Margies lines

finally

2009-12-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

At last we opened Beth Shan. We have been operating the shelter since March but on Sunday the TC André Cox offically opened the shelter.

There were many wonderful supporters at the opening and they have pledged to continue helping us both with finaces and aid in kind.
This Saturday a group of young people from Choose life Church will be coming along to paint our bedrooms. While they are doing that I will be taking my ladies along to Etembeni where they will give the toddlers there a Birthday party and help to look after the little babies they have at the home. We are all looking forward to a morning of service.

Today is International Aids day and Carla and I were guest speakers at a function celebrating life at the South African Revenue Services (SARS) in Centurion. I spoke on HIV and Carla spoke on Domestic violence. The folk listened carefully and I hope we made a good impression on their hearts.

On the 26th the staff from Beth Shan and Mercy house went along to Church Square and for 2 and 1/2 hours spoke to many folk about being aware of the domestic violence that plagues our country. We handed out many booklets and information pamphlets on all the services available to folk regarding their personal rights. it was a good morning and we really think we made a difference. It was great to meet folk from all over the world as every tourist that came to the square came to the table and some even told us that they were going to suggest our initiative to their social departments.

We asked people to sign a petition stating that they were against any form of gender based violence and they were against any form of child abuse. We managed to get 530 signatures in a matter of hours.

today I took Tabiso to Etembeni. He is a beautiful baby whose mother left him at our shelter since Wednesday. She now has another tiny baby to look after. Tabiso is wonderful he is gentle, shy and vocal. His mom really loves him and she agreed to allow us to place him in a place of safety until she can find somewhere to live and until she comes out of hospital with the baby.

While we are a shelter that looks after moms and their children we are not equipped to look after little children without their moms being around. Etembeni on the other hand is a baby home and is more then equipped. I thank God every day that I belong to this amazing organisation that really does meet the needs of the community. Pray for Tabiso that this young child will grow up to be an amazing young man who will do great things for God and for this country. I believe he has the potential to be a president.

Nicole (my second child) has just passed her first year at University and again we give thanks to God for a bursary for her second year of studies. She did really well and we are very proud of her.

Matthew and Mark are busy writing their exams and they are confident of a pass ( I'm praying their confidence is well placed) Natalie is on holiday with her boyfriend. She is my eldest daughter and keeps me on my knees.

My husband and I are looking forward to a busy Christmas and then a few days of camping out in the veld.

Beth Shan

2009-09-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

It has been some time since last I put fingers to a keyboard. So much has happened. Beth Shan is really do well. We are more and more convinced every single day that this is aGod thing. I love working in the shelter. I am facinated by the stories of heroic deeds. Every woman living at our shelter is a hero. one has escaped Human Trafficking another from an abusive relationship and its amazing that they are finding peace, and restoration at Beth Shan. Whats even more amazing is that they are find God.

The Salvation Army in South Africa is busy taking a good hard look at itself which can be an excellent tool as far as development is concerned - if used properly and if everyone really takes it seriously.

So far its looking great. Get to look at the website TSA Southern Africa Strategic Plan '10-'15
http://safstrategy.ning.com/forum/topics/leadership-development?unfollow=1

Travelling, training and praying

2009-04-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

I am about to set out on a month of training in Human Trafficking awareness. Together with Sister Colleen from the Sister of Mercy I will be travelling around to a few centres in South Africa speaking about Human Trafficking and hopefully making a few folk aware of what they can do to help young girls escape this terrible experience.

The more I speak and teach on this subject the more I realise that this world needs a Saviour. We are living in a time when human life has become so cheap. In South Africa a young girl can have an abortion at 12 - without parental consent. They talk about counselling but little is given. A child herself - often raped by her own relatives can have an abortion because we can't fix the initial problem! So when someone offers these girls a way out - out of the country, out of poverty, out of their parents homes they grab it with both hands.

I try so hard to protect my children but you can't protect them all the time. There are times when you have to trust the world to treat them well- you have to trust that you have taught them to make well considered decisions. That's what I want to achieve with this training. To place before people options for better decisions.

Pray for us as we go around to Limpopo, Shosanguve, Durban, and Gauteng that God will touch hearts and place a passion for saving people from exploitation of the worst kind. We have been told that women are used more in Africa then men to recruit the young girls into this terrible world. I want to reach the hearts of those women. I want to reignite a belief that life is precious and that it must be guarded and protected.

