Category: Personal Perspectives

Onwards today

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

We have stopped in a number of places to see, pray and receive, but yesterday was the most focused of days. We had been given a word about taking time at a border for there we would receive for the ongoing journey and receive some kind of partnership with angels. Borders: Spain to France; France to Germany; Germany to Switzerland; Switzerland to Italy; and of course ‘smaller’ borders between provinces and the sea border between Italy mainland and Sicily is yet to come. So which border?

Borders are important and I am not too fussed what we make of ‘angels, principalities and powers’ but at the minimum they speak of authorities that either shape the context or are shaped by the context. I am not convinced we have to be correct in our theology but it sure helps to do our best to align with whatever the Scriptures are describing. Jacob encountered angels at a border both when leaving his family on the way to Laban’s household and also when he returned. Paul described how God had set boundaries for the peoples (and kairos times) so that they might seek after / stumble and find God. Hence boundaries are important and the crossing of them is what transgression speaks of and is a sure way to remove the environment where people can seek after and find God. (Of course there is much more to it than that, but to ignore the issue of boundaries and land we will miss a whole aspect of the release of ‘good news’.) Paul and Luke seemed to have used the Roman names for territory and Paul’s journeys were led by the Spirit but within defined geographical settings.

So which border?

We were convinced that the border we needed to give attention to was an ancient border – the northern border of the kingdom of the two Sicilies. To the north was the papal lands and to the south the kingdom of the two Sicilies.

It was the “Kingdom” par excellence. Its territory was delineated since the very first years of its creation under Roger II of Altavilla and remained unchanged along the centuries until its fall in 1861: its northern boundary followed a line that stretched out from Civitella del Tronto (south of Ascoli) to Gaeta and touched Leonessa, L’Aquila (north of Pontecorvo) and then continued south to the Tyrrhenian Sea; its southern boundary was the sea itself, including Sicily.

https://realcasadiborbone.it/en/history/an-ancient-and-glorious-kingdom/

For around 730 years this territory holds that boundary. And of course in the history there are the inevitable clashes and alignments between so-called secular powers and the religious powers exercised by the pope. The uneasy history! The annexation of the two kingdoms was the effective start of the unification of Italy under Garibaldi (1860 onwards).

The map to the left is that of the ancient division, and we have been staying approximately 2 kilometres north of the line on the western coast. Noe Limiñana laid an ancient map over the current map of the area and came up with the border as being marked by a river – the Rio Claro. This is where we focused yesterday and (of course could be subjective) the witness in our spirit when we stood on the bridge over the river was very strong. The ancient border! We ‘felt’ (oh yes possibly simply subjective) that there was a difference one side to the other… angels going with us? I am sure there will be though neither of us had specific dreams last night – something that would be expected.

Coming off the bridge we smiled when we saw this sign on the sea front indicating the flow of water divides at that point. One direction back and one direction toward our destination:

As we travel today our prayer and speech will be concerning the open arms of God to one and all. Borders over coming years might change… but let them fit with what will facilitate a ‘finding of God’.

Coincidentally(?) a camp site on the border is named ‘Anastasia’, after the goddess. It was Paul’s proclamation of ‘Jesus and the resurrection (ἀνάστασις)’ that was central and misunderstood as two deities: a new one (Jesus) and an ancient Greek one (Anastasia). A good reminder – Jesus cannot be proclaimed without the resurrection… and if proclaimed then everything has changed and we have to live from that perspective, the perspective of the new creation.

Tonight we should be right down in the south ready to get a ferry tomorrow to Sicily. For sure angels go with us as they do with all who seek to partner with God.

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Why a focus on Europe

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Over the next few posts I will intersperse perspectives on Europe with a few comments on our journey… maybe half-way down Italy now with last night, today and tonight to be spent in Terracina. Sleeping under an ancient temple to Jupiter – well not under it literally, it simply sits on the highest point about 1km from where we are. Maybe if we get closer we will feel to give it a kick but seems pretty much without any current influence. We are here as we are within a short distance of the old ‘two Sicilies’ border that cut off the papal states to the north and the so-named kingdom of the two Sicilies to the south – two Sicilies as there was a base in Palermo (Sicily) and Naples/ Napoli (mainland of Italy). That border is our focus today. But this post is about Europe, as also is our journey and interaction with Sicily these months!

