A New Season

The Last three years of our lives have been one of the most incredible testimonies of God's grace, love, and faithfulness. We couldn't have even dreamed this up! 2008 was truly a year of new beginnings for us as we left Los Angeles in transition to London in February of '08, at which point we really started to get that sense of independence that can be both liberating and terrifying all at once. It seems that God has had us on some kind of "one year step plan" up till now. Let me explain: 

Lizzie and I started working full-time in Los Angeles during the summer of '06 and got married :) It was then that we started praying about church-planting in Europe, but primarily the U.K.. Now, it was during the Summer of '07 (one year later) that we got to scope out the land during Creation Fest  in Devon and spent some time in London where we heard the call to move over. Naturally, we started taking steps towards making the move landing us here a year later in July '08. That leads us to the current time, as we find ourselves at last in central London at Notting Hill Gate. It was exactly a year from when we left L.A. to when we landed our place in the middle of London. And now we are praying about starting church services in Aug. Lord willing, which would make it around a year since we made the move over. HA! Whatever the case, we can say for sure that it gets better and better every year.

So, here we are in a new year entering into an exciting new season of ministry without loosing any time. Since Christmas we have been floored with ministry and moving. During the month of January to kick of the new year we filled in at C.C. Twickenham while the Dingman family made their U.S. visit. That meant four Sunday morning services, where we studied the Epistle to the Philippians , followed  up with a weekly prayer meeting and Bible study. We had a great time with the church and learned a ton. We were also looking for flats in London during that time as well, which took us to a level bordering Chaos,  but exciting none-the-less. We will spare you the details of our flat hunt, but in summary just about when we were ready to give it up for awhile, God led us to the perfect place. 

It was just a week after we found a place and finished filling in at Twickenham that Britt and Tim (our pastors from California) came for a visit. That was an awesome time of hanging out and sharing in what the Lord is doing here. We spent one whole Sunday visiting four different churches from morning till evening, which was both extremely encouraging and extremely concerning. It was  encouraging to see that God IS moving in England and that there is a faithful remnant here serving Jesus and preaching His Word and that there is also a MASSIVE need for more of that in every way. However, it was also terribly concerning to see and hear some of things that are being declared as the Word of God and done in His name. For this reason we are praying and trusting that God will use us in any way to help fill the need here and bring some Biblical correction with truth and in love. 

We had an awesome time visiting with those guys. It was so nice to connect with them and share about how the Lord is leading us. They are some of the coolest, most encouraging, and hilarious people we have ever known, and we are so blessed to have them as brothers and to be partnered with them in ministry. 

And so here we are in our new place looking forward to a new season of life and ministry with Jesus. We had our first official reality london prayer meeting last week, which has left us so excited and encouraged about what the Lord has in store, but we will save that for the next update! 

Thank you all for your love and support! 

Much Love, 

M&L 

As we look back in reflection upon the last year of life we are thankful for so many things the Lord has done. Just thinking last year at this time we didn't even have our visa status for the U.K. yet! God has provided for us in every way and has truly leveled mountains for us to move to London. It is truly nothing short of a miracle. Yet, without the miracle of God becoming a man, dwelling among us, and dying in our place its all worthless. We find that it's so easy to forget the enormity in the reality that the almighty God humbled Himself and became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich... Thank you Jesus for the greatest Gift of all..

     "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord..." Luke 2:8-11

We are so thankful to all of you that have been there through this last year and are so blessed by all of your encouragements, prayers, and support. We pray that this Christmas and New Year will be one filled with blessing and joy! 

Much Love & Blessings, 

Mark & Lizzie 

Lord, Teach Us To Pray...

I will never forget how the Lord brought us to R.L.A. in ’05. God was at work in such a wonderful way and I was completely clueless, which is no surprise. From meeting Tim C. during ministry school and seeing God connect him with Nick T., while I was having to move to L.A. and finish school in Costa Mesa, meeting my lovely, beautiful, wonderful wife to-be Lizzie, to seeing a small group of 10 to 15 people gather in Nick’s house to pray that Jesus would build His church in Hollywood. A word God gave me during one of these meetings was Isaiah 55:6-13. Specifically, verses 10-11 :

                  “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please,                                 And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

When remembering that, I think, how awesome is the Word of God coupled with prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit! These are the greatest resources given to man for the work of God!

Now, our heart and vision is for church planting, or better yet church birthing, and is founded upon and rooted in the word of God and prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit alone.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples just before the ascension He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, and said, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

Up until then the disciples had the Word of God and Prayer, but Jesus said they needed to wait for the Holy Spirit to come bring life and power and the church would be born as a result. We see this over and over again in the book of Acts. The word of God comes to the people, the people pray and receive it, and the Holy Sprit follows and brings life. A new church is born... 

Now, we know that the day of Pentecost has passed and the Holy Spirit has come and is active in this world today, but we are using this as a template for us as we have seen it effectively accomplished in church planting. That is, we are going to labor in the word of God and prayer and wait on the Holy Spirit to bring life.

