Wednesday

We explored Truro today. Truro is in Colchester, Nova Scotia. It is vastly different to Truro in UK. Now I'm going to get in trouble with Bram for saying Truro is in UK, cos he still thinks Cornwall is a country in it's own right, poor chap!

In the evening, we sat and sang songs from the Salvation Army song book. It's a good job the Bible says "make a joyful noise unto the Lord", and not make a tuneful noise!!!!

All Christians are different. And like towns, we all carry some mark of our maker. I hope that we will display our mark of our maker, and follow His rule book for our lives.

By the way, Bram's deserted my blog, and started his own at www.captdoc1.blogspot.com.

De Merth

Not a bad day - managed to find the border twixt New Glasgow and Stellarton. Also imagined that we were on the Luxembourg/Germany condomenium and the Belgian Vennbahn going through German territory.

The Salvation Army hall at New Glasgow was quite impressive - they take furniture as well as clothes and brick-a-brack and provide a good service supplying furniture at affordable prices, as well as utilities such as cookers. I wish that we could do this in Poplar, instead of being frustrated for want of space. But I am also glad that we haven't got that amount of junk.

Had a profound thought as we were going along the road, but can't remember it now. Like so many that I have had in my 35 years of life. Hope it comes back so that I can share it.

Bram

Monday in Nova Scotia

Today I kind of let Bram have his way and we visited museums! First one we visited was in Pictou, and was about the ship Hector that brought the first Scottish immigrants to Canada. They were kind of duped into going on this voyage being promised lots and given virtually nothing. They even had to build their own log cabins, which they didn't have a clue how to do.
Next museum was a fishing museum. This was quite interesting as well. Bram totally confused the guide by talking about Cornish Lobster pots. He was very surprised when she didn't have a clue what he was talking about! I had to interpret for her. It's so funny how we all talk english, but the Canadian language is totally different to the UK one!

Sunday in Canada

Bram here, I did get my uniform in time for the night meeting - it was a relief to be wearing something in which I could be comfortable. Excellent meeting led by the youth of the corps. Wonder what we'll be doing 2day. So far nothing has gone wrong. It is exciting to be in a place where it is possible to go overland to Chile. Hope to get some bordering in while over here.

Happy Holidays

It was suggested to me this week that I should start a holiday blog, writing in all about my holiday. I am in Nova Scotia, Canada, staying with a friend that I met online. It was also sugested that I should put pictures on here, but I have to wait until I get home for that, but here's what I did yesterday.
I flew out here yesterday, arriving late at Heathrow airport, but somehow they let us on the plane! When our flight arrived at Montreal, it was a little late because of turbulence, and we had to literally run from one flight to the next one to get to the Halifax flight!
We safely arrived in Halifax, then waited for our luggage. After an hour, we realised that our luggage wasn't going to arrive, so we reported it missing. Then we went shopping for something to wear today! Any excuse to go clothes shopping!!!!

Why?????

I had an interesting conversation this week concerning Social Action. Why do we serve the road sweepers their breakfast every morning? Why do we provide a safe place for Parents to bring their kids to play? Why do we offer cheap clothes to the public? Why do we do what we do?
These are interesting questions. We have to be careful that we don't have ulterior motives. Before I came to Poplar, I used to think that if we weren't getting people into church through any activities then we should stop doing it, but now my views are changing. I was given an answer something along the lines of "to display Kingdom Values. People are attracted to us because of this." Is a difficult question, but I do what I do because I love people. As I write this, I think love is part of Kingdom Values. In the Kingdom, everyone is welcome, everyone is loved, everyone is accepted. I really hope that I help to display these values here.

Forever Friend

It's funny how certain songs can trigger your memory. In this mornings service, as we were singing a song called "Father God" I remembered singing that song with complete passion the day after I was saved. Then we sang a chorus that was in the Salvation Army musical "Spirit", and I remembered going to see this musical when a local church performed it. Then this afternoon, we sang a song that was sang when I was enrolled a Soldier 10 years ago. (A soldier is a full time member of the Salvation Army).
So today, I was reminded of a few of the "mountain top" experiences of my life. It's funny really that God means more to me today than He even did 10 years ago. He has been a constant friend through all the highs and lows of my life. Although I'm terrible at keeping in touch with my human friends, God is a priority in my life for keeing in touch with. I can't even begin to imagine what life would be without Him.

interesting!

