One Army, one mission, one message,
One Saviour and Lord of all;
An Army with purpose and passion,
We are united to answer his call.
An Army following Christ together,
Reaching the lost with his love;
One Army, one mission, one message
For the world.
-(Commissioners Robert Street and Dick Krommenhoek)

In an ever progressing world that is often full of strive, turbulence and pain…can we be One Army?

In a world where outbreaks of Ebola, AIDS and other horrifying diseases plague men, women and children…can we be One Army?

What is our Mission?

What is our Message?

I know our Salvation Army leaders including General Bond have already clearly articulated the answers to the above questions.  They are:

VISION

ONE ARMY: We see a God-raised, Spirit-filled Army for the 21st century – convinced of our calling, moving forward together

We will…

• deepen our spiritual life
• unite in prayer
• identify and develop leaders
• increase self-support and self-denial

ONE MISSION: Into the world of the hurting, broken, lonely, dispossessed and lost, reaching them in love by all means

We will…

• emphasise our integrated ministry
• reach and involve youth and children
• stand for and serve the marginalised
• encourage innovation in mission

ONE MESSAGE: With the transforming message of Jesus, bringing freedom, hope and life

We will…

• communicate Christ unashamedly
• reaffirm our belief in transformation
• evangelise and disciple effectively
• provide quality teaching resources
  (Source: OneArmy)

Two Questions To Ponder:

2. Who is “WE”? 
It is you, it is me, it is every Soldier around the world who is willing to wage war against sin and darkness.  We MUST become One.  We cannot fight independently because our Mission is too great to wage solo missions.  We are called by God to proclaim His name to the whosoever and often times those we reach out to are despondent, hurting, lost, poor, wretched and marginalized by society.  This battle is tough.  “Army” life is not “cushy” or comfortable.  We serve a purpose and we cannot afford to hunker down in corps buildings babbling about the glory days while we do nothing…that is a vision lost!  Our call…you and me – “WE” are One Army and we must begin to act like it if we are to progress and transform lives!

1. Are we encouraging “Innovation in Mission”?

What does innovation in mission look like?
Is this universal or regional?
Can we possess varying missions in various places around the world and still maintain “OneArmy”?

Secondly, are we truly willing to risk A LOT in order to accomplish our Mission?
Innovation in any organization, movement or church will cause initial turbulence and occasional upheaval.  Innovation requires that pesky element called “Change” and often time most of the time people (in general) do not like change.  One Army calls its soldiers and officers to become more innovative in our mission.  We must grow, adapt, and multiply.  Discipleship making is vital in our army.  We cannot accomplish our mission without forces on the ground.  We cannot win souls if no one is willing to step out and say “here I am, Lord send me!”   Discipleship is a fundamental calling to all of Christ-followers including Salvationists.  We just fancy our disciples to become additional soldiers in our army and wear the uniform along side us.  But are we truly prepared to make disciples and salvationists?

We are individuals, uniquely created by God and yet we are also called to work together to accomplish this great commission here on earth.  Becoming more missionally minded will force us to adapt, change and become pioneers and innovators in this army.

The Salvation Army needs YOU!
The Salvation Army needs Me!
Without individuals who are willing to throw caution to the wind, to push and strain not only relevancy but sincere, godly holy living as men and women of the Most High.  We cannot settle for what we have accomplished in the past to get us through to tomorrow.  We cannot rest and relax when still so many marginalized in our world suffer under so many oppressive elements.

Innovation can and will take on numerous forms, and as William Booth once said to Bramwell – “Do something!”
We must do something!
Do the impossible.
Dream for those who cannot dream because life’s nightmares have deprived them of dreams.
Fight for those who are suffering, those who are poor, those who are unrepresented and misunderstood.
Put away the judgments and the scorn and the cynicism and pray for better attitudes and eyes that see others the way that Christ see them.  We MUST become One Army.

-For divided we will fall.
-Divided we will fail.
-Divided sin claims victory and victims continue to live in physical and spiritual hells.

