Dear Salvation Army: Why Quality Is Better Than Quantity

Jesus had more than 12 disciples…yet many left Him. (John 6:66)
Did Jesus call each one of these “AWOL” disciples? No.
Some joined the band later during the rise of Jesus’ popularity. But Jesus wasn’t looking for popularity. He hadn’t come to be lauded and complemented. He hadn’t come to start a Roman incursion. He came for so much more. He taught that purpose to His disciples, those with whom He confided in and hand-picked for such an important calling.

Dear Salvation Army, why is it that we feel it necessary at times to place quantity of soldiers and officers above quality? I don’t think anyone intentionally does this. I do not think we rush out and pick people off the street and throw uniforms on them just so we have “numbers” the next time the General or anyone else important in our Army comes to town. But we do see success within our Army as something of a quantitative thing don’t we?

Have we been going about this all wrong?
Could it be that instead of sheer numbers and all of these “Corps growth” initiatives we must first focus on the ones we already have in our pews who are undiscipled and unequipped for the battle? We serve many individuals who are marginalized and wounded by life. Some might be incapable of ever achieving the standards of “Christianity” that other churches expect of their parishioners. I have heard it said that the church is an emergency room for the sinner. It should be a place of triage and shelter for the broken and the imperfect. We serve many in our Army who not only need the spiritual emergency room but also long-term spiritual care! Some may never walk upright within the spiritual realms of leadership. Some may only crawl towards incremental spiritual achievements in their lives because they have been crippled by sin, shame and/or other spiritual, emotional and physical wounds in their lives. Can we accept them for who they are, where they are and mark these limited steps of growth? Are we patient enough to develop these wounded soldiers with grace, love and at times looooooooooooong-suffering? Or are we so focused on getting “others” more “capable”, desirable people into our corps buildings? We, unintentionally, stick up our noses at the uneducated, spiritually inept and broken cases already before us.

I don’t mean to make this an indictment because I too would wear a crown of guilt in this witch-hunt of pointing fingers. I too have walked the fine line of measurable growth and statistically accomplishments while unintentionally leaving the spiritually crippled of the corps in my dust. Shame on me. Forgive me.

What I’m Not Saying:
I’m not saying don’t seek out others to bring into your corps.
I am not saying don’t work to improve the spiritual conditions of your corps.
I am not saying don’t preach holiness and hold the standards high for all who come to the corps.

What I am Saying:
-Don’t forget those that God has already placed in your corps and on your ministry pathways.

-Don’t lose the emphasis on teaching and discipling your vital few who come week in and week out.

-Don’t lose heart when you look at statistical sheets and only see the same numbers associated with the same faces.

-Love your corps members even if they are incapable of loving you back (as hard as that may be).

-Be the very best representation of Christ to your corps, in your leadership and in your living examples.

-Don’t wait for more educated, better looking and polished people to come through your doors. Focus on the ones that God has placed within your ministry right now to love and to lead.

Why Quality is Better Than Quantity?
When we become satisfied and confident with loving and serving the few we take off the burden of false success driven ministry concepts. It’s not about packing your corps building to the brim every Sunday morning. It’s not about attempting another evangelistic ploy to rope the unchurched into your doors.

When we begin to love and to focus our attention upon those we already have within our corps (the “quality“, no matter how far from quality we may view our corps members) we will begin to truly love them, appreciate them, long to better disciple them, and serve them as Christ would the Church. When we focus our attention on the “few” and feed them spiritually, the love and “curb” appeal of our corps will become all the more evident in our communities.

We get it all wrong some times in our attempt to become like other churches. We look over the ministerial fences and long to be like “that” church that boasts 400 or more members on a Sunday. But the truth is we aren’t THAT church…we were never called to be THAT church. Our ministry and mission as the Army is very, very unique. Our mission will contain more elements of serving wounded soldiers day in and day out and maybe, just maybe we will see incremental or phenomenal life improvements both physically and spiritually. I am not discounting the work of the Holy Spirit here, He can and will perform miracles, and we must be diligent and faithful to His calling. Yet in other occasions we must also not give up on soldiers and corps members who never seem to move from their one position of initial conversion.

We know there is more to be had within the realms of spiritual growth and holiness for our corps members…but sometimes it may take a lifetime for that corps member to achieve this understanding as well. DON’T GIVE UP ON THEM! DON’T QUIT OR LOSE HOPE!

**Yes, fight for the weak, the hurting, the lost.
**Yes, keep up the evangelistic methods within your communities.
-But don’t forget to employ quality love, support and leadership to the few as well!

Just something more for our Army world to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

October 13, 2014 0

Encouragement For A Soldier’s Heart…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Mama said there’ll be days like this
There’ll be days like this mama said” -(by Luther Dixon & Willie Denson)

Are you having one of THOSE days?

Our Troubles…
Our frustrations and troubles within this world look vastly different from the early church and that of Jesus’ disciples. Yet, this verse is for you and for me today. All too often we engage souls in these ministries that we are responsible for. All too often we hear other people’s problems and they become ours. It becomes a shared burden. We provide care, support and guidance to many within our flock. We feel the burden of these cares, and sometimes they weigh heavy on us.

Other times our troubles come by way of our calling. Sometimes the ministries we have been called to or placed in suddenly become a “dry and thirsty land” with very little by way of encouragement, support and hope. Sometimes instead of a passionate, flowing river of a numerically “successful” ministry we face a slim trickle of moderate or rare numeric success which makes us ponder the questions: “am I cut out for this?” and “what have I done wrong?“…and we face discouragement, disillusionment and even depression.