I've had a VERY interesting week this week, and had some strange conversations. First we have Patrick. To read more about Patrick go to www.urbanarmy.blogspot.com. He is a very interesting character! This week he decided that we would all go to the moon for our church outing. Only trouble is, we have to get our own spacesuits. I wonder where I could get a space suit in East London!!!
Another memorable event from my week is when one of my luncheon club members asked me to look to see if her underwear was done up! This was so memorable because I am quite shy, and easily embarressed.
I certainly wouldn't get anything like this at the church I grew up in! I'm very glad that I've been given the chance to experience this part of urban life. The part where people aren't afraid to share with you any aspect of their lives.

Relax

Looks like my blogging discipline is slipping already! It's not even as if I was extra busy last week. I just didn't blog. I'm not too good at keeping diaries or anything like that. I start with good intentions but that doesn't last for long.

As Christians we are called to live disciplined lives. This discipline however, does involve having time for yourself. I had this time last week. Every afternoon I came home from work, and did nothing really. I spent every evening watching TV or reading. Yesterday Kate, my minister, read a well known passage from Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." This hit home to me yesterday that we don't need to run round with stuff that worries us weighing us down, we can give it to God and he will give us rest from it.

The Bible talks a lot about resting, but as Christians this is something we find the most difficult thing to do. My husband is a good example of this. He's always in a panic worrying about things that he needs to do. Most evenings he is in his office working away. I am the opposite! I rest as much as I can until a deadline comes up, then I panic and rush it. I think we need to find a happy medium so that our lives aren't as frantic.

Who's church?

I'm currently reading a book on a church that God wants to take back for His use. It has got me thinking about my church.Do we listen to God enough? Is my church completely His? When we get new people in and they are gloriously saved who takes the credit? I know that I have been guilty of claiming a seeker during my meeting as my own. Of course it isn't my work. When someone goes to the mercy seat during a meeting they don't go because of the preacher, they go because God has spoken powerfully to them.
I also get frustrated when people argue about silly things like uniform. If they put more energy into listening to God and seeking His will in His church than if we should wear uniform or not, or any other silly arguments. I feel that discontent within the church is the work of the Devil.
The church is an instrument of God. Sometimes it's easier to get carried along and do things because you enjoy them, or because they have always been done. Now that The Salvation Army is over 100 years old we have a problem on our hands. Do we do things because it's Salvation Army tradition or because God wants us to do it?
I will leave you with that thought.

More

I would like to add a few more things to yesterdays post. The things that God said to me yesterday regarding my feelings of unworthiness were not new things, but there are times when God has to remind us of things. I am reading a book about a time when God took His church back from the leaders of it. My life is like that sometimes. God has to keep taking it back into His hands. He also has to remind me that the task that He has called to is not my mission, but God's mission. After all, I am only persuing it because I feel that God has called me to it.
I think I also sounded like I was already a Salvation Army officer in yesterdays post. I am not, but am in the process of applying for it.

I can't do it!!!

I've had an ok week this week, but today I had a feeling of total failure. During the meeting today I realised that maybe I don't care enough about people. I also realised that I don't have the skills to cope with full time ministry. During a testimony time this morning, someone said that they didn't know how they were going to do a job that he has been assigned by the Salvation Army. He then went on to say that God reminded Him that the job is God's. It's God's job to make things happen, all this man has to do is listen and obey. Then this afternoon, I still felt totally incapable of doing the job that I know that God has called me to. Bram preached on trusting and obeying. As I type this, I'm reminded of something I said to someone last week about forgiveness. I can't, but God can. This is the same with full time ministry. If I try to do it alone I will fail. I can't be a good Salvation Army Officer, but God can. As long as I remember that my Corps belongs to God, and the work is His, and more importantly that I need to listen to Him to guide my every step, we will do things God's way, the success of my ministry belongs to God. My life needs to be totally His. It won't work if He only has a part of me. GOD SHALL HAVE ALL THERE IS OF RHONDA HAYES.

Descaling the Kettle

This weekend I decided that I needed to descale the kettle that we've got. We haven't had the kettle for long, maybe about 4 months, but it was looking a bit dirty inside. The trouble is that the kettle is glass so it looks worse than if you couldn't see inside it from the outside. I chose a glass kettle because I thought it would be nice to see the water bubbling inside. I hadn't thought about the limescale that would collect inside. So I put the descaling tablets in, and watched what happened. Miraculously, the limescale was lifting away. Within half an hour the kettle was clear again and looking like new.
It got me thinking about myself as a Christian. I work for The Salvation Army, and also am a uniform wearing soldier. People around me know that I am a Christian, but also a huge amount of people who I don't know also know me as a Christian. My life is like my glass kettle. When sin starts to creep in, people can see this, and like my dirty kettle, people are not attracted to what is inside, and don't want to know God, who has the power to makes me boil for Him. It is amazing to think that God has even more descaling tablets than any that you can buy. His tablets don't even take half an hour to get to work cleaning the sin from our lives!!!
What a Great and Gracious God we serve.

