tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70906457066064376272024-03-14T08:57:30.489+00:00Inspired by FaithDevotional blog, reflecting, inspiring, encouraging and rambling about issues of faith, life, the Church, Christian living and the Salvation Army.Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-87013043114184923842023-07-17T18:39:00.006+01:002024-01-31T16:38:18.867+00:00Is online worship Destroying the Church?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoeljo1Fq_pdOEcCSHMGBZF-7rMwKzo642StbuNlzMVqjHi29Dz4HmFU7ABC6eWZmyosh14jvHH7l0Hp0T1VH7v-UBLrz0qmjK-Jkmqu_R0bNDygtVPudkGOmPP_75LXJnFae-kB5Jw6PMtrpGFU1kHLPGZhFFmrLlV4ee2V8KfIQ1XjcQfyJ5ROK2sgv/s1001/Picsart_24-01-30_19-19-16-610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1001" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoeljo1Fq_pdOEcCSHMGBZF-7rMwKzo642StbuNlzMVqjHi29Dz4HmFU7ABC6eWZmyosh14jvHH7l0Hp0T1VH7v-UBLrz0qmjK-Jkmqu_R0bNDygtVPudkGOmPP_75LXJnFae-kB5Jw6PMtrpGFU1kHLPGZhFFmrLlV4ee2V8KfIQ1XjcQfyJ5ROK2sgv/w400-h329/Picsart_24-01-30_19-19-16-610.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Most of us, these days are familiar with live streaming or online worship. There's no doubt that it has changed the way we worship and attend Church for the better...or not</p><p>I'm talking mainly about the 'physical institution' of Church, the community, building and the Sunday services, meetings, whatever your particular Church calls them. </p><p>In the days before Covid/The Pandemic/Lockdown forced us into finding ways of adapting and continuing 'Church' while distancing and isolating and following all the various government restrictions and guidelines, my Church, and I'm sure many others didn't really make live streaming a priority, it was thought about, flirted with, trialled etc but it was the pandemic that made it necessary to figure it out fairly rapidly and implement it or else there simply wouldn't be Church services or perhaps even a community as we know it.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The perfect way to attend Church?</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p>To start with I thought it was brilliant, my antisocial & introverted side loved the idea. Church without having to get up early, no tedious bus ride to the city centre, I could turn up in pyjamas, eat my breakfast, skip boring parts, if I didn't feel like going or watching it I didn't have to, and no one would get mad or wonder where I was (or hold me accountable)</p><p>Perfection...of course there was a cost to that way of 'doing Church'. The lack of community, of real human contact and fellowship and so on, which was a serious problem and drawback...but it was necessary, the country and the world found us in the situation we were in, and we had to deal with it, whether we liked it or not. I thought I did...but I have since began to understand the real benefit of actually meeting in person, of experiencing the community of Church.</p><p><br /></p><p>I did wonder, I suppose like many others, what would happen after the restrictions were lifted, could we ever go back to how things were? Would we want to? What would the Church, post-pandemic look like? Would live streaming become a way of life, or just a temporary measure...</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Post-pandemic Church</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p>It's probably fair to say that the Church as a whole (and yes, I'm generalising) seems to have embraced online worship. It's become just a part of how things are done. Obviously I'm aware that this isn't universal, some Churches stopped recording after the pandemic, many, though have continued to do so. And it's been such a blessing for those unable to attend in person worship due to age, infirmity or ill health. It's long been established that an online presence is important for a Church, people these days like to visit a website before attending, or watch a video, maybe check out social media. It's a societal change that is probably here to stay. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Technology can help us reach so many more people than in the past. But as I said above there is a cost...</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What is a Church service?</b></span></p><p><br /></p><p>The use of technology, recording, live streaming etc makes me ask the question: what is Church? </p><p><br /></p><p>In the Salvation Army, Sunday services are often referred to as 'meetings' I once heard the phrase 'We call it a meeting, because service starts afterwards'. I can't remember where I heard it, but I really love that sentiment of a Sunday meeting being there to empower, equip and prepare us for going out from the physical building and serving others, and of course serving Christ.</p><p><br /></p><p>In some Churches, the Sunday service is a celebration, music, dancing, loud cries to God. Others are reflective, focusing inwards, deep and prayerful experiences and there's every combination of those things, and various degrees of each. I'm not here to say which is right or wrong, but I suggest that whatever 'style' of worship we're used to, that our particular Church uses; the aim is always the same...to speak to God, to reach and to be reached by Him. Even in the loud, celebratory worship there is a desire and a hope for a personal moment, to experience God for ourselves, individually and express our love and adoration for God. Sometimes though, it's probably true to say that Church can feel like a performance; choirs, worship bands, organ music, brass bands are often a traditional feature in my denomination, we also have powerful speakers and preachers. But I would still maintain that it is the intimacy of being surrounded by God and our communities, shut off from the world for an hour or so to focus on and really worship God that is the main and most important purpose of a Church service.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Opening up to the world without losing the purpose and intimacy of corporate, community worship</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p>My concern is that if we're not careful, opening up these personal and intimate celebrations to the world via the internet, is in danger of somehow lessening them, that even subconsciously we start thinking about how we look or sound online while we're worshipping, or putting on a show when our hearts and thoughts should be on higher things. And of course we have to think about the privacy of our members whose information or private (within the community) business that they might not want sharing...a bereavement, a birthday and so on...it could be argued that anyone could walk into a church and hear this information if it's is shared from the pulpit or platform or whatever. but in my opinion it takes it to another level if it happens to be plastered all over the internet. Church should be a place where we can be around friends, where we can be open and vulnerable...being filmed and ending up on YouTube is a legitimate concern...part of the process that goes on at my Church is sensitively editing announcements and personal moments which I'm grateful for...but some Churches that are live streaming there is no such process...which is potentially problematic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here's an example, not a big issue, but one that bothered me slightly. A few months ago before my Church service began, the cameras were running, and although it didn't appear online, I still felt a little uncomfortable having myself plastered on a big screen just in our main hall waiting for the meeting to start. Yes it's not a big issue, I wasn't exactly going to walk out over it, it wasn't online or anything like that, but if I felt uncomfortable like that during an ordinary moment, how much worse might some people feel during a vulnerable moment? Would it stop them being themselves, or being open? Even stop them wanting to attend? Or just make them feel uncomfortable, which in itself is a problem and if so, are we failing our members in favour of accessibility of our meetings, and is it a fair trade?</p><p><br /></p><p>There's a lot of questions there, and I suppose to answer them we have to decide what the main focus of our corporate worship is. Is it outreach, to put on a show, is it empowering members, making them feel comfortable. Is it so we can all sing together, to feel part of something... essentially we need to decide if we're reaching inwards, or outwards, how do we find balance between the two?</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm aware that I'm acting like a politician there and answering a question with another question. But these are things we need to think about.</p><p><br /></p><p>I quite like the balance at my Church, filming, recording but editing before it is posted to YouTube or social media, particularly for those who are unable to physically attend corporate worship, but even that, measured approach has a drawback. It means that the services are posted a few days afterwards, meaning that those not able to attend in person are unable to watch/be involved with the meeting like those in attendance, in itself potentially damaging the community.</p><p><br /></p><p>I am probably going round in circles, and I don't really have an answer to question I posed in the title:</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"Has streaming/online worship destroyed the sanctity, intimacy and reverence of the Church?"</span></b></p><p>Perhaps there is no one size fits all answer or response...but there are concerns, questions to ask, and warnings to acknowledge...we can't go back to a time when the whole country stopped and went to Church, we must find ways of reaching out to people where they are. We must be accessible and relevant to survive and fulfill our calling. There are many benefits to online worship. I'm certainly not advocating scrapping it, far from it. But as discussed, there are drawbacks. I just think that we need to look inwards, as much as we look outwards, to be the Church for its members as well as for those outside our walls and above all to be a worshipping community, that puts God first before anything else.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Maintaining community, supporting each other and being truly present</b></span></p><p>The biggest danger I think of online/streaming in my opinion; is the convenience, the ease of and attractiveness of attending church that could lead to a slippery slope of losing the sense of community that only really comes with being physically together. Participating in community, a handshake, a hug, sometimes, the silly things like a joke or an in the moment comment, maybe even a smile or a brief moment of eye contact between friends, or a hundred other unplanned or unexpected brief moments that build rapport with each other, that show we're functioning and real human beings.</p><div style="text-align: left;">I suppose the most important thing we could potentially lose is the chance to welcome new people properly. Numbers on a YouTube watch count represent more than just a measure of popularity, or of success, each number could represent a new person, exploring the church and Christianity. Now obviously it's an easy and safe way to get to know a potential church before attending, but again with the convenience comes the danger that community becomes only surface deep, rather than the meaningful, intimate and trusting community that the Church must be.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">To an extent I am talking from personal experience. As above I am naturally introverted, online worship is, on paper a perfect way of attending church for me. Mix that with being a shift worker and often unable to attend in person and I can confirm that it makes building real relationships really difficult. Going beyond the small talk and platitudes that church attendees often share during brief pre-service moments is not easy. It takes time, effort and vulnerability. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If the day ever comes that the Church goes fully online, or distance worship, we lose something truly precious.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not saying, by any stretch, that we should scrap online worship altogether. It certainly has an important place in today's world. It opens our buildings to a far wider audience, it allows members who are unable to attend to still be an active participants, to feel part of our churches as the internet often does it connects us. And it creates a worldwide borderless community. I certainly don't believe that it's destroying the Church... but the danger is that in this expansion, in the ease of access, without the effort of being physically present; dealing with alarms and traffic, late buses and having to make it on time (potentially really early) after a long week of work and deadlines, the danger is that our bonds and community and intimacy is lessened. That is something that we really have to make effort to guard against. We can use the tool of online worship/streaming to enhance our churches and communities, but we must not let it cheapen or lessen who we are, or who we can be... and who and what we are called to be.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Be present, physically but also emotionally. Whether you feel like it or not, the Church is far from just being a building, or a weekly service. It is a people, a community set apart, to love and support the world and spread the gospel. But it also a community that must love and support and build each other up. And whether you attend every week, in-person, front row centre, if you can only attend occasionally, if you only have access online always remember that you are the 'Church' part of the community, you and I have a responsibility to truly be part of that community and to guard against apathy and surface deep relationship.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The final word goes to Hebrews 10:25</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6px;"><i>"Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more"</i></span></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I would love to hear your feedback and comments on this blog, and of course feel free to sign up with your email address to avoid missing new posts (if viewing on a mobile device you may need to click on 'view web version')</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Please like and share the Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/">https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/</a></p><div style="text-align: left;">Also on twitter/X: @InspiredFaith88</div><p><br /></p><p>Take a look at Inspired by Faith on Twitter: (@InspiredFaith88): <a href="https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09">https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09</a></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-65471601544159121792023-01-10T17:42:00.002+00:002023-01-10T18:16:33.532+00:00The Gospel According to Mario Kart Part 2: A new perspective/Teamwork makes the dream work<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnlBmN-bWVMgX9e5_q59C1PzXqCs4fhyBghUuW7Vk-QPZ6QRWSLdJuBrgMEPwtRzLTf238LraBTVwhq-WRbRKwwmkCt_WbLrEncs3qToexWT64vCeq4Mq07UnD96JWQAVd0yEDY2h5eMaPs6_pybvC6GFNXAHPKv5bxScli20fX4_V35Z2WmKLI2bBQ/s3389/Picsart_23-01-09_19-03-44-516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1616" data-original-width="3389" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnlBmN-bWVMgX9e5_q59C1PzXqCs4fhyBghUuW7Vk-QPZ6QRWSLdJuBrgMEPwtRzLTf238LraBTVwhq-WRbRKwwmkCt_WbLrEncs3qToexWT64vCeq4Mq07UnD96JWQAVd0yEDY2h5eMaPs6_pybvC6GFNXAHPKv5bxScli20fX4_V35Z2WmKLI2bBQ/w400-h191/Picsart_23-01-09_19-03-44-516.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Mario Kart 64 & Double Dash: a new perspective/teamwork makes the dream work</p><p><br /></p><p>Welcome to part 2 of 4 of 'The Gospel according to Mario Kart' series</p><p><br /></p><p>Click <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-gospel-according-to-mario-kart-part.html">Here</a> to read part 1.</p><p><br /></p><p>Released on the Nintendo 64 in Japan in 1996 and worldwide in 1997, Mario Kart 64 was a total step up from Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo... don't get me wrong I love Super Mario Kart, but 64 took the frantic fun of the original and presented it in glorious (for the time) 3D. It added some great looking (and at times infuriating) tracks, the dreaded blue shell, that targets whoever happens to be in first place, often hitting right on the finish line, destroying any chance of victory...ruining friendships, and causing expletives to fly from even the most mild mannered player.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mario Kart Double Dash, was released worldwide in 2003 on the Nintendo GameCube. Another step up, it took the 3D graphics and improved on them, new and exciting tracks (once again, occasionally infuriating). It also added a teamwork mechanic. The player picks 2 characters which effects weight, handling and more importantly the weapons and power-ups that are generated. It adds another layer of strategy to the game, and a great way to play with friends.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>So what?</b></span></p><p>2 amazing games which have taken up far too much of my time, and caused me to have several rage induced adult tantrums...but what's the point? What exactly is there to learn about faith and Christianity from these video games?</p><p>The Church today is facing challenges. That's undeniable. These challenges are not going to be overcome by fancy buildings, music programs, the traditional 'trappings' of religion. They will be overcome by the 2 things I'm looking at in this post</p><p>I've split this post into 2 sections. There are 2 distinct lessons and reflections I've come up with; they're in the title, but here they are again:</p><p>1) A new perspective</p><p>2) Teamwork makes the dream work</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>A New Perspective</b></span></p><p><br /></p><p>In 1996/1997 the original, epic, although sometimes kind of flat Mario Kart game was superceded by Mario 64. As above, it was the mid 90s version of glorious 3D graphics...it forced gamers to look at things from a new perspective...</p><p>It's vital that we start examining our preconceived ideas of what this world is and needs, and what the Church itself is or should be.</p><p>Essentially we need to break ourselves down and really take a deep introspective look at ourselves, what works, what doesn't. what we need, what we don't. That doesn't necessarily mean just doing away with traditions or centuries of experience, or any of that kind of thing. I would never usually find myself agreeing with Delores Umbrage from Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix...but she kind of has a point:</p><p><i>"Progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged"</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCTNW2AeezFR9X28mtpzAN7BHQKb1xuu6DYNn_kCRDHSQyIvQ2-AvVlvKh5jVvfoNKLbtv1N8DISceEU4LAMoMfR2YheT3Fzvnqxm794IqYQ3mmji65CPletjMmHiFWX9SV6Pdoa7QKupOGKUU7a01ibAJuTcEuvDaUp-03iSXfqkVHf9pIQDHOZPRA/s640/Picsart_23-01-09_16-17-19-621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="640" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCTNW2AeezFR9X28mtpzAN7BHQKb1xuu6DYNn_kCRDHSQyIvQ2-AvVlvKh5jVvfoNKLbtv1N8DISceEU4LAMoMfR2YheT3Fzvnqxm794IqYQ3mmji65CPletjMmHiFWX9SV6Pdoa7QKupOGKUU7a01ibAJuTcEuvDaUp-03iSXfqkVHf9pIQDHOZPRA/s320/Picsart_23-01-09_16-17-19-621.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I don't usually make a habit of taking advice from movie or literary villains...That being said, Sometimes they do seem to make a lot of sense. the things that don't work, or that get in the way of our relationship with God and our mission as the Church; we have to get rid of. So the advice from villain number 2; Alexander Pierce from the movie Captain America: Civil War (one of my favourites) is:</p><p><br /></p><p><i>"to build a better world sometimes means tearing the old one down."</i></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BMsk7BbJLcjbfjMQsf3ANIuD_1jYEe2jY5x_ZvoiiMC_qzw-rXFP7D7tCcPQNNn8tFa12ZK_02MGh5GUKM6tn5P2QM3mMp1U5zDqJ5v48Pj6ef4T4sBcSSoKdizWkUtBXLbT6zemIWWQ_bND3h0Y10E1kzBjeidzb5E1mWfUv9BYNzGeESoyg8Pc1A/s960/8b849317cc4e30f1b3c472db9c479855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BMsk7BbJLcjbfjMQsf3ANIuD_1jYEe2jY5x_ZvoiiMC_qzw-rXFP7D7tCcPQNNn8tFa12ZK_02MGh5GUKM6tn5P2QM3mMp1U5zDqJ5v48Pj6ef4T4sBcSSoKdizWkUtBXLbT6zemIWWQ_bND3h0Y10E1kzBjeidzb5E1mWfUv9BYNzGeESoyg8Pc1A/w240-h320/8b849317cc4e30f1b3c472db9c479855.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the movie, the character then goes on to say that doing so, creates enemies... that's definitely true. Often it can seem like any form of change is resisted, some people resist for the sake of resisting, or simply hate change, I can totally understand that.</p><p>Change, even necessary change, often comes slowly, or not at all. But I get it, change can be difficult, painful even. The difficulty is knowing what changes we have to make. When to push for the necessary changes, when to fight back and cling to the foundations and traditions that the Church is built upon.</p><p>We live in times when inclusion is one of the obvious hot topics. I fully support inclusion, I make no secret of that. I don't believe that sexual orientation, race, gender, etc should in any way limit or suppress membership or activity within the Church and fellowship of God, I don't consider myself judge, jury and executioner for the Church. On the flip side of that, I will stand up for and speak out in defence of some of the rules, and tenets of the Church.</p><p>Being a Christian is something set apart. Prayer, baptism (by the spirit in particular), communion, holiness, teachings about the necessity of salvation, all these things are important, and make Christianity what it is, but above all, the most important thing is a belief in and striving towards Christ...I once had a strange conversation on an online forum with somebody who felt they were being discriminated against by others not considering them a Christian, despite having no belief, or interest in Christ or the Church, they simply considered themselves a good person and wanted to claim the label of Christian....that made no sense to me. Certainly, I accept that there are a myriad of ways of holding a personal belief in God and expressing that. Many religions, schools of thought etc, and of course in no way would I ever want to deny this person access to the Church. In any true Church, they would receive genuine welcome, love and prayerful, honest support; but a Christian is by its very definition and nature someone who follows, or at the very least tries to follow and have a relationship with Jesus. You obviously don't need to pass a test, or an interview to be a Christian, but we have to retain our sense of identity and not water down who we are or what we believe... and no, that doesn't however give us permission to be jerks, to deny people access to our churches, social aid where it's offered, or prayers etc, it doesn't give us the right to discriminate. But it does mean we have to be honest with ourselves and others, and to not shrink from being who we are.</p><p>Looking at the world and ourselves from this new perspective, isn't about watering ourselves down, denying who we are, or tearing down everything that has come before simply to do something different. "progress for the sake of progress". But it is about empathy with those we want to reach. Seeing them as whole people. Not just numbers, or as evangelism 'targets'. We have to start looking at ourselves through the eyes of those outside our fellowships, meeting people where they are, not where we expect or want them to be. People, particularly those outside our churches are not here for the Church's benefit, or to fill pews, keep the lights on or whatever...we exist for their benefit, to show the love of God, both in a spiritual/prayerful sense, and also a practical sense. </p><p>We can be incredibly insular and get carried away with our own comings and goings, and trappings if we're not careful....this new perspective is vital for the Church's future and the fulfillment of its mission to seek, to save and to serve. </p><p>As one of the Salvation Army's mission slogans puts it:</p><p><i>“Save souls, grow saints and serve suffering humanity”</i></p><p><br /></p><p>I think that's one of the very best positional statements for any and every expression of the Church.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Teamwork makes the dream work</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p>The second lesson that I've been reflecting on, from Mario Kart: double dash, on the GameCube is pretty simple... we're strong, we're better and we're just plain unbeatable when we work together.</p><p>Ecclesiastes 4:12 states:</p><p><i>"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."</i></p><p>And that about sums it up.</p><p>We could stop there, but we all know it's not that simple...Christians do seem particularly good at fighting each other, arguing amongst ourselves and generally just sucking at working together.</p><p>I've been known to frequent online forums, and in the past get myself drawn into arguments... although I always tried my best to remain respectful. These days I just try and avoid them. But take a quick look on almost any Christian forum, or Facebook page and there seems to be no shortage of arguments, sometimes quite nasty. I don't think it's exactly the holy, contrite and pious image we like to attribute to ourselves. </p><p>We can, and we must do better. That doesn't mean we have to agree of everything, we can discuss, debate and disagree. But let's try and do so while remembering that we are a brothers and sisters in Christ. We share and agree on so much more than we disagree. And if we could just focus primarily on what unites us, rather than divides us, we could do and be so much more...but that's not me telling you anything you don't already know, the tricky bit is putting it into practice.</p><p>That bit, I can't really help you with. It takes personal reflection, introspection, maturity and empathy. Not the easiest qualities, but we must practice and get better at those things. </p><p>We can be a stronger whole, if we work together, and learn from each other. A quick example; my own denomination, the Salvation Army, is traditionally not great at discipleship, that's a huge and not overly fair oversimplification. Individual churches and groups do better or worse than others of course. But in general it's not something that necessarily comes easy for us...social work, organisation, practical stuff like that is part of our DNA...as with all denominations, and individual churches, we have our strengths and weaknesses. Through cooperation and understanding we have much that we can teach, and even more that we can learn from others. Not a single Church or denomination has all the answers. But by working together, we can all share and build on our strengths as well as get better at the areas we're weaker at.