Paul Ireland

Leaving the homeland

2009-08-03T23:07:00.000Z

Its been a busy 5 months since the notion of going away for the year had jumped into my head.
After a few conversations and a lot of God provision, its got to the point where im heading out to Canada, to Redwood Park Church (http://www.redwoodpark.org/) for the year! i'm excited and nervous about the year to come, but cant wait to get stuck in and learn!

I got back from Romania there on the 24th July and been getting so frustrated about waiting around having nothing to do, being unemployed and all that! Romania was probably one of the best teams i've ever been on... they are absolute legends every last one of them.
My time out there was personally pretty challenging with the poverty but also God was working away on changing my heart too. I can only best describe the 2 weeks in 2 words... SIGNIFICANT and LOVE. (thanks mate, you know who you are)

so here we go on the countdown... leaving on Wednesday, only 5 days left in Northern Ireland for at least a year! i wont be home until the end of summer 2010. I don't really like goodbyes.. they are very final and lets face it, its only a year, plus who's gonna miss me really :-D

so maybe its more appropriate to say 'cheers for now' and hope that in the year Trans-Atlantic friendship maintenance is effective in keeping our journeys going!
i will miss hanging out with old friends, and with relatively new friends, i'm gonna miss milk chocolate and the good old Irish sense of humour and wit, i'm gonna miss inappropriate jokes with my bros, the ulster frys and maybe even the random weather, im gonna miss long telephone conversations with new mates who don't realise how funny they are... but here's to the beginning of the next chapter... taking every opportunity to learn and experience all the fullness of life that Jesus talks about.
SIGNIFICANT, LOVE... i hope that this next year is an extension of the last month in terms of significance and love!
So for all of you who can hack it...

i love u!

for the rest... i like u :-)
Paul

16months later!!

2009-02-27T14:31:00.004Z

Hey all...

16 months ago I wrote a blog...
Thats a long time ago! I almost forgot I had this thing!

Its funny how things change... since I last blogged ive changed job, America has a new President and we are now on season 7 of 24... :):) an I got an iphone, playing in a new band, been to USA 5 times and canada once and moved out of my house onto the Lisburn Road, own a royal python, changed car 3 times...206-> landrover -> golf... 3 mates got married -> 3 more this year, going to Romania this summer, friends moved on, new friends arrive, single->GF->single again, grew a beard... twice, Got a tattoo... twice and one lip piercing...

...and in the last 16 months approx 1,290,240 young girls have been sold into the sex traffiking trade out of Cambodia and Phillipines to perverts in brothels. check out http://www.love146.org

what has changed for you in the last 16 months?
Paul

Journey

2007-10-30T01:11:00.001Z

Sorry for the post drought but im guessing that theres not a whole lot of people read this mind dumping zone anyhow...

a 'journey' according to dictionary.com is...

–noun
1.a traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time; trip: a six-day journey across the desert.
2.a distance, course, or area traveled or suitable for traveling: a desert journey.
3.a period of travel: a week's journey.
4.passage or progress from one stage to another: the journey to success.

I have been thinking about what it means to journey.
usually u are well prepared and equipt for your journey... most of the time u know where you are going.
Life is a journey and im not sure how well prepared and equipt i am at the moment, not sure what direction im going in!

My life has been, to me, an amazing journey... one that i take great comfort and joy in sharing with those who i love most!
Journeys are always better when you have company... like on the 8 hour flight or the 3 month whirlwind tour of the east coast of the USA... and such is that in life... i owe lots to those who Journey with me... along side me... in the good and the bad times... through the craic and the confusion... even if its just sharing good times on the phone or over the internet or texts or in the 9 hour games of halo 3, or watching the waves, the stars, or even eating pigs in blankets over a good chat...
my journey would be very painful without those closest to me...

good times

My journey with my God, my father... its different now... and im not sure how best to describe it... as my head knowledge has increased i think my heart response has decreased... sometimes im apathetic... sometimes i just cant practice his presence... sometimes i just dont want to... so things are not going to well on this journey... my focus has un focused... my drive has grinded to a steady slow to halt speed and my fire is more like a tiny spark that falls from a Halloween firework.
so many battles, struggles, trials, little in the way of victory, and the thought of 'i dont care' keeps springing to mind more often that i like.
I, like everyone else, am on a journey home to him... and i am not prepared or equipt and have no clue in which direction to aim my eyes and body in...

not so good times

some journeys are great, some are bad, some get better, some get worse... but all journeys will end at some point... i hope to finish the race/journey strong... with all i have in me i will try but this reality of a journey gone bad keeps smackin me between the eyes... and it is a daunting thought... one with grave implications if it comes to pass!

i often write these long posts... and it helps me to gather my thoughts, then i never actually publish them... i hate being/feeling vulnerable so i tend to hit the back space button and move onto the next distraction! but this time its the big orange button im gonna click next.

so here we are... the moment of truth... the day of reckoning (In the 'voice' lolBen)

reader... I hope this finds u well and makes some sense and maybe even some good may come from it!
Paul

2007-09-12T21:36:00.000Z

"The greatest strength of a man is to realize his weaknesses and deal with them. The greatest weakness a man can have is to pretend he has no weaknesses and therefore continue making mistakes."