We all have perspectives and they are influenced by (in no specific order) our personality, experience, theology – particularly of God and of eschatology. It seems to me the most important thing is we act with authenticity and integrity – true to ourselves and to our convictions. I need to be open to correction, to change but I am not about (nor should I) to change easily. My convictions are mine. Not quite in the same league but before Jesus laid down his life he made the statement that no-one could take his life from him. We are not to be swayed easily. On some areas of theology I am in the minority (historically and currently) but I am not about to count the votes and go with the majority. I write that simply to say should you read these posts there is no need to agree, but they might explain the why’s and what’s of our lives.

There is perhaps a predominant view that Europe is post-Christian and ‘secular’, thus being without any real hope. Mine is that it is the centre of hope!

Two Stories

Nothing exegetical in what follows but for the past 25+ years the interlinked stories in Mark 5:21-43 have been important for me. They are the stories of the woman with the continual haemorrhaging issue and Jairus’ daughter.

In summary a woman who a) has been deteriorating in health for 12 years and b) whatever ‘solution’ the doctor provide do not improve her condition but c) she is getting increasingly ill. And a) a young girl born 12 years before with b) all the hope and joy that a new birth brings but c) one day falls ill and dies.

Maybe you are ahead of me but I see the ‘sick woman’ as a picture of Europe and the young girl as a symbol of where the hope and enthusiasm lies.

Historically, Europe was the cradle for the gospel, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth was understood by Paul to be throughout the oikoumene of the Roman Empire (e.g. Col. 1:6). From Europe beyond, but by the time the beyond was happening the ‘clothing’ for the gospel was that of Christendom – the making of ‘Christian nations’ (an oxymoron), with privileged and dominating position given to that form of Christianity. (Maybe this is why ‘Christian’ votes often go to the authoritarian option – perceived as more like God!!!????) My simplistic approach is not-perfect but not privileged pre-Constantine but centralised, institutionalised, dominating and oft-times oppressive post the ‘conversion’ of Constantine. (For a much better insight try Roger Mitchell’s Fall of the Church (Amazon link – will seriously need to repent today… but at least you can see the book there and order elsewhere.)

Thank God for Africa, far East, South America where there is a vibrancy and a rate of conversion to Jesus that should make us envious… that to me is like the young woman. Hope, hope and more hope. The future… But…

Imagine that the Christian faith is like a train on a track. The front carriages are the church in Europe, followed by other later Western filled carriages, followed by the places where faith in Jesus is vibrant. And the train-track has run out and would have needed to cross a bridge to get to the future. The first carriage(s) has fallen over the precipice – but the ‘problem’ is that it is one train… the other carriages are on the track, and go join them and do the charismatic two-step and rejoice but they will also follow suit. The young girl will speak of the future until…

My perspective!

I have (past tense) spent many months in Brazil. Huge the shift that has taken place there with coming to faith. But still huge manifestations of occult power. I have often said that 2% of a population with faith should have long-time ago shifted all of that nonsense. But I have been present inside a secure conference centre where each entrant has to have a pass to enter and voodoo priests have materialised inside with poison for our food! That should not happen… but if our focus is on power we will feed such manifestations. (To be clear I am all for the miraculous, healings and deliverances but the container is ‘presence’ and not simply power – another post another day?)