</p><p>It's not exactly rocket science. I'm not trying to fire up some deep theological truth here... we're stronger when we work together. It's that easy...and that difficult.</p><p><br /></p><p>But linking this whole post together and maybe at the risk of repeating myself a bit, it takes a new perspective, to embrace each other, to find and celebrate our common ground, without watering ourselves down. It takes empathy, and introspection and compassion to really embrace a new perspective and make the dream work, through teamwork.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I would love to hear your feedback and comments on this blog, and of course feel free to sign up with your email address to avoid missing new posts (if viewing on a mobile device you may need to click on 'view web version')</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Please like and share the Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/">https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Take a look at Inspired by Faith on Twitter: (@InspiredFaith88): <a href="https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09">https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span></p>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0Coventry, UK52.4128163 -1.508952124.102582463821157 -36.6652021 80.723050136178841 33.6472979tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-63874648470273964442022-11-09T16:16:00.007+00:002022-12-09T00:17:15.632+00:00The church is dead...Long live the Church<blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVu96zGmtx_bAvaFNX2LRtdRI6e578Xu4zTSlDLOUUTCbG4jELmM7NSHtMwpq7w8hW7xM2sr_JaHq15NXoGHHyEJUEPFRl54Mjk4-roUJgo6Rh5YWaUvoUyXWLjBnTM4LDixRMiDrbi5CTP8miIz2pPAC3t3PILG07mrz6uyIDNRGf7yAvCUSJHNbIg/s847/Picsart_22-11-07_01-32-44-700.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVu96zGmtx_bAvaFNX2LRtdRI6e578Xu4zTSlDLOUUTCbG4jELmM7NSHtMwpq7w8hW7xM2sr_JaHq15NXoGHHyEJUEPFRl54Mjk4-roUJgo6Rh5YWaUvoUyXWLjBnTM4LDixRMiDrbi5CTP8miIz2pPAC3t3PILG07mrz6uyIDNRGf7yAvCUSJHNbIg/w170-h200/Picsart_22-11-07_01-32-44-700.png" width="170" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Many people these days seem to think the Church has passed it's sell by date. We're always being told It's irrelevant, pointless and weak. People seem to think it causes nothing but division, and is the decaying remnants of a once great institution that no longer has a place in society...other than maybe as a picture on a postcard or Christmas card...an image of tradition and a reminder of what once, was, the cornerstone of society.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>As the cast of Monty python might say:</b></p><p><i>"Its not pinin'! 'it's passed on! The Church is no more! It has ceased to be! 'it's expired and gone to meet it's maker!</i></p><p><i>It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! It's pushing up the daisies!</i></p><p><i>It's metabolic processes are now history! It's off the twig!</i></p><p><i>It's kicked the bucket, it's shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisibile!!"</i></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">That's what I want to look at in today's post</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>A quick point of order before we get stuck in:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I thought I was being terribly clever with my witty title, a quick Google search shows that I was very, very wrong, and it's been used a lot (like a lot) so just as a mini disclaimer, this is my own work, not derivative or pinched from anyone else, I've drawn my on conclusions and opinions, so any resemblance to any other post is purely coincidental.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Would the last one out please turn off the lights!</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lots of polls and opinion pieces will tell you that the Church in the west is declining.</div><div style="text-align: left;">A quick Google search provided these sobering graphs specifically in relation to the United Kingdom. Published in June 2022 (click to zoom in)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJ2Ow7jppHhgh9qLmEMP2PofLSD2Y3K8jDRrep5FYctb_8MYtllUHsTL2xX3V9Dqq7LIouu8L1y3WAMJlx2IUQOL30GXRBSlgPykmefIV2xyiSbk4KtQi37av1A2HoDWfho8vzwdVqqkhRsMMG2mUVEUx2zmVBEFFiVlCsYoX7rOUDoR93VFT-LwhGQ/s768/Screenshot-2022-06-06-at-07.31.23.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="768" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJ2Ow7jppHhgh9qLmEMP2PofLSD2Y3K8jDRrep5FYctb_8MYtllUHsTL2xX3V9Dqq7LIouu8L1y3WAMJlx2IUQOL30GXRBSlgPykmefIV2xyiSbk4KtQi37av1A2HoDWfho8vzwdVqqkhRsMMG2mUVEUx2zmVBEFFiVlCsYoX7rOUDoR93VFT-LwhGQ/w400-h206/Screenshot-2022-06-06-at-07.31.23.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZ989Hv7k2VbA1VvKcsG05MEDRlOOjfOYMRMPIswGY4jHth8MGONWmZylVQiUFaW5eoEUUs81Ng7Ex_CXSK0_gvx0LcMM5ZkBfzyN0Pp4JApxuNgJDfcnnLx86F_qB-QLsV1caGuEiUrSgvxjFu_aswDrwbd-1Wnr6HBLFSHumZljGm5BrT5OYwRr-g/s580/Screenshot-2022-06-06-at-07.31.02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="580" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZ989Hv7k2VbA1VvKcsG05MEDRlOOjfOYMRMPIswGY4jHth8MGONWmZylVQiUFaW5eoEUUs81Ng7Ex_CXSK0_gvx0LcMM5ZkBfzyN0Pp4JApxuNgJDfcnnLx86F_qB-QLsV1caGuEiUrSgvxjFu_aswDrwbd-1Wnr6HBLFSHumZljGm5BrT5OYwRr-g/w400-h209/Screenshot-2022-06-06-at-07.31.02.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Source" <a href="https://www.kouya.net/?p=13846">https://www.kouya.net/?p=13846</a></div><p>I'll leave you to read the full article yourselves if you're interested. But a few sobering points to note:</p><p>- some denominations could be extinct within 20 years</p><p>- the Church in Wales (including several nonconformist denominations) could be extinct within 30 years</p><p>- "The Church of England and Catholics should last until the second half of the century. However, they need to take urgent action now. Stemming losses is not enough. None of us can prevent ageing! Whatever their current denominational emphases, they should put all aside to encourage members to make new disciples who can replicate themselves. Praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit would not go amiss either."</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">A Church of two halves:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This next section is going to be a bit of a long winded, explanation of my opinion of what the figures and graphs are trying to say...but stick with me...I'll leave a summary/tldr (too long didn't read) at the end of this section if you just want to quite literally jump to my conclusion.</div><p>Interesting to note as a starting point, is that while older more established and traditional denominations are for the most part, in decline, more modern denominations seem to be increasing membership, also of note is that the churches that seem to be growing are the more evangelical ones.</p><p>I don't fully hold with the distinctions the website makes between liberal/evangelical churches, the definitions are a little unhelpful...a church can definitely be liberal as well evangelical in the sense of having liberal theology/doctrines/policies and still very much be committed to evangelism and reaching out...I think I would prefer the distinction of an insular, inward looking church whose main focus (note: main not only) on deepening relationships and discipleship Vs a mainly outward looking, convert grabbing focused church...which is pretty much the distinction I think they're trying to make, but with slightly dodgy terminology (just my thoughts anyway)</p><p>Whatever the terminology, the graphs are quite interesting...the larger Churches that are perhaps somewhat comfortable in their place, have established, and well known, long histories etc have, maybe become a little too comfortable, the sense of urgency is perhaps not there... obviously each denomination and individual church community will have their own reasons for growth or decline, and within the declining denominations they're will, of course be those communities that are still thriving and growing. So I don't want to oversimplify or stereotype whole denominations based on limited figures.</p><p>The younger Churches, that don't have that established history, I suppose are fighting to carve out their niche within the UK Christian community...they don't have an established following or reputation, (I guess is the word), to fall back on. So they must constantly be pushing forward, constantly be telling and showing people who they are.</p><p>The established denominations have enjoyed being ingrained in the public psyche for generations... generally people know who they are, they're represented on television, with things that are just part of our accepted traditions and shared experiences...just as a quick example, we see a priest in a dog collar we instantly know and understand what their role is, we make certain assumptions about beliefs, traditions and practices. We see a traditional Church and people instantly think of weddings, baptisms and funerals etc...maybe this privileged position in society has led to a certain amount of apathy?</p><p>Perhaps this apathy explains a lot of the issues the traditional Church faces...again another quick example...50-60 years ago you could probably assume most people went to church or at very least Sunday school when they were growing up. Stories like Noah's ark, fall of Jericho, David Vs Goliath etc were universally known by pretty much everybody... today, that's not the case. Even key components of Christianity and the story of Christ are not so well known. Even Christmas and the crucifixion are being pushed back and forgotten about...the established church hasn't really had the need to explain these kinds of stories, they have always subconsciously assumed that everybody was starting from an established knowledge base...and so haven't really had to worry too much about getting basic teachings and knowledge out there...and in my opinion haven't kept pace with changing society. </p><p>Lots of the younger Churches are starting from an assumption that the people they're evangelising to, are completely starting from scratch, no prior knowledge or experience of the Church. Therefore seem to have more of a sense of urgency, and are building, pretty much from nothing... this the way I envision it; that the established denominations are like a fortress constantly building up defenses while unbeknownst to them, their foundations are cracking. Perhaps that's a little extreme, as their true foundations are in Christ and unshakable... Maybe a better analogy is to say that they're building defences while those inside are either comfortable and fast asleep unaware of any danger, or sneaking out the back door...in contrast to this imposing but sleepy and unprepared fortress I see these newer denominations as a lightly armed but passionate and strong raiding party, the trade off is that without the established fortress, or place of retreat the raiding party can be vulnerable.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>(Skip to here for conclusion or tldr...if you made it through my rambling about the figures then congratulations and thank you)</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>The point I'm trying to make in all of the above. Is that there is no one way, that is all encompassing and works for everyone and everything the Church will encounter. There are benefits to being established and all the history and collective knowledge and traditions that the older denominations have accumulated. Likewise there is value and strength in the modern more outward looking denominations...both together could be unstoppable...to paraphrase and build on James 2:14-26 'faith without works is dead' I would say: worship and discipleship, growth etc without looking outwards is to miss the point of being the Church, as is looking outward without focusing on our own discipleship and community ties/foundations... essentially we need each other, all our different skills and passions need to work together to truly be the complete and unified Church that we are meant to be, and that the world needs us to be.</p><p>I know that all that is a massive oversimplification...the established Church does look outwards and the newer denominations do look inwards...I just wanted to help highlight the distinction and help to explain the different main focuses and methods of each type of denomination...my own denomination, the Salvation Army has traditionally been very good at reaching out, both in social work and evangelism. I would also argue that in terms of attractive, meaningful and inspiring worship it's also very good... discipleship, spiritual gifts, meditation all the sort of inward stuff however, it's traditionally been a lot weaker at. It's working to address the imbalance and has come a very long way...but sometimes we're still poor at stopping and looking inwards.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Rising from the ashes, and starting again:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdCbUfp-BXer_nkCM62iSvT4e5U24DZ46d1u9-KBKrPBz8V0rotkRN8Y5X5JIXDeYbAIK30YG95utzsbR4k5gt3q-sIjuKIFlai3UZ3WQUXgRvNw5p0m9M82f6xQbxyMGsheJX7HNDkiXj0nO_NwPDewr-Mr2W-wV8KsHylXp9wee7yRuixp2SBz5Jw/s3464/Picsart_22-11-07_01-25-39-720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3464" data-original-width="3464" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdCbUfp-BXer_nkCM62iSvT4e5U24DZ46d1u9-KBKrPBz8V0rotkRN8Y5X5JIXDeYbAIK30YG95utzsbR4k5gt3q-sIjuKIFlai3UZ3WQUXgRvNw5p0m9M82f6xQbxyMGsheJX7HNDkiXj0nO_NwPDewr-Mr2W-wV8KsHylXp9wee7yRuixp2SBz5Jw/w200-h200/Picsart_22-11-07_01-25-39-720.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coventry cathedral ruins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUDu2B5sx3ttm0nxtrsvUZ3bpxXahkOT4f7rE6POlFGbPOzGKZgSRbxZBBQH3Vs4nvg86_HvxWgtYG9Mdjnxs_TO4ErA1ILq_i3iUIRF1u-yc0ARa2TP57NKIHHmC5Vbuo3P7TR_-BlaMBYE-rIVwLuw0lSOGfkHsk1xrScFdhvYqfvmImxkLq_tXSg/s1360/Coventry_Cathedral_Interior_West_Midlands_UK_-_Diliff.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1360" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUDu2B5sx3ttm0nxtrsvUZ3bpxXahkOT4f7rE6POlFGbPOzGKZgSRbxZBBQH3Vs4nvg86_HvxWgtYG9Mdjnxs_TO4ErA1ILq_i3iUIRF1u-yc0ARa2TP57NKIHHmC5Vbuo3P7TR_-BlaMBYE-rIVwLuw0lSOGfkHsk1xrScFdhvYqfvmImxkLq_tXSg/w200-h118/Coventry_Cathedral_Interior_West_Midlands_UK_-_Diliff.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">New Cathedral</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hGkGxK2DtUwcIFa_7vNT4OTEX9d-eIRFgmJGZG-8t82t4ldOGumyvJOv8DRyKFnL9zGr1RIwwAM-k9igS7dlwZWCnh1pWgAHJb4DtJMuPKj5IJkP0-lf-yPx1upkHBbfA8reaUiPD7HpinevUEwBx2CDtzYMxBUaeXvnTTBcVfzvIz1d_skN9e3puA/s466/newcathedral.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="466" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hGkGxK2DtUwcIFa_7vNT4OTEX9d-eIRFgmJGZG-8t82t4ldOGumyvJOv8DRyKFnL9zGr1RIwwAM-k9igS7dlwZWCnh1pWgAHJb4DtJMuPKj5IJkP0-lf-yPx1upkHBbfA8reaUiPD7HpinevUEwBx2CDtzYMxBUaeXvnTTBcVfzvIz1d_skN9e3puA/w200-h129/newcathedral.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>Coventry cathedral is a great, practical example of a Church literally rising from the ashes... destroyed during the Blitz of WW2 and rebuilt next to it. Since then it has been a key focal point of the city, an important venue for many varied events, and could well be described as the spiritual centre of the city...the new cathedral is several hundred years younger than many UK cathedrals...it's predecessor is around 500 years older and the original priory and cathedral founded around the year 1100, is around 300 years older than that...the Church , as in the whole church is very different from in those days.</p><p>Is it better? That would be to dishonour what has come before...it is a different institution for a different age and different needs...but it retains much of the lessons and practices of the past.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">One Church:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whether you belong to some of the centuries old Churches like the orthodox Church or Roman Catholicism. Or if you belong to the new breed from the last 20 years or so. Or those of us in-between, you are the Church! You have all the rights, responsibilities and duties that come with that, you are commissioned to make disciples, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, bring hope to the hopeless, be the hands and feet of God Himself...that is your greatest responsibility, and your greatest privilege.</div><p>Our methods may differ completely. Each denomination has strengths and weaknesses, only together, can we be, the true Church of God that this world needs...we have to learn from each other, hold each other up, pick each other up when we stumble...the challenges of modern day life could well pick us all off one by one, if we don't hold fast to the foundations and promises of God, and hold fast to each other.</p><p>The established denominations can no longer rest on their laurels of age old traditions and assume the basic knowledge of the Bible and Christ that society once had...it must get out there, meet people where they are. Invest in them, love them, help them grow and nurture them...it needs something of the fire and new ways of thinking that some newer denominations take for granted (and I'm pleased to say many more established denominations and individual church communities are realising that, and are already making leaps and bounds in those areas)...in the same way some newer denominations need the accumulated strengths of the established Church, it needs a fortress, and resources, the established reputations, it needs to use the knowledge and lessons that have been bitterly learned over the centuries...we can't be either/or. In a new and challenging world, particularly with the fallout and decline after Covid, we must be all, and both. A new, united, confident but prayerful, considerate, loving Church. We can keep our traditions, as well as our new expressions but for the love of God, we need to work together and stop fighting amongst ourselves...we can disagree, have wildly different methods, after all everyone is different, some methods and styles will resonate more with some, and not with others, that doesn't make them inherently bad or good. As long as we're worshipping God, and working together then it's all good.</p><p>The Church, in 20, 30 or even 100 years from now may well look or be expressed radically different from how it is today, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, I have no doubt, that despite figures like the ones above, the Church will continue to endure and serve this world as it has done for 2000 years. </p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Church on fire:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">As a final note, challenge and promise. I'm going to post the lyrics and a link to the song 'Church on fire'. This is a fantastic promise and challenge for the whole Church, for your denomination or community, of course, but also as a combined Church, each of us standing side by side, apart but also connected in brotherhood, celebrating our strengths, and building up our weaknesses, traditional and new expressions of the Church; God's Church, on fire, united, powerful and ready for action.</div><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The church is dead...long live the Church!</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>"Church On Fire"</b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/M76PYwFIgcM">https://youtu.be/M76PYwFIgcM</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>The Holy Spirit is here and His power is real</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Anything can happen and it probably will</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Something very good</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Something good is going on around here</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>There is a light that shines to make the dark disappear</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>A power at work but there's nothing to fear</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Something very good</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Something good is going on around here</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>This is a church on fire</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>This is the Holy Spirit's flame</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>We have a burning desire</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>To lift up Jesus' Name</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Let fire burn in every heart</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>To light the way defeat the dark</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Let the flame of love burn higher</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>This is a church</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>This is a church on fire</i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">I would love to hear your feedback and comments on this blog, and of course feel free to sign up with your email address to avoid missing new posts (if viewing on a mobile device you may need to click on 'view web version')</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Please like and share the Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/">https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Take a look at Inspired by Faith on Twitter: (@InspiredFaith88): <a href="https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09">https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span></p>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-4301067689803240252022-11-05T15:19:00.003+00:002022-11-10T10:55:42.718+00:00The Gospel according to Mario Kart Part 1: Super Mario Kart (When life knocks you down)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1DDbdWCAuJmP9qtT_eLg1QBeQHSgeyAp39KOyI8SjHAcWjQ4L14PkHnV-tSig379t7yB5PYZ0oZDHAl9aFqXU5A2jEg04h4DzQgk_GoyJP2vZD5RzzEhgS2XJEUfiS3FiDxtp2A6hJ5pE6Iotr3dHMPPJfjg4IErjbxONIGNtu__7IEAP5xbTP3JqQ/s1600/Picsart_22-11-05_15-05-30-993.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1DDbdWCAuJmP9qtT_eLg1QBeQHSgeyAp39KOyI8SjHAcWjQ4L14PkHnV-tSig379t7yB5PYZ0oZDHAl9aFqXU5A2jEg04h4DzQgk_GoyJP2vZD5RzzEhgS2XJEUfiS3FiDxtp2A6hJ5pE6Iotr3dHMPPJfjg4IErjbxONIGNtu__7IEAP5xbTP3JqQ/w400-h225/Picsart_22-11-05_15-05-30-993.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>When everything's going smoothly, there isn't a cloud in the sky, nothings bothering you and life seems to be going well...then all of a sudden you have a 'red shell' moment... something unexpected and definitely unwelcome happens, you're made redundant, or you suffer a loss, anything like that...what's your initial reaction? Do you get angry? Do you blame others or yourself for your circumstances? Do you blame God and shout at him? The final question is, as Christians how should we react? How should we move forward?</p><p><br /></p><p>Basing the initial idea for this post on a video game, may seem a little strange. And admittedly it's kind of derivative of those old 'gospel according to...' books that seemed to be all the rage a few years ago, like the Simpsons and Disney, I think there was a superhero one as well. But hey, stick with me. This is my rambling and personal take on the idea...I find inspiration in strange places and I think it's good sometimes to think outside the box. Inspiration and encouragement can be found anywhere if we look hard enough.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is the first in a planned 4 part series looking at the lessons and biblical truths that we can learn from some of the main Mario Kart games... perhaps a little out there, but stick with me.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've got a real thing for video games. Especially retro games. I always love it when I get to combine my love of video games, or Star Trek or any of the other strange stuff I'm into with matters of faith and religion, even better when those things let me look at biblical truths from a different angle and learn new things from them.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>What is Mario Kart?</u></b></p><p>the original Mario Kart, released on the Super Nintendo console in 1992, may not have all the bells and whistles of the later games, but I do have a soft spot for it. It wasn't quite the first kart racer, but it really defined this kind of game, and it's just loads of fun to play.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just to backtrack a little for anyone not familiar with the game series (where have you been?)</p><p>The Mario Kart series, is a racing game featuring some of Nintendo's most popular characters, the characters race around on go karts (hence the name) later games added motorbikes, and prams, barrels, rockets and so on. There are a huge amount of items, weapons and power-ups; some that make you go faster, slow others down, make others crash or spin off the tracks...it's almost as famous for causing arguments as monopoly.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Running the race</u></b></p><p>You may already be questioning where I'm going with all this. I originally planned a simple post based around the well known verses about running the race Hebrews, Galatians, Corinthians, Paul in particular seemed to like using the race analogy, but the old testament is full of references to races as well; Jeremiah, Joel, Samuel and the Psalms to name a few.</p><p><br /></p><p>But that's not really where I felt led to, while planning this post. Mario Kart and those games like it, aren't like normal racing games or any other real world race. Normally you'd expect the best racer to win, the one that's spent the most time practicing. And yes that is part of it, but the items and weapons I mentioned above, as well as obstacles and traps on the game's tracks add a real element of chance. This is where it's reputation for causing arguments comes from...often you can find yourself way ahead of the pack, then just before the finish line, you get hit with a red turtle shell that hunts you down and is very difficult to avoid...then you suddenly end up in last place and depending on whether or not you're a good loser you might have something to say about that...