I have all sorts to write about, so here goes...
I have made little progress on my issues with western greed. I haven't gone about it in the right way, the Bible condemns neither rich or poor and I really hope I have not done this. I apologise if I have upset anyone in the wrong way, I don't mean to criticise giving, I only want to criticise greed and the love of money. I hate greed! I could argue it for an age and I will come back to it at a later date with more thoughts. I have had some great feedback from this and thank you for your views, apologies for not responding sooner.
Regarding the 'thing'. Not much progress here either, or rather I don't have an answer. (If you don't understand any of this so far, please read earlier posts). However, I found a deeper understanding to Tozer's view on this subject and it's helped my perspective a little bit. Again, I will take up this subject further at a later date.

I was about to write 'I've just arrived at Capernwray Bible School' and then realise that I have been here for a week already! It's amazing how fast it's gone and how settled I feel. I have made friends for life here, only after a week we all feel as though we've known one another for a lifetime. The rumours are true... I do live in a castle. It's enormous and the rest of the estate is pretty big too. I've had a few walks around the area and enjoyed a different landscape, albeit with a few encounters with sheep and cows. The food, in my opinion, is good, contrary to what many Americans think having been starved of pizza, chips and burgers for a week. I would love to hear the complaints flow when I show them some pictures of genuinely starved people. Praise the Lord we have food here, Praise the Lord we go to bed at night with food in our stomachs. And may God break us to serve those people with less than us.

In the new testament we see verses such as:
"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified." 1 Peter 4:12-14
"I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:8-11
"So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name." Acts 5:41
... and many many more.
I have started to get a little concerned that I don't see and experience any suffering. During my idealic and comfortable life I have seen barely any suffering first hand. I don't understand what suffering actually is. If I don't understand what suffering is, how can I understand these verses? How can I understand what it is to partake in Christ's suffering? When I read many of the verses in the Bible regarding suffering, how am I supposed to see Christ in it and understand Him better?
Many of the verses I have read have been within to the persecuted church. People at the time were turning to Christ and being beaten, mocked, raped, exiled and executed for this.
It must have taken something special for them to stand up for this, something really special, something Jesus-like.
I have a heart growing for injustice, for example greed and starvation, prisons and homelessness and now the persecuted church. Please don't think I'm boasting, I'm trying not to, the glory must go to God because it's the Holy Spirit who teaches us and highlights/reveals what He wants to us. God puts desire on our willing heart.

Persecution is at the worst it has ever been. More and more people are affected by it. The apostle Paul spent a lot of time writing to the persecuted church. I am not going to literally put myself into the persecuted church or try and find persecution for myself, I have to exercise wisdom as well as faith. But what I really really want is to understand this suffering that Paul so passionately talks about over and over again. I want to see what it is that makes these people stand in the face of such horror and tribulation. I realise that it's God's strength and a love for Jesus that gets them through but I want to see more. I want to meet people who endure this and come through closer to God. I'm getting fed up with being blind to these things, not caring and not acting. What makes them stand? What is it? When faced with a prison sentence or execution OR simply signing a piece of paper to renounce Christ.. many people chose not to turn on Jesus. How?
I want to understand it better. When I open up the new testament and read Paul's letter I want really get to grips with what he's saying and be enlightened to his words. How much more rich will it be having experienced a persecuted life first hand?

In the past I've tried to explain my experiences to friends, family and the church. But I have not been happy with their understanding of it. I have explained it over and over again and often people don't completely understand it, though no fault of thier own. Of course they wont understand it having never been there. I could write a 1,000 page book about my first week of Capernwray and people who have never been would still not completely understand it. In the same way, I see read about the persecuted church and see photos but I will never completely understand it until I go there and meet the people.
Every time I have left local service for service overseas I have gone with the attitude of 'I want to impact as many lives as possible' but come back thinking 'I have not impacted these anywhere near as much as they have impacted me'. I don't believe there is much I can offer the church other than limited encouragement. I want them to teach me what it's all about. Surely these people understand God much more than someone as comfortable as me does. I want to be torn apart and sent home with a new thinking and understanding on what it means to partake in Christ's suffering.
I want to sit down with someone who has suffered for Christ and bares the scars. I want them to teach me. I want them to send me home broken. I want them to send me home a little more like Jesus.


As Always... there is one answer here... GO.