Carrubbers' Blog

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W2W Blog: Discipleship

Discipleship is something we talk about in church a lot but what does it actually look like?

Here are some pointers about how you might get involved in discipleship from the “9Marks” people which I found helpful

  1. Join the church – sounds obvious but plugging in and being accountable, joining a homegroup and plug into Women to Women where you’ll meet Christians of other ages and varying maturity is a key way to get involved in discipling

 

  1. Arrive early at church gatherings and stay late. Intentionally make time to meet and connect with people.

 

  1. Practice hospitality with members of your church.

 

  1. Ask God for strategic friendships.

 

  1. If necessary, budget for the time you’ll spend with fellow Christians so you can afford to have people over or meet up with them in coffee shops or restaurants.

 

  1. Schedule regular breakfasts, lunches, or some other culturally-acceptable social engagement with teachable women. Depending on the person, you may decide to meet once, indefinitely, or for a set number of times. If you and the individual share a pastime, look for ways to share that pastime together.

 

  1. Ask them about themselves. Ask them about their parents, spouse, children, testimony, job, walk with Christ, and so on. In asking questions, however, do so in a manner that’s appropriate for your cultural context (don’t scare them!).

 

  1. Share about yourself.

 

  1. Look for ways to have spiritual conversations. Maybe decide to read the Bible or some other Christian literature together. Talk about the Sunday sermon and how you are applying that. 

 

  1. Consider their physical or material needs. Would they benefit from your help?

 

  1. Pray with them.

 

  1. Depending on your home situation, invite the person to drop by your house or spend time with your family. Let them watch you live life.

Discipleship happens at many levels in many ways across many types of relationship but the more intentional you are about getting alongside someone, sharing the truth of God’s word together and walking with them as the Holy Spirit does his work in their lives, the more you will see God at work, growing you both into Christ likeness together.

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” 1 Thes 2:7-8


W2W Blog: Prayer Triplet

Prayer triplet

Andrea Morris writes...

 

"For where two or three are gather in my name, there am I with them"    Matthew 18:20

I have had the joy and privilege to be involved in a prayer triplet for over ten years now.

We began as part of a larger group of about 8-10 praying women in Carrubbers. This group began following conversations in church and in our women to women ministry. As we spoke, we realised there were many issues to pray for that were common to our lives at the time. We met in flats around the city straight after work time, sharing our lives and praying for each other and our church. Precious times to stop, take stock and pray in the busy week.

Eventually seasons changed in this particular group, and we became our group of three. Three seems to work well for us in terms of accountability and balance of characters and life experience.

We meet when and where we can, often combining the occasion with food (scones are a unanimous favourite) Of course, over the years, our meeting together has fluctuated due to the seasons and rhythms of life. Times of life including work changes, study schedules, marriage, relationships, family, illness, travel (we have recently increased our skill set to involve Skype prayer meetings).

But, we have never stopped, we keep on meeting all these years later....

There are many aspects of the group which have made it a spiritual strength to me over the years. These include trust and confidentiality, compassion, honesty, accountability and unity of heart and purpose. We come together to pray just as we are. I feel these women are always there for me to fight the spiritual battle alongside me in prayer.

I have learnt many things from praying together over the years:- First of all, the absolute need for prayer, not just for help and guidance in my time of need, but for the relationship with our Father that comes from talking with Him. To hear another heart poured out to God beside me I find inspirational and it deeply touches me.

I have also learnt from the example of one of our group about coming to Him in worship first, before anything else...it grounds us, focuses us, humbles and quiets our hearts before Him.

We have grown a habit over the years of using His Word in prayer. Standing on it, clinging to it, acknowledging His Truths back to Him in all the circumstances and struggles we bring before Him.

Finally, the closeness and fellowship experienced through the deep bonds of prayer with these two sisters in Christ is precious, even more precious as the years go on. There is a deeper, eternal resonance to our friendship through praying together. I am so very thankful to God for our prayer triplet.

"Trust in Him at all times you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge"

Psalm 62:8.


W2W Blog: Have you ever felt displaced?

Liz McGregor reflects on something she has learned through moving back to Scotland...

Recently, in church we heard about Christians in the Middle East who are being persecuted for their faith and about the Syrian refugees fleeing for their lives and are in desperate need of sanctuary.

