Category: Life

A Call To Revolution – A Letter to the youth of The Salvation Army (Prepare for battle)

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Dear Junior Soldier, Senior Soldier and Corps Cadet, this Army that you are growing up in is a living and breathing organism.  The purpose that I write this letter to you is to encourage you and to remind you that The Salvation Army is made up of more than just people but it is also and primarily a mission and a cause for Christ!   I humbly acknowledge that it is at times faulty and flawed.  I also acknowledge that there will be times that its soldiers and even officers are flawed.  We are all sinners saved by grace, yet holiness is not always everyone’s first priority in their identity as people and soldiers of God.

That being said, there are a few instructions I would like to leave with you as you develop and grow as first of all a child of God and secondly a soldier of our Army.

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These instructions are as follows:

1.  Never waver in your faith (1 Corinthians 16:13).

We all have to grow up in this world.  There are a lot of pressures and traps that as we grow older, become more and more appealing.  Temptations abound and as we mature with age we may begin to question the very foundations of our faith.   Some within our culture(s) may even tell you that what you grew up believing about the bible are very nice stories but that is all that they are.  DON’T BUY THE LIE!   Don’t let doubts consume you and especially be mindful of the fact that there so many people living contrary to scripture that they would love you to join them in order to justify their lifestyles and choices.  Don’t allow Satan to muddy the waters of morality and these Christ-like teachings that you are learning…keep them close!  As proverbs tells us, “Guard your hearts!” (Proverbs 4:23)

Also remember that though you may feel all alone at times because of this stand that you take for the cause of Christ, “Be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:9)  You are called to be a mighty warrior for God, and you ARE NOT ALONE!  God is and has equipped you for this spiritual war…so take confidence and never waver in your faith!

2.  Don’t forget the purpose we fight on! (Ephesians 6:12)

The battle that is waged in this world, as the apostle Paul so aptly put is ‘not against flesh and blood’.  The battle is very much a spiritual war!  And so many people are trapped within the confines of sin in this world, and if you are a soldier of God your objective is to be used by the Holy Spirit for the purposes of setting captives free.  We CANNOT do this in our own strength, nor by our own mortal wisdom.  We are mere conduits of Him who has sent us.  Don’t forget who has sent you and why we must soldier on!  Sin is the ultimate slaver and is Satan’s primary tool.  It is powerful and effective in a lost and dying world…but we who know the truth, we have been set free!   Christ has, by his blood and death, redeemed us and delivered us from this destructive path.   And since Christ has called all of us to this truth and then commanded us to ‘go into all the world’(Mark 16:15)…we must go!  We must fight on!

BUT…

3.  As Revolutionary Soldiers of God, use Revolutionary/Evolutionary Weapons!                (2 Corinthians 10:4)

You probably didn’t have a choice growing up where you would worship.  You became a member of The Salvation Army most likely because your family came here…but know that this Army IS/SHOULD be a living and breathing organism.  By that I mean, the methods by which we convey the gospel of Jesus Christ ought to continue to be revolutionary and evolutionary!  If we are truly using these ‘heavenly weapons’ then we MUST rely on The Holy Spirit to guide us and equip us, thereby making us effective in this fight.  At times, the conduits by which we have employed these spiritual weapons need to change.   It is most certainly a fine line between relevancy and complete world immersion.  BE CAREFUL!  That as we employ these revolutionary tactics through evolutionary means that we do not lose our focus and become so like the world that we look nothing like Christ any longer.

That being said, you are the current pulse of a whole new generation!  The revolutionary methods we once employed, a generation ago, have become common place and static.  Therefore BE THE PULSE of Christ to your generation!  Employ new methods of ministry and evangelism in this Army that so desperately needs an adrenaline shot of passion once again!

