Final thoughts of a year in Eston

Good evening! I hope you are well and have had a good couple of weeks. This is my final week in Eston! Where has the time gone? My blog this evening is going to be me reflecting on the past year, sharing with you what I have learnt and where I have seen God and what I think He has been doing throughout my time in Eston.

There have been many specific times that I can say have been a real highlight of my year, but there have been a few moments where I have had to take a step back and just be in awe of what God was doing at that specific time. One particular time was at Christmas where Eston Salvation Army distributed presents to the local community. Even though this was a highlight, it was also probably the most challenging thing I have ever been a part of. It was the Friday before Christmas and the day before I was going home for the Christmas break and I remember I was feeling a bit ill. So all of this put together, I may have gone into the day with a holiday mindset, but that attitude soon went when we started to meet people coming to collect their presents. It was a day that I'll never forget as it was the day when I had a direct effect on the happiness of people who were suffering. That day we were able to give people relief from the grief they were currently feeling and show them unconditional love. Throughout this year Isaiah 61 kept on cropping up, it reads; "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners". That day I met people who were broken hearted and I saw places that were in darkness and being a part of Eston Salvation Army gave me an opportunity to live out Isaiah 61. I believe that day God did pour His Spirit on to the Salvation Army and we did proclaim good news to the poor and we did, if only for a short while, bind up the broken-hearted. We can make a difference in people's lives, I saw it that day and that was directly because God was with us, I felt Him there moving amongst us. I pray that the Lord will give me more chances to live out Isaiah 61, I will always look for chances to proclaim the good news that Jesus can transform lives and that I will always look for the those who are marginalised and those who are suffering in society. I pray that I will no longer be comfortable in being content with my own happiness but seek to proclaim freedom for those who are prisoners of their own circumstance, wherever I may be serving in the future.

Another great time for me this year was actually away from placement and it was when I was serving with ALOVE at Spring Harvest. We were leading the 11-14 year old venue and I can honestly say that the Spirit was moving in that place in such a powerful way. I was able to pray with young people and watch young people's lives be changed because they were giving their lives to God for maybe the first time. That experience of intense ministry left exhausted but most of all inspired as I have come to learn that when we minister to people, God ministers to us and that is something that I must never forget. Having that experience of working with young people was invaluable and also very challenging. When young people confide in me to tell me things that they have told no other human being is totally humbling and also terrifying. That week at Spring Harvest was a blessing and a time I cannot and should never forget, we sang a song that has stuck with me since the event and the song is a song of commitment and it is a commitment that I made and as I share it with you please understand my honesty when I say that this is how I want to live my life, a life for God and God alone. The song was "So I'll stand, my arms raised and heart abandoned in awe of the One who gave it all. And I'll stand, my soul Lord to you surrendered, all I have is yours!"

The final highlight is something that has taken from September to now and it is something that is still a work in progress. It is the relationships I have built with this community. People know me as James from the Salvation Army through schools, Pubs, other Churches, Parent and Toddler groups, coffee mornings and I could go on. I don't say this is highlight because I got to know more people but because of the fact that for many people in this community they see me, along with other members of Eston Salvation Army, as the face of the Salvation Army and ultimately Jesus. In Exodus Chapter 33 we read Moses' conversation with God and Moses asks God "how will people know that we are different if you are not with us?" and this passage of scripture has challenged me as how will people know that there I have something different in my life unless I show them the presence of God dwelling within me? But how will people see that presence of God in my life unless I get to know them? And I believe I have got to know this community and this community has blessed me and I am privileged and humbled to think that God sent me here to help build His kingdom in this place.

I will soon be leaving Eston and starting a new adventure, I have got a job in London working with Messy Church, looking to develop youth work through Messy Church. It's something new and exciting and I think I will carry on blogging! But I want to thank everybody who has given me opportunities to develop and grow this year and I thank you, those who read my blogs and I know there are those out there who pray for me and for that I am incredibly thankful. I pray that God will bless you, God will bless Eston Salvation Army and Gary and Lorraine and that God will bless all those who love and serve Him. I remain certain that God has greater things in store and I will leave you with this promise from the Word of God;

"What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard and what no human mind has conceived, the things God has prepared for those who love him"

1 Corinthians 2:9

God Bless.

pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk

@peggo36

 

 

Challenges of Pentecost

Good afternoon! I hope you are well. It has been busy here the last couple of weeks and once again I have to apologise for missing last weeks blog. Sorry!

