Good evening everyone, hope you've all had a good week? It's been a very interesting week for me at the training college. As I said in my last blog I am currently receiving my training for my upcoming year on the Salvation Army's programme- 'Essential'. This week's blog is called 'Looking Back, Looking Down and Looking forward' and thinking of the past week that's basically what I have been doing. Sometimes with excitement and promise but other times literally been looking with fear!
Seeing as we were in London this week, we went on the Salvation Army's Heritage Tour. Lt.Col Alex Morrice took us around the East End of London to show us the very birthplace of the Salvation Army and just where William Booth received his call from God to preach the Gospel to the lost. During the tour, the Lt.Col said something very profound that has stuck with me. He said 'We need to know where we have come from to know where we are going'. And he's right, yes we can't afford to dwell on it but we have to look back on our history to understand what runs through our veins, why we have this passion for the marginalised and why we have to continue God's work through the Salvation Army. So as we walking around 'Mile End's waste' viewing the sites of the old 'Christian Misson' (yes both songs were sung) I felt this sense of not only this being the Salvation Army as an organisation's heritage but actually it being my heritage. God raised the Army up to fight for the lost and preach the Gospel, but also through the Army I was born. Through the Army my parents were born. Through the army I've met the most wonderful people who have had a huge impact on my life and it has been through the Army God called me to ministry. I have a lot to thank the Salvation Army for. So looking back at our past really secured that great feeling of where I've come from, spiritually through the Army but also what the Salvation Army has done for me.
If there is anyone who is reading this who is thinking of applying for essential next year then I can assure it's not all work, there is some play. However on this particular evening I would have preferred to sit in any session of any deep theological subject, as we all went Rock Climbing. Now I am, admittedly, a bit of a coward when it comes to heights and this was not something I was looking forward to. So as I was getting strapped up and ready to go, I looked up at this wall and thought that I'm never going to get up there! But off I went all the same, and I almost got to the top when I looked down and saw how high up I was. My legs began to tremble and kept losing my footing and yes I was very scared. My little blog thought for you actually has been inspired by this... interesting experience, who needs to know how to climb a rock when you are living on one? In Matthew Chapter 7: verse 21-29 we read the parable of building a house on solid ground. This house was built on top of the rock, it was firm, it was safe. I cannot afford for it to be on the side of the rock, dangling off of it and holding on for dear life. I must put my trust in Jesus and build my life on the sure foundations of his love. Needless to say I did get off the rock and I can assure you I won't be going rock climbing any time soon... I'll stick with bible study or something.
Maybe the most powerful thing to happen this week was actually coffee. We all met Captain Nick Coke, the Commanding Officer at Stepney Green Corps, to have a chat about what's happening and how the corps is growing in the community. However what I didn't expect to hear is how powerful Captain Nick's vision for the community of Stepney is. He spoke about the surrounding areas, he spoke about the multi-culture in the community and how he builds relationships with people throughout Stepney. It is easily said that great things have happened and are happening at Stepney but it got me thinking about my own future ministry and that I have to keep looking forward, looking for ways to minister, looking for ways to build relationships with people in the community. It really inspired me just how much work God can do in a community in what is quite a small space of time. I went home from that coffee shop to put it simply 'buzzing' and enthused to get on with some work because I have just heard a testimony of what God can do with a community of believers. But now I need to witness it for myself and I hope and pray I will experience that might moving of the Spirit in the coming year at Eston.
Well thankyou for reading my blog. You can follow me on Twitter- @peggo36. Get in touch if you have any questions about Essential or anything you've read in my blog or just that you have a prayer request. Don't be afraid to contact me. I hope you all have a good week!
God Bless you all.
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