Armybarmy Blog

new blogger...

Travis Roberts is up and running at www.made4war.blogspot.com and I am plugging him even though he spelt my name wrong in his first-ever blog.
grace,
stephenC

Catherine and Tongues

Cory Harrison is updating Catherine Booth's AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY and I saw this bit in there:

"You are to speak in tongues—go and
preach to them in a way that they will have to turn
around and listen. When you do this you will realize
you are given freedom and not formula, and that
everything will not be cut and dry. Everything will
not be pre-arranged. It will be left to the Spirit."

Is this still an issue in The Army? I can't tell, from where I'm sitting (info@thewarcollege.com).
grace
stephenc

Salvation Army and Acid Rock

Cory Harrison is blogging furiously again (242 Blog- top right) and you can read up on Salvation Army music and adci rock on Friday's blog.
grace,
sec

uniform

Hi- I don't hear nearly as many people slam it as I did for a long phase of my life (not the soldier days, during which uniform was worn dutifully, and smartly). It could be because the people who surround me these days use it as an effective weapon. Cory Harrison has a great thing on it in his 242 website (here's the article: http://www.salvationarmy242.com/modern.htm).
Enjoy.
Grace,
stephenc

April 29, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

My friend sent me this little gem (hat tip to JL):
"The church in the day of Jesus saw people from the outward appearances and judged them by what they saw on the outward. The church always called them prostitutes, publicans, Tax Collectors and sinners ECT. They felt if they associated with them they would be defiled. Jesus never used the word sinner as the Pharisees did. He saw through the outer to the heart of the person. He always saw them as God's special creation and loved them as His Father does. If you look at the call of Matthew, it is recorded in Mark 2:14, Luke 5:29 and Matthew 9:9. Mark and Luke looked at the outward and call Matthew a Tax Collector, but Matthew records, when Jesus walked up to the tax booth HE SAW A MAN NAME CALLED MATTHEW. Jesus looked passed the outward to the heart and saw Matthew in a total different way. You can see this through out Jesus's ministry. If we could learn to do ministry in this way it would change our world.
____
And that is the goal.
Much grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

more on ordination...

Thanks up front to Major Hill for the excellent source material...

The 'ordination' thing is another trick of satan. Listen to General William Booth to a crowd of soldiers in 1898:

"You cannot say you are not ordained. You were ordained when you signed Articles of War under the Blessed Flag. If not, I ordain every man, woman, and child here present that has received the new life. I ordain you now. I cannot get at you to lay my hands upon you. I ordain you with the breath of my mouth. I tell you what you true business in the world is, and in the name of the living God I authorise you to go and do it. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

Now's as good a time as any to admit I crossed my fingers at mine.
Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

more tonight...

First up, Linsey New - http://614martyr.blogspot.com/ - is back at it with a very interesting blog on an episode that gives you a taste of the 614 War in Vancouver- worth the read. You may also enjoy Aurora Atell (top right) on our Jewish connection here.

Second, I want to represent officers and apologise to soldiers for enjoying status, lording it over you, living lives full of entitlement and privilege. Sorry.

Third, the actual chain of command has to fit into our discussion of soldiers and officers and spiritual authority. I don't know the military too well but I am led to believe that, at least some times in the past, ill-prepared offiers were assigned over much wiser and more experienced soldiers, and often the SM would be the de facto commander. I suspect that this can be a model, and often is- in appointments of inexperienced officers (my first appointment had one LO- a 76 year-old HLS who knew the ropes)- in which everyone openly recognizes spiritual authority and the officer fits in where s/he spiritually fits in...

Fourth, my first round picks are Miami, Washington, Detroit, Boston, San Antonio, Seattle, Dallas, Phoenix (I'm not doing too well yet).

Fifth, I am excited to find tonight that I didn't make up the prophetic stance argument against sacraments. I saw a footnote in Hill's Clericalisation book (which I'm loving) that notes a mention of the prophetic position regarding sacraments in a 1960 THE OFFICER article! So, I am not a heretic!

Sixth, BL. came through again with a great cover for the imminent AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY (CB with CH). You're going to be struck by it.

Finally, Hat tip to the growing Castle clan. Hallelujah!

Much grace,
stephenc

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

Ah, well, this topic has raised some interest.

I think I agree with Aaron, although my operationalization is the opposite. Aaron suggests that officers shouldn't be ordained, to make everything level. I suggest that all soldiers are already ordained (without human intervention) so the ritual at commissioning is superfluous.

Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

Thoughts on Officership...

An excellent blog Steve, backed up by the fact that I know you live out what you're talking about, and by the fact that you do happen to possess spiritual authority in addition to your set of janitor's keys.

I am not an officer, for anyone who does not know. I can't tell you the number of times people have asked when I was going into ministry. What am I doing right now?

The kind of privilege thinking is a massive cancer in our organisation (and I might argue that it does not stop at officers either. To a lesser extent you can see it with local officers, and now with youth workers...)

But it is promoted within our organisation is it not?

This is a thorny question, but should officers, under Steve's definition, really be ordained? Does the position require ordination? My view is no, that it causes more problems than it solves, that it lends itself to the feeling of superiority. But I am open to correction on this.

Please understand, this is not a knock on officership. I think it is vital. But I also think it is vital for officership to not be equated with a priesthood. That is not its function.

Grace,

Aaron

No Laity and Spiritual Authority...

Alright, so I am pressed after yesterday's blog to back it up with something practical. After all, it is easy to talk about mobilizing everyone and having no 'laity' but it looks a whole lot different in practice.

And I share what I was reading in Hill (see yesterday) is Booth's issue. He wants to mobilize everyone and yet wants strong leadership. Amen.

So it comes down to dealing correctly with officership and with spiritual authoriry. Commissioner Wesley Harris is probably not the first to argue that the distinctiveness of officership is availability (played out, in my scenario like this: the TC can command me to go to Melfort tomorrow; she has to ask a soldier of mine, and it might take a little longer).

That availability is manifest at a corps with the officer being around the building more than most everyone else, being 'on call' for urgencies, and generally 'being there' when you need her. None of these services require a spiritual authority or leadership. Instead we're talking about a janitor-type position. At a school you want to know the janitor, who has the keys, can let you into the gym, and is always there (so it seems; more than anyone else, usually, anyway). So, the officer is like a janitor, in passive role.

The trick is two-fold: 1. recognizing that not all officers have great spiritual authority nor gifted leadership, and 2. recognizing the spiritual authority and leadership in the body that God has provided.

