3 Lessons That Christians Can Learn From The Ashley Madison…

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

Unless you are currently living in a cave (in which case it’s amazing that you’re even reading this right now) , you will know that a group of hackers recently released the names of nearly 90,000 clients who used the online “affair” site – “Ashley Madison”.

There have been some claims, mostly unsubstantiated, that nearly 400 Pastors would have to resign because of their involvement on the website. I don’t know about you, but this whole scandal just makes me sad. If church members and pastors are indeed involved in this fallout then what kind of testimony to the “unsaved” does that have? What would be the “Christian” fallout? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wish to convey an “us vs. them” mentality here, but certainly we have to concede that we DO have a responsibility as Christians to live as “Set-Apart”. How can we set an example of godly living if we aren’t really living above reproach? How could this translate to other faith-seekers out there? Would they become disillusioned because of this display by “Christians”? Or is this just par for the course? Is this just a “Christian” issue or is it also a society issue?

Here are three lessons that Christians can learn from this whole Ashley Madison debacle:
“Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.” -Warren Wiersbe

1. The Truth Will Always Come Out:
I don’t say this to be judgmental, I say this because it’s true. Adam and Eve couldn’t hide the truth from God in the garden when they disobeyed Him, so what makes us believe that our outcomes will be any different? I know that sometimes affairs happen for many different reasons. Some because of neglect, abuse, distance, a moment of weakness and so on, but it’s still a tragedy all the same. It was never how God intended love to look like or act when it came to humankind. Sometimes I wonder if these sort of things happen because people think they won’t get caught.

I’m reminded of the scripture verse: “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” Luke 8:17 If Christians believe that hiding issues and sins will never be found out, think again.

2. Christians Aren’t Impervious To Temptation:

If you think that as a Christian you will never struggle with temptation again, then you’re sorely mistaken. Temptation is still alive among Christ-followers. When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, He even taught them to pray against temptation when He said “And deliver us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”(Matthew 6:13).

If we know we struggle with a specific type of temptation, then be aware of it. Be vigilant. Be on your guard! Christians, even though they are “Set Apart”, can still stumble and fall! If some Christians have been caught in this whole Ashley Madison debacle, I pray that they find healing, forgiveness and grace on their road to recovery and reconciliation! Temptation is very real, especially among those who claim to be Christ-followers.

3. If We Don’t Guard Our Heart, We Can Easily Fall!
The last lesson is this (and I believe that it’s connected to the last lesson).
-Guard your hearts.
Put up barriers to sin and temptation.
If you have trouble with overeating then don’t drive by the doughnut shop…you get my point. Take special precautions to avoid situations in which you might fall into temptation. Be proactive in avoiding such a scenario in your life. If you’re proactive, you stand a better chance of side-stepping that which trips us up. When we guard our hearts, we guard our lives; we filter the kinds of things that we allow into our hearts and minds. We are then able to withstand such a barrage on our lives.

I don’t wish to condemn anyone who is caught up in this scandal today.
I’m certainly not perfect, and I’m sure you aren’t either.
Here’s a newsflash – The Church isn’t perfect either. In fact, our Church doors are open to all who are imperfect and require the kind of healing and grace only Christ can offer. We might be tempted to sit back, purse our lips and judge people who have been caught by this whole Ashley Madison mess…but think again. Hold your judgements and try to offer grace. I’m not saying we allow sin to continue to be active in our churches, I’m just saying allow grace, forgiveness and love to enter into the equation before we ever consider casting the first stone. I pray for grace and healing for those in need of it today! May we all seek God’s favor in all that we are and ever hope to be as Christ-followers.

Something more to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

August 31, 2015 0

“Unplugged”

They say that the best sermon one can preach comes from personal experience…this topic is no different.
I find myself looking at my “smart” phone far too much.
I invest my time in technology and social media far more than I should.

I am not saying social media is bad, on the contrary it can be a vital tool to ministry, family and life.
But you know what they say about too much of a good thing…it might just become bad for you.
I cannot begrudge social media, after all, this audience on Pastorsponderings was grown out of social media.
You matter to this blog, these ponderings, and to me…but…we sometimes need to just unplug from it all.

We have to get away from our devices and look around us.
We have to put down our cell phones, computers and tablets and spend quality time with our families.

I don’t know about you but there is this constant need to see what other people are saying and writing about on places like twitter, facebook and tumblr. We check our status’ hundreds of times throughout our day, but God forbid we ever enter a place where there are cellular dead-zones.

I’m tired of family get togethers that look like this:
We drive miles and miles to our families for holidays and after only a short time we are doing this while we sit around and soak up the electronic silences on the couches and chairs. We are mere feet from our loved ones and yet we may as well be miles and miles away. Again, I’m talking to myself in this, but it the shoe fits…

…I must confess that I am horribly guilty of this type of technological distraction.
I just don’t want any of us waking up some day when some of our family members are gone from this life and regret not spending more quality time with them instead of facebooking our closet 1,000 “friends”.