Still, on other occasions these troubles come by way of outward pressures in our communities or individualistic persecutions. Perhaps we face false teachers, or we must confront immorality within our church and when we do, we’re blasted as “judgmental” and shouted at with curses and graceless comments such as “how dare you, what gives you the right?” We question if we should have just let sleeping dogs lie but in our hearts we know it was the right thing to do and we did so with grace and love. Still…troubles from without and from within have left us wounded and discouraged.

About That Peace?…
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples after telling them of not only His pending death but also of their pending troubles in the world…but there was hope. There is always hope in the Father. There is always hope in the Son. There is always hope in the Holy Spirit who guides us on this path. Have you ever heard the phrase “keep the main thing the main thing?” It alludes to the need for keeping the principle of our mission at the forefront of our minds.

Our Principle: The message of Christ (Messiah), the message of the cross, the message of salvation, of resurrection, of hope, of reconciliation, of love, and victory over sin and death.

When we keep “the main thing the main thing”, we realign ourselves with God and turn away from the problems of this world. Not that the problems of this world aren’t important, but rather, The Author of life itself takes His proper place in our priorities. From this place of understanding we then can look around our world and truly see how things are and how they could be. This is when we begin to see the world through the eyes of Christ because we are striving to live for Him alone. This is holiness. This is surrendering ourselves at the foot of the cross and then picking up our own crosses to follow Him.

Peace? What Peace?
Carrying our crosses and following Him (Matthew 16:24) doesn’t sound “peaceful” does it? Pain still exists. Hurtful accusations, slander and suffering will still occur. How could THIS be peaceful? One might ask. Perhaps “peace” means something differently than what we initially thought it to mean. It is certainly not the absence of conflict in our lives; for there is still conflict. It is not the absence of adversity, discouragement or suffering either; for we still encounter these on our path as well. Then what is this peace that Christ provides to us if it is not the absence of conflict? It is an eternal peace. A peace that transcends this temporal, mortal existence. It is a peace that alleviates the burdens of our former self as we embrace the image of Christ. It is a peace that resides in our lives because His Holy presence brings us assurance and hope. It is a peace that still passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) yet conveys to us that we are not alone and we will overcome because He has overcome.

Dear Soldier…
Are you in need of that peace today in your life?
Are you facing discouragement, hopelessness and pain? You aren’t alone. You do not have to carry this burden by yourself. There is One who can provide you with this peace. Perhaps there is some realignment that must be done in your heart today. Perhaps we must go before the Father again with a penitent heart. Perhaps it is a simple yet constant prayer of “Lord use me and allow me to see evidence of You in my life.”

Be encouraged today! We are not alone. We are not abandoned. We are overcomers because Christ has overcome the world. Allow this peace to evident in your life today!

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

October 6, 2014 0

“Left Behind” Great Fiction But Horrible Theology…*Sigh

The reboot of “Left Behind” is set to hit theaters today (October 3rd, 2014) starring Nicolas Cage. I won’t be seeing this film in the theaters…if ever. It’s not that I don’t like Nic Cage, in fact I’ve always been a fan. It’s that I just can’t support a movie that wields such a horrendous, unbiblical view about eschatology.

How I Could Watch “Left Behind”:
Have you ever played the “what if” game? It’s a kind of game that allows you consider the “what if’s” in life. For instance, what if I watched this movie? Well, if I were to watch this movie (which I probably wont, I’ll just wait for the next National Treasure movie to get my Nic Cage fix) I would wait for the dvd release, curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch this movie in conjunction with any other sci-fi genre movies that I enjoy watching. I might even possibly watch this movie on “cheesy movie night” a designated family movie night where we gather around the living room and watch movies that have absolutely no bearing on reality. This one, (Left Behind) quite possibly would be right after Sharknado and that other academy award winning (sarcastic cough), awesomely bad/awesomely cheesy second installment Sharknado 2. What an awesome cheesy movie night that would be!

The Real Problem With Left Behind:
Some are using this apocalyptic movie as some sort of credible means to evangelistically scare the literal hell out of people, cue up the childhood memories of watching A Thief In The Night. I am all for loving people into the kingdom and for everyone to be introduced to Christ…but this, in my opinion, is NOT the way to go about it. People shouldn’t be coerced into finding Christ through fictional-theatrical ploys such as this. Real relationships with real people = real evangelistic opportunities to know Him. Not some marketing campaign in which the writer of this fictional story makes a killing even in a mediocre movie release.

I love movies. I am a sci-fi geek, I openly admit this. I also love reading and understanding God’s Word and digging deeper to better understand what it says; but I just can’t mash these two things together in THIS movie and come away feeling the truth and even “End Times” truths have been accurately represented in this work of fiction. This is horrible theology.

IF you go to see this film in the theaters (and I hope you don’t)…
Don’t go to see this film if you want to know more about God.
Don’t go spend your $10 plus dollars on a movie ticket and then a $100 dollars on movie priced snacks (seriously who pays $30 for a bag of soggy popcorn and a soda?) and enter the theater thinking you’re going to uncover the truths of Revelation and how it’ll all “go down”. Please show me anywhere in scripture where the depictions of Left Behind are in anyway accurate!?
Don’t drink the Left Behind cool-aide and then begin chanting in “Kirk Cameron we trust“, oh wait he isn’t in this one. I’m sorry if this come off as cynical. I’m just sort of sensitive when scripture gets misrepresented and then attempts to become a big money maker…it sort of grinds on me that way. It’s fiction, take it for what it is. Don’t use it as some sort of evangelistic campaign. It just comes off as disingenuous.

