Armybarmy Blog

A Prayer for Canada...

O God of earth and altar ,
Bow down and hear our cry;
Our earthly leaders falter,
Our people drift and die;
The walls of gold entomb us,
The swords of scorn divide;
Take not Thy thunder from us,
But take away our pride.

From all that terror teaches,
From lies of tongue and pen;
From all the easy speeches,
That comfort cruel men;
From sale and profanation
Of honour and the sword;
From sleep and from damnation,
Deliver us good Lord!

Tie in a living tether
The prince and priest and thrall;
Bind all our lives together,
Smite us and save us all;
In ire and exultation
Aflame with faith, and free,
Lift up a living nation,
A single sword for Thee.

(G.K. Chesterton)

Grace,

Aaron

I came across this wee gem of insight in my Matthew Henry Commentary and thought I'd share it...

"He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:29-31


"Those who trust to their own sufficiency, and are so confident of it that they neither exert themselves to the utmost nor seek unto God for his grace, are the youth and the young men, who are strong, but are apt to think themselves stronger than they are. And they shall faint and be weary, yea, they shall utterly fail in their services, in their conflicts, and under their burdens; they shall soon be made to see the folly of trusting to themselves.

But those that wait on the Lord, who make conscience of their duty to him, and by faith rely upon him and commit themselves to his guidance, shall find that God will not fail them. They shall have grace sufficient for them: They shall renew their strength as their work is renewed, as there is new occasion; they shall be anointed, and their lamps supplied, with fresh oil. God will be their arm every morning, Isaiah 33:2."

posted by:
Heather Dolby

Key Christmas quote, overheard whilst still attempting to sleep in Christmas morning...

Joshua (my five year old): It's Christmas Ciara! It's Christmas!

Ciara (my three year old): I know! He's coming Joshua, he's coming!

Joshua: Ciara, Santa isn't real. He's just a story.

Ciara: I know Joshua. It's Jesus' birthday today! He's coming! He's coming! He's not here yet, but he's coming!

Grace,

Aaron

December 26, 2005.
(listening to delirious Mission Bell)
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I heard of a corps that jacked up kettle receipts by 148% this past month or so (wasn't ours). Praise God.

I just scared up an old copy of Madame Guyon's autobiography (not that old- and just a borrow). Good reading this week...

I trust that your celebration of the Miracles of 8 pounds, 2 ounces was sensational.
Grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

multi-cultural corps

I grew up in a middle class, large, well-established corps that, on Sunday, had 14 nations represented at the microphone (with a few more in the corps that didn't participate publicly), demonstrating clearly for all that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Hallelujah.
grace,
StephenC

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

HOLY CHRISTMAS!

Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

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

Some blogs are shutting down for the next week. Between us, we armybarmy bloggers are going to soldier through, keeping you up-to-date with the latest salvo grapevine news, propaganda, and opinion (as access permits).

The Sacraments, A SALVATIONIST VIEWPOINT (1960) predates Metcalf's book I quoted earlier. An Indian reported of The Army's invasion noted, "Never for a moment (do they) lay aside their consiciousness that they are in the immediate presence of the Deity. They never quit it. They are as close to His feet while singing a song, beating a drum, or talking to a crowd, as when they prostrate in prayer" (p76).
Now, a lot of things could be said about this (not the least being the throw-away reference to prostrate prayer), but the standard defeats most of us today.

Or how about this bit from Dr. Laura Petri: "Sacrifice is the kernel of Christianity, it's Alpha and Omega. The ALpha of Christianity is a sacrificed God, its OMega a sacrificed self. The Salvation Army possesses both these sacrifices. It rejoices in the former, 'offered once for all', but does not find its salvation in it reiteration. The only real act of worship of THe Salvation Army is the offering up of the own self" (p76,77).

This book also features a chapter on the prophetic.

So, some think we at armybarmy have been making up the prophetic shtick on sacraments. It is plainly not true. It is a traditional SA position. It just seems that we've forgotten it for a generation.

Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

Greatest American Woman.

You need to read Wednesday's blog on this topic to catch up to speed but the answer is Evangeline Booth!

Hallelujah.
grace,
StephenC

"What did Brengle see in The Army to hold him all these years?"

answer: "I saw hardship, poverty, brickbats, abuse, the scorn of the proud, the ridicule of the thoughtless, the contempt of many professing Christians awaiting me. These things I saw and found. But also I saw the Cross of Jesus 'going on before'.

I saw the lost sheep for whom the Saviour died, the sinners unreached and unsought by the Churches. I saw Salvationists struggling and suffering to win these, and so I became a Salvationist. Later, I saw how ill-equipped were many officers and soldiers for the great task. I saw the Founder and our leaders burdened with overwhelming administrative duties and unable to reach our poor people and struggling officers on the farflung battlelines, and so I prayed and preached and wrote and set myself with full purpose of heart to feed the lambs and sheep of Jesus.

Evermore when at secret prayer and in communion with my Lord I heard His question, 'Lovest thou Me? and I answered, "Yea, Lord. Thou knowest I love Thee." His words would ring in my heart, "Feed My lambs- feed My sheep." And when sore tempted to leave The Army and seek an easier way and preach to a larger audience and more cultured than the few poor people who came to our little halls, I would reply to the tempter, "Who then will feed these sheep if I forsake them?" And I felt I could die for them rather than leave them. Little did I then see the world-wide ministry awaiting me. All I wanted was to be a servant of the servants of Jesus/."
(Samuel Logan Brengle, in Sallie Chesham, PEACE LIKE A RIVER. p172).
____
grace,
StephenC

Agree except when they're wrong.

That sounds like nice advice. Hugh Ross says that the Bible and Science agree except when science is wrong. HE has a whole list of examples, highglighted (for me) by the earth (BIble- sphere; science used to say it was flat).

Well, I was reading in William Metcalf's THE SALVATIONIST AND THE SACRAMENTS today and he suggests a similar argument that I will play out here:

William Booth saw no New Testament priesthood. The Church of the day disagreed. Today the Church (majority) has caught up with William.
William Booth saw no female subordination in NT Scripture. The Church of the day disagreed.
Today much of the Church is catching up.
William Booth saw an aggressive evangelistic mandate in the New Testament. The Church of the day disagreed.
Today most of the Church has caught up to William.
William Booth saw no institution of sacraments. The Church of the day disagreed.
...

:-)

I used to think William Booth discovered the Bible. Now I just think he rediscovered it (it's true- as a kid I had this pictureof WB in the basement of some musty, dusty library finding a Bible in the corner at the bottom of some pile).

Metcalf has a whole chapter on the prophetic tradition and how The Army fits in. He makes some good points ("It was simply adding to a witness which was never completely silent in the Church" p40; "No group of men canhold the full truth about God. So one part of the CHurch will always need to witness to the rest of the Church concerning the truth that it understands" p40; etc.). Those unsettled on the issue should give it a read (and our article in the current JAC- top right).

Grace
StephenC

Ezekiel 33

I was refreshing myself on the 1936 O+R for Officers today and noted that salvationsts are to read Ezekiel 33 often, since we are the watchmen.

Enjoy.
grace,
stephenc

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

Nancy Gibbs is a great writer (in the line of Peggy Noonan) and she has this to say in the December 26 TIME Magazine, introducing Time's Persons of the Year (Bono, Melinda Gates, Bill Gates):

"This is not about pity. It's more about passion. Pity sees suffering and wants to ease the pain; passion sees injustice and wants to settle the score. Pity implores the powerful to pay attention; passion wans them about what will happen if they don't. The risk of pity is that it kills with kindness; the promise of passion is that it builds on the hope that the poor are fully capable of helping themselves if given the chance. In 2005, the world's poor needed no more condolences; they neede people to get interested, get mad, and then get to work."
____

Amen.
grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

A Situation that Probably Would Not Occur in Orangeville!

