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February 19, 2016 0

Dear Salvationist, 5 Things Leaders SHOULD Do!

Yesterday, we pondered on the topic of 5 Things Leaders Shouldn’t Do
Today, we’re going to flip the proverbial coin over and explore 5 things Leaders SHOULD do in their ministry and in their lives.

I will not simply “flip” the list we already have explored, but it should be obvious that some of these done in reverse will greatly impact your flock! Don’t ever negate the fact that as an appointed leader you HAVE a flock to tend to! Leadership isn’t easy, it never is. There will be times when you will have to the do the difficult things that will cost you! Leadership might impact your friendships, your family and your relationships in general. I am not deterring you from leadership, if you are about to take up some sort of mantel, but be mindful that there are no short cuts to becoming a good leader; hard work, planning and perseverance are qualities that are required!

5 Things Leaders SHOULD Do!

5) Lead By Example
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” -John Maxwell

Leaders, don’t just bark orders and expect those they lead to fall in line. Some will follow, but others will down right rebel! Strong, qualified leaders set the trend by their work ethic and physical practice of that work ethic! NEWS FLASH: You don’t need a degree to be a good, qualified leader!

Good leaders will show you how it’s done before ever expecting you to perform. How can we expect laborers in the field to cultivate a harvest if we haven’t first shown them how to work? This cycles back to being good disciplers of those you lead! We can’t expect amazing results if we do not first feed the sheep we have and display for them what Christ-like leadership looks like.

4) Set Realistic Vision THEN revisit, regroup and Persevere!
“People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.” — Howard Schultz, Starbucks
Setting goals and a vision that is realistic is only one piece of the pie. The planning and casting of a vision has to have an end game, or an “outcome”. What do you want to see accomplished? How will you get there? What sorts of goals can you set (realistic) that will help you get there?

Once this vision is cast, you MUST include your flock, your people! They have to be invested in the vision too! It can’t be your vision, because your vision will never move the congregation (your people) forward into realization of that vision. Vision HAS to be share and invested! Once the vision is shared and invested in, good leaders regroup and revisit the goals and steps along the way. Once something is accomplished, celebrate the accomplishment but also analyze and study why and how it became successful…do the same thing with failed goals or visions – assess why they failed or didn’t accomplish what you set out to accomplish. THEN, work harder and keep going!

3) Servant Heart – Compassion!
This goes back to # 5 – Be the servant leader!
That doesn’t mean you get walked all over and you allow those you lead to get a pass on being invested in the mission, it means you place the needs of the many before your personal needs. It means you consider others before yourself and what you want others to remember about you…NEWSFLASH – It’s not about you!

If we serve out of some erroneous notion that it’s about our abilities, passion and notoriety, then we have been sorely mistaken AND perhaps we need to check our egos at the door. Jesus told His disciples that if any of them wanted to be first they had to be last. If they wanted to be a leader they had to first become a servant of all. (Mark 10:42-45) When we remove self from the equation, it becomes much easier to love those you lead because the inward focus of love has been refocused towards others and the vital mission that we as Salvationist believe in – “Save souls, grow saints and serve suffering humanity”

2) Take Risks!
The plan of William and Catherine Booth for the Christian Mission which eventually became the Salvation Army was extremely risky. They would devote themselves completely to it. The founders left their previous ministries and began something completely new and different. They risked a lot. They tried things that did not always work. BUT they took risks along the way.

I think that today our Army has become a sort of playground for the “play it safes”, if you know what I mean. We invest in the programs we have already done – because there is funding or there is an insulated safety net in place, but when it comes time to wander out of the comforts of that safety net – we withdraw, we shy away. In part it could mean reprisals and discipline from leaders in authority over you, and it could mean loss in possible membership because you were willing to upset the apple cart (so to speak).

Albert Einstein once said,“A ship is always safe at the shore – but that is NOT what it is built for.” Let me amend this quote for our purposes here today – “An Army is always safe in the comforts of its corps buildings – but that is NOT what it is built for!” Good leaders not only help set the team vision, but good leaders take calculated risks in helping to build the Kingdom, because this is ALL kingdom building work! Take chances, take risked – worry less about reprisals from your divisional headquarters (gasp) and more about not listening to the Holy Spirit as He leads your corps or ministry! Obviously communicate your plans to your leaders but don’t hamstring yourself because you’re afraid to risk.

