Soap for Jesus

No, it's not the Apostle. No, we haven't taken in anyone by the name of Peter, and yes, I'm still single and living under my mother's roof. Before y'all panic. For the past three years, I've undergone severe writer's block on "my novel", Born From Death. As some of you are aware, it was based on a conflict at my Squadron between a few cadets and myself, regarding Christianity, indecent talk on the Squadron, blasphemy, etc. In retaliation and the only method of revenge I could, I decided to write a book where my main antagonist was born again. Thus...Born From Death was born. Chapter 10 was written. Then sections from 2, 1, 11, 5, 12, 9 and 3. The plot was fitting together beautifully. I gave the book to Christ and asked Him to write and use it for His glory. Then the unthinkable happened. I fell in love with the guy my main character, Peter Westcott, was based off. And he left the Squadron one beautiful, painful month later. An...

I have been waiting on this to post, as I'm not sure how to write it. But since my cadet status - and my corporal status consequently - have been blazoned across the internet, I feel I need to update you all. The promotions we were waiting on happened the other night at my new Squadron. Four good, hardworking cadets were picked. I was not one of them. The only reason I am aware of is because of the facts that a) I don't mix very well and b) I have six months left in the Corps and it's not worth their while to promote me. I'm sitting here considering whether to change my Twitter background from corporal's stripes, and I am changing my computer username from Cpl. S. Jones to Mademoiselle Sian - and my personal picture from corporal's stripes. I can't deny that it's made me feel like a failure, particularly knowing the internal reactions of some people in the Corps. However, I earned it once, and nearly had sergeant. I think I'll be proud of that and le...

They sold them every year. People in green and brown clothes and people in blue, smiling, with a box around their necks or in their arms, full of small red paper flowers. Other people came up and put some money in the buckets they had on their arms, and walked away with a little red flower that they'd put on. 'Course, not everyone did it. My family was something Daddy called "pacifist", and he hated the people in green and blue. Every time he saw one of them, he'd call us together and herd us past them as fast as he could. Still, that didn't stop my sister and I looking. In the end, Marissa stopped looking. She said that Daddy was right, and it didn't really matter. After all, it was just a paper flower that people wore a few days and then forgot about. It didn't seem to matter that much to them, so why would it to us? I didn't care about what everybody else did. It was the people in green and blue that I watched. And they were there, year after ye...

11-11-11, whether British or American. Armistice Day. Veteran's Day. Remembrance Day. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day, on the eleventh month, the Armistice was signed in 1918, "officially" bringing an end to the First World War. Since then, at 1100 hours on November 11th, two-three minutes of silence are held to remember the fallen who died that we might live today, and those currently serving and dying in foreign countries - whether we agree with the wars or not. The past three Saturdays I've been involved in selling poppies to the general public. The Poppy Appeal is part of a nationwide group that makes and sells poppies to the public, calling them to remember - and never forget. Across Britain, perfect strangers are united with one bond - a splash of red on their lapels or tops, calling them to remembrance. Tough biker jackets, upper class dainty scarves, a grubby child's little jacket; all share one common feature - the poppy. There's some coats t...

I'm nineteen years old with a fairly unusual past. I have two names and two personalities (no, I'm not schizo). I'm British (half Welsh, 3/8 English and 1/8 Irish with a dash of Scots), redheaded and passionately love my country to being willing to die for her. I love America and Americans dearly to wanting emigrate there. America is "the Promised Land" in spite of its failures, as Britain is "the Land of Hope and Glory" to Americans. I'm independent and very dependent. I'm silent and talkative. I love CCM rock and choral orchestral pieces. I'm crazy about the Royal Air Force, a member/cadet of the Air Training Corps and planning to join later as an officer, but I want to marry and have loads of kids. (As an ex-feminist to a degree, God's done really well on that one!!) I adore military drill, both narrowly watching it done, learning it in depth and performing it with precision. My soul overflows into music and song, both listening to, si...

Me: The next time they offer for me to visit, can I? Mom: Why on earth are you asking me? You tell me what you're doing nowadays. Me: That's only, like, with work and cadets. I ask about the rest of it, cause I know how you flip out - and don't ask me for an example, cause I can't think of any. I just know you do. Mom: Like what? Me: I don't know. :P Mom: You're nineteen, you've been to America and Ireland. What do I fret about now? Me: Well, you won't let me come home at night on the bus. :D Mom: That's something else. Me: *dies laughing*

Sooooo. I'm not online very much any more, and I'm encouraging people to email me or even - yes, I'm opening the doorway! - WRITE to me - rather than chat me, so I can clear my emails, tweets and Facebook notifications, work on the S4C website and blog in the relatively short time I have online now, apart from weekends. Of course, if you need to chat me, I'm around mostly on Saturdays and Sundays. I now have a 9-4:45 job on Mondays - Fridays as a market research telephone interviewer. You know, those horribly annoying people that ring your phone and ask you to spend some time on an interview. I always turned them down, politely and pityingly. After all, I could imagine how hard it was for them. Now, I KNOW how hard it is for them. Their job - my job - hangs on getting those surveys. So remember that, next time you turn them down. :P I should be getting 6-9 surveys a day, depending on the quota set, and at the minute, I'm roughly getting 3-4. If you don't make th...