Have you ever thought about what it feels like to be “displaced”?

My own experience in no way compares to the trauma of what these people have been through but it was sobering to be reminded of how I felt and to ponder what it might feel like for these brothers and sisters who may soon come to live in Edinburgh.

When we returned to Scotland after years of living and working overseas, did we feel it was the right time to come home? Yes. Did the Lord confirm this to us? Yes, over and over through his word and as we prayed. Did we feel we had completed the work that God had given us to do? Yes, by his grace and enabling. Did we read books to prepare us and did our mission organisation help us? Yes, in so many ways for which we are incredibly grateful. Were we excited about coming home? Yes and No. Has it been easy? NO!!

In fact, it was much harder than we anticipated. Firstly, we struggled to manage all the normal hassles of moving: scores of decisions to be made and endless form filling, much of it online… only to find after hours of work that we’d lost all our information! Uncertainty about finances and pin numbers and passwords that are secured so well we couldn’t find them when we needed them. Frustration when I felt so cold and it was supposed to be summer, questioning why we were always tired and found ourselves overreacting to what would normally be very simple matters to resolve… all this causing me at my worst moments to wish I was back where we had come from.

And it got worse. Waking up in the morning with a sense of loss of identity and community, unable to focus long enough to stay on top of spiritual disciplines and missing friends who loved us and knew us just as we are. Loneliness was very real and the sheer effort of starting to build new relationships with people – even in church never mind with neighbours – just seemed too much.  And what to do with a life time of experience that was irrelevant to life in in Edinburgh!

Unhelpful thoughts crept in. “We must have misunderstood God’s guidance. We should just have stayed overseas until we were ready to retire. People are too busy for relationships. Why would anyone choose to live in a place that’s this dark and cold and it’s not even winter yet…” and on and on. Then, one day it dawned on me… I was grieving, grieving for what, from my perspective, I felt I had lost when we made the decision to return home.

Like all grief, it has taken time for me to come to terms with it and to acknowledge each stage of the process. Thankfully the Lord is ever faithful and patient with me, waiting until I was ready to learn once again that he is worthy of my trust in every circumstance and stage of life… but it has not been easy.

As I think about this I cannot begin to imagine what it will feel like for those who may come to Edinburgh as refugees. Yet I know from Scripture that God has always looked out for those who are lonely, displaced and afraid. Over and over he tells us that he is our “refuge and strength, an ever present help in times of trouble.” In the Old Testament, cities of refuge were provided, and in the New Testament we read the beautiful but challenging words in Matthew 25: 40 “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Then there’s the amazing testimony of those Christians in the early church fleeing persecution who were scattered all over and who “preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8v1-4). Perhaps these brothers and sister from the Middle East will be wonderful missionaries in our nation too.

Thank you for your part in making me feel welcome in Carrubbers and for helping me as I coped with feeling “displaced”. I pray that the Lord will remind each of us in coming days to look out for those around us who are facing the grief of loss in all its forms and to be there for them in their time of need.

If you would like to comment on this post, do feel free to contact the author.


W2W Blog: Keep on Running

 Claire Percival writes...

“...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith...” Heb12:1-2

It was all so much easier, more pleasant, and more interesting running in the Cypriot sunshine, along the coastline, and returning to the hotel buffet breakfast. Fast forward a month and I forced myself out of bed to the sound of the ‘April shower’ lashing off my window and bouncing off the road, and followed a familiar route in the pouring rain and chilly wind. My glasses steamed up and were covered in rain, I slipped on the path as I tried to avoid massive puddles, and as I squelched along the riverside, my heart sinking at the thought of the biggest hill ever back up to my house, I wished hard for a return to the halcyon days of holiday exercise. I even fleetingly wondered if it would be so wrong to phone home and ask to be collected...

Life is like that though isn’t it. I mean, we often have times that are going well, and we don’t need to push ourselves or motivate ourselves, or ask for help. Things seem to fall into place, and feel quite easy. Then, it can all change, and become hard, hard work, draining on your emotions and time, and have you floundering around for support. Sometimes pride gets in the way, and we don’t ask for help, sometimes we are just so grateful that we take help in whatever guise it comes.

As I got to the top of the hill on my run, I glimpsed home. I knew I could run that last stretch, and that I would get a warm welcome, and a nice cup of tea, when I opened the front door and wheezed out, ‘I’m home!’. It felt good to shake off the rain and have breakfast with my family. It was warm, and cosy and I was home.

