Perspectives Day #4 “Commissioner Corner” Featuring Commissioner Paul Du Plessis & Comissioner Harry Read

There are men and women in our Army who have made a lasting impact on the world around them.
Two such people are featured here today. Both Commissioner Du Plessis and Commissioner Harry Read have touch lives for Christ all over the world, and they continue to do so even in retirement. I have a profound respect for both of these Commissioners, and I know many in our Army world feel the same. Here are two poems that these humble soldiers of God have written. Both Commissioners are excellent writers and poets in their respected careers while in ministry. So on behalf of all of us, thank you Commissioners for your continued ministry to us!
———————————————————————————————————————————
Commissioner Paul Du Plessis

“Paradise Regained”
Escape from the mixture of odours

Boiled up by the central heating,
The lunch trolley aromas stagnant
In a bathroom fragranced with aerosols,
So cross the threshold into the garden
To be braced by fresh air
That ripples over goose pimples
Lifting hairs on the back of the neck,
So that remembered images become real
With bumble bees frolicking in the lavender,
The fuchsias dangling their bells,
Alchemilla sparkling with raindrops.

The scent of the earth, a glance at the sun;
Inside and out, the soul is reborn.

Willett House

——————————————————————————————————————————–
Commissioner Harry Read

Heart Talk

Prayer is a great adventure
In realms of mystery
Which blaze with heavenly splendour,
With awe and majesty.
There love gives all things meaning,
Of Heaven, of earth, of space;
Love constantly redeeming,
The work of sovereign grace.

By prayer we find resources,
Beyond our power to dream,
As God himself endorses
The hopes that through us stream.
Not only for our pleasure,
But his plans to fulfil,
God gives strength without measure,
Such is his blessed will.

It is by prayer we enter
This realm of sheer delight,
By prayer we reach the centre
Where love and power shine bright.
And, God, our faith beholding
Asks us more closely move,
And with his love enfolding,
Bids us prayer’s power to prove.

Matthew 6: 6
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray
to your Father who is unseen”.

With every blessing,

Harry
04.10.15

October 9, 2015 1

Perspectives Day #3 Featuring Captain Deb Thompson – “Joy”

JOY

When asked if I would write on joy, I felt a bit ill-equipped to write on this topic. I’ve never considered myself the optimistic, happy-go-lucky joyful type. Throughout various times in my life, I have tried to make a commitment to be joyful, but then my negativity gets the best of me.

However, whenever I think of being joyful, my mind always goes to Psalm 30:7, “Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.” There’s something about that verse that gives me a bit of hope.

In 2009, Christian artist, Steven Curtis Chapman, released an album entitled, “Beauty Will Rise” with a song by the same title. The song was inspired by the tragic event of his 5 year old daughter’s death the year before. The song starts out by recalling the day, “It was the day the world went wrong/I screamed til my voice was gone/And watched through the tears/as everything came crashing down/Slowly panic turns to pain/As we awake to what remains/And shifts through the ashes/That are left behind”

Although, not all of us have lost a child, we have all had that moment where everything went wrong. Our world, for a time period stops spinning, and we are left standing still, stunned… while the rest of the world moves past us without a thought. Perhaps it was a death of a loved one. Perhaps it was a loss of a job. Perhaps it’s coming to terms with the past. Whatever it is, we’ll call it ashes. Ashes to shift through that no one wants even look at. It’s dirty, mucky work, that can leave us feeling burdened.

The song proclaims that out of the ashes beauty will rise. Something wonderful, beautiful and glorious will come out of whatever our ashes are, but in the midst of shifting through the ashes, can we even glimpse to the future to find hope or joy? It may seem difficult, but I do think it’s possible.

The end of the song brings these lyrics, “I can see it in the distance/and it’s not so far away/It’s the music and the laughter of a wedding and a feast/I can almost feel the hand of the God reaching for my face/To wipe the tears away/You say, “It’s time to make everything new”/This is our hope/This is a promise/And it will take our breath away to see the beauty that’s been made out of these ashes.”

Although, I’ve struggle to find joy at all times in my life, I do have to say, the thought of Christ’s return has always brought me joy. There’s this bubbling energy inside of me that screams to escape out my mouth. It makes me want to scream it from the top of the mountains, or dance like David (only, I promise to keep my clothes on J ). It reminds me, that this world that’s full of pain, sorrow, and hurt is not a world that has had the last word. It is a world that still has hope which breeds joy. For me, hope and joy go together. I cannot have one without the other. There is a day, where the old will be gone, and the new will come. I’m joyful and excited about that! Can it just happen, now? Already?

