Archive for the ‘Bellshill’ Category

It’s Been a Tough Few Days

Posted: May 12, 2013 in Bellshill, bereavement, church, death, dementia, family, friendship, Health, heart, life, love, music, prayer, religion, Salvation Army, stroke, words
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As the title of this post suggests, it’s been another difficult few days for me.

It all started on Thursday with my Mum going into hospital for an exploratory procedure. But I’m pleased to say, all turned out to be fine, with no problems found.

Then on Thursday night I went to my first band practice for a while, at Bellshill Salvation Army. I was quite stressed about going back to the band, not because I thought the folks there wouldn’t welcome me back or be supportive, but simply because I am still struggling emotionally following the death of my Dad and my Aunt Mae earlier this year.

Dad at our weddingMusic has always been a huge part of my life, with music always been played in the house from as early as I can remember. Dad was always composing and arranging music (or “decomposing” music as he used to say!), and sitting at the piano trying out various bits and pieces of his compositions. I remember even when I was very young, I always climbed up onto my Dad’s knee at the piano to “help” him. So much so that when I was 6 I started piano lessons, despite the piano teacher not normally taking pupils until they were at least 7, but as I was extra keen an exception was made.

Then a few years later I was given a trombone by our YP band leader (at Rutherglen Salvation Army), and after being shown how to hold it and blow into and the 7 slide positions, I was off and running with my trombone. Needless to say I had a lot of questions, and Dad was there to help from that day on until his dementia meant he was unable to, as he was a trombone player of well renown in the jazz and big band scene in the west of Scotland.

So taking all that into account, band practices, and trombone playing as such a huge reminder of me of my Dad, as he was always there to help when I was looking to some alternative slide positions for some bit of music, or helping choosing a new mouthpiece etc…

I coped not to badly at the band practice until we went to practice Guardian of My Soul, and the words of the last section of this were read out…

O Jesus I have promised
To serve thee to the end…

Aunt MaeThese words, although not necessarily favourite words of my Aunt Mae, they were words which reminded me so much of her, as she was a lifelong Salvationist, and even in her final days when her dementia meant she wasn’t the person we knew and loved, she still always talked about the Army and how she’d held various positions for many years – even the nurses and carers at her nursing home talked about how she was always telling them about the Salvation Army!. She truly did serve God, her Saviour, all her days.

So when we started to play that piece of music, my emotions got the better of me and my tears streamed down my face…I was just glad everyone was playing as I really didn’t want anyone to notice how upset I was. Crying in public is one of my worst nightmares, and it was no different that night!

So onto today, Sunday, my first meeting at Bellshill for a while, and again I was stressed, as I knew the band were playing Guardian of My Soul and I knew how that had affected me on Thursday, and there would be even more folk there to witness me getting upset, if it were to happen again…

musicYes, the music got to me again, as Guardian of My Soul got my tears flowing again, however this time I just tried to play through it (not sure how successful that decision was though!).

But even before we got to the band piece, my tears had started, as the YP Band played I’m In His Hands, and the words associated with this song, touched me just as they do every time I hear them, but they were the reminder I needed that whatever the future holds, I am in His hands.

Even one of the congregational songs from this morning got me, as it reminded me of the band’s Easter Tour of 2003, as just after we returned from this tour I took unwell, and although I’m much improved now, my health continues to cause me some problems. Before we left for our tour we joined in singing, Lord If Your Presence , and again this morning as we sang these words in the knowledge that for the next 9 months, Bellshill Salvation Army will be without a home of their own, as we will be worshipping in the Bellshill Cultural Centre while our halls are refurbished and a new worship hall built.

Even as we played the final march in our hall, Celebration, I was reminded of Dad again as I remember asking him about one of the parts in this piece when I was playing a different part than I was today.

Many thanks to all who offered words of support to me both on Thursday night at band practice and also this morning either before or after our morning service, I really have appreciated the love and support shown to me (and my family) during what has been a particularly difficult time for us.

In conclusion, I’d just like to share with you the words of the song I mentioned earlier

I’m in his hands, I’m in His hands;
Whate’er the future holds
I’m in His hands.
The days I cannot see
Have all been planned for me;
His way is best, you see;
I’m in His hands

 

Christmas Without Christ

Posted: December 19, 2012 in Bellshill, Bellshill, Christmas, holiday, life, love, music, religion, Salvation Army
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Imagine what Christmas would be like if there was no Christ…

Imagine what your life would be like without Christ…

I’ve imagined it and I don’t like what I see – A world without Christ we would be a world without hope.