I'm not so thick that I can't tell spiritual authority when I see it (usually!). So, even though I am an officer (ooooh!) I am happy to defer to my friends at our corps who carry a lot more spiritual weight than I do. It makes the corps run a lot more effectively.

Obviously it is smooth if the offiecr has spiritual authority and leadership.

One of the keys for this to work, in either case (officer with or without authority and leadership) is to militate constantly against the sense of entitlement and privilege that the devil has snuck into officers' heads (similar to the idea in the West that somehow we are poor and sacrificing a lot- ridiculously pathetic sins). To act on a sense of entitlement or privilege is to admit that you think you are somehow superior.

Scary stuff...

Anyway, that is one gigantic change that would transform our Army and our War...
What do you think? info@thewarcollege.com
grace
stephenc

April 25, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I heard one of the stranger 'salvation' prayers last night, shared by Peter and Janeese. They were in the thick of it when rudely interrupted by a 'got rock?' solicition from a passerby.

Praise God for the repentance. Evidently, there is more required in the neighbourhood.
Grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

There's Something Happening here...

Teens getting saved, ministries coming together at X-Culture (Extreme Prophetic, Urban Bridge, Shining Stars, YWAM, YFC, and 24-7 prayer are just some of the groups getting involved with us there), Delirious coming to town, new popes getting elected all over the place, man!

Thought I'd share an interesting anecdote. The cell talks I write for ALOVE in the UK are also being used here in our community. Every week I write one, send it to Steve, and then he sends it out to everyone else.

The last one I wrote didn't get sent out though. Steve's server wouldn't let it be sent through due to "offensive content" (YES!)

Turns out the offensive content was the word "bondage", as in "the world is in bondage to decay..." The server was concerned (can a server be concerned?) that the word might be offensive to certain sensibilities.

Of course, the fact that the world is in bondage to decay should offend our sensibilities! We are the liberated sons and daughters of the King, and creation has been groaning for awhile for us to be revealed! This is an end-time prophecy, but I believe it also speaks to the here and now. Let's be a little more revelatory as children of the king! Let's get busy freeing the world from bondage!

(I wonder if this server will be concerned about the word "bondage", not to mention the phrase "let's get busy")

Grace,

Aaron

April 24, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I am reading Major Harold Hill's THE SALVATION ARMY OFFICER: A Case Study in Clericalisation (I expect there might be a lot of blogs based on it to come).

I'm not into the evil clergy/laity split and argue that there is no laity (common use) in The Army, everyone being a covenanted soldier (I don't make adherents).

Anyway, I found that I agree with William Booth in this way: "Faced with a bevy of ex-Presidents of Conference about to lay hands upon him (at ordination), he was nearest, "some of those in whose piety and devotion he thoroughly believed", to "reap whatever advantage might accrue from their faith and prayer, while there were others whom he studiously avoided.""

I like doing that, too. I remember being at a meeting once and the leader offered to pray over anyone who wanted it. He also mentioned that his associate would do some praying. Everyone lined up to be prayed over by the leader.

A little embarassing, but telling.

Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

April 22, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

My astute friend , in discussing those of us (Salvos) who dilute our prophetic testimony to the rest of the Body, and noting that we are not historic protestants (descending, as we are, from the Anglicans), wondered if they (the diluters) were connys or trannys (substantiation).

Good question. I'd like to hear answers (info@thewarcollege.com).

My friend, Faytene Kryskow (co-labourer of the DTES, evangelist, urban missionary, itinerant preeacher, worship leader, writer- author of Credo Press's third book, STAND ON GUARD) has arranged for every Canadian MP to receive a copy of STAND ON GUARD. Cool, eh? And, she had gold dust in the meetings in which she just participated way up north (check her newsletters on her site- flyhighministries.com - for details and photos).

On to more important things (than rituals and manifestations): a few people got saved at Renew Network this week- praise God. I was psyched and was taling to a partner down south who saw a few people saved the same day we did- Hallelujah! Then he added, "That's 14 in the last two weeks!"

Nice.

That and better will do (says the mirror and the cupped-hand photo of WB- and, look, this is no comparison between RN and down wouth- different fronts...).
grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

April 22, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Sometimes it is difficult being a Salvaiotnist. And so it should be.

I mean, not only are you a Christian, with people looking at you to see if you're a hypocrite. You belong to a revolutionary Movement that has made certain bold claims over its history. And people are looking to see if you're backing them up.

I find it so personally. I'm a fairly opiniated individual. Every day I blog something, and sometimes it is controversial. Some of the things I say and write are incendiary. And people can sniff around to see if there is anything to it, or if it is all just talk.

It is tough.

I think some people might be expecting The Salvation Army to be taking a lead in making poverty history. You'd expect it, since the down and out are our special calling. We have a primary responsibility for the more fragile in our world on the margins of society.

I lack the ear of those in leadership. But some of you read this.

Salvationists can step up on this issue by signing up at makepovertyhistory.ca (this is a Canadian site, folks). We're represented at this point by The Salvation Army Correctional. Thank God for The Salvation ArmY Correctional.

Maybe thousands of us can add our individual names to The Salvation Army Correctional's lead, and actually lean on politicians to act, to actually use some of the credibility, reputation, and power that has accrued to us over 125 years of serving those in poverty to legislate ourselves out of a lot of painful labour. Check out the site, sign up, spread it to your friends. Let's step up.

Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

sin and God

from Mahoney in today's nationalreview.com:
In a radio address in 1940, Pius XII claimed that “the sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin.” This diagnosis has been repeated and emphasized by all the popes of the late 20th century, none more forcefully than John Paul II. The sense of sin, argued John Paul II in his 1984 apostolic exhortation Reconciliation and Penance, is related to the sense of God; likewise, the secular humanist attempt to develop a morality and way of life that makes no reference to God will also force man to lose his sense of sin.
____
grace
stephenc

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

Everyone is jumping into the opinion fray, spouting sound bites they heard in the rush hour blitz.

Known as one who might not have an answer but always an opinion, I can't let the armybarmy blog run silent on the new pope (whom I picked a week ago and only wish I'd blogged- let me correct that mistake by publicly picking the Canuck=led Suns for the NBA crown).

So, you can often tell much about a person by the identity and arguments of his enemies and detractors. If this stands with the new pope, then I like him a lot.

Here is an interesting article, one of many I might just post, on the new leader of the Catholics: http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/dhenninger/?id=110006593

Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Red Hot Library

You may have heard of the old Red Hot Library, an initiative to influence the minds and warfare postures of Salvos by feeding them abridged and edited versions of classic lives and provocative writings. The Warriors Library was a similar early Salvo endeavour. Our new Credo Press follows in those massive footsteps...