So, on the days of struggling to get my class assignments done, my e-mails answered, phone calls returned, trying to find the right words for questions that may have no answer, counseling those who come in my office with tears, and as I fight through my own personal battles, I am reminded, this is not my home. There is a day, when it will all be new!

And that brings me hope. That’s what brings me joy!

October 8, 2015 0

Perspectives Day #2 Featuring Captain Pete Brookshaw – “What is a Salvationist? You’ll be surprised by the answer…”

If you’re part of The Salvation Army, you’re part of a dynamic, exciting movement with a desire to change the world. There I’ve said it. Though one may ask, what actually is Salvationism? What is a Salvationist?

Let me start with this: I’ve heard plenty of definitions of the mission of The Salvation Army. Maybe you have too. Some inspire you to make a difference and others feel like dry words merely articulated on a page. It goes without saying, when the mission is clear, The Salvation Army has clarity and focus. And clarity and focus is what we need.

So what then is the mission of The Salvation Army? And further more, what is Salvationism?

In the Australia Southern Territory of The Salvation Army, we say that God raised up the Army for the purpose of:

Transforming Lives
Caring for People
Making Disciples
Reforming Society

In other parts of the Army, the words spoken by General John Gowans are used: The Mission of The Salvation Army is to Save Souls, Grow Saints and Serve Suffering Humanity.

If you haven’t heard, the International Mission Statement of The Salvation Army is:

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian
Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission
is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Some narrow down the mission of The Salvation Army to one sentence: Win the world for Jesus.

It’s bold, gutsy, arduous and worth embracing. The Salvation Army does not sit around waiting for bums on seats. We won’t sit and wait for the world to embrace God, like all of a sudden people will start flocking to our communities of faith, believing we have some answers to their brokenness. The Salvation Army is a pragmatic movement seeking to change the world, for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

A Salvationist is one working to that end.

I mean, a Salvationist is clumsily defined in most dictionaries as, ‘A member of The Salvation Army.’ Though, that’s like defining a great hamburger as ‘A bun with a meat pattie and some ingredients inside.’ It fails to encapsulate the essence of Salvationism.

A Salvationist has agreed to live a certain way (holiness) and has agreed to live out and actively pursue the fulfilment of the mission of The Salvation Army. Soldier’s sign a Soldier’s Covenant, because they understand the significance of what Salvationism means and the power of aligning oneself to such a covenant.

I think the signing of that Soldier’s Covenant and subsequently living out that covenant is relevant and spiritually powerful.

The Salvation Army should be unapologetic in calling people to Salvationism. In an age where we are post-denominational and we are a ‘go with the flow’ kind of people, it is still of value to stand by principles that create clarity and purpose for one’s life and to then commit to it.

We are a salvation people.

I am reminded by a lady in our Corps named Di. She is being enrolled as a soldier very shortly. Though the story goes back to coming for welfare support at the corps. Then she joined our community lunch and starting helping. Then she immersed herself into our Thrift Shop ministry. At some point she chose to forgive her mother. Then she starting dancing and laughing up the front of the church on a Sunday morning. Then we did Soldiership classes. She wants to change the world. She wants to express that desire through Salvation Army Soldiership.

Pause for moment.

Let me make some quick comments on what it means to be a Salvationist. A Salvationist is a:

Passionate prayer warrior
Committed social justice advocate
Zealous evangelist
Generous giver
Faith-filled risk-taker
Holy-inspired follower of Jesus
Covenanted child of the King
Unapologetically driven to support the work of the Kingdom of God through The Salvation Army
Loyal and active participator in a local Corps

You may add your own thoughts on what it means to be a Salvationist.

Let me finish with this definition of Salvationism.

William Booth sums up Salvationism in one sentence:

‘Salvationism means simply the overcoming and banishing from the earth of wickedness.’

To read more, go to www.petebrookshaw.com

October 7, 2015 0

Perspectives Day #1 – Featuring Colonel Dennis Strissel “Opinion8ed”

“Opinion–8-ed”

(A series of eight installments)

Number Seven – Mulligans for Ministry continued

In his excellent biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxas includes this important event as foundational to Bonhoeffer’s faith.