That being said, the next step for us here in London is starting a prayer meeting. Jesus said that He would build His Church, and He also told His disciples that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers. So, we are counting on God to do the work He said He is going to do and we are going to pray until He brings life and direction by the Holy Spirit. AMEN!?

So please pray for us as we go into the city to find a place to pray. Right now we are considering a place in North Central London called “ The Upper Room”. Now how appropriate would that be, right!!!?

Also, pray that God would bring laborers to join in His harvest. Right now there is a couple named Christian and Michelle with their son Trent that are praying aboutr taking steps to move to London after visiting us recently. During their visit we had an awesome time of fellowship, bonding and prayer time. This is prayer being answered before our eyes. God is moving in people’s hearts to go into the harvest!

God has been so merciful to us here and we thank you for all your prayers, support and love. Blessings! M&L

“Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased,that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…”

Duel Purposes

Hey Everyone, Hope you are all doing well and are being blessed.. 

Things are beginning to settle more and more here everyday. Its funny, we are both so amazed at how comfortable we are living here. It feels like such a natural transition, almost like we've been here for years.. I remember us both feeling that way when we started seeing each-other. We both felt like we had known each-other all of our lives, like we grew up on the playground together, yet we were just getting to know one another. Guess that explains the reason why we got engaged within pretty much a months time, totally skipping the "dating" period, and was married four months later..

When the Lord's in it, it's right in every way, which makes it feel so natural and effortless. That's of course because it's what God has prepared beforehand (Eph.2:8-10), Amen!? So, all that's to say, we are very excited about the new season of life and ministry God is bringing us into. 

Now, the reason for this update is to tell you about something new we want to use the blog for.. Obviously, we want to keep you updated as to what Jesus is doing in our lives and ministry, but its been impressed on our hearts to use this blog to also communicate to ya'll what the Lord is speaking to us in His Word and any other Jesus related stuff... hopefully to have some dialogue with you for the purpose of fellowship. 

...Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” 

Mal. 3:16-17

We love Jesus, and want to talk about Him as much as we possibly can! So lets be Biblical and talk about the Lord! 

Blessings!  

M&L

The latest.

A great many things have happened since we wrote last. All of which testify of the great goodness of our Lord Jesus and what He can do in a life that is fully submitted and willing. 

We want to tell everyone about the wonderful things God has done for us as a way to encourage and strengthen believers everywhere to step out and step up in their walk of faith. And to show those that do not believe yet that there is a God that loves them so purely and wholly that He has left no stone unturned to find them and bring out of darkness and into the light of salvation. 

God has answered every prayer in abundance and with compassion. We were able to get a bank account right away, cell phones and even a sweet little two bedroom cottage to live in within a few weeks of being here. He has continued to provide miraculously for our expenses and even moved on a sweet  sisters heart to send us $2000 to buy a car to get around in. Praise God! 

He has provided not only financially and practically but spiritually as He has comforted us with ALL comfort during this huge transitional period.  He has been speaking to us about the importance of studying His Word, praying without ceasing and battling our enemy with our spiritual armor and without fear. Because He has overcome even death. 

Our weeks in England have been a bit unorganized and random since we have moved here. Filled with getting our house in order, getting to know people at Calvary Twickenham and going into the city to pray about where God would lead us to plant Reality London.

We have felt it on our hearts to go into the city (we are just outside of it) once a week to pray and scout out the land for possible future ministry. We have been drawn to the North since before we even moved here and feel confirmed more and more that that is where we will end up. There are two areas in particular that we are seeking God's guidance for; Camden Town and Notting Hill. Both are very different but equally desperate in their need for Jesus. 

Camden Town is sort of like stepping into the warped and twisted world of a Tim Burton movie. There are vendors of every kind there, which mainly cater to the rebellious and dark side of the human heart. A lot of goth and punk shops on the high street (main street) along with shops that promote eastern mysticism and pagan culture. When we stepped off the tube there we immediately felt a sense of oppression and despair and thought, "wow these people really need to hear the good news of the gospel!" Which is true of all places but we felt it more keenly here. In the Camden area there is such an oppressive and rebellious spirit among the youth and we see that as a cry for help and a sign of hope that they are ripe to hear about Jesus' love and forgiveness.

Notting Hill is the other area that we have visited and felt lead to pray for. There is a lot of interesting history about this borough of Northern London that gives it a very vibrant and diverse flavor. It was for a long time, an area where "civilized" people were urged to stay away from because of the instability and violence during the 50's and 60's. During that time there was a large Caribbean population that faced a lot of racial discrimination and the hard life of poverty. But since then, Notting Hill, has really emerged as one of London's trendiest areas to live whilst maintaining it's rich diversity and eclectic lifestyle. But to contrast that there is a huge spiritual void that is not being filled. Even though the outward has grown in amazing ways over the past few decades the churches' influence has not and we want to see God change that!

