The other day a girl from the church I grew up in sent me a request through FaceBook.
She was leading a service and wanted to ask some people some questions that would help her with her talk.
Three of the questions were tough yet easy at the same time.
Here they are.
What were you involved in in your teenage years at the Salvation army?
Who influenced you in any way?
What would you do differently if you were a teenage Salvationist once again?
I had a good long reflect on this.
And.
I wrote some stuff down.
And.
I really felt compelled to publish it on my blog.
It may help someone?
Maybe it won't, but here goes.
The first thing that came to mind was this.
To steal a line from a classic book, It was the best and the worst of times.
To answer the question on what was I involved in that was easy.
I was in the brass band, the songsters, I was a soldier, I wasn't a Christian. I hated the rules around the Army, I was uncomfortable in front of mates in a uniform even resorting to lying down in the back of the family car so no one would see me! On the outside I was probably a likeable rogue at best, on the inside I was heading for oblivion.
Thats pretty much it!
Who influenced you?
The first name has to be my own mother of course. She prayed for my salvation until that happened at the age of 36, I guess she still does. She demonstrated a relationship with God through the worst of family times and still came out praying. Then a lady called Nellie Hughes was my sunday school teacher. She taught me something that I didn't have much of as a teenager, humility. She gently taught me about relationship with God that planted a seed in my head that I carried throughout my none Christian years. there were many others of course, very kind people in my Corps growing up who I wouldn't want to name for fear of leaving people out.
What would I do differently if I had my teenage years again?
I would love more lavishly. I would have taken my eyes off salvationism and turned them to Jesus. I would try to appreciate other peoples uniqueness and will them to flourish. I would have not gone with the crowd just to feel accepted. I would have been strong in my developing relationship with God and tried to bless everything that moves. I would have not allowed my life to be run by rules and regulations that someone has thought might be a good idea in an office somewhere. I would have prayed. My prayer life amounted to zero. For half my life I missed out on the glorious supernatural power of God that changes everything all because I had no idea what prayer was, I thought it was a lifeless exercise performed for five minutes in a meeting. I would have taken the circles I mixed in seriously and used it as a mission field and attempt to save everyone in it through Jesus. I would have made sure I had a guilt free social life and not a guilt laden Army life. In other words I would have made sure I was a blessing in the pub on the football field, and in everything I did instead of feeling like I was doing something horrendous by breaking Army rules. I would have lived out my life in a very different way. I would have loved to operate in the spiritual side rather than that of the crazy stuff that actually stifled my development as a soldier of Christ even though there are still those who argue that it actually helps people.
If I had my teenage years again?
I would be in love with Jesus.
But
I can't have those years again!
Thankfully I hear some people say!!!
And.
I thank God for my past.
Everyone has a past!
Dont be held back by your past because in Christ theres a future!
I now appreciate where others are at when I try to minister to them. My past helps me to lavish Gods love and mercy on people because it has prepared me to minister more effectively, because I understand.
They were the best and the worst of times.
Now.
Today?
The truth has set me free.
Jesus has disturbed, uprooted, and changed my whole being.
I thought about this the other day.
And I often say I wasted half my life.
Yet.
Im not sure God wastes anything.
And.
I thank God for those who held me up in those early years, in prayer, in rebuke and in love.
If I was encouraging a teenager, or anyone for that matter.
I would say this.
The sooner the better! Allow Jesus to change every single thing. allow God to make you dangerous to the enemy and his kingdom. I'm not saying everything becomes dead easy and all our problems disappear as one song incorrectly says, but I AM saying everything WILL change. Life becomes like new! I didn't like Gary the likeable rogue. In fact if I look back I longed for that Gary to jog on.
And?
Praise God he jogged on twelve years ago!
It's spectacularly true that Jesus brings new life.
So the sooner the better.
So!
Be blessed.
If God can rescue me? If God can change my life completely, If God can turn a likeable rogue heading nowhere into a guy who feels free and like my life means something to others?
