Hello again.
Fridays seem to be coming around very quickly! Sadly though that does not seem to make this trip seem to go any faster! It's been a mixed week, with e-mails playing up for half the week, but then, all of a sudden, they started working again! You can't believe how much this cheered me up after a frustrating week and a half of having problems contacting home.
As I have said before I get up every morning at 5am to go training. I finished the Insanity program and I am 3 weeks into a program called P90X. It's much the same except now I use weights to train as well. But this is not a blog about exercise!
Every morning when I get up I go to the hangar to train; this is a large open space at the back of the ship. This past week I have been opening the large hangar door to let a bit of fresh air in to try to keep the temperature a bit cooler. This has had a really amazing effect. It's still boiling hot! But I have also managed to be blessed by one of the most amazing sights of Gods creation.
When I get up its still pitch black outside, but this week there has been a large full moon shining down, add to this the millions of stars shining bright in the sky and it's a real effort to pull myself away from this amazing view and start training!
Usually if the ship is sailing west, after about 30 minutes the sky starts to go the most amazing bright orange colour. Then slowly the sun starts to come up, causing amazing reflections on the calm sea. The few high clouds that are in the sky also turn a wide range of amazing bright colours. So many different colours I can't even begin to describe them.
This morning however the sky was full of clouds, not a single bit of light from the moon shined down on the flight deck and when the sun rose, it just brought a sky of dull grey and dark colours. But the fact is the light was still there, shining bright behind the clouds. It was just obscured from view.
All this week these sun rises and night skies have really made me think and reflect upon my spiritual life. Often when things are going well, it's quite easy to be a Christian. Things are all good, and it's easy to thank God for all the amazing blessings he has given us. Everything seems to be going to plan. It seems like God is right there with us and things are all going well.
But when things don't go right it can often be a lot harder to be a Christian, we find it harder to find things to thank God for. We struggle; we can start arguing with God about the way things are going. We can even turn our backs on him. But he is there! Just as the sun was still there and rising brightly this morning. But just as the clouds obscured the sun this morning, the grey clouds and worries of life can obscure the light of God from our lives. We can feel like he is not there, but he is! He is always faithful and never changing! The Bible tells us that:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
The prophet Isaiah wrote about this:
Isaiah 9:2 MSG (The Message)
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For those who lived in a land of deep shadows - light! Sunbursts of light!"
For those who read this blog who are not Christians I would say just try it, trust that no matter what is going on in your life, God can shine his light on you through any darkness; no matter how bad you may think it is. At the end of the day, he wants to know you; he cared about you before you were even born. So much so that he sent his son to earth to die on the Cross so your sins could be forgiven and you could let his light into your life.
Isaiah 42:16
"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them."
For those who are already Christians I would ask you to look at your lives. Are there any areas where there are still clouds of darkness? Are there any areas where the light of God does not shine in your life? Pray about it; pray about it hard. And see the way God can shine into your heart and soul and really change you into the person God created you to be.
The Sailing Salvationist
Friday, 23 August 2013
Friday, 16 August 2013
Cleaning
Here we are again, another Friday and time for another post, although to be honest I'm not really sure what I am going to write! I have had a few ideas here and there all week, but none of them have come to anything. So I'm just going to start typing and hope inspiration comesto me!
It has been a rubbish week, probably the worst I have had this trip, nothing this week seems to have gone right. One of the main problems has been contact with home. The e mails have been more than temperamental; they work for an hour, then you sit waiting for an e mailfor over an hour and you get 5 at once in a mixed up order! The phones have also been just down right annoying! I ring home, get to speak for about 30 seconds then the phone goes crackly for another 30 seconds and then just cuts off. It's been a major struggle not to pick up the phone, take it outside and launch it off the side of the ship! It's amazing how much lack of contact with home can get you down. But I have already done a post on communication, so that's no good for this post!