Who knows, maybe six months from now I might be curled up on the couch eating my popcorn as the credits roll on Sharknado 2 and think “what the heck, let’s watch another cheesy sci-fi movie” and then Left Behind starring Nic Cage might come to mind. Who knows, maybe then I’ll watch it and roll my eyes…it could happen.

-Just a thought, and a rather opinionated (more than usual) blog post.

October 3, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army – A Word From General William Booth

“And now, comrades and friends, I must say goodbye. I am going into dry-dock for repairs, but the Army will not be allowed to suffer, either financially or spiritually, or in any other way by my absence; and in the long future I think it will be seen – and I will not be here to see – but you will, that the Army will answer every doubt and banish every fear and strangle every slander, and by its marvelous success show to the world that it is the work of God and that The General has been his servant.” (Excerpt from Booth’s 83rd Birthday Speech at Clapton Congress Hall. From: “Farewell to the Founder” by R.G. Moyles pg 6.)

General William Booth was in poor health at this time (1912), he was nearly blind and could feel his body slowly giving out. Though he initially started with these farewell remarks, he concluded this speech with the now very famous quote: “While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go into prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end.”

Questions For Our Army Today:
-To what depths and lengths are we willing to fight?
-Can we confidently say that in uniform and out of uniform that we would fight to the very end for the marginalized, the poor, the outcast, the sick and the dying?
-Are we still up to the challenge or are we just dead weight clinging onto life?

Last week we explored a prophetic quote by Booth (see earlier posts: Part I & Part II)…If a nearly blind man could plainly see the direction of our Army and the constant need for God’s reliance, are we able to see this need as well?

Let me expound here for a moment. It doesn’t matter if you’re a soldier of the Salvation Army or not. What matters most is if you will serve the Living God first and foremost. If we clear away the other concerns and focus on this relationship first, all other issues will then become so much clearer. With that being said, Dear Salvation Army how goes the fight? Are we still equipped to “banish every fear” that we encounter? Are we brave enough to “strangle” every slanderous word that we and others face? Can we still win the world for Jesus? Is that in our power? No! But it is in the power of the Holy Spirit, who is mighty to save!

A Jump Start?
Sometimes I feel that we all need to good swift kick in the backside from time to time. We need to be reminded of our motivation. We need to prompted to “go on in victory”. We also need to be reminded that we are not alone in this fight. We are an Army, not on a renegade solo mission. We need each other to stand beside us. We need the encouragement of leadership. We need the mighty arm of the Lord to spur us onward. Without Him we can do nothing. Without Him we fall flat on our faces in failure. I believe we have been ordained by the Lord to serve those within our world. I truly believe our founder felt this way as well. William Booth didn’t quit or surrender in his day even in the midst of failing health. We shouldn’t quit either in this daily, even moment by moment endeavor. If we must be reminded of anything here it is that without the constant need for holy living in and through us we can lose our way. Holiness is the key. A disciplined life is our road map. A world for Christ is our goal.

Fight on dear Army, we are saved to save and to serve Him while reaching out to all who have lost their way; all who have given up hope in this life; all who need to see and experience Godly love and compassion in our world. Fight on!

September 30, 2014 5

5 Reasons Ministries Fail In The First 5 Years…

I grew up in “the ministry”. My parents served faithfully for over 40 years in ministry. I seemingly followed in their footsteps upon hearing God’s calling for my life. Since that time I have spent the last 15 years in ministry in positions such as youth pastor, church manager, worship leader and a full time pastor (Salvation Army Officer). I have seen ministries come and go in that process. I watched some wonderful ideas seemingly crash and burn, while other evangelistic ideas that I thought would never work stand the test of time.

Within my span of being “in the ministry”, please allow me the opportunity to highlight some reasons ministries fail in the first five years:

5 Reasons Ministries Fail In The First 5 Years:

1) The “Blue-print” Transfer Ideology:
“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” ― Dwight D Eisenhower

Within this church-growth ideological vein comes the preconceived notion that if something works in one community, it will undoubtedly work in another. This translates into moving an evangelistic plan or possibly key “event” from one functioning church location to another. Some of the factors that can be easily overlooked in this kind of “Blue-print” transfer, however, can include specific community demographics, the leadership factor, and adequate planning. This leadership ideology and “idea” transfer can lead to failure in a ministry. Just because something worked in one location doesn’t always mean it will transfer successfully into another completely different ministerial environment. This shouldn’t be taken to mean that we shouldn’t try these ideas, but before plunging headlong into such a campaign, do the research, ask the questions, count all of the variables.

2) A Lack Of Vision & Planning
“Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves. They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision.”
― V.S. Naipaul

This goes hand in hand with doing the above recommendation of doing the research! What are the needs of the community that you minister in? Who is your target audience? Why is such a ministry needed? How will it be executed? What are the outcomes of success? (meaning, how will you know that this ministry has reached its potential and succeeded?) In order to prevent failure of any new ministry these (and more) questions need to be answered. It is one thing to have a brilliant idea and have a “pie in the sky” vision…it is a completely different thing to execute that idea with precision and proper planning. This shouldn’t be taken to mean that we ought to be planning everything to death and the need to micro-manage, but it does mean that some forethought must be put into any formation of a new ministry.
Here is a simple SWOT analysis link that could help you if you are planning to begin or revitalize a ministry: SWOT Analysis Tool Worksheet

3) A Polarized Leadership Vision/Lack Of Stable Leadership Team
“A leader who produces other leaders multiples their influences.”
-John Maxwell