“In November 1921, at the age of fifteen, Bonhoeffer went to the first evangelistic meeting of his life. General Bramwell Booth of the Salvation Army had conducted ministry in Germany before the war, and in 1919, greatly moved by reports of suffering there, especially the hunger among children, he found a way around the official channels and was able to have milk distributed. He also gave five thousand pounds to relief efforts.

Two years later Booth came to Berlin to lead a series of evangelistic meetings. Thousands showed up, including many soldiers broken by the war. Sabine recalled that ‘Dietrich was eager to take part in it. He was the youngest person there, but he was very interested. He was impressed by the joy he had seen on Booth’s face, and he told us of the people carried away by Booth, and of the conversions.’ A part of him was powerfully attracted to this sort of thing, but he wouldn’t see anything like it again for ten years, when he attended the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City.”

Forgive me for having some measure of pride in the fact that the joy observed and experienced through the moving of the Holy Spirit by Salvationists past, impressed and blessed an adolescent Bonhoeffer. Perhaps the memory of such joy accompanied him through his darkest hours. One of Bonhoeffer’s final writing describes life’s finality in this way, “Death is the supreme festival on the road to freedom.” That is only possible through divine joy.

Since this article is meant to be reflective, considering what I would have done better during my years of active service, it goes without saying that living a joyful life would be paramount. Life in Christ is always about joyfulness. It is distinct from simply being happy. We can all attest to days that are not happy ones but in spite of the seriousness that life brings, joy can always be found in every event or experience. Wouldn’t it be nice to hear someone express the beginning of the faith walk as a result of seeing your joy, even during some of the most stressful times of life? Perhaps you will join me in praying part of David’s prayer of contrition today…

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

Ps 51:7-13 NIV

Amen

October 6, 2015 2

Hope In Discouragement?

Let’s face it, we’ve all been to the well of discouragement.
We drink from this well from time to time.
Discouragement is alive and well in this world.
It can hit us at anytime and any place, especially when we aren’t looking for it…most of the time, unless we’re a glutton for punishment, we don’t go looking for trouble and/or disappointment.

Pick Your Poison:
-We find discouragement when:
-our friends let us down.
-our workplace and those we work with treat us poorly.
-there is added stress at home.
-our kids act out or are struggling, or are rebellious.
-our health or the health of loved ones is in question.
-we are stressed out with the responsibilities of life and work and the ever increasing “to do” list seems to never end.
-when depression hits.
-when we are in a financial mess.
-when, when, when….

Truths:
Discouragement happens.
People will sometimes let us down.
Health, finances, relationships, families, hopes, dreams, school – all can wane from time to time.

I don’t say this to further discourage you today, I say this because we MUST face reality – Discouragement is often times unavoidable.

– BUT –

We don’t have to live there.
We don’t have to continually drink from this well and let it further poison our faith, our relationships, our lives. We can find hope in the midst of discouragement!

Question: How do we find this hope even when we are discouraged?
Here are 4 Answers:

1. Don’t Quit!
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
-Galatians 6:9
Discouragement will tell you to just quit.
It may try and convince you that you’re not strong enough or good enough or healthy enough, and that you should just quit. – DON’T! Don’t give up, don’t quit, don’t let the lie saturate your faith and hope. FIGHT!
You WILL see better days again!
You WILL survive this season of discouragement.
You WILL find happiness and hope again!

2. Walk By Faith, Not By Sight!
“for we walk by faith, not by sight.” -2 Corinthians 5:7
The Apostle Paul and the early Church faced many obstacles, frustrations, persecution and extreme discouragement – yet they did not quit. Why? Because their mission and purpose was bigger than they were!
In this faith, we have been given a very large mission and purpose, and it’s bigger than we are! We are called to this higher purpose and with that we drink from a well that provides us with life, strength and hope! Although we can’t see what tomorrow holds, and all we might be seeing right now is this discouragement in our lives, we can boldly step forward and onward because we know WHO HOLDS THE FUTURE! With this knowledge firmly in grasp, we can survive these days of discouragement! We cannot allow discouragement to dictate what our next steps will be! Don’t allow it hold you captive – Christ can and will break these chains in your life! Simply (although it isn’t always so simple, this we all know) trust in Him! Cry out to the Father! Ask for His Holy presence to guide and sustain you! It may be hell right now, but you can keep going because you have this amazing faith to rely on!

