We sure are a good looking bunch! :o)3/28/2006
3/27/2006
Still, Ambassadors of Grace
As the chief pointed out in his comment on my last post, Trista and I have returned from our 5 Year Refresher's. We got back late Thursday. I just haven't had time to collect my thoughts about the incredible week we had. We have a very powerful session; not earthly power, but spiritual. In our first meeting together on Monday we took prayer requests. There were two specific requests for elderly family members that were on life support. In both cases the family was already gathering to make some final decisions. We prayed for both of them and by Wednesday night during our worship time they had both made dramatic recoveries that stumped the doctors. Praise God that He is still our Jehovah Raffa, our Healer!
The third healing took place during a prayer time at the end of the Wednesday night worship. About 18 months ago, our sessionmate Matt Morrison and his wife were in a pretty bad car wreck. Since then he has only had feeling in half and his hand. A few of us were praying over him and by the end of the meeting he was testifying to full feeling and strength!
I love our session. Like any other VERY diverse group that is made to come together in classes and meetings and ministry we had our fights in training...some of them were very heated, but I think we were unique in that we could leave the fights in the classroom. We left the feelings associated with the fights at the SFOT. If we had not, I think God would have let us know during the worship time. It would not have been anywhere close to how incredible it was. There was a powerpoint presentation with picture updates of our children. There were testimonies of God's awesome Power and Grace and Strength and Comfort...There was singing. There were prayers. And there was a Spirit filled sermon preached by our session president Shaun Belanger. By the end of the night there was not a dry eye in the room. My eyes are welling up thinking about it right now. If someone had told me after our first session meeting at SFOT that we would all have bonded like we have I know I would have laughed. We are a strange strange group...so diverse in culture and backgroud, but with the struggles we have gone through together and individually and with the Holy Spirit binding us together we are all Ambassadors of Grace! I pray that God continues to bless our session with Grace and Power and I pray that we are all still as close as we are now in another 5 or 10 years!
I will be posting some pictures of the event in the next day or so.
In His Grip for Blood and Fire,
Dave
Ambassador of Grace
1999-2001
USA East
The third healing took place during a prayer time at the end of the Wednesday night worship. About 18 months ago, our sessionmate Matt Morrison and his wife were in a pretty bad car wreck. Since then he has only had feeling in half and his hand. A few of us were praying over him and by the end of the meeting he was testifying to full feeling and strength!
I love our session. Like any other VERY diverse group that is made to come together in classes and meetings and ministry we had our fights in training...some of them were very heated, but I think we were unique in that we could leave the fights in the classroom. We left the feelings associated with the fights at the SFOT. If we had not, I think God would have let us know during the worship time. It would not have been anywhere close to how incredible it was. There was a powerpoint presentation with picture updates of our children. There were testimonies of God's awesome Power and Grace and Strength and Comfort...There was singing. There were prayers. And there was a Spirit filled sermon preached by our session president Shaun Belanger. By the end of the night there was not a dry eye in the room. My eyes are welling up thinking about it right now. If someone had told me after our first session meeting at SFOT that we would all have bonded like we have I know I would have laughed. We are a strange strange group...so diverse in culture and backgroud, but with the struggles we have gone through together and individually and with the Holy Spirit binding us together we are all Ambassadors of Grace! I pray that God continues to bless our session with Grace and Power and I pray that we are all still as close as we are now in another 5 or 10 years!
I will be posting some pictures of the event in the next day or so.
In His Grip for Blood and Fire,
Dave
Ambassador of Grace
1999-2001
USA East
3/19/2006
5 Years...and many miles to go
Well, I honestly can't believe it. My wife and I are heading out tomorrow in the weeeee hours of the morning to our 5th Year Refresher Institutes. It's a little like a class reunion, but we have to take some classes all week, too. It will be good to see everyone, since it's been so hard to keep in contact.
I pray for those of our session that are not in the work anymore often...someitmes more than those that still are. I'm not sure why, just feel lead to I guess....
Anyways, we will always be the Ambassadors of Grace!
For Blood and Fire,
Dave
I pray for those of our session that are not in the work anymore often...someitmes more than those that still are. I'm not sure why, just feel lead to I guess....
Anyways, we will always be the Ambassadors of Grace!
For Blood and Fire,
Dave
3/08/2006
Mountain Retreat
Well, I'm at our Divisional Officer's Retreat in North Conway, NH. We are staying at a hotel called the Red Jacket (see picture below). This view of the mountains is what I woke up to today. I slept with my curtains open so the sun would wake me up earlier than I would usually get up. I opened my eyes and saw this scene. Although it's not as green and alive as it will be a couple months, it is still an awesome view...and the teaching under our Divisional Leaders, Majors Dave and Naomi Kelly, has been great. I'll post more on the teaching later. I just wanted to share some pics of the area. It truly has been a retreat into God's presence.
This picture is from the hotel website...when there was actually snow on the ground! It hasn't happened too much this year.
3/05/2006
Be Thou My Vision
I'm still not sure why this hymn is not in The Salvation Army Songbook, especially since the tune (Slane) is in the Tunebook. If I had to pick a favorite hymn, this would be it. Maybe it's because of my Irish heritage, but I do love it. Here is a link to where I found the lyrics so i could use the song at a Funeral I am performing tomorrow: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/t/btmvison.htm
This will be my first "solo" funeral service. I guess I'm a little nervous, because I didn't know the deceased or any of the family at all. It fell to me, because the CO's are on vacation. I'm sure it will be fine, but pray for me.
Dave
This will be my first "solo" funeral service. I guess I'm a little nervous, because I didn't know the deceased or any of the family at all. It fell to me, because the CO's are on vacation. I'm sure it will be fine, but pray for me.
Dave
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