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOBLVVWRtCOD_n4NiliGgfsPdT0XrAECCMaMlbqJWs45NdEG1zWWnh2KW6MeomHOFB3vzDYq8jVWaUNhfwK7_61rgP7JOPDA4OzxZTV-eFlqoFkJZaXHmU7RxazlS-VOeI8lgaaK5EdeovuAbXH-Yrr1CqDmYqWtU14IGC_JMoJ15M9gg-_joBHDowQ/s900/super-mario-kart.900x.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOBLVVWRtCOD_n4NiliGgfsPdT0XrAECCMaMlbqJWs45NdEG1zWWnh2KW6MeomHOFB3vzDYq8jVWaUNhfwK7_61rgP7JOPDA4OzxZTV-eFlqoFkJZaXHmU7RxazlS-VOeI8lgaaK5EdeovuAbXH-Yrr1CqDmYqWtU14IGC_JMoJ15M9gg-_joBHDowQ/w200-h113/super-mario-kart.900x.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Our own 'Red shell' moments</u></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCRatu57q0qfDrIRAJZCjlt2gcE9d-iOx1Of1hW-jVow_ojD33NmFVreAQZR61wx5utAa0RnDJ6jCC23TbzPnfq4YQlp7JE3pbu7RlZcvw3HM_7fVsAAg7ni-dyBZBmeNtGHcBh6O0I7E4-j6HfGPddlBWb4gg46nlGYCgEDoMTwf0m9JEYdmemPPwg/s888/415p80.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="888" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCRatu57q0qfDrIRAJZCjlt2gcE9d-iOx1Of1hW-jVow_ojD33NmFVreAQZR61wx5utAa0RnDJ6jCC23TbzPnfq4YQlp7JE3pbu7RlZcvw3HM_7fVsAAg7ni-dyBZBmeNtGHcBh6O0I7E4-j6HfGPddlBWb4gg46nlGYCgEDoMTwf0m9JEYdmemPPwg/w200-h113/415p80.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><b><br /><u><br /></u></b><p></p><p>I've been pondering, as I often do, and it jumped into my head that getting hit by sudden nasty surprises like that, that totally derail our plans, sometimes send us spiraling in a different direction or cause us to lose our cool can often be a part of everyday life...from an unexpected redundancy, bereavement, illness, even floods and other natural disasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sometimes when these things happen we look for someone or something to blame. If it's a video game like Mario Kart, we look for whichever of our friends or the computer characters (who definitely cheat of course) let the weapon fly, or crashed into us, or even just happened to be better at the game than us. and it can cause tension particularly if you're so close to winning and had it snatched away from you at the last second.</p><p><br /></p><p>I know something of what that's like, which I'll go into pretty briefly, maybe it needs its own post one day...a few years ago I applied to become a full time minister. After what felt like a long time of doing everything that was expected of me, and working really hard on my personal development, putting my whole self into the process, probably more than I've ever applied myself to anything, and putting my whole self worth on the line I was rejected. it's still something that holds me back at times, that every now and again I still think about...I could blame the panel that made the decision, the way the news was delivered, lack of aftercare. I could blame those that mentored and prepared me (I don't, I was lucky . I could blame myself (and sometimes I do). At the time and occasionally now I still briefly and subconsciously look around for someone to blame, including myself. The truth is that perhaps I simply wasn't ready, or it wasn't the right time, or I'm not a right fit. It doesn't really matter I suppose. The point is that I felt really close to achieving something that I really wanted. I believed the assessment was virtually a formality, I probably was a little arrogant. It was my finish line knock back, and it hurt, and set me back. But I'm determined not to let it dictate how I move forward. Maybe one day I'll try again, maybe I won't, but whatever, I can't let a setback or frustration or anger hold me back from whatever God wants me to be and to do. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm sure at some point or another, to a greater or lesser degree, we've all been hit by a finish line knock back; By a red shell smacking into us when we've least expected it. Whatever it was that knocked you off course, big or small, it's so important (but incredibly difficult) not to play the blame game, and look for somebody to shout at and argue with, even ourselves, even God...it's really easy for me to say, I know that I don't know your individual circumstances, how big that red shell was, how much it affects you. but I do know the feeling of having something holding you down, making you fearful of trying again, but that's no way to live. And you'll miss out on all the wonderful things that God can do through you.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>God isn't done with us yet</u></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZaq4nB8lpCE6x8uBe0eiW82xfw12o7Qh_vQKGUbJItA-r9NPgT-SAGCf_HmorhYhMbBeeWkYKZo9Wv0w5eniH5xCvx7K_mZdLvyhPwqUGDiG60oA7fTC9GF5SBQARKm6AveBUyXwyvpJrO-hCXSFcYSR5L-l7Rw-8JdO4ZT6owqzfpmVeHZB1KpShDA/s320/mqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZaq4nB8lpCE6x8uBe0eiW82xfw12o7Qh_vQKGUbJItA-r9NPgT-SAGCf_HmorhYhMbBeeWkYKZo9Wv0w5eniH5xCvx7K_mZdLvyhPwqUGDiG60oA7fTC9GF5SBQARKm6AveBUyXwyvpJrO-hCXSFcYSR5L-l7Rw-8JdO4ZT6owqzfpmVeHZB1KpShDA/w200-h113/mqdefault.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><b><u><br /></u></b><p></p><p>We have a God who cares about our futures, and doesn't want us held back from reaching our potential. And from being the very best version of ourselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here's a couple of key quotes from the batman begins movie that are really appropriate here (and give me an excuse to quote a batman movie, which is always good.)</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Alfred Pennyworth : "Why do we fall sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.</i></p><p><i>Bruce Wayne : You still haven't given up on me?</i></p><p><i>Alfred Pennyworth : Never."</i></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Alfred Pennyworth : "I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do with your past, sir. Just know that there are those of us who care about what you do with your future."</i></p><p><br /></p><p>That's a promise, and a conversation that I can really imagine God having with us. And a conversation that I would have with you...God won't give up on you, no matter how much you may have given up on yourself. He cares about you, your present and your future. If you're struggling and can't find that faith in yourself, please be assured that God has faith in you.</p><p><br /></p><p>But let me be real for a moment, as Rocky said in Rocky Balboa (sorry for more movie quotes but it really fits and is just a great quote);</p><p><i>"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"</i></p><p><br /></p><p>It's rarely quick or easy to get over a red shell moment. It's rarely easy to forgive those that we blame for our misfortunes or failures, it's often even harder to forgive ourselves. It takes time and real effort to heal, and move forward. It takes honesty with ourselves, it involves soul searching and prayer, and it involves turning to others for help, something that I really struggle with. That may be a friend, a minister a mentor, perhaps even a counsellor or other professional. There is no shame, absolutely none, in turning to others for help, in fact I see it as a sign of strength and courage.</p><p><br /></p><p>But to quote Alfred Pennyworth again, as above:</p><p><i>"I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do with your past, sir. Just know that there are those of us who care about what you do with your future."</i></p><p><br /></p><p>All these times we suffer or get knocked back can in a strange way become a positive thing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Romans 5:3-4 seems really appropriate here:</p><p><i>"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,"</i></p><p><br /></p><p>I can't really unpack that verse any better than it unpacks itself...it's a great truth; it also happens to be one of the verses that I find kind of irritating. Achieving all it's promises is great, and honourable and all that; but it seems so simple when written down and layed out like that. It really isn't...but the reward both for the kingdom of God on earth, our place in it, and for ourselves personally if we can achieve it, is immeasurable.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you persevere, and move forward, trust in God, forgive others, even more importantly forgive yourself. Through self reflection, prayer and with time, you will find your purpose and your victory. It may very well not take the form you want or expect it to, but you will find it, and in doing so, you'll find peace and fulfilment.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>A final word</u></b>.</p><p>I thought I'd give the final word to the song 'Wake up O sleeper' by Graham Kendrick. This version Is sung by the Salvation Army's International staff songsters: <a href="https://youtu.be/Cd3nHW_ueIo">https://youtu.be/Cd3nHW_ueIo</a></p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wake up O sleeper</i><i>And rise from the dead</i></p><p><i>And Christ will shine on you</i></p><p><i>Wake up O sleeper</i></p><p><i>And rise from the dead</i></p><p><i>And Christ will shine on you</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>Once you were darkness</i></p><p><i>But now you are light</i></p><p><i>Now you are light in the Lord</i></p><p><i>So as true children of light you must live</i></p><p><i>Showing the glory of God</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>This is the beautiful fruit of the light</i></p><p><i>The good, the righteous, the true</i></p><p><i>Let us discover what pleases the Lord</i></p><p><i>In everything that we do</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>As days get darker take care how you live</i></p><p><i>Not as unwise but as wise</i></p><p><i>Making the most</i></p><p><i>Of each moment he gives</i></p><p><i>And pressing on for the prize</i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">I would love to hear your feedback and comments on this blog, and of course feel free to sign up with your email address to avoid missing new posts (if viewing on a mobile device you may need to click on 'view web version')</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Please like and share the Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/">https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Take a look at Inspired by Faith on Twitter: (@InspiredFaith88): <a href="https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09">https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span></p>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-48342153079812306532019-08-30T18:54:00.000+01:002019-09-02T02:48:02.341+01:00'By the Founder's Beard!': A Salvationists guide to swearing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21Az54yoQ9tVYdlqLjWKjdHCymDW7Tc3h5n29KxEWp5mTukJ9U2r06UDXmyxvMGh39aiYHdq2D6yIU6-PI_Nd0zzDJeGQEmwsLxwCfbccbUQHpknAa62sO9-KrcMhuCP8WPQ_uz6dm6nQ/s1600/PicsArt_08-30-06.40.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1298" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21Az54yoQ9tVYdlqLjWKjdHCymDW7Tc3h5n29KxEWp5mTukJ9U2r06UDXmyxvMGh39aiYHdq2D6yIU6-PI_Nd0zzDJeGQEmwsLxwCfbccbUQHpknAa62sO9-KrcMhuCP8WPQ_uz6dm6nQ/s400/PicsArt_08-30-06.40.49.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Almost all of us at some point have let some unfortunate words fly out of our mouths...sometimes at inappropriate times or unguarded moments.... stubbing my toe is a particular favourite of mine...<br />
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I know there are a wide variety of opinions on what constitutes swearing and how acceptable it is from Christians, so here's a short exploration of the issue...<br />
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<b>What is swearing?</b><br />
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The first question and probably the most obvious place to start is what is swearing?<br />
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I guess any word or phrase used in anger or to put down or belittle others would constitute swearing and really is probably unacceptable...I don't suppose they'd be much argument there...but what about well known 'offensive' words? (if you want examples...use your imagination...we all know the ones I'm talking about.)<br />
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Are the words themselves offensive, or is it their use that makes them wrong?<br />
I work in an environment where swearing is a natural and accepted conversational tool...it is simply how people talk; there is no morality connected to it (most of the time). Although I do try not to get sucked into that culture.<br />
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We talk about Jesus speaking to people on their own levels and in accessible ways. In that situation would Jesus use swear words in the same way he used parables to get his message across?<br />
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William Booth is quoted as saying he'd go to great lengths to be accessible, relevant and to reach the lost:<br />
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<i>"If I thought I could win one more soul to the Lord by walking on my head and playing the tambourine with my toes, I'd learn how!"</i><br />
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Do we think this would include swearing... I doubt it, I think that's a big leap...but it's something to consider that joining a culture of conversational swearing might make us more accessible...but there comes the danger...we could easily fill every church and Salvation Army hall if we compromised our beliefs, didn't take moral stances and essentially did everything simply to please and entertain people...here's the link to a post I wrote about this issue. <a href="https://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.com/2018/05/how-to-improve-church-attendance-in-5.html?m=1" target="_blank">'How to improve church attendance in 5 easy steps'</a> our first priority and duty is to God, and the mission He has called us to undertake and we must not compromise that.<br />
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Does swearing compromise our mission and calling? Just for a little food for thought consider that language has changed and evolved and continues to. There was a time when the word 'knackered' was unacceptable in Salvation Army circles...I think it's mostly ok now...has swearing simply become part of our accepted lexicon with no moral connotations?<br />
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<b>Gosh Darn it!</b><br />
I was watching the Simpsons the other day and anyone will know the devout, church going Ned Flanders often uses gibberish when he talks..."diddly doodly" and so on...in one episode it's explained that this his way of expressing anger...is this godly man one of the worst potty mouths in the show?<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/K_hprv7uaK4">https://youtu.be/K_hprv7uaK4</a><br />
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The question is, are the alternative words that Christians sometimes use to avoid swearing in fact swearing themselves...and if they are then they are just as morally reprehensible as the more well known words...<br />
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Speaking of alternative swear words, here's a link to a video that helped inspired this post...Tim Hawkins Christian cuss words. <a href="https://youtu.be/aHGbKuZzq3E">https://youtu.be/aHGbKuZzq3E</a><br />
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<b>Context and intention</b><br />
So this is my opinion... context and intention is everything...I don't really think it matters what words we use and that words are not necessarily good or bad in themselves...but it's how and where we use them that's the issue.<br />
If you know that people around you particularly fellow believers will be offended by them; then it's probably best to give them a miss in order to show ourselves as people that love and support each other and take notice of other people's concerns.<br />
And of course as above using any words to put down or belittle others is totally unacceptable... regardless as to whether you or they consider the words offensive or not.<br />
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In conversation...well that's the tricky question...let's be honest if your non Christian friends/co-workers hear you cussing up a storm expect to have questions asked because even in conversational swearing there is a morality attached to certain words...I suppose it's up to each of us to decide where our lines are...the bible clearly speaks out against swearing (Ephesians 4:29, Colossians 3:8, Psalm 10:7) but once again, as above, I believe that it is the context and intention that makes a word moral or immoral...not the words themselves.<br />
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So in summary; I don't offer a solution or hard-line stance on this issue just an opinion...and here it is:<br />
Be kind, be holy.<br />
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength...and love your neighbour as yourself...if we keep all this in mind and put others before ourselves I don't think we'll go far wrong...if in doubt though, keep it clean.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span><br />
<br />Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-16695294419840792112019-01-21T17:20:00.000+00:002020-03-09T02:08:49.163+00:00Thank God it's Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anybody out there really love their jobs? Like, really, really love their jobs?<br />
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Do you wake up on a Monday morning (or whatever day your working week starts) feeling energised, inspired and ready for action?<br />
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If not, this post is for you...<br />
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<b>No Escape from the daily grind</b><br />
So, work sometimes seems designed to be draining...there's often far more interesting things we'd rather be doing...but we've got to pay our bills, put food on the table and pay for whatever unexpected expenses come our way.<br />
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like it or not, most have us have got to keep working for the time being...<br />
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Wherever you work it can be stressful, demanding and draining. And of course, since this is a Christian blog the obvious question soon presents itself...where does God fit into all this?<br />
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<b>Leaving God at the door</b><br />
If (like me) you work in a secular environment. You might have been asked to 'leave things at the door' when you get to work...a phrase with some logic of course...the idea is you forget any personal feelings or problems you may be facing so you can focus on what you need to get done; without distractions, prejudices, favouritism or discrimination...a nice phrase...but often easier said than done...<br />
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It can be difficult to keep your eyes on God and on higher matters of faith at work; there is busyness, stress, perhaps co-workers don't understand or are actively disrespecting or dismissive or even hostile to our beliefs...it can be easier to 'leave God at the door' to focus only on our work and hide our beliefs from others... I've never made a secret of my beliefs at work, sometimes it would definitely be easier to hide and keep quiet...but how can you 'leave God at the door' when He's with you all the time?<br />
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Obviously there is an important difference between walking with God and forcing our beliefs on others or disrespecting them...both of which are inappropriate in most professional settings.<br />
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<b>Our heavenly employer</b><br />
However you feel about your job, love it or hate it... whether you work with 1 person, 1000 people or by yourself; wherever you work and whatever you do, it can be a great opportunity to spread the word and the love of God and to be a positive influence in the world around you.<br />
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Ministers, priests and pastors are not God's only full time employees...we all are. We just serve in different arenas...God needs servants, workers and light-bringers in all areas of society...Godly ministers are needed just as much as Godly cleaners, politicians, nurses, lawyers, administrators, carers, soldiers, firefighters, paramedics, accountants and every other possible, conceivable job or responsibility...there are no greater or lesser callings or avenues of service... wherever God places us we can rest assured; even during the bad times, that we're following the greatest boss we could ever have the honour of working for.<br />
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<b>A bad day</b><br />
However much you enjoy your job, I'm sure there are days when you feel disheartened or unfulfilled, maybe you feel like that more often than not...<br />
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That's why I decided to write this blog post... I often don't feel fulfilled at work...it has its moments, but sometimes I wish I was doing something 'more' whatever that means. I wanted to write some words of encouragement and challenge to anybody who might have similar feelings about their own careers or place in God's kingdom.<br />
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<b>'Only following orders'</b><br />
It's so important that we remember who we serve; and who our real boss is.<br />
We serve God first and foremost. The decisions we make, the things we choose to do, the orders we choose to follow all play a part in defining us personally and our mission in the kingdom...<br />
We are not just called to be holy on a Sunday but even more so during our working week with those who we will come into contact with....the Salvation Army often refers to their church services as 'meetings'... because as we often say; our service starts after we leave the building...that's where we put into practice all that we are taught and experience on a Sunday.<br />
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The well known Bible verse Matthew 6:24 says:<i> "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.'</i><br />
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Our jobs often make us face this dilemma...do we do what God asks of us, what we know is right...or do we do what our boss asks of us after all they're paying our wages...do we owe them our unquestioning loyalty?<br />
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We have to decide who we will serve and where our focus will be... however hard it might be we can't just follow our employer's instructions blindly...our real employer; God comes first...we must never compromise our faith or ideals because of what someone tells us to do;<br />
again I know, that's easier said than done when your employer pays you and ultimately is responsible for you being able to pay bills and keep a roof over your head...but God is with you and will bless your courage in stepping out, He will take care of you...you might be asked to lie to a client or customer, to bend the rules or even break the law...sad to say, but it does happen, and some of the most disgusting and shameful acts in human history have happened because people were 'only following orders' from massacres, to the Holocaust, and even the crucifixion of Jesus...we have to be better and stronger than that.<br />
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<b>The Mission</b><br />
This is the privilege and responsibility of us as believers in the workplace...to be Christ's hands, feet, voice and heart where we are, secular or religious employment, days off, leisure time etc... wherever we are, we are God's employees, His friends, of course. But also called and commissioned to serve Him; not just to pay lip service once a week but all the time in whatever we are doing and whoever we come into contact with.<br />
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If we lock ourselves away from the world even in church we miss reaching our full potential and being all that we can be...we miss the opportunity to reach all those that God wants us to reach.<br />
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<b>Surviving Shift Work</b><br />
My own experience of work is as a hospital worker. Obviously a hospital is a 24/7 workplace...we can't close down evenings and weekends or bank holidays; this means that shift work is necessary to keep the place running...shift work is awful when it comes to trying to build any kind of work/life balance...of course wherever you work this can be a struggle, but shift work is particularly draining, there's no sense of continuity or pattern, and forget having a body clock... I'm sure many reading this will have had that experience. It takes over your life and drags you down if you let it, it can damage friendships, personal life and make it harder to get to church and fulfill commitments, it has any number of disastrous consequences...if you let it...and that's the real issue; the fact that all these excuses do not let you off, it might make life difficult or make planning ahead difficult...but you can't let these excuses beat you... you've got to find the reasons why life, church, family are important and make them a priority...no holding back, no excuses!<br />
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The only way we'll reach our potential is to grab hold of the opportunities, to reach into the lives of those around us...so when you start your working week and work gets you down, when it's been a struggle just to get out of bed, when you're feeling unfulfilled, unappreciated or wasted at work, remember your true calling, your true job given by God Himself, thank Him for the opportunity to reach others, and for paid employment that so many in our society long for and struggle to find...when you face all these situations, challenges and opportunities; bow your head and, above all else...<br />
Thank God...it's Monday!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-29295526944833369242018-10-11T15:44:00.000+01:002018-10-11T16:51:23.639+01:00Jesus Christ: Humanitarian, Showman or Dictator?<br />
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Today I'm asking probably one of the most foundational questions about Christianity:</div>
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<b>Who Is Jesus Christ?</b></div>
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Is He a liar or a fool, mentally unstable, a power hungry despot, a great teacher, a good man, or just a figment of the Gospel writers imaginations?</div>
