learning lessons from the "generals"

So I've just finished God's Generals by Roberts Liardon - an interesting read. I've heard about the book for a while now, but have never taken the opportunity to read it...until now. The book contains spiritual biographies of John Alexander Dowie, Maria Woodworth-Etter, Evan Roberts, Charles Parham, William J Seymour, John G Lake, Aimee Semple McPherson, Smith Wigglesworth, William Branham, Jack Coe, A.A.Allen and Kathryn Kuhlman.

Some of these names were familiar to me, but I didn't necessarily know too much of their story. I was both encouraged and challenged by the accounts contained within the book.

The book finishes with some really good points about what does it take to pursue God's call and 'succeed'

1. Stay in your Call - don't try and fulfill someone else's call or their idea of what is best for you. Don't let the criticism of others push you into a corner. Too often we can latch on to the negative words people speak about us and allow them room to take root in our hearts - NO MORE!

2. Build an immunity to the things that affect you negatively - in other words, Guard your heart. If we let God lead us with HIS word, we can stand firm against the negative things in our life. Let's face it, we all know that storms WILL come, so its not a case of sticking our head in the sand and hoping we can ignore it - its about building our lives in such a way that when the storm comes, we can stand firm (like the wise builder).

3. Be daily filled with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was empowered by the Spirit of God. The things he did, he did because of the Spirit's presence and his surrender to the Spirit's leading.

4. Don't try and stand alone - We need to surround ourselves with people who know us, and the call of God on our lives. We might be tempted to surround ourselves with "yes" people who will stroke our ego, but if we truly want to 'succeed' in all that God is calling us to, we need people who will be prepared to speak truthfully in love and journey with us.

5. Don't search scripture to use as retaliation against our accusers- anyone who is making significant impact for the kingdom is going to come up against resistance and people who want to tear us down. We need to keep a soft spirit towards them, not allowing any seeds of bitterness or resentment to take root in our lives. Let God be our defender. Let him be the one who promotes and protects.

One thing that struck me about all of these people is that they were in some ways 'ordinary' like me. They were hungry for more of God and it was this hunger that drove them to their knees to seek God. Another thing was that all of them made mistakes; some learnt from them and repented, others allowed pride to take over and ultimately cost them their ministry.

Definitely food for thought...

a woman is like tupperware...

So its mother's day and I've been thinking about tupperware....

• Tupperware is costly and I know many men who think women are costly too


• Tupperware comes in all shapes, sizes and colours and the same could be said of women


• Tupperware finds itself in all kinds of circumstances and situations - from the every day household stuff to the fancy dinner party...its adaptable and multifunctional. Women are stereotypically known for their ability to multi-task...we find ourselves needing to adapt to all kinds of circumstances and situations.


• Tupperware is passed on from generation to generation


• Tupperware has a lifetime guarantee

It's these last two thoughts about tupperware that I've been contemplating in relation to women in general but specifically myself. There are women who have lived their life in such a way that long after they have departed this earthly life, their legacy lives on. They continue to impart into others through what they left behind; their written words, their actions, their place in history as a change maker. Catherine Booth is one such woman - I am who I am today in part because of the way Catherine lived her life. Something of her life has been passed on from one generation to the next and will continue to for years to come. General Eva Burrows is another woman who is living in such a way that she will continue to bring change long after she has been promoted to glory (which I'm hoping is not for a very very long time). She demonstrates both strength and submission and inspires and encourages thousands of people from every walk of life around the world.

So I'm asking myself "what kind of legacy am I creating by how I live my life?" Will there be generations to come who will have a greater depth of life in the kingdom of God because of how I have lived my life? My hope is that I have lived a life that inspires and encourages others to give their all for the sake of the kingdom. To help others understand their place as sons and daughters of Father God and to love. I want to be someone who loves with a lifetime guarantee - that despite the ups and downs of life, the challenges and the dark times, I would continue to love and be loved......

its no time for silence!

I've been reminded again after listening to a podcast about the power of the testimony of what God is doing. As people share what God has done in their life it opens the door for God to do it in someone else's life. I have witnessed moments where someone testifys to a specific healing and as other people in the room listened to that testimony, they were healed of the same condition - without being prayed for - simply by hearing that God did it in someone else's life. I am constantly encourging the church family at Grandview to share what God is doing because they never know who might need to hear that word for themselves or their loved ones. For myself I try and fill each day with stories of what God has done and is doing. It helps to build my faith that "with God nothing is impossible".

If what we have to share could be the catalyst for someone else's miracle how can we dare stay silent. There is no story too small....it might be just an ingrown toenail to you, but for someone else it could be THE moment to radically change their life.

We owe everyone an encounter with God. If praying for people seems scary, laying hands on them a bit out of your comfort zone, start simply by telling about what God has done in your life.

REMEMBER - There is power in the testimony of God!

the greatest miracle

I know I've blogged already today but when you've got good news you want to shout it from the rooftops!!

