Armybarmy Blog

It's a bit of a miserable day in Vancouver - drizzle abounds.

As I was walking, feeling all grouchy, the Lord reminded me of a song from our Salvation Army Songbook (He always knows how to cheer me up) called "Count Your Blessings"

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

So I began singing as I walked down Hastings, and then, to recount my blessings and give thanks to God for each of them. As I turned a corner, I came upon my friend Shelley, a middle-aged drug dealer with a reputation in the neighbourhood - you just don't see anyone mess with her.
I met her last year in an open air meeting in Pigeon Park and she always greets me warmly and calls me "Boo".
I smiled when I saw her because it's been a while and she stopped to ask me about my day. I told her I was on my way to a hike, but it might be cancelled due to the miserable weather. "It IS miserable,"she said "how can they expect us to be happy when it's miserable?" I didn't have any words of consolation or lighthearted remarks up my sleeve, so I did what came most naturally. I gave her a big hug. It's all I could think to offer in Jesus' Name.
In the middle of our 'moment' when I thought I was providing some small scrap of reassurance, I heard her say over my shoulder to a passerby "Pipes? Rock?"

As I walked away, I was tempted to feel discouraged. I began to ask Jesus to let His love leak out onto Shelley through a simple hug offered in His Name.

Then I counted Shelley as a blessing. And it DID surprise me, as thought about it, what the Lord has done. He has allowed me to enter into Shelley's life to bring the warmth of Jesus into a miserable day.

I have faith for Shelley. That though her life without Christ is like one long, miserable drizzly day on Hastings street, that the time WILL come when she will be reborn into the Kingdom of God through repentance and belief in Jesus Christ and then she WILL rebuild the ancient ruins, and restore the places long devastated, she WILL renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (Isaiah 61:4)

until then:

Count YOUR blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

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

pro-choice?
A couple of prominent US politicians came out today arguing that they are not pro-abortion, just pro-choice. As Randy Alcorn might suggest, that is like saying, I'm not pro-rape, I'm just pro-choice concerning rape.
grace,
sec

January 30, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Congratulations to Iraqis, who voted, according to early results, in amazing numbers.

On rights issues, our friends in The Salvation Army Justice Wing sent an article of an issue in Australia, the substance of which goes like this:
"A THAI sex slave who co-operated with police by naming the traffickers responsible for bringing her to Australia has been locked up in Sydney's Villawood immigration detention centre.

Two years after The Australian began its investigation into the trafficking of sex slaves and a year after the Howard Government responded by changing the law to protect the victims, preparations are in place to deport the woman, putting her in grave danger.

"Julie", 27, gave police the names of traffickers and the address of the house in Sydney where she and other trafficked women were held."...

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said 39 of them had been transferred to Villawood, "where arrangements are being made for their removal from Australia".

The Army is big on stopping human trafficking. Who will stand up?
Much grace,
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

the size of the Army
Someone said we are the biggest Army in the world today. I think I blogged last year that we are number three. I can't confirm until we get that google search engine going...

But check this out: "By 1882 a survey of London discovered that on one weeknight, there were almost 17,000 worshipping with the Salvation Army, compared to 11,000 in ordinary churches. "

This could help explain (but not excuse) our disdain towards those wacky pentecostals who showed up two decades later.
Grace
stephenc

Looking to Charlotte...
any of you considering heading to Charlotte for an outpost had better read Cory's blog today on the subject (242 top right).
grace
stephenc

January 29, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Three Things:
1. Two people I respect have sent me this article, so I do the honours for you: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?050117fa_fact . The applications to The Salvation Army might be helfpul.

2. Today I dropped by MISSIONS FEST (a very LARGE evangelical missions conference in Vancouver) for the first time. It was a bit like homecoming. My old CO was the MC. My TC was preaching. The 250 or so booths at the missions fair included Campus Crusade for Christ (where I got discipled by Brad Thompson), Reasons to Believe (reasons.org) with Dr. Hugh Ross (where I got some solid Biblical apologetics), Walk Thru The Bible (walkthru.org) (where Old Testament things were put in perspective), Teen Missions (where Danielle first got the bug in Malawi), CFAN (the incomparable Bonnke), Fresh Fire (some of you read JAC and will be familiar with Todd Bentley's contributions), IJM (a very cool, muscular ministry with which I grew a little acquainted while writing BE A HERO), and so on. And we ran into a couple in whose cabin I used to be at camp way back in the day. They told Danielle I was a Holy Terror (which, coincidently (?), is the name of the incoming War College session). Praise the Lord.

3. Have you signed up for Desert Rose yet? "Here is the home of Judaism and Islam
Here was the birth place of Christianity
Here is much of the world's oil
Here conflict erupts easily
Here the Israeli-Palestinian question remains unresolved
Here is the least evangelised part of the world
Here, undaunted by any thought of failure, an early day Salvationist
pioneer, George Scott Railton, at the age of 19, journeyed to Morocco
to win the Moors for Christ, carrying a flag inscribed: Repentance,
Faith, Holiness.
Here The Salvation Army has through its Red Shield Services provided
support to combatants in time of conflict
Here Salvationists have served in battle
Here there have been Salvation Army initiatives in emergency relief
and development work
The Salvation Army in Algeria was administered as part of the France
Territory 1934 ? 1970

Operation Desert Rose is a Salvation Army 2004 initiative:
Promoting awareness of the region and its people
Identifying individual Christians and Christian communities
Encouraging links between Salvation Army territories and commands and
Operation Desert Rose countries
Nurturing contact with Christian agencies already operating in the
field
Providing prayer support"
Sign up at IHQ-CFWE@salvationarmy.org.
much grace
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

January 28, 2005.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ARMYBARMY BLOG! We're two years old today! Hallelujah! And, do you know that we tripled in size over the 12 months or 2004 and then jumped another 33% (or so) in this past month!? We literally couldn't have done it without you.

We're looking at new wrinkles to keep you coming back. We're thinking about a comment feature. We're installing a google search featuer for JAC (and hope to have one for the blog later on). We're listening to your complaints about long blogs (look at my three short ones yesterday for evidence). We're even trying to coax the quiet three of our blogging crew to turn up the volume. So, we hear you.

Thanks for your support.

God gets all the glory and may He use this to lift the name of JESUS very high around the world (and so draw all people to Himself)!
Much grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

I'm Laughing Right Now...

Apologies to John Wesley, but I don't think I would want to aspire to his standard of no levity, no laughter. Laughter is wonderful, a positive good, one of our greatest weapons against the prince of depression and despair.

It can be corrupted, of course. It can even cause great harm, but that is because it is a great good - the greater the good of something, the greater the fall when it is corrupted.

The movie and book "The Name of the Rose" deals with this topic, as the Franciscan and (I believe) Dominican orders disputed whether or not laughter was acceptable unto the Lord. The Dominicans said that Jesus is never reported to have laughed. The Fransicans replied that Scripture never says he didn't laugh.

If he was truly fully human, I would humbly suggest that he laughed, and laughed hard.

It is shocking sometimes to think of Jesus as a human. I have been banned from certain publications because I dared to suggest that Jesus was actually a human, actually enjoyed the company of other humans, and actually was present atsome pretty rocking parties (and actually provided the best beverages at one of said parties). Jesus came to give life to the full, and I can't imagine a full life that does not include levity and laughter.

So I will continue to laugh, and to strive to make others laugh. Having children is wonderful for this. You are the funniest person in the world to a five month old, especially when you rub his belly with your shaved head and say "Boooogabooogabooogaboooga!"

I should also note that I have had 3 emails concerning the "comments" opening up on this site, and all three unanimously want the comments enabled (in Carla's words, emails are so 90's.)

Grace,

Aaron

one stop justice shop

More than a year ago I wanted to start a site called the one stop justice shop and I've discovered tonight that I was beaten to the punch. Check here: http://www.1clicklobbyist.ca/index.php?affid=216

This is chairos timing as we were challenged in class yesterday to stand up and speak out for righteous standards on social issues in our country.

This is an easy way to do it. I urge you Canadians to throw some weight around.

This isn't enough. There are some who will need to really step up to the plate.
grace
stephenc

assorted...

General Burrows is on the International Bible Society Board. Their brand-spanking new translation , Today's New International Version, comes out shortly. Rolling Stone rejected an advert because it was spiritual. But there was a great roar against that decision and RS backpeddled. Read about it here:
http://nationalreview.com/blyth/blyth200501271104.asp

Also, I read in TIME Magazine that Harvard has a professor of hip hop. And they pay something over $20,000usd a year for that education. It is one of the biggest scams in our society (undergraduate education). A secular university is pretty much a waste of time, unless you're hoping to get some people saved or you have to learn something practical (i.e. not arts, like I did).

Patricia King (extremeprophetic.com) was here this week teaching. What a wonderful lady. You should check out her new site in two weeks (I think I will remind you) as it becomes a video portal into the Kingdom. She taught on favour and on the Holy Spirit (I wish I'd heard the latter before we preached on Trinity this month). Deep, practical. Blessed.

Jesus continues to bless our socks off. You know that He wants to do the same for you. If you're not catching it, position yourself downstream in the river of His grace. Much favour to you!
sec

January 27, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Vintage Armybarmy part 27

October 29, 2003.
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.
I stumbled across the Four Resolutions of one of my heroes, John Wesley, the other day. How’s this for hardcore?

1. To use absolute openness and unreserve with all I should converse with.

2. To labor after continual seriousness, not willingly indulging myself in any the least levity of behavior, or in laughter; no, not for a moment.

3. To speak no word which does not tend to the glory of God; in particular, not to talk of worldly things. Others may, nay, must. But what is that to thee? And,

4. To take no pleasure which does not tend to the glory of God; thanking God every moment for all I do take, and therefore rejecting every sort and degree of it which I feel I cannot so thank Him in and for.

I’m not up to that, yet.
Posted by Stephen Court

Much grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

On Steve's comments on Aaron's Michael Ramsay's comments vis-a-vis Tom Cruise...

Whilst it is true that Tom Cruise is as short or shorter than Michael Ramsay, it should be noted that Michael is significantly thinner than Tom Cruise. Ergo, Michael Ramsay is still a mini-Tom Cruise, when beardless.