Some updates!

2007-08-28T09:16:00.000Z

hey everyone... or you 1 or 2 who check this thing...
some updates from a very busy summer!

Spain holiday with the lads, mark dave steve an me... good times... food, sun, pool, naked in the pool, nice hotel roller coaster (dave an steve are complete pansys "i'll hold the coats"

summermadness- immense!!

this is what 5000 people praising God looks like.

Worship Ireland team- pretty awesome week... great to spend time with friends... old and new!

Summer stuff at work... Good but tiring... Zoo visits, golfing BBQ games in the park...

SPARK... loved it... some amazing people... ballykeel ballykeel ballykeel... most enjoyed being team leader and my bro Ben being in my team.

he is one of the best!

REACH- Newtonabbey streetreach thing... was good... was tied and was collecting rubbish all week... we found a canoe one day tho...

Going snowboarding with loadsa mates over the new year... getting excited about it apart from being skint and just hoping i have enough money come OCT6th to pay for it!

And this is rach. (on the right... excuse the ridiculas sunglasses)

we have been going out since June... she is class... love spending time with her... haven't seen her much over the summer because its been so flat out busy but makes the times like sitting watching anchorman at 1am and lunch at la cuisine so much better!!

Back to porridge now!

injustice...

2007-07-12T00:02:00.000Z

God hates injustice! it goes against everything he is...
over the course of summer madness God has been dealing with my apathy to the injustice going on around the globe... i see things with new eyes now...

27 million people today are enslaved
(http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/Default.aspx)

Each year, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders (some international and non-governmental organizations place the number far higher), and the trade is growing. (U.S. Department of State. 2004. Trafficking in Persons Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State.)

Of the 600,000-800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year, 70 percent are female and 50 percent are children. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade. (Ibid.)
(http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ncvrw/2005/pg5l.html)

According to the World Health Organization 34.3 million people in the world have the AIDS virus

1. 24.5 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
2. Nearly 19 million have died from AIDS, 3.8 million of them children under the age 15.

we have a voice to deal with this... there are more of us than we could imagine when we stand up instead of standing by....

BUT...

as much as i am burdened about at least 35 million people, including an estimated 17 to 21 million children, are facing serious food shortages...

my heart breaks for... Steven, 15... Christian guy struggling to maintain his faith amongst dealing with the temptation of booze all around him,

'roody' 17, right eye swollen, right arm bleeding after falling on the street, but he doesn't care because his mates just handed him another bud...

Ashley 16, annoyed at her mum because she wont let her drink tonight... so she heads round the corner with her mates for a quick WKD when no one is watching...

for Alan 19, telling me about how the condom split this afternoon while 'ridin' some girl he just met... and laughing about it as if its a normal occurrence... it probably is...

for Glen 16, just taken to hospital after getting a kickin for looking at someone the wrong way...

for 'legend' 16... who so graves someone to love him and pay him some atention that he takes his clothes of and streaks down the road in front of a couple of hundred people... then gets arrested for indecent exposure while his 'mates' cheer on and throw empty drink bottles at the police.

for Kirk 12, some responsible adult has bought him his first carry-out... i've just left him home after he fell asleep in his own sick in the rain at the side of the shops...

for 'mo' 19, i asked him has he got a Job, 'fuck no' he replies, 'am on the brew... an shes pregnant so we're getting a house for free, happy days'

injustice...??

i only spent 90 minutes at the Ballysillan bon-fire tonight and this is what i saw... there are many more stories from this brief encounter tonight... kids i used to work with from the BB, youth club... this is injustice if i ever seen it...

tonight it was wet, miserable... thats how i feel... i know that God must feel far worse about it...
he wants this to stop... he wants it different... he needs to use us... we are his hands and feet on the planet...
how can we show them the hope that we have!

stand by or stand up...

A new addition...

2007-05-26T01:42:00.000Z

I got a new pet today! went and bought him this afternoon!
heres a picture...

Am lovin it!

i need a name tho... so help me out... any suggestions just leave a wee comment for me!
He will grow to become about 4 or 5 feet long... cant wait!
Peace out

buff

ET fone hooooome....

