What a week!

Had no time to post on here this week due to being stressed/tired and very riled. Had a bit of a bad week at work, I don't think everyone at work did, I think it was just me which riles me even more lol...Its hard work, and somedays we are so short staffed that I don't get a minute to even get a drink, I wish just for one week I could just be a normal staff member and stand there and not have to think for myself, just get ordered around, and told what to do, I would love it..its hard work being in charge of everything all the time. I get like this every now and again so I know its not long lasting and there is light at the end, I reckon its just cos I realise that I still have a way to go to finish paying off my bank loan and my last debt and then complete freedom. It gets me down because it is a constant reminder that I made a mess of everything....but......Jesus took me with all my messes and all my rubbish and so after a crap week at work I can sit down and remember again what Jesus has done for me and everything lifts, all the stress, all the dark thoughts, everything...thank you Jesus.

Going to the pictures with Scot later on to watch Mission Impossible 3...I will more than likely fall asleep as I don't really like action films.


tata

Church was ace this morning. We had guests with us Gloria and David Eldridge, David is the Divisional Evanglism fella and Gloria the personnel woman, I'm sure they have official titles but I really can't remember what they are :o)

The worship was excellent, I think Monica and me both had smoke coming from our geetars. All the flags were in use and the tambourines were being banged or whatever the technical term for that is! It really was just lovely, it was all just for Jesus and we just thank Jesus that He lets us have a good time while we are praising him. Jane and her kids came again after I had mithered them at work, Shelley and Abby came, Paula came with her little lad, at some point during the meeting Erica came, all the people mentioned have some connection with our church but don't attend regularly so if anyone does happen to read what I write please pray that God will do miracles and sort them out so they come every week. Its funny and lovely I suppose that people feel comfortable just wondering into the meeting at any time, church just starts at half ten and finishes when it finishes. We had our open day yesterday ( see Swinton4Jesus blog for a full report on that some time this week) to celebrate 8 years of being open, loads of leaflets and invites given out for church but nobody came as a result of that, I don't know why cos I know that I prayed hard, and I also know that a lot of other people from church would have been praying too. Thinking about that though I can remember coming to the very first open day at Swinton Salvation Army and I bet I got an invite to church, did I come? nope..but obviously seeds must have been planted cos I did eventually get round to going 2 years later..Gods timing has to be right.

We had some ace testimonies this morning with people sharing what God had done at roots and about the open day yesterday ace stuff, God is just so good. The fellowship at our church is excellent and today was especially good as there was loads of lovely cakes yumyum....talking about food my tummy is rumbling so I will be off to get summat to eat.

God Bless ya

Aggressive Christianity

Bought a book at roots called Aggresive Chrisianity by Catherine Booth. Flicked through the pages at roots and my eyes landed on this..

'I CAN ALREADY HEAR SOME PEOPLE WHINING AND SAYING, BUT YOU MUST BE CAREFUL, WE DON'T WANT TO PUSH THEM AWAY. YOU DON'T WANT TO WEAR RELIGION ON YOUR SLEEVE, OR THRUST IT DOWN SOMEONE'S THROAT. WELL I SAY IF YOU DON'T THRUST IT DOWN, HOW WILL YOU EVER GET IT DOWN?'

Isn't that ace, I think it is, I read it and shown it to Christine dead excited by it. Its so true as well, we can creep round people being all nice and just telling them lovely stuff about Jesus or we can tell them as it it....its Heaven or hell...Jesus or hairylegs...your choice folks, obviously I know its not quite as simple as that cos you do have to get to know people first, can't just march up to people shouting stuff although I have seen people do that. I remember as a kid seeing this guy outside the rugby ground with a big board round his neck that said something like ' the end is nigh, and something about hell, can't remember exactly what but it used to scare me. I'm sure that some people would have been saved as a result of that because Gods word is never wasted..that man had a lot of courage.

I'm talking at church this morning about the the word of God and our hope in Gods word, spent all week writing and praying and crossing things out and starting again and getting myself stressed and then more crossing out, its been good though cos in the process I somehow managed to go off track and ended up with stuff that wasn't right for todays meeting but am going to save it and will use that for another meeting hahaha..thankyou Jesus yay.

In a bit!!

Oh what a beautiful Morning, Oh what a beautiful day la la la la......

