Dear Salvation Army, 5 Healthy Habits For Healthy Salvationists

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” -Mark Twain

How do you become a quality soldier of Christ?
How do you find out why you were born and how to become the very best “You“?
Perhaps you became a Soldier of this Army and wondered to yourself “what next?”
Perhaps there have been those in your life (in the corps, in your family, in the Army in general) who have truly paved the way for you to strive and have set certain quality standards for you to emulate.

Without a doubt we have witnessed negative examples too, but let us focus today upon 5 healthy habits for healthy salvationists. These are obviously transferable and not singularly exclusive to the Salvation Army experience. Certainly I could have easily called this “5 Healthy Habits for Healthy Christians”…but for the sake of continuity and for the sake of a majority of this Salvation Army readership, I will leave it the way it is…you’re welcome. 😉

5 Healthy Habits for Healthy Salvationists

1) Become a Reader (Challenge Yourself!)
I still recall a certain Commissioner whose first question would always be “So what are you reading?”
This was asked to prompt critical thinking and to communicate the importance of reading.
No matter if you are a fast reader (my wife) or you are a rather slow reader (myself), reading challenging material is rather important to developing healthy habits in our lives.

DON’T:
Don’t just read fiction.
I love fiction, it spurs on my creative side and I can easily become immersed in the characters of a good novel…BUT there are numerous quality spiritual writers out there who can challenge us and shake our preconceived understanding of God, the Universe and the world in which we live. If we only reside in the comfortable fiction section of the bookstore or library, we will limit the opportunities for personal growth and further spiritual understanding.

DO:
Do seek out challenging writers of various topics – not just Christian writers.
Do read the works of certain writers that you might fundamentally disagree with. When we simply refuse to read books from certain writers, speakers and thinkers just because of what others have said about them, we may miss out on some critical thinking/development and real teaching moments. Reading these challenging pieces doesn’t mean you have to always agree with them, but refusing to read these works could limit you and prove just how closed minded and small your ideology is. I don’t mean to insult anyone here, but I have heard people speak from uninformed – closed minded perspectives. They sound like fools regurgitating bits of information that others have spouted and rather than discovering it for themselves rely on others to formulate their opinions. When we challenge our understanding of God, even by reading controversial books, we begin to formulate our very own personal spiritual understanding of God. This is vital as we mature in the faith. Challenging traditional and even contemporary views by reading books from various authors from a wide spectrum of thought can help us to better define our love relationship with the Most High. I will caution you though, in the same breath, to be on the lookout for crackpots, charlatans and heresies for they do certainly exist.

2) Ask The Hard Questions
When we become “readers” we in turn begin to develop and formulate difficult questions that we ourselves cannot answer. Do not shy away from such conversations of faith. Also do not be afraid to ask these questions to those with whom you know to be more mature in the faith. It is not wrong to ask such questions. It helps us to grow and become healthier followers of Christ. When we refuse to step up to such challenges, we could very well be limiting the possibility of growth that could occur in such ventures of spiritual exploration.

Understand too that pillars of our faith have walked these paths before us. These “saints” of Christendom did ask the difficult questions. These “saints” of Christendom did not bypass such important defining ventures of faith. Do not be afraid to ask and to seek out that which currently is unknowable to you.

3) Accountability, Mentors & Sharpening
In order to possess the healthy habits of reading and asking the difficult questions as a Salvationist, there is also the crucial need for accountability and mentors which help us to sharpen and hone ourselves into spiritual maturity. It is understandable that maintaining a consistent accountability partner or mentor can be daunting and sometimes impossible, but strive to continue to seek out these people in your life. Sometimes these individuals will change over time as people move in and out of our lives. We NEED the assistance of fellow believers to spur us onward in becoming healthy Christ-followers. Here within this vulnerable yet safe environment the difficult questions can be asked, the spiritual “check-ups” can take place. Some people are more determined than others to possess these kinds of relationships and so they actively seek them out. Others are more reticent to ask because of fear of rejection or making the wrong choice for accountability and mentor. Be aware that such relationships will give us tools we ourselves do not personally or currently possess, after all, a solitary piece of steel cannot sharpen itself can it?

4) Exercise & Healthy Eating
(here goes…I hope I don’t step on anyone’s toes…)
What we put into our bodies in regards to nourishment matters!
We cannot feast every day on junk foods, carbonated drinks and fast-food. These may momentarily satisfy our cravings and sometimes aide us in times of stress, but they WILL lead to health issues. How we treat our bodies and what we eat can determine how long we have on this earth to be effective Soldiers of God! It may sound kind of funny, but realistically if we have surrendered our ENTIRE life to the Lord, this includes our eating habits and our daily activity schedules. One could argue that our physical bodies are secondary to our spiritual conditions but I believe that these are interconnect and not mutually exclusive. What we do with our bodies can have a lasting impact on our spiritual journeys as well. To simply limit our existence within the spiritual realm while discarding our physical condition seems foolhardy and wrong.

A healthy soldier is also concerned about the upkeep of their bodies as well.
It may not always be the first priority, but it should be a close second as we become conscientious of our active and inactive lives as well as the foods that we eat. Discipline shouldn’t be exclusively utilized within our spiritual path and completely vacant within our physical well-being.

5) Develop A Disciplined Personal Prayer And Devotional Life
A Healthy Soldier is not only a reader; questioner; involved in some measure of accountability and in possession of some form of healthy physical attributes, but they should also seek to develop a disciplined personal prayer and devotional life. There are many ways to do this. Do not think that just because one soldier reads THAT devotional book that everyone must follow suit.