2007-05-25T00:42:00.000Z

hey there bloggers!!
so it was my birthday on Sunday... was 24... getting over the hill now!
i got a new phone but it wasn't for a present! it was more me finding total disgust in O2 for not fixing my last phone even though i had insurance on it and also the really poor customer service! So i took out a new contract and reduced my existing contract down to the minimum tariff for the remainder of its days!!

I got the Nokia N95... its a cool phone... got loads of features that i will probably NEVER use!
heres a picture...

Its on Vodafone... pretty good tariff... 1000texts and 500 mins... with a thing called 'stop the clock.' this means that i only pay for the first 3 minutes of the call and the rest of the hour is free at the weekends and during the week in the evenings.

also found that this phone and network has better signal coverage at my house where i previously could only get signal hanging out my skylight window, under the washing line in the back garden, at the left panel of the back sliding doors and on the right hand seat of the sofa.

Another perk is that my hands free set now doesnt echo from switching the phone!
All a winner!!

happy days!

beats an bibles

2007-05-15T10:39:00.000Z

so all the money is in... total of 1050quid!
thanks to everyone who donated money!
kingdom impact!

can anyone tell me the irish word for Good???
Paul

1000

2007-05-09T13:07:00.000Z

at 1000quid plus 5 euro for the bible quest... hopefully get all tied up this week!!

praise is rising

p

Bible update...

2007-05-08T16:53:00.000Z

hey there

970quid and counting!
gathered in all the pledges so far and have the money ready to go as soon as i get the last 80quid!! yehaaa

Paul

Max Lucado... 'he chose you'

2007-05-05T00:45:00.000Z

i read this book a long time ago... i think i will re-visit it again soon...
this is just a little bit from the book

'The diadem of pain
which sliced your gentle face,
three spikes piercing flesh and wood
to hold you in your place.

The need for blood i understand.
Your sacrifice i embrace.
But the bitter sponge, the cutting spear,
the spit upon your face?
Did it have to be a cross?
Did not a kinder death exist
than six hours hanging between life and death,
all spurred by a betrayers kiss?

"Oh, Father", you pose,
heart stilled at what could be,
"Im sorry to ask, but i long to know,
did you do this for me?"'

Bible update!!

2007-05-04T18:21:00.000Z

So... sittin here over a week later... just had a count...

total at the moment is sittin at £901 that means i only need £149

there are some who still havent told me how much they will be givin me so i havent included that in these sums...

keep prayin... Our God is faithful!!
p :)

...hope...?

2007-05-01T22:56:00.000Z

this is a difficult blog to write and to post.
wanna talk about a pretty close friend of mine for a wee bit in the hope that he is encouraged and in the hope that you guys will pray for him...

i haven't known him for all that long in the grand scheme of things, but we get on really well...
the laughs at random events/sayings/things are amazing... the banter thrown back and forth is immense...
the good times are really good!!

but behind all this lies a deep concern for him... he is on my mind constantly... i uphold him in prayer like no-one else before...
he walks with God and has seen the obvious change in his life and the evidence of God at work... his passion is somewhat contagious... and the flame that burns within him shines out all the more these days...

recently tho... he has been under attack from Satan... seeds of doubt and an apathy towards some things spiritual has crept in...
he is discouraged and seems down-trodden... he has commented frequently on the word never going into his head... and a negative spirit seems to be brooding within him

i hope that he will get back up and continue to run this race!! Micah 7 v 8
'God will never leave you' buddy... always with you...
i love you mate and will support u if u let me.
Your big bro,
Paul

Some Promises that will never be broken

2007-04-30T23:23:00.000Z

hey everyone... been reflecting on these promises God has given me... and you... came about because i recently have had a promise broken by one of my mates... it hurts but ive found comfort in these promises that will never be broken... because God cannot lie i know these are lasting eternal promises from my dad! take the time to read them slowly and let them comfort and reassure you! please take the time to read them through!! we should get these promises into us everyday!!

* Christ is committed to making our salvation secure - Hebrews 7 v 24-25

But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

* The work Christ has started in me, HE will finish - Philippians 1 v 6

Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

* All circumstances are for the good of the believer - Romans 8 v 28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

* God knows all about us and cares for our well being - Matthew 10 v29-31

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?. And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.

* In times of distress, God will not let us down - Philippians 4 v 6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus.

* God is committed to looking after us - Philippians 4 v 19

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

* When I am weak, even then God is helping me - 2 Corinthians 12 v 9

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

*God's grace in us works to help and make us press on - 1 Corinthians 15 v 10

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

* God calls us to come to him with confidence - Hebrews 4 v 16

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

* We are to do the works God has prepared for us - Ephesians 2 v 10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

* We have been appointed to live for his praise - Ephesians 1 v 11 & 12

In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ, should be to the praise of his glory.