1) Plan Ahead – Be Proactive!
Knowing your community and assessing what your community needs is a tool that helps you to become a proactive leader and participant in Kingdom building! When we begin to study our surroundings and surroundings of our ministry demographic we can begin to recognize trends and needs. When we are better in tune with our community and our corps people, we will be more prepared to “meet human needs in His name”.

Do you remember the parable about the Bridesmaids and their oil lamps in the Bible? (Matt. 25:1-13) You know, the one where some of them were unprepared and ran out of oil before the Bridegroom returned? They begged and begged the ones who had prepared to lead some of their oil to them…but it was too late. In order to prevent this from realistically happening to us in our ministries and preparation to usher new people to Christ, we have to plan ahead! Pulling something out of your butt (sorry for the imagery) at the last minute will only be so successful. True success in our ministries, and growth in those we reach is defined by how well we know our audience and how prepared we are to meet them where they are at. Good leaders will prepare and plan ahead. Good leaders won’t always be last minute and harried in the process.

Some of you might contend – but I’m already busy…I have too much to do already – I’m right there with you. I’m also not quite to the point where I would consider myself (by this specific qualification) a Good leader – I still have to work on this in my ministry. But that doesn’t stop me from trying to become better at it! We all have room to grow in this. Other “reports” may have to take a backseat sometimes in order for leader to get back to the important work of planning and meeting needs – by listening and studying their communities and those they love and serve!

These are just 5 Things Leaders SHOULD be doing…it’s a primer, something to spur and spark our thoughts and our imaginations. None of this can be fully accomplished unless we are fully submitted to God’s will for our ministries. Dear Salvationist, you matter to this Army! You set the trend and the motion forward! We continue to need strong leaders who are willing to take up this mantel and to share the burden & passion of ministry! My hope and prayer is that we recognize that we all have room to grow and that we begin to prayerfully consider how we can accomplish this through the power and strength of the Lord.

Something more for our Army to ponder today!

*Disclaimer: The writings and opinions of Pastorsponderings are not necessarily the opinions of the Salvation Army – Reader Discretion is Advised.*

February 18, 2016 0

PonderCast – “Letting Go”

Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Click Here to listen to today’s PonderCast: “Letting GO”

Something more to Ponder today!
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February 18, 2016 0

Dear Salvationist – 5 Things Leaders Shouldn’t Do

Dear Salvation Army Soldier, it would seem that we are at a turning point in our Army.
Perhaps some of you have seen this coming for years, perhaps some are seeing this for the first time. Our organization, built on the fire of The Holy Spirit and the Mission to reach souls for Christ through “Soup, Soap, & Salvation” is in need of a second and possibly third blessing from the Lord.

What do I mean by that? I mean we are in need of a Pentecost type renewal once again among our ranks. We need a deeper resolve within our prayer lives. We must preach Holiness from the pulpit BUT more importantly live holiness in our lives and be an example of Christ-likeness to those around us!

This turning point is like the Israelites of old who renewed their covenant with God over and over again only to forget its meaning and stray from their faith and relationship to the Author and Sustainer of life. Do we stray sometimes? Have we lost our way upon this pathway of duty? I don’t think this Salvationist thing is solely about duty…no, it’s so much more than that! To me, the word “duty” implies something arduous and required of us. Something that allows us to plod along as long as we are performing our required/expected responsibilities. That word only goes so far…we as Salvationists need more the duty in our lives and in our ministries, we need passion, faith and perseverance too!

That being said, allow me for a moment to delve into a very important topic of leadership.
This topic is not exclusively for our divisional/territorial or International leaders, this is a broad brush stroke that transcends position and status within our Army. I say this because I do not want anyone to assume I am directing this at anyone specifically…if I did that, I would have to seriously contend that my abilities within leadership is perfect…they most certainly are not. I am still learning. I have a lot of room for growth here. I am no fool, I recognize this in myself. I write this for me…and perhaps, in some way – you might also benefit and relate from it as well.

My Master’s Degree is Organizational Leadership…despite all of that, degree and all, I’m still a work in progress…how about you?

