Armybarmy Blog

May 30, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus'n ame, friends.
Well, I've been questioned and corrected on last night'sblog. It was teh Australians who informed me that there are actually 395,566 junior doliers. That puts The Salvation Army firmly in 3rd place the world over, behind China and Russia. The sun never sets on theBlood and Fire. Hallelujah!

I'll likely blog later today if I get a chance, but wanted everyone to rest easy that the re-ranking has taken place- #3!
posted by Stephen Court

May 29, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I've been questioned about my stats for yesterday's blog, so...

1. China
2,810,000
2. Russia
1,520,000
3. United States
1,366,000
4. India
1,303,000
And we come in at something like 1.01 mil senior soldiers and a load of junior soldiers (which might actually take us to number three- I don't have the numbers handy because my year book is in the war room- but I can check and let you know).
Of course, I don't include adherents, as China, Russia, the States, and so on don't count spectators in standing army stats.
posted by Stephen Court

May 28, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I found out this week that the five largest standing armies in the world are:
China
Russia
USA
India
The Salvation Army

And we're within shooting distance of 4 and 3.
posted by Stephen Court

May 27, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Our comrade blogger- URBAN ARMY (available here at armybarmy.com) discussed the hero to human continuum. It goes like this:
Human
I believe it's okay to be broken
My focus is process
I believe sin is an opportunity for God to draw me into deeper relationship
I believe that Jesus' death paid my debt and I don't need to add to it through hard work
I'm more sinful than I realise, but also more loved

Hero
I believe I should be a model for others
My focus is achieving
I believe God is disappointed in me when I sin
I believe obedience leads to blessing and that God values hard work
I'm not really that bad.

The presumption, of course, is that human is a higher state than hero. But I am not buying it lock, stock, and barrel. Shoot me, but Paul believed he should be a model for others, instructing each of us to imitate him as he imitates Christ. William Booth owned a one-track mind- his focus was achieving the fulfillment of his mission to win the world for Jesus. The Bible is full of accounts of a disappointed God, disappointed at the sin of His people. Obedience manifestly leads to blessing as, though I may not do anything to persuade God to love me more (open to debate), I can do things that allow Him to trust me more (e.g. covenant). And Paul and thousands since his life testify to a holiness that makes them actually good (not just make-believe- none of this imputer righteousness for us- CB said, Christ Jesus came to save us from our sins, not in them).

So, yes, I am aiming for hero-status, as defined here.

On the flip side- what is so noble about being broken? I mean, sure, we're all there, but I doubt it is a state that anyone desires. What is so attractive about process? To suggest that sin is an opportunity for God to draw me into deeper relationship requires the thickest set of rose-coloured glasses ever made. Truthfully, sin is a disgrace to God and a cause of great pain and, probably, anger. As for the penultimate point, it seems to read that I don't need to add to the debt, which is obvious, but I think it is intended that we don't need to do anything else to help pay for the debt. I just read yesterday William Booth on atonement, attacking the payment of debt theory that he figured led to an unlimited atonement and a fuzzy universalism. I don't know the source of this Human list so I don't know the theological inclinations of the author, but I want to stay away from anything that might lead to universalism. And finally, being more sinful than I realise- I don't know- Paul said he was the chief of sinners- did he under-rate his depravity? These kinds of things celebrate mediocrity under the guise of celebrating redemption. They can tend to wallow in failure instead of living out humble, heroic holiness that God commands and enables.

So, here's to the heroes!
posted by Stephen Court

May 26, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Here is the last installment of comments on the international SA leaders declaration:

"We declare our personal commitment to God and to discover those new things that he wants us to do.

"We are confident in God that The Salvation Army remains part of his plan as we submit to him under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV.

"As a Great Commission Army called to “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19 NIV), we joyfully accept the General’s challenges:
to discover our identity as a people renewed in Christ.
to regard every Army unit as a “mission team.”
to attain, world wide, 2 million soldiers, junior soldiers and adherent members by 2010.
to combat the evil of human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
to uphold the principle of self-denial in the renamed international self- denial world mission fund.
The world for God!
I give my heart, I will do my part."

Now, I have to admit, as a blogger, this has been a fairly disappointing exercise. I agree with practically eveything in it. The 2 million goal- well, we're somewhere over 1.5mil now- is a good stretch. It requires merely single-digit growth every year to hit. Let's get on with it.
posted by Stephen Court

MAy 25, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Let's continue on the Internation SA declaration:

"We confirm:
that we are a world movement committed to world evangelization - to all people and to the whole person - recognizing the Holy Spirit’s gracious direction to the unreached, including children and youth.
that the truth of the Gospel must not only be declared but also be evident in the life of every Salvationist.
that the participation of all in mission and ministry is vital to reach the whole world for God.
our interdependence and global connectedness as partners in mission and celebrate our God-given unity in diversity as part of the body of Christ.
the necessity to develop mission strategies for world evangelization, holistic ministry, social transformation and financial stability in every territory and command.
the importance of identifying and developing spiritual leaders to meet tomorrow’s missional challenges."

Come on! There is some mor sweetness in this confirmation. I know it is basic DNA stuff but I love to hear the current leaders on about winning the world for Jesus, every person! Yahoo. And they add that the participation of all is vital- are you in yet?
posted by Stephen Court

May 24, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Finished reading?
Here we go, on the affirmation:

"We affirm that the essence of Salvationism is the love of Jesus Christ that knows no boundaries, calling us especially to the lost, the marginalized, the exploited and the neglected.

