What if we are “doing” Church all wrong? Pt. 2

Yesterday I talked about three erroneous ways in which we go about “doing” church (Link: What if we are “doing” Church all wrong Pt.1) Somebody pointed out to me that we don’t really “do” church, instead we’re supposed to “be” church…He was absolutely correct. That being said, more than often church goers are rooted in the location that their church building resides. We are called to “be” His Bride.
We are called to “be” sons and daughters of the Most High.
We are called to “be” hold as He is holy.

The “Ceremony”
Yet, there are times when the things we “do” in church becomes our primary focus.
Don’t get me wrong, some of these acts of worship are important and can lead us into a deeper fellowship with other believers and more importantly with God…but what if our “being” gets overshadowed by our “doing”? What happens then? What I mean is this: What happens when the ceremony, and following the “proper” forms of worship (whatever that looks like from denomination to denomination) becomes more important that the true meaning behind all of those ceremonies and forms?

Could we just be “playing” church?
Do you remember when you were a kid?
We used to play Cowboys and Indians, or “Dress-up” or Doctor. It was a fun imaginary game. We would assume these roles and play the part, and it was fun.

Is that what we sometimes do in church?
Are we just going through the necessary motions that we think we should be going through?
Are we “playing” church? Sure, it’s fun from time to time, it’s like an acting gig in a drama. We know all the right things to say,we wear all the right outfits, we sing all the right songs, but are we missing the mark? Are we missing the real reason we gather in the first place?

News Flash: God doesn’t want our ceremonies and our acting gigs. He wants our hearts. He simply wants us to “Be” His and His alone! He doesn’t want to share us with anything else in this world. God is truly a jealous God seeking after our hearts and lives. Even distractions and ceremony can become our idols of worship if we are not careful. Churches could be “doing” church simply because that’s how it’s always been done (Tradition), and so they maintain those traditions which can lead to losing any and all original significance on the premise of “maintaining”. Other churches could be “doing” church simply because they strive to do worship drastically different than prior generations (Contemporary), and so they maintain that level of worship which can also lead to losing any and all original significance on the premise of “being different and more progressive”. There’s nothing wrong with forms of worship unless they begin to replace God.

One might think I’m taking this too far, but hear me out.
“Doing church” is less important that “being” the church. Sometimes we sacrifice significance and holiness in exchange for forms of worship and proper protocol. We can become so stiff in our regulations of worship and what we think worship should look like that we can eventually lose all meaning.

When I think of this danger, I am immediately drawn to two stories in scripture:
1) Cain and Able
2) The Pharisees in Jesus’ day.
Cain – didn’t offer God the best, he did go through the motions of his offering, but it didn’t mean anything to him. His offering was the left overs, lacking love – it was “doing” church. God wasn’t pleased with this ceremony of worship. God knew Cain’s heart. It’s like two lovers confessing their love for one another. After the first says “I love you”, the other says “Well I kinda like you”… that’s just not good enough. It’s surfaced. It’s not what God desires. It’s all or nothing.

The Pharisees/Hypocrites in Jesus’ Day: “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.…” (Matthew 6:5,6)

In other words, are our prayers (and even forms of worship) merely for the benefit of others? Are we acting our parts in church? Are we doing church all wrong?

The word ‘Hypocrite’ literally means “actor”.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a hypocrite.
I don’t want to be an actor in church, I want to be genuine in my faith.
I honestly do not want to go through any kind of motions just because that’s how we always do it.

Questions:
Are we merely acting in church?
Have we lost the meaning of what we do in our forms of worship?
Have we stopped ‘being’ holy so that we can ‘do’ church?
Are we more afraid of offending the formal pattern followers in church than we are in offending God in our offerings?
Are we seeking to please God or others?
Is this all that Church is about for us?
Soldiers: Are we more concerned in pleasing our officers, our founders in how we look and act than how we are in pleasing God in our genuine offerings?
Are there sacred cows that need to be finally put down and sacrificed to God?