5 Things Leaders Shouldn’t Do –

STOP –

5) “Do as I say, not as I do!”
We might find ourselves barking orders and giving commands that we seldom or have difficulty following ourselves. Weren’t the Pharisees of old really good at that too? They were the enforcers of laws that they themselves didn’t necessarily keep. Allow me to just say…”those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” This kind of behavior within leadership is tempting – We lead, we should expect people to follow us, but if we don’t first lead by example, chances are those that follow will either resent our leadership or stop following all together. THIS is extremely detrimental to our Army. Beware of this leadership trap!! If you find yourself here, please, please stop – you’re hurting the army more than you are helping it!

DON’T

4) Cast An Unrealistic Vision
This too is easy to do!
We set the standard SO high that no one can reach it and many will find themselves disillusioned and discouraged. We are an Army, but we are also an army of compassion and hope. We can’t expect a new convert to the faith to become Brengle overnight (for example). Set your vision – YES, but be mindful that you don’t lose your people in the process. Make your vision and your goals attainable, whatever they may entail. Don’t lose sight of the sheep you shepherd and get so far ahead of them that they aren’t able to keep up or follow you. Thankfully Jesus never His disciples in the dust, He helped them along, even explaining certain parables to them when they were confused or off base.

STOP
3) Discipline Without Compassion
Stop this, please!
Jesus said this of the earthly model of leadership –
“Among the heathen, kings are tyrants and each minor official lords it over those beneath him.But among you it is quite different. Anyone wanting to be a leader among you must be your servant. And if you want to be right at the top, you must serve like a slave. Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah,* did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”(Matthew 20:25-28 TLB)

The Army doesn’t need more iron-fisted leaders, it needs leaders who lead with compassion as their strength! Discipline? Yes – but fairly and with the intention to correct and restore. Don’t discipline out of anger or misaligned points of view. Some of the best leaders that I know are those who have a servant’s heart and are concerned about helping those they lead to attain levels of personal growth in their lives!

DON’T

2) Lead In A Way That’s Always Been Done…”
It’s an excuse to lead in this manner – “The Army has always led this way” – False, men and women have led this way, but we can lead in ways that improve upon what has already been built! Don’t hang all of your experience upon the coat hook of tradition as your standard. Instead glean what worked and what didn’t…Adapt! I will take a prayer warrior leader over one who wishes to climb the ladder by stepping on people any day! Don’t think for a minute that there haven’t been those consumed by the compulsion to lead or driven by personal ambition…it’s a human flaw, and we all have our own personal egos to contend with.

Gut check time – I think the words of Ezekial 34:4 could apply to all of us as a warning to leaders who are not fair or lead by “how it has ALWAYS been done” – “You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.

Let’s not lose sight of why we need leaders in our army, and why we exist in the first place!
1) Stop Blaming Loss of Membership Solely On Those You Lead!”
This is critical.
It goes hand in hand with the whole setting the vision too high thing…be mindful of casting blame. Officers – stop blaming all of your corps people on the loss of members (you might be warranted sometimes – go to specific people!) Soldiers – stop blaming your corps officers or the officers before the current ones! We all have a responsibility in the here and now to lead and to shepherd people to Christ.

If we lose a battle, claim it and move on to the next! To use the euphemism again – This war is not over! We have much ground to gain and we need to persevere and fight on! Leadership – where ever you may be, if you take credit for the victories, take ownership for defeats as well! You are the ones to set the vision and assist in seeing that vision to fruition.

You might agree or disagree with me, that’s fine.
At the end of the day I want all of us (myself especially) to examine our places of authority. Whether it’s in the corps or at headquarters. We either do this together, or fall apart trying to do our own thing!

Something more for our army to ponder today!

Stay tuned to tomorrow’s pondering on 5 Things Leaders SHOULD do!
***Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this pondering are the writers thoughts and opinions, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions of The Salvation Army…read discretion advised. ***

February 17, 2016 5

Caution – Deadpool Is Not For Kids!

– Deadpool trailer –
This past weekend Deadpool opened at the box office, and quickly became a smash hit as well.
As a superhero fan boy, I have enjoyed all of the Marvel movies…minus a few critiques of Thor 2 and Ironman 2, but I digress.

I enjoy Marvel movies because:
1 – They have heroes, we all love hero stories right?!
2 – There are villains that push the heroes into doing extraordinary things.
3 – There is usually a cameo appearance by Stan Lee
4 – The comedic humor is always timed and appreciated!
5 – Easter Eggs – Not only are there clues and tributes hiding in the film, but at the end of the film there is usually a teaser for something coming in the Marvel Universe.