3. No Pain, No Gain!?! -Right?!
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” -1 Corinthians 9:24
This is about holiness, about Christ-likeness, but this is also about striving beyond our discouragements and pains and into something eternally worth-while! We will face opposition, pain and discouragement! We will endure hardships, stresses, sleepless nights and pain, but we MUST gut it out! We must persevere beyond the turmoil and the pain. When we keep going through perseverance, we will rediscover the hope that His holy presence has placed in our lives! Keep going, keep on – His well of living water will restore your discouraged life!

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
(“He Giveth more grace” -by Annie Flint)

4. The Source Of Our HOPE is External not Internal!
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
When we are facing our struggles and discouragements and troubles, we might only be seeing that which frustrates and defeats us. We might be treading water but our eyes are only focused on the strong currents of those waters as they attempt to pull us under. We might be missing the strong hand of the rescuer as He attempts to pull us up out of those depths. The source of our salvation doesn’t come from ourselves, although at times we try and fool ourselves into thinking that WE have it all under control. -That WE don’t need rescuing. -That WE don’t need help period. Sure, help is for the weak, for the helpless, but we’re not helpless, we’re strong – we’re almost superhuman. NEWSFLASH: We aren’t superhuman. We need help! We need continual saving. We need His source and supply of strength, hope, glory, grace, endurance.

Questions:
-Does God still supply your needs?
-Are you trusting in Him to be there for you?
-Are you allowing Him access to your life so that He can do the rescuing OR are you still attempting to control it all and save yourself?

This discouragement that you’re facing isn’t new.
Many have walked the path that you’re on right now.
Many have survived – and so can you!
Don’t simply rely on your own strength to just “survive”.
Allow God’s holy presence to be with you and to provide what you need when these days of discouragement do happen!

You aren’t alone in this battle!
He will come through for you even in the midst of the storms that you are facing right now.
Take heart, the Lord is with you!

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I cannot see this path that I am on right now.
All I can see are the crashing waves that are about to envelop me.
I confess that I have often attempted to take control of my life while failing to include you in it.
I am often times stubborn and I fail to ask you for your help.
Be with me today. Help me. Guide me. It is your strength that I seek, your wisdom that I need.
Deliver me from these waves of discouragement, I want to drink deeply of your living water again today.
In your name I pray these things. -Amen.

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

October 2, 2015 5

Dear Salvation Army, 4 Disconnects 2 Avoid

There are real dangers to long-term membership status in the Church.
I don’t wish to confront the faithful, this is just a reminder and a warning to us all.
If I am pointing fingers I must realize I have fingers pointing right back at me as well.

The body of Christ can be an extremely powerful thing!
We are His bride, His hands and feet here on earth.
When we put of our hearts and efforts into reaching our neighborhoods, great things will happen through the power of the Holy Spirit! But what happens when the church stops functioning as it should? What do we do when there is little to no motivation to get out of the doors of that church; when those doors and walls, and everything else in the church are just safety blankets to a frightened bride of Christ?

Today, I would like to explore four very real disconnects that every church faces from time to time.
-It can effect us too if we are not careful.
-It can effect our vision and vitality of our corps.
-It can effect our leaders, our soldiers, our adherents.
These disconnects are dangerous if not treated and our hearts are not reconnected to our power source – The Holy Spirit.

4 Disconnects 2 Avoid:

Worn –
We’ve all seen it before.
It manifests itself through the Sunday school teacher who has been teaching for 40 years…
It manifests itself through the local officer who is just tired of performing the same role.
It manifests itself through the corps officer who is also tired of being “pastor”, friend, counselor…There are many other examples in which the disconnect of being worn can present itself.
It’s very common.
Burn out is real.
Officers, Soldiers, Local Officers and even Adherents experience this.
How do we avoid it?
Sometimes you can’t…I just need to say that first.
We have this “Army” mentality and with it comes this notion that we can just plow through any obstacle that comes our way. In order to avoid this disconnect we have to realize that even soldiers need to find rest to recharge. Every one of us needs to seek out Sabbath days, find mountain top moments in which to pray, relax, get away from it all and just unwind.

