Breaking The Stone Altar

It started out as a random conversation about our favorite books. Each person told us what was their all time favorite novel and why. Some were books we all knew and loved, while others were books somewhat foreign to us. As the conversation wound back around to the originator, someone hit upon a truth. We all were in agreement that we really loved the C.S. Lewis books, “The Chronicles of Narnia”. Someone indicated that they really fell in love with the Narnia world. Another lauded the characters of Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy, giving particular moments in the books that really struck them as ‘wonderful’ or ‘brilliant’ through these characters. Again we all went around the room and shared specifics of the books that we thought we memorable and epic.

Then, someone said it. I’m not sure who it was, but once the words were loosed it hung in the air like a lingering fog in the early morning hours. The lights went on in all of us as we all nodded in agreement.

The Epiphany: Aslan giving up his life resembled that of what Christ had done for us. Aslan was sacrificed by the White Witch on a stone altar.

For a moment no one spoke. Each person recalled the scene.

Then, it hit me. Aslan died for all of Narnia (which represented our world). He willingly laid down his life before the evil White Witch. Then, Aslan died. As a kid I remember hearing this story, my father reading it to me, and I wept. Still a lump forms in my throat even now as I remember it. Though, the story didn’t end in the death of the mightiest lion. As a matter of fact while Lucy and Susan wept bitterly over Aslan, something miraculous and completely unthinkable takes place. As the sun begins to rise from the darkness of night the stone altar that Aslan’s body is still resting on breaks in half and the great lion is resurrected.

How awesome is that?

Like Christ, Aslan dies for all the world. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Aslan is killed in the darkness surrounded by every evil thing in the world. But as soon as the sun crested the horizon that morning, resurrection takes place.

Jesus, God’s one and only Son arose. Aslan arose.

When Jesus died an earthquake shook the ground. The curtain in the temple, which separated the holy of holies, was completely torn from top to bottom.

Significance: God’s presence was said to dwell in the temple within this sacred space called the ‘Holy of Holies’. Only High Priests who were clean could enter this place. It was not accessible to common people. But when the curtain was torn it signified that God’s presence was accessible to everyone, and that He was not bound by four walls. He was omnipresent and and omniscient.

The Stone Altar Broke:

At sun rise, Aslan is resurrected. He comes back to life and at the same time the stone altar on which he was slain breaks in two. What could be significant about this? Could it be that the power and ‘creature made’ order was broken? Could it be that Aslan couldn’t be bound by evil? Could it be that Aslan couldn’t be bound by any creature? Could it be that the old ways were now destroyed while original intent was now restored?

YES TO ALL OF IT!

Do you see the significance of the breaking altar?

Man’s order of things, man’s fall, man’s rituals are broken. They are not paramount to the redemption that Christ offers! Christ came, He died, the curtain was torn, He was dead no longer and God’s original intent for the world was now restored!

The only thing that stands in our way from restoration then is OUR CHOICE.

We can choose to be restored and be made clean through His blood, or we can choose to reject Him. Either way it boils down to a choice we all have been given and we have to make. But the really amazing thing is that God has made Himself available to us…everywhere! Man’s order doesn’t bind God. Man’s rituals don’t impress Him.

The Stone Altar has been broken for all of us. Each of us are free to receive His presence…but we have to choose to received Him! We have been set free, what we do with this freedom and redemption is now up to us…I hope you choose Him!

“None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning–either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in it’s inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of Summer.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

“If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most, or else just silly.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

July 4, 2013 3

On A Gravel Road

I was walking the gravel dirt road

night had long since fallen

the coolness of the evening

rushed to embrace me as

its body, a wisp of fog descended.

Each step seemed so loud to me

in the still silence of the cooling night

as the mule in the pasture next to me

grazing still moving onto another green blade

he must be a night owl in the mammalia world

ushering his fellow creatures off to beds of straw

laying down upon the damp earth…

as I walked loudly by,

rocks and gravel crunching underfoot,

I, for a moment in my existential longings

considered who I was…a mere man,

nothing special…blessed, of course

by a God of amazing grace…all an epiphany

on a walk on a gravel road at night.

