Still saying thank you
I am still compiling my list of 100 thank you's. It is taking me some time to get round to it because we are still not back in our quarters and have no internet access for blogging where we stay. I am trying to "rejoice in the Lord always" about the length of time it is taking to complete the work on the house. In spite of some frustration there is still a lot to say thank you for.
Here are the next 25
1. Thoughtful people
2.The ability to hear
3. The gifts of the Spirit
4. Kindness
5. Ducks
6. Seeing a kingfisher, outside my window. (wow)
7. Storytellers
8. Salvation Army Sundays
9. The fact that God has a plan
10. Marizpan (I love it)
11. For Bethel experiences (I have been studying the life of Jacob)
12. That God is an inspiring teacher
13. Hope
14. The international Salvation Army. Hayley travelled to the USA on Tuesday to begin a year of study. She was met by Salvationists, who were overwhemingly kind. It is amazing to be part of such a huge family.
15. My sister in laws sense of humour.
16. Digital radio
17. Vinegar ( I have discovered just how brilliant it is at getting rid of limescale.)
18. You tube
19. The Alpha Course
20. Teamwork
21. A vote
22. Knowing God's strength is made perfect in weakness
23. Getting into fresh sheets
24. Pat Grindon's soup (delicious)
25. A sense of achievement
God bless.
Carol
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Weekly Update
This blog is turning into a weekly thing due to being away from home and sheer busyness.
So anyway here is the latest from Pill.
Showstoppers Holiday Club.
We have had a fantastic week yet again this year. Leaders and helpers all working hard and about 50 children each day. As usual it has been exhausting but amazing.
Pictures can be found at www.pillcorps.blogspot.com Tonight the children return for the Celebration Evening with their parents and we are hoping some will also come on Sunday.
Quarters
The on going saga of our quarters refurbishment continues. After some delays we moved out at the beginning of June, whilst renovations on the house were done, expecting that this would take about a month. We now expect to return at the end of August. We have been very comfortable in the flat at Smallcombe House and of we love Bath, our home town, but we will be glad to get back into our own home and our own community.
Holiday
Next week we are having some time off. We will hang about Bath, travel up to Yorkshire to see some friends and London to stay with Katie. I'm really looking forward to the rest.
USA
Hayley is counting down the days now until she leaves for her big adventure to the USA. She is off to Michigan University to study history for a year. We think that we have ticked all the boxes on the tick list. Hope so anyway.
God bless
Carol
This blog is turning into a weekly thing due to being away from home and sheer busyness.
So anyway here is the latest from Pill.
Showstoppers Holiday Club.
We have had a fantastic week yet again this year. Leaders and helpers all working hard and about 50 children each day. As usual it has been exhausting but amazing.
Pictures can be found at www.pillcorps.blogspot.com Tonight the children return for the Celebration Evening with their parents and we are hoping some will also come on Sunday.
Quarters
The on going saga of our quarters refurbishment continues. After some delays we moved out at the beginning of June, whilst renovations on the house were done, expecting that this would take about a month. We now expect to return at the end of August. We have been very comfortable in the flat at Smallcombe House and of we love Bath, our home town, but we will be glad to get back into our own home and our own community.
Holiday
Next week we are having some time off. We will hang about Bath, travel up to Yorkshire to see some friends and London to stay with Katie. I'm really looking forward to the rest.
USA
Hayley is counting down the days now until she leaves for her big adventure to the USA. She is off to Michigan University to study history for a year. We think that we have ticked all the boxes on the tick list. Hope so anyway.
God bless
Carol
Thursday, 30 July 2009
The Next 25 Thank you's (a week late)
1. Umbrella's Can we have any more rain this summer?
2. The schools have broken up and there is much less traffic on the road at 8 am
3. That there is always some good news
4. Choice
5. Moses. I was reading his story in the car this morning. What a reluctant hero! God was so
patient with him. I trust he is as patient with me.
6. Fun and good food at the Toddler Team celebration last night.
7. The good ladies of our Home League, who have been so understanding and open to the idea
of expanding into a Cameo Club.
8. Growing up in a family that communicated with one another naturally.
9. The healing of people I know who have been ill
10. Colour
11. Andrew Murray. No, not the tennis player. The other one. Still don't know? He was a Christian writer, who wrote hundreds of devotional books and pamphlets. He's old fashioned but so often hits the nail on the head.
12. Preaching on "Do not commit adultery" on Sunday and getting out of the hall alive!
13. Some progress on the refurbishment of our quarters.
14. Enthusiastic people.
15. Nice surprises
16. The promise that God will provide
17. Ducks
18. Tweezers (Ladies who are my age will know why they are essential!!)
19 Being able to play the piano enough to find it a vehicle through which I can worship.
20. That no one in our congregation plays the violin or the bagpipes!
21. Our SA hall, which is so adaptable.
22. God co-incidences.
23. Mess (well I acutally hate mess, but I'm trying to be positive in the midst of chaos)
24. Change.
25. Another day.
That's it. More when I have time.
