Armybarmy Blog

December 30, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

So, end of year lists continue. TIME Magazine (online as well at time.com) has a few lists (including more books I've never heard of!). I'm happy to include excerpts from your lists (might not have access to my email for a few more days, though, so be patient).
----
What do Allister McGrath, Allister Smith, John MacArthur Jr., Erwin McManus, Andrew Shearman, and Olivia Munn have in common? I'll tell you at the end of the blog...
----
I wrote yesterday to a prominent Christmas defender. Here is a bit of the note:

"Thank you specifically for your defence of Christmas. I don't know all of your motivation behind it. I'm not sure if it is primarily traditional or spiritual (the motivation). But, cheers.

It is both for me, although primarily spiritual, it being all about the miracle of eight pounds and two ounces. That day is a staggeringly stupendous event of monumental historical and eternal import for us all (matched only by Good Friday/Resurrection Day, of course). And, that day has transformed my life as I've repented of my sins and believed Jesus, accepting His invitation to come into His life (Mark 1:15,17). (if you're reading this and don't know Jesus, please stop for a moment and consider how your life might change if this stuff sinks into you. And email me if you like at revolution @ mm cc xx . net).
---
Yahoo! Hallelujah.
----
Answer to the obscure question at the start of the blog: I'll be borrowing great ideas from each of them tomorrow morning in my preach on holiness.

SA Daily reading: Revelation 15-18.
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

December 29, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Tis the season for end-of-the-year lists. Yahoo. National Review online (bottom right) is a regular news source for me and they've suggested a few year-end lists: the best and worst political moments of 06; and, best books of 06; best movies of 06; predictions for 07.

How about a list of best and worst spiritual moments of 06? What would you include?
Or best books? I have to admit I've not read enough books printed in 06 to offer a half decent list. The ony new book I read this year (that I can recall) was a wonderful read by Danielle Strickland called CHAOTIC ORDER (that you can pick up at armybarmy eStore). Not true- I read one or two others. Of course SA LEADERSHIP by Harold Hill came out officially this year and veterans in the barmy army know that I raved about it in manuscript for at least a fortnight (do the search to see if I'm telling the truth).
Or best movies? Hmm. I saw some and liked some - I just have to review. I might update this...

I welcome your suggestions (I might not be able to access them for a handful of days but I definitely will get to the worthies - revolution @ mm cc xx . net).

If you're in the neighbourhood, join us at 11am Sunday for The Salvation Army holiness meeting at the Etobicoke Temple Corps in north Etobicoke. I've the privilege of preaching.

SA daily reading: Revelation 10-14.
God is here.
Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

December 28, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
Briefly,
- besides wonderful family reunions over the last week I had opportunity to connect with representatives with all four sessions of The War College today (hat tip Denise Knee). Good times of shared DNA and ice cream.
- I had opportunity to try out one of those new-fangled computer games someone had received for Christmas. It turns out that you can buy the game but you don't have access to all of the levels until you reach a certain standard of play. I love it. You can buy in, but you have to earn your place in the deeper stuff. Now, I know I'm going to offend someone with the verbs buy and earn, but I don't mean them literally in this application, so please don't lose your salvation over it. But everyone can 'buy' in to salvation (the cost is repentance and faith) but you have to 'earn' your entrance into the deeper things of God (earning by covenant faithfulness/obedience, holy sacrifice, and love?).
- it is important to keep promises to pray for one another.
SA Daily reading; Revelation 5-9 (Check out Rev 7 for some juicy endtime harvest stuff).
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

December 27, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(hb2LC)
----
My buddy Peter emailed that it looks like this Christmas he is starting a farm (so many pigs/goats/chickens... donated to Haiti/Africa/India in his name). Better a farm than a toy store.
----
I just learned that one of my grandfathers (PtG) used to have only 50% attendance at the holiness meeting as a child. He had 12 siblings and they had to take turns wearing the shoes. He went on to get closer to 100% attendance as an officer.
----
SA Daily reading: Revelation 1-4.
If this isn't enough to keep you going, read JAC, this past fortnight's blogs, the blog roll on the right, armybarmy.com, or pick a month at random from previous armybarmy blogs (top right) and knock yourself out (maybe, December of 05, 04, 03...).
God is here.
Much grace,
StephenC

December 26, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

People lined up for hours (one at 3am) to shop on boxing day. I've not been in many hour-plus line-ups for a gospel meeting! (exceptions- Brownsville Assembly of God during the Pensacola Outpouring, maybe Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship during Toronto Blessing, maybe International Congress in Atlanta (though unlikely an hour), and possibly Billy Graham at the Sky Dome).
Plus, I doubt the hosts make as much money.

Whew! Praise God for Christmas. Now, we've got a load of SA daily readings for rations: Psalm 117; 119:81-176; 2 John; 3 John.

God is here.
Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

December 25, 2006.
Christmas greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
Holy Incarnation Day!
He is risen!
If you're bored, there are lots of juicy posts in the last week or so, a tasty JAC issue up, and years of archives for both (and that doesn't even mention the hours of content and fun of armybarmy.com).

Hat tip to Darren Hailes and the kettling crew which topped our last target a few hours ago. Hallelujah.