We have a huge soccer event happening in 2010. We know the event will bring in many tourists but also it will introduce many dangers to our young people. Evil moves in crowds and young people are attracted to crowds. We have very fuzzy boarders in South Africa and high corruption - officials are easily bought over. Girls will be brought in and shipped out in the flow and ebb of these crowds. If we can prevent even one girl from leaving we have done a great thing.

young girls are most vulnerable in this terrible trade. We will be speaking to young nurses, but also to a few grannies, we have Officers at the boarder towns who will now know a little more about the things happening in their towns.

My prayer is that God will grow a passion for the lost deep within our hearts. That he will develop it and grow it until it consumes us and carries us from one place to another.

I want God to build a hedge around me to protect me from the evil one. that my family may be safe and my children never be taken into this terrible world. I ask that God allows me to keep the training work for the training and family time for the family. That my children may be happy and healthy and my husband a good father and husband to us. That my life may be a shinning light for others to see what a difference believing in God makes.

Pray for safe travelling for us. We will be covering quiet a few miles over this next month.

Repentance

2009-04-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

I'm getting myself ready for a Good Friday. I will be speaking on Christ's destiny his call to reconciliation and repentance. As I was looking through some really good books I rediscovered Charles Swindoll's book Simple faith what an amazing book and in it I found this beautiful Puritan prayer from the book the valley of vision. Its a beautiful prayer and one that I will pray more often:

I am a shell full of dust But animated with an invisible rational soul And made anew by an unseen power of grace Yet I am no rare object of valuable price But one that has nothing and is nothing Although chosen of thee from eternity, Given to Christ, and born again I am deeply convinced of the evil and misery of a sinful state, Of the vanity of creatures, But also of the sufficiency of Christ
When thou wouldst guide me I control myself When thou wouldst be sovereign I rule myself When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself When I should depend on they providing I supply myself When I should submit to thy providence I follow my own will, When I should study, love, honour, trust thee, I serve myself I fault and correct they laws to suit myself,
Instead of thee I look to man’s approbation, And am by nature an idolater. Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back to thee. Convince me that I cannot be my own god, or make myself happy, Nor my own Christ to restore my joy, Nor my own Spirit to teach, guide and rule me.
Help me to see that grace does this by providential affliction,
For when my credit is god thou dost cast me lower When riches are my idol thou dost wing them away, When pleasure is my all thou dost turn it into bitterness.
Take away my roving eye, curios ear, greedy appetite, lustful heart; Show me that none of these things
Can heal a wounded conscience, Or support a tottering frame, Or uphold a departing spirit.
Then take me to the cross and leave me there.

Beth Shan opens

2009-04-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since last I wrote! Beth Shan (house of quiet) is a shelter for women victims of domestic violence, has been a part of a bigger programme called the Family care programme for a long time now. We had so many problems mainly that the ladies would enter into relationships with the men staying at the centre. Broken lives were helping other broken lives.

We knew something had to change. Thanks to the Envoy at the centre we started to dream of a shelter away from the care centre. We were given a legacy and allowed to start looking for a house. We found one in a lovely quiet suburb of Pretoria, South Africa.

It has a flat at the back and we have decided to make the flat for the exclusive use of victims of Human trafficking. We can accomodate 17 ladies all in all.

We are a very qualified team Carla - our social worker and Innocentia our aux. social worker as well as me - the manager. We are having a lot of fun getting started in our new home.

We have made a decision to be an example of excellence in all that we do. We want the ladies to leave our shelter ready to face whatever the world has to throw at her.

Presently we have 7 ladies in one is a pregnant mom with two little children. She will have four tiny children in a short while. We want her to be so well prepared for her future even her children will be safe and have a good start to life.

God is teaching me so many lessons. I have so much to be grateful for. We have a home and a family that is really well adjusted to the stresses and strains of today. I have so much to say thank you to God for. I have a loving husband - we have been married for 23 years this year. I have four beautiful children and I have a career I love (sometimes) which allows me to grow in so many ways.

Just hearing some of the stories of the ladies in our care I know that God has really spoilt me so much. I would love these ladies to experience just a small amount of the joys I experience daily.
We have not had any Human Trafficked ladies yet but I believe that when we are ready they will come.

I had the privilege of joining a friend on a ladies camp. It was in Bronkhorstspruit set next to a beautiful river. It was amazing. I just love worshiping God in such a beautiful and peaceful setting. There were 120 ladies all ready to worship God and allowing God to speak to us.

Preparing for Easter Weekend I have once again been reminded that sometimes we get so pedantic about details with regard to this weekend that we forget the focus needs to be on Jesus and on God and on the fact that Easter is all about His love.

