Happy as Larry - Jimmy and Meagan

All the Blokes and Shelias in Geelong (west of Melbourne), Australia are “As Happy as Larry” that Jimmy and Meagan Williams are leading the STINT Team. Though since ‘leader’ or any authority title is a curse word to the Aussies, I guess we should say they are the Fair Dinkum STINT Coordinators for their team of eight working on threes unis (Deakin Uni: Waurn Ponds, Deakin Uni: Waterfront, and Ballarat Uni) in Geelong.

Jimmy and Meagan arrived down under in January. At two of these universities, no movement existed. They have led their team to launch in Geelong by trying several ways to reach out to the students: hosting a table at the Universities’ Welcome Week for new students, going on campus each day doing spiritual interest surveys, and engaging with students through various clubs and organizations.

Jimmy writes, “It has definitely been an adventure. At this very beginning stage of planting (movements) here. The Aussies have been very open to talking about spiritual things in general, and we’ve already had over 100 chances to share the gospel with students on campus. Dave and I have joined a rugby team called the Geelong Rams. Aussies really value relationships, so this has been a great way for us to make friends, share Christ, and have fun doing it! Dave even got to share with a guy from our Rugby team named Danny the first week of school and saw him place his faith in Christ the next week. The Lord is truly at work in Australia and it’s awesome to be a part of what He’s doing. In all we have seen 10 people trust Christ!!! Now we’re following up with these new believers and we ask for your prayers for them as they begin walking with God.”

Jimmy goes on to say “God is teaching me to truly seek an audience of One, to seek to please Him and not work for the approval of our team or Meagan. It’s a slow learning process for me, but one for which I know God has good reasons. Please keep praying that I will seek Him before all else each day and that I will drink deeply from His Word and in prayer.”

I have been studying recently in the Book of Revelation. Last week in the midst of tragic events at Virginia Tech, Turkey and another Muslim country, I was studying this passage in the first chapter:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (Rev 1:4b-8)

There are three main themes that jumped out to me that help me with perspective as we struggle together in this battle for the souls of men and women when the world has gone mad. It helps remind me when I, like Jimmy, find myself needing to remember that I have an audience of One and not try to seek approval from others.

ONE WHO IS – He is King. He is the faithful witness who came for the very reason as King to testify truth to all peoples. (Jn 18:37; Is 55:4). He as King conquered death giving Him authority that has no bounds since death reigns over all people. (Col 1:18; Acts 26:23.) He is the Ruler of all the kings of the earth and will win. (Rev 17:14; 19:16 )

ONE WHO WAS – He has redeemed us. He loved us completely and not because of what we did but in spite of who we were. (Present tense too of course.) He set us free. He has made us a kingdom and priests to serve Him forever. (1 Jn 4:10; Heb 9:12-14; Rev 5:9-10)

ONE WHO IS TO COME – He is coming with the clouds* - representing His glory, His justice, His awesome power, and His splendor. Every eye will see Him who was pierced for our transgressions. The nations will mourn. (Is 53:5; Zech 12:10; Matt 24:30; Acts 1:8-11)

… and yet not all will mourn. (Rev 7:9-12) Because if Jesus is your King, you’re ‘As Happy as Larry’ and ‘Bob’s your uncle’!



* For an exhaustive list of verses on clouds, you can click here. Not all are applicable but it’s an interesting study of what happens when God shows up in a cloud and why.