The weeks are going fast and the year in Eston is winding up very nicely. It is still busy and there is still plenty of work to be done. This includes The Grid! I thought I would give you an update on how this is going. For those who don't know The Grid is the name of the Youth Group that Eston Salvation Army has began in which I had the privilege to help establish. We had 7 young people attend in our second week and the best thing of all is that it is the young people that are inviting their friends to come along! It has been a real blessing this year to work with these young people and to get to know them as individuals. Throughout this year there has been an emphasis on work with the 11-14 year old age group, whether that be in Eston or at events like Spring Harvest, and I really think God has expanded my mind and has led me into that ministry. I thank God for that ministry, I thank God for all the young people I have worked with this year and I thank God for the lessons that they have taught me!

A couple of Sundays ago it was one of my favourite events in the Christian calendar,(behind Easter!) Pentecost. I love Pentecost, the story excites me and it really challenges me. The day the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and breathed life into what we call today the Church. But there are certain things that always hit me when I read the account of the "first" Pentecost. Firstly, it says in Acts that the disciples "were all together in one place". You can read that literally and simply say that they were all in the same room, but I think it means more than that. The disciples were one. They were one in mind and yet many, how can the Church have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us if we are not united? We must be one body of Christ with one aim and one message and through us may the Holy Spirit work wonders. Secondly, how scary must it have been when the Holy Spirit came!? There was a violent wind blowing through the house, fire dancing on people's head and people speaking in tongues! I think in this day of age that if there was fire in a Church it would be a health and safety hazard, but from the outside it must have been terrifying. Even speaking in tongues must have been a bit weird for them, but the I don't think the disciples were afraid. I reckon the disciples just revelled in the infilling of the Spirit. Oh I want to have that fearlessness, the fearlessness to completely trust in the Power of God even if that means having flames above my head. Lastly, the Spirit came and that day "3000 were added to their number". Think about it, 3000! Put it into perspective, in your Church or Corps, what a huge difference it would make to the place if 30 people walked through the doors and were saved, now times that by a hundred! The thing is this miraculous event of 3000 people coming to Jesus can still happen today. The Holy Spirit has changed so the only thing stopping it happening must be ourselves! What a challenge. All these thoughts come from one event that changed the World because imagine the world without the Church, I wouldn't be here! But more importantly imagine the World without the Holy Spirit, without God's promised presence. It probably isn't worth imagining.

I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog, have a good week and make sure you get in touch.

God Bless

@peggo36
pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk

God Equips!

Hello! I hope you're well and have had a good couple of weeks. The last couple of blogs I wrote I told you of many exciting things happening and I think it's only right that I update you of how it went!

So last week was half term, and after a busy week beforehand I was ready to relax back home in Wellingborough. However as soon as I got home, I was ill. I had an asthma attack on tuesday night which led to Paramedics getting called out and me getting put on a Nebuliser. What a drama! I think I must be allergic to rest! But thank goodness it happened the week I was back home than the week before, it was such a busy week... I didn't have time to be ill! But it was a lovely week at home and it was rounded up on Sunday at Wellingborough Salvation Army's Messy Church. Great things happen through Messy Church and families experience God by walking through the doors of a Church and engaging in craft, song or conversation. Whether they realise it or not it is worship and to see young children who don't normally attend church sing a song that says "Wonderful Lord, Wonderful God... help me to trust You forever" is nothing more than amazing. Me and Sophie led the actions to that song at it was a real blessing to see all people of different ages engage with worship in that way.

