There’s a saying – what came first? The chicken or the egg?
A thought – does God prepare you for future service by leading you into particular areas or does He take the paths and choices you have made and use the skills you’ve developed for the outworking of His will in your life? Without getting too bogged down in a theological debate that I’ll never be able to answer, during the last weekend I found myself marvelling a the way God seems to have led us in the recent years and how the present is miraculously building upon the foundation of the past.
Last week (Valentines Day) Lyn and I went to see ‘Strictly Come Dancing Live’. It was a great night out. The day marked the 12th anniversary of my very first international deployment. It was Valentines Day 1996 when I drove off in a small Red Shield mobile canteen from Gutersloh heading for Bosnia. In so many ways I drove off into the unknown. I knew nothing of Bosnia, I knew nothing about international military procedures and I had no knowledge about the way IHQ worked and the ministry of the International Emergency Services section. Three months later I returned home having had an experience which changed my life and one which was to impact upon my whole family in a way I could never have imagined. It led to my involvement with the Emergency Services section and subsequent appointment as Coordinator of The Salvation Army’s international emergency ministry. It opened doors to places I would never have dreamed of visiting and situations I had only previously witnessed through TV news reports. It brought me to places around the world I would never have visited otherwise. In fact, I’m writing this whilst sitting in a small hotel in Lima, Peru, en route to visiting the area of Pisco which was impacted by an earthquake 6 months ago.
Last weekend we drove to Portsmouth. We recently learned that Lyn and I are to become the Commanding Officers of the Portsmouth Citadel corps. It means a move of home and a fairly drastic change of work (for me, at least). Desperate to see something of our new home we made a quick visit to suss out the lay of the land. We found the street and then the house that is to be our new home. We felt like spies as we pulled up just far enough down the road to take a peek without alerting the suspicions of the current occupants who might be inside. The girls were in the back seat with heads ducked down so as not to appear that we were looking! We then drove down to the town centre and parked up behind the Salvation Army church building. As we walked around it and took a few pictures we were conscious of trying not to appear too obvious in case someone saw us (isn’t life stupid?)
Having spied out the new land we drove to the Gunwharf Quay outlet mall, wandered around the shops and sat overlooking the bay whilst we drank coffee in the Spinaker Tower café. The winter sun warm bright and warm, taking the chill out of the air. Crowds milled around enjoying the start of the half term holidays and we had a wonderful afternoon. I confess it was idyllic. My mind wandered back just 3 years to the university open days that Lyn and I attended with Rebecca. She was looking for the best Uni at which to study. We went to a number of places and I was the proud parent who went with her to investigate Chichester Uni. This was the place she chose and during the last 3 years we have had some wonderful visits to the area. We found a lovely B&B close to the sea at Felpham and have made it ‘our place’ for weekend visits. As we’ve explored the area we have grown to love it and have often said how great it would be to live in the region. Lo and behold, farewell orders have us moving to Portsmouth. We didn’t apply for that position, we didn’t try and influence the choice, but we now find ourselves preparing to move to a place we have already fallen in love with. Did God know that when he opened the door to Chichester Uni for Rebecca? It seems too much of a coincidence otherwise.
I confess that I’ve rarely been aware of God’s leading at the time – it’s only when I have looked back and seen that a series of apparently random choices have laid foundations for future steps that I could never have anticipated. God has been good and I’m convinced He will continue to lead and guide. I look forward to discovering how this will manifest itself!
A thought – does God prepare you for future service by leading you into particular areas or does He take the paths and choices you have made and use the skills you’ve developed for the outworking of His will in your life? Without getting too bogged down in a theological debate that I’ll never be able to answer, during the last weekend I found myself marvelling a the way God seems to have led us in the recent years and how the present is miraculously building upon the foundation of the past.
Last week (Valentines Day) Lyn and I went to see ‘Strictly Come Dancing Live’. It was a great night out. The day marked the 12th anniversary of my very first international deployment. It was Valentines Day 1996 when I drove off in a small Red Shield mobile canteen from Gutersloh heading for Bosnia. In so many ways I drove off into the unknown. I knew nothing of Bosnia, I knew nothing about international military procedures and I had no knowledge about the way IHQ worked and the ministry of the International Emergency Services section. Three months later I returned home having had an experience which changed my life and one which was to impact upon my whole family in a way I could never have imagined. It led to my involvement with the Emergency Services section and subsequent appointment as Coordinator of The Salvation Army’s international emergency ministry. It opened doors to places I would never have dreamed of visiting and situations I had only previously witnessed through TV news reports. It brought me to places around the world I would never have visited otherwise. In fact, I’m writing this whilst sitting in a small hotel in Lima, Peru, en route to visiting the area of Pisco which was impacted by an earthquake 6 months ago.
Last weekend we drove to Portsmouth. We recently learned that Lyn and I are to become the Commanding Officers of the Portsmouth Citadel corps. It means a move of home and a fairly drastic change of work (for me, at least). Desperate to see something of our new home we made a quick visit to suss out the lay of the land. We found the street and then the house that is to be our new home. We felt like spies as we pulled up just far enough down the road to take a peek without alerting the suspicions of the current occupants who might be inside. The girls were in the back seat with heads ducked down so as not to appear that we were looking! We then drove down to the town centre and parked up behind the Salvation Army church building. As we walked around it and took a few pictures we were conscious of trying not to appear too obvious in case someone saw us (isn’t life stupid?)
Having spied out the new land we drove to the Gunwharf Quay outlet mall, wandered around the shops and sat overlooking the bay whilst we drank coffee in the Spinaker Tower café. The winter sun warm bright and warm, taking the chill out of the air. Crowds milled around enjoying the start of the half term holidays and we had a wonderful afternoon. I confess it was idyllic. My mind wandered back just 3 years to the university open days that Lyn and I attended with Rebecca. She was looking for the best Uni at which to study. We went to a number of places and I was the proud parent who went with her to investigate Chichester Uni. This was the place she chose and during the last 3 years we have had some wonderful visits to the area. We found a lovely B&B close to the sea at Felpham and have made it ‘our place’ for weekend visits. As we’ve explored the area we have grown to love it and have often said how great it would be to live in the region. Lo and behold, farewell orders have us moving to Portsmouth. We didn’t apply for that position, we didn’t try and influence the choice, but we now find ourselves preparing to move to a place we have already fallen in love with. Did God know that when he opened the door to Chichester Uni for Rebecca? It seems too much of a coincidence otherwise.
I confess that I’ve rarely been aware of God’s leading at the time – it’s only when I have looked back and seen that a series of apparently random choices have laid foundations for future steps that I could never have anticipated. God has been good and I’m convinced He will continue to lead and guide. I look forward to discovering how this will manifest itself!
1 comment:
I am convinced God's got a sense of humour. Cedric, Lyn, Becs and Rachel, I'm praying for you all
Dawn x
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