Michael Ramsay weighs in on important books for understanding Christianity:
----
'Mere Christianity' is good - so is anything by Lewis!
I think I would add 'Can Man Live without God' by Ravi Zacharias to the list.
I would add Augustine's 'Confessions'
I like some of Tolstoy's illustrations in his 'Confessions'
I enjoyed reading the correspondence between Luther and Henry VIII.
Maybe something by Walter Brueggemann or NT Wright...
----
SA Daily reading: 1 John.
God is here.
much grace,
stephenC
posted by Stephen Court

December 24, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

We're excited to announce the expansion of The War College Board of Reference to include General John Gowans (R) and Colonel Earl Robinson. Hallelujah!

You can read up on the whole Board of Reference at http://www.thewarcollege.com/board_of_reference.html . This is a good time to note that we're receiving applications for The War College's Incendiary Session that starts in Charlotte and Vancouver in September of 2007 (thewarcollege.com).
----
There is a fresh preaching video up on our armybarmy front page - it looks like it could be from about 1965, but I'm assured it is from this month.
----
This whole premarital sex thing among Christians- if it is habitual and intentional, you aren't (a Christian). Don't fornicate.
----
An early return on five important books for understanding Christianity, from Richard Munn:

Five Important Books for Understanding Christianity
1 Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
2 Celebration of Discipline – Richard Foster
3 Life Together – Dietrich Bonhoefer
4 The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life – Hannah Whitall Smith
5 Evidence That Demands a Verdict – Josh McDowell
Now this list is a lot more along my lines. I've actually read these books! Have you a list (send it soon)?
----
Commissioner Joe Noland (blog- right side) generously mentions our blog of December 17 on holiness, and offers to other options to my list:
f. Salvationism must progress into the 21st Century (Progressive Salvationism).
g. Experience the Holy Spirit’s progressive work of Grace in your life (Progressive Holiness).
----
Now, he is right- I did debate for my college (though I certainly was not a star). To save space I won't copy a-e. See the blog below. I'll only suggest that William Booth may have responded to f like this:
"We believe in the old- fashioned salvation. We have not developed and improved into Universalism, Unitarianism, or Nothingarianism, or any other form of infidelity, and we don’t expect to. Ours is just the same salvation taught in the Bible, proclaimed by Prophets and Apostles, preached by Luther and Wesley and Whitefield, sealed by the blood of martyrs — the very same salvation which was purchased by the sufferings and agony and Blood of the Son of God." (Booth, cited in
http://www.salvationarmysouth.org/booth/ch27.htm). I'm not suggesting that f is infidelity, only that I'm set on Booth's old-fashioned salvation f the Bible, the prophets and apostles, Luther and Wesley...

And, to g, yes, I want us all to experience His continuous changing power! Amen!
----
And, some Christmas reading for those with unusual time on their hands:
1. a serious look at Christmas and demographics:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/steyn/184544,CST-EDT-steyn24.article
2. a playful look at Christmastime plans and preparations:
http://www.steynonline.com/index2.cfm?edit_id=25
3. a take on Jesus the revolutionist:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/12/jesus_the_africanamerican_reli.html
4. And an interesting set of takes on Christmas music as a bunch of people fill in these blanks:
'No Christmas is complete without _____ playing in the background' and 'when ______ is playing, I run:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MWRmZjRhZjM4MDA0ZmNmZmNkZGM3NmFiN2IwMzg1ZDg=

My own takes on these? I'm guessing my friend Olivia's (blog - right side) kettling experience of introducing someone to Jesus after a long conversation following her vocal rendition of 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' ("Descend to us we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today") last year (and, preceding a $50 bill in the kettle) pretty much completes a Christmas. So, that is the first one. As for running, I avoid the more extremely, crassly commercial songs (with a couple of old-school exceptions - the smarmy, loungey types) in favour of Christian carols.
----
To those ahead of us in time and now celebrating Jesus' birth, Good on ya'!

SA daily reading: John 19-21.
I'm not sure if I'll have steady blogging access over the next several days, but hang in there - one of the armybarmy bloggers should be good to go.
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

December 23, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
GEORGE WEIGEL has an article on the five essential books for understanding Christianity, here:
http://opinionjournal.com/weekend/fivebest/?id=110009426
They are:
1. "The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church" Edited by F.L. Cross and E.A. Livingstone (Oxford University, 1997).
2. "Jesus Through the Centuries" by Jaroslav Pelikan (Yale University, 1985).
3. "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, translated by Dorothy L. Sayers (Penguin Classics, 1949, 1955, 1957).
4. "The Challenge of Jesus" by N.T. Wright (InterVarsity, 1999).
5. The Sources of Christian Ethics by Servais Pinckaers, O.P. (Catholic University of America, 1995).
I'm guessing that no one outside of seminary has read all five of these books, and that fewer Americans than admit to fornicating (see this week's blog on that- and item below) have even read one of them (#3 could throw that prediction out of whack). I could be wrong, of course. But if I'm close, does that mean that only that handful of people understands Christianity? Hmm. I know that some of you like lists, and have a few days off. If you'd like to fire me your alternate list of five important (not essential, otherwise we couldn't understand Christianity before 1999 when #4 was published) for understanding Christianity, try to get it out before the 25th (PST) to revolution @ mmccxx . net).
----
Back on the 95% of Americans who admit to having pre-marital sex. Here is another article on it:
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20061222-093838-7485r.htm
Again, I ask, where are the Christians in that survey? Several people who have read my post earlier this week tell me that they are not surprised at all, but I'm shocked and disappointed and I'd hate to imagine what God thinks of it.
----
There is actually a Christmas preach or two up in our preaching resources (front page of armybarmy) that you can listen to sometime over the next few days. Enjoy.
----
SA daily reading: John 15-18.
I'm led to believe that some people are trying to memorize Romans 12 over the next fortnight ... (no pressure).
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

