An Adventure in Ministry

It has been a while since I came back from the riverbank conference, a fantastic weekend for women of The Salvation Army, but I am still processing the truth that I heard and how I can apply it to my life as a minister in Macclesfield. One of my highlights (although there were lots of highlights) was the teaching of Dr Helen Paynter. In her second teaching session she focused on some of the women in the early church who are mentioned in the bible. She took us on a fascinating journey back through time to explore each of  these powerful women who were used by God and how they did great things because  ‘Nobody told her she couldn’t’ We were reminded that Pentecost included women, that the book of acts included many women who helped grow the church and that beyond the bible there were many extraordinary women who were used by God in a mighty way. Helen also challenged us to consider that the church today should include women, and as women of God in The Salvation Army,  that ...

  I have just returned from a truly special and spirit-filled weekend at The Salvation Army’s women conference called the riverbank. Often when we think about time spent at a riverbank we think of words such as refreshment, rest and restoration and this year the conference did all this for me and more besides. This year’s conference theme was ‘Truth be told’ and to start off my recap series I thought I should take the time to tell “The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!”  The truth is I almost didn’t make it to the riverbank! up until 3pm on the Friday afternoon (and the conference started at 4pm!) I didn’t know if I would be at the conference or in the hospital awaiting surgery! At the beginning of May I had undergone an operation on my back and there had been a number of post-op complications.The last few weeks had been painful,  (both physically and emotionally) Frustrating and confusing and it had been a steep learning curve for me about trusting in God...

  In a couple of weeks time I will be joining lots of other women at The Salvation Army’s Riverbank conference. I attended last year and it truly was a special spirit-filled weekend. To be honest I wasn’t altogether prepared for the conference and it took me a long time to unpack all that God had revealed to me. This year I didn’t want that to be the case once more, so I am actively trying to prepare my heart, mind and soul for the weekend. Not only am I thinking about what clothes, shoes and other stuff I need to pack in my suitcase, I am also thinking about what I need to spiritually pack, or unpack before I go. So I thought that I might blog my thoughts so that if you are coming along you can prepare too! The name of the conference, riverbank, comes from  Acts 16:13-15 and the encounter that a group of women had with Paul and ultimately the Holy Spirit. It is a powerful story and one that is overlooked so I encourage you to take some time to look at it. The verses say: “On ...

  It’s been a month since the Riverbank conference and if you were anything like me, God spoke to me about so much as the teaching was so rich. However, when I have had experiences like this, I like to take a look back after a while and see, when the rubber hits the road, when I go back to my everyday ordinary life, have I applied the teaching to my life and what has God continued to teach me of who he is.  The month since the conference has been jam packed, and looking back over that time there is one thing from the conference that God has been reminding me of, day by day, sometimes even moment by moment and that is that ‘He is enough! As our verse for the conference says:  ‘God’s grace IS enough - It’s all you need’ God has spoken to me;  When I have sat broken in grief…’I am enough’ When I have asked BIG questions…’I am enough’ When I can’t see him at work…’I am enough’ When I can’t get caught up in worry about the future…’I am enough’ When I’m exhausted…’I am eno...

  I love testimony!  My favourite psalm, Psalm 34 begins by saying: Lord! I’m bursting with joy over what you’ve done for me! My lips are full of perpetual praise. I'm boasting of you and all your works, so let all who are discouraged take heart. For me, over the riverbank conference, testimony became the unofficial theme of the weekend, as I heard many amazing testimonies and was able to share some testimony of my own. One such person I had a beautiful moment of testimony with was the beautiful inside and out Rhiannon from Activate your life. I was browsing the marketplace and looking at a beautiful pair of earrings, when the lady next to the stall commented that they were very similar to my tattoo. I then began to share with her the story of my tattoo and we had a brilliant conversation about how God has moved in our lives and the passion God has for the least and lost in our society. If you haven’t ever heard the story of my tattoo then I have recently recorded a podcast wi...

  I have just returned from the most amazing weekend at the Riverbank, with women connected to The Salvation Army from all over the country. God’s presence was tangible, the worship was powerful and the teaching was Holy Spirit inspired. This is the third post in a series of what God spoke to me about while I was there (You can find my first post HERE or my second HERE ) If you were there too I would love to hear what God revealed to you! If you weren't there I pray that a little of the riverbank will flow into your heart and you might just sign up to join us next year! In all honesty I arrived at Riverbank feeling pretty exhausted. As a full time minister in The Salvation Army, a ministry with women walking through infertility, a mum, a wife and many other ‘hats’ I felt a little as if I was running on empty. I came to the conference as part of the team to give to the people who were attending, but I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to do it. In the car on the way down to the co...

  I have just returned from the most amazing weekend at the Riverbank, with women connected to The Salvation Army from all over the country. God’s presence was tangible, the worship was powerful and the teaching was Holy Spirit inspired. Over the next few days I will be sharing a little of what God spoke to me while I was there. If you were there too I would love to hear what God revealed to you. If you weren't there I pray that a little of the riverbank will flow into your heart and you might just sign up to join us next year! On the Friday night, on the bank of the beautiful river installation, the head of family ministries, Major David Betteridge taught from the story of Paul and Silas in prison found in Acts 16. One of the (many amazing) truths he spoke declared that ‘The songs you sing in the daytime become the songs you sing at midnight.’ Throughout the weekend I returned to this truth and I am sure I will many times more as the power of it takes root in my heart.  My hu...