Category: Faith Ponderings

Perspectives Day #5 Featuring Lieutenant Sean Wise “What is Truth?”

What Is The Truth?

My son (age 3) came to me in tears the other day. He was distraught because my daughter (age 5), in a moment of frustration, told him, “I’m not your sister anymore!”

There’s a line my wife would often use in instances like this, and given her absence at the moment, I decided to try it out. “Mitchell, what’s the truth? Is she your sister?”

“Yes. But she said she’s not!”

“Mitchell, no matter what she says, she will always be your sister. That is the truth.”

I love how quickly a 3-year-old can be receptive to statements like that. As soon as we had finished that conversation, my kids were back playing together as if the entire ordeal had never even happened. A hurtful lie was meant to tear them apart, but truth, love, and forgiveness brought them back together.

Within the past few months, I’ve learned all too well that someone somewhere is lying about you. Until this past June, I had always lived in the kind of cultures where people, for the most part, kept to their own business. Gossip was generally relegated to the latest celebrity news.

But then, I moved to a small town of just over 8,000 people.

I had only been in this appointment for just about two months when I started hearing rumblings around town. Rumblings about Salvation Army business. Rumblings about my employees. Rumblings about me personally. If it was just one or two people saying something occasionally, I don’t think it would have bothered me as much. But when it got to the point where I was hearing things from people in restaurants and stores, or when my own employees were telling me everything they were hearing regularly from the community, then I had a much harder time dealing with it.

And it bugged me for a long time. But then a question popped into my head.

“What is the truth?”

People are going to talk. Sometimes because they believe what they’ve heard. Sometimes because they’ve convinced themselves of something. And yes, unfortunately, sometimes they genuinely have malicious intent. But ultimately, none of that matters in the end. When I was able to focus on the truth of what I was doing here, and what the Army was doing here, I became more able to tune out the rumors and just live. No matter what people are saying or believing, if I don’t give into the hype, then eventually the negativity will dissipate from being disproven. In the end, the truth will win.

Rotary International begins their “4-Way Test of the Things We Think, Say, or Do” with, “Is it the truth?” It’s often said that there are three sides to any story – what the accuser says, what the accused says, and the truth. Jesus Christ Himself, to those who held to His teachings, said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32, NIV)

So what is the truth? Are we allowing truth to run the way we think, or are we perpetuating the rumors and mentalities of negativity that are so blatantly poised around us? Let’s ignore the lies, rumors, and deception. It’s time we stepped away from their bondage and rooted our hearts, minds, words, and actions in the freedom that comes only from the truth.

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Breaking News…”Misremembering” And The Quest For Integrity

Brian Williams has been suspended from NBC this week.
Longtime NBC anchorman was challenged by others within the media world as to the substance of his “encounters” while reporting on the Iraq war in 2003.  His “misremembering” of specific details has left some scratching their heads while others calling for his immediate termination.  Whether intentional or not, the fallout of “misremembering” at the journalistic level will undoubtedly have consequences.

Similarly, within the Christian world “misremembering” and/or inconsistencies of witness will also undoubtedly have consequences!  Like those who report the news nationally and internationally, Christians leaders are looked up to.  They provide other Christians and would-be believers vital information, sources of hope, and godly direction.  Integrity and honesty should be a given, although there have been some who have fallen from grace over the years. swaggart

The witness of Christians can become greatly devalued when inconsistencies and misremembering takes place.  What good is it to speak of love and grace and even Jesus when suddenly we misremember how we are to treat other people?  What good are these Christian qualities when our actions and attitudes do not resemble our words?  Worse yet, what good is it to go to church and sing all the right songs and pray all the right prayers only to walk out of those doors and resemble anything but a Christ follower in our unhealthy habits, speech and actions?

Do we run the risk of running empty on integrity when we misremember how we are to be as Christians?  You bet we do!  The unfortunate consequences of lack of integrity as people of faith is that we will lead people away from God. Why would people want to seek out Christ when His very own followers do not practice what they preach?

