Dear Salvation Army – The Pathway Of Duty Is Agony Sometimes!

It is not our Salvation that keeps us Holy. It is but a component of this saving grace. It isn’t our intellect that saves us either. It is the work of Christ and the continuing fellowship of the Holy Spirit within us. We are but instruments of His peace, His love and His encouragement.

Times of Trial And Wounding:
There will be times when we are accused, slandered and wounded while serving Christ. I am not saying that we look for the opportunities to be persecuted or wounded, but they will indeed come our way if we are living out kingdom priorities as kingdom people!

There will be some who will stand in our way.
There will be some who will betray us along the pathway of duty.
There will be some who will laugh when we face out trials and wounds.
Some, even unknowingly, are ambassadors of hell as they entertain and execute malicious attacks on those who are faithful.

I am not saying we are perfect by any means.
We are all faulty, we are all in need of a daily washing of God’s grace upon us. Yet, if we choose to walk this narrow path and are led by the Holy Spirit, we will face opposition, persecution and wounds along the way. It is inevitable.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

I’m sorry, what was that?
Pure Joy? In the midst of trials of many kind?
That doesn’t sound like a joyful or fun opportunity does it?

Yet pain comes to us.
Faith produces greater faith and reliance on God, but the side-effect in this “growth process” (for lack of a better term) is that we will experience discomfort, trials and hurt along the way.

No Pain, No Gain…
I’m not a glutton for punishment, really I’m not…but I do know that there is a desired outcome to this “faith” thing. We wish to be more like Christ is every way! Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as afragrant aroma” (NASB)

Becoming an imitator of God will take a journey through pain and suffering. Why? Because our fallen world won’t allow it to happen. Because our fallen, old sinful selves and habitual wanderings will trip us up. Because imitating God and becoming like His son Jesus will take immense sacrifice…sometimes more sacrifice than most of us realize at the beginning of the journey.

We will suffer at the hands of others.
We will suffer at the hands of ourselves at times.
We will experience discomfort and even pain at the lengths in with we are called to sacrifice!

Without pain we will not gain our freedom within His holiness!
It sounds sadistic doesn’t it?
It’s not. It simply is.

Your Path Right Now…
How is the pathway of duty right now for you?
Are you experiencing any discomfort along the way?
Is it because you have had to make sacrifices?
Is it because you are at times alone in your convictions?
Is it because you have faced (or you are currently facing) persecution and ridicule from others and felt the sting of it?

We are soldiers of Christ.
We have been set apart for His holy purpose!
We will find ruts in the road. We will find agony, bruised shins, and distressed hearts at times along this journey.

Do you need to come the well of refreshing again?
He is able to refresh and restore you!
He is able to replenish your spent reserves.
He can and will carry you when necessary.
He wants to encourage us today and to spur us onward even in the midst of persecution, suffering and the onslaught of those who would see us destroyed because of this faith.

Be bold.
Be strong.
For the Lord your God is with you today! (Joshua 1:9)

Carry on and know you are loved, encouraged, and supported by the Father himself!

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

October 15, 2014 2

Dear Salvation Army – Motivational Leadership Vs. Coercive Leadership

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -John Quincy Adams

A long time ago…I was in a meeting with a particular leader and a discussion about the usage of funding came up. It had been a cordial meeting to begin with as a group of us gathered in the meeting room with this leader. One particular person spoke up about the allocations of funds and voiced concerns that we had little knowledge of where or why our funds were being cut and siphoned from our local programs. Further voices also chimed in until this particular leader cut the conversation off by pounding his fists on the table and declared “enough, you will do what you’re told. This isn’t up for discussion anymore.” This was my first experience with coercive leadership…and I’m sure it won’t be my last. I mean no disrespect, but I have served under some very capable leaders who didn’t have to “pull rank” in order to get the message of their leadership across. They led through conviction, encouragement and decisive, yet compassionate grace…dare I say at times, this “gem” of leadership is quite rare in any organization…yet so desperately needed!

There is a time and a place for everything…or so Ecclesiastes says (and often misquoted). We must recognize that there are times when the authoritative style of leadership is necessary. We do operate within an organizational system modeled after the military after all. That being said, let’s look at two very specific styles of leadership that is often represented in our army still today.