If I’m honest, this article is all about me.
I’m the hypocrite…if you relate, perhaps we’re in the same boat.
Sometime’s I have been more interested in getting everything just right in worship than I have been about getting my heart right. Sometimes it’s much easier being the actor than it is to be real. -can you relate…I hope you can! (Please tell you can relate!)
I’m not criticizing, I’m just wondering how often we act the part in ‘doing’ church instead of ‘being’ His?
Again, more questions that answers.

Something more to ponder for us today.
To God be the glory!

January 9, 2015 4

Dear Salvation Army – 5 Things They Don’t Prepare You For In Officer’s Training

Let’s face it, not everything can be taught in a class room.
Would it shock you, dear soldier, to know that they can’t teach you everything you need to know about becoming an Officer while at training college? Probably not. But when the rubber does meet the road, and when an officer is finally commissioned and takes their first appointment, they will still have to learn A LOT! Somethings just can’t be taught without first experiencing them first hand.

Today I have listed only 5 things that they don’t prepare Officers for while at the college for Officer’s training.
It’s not that they didn’t want to teach these things, but as I’ve already said, somethings must be learned while on the field.
There are many more categories of experiences that Officers can’t learn while in training, these are just a few:

1. The Realities Of Non-Profit Finances
Budgeting class is still a far cry from ACTUALLY crunching the numbers in your community and ensuring you have enough funds to cover payroll, bills, and other incidentals that frequently pop up. Unlike the class room setting, in real life certain sections of this budget has human identities associated with the numbers you come up with. Become too conservative with a figure in the employees section of the budget could mean you have to eventually cut a person from your staff…that’s not fun at all!

Secondly, often you will find that there just isn’t a lot of money to work with.
You might be blessed to be sent to a community that supports your efforts and the finances are sound, but more than likely you will find that every dollar is difficult to raise and equally harder to hold onto. We all know it’s not strictly about the money is it? It’s about providing opportunities and resources for people that we can help. Without those quickly evaporating funds, you will find it a struggle to meet human needs in His name!

2. The Need For Personal Mentors And Encouragers
I remember many Cadets in my session who were about to be commission groan about the arduous lifestyle while at training college. How constricting it was. How they couldn’t wait to finally get out of there. I felt that way too sometimes, but in reality when we were finally sent out and appointed to specific locations, many quickly recognized how seemingly isolated appointments can truly be. Even in metro appointments, the work schedules do not allot for much connection time with other officers. A recently appointed officer can begin to feel alone and even abandoned. Our first appointment was five hours from our Divisional Headquarters. Sometimes that felt like a blessing, while other times it felt like it may as well have been 4000 miles away.

Officers need encouragers and mentors.
We cannot do this great work alone and without support. Find a pastoral association to belong to. Locate a pastor from a different denomination in your community to connect with. Seek out friendship. For those that are introverts this can be difficult to do (putting yourself out there) but it is necessary for your sanity and survival. The question often becomes “who shepherds the shepherd?” Certainly your divisional headquarters has a role to play in this, some are good at it and some not so much. Honestly most divisional officers that I know make a concerted effort but they are just as busy as you are.
News Flash: Don’t depend solely on your divisional staff to support you within the role of encouragers and mentors…it’s just not going to be immediate (most of the time). Seek out friends, other pastors, sometimes mature members of your corps can help too. You need this type of relationship to keep you going…trust me, it’s not necessarily spoken much of at training college but without it you will feel utterly alone, defeated, and potentially in your office drafting your resignation letter.

3. The Brokenness Of Humanity And Counseling That Brokenness
Some of the stories that we hear as officers behind closed doors in an attempt to counsel people are heart breaking. We all, more than likely, had a counseling class in training… but it fails in comparison to the time consuming sessions we will face in our officership. Sometimes there aren’t easy answers and quick fixes to a lifetime of problems and hurts that will enter your office. Sometimes all we can do is whisper prayers to the Lord for guidance in the midst of these horrifying tales of abuse, hurt and sadness. We truly do have an opportunity to impact the broken in our communities.