On to other topics...

Steve and I have been discussing whether or not it would be a good idea to open up the "comments" facility on this blog. It would allow any reader to respond directly to the sometimes scandalous ideas promoted on this site. I think it would increase interactivity (and hits), and Steve thinks the same can be achieved through the miracle of personal emails.

If you have an opinion on comments vs. emails, let me know at aaronziploc@yahoo.com.

Grace,

Aaron

Building Up The Temple

Did you ever read the book of Haggai? It’s good stuff. The Lord sends his prophet Haggai to the Governor of Judah (Zerubabbel) and also to the High Priest (Joshua) with a message. It’s not a pleasant message, in fact, it’s rather convicting. This is what the Lord thought of the plans they had been making:

“Why is everyone saying it is not the right time for rebuilding my Temple? Is it then the right time for you to live in luxurious homes, when the Temple lies in ruins?” Haggai 1: 2-3 TLB

Hmm…strong words! I can imagine how it all went down. Haggai arriving at the meeting place to be ushered into the sumptuously decorated chambers and seated in a plush reclining chair around a highly polished mahogany table (worth a fortune) and offered the finest refreshments. Only to hear the discussion ‘Yeahhh...we just don’t feel the timing is right financially on this whole Temple-rebuild project. Let’s reschedule a meeting for next quarter to re-visit the proposal.’ Then everyone goes home to their mansions with the four car garages and tennis courts and room for a pony…in other words, we have the resources, but we’d rather spend them on ourselves and live it up selfishly with our pony than to give our tithe to the Lord for His holy Temple to be rebuilt.

This is a BIG DEAL. The Temple that they were putting off building was where our Jesus spent a whole lot of time when He arrived on the scene. He performed healings in this Temple, the blind were given sight, and the crippled were restored. He taught the people in a way that they could understand, which must have been refreshing, because in that day, only those born into certain roles were taught to read, understand and think for themselves, so when the people came to the Temple for worship, the guy giving the ‘message’ was like a Harvard professor preaching to a class of Grade 6 students. The Temple is where Jesus had verbal skirmishes with the ‘self-important’ – the Pharisees, Sadducees and teachers of the law. It’s where Judas Iscariot felt the burn of conviction and cried out to the chief priests that he had betrayed an innocent man and then thrown down the thirty pieces of silver. It is the Temple that was destroyed upon Jesus’ death; the curtain separating the Holy of Holies, torn in two.
THIS is the Temple that Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the priest were hemming and hawing about building.

They were dragging their feet because up until that point they were using the resources that God gave them to live enjoyable, comfortable lives. So, the Lord does what He always does when He wants to bring a message to His people. He sends a prophet to give the Word, and an apostle to lead them into carrying it out. The Lord sends Haggai to the people and begins to prepare Nehemiah to come and spur them on. He was raising up people in the community not only to go and speak out the plans that He wanted to come about, but also equipping and sending out those who would implement the vision and work to make it possible.
First the prophet and then the apostle.

What does that speak to us today? Consider this: that the Temple WE are building is not one of dead rock, but out of believers:

“and now you have become living building-stones for God’s use in building His house.” 1 Peter 2:5

We hold back, not solely in our money, old clothes we could be giving away or the extra room that we could invite someone to stay in but when we don’t live simply.
We don’t give the Word of God our full attention, rushing through a skimpy devotional just to be able to say ‘well, at least that’s done’.

We don’t spend the time in prayer – just doing all the talking and not pausing to listen because we don’t expect God to even say anything to us anyway and besides, we’d rather go watch TV…we are holding back.

We are building up our own household of sinful flesh rather than denying ourselves and giving our all to be a living building-stone in the eternal Temple of the King of Kings. We drag our feet because we too are using the resources God gave us to live out comfortable lives.
We can look back at Joshua and Zerubbabel and at their reluctance to change, but we can also look ahead to all that God would do through the Temple that He wanted built. Our position in history affords us the knowledge that the Temple simply HAD to be built, and WOULD be built, even if that meant a little self-denial on the part of the people.

The same message holds true for us today. We have a reluctance to be self-sacrificial and to deny ourselves, but we can’t even begin to imagine all that God will do through His living Temple, the Church – and through each individual building-stone.

“Building up the Temple, building up the Temple,
building up the Temple of the Lord
Boys won’t you help us? Girls won’t you help us?
Building up the Temple of the Lord.”

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

On Aaron's Michael Ramsay comments.

I take exception to your depiction the beardless Ramsay as a mini Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise is actually quite short but they pick short co-stars to line up aginst him or stick him on a little platform to make him look taller (so teh urban legend goes).

So that would make MR more like a full scale TC.
grace,
sec

January 26, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Vintage Armybarmy part 26

September 28, 2003.
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

Here are a few things I've considered over the last few days with some comrades with hom I have influence:

a.Zeal is good, but zeal isn't enough. We're keen and that is good. But passion itself won't last. Character plus competence are key. Look at Psalm 78:72: "He cared for them with a true heart. He led them with skillful hands." So, integrity and ability must be wed with passion, or even etymological enthusiasm, to completely obey God.

So, some of us are here to add character and competencies to passion. Some are looking for passion as well. Here's a hint for you: if you lack passion, press in for revelation. Revelation is the key to almost everything: passion, zeal, vision/call, faith, intimacy, confidence, obedience... Carry your Bible with you, and break its spine. Pray hard, pray long, pray often.

b. Covenant is key. God honours covenant. He's a covenant-keeping God. Honour your covenants with Him. Read yesterday’s blog. There is blessing through covenant.

3. Preach twice a year- in season and out of season: be bold, compelling, and faithful.

sc05- I didn't preach once in my corps last year- 2004. Not once. I did preach the gospel on the street to individuals and with gospel shots and so on regularly.

One of my friends asked asked how evangelism is prophetic (in the Growth Chart). Good question. Not only is evangelism, following John the Baptist, prophetic, preparing the way of the Lord, but the most effective evangelism is prophetic. Jesus could only do what He saw the Father doing. That's prophetic. We're gifted with a spirit of wisdom and revelation. That's prophetic. We're gifted with words of knowledge and discernment. That's prophetic. When we're doing street combat, we need to be prophetic. We need to ask God to speak to us about the people with whom we're looking to converse. And the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). That's prophetic. And Jesus loves the poor. He cries over them. He loves to hang out with them. Mother Teresa noted that Jesus has found a distressing disguise in the poor. All of this is prophetic.

4. Holiness is to be our foundation. That starts with repentance, continues with faith, and doesn't end. We're to be transformed from glory to glory into the likeliness of our Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). And we're not talking about pathetic, apologetic, squirmy versions of holiness. We're talking about the holiness of Enoch and Daniel and Josiah and Paul and John and Wesley and Railton and Brengle and Roberts and Read. Get it and live it.

5. Warfare worship: not only should you feel 'a little vertigo', but you recognize the warfare that is going on when we worship. When we sing 'storm the forts of darkness', we actually contribute towards, 'bring(ing) them down'. It is not about performance (although Nehemiah 12:45 (NASB) does go for performance of worship- to God- so I'm not suggesting there is nothing to that. It's just that you're not performing for that cute guy or girl); it is a combination of adoration and warfare. For more on this see A LITTLE VERTIGO in JAC last year.

Everything is based on love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love.

That's enough for now. Keep asking God to help you optimize the hours and minutes that we here on this battlefield.
Posted by Stephen Court
____
grace,
stephenc

I've been getting some feedback from my favorites list. As I do, I remember more and more stuff that I forgot to put in, like Fyodor Doestoyevsky's (spelled wrong I'm sure) "The Idiot" (best portrayal of a good and innocent character since the Bible), and Crime and Punishment (this book will make you repent or go crazy).

Then of course I also neglected to mention Eric Clapton, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Led Zeppelin amongst my musical loves.

Here is Michael Ramsay's list of favorites. He runs the Renew Tutoring network, is very well read and politically aware, and has a beard. When not sporting a beard, he looks like a miniature Tom Cruise.

"My turn. I liked Thomas A Kempis. I liked Orwell's 'Animal Farm' best
of his
stuff but I must admit trying to make more than one 'Victory Cigarette'
back
in the day.

I am a big CS Lewis fan. The Screwtape letters was one of my favourites
from
CS Lewis but I do like almost all his apologetics! - Susan likes the
pictorial Pilgrim's Progress. She is also (aren't we all) a REALLY big
Booth
fan.

My all time favourite two books are, though, both by Tolstoy: 1) War
and
Peace 2) Anna Karenina (sp?). I also enjoyed his "Confessions" and have
used
an illustration or two from it in the past.

My favourite history book series are the "History of the English
Speaking
Peoples" by Winston Churchill (Roosevelt and Churchill himself liked
his
series on Marlborough better - I didn't. His memoirs of WWII are
interesting
but very in depth and not as reader-friendly. His first hand account of
the
Boer War and Indian campaign is really interesting too) and Will and
Ariel
Durant's series on civilization. I must confess that I haven't read
McCauley
yet. I would also recommend Will Ferguson's "Canadian History for
Dummies"
and "So you want to be a Canadian, eh?" Arian's (sp?)"Alexander" is
good and
so is Livy's "Hannibal".

Noam Chomsky is a good writer but not much of a speaker. Ravi
Zacharias,
however, is great at both art forms.

Some non-fiction authors I liked were PG Wodehouse, Pinter, Jeffery
Archer
and Homer.

I almost forgot St. Augustine! That would be an oversight...I
particularly
liked his "Confessions"

The best magazine of all time is, of course, WAVES Magazine: the
Journal of
International Education (1997-2003), published by the VI Homestay
Association. Nods to WAR CRY and MACLEAN'S.

Like you Aaron, I am sure I am missing lots... I must confess though
that I
am not a Yancy. I did like one work that Yancy ghost wrote for Paul
Brandt
though.

The best two movies ever are, of course, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
are
Dead" and "Men with Brooms" - Susan says "Ishtar" and the dancing cop
movie
with Judge Reinhold.