Motivational Leadership Vs. Coercive Leadership

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” ― John C. Maxwell

Motivational Leadership:
When done correctly this style of leadership can be the most effective means of communicating mission and vision. Motivational leaders don’t have to go around declaring their authority and pulling rank. They are respected because they are right there in the trenches with those they lead. It takes real courage and energy to be a motivational leader. It is often the harder of the two because it can demand more of our effort and time. Leading in this manner, one engages in their subordinates by showing them the way to success through encouragement while still holding them accountable. There are still outcomes to be accomplished but striving for these outcomes becomes a team lead journey where all are important and often times the leader is in the back prodding their subordinates along through encouragement and praise…picture the “little train the could” as it declared “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can“. Only within the motivational leadership style it isn’t about leadership saying “I think I can” but rather “I know YOU can!”

Other elements of Motivational leaderships include – active participation along side those they lead, recognition and praise when missions and tasks are accomplished, and lastly (less used because of the prior elements) motivation through strictness (discipline). When all else fails, the last resort (not the first) is discipline and accountability. We should not begrudge this element of motivational leadership or even its existence. We all need prodding from time to time. When the other elements of this style of leadership is exhausted and there is no other recourse, this “last resort” must be employed.

When subordinates come to this outcome through one who is a motivational leaders, it can be hard to accept, though the respect of such a leader should motivate the subordinate to get back on track in the hopes of accomplishing the team effort and desired goal(s).

In comparison:
Coercive Leadership:
Coercive leadership is forceful, demanding and often times requires others to do that which the leader themselves would not do. This style of leadership may be more effective in the short term, but in the long term may cause dissension, bitterness, attrition of the “team”, and could ultimately result in loss of vision and mission.

The “iron fist” is much easier to employ. One leads with fear. It takes less time to lead in this manner. A coercive leader can simply declare “you will do what you’re told” but this isn’t motivational, rather it is leading through fear as the primer or surrogate for motivation. This style of leadership isn’t about positive reinforcement. Dare I say it isn’t about developing good leadership for the future either. It is about “having it your way” as a fast food chain has famously turned into a slogan.

What About Us, Dear Army?
What kind of leaders do we aspire to become in our ministries?
Perhaps this topic scratches the surface of some tender areas within us. We chafe at this. Perhaps we cough nervously and look to cast a blaming glance upon others…but it does come back to us too. Leadership requires soldiers and officers of all kinds. We guide the vessel, which is this army. We can implement change within our leadership. We can set the precedent and the need for change. We do not have to lead out of a coercive leadership model any longer. It might be the easy route but what is the trade off? The trade off is that we can and will lose people that we lead along the way.

Dear Army, in order to make more disciples…in order to make more soldiers and further equip future leaders in this army, we must become the kind of leaders that others aspire to emulate and become themselves. We must set the standard all the while motivating, encouraging and strengthening those we lead. Only then will we be able to look upon the generations coming after us and pass on the mantel of this great army of salvation!

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

October 14, 2014 0

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

The Right To Die…

Brittany Maynard is 29 and she has a terminal brain tumor.
She wants to die on November 1st. Her story can be found on most news sites today: Brittany Maynard Story

It is a sad situation. I cannot even begin to image someone so young facing the certainty of death at this point in life. My heart aches at this story.

Questions that I ponder today:
Is there dignity in death?
Are there times when doctor assisted euthanasia is appropriate?
How does faith fit into to all of this?
Can we reconcile our faith with a due date for death?

I have no answers for these ponderings today.
I mourn at Brittany’s difficult decision…but I honestly can’t see where her decision is wrong. Perhaps you might disagree with me, and that’s fine. I’ve been in the hospital rooms of the dying and the recently deceased. I’ve watched and witnessed what cancer can do to a body as it wastes away. There are fewer and fewer moments of clarity…fewer and fewer moments of “last words” while there is a lingering, painful death watch for the family to endure. Usually all that the doctors and nurses can do is make someone comfortable with pain medication and other such drugs. I can understand why Brittany doesn’t want her husband and family to go through that. I don’t think it’s selfish for her to consider this means to an end. I don’t believe in giving up hope. I do believe in miracles, but when in the face of death is there are right and wrong in the way one will meet the Father at the hands of knowledgeable doctors?

If faced with this similar decision, would I choose differently? I don’t know.
Would I want my family to suffer through the last stages of a horrific battle? Probably not. Would I want to end it before I’m too far gone? Probably.

