Others - post Roots!

What do you say? How can you even begin? I considered not even blogging about Roots, because there was so much to say, but nothing I could say now could add to the experience. Nothing can sum it up, or challenge and inspire beyond that already received this weekend. So what do you say?

Roots, for those of you who don't know, is a big Salvation Army conference which happens once a year. At Roots, we receive a lot of teaching, but beyond that, we are called into action. That is a pretty rubbish summary, so I will try to expand a bit. Basically, it is kind of like Spring Harvest, (or I guess Keswick - although I have never been), except it is different! What makes it different mainly is that, being a Salvation Army conference - (although others are always welcome), we are often taught about things on an 'organisational level' as well as on a personal level. We are usually reminded about what being part of the Salvation Army means. We are inspired by those who teach about the 'roots' of the Salvation Army -the reason for its existence. I guess I wanted to say that because I feel it is important to highlight that Roots is not just about a personal spiritual high once a year. (At least - I hope not). Yes, it is personal, but it is also much more than that. It is an exploration into what it means to be a follower of Jesus - what it means to be a disciple, but also what it means to be a part of a church that was designed to fight against injustice, and more importantly to fight for the Salvation of the lost, (albeit peacefully!). It is also a call to look honestly at ourselves - personally, as a church, and as a whole 'organisation' and question whether we really are meeting our calling.

The theme - as I mentioned in my last post was 'others'. It was very, very inspiring, and I know loads of people from Romford got a lot out of it. I think it is really important that rather than keeping our 'lessons' to ourselves - we make sure we share them, so that we can be accountable to acting on what we heard. So I guess this blog is my chance to do that.

Before I went this weekend I was massively frustrated, (in case nobody had guessed!!!!!). I was frustrated with life being so routine, with the apparent lack of passion for all things God related in my small area, with myself for wanting so much more yet doing so little, and with God for seemingly being so inactive. I guess as far as I could see my area of the world was just plodding along. There were people caught in war, and disease and famine and trafficking, there were people closer to home who were involved in gang wars, drugs, alcohol abuse, shootings and stabbings, and there were people who didn't know God and didn't care about finding out about Him. And we were going to church on a Sunday, getting a nice feeling, going home, going to work, going to church on Sunday, getting a nice feeling, going home...

What do I want? I want us to break out of this cycle. I want us to be differnt, I want us to change things, I want us to be so dedicted to doing this that our whole lives are given to the cause. Notice the deliberate use of the word 'us'. This was my passion, but I didn't want to do it alone. I wanted someone else to lead the way, someone else to break out of the cycle, and I would be there right behind them.

So what has Roots taught me? Well - it didn't answer all my questions. It hasn't sorted everything out, but it has done a few things:

1. It has shown me that I am not the only one with this kind of passion. I am not alone in this. Other people want it too, and other people have ideas, and visions. I was so blessed by the fact that people from Romford corps were willing to stand together at the front in a response and pray together that we would follow God's will in this. We are together in this. If we go out, make a stand, break out from the monotony of routine life in order to be God's soldiers in this world, fighting for the Salvation of the world, then we do it together, as a body of God's people.

   
   

2. It has shown me that God may well not be as inactive as I thought, as He seems to have been stirring up people's hearts. Whether this is truly God inspired, or just 'Roots good feelings', or 'emotional high's' remains to be seen - but it has opened up the possibility that maybe, just maybe, God is behind all of this, and is working before us. I wait to discover the truth on this one. I hope and pray that it is actually God, else nothing will change.

   
   

3. It has shown me that there is no point in me being passionate about this, and moaning about the apparent lack of involvement of God, when I have not been on my knees every day, crying out for God to act and to be involved. That there is no point recoiling into myself and getting defeatist and negative and yes, maybe even a little bit depressed, because that wont achieve anything. Instead, I need to be crying out to God. Refusing to let Him rest. Knocking on the door of Heaven repeatedly until He gets so fed up that He will come and do something and change our little area of the world, just to shut me up.

I hope others will join me in this kind of devoted prayer. Lets not let God rest. Lets make Him hear us, and show Him how much we care and want Him to act. Lets show Him that we will be willing to do what He asks of us if only He will show us what that is.