Do not underestimate the gravity of a healthy prayer life!
Also do not underestimate the need for a healthy devotional life either.
These two forms of spiritual discipline can become dry and drab if we do not change our study/focus habits up from time to time. Without a healthy prayer life, we are essentially placing limits on our interconnected relationship with the Father.

SUGGESTIONS: Find a simple, yet profound daily devotional if this helps you to develop the discipline of spiritual study. This is not the same as the first suggestion of “Become a Reader”, this is in addition to “digging deeper”. There are numerous spiritual classics that can be used in tandem with the Word of God. Even some contemporary devotionals can help to “feed” and “nourish” the soul. Seek these out, and purposely take times of the day to pray for yourself and others.

These are just five suggestions to developing healthy habits for healthy Soldiers.
This is not an exhaustive list and understandably there are many more ways to become a healthier soldier.
Consider these today!

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

January 19, 2015 0

Dear Salvation Army – Be Survivors!

“There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end! It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.” (Matthew chapter 10, The Message)

Dear Soldier,
are you struggling right now?
Have you experienced resistance, obstacles, opposition? Good.
I don’t say that to discourage you, but to encourage you.
If we are fight this good fight for the right reasons and with the right heart, we WILL face opposition and discouragement.
If we “take up our cross and follow Jesus” we WILL find times when we feel like quitting…when we feel like throwing in the towel and mutter to ourselves “someone else can do this, I’m done.” Don’t quit…don’t give in. Be a survivor, dear soldier! This isn’t about the call for more officers or soldiers, this is a call for more holiness and more humility within our ranks. This is a call for each of us to push ambitions aside and the thirst for power and authority to “do what we want”.

This has never been about the applause of man.
This has never been about the acclaim by and approval of leaders.
This has been about fearing God first, putting Him above all other things and within that selfless first step be survivors and dare I say “thrivers” in this campaign against sin.

How is your heart today, dear soldier?
Defeated?
Lost?
Empty?
Struggling to “catch a break”?
Be encouraged.
The One who has overcome the world stands with us!
The One who loves us beyond measure upholds us!
The One who provides us peace WITHIN the storm calms our weary hearts as well and gives us the power to overcome and survive…and hopefully thrive as well.

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

January 16, 2015 3

“Cleaning the inside of the Cup”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.26“You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.” -Matthew 23:25,26

I hate doing dishes, just ask my wife…There, I’ve said it.
Sometimes I put dishes into the dishwasher and put that little soap dispenser in and just hope for the best.
Most of the time that little soap dispenser lets me down…but sometimes I get lucky.

We do this too sometimes within our spiritual journeys too.
This passage of scripture may have been originally directed at the Pharisees and “hypocrites”, but it may as well have been directed at us too.
Jesus blasts these teachers and scholars of the Torah. They know all the right things to do and all the right things to say, but their hearts are far from clean.

Sometimes we just load up our spiritual practices.
We just pile up the songs and scriptures and outfits that we wear…and we hope for the best.
Sometimes we get lucky.
Many times we do not.
A lot of the time, it makes us feel hollow and empty inside…almost as if something is missing or somehow, something has been overlooked.

Why?
Because the inside of the “cup” has not been cleaned.
We can polish away at the soft glow of a sparkling clean exterior, but if the interior is still gross and filthy – what good will that polishing do? I’m sure we can fool everybody. We can fool even ourselves into thinking we have it made spiritually…but we aren’t fooling God.

News Flash:
You. Can’t. Fool. God!

I’m not saying we don’t sing songs of praise.
I’m not saying we don’t read the scriptures.
I’m not even saying “don’t go to church”.
But if all that we do is for “appearances”…then what’s the point?
If all we do in “worship” is hope that we sound good and “man did that worship team nail that last song“…we’re misguided and we could be avoiding the “camel” for the gnat (Matthew 23:24)…me may have some serious internal issues to deal with.

How is the inside of your cup?
Does it still need work?
Does it still need some cleaning?
A lot of cleaning?

This is a personal thing.
This is deeply personal…and yet this is also a corporate “Church-family” thing too.
Each of us should be mindful first of the condition of our own hearts before we even begin to contemplate the condition of others.

Are you sick of just going through the motions in Church? –So am I!
Are you tired of comparing yourself with others of the faith because they seem to have it all together and you’re just pretending? -So am I!
Are you ready to do the hard work?
Are you prepared to allow the Holy Spirit to strip away the grime and caked on gunk in your heart? -Me too.
You see this is the constant work of the Lord.
We must not stop seeking to be like Christ in our lives today.
We must not give up because holiness seems to be so far from where we are right now.

How is your cup?
May you seek Him out.
May you diligently allow Him to reveal and remove the dirt within.
God Bless you today!

-Something more for us all to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

January 13, 2015 2

Ponderings on Je Suis Charlie Masacre…

Words that come into my mind amidst this recent tragedy –
Sad.
Freedom.
Terrorism.
Murder.
Criminal.

I keep thinking of Charlie Hebdo’s final words: “I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees!”
Talk about bold.
Talk about defiance in the face of certain death.
Talk about bravery in the midst of a cowardly attack on unarmed innocent people.

Much discussion has taken place this week as to who is to blame.
Was it the artist’s works of satire?
Was it the media’s fault?
Was it extremists?

Much like the US, there is the freedom of the press in France.
The United States is even partially modeled after the French model of government.
Some have asked if there are consequences to be paid for freedom of expression?
Should there be consequences?
While others have said, that the works of extremists and terrorists will not repress such expressions and the liberty to do so freely.