"It is this love which:
must burn in the heart of every Salvationist and leader;
calls us to a renewed commitment to listen to God in prayer;
engages us with the world in the integrated mission of soul saving, discipling, serving humanity and transforming society;
compels us to actively engage in Kingdom growth;
provokes our concern for the unevangelized peoples of the world;
leads us to mutual respect in strengthening teams and mission partnerships;
requires us to give liberally in support of the mission of The Salvation Army."

Amen. It is good to see a re-emphasis of Jesus' bias toward the poor. There is a lot to celebrate in there. There is a lot to challenge us (pretty vanilla blog, I admit, but come on, it is a strong affirmation- if 1 million soldiers lived this out we'd probably win the whole shooting match in this generation).
posted by Stephen Court

May 24, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
There has been a lot of non-SA stuff so I don't feel guilty about embarking on a series of blogs addressing the following statement (which, I am instructed, is not to be altered, meaning that I've got to copy the whole long thing to you and then break it down for comment in the following days):
International conference of leaders speaks to Salvationists of the world


AFTER eight days of intense listening, worshipping and talking, 126 international, territorial and command leaders of The Salvation Army signed their names to a declaration to be issued to Salvationists worldwide. The signatories had gathered at the Hamilton Park Conference Center in New Jersey, USA, for the triennial International Conference of Leaders, presided over by General John Larsson and the Chief of the Staff, Commissioner Israel L. Gaither.

On the first day of the conference the General had appointed a drafting committee to prepare a statement that would embody the passions and heart concerns of the conference delegates as these arose and were confirmed during the daily devotional and business sessions. In a final meeting, this statement, which had been discussed and approved at two plenary sessions, was read to the conference by Commissioner Lawrence R. Moretz, chairman of the drafting committee.

The General then read out the verses of a song that, right from the public welcome at the commencement of the conference, had provided the devotional theme running through each session: General Evangeline Booth’s great testimony of faith,
The world for God! The world for God!
There’s nothing else will meet the hunger of my soul …

and the leaders sang, as they had done many times in the previous days, the chorus of affirmation, which includes the words:
I give my heart! I’ll do my part!

During the singing of other songs and in moments of quiet meditation, the Army’s leaders then moved forward and signed their names to the conference declaration, before each confirmed to the General his or her determination to continue to ‘do my part’ in the evangelisation and salvation of the world.

The final conference statement, to provide direction and inspiration to all Salvationists wherever they might be carrying on the Army's God-given mission, stands as follows:

Towards 2010
A Declaration of Renewal
29 April - 7 May 2004

The Salvation Army International Conference of Leaders convened under the theme
“Renewal – See I am doing a new thing”.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it is springing up, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

In his keynote address, General John Larsson affirmed: “God is doing a new thing in the Army right now and right here. It is my hope that, as we share together these days around the theme of ‘renewal’, we will be reassured that God is indeed doing this new thing”.

We, the leaders together in conference in New Jersey USA, waited for God to show us the new thing that he is doing with The Salvation Army in the world today.

We recognize that the action-oriented nature of the movement has sometimes caused us not to await God’s direction.

In the spirit of repentance we humbly respond to God and obediently accept the call to prayer and the seeking of his will. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14 NIV

We embrace the future, desiring to know our potential as God sees it.

We affirm that the essence of Salvationism is the love of Jesus Christ that knows no boundaries, calling us especially to the lost, the marginalized, the exploited and the neglected.

It is this love which:
must burn in the heart of every Salvationist and leader;
calls us to a renewed commitment to listen to God in prayer;
engages us with the world in the integrated mission of soul saving, discipling, serving humanity and transforming society;
compels us to actively engage in Kingdom growth;
provokes our concern for the unevangelized peoples of the world;
leads us to mutual respect in strengthening teams and mission partnerships;
requires us to give liberally in support of the mission of The Salvation Army.

We confirm:
that we are a world movement committed to world evangelization - to all people and to the whole person - recognizing the Holy Spirit’s gracious direction to the unreached, including children and youth.
that the truth of the Gospel must not only be declared but also be evident in the life of every Salvationist.
that the participation of all in mission and ministry is vital to reach the whole world for God.
our interdependence and global connectedness as partners in mission and celebrate our God-given unity in diversity as part of the body of Christ.
the necessity to develop mission strategies for world evangelization, holistic ministry, social transformation and financial stability in every territory and command.
the importance of identifying and developing spiritual leaders to meet tomorrow’s missional challenges.

We declare our personal commitment to God and to discover those new things that he wants us to do.

We are confident in God that The Salvation Army remains part of his plan as we submit to him under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV.

As a Great Commission Army called to “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19 NIV), we joyfully accept the General’s challenges:
to discover our identity as a people renewed in Christ.
to regard every Army unit as a “mission team.”
to attain, world wide, 2 million soldiers, junior soldiers and adherent members by 2010.
to combat the evil of human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
to uphold the principle of self-denial in the renamed international self- denial world mission fund.
The world for God!
I give my heart, I will do my part.