As I have said on one of my first posts, every Friday we clean. So this morning I spent 2 hours cleaning toilets. Not exactly what I joined the Navy for; but it needs to be done. If things don't get cleaned regularly and maintained all sorts of problems can occur. Take the toilets for example, if they are not cleaned properly it would not take long before the system broke and we would be left with no working toilets on the ship; not ideal! If they were not cleaned the risk ofsickness would greatly rise. This would be disastrous on a warship, as due to the cramped conditions and ventilation systems, sickness can spread through a ship like wild fire. This has more than one consequence; as a crew who are all ill are not able to work or fight the ship, this would mean the ship is no longer fit for purpose as it would not be able to fulfill its operational role. It would just be a useless lump of metal floating around the sea.
This week I have been reading a bit of the Hand Book of Doctrine. For anyone who does not know about it, it is a book which explains what Salvationists believe and why. It's a bit hard going in places but it is a good read.
In the back section of the book it has the Soldiers Covenant. This is a list of statements which someone makes and agrees to adhere to when becoming a Soldier in the Salvation Army. When I was made a Soldier I stood there and read them out and made a promise before God and all the people who were there that I would try my hardest to live up to and keep these promises I had made. I then signed the certificate as a physical reminder of the promises I had made.
I have this certificate at home kept in a frame; it sits on my chest of draws in my room next to my bed. So every morning when I am getting dressed there in front of me is a reminder of what I have promised. But they are not just promises I made to any person here on Earth; they are promises I made to God. They are more than just an earthly promise; they are a covenant, a sacred contract between me and God.
But here on the ship I have no visual reminder of these promises that I can look at every day. (Although now I have found them in the Handbook of Doctrine I can) When I read through them in my book I was quite shocked by how much some areas of my life had slipped away from these promises. In no way was this done intentionally; but that does not matter, these are promises I have made to God which I have either not kept, or not tried my hardest to keep.
That made me think, its quite easy to keep these promises when living a nice comfy life at home surrounded by other Christians, but its harder here on the ship when I'm alone. But that does not make it ok! That's just an excuse; and there are people in a lot worse situations than me who have kept these promises!
That left me a bit gutted and upset, I hate letting people down. I always try to be a man of my word, if I say I am going to do something or be somewhere at a certain time usually nothing will stop me; I will be there or it will get done. But here I had not let any earthly person down, I had let myself and my standards down and most importantly I had let God down.
So I was left wondering what I should do about this. It didn't take long to work out. I took myself outside to the side of the ship, sat there looking at the calm sea and prayed. I prayed for God to forgive me. I told him that I was sorry I had not kept my end of the covenant I had made with him. I asked him to fill me with the Holy Spirit to strengthen me, so I would be able to keep the promises he had made. I also thanked him for sending his Son Jesus. Because without thesacrifice of Jesus on the cross it would be impossible for me to be forgiven for these errors I have made.
Immediately I felt better. I had a fresh new start; yes I had messed up in places, but God forgives! God wants us to be close to him, and I really believe he rejoices when one of his people realises their mistakes, apologises and asks for help not to make the same mistakesagain. In fact I know this is true! It's promised in the Bible; and unlike us at times God always keeps his promises.
1 John 1:9 (New International Version)9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
So although this week has been hard in many ways I also feel like it has been a good week in other ways. I really do feel I have cleaned out my soul a bit. (See the link with cleaning there! I knew this was going somewhere!) I would encourage all Soldiers who have made the same promises as I have to read through the promises you made with God. If something is not right there is no shame in it! We all fall short and mess up at times. The important thing is realising it and then coming before God in prayer to ask for forgiveness and strength not to make the same mistakesagain!
I am really hoping this next week will be a better one. I enter it knowing there are massive challenges and changes I need to make to keep the promises I made with God. But I also know it's a fresh start and he will strengthen me!
See you next week!
The Sailing Salvationist.
Below is link to the Soldiers Covenant if you want to have a read of it.
http://web.salvationarmy.org/
Here is another link to the 11 doctrines of the Salvation Army.
https://www.salvationist.org/
(Im not sure if these links will actually work, but if not both theDoctrine and Soldiers Covenant can be easily found on Google)
Friday, 9 August 2013
Is our future in our past?
Hello again, yet another Friday comes around and I am another week closer to home! Hopefully only 9 weeks left until I will fly back to the UK. Not that I am counting or anything!