At Play:
The other day, my sister told me of her experience at the park with her boys. They went there to play and enjoy the last remaining days of summer before school begins again. As she is watching her children play, she looked around the park at all of the other parents and she noticed, with dismay, the distraction of many of the parents. Their eyes were glued to their cell phone screens. Is it no wonder our kids seem clingy and demanding of our time these days when we don’t even realize how disconnected we are from them because we’re too busy commenting on a photo or dialoging on another group or post?

Again, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with these “social” things, but if they start becoming a distraction to our everyday lives and to our families then something has got to give…something has to change!

At Church:
Isn’t “Church fellowship” supposed to be real live connecting with people? Isn’t it supposed to be a time where we connect with God and worship Him? Isn’t Church a place where we put down our distractions and begin to LISTEN to Him? I don’t mean to say that we don’t do that else where in our daily lives, but Church ought to be a place where we unplug from the things of earth and plug into a God of the Universe. Yet, we find ourselves once again digging into our pockets for that iPhone or Android device to see what is going on with our favorite team, friend, frienemy…you get the point. Why is it so hard to unplug? Why are we constantly looking at our phones? And don’t tell me you’re just finding the scripture verse the pastor is preaching on either…maybe some of you are, but not all of you are. Are we bored with God? Are we bored with the message on Sunday? Are we easily distracted by the world around us? What is it?

I am not pointing the finger at you without first pointing the finger at me…I do this, I am equally as guilty.
I look at my screen far too many times in the day. I check status’, I read emails, I constantly text…I do all of these things. They aren’t bad things, just distracted things…especially when my son is on the soccer field playing a game…especially when my 7 year old twins want Dad time and I only give them a part of my “full attention”…especially when my 14 year old needs help with homework and I’m sitting there commenting on another post…especially when my beautiful bride is talking to me and I’m only partially listening and the other part of me is tweeting something sarcastic. You see, I need to choose my times to unplug too. I need to get away from the distractions of my devices too. I need to spend time with my family, with my church, with my God.

For Us To Ponder:
Do you need to unplug today?
Do you need a technology fast?
Do you find yourself constantly distracted by your cell phone or other devices?
Perhaps you need to “unplug” it for a while.
Perhaps you just need to put it down on the kitchen counter or nightstand and walk away for a while.
Cell phones have this awesome new invention called “voicemail” and it allows you to actually call someone back later (Sarcastic comment, sorry).

Is it time to unplug for a while? You decide.
Something more to ponder today…To God be the glory!

August 31, 2015 1

Dear Salvation Army, 5 Difficult Questions That Most Christians Will Avoid

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Today I want to open up a pondering like no other.
It’s a pondering that can often be difficult because no one seems to want to talk about it.
Many Christians will skirt around these topics and tend to avoid it at all cost.
This…is just the tip of the iceberg, and perhaps a book ought to be written about it (hmmm perhaps I will).

I’m tired of ducking this conversation, pretending as if everything is fine and we never struggle at all.
I’m tired of pretending to be something we’re not…humanly perfect in every way, shape and form.
If we, as an Army, want to move on, if we want to progress forward – we have to talk about the topics we often shy away from.
Let’s start today:

5 Difficult Questions That Most Christians Will Avoid:

Doubt (Is God Even Real?)
What do we call the Apostle Thomas? That’s right, “Doubting Thomas“. Why? Because he dared to expose the fact that he had doubts and he questioned the testimony of others. He finally gets his wish, Jesus shows him his nail pierced hands, feet and stab-wounded side and Thomas believes. Is it a sin to doubt? No. Is it a sin to question? Absolutely not.Let’s dispel that myth today about doubting. We ought to be asking all sorts of questions about God, about the Bible, about life. It’s not a sin to be inquisitive and demand more proof. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 even says to “test everything and hold onto what is good.” So let me relieve some guilt in some of you today, it’s okay to have your doubts from time to time. Pray about those doubts. Ask God for some further evidence, and/or for Him to reveal Himself to you. I do not believe the time for Godly revelation has passed. If we doubt, then seek out the answers. Don’t settle for simple answers of merely “having faith”…push back and test these things for yourself. Faith isn’t about believing what your parents or grandparents believe…it’s not familial in that way, it ought to also be a personal ideology of belief. If we do not have a foundation there, then we really don’t have a lasting foundation at all.So News Flash, don’t beat yourself up over the fact that you encounter doubts in your life. Sometimes within those moments of doubting we begin to seek out the answers on a deeper level, and we begin to get serious about establishing a personalized faith that lacks any of the frilly phrases and meaningless jargon we sometimes find in Church.
Sexuality (Pornography and other addictions)
Sometimes questions about sexuality and specific sexual addictions are swept under the rug in the church and family. It’s never talked about, and so it becomes this type of “hush, hush” conversation.We are sexual creatures, God has created us this way. Sex is good. (yes I said it, SEX IS GOOD!)
It is for creating offspring but it is also for our enjoyment. The problem, though is that we never talk about pornography and sexual addictions which isn’t only prolific within culture, but it is prolific even in the church. This is an often unspoken, private struggle, and rightly so, but we ought to recognize that the Church should be a source of honest, candidness when it comes to struggles and temptations of the sexual nature.I do recognize that addictions of any kind ought to be treated by professionals, but that doesn’t negate the responsibility of the Church (and we as an Army) to have honest conversations about its real existence among our ranks. It does exist. It is a real struggle for many, and we cannot simply cover it up and pretend it doesn’t effect us. I believe that if we are honest, this type of temptation is more prolific that we give it credit for. It doesn’t even have to be pornographic images from adult websites either, it can be things we have seen on television or read in the pages of books.

