Send the fire!

Hello again, it’s another week done and another week closer to coming home. It has been quite an eventful week, seeing us spend 4 days sailing through a monsoon. Which was very rough weather. Life on a ship in such rough seas is not fun! It’s like being on a roller-coaster 24 hours a day. But we sailed through it to some nice calmer seas. I was going to write this week’s blogs on storms, but then something happened on Wednesday night and I changed my mind.
            I live in a room (which we call a mess deck) with 2 other guys, we sleep in bunks and at times it is very cramped. But I don’t mind as last time I was on this ship in 2003 I had to share a room with 31 other people packed in like sardines.

            On Wednesday night two of us were asleep in our bunks and the other guy was up in the bar watching a film. At some point during the night one of the bunk lights in our mess set on fire! Of course as the amazingly trained Naval Fire Fighters we are we calmly and quickly put the fire out…………oh wait, no we didn’t we stayed fast asleep!

            Luckily the fire burnt itself out and didn’t reach the bedding below it; otherwise it would have been a totally different story. The first thing we knew about it was when we woke up to find burn marks about a ft high above a very black and melted bunk light and a horrible smell in the air.

            It is hard to believe that 2 of us slept through such an event, happening literally just 2 ft from us. I think we were very fortunate that it was not worse. But it did set me thinking about my spiritual life and the Holy Spirit.

            I remember being at Congress last year, I am sure anyone who was there in the Royal Albert Hall would agree it was an amazing time. It also fell on Pentecost, so of course the song “Send the Fire” was sung. I remember General Linda Bond talking about Pentecost and how we should pray constantly for revival and for the Holy Spirit to come upon us.

            I love the Book of Acts; I would go as far as to say that it is one of my favourite books in the Bible. Mainly because it describes what a few scared, normal men and women, from different backgrounds could do when aided by the Holy Spirit. When we read about the first Pentecost, its seems like such an amazing world changing event.

Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost ¹ When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

            Here we see the followers of Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit, this changed them from scared people into Spirit filled warriors ready to go and tell the world about Jesus. We see in the rest of the Book of Acts, how they did this. Enabled by the Spirit they stood firm against tough opposition and even death. Aided by the Holy Spirit the Church grew at a rapid rate. On that first day alone, aided by the Holy Spirit Peter stood up and preached and 3000 we saved!

            The events of Wednesday night made me think and ask myself some big questions. What is the Holy Spirit doing in my life? Or more to the point, what am I allowing the Holy Spirit to do in my life? In what areas of my life am I resisting the work of the Spirit?”

            But that was not all I thought. I found myself thinking how much do we actually pray for revival in our Church and in our World? Is it something we only do at Pentecost? And when we do pray for it do we really believe that it will happen? Do we trust the Holy Spirit to work through us to bring others closer to Jesus?

            I think the Holy Spirit is working all around us and in all of us. However I often think we are asleep to His work; just like me and my friend were when our room was burning!  I think to stay awake and alert to the Holy Spirit and his work, we need to ask ourselves the kind of questions above every now and again, and answer them honestly. If we trust in the Spirit and allow Him to transform us, there is nothing to say that we could not become like the Spirit Filled warriors of the Book of Acts. But to do it we need to open up to the Holy Spirit, allow Him to change us to make us more like Jesus, allow it to lead us out of our comfort zones to take the Gospel out into our communities. If we do this I believe we really would see massive changes in not just our own lives but the lives of those all around us.

            The Sailing Salvationist

Shore Leave

  Sorry this post has come a little bit late, it has been a busy few days. The ship has spent 4 days in port, so it has been a good opportunity to let our hair down and relax a little bit. It's always good to get into port, especially after being at sea for a few weeks. There are major bonuses to being in port, firstly you can escape
off the ship for a bit. You can go shopping and stock up on all the essentials, but most importantly to me, I can get on the internet and FaceTime with home. Usually mail gets to the ship as well, and everyone is always happy to receive mail from loved ones.

                The port we visited is not exactly the most exciting place to visit, but at least we had the chance to have a bit of a rest. I have visited this port before and there is not a lot in the local area, so I only left the dockyard once. That was to go out for a day's SCUBA diving. I dived here last year, so I was really excited and
looking forward to it, as the visibility should have been perfect. At this time of year there is also a good chance of seeing sharks. However the wind picked up the day before we went diving, causing a massive
swell to come in, this kicked up the seabed and caused the visibility under the water to only be a few meters.