Don’t assume you’re Dr. Phil or Dr Oz or whoever…this isn’t some sort of tv show. These are lives. They matter. Be in earnest prayer for those that will walk into your office. Gird yourselves before these sessions take place…sometimes they are spontaneous and without that preparation of prayer you will be caught off guard. Be encouraged though, this is what you signed up to be and to do. Also be encouraged because the Great Physician will provide you direction and guidance. Lastly, where possible, have contacts for professional counselors in your area who can help. Refer some cases if you can, but that doesn’t mean you stop caring or don’t communicate with that person again. Remember they came to you…they trust you! That’s a heavy burden to carry and quite a responsibility too!

4. Love Over Knowledge
I was a gungho cadet, full of ideas and passion…that passion hasn’t left it’s only been re-tooled.
I remember, as many cadets do, walking across that platform to take that commission and appointment and thinking now everyone will finally see what I can do. Pride? Yes. Naive? You bet. But don’t lose that passion to serve and to save souls! Don’t back down from defeat and discouragements…they will happen. Difficult days will come.

Note to self: Stop trying to be “Super Officer!!!”

Here’s a clue for all you cadets still in training, and some of the best advice I’ve ever received from another officer and mentor: Beyond knowledge, love your corps members! Don’t look at this appointment as a stepping stone to a better appointment. Don’t overlook the needs of the few who come through your doors every Sunday and midweek. Love them. Cherish them. Show them Christ’s love. It will sometimes take great effort to show that kind of love. Sometimes you will become impatient and want to give up on some…but don’t. Don’t be led by all the head knowledge but have nothing in your heart for the ones you lead. It becomes obvious. People WILL know when you don’t love them. People WILL see beyond your grand schemes and plans and knowledge. Love first…and last.

5. Not Every Battle Will Be Victorious
“The world for God! The world for God!
I give my heart! I’ll do my part!
The world for God! The world for God!
I give my heart! I’ll do my part!” -Evangeline Booth

Not every battle will be victorious, dear soldier. Some battles will be lost. Some soldiers, some corps members, some recent converts will walk away. Some will reject the love we offer, but we must do our part regardless of the losses in battle along the way. If we are faithful and true to our First Love, we will overcome. It will be far easier for us to give up. It will be much, much easier to walk away. To also throw up our hands, retreat and never press forward again…but resist that temptation. In training we were surrounded by other cadets and officers who would spur us on. In the class room ideologies are shaped and formed. Ideas are born inside of us, but when we walk out to take appointments, we come face to face with battles we are far too ill-equipped to win on our own. We must rely on His power and might to not only sustain us but provide the victories in these un-winnable battles. When we exchange our power for His, all things become possible. When we exchange our feeble, temporal knowledge for His everlasting eternal knowledge – all things become possible. When we stop attempting to win the battle on our own and are driven to our knees in complete submission to Him – all things become possible…but it only happen when we die to self and become selfless like Him in every way.

Dear Cadets, Soldiers, Prospective Cadets (and even Officers) – You will NOT be fully prepared to go to those appointments. College for Officers training can never fully prepare you for all of the possibilities that the field will bring your way…but know this: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, The God of David goes with you. You are never alone. Lean on His direction. Seek Him out daily…even moment by moment. Be encouraged!

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

January 6, 2015 11

Light is never buried (A poem)

We said goodbye
to her dazzling smile
the glow of her light
dimmed, flickered and died.
We bid farewell
to her stunning song
the last refrain
the tears…
of pain.
We mourned for her
beneath a banyan tree
with arms dug deep
into the ground.
Our wetted eyes
the deep groanings
of our throats
we buried her
song, her love, her light
and yet she will shine
brightly forevermore
within us all.