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Or is He... something more...</div>
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<b>Matthew 4:1-11 (What kind of Saviour)</b></div>
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I love the account of Christ's temptation in the desert. We, as readers are still trying to understand who Jesus is and what He's about...we know He's the Son of God, who has come to save us from our sin...but we're still wrestling with exactly what that means.</div>
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The crowds at the river Jordan have seen and heard strange, bewildering things and like us, don't really know what's going on.</div>
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Jesus enters the desert and faces some foundational temptations: physical need, ego, and power...</div>
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It's as if He's being given the choice of what kind of Saviour, what kind of man He's going to be.</div>
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<b>THE HUMANITARIAN (verses 1-4)</b></div>
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So let's imagine you're stuck in the desert, no food or water, starving...but with the power to do something about it, what do you do?</div>
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Pretty reasonable request I suppose, to get yourself some food, but that wasn't the point of entering the desert; it was to meditate, to seek nourishment and energy, not from physical things but from the Father. Jesus is presented with the choice of relying on His own power or that of the Father.</div>
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Now, before I get carried away, I have to clarify that food, water, a safe place to sleep etc are important, of course they are.</div>
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As a Church and as Christians we cannot ignore the needs around us, we are commanded to do something about it, to serve our fellow man. </div>
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But if we become simply a charitable organisation, we lose the heart of who we are. Jesus could have spent His earthly ministry simply doing good. He probably wouldn't have been crucified, but He would have failed in His mission to reconcile God and man, the very heart of why He was sent.</div>
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The fundamental truth of humanity is that we are not just physical beings but spiritual, and both physical and spiritual needs must be met...but really the physical only affects our short earthly lives...the spiritual, echoes into eternity. (shameless gladiator movie reference)</div>
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'Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (verse 4)</div>
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<b>THE SHOWMAN (verses 5-7)</b></div>
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The next temptation is that of ego...the desire to put ourselves on a pedestal, to make ourselves the centre of the world. In the account of Christ's temptation, His own particular challenge was to put His humanity aside, to complete His mission by putting on a show, by wowing the crowd, essentially by putting style over substance.</div>
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But Christ is not distant or aloof...He walks with us, meets us where we are. Whatever situations we are facing Christ is there at the heart of it, not playing to the crowd but invested in our situations and in us as individuals that loved and valued by Him</div>
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For us, the challenge is to remember Christ's attitude and example.</div>
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The Church loves it's Choirs, bands, stained glass windows, buildings, traditions...the list goes on of course. And these are not necessarily bad things in themselves, they can be amazing and truly make us aware of God's presence...but they aren't the most important things...not by a long shot.</div>
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We must care, love and walk beside our hurting world, it won't be healed by fancy shows and nice looking buildings...but by getting involved in our world, walking with the broken on their level, by genuinely caring about each other and the things that matter to each of us... that's where we'll find Christ...waist deep in the nitty gritty of life.</div>
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<b>THE DICTATOR (verses 8-11)</b></div>
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The final temptation that Christ faces in the desert is the temptation of power.</div>
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The temptation to make the world fall into line...to use intimidation and control to achieve His ends.</div>
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Of course power like that comes at a cost...it means once again losing sight of who we are and why we're here.</div>
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Had Christ accepted the proposal He would have moved away from the Father's purpose, away from worshipping the Father and instead worshipping satan, and power itself...this always reminds me of the scene in the first Lord of the Rings movie; the Wizard Gandalf refuses to use the evil power of the ring, knowing that although he would be much stronger, the power would corrupt him and destroy everything he was. He would lose his very being in order to achieve power for powers sake.</div>
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As the Church we face a similar temptation, we seek power to achieve political and social objectives which in themselves are good and righteous.</div>
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I have met Church leaders like this... people who would make fantastic social justice champions and politicians but have lost sight of the God who calls them, the mission for which they have been equipped...Christ has been replaced by social, and political ends...again these are honourable aims...but when these leaders rely on themselves and without realising it, subconsciously push out Christ, they are worshipping a different power, putting results ahead of what their true focus and mission should be.</div>
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Putting Christ first doesn't mean that we won't be as affective at achieving social and political change, the opposite is true...what it does mean however, is that our aims and mission become aligned with God's. It means that we might have to sacrifice looking good or popular in order to make sure that the glory goes to God.</div>
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Christ made that decision...to worship God alone, it meant sacrifice and humiliation but it also meant final victory and put Him at one with the Father. He was made to be nothing so that the Father would get the glory and honour...and this is what is asked of us today.</div>
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<b>THE REAL JESUS</b></div>
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<i>"To holy people the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport. His name can raise the dead and transfigure and beautify the living." - John</i><i> Henry Newman</i></div>
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The title of this post was deliberately controversial and thought provoking... hopefully it will as intended provoke some thought and discussion and not unintentionally cause offence.</div>
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Jesus is of course far more than a Humanitarian, Showman, and certainly not a dictator. He is a Friend, guide, guardian, protector, teacher, master, servant and king. He is all of these things...but so much more.</div>
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He is not an abstract concept, or a distant unreachable cosmic entity. He's a real, living, loving, laughing individual being; God incarnate, who walks, laughs, cries alongside us, and who builds us up, rebukes, corrects and desperately calls to us to walk, serve and live by His side.</div>
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But it's one thing me telling you all this, it's not up to me to tell you what you should believe...your job is to decide for yourself who Jesus is to you. What will you do, and how will Christ change and inspire you?</div>
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Is He just a good teacher, moral example or something more...who do you say Jesus is?</div>
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I'll give the final word to C S Lewis...he gives us some brilliant thoughts to ponder as we try to answer all these questions for ourselves:</div>
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<i>"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."</i></div>
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<i> - C S Lewis (Mere Christianity)</i></div>
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<br />Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-70589819380375284702018-06-13T16:54:00.000+01:002018-06-13T17:04:17.341+01:00The trap of manipulative worship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When does worship become theatre? And when does the Holy Spirit become a smokescreen for pure emotional manipulation?</div>
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As someone who has led services and meetings before, I can understand how meeting plans are put together. Sensitive and deliberate song selections, placed specifically to follow a sermon or thoughtful moment, songs and atmosphere to enhance prayer times...and of course the dreaded altar call...<br />
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<b>What is true worship?</b><br />
So I've recently been reflecting on true worship... and where exactly do we draw the line between genuine Spirit led worship and emotional manipulation... and I don't think I have the answer.<br />
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Sermons themselves could be seen as manipulation...after all they are written and preached in order to get a response... whether that's encouraging Spiritual growth, participation in the service, encouraging the congregation to stay faithful, or to evangelize, or even just to encourage and inspire... whatever its purpose, is the fact that a sermon is trying to elicit a response and deliberately works towards that aim in itself manipulation?<br />
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Every part of a worship service is included or intended for a reason...or perhaps I'm being just a little bit cynical...but think about it; even a noble and righteous purpose like bringing others to faith is, in its own way manipulative when we use strategies and tactics to achieve this goal...<br />
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So should worship just be a personal thing? Just ourselves and God, no music, no sermon, no multimedia etc?<br />
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That sounds a bit puritanical and dare I say it boring for my liking... the problem, if you're anything like me; is that we're all human and actually all those things above help make worship accessible and help us reach and connect with God...a powerful sermon designed to inspire and encourage can (believe it or not) be inspiring and encouraging; reflective and sensitively placed music can enhance prayer times and of course even that dreaded altar call can, and often does draw people closer to God and reinforce our commitment and focus on God.<br />
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<b>Just for entertainment?</b><br />
Sowhat's the difference between all the different aspects of worship and dramatic music in a movie? We all I'm sure, are aware of the effect music can have in a movie...think of the greatest theme tunes... I'm thinking Jurassic park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones (ok so everything by John Williams) but how many other films use music...well probably somewhere around the 100% mark; dramatic moments, scary moments, heroic moments and so on are all enhanced by music...so back to that question again what's the difference?<br />
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<b>Getting the motivation right</b><br />
Well, in my opinion, it's the motivation that makes the difference, and the source of our desires and reasoning for trying to achieve a response.<br />
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If our hearts and desires are in sync with God, then our actions must follow on. Worship is put together in a certain way to help us all connect and meet with God easier. The motivation is (or at least should be) to worship and honour God above all. In movies or secular entertainment the motivation is to entertain for the sake of entertainment and of course to make money... now I'm not saying that in Church we don't sometimes cross that line...I think it would be naive to think we always get it right; sometimes I'm sure worship leaders pick their favourite songs for the sake of it, or try to elicit a response for the sake of it, maybe even for the sake of their own egos or to push the boundaries or any other number of false motivations because of course, like all of us they are human...<br />
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So I suppose this is the challenge of today's post: to work hard and pray hard to ensure that our worship is and remains God centred and focused at all times... this includes both leaders and those of us in the congregation... both have to take responsibility and action to stay connected to God, to make our worship genuine and not just going through the motions...<br />
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<b>Wrong worship</b><br />
For some food for thought here's a funny but thought provoking video that was recently shown to me during a leadership training weekend: <a href="https://youtu.be/AoDi157qdGw" target="_blank">'Wrong worship'</a><br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/AoDi157qdGw">https://youtu.be/AoDi157qdGw</a><br />
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Including hits like:<i> 'I will sing of your love on Sundays', 'I surrender some', 'Saviour, I don't need a savior'. </i><br />
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As I said at the start, I'm not really sure of the answer, or where the line is... the only thing I'm sure of is the need to guard against false worship and promote true and God centred worship...<br />
All your churches and experiences will be different, any thoughts you have please comment below or on the Facebook page by clicking <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/" target="_blank">here</a>:<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-43811295861728997822018-06-06T16:49:00.000+01:002022-11-05T01:58:45.034+00:00Diary of a grumpy night shift working Christian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So once again I find myself on the night shift at work...and once again life seems to stop and the world passes me by...<br>
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<b>The struggle</b><br>
At the time of writing it's about 3pm I've not long got up... I've eaten too much and I'm watching rubbish daytime TV.... for the rest of the week...work/sleep/rubbish TV/dinner....then rinse and repeat for 7 days...<br>
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Night shift week always goes super quick, I don't have the will or the energy to be sociable or do anything much... I'm generally a little bit grumpy and not the easiest person to be around.<br>
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So where does this leave my Spiritual walk and life? Well like the rest of my life it feels like it's on a break. It takes a real effort to do anything other than vegetate in front of the TV...I almost feel like I've locked myself away for a week.<br>
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<b>God isn't going anywhere!</b><br>
What I'm reflecting on while I'm sat here though, is that God doesn't lock Himself away...when I'm grumpy and grouchy God hasn't abandoned me or decided to avoid me... if anything it's the other way around...my grouchiness doesn't stop God caring about me.<br>
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The only way I generally manage to stay in touch with people is on Facebook (speaking of which don't forget to like and share the Facebook page by clicking <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/" target="_blank">here</a>) and as we all know that isn't the best way to build and maintain genuine relationships... Facebook is definitely no substitute for a real conversation...and that's the important thing...God obviously accepts and loves me despite my grumpy old self and tired, worn out night shift working self...I can talk to God when I'm feeling like this, I can even give God the occasional thought and remember Him occasionally in my grumpiness, but if I'm honest I know God doesn't want what's left of my time and some half hearted grumpy conversation...He wants my best. The best of my time, the best of my energy and the best of who I am.<br>
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<b>God wants our best</b><br>
I'm sure I'm not the only shift worker out there. This is an important message for anyone who struggles balancing shift work and life with faith and actually for anyone with busy lives who faces the same struggle to balance everything they've got going on..God needs to come first, He needs, wants and deserves the very best of who we are, our gifts, talents, time, energy etc.<br>
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All that being said...we are only human, there are going to be times when we don't feel our best, when we're tired and not the best of company, times when it's a struggle to get out of bed and actually do anything productive, and times when life is just passing us by. We're not always going to be the life and soul of the party...and actually that's ok...but don't make it a habit...if you're not careful life will really pass you by, you'll find yourself slipping away from people, even from God... although don't forget that although people might drift away from you...God won't...<br>
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For those stuck with a grumpy, grouchy night shift worker...please remember that shift workers need love too... don't forget us, and show us the little bit of grace we need and above all... don't let us get away with disappearing and letting life pass us by.<br>
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In every area of life, whatever it is that saps your energy and drains you, don't forget that God loves you, always and completely, He is patient with you, He will accept you and your prayers even when life is grinding you down, He hears you, love you, walk beside you, and lift you up...but that isn't an excuse to let life pass you by and not to do everything you can to give God the absolute best of who you are... because who you are is an amazing person. You have been created, developed, and equipped to continue to be an amazing person, you are someone who is absolutely loved by God, someone He is desperate to have a genuine and deep relationship with. You're His best friend, His favourite child... don't ever forget how amazing you are, don't let life pass you by stay close to God and always give Him the very best you can...even if the best at the time is a grumpy, grouchy night shift worker like me.<br>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-82140572585253786382018-06-04T17:29:00.000+01:002018-06-04T17:29:20.146+01:00How to build Spiritual muscle... the old fashioned way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's post is about strength, courage, determination and above all hard work...all things that are a bit out of favour with today's 'quick fix' fascination. But all of which are vital if you want to build strong spiritual muscles that will help you navigate and thrive and keep you moving forward through the hostile and often difficult journey of faith and life.<br />
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This is a personal message to myself... I hope others find encouragement and inspiration through it...but really this is me telling myself off and giving myself a kick up the backside, not letting myself give up and ordering myself to put in the hard work and effort it will take for me to be the very best version of myself I can be. Not because of my own ambition but because I believe that God has given all of us the skills and talents to fulfill our potential and occasionally I need to be reminded of this...and inspired to put these skills to work.<br />
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<b>Why we need to build spiritual muscle</b><br />
The Spiritual life is an amazing and truly worthwhile journey...but it was never meant to be easy...it means being vulnerable, exposed, opening ourselves to ridicule and sometimes worse...it takes a strong foundation in Christ, resilience, hope and bucket loads of determination and focus.<br />
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If you want to see a great example of physical strength...I would really recommend watching the 'Worlds strongest man' competition. If you've never seen it then basically it's a competition in which contestants have to compete in some ridiculously difficult events lifting cars, huge boulders, pulling trucks...you get the idea...<br />
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These are some big guys and I don't think I've ever watched it and thought..."I could do that"<br />
Those athletes have not become that strong overnight...it has taken each of them hard work, patience, pain, determination, struggle, injuries and pain to get where they wanted to be...<br />
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Now of course it's important to note that we are not talking about physical strength...but the principle is the same... the Spiritual life of a Christian can be difficult, lonely and can grind you down if you let it... people won't always understand, you'll probably be ridiculed and dismissed...of course we serve a God who is much bigger and greater than all of that...but we have to learn to tap into His strength, listen to His voice and find comfort in His heart...<br />
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This isn't a natural response... we're human and fallible and desperate to do everything by ourselves and in our own strength.... building Spiritual muscle is training yourself to respond differently...to face everything with God...to instinctively turn to Him not just when things are tough but all the time...to walk in harmony with Him through your whole life... like a tree planted by a river (Psalm 1:1-3) constantly fed and empowered...<br />
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<b>How we build Spiritual muscle</b><br />
When I think of training or growing as a Christian I always think of Psalm 144:<br />
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"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me." (Psalm 144:1,2)<br />
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This always helps me to remember that our God <b>TRAINS</b> us for war... he isn't a magician who snaps His fingers and does everything for us... He's the God who wants us to grow and develop into the best versions of ourselves that we can be...of course God can instantly give us what we need and strengthen us and empower us in the moment...but most of the time it takes patience and hard work to develop ourselves... it's not a destination but an ongoing process of learning and growth that lasts our entire lives and beyond.<br />
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Most of my heroes are people that have spent time in the wilderness, that are human and imperfect but determined to be better and then they are or were... it's this determination, the never giving up, whatever they've faced that makes me admire them so much... sometimes life sucks... sometimes we want to run away and give up... this is where our spiritual muscles (or lack of) will show...<br />
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Like a bodybuilder or athlete.... building our Spiritual muscles is going to take time, and hard work... it's going to take us getting knocked down and hurt, bruised and battered...but you become stronger when you keep getting up...you become stronger when you become closer to God...you become stronger when you learn to instinctively trust in the God who is greater than anything and everything you're going to face...<br />
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It's important not to get impatient or frustrated...of course ambition in itself is not a dirty word...when it's focused on God's heart and God's will it gives us the drive to keep getting better... that being said, don't force it, build the foundation on Christ, on the word of God, the Spirit of God and the heart of God, work with those who inspire you, be willing to take a hit, to fall and to fail and above all to keep getting up...but it will take time and effort...but if you're feeling discouraged don't forget that well known wise man you learnt about in Sunday school all those years ago who built his house upon the rock...and what happened to the other guy...<br />
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Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-63539808855792926082018-06-01T18:06:00.000+01:002018-06-01T18:06:10.168+01:00Salvationists Assemble!!!<br />
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<i>"There was an idea, Booth knew this, called the Salvation Army Initiative The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to to fight the battles we never could."</i></div>
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<i>- Nick Fury (outrageously ripped off and paraphrased)</i><br />
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Before we get started I'll admit that this is probably the cheesiest post I've written...but I think it's an important message so I hope you'll stick with me.<br />
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<b>The Heroes the world needs:</b><br />