Here is the Red Hot Library, as of 1908, listed 1-17 (hat tip to Willis H):

FRANCIS THE SAINT, by Brig. Eileen Douglas

ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER, A Brief History of the Last Days of Mrs. Gen'l
Booth by Chief of the Staff (Bramwell)

GEORGE FOX, RED-HOT QUAKER, by Brig. Eileen Douglas

HELPS TO HOLINESS, by Col. S.L. Brengle

DAVID STONER, OR THE SHY PREACHER, by Brig. Eileen Douglas

RED FLOWERS OF MARTYRDOM, by Brig. Eileen Douglas

HEART TALKS ON HOLINESS, by Col. S.L. Brengle

COMMISSIONER DOWDLE, THE SAVED RAILWAY GUARD, by Comm. Railton

PETER CARTWRIGHT, GOD'S ROUGH-RIDER, by Comm. Railton

LT. COLONEL JUNKER, by Comm. Railton

THE SOUL WINNER'S SECRET, by Col. S.L. Brengle

THE LIFE OF GIDEON OUSLEY, by Comm. Railton

FLETCHER OF MADELEY, by Brig. Margaret Allen

THE CROSS OUR COMFORT Selections from the Writings of the late Consul, Emma
Booth-Tucker

SIGHS FROM HELL, by John Bunyan

WHAT HINDERS YOU?, by Mrs. Colonel Brengle

THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, by Brig. Eileen Douglas

Most of these are difficult to find. I've been blessed to read a handful, including the SLBs, Fletcher, Sighs, Fruits, and Junker.
The General personally selected these as powerful writings to improve the Salvation War-fighting of his soldiers.

We're carrying on his agenda at Credo Press in starting a sub-brand called the VINTAGE SERIES, not merely reprinting but updating rare classics for this generation.

Our first offering is AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY by Catherine Booth with Cory Harrison. It is going to be available in about 6 weeks. Save your shekels...
Much grace,
stephenc

April 21, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Darrell P. fired this my way for you all:


During the 1720s many Nonconformist believers were imprisoned for their
views, including Isaac Watts's father. One Sunday in 1727, Isaac Watts
preached a sermon titled "Holy Fortitude, or Remedies against Fear." He
urged the congregation to "practice unfashionable virtues, plead the
cause of the oppressed, be courageous before infidels and scoffers." He
then ended his sermon by singing his new him:
"Am I a Solider of the Cross?
A foll'wer of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause
Or blush to speak his name?"

Hear and be encouraged. Stand firm, stand strong. We have already won!

"... as Christ's solider, do not let yourself become tied up in worldly
affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his
army." 2 Timothy 2:4, TLB
____
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Here's a long one, just to mix it up...

(read the text)

Mr. Michael Thawley is the Australian Ambassador to the United States of America. A graduate of Australian National University, with three children, he has also served in Moscow, Rome, and Tokyo. What might go without saying is that Mr. Thawley lives in the USA.

You see, it is a function of an ambassador. An ambassador is, “A diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed as representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another.”

Mr. Thawley cannot live in Australia while he serves as Ambassador to the USA. He must live in the USA.

The Apostle Paul was also an ambassador, for Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. As such, he couldn’t hunker down amongst the Jews in Jerusalem. He had to live among the Gentiles, otherwise he was ill-qualified for his responsibilities.

Paul filled only two other conditions of ambassadorship for Christ. He knew the terror of the Lord and he was compelled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:11,14 NKJV).

The obvious application for us is to shoulder similar responsibilities as ambassadors for Christ today.

First, we must know the terror of the Lord. Terror is intense and overwhelming fear. A “Jesus is my Boyfriend” relationship with God does not qualify. There is no alternative to pressing into His presence to know His character.

Second, we must be compelled by the love of Christ. It means that His love literally forces us to fill these obligations. It’s not ‘as if you have no other choices’. You have no other choices.

And finally, we need to live among the people to which we are called to represent Christ. Now, we can end this little devotional in a reasonably happy manner by suggesting that we represent Jesus among our families and friends and schoolmates and customers and clients.

But I’m not aiming for a smooth landing to this devotional. The Salvation Army is called especially to the down and out, the marginalised, the more fragile in our societies, and the poverty-stricken in our world.

Ouch. The safe landing? There isn’t one. It really means that if you are going to obey this text you need to move*. You need to live among those to whom God has especially appointed us. It may mean moving to the poor part of town or downsizing your home. It may mean picking up and heading to Bangladesh. I don’t know.

You need to stop evaluating “people by what they have and how they look” (v16), including yourself. You need to start looking “inside” (v17). Here’s a tip- you can’t see inside from far away. You need to get up close and personal.

“God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you (v20).”

Why will they listen? Because you’ve been ambassadors and become their friend.

*few exceptions
grace
sec

April 20, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

God bless Pope Benedict XVI.

You know the O+R Self Examination - I use it regularly.

Believe it or not (I AM pretty slow on the uptake), I very recently realized that I should be asking myself the questions. I should be (and have started) asking God.

It revolutionizes the exercise.

Grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

April 19, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

"Get a barracks on the corner of every street" (General William Booth).

grace,
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

April 18, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
We're blessed to have Colonel Earl Robinson (Chairman of the Doctrine Council and International Secretary of Spirtual Life Development) on faculty at The War College. He is teaching a course called Extreme Holiness.

In discussion after class we came to this formulation. For most people, holiness is a correction of Romans 7 such that they don't do what they don't want to do and do what they want to do. But the reality is that holiness is more of a transformation of Romans 7 such that they really don't want to do what they don't 'want to do', and really want to do what they 'want to do'.

Do you catch the difference?

Holiness is not a 'grit your teeth' thing, setting boundaries and regulating your behaviour such that nothing 'bad' comes out of your mouth nor nothing bad comes into your view, and so on.

It is a transformation of your desires (see Rom6:6; Gal2:20; etc.) so that you have defeated one of your two enemies (flesh/old/man/sinful nature). The other, the devil, remains, and the battlefield- the world, of course, remains.

Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

unleashed...
There is a corps in our division that pulled the plug on everything and has risen from the dead. They have fancy names and titles for everything (e.g. CO- journey guide and chief story teller; new assistant is something like cultural architect and spiritual entrepreneur).
So, our guys started complaining, 'how come we can't have titles like that!?'
So we aim to please...
One person got dubbed Prophetic Guru and Spiritual Conductor (the latter being lifted from Bramwell Booth).
Well, this weekend she lived up to her title. We had a brigade preaching at a conference and she was unleashed - prophesying accurate individual words to about half the crowd in a meeting last night.