I've been doing a lot of awareness training on Human Trafficking and have four workshops lined up before the end of the may. All in all life has suddenly become more than hectic. Keeping the balance is going to be difficult. But I hold on to the fact that God is my Father and He looks after me and keeps a check on my diary. He also gives me the strength I need to keep going.

I am so grateful for the people that God has placed around me and how he places just the ones I need to hear from or listen to at any given moment.

Please pray for Beth Shan and for the team who will be leading these women into a new way of living.

marriage as a value

2009-02-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

Life just seems to get more and more interesting every day. Our commissioner has decided that our territory must speak about the values of Christ and what it would mean to live out those values. The first value we need to look at is the family, relationships, marriage.

Looking at marriage as a value is very different from looking at it as a way of life. Marriage has come to mean so many different things including a tax break!

As we were looking at marriage Paul McCarthy was in the news with his divorce and possible engagement - Elton John had married his life long partner and so Hollywood was again making marriage the popular thing to do. But at what cost. Does nothing worth having last anymore???

Marriage is not an easy option. Its hard work. Two different people coming together with the common goal of making "it" work seems doomed from the start. But God takes two hearts and bends the one then the other, he works on our temperament and refines our lives. All so that we can know the picture of the bride (church) and his son (Christ). To prepare the bridegroom goes to his fathers house and builds a suitable dwelling place for his bride to be. To prepare the bride starts on a journey of cleansing. She purifies herself by reading the word of God for Jews this is the Torah. She sits under the counsel of wise older women. She makes her clothes, she prepares her body - for Esther an entire year of preparation for one night with the king. For the family its a time to prepare the daughter and help the son.

What we lose we make a marriage all about a wedding and nothing about a life. I have had the privilege of working with women who settled for less then the best in a husband and paid the price by the beatings they received. For many the man started out great but turned into a monster with the help of alcohol or drugs. Good intentions became empty promises and life turned from great to hate and misery resulted.

How do we get back the original intention of marriage? How do we encourage our young people to know that marriage is actually such a sacred act. You have to enter into it with reverent thought and intention. Keeping true to one another is all about being true to yourself and who you are and with that integrity comes union.

I guess life is what happens when you're not looking. I'm not sure that values are the breaks on the wheels of life and really need to be those moments when we actually stop and smell the roses and think about our actions.

So slow down, think, imagine, dream then live

Poor Prophets

2009-01-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

I've been reading Ezkiel and been very thankful I am not a prophet. As I read of all the things God wanted this man to do - just to be an illustration to the children of Israel was mind blowing, but the most amazing of all was the simple obedience seen in these men.

This man spoke to my heart. His pleading with God for the people - not for his ease or his comfort but for the people all the time. I look at the Corps and wonder how many I want to please and how many I want to make uncomfortable. Then I wonder what I would be prepared to do for God's sake. Would I be prepared to be a walking illustration? I don't think so.

I love God and I love the people he has sent me to minister to and I want them to get to know the message from God but where would I draw the line - I wonder.

Reflections of a tired mind

2009-01-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of preparing myself to write the last exam in my post graduate diploma Adult education. I will be pleased when this is all over and I can forget about studying for a while. A good friend wants me to do my Master's degree but I think studying is over for me for a while. I am getting old and my memory doesn't want to work so well any more.

My heart hurts for Israel at the moment. I see so much hurting and so much pain in Israel the Gaza strip is such a tiny piece of land and yet there is so much hatred and so much pain their tonight.

Having been to Israel and seen these places my heart hurts to think that God loves this land so much and yet people are still hurting and being hurt in this wonderful land. I pray for peace in Jerusalem daily. today I pray that God will change hearts and bring peace.

We will again be praying for Israel and Palestine in our meetings on Sunday.

So many of us are making plans to have a good 2009 and our Corps plans will be having their planning meeting on the 20th this to make so many plans for a year that is going to be amazing.

Beth Shan (our home for abused women) has been a great concern for us in that it needs to open in a new house but the house was a problem - Friday is D day so we are praying that God will again make a miracle happen and that we will be able to move into the house very soon. Pray with us for a speedy answer.

a good friend has given Jeff and I a verse from Scripture to encourage us and I am holding on to it with both of my hands

Zep 3:17 The LORD your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The LORD will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you

How wonderful for God to sing and be joyful over me! what a beautiful picture of love and hope.

I love the positive statements in Scripture - God is with you - his power gives you victory. I love that and I claim it for my life.

Well I have to put in a time of study now - leadership in teaching can be challenging but even more so when you are teaching adults. I know that God is preparing me for something and I will honour him in all things.

living Christ's values

2009-01-08T00:18:00.000-08:00

Well we are into the new year and we are dying of the heat. It is so hot the dogs are over heating!

