Recently during a conversation about grace and forgiveness a friend interjected that “God gives us opportunities to forgive others so that we can learn how to forgive like He has forgiven us.” It is a similar conclusion I have heard in many different forms, God sends us suffering so that it will develop our character,…
Thursday Thoughts (Sept 27 2018)
In the past I have found the next month can sometimes be a difficult month for some of our apprentices who join our teams in August. The excitement of the new adventure can begin to fade and the desire for depth of relationship increase. Homesickness, readjusting expectations, culture shock, translation and social fatigue can all…
Thursday Thoughts (Sept 20 2018)
Last week we studied Acts 28 together in the office. The chapter picks up with Paul washing up on shore after being shipwrecked off the coast of Malta. The situation goes from bad to worse as he helps build a fire to warm up and dry out and he is bitten by a snake. When…
Thursday Thought (Sept 13 2018)
Recently as Pais USA we explored the story of Samuel anointing Saul to be King. (1 Samuel 10) Over the past few days as I have reflected and teams have been starting placements with church partners all over the world I have felt God bring back what happened just after Saul’s anointing to my attention….
The Life Of Riley: February 18
Last week we hit the 6 month mark of our relocation. Honestly I haven’t posted nearly as much as I meant, although if you’ve kept up with Bec’s daily posts, many of you probably feel like you know more about our lives than your average tabloid regular. But as we hit the 6 month point…
A Christmas Story – Making Room For More
Recently I kicked off the Christmas series for advent at our new Church plant, Saints Church Viridian. Sometimes when I speak I notice a hint of confusion cross peoples faces, surprised for a moment as if they just switched on Britbox by accident instead of ABC or HBO. I find myself constantly explaining “I am…
December 17 Update
It’s December the 1st and that means its time for the festivities to begin at the Riley house! So in the spirit of celebration I thought I’d record a short vlog celebrating some of what we’ve been up to over the last month or so. And here is a little snapshot of what else…
October Vlog
In a few minutes we are off to check out how 6 flags (the local theme park) compares with Barry’s of Portrush. But before we do I’ve uploaded a brief video update to share a little of what we are up to out here. Long may our world come alive as ordinary everyday courageous…
Riley Relocation Update
It’s been 6 weeks already, it seems a lot longer written down and in black on my screen. I actually can’t quite believe we’ve been here that long, it’s been such a whirlwind we’ve barely noticed the weeks fly by. Relocations are always bound to be hectic in nature but due to the delay on…
Because You’re Loved: Miracles
When I was growing up my grandparents false teeth fascinated me. Their teeth sitting in a glass by their bedsides seemed curiously strange but yet the idea of being able to take your teeth out oddly interested me. In fact I think I can even remember asking my parents why I couldn’t take my teeth…