Morality and Ethics:
I know what it means to assist with another person’s end of life decision. I understand the preservation and sanctity of human life. Yet in this case and cases like it I have to believe in a God of grace and understanding far beyond our own comprehension. There are no clear cut black and white answers here. I have to believe that life wasn’t supposed to be this way for anyone. We do live in a fallen world. We do live in a world wrought with incurable diseases and at times, hopeless situations. I am not arguing theology here, nor do I wish to debate the right or wrong of euthanasia or assisted suicide…I just wish to ponder the ins and outs of this specific sad, sad situation for Brittany.

I may not have any adequate answers for this equally complicated end of life situation, but I can tell you what kind of answers I do have. It makes me want to hold my kids and my wife a little closer. It makes me truly appreciate the time that I have on this earth a little more…and to not take it for granted. It brings the choices I make and how I treat others in this life (including my friends and family) that much more important.

My prayers go out to her, to her husband and her family. I cannot even begin to imagine what she is going through, but I do believe there is a God who loves her very much and longs to end her suffering with an eternal healing. My thoughts and prayers are with Brittany and the family today.

October 8, 2014 0

What If We Carried The Stretcher Of Others?

I’ve been thinking about a bible story recently. The about a paralyzed man (it doesn’t say how he became paralyzed) and how he is carried to Jesus by his friends. They get to the house where Jesus is supposed to be and discover the house party is standing room only. There is no way to haul some guy on a stretcher to Jesus in that crowded house…there’s no room.

I can almost imagine his friends who have carried him for a few village blocks. They breathe heavily, trying to tap some reserves of strength as sweat drips from their arms and faces. There is a purpose for this burden. There is a reason for this journey. They want their friend to be healed. Anyone else might have given up at this point. Anyone else might have said, “well we tried, I’m sorry but there’s just no other way.” Yet these friends don’t give up. These men find another way to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus – They tear a hole in someone else’s roof. Talk about persistence. Talk about determination.

It makes me wonder how persistent we are with our friends in need. There are times when we must carry the burdens of others. There are times when we must bring broken souls to Jesus only to discover the house is full. How far will we go to carry that stretcher? How far will we go so that others will find the healing that they need? We can be a healer in the ways that we serve and love those who are hurting. We can provide a means for others to find Jesus, but we may have to go out of our way to do so. We may have to exert a lot of energy and time. Are we willing? Are we available?

Carrying the stretcher for those in need isn’t about our glory…it never was. Carrying these burdens and sharing the load for those who have succumbed to life’s challenges is a purest example of love and self-sacrifice. Are we still willing to pick up that stretcher? Are we still available when it cuts into “me” time? Displaying authentic care and sacrifice will cost us something. Are we prepared for the consequences of authentic care and love? I hope our answer is “yes“, because if we talk about evangelism yet we not willing to step up and carry the stretcher then action speaks louder than our fickle, shallow words and promises.

Give of yourself. Carry the burdens of others. Walk beside them and encourage them. Don’t quit and walk away. Be willing to give sacrificially without any thought of personal gains or returns…after all, isn’t that what Christ did for us?

-Just something more to ponder today.

October 7, 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 – Friendly Fire!

“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” -Winston Churchill

The Apostle Paul had to confront Peter…it wasn’t pretty, yet necessary. Confrontations still occur in the Church (big C)…sometimes it’s necessary, sometimes it is personality conflicts, sometimes it’s just plain sinful.

Questions: How can we tell the difference? How do we know when we’ve been a victim of friendly fire and what can we do about it?

It’s the painful memory of getting stabbed in the back.

Thoughts like “I thought you were my friend“, “I guess I finally see your true colors“, and “how could you? How could I be so blind and dumb?” run through your head but it still doesn’t eliminate the hurt and ache of the heart. It could take years for that sort of pain to finally fade away. Friendly fire causes hurts that no enemy could ever inflict because friends are closer, friend should be trusted, friends should have your back…not stab it.

Call me a cynic, but I’m no longer as naive as I once was. Friendly fire happens, and it is most definitely not absent from the church, let alone this army. When it happens we run the possibility of losing trust, every last bit of remaining trust in others including fellow comrades in this fight.

To the offenders of “Friendly Fire” –

Before You Pull The Trigger
What will it benefit?
Who is your target?
Why?
Is it motivated because of pride, power, ambition, a need to be right?
Is it motivated by righteous indignation? Will it help or hinder the mission of Christ?
Is it necessary? What will the fall out be? Have you prayed about this? Is this really what God would have you do?