I gave Jeff a bonsai for Christmas and its struggling in the heat. I now need to get him a book on how to look after a Bonsai tree. I hope this one does well!! Its been around since 2004 I hope it outlasts us.

Our new territorial Commander has made 2009's theme Living Christ's Values. What an amazing open theme. I had to go back and look at the life of Christ to understand the secret to living like him is behaving like he did to the Father.

He says things like "nothing I do I do without consulting my Father". He put God's agenda ahead of his own, God's love for mankind in place of God's love for him. I am amazed and a little scared to really get down to the nitty gritty on this theme. I have realised that I have to change some of the "accepted" things I do and say.

Its so much easier to live your life in a bubble where everything is predictable. who would have known there would be a storm and the disciples would be fighting for their lives and Jesus would be sleeping - who knew that if you actually get out of the boat you could walk on water. Who would have known that saying "yes I want to be healed" would mean that you would be.

Jesus did not do the expected. he turned the values of the official religious leaders on their heads and they didn't like it. I wonder sometimes if I haven't become an official leader???? do I do the right things because they are valuable or because they are right in my sight??? I'm a little retrospective at the moment so indulge me. I'm second guessing everything I do to make sure my values really do work with Christ's. I'm finding that some of them are really a security blanket that stops me from getting too involved with the "wrong sort".

As an Army Officer I get drained or sapped of energy really quickly when I have to deal with the broken and desperate in life. So often the root of their problem is so easy for me to see but difficult to make them see or even want to fix. How much more annoying must we have been to God in the form of Christ. He must have wanted to shake us sometimes when we didn't get it or we didn't change or we didn't believe cos we didn't see!!

I am determined that this is going to be God's year to act in the Corps, in my family and in me. I am expecting great things. Maybe some of my value systems may just be turned on their heads a little.

till next time. see ya

2009-01-01T02:47:00.000-08:00

Wow it feels like forever since last I wrote my thoughts down. My life has been a steam roller of work, work and sleep. feelings and emotions are optional extras at times. We have secured a house to house the programme Beth Shan. What a wonderful statement to make. Sure there are problems - perhaps more like challenges but they are just sent to keep you humble and totally reliant of God. God makes me want to giggle when he sorts a problem out almost immediately or when he whams you with an aha moment as he sorts something out overnight that has kept you up most nights.

We are praying to open Beth Shan in February. Many are saying it won't happen but I know God has a trick or two up his sleeve- I like the idea that God smiles at our roadblocks. the most exciting aspect of the new Beth Shan is that it will be a place of healing of Agape love and understanding, a place of quiet from a terrible life and a place of shelter from the storm. We will also have the element of women who had been through the horrible experience of being trafficked. I guess that will be one of our biggest challenges. They are survivors and have learnt how to be tough and how to get what you want in desperate ways. God must give us the wisdom to work lovingly with these ladies but also restorative. Making sure they will once again be able to live in a "normal" society after being so badly abused by fellow human beings.

As I look at the world today I see not much has changed. The corporate conscious of society has just dulled even more then it was in the past. Now we turn a blind eye to so much more then our forefather's did. Apartheid was terrible but slavery has to be worse. Genocide was disgusting as we look at it in history but we allow it in our life time and for me in my own continent.

The truth of power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely is so evident in Africa. How we pray that God would bless Africa and we thank Him for men like Angus Buchan who stands and preaches repentance and confession of sins.

Africa has a bleeding heart that needs fixing but the eyes of those living in Africa will tell you that hope has almost left us. almost but not completely. God bless Africa!!

Christmas has come and gone and 2008 has closed its door. I loved Christmas this year. After our morning service which was well attended we headed out for the Free State and spent a few days (3) at Moreson in Vreda. Its a hunting lodge - canned lions no less !!!!!- But also a camping site with an indoor pool and the kids got to play with lion and tiger cubs. they had free access to them and the boys in particular loved that experience. it was only as we stayed there that we discovered the true nature of the lodge. But I am pleased to say that a law has just come out banning canned lion hunting. so maybe moreson will become a lion sanctuary I hope so!

We came back in time to prepare for Old Year's eve service. We decided to hold it at our home and the young people brought their guitars and keyboard and drums and we sang praises to our Great God. We looked at new hopes, new desires and new decisions. We asked God for direction for 2009 and thanked Him for his Faithfulness in 2008. It was a great evening at midnight we were singing -"You are awesome in this place Mighty God" to the sound of an incredible thunderstorm hitting our garage - where we moved to when the rain began to threaten). It was amazing just to bow before the king of the universe and offer to him ourlives for another year.