These two vital issues can cause a ministry to fail in the first 5 years or much, much sooner. What happens when the senior pastor doesn’t share the same vision as the church board or council? What happens if the youth pastor or the worship leader cannot catch the vision of the senior pastor? These polarizing views of what the mission should be can cause a ministry to crash and burn. Without a clear vision (as listed in #2) that is shared by all of the leadership team, the ministry will the run the risk of failing gloriously. Coupled with this sharing of the same vision, is the crucial component of possessing a stable group of leaders. Without the team, “super pastor” will fail. Without the “core group” who do the initial grunt work to get a ministry off of the ground, it can become next to impossible to succeed in something new. The “core group” must possess the same shared vision and should be willing to not only work together to accomplish great things, but ought to be fervently in prayer and in support of one another to do “all things in Christ who strengthens me (you, us, the team)…” -Philippians 4:13. The fastest way to fail in a ministry is to possess a murky, vague vision while possessing an unstable, sub-par team to execute this new, fuzzy ministry poorly.

4) Rigid Iron-fisted Leadership Model
“If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solve.” ― Jeff Bezos

Once the vision is caught and the plan is executed within the realms of a new ministry, there is a tipping point that can occur that will either make or break any and all potential future success. The tipping point begins and ends with the need to adjust, change and become flexible without compromising the overall mission and vision. Do we, as church leaders, possess the ability to be both firm within the vision while maintaining an element of flexibility in outcomes? I would venture a guess that “flexibility” is often the most difficult element to maintain when striving for success in ministry. Things can and will change in the team environment. Strategy needs to be re-tooled to offer better chances at succeeding. Often times pride and stubbornness have caused ministries to fail miserably. The evidence of true leadership is the willingness to let others lead from time to time. True leadership allows for adjustments of the plan and letting go of the Iron-fisted grip while maintain and upholding the vision and the intended outcomes. If we, as church leaders, allow our pride and stubbornness to blind us to the necessity of flexibility and adjustment mid-stride in the execution of the plan, then we will inevitably fail.
Note to self (and perhaps this applies to you as well): Wake up, it isn’t about me…it’s about the mission!

5) No “Next Level” Plan..
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” —John Maxwell
Once the new ministry is off the ground, and flexibility allows for course adjustments and moderate re-shuffling and successful outcomes are reached what happens next? One of the crucial needs of the church is to recognize when a plateauing of a ministry is taking place and a plan to take things to the “next level”.

Corporate Examples:
Samsung and Apple (among others) are corporations that are notorious for providing the “next big thing” when it comes to portable technology such as telephones and tablet/computer devices. They stage public media day events to attract world-wide attention and get people interested in their products…and people keep coming back for more. Why do people come back for more? Because these companies know how to make things relevant, marketable and desired. They do the “next level” really well.

A Word Of Caution:
We must be careful here to identify with “business models” because our motivation isn’t centered on financial gains and success in this way, but the principle of how it is done can assist us in planning the “next level” within our church ministries.

Tools for the “next level”
* Re-visit the vision of the present ministry.
Ask questions such as: –Is it still working?
–What should we do differently?
–Have we met our yearly outcomes?
–What can we do better this next year?
–Are we reaching the targeted audience?
–Do we need to re-tool our leadership base?
–Do we need different teaching materials?
–Can we write new materials?
-Are we meeting the needs of our community?

These are just 5 reasons that ministries fail in the first 5 years and some tools to help us stave off the “crash and burn” hall of fame awards.
Do the research.
Spend money and time on a quality core team around you.
Plan, plan, plan…but be flexible!
Look to the future, prepare for the “next level”…and get ready to execute it well!

-Just something more for us to ponder today!

September 29, 2014 2

Dear Salvation Army – Highway To The Danger Zone? Pt. 2

“I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.” -General William Booth

Yesterday we explored the first part of this quote by General William Booth “Danger Zone” Part 1 – “…religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance…”

Today we will explore the last portion of this seemingly prophetic quote. I would like to note however, that General William Booth is not the end all and be all of what it means to be a Christ-follower. I don’t mean that to sound disparaging or diminish what He and Catherine were able to accomplish in their ministry as co-founders of The Salvation Army. I simply wish to state that although I believe this statement to be true and even prophetic William and Catherine were far from perfect themselves. They did their best, they were good stewards of what God had given them, although I personally find their militant, staunch treatment of their children and officers to be lacking at times in compassion and forgiveness…but I digress. (See this article for further discussion on the Booth Family: A Good Father?)

I only wish to point out that though I believe Booth hits the nail on the head with this quote he also, like all of us, was imperfect and fallible. To point this out simply means that we all still struggle with life and temptation, but as children of God we are all called for a higher, holy purpose.

Politics Without God.
I must be careful here so as to not offend anyone. What I take this to mean is this: I believe all authority on earth has been allowed to exist by a sovereign God who holds ultimate authority over everything that He has created. Any political system in our world, no matter how good or bad, falls under God’s sovereignty. As children of God and as Salvationists we are called to be proactive in our outreach to the marginalized, the outcast and the poor. Presenting Christ’s grace and compassion even through social and political pressure on governmental bodies. Booth worked closely with certain political leaders to improve human labor conditions in Victorian England. Defending those who have no voice should be part and parcel with our identities as not only Salvationists but as Christ-followers. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.‘” (Matthew 25:35, 40)

Today, injecting God into politics is a touchy subject, but there are many worthy causes to fight for. For example, the blight of human slavery and sexual trafficking in our world is often an unseen but active evil that causes many innocent to suffer and die. Currently, The Salvation Army has called for an International Day of Prayer (Click on hyper link)for the victims of Human Trafficking. Here are additional resources that we can use to help fight this crime upon humanity: IHQ Resources

There are many other ways in which we can include our faith in Jesus Christ within our local and national political platforms. We should, first of all, be diligent in prayer as we ask the Lord for guidance and wisdom before we take any kind of action. Be discerning and wise. Take a stand to help the innocent and defend the marginalized. Do it with intent and love. Show respect for every political leader regardless if you like them or not. Living a holy life means that we are to conduct ourselves as imitators of Christ. Be mindful that we ought to take action in our world and to be proactive in such vital causes, not because ingrained family-learned political alignings but because we care for others and wish to “win the world for Jesus”!

