of the most creative flower gardens I have, yet, seen.









------- Started Sunday… is now being finished Monday morning…the 28th. (Just 12 days, Linda)

Well, today is beginning to look like the most sun-filled day since I have been here. There is not a cloud or haze in the sky. What am I doing here…other than the fact that I am three or four days behind on my blog…I don’t know!! It’s the animal in the beast. (That doesn’t sound right…does it?) Someone help me out here.

Well, I am off to the library to post these blogs, so I will say, “Cheerio”.

The MacRea's and Midgens

July 26

Last night I had supper with the MacReas…Billy, Helen, Duncan and Elizabeth…a sweeter family you won’t find. I called Helen yesterday afternoon and reminded her that I didn’t want her going over the top with the meal… “oh,” she said, “we are just having baked potatoes and salad.” I told her that was great with me. Well, when we sat down at the table, I realized that I had been hood-winked…she had three deli meats, slaw salad, regular salad, pasta salad, carrot sticks, three kinds of tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, peppers, two cheeses, and fried rice. Yep, that is the Scottish hospitality way. It was delicious and we had lots of good laughs around the table. Especially when I was convinced to eat a flower, a Nasturtium. It is a beautiful yellow flower, which I thought that Helen had put in the salad to color it up. To my surprise when I started chewing it my mouth began burning…how could something as beautiful as that flower produce heat like a jalapeño pepper? How? The wonder, beauty and creativity of our God! I think my vegetarian daughter, Sarah, would be very proud of me for living on the edge!

After supper, we loaded into their van, including Karrie, their beautiful Spaniel, and headed out for the Coral Beach at Dunvegan, and had a lovely hike and climb. We saw some seals, a beautiful sunset and climbed a moderate hill. It did remind me, however, that I am 63 years old…I was breathing pretty hard when we got to the tope of this hill.

The walk from the car to the beach, about a 20 minute walk, I was severely introduced to the Scottish “Midgens.” It is a cross between a mosquito and a nat. The female bites, but they are small like a nat. They swarm. This was about the only time, since coming to Skye, that the wind wasn’t blowing (because of the size of this critters, they are not able to fly when there is a breeze). You will look down at your arm and it is covered. We also walked through an area that was infested by flying ants. At one point, the ants were swarming right along with the Midgens. When we finally got to the beach, the insects weren’t quite so bad. There was a small knoll that we all climbed, thinking that the midgens would not be as bad up there. Wrong, again. So I prayed, “Lord, would you bless us with a nice breeze to clear out the insects?” Within five minutes, a breeze began to sweep through where we were and picked up until we left the area. Thank you, Lord. Karrie ran the hold time, except when she was chasing rock thrown into the water. She chases birds and rabbits. I am sure she slept as well as I did last night.

See, I really did survive the climb, althought at one point I thought I was going down.

The Scarey Sheep

July 24
The last two days completes the weather cycle here: rain, rain and mist, rain and wind, rain and wind and mist, cold wind and rain, warm wind and rain, wind and stronger wind, sunshine through clouds and wind, sunshine and rain at the same time through clouds, … I think you probably get the idea. (Check out my clothes on the line...horizontal with the ground...the wind dried them in about 20 minutes.) Every imaginable permutation of weather possibilities has made my stay. I especially like to hear the howling wind and rain at night. It is so strong, sometimes, that the windows and doors whistle. Though I have to admit that the other night I did get a slight fright.

Apparently, the back door light is driven by motion. I switched it on the other night before going to bed and when the light did not come on I thought the bulb was burnt out and I just left the switch where it was. Later, the wind and light rain was giving the manse a going over. I got up to go to the bathroom at about 1:30 am. While in the bathroom, a light started shining in. And then it went off. And then it came on again. It was like someone had a flashlight moving back and forth in the windows. The windows are a kind of warped texture for privacy and so I couldn’t look out and see what was going on. I realized that the light outside probably had a short in it and that the wind was affecting it. So I got back in bed. This is the only time that I have been unnerved by this big, creaky house. As soon as I got back it bed, the light started coming on again, but this time it would stay on a little longer than before and now there was noise! I had seen an old broom handle under the stairway and so as I moved my way to the back door, I saw the light come on and heard a loud noise. I said, “OK, Lord, be my strength and shield.” I quietly unlocked the door and gave it a huge pull, giving out a loud scream as I did (why I don’t know). At that moment three living things gasped for breath: me and the two sheep, who had been eating grass outside my door. I think they were more frightened than me, because the smaller of the two literally left his feet and then both were off in a flash. I wish that I had had my camera in my hand instead of the stick to have captured the looks on their faces, although any picture taken of them would have blurred because of their speed. I stood there and laughed out loud. Fortunately, the nearest neighbor is two hundred yards away…although I am not sure that they didn’t hear some of the noise.

