Finished


I have now finished Rennovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard.

Its value for me was the examination of the various aspects of human life, how they interact and are affected by one another. He lists these as:

Thought (images, concepts, judgements and inferences)

Feeling (sensation, emotion)

Choice (will, decision, character)

The body ( action, interaction with the physical world)

A social context (personal relations to others)

Our soul (the factor that integrates all of the above

It is how all these "essential parts of the human self are effectively organized around God" that interests the writer. He says, "Spiritual formation in Christ is the process leading to that ideal. The human self is then fully integrated under God."

It seems to me that Dallas Willard hits on a very important issue in our times and in our culture. We live in a society overloaded with information of shallow content, where experiences and emotion are highly prized, where the body is worshipped or despised, relationships are damaged and the soul is forgotten.

One of the questions at the end of chapter 3 is "What is the heart and what is it's basic role in human life?

Anyone like to have a go at answering??


God bless

Carol

All power to your elbow Archbiship

Last week the Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu gave up his planned family holiday in Salzburg in order to camp inside York Minster where he invited people from all over the country to join him in heart and mind to pray every hour for peace in the conflict between Israel and Lebanon. He also shaved his head and fasted for the week.

There has been widespread publicity in the British media about his action with varying responses to it.
Some were very cynical. One blogger wrote, “What a hoc of bull. Don’t eat or drink anything for 7 days then talk to me. I bet his fasting had a lot of “howevers”. Just a show.” Other comments have been that it has been a gimmick on the level of David Blaine, the illusionist.
Others haven’t doubted his sincerity but whether he can make a difference.
One man said, “He can’t change anything,” Another, “It depends if you believe or not. I personally think the church has had it, but my kids are impressed.”

There has been much positive reaction too, particularly by those who went to visit the Minster themselves. There was a real sense of the presence of God and many have responded to the challenge to pray for peace.

One comment was, “Nobody can quite explain what this eccentric ecclesiastical spectacle might achieve, but under the beautiful gothic awning of a medieval Minster, the balance of opinion is that prayer might be worth a try.”

A mixed reaction to a Christian doing something so public is to be expected. Personally I believe he is a man of God who is willing to go out on a limb on all kinds of kingdom issues and we should be backing him to the hilt.

What made me smile but also made me mad and sad was the reaction of some so called believers who reacted with, “He should stick to religion and not meddle in politics.” I’m still trying to work out what pray and fasting are if they are not religious. And another, a church leader said, “What he is doing is undignified for a man in his office.” He should read 2 Samuel 6:22

God bless

Carol

Stewing

I was going to write the following as a response to Heather as Heather's Place (see Armybloggers) but as I got started I realised I had too much to say for a comment and anyway what Heather shares is something I feel a lot of women in particular do when faced with criticism, confrontation or conflict.

That is we tend to stew!

I have been quite an expert in "stewing" on stuff in my time so I thought a few tips on how to get over it might help.

1. Try telling someone else you trust who isn't directly involved. Having to put our worries and reactions into words usually reduces their size dramatically. If you can't do that write them down and read them back.

2. Choose someone who will not just tell you to forget about it just because they will do anything to make you feel better. Real friends will tell you if you've messed up, will often recognise where you are making mountains out of molehills and will reassure you that you are still worth knowing and loving.

3. Make a point in your prayer time of specifically off-loading the situation and your feelings. Wait upon God to receive his forgiveness and empowering.

4. Don't spend your whole prayer time on the issue. Stewing is not the same as praying. I think it is very important to adopt a framework of prayer because it helps to focus upon other stuff whilst at the same time acknowledging whats going on.
Personally I often use Weatherhead's Private House of Prayer, which uses the picture of prayer being like a house of rooms. Each room features a different aspect of prayer. Room 1 is Affirming the Presence of God, Room 2 Praise and adoration, Room 3 Confession and Offloading, Room 4 Receiving from God (including forgiveness), Room 5 Expressing Purified Desires and Room 6 Intercession and Room 7 Meditation.

For me this gets my feelings into perspective, gives me something to do with them but also turns my focus upwards to God and outwards to the needs of others.

4. It can be helpful to do something symbolic to express that you are putting off your anxiety, the burden or failure. For example write it down on a chalkboard, or pick up stones that represent the issues. Then in the light of the promises of God to cleanse, forgive, heal and help, rub out what you have written or put down the stones one by one. But don't forget to spend some time receiving the forgiveness, healing,etc.

5. Check your diary. I'm serious. I've often mistaken conviction of sin and demonic attack for PMT!

That's it from Auntie Carol

God bless

Thanks to all who prayed for our BBQ.

We had a great time, although the weather was unpredictable to say the least and this put a few off coming. Nevertheless we had people among us who have yet to come to faith. They heard our friend Gram's testimony (pictured above) and all took an invite to Alpha. We await to see who comes.

God bless

Carol

BBQ

We have our annual BBQ tomorrow afternoon. This is an event to which we invite our friends and neighbours to offer hospitality and build community. This year we are also using it as a vehicle through which we invite people to our next Alpha course.

Please pray in the light of the depressing weather forecast that the event can go ahead as planned, that people turn up who are ready to respond to the Alpha invite and our people will infect everyone who comes with a desire to know Jesus.

Thanks

Carol

To the tower and back

I've been to the tower this week. No not the one at Denmark Hill, although I went past it several times, but the Tower of London. I didn't get locked in for saying rude things about the monarchy which Alan was concerned I might and I kept my head.
Actually Alan, Katie and I had a great time in what is a fascinating place.

