Hello! I hope you are all well and have had a happy and blessed week. It's Monday again! The weeks are coming round so quickly, dare I say it'll be Christmas before we know it.
So now I am well and truly involved with the corps programme here in Eston and something that I can see is vital to the corps here, and an important part of the ministry, is their Children's work. We minister to over 1000 school children a month, bringing the good news of the Gospel to assemblies and a couple of us also volunteer to read with 6 year olds at a local school. Also, on a Wednesday we have about 100 children ( not including the parents) come through the doors of the salvation army for Parents and toddlers. Now you may laugh but, if you were to ask me what I have found to be most challenging about my work in Eston so far, without a shadow of a doubt, it would be Wednesdays at Parents and toddlers. The usual type of people who come to Parents and Toddlers are women bringing there young child, usually around 2/3 years old. This group of people are the most difficult type of people to relate to, as a young man of 19, I have very little in common with them. Also, many mothers come to toddlers to meet other mums and they form friendships which is great! But they do like to talk. Now my mum and Sophie (my girlfriend) can talk and gossip till the cows come home and even with them I feel a little intimidated getting in on their conversation. But when there are women who I don't know and I'm trying to talk to them, it gets difficult. But God has brought them into the Army for a reason and it is my job to be there so I can talk to them and share my faith or just even reflect the Face of Christ. I pray, although I find it difficult, that God will still use me to do great things through this wonderful ministry.
Now again, if you were to ask me what part of the corps programme has had the most impact on me I would answer House Group on Tuesday nights. Every Tuesday evening we gather round as a small group of roughly 10 and we discuss and we study different aspects of the Christian faith. At the moment we are focusing on Grace through Phillip Yancey's book, 'What's so amazing about Grace?'. The book (along with a dvd) tackles so many issues as Christians we need to talk about. It talks about, receiving Grace, distributing Grace, forgiveness. But through all of this there has been a message that stays constant to me and it comes from 1 Corinthians Chapter 15: verse 10- " But by the Grace of God I am what I am...". It is by God's Grace that I was saved, this unearned, unwarranted free gift of Grace. What a great God have I! But what has challenged me more is the need for myself and my ministry and the places of Eston Salvation Army or Wellingborough Salvation Army or even the whole Salvation Army is to show Grace at all times, in every circumstance. We can not go preaching a message of hatred and damnation to all who do wrong but actually we must preach a message of Love and Grace to all who need to hear it. It says in Scripture in so many words that our war is not against the sinner but sin and we as a body of God's own people must take this message of God's Grace and open our arms to those who are broken. For if anyone needs God's Grace, it is those who are broken and are on their knees. We need to be Gracious and pick them up and show them this great, undeserved gift that we have received called Grace. I thank Gary and Lorraine and the house group for allowing us to focus on this teaching and I know that God is and will continue to do great works in my life and in others through his word and through the inspired words of others. I've titled this blog 'Your Grace still amazes me' because it is still amazing me, the more I learn about it the more I begin to realise how amazing it really is!
So I pray that you have been blessed. Please get on contact with me if you want to discuss what I've said or if you want to know anything about Essential or anything to do with the Salvation Army's work. I hope you have a good week.
God Bless.
Twitter- @peggo36
Email- pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk
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