Europe. We will continue to be enthralled by what is going on elsewhere and I hope we stay deeply impacted by the wonderful transformative power of the gospel, but all of that can be like the doctors coming to the aid of the woman in the story. ‘Rather than getting better… spending all her money…’

OK I have made a start. The woman has to touch the garment of Jesus; the young girl will be discovered to be also carrying a gene that means maturity will not be reached. Work to be done in Europe for the woman is healed when the focus was on getting to the young girl. Hence my hope, my enthusiasm; but not to restore something that has been. No making that form of Christianity great again. Travelling paths we have not trodden before, but ancient paths that will show in spite of understandable despair we carry the same story I wrote of yesterday – in an obscure middle eastern province one person has been raised from the dead. Maybe sleeping under the temple to Jupiter is a good reminder – that was the Pauline world and they had much opposition but the gospel is the power of God to salvation – to the Jew first (religious power losing its hold) and also to the Greek (the sophisticated way of describing the oikoumene of the Roman Empire). The Pauline gospel, not the Martin gospel, nor the Reformed gospel, nor the gospel that is often on offer.

Let Europe be the place of discovery and restoration.

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Never had a doubt…

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

With or without a question mark? Doubt – not an enemy of faith, though it can be, or it can be a servant on the journey of faith.

First the big picture. Yes I have doubted many times and asked the question – even the question of ‘is there a God’? When all is well maybe the doubts don’t come, but I have noticed there are times when not all is well with life. Then there are the huge issues of suffering that I think demand a VERY heavy leaning into a God who does not control. Anyway what bottoms things out for me I think are three aspects:

The resurrection of Jesus. People just do not rise from the dead in that way – crucified, buried and on the third day not simply revived but resurrected. Fulfilling the Jewish hope that at the end of the ages those who died in faith will be resurrected. Ever such a crazy faith that we buy into. That in an obscure eastern province of the Roman empire someone has been crucified (there were times when thousands were crucified within the same immediate time frame) and has been raised from the dead and as a result there is a public message that Caesar is certainly not lord etc… And the first believers were Jews. WOWOOOWOOW.

The testimonies of Scripture and within history – many have gone before me, many through martyrdom. (Maybe other faiths would claim the same, but tied to the resurrection of Jesus, my convictions are strengthened.)

And thirdly my own experience. It lines up with what I read, and the Christian faith is experiential; it is relational. Paul wrote to the Galatian believers and appealed to their experience as one of the reason to pull back from legalism with ‘Did you experience so many things in vain?’. John Wesley had as one of his quadrilaterals ‘experience’.

Yes doubts, and yes if I were God things would be different! But faith like an anchor that holds on to heaven’s realities.

And the small picture. Last night we had a look at Pisa’s leaning tower. Amazing. But today we will hit the old border of the ‘Two Sicilies’. Sounds crazy but the border is between Rome and Naples – the two Sicilies being a kingdom that had a centre in Naples and one in Palermo. The night we have just had was restless and disturbed. Doubts on the one hand – what are we doing… nothing certain; no accommodation set before us… Are we simply stupid (no answers on a postcard).

And not surprising…. we are small people so small adventures can be very challenging to us; but also angels are waiting. They are often encountered at night at borders (read the entry and re-entry of Jacob). We will stay on the border two days… who knows? Maybe we will leave with doubts; maybe we will leave strengthened; maybe we will encounter some hospitality and never realise there were angels involved… maybe 100 possibilities.

Whatever takes place for sure I will have my doubts but underneath it all will not be strong faith, but the eternal God. So be encouraged today should any reader have a doubt or two!

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The time has arrived

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by Martin Scott
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Very dramatic title… and not as significant as similar statements from John the Baptiser and on the lips of Jesus, but somewhat significant for us. Well we were so sure we would be going on Friday, so maybe this is the first plan of ours not to be exactly as we envisioned it? (Cut us some slack even Paul twice tried to move in a direction and the Holy Spirit had to resist him… oh and least he had a dream of a ‘man’ in Macedonia so followed the dream and met a… woman.)

We were not ready on Friday but today has arrived. And I also had ordered a package on Oct. 15th that I was unaware was sourced in China. It was due Friday, but they could not deliver it on Friday. Apparently a traffic issue; digging a little deeper the ‘last mile’ of the company is delivered by electric scooters – I think the traffic issue was the battery needed recharging. Anyway after multiple contacts with the company it arrived yesterday.

