So today we had a rehearsal for our Welcome to Cadets on Sunday afternoon. Basically it's a celebration of the people in our Session and their decision to follow God's call to become Salvation Army Officers. It's kind of a big deal for the Army world.
Anyway, we were singing our Sessional Song - an awesome song written by Marty Mikles, and Brian Hogg was conducting us and urged us to really listen to the words. He commented on one of the lines that says "May our lives be the reflection of who You are", and he got us to think about the word THE being used there where usually people would say A. May our lives be THE reflection of who Christ is. WOW! Not some namby-pamby glimpse of the reflection of Christ, but THE reflection.
The song has been written to inspire and challenge the Ambassadors of Holiness. We're called to be holy, as Christ is holy. That's quite a challenge. If it's achieved, our lives truly can be the the reflection of who Christ is.
So over the next two years, that's what I'm praying for... I'm praying that I will be able to be the reflection of Christ. That when people look at me, they have an encounter with the Saviour of the world.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Suck It Up Princess!!!
Okay so I've just gotten through my first week of classes at Colelge - granted they are Orientation, but to be honest, I've been blessed every step of the way. There's not been one day or one thing we've done that's made me go "ugh" and even the "house duties" (cleaning) isn't all that bad... when you know why you're here and you have CHOSEN to have a good attitude about things, it really does make a difference.
For example - we've been given the "Stoke It Up Challenge" which basically is our Training Principal's way of getting us (a) working as a team and (b) to challenge ourselves out of our comfort zone. Some of you Australia Southern guys will know that this challenge caused quite the "outrage" a few years ago when it was first given, and people were annoyed or frustrated or scared or whatever to take it for what it is. Yes there are some things on the challenge that are said kind of in jest - but kind of not - things like using Phillips Airways (ie teleporting yourself) because lets face it - if any of us had the faith to actually do it - we totally would! Some people are offended by the suggestion we can raise the dead... I question why? Jesus did, the disciples did, the bible says that we can do all things Jesus did - so why be offended? Has anyone I know seen anyone raised from the dead? No! But something tells me that these things are on the list, not because it would be cool to see them happen - but as an exercise in testing our faith. Do we really believe what the bible says about what we can do? And if so, do we have the faith to act on it even if it means we "fail"?
There are a few people who have been a bit negative about the activity. I just simply don't see why! I think it's a good thing to get us working as teams and getting out onto the streets doing things to stretch us, our faith and our experience of God.
I will admit that tonight I was taken WAAAAYYYYY out of my comfort zone...like ridiculously so! My friend Rachel and I took the challenge to the streets of St Kilda tonight, and tried our hand at street evangelism. Neither of us are really keen on this form of evangelism, basically as we don't feel we are very good at it. We went and asked God to stretch us... and stretch us He did! We chatted to a few people who were happy to say hi but that was it, a man who chatted to us for a while about his ailments but wouldn't allow us to pray for him, and a Salvo guy I'd known from my childhood.
We were starting to lose a bit of faith in the activity and I'll admit I was starting to feel a bit negative when three things happened:
1. I was reminded gently in my spirit of the nickname we'd come up with for the challenge (to challenge those who were negative about it) - that being the "Suck It Up" challenge - and I said to myself "Suck it Up Princess - do the task"...
2. My friend Rachel said to me "Maybe this is a test of our faith and perserverance".
3. Not long after that, we met a man who initiated the God conversation after we introduced ourselves! He was 99.9% sure there was a God he just needed PROOF. So we chatted to him for ages, sharing our testimonies and talking about what we believe. Then we got to pray for him!! What an awesome God we serve! A God who is ever wanting to show up for us when we start to doubt ourselves!
So my new message to myself is Suck It Up Princess!! You can't be a warrior princess if you are too scared to get out of your comfort zone.
I challenge you to do the same...find something you're not so sure about and do it!! God will be faithful, even if the lesson is perserverance! :)
Blessings to you all xoxoxxo
For example - we've been given the "Stoke It Up Challenge" which basically is our Training Principal's way of getting us (a) working as a team and (b) to challenge ourselves out of our comfort zone. Some of you Australia Southern guys will know that this challenge caused quite the "outrage" a few years ago when it was first given, and people were annoyed or frustrated or scared or whatever to take it for what it is. Yes there are some things on the challenge that are said kind of in jest - but kind of not - things like using Phillips Airways (ie teleporting yourself) because lets face it - if any of us had the faith to actually do it - we totally would! Some people are offended by the suggestion we can raise the dead... I question why? Jesus did, the disciples did, the bible says that we can do all things Jesus did - so why be offended? Has anyone I know seen anyone raised from the dead? No! But something tells me that these things are on the list, not because it would be cool to see them happen - but as an exercise in testing our faith. Do we really believe what the bible says about what we can do? And if so, do we have the faith to act on it even if it means we "fail"?
There are a few people who have been a bit negative about the activity. I just simply don't see why! I think it's a good thing to get us working as teams and getting out onto the streets doing things to stretch us, our faith and our experience of God.
I will admit that tonight I was taken WAAAAYYYYY out of my comfort zone...like ridiculously so! My friend Rachel and I took the challenge to the streets of St Kilda tonight, and tried our hand at street evangelism. Neither of us are really keen on this form of evangelism, basically as we don't feel we are very good at it. We went and asked God to stretch us... and stretch us He did! We chatted to a few people who were happy to say hi but that was it, a man who chatted to us for a while about his ailments but wouldn't allow us to pray for him, and a Salvo guy I'd known from my childhood.
We were starting to lose a bit of faith in the activity and I'll admit I was starting to feel a bit negative when three things happened:
1. I was reminded gently in my spirit of the nickname we'd come up with for the challenge (to challenge those who were negative about it) - that being the "Suck It Up" challenge - and I said to myself "Suck it Up Princess - do the task"...
2. My friend Rachel said to me "Maybe this is a test of our faith and perserverance".
3. Not long after that, we met a man who initiated the God conversation after we introduced ourselves! He was 99.9% sure there was a God he just needed PROOF. So we chatted to him for ages, sharing our testimonies and talking about what we believe. Then we got to pray for him!! What an awesome God we serve! A God who is ever wanting to show up for us when we start to doubt ourselves!
So my new message to myself is Suck It Up Princess!! You can't be a warrior princess if you are too scared to get out of your comfort zone.
I challenge you to do the same...find something you're not so sure about and do it!! God will be faithful, even if the lesson is perserverance! :)
Blessings to you all xoxoxxo
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