Perspectives Day # 4 Featuring Captain Marianneke (Anney) Summerifeld “Family”

Family. This one word evokes a particular meaning to the reader, doesn’t it? Something specific. Something defined. Something wholesome, perhaps? A television show is “family oriented” or an activity is “family friendly.” What does it mean to you? The lines surrounding the definition are not rigid, and they are becoming increasingly fluid. A traditional, nuclear, family is not what we once pictured it as. Roles are changing rapidly around us, and if we, as ministers of the Gospel, are to preach the love of Jesus without discrimination, what does that mean and how does that look?

Sure, we are all know that “society is different” and “times they are a-changin’!” – but when things affect you personally, you become all-too aware of where there are lags in our ministry and motivation.

I love my family. I am daddy’s girl, I look up to my mom, and my siblings have morphed into dear friends. Growing up, we were the picture of ‘traditional.’ Everything normal, everything happy. In recent years and months, and even as I type, I am suddenly confronted with the idea that normal is changing, and happiness isn’t the be all and end all. What is? Love. Love for God and love for others. Love for our family, however that might look.

Ten years ago (even five, really), I wouldn’t have been able to define “polyamorous triad,” and if I did know what it meant, I would have never expected it to be a part of my lexicon, not to mention my family story. Never would mentions of divorce and infidelity ever come into mind as being in the realm of possibility. But you know what? Life happens. People change, people grow; and as they grow and change so does our understanding. I cannot stop loving my loved ones. I continue to strive to love as Jesus loves, despite bumps along the way. How can I not? As an officer, an ordained minister, it’s my calling to share in Jesus’ love. I have no room to judge or condemn. Until you experience something yourself, you never know how you will react.

All of that isn’t to say, “hey look at my family, aren’t we a bunch of kooks!,” rather, it is to show that even circumstances thought to be so static and just right “as is” do change and while they change I cannot sit by on the sidelines wondering what to do and letting life pass by. Should I change with it?

Yes. And no.

As I write this, I am supposed to be writing my sermon for Mother’s Day. I was finding verses on being Children of God and what it means to be in His family. 1 John 3:1 reads, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” Later in 1 John, we read, “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands” (1 John 5:2). And what are God’s commands? Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[^a^] ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

I’m pretty sure changing the Greatest Commandment isn’t a good idea. Likewise, I shouldn’t seek to change the Gospel just because it might not gel with someone else’s belief system. But I CAN change my approach. I can change the borders of my understanding as the borders of family continue to change. This won’t be easy. Some might see loving others as endorsement or acceptance of lifestyles contrary to what we see as the Biblical standard. No one is saying we need to water down the message, and loving others doesn’t compromise our own beliefs and doctrine. We need to look head on at the world around us, literally right beside us. The growing definition of what family means WILL affect you and your ministry if it hasn’t already. So the question is: what are we going to do about?

Tell you what, let’s start with love. I can’t tell you HOW to love and how your ministry to your immediate family, your family of origin, your adopted family, your corps family…(you get the idea) is going to look and how it will work. Most likely, steps made today will have to change sometime in the future. This is fluid. Don’t be scared, rather, see this as a challenge – the good kind. A challenge of loving God and carrying out His commands as best we can. We will make mistakes, I know I have. Ah, but remember, if we are jumping headfirst into love and loving others, this also means we are jumping headfirst into forgiveness and grace. Take my hand; let’s dive together!

(Captain Marianneke (Anney) Summerifeld is the Corps Officer of the Burbank Corps in California.)

March 5, 2015 1

“Holistic Hospitality” by Captain Andy Miller III – Book Review

Are you a proponent for The Salvation Army getting back to its roots? So am I!
There are countless “how to” books out there that offer scholarly advice, some are good, some not so good…some are just pie in the sky theories that have seldom been put into practice.

