Armybarmy Blog

A Bag of Chips
(a poem by Major Chris Watson)
(warning- gut-wrenching- you may want to skip)

A bag of chips
Is all she asked
For favours granted
To man with car.

A bag of chips
The price he paid
Legs thrust apart
Delights inside.

A bag of chips
A belly full
An act of life
The price of death.

A bag of chips
A mouth of sores
A loss of flesh
A hopeless gasp.

A bag of chips
That's all it took
Woman in bud
Withered and dead.

O God, how can I help
These women who sell
Their lives, their souls
For a bag of chips?
(Major Watson lives in Tanzania, and notes, 'it is extremely unusual for a young girl of ten, living in a village, to be a virgin').

God help us.
Much grace,
stephenC

May 30, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

There is a new resource available that most soldiers will love- a series of interviews on the doctrines. What is so exciting about that? Those interviewed include

General Arnold Brown
General Arthur Pitcher
Comm Ed Read
Comm John Busby
and more...

A teaser is found here: http://www.salvationarmy.ca/video/doctrineteaser.wmv

You can buy the two DVD set for $15 (what a deal) from the Canada and Bermuda Trade department (try salvationist.ca).

Oh, and your daily rations with a smile is temporarily at:
http://www.havelock-viha.com/journal.htm

Enjoy.

Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

May 29, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Books and Culture is an interesting resource and website in which I stumbled upon this intriguing interview with Alan Wolfe on evangelicalism. I know this is an ongoing issue on sites like Larry Ashcraft (see American blogs on right wall).

But here is Salvation Inflation:
http://www.ctlibrary.com/bc/2004/marapr/4.18.html

He says things like this:

"Conflict over doctrine is fast becoming a phenomenon of church history. Evangelicals have exchanged orthodoxy for popularity."

and,

"America's God has been domesticated, there to offer solace and to engage in dialogue with the understanding that, except under the most unusual circumstances, he will listen and commiserate."

and,

"my secular friends think the United States is filled with fundamentalist Christians who believe that the Bible contains the literal word of God and therefore know the Bible inside out. But what most people know from the Bible is "Judge not lest you be judged." People come away with that lesson and this one: Do not throw the first stone. Especially Christians."

and,

"More Americans than ever proclaim themselves born again in Christ, but the lord to whom they turn rarely gets angry and frequently strengthens self-esteem."

He's nailed a lot of problems...

Have I whetted your appetite?
grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

May 28, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus name, friends.

hb2DAB

He is risen!

Michael Collins once said 'keep your chin tucked' (Michael is a legendary salvo up in th epacific northwest). Good advice.

Don't forget to pray for the General each lunchtime- keep the 'round-the-clock coverage going.

Let's all try to get someone saved today- it is works with every tenth armybarmy type, we'll have lots to praise God about tonight!

And for those in Australia (a day ahead)- hb2FH!
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

May 27, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

By the way, the blog yesterday of Federal Justice Minister Toews reference to "so-called safe injection sites" is beautiful. I think I've just added 'so-called' as a prefix to the use of 'safe injection sites' in my vocabulary.

In other news...

A letter to SALVATIONIST:
"It's time to stop tinkering with the Army and get on with the war" (Norman Bearcroft, Lieut.-Colonel, USA).

:-)

The thing is, not only is it easier to tinker than to fight, but some of th etinkering might even help the fighting.
grace
stephenC
posted by Stephen Court

NYC v. Vancouver

hat tip to Macleans:
http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/news/shownews.jsp?content=n052671A
____
"I look forward to the day when I can walk down the streets of Vancouver with the same degree of security that I do when I walk down the streets of New York City,"

-- wow.

"The new Conservative government has been lukewarm to Vancouver's safe injection site for addicts located in the Downtown Eastside and (Federal Justice Minister) Toews said the policy was under review.

"There is some controversy about the effectiveness of so-called safe injection sites," he told reporters. "I spent some time with the police in the (Downtown Eastside) and they have a different view of the effectiveness of that particular project."
____
Yahoo! (that is, we're excited that some are considering dumping the negative governmental impositions on our neighbourhood.

Grace
stephenC

THQ Administrative Restructuring Report

The new Salvationist.ca site just keeps it coming. And the progress report on the above-titled subject is now available at:

http://www.salvationist.ca/2006/administrative-restructuring-progress-report/#more-349

It seems that the most concrete bit is that trained and equipped DSs responsibilities will be focussed on groups of units to provide ministry leadership support, coaching, and empowerment to achieve ministry results.

It makes DS sound a bit more interesting. And depending on relationship and spiritual authority, it raises new possibilities about fitting Biblical models.

Much grace
stephenC

May 26, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

The new issue of JAC is right around the corner (June 1).

I saw a list of the top 50 conservative rock songs and found #3 interesting:
____
3. “Sympathy for the Devil,” by The Rolling Stones.
Don’t be misled by the title; this song is The Screwtape Letters of rock. The devil is a tempter who leans hard on moral relativism — he will try to make you think that “every cop is a criminal / And all the sinners saints.” What’s more, he is the sinister inspiration for the cruelties of Bolshevism: “I stuck around St. Petersburg / When I saw it was a time for a change / Killed the czar and his ministers / Anastasia screamed in vain.”
(http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NzZkNDU5MmViNzVjNzkzMDE3NzNlN2MyZjRjYTk4YjE=)
____
I'd never put Mick and Clive Staples together like that, before.

grace
stephenc
posted by StephenC

Holy Ascension Day!

grace
sec

May 25, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Hat tip to Michael Ramsay (Canada blogs- right wall) for the breaking news on the Iran parliament discussions:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1567607.cms

The jury is now out on this story. Powerline Blog (bottom right) points out today that the undisputed part of the story, regulating Muslim dress, necessarily, if only implicitly, regulates (at least to some degree) that worn by non-Muslims.
grace
stephenC

Worship...