Our verse for this year is Luke 4:18-19 taken from the Message
God's spirit is on me; He's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, "this is God's year to act".

So allow me to announce to you all "this is God's year to act". As a church we are beleiving this so much and standing on it as our foundation. We know that God has great things in store for us and we are going to preach it, announce it, do miracles in His name and shout from the roof tops this is God's year to act. We are taking God at His word and know that that's a good thing to do.

So pray for us. As a family we are doing well. Nicole (my second eldest ) has just past matric. She passed really well and we are really proud of her. She start at university this year studying Bcom accounting. I know that even in this God will undertake to make sure she is financally able to get through her studies. We praise him for the 10 thousand already received.

matthew and Mark start with the senior phase of their high school career and are very excited. natalie has a job at Truworths (a clothing store) and a steady boyfriend so she too is beginning to be settled. jeff and I love each other more every day. We are so interdependent on one another its a little scary at times. I thank God for my life partner and ask that I may know how best to serve him.

So from us to you all God bless and keep true to Him. My hightest prayer for 2009 is that I may be worthy of His love and that he may continue to work His work of grace in my heart so that I can be more and more like him. I want to be holy even as he is holy. Too high - well I'm striving toward that goal.

Time - the enemy

2008-10-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Rushing against the clock can be so frustrating and really senseless. But when you have several deadlines to meet it can get exhausting. Learning to prioritise is essential and almost impossible.

Just as I thought I was getting on top of all my tasks a faithful soldier dies and we have to do the funerals (a memorial in Bela Bela south Africa and a funeral in PE south Africa). Suddenly all the well laid plans have to shift and other things take priority.

I tried to find times when Jesus was moving from one place to another with an agenda and life just breaks in - I looked to see how he handled life's interruptions. There was blind Bartimaeus and I saw him stop, take time, listen and heal. The women who touched the hem of his garment - the tassels that represent God and his law to the Jews - He stops, takes time, listens and healing both physical and spiritual take place. The women who begs for healing for her daughter, again Jesus stops, listens, and healing takes place. I guess that no matter where I looked Jesus seemed to do that every time. Even Zacchaeus. He never walked away from an interruption he always stopped, listened and acted. I tend to act, listen then very seldom stop.

I realised that I needed to develop a different look on time. It really stops for no man but God who created time for our benefit made time bend to his will and design. So I am trying to take the time to stop, listen before acting with regard to the interruptions life throws at me.

I am about to start a training for Precept on Saturday and I need to take the time to prepare well. So this is my first appointment with stopping, listening and then acting. I will take the time to do things differently. I pray that God will touch the lives of the men and women who will be trained in this exciting Bible Study programme. Precept is an Inductive Bible Study which makes you look at the word of God slowly - digging all its treasures up for yourself. We will be looking at the life of Abraham - Becoming a friend of the Faithful God.

After that we have a Divisional Celelbration at which our Band will be on duty. They are very excited and hope to do well - their first time out (playing at a Divisional event for a long time. The Band has a number of brand new players who are still learning but really enjoying their playing time.

We have a new TC - whom I have not yet met but I am looking forward to his leadership knowing he will take us to new heights. We are trusting God for even greater things.

Army Renewal: Army Meetings

2008-10-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Army Renewal: Army Meetings

Life - too long or too short??

2008-10-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

There are times when you think whats the point of all this living???? Why are so many people living such miserable lives and others seem to just coast through life without any problems? Every time I am confronted by the death of someone I ask the same questions. How successful was this person at living? I good friend has just passed away. He was the Sgt. Major at the first Corps my husband and I were appointed to straight out of college. he was a tough Sgt. Major and demanded a high standard from us.

We didn't always agree - in fact we didn't agree on a number of occasions but I know I learnt some of my most important lessons while he was in our lives. He made me search the scripture to see my position as a women in leadership. He made me question my personal calling and made me either accept that God does call women into leadership or He doesn't. He was a faithful stalwart of the Corps and now he has gone to be with his Father - Absent from the body and present with the Lord. And as I think about his life I guess the reality of it all is who will take his place? We don't have the old guard who stood their ground and taught and led by example. He was an amazing man with a exhausting work ethic. he died at 69 still working in construction!!! He would work side by side with his workers never demanding from them what he would not do himself. He never wanted you to thank him publicly. He would often say - don't take away my heavenly reward. Jesus will thank me - later!

