"Do you want to do God's will or your will?" This struggle was very real for me during the month of April...After a year and a half, we finally finished studying the book of Revelation at our Home Bible Study in Palma on the first week of April. The following week in light of Easter, we watched The Passion of the Christ. It was a very special time as we reflected on the power of the gospel in our lives to this day. Back in February I was already praying and thinking about what to do after Revelation. God answered very loud in many ways. So, in April we began a DVD series with Pastor Bob Coy (CC Fort Lauderdale). The series is titled "Building a Godly Marriage." Everybody in the group has really appreciated it and we have a lot of discussion after each study. There has been a lot of great feedback.
Earlier in the month, Raf asked a question that caught me off guard. First of all, Jimmy and I have been planning a conference for June when 4 pastors will be coming out to visit. Raf shared with me that they would be ordaining Jimmy into the ministry as a Pastor. Now, I have saw myself out here as a Missionary wearing different hats. The Pastor hat wasn't one of them. The question Raf asked me was if I would like to be ordained as well. I said NO due to many personal reasons. However, I wasn't being totally honest because I knew God was really calling me to this...
Mid-April we took the students to the other side of the island for the Semester Retreat. Our guest speaker was Pastor Rob from CC South London. Some of you might know him from the old rap group known as MOD. Five or six years ago I booked them for the youth group at CCU. He came with his wife and 2 kids. The theme was "God's Plan & Purpose for our lives." The whole week we studied through the book of Jeremiah. A book that God has used so often in my own life. It was the very last day of the Retreat that God nailed me. So on Sunday April 19th, I said yes to God and Raf concerning the ordination. After only 2 weeks God got his way. Please pray for me. The ordination service will be on June 17th. My parents will also be flying out to be a part of this special time in my life. God is good!
On Tuesday April 28th, Raf received a call from Johnny about some very exciting news. After almost exactly 8 months, Raf and I were finally accepted into the Prison in Palma! This is not only the prison for Mallorca, but all 4 islands here in the Mediterranean. It is one of the most corrupt prisons here in Spain with terroists from ETA there. I'm so excited for this new opportunity to share the gospel.
At the end of April, I had the privilege of teaching at our Men's Breakfast. The title of my message was, "What is a Real Man?" We looked at God's opinion of true manhood found in Jeremiah 9:23-24. Once again, God came through and we all were blessed we came.
Well, what can I say? To this day I still try to give God advice concerning my future:) In His loving care, He is more stubborn than we are. Some of the most miserable times in my life has been doing my will. On the contrary, some of the most joyous times have been doing His will!
By His Grace,
Eric