Yahoo!

Hallelujah!
grace,
stephenc

April 17, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
This is the affirmations blog:
1. I believe the doctrines of The Salvation Army;
2. I believe that we should (and can) be holy;
3. I believe that we should (and can) win the world;
4. I believe that lots of people are going to hell forever (some who never got saved, and some who lost their salvation);
5. I believe that signs and wonders and prophetic and deliverance will play a big role in winning the world;
6. I believe that charismatic cell-based Christian communities are the most effective means of accomplishing mission today;
7. I believe that God can do something unprecedented with The Salvation Army.
8. I believe that The Salvation Army is a revolutionary movement of covenanted warriors exercising holy passion to win the world for Jesus.
9. I believe that covenant is the only hope of avoiding the international fragmentation of The Army within 20 years.

Comments? info@thewarcollege.com
Much grace,
Stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

Hi- for you Canadians, there is a territorial symposium in the fall that you might want to check out- www.symposium2005.org.
grace,
stephenc

April 16, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.Everyone is all infatuated with DaVinci Code. But Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven Life has sold 22 million copies (with a bullet) and is the biggest selling book (outside the Bible) in the world in 2003 and 2004 (http://election.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/23/earlyshow/leisure/books/main682418.shtml).

And, I know I'm late on this one, but I just heard, DVC probably hasn't been used to rescue any lives and catch the bad guy.

But PDL was read by hostage Ashley Smith to accused judge murderer/hostage taker Brian Nichols over a seven hours ordeal during which the Christian victim witnessed to the bad guy through the book and testimony. And then they caught him. Maybe he'll get saved. It's a great story I should have shared earlier. Sorry.

Praise God.
grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

April 15, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
The war on sexual trafficking continues, losing a battle in Nevada, where it is being proposed that brothels get taxed (which legitimates their existence). Note that brothels ALREADY pay local government taxes. Here is the article (edited):

Brothels 'can accomplish good'
14/04/2005 News24Web
Nevada - Nevada lawmakers considered imposing the state's first tax on legal prostitution.  

  The tax proposal was sought by Nevada Brothel Association
 lobbyist George Flint, who asked lawmakers to give his
 industry the "privilege of participating" in the state's tax
 system.

 Although brothels pay local government taxes and fees, the
 state has never levied a tax against the 28 bordellos that
 legally operate in 10 rural counties.

 "Candidly, I think it will give us some added acceptability. I
 think it will probably become money the state will be able to
 use and appreciate,"  Flint said on Wednesday.

 "I know there are some of you that have philosophical
 problems, and maybe moral problems (with prostitution). I hope
 you can look beyond that and see the overall good that can be
 accomplished."

  Democratic Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, the bill's sponsor ,
 said she opposes prostitution, but believes as long as it's
 legal the brothel owners should pay their fair share.
  The bill would put a 10% tax on food and drink served in
 bordellos and a $2 (1.54)-per-customer fee. Prostitutes are
 independent contractors, generally splitting their earnings
 with the house. They would not shoulder any additional tax
 burden.

  The new bill would deliver about $3.2m to the state over the
 next two years,  Flint said.
____
Brutal.
grace,
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

2 Chronicles 7 says:
"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place."

So the deal is, we need to not just pray, but HUMBLE ourselves and pray - be unpretentious. Tell God how we really feel and be honest, but meditate on the Truth He gives. I imagine that it looks a lot like this:

"No doubt about it! God is good--good to good people, good to the good--hearted.
But I nearly missed it,missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top,envying the wicked who have it made...they're full of hot air,loudmouths disturbing the peace.
People actually listen to them--can you believe it? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.

   
What's going on here? Is God out to lunch?
Nobody's tending the store.
The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches

I've been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me?
A long run of bad luck, that's what--a slap in the face every time I walk out the door...still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache . . .

Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture:
The slippery road you've put them on,with a final crash in a ditch of delusions...

When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence.
I'm still in your presence, but you've taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me...
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,GOD is rock-firm and faithful... I'm in the very presence of God--
oh, how refreshing it is!" (fro Psalm 73, The Message)

He already knows what you're thinking ANYway, you may as well be honest about it, even if you think it makes you look bad, get over yourself! Get down and dirty and HUMBLE yourself in prayer.

posted by:
Heather Wright
Death and Glory

winning the world...

This is from Cory Harrison, who is teaming up with Catherine Booth on a new version of AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY, out this summer (you can pre-order volume with me- info@thewarcollege.com):
____
Do you want to know how to win the world for Jesus? Show people a real, living, self-sacrificing, hard-working, sweating, victorious spiritual life and the people will be influenced and transformed by it; but anything that falls short of that they will turn around and spit on.
____
nice.
grace,
stephenc

WAR
Another 1993 line or two...

"The passion was on us and in us. We had to go, to do, to dare. It was for our Christ, who had inspired us with this passion, to see to the consequences." (William Booth)

In and on- sanctification adn anointing.

"Do you care most for what sinners think of you or for what you make them think of themselves and their God?" (George Scott Railton)

nice.

"Are we making the mistake of occupying ourselves chiefly with the care of our corps instead of training our soldiers as fighters for souls? Are we so taken up making reocords of our work that there is hardly any time left for the work itself? Are we in our hearts believing that the devil's power is so great that we dare not challenge him? Are we simply forgetting how the people live, because we so seldom go to see?" (Catherine Bramwell-Booth)

Ouch.
grace,
stephenc

April 15, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
We're officially receiving submissions for the next issue of JOURNAL OF AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY (JAC- see top right for the current issue). The theme is the International Year of Children and Youth.
Fire your articles, reports, ideas, dreams, and plans to info@thewarcollege.com please.
Thanks
grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

THINGS YOU'D NEVER SEE IN ORANGEVILLE!

I was walking down the street and came across a film crew making a commercial. On my side of the street was a man dressed in a huge submarine sandwhich outfit.

I stared at this gastronomic monstrosity as I passed by, which prompted a director to growl at me, "Don't stare at the sandwhich!" Apparently I was not supposed to stare at the sandwhich.

?????

Grace,

Aaron

good lines...