The greatest musical group of all time is, of course, the 80`s LA metal
band
'Faster Pussycat' with such classics as "I got your number off the
Bathroom
Wall", "Emotion is like a cloud dripping radiation right on my brain",
"A
bottle in front of me is like a frontal lobotomy". Nods go to just
about any
80's Metal Band. Punk is good too - 70`s especially. Grunge is good:
Nirvana
particularly. As for new bands, I like Green Day and Sum 41. For Music,
Susan says Glory Fix. If I had to pick a rap band I would go with early
Beastie Boys or Weird Al`s "Amish Paradise" (I also liked his "Rye or
the
Kaiser"). All Acid Jazz and R&B musicians should be locked in a room
together and duel to the death - the room should, of course, be
sound-proof.

ACDC is the greatest Australian rock band ever. (with apologies to
Midnight
Oil)

Like Aaron said, "Weezer are nerds, but they also make great music" and
"A
lot of christian artists frustrate me, to be honest." I did like the
Resurrection -later 'Rez'- Band (they actual lived the life too!), some
Newsboys and "Flood" by Jars of Clay.

I know I've also missed some, but oh well.

Grace,
Michael"

Grace,
Aaron

Vintage Armybarmy part 25
July 5, 2003.
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

On May 9, 1912, General Booth preached his last message, at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The rhetorical climax went as follows:

While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl on the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight—I’ll fight to the very end.

Here we are, nearly 100 years later, still fighting. I’m ticked off. I’m ticked off that millions of women still weep. I’m ticked off that tens of millions of children go hungry (I’m ticked off that we haven’t stopped millions of them from dying every year from starvation). I’m ticked off that men go in and out and in and out of prison. I’m ticked off that there are millions of drunks and drug addicts (I’m ticked off after seeing a friend of mine back on the street shaking like a leaf from a terrible drug that he should be free from if God could trust me with His delegated authority). I’m ticked off that there are millions of lost girls prostituting themselves on the streets, along with many boys, and a bunch of confused people who aren’t sure of their gender identity. I’m ticked off that there are more people going to hell right now than at any other time in the history of the world.

I’ll fight. I want to see us rise up in the zeal and authority of the Lord to break the fangs of the wicked, to crush the back of injustice, to shatter the bonds of poverty, to smash the chains of addiction, to demolish hell’s throne, and win the world for Jesus.
posted by Stephen Court, July 5, 2003.

----
grace
sec

January 25, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name. My friend Ricchard sent me this excellent site - http://www.gospeltruth.net/booth/booth_index.htm - of Catherine and William writings. You will likely want to bookmark this.
grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Aaargh!

Anytime you make lists of your favorite stuff, you always forget things and then it keeps you up at night. Ok, that's a little sad, but I did forget some important influences.

I can't believe I forgot to mention the authors N.T. Wright, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Thomas A Kempis, Jack Kerouac and Philip Yancey as influences in my reading.

And as for movies, I only forgot incredible movies like Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, Dead Man Walking, Run Lola Run, and Shadowlands.

On to musical influences...

I like all kinds of music, but am not really immersed in any one genre. So, for instance, I really don't know anything about country and western music, but I have two Johnny Cash albums and listen to them frequently.

I'm not a huge fan of hip hop either, but I really appreciate Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas, Nas, Jay Z, and Tupac Shakur (probably the greatest rapper ever).

Lauryn Hill is my favorite r&b artist.

For punk I dig Green Day (quasi-punk), and Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees.

I don't listen to a ton of bluegrass, but I think the O Brother Where Art Thou album to be indespensable to any music collection, along with Bob Dylan's Love and Theft, which is all roots music.

I love REM's Automatic for the People, everything Jimmy Eat World has come out with, POD's stuff is very good, as is Fat Boy Slim's (though I don't love electronica, aside from Moby).

U2 is the greatest rock band ever.

Midnight Oil is the greatest Australian rock band ever. (apologies to ACDC)

"No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley and the Wailers is possibly my favorite song of all time.

I love the Newfoundland musical stylings of Great Big Sea (though apparently it actually hurts Jenn Burr to listen to it), and the West Coast equivalent of Spirit of the West.

Classically, I love Beethoven and Bach (I did a lot of choral singing in my youth, which does not make me a nerd).

Weezer are nerds, but they also make great music.

A lot of christian artists frustrate me, to be honest. I do like Delirious and Jars of Clay, really dig Jason Upton as a worship leader, my buddy is in Downhere and I do think they are very good, but no one in my mind yet compares to Keith Green. His music is dated, to be sure, but his message is so uncompromised. I am very much digging the musicians who are now taking old hymns and rocking them up.

The greatest musical recording ever is "Winter Wonder Spam" by SPAM.

I know I've missed some, but oh well.

Grace,
Aaron

more abortion madness
James Taranto of opinionjournal.com (excellent stuff) offers this today:
"The Los Angeles Times reports from Boulder, Colo., that "a Catholic church plans to bury the ashes of as many as 1,000 aborted fetuses Sunday, raising a storm of protest from those who accuse it of exploiting the pain and grief of women for political purposes":

"The Sacred Heart of Mary Church obtained the ashes from a mortuary that had a contract to cremate remains from the Boulder Abortion Clinic. But the clinic said it didn't know the ashes were being given to the church.

""They have taken it upon themselves to make a macabre ritual out of this, inflicting pain on everyone," said clinic director Dr. Warren Hern. "I have women calling me who are very upset over this. These fanatics simply cannot leave other people alone with their most intimate sorrow." . . .

""It's sad the church would take it upon itself to violate the doctor-patient relationship," said Kate Horle, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. "These women went to the doctor in confidence and made a difficult, personal decision. And now it's been dragged all over the media."

""Antiabortion zealots, Catholic or otherwise, have shown that they will stop at nothing to inflict guilt and to compound the grief, sadness and sense of loss that these women experience," he said.

"Hey, c'mon, Kate, what's the big deal? After all, they're only fetuses! As for women experiencing "grief, sadness and sense of loss" after an abortion, well, that's not what we hear. To quote from the Web site of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains:

"Serious emotional problems following abortion are uncommon. Most women report a sense of relief, although some may experience temporary depression. Serious psychological disturbances after abortion occur less frequently than after childbirth.

"So if the Catholics want to have their silly little fetal funeral, why whine about it? Let the baby have his bottle!

Amen
grace,
stephenc

a few items

1. there seems to be confusion in the use of 'second blessing' even though I've tried to clarify things. It is a synonym of the crisis of sanctification, when you get holy. It is not a glory fit, and anointing, a warm feely, or any such thing. There are character-fruit changes, since the Holy Spirit has no filled you (meaning that you are empty, of self-will, of demons, and so on).

2.Numbers 18:7 refers to your special gift of service. God gives us a special gift of service. It is HIS gift to us that allows us to serve Him in smoe way. A nice turn around form normal understanding.

3. My buddy lives in South Africa and laid this one on me: "The British Army suffered one of its greatest defeats at Isandlwana. More than 1500 soldiers died at the hands of the Zulus. A combination of pride, arrogance, and foolishness led to this defeat. They thought the Zulus would line up and play fair when the invaded Zululand. Word got back to a mission station at Roarkes Drift that the Zulus were coming. A small group of people held off the Zulus through the night and 14 victoria crosses were handed out because of that battle. It remains the battle that has had the greatest number of victoria crosses handed out. I could not help but wonder if God wanted me to learn something from that history. I have see arrogance in The Salvation Army and I really believe that as a result we have seen some defeats. Perhaps we have in someways faced our Isandlwana - or perhaps we are still facing it. I wonder if we are heading to our Roarkes Drift. If we in The Salvation Army will face a battle in our future where only heroes will survive. Ultimately the British did win the war with the Zulus, but they had to go through both kinds of battles before they did win the war. I have no doubt of our ultimate victory, but neither do I have any illusions about the challenges of the road."

It is all powerful, but how about the phrase- 'only the heroes survive'? Wow.
grace
stephenc

January 24, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Vintage Armybarmy part 24
July 1, 2003.
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

Highbrow periodical Criterion recently released its greatest lists that culminated in a list of the greatest person ever list (which was based on number of appearances on other lists) (http://criterion.uchicago.edu/issues/vi3/greatestman.html)

Here is the list, along with links I’ve found for the people named:
1. King Alexander III of Macedonia
http://www.royalty.nu/Europe/Balkan/Alexander.html
2. King Tamerlane of the Turks
http://www.authorama.com/book.php?title=famous-men-of-the-middle-ages&part=28
3. Emperor Caligula of Rome
http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/Mediterranean/Caligula.CP.html
4. Emperor Shi Huang Di of the Qin Dynasty
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang_Di
5. King Genseric of the Vandals
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaiseric

Now, have you heard of any of these people? I’ve heard of Alexander and Caligula. But that’s it.

Now, my list would totally different. It would include people like the following group (omitting Jesus, and not in any particular order):

Paul- for spreading a little sect around his known world within a generation; for modeling a holy life; for his wisdom; for his fearless, persistent, flexible example (Paul will stand in for the other biblical apostles, a couple of whom might have made this list); for remaining one of the most influential people in history;

Bill Bright- for ‘inventing’ the two most effective evangelistic tools in history (the JESUS Film and the Four Spiritual Laws); for getting tens of millions saved; for raising up a great commission movement that is fulfilling the great commission (‘win, build, train, send’ is the Campus Crusade for Christ motto);

John Wesley- for rediscovering both Biblical holiness and Biblical church government and structure; for raising up a missionary and church movement that has shaken the world; for his teaching; for his role in one of history’s greatest revivals;

William Booth- for raising up an army of warriors that became the fist of the Body of Christ; for restoring the prophetic to the Church; for wedding evangelistic zeal with simple holiness; for transforming societies as he struggled to save them; for sanctified creativity…

Martin Luther- for rediscovering justification by faith, and in so doing, transforming the Church (both the Protestants and the Roman Catholics).

