Armybarmy Blog

May 30, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
You read about that town with 250 homes and 250 at the holiness meeting.

Someone responded, "Cool- they should emigrate!"

Grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

May 29, 2005.
Greetinggs in Jesus' name, friends.
I just heard about a corps in Newfoundland. The town has about 250 homes. There are 250 on a Sunday morning. You can't get alcohol or cigarettes in town, partly, I guess, because salvos own all three stores. Most of the city councils, mayor included, are salvos.

Praise the Lord.
Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Doesn't Count?

Hi- I read this iN Harold Hill's Clericalisation book:

In 1888, addressing a meeting in Exeter Hall, William Booth said, “We have a problem. When two officers marry, by some strange mistake in our organisation, the woman doesn’t count.”

It isn't a new problem. It weakens our officer strength by around a third. It stifles the married women. It offends God. And William couldn't fix it.

We've got our work cut out for us (no, it isn't an issue in most corps, and in some other situations- we're (WB and me) are speaking in generalities).
grace,
sec

more and more obscured?

William Booth testified:
"…my conversion made me, in a moment, a preacher of the Gospel. The idea never dawned on me that any line was to be drawn between one who had nothing else to do but preach and a saved apprentice lad who only wanted “to spread through all the earth abroad,” as we used to sing, the fame of our Saviour. I have lived, thank God, to witness the separation between layman and cleric become more and more obscured, and to see Jesus Christ’s idea of changing in a moment ignorant fishermen into fishers of men nearer and nearer realization."

Praise God for his experience. I expected that some obscuration has occurred since he promotion.
grace
stephenc

May 28, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

"An Army without training, without drill, would be simply a loose, helpless mob, a source of weakness and danger, impossible to hold together, though every one of them may have hearts full of zeal for God and love to man; so we must train them, and that to the uttermost." (Training Salvation Army Officers)

There is an article in TIME Mag this week on West Point that got me psyched to tighten things up at The War College next year. The first session, Death and Glory, had it pretty hard, but things softened this year with the Martyrs. We're going to crank it up, I think, for Holy Terror.

"But mind, you must train and teach and develop- no clay-pipe soldiers will be of any service here- and establish your army in actual service. In national armies, something may be done in making soldiers with marchings and inspections and drill in the barraks square, far away from the din and smoke of actual war; but not so here; they must learn as they fight, and fight while they learn." (Training Salvation Army Officers)

The money line is that last one- it supports Aaron White's claim that Booth was history's proto-postmodern (although AW might shy away from that- he has all of these concerns about definitions and such).

"The Salvation Army's great need in every country is Officers who are leaders (sc- implying that some officers are not leaders), people who can act alone (sc- again, implying that some can't). Is not our Training, on the whole, seriously deficient in giving opportunity for this? (sc- self-criticism! Nice. You do seem rewarded for being able to follow orders in cfot- at least, back in the day). I think it is, and that we ought to consider this (sc- I can't confirm who is writing here as I've got a photocopy of a chapter called Training Salvation Army Officers- I'd guess WB but can't be sure- sorry). We need leaders. What are we doing in the Training Garrisons to make them? Does not the whole of our Training tent to this doing of a thing because others do it? (sc- oooohhhhhhh). Does it not tend to make the Cadets all alike (sc- !) , all of the same calibre? Do not many of them strive even to make their testimony of prayer or solo just like that of others. But standardization is not our aim! (sc- quick, get a memo out to the HQs and cfots of the world!). We do not want to turn out Cadets all exactly alike, like the cars from Ford's factory (sc- ah, places the chapter historically a bit later...), do we?"

Whew! I was planning to keep going, but I had to come up for air...

"Good Institutional Officers are, unfortunately, instinctively the enemies of initiative!"

The writer continues:

"The tendency to make Cadets all alike is a great misfortune to The Salvation Army! Often, alas, the little bits of originality that are theirs when they come to us are knocked off and cut out until the Cadets are as much alike as peas! (sc- some cadets in more recent years can probably testify to kicking and cutting wounds). The Training Garrison Principal ought to be against this. We should strive to leave every Cadet free to express herself (sc- interesting use of the female here, assuming the age of this document), and to do her work in her own way."

Now, you might say, if you have bothered reading this far, doesn't the recommendation of the writer suggest something contrary to what you're intending for the Holy Terror session? Nice question. The answer, of course, is, no- just something different.

We're going to be raising the standards of accountability, of time effectiveness, of warfare opportunities. Freedom in expression will remain. And may it help us to better serve our King.

Much grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

May 27, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus name, friends.
I just got hold of this report from Christianity Today on the state of The Salvation Army, and am including it in its entirety (the only edit being the capitalization of The in The Salvation Army):


General John Larsson of The Salvation Army has delivered the annual address
"State of the international Salvation Army" at "An Evening with the
General" held on Friday 20th May at The Salvation Army’s International
Headquarters in London. General Larsson described that the state of The
Salvation Army internationally, is "amazingly good".

Throughout General Larsson’s encouraging report, the work of The Salvation
Army in each continent was reviewed, starting from Europe which General
Larsson commented as the "new mission field". He complimented the
resourcefulness of European Salvationists as well as the expansion of the
Salvation Army work and influence in Eastern Europe.

Particularly in Poland, the latest country that the Salvation Army is
trying to explore, the General said there are already 100 people meeting
every week. If Poland is set up firmly, the total number of countries that
The Salvation Army is currently at work in will be raised up to 110.

For Africa, General Larsson described it as the "wide open continent". The
General was impressed by the spontaneous seeding of the Army to other
African countries, and mentioned the All Africa Congress to be held in
Zimbabwe, where the vice-president is a Salvationist.

