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Interview: Lieutenant Nicola Poore
Original Publication - JAC #95, February - March 2015
Lieutenant Nicola Poore is a fascinating Australia Eastern
officer. An
out-take? “I am a
sponge.”
JAC: Who are you? (we’re looking for a quick bio):
NP: I am a committed “blood and fire” Christian who is
captivated by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ and as a
consequence, I choose to engage in his mission through The
Salvation Army. Most recently, I spent 2 years at the School
for Officer Training as a Herald of Grace. Having been
commissioned and ordained as a Salvation Army officer, I have
just commenced my first appointment as the Corps Officer at
Hawkesbury City in the Australia Eastern Territory.
I am 28 years old with an incredible passion for music and the
creative arts. It would come as no surprise then, that I have
a background in Music Education and was a Music teacher for 3
years prior to entering Training College.
I am passionate about building authentic relationships,
especially with my family. Family life is vibrant and fun as
the youngest of 5 children, and I am fiercely devoted to my 10
nieces and nephews who never cease to surprise and delight me.
JAC: Tell us about your salvation and sanctification.
NP: I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn’t know
Jesus. I thank God for a family and a community of faith who
showed me Jesus and encouraged me to love him personally.
Having said that, I would say that I got saved as a teenager
at a Territorial Music Camp. An awareness of grace overwhelmed
me – there was nothing that I could do to save myself; my
salvation was a gift from God. My personal walk with Jesus
changed from that point on.
Since then I have eagerly pursued more of God with an
insatiable appetite that I pray never wanes. Sanctification
and holiness of life was a new revelation for me when I
attended a Brengle Institute for creative people in my young
adulthood. The thought that I could be holy truly captured my
attention. Personal sanctification, as well as the
sanctification of the body of Christ, particularly our Army,
features often in my prayers.
JAC: What is your mission/calling?
NP: There is no doubt that God has called me to his redemptive
mission as a soldier, and now as an officer, in The Salvation
Army.
Yet in more particular and personal terms, the Lord has been
speaking to be consistently about my voice in recent years.
“The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue to
know the word that sustains the weary.” (Isa 50:4) Simply
stated, this is my calling – both to know the word and to
speak it.
JAC: How does the Army support your war fighting?
NP: The Army is the framework through which I am best able to
participate in Jesus’ ministry on earth. In Australia, The
Salvation Army is blessed with high-standing and a trusted
reputation in the community. Our reputation affords us
unparalleled opportunities for ministry, and we have a
responsibility to steward our reputation well.
More practically, there is freedom to innovate and experiment
while fighting the salvation war on the Australian front. Our
leaders are generous and courageous in supporting new
initiatives, as well as retiring those methods that are tired
or ineffective.
JAC: How do you influence people?
NP: I am consciously aware that I represent Jesus at all
times. God helping me, I hope to influence people as an
ambassador of holiness. I am the hands and feet of Jesus, and
of particular importance to me, I am also his mouthpiece. I
use my words carefully and in a deliberate way to build up the
body of Christ and to speak words of life.
JAC: Who influences you? (and how/why?
We’re thinking of books, disciplers, mentors, coaches,
models, teachers, leaders, etc.)
I am a sponge. I will absorb whatever goodly and Godly
influence I encounter. There are no limits to that: written,
verbal, old, young, extroverted, taciturn, intimate friend or
acquaintance.
I cannot overstate the wonderful and all-pervasive influence
of my family of origin, especially my parents. God has also
wired me in such a way as to consciously look out for role
models and heroes of the faith. In my experience, these holy
influencers have often been women of God who were older and
wiser than me. Col. Janet Munn, Maj. Deborah Robinson and Maj.
Julie Campbell are only some of these life-changers. So deeply
have these women imprinted my being, that I gave them a silver
star (Christmas decoration) at the time of my commissioning to
symbolise and recognise their impact upon my life.
I wish I read more widely and enjoyed it more, but in all
honesty, I read the Bible. Any other book is a bonus. The
writings of Samuel Logan Brengle and Richard Foster have also
been significant in shaping my theology.
JAC: What are your dreams for the next several years?
NP: I am committed to fullness of life on earth. I want to
experience more of God and be more like who he wants me to be.
My primary dream would be to grow to be more like Jesus in
every way. Sincerely.
Here at the outset of a lifetime of ministry as an officer, I
want to stay fresh and sweet-hearted. I dream that my fervour
and enthusiasm for the Lord would increase in the years to
come. Staleness and burnout are not inevitable.
I want to see fruit – fruit that will last. I want to
participate in proclaiming good news to the poor and setting
the oppressed free. I want to pray more, fast more, and be
entirely dependent on God for my survival and my flourishing.
May the Kingdom of God come, and may the will of God be done
here on earth.
JAC: What are the keys to successful warfare on your front and
the larger salvation war?
NP: Our starting point must be to recognise that the salvation
war is God’s, and we simply join him in fighting that battle.
This means that methods and strategies will look different
everywhere because the activity of God will look different
everywhere.
Authenticity would be among the foremost cultural values
underpinning Australian society. Along with this would be the
concern for the “under-dog” and the desire for a “fair go.”
The Salvation Army, sometimes described as “Christianity with
its sleeves rolled up,” is uniquely positioned on the
Australian front to demonstrate how these values
(authenticity, equality, justice) function in the Kingdom of
God.
JAC: How do you cultivate your relationship with God?
NP: My relationship with God is intimately connected to all of
my life. There is no divide between the sacred and the
secular, and so I honestly try to experience God and recognise
his activity around me and in me at all times.
Every healthy relationship needs time. My aim is to find
quality and unhurried time with God every day – I have come to
realise that my survival literally depends on it. For me,
night time works best.
The way that time is used looks different because I want our
time in the “secret place” to be fresh and varied. The
consistent elements are prayer, the Scriptures, music, silence
and creativity – oh and tears. These elements will feature in
different ways depending on how I feel and how I sense the
Holy Spirit speaking to me. I strongly encourage believers to
experiment with different spiritual disciplines on a regular
basis.
In addition to this, I am blessed that my most intimate
friends and mentors are incredibly zealous for the Lord.
Through their example and exhortation, my relationship with
God is nurtured considerably.
Additional recommendations: testify, listen to sermons
(podcasts), fast from technology, read widely and study
theology.
JAC: How are you and your comrades strengthening The Salvation
Army?
NP: Full surrender and entire consecration is how we can each
best strengthen The Salvation Army. All of our time, our
gifts, our talents, our passions, our restlessness, our
experiences, our personality, our training – all of it can be
used by God to strengthen the body of Christ.
Now as a Corps Officer, I see my role to primarily involve the
mobilisation of the body. Identifying the gifts of the Spirit,
calling them forth and discipling believers as they develop
and steward their gifts. We need each other.
JAC: What are some of the dangers we have to face in the
coming years? (And how?)
NP: Self-sufficiency is a danger I recognise in myself. I
suppose this is rooted in pride. A deliberate posture of
humility is the only way I can overcome the dangers of being
self-sufficient in life and ministry. I suspect there would be
others who might resonate with what I have described.
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