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.

Advent

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

So this is Christmas….. Christmas music pouring out of my speakers, christmas lights appearing in window after window around us and Advent koinonia at the college. One thousand and one sermons about waiting. It seems that no matter how old we all get, we are all holding our breath until Christmas eve (well Christmas day for all of you non Scandinavians).

It seems like waiting on God is the thing to do, so collectively we sit down silently and twiddle our thumbs (for about 10 minutes until we are so bored that we have to get up and do something). Today in Spiritual formation we where treated to a video that had us just sit and wait. There was a lot of giggling and people’s embarrassed looks as they where trying to figure out if the multimedia was malfunctioning or if we where really supposed to look at a black screen.

Before I say anything else I want to point out that I DO believe that we need to slow down, I do believe that God is a 3 mph God and not a 60 mph Mtv God. However I also believe that waiting is so much more than sitting silently anticipating God’s next move.

When I was a whole lot younger and impatient (being just slightly less impatient now) my good friend and mentor Mr. Brown asked me this question: “Patrik, what does a waiter do?” and after my lame reply: “waiting” he explained to me how waiting is a verb, something you do actively, not unlike a waiter in a restaurant whose only concern it is to make sure that the one he is waiting on is completely content, being ready to fulfill any of his desires.

Waiting is a posture of the heart, wearing your towel, ready to serve the Lord. To please him and make sure that he is completely cared for, we do this in worship, in loving words and by listening carefully for any clues to our masters wishes, trying to anticipate and provide his every need before it is spoken. Not out of duty like a servant who is paid but out of love like a servant set free who chooses to remain at his masters feet out of loyalty and love. or more like a lover who’s only desire is to please his beloved.

This advent let’s WAIT upon the Lord!

03.12.2008 OS, Uncategorized, armyguy View 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 View 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 View 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 View Comments

You are not on your own

Monday, July 21st, 2008

Hanna preached on God’s promises when in depression today at Southwark and God showed up! It was a great day and God certainly spoke to me.

I have carried a wound with me since I was a little boy and I was moved from home to home (most of the time within the extended family). The message I have carried with me is “You are on your own” and today as I was praying about my own difficult times. God spoke and said “you are not on your own!”

At the fellowship after church i was talking to some of the squatters from the drop in. We where talking about the message I said to them “believeing in God is easy, it is beleiving that he believes in me…. that’s the hard part!”

To trust that God will be that perfect father, that it is truly true that he will never leave nor forsake me. To trust that he has forgiven me…. To trust that I am no longer on my own in this world; That is the hard bit.

21.07.2008 Christian life, Fatherhood, Hanna, Patrik, Podcasts, Salvation Army, Southwark, preaching View Comments

First Sunday at Southwark

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Well we have had Sundays at Southwark before, just not any where we have been preaching or leading. Today I preached on God’s promises when in Love.

It was very different to preach at Southwark than to be part of the congregation and I felt like I had to work real hard to get the message across. Part of it must have been my nerves but there definately was a spiritual edge to the battle that was fought on that plattform today.

After church I went to Southwark for Jesus, a cross denominational manifestation of faith where Les Isaac (Founder of Street Pastors) shared a message about the prodigal son. God was worshipped, People got saved and the gospel was declared at Peckham square.

13.07.2008 OS, Salvation Army, Southwark, youth work View Comments

First Sunday at Southwark

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Well we have had Sundays at Southwark before, just not any where we have been preaching or leading. Today I preached on God’s promises when in Love.

It was very different to preach at Southwark than to be part of the congregation and I felt like I had to work real hard to get the message across. Part of it must have been my nerves but there definately was a spiritual edge to the battle that was fought on that plattform today.

After church I went to Southwark for Jesus, a cross denominational manifestation of faith where Les Isaac (Founder of Street Pastors) shared a message about the prodigal son. God was worshipped, People got saved and the gospel was declared at Peckham square.

13.07.2008 OS, Salvation Army, Southwark, youth work View Comments

First day of summer placement

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Southwark Salvation ArmyYesterday was our last day of curriculum and today we went out into a brave new world. Our first day of summer placement. Through the torrents of rain we braved the streets of London and arrived at Southwark (as this has been our “home” corps while in training it wasn’t exactly new to us, but it was the first time we where going to be there and have any kind of responsability or leadership). Hanna spent the day going to different playgroups with the girls in preparation of her mission project while I went to the drop in. I had some fantastic chats with people there and tried beans on toast for the first time in my life. Now I have put the tired girls to sleep and Hanna is off for small group at the corps. Time to prep for my Speaking engagement at a school tomorrow morning and my sermon for Sunday.

09.07.2008 Hanna, OS, Patrik View Comments

Weapons and Worship

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

The last six months have been a desert experience for me, it seems that every time I am in any kind of spiritual training this is what happens, I feel completely cut off and dry spiritually.

One thing I have realised lately though is that one of the reasons I feel so dry is that  I have not been preaching and preaching for me (I have recently discovered) is one of my greatest times of worship. To boast and rave about how great God is. It is not singing or playing an instrument it is lifting up God’s name by telling people how great he is in a sermon.

Therefore I figured if I could just perfect my sermons I will be given the best worship ever, if I like Brengle could be the absolute best speaker ever I could then lift God’s name to heights I have not yet known myself and by that I would get out of this dry patch.

Then last week God spoke to me, not through the bible or a quiet time in prayer but through Terry Brown. Terry has been a Martial artist for 40 years and been doing Western Martial arts for more than half of that. He is over sixty but that didn’t stop him from playing with me like a cat plays with it’s meal, bare fisted, with single sword or longsword.

Terry told me this:

“The body must be the servant of the weapon.”

So in my context, I must be the servant of the message. I thought I could perfect the message to lift up God’s name but God was telling me that through my worship he would perfect me!

It is such a simple thing really, it is so obvious, that it is not my message, not my meeting, not even my worship…. it all belongs to him, I am just offering back what he has given me.

16.04.2008 Battle report, Christian life, England, Knightstale, OS, WMA, worship View Comments

Easter and essay madness

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

Armyguy-014-2008 As time marches on we struggle to meet deadlines on essays and collectaneas and other assignments. If we are not working on an assignment then we are preparing a sermon or a meeting plan.

The assignments range widely between biblical studies, pastoral care and mission studies. Because of the difference in subject the styles of the essays differ greatly. And for us who have never written any work at this level (and doing it in a second, or in Hanna’s case, third language) It is really hard to differ between a critical evaluation, personal reflection or a theological reflection.

The last two weeks have been the most pressured since we got to WBC and that is saying a lot. To add to our workload we will be organizing Easter at Woking.

As placements go we have been extremely fortunate.

We had a fantastic time during our social placement at Springfield Lodge. Our Sunday placements are going well at Lewisham and we have been asked to do our summer placement at Southwark corps here in London. The next placement apart from Easter at Woking is going to be our corps placement in Catford. Please pray for us so that we can get as much out of this even though we will have to juggle the children between usfor the week.

20.03.2008 England, London, OS, Uncategorized, armyguy View Comments

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