The next country addressed was China. Despite the persecution by the
Chinese government and restrictions on religious freedom, the Salvation
Army has successfully set up many projects in China by promoting itself
more like an aid agency. "Our prayer is that we might be able to go into
China in the fullness of what The Salvation Army is," General Larsson said,
adding that the number of Christians in China reaches 100 millions.

As an organisation known for its prompt response of aid at the site of
emergency and disaster, General Larsson highlighted the Indian Ocean
tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 which has devastated many South East Asian
countries and claimed almost 200,000 lives.

The General confirmed that The Salvation Army was "in for the long haul",
with work that will go on for many years. He also paid tribute to the
efforts being made to combat the evil of human trafficking.

In addition, The Salvation Army’s focus this year is the International Year
for Children and Youth. The General celebrated that there is a hunger among
young Salvationists for the Gospel.

"The Lord is renewing his Salvation Army," concluded the General.

A lively question-and-answer session followed the General's address. The
Salvation Army's stance on gambling and drinking were reaffirmed by the
General. Chief of the Staff Commissioner Israel L. Gaither thanked God for
the General and spoke about the Salvation Army's need to follow the will of
God.

"I believe The Salvation Army is meant for divine greatness," he said.
"We're not intended to be ordinary - we're a chosen people with a chosen
purpose for a chosen mission."

Some other programmes in the evening included the opportunity for visitors
to look around the new International HQ at 101 Queen Victoria Street, music
in Café 101 from Vision Brass, led by UK Salvationist Paul Sharman,
refreshments and a new exhibition featuring the Salvation Army's response
to the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.
____
The money line, of course, is, "I believe The Salvation Army is meant for divine greatness," he said.
"We're not intended to be ordinary - we're a chosen people with a chosen
purpose for a chosen mission."

God provide. Much grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

May 26, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
My friend sent me a breakdown of a word in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (AV), which says,
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
For the weapons of our WARFARE are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obeddience of Christ."

The word 'warfare' is strateia- military service, the apostolic career- as one of hardship and danger, and also,
strateuomai- to serve in a military campaign, to execute the apostolate- with its arduous duties and functions and to contend with carnal inclinations.
(Strongs 4752, 4754).
Classic stuff up to which to live. High calling. What God commands, God enables.
Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

eternal life...

I got this from opinionjournal.com today:

As Ronald Reagan once observed, "No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this Earth."
____
grace,
sec

24-7

Hey- we got mentioned in Faith Today- http://www.faithtoday.ca/article_viewer.asp?Article_ID=170 . Granted, the facts are a little mumbled, but, maybe it will encourage someone...
grace
stephenc

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

Aaron White and I are cobbling together a short book called REVOLUTION. You will definitely hear more about this soon. But yesterday I was requesting permission to quote someone on the internet about the Azusa Street Revival. This morning he granted me permission and guessed that "you're one of the 'aggressive faith' Army folks. Go get 'em."

:- )

I assured him this morning that I am, indeed, one of the aggressive faith types. Or retro. Or militant wing. On primitive salvo. Or...

If we could only get this discipling thing down, we'd really be dangerous.
grace,
StephenC

in a poem?

Hey, I'm in a poem (at least it VAGUELY resembles some stuff and it is the same name)! Check out Liney New's blog (top right) for the lowdown.

Wait. Maybe it is a rap...
grace
stephenc

May 24, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.The grapevine suggests that there might be a new website soon with the word boundless in it. I found myself at boundless.org today- not the grapevine-suggested site- and came across http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001085.cfm, something you might enjoy or want to share with your churched independent (of Jesus) friend.

I was out doing street combat the other night, and I noticed something worthy of sharing. Our guys are hardcore. One of them had an operation on his eye and just got the plastic cover off of it. It is still blurry and lacks depth perception. He showed up at night, downtown, to do street combat, with this large wrap-around sunglasses, fumbling around, sharing Jesus' love with people who couldn't look him in the eye. Man o man.

grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

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

An Army leader advised me the other day not to concentrate on saving the Army but on building the Kingdom.

Good advice.

The only thing is, to establish the Kingdom globally, I believe that we've got to get The Army on track. I am a true believer, with Catherine and her prophecy:

"He shall reign, from the river to the ends of the earth. We shall win. It is only a matter of time. I believe that this Movement will inaugurate the great final conquest of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So, the two can be consistent with one another.

Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

JAC Revolution

Hi- We've just pieced together the next issue of JAC that is due out on June 1- great issue.

But the next issue after that, due out August 1 is focused on REVOLUTION. We'd love for you to write about it for us and send us something to info@thewarcollege.com by July 20. Thanks!

grace
StephenC

May 22, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Christians are increasingly involved in human trafficking. Here is some news in West Africa: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=744 .
We all can jump into the fray (preaching to myself, here).
grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

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

Here are a couple of scoops:

TransMission has just exited the studio from reecording BE A HERO, a powerful song that has been demo of the week. This new version is powerful.

mmccxx has a site on the way. It will be for partners and those who want to become partners. mmccxx is a vision to see new outposts started in 2,000 cities in 200 countries in 20 years. So we all need as much help as God can line up. Maybe He is talking to you. The transferable concept is primitive salvationist, bi-vocational, cell-based community (primitive salvationism being mission-focused, charismatic-flavoured heroism).

We've been on about the soft option and the diehard challenge. I guess mmccxx leans out there as a diehard option. All we can promise is hard work and much sacrifice. There are no human benefits. You have to get a job. You have to assume all of the risk (although I spell faith r-i-s-k). You have to leave friends and family and support system and familiarity and comfort and maybe your favourite football team. (I should say to all you DCs and TCs out there that we are not averse to reciving jobs or money or support).