So don’t live your life without hope this Christmas, let Christ be part of your Christmas this year and put the true spirit of Christmas back in our festivities this year!

Here’s Bellshill Band of the Salvation Army playing The Spirit of Christmas:


 

Grow In Grace

Posted: July 26, 2012 in Bellshill, Bellshill, bible, friendship, life, love, music, religion, Salvation Army
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Grace is a free gift from God!

It can be easy to think at times that just because we love Christ and profess to be Christians, that we will automatically grow in grace, but I’m afraid that’s not how it works!

Weakness is not your biggest problem, God’s grace is sufficient, but it’s delusions of strength that get in the way of your growth in grace

As the above statement says, sometimes I think we are guilty of forgetting just how much we need God, particularly when life is going well for us. We must be true to God during our happiest times as well as our darkest of times, because in doing so we will grow in grace.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Easter 2002!

Posted: April 8, 2012 in Bellshill, church, dementia, depression, Easter, family, friendship, Health, heart, holiday, life, love, music, pray, prayer, religion, Rutherglen, Salvation Army
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No I haven’t got the year wrong, I meant to give this a ten-year-old title!

Why? Because Easter weekend 10 years ago marked the start of a new era in my Christian journey. Easter 2002 was the first weekend that I no long attended Rutherglen Salvation Army, but Bellshill corps instead. I’d been attending evening meetings and band practices at Bellshill for a couple of months prior to this, and had decided to transfer from Rutherglen to Bellshill, and Easter for the start of my Bellshill experience.

My lasting memory of my first full weekend at Bellshill Salvation Army on Easter Sunday was the senior band playing one of my all time band pieces, The Light Of The World. I have always loved this band piece and the message it gives us, not just for Easter, but for every day of the year.

These last ten years have been some of the most enjoyable and inspirational of my life…the highlight has most definitely been the tour of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, I had the privilege of being part of during Easter 2003.

But then, if I’m honest there have been far more lows in my life during these last 10 years, particularly with my health and then the health of several other close family members, all of which is still ongoing.

During the lows of these years I did question if God was still there, and I did feel abandoned by Him. However God had not deserted me, He simply answered my prayers later than I’d hoped and in a different way than I’d expected. God got me through those tough times, and I continue to rely on Him for the strength I need for each day, but my faith in Him is now strong than I think it’s ever been. Put simply, through it all I chose to serve my Saviour!

Maybe it’s because of the new beginning in my life 10 years ago, that have subsequently brought me closer to God, but Easter is special to me. For me Easter is more special to me than even Christmas. Easter though is not important to me simply because of event in my life, it’s important to me, because of its significance to me as a Christian…Jesus is the light of the world, and for me He always will be. I pray you too will find Christ to be your light of the world.

I hope you receive many blessing as you listen to The Light of The World:


O Jesus, Thou art standing, outside the fast closed door,
In lowly patience waiting to pass the threshold o’er:
Shame on us, Christian brothers, His Name and sign who bear,
O shame, thrice shame upon us, to keep Him standing there!
 
O Jesus, Thou art knocking; and lo, that hand is scarred,
And thorns Thy brow encircle, and tears Thy face have marred:
O love that passeth knowledge, so patiently to wait!
O sin that hath no equal, so fast to bar the gate!
 
O Jesus, Thou art pleading in accents meek and low,
“I died for you, My children, and will you treat Me so?”
O Lord, with shame and sorrow we open now the door;
Dear Savior, enter, enter, and leave us nevermore.

All of Me

Posted: November 8, 2011 in Bellshill, church, friendship, life, love, music, pray, prayer, religion, Salvation Army
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I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, Whatever, that I’m always amazed by how God directs us through sending us the same messages several times in different forms. At our service on Sunday night not only was I reminded that God wants us to come to Him just as we are (as I talked about in yesterday’s blog post), but He also wants us to give Him our all.

As many of you know, life has been quite difficult for me and my family over the last few year due to various health issues. During that time I have had times when I’ve felt like God has forgotten about me, however in the last few years those thoughts have been replaced by the knowledge that God is with me and is helping me at all times. However, in the last few days I’ve been thinking about whether I really do take everything to God in prayer, or do I simply give Him the bits of my life I decide I want Him to have?

How can we expect God to be there for us in all situations, if we don’t take all our situations to Him?

How can we expect God to be all we need Him to be, if we don’t give Him every part of our lives?