                There were still good things to be seen though, there were quite a few massive shoals of fish, a stingray, some turtles and I even got a bit to close for comfort to a sea snake! (Anyone who knows me
will know how much I hate snakes!) But sadly although I am sure they were about the visibility was too bad to see any sharks. I am always amazed when I am diving at the differences in all the animals below the
sea, there really is so much life down there. The detail in this creation God has made is amazing, and I am just blown away that the God who created all these animals and underwater life also created me, and more than that, wants to have a relationship with me.

                I managed to get two dives in, both were around the same massive rock which comes up out of the sea like a small island. The first dive was simple enough, descend to about 12m and then swim around
the rock, exploring all the crevices and looking into the cracks in the rock to see what was lurking there. It was quite an easy dive, with the current gently guiding you around the rock, so the swimming was nice and
easy. To be honest it was more like drifting that swimming. Ideal after a hard legs work out in the gym that morning!

                The second dive was totally the opposite, after about a gap of an hour in between the dives the tide had turned. Shortly after entering the water I realised this was not going to be as easy and gentle as the first dive. We descended back to 12m and set off, it was apparent instantly that the current coming around the rock was very strong. It took a lot of hard work to move forward, and if you stopped kicking even for a few seconds you would find you had instantly been pushed back a few meters. The strong current was also stirring up the
sea bed bringing the visibility even lower.

                I actually started thinking about this blog and what I could write in this weeks post when down at 12m. (Well it wasn't as if I could see a lot apart from sand and the flippers of my dive partner who was about a foot in front of me!)

                Kicking like mad just to move slightly forward in very poor visibility made me think that sometimes that's what our whole lives can seem like. I'm sure most of us can and have felt like that at times. When everyone and everything seems to be against us it can be like we are fighting against a strong current of problems and worries. But worse than that these strong currents can kick up sand and cause our visibility of God and his plan for our lives to be obscured. I know over the past few years there have been times when I have felt like that.

                There are plenty of examples of people feeling like that in the Bible. I should imagine Noah must have felt like that when he was being ridiculed for building his Ark. Moses definitely thought he was fighting the current of the Pharaoh and the Egyptian nation, and even argued outright with God that he was not the right man for the job. And mentioning Job! Look at all the hard times he faced, even his own friends turned on him, accusing him and telling him that his suffering must be because of some sin he had committed.

                The story of Joseph is well known by many. He really had a strong current against him. He was sold into slavery by his own jealous brothers. Thrown into prison for years, and all the time he was innocent. In that position it would have been easy to blame God and ask him why he was letting such things happen. But he did not loose his faith, he did not blame God and he trusted that his suffering was all part of Gods eventual plan for his life. And just look how things turned out. He ended up the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, and saved his people from starvation.

                Nowhere in the Bible does it say that life will instantly be amazing as soon as we become Christians. In fact the opposite is true, the Bible often tells us that we will face trials and persecution for our faith, and in some places today people are even facing death just for being a Christian.

                I think we need to be more like Joseph and Job at times. When life seems to be against us we need to trust in God, not turn from him. We need to understand that sometimes we will have to suffer or face persecution for Gods ultimate plan for our lives to be fulfilled. At times when the current of life is against us we can't let God and his plan for us be obscured or forgotten. We need to hang in there and trust that the tide will turn and the currents will change. Because God is always there and his love remains constant for us, no matter how the conditions around us seem to suggest that he has left us or has stopped caring for us. Because he has assured us that he will always be with us, as we can see in Joshua 1:9. Which is just one of the times in the Bible God promises he will always be with us;

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go."

The Sailing Salvationist

Lost Communication.

Well, it’s another week nearly done on the ship, and it’s been a week of ups and downs. One of the lowest points was when we lost the ability to communicate with home for over 24 hours.

            When I first went to sea about 13 years ago, life was very different. Communication with home was a million miles from what we have today. It was often very difficult to contact loved ones. We were very lucky if we were allowed to make a phone call back to the UK from the ship. We relied on letters that often came months after they were sent and phone calls from pay phones when we visited a port. But it was all we had, and we were used to it.