The declaration was signed by (in order of seniority):

General John Larsson, Commissioner Freda Larsson (International Headquarters), Commissioner Israel L. Gaither (Chief of the Staff), Commissioner Eva D. Gaither (IHQ), Commissioner Paul du Plessis (IHQ), Commissioner Margaret du Plessis (IHQ), Commissioner B. Donald Odegaard (Norway, Iceland and The Færoes), Commissioner Berit Odegaard (Norway, Iceland and The Færoes), Commissioner Mohan Masih (India Western), Commissioner Swarni Masih (India Western), Commissioner Alex Hughes (United Kingdom), Commissioner Ingeborg Hughes (United Kingdom), Commissioner Brian Taylor (IHQ), Commissioner Margaret Taylor (IHQ), Commissioner Johannes Watilete (Indonesia), Commissioner Augstina Watilete (Indonesia), Commissioner Rolf Roos (Sweden and Latvia), Commissioner Majvor Roos (Sweden and Latvia), Commissioner Thorleif Gulliksen (IHQ), Commissioner Olaug Gulliksen (IHQ), Commissioner William Mabena (Southern Africa), Commissioner Lydia Mabena (Southern Africa), Commissioner Lawrence R. Moretz (USA Eastern), Commissioner Nancy A. Moretz (USA Eastern), Commissioner Nozomi Harita (Japan), Commissioner Kazuko Harita Japan), Commissioner Tadeous Shipe (Zambia), Commissioner Nikiwe Shipe (Zambia), Commissioner Hasse Kjellgren (Switzerland, Austria and Hungary), Commissioner Christina Kjellgren (Switzerland, Austria and Hungary), Commissioner Shaw Clifton (New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga), Commissioner Helen Clifton (New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga), Commissioner Kang, Sung-hwan (Korea), Commissioner Lee, Jung-ok (Korea), Commissioner W. Todd Bassett (USA National Headquarters), Commissioner Carol A. Bassett (USA National Headquarters), Commissioner Werner Frei (Germany), Commissioner Paula Frei (Germany), Commissioner Amos Makina (Zimbabwe), Commissioner Rosemary Makina (Zimbabwe), Commissioner Robin Dunster (The Philippines), Commissioner Lalkiamlova (IHQ), Commissioner Lalhlimpuii (IHQ), Commissioner P.D. Krupa Das (India South Eastern), Commissioner P. Mary Rajakumari (India South Eastern), Commissioner Hezekiel Anzeze (East Africa), Commissioner Clerah Anzeze (East Africa), Commissioner Philip Needham (USA Southern), Commissioner Keitha Needham (USA Southern), Commissioner Linda Bond (USA Western), Commissioner Margaret Sutherland (IHQ), Commissioner Ivan Lang (Australia Southern), Commissioner Heather Lang (Australia Southern), Commissioner Willem van der Harst (The Netherlands and Czech Republic), Commissioner Netty van der Harst (The Netherlands and Czech Republic), Commissioner Keith Banks (IHQ), Commissioner Pauline Banks (IHQ), Commissioner Kenneth Baillie (USA Central), Commissioner Joy Baillie (USA Central), Commissioner Raymond A. Houghton (IHQ), Commissioner Judith Houghton (IHQ), Commissioner Jean B. Ludiazo (Congo (Kinshasa)), Commissioner Veronique Ludiazo (Congo (Kinshasa)), Commissioner Paulo Rangel (Brazil), Commissioner Yoshiko Rangel (Brazil), Commissioner Leslie Strong (Australia Eastern), Commissioner Coral Strong (Australia Eastern), Commissioner William W. Francis (IHQ), Commissioner Marilyn D. Francis (IHQ), Commissioner M. Christine MacMillan (Canada and Bermuda), Commissioner Paulose Yohannan (India Northern), Commissioner Kunjamma Yohannan (India Northern), Commissioner Gulzar Patras (Pakistan), Commissioner Sheila Gulzar (Pakistan), Commissioner Hugo Pintos (South America West), Commissioner Julia Pintos (South America West), Commissioner Makoto Yoshida (IHQ), Commissioner Kaoru Yoshida (IHQ), Colonel Carl Lydholm (Finland), Colonel Gudrun Lydholm (Finland), Colonel John Matear (Caribbean), Colonel Elizabeth Matear (Caribbean), Colonel Olin O. Hogan (Mexico), Colonel Dianne Hogan (Mexico), Colonel William A. Roberts (South America East), Colonel Nancy Roberts (South America East), Colonel Edouard Braun (France), Colonel Francoise Braun (France), Colonel Chimanbhai Waghela (India South Western), Colonel Rahelbai Waghela (India South Western), Colonel Graeme Harding (Ghana), Colonel Anne Harding (Ghana), Colonel Trevor M. Tuck (Papua New Guinea), Colonel Memory Tuck (Papua New Guinea), Colonel Stuart Mungate (Nigeria), Colonel Hope Mungate (Nigeria), Colonel Prathipaty Devavaram (India Eastern), Colonel P. Victoria Devavaram (India Eastern), Colonel M. C. James (India Central), Colonel L. Susamma James (India Central), Colonel Mfon J. Akpan (Congo (Brazzaville)), Colonel Ime M. Akpan (Congo (Brazzaville)), Colonel Jorge Ferreira (Latin America North), Colonel Adelina Ferreira (Latin America North), Colonel Roy Frans (Sri Lanka), Colonel Arda Frans (Sri Lanka), Lieut-Colonel David Bringans (Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar), Lieut-Colonel Grace Bringans (Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar), Lieut-Colonel Barry R. Pobjie (Eastern Europe), Lieut-Colonel Raemor Pobjie (Eastern Europe), Lieut-Colonel Tan Thean Seng (Hong Kong and Macau), Lieut-Colonel Tan Loo Lay Saik (Hong Kong and Macau), Lieut-Colonel David J. Burrows (Tanzania), Lieut-Colonel Jean Burrows (Tanzania), Lieut-Colonel Ethne Flintoff (Bangladesh), Lieut-Colonel Lynette Green (Portugal), Lieut-Colonel Brian Knightley (Liberia), Lieut-Colonel Dorothy Knightley (Liberia), Lieut-Colonel Dirk J. Krommenhoek (Denmark), Lieut-Colonel Vibeke Krommenhoek (Denmark), Major Christian Exbrayat (Belgium), Major Joelle Exbrayat (Belgium), Major Malcolm Forster (Malawi), Major Valerie Forster (Malawi), Major Massimo Paone (Italy), Major Jane Paone (Italy), Major Federico L. Larrinaga (Spain), Major Marie C. Larrinaga (Spain).