Heaven without Hell
I do not wish for we Salvationists to consider Satan to be equal to the goodness and sovereignty of God. There is no equality here. No ying and yang. God has already claimed victory over sin and death through the blood of Jesus Christ. Yet we still live within a fallen world. There is certainly evil in our world. All we have to do to see it is turn on the nightly news. We live in uncertain times. Yet I believe that when Jesus stated the kingdom of heaven is here, He didn’t just mean that He was the kingdom, but that we could live as kingdom people in the here and now! There is real hell on earth for many people still today. There are also consequences for rejecting God…but it is our choice to choose Him or reject him which brings upon our personal and even eternal hell. I believe that God does not want to punish His creation, and so He extends His grace far beyond any kind of grace mankind can comprehend or imitate.

Our 11th doctrine of The Salvation Army is probably the hardest for us to grasp when it comes to us viewing God’s grace along side with that of God’s judgement:

“We believe in the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, in the general judgment at the end of the world, in the eternal happiness of the righteous, and in the endless punishment of the wicked.”

There are positive and negative consequences to the choices that we make here on earth. How we live our lives makes a difference. How we conduct ourselves within the knowledge and practice of holiness contains eternal consequences. I would like to state here also that we should be careful in how we judge others.

“”Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5)

This doesn’t mean that we do not hold each other accountable within our faith. We ought be be diligent in this which must be represented and enacted with love and care of our fellow soldiers and officers and adherents.

Is eternal separation from God His desire? NO!
Is it possible to choose to live without God? YES!
Are there eternal consequences to such a choice? YES!
Heaven and Hell? Yes…but I am convinced that these eternal “destinations” are not truly how we see Heaven and Hell depicted in our society today and through representations of it by various Romantic and Renascence authors.

Hell exists just as Heaven exists here and now. In how we live, in what we choose in this life, and in whom we serve.

Heaven = a life lived for God, devoted to God and paved for us by Christ alone, also an eternal destination which is eternal life lived with Christ.
Hell = choosing to reject God, devoted to selfish desires alone and paved for us by hatred, rebellion and sin. Eternally speaking – separation from God and an eternal life lived apart from Christ.

There is so much more to discuss within this topic of heaven and hell. I believe General Booth states this correctly. It is human nature to want to view God as completely merciful and gracious and loving while choosing to reject any kind of consequence to unfaithfulness and open rebellion towards Him. I believe this is specifically directed first at the Church and The Salvation Army. How can we ever expect win the world for Jesus if we cannot place Him first in our lives in all and through all that we do? Secondly, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard. Keep the standards high in OUR living just as God’s children are to be salt and light, a city on a hill to be seen what godly living looks like. Again, we cannot afford to live and preach wishy-washy watered down versions of the message of the cross. Redemption, love and salvation are available to the whosoever, and it is our duty as an Army of Salvation to continue to bring the lost to Christ through the power of The Holy Spirit.

Was this quote by General William Booth prophetic? I believe so.
Are we, as The Salvation Army, called to this higher, holy calling? Absolutely!

Dear Salvation Army Solider
– Keep the banner high!
-Keep Christ at the center of all that we do!
-Keep striving to live and be holy just as Christ was indeed holy.
-Shine the light of God’s holiness throughout the world.
-Do not lose the fight in your heart – Christ has already claimed this victory for all who would seek Him.

Something more for our Army to ponder today. To God be the glory!
Do you agree? Do you have something more to add? Let’s continue this conversation together! Responses and feedback are always welcome. Please add your comments and responses below. Thanks for reading!

September 26, 2014 3

Dear Salvation Army – Highway To The Danger Zone? Pt. 1

We stand on a precarious precipice as an Army of Salvation.
Conformity and capitulation knock at our door.
Our identity is often muddied in the waters of societal perceptions.
We are still a fledgling movement.
We are still a young Army in comparison to other much older establishments and even denominational entities.

Was Booth prophetic in describing the coming century? We are certainly beyond that specific century now but does it still apply? I believe so!

-The Dangers that Booth mentioned:

Religion without The Holy Ghost (Spirit):
There is a danger here to leave little room for the Holy Spirit to fall afresh on us today. We plan everything to the tee and we stringently arrange our time and, if we are not careful, we run the risk of closing the door on the Holy Spirit altogether. That doesn’t mean that He cannot still move, but when His people stop looking to Him for guidance and direction because we are far too preoccupied with appearances, policies and procedures we will begin to seek the power of people instead of God. We are a holiness movement. We were born of this theological element and we cannot abandon or lose our grip on its fundamental truth – the power of the Holy Spirit can and will guide, direct, empower and chastise and convict. We are not a holiness movement because we are stuck in this identity, but rather that this identity is how and where He has called us to exist and serve. To lose this element of who we are and the importance of holiness, we will have lost our way in the process. We practice more than just “religion”. For me this context offers more ritual than relationship. With the inclusion of the Holy Spirit we will always have crucial element of relationship in all that we do and all that we are.