* We have been chosen to show forth his praise 1 Peter 2 v 9 & 10

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

* Every word of God shall accomplish it's purpose - Isaiah 55 v 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 for 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.

* God wants us to abound with hope - Romans 15 v 13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

* God has made us his sons and heirs of his promises - Galatians 4 v 6 & 7

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Buff

Bible beats

2007-04-29T23:48:00.000Z

so got some more cash today...
50quid pledge and 30 quid plus 5 euro...
plus i think another 50quid (not confirmed yet)
so that brings us up to

770quid plus 5 euro... haha thats good fun

need more money tho... target is 1050 and god is faithful so donate me something!!!

i have been blown away at the generosity of people... a young lad (15) today gave me 20 quid... his pocket money... i near cried!
God will bless those who sacrifice for his sake!

Paul

Ibiza Bibles

2007-04-27T22:21:00.000Z

so day 2 has passed...
only got 10quid pledged today...

its slowing down!! lol

trusting God for his people to respond!

u can call me on 07702794260 if you wish to arrange to donate...

total so far is 632quid!!

need over 1000... please keep prayin for a release of money this way!!

side note... praise God for a night of salvation in Ballyclare high!! i think over 40 people responded to Gods call on their lives tonight in that little town that missed the last great revival!! bring it on!!
love Paul

2007-04-26T23:40:00.000Z

i loved this!!!
buff

Money for bibles update

2007-04-26T23:22:00.000Z

well 36hours later an the total has now reached 622 quid.

still plugging away!! really hoping to have this all tied up and gathered by the middle of next week!!

keep praying that there will be continued response and praising him for his faithfullness so far!! i am excited.

side thought while trying to raise this money...
there is no lack of money in Gods kingdom... its just selfish hearts that prevent resources moving to where they are most needed!!

Blessings in our Saviours name
Buff

BIBLES TO IBIZA!!

2007-04-25T23:08:00.000Z

hey there...
Im tryin to raise around 1000quid to send bibles out to Brian Heasley in Ibiza! eh works for 24-7 prayer and does an amazin work out in the island!
check out his blog http://brianheasley.blogspot.com/index.html or he is also on the links bit of this page... over to the right

ill keep you all posted here on how much money i am at!
please please help if u can!
think he is gonna step out in faith and order them for the start of the season which is in around 3 weeks!
can we support him please!!

would be mega kool if you would give some money...

10 ppl giving 100 quid makes 1000
20 ppl giving 50 quid makes 1000
40 ppl giving 25 quid makes 1000

not really all that much money but will be in eternal investment!!
hopefully 300 odd people going clubbin in Ibiza will have the living Word of God because of a few people in Norn Iron

So far i have 370quid... and only been goin for 12 hours...

ill keep you posted!
love buff

Liquid farts and BO

2007-04-25T12:10:00.000Z

yoyo people!!

i heard a few interesting facts today that i wanted to share with yall!

'ants dont sleep'

thats pretty mad... i need about 6 hours sleep to function the average is around 8 hours for most... if i dont get that i become irritable (more-so than normal) take longer to make decisions, sometimes even feel a wee tad sick, hypersensitive, insecure... sleep deprivation isnt fun at all!!

but these wee legends dont sleep!!!

another one... 'an albatross can sleep while it flies...'
imagine we slept as we drove to work uni or school or as we walked from shop to shop looking for the latest in designer sunglasses!

another one... 'you have no sense of smell while you sleep...'
well thats fun... because this means it all hits you at once when you wake up in the morning!! mingin!!

side note/request
keep Craig an Ben in your prayers as they intercede for their friends and stand for Jesus in their everyday everything.

buff xo

Good days!!

2007-04-24T15:56:00.000Z

so... today was fun!! the sun came out a while!
my wee car failed the MOT last week but she redeemed herself today with the PASS... she impressed the guy shining the torch on her private areas enough for him to get the certificate with his number out on it!!

then i watched them put that big needle spike thing on top of st annes cathedral...

gotta split here
buff xo

fear...

2007-04-14T23:26:00.000Z

so everything appears rosy on the surface but beneath that there is a sense of fear...
isolation, loneliness, insecurity...

is this real.

gettin close to other people is always a risky move because you become open and vulnerable! it is nearly always accompanied by hurt. not always intensional hurt from the offending party.
with closeness comes an expectation... love, a degree of commitment, loyalty, trust, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, mindfulness... and alot of time these are the exact reasons we feel hurt and insecure... because people will always fall short of our expectations.
do they really like me? are they really thinking bout me as much as i am of them? is this real? WHAT do they think of me? will they forget about me?
friendships ARE tough.
my fear is based in human rejection, loneliness, isolation, people i love 'moving on'
my fear is not being accepted by the person or people i most long to be accepted by.
my fear is about getting so close to someONE that i loose track of and neglect everyone else around me
i have many acquaintances but very few friends.
heard a quote... 'true friends are those who stick with you, ever after they no everything about you'

my fear... to be an unhealthy influence on someone.