There is a wonderful church planting magazine called Cutting Edge that you can access at:
http://www.vineyardusa.org/publications/cuttingedge.aspx

This new issue on worship has some great stuff.

There is an interview with Matt Redman (he is helping start a new Anglican church) who has some classics: a. he talks about being blown away at a U2 concert, recognizing that they've written the songs for many in a generation and how he leaves wanting to be a better songwriter (the irony is that he also has written the soundtrack for many in a generation); b. he talks about reverence instead of only intimacy.

The interview with John Mortensen should be must-reading for salvo composers and song-writers. Very creative and musical.

And so on and on. Enjoy.

grace
stephenC

May 24, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Some people are on their way to hell today- let's get some saved before it's too late!

If you're relatively new to the site, you'll want to explore armybarmy in its entirety. There is a whole library of video and audio archives. There are preaching resources. There is an eStore. There is a feature called DEMO of the week. Right now we've got a brand new song by Wesley Harris and Howard Davies up. Coming soon are Chris Tidd and then The Singing Company. We have link of the week, sixty seconds of spiritual pump, and other partner links, including BE A HERO and SA Child Sponsorship.

Then we like to highlight coming events. Battle School is a teenaged training school this summer in Vancouver. BTI (Booth-Tucker Institute is a leaders incarnational refresher June 23-30. The War College is a year-long training school that is raising up warriors to win the world for Jesus (many through mmccxx). You or your friends could be involved in some of them.

And we also publish JAC- the Journal of Aggressive Christianity. The next issue is out in a week, so read up the current issue before it moves to the archives. I've just pulling it together now, and it is going to be a powerful and useful resource for us all.

Avail yourself of all the resources, and tell about ten friends about them, too.

More, soon.

Much grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

May 23, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

KUMI (pronounced koo mie as in pie and meaning 'arise') is our friend Acacia's band- you can listen to a bit of their new album and order at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/kumi

I recommend it- do it.

I was communicating with a comrade pioneer about timing. The concern is not to waste time since people are dying and going to hell. And my argument is this: you can rush out right away with an ill-prepared brigade in a hurry to save some people because they are going to hell and Jesus is coming soon. But if you don't have it together then you'll spin wheels and it is not likely that God is going to bless it. Taking the urgency seriously might mean, instead, that we take our time in discipling and praying until the brigade it tight and battle-tested and holy. Then when the invasion happens, it is more likely to succeed.

There has been renewed interest in sacraments and The Army. So... I wrote a piece in JAC in December -
http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_040.pdf called the unofficial sacramental position of the JAC editorial board. To get my point, I suggest you read that first, and then, if you want, tackle the stuff below (two follow-up blogs in December 05 of the archives). Disclaimer- my immigration example is not holding up in the States right now, but the point remains.

Hat tip to JLP for pointing out an old 'purpose' for The War Room I stuck in our 'what are you hearing?' journal a couple of years ago. For those who wonder what it is all about: "The War Room is an adventuring exploring the character of Yahweh/Trinity to unleash fullness to the world."

The context of this remark is remembering what 'we' have already learned. Most of you are from corps a lot older than ours (we're about four years) with a lot more cumulative wisdom/experience/lessons to remember to help you as you fight the war today and tomorrow. Don't forget.

Grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

May 22, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

For those celebrating Victoria Day (in Canada) you may enjoy reading Mark Steyn's four year-old take (interesting in iteself is the change over the last four years) at:

http://www.steynonline.com/index2.cfm?edit_id=35

More later.
grace
stephenC

tradition

One of the great traditions in our young corps is surprises. We've had some surprise homecomings in the past month, people returning for our corps birthday party recently and then another surprise visit over the long weekend.

Good times.

Believe it or not, Phil Marriott's blogging has resurrected at philmarriott.net. Ashley E of SendtheFire.ca (temporarily on hold) fame, is still kicking at http://ashley.blogsome.com - have a go. Oh, and I re-discovered
http://eternityinanhour.blogsome.com/ with Chris Tidd on the weekend. Check it out.

Grace
StephenC

May 21, 2006.

blogger update

Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Michael Ramsay's blog has changed addresses for a little bit and we've not changed the blog roll yet. You can find it here:
www.renewnetwork.blogspot.com

And I recommend a visit as his last blogs deal with the Pope's views on the cause of low birthrate in Canada, the most diverse of protest for child hunger in history (over a million people from 100 countries to walk 5K this weekend), and more.

grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Legal Nicety that Kills Babies

Here is the Telegraph's May 21 editorial aginst abortion in England:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/05/21/dl2101.xml&sSheet=/
opinion/2006/05/21/ixopinion.html

grace
stephenC

THQ and media

I know Colonel Knaggs gets all the buzz, being a CS (to be TC in weeks) with a blog (ChiefSpeak blog- Australian- on right). Our CS and TC have a podcast. Nice.

The most recent Story in Conversation (Commissioner M. Christine MacMillan and Colonel Glen Shepherd) can be located on Salvationist. ca by clicking on the following link:

http://www.salvationist.ca/2006/what-is-story-in-conversation/#more-301

grace
sec

Posted by: armybarmy / 9:20 AM

More on the Islamic Clothes Revolution (blogged earlier this week).

hat tip Powerline Blog (news and comment- bottom right of the screen)...

You may have read our link yesterday to this story, updated today at Powerline, that in Iran, members of religious minorities would be required to wear cloth strips in identifying colors - yellow for Jews, in a clear homage to the Third Reich, red for Christians and blue for Zoroastrians.

Amir Taheri of the New York Post includes details on the law (as quoted in Powerline):

"According to Ahmadinejad, the new Islamic uniforms will establish "visual equality" for Iranians as they prepare for the return of the Hidden Imam. A committee that consists of members from the Ministry of Islamic Orientation, the Ministry of Commerce and the Cultural Subcommittee of the Islamic Majlis is scheduled to propose the new uniforms by next autumn. These would then have to be approved by "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei before being imposed by law.

