Thoughts from the road, from a chaotic church community, from the arts and from the gutter
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Holland, Michigan & Bono's Shades
It's been a well travelled past week and a half. A weekend road trip to Holland and back to visit the Dutch God's Squad Associates and their endeavors in making great connections within the biking community there. It was great to catch up with all of them and their families plus guys from Finland and Germany too.
Sleep deprivation meant I was a bit fuzzy headed for the Zac's gatherings on returning - cold floors in a salvation army hostel, but in good Zac's tradition light glimmered in the darkness! Then before I knew it, after precious family time, I was on the dreaded National Express airport bus at midnight after coffee bar at Zac's. Four and a half hours of the M4 and arriving at Heathrow airport feeling like I was jet lagged before embarking a flight for Detroit via Washington DC.
The weekend visit to USA was to see the official launch of the chapter of God's Squad there - it's been a long road for the guys there - five years, so it was a real sense of celebration. The usual round of club visits and sharing stories in bars and over meals finished with an unexpected opportunity to preach at a small Wesleyan Church that our guys in Michigan attend. (I had all of five minutes warning! I guess the upside was it gave no time for anyone to escape!
Fortunately I enjoy travel - I thrive on it in fact, places and people on the road continuing to be opportunities of learning . It's also the best and one of the few places I get chance to read and ponder. This return leg of the over night flight I was reading 'Bono on Bono' to while away the time and particularly liked this quote from him;
"It's impossible to meet God with sunglasses on ...... Without abandon, without exposing yourself, being raw".
Very 'poverty of spirit' that - nothing left to hide - here I am God, warts and all. Maybe it's when Bono prays he confidently removes his shades.
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Here's a few snaps of friends who showed me great hospitality in Michigan;
Tony and Janice
Brian (r) and his brother Cliff
Tom on the right who heads up the club in USA and Prophet on the left - very jealous of that stetson!
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1 comment:
Great stuff - good to read your adventures and how God is using you. Perhaps one day, you will get your own Stetson. :)
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