Anyway we are now an hour or so away from going ‘por la mañana’. That last phrase is definite – ‘in the morning’, but we (in good Spanish custom) when asked about when we are going could always reply (until today) with ‘mañana’. We think that might mean ‘tomorrow’, and it kinda does but also means ‘not today’. In English we have all kinds of ways to express uncertainty, but the (joke) in Spanish is they have nothing as definite as those phrases, they do have that word ‘mañana’ but it is certainly not as definite as ‘maybe’, ‘one day sometime’ etc. Anyway ‘mañana por la mañana’ has come and we will be gone – as soon as cup of coffee is drunk, floors are washed.

Tonight France, Sunday Germany to be with Yannick and Jenny in Freiberg, then head south through Switzerland (I bought a year long permit yesterday to drive through Switzerland – runs out in January, so a little peeved that we will only use the permit for a few hours), to Italy… not sure how many stops en route (my schoolboy French, along with the word ‘le weekend’) and down to the ferry.

And then? Well we have nowhere scheduled, do not have a place to stay (come on AirBnB sort out your prices), and have no fixed plan. Old capital of Syracuse, cities of Messina, Catania and Palermo (where or nearby where we think we will settle) will certainly be visited… and definitely Agrigento: try this to get an idea of one of the 7 preserved temples there:

By Berthold Werner – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23442211n

An adventure for sure but like us all we take a small step / short drive to make a contribution to the recovery of the Pauline gospel…that good news that we can ‘see’ a new creation and be heralds of and witnesses to that future.

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How fast can you go?

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Maybe the question should be ‘How fast should we move at?’ or ‘What pace will get you there?’. Here we are Wednesday and not yet gone to Sicily – though Friday comes and we go! (A couple of weeks back we thought it would be Tuesday (yesterday).) A delay, or getting the right pace?

One of my mentors who travelled incessantly with me 1998 onwards used to quote Prov. 19:2,

…and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.

When praying (maybe a month back) re our entry to Sicily it seemed clear to us that we were not going to enter quickly but the pace would pick up once we arrived (It better had as we have no accommodation there!). We have slowed down, not by deliberate choice, but a couple of circumstantial issues, that initially frustrated us (‘we want to get going!’) but have come to realise that it has forced us to slow down and see what rhythm we need to run (‘walk?’) at. Then this morning Gayle says… ‘I have been awake in the night and I wonder if we need to spend some days in…’, and the ‘in’ adds some 8 hours to our already 24 hour of driving. Ah well.

But bigger picture I wonder if God is teaching us a little – and the ‘us’ could be a larger ‘us’ than ‘us’. Lazarus is dead, so let’s get there… or wait a few more days. Those who wait on the Lord… maybe could be translated as ‘Those who others think are using up valuable time when they could just get on with it…’

I remember the words from the ‘MasterMind’ quiz program, ‘I’ve started so I will finish’. The buzzer went while asking the question but the host would always finish the question. I have started, and Paul spoke about finishing the race (maybe it was Priscilla, the author of Hebrews who said that?). Whoever said it (and sadly it is not likely that Priscilla wrote Hebrews) was talking about how we end our life’s journey, but I think we can apply it to every aspect. And if we learn the appropriate pace we certainly have more chance of finishing what we were so excited to be in at the beginning.

The long haul remains something we have to focus on. Given the global crisis (combination of crises) we might need to be ‘bailed out’ so we continue to pray ‘maranatha’ but continue to work on the basis of the inbuilt arc of the universe is toward justice (as described by many) or as journeying toward new creation.

And the long haul is made up of multiple small responses. And increasingly we need to learn to make the small response (scaling out, as I heard someone recently say, and not scaling up) alongside everyone else making their small response. One sows, another waters – both take time – and then there is an increase.

Timing is important, but also the pace with which we connect to the timing. So let’s see – Friday surely is not too soon?