Hi- I keep my old day timers. Here are a few good lines from 1993's book:

The Army was raised up for these masses who are without God. Is it time we invented some new device or have we given up using the old one? How is it that our meetings go on, and we preach and pray often to twenties and thirties, while the people perish by the thousand- broken, enslaved, degraded, by their sin? (Catherine Bramwell-Booth)

"Oh, what folly to talk against new measures. Soldiers, rack your brains!" (William Booth)

"To go down to the perishing crowds is your duty. Your happiness henceforth will consist in sharing their misery; your ease in sharing their pain; your crown in sharing their cross; and your heaven in going to the very jaws of hell to rescue them. WHAT WILL YOU DO?" (William Booth)

"I hope I am, in fact, a persistent seeker of souls, and a resolute opponent of satan." (William Booth)

nice.
grace,
StephenC

I lead a cell meeting on suffering and discipleship yesterday. In my cell were two people in active heroin addiction, two recovering alchoholics, a man who lost his wife to MS after only three years of marriage, and a man who as a child had been pimped into prostitution by his own father.

This was a group well-accustomed with suffering.

The incredible thing was that they all - every one - affirmed the Scripture from Romans 5 saying that suffering produces perseverence, which produces character, which produces a hope that does not disappoint. All of them are at this point holding onto that hope with all they have. It was a very powerful time of reality.

Grace,

Aaron

April 13, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
(hat tip Dani S)
Here is the link to the CBC report regarding the first human trafficking charges laid under the Immigrant and Refugee Protection Act:
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_trafficking_women20041117
This is good news. Praise God.
graec,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

SalvoJusticeWing Canada

This is from Xander Coleman (Alex Coleman- top right) and all of you Canadians should read it:

So we've started up the Canadian branch of the Salvo Justice Wing. It is in its infancy at the moment, and we didn't have a huge conference to recruit. It's starting small, but the vision is big.

This could be huge. Email salvojustive@yahoo.ca for more info.

Pray for us!
____
Grace,
sec

cellmates
We had our cell meeting tonight and one of my cellmates lingered afterward for quite awhile. He confided that he woke up this morning at 5:30 am anticipating this meeting (it starts after supper). All day he was looking forward to the meeting, preparing himself, washing his clothes, and so on.
He made it about 15 minutes before we end. And he was glad to have made it.
Last week he was in jail and missed it.
Next week - well, he could make no promises as he intimated he might be back there again.
So we make the most of the minutes...
grace,
sec

more on the flag fiasco...
You'd be surprised by the response to the flag blog yesterday.

So, here is the order (from Officers O+R):

The order is Pt.1; ChapXI;Sect2;par7: "In its Salvation Army use the flag must never be lowered, reversed or fixed at 'half-mast'."

Eric HImes has pointed out some good reasoning: "The Salvation Army flag should indicate that the love of God is always victorious, and so the flag of the Salvation Army should never be flown at half-mast."

Don't do it.
grace,
stephenc  

jarsofclayandsalvos
hat tip to Phil L and Eddie H

Jars of Clay to perform at Free Methodist Church
Sunday, April 10, 2005
By Mary Barber
Performing in a campus church sounds like heaven to Charlie Lowell, keyboardist and singer with the Christian rock band Jars of Clay. The band will play the Free Methodist Church at Spring Arbor University on Thursday.

"Right now, a church on a college campus is bang on. Perfect," Lowell said.

That's because the band's current tour is focusing on the songs off its latest CD, "Redemption Songs: A Collection of Reinvented Ancient Hymns and Spiritual Songs."

Lowell said he found an old Salvation Army hymnal on eBay, the online auction site, and the band used that as a basis for finding lyrics for which it could write its own melodies.

"It was surprisingly -- I don't want to say easy -- surprisingly enjoyable," Lowell said. "The lyrics are so inspiring."

Lowell said they weren't afraid to update the lyrics just a bit, either. The whole point, he said, was to remind people that "these hymns do still have value today."

They chose hymns that "struck a nerve with us," he said.

"Right now we're really feeling the value of connecting with the church and having the freedom to express our faith," he said. "Maybe part of it is getting older, being fathers. There's a little bit more to say there. ! We hope that it has a lot to say to the church and maybe could be a resource for the church to use."

And by "the church," he doesn't mean a specific denomination.

"The hope is that people that want to see us will come, if it's close by, whether it's their church or not," he said.

If they do, they'll see a show that looks different, too. Only the four members of Jars of Clay (Dan Haseltine, Steve Mason, Matt Odmark and Lowell) will be on stage. They usually hire a drummer and bass player to fill out the lineup when they tour, but they're doing this show with an acoustic emphasis.
____
JoC is following a fairly recent SA phenomenon that is hot and heavy in lots of places, including up here, with an album almost complete, featuring all kinds of old SA words with new tunes (working title- Combat Audio, by the 614 Levites' Collective).
grace,
StephenC

April 12, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Two things:

1. You know they canceled ROOTS in Canada this year. But out of the ashes is emerging SALVO UPRISING: May 20-21, with worship and preachers chosen to pump and challenge and inspire (and so on). Isn't this the way it is supposed to swell out of the ground? Strip away the fancies, the components designed to scare up a crowd, and just press in. Nice. salvo_uprising@hotmail.com for more information.

2. Couuts on Salvos and Pharisees: http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/0/E2E1DF957F61389880256F9600532B03/$file/Library-DoctrineOfHoliness.pdf will get you to an 11 page booklet by the PtGed General of The Salvation Army. While not a big Coutts holiness guy myself (I'm an SLB devotee), it is interesting stuff, and at least a place to start for those interested.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

New member of Order of the Founder
(from IHQ site report):
The Chief of the Staff admitted Sister Nina Sergeevna Davidovich to the Order of the Founder, the highest Salvation Army honour for distinguished service.

Commissioner Gaither conferred the honour on Nina, 'For compassionate Christ-inspired ministry that reaches and embraces the needs of the poor, the ill and the homeless in Russia through which she has displayed personal courage and sacrifice, perseverance and faith despite opposition, suffering and loss.'

'You have exhibited outstanding service to vulnerable and suffering people,' said the Chief, 'and have constantly displayed a spirit of compassion, faith and exceptional bravery.'

Nina humbly thanked all who had prayed for her over the years, particularly during the months she was held hostage in Chechnya.
____
The kicker for her was her hostage experience. Praise God for His faithfulness. Raise up more for the Order, please!
grace,
sec

Soldiers and money
I just saw this at Darren Hailes's blog:

‘a soldier… will supply the wants of his family - that is, keep them in health and strength, provide for their necessary education, and meet such further needs as appear to him essential to their welfare, and that will qualify them most effectively for helping Jesus Christ to save the world - and when has set apart as much of his income as is required for this purpose, he will use the remainder in the interests of the Kingdom.’ (Chapter VIII, Section Eight)

"We are instructed as soldiers to equip our family with what they REALLY need to win the world for Jesus, and then pour the rest into the Kingdom of God - there's no mention about stockpiling all your money into a savings account to make money off of the interest! (darrenhailes.blogspot.com/)
____
wow.
grace
stephenc

April 11, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Did you know that The Blood and Fire doesn't fly at half-mast?
Evidently others don't either.
Here's the reminder for you. It doesn't fly at half-mast. Ever.
Oh, and happy birthday to WB and DC yesterday.
Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Remember Who You Are....