Sex is good, but we need to confront the marring of these important displays of affection by the sin nature and the distortion of sexual reality that pornographic addiction provides to our culture and to church. We cannot simply pretend it doesn’t exist and close our eyes to its existence.
If I work harder, will I become perfect? (Works+Success=Spiritual Crowns)
–The Desire To Be Perfect By Outcome based performances –
If I just sing “O Boundless Salvation” well enough…
If I just wear my uniform better…
If I do more around the corps and show others how good I can be…
If I play in the band every Sunday…
If I
If I
If I….
Don’t get me wrong, these are great things to do within our corps and our ministries, but if we believe that doing all of these things in the right order will win us crowns, and that’s all we’re doing it for, then we’re sorely mistaken.Sometimes I fear that we have this notion that doing STUFF will make us successful in the Kingdom of God. We tend to believe: All that this Army is really about is adding more to the ranks. -False.
All that we do is good works so others will pat us on the backs. -False again.
We cannot become humanly perfect…that isn’t our goal.
The Pharisees even wished to impose this on the Jews in their day, and they themselves were merely law enforcers but not law abiders. Holiness is not the same thing as human perfection. When God says to us “Be holy as I am holy” what did He mean? Is holiness about doing STUFF? No! We have to first believe and have faith before the outpouring of evidence (Works/Stuff) can be seen.So stop stressing over wearing your uniform better, or performing at a better level…these things might be important at some point, but God first looks at your heart…so how is your heart?
Is This Authentic, am I Realistic?
(putting on the “Christian coat”)
Layered on top of all of this is the “Christian Coat”.
It’s what we do to pretend everything is okay.
It’s for appearances. It’s for other people to see. It’s a facade. It’s not real. We sometimes think to ourselves, if my Corps Officer or Divisional Officer or Pastor could see how it really is at home, they would be horrified.
We have this concept in our minds that we must act a certain way in church in order to “look the part”. The sad thing is – it’s all fake, and what we’re really doing is holding true fellowship and authenticity at arms length. We aren’t really allowing others to see how it really is with us. We wear masks, we pretend everything is normal and holy at home, when it’s anything but normal and holy.Are we embarrassed?
Are we afraid our fellow Christian brothers and sisters will judge us? -Yes. I’m no fool in this either, I know how cruel other Christians can be…and it really ought not be that way. We put up these barriers and wear masks because we’re afraid how we will really be treated if others knew how it really was with us. So we wear the tunic…we put on the Christian coat…but it’s all surfaced, it’s all phony.Listen, forget what those judgey Christians are going to think.
Who are you going to honor in your authentic faith – Man or God?
In the long run who matters most? It’s a crying shame that we have to protect ourselves from other “Christians”, but maybe if we started to take off these masks and these “Christian coats” true revival and true fellowship will once again take place. Sometimes the best way to get rid of fake, judgmental “Christians” is to be real and honest and genuine. So, take off that coat.
What Do I Do When My Family Implodes?
Lastly today, what do I do when my family implodes…believe it or not Christian families struggle just as much with rebellion and issues as non-Christians families. We sometimes have this false notion that just because our families go to church we will be insulated from some of these issues. Guess what? They still exist. They still can effect our families. We get so embarrassed about how other Salvationists, how other Christians will react if they only knew we’re barely surviving at home…Can I be honest with you? Families do implode from time to time. Families will not always agree from time to time. It might be a full out battle once in a while (and some of you are saying “once in a while, try all the time!)…I think if we go back to being authentic and real, and vulnerable with one another, we would find that there would be more common ground that we ever realized. Sure, there will be the occasional sour, judgmental church goer who is more pharisee than Christian, but we would also find other authentic believers who just want someone to listen to their heartaches and the pain they are going through with their kids and/or families.I dare you to take a risk and to share your burdens with other believers…but choose wisely, find believers who will listen, who will love, and who will challenge you for the good.

