ha ha!! i called it a 'photo essay'!
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
End of semester number one
It's over. My first semester is done.
It's been eye-opening, it's been joy and life giving and it's been tough.
I probably don't need to explain the first couple, but I'll try to explain the tough.
When you are realising that a lot of what you learnt has been the result of some major presuppositions (not necessarily bad) and you want to learn how you came to those conclusions and if you are still going to hold them, then a certain amount of 'undoing' occurs. You sometimes realise that what you thought you knew, is actually something not really possible to know. Small is a good word, you feel small. Tiny. Vulnerable.
We are leaving Vancouver tomorrow morning. I'll miss the place, especially as we leave it looking particularly wintry, but am really excited about seeing family, friends and the dug. That's my dog, not my dad. He would be "Big Dug".
Friday, 5 December 2008
New blog post
It seems I gave up on this updating.
In some ways there is little to say.
In some ways there is a lot to say.
So I'll say this...
Today I had Cinnamon and Spice Hot Oats for Breakfast. I am addicted to Canada Dry. I don't like smelling like coffee-shop.
There.
We are back in the UK for a fortnight from the 20th December to 4th January, time split pretty much 50/50 Glasgow and Aberdeen. In that order.
Friday, 24 October 2008
Baptism, Communion, Bible
Wow... has it seriously been that long since I was last here? Well, no, it's not. You were all denied the privilege if a highly informative post at the beginning of reading week (roughly 9th October) giving a run-down of all the vital stats, pages of books read, volume of notes written etc. With hindsight I am glad it did not work...
Currently I am in the throws of hurling myself from one mid-term to the next with attempts at research for a couple of papers due. One is a comparison of leadership structures in the Celtic church and Roman church in the 7th century, and the other is on soteriology in the early medieval church, zooming in on the role baptism played in that. Interesting...
I feel that the way in which I interact with fellow Christians has been challenged and changed when discussing issues that have tension. My stance usually was attack/defensive. But not so now, in large part because I took that up once early on in the term and feel incredibly embarrassed looking back on it. The other part is that there is a real richness in listening graciously and attempting to interact with other ideas. For example, Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper or whatever you will call it. I am unsure where I sit on this right now...but have met several people who firmly believe in the physical presence of Christ in the elements. I would have got up on my haunches previously, but this time I heard what they were saying and was really challenged as to how I view Communion. It may sounds very simple, in my description of the interaction, but to me it was very profound and one day I may even disclose further where I am with this!
One last thought. If you have never just picked up the Old Testament and read it as a narrative (using a good book to help you out with the context, "How to Read the Bible For All its Worth" by Fee & Stuart) you should DEFINITELY think about forcing yourself to do it, as big a chunk as you can manage at a time. Don't worry about the detail, don't worry about trying to find something in every verse that 'speaks' to you. Read the story and get to grips with the flow of it, God's choosing and loving and redeeming. I trust that if you do this God will speak in fresh ways. Don't hear this from a bible-college guy (I don't want to be that guy), but Iain who struggles to pick up the Bible and is more skeptical than he ever lets on.
Thursday, 25 September 2008
12 credits is a full academic load
...and I'm not an academic! Ever wondered what the outside of the Tabernacle was made of, all those descriptions in Exodus and Leviticus? Well it is one of these... A sea-cow or dugong. The things you learn when you take it to the next level.
I'm just back from a lecture and subsequent debate on "The Cappadocian's and Trinitarian Theology." The stuff is good, but it requires a serious effort and expenditure of energy on my part to stay focused and follow the lecture and questions.
My appetite to learn more has been whet by hints being dropped here and there at Regent on some of the Professors' understanding of what the Bible teaches about the relationship between creation, heaven and the Christian life. I'll not say anything other than it's stuff that seems to make a lot of sense and I feel a worshipful pleasure at being made in God's Image!
Last weekend was the Regent retreat. So unique, how often would your entire uni get up and go away together for the weekend!? This weekend I am tackling an academic writing course, oh my...
Currently reading for pleasure/not study:
The Shack - William P. Young
We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families - Philip Gourevitch
Listening to:
Earth - Thrice
The Atonement - Shai Linne
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Week one down
So week one has been and gone, it went by in a flash!