I just came back from the first national 24-7 prayer Canada gathering. It was an amazing time of worship, prayer, and catching up with friends I hadn't seen in years.

The really jarring part, though, was the similarities that could be seen in the early SA DNA and the 24-7 DNA.

24-7 prayer is now 5 years old. I remember standing in a club in Chichester in 1999 as the whole thing got launched, and thinking, "Wow, these guys are going to take our crown." At the end of his life William Booth expressed a concern that the SA had lost its original drive and purpose (!), and that other organisations were picking up the crown the SA had tossed lightly aside. Our inheritance, he figured, was up for grabs if we did not hold onto it.

At that club in Chichester, I saw this same reality. The language was militant. The methods were extreme. The heart was for justice and mission, the poor and the unlikely (high places in youth culture where few missionaries dare to tread).

This is even more true now. Pete Greig, the guy who started the first prayer room, has said that 24-7 prayer is not a prayer movement, but rather a missions and justice movement that prays a lot. He has just come out with a book called the Vision and the Vow, which is all about the need for covenant.

It doesn't surprise me in the least that 24-7 prayer's largest partner worldwide, no competition really, is the Salvation Army. We have run more prayer rooms and more years of prayer than anyone else. (There was a year of prayer in the UK, one in Australia, one in Canada, and now one in New Zealand, along with tons of other corps prayer rooms). It surprises the stink out of 24-7 prayer, but from the inside we get that 24-7 prayer is just like us, or just like what we used to be.

Recently a Moravian (those crazy guys who ran a hundred year prayer meeting a couple of centuries back) came up to Pete and thanked him for reminding them of who they were. I think, in some ways, that the Salvation Army could do the same.

Grace,

Aaron

Here's something I read from a book called "Can You Hear Me?" by Brad Jersak (p. 221). (A good book worth reading!)
"Mercy is like the ambulance at the bottom of a cliff, ready to help those who fall. Justice builds a fence at the top of the cliff to protect them from falling in the first place (Deuteronomy 22:8).
Mercy wipes the tears from the eyes. Justice asks, "Why are you crying?"
Mercy welcomes the hungry to gather around God's banqueting table. Justice addresses why some are under the table aching of hunger while others are sitting on top of the table aching from gluttony.
Mercy seeks and saves those lost in the darkness. Justice asks, "Why is it dark? Who is keeping it dark? Who is benefiting from this darkness? Is it I, Lord?""

Our roots in The Salvation Army are building fences at the top of cliffs. As a mission we would see the darkness, identify its source and then attack it head on. Many times. Not to the popularity of modern culture, but to the praise and glory of the King of Kings.
I think of Bramwell Booth taking on the injustice of child prostitution or "white slavery" and the age of consent. The work of the Army, in this instance, was not well received even to the point where Booth was put on trial for his participation. I won't recount the whole story. The bottom line is that because of Bramwell Booth's social action the laws of England were changed to give the police the right to raid suspected brothels, stamp out the inter-continental traffic in girls and raise the age of consent to 16. (Another story worth reading about!)

We, in The Salvation Army, excel in mercy. We help those who fall off cliffs. We wipe away tears. We welcome thousands to banqueting tables on a daily basis. We seek and save those in darkness. BUT I, personally, long to be a fence builder who keeps people from falling of cliffs. I want to be instrumental in changing those structures and situations that are the causes of peoples pain, hunger, oppression and rape. It can be a long, arduous process uprooting and tearing down, destroying and overthrowing so that there can be planting and building in fertile soil.
I pray, "LORD, grow us up as a mission to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with You. Restore and teach the present day Salvos to ACT justly. We do so much in mercy but don't have eyes or action for justice. Show us what to DO." (This is a generalization)

Genesis 18:19
"The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by DOING RIGHTEOUSNESS and JUSTICE...."
Abraham was to pass on justice. Command his family in the WAY and to carry it out for all the world. As the seed of Abraham we are entrusted with the same mandate. Our world sorely lacks a knowledge of righteousness and thereby does not know what is truly just. That's where we come in. We know what is right according to the WAY of the Lord and by this we are to enforce it here on earth so that justice fills the earth.

I looked up justice in the Word and it is always linked to a verb-an action word. Look at this...
Administer justice
Maintain justice
Don't pervert justice
Decree justice
Work justice
Care about justice
Seek justice
Rule with justice
Bring forth justice
Call for justice
These are all things we are exhorted to do as followers of Jesus. We're not merely called to show mercy - passing out the loving and compassion. But we're called to do something about the causes of the injustice that we see. It is our calling, our resonsibility and mission.
In the March 14, 2005 issue of Time there was a compelling article on a book excerpt called "The End of Poverty." It gave many practical ways in which we as individuals could engage in seeing justice established in impoverished nations. So often when we see injustice we see it as some huge giant that paralyzes us, like the Israelites with the Philistines. It's too big, too far removed and we feel helpless to do anything.

That's a lie.

We can administer, maintain and work justice on so many levels. It's always good to start small and then take more ground. The first place to start with justice is in our home, family and then move to our communities and then to the world.
Stephen Court and Wesley Cambell have written, the much celebrated book, "Be A Hero". This book is a great "how to" guide to teach a people who have been paralyzed with the overwhelming injustice in the world to start moving again as agents of justice. This is not a plug for a book but recommending a tool that will help us get a handle on something that seems too big for us to grasp.
If we all - as the community of Christ - take some steps in seeking justice and bringing it forth - we will move mountains!!! No more falling off cliffs!