The Book: “Holistic Hospitality” by Andy Miller III isn’t just another book that offers scholarly advice with pie in the sky theories. This is a practical book that provides all of us a clear blueprint that will not only help us to reignite our hearts but our focus on people and real life ministry. One of the misnomers that Captain Andy Miller III tackles in this book is the notion that ministry only takes place in the corps sanctuary, or “that we must separate Army’s ministries into “social” and “spiritual””. (p. 30)

As soldiers and officers we have often seen this dividing line in ministry, and it can be a challenge to bridge the two together. Sometimes we see Sunday as our primary focus but become less involved in the other “social” aspects of day to day “Salvation Army” work. In this book, Captain Miller provides us with a practical view and a clear walk through of his own team led project of introducing the notion of hospitality into everything we do. Hospitality is so much more than something that is done at home where you serve guests. Hospitality ushers people into deeper relationship with each other and with Christ. We can practice hospitality in EVERYTHING that we do as we point to Christ while serving others!

I won’t spoil the book for you and lay out the entire project on this review.
Instead I recommend you pick up a copy of Captain Miller’s Book “Holistic Hospitality – A Bridge To A Future Army” and read it for yourself. Be encouraged, be inspired, as we strive to lead our Army onward into the future!

This book can be purchased at your Territorial Trade Department or online at Amazon.com: Linked here:
Holistic Hospitality

Something more to ponder today!

February 13, 2015 2

Dear Salvation Army, I Wish I Had Known…

Regret.
Contrition.
Self-reproach.

Emotions that run deep beneath us.
Some propel us for the good.
Some dispel any and all forward progress we may have made.

You can’t live within your regrets.
You can’t burrow down beneath them and become spiritually disabled by them.
You can’t beat yourself up all of the time.

I believe that the Apostle Paul faced this type of self-reproach in his life too.
Having to say to yourself “I wish I had known”, might become a mantra of torture and pain.
Having to repeat these mistakes…let’s call them for what they might be – M-I-S-T-A-K-E-S…
I’m not trying to get you off the hook here.
I’m not trying to justify our prior actions here.
But what I am saying is this:

If you can’t learn to do this,
especially when we have received forgiveness
from God, then you will never be able to move forward
you will never be able to progress in this spiritual walk.
you will always be looking behind yourself
you will always be punishing yourself for
THOSE MISTAKES…

Paul reminds us of this truth.
He reminds us (and perhaps himself)
He warns us of uttering that phrase about our forgiven
past that still screams at us and
tries to convince us that we don’t deserve God’s grace…
that same past that shouts at us and tells us that
we are beyond reach of mercy and that we totally deserve
punishment for these awful mistakes.

Paul says to these “I wish I had knowns”
and he says to us:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Did you catch that?
Do you see the truth?
Can you understand that we’re all in the same boat here?
Our pasts and all of the mistakes we have made:
-Can propel us forward.
-Can be used for our betterment
–~~Can be~~ Are wiped clean.
-They don’t matter any more and they don’t live in our present.

Dear Soldier,
stop fighting a war with shadows of your past!
Stop waging a battle with ghosts that no longer exist.
Stop looking backward and the “I wish I had knowns”…they have been forgiven…you have been set free from them!

Don’t be defined by your past.
Don’t be defined by your mistakes.
Don’t give it a foothold in your present life…in your new life.

The father of lies would love for you to become crippled in your faith.
The great deceiver would try and convince you that you are of no worth and that your past is still very much present in your new life, and that little has changed.

I beg to differ.
Christ has set YOU FREE!
He didn’t do it partially.
He didn’t free you from the bondage of sin improperly.
He didn’t make a mistake with your free gift of Salvation.
You are free indeed!
You are a new creation.
You are forgiven.
You are save to save others through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit!
You are loved.
You are accepted though some will never accept you.
You are fit to be called a child of God!

So how about this, dear Soldier…

Stop the madness.
Stop the war inside your mind.
Stop hurting yourself spiritually.
Stop dwelling on the “I wish I had knowns”
Stop looking back at your old life and living there through regret.
Stop lingering on the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s in life and move onto the promises of God here and now in the present.

Live as kingdom people now!
You are fit to serve!
You are fit to wear your uniform!
You are fit to be called sons and daughters of the Most High!

So a last bit of advice to you today:

Something more for our Army world to ponder today!

December 16, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army, The Walking Dead…

Are you disillusioned?
Are you worn out?
Have you found yourself hanging by a thread at the end of your rope?