I needed that encouragement, just like I need to remember that I have a role to play in encouraging others as I meet with them, chat with them, spend time with them. And love them. Surely this is the best form of discipleship, friendship, and relationship.

‘God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him’ 1 John 4:16

This earthly race will be hard, but we can help each other through it, keeping our eyes fixed on Him. And we know that we have a warm welcome awaiting us in our heavenly home.

If you would like to comment on this post, do feel free to email the author


W2W blog: "a gem of a book"

We'd love to use the blog to share books, blogs and other resources that have encouraged us in our spiritual journeys... Here's "a gem of a book" that Claire Percival would love to commend to you...

Disciplines of a Godly Woman, Barbara Hughes

"I make no secret of the fact that I'm a bookworm and always have been. I read widely but not always deeply. I'm pretty discerning though about what I read, after all, time is sometimes short and I'm not going to waste my rare free time on something that isn't well written, engaging or suitable.

I've struggled over the years with finding good Christian literature that meets me where I'm at. For many years I was a single female professional, and lots of the books out there were written by American apple pie, stay at home Momma's who seemed to have magic wands to make their homes, children and husbands perfect, and forget about single, working professional women. Well, even now that I am a stay at home Mum, I still struggle with these books and my home is not even remotely something that resembles the ideal of these authors. So, I was delighted to stumble upon a gem of a book about 7 years ago and I have read it and reread it and studied it with others and recommended it and loaned it and bought it for others for birthdays, weddings and just because... So I really want to share this with you - and challenge you to find yourself a copy and read it!

Barbara Hughes is American. There, I've said it. But she's a lovely, mature, experienced woman who has walked with her husband Kent throughout his 40 year ministry and brought up four children, who are all now married with children. So she's more than qualified in life experiences and wisdom. Her writing is grounded and real. She gently teaches and challenges, without preaching or idealising.

Disciplines of a Godly Woman is a treasure trove of practical help and pointers to live life in true relationship with God. It covers disciplines relating to soul, character, relationships, ministry and grace. Each chapter tackles a subject, with a balance of personal stories and biblical teaching, and finishes with a number of questions to challenge and encourage practical application. The questions are also useful if you intend to read the book and discuss it with someone else. The book is not exclusively written for any type of person, so welcomes young and old, single and married, mature Christian and new sister.

Her husband Kent has written Disciplines of a Godly Man, and whilst the books are similar, they don't follow the exact same chapter headings in the same order. However, Stephen and I read through these books together and challenged each other in our learning. We've also read Disciplines of a Godly Family as we seek to build a strong family home. Can you tell that I am a fan of both the author and the subject matter? And, if I haven't done a good enough job of selling it to you yet, it has now been republished with a natty new front cover, which makes my copy look very dull and boring - but don't judge a book by its cover, dive on in and submerge yourself in how God wants to mould and shape you as you walk with Him."

Look out for other books on our "resources" page of the W2W website...


W2W Blog: An African cattle herder, orchids and discipleship

Liz McGregor writes:

One morning at breakfast while at a conference I sat beside a friend from West Africa. As we munched our cornflakes and drank some good Kenyan coffee, he began to tell me a story of his childhood and how he learned to look after cattle as a boy, spending time out in the bush with his father and their herds. Everything he knows about cattle herding, he learned from his father - from being with him, from observing him, listening to him, being given tasks to do, sometimes forgetting, sometimes making mistakes then, ultimately being given responsibility for the family’s herd.

I listened with amazement for it seemed a long way from where my friend is today, a well educated mission and church leader - but what gripped me most was how easily and clearly he went on to share with me what discipleship means to him, linking this story of his childhood to how Jesus trained his disciples.

Often people ask the question, How do you describe “discipleship”? That morning, as I listened, I realized how very helpful it would be to have a story or a picture that I could use when I am trying to help someone grasp what discipleship is all about. So, let me tell you a story……..

While wandering around the airport waiting for our plane home after a conference, I found a shop selling packs of seeds and roots of indigenous plants and flowers. Captured by a picture of a beautiful Hawaiian bamboo orchid, I bought a tiny plastic bag with what looked like a brown, dried out, twisted twig inside for about 1.00 pound sterling. When I showed it to my husband he just smiled at my dream of growing such a beautiful thing from what was in that bag!

