Another good article on the topic of The General:

(source: http://fsaof.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-did-pope-resign.html by Sven Ljungholm)

The General’s Site is Suspended

The resignation was sudden and virtually unprecedented – the last voluntary resignation celebrated in high medieval times; 1294. There has since been lots of expressions of both speculation and indignation about the cause, in spite of Pope Benedict’s stated reason being his waning strength. I found his reason logical and therefore perfectly acceptable. But millions of Catholics didn’t and so rumors continue to run rampant. As Cardinal, Ratzinger was Pope John Paul II’s enforcement officer – he rode herd on the many sex scandals and their “containment.” The end result of what might be learned will depend on what the church decides to reveal.

Still, was there not something just a wee bit awry about the abruptness in the announcement of his stepping down? But my interest is not so much in the Pope’s sudden resignation, but this time, in our own church’s’ international leader’s. The similarities are noteworthy as Salvationist too are at the mercy of our leaders; “The end result of what might be learned will depend on what the church (IHQ) decides to reveal.”

OK, our membership is in the low 1 ½ millions, theirs in the billions. But perhaps that’s just why our global, yet closely linked family, felt it unjustifiable to be informed so abruptly and with a message far too brief! Being united, as we are, One Army, One Mission One Message, what we got was; one brusque message! The abrupt memo and the General’s apparently hasty exit provided the rudiments on which speculation and controversy nourish. And surely this should have been foreseen. Borrowing a phrase from the land where I reside; ‘bad form, sirs!’

The High Council elects Linda Bond

We’re asked to simply accept that the General has decided to retire and look past the decision-making factors; fair enough. But, troubling is the manner of her departure from the ‘high’ office to which she’d been elected, in which we place our trust; the leader who is lifted in prayer by hundreds of thousands of Salvationist and others every day. We feel let down and are disappointed in how the system acted out its policy, if indeed there was one. No advance word of any kind to anyone, at least not to the million plus lower-level shareholders.

One Army, One Mission, One Message

General Lind Bond had just returned to her office from St Louis – probably hadn’t even completed unpacking her suitcase before the retirement letter began to take form – Some see the sudden departure as a form of denial of her sacred Covenant. Others see the controversial departure as a betrayal, but not quite certain whom to blame; an individual, a group or the organizational policy processing?

The General returns from a God glorifying Congress and Commissioning in St. Louis, USA Central Territory where there were more than 3,000 Salvationists enjoying music, laughter, fellowship, and even confetti raining from the ceiling. The Salvation Army had a wonderful weekend because ‘General Linda Bond, International Leader of The Salvation Army, ordained and commissioned 32 Salvation Army’.

The internationalism was considered in transmitting the global missile, but perhaps not its consequences.

Following THE whirlwind weekend the General jets across the USA and the NorthAtlantic, home to London. A meeting is called and the next day we’re told: “I write to inform you that General Linda Bond is entering into retirement. – Following a period of personal reflection and prayer, General Bond has decided that she should relinquish the Office of the General with effect from 13 June 2013”. Today! “The General’s decision to step down comes after 44 years of ministry.”

Why not this instead; ‘The General, who’ll celebrate her 67th birthday in two weeks has decided to retire on July 13 following 44 years of faithful service on three continents and visits to… And, education … And, … During the next several weeks she’ll be in Canada making preparations for her retirement, returning to London for a farewell meeting celebrating her many years of faithful service. Details will follow’.

Was no thought given to the chaos such a terse announcement would cause in a global village SA world? Within seconds of pressing ‘SEND’ at IHQ a hundred thousand IPODS, IPADS and laptops announced the news. Troubling, alarming due its brevity. We read the message a second time asking, “Where’s the rest”?! There must be more…

And a week later, silence, with the exception of hundreds of thousands asking in hushed tones, ‘any more words about our General?’

And then today:

Can we expect, as is the custom, that the General will be there to welcome the newly elected successor?

May God richly bless General Linda Bond in her retirement. And may God bless the Salvation Army!

Sven Ljungholm

Former Officer

USA, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine

Living in the UK

Birkenhead Central Corps

June 18, 2013 0

Update Newsletter from IHQ today:

CHIEF OF THE STAFF CALLS HIGH COUNCIL TO ELECT 20TH SALVATION ARMY GENERAL

// 18 JUNE 2013 //

THE Chief of the Staff, Commissioner André Cox, has summoned members of the High Council to meet on 29 July 2013 for the purpose of electing the 20th General of The Salvation Army. All leaders who are commissioners on active service or who are territorial commanders or territorial presidents of women’s ministries of whatever rank qualify for membership of the High Council.