I know the Army is a movement that has many young members but how many of them having the staying power of men like the one I have described above. He grew up in a large family and each had their various chores around the farm. As a family they started two Salvation Army Corps that are still in existence today! They love God and they serve Him in the Army with all that they are.

We're moving into a technical age with every thing going digital. Young people can type faster then ever before - creating their own language in cyberspace. They demand faster food, faster phones, faster computers - faster life. What have I left as an inheritance to the generations to come? How have I contributed to the decline in moral standards around the world. In one year we sell and buy more human beings then in 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade. We have discovered new ways of lowering the value of human life more now then ever we did through two world wars.

We have created monsters. The Newspaper headlines say boys of 8 years old form a Sex club at school!! What has happened to us?? Why have we allowed the sin in man to be so overpowering in our world?? Is this really "Still my Father's world"?

Well just like you can't eat an Elephant (not that I would want to) in one sitting I guess we have to start chewing one mouthful at a time. So for now lets build awareness about the trafficking problem that is at work in every single country in the world. Young people are being bought and sold as we speak. They will never know the reality of a safe environment or the possibility of a life shielded and sheltered by a loving family. Help educated young people about the state of mankind so that they can know there are people out there looking to hurt them and looking to take them away!

Support initiatives like Stop the Traffic and World Hope and of course The Salvation Army and get the word out to everyone!

Keep safe, help us to talk into the scourge of Human Trafficking so that we can pray it, speak it, and hopefully stop it!!

God bless

Margie

Saved to serve

2008-10-07T04:34:00.000-07:00

I have just had the awesome privilege to attend the Willow Creek Leadership conference. I was so incredibly challenged. It was superb. I was introduced to so many amazing concepts and ideas and left there with my mind abuzz and my heart beating just a little faster.

I have been praying for a long time for God to show me how we could 'do' church more effectively. But I'm not in a church I'm in an army so how do I do "Army" more effectively. I am reading three books at the moment Pathway to Purpose for women by Katie Brazelton, the Shack by William p. Young and IT by Greg Groeschel. Greg heads up LifeChurch.TV They are all amazing and everyone on the planet should read them.

But Katie is taking me through some really personal things. She dealt with my walk in integrity this morning. It was a difficult session and serious thinking had to really take over. How integral am I? She has a quote in the book by Charles Swindoll "When one has integrity there is an absence of hypocrisy. He or she is personally reliable, financially accountable, and privately clean.... innocent of impure motives."

WOW WOW WOW. I had some real hard cleaning up to do and so I spent a good long time before the throne just telling my Father all about it.

I was woken up this morning by God at about 3am. He needed to deal with me and so I couldn't sleep - I am studying for exams I write two in January - but he wanted me to get a new vision for our Corps. (pronounced Core) This is what he gave me

Our vision statement is an old one but we want to revive it "Saved to Serve" Our Corps really does service well. So If that is a natural strength of the Corps then we should run with it so this next year everything we do will be in service. We want to serve with excellence. The catch phrase we want everyone to catch on to maybe make it the official greeting "how may I serve you today?" We want the entire Corps to buy into this vision to make it theirs. Our Scripture verse for 2009 is Luke 4:18-19 - its the call on the life of Jesus and its the one he handed over to his followers. So we are going to ask God everyday "How may I serve you today."

I would love us to have t shirts made with Born to serve on them or something like that. We want the vision statement to go throughout the different ministries in the Corps. We want it to be translated into lots of different languages too.

Bill Hybels talked about Mother Theresa in the last session of the day before we watched a clip intitled A thousand questions. --Mother Theresa made a few vows in her time as a nun but the most profound was she told God "I will refuse you nothing". That's pretty dangerous. God may ask you to do the most impossible thing - that's always been my fear. I forget sometimes that He's my Father but then I remember what he asked His Son to do..... No I know He loves me and He will always love me but there are times when I want to limit His control over every area of my life. I would love for him to trust me with little bits of it. But I guess when I fully committ to Him He fully committs to me. Thats what a covenant relationship is all about but in the busy path of life thats not always easy to hold on to or to remember. But Mother Theresa didn't hesitate to say to her father "I will refuse you nothing". She also promised to be faithful in the little practices. I guess those are the things that no one else sees. Just you and Your Father who sees everything. Its difficult to be faithful in those moments. The the vow she made that really touched me was this "Even thous I don't feel his presence for long periods of time, I will seek to love him as he has never been loved before."

To love like that is amazing!! I made it my mission to discover what that means in my relationship with God. I love Him - I tell everyone I love him but to love him more than he has ever been loved before that obsessive - and I guess that's what he wants!