I was dropping off Christmas hampers today, and I wanted to bring some blessing to a few families I know who live right across from Oppenheimer Park (aka, Needle Park). They have been doing the incarnational ministry thing for 10 years, with ten kids and lots of people from the community living with them. They have family dinners with people from the park nearly every night.

So I pull up on their street with my van loaded full of food and stuff for them. The father of one of the families immediately walked up to the van with a serious expression on his face. I stepped out, and he said, "Oh, it's you Aaron. I thought you were pulling up to the park for a quick heroin score." He had come up to the van initially to chase me off his street.

I was never once mistaken for a drug dealer or user in Orangeville, nor did I have much contact with a community who will stream out of their houses late at night to stop drug violence in their park. These guys are hard core.

Grace,

Aaron

patience.
Beside being a virture, it is key this week as we've been having a few hiccups with the usually reliable blogger.com. Thanks.
We're pushing through and hope to have it worked out shortly.
grace
stephenc

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

It is great to see the UK War Cry (hat tip Matthew B) December 17 issue with an excellent testimony of a woman who was actually aborted (botched, praise God) at seven months in America.

She's not dead. AND, she's born again. And she has some pretty hard borre things to say... http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/vw-issue/7E94041FBEE8B908802570D80053EEF9?opendocument&id=00B73523C090E3E0802570D80051E9BC
grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Greatest woman in American history.

I just read (hat tip CJ) that in June 1924 Success Magazine did a national poll to determine the greatest American woman.

Any guesses? (revolution@mmccxx.net).

grace
stephenC

nice US War Cry covers at http://www.uss.salvationarmy.org/uss/www_uss.nsf
grace
stephenc

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

For those late shoppers, check out this great SA site with Christmas presents: http://web.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/engage_issues_alternative_presents.asp

Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

singing songs to Father.

I used to feel disdain for songs that seemed to merely declare things about Jesus or Holy Spirit. I thought that during worship we should worship. So now I sing those songs abotu Jesus and Holy Spirit to Father.
It works nicely.
grace,
StephenC

December 20, 2005.
Greetngs in Jesus' name, friends.

Here is a longer article on the same subject as yesterday (hat tip RR): http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=salvationarmy17m&date=20051217 .

Grace,
StephenC

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

This came out yesterday from AP (hat tip RM):
____
Salvation Army's role grows as ranks thin

December 18, 2005

BY RICHARD N. OSTLING

Renowned for Christmastime bell-ringers with red kettles, thrift shops, skid row missions and canteens that served 4.8 million meals after Hurricane Katrina, the Salvation Army enjoys a kind of respect accorded few charities.

Yet the army is not a charity.

Rather, it's a rather small, distinctly conservative Protestant denomination that sponsors a massive and expanding philanthropic empire even as its membership declines.

Last year, the organization spent $2.6 billion and aided 34.5 million people through every imaginable form of social service; about 11 percent of its income came from the government.

Still, the army faces internal trouble. Its 62,000 employees and 3.5 million volunteers are led by a mere 3,684 ''officers'' (the equivalent of clergy) whose ranks have declined nearly a third in the last five years. ''Cadets'' enrolled at the four U.S. officer training schools are down 18 percent since 1997, to 284, and membership is also sliding.

National Cmdr. W. Todd Bassett of Alexandria, Va., said the army has been hit with a cultural undertow that has hurt participation in other churches and that officer careers require an unusual degree of ''dedicated devotion.'' That includes financial sacrifice. For example, Bassett and his wife, Carol, (all officers' spouses must also be officers) together receive a $33,000 stipend plus housing, expenses and benefits.
____
grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

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

A good friend of 614 Vancouver, Patricia King, has start blogging at http://www.extremeprophetic.com/extremepatricia/ and I suspect you'll want to check back often.

Much grace,
Stephen C

putting two and two together

"For the first time in 6,000 years of recorded history, with the majority support of the Israeli public, Jewish officials uprooted Jewish citizens from the 25 communities of historically Jewish land and razed entire neighbourhoods. The world, including the United States, nodded their approval. Seven days later, the world's preeminent superpower suffered what the secretary of Homeland Security called the 'largest natural disaster in American history'." (Robert Stearns)

grace
stephenc

two approaches...

I've been attacked for suggesting that Christian Tony Dungy should not rest starters and jeopardize a perfect season to preserve health and possibly win the super bowl. There is a super bowl champion named every year but there has only been one perfect season in the modern era of NFL football.

Here is another approach that might be lambasted. For the French language debate in the federal election two of the four parties represented trotted out guys who fight their way through the language. One had to admit he didn't understand a couple of the questions. In Canada you vote locally for the local candidate that will best represent your values. You don't vote for the leader of the party that you want to form the government. That being the case, it would be some much more effective to send in a couple of Francophones to represent your party if the leaders is an Anglophone.

Call me crazy...

grace,
stephenc

gay 'marriage'

That same blog- firstthings.com- has comment of special interest to Canadians voting in the federal election next month- December 16- worth the look. Really.
grace
stephenc

SA nod

One of my favourite blogs (firstthings.com) gives The Army nod in the December 17 blog.
Grace
StephenC

December 17, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

There is a pretty hardcore primitive salvo rendering of a classic SA text at http://www.armybarmy.com/60seconds.html
grace,
stephenc

Picked up

Our book REVOLUTION just got picked up by another publisher (it is originally published by CREDO). You can pick yours up at our eStore (armybarmy.com).
Hallelujah.
grace
stephenC

Classic from Steyn
http://www.spectator.co.uk/index.thtml (registration required)
grace
stephenc

Narnia and the Incarnation converge right here!

Here is something the Spectator ran this week (many will recognise it from Mere Christianity):

____

The one thing Jesus is not
C.S. Lewis

God sent the human race what I call good dreams: I mean those queer stories scattered all through the heathen religions about a god who dies and comes to life again and, by his death, has somehow given new life to men. He also selected one particular people and spent several centuries hammering into their heads the sort of God He was ó that there was only one of Him and that He cared about right conduct. Those people were the Jews, and the Old Testament gives an account of the hammering process.

Then comes the real shock. Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He has always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world at the end of time. Now let us get this clear. Among Pantheists, like the Indians, anyone might say that he was a part of God, or one with God: there would be nothing very odd about it. But this man, since He was a Jew, could not mean that kind of God. God, in their language, meant the Being outside the world Who had made it and was infinitely different from anything else. And when you have grasped that, you will see that what this man said was, quite simply, the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.

One part of the claim tends to slip past us unnoticed because we have heard it so often that we no longer see what it amounts to. I mean the claim to forgive sins: any sins. Now unless the speaker is God, this is really so preposterous as to be comic. We can all understand how a man forgives offences against himself. You tread on my toe and I forgive you, you steal my money and I forgive you. But what should we make of a man, himself unrobbed and untrodden on, who announced that he forgave you for treading on other menís toes and stealing other menís money? Asinine fatuity is the kindest description we should give of his conduct. Yet this is what Jesus did. He told people that their sins were forgiven, and never waited to consult all the other people whom their sins had undoubtedly injured. He unhesitatingly behaved as if He was the party chiefly concerned; the person chiefly offended in all offences. This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin. In the mouth of any speaker who is not God, these words would imply what I can only regard as a silliness and conceit unrivalled by any other character in history.