Today at church I preached about the vision that God gave me for the corps (church). I've preached about it before but felt it was time to recast the vision - as Bill Hybels says "vision leaks". It was a great time with a few visitors in attendance. During the response time many people responded to the invitation to commit themselves to the seeking first the kingdom of God, the mission of the salvation army and the vision of the corps.

But the greatest thing happened straight after church. My administrator came up to me and said that she had just led (INSERT NAME) to the Lord. It was SO exciting. It is the greatest miracle ever when someone who was navigating life solo commits themselves to follow Jesus. We as a church now have both the privilege and responsibility to help them to grow their faith, to develop a Christ centred life and to run the race. It is not enough to see someone come into the kingdom, but we need to help them live as citizens of the kingdom, to understand their rightful position as sons and daughters of the king and to understand their inheritance.

All Glory goes to Father God.

a warrior and a worshipper

So getting back to "living life God's way" from a couple of posts ago....this morning I'm taking time to reflect on Sunday's commitment "I am committed to live my life as a warrior and a worshiper as You, Father, extend your Kingdom on earth through me." I love the picture this commitment conjures up in my heart. It it one of strength, dedication, determination, a fighting spirit....a surrendered heart, a focused heart, a soft spirit, a unequalled passion for God, an intimate relationship with a loving father, a daily choice.

Jesus is my example - he is both a warrior and a worshipper, a lion AND a lamb. He didn't walk around trying to be liked by everyone. His motivation was not a comfortable life. He wasn't nice for the sake of being nice. Following the example of Jesus we need to 'war for justice, for righteousness.'

And as a worshipper in the midst of pain, hurt and confusion I say "not my will but yours be done". As a worshipper I say that God knows best, I will trust him in the midst of whatever circumstances I am facing right now.

So today I choose to engage with life as a warrior AND a worshipper because...

to be like Jesus
this hope possesses me
in every thought and deed
this is my aim, my creed
to be like Jesus
this hope possesses me
his spirit helping me
like him I'll be

learning the hard way

So last night I learned a lesson the hard way.... all my thinking and engaging with the idea of sowing and reaping was beautifully illustrated....the hard way. Without going into detail I now have a situation that has arisen that I need to address. I didn't even bother to ask "why me, why has this happened to me?" I immediately thought back on what I've been sowing in this particular area of my life and knew that this situation is the most likely fruit from what I'd been sowing. It didnt happen overnight....but it did happen. Many little decisions made- each a seed sown and now I get to reap the results of that - no pity party, no poor me...just a clearer understanding of the life lesson I've been working on lately.

So now I need to work my way through this......an opportunity for growth (and I'm gonna keep telling myself that until I'm through it)

sowing & reaping

So its been a few days since I blogged - being away from both internet access and the space to pause and think about something to say. The last few days I've been thinking about the kingdom principle of 'sowing and reaping'.

I've been using "Leadership Jesus Way" material at our small group entitled "living life God's way" that has been adapted from Dennis Peacock's teaching. It has a different commitment for each day of the week. Wednesday's commitment is this:

"I am committed to accept full responsibility for my actions and reactions as we strategically plant the crops of life."

At the end of the day I shouldn't be surprised by the 'crops' I reap in my life....if I take time to look at what I've been sowing - the crop will be the fruit from those seeds. The thoughts, attitudes and actions I operate in today will determine tomorrow's crops.

Now I'm no gardener, but I understand weeds well. If weeds are left unattended they will quietly and quickly take over the whole garden and they become the dominant plant. Some will actually choke other plants trying to grow. The best way to deal with weeds (besides concrete of course) is to deal with them quickly, regularly and carefully. Don't let them have time to take root....when removing them, take care...you never know what they've tangled their roots around.

In my life I need to deal quickly, regularly and carefully with the negative things that are in my life. If I allow them time and space to take root they will begin to take over and choke the life out of the good things in my life. I am attempting to try and deal with my attitudes as soon as I can, not allowing those negative attitudes to take root.

Scripture says "in your anger do not sin". Many people think this means that anger in itself is a negative thing. However I understand anger to be a secondary emotion - produced because of another emotion (ie I feel anger because I feel betrayed, hurt, jealous...). It is not the anger that is the problem but what we do while angry that the bible is warning us about. I was recently in a position of feeling angry about a circumstance. Part of what was going on was that I was surprised by the anger I was feeling and I felt I needed time to process with Jesus what was triggering this response so that I could 'deal with it'. I had a couple of people try and talk to me about the situation straight away - my response was "I can't do this right now - I can't talk about it" and I needed to walk away. Now some might say that was a wrong response, I should have simply smiled and said "no worries mate". But I knew enough about how I was feeling to know that it had the potential to be a situation where I would say something I would regret, causing damage to relationships and to the well being of the other people concerned. For me, it came down to "in your anger do not sin".

Did I handle the situation perfectly...absolutely not. But Jesus has used it as an opportunity for learning and growth for me. I have been able to see some 'seeds'that I had allowed to take root rather than deal with quickly.

This principle is so vital to the life of a dynamic disciple. The Holy Spirit is key to helping us take this principle and making it a life message - one that is shared by living it.