This High Council will be the largest in the history of The Salvation Army. There will be 118 members – 64 women and 54 men – with an average age of 59. Fifty-four will be attending a High Council for the first time. Twenty-six have appointments in the Americas and Caribbean Zone and 24 in the Africa Zone. The South Pacific and East Asia Zone supplies 21 members, Europe 18 and South Asia 15. Fourteen International Headquarters commissioners complete the total of 118 members.

The High Council will not meet at its usual venue of Sunbury Court in Sunbury-on-Thames, United Kingdom, as this historic venue is presently undergoing a major refurbishment. Instead, it will meet at the Renaissance Hotel, near Heathrow to the west of London. This is not the first time the High Council has convened away from Sunbury Court – in 1934 and 1939 proceedings took place at Clapton, in the East End of London.

The Chief of the Staff will preside over the opening of the High Council until such time as a president and vice-president have been elected. The deliberations of the council will then be directed by the president, preparing the way for nominations for the office of General and the election of the next international leader of The Salvation Army.

International News Releases will be issued from time to time during the course of the High Council and will be available on the International Headquarters website. The announcement of the new General will be webcast so people all around the world will learn the identity of the new General at the same time.

For the latest information go to www.salvationarmy.org/HighCouncil2013. A Twitter feed,@HighCouncil2013, has also been set up, along with a Facebook page:www.facebook.com/HighCouncil2013

June 18, 2013 0

The Original ‘300’

The movie 300 is about to get a sequel. According to IMDb 300 ‘Rise Of An Empire’ will hit theaters in 2014. Like its predecessor this new installment will undoubtedly be a total macho movie with frequent action sequences and lots of blood and gore. But before anyone ever yelled out “For Sparta” another army of just 300 soldiers fought insurmountable odds and completely decimated their enemy. Although the Bible doesn’t specifically say how many Midianites Gideon and his band of 300 hundred defeated, they had to have numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

Gideon’s name means ‘Destroyer’ or ‘Mighty Warrior’, and yet the first time we encounter Gideon in the Bible he is threshing wheat in hiding so that the Midianites don’t find him. Our first impression of this ‘Mighty Warrior’ isn’t exactly encouraging. Yet an Angel of the Lord comes and pays Gideon a visit, and uses his name’s meaning by saying, ‘Mighty Warrior’ the Lord God is with you! Gideon isn’t exactly full of confidence and even challenges the Angel’s announcement by essentially saying, ‘how can God be with us when we are being oppressed?’ Still the Angel is unfazed by Gideon’s doubt and commands him to go with the strength that he has and save Israel from the clutches of the Midianites.

If doubt and shock wasn’t enough, Gideon’s next statement puts things into perspective, he says; “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest…and I’m the least in my family?” Has Gideon lived up to his name ‘Might Warrior’ yet? No, he hasn’t, in fact far from it. But can you blame the guy? He has seen the devastation caused by Israel’s enemy and he also recognizes that his family is the smallest and weakest in all of Israel. Why would God possibly choose him? Fast forward nearly a hundred and fifty years later and God appoints another ‘least of these’ to be King of Israel, a guy by the name of David.

I think God’s plan for Gideon and even David had less to do with human might and more to do with His awesome power!

Gideon had a tough time believing that he was indeed called by God. He even tested God numerous times just to be sure, and finally after Gideon had his requests met by God, He puts together an army that’s boasted 22,000 soldiers. Wow, what a force of might by Israel! But that wasn’t how the Lord planned to defeat their enemies. Gideon’s forces are dwindled down to 10,000…but that was still too many soldiers for what God had in mind. Finally after one more soldier ‘thinning’ episode at the banks of a body of water only 300 soldiers remained. This battle wasn’t ‘for Sparta’ either, this was for the Lord!

I don’t know about you but that math just doesn’t seem to add up. How could an army of only three hundred ever defeat the vast and ferocious forces of the Midianites? Enter God’s power, might and perfect battle plan. He gives Gideon the battle plan and it’s unorthodox yet totally effective. Isn’t that how God seems to work? He uses the least of these for His purposes and when the battle is won there could be no doubt who it was that provided the victory! So it was with Gideon and his army of 300. Against all odds and an unorthodox battle plan, God brought a mighty army to its knees in defeat!

Still to this day, God can use us, the ‘least of these’ to win mighty victories in this world! Our God can lead us against all odds and bring mighty foes to their knees. Sometimes we may have doubts like Gideon did and faith just doesn’t come easy, but we serve a God who always keeps His promises and He will be there for us in the midst of our toughest battles. Trust Him, He won’t let us down, and He calls us ‘Mighty Warrior’ even when we feel much less than mighty.