Yet (and this is the strange, significant thing) even His enemies, when they read the Gospels, do not usually get the impression of silliness and conceit. Still less do unprejudiced readers. Christ says that He is ëhumble and meekí and we believe Him; not noticing that, if He were merely a man, humility and meekness are the very last characteristics we could attribute to some of His sayings.

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ëIím ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I donít accept His claim to be God.í That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic ó on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg ó or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

This is an extract from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.
____
grace,
StephenC

December 16, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Our comrades Heather Dolby, Rob Dolby, and Cory Harrison, are joining forces to start an outpost in Charlotte North Carolina. You can follow their advance in their new blog: 614firecrest.blogspot.com. Check soon and check often (as I expect, between them, they will be pretty consistent!).

Ceasefire request here from Wall Street Journal. Enjoy:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/dhenninger/?id=110007689

I've mentioned on the local front again that the Epistles of the NT are primarily about two things: 1. don't lose your salvation, and 2. get sanctified so you don't lose your salvation.

I thought it worth mentioning in this context.

Ph, there is a fortnight left in the 2005. Let's optimise the days for the salvation of the world. I'll try to get more peopleaved than you do! (revolution@mccxx.net)
Much grace
Stephen C

Talk with me about Superheroes...

I was recently at a friend's house praying for him and his family, which includes two young boys. I was praying for one of the boys as he was sitting in his mother's lap. The boy was staring at me as I prayed for him, and was looking at my Superman shirt, which I happened to be wearing that day.

He turned to his mother and whispered, "Mommy, is that superhero praying for me?"

Afterwards he came up to me and asked if I was a superhero. I explained that I did occasionally wear a uniform and fight for justice. He was very excited. So he said, "Can you sit down and talk with me about superheroes?

I sat down and told him some stories about David and Daniel, and then explained that he could be a superhero too.

"No," he said, "I'm just a little boy, and I'm scared."

So I explained that while he was very little, he had a HUGE God standing behind him who was an awful lot scarier to the bad guys than they were to him.

His eyes lit up, and he said "Yeeeeaaaaah!"

I love it when kids get this stuff.

Grace,

Aaron

Freedom.

Another country freed by the brave leadership in the country to my south. Praise God for some freedom in Iraq.
grace
stephenc

Sessional Name
(not War College, but training college. The War College sessional name is coming shortly!).
____
"We are already being pressed for the sessional name to follow 'God's Fellow Workers' and I therefore find myself with the unexpected privilege of choosing the name for the 2007/2009 session of cadets.

The name I have chosen is: Witnesses for Christ.

This name follows in the fine tradition of 'Witnesses' (1933-34), 'Witnesses of the Faith' (1966-68) and 'Witnesses for Jesus' (1988-90). Its main scriptural basis is of course the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8, but there are many other references to 'witnesses' in the New Testament that will be of interest. The name will be readily translatable into any language.

May God already now bless those who will be members of the 'Witnesses for Christ' sessions around the world."
____
grace,
StephenC

I was with a good friend of mine last night.
In the last two years her life has made a dramatic change by the grace of God.
She still lives in the nieghbourhood where she was once enslaved to addiction and prostitution but she is no longer a slave to the enemy but lives for Jesus. She has crafted a couple of lines I thought worry of a blog.

When someone asks her if she'd like 'rock' (which is a nickname for Crack Cocaine) she says, 'no thanks, Jesus is my rock.' and when a 'john' tries to pick her up or offers her money for sex she says, 'I've been bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. I am not for sale!!!!!'. WOW. Good lines eh? but even a better truth. Pray for my friend Jen that she would continue to rely on the awesome Grace of God and continue to answer the enemy with the good news of salvation.

We shall overcome.
Danielle

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

I was reading 1 Timothy this morning and 6:17,18 jumped out (among other things). Anyway, it struck me that this is a good time to hit all such people up with an opportunity to invest in The War College with a memorial scholarship. Some of the 1T6:17 types are looking for tax breaks and charitable investment opportunities before the year-end. This is it!

Email me at revolution@mmccxx.net for more details.

hb2cne
Much grace
Stephen Court
posted by Stephen Court

more debate...

If you are aching for more discussion, check out this page, featuring follow-up on the territorial symposium:

http://salvationist.ca/symposium/?p=29

grace
stephenc

Fabulous Quote of the Day:

"The truth is, I just want to grow (spiritually) as much as I can - even if it kills me." Jennifer Burr

That's a beauty - sounds Scriptural to me (Romans 6) and it's really what "Death and Glory" is all about - our dying to sin brings about His glory.
Praise Jah.

posted by:
Heather Dolby

mmccxx grows...

Praise God that the mmccxx is growing. This network to see new outposts in 2,000 cities in 200 countries in 20 years (starting in 2005 and ending in 2005) has just added another outpost! Yahoo.

More to come (many more)...

grace
stephenc

Fully Sacramental?

Michael Ramsay is blogging again (http://www.renewnetwork.net/blog.htm) and has an intrguing view on The Army and sacraments. You may enjoy, or get confused (readers of threehouses blog may or may not love this approach).

grace
stephenc

December 14, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

My friend Anthony Castle has started blogging. If you want some powerful prose and an inside look at the war on our front, give yesterday's (December 13) blog a read: http://holywarpropaganda.blogspot.com/ .

haDRM.
grace
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

This excerpt arrived in my inbox recently as part of a corps newsletter. It struck me that this young group is walking out the Gospel, found in James 2:

"14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do...
26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

"Dave Wilfong's Sunday School class has a project to help the homeless on the Downtown Eastside - THIS SUNDAY ONLY you can bring adult winter clothes or blankets & they will get distributed asap. The boys were studying Matthew 25 & wanted to put into action what they heard."

Now THAT'S real Sunday school - we don't just read from The Book, we walk out The Book.
p.s. for all those who are wondering, here's the part that fired 'em up Matthew 25:31-46

posted by:
Heather Dolby

More Sacramental...

I'm continuing the discussion with my friend on the article in JAC (top right) on SA sacraments. This is a follow-up to our exchange that I blogged earlier this week (below).

her- Thoughtful responses on the scriptures, thanks! Ok this is interesting, from allusions to it in previous posts & in this article too I hadn't got that it's meant as as a prophetic testimony to the rest of the body - so to be clear the prophetic testimony you other parts of the body to get is that the water is just a symbol, nothing more than that so it's not necessary for a convert to be baptized because you don't see Christ as having commanded it. Correct any points of departure from the point! Sorry, like a pit-bull & don't let go easily!

me- Not quite. Personally I feel a little more strongly on this, but I am presenting a position for The Army here. The prophetic reminder isn't that it isn't commanded nor that it isn't necessary but that the sacrament in both cases is an outward sign of an inward grace, a grace that God graces to us as well without the outward sign. There is no tinge of judgement in it at all.

her- Some translations of Heb.6:2 do have it as 'washings'. In Greek though it is baptismos, singular being baptisma. It could just refer to former Jewish ritual washings except within the context these are given as 'principles of the doctrine of Christ'.

me- Fine. I guess I just drop back to one Lord, one faith, one baptism (and water comes fourth in my list behind Spirit and fire and repentance).

her- Here's my nutshell contention:

her- 1. Based on the entire body of NT scripture on baptism as modeled by Christ, the apostles, evangelist Philip, I see a package: water-Spirit baptism accompanying faith. Though you're right Rom.6:4/Col2:12 don't specifically mention water, it would seem part of the package seeing that water baptism is nowhere recalled.  Rather in enough examples to be precedent-setting, new believers are water-Spirit baptized. Christ Himself is most compelling having been both water & Spirit baptized Himself. Why was He baptized?? Point 2 is with this seeming biblical precedent of this 'baptism package' in mind.

