Let the relaxation begin...

After getting back from Ireland last week, Dan and I have been non-stop busy. Today we spent most of the afternoon running errands and then finally this evening the relaxation began. Dan and I got pedicures at 6:30 (yes Dan did go after I twisted his arm several times...and his feet have never looked so good) which is a tradition we began last year when kicking off vacations. It felt really good to be pampered and it got me relaxed and ready to spend the next five days in New York.

We leave in the morning and are coming next Tuesday. I am really excited because we're spending the time with my mom and step-dad who are flying in to meet us from Chicago. Out of the four of us, I am the only one who has been to New York before so hopefully I won't get us lost and turned around. Dan has already done a good job preparing routes and setting up a rough itinerary. Yeah public transportation! This is also serving as an early celebration of our fifth year anniversary.

We won't be blogging while we're there because Dan is not taking his computer but we will fill you in on all the events when we get back.

Adjusting...

Life has slowly been returning to normal for Megan and I since we got back from Ireland earlier this week. Here's what's currently going on with us:

* Megan is working quite a bit over the next few days (since Wednesday night she is scheduled to work 6 out of 7 nights...). If you think about it, pray for her. Those twelve hour shifts can be quite overwhelming when there are that many of them at one time.

* I have come down with some kind of cold. My throat hurts and my ears are kind of goofed up. This sure made worship practice last night a lot of fun. I hope I get better soon.

* We leave July 31 for a five day trip to NYC. We're meeting Megan's parents who are flying in from the Chicago area. This should be a lot of fun!

* Speaking of NYC...anyone have any tips on how to get cheap Broadway show tickets?

* It looks like I am going to be working some hours with RTS Virtual campus this fall. Since this upcoming semester will be a bit easier than what I am used to, I have been thinking about picking up some hours somewhere. I've been praying about it lately and then last week my buddy Dave (who works for RTS Virtual) gave me the head's up about the position. The job is a good fit for me and I can get at least 8 hours a week in (mostly on Friday). This should help with all the recent unexpected bills!

* I am still trying to finish up a couple of summer projects for Uptown Church as well as get these classes done. Time is slipping away fast...

* We've added a couple of trips to the fall/winter. We'll be in Southern Illinois over Labor Day weekend for Megan's father's wedding and in the Chicago area the first weekend of December for Megan's sister's wedding. If any of you Illinois people want to hang out and catch up a bit let us know.

That's all I can think of right now. Stay tuned for some more reflections from our week in Ireland we are working on getting done.

Free Time - Sunday and Monday in Ireland

Come Sunday morning, Megan and I were on our own. We had arranged to stay a couple of extra days after the conference (mainly because the plane tickets were cheaper that way) and to stay with a couple (the Turnbulls) who were at Uptown Church until they moved to Dublin for work last year. It was our intention to go for a day trip on Monday somewhere away from the city but we had underestimated how exhausted we would really be.

So, we tarried around Greystones a bit on Sunday and then took the train to Sandymount where the Turnbulls live. They were away for the weekend but had arranged for us to be able to get in their apartment. And let me tell you, they have a sweet place. As soon as Megan and I walked in we felt immediately at home and wasted no time taking a nice hot shower in their awesome bathroom. We also sat on their couch - something we hadn't been able to do in a week - and just sighed a sigh of relief. It felt so good to relax. We did manage to get up for a while and walk around the neighborhood, taking in the sights and enjoying a good brunch. When they returned from their trip we enjoyed a nice dinner together that Lauren made and went for a nice walk with Jon. The Christian hospitality that this dear couple shared with us whom they had never met until this point was truly a demonstration of the love of Christ and a welcome blessing to us.

On Monday, we ditched the idea of a day trip and just headed back into the city to see the sights we had missed during the week. We started out on Henry Street, taking in some of the shops and enjoying the hustle and bustle. After that we went to the Chester Beatty library where I had a great time looking at all the old Biblical manuscripts housed there - some dating to 150 AD. I am such a nerd, I know. Poor Megan...at least she kept me from staying there all day. From there we went to St. Patrick's cathedral and enjoyed a good hour looking around the church and marveling at such grand and beautiful architecture. As evening came, we made our way to Grafton Street and found a nice pub where we could enjoy our first dose of official Irish fish and chips (I know it's weird that we waited until the last night to do this). It was really really good.

At the end of the day we were a little tired but yet excited about what God had allowed us to experience and share with other people. Our flights home on Tuesday were uneventful and almost right on time, we were home once again to be greeted by a very very happy cat!