Up early as usual this morning (5:30am) to take Scot to work, it still feels weird when I say that or write it down since he's just 13 but he needs to know that if he wants things then he has to work for them same as me. I have worked since I was about 10, used to work on the market, and help the milk man etc and have worked solid since leaving school, I reckon it will instil a good work ethic in him, I couldn't bear to think of him not ever working. My own brother hasn't worked at all since leaving school and he's 35 its a disgrace...anyway enough waffling. Scot and I are going into Manchester today to have a look at the newly opened parts of the Arndale Centre, probably sounds boring to most people but since I spent 11 years of my working life in the old Arndale I'm really interested to see what it looks like. Also it will be interesting to see what stands on the part where McDonald's used to be, I'm sure I'll probably find it a bit sad as it always brings back memories of old mates etc also its where my friend Mark died, he got electrocuted at McDs , nearly 14 years ago in October and it still makes me sad that he died, they played November Rain by Guns n Roses at his funeral and I still can't bear to listen to that weird innit....Manchester City centre has got so many memories for me but sadly since the IRA bombed Manchester all the lovely old pubs and building have been replaced, it does look stunning I have to admit but its lost its character, I love all the backstreets and looking up at old buildings and trying to imagine what it was like living then, I love all the nutters that used to spend all day in the arndale centre causing chaos hehehe they can't anymore as they took all the seats away its dead tight, there used to be this really big woman with loads of make up on that would push her husband round in a wheelchair singing opera, flippin heck I used to love it when she came into McDs as she would row with people for nothing really entertaining stuff..there is nothing better than people watching especially when those people are crackpots lol.

Need to get off here really as I should be preparing my talk for church and keep getting sidetracked.

In a bit!!!

Been thinking a lot about my calling to be a Salvation Army officer over the last few days at Roots...had a chance to chat to Neil Webb from the territorial candidates dept about none residential training which is something I've been thinking and asking God about for a bit. He didn't make it sound appealing at all lol in fact I felt very put off while he was talking to me. He asked if he could pray with me which was fine with me and while he was praying I felt so strongly that God was saying no to this and that I just had to have patience and wait for His timing, not try to speed things up. Thinking about it, it seems better to leave it be until Scot has left college, he will then be 18 and going (hopefully) to university which would probably be away from home anyway. I guess 5 years will pass in no time, I will have paid all my debts off in 18 months time (yippeeee) and can learn to drive, get saving etc Also I will learn tonnes at my church and we have loads of stuff to do, loads of unsaved people in Swinton and surrounding areas to mither for God, I want to be a part of that.

On Sunday at church Ian has asked me to speak on the following verse from Psalm 130 vs 5

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope"

I could waffle for hours about this as Jesus has done so much in my life, there have been so many miracles that have happened to me since I got saved and so many times that God has just stepped in and made things right, so many times when I have had to cling on to God as my life was falling apart....how to fit it all into however long I am speaking for. I don't want it to just be about me, I want to be encouraging to all my friends at church to trust God for everything and to know that He alone is the only hope we can trust and have. Theres loads of things flying round in my head, giving me a flippin headache lol.

Roots!

Roots was awesome. Had some great fun, great fellowship with lovely mates and a great time with Jesus....and got a burnt nose too hehehe

Jeff Lucas's bible studies were ace...really funny but also just full of love and Jesus. The highlight for me was the Sunday night with Danielle Strickland what God gave her to say was really eye opening and a revelation, I realised that I am totally dependant on God, I can't imagine my life without Him. I also realised that my blood is red, yellow and blue throughout and even though I haven't been in the Salvation Army for years, born and bought up in it I know that it runs through me, quite a thing as in the 6 years that I have been in the Salvation Army I have been one of those people that wished things would change and agreed with people when they say things should change (not getting into a discussion about that though) I love all the talk of it being a war and waging a battle with the devil its ace...woohoooooo. When Danielle had finished speaking, the percussionist played a march beat or whatever its called on the drum and I found that so moving and just closed my eyes and God gave me a picture...I saw a big Salvation Army flag being carried round all the streets in Swinton and Pendlebury and Clifton where I am from and it seemed God was saying that these streets have already been claimed for Him we just need to go out and tell people..didn't see any people marching or a band or anything like that just the flag moving round the streets, ace stuff. Came out of that meeting and felt ready for the battle...full of courage and empowered etc...

Unfortunatley though I am still a coward at times, when I got home I had to get a taxi to work to pick up my keys and the taxi driver asked if I had had a good weekend, told him yes and that I had been camping, he asked where so I just told him southport with friends...ridiculous innit I could have told him flippin loads and I really wanted to, in my head I was thinking to tell him about what I had been really doing and about Jesus but I just wasn't brave enough grrrrr really really riled at myself for that. What a missed opportunity, God puts people in place for us to share the gospel with and we should grasp that opportunity not flippin talk about rubbish grrrr grrr and grrrr

might write more later