December 23, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army, I Won’t Apologize To Sin…

Dear Soldier,
Let me clarify with a story…

A long time ago…

I had the distinct displeasure of confronting an issue in our corps.
It was unpleasant.
It was sad.
I was extremely disappointing.

Two people were carrying on with a relationship even though one of them was married (to another person).
The entire church knew about it.
I was even asked by a retired pastor if I was going to do something about the situation.
I wasn’t sure what to do at first. I’ve never been afraid of confrontation. I usually don’t back down from such situations, in fact I have to be careful…if I’m brutally honest. I had been praying about this issue. Praying for a simple, (less messy) solution…but none came. Finally I rounded the bend in our church hallway and caught them. Right then and there I confronted them. It wasn’t so much the scene of Jesus turning over tables in the temple, but it sure felt close to that in my heart. I felt (and still do) very sad about the situation. Here were two grown, mature adult Christians caught up in a sin and neither would admit to any wrong doing. We began to have an intense moment of fellowship, if you know what I mean. I was angry with them but at the same time very, very sad. They were obstinate and aggressive in their defense of their situation. Suddenly it became everyone else’ fault…I honestly wasn’t looking to play the blame game. I had not been praying for a direct confrontation like this, yet here it was. Confrontation is never comfortable or enjoyable, and if it ever becomes comfortable and enjoyable then something is very wrong. I hated it. I wanted to be somewhere else other than right there in that moment, and yet I couldn’t be. How could the church grow, continue to confess sin, fellowship in a healthy way and love one another with discipline and accountability when THIS elephant in the room was looming largely?

Sadly, circumstances were not recoverable…at least to my knowledge (I still hold out hope for reconciliation). Both decided to go elsewhere to church. I was even given an ultimatum – “apologize to us, or we won’t come back to church“…really? I’m sorry, but I won’t apologize to sin. I just can’t. I can’t compromise like that. Sin has a way of blinding us of our faults. Sin has a way of shifting the blame, making us less aware of wrong doing while rationalizing it away until it’s okay and it’s someone else’ problem.

I never once said that they had to leave the corps. They weren’t “kicked out”. Amidst the confrontation I was painfully aware of grace and love…but I (we, the corps council) expected more from them because they were a part of our corps family. Isn’t it like that with family? The level of expectations are always higher because “family” should know better, should act better.

Glass Houses…
I keep thinking about the woman caught in adultery in Jesus’ day…Pharisees and teachers of the law drag this woman to Jesus. Seriously, where was the guy who was caught as well?…doesn’t it take two to tango?..I digress.

These Pharisees want to trap Jesus while at the same time satisfying their blood thirsty need for “justice”. Jesus, confronted with this issue, stoops down and writes in the sand. Then after writing, doodling, naming the pharisees…I don’t know what He wrote, Jesus looks at the accusers and says “He who is without sin cast the first stone…” – They depart. The leave. They don’t linger. Something remarkable happens. I would call it a miracle. But the story isn’t over yet. Yes, the blood thirsty accusers are gone, but the guilty woman still stands there. Can you imagine the shame and embarrassment that she must have felt? The man she was with apparently does the walk of shame home without any other consequence, while she is caught, dragged, confronted in front of most of the town…how embarrassing and utterly horrifying!

Finally, Jesus stands up and looks around and then to her and says, almost sarcastically surprised, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” She says to Him, “No, Lord“…and then amazingly Jesus replies; “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:1-11)

No Judgement…but Don’t Apologize to Sin…
Let’s face it, we are all susceptible to sin. If we believe that we are impervious to sin, watch out and beware! I’m not trying to scare anyone here, it is just a reality. We still struggle with this fallen life. Temptation is all around us. How we deal with these temptation defines how deep our spiritual maturity in Christ goes. There is fine line in our walk with Christ in becoming a Pharisee and addressing real sin issues within the body of believers. If done correctly, spiritual discipline and correction can become a life line of saving grace to someone caught in sin. If done incorrectly, we throw adulterers, liars and cheats before Jesus while avoiding love, grace, compassion and understanding and/or facing our own hypocritical sinful selves.