"The colors to be imposed by law are expected to be black, brown, dark blue and dark gray.

"Religious minorities would have their own color schemes. They will also have to wear special insignia, known as zonnar, to indicate their non-Islamic faiths. Jews would be marked out with a yellow strip of cloth sewn in front of their clothes, while Christians will be assigned the color red. Zoroastrians end up with Persian blue as the color of their zonnar.

"The new law imposes a total ban on wearing neckties and bow ties, which are regarded as "symbols of the Cross." Will Iranian Christians be allowed to wear them, nevertheless? No one knows.

"And the new sartorial regime won't necessarily be limited to Iran, according to Taheri:

"What is already labeled "the Islamic clothes revolution" will not be limited to Iran. Tehran has already sent a team to Lebanon to inform the Hezbollah of the new law and train cadres to impose it on Lebanese Shiites.

"Our aim is to make sure that every Muslim, wherever he or she happens to be on this earth, is a living and walking symbol of Islam," says Pourhardani.
____
It seems that in wearing something that allows them to be a walking symbol of their faith, they are taking a classic page of our our book. hmm.
grace
stephenC

Let's walk in a manner that's worthy. (Paul)

grace
sec

Let's live up to what we have already attained. (Paul)

grace
sec

May 20, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

I expect that most of you enjoy The Salvation Army Yearbook as a prayer guide. But it has some other great stuff.

The current Year Book has 'Centennial Snippets lifted from the 1906 edition. Here are a couple of keepers:

"The war in other lands continued to be waged with ceaseless energy. The spirit of our people in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and the West Indies found vent in their annual congresses (July 05), and they were occasions of blessed energising power. The soul-saving spirit was, if anything, fiercer than ever."

1. 'in other lands'- other than what? ouch.
2. ceaseless energy (praise God for the editor).
3. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, West Indies- a challenge and inspiration...
4. The soul-saving spirit was fiercer than ever. Wow.

Hallelujah.

And popular Scottish novelist Annie Swan weighs in with her perspective of The Army (in another Centennial Snippet from 1906):
____
From comparatively small beginning the operations of The Army has extended, until it is now a vast reformative agency, with ramifications stretching all over the known world.

Those who have hitherto solely associated The Salvation Army with brass bands and somewhat noisy and aggressive display of Christian energy, would stand amazed before the inner workings of this great, efficient, and oft-times silent machine.

It works while many others talk, very often while others sleep. Criticism is silenced before the efficiency of its methods, the self-denial and devotion of its officers and rank and file, the magnitude of its results.
____
1. small beginnings.
2. reformative agency. hmm
3. the known world.
4. noisy and aggressive display of Christian energy wedded to a great, efficient machine.
5. self-denial and devotion.

Praise the Lord.
Grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

assorted

Joel Boyd barely escaped getting cut from the blog roll on the right with his strong testimony blog (British Columbia blogs- right).

Anthony Castle brings the neighbourhood alive again with his account of a little street combat (also British Columbia blogs- right).

The McAlisters are living simply over in Zimbabwe (African blogs- right).

Bale is quoting GSR like it is going out of style (British Isles blogs- right).

Clifton explains the Exile prophecy (also B I blogs- right).

Cotterill (UrbanArmy) ties holiness to mission with Palmer (also B I blogs right).

And the blogosphere is busy.
grace
stephenC

Noonan on DaVinci

From:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110008389
____
The ... big news of the week ... is the apparent critical failure of "The DaVinci Code." After its first screening in Cannes, critics and observers called it tedious, painfully long, bloated, grim, so-so, a jumble, lifeless and talky.

There is a God. Or, as a sophisticated Christian pointed out yesterday, there is an Evil One, and this may be proof he was an uncredited co-producer. The devil loves the common, the stale. He can't use beauty; it undermines him. "Banality is his calling card."

I do not understand the thinking of a studio that would make, for the amusement of a nation 85% to 90% of whose people identify themselves as Christian, a major movie aimed at attacking the central tenets of that faith, and insulting as poor fools its gulled adherents.
____
grace
sec

Novak on DaVinci

From http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YWY5YjI3MWRiMDBhOWU3NWI0MmE3NGZhOGNjZjcxYTQ=
____
All that matters, Tom Hanks tells the only living descendant of Christ, is what you believe. Not truth, not reality, but whatever you believe. That's what matters. You make up reality as you go. The professor Hanks plays makes plain that he believes that Jesus is only a man—a man and that's all. A great moral teacher, perhaps, but only a man.

That, of course, is the one thing that the Jesus himself does not allow us to believe. If Jesus is only a man, he is no great moral teacher. He is on the contrary a fraud, a pretender, a horrible spendthrift with his own life and the lives of his apostles—all twelve of whom met a martyrdom like his, some of them crucified, all of them most brutally killed without the utterance of a single recantation. If He was not the Son of God, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he was either a mountebank or a lunatic, and deserves our contempt, not our praise. His every moral teaching would be vitiated by its radical emptiness and fraudulence.

One of the very meanings of being secular today, of course, is to believe that Jesus was exactly all these things—a lunatic or a fraud and, more important than anything else, no more than a man. So The Da Vinci Code will not exactly be stating any new thesis that secular people don't already accept. What it may succeed in doing, however, is to make dramatically manifest the silliness, madness, and love of illusion in what being secular means, at least to these film makers. It is for this reason, perhaps, that so many secular critics have found this movie repellent. Although it seeks to mock Christians and Jews, it actually makes a purely secular view seem absolutely batty.
____
I love the curtain-pulling - as in the Wizard of Oz- exposure of 'secular' here.
grace
stephenC

Badges for Iranian Christians and Jews?

Today's National Post reports an alarming law possibly to pass in Iran:

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=11fbf4a8-282a-4d18-954f-546709b1240f

grace,
StephenC

May 19, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

(hb2ZSC!)