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Maybe you're already humming <a href="https://youtu.be/8VGJGXMUhmc" target="_blank">The Avengers Theme tune</a> ...and hopefully you'll forgive the shamelessly ripped off and plagiarised quote from Nick Fury...but this really was the idea behind the Salvation Army...to be an organisation of heroes, faithful champions who would storm the forts of darkness and fight against hate, injustice, homelessness, social inequality, faithlessness, and hopelessness.<br />
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Or to put it in the Army's founder, William Booth's own words, in his famous <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/william-booths-vision-lost-souls-dr-michael-h-yeager" target="_blank">'Vision of the Lost'</a>:<br />
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<i>"Does the surging sea look dark and dangerous? Unquestionably it is so. There is no doubt</i><i> that the leap for you, as for everyone who takes it, means difficulty and scorn </i><i>and suffering. For you it may mean more than this. It may mean death. He who </i></div>
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<i>beckons you from the sea however, knows what it will mean - and knowing, He still </i></div>
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<i>calls to you and bids to you to come.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>You must do it! You cannot hold back. You have enjoyed yourself in Christianity </i></div>
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<i>long enough. You have had pleasant feelings, pleasant songs, pleasant meetings, </i></div>
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<i>pleasant prospects. There has been much of human happiness, much clapping of </i></div>
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<i>hands and shouting of praises - very much of heaven on earth.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Now then, go to God and tell Him you are prepared as much as necessary to turn your </i></div>
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<i>back upon it all, and that you are willing to spend the rest of your days struggling in </i></div>
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<i>the midst of these perishing multitudes, whatever it may cost you.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>You must do it. With the light that is now broken in upon your mind and the call that </i></div>
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<i>is now sounding in your ears, and the beckoning hands that are now before your eyes, </i></div>
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<i>you have no alternative. To go down among the perishing crowds is your duty. Your </i></div>
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<i>happiness from now on will consist in sharing their misery, your ease in sharing their </i><i>pain, your crown in helping them to bear their cross, and your heaven in going into </i><i>the very jaws of hell to rescue them."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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Click <a href="https://youtu.be/jzGLWy7b9yQ" target="_blank">Here</a> for a shortened but dramatic reading of this vision for the lost and the mission of Salvation Army and wider Church.<br />
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<b>What it means to be a Salvationist:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
This is what I believe it means to be a Salvationist and of course a Christian from any denomination...we are called to take a stand against injustice, hatred and all the other things I listed above...<br />
<br />
Check out this post from the archives about what I believe the role and importance of the Salvation Army Soldier truly is (including Officers, Adherents and members)<br />
<a href="https://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.com/2017/02/no-soldier-left-behind.html?m=1" target="_blank">No Soldier left behind</a><br />
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The days of sitting back and avoiding conflicts are gone...the world needs us. Just as in William Booth's day, the needs of our fellow man are crying out to us. We must decide how we will respond...right wing hate groups seem to be everywhere as is 'casual' racism, Brexit is dividing communities, terrorism haunts our steps, gun crime seems to be on the rise, and our politicians and leaders appear to be only interested in themselves and not the common good...if we're looking for examples of heroes and champions...they won't be found there....no wonder we seem obsessed with superhero movies at the moment...we seem sadly lacking in real world heroes.<br />
<br />
That's where we come in...we are called and empowered to be beacons and lighthouses in the storms of this world, guiding people to God as is the entire Church of course.<br />
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But...and this is a big but...you'll never find an active lighthouse in the middle of a field, miles from the ocean... because that's not where they're needed... that's surely what Booth's vision is all about... meeting the needs around us where <b>THEY</b> are, instead of where <b>WE</b> are and where <b>WE</b> are comfortable.<br />
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Sometimes being a hero and fighting against all the things that we are called to fight against; means stepping out, being unpopular, leaving our own comfort zones, and taking the fight far behind enemy lines...we spend so much time and energy as a Church trying to attract people into our buildings and events... when really we should be putting this effort into inspiring and encouraging those within our congregations to get out of our buildings and out into the streets where the battlefield really is... otherwise we're just lighthouses in a field, giving light to each other...which for the record is definitely not a bad thing... it's important and necessary to build each other up and be beacons for each other, keeping ourselves on track, on task, on the right path and of course in the light... but that's not where our mission should end!<br />
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As C.T. Studd put it:<br />
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<i>"Some want to live within the sound</i></div>
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<i>Of church or chapel bell;</i></div>
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<i>I want to run a rescue shop,</i></div>
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<i>Within a yard of hell."</i></div>
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<b>Developing the hero inside:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
So my advice and encouragement for those interested, is to build yourselves, strengthen yourselves, trust and believe in God. Do what you need to do to reach your potential... heroes are not built overnight...Iron man spent years perfecting his armour, Captain America spent years building his character, determination and integrity before the super soldier serum gave him his physical powers, Thor had to experience life without his powers to discover who he really was and could become, Hulk had to learn to embrace his powers and potential to become more than a mindless beast... and the list goes on...every hero took time and effort to really reach their full potential and become true heroes.<br />
<br />
But of course they didn't then spend their time congratulating each other and resting on their laurels (ok... Tony Stark/Iron man probably spent a while congratulating himself) they got to work, they fought the battles ordinary people couldn't, they stepped out and stepped up...they joined the battle where they were needed and despite sometimes having feelings of inadequacy or fear they didn't let anything stop them being who they had to be and doing what they had to do... the same goes for those early Salvation Army trailblazers...men and women who gave up everything to serve God and man and fight for those around them who cried out for help... and the same goes for us today following in their footsteps...so spend that time and effort to reach your potential, become the hero you need to be; it is time well spent but don't stop there... get to work and be the hero this world needs you to be... and needs us all to be...<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Team:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Of course to do all this, we not only have to build ourselves and trust God...we have to learn to work together and put aside those things that divide us, to be, not just amazing individuals but an amazing team of heroes, like the Avengers...but in our case, joined together, empowered and equipped by God to save our fallen and hurting world...<br />
<br />
So without further ado:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Salvationists Assemble!!!</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-43867999277683951082018-05-30T18:09:00.001+01:002022-11-28T00:31:41.625+00:00How to improve church attendance in 5 easy steps<br />
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Have you ever wanted a foolproof way to improve church attendance in no time flat?<br />
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Perhaps you've found attendance falling and you've decided to take extreme and direct action to solve the problem.<br />
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If you want to fill your church and send your attendance figures skyrocketing and you are willing to sell out all that you are then read on...here are 5 guaranteed ways to fill your church week in, week out...<br />
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<b>The 5 Steps:</b><br />
1) Replace hymns with pop music<br />
2) replace your sermon with the latest movies and sporting events<br />
3) undercut the local bars by selling cheap alcohol<br />
4) replace the sanctuary with a casino<br />
5) Remove anything remotely religious from the building we don't want to put people off...<br />
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Ok so all of that is a bit tongue in cheek; but I wonder if sometimes it's not close to the truth... we measure success and effectiveness by how many people come through the door, or sign up as members or join our programs...now obviously I understand why we use the measures of success...I get that these are helpful things and are obvious ways to keep track of how we're doing...but really they are only one small part of the story...<br />
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If our ambition is simply to get people through the door, then no problem...follow the measures above and people will flock to your church...but that's not really the point is it?<br />
<br />
<b>Our mission</b><br />
Our mission is to build the kingdom, not to build a social club...our ambition and the measure of our success should be changed lives and closer walks with God...now obviously these are highly personal things and not really measurable...at least not in the way we usually measure things.<br />
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Christ however, as we know measures things in a different way:<br />
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<i>"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?" - Matthew 7:16</i></div>
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We have to decide what standard we are going to use... whether we will let our own need for approval and measuring of success or whether we will listen to what God wants us to do and measure success His way...or better yet; don't measure success, just be faithful to God's purposes, promises and mission....a bit of a stretch with our human need for approval but definitely something to aim for at least...<br />
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Ok so before I get carried away let's back track a bit... there's is nothing wrong with tracking figures, seeing what works, what events or programs are more successful than others...to a point...the danger comes when we put more trust in the figures themselves and our own good ideas and pride that we lose track of who we are and who God wants us to be. If this happens we end up trusting in ourselves and congratulating ourselves and we begin to worship ourselves and our figures, forgetting to listen to God... rejecting ideas because of those age old Christian excuses 'we've never done it that way' 'we've already tried that' 'that's not the way we do things' and so on...<br />
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<b>Not the best example!</b><br />
This is a really dangerous road to travel down...the best example I could think of from scripture is 1 Chronicles 21... King David takes a census:<br />
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<i>"Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”</i></div>
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<i>But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My Lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”</i></div>
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<i>The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.</i></div>
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<i>But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him."</i></div>
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On the face of it, taking a census seems a pretty reasonable thing for a king to do... taking stock of your strengths and weaknesses, resources, making sure the nation is defended adequately, that it's financially secure etc.<br />
The problem as usual is the motivation... this is what ultimately led to David's punishment... David was motivated by pride; he wanted to take the census to satisfy his own ego, to prove to himself how great he was, how powerful and secure... rather than relying on God for his security and confidence.<br />
<br />
It's so easy for us to fall into this same trap... when we want to start a new program or organise an event how often do we start by looking at our resources, efficiency, what people want or expect from us...as I said earlier this in itself is not a bad thing... it's often responsible and necessary but we have to make sure we don't remove God from the equation and forget to prioritise His will over our own...we must always be ready and willing to hear and act on God's voice rather than our own.<br />
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<b>So what now?</b><br />
Hearing God's voice is not always easy... learning to trust Him above our own thoughts, worries, concerns and 'practical' considerations is even harder...but not impossible... That's what discipleship is all about!<br />
<br />
Christianity is not about popularity or doing what the world expects of us... It's about connecting to God and doing what He expects of us however strange and counter cultural that might be... that doesn't mean we shouldn't grow, move with the times and become the welcoming, servant hearted, forgiving and loving Church we can be...but we should do this not because the world tells us to but because God leads us and calls us to be better and more like Him than we are.<br />
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Check out this old post about what the Church really is, and what it should be:<br />
<a href="https://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-church-is.html?m=1" target="_blank">'The Church is...'</a><br />
<br />
And what the Church, in particular my own church, means to me:<br />
<a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-place-to-call-home.html?m=1" target="_blank">'A Place to call home'</a><br />
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All this aside...if you just want to fill your church building and get some more money in the weekly offering... maybe you should refer to the tips at the start of this post, start a social club and remove God from the equation...on the other hand if you're willing to trust God and put in the time and effort to build yourself and the kingdom then it's going to be a long road but worth it to become the renewed, faithful Church that it is God's call and our duty to become...<br />
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<i>"Lord of the Church, we pray for our renewing:</i></div>
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<i>Christ over all, our undivided aim;</i></div>
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<i>Fire of the Spirit, burn for our enduring,</i></div>
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<i>Wind of the Spirit, fan the living flame!</i></div>
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<i>We turn to Christ amid our fear and failing,</i></div>
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<i>The will that lacks the courage to be free,</i></div>
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<i>The weary labours, all but unavailing,</i></div>
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<i>To bring us nearer what a church should be."</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>- Salvation army songbook 817</i></div>
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Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-49147519714107119332018-05-29T20:14:00.000+01:002022-12-02T19:51:05.704+00:00Press X To Respawn<br>
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We all know the feeling; you've been beat down, burnt out, lost your drive, ambition and heart....any casual gamers out there know what to do when this happens to video game characters in the virtual world...'Press X to respawn'...the characters get back up, start again and keep moving forward!<br>
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So when we feel like this in the real world, and in our spiritual lives why not use the same principle?<br>
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I'm a relatively casual gamer, and if I'm honest, I usually cheat...like the great Captain Kirk once said "I don't believe in a no win scenario" I like to avoid the hard stuff, change the rules when I can and generally never get stuck in to the nitty gritty...but that's no way to live... it's a half life, a wasted life, a life lived too cautiously to really shine...<br>
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you've got to get stuck in, give it your all, make no excuses and hold nothing back...and you'll always succeed...wait a minute...scratch that last bit...you won't always succeed...in fact often you'll fail, and be left battered and bruised, unsure of yourself or where you went wrong...that no win scenario, your own personal Kobayashi Maru (if you don't understand that reference congratulations, you're not as big a geek as me) that Captain Kirk didn't believe in, is alive and kicking...but somehow you've got to learn how to kick back!<br>
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So how do we kick back?<br>
Well we learn that defeats and disappointments will come, we acknowledge the pain that often comes with them...and we embrace surrender...not surrender to the pain or to our situation but surrender to the one who holds everything in his hands...we accept that we have taken a hit, we even accept that we can't keep going the way we are...we put all our cards on the table, open ourselves to God (however impossibly hard that feels) and we put our trust in the God of restoration, and of second chances. We allow ourselves space to grieve and to feel...but ultimately we get back up again in the strength of God himself.<br>
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God is no stranger to respawning and restoration both physically and spiritually...let's take a head count:<br>
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The dry bones (Ezekiel 37)<br>
Jonah (book of Jonah)<br>
Lazarus (John 11)<br>
Zacchaeus (Luke 19)<br>
St Peter (John 21)<br>
The nation of Israel (Nehemiah 7)<br>
Add to that many, many others including, of course Christ himself (Luke 24)<br>
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Our God has an extensive background in raising people up, people who are down, and feeling useless and just about spent in every way; emotionally, physically and spiritually...but it isn't the end, it is an opportunity to become stronger, to grow and become closer to God by allowing Him to take control and rebuild, refocus, rengerise and of course respawn us...and unlike that great scene in the movie 'ready player one' (if you haven't seen it, it's really worth a watch) you won't lose your experience or skills, you will only become a better and stronger version of yourself...there is always an extra life when you trust in God...<br>
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Through setbacks and defeats you will become a better person and a better disciple if you do the hardest thing...get back up and keep moving, keep growing and keep trusting... essentially you're going to level up maybe even evolve to the next level, where the stakes are higher, the rewards are greater, the fall is further...and where you need God more than ever...<br>
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And sometimes there is no point to suffering and defeat other than the lessons we choose to take from it and the responses we make...it's easy to stay down, to take the hits and curl up in a ball and never come out... it's takes so much more to get back up and keep going and trusting... all of us who play video games even occasionally will become stuck at a certain point...you need multiple save points, multiple lives, and multiple respawns (I'm looking at you Sonic the hedgehog 2!).... sometimes we give up, sometimes we don't and we eventually succeed... sometimes we get angry and frustrated and use some unfavorable words (I'm looking at you again Sonic 2!) but until we give up, there is always hope, always a chance to respawn and succeed...if we give up; well, then obviously we are never going to succeed, we will fail and what's worse we will hold onto that failure and defeat, probably for the rest of our lives.<br>
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William Booth the founder of the Salvation Army, a man renowned for fire, and vision and passion went through a stage of feeling useless, worthless and defeated before he respawned and found his purpose and mission...he even mentioned it in the now legendary founder's song 'O boundless Salvation'<br>
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<i>"Now tossed with temptation, then haunted with fears,</i><br>
<i>My life has been joyless and useless for years;</i><br>
<i>I feel something better most surely would be</i><br>
<i>If once thy pure waters would roll over me."</i><br>
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He went on to recount his respawning:<br>
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<i>"The tide is now flowing, I'm touching the wave,</i><br>
<i>I hear the loud call of the mighty to save;</i><br>
<i>My faith's growing bolder, delivered I'll be;</i><br>
<i>I plunge 'neath the waters, they roll over me."</i><br>
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If you've ever felt like all this you're obviously in good company...saints, prophets and leaders...you are not alone...<br>
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So look, here's the truth... failing sucks, defeat sucks, it can be heart wrenching, painful and embarrassing, it can feel like your whole world is falling apart... believe me, I've been there...but it isn't the end...it is an opportunity either to wither away or to rise up to your greatest height...the difference between the two? Whether you will put your trust in God and allow him to take control, to stand up when you want to sink down... ultimately whether or not you choose to quit in frustration or...to press X and respawn.<br>
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<br>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-65086991344760996182017-06-28T07:25:00.000+01:002017-06-28T07:25:36.684+01:00Holy Communion & the Salvation Army<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In been toying with the idea of this blog post for a while, and although I'm sure there are probably lots of different views on the issue of the Salvation Army and it's response to communion; I think it's worth exploring and discussing this issue, how it affects our Church, us as individuals; and how it has affected me personally in my walk and life as a Salvationist and the struggles and thought processes I have gone through to Justify the Army's position on this issue with my own faith and background.<br />
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An important disclaimer before we go any further: the views expressed in this blog post (and all others I write) are my own thoughts and reflections and do not necessarily represent the views of the Salvation Army.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>- The Conflict</b></span><br />
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I don't come from a Salvation Army background, so Communion was always a natural part of Christianity, never any question in my mind that it was fundamental.<br />
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My Christian background was free Methodist... So not a million miles away from Salvation Army outlook and theology... Communion was there and received fairly regularly but not all the time and certainly not week in week out. So there wasn't a massive sudden shock when I began worshipping at the Army...just a developing realisation that it wasn't part of SA worship. If I'm honest this did make me a little uncomfortable and led me to spend quite a bit of time wrestling with this issue and soul searching to find justification and trying to decide whether this was an issue I could live with or whether it was a nonnegotiable issue for me. I'll admit to feeling quite uncomfortable whenever I heard or read the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper:<br />
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<i>"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke - 22:19</i><br />
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When I first started attending the Army I felt that here was a clear instruction that we were not following. And yes, that made me uncomfortable.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>- The Army's position</b></span><br />
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This is probably the right time for a bit of clarification...the Army does not, has not and I pray never will have an official complaint or take an official stance against Holy Communion in and of itself. I have heard rumours of Officers or Corps taking a stand against it...rumours which I truly hope are not true.<br />