Dear Salvation Army…One Army is NOT a Dream!
One Army is possible.
One Army is relevant in our present state of things within and without the Army.
One Army is nothing without holy men and women willing to fight side by side for a purpose higher than any one person.  It is this continuation of the great commission that is at the forefront of our Army’s mission and purpose.

Are we ready to take this stand?
Good!  Then it begins on our knees before the Father who is the only One who can make the impossible possible in our efforts.  It is no good to simply add more uniforms to our Army unless we do so with holy intent and a willingness to be transformed completely by the Holy Spirit.  It is no good to simply come to services and pretend to buy into the holy mission but in our hearts we have not yet allowed God full access of our heart and lives in a full surrender.

Dear Salvation Army, One Army – One Mission – One Message IS POSSIBLE…but it MUST, MUST, MUST begin on our knees as we anxiously await the Holy Spirit’s leading and prodding.

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

I am sitting in the airport right now waiting for my flight. There is a cup of hot steaming coffee next to me still too hot to drink. It is my vice, my friend.

As I sit in these delta blue pleather seats surrounded by other travelers currently, temporarily displaced and homeless until they make that connecting flight, I feel like I am in limbo. I don’t just mean this airport. Perhaps that stimulates these rambling thoughts in me now. Other travelers seem unperturbed by this. They have white plastic earphones in, blank stares on tired faces attempting to tune out the world around them. We are a curious bunch…simply waiting here.

Souls connect like this all too often. Close enough to touch, within arms reach and yet a million miles from a smile. Isn’t that kind of how our world is evolving? So close that we are too close…and so we put earphones in our ears in order to drown out the thought that others can see will see who we really are. We are close and yet we don’t want to be close. We are all traveling in the same direction and yet we attempt to ignore those around us all the while pretending to make ourselves busy with papers and tablets and anything else.

We are alone in our consuming lives with dour stares and tired eyes. Is this what we have become? Is this what we wanted to become? I say no. I say look up. I say engage people around us.

This is me attempting to re-engage myself.
This is me attempting to unplug my device and plug myself into the real world with real people again.
This is me waking up to the call for passion, compassion and genuine care for others around me.
This is me realizing that I can’t simply ignore the world that is crashing around me anymore…is this you too?

I’m taking my white earphones out.
I’m looking up.
Can you see the smile on my face?
Can you see these revitalized eyes?

Who are you?
That question has been asked by every human who has ever lived one time or another.

Sometimes…
Identity is tied to what you do.
Identity is tied to who you marry.
Identity is tied to where you live.
Identity is tied to how many degrees you have hanging on the wall.
Identity is tied to the level of power and authority you crave and attain.

But in our Army…who are you?
I don’t mean “what is your rank?”
I don’t mean “where are you stationed?”
I don’t mean “Who are your parents or how many family members do you have in the army?”

Who are you in and out of The Army?

Questions for personal discovery and something to consider:
Is my personal identity solely link to the Army?
Do I “have a life” outside of the army?
What are my hobbies?
What am I passionate about?
(There are probably more questions to consider here as well)

Truth #1

Let me relieve some of you out there who feel burdened today that you aren’t doing enough or aren’t always equipped (or good enough) for The Army…

>>We ought to possess an identity that transcends The Salvation Army and is not completely chained to the Red, Yellow and Blue. Did you just gasp? Are you surprised by this? I hope not. God did not make us all unique and individuals in order for us to all dress the same, talk the same and become robots in uniform. Forgive me…that sounded harsh, and it really didn’t sound like that in my head. What I mean by that is this: Don’t let the Army be your only identity. I love The Salvation Army. I am a fourth generation Salvationists. I should bleed red, yellow and blue…but over the years I have come to the realization that I cannot be The Salvation Army every moment of every day because I will begin to lose who God has made me.

That sounded a little selfish, but it’s not. We ought to find the time to find ourselves once in a while. We do a disservice to God if we allow the work to consume us and in the process we lose our way as people of God. Even Jesus got away from things. He took time to commune with The Father in solitude.

Self-Care:
Self-care isn’t being lazy.
Self-care isn’t putting off responsibilities.
Self-care is about becoming re-connected with God.
Self-care is about finding your personal identity again.
Self-care is about tapping into that spiritual well that can and will replenish our tired, empty spirits.
We need to find ourselves again.
We cannot work ourselves to death.
We are God’s soldiers but what good is a tired, exhausted, spiritually dried out husk?

