A Weak of Grace

I’m not someone who really believes in coincidences, I firmly believe that my God is organized. So organized that He can appear not so…make sense?

On Thursday of last week I was at the corps, and Meghan was doing her exercise class. I am not one of the fittest people on the world, (I blame it entirely on my mother and her exceptional cooking,) but I try when there are skinnier girls in the room – I like to represent me and my chunky girls well! Anyway, pretty much everyone that has taught me any kind of fitness has been less than nice, and yell and scream, generally not having any time for those they are teaching, which is crazy I know, but that’s has been the way of it. Not with Meghan, she couldn’t be more patient, more gracious to us in need of her help. She is awesome with us, I truly appreciate it, and man we smell awesome by the end of it – those poor people in Starbucks that night, Carole and I were not our prettiest I’m telling you.

Friday, I had a debate with someone that circulated around a lack of grace for people. It took wild and various tangents, but for me, the message was the same – the lack of grace, and a lack of teaching toward that end.

Saturday was spent in the city at the 21 club. There were about 10 if us in all, who go in and play for the patrons and then collect some money for them. What has overwhelmed me is how nice the staff is to us. While walking down the stairs, I turned to comment on it to Stephanie, thinking that it was Mike was behind her, I said, “They don’t need to be this nice to us!” When I looked up, it wasn’t Mike, but Jeffrey, the manager, who bends to our, (Debbie’s ;)) every need. I was embarrassed that he caught me talking about the club, which was crazy, I was being nice! If I was being mean, that would have been a reason to be ashamed, but being nice, what is that? What a very 21st century world view. Merely commenting on the graciousness of the club toward the Army; they are very good to us. Why don’t we acknowledge grace?

Sunday was Christmas – Merry Christmas by the way – and I received many lovely gifts, but one was a bottle of shower gel. I am not at all offended; this is some seriously nice shower gel, called “amazing grace” On the front of the bottle is a blurb:

Philosophy: life is a classroom. we are both student and teacher. each day is a test. and each day we receive a passing or failing grade in one particular subject: grace. grace is compassion, gratitude, surrender, faith, forgiveness, good manners, reverence, and the list goes on. It’s something money can’t buy and credentials rarely produce. being the smartest, the prettiest, the most talented, the richest, or even the poorest, can’t help. being a humble person can and being a helpful person can guide you through your days with grace and gratitude.

Smack number 4! Still hadn’t got there yet…onto Monday. Visiting my pastors/mentors/friends/previous employers, people I can comment on anything and everything, and they seem to have the knack of knowing what to jump on and what to let me wonder for myself with. Janet suggests that I read “What’s so amazing about grace?” So Tuesday, (I am the type of person that either grabs the bull by the horns, or, I don’t do it,) I buy the blessed book. Wow Salvation Army, guess what we all should have received in our Christmas stocking! Grace, so much grace needed in our society of ungrace.

Wednesday, I’m dog sitting this week. For two families, who live in different houses, I’m not complaining, I offered to dog-sit for both. Just to set the scene, I get home from work and head straight to the Kelly’s, and let Jax out. Today I decided to make banana bread, and it takes an hour in the oven, so I go home, put the bread in the oven and head back over to the Kelly’s only to find that the key isn’t in its designated spot. I put it in my jacket pocket and I left my jacket on the couch at the Bates. RAR! I drove all the way back to the Bates, and then all the way back to the Kelly’s, (seriously, it’s like a 6 minute drive in traffic, it’s the principal more than anything,) and I let wee Jax back into the house and put him in his wee kennel. Gotta tell you, I was proud at how I didn’t fly off the handle at myself. I realize it was only because I had time to be driving back and forth, and I wasn’t in a mad dash rush to go to the corps, or pick up the girls, or meet Carole for our “Oh so important, sort out the world over a skimmed latte” meetings, that I was able to get back in the car and drive calmly to the house, get the key, check on the bread and get back the Jax. I realize that that is what grace looks like for me, by me. That doesn’t happen often, we rarely have time to have grace for ourselves, or anyone else, because we are so busy being mad at the individual.