Modern technology is great isn't it? At the beginning of the year I was in an American Navy camp and I picked myself up an I Pad. It's an amazing piece of kit and it's revolutionised my life at sea. No more carrying a laptop around, I can listen to my music in my office when working, my photos are instantly at hand and most importantly if I am in port I can just go to somewhere with Wifi and in seconds I can be on Skype and talking to home!
One thing I love about it as well is the fact I can download and store magazines on it. Every time I get into a port and can get wifi I download the Salvationist and the War Cry. This gives me something to read when I am out at sea and makes me feel a bit more in contact with the UK. Don't get me wrong, it's not as good as physically having the paper itself to flick through, but it saves my mum having to post them out to me!
One thing I like about the Salvationist is the New Commitments page. I love looking to see if there is anyone I know, or any new Soldiers in Corps I have visited. As much as I love to see who is new in the Army, I have often wondered how many people each week have left or died. I have often thought, it looks like there are lots of new Soldiers and Adherents, so the Army must be growing.
I also like to read an online magazine called "Journal of Aggressive Christianity" The Journal is published online every other month, and it is well worth a look. Just follow the link if you fancy a read. http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.
This week I read an article in the JAC called "Salvo Stats Snapshots". This really got rid of any misconception I may have had that the Army is growing. Have a look at the article; the Army is not growing, it's rapidly in decline! I was not overly surprised that numbers in some places are dropping, but I was alarmed by the rate in which the Army seems to be loosing Soldiers, Junior Soldiers, Officers and even whole Corps.
This got me thinking; how come in the early days the Army saw such rapid growth and today it is seeing such rapid decline? Really it's a massive subject and there are many reasons and no easy solutions. But anyway here is my taking on some of the reasons and how we can buck the trend.
I must admit I can be a bit of an SA History geek at times. Just ask my girlfriend, I took her all the way to London, just to go to William Booth College and the Heritage Museum. One of the things I like to do is collect and read old SA books.
I find these books really interesting and love the passion with which the early Salvationists used to go for souls! As most people involved with the Army know it was set up in the west end of London, which at the time had some of the most shocking and poverty ridden conditions in the world. The early Salvationists would be right there, in and amongst the poor, living with them, sharing the same conditions, and trying their hardest to save them. This approach seemed to work and many people were saved this way. This was extremely effective in so much as when someone from these conditions was saved they knew exactly how to reach out to others who were in situations such as they had been in. This led to self perpetuating growth, as those poor people who were saved carried on to save those around them.
I know today there are many great Army people doing great outreach work in this area, but what of the average Soldier, what are we doing to reach out to the poor and the homeless? What are we doing to save and recruit these people? If were not doing a lot (and I'm not sureI am!) then what can we do! I am sure these days in many places the average Soldier has separated themselves from the poorer side of society and feel that they are better than them. It would seem in many places Corps want to be respectable rather than full of ex alcoholics, prostitutes and drug addicts. But that's exactly who the SA was established to save! This way of thinking must change if we are to see the Army get back to where it should be, and see the numbers start to rise again.
Another thing I have noticed in these early Salvationist books is the amount of time and effort people put into the Salvation War. People worked just as hard as we do now, if not harder and they did not have many of the comforts lots of us have today. Yet most nights andalmost all weekend they would be out trying to Save Souls, trying to lend a hand to help people, or doing some part to support the effort. It seems sometimes these days we just don't put enough effort and commitment in.
Please don't think I'm having a dig at anyone here! I know modern life can be hectic and draining. These are just my thoughts on the subject and I am just as much on at myself! Half the time I go to the morning meeting on a Sunday, but by Sunday evening I just want to chill out so don't go to the evening meeting. But I really don't think that is the right attitude! Yes we need down time to rest and relax, but we also need to increase our commitment and time spent serving God in this battle. We need to spend more time out and actively fighting this war and less time fighting on Call of Duty on the X Box, or slumped on the sofa watching TV. It seems most early Salvationists had no other hobby; there only aim when not in work was to save souls! Now that is commitment! To them the Salvation Army was not just something they did on a Sunday, or a building they would class as the place they worship.
It was a way of life. They lived for the fight!