me- There is a lot of good stuff here. I hope I do each point justice.
- modeled by Christ- Yes, He did it, to fulfill all righteousness. His baptism, of course, wasn't a Christian baptism, though, so the example doesn't provide a precedent for us to follow. It more logically seems to provide a precedent of John's baptism of repentance for us to follow (#3 on my list of baptisms?). Christ's model was a foreshadowing of His sacrificial death.
- modeled by apostles and Philip- I address this briefly in the article, evidently not in a satisfactory manner for you.
- water is nowhere recalled. In the article I argue that the Matthew 3 and Acts 1 'BUT' is the recall. And, yes, that leads to some awkwardness around the persistence of this practice beyond Acts 1. I briefly address this in the article, as well.
- Christ Himself... both water and Spirit... - Yes. But, as I mention above, the water wasn't Christian, and, if there is only one baptism, that still leaves us with one choice.
The larger response to these points comes from the Rechabites. They didn't drink. Their sacrifice of this enjoyment was used by god to remind the Israelites prophetically of specific issues of obedience and blessing (Jeremiah 35). It was their consistent corporate obedience to God's covenant-calling to their family that enabled God to use them prophetically to the Israelites. It is The Army's consistent corporate obedience to God's covenant-calling to our 'family' that enables God to use us prophetically to the rest of the Body of Christ.

her- 2. If there was only the Matthew 28 go, teach, baptize link I'd let this as a commands go easier but Mark 16 relates the going, preaching & baptizing (2 witnesses principles establishes a word).  I know it doesn't specify water but the apostles seemed to get it from Him that it did because that's what they did in Acts. And so my big fat contention boils down to: has the King of the universe commanded baptizing & being baptized with both water & Spirit or not? (Hey John 3:5 is interesting here, unless one is born of water & the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.) If He has I do nothing less & obey because He's Commander. If He hasn't it's an empty human tradition.  Accurate intelligence (discernment ) to obey fully on this for me is a must.

me- Amen. More good points. I agree that the apostles certainly understood those texts that way. I think they might have missed it, personally, but that isn't The Army's position. And, in answer to your big fat contention, I believe He only commanded Spirit baptism. (Your reference to John 3:5 seems to some people to refer to being born physically and being born again spiritually- for example, see Robertson's Word Pictures in Crosswalk.com).
____
The obvious advantage in this format is that I get the last word. It isn't totally fair, I guess, but that is the current system. She is making strong points throughout. I'm glad that we can discuss this respectfully.

Much grace,
StephenC

December 13, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

____
On Tuesday, December 13, we need you to lend your voice.

Our friends at the Uganda Conflict Action Network have initiated a ‘call in’ day, and GuluWalk is joining in. On December 13, take 60 seconds out of your busy day to call our key leaders.

We want them to know that thousands of people across North America have northern Uganda on their minds this holiday season. While our children open presents and build happy memories, children in northern Uganda will be experiencing the terror of the LRA.

Below is a list of key politicians in Canada and the USA, as well as some important talking points.

And this is only the beginning. We are currently developing a letter writing campaign, an online initiative that will flood our politicians with emails and upcoming ‘GuluWalks’ worldwide.

Join us on Tuesday, December 13th with your friends, family and community to make a big difference! If you can, organize a calling centre on your campus or in your community and make sure everyone knows where to go for calls.

Our message is simple, northern Uganda demands action and attention from our governments. You can make just one phone call, but feel free to call all of the contacts below, including your local MP!

If you’re not in Canada or the USA, please feel free to use the talking points below and contact the politicians in your part of the world. Every time the phone rings, it’s an important call for peace!


WHAT YOU CAN SAY WHEN YOU CALL

When you call their offices, you can make the following points:

1. Express your concern about the situation in northern Uganda:

- The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) crisis in southern Sudan and northern Uganda has persisted for nearly 20 years, and has received little attention from our government.

- 1,000 people are dying every week because of this war!

- Over 1.7 million people remain confined in internally displaced persons camps and more than 30,000 children in northern Uganda have been abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

2. Thank the MP for thier past active engagement in addressing African crises.

3. Encourage that only through strong and coordinated action from the international community can there be an effective response to improve regional security and help these children and their families.

4. Ask them to make this issue a priority and to require regular reports as to what Canada and the United Nations is doing to contribute to peace in northern Uganda.



WHO TO CALL


IN CANADA:

Hon. Pierre Pettigrew: Minister of Foreign Affairs, (613) 995-8872 & (514) 593-6020

Stockwell Day: Foreign Affairs Critic, Conservative Party, (613) 995-1702 & 1-877-447-8625

Alexa McDonough: Foreign Affairs Critic, New Democratic Party, (613) 995-7614 & (902) 453-0266

Your MP – Click Here to find your MP.


USA: Click here for a complete list of key contacts in the USA at UgandaCAN.org.

- the click heres won't work on this page but you can get them at http://www.guluwalk.com/news/?id=1741 .
____

HB2TA.
grace
stephenc

great Christmas gift ideas.

The best one, the one we go with each year, is goats and hens and so on for The Salvation Army in Haiti. You can get there at salvationarmysouth.org/Haiti/ . It is a little cumbersome an exercise but all the cash goes to Army stuff. You can't beat it (Next year we'll see if we can help smooth the buying process out a bit for you).

But on top of that, you can download the classic armybarmy embroidery computer logos that usually go for $100-$200 (depending on intricacy) at our eStore (armybarmy.com) for peanuts. You save cash like its going out of style.

Of course, we've got some other titles and resources available there, too.
grace
stephenC

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

My buddy asked me about the five albums I like the best. I don't even have all of these anymore (lending out...). Here's the list in no particular order (and picking one album as representative of the work of certain musicians):
- Matt Redman- Friendship and the Fear. Classic Matt, with probably 9 songs we used to sing in Williams Lake. I love Matt;
- Audio Adrenaline- Don't Censor Me. Throw back with a few hits, reminding me of Campbellford days (Father's House);
- DC Talk- Jesus Freak- I'm not a massive fan of DCT but my other friend thinks it might be the best album of all time;
- Delirious- Cutting Edge. This is my favourite album of all time- it is a ridiculously rich treasure;
- David Ruis- The Mystery. This is my wife's favourite album, and has one of my favourite songs (Every Day) and a few I could put on repeat all day long.

You?
grace,
StephenC

Another Aim at Lewis

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110007655

grace
stephenc

more attacks on Narnia:

http://nationalreview.com/lowry/lowry200512090858.asp
http://nationalreview.com/seipp/seipp200512090859.asp
grace
stephenc

Evangelistic SA Radio Spots

My buddies Rachele and Curtis have crafted a whole series of Christmas radio spots for use on your fronts:

http://65.61.253.25/radioshots.html

Much grace
StephenC

sacramental responses.

People took me literally when I invited response ('Bring it on. Criticize. Debate. Attack. Debunk. Refute. Commend...').  

Here's one exchange:

her- Yes Eph.4:5, but what do you do with Heb.6:2

me- The Bible I picked up reads as follows on this verse: .v2 of teaching on washings and the laying on of hands, of resurrection from the dead and eternal punishment.

