welcome to my blog on revival

So you arrived here on my blog on revival. Let me make some assumptions about you, my reader (if ever anyone is going to read this at all): Chances are that you are a follower of Christ, or at least remotely interested in the Christian faith. If that is not so, you will probably stop reading and click on to another page right here; (I leave a little space in brackets for you to do it right now) because this blog is about the work of the Holy Spirit in times of revival. If you have read this far and you still want to go on reading you are probably a normal, healthy Christian. How do I know this? Well, every normal Christian has an innate desire for the Holy Spirit that he or she carries with them since they experienced their second birth. James Packer (a theologian whom I admire) wrote in one of his books that the words "Holy Spirit" trigger a strong emotional reaction in the healthy Christian, just like the word "sex" triggers a strong emotional reaction in every normal, healthy adult. I believe he is right. There is something electrifying about the person of the Holy Spirit for the normal Christian that just can't be denied. And you probably can relate to that. You have a hunger, a deep desire to know more of his Power, of his Love and of his Peace in your own experience. Welcome to the tribe.

Now let me tell you why I am starting this blog. Last week I visited the Global Leadership Summit of the Willow Creek Association in Dublin (9th-10th of November). During this conference I had what I call a "God moment". God had been speaking to me about revival in Ireland practically since the time I arrived here in November 2008. Now, three years later, I feel that the level of clarity of his speaking has increased dramatically. It is time to go public, I felt. On the day before the conference I wrote in my diary: "Yesterday it "clicked" with me once again as I was listening on my iphone to a talk by Tony Stone (British Evangelist) in the gym. All the pieces of the jigsaw have come together. We are on the verge of a mighty move of God here in Ireland..." With this conviction I arrived at the conference. The "God moment" came when I was listening to Seth Godin, a bestselling author and renowned marketing blogger, delivering his highly enlightening and equally entertaining talk with the title "poke the box". In his talk he made the observation that today's world is comprised of a great variety of different "tribes". These tribes share common convictions, interests, tastes or ideologies. Most of them can be addressed, organized or approached via the internet. BOOOOM. I thought, "that's it." There is a tribe of "revivalists" out there who all share a common desire to see God move in a powerful way. These are the people I want to address, I want to network with, pray together, discuss, create synergy as we are waiting and praying for God to move in Ireland in an unprecedented way. I felt God prompting me to start blogging about it. And this first blog is a step of faith and obedience to what I believe God has asked me to do. So if you can in any way relate to the tribe of those who pray for revival, would you sign up and follow this blog? Write your comments, let's unite our efforts and prayers and let's play a part in God's move here on the emerald Isle. God bless you!!!

(If you are not a Christian and you ended up reading this far, I am convinced that God is on your case. If you would be interested in finding out about the reality of God, you are welcome to write as well. I would love to help you find a personal relationship to God, if you are looking for it.)