These are just two of my thoughts on the subject as I said earlier, the subject of decline and the reasons behind this are massive. I could spend all day writing about it, but to be honest I expect you would probably get bored of listening to me rant on!
I really do think every Soldier should ask them selves the following questions though:
1) What am I personally doing to reach out and not just help, but save those that no one else in society cares about?
2) Am I really truthfully and honestly giving God as much time and effort in my life as is possible and as He deserves?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should necessarily go back to the tactics used by early Salvationists. Personally I'm not sure if marching up and down the streets every night with a brass band would have any effect! (Just my personal opinion there sorry to any bandos!). I feel we need to move forward in our methods and evangelical tactics.
But I also think we can learn a lot from the early Salvationists. I do feel we should move backwards in or commitment and passion to fight this war and reach out to the lost. I think if we re-engage the enemy with the passion and commitment of the early Salvationists we just might be able to turn the rapidly decreasing Army into a growing Army.
The Sailing Salvationist
Modern technology is great isn't it? At the beginning of the year I was in an American Navy camp and I picked myself up an I Pad. It's an amazing piece of kit and it's revolutionised my life at sea. No more carrying a laptop around, I can listen to my music in my office when working, my photos are instantly at hand and most importantly if I am in port I can just go to somewhere with Wifi and in seconds I can be on Skype and talking to home!
One thing I love about it as well is the fact I can download and store magazines on it. Every time I get into a port and can get wifi I download the Salvationist and the War Cry. This gives me something to read when I am out at sea and makes me feel a bit more in contact with the UK. Don't get me wrong, it's not as good as physically having the paper itself to flick through, but it saves my mum having to post them out to me!
One thing I like about the Salvationist is the New Commitments page. I love looking to see if there is anyone I know, or any new Soldiers in Corps I have visited. As much as I love to see who is new in the Army, I have often wondered how many people each week have left or died. I have often thought, it looks like there are lots of new Soldiers and Adherents, so the Army must be growing.
I also like to read an online magazine called "Journal of Aggressive Christianity" The Journal is published online every other month, and it is well worth a look. Just follow the link if you fancy a read. http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.
This week I read an article in the JAC called "Salvo Stats Snapshots". This really got rid of any misconception I may have had that the Army is growing. Have a look at the article; the Army is not growing, it's rapidly in decline! I was not overly surprised that numbers in some places are dropping, but I was alarmed by the rate in which the Army seems to be loosing Soldiers, Junior Soldiers, Officers and even whole Corps.
This got me thinking; how come in the early days the Army saw such rapid growth and today it is seeing such rapid decline? Really it's a massive subject and there are many reasons and no easy solutions. But anyway here is my taking on some of the reasons and how we can buck the trend.
I must admit I can be a bit of an SA History geek at times. Just ask my girlfriend, I took her all the way to London, just to go to William Booth College and the Heritage Museum. One of the things I like to do is collect and read old SA books.
I find these books really interesting and love the passion with which the early Salvationists used to go for souls! As most people involved with the Army know it was set up in the west end of London, which at the time had some of the most shocking and poverty ridden conditions in the world. The early Salvationists would be right there, in and amongst the poor, living with them, sharing the same conditions, and trying their hardest to save them. This approach seemed to work and many people were saved this way. This was extremely effective in so much as when someone from these conditions was saved they knew exactly how to reach out to others who were in situations such as they had been in. This led to self perpetuating growth, as those poor people who were saved carried on to save those around them.
I know today there are many great Army people doing great outreach work in this area, but what of the average Soldier, what are we doing to reach out to the poor and the homeless? What are we doing to save and recruit these people? If were not doing a lot (and I'm not sureI am!) then what can we do! I am sure these days in many places the average Soldier has separated themselves from the poorer side of society and feel that they are better than them. It would seem in many places Corps want to be respectable rather than full of ex alcoholics, prostitutes and drug addicts. But that's exactly who the SA was established to save! This way of thinking must change if we are to see the Army get back to where it should be, and see the numbers start to rise again.
Another thing I have noticed in these early Salvationist books is the amount of time and effort people put into the Salvation War. People worked just as hard as we do now, if not harder and they did not have many of the comforts lots of us have today. Yet most nights andalmost all weekend they would be out trying to Save Souls, trying to lend a hand to help people, or doing some part to support the effort. It seems sometimes these days we just don't put enough effort and commitment in.
