Dear Salvation Army, For THY Mission Make Me Holy

Dear Salvationist, the movement of This Army of Salvation is inexplicably wrapped up in the holiness of the body of Christ. Without this deep desire to be Holy and then to do holiness towards others, we become just another social service organization. In the midst of doing the most good, often times the danger of making the mission ours and ours alone can squelch the desire to seek after God’s mission first. How then shall we best serve the Lord and then others?

This is the main thrust of our pondering today, for I fear we as an Army have, in some ways, lost the “main thing” while in the pursuit of human approval and for our recognition of the works of our hands.
The question then becomes, “how can we shift our focus back to the mission of God?”

Here are four statements to help realign or replace our mission with God’s mission:

Many lose the mission because surrender was never an option.

This statement becomes deeply personal, for at the heart of such a declaration the defensive walls are raised, and we begin to tune out…don’t tune out, instead stare it dead in the eyes. Is surrender an option…a REAL option in our hearts and lives?

We don’t like to submit to anything, because many times submission means we lose and someone else wins; but that’s not how God works. When we submit to God, His mission and purpose becomes our mission and purpose for being. We do not lose our identities in this, we gain our true new creation, the identity God has always intended for us to be. From the very beginning of our being, God was present and He saw what and who we could be, but it is in our surrender that this identity can only be fully realized.

Since we have free will, the notion to surrender to the mission of God instead of command the mission is a foreign notion. We want power to decide. We long to be the captains of our own ship, and so the mission might be lost at the expense of our identities and authority.

An accomplished mission at the sacrifice of holiness is no mission worth living.

I once heard the story of a captain of a ship whose vessel had run aground and was in the process of sinking. Many people were frantically evacuating on lifeboats, while there were still who were trapped below. A noble captain would make every effort to save everyone, even to the point of one’s own life; but this captain discarded all sense of duty and ethics by abandoning his own ship, leaving the rest of the passengers to fend for themselves, many perished for lack of rescue.

Dear fellow Salvationists, there is the temptation in our army to do the most work instead of doing the most good, and in the process of doing the most work, the ethics of holiness could very well be abandoned. I have heard story after story of officers and soldiers who have neglected their first ministry (their children and family) at the expense of their appointment, mission and public perception (both in and out of the army leadership realm). Such a loss of first mission leads to a mission not worth living for!

We can grow the largest corps ministry in our territory and have lost everything if our own children turn from God because we failed to disciple them, and we left them to their own devices. We were never appointed by the Army to be people pleasers. We were never appointed to ministries apart from our families. We cannot be effective, holiness teachers apart from God’s holy mission…but we cannot accomplish mission without holy living to our first ministry.

Our focus, before we feed a hungry soul, and before we DO anything, is to live within the very presence of God. We must yearn and strive for such an image in our own life – the very image of Christ in us. Without the image of Christ visible and living through us, our hands and the good they may do, will only serve the temporary and not the eternal purpose for which we have been ordained and called.

3. Why mission? Whose mission? Happy Mission?

Why do we do the things we do? Is there a purpose behind it? Are we not called by God to go into all the world, making disciples of every people? (Matt. 28:19)

If we have to realign our mission, we first must go back to the original source of our that mission! Who is it that commands our lives, and longs for our surrender? Why is He calling us to this deeper purpose? How can this all be done?

Christ called not the qualified, but he qualified the called. We don’t need to wait for that degree to be completed before we commit to His mission. We don’t need to wait until we are older before we commit to His mission, nor should we delay for any other reason!! The God of Abraham and Moses and David, still calls us to go. The God the disciples served still calls us to go into all the world. Our mission hasn’t changed, but has our priorities? Have we neglected our first love? Have we become distracted by other missions and other “services” that really have nothing to do with His mission? If so, perhaps it’s time to discard those distractions…and once again follow Him.

4. Before, during and after = Holy!

How long must we be a holiness movement?
How long do we live this way?
This call to holiness in our service to God is not a temporary calling.
This is not a disguise we throw on to convince others or ourselves.
NO! This is a conscious decision to ACTUALLY live for Him in every moment of every day.

Our Very Breath.
It has been said, that the ancient writers of scripture wouldn’t even write the name of God because it was far too sacred. But if they had to record God within the text, they would use the letters YHWH or YHVH…Yahweh is spoken and you cannot help but speak it like you breathe. In other words, may the name of God be the VERY breath you take every. single. moment. of. every. day.

So before we live mission – YHWH…
While we live mission – YHWH…
After each particular mission or victory is accomplished – YHWH…

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
If we are to live and breathe the mission of our Army, we first must live and breathe the mission of God into our lungs, into our lives, into the very fibers of who we are…and whose we are.

Because let’s face, leaders can let us down…
Volunteers can let us down…
Employees can let us down…
Friends and fellow Salvationists can let us down…

But God will never fail us or forsake us!