December 22, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
hb2FS/CT
Two items, quickly:
----
"Electralyte are launching their album on iTunes on Christmas day – you can see it up there now though - a bit early! There’s a special digital booklet which accompanies the album which we believe is the first album release in the UK of a Christian artist to achieve this, together with two new bonus tracks only available on iTunes."

http://iccrecords.com/electralyte/
----
And, Rocky Balboa is trying to piggyback The Passion of the Christ in equipping Evangelicals to use the movie for their congregations. See the December 20 "Rocky is my Prayer Partner" blog on Rocky and the Faith-Based Resource Guides that feature advice such as:

“Jesus was the master storyteller! He used short, simple, everyday stories that packed a punch. Use these powerful Rocky Balboa resources in December and January to punctuate your sermons and talks!”; and,

Take, for example, “Idea 1” from “Round 3” of RockyResources.com’s “Leader’s Resource Guide”: “With the popularity of Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose-Driven Life, focus on the ‘I have kept the faith’ theme and plan to use the ‘Purpose-in-Every-Step’ worksheet.”
See it all at http://firstthings.com/.
----
God is here.
Much grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

December 21, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Forget everything I said about the givingmoregrace blog. It is now called armybarmyremix and you can find it at armybarmyremix.blogspot.com. Danielle Strickland is offering the other side and an alternate view to the armybarmy dogma here. You will want to bookmark it and visit it often. The latest up there is a couple of shots of our kettlers.
----
A brand new study was published this week and yesterday's local paper described it. Noteworthy to me was the report that more than 9 of 10 Americans have fornicated. And the proportion carries way back to the 40s. Now, where were the Christians in this study? Don't tell me they're all fornicating. Tell it not in Gath! Proclaim it not in the streets of Askelon!
----
You may remember that we're working on a Most Influential Salvationist list. It is broken down into categories, one of which is preaching. Here is one person's preaching list:

Rheba Crawford – Inspired Guys/Dolls
Andy Miller – Camp Meetings
Bramwell Tripp – Classical Wesleyan
Bram Tillsley – Classical Wesleyan
Arthur Pitcher – Classical Wesleyan
Arnold Brown – Classical Wesleyan
John Gowans – Classic Oratory
Margaret Hay – UK Preacher of Year
Linda Bond – Female Force
Israel Gaither – Black Passion

The only disappointment with this (and probably most of the lists we craft) is that it is mostly western, living people. Now, some will jump immediately on the exclusion of the greathearts like Catherine and William and so on but those names all made it onto another of this person's lists. This category is probably the one most appropriate for living people since we mostly recent recordings only (the gravel Booth is a notable exception). In any case, we praise God for the influential preachers and call on Him for more (more influence for these preachers and more influential preachers)!
----
Have you read JAC yet? What excellent Christmas season reading!
SA daily reading: John 9-11.
God is here.
much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

Kettle Highlights...(possibly an oxymoronic phrase, I know)

1. Becky being told that her singing is "brutal", but the guy giving her money anyways...

2. Multiple people expressing disbelief that kettle workers are volunteers / associated with The Salvation Army / not going to pocket the money after the shift...

3. An angry man ripping the kettle off the stand and loudly asking where his money was...

4. A crying lady reminiscing about how kind The Salvation Army was to her Father during the war...

5. Japanese tourists, having no clue what the kettle is, taking pictures of me and my kids singing and dancing, and putting money in because, I believe, they thought we were some sort of vagrant performing gypsy family...

6. A man asking Cherie if his money would be spent locally. He had donated $1...

7. Singing carols for 4 hours straight, and making up new carols or at least new words for carols because the only ones you know are driving you and the poor hot dog guy slowly but surely insane...

8. Beat-boxing and rapping carols with Ian Smith, and raking in several quarters as a direct result of same...

9. Being told that "Jesus is happy" with my singing...

10. Choking on donated roasted chestnuts whilst attempting to sing "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire", and revelling in the rather sophmoric irony...

11. Lisa being asked, politely, to sing more quietly. And the chestnut guy turning up his recorded carols to drown her out...

12. Cherie being yelled at by yet another chestnut seller guy, who told her to leave her spot or he would call the cops. "Ok," she said, "call the cops on The Salvation Army at Christmas. Go ahead." He did not call the cops...

13. Singing all 3 verses to "O Come Let Us Adore Him" on CTV news, and getting on the news for the last 15 seconds, most of which is focused on my hands smashing the bells in some semblance of a beat.

Few more days to go...

Grace,

Aaron

December 20, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

There is some good press on 614 Charlotte and the Charlotte campus of The War College here:
http://www.uss.salvationarmy.org/uss/www_uss.nsf/vw-issue/6824B7D26FCD94048025723D00538B29?opendocument&id=6255F14107D167B98025723700746E1F
You might know someone who should be getting trained up at The War College's USA campus.