How's that?

Stay tuned for more, soon.
Grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

community and mission

I don't know if I blogged this point ever, but a conversation with Aaron yesterday broght it up. He was talking about how we're trying to send everyone out. That is good. But we haven't called on people to pray about staying. That is bad. We're about community but were turning people around in 2-3 years here.

Good point by Aaron. The two should be co-existent, and maybe with a little tension.

It reminded me of something Rob and I were going to preach recently but never got around to spouting:

community without mission is mastubration.
mission without community is fornication.

What do you think? Should we be preaching it? (info@thewarcollege.com)

Grace,
sec

" A denouncer of iniquity ... Thank God I have been that ! That is what is wanted in the world today, denouncers; denouncers of iniquity."


Catherine Booth ... On her death bed.



I had a vision when I read this of a salvationist in uniform doing all these good and righteous things, but their mouth was sewn shut. Yes let us denounce injustice with our actions, but God grant us a voice that we would use with courage. Boldly in and out of season. Why are we so quiet ? I heard of a DC that wrote his local and provintial polititions about his, our, stance on a moral issue. I also heard that his "career" was over now. May he not stand alone in righteousness.


Robert Dolby - Death and Glory.

SA in news...
Get a load of this... (don't believe everything you read!):

http://www.pugbus.net/Politics/03212005_06_salvationarmy.htm

grace
stephenc

May 20, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I know I am probably on something everyone is passed years ago, but I found this nice bit from thunderstruck.org:

"The late missionary and ecumenist Bishop Lesslie Newbigin is one who had defended the "Toronto Blessing" as a genuine move of the Holy Spirit. "I have the feeling that one gets when the monsoon breaks after a very dry summer," he wrote in a letter to the British Church Times. "It would be sad (to put it mildly) if the response of churchmen were to shut the doors and windows."

Amen.
grace
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

Family FULLNESS Redux

I've just received a report on FULLNESS that includes these bits, worth savouring:

"... superlative experience at FULLNESS... Our time at Family FULLNESS (corporate prayer and fasting, Thursday through
Saturday) was exquisite. There was a definite increasing sense of hunger for the Lord, thirsting after His presence, and pressing in for greater freedom from the entanglements of sin. Many pressed in for deliverance by faith and received manifold blessings by the same means. For this we give thanks to God. The intergenerational synergy was strong and blessed -- babies, young children, teens, young adults, adults -- all together worshipping the Lord, and in the healing flow of the Holy Spirit."

Yahoo. I love when someone expresses something better than you every could. Hallelujah!
grace
StephenC

underground army

Further clarification on HIll's underground army:

"At the other end of the spectrum there is the secret army, an underground army,  of those who have gone AWOL, of those who would prefer to disavow the whole military metaphor as inimical to the spirit of the age, for whom every convention is up for grabs and every received truth open to re-negotiation; who believe that the "oil is running out" for the institutional church. They are of that great company from every denomination who have taken their faith with them when they have left the church. See Alan Jamieson, A Churchless Faith. Wellington, Garside, 2000; Alan Jamieson, Called Again: In and Beyond the Deserts of Faith, Wellington, Garside, 2004; or  such websites as http://www.dechurched.com/.
______________________________
So there are two uses of the term in these blogs...
grace
stephenc

new blogger

Hi: my friend Esther Muller-Vocke has started blogging at http://armeddangerous.blogspot.com/
Enjoy.
grace,
sec

LAY

I can confirm that Harold Hill is agreed on 'lay'. Here is his comment:

I meant to say, yes, I  loathe the word!  It does not belong in our Salvationist vocabulary. Which is a pity, since it refers to the whole people of God. The institutional church has hijacked it, as the homosexual community has hi-jacked the word 'gay'.

We're agreed on that. But I messed up on the underground bit. Here is his explanation:
 
"I see the "retros" (whom I admire) and the "underground" (where my heart is) as two different responses, (although there is always an overlap. No-one fits quite neatly into anyone else's system of boxes anyway.) Hence, the bit about apostolicity and accountability. The underground people I know, in the sense I am using the term,  I suppose do have a kind of accountability and apostolicity but of a very subjective, individual kind, a personal vision, not any kind that would fit the expectations or even the theoretical rhetoric of the organisation. They have by definition and in practice left it, walked away, gone AWOL, deserted the colours (left the church but taken their faith with them);  whereas the retros are fighting to reform, renew, refound it; to drag it back into the real battle."

There we are. Everyone got it?

So, I don't want to be part of that underground...
grace
StephenC

May 19, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Extreme Prophetic is moving into UK. Anyone reading this from the UK will be interested and can find out more at extremeprophetic.com. This ministry has been and continues to be a big blessing to us on our front, and I expect that you will find it similarly beneficial.

Much graec,
sec
posted by Stephen Court
PS ZSC- happy birthday!

It's been quite a day!
First I got to hear about the details of the global realities of human trafficking - the worldwide slavetrade of humans for sex, labour and any other exploitive thing you can imagine... what a world.
by the way go to makepovertyhistory.com and do something right now while you are thinking about the horrible condition of the world.
I felt horrible after this seminar. For several reasons:
1. I already know about the human trafficking problem and I still do nothing.
2. I feel immobilised - what can I do?? stay tuned for more details here and also know that I'm really open for suggestions.... what can I do??? do is the word and thing I'm after - I'm sick of talking about things - I want to do something - I really do.
THEN I went to a memorial for my friend Rose. i already miss her - and I discovered that I'm a bit ticked off that she's gone.
FINALLY, I gave my friend Melinda her two year cake at NA tonight. Yeah Melinda. I love Melinda. I discovered that what keeps people coming back to NA is the honesty and lack of pretense present... I liked it and YET I also saw a difference between the people who work the program and the people who know the Person. Jesus is the secret to real abundant life - not just sobriety. And that, my friends is what i'm after. Abundant life.