The week before half term was the week the Texan university students came to work here in Eston and it was a really signifficant time. I had the privilege of getting alongside them and helping them in their mission. The really helpful thing for me was being able to get involved and go into places where I wouldn't have had an opportunity of going into before. I mentioned in my last blog that I would be visiting secondary schools with the Texans and last thursday we went to a particular school called EOTAS (Education other than at School). It was basically a school for kids who struggle to learn or behave in mainstream school. To experience some of the things that went on in that classroom was a bit of an eye-opener and it did make me question what can be done to help these troubled young people. The teachers there are doing a fantastic job and a job that I could never do. But what is society doing to help the kids who are troubled? Those who have issues in school or issues in their family life? It is a challenge for society and it is a challenge for the Church, what can we do? I think we need to trust God to put us in the situations where we can talk to these young people, through schoolwork or meeting them where they are at and this is exactly what happened to me on the Wednesday. Leaving the hall after Hi-5, we saw three young lads, about 12 years old, cycling round our car park. They were jumping on the big green clothes bin and doing tricks down the stairs, making a nuisance of themselves in all honesty. So I called them over and I spoke to them, I was there for about half hour speaking to these lads and most that time was them asking me questions. They asked me questions about the Salvation Army, about Christianity and the Church. They asked me questions like; "Do you smoke?" or "Do you do drugs?" or "Are you going to go home and get drunk?" and it came to a surprise to them that I answered no to their questions. One of them wanted a fight with me, even though he was about 13, he probably could have hurt me so I kindly refused. These kids were troubled young people and this one lad in particular told me how he's been kicked out of school because someone tried to stab him, he was 12 years old! This is what some young people have to deal with in this day and age and I think it is a challenge to society and the Church of what can we do about it? How can we help these young people turn their lives around? It was an experience that I certainly never forget!

I'll give you a quick update on how "The Grid" went. If you remember "The Grid" is the group that has just been established focusing on young people between the ages of 10-14. We had around 15 young people in that age bracket turn up on our first night and when we include the Texans and other helpers, we had a good number for our the very first meeting. This Thursday we start back up again after half term, pray that it all goes well and that this group will flourish and that seeds will be planted in the hearts and minds of the young people who will attend.

Along with the Texans being here, that week myself and a few others were leading the Sunday meetings, both the Morning meeting and Café Church. We concentrated the theme on the Call of God or the official word "KALEO". I was helping to lead Café Church and I did the YP story on the popular saying "God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called" or a variation on that "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called". I did a demonstration of this by making a sandwich, but I had the wrong tools. So I used a saw to cut the bread, a plaster brush to spread the butter and a hammer and nails to cut up the tomato (which did go everywhere). The point of that silly task was that God doesn't call us into doing something and then gives us all the wrong things to complete the task nor does He just leave us to it. We can read in Exodus chapter 3 that when Moses was called by God to go free the Israelites from Egypt, he used every excuse under the sun to try and not fulfil God's call. However God had His way because He gave Moses everything he needed so He can free the Israelites. He gave Moses the gift of speaking powerfully, He gave Moses physical things such as a staff that turns into a snake and on top of that He God sent the plagues to support the task Moses was given. God doesn't just let us get on with it and leaves us to fend for ourselves, He equips us and He never leaves us. "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called".

I pray that for you reading this will be encouraged and affirmed in your faith that the God you serve is faithful. Have a blessed week this week.

Get in touch:

Email: pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter: @peggo36

Who is The Salvation Army?

When I asked myself this question, who is the Salvation Army? My thoughts straight away turned to how did the Salvation Army begin, what was it that breathed the army into life?

If we look at our history, a man named William Booth, a Methodist lay preacher from Nottingham, travelled to London to preach the Gospel. He looked upon the streets of the east end of London  and what did he see; Unemployed men wondering the streets, women selling themselves, Children passed out drunk on the roads, people starving and begging for food, the pubs and Gin Palaces full and prisons still loading the criminals in.  Yet in all of this, the place where these people could find comfort and Salvation did not want them. The Church did not welcome these poor and destitute people but William Booth saw that these people need physical and spiritual healing, these people need Jesus!

And so God raised the Salvation Army up out of the slums of Mile End waste for the lost. But what gave William Booth this passion for the lost, where did his heart for the lost come from? Luke Chapter 4 answers that question. When Jesus stood up in the temple, He could have read out any prophecy and fulfilled it that day but He chose to read the passage of scripture from Isaiah 61 and Jesus said; "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners"

Where did William Booth get his heart for the lost? He got it from Jesus! And when we think about identity and our identity as a Salvation Army, it does not mean what we look like in the sense of what we wear or the instrument we play but our identity is what we are made up of. Our identity is what stirs us, it's our passions and it is our convictions that make up our identity and surely as a Salvation Army we need to take up the identity of Christ and in turn have that passion for the lost. It says in scripture in Luke 19:10  that Jesus "...came to seek and save the lost." That was Jesus' goal, that was the reason why Jesus came to earth. To save sinners. If we look at the whole of the bible, it comes down to the fact that Jesus came to save sinners. In Genesis, we can read about the fall and the point where sin entered into that beautiful relationship between God and man and when man distanced himself from the love of God. God sent many people in the  form of Leaders and Judges and Prophets to come and bring God's people back into line but it was God's one and only plan to send the dearest thing he had in His  Son Jesus, to Earth so that sinners can be saved and that the Church through Jesus Christ would be established to complete  the commission God gave us in Matthew 28, "Go and make disciples of all nations..."