The White Tower in full of displays of armour and weaponry. One suit of armour particularly caught my eye. It was for the King's champion. Originally it was the champion's duty to ride, on a white charger, fully clad in armour, into Westminster Hall during the Coronation Ceremony. There he threw down his gauntlet and challenged any person who dared to deny the sovereign's right to the throne. It just crossed my mind as I stood in that ancient, tourist-filled hall that my life, (minus the white horse) should be a constant challenge to the evil one who denies the King of kings his right to rule.

We also went to see the amazing crown jewels. They are in a secure building, through the thickest steel doors I have ever seen, behind glass and fitted with a sophisticated alarm system. They were beautiful but inaccessible and for the exclusive use of the royal family.

As the Yeoman of the Guard didn't invite us to stay the night we went back to Katie's royal residence in Peckham. As we got off the bus, Alan commented that the guy sitting behind us had been reading his Bible for the whole journey. Now I just love that irony. The word of God is a far greater treasure than any crown or sceptre but its not under lock and key, housed in a special building. It's our there, changing the life of an ordinary bloke on a London bus. Brilliant!

God bless

Caro

Barefoot Guy

I was looking through my previous posts to try to find someone's blog name I had forgotten and came across a response to one of my posts back in April from "Barefoot Guy" that somehow I must have missed. Anyway Barefoot Guy is Sean Dietrich who has done some great songs that you can download for free. He is very influenced by Keith Green so they contain a lot of challenging stuff about discipleship.

The website is www.SeanDietrich.com

Why not check it out

God bless

Carol

Achievements

We met a lady again this week who had come to the Army when we were the officers at her local corps. Whenever we have recounted the joys, sorrows, battles and victories we experienced in that appointment her story has never really featured to any great extent.

This was not because we did not think she was important but because we didn't really think our influence upon her life had been that significant or had called for any great sacrifice on our part. Her perspective was quite different and she shared that the support that Alan in particular had given her at a time of bereavement had saved her life.

I remember once being in a meeting where a missionary gave her testimony. She shared some of the work that she had been involved in but she ended by saying that she left the mission field knowing that it could well be, that the most significant thing she had done there was something she had completely forgotten and nobody else knew about.

I admit that I have often thought that it is the thing that I have worked the hardest on, had the most visible results in and given me the most personal satifaction that have mattered most.

The reality is that there is only one achievement that is of any worth in any appointment. It is our loving obedience of Christ.

God bless

Carol

Fellowship

It's been a week sharing in good Christian fellowship. If I say it has been the right kind of Christian fellowship I hope you know what I mean. It hasn't been to moan about other people or to engage in a club activity or escape from the all the nasty stuff going on in the world. It has been faith building and empowering.
and we need that to keep up focussed and to get a God perspective back when our own outlook becomes negative or inward.

On Sunday, Alan went to Ripon, a former appointment and it was good to see folks there conintuing to faithfully serve the Lord whilst I stayed in Northallerton with our folk who sang their hearts out and listened so attentively to the word.

It has also been good to participate in the annual Hollybush Camp. Hollybush Christian Fellowship is about 3 miles down the road from us and is based on a farm. People come from all over the UK with their tents and caravans for a week. They engage in daily Bible studies and worship celebrations with a Bible thumping message and altar call. It's Pentecostal, it's loud and the music I must admit is not always to my taste but it usually results in people getting saved, filled with the Spirit or healed.
10 years ago an officer couple went to Hollybush Camp and received a vision to re-open a corps in their division that had closed its doors. This week they were there with 28 of their folk. It was so good to share with these "on fire" Salvationists and pray with them for the even greater things!

We've been up to Catterick Garrison to meet the new manager of one of the Red Shield Clubs. Again it was good to detect the passion to reach out to the lost and to do more that serve tea and sandwiches.

Last night the local Prison Fellowship group met to prayer walk around the prison. The prayers were fervant and sincere, although I was rather amused at Ernies prayer that God would bring down the walls. I think he meant spiritually! We then went back to our Prayer room. I don't know what to say except that God turns up here. It was humbling and so strengthening to be prayed for personally by the rest of the group.

Today its been Alpha and we shared openly and prayed for healing.

"Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another and all the more as you seen the Day approaching." Heb 10:25

God bless

Carol

House of tiny tearaways

I have been watching the above TV programme on families who have children with severe bahavioural problems. One of the issues raised has been the lack of authority and discipline of the parents. Some of them give in to the demands of their children because they cannot bear to see their children upset or unhappy and some fail to take authority because they fear that their children will not love them if they make them do what they don't want to do. The result is some very unhappy and stressed out families.

Sadly it's not that difficult to see some parallels between the House of Tiny Tearaways and the Household of the Saints. Leadership is not easy and our hearts often want to comfort rather than chastise, entertain rather than educate and give rather than make any demands.

I wonder what William Booth would make of the "chummy" sytle of leadership most of us exercise in the church today.

Well I read this in the March/April 2003 edition of the Officer. It is from some fragmentary notes of Booths address taken at a staff council in 1893.

"There is not one of you in whose personal sorrows and struggles I do not feel and interest. I would like to go into them myself if I only had the time. I would like to go home to tea with each one of you and help you mothers nurse the baby and share your troubles. I cannot bear to see you suffer but I am unable to avoid it. I am determined to use you all to the utmost of God's work . I am going to get out of you all I can. A General is no good for his post who is not willing to see his soldiers suffer. And however good my plans may be they will involve not less but more hard work, sacrifice and discipline than in the past; but they will ensure, I believe with your hearty co-operation an abundant harvest of success."

Now if you think that the reaction of Booth's hearers to his determination to get out of them all he could was to walk out in indignation you would be wrong. An officer in the meeting wrote in response, "The above remarks occupied the first sitting of the Council. Needless to say that the stirring words of our beloved General moved us to tears and to a fresh consecration of ourselves to God and the war!

God bless

Carol