The Emerald Isle

I was playing golf one afternoon this summer in Phoenix with Richard and Dan when a monsoon storm approached from the north. Thunder rumbled, lightning bolts shot from dark clouds and strong winds bent the trees. We looked at each other wondering if we should go in for shelter.

“I’m preparing for Ireland,” I told my friends. “I don’t get many chances to play in the wind and rain.” I have been saying that for years, not knowing if I’d ever actually go there.

“I’m good.” Richard reassured us.

Dan played pro football for the Kansas City Chiefs. Richard is my friend and an attorney who loves the Lord. “Do you know what the newspaper headline will say if lightning kills the three of us?” Dan asked. “Two Tears and a Cheer.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I wondered.

“A tear for the pro football player. A tear for the pastor. And a cheer for the attorney!”

That was funnier to me and Dan than to Richard.

A month later, David Stockton invited me and my granddaughter Ava to join his family for a week of ministry in Ireland. David moved to Tipperary, Ireland in August with his wife Brittany and their three daughters for ten months of missions and ministry.

The Stocktons are working with pastor Shaun Alexander at Tipperary Christian Fellowship. Shaun’s wife died from cancer two years ago. David has also been helping a pastor and church near Dublin. The pastor recently resigned after experiencing an emotional breakdown. David wanted me to bring counsel and encouragement to these men and speak to their churches. Ava was invited to bring some joy to the Stockton girls who are adjusting to cold weather and a challenging culture.

Ava flew over and back on her own because of her fall break from school. She brings love and encouragement wherever she goes. I followed three days later, after returning from ministry in Reno. I flew first to Chicago and then took an overnight flight to Dublin. Jet lag, time zone changes, and bringing multiple sermons to a foreign country can stretch my grip on sanity. I get anxious about sleep deprivation on ministry trips, but not so anxious that I will pay double for business class. When we took off, no one was sitting in the two seats next to me, so I felt loved by God as I curled up to get a couple of hours sleep.

At the Tipperary church midweek meeting, three ladies from the church joined the Stocktons, Ava, Shaun, and me. After my teaching and before our prayer time, we discussed how God uses trauma to mold and shape us. Their honesty and vulnerability touched my heart.

I also realized how David and Brittany are laying down their lives to bring people in this small town into God’s kingdom. I thought about my visit with them seven years ago in Belize. David and Brittany have a pattern of working for six years and then taking a sabbatical year to do ministry in another culture. This is their third such missions adventure.

Fourteen years ago, they settled into Gales Point, a small village in Belize and raised up disciples, including a gifted pastor named Kenny. Seven years later, they returned to Dangriga, Belize and connected with young men and women who now serve the Lord faithfully. David and Brittany understand that the fruit we bear in Christ is in proportion to our faith and God’s power, and not dependent on the prominence of the people or place where we serve.

During my visit, we drove on narrow country roads from east to west across southern Ireland. We passed old castles on hillsides and stone churches in villages. Sheep and cows grazed on grassy fields bordered by ancient stone hedges. We passed hundreds of old country farms, but I didn’t see a single broken down truck, car, or tractor rusting in a farm yard.

We returned for a men’s barbeque on a cold night in Tipperary. Before I gave a message, we sang classic rock and worship songs that connected our hearts to the Lord and to each other. I gave each of them one my books. I hope reading how the Lord saved me, will encourage them on their journey with Jesus.

We drove to Naas on the outskirts of Dublin, to meet with the leaders of Hope Church. They are reorganizing their leadership since their pastor stepped down. I talked with them about showing up for each other in times of crisis so their hearts knit together in love. As the Lord unites us, we become a spiritual temple that God inhabits with grace and glory.

On Sunday, I preached to their congregation. Hope Church has members from Romania, South Africa, Lesotho, Nigeria, Australia, Germany, and Ireland. I was amazed by how the Lord had brought them from around the world to form this congregation. They have the culture of God’s kingdom, which incorporates all nations, encompasses every language and values each person.

David and I also walked nine holes of golf on a lush green course in Tipperary. It was a sunny afternoon with no breeze. I don’t regret preparing for the rain, but it reminded me that the trials of life are rarely what we prepare for.

I flew home from Dublin to Phoenix through Dallas. The flight attendant announced that our flight was full so we needed to stow our carry-on bags carefully. As we lifted off through the wind and rain, I marveled at God’s grace. The plane was packed; but again, the two seats next to me were empty. As laid down on the flight home, I thought about the love Ava brings with her, the faith that fills the Stocktons, and the goodness of our Father in Heaven.

The Lord knows how to bless us in ways that reveal his goodness and grace. Obviously, there are times when big things we pray for do not come to pass the way we hope. However, unexpected little gifts of grace can help us to trust God when we don’t understand why things happen the way they do. Life is not luck or accidental, our Father has a purpose in everything.

May you have grace to see God work, enjoy his provision, and continually trust his love for you.