July 2, 2013 0

At night. (Poem)

When the evening closes its eyes

thrusting wearied souls into slumbering beds

blankets heaped and folded

mending the creases of the day…

once again.

Then as the symphonic crickets begin

and the bull frogs belching out another croak

take silence by the horns

and speak deep into the night…

there is where we find this peace,

when our efforts and our workings cease

we find this quiet solemn release.

In the night, blanketed in black

these stars, the lonely sojourners

appear once again to welcome us back.

And we find our rest…but sometimes

true rest is in our finding…

Peace.

July 2, 2013 1

Attributes: AN ARMY VISION

In just under a month the High Council will meet, pray, deliberate and finally elect a new General of This Salvation Army. Its message and mission is still relevant. This movement that started with William and Catherine Booth must and will carry on. There is still a war waging in our world. Not a war of flesh and blood, though it is most certainly involved, but a spiritual battle for the very souls of men and women. That is why, we as soldiers of this army, must continue to fight and be proactive in this campaign.

In recent conversations that I’ve had with fellow officers and soldiers of The Salvation Army these thoughts percolated in my mind. We may be modeled after military in form, but we all have an Army voice to one extent or another. So with that being said, I would like to outline what I would desire our next General’s vision and attributes for the global Salvation Army to be. It sounds presumptuous I know…but as soldiers, we all have parts to play and a stake we claim within these army realms. Indulge me if you will:

VISION:

1. Continuity:

ONE ARMY, ONE MISSION, ONE MESSAGE: It still applies! It is still active, and I feel as if this message, this vision ought to continue and to be built upon! Far too often, I fear that when new leaders take on their new responsibilities so too they cast new visions far too quickly! Sometimes this type of leadership change model can disillusion constituents, making them frustrated and wandering in every which way directionally speaking. This “take control leadership” approach, which produces a new vision while forgetting the old vision, can lead to a polarizing and dysfunctional army. I don’t presume to have any power or say in this at all by any means but I do hope our next General would be sensitive to the path that has already been paved and to walk on its already laid foundation.

2. Relevancy:

Understandably there are many political sociological ‘hot-button’ topics throughout our global army. The continued need of our army leadership to pursue mission and purpose that is consistently relevant to the world in which we serve is of the utmost importance. This should include our perspectives and application of worship, service and all aspects of our holistic ministry.

3. Transparency:

I’ve heard this many times in previous conversations and I believe this is most definitely pertinent to the position of General of The Salvation Army as well as our immediate leaders. If our local officers and soldiery are provided transparency at the local level with message, ministry and finance; ought our territorial, national and international leadership also follow suit as well? Absolutely! Be genuine and transparent to those you lead! We continue to need leadership who will rise up and lead not because they are fearful of repercussions of others but to lead out of conviction and biblical authority.

4. Holiness

I have served under leaders who have been holy leaders. These types of leaders are respected and loved. When you have a leader who leads through holiness you will find a stronger army at the core. Holiness in leadership is crucial, without it they’re just another business administrator/CEO. True leaders are willing to lead with the promptings of the Holy Spirit and who are unafraid to risk and to adapt and change in an ever changing world.

These are just a few attributes I hope and pray our next General possess. We all can surround our High Council in prayer…and we should. And I also acknowledge that the Lord will provide and lead. By faith I believe that He will provide us the right General for just this moment in time. And I also believe that God will continue to rise up our future leaders who can carry on this great mission and propel His Great Commission into every territory in the world!

What would attributes would you like to see within our new General?

July 1, 2013 0

Authentic or Fake? (Igniting the Passion Again!)

“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

–Genesis 5:24

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

Is there meaning behind what you do in your worship?

How is your heart? Is it still in it? Are you in love with God? These questions may get to the heart of the matter. We are called ‘Children of God’ (Gal 3:26) and yet at times we act like we are mere acquaintances of God. I will admit that there have been times when my heart just hasn’t been in the worship service that I am attending. Have you been to that point?