Please don't think I'm having a dig at anyone here! I know modern life can be hectic and draining. These are just my thoughts on the subject and I am just as much on at myself! Half the time I go to the morning meeting on a Sunday, but by Sunday evening I just want to chill out so don't go to the evening meeting. But I really don't think that is the right attitude! Yes we need down time to rest and relax, but we also need to increase our commitment and time spent serving God in this battle. We need to spend more time out and actively fighting this war and less time fighting on Call of Duty on the X Box, or slumped on the sofa watching TV. It seems most early Salvationists had no other hobby; there only aim when not in work was to save souls! Now that is commitment! To them the Salvation Army was not just something they did on a Sunday, or a building they would class as the place they worship.
It was a way of life. They lived for the fight!
These are just two of my thoughts on the subject as I said earlier, the subject of decline and the reasons behind this are massive. I could spend all day writing about it, but to be honest I expect you would probably get bored of listening to me rant on!
I really do think every Soldier should ask them selves the following questions though:
1) What am I personally doing to reach out and not just help, but save those that no one else in society cares about?
2) Am I really truthfully and honestly giving God as much time and effort in my life as is possible and as He deserves?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should necessarily go back to the tactics used by early Salvationists. Personally I'm not sure if marching up and down the streets every night with a brass band would have any effect! (Just my personal opinion there sorry to any bandos!). I feel we need to move forward in our methods and evangelical tactics.
But I also think we can learn a lot from the early Salvationists. I do feel we should move backwards in or commitment and passion to fight this war and reach out to the lost. I think if we re-engage the enemy with the passion and commitment of the early Salvationists we just might be able to turn the rapidly decreasing Army into a growing Army.
The Sailing Salvationist
Friday, 2 August 2013
Life in a cell
Hello, well it’s another Friday so time for another post; I love writing them as it’s a marker in the week and every one is a Friday closer to home!
As I had said previously my girlfriend came out to visit me the other week. We had an amazing time. It really was the best week ever. It was so nice to be able to spend quality time together, as even when I'm back in the UK I am based 100’s of miles from where she lives. We had a great time seeing the sites and just enjoying being with each other. I suppose calling her my Girlfriend is wrong now, I should call her my fiancée because when she was out her I proposed and we are now getting married in exactly 365 days time!
But the week had to end, and I had to take her back to the airport and watch her leave for home. That was so hard and was just horrible because I knew it would be at least 3 months until I could see her again. It really was soul destroying, it was very hard for both of us; especially as it is the Muslim religious month of Ramadan, so I could not even give her a hug goodbye at the airport.
Needless to say I returned to the ship quite grumpy and feeling down; yes it had been an amazing week, but everything just felt so grey and empty. Alright I know I live on a ship that is painted grey! But im sure you know what I mean! Being on this ship at times is very much like being in prison. You are stuck sharing little rooms, you have little to no privacy and when you’re at sea there is just no escape.
I was really feeling like I was going to be doing a prison sentence for the next three months when I returned to the ship, and I was just so tempted to say “I have had enough of this” and jump on a plane home! Although I didn’t really fancy having the military police chasing me for the rest of my life for being AWOL!
I have been doing the New Testament challenge this year, I always try to follow a Bible reading plan as I need the structure to keep me disciplined. The day I got back to the ship I was so tempted to just not do it. It thought “I can’t be bothered today, ill just catch up tomorrow” But I am so glad I did. The days’ reading was from Acts Chapter 12. It finds Peter in prison for spreading the Gospel, here is the bit that I found helpful and interesting.
Acts 12:5-7 (New King James Version)Peter Freed from Prison5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off hishands.
I found this really helped me, and in such a grumpy mood feeling like I was stuck in prison it really picked me up. Not because it shows how Peter was released from prison. I'm not expecting God to send down an Angel who will suddenly get me off this ship! But because it shows the amazing power of intercessional prayer!