Now, the conditions were not set. And there are heaps of possible variations on this theme. I think I’ve even argued, in the past, for a place for Chairman Mao, since his legacy is one of the greatest revivals in history (his persecution of Christians spawned tens of thousands of house churches and millions of converts- but, of course, he is totally unworthy, especially in light of any one of tens of thousands of heroic martyrs he and his evil regime made and makes). But praise God for these great persons, who have transformed history way more than Genseric, Shi Huang Di, Caligula, Tamerlane, and Alexander, and who have, more importantly, transformed eternity.
posted by Stephen Court, July 1, 2003.
____
grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Good morning Church!

"So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it." 1 Thessalonans 5:11 The Message

This morning the Martyrs prayed a combined 12 hours of encouragement over one another, their leaders, the sick, the unborn and Holy Terror - the next War College session slated to come in this fall.
What's the point of praying encouragement? Well, it is the nature of the world to teach us to be more inclined to curse one another and speak discouragement than to build one another up. Scripture is FULL of truth that we can use to edify one another.
So, when was the last time you spoke an encouraging word to your husband, your wife, your co-worker, your co-labourer in Christ, your brother, your sister, your daughter, your son, your mom, your dad, your boss, your fellow Salvationist, a stranger, your corps officer, your neighbour, your enemies...

I challenge you to take a moment TODAY and use it to bless someone with a Word from Scripture.
It's important, we all want to finish this race:

"Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out." Ephesians 6:18 The Message

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

January 23, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Vintage Armybarmy part 23
June 6, 2003.
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

To clarify yesterday’s post…
sc05- you can look it up in the archives- top right...

Much of the money invested is now gone.

sc05- post-stock market tumble losses of Christian investments.

By investing in Coke (representing all companies) Christian organizations are demonstrating faith in the mission of Coke. The opportunity costs of investing in the mission of Coke in investing in their own great commission mission.

In other words, such groups have indicated that they have more faith in Coke’s mission than in their own. They have more faith in Coke’s ability to accomplish its mission than they have to accomplish theirs. And, they consider Coke’s mission more important than theirs.

sc05- applies individually and corporately.

I think that had we invested those (b)illions in our mission we’d be well on the way to winning the world for Jesus.
Posted by Stephen Court, June 6, 2003.
____
grace,
sec
posted by Stephemn Court

response to Aaron's lists...
All I can say is that Aaron reads a lot of books. I expect that most of can't even come up with that many authors we've read, let alone a list of those we like.

Reading it was a memory trip for me. Until Zion was on his way (my son) I was a list-keeping (ranking, rating, collating...) book reader who had to cover at least 60 a year. I figured that I'd not tempt myself to slack on fathering just to get to 60. So I swore off my book lists (I still have them, and could probably come up with a HEAVILY Salvo version to balance Aaron's ecumenical reading, but you could probably guess them) while Z was on his way.

Cheers, Aaron.

My one argument is on your movie list with your exclusion of two classics: BATMAN (the 1960s two-hour television series premiere), and THE LAST ACTION HERO.
grace,
stephenc

covenant again
Look- I am always looking to plug covenant and Captain Andrew Clark is on about it on his Army Renewal Blog at http://armyrenewal.blogspot.com/ so check it out.
grace
stephenc

Influences Part Deux...

On to movies. The following are not all movies I would recommend per se, (bearing in mind Paul's advice about tripping others up), but they are movies that I thought were very good and had an influence on me.

So, for example, while I think both The Usual Suspects and The Devil's Advocate are excellent movies and do a powerful job of portraying Satan, evil and temptation, I would not suggest that these are appropriate movies for all and sundry.

I'll break my choices into categories.

Comedy: Three movies stand out here...
1. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Great road and buddy movie, some absolutely classic moments (Those aren't pillows!!!) and some real heart at the end.

2. Tommy Boy. Same formula really. In fact, a lot of comedies use the buddy / road trip as a plot line, but few, very few, do it well. Tommy Boy does, and contains some scenes that I still can't watch without nearly fainting with laughter. An obese Chris Farley trying to change clothes in an airplane bathroom comes to mind.

3. Napolean Dynamite. Not everyone digs this movie, but I laughed hard probably once per minute, which is a great average. Sweeeeet.

Fantasy / Sci-Fi:

1. The Lord of The Rings. The trilogy. This is an obvious choice for me.

2. The Matrix. Again, fairly obvious, but true. Made a lot of people think, really think, for the first time after a movie. And sweet kung fu action.

3. Minority Report. Very good for starting a discussion on free will.

4. Contact. A movie all about faith, written by an atheist.

Thriller / Horror: I don't watch a lot of horror, but have 2 favorites...

1. The Sixth Sense. I knew what was coming, but it still plays out really well, and is chilling.

2. The Others. Same idea with a surprise plot twist.

Misc: Don't really know how (or care how) to categorise these ones.

1. The Shawshank Redemption. Probably my second favorite movie. Hope, hope, hope. This one I do recommend unreservedly.

2. O Brother Where Art Thou - and most anything else done by the Cohen brothers. (Raising Arizona, The Ladykillers, The Big Lebowski, etc...)

3. Being John Malkovich. Brilliantly weird. Like Adaptation and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (all by Charlie Kaufmann).

4. Bowling for Columbine. An expose on the power of media, from both sides.

5. Fight Club. Watched it three times in succession when I first got it, just to get it.

6. Harvey. A black and white movie with Jimmy Stewart and an 8 foot tall invisible rabbit.

7. Saving Private Ryan. Like Amistad, and Schindler's List, I can only watch this one maybe once a year.

8. Memento. So cool, really keeps you thinking and guessing.

9. The Godfather Part 1 and 2. Not 3. Never 3.

10. The Professional. Awesome action movie with brains and heart. Lots of stuff blows up in various cool ways as well.

11. Amelie. So weird and funny and french.

12. The Passion - more an event than a movie really.

I'm sure I've missed some movies that I love, but I will end here with my number 1 all time favorite movie...

The Princess Bride. Starring Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Cary Elwes, and Andre the Giant. An absolute can't miss. Inconceivable!

Grace,

Aaron

Good morning Church,

"Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter and not just do what is most convenient for us.

Strength is for service, not status.

Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, 'How can I help?"

Romans 15:1-2 The Message


Do you consider yourself a 'strong' Christian? Well then, look around you, how can you help?


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

Vintage Armybarmy part 22b
May 25, 2003.

Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

More on yesterday’s post.

I’ve heard that the General’s Consultative Council is considering the addition of a new membership level, between adherents and soldiers.
sc05- I've heard nothing more of this issue in the months since...

Please read this view and pass it on to anyone you know who sits on that council.

1. Multiplication by subtraction. Don’t add another level. Subtract adherency. Canada and Bermuda is the sore spot of the Western Hemisphere in the Army. And yet we boast nearly 1/3 of the world’s total adherents!

sc05- get your head around that one for a minute. We've been shrinking most of my life (maybe all, but I lack the early stats) in my territory (for which I take more than my share of blame- sorry) and yet our territory 'boasts' 1/3 of the adherents in the whole world! Wow. The saving grace is the General's beefing up of the standard so that you actually have to be saved now to be an adherent. How long it will take to filter down is anyone's guess. And I assume that it is granfathered in (that existing sinners on the roll aren't cut). I personally don't know because we don't make adherents.

We dwarf every other territory in this statistic. Adherency’s strength and our over-all weakness is not a spurious relationship. By watering everything down, we’re a mushy puddle. It is not too late to save the rest of the world from this fate. Adherents aren’t even necessarily saved. Adherency compromises the integrity of The Salvation Army.
Any additional level will further muddy the puddle.

sc05- of course, now you 'have' to be saved to be an adherent, officially, at least.

2. Raise the standard of soldiership. The wartime effectiveness of the average soldier is much less than required for conflict. We need to raise the level by three actions:
a. remove soldiers not seriously attempting to fulfill covenantal responsibilities;
b. grandfather in a training programme for soldiers who need to get trained up to the new standard;
c. replace the myriad of ad hoc training plans for recruits with one effective system. I could update and edit SALVATIONISM 101, already used in hundreds of corps and on every continent.

sc05- and we will update it, as soon as I can kind an adobe expert who works fast and for free! :- )

3. Corps officers must be re-trained to lead war battalions and not pastor churches. The identity issue must be solved. Until that happens, we will not solve the shrinking issue. There are many different fronts on which we fight and many different looks by which we effectively fight. But whether undercover or special operatives or regular army, soldiers are soldiers. What this means is that they might look differently on different fronts but they must be, down at the bone, soldiers.

4. Headquarters must set the example. Turf wars, identity confusion, and general malaise must be replaced with wartime esprit de corps focused on accomplishing mission. If IHQ and THQ lead, officers and soldiers will follow. Some of the changes required to re-establish identity and reverse the negative trend in soldiership include:
a. remove the infatuation with being churches;
b. remove non-salvationists from positions of influence;
c. set the standard for all other units by requiring the new standard for soldiership in IHQ and THQ soldiers and officers;
d. publicly and corporately repent for disobedience toward God over the last generations. Sins to be repented of include:
i. fear of man;
ii. emulation of the churches emerging from corporate inferiority complex (includes the trimmings, such as ordination);
iii. world system administration (instead of following God- this includes our treatment toward the prophets and warriors).

sc05- wasn't I hard at it last year?! I agree with this still, maybe even more strongly. I merely add that I love the examples (our DHQ, for one) that run counter to the current situation.

I am convinced that the world can be won if we implement these changes.

posted by Stephen Court, May 25, 2003.____
grace,
sec

January 22, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Vintage Armybarmy part 22

May 8, 2003.
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

One of our issues as a Salvation Army is our fragmentation. Back in the day, we had a powerful publishing arm that produced influential periodicals and books, including universally used songbooks. These were the standard fare for Salvationist learning and warfare. Now, at least in the western world, it is far more likely that salvos will have read the big evangelical names, while lacking influential input from the Army. And so our thoughts and philosophies and methods are shaped by Hybels and Warren and Maxwell and Wagner and Stanley and Colson and Swindoll and so on, instead of Larsson and Gowans and Clifton and Yuill and Noland and Wall and so on.

sc05- we're working on this problem. Geoff Ryan and I have started CREDO PRESS, which, this month, slammed out its third title- STAND ON GUARD. Get in line...