This isn’t Black and White…
There is no simple answer here.
We cannot chalk every instance of “friendly fire” up to someone being right and someone being wrong. Pride and even arrogance sometimes plays a part in these tragedies. Wrong motivations tainted with pride, arrogance and rage should be called what it truly is – SIN.

Let’s face it, friendly fire can be an amazingly effective tool used by the Father of Lies to divide and conquer God’s people. Far too many incidents of friendly fire have been executed with ill intentions towards another part of the body of Christ. Brothers and Sister in Christ, THIS CANNOT BE! We cannot allow ourselves to be taken in by such a sickness. We are all sinners saved by grace, there is no one, no not one (Rom 3:10) who is perfect or holier than another saint in this Army. We are all still in need of redeeming and of this unmerited grace. We must come to the well of holiness daily…even moment by moment. When we fall victim to friendly fire whether we are the perpetrator or the one being shot, we reflect more of the world than we do of Christ.

Righteous Firings?
Yes. These do and should happen from time to time. Spiritual discipline is both scriptural and necessary if done correctly. They must be conducted with every ounce of grace and love that is humanly possible. But remember this: we are in the salvation and restoration business not the firing squad of judgement and damnation.

Disagreements and Personal Difference Of Opinion?
Yes. We are uniquely created. We possess various opinions and view points. We all grew up in many different home life scenarios and our worldviews have been shaped by these experiences. We will not always see eye to eye with each other on a vast realm of topics from politics, sports teams, favorite books, genres of music, artists, even practical thoughts on what “worship” looks like. We are all different…yet we are all unified by one amazing source of hope, liberation and love – Christ Jesus. Will we disagree from time to time? Absolutely. We will probably attempt to avoid these disagreements. We will probably squabble about our view points and sometimes struggle with the need to always be right…yet…be mindful of our unifier. Be mindful of our foundational cornerstone. Be mindful of how unique and diverse this body of Christ truly is.

From the Word:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

“I (Paul) appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:13-14

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” 1 Peter 3:8

Warning:
Be careful dear fellow soldiers in this great army of Salvation. Love each other. Be the best representation of Christ to your fellow comrades in this fight as you can be! Reflect Christ not only in the corps halls but in your daily lives. Pray about certain things like pride and arrogance in your life. We all struggle with these emotions and temptations from time to time. Take care to lift each other’s burdens up before the Lord in prayer. Think first before you pull the trigger on any kind of harmful action upon a fellow soldier, officer or adherent. Don’t allow Satan a foothold in this fellowship. Don’t become divided because of selfish desires or ambitions grounded in this fallen world. Instead be a source of hope and love. Rise above any and all malicious intent or evil action. Take charge of your life first and be led by the Lord in both word and deed. Live above any influence that is contrary to the lives that we are called to live as children of God.

Avoid friendly fire…forgive those who shoot you. That seems impossible, yet we hold the power to display Christ or the power to display our old ways of living…it’s our choice to make.

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

October 3, 2014 1

Dear Salvation Army – Two Roads Diverged…

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;”
(Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken)

Do you know what an intersection is? It is a point at which two or more things intersect, especially roads…and in our case within The Salvation Army and every other Church, Movement, Organization – these “roads” of intersection represent one’s motivation for “signing up” or joining, our reason for remaining and our reason that we don the red trim and we call ourselves “Officers”.

I’m a picture kinda guy.
By that I mean I see things within snapshots or photographs. How things appear or ought to appear. If I can boil down the essence of something it can help me to process what I have seen and allow me to understand it. Are you a picture person too?

A colleague of mine posed this question to me and I thought I would ponder it, write it down, scatter its ashes around and piece the puzzle back together again…here goes.

The Question: “What are the intersections between being “employed” and being “deployed” in the context of a SA Officer?”

As I considered this question over and over again, it is assumed that there are multiple entry and exit points to such an intersection (e.g. “intersections”). Automatically I envisioned this picture of a four way intersection out in the country, a sapphire blue canvas sky, where all four roads diverged and then carried on their way out into the dusty, sunlit horizon.

I have written on a similar topic before – “Why I Quit Being Employed By The Salvation Army” but that was personal…to me this posed question is like a scientific dissection of sorts. We must take it slowly and layer by layer…again I’m thinking in pictures here.

To help us all understand and gain a clearer picture of this intersection of employment and deployment, we must take it picture by picture…and hopefully we can then decide what these intersections look like to us and where they lead.