I keep coming back to Charlie Hebdo’s final words;
“I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees!”

My point:
I abhor violence of any kind.
Violence upon unarmed innocent people equally abhorrent.
Violence for the sake of any religion – intolerable and wrong.
Repression of anyone’s freedom of expression – wrong as well.

On the subject of faith:
My mind is drawn to many places in the world where Christians are executed based solely upon their freedom (or lack there of) to express their faith.
Places where public murder is allowed.
Places where any expression besides the prescribed expressions by the majority are forbidden and punishable by death.
If religion = violence.
If religion = repression.
If religion = death
If religion = the strong prevailing over the weak…
then I don’t want anything to do with religion.
I don’t want to live in a world like that.
I don’t want others to die in a world like that.

I would rather die standing, than live on my knees.
And yet, I hear the words of Jesus in the back of my mind –
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”(Luke 9:23)
In other words – in my defiance to these things, I will live on my knees in utter humility.
I will pray for both victim and foe.
I will long for the day when violence ceases in all corners of the world.
I will kneel in this life and not attempt to become greater than others by stepping on them and silencing them.
How far will this take me?
To the foot of the cross.

January 9, 2015 0

What if we are “doing” Church all wrong? Pt. 2

Yesterday I talked about three erroneous ways in which we go about “doing” church (Link: What if we are “doing” Church all wrong Pt.1) Somebody pointed out to me that we don’t really “do” church, instead we’re supposed to “be” church…He was absolutely correct. That being said, more than often church goers are rooted in the location that their church building resides. We are called to “be” His Bride.
We are called to “be” sons and daughters of the Most High.
We are called to “be” hold as He is holy.

The “Ceremony”
Yet, there are times when the things we “do” in church becomes our primary focus.
Don’t get me wrong, some of these acts of worship are important and can lead us into a deeper fellowship with other believers and more importantly with God…but what if our “being” gets overshadowed by our “doing”? What happens then? What I mean is this: What happens when the ceremony, and following the “proper” forms of worship (whatever that looks like from denomination to denomination) becomes more important that the true meaning behind all of those ceremonies and forms?

Could we just be “playing” church?
Do you remember when you were a kid?
We used to play Cowboys and Indians, or “Dress-up” or Doctor. It was a fun imaginary game. We would assume these roles and play the part, and it was fun.

Is that what we sometimes do in church?
Are we just going through the necessary motions that we think we should be going through?
Are we “playing” church? Sure, it’s fun from time to time, it’s like an acting gig in a drama. We know all the right things to say,we wear all the right outfits, we sing all the right songs, but are we missing the mark? Are we missing the real reason we gather in the first place?

News Flash: God doesn’t want our ceremonies and our acting gigs. He wants our hearts. He simply wants us to “Be” His and His alone! He doesn’t want to share us with anything else in this world. God is truly a jealous God seeking after our hearts and lives. Even distractions and ceremony can become our idols of worship if we are not careful. Churches could be “doing” church simply because that’s how it’s always been done (Tradition), and so they maintain those traditions which can lead to losing any and all original significance on the premise of “maintaining”. Other churches could be “doing” church simply because they strive to do worship drastically different than prior generations (Contemporary), and so they maintain that level of worship which can also lead to losing any and all original significance on the premise of “being different and more progressive”. There’s nothing wrong with forms of worship unless they begin to replace God.

One might think I’m taking this too far, but hear me out.
“Doing church” is less important that “being” the church. Sometimes we sacrifice significance and holiness in exchange for forms of worship and proper protocol. We can become so stiff in our regulations of worship and what we think worship should look like that we can eventually lose all meaning.

When I think of this danger, I am immediately drawn to two stories in scripture:
1) Cain and Able
2) The Pharisees in Jesus’ day.
Cain – didn’t offer God the best, he did go through the motions of his offering, but it didn’t mean anything to him. His offering was the left overs, lacking love – it was “doing” church. God wasn’t pleased with this ceremony of worship. God knew Cain’s heart. It’s like two lovers confessing their love for one another. After the first says “I love you”, the other says “Well I kinda like you”… that’s just not good enough. It’s surfaced. It’s not what God desires. It’s all or nothing.

The Pharisees/Hypocrites in Jesus’ Day: “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.…” (Matthew 6:5,6)

In other words, are our prayers (and even forms of worship) merely for the benefit of others? Are we acting our parts in church? Are we doing church all wrong?

The word ‘Hypocrite’ literally means “actor”.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a hypocrite.
I don’t want to be an actor in church, I want to be genuine in my faith.
I honestly do not want to go through any kind of motions just because that’s how we always do it.

Questions:
Are we merely acting in church?
Have we lost the meaning of what we do in our forms of worship?
Have we stopped ‘being’ holy so that we can ‘do’ church?
Are we more afraid of offending the formal pattern followers in church than we are in offending God in our offerings?
Are we seeking to please God or others?
Is this all that Church is about for us?
Soldiers: Are we more concerned in pleasing our officers, our founders in how we look and act than how we are in pleasing God in our genuine offerings?
Are there sacred cows that need to be finally put down and sacrificed to God?

If I’m honest, this article is all about me.
I’m the hypocrite…if you relate, perhaps we’re in the same boat.
Sometime’s I have been more interested in getting everything just right in worship than I have been about getting my heart right. Sometimes it’s much easier being the actor than it is to be real. -can you relate…I hope you can! (Please tell you can relate!)
I’m not criticizing, I’m just wondering how often we act the part in ‘doing’ church instead of ‘being’ His?
Again, more questions that answers.