            Today we can take for granted the ability we have to contact just about anyone at any time. In a world of Facebook, texting and mobile phones we often get used to the ability to contact our loved ones when ever we want. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a facebook addict! Anyone who knows me will agree with that!
            Communication on a ship today is very different. We can send e-mails, make phone calls and we even have limited access to the internet. (No access to social media though!) It makes life away from home that bit more bearable, because although its not as quick as the communication we are used to at home, it is a lot better than nothing. And the ability to talk to our loved ones makes life so much better.

            My girlfriend and I speak together a lot via e-mails, and when I say a lot, I literally mean a lot! Its how we met, how we got to know each other and how we have grown our relationship, because most of it I have been at sea.

            As I said earlier, the communication system went down for maintenance for over 24 hours this week and that was it. No e-mails and no contact. I felt so cut off from her and I felt so alone. Stuck here thousands of miles away, I was constantly wondering, what’s she doing right now? I hope she is ok. Just basically missing her so much. I would have done anything to be able to just get one message through to her. I would have given anything to get a message from her telling me she loved me.

            Some times I feel cut off from God, and I am sure many people feel like that as well. When times are hard, when we get bad news, or when something awful happens it can seem as if God does not care about us, that he is not listening to our prayers and that he does not love or care for us.

            This feeling is even in the Bible as we can see by Psalm 42. The author clearly felt lost and cut off from God.

Psalm 42 (New International Version)

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water,
   so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
   When can I go and meet with God?
³ My tears have been my food
   day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember
   as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
   under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise
   among the festive throng.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

⁶ My soul is downcast within me;
   therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
   the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
   in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
   have swept over me.

⁸ By day the LORD directs his love,
   at night his song is with me—
   a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God my Rock,
   “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
   oppressed by the enemy?”
¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony
   as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.

            But as the Psalmist says in verse 11 we should not be downcast, we should continue to praise God, even when we feel our lines off communication with him are down. When we feel cut off and alone we should be praying harder, not abandoning our good habits of prayer.

            Obviously the Psalms were written in the period of the Old Testament, but what the Psalmist says is as true today as it was then, God will be listening, God does care and he certainly does love us.

            We have a major guarantee of Gods love. It can be found in the fact that he sent his Son to Earth, to die and suffer, although himself sinless, so that we may be set free from sin and from our pasts!

            There are many references to this fact in the Bible. But rather than picking just one I wanted to post the chorus from an old Salvation Army song I love to sing. It’s off the top of my head so it might not be 100% correct!

SASB 48 (Chorus)

Gods love, is wonderful,

Gods love, is wonderful,

Wonderful that he should send his son to die for me,

Gods love, is wonderful!

            So next time you feel cut off from God and His love hang in there! You will not be cut off, he has already paid such a high price to know and be with you. Pick up your Bible and look for the guarantees he makes to you in it. Pray and trust that he is listening. Because he will be.

The Sailing Salvationist.

"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war"

The ancient Chinese proverb  "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war" is often stated in military circles, and it was famously quoted by US General Patton.

            The saying seemed fitting during a fire exercise we held on the ship this week. As I ran about in a full fire-fighting suit, on compressed air, with heavy air bottles strapped to my back. Sucking air through my face mask and with sweat pouring from me in the 35ºc + heat, the quote certainly went through my mind more than once!

            Some would say it is madness to carry out such exercises in such high heat. It certainly puts a lot of stress and pressure on your body. But to be able to carry out such tasks when a real emergency happens, you need to be trained and test that your body can be pushed to its limits. Because at the end of the day if there is a fire on the ship you can’t just get off and call the fire brigade!

            Afterwards as I sat on the side of the ship with the breeze cooling me and an ice cold can of coke I started thinking. As Salvationists we are all engaged in a war, and surely to be effective in this war we need to train, but not just to train, to train hard. But how often do we train for this spiritual war with such passion and effort that it becomes physically uncomfortable? I would have to say I can’t really admit that I do! Although I plan to start!

            How often do we put reading our Bible off because we are too busy, yet busy doing what? Half the time it could just be sitting in front of the TV. Where is the passion and effort in that? How often can we honestly say we put it as a priority in our lives?

             
            What about prayer, how often do we pray so hard and with such effort that we physically start to sweat? We know Jesus did and we are called to follow his example, as we can see in Luke 22:44, where we see Jesus praying just before he is betrayed by Judas and handed over to the Jews and the Romans.

Luke 22:44 (New International Version)
⁴⁴ And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

            How often do we pray half heartedly and then get annoyed or upset with God because he does not answer our prayers?
           