Are you the walking dead?
I’m not talking about a television show about Zombies…I’m talking about real life…real people…real issues…real hurts…real burdens…real walking dead.

There are moments when we are not able to provide the salve of healing for others because we ourselves are in need of healing.

There are moments when we need the saving instead of us donning our uniforms and reaching out to save others.

There are moments when we must go back to the well of refreshing and allow the Holy Spirit to replenish our dry and empty reserves.

Are you there today?
Are you the walking dead?
Are you in need of that well?
Are you in need of that salve for a burdened, hurting heart?

Don’t feel guilty…this isn’t selfish…this is necessary for you to carry on.
We cannot be self-sufficient apart from Him.
We cannot rely on our own sources of strength and power to carry us through the pathways of ministry that we are called to. We need help. We need to recharge. We need to recognize that we were never meant to become super soldier in this Army of Salvation. We were called to be faithful…and in this faithfulness we must rely on His strength and His direction.

Is this easy? No!
Do we constantly want to go our own direction, take the reins back, fight tooth and nail on the pathway He has led us? Yes!

Dear Salvation Army Soldier,
If you are the walking dead today…be resurrected! The Almighty can restore your life and give you hope in the midst of even the most hopeless of situations. Do we trust Him with everything?

If you feel all alone on your pathway in ministry…be assured you are not alone!
His holy presence longs to fellowship with you every mile of the path. He desires your fellowship and your conversations…even the most mundane. We come from all walks of life and yet we are bound together by this cause which is to meet human needs in His name and to live and desire Christ’s likeness in our lives.

Dear Soldier,
If you are the walking dead today be encouraged! You can be restored, reconciled to Him and your strength renewed! I do not know the struggles that you are facing right now but rest assured the Lord does. That may sound like a simple answer but it is no less the truth! He can bring you back to life. He can restore your ministry when you feel that it has flat-lined. He can rescue your passion and sense of purpose once again. Walk close to the Savior. Seek Him out. Be prepared to move from a place of death and barrenness to a place of fertile fields and rushing waters of rejuvenation of ministry, love, compassion and joy.

Be encouraged dear walking dead, our lives will be restored if we seek His face and run to Him!

Just something more for our Army world to ponder today!

October 24, 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

Encouragement For A Soldier’s Heart…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Mama said there’ll be days like this
There’ll be days like this mama said” -(by Luther Dixon & Willie Denson)

Are you having one of THOSE days?

Our Troubles…
Our frustrations and troubles within this world look vastly different from the early church and that of Jesus’ disciples. Yet, this verse is for you and for me today. All too often we engage souls in these ministries that we are responsible for. All too often we hear other people’s problems and they become ours. It becomes a shared burden. We provide care, support and guidance to many within our flock. We feel the burden of these cares, and sometimes they weigh heavy on us.

Other times our troubles come by way of our calling. Sometimes the ministries we have been called to or placed in suddenly become a “dry and thirsty land” with very little by way of encouragement, support and hope. Sometimes instead of a passionate, flowing river of a numerically “successful” ministry we face a slim trickle of moderate or rare numeric success which makes us ponder the questions: “am I cut out for this?” and “what have I done wrong?“…and we face discouragement, disillusionment and even depression.

Still, on other occasions these troubles come by way of outward pressures in our communities or individualistic persecutions. Perhaps we face false teachers, or we must confront immorality within our church and when we do, we’re blasted as “judgmental” and shouted at with curses and graceless comments such as “how dare you, what gives you the right?” We question if we should have just let sleeping dogs lie but in our hearts we know it was the right thing to do and we did so with grace and love. Still…troubles from without and from within have left us wounded and discouraged.

About That Peace?…
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples after telling them of not only His pending death but also of their pending troubles in the world…but there was hope. There is always hope in the Father. There is always hope in the Son. There is always hope in the Holy Spirit who guides us on this path. Have you ever heard the phrase “keep the main thing the main thing?” It alludes to the need for keeping the principle of our mission at the forefront of our minds.

Our Principle: The message of Christ (Messiah), the message of the cross, the message of salvation, of resurrection, of hope, of reconciliation, of love, and victory over sin and death.