Colonel Mfon J. Akpan (Congo (Brazzaville)) and Colonel Ime M. Akpan (Congo (Brazzaville)) were unable to attend.

(end of statement)
Hallelujah. We'll start once everyone has finished reading.
posted by Stephen Court

May 23, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Teacher: "That's the difference between ignorance and apathy?"
Student: "I don't know and I don't care."
My dad taught me that one (you can blame him).

I recognize that in the West we castly over-rate deaths in the West as compared to those elsewhere (with the gross exception of the genocide of unborn babies). 2,810 people die in New York City and the global geopolitical paradigm is overturned. The earthquake last year in Bam Iran took ten times as many lives but you probably didn't notice it on CNN.

And the truism 'out of sight, out of mind' applies.

I didn't notice until today a sign that went up earlier this month at The Salvation Army noting that in the last two days 18 people have died of overdoses. 18 people. There was no news report that I could find. There will not be any investigation as there was to follow up the 10 people who died from the Staten Island Ferry crash last year, or the 7 who died on the Columbia shuttle, or the 5 who died from the anthrax attacks in 2001.

They are just dead. The difference blurs between ignorance and apathy as the world doesn't know and doesn't care. Hey, I didn't even know.

But I expect that there were a lot of tears released in heaven (paradoxically, as there aren't supposed to be any there- maybe it means once this shooting match is all over). I expect that Jesus knows everyone of the 18 people by name, having died for each.

God help me, help us, to know and to care.
posted by Stephen Court

May 22, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
This is a good time to remind some of you about the demo of the week feature at armybarmy.com. There is some neat stuff on there. The idea is to bypass the slow and expensive recording process and just trhow out demos of SA songs for people to access. So far it is working very well- people all around the world are downloading the words and chords and, I assume (amd told by some) using some of the songs on Sundays and in between. Let me introduce you to the current demo of the week by Marty Mikles in Atlanta. The song is called NEEDY- and it is a powerful prayer.

This is how he describes it: "Have you ever been in that place, you know THAT place, where you can't figure anything out? where nothing makes sense with what you thought you were doing with your life? Every angle is different now, and nothing looks the same, every plan crumbled; every attempt at anything good on your own... nothing. PRAISE GOD that He doesn't need anything that we bring to the table... He only needs our sacrifice. We can see this in the company that Christ kept here on earth. Anything that was done through a life that was touched by God was done following a sacrifice. The only thing these characters did... let go... surrender. Surrender which led to consumption, consumption which led to boldness. I've just come out of THAT place, and on the way out, this song was born. Looking back on the journey, rough as it has been, my continual prayer has been and continues to be "take it all... all I have, take control of this, of me. I'm broken, and only you can put me together again, and when you're all done, CONSUME ME!". I hold on to nothing now. and neither should you."

All you have to do is click on the icon and you can listen to the song. Then get the words, practise, and use it to worship with your cell or congregation.
posted by Stephen Court

May 21, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I wonder what it takes to win the world.
I'm stumbling in the dark here but this is an early formulation:
- fear of the LORD
- holiness
- self-sacrificing covenant,
all exercised by the Body or a significant portion thereof.
How signficant a portion? I expect that a millions soldiers might be able to pull it off.

Ho will it look? I don't know. Maybe there will be global zero budgets with cash as there is now global personnel flexibility. And so a few rich western countries (I won't name and they might not be what you expect) which are hurting spiritually unlock their vaults for the spiritually-prosperous though financially weak African and Asian countries. Maybe leaders from the spiritually-prosperous countries will lead in spiritually-hurting. Maybe pew-sitters will be relegated to the spectator seats officially so that fighters can get on with the war unhindered. Maybe champions will mobilize substantial portions of the sitters to become fighters. Maybe God will sack the West for the Rest, starting at an individual level (so that we actually live simply). Maybe, once we fulfill the three conditions, God will actually be able to trust us with His power to do greater things in times of greater peril. Maybe...
posted by Stephen Court

May 20, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Yahweh Nissi
Exodus 17:15 YHWH is my banner.
Psalms 66:4- You have raised a banner for those who honour You- a rally point of attack.
SS 2:4- His banner over me is love.
Isaiah 11:10- In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
Isaiah 11:12- He will raise a flag among the nations for Israel to rally around.
Isaiah 18:3- When I raise My Battle Flag on the mountain the whole world will take notice.

In an earlier blog (April 28) we established that (we think that) YHWH is Trinity. The best example of a Trinitarian/YHWH Flag is the Army tri-colour- the Blood and Fire. According to this formulation, The Blood and Fire is for both the salvation of the world (Is 11:10) and for Israel to rally around (Is 11:12). And when we establish the Blood and Fire on the mountain (Jerusalem) the whole world will sit up and take notice.
It makes you re-think SASB 774-783!
"emblem of a thousand battles..." (777.1); "I'll be true; I'll be true, true to my colours, the Yellow Red and Blue" (778.c).
"It calls to deeds of valour, it speaks to grace divine" (781.2).
"We'll fight beneath its colours till we die" (782.c); 774.3; 775.3; and all of 780 ('Twere better far to die!').
Next year in Jerusalem! (or sometime soon, anyway)
posted by Stephen Court

May 19, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Faytene Kryskow taught us months back that 'kiss me with the kisses of Your mouth' (Canticles 1:1- SoS) can properly be rendered, 'arm me with the armour of Your mouth'. I buy it (but I did look it up to confirm).