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The official stand point is that there is no issue with members or Soldiers (or Officers for that matter) receiving communion, simply that the SA does not consider outward sacraments necessary for Salvation and so doesn't offer it as part of worship. I think traditionally this boils down to an over reliance from some churches in William Booth's day of outward signs and ceremonies rather than inward holiness and sanctification. (There is an argument perhaps that we have replaced the traditional outward signs and sacraments with our own traditions and become over reliant on them instead... But that's a discussion for another day and another blog post perhaps)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>- The resolution</b></span><br />
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I hope that by sharing my thought processes and how I resolved this issue someone else might find their own clarification, justification and peace with issue.<br />
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Once again though, here's the disclaimer: these are my thought processes, my justification and does not necessarily represent the views, opinions and expressions of the Salvation Army (and certainly not the views and opinions of every Salvationist)<br />
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Really the key from the start of my questioning of the this, was the Army's acceptance of the principle of Holy Communion, this gave me the space to consider it and work through it in my own time and in my own way. Had the Army taken a stance against the teaching and principle of Communion and told me that no one should receive it I would have found it much harder to justify and resolve the conflict.<br />
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I spent a lot of time thinking about the nature of communion, what form should it take, and how we keep the spirit of communion alive. By all that I mean remembering Christ's sacrifice, and binding ourselves together through one love, one mission and one Lord. It's vital, if and when we do receive Communion that we do it in the right spirit and with the right heart, not because it's what's expected or what helps us fit in...but truly in rememberance of Christ and His sacrifice.<br />
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I came to the conclusion that Holy Communion is about more than bread and wine, more than tradition, more than ceremony, it is bigger and greater than ourselves...too big to be contained by anything on earth...it is a state of mind and state of being, represented by an outward sacrament. We honour it by being and remaining in communion with each other, by loving each other and serving each other.<br />
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Please don't misunderstand... I certainly don't think that their are no benefits to Holy communion, I think it is a brilliant expression of Faith, commitment and remembrance. It can deepen faith, connect us to each other and to Christ and I firmly and passionately believe it has a place in modern Christianity and modern Salvationism...I'm not going to suggest in what form or how often at this stage.<br />
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I've written this blog post, I hope sensitively, because I think for Salvationists it's important to question the Salvation Army's response and position to Holy Communion and how that fits into a key part of scripture and our own faith and theology, not for arguments sake, or to rock the boat but to truly understand why we as Salvationists do what we do and believe what we believe...Salvationists are a strange bunch I think you'll agree...but a lack of certain traditions and sacraments doesn't make us any less called, devoted and committed to Christ and to the mission of the Church.<br />
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Take a look at Inspired by Faith on Twitter: (@InspiredFaith88): <a href="https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09">https://twitter.com/InspiredFaith88?s=09</a>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-63695593529792347182017-06-26T18:34:00.003+01:002018-10-19T21:52:47.196+01:00Faith and Music in the Salvation Army<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are lots of things I admire about the Salvation Army and it's musical groups. One biggie is the partnership and friendship that is formed between these various musical groups in different parts of the UK (and the rest of the world). I love the way music, friendship and mission go hand in hand.</div>
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My first big experience of this was shortly after joining Coventry City Songsters (Adult Choir) last year. When we travelled to Bolton Salvation Army for a weekend of music and worship.</div>
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(For more of my reflections on this please check out a recent blog post entitled 'Reflections of a part time Pete': <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/reflections-of-part-time-pete.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/reflections-of-part-time-pete.html?m=1</a> )</div>
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Last weekend (24/06/17) Coventry City Salvation Army was blessed by the visit of Swindon Citadel's Songster brigade. The energy that comes from a visit like this is incredible. It's like a visit from family...which I guess they are. Brothers and sisters in Christ of course... But also brothers and sisters of the Salvation Army and fellow Songsters. Particularly enjoyable were the pieces we sang as a massed group...both brigades brought their own Flavour and style in our individual pieces but the joint pieces I think somehow bonded us... Knowing that both groups had individually been learning and preparing the same pieces then coming together to present them as a single united brigade. This weekend has really made me think about and reflect on the Salvation Army and it's relationship with music and service.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>- The puritan heart</b></span></div>
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But where does this music fit into faith and practical help and service of the communities we live in? This has always been a concern of mine; that the Church (across all denominations) should focus it's primary resources on outward practical help and less on the impractical aesthetic things like stained glass windows, nice buildings, and even music, I think I'm probably a puritan at heart...well I'm man enough to admit that at least in part I'm wrong... I look to the famous Gospel account of Jesus being anointed.</div>
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<i>"Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” - John 12:1-8</i></div>
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Jesus stands out from His peers, the feet washing image we usually have of Jesus is reversed... Because of course, as much as Jesus came to serve, He is still a servant KING. He is above and greater than those around Him because obviously He is God incarnate. And deserves to be raised higher than anyone else. Which is why Jesus is not a true socialist as some would suggest (a discussion for another day perhaps).</div>
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Worship is about touching the divine...allowing us to experience something more, bringing ourselves into God's presence and honouring Him. Where I am wrong somewhat in my puritanical stance is that I think we lose something when we try to be entirely practical. I will go as far as to say that I think some Salvation Army buildings can be a little overly 'practical' which I understand and accept... But do we risk putting Jesus in a box of being a place of grey practicality and miss the experience of trying to 'touch the divine'?</div>
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Strangely I think this is only true to a point...yes some of our buildings (especially newer buildings) may be a bit overly practical and not the glorious old churches with stained glass windows and huge columns but I think the difference is that as Salvationists and Christians once you invite Christ into your heart the divine rests WITHIN us, so to touch the divine we don't need outward signs but only the faith and discipline to bring it out of us and spread it 'inwards - out' rather than 'upwards - down'</div>
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But that being said I do sometimes feel we miss something by focusing so much on practicalities and less on art, poetry etc that truly helps us express the inexpressible</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>- A musical Army</b></span></div>
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And so, we come to the Army and it's relationship with music...music is a practical tool that helps give us identity and unity...it shows people who we are and I think can make a real impact. the obvious example is the Gowans and Larsson musical 'Hosea'</div>
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<a href="http://www.gowans-larsson.com/Hosea/index.html">http://www.gowans-larsson.com/Hosea/index.html</a></div>
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And the Song 'Down the street' which tells the story of 'Light fingered Freddy' who keeps trying to break the law but is constantly interrupted by the band of the Salvation Army:</div>
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<i>"Down the street comes the band of the Salvation Army, with trumpets tabrets and trombones.</i></div>
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<i>They stay and they play and they beat out the message, in quite unmistakable tones,</i></div>
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<i>And it kind of takes hold of a man,</i></div>
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<i>In a kind of a way naught else can,</i></div>
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<i>And you're glued to the spot, if you like it or not, and you just kind of alter your plan"</i></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/5IPn8miwDFE">https://youtu.be/5IPn8miwDFE</a> </div>
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(Really worth a listen/watch if you haven't experienced this musical)</div>
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So practically it's a great tool, but spiritually as well, it helps us. both the lyrics and the tunes help us say and feel what perhaps is difficult to express. It inspires beauty and inspiration, makes us feel joyful, humble, inspired... etc. It talks to our souls and somehow lightens our hearts, and I think, allows to see and experience something of the divine...it is a true, valuable and key area of ministry and service... It brightens up a grey world, and yes it may not actually feed or clothe someone. But as a joint ministry the Salvation Army works to feeds the soul and clothes the heart as well as feeding and clothing the body, both are necessary for real Salvation.</div>
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It is a real calling and mission to lighten people's burdens both spiritually and practically and build God's kingdom on earth...I think that's the true purpose of Salvation Army music and why it works so well alongside faith and practical ministry.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"> - Synergy of Salvation</span></b></div>
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To say I'm not musical would be an understatement, but even I can see how the synergy between Faith and music strengthens both the bond between our musical sections and the mission of the Salvation Army, I think it's a challenge to balance out practical musicality</div>
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and faith...yes the music is to honour God, so of course we must work as hard as we can to be the best we can, but God is pleased first and foremost by our relationship with and service of Him.</div>
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<i>"For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." Psalm 51:16,17</i></div>
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It is this synergy between all the areas of ministry and service that truly make the Salvation Army what it is and what it is called to be... Faithful, practical, servants, disciplined, worshipful, compassionate, authoritative, leaders, musical, friends, prayerful.</div>
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Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-13060673601323850732017-06-22T16:38:00.000+01:002017-06-22T16:43:52.705+01:00'Christ's ultimate boot camp!' A study of Mark 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The world and the Church we live and serve in today is shaped by the heroes and champions of the past, and those who have inspired, influenced, guided and trained them...<br />
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12 such heroes answered Christ's call to serve, to follow, to leave all that they had and loved behind, and enrol in a lifelong and life changing Leadership training course...Christ's ultimate boot camp!<br />
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Throughout their service and collective ministry and mission they would be tested, tempted, threatened and in the case of most of them...Executed!<br />
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Ultimately because of their commitment and training; and the guidance, strength and example of Christ they would become an unstoppable force that built the Church and shaped our lives and worship today...with one notable exception they would become a team of true heroes.<br />
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"The Avengers. It's what we call ourselves. Sorta like a team. Earth's Mightiest Heroes type thing." - Tony Stark/Iron Man (Avengers Assemble)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>- Building the team</b></span><br />
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Mark 6 is a great example of Jesus' Leadership and team building style...this was not the distant and unapproachable 'boss' barking orders, or the micro managing, over the shoulder nit picker, or even the kind but ineffectual 'friend to all' telling the Apostles what they wanted to hear.<br />
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Here was a true leader, with real authority, who saw value and potential in those He led. He was of course not afraid of getting His hands dirty... Of being a powerful and active force, serving, healing and teaching and doing all the wonderful, amazing and miraculous things He did. But Christ knew the benefits and necessity of building His team, training, guiding and preparing them to continue the work He began, to remain faithful, strong and effective after His earthly ministry was completed.<br />
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<i>"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other" John F Kennedy</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">- On the job training</span></b><br />
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The beginning of Mark 6, we see Jesus gathering His Apostles around Him and putting them to work...clear instructions and guidance, but it was clear that this was their mission, their chance to fly the nest and show what they were made of.<br />
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<i>"Calling the Twelve to Him, He began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. These were His instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff - no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them." - Mark 6:7-13</i><br />
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After returning from this mission, feeling pumped up, excited about what they've achieved, filling Jesus in on all their success (verse 30). Jesus has a new challenge:<br />
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<i>"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to Him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But He answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to Him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” He asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five - and two fish.” Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand." - Mark 6:31-44</i><br />
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They may not have succeeded in the challenge Jesus set them to feed the 5000 but they did get to learn some great lessons about compassion, teaching and service...so maybe not a great victory for them but still solid training and teaching... They were still far from complete and very much works in progress. And there is certainly value for the Apostles and us in this kind of training and teaching.<br />
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<i>"It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained." - Queen Elizabeth II</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">- Ultimate team building exercise</span></b><br />
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Verse 45 onwards is an account of Jesus walking on the water:<br />
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<i>"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray. Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn He went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,"</i><br />
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The thing that jumped out at me while reading this passage recently during a leadership training course was Jesus' insistence on the Disciples getting into the boat alone, while He watched on...perhaps the Apostles needed a crisis like the storm, to learn to work together, to become the team that they would need to be, to succeed in the days, weeks, months and years ahead...Jesus knew the benefits of experience and of trial by fire.<br />
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<i>"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt</i><br />
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If you've seen the first Avengers movie you'll remember that all the heroes needed a reason and focus to put aside squabbles and arguments to work together... In that film it was the death of a mutual friend that inspired them to be what the world needed them to be...exactly what was on the horizon for the Apostles.<br />
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But of course they were never really alone...Jesus stood watching, waiting to see how they worked together, what they'd learnt about teamwork and faith...when He was needed He was there...they didn't have to go to where He was, He met them right where they were and right where they needed them.<br />
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Developing ourselves and developing future leaders is vital for the future and success of the Church. Discipleship, learning and development must be a priority. I recently posted about growing future leaders, based on my experience on a training weekend.<br />
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<a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/how-to-grow-leader.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/how-to-grow-leader.html?m=1</a><br />
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This used the tagline which I used in that post and really is an appropriate end and final challenge in this post:<br />
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<i>"To be led more by Jesus, to lead more like Jesus, to lead more to Jesus."</i><br />
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/">https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/</a>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-79129137278398587242017-06-19T18:23:00.001+01:002022-11-09T07:22:10.824+00:00'I'm a Christian... Get me out of here': Part 4: Shoulder to Shoulder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've finally gotten around to finishing off this 4 part series 'I'm a Christian...Get me out of here' or 'Surviving the Church'<br />
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Here's 'Shoulder to Shoulder'<br />
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The previous posts in this series have all focused on our differences; our different backgrounds, opinions etc<br />
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Part 1- 'Thrown together': <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-1.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-1.html?m=1</a><br />
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Part 2- 'Bigger than Jesus': <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/im-christian-get-me-out-of-here-part-2.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/im-christian-get-me-out-of-here-part-2.html?m=1</a><br />
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Part 3- 'The one and only you': <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-3.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-3.html?m=1</a><br />
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The most important thing about our relationships with each other as Christians, is not what divides us, but the things that bind us together, our mission, purpose & the God that call's and loves us all.<br />
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There's nothing new in any of this I suppose...but that begs the question: why do Christians spend so much time and effort fighting and arguing with each other?<br />
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The obvious example for me to look at, is the lives and ministry's of the 12 disciples....12 guys, 12 opinions & 12 hard heads.<br />
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In Luke's Gospel there are 2 separate arguments about the same thing...who will be the greatest; (Luke 9:46 & Luke 22:24).<br />
The second argument during the last supper itself... Twice Jesus has to play referee between these guys, arguing about petty stuff.<br />
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Well, at least we're in good company when we act petty, if the Church fathers, chosen and called personally by Christ couldn't resist arguing then I suppose we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves.<br />
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The challengevi believe, l is to do better, to evolve beyond silly arguments. To be more than we are, to grow and become more Christ-like.<br />
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I don't know if anybody has seen this post online about 25 bizarre and supposedly true reasons why people have left the Church/had huge arguments, but I thought it might be worth sharing... Funny, yes but a little sad as well:<br />
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1. Argument over the appropriate length of the worship pastor's beard.<br />
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2. Fight over whether or not to build a children's playground or to use the land for a cemetery.<br />
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3. A deacon accusing another deacon of sending an anonymous letter, and deciding to settle the matter in the parking lot.<br />
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4. A church dispute of whether or not to install restroom stall dividers in the women's restroom.<br />
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5. A church argument and vote to decide if a clock in the worship center should be removed.<br />
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6. A 45-minute heated argument over the type of filing cabinet to purchase: black or brown; 2, 3, or 4 drawers.<br />
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7. A fight over which picture of Jesus to put in the foyer.<br />
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8. A petition to have all church staff clean shaven.<br />
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9. A dispute over whether the worship leader should have his shoes on during the service.<br />
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10. A big church argument over the discovery that the church budget was off $0.10. Someone finally gave a dime to settle the issue.<br />
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11. A dispute in the church because the Lord's Supper had cran/grape juice instead of grape juice.<br />
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12. Business meeting arguments about whether the church should purchase a weed eater or not. It took two business meetings to resolve.<br />
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13. Arguments over what type of green beans the church should serve.<br />
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14. Two different churches reported fights over the type of coffee. In one of the churches, they moved from Folgers to a stronger Starbucks brand. In the other church, they simply moved to a stronger blend. Members left the church in the latter example.<br />
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15. Major conflict when the youth borrowed a crockpot that had not been used for years.<br />
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16. An argument on whether the church should allow deviled eggs at the church meal.<br />
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17. An argument over who has the authority to buy postage stamps for the church.<br />
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18. A disagreement over using the term "potluck" instead of "pot blessing"<br />
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19. A church member was chastised because she brought vanilla syrup to the coffee server. It looked too much like liquor.<br />
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20. An argument in church over who has access to the copy machine.<br />
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21. Some church members left the church because one church member hid the vacuum cleaner from them. It resulted in a major fight and split.<br />
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22. An argument over whether to have gluten-free communion bread or not.<br />
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23. A dispute over whether the church should allow people to wear black t-shirts, since black is the color of the devil.<br />
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24. A fight over whether or not to sing "Happy Birthday" each week.<br />
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25. An argument over whether the fake, dusty plants should be removed from the podium.<br />