That commission given to the disciples, doesn't just apply to the select few who heard it. That commission is our calling, it is mine and it is your calling and ultimately it is the Salvation Army's calling. We are a Salvation Army, some of us may know the story of William Booth and his son Bramwell and they were writing a letter to be sent from the then called Christian Mission movement and it said "We are a volunteer Army", Bramwell Booth looked at the letter and said, "I am no volunteer" and they crossed out the word volunteer and replaced it with Salvation. There's a great quote that come from Booth and it says "We go for souls and we go for the worst" and that's exactly what Jesus did. He didn't come to Earth to socialise with the established Gentry, He came to Earth to be with sinners. The tax collectors, the prostitutes, even His dying breath was spent with criminals. The Salvation of the lost is the heart of Jesus. And it must be our heart too. We are a Salvation Army! It must be who we are, we have to reflect that desire and passion for those who are in darkness and for those who are prisoners of sin. It is our heritage and it has to be our identity. If we were asked who are you (as in who is the Salvation Army), would you reply, "We are the Salvation Army and we save souls"? Maybe the next question would be, why? My answer would be because Jesus did it. Jesus has to be at the centre of who we are as a Salvation Army, and with that everything that He does we must replicate, who He loves we must love, His Heart must be our heart. 

Does the Salvation Army have the same passion that Jesus had? Can the Salvation Army read from Isaiah 61 and say ""The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on us, because the Lord has anointed us to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent us to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners" Is this who we are? Our purpose on this planet is to bring souls to Salvation?

When looking at who we are, we must not shy away from the fact that we are an army. We are called an Army for a reason and like any other Army we are a fighting Army, it says in Ephesians 6:12 that "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." We are at war, I am no expert in Spiritual conflict theology but I believe that there is an evil one and he will try his very best to ruin anything that is Holy and Just in this world. We as a Salvation Army have to stand up against and fight against these evil forces. These forces delight in suffering and pain and it is the exact opposite to the reason why Jesus was sent to Earth, once more Luke Chapter 4; "He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted..."

We as an army with our identity in Christ have to fight against these things. And that can come in a number of ways, it may mean literally getting our hands dirty and going into the worst places of this world. It is where the Salvation Army began and it is where the Salvation Army belongs. General Linda Bond says, "The Army belongs in the dark places to shine the light of Jesus." Who is the Salvation Army? We are a light in the darkness, we go to places where people are too scared to go, where pain and suffering is obvious and there is no sense of God working. It is who we are, it is where we belong. It may mean that we pray. We need to be an Army on our knees, we need to pray for the lost and we need to pray for our Salvation Army. Or it could mean in our everyday lives, we live a life that reflects Jesus and that means showing love to those we come into contact with and standing up against the things we see that are not right in this world.

Whatever way, we as a Salvation Army are a fighting Army and we're not just fighting against things, we are fighting for things as well. We are fighting for the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven here on Earth. A kingdom where sin has no hold on anyone and a kingdom where our God is King over all. I read from Revelation 21: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her  husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.   “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” This is why the Salvation Army is alive, this is what we are fighting for, for the Kingdom of heaven here on Earth. It is who we are.

You all may have your own interpretation of who the Salvation Army but you can’t refute the fact that we are a Salvation Army. We are an Army fighting for the Lost and an Army fighting against Sin in this world.

Do you want to join in on that fight? Are you willing to commit to God in fighting against injustice and for the marginalised? Is God calling you specifically to do or to be something? Then I ask you to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Who is the Salvation Army? We are a Salvation Army, called to save and fight for the lost. William Booth wrote this poem and as I read it will you make the same promise as he did all those many years ago?

While women weep as they do now,                      

I’ll fight.                                                                   

While Little Children go hungry as they do now,   

I’ll fight                                                                     

While Men go to prison in and out, in and out as they do now.

I’ll fight.

While there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul, without the light of God.

I’ll fight. I’ll fight to the very end.

Build your Kingdom here!

Good afternoon, I must apologise for not blogging last week. It was a very busy week and by the time I had chance to blog I thought that I might as well do two next week. So you've got two to read!