These are just five difficult questions to ponder today…many times we’d like to shy away from such discourse, but I believe it’s vital to ask the question and to find the answers when they can be found.
Do you have feedback or questions of your own? We welcome your comments and questions. Let’s dialogue together a little longer on this subject.

Something more to ponder today!
To God be the glory!

Special thanks to my wife, Shanais Strissel who helps me clarify and inspires me in these ponderings!

August 25, 2015 4

Dear Salvation Army, 3 Spiritual Lessons From Football (Soccer) That Matter!

I was watching my son play a football match the other day.
In the U.S. we call it soccer, for the rest of the world it’s called Football.
Just to give you a little history about who I am; I have played soccer since I was a young boy. It began in the playground as a little boy on the Island of St. Helena. My parents were missionaries there many years ago. I played soccer in South Africa as a boy – my parents were missionaries there too. I played soccer in the United States – my parents were missionaries there too.

I love the game.
As I have grown up, so has my knowledge of the game of football.
I finally see the strategy that my father once called “Chess-like”. -A player makes one move and then a counter move…and so on. The game is built upon team work, strategy, and determination. I admire the structure of this sport that I played so long ago. I equally enjoy watching my son compete in it as well.

This brings me to my point today, Dear Salvation Army.
Here’s my metaphor for the day – There are lessons we can acquire from the game of football. These lessons can have a deep impact on our ministries. These lessons can either shape us if applied, or break us if not applied. Allow me to share these 3 spiritual lessons with you today.

3 Spiritual Lessons From Football (Soccer) That Matter!

1. Flat-Footedness Produces A Flat-lined Passion:
I have watched professional games where you can almost tell which team will win just by how they compete. The players who stay focused and on their toes (literally) will be better equipped to create attacking plays and score goals.

When you play the game of football, you must constantly operate on the balls of your feet. Being “on your toes” helps you anticipate passes, gives you an edged, and allows you to move faster. If players play flat-footed, they lose a step. That player will not be quick to the ball, and they will become reactive instead of proactive.

Are we Flat-footed or are we on our toes?
Spiritually speaking, we cannot operated our ministries in a reactionary capacity. We must anticipate and move when the Holy Spirit prompts us to move. Sitting back on our heels doesn’t prepare us for active ministry, it opens us up for failure in ministry. We weren’t called to preserve we were called to persevere!

When we go out and engage our communities…
When we get up out of the pews and help others in our communities…
When we seek to be a resource of solutions to problems and situations in society…
When we practice what we preach on Monday – Saturday…
We will cease to be flat-footed and on our toes in ministry.

2. We Can’t All Be Ronaldo and Messi!
No offense to these phenomenally talented footballers, but the game is usually never won because of one player among 12. The whole team has to contribute. The Goalie has to know his/her role. The full backs need to know their role. The midfielders and the forwards – theirs as well. It’s a team sport.

I love to watch teams like the Netherlands national team play. They pass with precision. The operate as a group. Sure, there are some stand-out talent on the team, but without players who can move the ball, pass and defend – that talent is useless.

We are members of one body (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12).
Each part of the body has to work with the other. This doesn’t mean that we lord over other parts and brag about our accomplishments, rather, it means we help each other along- we work together for the same purposes. Do we not have the same mission, Dear Army? Are we all equally important? Sometimes I think (and it happens in almost all Churches) we have “Stars” who tend to get all of the notoriety and credit…just like Ronaldo and Messi. Most of these “Stars” are actually very humble about their role within the Army. We must never lose focus on what is MOST important.

It’s not about who gets the credit (God should actually get this praise…right?!).
It’s not about who looks better in the uniform.
It’s not about ranks and roles and positions…although some would disagree with me.
-We need more team work and less ball hogs.
-We need more sharing of vital tools for ministry and less hoarding of these resources.
-We need to stop comparing ourselves and instead compare our lives with Christ – who ought to be the one we long to emulate and imitate.

3. Conditioning & Discipline Lead To A Successful Football Club (Spiritual Flabbiness is Shabbiness)
Okay, let’s get the cynics out of the way first – yes, of course some of the major football clubs also have MILLIONS of pounds, dollars, euros (and everything in between) to work with.

Without physical conditioning a team will fall flat on its face.
Without being disciplined in the sport, a team will fall apart when pressure mounts.
Physical strength requires sweat, toil, tears, and even pain. One cannot expect to compete at a professional level without first sacrificing time, laziness, and other luxuries. Practice is required, not optional. Determination to practice and perform at the peak of excellence is desired for all players on the pitch. If a player begins to decline or under-performs, that player may be sent down to a subordinate minor league team, or kicked off the team all together.

Dear Salvation Army, we cannot afford to have spiritually flabby soldiers.
I mean this with the sincerest amount of grace. We need to hold each other accountable. We need to press for spiritual discipline and spiritual conditioning. We cannot settle for mediocrity IF there is even a hint that we can be more and do more. God doesn’t want our leftovers on the mission fields we are called to, He wants our best efforts, or complete faithfulness, and our whole hearts. If we are to be a better Army, we have to strive for spiritual excellence and holiness. We cannot remain static if the Holy Spirit is calling us to move forward.

I love football, and I apologize to some of you that really don’t care for sports at all.
It’s an analogy that works for me.
Perhaps it will click for some of you as well.

Recap:
-Flat-Footedness Produces A Flat-lined Passion
-We Can’t All Be Ronaldo and Messi in Uniform – Be Who God Called You To Be!
-Conditioning & Discipline Lead To A Successful Football Club (Spiritual Flabbiness is Shabbiness)

There is so much more I could write on this topic, and perhaps I will in the future…but for now, this is enough fodder for one day.

Something more to Ponder today…(oh and by the way Go Manchester United!)
To God be the glory!

August 21, 2015 2

4 Wrong Ways To Read The Bible (And you may not know you’re doing it)

Let’s first admit that the Bible is an important source of help and guidance in our lives. We need the kind of hope and helps that the Bible can offer to us…but there are ways in which people can misinterpret and mistreat the bible. Today I would like to outline just four ways that this can happen, and I know you will relate in some way…so here goes:

4 Wrong Ways To Read The Bible (And you may not know you’re doing it).

The Magic 8 Ball Bible Reader…
“Dear Magic 8 Ball, if He or She is the right one for me please let me know…” Can I be honest, I have used the Bible from time to time in this manner. We use many of these narratives, poetry, wise sayings to help us decide what to do in this life. First of all, I don’t miscount that the Holy Spirit can use certain passages to help us, but if all that we do is put our fingers on random passages and BELIEVE that it’s my fortune or some sort of Divine answer, I think we’re way off base. The Bible isn’t some sort of magic 8 ball that helps us find our soul mate or win the lottery or find the right car…so perhaps we ought to stop treating it like that.
The “I’m right, you’re wrong and I’m going to prove it” Bible Reader…
Have you ever gotten into religious debates with people? It could have happened at a coffee shop, in school, or on a social media site. The next thing you know you’re both sparring over who is right and who is wrong. So you reach for your Bible so you can shoot them down and prove that you’re right and get the final word in…(and score a major victory on your religious debaters score card in heaven). If the reason we use the Bible is to prove others wrong all of the time, I fear we are mistreating the bible once again. Don’t mistake “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope…” (1 Peter 3:15) passage for being the same thing as using the Bible to club someone over the head and proving how right you are. Stop using the Bible as your weapon to prove others wrong, it’s just not helping to reach people for Jesus.
The “Dear Abby” Bible Reader…
Sorry Dear Abby and Ann Landers fans. Even though the Bible contains many life lessons from other people in history as well as books of wisdom, the Bible is not an advice column. It will not always have an answer for every life problem you will encounter. That isn’t to say that the Holy Spirit can’t guide and direct you, it just means that the Bible may not have a specific answer that you’re looking on a given subject. Similarly to the “Magic 8 Ball” reader, the scriptures of these various books put together over a thousand year or two may not always contain some magical advice for someone living in our era. In a broader aspect of course there are many, many teachable moral principles that we can draw from reading the Bible, but make sure it is read in context with the surrounding history and verses.
The “Out Of Obligation” Bible Reader…
The last wrong way we can sometimes read the bible is out of some sort of forced obligation. We grudgingly reach for our bibles and we paw through the “required” reading for the day and then get on with life. Although we read the obligatory passages we haven’t REALLY read them nor applied them to our every day living. The “Out of Obligation” Bible reader tends to read the Bible like a homework assignment…from a class they don’t like and have little to no passion for it. If we read the bible simply because we feel obligated to, the passion and love of the bible will not be present. This “wrong way” of bible reading will not help us grow (most of the time) it will only make us feel like we are forced to do it, and we might end up feeling as if none of this was ours in the first place.

Read the Bible.
I’m not saying don’t read it, just make sure that you’re reading it for the right reasons.
Be careful not to treat it as something that it’s not, nor ever intended to be.
Pray.
Ask God to help you in this.
Connect.
Get connected with a Bible study group (with the same mindset as you) who can challenge you, help you and hold you accountable.

Something more to ponder today…here’s to reading the Bible appropriately and with the right motives and intentions!

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN:
What do YOU think? Comment below and leave me some feedback on this subject.
Join the conversation!