Dear Salvation Army,
without Holiness, our mission fails.
without committed Soldiership, our plans fall apart.
without a sincere love of Christ, and for others, the great commission that is wrapped up in our Blood and Fire flag will become a lost cause by disinterested and apathetic individuals looking to fulfill only themselves. We are called to greater things. We have been commissioned for the whole world, not just our own little bubbles.

Perhaps it’s time to re-explore our mission and purpose once more.

“For Thy mission make me holy,
for Thy glory make me Thine
sanctify each moment fully
fill my life with love divine.”

verse 2

Have I lost the sense of mission
That inspired my early zeal,
When the fire of thy commission
Did my dedication seal?
Let me hear thy tender pleading,
Let me see thy beckoning hand,
Let me feel thee gently leading
As I bow to thy command.

3.
Lord, release that latent passion
Which in me has dormant lain;
Recreate a deep compassion
That will care and care again.
Needy souls are still my mission,
Sinners yet demand my love;
This must be my life’s ambition,
This alone my heart shall move.

-Brindley Boon
(SASB #682)

Something more for our Army to ponder today.
God Bless You!

March 2, 2018 4

Devotional: “The Lifter Of My Head”

I have been there.
That moment of shame. That place of embarrassment. It’s not a fun place to be, in that moment of red-faced, head-hanging sadness. Perhaps it happens when you let words fly that were sharp as razor blades and those blades struck deep into the heart of someone you love…and all you wished that you could do was reel them back or reverse time and stop yourself from such utterances. Perhaps it happened in the way you shouted at someone in a fit of road rage while driving…and your kids were in the car, and they saw you in a moment of absurd immaturity and hot-headedness.

I have traveled to those destinations, and I would pay anything never to return.
Perhaps you have traveled to these shameful places too. The real question is, do we admit them to others and ourselves, or do we play it off as if it never happened and hope that the people we care for will also forget?

Then there are other moments when other people have shamed us, other events where we were made to look like fools and our tormentors were spiteful and cruel…and their harsh words dug it’s sharp blades into our very hearts…and now we’re wounded. We carry around this hurt wherever we go, and we hang our heads in shame because of it.

Dear fellow ponderers, let me encourage you today.
If we sincerely seek to be forgiven, then God will forgive.
If we sincerely seek to be released from our hurt, God will provide the salve and healing.

Psalm 3:3 says, “But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

May God lift your heads today.
May we recognize that God wants for us to lift up our hearts and our heads to Him, and that we no longer have to live with the shame and guilt any longer. He wants to come to us and to heal us. He longs to make the wrongs – right and to fellowship with us, while replacing or shame and hurt with victory and joy. The real question is – are we prepared to allow Him to lift our heads, or will we continue to go it alone all the while making our own feeble attempts at strength?

Prayer:
Dear Lord, lift my head today. Thank You for restoring me so that I can have that right relationship with You! Forgive me for the shame I have caused in my life, and heal me of the hurts others have caused in my heart. Remind me of Your purposes for my life. Grant me Your eyes to see others around me, and also remind me of how You see me. Thank You Lord for your presence with me today. -Amen.

February 23, 2018 0

Dear Salvation Army, Mending Fences…

Dear Salvation Army, reconciliation is a beautiful thing.
We seek it for our soldiers, we preach it from our pulpits, but do we truly live it?
I have heard it said that we as people are quick to expect forgiveness when we have been wronged, but what about when we have performed the misstep, what then? How quickly do we respond to the hurt with the seeking of forgiveness and reconciliation? It can be likened to the parable that Jesus told about the unforgiving servant who had just received forgiveness for a huge debt that he owed. You would think that he would go home with great relief and treat others the same way he had just been graciously treated, but instead he returned the favor by harshly treating someone who was in his debt. (Matthew 18:21-35)

My fellow Salvationists, we can be so good at distributing grace to the stranger, but to those within our ranks, at times that grace is missing. One might say that because we operate within an authoritarian leadership model, one has come to expect harsh treatment amongst the ranks…let me ask you is this how Christ led his disciples? Of course not! Let me clear the air, there is no excuse for leaders who lord their power over those they have been given authority over. Eventually they will receive the same kind of treatment that they have doled out. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying and take it to mean that I am directing this conversation solely on Divisional and territorial leaders, as a matter of fact, dear Corps Officers, you ought to be very mindful of the power you have been given in your current appointments too! How you treat your soldiers ought to be the way that you desire to be treated as well!

Let us prick this very vein of conversation today in order to arrive at a very important destination – Reconciliation!
I have heard some very sad tales of officers and soldiers leaving our ranks because they felt that they were no longer welcome and/or specific people, who had an ounce of power made then feel powerless and useless. Perhaps I should interject here and compare our attrition rates with those awful circumstances mentioned above and wonder aloud if we are not self-destructing because a minority of people were given power and they horribly misused it?