So it has been a really good couple of weeks here in Eston. It has been busy but within all the business a time where the good Lord is really working in people's lives and in the life of Eston Corps. Something really exciting is happening at Eston in the next couple of weeks and it is going to be an expansion to the ministry of the Salvation Army in this community. Without saying too much, basically the work that is taking place with Children in Eston will develop into a ministry for youth (between the ages of 11-18). These are really exciting times here and I just pray that God will be in our preparation and in the deliverance of this new area of minstry. It's so exciting! Another exciting thing that is happening in the next couple of weeks is that this Friday a number of young people from Texas will be joining the churches here for a week. It is called the Texan mission week and there is going to be a lot happening and I have the privilege of working alongside these Texans in what they are going to be doing. But once more we as a Salvation Army have an opportunity to go into new places, build up a relationship and establish ministry there. We will be going into secondary schools and a school for Kid's who struggle with behaviour, we will be doing street work and helping out in youth groups. All chances to tell people about Jesus and build the Kingdom of God here in Eston.

It is amazing how God works. As part of my year of discipleship, I have been trying to complete "Bible in a Year" and it hasn't been the easiest thing. When I read about all the many old laws and all the different tribes, it becomes really heavy going and it takes true grit and determination to get through it and at on occasions I have been frustrated at not having a clue what it is going on about. I hit one of those times just a couple of weeks ago, I have been reading Joshua and towards the end of the book it spends many chapters going through the distribution of the Land of Canaan to all the many different tribes of Israel... if you want something heavy to read then read the back end of Joshua! I read these passages of scripture and I was questioning why on earth is that in the Bible? I had no answer until I thought about all the new and exciting things happening in Eston. This land in Joshua was unclaimed, it was been inhabited by people who did not know God and so the people of Israel had to go through Canaan and reclaim the land for God. It is such a great parallel, God distributing the land in which Israel claimed is very similar to the way God is allowing us to go into new places and claim that land. I just pray that the Holy Spirit will go and pave the way before us so that great things can happen!

For the last few weeks, Eston has done a series of meetings on "Identity". The first week, Trevor (CSM) led the meeting thinking about "Who am I?" as in who am I as an individual. I led the meeting last week about "Who is The Salvation Army?" and yesterday Gary (CO) led the meeting on "Who is Eston Salvation Army?". It has been a really good series and the meeting I led really helped me let alone, I hoped, helped other people. I am going to post my sermon as my other blog because I want people to read my thoughts on who I think the Salvation Army is or at least who the Salvation Army should be! I would really appreciate your comments on any blog but paticularly that one.

Have a good week and get in touch!

God Bless!

@peggo36
pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk

Tomado De La Mano

Good afternoon! I hope you had a good week last week. It was the first week after Easter and I'm guessing if you were like me, it took a little bit of time to get back in the swing of things! But it's all back to normal now, whatever normal is!

So to start the week last week, on Bank Holiday Monday, Eston Salvation Army held a community event called "Easter Cracked". It is similar format to the Christmas community event "Carols in the Car Park" (see the Christmas vlog to get an idea) and the idea was to get people from the community into the Salvation Army so they can learn about the true meaning of Easter. I thought it was a great success, we had around 60 people come in from outside the church and do some Easter themed crafts, play games and learn about Jesus. We had some great conversations with some people and there was one person I had a conversation with who was doing a quiz and one of the questions was; "Does Jesus live today?" Her answer was, "Yeah, He lives in our hearts". Now, I don't know if this individual had a Church background or not but she was prompted to make that statement of faith because of the Salvation Army holding a community event. Whether she said that statement to answer the question or whether she believes it, I pray that that truth of Jesus living in our hearts will stick with that person and she will not only know it as truth but be witness to it as well!