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

January 9, 2015 4

What if we are “doing” Church all wrong?

Have you ever stopped to wonder about why we do what we do in church?
Was this how Jesus did “church”?
Was this how those first disciples and apostles did “church”?
How did some of these practices come to be…and what if we’re doing “Church” all wrong?

Let’s face it – Church is more than a building.
It is more than ceremony and ritual.
It goes deeper than the color of the carpets and how comfortable the pews are.
It is more than how much this entity gives to Missions, World Services and Benevolence funds.

Here are 3 ways (trust me there are more) that could indicate whether we’re going about “Church”
all wrong:

Erroneous Concept #1:
It’s all about the music –
Believe it or not, the role of music within the early church consisted more of chants than fancy electronics, strobe lights, amplified guitars and thumping drums. Many times the usage of music was more to bring to mind the works of psalmists and other well known songs of praise from the Torah. All of these songs or chants pointed to the Almighty. His deeds. What He has done for us.

Many people, within a wide demographic, (not just the younger generations) tend to gravitate to those churches that possess a rockin’ worship team. Many times the focus becomes more about the band playing all of our favorite worship songs than about the content of any scriptural teaching.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE, LOVE music. I love worship bands and performing/leading worship music…but it shouldn’t become the focus and sole identity to any church. People should not come and go solely because they like the music or they think the music stinks (or is too loud). These reason for staying or leaving a church seems to me to be very fickle and shallow. It almost says to me “I only go to church to be fed and I have no responsibilities other than receiving what I WANT”. -Don’t even get me started on traditional or contemporary styles either…SERIOUSLY does it truly matter in the grand scheme of things? It’s a preference, it shouldn’t dictate (or become the sole reason) which church you go to.

Erroneous Concept #2
Church is about MY entertainment…it’s all about the “show”!
It is both a blessing and a bane to grow up in such a media saturated culture.
We spend hours and hours a week on social media sites, we check the weather, sports, latest news feeds via our portable devices (even during church…ahem…)…and so when we view “Church” through THIS lens, we sometimes expect to be entertained at church as if it’s some sort of show. Why else go to church? (sarcastic font) Why else pause our latest episode on some season that we’re currently watching on netflix and come to church? In our day and age we want entertainment…and so we seek out those churches that “gets it”. We want videos, and music and drama so that we feel like we could reach for a bag of popcorn while singing “Mighty to save“…don’t choke on that kernel. (sarcasm again, sorry)

Is that how we truly view God as well?
Some higher divine form, God of the universe, the “Big Cheese” sent here to “entertain” us?
I mean, beyond the smoke and mirrors, and big screen tv’s and expensive sound systems…what sort of substance is there? Don’t get me wrong, there are some very slick churches that DO get the message across this way. I even use videos in my services, but is THIS all that “church” is about? Have we, in some way, lost our way? Are we so focused on ways to entertain that we have begun to lose the main reason we gather in the first place? And what does it say about us when our attention spans are so short that, in our minds, we’re flipping channels and checking our facebook status’ in church during the “boring parts”…oh what’s it called? Oh, that’s right THE MESSAGE or the teaching, or the sermon…whatever your church calls it. Could it be that we’re in search of the wrong things in church? Could it be that we demand these things in our worship while subconsciously we’re look every which way other than in the direction of Jesus?

Erroneous Concept #3
Church is all about “OUR” Fellowship and edification!
Sometimes our entire focus in Church remains “IN”.
Now, what do I mean by that?
What I mean is that sometimes we stop looking outside of our pretty buildings and fancy sanctuaries. Sometimes we stop looking into our own communities. We usually don’t do this on purpose. It’s just safer this way. It’s easier to just “hang out” with our church friends. It can almost become an exclusive social club where outsiders aren’t welcome…and if we do get the occasional visitor, either they fit into our mold or we just pity them. What happened to becoming “all things to all people”? (1 Corinthians 9:22) Do we care about others? Do we still care about the lost? The hurting? The broken? Or do we just wall ourselves up in our churches and expect those that view as sinners and wretches to just come to us if we sing all of the right songs and act in just the right way? Has the Great Commission taken a back seat to our comfort and safety?

Sometimes we have this division between our “Church life” and our “Work” or “School” or “Social” lives. Seriously, do we behave differently from one area of our lives to the next? Do we differentiate and keep these places separated?
When we get to church it can become about not only “entertain me” but this is “My group of friends, My source of strength…not yours”. It’s easy to fall into this train of thought. It happens because we crave acceptance with a group, and we don’t really like change. When new comers come, it upsets the balance of OUR Church.

Were the disciples like this?
Was the early Church a social club? An internally focused community?
Was it one dimensional like that? -NO.

Sure there is safety in Christian fellowship, and in a way that’s good.
BUT, if this fellowship only benefits you and your group and there is not outward looking focus then we are doing “Church” all wrong!

Questions to consider:
Who is your church ministering to?
What are the reasons you go to church?
Why do you worship the way that you do?
Are there aspects of your motivation to worship that are misconstrued, improper, shallow?
How can you break these erroneous molds (when they appear) in your church, in your life?

Note: there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of the three things that I mentioned,rather if they become an idol in our worship and n our religious practices then we have issues to contend with. Be mindful of the true purpose for Church. Be aware of the trappings that surround our practices…and in so doing, perhaps we will regain the proper priorities if they have become lost.