These are just a few of the reasons I enjoy Marvel movies, I’m sure that you have others as well.

Deadpool…
it’s not your typical 20th Century Fox Studios release by Marvel film.
This is a rated – R risk.
This is an adult geared film.
There is even full frontal nudity.
The language and violence is not intended for children.
Parents do not take your kids to see this movie – even Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) warned parents not to bring the kids.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that this superhero film, that no one initially wanted to make, has smashed weekend box offices around the world beating out all of the “Xmen” movies as well as “Ironman 2” and “Man of Steel”.

“The irony, as Ben Fritz of TWSJ says is, : “Deadpool,” a spin-off character in Marvel’s X-Men comic book universe, was made only after much trepidation and years of stalled development. That’s because the loud-mouthed, ultra-violent character required a film with an R-rating, a very high death count, and an insulting sense of humor about his own genre. Executives were concerned the movie would turn off most fans of PG-13 rated fare such as “The Avengers” and appeal only to the Comic-Con crowd.”

The Washington Post reports that “Deadpool is not okay for kids, but might be just what your teens need”??? (As a parent, I’m personally saying no to that!)

Others have been very critical of the movie, like one such movie goer who said this on social media over the weekend; “All I can say is that I am embarrassed for Stan Lee. I can safely say that was one of the worst super hero movies I have ever seen. The entire movie tries too hard to be cutting edge and funny. The humor is at the level of a hormonal teenage boy who is trying to sneak a peak at a playboy magazine he just found in a trash can.”

Long story short, if you’re a young adult and you want to see this film, go and watch it, but be mindful of the sophomoric humor and gratuitous violence and nudity. Also the language and even story line (or lack there of) has been criticized rather harshly. If you have teens who want to see this film, I (and many other parents) would advise against it.

I have seen every Marvel film, but I’m afraid I might have to skip this one…but that’s just me. I’ll just have to wait for Captain America Civil War to hit theaters in May.

Something for the family to ponder today.

February 16, 2016 0

PonderCast – “Who Am I?”

Check out our pondercast, share it and join the conversation!
Today’s topic is “Who am I?”

http://scottstrissel.podomatic.com/embed/frame/posting/2016-02-16T06_48_34-08_00?json_url=http%3A%2F%2Fscottstrissel.podomatic.com%2Fentry%2Fembed_params%2F2016-02-16T06_48_34-08_00%3Fcolor%3D43bee7%26autoPlay%3Dfalse%26facebook%3Dtrue%26height%3D85%26width%3D300%26minicast%3Dfalse%26objembed%3D0&notb=1

Check it out, share and leave you comments, questions and feedback!

February 16, 2016 0

“Hello…there you are!!” – Featuring Captain Shanais Strissel

Look at this picture of thorny weeds; imagine living in it- right there in the middle of that ugly, painful nest of flesh tearing barbs. Imagine yourself moving around in there and trying to lay down at night, attempting to get comfortable enough to sleep.

Nope, not going to happen, right? There is no way to move without drawing blood, ripping flesh, crying out in pain- so you remain still, immobile, stagnant…stuck.

Now imagine this:

And we clear away all of the thorns and weeds and we find this

or this

We find freedom from entrapment, a cool soft breeze, sunlight shining on our face, weight lifted, pain relieved and cool, soothing water running along our roots.

Space to breathe

Space to stretch our long achy limbs

Space to let the wounds heal

So what do thorns and weeds and flowers and seeds and space have to do with – anything?

LIFE, they have to do with life and the representation of struggle, pain, agony and victory.

So, imagine with me for a moment that we all start out as a

Seed

This little seed has been gifted with potential…potential to thrive and grow and stretch into what God has encoded into its DNA to be, whether it’s a rose or an great oak tree…the potential to be

More,

To be beautiful,

To be unique…

And we are all born into families; families of other unique seeds that have already grown… but the problem comes when someone has come along and planted a bunch of weeds into the mix.

Parents are tasked with the immense responsibility of nurturing their children, their little seeds of great potential, right?

They are there to tend the soil, remove weeds, cut back unwanted growth, provide food and water and a safe environment for constant focused growth into the mighty image that we are meant to embrace- to find joy and strength and endurance alongside capable hands.

But what happens when our parents plant

Weeds

What happens when your parents only know what life among the thorns is like because that is all they have known and now they are planting weeds in yours?

What about if you go back generations and you see nothing but acres of weeds in your family lineage?