Have you given all there is of you to God? If not, I’d encourage you to make the most amazing and life-changing decision of your life today, and give your all to God – He will be, and will always be, all you need Him to be.

I hope you enjoy listeng to The Three Sopranos singing All There Is Of Me, a song in which we offer our all, every part of ourselves to God:


Whatever

Posted: November 7, 2011 in Bellshill, church, friendship, life, love, music, religion, Salvation Army
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It never ceases to amaze me how often God directs us to the same songs/bible passages/messages from various different angles and directions, but all so that we get His message loud and clear. And so that’s exactly what I’ve experience again in these last few days…

One of the things I’ve been looking at in my own personal devotions is how God accepts us just the way we are, faults and all. Then last night in our evening service we were reminded again to Come to God just as we are. Do you think God is trying to tell me something? I do.

God doesn’t care what we’ve done in our past, He cares about our future, and simply asks that we come to Him and let Him into our heart and our life. Therefore no matter what may be in your past, don’t be afraid to seek God, Him will forgive you and He will love you.

Home Is…

Posted: September 26, 2011 in Bellshill, Bellshill, church, family, friendship, life, love, music, religion, Rutherglen, Salvation Army
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I’m sure you will have heard this phrase many times:

Home is where the heart is

But what does that actually mean? Well here’s a great definition I came across a few days ago:

When I walk into my home I feel peace. I feel I am in the most safe environment that I could be in. There are no worries or problems within the walls of my home. It is the one place that I can truly be me. My family is here and love and comfort surrounds me. I am in my world where everything around is me. To know that this is the place where my family and myself have established together and that we all have our special space within our home and spaces where we can come together is why our home is where our hearts are.

How does that definition sound to you?

For me I still think of myself as having three homes…no we’re not really really rich and got two secret hideaways!

My current home is definitely here with my hubby of seventeen years. Just as the above definition says, my home is where my family (hubby) is and love and comfort surrounds me. What more could I ask for?!

So I have my current home with hubby, but a very close run second home to me is still my Mum and Dad’s house where I lived from aged 10 until I got married. Mum and Dad still live in that house and so again, just like the above definition says, it’s a place where my family are and we love and comfort one another. Once again, what more could I ask for?!

Finally, my third “home”…This one’s a bit different because it’s not a place I’ve every lived and is unlikely to ever be one where I would live, however it is still “home” to me. Confused? Let me explain…

I’m sure you’ve probably heard the expression “spiritual home”, well that’s what my third home is, it’s my spiritual home!

So where is my spiritual home? It’s not as you might think, my current church and place of worship. No, it’s Rutherglen Salvation Army, the corps I grew up in, and worshipped there until 2002 when I transferred to Bellshill Salvation Army. Does that surprise you? In some ways it still surprises me, however when I think about how much I learned as a Christian and all I participated in at Rutherglen, it shouldn’t really surprise me…I became a junior soldier, later a senior soldier of the Salvation Army there; I was a member of both the junior and senior bands and choirs; I was a member of the Corps Cadets; I was the YP Record Sargeant for many years; I was singing company and then songster accompanist; I was deputy songster leader and then songster leader; but most importantly I learned and grew as a Christian and Salvationist.

My Mum’s side of the family were some of the founding members of Rutherglen Salvation Army, I have a heritage at Rutherglen, my past, present and future were moulded there…Rutherglen Salvation Army is most definitely my spiritual home.

Take a few minutes out to consider the place or places you consider to be home, and why. These places have moulded you and made you the person you are today.

I thank God for allowing me to lucky enough to have three places I can call home.

Home by Nichole Nordeman


Bright are the stars that shine in somebody else’s sky
Green is the grass that grows some place different
More possibilities, more than You offered me
More than I care to see from a distance

I was certain that the truth would be
In a place that kept eluding me
But every stone turned and unturned again
Would only serve to prove
That I never had to move to find You

And You will always be
The only love I’ll ever know, home
And You have made for me
The only place I’ll ever go, home

God, for the shameless pride
The times when I rolled my eyes
To laugh at simplicity, show me mercy
Knowing what I know now it’s hard to imagine how
I could feel anything but unworthy

And the mystery of Your love for me
Is not as hidden as it seemed to be
Should have known then when You said to me
‘Seek and you will find’
It was right here all the time

And You will always be
The only love I’ll ever know, home
And You have made for me
The only place I’ll ever go, home

I believe in the quest and the journey
I believe that the answers come in time
And where we begin is where we arrive

And You will always be
The only love I’ll ever know, home
And You have made for me
The only place I’ll ever go, home

For God

Posted: September 23, 2011 in Bellshill, family, friendship, Harvest, life, music, religion, Salvation Army
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This week, in various blog posts, I’ve referred to us celebrating harvest last weekend at Bellshill Salvation Army, but do you actually know what that means?

