Imitators of Those

“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Hebrews 6:11-12

Tag: Preparation

  • Ebenezer and the Making of a Man

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    Dónal
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    “God knows what it takes to make a man” These were the words spoken by the dear brother who had discipled me in his own home for three years. I had recently moved to England to work, still a relatively young believer, with a difficult new church situation, and more than anything, a lament of…

  • 30 Years Old: What Lies Ahead?

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    Dónal
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    This week I turn 30. I’m not really one for birthdays. Dee and I have been together for 15 years (yes, I know, too young… moving on). The first year of our childhood romance we enthusiastically bought each other presents… and that was the last time. We are both terrible present buyers, poor celebrators in…

  • The Problem With Aeroplanes

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    Dónal
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    I love aeroplanes. Ever since I was a child, picking out my first Revell model kit with my Grandpa (a Messerschmitt BF109G), reading Biggles books, watching war movies and watching the helicopters fly overhead, I loved them. My goal as a teenager was to join the Irish Air Corps, but when I encountered Christ at…

  • A Better Inheritance than Stability

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    Dónal
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    As I write, the warm glow of the fire fills the room. Through a crack between the curtains I can see the dark outside. As is to be heard on the lips of many an Irishman at this time of year (amidst other colloquialisms regarding the general discontentment with whatever weather patterns exist on a…

  • Visa Delays and Kingdom Readiness

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    Dónal
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    It was surprisingly mild for a September night at 2am as I walked down the country roads in the eerie, yet serene, silence of the “wee hours”. Darkness, our old friend, does have a sound of silence. It has a way of simultaneously stilling us with its abrupt ending to our vision, focusing our attention…

  • The Sacrifice of Sending

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    Dónal
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    Sacrifice is a foolish thing. To the uninitiated it appears to be a frivolous expenditure of the best, with nothing to show for it. From humble shopping to high-end business transactions, a deal may be good or bad depending on the return on investment. But even the most clueless investor would laugh at the idea…

  • The Wisdom of God in Movement

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    Dónal
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    Recently I did three posts on responses that people have given to our leaving for the foreign mission field. Namely regarding: risk, sacrifice, and prayer. Having mulled over things, I’ve decided to add one final response. And while others have expressed the following sentiments, it is something that has elicited the strongest pushback from another…

  • We Are Praying

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    Dónal
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    This is the third and final post looking at some responses to our call to missions that we have experienced over the past couple of years. The previous installments consisted of my response to two opinions that have cropped up on multiple occasions, namely: an overstated view of risk, and an overstated view of sacrifice.…

  • They Just Don’t Make Them Like They Used To…

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    Dónal
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    In the last post, I spoke about one attitude that we have received from a number of people, which responds negatively to the risk that moving overseas brings. I will do a third post on the overwhelmingly majority response which we have received (which is incredibly positive and encouraging), but today I am going to…

  • It’s a Dangerous Business Frodo

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    Dónal
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    “Mum, I know what I want to be when I grow up,” seven year old Dónal excitedly said, as my mother tried to stop me from twisting round while she dried my hair. “I want to be a spy for MI6, just like James Bond!” “Oh Dónal, no, no, that kind of job is very…

  • Time: The Great Accumulator

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    Dónal
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    This is how my house looks. Crates, boxes, suitcases. These ones to stay, those ones to go. Sorting through the old pictures, notebooks, stuff. “Oh, where did you find that?” “Hey, do you remember this?!” What to keep? This could be useful. The minimalists don’t appreciate the power in the potential of an item. “We…

  • Others Appear Later

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    Dónal
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    I have written the last couple of posts on the topic of our waiting to head out to the mission field. One final thought on this matter. I am thankful that our sending church did not seek to hasten things along. I am reminded of the most horrible aircraft I ever worked on. It was…