Something more to ponder today.
To God be the glory…far above anything else!
-Amen.

Ps. Thank you for subscribing to http://www.pastorsponders.org
Thank you for your comments and your questions!

January 8, 2015 2

5 Cosas para las que no te preparan en la Escuela de Cadetes

Enfrentemoslo, no todo se puede enseñar en un salon de clases.

¿Te sorprendería saber, querido soldado , que en la escuela de cadetes no te pueden enseñar todo lo que necesitas saber sobre convertirse en un oficial? Probablemente no. Pero cuando la llanta se une al pavimento, y cuando un oficial es finalmente comisionado y toma su primer nombramiento, ellos tendrán ¡MUCHO que aprender todavía! Algunas cosas no se pueden enseñar, Deben ser experimentadas, experimentarlas de primera mano.

Hoy he numerado 5 cosas para las cuales no te preparan mientras estas en la Escuela de Cadetes. no es que no te las quisieron enseñar, pero como los dije antes, algunas cosas se deben aprender en el Campo de Batalla.
Hay muchas mas categorías de experiencias que los oficiales no pueden aprender durante su entrenamiento, estas son solo algunas de ellas:

Las realidades de las finanzas para una organización no lucrativa.

La clase de presupuestos está muy lejos de lo que sucede al sentarte a cuadrar los números en tu comunidad y asegurarte de que tienes fondos suficientes para pagar la nómina, pagar los servicios, y otros gastos no planeados que frecuentemente aparecerán. Nada parecido a como se veía en el salón de clases, en la vida real algunas secciones de este presupuesto tiene identidad humana asociada con los números que te resultan. Ser muy conservador con los números en la sección de empleados podría significar que eventualmente despedirás alguna persona de tu equipo de trabajo..eso no es nada divertido.

En segunda, muy seguido te encontrarás con que simplemente no hay suficiente dinero para trabajar.

Tú podrías tener la bendición de ser enviado a una comunidad que apoya tus esfuerzos y las finanzas están sonantes. pero lo más seguro te darás cuenta de que cada dólar es difícil de conseguir y igual de difícil será retenerlo. Todos sabemos que no todo se trata estrictamente de dinero, ¿Cierto? Se trata de dar oportunidades y recursos a la gente que podemos ayudar. Con esos fondos que se evaporan tan rápidamente, te encontraras en aprietos para suplir las necesidades humanas en ¡Su Nombre!

La necesidad de tener mentores personales y gente que te aliente.

Yo recuerdo muchos cadetes en mi sesión que estaban a punto de ser comisionados quejarse de la difícil vida que tenían en la escuela. lo restringidos que estaban, y que ya no podían esperar a estar ya en sus nombramientos. Yo me sentí así algunas veces también, pero en realidad cuando finalmente nos enviaron a nuestros nombramientos a lugares específicos, muchos rápidamente reconocimos cuan solitarios pueden ser los nombramientos, aún en ciudades grandes, los horarios de trabajo no te permiten tener mucha tiempo para relacionarte con otros oficiales. Un oficial en un nuevo nombramiento puede rápidamente sentirse muy solo y hasta pude sentirse abandonado. Nuestro primer nombramiento estaba a 5 horas de nuestro Cuartel Divisional. A veces lo sentíamos como una bendición , y otras veces sentíamos como si hubieran estado a 4000 millas de nosotros.

Los Oficiales necesitamos quienes no alienten, necesitamos consejeros.

No podemos hacer este maravilloso trabajo solos y sin apoyo. Busque una junta de pastores y únase a ella. Localice a un pastor de una denominación diferente cercano a su comunidad y relaciónese con él. Busque su amistad. Para aquellos que son introvertidos esto puede ser difícil de hacer (exponerte) pero es necesario para tu sanidad y para sobrevivir. La pregunta que nos hacemos muy seguido es ¿Quién pastorea al pastor? Con certeza que tu Comandante Divisional tiene un papel que desempeñar en esto. algunos son muy buenos en esto, otros no tanto. Honestamente la mayoría de los oficiales divisionales que conozco tratan de hacer un esfuerzo pero ellos están tan ocupados como usted.
Nota de Consejo: No dependa solamente de su Oficina Divisional para aconsejarle y alentarlo..simplemente no va a suceder inmediatamente (la mayoría del tiempo) Busque amistades, otros pastores, algunas veces un miembro del cuerpo maduro y confiable del cuerpo le puede ayudar. Usted necesita este tipo de relaciones para mantenerse funcionando..confíe en mi palabra no es necesario hablar mucho de esto en el entrenamiento pero sin un mentor o consejero usted se sentirá absolutamente solo, derrotado, y potencialmente se encontrará en su oficina haciendo el borrador de su carta de renuncia.

3 La Imperfección de la Humanidad y Aconsejando esa imperfección.

Algunas historias que escuchamos como oficiales a puertas cerradas en un intento de aconsejar gente con el corazón roto. Pareciera que todos nosotros tuvimos clases de consejería en la Escuela de Cadetes… pero nos fallan comparándolas con las horas que tenemos que usar dando consejería en nuestro oficialato. Algunas veces no encontramos respuestas fáciles y soluciones rápidas para toda una vida de problemas y heridas que vendrán a su oficina …A veces lo único que podemos hacer es susurrar una oración al Señor para que nos guíe en medio de estas historias de abuso, heridas y tristeza. Tenemos realmente la oportunidad de impactar a los quebrantados en nuestras comunidades.