So instead of giving up on the hard days... I think I'll keep on going - forward. One step at a time... leaning heavily on the arm of the one my heart loves (read Song of Songs for this reference). I'll choose to make a difference - even if it's only for one person... like Rose - or Melinda.
Great Grace to you, who journey with me.
Danielle

prophecy on The Army

Major Harold Hill, in his Clericalisation thesis (an article-length version of which will be featured in the next JAC) predicts a potential future for The Salvation Army:

"The neo-primitive Salvationists, on the other hand, might just possibly stake out the original conception of a “lay” Salvation Army and, for the time being at least, resist the process of clericalisation. Status is of less significance in the trenches than on the parade ground. The “Underground Army” is unlikely to have officers of any kind, and be less interested in questions of accountability or apostolicity."

I agree in general, but let me unpack a bit of it.

- neo-primitive Salvationists- he got this from Commissioner Clifton, who was conveniently packing the new-salvationism with primitive salvaitonism. Actually, the former term was inveted to distinguish it from the latter. Every google item turned up for the former refers to SOWING DRAGONS by Captain Geoff Ryan. It seems that Clifton's use, the only one google finds, refers to new initiatives within Salvationism. Thus, the similarity appears to be their age. Hill coins the term 'retros' for the nebulous newbies, a term to which, at least for the sake of saving syllables, I am happy to answer.

- 'lay'- you know that I hate the use of this term, as I expect that Hill does, as well, prefering soldier. It underlines the equality of all soldiers, whether or not they are officers. But we agree, in that he is talking about the original conception. This leads to a little rabbbit trail. My spot on officers is that they are distinct due to their availability. But when compared these days to some of our soldier warriors, they are much less available/mobile/flexible. This suggests that officership is being rendered obsolete by the exigencies of the War (I'm not throwing in the towel, merely noting that some changes must happen to justify our persistence).

- Underground Army- this is interesting in that one of our leaders has been using this phrase quite a bit recently.

- no officers in underground- well, I hope this is wrong in that I hope to be included in their number.

- less interested in questions of accountability or apostolicity- this is the part with which I diagree. And it might be a matter of semantics. But I believe that these retros, this underground army, will be more interested in both accountability and apostolicity, at least in the way they understand them. Covenant is being emphasized for accountability. And apostles are being recognized (blue AND red trim) and followed by their spiritual authority. The retros are searching for both of these dynamics of the War.

More great stuff from Hill.
Grace
stephenc

ridiculous luxury redux

I've received this clarificatiom of the recent blogs on this subject:

"David Edwards was concerned about officers living lives of luxury. I think his point was that developing-world territories, almost wholly dependent on grant-aid, should not be wasting their scarce resources maintaining a full-time, paid clerical class, (not addressing the fact that they were also therefore better off economically than many of their people - boy, that's a danger in 'western countries too!) when the "worker priest" model fitted their, the territories', economic situation much better. It would be the Army, not the individual officers, whose "ridiculous luxury" he deplored."

So, the ridiculous luxury to which the Commissioner referred was The Army's support of full-time, paid officers in very hurting countries (another blog noted that sometimes the officer is the only employed person in a village). I represented it as full-time, paid officership in the developing world. In many developed world fronts, full-time, paid officers don't cover our own expenses. And so, probably, we in the West fit into this category, and it has become a ridiculous luxury for The Army in these theatres of war to support full-time, paid officers.

What is a luxury for The Army is partly the level to which we are supported. And to some extent, in some developed countries, that level is ridiculously luxurious.
grace
sec

ecclesiastical pornography
Hi- check urbanArmy (top right) for a provocative blog.
grace,
StephenC

"One of the best" (!)
A reserve officer fired this encouraging word yesterday, regarding armybarmy.com:

"Without a doubt, this site is one of the best and most comprehensive "church or religious" sites in Cyber space. I find it hard to believe all you have packed into the various sections, and to say nothing of the 'links'."

Okay, he is my former CO and DC! But, his point remains, and you'd do well to explore the site one day! :- )
grace
StephenC

May 18, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I was doing street combat the other night and was frustrated at seeing the rapists and those who facilitate the rape of prostituted women. My partner and I figured that a good vigilante could rip the left earlobe off of each of the bad guys, a sort of millennium three scarlet letter. Something's got to happen. Jesus, I am guessing, is ticked off.

grace
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

May 17, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I was looking a little bit at Francis of the Friars Minor today and was struck by differing perspectives. Both were Catholic observers. One said that he saved us from revolution. The other said that he brought revolution upon us.
I'm interested in revolution: stoking one, staying another.
I guess it all depends on what you are overthrowing, that and your perspective.

grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

masons

I like to read FIRST THINGS While We're At It (browse at firstthings.com) and read this bit about the free masons, a group to which the Roman Catholics and The Salvationists have determined you cannot belong:

"In the first volume of a projected trilogy, Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History, 1585-1828, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Walter A. McDougall of the University of Pennsylvania reminds us that Freemasonry was once very much like the establishment religion of the American establishment... “Freemasonry,” McDougall writes, “all but captured the Continental Army’s officer corps thanks to the patronage of Washington, Greene, Knox, Sullivan, and other generals.” And of course the Great Seal of the United States is straight out of Masonic lore. Between 1786 and 1819, ten of Virginia’s thirteen governors and 50 percent of its assemblymen were Masons. Protestant clergy of a certain class rushed to join up, and over these decades the Masons established more organizations to help widows and orphans than did the churches. “What the fraternal order did was offer Americans in leadership and those aspiring to it a republicanism above faction, region, and sect, a civic religion enjoining unity and restraint so citizens might get on with the sacred task of completing that pyramid beneath the Eye [on the Great Seal] and before the eyes of the world.” At the groundbreaking ceremony for the U.S. capitol, the Master from the Alexandria lodge solemnly walked at the rear (like the celebrant at Mass) of a procession of public officials, soldiers, and bedecked Freemasons. McDougall writes: “When the two columns arrived, they turned toward each other, forming a corridor through which strode the Master. His white apron and gloves in place, he lowered a silver plate into a niche in the foundation, eyed the plumb line to ensure the cornerstone was laid with precision, and strewed sacramental elements of corn, oil and wine. The assembly made an ‘awful [awe-filled]’ invocation to the Supreme Architect, the Masons ‘chanted honors,’ and the soldiers fired a salute. Finally, a short address declared the unity of Freemasonry with the republic as symbolized by the silver plate whose inscription read: ‘in the thirteenth year of American independence . . . and the year of Masonry, 5793.’ By the Christian calendar, the ceremony on Capitol Hill occurred September 18, 1793. The Master in apron was George Washington.”"

Hmm.
grace,
StephenC

May 16, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Well, most of the Martyrs are off to summer assignments for a couple of months or so.
It should be a combination of bless and be blessed.
Good times all around.
A skeletal crew is deployed on the home front with special responsibilities and opportunities here.
The whole community seems to change a bit when everyone clears out. Everyone misses them (maybe slight overstated! But I will).
The good news is that they're back in August.
Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

everything changed

Elaine had us give testimonies in this, the penultimate week of SWAT (spiritual worship and training- a corporate discipling night- after some worship and training, people go to different groups). One guy said, "My whole life has changed. Every part of my life has changed."

Praise God!

Yahoo.
grace
stephenc

more on exit profile

Notice what is missing: a degree (or even a high school diploma), Bible education, pastoral care, conflict management, and so on...
grace
stephenc

May 15, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I'm still in favour of officership. I just want it to be primitive officership. I hear that we're even privileged in some developing world situations (for example, I was told this weekend that in some villages, the officer is the only person with a job). So, the comparative position of developing world officers in their contexts doesn't even work for us.

That said, my friend asked me today to put my money where his mouth is. She asked what the exit profile for an officer should be.

Danielle made up three guidelines for hiring people in our experience: 1. they love God; 2. they love people; 3. they can get things done.

Taking into account that our soldiers here are strong (high standards to get in- life-long covenant, tithing, discipled, in cell, ithrough training, in brigade, read Bible, O+R, and HoD, uniformed, etc.- basically enough to get you out into training college in many cases already), I think I'd adapt our three simple guidelines for making people officers.

Major Harold Hill suggests that rank sticks to leadership. So if you are a soldier leading a corps you are now a captain. And if you are a captain running public relations you are now a soldier. The lines have broken down.

And, remember, Commissioner Harris has been saying for at least 30 years that the only distinction of officership is availability.

Much grace,
StephenC

May 14, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
We just got back from FULLNESS. Good times.
God blessed heaps of stuff. There were things broken and wells dug again (in people's lives, and in The Army...).
You should look into this whole FULLNESS thing (prayer and fasting retreats) in your neck of the woods. Janet Munn and Elaine Gillingham brought some delicious meat for all of us who weren't eating.
Praise the Lord.

Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

May 12, 2005.
Greeetings in Jesus' name, friends.
We're blessed to be connecting with some Maine friends this week for FULLNESS, a prayer and fasting retreat. It is birthed out of the heart of Major Janet Munn (who is preaching and teaching through the weekend), who is introducing a new framework for holiness to our world- fullness.
We did this last year and registration has doubled for this, the second kick at the can.
Is there a movement afoot?
Anyway, you can add your prayers for the weekend, if you like- thanks. You can also add your plans and get connected with this grassroots happening...
Likely I won't be blogging until Saturday... (if you're dying for content, read JAC or the archives of blogs - top right- lots of good stuff tucked away in 2003).
Much grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

That Ridiculous Luxury v. That Romantic Life

Hi- this week I quoted Comm. Edwards that officership in most countries is a ridiculous luxury.

Full Disclusure: I try to raise up as many officers as I can. I propagandize about the subject (wrote something that stirred up a little controversy once called THE DEFAULT CALL). And yet, I am being thrown for a loss...

My friend, a proven warrior, challenged me today. He's concluding that, "signing up for officership almost takes one away from the action."

Ouch! I've always sold officership as throwing your life away in the best possible way.

He continues: "radical tent-making sacrificial discipleship is hard amidst the regulated luxury."

How can I argue? What happened? When did it go from selling war crys to scare up enough cash for food and not getting your weekly allowance because the bills weren't paid (I experienced that in my earliest days) to kicking in back in a lifestyle beyond what most of us could afford if we had to earn it in the world, enjoying the world's ease and convenience in what a senior officer calls a ridiculous luxury?

And so my friend has concluded that he can't really preach officership anymore. And how can you blame him? He's trying to raise up and deploy fiery zealots. How could fiery zealots settle for ridiculous luxury? It cannot replace the romantic lifestyle.

We need to raise the stakes. In the 'West', I honestly think I think that we need to close the training colleges, lower the allowances like crazy, make them all captains, make it rougher, tithe every officer corps to missions (including a mission term for every officer), go bi-vo when helpful, and aim for the REVOLUTION!

Or is that just a conventional response? (trying to fix furniture on the sinking ship)?