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An audio to listen to (or not)

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Noel Richards (people think he is a really nice person but he blocked me on email for over a year – more below on this) and I have just recorded with Martin Purnell (of ‘Off Grid Christianity’ fame) our fourth Christmas special. The normal bizarre quiz in which I think I gained ‘nil point’ but did win (in my mind) cos of bonus points. The episode will come out some time around Christmas and we did overrun by more than an hour, so some serious editing to be done! In one of the ‘off the record as you have gone off-piste but could we pursue this…’ the conversation somehow got on to ‘penal substitution’. Anyway Martin P has saved it as a stand-alone recording. It would need a bit of extra work to reach a doctorate level but here it is:

The ‘off grid Christianity’ podcasts can be checked out at:

https://www.accessradio.biz/series/ogc/

And as an extra bonus (we all like bonus points) – try this ‘Gospel in Chairs’ with Brad Jersak.

Oh and the bonus points – I put in a claim for 2 on the basis that when Martin Purnell sent us an email with suggestions I was always the one to reply first. Noel was tardy. He did claim that there was no expiry date to the emails but I was certainly worth 2 points for my all-but immediate replies. And then I claimed 2 more as Noel had blocked my emails for over a year – claiming that he only did that as he had a lot of spam from emails with the suffix ‘.eu’. Claiming that it was nothing personal. Lame excuse.

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Joining the Zoom on ‘Reconciliation’?

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) UK time at 19:30 I will host a Zoom meeting /discussion that is based on what I have written on ‘Reconciliation: in four ways’. If you plan to join the Zoom link is below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5728039267?pwd=NEozVVM0Z1NJSDFKKzNwdG9KUDc5dz09&omn=84117477173

ID: 572 803 9267
Passcode: 5GkMTA

If joining please either watch a short video or read the pdf document:

Pdf document can be read / downloaded here: Reconciliation in four directions

There is no need to agree with what I propose but we do need to listen to agreements that we disagree with as well as opinions that we agree with.

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A stroll in the city

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by Martin Scott
Posted in Personal Perspectives, Strategic Prayer

I arrived home last night at 11:00pm after a 7 hour bus journey from Madrid, having been there for a few days to walk the city. So some disclaimers first – no idea what was achieved and certainly am aware that so much of what we (OK, ‘I’) do is for us even when we think we are doing this for ‘God’s kingdom’. I hope it was worthwhile and one day (maybe) will find out. Until then we seek to do whatever we think might be what we ‘should’ be doing in response to our discipleship.

Practically first. Schoolboy error (not the first one I have made) is to walk with shoes that are not fully broken in. I have two pairs of running shoes – one that is on the way out, but still good but covered in paint from when I painted the roof this year. I have another pair that I have been using to drive in and to go and get a few groceries – after a couple of hours I soon discovered they were not fully worn in, and over the following two days used over 200ml of vaseline to oil my way to the finish – more vaseline covering my feet than socks, methinks.

I chose to start and finish at San Lorenzo metro station. I have posted regarding the above mentioned gentleman before. 258, August 10th he came to the end of his life on this planet having been put to death at command of the emperor when his response to being commanded to bring the wealth of the church to the emperor was:

Here are the treasures of the church. You see, the church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor!

He presented those who were blind, physically disabled and impoverished. Not the response that was desired! But what a place to start – values. Any city, any civilisation, any society has to understand true values, and all values are measured by a truly human standard.

I will not document every step but pick up on a few aspects – basically I walked the city from the north east (San Lorenzo) south to finish the first day at Puerta de Alcala (near Retiro park); from there through Atocha station to the south and then turning north at Piramedes and Puerta de Toledo, past the royal palace to the university and then turning east back to San Lorenzo. The north of the city is wealthier, wider streets, bigger houses, people dressed with ‘better’ clothing, then the south (Lavapies for example) was in some contrast with for example right in front of me the police stopping their patrol car and jumping out to confront someone demanding their ID. Probably he was a little high, (un)like a much better dressed person in another part of the city who might be acceptably ‘high’ on having signed a very lucrative deal that day. Values!

What stood out to me was what I saw in the various gates. Try these photos:

End of first day: Puerta de Alcala… from the bullring to Alcala to the fountain of Cybele to the bank of Spain to parliament – draw a straight line, for those who give credence to something along the lines of ‘ley-lines’). Alcala was one of the original gates into the city.