Proverbs 13:10 says, “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Perhaps some of us need exactly that today. I am most certainly not the one who ought to give it, for I am just as imperfect as the next soldier…but I do feel led to offer just three helps upon the road to reconciliation today that I feel our Army should consider.

Instead of paving over the pain and pretending those hurts are not there…
Instead of turning our backs on those who have left our ranks for any number of reasons…
Instead of ostracizing, criticizing, and gossiping…

Here are three very simple suggestions for ALL of the Soldiers in our Army both high in rank to the adherent considering soldiership.

1 Admit to the wrongs
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” -Proverbs 11:2
Are we so haughty in our hearts that we are above admission of guilt and wrong-doing?
Do we fear that we will lose credibility and our place of power amongst the ranks if we admit our missteps?
Could it be that in order for us to truly move forward as an army and in our mission, we have to humble ourselves so that He might lift us up? (James 4:10) This “humbling” includes owning our failures both corporately and individually. If we wish to seek failure and loss of mission, then keep sweeping the sin and guilt under the rug as we think no one will ever notice. But if we wish to experience fulfillment of mission and victory over sin, then we have to admit our sins and failures before God. Yes, admit the wrongs, but don’t remain or live there, for to do so will lead to certain disillusionment and disgrace. We merely stop there to own our failures…but remember He will lift us up when we discard pride and put on humility.

2 Atone for the Wrongs
I firmly believe that one of the cruxes of our army today is the willingness to forgive the shortcomings of prospective believers and new believers than it is to forgive the shortcomings of “the saints”. We treat soldiers who have fallen more harshly than we would ever treat a stranger…why? Because they should have known better? Are we not still susceptible to the lures of temptation and sin even if we don on our uniforms? Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.” Did you catch that last part? It says “GENTLY”. All too often we are more harsh with fellow soldiers and officers, so much so that we have driven some away from our ranks, and they will never set foot in a corps ever again because of the pain we have caused them. How do we atone for such a thing? How does the Army move past these wrongs? The true authoritarian, devoid of faith, would simply relocate that officer (if it was an officer involved)…they move them to a less desirable appointment or far away from the blight that was caused…but is that really what a Holiness movement ought to do, assuming we still carry that mantel and title within our hearts as a mission?

I am not naming any specific situation, I am simply pointing out what a true authoritarian model of leadership would do. Within this strict sense of this model, true authoritarian leaders are to never be questioned or opposed because to do so would unravel the very fabric of the organization’s identity. This model can often be on display from the corps setting all the way to IHQ. This is not to say that all leaders portray this model, but perhaps because of it, there have been times that wrongs were done and then swept mercilessly under rugs in the attempt to forget and not to forgive. If we as Christ-followers wish to travel the path of reconciliation, we have to own up to our wrong doings and stop sweeping. The truest form of bravery, sincerity and grace is found in making peace when you were the one who once sought war; To attempt to mend the broken that you once broke. The bigger man or woman, the truest leader amongst us is one who admits and makes the attempt to atone for wrongs done to others especially those amongst (or formerly amongst) our own ranks.

3 Seek Reconciliation:

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” -Matthew 5:23-24

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” -Matthew 5:9

Reconciliation doesn’t just happen once, it happens as often as there are wrongs to be righted. I recall a time when I harbored anger towards a person in my corps and on Sunday morning I had to preach while that person was in the congregation. I remember how my words felt like heavy weights that I could not lift, let alone speak. How can I be sincere with my fellow soldiers if I had not sought to mend that which was truly broken in my heart and in that particular relationship at the time? Was I at fault? Absolutely, and it took every ounce of my courage to swallow my own pride and need to be right and make every effort to fix that relationship, only then would we be able to move on. Once that was accomplished, it was like a large exhale had been released within our corps.

Dear fellow Soldiers, perhaps the reason your corps or your spiritual journey has been halted is because there is reconciliation that needs to take place. Swallow your pride and seek it out, stop holding your breath of guilt and shame…exhale it in relief as you seek to mend the broken. The hardest place to do this is with your fellow soldiers and officers with whom you hold animosity, pain and perhaps shame. Holiness is dead if we are not able to offer grace towards one another. Holiness is dead if we cannot admit, atone and reconcile both as individual travelers and as fellow sojourners.

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

February 13, 2018 3

Dear Salvation Army, 3 Things About The High Council…

Greetings fellow Salvationists and friends!
I wanted to delve into the topic of the High Council in this post, and perhaps share in your thoughts, opinions and hopes for what is to come. It has been announced that in May of this year (2018), the High Council will convene to prayerfully elect new General of The Salvation Army. I have seen some interesting polls being passed around on social media as to who the new General might be, and perhaps who some hope it will be. What we know is that Territorial leaders from around the world have been summoned and will travel to London, they will meet at the Renaissance Hotel near Heathrow Airport. This is the second time that this location has been used for the convening of the High Council.
3 Observations About The Salvation Army High Council & Election of our new General…

1. Fastest Growing Regions…
It would be quite remarkable if the new General were to come from a place in the world where the Army is growing in leaps and bounds. Countries in Africa and South America, and Asia spring to mind. Isn’t it interesting that the Army is growing remarkably well in many places where financial resources are thin or nonexistent? There is something to be learned in this, and perhaps we shall explore that topic another day. But, the High Council were to elect our new General from one of these regions, it would certainly be remarkable and offer a true representation of a growing army.

