Language and Uniform

When I was in my office on Friday last week, during a general conversation that was based around the closure of Borders and specificly the one at the Glasgow Fort, the word "hoaching" was used to describe the Borders during it's final days before closure.

I knew exactly what was meant, but one of the other folk who is not Scottish did not understand what was "hoaching" meant, despite having lived in the West of Scotland for quite a number of years now.

So, now I've given you a clue that "hoaching" is a Scottish word, do you know what it means?

Hoaching means:
- To have a plentyful supply of
- To teem with

- Busy

While those definitions explain what "hoaching" means I personally still think "hoaching" is a far better descriptive word of just how very busy Borders was.

Isn't funny how everyday we use words which we assume those around us understand. But do we as Christians use words to explain our beliefs and our faith, in a way non believers can understand?

My Thoughts...

I have no answer to this question for you, this is a question we must each answer based on our own experiences. Don't be surprised if you find your answer is "no" because, personally I think that we as Christians, can often seem a different breed to non Christians because of the words/phases we use when talking about our our faith and the Bible.

Although I've attended the Salvation Army all my life, and have been a uniform wearing Salvationist for a number of years now, it doesn't stop me from feeling that maybe the Salvation Army isn't as welcoming and open to everyone as it likes to think it is.

So what do I mean by that? Well going back on my previous comments about how the way Christians talk may put non believers off finding out more, I think that sometimes the Salvation Army can be seen as an exclusive club, only accessible to those who wear their specific uniform.

Just a few thoughts today to get you all thinking at the start of another week!

I'd be interested to hear your views on what I've said today, so please comment on my blog.

Opportunities

When you pray, do you pray that God will help you tell others the message that God is alive and here with us?

Do you pray that God will help you to tell others His message in a way they will understand and believe?

Do you take every opportunity that comes your way to tell others of God's love?

Colossians 4:2-6 (New Living Translation)
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.



I think most of us, if we're honest with ourselves (and with God), would have to say we don't do any of these things as much as we should! For myself, I know I need to make more use of the opportunities that come my way to talk to others about God.


I pray that we may each take every opportunity that comes our way to spread God's message to those who don't yet know Him.

I also pray that even when we don't get the opportunity to speak to someone about God, they can see something different about us because of our words and actions - they can see we believe in Christ!

Past Times

Yesterday, I met up with a good friend of mine that I went to university with, but who now lives in England. As usual we spent the afternoon shopping...mostly window shopping but we did make a few purchases! We then enjoyed a lovely meal together, during which we had a good old natter about the things that are currently going on in our lives, as well as reminiscing about our university days!


The scary thing about all this was that we realised that this time 20 years ago we were just graduating from university. Now that is scary! Where have these last 20 years gone? In some ways my uni days seem like yesterday and in others they seem a lifetime ago. We reminisced about some of the things that happened while we were at uni, as well as some of more forgettable things we did! But generally they were good days, when we had no great responsibilities and our whole life ahead of us.


So 20 years on, am I still the same person? Of course I am, but so much has happened over the last 20 years, some good, some not so good, but these are the life experiences that have moulded me into the person I am today.

As far as my Christian journey is concerned, I have to say I feel far more secure in my journey now that I did 20 years ago. So much of what's happened over the years has made me a stronger person and reinforced my belief in Christ - Many of the difficult times in my life have shown me that without God by my side I would not have got through these difficult times.


How about you, how has your relationship with God developed over the past 20 years?

Has it developed, or is your relationship with God no different than it was 20 years ago?

I thank God for staying by my side over these last 20 years, through some very happy times as well as some very very dark times. My faith would not be what is is today without God putting me through all these life experiences, so I thank God for keeping me faithful to Him.

I pray that whether you are at the start of your Christian journey or have been on your journey for many years, that your relationship with God will continue to grow every day.

The following song from The Lion King is not the best recording, but please listen to words, as they remind us that God IS the Giver of Life!

Give Him Everything

Have you given your life entirely to Jesus?
God needs, and wants us to trust and believe in Him entirely. He wants to be part of our every day life - not just on a Sunday when we go to church, or when things aren't going well for us, but all the time.


Psalm 127:1-2 - New Living Translation
Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.


God will look after those who trust and believe in Him. Let God be a part of everything you do, and everywhere you go. Put God at the centre of all you do.

Stand Up!

Do you stand up for God?

If you find yourself involved in a conversation or situation that goes against your Christian beliefs, do you say nothing or do you express your beliefs and stand up for God?

It can be very difficult to stand up for what we believe when we find ourselves in the midst of an unacceptable situations. However if you put your trust in God, He will give you the right words to say and will be there with you to help.

Don't think just because no one else has said anything they agree with what's being said or done. A while ago I found myself in the middle of a situation that I felt did not sit well with my Christian beliefs. I didn't know the people involved very well, but could not let myself be associated with what was happening, so I said a quick prayer and asked God to give me the strength and words to diffuse what for me was a very difficult situation. Without going into all the details, the outcome was that my comments were accepted, and the situation was defused (though whether some of the group continued their discussion elsewhere I never found out).

What you might be surprised to hear is that, after the group had dispersed, one of the other folk who had been present came over to me and indicated he had been very uncomfortable with the way the situation had been developing but did not have the strength to stand up for God as the others didn't know he was a Christian! I'm fairly sure none of the group had known I was a Christian prior to my intervention, however my thoughts during this had never been about me, they had been about what was hearing/witnessing.

Please have the courage to stand up for God, He will stand up and support you when you do.

Never stop being in awe of what God can do, if you do, you must remind yourself of God's amazing love for each one of us.