If we are to survive as The Salvation Army that God intended, WE NEED YOU to revolutionize and make waves of change in an Army that has somewhat lost its forward momentum.   The Message of Christ is still relevant and vital to this world, but the methods by which we relay His love and grace has to continue to reach an ever evolving society and culture.   Proponents who insulate and protect traditions in our Army might argue that we don’t need to change and that we must plod on as we have always done…this line of thinking only serves to preserve what we’ve done in the past but doesn’t help to invest in what we will do in the present and the future.  WE MUST NEVER lose sight of where we’ve been and our rich heritage that we have inherited, BUT WE MUST BE UNAFRAID to risk much for the faith and cause of Christ!  This must be our identity as an Army if we are to survive and continue the battle God has placed us in.

Dear Junior Soldier, Senior Soldier and Corps Cadet member, I conclude this note to you with a word of encouragement:

Stand firm, be brave and never lose sight of the war that we wage as an Army.  Don’t let the internal battle, both in your heart and in the Organization discourage you or cause you to flee the cause!  Fight on and keep your focus on ‘Others’!  Use revolutionary means and evolutionary tactics to claim victories in the hearts of the lost.  And lastly, you are not a soldier who is by yourself in the midst of battle…never forget that!  There are other soldiers and officers who will gladly join you on the front lines…and if they fail to or abandon you they should be considered ‘unfit for duty’…move on and recruit others to soldier on beside you, keeping one another accountable through love and grace and purpose.

You are our future and present…gear up and prepare for battle!

Sincerely,

A Captain in this Army and ongoing war!

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Attention: People Pleasers…it’s pointless.

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When it is all said and done, our feeble meanderings and our efforts of people pleasing will be meaningless…in the grand scheme of things and in God’s glory if we have not lived as servants first and spent our time sharing the grace of God with others we will have little or nothing to show of our earthly efforts and endeavors. -Just a thought.

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“Don’t let my son die!”

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There are no lengths in which a parent will go to in order to save their child!  Few things in this world terrify a parent more than the threat of an illness or death of their child.   As a parent, my worst nightmare in this world is that something would happen to one of my children.  We love them dearly and we want them to live long, healthy lives free of harm and illness.

Such was the case of a royal official.  His story is found in John 4:43-54.   Jesus was back at the place where He had performed His first miracle at a wedding feast.   The wine is long dried up, yet memories of this epic event still linger.  Hearing the news that Jesus, the healer, was back in the area of Galilee, this royal official traveled twenty miles to find Him.  Leaving his sick child behind in this last ditch effort to heal him, the royal official is desperate.   As a parent I can imagine his heart wrenching panic and fear.  His son, whom he loves, is dying.  The distance is great, and yet if Jesus can heal him it will be worth it.

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Finding Jesus, this worried father begs Him to come and heal his sick boy.  With tears streaming down his face and panic in his eyes he makes his plea to Jesus.  “Come!  My son is dying!”  This desperate man is facing his worst fear and not so much with his words, but with his eyes he is pleading with Jesus; “please don’t let my son die!”

Others are gathered there too.   Listening and waiting expectantly for Jesus to do something…something miraculous.  Jesus looks at them and sighs.  They don’t understand who He is.  Their Messiah is standing right there in their midst and yet they still do not believe.  He says to them, “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders you will never believe.”  There is certain sadness in His words.  Jesus understands them all too well, and has struck at the heart of their disbelief.

For a moment, at the words of Jesus, this royal official is afraid He will not come.  There is a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as this last hope seemingly appears to evaporate.  Prompted by this momentary panic, he implores Jesus one last time; “Lord, please come before my son dies.”  Jesus looks at this frightened father and says; “You may go, your son will live.”

The father feels relief as he hears Jesus say those words.  ‘Could it be?  Is my son really healed?’  He hurries off to find out, taking Jesus at His word.  The twenty mile journey will take him over a day to reach home.  Yet while on the homeward trek his servants meet him.  They confirm this long distance miracle: his son is healed and very much a live!  What joy must have filled his heart!  His fears relieved, his son’s health restored!  A parent’s nightmare is lifted and is replaced with a dream come true!