I am so thrilled to be loved by God and I am so thrilled to be his child. So pray for Pretoria Corps and pray for us as we enter into this amazing time of learning what it is to serve with excellence. may we know God's peace as we strive to serve our community as God would have us serve them.

without president

2008-09-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up in a South Africa that had no president. this is the first time something like this had ever happened to me. And again I learn something new regarding the ANC. I had already learnt that the party has a pecking order. The strongest always wins. So it was no surprise to me that Zuma won in Polekwane. Slowly Zuma has become stronger until now he is stronger then Mbeki and so the weaker of the two must take the fall. I am very proud of the way the older wiser man stepped down. I dread to think about our Country being run by someone who has proven over and over again that he has a price and can be bought.

But I respect Romans 13 and I will obey the leaders God has appointed over me. I will pray for the leaders of this beautiful land.

I am reading an excellent book pathway to purpose for women by Katie Brazelton. Excellent for anyone searching for meaning with regard to their present path and for direction when the road seems to bend either to the left or right and both look equally attractive.

She quotes John Ortberg (another challenging author and teacher)

"Whatever our season of life, it offers its own opportunities and challenges for spiritual growth. Instead of wishing we were in another season we ought to find out what this one offers."

So I intend to do just that. I'm firstly going to really make sure I understand the present season then go on to understand what to do with the way I feel about it.

The country is going through a spring cleaning and I feel I am doing the same thing. Right now I am cleaning out cupboards and sorting through papers and filing etc. In my head space I am preparing for two big training opportunities that are coming up next month. I am also preparing for two exams in January. And in between I have to think up an original Christmas programme and keep smiling while my children prepare for their own exams and end of year activities. So life is good and expensive!

My prayer for now is that God will allow me to focus on the important issues of life. Family, friends and constantly placing Him at the centre of all that I do. Time management and not allowing myself the constant need to self-destruct.

musings on a Friday

2008-09-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

We've just had the Home League Rally at our Corps. It was exhausting but really a great morning was enjoyed by all. It was such a blessing to see the hall so completely packed. Wow I long to see that every Sunday.

As an Officer I am going through one of my philosophical moments. Is this what God really intended me to do until the day I die and is there life after Officership and what do I do when people I trust to make right decisions regarding my life make such obviously wrong decisions regarding my friends and fellow officers.

I guess the one thing that attaches itself to this mode of thinking is the lack of resources for the Corps programmes, the lack of resources for our allowance - we just got a huge increase (absolutely great) the Corps can't afford to give it to us neither can they give us our back pay -
But the Territory is in the process of centralising allowances etc. So maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel - who knows???

Enough of that I have been stunned at how God just always shows up at the party. We needed dog food. Visited a friend whose dog had just died and she asks me - can I give you the dog food we have here - OK thanks God! Then we needed something for one of the kids and again a Friend calls out of the blue offering me that very thing - these God incidents keep me on my feet and hold my heart carefully.

Nicole (my daughter) is getting ready to write her final exams!! I find it difficult to know that she will soon be at university and then out of the house. Teaching her to fly has been a difficult process but watching her fly alone has been tough for me.

Matthew and mark are great. They are really nice boys who make my heart so proud. Natalie will always be the one who pulls at our heartstrings because she always seems to be lost in a crowd. I pray for all four of these precious young adults that somehow each of them may make a positive change in everything they do and with everyone they come into contact.

Aristotle once said "for things we have to learn before we do them, we learn by doing them." - I have proven that statement over an over in my life. The best teacher is experience. Even in the writing of this blog I have had to learn while writing. I'm enjoying having a place that I can express my feelings and my emotions openly but at the same time I am aware of the potential risk factor as well. they dichotomy of feelings is what keeps me doing it - i think. I don't have to make sense to anyone other than myself - and even then I don't always understand all I think about either.

Monday clear out

2008-09-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

I had the awesome privilege of attending a wedding yesterday. Its becoming the norm to have weddings on a Sunday - still a bit strange though. Major Alister and Marika Venter's eldest daughter Alison was married to a wonderful young man. He was amazing from arriving at her Kitchen tea and presenting every lady there with a rose to speaking wonderful words to his new wife at the reception.

The wedding was conducted by Captain Garth Niemand and took place at a beautiful venue out in the Magaliesberg range. It was truly a beautiful place to be married. The colours were blue and white and looked beautiful.

Alison was beautiful and Branden was amazing. I wish them all the best for the future. They love the Lord and they have built their relationship on God. So they have everything going for them.