On the south side of the city there is an interesting twin obelisks that then give an entrance to the Puerta de Toledo. Obelisks are of Egyptian origin erected in honour of the sun god, with prisoners of war sacrificed in order to draw the power of the sun god.

Twin obelisks

Standing between these two obelisks then pointing north and one would walk right through the Puerta de Toledo:

More ‘gates’… this one is quite spectacular with a conglomeration of arches and monuments – making quite a statement:

Plaza de Castilla

There were other gates too – and probably ones I missed. One marking the entrance to the bull ring and one ‘off the map’ to the north west in the ‘iron gate’ that unless I wanted to stand in the middle of the freeway I had no direct access to. (That would have been beyond my second ‘schoolboy error’.)

The gates are so often a place of contention and even with some initial tracking of alignments of the gates it seems there is some convergence on the parliament building – also with other aspects such as the obelisk at Plaza de Lealtad.

The major aspect of why I wanted to walk and pray the city was to follow up on what we sensed when we first moved to Madrid (and to complete before moving to Sicily) was that of seeking to hold the government and judiciary in to a wholesome mode of being and behaviour. In big langauge I wanted to make sure that over the next years the government and judiciary cannot ‘escape’!

I am sure there are those who can prayer walk and be effective, I am not claiming to be one of those, but after the Toledo gate I came to the royal palace, then the Temple of Debod (literally moved from Egypt to Spain) and it sits with an East/west alignment and directly outside it on the wall is a sculpture to a fallen soldier from the civil war – this being the area where the entrance was made into the city.

So much more I could add but having started the walk at San Lorenzo with the issue of values the final photo has to be of ‘homeless Jesus’ asleep on a bench outside the main Cathedral (where the rich and famous are interred, including Franco’s daughter – but NOT him, thank God).

So what was achieved? Something cos God is gracious and listens to prayers but of course a percentage of what we do ‘for God’ is more for us and our own little ideas. Here’s to many of our own little ideas combining to sow into the future where values are measured differently, measured by the stature of the incarnated One.

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So Madrid?

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by Martin Scott
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Not sure how much of ‘life’ I understand – probably about as much of the Bible as I understand. Loose ends; things not tied up; dots that don’t connect. Maybe that is just me?

It was a significant battle to get ourselves into Madrid, some of which I have recounted in previous posts from years back; perhaps the most bizarre bit was a clause in the contract that in the light of it we were advised to ‘not touch this with a barge pole’ but felt to proceed. It meant that there was a gap between parting with the money and receiving the property when the seller could indeed walk with the money and keep the property. We sensed that was the risk we were to take. In the evening before the legal work the following day we managed to track down who the seller was and that he owned a shop a few streets away. We googled the shop and found only one review… ‘do not deal with this man he is a thief’. Ah well…

We spent much time in Madrid, most days would go to the parliament and pray outside as well as a host of other activities. Then along came COVID and we heard from the grapevine that Madrid would be closed the following day. We left early as we had people due to visit us in Oliva. Madrid was closed and we were unable to go back for quite a period of time. Currently we have a rentee in the apartment, at a very good price for him, as we have to do something that pushes back against the monetary system that dictates.

And the future? Would love to be back there on a longer term basis, but who knows. I will travel up next week and over 3 days walk the perimeter of the city – a small act that I think will settle this part of the journey. Would love to be back there long term but am very aware that many aspects of what we engage with are not fulfilled in the way we think they would. It is the principle of ‘seed’ into the ground for the next phase, and this is where I consider a number of us probably fail to move on well as we hang on for something more in the context that we need to move on from. As for Madrid, we don’t know what this means.