I've been involved in another discussion on evangelism, the complaint to me being, again, that we somehow misrepresent ourselves and Jesus by hitting people up with the Gospel outside of relationship. Now, as I always have to make clear in the argument, I agree that it is ideal that all of the Christians will get all of their friends saved, but that many Christians don't even try and thus leave millions and maybe billions rushing headlong toward hell without a witness (yes, billions are headed, but lots of those don't know any Christians). So we try to fill in some of the blanks. Now, are we misrepresenting ourselves and manipulating? Holy Spirit energizes our lives and overlfows from our thoughts and deeds and conversations. So, whoever we meet is a likely target of some of that Holy Spirit overflow. Any individual with whom we come in contact who DOES NOT hear the Gospel is the person with whom we've misrpresented ourselves. And, as for us misrepresenting Jesus in this exercise, let's remember that He is the guy who hits up strange women at wells with the Gospel, as well as blind people and lepers He's never met. The first points extends to Jesus as well - any individual who doesn't catch some Gospel off of us is someone to whom we've misrepresented Jesus (I'm assuming a little bit of time- something beyond G'day!).

Complaints? Fire away to revolution @ mmccxx . net .

Maybe we misuse the term 'divine appointments'. When I was getting discipled with Campus Crusade for Christ (God bless them) we normally talked about divine appointments that God was setting up for us with people who needed to hear Jesus. Good. But maybe we should also be looking for other kinds of divine appointments in which we connect with people and give God an opportunity to meet with them through us...

SA daily reading: John 7-8.
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

December 19, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
I met Jonathan G today who was practising to play some Christmas songs at parties. I asked him what kinds, 'like Joy to the World'? No, like Woody Guthrie. Now, I confess that I am not familiar with any Woody Guthrie (or Jimmy Rogers) songs, so he sang me an example:
----
Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ was a man who traveled through the land
A hard-working man and brave
He said to the rich, "Give your money to the poor,"
But they laid Jesus Christ in His grave

Jesus was a man, a carpenter by hand
His followers true and brave
One dirty little coward called Judas Iscariot
Has laid Jesus Christ in His Grave

He went to the preacher, He went to the sheriff
He told them all the same
"Sell all of your jewelry and give it to the poor,"
And they laid Jesus Christ in His grave.

When Jesus come to town, all the working folks around
Believed what he did say
But the bankers and the preachers, they nailed Him on the cross,
And they laid Jesus Christ in his grave.

And the people held their breath when they heard about his death
Everybody wondered why
It was the big landlord and the soldiers that they hired
To nail Jesus Christ in the sky

This song was written in New York City
Of rich man, preacher, and slave
If Jesus was to preach what He preached in Galilee,
They would lay poor Jesus in His grave.

Words and Music by Woody Guthrie
© 1961 (renewed) and 1963 (renewed) by TRO-Ludlow Music, Inc.
----
There are some interesting new posts over at http://givingthemostgrace.blogspot.com/ which is Captain Danielle Strickland's new blog. You should feel compelled to give it a visit and bookmark.
SA Daily readings: John 5-6.
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

December 18, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
This is a big day for The Uprising: a holy revolution? Draft one is in- stay tuned for more details...
GSR explains, in HEATHEN ENGLAND, some principles that might help all of us (and stirred some discussion tonight in SA201):
----
WHY WE SUCCEED:
1. The Army succeeds because it aims at immediate results.
2. The Army succeeds by making the most of the converts.
3. The Army succeeds by teaching converts to be holy.
4. The Army succeeds by teaching its hearers to do their utmost towards meeting the expenses of its work.
----
Correction on memory verse- I'm told this week is a grace week, so if you've not nailed the old ones or John 15:7 (the last one), you can catch up. And then, apparently, over Christmas week, you're invited to try to slam back Romans 12.
SA Daily reading: John 2-4.
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

December 17, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

The big scoop of the day is this new blog that features a shot of the recent enrollment/engagement:
http://givingthemostgrace.blogspot.com/
You can even watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8h5a7IYdnY
----
Commissioner Noland mentions Harry Ironside in his blog (right side) this week. It caught my attention as Ironside's notorious book Holiness: The False and the True, or, in my rendering of the subtitle, 'How I lost the Blessing and Deserted the Flag, is on our reading list at The War College.

Though he once testified to experiencing it, Ironside disparages Brengle's take on holiness. He is not alone. However, the goal is to match our experience to our theology, not water down our theology to match our experience. And the onus is clearly on him, as I can name names of people who experience what Brengle taught, and only one of the names is enough to throw out his argument.

If Brengle and several people I know testify to an experience that is considered impossibly high by Ironside and others then they probably came to that conclusion one of two ways: either they tried it and found it 'impossible' to keep (this would include Ironside) or, to rephrase Chesterton's comment on Christianity, "Brengle's holiness has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and no tried."

The only other possibilities are that you never heard good, clear, primitive Salvo holiness teaching, or, it is wrong. So, to summarize,

a. you found it too high a standard, (couldn't handle the attacks or the commitment), and so disparage it;
b. you found it too high a standard, (couldn't be bothered with the required consecration), and so didn't even try it;
c. you have never heard it;
d. primitive salvationist holiness teaching is wrong.

If you know anyone who is holy then you can't pick d. The current JAC has an article on holiness (top right). So if you read that, then you can't choose c. That leaves a semi-Chesterton dilemma of a. or b. Of course, the goal is

e. to experience it and testify to it.
----
Here is the latest Steyn, on police stopping caroling in America:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/steyn/174923,CST-EDT-steyn17.article
----
SA Daily reading: 2 Peter; John 1.
God is here. Much grace,
Stephen Court
posted by Stephen Court

Christmas Concert...

Though The Warrior Academy is heading into its third Christmas, it threw the first (annual?) W.A. Christmas Concert last night. Good times. Hat tip to LJ, JR, CM, and the warriors.