2. The Majority – A Safe Election…
A vast majority of our Generals have been Westerners. I am not saying this as an incendiary comment, it is simply fact. The top percentage of our international leaders are those who hale from the Americas, Australia and the United Kingdom, save for a few. This is not to say that there are not leaders who come from other regions in the world, but by and large most are Westerners. This is where a majority of the Army’s funds come from, where world services support is raised. I do not presume to know much of the politics in our army, but I do know that prosperous territories generally have a larger, albeit unspoken, sway to how the army operates. The power of the resource can often dictate the direction in which those resources are utilized in the world for the purpose of the army. Thus, if this was to be a “safe” election at High Council, the election choice could follow suit of so many other past Generals in terms of nationality and region of origin.

3. The Holy Spirit…
I have been told by multiple sources that these places of election have also been very holy places of worship first and foremost. It is not that these spaces were already sacred, but rather the leaders who come to High Council do so in prayerful reverence and at the moving of the Holy Spirit. If we are truly a holiness movement, then it would make sense that our seats of highest authority be seats of holiness and humility. Is it always so? Of course not, but may we as an army place this event into our prayers and ask the Holy Spirit to lead those who will come to High Council. Secondly, may we fervently pray for our next General! When we allow the Holy Spirit to move within our army, all other agendas and ambitions will fade and His direction will provide us the appropriate leader for such a time as this.

It’s Your Turn…
What are your thoughts on High Council?
What do you expect to see coming from the election of our new General?
Does this have any impact on your life, or the life of your home corps?
Is there a need for a more aggressive mission and vision in our army today? If so, what should this more aggressive mission and vision be? Tell us what YOU think in your comments below either via this blog page or on this social media thread.

Additional News Links on this topic:
IHQ Announcement

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

Wikipedia on High Council
https://salvationist.ca/articles/plans-under-way-for-2018-high-council/

Something more for our Army to ponder today.
-God Bless you!

February 9, 2018 3

Learning To Trust Again…

Perhaps you’ve been betrayed by those you trusted or called ‘friend’ or ‘family’.
Maybe you entrusted someone with personal information only a few would know, thinking that they would always keep it private…and they turned around and spoke ill of you while spilling your secrets to the world.

They say that trust is earned, and that having true allies is often harder to maintain.
Friends, do you struggle with trust issues?
Do you have close confidants who not only listen to you, but tell it like it is?

Many times we take this imperfect blueprint of friendship, with all of its flaws, lies, broken trusts, and betrayals and we transpose it onto what we think we know about God. We think that either God doesn’t listen to us, or perhaps He just doesn’t care that much for us. We make assumptions that aren’t based upon God at all, but rather on the experiences of our world and those in it. The truth is that God isn’t from this world, He is out of it, and as a matter of fact, He created this world. Going even further, God ACTUALLY walked with Adam and Eve at the beginning of all things just to fellowship with them. He truly cared about them.

Along the way, as you might already know the story, Adam and Eve disobeyed God…and broke His heart. They were kicked out the garden, and you’d think that He would start to have trust issues with His creation, but instead He made covenant after covenant with the Adam and Eve’s ancestors. He never stopped trusting and loving them. As a matter of fact, His trust and love for us went so far as to send His One and Only Son – Jesus into the world to make things right for us…to set the story straight. He never gave up on us…so much so that Jesus died in our place on the cross.

I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but I do know that God wants to tear down the imperfect blueprint that you might have about Him. He won’t let go of you, and He has never stopped loving you. The very, very big God of the Universe, comes down to your level and says “Here I am…and I’m not going anywhere because I love you!” Perhaps you are very burdened today by the weight of so many hurts and problems. Maybe it’s time to trust again…no, I don’t mean trusting others just yet, I mean start by trusting God to be there for you. From this place of trust, healing can begin and He will restore your life and heal your broken heart. (Psalm 147:3)

Prayer:
Lord, I don’t know how to trust anymore.
I have been hurt by so many things in life and I feel helpless in this mess.
Thank you for loving me, even when I don’t love myself. Help me to trust You. I give you my hurts and my burdens…Lord, just be there for me…I want to trust again. In Your name -Amen.

Something more for you to ponder today.
God Bless you!