We were having such an amazing time at the wedding and someone said to me - this feels wrong - this is a Sunday. But I think weddings should take place on a Sunday. Its a covenant relationship! Why not celebrate it on the Lord's day.

I enjoyed the wedding it was great and we enjoyed the company as well.

I am busy reading a life of purpose for woman and again I am looking at what I am doing and how my passion is involved in what I do. I want to work in my passion but maybe my work needs to become my passion. Am I supposed to change my passion or my work???? Every time I try to do something to do with my passion I hit against people in position of authority over me shoot it down. Is it because I should not do these things or is the devil trying to keep me down???

south Africa is beautiful today. The sun is shining where I am and I am enjoying a day off. I'm at home and doing things but I allow myself not to worry about everything and everyone today.

this is going to be a hectic week as we have our Home League rally this week and its at our Corps (church)! We are doing the decor and getting the tea ready etc. etc. its going to be great but its going to be alot of work!!

anyway enough from me and my thoughts. Praying God's blessing over all who read this blog.

2008-09-12T00:11:00.000-07:00

The clouds have moved in over the highveld and today is a little bit chilly. On my way to work at the school tuck shop. Serving at least 700 boys in a 20 minute time span is not a task for the light hearted.

I was asked to produce our Home league Magazine for South Africa. Its been a fun but really hectic task and a good friend Heather helped me by taking on a few months of work. Thanks Heather! I divided the magazine up into seasons which made me think a lot about how nature reflect human emotions. We all have our dark and dreary days when tears are the order of the day and we feel almost dead. Then we have those days when Sunshine reflects back at us and we enjoy the day.

I love spring and Autumn the most. They steer away from the extremes and just allow us to enjoy life as it comes. I realise they are the shortest of seasons but they are the best -moderate that's what I like!

risk taing

2008-09-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

Today is a beautiful day in South Africa. Everything is great. I have found a UNISA assignment not done yet so will have to work really hard to get it in by tomorrow. I'm reading a really good quiet time book Praying for purpose for women by Katie Brazelton and it really is a prayer experience rather than a quick run through before the day begins.

I am beginning to admit a few things to myself. As an officers Child (In the Salvation Army) I learnt - from very young - not to wear my heart on my sleeve. To defend myself and my beliefs fiercely. I learnt that I had an opinon and I expressed it freely.

But over the years the Holy Spirit worked with my spirit and began to soften the edges. I began to allow certain emotions to come into my day to day life. I still knew how to keep people at a distance - so made an excellent counsellor. Able to help others without getting emotionally involved.

But over the past year the Holy Spirit has been softening the centre bits. I'm exposing myself to more emoional risk taking. I've been hurt, disappointed, angry, frustrated more in this time then ever. But its all good because I'm allowing myself to feel. There are still times when I shut down and cloak myself with a hard shell that no one can penetrate but its at those moments that the Holy Spirit works really gently with me.

I've always known the Holy Spirit is the comforter but to be honest I have only just begun to really understand and personally experience this in my life.

So here we have another risk taking step but a good one for me.

2008-09-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

ok so I thought I would try this new technology thing out. I love just being able to speak about the things that touch my heart so here goes.
Last night I visited my nephew who is turning 21 today!! He's a great young man with a beautiful little one year old boy named Jayden and a lovely fiance named claudette. He is stuck in hospital because a drunk driver wrote his car off!! I don't know what happened to the the driver of the other vehicle. At the hospital they told us he had minor injuries Johnny has a crushed pelvis.

Life isn't always fair but I know this that God has had his hand over Jonathan's life and has kept him from near death so many times that he must have something amazing for him to do. What am I saying he is already a great dad, has a lovely family is facing life full on and enjoying every moment. - Perhaps God is already working out the miracle that is Jonathan right now.

Isn't it strange how we always think the miracle is still coming when in fact most of us are living miracles every day.

Its been a very hectic time in my life. I am studying at UNISA which is distance studies and I'm not giving it all I have, I am co-pastoring a church with my husband, I am raising four amazing children, (sorry young adults) and my second eldest is doing matric at the moment. I am also managing a shelter for abused women as well as running a few training courses for Precept.

Bla, Bla sounds like a pity party but its not. Just writing that down I felt encouraged. You see my person is not a simple idea but a complex joining together of so many ideas. I sometimes get a bit confused as to which roll I am playing but all in all I think my life is good and fulfilled.

My prayer is that my life would reflect the God I serve and that all I do may not bring me any glory but be to His account. that takes a lot of pressure off me and puts a lot of pressure onto Him.

This has been fun. Will try again later today.