Kettles crawl into the last week tomorrow. Hat tip to Darren Hailes and the army of kettlers who are singing and preaching and witnessing and praying and proclaiming.

The Soldier enrollment on Thursday's knee drill has been an important time for some of us regarding covenants, commitments, promises, and God's faithfulness. Maybe it is a good time for you to reconsider your promises, commitments, and covenants in light of God's faithfulness. As Paul says, 'live up to what you have already attained'.

grace
sec

Assorted...

It is a good thing that I don't get my sense of self esteem from others. I've had comments on my kettle singing ranging from lousy to terrific. At least they all agree that it is loud!
----
To think that 15 or 16 years ago I was taking a course in which the professor forced us to open an electronic mail account in the basement bank of black-screened computers in our academic building. I considered his assignment a waste of time. He bragged that just that morning he had received some electronic mail from a colleague in Australia. And I figured, I didn't know anyone in Australia, so I didn't need electronic mail. Things have changed pretty significantly since then. Hallelujah. And I am blessed to know quite a few kicking Aussie Salvos, too.
----
I was searching for 'deserted' in our blog archives and stumbled on this comment from March 7, 2004:
----
Commissioner Arthur Booth Clibborn wrote (before he deserted to join what declined into the Dowie freak show outside of Chicago) some classic words in SASB 446:

Let holy truth condemn each sham
Show what Thou art, and what I am.

How about those words?

I came across them this week in the War Room, doing a shift for 24/7. That prayer will reveal just about all you need revealed- God's character and yours.
----
grace
sec

December 16, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Happy Hanukkah. I blogged an article on it a few days ago. For those coming up to speed on it, Hanukkah is a celebration of a stubborn, proto-primitive salvos who forced a return to purity of Yahweh worship on a compromising people. It is the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Rededication. From that perspective this is a worthy holiday for us to celebrate. For more intel, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah . Are there any aspects of your personal spirituality or corporate religion that have been corrupted and ned purifying? Hanukkah started last night and it runs eight days. This year that leads nicely into a celebration of the Incarnation. What a great preparation - preparing our own lives and our Christian communities so that Jesus has a welcome home!

SA daily reading: 1 Peter.

God is here.
Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

December 15, 2006. (here's an explanation blog- why all this stuff? For starters, the date helps you know what date it is, well, in Vancouver, anyway. I realize that the substantial Barmy Army in Australia must always consider us behind the times, but at least the dates help you keep track)

Greetings in Jesus' name, friends. (this is a little lifted from the old style of SA letter writing)

He is risen! (I know it isn't Resurrection Day/Easter, but veteran Barmy Army types might remember that I thought I'd start a trend some months ago by greeting this way- to keep thing in perspective. Jesus is alive, He is victorious. Whatever follows beneath this declaration is written in the context of these truths. Hallelujah!)

Last night at knee drill we recited The Salvation Army doctrines together. It was pretty neat to energetically affirm the truths under which we fight! Major Richard Munn gave armybarmy a powerpoint version of them that you can access at the front page S2S icon. Our soldiers memorize them. With the current suspicion of authenticity at kettles ('are you really with The Salvation Army?') I suggested to Darren Hailes that people might like to give us the doctrine test to assuage their reservations. How would that go over at your kettles? It might not go that well with ours, either.

Also featured on the front menu page are these worthwhile curios:
1. General Gowans is preaching at ACC in San Francisco (he can bring it!);
2. the Free Shooters resource (worship leading and preaching options for North American Salvos councils and conferences);
3. an ad for R.A.W. (hat tip Box hill, but this is the BC version) - ready and willing - a youth adventure to the downtown eastside in March. Good times.
4. Incendiary poster (hat tip Joe West). If you click on it you might get to a blog or a myspace.com/thewarcollege or even the main TWC site, while we continue to make this transformative experience available to you (Incendiary Session starts in September).
5. Eric Himes and The Singing Company is also featured on the front page, with Joy to the World and in The Salvation Army- demo of the week. Enjoy.

SA daily reading: James. In one of my olden days stabs at quotability I married James's teaching to Jesus' teaching and said that faith without works lies in a grace beside love without obedience. It's not the catchiest line - that's why you don't know it! (We added this feature some months ago, offering daily readings to get you through the Bible in a year. It is not original. We lifted it from Sydney's SA journal that we re-produced in North America as Life Journals. The bonus is that, theoretically, we're all on the same page, allowing God to speak to us in the same direction. Some in our corps do this so we figure we might as well throw the net out a little wider)

John 15:7 is due memorized today. This new week's verse (well, two-verse combination) is Philippians 4:6-7. (some of our people in our corps are memorizing verses together every week and some in the Barmy Army thought it might be a good idea to join. So I'm passing these on to you for your edification in case you'd like to participate)

God is here. (we do this to remind each other that God is here. I'm hoping to help us all maintain an open, intentional communication with God by this truth, sort of like Laubach's Game with Minutes or the old Russian Pilgrim - you can search those words in our blog archives for details, or, maybe, just google).

Much grace, (I lifted the 'grace' greeting from Paul, of course, and then the 'much' idea from a couple of warriors who used to sign off with abundant blessings)

sec (I need to include the middle initial to distinguish this blog from the General's)
posted by Stephen Court (and this is to take the blame and distinguish from our other armybarmy bloggers - don't you wish they'd blog more? Oh, and I only dated and sign this line on the first blog of the day, so that you can keep track)

covenant

A dear comrade confided to me a bit tearily after tonight's knee drill- "Covenant always gets me." I blogged last week that I soldier at a pretty good corps. One of the great aspects of it is how we celebrate covenant (dedication, soldiership, marriage...). Tonight was another classic example.