The best response to yesterday's blog request that I've received so far is from Patrick Lyons, who adds to the principles for incarnational warfare with these comments:

"Just some thoughts that: Jesus didn't even have his own bed to lie on. There is also the idea that Jesus only stepped away
from ministry long enough to spend time with the Father and rest. Also, even when He had down time with friends, He used the time to develop people. So, in short, Jesus remained in the ministry all the time, availible to those He came for."

Nice. It is a romantic concept- this concentrated life- only always either giving it out or taking it in. It is what attracted me to Teen Ranch back in the day (where there were so many qualfied, trained-up, VOLUNTEER staff - it was all-volunteer - that you could only work X-number of weeks), and, more recently, officership. I've had seasons of it, but it hasn't been consistent.

Let's all go for it, shall we?

Much grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

Canadian Human Trafficking Victory.

(hat tip Lisa Thompson)

http://www.salvationarmy.ca/2006/the-salvation-army-applauds-new-measures-assisting-trafficked-persons/

and this...

Two prostituted teens rescued from brothel:
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2006/05/15/1580443-sun.html

grace
stephenC

18,000 seats

I just heard today that there are 18,000 residents in the downtown eastside and there are 18,000 bar seats.

One for one.

hmmm
Grace
sec

May 18, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

I received a request for principles behind SA incarnational ministry. Here is a quick stab:

- Jesus has a bias toward the poor;
- we're called to the down-and-out; 'the worst';
- impact through contact (it is easier to touch someone when you're close to them);
- simplicity (it is a more natural discipline when living amongst poorer people);
- authentic Christian community (God dreamed it up and it is contagious).

What did I miss (revolution@mmccxx.net)?

Grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

LESSONS FROM THE GARDEN...
Recently I've been spending a fair bit of time gardening. One of my recent adventures has been planting vegetable seeds with my kids. (This is a first.) These seeds come in a variety of shapes and sizes and unless you know what the seeds look like you could easily mistake a seed for bits of debris. I'm amazed that a tiny black dot or a speck of brown can actually be transformed into a robust greent plant that bears food for our consumption. I think it may be called hidden potential.
Tomato seeds look like small specks of bran flakes. With the proper care and conditions this one tiny seed will bear many yummy, nutritious, healthy tomatoes for us to consume throughout the summer. It boggles my mind.
Scriptures come to mind as I think about these seeds. The first is from John 12:24. "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit." The other is from Paul's writing to the Corinthians, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth."
So many lives - even our own - can seem dead, lifeless, without hope. Some of the people I meet on the street seem to look like the seeds I've planted. But I do know that with the right care and conditions these lives can be reborn, renewed, restored. They can bear much fruit. All we need is the vision to see beyond what is to what can be. The potential - the God given potential.
See beyond the seed - the insignficant speck - to the robust, thriving, fruit bearing life that God intends for each individual.
Shalom.
Elaine Gillingham

May 17, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Soccer's World Cup is around the corner and with it the danger of much human trafficking and prostitution. There is a site at which you can petition the German government to crack down on it: http://catwepetition.ouvaton.org/php/appel.php

One article explaining the problem is right here:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NzUxNTJjMTIxZDVmZmNiZWZkNWE1ZDE4MDExYzk0OTk=

Much grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Fear of Yahweh

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Pslam 111:10).

It's just the beginning, though. It's the starting point.

grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

mission

Yahweh intends that we reestablish His name as holy among the nations. Ezekiel 36:23- I will show how holy My great name is… when I reveal My holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Yahweh (‘LORD’ in most translations is YHWH). The context is judgement. But free will boils down to discipline now or punishment later. So we can position ourselves downstream in the River of God’s Grace for discipline now, and His holiness is revealed through that (Be humble or be humbled). He reveals His holiness through us! So, “keep a close watch on yourself (character) and your teaching (doctrine)” (1 Timothy 4:16). (from forthcoming sa101)

grace
stephenC

Not a One-Trick Pony

Really!

Maybe more like an old dog faced with the challenge for new tricks. But I'm into revolution, Be a Hero, holiness, discipleship, community, and other things than just Primitive Salvationism. It just seems like is it only PS, sometimes.

Here is a bit from the forthcoming new edition of SA 101:

Primitive Salvationist history is one of the great romance stories of our world. God wrapped a small group of misfits in Holy Spirit- conviction, infused them with love, dressed them in prophetic garb, fitted them with a holy disdain for dignified reputation, trained them in the sacrificial Cross-life, deployed them amongst the poor, and transformed great swaths of the world.

Amen.
grace
stephenC

Assorted

Here is Salvationist's report on ROOTS:
http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/vw-issue/77C61F0777B6E4968025716F00386D07?opendocument&id=1EA44EE77484CD3F8025716F0034947C

Graeme Smith, UK Salvationist in Latvia, is blogging at http://uksalvationist.olterman.se/uksalvationist/ (hat tip to him for the last blog on Comm Clifton.

IHQ website made this quote: "In his position, Commissioner Gaither heads a vast Army of 3,661 officers, 112,513 soldiers, 422,543 members, 60,642 employees and nearly 3.5 million volunteers, who serve more than 31 million people annually." They missed the important conversions stat, which puts them over 151G last year. Hallelujah. The Army in our territory used to have a 'Just One' campaign (every soldier get one person saved this year). The four US territories topped that last year.

I read in WHAT ARE WE HEARING (the daily journal at our War Room- not stop prayer since February 04) that one person likes to stick the CD player out the window and blast The Intercession Song on repeat to the neighbourhood from the fifth floor for her three hour shift. You can blast it from your window, too, if you own it. You can own it from our eStore (the CD is SOUNDS OF THE REVOLUTION).

