Encounter School of Mission

26/06/2023

21/06/2023

🏅 Game. Set. Match. 🏅

It's so easy to feel like when we have conversations about our faith that the goal is to somehow 'win' the conversation.

To disprove everything the other person is saying.

To tell them how wrong they are.

Because if we do that, then they'll become a Christian at the end of the conversation...

Right?

I've had this mindset so many times, and really the only person I'm serving when I act like that is me.

Not God.

Me.

We've been called to love, not to win.

14/06/2023

Sometimes we're not always willing to say this but...

Prayer can be tough 🙏

It can be hard to find the time.

Hard to find the space.

Hard to find the focus.

Hard to find the words to say.

I know these are all things that I've struggled with when it comes to developing a healthy prayer life.

So I wanted to share 5 tips that I've found have been incredibly helpful in starting to set a rhythm and carve out space to speak with God in my everyday.

07/06/2023

This is how to offer to pray for someone. 🙏🏻

It starts from a place of obedience.

It starts from a place of humility.

It starts with a question…

“Hey, can I ask you a question? I’m a Christian, I believe God loves you and I was just wondering if there was anything you would love prayer for today?”

Sometimes we can be so fixated on not ‘messing up’ when we share our faith or offer to pray for someone that we just don’t try.

(And trust me, I’m like that too sometimes)

But we’re not being called to be perfect.

We’re not being called to be right.

We’re called to be obedient to the mission that God’s called us to.

So I encourage you, let's take this risk together…

Let’s send that question I’ve shared to someone we know today.

It’s gonna be scary.

It’s gonna feel vulnerable.

But maybe, just maybe, it’ll begin to feel a little less scary.

If you do, I’d love to hear from you and hear how it went, feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a message, I’d love to chat with you!

26/05/2023

This took me years to figure out... 👀

It took me longer than I’d like to admit to figure out that if I based my purpose and my identity on what I do, I would end up doing nothing with my life. At the end of that long and painful journey, I discovered what my purpose in life was and the funny thing is that your purpose in life is the exact same as mine…

Love God. Love people.

For the majority of us in life God gives us choices of where we go and what we do. He doesn’t always spell it out for us and He isn’t always clear on what the ‘right’ thing is to do. Don’t get me wrong, God has given us some very clear commandments on the way we live our lives and how we pursue things like purity and holiness but the where and the what isn’t. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to make decisions, that God would point me where to go with some giant cloud hand in the sky but that’s not always how He chooses to speak. He isn’t a dictator, but He is a loving father. He gives us the freedom to make choices and to surrender and follow Him in those choices.

In the Bible, Jesus was asked by the Pharisees which commandment was greatest and Jesus replied love God and love people.

And while sometimes we see Jesus giving specific instructions on how or where or why to do something, when he released the disciples to spread the good news all he said was for them to go and heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the l***r, and cast out demons.

So when it doesn’t seem clear where to go or what to do in life, I think he lets us choose and then He says wherever you go, whatever you do, your purpose is to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the l***r, and cast out demons.

Your purpose isn’t defined by your job, it’s not defined by your location, it is found and formed only through Him. Love God, love people.

Love them by healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the l***r, and casting out demons.

Y’know, just those small things…

And if you don’t know how to do any of that, you’re in the right place because that’s exactly what we’re all about. And it’s exactly what we’re going to be posting about.

But if you want to take 9 months and intentionally lean into learning about this with me and the team here in Northern Ireland why not click the link below and go on this journey with us in person.

http://encounterschool.com/

13/11/2021

We are so excited that applications are now open for ESOM 2022/23 🔥

Check out our website for more info!

07/06/2021

CONGRATS CLASS OF 2021🥳🎉

Last week we celebrated the graduation of our ESOM 2020/21 Students! To both our Online and Onsite students - well done!!🌟

What a year it’s been🙌🏼

20/05/2021

The end of ESOM 2021✨

On Tuesday we completed our final teaching session of the year, both Onsite and Online! Thank you .a.houston and for teaching and leading us through our final evening - what a blessing it was!

PS. and make the best ice cream sundaes👏🏼😉