HOPE Blog Now Closed

For some time, we've been keeping informed those interested in what's been happening with us about our experiences in Ireland on our blog HOPE.

Now that we are on our way to Somewhere Else, I am closing the HOPE blog.

I want to thank all of you who have checked in with us from time to time at HOPE. We have appreciated your interest.

Our journey continues here.

The Resurrection

It was just over a year ago that Hollywood director James Cameron announced to us all that he had discovered the tomb of Jesus. The tomb also apparently contained the graves of two Mary's, a Matthew, a Jofa, and -- most surprisingly -- a son of Jesua (Jesus) named Jonah. Cameron was, I'm sure, convinced he was doing us all a favor by setting the record straight: not only did Jesus marry and have a son, but he is still dead. After all, Cameron has the tomb to prove it.

I guess that's it then. Time to call it quits.

I'm not surprised by his claim; it's nothing new. After all, Jesus is a fair target for all of those who are looking for reasons to dismiss him and his claims. If you want to destroy the Christian faith, prove that Jesus is still in the grave. Paul said in his letter to the Corinthian believers that "if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is worth nothing, and your faith is worth nothing" (1 CO 15:14).

Anyone offering absolute proof that Jesus is still in a grave somewhere would have the silver bullet that would kill the Christian faith. And, like Paul, if that were proved, I would agree that our faith is worth nothing.

No resurrection. No faith.

If Jesus is still dead, we have to dismiss what he came to teach us -- that God is for us, loves us, and offers us His grace; that God is interested in the wholeness and healing of humanity; that God is merciful just as Jesus is merciful. We have to reject Jesus' ideas of justice, care for the poor, forgiveness, equality, salvation, and peace.

No resurrection. No truth.

If Jesus is still dead, I can ignore his example, live without loving another, act without regard for another's good, pursue my own agenda, forgive no one, aspire for power, and fear death. I could brush off his claims that following him and doing as he did is a way that leads to life.

No resurrection. No life.

I can understand why so many would want to kill Christianity. After all, there have been many who claimed to follow Christ through the centuries who have only brought judgment, condemnation, and death to their fellow man. But kill Christ? When I read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), I read about the Jesus who brought people life and then asked us to join him in his life, to live as he did. I see nothing in Jesus that I would reject.

But the powerful have always hated Jesus and have been offended by his message. They opposed him when he walked the earth, because his teachings didn't serve them or their agendas. If anyone had an excuse to kill Jesus, it was the religious and political leaders of his day. And if anyone had a reason to produce a body and refute the claims of the early believers that Jesus was alive, they did. If they would have produced a body, the movement would have died with Jesus. But they didn't.

I believe it's because they didn't have one to produce.

I still believe in the resurrection. I believe in the life Jesus brings -- because I know the life he brought me. I believe in the way Jesus invites us to live -- to love and serve as he loved and served. I believe in the truth that Jesus reveals to us about God -- that the Father is for us, loves us, and receives us as His own. While many try to prove that he is still dead, I see proof all around me that he is still quite very alive.

Wayfaring

Wayfaring [wey-fair-ing]: traveling, esp. on foot (adjective, noun)

My choice for the title of this new blog was a deliberate one. I have, for most of my life, enjoyed traveling -- and all the experiences that come along with the journey. I seem to never tire of the road, the trail, or the venture.

The same is true for my life.

I enjoy the journey of life and all the experiences that come with it. Some of our journeys have been well planned, but they certainly have not all been that way. Take our recent move back to the United States for example. It is a move we did not want to make, but we find ourselves here nonetheless.

We are delighted that our journey in life took us to Ireland, and while we may not yet be delighted that our travels have brought us back to the States, we are certain that the experiences that lie ahead of us will be just as significant and come to mean as much to us.

I am encouraged by these few lines from a prayer attributed to Patrick of Ireland:

I rise today with the power of God to guide me,

with the strength of God to raise me,

with the wisdom of God to lead me,

with the vision of God to see for me,

with the ears of God to hear for me,

with the words of God to speak for me,

with the hand of God to protect me,

with the path of God before me,

with the shield of God to guard me,

with the friendship of God to keep me...

Although our journey is a bit of a venture (see definition below), we trust in God. That's no boast...it's a raw and simple trust in the Father's direction and provision in the midst of my weakness (anxiousness, fear, worry, insecurity, doubt, et al...).