The whole week has been pretty intense, starting classes, trying to find a routine, steep learning curves, still getting to know people, still sorting out aspects of life in Vancouver and coming to terms with the vast volume of reading required. It's intense, but I still remind myself of the amazing opportunity I have to come here, to learn and to grow.
Challenge of the week: Jargon. Not having a decent background in theology has left me feeling like I'm standing still on a motorway. Or as one wise 2nd year said to me, it's like standing under a waterfall, trying to drink it all in with a teaspoon. So much to grasp in such a short space of time. Not to mention the crash course in film studies last Wednesday night, which I really loved! We get to watch a movie every Wednesday night for a course called Christian Thought and Culture, and pull the theology from it. Exegesis. Jargon.
Joy of the week: New friends. Suzanne and I have had a really great couple of evenings with new friends. It's been so much fun getting to know people, to hear their stories and to read all the different personalities. We are throwing off the shyness. Learning names. New friends.
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Orientation
We are currently going through orientation, we are only half way through and I don't know how much more information I can digest! But it's been a great chance for both of us to mutually meet people, and for Suz to get a feel for what my life is going to consist of.
Today has served to cement what I already knew but had not given a lot of consideration to. I have no idea where God is taking us post-Regent. Nothing. I thought I used to know lots, but I now know nothing. That's not to say that I am no longer interested in anything, I absolutely am. But I think this a good place to be in, God's place to be in. So that he can shape and mold and work on me, not so that I am a product at the end of it all, but in fact someone who knows what it is to have God continually shaping and molding a life into the likeness of his Son's.
I am thankful to God for the timing of this all. I observed something about myself today. I felt really shy. I haven't spoken out once, but for moments when required to. I used to want to be the centre of attention, to be the funny guy, to be known by people. But that isn't me now. It's just the strangest thing! But again, I am thankful for God's timing, waiting for me to be in the place he currently has me, before putting me in the place he currently has me. Amazing.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Settlers
We've been in Vancouver for a bit over a week now, in fact this is the 10th full day since arriving. And all the drama, the stress, the difficulties, the emotional numbness... all of it seems a distant memory. Vancouver is a great city, there's so much to do, so much to see. We will probably only scratch the surface of it during our time here.Our time here so far has consisted of a fine blend of exploration, admin, meeting new people and sorting out our new home. I have registered for my courses (New Testament Greek, Old Testament Foundations, History of Christianity and finally Christian Thought and Culture) at Regent College. It will be a fairly full semester, but I am well prepared in the respect that I had the opportunity to take some of these subjects during my time at Gerrard Street, thank you to all who encouraged me to take Greek and to those who told me to stick at it when I was going to quit! Suzanne is booked in for a medical so that she can change her work permit to allow her to work in health care.
On the house front, we are moved in and thoroughly enjoying our pleasant, if sparse, pad. We have only purchased one piece of furniture, a queen size mattress. Which we somehow managed to fit in to Jonny's Mazda 3.
And speaking of Jonny, what a guy... We would have been totally lost in all of this without him. From the admin to the exploration to the house settling he has walked us through it all. We are so incredibly thankful for him. Cheers Jonny!
Finally, the exploration:
Monday, 18 August 2008
Friday, 15 August 2008
The story so far. Part2
So. We had skipped down to the postbox and sent the application to Regent. A lovely dinner and trip to the cinema followed to celebrate.
Later on, once back in our flat, we looked out of the window after hearing a lorry outside to see that it was not a lorry, but in fact a fire engine... And a fireman from the fire engine was using a hose large enough to put out a factory fire to damp down what appeared to be a pretty serious postbox fire (it was as serious as these things could be). We have never descended 2 flights so fast... The fireman helpfully gave us a phone number we could call and comforted us saying, "Yeah, it was really burning when we got here, I doubt anything wasn't damaged." Great.
We were dejected, I was angry. Who sets a postbox on fire? What are the chances that the postbox right outside our flat that has never been on fire in the 2 something years that Suzanne has lived there would go on fire the very evening we post one of the most important things we would ever post? Tirade of questions. We were consoled by both sets of parents and set about getting everything in order again, cutting our losses.