We were praying the name of God- COMFORTER- today. Usually this name conjures up soft and woolly reminiscences and feelings. And I guess there is that to it. But a comforter comes from roots of 'with strength'. So it is much more than a fuzzy cuddly.

What am I saying? Yes, kiss me with the kisses of Your mouth. But also arm me with the armour of Your mouth. Arm me with the authority of Your word, with the words of discernment and knowledge and wisdom and prophecy, with the power that cracks cedars and makes mountains tremble, by the same force that speaks creation into existence and sustains it breath by breath. Comfort me, please.
posted by Stephen Court

May 18, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends
The AV has it like this: Draw out thy
soul to the hungry (Isaiah 58).
What a challenge!
posted by Stephen Court

May 17, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
One of the less well-known and used names of God is “Jealous Zealot”. Really. It is one of nine Old Testament names of God. (For example: Deuteronomy 5:9. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1996), Biblesoft).

It is so important that it made the Ten Commandments. See Exodus
20:5; Exodus 34:14 (KJV): “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord,
whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” See also Deuteronomy 4:24
(NASB): “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. See also
Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV): “For the Lord your God, who is among you, is a
jealous God and His anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you
from the face of the land.”

It is an important part of His personality.

Our God is Jealous Zealot. Hallelujah!
posted by Stephen Court

May 16, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
You probably heard of the Cab Horse Charter made up by William Booth. IN his day the cab horse would be picked up if it fell. It would be fed. It frwould have a shelter. It would be given meaningful labour. Most of these elements were out of reach of most of the poor in England.

These days every cow in the European Union is subsidized to the tune of $2.20 usd. That is more than almost half of the world lives on. It is time for the Bovine Standard!
God hates the 21 st century status quo as much as He hated the 19th century status quo.
posted by Stephen Court

May 15, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I am wrapping up a couple of book projects, about which you will certainly here more soon. One of them includes an epilogue by Patrick McDonald, the founder and president of the Viva Network.

He's on about our personal response to the needs of children around the world:

"Childhood lasts around 6,000 days, make sure every day counts and
that those kids grow up knowing full well that you are there for them. Be
excited about what excites them. Study them, know them, bless them, and
help them become all that God intended.

We replicate our spiritual DNA in them. If we are committed to the orphans, they will be. If we are committed to the Revolution, they will be (more than likely). And this doesn't go for biological children alone. Your converts, your disciples, will look, and smell, and think, and act like you.
posted by Stephen Court

May 14, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I am cognizant of the criticism that I'm too much on about the Army in this blog. However, I think if you look at the last couple of weeks you'll find that most of it is pretty wide open. And even what follows, while specifically about the Army, is wide open. So, you critics, lighten up!

"The Army, by its very success, is ever in danger of drifting
away from the great ungodly mass for whose Salvation it
was expressly raised up, and to whom it is essentially sent.
The only remedy is attack. The gulf must be crossed, and recrossed,
and crossed again. Aggression is the key to the indispensable,
nay, the only means of conquest. To overcome,
there must be skilful, persevering, systematic, desperate
aggression…. We must go to the people. We must attack.
New methods must be invented if the old ones do not bring
us into contact with the godless crowds. For, no matter what
the cost, we must get at them. We must attack.
William Booth
Attack! Attack! Attack!
posted by Stephen Court

May 13, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
This is a little late for the 13th but the high-tech operation that is called 614 Vancouver consists of an office that doubles as a guest bedroom and I found it occupied when I came to blog last night! You were force-fasting the Captains' Blog- and I'm sure evrything worked out alright. The plan is to do yesterday's blog this morning and today's tonight (this implies there is much more of a plan to this wholeenterprise than really exists!). Whew!

Ezekiel 46:9- When people come in through the north gateway to worship Yahweh... they must leave by the south gateway... They must never leave by the same gateway they came in.

I don't get to preach much (we don't have many meetings with preaching and when we do, the many gifted preachers in 614 line up before me). But I preached about 6 months ago here and one of my points was to exit a new way.

Ezekiel preached my point before I got here! Everyone worship Yahweh was instructed to exit a new way. Don't leave like you came! Your encounter with God should be transformative.

Now that ups the ante a bit. Often people ask me how someone's life changed after a glory fit. I usually give them a hard time, suggesting that maybe God just wanted to have a good time with them. But here the expectation is transformation, not only for the glory fitters, but for EVERYONE who showed up. So next time I'm asked about the effects of the glory fits on someone's life, I think I'll respond with a question as to the effects of the worship on the questioner's life.

Here's to transformation.
posted by Stephen Court

Mary 12, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
My friend emailed me this today, from shipoffools.com. I don't like it all, but some of it, I do. And, I don't buy all of them, either (I suspect the author is trying to sell his book...). Now, that could be because JW is a hero of mine, but I include them all, nevertheless.
10 things John Wesley would hate about you

1. Money – Wesley said that no true Christian kept any more than the basic "necessaries of life". He himself gave away up to £1,400 a year, living on £30, a worker's wage. Those who buy luxuries are "embezzling their Lord's goods, corrupting their own souls and robbing the poor".

2. Laughter – Wesley did not much approve of laughter. He rebuked one of his preachers for being willing to "break a jest, and laugh at it heartily", and complained that even George Whitefield's conversation was "often mixed with needless laughter".

3. Laxity – Wesley would be shocked by the lax standards of Christians today. He expected men and women to sit separately in church. To start a morning meeting after 5am was "giving place to the Devil". He expelled members for swearing and for playing football on Sunday.