Then he can definitely do the same for you.
She was leading a service and wanted to ask some people some questions that would help her with her talk.
Three of the questions were tough yet easy at the same time.
Here they are.
What were you involved in in your teenage years at the Salvation army?
Who influenced you in any way?
What would you do differently if you were a teenage Salvationist once again?
I had a good long reflect on this.
And.
I wrote some stuff down.
And.
I really felt compelled to publish it on my blog.
It may help someone?
Maybe it won't, but here goes.
The first thing that came to mind was this.
To steal a line from a classic book, It was the best and the worst of times.
To answer the question on what was I involved in that was easy.
I was in the brass band, the songsters, I was a soldier, I wasn't a Christian. I hated the rules around the Army, I was uncomfortable in front of mates in a uniform even resorting to lying down in the back of the family car so no one would see me! On the outside I was probably a likeable rogue at best, on the inside I was heading for oblivion.
Thats pretty much it!
Who influenced you?
The first name has to be my own mother of course. She prayed for my salvation until that happened at the age of 36, I guess she still does. She demonstrated a relationship with God through the worst of family times and still came out praying. Then a lady called Nellie Hughes was my sunday school teacher. She taught me something that I didn't have much of as a teenager, humility. She gently taught me about relationship with God that planted a seed in my head that I carried throughout my none Christian years. there were many others of course, very kind people in my Corps growing up who I wouldn't want to name for fear of leaving people out.
What would I do differently if I had my teenage years again?
I would love more lavishly. I would have taken my eyes off salvationism and turned them to Jesus. I would try to appreciate other peoples uniqueness and will them to flourish. I would have not gone with the crowd just to feel accepted. I would have been strong in my developing relationship with God and tried to bless everything that moves. I would have not allowed my life to be run by rules and regulations that someone has thought might be a good idea in an office somewhere. I would have prayed. My prayer life amounted to zero. For half my life I missed out on the glorious supernatural power of God that changes everything all because I had no idea what prayer was, I thought it was a lifeless exercise performed for five minutes in a meeting. I would have taken the circles I mixed in seriously and used it as a mission field and attempt to save everyone in it through Jesus. I would have made sure I had a guilt free social life and not a guilt laden Army life. In other words I would have made sure I was a blessing in the pub on the football field, and in everything I did instead of feeling like I was doing something horrendous by breaking Army rules. I would have lived out my life in a very different way. I would have loved to operate in the spiritual side rather than that of the crazy stuff that actually stifled my development as a soldier of Christ even though there are still those who argue that it actually helps people.
If I had my teenage years again?
I would be in love with Jesus.
But
I can't have those years again!
Thankfully I hear some people say!!!
And.
I thank God for my past.
Everyone has a past!
Dont be held back by your past because in Christ theres a future!
I now appreciate where others are at when I try to minister to them. My past helps me to lavish Gods love and mercy on people because it has prepared me to minister more effectively, because I understand.
They were the best and the worst of times.
Now.
Today?
The truth has set me free.
Jesus has disturbed, uprooted, and changed my whole being.
I thought about this the other day.
And I often say I wasted half my life.
Yet.
Im not sure God wastes anything.
And.
I thank God for those who held me up in those early years, in prayer, in rebuke and in love.
If I was encouraging a teenager, or anyone for that matter.
I would say this.
The sooner the better! Allow Jesus to change every single thing. allow God to make you dangerous to the enemy and his kingdom. I'm not saying everything becomes dead easy and all our problems disappear as one song incorrectly says, but I AM saying everything WILL change. Life becomes like new! I didn't like Gary the likeable rogue. In fact if I look back I longed for that Gary to jog on.
And?
Praise God he jogged on twelve years ago!
It's spectacularly true that Jesus brings new life.
So the sooner the better.
So!
Be blessed.
If God can rescue me? If God can change my life completely, If God can turn a likeable rogue heading nowhere into a guy who feels free and like my life means something to others?
Then he can definitely do the same for you.
