Envoys Retreat

For those of you unaware last weekend Susan and I attended the Territorial Envoys Retreat at the Geelong Conference Centre, in the lead up to this weekend we were not sure what this weekend would hold but went with an open mind and open heart. It is amazing how often God speaks to you when you push through and attend things even though you could find valid reasons not too. This was a weekend full of questions, (sometimes answered, sometimes not), a weekend to renew some friendships, to make new friends, to experience new things (including a whole morning of silent retreat !!), and most importantly to allow God to talk to us and to spend time listening for His voice. Major Frank Daniels and Major Tracey English led the weekend for us and it was great to share with both of these fine people over this time.
The wider Cabinet of the Territory arrived late Saturday afternoon and shared Dinner with us and then we shared worship on Sunday morning, this was just an incredible time. Two of the Envoys Scott Cugley and Nicole Hetherington shared their testimonies magnificently, Captain Danielle Strickland and Envoy Sonia Jeffreys led Worship brilliantly and the Commissioner then delivered the message. I may sound silly saying this but for the most part of Commissioner Knaggs' message it felt like it was just Him and me in the room, it felt like he was speaking straight to me and sharing his vision and thoughts for my life. I have never experienced anything like this before during a message it was just awesome (Thank you God and thank you Commissioner) This was followed by a time of prayer with our Divisional Leaders Majors Peter and Jenny Walker which again was truly a time of standing on Holy Ground.
What is the result of this weekend for us you may ask ? It has confirmed the call of God on our lives, it has confirmed that we are called to serve in The Salvation Army, it has confirmed that we are valued and loved by God, and it has energised us to push on and do the tasks in front of us. Beyond this who knows exactly other than God, so we will trust Him for the future and continue to push forward with whatever He calls us to do.

The Barbarian Way

The Barbarian Way is a book by Erwin Raphael McManus. I have been reading this book the last couple of days and I dont agree with everything in it, but it really does challenge you to look at the way you live and the way you share your faith with others.
To quote from his webpage "In The Barbarian Way, McManus calls you to return to the ancient,primal, and dangerous faith of Jesus and His early disciples. Let go of a sanitized Christianity and get back to the powerful, raw and ancient faith that chooses revolution over compromise, peril over safety, and passion over lukewarm and watered-down religion.

Christ’s passion drove Him to the cross; the cross of Christ drives you to His passion. Take up the challenge of the “barbarian way,” and your life will never be the same."

As I was thinking about this I had a visit from my local friendly JW's, two hours and a lot of discussion later they left annoyed that I could not see the truths they were showing me and myself determined to convert them. It was a very interesting two hours and a time I found very mentally stimulating and thought provoking. These people were so convinced that they were the only true church it blew me away. They had prepared arguments against all the major denominations of Christianity, and were equipped with verses from their Bible to support their views (even if some of these were taken way out of context).
As flawed as their teachings are and as much as I disagree with them,the level of courage,determination and commitment these people show is worth applauding. I dont necessarily agree with door to door selling but they are actively trying to spread the news. What are we doing ?
I pray that our conversation made them spend some time thinking about their beliefs and examining my counter arguments, and that through this God may move in their lives. As for me I pray God will continue to challenge me to shake conformity and seek His Will and His Way for my life.

Journalling

I wonder how many of you reading this have ever had a spiritual journal, we as a leadership team here at Warrnambool have been given the challenge of using a life journal. Every day we have made a commitment to read chosen chapters from Gods word and then to journal our thoughts. The journal should be done using the S.O.A.P acronym. (Scripture,Observation,Application and Prayer).This is not something that I have ever done regularly so it is a challenge for me, and I have also decided to continue with my personal devotions as well as this.I have been challenged as to how much time I spend doing inconsequential things like watching TV,surfing the net,reading the paper etc and how little time I spend actually 100% focused on God. I have a very healthy prayer life, I usually spend time reading and in devotions daily but as a sum total of my day this is very small.I am also aware that most of the time that I do actually spend in devotions I am occupied, either by reading or praying, and I don't always allow myself to have quietness and allow God to speak to me, and reflect on His Word and Provisions.
We have only been doing this for two days so I will need to make sure in a months time I am still giving my journal the same priority but it has been a surprising blessing and a time of great encouragement to me. I pray that God will continue to challenge me and to speak to me as I come before Him in quietness and seek His face.