Dublin Prayer Conference - Saturday

Saturday morning we had the priviledge of hearing from Paudge Mulvihill who heads up a group called Calvary Mission which has a vision to reach the west coast of Ireland. He shared some amazing statistics with us regarding the state of the church on the west coast. For example, there are 11 towns of at least 20,000 people, 11 towns of at least 15,000 people, 45 towns with at least 10,000 and 63 towns with at least 7,00 that have no evangelical church presence. This is absolutely staggering and we were moved to pray for God to send more workers into the harvest there.

In the afternoon, the women had a luncheon where the ladies sat at tables with different women involved in ministry and then heard from a guest speaker who is the wife of a church planter in Trim. Megan sat with a woman who heads up a prayer ministry called Lydia International. This group of women gather to pray not for personal concerns but rather for their country, their churches, and their communities. The men, on the other hand, split up into two groups and I headed with the group led by our good buddy Luke down to Dun Laoghaire Evangelical Church where Al Breen told us about the work there. After a season of prayer with him we packed up and headed back to Greystones.

After returning, Megan and I took some time before dinner to discuss what we had learned throughout the week and to talk about how God was moving us to respond to the events of the week. They had given us these response cards that we were to turn in during the evening service and I was glad to see that we were in full agreement right from the beginning. It will be a delight to continue to pray for these folks over the next year!

After dinner with our small groups, we went to the evening worship service. This was a sweet time of singing, communion, and prayer for one another. It was neat to see and hear how God had been working in the hearts of other participants throughout the week and to lift them up in prayer. Following the service, we said our goodbyes to the interns and some of the staff and we all headed down to the pub for one more time of fellowship. What a privilege it was to get to know these folks and we are so thankful that God drew us close to several people to form friendships that we already deeply cherish. It was bittersweet saying all the goodbyes, but just maybe we'll all see one another again soon!

Pictures...

Hey all...Megan and I made it back to Charlotte safe and sound today. We're still processing everything that we learned/experienced last week and we look forward to sharing that with you in the coming days. In the meantime, don't forget to check out our pictures here: http://gallery.me.com/thelaymans.

What in the heck is a Ceili?

Irish square dancing? Are you kidding? That's what we were faced with on our schedule for Friday night. In the conferene's desire to expose and engage us in Irish culture they thought sixty plus people learning a form of dancing in a room was a good idea. Well, I'm not sure it was a good idea, but it was fun to watch. And I'm sure the local "band" who came out to play got some good laughs out of it...

The ceili is a traditional Irish social dance. Think riverdance meets square dance - but it involves couple in pairs, etc. working together in a hodge podge of twists, turns, and weird unnatural foot movements. It's really easy for us to criticize because we abstained from trying. Technically I tried but I almost killed myself and would have most certainly maimed others.

Nevertheless, we had a good time watching our new friends have a good time. Maybe if we come back next year we will try it again. In the meantime we are going try hosting some at the seminary...or maybe not.

Dublin Prayer Conference - Friday

Friday morning came way too quickly and we were hurrying up to get ready for the daily worship at 9:00 (that is 4:00 AM for all east coast folks). Worship was always followed by a devotion and this morning's devotion was by far one of the best. It was given by Cindy Hylton who along with her husband heads up the MAP team here. She spoke of waiting on the Lord in times of barrenness and it was especially appropriate given the fact that her family is packing up and heading to the states after several years of service. They long to come back but Ireland's new immigration laws are making that seem impossible (more on that to come later..).

Our Irish ministry speaker for the day was Mick Breen. He is the pastor who has recently handed over his congregation to an associate so that he can go and plant a new one. This man had a remarkable testimony and his vision for church planting in his county is just as remarkable. We were definitely inspired by him and all of us delighted to minister to him with a sweet season of prayer (that is why we were here after all...).

In the afternoon, we took a long trip to the north side of Dublin and met one of the most amazing Christian women we have ever met - Emma. Emma runs Grandma's Ireland which is a ministry that focuses on caring for families who are affected by HIV. She leads a group of volunteers who offer practical help to families by loving on kids 3-4 hours a week in the children's home. She feels that her ministry literally acts as the hands and feet of Jesus by offering help in a very practical way. She has an amazing testimony of God's goodness and provision. Her ministry does no fundraising (she doesn't mind if others do it for her - she just wants time with the kids) and works entirely off of donations that God's people are moved to give. She has no guaranteed salary (although she is full time) and when asked she said she is glad she doesn't and actually can't picture having one. She loves being blessed by God's provision. This woman was one of the most genuine saints Megan and I have encountered. The joy and delight that she found in knowing God was absolutely evident and contagious.