I have seen Officers who are definitely worn – I’ve been one of them from time to time.
You can come back from being worn, but its harder to come back from being broken because you let the worn disconnect go too long. Recognize the warning signs, and intentionally get away from it all for a bit.
Apathy –
I have to admit that I am the least tolerant to this disconnect.
I cannot stand the perceived “I don’t care” mentality that can sometimes penetrate the church.
Sometimes it happens without thinking – “If it doesn’t effect me, then I’m not going to worry and/or do anything“.It becomes “Us” and “Them”. The church versus those outsiders, those sinners, those people…those…who aren’t as good as we are…but it doesn’t stop there, it becomes this uncaring environment for the outsider and the unchurched. “Well, they don’t come to our doors, it must be because they have chosen to reject God.” -This thought process is sort of an escape clause to play church but never really being the church that Christ intended and actually GO OUT to meet people. You might as well take down the cross and any other symbols you have of the “Christian” faith and adopt some sort of club status because that’s what you have become.

Faithful followers of Christ do not have time to be apathetic to the plight of hurting and lost people in our communities. It’s not a social club. This isn’t an exclusive membership club either. We can’t pretend to help but never actually do any helping…
Know It All
This disconnect that annoys me to no end, it’s the “I know it all” mentality.
It can happen to any of us if we aren’t careful. We have spent years in church. We know all the stories from the bible. We know all the right ways to pray. We know all the right words to say as we lead parts of the service on Sunday, or lead a bible study, or Sunday school…we know, we know, we know…and yet we know nothing.
-We know nothing of complete surrender.
-We know nothing of true self-denial.
-We know nothing of true compassion.

We’ve played church for so long that we have become unteachable.
We could listen to a thousand sermons
We could hear a thousand renditions of Amazing Grace and other church songs
We could hear every bible study, every scripture reading, every heart felt prayer;
and because, deep down, we are unteachable (we know it all) we are horribly disconnected.
The Holy Spirit would have to take a jack-hammer to the heart of the “know it all” just to get through.
Oh that we would just soften our hearts once more and open our ears!
Soldiers, friends, be careful that you don’t become the “know it all” officer or soldier!
Selfishness & Power

The last disconnect within this pondering today is the disconnect of selfishness and hunger for power. Sometimes these are mutually exclusive and sometimes not. It’s about what I can get out of my corps. It’s about how I can get more. It’s about me, me, me. Look at me, look how good I am. Self-preservation is okay up to a point. We should take care of ourselves. We should be clean, and eat and go to the doctor, but what happens when everything we do is about ourselves?
NEWSFLASH: If we are Christians, if we are soldiers, then we are no longer living for ourselves, but we live for Christ and others. “The old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). If we are a new creation, where does this selfishness go? Where does our lust for power go?The disconnect of power doesn’t necessarily speak about high ranking officers either, it speaks about anyone who would lord their status and position over someone else, whether that be at the corps level, the divisional level, the territorial level or even the international level. This disconnect is a temptation to be somebody. It’s about me…what I can do…who I am…what responsibilities I have and the power I can exploit to impose my will on others. Don’t think for a minute that this doesn’t exist in our army, for it certainly does. Where ever there are imperfect people in church, there will be this temptation…and guess what we’re imperfect people.

The Solution?
Plug back into the source power.
Get back to your first love which is Christ.
He must become increase and I must decrease.
Humility.
Holiness.
Self-denial.
Rest, Meditation upon His Word.
Prayer.
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Romans 12:3
Questions to ponder:
Are you disconnected right now?
What sort of disconnect is it?
Can you find your way back?
Is there repentance that needs to take place?
Are you over working yourself?
What will it take to get reconnected to His power?
Is the Holy Spirit using a jack-hammer on your heart right now?Something more for this Army world to ponder today!
To God be the glory!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these ponderings on pastorspondrings.org are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Salvation Army.

September 28, 2015 0

Dear Salvation Army, Without Borders, Without Division…

“Hardship, unbelief, suffering and poverty have not stopped our soldiery from rendering their service to God and man. The Salvation Army is a great empire, an empire without a frontier made up of a tangle of races, tongues and colors such as never before in all history gathered together under one flag.” -General Evangeline Booth

I do not wish to pat ourselves on the back today, this is not my purpose.
The purpose for this pondering is to explore the structure and foundation of our Army today.
This week we have talked about our identity and that we are more than simply a “church”…this calling that we are answering is to the front lines, to places where the church often shies away from. It is my intention to judge the church, but rather to paint the necessity of our Army to remain in the front lines.

We cannot boast that this uniform or this mission is glamorous, because it is more often than not, a tiring, thankless duty. We must get our hands dirty in order to grasp the hand of the one needing rescue from the pit. We must be available to listen to the lonely soul who feels as if they are all alone. Yes, it is often a most unglamourous (If I may make up a word) duty we are called to perform.