Christianity Without Christ:
As silly as it sounds without Christ in “Christianity” all we would have left in practice is “anity” as in “that’s total insanity!
Christ is the cornerstone, the head of the body. Without Him we have nothing. Without Christ in our mission statement and within our vision statements as The Salvation Army, we are just another social service agency. It is like pulling the foundation up from a structure and expecting it to stand…it’s just not going to happen. Yet, what does happen when we stop professing Christ and that of His love, grace and redemption within our corps buildings and in our services? Are we more afraid of losing funding than we are of losing our faith? I am not proposing we shove “religion” down people’s throats, but I am proposing we stop hiding the fact (if we are hiding it) that we are a part of the body of Christ! Without Him we can do nothing! (John 15:5) Empty worship and empty practice is not who we are. It should never be something that we aspire to become as an Army. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:37-29

Forgiveness Without Repentance:
Grace is a free gift.
Yet gifts that are not accepted and employed are void. Jesus stands ready to offer forgiveness to all yet there is an action step for all who would receive that forgiveness – True repentance. “We believe that repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.” (Doctrine #7, The Salvation Army)

We cannot fully preach or teach the Word of God without the call for genuine repentance. Sin is real and we “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) It is imperative that a component of our “heart to God, hand to man” include the plea for all to seek forgiveness of sin. This is not something new for most of us. We understand this, yet have we washed down our doctrines or preached wishy-washy sermons because we fear offending people? What happened to boldness and truth? What happens if we without the truth of redemption which includes repentance? We could inadvertently be misrepresenting Christ and His mission for us…and God help us if we do!

Do you know why Jesus dealt more harshly with the teachers of the law than He did with the common person? Because these teachers knew better and yet they lived hypocritical lives – condemning others while they themselves were living inconsistently and sinfully. We, as purveyors of The Truth must be careful that we do not exclude this call for repentance while at the same time living penitent and holy lives day after day.

To Be Continued…
Tomorrow I will continue this conversation on the “Highway to the danger zone” (sorry Top Gun fans…now you’ll be humming that song). We will again this quote and discuss “salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.”

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

September 25, 2014 2

Dear Salvation Army – Movement or Church? The debate continues…

I enter into this fray of conversation only to politely ask some relevant questions. I honestly have trouble getting caught up in defining what we are when there is work to be done for the Kingdom. As a matter of fact, this particular debate isn’t one of those topics that keeps me up at night.

Questions to ponder:
* Are we a Church or are we a movement?
* Does it matter what we define ourselves to be?
* Are we simply splitting hairs in such a definition?
* Does the outside world really care how we label ourselves or is this only an inward debate?
* Does this organizational identification help to refine our mission?

A Movement Born Out Of Necessity:
It would be easy to concede the fact that the foundation of our Army was created out of necessity. No one was there to “do something” for the poor, the wretched and the outcast in Victorian England. It swiftly became a world-wide movement which now includes 126 countries globally. The movement of The Salvation Army is, in a sense, universally recognized. We help feed and clothe the poor. We identify with the outcast. We bring comfort to the distressed regardless of who they are and where they come from (in principle). This by definition is a movement. Something that transcends mere Church. It is born of something more with a far deeper social outreach than most denominations. Please don’t misinterpret that last statement. It isn’t mean to puff us up or to make us sound any better than other denominations. We are all one body of Christ which performs many different tasks for the Kingdom of God.

A Movement…but…
When Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded the Apple company from their garage in 1976, it certainly had room to grow. Once things began to take shape and become marketable a new place to conduct business needed be found. Relocation of assets and the dynamic changed from a homegrown garage business to a global computer tech company. They were out to change the world but as they grew so did their strategy to change it.

In the same way for-profit organizations like Apple must change in business to stay viable, so it is with non-profit organizations like The Salvation Army. From an organizational standpoint we couldn’t maintain that singular movement solely within darkest England. That movement needed to shared and so the dynamic and strategic shift of the Army had to be modified. Doctrines were introduced, policies and procedures, conformity within the Army brand had to be emphasized…in a sense, these organizational structures began to resemble Church. The movement of The Salvation Army still exists, but is it more than just a movement? Are we exclusively labeling ourselves when internally and structurally we have taken a Church foundational structure?

I am unsure of the answer here…this is why I pose the question.
-For some out there who are tired of hearing this question, I apologize.
-For others who have never really considered or even cared about this identity…carry on.
-For those who really get bogged down in this debate, I would ask you this:
Does it really matter?

If we are still called by the Holy Spirit to serve suffering humanity by employing social and spiritual tools does it really make much of a difference if we call ourselves a Church or a Movement?

It is not my intention to get anyone riled up today, but I would like to hear what you think. What are your thoughts on this conversation? As I have said at the opening of this post, I am not one who is caught up in the definition of what we are but instead more importantly Whose we are and if we are Serving Him through all that we do and say.

Questions for you to respond to:
-What are we? Movement, Church, Both, Other?
-What rationale can you give for your response?
-Why is this definition so important to you?

Something more for our Army world to ponder today!

To God be the glory!

September 24, 2014 1

Perspectives: Featuring Eric Bicknell – “The Glory Days To Come”

THE ‘GLORY DAYS’ TO COME
Why is that when people refer to the ‘Glory Days’ of The Salvation Army, or any church for that matter, why is it they are always referring to them in the past? What about the ‘Glory Days’ to come? Are we expecting them? Are we working to make them happen? Why does the term ‘Glory Days’ always refer to the past?