So, in the context of water baptism I don't really need to do too much with it. It is interesting though that the context is of continued obedient growth (especially 4-6 and the consequences of lacking it).

her- & Rom 6:4,

me- excellent verse. We're talking about death and new life. It isn't the water that does it. Water isn't mentioned here. Water does symbolize it, and that is the point. I'm not, in my article, saying that people should not get water baptized. I'm saying that our little part of the Body doesn't get water baptized to remind our brothers and sisters in the rest of the Body that the water is a symbol. The context (v6 especially) actually suggests what happens at water baptism for most people is ONLY symbolic and not experiential - by that I mean that most who are water baptized do not experience v6, that their old self- the natural inclination to sin - is crucified with Him.

her- Col.2:12,

me- again, a powerful verse and allusion. No water is mentioned here. The water baptism symbolizes the truth to which Colossians 3:12 refers.

her- 1 Pet.3:21?

me (to the end)- A bit tougher one! :-) Peter is on about a clear conscience (v12-21). v18 is a popular verse on propitiary death. And then we hit v19-21. Taken as a complete thought your verse is quite confusing. Jesus goes to preach to imprisoned souls from Noah's day. Noah's family is saved in an ark through water. And baptism saves us, but not by removing dirt but by giving us a clear conscience.

I'll concede that reference, but I'm not sure at all what to make of it for your purposes. I know that you're not suggesting that water baptism saves (everyone pulls out the guy on the cross beside Jesus). So, I don't know how the verse advances either position.

I'm not slamming it in my article. I am pushing for Salvos to buy into a prophetic testimony to the rest of the Body.
____
You can read the article at JAC (top right).
grace
stephenc

Narnia

It's fun to see the Times poke fun at the secularists attack on and fright of Narnia:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-1920115,00.html
grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

a defence for Christian theology

(from firstthings.com blog):

“Despite, that is, our very different capacities, each of us is equidistant from Eternity. To the degree, therefore, that our culture increasingly thinks of itself as secular, and thinks of human beings apart from any relation to the Creator, we have a fundamental commitment without any narrative to make sense of it. We may need Christian theology to ‘display the intelligibility’ of a commitment we take for granted—lest the day come soon enough when, unable to make sense of it, we abandon it.”

grace
stephenc

December 10, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Last night I was with friends and I brought up the curren tissue of the election. A couple made comments about the Liberal Party. I clarified that I meant the High Council...

Shouldn't that be the default interpretation amongst salvos?
grace
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

cash flow

I think I mentioned a corps in our territory that has experienced a significant increase in cartridges this year. It turns out that in the last half of a year (which includes the traditionally down summer months) they've increased more than 40%, and this with no significant increase in the number of cartridge firing soldiers.

I'm led to believe that the soldiers got off their wallets because they were told to do so. Not all leaders have the guts to do this, so let me speak in place of your local leaders and say, 'get off your wallets, too!' : -)

Did it work?

grace,
StephenC

immaculate reception

For those off the NA continent, the immaculate reception was the unbelievable catch the Franco Harris made to turn the tide of the Pittsburgh Steelers's history.

The immaculate conception, on the other hand, whose day is celebrated today by Catholics around the world, depicts that the belief that Mary was saved from sin from the first moment of her existence.

Wow. I've never realized that (I thought it was Jesus being conceived in Mary via the Holy Spirit's intervention). Hmm.

Grace,
StephenC

And so it starts (the attack on my sacramental JAC paper- top right)

:-) (I love this stuff)

From my comrade in another city (this is only one of his points so far):
____
(him)- re: The Salvation Army is non-sacramental: We are not non-sacramental. We
are fully sacramental. We enrol people under the Trinitarian flag
(representing enrolment in the name of the Father, Son , and Holy Ghost);
this is not LIKE baptism. This IS baptism. The essential elements are
there - identification with the body of Christ and in the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Communion. Every SA meal is supposed to be
communion: give thanks to God, worship God in a community meal, give thanks
back. We are also a holiness movement which means that our whole lives are
supposed to and can be living sacrifices unto the LORD.
____
(my response)
You stress the meaning of sacrament here. Obviously the context is of The Salvation Army and its relation to the two orthodox sacraments of water baptism and communion. Only the back-up meaning of the word- 'something considered to be sacred or have special significance' - can easily work in your argument.

Of course I argue that enrollment is neither LIKE water baptism nor IS water baptism (and it goes without saying that it is not like nor is it Spirit Baptism). It has nothing at all to do with water or Spirit baptism. Water baptism in its best case is the public association of the dunkee with the dunker's group. If there was even a rough equivalent of it in The Salvation Army it would be something like becoming an (ech) 'adherent member'. To equate the two is to insult 1.034 million current senior soldiers, whose level of covenant surpasses the Nazirites and Rechabites and Israelites, and Benedictines, and Dominicans, and Franciscans, and so on, and also the great hearts who have gone before.

To argue that The Salvation Army practises communion at every meal is like having your cake and eating it, too. To maintain that we're officially non-sacramental and yet that we practise communion three times a day, more than any part of the greater Army of God, is a bit rich.

And I fail to see how holy, living sacrifices fit into the common understanding of either water baptism or communion.

I know there are more attacks to come. I welcome them. It is this kind of debate that sharpens us as a sliver in the Movement so that we are confident in what we believe and why we believe it. Bring it on. Criticize. Debate. Attack. Debunk. Refute. Commend... (revolution@mmccxx.net)

grace
stephenC

sacramental?

Have you read that article in JAC called the Unofficial Sacramental Position of the JAC Editorial Board (minus one)?

Engaging stuff...

(top right- JAC)
grace
stephenc

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

This is a current subject for many. I just received an email five minutes ago about one company arguing about it. For those new on the armybarmy blog bus, here is the classic Christmas PS article I've found, from two years ago, Nordlinger again: http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/flashback200412130648.asp
Enjoy.
grace,
StephenC

Signs and wonders...

One my former cellmates, Charis, is fighting hard on a hard front. She is discussing signs and wonders in China and the lack thereof in the West. Read her December 1 and 2 blogs at

http://threehouses.typepad.com

grace
stephenC

too noisy?

I just found this from technorati.com- a blog on one of my rare preaches:

"I was so disappointed this past ... to go to ... in the Territory and hear a group of our officers - some whom I considered some of the best, stand around after Stephen Court preached and complained that he was too noisy, that he was disturbing our young people, that they didn't come to The Salvation Army to get all emotional and bothered. No, their home lives were chaotic and when they came to us, they needed to be calmed and soothed!"
____
:-) There is more to come...
Hallelujah!

grace
stephenc

political video #2

How about this one? It's only 45 seconds (and you'll note the actors look a lot like War College students):


http://www.flyhighministries.com/Movies/Cops%20on%20Bible.mov

Grace,
StephenC

political video

It is election time in Canada and our friend Faytene Kryskow is creating commercials to help influence decisions (flyministries.com). Here is one:


http://www.flyhighministries.com/Movies/KidsforMoralityNov21.mov.


Watch for the little kid waving two Canadian flags...
grace
stephenc

branded

Here is an old article by Ravenhill on Paul with a subtle allusion to salvos:

http://www.ravenhill.org/branded.htm

grace
sec

FREE SHOOTERS

This resource has just been updated (armybarmy.com main page in one of those drop down menus).

It is a speakers and worship leaders bureau.

You can look there for salvo warriors specializing in your need (for a specialing weekend, or a conference, or a youth councils, or...) and make come contacts.