4. Secular music – Wesley didn't think Christians should listen to secular songs, and certainly not dance to them. One of his mining converts smashed up his fiddle when he became a Methodist. Wesley also had grave doubts about opera.

5. Clothes – Wesley was very unhappy about Methodists wearing anything expensive, frilly or fashionable, and later regretted not prescribing a uniform for them. On the other hand, he insisted that they be as smart as possible: "Let none ever see a ragged Methodist". Just about the last nice thing he ever said to his wife was, "I still love you for your uncommon neatness."

6. Marriage – Spouses are far too indulgent on each other for Wesley's liking. He told his travelling preachers that those with wives or families should keep going "as if they had none", just as he did himself. He told his wife that he was forbidden to "laugh or trifle a moment when with you". His theory of matrimony (expounded on a bad day, admittedly) was "You should have given me a carte blanche. You should have said, 'Bid me do anything, everything'."

7. Children – Parents are far too indulgent on children too. In his Methodist school the timetable was from 4am to 8pm, with religious and physical exercises, including fasting, but no play: "He that plays when he is a child, shall play when he is a man". When he married, he planned to dump any children he had there permanently.

8. Foolishness during sleep – If you've passed all Wesley's tests so far, do your hours of sleep also honour God sufficiently? "Is there no vanity or folly in your dreams? No temptation that almost overcomes you? And are you then as sensible of the presence of God and as full of prayer as when you are waking?"

9. Non-Methodism – Wesley dismissed almost all other Christian groups. Non-Methodists in the Church of England he called 'almost Christians', non-conformist Protestant churches were in indefensible error and as for Catholics, "No Government ought to tolerate men of the Roman Catholic persuasion".

10. Methodism – And finally, if you go to a Methodist church, you're definitely in trouble. Wesley insisted that all his followers always attend Anglican parish services, and never talk about having their own "ministers" or "churches". "When the Methodists leave the Church, God will leave them."

We'll need to note number 7 with the Warrior Academy that we've just started.
posted by Stephen Court

May 11, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
A focus in the War Room recently has been Yahweh.
Each day a new name for God is thrown up on the board and prayer leans in that direction.
This morning the focus was I AM.

Ezekiel 36:23 reads like this:
"I will show how holy My great name is...and when I reveal My holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign LORD (adonay Yahweh), then the nations will know that I am the LORD."

I AM is Yahweh.
Though the initial context of the verse is judgement, we can position ourselves such that we choose discipline at His hand instead of punishment (see yesterday's blog).

He reveals His holiness through us. What is key for us here is to keep close watch on ourselves and our teaching (our doctrine- 1 Timothy 4:16).

Nations will know that He is Lord. This is the same verb used as when Adam knew Eve and their was fruit 9 months later. So the nations knowledge will be fruitful.

There is a famous old song that starts, "Except I am moved with compassion, how dwelleth Thy Spirit in me" (Albert Orsborn). I am suggesting that we change the spelling (and understanding) for today so that it now reads, "Except I AM moved with compassion..." You can basically start every testimony that way. "If it wasn't for Yahweh moving in compassion..."

Yahweh is the great initiator (I once wrote a song with the line, "You started this romance"). One of the classic response to His initiation is, again from Orsborn, "Both instant and constant for Thee." May that 'ever, only, all(ways)' be our response to Him.
posted by Stephen Court

"There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering." - Theodore Roosevelt

I wonder if it's the millions of zillions of dollars dedicated through commercialism trying to convince me of my 'rights' to greed, comfort, apathy and sloth that accompany me all the days of my life.
Do I really think that to be obedient to God will mean 'easiness' or a lifestyle of 'balance'? I always get into trouble with this line of thought... and I know many people much more zealous than me have gotten into trouble by not 'pacing' themselves... but I believe it is a necessity to intentionally embrace discomfort in order to impact a society that is ruled by comfort. This is what it means to be counter-cultural. The gospel is not easy - it is true. It is not cheap - it was bought at a most costly price and given to us as a free gift. It is not 'happy' - it is full. It is not a 'recipe' - it is a whole life. It is not 'a solution' - it is the only Hope. And I'm willing to throw away my life for that kind of good news - are you?
Danielle

May 9, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I had the privilege of hanging out with some gifted worship leaders last week. One of the bits we shared were our best lines. Tragically, I didn't get them down (excepted a whole song that isn't quite complete yet and therefore not ready for the world). But here is my best line, for what it is worth (from Oil of Love on SoZo CD): please shave my callous heart, compassion bleeding from the wound...

That is my prayer for you (and me) today.
posted by Stephen Court

May 8, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I was reminded of this truth today:

Free will boils down to this: discipline now or punishment later.

You can quote me on that!

Love only grows with obedience, intimacy with righteousness. I wrote a song (I'm drawing near) that has a few lines that go like this:
I'll abide in Your love
I won't turn away from Your face
I won't turn away from Your grace
I will hide in Your arms
I won't shy away from correction
I won't disregard Your direction
(chorus)
I am drawing into Your presence, LORD
and I'm seeking the righteous, pure judgement that comes from Your throne
(etc.)