I think in some respects its alright for us to look into the past, see the past victories, and remember the sacrifices made by those gone before us that have made it possible for US to continue the mission they started. We look back with fondness at the characters that form the story of The Salvation Army. Characters like the Booths [all of them, William, Catherine and the kids], Railton, Booth-Tucker, Joe The Turk, Ashbarrel Jimmy, Eliza Shirley, and Samuel Brengle, just to name a few. People who gave their lives and dedicated their talents to the expansion of the Kingdom of God through the ministry of The Salvation Army. We look back at the courage and determination of the countless officers and soldiers who literally fought for The Army’s right to proclaim the gospel in the streets. We remember, or read about the meetings where THOUSANDS came to hear William or Catherine Booth preach.

We read about the parades of witness with hundreds of bands marching in the streets. We remember the way the Spirit of God moved in such a mighty way in Army meetings that people were moved to wave or clap their hands, or shout AMEN! A time when The Army was not afraid to SHOW the joy of the salvation they so graciously received from God. But it seems we have moved on from there. The Spirit that once permeated The Army SEEMS to be no more. BUT! The spirit hasn’t gone from The Army! Its still here … we just have to find it! But today, we are more refined, more respectable. There are things that were done in the early days we wouldn’t dream of doing today. Such a SHAME! The Spirit of The Army isn’t dead … no. We just put it in the closet where no one can see it!

Joyful faith. That’s what Salvationism is about! The joy of the Lord is MY STRENGTH, and expressing that joy in word [shouting AMEN!] and deed [clapping, raising, or waving hands, picking up the flag and waving it] is how we let others know we have that Spirit of Joy within us. But we’re refined. We’re respectable, and you can’t do that in uniform. HOGWASH! [The only thing you can’t, or shouldn’t do in uniform is eat powdered doughnuts, and
you can even do that if you’re careful!]

The Salvation Army is a unique worship experience. I’m not just talking about the band, if you have one, or the fact most of the ‘members’ of our church wear uniform. Those things, while different from other churches, are only ornaments to worship. No. Army worship is, or should be unique because of the way we express the joy of our
faith!

If you can sit down and sing ‘I believe we shall win’ without clapping your hands with a big smile on your face, then there’s a problem. If you can remain in your seat, and solemnly sing the seventh verse of ‘O Boundless Salvation’ without feeling the irresistible urge to pick up the flag and wave it, there’s a problem. Does the Captain say something in her sermon that stirs your spirit? Does it make you want to shout ‘HALLELUJAH!’ or give a resounding ‘AMEN?’ Do ya do it? Or, are you afraid of shouting ‘AMEN!’ for fear the elder members of the corps would have heart attacks if you did?

I am a traditionalist. When I see [mainly on videos on YouTube] a Salvation Army band marching down the street, it stirs my soul; sometimes even to tears. I remember the days when we went out into the community doing open-air services [we didn’t march from the corps, we took the van]. I remember Easter Sunday morning marches of witness in our corps neighborhood. We took the message of Jesus Christ out into the streets where the people were. Nowadays, the people are on the internet, they join Facebook and read blogs. Times change; methods change, and sometimes traditions change. But, our faith never changes, and neither does the joyful expression of it! I generally tend to refer to the expression of our joyful faith within The Salvation Army as ‘Army Spirit.’

Army Spirit encompasses more than just expressing our joyful faith, it also encompasses a desire to seek out those whom the world has forgotten about, the ones lost, without hope, without a prayer for the future; the ones who believe that even God Himself has forgotten about. But, God hasn’t forgotten them, and neither should we.

In today’s Army, we spend a lot of time trying to be like other churches. In some ways this is a good thing. Other churches are successful in ministry, and we want to be too. So, we decide we need to get rid of things like the uniform, the band, and possibly even the flag. But those things, traditional as they may be, are a part of us, and identify us. We aren’t God’s Secret Service, we don’t blend in: We stand out. We stand out for Christ. Other churches haven’t given up their traditions, they have included more contemporary aspects of modern worship into their traditional worship, and we need to do that too. But, in the process, we cannot continue to quench that spirit of joyful faith that so permeated The Army in its early days. We need to release it once again so others can feel the fire of The Holy Spirit as we worship in our
corps.
The ‘Glory Days’ of the past serve as an inspiration to us in the present. We see in our past how God has worked in Salvation Army worship, and how soldiers expressed their joyful faith. We see in the past those who were not just ‘happy to be in church today,’ but people who desired to be there to feel the warmth of God’s Spirit as they shared the worship experience with those around them. They inspired each other to go out and take the message of God’s love to those in their communities, and they were encouraged to do acts of daring that today, we might consider extreme in order to reach out to the lost and suffering of the world they lived in. We sometimes refer to this as ‘the pioneering spirit,’ and rightly so, as this was the spirit that led the pioneers of our Army into battle against Satan. We also refer to these people as being ‘on fire for God.’ And again, rightly so, for they really were immersed in the fire of The Holy Spirit.
But today we have relegated these people, and this spirit of Salvationism to the past. We are firmly established in flourishing corps these days, so the spirit of the pioneers is not needed, right? WRONG! Some believe that we have grown out of touch with those around us, and our former style of worship is no longer relevant. Are they right? If it’s ‘traditional worship’ for the sake of tradition, then they are. If it is blended with more modern styles, then they’re not. [I believe that the band is a part of worship. If worship becomes about the band, there’s a problem.]