God bless
Carol
1. Umbrella's Can we have any more rain this summer?
2. The schools have broken up and there is much less traffic on the road at 8 am
3. That there is always some good news
4. Choice
5. Moses. I was reading his story in the car this morning. What a reluctant hero! God was so
patient with him. I trust he is as patient with me.
6. Fun and good food at the Toddler Team celebration last night.
7. The good ladies of our Home League, who have been so understanding and open to the idea
of expanding into a Cameo Club.
8. Growing up in a family that communicated with one another naturally.
9. The healing of people I know who have been ill
10. Colour
11. Andrew Murray. No, not the tennis player. The other one. Still don't know? He was a Christian writer, who wrote hundreds of devotional books and pamphlets. He's old fashioned but so often hits the nail on the head.
12. Preaching on "Do not commit adultery" on Sunday and getting out of the hall alive!
13. Some progress on the refurbishment of our quarters.
14. Enthusiastic people.
15. Nice surprises
16. The promise that God will provide
17. Ducks
18. Tweezers (Ladies who are my age will know why they are essential!!)
19 Being able to play the piano enough to find it a vehicle through which I can worship.
20. That no one in our congregation plays the violin or the bagpipes!
21. Our SA hall, which is so adaptable.
22. God co-incidences.
23. Mess (well I acutally hate mess, but I'm trying to be positive in the midst of chaos)
24. Change.
25. Another day.
That's it. More when I have time.
God bless
Carol
Thursday, 23 July 2009
100 Thank You's 25 at a time
Here are 25 things I am thankful for today. They are not in any particular order, just as they come to mind.
I got to know about Jesus at a very young age
A Christian heritage
The Holy Spirit liberating me from fear
Alan and the fact that we have been married for 30 years in September
Katie and Hayley and the fact I not only love them but I like them too
The Salvation Army and the privilege of being an officer
Books. I love books, starting with the Bible of course but I like all kinds of books.
Bookcases. I have hundreds of books and without bookcases we would live in chaos.
That Alan can drive a car and doesn't mind that I won't even contemplate learning.
The internet
Lessons learned
That in the life of a Corps officer, no day is exactly the same.
Health
Tea God is good all the time but he is especially wonderful for inventing tea.
Songs and singing
Bath and Baths. I am a very privileged person to have grown up in the beautiful city of Bath and am temporarily living there again. I also love a good soak in a hot bath, with a book and a cup of tea. Heaven!
A side variety of friends and family
A new family at the corps on Sunday
Bright ideas
The chances I have had to travel to other countries
Memories
Glasses I am as blind as a bat without them.
Freedom
Seeing seeds sown for the Kingdom, bear fruit
Faithful saints
That's my thank you's for today. What are yours?
God bless
Carol
Here are 25 things I am thankful for today. They are not in any particular order, just as they come to mind.
I got to know about Jesus at a very young age
A Christian heritage
The Holy Spirit liberating me from fear
Alan and the fact that we have been married for 30 years in September
Katie and Hayley and the fact I not only love them but I like them too
The Salvation Army and the privilege of being an officer
Books. I love books, starting with the Bible of course but I like all kinds of books.
Bookcases. I have hundreds of books and without bookcases we would live in chaos.
That Alan can drive a car and doesn't mind that I won't even contemplate learning.
The internet
Lessons learned
That in the life of a Corps officer, no day is exactly the same.
Health
Tea God is good all the time but he is especially wonderful for inventing tea.
Songs and singing
Bath and Baths. I am a very privileged person to have grown up in the beautiful city of Bath and am temporarily living there again. I also love a good soak in a hot bath, with a book and a cup of tea. Heaven!
A side variety of friends and family
A new family at the corps on Sunday
Bright ideas
The chances I have had to travel to other countries
Memories
Glasses I am as blind as a bat without them.
Freedom
Seeing seeds sown for the Kingdom, bear fruit
Faithful saints
That's my thank you's for today. What are yours?
God bless
Carol
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Call to Repentance
Just a quick blog to suggest a look at Andrew Bale's blog http://www.beyondthebrook.blogspot.com regarding the statement to come out of the recent International Conference of Leaders. I have added my own thoughts to the comments.
God bless
Carol
Just a quick blog to suggest a look at Andrew Bale's blog http://www.beyondthebrook.blogspot.com regarding the statement to come out of the recent International Conference of Leaders. I have added my own thoughts to the comments.
God bless
Carol
Friday, 10 July 2009
More musings on the road.
We have travelled along a lot of different roads in the last week. Last Saturday we were in dashing up the M4 to witness the Commissioning of our good friend Tracey Bale. I haven't been to this event for a while but it is a bit of a nostalgic road for me, as it was at a Commissioning, when I was 11 years old that my dream of becoming an officer myself was born. And now when I go to Commissioning I meet up with session mates and we are discussing plans to have a 30 year reunion and I am so grateful and amazed at God's faithfulness in making dreams realities.
