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We had a great time in New York.  There is so much to do there we’ll probably head back that way some day.  We flew into London, UK on Wednesday and had a couple of days rest.  I then got news I was needed back in Durham, so on Saturday morning I flew back out to North Carolina.  I’ll be here for a couple of weeks now.

I called with New Horizon Church today for the Sunday morning service.  They are doing a really good series on money at present.  I recommend checking out the podcast (see titles Ripped Off, Monster & Profit Sharing).  I need to get myself some kind of portable mp3 player to listen to these on the move!

Flew to London today to leave the children with family here.  They are so excited to get some time away from Liz and I - can you believe that!?  I reckon it’s because they know their aunties will spoil them rotten.  We fly to New York this Thursday so there will be no updates for a while.

Bereanatheart and Klampert requested the chords for Rushing Wind. The video can be found here.

Jade has requested the chords to In Christ Alone.  Have fun!  The video can be found here.

apu005 has requested the chords to All I Need Is You.  The video can be found here.

I would just like to draw attention to the recent blogroll additions - blendingworship and Greg Carr.

blendingworship is all about a specific approach to worship which aims to blend old with new.  For example using both hymns and contemporary worship songs in the same set.

Greg Carr is the worship pastor at New Horizon Church in Durham, NC.

When I started off learning the guitar I was soooo into Keith Green.  This was one of my favourite songs and I used to sing it regularly at different churches.  I’m singing it again at a wedding this Saturday.

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FknimMxJs6o]

Direct Link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FknimMxJs6o

Rushing Wind

Rushing wind blow through this temple
Blowing out the dust within
Come and breathe your breath upon me
I’ve been born again

Holy Spirit I surrender
Take me where you want to go
Plunge me by your living waters
Plant me deep so I can grow

Jesus, you’re the one who set my spirit free
Use me Lord, glorify your Holy name through me

Separate me from this world Lord
Sanctify my life for you
Daily change me to your image
Help me bear good fruit

Everyday you’re drawing closer
Trials come to test my faith
But when all is said and done Lord
You know it’s been worth the wait

I’m currently practising this song to sing at a wedding on Saturday.  I’m still not comfortable with it due to the fact that I cannot guitar pick very well! Hopefully all will go well.

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=78yOf5FxK3g]

Direct Link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=78yOf5FxK3g

I Will Be Here 

Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the sun does not appear
I- I- I will be here
If in the dark we lose sight of love hold my hand and have no fear
Cause I- I- I will be here

I will be here, when you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind, I will listen
And I will be here, when the laughter turns to crying
Through the winning, losing, and trying, we’ll be together
Cause I will be here

Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the future is unclear
I- I- I will be here
As sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetimes are made for years
So I- I- I will be here

I will be here, and you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we’re older, I will hold you
And I will be here, to watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

Hmmmmmmmm, I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me

I- I- I will be here

And just as sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetimes are made for years
So I- I- I will be here
We’ll be together
I will be here

The last few days have been so busy I haven’t had a chance to update y’all. We’re home now in Ireland. Here’s a round-up of the last fews days.

Day Eighteen: Wednesday 4th July

It’s the 4th of July. Doesn’t mean a lot to us, but we wanted to go out and enjoy the celebrations just like our fellow Americans. Wednesday morning we had a lazy morning in the house. We had decided to go to the North Carolina Fairgrounds out near Raleigh. It opened at 3pm and we were warned to get there early.

There was plenty of places to park when we arrived. There was not a lot of people there yet either. We dandered about the various stalls and the kids played the games that were on offer, collecting tickets that could be exchanged later for prizes.

There was a lot of food stalls. We found out why later. While the Drifters played on stage, thousands of extra people turned up just before the fireworks were scheduled to start.

We were getting tired at this stage and even contemplated going home, but we’re glad we stayed for the show in the end.

It took around 45 minutes to get out of the carpark after the fireworks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people in one place before.

Day Nineteen: Thursday 5th July (Nathan’s Birthday)

Today was Nathan’s birthday and he had the whole thing planned. He wanted to go to Golden Corral for his lunch (much to Liz’s delight) and then to Frankies (again) followed by a trip to the cinema to see Transformers.

We got the Golden Corral over as soon as we could and made our way down to Frankie’s. This time it was the bumper boats and batting cages plus some arcade games. Nathan got hit on the hand hit by one of the balls coming out of the machine which was quite painful for him.

There is a few nice houses around Frankie’s (Brier Creek) that just sits over the Durham county border. We checked out a few of the housing developments and ended up in Brier Creek shopping mall. There is a cinema there, so we all went to see Transformers. Katie sat content for a while and then started to play up. Liz took Katie out and did some shopping instead.

The boys really enjoyed the movie. We headed back to the apartment and got out Nathan’s birthday cake.

Day Twenty: Friday

We were planning to go to Wilmington tomorrow so we stayed in.

Day Twenty-One: Saturday

We left early in the morning and drove 2.5 hours to Wilmington down the I40 East. The televison series Dawson’s Creek was filmed there. We were hungry when we got down there so after visiting the tourist information stand, we went to get something to eat. We ended up in a little restaurant by the river and were seated outside on the deck.

A thunderstorm started to roll in and soon we were in the middle of it. Thunder was shaking the building and lighting was striking all round us. It was fun for a while until the wind and rain really picked up. We were moved inside and finished our meal there.

The rain changed things. We had planned to go the beach, but it was raining on and off. Instead we went to a snake house. Well, me and boys did. We just about got Liz into the reception. The snake house was excellent. They housed many species of snake, lizards and even a couple of crocidile.

One of the crocidiles took a liking to the boys and each time they got close it tried to snap their heads off. The first time it happened the both of them near screamed the place down. Everyone looked over to see what had happened. I was folded over in laughter!

The feeding show started at 3pm where the keepers stepped into the cage with the 30ft pythons carrying 2 rabbits and a small pig. For animals that sit still most of the time they could sure move fast. Then went on to feed the Bushmasters with heated up rats. The Bushmasters are very dangerous and the boys had read up on them earlier. When the snakes started to come out of their enclosure to get the rats the boys started to get nervous and back off.

After meeting back up with Liz we went and grabbed some coffee and ice-cream. Then on the way home we drove to Wrightsville beach, but it was raining too hard to be bothered taking a peek at the beach itself.

Day Twenty-Two: Sunday

We went to New Horizon Church in the morning.  In the afternoon we went to Southpoint and met up with Barry and Julie for tea at Chillis.

Day Twenty-Three: Monday

My last day at work, or so I thought.  There was bit of a crisis today which kept me working late at the office.  We went to Firebirds to mark our last night for a while in Durham.

Day Twenty-Four: Tuesday

I went into work for about 7am to try and clear up the ongoing crisis.  I had to leave at 9.40am otherwise the taxi would go without me!  I had to leave for the airport with the crisis unresolved.  I was also on the way to a crisis of another kind… when I recover emotionally I may write about it.