Setting the stage:

You get up and prepare for the Sunday Morning Service. You put on your ‘church clothes’, comb or brush your hair…and make sure everything is in place. On the way out the door you grab your Bible, which may have been resting in the same spot since last time you went to church. You get in your car or van and race to the church because you are nearly late…someone cuts you off on your way to the church building. Then you get to the church and find all the ‘good parking spots’ are already taken. So you finally reach the front doors of the church building in a huff, slightly irritated and just a little bit disheveled…but you still have your Bible in hand.

When you finally sit down in the pew as the service is about to start, you suddenly realize you didn’t eat breakfast…great one more thing to think about during church. You stand when they tell you to stand, you sit back down when they tell you to sit, and all the while you are staring at the clock thinking about what you will do with the rest of your day. You barely hear what the pastor preaches on…the first joke in the introduction was funny but after a while the sermon just becomes the mumblings of that teacher on the t.v. show ‘Peanuts’…”Whah, whah, whah, whah, whah.”

The Heart of the Matter:

Hopefully your worship doesn’t look like that! But if truth be told I would almost bet that you have had those Sundays. My question to you is “why even go to church then?” If we aren’t emotionally, physically and intellectually there in the first place, why even show up?

There are a lot of people out there who go to church but fail to actually show up. It’s unfortunate, I’ve been there, and it happens. It makes me wonder sometimes if we aren’t acting a little like the Pharisees of old. We’re all about the ritual of worship…we all know the right songs to sing and the right ‘Amen’s’ to proclaim at any given time in the service, but our hearts are just not in it.

Dare I prod us all for a moment: If we just show up for worship on Sunday mornings (or whatever day we attend church) but we aren’t really there…aren’t we a little like the Pharisees that Jesus talked about that were all about cleaning the outside of the cup but not too serious about cleaning the inside? (Luke 11:39) Now I’ve probably stepped on a few toes with that one…but I have to confess…I’ve done it too!

I’ve been just as guilty of showing up for Sunday service and said all the right things and gone through all the right motions and yet my heart has not been in it.

This isn’t some sort of guilt trip that I want to lay on you today. I don’t want us all to think that we’re awful people by any means. But what I do feel as if God wants from us all is not our ritualistic church attendance. Or our ritualistic methodology…or even our ritualistic uniform/church clothes that we wear so that we fit in. What God wants from us is our hearts. He wants our worship, our undivided attention. He wants from us authenticity in the songs we sing, the scriptures we read and in the sermons we hear or the sermons we preach. HE DOES NOT WANT OUR LIP SERVICE! He never did!!!

He wants to make us holy, set apart people for Him! We can’t just settle for cleaning the outside of the cup and keep up appearances of something that isn’t true on the inside! God wants us to be real, to be vulnerable people before Him. He calls us all to genuine fellowship with Him. The kingdom of God begins within our authentic worship of a God who has poured out His unmerited favor on us. How can our hearts NOT be in on that?

To the pretenders out there STOP PRETENDING! Either get on with real worship and adoration of God or just get out of the way! To the luke-warm believer: MAKE UP YOUR MIND! Don’t settle for a skim-milk type of passion. Don’t stop at just being a ‘ok’ in your faith…we all have to grow and mature! Get on with it! To those of you who are ON FIRE FOR GOD: Don’t let your flame go out! Keep burning for the rest of us so that we have something to aim for!

RECAP:

Don’t fake it. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Don’t suffocate your fire with distractions, worries and things that have no eternal worth!

REMEMBER: Have passion, clean the inside of the cup daily, and walk with God…He longs for you to do so!

July 1, 2013 1

God is Dead?

Okay, let me set the record straight…as if you needed me to. God is most certainly NOT dead. However Black Sabbath has resurrected (no pun intended) their music career with Ozzy Osbourne lending his vocals once again to the band. This heavy metal/progressive rock band is known for their dark gloomy, foreboding songs and lyrics. So I guess in that context you shouldn’t e surprised to hear this song on their new album.