Think bout that... 'slow dance'

2007-03-26T23:24:00.000Z

>>>>
>>>> Have you ever watched kids
>>>> On a merry-go-round?
>>>> Or listened to the rain
>>>> Slapping on the ground?
>>>>
>>>> Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
>>>> Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
>>>>
>>>> You better slow down.
>>>> Don't dance so fast.
>>>> Time is short.
>>>> The music won't last.
>>>>
>>>> Do you run through each day
>>>> On the fly?
>>>> When you ask How are you?
>>>> Do you hear the reply?
>>>>
>>>> When the day is done!
>>>> Do you lie in your bed;
>>>> With the next hundred chores
>>>> Running through your head?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> You'd better slow down
>>>> Don't dance so fast.
>>>> Time is short.
>>>> The music won't last.
>>>>
>>>> Ever told your child,
>>>> We'll do it tomorrow?
>>>> And in your haste,
>>>> Not see his sorrow?
>>>>
>>>> Ever lost touch,
>>>> Let a good friendship die
>>>> Cause you never had time
>>>> To call and say,"Hi"
>>>>
>>>> You'd better slow down.
>>>> Don't dance so fast.
>>>> Time is short.
>>>> The music won't last.
>>>>
>>>> When you run so fast to get somewhere
>>>> You miss half the fun of getting there.
>>>> When you worry and hurry through your day,
>>>> It is like an unopened gift....
>>>> Thrown away.
>>>>
>>>> Life is not a race.
>>>> Do take it slower
>>>> Hear the music
>>>> Before the song is over.

My bad!!

2007-03-20T00:20:00.000Z

Laziness according to Wikipedia...
Laziness is the act of not doing things. What is considered laziness varies according to personal or societal context and magnitude. Laziness can be considered an exaggeration of the natural instinct to get healthy rest and conserve precious energy. Laziness is usually associated with procrastination. Laziness is considered by some Christians to be one of the seven deadly sins, though it is called sloth on the list. It is said that the abbreviation CBA or Cant Be Arsked originated in the UK and is now used a lot around the isles.

Ive been very lazy in regard to blogging!! im sooooooooo sorry!

I wanna just share something very briefly then im off to bed! (laziness???)

Been thinking recently of this question... 'what is God teaching you today'
Now... i love asking other people that question because i think its important that we all realise that God wants to speak to us in every moment an in every situation...
But i always struggle to ask myself it!
dead easy to challenge other people than to challenge myself.

Something he has placed on my heart recently is from john 15... 'remain/abide in me'
then he tells us how to remain in him ion order to bear fruit... 'abide in me by my words abiding in you'
Amazing revelation and truth here... READ HIS WORD TO REMAIN IN HIM.

I think that the reading of the only written series that God has ever wrote is approached these days with this apathy/laziness mentality.
We forget, we couldn't be bothered, we nearly dont care, we would rather sit on MSN myspace or Bebo than read a wee bit of Gods love letter to us... whats the craic with that!! I hate the apathy an laziness within me!!

God waken my spirit to pursue you relentlessly... consume my thoughts with you!

On a minor tangent i think ive had one of the best weekends ever... spent it with friends in Kilkeel and we had mega times of fellowship...
I remembered a game that i once played in the small hours of the morning when away with the BB...
It goes like this... u gotta fit the name of a country as subtly into a sentence as possible... ill give a few examples so you can play this sometime

CAN A DA be a ma? I RAN faster than rick this weekend, aye..IRAQed me
OMAN can i get some of that orange juice? ITALY all right on the night...
I hope you get it...
Much love
Buff

New York... time to come home

2007-02-19T21:42:00.000Z

Hey Hey... been pretty busy yesterday and today! so just doin a quick blog to say our car has arived to take us to the airport! so will be flyin out later on around 8pm EST so will arrive home at 7.30 am GMT...

so see yall soon!!

