Life in Scotland

Life has continued to be fairly similar to our previous weeks.  We’re going over books in class, and Andrew helps us to understand what we’re reading and asks questions to make us think deeper about what it means to us and how we should relate to life in the church.  Much of it is stuff that’s core to being a Christian, but I’d never learned before such as the characteristics of God, so I’m enjoying reading, even if I don’t understand all of it. 

This week has been pretty neat because I’ve started doing some stuff that I’m loving.  For one, Andrew has started Christy, David, and I on our own Bible Studies.  I’m doing a chapter of Proverbs and Psalms each day, and it’s really starting to help my walk with God.  Also, thanks to Beth, I was able to start taking Gaelic lessons in Airdrie.  I’ve only had one lesson so far, and I didn’t pick up much that I can put here (pronunciation and spelling is vastly different from English), but it’s a lot of fun and the people are friendly.

For our trip this week, Jimmy Fisher took David, Christy, and I to a small village called New Lanark.  It was founded by a man named Robert Owens as a place where the lower class of people could have a pretty good life.  Most of the jobs were based around a cotton mill built by Owens. Owens himself was a pretty decent man who came up with ideas and labor practices that improved the existing situation including how women and children are treated in the working place. 

Hanging out with the CY kids is also a lot fun.  Besides spending time with them for play, David and I are leading some of the boys, Tristan, Josh, and Connor, in a weekly Bible study. It’s a little hard because I don’t feel like I’m doing much, but the boys are having a good time learning and discussing what we read.  It’s very encouraging to see kids so interested in learning about God’s Word.

Jon Key

For Christ’s Crown and Covenant: The Third Week

This week was full of activity.  It is the first week that I actually felt 100% “settled in”.  Class began to get more specific and personal as we started the book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney, which made class all the better.  I never thought of myself as a reader, but reading for about 4 hours on weekday mornings is very easily addictive.  I find myself reading books for fun during the weekend free hours to relax.  What a great habit.

            Wednesday, Graham, an man from the Church, took us to Loch Lomond.  What a beautiful place.  The town of Luss had little cottages with garden gnomes decorating the bare, winter, flower beds.  The Loch was surrounded by tall, snow-kissed mountains and many sheep farms.  Jon and I enjoyed Graham’s history lesson about the Viking’s relationship to the Loch.  Apparently it was quite often invaded by Vikings.  In the words of the Scots, it was a “lovely” place.

              Rugby keeps me busy Monday and Thursday afternoon and evening, so before I knew it Friday was here.  Mums and Tots was very fun this week.  I am starting to learn and even remember some of the kid’s names while I read books and play with play dough with them.  That afternoon Jon and I had the privilege to help out a family of the Church by doing some ironing and cleaning floors.  From there we went straight to setting up and having Kids Club where we talked about Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine.  The night finished up by going out to Starbucks with CY (the youth group).  I discovered that there is something just as good as black coffee…lattes.

            Saturday was full for me this week. I got to volunteer at the Salvation Army Clothes Store for a majority of the day.  It was a great experience meeting and working with the ladies that ran the shop and seeing people in need benefiting from the organization.

            Sunday was a well needed and enjoyed day of rest.  Pastor Andrew preached with sincerity about the need of Godly parenting through Proverbs 1 in the morning.  That afternoon, Jon, David, Tim, Stephen, and I were blessed by the hospitality of the Alexander family.  After a full meal, a time of chatting, and some rest, Pastor Andrew preached on Jesus and Bartimaeus (Mark 10: 46, Luke 18: 35).  God reminded us through Pastor Andrew that we are in need because we are dead, and dead people can’t make themselves alive, so we must cling to Jesus; He is our only opportunity to be made alive.  What a great message; for salvation and sanctification. 

Christy Lear

Life in Scotland

This week, we had our first few lecture sessions with Andrew.  It’s way different from normal class lectures because there are only about four people.  I also find it different from the homeschooling I did in grade school since most of that was independent study, not lecture.  The stuff we’re covering is very deep in theology, so it can be a challenge to understand.  But I think it is important to understand theology so one can understand what he/she believes and can have that belief grounded in the Bible.

            For our trip this week, Sam, a member of the church congregation, took us to Glasgow to see the grounds around the Pollok House and the Burrell Collection.  We unfortunately did not get to go inside the Pollok House because it is very expensive, but we did get to see the Burrell collection.  Because the original owner of these items was a business man who would have his agents purchase rare, ancient items when traveling, there were artifacts from many different place and cultures in the world.  Paintings, burial items, carpets, furniture, and much more besides.  My personal favorite was an Italian broadsword. 

