“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his son, his one and only son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a hole and lasting life. God didnt go to all the trouble of sending his son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again”.

They responded well to it and I had an opportunity to pray with one of them there and then on the street. Two of the group took bibles and after a few minutes of further chat in which we shared a bit more about what Jesus has done for us we wished them a good night and they moved onto the next bar.

Later that night when in Garlands at Eden (a club in the west end) with the whole of the team I saw some of this same group on the dance floor. I went over and started to dance alongside them. I introduced myself to them again and they recognised me at which point they pulled out their Jesus Loves Ibiza bibles and held them aloft in the middle of the dance floor. Though they were obviously intoxicated having consumed one form of drug or another, we all danced together for a while as they held the word of God up high on the dance floor. It was great to see the word of God that is so powerful, so full of truth and life in the hands of some guys who really wanted it, loved it and need it.

Neil is part of our summer long team you can follow his journey by reading his blog here

The warmth has gone
The light lays hidden behind the unexpected mist
The melodic soulful ambiance creates the backdrop to the ever-present air of expectance
We all exercise a degree of forced patience
One solitary fisherman patrols the vast expanse and almost seems
Insignificant
In comparison to the ocean

The backdrop moves in slow motion

Eyes patrol in the same direction
And give a subtle impression
That we are all people
Of expectance

Yet for my in experience
My heart beats just a little faster
For what it is for which we wait

Waiting and watching, watching and waiting
All aware
but know one saying
Yet we all sit
And watch
the same

Some every day folk
Some Day to day folk
Some claiming celebrity status
Some just here to play folks
Yet we all sit and wait
The same

The colours blend to create
And to paint
An undisputed masterpiece
Naturally made
As if pinned of hung from 4 corners
the largest piece of priceless artwork freely on display
And it shows its self today
as every other day
Without fail

Many things brought us here today
Different circumstances will create the crowd
And different ones will create it again in a different way the following day
But for today
For this specific moment
Of this specific day and point in history
For this specific display
It is here and now.

That we wait

Whats the difference in this miss matched rag tag band of unusual characters
That have gathered from far and wide
but all looking in the same direction?
All looking the same way
As the sun sets
Its as if the maker
Is sitting back with arms folded and with a little smirk as if to say
“what more can I say”

The difference I guess

That someone took the time to explain to others
Why it is that the sun fades
And what happens to it the next day
And how to operate when the day is claimed
by the dark

And someone told them how to explain
To the next person,
In the hope that they would take the opportunity to do the same
So we all sit here again
Different
Yet in some sense
The same

And we wait
For the end of the day

This year we have a table tennis table instead of a pool table!!

The prayer room will now be called “the chapel” and will be a great place for some quiet spiritual reflection in the madness of the summer.

Pop down and see us

We think the best way to get home would be get to Barcelona then catch a train to Perpignan in France, from there you could hire a car and drop it off at Calais. You could hire a car in Barcelona but it is more expensive to take it from one country to another. This is not an expert opinion just what we have looked into for friends.

Madrid airport is also open so you could fly there and get to Santander and catch a 24 hour ferry!!!!

I’m so thankful for all the people who give each month, not only to us all individually but also to the work too. We talked about how, after seeing God come through time and time again on numerous occasions, your ‘faith muscle’ grows. The next time that something big comes up and you think, ‘how will I ever pay for that?’, you remember how God has always been so faithful in the past and your faith is that much stronger in God’s faithfulness.

We are here, doing this work, because God is so faithful, yesterday, today and forever. We just want to take this opportunity to say a massive ‘Thanks’ to anyone who has ever given or supported us and the work here.

I also want to throw this out….are you planning on coming on a team to Ibiza this summer, or thinking of moving here for longer? Are you worried about finances or some other obstacle? If so, we just want to encourage you to trust God; he’ll provide all your needs, according to his glorious riches in Christ.

Proverbs 30

⁷ “Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:

⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD ?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

I’ve been thinking lately that prayer and faith can be a lot like saving pennies. Partly because it generally takes perseverance before we see miracles, but mainly because faith seems to accumulate the more we celebrate the small things God has done. Stories of answered prayer can increase our expectation, and the more we expect miracles the more we will experience the reality of the supernatural realm. It’s a righteous cycle of faith that flourishes in a culture of affirmation and gratitude.