We will sing songs by Ruis and Redman and Hughes and Tomlin and Park and so on, instead of Hood and Rowe and Freeman and Kay and Grinnell and so on (note I say ‘instead’. ‘As well’ would be ideal). There are some problems with that. One is the reality that the first group is different from the Army in several matters of doctrine or praxis. And so we’re fragmented as Corinth, with some following Hybels, and some following Wagner. I’m not saying that these leaders cannot speak into the Army, not at all. But without a solid SA basis in doctrine and praxis we’re like rudderless ships, floating from wave to wave on the latest trends. Meanwhile, our best thinkers and doers fight to sell a few thousand books and make very little impact in our lives and warfare. Our songwriters scrape together enough cash to pull off a half decent recording that they have to flog to pay off.

sc05- I think I just blogged about the joy of worshipping with excellent SA music last weekend. It is soemthing that connects at a spirit level, I think. And the vast majority of us miss out on it the vast majority of time. And, as you know- we're pumping out CDs (I think we've done 7 or 8) to help fill the gap. One we didn't do it PEOPLE OF FAITH by Nik and Emma Pears in England. We just obtained the album and rejoice along with the songs (and at the quality). You can pick up your copy at therattling.com (great name).

This is wrong.

One part of the solution is a universal standard. We can’t make salvos buy our books, although we could do a better job of selling them. We can’t make salvos buy our CDs, although we could do a far better job of promoting them. But we can set universal standards of soldiership that will incline hearts and minds toward things Salvationist.

sc05- thie is a premonition of our covenant thing...

This is the standard set we use in the 614 War. Each recruit will have met these standards:
Saved a year
Clean a year
Read the Bible
In formal discipling relationship
In a cell
In a brigade activity (ministry)
Tithing
Uniformed
Read O+R
Read Handbook of Doctrine
In for life
Completed at least one discipling course and SALVATIONISM 101
Completed at least one approved SA book
Approved by the Corps Council

This isn’t perfect but it has helped establish solid soldiers that you can fight alongside and depend on in the battles. If every recruit met these standards then we’d overcome some of the fragmentation that is rendering much of SA culture purely local and largely obsolete. Soldiers would be more serious. We’d actually care about these books and CDs that our leaders are generating. We’d care for Army input into issues and methods. We’d care for some kind of power-producing unity across the board. And we’d fight more effectively.

sc-05 amen. If we could lock nearly 1.5 million soldiers into this standard I figure we could win the world by 2025.

posted by Stephen Court, May 8, 2003.
____
much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

new blog
My friend from The War College, Jonathan Howell, started blogging this week at jonathanhowell.blogspot.com and an oldie from Williams Lake, Michelle Lavoie, also did: shellrock.blogspot.com. Enjoy.
grace
stephenc

BTI, TWC, etc.
Booth-Tucker Institute kicks off July 5 (until 11) 2005 right here in Vancouver. It is a one-week incarnational refresher for leaders. Right now we're expecting representation from Singapore, Canada, USA, and Australia. But all are welcome (to apply, at thewarcollege.com under BTI). Apply today.

We accepted five more students today for the Holy Terror Session of The War College, starting in September, 05. They hail from England, USA, and Canada. We're looking for another 40-50 solid applicants (we're well over 60 so far) for this coming year. Are you in? Check out thewarcollege.com for more details.

RAW (hat-tip to Box Hill) is READY AND WILLING and it happens this March break in our brand spanking new XCulture (Cross Culture). It is for teens. And it promises to transform worlds (yours and ours). For more info, check the front menu page of armybarmy.com.

I just got the new album I KNOW A FOUNT (by Lex, Josh, Marty, and Phil) by TransMission ('transforming worship into mission'- great name- hat-tip RR). You guys will really want to pick it up (contact at armybarmy.com or go to phillaeger.com for more info). This is top-notch stuff. Man, you'll be humming these songs for months. Glorious King, for example, almost took the roof off last Saturday night in Lakeland Florida (for about ten minutes).

PROVERBIAL LEADERSHIP is receiving a gratifying response so far, with some corps using it for groups study and leader training. Don't miss the wave- pick up your copy today from the eStore here (only $12 cdn).

BE A HERO update: look, we're at about $900,000 raised for children's homes, about 1,000 new child sponsorships, and abotu 1,000 heroes. The goal is 10,000, so if you are already signed up (DH is number one) you are part of the first-fruits). But we've got 9,000 to go. Why not sign up today? Ah, and I've exciting news on this front to announce shortly.

Much grace,
sec

January 21, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

People, I apologise for lack of consistency this week- I've actually lost three blogs I've tried to post. But this one will work, I hope.

Vintage Armybarmy, part 20
May 4, 2003
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

We’re starting a huge thing here in Vancouver. It is very small, tiny, in fact, right now. It is under the radar. But it is intended to be big.

Anyway, we want the Army’s first principles as elucidated by the Founder to be part of our spiritual DNA (see May 1 blog).

So, we’re going after extreme holiness. We have established a practice of utter vulnerability. It is actually easier to keep things clean if you know that everyone else in the room is equally vulnerable. You can ‘fess’ up, get forgiveness, and move on. We’re aiming at the Biblical standard here- no rationalizing for us. The Bible says to be holy and we obey. It says to be perfect (not faultless but blameless) and we obey. It is God’s power that makes out intent efficacious.

And we will have liveliness in meetings. I say that future tense because we don’t have corporate meetings yet. We won’t start meeting weekly, publicly, until we have 25 cells or so. But into our DNA is liveliness in and of meetings. This is a factor, mostly, of freedom. Freedom is the enemy of a few of the usual suspects attacking the Army, including fear of man and control/jezebel. Fear of man rules when you’re afraid to shout ‘glory’ or wave your hand or give that tongue God is welling up inside of you or dance or roll or do anything that might draw attention to yourself and with it the disdain of bystanders and spectators (I use those terms intentionally). The spirit of control is an old enemy of ours in the Army, one which clamps down on freedom. This is a frontal attack on the Holy Spirit (where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom). Control and fear of man are related, as are control and jezebel. Jezebel was against the prophets, against the voice of God. This is a strategic role for satan’s horde, since the voice of God is the only offensive weapon we have (more on that later).

We will seek the poorest and worst. We are moving our leaders down here as God provides opportunity. Our newer people all live down here (I should say that down here is the notorious downtown eastside of Vancouver). So, here we are in Canada’s poorest postal code (still Disneyland compared to real poverty) living with some of our poorest and worst. Although we’re establishing authentic Christian community here, it is not exclusive, like the China Town just up the street (in which I cannot easily interact because I lack certain obvious credentials, starting with language). Our community has to be open and accepting so that people can join. We seek them not so that we can coax a perfunctory prayer out of them in a time of personal vulnerability but so that they can experience the Kingdom of God in their lives and spread that experience around town and the world.

We will exhibit red-hot religion. Now, remember that when Booth used the term religion it lacked the negative connotations it carries today. His directive could easily be paraphrased today as red-hot spirituality. It denotes incendiary zeal. The one guy I know that carries red-hot religion the most obviously is Michael Collins, a legend Salvo in Vancouver, who, praise God, is preaching in all sorts of people so that the masses can be exposed not only to his preaching (which is red-hot) but to his life (which is RED-HOT). We will see God multiply and replicate warfighters like Michael, to His glory and the conquest of the world.
posted by Stephen Court, May 4, 2003.
____
much grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Influences...

In the movie High Fidelity, a character says something that is very telling about our times:

"It's not what you're like, it's what you like that matters."

In other words, it is not someone's character that tells you most about them, but rather their interests. I don't really totally buy into that, but it is true that our interests and hobbies influence us significantly.

On that note, I thought I'd throw on some of my influences, some of the stuff I like. I'll start off with books.

Books: I am a book junkie, and could suggest hundreds of titles I think are worthwhile. But I'll confine myself to pointing out my favorite authors, and some of their best books.

1. C.S. Lewis. I will read anything he wrote, and will probably love it. My favorites of his are:
The Chronicles of Narnia - The story of Aslan's sacrifice evoked a greater emotional reaction from me than any other Passion narrative I had ever heard, and the Judgment Day scene from the Last Battle is still in my mind the best theology available on the topic.

The Great Divorce - a story about a man who visits heaven in a dream. It is not meant to be predictive, but it shows remarkable insight into the nature of sin, the nature of humanity, and the nature of glory.

Mere Christianity - obviously a classic.

The Screwtape Letters - The first book of his I read, and it got me hooked. A story of temptation, but the power here is that the temptations are in the little things, not the big things.

There are so many more books of Lewis' that I love, but I'll stop there for now.

2. Terry Pratchett. Author of the Discworld Series, SciFi / Fantasy / Social Commentary / Humour.

This series is just about the funniest, best written set of stories I have ever read. He takes on everything, from opera, to Shakespeare, to religious fundamentalism, to the police, to militarism, to Australia. He is screamingly funny, and he packs insight like few others. There are 28 (29?) books in the series now, and I suggest you start at numbers 1 and 2, the Light Fantastic and The Colour of Magic. They just get better and better.

3. G.K. Chesteron. Best known for his Father Brown detective series, but don't neglect classics like The Man Who Was Thursday, Orthodoxy, and especially, The Everlasting Man.

4. J.R.R. Tolkien. If you haven't read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, what is wrong with you? My first son's middle name is Reuel, after John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. And that's only because my wife wouldn't let me name him Bilbo.

5. Brother Lawrence - The Practice of the Presence of God. A devotional classic by a Carmelite monk, one that opened my eyes to the reality that God is always present, we just fail to notice him.

6. Henri Nouwen - Really, read anything you can by this guy. The Wounded Healer, The Genesee Diary...beautiful portaits of a soul striving to know himself and to know God.

7. Richard Foster - On Prayer, The Celebration of Discipline, and Streams of Living Water - Three gigantic works of enormous importance for the Christian life.

8. Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy (in 5 books). Just really, really, stupid funny.

9. Naomi Klein - No Logo. A seminal work explaining the post-industrial, anti-corporate mindset.

10. Douglas Rushkoff - XTC Club. Not for everyone, but an excellent novel about the creation of a manipulative and coercive night club that eerily resembles a Church. Also check out his book titled (I think) Coercion: Why we do what they say.