No asuma que usted es Dr. Phil o Dr. Oz o quien sea…este no es un show de televisión. Estas son vidas…son importantes…Manténgase en oración constantemente por aquello que vendrán a su oficina. cíñase antes de tener estas sesiones… a veces ellos son espontáneos y si no se preparó en oración se encontrara desprotegido. .. Ánimo, esto fue lo que usted firmó y a lo que se comprometió a hacer. También tenga ánimo porque el Doctor de doctores le dará dirección y guía. Finalmente, donde sea posible, tenga a la mano contactos de consejeros profesionales de su área que le puedan ayudar, canalícelos si puede. pero eso no significa que a usted le va a dejar de comunicarse e importarle esa persona. Recuerde, ellos vinieron a usted, ¡Confían en usted! ¡Esa carga es pesada de llevar y una gran responsabilidad también!

Amor sobre sabiduría

Yo fui un cadete muy entusiasta, lleno de ideas y de pasión, esa pasión no se ha ido simplemente se ha re-estructurado.
Yo recuerdo, como muchos cadetes recuerdan, que al caminar por la plataforma para recibir mi comisión y nombramiento pensábamos, “Ahora finalmente verán lo que yo puedo hacer. ¿Orgullo? ¡Si! Ingenuidad. Pero, ¡No pierda esa pasión de salvar y servir almas! no retroceda en los fracasos y el desaliento…esos estarán ahí de todas maneras, los días difíciles vendrán. Nota para usted: Pare de tratar de ser el !Súper Oficial!

Aquí les comparto una clave a ustedes cadetes que están en entrenamiento todavía. Y este es uno de los mejores consejos que recibí de uno de mis mentores y de otros oficiales. Más allá de los que sabe de ellos, ¡Ame a los miembros de su cuerpo! No vea su nombramiento como un escalón de asenso a un mejor nombramiento. No pase por alto las necesidades de los pocos que vienen a sus puertas cada Domingo y mitad de semana. Ámeles, hecheles porras, muestreles el amor de Dios. A veces le va a tomar mucho esfuerzo mostrar ese tipo de amor. A veces usted no tendrá paciencia y querra rendirse con alguno de ellos …pero no lo haga…No se deje llevar por su conocimiento intelectual que no le permite amar desde su corazón a aquello que está dirigiendo. esto se hace obvio. la Gente SABRÁ cuando usted no les ame. la gente verá mas allá de sus planes y estrategias de conocimiento, ámelos de principio a fin.

No tendrás la Victoria en todas las batallas.
“¡Para llevar el mundo a Dios!

¡Mi parte haré!¡Sin descansar!

¡Para llevar el mundo a Dios!

¡Mi parte haré!¡Sin descansar!”

-Evangeline Booth

No ganaras cada batalla, querido soldado, algunas batallas las perderemos. Algunos soldados, algunos miembros del cuerpo, algunos recién convertidos se irán. Algunos rechazarán el amor que les ofrecemos, pero debemos hacer nuestra parte sin importar sin importar las pérdidas de la batalla en el camino. Si somos fieles y verdaderos a nuestro primer amor , sobre pasaremos estas situaciones. Sería mucho más fácil rendirnos, sería mucho, mucho más fácil irnos. Levantar las manos, retirarnos y nunca caminar hacía a adelante otra vez.. pero…RESISTA esa tentación. En la Escuela de Cadetes estábamos rodeados de otros cadetes y oficiales que nos estimulaban. En clase las ideologías eran formativas y de entrenamiento. Las ideas nacen dentro de nosotros, pero cuando salimos a nuestros nombramientos, vamos a estar cara a cara con las batallas estamos muy mal equipados para ganar solos. Debemos depender en el poder y majestad de Dios no solo para sostenernos y recibir las victorias en esas batallas imposibles de ganar. Cuando cambiamos nuestro poder por el de Dios, todo es posible. Cuando cambiamos nuestra debilidad, conocimiento temporal por su fuerza y eterno conocimiento- Todas las cosas son posibles. Cuando paramos de intentar ganar la batalla por nosotros mismos y nos arrodillamos en completa sumisión a Él- Todas las cosas son posibles…pero solo pasará cuando muramos a nosotros mismos y nos

nos abneguemos como Él en todas las áreas.
Amados cadetes, soldados, postulantes, (y hasta oficiales)- NUNCA estarán suficientemente preparados para ir a esos nombramientos. La Escuela de Cadetes nunca podrá prepararles para todas las cosas que traerá su ministerio en el Campo de Batalla…pero sepa esto: El Dios de Abraham, el Dios de Isaac, el Dios de David va con usted. Nunca estará solo. dependa de su guía. Busquele cada día…momento a momento..¡ÁNIMO!

¡Algo mas para reflexionar en nuestro Ejército!

¡A Dios sea la Gloria!
(Translation by: Margarita Martinez Reyes)

January 6, 2015 0

Dear Salvation Army – 5 Things They Don’t Prepare You For In Officer’s Training

Let’s face it, not everything can be taught in a class room.
Would it shock you, dear soldier, to know that they can’t teach you everything you need to know about becoming an Officer while at training college? Probably not. But when the rubber does meet the road, and when an officer is finally commissioned and takes their first appointment, they will still have to learn A LOT! Somethings just can’t be taught without first experiencing them first hand.