Last weekend my boys triumphantly discovered that they had saved enough money to buy their hearts’ desire: a Nintendo Wii. Perseverance in the day of small things had come to a glorious – and previously impossible – conclusion.

Sometimes, of course, miracles take a little less perseverance. After sentencing David Joseph to prison sentences in a number of States, the US government discovered that he was in fact a British Citizen. They wasted no time in kicking this persona non grata out of the country, sending him back to England where he arrived at Heathrow airport jobless and penniless. David came to a prayer meeting I was leading at Holy Trinity Brompton church in London on a Tuesday morning last September, and asked the Lord to provide him with work, specifically in the construction industry. Many people think that it’s pointless to pray about such very practical things – especially in a recession, with a man who has a criminal record. But we prayed because we believe that God has a purpose for David’s life, that God never gives up on anyone, and that he promises to provide for all our needs.

Within ten minutes of that prayer meeting, as David Joseph walked to the nearby underground train station, he was offered a job, in construction, by a complete stranger. He’d received a miracle and five months later he’s still working there and still worshipping God.

Over Christmas many prayers went up for the musician, Charles Costa, who was in a critical situation in an Austrian hospital after a very serious skiing accident that could easily have left him brain damaged. Two months later neurologists are simply amazed by the extent of Charles’ recovery. ‘We believe it was prayer that made the difference’ concludes his father, ‘and we’re just so grateful for such support’.

Last Saturday night hundreds of people crammed into a church in Edinburgh Scotland to cry out for the nation and to commission the year of 24-7 Prayer which is taking place across Scotland right now. The Tuesday before that 800 people packed Holy Trinity Brompton on a day of prayer and fasting. It was the sort of prayer meeting we associate with other countries or other times in history; not with the part of London where they filmed Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill! One man wrote in to say: ‘I had tears running down my face and a sense of the power of God inside me.’ In that electric atmosphere God spoke about his Church being a lion that must roar once again in the land and about impacting Europe.

Such ‘big’ words can seem daunting as we go about our normal lives. But as we continue to celebrate small encouragements – dropping pennies into that heavenly piggy bank – we might imagine the clouds parting from time to time and a voice that sounds a bit like Stephen Hawking reminding us: ‘You have almost reached your target’.

I find that I am drawn to clarity, I don’t like ambiguity, which is sometimes difficult to deal with as I am aware that at times our world can be ambiguous.

I am not overly appreciative of words like “Dialogue” or “Process” I understand the need of these words and often find myself in dialogue and working through a process, but if these wander without any focus I lose interest.

I like these words – vision and focus. I once heard someone say “Vision is the ability to imagine an alternative reality” it’s focus that helps us realise vision.

Over the years I have met plenty of people with vision; the difference between the ones who are realising their vision and the ones who aren’t is focus. Focus enables us to see clearly. Focus also helps us to see if our vision is unrealistic. I am constantly asking myself these sorts of focus questions “is my vision unrealistic?” or “Do I have the faith to believe for what is apparently an unrealistic vision?” even “Is this vision from God or is it just my own ego playing games with me?”

When we get clear focus around the origins and realities of vision we then need to shift our focus to these kind of questions:

“What do I need to achieve my vision?” resources, including people, are essential, although we must never sacrifice people for vision. “How long will it take?” we often give up if it doesn’t happen quickly enough, partly a result of living in an instant culture! “What sacrifices will I have to make? ” this is an important question that requires focus and realism! “Am I willing to pay the price? ” once again an important question.

All said and done, most visions go wrong at their inception. If vision is not correctly birthed, in a faith filled, realistic, focussed manner, I believe it will fail.

I’ve come to realise too just how kind Bob and Clare and the Anglican Church are to many people on the Island and just what an impact they’ve made on the people living here. It reminds me just what a difference being kind has on people’s lives. And it’s not about just giving money either. That’s sometimes easier…like giving to a poor guy on the street or donating to a larger global issue – that doesn’t take much effort. But it’s being generous with your time, with your gifts, with your own skills too. That’s what makes a difference.

Bruce