Much grace
StephenC

May 15, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

I lifted this from the IHQ site as an article instead of link because it is so classic:
____
Salvation Army responds to announcement of Prince Harry's charity for Lesotho Aids orphans

Commissioner Helen Clifton, World President of Women’s Ministries, issued the following letter to the media following the announcement that the United Kingdom’s Prince Harry – second son of the Prince of Wales, and grandson of Queen Elizabeth II – was launching a charity to help children in Lesotho orphaned by Aids, together with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso.

‘I was intensely moved to see the BBC report showing Prince Harry of the United Kingdom and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho founding a charity in Africa for children orphaned by HIV/Aids. I for one - and The Salvation Army, whose worldwide ministry among children and families I lead - applaud both princes' move into caring, philanthropic aid and take this opportunity to affirm young people taking the initiative to make a difference in the world.

‘Now, I want to give Prince Harry a challenge, given some of the adverse publicity he has recently had. Who does he want to be? A compassionate idealist, helping women and children in dire need? Or one of the thousands of young men who carelessly and unthinkingly participate in clubs and activities that exploit and misuse the women of the world?

‘Both princes have a great opportunity, given their profile, their influence and their natural giftedness for coming alongside people, for being the kind of role-models much needed by this generation of young men. I know which choices I hope they will make!’

Helen Clifton, Commissioner
World President of Women’s Ministries
International Headquarters, The Salvation Army
____
:-)
grace
stephenC
posted by Stephen Court

May 14, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Doug Burr (Americans - on right) has a couple of interesting threads going. Here is my response to the latest, on our church envy:

We're trying to save sinners. Sinners have voted with their feet that they don't like church. I think the current stat is 74% of Americans don't go.

If we're trying to reach the people who don't like church, why on earth would we identify with church?

If they don't like slimy, slick-haired, bad-breathed 'pastors' why on earth would you call yourself one (especially since you aren't one)?

What you consider a difficulty is an excellent opportunity to define ourselves accurately- heroically and romantically - and in so doing attract some of the 74% in USA who don't like church and pastors.

It seems like people are interested in revolutionary causes...

(happy anniversary-Gills)

Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

May 13, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Bret at http://armytalk.blogspot.com/ is performing a survey- go here to participate:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=176371849198
It seems that people in some places are embarrassed of being SA and wearing uniform (tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon!).

Here are my bonus comments:
Prophetic trumps relevant.
This principle, applied to the problem you point out (embarrassment) suggests that if people are sold out to the cause then some will be attracted.
It could be that identity confusion is the reason for embarrassment. If people understand that The Salvation Army is a revolutionary movement of covenanted warriors exercising holy passion to win the world for Jesus, they might not be sheepish about all things militant.
If they realized that uniform is a sign of covenant community they might not be afraid to wear it.
If they experienced God in their meetings they might not be afraid to invite people to join them.
That said, call the hall anything you want, and wear whatever you want on Sunday- at our corps we have Tunic Tuesday- it is a lot harder, and probably a lot more effective- to sally up on Tuesday than on Sunday.
Much grace
Stephen Court

Clashing worldviews

Charles Colson starts a four-part series in Break Point here:
http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=2187

grace
stephenC

6808 days left...

in the mmccxx endeavour.

grace
stephenC

Swift Note Veterans Against Youth

I try to stay vague politically, and I'll continue to try that with this. It is from another country (USA) and from a former administration. But it says some scary stuff about abortion and Christianity.

You can read it under this blog's title, at BEST OF THE WEB (bottom right- news and comment- May 12).
grace
stephenC

Revolution?

Yes, it is probably the coolest sally logo since the WW1 fund-raising posters. Our silhouetted Jesus, under a thorny crown and over a subversive command to LOVE hidden the REVOLUTION script is insinuating itself into nearly every corner of our lives. Pretty soon we’ll see Revolution daytimers, wristwatches, CD cases, blackberry screens, and Home League tea towels.

But the genius of the Revolution logo is that it is more than a mere logo.

For some strange (divine?) reason, imaginations in all kinds of places seem to be captured by the dream of a lasting Jesus revolution. And those who belong to The Army are recognizing that The Salvation Army is a revolutionary movement of covenanted warriors exercising holy passion to win the world for Jesus. And they are beginning to live revolutionary lives in line with that identity.

Now, of course, this means more than starting to read the Bible every day instead of some porn magazine. Every Christian should be doing that. It means that instead of asking Jesus into your life, you accept Jesus’ invitation for you to come into His life.

What’s the difference? Well, His life is a lot bigger than yours, for starters. Instead of making Him shrink down, fetus-like (again) so that He can squeeze into your little life with its habits, and peculiarities, and limits, and pet sins, you can follow Him in His life, full of exciting, abundant, fulfilling, dramatic, significant, transformative adventures. You’ll inevitably find yourself involved in justice issues, in evangelism, in discipling, in intercession, in service. And you’ll end up in His destination. A powerful opportunity- and, for a growing number of salvos around the world, an amazing reality.
grace
stephenC

Aggressive?

I know, I know. In polite society it is offensive to be aggressive. The pushy person is disdained. But the real problem is that people are going to hell. Catherine Booth addresses our cultural squeamishness about confronting people with the truth this way:

“Oh! people say, you must be very careful, very judicious. You must not thrust religion down people's throats. Then, I say, you will never get it down. What! Am I to wait till an unconverted, godless man wants to be saved before I try to save him? He will never want to be saved till the death-rattle is in his throat.”

You say that you love people. Well, there isn’t much use loving someone in hell. The best way you can love a hell-bound individual is to tell her lovingly the Gospel. Tell her that she, like everyone else in the history of the world, with one Exception, has sinned. Tell her that her sins insult her Creator God. That’s the law. Then follow it up with grace. Jesus died on the cross for her sins. He explains the Gospel in a nutshell: Repent and Believe (Mark 1:15). And His combination punch is the combination invitation/command, ‘Come, follow Me’ (Mark 1:17).

Alright. It’s not too ‘relevant’ (though, what could be more relevant to finding purpose, peace, a sense of belonging, forgiveness, love, and eternal joy?). It isn’t ‘emergent’. It isn’t trendy.