The correct way desires to address spiritual issues, make one stronger in the faith, hold each other accountable for the purpose of building each other up in love, grace and compassion. The incorrect way only serves to empower the accuser, demand judgement, criticizing immorality while avoiding any accountability of ones own actions. We have to be careful how we conduct ourselves as accountability partners and leaders in our corps!

No…we can’t apologize to sin…but we can lovingly correct, share the burden of leadership with others. Pray for reconciliation, confession, and forgiveness. We were never meant to be judge, jury and executioners in our corps…but we must hold each other accountable and bring each other back from places of sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. We can’t ignore critical issues in our corps. We can’t pretend they don’t exist. We can’t bury our heads in the sand when elders, local officers and soldiers (even officers) trip and fall. If we have any love in us for Christ and for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, then we will fight tooth and nail to seek reconciliation and restoration…until that time, don’t stop praying intercessory prayer for each other!

Something more for our Army World to Ponder today.

December 2, 2014 4

Something to be thankful for? Let’s change that!

What if

is less about this

and
more about this –

what if we actually

LIVED

Like it?

What if this –

Became less important…

and this….

Became one of our priorities…

became, not something

“over there”…

but instead,
something right here….

Could we actually

this out loud?

could we actually

In this way?

I wish I could stop being so

But I keep seeing the way

that we treat one another

And I wonder
will it ever end?

But I hope it ends soon…

How about this….
Let’s –
-Not

Let’s stop the

And turn it into this….

Just something else to ponder.
Do YOU have something to be
Thankful for?

November 26, 2014 0

Life…emptying the ocean into a thimble…

I have this visual in my head.
It’s the image of me and the image of God…and they are so vastly different.
In this image, I am so very, very small.
I am barely a speck within this massive cosmic universe.

I am a thimble.

I cannot hold much.
What I can hold is quite limited.
What I can’t hold is very, very expansive.

It reminds me of a time when I stood on top of a large building in the city and looked down. Everyone was going about their day, unknowingly being watched from above. They looked so small from my vantage point. The cars and vehicles we plodding along and they almost looked like ants in a line. It never seemed to stop or slow down…it just…kept moving. The distant sounds of horns blaring and tires screeching could be heard, and it seemed suddenly quite silly.

Sometimes I wonder if this is how we look to God.
I wonder if He peers down at us…then again, where did we ever get this notion that He is looking down from somewhere? Could it be that He is right next to us…could it be that he is holding our thimbles in his hands? …(okay, now I’m silently humming “he’s got my thimble in his hands…”)

But in reality I wonder sometimes if we are so consumed in our lives with trying to cram every single thing into our tiny vessels.

We try to cram in success.
We try to cram in popularity.
We try to cram in things and money and cars and homes and happiness and love and acceptance and families and jobs and contentment and places and desires and dreams and politics and rights and wrongs and judgement and….you get it don’t you? That’s one long run-on sentence and yet, in a way, that’s what we’re doing to our lives.

Sometimes we do too much.
We pile our “stuff” too high.
We demand far more of ourselves than God does of us…

We think that doing “things” in some sort of right order is what honors God, and then pretty soon those things sometimes replace or unknowingly take the place of God because it all has to be in the right order and done in the right way and polished to a tee…and so we work really, really hard at something that should be about God but it becomes all about us…

And so….

I keep coming back to this image.

How many times am I attempting to pour the whole ocean into my thimble?

How many times am I attempting to do this insane, impossible thing?

How many times do I come away from this “work” feeling defeated and, in no way have I gone even a few inches from where I started?

News flash…
maybe we weren’t created to carry the entire ocean around in our thimbles.
Maybe that’s not how this whole thing works.