Not the most popular sentiment. But unless we maintain clean hands and a pure heart, we're stuck at the foot of the mountain. Each step of the way we'll do well to invite God's discipline, and in so doing, avoid His judgement.
posted by Stephen Court

May 7, 2004.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Heather and Danielle have been blogging maniacs for the last week- thanks.
I'm fresh back from a thing out of town. I got to connect with some interesting people.
I was stirred by the vision some people have. I mean, I think I have a pretty big-picture plan- but rubbing with them showed a lot of big visions. I've got to press in to Jesus to see better.
I heard a pretty well known guy preach passionately, effectively, and heretically that people aren't going to hell. What do you do with that? I did a few things. The jury is still out on effect.
I also realized how blessed I am here. God has gathered some game warriors with whom I get to fight in the 614 War. It is a learning experience as we engage the enemy.
I also got to hook up with my best man (it's been awhile). It was good to fun to converse evangelistically (both of us speaking loudly and others around inevitably eavesdropping).
But from the blogs below it seems that things are hot and heavy already. I hope they are where you are, too.
posted by Stephen Court

Greetings comrades!

"I remember reading somewhere the story of a nobleman who was (I think) a backslider. He was stopping at some country inn, and he went up into a room in which, over the mantelpiece, there was a very good picture of the Crucifixion by a good old master and under it was written,

"I suffered this for thee -- what hast thou done for Me?"

At last it broke him down, and he went to his knees. He said: "True, Lord I have never done anything for Thee, but now I give myself and my all to Thee, to be used up in Thy service."

And have you never heard that voice in your soul, as you have been kneeling at the Cross? Did you ever gaze upon that illustrious sufferer, and hear His voice as you looked back into the paltry past?

"What hast thou done for Me?"

What are you going to do, brother?
What are you going to do? And sisters too.
Is it going to die out in sentiment?
Is it going to evaporate in sighs and whisperings and end in

"I CANNOT?"

God forbid.

What are you going to do?
What HAVE you been doing for God in the past week? Ask yourselves.
Come now friends, I want a practical result. He suffered that for you. He is up yonder, interceding for you. Five bleeding wounds He always bears in the presence of His Father for you. He has left you an example that you should follow His steps. What were they? They were blood-tracked; they were humiliated steps. They were steps scorned by the world. He was ignored, and traduced, and rejected of men. The griefs of this poor, lost, half-damned world He bore, and they were sometimes so intolerable that they squeezed the blood out of His veins. Have you been following in His footsteps in any measure?
What are you doing?
Oh! My friends, up, up and be doing.
Begin, if you have not begun--begin today. Ask Him to baptize you with His Spirit, and let you begin at once to follow Hm in the regeneration of the Spirit. You are called by what He did for you!"

"The hard part is the fear. We can admit to unholiness and face up to it. That is what Sunday morning meetings are for, the mercy seat and altar calls, youth councils and conferences. We have ways of dealing with this. But the fear, what to do with the fear? Many of us are fearful-afraid to give up things, give up people, give up plans and dreams, afraid to go places, afraid to really live an extreme life for Jesus. We talk of being radical but extend it no farther than skateboards and clothing fashions. We talk of life on th edge but live in a comfort zone so far from any edge that the fear of falling over that edge is ludicrously remote. The surrounding culture (both inside and outside the church) its values and priorities, steadily erode out risk potential as our parents and peers urge us to get the best deal out of life. We gradually conform ourselves to everyone else's expectations and fears. We exchange the chance to have a life in order to simply make a living. We make peace with fear and content ourselves with what we have been told is to be our life. The world for God? Too big a task, too much of a mess, too scary a thought. To fear is to be human and to fear is not to sin - but to allow the fear to control us, make our decisions for us, run our lives...that is our sin."

"Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favour with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn't bother being Christ's slave."

So what is stopping us? What is holding us back as the Army of the Lord? As far as I can see, it is only ourselves. Our own fears and insecurities, not trusting our loving heavenly Father. But Scripture clearly speaks on this:

"If the Lord delights in a man's way He makes his steps firm; though he stumble he will not fall for the Lord upholds him with His Hand."

I don't really want to occupy myself with other things to try and drown out His voice, but I admit that I am often reluctant to seek Him because I am afraid of what He is going to ask of me, how He is going to challenge me and use me.

What is He beckoning you towards for the extension of the Kingdom?
Seeing as we (the body of Christ) spur one another on the most when we are actively in His will we dare not turn close our ears to God, fearful of what we may hear. It doesn't do any good anyways, because:

"The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare."

"I suffered this for thee -- what hast thou done for Me?"

How can I refuse Him?
So you tell me, What are you going to do, brother?
What are you going to do? And sisters too.
Is it going to die out in sentiment?
Is it going to evaporate in sighs and whisperings and end in

"I CANNOT?"

God forbid.

posted by:
Heather Wright
The War College
Death and Glory Session

Catherine Booth,
Geoff Ryan
Apostle Paul Galatians 1:10 MSG
Psalm 37:23-24 NIV
Psalm 29:3-4,7-9 NIV

I was reading through "Chosen to be a Soldier" and can you believe it, it's just FILLED with good stuff. (!)
"The Army Spirit requires continued sensitivity to the plight of the down-and-outs, the forgotten, the dregs of society. Rightly or wrongly the Movement has been called an example of the churches of the dispossessed, who through their religious discipline rise socially - and forget the 'new poor'. The Salvation Army must not become so much of a middle class movement that it forgets the 'rock whence it is hewn'. It is called to proclaim salvation to all classes, but its special glory should be its concern for and its ablity to appeal to the lowest and most forgotten, and to be their champions in every respect. It belongs to the Army Spirit to remember those whom others forget."

Hmm. PROCLAIMING salvation, CHAMPIONS of the forgotten, REMEMBER those whom others forget. This can all be accomplished while providing shelter and food and material needs, but 'man has NOT been helped as he NEEDS to be helped if he just been provided with food, clothes and shelter, to the neglect of his problems of personality and his moral and spiritual difficulties."