Years of abuse, neglect, bad habits, addictions and on and on and on…all of this baggage serves to cover and hide our identity, our potential to reflect the image of God in our own unique way.

What happens now?

Well, we can’t weed the garden ourselves- it would simply turn us into a bloody, pulpy mess- we simply can’t see where we are going in the midst of that mess.

We could just sit and do nothing, which would leave us to become more sad, angry and embittered to our world and leaving us to pass on our own brand of thorns.

Or,

We could desire

Any change starts with a desire to be different, to see things different, to want more out of life than we have been handed, to be more AWARE of the world around us.

It is to recognize that the weeds aren’t good for us and to desire to get the hell out of there, literally speaking to get the Hell out of our lives – that’s the noun not the verb.

When we acknowledge the thorns are there, and desire to see them gone – that’s when real life starts. God starts clearing the thorns and weeds for us. He takes on our pain, our agony, our bloody wounds and gives us peace in place of pain.

Does this mean it will be an easy journey? No. Sorry to say it but getting rid of the thorns and weeds forces us to face our own truths and it’s painful but that is the only road to freedom. The amazing thing is that we don’t walk a solitary journey; God clears the correct path and leads us to freedom and on the road to revelation.

Our true selves are discovered on that journey one root, one branch, one flower, one petal one leaf at a time until the entire beautiful, magnificent, amazingly unique plant is revealed. Well hello, there you are…

by SLS

February 15, 2016 3

Dear Salvationist – 5 Reasons Your Corps Needs YOU!

I haven’t always been convinced of these, but as the Lord has convicted me in my own life of things I have needed to deal with, it has become more and more apparent that there are a slew of reasons your corps needs you! (Phew, that was run on sentence!)

These are just 5 reasons that your corps needs YOU (Starting with #5):

#5) You are more than just a number in a roll book, your story matters!
I don’t just say this to be nice, I mean it! If you are a soldier in good standing in your corps, you matter! Your story might just be the one that leads someone else, who is similar to you, to Christ! You might feel insignificant at times, or perhaps even unwanted sometimes, but please know that regardless of what others might say or how you might feel – You are loved by the Almighty and He can and will use you in your corps right now! So don’t give up!

#4) Your corps needs mentors and disciplers!
Perhaps you are not called to become an officer, but you, dear soldier, play a vital role within your corps! If you are mature in your faith, and you know of others who are young in their faith – YOU can help them develop into tomorrow’s leaders! The corps officers can’t do it all, and we are so much stronger when soldiers are invested in the corps’ mission and we begin to work together instead of separately on our own “projects”. You can help shape young lives. You can help transform would be street thugs into kingdom people! You can fill this role, dear soldier!

#3) Your Corps Desperately Needs Prayer Warriors & Sunday School Teachers!
What ever happened to prayer meetings? Are we too busy to pray together any more? Are prayer meetings now considered old fashioned and unnecessary? I sure hope not!
Never, ever discount the need for prayer warriors in your corps! If you have devoted yourself to the spiritual discipline of prayer then use it to empower and protect the soldiers, adherents and leaders of your corps! Pray earnestly for God to provide miracles in your neighborhoods. Don’t just pray for corps members and what you already have in your corps, but take it out into the streets and pray for the new souls that God will lead into your midst! We need faithful, devoted, godly Sunday School teachers to lead our Sunday Schools and Bible Studies! Many of your corps already have faithful teachers who have taught for years – and if you are one of these beautiful souls, we say Thank you! Many a child has been brought to Christ because of your faithfulness! Do not for minute think you are not contributing to young people’s lives! Keep offering those prayers of salvation in your classes! Keep sharing the love and acceptance of Christ with those that you have the privilege to instruct. This is serious business – Kingdom business, and you are needed in your corps!

#2) Your Corps Needs Hospitality and Welcome Sergeants!
Do you know that the first persons a new comer sees will determine if they will stay or flee your building? Some of you have this amazing gift to make people feel wanted and welcomed. It’s a warming sense of belonging that people desire when they seek out a place of worship. You can touch the hearts of many by serving your corps in this capacity! Sometimes we take these roles for granted in our corps, and when we do, we run the risk of people experiencing a cold shoulder instead of a warm hug at the door (sorry to my Swedish friends who don’t hug). There are many roles behind the scenes that matter – sometimes much more than even the elements of worship on Sunday mornings. You can lead people to feel at home at your corps. Hospitality is needed in every corps…and sometimes it’s a lost art.