It’s like going to the beach.

My family and I went this past summer.
We live in the cold north and so going to the beach means traveling a long distance.
So we drove, and drove and drove…finally we got there only to have like three days to enjoy the beach…and so we soaked up the sun and the sounds and the sand for as much time as we could. We did all of the dumb touristy things. We collected shells and bought overpriced souvenirs and we attempted to take the beach back home with us by the bucket full and because it was also caked in the carpets of our van.

Question:
Do we attempt to fill our thimbles with the entire ocean because we feel it will suddenly disappear? Is this how we think about God?
I mean, if we don’t make this mad dash to overflow our thimbles with His infinite ocean do we fail at this holy life? Is that what being a Christian is all…about?

Are we like ants in a line as we go to church and carry our bibles and dress the part and look good “dressing the part”….

In a very real way have we lost the true meaning of what a “Christ-follower” is all about in this insane rat race of rituals and practices?

Are we attempting to empty the entire ocean into our thimbles when God doesn’t work that way? …and as we do these things are we becoming more and more frustrated, disillusioned and lost?

Matthew 10:10 says…
Can we just simply come to Him and experience life without trying to swallow it whole while pouring the entire ocean into these thimbles? Can we experience this abundant living by being content with what and who we are and what He is giving to us?

Jesus said that he had living water and if we drank from that water we would never be thirsty again…is that enough for us? Can we just sit by that well and realize that the ocean isn’t going anywhere?
Perhaps it’s time to stop the rat race.
Perhaps it’s time to stop attempting to fill our thimbles with the entirety of the ocean as we are never satisfied.

How’s your thimble?

Something more to ponder today.

November 12, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army, A Salute To Veterans Of The Spiritual War…

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Today many salute veterans who did not come back and those who simply endured the horrors of war. I do not wish to cheapen these remembrances today. It is not my intent either to draw any parallels…but there is a spiritual battle in this world still today that is ongoing. There are many who have fought the good fight and have been “Promoted To Glory”. I honor these dear soldiers today as well.

Some Salvation Soldiers have been sent to some very difficult places in our world to help share the love of Christ. Some of these salvation soldiers have given their lives for the cause of Christ. We honor you as well, you have fought this good fight.

We do not honor death.
We know that death holds no power over Christ and His followers.
We know that death has been defeated.
We know that true victory lies in Christ Jesus, the conqueror of sin and death.
We know that the dead in Christ shall arise…we are confident that no matter what evils that we may face, we know in whom we have believed and we can overcome through His name!

We honor life.
We honor the fallen who have gone on before us and have set an example for us to follow.
We honor the faithful who have exemplified holy living as their legacy and we have witnessed Christ through them.
We honor the martyrs who stood upon this faith despite the certainty of death.
We honor the lives of countless soldiers and friends who would stand in the gap for the poor, the hungry and the hurting.
We honor the doctors and nurses who have gone into villages and townships wrought with the AIDS epidemic and have cared for the sick and the orphaned.

Dear Soldier,
though today commemorates fallen soldiers and veterans of war, we too honor the soldiers of this army of salvation and that of the Christian world who have walked the path of selflessness and given up everything for the cause of Christ.

We do not celebrate death. We celebrate life, new life given to all of us through Christ. We celebrate the path blazed by the saints who have gone on before us. We celebrate as kingdom people declaring that kingdom to be here and now. We celebrate that we do not have to look forward to heaven “someday” but can help bring heaven to our world here and now.

I will fight on, dear soldier…will you?
I will fight to keep the banner of Christ held high through acts of love, grace, peace, hope, compassion, charity and reconciliation. I will fight to bring these qualities to those who have not heard or are unable to through their hardships of life. I long to fight along side you…if you will remain at my left and right. We cannot move forward into the fray without unity of this body. We cannot proceed onward without soldiers willingly equipped for the battles ahead.