This is what Jesus does.   The healer of the sick, the resurrector of the dead brings us hope and a chance at new life!  To any parent, this is a relief.  But to all Jesus comes and longs for everyone to believe in Him.  He can perform a miracle in your life.  He still heals and binds up the wounds of the sick, and He can still put broken lives back together again.  For this royal official, Jesus provided healing for his dying son.  For all of us, Jesus can and will provide the restoration that we need in our lives.

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Sermon Podcast: “Living for God” by Captain Scott Strissel

New Sermon Podcast is up follow it here: http://scottstrissel.podomatic.com/entry/2013-06-23T11_08_34-07_00

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1 Peter 4:7-11 (NIV)
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Sermon Transcript:

Living For God

How to live consistently as a Christian:

1) Be Clear__ Minded__ (v7)

Clear minded implies that we can’t be of two minds about our faith in Jesus…it’s either all in or nothing!  Peter is reminding us that our commitment to God is complete not just a portion but everything…body soul and mind.

Do you have doubts?  Do you struggle with worry?  Are you fearful that you aren’t good enough for this cause of Christ?  Wrong…don’t let second guessing hold you back either!   The mind can be a battle ground that Satan likes to prowl, but if we allow him access he will give you doubt, give you uncertainty of your mission and cause you to doubt you were even called in the first place!

2)Be  Self-Controlled (7b)

Secondly in order to live for God you have to be disciplined.  That’s what self-control means.  How do you control what you put into this body of Christ? How do you maintain your devotion life with God?  How do you continue to live for Him and be clear-minded? You have to exercise self-control and be disciplined.  Our lives can be chaotic at times, we may get so busy that we forget to pray or read His word and that’s when we can starve our spirit.  Did you know that our spirits require sustenance?    How else can we continue to live for God if we’re not reading what He has said to us?  How else can we continue to live for God if we aren’t feasting on his promises and finding peace with His still small voice?  Why are we to be disciplined?

  • Why?  so that you can Pray!(v7)

We some- times doubt prayer…and its effectiveness.  We sometimes doubt that prayer is really THAT vital.  Have you ever had someone tell you that they would pray for you?  Have you ever felt the effects of people gathered together to pray for you?  Sometimes we treat prayer as if it is a secondary after thought.  We pray to get ourselves out of trouble…we pray when times get difficult, but do we actually treat prayer as a primary weapon?

Do you consider prayer to be a primary weapon?  IF you haven’t before I would like for you to consider the potency and power of prayer!  Prayer is vital but it shouldn’t just be used as a reactive weapon…you know what I mean by reactive don’t you?  Prayer shouldn’t be something we just do when something bad happens to us…or happens to someone else.  Prayer ought to be a proactive discipline we should strive to hone in our own life.  Instead of prayer being a reactive thing that we do, we should instead pray over every area of our lives… “Lord thank you for my family, how blessed I am that you have given me this group of dysfunctional people…” Ok maybe not quite like that…but you get what I’m saying?  Pray for people and reflect on the blessings that God has given you!  When we arm ourselves with proactive prayer…do you know what takes place?  We have placed everything already at God’s feet!  We essentially are saying the Lord’s prayer when we do this in that we’re stating in our actions “Lord, thy will be done…in all of my life!”  Living for God implies that our conversations with God are not just reactionary prayers of petition…but we are arming ourselves with His might and His power.  This type of prayer life creates too in us a disciplined lifestyle.  We begin to expect His responses, we begin to converse with Him as freely as if we were talking to a good friend.  We begin to find His hand in our lives and through the things that we experience.  He guides us into a deeper relationship with Him which is holiness.

