Dry Bones

Good afternoon! I hope you are well. Another week has come and gone and it is once again time for my blog.

I think it could be said that I wasn't quite ready for the week on Monday, apparently Monday was the gloomiest day of the year in the sense that it's the day where people are more likely to be miserable than not. I wouldn't say I was any more miserable than I normally am but it was a busy week and part of me was still in the relaxing, festive mood. That mood has certainly gone now and I am back to the reality of routine, not that it is a bad thing at all. The usual routine of the week once again presented many opportunities to meet and talk to people, on a Wednesday we have two lots of Parent and Toddler sessions, great opportunity to get to know people around the community. On Thursdays we have a coffee morning and again a great chance to meet people I would never have had the chance of meeting. Then Thursday afternoons we go into the local school and again help build a relationship with the Salvation Army and the school. So yes, things may have gone back to routine but that doesn't mean to say things go back to being boring! The Gospel never changes so why should the shifting of a season change the attitude in which I share it? God is working, He is moving. It may take time but I know the efforts to build relationships with the community will pay off, just in His time. Certainly not in ours, as frustrating as that can be.

This weekend, the Alove and essential team attended a territorial prayer gathering in Swanick. The theme of the weekend was all about "Prophecy" and the spiritual gift of prophesying. It was very interesting and I definitely felt that I was blessed coming away from the weekend. Although I felt that the whole idea of Prophecy, yes it helped me to understand it but I did not feel like it was relevant for me. It just isn't one of my spiritual gifts and that's okay! But the Prophet that was focussed on during the weekend was Ezekiel and the part of Ezekiel's story that really stood out for me was the well known passage in scripture when Ezekiel was led into the Valley of Dry bones. This really got me thinking, the message of this story is so straight forward. Has there ever been times in your life where things seem dead and stagnant? Or the Church/Corps you worship at and love seems to be lifeless and needs reviving? Do you look at yourself or your church and just see nothing more than Dry Bones? Well look what happened when God intervened and spoke to Ezekiel to prophesy to the wind to bring life to the bones, when God breathed upon these bones not only did they spring to life, they created a "vast army". When the spirit of God is upon us or when the spirit of God dwells within our churches and Corps and the whole Salvation Army look what can be done. God can revive and He can, and will, equip us for everything. It fascinates me to think what happened after this event, where did the army go? What did it do? Did God's presence continue to stay within them? I think these are the same questions that can be asked about our army. Where will the Salvation Army go? What is it going to do? Will we continue to seek God's presence within us? I do not know the answer to those questions but all I know is that we have a faithful God and a God whose Spirit can create an army out of bones, so what can God do, what is He doing with a worldwide Salvation Army who are not made out of bones, but people who claim to love and serve Him?

I hope you have a great week this week. Please get in contact with me if you have questions about anything, I will try to answer them!

God Bless.

@peggo36
pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk