Dear Salvation Army, When Leadership Fails

^“The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

The calling of Samuel is a tragic story.
It should not have happened this way.
When we think of Samuel we only remember him anointing David at God’s behest, but many times we don’t think of why Samuel was called in the first place.

The short version:
Eli (High Priest at the central sanctuary of Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept) and his sons had failed within their leadership responsibilities. Eli had turned a blind eye to his sons wickedness. In a way Eli allowed their activities to continue by not dealing with the situations. A personal/painful note: dealing with situations and sin issues is hard enough, when it’s within the family it can be even harder.

Samuel is called by God, because Eli and his sons had failed.
It is actually a very tragic tale that could have been avoided, but this story should also serve as a lesson in leadership, integrity and accountability to all of us who are serving Christ within The Salvation Army.

No, I am not calling anyone out…but sometimes if the shoe fits…

Heart Attacks And Leadership…
When someone has a traumatic cardiac event (heart attack), there are usually warning signs before the actual event: Extreme fatigue, a feeling of suffocating, trouble catching ones breath, dizziness, profuse sweating, a sudden flu or cold days before, panic attacks, chest pains.
-These are just a few warning signs that could indicate someone ought to have their heart checked.
Becoming attentive to these warning signs could potentially save someone’s life.
Ignoring such signs, well, I’m sure you get the picture.

Just as there are warning signs with failing hearts, there are also warning signs with failing leaders as well.
To ignore such signs could become very tragic indeed.

3 Warning Signs The Indicates Leadership Failure:

1. When Leadership Becomes Lethargic and Stale:
When I say “lethargic” I wish to convey the notion that apathy and laziness is a real killer to organizations!
We, as an Army, have no room for apathy and laziness.
We, as an Army, cannot afford to NOT care about the souls of the lost.
We, as an Army, cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of people…EVER, regardless of who they are, where they’re from and what they currently stand for. We cannot ignore this warning sign if it is present within our ministries. Lethargic leaders are dead leaders walking. Organizations and Churches have seen far too many of these leaders, we cannot keep the mission while entertaining such a failed form of leadership. Apathy will lead to God selecting others to replace us if we allow it to become our identity as leaders. Such leaders are not godly. Such leaders will be removed. Such leaders will be held accountable to God.

2. When Leadership Becomes Anorexic:
You know the devastating effects of anorexia on the body. It is a sad disease that robs people of their dignity and ultimately their lives. In the same way, there is such a thing as anorexic leadership. It is the “spiritual” leader that has no spiritual depth. It is the leader that lacks integrity. It is the leader that says one thing but does another. It is the leader who isn’t willing to do the hard work but expects the hard work done by other people. It is the wasting away of the spiritual body that leads to the death of the spiritual body. Anorexic leadership will kill an organization. It can kill The Salvation Army. If leaders are appointed, who have no spiritual depth, but instead are simply climbing the ladder and are in search for power and personal gain, it will kill an organization! It will kill the mission! Please, please, please, note this warning sign, dear Army. Anorexic leadership is very real and, dare I say it even exists right now within our Army in various forms. Don’t allow it to waste you away! Don’t allow it to hollow us out. Don’t entertain such folly. It. will. kill. you!

3. When Leadership Becomes Amaurotic:
Eli, the High Priest, turned a blind eye to the actions and activities of his sons. He was guilty because he did nothing to intervene and to stop the sins taking place. Let’s call sin for what it is. Let’s not beat around the bush. If we see a brother or sister stumbling or falling back into old sinful patterns WE MUST DO SOMETHING to save them! Dare I say (and dare I will) that if we turn a blind eye to their activities, we too are just as guilty! The word “Amaurotic” is related to a medical condition of the eyes. It is what happens when damage takes place to the eyes that causes blindness of one kind or another. Amaurotic leadership, is blind leadership. It is leadership that is gutless. It is a “do nothing” leadership that does not hold people accountable and does not keep the standards high within the body of Christ. We are called to be set apart. We are called to be a city on a hill. We are called to be salt and light. But what happens when that light begins to dim? What happens when that “set apartness” is all meshed back up with the old sinful ways so you can’t tell them apart anymore? We need clear vision. We need solid soldiers. We need solid officers. We need solid leaders who can see even into the difficult things and not turn a blind eye. If we lose the vision, the body will fall apart. If we fall apart, God will chose someone else. God will appoint someone else to replace us.

The Warning Signs & Organizational Observations:
–Organizations can sometimes overshadow the mission, it can become too big for its own good. It can develop so much that the “developing” aspect eventually replaces the original mission and reason for being. Eli and his sons, lost their way. They became too important in their own minds.
–Organizations can sometimes play politics instead of practicing prophecy.
I don’t mean “fore-knowledge” like predicting the future. What I mean is that a prophet of God is to be the very mouth piece of God. One who speaks for God. One who leads others to God. One who ushers souls and lives to be transformed by God. A mouth piece of God practices holiness and lives holiness. Sometimes, I fear, The Salvation Army is better at playing politics than practicing prophecy. I don’t mean everyone, but sometimes we can lose our way. Sometimes we can become lost in the mix of “business”, policy, “law keeping” instead of life changing, heart reconciliation, “Holy Spirit moving us once again to our knees” kind of practicing.

Questions to ponder today:
Have we become lethargic in our ministries?
Have we become anorexic with our spiritual depth?
Have we become amaurotic with our mission?
I don’t offer this pondering today to accuse or provide some sort of “guilt trip”, I merely wonder if it’s time once again to kneel before Father with a spiritual check-up and possibly become reconciled to Him again.

God replaced Eli and his sons, he could very well do the same with us if we are not living as we should!
May this be a sobering reminder to us all today.
Perhaps this is a wake up call.
Perhaps this is a warning to our hearts by the Holy Spirit to continually seek repentance and live out His calling upon our lives.

-Something more for this Army to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

April 14, 2015 1

Dear Salvation Army, 3 Healthy Habits For Soldiers

“To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” Ephesians 4:12-13

We as an Army are in the Kingdom building business.
~~Our employer~~…no, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has given us this great commission.
We are more than a church…
we are a movement.
We are more than just another social services agency…
we are a part of the body of Christ committed to reflect His image in the corners of the world that we are called to.

This is a tall order.
We are to be like Christ
…and yet in our own strength we cannot accomplish this calling in our lives.

In our own strength we will fail.
(Trust me, I’ve fallen flat on my face far too many times to count.)
In our own strength we will fall horribly short.
So, with that being said, what sort of attributes do we need in order to make this “reflection of Christ” visible?
What do we need to do in order to be the best soldiers for God?

Today I would like to offer just three healthy habits for Soldiers.
This is not an exhaustive list, nor are these the only healthy habits to commit to, but these will perhaps get us all on the right track if we aren’t already there.

3 Healthy Habits For Soldiers:

1) Prayer Never Ends!
Make prayer more than a scheduled time in your day.
I’m not saying don’t have scheduled time, but don’t put prayer in some sort of manageable box that you keep those conversations with the Most High in. Don’t leave the conversation. Yes, begin it in the morning, but don’t ever end it. Take the conversations with God with you into every moment of your day. Obviously to be seen talking out loud to yourself might be frowned upon by some who might think you might be losing it…but instead, in your thought patterns, keep your conversations with God going. There shouldn’t be an “on/off” switch with heart talks with God. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us and He is always there, so why not begin to include Him in your every day routines both big and small! Eventually, the inclusion of God in your thoughts and conversations will change the way that you see the world and others around you.

2) Feast Only On That Which Edifies!
You have most likely heard the term “garbage in, garbage out”. This term implies that if you put garbage (rubbish/trash) into your life, gargage (rubbish, trash) will be what you produce in the world as well. If you wish to become healthier in life, you wouldn’t feast on high fatty foods from fast food chains every day now would you? No, instead you would begin a rigorous attempt to eat right and to exercise. The same can be said of the heart and soul. These attributes of the body requires maintenance and they require the right kind of nourishment. If we claim to be a disciple of Christ but we constantly binge on garbage with only a sprinkling of His Word, then we are seriously starving our spiritual life! It should be no surprise when we find ourselves spiritually dry and lacking fortitude, we haven’t been working out and staying in shape by feasting on the right kinds of things!

Listen, if we wish to walk in faith with Christ BUT we haven’t surrendered our old ways of life, then something is terribly wrong. The old must pass away in order for this rich, new life to thrive and grow! We just cannot hold onto both.

From the Word:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
(2 Corinthians 5:17)

“from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?” (James 3:11)

Make sure that you are feeding your souls with the right kinds of things! Don’t starve your spirit with junk food and things that will only stunt the potential growth that God has in store for you!

3) Step Up And Out!
When we take prayer seriously and we include God in our daily routines things will change.
When we begin to feast on the edifying fruit of God, things will change…
Stepping up and out will not always be the most comfortable thing you ever do, but it does become a true test of who God has called you to be! It not only benefits other people, but it also improves our skills and abilities in sharing our faith!

The real the tipping point in it all is this:
Do. Not. Keep. It. To. Yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Step up.
Lead.
Share.
Proclaim.
Help others along!
In the words of General William Booth – “Do something!“

It is like that old Sunday School song “This Little Light of mine”:
One of the verses goes – “Hide it under a bushel, NO I’m gonna let it shine!!”
When we include God in our daily conversations and we are feasting on the things that edify this new creation within us, we can’t help but proclaim His goodness and love!

Will there be discouraging days? Of course.
Will we ALWAYS feel like proclaiming, and ALWAYS be in the mood to share? No, not always.
Will we be happy all the time? No way!

BUT…
When we invite God’s presence to travel along with us both with the important and the less important things in our lives, we begin to see how much He loves other people around us. This love will propel us forward into service.
We are saved to save!
We are saved to serve!

This is NOT an army of mediocre washouts and wishy-washy salvationists!
NO! We are here to be Christ’s hands and feet!
We are here to proclaim His name in both the good days and the bad days!
We are here to serve the lost, the poor, the widow, the orphan.

If you are reading this today, chances are you long to improve your soldiership as well!
If you are reading this today, you, like me, believe God is calling us to a deeper service and a deeper understanding of the sin-sick world we serve.
We all have room for improvement. We all have room to grow. We can all reflect more of Christ and less of ourselves…but only through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit!

Question:
Do you long to be a healthier Solider for Christ?

Perhaps these three healthy habits can help you on your way to becoming the Soldier Christ has called you to be!

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

April 13, 2015 2

Does God Really Answer Our Prayers?

This is a question many people face, both Christians and non-Christians alike.
Does God really care about us?
Does God really listen to us?
Does God really answer our prayers?

Facts:
-Abraham was told by God that he would be the father of many, many children (a nation in fact).
The way God went about fulfilling this promise wasn’t exactly what Abraham expected.

-David was anointed as King of Israel well before he actually was crowned and while there was a living king in the kingdom…not exactly the way David or anyone expected.

– Jesus taught His disciples in a manner that was unique from other Rabbis. He preached a message of peace in the midst of Roman oppression. Many “Messiah’s” came before Him, but they preached hatred, war and revolution. Jesus told the disciples and others, “If your enemy forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles…Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:41,44b)
The way Jesus went about fulfilling prophecy and His message of Messiah was not what anyone expected.

Back to Prayer…
So does God really answer our prayers?
The answer is “Yes”…but many times He doesn’t always answer in the ways that we expect or in the timing that we sometimes demand of Him.

We sometimes blame God when things do not go according to plan.
We sometimes get angry at God when sorrow and death visits our families.
We sometimes fear He isn’t even there listening to us…but He is!

He may not always answer our prayers in the way that we expect Him to, but He isn’t far from us and He isn’t ignoring us…He hears and He answers!

Something more for us to ponder today!
HE ANSWERS US, JUST NOT ALWAYS IN THE WAYS THAT WE EXPECT HIM TO.

April 10, 2015 1

Dear Salvation Army, A Persecuted Army: Joy In Suffering???

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

Last week, a horrific attack took place in Kenya.
The aftermath left 147 people dead…mostly students…many were Christians.
It is heartbreaking.
Violence and religion seem to be odd partners.
Radical groups, terrorism, and death seem to plague our world.

Our hearts ache for those who are immediately affected by such acts of appalling violence.
Let me be honest, senseless killings not only makes me sad, it makes me angry.
The world is still filled with bullies and power-hungry zealots.

It WILL get worse!
I don’t mean to be all doom and gloom today, but I can’t help but feel that things are going to get a lot worse for Christians before it will get better. Many within our ranks in various places in Africa, India, Asia and the Middle East place their lives on the line for the cause of Christ daily…and we should be praying for them!
As an Army of Salvation, we have the opportunity to provide love and care to many corners of our world…we are even able to gain access to places most churches aren’t allowed to go because we provide humanitarian aid.

Is the cause of Christ worth our sacrifice?
I sure hope so!
– Are we living up to our calling to love the unlovable?
– Are we living up to our calling to clothe and feed the poor?
– Are we living up to our calling to take care of the orphans and widows?
– Are we striving to be the very reflection of Christ in our corner of the world?

If Christians suffer persecution, you can bet that The Salvation Army will suffer too because we go to the places with the most need! We engage in the mission on the front lines. We cannot be afraid, we cannot falter in our call.
I am not writing these words to “puff us up”, I am writing these words to encourage our Army to continue on into the fight even in the face of persecution and the possibility of death. If we take up our crosses and follow Jesus, sometimes that path leads us through the very valley of the shadow of death. We do not fight for General Booth, he was a mere faithful servant of Christ, no, we fight for souls because Christ has saved us and has commissioned us to go!

To my brothers and sisters, fellow soldiers in our Army in places like Kenya, who have been immediately impacted by violence and threatened with death for your faith, we pray for you! You are not alone! We support you, some of us will join you on these front lines! Your faith is strong and I want to encourage you to keep holding up Christ’s light of compassion and hope to all who need it! You are a shining example of perseverance to the faith, may the rest of us be as bold as you! Keep your standards high, and show us, by your example, how we ought to be conducting ourselves as soldiers of the cross!

I am reminded of this song in our red song books:
SASB #825
1. Christ for the world, we sing;
The world to Christ we bring
with loving zeal;
The poor and those who mourn,
the faint and overborne,
sin-sick and sorrow-worn,
whom Christ doth heal.

2. Christ for the world, we sing;
The world to Christ we bring
with fervent prayers;
The wayward and the lost
by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost
from dark despair.

4. Christ for the world, we sing;
The world to Christ we bring
with one accord;
with us the work to share,
with us reproach to dare,
with us the cross to bare,
for Christ our Lord.
-Samuel Wolcott (1813-86)

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

April 9, 2015 0

We’re all looking for a minute of God’s time.

We all want that face to face meeting.
We all want to spend just a few moments with Him…to ask Him things.
Perhaps we want to ask Him “why”…
or perhaps we wish for some sort of encouragement and reassurance.
Some people have giant decisions that they have been battling with, decisions far too big to make alone, and they are crying out to God for just a minute of His time.

Don’t you just wish that you could pull up a chair at a coffee shop,
or sit on your back porch and talk to God about things?
Don’t we all wish we could have THAT face to face?
To have that heart to heart conversation.

I think when we look at the bible and we see disciples and other characters who physically talked with Jesus, we are secretly jealous. We wish we could have that. We wish we could experience that.
We long to have that one on one moment, that eye contact thing that happens between friends.
We all want that theophany when creation meets creator, not just in a deep moment of prayer and meditation, but a real life encounter with God.

In the beginning, when God created Adam and Eve, He would visit them every evening in person. He would fellowship with them. He would talk with them. Obviously that relationship was horribly, irrevocably disrupted by a choice. That relationship was tarnished by a decision to disobey. But despite that rift in relationship, despite that sin, God has made a way for us to repair the damage done. God actually met us more than half way. The Creator could’ve just started over with His creation…but He didn’t. THAT IS HOW MUCH WE MEAN TO HIM!

This whole salvation story.
Jesus.
The Cross.
His Death.
His Resurrection.
His Ascension.
It is all preparation.
It is all about preparing us.
It is all for us.
It is…
building up…
until we finally can see Him face to face.

We may never have that glimpse of God as we sit on a park bench.
We may never wrestle with an Angel.
We may never physically put our hands in His hands and side.
We may never watch Him bring Lazarus back from the dead…

But we do have a minute of God’s time.
He does hear us.
He does speak.
He is evident in those who love and serve Him.
He can be seen in the hearts of the penitent and the righteous…although sometimes they are few and far between.

Prayer:
God, I want to be counted in that number.
Lord, I want to be the very reflection of you.
Show me those things that still need working out in my life.
Forgive me when I have fallen and have not reflected You in anyway, shape, or form.
I don’t want a minute of your time…
I want and eternity of it…but it starts here, it starts now.

Will I listen for your still small voice?
Will I hear you as you speak?
Will I put feet to my faith and live for you?

We all want a minute of God’s time.

April 8, 2015 1

Book/Comic Review: “IRIS” by Kyle Reardon

Admittedly, I am a comic/sci-fi fanboy.
When I heard that The Salvation Army’s Frontier Press was about to publish its first comic book/graphic novel, I was very excited!
I quickly pre-ordered a copy from Amazon, it’s now available for purchase here: IRIS Order Here

I enjoyed the story line, I won’t give away the content, but I immediately loved how science, ethics and Iris’ life gets mashed together in this first installment!

The only constructive criticism that I would offer is that I wished it had been in color. I’m not sure if it was from an artistic standpoint or a budgetary one, but I understand…perhaps as the “first” the Army was testing the waters of this new field within “Salvo” publishing. I found the character of Iris to be intriguing and I now want to know more!

I would recommend you pick up your copy today! Maybe pick up two and keep the second in the plastic sleeve to start your collection. I am looking forward to the next installment(s) of “IRIS”, thank you Kyle Reardon, Dennis Culver and Frontier Press for bringing this awesome genre to life within The Salvation Army! The graphic novel is going to cater to younger generations, and give clean, healthy fun to the whole family! Check it out today!
I give IRIS 4 1/2 Stars out of five (can’t wait for the next one!)

April 6, 2015 2

Living within the sacred.

The sacred.
It is not strictly for the holiest of us.
The sacred was kept hidden.
The sacred was closed off to the “public”.
Only those who were cleansed could enter.
Those who did enter the space of the sacred who were not cleansed would die.

God’s holy presence makes a space sacred…nothing else will do.
No amount of gold, incense or prayers can make something devoid of God sacred.

But the sacred moved…
On the day of death.
On the day of the cross.
The day when Jesus died for the sins of the world, the sacred moved.
not far away from Golgotha, the temple stood.
The place where the presence of God resided within the sacred holy of holies.
That dark and mighty day the sacred space moved.
The very presence of God relocated.
He wasn’t evicted…perhaps in a way He was.
He wasn’t changing…God is the same today and yesterday.
But circumstances changed.
The plan of salvation, the day of redemption unfolded before humanity who had not it recognized Him.
The curtain to the sacred tore.
Its space now vacant.
No, God ~~had not~~ would not abandon them,
but the space became bigger.
The sacred expanded.
Satan and Death were conquered.
Beyond our human understanding and our existential vision, something supernaturally remarkable took place.
Messiah had come.
Death was defeated.
New life was possible and available to those came seeking.
The sacred space didn’t move, it became available to everyone.

-Living within the sacred-

Truth:
living here within the sacred takes time.
Not because God’s presence isn’t enough but because many times we are still dealing with stuff.
We are still in need of full surrender.
We have not completely relinquished our old patterns of life to fully embrace this new creation Christ has won for us.
Living within the sacred requires our full devotion to the Risen Lord.
Living within the sacred requires us to embrace our own crosses and to lay down our selfishness only to pick up His image of selflessness.

This is the beginning of Holiness.
The Holy Spirit can, and will, take up residence within a new sacred space – our lives.
He will transform us.
He will begin anew within us…
but living within the sacred demands our allegiance and attention.
Living within the sacred requires us to embrace fully the divine plan of redemption.
We can live here.
We can grow here.
We can be holy…here.
The Holy Spirit will transform us…
the only question is are we willing to live here no matter what the cost or earthly sacrifice?

Something more for us to ponder today.

April 6, 2015 2

Looking At The Cross

I’m not here to proselytize,
no, we will never be moved from our positions and convictions by mere words.
9 times out of 10 most will never be “saved” by signs on billboards saying “Jesus Saves”
or by a “Preacher” on a soapbox with a bullhorn.
No, none of these things seem to penetrate the heart.
None of these things contributes to the glory of God…
it only adds to the noise.

It’s a slow walk…
This path towards the cross.
The place where Jesus was killed was literally called the place of the skull because it looked like a skull cap.
It was never pretty.
Death. Is. Not. Pretty.
Even when the Son of God faced death…it was not pretty.

Death is brutal.
Death has its claws into the sides of humanity and many learn to fear it.
Even Jesus prayed for the “cup to be taken from Him” while in the garden of Gethsemane, yet He was still faithful and He still went through with it.

Blood was spilled.
People spat in His face.
A crown of thorns was forced upon Jesus’ head…
more blood was spilled.
The path that Jesus walked is called the ‘Via Dolorosa’ which means “the way of suffering” or “the way of sorrow”.
No, this was not, by its own a rite, a “glorious” day…and yet we look at the cross,
we explore His gruesome execution,
we peal back the “polished” veneer of the cross’ description,
and we discover just how much our Father in Heaven desires to rescue and redeem us from our sin tattered lives.

We linger here…
we must not overlook its importance and its horror.
Divine carnage, blood, suffering, pain.
We ought not turn our eyes away too quickly in order to get to the “good stuff”… just yet.

Divine love was broken and spilled out for us.
His blood became our atonement.
His sacrifice our salvation.
His willingness our redemption.
Perhaps THIS, above all else, speaks louder than any of our “big” words could.
Perhaps THIS, the mark of suffering could capture the hardened heart.
Perhaps THIS, is where healing can take place…
if only Christians would get this.
if only we would live this.
if only we would “take our crosses” (no really) and selflessly follow Him.
I’m not being preachy here,
I’m listening to the groaning of my own heart
and this truth rings out in me.

So I look at the cross… for a little bit longer.

April 1, 2015 1

The Ministry Tool Kit, 5 Tech Tips And Tricks

There is something to be said about working smarter not harder.
That doesn’t mean that we don’t work, mind you…it just means that perhaps there’s a smarter, more effective way.
Today on Pastorsponderings.org, I would like to explore some of the tips and tricks of ministry.
I would caution you though that these are simply tools of ministry and that these elements ought never take the place of person/pastoral studies as well as hard work and scholarly thought.

I remember in seminary (College For Officer’s Training) instructors expressing the need to have ministry files and preaching calendars. These elements, if prepared ahead of time, can save pastors from rushing around on the weekend or when a crisis hits they have spare messages and/or bible studies to reach for. Preparation is key!

1. Prepare!
This is the first tip to ministry. Don’t get blinded sided by how busy the life of a pastor can be. Work ahead of schedule, stockpile thoughts and ideas. Prepare to be bombarded, at times, by the “hecticness” of life. The Boy Scouts were right…”Be Prepared”…if you plan ahead, the late night cramming session won’t be necessary.

2. Dropbox/Cloud Storage.
I am sort of a tech-head. I use technology when it suits me. It has saved me at times when my computer has frozen up or crashed. Saving my sermons and other such pertinent information on a cloud based server can help preserve needed information in the future. It may seem tedious saving it twice…but it doesn’t hurt to have a backup, especially if the information pertains to finances, sermon prep and other administrative documents.

Make sure you pick a cloud device that has lots of free space, and if desired you can always purchase additional gig space in the future if the need arises. Most of the time, however, the start-up free space offered is more than sufficient. There are numerous platforms by which you can use these cloud based sites and applications for both android, windows and apple.

Save onto the cloud, make sure your password is complicated enough but not too complicated to forget…and save often!

3. CCLI/Songselect Subscription
For just over a $100 a year, you will have access to a plethora of worship songs both old and new.
There are other subscription based worship groups out there but none are linked like Songselect is to CCLI…and since there are the occasional audits from CCLI anyway, it doesn’t hurt to have an inventory of your songs already available to you. There are a couple of subscription options to choose from. Since I’m predominantly a guitar player, I utilize the basic membership which includes unlimited guitar chords to thousands of worship songs as well as traditional hymns. The beauty of this subscription is that you can link it to other software that perhaps your church already has such as MediaShout, ProPresenter…etc.

4. MediaShout
There are numerous song/scripture/lyric presenters out there for Sunday worship that do a far better job than the traditional Powerpoint software. I have used some, but admittedly not all. I cannot comment on the ones I haven’t personally used, but the ones I have used I can say that it can make life a lot easier. Again it comes back to the principle of thinking smarter not harder. Having software like this at your church can ease the load of having to build worship sets from scratch every week. I cannot tell you how great it feels to have a library of worship songs that are ready for me to choose from, and if it’s not there yet I can link my Songselect account to MediaShout and pull up that new song I need for the up and coming Sunday. Some might consider the cost of this software to be too much, and I certainly don’t work for this company or others I’ve mentioned, but I can tell you that they do certainly pay for themselves in the amount of use I get out of them.
I know that there are many other such software companies that offer similar services and I would imagine most of these would work just as well within your ministry.

5. Tablet For Ministry
Again, don’t get tempted to lean too much on technology, but don’t be afraid of it either. Take a risk from time to time…these modern devices can help to improve your ministry or provide you resources at the touch of a finger or two.
I personally use my iPad to preach from. I bought an app about two years back called ‘Documents to Go’ (before Microsoft Word was available on an Apple device). I usually write my sermons from my computer, save it to Dropbox and upload it into Documents to Go. I find it easy to use, it stays lit when I am preaching and I potentially can go paperless while still maintaining a library of my written sermons on my device or on the cloud.

I do have Bible Apps on my tablet, but honestly, I still use my personal Bible for study and while I’m preaching on Sundays…somethings won’t ever change for me. Perhaps you already feel comfortable using these devices, perhaps not. If you think you can use it, then give it a shot…if not, don’t sweat it. These are just a few suggestions to help you in your ministry.

How About You?
Do you have any other “Tech” Tips and Tricks for ministry that you can offer us today?
Leave your comments below…share, and join in the conversation. I promise to post your suggestions in the future, and I will have other tech tips and tricks in the coming weeks that perhaps can aid you in your ministry right now.

Something more to Ponder today.
God Bless!

March 31, 2015 2

Dear Salvation Army, The Death Of The Uniform Skirt.

February 10th, 2017 Edition #118

It finally happened.
The Salvation Army’s women’s uniform has officially changed.
The days of the skirt with those awkward “gasping for air” tight pantyhose is finally over.
The skirt has finally gone the way of the bonnet and the high collar uniform.
Some say that it is about time, while others claim this is the beginning of the end for our Army. Either way, the change in uniform policy has come, and time will tell how it will effect our army.

One officer brazenly indicated that with the expiration of the uniform skirt the equality within the sexes could finally be realized.

Is this true?
Could we be seeing all additional walls between “official” roles torn down all because of the death of the skirt?
Could it have been that simple?
Some would contend that officer leadership roles had already begun changing well before this uniform adjustment, but I recently sat down with a few female officers to discuss just how this new policy change will effect all gender roles within the Army.

The Interview:

So, tell me about this new uniform policy?
“Well, I don’t know about everyone here, but I am absolutely thrilled to see the army finally taking this modern step forward! I can’t tell you how good it feels to not be required to wear those constricting pantyhose at official events and other occasions. I mean numerous changes have occurred within the men’s uniform shirts over the years but THIS change is just remarkable!”

Looking back, what sort of rationale did you hear of in regards to why the Skirt/Panyhose and High Heels were required for “Full Uniform”?
“Oh, there were a lot of interesting reasons that I have heard. Some of the craziest were –
-‘The tunic does not look good without the skirt.’
-‘If women no longer wore skirts they wouldn’t know how to sit ladylike anymore.’…
…”One person even told me: ‘I don’t have a problem with it, so why should you?‘
“Another one I have personally heard was, ‘You can wear pants in the office, so it’s not like you NEVER get to wear them.’
…Someone told me once, ‘Skirts are more formal than pants…’ To which I said, “then why don’t men need to wear them too, for the sake of formality?”
-‘Skirts are feminine, pants are not.’ They told us that we needed heels so that we stood ‘more erect’ and had a better frame.” (In response to this comment another woman added, “Are men required to wear something that requires them to stand ‘more erect’ and have a better frame?”)

Why is this new change in uniform so important? Are there any opportunities now that you have that you didn’t while in the skirt?

“I always hated that it impaired my ability to play drums on Sundays. It was frustrating having a talent and not being used because I was uncomfortable playing a drum set with my legs wide open in a skirt.”

“I already see a difference in my own life, I used to get swollen feet/legs at the end of the day and now I don’t. I was always concerned about my back and my health when wearing heels because of the skirt. Now that I don’t wear the heels anymore, my back pain and worry for my health is also gone!”

“Prison ministry is certainly different now, I no longer have to wear the skirt and personally I feel less like an object while in this specific ministry!”

“I don’t get judged anymore by other women officers by the length of my skirt…that used to always drive me crazy when someone would tell me my skirt was too long or too short…that kind of judgment is gone now!”

“I used to have to do nursery work from time to time during the holiness meeting and inevitably I would be holding a child and their Velcro strapped shoes would catch on my nylons…I always ran them…now I don’t have that problem…and that certainly saves me some money on more nylons every week!”

“I have seen a difference in some of our women soldiers in our corps. Some were never keen on wearing the skirt when in full uniform, but since this change, they are back in full uniform on Sundays!”

“I used to fall a lot while in high heels. I even twisted my ankle a time or two, once rather severely. Now I wear flats with my uniform pants and I can’t tell you how good that feels, and I’m sprain free!”

So I’m hearing you say there are a lot of opportunities now, do you think this effects the way others see women performing official “Officer” roles?

“Absolutely! I think the uniform skirt put certain limits on us at times. I believe there is an element of respect that comes with wearing pants with full uniform that we didn’t have before. This is all new, but I have already seen the positive effects this change has had on my ministry and my leadership as an officer.”

What would you say to someone who wants to bring back the skirt or is clinging to this now obsolete uniform?

“I think the army made the right choice in this new policy, but I think if someone still wants to wear the skirt, no one should stop them from doing so as long as they don’t look down their noses at the rest of us wearing our uniform pants in full uniform.”

“I always felt a little bit judged by people, most of the time it was other women in uniform, who had this kind of ‘standard’ that they seemingly forced on all the other women around them while wearing their skirt and pantyhose… I don’t think that is going to change much now it will just mean they are judging us according to how we wear this new full uniform. But I would say that if you want to cling to the old uniform great, just don’t judge us by your standards…isn’t that kind of what the pharisees used to do?”

—————————————————
Well, there you have it.
Those that I talked with about this new uniform policy change seem to really like it.
The impression that I got from these women was that this is a good thing, and that some gender barriers are now down (assumed or recognized) within the identity of the Army as a whole.
Will this be the end of the army? I don’t think so. The Salvation Army has changed often within its 152 years, and I believe that it will certainly adapt as we move forward in the battle of saving souls and serving suffering humanity…and who knows, perhaps we will look back at this moment in our history and say “that was a minor event in this mighty army for Christ, or perhaps it will be said that this was a mighty turning point in gender equality and leadership roles. Who knows, perhaps time will tell.

***A satirical article from a non-existent news source in the future…who knows…it could happen!***

March 30, 2015 1

Author: Pastor'sPonderings