On Tuesday, we took a different route to the hall. Instead of facing the urban traffic for some of the way at least we went through what could be described as "quintessential English countryside." It was a reminder of how some of the things that I think are so important and huge are part of a very much wider scheme of things. My life, my thoughts are sometimes such "urban chaos" but God sees a bigger picture all the time. It sounds a bit trite but the song that went through my mind was;
As the varied way of life we journey
Come the plains and then the mountainside
Come the days of joy when birds are singing
And the world is fair and sweet and wide;
Then a deeper joy comes, overfilling
From the everlasting throne of love
And all other joy is but an echo
From the ever-blessed heights above.
God bless
Carol
We have travelled along a lot of different roads in the last week. Last Saturday we were in dashing up the M4 to witness the Commissioning of our good friend Tracey Bale. I haven't been to this event for a while but it is a bit of a nostalgic road for me, as it was at a Commissioning, when I was 11 years old that my dream of becoming an officer myself was born. And now when I go to Commissioning I meet up with session mates and we are discussing plans to have a 30 year reunion and I am so grateful and amazed at God's faithfulness in making dreams realities.
On Tuesday, we took a different route to the hall. Instead of facing the urban traffic for some of the way at least we went through what could be described as "quintessential English countryside." It was a reminder of how some of the things that I think are so important and huge are part of a very much wider scheme of things. My life, my thoughts are sometimes such "urban chaos" but God sees a bigger picture all the time. It sounds a bit trite but the song that went through my mind was;
As the varied way of life we journey
Come the plains and then the mountainside
Come the days of joy when birds are singing
And the world is fair and sweet and wide;
Then a deeper joy comes, overfilling
From the everlasting throne of love
And all other joy is but an echo
From the ever-blessed heights above.
God bless
Carol
Thursday, 2 July 2009
On the road
Reading
Since having to travel in to the Corps each day I have managed to finish New Love, (Thinking aloud about practical holiness), by Shaw Clifton and other guest writers. There is something good in each chapter but I liked this from Jo Noland
"Where is God's perfection? It is found in our personal and corporate response to others. It is not holiness constrained; it is holiness released. It is not holiness "from" the world; it is holiness taken into the world. It is not holiness controlled; it is holiness directed. It is holiness portable, adaptable and all inclusive."
Looking
I have also decided that during my journey I would ask the Lord to use what I see out of the window to speak. Here is one example.
Most mornings we pass a car washing business. This firm specialises in handwashing and drying the customers car with a in a few minutes. To do this uses 8-10 men all working together, each with an appointed task. Apart from the obvious analogies of each person playing their part and the idea that the individuals matter and that it a persons needs are often met not just by one person but by a community of people, the thing that struck me most about this team was their readiness.
One morning there was no car in the bay being washed, but the men were still there, buckets, sponges, etc to hand. No one had wandered off because they were bored and neither were they distracted by other jobs. They seemed, to me at least sure of what they were on site for and stayed on duty.
O that this same readiness and focus was seen among Christians. We are so easily distracted and often so unprepared that when people do come to have their lives cleaned up, we struggle to find the resources to help them. I will never forget, a lady I was called in by the military army to help. She said that she had called Churches and gone to churches many times for help in the past but whenever she approached them, they were either shut, or the phone was answered by the cleaner, who had no other connection to the place. In the end she turned to New Age groups who always opened the door to her and offered her something. She came to realise that what they offered was empty but how sad that the Church was not ready to receive her.
Listening
The CD "A New Hallelujah" by Micheal W Smith has kept my perspective, despite the traffic lights, slow drivers and road works!
God bless
Carol
Reading
Since having to travel in to the Corps each day I have managed to finish New Love, (Thinking aloud about practical holiness), by Shaw Clifton and other guest writers. There is something good in each chapter but I liked this from Jo Noland
"Where is God's perfection? It is found in our personal and corporate response to others. It is not holiness constrained; it is holiness released. It is not holiness "from" the world; it is holiness taken into the world. It is not holiness controlled; it is holiness directed. It is holiness portable, adaptable and all inclusive."
Looking
I have also decided that during my journey I would ask the Lord to use what I see out of the window to speak. Here is one example.
Most mornings we pass a car washing business. This firm specialises in handwashing and drying the customers car with a in a few minutes. To do this uses 8-10 men all working together, each with an appointed task. Apart from the obvious analogies of each person playing their part and the idea that the individuals matter and that it a persons needs are often met not just by one person but by a community of people, the thing that struck me most about this team was their readiness.
One morning there was no car in the bay being washed, but the men were still there, buckets, sponges, etc to hand. No one had wandered off because they were bored and neither were they distracted by other jobs. They seemed, to me at least sure of what they were on site for and stayed on duty.
O that this same readiness and focus was seen among Christians. We are so easily distracted and often so unprepared that when people do come to have their lives cleaned up, we struggle to find the resources to help them. I will never forget, a lady I was called in by the military army to help. She said that she had called Churches and gone to churches many times for help in the past but whenever she approached them, they were either shut, or the phone was answered by the cleaner, who had no other connection to the place. In the end she turned to New Age groups who always opened the door to her and offered her something. She came to realise that what they offered was empty but how sad that the Church was not ready to receive her.
Listening
The CD "A New Hallelujah" by Micheal W Smith has kept my perspective, despite the traffic lights, slow drivers and road works!
God bless
Carol
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