The Intersection of Employment:
Within this pathway comes little by way of true passion for The Salvation Army and the mission. I will already assume someone will erroneously take this to mean that all “employment/employees” are the target of this dissection, but it is indeed not the case. I am speaking of primarily Officership of The Salvation Army and possibly potential future Officers.

Some would treat this “calling” as a place to gather a paycheck, a safe place to reside and bide their time until retirement or something better comes along. Others within the “employment” path would hinge all of their identities on their rank, their position, the power. Some who either consciously or subconsciously view their position within the Army as “employment” and attempt, at all cost, to climb the corporate/organizational ladder. When this ideological view point (either by intention, circumstance, or unintentional means) occurs the passion for one’s calling and the intention of fulfilling the Army’s mission and that of Christ’s great commission goes out the window. God forbid we find ourselves there, but if we do I pray that it becomes the crossroads to either realignment and course adjustment or an exit from the mission of The Army.

Do not misunderstand me here, I do not mean to say this is an easy fix nor can it be summed up simply with nice pretty pictures of a country intersection. It is certainly a complicated matter to discuss. Much should be done within one’s own personal time of soul-searching and a diligent prayer life. But…if we are simply employed by This army of salvation and we no longer possess the desire to serve the lost in Christ’s name, and our heart no longer belongs to its mission, then perhaps it is time to consider moving on. I do not say this lightly, but we cannot afford to become so top heavy with administrators while the well runs dry with salvation servants humbly willing to serve anywhere regardless of power, position and pride. (This is a gut punch to even my own ego and pride)

We ought to recognize that though we are an organization we are also a movement and a church (Cue the dissenters out there, sorry a continued discussion for another time). That being said, though structurally we possess the infrastructure of every other “top-down” organizational blueprint, we are an Army of Salvation hell bent of pull lost souls from the fires of hell and standing up for those without a voice. Therefore, all of Salvation Soldiers are called to serve and all are called to be holy and to possess within them a heart for Christ which extends outwardly towards others.

The Intersection of Deployment:
This is the seldom traveled route. I have long stood upon such a crossroads. I cannot conceal this or hide the fact that there have been times that I have taken a detour, driven for a mile or two on the route of employment…looked guiltily in the rear view mirror as dust plumes engulfed and temporarily obscured my view of the path that I knew I should have traveled a little while longer upon…

It should be noted that it is far easier to travel the employment route. It is far easier to sleep at night having put to bed the mission of the army, when lights have been extinguished in the tidy offices, and after the corp’s doors are locked and the parking lot has emptied. When we have compartmentalized what we do from 9 to 5 from who we are “off the clock”. This route paints a smoother road to travel on. To become “deployed” often takes us upon the rougher roads, with numerous potholes and disturbing setbacks. We face other people’s pains, heartaches and regrets. We come face to face with failure because we risk much and are willing to “go the extra mile” down this seemingly deserted road.

The path is littered with blown tires and wounded travelers. It resembles battle and war and often takes us to many a dark place where the lost are aimlessly wandering seeking guidance and direction.

Dear Salvation Army, this is the road less traveled because it is not easy, it is not desirable, it is not glamorous…and yet to journey upon it is to imitate how Jesus walked and lived. To be frank, it is saying “to hell with prestige, power, image, perceptions…and to hell with pursuits of selfish gains”, while saying “yes to humility, holiness, selflessness and Christ-like gains.” It is whispering a prayer chorus in our hearts “to be like Jesus this thought possesses me, in spirit and in deed, like Him I’ll be“; while reclaiming, from selfishness, that swampy quick-sand, getting our feet stuck kind of battle ground which is located in our minds and causing a spiritual paralysis and a stubbornness of will.

Questions for us to ask and answer within ourselves:
-Am I traveling upon the road of employment or deployment?
-Am I thriving upon the intersection of power, comfort, complacency?
-Why do I serve within this Army?
-Am I currently traveling upon the right road in my life, in my spiritual walk, in my Officership?
-Is it my life-long mission to be like Jesus and to serve and live for Him?
-How does this effect everything else I am and what I do?

I know there are other callings in life.
I recognize that The Salvation Army isn’t the only path to serve the Lord within.
I also understand that sometimes we will not always see eye to eye with policy and leadership…yet where does that leave us? Where are we going? Why do we do what we do as Officers…and even Soldiers?

“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
(Robert Frost)

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

October 1, 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

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

Category: Life