I do know (wow, Martin you are sure you know?)… OK a rephrase. I have a perspective that God is a forward moving God and that Jesus is not about to return today or even tomorrow. We have not yet run out of time to see amazing shifts in our world. [Sidenote: I think the whole pre-, post-, a-millennial approaches are not where it is at; I am not convinced that there is very much in the NT that fuels speculation… loads to encourage us to live today as what is done today provides the building-blocks for the future age.] And here is my perspective that Europe having been the cradle of the gospel and of Christendom can fully throw off the clothing of Christendom and also discover the Pauline gospel that carried a vision of a new creation (Paul makes a rather abrupt statement in 2 Cor. 5:17 ‘So if anyone is in Christ, new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being’.)

A bumpy, most challenging path ahead. Not one that will see a mega-church on every street corner, but could see ordinary people (are there any other types of people?) taking responsibility for a neighbour, a street, a business, a school. Enabling space to come where people can find that where they live is nothing other than a gateway from heaven to earth (Acts 17:26; Gen. 28:17).

Back to Madrid. No one is the saviour of the world other than… I want to walk – a small act – where I simply want to put my feet to say that a manifestation of God’s reign will be obscurely shown in the governmental and judicial spheres of Spain. Not perfectly, but certainly not in opposition to God. I note that there is a big push in certain quarters for government and the judiciary to serve an agenda, that agenda being understood by some as ‘Christian’ but I consider is aligned to ‘Christendom’, motivated, I believe, by a desire to see Christendom extend its life.

There is loss in order for there to be gain. Jesus said ‘better I go’ to the disciples. Really? Better, and more difficult. The next 15 or so years will be tumultuous at crazy levels, but right or wrong in that perspective, God will not abandon us. We will lose some good things, good things that have come our way at a price… but there is always a hope that does not disappoint.

Madrid we always saw as leverage point for Spain. Maybe we need to get back there ere long. Maybe we need to take some new inadequate steps in new direction?

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From a street called Sicily

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by Martin Scott
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We have found that Oliva is a refreshing, re-orienting place for many. These days we don’t have so many guests – there was a time when for a few years we had people with us between 100-130 days / nights of the year. A season that was. It was interesting finding this place for as I indicated in the previous post we were living in Cadiz when Gayle had that dream of ‘C/ Azahar’. We took ourselves off to Valencia just after Christmas of 2013 and started to drive from 100kms north of Valencia. 2 days in that direction but nothing resonated; 2 days south 100kms of Valencia and finally came to Oliva. We were ready to go home as we had found nothing that resonated. Anything ‘prophetic’ has to ultimately be witnessed to internally. And nothing witnessed. We stopped for a final cup of coffee before planning that our journey was fruitless when we suddenly realised that this was the place as we stepped out of the car at a cafe.

5:55 so read the clock the next morning as I woke. It might have been 7:05 and hopefully not 6:16(there is an alternative MS reading of 616 to the 666 reading!!)… can be coincidence but I was convinced it was not simply a time on the clock. I began to pray… ‘5’ generally the number representing grace, 3 times over. Then this came to me – we will make an offer on 3 properties and it will be a grace package with each one costing more than the one before. ‘Grace package’ is often taken to mean ‘cost less’, but I realised that grace is the emptier we are (our pockets) the more they can be filled. Long story but that is exactly what happened with the final offer being refused with a ‘don’t even talk to me’ coming back from the owner. A phone call out of the blue some weeks later – there is an angel you need to connect with to release you from Cadiz and open the door for you to go. Next morning off we went… and within 30 minutes of the connection the phone rang, and it was the agent in Oliva – ‘I don’t know what has happened but the owner who said not even to talk to him has just called me to say that I am to tell you that you can have the apartment at the price you offered’.

Where did we move – to Calle Isla de Sicilia – Sicily Island street. We have never dug deep into the significance but have wondered why ‘Sicily’ street. From a street to an island – this is the plan.

Last night while seeking to get some keys to the island I read: Sicily’s geographical position makes it a central point in the Mediterranean, connecting it to the Arabic world, North Africa, and Europe.

At times I probably read too much into what others might term coincidences, but the above quote seems alive. Geography has always been important for us – with over 1200 references to land in Scripture maybe this is not surprising. I kinda think there is treasure hidden in the land there that might just make a contribution to the coming age.

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