January 19, 2018 0

5 Things About Faith No One Talks About

Today, I want to talk about something that doesn’t get talked about enough…our faith and the things we don’t talk about. That sentence sounds funny, but there’s nothing funny about the silence of Christ-followers in areas of faith that need explaining and deep conversations in. Here are just 5 of these…I know that there are many more.

Doubting is Normal
I used to think that there was something wrong with me because I struggled with doubts within my faith. I thought I was the only one who struggled this way, until I met other Christians who were honest and allowed themselves to be vulnerable. Only then did I realize that our faith journey frequently possess places in which we experience doubts. Talking about it helped, and I began to realize I wasn’t the only one struggling through these areas of doubts.
Prayer isn’t always answered…in the way that you think it should be.
This might seem obvious, but I don’t think we talk about prayer, REAL prayer enough. Prayer isn’t about communicating with some magical genie, or shaking a magic 8 ball to get the desired answer that you’re looking for. Sometimes prayer doesn’t turn out the way that we expect it to. That doesn’t mean that God isn’t listening or that He doesn’t care, it just means that the answer could be “no” or it could be answered at a much later date. It might seem cliche’ but God’s time isn’t always how we view time or how things should happen, but He’s still there for us. God still cares, and if truth be told, that is very tough to hear when loved ones are taken from us when we prayed and prayed and prayed for them to be healed and they weren’t. So does prayer shape our faith or doesn’t work in tandem to it? Just remember, that just because our prayers weren’t answered, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t accessible or listening.
Not all “Christians” can be trusted
Many of us learn this the hard way from time to time, but not all Christians ACTUALLY care about you or will invest their time in your life. Be mindful of this. I am certainly not advocating that we do not trust other Christians, but be aware of who you confide in and use your common sense. Yes, we ought to be vulnerable before other Christians, but if the “Christians” that you are around don’t encourage, or share their lives with you, then perhaps you should be careful not to overshare. There might even be times where you should seek out other groups of Christians who might be more compassionate and attentive. Find Christ-followers who will build you up, challenge you and edify your walk with Christ. Proverbs 4:23 applies to your mentors and peers as well, so guard your heart!
Real Struggles aren’t shared in church…most of the time.
This goes hand in hand with the trust issues of Church as well as doubting – no one wants to be seen as vulnerable or struggling in their faith, when in reality we all struggle from time to time. Why can’t we talk about real issues in church? I think we need to break the notion that we have to show up on Sunday (or any other day you go to Church) and have everything together in your life, in in reality LIFE is messy! Why can’t we be honest about this? Until we stop putting up fake facades and wear masks in church, we will never see growth!

**I would like to call out the picture perfect Christian who never struggles with anything and looks down their nose at anyone who does struggle – STOP IT! You aren’t helping anyone, in fact you are preventing growth from happening. Also, I would call out your lie – if you’re alive you face struggles in life…so get over your prim and proper pious self and help others in their faith and stop pretending that you’ve got it all worked out!**
Sin and Consequences of Sin is REAL.
Lastly, I wish to tread carefully here.
Why don’t we tackle the topic of sin in Church? Why don’t we talk about it? Maybe it’s because we don’t want to guilt people into making changes? Perhaps we also don’t talk about sin because it shouldn’t always be our focal point, but to not talk about it at all is to all of our detriment. We cannot NOT talk about sin. Secondly, there are consequences to sin even after confession, redemption and reconciliation. Similarly to the long term effects on the body when someone smokes or drinks in excess for long periods of their lives – it eventually catches up to them. Sin does the same thing. We cannot stay silent on sin…because if we love our Church and the people in it, we must lovingly (emphasis on LOVINGLY) talk about the effects of sin, because assuredly it is very real as are the effects.

These are just 5 things about faith no one talks about…I know that there are more, but this is just a primer to that conversation. What should we also talk more about? Like and comment below to join the conversation! Tell us what YOU think! Together we can ponder these things and hopefully better our lives!

January 3, 2018 0

A Christmas Gift To A Family In Need…

Beverly took in her granddaughter when she was just a small child. Her granddaughter was an unfortunate victim of drug abuse by her parents. From that point on she called Beverly ‘Mom’, and she has been mom ever since. Fast-forward to the present year, and through more unfortunate circumstances, Beverly’s son suddenly passes away because of numerous health concerns, leaving behind a special needs son. What does Beverly do? Like any loving Grandmother, she take him in and adopts him as her own. This grandmother, who raised her own children, is now raising her grandchildren on a small retired, fixed income. Their small apartment home is barely big enough, but they make do. The main problem that Beverly has is that she only has a small truck that seats two people, and she wasn’t prepared to take in her grandson – who would be? Every morning her grandson takes the bus to school and every evening he arrives home by bus. Whenever they need to go grocery shopping someone always has to stay home because there isn’t enough room in her little truck for three passengers. This little family has grown, and in the midst of their growth, there has been great sadness along the way – the tears of a mother who has lost a son, the deep ache of a son who has lost a father – yet this little family struggles on and doesn’t give up.