#1) Your Corps Needs Workers In The Fields Who will Roll Up Their Sleeves!
This should sum up all of our corps’ needs in soldiers (and even adherents). We aren’t social clubs or socials services – we still have a mission! We still have a purpose as an Army. Some have forgotten this. Others have neglected this. Sometimes, if we’re honest, we (I) fall into one or both of these categories. Kingdom building is hard work. It is labor intensive! I might mean you go out on late night calls to help someone in need. It will mean that we don’t just leave people at the altar, check off another seeker on our stat sheet and never disciple them – only to have them figure it out for themselves or wander away still lost and hopeless. True soldiers of Christ invest their lives in the lives of others. True soldiers of Christ love unconditionally. True soldiers of Christ must become mindful of the things which trap us apathetically into patterns of comfort and carelessness.

Dear Soldier, your corps needs you!
God has breathed into you at the moment of your conversion His presence. The Holy Spirit is our guide. He will provide us with His strength, discernment and perseverance along the way. This commitment will be difficult sometimes. There will be victories and heartaches. Unlike many of our professional sports teams today – your corps needs a lifetime contract from you – thick or thin! This is a mighty, mighty ask – I know. Some of you have experienced some heartache through fall out in leadership, or faced hardships because not everyone sees eye to eye. Some of you might be glancing at the exit doors right now…but I urge you to reconsider. I know with all my heart that we are stronger together than we are apart. I don’t presume to know your story today, but I know God understands. I also recognize that we often carry wounds and burdens…He can and will help to lighten your load. Your corps needs you…the question is will you faithfully serve?

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

*Disclaimer – The opinions of the author expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Salvation Army.

February 12, 2016 5

Dear Salvationist – Die Faker, Die!

“Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8 The Message Version)

I don’t want to be known as a faker to God.
It’s not my intentions to ever appear to be something that I am not.
We can’t fool Him.
He knows us so intimately – better than we know ourselves. Why? Because He made us in His image. He’s the Creator. He’s the Author of our story, our lives.

Brennan Manning said in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel “Authentic faith leads us to treat others with unconditional seriousness and to a loving reverence for the mystery of the human personality. Authentic Christianity should lead to maturity, personality, and reality. It should fashion whole men and women living lives of love and communion. False, manhandled religion produces the opposite effect. Whenever religion shows contempt or disregards the rights of persons, even under the noblest pretexts, it draws us away from reality and God.”

So why do I try to fool Him sometimes?
Perhaps it’s not so much me – fooling God, but rather – me fooling, or attempting to fool, others. We can become so good at this fakery, this mask that we wear that no one around us would ever suspect – that’s how good we can become at it.

I’m not accusing anyone of faking it today – that is never my place or intention.
All that I am pointing out is that sometimes, in MY own life, I attempt to fake it spiritually…and it never goes well. Have you ever been there? Please tell me that you have, I don’t want to be the only one.
——————————–
I can sing all the right songs.
I can read all the right portions of scripture.
I can dress and look the part.
But deep down inside, the real me, the one that is genuine has taken a back seat and there’s the fake me putting on a show.
———————————
I don’t say this so that you’ll have pity on me, or that you’ll judge me (or think of me differently, “What?! a pastor/officer/soldier – admitting to faking it, how dare he!”) …I’m just being honest. AND -In my honesty, I hope that there are those who also can relate, and perhaps come to terms with this fakery in their (your) own life.

Like me:
-You don’t want to just go through the motions of merely existing.
-You want to impact the world for Christ.
-You want to be authentic instead of a plastic soldier that looks awesome on the outside but is hollowed out on the inside.
-You want to reach real people for Christ because of your sincerity and genuine faith in Christ.
-You know anything less than authentic faith will NOT fool God. – He wants us to live for Him (die to self, become selfless just. like. Him.) He doesn’t want our lip-service and platitudes.

Die Faker, DIE!!!
Dear Salvationist,
I will not be a faker.
We cannot be phony about this faith, these uniforms, this army and especially WHOSE we are.

“Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you.²⁰For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because he owns it.” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20 TLB)

So perhaps you can join me as I casually, ever so silently, rather quickly – put to death my fake-self once more. Let’s cast it aside and get back to what really matters: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” (Luke 10:27 – in reference to the Shema)

With ALL my heart.
With ALL my soul.
With ALL my strength.
And with ALL my mind.