Our last soldier enrollment was Joshua Kumar (right side blog), back in August. That was a rip-roaring affair. Well, tonight, Jeni and Regan were sworn in as soldiers. And our guys maintained the standard.

Jeni and Regan are beautiful Christians who represent Jesus so well. I esteem them both highly. Hallelujah. Well, they took our corps' short (four years) tradition the next step and during their testimonies upon receiving their articles of war, Regan knelt down and asked Jeni to marry him. She responded in the affirmative.

As you might imagine, the place erupted and everyone ganged up on the couple to lay hands on them and pray a double blessing on them for their double covenant.

Hallelujah! If you could bottle this stuff... (wait a second, we are trying... and we've got this scheme, putting it crudely, to see new outposts in 2,000 cities in 200 countries in 200 years. You might have heard of it - mmccxx. Do you want to partner with us?).
grace
stephenC

December 14, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
----
"Principled stands are supposed to cost something; otherwise, they’re not stands but merely poses." Joseph Bottum. firstthings.com
----
For those of you who've bought enough pigs for everyone on your Christmas list, there are some other resources available at our eStore. There are books and CDs and downloads (speaking of downloads, you can listen (and for a few, even watch) some good preaching at armybarmy.com main menu page).
----
The Officer Magazine just came out. For those of you who know any officers and can invite yourselves over and sneak a peek there is some good stuff. I will likely be blogging some quotes in the days to come...
----
SA daily reading: Hebrews 12-13; Jude (Hebrews 13 is under-rated).
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

assorted...

On the alternative to Christmas cards and ethics:
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/12/13/atheists_bleak_alternative/

On the political incorrectness of Hanukah:
http://townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/2006/12/13/the_real_hanukah_a_celebration_of_the_religious_right

On a solution to the 'War on Christmas':
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmNhNTAyNWQzNjBkNWYxZWM5MjgyNzkwNzEyOWNmM2Y=

On the conspiracy to change everything (which excludes my buddy Peter's classic, 'did I miss the memo that bumped tips up from 10% to 15%?):
http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/welcome.cgi

grace
sec

December 13, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
Have you read the Interview Issue of JAC yet? Juicy stuff.

I mentioned a good holiness testimony we heard last week. I wrote to the leader who gave it and received this response:
----
I was trying to talk about my prayer life, until I was overcome by the wonder of God's presence and the way that the Lord is so precious to me and that He shows me the kindness of meeting with me as I come into His presence in the early morning prayer times (editor's note- that is when the tears came and a certain glow). One thing that my prayer life has given to me is the assurance that His Holy Spirit lives in me and He is the one who empowers me to do what in my own strength I could not do. I see that the Holy Spirit is at work and that as I align my prayers with what He is doing, answers come.
I believe that assurance that the Holy Spirit lives in me has come as a result of time spent in His presence.
----
And on the day there was something about 'everything that I do - I don't do any of it- Holy Spirit does it all through me'. Hallelujah. Let's all experience that and more!

I was playing carols in alleys on the way home from kettles and a British guy walked by and said, 'Just like they do it in England!' Cheers, our British comrades.
SA Daily reading: Hebrews 9-11.
God is here.
Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

December 12, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Commissioner Knaggs (right side) blogs on completing things. This is a challenge for a lot of Christians because evangelism and discipling, though punctuated with great moments here and there, can often be described as process. And process can be frustrating, since we'd like to finish, complete, win. So, enjoy the victories when you see them.
----
During Pray the Bible this morning we prayed Psalm 1 (among other texts). In 1:3 we came across 'tree planted by streams of water'. The key of the day for me is that we get established (planted) where God is moving (streams of water). That is a good question for each of us to ask ourselves in our warfare.
----
The memory verse (John 15:7) suggests that God took His day off, and doesn't any more. (hmm)
(UPDATE - December 19 - My day-off comment actually refers to John 5:17, not 15:7- hat tip Michael Ramsay and Ian Smith - blogs at right).
----
How did I'LL FIGHT DAY go on your front? (revolution @ mmccxx . net).

SA Daily reading: Hebrews 5-8.
God is here.
grace
stephenC
posted by Stephen Court

"So-called safe injection site" on dangerous ground

(about time)

hat tip Michael Ramsay (blog right side):

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/national/article.jsp?article=2006_12_11_1165872748

grace
sec

Blast from the past (July of 2004)
(old blogs- two of them, that came up in discussion tonight)

Some people complain about the name The Salvation Army. Even some big leaders shy away form the military bit (even though they run the War Cry, wear uniforms, and on and on and on). A shockingly large number also complain about Salvation, stretching that word beyond every modest limit to mean just about anything, and so, nothing.

So, they don't like The Salvation Army.

For them Salvation is traditionally defined far too narrowly (you know, repentance and faith). To correct this, they broaden it such that it becomes an umbrella for any generic positive feeling. Army is also far too narrow so they want to trade it in for vanilla. So here is my suggestion for them- a new name for us:

The Helping Group.

Please use your barf bag (puke is a mess to get off carpets). Tragically, it might prove popular with some...
posted by Stephen Court

--second blog...