Exploit.
grace
stephenc

HC part 2

The High Council of The Salvation Army will convene at Sunbury Court on 20 January 2006 to elect 18th General of The Salvation Army PLANS are now well advanced for the High Council which will elect the 18th General of The Salvation Army in succession to General John Larsson, who will retire at midnight on 1 April 2006. The High Council will convene at Sunbury Court, United Kingdom, at 9 am on Friday 20 January 2006. The Chief of the Staff will issue summonses on 1 December 2005 to all who qualify as members on that date. All active commissioners and all territorial commanders are eligible. Reflecting the growth of the Army around the world, the 2006 High Council will be the largest-ever, with a likely membership of 102 – comprised of 86 commissioners and 16 colonels. The 2006 High Council members will meet at Sunbury Court from Tuesday 17 January until Thursday 19 January for a pre-High Council Conference led by the General. The Public Welcome to the High Council will take place on Saturday 21 January at 4 pm in London’s Westminster Central Hall.
(from sa website)
____
grace
stephenc

high council (part 1)

Yes, it is coming up soon. And this is what General Brown had to say upon his election, when asked what he wanted Salvationists to do:

'Everything they can to make better known Jesus Christ and his saving power as the only hope for a sinning, suffering world; everything they can to demonstrate indisputably in what they say and do that the grace of God enables men and women to live clean and holy lives filled with the joy of service to God and their fellows; in short, everything they can to bring Heaven to earth.'
____
amen
grace
stephenc

December 7, 2005.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

I had occasion to scan Matthew Henry on that difficult chapter, Romans 9, in which Paul deals with the Jews and salvation. Henry had a classic line, "Grace does not run in the blood."

grace
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

War Strategy

This is from Owens at nationalreview.com today:
"I hope NRO readers will forgive me for once more reminding them of the observation by Helmuth von Moltke, chief of the Prussian general staff during the wars of German unification, that “no plan of operation extends with any certainty beyond the first contact with the main hostile force. Only the layman thinks that he can see in the course of the campaign the consequent execution of the original idea with all the details thought out in advance and adhered to until the very end.”

"His observations apply in spades to Iraq. The commander, wrote Moltke, must keep his objective in mind, “undisturbed by the vicissitudes of events. But the path on which he hopes to reach it can never be firmly established in advance. Throughout the campaign he must make a series of decisions on the basis of situations that cannot be foreseen. The successive acts of war are thus not premeditated designs, but on the contrary are spontaneous acts guided by military measures. Everything depends on penetrating the uncertainty of veiled situations to evaluate the facts, to clarify the unknown, to make decisions rapidly, and then to carry them out with strength and constancy.” In my estimation, the Bush administration and the commanders on the ground have done a reasonably good job of keeping the objective of the war in mind while “[evaluating] the facts, [clarifying] the unknown, [making] decisions rapidly, and then . . . [carrying] them out with strength and constancy.”
____
Some application possible in our war.
grace,
sec

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

Happy Saint Nicholas Day. (hat tip IPDT):

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in Patara, a village in what is now Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.


Illus. by Elisabeth Jvanovsky from Saint Nicholas by Henri Gheon, Sheed and Ward, 1936

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance was said to have healing powers which fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day.

Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.
____
grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Posted by: armybarmy / 6:51 AM

check this out!!!!!

My friend called the other day and the subject turned to kettles (the christmas fundraiser extravaganza of the SA world - 'my God owns the kettles in a thousand malls...'). She said her officer made kettles an obligation of every soldier - so she took two shifts a week BUT really didn't feel like doing it so she paid others to do her shift.

Either this is an ingenious way of getting through the kettle season as a soldier, without getting frostbite OR it's a micro of a macro army problem. Not to judge this particular soldier (she is quite clever and really shouldn't be blamed for thinking outside of the box on this one) BUT it is an army thing to pay people to do what used to be our 'duty'. We pay shelter workers and chaplains (that aren't even in any of our Corps) and workers in homes for battered women, and fundraisers and so much more - all positions and places where soldiers once felt it their duty to be and their obligation to do. Now we simply oblige by paying someone else. So where is the problem in that?

I guess the real problem isn't that we don't feel it's our duty (obviously we still feel the duty bit or we wouldn't waste our time paying someone to do the job) BUT it's that our love leaked out of our duty. See, duty without love isn't what the Lord requires. As a matter of fact He hates obligatory worship - it's smells like hypocrisy to heaven and the good Lord knows He hates the stink of that! Love is measured in obedience... not duty. What does love look like? I've never heard said it looked like standing, freezing in the cold asking for money from the wealthy on behalf of the poor - but I guess that ain't a bad way to show a little love this Christmas.

Bottom line: do some duty laced with love this season - go on, spend your money on something else!

Just thinking outloud.
Great Grace.
Danielle

A bit on Christmas

I usually bite stuff from Jay Nordlinger (nationalreview.com) on this subject and this year is no different (for old ones, check the archives in December each year):
____
Dear Jay:

My mother is a kindergarten teacher. Her class is drawn from a comparatively lower-income neighborhood. After Thanksgiving, she put out the Christmas books (i.e., Night Before Christmas, plus various other "Happy Holidays"-type stuff for diversity's sake). Yesterday, child comes up to her. "Teacher, there's a bad word in the new books." Puzzled, Mom goes to check them out. The bad word he points to? It's Santa Claus, saying "Ho, ho, ho."

So, there you go — jolly ol' Saint Nick's famous phrase, courtesy of gangsta rap, is now an epithet.

How much should civilization weep for a five-year-old who reads the word "ho" and thinks "whore" instead of "Santa"???

Merry Christmas.
____
We're losing many aspects of Christian culture (I was out on the kettle playing the carolson my cornet and I realized that all of the dodgy carols we used to play because they we're Christian enough are now stalwart carols in that they at least use the term Christmas).
grace,
StephenC

basics

For those coming late on board the armybarmy blog bandwagon here are some basics:

The Salvation Army definition: revolutionary movement of covenanted warriors exercising holy passion to win the world for Jesus.

Prophecy: He shall reign, whose right it is, from the River to the ends of the earth. We shall win. It is only a matter of time. I believe that this Movement shall inaugurate the great final conquest of our Lord Jesus Christ (Catherine Booth).

Primitive Salvationism: mission-focused, charistmatic-flavoured heroism.

Modus Operandi: capture, train, deploy.

MMCCXX- vision to see new outposts in 2,000 cities in 200 countries in 20 years. (most will be bi-vocational, cell-based).

BE A HERO- campaign, championed by General Eva Burrows, to raise up 10,000 heroes who commit to five disciplines intended to transform the lives of children-at-risk.

Warrior Academy: a growing group of children's daily spiritual warfare training.

The War Room: a growing group of 24-7 prayer rooms aimed at declaring the names of God to the nations as intercession for the salvation war pours out.

The War College: a growing group of campuses dedicated to incarnational warfare training among the poor.

RE:cre8: free coffee bar on our home front.

CrossCulture: home of some powerful children's and youth cells called re:genR8.

The Journey: a retreat for women in our neighbourhood.

Credo Press: salvo publishing label for struggling salvo writers.

Salvo Songs: salvo music label (9 titles to date with more in the works)

Warriors Library: source of training courses such as SALVATIONISM 101, 201, 301 (and 401 and 501 forthcoming).

armybarmy battlegear: purveyor of all kidns of useful battlegear (see eStore for logo downloads).

614 Vancouver: our home corps.

ASALTS: The Association of Salvation Army Leader Training Schools.

That should help you understand what we're blogging about... :-)
Glory to God.

Grace,
sec

Vancouver weather...
(this came in by email today- no source):

A Saskatchewan perspective on west coast winter!! Day 2 - Vancouver Blizzard 2005 - Revenge of the Commuters

Chilled Vancouver commuters faced their second day of winter hell today, as an additional ¼ centimeter of the peculiar white stuff fell, bringing the Lower Mainland to its knees and causing millions of dollars worth of damage to the marijuana crops.

Scientists suspect that the substance is some form of frozen water particles and experts from Saskatchewan are being flown in. With temperatures dipping to the almost but not quite near-freezing mark, Vancouverites were warned to double insulate their lattes before venturing out.