Two things happen when we live within the “misremembered” and dishonest walk of “faith”

hypo1. Our Christian witness is compromised, phony and detremental to others who are ACTUALLY living as God has called the faithful to live.  We are not only ruining the chances of potential new believers coming to the faith, but we are making it even harder on other believers who are living lives of integrity.   It only takes a few rotten apples to ruin the whole bunch.  When others look at the church they will mostly likely first see the rotten ones.  We must be aware of our witness to others…it matters THAT much!

2.  Our personal faith and growth will be stunted. stunted
“…from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”  (James 3:10-12)
Living a dishonest life within the realms of faith will inevitably shortchange our potential maturity and growth.  We cannot live this way.  As James puts it “this ought not be this way“.   We jeopardize not only the Christian witness to others, but we tarnish our own paths and limit what God can do through us by living this way.   Living a “misremembered” life that lacks integrity is cheap and unfortunately more common than not.  Dare I say that Christ has called us to live the uncommon life that is full of integrity, love and obedience!

BrianLet’s face it, Brian Williams isn’t the only one who has “misremembered” things, he was just caught.
Many are just as guilty of this same character flaw.  Brian Williams just happened to be in the public eye reporting the news.  Will there be more who will fall from grace?  Of course…but you and I do not have to be included in this statistic if we are mindful of this trap!  Integrity is a valuable, often tarnished commodity that many lack today.  As people of faith, we ought to make it our goal to strive to live integrity in all that we do and all that we are!

Let’s stop the “misremembering” madness in our own lives and start practicing honesty, sincerity and truth both in word and deed.

Something more to ponder today!

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Does Christmas still exist (a poem)

I wonder beneath
All of the glint
And glitter
Underneath the wrappings
and freshly fallen snow
Buried deep in
smoking chimneys
and lights flickering
for repetitive attention…
beneath all of this
does Christmas
still exist?

Beneath stars
Burned out brightly
flares in the night
beacons of eternity
if we only took the
Time every so often
to look up.
Does Christmas
still exist here?

Is it lost?
Buried deep?
Are our eyes
blinded
have we stopped
Looking up?
Does Christmas
still
truly exist?

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My ‘Judgey’ Thanksgiving

I used to point fingers.
I would scoff and some people.
I judged them.
Criticized them…
until last night.

I joined them.
spent money.
wandered not one, but TWO crowded stores.
Actually stood in line…outside…in freezing temperatures
But…
at the same time, I found commonality.
I found a crowded, yet civil kind of people…I was shocked.

I must admit that I was a hypocrite…before this experience.
I was not among a bunch of crazed shoppers…I was NOT a crazed shopper either.
I was surrounded amongst families who couldn’t afford much and THIS day had the best deals.
I was surrounded my Moms and Dads and kids doing their Christmas shopping.
This wasn’t destroying “family” time.
This wasn’t some sort of desecration of a holiday that some have said it to be.

For me, it was a kind of social experiment.
For me, I came away surprised.
I had stood shoulder to shoulder with other people and had not experienced the greed, the craziness, the insanity…
I’m not saying it doesn’t exist somewhere.
I’m not saying there aren’t “crazies” out there…but they weren’t in the store with me last night.

One thing I discovered…
We still preemptively judge people, at least I did.
I’m sure that I’m not the only one.
If my judgement of others exists, then other kinds of judgments still exist too.
Perhaps I learned something last night.
Perhaps we could all learn something from these kinds of social situations.
I don’t know.
But perhaps I won’t be so quick to judge other people again.

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Dear Salvation Army, The Shunned

I have written a little bit about this topic before:
Officership, A Calling for a lifetime?

But…
It’s an assumed notion.
Something that we do not generally speak of in our Army, and yet it dates back to our founders, William and Catherine Booth.  What of the shunned?

What do I mean  by ‘shunned’ you ask?
In Booth’s day some disagreements led to the departure of family members from The Salvation Army.  William considered this to be abandoning the cause.  Our founding general in a very real sense shunned these family members and no one was to have anything to do with them.  It didn’t just end there, however, for when family members (not Ballington Booth he is buried in New York) did not please the family with their choice of ‘leaving the work’, were in essence even shunned in death and were not allowed to be buried with William and Catherine Booth at Abney Park cemetery in London.  Some of these members are buried in the same cemetery but there was explicit instruction as to not allow them to be facing William and Catherine.