Truth #2
Do not give your identity away to anyone or anything.

God made you unique.
God didn’t make a mistake.
God alone owns your identity…not your job, your friends, or even the Army. God wants to use us through our unique identities.

There is accountability .
There is peer to peer guidance and mentors for the purpose of discipleship, maturity and holiness. God can and will use these means to produce in us a deeper sense of our identity as well, but beware…don’t give your identity away to anyone or anything other than The Lord.

The result of giving your unique identity away?
You begin to lose a piece of yourself.
You begin to hang your hopes on things that are temporal and fading.
You will find disappointment, discouragement and disillusionment.

Who are you?

You are first:
A Child of God…you are His!
You are His precious possession.
You are matter to Him.
You have an identity beyond just the Army…but you can use that identity to make changes, make a difference and to help heal the brokenness in this world and sometimes in our organization/mission.

A Word To The Wise:
Don’t allow the Army to be your only identity.
Take time for self-care.
Be willing to be teachable by trusted mentors, accountability partners and most importantly The Holy Spirit (who can and will use these people and others).
The safest place for your identity to reside is within the hands of God…not your rank, not your position, not your appointment, not even your family and friends. Yes ministry and our lives are holistic. Yes our identity is linked to this ministry that God has placed us in…but make sure you remember that your identity, your life, your heart belongs first to God and God alone and from there prayerfully invest yourself as good and faithful stewards.

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

We must be very diligent in our understanding of sin. Sin is not to be trifled with.
At the same time judgment is certainly not ours either. Although we are not ultimate judges over sin, we are called to live a life worthy of our calling. (Eph. 4:1)

I do not wish to sound ‘holier than thou’ in this article.  Please don’t take it that way.  These are struggles that I face and I know others do too.  

In the army we wage a daily battle on the front lines and we seek to help pull people up out of the raging waters of sin and death. As soldiers for God we must be alert and careful that while we pull souls from these depths that we do not get pulled back into those dangerous riptides ourselves. Sin and the temptation of sin still makes us vulnerable to falling away from the fellowship of God! This should make us more aware of the trappings of sin in our lives both as an individual soldier as well as a collective army.

That being said, I would like to explore 4 sins no one seems to be talking about much these days. I am sure someone out there will be eager to point out that they have been talking about these, but by and large these specific sins seem to go unspoken, unnoticed, or perhaps ignored…we can’t ignore these anymore.  Please also note that I am not pointing fingers here either, for to do so would also indite me and I would merely seek to cast light on these four topics as we prayerful and even personally address them in our own lives.

4 Sins No One Is Talking About:
1.  Complacency –

“We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.”– Thomas Edison

Perhaps we’ve never looked at it this way before, but complacency can be a sin if it impedes us in the present and the future!  Is the mission of our army, not just internationally but most importantly locally, frustrated by complacency as we hang our laurels on what we have already accomplished?  Complacency has a way of producing tunnel vision that blinds us from present needs of souls at our doors and in our communities.  Forgive me for sounding calloused but we cannot expect the lost, poor, hurting and spiritually in need to simply come to our doors.  No!  We must go to them.  We must go to them with love, compassion, care and support.  We must go to them and employ present evangelical, relevant/relational tools.

Complacency can render us impotent in mission.  Complacency can, if we are not careful, lead to apathy in relation to others.  Complacency is a sin when it prevents us from fulfilling our calling to the Lord because we cannot train our eyes on the present when they are fixed on the past.

2. Exclusivity –

This is a very real sin that can enter our corps and offices in seemingly innocuous ways.  We find commonality with friends, family and others that we share common interests, but what happens when someone does not look like us?  What happens when someone has different view points or hobbies or even biblical understandings?  Do we ostracize them or do we include them regardless of many differences?

Being “exclusive” is the opposite of “inclusive”, it takes the form in our corps that separates “Us” from “Them” just because people do not look like us, or because they don’t talk like us, or even live like “we” think they should.