But the spirit of Salvationism, that joyful faith that we saw in the early days, the ‘Glory Days’ of The Salvation Army CANNOT remain in the past, or in the closet. We can’t keep it in a back room somewhere and hope that our corps moves forward without it. No. Just as this spirit of Salvationism was a driving force for the pioneers of The Army, so it is a driving force for The Army today. This joyful faith, grounded in Jesus Christ can be the catalyst for today’s Army to move forward. Will this move forward look like it did 100 years ago? Certainly not! But this joyful faith will keep us grounded in Jesus Christ as we blend new forms of worship into our traditions, and as we start new ministries that will take the love of God to those who are without hope. Who knows where the spirit of God will lead us!

When we think of ‘Glory days,’ we NEED to STOP thinking of them in the past, and start ANTICIPATING them in our FUTURE! While we remember the ‘Glory Days’ of the past with fondness, we need to start looking forward
to the many MORE ‘Glory Days’ still to come.

September 23, 2014 2

Dear Salvation Army – Do Something…But Do It Well!

William Booth, founder and first General of The Salvation Army, recognized a need when he saw homeless people huddling under a bridge. He looked at his son Bramwell and said “Do something!”. Since the early days of our Army we have been doing something to help those in need. This is nothing new to most of you reading this because you, as a Soldier of our Army, are actively participating in “doing something”already. We understand that there is a need and if we can help, we should.

But is doing “something” enough?
What I mean is, are we doing what we are doing well?
Do we strive for excellence in our “Somethings”?
Is our motivation for program and activities propelled only by maintaining or numbers and statistics? I would hope not. We are not the army of maintainers. We are not the army of programs. We are The Salvation Army, and our mission for Christ should propel us constantly forward. Our “somethings” what ever they may be ought to be provided out of need and necessity not strictly tradition and maintenance. Similarly, General Booth advised that if Corps were not growing or producing they ought to be closed immediately and the officers should move on to another town or location.

Are our roots of tradition and staunch “status quo” too deep today?
Does this prevent us from being that revolutionary Army we once were in Victorian England and subsequently the US and Canada and many, many other regions in the world? In our striving to do not only “something” but EVERYTHING are we unintentionally aiming for mediocrity in mission as we spread ourselves too thin?

Do “Something” Well!
Perhaps as our Salvation Army movement has grown we have evolved into an entity too big to micro-manage…is that such a bad thing? I say no. But we are so large and power/financially hungry that we must delve into every aspect of social helps? In so doing (if this is indeed the case) have we spread the “service” and “something” so thinly that we cannot possibly begin to expect long-term and life-changing results in those we serve?

Yes, we ought to do something, and do it immediately to help those in need. That is without question…but are there certain tasks that we currently perform in our ministries that perhaps we ought to discard? What purpose are some of these tasks still performing? If we were to look at specific programs and line them up with our community’s needs would they serve a purpose? Is THAT specific program or service needed and does it help save souls and serve suffering humanity? If the answer is “no” and it is just something we are required to do or something we have always done perhaps it’s time to let it die. Even Soldiers and Officers of our Army carry around sacred cows that no longer serve any purpose in our present ministries. This is a top-down issue but it is also a local officer and corps issue as well. I would imagine if Booth were around today there would be far more corps closing, a lot less sacred cow keepings going on and possibly a few more fires burning to prompt all of us to get on with it. We just don’t have time to dwell on these less important things when there are broken lives who need this army in the here and now!

If we’re going to do “something” I pray that this something is worth it! Don’t misunderstand, it isn’t about perfection in programming, but it is about sincerity, compassion, intentional ministry and effort. One might argue that the life of an officer and a soldier is really, really busy to get it right…and that’s exactly my point in writing this today. If we are so consumed with all of the mundane and the unimportant tasks (insert those here as they vary from location to location) what time is left to that which is critical and vital to meeting human needs in His name?

Dear Salvation Army, we aren’t an army of mediocrity.
If we cease to perform those tasks of reaching souls for Christ because we are too busy chasing funding and worried about our image and perception, I fear God will replace us with those who are willing to do the impossible. Consider this a shot across the bow. Consider this a warning. We are not an Army of doing “everything” but we ought to be doing “something” and that something ought to be done as best as we can! Perhaps it’s reaching one family or one soul at a time.

Forget about numerical success and financial success. Although these are often indicators of “success” they are secondary to our mission of doing “something” well. Our first order of business is to be in constant prayer with the Father to guide us and to send us a re-ignition of the Holy Spirit. Without His guidance on what must be done we will flounder and fail. It sounds basic…because it is and yet this discipline can get lost in the busyness of our Army. Secondly, as we are constantly praying for guidance and direction we must venture out of our walls and comforts of these corps buildings and centers. We must engage those in need at where they are. The bars are still open to the drunkards and the socialites, they did not close because the War Cry sales have ended. The grocery stores still operate to the public long after the red kettles are put away for another year. Nursing homes still provide services to the shut-ins and sick long after those care teams come during the holidays. That single parent who barely makes ends meet by working two or three jobs still needs someone to talk to after our social service office closes for the day. There are many avenues for intentional “somethings” that could mean everything to the hurting, the marginalized, and the broken.

Yes, Dear Salvation Army, do something…do anything…but do it well! Make your efforts count, and make sure it is done with love and compassion not obligation of uniform or service! This is spoken from my heart and my own convictions today. I am equally guilty of spreading my efforts far too thinly. I am equally guilty of chasing that next funding source (though important) or worried about others perceptions of me instead of what God is calling me to do for Him right here and right now. Let’s get on with the important stuff and let the sacred cows and mundane tasks take a backseat for a while.

-Just something more for our Army world to ponder today.

September 19, 2014 2

Category: Church