Verse 5 says constant prayer was offered by the church for Peter, and look what happened! The people petitioned God through prayer and he answered! How amazing and mind blowing is that! But what really strengthened me in this extract is the fact I know back home and in other places people are praying just for me. People are asking God to keep me safe, watch over me and ensure everything is alright! So just as God kept Peter safe I trust that he will keep me safe until I return home to.
As I thought deeper upon this passage I thought of another interpretation of it. How often do we see or hear of people that we know about who are stuck by some form of sin? Imprisoned in a spiritual cell of the devils making. But if we pray constantly for them we can have a massive impact upon them. As verse 7 says “And his chains fell off his hands.” That’s an amazing thought, by praying for someone we can help them shed the chains of sin that bound them!
Really the message of this post is the same as last weeks. Who could you be praying for? Find someone, pray for them constantly just like the young Church did for Peter; and you might be amazed what happens!
The Sailing Salvationist
As I had said previously my girlfriend came out to visit me the other week. We had an amazing time. It really was the best week ever. It was so nice to be able to spend quality time together, as even when I'm back in the UK I am based 100’s of miles from where she lives. We had a great time seeing the sites and just enjoying being with each other. I suppose calling her my Girlfriend is wrong now, I should call her my fiancée because when she was out her I proposed and we are now getting married in exactly 365 days time!
But the week had to end, and I had to take her back to the airport and watch her leave for home. That was so hard and was just horrible because I knew it would be at least 3 months until I could see her again. It really was soul destroying, it was very hard for both of us; especially as it is the Muslim religious month of Ramadan, so I could not even give her a hug goodbye at the airport.
Needless to say I returned to the ship quite grumpy and feeling down; yes it had been an amazing week, but everything just felt so grey and empty. Alright I know I live on a ship that is painted grey! But im sure you know what I mean! Being on this ship at times is very much like being in prison. You are stuck sharing little rooms, you have little to no privacy and when you’re at sea there is just no escape.
I was really feeling like I was going to be doing a prison sentence for the next three months when I returned to the ship, and I was just so tempted to say “I have had enough of this” and jump on a plane home! Although I didn’t really fancy having the military police chasing me for the rest of my life for being AWOL!
I have been doing the New Testament challenge this year, I always try to follow a Bible reading plan as I need the structure to keep me disciplined. The day I got back to the ship I was so tempted to just not do it. It thought “I can’t be bothered today, ill just catch up tomorrow” But I am so glad I did. The days’ reading was from Acts Chapter 12. It finds Peter in prison for spreading the Gospel, here is the bit that I found helpful and interesting.
Acts 12:5-7 (New King James Version)Peter Freed from Prison5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off hishands.
I found this really helped me, and in such a grumpy mood feeling like I was stuck in prison it really picked me up. Not because it shows how Peter was released from prison. I'm not expecting God to send down an Angel who will suddenly get me off this ship! But because it shows the amazing power of intercessional prayer!
Verse 5 says constant prayer was offered by the church for Peter, and look what happened! The people petitioned God through prayer and he answered! How amazing and mind blowing is that! But what really strengthened me in this extract is the fact I know back home and in other places people are praying just for me. People are asking God to keep me safe, watch over me and ensure everything is alright! So just as God kept Peter safe I trust that he will keep me safe until I return home to.
As I thought deeper upon this passage I thought of another interpretation of it. How often do we see or hear of people that we know about who are stuck by some form of sin? Imprisoned in a spiritual cell of the devils making. But if we pray constantly for them we can have a massive impact upon them. As verse 7 says “And his chains fell off his hands.” That’s an amazing thought, by praying for someone we can help them shed the chains of sin that bound them!
Really the message of this post is the same as last weeks. Who could you be praying for? Find someone, pray for them constantly just like the young Church did for Peter; and you might be amazed what happens!
The Sailing Salvationist
Sunday, 28 July 2013
Praying for Prodigals
Firstly I’m sorry I didn’t post last week. I was planning to on Monday after my girlfriend had gone back home. But I just didn’t know what to write! Then I knew what I was going to write on Friday, but I received some news which totally changed what I was planning and so took a few days to re-think this blog post.
In the Book of Luke we can read Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son.