(context- in the heat of the presidential campaign)

The American political scene is such that the candidates merely play to their constituents, aiming at getting them out to vote.

I have fallen into this groove myself. I've had what might carelessly be described as an epiphany. You know, I figured, when I graduated from High School that every Christian agreed with me- that we were united against the sins and phiosophies of the heathen masses. Then I got to college. It seemed like none of the Christians agreed with me either. They had issues (I don't mean of the kind to which I alluded a month ago- 'she has issues' = 'she has demons') with my aggressive brand of Christianity. They were predominantly eternal security types. They didn't believe you can be holy. They were very suspicious of my sacrament-free existence. They thought the uni was a little weird. And so on. I found, to my dismay, that I not only had to convince all of the sinners on campus to follow Jesus, but that I might have to convince most of the Christians of my positions as well. Whew! It was hard work. But I thought it was all over.

Then, boom, last week, the sequel! I figured that Salvos agreed with me and that we were united in our war against the sin and philosophy of the heathen masses and even on how to fix the Army so that we could accomplish this great mission. Then I stumbled into an online discussion and carried it on via email. This mature, committed, thinking, multi-generational salvationist has a wildy different perspective on the Army than me. I'm flabberghasted.

It's almost as if she is pulling my leg, intentionally taking the opposite view from me (she's not joking).

You know my stuff. Let's go hardcore Army. Let's go hardcore signs and wonders. Let's go out there to win the world for Jesus. Let's take God at His Word. Let's be conservative theologically. All of that.

Well, it turns out that not everyone agrees! Some want to softcore the Army angle and take away offensive allusions and aggressive edges. Some want to move away from the charismatics. Some just want to talk with other faiths and worldviews and come to mutual understanding (I'm not against this- I like it when my conversation with a New Ager ends with him understanding that I think he's going to hell and I understand that he is going to hell). Some like to revisit the Bible, re-interpret it, weigh it, consider things metaphorically, etc. (I'm talking about Salvos here). Some think we should actually move liberal theologically! Some think we should go more democratic in structure.

It took me awhile to convince the Christians around me in college to buy into my positions.

But there are a lot more Salvos than college Christians (from my campus, especially). So I am going to have to take a page out of Bush's and Kerry's books and preach to the constitutency. You guys have to propagate all of this stuff.

If we give up on holiness (well, look around)... If we go democratic (well, look around the Western world)... If we go liberal (well, look around Europe and even a bit in Canada, and...)... If we go into understanding instead of mission,we're wasting everyone's time. If we move away from charismatics we're dead. If we become The Helping Group then you can forget about winning the world. And so on.
Merely to recommend revolution is contemptible (GSR).
grace
posted by Stephen Court

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

He is risen!

Check out Darren Hailes's blog (right side- BC blogs) for the official 'puck drop' photos.

Those interested in our soldiership standards- here:
----
ß Been saved for a year
ß Been clean for a year
ß Completed Arrival Kit (or equivalent discipling course and Salvationism 101 courses)
ß Relationship in a cell
ß Relationship in a recognized discipleship connection
ß Involvement in a brigade activity
ß Read the Bible
ß Memorized the doctrines
ß Read, internalized, and agreed with the Orders and Regulations and Handbook of Doctrine
ß Proven a consistent tither
ß Agreed to life-long covenant a soldier in The Salvation Army
ß Agreed to wear uniform
----
In day one of SALVATIONISM 101 (you can download the last version of it at the eStore - but a new one is in the works) we hit you with this Aussie Salvo quote, just to throw you:
----
Comrades, we want more prayer and less pride; more simple faith and less self-sufficiency; more self-denial, less self-pleasing; more faithfulness, less suavity; more regarding The Salvation Army as our Jerusalem and less regard and attention to keeping good friends with Mammon... I have no interest under heaven but what is in The Salvation Army. As a man defends his treasure with all his powers, so will I be true to my pledge to God and to my General, and stand for the principles and doctrine and spirit of the Army with all my might. (Colonel John Dean)
----
Did it work?

SA daily reading: Philemon and Hebrews 1-4.
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

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

He is risen!

myspace.com/thewarcollege has a couple of video collages that might be of interest to those interested in some way in The War College. Of course, we're recruting martyrs for the Incendiary Session that starts in September. They will be standing on the shoulders of the Revolutionists who are standing on the shoulders of the Holies who stand on the shoulder of the Martyrs who stand on the shoulder of the pioneering Death and Glory warriors. The view must be getting pretty good (people can apply at thewarcollege.com).

Hat tip to Kirsten Ivany for firing me this old armybarmy post (February 03 - back in the Captains' Blog days):
----
I heard that this week from another new father who learned a lesson that I have now learned vicariously. He just disciplined his son for something and was praying about it. He sensed God surprise him with this:

"I didn't give you your son to make him more like you. I gave you your son to make you more like him."

I think I will remember that as my 8 month-old son Zion and I hang out together in the months to come. God wants me to become like Zion. And, unlike my inclination to figure that this means cute, adorable, and a JOY (with a sensational hyper-ventilating laugh), I think that God means I am to recognize that I am totally unable, entirely needy, utterly dependent on God. I bring nothing to the table. I cannot do anything useful. I am pretty well useless. I need God.
----
Class is still in session.

SA daily reading- 2 Timothy (one of our guests this past week at The War College suggested, depsite the lengthy bio, that he be introduced by 1:1 here - an apostle of Jesus by the will of God. Good to hear).