3) Love_______Deeply_ because it brings

  Forgiveness and Acceptance_(v8)

3rdly in order to live a godly life we ought to love deeply.  When we love deeply and without any kind of hidden agenda or selfish motives we begin to experience Agapa love.  Agappa love is godly love.  Love that permeates who God is…that’s the kind of love that sent Jesus to the cross for us.  That’s the kind of love that doesn’t want us to remain in a state of sinfulness but wants a right relationship with us.  Godly love is something that far too few possess.  When we fulfill that first command to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”  What we are saying is I no longer put the needs of myself first.  I no longer wish to be God in my life…but I am giving God his rightful place in all things.  And in the same breath I am then saying I will also love others as I love myself.

How can this be?  People are tough to love aren’t they?  Especially if those neighbors are seemingly unloveable people.  Yet we are called to love them as we love ourself.  DO YOU?

If we get this love of God right…the rest falls into place.  If we can worship our Lord with all of our hearts instead of just a portion, then we can do this other thing regarding loving our neighbors.

When we love deeply as this scripture passage says we begin to focus less on the transgressions of our neighbors and instead focus more on the grace and love of God who first loved us in our awful state.

This passage says love covers over a multitude of sins…let me ask you…has someone sinned against you?  Has someone wronged you so painfully?  Has someone hurt you to the point that you can seem to find it in your heart to forgive them?  Let God help you…You can’t possibly do this on your own.  You aren’t supposed to.   But when we love as God first loved us this paves the way for healing.  This paves the way for forgiveness and reconciliation.  It won’t be easy, but His grace is enough!  His power can do the impossible!  Do you believe that?

4) Use the Gifts  God_ has given you!

            (V.11)

“Living for God” 1Peter 4:7-11

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Misunderstood or Humorous Church Song Lyrics

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I love music.  I love to sing and play music.  It’s a real passion of mine.  Frequently I will have a lyric or two in my head throughout the day.  Recently a conversation was struck up on one of those social networks about this very topic.  It quickly centered on funny lyrics within songs.  Most of the time these lyrics were written long ago or even recently and the implication or meaning has either been lost or was simply written into a song without much thought.

For example here is one such Meme out there from David Crowder’s ‘How He Loves’

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The truth is though that when we sing these songs sometimes we just accept them for what they are but do we consider what perhaps new comers might think or interpret these songs to be?

In the very same song by David Crowder he penned these words, which were later edited:

‘And heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss.’ Ha!  The first time I read that I had to laugh out loud!  Did he really write that?  Now I know what he was trying to say and I’m not criticizing him for it, he’s done some amazing worship songs.  But I do often wonder what new comers think about these lyrics.

Here are a couple of others:

Song: Come Thou Fount – “Here I raise my Ebeneezer”  most don’t know what that is and some like me think of ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens when we sing that second verse.

Song: My Jesus I love Thee – “And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow” …more like death eww…Not sure I’d be able to sing that with a straight face, however I do know that this was a poem before it was a song.

Song: Word of God Speak – “…and the funny thing is, it’s okay!”  Is it really funny?  Is it really okay?  I don’t know it just seems like a silly line to me.

I know there are other songs out there…and if you know more please share.

Then there are the other misunderstood church hymn lyrics, for example:

“Bringing in the Sheets (Sheaves)”

Amazing Grace: “That saves a wrench (wretch) like me.”

In the Garden: “Andy Walks with me”  (who is Andy?)

“While shepherds wash their socks by night”

I say all of this with tongue firmly planted in my cheek, so I hope I don’t offend anyone out there.  I think it is important to consider what we are singing though before we sing it.  We should also understand that there might be some misconceptions out there and also consider what new comers might be misinterpret from these songs that we sing.

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“Step up and Go!”

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Jesus gathered them together.  The ‘twelve’ probably wondered what was next.  They had been with Him for a while.  They had witnessed miracles by His hand.  Been eye witnesses to the multitudes of people who came to hear Him teach.  Now Jesus called them to Him for some kind of closed door ‘huddle’.  “What would He say?” some of them wondered.  These disciples were still young men and in awe of their Rabbi.

