So i thought i'd take a picture of my new car! Brian and Tracy have given it to me and it's such a blessing.

Firstly, it's an Audi!

Secondly, it's pretty nippy...hence the expensive insurance! ouch!

Thirdly, it's Red!

But most of all it's a pair of Wheels for me to get around the Island, and that's great. I just need to buy a new battery now and get it taxed and i'm all sorted! Am just so amazed at God's awesome provision and His perfect timing too. He knows my needs exactly, and just last week i was praying that God would provide the finance that i need and over the past week i've seen God provide through some friends in a remarkable way. I just think God is awesome and i'm so thankful to Him for the way in which He provides.

My friend Helen leaves!

So it's with real sadness that i said goodbye to my friend Helen, who left on Sunday to make her journey back home to Germany. She's been serving God and 24-7 Ibiza for nearly 3 years, and she's just made such an impact upon this place. She's back safe and sound - how the car got her home, i'm not sure. Some prayer and some good mechanics maybe?

She packed her car up on Sunday, and i helped her, but as we all know, Helen is great at organising and packing, and squeezed all her stuff into the glovebox of her Peugeot. I was amazed that she managed to fit all her bags and shoes and nail painting thingys in her car...

I'm now on my own in Spanish and can't turn to Helen for assistance. All the Moroccan guys at Spanish are gutted that she's not around either ;) "Donde es Helen?" "Donde?"

Helen is a pilgrim, someone wanting to follow God and His call, and i wish her all the best as she seeks to live a life for God in Germany. I hope she comes back to visit and come clubbing, maybe to We Love...

E-mail update!

If anyone would like to receive my news via e-mail then do let me have your e-mail address and I'll add you to my list of lovely people. I usually try to send out news every couple of months or so. It includes stories and current things I'm facing plus some helpful prayer pointers!

Yo hablo espanyol!

Had my first Spanish lesson last night since June and boy, was it hard. My new teacher speaks way too fast, and i just couldn't keep up with her. I'm now in Level Two, and i can definitely sense the increase in difficulty. Everyone around me is speaking really good Spanish and I'm sat there just scratching my head.

But I've not giving up one little bit. I'm gonna stick it out and get on top of it all. I got asked to spell the word Portugese in Spanish - i was like, i can't even spell it in English let alone Spanish. Good times! This winter i want to really get on top of speaking Spanish!

PRAY PRAY PRAY

About a month ago, Brian (our 24-7 Ibiza leader) got stopped by the police in our 24-7 Ibiza van one night and was accused of being an illegal taxi. This was not good, as for one, we're so not a taxi service, even though we do take back drunks to their hotel, and two, it's a €6000 fine.

Jog on!

Brian and Tracy have been going to the Spanish authorities and also the British consulate, but have been met with no success. It looks like we (24-7 Ibiza) will have to pay this fine.

I'm not having that! This is just not acceptable. It's not fair, as we're not a taxi service that takes money - it's a free service - everyone knows this. We do it because we're being kind and offering a service that no one else does. It's a massive blow to everything we do and all that we stand for. We need to sort this as if we pay, we're owning up to being illegal and it could jeopardise our future work.

So - I'm asking if you could stand with us and pray about this pressing issue. We need a breakthrough, and we need the authorities to do a 180 degree about turn. This can only be done if we pray, pray and pray. Thanks.

Look how they shine...

WOW! I had to blog right away before going to sleep.

You know i live on a farm in Ibiza that's in the middle of nowhere, right? Well, before I hit the sack tonight, i thought I'd quickly pop up onto the roof to check out the night sky as it looked like it was going to be a clear sky.

Oh. My. Life!

I was not disappointed. I've never seen so many stars on display and to top it off, i saw 2 of the longest and most vivid shooting stars that I've ever seen! They were like rockets in the night sky. When I see the heavens and the stars twinkling, it's hard not to be in awe and wonder at creation, but more than that, at the Creator behind the amazing spectacle before my eyes. I don't stop at thinking how amazing the stars are; I keep going and think how amazing is God who created all that I see. The stars speak of something deeper...

Check out how Psalm 19 begins - how cool. (This is C.S. Lewis' favourite Psalm in the Bible btw).

'The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech of language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.'
Psalm 19:1-4

My conclusion tonight: God is awesome and most worthy to be praised!

Prayer Muscles

I want to grow bigger muscles. Spiritual muscles that is, as i have pretty decent guns already, as you must have already noticed ;-)

I was at the 24-7 conference recently, and this guy talked about us growing bigger muscles in certain areas of our lives. A verse that someone read out that instantly struck a chord with me is in Psalm 18:34 'He trains my hands for battle, my arms can bend a bow of bronze.' I really do want to enter into a new season of being trained in prayer, to do battle, to be stronger and fiercer and surer.

Alot of what i do for my work involves praying, so it seems right to learn and develop and grow in this very area. I'm quite excited.

Anthems!