11. Douglas Coupland - Fantastic thinker and artist, captures post-modern angst and spiritual seeking like no one else I've read. I think Girlfriend in a Coma is his best, but Generation X, Microserfs, amd Hey Nostradamus are also superb.

12. Gerard Kelly - Post-modern Christian British author par excellence. Wrote Humanifesto about the Sermon on the Mount, and Retrofuture about postmodernism and the Church. Excellent excellent stuff, and he's a cool guy, smokes smelly cigars.

13. Brian Mclaren - also a writer on post-modernism and the Church. Will probably make you a bit uncomfortable in books like A New Kind of Christian and More Ready Than You Realise, but he is worth the read.

14. Geoff Ryan - Gotta do a shout-out to Geoff, who really is a great writer, primarily in essay form, which is a lost art. Sowing Dragons, and The Siren Call of a Dangerous God will shake you up and hurt you. In a good way.

15. Rook and White - Futurise. Quite simply the best book ever written, ever. :)

Grace,

Aaron White

Not the best way to inform an employee that they are being let go....

Just read Steve's post from earlier today, and am very much hoping he doesn't feel the need to cut my position as a matter of simplicity or integrity!

:)

Grace,

Aaron

Good day.

Lately I've begun paring down my belongings because when the Lord calls me to pick up my backpack and get on the move, I can't possible take my assemblage of port-a-files and storage bins with me in any convenient way.

So, I've been sorting through the accumulation of papers covered in spontaneous ideas that come to me, (the noteworthy and best-left-forgotten) as well as quotes that strike me, and research ideas for down the road. I've kept these all with the sincere intent of 'thinking on them more at a later date'

(!)

That being said, I've come across much intellectual nourishment that I haven't chewed on in a while. So, here's a snack:

"It is wrong, it is a sin to accept or remain in a position that you know is a mismatch for you. Perhaps that's a form of sin you've never ever even considered - the sin of staying in the wrong job. But, God did not place you on this earth to waste away your years in labor that does not employ His design or purpose for your life, no matter how much you may be getting paid for it." Arthur Miller



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

more Wednesday...
I was talking to a couple of business types last night and one quoted a prof: "Any idiot can cut costs'. I retorted, "But it isn't idiotic to cut costs."
For the Army cutting costs is a matter of integrity. But when we cut the staffing costs it becomes a matter of simplicity. And this one hurts more.
grace,
sec

Yet More Things You'd Never See In Orangeville!

The back alleys around here are pretty filthy. The rats do their level best to keep them clean, its true, but there is only so much that 20 million scurrying creatures can accomplish on a given day.

In the back alleys of the Downtown Eastside there are many things you would never see in Orangeville. One is large-scale, whole-sale, shameless public urination. Another is pedestrians dodging stuff thrown from second story or above apartments.

But there is also a lack of things in the back alley here in the DTES, stuff you would see almost anywhere else. For one, there is a disturbing lack of cats. I don't wish to elaborate too much, but it is probably best to order pancakes for breakfast at some of the local diners, instead of, say, sausage.

Another thing we lack on the streets is particular kinds of litter. For instance, you will never find a usable cigarette butt lying on the ground, at least not for long. But you will also never find a bottle or can.

This is very cool. There is a burgeoning local economy in recycling going on. It gives people employment without restrictive rules, cleans up the steets, and helps preserve the environment. There is a lot that is wrong with the DTES, but here is something that is right.

Grace,

Aaron

Roots Trinity
We were blessed at a conference this past weekend in Lakeland Florida. There were lots of highlights, many of which include interactions with people. I think I will be blogging some of these over the next few days (in no particular order).

One of my great joys is Salvation Army worship. I had the privilege to engage in corporately expressing adoration and affection to Yahweh with a bunch of salvos, led by salvos, through salvo songs (for the most part).

It is a beautiful thing to mine our DNA in our worship. A kicking five-piecer led us in times that on a couple of occasions scraped the ceiling with ecstasy (I thought we might raise the roof on Saturday night for about ten minutes).

Some of the songs were from a brand-spanking new worship CD (with accompaniment and enhanced-CD disc) by the equally young band TransMission (if memory serves- 'transforming worship into mission') called I KNOW A FOUNT (this didn't start as a commercial but I know many of you will love to worship along- I don't even know where to get it but suspect phillaeger.com should be able to point you in the right direction).

SA worship is a powerful vehicle. We just need to pull the MG out of the garage a lot more.
Much grace
sec

MORE on I AM
Danielle and I have been preaching on the trinity for the last short while and one of our premises is that the name of the trinity is Yahweh, or I AM.

Out of this comes an interesting prophetic re-interpretation of the famous song, (SASB 527), Except I AM moved with compassion. He is the initiator. Unless He moved first, with compassion, we'd all be history. Instead, now, we can all be eternity. The last line of that song is as famous as the first: 'both instant and constant for Thee'.

May that ever, only, always be our response to this great Inititator (as a newer songs suggests, "You started this romance, I just respond to You).
Much grace
sec

January 18, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Haven't we been blessed by the blogs of these armybarmy bloggers over the last week? I've been away and it is good read their thoughts. Of course, Aaron over-rates me by including me with snoop diddy (sic), as I am oblivious to the phrase, 'off the hizzle' (and, Aaron, since it was a SA meeting in a SA hall I expect what the kid experienced was a glory fit). :-) But by and large, it was all provocative stuff.

Ez 36:23 I will show how HOLY My great name is... and I reveal My holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign LORD, then the nationas will know that I AM Yahweh.

We know that I AM is Yahweh, the trinitarian God.

The context is judgement. But, as I've blogged before (in incessant hopes ot scoring a 'famous' quote), free will boils down to this: discipline now or punishment later. So we can position ourselves for discipline now (downstream in the rivier of GOd's grace). His holiness is thus revealed. Short form: Be humble or be humbled.

He reveals His holiness through us. 1 Tim 4:16 is important for us here: "Keep a close watch on yourself (character) and on your teaching (doctrine).

The result is that the nations will know that I AM Yahweh.

This is contagious holiness.
Much grace.
sec
posted by Stephen Court

The Listening Chair

When my daughter is disobedient, she is given a time-out, and has to go sit on the "Listening Chair" for a set period of time. (She is there right now, as a matter of fact.)

She can only get off the listening chair once my wife or I have come and spoken to her, and she tells us why she was given a time out. She longs to speak to us when she gets sent to the listening chair, because she knows that the quicker that happens, the quicker we are reconciled, and the quicker she can go back to enjoying life in all its fullness (which includes playing with her new doll house.)

I don't know about you, but there is something in me that rebels against listening when I know I've been disobedient. I really don't want anything to do with God when I know I've messed up. This is so counter-productive. I know that God is a forgiver, I know that he wants to restore me, I know all that. But something in me shuts off, and tries to avoid the listening chair for as long as possible.

Maybe I need a new doll house...

Grace,

Aaron

rev·e·la·tion  
definition: Something revealed, especially a dramatic disclosure of something not previously known or realized.
A manifestation of divine will or truth

Some rev·e·la·tion from the vault for a Friday afternoon...

May 2004

"Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust."
Proverbs 4:25-27 The Message

~I must keep my eyes focused on what Christ has set out for me and not be distracted by satan's temptations - the what-ifs, what-might-have-beens, if-only-you-hads, and don't-you-ever-wonder-how-it-could-have-worked-outs.  Don't even consider those thoughts, don't entertain them, take them STRAIGHT to Christ Jesus.  I need to just watch my step (LOTS about discipline this week) and His road will stretch out smoothly before me.


"Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome Him, in whom He dwells--even though you still experience all the limitations of sin--you yourself experience life on God's terms. So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life.
God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!"
Romans 9:9-10,12-14 The Message

~the people who don't have the Creator of the Universe as their Lord and Commander don't get it.  They won't get it.  I shouldn't feel as though I must explain yourself and make them to understand.  It just won't happen. It's not even biblical.  So I don't feel obligated to take their advice, their wisdom is the wisdom of the world, which = death.  Instead, I will ditch all the mighthaves and bury my old life.  Get on with the new life!  I need to get over myself because the Spirit beckons and there are things for me to do and places for me to go.

What's He revealing to you lately and when was the last time you looked back over your life?

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

Storytime
Or
God is not a Syllogism

Do you find it significant that Jesus taught primarily in stories? We have tended in the modern age to try and contain and explain the gospel message in grand concepts, systems, and steps. I am of the opinion that this method is quite possibly antagonistic to the message and ministry of Christ.

Systems and concepts have the advantage of being consistent and coherent. One concept is built upon another, which logically leads to this or that conclusion, and then we have it all nicely sewn up, no stray threads. Nice, tidy system.

Jesus was not tidy, nor is the Bible. Anyone who claims differently is selling you something. I don't even really think the Bible is all that consistent or coherent, at least not on a surface reading. You cannot read the priestly and levitical regulations in Leviticus, and then the parable of the good samaritan, and say that there is an obvious coherency to Scripture. Or take Peter's vision of unclean food, and compare it to the dietary and purity laws of the OT. God is specifically telling Peter to do something that God apparently specifically told his people not to do.

Yes, I know there is a new covenant, but stuff like this also pops up in the OT. Leviticus is all about obsessive sacrifice. But then many of the prophets claim that God is far more interested in mercy and compassion than in bothersome ritual. And then there is the messy business with Boaz marrying Ruth. Seems like a noble thing to do, and they are the ancestors of David and Jesus. But marrying a Moabite woman wasn't really the thing to do for a law-abiding Jew. (It wasn't prohibited per se, aside from general teachings against inter-marriage, but there were severe restrictions on their decendants ability to worship in the Temple. Ironic then that David's son built the Temple, and that Jesus was the Temple.)

I am not in anyway trying to cast in doubt the inspiration of Scripture. I fully believe that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. I am saying, instead, that there must be an allowance to read it as story, which is messy. Abstract concepts and systems will not be able to contain the truths in the Bible, nor the person of Jesus.

