Week Five: God of this City and Risky Business

It's amazing, actually, seeing God work. I've been in several different places and have heard the same prayer, that God would change this city. No one is praying for a particular denomination, no one is trying to convert people to Catholic or Protestant, what they care about is the well being of the people, that they would find God without "religion" (the problem) by seeking Jesus. And some are stepping out and risking much, in hopes that a few might be saved.

I told you that there is a business man here who is Christian and opened a cafe on Shankill (Protestant Belfast) in hope of building community in a safe way. After running the cafe for a while he began walking up and down Falls Road (Catholic Belfast) selling pastries (his other job) and wondering if it might be God's will to start another Cafe of the same name on the Falls road. He believed it is. So this past week I was in the new cafe painting and getting it ready to open this week. It's a great story of a person who believes in the Larger community of God with out boundaries or titles. but it's the irony that makes the story awesome.

First of all, he is Protestant English and by all means should be hated on the Falls Road, but he's been talking to owners all up and down the road letting them know what he is about. Secondly, because he's trying to do something so different he has to use his own money for the start up (Many thousands of Pounds) and is literally risking everything, including his life, to build bridges between the two communities. The funny part is this, This protestant is opening a shop on the corner of Falls Road and RPG Avenue (Yes, Rocket Propelled Grenade Avenue!) and on the side of his cafe is a 2 storey mural of an armed Irishman from the Easter Rising in Dublin...You can't make this stuff up. Our God has an amazing sense of humor.

That's all for now. I'll be away next week in Dublin for a conference of missionaries from western Europe. I'll catch up with you all later. Thanks for your prayers!