Update #2
So yeah update #2 I’m sat in Brew a real cool “craft” coffee(speciality coffee) place just after my first Sunday service here in Redding. My assigned service is Cascade theatre which is a cool 1000 seater venue in the downtown of Redding.
It’s been kinda crazy this week since my last update while traveling, I ended my almost 27 hour travel day by getting pulled over by a cop, I was so tired and trying to follow the sat nav I was weaving about in my lane a bit. He asked for my license which I had to “translate” and after speaking with him for a bit he realised I was just a tired Irish guy trying to get to bed. He told me to take it slow and to keep the windows down and sent me on my way.
Wednesday was registration which was sorta what I expected, just some lines to fill in forms and check boxes and then meet my Revival Group Pastor Jeremy Gonzales and his team, they were all great but obviously tired since I was in one of the last groups of the day. Thursday I got to meet the rest of my revival group(RG) felt like that first day at school when you move to a new town, but I when I was overthinking it as I arrived I realised that mostly everyone else is in the same boat so I just went and was that person that introduces themselves first. I’m glad I did, meet some awesome people; someone else with Levi the Poet tattoos, another who wants to quiz me on my thoughts on the troubles and brexit and plenty of other people I’m excited to call family for this coming season.
I’ve found out that there are currently 3 other 1st years from our wee country(the 32 counties) and started connecting up with other 2nd/3rd years from Ireland as well as some of the Brits too.
Its funny the G-d moments that are popping up with the first worship thing I went to being a house party with Allan McKinlay(Scottish guy I’ve mixed for loads), the girl with the LTP tattoos and the house I’ve landed in while I’m still looking for somewhere more permanent(if you’re the praying sort keep praying for that)
I had an interesting moment with a friends dog yesterday while on their farm, they warned me to be careful around it as it was quite young and could bite when trying to play. After stroking it a couple of times it seemed real friendly and like my old dog Alex who wouldn’t bark, but would grab your hand softly to get your attention so I thought nothing of it and the dogs were left to roam about the farm while we were berry picking. About an hour later I came out of the thicket and the dog was just about to run past but stopped dead and looked at me kinda confused like he hadn’t seen me before and started barking really viciously so I took a step back but this just made him bark more and came closer. When this clicked in my brain I stepped toward him and he backed off and returned to my friend who’d been calling him to her since he’d started barking. I don’t know if its something G-d is trying to teach me or someone else, but those big scary things get a lot less scary when we step toward them. I’m not suggesting you go about trying to stroke all the snarling dogs you come across but those moments were you feel like stepping back might be the moment for you to push in and stand in courage that there is someone bigger who’s got your back.
The air here has been great up until yesterday, the Carr fire that had devastated the area to the north/west of Redding has gone out. But it’s still fire season until mid-October so every now and then smoke gets blown into town. While I was riding today I noticed my throat and nose got ‘sticky’ so yeah you praying sorts pray for water to rain down in California rather than ash raining down on us.
My new bike arrived Friday and it is awesome if I do say so myself its a fixie so definitely something to get used to. I just finished my first 10 or so miles on it today, its definitely a more engaged way to cycle, and with my current house the hills are all at the very end of the ride so it just does my legs in.
Through Grace & Caffeine,
Benjamin