Luke 15:11-32 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
I can’t get onto my blog here on the ship, but I'm sure in one post I wrote about my life and said that when I was a teenager I left the Army, joined the Navy and moved totally away from God. My life was quite like that of the lost son. I certainly spent my life in wild living, and all it did was get me into trouble and cause me problems.
Lots has been written on this parable and much has been said about either son and which one was right and which one was wrong. What we do not hear a huge amount about is the Father. There is nothing of the pain and suffering he felt about his son turning his back on him and leaving. Although we do see how overjoyed he was to see him return.
One thing I’m sure the Father would have spent a lot of time doing is praying for his absent son. The parable does not state this, but I'm sure he would of; and eventually God answered his prayers and his son returned. How about that for showing the power of prayer!
Years ago I went through a really rough patch in my life. I had just returned from a bad tour of Iraq where I had lost some close friends, my marriage broke down, I was struggling to see my son, and everything just seemed to be against me. To be honest I was in a very bad state, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
Even though I had not been back to my Corps for years; there was one Corps member who continued to pray for me. She knew I was going through a hard time, and even though she herself had a very ill grown up son, she took the time to write to me.
I feel totally ashamed now to say the first time my mum gave me a card she had written to me I opened it, read it, ripped it up and threw it in the bin. “What did you do that for?” my mum asked. “Well what do I want that Bible bashing cr*p for?” was my reply. I did have a heart of stone at the time.
But she continued to write and pray for me, and we developed a strong friendship. She was not the only factor in me becoming a Christian again; but she was a major source of encouragement, support and spiritual guidance for me. Especially when my Gran who had always helped me in that way died.
This lady became extremely ill herself and fought a long battle for many years with Leukemia which sadly this week she lost. This news upset me quite a bit, although I knew it was coming it was still hard. I usually don’t get upset when people die, but her death did hit me quite hard. Although I am pleased she is no longer in pain and suffering and she will now be in heaven; I know I will miss her love and support.
It also hurts to have lost someone who was such a positive influence on my life. But it also made me think; who is there now that I constantly pray for? Who is there now that I continue to stay in contact with after they have left the Army?
The story of the prodigal son as far as I am concerned shows the power of prayer to bring people back into Gods arms. I also feel the story of my life does exactly the same. The effect we can have on other people’s life through prayer and a friendly note every now and again can be massive and life changing. Its one of the reasons I'm sat here a Christian now!
I would ask everyone who reads this today to just spend a few minutes thinking who they could be encouraging and who could they be praying for. Recently there have been over 100 people a week reading this blog. If everyone who read it did this and chose one person to seriously pray for every day and encourage by notes, e mails or even snail mail, just imagine how many more prodigals we could all bring back to Christ.
The Sailing Salvationist.
Friday, 12 July 2013
Waiting
Anyone who knows me will be able to tell you I hate waiting! I’m not the most patient of people when it comes down to having to sit about and just wait. I think it’s to do with being in the Navy. There is a common saying in the Navy that you wish your life away. You wish it was the weekend, wish you were in the next port and most importantly you wish time would hurry up so you can be back at home!
Also most people in the Navy are not usually on time; we all get there early. It’s drummed into us from our first day of training; “If your told to be somewhere at 10am youwill be there at 0955 at the latest!” That’s what we call Navy time. So usually everywhere I go im early, which often means im left waiting ages when other people are late. This is also my own fault as I am usually at least 30 minutes early. (Just ask my Corps Officers, im usually at the hall an hour before the meeting.)
There are some major and amazing things happening in my life at the moment. The only problem is they all involve waiting and being patient. Some of the things I have to wait for are happening soon, others I have to wait at least a year for. Perhaps that’s God trying to make me a better person and teach me patience!
We are back in port now, and in 3 days time my girlfriend is flying out to see me for a week’s holiday. It’s been booked for weeks, and the waiting has been unbearable! It has seemed like every day has gone slower and slower. But I am sure the week she is spending out here with me will fly by way to quickly. It has been very hard to wait for something so amazing to happen for so long, but slowly it has got closer and soon she will be here.
I often end up sat about waiting for people, and recently I decided to try and use the time productively and spend it praying; I thought it would be better than sitting doing nothing. It’s amazing how much prayer time you can actually get in when you are just stood about waiting.