As an Army, we began as “the Christian Mission” in order to reach those who were not welcome in the church of the day.  In part, we began because exclusivity was a real issue in Victorian England…has exclusivity entered our Army today?  How do we combat this sin?  Yes, I believe it to be a sin because it can prevent others from joining our fellowship of believers on the basis of appearance, present lifestyle, or other things which are not like “us”.

We must be ever aware of the temptation of separation from “those” people.  Jesus died for the whosoever, not just the select few, the “holy” few, those that look like “us”…be careful dear soldier for this sin has a very slippery slope.

3. Coveting 

We understand what “coveting” is, but do we know that it can exist in our Army?  Soldiers can covet what other corps have that they do not.  Officers can covet appointments that seem better than where they are now.  We run the risk of spending so much time peering over the fence at what others have that we lose our way and our effectiveness in our present mission field.

Coveting can deprive us from appreciating what we do have in our corps and in our ministries. We can lose our gratefulness and appreciation to a Mighty God who provides for the faithful.  Coveting is a sin in our hearts and in our ministries if we allow it to take root and fester.  Be very aware so as to not fall into begrudging what we do not have and what others might possess.  Faithfulness to God and to His ministry here and now requires us to look away from what others have and are doing and refocus on what He has appointed us to do right here and right now!

4. Gluttony

“Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us.” -Peter De Vries
I might be scratching a personal itch that might hurt…sorry.  This is personal to me as well.  Why do so many Army events (at least in the Western world) focus on food, even to the point of fixation?  Another component to this is that the life of a soldier and officer can be stressful and can consume many hours of the day.  So following a long day we rush out to the closest fast-food establishment and pig out on the comfort foods that help us to drown our sorrows.  I am sorry if that hit a little too close to home…it did for me.

Many lives have been shortened because of this issue.  Dare I call it an often subconsciousness sin issue.  We eat our troubles away.  We eat the unhealthy foods because they are the quickest and most affordable to us.  We consume foods to make us happy when things are anything but happy.

I recognize that there are those who struggle with depression, eating disorders and other physical/psychological struggles that can lead to over-consumption.  We must be gracious and careful not to judge those who endure trials unknown to us.  Personally, I have struggled with this sin issue in my life (yes I call it a sin issue).  I don’t have some of the above physical/psychological issues but I have, at times, been a glutton.

two reasons gluttony is a sin in our army and should be address:
1) it can shorten the lifespan of soldiers and officers who over-indulge, and cause multiple health problems and issues which can be avoidable.

2) Our testimony and witness to others:  I am not saying that being overweight or indulging in some comfort food now and then can hurt your testimony, but long term evidence of gluttony can.  If we cannot abstain through controlled self-denial now and then how can we preach and teach about self-control and discipline to others?

Wrapping up these sins…
I understand some of these might be hot button topics, or perhaps a scab was just picked…sorry.  Again, it is not my place or anyone else’s place to judge.  I simply write this out of my own personal convictions and certain struggles I have faced while a soldier and officer in this army.  Dare I even add Gossip is another huge sin that we often talk about (pun intended) but seldom truly confront and uproot the problem.  There are other such struggles that we face as a body of believers and as individual soldiers.  We should be prudent, prayer and diligent in listening to the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us one person at a time.

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4

Something more for our army world to ponder today, to God be the glory!

We once attended a Pentecostal service.
 We do that from time to time when on vacation, visit churches from various denominations that is.  
We stopped at this particular church because of the appearance…it looked nice and well maintained.  
I noted that its parking lot was nearly full as we made our way to the front doors.  You know the old saying about going to the restaurants that have lots of traffic?  Well…sometimes this applies to churches as well, at least on the surface of “appearances”.    
We were greeted by members of the church who seemed delighted that we had chosen to worship with them on that particular day as they placed a worship bulletin in our hands and showed us to a seat towards the back of the sanctuary.  Everything seemed warm and welcoming…until the barking started that is. 
I am not joking – barking.  No it wasn’t some sort of “bring your pet to church day” or anything like that, but rather an extreme form of “tongues” that certain Pentecostal churches endorse in worship.  Members began barking and making all sorts of interesting sounds as they waved their hands, some rolled on the floor while others danced down the isles and around the chapel.  We were absolutely wide-eyed and shocked, completely out of our element.
 We didn’t know what to do.  We felt trapped in a strange circus and we couldn’t find the exit fast enough.