            This week has also been pretty cool for me because both of my roommates, Tim and David, came last week and I am starting to get to know them better.  This week, it was Tim’s birthday.  To celebrate, Christy, Beth, David, and I met Wise, Old Tim, at a Friday’s in Glasgow, had supper, and later went back to our cottage and hung out there for a few hours.  It was a good time.

            David has actually started studying a few books with Christy and I, so it is good to have him in class and get his input on things.  David is also taking a ministry internship with the church, and, as part of my own internship, I’ll be helping him with various things.  For example, yesterday we went to the hospital to check on some flyers that had been put up, and last night we led Conner, Josh, and, Tristan, three boys from the CY, in a Bible study. 

            After we finished, we went with the rest of the CY to play Laser Tag in Glasgow.  It was a lot of fun even if there were these two random kids working together to beat the rest of us pretty badly.  Afterward, we got back to church, and I went with a couple of people to go get something from the gas station.  It was good night for starting to build bonds.

 

Jon Key

Week 1

Upon arriving at the Scotland airport we (Jon and I) were greeted and picked up by Beth Bogue and Pastor Andrew Quigley of the RP Church in Airdrie.  Once in Airdrie we were each shown our new home away from home, our flats (apartments) that we will be living in.  Later that evening Beth had us over for dinner, and we met one of the young people from the Church.

Sunday morning came very early considering the time change that we were not used to.  Once at the Church we were warmly welcomed by the congregation.  There were many new faces and names to remember but well worth it.  The smiles and excitement in their introductions made it clear that they were thrilled to have us as much as we were thrilled to be there.  Sunday lunches take place at a different person’s house or flat each week.  The first week was at the Quigley’s home.  The meal was a traditional meat and potatoes Scottish dish with tea and biscuits to follow.  The Quigley household has six children which led to a fun afternoon, including a walk around the town of Airdrie.  Airdrie is city-like on a small scale.  Houses and flats surround the center of town along with shops, charity shops (thrift stores), grocery stores, tanning salons, and restaurants such as Dominoes pizza, Mr. Kebab’s, and Subway.  The post office, banks, and the train station are also located among the stores.  There are Sunday evening worship services at the Church, so we returned to the Church, and afterwards along with the other “young people” of the Church go to Beth’s flat to hang out. Which meant the first week we met anyone we hadn’t met yet and got to know them all better.

            Covenanter Theological Institute (CTI) is an opportunity for students, such as myself, to study a subject, in my case Biblical studies with a mission emphasis, in a different manner than I’m able to at Geneva College.  Instead of sitting in lectures and being quizzed and tested or writing papers on a subject by a deadline and then moving on, CTI has the students read.  It is like a bank: you get out what you put into it.  A CTI student is able to sit down and process the information being read and think through the material while applying it to their own life.  Pastor Andrew put the CTI curriculum in this sense, “It can be the easiest semester you ever have as a student, or it can be the most challenging.”  It can be easy if you simply read the material for the sake of reading it, but if you challenge yourself and work through the material and process it, then the CTI Semester in Scotland will be one of the most life- changing, best semesters you will ever have.

            The schedule of CTI is as follows: Monday through Thursday at 9:15am-1pm you read in the classroom located in the RP Church.  The reading materials are a total of eleven books.  After a lunch break a seminar is given by the teacher for the purpose of review of the material read and verbal feedback of what the student got from that material. This takes place from 2pm- 3:30pm. Wednesday afternoons are special and exciting: CTI students are taken to a historical landmark, which more than likely deals with the material being read.  This week we were taken to Glasgow to see the Cathedral there.  The history of that Cathedral is the model for many of the Cathedrals in Scotland.  They were Catholic, and during the Reformation, in order for the Cathedral to remain, the people had to physically defend the walls. They were successful in defending it, unlike many others that are in ruins.  It still remains a Cathedral today; the Queen, when in Glasgow, even attends the Cathedral.

            Fridays there is no reading, instead an opportunity to serve for the Church as part of the ministry practicum credits.  I am involved in Mums and Tots.  In the evenings there are youth clubs.  This week there weren’t any, but next week they will resume.  Since there was not youth club, a bunch of teens got together to watch movies.

Saturday there are no formal plans. This week we celebrated a birthday among the teens and had a ceilidh in the Church building as a party. It was a very fun way to get to know people better and learn dances at the same time. 

So far I have thoroughly enjoyed the books that I have been reading.  I am making great friends.  And learning how to cook and budget while living on my own.  The Semester in Scotland CTI program is brilliant.  If you are interested in the program or want to keep in touch with Jon or I while we are studying across “the pond,” keep checking in for updates on the blog of specifics that we are doing each week.