June 17, 2013 1

Electing a new General of The Salvation Army…(UPDATED)

In reference to last week’s update on the office of General and that of our call to prayer, I would like to explore a little on the topic of how the Generals of The Salvation Army are elected. Of course usually an election of the General takes place at the end of the term of a General or when they reach the age of retirement. This time, however, circumstances as they are the High Council will convene hopefully some time later this Summer, in order to elect our next General of The Salvation Army.

As mentioned last week, General Linda Bond entered retirement abruptly and in the wake of her retirement the Chief of the Staff, Commissioner Andre’ Cox will lead this Army in the interim until the High Council is able to meet.

It is interesting to note who makes up the High Council and those with a casting vote. Territorial Commanders from around the world, some times this has numbered 100, last election cycle this numbered 109. These international and IHQ Leaders will gather together for prayer, deliberation and finally a decision. I would welcome your take on the High Councils process, and additional information that perhaps I have overlooked. I also recognize that when the High Council convenes they do so with reverent intent and much prayer. Though every church has its politicking, I would tend to regard this electoral process as prayerful and deliberately considerate of many things including age of specific candidates as well as the needs of our Army as a whole.

***Updated: Since I initially wrote this the official Summons has been sent to all Territorial Leaders around the world and High Council will begin Monday, July 29th, 2013 at the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel. What I find encouraging about this process is that three days prior to the beginning of the High Council and its election process, starting on Friday, July 26th leaders will convene for prayer. ***

(General Bramwell Booth)

HISTORY:

It is interesting to note some of the history of the High Council. The Salvation Army High Council can remove Generals from active service should the present General have health issues which would make them unfit to serve. This has only happened one time in its 109 years in existence when the then General Bramwell Booth was away from International Headquarters for several months time due to ‘health’ and he was asked to resign, when Bramwell, who was then 73 years old, refused a High Council was called and convened to vote for his removal. With a vote of 55 to 8, the High Council followed through with its plan to remove General Bramwell Booth as leader of The Salvation Army. The only problem was that General Bramwell Booth wasn’t ready to relinquish his role as General and Commander of the Army. He took his case to parliament (court) and hoped that a different result would come of the British court system getting involved. His attempt, however, failed and after two months of deliberations the court ruled in favor to uphold the High Council’s decision to have Booth removed as General.

Here is a good book for further reading on the above topic, written by General John Larrson:

As mentioned before please continue to keep The Salvation Army leadership in your prayers as well as the Chief of the Staff Commissioner Andre’ Cox as he leads us in the interim.

Information for continued reading:

Here is a link to see how the day to day proceedings from 2011 took place:

http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/highcouncil2011

Currently we are unsure as to when this event will take place, but we do know that the High Council will be called and will convene later this summer, 2013.

I will attempt to post updates when possible. Here are a couple of links to help anyone interested in learning more about the high council and how it works:

http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/highcouncil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Council_of_The_Salvation_Army

(2011 High Council World Representatives & Army Leaders)

A CALL TO A MONTH OF PRAYER: https://scottstrissel.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/general-election-an-officers-perspective-and-a-call-to-a-month-of-prayer/

June 17, 2013 12

A Summer tune on Father’s day (Poem)

It’s hot outside.

Not hot like Alabama

Or any of the deepsouth

But in the Minnesota

summer sun, the warmth

brings solace on this sleepy afternoon.

I am on the back porch

Under the shade

In the June summer air.

Legs kicked up,

breathing deep, trying to soak

the free moments as they come.

The TV flickers

bunny ears spread wide like

a waiting hug.

The US Open, cheering

sounds of the outdoor fairways

whisper in my ears.

It’s father’s day…

The summer afternoon

Hums along to the growls

and groans of mowers

And passing traffic in the street.

Ethan, my five year old

Is rocking in the chair across from me

it creaks out a mellow protest

as he hums his own tune.

It’s funny the things we learn

When we’re young…

Wisps and flaxen strands

blonde hair blowing

Lips puckered as he

faces the brush bronzed

Three cycle fan…

His humming echoes on and out

As the fan blades carry its dissonant melody

Along the sides of the house.

He is amused and keeps on his

funny little melody that only he knows.

This is summer bliss

The sounds of the tournament

In my ears, with eyes drooping

Soon to drop closed like the curtains

In the rooms upstairs, welcoming the shadows

and the dreams waiting in the wings.