 I am certainly not negating that use of tongues (which is scriptural) as a mode for conveying the gospel and for a translator to be present.  And I am certainly not negating the use of emotionalism in worship either.  Emotionalism, to a degree, is relevant, but in this one instance…wow…just wow.   

Does emotionalism play a part in worship?  
Of course.  
Within this topic there should also be an understanding that cultural styles of worship differ from place to place.  
Some cultures might be more emotional than others when it comes to worship.  For example in many parts of Africa worshipers will dance down the aisles to the offering plates because the “time of offering” is a time of celebration.  This is cultural and is a very beautiful thing to witness.   Given the cultural differences that we find around the globe in our global army, it can be difficult to separate extreme emotionalism from cultural practice in worship.  

Worship is more
Worship is so much more than what takes place on Sunday in Worship services like Holiness Meetings and Salvation Meetings.  But as a corporate body of believers, we gather together for these important times to sing songs of praise, share in scripture, share in testimonies, other worship elements and a message/sermon.  

But…
Q: Can emotionalism become a distract in worship?  
A: Yes!  
Although feelings and emotions are important within our personal worship and even corporate worship, it can become a distraction to other believers who are gathered there to worship in the services we attend.  We should consider the reverence of God within these sacred moments of worship as well as how we react to one another while in these sacred spaces.  

The Holy Spirit

We must, at the same time, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading as well.  Please don’t misunderstand what is written here. I am not decrying the use of emotion in worship but we should be mindful of other worshipers as well as be in tune to the Holy Spirit in such corporate settings.  He (the Holy Spirit) can prompt us to go to the penitent form out of conviction and reconciliation.  He might even prompt us to go to another member within our corporate body to pray with us or for us to seek mending of a broken relationship.  We would be wise to listen to His leading in our lives at these important moments.  

That being said, emotionalism does play a part in our worship, but be careful that we are not solely led by our emotions. 
We also have other physical/mental components to rely on within these modes of worship:  Intellect, prudence, and even silence.  

Adversely…
Are there places in our army where emotion is lacking?  
Are there worship settings that have become too mechanical, staunch and stoic?  
Perhaps some worship services could use a shot of emotion…

Worship is vital!
Worship in church is crucial to our spiritual maturity and corporate edification.  We need koinonia (Christian fellowship) as we sing praises, share in testimonies and hear the word of God expounded upon in the form of sermons.  Just be mindful that there can be more to worship than pure emotionalism.  It can play its part, but it should not be our only constant, primary sense utilized 100% of the time in the corporate setting.

Questions to Ponder:
What is your typical worship service like at your corps?
How does emotionalism play into the service? 
Is there an abundance of emotion or a vacancy of emotion?  
Are we (you) sensitive to the Holy Spirit when He falls upon us? (yes this is both personal and sometime corporate)

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

Children file one by one
heads slumped
the look of defeat on their faces,
backpacks slung precariously over their shoulders
weighed down heavily as they take that first, 
languishing step onto the school bus.
It is yellow with black stripes 
resembling the bumbles bees in the garden
as they stopped to visit flower after flower.

Taking a vinyl seat, browned and cracked…
duct-tape joined where fabric gave way to 
endless stabbings of pencils and house keys

and blue ‘bic’ pens which tattooed names
and not so nice words just beyond the prying
eyes of the bus driver.  

Taking the seat closest to the back 
right over the wheel well…(great! less room)
the view from the prison window which only 
fell halfway, dampening the sticky air
with smells of diesel exhaust, 
You look out…discontent,
a little sad and crestfallen
where had the Summer gone?  
In a blink.  
Faster than the promise of this next
long winter…she was gone.  