Sections from Chapters One, Two, Four, Ten and Eleven. :) 1: “Break when you’re ready, Sergeant.” I repeated the same call in Room 2 and the Parade Hall. Cadets began queuing up in line for the canteen. In a few moments, the Parade Hall had cadets milling everywhere in one blue mass. I headed towards the office, stopping short as Plt. Off. Detter stepped through the door ahead of me. Blowing an exasperated breath, I started to turn away, but glanced back as I noticed one of the new cadets start after him. That wasn’t so unusual; many of the new cadets asked advice off Detter. The expression on this girl’s face looked strange, though. Pale and scared-looking, she glided across the room, but a fierce determination shone from her eyes. I studied her, remembering our impression when she first came. Dressed like something out of the old-fashioned films, with that long skirt and loose blouse. My interest sparked, I waited until she returned before heading into the office. I wonder what she w...

Considering I deal with blasphemy, cadets joking about sleeping with me, being laughed at for my faith, trying to control indecent talk...I often wonder even now, especially when people ask me, why I stay at 196. Until I get this. (7:56:14 PM) Jenny: you only have to do the odd numbered questions (7:56:47 PM) Holly Mae: ah thank God (Y) (7:56:54 PM) Jamie : xD... (7:57:05 PM) Jamie Y entered the room. (7:57:12 PM) Holly Mae: brb (7:57:37 PM) Sian Jones: Amen. (7:57:51 PM) Jamie Y: heyy (7:58:04 PM) Jamie : sian (7:58:16 PM) Jamie : why's God always called 'he'? (7:58:24 PM) Holly Mae: http://www.emaths.co.uk/SAT%20PAPERS/KS3%20SAT%20Papers/Mathematics%20KS3%20SAT%20 Papers/Mathematics%20KS3%20SAT%202009/68P1.pdf (7:58:28 PM) Holly Mae: :| (7:58:59 PM) Jamie : SIAN (7:59:10 PM) Jamie Y: lol (7:59:16 PM) Sian Jones: Sorry. (7:59:35 PM) Jamie : why's God always called 'he'? (8:00:09 PM) Sian Jones: Just getting the right answer. :P (8:00:17 PM) Jamie : okie :P (8:0...

*chuckling* Apparently my web address needs some explaining. Why do I have my blog title as "Cadet for Christ ~ Running the Course" and my address as an apparently random "http://jjwatc1290.blogspot.com"? To explain. JJ are my pseudonym initals - Jane Johnson. W stands for writings. ATC is the branch of my organisation - the Air Training Corps. 1290 is the Squadron I then desperately wished to join - Wednesfield. So in short - Jane Johnson's writing; Air Training Corps (Squadron) 1290. Random to thee, but not unto me! Hope this has explained. ;) ~Jane

As God has been working on me and things are changing in my life, as I start my last two years of being an Air Cadet and intend on missing a good section of that for the States, and as I do not blog that much about cadets, I have been considering whether to revamp my blog. I admit, I am proud of my identity as a cadet corporal. I still support our Armed Forces and will do so in any way I can. However, since the Boss left, I have grown away from 196, and I think I only still go for the sake of the past. I have no future with either the cadets or the Armed Forces - a fact which, once admitted, will probably shake loose a lot of my followers from Twitter who put up with my Christianity and follow me as a sub-member of the Forces. I am still a cadet for Christ, but the atmosphere is no longer untarnished - God knows whether it can ever become clean again, thanks to my stupidity with Cadet Rivers. I know God has forgiven me, but the fingers pointed and the sudden drop in language watch (min...

My last parade as a fully active member of 196 Squadron was on Remembrance Sunday, November 14th, 2010. See if you can spot me! Oh, and ignore the fact that I changed step JUST before I passed the camera...now why are you all looking for it? :P

Been thinking for a while - ie, several weeks - of creating a schedule. Just being as Teflon as Teflon Tony, I can't stick to one. :P 1 hour in the morning - Bible reading. 2 hours - making craft stuff to sell for Mom 3 hours afternoon - Internet 1 hour doing anything round the house to help Mom - dusting, vaccuuming, ironing. 1 hour - room tidying 2 hours - studying for English exam Then of course, from 8-9 onwards to 12, Internet, as that's when most of my friends are online. Of course, that's not taking into consideration our erratic family schedule, my college on Tuesdays, or Sat and Sun church/Squadron events. Or time needed to work on getting a job - or of coming up with ideas to raise money for the States. Argh! I've been advised to start singing carols in nursing homes...as they will pay for entertainment, and it's nearly Christmas. Last Christmas, I raised £30 odd for Africa, going around seven or eight homes carol singing on Christmas Eve. (I won't be ...