             It makes me think, if we put more effort into our prayer lives, what changes could we see? If we are prepared to put so much effort into prayer that we physically start sweating how much of a change will we see in this spiritual war?
           
             Imagine the whole Salvation Army having such a passion and calling for prayer, putting so much energy and passion into it that it caused a physical reaction like sweating in our bodies. Imagine the changes that could be brought about in the world when so much effort was applied in our spiritual training by the entire Salvation Army.

            Our world seems to be constantly bleeding, there always seems to be pain, brokenness and evil. Perhaps it’s time that as Christians we start sweating in our training; putting maximum effort into training ourselves and our Corps through prayer and Bible study. If we do, just imagine the changes we could see in our communities, The Salvation Army and even the world!

Routines

Well that’s another week done and another week closer to coming home, so I’m sat here at sea writing my next post. Its quite rough at the moment, so mixed with the heat, life is quite uncomfortable on the ship.

            I thought this week I would think a little bit about routines. Life in the Navy is run on routines. For example because it was Friday today, we got up and cleaned our accommodation for an hour, because we knew at 1030 it would be inspected. I also know there will be fish and chips for lunch, just because it is Friday.

            I can be quite set in my routines and ways, but after 14 years in the Navy some things are just hard to shake off. For example even when I am not at work I will get up at the same time if it is a week day, but then I will let myself have an hour lye in on a Saturday and Sunday.

            Some routines on a ship are good, like the fact Saturday is steak night! You get cheered up on a Saturday because you know you have something to look forward to. But some routines on the ship are not so good, like the fact you know you will be duty 3 times a month and have to clean the toilets.

            Some people do not need routines, my Girlfriend is much more free spirited, creative and chilled out than me. She tends to see that routines cramp and restrict her. Where as to me they provide a structure and framework. Neither of us is right nor wrong, its just personal preference.

            But with my love of routines there are two things I have had to be quite strict about setting a routine for since I have come to the ship. Prayer and Bible reading, at times I find when I’m busy or stressed or feeling down, those are the first things that get thrown out the window. When really they should be what I hold onto and use to strengthen and encourage me.

            Right now, I feel I have quite a good prayer and Bible reading routine. I am following the Salvation Army's New Testament in a year program to keep me in the Bible. I also think I have quite a good prayer routine going at the moment, both on my own and with my girlfriend. However I do feel I could fit more time for prayer into my life. Sometimes I don’t think I spend enough time doing it, or when I do I drift off and start thinking about other things. You wouldn’t do that in a conversation with a friend so why do it to God? (Well you might do it with a friend, but they probably wouldn’t be your friend for much longer!).

            I will be honest this week has not been the best for me and at the beginning of the week I struggled to pray. Due to certain circumstances I felt so lost alone and far from God. My routines went out the window and things just all went wrong. Until I picked up my Bible where I left off and the days reading was Luke 18.

Luke 18
The Parable of the Persistent Widow

 ¹ Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

   ⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
 ⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

           

That kind of slapped me in the face and brought me back around. If a bad ruler will give to his people because of their persistence, then how much more so will our living, loving God!

            So to sum it up, next time your feeling down or far from God or alone, don’t give up your routines! Stick to them, read your Bible, you never know how it might speak to you! And most of all pray, even if you feel alone when you are doing it. Because even if you don’t feel or think he is, God is listening and if what your asking for actually is in Gods plan for you, you will get it.

The Sailing Salvationist

Why I decided to become a Salvationist when serving in the Armed Forces.

Well I am back at sea now, I plan to update this blog every Friday/Saturday, so please come and have a look every week.

I was going to make my first blog from the ship about routines and life onboard, however I feel I should comment on how I came to the decision that life as a Salvationist could be compatable with life in the Armed Forces.

I have been in the Navy for nearly 14 years now, right from the age of 16. Where as I have only been a Christian for about 3 of those years. I was raised in the Salvation Army but left when I was about 14. Although I was never a Christian or went to Church in that time, I feel I never completely lost the firm grounding I had been given by my up bringing.

I became a Christian because of a group of people called the Naval Christian Fellowship. www.navalcf.org I ended up in contact with them when I was in Portsmouth on a course and soon afterwards felt I was being called to return to the Salvation Army. I really do feel that if it was not for the NCF, a group of Christians in the Navy then my life would probably have never changed. Which is one of the main reasons I decided being a Christian in the Forces was a good idea.