The Christmas Gift.
This Christmas, Beverly’s driver’s side door on her little truck – fell off.
It was an old truck, borrowed from another family member.
It did the job, and had been a faithful mode of transportation, that is until the door fell off its hinges. Beverly has been praying for a larger vehicle so that it can fit both of her kids. She has also been praying for a larger place to live…

This Christmas, one of Beverly’s prayers was answered.
An elderly couple came into our social services office looking to gift their car to a family in need. Our social services director and volunteer coordinator immediately thought of Beverly and her kids. A week or so later the couple came to The Salvation Army and presented the vehicle to her. The generous couple wept for joy as did Beverly as the gift was gladly received. Having gone through so much pain in the last year, Beverly and her children received a very special Christmas gift. “I can go to the grocery store and take both of my kids now, this is simply wonderful!” Beverly is more than a little overwhelmed with the kindness of these strangers that are now friends. It is a Christmas present that is gladly offered and tearfully received!

Perhaps, for some, this short tale of an kind of kindness might restore your confidence in humanity in some small way. While we might currently complain about shopping lines and horrendous traffic, we might not recognize the needs of other people we encounter on a daily basis. Needs that are just under the surface, seared by pain and frustrations in life. This story of generosity is amazing…but I believe we are all capable of similar acts if we choose see the needs of those around us.

Something more to Ponder.
Merry Christmas everyone!

December 22, 2017 2

Salvation Army Tragedy, Martyrdom & Faith

http://m.cleveland19.com/story/36981684/crime-spree-murder-victim-was-wearing-salvation-army-uniform

Many have seen the news story (referenced above in the link) about the tragic loss of Salvation Army soldier Jared Plesec. I cannot put to words the deep sadness many have felt because of this seemingly random act of violence. There is so much to say about that, but I want to focus in on Jared. He didn’t know that his life was going to have such an abrupt and violent end. He had no clue that he just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time…instead, from all accounts, he felt God’s appointment where ever he went. He faithfully wore his uniform, but that isn’t what has distinguished him and endeared him to many around the world. Anyone can wear a uniform, that doesn’t change hearts and minds. Some have worn the uniform and have lived contrary to the articles of war that are signed upon becoming a soldier. Yet, from what everyone has said of Jared, and what has been shared on social media sites, to Jared the uniform was an extension of his faith in Christ. He was known to call up people who had been missing from the corps. Young people looked up to Jared. He wore his uniform proudly and at the time of his death, he was clutching his bible. This, my friends, was a true soldier of God. I seriously doubt that Jared was perfect, we all have our flaws, but I know the kind of legacy he has left for the ones who knew him.

I mourn for his friends and family, and I mourn with the Cleveland Temple Corps where he soldiered. Jared has been promoted to glory at such a young age and I can’t but help wonder what future impacts he might have had if this tragic act of violence had never happened.

Can we start a campaign to IHQ to posthumously honor Jared with the Order of the Founder Award? I think it rather fitting, don’t you?

2 Things
I don’t wish to whittle this down to simply two things today, and thereby minimize the life of Jared in anyway. He has greatly impacted my life and I never met this young man…but I hope to one day in Eternity.

1) Consistency of Faith
Jared wasn’t just a Christian when he put his uniform on, he was a Christian (from all accounts) in every facet of his life. Can we say the same thing today of ourselves? The uniform doesn’t make us Christ-followers, it is merely another outward evidence of the inward change. What does make us Christ-followers is the daily, even moment by moment commitment to Him regardless of the circumstances around us (good or bad).
How consistent in our faith?

2) Persistence of Faith
Accounts of Jared’s life has left us with the deep impression of his persistent faith towards those around him. He was an encourager and would frequently call those who were absent from the corps. He kept his faith at the forefront of his life anyone to witness. Many of us reading of his life, have witnessed a man persistently seeking after Christ…and I wonder if this can be said of us as well? I ask this question first to myself and all others who wish to do a personal inventory of their lives.

Dear Jared,
I never met you, but over the course of the last few days, I feel like you were (and still are) my brother in Christ! Thank you for your witness to many, many people – both while alive and in the instance of your tragic death. We mourn for what could have been…but we also celebrate your testimony in life, and one day we shall all meet together in Heaven to sing Christ’s praises. Well done, good and faithful servant! We shall one day meet!

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Scott E. Strissel,
Captain.

December 6, 2017 5

What Are YOU Waiting For?

“Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” Acts 9:8-9

We probably know the story.
Saul was a Pharisee, who lived out his religious convictions by punishing members of “The Way”. He was a devout Jew, and was very popular amongst his peers. He did what he thought was right…he did what he perceived to be God’s will. But he was wrong. On his to Damascus, God intervened. His truth was the light that blinded Saul but it also seared his heart. A divine course correction took place, and the person known as Saul died on that road. No, he didn’t die physically, but the road marked out the conclusion of that identity, that mission, that chapter. To many of his devout followers, he would be dead in their eyes for he was set on a new path by God, that of which they could neither follow or believe in.