If we read as story, then we can allow ourselves to be challenged by the bits that don't seem to fit together. How can the purity laws and Paul's teachings be contained within the same pages? How can Jesus touch a dead person and still be considered clean (and teach his disciples to do the same?) These "friction" points I think are there on purpose, causing us to enter more deeply into the truths of God (this was the explicit purpose of parables, though they also served to confuse people). Jesus is far more "counter-cultural" according to his environment than we are generally comfortable with.

And so, if we experience Scripture as story, we are more able to share Jesus as story to those around us. Andrew never introduced people to a logical argument or a set of steps - he introduced them to a walking talking person, who invited them to become a part of his kingdom story.

Be a part of the story. Experience Jesus not through arguments or ideas, but through your life, and it will become easier for you to welcome others into that story. Allow yourself a messy religion.

Grace,

Aaron White

Regarding Doctrine #5

Today I find myself wanting to discuss doctrine. Perhaps it is the way the wind is blowing, perhaps it's the call to primitive Salvationism and the responsibility to know what I stand for and what I've signed up to withold.
Regardless, here we are:

"We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God."

The reality of sin is this:
All fall short of God's glory.

Our hope, however is revealed in Jesus Christ, His teachings, actions, death, resurrection and ascension confirms that there is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb and that we can experience a newness of life when we repent and put our trust in Him to lead us.
Jesus Christ becomes the cure. The solution to the problem created by the human race.

William Booth said:

"There are many ways to damnation, but only one to salvation."

I tell you friends, I've seen untold numbers of people in our neighbourhood headed right for hell and the only people who are willing to delve after them into the dark angry ocean of sin and hell, following the example of Christ, are God's people. The 'redeemed'. That's us.
We MUST be willing. We MUST go.
It's painful when I see a brother in a dark corner injecting himself full of death and it's painful when I see a sister, looking to be 16 or 17, so strung out that she doesn't know or care that she's not wearing any shoes, walking towards her dealer, looking for her next fix her body contorting and grotesquely twisting all the way.
Even though it is unavoidably painful...we can never stop. I can never stop.

The Founder also said this:

"I don't want another ecclesiastical corps cumbering the earth. When the Salvation army ceases to be a militant body of red, hot men and women whose supreme business is the saving of souls, I hope it will vanish utterly."

We are challenged to look up on humanity as not only being ruined by sin and disobedience, utterly hopeless and consequently left to live under the compulsion of sin, separated from its Creator...but as a missionfield from which to pull men and women from the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands. (2 Timothy 2:26, MSG)

How can we be militant or even red hot if we barely acknowledge the reality of hell?

All covenanted soldiers agree that "all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God."

Having said that though, how many soldiers have a concept of the reality of satan, his demons and eternal damnation?
It's an uncomfortable topic to say the least, but I'm sick of not talking about it.

“I saw the opening maw of hell” (Herman Melville)

Can YOU say that you have seen it?

I propose that if we, as soldiers in The Salvation Army, merely toy with the notion of the devil and his minions but don't actually BELIEVE in it's reality then we are merely toy soldiers. Our supreme business will NOT be the saving of souls, for, there is nothing immediate and dangerous to save them from, we will merely mollify and amuse them with our songs and our uniforms and our bourgeois meetings as they slip away into eternal punishment like water through our fingers.

"He is calling on you to jump into the sea, to go right away to His side and help Him in the holy strife. Will you jump? Will you go to His feet and place yourself absolutely at His disposal?
You must do it.
With the light that is now revealed to your mind and the call that is now sounding in your ears, and the beckoning Hands that are now before your eyes, you have no alternative. To go down among the perishing crowds is your duty. Your happiness from now on will consist in sharing their misery, your ease in sharing their pain, your crown in helping them to bear their cross, and your Heaven in going into the very jaws of Hell to rescue them." William Booth

THIS is what it is to be a soldier of the Cross.

Now what will you do?

posted by:
Heather Wright
The War College
Death and Glory

The Real Warfare:


In Catherine Booth's writings: Popular Christianity, Cowardly Service v. Real Warfare, the Founder makes a point that I am compelled to share:

"The soldiers of Christ must be ABANDONED to the war.


They must be thoroughly committed to God's side: there can be NO NEUTRALS in this warfare...

Some one may ask:

"But we cannot ALL be ministers, or missionaries, or officers in the Salvation Army; must we not attend to the avocations of this life, and work for the bread that perisheth for ourselves and our families?"

Certainly, but the great end in ALL WE DO must be the promotion of the Kingdom. A man may work in order that he may eat, but he must eat to live, not to himself or for the promotion of his own purposes, but for his King, and for the advancement of His interests; and if his heart is REALLY set on this, he will have NO DESIRE to work at his secular calling longer than is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to promote this.

When the necessary amount of work is done, he will gladly lay aside his implements of husbandry or handicraft for the sword of the Spirit...

There will be no running away, no forsaking of the cross, no shrinking from the hard places of the field; but a determined pushing of the battle to the gate, even amid weariness, opposition, and sometimes in the face of dire defeat."

Sigh...where are you today, Catherine?

And where are all of those who would be officers?

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

It was the worst of times, it was the best of times...

Are we being excessively negative here, or just realistic? It seems we can all come up with some pretty horrible events of the past year. I would agree with all of Michael's picks (barring the CHT soccer loss), and most of Steve's as well. And no, I don't really think the poisoning was the worst political event of the year, but I was trying to avoid a massive political blog-brawl.

Onto other things...

We are opening up a new ministry centre about ten minutes west of Main and Hastings, to be used for youth and family evangelism and service. It will have a teen drop-in, kids programming, family dinners and nights, a 24-7 prayer balcony, ESL and other tutouring, experiential worship, Extreme Prophetic weekends, mission team hosting and training...you name it. We're trying to partner up with a lot of other groups to make it happen, and that is going very well.

We had our first event last weekend, an Extreme Prophetic training school on intercession. It was, to quote Stephen Court and Snoop, "off the hizzle."

These guys just prayed and prayed and prayed us up, only stopping to bless us with money. There was one moment where they decided to take up a collection for our work with vulnerable children, and there happened to be a couple of kids there. So they had the kids (5 and 7 years old) come forward, and everyone brought up their offering and laid it at their feet. Then they prayed over the kids and the money, at which point the little 5 year old (named Immanuel, appropriately) was, in the charismatic vernacular, "slain in the Spirit." He flopped over.

Now I know these kids, and that is not their background. Their mother was very curious as to what had happened, but she was all cool with it too. Just a really powerful moment of, I hope, what God intends to do in the neighbourhood, just claiming children away from the addiction and violence and hopelessness and abuse that is so prevalent there. By his Holy Spirit alone can this be done.

Grace,

Aaron

WORST OF...
Many of you seem to disagree with Aaron and me on the worst of 04. So, I thought I'd run an edited version of 'corrections' from Michael Ramsay (Renew Network- top right).
Worst of 04 (feeding off of Aaron and Stephen):

1. World events:
AW- Tsunami.
SC- Sudan
MR- Congo/Iraq
Iraq has been overplayed but is still awful because these rapes, tortures,
and deaths were caused by mankind - many intentionally - and in the eyes of
many, in the name of our God. Congo is almost as bad because, among other
things, it hasn't captured the attention that is necessary to ease the
suffering.

2. Sports:
AW- NHL Lockout.
SC- the signing of Michael Vick for $130 mil or so.
MR- Cariboo Hill Temple being knocked out of the Soccer playoffs.

3. Entertainment:
AW- MSM (mainstream media)- my edit
SC- the 911 docufantasy
MR- Didn't a Ramone die in 2004 - or was he just sedated?

4. Politics:
AW- poisoning of the leader of the Ukrainian opposition.
SC- Spain - A country folded to terrorists.
MR- American Presidential election. Neither major candidate had a
significant plank that was supported by the majority of the electorate.
Voter turn out remained pathetically low. Re: SC on Spain. I would have to disagree 3000%.
If one supports democracy, one has to support a country that is willing to
stand up for what the majority of its population believes in at whatever the
cost - polling numbers in Spain have never supported the military
occupation of Iraq. Re: AW on the Ukraine - do you really think so?

5. Religion:
AW- The fall of a major prophetic leader in the states.
SC- terrorists who claim to represent a certain world religion.
MR- God being blamed by many for the War Crimes of some soldiers and a few
politicians re:occupied Iraq and the US base in Cuba. One of the oldest
Christian communities in the world has almost been annihilated in Iraq. The
survivors have fled. Did they flee to the USA? Did they flee to Canada? No,
these Christians felt that the only place they could get refuge was Syria,
of all places. I get so angry that I shake when I think of the pictures I
saw of what the occupying troops have done in Iraq (rape/torture) to
innocent pre-Christians and at the same time hear the politicians, who
refuse to take any responsibility, seemingly claim the Christian God is
pleased by their conquests. Many people are in hell tonight directly because
of the actions of a few either reckless, naive, or anti-, Christians whose
actions (intentionally or not) are working against the salvation of the
world.
Grace,
(Wow, I really do get upset about people blaming God for man.)
Michael
___
grace
sec

January 12, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Vintage Armybarmy part 12.
May 2, 2003
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

There is some great stuff in THE OFFICER Mag this month. Lieutenant-Colonel Herb Rader and Captain Fran Rader quote Commissioner Booth-Tucker on the eve of the Army’s invasion into India. It was a memorandum of instruction prepared for all new candidates for this new appointment. St. John Irvine considers it one of the most heroic documents of mankind:

"Service will be a matter not merely of being willing to go anywhere, but of wishing to live and die for the particular race to which you are sent. You will be absolutely alone and under close scrutiny. It will be essential to learn at least one Indian language. You must leave entirely and forever behind you all your English dress and habits. Officers will be barefoot.

"You will avoid the English quarter, but will always live among natives- sometimes in a cave, a shady tree, or someone’s veranda- or in a mud hunt 16 by 10 feet. You will cook as they do, and wash your clothes in the stream with them. You have nothing to fear from the climate. The people are different and intensely religious. Find out what their thoughts are before you share yours. And if you are planning to return, don’t go. We would not think of sending anyone out who did not plan to make it a life work.

