…now thats Good News!

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain…

Wow…I’ve been blogging now for a year. Doesnt time fly!

Enrolled another two soldiers today…both very different soldiers. It was a good day. This evening’s meeting had plenty of joy and glory in it! Sheesh…people almost looked happy to be alive!!

There is no opportunity for resting on our laurels though. We took soldiers off at the last PCC. We’ve not recovered the losses yet. I’ve just watched the Passion of the Christ movie again in preparation for our showing of it on Tuesday as part of our Easter outreach. I can’t understand why we are so slow to proclaim and share the story with others.

We need to be in a place where we are seeing new blood coming through the doors. Hey, admittedly we did have some unchurched family visit for the occasion and some other people whos minds and hearts may have been stirred, thoughts provoked. We’re looking now for the harvest Lord!

The bible says that we should preach the gospel only two times a year…in season and out of season. Full Stop. Of course, we don’t want to be doin bad mission…seen lots of that. We want to put the gospel over powerfully, prophetically, and communicate as best as we can.

I keep asking God to make me a sharper soul winner and that he’d make my corps a sharper soul winning team. There is that great phrase from Catherin Booth: “while you stand upon your dignity, whole generations have gone to hell.” Ouch.

yours in the fight
Andrew

Are we in the age of neo-officership…’new expressions of’ officership?

I feel quite shattered this morning…well, we got back from London late last night, but really this whole week of intense ‘sharing-with-people’ thing is a drain. So many different people on so many different paths, albeit officership. I’m sure they are all valid paths…I think.

The question that has come to my mind is how much of people’s officership (mine included) is preference driven versus gift driven, how much is personality driven versus God driven? Is my officership as significant as it should be? These are not so much personal doubts but personal fears because there sometimes comes a recognition that even on a personal level you stray away from your fundamental objectives in ministry.

But then I look at where we are in Pill at the moment, at the corps, and can see great signs of God moving in people’s lives and I need to recognise that I have been used by God to do some of this stuff. There is other stuff that I have taken on myself which I know I must lay down. Major Margaret Wickings spoke from Deuteronomy about the paramaters of officership….meaning that there might be things God will annoint in our ministry and things He won’t.

I am continually seeking to move onto the next level of personal effectiveness for the Kingdom. It is important for us all. Life is not a rehearsal…we don’t live in an appointment to practice and then get another go to do the time again…its real life, real people, real possibilities.

I think there are some primitive models of officership that are very valid. The same challenge seems to be that in the way that primitive salvationism seems to be igniting soldiers around the world (and its has been labelled neo-salvationism) then perhaps neo-officership is a back to basics officership. What does it look like? What is the purpose of any change of focus…to tickle our ego or to advance the Kingdom?

Well, these questions are too big for me on this Friday morning but I am sure they are the new set to keep me awake at night. But for now…my hair needs to be cut because it is overgrown…where is the lawn mower?

yours
Neo-Captain Andrew

Here I am at Sunbury Court on our first year of officership seminar. It has been good to hear some of the good stories happening amongst the Bridgebuilder Session…lots of good God things happening with a fair share of difficulties as well.

However, it has been a good time to reflect on 9 months of ministry, which is the point of it really. I’ve revisited some personal convictions in ministry, renewing covenant and bolstering determination…. We’ve has some excellent bible studies led by Major Margaret Wickings…and they have really confirmed my thoughts that my corps is in the “waiting to cross Jordan” stage. The question is….will we wander around much more? More than that, are we the Joshuas who will lead across? I hope so. Anyone coming?

The only thing that stands ahead of us is the Jordan…answers on a postcard if you know what Pill’s Jordan is (dont say the Avon!). I think I have an idea, but it would be interesting to know what you think. We may well explore that further.

signing off
Andrew

Winston Churchill once said, “I am not afraid of what history will say about me because I intend to write it!”

Well, apologies for the rather long break from blogsphere. No excuses really other than to say its been an interesting few weeks on many fronts.

One of those weeks that you think you’d be better of climbing back into the trench but where you know that doing that won’t win the war…u just have to stand up and be shot at! But the thing is,the squabbles are going on in the trench between folks who think that all that exists is the trench and seem to have very little interest on what’s going on in the battle field. And every time we and our local officers have to sort out fighting within the trenches, our attention is moved away from the real battle.

However, I’m not sure I’d be any happier if things were just ticking along. Stuff that is goin on is merely a representation of the fact that we are moving on and change isn’t easy for anyone. It will never be fast enough for some and it will never be slow enough for others. There are a thousand witty quotes that could be uttered to champion the need for change but none of them say as much as the fact that we need to be in a place where we’re harvesting souls for the Kingdom.

It really ticks me off that we’re seeing so few saved. Admittedly, were seeing some be more renewed and sharpened for the war, and thats a good sign…but where are the lost. To put it bluntly, we’re not cutting it at the moment but what will it take for that to happen?

Ever member ministry, intentional evangelism, loving fellowship, meaningful social engagement, and prayer prayer prayer prayer prayer prayer prayer.