They moved in close as Jesus looked into their faces and smiled.  His smile warmed them, made them feel accepted and loved.  Then He blessed them.  Any disciple would be honored to be blessed by their teacher.  Yet He went beyond the customary blessings.  He gave them authority.  With hands raised and face lifted up, Jesus granted them power and authority over all demons and diseases.  Then, He lowered His gaze and looked once more into their eyes.  He spoke to them and gave them instructions to go and preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Jesus sent them out to do what He had been doing.  They had been witnesses of His words and deeds and now the disciples were to go and emulate the Teacher.  There was a flutter in the stomach.  A tinge of nervousness in the air.  The young men had been instructed to go.  They had been instructed to preach and to heal.  A few wary looks were exchanged.  Someone coughed nervously.

Jesus wasn’t done though.  He gave them additional instructions;  “Take nothing for the journey, neither staff nor bag, nor bread, nor money…don’t even pack an extra tunic.” (Luke 9:3)

Jesus sent His disciples out with nothing yet everything that they would need.   He granted them a kind of authority only the Son of God could grant. They went and did as He had instructed.  Some most likely encountered strong resistance.  Others witnessed the mighty moving of God through their faithfulness.  Every disciple who was sent learned something in their ‘sending out.’

This on-the-field training of the disciples was a turning point for them.  They didn’t have it all  together yet.  But they went.  Jesus empowered them in their sending out.  He gave them what they needed most: authority and experience.

Still to this day Jesus is calling us out.  He is calling us to step up.  He wants to use us for His purposes and to preach the kingdom of God!  The authority is His, but the ability to go is ours.  Will you go where He sends you?  He doesn’t send us out empty handed, but He gives us what we need for the mission!  When you say ‘yes’ step up and go!  Don’t be afraid or fearful of what others might think…He is sending you because He believes in you!

“So they (the disciples) departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.” (Luke 9:6)

A prayer chorus comes to mind:

“For thy mission make me holy, 

For thy glory make me thine, 

Sanctify each moment fully,

fill my life with love divine.”

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The Original ‘300’

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The movie 300 is about to get a sequel.  According to IMDb 300 ‘Rise Of An Empire’ will hit theaters in 2014.  Like its predecessor this new installment will undoubtedly be a total macho movie with frequent action sequences and lots of blood and gore.  But before anyone ever yelled out “For Sparta” another army of just 300 soldiers fought insurmountable odds and completely decimated their enemy.  Although the Bible doesn’t specifically say how many Midianites Gideon and his band of 300 hundred defeated, they had to have numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

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Gideon’s name means ‘Destroyer’ or ‘Mighty Warrior’, and yet the first time we encounter Gideon in the Bible he is threshing wheat in hiding so that the Midianites don’t find him.  Our first impression of this ‘Mighty Warrior’ isn’t exactly encouraging.  Yet an Angel of the Lord comes and pays Gideon a visit, and uses his name’s meaning by saying, ‘Mighty Warrior’ the Lord God is with you!  Gideon isn’t exactly full of confidence and even challenges the Angel’s announcement by essentially saying, ‘how can God be with us when we are being oppressed?’  Still the Angel is unfazed by Gideon’s doubt and commands him to go with the strength that he has and save Israel from the clutches of the Midianites.

If doubt and shock wasn’t enough, Gideon’s next statement puts things into perspective, he says; “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest…and I’m the least in my family?” Has Gideon lived up to his name ‘Might Warrior’ yet?  No, he hasn’t, in fact far from it.  But can you blame the guy?  He has seen the devastation caused by Israel’s enemy and he also recognizes that his family is the smallest and weakest in all of Israel.  Why would God possibly choose him?  Fast forward nearly a hundred and fifty years later and God appoints another ‘least of these’ to be King of Israel, a guy by the name of David.