Today I have listed only 5 things that they don’t prepare Officers for while at the college for Officer’s training.
It’s not that they didn’t want to teach these things, but as I’ve already said, somethings must be learned while on the field.
There are many more categories of experiences that Officers can’t learn while in training, these are just a few:

1. The Realities Of Non-Profit Finances
Budgeting class is still a far cry from ACTUALLY crunching the numbers in your community and ensuring you have enough funds to cover payroll, bills, and other incidentals that frequently pop up. Unlike the class room setting, in real life certain sections of this budget has human identities associated with the numbers you come up with. Become too conservative with a figure in the employees section of the budget could mean you have to eventually cut a person from your staff…that’s not fun at all!

Secondly, often you will find that there just isn’t a lot of money to work with.
You might be blessed to be sent to a community that supports your efforts and the finances are sound, but more than likely you will find that every dollar is difficult to raise and equally harder to hold onto. We all know it’s not strictly about the money is it? It’s about providing opportunities and resources for people that we can help. Without those quickly evaporating funds, you will find it a struggle to meet human needs in His name!

2. The Need For Personal Mentors And Encouragers
I remember many Cadets in my session who were about to be commission groan about the arduous lifestyle while at training college. How constricting it was. How they couldn’t wait to finally get out of there. I felt that way too sometimes, but in reality when we were finally sent out and appointed to specific locations, many quickly recognized how seemingly isolated appointments can truly be. Even in metro appointments, the work schedules do not allot for much connection time with other officers. A recently appointed officer can begin to feel alone and even abandoned. Our first appointment was five hours from our Divisional Headquarters. Sometimes that felt like a blessing, while other times it felt like it may as well have been 4000 miles away.

Officers need encouragers and mentors.
We cannot do this great work alone and without support. Find a pastoral association to belong to. Locate a pastor from a different denomination in your community to connect with. Seek out friendship. For those that are introverts this can be difficult to do (putting yourself out there) but it is necessary for your sanity and survival. The question often becomes “who shepherds the shepherd?” Certainly your divisional headquarters has a role to play in this, some are good at it and some not so much. Honestly most divisional officers that I know make a concerted effort but they are just as busy as you are.
News Flash: Don’t depend solely on your divisional staff to support you within the role of encouragers and mentors…it’s just not going to be immediate (most of the time). Seek out friends, other pastors, sometimes mature members of your corps can help too. You need this type of relationship to keep you going…trust me, it’s not necessarily spoken much of at training college but without it you will feel utterly alone, defeated, and potentially in your office drafting your resignation letter.

3. The Brokenness Of Humanity And Counseling That Brokenness
Some of the stories that we hear as officers behind closed doors in an attempt to counsel people are heart breaking. We all, more than likely, had a counseling class in training… but it fails in comparison to the time consuming sessions we will face in our officership. Sometimes there aren’t easy answers and quick fixes to a lifetime of problems and hurts that will enter your office. Sometimes all we can do is whisper prayers to the Lord for guidance in the midst of these horrifying tales of abuse, hurt and sadness. We truly do have an opportunity to impact the broken in our communities.

Don’t assume you’re Dr. Phil or Dr Oz or whoever…this isn’t some sort of tv show. These are lives. They matter. Be in earnest prayer for those that will walk into your office. Gird yourselves before these sessions take place…sometimes they are spontaneous and without that preparation of prayer you will be caught off guard. Be encouraged though, this is what you signed up to be and to do. Also be encouraged because the Great Physician will provide you direction and guidance. Lastly, where possible, have contacts for professional counselors in your area who can help. Refer some cases if you can, but that doesn’t mean you stop caring or don’t communicate with that person again. Remember they came to you…they trust you! That’s a heavy burden to carry and quite a responsibility too!

4. Love Over Knowledge
I was a gungho cadet, full of ideas and passion…that passion hasn’t left it’s only been re-tooled.
I remember, as many cadets do, walking across that platform to take that commission and appointment and thinking now everyone will finally see what I can do. Pride? Yes. Naive? You bet. But don’t lose that passion to serve and to save souls! Don’t back down from defeat and discouragements…they will happen. Difficult days will come.

Note to self: Stop trying to be “Super Officer!!!”

Here’s a clue for all you cadets still in training, and some of the best advice I’ve ever received from another officer and mentor: Beyond knowledge, love your corps members! Don’t look at this appointment as a stepping stone to a better appointment. Don’t overlook the needs of the few who come through your doors every Sunday and midweek. Love them. Cherish them. Show them Christ’s love. It will sometimes take great effort to show that kind of love. Sometimes you will become impatient and want to give up on some…but don’t. Don’t be led by all the head knowledge but have nothing in your heart for the ones you lead. It becomes obvious. People WILL know when you don’t love them. People WILL see beyond your grand schemes and plans and knowledge. Love first…and last.

5. Not Every Battle Will Be Victorious
“The world for God! The world for God!
I give my heart! I’ll do my part!
The world for God! The world for God!
I give my heart! I’ll do my part!” -Evangeline Booth

Not every battle will be victorious, dear soldier. Some battles will be lost. Some soldiers, some corps members, some recent converts will walk away. Some will reject the love we offer, but we must do our part regardless of the losses in battle along the way. If we are faithful and true to our First Love, we will overcome. It will be far easier for us to give up. It will be much, much easier to walk away. To also throw up our hands, retreat and never press forward again…but resist that temptation. In training we were surrounded by other cadets and officers who would spur us on. In the class room ideologies are shaped and formed. Ideas are born inside of us, but when we walk out to take appointments, we come face to face with battles we are far too ill-equipped to win on our own. We must rely on His power and might to not only sustain us but provide the victories in these un-winnable battles. When we exchange our power for His, all things become possible. When we exchange our feeble, temporal knowledge for His everlasting eternal knowledge – all things become possible. When we stop attempting to win the battle on our own and are driven to our knees in complete submission to Him – all things become possible…but it only happen when we die to self and become selfless like Him in every way.