Hill has messed me up (and I mean that in a good way- I finished Clericalisation and loved it, am grateful for it, and highly recommend it to all, once it gets published).

I'm still trying to figure it out...
grace
stephenc

May 11, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

At our Corps we fairly recently instituted Tunic Tuesdays. On Tuesdays most of the soldiers in the Corps sally up (just summers in the war weather- no tunics required) and live their lives.

It has a neat effect in our small neighbourhood.

I am wondering if it might effectively be adapted on your front...

Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

We lost a warrior last week.
Rose was a friend, loyal, kind, willing, hungry, open, and able.
On her two year journey with us we witnessed the sign and wonder of her life being transformed from a lonely, self-focused existence filled with addiction and despair - to a friend of Jesus, a believer in community and someone who breathed out mission. When we first started our 24-7-365 War Room (for prayer) Rose was doing three shifts a week - often the 2am-5am one!! She said she was up anyway. Since her death (the final promotion of her life) I've learned of many people she called everyday and went to visit in the hospital to offer Jesus to others like He offered life to her.... open handed - free - poured out as a sacrifice of praise... I count it a privilege and high calling to have counted Rose as a friend. I'm so thankful to God for saving her life and then using her example as one for all the believers.
We lost a warrior last week, but heaven gained a saint.
Saint Rose - what a joyful thought.

Why not live in light of eternity now! Let's all determine to get ready for our final promotion.
Grace.
Danielle

That Ridiculous Luxury

Still in Clericalisation by Major Harold Hill (great stuff) and I read this classic bit from Commissioner David Edwards. He described full-time officership (as opposed to some bi-vocational arrangement) as a "ridiculous luxury".

Beautiful.

Our mmccxx is bi-vocational (and focusing on cell-based community). Commissioner Edwards beat us to the punch by 14 years. Of course, Paul beat us by a couple of thousand.

It is difficult for me to criticize it from within, enjoying, as I do, all of the benefits of a western officer, and being guilty, for life, of that ridiculous luxury.
Much grace,
sec

May 10, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
The Chief of the Staff scored an honorary doctorate at Asbury this weekend.
Nice.
Two things:
one- my friend and I, in high school, had two goals: to be senators (in Canada, it is pretty easy and lucrative), and to get honorary doctorates (wouldn't have to work for it);
two- I've always thought that if I got appointed to PR I'd work hard to score honorary doctorates for every leader coming through town.

More letters! (let's just not die for them, and, if possible, not have to study for them!)

Grace
Stephen C
posted by Stephen Court

Mark 16:15

“Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to everyone everywhere.”

If this isn’t a call to revolution, I don’t know what is.

I wonder how it went down with the disciples. I mean, imagine that this last bit of the Gospels was all you had – you lacked access to Acts and the Epistles. Here you have the risen, victorious Jesus commanding His followers to transform the planet. Now, by this point in the story, we know enough about Jesus to be sure that He is God. And the divine principle is at work here- what God commands, God enables. So we’re pretty sure that Jesus’ command of global saturation is one that He wills and will resource.

I expect you’d write a different ending to the story. I figure you’d write about the glorious evangelisation of every people group, of billions repenting of their sins and accepting Jesus’ invitation to come into His life, of mercy and justice teaming up to bless the world’s population.

And yet, that manifestly hasn’t happened. Instead, we’ve got a largely impotent Church preaching an often compromised Gospel supported by occasionally hypocritical lifestyles to a usually cynical audience.

Why?

We screwed up. That’s the short answer and the bad news.

The good news is that we can change the ultimate ending. We can take our places in line with our ancient comrades and receive Jesus’ command to, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to everyone everywhere.” And we can actually obey it!

Imagine that!

We can get off of our padded couches, get out of our narrow, comfortable lives, and lose ourselves in a great, revolutionary adventure that ends when Jesus comes back.

This isn’t a pipe dream. It is God’s will, His desire, His command. We sin in our apathetic silence, our rationalized immutability, our Jonah-philic disobedience. But we can shock ourselves (and everyone who knows us) and we can shame many who have gone before by going into all the world to preach the good news to everyone everywhere.

Sure, start at home, on your street, at your workplace and classroom. Definitely.

But buy a passport, save up some money and plan to go. Some will go for a month, others for a decade. And pray up some places where they still haven’t heard a good version of the good news.

Several networks around The Army world are congealing around a vision to see outposts started in 2,000 cities in 200 countries in 20 years. Those of you who know your Roman numerals will recognize the nickname, MMCCXX. Brigades of bi-vocational soldiers go incarnational in poorer neighbourhoods to cultivate authentic Christian communities through a rabidly and rapidly multiplying cell system. What does that mean in English? Well, you don’t get paid. You have to get a job. Or, at least, someone in your brigade needs to get a job to pay your way. And you don’t need sound systems and ‘preachers’ and programmes and Sunday Schools and everything. You just need friends. Make some friends. Start a cell. Multiply it. And so on.

This is a resource-light, flexible, and relatively fast means of obeying Jesus’ command to, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to everyone everywhere.” To sign up, contact info@thewarcollege.com.
grace
stephenc

May 9, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

The wedding is in the Vancouver Sun:
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=3d136768-403a-4229-a48d-18eed96bdf84

grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

May 8, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

The big wedding yesterday was the object of heaps of shots. Here is one batch: http://www.renewnetwork.net/robandheather

grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

May 7, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
I just got back from a good old Salvation Army wedding. Yahoo.
Two soldiers, in uniform, under the Flag, using the 1963 Articles of Marriage, large and lively crowd, drunks and sixth generation salvos, stirring testimonies, fruitful pitch, great eats, back alley.
Praise the Lord.
This is stuff of the revolution.
grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

WARNING: ICE CREAM MAY FALL!