I think God’s plan for Gideon and even David had less to do with human might and more to do with His awesome power!

Gideon had a tough time believing that he was indeed called by God.  He even tested God numerous times just to be sure, and finally after Gideon had his requests met by God, He puts together an army that’s boasted 22,000 soldiers.  Wow, what a force of might by Israel!  But that wasn’t how the Lord planned to defeat their enemies.  Gideon’s forces are dwindled down to 10,000…but that was still too many soldiers for what God had in mind.  Finally after one more soldier ‘thinning’ episode at the banks of a body of water only 300 soldiers remained.   This battle wasn’t ‘for Sparta’ either, this was for the Lord!

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I don’t know about you but that math just doesn’t seem to add up.  How could an army of only three hundred ever defeat the vast and ferocious forces of the Midianites?   Enter God’s power, might and perfect battle plan.  He gives Gideon the battle plan and it’s unorthodox yet totally effective.  Isn’t that how God seems to work?  He uses the least of these for His purposes and when the battle is won there could be no doubt who it was that provided the victory!   So it was with Gideon and his army of 300.  Against all odds and an unorthodox battle plan, God brought a mighty army to its knees in defeat!

Still to this day, God can use us, the ‘least of these’ to win mighty victories in this world!  Our God can lead us against all odds and bring mighty foes to their knees.  Sometimes we may have doubts like Gideon did and faith just doesn’t come easy, but we serve a God who always keeps His promises and He will be there for us in the midst of our toughest battles.  Trust Him, He won’t let us down, and He calls us ‘Mighty Warrior’ even when we feel much less than mighty.

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A Holiness for 1

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Holiness is often something Christians view as the Everest of the spiritual realm.  It is formidable, the price is steep, and many turn back within its clefts and craggy cliffs.  Why is this misnomer on holiness so prevalent?  Corps members whom I’ve spoken with tell me that holiness is impossible or just too hard…I am shocked when I hear them tell me this.  Commonly I will ask them why they think that holiness is impossible, and usually there will be those who respond by saying because to be holy you have to be perfect.  But is that correct?  Holiness is perfection?  I would have to say a resounding ‘no’! We are still sinners saved by grace, and ultimate perfection or total sanctification will only take place when we finally come face to face with Christ in Eternity.  But though we are still imperfect, the Holy Spirit is making us perfectly into the image of Christ if we allow Him to do so.

Holiness first and foremost is submitting to the will of God in every aspect of our lives.  We say to the Lord, “Not my will but Yours, and you can have all there is of me.”  Does this imply that we automatically become perfect?  Absolutely not.  We still struggle, we still ought to pray “Lord lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” Because the fact of the matter is we will still face temptation in this life.  Holiness isn’t about automatically living in perfection, but rather about walking in the footsteps of Jesus and allowing His Holy Spirit to transform you into the image of Christ in this life.  We reject the old sinful self, as well embrace the new creation which is Christ in us.

Another aspect of holiness that I feel we often get wrong is this notion that it’s a corporate holiness.  Meaning that holiness is first done as a body of Christ.  I think we get this backwards.  We have to first be transformed and sanctified individually before we are holy in corporate fellowship.  General Shaw Clifton once put it this way in reference to Samuel Logan Brengle:  “His (SLB) constant emphasis was upon personal holiness.  Now we hear much today about institutional holiness but I cannot help thinking sometimes that this misses the point.  There can be no institutional holiness without your personal holiness and mine.  Only then can institutional holiness flow through an organization.” (Select Writings, Clifton. pg.181)

So what does this holiness for one look like?

Like Daniel of old, do we have a prayer closet?  A place where we daily kneel before our Lord and pray and fellowship with Him?  These moments of solitary fellowship are vital to our personal holiness.  Do we allow Him the first fruits of our time, our talent and our treasure?  Is He included in everything that we do or do we often leave Him at home with our devotions or bible by the night stand?  I believe Brother Lawrence had it right as well, and let me take his ideology one step further.  We practice the presence of God in every moment of every day…is it possible?  Yes.  Difficult?  Of course!  But transforming holiness in our personal lives ought to be moment by moment within our day and not just during our devotions in the morning or evening.  Our fellowship with God on a moment by moment basis draws us closer to Him and to His very will for our lives.