Once I returned to the Salvation Army I soon became an Adherent member, I wanted to become a Soldier, but I felt that it was not compatible with my job, I was also stuck in so many bad habits that I didn’t feel it would be possible. Looking back now I realise that it was just an excuse, they are compatible and it’s possible to do your best in both. But the thing is it’s not possible without God! No one is strong enough to do it by themselves.

But the calling I felt to become a Soldier would not go away, I kept on praying about it and finally I knew that I could not ignore it any more, even though it would mean lots of hard changes to my lifestyle would have to be made. I can honestly say although it has been hard, God has made it possible, and I have never regretted the decision I made.

People often ask though how would I feel if I had to go to war? I feel lucky that since I have been a Christian it is a situation I have not had to be in, although it was a major question I had to ask myself before I became a Soldier in the SA. I feel that if the situation arose it would be something I would have to pray long and hard about, dependent on the situation and what I was asked to go and do. But at the end of the day I would also have to trust that those senior to me and those in power knew what they were doing and made the decision to go to war for the right reason.

I have previously been to Iraq and Afghanistan, serving not just at sea, but also working for the Army and Royal Marines on the land. So I have a large amount of experience of serving in conflict zones. The thing you notice most is that when something bad is happening and things get scary is that often peoples default reaction is to pray. Also serving in these places is very stressful and puts massive strain on relationships between friends and family.

I feel that Christians should not shy away from being in such positions, as really that’s where they are really needed. If there are no Christians in the Armed Forces then who would God use to show and talk about the Christian perspective in situations, and to show how you can still be in the Forces when trying to be a follower of Jesus.

There are also some amazing Chaplains from all denominations who serve in the Armed Forces and there are some very brave ones who are out on the ground in Afghanistan right now, risking their lives daily to spread the word of God. I’m also really pleased that recently Salvation Officers have been allowed to serve as Chaplains, as I feel the Salvation Army structure and military terminology (although not used as much these days) fits into the lives of Service personnel more easily that the ways and traditions of some other denominations. (I’m not trying to knock anyone there, just telling you how I see it). I really look forward to meeting a Salvation Army Chaplain one day.

The Salvation Army has a history of supporting the Forces, both spiritually and through services such as the Red Shield Defence Services. I think this is great as when you are far from home, often risking your life, seeing a friendly face and just sitting down and having a brew and a chat is great. It can really help relieve the stress and pressure put upon members of the forces serving in areas of conflict. I feel does more to show people Jesus than just about anything else that could be done. So I hope The Salvation Armies work in this field never stops.

On a final note I would just like to ask people to pray for the family and service friends of Drummer Lee Rigby, who was killed this week. As after such a shocking attack they need as much prayer support as they can get.

See you next week.

The Sailing Salvationist

Off we go.

I'm sat at home writing on my home computer, knowing its the last thing I will type on here for a long time. Because tonight im off, flying out to the Gulf to join my ship.

The last few days at home are probably the worst days of the entire going away process and the last few hours waiting to leave are always the most painful and slow. This has been made worse by the fact I have been stuck on a camp 150 miles from home.

Over the past week I have had to say hard good byes to friends down at the Army where I went to my last meeting, probably for quite a few months. (Although hopefully I might be able to get to a Corps when away) I have also had to say goodbye to my family and worst of all my girlfriend.

Don't get me wrong i'm not moaning about how bad or hard my life is! ( Although it can be hard!) Often the excitment of going away to sea and the adventures you have outweigh the pain of leaving friends and family. But this time it just does not feel this way.

So how does a Salvationist deal with this kind of seperation? Well I guess one of the main things that helps me to cope is that I know God wants me on my ship. He wants me to be there as the only Christian (although I expect he would like a few more!) to show the lads who work with me there is another way, they dont have to drink every night to cope with the hardships. To be a good influance to them, to show them you can live a good Christian life and still serve in the Forces. And I feel most of all to be there with them and pray for them and with them when times get hard.

No pressure then! I see it as a great challange going away and trying to live in such a way that Christ's light shines out through me. Its a challange, its hard and sometimes it seems impossible. Quite often I feel I get more wrong than right. But the fact remains im there doing it, and God is with me.

I will post again at some point next week once I am on my ship. I hope you enjoy reading my little Blog.

The Sailing Salvationist. :)