Service

So it's been a few days since I've blogged. But a lot has happened.

I've been again blessed and impressed by the service offered by Christians in our church.

Two cases in point:

Margery's unit needed cleaning up and her furniture needed to be moved out before the Housing Trust could conduct their inspection. Angela, Dave and a team of others went down to the house yesterday and did their thing.

We also recieved a thank you from Melbourne where Karin recieved a gift from our college friends team.Vida and her supporters have a great ministry supporting cadets that are training for ministry. Did you know that we have two cadets connected with Marion Corps currently in training? Karin Wishart completed her out-placement with us this year, and Fiona Kean (nee Hailes) spent a few years at the corps as a child in the 1980's. Pray for them both.

And keep it up, team!

Be Still

Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God.

This verse was shared this morning at Margery's funeral. It was among her favourites and it was a pleasure to hear from her own notes why it was so meaningful to her.

As Ange read the verse there was a stillness in the room. I think God was speaking to us very clearly. We need to take those opportunities to stop and know God. Today it was through Margery's testimony. Tomorrow, maybe we'll get to stop and rest and know God. Find some time to be still...

God's goodness

"Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life" Psalm 23:6
Many of us know this Psalm backward. How many of us read this verse and believe it? The New Living Translation states that "Your goodness... pursues me all the days of my life".

It doesn't mean every day is good. It just means that there is good in every day and that God's goodness is reliable.

A simple thought, but one that has helped me this week.

Saluting the saints

The past 24 hours have been among the saddest for our Corps. While we grieve, we cannot help but thank God for the privilege of serving alongside some wonderful saints.

Margery
Margery Hodgen died early yesterday morning. She sat in our church in the front row each week, usually next to Spencer. I remember tearing up seeing her come to the mercy seat one week, wheeled by Spencer. Margery will be remembered for her softly spoken fervour for the Lord, her extraordinary prayer life, her faith in the Lord and her all-of-life witness to his greatness.

Willy
Willy Kiessling died at lunch time yesterday. We are still in shock. Willy was a woman of the Word, having attended Bible college in her younger days and being a keen attender of the Monday ladies' Bible study whenever health permitted. She smiled even when she was in pain. Correction - she beamed even when in pain. She loved working in the thrift shop, and loved every chance she had to do even the smallest things that may help the children's ministries of our church. At times she knew the worst of circumstances, but her faith never left her. This is a woman who taught us about resilience, persistence, patience and graciousness.

Uncle Dick
My friend Uncle Dick also died on the weekend. He was one of the most beautiful men I ever met. I had the privilege of sitting near him in the Preston band for a number of years - I was on the end of the cornet bench, and he was on the end of the horn bench so we were beside each other. He exuded Jesus Christ in every encounter you had with him. He wanted the world to know his saviour and he started with his family, then the people of our Corps in Melbourne, and then anyone who would listen. An utter gentlemen and a saint, Envoy Richard Collett OF has left a massive hole in the ranks of The Salvation Army with his passing.

So we stop. We take a deep breath. We pray for the families and others concerned. We cry. Most of all we celebrate: We are a fortunate people that have met wonderful saints on our journey and God has allowed us to serve alongside them.

To you alone, O Lord, to you alone, and not to us, must glory be given because of your constant love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1) That was the testimony of Margery, Willy and Uncle Dick. It has to be ours, too.

God's timing

This hasn't been the easiest week since I've been a leader in a church. There's a lot going on, and a bit of stress in the air. Much of it is my responsibility (?fault) for being lax around some policies in the interests of community, but that has compromised security, safety and sustainability of some of our workplace practices.

As we've struggled together to resolve this, God keeps sending me messages that are really like refreshing showers:

On Sunday he convicted me to speak to people about playing on when we get hurt.
This morning in my reading plan was a passage from Revelation about 'enduring to the end'.
The passage I was working on for a church parade at the Army barracks next week was about the example we set (from Titus chapter 2).
There has been encouragement from strange sources and friends making contact that I haven't heard from in weeks.

God knows what we need when we need it. He's always there supporting, but of course we need to look positively for his activity in the world to see it sometimes.

Community

Community is sometimes the hardest thing to maintain, even if it is supposedly that which comes most naturally to us. We are made for community. As people made in God's image we are created for relationship. As God has eternally related in relationship between Father, Son and Spirit, so we are meant to eternally live in relationship with God and with others.

Then why does it get hard? Why do we get territorial and protective? Why are we nervous about opening ourselves up to community?

There are no simple answers. There is no simple balance, especially when relational needs in organsations conflict with operational needs. And even though we believe that the community and the relationship take precedence, we cannot neglect the safety, security or sustainability of some aspects of our operations.

Let's keep working toward community and loving. We'll probably have problems along the way, but I'd rather that than miss out on that which God has intended for us.

Family

While we've celebrated as usual this weekend at Marion Salvos, and thank God for trusting us with three new people again yesterday, a sense of sadness is upon us. Our friend Margery is unwell and may not survive the week. She is loved among our 10am congregation where she faithfully attends and sits in the front row.

We are also sad because Margery has no relatives in Adelaide to help with her personal affairs. It is an honour, in many respects, that Flinders Medical Centre have phoned members of our church community, as Margery's "family", for help with some things.

For every Margery that we have reached and connected with, how many are in our communities that we are yet to reach with God's love, light and grace? How many more elderly (or young) ladies (or men!) need us to be their family?

Seek first to understand...

A friend of mine, on his blog, has related the story of a young student that wandered into his church, waited in the foyer and watched. She didn't understand what was going on, and more people were talking about who she was rather than talking to her.

Daryl's church isn't unique - and the story, including the strange glass barrier between the foyer and the sanctuary, could have been written at our church. In fact, I'm sure there are times that what we say and do alienates visitors. We get the picture totally upside-down.

Modern theorists remind us that we should help people belong before we expect them to believe what we share, let alone change behaviours (should that actually be needed).

This isn't new theory, though. St Francis of Assisi legendarily taught, "Seek first to understand rather than be understood".

Let's always listen and love, so that some may see Christ.

Diversity

It's amazing how diverse a day can be. Today I've seen a couple preparing for marriage, worked with our team leaders at lunchtime workshopping some dreams and ideas, helped our Community Services team while some staff were out, set up for a Camera Crew from Today Tonight that are in our centre and spent some time looking at our review of volunteer police checks.

Never a dull moment.

Whatever it is we are doing, it's important that we make sure it is contributing to God's big picture. How is each thing we do contributing to the transformation of people and their ongoing discipleship? How do we ensure we are glorifying God and being a part of his "Kingdom Come"?

Good questions to keep asking ourselves.

Celebrating the good

There's days that don't run the way you'd like them to. I had one of those today; at one point I felt ill from the way things were going.

It's times like these that you need to celebrate the good. And you don't have to look far to see it. For example, Blake, a young man connected to our church through Community Services and then through our youth program approached Mark (our youth pastor) on Sunday afternoon after worship. He wanted to have God as a part of his life. Praise God. And thank God it's not an isolated incident.

For now, these are the things I'll hold on to. Paul (New Testament type) did tell us that whatever is noble, lovely and pure - we should fix our minds on these things. Good advice.

Oh, and by the way, sorry to those followers who've had trouble leaving comments. I believe that I've now fiddled with the settings to allow this. If you are still having trouble, please let me know.

Cheers all.