Christy Lear

The Last Crusade

Well, this is my final day in Scotland.  There are no amount of words that can describe the awesome time I had here.  I know for a fact, that if the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Airdrie didn’t do all that it has done for Ryan, Dave, and myself  none of us would have had as good of a time as we did.  The people in the congregation were more then happy to serve us by taking us on a trip every Wednesday, inviting us into their home to serve us a meal every Sunday, and being there to share their wisdom and their life story.  They do this because they know how important it is to serve one another as Christ served us.  Christ has been doing great things with the lives of those who are in the congregation.  I can only hope and pray that it is God’s plan for me to come back here in the future.

I am so fortunate to have come to Scotland and learnt so many things by reading the books and attending the classes here.  The books we read were fantastic, and I have learned a lot from every book.  But, I know that if Andrew and Dick didn’t have the passion to teach what is important in God’s eyes the learning would have been not as good or fruitful.  The guys want to see young men and women grow in the Lord, and they will challenge you out of pure love.  Teachers like this are hard to find.  I will never forget the things I learned here, because I know that they will prove useful in the future.  These men are responsible for leading by example (as Christ did) and show the importance of serving one another to the congregation.  I feel that Andrew has done a lot for this congregation for Christ’s glory.  May God bless the spreading of His Church and continue to bless the Airdrie Reformed Presbyterian Church, forever!

Rocco Palmerine

Closing Thoughts

I thank the Lord for my time at Airdrie.  During the last four months the Church has opened up their hearts, their doors, and their tables to Rocco, Ryan, and myself.  I can honestly say that before I did the CTI course I was still very much a young theologian, I knew what I believed, and I knew why I believed it, but with the help of the classes, books, and fellowship with other believers I now understand my faith with a deeper knowledge and a deeper conviction.  Scotland’s history is something that has got many a mention on the Semester in Scotland and everyone who has come on the CTI program has been able to study and learn about this great and glorious time.  One thing that you find about men like John Knox and Andrew Melville is just how stubborn and sometimes downright rude they can come across, shouting and pointing fingers, complaining about this and that, but when you realise that these men did all these things for the Glory of God, you see how great God’s Grace is.  John Knox has always been a hated figure in history.  I personally have met even Christians who despise this great man.  He is seen as too harsh, or too extreme.  What can I say?  You find Knox extreme?  Turn your eyes to the Law of God!  Knox feared no man, the Covenanters who lived for Christ feared no men, they feared God.  They feared Him who has the power to destroy both body and soul.  This is probably the most important thing that I have learnt during my time here: we are to fear no one, our fear is to be aimed at God, the Great, Almighty, Sovereign God.  Men and women will hate us , we will be mocked, and we will not look “cool” in the eyes of the world.  This is just a consequence to our great calling to follow our master.

Something else I have learnt over here is the need for faith.  Simply faith to read and believe.  We have been looking at various different books and reading about many subjects.  All throughout this time we read of God’s Will, His commands, and His desire for us.  It is so easy to read but sometimes hard to believe, we forget that the God who led the Children of Israel from the land of Egypt is indeed the same God that fellowships with us, once we know and believe it, will we act upon it.  The METS in the Church have been a great way for us to see this.  We have been looking at Exodus and have been sharing our love for each other through the study of God’s Word.  Moses has been of great comfort but also of great conviction as we have studied his call to do God’s Will.  Like Moses we can have so little confidence in what we can do, we read about the desires that God has for us and like Moses fear that we can never amount to do such things, but as Moses made excuse after excuse the Lord’s anger burned against him.  God reminded Moses of who he was, a mere created being, and reminded Moses of who He was, the Great God of all things.  Moses then obeyed and went from a timid shepherd to a messenger from God who stood before the most powerful man in the world and fearlessly and proudly proclaimed the Word of God.  We fear the work in the field, we fear it is too much for us, but like the Blessed Apostle we can say “His Grace is sufficient for me”.  God pours out his love to those who love to do His will.

 Leaving for home has excited me.  I look forward to seeing my family.  To embrace my Father, to kiss my Mother, and to give my little brother the advice I can to keep him on the narrow way.  Tim said something so significant to me when I first arrived, I asked him if he missed his family, his reply was quick and sobering, “The Church is my family”.

 I have received great blessings from my time here.  Living with three Americans and sharing thanksgiving with the rest of the American members of the Church really did touch my heart (and fill my stomach).  I have made so many new friends and felt the love of my brothers and my sisters here in Airdrie, I love them all and I want to lose none.