Questions:
I get the sense from this song though that Ozzy or the writer is searching for the right answers. You know we all sometimes regret the angst of our youth, and within this song there is a questioning of what is known.

It’s been claimed many times since Nietzsche stated it ‘God is Dead’, and I believe it speaks more from the human rebellion (sin) inside of us than is truth.

God is most certainly not dead, I don’t have to defend Him, He is alive and well and evident in this world through the wonders of nature and through our faith and compassion to others.

Live it daily and don’t buy this lie!

June 29, 2013 0

Off to Music Camp

Well I’m off to music camp today. Should be a great week with the kids and with the staff. I’m looking forward to a great week of music education, spiritual emphasis and general fellowship.

I have a fond place in my heart for summer camp…that’s where I first accepted Christ and I know it’s the perfect place to reach kids for Him!

Will post more as the week begins.

June 29, 2013 0

A Call To Revolution – A Letter to the youth of The Salvation Army (Prepare for battle)

Dear Junior Soldier, Senior Soldier and Corps Cadet, this Army that you are growing up in is a living and breathing organism. The purpose that I write this letter to you is to encourage you and to remind you that The Salvation Army is made up of more than just people but it is also and primarily a mission and a cause for Christ! I humbly acknowledge that it is at times faulty and flawed. I also acknowledge that there will be times that its soldiers and even officers are flawed. We are all sinners saved by grace, yet holiness is not always everyone’s first priority in their identity as people and soldiers of God.

That being said, there are a few instructions I would like to leave with you as you develop and grow as first of all a child of God and secondly a soldier of our Army.

These instructions are as follows:

1. Never waver in your faith (1 Corinthians 16:13).

We all have to grow up in this world. There are a lot of pressures and traps that as we grow older, become more and more appealing. Temptations abound and as we mature with age we may begin to question the very foundations of our faith. Some within our culture(s) may even tell you that what you grew up believing about the bible are very nice stories but that is all that they are. DON’T BUY THE LIE! Don’t let doubts consume you and especially be mindful of the fact that there so many people living contrary to scripture that they would love you to join them in order to justify their lifestyles and choices. Don’t allow Satan to muddy the waters of morality and these Christ-like teachings that you are learning…keep them close! As proverbs tells us, “Guard your hearts!” (Proverbs 4:23)

Also remember that though you may feel all alone at times because of this stand that you take for the cause of Christ, “Be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:9) You are called to be a mighty warrior for God, and you ARE NOT ALONE! God is and has equipped you for this spiritual war…so take confidence and never waver in your faith!

2. Don’t forget the purpose we fight on! (Ephesians 6:12)

The battle that is waged in this world, as the apostle Paul so aptly put is ‘not against flesh and blood’. The battle is very much a spiritual war! And so many people are trapped within the confines of sin in this world, and if you are a soldier of God your objective is to be used by the Holy Spirit for the purposes of setting captives free. We CANNOT do this in our own strength, nor by our own mortal wisdom. We are mere conduits of Him who has sent us. Don’t forget who has sent you and why we must soldier on! Sin is the ultimate slaver and is Satan’s primary tool. It is powerful and effective in a lost and dying world…but we who know the truth, we have been set free! Christ has, by his blood and death, redeemed us and delivered us from this destructive path. And since Christ has called all of us to this truth and then commanded us to ‘go into all the world’(Mark 16:15)…we must go! We must fight on!

BUT…

3. As Revolutionary Soldiers of God, use Revolutionary/Evolutionary Weapons! (2 Corinthians 10:4)

You probably didn’t have a choice growing up where you would worship. You became a member of The Salvation Army most likely because your family came here…but know that this Army IS/SHOULD be a living and breathing organism. By that I mean, the methods by which we convey the gospel of Jesus Christ ought to continue to be revolutionary and evolutionary! If we are truly using these ‘heavenly weapons’ then we MUST rely on The Holy Spirit to guide us and equip us, thereby making us effective in this fight. At times, the conduits by which we have employed these spiritual weapons need to change. It is most certainly a fine line between relevancy and complete world immersion. BE CAREFUL! That as we employ these revolutionary tactics through evolutionary means that we do not lose our focus and become so like the world that we look nothing like Christ any longer.