Paul

New York Day 5

2007-02-18T05:12:00.000Z

heyhey!!

well here we are at the end of day 5! we headed out this mornin for breakfast today... we went to the Diner again and got some more pancakes etc etc! then we headed down town...

the girls went and got tickets for the phantom of the opera and sam an stewart went the appletree musical at studio 54... they liked it. especially kristen Chenoweth... shes a christian... some of her fans call her chiano... a bit like piano. me mark and stu went to try and get tickets to watch the ice hockey at madison square gardens, but that didnt go to well... we didnt get tickets.

then i went to meet davy k in grand central station! he is doin good... he is in town for a wee vacation! so after that we went on to times square to try an get a ticket for a show... we ended up only bein able to get tickets for the phantom of the opera... ive now put the final nail in the coffin of musicals... id rather drink acid than see another one!

we then headed to TGI fridays for some grub... steaks and pork an chicken all round... such a good feed! then after that sam an stewart headed off to see another musical... chicago... they also like this one.

me mandy ruth mark an stu went back to the house for a wee nite in. mandy and stu sat in the jaccuzi and mark an ruth sat an chatted for hours. i watched 4 episodes of prison break!! soooooooo good.

now we are all in bed lookin forward to headin to times square church in the mornin!!
only took 25 pictures today and most of them are poo!!
so make do with the text this time!!

chat soon
Paul

New York Day4

2007-02-17T05:05:00.000Z

heyhey...
day 4... today we got up an headed to Penn station and on to Madison Square Gardens to see if we could get tickets for the Ice Hockey game on sat... but it was all sold out! so we are goin to go at the time of the game and see if there is any cancellations. from MSG we headed to the empire state building and enjoyed the view of Manhattan from up there... after the empire state buildin we went to Grande central station and had a wee dander about. sam was feelin a wee cold comin on so he rested up today and stayed inside watchin some crappy american tele takin a jacuzzi then chattin away to Jacki (stewarts aunty).

we all then headed out to the marriot revolving restaurant! its right in the middle of times square and the top floors are a restaurant that revolves. we stayed up there for a while then headed up to a mexican joint called mama mexico... bill, ross and jacki treated us to a meal there... was interesting and creamy food! so we will all be on the bog tomoro hoping for some solid poos and not all liquid! stewart got a birthday cake brought out becuz this is his birthday!! lol

was a good day and we finished up with a wee sing along with the piano and then wen me an stu got fed up with the singin headed down for some star wars action on the tele! then stu buggered off for some back cream and lovin, so i just headed on to meet sam an stewart up in the room for some chat! they are still chattin while im typin!

the other good news is that its only about minus 1 degrees now so it a good bit warmer than wat it has been!!

BYEEEEE pxo

NYC Day 3

2007-02-16T04:57:00.000Z

yoyoyo waddup hommies...

so we are on day 3... had a wee bit of a lie-in today becuz we were all wrecko'ed, me stu and marko tried to stay awake last nite to watch Jackass2 on the pay per view... i fell asleep a few wee times... so gettin up this mornin proved pretty difficult!
wen we eventually got up and got goin we got the subway the whole way down to south sea port, which is about 102 blocks south... we got there an hung about for a few hours lookin are the port, then walked up to ground zero... every time i go there i always get this somber reflective mood goin on... so much went down that day... apparently there where actually 7 towers at the world trade centre and they all fell on 911.

from ground zero we took a dander up to china town and bought some aftershaves at a haggled price... funfunfun...

after that we jumped on the subway an headed back up to times square for the transfer to the number 1,2 or 3 train that would take us up home to 308 west 102nd street on west end. just after tea time we headed of to see a theatre show... beauty and the beast. the guys loved it... caught up in the drama, lights and music. im not really into the whole theatre-atrics thing... but it actually was stunnin in regard to the visuals, and set choreography... but all in all i think id rather do the cinema thing than watch the peeps on stage. but hey thats just me... 6 outta 7 of us really liked it so it must be good!!!

we all just arived back after grabbin a late night mcdonalds there in times square, ruthi marko mandy and sam got a taxi back but me stu an stew braved the weather and the subway back after a quick purchase in Virgin Mega-mega-stores!

so headin to bed here cuz we are all tired out and its also still well below freezin here!! YAY. get the long johns and the heaters on!!
EYYOOOOO

peace to yall
buff xo

Day 2...

2007-02-15T02:38:00.000Z

so got some pictures today for you... today in quick form!!
up at 8am for brekky... got pancakes, then went shoppin in 5th ave... apple store, abercrombie an fitch, billabong, ellement, bloomingdales, tiffanys, starbucks, trampy souvineer shops... levi store, then went to trump tower, and times square, then back for a jacuzzi and some chinese food an movies... woot woot

phoned home and waved down the webcam in times square... google 'earth cam' and see it for yourself!! funfunfun!!

chat soon peeps!!
Buff

NYC Day 1

2007-02-14T01:54:00.000Z

Hey hey... GMT its 01.54 but in NYC time its 20.54!!
so flew out today pretty early from Belfast... was a dead on flight... met one of my mates i havent seen in years matt mccallum... he was flyin to the states to get married!!
we went for a wee dander through central park and me a stu chased some squirrels... then we went an had a wee look in the apple store... i bought myself a new mac book... a wee black one!! then we went into FAO SWARTZ toy store.... FLIPPIN AMAZIN!! love it... so many wee gadgets to play with!! lol

so the forecast toady was for snow snow snow... but it hasnt shown yet...

ill keep ya posted!

time for bed!!