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Here's the link to the original article: <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.christianpost.com/amp/25-silly-things-church-members-fight-over-149956/">https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.christianpost.com/amp/25-silly-things-church-members-fight-over-149956/</a><br />
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I don't want to be too negative but I think it's important that we are aware of where we fall short so we can learn from our mistakes and move forward.<br />
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Sometimes however, we do work together, we do put our differences aside and work together... The result can change lives.<br />
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In my hometown of Coventry, I have been involved with a winter night shelter programme. This only works because a group of churches of which mine is one, have got together to host a group of homeless people on one night of the week during the winter months, this means, a bed, a meal a friendly ear etc.<br />
It is not perfect, perhaps it could do more. But it is changing lives and serving the needs of our community in a practical way...there is a mixture of denominations, attitudes, outlooks and ideas but together we have achieved what each individual Church would struggle to accomplish.<br />
Standing Shoulder to Shoulder we are stronger than any of us would be by ourselves.<br />
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7 Churches and religious groups, plus extras that provided cover, volunteers, food etc have made a real difference to their local communities.<br />
12 angry, confused, argumentative human and imperfect men built the Church.<br />
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Imagine what you, your Church, and the wider, worldwide Church could do if we truly put aside our arguments, weaknesses, backgrounds and pettiness aside and stood 'Shoulder to Shoulder'.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-41332097282002544002017-06-17T10:51:00.000+01:002017-06-17T13:06:39.189+01:00Reflections of a 'Part time Pete'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Salvation Army Songsters are a unique breed...talented, Spiritual, faithful and above all committed... And then there's 'Part time Pete'.<br />
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I have had the undeserved honour of being a member of my local Songster brigade (Choir) for a little over a year. This seemed a natural time to reflect and take stock of the journey so far.<br />
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I have probably earned the nickname and reputation that has been given to me (by a certain songster who will remain nameless) as 'part time Pete'. not through choice I should probably add...work commitments limit how often I can make practice, and if I'm honest some lack of organisation on my part...and there was that one 'gig' I missed because I fell asleep... But the less said about that the better!<br />
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As I look back over the last year or so, I think about the lessons I have learnt about the group and about myself, I am struck by the realisation of how much each individual brings to the group, and how without each one the group would be that much poorer and weaker. I think also about how much I have gained and learnt and the inspiration and encouragement that comes from being with such an amazing group of people.<br />
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If I'm honest, I do sometimes question my place and value as part of this group...I suppose I should remember to take my own advice from my last blog post...'The one and only you!':<br />
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<a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-3.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-3.html?m=1</a><br />
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The obvious highlight for me came right at the beginning of this first year as a songster...our visit as a brigade to Bolton Salvation Army Corps. Great weekend, great people and great fellowship... But a great deal of work!<br />
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Things brings me to something that Salvationists will recognise and probably look on with at least some degree of fondness...Billeting!<br />
I don't really know how this started, but it has become a tradition that members of visiting musical sections are hosted overnight by members of the Corps (Church) they are visiting.<br />
I must say I was very blessed with lovely, caring and generous hosts...although I have heard 'interesting' stories about what can happen... If you have any stories to share, feel free to use the comments section.<br />
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What have I learnt in my first year?<br />
Well, I've learnt that Spirituality and practice go hand in hand, I've learnt just how hard Songsters have to work, I've learnt that the strength and potential of the group is in the individuals that make up the group, that love, support and encourage each other and bring their own individuality, eccentricities and gifts to it.<br />
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So...a year on, still undeserving, still a little out of place and still a 'Part time Pete'. But still Inspired, encouraged and lifted up by this amazing group that I am honoured to be part of.<br />
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<i>"He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11</i></div>
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Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-44914193638182886612017-06-16T03:29:00.000+01:002018-10-16T09:16:14.009+01:00'I'm a Christian...Get me out of here!' Part 3: The One and only You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Part 3/4 of 'I'm a Christian... Get me out of here' or Surviving the Church.<br />
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'The one and only you!'<br />
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Wherever you Church community meets to worship, however big or small it is I can guarantee one thing...it is made of the same building blocks...weak, imperfect and flawed human beings....but your Church, wherever it is, whatever form it takes; is unique. It has one thing that no other Church in the world has...it has you!<br />
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You are a living stone, and an amazing and unique part of the fabric and building blocks of your Church.<br />
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<i>"As you come to Him, the living Stone - rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him. you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5</i><br />
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So far in this series I've focused on the different backgrounds and reasons that bring us together in a Church community, as well the mission and focus of the Church.<br />
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Part 1: <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-1.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-1.html?m=1</a><br />
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Part 2: <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/im-christian-get-me-out-of-here-part-2.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/im-christian-get-me-out-of-here-part-2.html?m=1</a><br />
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Today's post is a chance to look inwards at our individual places in the Church, the things that make us unique and vital to the Church's Mission.<br />
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I know that some reading this may feel that their place in the Church doesn't matter or that they are unimportant, that they don't bring anything to the table...if that's how you feel; I understand, I really do...but it's simply not true. These are lies others tell us, or worse that we tell ourselves; this way of thinking is dangerous and keeps us from being the very best that we can be and from reaching our God given potential.<br />
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I don't know if you're familiar with the great Dr Seuss of 'Cat in the Hat' and 'Green Eggs & Ham' Fame...but here's a well known quote about being unique:<br />
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<i>"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."</i><br />
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Or from a slightly more contemporary source; the Song 'I am the one and only.'<br />
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<i>"No one can be myself like I can</i><br />
<i>For this job, I'm the best man</i><br />
<i>And while this may be true</i><br />
<i>You are the one and only you</i><br />
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<i>I am the one and only</i><br />
<i>Nobody I'd rather be</i><br />
<i>I am the one and only</i><br />
<i>You can't take that away from me"</i><br />
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No one is the same as you, and no call is the same, you occupy a truly unique place in your Church and community, one that no one else can take or fulfill...that's a comforting thought... But a challenge too; to be the best you can possibly be at whatever your called to be and do. To not let others sell you short or put you down, because God himself places you where He wants you...and surely His opinion is what matters. That's not to say don't take Notice of guidance and advice but remember where it is you've come from and who calls you.<br />
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Now you may say you've not been called, won't be called and can't be used by God...of course this isn't true, I hope you'll forgive me using another quote, one that answers this question, and is something I often find myself returning to. This is from the founder of the Salvation Army; William Booth:<br />
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<i>"Not called!' did you say?</i><br />
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<i>'Not heard the call,' I think you should say.</i><br />
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<i>Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world."</i><br />
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Well, will you?<br />
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Or will you let fears, anxieties and others lies get in the way and stop you being all you can be, and doing all you can do? As ever the choice belongs to you. And the decision could affect the entire future of the Church and it's Mission...so no pressure then!<br />
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Always remain focused on who you are, where you come from, where you're going but above all remember your legacy as a child of God, beloved, guided, valued and called.<br />
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Look out for the final part: 'Shoulder to 'Shoulder' coming soon<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-60835517079580432712017-06-15T03:01:00.001+01:002022-11-06T07:31:12.953+00:00'I'm a Christian... Get me out of here!' Part 2: Bigger than Jesus!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Y7O_o9BdUUvdduHTSiRYKrm7urNXn7YEr7fNA_Rfq465dmToaeCsQE2RiNlYot5aMbZ85zOrz_usLYqTUfHjQxY2rkgSnpUGC-VWI_eKVxOU3839yNHIKQqv-ThWjRzBvSg9ZXO12CPu/s1600/PicsArt_05-15-02.15.48.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Y7O_o9BdUUvdduHTSiRYKrm7urNXn7YEr7fNA_Rfq465dmToaeCsQE2RiNlYot5aMbZ85zOrz_usLYqTUfHjQxY2rkgSnpUGC-VWI_eKVxOU3839yNHIKQqv-ThWjRzBvSg9ZXO12CPu/s400/PicsArt_05-15-02.15.48.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is Part 2 of a planned 4 part series 'I'm a Christian, Get me out of here.' Or Surviving the Church.<br />
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It's been a few weeks since part 1: 'Thrown together' <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-1.html?m=1">http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-1.html?m=1</a><br />
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Just a quick recap...basically it was about how we all attend Church for a variety of reasons and from a variety of backgrounds, and must some how learn to put our differences and squabbles aside to work together for the common mission and purpose of the Church.<br />
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So...Bigger than Jesus.<br />
I've been thinking about how the Church (and us as individuals) can sometimes be...shall we say less than Christ-like...<br />
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How does this affect the mission and purpose of the Church? What do people think of when they hear the word 'Church'? Does Jesus immediately spring to mind? Or do they think of squabbles, abuse, ineffectiveness, cucumber sandwiches, judgement? Has the Church itself and it's shortcomings become so prevalent that they have obscured Jesus...have we in essence become bigger (or at least more prominent) than Jesus.<br />
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As I've been writing this post a tragic event has happened in London...a catastrophic fire has destroyed a large block of flats in West London...the cause is currently unknown but many people have lost their homes, still more have been evacuated from the surrounding areas and tragically several people have lost their lives with many more critically injured...there have of course been. many reactions... Sorrow, anger, heartbreak but also compassion, love and self-sacrifice. People have opened their homes and their hearts to those affected; the emergency services have of course risen to the challenge and performed above and beyond the call of duty...many Churches and faith groups have mobilised as well; providing shelter, clothes, food, money, emergency contact centres etc, they have prominently displayed their love and compassion for those in need in their communities. All denominations, religions have stood together to do what they can to ease the suffering around them. They are making a real tangible difference to the situation...They are taking Christ in word and deed, and proclaiming that Jesus is bigger than them, bigger than their individual squabbles and politics (and even not knowing the churches I can pretty much guarantee that they have these issues) and of course that Jesus is bigger than this terrible and tragic event.<br />
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Some Churches, have a clear and strong history, and of course traditions (beyond our shared history) that define and focus where they have come from and where they are going. The challenge is to remember the past, where we've come from, the lessons we have leant along the way and of course look to the future, to new challenges and victories but while also remembering that Jesus is first and infinitely more important than anything else... Bigger than service, bigger than politics, bigger than squabbles, bigger than who's sitting in who's seat, bigger than traditions, bigger than music styles, bigger than the flower rota, bigger than the leader, bigger than all distractions.<br />
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So remember that Jesus comes first; always and forever. Remember His place and our place, and of course remember that what we focus on and prioritise is the essence of who we are.<br />
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Will we be a Church and community that reflects and follows the mission of Christ... A mission of love and service? Or will we obscure Him, cloak ourselves in politics and squabbles, hide Him away from those that need Him?<br />
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As always the choice is yours!<br />
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<i>"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:9-11</i><br />
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Look out for Part 3: 'Uniquely Called / The one and only you' coming soon.<br />
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<br />Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-64147923745069702352017-06-13T02:32:00.000+01:002018-06-06T23:15:01.250+01:00How to Grow a Leader...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Are Leaders discovered, born, designed.... Or are they grown?<br />
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At the weekend my wife and I joined an amazing group of people from around the Salvation Army's West Midlands Division (UK Territory) on a leadership training course, which as you can see from the picture was called 'Growing Leaders'<br />
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Now some of you out there might be natural Leaders, you may have all the skills, talents and gifts handed directly to you from God. For lots of us though, it can be a long and difficult struggle to grow and develop, it can take time, energy, prayer, study and great encouragers who believe in us and are prepared to take the time to guide and walk beside us. I consider myself truly blessed and honoured to have been supported and guided by the incredible, Spirit filled prayer warriors that have walked beside me this far.<br />
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How are Leaders grown? Some would probably say: 'Trial by fire' or 'Sink or swim' others might say prayer and study. The truth is probably something of each. Trials refine and strengthen us, but to find the strength to face and overcome them we have to do the groundwork of study, prayer and discipline to help us always remain in God's presence and strength.<br />
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So, back to the weekend; set apart from the busyness of life and work each delegate arrived with different thoughts, hopes and expectations and each of us I think, signed up for this course for different reasons. Myself it was to help me grow, develop and prepare for future ministry and service. The weekend was filled with study, prayer and reflection. The weekend left me reflecting on my journey so far, how I've got here, those that have walked beside me, carried me, those that have inspired me and of course how far I still have to travel.<br />
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Many people have taught me and inspired me, lots of them just by being themselves and being an example. I guess most of them probably don't know how much they teach and inspire me. But each of them have helped build and grow me as a person and as a Christian.<br />
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Now, growth is sometimes time consuming and painful, but it is necessary, I think the key to growth is a decision to grow, to build and to continually learn.<br />
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There are leaders and heroes inside all of us, if you've ever been broken down, rejected, hurt or just basically been told that you're not good enough; don't believe it! You have the potential and spirit within you to be all that you can be, and more importantly to become what God wants you to be.<br />
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I often look back and am surprised how far I have come, and I wonder what the biggest factor to my growth has been. I always seem to come back to a Bible verse that has become a real focus point of my Christian life and walk:<br />
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<i>"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me." - Psalm 144: 1-2</i><br />
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That is the biggest thing I think that this course has taught me...That God is at the heart of all my growth, development and inspiration. Among the many things I have learned this is what will remain with me the most, that it is God who makes all things grow...including reluctant and unprepared Leaders like myself who need God's encouragement, presence and occasional kick up the backside to be the very best I can be.<br />
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<i>"So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." 1Corinthians 3:7</i><br />
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And finally here's the tagline, focus point and motto of the weekend's course which has inspired me and will I hope stay with me in all I do:<br />
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<i>"To be led more by Jesus, to lead more like Jesus, to lead more to Jesus."</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span><br />
<br />Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-74500217099990684432017-05-15T18:34:00.004+01:002022-11-09T07:17:01.469+00:00'I'm a Christian...Get me out of here' Part 1: Thrown together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes being a Christian and belonging to a fellowship can feel like we've been thrown together, it can be trying and frustrating and can make us want to turn on our heels and run away screaming out: 'I'm a Christian...get me out of here!!!'<br />
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Most of us will either have watched or at least be aware the reality TV show 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here' if not, the basic premise is that a group of celebrities are placed together in the middle of a jungle away from civilisation with basic food, facilities and no contact with the outside world. They have no previous contact with each other and are forced to work together to cook, empty the very basic and unpleasant toilet and complete tasks to earn food and rewards. Obviously they don't always get on...arguments, stress, aggravation, pettiness, can take over and bring cooperation and compromise to a standstill... Sound familiar?<br />
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Everyone who attends a particular church does so, for a variety of reasons...geographical considerations, a family who attends, a deep rooted belief in what that particular Church practices or believes, perhaps a fallout or argument from another church. In my particular circumstance it was a girlfriend (now a wife) who first invited me to my Church.<br />
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We also want and need different things from our church; some seek teaching, a challenge, safety, comfort friendships, to be part of a community or something bigger than ourselves, some seek inspiration, an outlet for creativity, or perhaps just a place to belong.<br />
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However we arrive and for whatever reason we remain...we're stuck with each other! We have to balance our personalities, desires, agendas, hopes, dreams etc while also trying to work together to keep the Church working, moving forward and completing our mission to bring people to Christ. Like the TV show 'I'm a celebrity' we do tend to struggle from time to time.<br />
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This is the first in a planned four part series: 'I'm a Christian, get me out of here!' Or 'surviving the Church'<br />
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I want to give encouragement that if you find Church membership difficult or stressful, if you've ever thought about just walking away, that you are not alone. And I want to try and help give you strength and confidence as we all try and navigate, survive and thrive in a minefield of politics, unspoken rules and expectations surrounded by people who are self-serving, lost, and a little broken... And that means all of us.<br />
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But regardless... Here we are, all thrown together, from different backgrounds, ideals, experiences, personalities etc. One purpose, one mission, but a ridiculous amount of different ideas of how to get there. We are not always going to get on, we will fall out; sometimes spectacularly, we will act childish and immature and occasionally play games and point score... But we are all far from perfect, when thrown together we have to learn to deal with all this and each other, sometimes this will mean being the bigger person, looking past each other's faults, and making allowances for each other's weaknesses, and of course asking each other for forgiveness when we mess up.<br /><br /><br />Here's one of my favourite pieces of music, which seems appropriate here:<div><br /><div>Melbourne staff band playing "They shall come from the east" really worth a listen.</div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/4nbNeLWmo-o">https://youtu.be/4nbNeLWmo-o</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">"They shall come from the east,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">they shall come from the west,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">And sit down in the Kingdom of God;</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Both the rich and the poor,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">the despised, the distressed,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">They'll sit down in the Kingdom of God.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">And none will ask what they have been</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Provided that their robes are clean;</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">They shall come from the east,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">they shall come from the west,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">And sit down in the Kingdom of God.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">They shall come from the east,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">they shall come from the west,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">And sit down in the Kingdom of God;</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">To be met by their Father and welcomed and blessed,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">And sit down in the Kingdom of God.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">The black, the white, the dark, the fair,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Your colour will not matter there;</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">They shall come from the east,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">they shall come from the west,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">And sit down in the Kingdom of God.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">They shall come from the east,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">they shall come from the west,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">And sit down in the Kingdom of God;</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Out of great tribulation to triumph and rest</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">They'll sit down in the Kingdom of God.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">From every tribe and every race,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">All men as brothers shall embrace;</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">They shall come from the east,</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">they shall come from the west.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i>And sit down in the Kingdom of God</i>."</span><br /><div><br />