A Stalwart Soldier:
Storms will come.
Doubt will occur.
Leaders will come that you might not see eye to eye with.
Clouds of disillusionment might appear on your horizon.
But we MUST remain firm. We cannot retreat, despite these imperfections within our ranks.
We are all imperfect people being cleansed by a Holy God. We must allot for grace and forgiveness so that we can continue to serve Christ in the many capacities that He has placed us in.
I too struggle with “the system” from time to time.
I too question certain policies and decision from time to time, BUT this will not deter me from serving Christ first and attempting to continue this mission to the world around me.

Your community needs you.
Your town, city, neighbor – they need you!
They need a functioning, loving, graceful Salvation Army to go where no one else dares to go.

We don’t have time to become divided upon anything.
The moment we become a divided Army, is the moment that we lose ground and lose our place within our communities and most importantly God’s mission for us. When we relinquish our prejudices and societal divisions and allow the grace of God and the love of Christ to permeate us entirely, we tear down all divisions and become united again. This road that we are on is not easy, it was never supposed to be easy. Christ’s path to the cross was not easy, and we are called to pick up our crosses and follow Him – no matter where that leads us.

Are you prepared to carry that cross?
There will be person sacrifices to be made.
It is not always glamorous.
There will be bumps and bruises along the way…but we need you!
This Army of Salvation needs viable, faithful, loving, holy, Salvationists to lead the way.
Now more than ever, we must remain united as one Army throughout our World.
One mission…One purpose. Yes, we will lose comrades along the way. Attrition is real.

BUT:
-If we are more concerned with being like Christ instead of looking the part of a soldier…
-If we are focused on Kingdom building instead of personal, selfish agendas…
-If we have a deep compassion for people and are grieved by the sickness of sin instead of settling for a compromised faith…
-If we careless about attaining certain positions and ranks and care more for others…
-If we spend more time on our knees before the throne of heaven intently listening instead of jabbering away and complaining about our gripes and wants…
-If we studied more about what Jesus said and did and why He did those things instead of studying what our founders did (I’m sorry, I deeply respect our founders, but they surrendered to Christ too)…

If we do these things, and strive for holiness in everything that we are and do…these borders and divisions that we face will decrease and Christ will increase in our vision and heart. We can’t allow our minds to become consumed with these impossible, insurmountable boarders any longer – because we serve a God who does the impossible and STILL performs miracles in our communities.

Dear Army, we are an Army of Salvation that is spurred on by the resurrection power of Christ Jesus! Each of us are a standing testimony to this power. He still longs to transform lives in your corps, in your communities. Despite the darkness, Christ can and will shine His light and expose sin and deliver souls from these chains. We, dear soldiers, have the deep privilege of bearing that light into those places…if we will only commit to it and stop wavering between our old lives and our new.

“I seemed to hear a voice sounding in my ears, ‘Where can you go and find such heathen as these, and where is there so great a need for your labors?…God shall have all there is of William Booth” -William Booth

Does He have all of you yet?
Something more for our Army world to ponder today, To God be the glory!
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these ponderings on pastorspondrings.org are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Salvation Army.

September 24, 2015 0

10 Church Signs The You Need To See…And Never Duplicate!

This pondering is certainly tongue in cheek.
I want to poke a little fun at my fellow Christians today.
Perhaps some of them didn’t know that their Church signs were a little questionable…perhaps some did.
I understand some churches like to grab our attention as we drive by their buildings, I get that…but sometimes you see a church sign and, if you’re anything like me, you shake your head and/or groan.

I see a lot of church signs, I’m sure you do as well.
Some are good. They get to the point of their message.
Some are just down right bad.

Here are 10 church signs that you need to see…and never duplicate. -I mean NEVER!

#10I understand that churches want faithful members, but guilt tripping people to come to church isn’t probably the best use of your signage space. It just comes across as negative, it might actually push people away from your church because they might assume your church is judgmental and fickle. Skip the negative, guilt tripping messages.

#9
Okay…I kind of like my churches pain-free! I don’t know about you but I’m really not into getting beaten at church. All kidding aside, I’m sure the person who put this sign up quickly realized how it sounded by actually reading it aloud…I hope. Like it or not Pastors, we shouldn’t love to hurt people.