August 18, 2015 2

Dear Salvation Army, Failure Is Certain Unless…

“We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are.”
― John Maxwell

Have you heard of the phrase “less is more”?
How about the phrase “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”?

One more idiom or parable – Do you remember hearing about how to catch a Monkey?
According to the old parable, Monkeys are selfish animals who will take as much as they can carry. As the story goes, various tribes figured out a way to capture Monkeys. They burrowed out coconuts and filled them with rice and other foods which are attractive to the monkey. Once the monkey reaches into one and grabs what they desire, the monkey will not let go. The monkey will reach into the coconut and latch onto that rice and will not un-clinch its fist.

I think we, as an Army can sometimes become a little like those monkeys…please don’t stop reading…I’m not calling anyone a monkey, rather our attitudes and activities can resemble their behavior. We can become so good at many things that we become good for nothing. We take that phrase from the Apostle Paul “I became all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23) to extremes sometimes even to the point of arrogance. I believe at times we think that we are the only ones who can help people in our communities. I believe that sometimes, in that arrogance, we have reached into far too many coconuts and we are unwilling to relinquish our fists on the prize inside. We, at times, are unwilling to share the resources or allow others to help. Sometimes, the “Army Bubble” is perceived as the ONLY way to do things…and we become blinded to alternative methods and agencies who are determined to help others just as much as we are.

“Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.”
― John Maxwell

**I believe, dear Army, that failure is certain unless…we can be willing to let go of “the more” and focus on “the most“. **

What do I mean by that statement?
I’m glad you asked:

I believe that we as an Army of Salvation is spreading itself so thin because we are attempting to do too much. I believe that because of this, we are becoming worthless to anyone, including ourselves. We, in our arrogance (sorry I have to say it), do “the more” programs…and we add more and more to our heaping plates…because “We’re the Salvation army, and people respect us“…yet we are ill-equipped, understaffed, unprepared and not properly trained.

Now, before you shoot the messenger, please hear me out.
(*sigh, I just compared everyone to monkeys and now I talked about arrogance…I am sorry, it’s not my intent to insult anyone!*)
Instead of doing “the more“, shouldn’t we be focusing on doing “the most“?
–The Most Effective Ministries to help reach souls for Christ.
–The Most Needed Helps for the Lost.
–The Most Aggressive uses of our time, talent, treasure to impact those lives in the long-term for Christ.
–The Most wealth of resources spread amongst other agencies (gasp) instead of trying to be an Island unto ourselves.

We have to stop presuming that The Salvation Army is better than any other agency (if that is an issue for you) and begin with simplicity, humility and grace. Sometimes I feel as if we enter our communities with a perceived “power house” mentality and with it comes a kind of pride and arrogance that should never be present in a uniform. Our deeds ought not have ulterior motives to conquer and claim leadership in the community. Our actions ought not be led by a superiority complex because we’ve been doing this for over a hundred years (or more) in our respective communities. Rather, we ought to be present at community events, seeking to bridge gaps that may be present, helping in anyway that we can. Let’s avoid the arrogance of “knowing it all” and presuming we always have the answers. Rather, we ought to be humble servants of the Most High and reflect that grace in our words and actions.

Can we stop focusing on “the More“?
Can we take a step into “the Most“?
I don’t just mean that we assume that branding of “Doing the Most Good”…but we ought to live “the Most Good” both in and out of uniform. It boils down to our attitudes. How will we serve? How will we succeed? How will we love?

We will not succeed by doing more.
We will not succeed by spreading ourselves too thin that we can’t make ends meet.
We will fail if we attempt to exclude or isolate ourselves from others who are helping people too.
We will fail if we allow arrogance to close our fists as we grasp at things (and money) that are not ours.

I don’t want to fail.
I want to succeed.
I want to be an aggressive Army, hell bent on winning souls for Christ by any and every available tool.
I don’t want to settle for doing more, but rather doing the most with the best of our gifts and abilities.
If we could just stop focusing on doing everything and instead focus once more on doing the most important, most meaningful things that will impact lives for Christ…we will win, we will succeed in this mission.

Questions to Ponder:
What 2 or 3 things does your Ministry do well at?
How can you eliminate “the more” so that you can focus on “the most”?
What tools will I need to make this happen right here and now?
How can I let go of my clenched fist full of pride and “stuff” so that I can refocus on the vital and the truly needed?

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to let go of the things that don’t truly matter to the mission that you have me here doing.
May it not be about my pride and my arrogance, but about your love for others. Help me to serve You by doing “the most” not “the more”. In Your name I pray these things. -Amen.