I'm not saying ditch the services, but when was the last time we were able/had time/had willing soldiers to say "My brother, my sister, how is your soul? Do you know Jesus? Will you let me pray with you?"

Whose champion are you?
Who is on the Lord's side, who will serve the King?

posted by:
Heather Wright
The War College
Death and Glory Session

Chosen to be a Soldier
p92
p92

Hi folks!

I came across this quote and thought it worth noting:

Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself. - Virginia Woolf

One thing's for sure - good thing God didn't decide to send down a Saviour in the form of a woman named Virginia Woolf! :-)

Do people really think that confidence is expressed through a superior attitude? God told Paul the apostle (when Paul was whining about his problems, ops! I mean asking for his thorn to be taken away), "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul responded pretty self-confidently when he said, "that is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
I wonder what Virgina thinks about that?
Maybe it's worth a look in your heart to find out what your confidence is in?
Boasting in weakness,
Danielle

Hi folks!

I came across this quote and thought it worth noting:

Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself. - Virginia Woolf

One thing's for sure - good thing God didn't decide to send down a Saviour in the form of a woman named Virginia Woolf! :-)

Do people really think that confidence is expressed through a superior attitude? God told Paul the apostle (when Paul was whining about his problems, ops! I mean asking for his thorn to be taken away), "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul responded pretty self-confidently when he said, "that is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
I wonder what Virgina thinks about that?
Maybe it's worth a look in your heart to find out what your confidence is in?
Boasting in weakness,
Danielle

So, since community is all about transparency, let me be honest with you. We've had an outbreak of bedbugs that has been ongoing for the past couple of months and this week I discovered the source. A bunk bed in room 704. Needless to say, I found out the hard way and am currently covered head to toe in anti-itch cream. NOT an attractive thought. I wouldn't normally share this sort of thing, but I've realized that it's a part of what one can expect down here. I am blessed, in that I could afford to buy medication for the incessant itch. I have another room to go and sleep in. I have a free laundry to wash all of my linens and clothes in. Praise the Lord!
Then I pause to consider my neighbours. Those that don't have the resources that I have. They don't have community that supports them or provides for them. I began to imagine a life where your bed is infested with bedbugs, but you have nowhere else to go and the hotel management is shifty and unwilling to help, outside of providing you with another pillowcase, or a cockroach trap. You don't have facilities for laundry so you sleep in the same sheets, in the same clothes. The one shower in your crummy, slumlord building is broken, so you can't wash yourself. The toilet on your floor has a history of overflowing, so instead you just urinate in your sink. After a short time, flies begin to rise up from the drain and land on you while you sit on your dirty couch and watch hour after hour of TV, because what else is there to do?

You see, as incarnational as I try to be, it's still a choice for me to be here. It's my choice to leave and go back to suburb, upper middle class land any time I want.

My neighbours don't need me to clean their room, or bring them a loaf of bread - that's helpful, but it's short -term. What they need is the wonder working power of Jesus Christ that transforms their inner self, so that they able to transform their outer lives. Every time I meet a material need but neglect the spiritual, I am condemning my brother or sister to remain in their state. Is that being my brother's keeper?
Lord, have mercy.

posted by:
Heather Wright
The War College
Death and Glory Session

Good day.
And so it is that term 4 of The War College has begun. My dear comrades have been dispersed throughout North America, leaving only a handful of us here in Vancouver. I admit that the reality of term four hasn't sunken in yet. It becomes more and more evident, though, as I wander from room to room in the Empress, only to be met by naked mattresses, empty closets and the occasional lonely, overlooked sock. Meals at Harbourlight these days are a despondent affair and Stephen and Danielle's place - once 'action central' for TWC students feels like a ghost town and the fridge has never been so full. *sigh*

All year long I've been praying that I would somehow have more time to pause and reflect on all that I am being taught, and all that I am participating in, and now that it's here, I find myself gazing longingly at the door, wishing that someone would pop in for a coffee and a visit!
Reflecting on the past nine months though, the Lord brings to mind a few of the lessons He has taught me - often the hard way that I would like to share:

~ "Rash language cuts and maims, but there is healing in the words of the wise."

~ Value your comrades - honour them, they won't always be with you.

~ God will give us the victory, but we must be willing to fight

~ "Never walk away from someone who deserves your help; your hand is God's hand for that person."

~ "Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence."

~ "When the city came into view, He wept over it."

To all who read this, blessings on you and your family! And a big shout out to all my TWC brothers and sisters in Death and Glory - No retreating! Hell defeating!!

posted by:
Heather Wright
The War College
Death and Glory Session

Proverbs 12:18 MSG
Proverbs 3:27 MSG
1 Corinthians 10:10 MSG
Luke 19:41

Have you heard the voice of weeping?
Have you heard the wail of woe?
Have you seen the fearful weeping of a soul that sinks below?

Rouse then, who by Christ are FREED,
Heed, O heed the world's great need;
To save the lost, like Him who saved YOU, forward speed.

"For dear friends, we have been given freedom; not freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each other"

Whoa - did you catch that? We have freedom so that we can LOVE others, so that we can SERVE others.

Christ has set us free to live a free life A life of freedom and service for the 'others'.
Who are the 'others' that Christ has placed in your life?
Do you love them like He loves them?
Does that love COMPEL you to serve them?
Do you pray for them and their families?
Do you even know who your 'others' are?

Remember Him, who on the cross has died so that EVERY CAPTIVE'S FETTER might be broken, cast aside!
Grip your weapons (love and service), soldiers brave,
FORWARD!
Dying souls to save.

Posted by:
Heather Wright
The War College
Death and Glory Session

SASB 695 Herbert Booth
Galatians 5:13
Galatians 5:1