The last two days have been absolutely stunning weather-wise. Accept for a few very high altitude clouds, there is only a blue sky. And it is quite warm…probably in the high 70’s. And so, you might ask, what am I doing sitting in the manse’s kitchen writing a “blooming blog”? Well, I am going on another hike, later this evening with Billy and Helen MacRea. I had a couple of visits this afternoon that have hindered me from being out to enjoy this today.

I visited a man, who is known by many in the community that has terminal cancer. He is not a believer and I was asked to go see him. He and his wife were very welcoming and friendly. As we visited, I discovered that they had been visited by several people interested in their salvation. As I wove John 10:10 into our conversation, giving insight as to what it meant to have a personal relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus, they became agitated. Not in a hostile way, but to the point of changing the subject. I tried to move back to who Jesus was and why He died, but they would not have it. We continued to visit and then the wife said that she needed to get supper ready for her bed and breakfast guests. I asked if I could pray with them. The man grudgingly agreed, but the wife actually seemed eager. As I prayed, I heard her sniffling and when I finished tears were running down her cheeks. She was obviously touched by the Spirit. As soon as I finished, the man got up and quickly left the room. She, however, briefly chatted and said I was welcome at any time to come back for a visit. I believe that a seed was planted for someone to harvest at some point in the future. God be praised.


The services at Uig, Arnisort and Kensaleyre on Suday and then the Wed. night prayer service will end my stay in the Snizort Parish. It has been thoroughly refreshing to be here and to get to know the people as well as I have in one month. The Lord has been at work through His Word and I have learned so much about what great people of sincerity, graciousness and hospitality they truly are.

APPLECROSS….WOW!

I have seen driven up to Mt. Fuji in Japan; I have seen Kilimanjaro, I have been to the foot of the Swiss Alps and I have driven across the Rockies, but what I experienced yesterday topped them all. The mountains that I drove up were not as tall as the Alps or the Rockies, but it was just their scenic beauty…they are just so striking and there is one right after the other. My journey to Applecross on the Scottish mainland was in the brightest sunlight, but the most striking of all the scenes that I wanted to take I was unable to because of the narrow roadway. There is room for only one vehicle at a time, except for small passing cutouts in the mountainside, which are too few and far between, so when you have several cars behind you, it is hard to get out of the car to take the pictures (though, I did take a couple out of sheer desperation). Ben Johnstone, our pastor friend who came and visited us last July was driving and he told me that we would have a better chance a great pics on our return. However, by the time we left the village of Applecross, the clouds had completely surrounded all of the mountains that had earlier been in view. Uuuggggghhhhh. It was so frustrating not to be able to share the most amazing shots with you. Fear not, though, I did get some amazing pics that you should enjoy.

The more I visit with folks in the parish the more I realize that I will miss ministering here. There are some awfully nice people here that are warm, hospitable and generous. They are totally different when you are visiting them in their homes than they are at the church. But, I know that there will be some wonderful folks in the Dunvegan Parish, as well.

There is one person who will be in the Dunvegan Parish on the 9th of August that I am most anxious to get reacquainted with and that is Linda. I know for you, when I say she will be here in 15 days, that doesn’t mean a whole lot to you, but it sure does to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone please tell Linda to hurry up and get here, because……

This guy

Is missing her
terribly!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, enough of that, before I start crying.
Here are some pics from Applecross…

Uig Church outside and in

An 11pm sunset Applecross mts.

Ps 8:9
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Ps 18:7
The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.
Ps 18:15
The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
Ps 19:4
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
Ps 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
Ps 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
Ps 46:6
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
Ps 46:8
Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

Dunvegan

I ran out of time at the library where I go to do my blog, so I did not have a chance to tell you about the Dunvegan Parish, where I will be “stationed” in August and September. Dunvegan Parish is located 16 miles due west of Kensaleyre. Though it is only 16 miles, it takes about 25 minutes to drive because of the winding roads. The drive is, like all other drives here, beautiful and breath-taking. Every mile or so you get a whole new look at the mountains, valleys, etc., and of course, the ocean inlets give the surroundings a whole different visual dynamic. The waters are always so blue, and when the wind is not blowing, which isn’t too often, the calm lochs (Scottish for lakes and or ocean inlets) are as reflective as glass.

I met with the young man who is doing an interim piece who I will replace in a couple of weeks. What a fine young man. His name is Hector McKenzie. He came to know Christ while in college, though having grown up in a church-going home. Soon after graduation from college he began to feel the Lord’s call upon his life for full-time Christian ministry. Having served in the military, he knew of the great need for the Gospel in that setting and felt God’s leadership to apply for the Chaplaincy. His tenure at Dunvegan is a part of his preparatory training. He goes to Basic Training in September. I really had a wonderful visit with him and prayed with him. We met at the restaurant that serves the lovely scone that is pictured on the blog. Yes, they are delicious with tea…even in the afternoon.