August 17, 2015 0

Dear Salvation Army, When Do We Hit The Reset Button?…

People have reminded me over and over again that change just for the sake of change isn’t always good…I agree! I am not proposing change just because it’s the “in” thing to do, in fact a lot of things we do in our Army has meaning and significance. But what happens when things lose their meaning, their relevance and vital-ness? What happens when that program, symbol (and or any other thing in our Army) becomes the object of worship? *gasp* Does that even happen? Could it happen?

I doubt something becomes an object of worship intentionally.
I also doubt programs and/or things in our Army lose their significance and meaning quickly, but rather a little over time.

When this happens, isn’t it an indicator that perhaps we have wavered?
Isn’t it an indicator that perhaps we have veered from our course?
Perhaps then the need to hit the reset button becomes paramount.

But are we afraid to push it?
One might wonder if this would change everything.
One might wonder if this would destroy everything.
One might also wonder if they would be known for destroying everything just because they dared to hit the reset button.

Programs In Ministry
Sometimes we do the same thing year after year…once, long ago we had the passion and drive for it, but now it seems as if all we are doing is go through the motions and just “getting it done” because it’s required. What happened to it being fun? What happened to spontaneity? What happened to progress when it just seems we are maintaining?

Is there a point when the program that we’ve been doing for years and years (since Catherine and William were still alive) is just tired, old, repeated, and irrelevant? So when do we hit the reset button? How does that look? Does it mean first me must internally realign our motives and intentions in ministry? -Absolutely!
Does it mean that perhaps we put that spark back into thing…that spark that’s been missing in our ministry for years? -You bet. Do we politely and rather intentionally push for changes to come from our leadership in the Army too? -Of course!

In the past few years a number of reset buttons have been pushed.
Programs like – Home League, Corps Cadets, Junior Soldiers…and so on.
I wonder though if we are really hitting the reset button at all or just relabeling and repackaging the same old thing? No offense to those whose programs are thriving…perhaps we can learn a lot from you!

Questions to Ponder:
When do we hit the reset button on certain programs and things in our ministry?
How do we know that the time is right?
How do we evaluate success and failure?
How do we know if our programs are tired, old, defeated?
How much prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit are we doing?
Are we guilty at times of merely want to change for no good reason?
Are our motives sincere?
Is our mission still intact?

I pray that when the Holy Spirit spurs us into action to step “out of the norm” that we listen.
I pray that we are bold and daring for not only the Army but most importantly for God.
I prayer that we pursue lives not just statistics.
I prayer that we measure our successes not by mere public accolades and government funding, but by lives discipled and transformed by our willingness and His power.

Is it time to hit the reset button in your ministry?
Something more to ponder today!

August 14, 2015 9

Dear Salvation Army, 3 Things No One Told You About Wearing A Uniform…

The Salvation Army uniform is, for the most part, recognized by many people (that is unless you happen to be in uniform in an airport). It’s certainly not the most comfortable thing you’ll ever wear, but it’s certainly not the most uncomfortable either (er pantyhose…nevermind).

I’ve been wearing an army uniform since I was ~~born~~…I mean since I made a junior soldier.

3 Things No One Told You About Wearing A Uniform:

1. Evolution Exists In The Uniform:
The Salvation Army uniform is, or should be, a fluid thing.
If you don’t believe me that there is an evolutionary process to the uniform just look at pictures of our uniforms as early as 1990…things are changing. Some of us might wish the uniform would change a little faster, but the days of the high collar and the bonnet are gone (cue the sad music and some of you will no doubt pine for days gone by). The Railton shirts and the Dorcas (maybe a better name could have been suggested) blouses are relatively new editions to our growing uniform. Perhaps one day the “Patriot” shirt and others might not be limited to only certain times of year but instead may be worn year round…thus the evolving uniform.

2. The Uniform Opens Doors:
Perhaps someone once told you that the uniform opened doors, but you didn’t believe them. It really does, if you still don’t believe me just wear it traveling sometime and you’ll see. Some soldiers have joked that they have worn their uniforms to coffee shops and received a military discount. Besides the occasional discount (which of course isn’t the reason we wear our uniforms) visits to governmental offices and dignitaries tends to go a lot smoother when wearing of our polyester finest. The uniform can open some doors…not all. There might be places and occasions where the uniform is not welcome, so bear that in mind too.

3. In Times Of Crisis, The Uniform Changes Lives:

All joking aside, moments of crisis do take place around us, and The Salvation Army uniform is recognizable! After the horrific events of 9-1-1, The Salvation Army’s presence in New York and ground zero was sought out. Counseling took place for rescue workers and individuals by uniformed Salvationists. When you wear the uniform, the opportunities to impact lives in crisis increases. In times like these 1 Peter 3:15 comes to mind; “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”

The Salvation Army uniform is a unique thing. It can be annoying to wear from time to time but it can also be a witness tool, a blessing and a door opener. I used to take the use of the uniform rather lightly…there are times that I still grudgingly donn it on, if I am honest. But the older I get the more I see its vital use within the Salvation Army’s ministry. I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be changes made in the future to it, but I am saying I hope we don’t simply relegate its use only for Sundays.