Blessings,
Ruth Gill
614 Vancouver

I live in a place that many deem "HOPELESS".
There is rampant drug abuse, mental illness, prostitution, lawlessness, abuse, and the list goes on.
Politicians have so abondoned the 'war on drugs' that they have opened up my neighborhood to be an open pharmacy. Needles are given away freely, handfuls at a time. I've even seen boxes of syringes left on the sidewalk for people to help themselves. Official sites are constructed and manned, costing millions, to hand out needles and condoms as well as give people a safe place to inject. We have numerous local pharmacies that operate solely to distibute daily a drug called methadone which operates the same as street drugs but is deemed a controlled substance because the pharmacy administrates its dosage. The latest is a program which gives out heroine packetts to qualified drug users. We are a down town pharmacy. The war is over and we've made peace with drugs, their abuse and the consequences that come from rampant drug use. As I write this it seems beyond hopeless...
I could now ramble on about prostitution and now, this too, is an accepted practice in my neighborhood. It is deemed the sex trade and it is a viable employment opportunity for any woman, young or old, who needs work. I could tell you how some women keep away from this employment opportunity until they are so crazed for a fix that they end up selling themselves in order to support their habit. I could tell you of women who have sold their children into this prostitution for the fix they required.
When I came to the Down town eastside I was filled with hope. We were coming, not just me but a mighty team of warriors to engage in battle. The battle for lost souls sinking in a deep pit, which according to those in authority, has few ways of escape. Our desire was to rescue the perishing and pray for the dying. And in time, to destroy the pit that these unfortunates had fallen into.
BUT over the years passion wanes and hope begins to fleet away. To my naked eye, very little has changed here in the past 3 years.
Have you ever had a God vision that consumed your passion but all odds and REALITY pressed against the hope until little was left of the vision?
We hope for many things - both big and small. The challenge is to cling to hope so that it does not perish even when everything is working against that very hope.
There are a couple of passages in Romans that encourage and renew my hope so that I begin to be on guard against those very forces that seek to zap me of this treasure.

Romans 8:24 "For in HOPE we have been saved, but hope that is seen is no hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But is we hope for what we do not see, with PERSEVERANCE we WAIT EAGERLY for it."

Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through PERSEVERANCE and the ENCOURAGEMENT of the SCRIPTURES we might have HOPE."


A key word in these passages is PERSEVERANCE. The New World dictionary defines it as this, "to continue in some effort, course of action, etc. in spite of difficulty, opposition, etc.; be steadfast in purpose; persistant."

We are challenged in life to continue on in a directed path, not faultering because our hope is not fulfilled quickly. We need to learn to use the Word of God as our source of encouragement. See and witness our forebears as they continued on in the hope of what was promised, knowing that it would be fulfilled.
If you go to Hebrews 11:13 it says, "All these died in faith ( the assurance of things hoped for), without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." Those who died were Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. They are examples given for our encouragement and instruction. "For those who say such things (that they are strangers and exiles) make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own...they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one." "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!"

My mission field may seem hopeless but that's not what God says and that is not the hope that lies within me. The good old army tune declares,
"We're a band that shall conquer the foe,
If we fight in the strength of the King;
With the sword of the Spirit, we know,
We sinners to Jesus shall bring.
I believe we will win, if we fight in the strength of the King."


"Now may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you wil abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
AMEN

Ruth Gill
614 Vancouver

Good day comrades,

Today the Lord blessed me in the form of an hour spent with a veteran saint, hearing old Kingdom war stories, battles fought and won for souls and strategy straight from the Word. Her name is Pauline. She has a thriving pub ministry in the downtown eastside whereby she hands out tracts (shocking, I know!!) and speaks gently to sinners and backsliders about their souls. She's amazing.
She's seeing results.
She's 90 years old.
Surprising, eh? Sadly, it SHOULDN"T be so surprising, because there are thousands out there with the same heart as Pauline. Is it possible that we're selling the older generations short by having "60+" groups once or twice a month with a simple craft and games instead of establishing intercession groups, evangelism squads and leagues of mercy? And if you can't at least cancel the craft, couldn't you intercede at the same time as you weave your hundredth God's eye?
I understand that not everyone is built to do what Pauline does, but the truth is that some people ARE and there is an ENTIRE GENERATION of faithful saints who are being WASTED because we write them off as being 'too old' or see the long line of walkers outside the sanctuary and label them as frail when the reality is that we don't have eyes to see that they are powerhouses in the Kingdom of God.

Somewhere tonight there's a nonagenarian sidled up to a drunk, handing out a tract and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God bless her.

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

April 6, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I called an old friend who used to go and do something like 9 or 11 pubs (does it grow with the telling?) with every Friday night back in the day in a small town in Ontario.
He used to tickle the ivories at some of them (Legion and so on). At first I thought it was too old fashioned but he'd get down and honky-tonk for a bit and the grab the mic and do a gospel shot. He was a classic.
He's getting on, now. He turned 88 today. He's been beaten by various phsyical ailments in the decade that I've known him.
But he's been a meat and potatoes shepherd and evangelist for years (was the CO at my first appointment for a decade, about 13 years previous to my arrival).
I just got off the phone with him, and, there you have it.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

April 5, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I know we're not to speculate about the next pope, but at the old retired officers residence I heard that they used to have a board and people picked- I guess it was a blood and fire version of bingo.

So, anyway, Michael sent me this story of one of the eligible cardinals:

"Once, disguised as a milkman, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos of Colombia
confronted Medellin drug trafficker Pablo Escobar on his doorstep and
demanded he repent for his sins."
____
Beautiful.
grace,
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

The Next Pope and Why He Matters For All Of Us

This is long but informative, by George Weigel (JPII expert): http://www.eppc.org/publications/pubID.2298/pub_detail.asp
grace,
sec

Evangelists v. Fundamentalists
I saw this on Best Of The Web today:
Jack Nargundkar of Germantown, Md., is confused, as he made clear in a letter to the editor of the New York Times the other day (third letter):

"The most critical conclusion to be drawn from the [Schiavo] case is that with the injection of religion into our politics and our governance, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between the demands of "evangelism" in a Western democracy and "fundamentalism" in a Middle Eastern theocracy.

Jack, you're in luck, for we know just how to distinguish them. If someone is demanding that a life be spared, he's probably an evangelist in a Western democracy. If he's demanding the infidels be murdered, chances are he's a fundamentalist in a Middle Eastern theocracy.
____
grace,
sec

"If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate."

I don't know about you, but it's always come way more naturally to me to WORRY about a situation rather than to meditate. In essence though, these two practices are a lot alike. They both consume your mind except one aims to disturb your peace of mind and bring on mental agitation or distress and the other speaks more of devotional reflection, especially in a calm and yet deliberate manner.

Meditation gets a bit of a bad rep these days though, with the whole new age/eastern mysticism flavour. However, I would like to expose the true essence of meditation, which is drawn from Scripture.

I'd like to bust open some Psalm 119, because I think it gets a raw deal - many of us avoid it because it is just so stinkin' long. It's ALL about meditation though and not in some vague, ambiguous state of mind, but in the true Scriptural sense.

In Psalm 119, the psalmist declares:

"I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways." Psalm 119:15

The word meditate here is from the hebrew word "Siyach" which has these meanings: to speak and to sing, to ponder and consider and to muse and study.