 In Christ,
David Duly

The Final Countdown

This will be my last blog for the CTI programme, sadly.  My time in Scotland these last four months has been amazing.  I have learned so many things.  I have seen many things too.  Scotland is a great nation to come and visit.  I recommend it to anyone who wants to experience another culture.  The United Kingdom is the place to go.  I will miss not being here.  It’s been another home for me this Fall.  The people here in Airdrie have cared, served, and loved me while I have been here.  I will definitely miss them. God is doing so many great things at the RP Church here.  The congregation is truly seeking after God.  You see it in how they interact with each other.   You see it in their personal lives.  I praise God for my time here and the people I have met.  I have gained more family members in Christ this Fall.
    You may ask me, what will I take away from the CTI program?  There are so many things I could highlight, but I will focus on a few.  Christians must be seeking to become more like Christ, seeking holiness, truly leaving this world and following God only, being separate and different from the world. We must love each other, because Christ loved us first.  Also we must learn from failures in evangelism, not being afraid to fail.  We trust in God for salvation of people. Finally, seeing the beauty in the Law of the Lord and learning about the love through it.  These virtues have been reflected off the people in the Church.  I will take all these things back to my home and apply them to my life.  I will also take back the friendships I made.  Just being in a different country has taught me a lot about cultures.  I see similarities and I see differences, but I love experiencing different countries.  Of course, America is my home, but for awhile, the UK was too.
    Scottish History has taught me too.  The Reformers/Covenanters have taught me about Christian disciplines.  They showed me the importance of the kingship of Christ.  He is king over all including world leaders. They showed me a nation can be changed by the Gospel.  They showed me the importance of knowing the Scriptures.  The poor, common man of that time would tell priests how they were wrong and what the Bible said.  The Bible makes the uneducated educated.  They showed me the world will hate you.  The majority of Scotland either has forgotten the Reformers or view them as terrorists.  They showed me the Christian life is not easy.   Sometimes people will seek to end your life because of your faith.  You must look towards the Heavenly Kingdom and not to this world.  You must not fear death, but fear a Holy God.  Trust in Him and know there is no victory in death.  My life isn’t over after it.  I will never forget the men and women of the Scottish Reformations.
    The moral of the story is I praise God for the time I had in Scotland.  I’ve loved my time here, and I will miss the RP Church of Airdrie.  I will make sure I stay connected to the people of Scotland, and God willing, I will return someday.  Thank you Lord for your blessings, and thank you the people of Airdrie for your love.

1Corinthians 11:1-Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

In Christ,
Ryan

Blogging for Apples…It’s a Pun

What’s up all you CTI blog readers, it’s Ryan Dewey again, here for more excitement and action in Scotland.  I broke this blog into two parts.  So here we go, enjoy!

Part 1: Vacation, all I ever wanted!  During the first week of November Rocco  and I traveled to London and Paris for our vacation week.  We both figured we don’t know when the next time we will be so close to the rest of Europe will be, so we jumped on this opportunity.  London was great.  We got to see all the main sights of the city.  Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Spurgeon’s church, a World War I and II museum, you name it we saw it.  Transportation in London was very simple to figure out, and the prices were very reasonable.  All the museums were free too, which was a plus.  Each day we got to see a different part of London.  Both Rocco and I enjoyed our time in London.

The English know how to treat tourists.  I would definitely go back if I ever had the chance.  I still love the Scots the best in the UK but England’s not bad.
     
Paris was a totally different ball game.  The city was not as tourist friendly as I thought.  I got to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Versailles Palace, but the trip itself wasn’t as relaxing.  Sadly, the main reason we went to France was to head over to Omaha beach in Normandy, to honor our ancestors and troops who fought in WWII.  The problem was Paris was so expensive that we just couldn’t afford a trip to Normandy and then back to Paris.  We had to scrap the Normandy trip.  I’m disappointed about that, but I don’t regret going to Paris.  Now I can say I saw it.  I mean how many Americans get to go to Paris, not many.  Paris just has a different mentality than America.  If you like shopping and have the money to afford it, Paris might be the city for you.  I just know it’s not my favorite town.  Overall, it was a great trip.  I thank God for the opportunity to go on it.