Paul

Good old NYC

2007-02-12T01:00:00.000Z

So had a nice weekend... got lots done... seen one of my good mates an did some catching up... that was emmense.

Ireland didnt do to good today tho!

im heading to new york on tues mornin for a weeks holidays with some friends. its exciting an i was thinkin bout how i was goin to pass the 8 hour flight journey...

i think alot about the journeys im on with other people in this plane of existence... because to me, people are so important, my mates to me are like what oxygen is to a flame...

some work journeys, some band journeys, some meaningless, some meaningful, some unexpected, some dissappointing, some majorly heartlifting, some that are beginning, some that are ending, some that are journeyin through the valley of pain, some that are soaring like the eagles...

but one journey is really goin round my mind this last week or so...

on a continuum it looks like this...

journey begins, band, meaningful, best buds, some valley walking, some soring like the eagles then recently, after many years, meaningless... and now coming to an end...

and in typing that it brings a tear to my eye... what can this be all about... can we just live out our purpose in a friendship and then be discarded like yesterdays news? is that the way it works... BIGGER QUESTION, is that how God intends it to be...?

i suppose the turbulence on the journey are something to be endured and even learnt from... most of the time the journey continues with a greater appreciation that you are still 'journeying' but sometime the turbulence take the engines out... leading next to a slow and most of the time painful decent to enevitable end.

another question...
can there any survivors...

funfunfun

2007-02-03T22:21:00.000Z

so this is fun lol...
http://www.thesuperheroquiz.com/

Your results:
You are Green Lantern

Green Lantern		70%
Iron Man		65%
Catwoman		60%
The Flash		55%
Superman		50%
Robin		40%
Spider-Man		35%
Supergirl		35%
Wonder Woman		35%
Batman		30%
Hulk		25%

Hot-headed. You have strong
will power and a good imagination.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

My bad!

2007-02-03T18:21:00.000Z

My bad guys... been 3 weeks since i blogged! suppose havent felt any inspiration to blog in the last while... its just been the same old mundane stuff....
work, home for dinner, back to work, home for sleep, back to work home for dinner back to work home for sleep... u get it... yea?
work is great tho... in no way am i bitter or hating it... its class... kids are great craic, volunteers are crazy! you know the score!
was down with a friend who is planning on planting a church... he is 16... an boy do i wish i was as clued in to scripture as he is! watch this space... great God things are happening there. exciting times! its so encouraging to see a roof full of young people seekin the face of God and living with that hope and peace of the gospel within their hearts!

had another life lesson today...
comes from this line...

'For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks'

my question is... whats overflowing out of my heart. ask yourself the same thing

buff
hopefully chat again soon!! :)

Bluegrass

2007-01-14T13:58:00.000Z

the thought of listening to bluegrass music used to make me laugh so hard because i thought it sounded completely ridiculas... and maybe it does... but ive recently begun to really really enjoy playing some of the grooves that fall into that genre!

if you play an instrument you should definately have a go at playin them... its well cool, and you can bust some moves to it aswell... the most famous of these is 'the walk'... its kinda like a jolly farmer spliced with a overtly happy policeman... and you kinda walk about to the groove in circles...

try it...

A Wee Story I Wrote

2007-01-10T18:02:00.000Z

the wee gay ant ate the wee gay butterfly grub an boaked everywhere because it wasnt a butterfly at all... indeed u guessed it, it was... a smelly bluebottle grub. but it was ok because the wee gay ant had a really strong stomach. in fact he could even stomach seamen wen he is on the big gay naval boat... but the wee gay ant was completely disgusted... he might hav a strong stomach, but he definatley doesnt have a slow temper... the wee gay ant freaked out a bit and vomited on the rest of the smelly bluebottle babies so that his friends wouldnt make the same mistake.all in all it turn out to be a pretty rotten and vengeful day for the wee gay ant. but apart from that all was well on windergreen common...

Singultus

2006-12-25T20:39:00.000Z

3 hours of hic-ups last night... eventually stopping at 2am-ish!
So heres a wee bit about singultus.

WHAT

A hiccup or hiccough (generally pronounced "HICK-cup") is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm; typically this repeats several times a minute. The sudden rush of air into the lungs causes the glottis to close, creating the "hic" noise. A bout of hiccups generally resolves by itself, although many home remedies are in circulation to shorten the duration, and medication is occasionally necessary. By extension, the term "hiccup" is also used to describe a small and unrepeated aberration in an otherwise consistent pattern. The medical term is singultus.