Will you fight on?
Will you stay strong?
Will you stand firm?

Today we do not just remember…but we fight on!
Something more for our Army world to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

November 11, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army, Rituals And Sacramental Living

Our founders, William and Catherine Booth got away from the observances of Communion and Baptism…did they go too far?

I know that this blog has covered the sacraments in the past…I’m will not shy away from such conversations.

The question still remains, did our founders go too far in regards to the sacraments? I am not disagreeing with our doctrinal stances, I wish to ask the question. I also understand that they weren’t condemning anyone who participates in communion or baptism, but has it become something of an elephant in the room?

RITUALS
One could argue that anything could become ritualistic and routine within worship practice. Thus, if our only argument against communion or baptism to be “ritualistic” in practice then perhaps we could look at certain practices we in the Army already participate in.

Can sacred moments in worship become routine and ritualistic? Yes. Have they become so in our services? Yes, at times.

A SEARCH FOR SIGNIFICANCE
If anything that we do within the practice of worship becomes something that it was never intended to be, should we cast it out? Or, should we bring it back into alignment? Whatever “it” may be?

When we have our altar calls and the Mercy Seat is open, do we make it less significant if it is over emphasized…every.single.Sunday? I do not wish to diminish its importance in worship, but has it, at times, become our surrogate “go to” for the sacramental life? Is the Mercy Seat and the “sacramental life” one in the same, or mutually exclusive? Are there other representations or manifestations of the sacred that we over look and/or ignore in the process?

Please do not misunderstand me, I do not wish to downgrade the importance of the Mercy Seat, but is there a danger of IT becoming ritualistic and thereby causing its loss of significance? Isn’t that partially why our founders moved away from the Sacraments in the first place?

“Outward Expressions of the Inward Change”
I believe that all of the external representations of holy or sacramental living are NOT as important as the inward relationship. This should not, however, eliminate the outward practices. It’s like a love relationship with a would be spouse or soul mate. You want the world to know that you are in love with that person and you want that person to know it too. So we express our love in many ways. We put our love on display for all the world to see. This is what the sacred should look like! It isn’t about appearances, or a statistic for Holiness meeting. It isn’t about anyone else but our relationship with the Lord in a corporate setting.

How are our outward expressions today, dear Soldier? Are they bound up in appearances and/or ritual practice? Have they lost some of its true meaning? Are we running the risk of having these become more about practice than about significance within our hearts?

Anything can become rituals devoid of meaning and significance if we allow them to develop as such. What kind of fruit are we producing from our spiritual walk with God? Can we be honest with ourselves as we reevaluate our priorities, our practices, the outward expressions of our inward change?

If we are called to be set apart and to live out holiness in our lives, how can we avoid the ritual, the mundane, the loss of spiritual emphasis?

These questions are worth pondering today in our Army world.
More to come…
To God Be The Glory!

November 10, 2014 9

Dear Salvation Army, Is Your Mercy Seat Broken?

Recently in our corps something happened.
No, it wasn’t another rousing chorus of “O Boundless Salvation”. It wasn’t another meal around the table, although those are rather nice.
Instead, there in the sanctuary of our corps, in the place where lives are changed and hearts transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, in that very room…something was damaged – The Mercy Seat.

It happened because some corps kids were playing through out the building…scratch that. It happened because not “some” kids, but MY kids happened to be playing in the corps building (Why is it always the Officer’s Kids? Really??). They ended up in the sanctuary. Perhaps the lure of the microphones and musical instruments were too much. Regardless of how they ended up there, they were there. In the process of scaling the mercy seat, my eldest’s foot got caught on the lip of the seat and tripped. As he tripped, the mercy seat came with him. He tipped it over completely, and with it the top was pried off.

Upon inspection of the mercy seat, I quickly realized that it was not going to go back together without a little help from a hammer and some new nails. Currently, repairs are underway.