So in verse 148, we find the psalmist laying awake at night (sound familiar?! It's when I do my best worrying...) and instead of working himself into an agitated frenzy of worry, he chooses to meditate and reflect Yahweh's promises...he speaks them out and ponders them. He sings and muses, studies and contemplates the Word of the Lord.

"My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises." Psalm 119:148

So the next time you find yourself awake late into the night with your mind consumed by worry, remember that if you know how to worry, you know how to meditate - and then if you STILL can't sleep, try flipping to Psalm 119.

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

April 4, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I just read this:
"Nearly a third of 14-year-olds plan oral sex within six months -- and nearly 20% say they've already tried oral sex."

I don't believe it. How many 14 year olds do you know who plan ahead 6 days, let alone 6 months?
Brutal.
grace,
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this [gay marriage] is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, perhaps more insidious and hidden, which attempts to pit human rights against the family and against man.
Pope John Paul II

more wisdom from a great man.
Danielle

“Here, from this place, I say to all the fathers and mothers of my homeland and of the whole world, to all men and women without exception: Every child conceived in the womb of its mother has the right to life.”

John Paul on abortion, during his 13-day pilgrimage to sum up his 20-year papacy as the new millennium approached on June 15, 1999

let's learn from a master.
Danielle

April 3, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
People are talking about what has to change to keep The Army from fragmenting into national YMCAs.
It's a good question.
My answer for the last couple of years or so is covenant.
Unless we make real soldiers everywhere we'll end up in 20 years with a bunch of Christians who are committed locally but not globally to our mission.
The covenant protects doctrinal purity and missional commitment.
We're in danger of slipping doctrinally such that the African TCs could pull an Anglican shtick on the Europeans (the Anglican bishops gave their American and some Canadian counterparts the heave ho for being brutal) in 20 years unless we act now.
Not only that, but covenant enables God to unleash all of His power through us ("You can make God love you more, but You can let Him trust you more" Rob Dolby).
So, covenant, start to finish.
grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

The Pope

is dead.

One of the giants of our era...
grace
stephenc

April 2, 2005.

Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
You will know the new JAC is up. The demos of the week have been coming at us for awhile. The current one is Mark Hood's live demo of PASSION4souls. Check it out at the armybarmy menu page.

I might be jumping the gun here, but I wonder if prayer for the right decision on the next pope might be even more important than that poured into the next US leader last fall.
Much grace,
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

Next Time It Will Be Easier. It Always Is.
This is possibly my last post (no guarantees) on this subject of the recently-killed lady in Florida: http://nationalreview.com/editorial/editors200503311017.asp
grace
stephenc

War Covenant
I dug this out of the old SALVATION ARMY CEREMONIES BOOK:
Concerned because of the wicked and wretched condition of the people around me, I desire here and now, with all my heart, for the glory of God and the Salvation of souls, to give myself afresh and for ever to the Salvation War.
I now pledge myself before God, before my dear Saviour, who died for me, and before my comrades, to use my time, talents, means, and influence to advance the interests of the War in my own Corps or neighbourhood, wherever I may go.
I promise to accept any position, do any work, or fulfill any commission that may be given me by my Officers, according to the Orders and Regulations of The Army.
I promise to sing, pray, or engage in any other duty, or to occupy any post assigned me, in any Meeting, whether indoors or out, whether among adults or young people.
I promise to give all the leisure time I can to the War, to be diligent in attending and working at all the Meetings possible.
I promise to wear uniform whenever I can, and at other times an Army badge, if possible. As I have opportunity I will sell 'The War Cry' and other Army publications, engage in visitation, and strive to make myself a thoroughly efficient Salvationist.
I promise to pray for my comrades daily; also for those in circumstances of persecution, poverty, and peril.
I will try to give every satisfaction to my employers, and to those with whom I live and work, so as to commend my Saviour and be a credit to The Army in the eyes of the ungodly.
I yield myself to God, to follow Him anywhere- as an Officer, should He so desire; and I will go to any country, or labour for the Salvation of any class, for which I may be thought best adapted.
In general, I here promise God that I will at all times obey Him, whatever cost or trouble, suffering or difficulty, this may involve; and I ask God my Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, to give me strength faithfully to carry out these promises. Amen.
----
wow. grace,
stephenc

JAC is up:
Happy 6th anniversary!
Enjoy.
grace
stephenc

April 1, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends

My friend Eric Himes has an interesting blog up, not only because he has heaps of photos of our neighbourhood: asterisklog.com/ You may want to check it out.
grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

infant euthaniasia...
this is from today's nationalreview.com:
“Mercy”!
Infant euthanasia creeps into acceptability.

"Killing a defective infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. Sometimes it is not wrong at all."

Peter Singer, a bioethics professor at Princeton University, penned this chillingly cold line in his book Practical Ethics.

In case you're not freezing yet: Singer explains that, "Newborn human babies have no sense of their own existence over time." Hence, they're disposable.

Infant euthanasia (Have you ever imagined seeing those two words together?) is the practice Singer is discussing. And don't confuse it with abortion. We're talking out-of-the-womb, mom-has-delivered, right-here-with-you-and-me babies. Where's it happening? In Europe and the Netherlands, specifically — although word of it is slowly spreading. In Holland, the Associated Press reports that "at least five newborn mercy killings occur for every one reported."
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the world is a badplace.
grace
stephenc

for all dog lovers...

"Lastly , my comrades, there is the gift I referred to at the close of my last letter, that gift of gifts- the capacity to love. This gift we all have in common, and no soldier knows to what extent it can be increased in cultivation. But here, perhaps, some excel others. They can love; but oh, how commonly the precious passion is undervaluedwasted. How they spend it on trifling
objects. You will find them lavishing this treasure on plants and pictures and money and dogs and birds and other inferior things; things that it would not be wrong, perhaps, to love in a purer sphere, but which, considering the state of things, seems to involve a serious waste of that precious gift." William Booth.
grace
sec

new JAC!
The April / May issue of JAC, number 36, (marking our six year anniversary), is up tomorrow.

We're excited again by the varied contributions, including new writer, Eric Himes, and old hands such as Harris and Burr and Yuill and Wall.

Captain John Evans takes us to the dance. James Pedlar analyses youth and power in the Canada and Bermuda Territory. Lieutenant Rowan Castle gives us his manifesto. And there are a few interesting extras as well.

The bargain price remains free. You can even tell ten friends to visit. You can read an article a day. You can comment here (info@thewarcollege.com) and we can discuss issues. And when you're finished you can catch up on old issues in the JAC archives (25 more issues worth).

You can find it all on the top right of this screen. Enjoy.
grace
stephenc