But it seems that a lot of people seem to be buying into the reality that we are not a metaphor. The Bride of Christ? Metaphor. Flock? Metaphor? Building, temple, body? All metaphor. But the Army of God? The Salvation Army? We’re not a metaphor. We’re not a comparison to something that we aren’t. We’re an army.

And those who’ve bought into aggressive Christianity are merely living out the logical ramification of that revelation.
_____
grace
stephenC

assorted

May 20 is the next deadline for JAC submissions. I'm sure you are enjoying the current issue (top right). If you have something for the next one- send to revolution@mmcccxx.net.

Here's a little something from ROOTS:
____
Transforming Mission

Transforming mission in our era must go beyond a cup of cold water in Jesus' name, as good as that might be. The big idea, the prophetic direction from Catherine Booth, is this: "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 final conquest of our Lord Jesus Christ." Transforming mission seeks not to have an individual invite Jesus to come into her life, but to have that person accept Jesus' invitation to come into His life (Mark 1:17). (And we know Jesus is off seeking and saving the lost and destroying the works of the devil.) The transformative process applies to this individual as it applies, through her, to the world.

Our Father delights to give us the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, but also of the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit. He can most vibrantly delight in giving us the Kingdom when He can most confidently trust us with that Kingdom. Now, Rob Dolby says, "You can't earn God's love, but you can earn His trust." He's describing the impact of covenant. As we, in The Salvation Army, embrace soldier's covenant, we're positioning ourselves so that God can entrust us with the ingredients of the Kingdom and delight in the giving. And the ramifications of all of us embracing covenant should be globally transformative.
____
grace
sec

PtG

On holiness...

re. Promotion to Glory of Lt Colonel Lawrence Weggery on Thursday 11 May 2006 at Wellington Hospital.
____
...
It was during his service as a pilot in the RNZAF in India, God led him to The Salvation Army in Calcutta and he soon found this to be his spiritual home. His reading of Samuel Logan Brengle’s “Helps to Holiness” revealed to him his need and the power that could be his through living a life of Holiness. From then on he gave his life wholly to God and the Holy Spirit brought completeness in his life, which gave him victory over the temptations he met on a day to day basis.
____
Hallelujah for a holiness testimony that carries beyond the grave!

grace
stephenc

May 12, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

The deadline for the next issue of JAC (top right) is May 20. If you have something great that a small but influential readership should chew on, please email it to revolution@mmccxx.net.

There was a word last night at knee drill from Psalm 63:1-5. It sounded good until verse five about the richest of foods (or marrow and fatness). The point made is that we're seeking satisfaction in marrow and fatness instead of God. It is a spirit of substitution instead of a spirit of revolution. Ouch. It actually confirmed about five words/burdens/impressions that others in our midst have received earlier this week. The repetition emphasizes the importance.

The proper response is humble acceptance. We seek God's discipline now, rather than face judgement later.

I throw it out to you in case God can use it more widely.

(hat tip to AWW and the five).
Much grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

Religious Coalition for Marriage (USA)

A big group of American Church leaders has signed a pro-marriage document callign for a Constitutional amendment. Here is the gist of it:
____
Long concerned with rates of divorce, out-of-wedlock births, and absentee fathers, we have recently watched with extreme alarm the growing trend of some courts to make marriage something it is not: an elastic concept able to accommodate almost any individual preference. This does not so much modify or even weaken marriage as abolish it. The danger this betokens for family life and a general condition of social justice and ordered liberty is hard to overestimate.

Therefore we take the unprecedented stand of uniting to call for a constitutional amendment to establish a uniform national definition of marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman. We are convinced that this is the only measure that will adequately protect marriage from those who would circumvent the legislative process and force a redefinition of marriage on our whole society. We encourage all citizens of good will across the country to step forward boldly and exercise their right to work through our constitutionally established democratic procedures to amend the Constitution to include a national definition of marriage. We hereby announce our support for S.J. Res.1, the Marriage Protection Amendment.

May God bless all marriages and all those who labor to protect the sanctity and promote the goodness of marriage throughout this nation.
____
hat tip- First Things (news and comment section on right).
grace
stephenC

May 11, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

I was asked for a job shadow interview that included details about our warfare in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Here are the answers:

(what do I ) like: concentrated lifestyle- either receiving from the Lord via prayer, Bible, means of grace, community, or giving out His love via evangelism, discipleship, service.

(what do I like) best: community. The sense of authentic Christian community that is being cultivated here.

worst: community can be messy. :-)

(what do we) do: we seek to live the Kingdom of God in our neighbourhood. We live as light in darkness. We are salt of the neighbourhood. By our lives we offer an alternative to the degradation that characterizes the neighbourhood.

(what is) typical: Difficult to say. The goal is to see what the Father is doing and do what we're seeing. But there are skeleton disciplines imposed on the day that help that out, including our cells, prayer walks, and street combat, various service activities (like the cafe), War Room, children's cells, knee drill, etc.

And after all of that, there is no life like (very few appointments like it, that I know of), nothing we'd rather be doing (other than doing it more effectively.
Much grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

Steyn on DaVinci Code

It is a nice read:

http://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/article.jsp?content=20060515_126652_126652

grace
stephenC

BE A HERO?

It appears that Andrew Bale (British Isles Blogs on right) really likes BE A HERO (but he hasn't gotten to the gruesome stuff yet). Read him waxing eloquent over Beyond The Brook.

(yes, you can buy it at the armybarmy eStore).

grace
stephenC

More than 600 SA blogs...

I don' tknow who would have time to read them all, but this site lists them:
http://www.salvos.com/geejoonline/SABlogs.html (it lists the armybarmy blog as Captains' Blog- our old name).
Much grace
StepheNC

May 10, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Martin over at Missiome (http://missiome.blogspot.com/) has a string of blogs scrutinising things I like, such as simplicity, primitive salvationism, a book called revolution, and roots. You'll enjoy jumping into the discussions.

Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

foster

My buddy's small corps has 50 sponsor kids, some of whom are being adopted by soldiers...

heroic.

grace
sec

National Defence

Hat Tip to Michael Ramsay (Canada- on right) for this:
____
The Salvation Army and the Propagation of the Faith:

The central mission of the Salvation Army is evangelism. The Army exists to
spread the Word of God through its distinctive methods of outreach to the
world. The Church and its members do not hesitate to reach out to the poor
and the abandoned, to help all toward salvation.

Read more: http://www.dnd.ca/hr/religions/engraph/religions29_e.asp
____
The link gives lots of interesting information on The Army from the killing army in Canada.
Much grace
StephenC

May 9, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

BTI is coming up soon- June 23-30. It is a leaders' incarnational refresher experience. We've still a few spots open, if you want to pray about coming.

Battle School is a teenager training school operating for 6 weeks or so in July... We've got people signed up from a few countries and it looks to be transformative (revolution@mmccxx.net).

And The War College Revolution Session starts in September. We're still receiving applications. We're excited about what God is going to do. The average age is 23 or so, but there is quite a range. It is a one-year residential training experience. More info is available at thewarcollege.com.

grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Monday 8, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

I read this in SA 201:
____
SOME DIRECTION IN DELIVERANCE (discipline)
(adapted from Pablo Bottari, ‘Rules of Order for Deliverance’, SPREAD THE FIRE, August, 1997)

1. Give the individual priority.
The demon is not your priority; the individual is. Treat them with love and care. Try not to make the individual afraid by what you say and how you say it. We are trying to help the individual.

2. Bring the demon under Christ’s authority.
If the demonic manifestation is causing unconsciousness, bind the demon and subject it to the authority of Jesus, so the person will regain consciousness. Be strong with the demon. Don’t let it do what it wants. The person needs to be conscious and aware of what is happening.

3. Ask the people if they want freedom.
Free will dictates that the individual must want to be free before you can help. Anything we do without their desire for freedom will not solve the problem.

4. Introduce the person to Jesus.
If they want freedom, explain their need to know Jesus. Freedom only comes through Jesus. Explain that Jesus wants to be Lord over every aspect of their lives and that they need to open their whole lives to Him in repentance and faith.

5. Interview the person.
Identify the sources of bondage. Deal with points of entry such as fear, bitterness, and anger, or occult or sexual ties. To the extent that a person reveals his heart and deep sins, you can pray for freedom.

6. Have them renounce their sin.
Having discovered an entry point, have the person renounce, in Jesus’ name, that specific sin which made an entry point to the demon.

7. Break the yoke of bondage.
Break the demon’s legal right to torment the person. But don’t cast it out until you deal with all the sources of bondage as the Holy Spirit reveals them and the person renounces them.

8. Thank the Lord for freedom.
Encourage the individual to praise and thank the Lord.

9. Invite the Holy Spirit’s filling.
Once the demons leave, the house is empty. Instruct the individual to invite the Holy Spirit in, especially to those areas vacated by demons. If a demon manifests at this point, go back to step 5.
____
grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

On the Pro-Life Front...

Hat tip to Richard John Neuhaus at First Things (see news and comment section on right):
____
A noted professor of English recently wrote an essay on the true meaning of conservatism in which he opined that the unlimited abortion license imposed by Roe should be accepted as a permanent fact of life. In the course of his argument he said, “Such use of language as ‘unborn child’ does not advance analysis.” Stephen Barr, a frequent contributor to these pages, dropped me this note: “I’d like to hear from this professor of English what is wrong with English. Surely Prof. Hart must know the etymology and meaning of the word ‘child.’ I find in my old Webster’s that it comes from Old English ‘cild’ and the Gothic words ‘kilthei’ (womb) and ‘inkiltko’ (pregnant), and the first definition of ‘child’ given is ‘unborn or recently born person.’ Pregnant women are traditionally said to be ‘with child.’ It is touching to see how humanists stand in such awe of the way scientists talk. When we speak of electrons, and entropy, and momentum, and equations, let’s use Greek and Latin. (What was the Anglo-Saxon word for electron anyway?) But, please, Professor, when it comes to mothers, fathers, and children, let’s speak English.” at
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0603/public.html
____
grace
stephenC

new album

http://www.talitha-and-acacia.com/index.htm

Our friend Acacia Walters-Wulfing has a new album out- you can contact them about ordering at the site above. We're all looking forward to hearing it out here in Vancouver...
grace
stephenC

May 7, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

We celebrated our fourth birthday as a corps yesterday (a bit early). God blessed us. The corps received a birthday present - a poem - by AW-W:
____
You don't witness pain and not share the cure
You don't behold poverty and not become poor
You don't say 'I'll pray for you' and not cry out each day
You don't say 'be a hero' without showing the way
You don't see injustice and not fight to defeat
You don't preach 'love your neighbour' without compassion on the street
You don't proclaim spiritual war and neglect the front row
You don't ask 'Whom shall He send' without saying 'I will go'
You don't exhort humility and not wash another's feet
You don't move as His body without a heart to His beat
You see their tears, you shed your own
For four FULL years, you've shown us... home
Thank you, 614. GLory to YHWH.
____
May it be true.
Grace
stephenc
posted by Stephen Court

USE Praying non-stop

It's official - USA SA is going for a year non-stop.

http://openingsalvocr.blogspot.com/ (Charles Roberts (USA section to right) and

armyonitsknees.org (official USE SA prayer site).

It is not too late to jump on the bandwagon.
Much grace
stephenC

May 6, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

I asked a nine-year old Christian what he liked best about being a Christian. "I don't have to pray five times a day," was the reply (he lives in a neighbourhood with many Muslims).

Ouch.

Grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

taking a hill.

His is risen!