A summer breeze blows

Through the small backyard,

chasing leaves, swirling in circles

down the walkway and up the stairs

Of this deck…

Ethan continues to hum his song

and gets some backup singers

As the fan blows the summer

Dreams along.

June 16, 2013 1

Father’s Day Sermon Podcast: “Marks Of A Godly Man”

Sermon: “Marks of a Godly Man”

Psalm 112:1-10 (NIV)
¹Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. ²His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. ³Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. ⁵Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. ⁶Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. ⁷He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. ⁸His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. ⁹He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. ¹⁰The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Follow the link here:

http://scottstrissel.podomatic.com/entry/2013-06-16T11_07_09-07_00

June 16, 2013 0

In our Eternal Lingerings (poem for my family)

We linger in one another’s presence

As if minutes even hours can replace

the years that have separated us…

Yet we try.

The love that binds

us all, wound in affection,

Storied and often flawed

We love regardless…

I cling to our conversations

And our passing here

For with each passing year

Our time grows ever shorter.

But our love, this love yet remains…

Steadfast, firmly grasping on

To the times that make sense

The times, like still frames

Captured sentiment and warmth

That bathes us in its brilliance.

These moments are glimpses

Mere impressions and fragments

Of what we have yet to discover

In the great unknown.

Yet I know but one thing,

This lingering, the drawing close

Of heart to heart will never fade

Only increase as Eternity

comes ever nearer.

June 14, 2013 0

A Holiness for 1

Holiness is often something Christians view as the Everest of the spiritual realm. It is formidable, the price is steep, and many turn back within its clefts and craggy cliffs. Why is this misnomer on holiness so prevalent? Corps members whom I’ve spoken with tell me that holiness is impossible or just too hard…I am shocked when I hear them tell me this. Commonly I will ask them why they think that holiness is impossible, and usually there will be those who respond by saying because to be holy you have to be perfect. But is that correct? Holiness is perfection? I would have to say a resounding ‘no’! We are still sinners saved by grace, and ultimate perfection or total sanctification will only take place when we finally come face to face with Christ in Eternity. But though we are still imperfect, the Holy Spirit is making us perfectly into the image of Christ if we allow Him to do so.

Holiness first and foremost is submitting to the will of God in every aspect of our lives. We say to the Lord, “Not my will but Yours, and you can have all there is of me.” Does this imply that we automatically become perfect? Absolutely not. We still struggle, we still ought to pray “Lord lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” Because the fact of the matter is we will still face temptation in this life. Holiness isn’t about automatically living in perfection, but rather about walking in the footsteps of Jesus and allowing His Holy Spirit to transform you into the image of Christ in this life. We reject the old sinful self, as well embrace the new creation which is Christ in us.

Another aspect of holiness that I feel we often get wrong is this notion that it’s a corporate holiness. Meaning that holiness is first done as a body of Christ. I think we get this backwards. We have to first be transformed and sanctified individually before we are holy in corporate fellowship. General Shaw Clifton once put it this way in reference to Samuel Logan Brengle: “His (SLB) constant emphasis was upon personal holiness. Now we hear much today about institutional holiness but I cannot help thinking sometimes that this misses the point. There can be no institutional holiness without your personal holiness and mine. Only then can institutional holiness flow through an organization.” (Select Writings, Clifton. pg.181)

So what does this holiness for one look like?

Like Daniel of old, do we have a prayer closet? A place where we daily kneel before our Lord and pray and fellowship with Him? These moments of solitary fellowship are vital to our personal holiness. Do we allow Him the first fruits of our time, our talent and our treasure? Is He included in everything that we do or do we often leave Him at home with our devotions or bible by the night stand? I believe Brother Lawrence had it right as well, and let me take his ideology one step further. We practice the presence of God in every moment of every day…is it possible? Yes. Difficult? Of course! But transforming holiness in our personal lives ought to be moment by moment within our day and not just during our devotions in the morning or evening. Our fellowship with God on a moment by moment basis draws us closer to Him and to His very will for our lives.

These are sacred things should not to be trifled with or taken lightly. If we, as His people, are truly serious about living holy lives and embracing this theology of holiness then, as difficult as it is, we ought to practice living within His presence on a moment by moment basis. This is a holiness for one! We invite Him into our thoughts, every corner of them. The Holy Spirit will bring conviction when areas yet to be surrendered are brought into His light. He will also provide affirmation to us when we are growing and on the right path.

When this intimate setting for one is preserved in us and our lives are His, then and only then will can we begin to look at the corporate body of Christ through the lens of holiness.

June 14, 2013 0

Sad News: General Bond to Retire.

Today shock waves reverberated around The Salvation Army world when the news of the sudden retirement of its General, Linda Bond was announced. Many expressed sadness and confusion along with many, many questions.