Vancouver police recommended that people stay inside except for emergencies, such as running out of espresso or biscotti to see them through Vancouver's most terrible storm to date. The local Sears store reported that they had completely sold out of fur-lined sandals.

Drivers were cautioned to put their convertible tops up, and several have been shocked to learn that their SUV's actually have four wheel drive, although most have no idea how to use it.

Weary commuters faced soggy sushi, and the threat of frozen breast implants. Although Dr. John Blatherwick, of the Coastal Health Authority, reassured everyone that most breast implants were perfectly safe to 25 below, down-filled bras are flying off the shelves at Mountain Equipment Co-op.

"The government has to do something," snarled an angry Trevor Warburton. "I didn't pay $540,000 for my one bedroom condo so I could sit around and be treated like someone from Toronto."
(I'm sorry I can't reference this, as it came by email)
____
grace
stephenc

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

I received an email from very far away today that included this comment:

"The war college courses sound like much needed adrenaline for Salvationist veins!"

But, as our email exchange confirmed, there are currently no distant courses available. You actually have to come to The War College to experience it.

You can apply for 2006 September's session at thewarcollege.com.

grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

And New Zealand!

(hat tip HH)

It is great to see the social justice plan that we have in New Zealand: http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/SITE_Default/SITE_SPPU/SPPU.asp

Praise God.

Others?
grace
stephenc

social justice in America...

I know that Australia and Canada have started SA Social Justice Wings (young types). I haven't heard about what The Army in USA has done as far as mobilizing salvos to make a difference in social policy in the State (probably all kinds of stuff).

But I found this site (probably one of many) that allows you to write letters to media outlets (letters to the editor) organized by zip code: http://townhall.com/action/write_media.html (I pumped in a made-up zip code- I live in another country- and came up with more than a hundred options).

You can write letters to ALL KINDS of newspapers. You can write about 'Christmas', about poverty (domestic and foreign), gay 'marriage', sanctity of life, and so on.

Let's engage the culture. Don't let Christianity stay marginalized form the public square. Jesus shall reign over every sphere of life.

Grace
StephenC

December 4, 2005.

Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
(listening to TELL THE WORLD- Soteria)

If you're looking for music for Christmas, TELL THE WORLD by Soteria Music Ministries is a great choice. Beautiful salvo worship. You Are Good is a bouncy, catchy song evoking those high school summer bubble gum experiences, except worshiping Jesus. Let Justice Roll (which I had privilege to worship with live under SMM last month) is a powerful battlecry for the revolution.

Top quality stuff accross the board. soteriamusicministries.com

grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

"I could have had an abortion!"

Andrew Clark could have had one, yesterday (Army Renewal- top right).
grace
stephenc

hardcore SA Christmas advertising

You have to like our territory's approach this year with
Christmas Doesn't Live Here Anymore and assorted chalk lines in desolate contexts. Wow:
http://salvationarmy.ca/home/christmas05.asp
grace
stephenc

Dallas Willard on Revolution

hat tip to Rob Noland (http://www.revolutionhawaii.com/blog.html).
grace
stephenc

revolution ...

Acquire the Fire is up for revolution. This enormous youth event has a whole thing on revolution and a heartbeat acmpaign called battle cry: http://www.acquirethefire.com/heartbeat.php

All those embarrassed 'salvos' should take note and stop whining about the War Cry and start celebrating. I know of a key youth group that changed its name to War Cry (trendy, fashioable, large, middle class corps).

sayconnect.com offers the legendary 1 minute SA revolution commercial though, so don't jump ship.

grace
stephenc

reference to Holy Spirit.

Amazon.com is a lot more powerful than it was last time I was there. Anyway, BE A HERO apparently has the 8th most appearances of the term 'Holy Spirit' (except for Bibles, commentaries, and the like) in the whole catalogue (and the most references to The Salvation Army, third most to William Booth, fourth most to Catherine Booth).

:- )
grace
stephenC

Se un heroe

Hey- BE A HERO is now published in Spanish.

Spread the word to your Spanish friends.
grace
stephenc

getting ready for Narnia...

Here is an editorial comment: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2005/12/04/do0401.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2005/12/04/ixopinion.html
grace
stephenc

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

I haven't had time to tell you about the brand-spanking new edition of JAC that is just out (top right). But, look, this is worth a read. If you want some Christmas stuff, you've come to the right place. If you're looking for souvenirs of salvationism, this is it. There are a couple of of major papers on a model for social/spiritual marriage and officership. There is stuff on community, evangelism, and engaging culture. If you're looking for strong opinion on sacraments, #40. Dunamis power and fasting come at you hard and fast. And there is stuff on a vision and covenant. Read now so that you can finish it all off during the holiday break.

Much grace
Stephen C
posted by Stephen Court

everyone gets to read this...

I lifted it from Eric Himes's blog (top right). Hat tip...

This is Eric writing...

I’m A Blood And Fire Soldier

Yesterday I found the lyrics to a crazy old Army fight song that is not in the song book today. It’s so old it doesn’t even say who wrote it. I love how passionate and reckless it is, I think it may even give “Never Mind, Go On!” a run for its money (not that a song has money or that I even know what that phrase means). I also love that it refers to the devil as both the “skeleton captain of hell” and “dude”. I am proud to present…

I’m A Blood And Fire Soldier

I’m a salvation soldier converted I know,
I am known as a soldier above and below;
For I get of heaven’s fire as forward I go,
To fight in the salvation war.
I delight in the din of the battle;
I glory in sanctified noise;
I was born in the run and the rattle,
Of those jolly salvation boys.

I’m a Blood-and-Fire soldier, from top to toe;
I lick the old devil wherever I go;
I recruit for my Savior; my colors I show,
I fight in the salvation war.

I am clad in full uniform, inside and out,
I am always at home when the devil’s about;
To meet the old dude I ne’er need to scout,
He’s so close on my track in the war.
But with shield and with sword I encounter,
The skeleton captain of hell;
Though he besets and may bully and banter,
I’m a salvation antagonist well.

I get my hot-shot at the foot of the Cross,
From Calvary’s furnace, they come without dross;
And the glory comes down and gives them a gloss,
Just right for the salvation war.
Though the foes in their boasting may revel,
And assail me with fiery darts,
The faith shield is proof to the battle,
It has shielded many glorified hearts.

Now, old men and maidens and mothers agree;
And all you brave fellows do come along with me;
If something heroic and great you would be,
Enlist for the salvation war.
Salvation—immortality—glory!
Are inscribed on our flags in the fray,
And Heaven will re-echo the story
Of the victories we’re gaining today.
____
grace
stephenc

DOING THE MOST GOOD...

Major George Hood, in CARING Mag, explains the USA SA's slogan by quoting Evangeline Booth, in 'The War Romance of The Salvation Army' book in which she expresses gratefulness for the massive publoic support for The Army's efforts.

"In fact we did not expect anything further than appreciative recognition from those immediately benefited, and the knowlege that our people haev proved so useful is an abundant compesnation for all toil and sacrifice, for service is our watchword, and there is no reward equal to that of DOING THE MOST GOOD to the most people in the most need."