I saw a sign a couple of days ago that you would not see in Orangeville.

At the counter of an ice cream shop in the downtown eastside, there is a sign warning customers that "Ice cream spills very easily, so be careful, because we cannot replace it if it falls on the ground."

Is there really anyone unaware of the basic physics involved with ice cream? But I guess if you've got the shakes there is a greater chance of spiiling.

There was also a sign stating that they would not take more than ten pennies as payment, which I think is bogus. Pennies are legal currency, and how else are you going to get rid of them? Outrageous.

On another topic, I agree with Steve that we are all ordained, and that the ordination of officers is unnecessary and sends the wrong message. I actually buy into the Scripture that says the children of God have been made into a royal priesthood.

Grace,

Aaron

Monasteries and Relevance...

Who says monasteries aren't relevant? I just attended the Canadian launch of 24-7 prayer, surely one of the most openly "relevant" youth movements in the world, at a place called the Urban Monastery, a new Boiler Room (24-7-365 prayer) in Calgary. A friend of mine in the youth "high place" of Whistler wants to open up a prayer space where everyone has to don monks habits before they enter (my idea, yes, but he still went for it!)

Ancient is new again. You hear monastic influences in pop music, see it in new movies and video games, and many popular books are exploring ancient models of faith.

The fact that the television network even wanted to try the monastery suggests that it is relevant, and the fact that the experience spoke to the contestants reaffirms the fact that the prophetic is, in fact, relevant. What is relevance? Speaking a language that connects God to man.

Grace,

Aaron

revolution.

Most of you will love checking out the video clips at sayconnect.com. I loved the rant and the cardboard and spray paint videos on the revolution.

It is a vein we've been mining on our front and so you'll be hearing more on this connection with the great resources and people of the USA Western Territory on the REVOLUTION.

It is move day in our territory. God bless everyone affected by the changes. May they spark a revolution.
Oh, we're staying (but we still hope to help spark a revolution).
grace
stephenc

May 6, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

My buddy sent me this cool article on a monastery reality show(hat tip to JM):
Reality TV in monastery changes five lives forever
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
(Filed: 30/04/2005)
Five men, ranging from an atheist in the pornography trade to a former Protestant paramilitary, have found their lives unexpectedly transformed in the latest incarnation of reality television - the monastery.



More Oh Brother! than Big Brother, the five underwent a spiritual makeover by spending 40 days and 40 nights living with Roman Catholic monks in Worth Abbey, West Sussex.
The experiment, which will be shown on BBC 2 this month, was designed to test whether the monastic tradition begun by St Benedict 1,500 years ago still has any relevance to the modern world.
Although participants were not required to vote each other out, they faced the challenge of living together in a community and following a disciplined regime of work and prayer. By the end, the atheist, Tony Burke, 29, became a believer and gave up his job producing trailers for a sex chat line after having what he described as a "religious experience".
Gary McCormick, 36, the former Ulster Defence Association member, who spent much of his early life in prison, began to overcome his inner demons.
Peter Gruffydd, a retired teacher, regained the faith he had rejected in his youth and Nick Buxton, 37, a Cambridge undergraduate, edged closer to becoming an Anglican priest.
The fifth "novice", 32-year-old Anthony Wright, who works for a London legal publishing company, started to come to terms with his childhood traumas.
The three-part series called The Monastery shows the five abiding by the monastery rules, with a strict timetable of instruction, study, prayer, reflection and work duties. They are also shown holding intense and often painful sessions with their religious mentors, individual monks assigned to guide each of them on their spiritual journeys.
At the end of one of these sessions, Mr Burke, his voicing breaking with emotion, confessed his feelings in a video-diary entry. "I didn't want this to happen," he said.
"But something touched me, something spoke to me very deeply. It was a religious experience.
"When I woke up this morning, I didn't believe in this but, as I speak to you now, I do. Whatever it is, I believe in it."
The participants, none of whom was a Roman Catholic, shared meals with the monks, worked in the grounds and joined in the daily office, from early morning Matins to Compline. They were also obliged to follow the monks' rules of silence, obedience and humility.
At the start, the new arrivals were sceptical and discipline did not come easily - two of them were reprimanded for leaving the monastery "looking for virgins and cigarettes".
By the end, they all conceded that the experience had made a profound impression on them.
Fr Christopher Jamison, the Abbot, said that the monastery had been delighted with the results.
____
Among other things, it suggests that the rush to relevance might be trumped by a prophetic lifestyle. Hmm. I've heard that before.
grace
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

May 5, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Tonight we enrolled the very first soldier in 614 Vancouver history. Hallelujah!
I know, it takes awhile to get them ready. When they are ready, they're just about set for red epaulets (whatever that entails). They've got to be saved and clean, discipled and discipling, tithing and sallied up, in cells and brigades, having read O+R, HoD, the Bible, and so on.
Warriors.
Our first is.
Praise God.

Also, to clarify- last night's blog about the lessons from the stag have to do with hwo to treat your wife and maintain integrity and so on- we have healthy Christian stags.
grace,
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

In Memory of Brad...

My friend died last night. I don't want to couch it in euphemisms, like "passed away". He died a painful death, and that sucks, and I hate it. I HATE it.
He had three children, two of them pretty young, and I hate that they are going to grow up without a father.
He had taken over a lot of the work I had been doing with teens in Orangeville, and had developed some very strong relationships with some really hurting teens. Now they are hurting more, and I hate that too.