So I bet you're wondering what on earth "Tomado De La Mano" means? Well if you play in a Salvation Army brass band you may know what it means, it means "Holding Hands". This piece of music is called Tomado De La Mano and it has the song "I'll hold my hands with Jesus and walk with Him." and this thought has stuck in my head of walking with Jesus. This Tuesday I am leading the House Group at Eston and we shall be looking at the passage of Scripture in Luke Chapter 24, The Road to Emmaus. So to set the scene; Jesus has been crucified and so the disciples run and go into hiding, however on the third day people have said Jesus has risen and is alive. Now, we have the privilege of knowing the whole story, but put yourself in the shoes of the disciples would you want to get your hopes up thinking that the man who you have given up your life for and followed for 3 years, and who you have just seen humiliated and killed in the most painful fashion, may have risen from the dead? Honestly, I don't think I would have had the faith to believe that either. So two followers left Jerusalem and headed on the road to Emmaus. On this road to Emmaus, these two followers were joined by a mysterious man, the man asked them what has happened in Jerusalem and so they told him. This mysterious man went on to the two travellers ask why don't they believe that the Son of God could rise again and went on to teach them what the scriptures say about the Messiah. When this man finished teaching them about the scriptures, he went into the house of the travellers and he broke bread with them. The two men looked at this mysterious man and realised who they have been walking with; This Man was Jesus.

This story is so fascinating. The most fascinating part was that when the men realised it was Jesus, He just vanished! But the part that got me thinking was that these men were walking away from Jesus. When Jesus rose from the dead the angel said "He (as in Jesus) has gone before you into Galilee" but these men were going the opposite direction! They were not going the way Jesus wanted them to go, literally! So Jesus  comes alongside them, reveals Himself to them and they believe once more. I think this story is common in many people's lives. We like to go off on our own way and ignore the path God has paved before us, but God doesn't curse and punish us for that. Instead He sends Himself in the form of the Holy Spirit to come alongside, show us who He is and guide us back home. If there is someone reading this that feels they are going off in the wrong direction then I want to comfort you and say that you can always turn back round again and walk with Jesus. I pray that for myself, that every day of my life, I will hold my hands with Jesus and walk with Him.

If you need to get in contact with me about anything to do with this blog then please feel free. I hope you have a good rest of the week.

God bless you all.

@peggo36 -Twitter
pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk  - Email

"I don't know!"

Good evening! I must apologise that I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks, it has been very busy and blogging has slipped my mind. But here it is so enjoy!

So the last time I blogged I asked you to pray for Spring Harvest as I was about to join a team from the Salvation Army who were going to work with 11-14 year old who were attending. If you did pray, the thank-you because your prayers were answered.  It was such a blessed and significant time at Spring harvest and an absolute privilege to work, talk and pray with over 500 children over the week. I was both blessed and challenged over the week and the experience is something that I will treasure and take with me. I was blessed with the fact that I was put in a situation where on a number of occasions I had the opportunity to pray with young people who are giving their hearts to Jesus for the first time, the Holy Spirit was really moving and young people came to Christ over that week. It was an honour to be the person to pray for them as they committed their lives to God, words can't describe how I felt, it was a joyous and yet humbling experience and something that I'm so pleased to be a part of. I just pray that those young people who gave their hearts to Jesus would keep strong in that commitment and their faith would go from strength to strength. I was also really challenged over the week with some of the questions that I was asked. I was leading a Seminar Space called "Deeper" and it was the opportunity for the young people to come and discuss what they learnt in the morning session and if they had any questions that they wanted to ask. One lad came up to me afterwards with this question- "Can God do anything?" My immediate answer was yes and then he went on to ask, "So can He make a rock so heavy that he can't lift it?" ... if you can come up with a good answer to that question then please get in contact! What a challenge, a young person asking me a question to which I did not have an answer! A great challenge and it was a great privilege to lead that seminar with those young people.

I do hope you all had a good Easter.  Easter is always a significant time for me, I try my best to find something new in the Easter story every year. Something that brings new light to the story or something that I haven't noticed but it is very significant all the same. The thing that stood out to me actually is the same challenge that young lad brought to me at Spring Harvest. Who moved the stone? Sceptics would say that the disciples did, others would say the Romans soldiers guarding the tomb moved the body and other people would create other theories. But every "conspiracy theory" people come up with, it is refuted and explained. The only way the stone was rolled away was by the power of God, it was power of God that raised Jesus to life. I don't get it, I don't understand how but I believe with all my heart He is risen and He lives! The answer I gave to the boy at Spring Harvest was the same way I try to understand the power of God. I said to him, that a man trying to understand the mind of God  is the same as a worm trying to understand the mind of man. It isn't going to happen! But sometimes the best thing to do is to say I don't know but I believe. I don't know how Jesus was raised from the dead but I believe He did. I think that is what faith is about and it is something that I am coming to really learn over this year, I don't need to know all the answers to have a strong faith.

Have a blessed week everyone, get in touch.

God Bless.