Here’s one definition I found:

Harvest Festival is a celebration of the food grown on the land. Harvest Festivals remind Christians of all the good things God gives them. This makes them want to share with others who are not so fortunate. In schools and in Churches, people bring food from home to a Harvest Festival Service. After the service, the food that has been put on display is usually made into parcels and given to people in need.

These days we don’t talk about “harvesting the crops” like they used to in the past, because we live in more urban communities where we rarely see crops let alone consider when they need to be harvested. However in the past, when the crops were gathered in. it was customary to give the best of the crops to God. The best crops are normally the first ones gathered.

Exodus 23:16 (NIV)

Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.

So that’s what harvest festivals are all about. But what about us, what does God expect from us, His people, at harvest?

Well, as was mentioned in the definition above, it’s a chance for us to bring food to our harvest festival so that it can later be passed out to the needy in our communities. But it’s also much more than that, it’s a chance for us to say thank you to God again, for all He gives us each day.

We live in a world where we’re all so busy rushing around all the time that I suspect if you’re anything like me, you forget to say thank you to God for the all He provides for us. I’m not talking about all the complicated things in life, but the basics, things like food, water, a home, clothes, our education, our family and friends…and then theirs the world around us, the rivers, trees, flowers, plants, hills…

How many of those things I’ve just listed have you thanked God for recently?

Take time out this Harvest to just say “thank you” to God for all the things we have in life, the things that we so often take for granted.

Grow

Posted: September 22, 2011 in Bellshill, friendship, Harvest, life, love, music, nature, prayer, religion, Salvation Army
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John 15:1-2 (NIV)

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Following on from our Harvest weekend I’ve spoken in the last few days about some of my experiences of my weekend. Today I want to focus on another thing I was reminded of during our harvest celebrations…God is a gardener!

What, you didn’t know God was a gardener? Well He is, but not in the conventional sense, He’s the gardener of our lives.

We’re reminded in John 15:1-2 that God He looks after each of our lives and helps us to toss out the parts of our lives which are not productive, i.e. the parts of our lives which are not a true likeness of Him. However on the other hand, the areas of our lives which are pleasing to Him, spreading His message He will help nurture and grow so that we can become more productive in witnessing for Him.

God will help us be all He needs us to be, however if we try and grow on our own without a strong spirutal root in Him, we may do ok for a short time, but ultimately, like trees, plants and flowers that are cut off from their roots, they will fail to thrive.

We must make sure that we don’t forget to include God in all we try to do for Him, because if our actions and words are not grounded in His love, there is nothing. i.e. We must remain firmly rooted in the true vine, God.

Fruit

Posted: September 20, 2011 in Bellshill, Harvest, life, love, music, pray, prayer, religion, Salvation Army
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As I think I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post What Are You…? I mentioned that this last weekend was our Harvest weekend at Bellshill Salvation Army. For the weekend we had visitors from DHQ, Carole and Elwyn Harries, leading our meetings.

I must admit that having been at many harvest weekends over the years, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this one, as what was I going to hear this harvest that I haven’t heard plenty of times before? I couldn’t have got it more wrong!

I thoroughly enjoyed our three harvest meetings. The corps sections (senior band, songsters, young peoples’ band and singing company) were all fabulous, but best of all were our leaders for the weekend - their enthusiasm and love for God was clear for all to see throughout the weekend.

Added to all this I found the message from our leaders very challenging and has certainly got be thinking about the person I am, and the Christ-like person I want to be.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Words I’m sure most of us have heard many times before, however I was made to think again about them on Sunday – I’d never really noticed before that it says “the fruit of the spirit” rather than “the fruits of the spirit”.

Yes, there is only one fruit of the spirit and that is love…Jesus commands us to

Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12 NIV)

He doesn’t command us to be joyful, live in peace, have patience, be kind etc. He simply commands us to love one another just as He loves us.

So why is Galatians are these other things mentioned, well in order to love, we must possess the other qualities mentioned. i.e.  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I am far from being Christ-like as I lack many of the qualities required, but recognising my failings is a step in the right direction. Now I must, with God’s help and guidance, become the kind of person God needs and wants me to be…I must learn to love everyone, even those I might presently feel are unloveable.

I pray God will help each of us to learn to love one another as Christ would.

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