This is the warcry, stories from the battle front about a modern warriors search for Knighthood, stories of an epic loved affair lived out on a raging battle field.

Follow my reading …

Monday, November 9th, 2009

As a Salvation Army Officer, pastor, public speaker, thinker, theologian and human being, I read a lot. And as I do I find some really cool quotes and interesting thoughts. I have decided to keep publishing these quotes and uplifting/provocative thoughts in a separate forum so that those who do not lie to read wordy (and sometimes rambling and aimless) blog posts.

So without a bone of shame in my body I hereby promote my own Tumblr page where you can read these quotes and take part of these thoughts. If you would rather aggregate them in your RSS reader you can capture the feed here.

While this feed is also available via my twitter feed, it just looks much better in your RSS reader if you take the feed straight from tumblr.

09.11.2009 Christian life Comments

A return to romance

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Chivalry was born in the romances, Gawain and the green Knight, Le Mort D’Artur and the other romances are filled with this over the top rose tinted chivalry. It was a response to the cold scientific light of the renaissance but also a remembrance of a time, that while it had it’s own flaws, when progress for progress owns sake was not worshipped. A time when Love not science was the most important virtue.

The Bible is, in my eyes, a great romance. God creates humans to enjoy a loving intimate relationship with someone other. We rebel and turn away and then at great cost God pursues us throughout time to offer reconciliation at every turn.

In this light I think that the Christian life is a life of chivalry, a life where we live in the great romance of God and it is up to us to discover the romance and adventure awaiting us as we approach the ultimate mystery.

But just as we are urged to love God with all our hearts, souls and minds we are also asked to love our neighbour as ourselves. So As we have been loved by God we are to love each other. Ever pursuing each and every precious individual to share the love.

It is time to leave the modernistic way of life that focusses on progress and scientific method and return to a warmer and much more human approach. It is time to return to romance.

11.05.2009 Christian life Comments

In preparation of our orders – Army life

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

Page_3So having spent nearly two years being told that we are going to be told where to go, we are now given a consultation where we have to reply to our appointment.

It is a scary thing to be responsable for such a big decision especially after you have been lulled into the false security that someone else will do it for you. However this responsability is what we have been asking for since we first considered officership, now that it is given to us, I am not sure I want it.

Nevertheless it is now time to grow up and leave the nest….

26.03.2009 Christian life, Salvation Army, armyguy Comments

Changed to bring change.

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Found this clip on Brian Mclarens blog, listen enjoy and be changed!

24.03.2009 Christian life Comments

Remember

Monday, February 9th, 2009

I lost my keys, again, I need to be writing an essay, I need to go to the library, and I must hurry to get my kids, and I cannot find my keys. Frantically I look through the flat, no luck….

Hang on a minute, what good is it to be a friend of an omniscient ruler of the universe if He can’t help you locate the keys….

Father, I have lost the keys, please help me find them…. Then I do something strange, I don’t stop and listen, I keep looking I keep rummaging through the children’s toys, I am getting angry and sad. Why would God not help me, is he holding out on me? An hour later, I sigh in defeat. – I can’t do this! As I start working up courage to go tell Margret that I lost yet another set of keys, I feel a stirring in my spirit, my eyes focus and I am looking at my keys, right there on the kitchen counter, under a paper from Angelina’s school.

If I had only stopped and listened from the beginning. If I had only trusted in God’s heart.

I vow to myself, again, to remember that God answers prayer and that I must live that way.

09.02.2009 Christian life, Faith, OS, Patrik Comments

It’s MY IPod!

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

I have a brand new Macbook Pro, I had the older model that I bought just a few weeks before they released the new model. It was a great machine, great specs, great performance. But as the new model came out I got really sad. My machine was still a great machine but not as great as the new one. I called the store and they agreed to replace it and just as a bonus we where going to get the great deal with a free IPod Nano as well.

As this unfolds it turns out it took them two weeks for the macbooks to arrive at the store. And so we are no longer eligeble for the IPod deal. I go to the store disappointed and demand my IPod. The poor fellow in the store try to explain to me that it isn’t that he doesn’t want to give me an IPod, but he can not. I get flustered and in my mind I think I have a right to have a free IPod, after all didn’t everyone else who paid ridiculous amount of money for a mac get one. The Apple representative kindly reminds me that we are allready getting a £400 discount because we are students. I know he is right but I do not want to acknowledge it.

With the same attitude my youngest daughter has when she lies on the floor kicking and screaming to get ice cream just before dinner. I feel had. Why do I never get the good deal? Why do I never win the lottery (but you never play …. THAT’S NOT THE POINT)? I wan’t to scream out: IT’S NOT FAIR!