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Look out for part 2: 'Bigger than Jesus'.<div><br /></div><div>Update: Links to parts 2-4</div><div>- Part 2: <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.com/2017/06/im-christian-get-me-out-of-here-part-2.html">Bigger than Jesus</a></div><div><br /></div><div>- Part 3: <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.com/2017/06/im-christianget-me-out-of-here-part-3.html">The one and only you</a></div><div><br /></div><div>- Part 4: <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.com/2017/06/im-christian-get-me-out-of-here-part-4.html">Shoulder to Shoulder</a></div><div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span><br />
<br /></div></div></div></div>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-12233911989008903392017-02-23T16:02:00.001+00:002022-02-07T18:45:56.203+00:00Lent challenge: A World of Prayer (updated for Lent 2022)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wonder what you have decided to give up/take up for Lent this year? Perhaps it's chocolate or Facebook (giving up, not taking up I hope). Or perhaps you've decided to add a daily devotional or Bible reading to your weekly schedule.</div>
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I've decided to spend this Lent (starting of course on March 2nd) praying specifically for the Salvation Army and wider Church around the world, using the 5 International Zones in which the Salvation Army's worldwide work is organised as a guide and focus.</div>
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These Zones are:</div>
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•Africa</div>
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•Americas & Caribbean</div>
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•Europe</div>
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•South Asia</div>
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•South Pacific & East Asia</div>
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I thought maybe this idea might appeal to someone else, so I'm posting it here in case someone else feels led to spend Lent praying for The Salvation Army and wider Church around the world.</div>
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If my calculations are correct, then praying specifically for one Zone a day would mean that each one would be prayed for eight times. So it struck me that splitting Lent into eight, five day sections would give me the chance to specifically focus on eight different areas of ministry for each Zone:</div>
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•Leadership</div>
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•Discipleship</div>
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•Vision</div>
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•Mission</div>
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•Fellowship</div>
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•Troubled Communities and national challenges.</div>
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•Individual Territories and commands</div>
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•Social Services</div>
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So the idea would be to, for example spend the first five days praying for Leadership (development, Calling, active Officers/ministers etc) taking one Zone a day, the following five days; discipleship, then Mission and so on. I've Included weekends in this plan which (again assuming calculations are correct) means that the plan would actually finish on the Sunday before easter</div>
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It's not just about praying for these places in a vague way, but specifically getting to know these Zones and Territories, that might be quite unfamiliar to many of us. It will take a little research, perhaps asking questions, and trying to understand what the issues, problems, challenges etc are for each of these Zones in the above ministry focus areas, I'm hoping that on a personal level this Lent challenge connects me to the wider Salvation Army and Church and helps me understand what's going on around the world, and also of course that we would be connected better to each other, heart, mind and soul. </div>
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The following Salvation Army Facebook Groups may be quite helpful for information and to open dialogue, I'm a member of each of them & will post this and subsequent posts on these groups. I would suppose that these groups contain representatives from most if not all Zones, who would be happy to answer any questions they can:</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/SightsNSoundsTSA">https://www.facebook.com/groups/SightsNSoundsTSA</a>/</div>
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I've also included the website for the Salvation Army International Headquarters which provides lots of helpful information, including a breakdown of Territories and Commands within each Zone:</div>
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And of course the new Salvation Army Yearbook which is available to buy now; including in eBook format.</div>
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For my Part I'll try and add a blog post at the beginning of each 5 day period discussing briefly each ministry focus area.</div>
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I've also included on here a schedule breakdown of the prayer focus for each day; feel free to copy, paste, write down, download or whatever format makes it easier to follow.</div>
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<u>March</u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2nd - Leadership: Africa</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3rd - Leadership: Americas & Caribbean</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">4th - Leadership: Europe</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">5th - Leadership: South Asia</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">6th - Leadership: South Pacific & East Asia</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">7th - Discipleship: Africa</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">8th - Discipleship: Americas & Caribbean</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">9th - Discipleship: Europe</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">10th - Discipleship: South Asia</div>
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11th - Discipleship: South Pacific & East Asia</div>
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12th - Vision: Africa</div>
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13th - Vision: Americas & Caribbean</div>
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14th - Vision: Europe</div>
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15th - Vision: South Asia</div>
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16th - Vision: South Pacific & East Asia</div>
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17th - Mission: Africa</div>
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18th - Mission: Americas & Caribbean</div>
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19th - Mission: Europe</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">20th - Mission: South Asia</div>
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21st - Mission: South Pacific & East Asia</div>
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22nd - Fellowship: Africa</div>
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23rd - Fellowship: Americas & Caribbean</div>
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24th - Fellowship: Europe</div>
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25th - Fellowship: South Asia</div>
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26th - Fellowship: South Pacific & East Asia</div>
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27th - National Challenges: Africa</div>
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28th - National Challenges: Americas & Caribbean</div>
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29th - National Challenges: Europe</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">30th - National Challenges: South Asia</div>
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31st - National Challenges: South Pacific & East Asia</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><u>April</u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1st - Individual Territories and Commands: Africa</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2nd - Individual Territories and Commands: Americas & Caribbean</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3rd - Individual Territories and Commands: Europe</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">4th - Individual Territories and Commands: South Asia</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">5th - Individual Territories and Commands: South Pacific & East Asia</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">6th - Social Services: Africa</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">7th - Social Services: Americas & Caribbean</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">8th- Social Services: Europe</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">9th - Social Services: South Asia</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">10th - Social Services: South Pacific & East Asia</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><u>Holy Week</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Monday: Africa</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Tuesday: Americas and Carribbean</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Wednesday: Europe</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thursday: South Asia</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Friday: South Pacific and East Asia</div>
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If anybody is interested in this Lent prayer focus idea, and needs additional information or help, feel free to contact via my Facebook page (details below) or comment either here or in whichever group you see this post.</div>
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Look out for additional posts during Lent with more specific guidance on each Ministry Focus area and the respective Zones, and a more focused post(s) for Holy Week itself. To avoid missing a post you may want to sign up to this blog with your email address (see below).</div>
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For those using social media please feel free to follow on Twitter and like, share etc on Facebook.</div>
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Twitter: @Inspiredfaith88</div>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/">https://www.facebook.com/Inspired-by-Faith-640803452678981/</a></div>
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Disclaimer: Although this blog is written from the perspective of a member of the Salvation Army, the views, comments, opinions etc may not necessarily represent the views, policies etc of the wider Salvation Army.</div>
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Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-41733699449942531422017-02-20T15:50:00.001+00:002022-11-04T03:13:07.766+00:00An Army on its knees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm sure you've heard it said an Army marches on its stomach but this Army marches on its knees...</div>
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<b>Our mission</b> </div>
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Since it's beginning, The Salvation Army has been walking a tightrope between Faith and Action...a fall to either side would destroy the very fabric of what the Army is, and was raised up to be. It's Mission has always been a double edged sword...'Hand to man' of course but never neglecting the 'Heart to God'.</div>
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I guess some would argue that there is no conflict between these two ideals...that service and action come out of a deep faith and eternal responsibility. Of course I agree with this, but, is it ever possible to really focus on these two things with equal determination and dedication? Christ Himself stated that we cannot serve two masters in Matthew 6:24.</div>
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<b>Church or charity?</b></div>
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If we're not careful, we can become so wrapped up in meeting physical needs that we become little more than yet another charitable organisation. 'Fine', some people might say, 'what does it matter why the Salvation Army does what it does?' </div>
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It matters because the things we do have eternal consequences, and it matters because we are not just a charitable organisation; we are a religious order with a divine commission. I know that some people's only experience of the Salvation Army may be 'secular employees' that may or may not have a faith; perhaps this is the problem, The Army has in some ways become two separate organisations: secular and religious. Although of course, at it's heart the Army still remains a religious organisation.</div>
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We have to watch the dangers of becoming better known for charitable acts than faith, where faith is seen as separate or even secondary. Perhaps in today's world this is unavoidable; the need for regulation and accountability in charities means that professional employees and methods are needed particularly in an organisation the size of the Salvation Army. Yes it's acceptable that employees can be religious but it almost seems like society 'tolerates' the religious side of the Army because of the benefits of what we do. Our priorities have perhaps become unbalanced, maybe we have become to big or unmanageable? I don't know what the answer is, but it is vital we remember who we are and where we came from.</div>
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The opposite side of the problem is when faith without action takes over. When we focus on the 'religious side' of the Army and neglect our mission to 'Serve Suffering Humanity'. This has become a problem with the wider Church, or at least the reputation of the wider Church; that sitting and singing songs is all we are good for; that we do not care about the world outside our walls and that we only exist to make everyone follow our rules while excluding everyone who resists or doesn't fit in.</div>
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<b>The balance</b></div>
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In between these two issues lies one of my favourite words: 'Balance'.</div>
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Balance between who we are and what we do, balance between serving our fellow man physically and spiritually and doing all this while nourishing our own spiritual lives and walk with Christ.</div>
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My own Corps is not always great at hitting the balance. We are a very busy Corps, and lots of people spend lots of time doing lots of things. We need (and I personally need) to constantly refocus to look past the busyness and constantly ground ourselves. Just a brief example from my Corps of one way we try to do that is the way in which musical practice's are organised; specifically from my experience as a songster I have found that it is vital to balance practice time to ensure we are the best we can be, as well as devotional time which provides focus and inspiration.</div>
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I love this quote from William Booth about this idea of balance:</div>
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<i>"Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again; until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other."</i></div>
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<b>Praying with all your might!</b> </div>
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The idea of Faith and action being indistinguishable from each other is brilliant, and I think this is what we should be aiming for; a strong, grounded, disciplined faith that naturally spreads out into the world as action. But strong, grounded, disciplined faith does not happen overnight, it requires constant work, study and above all prayer. Which of course William Booth also has a lot to say about:</div>
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<i>"You must pray with all your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God. This kind of prayer be sure the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame."</i></div>
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Discipline and discipleship are absolutely vital...there is no getting around that. Bible study and prayer are often the first things to be neglected in a busy church or corps, but it is when we're busy they become even more important! </div>
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<b>Your responsibility</b></div>
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Perhaps you have found that your church has been losing focus, or neglecting discipleship, if this is the case ask God for help, ask Him what you personally can do to inspire a refocus and recommitment to put discipleship, discipline, prayer and study back at the centre of all things where they belong... don't mourn or despair in the loss of focus... get up, get out, get on your knees and do something about it! </div>
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Your church needs <b>YOU</b> to be a light, to inspire and to set the example, prioritize discipleship, prayer and study, it is not enough to wish or to hope or even to moan about the loss or lack of discipleship...if we are to be all that we can be we have to start putting all these things first...all that we do; all the great social work and fundraising is nothing if we are not growing in faith and above all growing closer to God!</div>
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This then is the final thought to leave today's post on:</div>
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Look for the balance, work for the balance. Do not become so busy you lose focus on why you are doing what you're doing. We need to remember the two part Mission of the Salvation Army and every Christian.... 'Heart to God, Hand to Man'. Both are vital and together they make an unstoppable force for good. We must be relevant, meeting modern needs with expertise and professionalism but first and foremost we are a religious movement commissioned, Inspired and equipped by God...but we have to stay connected with the source of our strength and keep our hearts focused on Christ. The more we do, the more we move out of our own strength, and the more we must rely on Christ; and the more God's light will shine in us, through us and of course out of us!</div>
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Perhaps this should be a reminder to the Church, and all of us:</div>
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<i>"Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed." - St Francis De Sales</i></div>
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<br>Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090645706606437627.post-42793890370178264982017-02-16T14:13:00.001+00:002022-12-07T00:03:16.179+00:00A Place to Call Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are some really special places in this world, places that mean a great deal for many different reasons... this post is about perhaps the most important of these places...my Spiritual home...my church...<br />
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A week or so ago I published a post entitled '<a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/where-did-it-all-begin.html?m=1" target="_blank">Where it all Began</a>', talking a little about my first real Church, the encouragement and inspiration that helped sow the seeds of my spiritual growth and development; check it out by clicking <a href="http://inspiredbyfaith88.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/where-did-it-all-begin.html?m=1" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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Today's post is a bit of a sequel. Not where I started, but where I am now, the importance of finding a spiritual home, a place to belong, some of the problems that can happen, the fallouts the failures and why it's worth persevering with a faith community and fellowship...in the Salvation Army we call them 'Corps' but 'Church' is just as relevant & I think these issues are just as important regardless of which denomination you belong to and identify with.<br />
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<b>My Church</b><br />
Here's just a brief overview of myself, my church and where we are as a fellowship and family.<br />
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I started attending my home Corps (Coventry City, UK) about 13 years ago-ish. I've been a Senior Soldier for 12 years this July. (At the time of writing) I started attending during a strange time for the Corps. We were in between buildings, as we were waiting for the construction of a new building to replace the old one which had become unfit for purpose. So the whole Corps was in a bit of a limbo situation, sharing a building with another Church community.<br />
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Eventually our brand spanking new building opened in mid 2005, followed shortly by a change in Officers (ministers).<br />
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So a new home, new leaders. A new start and fresh beginning. Not just for the Corps but for me personally.<br />
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In this Corps I found welcome, love and a spiritual home. Of course I also found politics, fallouts and the occasional argument...because unfortunately for the Church, it's populated by us imperfect sometimes petty human beings, (and yes I am including myself at the forefront of that).<br />
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<b>So what is a spiritual home?</b><br />
A physical home should be a place of rest, a place where you feel comfortable where you can unwind from the pressures of the day. A spiritual home should have some of these qualities but it also needs to be a place of challenge and inspiration that will not always be comfortable but will bring you encouragement and fulfillment.<br />
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<b>Dysfunctional family</b><br />
Coventry City Corps is where I find these things but let me be clear, we are a long way off a perfect community. We can fall out, annoy each other, dismiss each other but I'd like to think when things are rough we would be there for each other. We are a family....but a dysfunctional family sometimes.<br />
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My Church has, over the last few years, become home to a different group of people... We have joined a group of other churches in the city to host a winter night shelter. We have become a temporary home on one night a week during the winter, providing warmth, comfort and food the very things a home should provide. On a personal note while I've been involved in the night shelter I have found time to sit in our main Worship hall devoid of light and people and I have found a real sense of peace and homeliness; reflecting on all the friendships and relationships that have been built in that room when it's full, relationships with God have been built and testified too, prayers have been said, commitments made (including my own wedding vows). It truly is the heart of our spiritual home, but I suppose when full this is hard to see.<br />
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<b>Why you need your Church & why your Church needs you</b><br />
Many people, perhaps someone reading this have, been hurt by the Church in some way or another. And I am truly sorry for that. But despite this I still feel that the Church is necessary, that belonging to a Church community is necessary, and not just because of the benefits we can receive, but also because of the journey we are on together; We can, even unknowingly support and encourage those around us in our faith communities just by being an example.<br />
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I know what a lot of people say "you don't need to go to Church to be a Christian..." And I understand this position and I can see the point, I would even agree, to a point. The old rebuttal to that position is of course "you don't need a parachute to jump out of a aeroplane...but it certainly helps." The point is, we need each other. We have to walk together to find encouragement and strength in each other, and we need to serve alongside each other... Think about a major incident like an earthquake or flood; yes, individuals can help and make a huge difference, but it takes an Army, committed, organised and mobilised to really turn the tide, with supply drops, airlifts etc, we can be that Army...but it means putting aside our squabbles and differences and work together.<br />
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So let's be a true family and community. But let's go into it with our eyes open; understanding that we will annoy each other, we will fall out and hurt each other but by the grace of God and mutual love and understanding we can get past all this and be a true family. Ultimately we are better and stronger together, even when we annoy each other and fallout over petty stuff.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army</span><br />
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<br />Inspired by Faithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16615132869508571465noreply@blogger.com0