WHY

While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are known to develop often in specific situations, such as eating too quickly, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously or coughing, drinking an excess of an alcoholic beverage, or electrolyte imbalance. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic nerve by other anatomical structures, or rarely by tumors and certain kidney disease.

CURE

Some Common ideas on how to get rid of hiccups:
-putting fingers in throat, or ears
-standing on head
-someone jumps out and scare you when you're not expecting it - a famous treatment
-holding breath and counting to 10
-breathing deeply
-trying to swallow hiccups
-massaging the bottom throat between the collar bone or under both collar bones
-saying 'purple'
-drink as fast as possible
-putting sugar on tongue
-hold chocolate on your tongue

Not convinced any of these work... although the chocolate thing sounds worth while...

The Guinness World Record for the longest continuous bout of hiccups (1922–1990) goes to Charles Osborne (1894–1991) from Anthon, Iowa.
The hiccups started in 1922 at a rate of 40 times per minute, slowing to 20 and eventually stopping in February 1990 – a total of 68 years.

68 years at 20-40 times a minute... OH SNAP!
i have no complaints anymore!

Ginger bread men...

2006-12-24T23:45:00.000Z

its kinda like marmite... a love/hate relationship...
i think i hate them...
ive only experienced this evil once before, unitl tonight!
first time a mate brought me one to work and brought with it self-putting-on icing... this was the only fun part... so i stuck on a pattern that picasso would have been proud of and munched the wee man down... well everything was going well until bout half an hour later... then the heartburn started... dyspepsia

Tonight at Sam Murrays christmas eve party i had the second experience... same thing again... icing on, and quickly devoured this beast... bout 30 mins later hic-ups envade my life... im still hic-uping as i type... a good hour and 15 mins later. pure evil...

brussel sprouts are the same... although there is no obvious physical trauma after eating, they are just smelly and slimmy and look like a clump of boggies that have been collected from the the tissues in the local nursing homes yellow biohazard bins...

joke... what did adam say on the night before christmas... 'its christmas, eve'

so its christmas...
Have a goodin, an hope you dont overlook the reason we celebrate...
GOD WITH US

Tis the season!!

2006-12-09T01:10:00.000Z

Tis the season to be jolly....... FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!
Theres something about this season that i love...
I was tryin to work out what it was... was it the general jollyness in peoples hearts? was it the bright lights? was it the hope of santa coming down my chimney? was it the anticipation of the annual christmas munch attack to ruin a few tough months of training....?
i asked myself these things... but i still couldnt really put my finger on it... until earlier... the answer dawned on me as i left my mates house tonight around 12midnight to make the dash for my car... it was wet, windy... baltic... and i had no coat...! but i loved it... i didnt dash but found myself walking contently in a t-shirt and casually opening my car door and just sittin down in the seat... wet and cold...
i think its the weather that gets me excited about this time of year... im not much of a 'get your shorts on, lets party... the suns out' person...
i like the cold... the rain... the dark nights... the hectic winds and the chill that lets you see your own breath... and O how i love waking up to see the sky-light in my bedroom covered with that white powder (not cocaine-although that would also be good... make a fortune selling it) SNOW!
it brings a warmth inside me that doesnt really reflect in the blue lips, fingers and numb toes that all show so clearly on the outside!
so yea... it is the season to be jolly... but its a good idea to work out what your so jolly about!!
Peace

Gonna be sore tonight...

2006-12-04T11:40:00.000Z

Goin to go to the gym here... havent been in about a month due to the hectic hours put in with my last job, new job and worship ireland. gonna be soooooooo sore later! prob not last to long.
but the pursuit of weight loss and gettin my fat ass fit again needs to continue if i ever want to grace a rugby pitch again!
just had a wee light brekfast an gonna sweat it out for maybe an hour then go to work.

have to think of something creative to do with the primary school kids at Junior drop-in tonight...
answers on a postcard...

buff

In the beginning...

2006-12-03T18:25:00.000Z

Never dreamed that i would ever sit and type into a machine some of the thoughts and feelings that challenge me or infact just occupy my wandering thoughts...
but here i am...

Today i spent some time sitting, walking, lying out on the floor, pondering inside a prayer room in Eglinton Presb church. it was very peaceful at the start but as my mind filled with some difficult emotions as a result some of the stuff i was reading i couldnt help feel burdened and heavy for those people that where cryin out to God in such a public an open way...
i prayed... then i left...
walked back into the car and headed home... watched some Narnia with my sister, and now just sittin typin into a machine...
Strange existance- moved so deeply then everythings back to the way it was!

So i think im goin to head on here and go to CFC... maybe meet some people over there i know... maybe not!!

Expectant