It’s a Metaphor…
It dawned on me last night while laying in bed, and it all began with a broken mercy seat. Perhaps in our corps we have lost what the mercy seat used to represent. Perhaps, it is broken today and in need of repairs.

Question: Is your mercy seat broken?
I don’t mean physically, but emotionally, tangibly, spiritually, is it still intact?
Does your corps still call people to penitence, repentance and reconciliation?
Or have we gotten away from holding each other accountable for fear of offending others? I don’t mean “accountability” in the sense of judgmental attitudes and condescending “I’m better than you” behavior, I mean is that standard and call to the mercy seat still available to all who would seek it? Is there an invitation to it?

My Fear:
I fear that we as an Army have gotten away from it in some places. If your corps still introduces people to Christ through the mercy seat, I applaud you. The mercy seat in and of itself isn’t magical. It isn’t really even about how nice it looks or how old it might be in your building. What matters is the emphasis of repentance, reconciliation, and holiness. The mercy seat could represent more than just that piece of furniture in our chapels…but do we emphasize it anymore? There are times when I wonder if, in the next ten years, will it still be a part of our Army’s identity? Will we have discarded it as some ancient Army relic of times gone by?

Is your Mercy Seat Broken?
Perhaps it has gathered dust from lack of use.
Perhaps it needs some revitalization and fixing today.
Perhaps, in order to revive this Army, we ought to seek it out…but more importantly we ought to seek out the power behind our faith.

I believe the Holy Spirit isn’t finished with us yet.
I believe that He longs for us to linger upon that mercy seat as we reconcile ourselves to Him once more.
I believe that in order for us to possibly regain our passion and fire for the world, we have to go back to it and start once more upon our knees.

I fear that if we do not repair these broken mercy seats, our Army will soon follow that same fate as well.

-Something more for our Army world to ponder today.
To God be The Glory!

(Cover image: Mercy Seat at Exeter Temple, UK)

November 6, 2014 32

The Right To Live And To Die: Brittany Maynard

Brittany has died.

It is not my intention to glamorize anything about death or the choice to die.
Life is worth living…
but what happens when the life you have is cut short by a terminal illness?
What then? I have a very hard time justifying suicide for anyone…but can we find fault in the search for dignity in death?

I look at the story of Brittany Maynard and her very difficult choice and I am saddened. No one should ever have to face the knowledge that they have an incurable, terminal illness. No one should ever have to face the knowledge that they only have months, even weeks to live. Yet millions do each day. Lives irrevocably changed. It boggles the mind.

Brittany Maynard chose to die while she still had the human faculties to remember her husband. She chose to die while she still had the capacity to speak. She chose to die while she still had the capacity to say goodbye. Did you catch that, SHE chose. I know I might receive a lot of heat from this, but I find it hard to equate her choice here to suicide when her life was utter agony and would soon end terminally anyway. I find it hard to see this kind of suffering continue. I don’t advocate suicide in any manner and even in this context it can become a very slippery slope in determining who and why one would choose this.

Yet…I mourn today.
I mourn for Brittany’s husband. I mourn for her family. This isn’t some sort of glamorized Hollywood movie, this is life…and death. This is visceral.

I believe in a mighty God whose capacity for grace and mercy far exceeds my own understanding of it. I believe in His ultimate healing for all afflicted lives and those who seek Him. Of these things I cling to, for He holds the keys to life and death. There is one thing that I do know, I am not the ultimate judge, God is and no one else can or should step into that role. Despite our comprehension of right or wrong and our understanding of even life and death, I don’t think that we truly know the answers beyond the veil on this side of heaven. What we can do, however, is to live our lives in such a way that others see Christ in us regardless of the circumstances that we face. Does living for Christ provide us answers to these troubling questions? Yes, Someday, but until then let’s be the best representation of God’s grace in a world that desperately needs that hope and Grace. -Just a thought.

Brittany Maynard Story

More to ponder…

November 3, 2014 0

Tag: Life