Thursday, first day this week I actually made it to the gym – I’ve been sick, cough, cough ;) or just lazy…

So, I am getting ready for work at the gym and the skinny pretty blonde girl is there, (I think she is a plant by the gym to make us all feel guilty about the second slice of banana bread, or for the evil thoughts of making banana bread in the first place!) who I cannot seem to like. (The man down the corridor is singing along, badly to “Dance with somebody” by Whitney Houston, yes!) This girl looks like my nemesis from high school. We were great friends up until sixth year and then we fell away from each other, and got downright mean to each other. She was the pretty, blonde, blue eyed, athletic, always had the party’s type girl, I…wasn’t. So I think that’s why the girl in the gym annoys me so much. (Let my just get up from my psychologist couch, ahem!) Anyway, as I’m getting dressed, I lift my new bottle of shower gel, (which I didn’t use, even though that was my reward for actually going to the gym this morning,) and read the front for the first time. It smacked me in the face that the skinny pretty blonde girl needs grace, and me being jealous of the fact that she is the “Skinny Pretty Blonde girl,” isn’t really showing her grace.

Grace, I like it as a name, I knew a woman called Grace, people used to tell her that her name was well chosen. I like that in Old Testament names meant so much. It was the blessing for the person throughout their life, which is why it amazes me that people still call people by Old Testament names, I kinda want to yell, “No!” when I hear about babies being given biblical names, I worry for them. What have we blessed them with?
The Salvation Army is our name, what does it mean? I’m not an English scholar; I wonder is there any reference to grace in the meaning of salvation? Is there any grace in salvation? In Christ, yes, but in the ones “like him,” where is the grace?

Fruit Gushers....

Meant to write 5 random facts/habits about myself...and there's meant to be a special line...here it is...

Instructions: Write 5 random facts about yourself, then list the names of 5 people whom you in turn infect.

1. I am the youngest of three, not so random...older brother and sister, (but for the Americans who know little about me, you may find it interesting.) My brother David is older than me by 14 months, we always fought, even to this day - the only person I have fist fought with! My sister Lynsey is a nurse, three years older than me, she's married to a teacher, Jonny.

2. I played Rugby in High School, because my sister played. She was good, I thought cause I was bigger than her I could take her, but, I was woosey. I learned to tackle though and I got to be in the scrum! I didn't like taking tackles...it hurt like crap when you got bruises. Lynsey learned playing with the guys, I was too big for them! I much preferred tapping.

3. I was Head Girl in High School; my speech consisted of my intrigue towards smelly people on buses - it seemed good at the time. It was fun, I bossed the Prefects around...

4. I have a pathological fear of pigeons, all birds, but pigeons especially. The wierdest part of it is that it is a learned fear. My friend Lynsey Robertson was scared of birds, and it seemed reasonable to me - it's the wings.

5. I was 5'8" when I was 11 - always been an amazon woman... 5'10" by the time I was 13

I want to tag others, but all the good ones are taken!!!

Snow days rock!!!

Well, it's been a week, my parents were over! We were in Boston for a week-ish. You know, nobody knows you like your mammie! When I was in Boston, I thought of a thousand and one things to write about, about being with my parents after such a long time - it had been 11 months since I had last saw them - and the city of Boston; it is so beautiful, I could live there in a heartbeat; about visiting family, friends and of course, Maine! I'm gonna retire in Maine, it is so lovely.

Christmas for me, is really about family. Especially in the past few years, being in the US, I've always gone home at Christmas. I've always opened gifts with family, always had steak sausage for breakfast, always gone to church on Christmas Eve...they were my traditions. This year will be the first year that I will not wake up in my own bed, and I have to choose not to be bitter about it. (So much of life is a choice, my mammie and I spoke about that when she was over - while we do not have the choice of being a victim to situations, we do have a choice in being victimized - in most situations, NOT all. Being a victim is not pleasant, but we are all victims of something - you don't get rags to riches stories without victims, they just choose not to be controlled by them. My sister is doing a counselling course for work just now, and they keep telling her that she comes from the perfect family - nothing could be further from the truth - we have had our problems, maybe not to the extent of others, but still by no means small. The reason we are not all falling apart I truly believe is because we were not allowed to make ourselves victims. Life is perfect, we should stop making ourselves miserable searching for it - the guaranteed failure of that is more than we can take...seriously, stop! God knows your situations...if He made a world with all it's complications, your hassles are already being executed. Being that He is perfect, He is capable of perfection, and I think we would all be more than happy to wait for perfection, so wait...

Someone more clever than me once said, (I can't remember his name, which is why they are more clever than me, they probably remember their name!)

"Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have"

Well, I want my family at Christmas, but I have my friends and their are very good to me, so I'll be grand.