I seriously doubt (I hope) that our Army “shunning” doesn’t go that deep today, but it is still present.  It is in the unspoken glances.  The momentary intake of breath when a former officer is seen.  The look of uncertainty as to what to say.  “How have you been?”  “What’s new with you?“…these pleasantries just don’t seem to cut it.
shun
Perhaps there is a disconnect between commonalities now…sometimes.
The accepted methods for “dealing” with those who have left the work varies.  Some soldiers and officers are very compassionate and display grace and love and sensitivity in such situations.  Others do not.

The Hypocrisy:  
It is rather easy to chalk all who have left “the work” as abandoners of the faith. But are they?  Do you really know this?  Or, do we sometimes make hypocritical judgement of situations and circumstances that we know nothing about.  I would call that ignorance at the very least.
shun1
Others would simply say “well they knew what they were getting into when they signed their covenant as an officer…”  Well, “yes” and “no”.  I am sure many who have signed the covenant have done so with the best of intentions.  Many who have committed to the cause at that time thinking this was all that they wanted to do in their lives.  There were some who, I am convinced, didn’t truly know what they were getting into even after the rigors of Officer’s training.  You see the real world begins following the service of appointment.  The real world doesn’t look much like the bubble that is training college.  It isn’t the college’s fault…they do their very best to prepare us, but some training has to take place in situations that have many variables and consequences other than a grade in a class.

I think we ought to be careful of hypocrisy in our Army when we rush to judge those who have decided to make difficult life decisions that do not include Officership anymore.  It isn’t black and white, right and wrong.  Life, unfortunately has more color schemes than these.  The assumed notion that all officers who have left or are leaving are due to sin issues or terminations is also hypocritical and ignorant.  Opportunities come to some former officers and they choose to leave to pursue something else.  There is life after officership believe it or not.  There are other ministries as well other than the Army ministry.

We partner with pastors in almost all the communities that The Salvation Army is in…what if that pastor is a former officer?  Can we say “well they weren’t truly called?”  Um…no we can’t.  In fact how dare we say something like that.  Who are we to judge the lives of others, especially if their decision had nothing to do with sin or moral failures.

Questions: 
Do we actively shun people who have left the work today?
Do we shun people subconsciously in the way that we act around them?
Have we closed the doors on people because of their decision to leave the work?
Is it our place to cast judgement?
Is there life outside of officership?
Is officership a calling for life to all?

I do not presume to have all of these answers… but I do know how I feel when I hear these very sad stories of officers who have chosen to leave for many different reasons and the lack of support and/or negative responses they have received which has felt like public shunning.  Does it happen to all who have left the work?  Of course not.  Should shunning happen at all?  Absolutely not…so why is it still lingering?  Why do we glance a precursory judgmental stare at former officers?  Why the stigma?

Sometimes I wonder if we have missed the point as we attempt to reach those who are marginalized when from time to time we are marginalizing former comrades and fellow soldiers of the army.

All I know is that if we conduct ourselves with grace, love, compassion and understanding even if we do not completely understand we can stave off this “shunning” persona in our Army…but it’s going to take some time.

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

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“I Got Saved Because Of A Halloween Gospel Tract”…Said No One EVER!

Here’s a bad poem to convey my chagrin, to all those who would drop these tracts into children’s Trick or Treat pail…sorry, but it just doesn’t work.  Seriously stop…it’s annoying.
Stop, it’s not helping.
Stop, you’re making it harder for the rest of us.

Grrrrr…….
Halloween candies were not provided
while eyes and words swiftly chided
an absence of sweets to children in dresses
hell fire papers inserted instead.

A look of defeat hidden by darkness
walk down the street recover this mess.
I got saved from a hell fire tract…
okay, not really…it was camp, in fact.

These paper witnesses do not attract
it’s annoying and it really detracts
Find another way to convey God’s word
instead of hell fire and some deadly swords.

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