(The Official News Link: http://news.salvationarmy.org.uk/announcement-retirement-general-linda-bond )

I believe as an Army we should refrain from idle speculation and avoid the winds of gossip and instead lift up our leadership and General Bond in prayer. If we are truly One Army, then we ought to come together as one Army and bathe this sudden transition in prayer. Though many hearts are burdened and saddened with questions, may our mission and our purpose never waver! We are an Army of Holiness and if we are truly sanctified people then we have placed our trust fully on God in the midst of often turbulent news.

I, personally was honored to hear General Linda Bond preach the word of Christ, and I felt His Holy Spirit fall upon His people. I was challenged and blessed by her ministry, and though I am but a lowly corps officer I felt God’s empowering words flow through her messages.

General Linda Bond has left a lasting impact on this Army, though her leadership was cut a year short, I am confident in the One who appointed her through the Army leadership located around the world. I also pray for whatever lies ahead for General Bond as she heads into retirement, knowing that the Lord is truly not finished with her yet.

May God continue to Bless The Salvation Army, it’s ministry and mission around the world…and may we ever be diligent in proclaiming Christ in everything we do!

God Bless you General Bond, and we will continue to lift you up in our prayers as you move into retirement!

***Update: please read a follow-up to this article on this blog regarding the High Council and dates of initial proceedings: https://scottstrissel.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/electing-a-new-general-of-the-salvation-army/

A CALL TO A MONTH OF PRAYER: https://scottstrissel.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/general-election-an-officers-perspective-and-a-call-to-a-month-of-prayer/

June 13, 2013 12

Surviving Diseases…and Ultimate Healing

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. -Jeremiah 17:14

Recently in the news a girl was denied to be put on the adult lung donors list in Philadelphia. Then the decision was overturned by the court system to put this girl afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis on that same adult lung donor list. She went from having next to no hope to finally having some hope of getting new lungs as the disease ravages the lungs leaving them scarred and unusable. This horrible disease is carried through family genetics and those children it appears in have a shortened life span. But with new medicines and transplants the lives of those who it effects can be prolonged for many many years.

In recent days as this story unfolded the family celebrated the reversal of the initial decision. Taking politics aside, the life of a child even with the high risk of surgery and rejection of the organs means everything for just more time to live and breathe. Now today, Sarah Murnaghan who is 10 years old will be getting new lungs. Her name was on the list and it was called. No one knows if this will be successful, I pray that it is, but as a parent of four children myself, I would want to know that my child is given every opportunity to survive an ordeal such as this! Any parent would fight for their child in the same way as Sarah’s has!!

Spiritually speaking, everything in this life is a gift from God…even more time! I don’t pretend to understand what her family is going through or the long painful journey that they have already been on, but I do know that we serve a God who cares and ultimate will heal us all. Life, regardless of illness and disease is terminal. I know what your thinking, that doesn’t sound very uplifting. True. But in the grand scheme of things we all know that some day we too will face that veil that separates us from life and death.

I have held the hand of dying people, I have been in the room of those who have breathed their last. I have performed funerals for families and their dearly departed. What I do know about this life is that we all long for more time. We all want to linger with our lost family member for one last time. What I also know is that life is so precious and it is a gift! We ought to celebrate every moment that we are alive here on Earth, but also know that this physical life isn’t the end of it all!

I am excited for Sarah Murnaghan and her family. I pray that she pulls through this impending surgery…illnesses and diseases of all kinds are horrible, let alone to those children who are afflicted by them. I pray that she heals, and that she gets to enjoy breathing without pain once again!

Do you serve a God who heals? I do. Even if that healing becomes an ultimate one, I know that there is life beyond the grave! What a celebration we will all have one day when we see family members who have gone on before us! In the mean time, relish life…live it fully and celebrate it with a God who desperately wants to be apart of yours!

We have this one life, we have to decide what we’re going to do with it! Don’t let it slip through your fingers and come to the end of your life and face regrets. Celebrate, relish, and live!

Current news story: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/12/girl-dying-cystic-fibrosis-to-receive-lung-transplant-today/

Here are some links about Cystic Fibrosis and ways we can also help those children suffering from Cystic Fibrosis:

https://www.causeway.org/cause/view/end-cystic-fibrosis-this-decade-aka-cf-smackdown?gclid=CO3uysuj37cCFchDMgodQlEA9g

http://www.cff.org/

http://www.cff.org/aboutcf/faqs/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystic_fibrosis

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cystic-fibrosis/DS00287

June 12, 2013 0