A quiet voice in my head reminds me of people starving in Africa and homeless people right outside this building of commercialism but the child within screams in outrage and then bargains. Yes, but I am getting a RED IPod that means at least some of the money is given to aids research.

At that outrageously ridiculous argument the card house in my mind crumbles and I let go. I am walking out of the store with a fantastic computer, the best one I have ever owned. Letting go of my silly notion of having my way frees me up to enjoy what I actually have. Letting go of what could have been, lets me just savor what is! Richard Foster calls this the freedom of submission and he states “In the discipline of Submission we are released to drop the matter, forget it. Frankly, most things in life are not nearly as important as we think they are.”1.

  1. Foster, Richard J. The Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: Harper, 1998) p. 111 [↩]

06.11.2008 Chivalric values, Christian life, Discipline, Patrik, Techspeak, iPod Comments

The things we take for granted

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

I was woken up in the middle of the night by our phone ringing of the hook. It was 5 AM and all the lights in the living room where blinking, then all went dead and we where without electricity.

We woke up in the morning and the flat was cold and dark. I couldn’t shower and I couldn’t get my morning latte. I was getting really grumpy. Angry at the devil and world for stealing my joy!

We went to drop of the girls to nursery and jam club and headed straight to Starbucks for a warm panini and a vanilla latte. The Starbucks was warm and cosy with Jazz booming out of the speakers. As I sat there with my gourmet coffe I started thinking about all the homeless people that I know and call friends. Who wake up every morning chilled to their bones. They never have a warm shower and a latte in the morning. And yet whenever I see them show up for dropins and for church, they still have a warm smile for me.

So I promise myself to be extra thankful for the things that I wake up to every day!

01.11.2008 Christian life Comments

Chim Chimeny, Chim Chim Cherooo

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

As Cadets at the Salvation Army college we have the privilige of meeting a lot of officers. Some newly commissioned, some old in the game and some retired. What strikes me is how many of these officers seem to be burnt out and jaded. I do understand that being a Salvation Army Officer is hard work but surely it is also blessed work.

I saw an add yesterday on the train that said:

“if you like your job don’t bother with this add”

I prayed a prayer that I would never want to bother with that add. I want to be like the guy in Mary Poppins singing:

“Chim chimeny, chim chimeny, chim chim cheroo, I do what I like and I like what I do!”

Surely Officership is a privilege. To have a job where part of your work description is to spend quality time with God. A vocation where you are expected to spend time growing and maturing your faith, reading devotional books, praying, praising and functioning in your gifts.

I do understand that there are jobs that are less pleasant and some even unpleasant but we have that in common with the chimney sweep. I think that sometimes we get so busy with the dirty work that we forget to look around us and enjoy the majestic view. Like the chimney sweep we are “on top of the world” even if we do have our hands in the dirt!

29.10.2008 Christian life, OS, Salvation Army, Uncategorized, wbc Comments

New beginnings

Saturday, September 27th, 2008

The College has come alive again with the Prayer Warriors invading the campus and all the Witnesses returning from placement 4. The Warriors seems to be a good natured and fun filled session and we are looking forward to much interaction with them over the next year.

The campus is buzzing with stories of the placements and talk of our next placement. I heard the following conversation in the hallway yesterday

M: What’s in the envelope

D: Placement five

M: Cool where are you going?

D: Sainsbury’s!

Welcome weekend is finally here and we have started on the next stage of our journey towards officership. School starts with inductions and song practice just like last year. only slightly truncated as we get going with a full schedule allready second week.

his week we started practicing the sessional song again with Nicola leading the practice, what a difference! For the first time I really enjoyed song practice and for the first time the song came to life and actually spoke to my heart about who we are as a session and who we want to be as officers.

Anyways, my last sermon at Southwark was also a tribute to our session and a passionate plea for everyone to be the gospel! You can listen to it here.

27.09.2008 Christian life, OS, wbc Comments

More Southwark adventures

Monday, September 8th, 2008

Our placement at Southwark continues and the last couple of Sundays (Before and after the week we had in Disney) I have been preaching, Both have been hard to prepare in different way. 

The first one was hard due to the subject (sex), which has been a taboo subject in the church so long that we have forgotten how to talk about it. You can listen to the podcast here.

The other sermon I struggled with because I just ran dry of inspiration. In the end I wrote a sermon that I didn’t like. So sunday morning I trashed my notes and preached without notes, the result is posted here.

08.09.2008 Christian life, Patrik, Southwark, preaching, worship Comments Off

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