Part 2: The Religion for Sinners.  Ok, so the other day I was listening to John Stewart, the host of the Daily Show, interview Bill O’ Reilly, Fox News.  They were talking about Obama becoming president and then moved toward Stewart’s understanding that O’Reilly is more right wing in his beliefs.  Since Republicans/Conservatives are supposed to be more religious than liberals, Stewart said this, “Just because you go to Church doesn’t mean you are good.  It just means you go to Church.”  Now when I first heard this comment I just thought how sad it is that many non-Christians view Christianity in this light.  I would say that a
majority of unbelievers believe people go to Church because it’s the right thing to do.  It makes you better.  It’s good for you.  Or at least they think people who go to church think this.  When I tell people I’m studying to become a youth pastor they usually respond, “Good for you.”  They think I’m doing it to make myself feel better, or that I’m doing charity work.  In the world’s eyes, Christianity is for people to feel better about themselves.  Going to church is just part of how the religious man gets into heaven.  It makes God love you more.
     
All these views of the world are lies, foolish, and blind.  They have no idea what Christianity is all about.  If they did, they might be a Christian themselves.  Matthew Henry put it perfectly in his commentary for Romans.  He said, “Christianity is the religion of the sinner.”  To answer John Stewart’s comment, I do not go to Church because I’m good.  I go to church because I’m bad.  I’m so bad that I need a Savior or I will spend an eternity in a place where bad people go.  To correct him further, no one is good but God.  We are all bad.  We are all fallen.  We are all born sinners.  We all need a Savior.  People don’t understand their sin and the terrible consequences it brings.  On my own power I could never go anywhere but Hell.  I could go to all the Church services I want.  It’s not gonna save me.  Only Christ, that perfect beautiful sacrifice He gave us, can save us.  I trust in a perfect, good, and Holy God to save.  I don’t trust in anyone or anything else because everything else is bad.  Again, the only one who is good is God.  I’m not doing youth ministry because I want to make myself feel better or because I feel the Lord will love me more because of it.  I’m doing it because I love God and want others to feel the same joy that I have.  That joy is in my Savior, Lord, and King, Jesus Christ.  I want God to be glorified not me or man.  I go to church/am a Christian because I know how terrible I really am.  I’m a sinner in desperate need of a savior.  I thank God for Jesus and the free gift of grace he offers.  This amazing grace takes away my bad, my sin because of faith in Christ.  I pray others will see their sin and run to Christ, the only one who can save us.

Rom 7:24-25  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

In Christ,
Ryan Dewey

Just One Thing I Want To Share

Went back to Northern Ireland for my free week, good to be back. Good to see friends again.  I will tell my children (God willing) about the great times I have spent with my friends. No greater love have I felt on the people of the earth than the love of Christ’s Elect.  I mean I was sitting in the Parkes’ kitchen, and I just thought, these people share no blood with me, I knew none of them as I was growing up, I shared no education with them, and I am in their house at the seat of honour being fed like a king. If I wasnt holding the fort together I think I could have wept with joy and humility before God.  How great His love and grace to me. To be surrounded by those who love me…and I know that they love me. Fellowship with God-fearing, humble people is such a thing to be sought and the small house in Co Antrim, with a small fire and some tray bakes and tea is a great place to be…

 

David Duly

Lots Of Travelling This Week

We had a great time this week.  The three CTI students went to Dave’s house in Northern Ireland last weekend!  He toured us around his hometown, a coastal town called Whitehead.  It was beautiful.  We walked along the Irish coast and came across caves and a lighthouse that looked stereotypical of a Northern Irish town.  We went to his home church and had fellowship there.  We went into Belfast and walked through the town and saw some great sites.  They built a great outdoor mall where you can walk up all these steps to get a great view of the city.

The best part was that we got to meet Dave’s awesome family.  His father was a patriotic Ulsterman, who made me laugh on more than one occasion.  Dave’s father and I had a great discussion about theology (he is a retired RP minister), and we also talked about the differences between American and European politics.  We were up until three in the morning chatting about the different worldviews.  It was great to hear the point of view from an someone who has been around the block and could tell me the European worldview.  His mother was always trying to make us (Ryan and I) feel at home and tried to make us happy all the time by feeding us and providing for us.  His brother was great as well.  We played video games with him and had some great laughs with him.

Also, this week we went to Stirling.  You may have heard of this town because it was in Braveheart.  Two great battles were fought there for Scotland’s freedom.  We also went to the Wallace Monument.  That was great fun.  We had to walk 246 steps to get to the top of it.  It had three levels to it though.  Each level gave you more information about William Wallace and what he did.  There was also in the Monument a hall of Scotland’s heroes, like John Knox and others.  When you get up to the top you can see the whole city from up there.  The sight is amazing.

God’s creation is so great and beautiful.  It doesn’t matter if you are in Northern Ireland, on top of the Wallace Monument, or in your home; God’s creation is so great and shows that God is the creator of the world.

Rocco Palmerine