I leave for the West tomorrow. I'm going on a bit of a reconnaissance mission to see if that's where we'll be heading next. We haven't made up our minds about anything yet, but we'll let you know when we do.

Venture [ven-cher]: an undertaking involving uncertainty as to the outcome, esp. a risky or dangerous one (noun, verb).

Happy St. Patrick's Day

We will not be spending St. Patrick's Day in our beloved Ireland this year, but we still want to celebrate the life and faith of the man who lived his life loving and serving the Irish people.

The following is a prayer that was written in Old Irish. Although it was probably not written by Patrick, it certainly captures the spirit of the man and his faith in the Triune God.

From us to you, we wish you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Breastplate of St. Patrick

I rise today with a mighty power, calling on the Trinity,

with a belief in the threeness,

with a faith in the oneness of the creator of creation.

I rise today with the power of Christ's birth and baptism,

with the power of his crucifixion and burial,

with the power of his resurrection and ascension,

with the power of his return for the final judgment.

I rise today with the strength of the sky,

with the light of the sun,

with the splendor of the moon,

with the brilliance of fire,

with the blaze of lightening,

with the swiftness of wind,

with the depth of ocean,

with the firmness of earth,

with the strength of rock.

I rise today with the power of God to guide me,

with the strength of God to raise me,

with the wisdom of God to lead me,

with the vision of God to see for me,

with the ears of God to hear for me,

with the words of God to speak for me,

with the hand of God to protect me,

with the path of God before me,

with the shield of God to guard me,

with the friendship of God to keep me safe from

the contriving of demons,

the temptations of sin,

the inclinations of my nature,

and everyone who wishes me harm,

far and near,

alone and in the crowd.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ below me, Christ above me,

Christ to the right of me, Christ to the left of me,

Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I stand,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye which sees me,

Christ in every ear which hears me.

I rise today with a mighty power,

calling on the Trinity,

with a belief in the threeness,

with a faith in the oneness

of the creator of creation.

New Address

We have moved to Maryland, USA. If you would like to have our new mailing address, please contact us at mark2ireland@yahoo.com.

The Place We Find Ourselves

It's been a month since we returned from Ireland to the States, and since then, we have been busily preparing for our transition back into life in America. We find ourselves living in St. James, Maryland, hosted by our gracious friends Dr. Brian and Amanda Moore. Brian pastors the St. James Brethren Church, one of our principle supporting churches. We have been warmly welcomed by the Moore's and folks in their church. Their offer of accommodation has been a gift from God, and so we are happy to make our transition back to US life from here.
Our last month or so in Ireland was, as you can imagine, very difficult for us. Since we had to move for financial reasons and didn't want to go, we left with a real sense of loss and grief. It is, for both of us, the first time we ever made a move not wanting to do so. Having said that, our times with our Irish friends and neighbors was special those last few weeks (as it always was). We enjoyed our time with them tremendously, and we thank God for the friendships that have been built these last several years.
We are grateful for all that the Father has done in our midst during our few years in Ireland. It has been an absolute pleasure to live amongst the Irish people and witness first-hand the movement of grace of God in people's lives. As we reflect on our time there, we are deeply encouraged by the number of people who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, the many young people who are walking the road of discipleship, the dozens who have been baptized into Christ's Body, and the uncounted numbers of those who have found liberty, wholeness, and healing. What happens from this point continues to be the responsibility of the Holy Spirit -- as it has always been -- and it is Jesus who remains the Hope of Ireland.
We appreciate your on-going prayer as we deal with both the sense of loss we feel in having to leave the place and people we love as well as cope with the anxiety we feel concerning the unknown that lies ahead of us. We remain unemployed, but we are hopeful. We don't know where we are going from here, but we carry a raw, real trust in our Father's provision and direction.

Wayfarer (Formerly HOPE)

WAYFARER is a continuation of our former blog HOPE which chronicled our journey of life and faith in the west of Ireland. Since returning to the states this winter, we've had a lot of requests from people that we continue blogging some of our thoughts and experiences in this journey of life and faith. To be honest, I'm happy to keep at it.

For the moment, we find ourselves in a quiet little county in western Maryland not too far from Harper's Ferry, Antietam, and the Potomac River. This is a nice little rest area on the way to Wherever to do whatever it is that is next for us. Along the journey, we'll continue to share our thoughts about life and faith and the people we love.