My dad bought me a cd player for my car, you know the type you play through the tape deck, and so I HAD to have a new cd to play in it, so I bought the new David Crowder (- I think... it has all the songs from SLMC on it, why I bought it, good stuff so it is, even though it might be Chris Tomlin...) Anyway, I am leaving Boston, I can see my mammie and daddy in my rearview mirror, and I am balling, who wouldn't be? My worry was that when I was with them, all I would be able to think about would be how much I was gonna miss them when they left. The greatest part of them being over, was not what they brought, but what they were, I loved just walking down the street with them and calling out after them and them being there... I was, I am so grateful for the time to be with them.

While I was driving home, I was praying, cause I need someone to talk to when I'm on my own, and I had such a peace, (ok, so don't get wierded out by this, or by the fact that I hear God, we all hear God, we either choose to ignore Him cause He is so loud and makes us uncomfortable, or He is gentle and we think we are making it up in our heads - who are we that He should speak to me? Ocht, it's tough to work out, but practise...see what happens!) and God said to me that this year was about Him.

Ok, so I'm 22, not what you would call old - but in all my life, Christmas has really been about one of two things, presents and Santa, or family, with a side order of Jesus, dressing gowns and dish towels. This year, I have had the family, I have had the presents, it's not time for Jesus yet. Hopefully when it is, I'll be more ready for Him than I have ever been, cause I have had all my idols removed.

I hope you are as blessed with your family as I am with mine.

Face off really could happen!!!

Hey, I got sent this link - click the title of my blog to get to the site; it's about a lady in France who had been facially disfigured and had her face transplanted! More amazed than I can say...read this, it's wierder than wierd.

Doug on eBay...come on, it's for the kids...

So, my sister just called. My mammie and daddy arrive in Boston tomorrow - YES!!! I won't be going home for Christmas, so this is a very much needed time with them. We have an action packed weekend, my wee mammie, she's a wee soldier so she is! Everyday has a plan, apart from Sunday morning, we need a corps to visit.

(For anyone who knows anything about prophecy, can you tell me something about it. I get the basics of it, but was just wondering if you could state some of what you know to me - don't be afraid to state the obvious, that will probably be the most helpful part! Plus, you are not at liberty to ask questions - unless, you have a life threatening disease and will die within 24 hours, your name is Lynsey Campbell, or Carole Jeanne - I will be looking for ID!)

Not got anything else to say, peace

Tuna mayonnaise and Salt and Vinegar crisps!!!

So, in my never ending quest to appear more intelligent than I actually am, (some people really are fooled that I'm clever, like my uncle Craig; he still thinks I invented post-it notes!!!) I've started reading "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam." The bible study supreme Beth Moore referred to the Dummies Guide to Judaism the other day and I thought that would be rather interesting, but due to my undiagnosed ADD, I bought the one about Islam instead. So, I am reading this book and am totally fascinated about it all.

The fact that Islam came from Abraham rocked my wee world a bit, but still, it's a great read - especially in the world's current climate. To know that the only other religion currently being attacked for living out it's belief's in the most extreme and legalist fashion, (ours being during the time of the Constantine,) comes from the same root as ours is amazing to me, and most likely not unrelated. Genesis 16 sees the introduction of Ismael, the man that founded Islam, who is the step brother of Isaac - both came from Abraham. God gave Abraham promises for both of his sons, however, the promise for Isaac was more profound/successful/honouring - can't think of the right word... The author, Yahiya Emerick, (I would love to know how to pronounce that name, it's well good. Maybe even better than M-hair-I!!!) brings up a lot of interesting ideas.

I am only a wee bit into the book, so there is bound to be more on this subject, but for now, it's worth the $$, go to the library and get a copy - or, if you are like me and scribble all over your books, buy it, or stick it on your Christmas list.

Peace ya beast....LOL

Get potty trained already!!!

Today is one of those all day deals at church; actually every Sunday is an all day deal at church. (When I was wee-er, a girl from "The Rink" in London came to my home corps and told us about Sunday's at the Rink. I was amazed with how many meetings, open airs, rehearsals, etc they had on a Sunday. So, being the granny I am, I was telling my Episcopalian friend about all the meetings that they have, and she looks at me in total bewilderment and says, "What do you have to talk about?" I was so amused, I was about twelve and I laughed so hard at her...we Salvationists use so much jargon. I explained to my friend that it was just "chat" and that it was a church service, not a committee meeting. I was amused.)