That being said, you are the current pulse of a whole new generation! The revolutionary methods we once employed, a generation ago, have become common place and static. Therefore BE THE PULSE of Christ to your generation! Employ new methods of ministry and evangelism in this Army that so desperately needs an adrenaline shot of passion once again!

If we are to survive as The Salvation Army that God intended, WE NEED YOU to revolutionize and make waves of change in an Army that has somewhat lost its forward momentum. The Message of Christ is still relevant and vital to this world, but the methods by which we relay His love and grace has to continue to reach an ever evolving society and culture. Proponents who insulate and protect traditions in our Army might argue that we don’t need to change and that we must plod on as we have always done…this line of thinking only serves to preserve what we’ve done in the past but doesn’t help to invest in what we will do in the present and the future. WE MUST NEVER lose sight of where we’ve been and our rich heritage that we have inherited, BUT WE MUST BE UNAFRAID to risk much for the faith and cause of Christ! This must be our identity as an Army if we are to survive and continue the battle God has placed us in.

Dear Junior Soldier, Senior Soldier and Corps Cadet member, I conclude this note to you with a word of encouragement:

Stand firm, be brave and never lose sight of the war that we wage as an Army. Don’t let the internal battle, both in your heart and in the Organization discourage you or cause you to flee the cause! Fight on and keep your focus on ‘Others’! Use revolutionary means and evolutionary tactics to claim victories in the hearts of the lost. And lastly, you are not a soldier who is by yourself in the midst of battle…never forget that! There are other soldiers and officers who will gladly join you on the front lines…and if they fail to or abandon you they should be considered ‘unfit for duty’…move on and recruit others to soldier on beside you, keeping one another accountable through love and grace and purpose.

You are our future and present…gear up and prepare for battle!

Sincerely,

A Captain in this Army and ongoing war!

June 27, 2013 1

Electing A General…More Money, more Soldiers? More questions than answers…

Correct me if I’m wrong here, because often I am. And I do not want to rely on hearsay or useless erroneous conjecture. But as I’ve been reading various publications and blogs of officers and leaders, I hit on a disturbing notion in regards to how Generals of The Salvation Army are elected. Am I incorrect in assuming that a large portion of the election process is weighed within economic and statistical measures? By that I mean do we put that much emphasis on those leaders who are perceived to have grown their territories in leaps and bounds? If this is the case, and I hope they are not, is this biblical?

Secondly, does this then preclude potential candidates who clearly have the intellect and godly principles from being elected based on the territories in which they are currently serving?

Hopes: The fastest growing regions of The Salvation Army are also within the poorest regions of this world…would the High Council consider a Commissioner from one of these regions as a viable candidate? My hope and dream is that we begin to see the progressive movement within the Army to consider the leadership of the entire world regardless of its economic or statistical support.

What I know: Not much. That much is true. But what I do know is that This Army has been historically revolutionary in this movement! We allow women to preach, Hallelujah! Regardless of gender, Salvationists have more equality than a lot of churches around the world! We are a holiness movement, and thus we must continue to rely on His promptings and proddings within our Army for ‘greater things’. The mission is not over yet! And we continue to need leaders to rise who will not insulate the Army and play it safe but those who are willing move it forward!

June 25, 2013 4

Attention: People Pleasers…it’s pointless.

When it is all said and done, our feeble meanderings and our efforts of people pleasing will be meaningless…in the grand scheme of things and in God’s glory if we have not lived as servants first and spent our time sharing the grace of God with others we will have little or nothing to show of our earthly efforts and endeavors. -Just a thought.

June 25, 2013 0

Author: Pastor'sPonderings