The next morning Suzanne had a text from my father-in-law, Ray, saying to remember the fiery furnace in Daniel, that the men came out without a single hair singed, or even the smell of smoke on them. So we held on to that.
We continued to get together the new application and informed referees and Regent's admissions department that they could expect some heavily burnt mail at best, or something fresh a bit later than intended at worst. The distinguishing feature between the old application and new was the presence of the application processing fee. We decided to hold out hope that it would arrive. I guess in some ways this is speculation, but I'm telling you the story as it happened in our lives, we couldn't follow the mail... All we know is that all the original mail arrived intact, this is having it been confirmed by Royal Mail that just about everything was destroyed in the fire and if not, very badly damaged. And yes, our mail was definitely in the postbox...
In a very short space of time I heard back from Regent, a yes! We believe that God has been confirming his call on our lives and this particular move through many things, many of them small. I'm just trying to share the big picture... I hope so far through this story that you have been amazed by God, by his love and goodness. Trust me, there is no reason why God should show me love and goodness, but he does and that is amazing. God is gracious.
Suzanne had her final placement for uni up in Inverness. We were going to be apart during the week as she would be staying in the nurse's accommodation there. This wasn't ideal, especially as placements can be a stressful time. But the placement turned out to be amazing, the girl really loved it! And this, Suzanne's placement supervisor was a lovely Christian lady, from Canada, recently returned from a year working as a physiotherapist in... VANCOUVER!! The whole placement really was a blessing, and has totally boosted Suzanne's confidence as far as her ability to practice as a physio in Canada goes. And she got a 1st for the placement, bonus.
So this pretty much brings us to where we've been the last few days, at the mercy of the Canadian High Commission. We missed one flight, which we've had to call a financial write-off, and have had to spend days that were supposed to be spent getting settled in to life in Vancouver pacing the streets of Milngavie. It's been frustrating. But in the midst of it all we have never lost that sense of God's peace or that this move is indeed a 'God-thing'. As we walked last night, we reflected on how time and time again during the whole process we have known God's favour. We have known that God is big and able to take care of the most ridiculous things. And maybe, just maybe, God knew that we were not going to get our visas in time. And maybe God knew that we are fragile souls who forget good things easily, but remember the bad, so maybe, just maybe he gave us an unforgettable path to walk, so that in the face of this trial, where the answer to our prayers was not necessarily what we wanted, we would know that we are in our Father's will, and we would know that he is more than able to get us to Vancouver. Praise God. God is love.
Later on, once back in our flat, we looked out of the window after hearing a lorry outside to see that it was not a lorry, but in fact a fire engine... And a fireman from the fire engine was using a hose large enough to put out a factory fire to damp down what appeared to be a pretty serious postbox fire (it was as serious as these things could be). We have never descended 2 flights so fast... The fireman helpfully gave us a phone number we could call and comforted us saying, "Yeah, it was really burning when we got here, I doubt anything wasn't damaged." Great.
We were dejected, I was angry. Who sets a postbox on fire? What are the chances that the postbox right outside our flat that has never been on fire in the 2 something years that Suzanne has lived there would go on fire the very evening we post one of the most important things we would ever post? Tirade of questions. We were consoled by both sets of parents and set about getting everything in order again, cutting our losses.
The next morning Suzanne had a text from my father-in-law, Ray, saying to remember the fiery furnace in Daniel, that the men came out without a single hair singed, or even the smell of smoke on them. So we held on to that.
We continued to get together the new application and informed referees and Regent's admissions department that they could expect some heavily burnt mail at best, or something fresh a bit later than intended at worst. The distinguishing feature between the old application and new was the presence of the application processing fee. We decided to hold out hope that it would arrive. I guess in some ways this is speculation, but I'm telling you the story as it happened in our lives, we couldn't follow the mail... All we know is that all the original mail arrived intact, this is having it been confirmed by Royal Mail that just about everything was destroyed in the fire and if not, very badly damaged. And yes, our mail was definitely in the postbox...
In a very short space of time I heard back from Regent, a yes! We believe that God has been confirming his call on our lives and this particular move through many things, many of them small. I'm just trying to share the big picture... I hope so far through this story that you have been amazed by God, by his love and goodness. Trust me, there is no reason why God should show me love and goodness, but he does and that is amazing. God is gracious.