My wee friend is 3, his name is Noah, and at the moment he is struggling with the potty trained-ness of life. He is the most adorable wee thing, (however, the diapers are... shall we say pungent...) but he won't be a Jedi Knight when he grows up, cause he ain't trained to use the potty.

Philippians 2:14-16

14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

And so, that is my life for another couple of days... (My mammie and daddy come on Friday!!! yippee!!!)

under the b&f

I wonder if this is what being pregnant feels like?

For the third year running, I have put my body through yet another day of severe over indulgence, I cannot even begin to tell you of the vast quantities of food that I consumed; the laughter across the table as Carole, Jeff and I laughed at goodness knows what - while the real adults actually had conversation. (Maybe that what was what we were laughing at; our inability to have adult conversation...) I believe this is the holiday called Thanksgiving!

Three years...I've been in this country three years, I can't hardly believe it. It has been alot of fun; I have learned a tonne - about myself mainly - and missed home more than I thought I would. My first thanksgiving, someone asked me "how do you celebrate thanksgiving in Scotland?" I had to laugh - "It's just Thursday in Scotland!" was my reply. We do not celebrate thanksgiving, it's not our history, and therefore it was not something I worried about. People were so concerned that I was away from family over thanksgiving, I was fine, I had never been with them before for it! It wa just a nice day to get on the "fat granny plan" and make a pig of myself.

I get homesick, (if you are ever praying for me, please pray for my homesickness, it gets worst the longer I am here, not better,) but, when I do go home, I see how everything there has changed. It's not just me that has moved on. Most of the friends back home would barely recognise me, (I'm talking personality and not looks - I've always had unruly, big hair and no firm eye colour,) I was just the girl who didn't drink in the pub, but that everyone wanted to be there when we underage, cause, "she's tall, she'll get us in, naebody'll ID her!" She was sobre enough to hail the taxis for everyone else. So while I do get homesick, and most days just to be in the same town as my mammie would be enough, this is my home, for now at least. I was at a baby shower for a baby funnily enough, and I was singing the song my mammie sang to me when I was a wee one, (or when I am sick, she still sings it to me over the phone.) The babies aunt joked with me that she was gonna have to take a picture of me, 'cause when the wee one is older I may be in some other country, my name in the war cry at Christmas, cause I'll be doing some other wierd thing.

I hope not...two countries is all my heart can take. You know the game "Simon says," I'm playing that with God... THIS or THAT? The english language has no other options, thank you Jesus!!!

Hope you had a great thanksgiving, I'm going for some coffee...

Wow....transparency

So, erm... I'm just in from work!

Tuesday tend to be one of my more hectic days. I leave for work at around 7.15am and don't get home until normally 1 am the following day... 1... 2... 3... awww!!! No, it is a choice I make. Just busying at church. I have bible study this night, which truly is one of my most favourite things in life. We, (my corps,) have a bible study for the women of the corps and we use anything of Beth Moore's - if you know a woman who loves the Lord, get her something of Beth's to read - what a woman! Right now it is a study called The Patriarchs: The God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Can I just say, that I am so grateful that I am doing this; seriously, it is much easier to be ok with being chosen of God knowing you are so undeserving when you are looking at the people that started our faith!!! They were a bunch of complete losers - yippee!!! Kinda validates me a bit.

My word of the moment - which will mean nothing to 99% of you, is transparent! I'm leaving it with you though - mull over that one....

Peace my wee friends

Long live Cedric Diggory!!!

It's late, and my eyes are stinging, so please excuse me jumping all over the place; I edited it as best I could.

So, this evening the long wait was finally over! Harry Potter was being viewed in cinemas all over the country; in a wee theatre in a town called Clifton, was 5 wee Army lassies, giggling away - aren't those Wesley twins rather funny!

I know that it most likely terribly un-orthodox to compare Harry Potter to the life and times of our Lord and Saviour, but I can't help myself. I cannot believe that it is by accident either, life is not that random! All the time I kept thinking to myself, "I wish I could write this stuff down!" (But, being that the cinema was dark and I am not that organized as to have a pen and notepad with me, it was not an option.) I have forgotten the majority of what I wanted to remember. J.K. Rowling has taken a lot of stick from the Christian world, (way to go us; people react positively to love, not criticism - doh!) for her ridiculously imaginative books. She has huge potential to reach millions of kids - whatever she does from here on in, will be awesome - she was the lady that wrote about the "boy who lived!"