A view from the Dunvegan Manse into Loch Dunvegan
After tea, he took me out to see the manse. Included, today, are some shots from the manse looking out over the Loch Dunvegan. That is enough to make you feel called to Scotland, huh? It is really beautiful and the afternoon was flush with brilliant sunlight. Hector told me that the winter gales that come in through the loch are very biting. I am sure. This manse only has four bedrooms, compared to this manse which has five. But the D. manse will be better when Linda and her parents come because it has a very open, airy living area.

My only regret of this experience is that there has not been an internet connection here. I am hopeful that the one in D. does. The moderator for this parish told me the middle of June that he thought that it did, but I am not believing it until I see it. I am almost about ready to pay for it myself, just so that I don’t have to drive 10-20 minutes in order to send an email. I was told today at the Portree Library that D. does not have such. The British Telecom requires a one year contract. The way I look at it, since I will be there 2 months and the pastor that they have called will be there in February, there is a four month overlap where there would not be anyone in the manse. I am thinking I would be willing to pay the $160 out of pocket (the cost for the four months no one is there) so that I could have instant contact with the world. Please pray that an IP is possible in D.

This is the Brakadale church

The D. parish is comprised of two churches. Brakadale is the second one, which is about a thirty minute drive from D. I will preach at the D. church on Sunday morning, and at the Br. Church at on Sunday evening. The parish also has a Bible study group that meets on Monday evening in one of the parishioner’s home. I am responsible for that meeting, as well, although, it is a lot more laid back and informal. Hector told me that they love to sing for 30-40 minutes before the Bible study. I was unaware of the Monday evening situation, so pray that the Lord will direct me to what He would have me teach.

Well, my time on the computer is about up and I want to make sure this gets posted today.
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

The McCrea's

I had the most wonderful evening on Thursday. Helen and Billy McCrea had me in their home for a meal of fresh Haddock and veggies (corn, potatoes and peppers....yum!) That was finished off with home-grown strawberries, short bread and cream. Hello!! Ummmmm.

After that, Helen and her 13 yr. old daughter, Elizabeth, showed me her beautiful flower and veg. garden. Then we moved over to a pen which was temporarily housing a little baby lamb that had hurt its foot. It was so cute. It was ready for a feeding and I did the honors with that little rascal finishing off the milk in about 2 minutes. Fortunately, I did not have to burb the wee fella.

Billy asked me if I wanted to go for a walk. As I looked at the sheep farm, which is home to about 400 sheep, I asked him how much land he had. He said that there is about 1200 acres to their farm. He works the place with his father and two teenaged sons, Duncan and Callum. Helen, Billy, Elizabeth and I took off on about a two mile hike up to a small platue area above their farm. It was so amazing. From the point we were able to see the outlying Hebrides. We could see in every direction for miles and miles. He jokingly said, when you can see the Hebrides that means it is going to rain; when you can't see them, it means it is raining. We could see them...and, yep, no sooner than we had started down it started raining! :) But, it was wonderful. We had the best time and a ton of laughter. Billy and Helen work with the youth...of which there aren't many...in the parish. Pray for them...they have the sweetest spirit and a huge heart for the Lord...I left there thinking that we had been friends all of our lives. They invited me back any time for another walk.

It rained all day yesterday with the clouds shrouding the mountains most of the day. The wind picked up in the evening and by this morning was howling and the rain was blowing side ways. And then about 10am, the wind shifted and the most amazing blue sky erupted from the clouds. I thought I would go out and walk. But, before I could get a sweatshirt on and a jacket, the clouds and returned and it started raining again :(. But guess what? Within 30 minutes, it was blue clouds again...it has been doing that all day. Right now it is clear. I am not holding my breath. The weather keeps you on your toes.

Well, my thirty minutes at the library is just about up. Thanks for your prayers. God is at work!

Just Pics

Today, I thought that I would just send pictures. I have so many beautiful selections it was hard to choose. However, I did pick just a few...I don't want to bore you...ha! Just click on the picture and you should get a full screen view.



The ever present Purple Heather.



A clear view of the Broadford mountains.

A view of the mountains in Broadford.

This place is called the "Old Man and the Stor.

This is the church at Kensaleyre. It is an historical Scotish structure.
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Another view

This is just one of the beautiful views from my bedroom window at the manse in Kensaleyre.

This the sunset from the manse at 11:15 at night!!

Another view from the manse.

This is the bay at Portree when the tide is out. This is such a lazy little town...one of my favorites, so far.

These are the MacDonalds. Mairi and Murdo have been so supportive and sweet to me. Had me come to their home to eat and to use their phone to call Linda, when I did not have a phone.


This is the inside of the church at Arnisort

I will do this again along the way. Thanks for your interest and your prayers.