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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
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What a Friend!

What a friend, indeed.

Columbanus (7)

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18.24 

“As they journeyed, they came to the city which was formerly called Maguntiacum (Mainz). The oarsmen who had been sent by the king to aid the man of God, told him they had friends in the city ςηο would supply needful food; for already they had been long fasting. The man of God told them to go; but they did not find any. They returned, and in reply to the questions of the man of God said they had been unable to obtain anything from their friends. Then he said, ‘Let me go for a short time to my friend.’ They wondered how he had a friend there, where he had never been before. But he went to the church and, entering, threw himself on the pavement, and in a long prayer sought the protection of God, the source of all mercy. Immediately the bishop from the city went from his home to the church and, finding Columban, asked who he was. The latter said he was a pilgrim. The bishop answered: ‘If you need food, go to my house and take what you need’” (Jonas, Life of St. Columban).

What a Friend we have in Jesus, Who knows our needs and meets them all through His riches in glory! These days, I suppose, Columbanus would have been advised on how to write a direct mail fund-raising letter, or organize a pledge campaign, or schmooze some wealthy potential donor. The Lord meets the needs of His servants, as they plead earnestly with Him for their work.

Celtic Christians “traveled light” as we say; they had very little in the way of personal property. Most of the time they worked with their own hands to satisfy their material needs. But even then, prayer was the first tool in their kit to which they turned for their daily bread. So must it be for us as well.

The Lord’s friendliness to us encourages us to be a friend to others. Friends care. Friends listen. Friends join in prayer and encourage. Friends lay down their lives, denying themselves and going the extra mile to help others with their burdens. Jesus can give us all we need to be His friends to others. Draw on His friendship. Look only to Him for the mercy and grace you need. He will never fail you nor forsake you.

Columbanus knew how to lean on Jesus as the Friend Who sticks closer than a brother. So must we.

Resources for revival
Revival is a work of God’s grace. But what is grace? Do we really understand grace, or merely think we do? Our book Grace for Your Time of Need will help you see that grace is not only God’s favorable disposition toward us, which He communicates to us through His Word. But it is power to serve God and others with grace, which as it spreads, issues in thanks and praise to God abounding. Order your free copy of Grace for Your Time of Need by clicking here.

And while you’re at the bookstore, order a free copy of Revived! Why do we need revival? What is revival? What can we do to hasten the day of revival? These questions and more are addressed in Revived! I encourage you to click here to order your free copy.

And men, we welcome you to join us via Zoom as we gather each Tuesday morning at 10:00 Eastern for 30 minutes of prayer, seeking the Lord for revival. If you’d like to be added to the invitation list, just send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

From the Celtic Revival
We’ve gathered a few resources about the Celtic Revival onto a single page at our website. Visit by clicking here to watch a video, listen to a podcast, download a resource, or ask a question about the Celtic Revival. Check out our newest podcast, Celtic Legacy,which offers a more in-depth look at some of the writings from this period.

Here’s an excerpt from the current issue of Crosfigell, our twice-weekly teaching letter featuring insights from the writers of the Celtic Revival. Here’s an opening prayer from late in the period of the Celtic Revival:

O holy Jesu; O gentle friend; O Morning Star; O mid-day Sun adorned; O brilliant flame of the righteous, and of righteousness and of everlasting life, and of eternity; O Fountain ever-new, ever-living, ever-lasting...

  - Anonymous, Litany of Jesus II, Irish, 15th century[1]

Here’s a Friend Who’ll warm, but never burn you, refresh but never drown you, keep and never fail you. What a Friend!

What does Crosfigell mean? Here’s a little video explaining the name of our teaching letter.

T. M. Moore.

Please pray
Did you know that the ministry of The Fellowship of Ailbe is now reaching people in 180 countries? And that we are on schedule to distribute more than 3,000 free Kingdom resources by the end of the year? It is our privilege to provide resources and opportunities to equip and encourage church leaders in building the Lord’s Church and advancing His Kingdom.

Pray that God will bring to our Fellowship men who are committed to realizing more of the presence, promise, and power of His Kingdom. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Brother in The Fellowship of Ailbe, click here to watch a brief video. If you’d like to talk about Membership, write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll send you some additional information.

Please pray that God will move many of those we serve through this ministry to share with us financially in its support. If the Lord moves you to give, you can use the
Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

[1] Plummer, Litanies, p. 41.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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