#8
Ok, I get what this church is trying to say, I just think there might be a more tactful way of saying it. It seems a little presumptuous for this church to make this statement. I’m not saying that laziness and poverty can’t be related, I’m just saying – what if someone who has fallen onto hard times sees this sign? How would they feel about themselves? I just think a church who has to put this sign up to make a point is sort of sending a message to the community that they believe all of the poverty issues are because people are lazy…that is simply NOT true.

#7
I get this message too, but what about those who aren’t Christians yet? What kind of message does this convey to them? Also besides being a little tacky, it’s also a little crass. Perhaps this church was trying to be “edgy”, I just think this sort of message does not attract people and/or bring them into the church on Sunday, instead it drives them away.

#6
Two words: Run. Away! We don’t need the church to help us all to die thank you very much! Again, I understand the message that they were trying to convey – I’m really laughing, but at the same time I’m kind of cringing too.

#5
I’m sure we get it, It just seems a bit forced doesn’t it? The message seems to insinuate that none of us are busy doing what the Lord has called us to do…and it also assumes (albeit with a little humor involved) that by “acting” busy we’re going to fool Jesus. Ha! This message is so off base that I have a tough time reading it again. Maybe I’ll just walk by because I’m too busy acting busy…okay, I digress.

#4
Wow. There is SO much to say about this diatribe of a sign. So, let me get this straight, God is the reason for the Tsunami, AIDS, and War? I feel anything but “Welcomed” by this sign, in fact, I would run far, far away from this sort of message. I understand that God did punish people in the bible because of their disobedience and sin, but to assume that all acts of nature and disease are created by God to punish the world, I feel is a bit too much (I’m being a little too subtle at my distaste for this sign)

#3

“So that’s the reason we have to forgive?! I was forgiving people for all the wrong reasons for all this time, when I should have been focusing on messing with their heads…how dumb of me!” If we forgive, it is to help ourselves as well as the other person. I won’t get started on the phrase “forgive and forget” today, that’s a whole other topic, but obviously the message is about forgiveness. I get the sarcasm here, I also have the spiritual gift of sarcasm, it just seems to be the wrong place to put a sarcastic message (at least to me).

I’m sorry Dr. Parker, but we’re not related. HA! Again, it’s all about the sign and the placement of the words. I found this sign to be rather funny. Perhaps this is the Sunday’s message, I get that…but if you’re like me, you might have read this message a little differently too. Nope, no DNA test required this Sunday!

#1
Whaaaa????
I’m sorry but to me this flies in the face scripture;
“Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise prophecies. ²¹Test all things; hold fast what is good. ²²Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22)

Yes, this relationship that we have with Christ requires faith, but it also requires us to sort out the wise and foolish teachings that are all around us. Sometimes I think churches use this type of propaganda in coined phrases so that members will be completely dependent on the church as their main source of theological understanding. We should be free thinkers in the sense that we question things, we search out truths and we confront falsehoods and erroneous beliefs. We can’t just blindly accept things of “faith” at face value!

I have left out a number of signs, some of them were beyond provocative; Some were offensive, some were just flat out silly. These are just ten signs you should see and never duplicate. I would be curious to know others that you have seen. Either post them here on this pondering thread or share a picture of a church sign that you have found.

Something more to ponder today.

September 23, 2015 0

The Salvation Army Responds to Worst Refugee Crisis Since World War II

The Salvation Army Responds to Worst Refugee Crisis Since World War IIStaff and volunteers on the ground serving physical, emotional and spiritual needs in Europe
ALEXANDRIA, VA (September 16, 2015) – The Salvation Army is providing food, shelter, medical aid, legal assistance, and emotional and spiritual care to refugees and migrants in 13 European countries. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 360,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea in the first eight months of 2015, representing more than a 63 percent increase over the yearly total in 2014.

“It’s our ethical and humanitarian responsibility to provide support to individuals and families fleeing their homelands in crisis,” said Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bowers, National Secretary of The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO). “In partnership with our International Headquarters and the help of staff and volunteers in local communities, we have been able to meet refugees with compassion and hope.”
With a significant presence throughout Europe, The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned to provide support to refugees and local residents. Active relief efforts are taking place in Greece, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Switzerland, Germany and Finland. The Salvation Army also is working to provide support to refugees and migrants in Romania, Russia and the United Kingdom.
In the United States, President Barack Obama has asked his administration to receive additional Syrian refugees. The Salvation Army in the United States is preparing to meet the increased demand on social services. “Our number one priority is to meet human need wherever it exists,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ron Busroe, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army.
To learn more about our humanitarian effort to support refugees and migrants, or to make a contribution to support our services, please visit sawso.org.
Monetary donations are the most critical need to help refugees and migrants. The Salvation Army has set up a designated fund for relief efforts in Europe. During times of disaster, 100 percent of every dollar donated supports response and relief efforts. To give, visit salar.my/RefugeeGive or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). Check donations to Salvation Army World Service Office (designate “Refugees in Europe”) can be sent to:

International Relief Fund

P.O. Box 418558

Boston, MA 02241-8558
In-kind donations are not being accepted for the refugee crises, however; your local Salvation Army is always in need of gently used items for resale in our Thrift & Family Stores. For the nearest location, please go to satruck.org .

Occasionally, conditions in the field may alter relief activities. If this occurs, The Salvation Army will direct funds to our International relief efforts in the region

September 22, 2015 0

Dear Salvation Army, Identity Crisis or just “More than a Church”?

“We are an army of soldiers of Christ, organised as perfectly as we have been able to accomplish, seeking no church status, avoiding as we would the plague of every denominational rut, in order perpetually to reach more and more of those who live outside every church boundary.” (Commissioner George Scott Railton)

No church is perfect.
No Christian witness is flawless.
No song we sing can ever compare to the Holiness of God.

Dear Soldier of The Salvation Army,
I don’t necessarily see our mission and identity as completely “Church”.
Yes, we celebrate the resurrected Christ.
We recognize Jesus as the Son of God; the only way to eternal life and the source of salvation to the world; but this good news cannot be contained within four walls of a church building can it? No! We are called to go out into the world. Our mission as The Salvation Army is about being faithful to going out into our communities. It’s not just about feeding and clothing the poor, but this is a starting place!

We should represent the most welcoming aspect of “Church” in our communities to those who truly will “come as you are”! Many that we have the opportunity to reach will be unchurched, uneducated in “church etiquette”, and having little to no practice in biblical understanding. Some will know, but life has often times robbed them (whether through conscience choice or beyond their control) of their dignity, hope and joy. Yet, because of our mission, we have the capacity to welcome them into our buildings and provide for them more than just a morsel of food, but something more substantial – living water, and living bread.

We Are Not Perfect!
This organization is NOT perfect, it does have its flaws, it’s politics, its issues, as do we all as individuals.
There are numerous social issues we MUST fight for, however, that begs us to put these faults and imperfections aside and get back to work within our mission. If we can first get past the fact that we are flawed, we are imperfect even within our uniforms, we can make a more rapid response to the plight of people all around us.

We MUST be humble!

Officers & Soldiers, no matter what rank you are, no matter how long you have served, no matter how “high” you go up in the structure of our Army – know this: we do not serve as soldiers in this Army to attain rank and position. This should never be our aim and first pursuit. Unlike the world around us, our mission for Christ is about winning souls, serving souls, and caring for the lost, sick and afflicted. We cannot afford to become sidetracked on fame, rank, power, position or anything that would entrap us. The father of lies would love for us to become entangled in this game of church politics and army power wrangling…because if we do become ensnared in this, we become limited within the scope of our mission and its success.

The disciples of Jesus even argued about this very thing.
They wrangled about who would be the greatest disciple.
They tried to show off, look better, be more attentive to Jesus…it wasn’t what Jesus wanted from them.
So Jesus set them straight:
^“An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. ⁴⁸Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” (Luke 9:46-48)

Dear Soldiers, we must be completely humble.
None of us should think we are greater than our fellow soldier.
We need each other and so we too must humble ourselves.
“He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)

No, we do not have an identity crisis in our Army…we simply have to recall what our identity is and should be for future generations! The structure of this Army is to get beyond Church walls, beyond Church boundaries, politics, policy and procedures and to reach into our communities toward those who have been rejected by everyone else. We must reach into our communities for those who are disparaged, discouraged, disillusioned, drugged out, pimped out, drunk, condemned, and without all hope.

So, what is your identity as a soldier of this army?
Are you humbly serving as a soldier of Christ?
Where is He sending you?
What is holding you back?
Who in your community is the fallen and rejected?
Can you go to them?
Will you show them love and grace and offer them hope?

Dear Salvation Army, let’s keep up this fight!
We are not finished yet!
Our calling still stands – His Holy Spirit will guide us!

Something more for our Army to ponder today!

Disclaimer: These postings and ponderings on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Salvation Army.”

September 22, 2015 3