These are sacred things should not to be trifled with or taken lightly.  If we, as His people, are truly serious about living holy lives and embracing this theology of holiness then, as difficult as it is, we ought to practice living within His presence on a moment by moment basis.  This is a holiness for one!  We invite Him into our thoughts, every corner of them.   The Holy Spirit will bring conviction when areas yet to be surrendered are brought into His light.  He will also provide affirmation to us when we are growing and on the right path.

When this intimate setting for one is preserved in us and our lives are His, then and only then will can we begin to look at the corporate body of Christ through the lens of holiness.

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Surviving Diseases…and Ultimate Healing

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. -Jeremiah 17:14

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Recently in the news a girl was denied to be put on the adult lung donors list in Philadelphia.  Then the decision was overturned by the court system to put this girl afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis on that same adult lung donor list.  She went from having next to no hope to finally having some hope of getting new lungs as the disease ravages the lungs leaving them scarred and unusable.  This horrible disease is carried through family genetics and those children it appears in have a shortened life span.  But with new medicines and transplants the lives of those who it effects can be prolonged for many many years.

In recent days as this story unfolded the family celebrated the reversal of the initial decision.  Taking politics aside, the life of a child even with the high risk of surgery and rejection of the organs means everything for just more time to live and breathe.  Now today,  Sarah Murnaghan who is 10 years old will be getting new lungs.  Her name was on the list and it was called.  No one knows if this will be successful, I pray that it is, but as a parent of four children myself, I would want to know that my child is given every opportunity to survive an ordeal such as this!  Any parent would fight for their child in the same way as Sarah’s has!!

Spiritually speaking, everything in this life is a gift from God…even more time!  I don’t pretend to understand what her family is going through or the long painful journey that they have already been on, but I do know that we serve a God who cares and ultimate will heal us all.  Life, regardless of illness and disease is terminal.  I know what your thinking, that doesn’t sound very uplifting.  True.  But in the grand scheme of things we all know that some day we too will face that veil that separates us from life and death.

I have held the hand of dying people, I have been in the room of those who have breathed their last.  I have performed funerals for families and their dearly departed.  What I do know about this life is that we all long for more time.  We all want to linger with our lost family member for one last time.  What I also know is that life is so precious and it is a gift!  We ought to celebrate every moment that we are alive here on Earth, but also know that this physical life isn’t the end of it all!

I am excited for Sarah Murnaghan and her family.  I pray that she pulls through this impending surgery…illnesses and diseases of all kinds are horrible, let alone to those children who are afflicted by them.  I pray that she heals, and that she gets to enjoy breathing without pain once again!

Do you serve a God who heals?  I do.  Even if that healing becomes an ultimate one, I know that there is life beyond the grave!  What a celebration we will all have one day when we see family members who have gone on before us!  In the mean time, relish life…live it fully and celebrate it with a God who desperately wants to be apart of yours!

We have this one life, we have to decide what we’re going to do with it!  Don’t let it slip through your fingers and come to the end of your life and face regrets.  Celebrate, relish, and live!

Current news story:  http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/12/girl-dying-cystic-fibrosis-to-receive-lung-transplant-today/

Here are some links about Cystic Fibrosis and ways we can also help those children suffering from Cystic Fibrosis:

https://www.causeway.org/cause/view/end-cystic-fibrosis-this-decade-aka-cf-smackdown?gclid=CO3uysuj37cCFchDMgodQlEA9g

http://www.cff.org/

http://www.cff.org/aboutcf/faqs/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystic_fibrosis

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cystic-fibrosis/DS00287

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