I am confused. I have three deep desires, longings, dreams, whatever, within my heart. And they appear to be completely incompatible. The first is the remnant from what I used to be before my last backslide. I had and have still a passionate desire to serve God and my country. I love my country with all the patriotic fire I possess and I would willingly die to serve her. As an Air Cadet Corporal, growing and developing within the Air Training Corps organisation, my passion, interest in the Royal Air Force and the strong stand God enabled me to make at my Squadron for His glory seemed to point to one thing. I was and am aware it will be an extremely hard life, that my desire to serve Christ and my passion for my country may sometimes seem at odds; my antipathy to men, attitude towards marriage, and the result of my first serious backslide left me convinced that singleness was for me – as well as the fact that it is a higher calling than marriage and I wanted – and want – to reach ...

Ignoring combats*, which I hate because 1- they aren’t smart and 2 – they are army clothes, there is one piece of my uniform which I hate. Not with a passion, as I do camos*, but I really don’t like my RAF jumper. It’s one of the biggest ones on the Squadron, about four sizes too big, with a neck that gapes around my collarbone, sleeves that need to be doubled up, and a hem that also has to be tucked under as it reaches to my knees. It’s a good, thick blue grey wool, with a pocket on the sleeve for a pen as well as having the blue-grey shoulder patches with epaulettes for brassard and rank slides/flight tapes. In the icy blasts of winter, it provides a wonderful warmth. But for all of its serviceable self, most 196 girls – definitely myself, any rate, and my mother – hate our jumpers. Why? Because they literally hang like feed sacks. They don’t give a hint of a shape or a figure, and when you’re used to walking round in a smart blue shirt with sleeves rolled up, a belt around your ...

WARNING: I'm not sure about the appropriateness of this for guys...so if you think it's bad, stop reading. Okay? I read Jay Lauser’s excellent post on A New Kind of Modesty (which you really, really, really should read, though I won’t post it up seven times like my big sister C’rissie :P) yesterday, and thought I would like to blog my struggle and weakness in that area for...encouragement? General opinion? Not quite sure, although it certainly wasn’t out of self consideration. :P Then I read C’rissie’s post connected with Jay’s, A Rant on Modesty ;), which you can read here . And decided that I felt too embarrassed after reading that, because they were both so good and covered the ground enough, so I wouldn’t. Well, this morning, I changed my mind. (Although after rereading it again just, with all the comments, I feel quite small about posting this...*hits send before I rethink*) It’s not too often that I gain a victory over my worldliness to be happy in the clothes I’m weari...

Do not expect a post from me for a long while. I have taken a massive step backwards. And for now, I am too defiant to care. Do not attempt to pry below the surface or you will get a backlash you do not anticipate. Glad what I wrote yesterday was of some encouragement to you. Please continue to follow the good ways in the Only Way. God bless. Janie.

Suddenly, the realisation struck me that to gain a kind of peace of heart, I have made a compromise, and not a complete surrender to God of my life. When I made the apology to Jay and Kyle over attacking marriage (because I have done so, using arguments I knew were wrong to forge a defensive/aggressive position, as I felt threatened), I said I was sorry for doing it because I'd realised that my strength for singleness must come from a reliance on God, not by attacking the opposing view. And I definitely felt happier after apologising for it. The compromise is that I seem to have come to a point of "making deals" with God. Of all things. "I'll apologise and stand up for the majority of marriage, if You leave me alone and help me be single and carry on my life the way that I'm comfortable with it going," sort of thing. That doesn't mean I don't feel I have a call on my life to enter the Royal Air Force and to serve God and serve my country in...

I was going to call the title "A Touchy Subject" but then I thought, well, maybe it isn't...and for once, used a plain title instead of trying to think up one. Oookay. I have four things I want to blog about. And not very cadet-y, most of them! In marching order, I wish to address the topics of: 1 – Flirting 2 – Redress the singleness issue I mentioned in my last post 3 – Update on my brother, since the people who follow me know all about him 4 – Last but not least, update completely on the Squadron Topic Number One. Okay, weird subject, weird starter with probably a general why-in-the-world-do-you-want-to-address-this spinning around in everyone’s heads. Lads – of which there is only one following me – you’re going to have to excuse me. This is directed at fellow girlies. :) So. Ahem. *clears throat* This is kind of hard to talk about. Because I’m afraid I’m going to sound like an idiot. :D To answer why I want to address this...because I believe it is a major problem fo...

I'm starting to end up sitting outside the Squadron for anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour afterwards now, depending on what's going on. Mike H., a cadet who joined two months before me, came back in October last year after pretty much a year's absence, and although no longer interested in the RAF hangs around for his friends, stays outside with me to make sure I'm safe til my dad picks me up. Recently, we've got to opening up a bit with each other. It's nice to have a good open honest friendship with a guy without having to hedge or being scared it could develop into something bad. There's not many guys around that you can have that kind of friendship with, and I'm privileged to say I possess several. What's the point behind this, is that recently we have both started talking about inner problems - his break up with his girlfriend, my heartbreak over an ex-cadet - and wondered what love was. I said that the only example I could see was God...