For those who have read the book, you'll notice a huge part missing, (relating to Harry's love life, haha,) just when you are watching, keep your eyes and ears open for symbolism. Harry is not "Jesus," it's not clear cut like that - but there are sure a lot of great illustrations from this movie - just shame we would offend so many with it's use. Which gets me thinking...

Do we shoot the messager? Just because they themselves are not exactly a poster-boy/girl for perfection, (actually, if you meet a person like that, get them to blog me - I'd love to know what that life was like - how the other half live, u know the type; you'll have been yelled at by them when you were wee...) we discount all of what they have to say. Grace ladies and gentlemen...that's what it's called from God, and I believe the same for His people - it's grace when we afford it for others - undeserved, yes!

Harry Potter is a wizard, and his friends mess with spirits, but how is it that they are castrated from the body of Christ? I know that Harry is a fictional character, but I am sure there are some like him - cheaters, liars, murderers, addicts, adulterers whom we throw out of our churches. Kinda crappy if you ask me...and yet I too am one who leave people out from the body.

I am saddened by the press that we, (Christians,) have given J.K. Rowling. I feel that she is someone that we could waste for God. Why are we so intent on correcting people? People react to love more positively than they do criticism. I am pretty sure that God's will for J. K. Rowling would not have her spending years of her life concentrating on the "boy who lived" through a magic spell intended to kill him - unless He had one cracker of a redemption plan for her. (Careful on your "accountability" people, make sure it's love that motivates it.) Do we believe that God has a plan for people like J. K. Rowling? People like Ozzie Osbourne? People like so many others whom me castrate, or by our actions ignore them and their lack of Christian standards - how can we? What do they know about Jesus? What are we representing of Him to the world? If they were brought up in the church then you could be forgiven for keeping them accountable, but if you don't know what they are, or what they are from, why you commenting?

So yeah, there it is, blah, blah, blah....

Of course you know that I am a mess, and I am a hypocrite - I make grand sweeping statements and of course, being human, mess up...

Peace

Mhairitschka

So, I have been noseying around others blogs, and have since decided that this is something that I can do!!! For those of you who don't know me, I have a few opinions, most of which I am eternally apologetic for, and others; well, they are just funny - the lack of thought which went into those is just amusing for those on the more intellectual side of life - as always, pleasure to be of service!!!

Most of the blogs I have been filling my day with, have shown the same idea throughout. Being that I am a Salvationist and have a very small circle of influence, (otherwise known as the world of the Salvation Army,) the blogs I am most inclined to muse over are those of Salvationists. I have since found that there is type of Salvationist these days that have a very loud voice that seems to be getting muffled. This Salvationist, which we can call Sam, has a very distinct idea of what the army should be doing. (Let me stop here for a moment and jump on board with the rest of the "Sam's" and admit that I too am one of them, as much to my shame as to my gain.) The Army is needing to listen, the Army is needing to change, the Army is needing to re-establish it's roots, the Army is needing to be doing better teaching, the Army is needing to....blah, blah, blah, blah.... Which got me thinking; you know the ------ needs game? Well, I can't play it with my name, being that it is so random; all I got was "Mhairi needs to know the secret of elf hair" Big hair being one of my passions, I was amused, but also quickly bored due to the grand lack of funny sayings. So, I plugged in "Army needs"

• Army Needs to Address Resource and Mission Requirements Affecting Its Training and Doctrine Command
• Army needs to develop a dependable logistics system and a professional cadre of noncommissioned officers
• Army needs new recruits
• Army needs international help
• Army Needs More Soldiers
• Army needs special power
• Army needs help in recruiting

(One which I could not agree with however was this one, "Army needs a "Don't Ask Don't Tell" PolicyReligion" NO! Tell me, talk to me, let me know what it going on! However interesting that point is, that is not really what I want to impresss upon, just wanted to show you that.)

If we "know" all the problems, we see all the areas that need improved upon, why don't we put our money where our mouth is? Why can't we move forward and take care of our own wee corner? You don't ask a new Christian to read the entirity of the bible in a week - that's impossible; so why are we expecting the army to perfect itself instanteously?

(Of course you know that in the interest of the future of my blog, I will be hypocritical, and I will speak more about the Army. Just know this, I love the Army!!! I accept that we have some areas to brush up on, but I am passionate about it. I want more for it.)

This may or may not have made any sense to you, I hope it has, if it didn't, don't tell me :)

under the b&f

Mhairitschka