Suzanne had her final placement for uni up in Inverness. We were going to be apart during the week as she would be staying in the nurse's accommodation there. This wasn't ideal, especially as placements can be a stressful time. But the placement turned out to be amazing, the girl really loved it! And this, Suzanne's placement supervisor was a lovely Christian lady, from Canada, recently returned from a year working as a physiotherapist in... VANCOUVER!! The whole placement really was a blessing, and has totally boosted Suzanne's confidence as far as her ability to practice as a physio in Canada goes. And she got a 1st for the placement, bonus.
So this pretty much brings us to where we've been the last few days, at the mercy of the Canadian High Commission. We missed one flight, which we've had to call a financial write-off, and have had to spend days that were supposed to be spent getting settled in to life in Vancouver pacing the streets of Milngavie. It's been frustrating. But in the midst of it all we have never lost that sense of God's peace or that this move is indeed a 'God-thing'. As we walked last night, we reflected on how time and time again during the whole process we have known God's favour. We have known that God is big and able to take care of the most ridiculous things. And maybe, just maybe, God knew that we were not going to get our visas in time. And maybe God knew that we are fragile souls who forget good things easily, but remember the bad, so maybe, just maybe he gave us an unforgettable path to walk, so that in the face of this trial, where the answer to our prayers was not necessarily what we wanted, we would know that we are in our Father's will, and we would know that he is more than able to get us to Vancouver. Praise God. God is love.
The story so far. Part1
Last night Suzanne and I went for a walk, to blow off some steam, to get out of the house, to talk through some things, feelings etc... You know how it goes when you're waiting for visas to arrive.
A really important part of this whole venture has been the sense of rightness and it being a 'God-thing' from the word go, in-spite of any circumstance we've come across. I guess I'll have to tell the whole story now.
It begins way back in April last year when I applied to do a MTh in Practical Theology and Christian Ethics at Aberdeen Uni. The door was slammed shut in my face and once again when I appealed the decision. We had considered making a foreign move right about the time I applied to Aberdeen Uni, there were no physio jobs going anywhere and our adventurous spirits refuse to take the A-roads to anywhere. So we began to think about seminary in North America. We have several friends who have been to several different seminary's and began to compile a short list.
I won't bore you with the list, but we began to chop it down and as we did so I began to get cold feet. Two conversations were then had which were incredibly influential. The first was with Kyle, who told me to not worry about Scotland or the church needing me (as this was a concern of mine), in fact he said 'They will be fine without you.' Thanks Kyle, I seriously appreciated the timely downsizing! The second was with Jonny, a current Regent student, who I had many questions for. Regent had been on the short list, but got chopped. Following a conversation with Jonny, in which he totally answered every single question I had without having to ever ask, Regent got bumped to the very top. All this 2 days before the application deadline.
Seminary applications are a killer. We spent a long time getting everything together. And we duly skipped down to the post box one Saturday afternoon holding hands to post the Regent application.
You know what... That's enough for now. I'll leave the story like this and share one piece of news.
Tomorrow we will be boarding the plane for Vancouver. We definitely still feel the peace of God in this. I can almost tangibly taste how sweet God's answer to prayer is. You might wonder why, but keep following the story and I hope you will see that God is awesome, that he is totally in control, even when it seems that everything has run through your fingers like sand.
A really important part of this whole venture has been the sense of rightness and it being a 'God-thing' from the word go, in-spite of any circumstance we've come across. I guess I'll have to tell the whole story now.
It begins way back in April last year when I applied to do a MTh in Practical Theology and Christian Ethics at Aberdeen Uni. The door was slammed shut in my face and once again when I appealed the decision. We had considered making a foreign move right about the time I applied to Aberdeen Uni, there were no physio jobs going anywhere and our adventurous spirits refuse to take the A-roads to anywhere. So we began to think about seminary in North America. We have several friends who have been to several different seminary's and began to compile a short list.