Parents, standing at the bus stop 
cameras in hand, smiling and eagerly
wave their hands to show support
while others throw a few ‘thumbs-up’ our way.
But we don’t see them through this din.
We, the children of the summer…
we only see her wave one last time 
as a sliver of sun light touches our seats
warming us one last time…it stretches out over us
bathing us once more
as if in farewell…
the light leans in close for a final hug
touching shoulders and backpacks
and on our skin,
as our eyes wet our cheeks.
She waves goodbye…until next time.  
S E. Strissel 9/1/14

Warning, some spoiler alerts may be revealed in this blog entry!  

I am a big fan of Marvel movies, who, in the past have released such blockbusters like The Avengers, Thor 1 & 2, Ironman 1,2,3, Captain America and so on.  I wasn’t much of a comic book reader growing up so I didn’t know the ins and outs of the “Marvel universe”.  That being said, we went recently to see “Guardians of the Galaxy” in theaters because it came highly recommended, and we were not disappointed!  This action packed Marvel film takes place in a distant galaxy where many aliens coexist.  The main character, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is a human who, at the beginning of the film,  was at the deathbed of his mother.  His heart is broken and he carries with him a mixed tape that his mother made for him.  Long story short, he was abducted “from Earth at a young age“..he is now an “interstellar adventurer“, opportunist and currently a wanted criminal.  (IMBD Bio) 

It is a long, humor filled story as to how this ragtag team is assembled known as the “guardians of the galaxy” and they must face numerous challenges, especially internally among the group with struggles such as revenge, insecurity, greed, trust and arrogance.  These unlikely characters must work together to defeat a common enemy by the name of “Ronan 

the Accuser” of Kree and his villainous backer and destroyer of worlds – Thanos.  

Peter retrieves an ancient artifact only to discover it contains great power and is currently also being sought out by Ronan the Accuser and his thugs.   The humor in this film makes it fun to watch coupled with the numerous action sequences.  I especially enjoyed the characters that make up the Guardians, especially two in particular by the name of Rocket and Groot.  

Rocket is a Raccoon like intelligent creature who was experimented on.  He struggles with insecurities of who is, yet is extremely cunning and intelligent.  He is the orchestrator of plans and the builder of unique and dangerous weapons.  His partner and “muscle” (Groot) is a tree-like creature who can extend his limbs to fight and to defend.  He can only utter three words “I Am Groot”…which the other team members interpret into rather humorous responses during the film.

3 Poignant Lessons:
1. Leadership – Although this movie is an action-packed film about super-heroes and villains it certainly does not start out that way.  Quill is an opportunist just out to make some money.  His character seems very selfish and ego driven…though he carries with him the scars of his mother’s death in the form of his tape player and her mixed tape that she made for him.  You want to cheer for him and he is a spectacular example of an imperfect hero with many flaws.   Putting these flaws aside Quill becomes a fearless leader of the Guardians as they seek to save mankind from Ronan and ultimately Thanos.  

2. Revenge never pays – Drax is the muscle bound, red tatooed, revenge seeking Guardian.  He signs on with the team in order to kill Ronan who slaughtered his family.  Drax doesn’t really care about the others at first and only seeks to fill his blood lust by any means possible without consequences or how it will impact those around him.  He learns some lesson the hard way in this film and becomes a true friend to the other team members within the Guardians.  

3.  Unity, Love & Sacrifice  – Groot, at one point saves the entire team from destruction by sacrificing his own life.  The ship is crashing to earth and he unfurles his limbs to become a sphere of protection around the other Guardians.  In doing so Rocket yells at Groot with tears in his eyes and says “don’t do it Groot, you will die!” at which point Groot declares boldly “We are Groot” and then proceeds to save them all from death by sacrificing himself.  To me this was startling, yet poignant lesson of team work, love and sacrifice that should speak to our hearts.  I saw almost a Christ-like sacrifice that Groot displayed for others as he was willing to lay down his life to save the team.  

My recommendation:
Go see “The Guardians of the Galaxy”.  The Guardians are imperfect, far from spectacular and yet display the best of humanity in their team work, love and ultimately willingness to sacrifice themselves to save others.  In my opinion, it is the must see movie of a quickly fading summer! 

Just something more to ponder here at pastorsponderings.org