Dear Cadets, Soldiers, Prospective Cadets (and even Officers) – You will NOT be fully prepared to go to those appointments. College for Officers training can never fully prepare you for all of the possibilities that the field will bring your way…but know this: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, The God of David goes with you. You are never alone. Lean on His direction. Seek Him out daily…even moment by moment. Be encouraged!

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

January 6, 2015 11

Dear Salvation Army: “Politics, Placation and the Papacy…”

…First the Papacy:
Pope Francis has done it again.
One could categorize him as a pope who is polarizing.
Still others might categorize him as a pope who has made difficult choices but also the right choices.
However you view this leader of the Catholic church, he is certainly NOT your average run of the mill Pope.
His latest leadership decision has been to appoint Cardinals and out of the 15 nominees, 9 hail from emerging countries of the developing world. News link: Pope Francis Names New Cardinals
I find it interesting that this leader has appointed new Cardinals from emerging countries. Think of it?! These countries do not have as much political or financial power as places like Italy, France, the United States and the United Kingdom but Pope Francis has appointed a majority of the new Cardinals from these places anyway?
Why?
This comes after his strong chastisement of current leadership and even stated they had “spiritual Alzheimer’s”.
Perhaps this leader has made these difficult decisions because they were the right decisions to make.
Perhaps, instead of placating incumbent, staunch “comfy” leaders, it was time to appoint new ones.
Perhaps, this leader (Pope Francis) recognizes where a majority of his church’s growth is taking place.

Is There a TSA Translation?
I’d like to say that we have it made in our Army.
That everything is hunky dory and peachy…but we have growth issues too!
When an organization stops growing and/or plateaus it can be a warning sign.

Questions:
Are we recognizing the fastest growing armies (Salvation Army corps, divisions, territories that is) in the developing world?
Do we, at times, play the political game because of where a majority of our World Services funds come from?
Do we, at times, placate and position ourselves in order to appoint leaders?
Some of these questions are well beyond me.
What do I know?
I am a lowly Captain.
But I am a soldier of this army.
I believe our voices are important…don’t you?
But it seems to me that there is something for us here.
Please don’t misunderstand my point.
I do not wish to emulate any other denomination other than our own.
We were created for a purpose, a holy purpose I believe.
We are not the Catholic church…nor should we ever strive to be.
We DO have much to learn though.
In retrospect we are this very, very, young Mission/Army of the Universal Christian Church (big ‘C’).
We have some growing to do.
God is not finished with us yet.
Perhaps, within this “growing”, there will be pains, groans, the occasional adjustment.

Are we all that we can be as an Army? (Sorry if I stole a line there from an old United States Army slogan)
Are we wise enough yet in our 150 year existence to recognize the need to shuck off politics, placating practices and to see the bigger Army – world wide?

I believe politics and policies at times ties our hands.
It hog ties us.
It holds us captive.
Dare I say, it places limits on the moving of the Holy Spirit in our Army…especially when there are far too many “hoops” to jump through these days to get anything done. Could it be that we have become like pharisees in rule keeping that we have far too many laws and rules to abide by that we truly cannot keep them all?

I’m certainly not advocating anarchy by any means, but I am wondering where this Army is going if we are too bogged down with maintaining instead of expanding this mission of the Lord?

Who knows, perhaps there IS something that we can learn from this rebel-rouser Pope…perhaps the days of Joe the Turk aren’t dead after all in this army…here’s to hoping anyway!
Something more for our Army to ponder today.
To God be the Glory.

January 5, 2015 1

Into The Woods…more than a Fairy Tale (in a bad way)

***Spoiler Alert****
If you don’t want to know about this movie before you see it, then stop reading.

“And they lived happily ever after”…oh wait they don’t.
That’s right, Jack (the bean stalk Jack) is orphaned.
Little Red Riding hood is too.
The Baker is a widower.
The Baker’s wife cheats on her husband then dies.
Have I forgotten anything else? Oh, yeah the witch commits suicide.
And fairy tale endings now suck.

This is my impression of the recent Disney release of musical made for movie film – “Into the Woods”.
I didn’t watch any stage productions of this before watching the film…maybe I should have.
I can’t but help feel jipped somehow. I feel like this movie was portrayed to be some sort of Kids movie in the advertising only to find out that it wasn’t…it really wasn’t. In a way I feel like I’ve been taken by a snake-oil salesman.
Sure, there were some funny moments in the film.
There were some intriguing scenes.

Here come the “Buts”…
But perhaps the writer(s) real life experiences spilled over into this script…
but the plot was thin.
but the actors were a little stiff.
but the message was cynical at best and dark at worst.

I feel like I just watched the movie “Hugo” all over again.
Do you remember that film? It was also portrayed to be some sort of kids movie with mystery and awe…but it just turned out to be an adult homage to a long retired film maker.

Perhaps you’ll disagree with me…that’s fine.
We all have our opinions and this is just mine.
Perhaps you have more sense of this movie than I do, and you actually saw the musical on stage.
I didn’t like it.
I felt cheated out of two hours of my life.
I went to the movies expecting this to be a funny Shrek-like film when what we got was a Fable-turned Shakespearean tragedy full of “life sucks” themes.
My kids were unimpressed.
I just can’t buy into this philosophy.
Who knows…maybe this film just wasn’t for me…but advertisers: could you have just been honest with us?

December 31, 2014 0