Hi friends!
This blog has moved to leebezotte.com.
Thanks for checking in. I’ll see you at the new home!
Hi friends!
This blog has moved to leebezotte.com.
Thanks for checking in. I’ll see you at the new home!
For a long time I’ve believed that the truly hard things in Life were the “big” things. You know, taking that missions trip, making that financial pledge, praying like crazy every day. Something really adventurous might be starting a ministry or learning a new skill. Lately I’ve come to realize that those things aren’t really that hard at all and that the things I once considered no brainers are actually quite soul-wrenching. Here are a few examples of what I mean…
Forgiving others. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to truly forgive someone? We say the words but the pain is still there. Letting go of the bitterness, anger, and feelings of betrayal can feel exhausting at times. These things are like the neighborhood cat that won’t stay away from your house! You get rid of them, and you never hear them sneak back up on you.
Letting dreams go. Eventually, we have to just let some dreams die. The truth is, there is only so much room in our lives and, if we’re going to be faithful in the position God has placed us in, we have to let some things go. Let’s face it, can we really be a good father, husband, or whatever and still pursue all our “great ideas”. That’s not to say some dreams aren’t God given and He will give them back to us, but the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.
Trust. Do we really trust God with everything? We’ve sang about trusting, declared our dependence, and spoken confidently about giving everything to Him. The truth is, we don’t mean it. When the rubber hits the road and a real life choice is before us, we chicken out, rationalize, or make excuses. We hold on to relationships we don’t belong in, we stay in jobs that aren’t right for us, and we hold on to our money because we’ve financially overextended ourselves.
Be loved. Why is allowing ourselves to simply be loved so difficult? Here we are the very center of Abba’s affection and we won’t just let him lavish His love on us. How do we do this? I’ll tell you how…
By forgiving others, we allow God to heal the pain they’ve caused us. We release them from judgment and His love just seems to settle on us like a tailored coat.
Letting go of our dreams allows God to lead us in new directions. He longs to take us by the hand and walk with us to new places.
Trust is the truest sign of love. As we trust God with everything, I mean really truly, holding nothing back everything, we experience God’s love in a whole new way. Trusting God is like saying, “I receive your love. Let’s do life together!”
The great thing about receiving God’s love is that it makes it so much easier to love other people. It’s unselfish love because it doesn’t have to be returned or reciprocated. It doesn’t have to be returned because no love, that any person gives us, can be compared to The Father’s love.
So choose to do the hard stuff. Forgive, let go, trust, and receive His love. The rest will seem like cake!
Today was our last full day in Ireland. We spent time with Paul Houghton, father of Rachael, who is seriously considering the Furnace Midwest internship. We would love for her to join us as we run hard after God and learn to take others with us. She’s a great young woman and her dad is a man of God.
After our visit with Paul, we checked out Mellifont Abbey, a 12th centuryAbbey in County Louth. It was out last historical visit on the trip. What a wonderful time we’ve had here! It really is hard to say goodbye to our friends and such a beautiful country. We’ve seen God move in great ways and have hopefully poured fuel on the fires of prayer here. It’s been a massive honor just tp play a small part in what the Lord is doing in Ireland.
To my wife and wonderful sons, I miss you so much and I can’t wait to hold you again! I love you. Thanks for releasing me for this time!
Today was a great day of ministry! We had church with Emmanuel Community Church of Dundalk. What a special worshiping church! I had the honor of giving the message this morning, and then the interns and I prayed for members of the congregation. Afterward we had a good “craic” with Pastor Peter and his wife Philemena at McGeough’s. Other members from the church were there and it was such rich fellowship!
Tomorrow, we’ll be meeting with the father of a girl who is strongly considering the Furnace Midwest internship. He has some questions and, since we’re here, we’re going to meet with him personally! So many here have shown great interest in the School of Worship and The Furnace. I think God might be preparing us to be an international ministry!
What a terrific day! This morning we had a powerful prayer meeting with the people of Emmanuel Community Church in Dundalk. We prayed the Word of God, prayed for each other, and talked about praying with diligence and perseverance. Lots of prayers, hugs, and tears. It’s so amazing to see God moving in Ireland!
After prayer, the ladies from the church made s homemade soup and scones. The fellowship and food was so refreshing!
This evening, we were on the radio, with Pastor Peter Lynch, discussing prayer. It’s such a challenge to talk about prayer to an unsaved listening audience. What an honor to go on the air and share with thousands of people in Ireland about drawing nearer to God!
On our way back to Slane we stopped to see Slane Abbey one more time. Watching the sun set from such an incredible place is truly breathtaking!
Enjoy the video and pictures…
Today the team hiked up the Hill of Slane to check out Slane Abbey, a great site where St. Patrick himself established a church. From it you can see for miles around. While the team was out hiking, I decided to get some laundry done. It took me 20 minutes just to figure out how to open the dryer door! I’d swear that, when I took my clothes out of the dryer, they were more wet than when I put them in. They are all currently hanging on the oil heat registers throughout the cottage.
Tonight we had the privilidge of ministering at the Emmanuel Community Church youth group. It was great! I talked to them about prayer and we all called on God together for our friends and families. The church is down the street from the famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a massive structure that has to be seen to fully appreciate the scope and breadth of it.
Another great day! Today, we drove up to Northern Ireland and spent time visiting and praying with local pastors. It was great to hear their hearts and share their burden in prayer! We were able to give one of them, a church planter, a new laptop computer. What an honor to bless the work of God in Ireland!
While we were with them, we visited Nendrum Monastery, Bangor Abbey, and the First Presbyterian Church on High Street where the 1859 revival broke out. What a privilidge to stand where God moved so powerfully!
Enjoy a couple of videos and some pictures…
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