Maybe everyone knew this already - though I doubt any non-Americans did. This context should quell any of the whining we've heard.
grace
stephenc

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

Here are some great cell-talks (we use them weekly) for December - good juicy content, ready-made, SA-original, Salvo DNA.

http://web.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources_cell.asp

Grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

Deut. 4:9
"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life but make them known to your sons and your grandsons."
Another translation puts it, "be careful, watch yourself closely - don't let the lessons and truth slip away from you..." The key is living life alert - be on the alert. It's so easy to slip into the mundane and allow life to happen to us rather than truly living life - the Christ like life to the FULL.
I was reminded of this as I read the Word and then the application came to me as I have been spending my week at the War College.
There are some things that I let slip into my heart as I walk the pilgrimage of life that I am explicitly told to guard my heart against. The odd offense kicks in, the judgement here and there, the carelessly spoken word, the unresolved anger and it goes on piling up and weighing down. I forget to apply the lessons learned and the truths of the kingdom. But then God in His goodness comes along and puts His finger on a spot or speaks the Word of correction and it's time for a spiritual bath. I love how He uses the Saints in the process partnering with His Spirit (thanks Jonathan. You were bang on!)
Mother Teresa's orders have a wonderful daily practice of spending time gazing on Jesus in the morning, Then going out to battle. Coming home and again gazing on Jesus - reflecting with Him on their day. Then they're out again serving the poor only to come home at the end of the day to spend some more time with Him. Dialing down and praying through the day. That's one way to stay on the alert. Living and praying. Living and listening, Living and constantly being in communion with Him.
Sometimes it's not so easy to keep alert and attack those pesky foxes that like to get into the vineyard. But it sure makes for a pure heart, a clean conscious and being without blame.
I had a great bath yesterday. I love how Jesus cleans us up!
Blessings
Elaine Gillingham

20 year-old general?

That would be stupid, I expect. But there is a lot of good in this article:
http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/vw-issue/238396B79A8D8FB8802570B60040BA7E?opendocument&id=BB7E746CBF6B98B0802570B6003BE785

(The Army picks a new general next month)
grace
stephenc

today's intelligent design homework (for those so inclined):
http://nationalreview.com/comment/bethell200512010829.asp
grace
sec

Everyone Deserves a Christmas

That is The Army's slogan this month in Canada (I know some Americans are uptight about theirs). You can see the propaganda at salvationarmy.ca

grace
stephenC

emergent or PS?

Are these things emergent?
- cell-based;
- incarnational;
- no public meetings;
- organic system;
- inclusive.
If so, we're emergent.
But we're also into these different, Primitive Salvo things:
- poor;
- simplicity;
- spiritual warfare;
- charismatics;
- global revolution.
And we do things that might tap into one or the other:
- cafe for a couple of years;
- war room- 24/7 prayer for 20+ months;
- street combat;
- prayer walks;
- lots of kids cells;
- warrior academy;
- the war college;
- battle school...
Hybrid? Locally-customized strategy for war... (I'd call it all PS).
grace
stephenc

BTI dates

June 23-30 2006. This is a one-week, leaders' incarnational refresher experience
Event begins at 0900 on Friday 23 June.
Concludes at noon on Friday 30 June.
More information and applications are available at thewarcollege.com.
Last year kicked. Let's see what God has in store next.
Grace,
sec

God bless the Anglicans

(hat tip to Jim M and his various sources):

Intro:
The spirit of Africa came to the heart of Yorkshire yesterday when the Church of England enthroned Dr John Sentamu as its first black archbishop.
The exuberant service mingled traditional Anglican liturgy with African rhythms and solemnity with showbusiness, with even the new archbishop pounding the bongos in the chilly nave of York Minster.
Item 1: (‘prophecy’ fulfilled)
Dr Sentamu, the 97th Archbishop of York and the second most senior figure in the hierarchy, referred to the incongruities in his first sermon to his new diocese, an impassioned rallying call for a revival of the Church of England. He referred to a speech by Archbishop Michael Ramsey, a predecessor at York, who compared the zeal of the missionaries who spread the Christian message in Africa with the spiritual decay of the Church in the 1960s.
Dr Sentamu said Archbishop Ramsey had ended his address with the words: "I should love to think of a black Archbishop of York holding a mission here and telling a future generation of the scandal and the glory of the Church." To huge applause and laughter, Dr Sentamu told the 3,500-strong congregation: "Well, here I am."

Item 2: (‘mission’ summarised)

In (the) sermon he said Jesus's "big idea" had been "corporate discipleship", but the Church had lost its sense of true discipleship and "wonder".
"It's a scandal of the Church in England that in the past decades it has tried everything except to stick to Jesus's plan for the world," he said.
"Little attention has been given to the question, 'Who is Jesus and what does he mean to those who put their trust in him?' The trouble with virtually all forms of revolution and modernising strategies is that they change everything, except the human heart.
____
God empower him to help with a global Jesus revolution.
grace
stephenC

Posted by: armybarmy / 7:36 AM

'church growth'

The church growth movement was influential in the 1980s in North America. The Army plunged deeply into this stream, in a desire to succeed in this great commission project. And there was a lot of good in it. But a senior leader just emailed me this, today (context was comments on my sacraments piece in the brand new JAC- top right):

"I'm afraid that in ______________ as elsewhere we have clutched at church growth straws only to be swept downstream along with other denominations. By all means we should learn from others but we should still be ourselves and dare to be different as I believe God intended us to be. I have served in ______ territories and all have invested heavily in church growth theories and become smaller in the process! We now have more church (with a small 'c') but little sign of growth."

Ouch.
grace
stephenc

GenerationAfrica

Wow. Praise God for what a salvo with some fire in his veins can do:
http://www.generationafrica.co.uk/
grace
stephenc

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

JAC is BACK (top right). Please visit today and tell ten friends.

Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

fun read to catch you up on the evolution v. creation public school debate:

http://nationalreview.com/comment/boyles200511301455.asp

Somebody made some tactical errors... :-)

grace
stephenc

getting rid of Downs without finding a cure... (aka the'k' word)

National Review's editor Kathryn Jean Lopez tackles it, arguing that we have to talk about it: http://nationalreview.com/lopez/lopez200511300840.asp

So this one is for your cell/youth group/family supper discussion...
grace
stephenc

prosperity

Since readers are getting energized by this discussion (revolutiona@mmccxx.net) maybe I'll mention now that I just finished, this week, the first straight-up, unapologetic, Salvation Army (in that it is by a salvo and interviews a TC and CS in it) prosperity gospel book I've ever seen.

Shocking.

I'm not giving you the title because I'd like for people not to read it (but if you guess the continent, I'll 'fess up).
grace
stephenc

giving

to soldiers...
William Booth, RELIGION FOR EVERY DAY, vol.1. 1987, p92. “You might work out this rule on a graduated scale, beginning at the bottom with a tenth, and going on increasing as God increases… From a tenth you can rise to an eighth, and then to a fifth, and a fourth, and even further. Make His glory your joy, your conscience, your guide, and the Salvation of men, for time and eternity, the supreme object for which you live and trade and do everything else, and you will not go astray on this subject.”

grace
stephenc

Changeallujah

hat tip to Charles R (top right):

http://www.therevealer.org/archives/main_story_002248.php
grace
stephenc

sanctified sarcasm

We (I?) coined the term sanctified sarcasm last month. The classic text is Isaiah 44:9-20 (worth reading out loud), but Job 38 and 39 are juicy, too.

And that's not even carcking open the red letters of the New Testament...

Much grace
StephenC

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

Another juicy bit from the Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter XXII:

"Let them sleep clothed and girded with cinctures or cords, that they may be always ready; but let them not have knives at their sides whilst they sleep, lest perchance the sleeping be wounded in their dreams; and the sign having been given, rising without delay, let them hasten to outstrip each other to the Work of God, yet with all gravity and decorum. Let the younger brethren not have their beds beside each other, but intermingled with the older ones; and rising to the Work of God, let them gently encourage one another on account of the excuses of the drowsy."
____
grace
stephenc