When we keep “the main thing the main thing”, we realign ourselves with God and turn away from the problems of this world. Not that the problems of this world aren’t important, but rather, The Author of life itself takes His proper place in our priorities. From this place of understanding we then can look around our world and truly see how things are and how they could be. This is when we begin to see the world through the eyes of Christ because we are striving to live for Him alone. This is holiness. This is surrendering ourselves at the foot of the cross and then picking up our own crosses to follow Him.

Peace? What Peace?
Carrying our crosses and following Him (Matthew 16:24) doesn’t sound “peaceful” does it? Pain still exists. Hurtful accusations, slander and suffering will still occur. How could THIS be peaceful? One might ask. Perhaps “peace” means something differently than what we initially thought it to mean. It is certainly not the absence of conflict in our lives; for there is still conflict. It is not the absence of adversity, discouragement or suffering either; for we still encounter these on our path as well. Then what is this peace that Christ provides to us if it is not the absence of conflict? It is an eternal peace. A peace that transcends this temporal, mortal existence. It is a peace that alleviates the burdens of our former self as we embrace the image of Christ. It is a peace that resides in our lives because His Holy presence brings us assurance and hope. It is a peace that still passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) yet conveys to us that we are not alone and we will overcome because He has overcome.

Dear Soldier…
Are you in need of that peace today in your life?
Are you facing discouragement, hopelessness and pain? You aren’t alone. You do not have to carry this burden by yourself. There is One who can provide you with this peace. Perhaps there is some realignment that must be done in your heart today. Perhaps we must go before the Father again with a penitent heart. Perhaps it is a simple yet constant prayer of “Lord use me and allow me to see evidence of You in my life.”

Be encouraged today! We are not alone. We are not abandoned. We are overcomers because Christ has overcome the world. Allow this peace to evident in your life today!

Something more to ponder today. To God be the Glory!

October 6, 2014 0

Dear Salvation Army – Identifying Critical Needs (Disccusion & Feedback)

Pretend for a moment that you have a voice in This Army…because YOU do!
Pretend for a moment that regardless of resources we can tackle these critical needs in your ministries.
Pretend for a moment that we serve a God who can perform miracles both big and small…oh wait HE DOES!!

Why pretend?
Live it!

So today I wanted to ask a relevant question for all of you out there in this mighty Army…what are your critical needs? What are the troubled areas of your local ministry? We should take a hard look at trouble areas within our local army. This may hurt, but it is worth it!

Secondly, what do you see as a critical issue(s) currently in our global Army?
What struggles do you see that perhaps we’re ignoring or placing a bandaid on? How can we pull infection out from their roots? How can we remove the barriers from our forward march?

I believe in a global army, bu

But a global army can’t exist without the local army serving and reaching people for Christ! We can’t hobble into the next decade. We can’t limp on unless we heal tender, critical areas.

Questions:
What are these critical areas?
How can we identity problematic barriers?

We can not pretend they do not exist or that they will simply go away.

In the “comment” or “response” section below I want to hear from you today! I would like to hear about two things:
1. What are your local critical issues and needs?
2. What are your local blessings? (in other words, “What is God doing in your community?”)

Let’s ponder this together today!

September 10, 2014 1

Personalizing Homelessness

Can we identify with those who live on the streets? I don’t mean hopeless conversations and pre-judgement calls such as “Well, they’re drunks and if I give them money they will just spent it on more booze…” That isn’t identifying with homelessness, that’s passing judgement on them. Yes, something needs to be done, but casting blame, brow beating and ugly talk will not restore lives.

Just this past week, London’s Mayor Boris Johnson called for the removal of the “ugly, stupid anti-homeless spikes” in a modern upscale neighborhood after many took to social media sites to decry this horrific practice and homeless deterrent. (source: http://rt.com/news/164952-anti-homeless-spikes-remove/)

Although we can see this as a success in “spreading the word”, we shouldn’t just stop here to rest on our laurels, much work still remains to be done.

Personalizing Homelessness – breaking the prejudgements:

Some have argued that these protests against anti-homeless constructions infringe on the rights of the landowners or landlords. Understandably, this is a concern. Certainly those who are good stewards of their property wish to maintain a safe and aesthetically pleasing environment for their tenants, but at what cost?