But I also know that he had come back to Jesus two years ago, and I got to see him fall more and more in love with God as the months went on, even as the cancer progressed. He had lived a hard life, but in the end Jesus found him, and I LOVE that! I know he is with Jesus right now, and I love that too. I know that his life had a massive impact on some teens, and I believe he has served Jesus in some way with his death as well, by the grace with which he lived and died. I love that.

I also love that God is interested in us. Just as I received the news that he had died, and was really hurting, one of my best friends called on the phone for another purpose (or so he thought). I was so grateful for someone to mourn with.

I covet your prayers for Brad's family in Orangeville, for his friends who loved him, and for the teens at The Door Drop-In Centre who meant so much to him and who loved him so much.

Grace,

Aaron

May 4 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
My friend got off the phone with a legend Christian and said, "After I talk to her I feel closer to God." Nice.

We had a stag tonight. Good Christian one. The guys gave advice to the marrying man. I took mental notes. There was some good stuff- a fine refresher.

Grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

BACK IN THE RING TO TAKE ANOTHER SWING...

Saw something yesterday that yuo probably would not see in Orangeville.

I was walking down the street with a couple of guys from California, and noticed a man sprawled out in the middle of an alley way, unconscious. So we stopped to see if he was still breathing. He was, but was not responsive to me shouting in his face to wake up.

So I tapped him on the elbow.

The man, previously a horizontal, comatose entity, was now suddenly on his feet, arms waving, and ROARING at the top of his lungs. Roaring.

It took us awhile to get him back to the ground, at which point we called the ambulance and had him taken care of.

It was weird, though, that no one else had called anyone. People knew he was there, and even were checking on him periodically, but no one was going to do anything about it. We really have blinders on.

Incidentally, here is how I think the NBA playoffs are going to go.

West: Phoenix over Dallas, San Antonio over Seattle, Phoenix over San Antonio.

East: I'm not sure of the match ups yet, but it will be Detriot over Miami to get to the finals.

Finals: Phoenix over Detroit. This is more a hope than an actual belief.

Grace,

Aaron

May 3, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I've heard cricitisms that this is an officers' army. When I recently reported this opinion, a friend corrected it, "It is an employees' army."

I checked the year book and found that our territory has five times as many employees as officers. If you think that is noteworthy, the United States has 10 times as many employees as officers.

One opionion no one seems to be offering is that it is a soldiers' army.

hmm.

Grace,
StephenC

May 2, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.
Jeremiah.

Grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

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

Major Allister Smith said this: "We must never excuse or cover up our sin. The blood only covers what we uncover. And the blood will never cover excuse."

The killed line is the middle sentence, of course. I've preached it many times.

Grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

training...

You may know that we do a little training here at a thing called The War College (thewarcollege.com - still accepting applications for the Holy Terror Session starting in September - 44 accepted applicants to date).

So I read with interest most items concerning successful training initiatives. CLERICALISATION has some more morsels on it:

Bramwell called the training home a "manufactory for the making of men."

He continued, "The main aim was to influence the spiritual life of the cadet. Personal contact with the leader, by interviews and meetings, loomed larger than anything else on the curriculum. That and the cadet's own contact with sinners constituted the chief objectives."

Interesting points. Today we don't highly emphasize personal contact with the leader at our CFOTS, to my knowledge. It takes some confidence (anointing?) to repeat Railton's assertion. Certainly that goal is way out in left field when compared with the rest of the curriculum (again, it seems to me).

I guess they picked people in those days whom they wanted to replicate. Ballington and Herbert and Emma were the first three leaders of training garrisons. I wonder if we look for the same qualities when we make those choices today (of course, I have no clue), or are we too uptight about accreditation requirements (got to have the MDiv or DMin or XYZ to qualify for membership in the Southwest America Doohickey Association of Bible Colleges and Car Wash Attendants, and so protect our right to hand out associate diplomas after two rigorous years of STUDY and so be recognized and 'accepted' by educated member of our congregations and ministerial associations*) to have the freedom to choose the fiery heroes (who, ironically, seem usually to lack letters behind their names**) we want cadets to imitate?

We're aiming at multiplying War College campuses and we're choosing carefully who will lead them, empathetic as we are of the aims of the primitive training endeavours of The Army, and desirous as we are to emulate their success.

You'll get to hear soon (ad nauseum?) about those leaders and campuses as we reach the next stage of preparations (warning- not too many 'relevant' letters flying around!).

grace,
stephenc
*- this is a little self-deprecation as we belong to a little group that allows us to hand out diplomas to worthy two-year graduates- nothing so grandiose as the make-believe SADABCCWA that I mention here, but...! :- )
**- "William Booth had a horror of academic learning for its own sake"... attribute(d) to his revivalist "fear of ministerial education... When attempting to discern why the clergy lacked fire, revivalists identified the problem as formal training... Seminaries were the bane of inspired preaching."" (Harold Hill, quoting Norman Murdoch, in CLERICALISATION, p86). Amen. Let me say, to stave off the impending landslide of complaint responses from lettered salvos, that I am not against education (too much), but am having to militate against the 'infatuation with credentials' that has bestruck our fair territory for at least the duration of my adult life (is a 20-year infatuation still an infatuation? Or has our explicit intention to have an 'degreed officer corps' and implicit requirement for a degree heading into CFOT (I'm guessing on this part- consummated this relationship?). You can still respond, at info@thewarcollege.com.

April 30, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I don't recommend books I've not completed, but I want to tell you that I've found a new diet plan. Major Harold Hill's THE SALVATION ARMY: A Case Study in Clericalisation will likely lose you pounds. It is like rich food. Delicious.

Here's a bit more. Railton to William, on training:

"We want to train men to be like us, without time for self, always at it, and yet always being stoked and fed up as they fly." (p86).

Wow.
grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court