Those with whom Saul traveled with led this now blind man into the city of Damascus where we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Whole sermons and sermon series’ have been preached on with this story – mostly focused on that road and God’s intervention and even Ananias when he arrives…but what about the waiting period between the two chapters? What happened within the span of those three days? I believe the soul searching that took place with this blind man once named Saul is just as important and has a lot to teach us. This is not necessarily reading between the lines of the text, this is merely speculating, extrapolating and mulling over this human metamorphosis. A blind man named Saul – Christian persecutor and sometimes executor went into Damascus, a transformed man on a mission named Paul exited that city with divine purpose, intent and a new found passion in life.

BUT…
What happened in those 3 days between blindness and commission?
What changes transpired there?
Is there something teachable in this narrative for you and for me?
I believe there is, so please allow me to share this with you now.

“METAMORPHOSIS”
3 Lessons from 3 Days of Blindness

1st Lesson: Sometimes Spiritual Correction Hurts and We Must Do Some Deep Soul Searching
Saul thought he was doing what God wanted him to do.
He was fighting for and defending his faith…but he was, in fact, persecuting Christ. He had passionately taken up his cause with vim and vigor and knew he was in the right…then God turned his whole world upside down. He was confronted with his own failures…he was confronted with his own mistakes, and it must have hurt. Saul spends three days of blindness not eating and drinking. It is a sobering response to the Theophany he had just experienced. Within the words of Jesus, there was a course correction and for three days Saul had to have replayed that scene over and over in his head. He must have prayed and fasted. He must have explored every action that had led him to this place, like a movie playing in his head for three long days.

I find it interesting that 3 days pass.
3 Days that seem like a real death and a real resurrection.
3 days of emotional and philosophical death until God’s messenger arrives to offer new life again. In a very real sense, Saul is in his chrysalis transforming and arriving at a new physical place.

Do we have chapters like this in our lives?
Has there ever been spiritual correction in your life that has hurt?
God doesn’t enjoy hurting us, it is more for our benefit and growth that these corrections take place. There’s an old phrase – “no pain, no gain” and I think it applies here. If we don’t experience some discomfort in life from time to time we might remain stagnant and planted in incorrect spiritual patterns. God doesn’t want us to remain there, He sees in us the potential for something better, greater and far more substantive that what we have settled for now. He wishes to adjust our paths, and help us grow into maturity within our faith. But we have to be willing to accept these corrections which, hurt, but are meant to help us grow…and sometimes set us on a new, more holy path than what we have settled on.

2nd Lesson: There is Growth that Takes Place that Only Happens in Our Waiting on The Lord
Abraham was an old man before God’s promise of being the father to many nations was actually fulfilled, and certainly Abraham tried to speed up the process with his wife’s handmaiden Hagar. But the waiting was necessary.

David was anointed as king and successor to king Saul, but he did not become king right away, he had to endure hurts, the loss of his best friend when he had ran for his life. But he did not stop being faithful to God – he persisted and eventually the waiting produced the crown in God’s appointed time.

Waiting on the Lord can be tiring and frustrating, and we may sometimes question if God will really show up in our lives and our situations, but in those moments of waiting we grow. These times of waiting produces in us perseverance, endurance and fortitude. You might not believe that you can wait on the Lord. You may question your own strength, but rest assured you are not alone – the Holy Spirit is with you giving you the strength that you need. When we wait, we must recognize our finite while we wait for the Infinite to enter our stories. Saul waited for the appointed time. He wasn’t told how long it would be. He wasn’t told who would show up as God’s ambassador…he just simply waited.

Are you waiting right now for God to show up?
Are you growing frustrated with the “waiting game”?
Maybe we will someday declare as David did in Psalm 40:
“I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
²He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
³He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
    and put their trust in him…”

Maybe we can declare this today!

3rd Lesson: There is a New Chapter in the Future to Embrace, but First We must Embrace the Present.
Have you ever visited a doctor’s office?
I am sure that you have.
Most of the time there are two places that you find yourself waiting. First, you have to wait to be seen by the nurse on duty at the front desk as they take your insurance card and all of your vital information. Sometimes they even take your blood pressure. Then they call your name and the nurse takes you through the waiting room door into a hallway which leads to another, more intimate waiting room. Sometimes the nurse asks you to take off your clothes and put on a gown…and then wait. This is sometimes the longest wait that you may have at the doctor’s office. That uncomfortable time dressed only in a thin paper gown, sitting on an examination table while some elevator music is droning on and on in the background. But we cannot speed up that time. We have to simply wait, even when it’s not comfortable or the most desirable thing to do – we still wait. Finally the doctor in a white coat comes in and then we get down to business and the present can then be moved into the future.