How are we to care for others while taking care of the properties around us? This is a troubling issue, and both sides of this argument require consideration. Yet many times the campaign of driving homelessness from the streets of our cities is something done quietly. Why would it be done quietly? Some may wonder. The reason is because of fear of public repercussions. There are times when law enforcement officials are encouraged to drive homeless individuals to locations outside of town and drop them off. When this type of practice happens we begin to dehumanize people. What is the value of a life today? Even if that life is smelly, dirty and unhealthy, that person is still human.

Making it personal:

What if that person on the street is your brother or sister? What if that homeless person is a son or daughter? Wouldn’t you want others to treat them fairly? Would you want someone to help them? There are many root causes of homelessness, drugs and alcohol are usually the first things we assume brought them to homelessness, but mental abuse and disabilities are also contributors. These are the least of these in our communities. These are people without voices. What if we made homelessness personal. What if we humanized these poor wretches for a moment. I don’t use that term to make them seem “under” me by any means, but how much of a difference does it make to see them as equals to us? Sure they may be without homes, incomes and families, but are they not still loved by an Almighty God who knows their names and loves them the same as He loves us?

The difference between apathy and mercy:

There’s a vast difference between these two words. One speaks of indifference to others while the other speaks of compassion and love. One is uncaring while the other cares. Which are we? Do we see people living on the streets…actually see them? Is there something that WE can do? I certainly don’t propose that we go and put ourselves in danger…but there is something we can do to avoid apathy in these situations. Care. Find places like The Salvation Army who can go in uniform with many hands to help clothe, feed and show love. Become involved, volunteer in church groups who minister through soup kitchens and other feeding programs. One such program is The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread club – http://www.usc.salvationarmy.org/usc/www_usc_detroithl.nsf/vw-text-index/9b2226ecdc63d0518025717f007045c7?opendocument

http://salvationarmynorth.org/community-pages/bed-and-bread-club/

Contribute to authentic ministries and missions who actually go and help those living on the streets. Make homelessness personal. Each person who sleeps out there under bridges and in the nooks of buildings are still people. Some of these homeless individuals have family members still looking for them. We can either construct crude spikes on a street or park bench and drive them from our sight, or we can lend a helping hand without prejudging their motives or intentions.

Homelessness should be personal to us. We should care about others, and if we can help…we should.

-Just another thought to ponder.

Prayer: Lord help me to see others the way that You seen them. Help me to be an instrument of Your peace. Remove my prejudgments and prejudices. Grant me wisdom and love, fill me with Your mercy, and may my hands become Yours. -Amen.

June 12, 2014 0

The Salvation Army – Women in Ministry…are we as Progressive as we think?

Please don’t misunderstand my question. I don’t mean to incite a riot or start a fight. It’s a genuine question that continually needs to be re-examined.

If the question was – “Is The Salvation Army more progressive than most churches?” The obvious answer would be “YES”. Absolutely we are progressing more rapidly than most churches, but we aren’t most churches are we? Our mission is slightly different than most churches. We adhere to communities of lost, need, poor, broken and we will use any and all available personnel in the trenches. We are certainly progressive in the utilization of women in ministry.

But…

if the question asked – “Is The Salvation Army as progressive as we can be?” I would have to say “no”.
Certainly we are absolutely heading in the right direction. Certainly we have made great strides in the egalitarian department (wait we don’t have that department yet at THQ?…sorry I couldn’t help myself).

But…

When it comes to leadership and the selection of leaders how progressive are we then?

One can make the argument that our last General was a Woman – and I couldn’t argue with that. One can also make the argument that more female leaders are being appointed to key leadership roles. However, there are still appointments that occur that make me scratch my head. Don’t take this the wrong way but sometimes gifts are seen in one of the married couple but the other partner in the marriage is appointed to some odd appointment or a place that they lack any gifting.

Perhaps it’s not always inequality in the sexes, perhaps its because of specific giftings that are seen in one of the married couples…let me just be frank here – not every female officer wants to be appointed to the women’s ministries department, or the community cares department or another department that didn’t exist until recently. As I say this it should also be noted that the same can be said of male officers who are appointed because of the giftings of their spouse. We as an Army are getting better at this but we still have quite a ways to go as well.