I also decided to have a look in the Bible and see what it said about waiting; unsurprisingly it says quite a lot about it. The favourite part I found was in Psalms;
Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, yes more than watchmen wait for the morning.
I think I like this verse because I know what a night watchman feels like. We often have to do late shifts on the ship and the last few hours of a late shift can seem to drag on for hours and hours; each minute seeming like an hour; all you want is for the duty to be over so you can climb into bed.
It also made me think; am I really hungry for God? Am I really waiting for his Kingdom to come? Am I yearning and getting restless because I am waiting to spend time with him in the same way I am waiting impatiently for my girlfriend to come out here? If I am honest I would probably have to say no.
But then I flipped it around, just because I am not yearning for God like that all the time; that does not mean he is not feeling that way about me. God longs to be close to us, He yearns to be with us and spend time with us; even if we are not so excited or impatient to spend time with him.
That’s an amazing and mind blowing thought really; God the creator of the entire world and universe who knows every single person in the world wants and yearns to spend time with us as individuals!
So next time you are stood about waiting for someone who is late why not pray! Just as you are wishing the person you are waiting for would turn up so you can spend time with them remember; God is waiting patiently to spend time with you! Why not use the time productively and have a chat with the creator of the universe!
The Sailing Salvationist
P.S. Just so you know, due to my little holiday next weeks post will not be on Friday, it will probably be posted on Monday or Tuesday.
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Fit for Life, Fit to Fight
I have been doing a lot of fitness training at the moment. Another guy on the ship and I have been doing a training program called “Insanity” and it certainly lives up to its name! (If you don’t believe me just type it into you tube!) You train 6 days a week with one rest day, due to the heat we have to get up at 5am every morning to train before it gets to hot.
All this training got me thinking about a program the Army ran a few years back called “Fit for Life”. I think they have run it since, but I have not been home for it. It was a long time ago, but I think the general idea of it was to train people up and equip them with recourses to live a good Christian life.
In the Navy we have a physical training branch; they have a motto “Fit for Life = Fit to Fight”. Obviously in the Forces it has the meaning that if we are generally fit in life we will already be fit when called upon to fight. However I feel this motto could also be adopted by the Salvation Army. Im not suggesting for a second that every member of the SA starts doing Insanity with me; although I might see if any of the Home League ladies at my corps fancy having a try!
What I do mean though, is that surely as Salvationists we need to be constantly fit for Spiritual Warfare; we should always be ready and fit to fight. Just as our Army forefathers were; they really did like a good spiritual battle!
Yes, this also comes from being fit for life, but I believe being fit for the fight is a totally different level of spiritual fitness. Just in the same way that many civilians would consider themselves fit, but strap a 50lb backpack on them, get them to run across the mountains of Wales and they would soon realise to be fit to fight you require a totally different level of fitness.
So how do we know that we are or that we should be involved in Spiritual Warfare? Well firstly we only need to look at all the pain and suffering in the world to see the enemy has command of many troops! There is so much evil in the world and so many being led in the wrong direction. Secondly the Bible tells us that we are called to Fight the Good fight;
1 Timothy 6:12-16 (New International Version)
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might forever. Amen.
But how do we fight this good fight? I think there are many ways, which depend upon your circumstances and where you are. For example the fight against evil and sin here on the ship is totally different to the fight when I am at home. Many people are called by God into different areas of the fight; just as on a warship there are many different trades and jobs. Each one may seem small or insignificant on its own. However when the ship closes up to action stations it cannot operate or fight efficiently unless everyone is doing their small part.
But to be fit to fight we do need to train; and to be effective we need to train hard. Even if it means getting up at stupid o’clock! We need to get our heads deep into the Bible at least every day. We need to pray; pray lots and pray hard! We also need to come together as Christians, because being on a battle field on your own is tough and scary; but in a group the support you get makes things seem better and makes you more effective.
There are plenty of resources out there to help you train; the net is full of good Salvation Army sites. It’s worth checking them out and beginning your training; because the thing with training is it takes time and effort. However the sooner you get into training and the harder you train the sooner you will be fit to fight!
The Sailing Salvationist
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