Perhaps there are more things that no one told you about wearing The Salvation Army uniform that you would like to share with us. Comment below, we’d love to hear your responses as well!

Something more for the Army world to ponder today!
To God be the glory!

August 13, 2015 10

(Fluffy) Dessert Christianity…It’s Deadly!

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation…” 1 Peter 2:2

I have a confessions to make…are you ready?
Here goes: I. Love. Dessert.

Dessert:
There I’ve said it. Phew, I feel better already.
Even though I love dessert I know that dessert alone is not going to be enough nourishment for my diet to keep me going throughout the day. Dessert is just sugary goodness…it’s fluff with little to no nutritional value. It tastes amazing (depending on the dessert) but when it’s all said and done it doesn’t help you maintain your goal weight or provide you with the right kinds of good proteins and vitamins your body needs.

What am I getting at:
I think that sometimes we as Christians are settling for Fluffy sugary, watered down religion instead of the real tangible stuff that grows and challenges us spiritually. I’m not saying it’s all bad, but sometimes it’s so shallow I can’t even get my ankles wet…if you know what I mean.

Mainstream Christianity:
By and large, whether it is on television or radio, many times the quality of the “good news” of Jesus Christ is watered down, saturated and made palatable for the consumer. It’s safe. It’s kinda lame…it’s just fluff. A lot of picking and choosing of scripture (many times out of context of the original intent and audience) takes place within this dessert Christianity. This is why I wrote about “Christian Music” a while ago and why I stopped listening to it…
We need to be away of dessert Christianity.
It doesn’t really challenge us to grow, in fact it kind of stunts our growth. Dessert Christianity keeps us right where we are at feasting on the sugar and fluff and it’s dangerous because then we don’t have to confront the tough passages where we are called to love our enemies, and the call to be holy; and the call to live sacrificial lives to the point of offering our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1). Most of time this surface type of “Religion” sugar coats the scriptures and gives us what we want to hear instead of what we need to hear.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3)

No offense to many of you out there, but I don’t need another wishy-washy video bible series study as a Christian bookstore prostitutes Jesus for money (and now I’ve gone and done it and upset the apple cart…sorry).

I don’t need another Joel Osteen sermon either.
I don’t need some guy in trendy jeans in front of a cool backdrop on a stage preaching sermons that water down the Bible and wedge his own interpretations either.
Gosh, a lot of times this style of “Religious” Christianity just comes off as fake and hokey. It sure sounds good to our ears but lacks complete spiritual depth and accuracy as real life Christians are living in the real world.

We don’t need anymore dessert, can’t you see our spiritual bodies are craving something more?
Perhaps some new believers are still on spiritual milk today, and that’s fine…but I do hope and pray someone can come along side these new believers and disciple them into deeper (less fluffy) waters. Get off the fluff and onto the stuff that matters, that challenges, that grows us!
The time to grow up in our salvation is now. Stop making excuses, don’t waste your time…

Something more to ponder today.

(I want to thank my wife Shanais Strissel for the countless conversations that has sparked these ponderings…you are my spark!)

August 12, 2015 0

Connecting The Dots At School – (A Pondering on our Youth)

I went to High School today…I mean I visited one, not attending one…I did attend several years ago.
We were handing out backpacks the school social workers and counselors for youth in need.
The “teenage” years are so pivotal and sometimes uncomfortable especially if you are poor and/or your parents live in constant poverty situations. Times are hard and teens don’t need that added pressure while at school if their families can’t afford the basic needs such as backpacks, pens and pencils and other school supplies.

It was a lot more this:

Than it was this:

We dropped the backpacks off at various schools today, with the knowledge that there are nine additional high schools to connect with before we are done. I looked down the hallways of those high schools and I saw a ghost of myself; scrawny, projecting a macho attitude, and yet scared…I was still naive and unsure of the world around me at that age. I couldn’t imagine having to go without something (like a backpack and school supplies) while enduring zits, ridicule from peers, mounting pressure to grow up way too fast, and dealing with constant assignment due dates in various classes.

Walking those overly waxed hallways made me realize how much we need to pray for our young people. They need our support in prayer and in encouragement. Sometimes they may act like complete grumpy bears but deep down they are searching for significance in life and we can help shape them if we just take the time to care and understand them.

Can we help connect the dots?
Can we provide a listening ear?
A Shoulder to cry on?
Can we be a friend?
Can we be role models?

This school season, let’s support our youth as best we can, after all, they are our future leaders!
Something more to ponder today!
-God Bless!

August 11, 2015 1

Author: Pastor'sPonderings