Breaking Old Molds

Old excuse: “This is the way we’ve always done it“
This excuse isn’t exclusive to corps deeply entrenched in traditions but is also evident in certain leadership models. Others would say it another way – “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”…but sometimes what that means is if it appears nothing is broken…sometimes we don’t see the fractures that have appeared over maintaining the “status quo”. Sometimes we gloss over these cracks with fresh enamel of “Salute and go”.

Officers are still people!
They have hurts, aspirations, ideas, gifts and abilities. Sometimes these gifts and abilities compliment the marriage team, and other times it is best to allow them to serve in separate appointments. Every person regardless of their marital status is unique and can operate in many different appointments. Their voice should matter in appointment decisions. I recognize that more than ever Officers are being listened to. I’m also not a fool in to thinking that Army politics “never” plays a part in some decisions that are made. But if The Army is truly interested in stopping the attrition rate in its Officership core then intently listening to its officers should be at the top of the list.

Humbly Serve!

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8).
We are, without a doubt, saved to save (and yes saved to serve)! Humility doesn’t mean that we don’t discuss our gifts. Humility doesn’t mean that we don’t sometimes disagree with decisions made. Humility doesn’t mean that we are “happy” all the time. But it does mean that where THE LORD leads we will go. That’s why it is imperative that both leadership, department officers, corps officers and other officers appointed else where serve the Lord first, seek His face, pray earnestly, do what He says, and from that right relationship – lead in whatever capacity is appointed to us.

Thoughts and Questions:
How progressive should we be when it comes appointments and gender?
Are we there yet?
What are the indicators that will be present when we have accomplished true egalitarian ministries?
Does “pigeon-holing” in the appointment process still take place today?
How can we change this? (Can this be changed?)

Here’s my purpose for writing this today.
Not to cause trouble…that’s not my intention at all. Not to ruffle feathers – sorry if I did.
Not to sound militant or rebellious – I will serve as the Lord leads me.
But…
Jesus had female disciples in a very male dominated world. He was progressive in ministry and egalitarian in his choice of followers. Shouldn’t we be as well? We have made great strides thus far in our Army…let’s not stop now!

-Just something else to ponder today.

June 6, 2014 2

The Salvation Army – Are we enabling through Social Programs?

This is an open question that begs your response.
Don’t kill the messenger here, It’s something that I’ve not only seen, I have heard said as well.
Are we working to address underlying needs of those we love and serve or are we just addressing the basic needs of “the moment”?
All too often it is far easier to “meet human needs in His name without discrimination” right now based on what they need…but it’s much harder to ask the difficult questions, to pry back the hurt in order to discover underlying causalities.

NOT A STEREOTYPE
I recognize that not every Salvation Army does take the “easy” route in services. Some take great pains to work with those in need and to help discover and address the real issues. I am certainly no unopposed to handing out a food box or securing temporary housing for a displaced family but without addressing the real causes are we slowly hurting those we serve more than helping?

Enabling is okay for time, but providing solutions, real tangible answers to their problems…isn’t that what Booth was all about? If you have a problem with drink – stop drinking. If you need a safe environment to work – here’s a job. General Booth said to his son Bramwell “do something!”

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

Perhaps the question shouldn’t be “what are we doing” but rather “what can we do better?”
How can we get to the bottom of life issues, help to heal – feed both the body and the soul and help a person back onto their feet?
I understand some may never get back on their feet…some may have experienced the worst kind of life imaginable and they will need our support for the rest of their lives…but not all are like this. Can we help them and then send them to become helpers as well? Can we break from the “status quo” and become revolutionary again?

This revolution may look very different in other countries, but what about your country? What is YOUR Army doing to pick people back up, to help heal the hurting, to mend the shattered? Can we avoid enabling within our social programs? We must recognize that we are called to so much more than just social programs…but spiritual hope and salvation ~~as well~~ first.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this.
What is being done?
What can we do differently?
Are we impacting the world as we once did?
Do we risk enabling souls instead of healing souls through the power of the Holy Spirit?

-Something for our Army to ponder today.

May we ever be daring to continue to “go for souls and go for the worst!”

June 3, 2014 6

Tag: Salvation Army