Lord give us wisdom and clarity of mind to see where you would have us go!

There is much ministry to do here and the depravity is almost too overwhelming for us to see at times. There are stories of teenagers being knifed in bar fights weekly, we see little children walking around with no respect for life or honor and the church declining daily as a place of authority, truth or respect. But, God has shown us that He loves these special people and the love with which God loves demands action and care.  We want to partner with Him to do that!

Partnering with us.

There are several ways in which you can be apart of what God is doing here with Reality London.

1) Intercession. Please join us in battle as we intercede on behalf of London and the       churches here. Jesus put such an emphasis on prayer through word and deed and we want to follow that example diligently and ask that you would do the same as you are lead by the Spirit.

   -Spirit filled life. We NEED God to pour out His Spirit on us so that we would be equipped and empowered to share Christ with the dying and lost and that God would bring a conviction    of sin to all that hear the precious message of salvation.

  -Mark's study time. Satan loves to attack this area with distractions and even seemingly good things like ministry but he has felt very strongly that as a Pastor he needs to spend a lot of  time at Jesus' feet and not busy himself with too much ministry and service. 

  -Marriage. How sweet and wonderful it is but what an area of great attack as well. We want to stand firm in the Lord and maintain a tight and loving relationship until we meet our Lord face to face.  

  2) Laborers. The harvest is so enormous but so few people are here to help plant, water and disciple. Please pray that God would speak to those that He is calling to come and help us in this great and wonderful city.

  3) Financial support. God has really been moving in peoples hearts to help share the load by supporting us financially as we minister out here. Thank you! But the reality is that once we move into the city the cost of living will rise dramatically. And not only that but we will need financial provision to rent a venue to have church in and to do outreaches. God WILL supply all our needs but pray and see if God would use you to help in this way.

That's it for now.

We love you guys and want to thank you for being such an amazing church family. What a blessing it is to hear from you, pray for you and partner with you. Praise God that He uses fools like us! 

Mark & Lizzie 

London Arrival !

Wow, This is an amazing time! We are so excited at times we feel like we could explode! God is so good!! Our arrival to London has been so blessed. The family we are staying with and will be helping out with are amazing! They have been such an example of the Lord by giving up their lives and making us feel comfortable and welcomed. They drove us around most of the day Fri. to look at flats to possibly rent. We are still looking but have been bartering for a flat up the street we are staying on, but are not sure how its gonna go. Please pray that God hooks us up with the place He has for us. 

London is such an amazing town! We went into central London the other day for a pastors prayer meeting with local guys around the city and I got so excited about ministering in the inner city I didn't want to leave. We keep getting this sense that God is going to do something so beyond what we can imagine and we can't wait to get started. Please pray as we will be going around the City each week to pray over different areas and seek the Lord about where He wants us in the future. This week we are going into North London as it is a place that has been really impressed upon our hearts and mentioned to us a few times to check out. Specifically a place called Camden-Town, which is a pretty edgy, younger area where alot of the street kids and goth kids hang out. We are going to take our camera up there and take some footage so we will place it on our facebook page for ya'll to see. We love you all and are so thankful for all of your love, support, and prayers. London is ripe for the Gospel!! Pray that God would move in the churches that are already here and the ones that are going to be established in the future!! The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers and bring a great harvest of souls in these last days!! Love & blessings to you all!! M&L

Hey Everyone, 

So, the time has arrived for us to depart for London!! It has been an amazing year of seeing God be faithful to set everything in order for this adventure piece by piece. Thank you so much for all of your prayers & support during this process. It is quite miraculous that we are able to move to the second most expensive city in world to minister, and I will be the first to say that we are the least likely candidates. I think of Gideon's response to the Lord's calling on his life when he said I am the least of the least, this must be a mistake.. Never the less, this is what God has chosen to do so we won't argue, but instead, rejoice!!! Another section of scripture that gets us excited about all this is 1Corinthians 1:26-2:5 

 "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.' And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." 

This brings such an encouragemnt to us because when we think of London, one of the most creative, sophisticated, intellectual, and influential cities in the world, we imediately begin to sink into the realization of how insignificant and base we are left to our selves. HOWEVER, with God, There is the possibility to turn the city of London upside down!!!!! The nations are a drop in the bucket to the Lord! No matter what happens we are confident that GOD WILL WORK. His word will not come back void, His power will be evident, His Spirit will be present, and His Glory will be revealed in London!!!! We love you all and are so thankful for your support!!

Much Love & Blessings, 

Mark &  Lizzie 

 We will be updating you more about London soon, but for now here are some things to pray for: 

1) God's wisdom in every decision

- Finding an apartment / flat 

- Managing our time 

- Ministry opportunities

2) Diligence 

- Prayer times 

- Devotional times 

- Studies 

3) Marriage 

- Unity / Love 

- Communication 

- intimacy

4) Getting Acclimated to British culture