From this flows everything else.
Die Faker Die.

Something more to ponder today.

Disclaimer: The ponderings and opinions written here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Salvation Army.

February 10, 2016 1

Dear Salvationist, On Removing All Doubt!

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.“-1 John 1:7

The Biggest Pondering to consider for Salvationists – “Do you believe God can cleanse you from ALL your sins?”

This was a revelation and turning point of Samuel Logan Brengle, and perhaps it should also be a turning point for all of us! We are very good at saying that God can cleanse us completely, but believing in our own hearts and minds can prove to be at times elusive. We live with regrets, and often times, dredge up the past and those sins we would be embarrassed of if anyone ever found out.

Those deepest darkest regions of our hearts, those hidden sins – are often the only things preventing us from a spiritual explosion of growth in our lives.

Do we (I) truly believe that God can cleanse us (me) from ALL your (my) sins?
If so, why do we hold back?
Why do we doubt?
Even in my own life, I catch momentary glimpses of Peter walking on the water towards Jesus. And as he begins to walk he is ACTUALLY doing it – he’s walking on the water, an impossible feat, yet it’s happening. Then something happens. Something catches Peter off guard. He looks around him, perhaps reality (his reality – men don’t walk on water) sets in. He sees the tempest of the waves, the power of the surging waters. He feels the billowing gusts of the winds. What had been an absolute conviction of faith, has now become a glimpse of mortality and human frailty. Like the deep rumbling of storm clouds, doubt settles onto Peter’s certainties. His absolutes turn into “maybes” and then into “no ways”…His eyes shift from Divinity and Eternity towards uncertainty and self-doubt. Excuses then enter – “I can’t do this,” “Who do I think I am?” “This is impossible” -Peter begins to sink. As he is facing the tempest and the horrific certainty of death by drowning, he calls out to Jesus, “Lord save me!”

According to Matthew 14:31, Jesus IMMEDIATELY reached down and pull Peter up…Jesus immediately saves him. Notice that the text doesn’t say that Jesus sinks in as well. He doesn’t stop walking on top of the waters. No, he pulls Peter back up above the surface of the dark watery depths. What might have been the certainty of the grave by drowning, turned into a salvation story. Then Jesus says to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)

To me, this portrait is how I see this cleansing grace of God.
It is but a window into the portrait of our immediate cleansing.
God can and will cleanse all of our sins…IF we let Him.
It has never been about if God is able to cleanse us…
It has never been about God having enough power to cleanse us through and through…
It has always been about our doubts, our uncertainties, our inadequacies, our convictions of guilt and shame.
It has always been about our penitent hearts unwilling to see that He will cleanse the worst of sinners – including you and me.

Jesus died for ALL – His blood cleanses ALL.
Knowing and believing this truth makes all the difference!
We can have all of the wisdom of scriptures at our disposal, but if they are not employed and believed in our lives – they mean nothing, and God’s cleansing will not touch our deepest darkest sins.

“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Still applies to you and me today.
Can we consecrate our lives again to Him?
Can we recognize that God can and will purify us from ALL sin?
Perhaps this is what has been holding you back all of these years.
Perhaps you have felt unworthy of this cleansing.
Maybe you don’t feel as if you deserve it, or you doubt that you could ever live up to God’s complete and utter cleansing.

**Warning: words that are harder to live by are contained within the next statement!!**
He has made you whole, now live out that wholeness for Him!
Accept this complete cleansing.
Lay all of your sins, all of your guilt, all of your shame before Him.
He will immediately lift you out of the depths!!

By the love that never ceased to hold me
In a bond nor life nor death shall break,
As thy presence and thy power enfold me,
I would plead fresh covenant to make.
From before thy face, each vow renewing,
Strong in heart, with purpose pure and deep,
I will go henceforth thy will pursuing,
With my Lord unbroken faith to keep.

By the love that never ceased to hold me,
By the blood which thou didst shed for me,
While thy presence and thy power enfold me,
I renew my covenant with thee.

-Will J. Brand/Bramwell Coles

The Lord desires an Army of Salvationists consecrated and given to His mission completely. The Lord desires all lives fully surrendered to Him…then and only then can He cleanse us through and through!

Something more for our Army world to ponder today!

February 8, 2016 2