Undaunted, when I got home I followed the instructions on the label and planted my wee brown twig. Some 3 years later – this was the result! The bamboo grew to over 5 feet tall and with careful nurturing produced many gorgeous, delicate, flowers that were a delight to look at.

Over the years I kept the instructions so that I could go back and check that I was on the right track. It needed quite a lot of water and protection from the cold so I kept it outdoors from May to October and indoors the rest of the year. I made sure the pot was topped up with new soil and I repotted as it got bigger. It didn’t always look beautiful and at times I thought it wasn’t going to make it. The leaves sometimes dried out and fell off leaving nothing but long, ugly bamboo poles. Sometimes if it had rained a lot I had to carefully cut off some canes that began to rot. And if it had been windy the stocks bent over and looked like they’d never get up again. Once or twice I almost lost it when a surprise frost attacked it or I just forgot to care for it. But, mostly I patiently tended it as best I knew how and then I watched and wondered and marveled at the amazing transformation its creator, God brought about – the mystery of how a twig became a beautiful bamboo orchid.



But there was one more step in my investment in this little twig. I learned how to reproduce this amazing miracle by splicing off new shoots and potting them on. Can you imagine my joy now when I visit the home of a friend and see a gorgeous bamboo orchid that came from my wee brown twig. And you know what I suspect? There are probably many other beautiful orchid plants now that have come from the plants that came from my cuttings that came from my wee brown twisted twig in a plastic bag!

And so as I end my tale of the bamboo orchid I think of what Paul wrote to the church in Colossae.

“God has chosen to make known (among the Gentiles) the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy which so powerfully works in me …so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge … so then just as you received Christ Jesus
as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness” Colossians 1:27 – 2:7

Something to ponder: I wonder how many principles of discipleship you see in my orchid story? For example, the picture on the packet promised something beautiful - God has promised that each one of his children has the potential for beauty as we grow in Him and become more like Jesus. (Zech 9: 16 & 17, 2 Cor 3: 18, Col 1:21 & 22).


Running the Race!

Running the Race

I cannot believe it’s 2015. This is a BIG deal! It’s a bit like when it was the millennium and I felt a total failure as I’d let my 10 year old self down. Now, let me just clear that sentence up for those of you who don’t really know me. I wasn’t 10 in the millennium. However when I was 10, my teacher asked the class to imagine ourselves in the year 2000 – what we’d be doing, where we’d be living etc etc etc. Needless to say, I was not doing anything even remotely close to what I’d optimistically predicted as a 10 year old. I spent much of that year bemoaning my situation, until I realised that I was holding myself ransom to a set of innocent childish ponderings, and actually I had achieved an awful lot of things; things that I probably (definitely) knew nothing about back in 1985... So, I turned my attention to praising God, and asking him to make me content in my situation.

Well, that feeling has returned as I approach the year of a rather big birthday. Now, of course, it’s just another year. Just another birthday. Yet, society, media, fellow friends and family, seem to think that turning 40 is a pretty major thing. So, I began a list of things that I must do or achieve before I turn 40, or in the year I turn 40, or before I turn 41. Whichever way I look at it, one of them feels a little unachievable. I mean, come on, who am I kidding that I can run 1km, let alone 10!!!

And so, as I spent a little too long focusing on this list, I became aware that there was something rather large missing from the list. Where was my growth going to come from this year? What ministries am I going to involve myself in? What books should I read to help me grow in my faith, and in my areas of weakness? Who should I hang out with to promote healthy chat and discipleship?

Forget about running the 10km (tempted as I am to forget it, I am committed to attempt that challenge!), I should be focusing on running The Race:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (I Corinthians 9:24-27).

 I am competitive by nature, so I am motivated by prizes. What a prize there is for running The Race. Not a cheap medal at the finish line of the charity 10km, but ‘a crown that will last forever’ (v25). However, I need to go into ‘strict training’ (v25). I want to push my training schedule into a frenzy of activity, that will stretch me physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Surely this is the biggest challenge I could take on in 2015? This will take planning and effort, commitment and desire. I can hear that Rocky theme tune as I type. I’m up for this challenge. And if you’re interested, I may even let you in on my training updates via this blog ;-)

~ Claire


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