Someone asked me to define mission the other day and I just compared it to a military mission, like taking a hill.

It is measurable. That is, you know when you've accomplished it.

What hill are you trying to take today?

We're trying to win the world, starting in Vancouver's downtown eastside. There are a bunch of smaller hills we're trying to take on the way there. Days are punctuated with defeats and victories. Praise God for His victories.

The context of the original question was the contrast between the early Army and today's fronts. My point is that the aim is the same (take the hill) but the strategy is probably different (instead of bayonets we might carpet bomb).

grace
sec

May 5, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Our territory has updated its web presence today and the new look includes two blog:
http://www.salvationarmy.ca/blog
http://www.salvationist.ca/blog

Enjoy.
Grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

May 4, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Our comrades at the new 614 London have started blogging at www.614london.blogspot.com

Enjoy.

Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

Guacamole...
I was hankering for some guacamole and nachos today so I mashed up a batch. In the process I began to reminisce about the good old days in the down town eastside of Vancouver. Normally after making such a concoction I would call up Danielle and invite her over for a feast - this and cookie dough were just a couple of her fancies. Then my mind went to the person who taught me how to make the guacamole - Lois. She's with Jesus now. I sure miss just popping over to 107 and kicking back. As I ate I pondered the beauty of sharing life with these people. Memory after memory was triggered. My heart literally was warmed. (This is not cheesy!)
It's amazing how food can hold rich memories and meaning!
This is an in house quiz for those who have spent time in the DTES community. Here are 10 items. See if you can figure out who the food is the reminder of...
1. Double chocolate chip cookies that are so delicious they make your mouth water
2. Peach cobbler at Steamworks
3. Big fat wieners in my fridge from Ross that mysteriously disappeared
4. Toast and peanut butter or scrambled eggs
5. Sitar Indian Food
6. Chai and banana muffins
7. 2 Litre Pop fixes daily
8. President's Choice Decadent Ice Cream
9. Pavlova
10 The chocolate cookies you bite the ends off and then suck up a hot chocolate drink that was like Ovaltine.
Then finally I think of Wine and flat bread/ matzah... Imagine what kind of memories that stirs up.
Shalom
Elaine Gillingham
Oh yeah... Those wishing to weigh in on the food quiz email me at iegillingham@rogers.com. The winner will receive a weeks accomodation and meals at one of London's finest spiritual spas... : )

Approach to Advocacy

Some criticize our GAP participation (Genocide Awareness Project- abortionno.org and follow the links).

A friend pointed me to Adam Hochschild on some of thie history of advocacy. In an interview he tells this story of what he calls a revolution (the of slavery in 50 years):
____
It was the number of tactics that struck me. For instance, that poster of the slaves packed like sardines into a slave ship, the diagram that I’ve seen a hundred times -- I’m sure you have too. It’s on the cover of every book about slavery. It was so fascinating to me that these were the folks who reproduced it widely -- it was put up in pubs all over England. The image of the kneeling slave [with the slogan] “Am I not a man and a brother?” was really the prototype of modern campaign buttons. The idea of surveying candidates for office and publicizing where they stood on the issues -- nobody had done that in a systematic way before. It’s exactly what happens when you get a report card from the League of Conservation Voters today. I found what I think is the first direct-mail fundraising letter, asking for a contribution “at least as big as last year’s.” There was one technique after another like this. There had been organizations pushing for one thing of another in England, but the idea of that kind of civil society lobbying was very much in its infancy. This was by far the most sophisticated such group.
(http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2005/01/hochschild.html)
____
I think I read in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun...

grace
StephenC

demo of the week.

There is an interesting song up at demo of the week, by Howard Davies and Wesley Harris. It is brand new, with sheet music, so you can sing it on Sunday (front page, armybarmy).

Much grace
sec

www.talkindonkey.com

This is the new missional culture station of our comrades up in Vernon, BC.

You'll want to check it out here and maybe in person, one day.

Much grace
StephenC

May 3, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

Andrew Shearman, powerful preacher, made this statement: "We are not human doings, we are human beings. It is life or death. If it is not giving you life, it is giving you death."

Welcome to new blog readers from Roots. Sorry we didn't take enough resources (we sold out of Chaotic Order and all of the other books). But you can pick your copies up at the eStore here at armybarmy.com.

Let's try to get someone saved today!

Much grace
stephenC
posted by Stephen Court

May 2, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Hat tip to Michael Ramsay (renew blog- Canada, on right side) for finding a rare internet shot of my buddy Rob Dolby and me praying the Bible (not because it is rare for us to be praying the Bible...):
http://www1.salvationarmy.org/ihq/www_sa.nsf/vw-search/2E6785163BE574D380256F1E000CED26?opendocument

We both look a little different than a couple of years ago... :-)

grace
stephenC
posted by Stephen Court

SEND THE FIRE...
We sang Send the Fire today. Check out the words - SASB #203
Verse 2 says:
God of Elijah, hear our cry:
Send the Fire!
To make us fit to live or die,
Send the fire!
To burn up every trace of sin,
To bring the light and glory in,
The revolution now begin,
Send the fire!

As you read or sing through the song it's hard core. The potent words make me wonder if I really want the fire.
Having experienced a certain amount of fire in my life I sing these kinds of songs with sobriety knowing that the Lord hears and answers prayer. Fire burns. It is hot!

"The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the Lord tests the heart."
Proverbs 17:3
Gold and silver are refined by different methods. The Lord tests us in varied ways because we as individuals are made up of varied metals. What is fire and refinement for me doesn't affect another person in the same manner. He know His vessels and what tests are required to refine.
The circumstances in our lives are used to shape and mold us. The challenge is to have our vision and focus on the Lord. We must constantly ask Him for His perspective on what we're going through and what He is wanting to shape or refine in us.
Fire is hot. It doesn't feel pleasing at the time but it is a good tool when used by the Master.
Shalom
Elaine Gillingham