The Great Cycle Helmet Debate

This week it feels like the whole world thinks differently to me! They all want me to wear a cycle helmet when I ride on the road. The trouble is, I really don't want to. I think that I look silly, and because of that, I will be more concsious of the way that I look than what is happening around me on the roads. This debate all started because I fell of my bike and bumped my head on the kerb last Friday. I know that I'm silly being stubborn about wearing one, but I'm a country bumpkin at heart! We don't wear Cycle helmets in the country, the traffic doesn't go fast enough to do you any damage!!!!!!
You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl!!!!

Great minds think alike

My husband led a midweek worship service today. It's kind of a free and easy worship service with quizzes and things. The funny thing is that he can read my mind sometimes, and today was no exception. I don't think I told him that my meeting on Sunday was going to be on the church being the body of Christ, but his worship service was kind of along the same lines, although his was supposed to be on the Wise and the Foolish man. Unless of course, I interpreted the meeting wrong, which is possible!!! So thanks to Bramwell, I have some pretty good illustrations for Sunday.

Anti climax

Today has been a bit of an anti climax. Things I expected to happen today haven't! Good thing about today is that 2 of our soldiers came to the meeting in uniform! I know, a uniform doesn't matter, but I can't help being army barmy and enjoy seeing people in uniform. In my corps, to rebel, you wear uniform.
It has been a good day.

Missing!

Wednesday night I had a problem. Henrietta my hamster had escaped! Trouble is, the only way that I knew that she had escaped was that she had popped her head up between the cushions on the settee!!!! Trouble is, after looking at the cage I keep her in, I noticed that the top of one of her bedrooms had completely come off! She has escaped before, but usually, she doesn't go very far. The funny thing is, that when Bram put her ball in front of her to go in, she went in it.

My Hamster made a bid for freedom, but it appears she didn't like it, so went back to her old ways. Is there a lesson we could all learn from Henrietta???

God's Scholar part 2!

The last time I blogged about being God's Scholar. Well, today, I tried to do some of my doctrine study. I was working at the local Salvation Army Detox Centre for Alcoholics and drug addicts, and thought that I might be able to do some of my study. It was nice and quiet so I thought I would do quite a bit of it. When I got down to it, I just couldn't study! It happens a lot when I try to study, I just can't concentrate. My mind wanders, then I know there is no point in trying to carry on studying. Today, my mind was wandering onto what I could do for my next sermon. I started thinking about being part of the body of Christ, and what I could say on the subject. This is all very well, but I was supposed to be looking into being fully sanctified. Oh well, perhaps I need to discipline myself more so that I will concentrate only on my study. After all, it is due in in about 13 days. Good job the essay only needs to be 600 words!

God's Scholar

I know this is a strange name for blog, and especially for me, because I'm definitely not the intellectual type as the name might suggest. I'm currently doing a study with the William Booth College in London. The course is called Salvationist Doctrine. I find this course ok, but I find it so difficult to get motivated to do the studies.
I know that I'm not gifted intellectually. God made me this way for a purpose. I seem to have the gift of simplifying things. I can usually look at the Bible, and find some way that the particular passage speaks to my life right now. I was surprised when I started preparing sermons to find that I was able to do it quite easily, although my sermons weren't 3 or 4 point sermons, because I didn't know about them at the time.
It's so good that God can use the ordinary people in life as much as the intellectual ones. My favourite passage in the Bible is Exodus 4 where God shows Moses that he can use the ordinary things in life if they are put into his hands. That is the key thing here, things need to be put into Gods hands in order that he can use them.

Wanted: Acceptance in Community

I meet so many people in my work at the Corps that need things. Recently, I have noticed that what has been needed the most is someone to talk to. I have had some interesting conversations during my time as Community support worker. They range from how to stop yourself catching a cold, to how things were in the past. It seems that most people coming into our centre are coming in because they want to talk. I’m glad that because of my role here, I am able to offer a listening ear. One of the most difficult conversations I had was with a man of my husband’s age who wanted to end his life. All this man needed was someone to talk to. This was ok by me, because I couldn’t offer any advice to this person. It is good that people feel that they can come into our centre, and find someone who will listen to them, no matter how many times we have heard what the person has to say before!
One of my biggest prayers is that people will see Jesus through looking at us, and be attracted to Him. I also hope that these people will always have a place within our community here at Poplar Corps.