Heroic is right. Wow! Praise God for the warriors who obeyed. God, raise up thousands more of us, “to fight, live to fight, love to fight, love the thickest of the fight, and die in the midst of it” (Booth).
posted by Stephen Court, May 2, 2003.
____
grace,
stephenc

December 11, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Vintage Armybarmy, part 11.
May 1, 2003.
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

General Larsson has explained to us an interesting tradition. It turns out that General Booth left written advice for his successors in the form of four first principles of The Salvation Army.

Now a couple of these are the usual suspects but a couple of others might throw you for a self-examining loop.

1. HOLINESS. Booth asserted that it was only experiential holiness that distinguished us from any other movement and justified us in having any separate existence at all.

sc05- God pour it out on us please (as we repent, believe, and consecrate).

2. LIVELINESS IN MEETINGS. Wow. You’d have to travel pretty far and wide (at least in the Western world?) to find anything YellowRedandBlue resembling a Salvation Army Corps, according to this principle. Granted, there are exceptions- I’ve experienced them in places like Box Hill and Santa Ana and Pensacola and Compton and East Wind. But if this is the standard, we’re left with two options- change or take off our uniforms. Oh wait, many of us already took off our uniforms- what I meant was, stop pretending to be the Army and in so doing, compromise The Salvation Army.

sc05- everyone needs to lighten up a bit.

3. SEEKING THE POOREST AND WORST. Praise God. Let’s get after them. They need freedom. Impact through contact is the best method. You have to be close to someone to touch them. You can’t email in your compassion.

sc05- that last line was my attempt at being quotable.

4. RED-HOT RELIGION. See my comments on #2. We really have to come to the realization that we’re in a war, that there is an enemy that is out to destroy us, that there are captives that are going to hell forever, that there are dangers and weapons and strategies and rules of engagement and strict disciplines and a Commander and casualties and victories and defeats and blood and glory and heroes and traitors and rewards. And we have to come to an understanding that our King is a magnificent, wonderful, omnipotent, beautiful, benevolent, compassionate, sensational God who loves us and gave Himself and gives Himself for us.

sc05- My mention of hell above suggests my position on the annihilationism debate over the blogosphere this week.

If we are not willing to change so that we abide by the first principles then we are not worthy of the high calling of soldiership and the heroic legacy of Salvationism and we might as well lay down our uniforms and sulk back a church.
posted by Stephen Court, May 1, 2003.
____
grace
stephenc

Good article by a phenomenal theologian...

Was God in the Earthquake? by N.T. Wright

"Does God have a responsibility to stop earthquakes and tidal waves?"

This is the question posed by Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham - widely recognised as one of the foremost theologians of our time. In an article in today's Independent Newspaper titled In the new world there will be no more sea, Wright says that: "The story of Jesus, raises much subtler questions...

The ancient Jewish writers saw the sea as evil. It floods and destroys the world. It stands between the Israelites and freedom. It rages horribly; monsters come out of it. There is a hint that God had to overcome the dark primal waters in order to create the world in the first place.

Ancient symbols spring into unwelcome new life. The murderous mountain of water that charged across the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day rivals the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 in its deadly power. Lisbon caused a sea-change in the Enlightenment itself: before it, Bishop Butler could gaze at the natural world and infer Christian theology, but Lisbon drove a wedge between God and the world, giving fresh impetus to the idea of God as an absentee landlord and then, not long after, a mere absentee.

What's the point in saying "The heavens declare the glory of God", if tidal waves declare His incompetence?
Since then, it has been assumed that "God" has a responsibility to stop things like earthquakes and tidal waves; if He doesn't, they constitute a standing disproof. What's the point in saying "The heavens declare the glory of God", if tidal waves declare His incompetence? Western culture hasn't advanced much beyond that sterile stand-off. This week's horror won't change it any more than did the man-made nightmare of 11 September 2001.
People today assume that a "religious" view of life must address "the problem of evil", the toughest part of which is so-called "natural evil". Evil isn't as bad as it seems, say some; or it's all someone's fault (or, with natural evil, Satan's fault); or it offers a chance for greater moral virtue (courage, and so on). One major tsunami does to theories like that what it does to buildings and people: it crushes them to matchwood.

In a culture heavily influenced by Judaism and Christianity, one might have hoped that the Bible would play a part in the discussion. People seem to assume that it's irrelevant. The general view is that the Bible offers an escape from the world into a personal religion. But that view is itself the result of the Enlightenment's reductionism.

The Bible itself resists such treatment. It constantly acknowledges evil - "human" and "natural" alike - as a terrible reality. It doesn't try to minimise it, to explain that good will come of it, or to blame someone (reactions which correspond uncomfortably closely to the excuses offered by immoral or warmongering politicians). It tells a story about the Creator's plan to put the world to rights, a plan which involves a people who are themselves part of the problem as well as the bearers of the solution.

That people, the family of Israel, are brought through the sea to the promised land, despite grumbling on the way. Through long years of Babylonian exile, they cry out for a new Exodus, for their God again to overrule the mighty waters from which came the monsters of pagan empire. This is the people whose prophets tell of God's intention to deal with evil itself, so that the wolf and the lamb would lie down together, and the earth be awash with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. The healing of creation will result from the Servant of the Lord going down to the depths, taking evil's weight on to himself, exhausting its power.

The early Christians... told his story as the point where the dark forces of chaos converged, in the cynical politics of Herod and Pilate, the wild shrieks of diseased souls, the sudden storms on the lake.
When the early Christians wrote about Jesus, this was the story they believed themselves to be telling. They didn't see him as simply a teacher, a moral example, or even as one who saved people from a doomed world. They told his story as the point where the dark forces of chaos converged, in the cynical politics of Herod and Pilate, the bitter fanaticism of the Pharisees, the wild shrieks of diseased souls, the sudden storms on the lake. They invite us to see his death on the analogy of Jonah's being thrown into the sea, there to be swallowed by the monster called Death. They insist that in this death God has taken upon Himself the full force of the world's evil. As a sign of that, the final book of the Bible declares that in the new world, now already begun with his resurrection, there will be no more sea.

Saying this precisely does not give Christian theology an easy explanation ("Oh, that's all right then") for the continuing presence of evil in the world. On the contrary, it tells a story about Jesus's own sense of abandonment, and thereby encourages us to embrace the same sense of helpless involvement in the sorrow of the world, as the means by which the world is to be healed. Those who work for justice, reconciliation and peace will know that sense, and perhaps, occasionally, that healing.

This isn't the kind of answer that the Enlightenment wanted. But maybe, as we launch into the deep waters of another new year, it is the kind of vocation we ought to embrace in place of shallow analysis and shrill reaction.

Tom Wright is the Bishop of Durham

Grace,

Aaron White

Monday Grab Bag...
1. definition of scandal (from firstthings.com): When the Catholic Church says something is a “scandal,” the reference is not to bad publicity but to endangering the souls of others. Here’s the official definition: “Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor’s tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense” (Catechism A4 2284).

2. There is some deep stuff going on over at Justice and Mercy (see links top right) today.

3. Caring and Theology (Richard John Neuhaus): (Paul Holmer spaeking) ‘You get the feeling we’re all a lot of hothouse plants just crying for attention. I thought that Christian caring was something specific. A doctor cares for the patient by restoring the patient’s health. The teacher cares for the student by expunging ignorance in the student. Now Christian care means helping to overcome human sinfulness by the grace of God. That’s Christian care.’ Holmer’s Christian care was to clear away confusions and to allow various capacities to be nursed and others to be starved. Students would ask Holmer what he thought was required to be a theologian, thinking that perhaps he would say Syriac as well as Greek and Hebrew plus a good foundation in modern philosophy and psychology. Instead Holmer would say, ‘Well, I would think that a hunger and thirst for righteousness would be required. And meekness. It helps to be poor in heart.’”

Nice- everyone with anything to do at all with training of Salvo leaders please read this. And, a great working definition fo rpastoral care: 'Now Christian care means helping to overcome human sinfulness by the grace of God'.

4. I will be sporadic in my blogging for the next several days but our armybarmy blogging team will be raising their consistencey levels to fill in the blanks. And since, according to your feedback, their stuff is more popular, look forward to a great week!
Much grace
StepheNC

Vintage Armybarmy, part 10b.
March 27, 2003.
Greetings in Jesus’ name, friends.

They say that any press is good press. Here is an example. The UK SA paper, SALVATIONIST, was generous enough to run a report on The War College (our one-year training school that starts in September- see thewarcollege.com). Here are a couple of letters that came in response (from the March 22 issue, p10):

"Language"
Are we the only Salvationists who find the choice of 'The War College' as a title for Canada and Bermuda territory's new training initiative a little unfortunate? It sounds more like the language of the last century than of the post-modern era the college clearly desires to reflect. While appreciating the need for training in both evangelism and spiritual warfare, some coded language is best kept out of the public domain if we are to speak in culturally sensitive terms to 21st-century humankind. 'The War College' might meet the criteria of being 'primitive.' it might equally be too topical to be relevant.

sc05- this letter is a great example of the 'relevant' position on the Army's warfare stance. It holds that we need to become likethe culture to impact it. It understandably runs face-first into our stance, which is one of prophetic relevance. We will use relevance when specifically helpful to the battle but are convinced that the prophetic posture is both what God tagged us with and what the world desperately needs.

"Naivety"
I cannot believe the naivety of those who chose and approved the choice of 'The War College' for the Canada and Bermuda Territory's new training establishment in Vancouver. When attempting to sell The War Cry in pubs or on the streets I am frequently told, 'I believe in peace, not war.' When I point out, if given the opportunity, this title was decided upon by William Booth in 1879 it simply confirms their deep-rooted suspicions that our Movement is still locked into the Victorian era. Can those who chose the name not imagine the look of horror and astonishment on faces of non-Christian parents and friends when young Salvationists tell them they are going to a war college? The title borders on the crass. A college called 21st-century Evangelism, meaning exactly the same, would surely have been so much more appropriate. Did not our Lord say, 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God' (Matthew 5:9 New International Version)?

sc05- I sm