I won't bore you with the list, but we began to chop it down and as we did so I began to get cold feet. Two conversations were then had which were incredibly influential. The first was with Kyle, who told me to not worry about Scotland or the church needing me (as this was a concern of mine), in fact he said 'They will be fine without you.' Thanks Kyle, I seriously appreciated the timely downsizing! The second was with Jonny, a current Regent student, who I had many questions for. Regent had been on the short list, but got chopped. Following a conversation with Jonny, in which he totally answered every single question I had without having to ever ask, Regent got bumped to the very top. All this 2 days before the application deadline.
Seminary applications are a killer. We spent a long time getting everything together. And we duly skipped down to the post box one Saturday afternoon holding hands to post the Regent application.
You know what... That's enough for now. I'll leave the story like this and share one piece of news.
Tomorrow we will be boarding the plane for Vancouver. We definitely still feel the peace of God in this. I can almost tangibly taste how sweet God's answer to prayer is. You might wonder why, but keep following the story and I hope you will see that God is awesome, that he is totally in control, even when it seems that everything has run through your fingers like sand.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Not yet
Nope, no visas. We are now in Glasgow and will be until we leave, whenever that may be.
Yes, it is frustrating, but in it all we know that God is perfect and good. Have had the hymn "Be still and know that I am God" rolling around my head all morning...
Yes, it is frustrating, but in it all we know that God is perfect and good. Have had the hymn "Be still and know that I am God" rolling around my head all morning...
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Permission
We don't know whether to rejoice or to cry.... I once wore a Superman suit to a fancy dress party. It was for an eight year old and I was 18. That was tight, but this feels even tighter.
I finally spoke to the people who will grant us our study and work permits today, good news. We'll be getting them. However, it will take one week. We are scheduled to leave a week yesterday, six days. Like I said, tight.
We feel like we are living in a place of unanswered prayer right now and I found this comforting in amongst the frustration...
I finally spoke to the people who will grant us our study and work permits today, good news. We'll be getting them. However, it will take one week. We are scheduled to leave a week yesterday, six days. Like I said, tight.
We feel like we are living in a place of unanswered prayer right now and I found this comforting in amongst the frustration...
Thomas Watson, a Puritan pastor from 350 years ago, asked in his book, Body of Divinity, "Why does God delay an answer to prayer?" In other words, why would God ever keep us asking and seeking and knocking when he could respond sooner? He gives four answers:
1. Because he loves to hear the voice of prayer. "You let the musician play a great while before you throw him down money, because you love to hear this music."
2. That he may humble us. We may too easily assume we merit some ready answer, or that he is at our beck and call like a butler, not as sovereign Lord and loving Father.
3. Because he sees we are not yet fit or ready for the mercy we seek. It may be he has things to put in place—in us or in our church or in the world. There are a million pieces to the puzzle. Some things go first to make a place for the others.
4. Finally, that the mercy we pray for may be the more prized, and may be sweeter when it comes.
Taken from buzzardblog.com, thanks Justin.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Van-city Ho!
This blog will serve one purpose; to keep family, friends, supporters, partners-in-prayer and anybody else who is interested on the progress of me (Iain MacPherson) and Suzanne (my gorgeous 'who-I-would-never-make-it-out-the-door-in-the-morning-let-alone-move-across-the-world' wife).I have to confess that keeping in touch is not a strong suit of mine, so the hope is that through fairly regular (subjective!) posting I can keep people informed so that they can better understand what we are up to and how better to support us in prayer.
For those who have not heard from me for a while, or for those who would like a re-cap, here is the very-brief story so far:
Suzanne and I got married in August 2006, a great day! Immediately after our honeymoon I began an internship at Gerrard Street Baptist Church that took in everything from publicising events in the life of the church to eventually preaching. Following this, God timed perfectly funding for me to stay on at the church part-time heading up the student ministry. A task way out of my league...
Suzanne meanwhile has completed her Physiotherapy degree (completed in 3 1/2 years!! Good one darling).
So...right now I am sitting amongst boxes, bubble wrap and little piles of stuff. We are packing up and moving to Vancouver. How this came about is an amazing story for another time. I will be pursuing an MDiv from Regent College and Suzanne is working through the system in order to practice Physiotherapy in British Columbia.
If you pray, please pray that our permits arrive SOON!
-Iain
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