Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Officership- every day's different!!
Was in a conversation at lunch time with Lucy and Amy, our youth ward sergeant and her assistant, who are each at various stages of thinking about officership.
Amy asked me something along the lines of 'do you enjoy being an officer?' and I said something like, 'well yeah, and there's always those days when you get up and you think you know what's going to happen and it looks really different.'
I said this because yesterday I got up expecting to be going to the AFM Rally in a minibus, but, due to the minibus failing to start, Andrew ended up going to the AFM Rally, taking some of our home league members in the car. Also, after I popped out in the car last night to the co-op, there was a funny noise to the car and an even funnier smell! This resulted, eventually, in the car going to the garage, and us having a hire car for 2 days!
Hmm, so yeah every day's different.
And today?
Well, we went down to home league as usual, but, before we started, 2 men appeared; one of them had just moved to the village and was looking for food, clothes, furniture etc!! The next half an hour was then spent, not singing lovely songs with the home league as expected, but in the loft, on the phone, in the charity shop and food shop, starting to meet some of their needs.
Matthew 25:40 came to mind. 3 years ago (in a couple of weeks) I signed my officers' covenant:
Those highlighted words are ones I don't really find myself doing very often, but I thank God for sending them to me today.
Let's see what tomorrow brings, shall we? I've got a few things in my diary, but I wonder what God's got in his!?
Amy asked me something along the lines of 'do you enjoy being an officer?' and I said something like, 'well yeah, and there's always those days when you get up and you think you know what's going to happen and it looks really different.'
I said this because yesterday I got up expecting to be going to the AFM Rally in a minibus, but, due to the minibus failing to start, Andrew ended up going to the AFM Rally, taking some of our home league members in the car. Also, after I popped out in the car last night to the co-op, there was a funny noise to the car and an even funnier smell! This resulted, eventually, in the car going to the garage, and us having a hire car for 2 days!
Hmm, so yeah every day's different.
And today?
Well, we went down to home league as usual, but, before we started, 2 men appeared; one of them had just moved to the village and was looking for food, clothes, furniture etc!! The next half an hour was then spent, not singing lovely songs with the home league as expected, but in the loft, on the phone, in the charity shop and food shop, starting to meet some of their needs.
Matthew 25:40 came to mind. 3 years ago (in a couple of weeks) I signed my officers' covenant:
MY COVENANT CALLED BY GOD to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as an officer of The Salvation Army I BIND MYSELF TO HIM IN THIS SOLEMN COVENANT | |
 | to love and serve him supremely all my days, to live to win souls and make their salvation the first purpose of my life, to care for the poor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, love the unlovable, and befriend those who have no friends, to maintain the doctrines and principles of The Salvation Army, and, by God's grace to prove myself a worthy officer. |
Those highlighted words are ones I don't really find myself doing very often, but I thank God for sending them to me today.
Let's see what tomorrow brings, shall we? I've got a few things in my diary, but I wonder what God's got in his!?
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Roots 2007
Ok, well figured it was my turn to 'put in my tuppence worth' on Roots this year.
Right from the start of the weekend, I guess God was just teaching me about faithfulness really.
Up to about 2 weeks ago, I was still undecided on whether I would go this year. I toyed with Andrew and Ben just going. Basically, unfortunately, although Andrew was getting his ticket for free, due to various complications in the way the prices are set up, we realised we weren't going to save any money! But, anyway, having heard quite a lot in about 2 or 3 days about relying on God for finances and doing things as a family, I decided I should go, and trusted God for the rest.
When we arrived, and Andrew registered, he received 2 things: £20 worth of vouchers for food for the weekend, and a form to claim back £30 towards travel costs! GOD IS GOOD!
And I saw, throughout the weekend, that God rewarded me, not just financially, but spiritually, for the step of faith we took.
He taught me loads about holiness, needing to model it, before I can preach it.
He taught me about his faithfulness.
He taught me about relying and focussing on him.
He taught me that if I look at people from the perspective that He loves them, they look very different - who do you find it hard to love??
Not really sure where any of that comes into what was being taught, but anyway!
And from what was taught, or what I went to (!):
Didn't go to Chick's Bible Studies, so no comments on that, although I might get into that another time!
Nick Park was good, relaxing
Praise Party was a good time of worship, really needed it after the inspiring message from Steve Chalke
Someone needs to give Steve Chalke a copy of TSA doctrines!
Hope 2008 sounds inspiring
I'm really interested in 'the ultimate church visit' - might blog about that sometime
Geoff Ryan was really inspiring on Monday morning- real church!?
Oh, and I liked the puppet workshop! People pay good money for that kind of training!!
Ben enjoyed the weekend, once he got used to the size of the venue etc, and I think he learnt a lot.
Ceitidh survived the time away from us, and seemed to enjoy herself, I think!
Well, that's my run-down on the weekend.
Might blog some more when I think about it!
Right from the start of the weekend, I guess God was just teaching me about faithfulness really.
Up to about 2 weeks ago, I was still undecided on whether I would go this year. I toyed with Andrew and Ben just going. Basically, unfortunately, although Andrew was getting his ticket for free, due to various complications in the way the prices are set up, we realised we weren't going to save any money! But, anyway, having heard quite a lot in about 2 or 3 days about relying on God for finances and doing things as a family, I decided I should go, and trusted God for the rest.
When we arrived, and Andrew registered, he received 2 things: £20 worth of vouchers for food for the weekend, and a form to claim back £30 towards travel costs! GOD IS GOOD!
And I saw, throughout the weekend, that God rewarded me, not just financially, but spiritually, for the step of faith we took.
He taught me loads about holiness, needing to model it, before I can preach it.
He taught me about his faithfulness.
He taught me about relying and focussing on him.
He taught me that if I look at people from the perspective that He loves them, they look very different - who do you find it hard to love??
Not really sure where any of that comes into what was being taught, but anyway!
And from what was taught, or what I went to (!):
Didn't go to Chick's Bible Studies, so no comments on that, although I might get into that another time!
Nick Park was good, relaxing
Praise Party was a good time of worship, really needed it after the inspiring message from Steve Chalke
Someone needs to give Steve Chalke a copy of TSA doctrines!
Hope 2008 sounds inspiring
I'm really interested in 'the ultimate church visit' - might blog about that sometime
Geoff Ryan was really inspiring on Monday morning- real church!?
Oh, and I liked the puppet workshop! People pay good money for that kind of training!!
Ben enjoyed the weekend, once he got used to the size of the venue etc, and I think he learnt a lot.
Ceitidh survived the time away from us, and seemed to enjoy herself, I think!
Well, that's my run-down on the weekend.
Might blog some more when I think about it!
Labels: Roots