These three are just a couple of the choons that you could hear in most clubs and bars this summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd3KxitATVo
This is the MGMT 'Kids' remix by Ingrosso that every DJ smashed this summer and when it breaks down will put the biggest smile on your face! It also reminds me of a guy who lived with us called James, as he's an Indie-head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JZyChjUARE
This choon builds and builds and builds until it destroys you in the breakdown - loads of amazing energy: Sunset Terrace at Space - need i say more? It's called On:Off and it's by Cirez D, otherwise known as Eric Prydz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Wwx_9vUL8
This reminds me of the dirty electro we heard in the backroom of Judgement Sundays @ Eden. We had some good times there. It takes a while to get into it, but it rocks...it's by Starkillers and called 'Bitch Ass Trick'.

The best T-Shirt?

During the summer i got given an amazing T-shirt by a really really great friend called David. He has worked in Ibiza in the West end for a couple of seasons now, and it's been a pleasure to develop such a great friendship.

Anyway, when he turned up at the prayer room at the start of this season, knocking on the door around 2am, he was wearing this t-shirt that he'd got from Topman of all places. He said he knew that I'd like it - and he wasn't wrong. It's got the words: 'If you don't get on with the Devil, Jesus will always take you back.' And it's got a picture of a woman (looking quite devilish) next to a Church and a sign saying 'All returns accepted, no questions asked'. He said that he wanted to give it to me, and a few weeks later, it was in my possession. It's now my favourite T-shirt ever!

How awesome is the message on this T-shirt? And the fact i got given it by someone i met in Ibiza is pretty cool. It's got The gospel all over it!!! The sign saying 'all returns accepted' reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son in the Bible, one of the greatest stories Jesus ever told. The youngest son takes his share of his inheritance and turns his back on his father and goes to a far off country (a modern day version might have Ibiza as the country) to spend all his money on wild living. After running out of money and his friends have left him, he decides to try to get a job feeding pigs, and is desperately hungry. He makes the decision to go home and face his father, worried that he might not be accepted. But the fathers heart is amazing, waiting and ready to accept back his rebellious son, with full forgiveness and in total grace. Jesus told this story to tell us what God the father is like, and it's a pretty awesome message!

This story is relevant more than ever today. Jesus - the exact representation of God - is ready to welcome back anyone who has gone and danced with the Devil, no questions asked. Fact!

Rest

I am now at my Mums house in Lincoln. It's lovely to rest, to have a full English/Roast dinner and to recharge the batteries. I'm hoping to see a couple of mates here and there, but mainly to just chill before heading home on Friday. I wish it was longer, but I'm glad of the time.

At the moment i am gathering as many books on prayer as possible. I feel that over the summer I begun to hit a level of prayer that was effective, yet somehow i knew that there's so much further to go. To be fair, one of the main activities that we do over the summer is prayer. We pray for individual needs, for the broken and the hurting, and also for the holiday makers that we meet. Deep down I know that there is so much more i need to learn and grow when it comes to prayer. I mean i feel I only at the tip of the iceberg. There are times that i pray for someone or something and then end up hitting a dead end. I can pray for someone's addiction, yet i want to see them set free. I know prayer can do this....

The term 'spiritual warfare' is constantly batted about in Churches, yet to be truthful, i don't know much about the subject. I traditionally thought that this specialist area was assigned to Church members who tended to lead extremely serious, yet boring and dull lives. Now I'm thinking about this all myself and in desperate need to find fresh teaching and i have a heart to learn more.

24-7 Rocks Amsterdam

I had the opportunity to be in Amsterdam this weekend as part of the 24-7 Prayer gathering. The meeting wasn't that large, yet many different nations were represented there, with Germany, Scandinavia, The Balkans, and Essex among the main groups! It was an excellent weekend, and i loved hearing some of the things going on in Europe and listening to some excellent talks inspiring us to renew our love for God and the call to pray.

It's so clear that 24-7 isn't about a vision, or a mission statement, or about buildings, or results but about people. What i love most of all about the 24-7 movement is the friendship i have with such great people. Doing what i do in Ibiza means I've had the privilege to meet some fantastic people over the past 18 months, and it was great reconnecting with many of them and catching up with them. It brings such life and renews faith in what I'm called to do. People are so supportive of Ibiza, in particular the Irish lot and the Boiler room in Standford-le-hope. What lovely people they all are! I love you guys. Thanks for the amazing Ethiopian that we shared...yum!

The highlight of the weekend was the Auction on the last day. T-shirts were designed and donated and sold to raise money for 2 couples to bless them in their work. I think about €2500 was donated. The giving and generosity during the sale of a special knitted t-shirt (made by Peggy from Standford) was remarkable. Who says being generous isn't fun? Good times!

I Heart Amsterdam

The picture above is of the motto that the city of Amsterdam have adopted since 2005. These huge monuments are scattered throughout the city and represent the pride and confidence the locals have in their beautiful city.

During a seminar whilst attending the 24-7 Prayer conference I heard a guy mention that it's interesting that the words in red is the name God uses in Exodus to tell his name to Moses....'I am'. How cool is that? All over the great city of Amsterdam is Gods name. In a city with such a 'dark' reputation, we see Gods name right in the centre of it all.

I loved being in such a beautiful city. When i wasn't in meetings, i got to enjoy seeing the sights, the canals, the restaurants that serve every type of food, the people from every corner of the globe, and the buzz. One evening we did walk through the red light district as i wanted to see it firsthand. It was both shocking and sad, to see people literally 'on sale'. But apart from that, the city was such a fantastic place.