If we believe that God sent Jesus to die for us, that Jesus resurrected and went to prepare a place for us, then we already understand what it means to wait. We aren’t in some doctor’s waiting room or anything but we must acknowledge that Jesus promised to return one day – and so His people anxiously wait for his return

But what about the little things of life?
What about the prayers we utter in the hope that God will answer them?
What happens in the in between time of God encounter and fulfillment?
We wait.
Sometimes we wait and wait.
Saul didn’t eat or drink for 3 days.
This parched, blind man waited for God’s fulfillment.
He didn’t know when it would happen, but it WAS going to happen.
He didn’t know WHO God was sending, but in the present moment he waited.

Many times we might feel stuck in the present while we wait for God.
We might grow frustrated and even weary in our waiting, but let me encourage you today: The present waiting room of your life IS where God meets us.
We might not yet know it yet, but He is already present and with you right here and now. We do not need to pine for the future in a “some day” mindset when we understand that God is sitting with us in our present waiting rooms.

Saul met God, then we he had to wait, then when God’s appointed ambassador arrived the commission was given and a much transformed Paul emerged to do the will of God.

Are you waiting right now for God?
Remember this while you wait:
-Sometimes Spiritual Correction Hurts and We Must Do Some Deep Soul Searching.
-There is Growth that Takes Place that Only Happens in Our Waiting on The Lord.
-There is a New Chapter in the Future to Embrace, but First We must Embrace the Present.

Something more to ponder today.
God Bless you!

October 26, 2017 0

4 Reasons Holiness Is Ineffective In Your Corp

Greetings fellow ponderers, how have you been?
I wanted to write a brief article once again on the topic of holiness in an effort to help us realize that it is viable and necessary even though I wrote an article not long ago entitled: “Why the Holiness Movement is Dead”

I want to clarify.
Although the movement of holiness has been halted in many ways through Church and its emphasis, the need of such a personal holiness is still important AND tangible. We don’t need an organization, movement or church to enforce something that should be intrinsic within all believers: The Holy Spirit working in and through us, ever refining, ever honing and guiding us in the direction of Christ-likeness.

Even though we recognize that no organization, movement or church can dictate or enforce Holiness – it is still necessary for fellow believers to help guide each other along in the faith. Instruction is needed for new believers to help them understand. There is also accountability to all believers to help us all grow and cultivate this spirit of holiness within us. Romans 12:5 says, “So we, though we are a number of persons, are one body in Christ, and are dependent on one another…”

-We need each other to prod this development of holiness within us.

So, without further adieu, let us explore the topic of the day:
4 Reasons Holiness is Ineffective in Your Corps
(and as usually this is just a primer, and there are some that can relate and some who won’t…some who believe there is much more to this conversation, and some who think that this is too much, but here goes anyway...)

1) Holiness isn’t Preached
This is probably an obvious reason why Holiness isn’t effective in your corps, perhaps it’s an obscure concept and never brought up in sermons, let alone the main conversation of a sermon. Friends, we need Holiness preached in our pulpits! Without holiness how are we to grow and mature? What’s the purpose of new believers?

2) Holiness isn’t Taught
Teaching holiness is probably more important than any sermon an officer or local officer is going to preach from the pulpit. Are there bible studies devoted to the conversation of holiness? Do we treat this with importance or is it not even considered? And if it is not considered, then why not? Do we believe that the topic of holiness is too difficult for our people to grasp?

3) Leaders Are Not Living-out Holiness
It is one thing to preach holiness, but it is another to live holiness. We can preach about a certain topic of Christianity until we are blue in the face, but if we do not live it then how will our people see and understand? How can we even presume to preach but not live? Do we not see the hypocrisy in this? But you might say, “well we cannot live it all of the time…it’s just too hard!” I would say, even part of the time is better than none of the time…and then pray in your own life for that other part that is still lagging behind. We need holiness preachers, but before that we need holiness people living it out-loud.

4) Holiness is Considered an Impossibility – So Why Even Try?
Have you heard people say this things like, “Well, I’ve heard about holiness, but it just can’t be done…it’s too complicated and unrealistic.” What do you say to those who have this perspective on holiness? How do we break people from this train of thought? Dare I say that even some officers have this concept, if that is the case what are we to do then? Does the Army hold to the vital importance of Holiness as we do to uniform wear or a soldier’s/Officer’s covenant?

If our corps people view Holiness as an impossibility or vague notion, how do we change that mindset? Let me answer that: practice what we preach and teach and make Holiness a reachable, tangible initiative in the lives of all believers! Make sure you set the record straight for those who deem Holiness impossible. Make sure they understand that Holiness isn’t perfection it is instead the maturing and deepening of our faith as we strive to be like Christ in every way!

Let’s make Holiness effective and vital again in our corps! To God be the glory!

October 17, 2017 1