God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

assorted...

Ian Smith briongs some muscular justice to the downtown eastside (blog on right side). Kudos.

Xander Coleman posts a preach video in three parts (right side).

Enjoy.
grace
stephenC

Downloading Laeger

He- I've been blogging on this since the 28th (see below). But I've finally conquered my Luddite ways and have listened to the four tracks from Phil Laeger's free EP and can highly recommend them to you.

He graciously let us throw one up as demo of the week, so I listened with that in mind. It was a case of 'this will be the demo!' during the first track. "No, THIS will be the one," during the second. And so on. I'm going to settle on Is It True? for our demo - which won't go up for a little while because we want you to download the songs over at Phil's sites:

www.phillaeger.com
www.saytunes.com/bands/phillaeger
www.myspace.com/laeger
www.purevolume.com/phillaeger

So, a couple of things. We don't ask the Barmy Army for much around here. We did strongly suggest buying Haitian goats for Christmas, figuring if most of us bought in we'd raise over a million dollars for SA missions in one fell swoop. If you didn't do that, we're asking this: download each of the four songs (for free!) and recommend them to a few friends. Then, let me know which song should be the demo of the week feature on armybarmy (revolution @ mmccxx .net).

How's that?
grace
sec

December 9, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Today is I'LL FIGHT DAY! Mobilize the troops and get out in to battle (feel free to fire off victory reports to revolution @ mmccxx . net).

We're praising God for news reported below and in depth on Xander Coleman's blog (right side). We've been praying and glorify God for His answers. They quote one woman on Xander's blog who is proud to be a Canadian today.

Xander also has a nice riff on kettles.

For those interested in the details of the bust, here are 38 articles:
http://news.google.com/news?ned=ca&ncl=1111841867&hl=en

For those interested in why we're memorizing John 15:7, search (top right) Sabbath or rest in the blog archives (comments, as always, to revolution mmccxx .net).
(UPDATE - December 19 - The Sabbath rest comment refers to 5:17, not 15:7; hat tip Michael Ramsay and Ian Smith (blogs at right)).

SA Daily reading: 1 Timothy 5-6;Titus 1-3.

God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

The Most Effective Organization

This is a famous quote from Peter Drucker, and is the title of a book by Commissioner Robert Watson, but for those who have missed it:

"The Salvation Army is by far the most effective organization in the US. No one even comes close to it with respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication, and putting money to maximize use."

Whew! Praise God. Good goal up to which to live.

Oh, and Hot Times blog below has been updated. Hallelujah!
grace
sec

Fletcher and Simplicity.

John Fletcher, famous as the designated successor of Wesley (though he ended up predeceasing him), his Checks to Anti-nomianism, and af the holiest man Wesley ever met, among other things, was apparently pretty hardcore on simplicity as well:
----
http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/fletcher/5e03.0183/5e03.0183.a.htm
His unchanging attitude towards money and every form of worldly wealth, must have appeared incomprehensible to his contemporaries; he was quite unmoved by offers of comfort and luxuries. In fact, purely on the grounds of the fact that a `certain young lady' had wealth, he spurned the love of the one woman he felt he could marry. Only after Miss Bosanquet had been disowned by her family for her evangelical views, which was twenty-five years after they first met, did Fletcher break his silence and make the long-awaited proposal. Even then, he made it quite clear that, although he loved her, it was her penury which made it possible for him to approach her in this way!

They were married in 1781, when the groom was fiftytwo years old. It was a blissful enterprise and accepted gloriously in Madeley, even though the bride was a native of Leytonstone and not a local girl. It seems sad that such a happy partnership was broken forcibly by death only three years and nine months later.
----
Whew!
grace
sec

Hot Times for Anti-Human Trafficking

http://www.salvationarmy.ca/2006/12/08/the-salvation-army-supports-motion-153/

And, exciting local news...

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061208/massage_raid_061208/20061208?hub=Canada
grace
stephenC

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

He is risen!

I hope that you all have the joy of fighting in a pretty good corps. I do. It is a joy to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with devoted warriors against evil. Yes, as you read some blogs on the right (try BC blogs) you'll note how difficult it is sometimes, how frustrating when people don't get saved, or don't stick, or... But we relish authentic Christian community, intimacy with Jesus, an almost pervasive commitment to mission, simplicity, some sacrifice, and much joy. Hallelujah. It is not a perfect corps, not yet. We have some kinks to work out, still. But we have a strong corps council, solid soldiery, dedicated cell leaders, keen converts and recruits, and a widespread faithful anticipation that God is up to something in our midst. And then there is the warfare- non-stop prayer since February 2004 in the War Room (the hub of the corps and the 614War in Vancouver), RE:cre8 (our cafe), open airs, USOs, street combat, school of justice, eXtremeProphetic, night lights, R.A.W., battle school, kids outreach in 11 schools, BTI, Fullness, initiatives like the WHY Campaign (coming January- I'll give you more intel in coming blogs), GAP, SWAT, outposts, and The War College. It makes this front an exciting place to fight. Hallelujah!

Phil Laeger was doing a Fullness weekend recently in USE and God downloaded a song for us. You can enjoy a quick recording of it at:
http://www.phillaeger.com/music/fullness.mp3

Commit it to memory. :-) Speaking of which, we have a memory verse due today: Joshua 1:8. For next week we're working on John 15:7 (kettle shifts can be great opportunities to memorize verses and review verses memorized!).

SA daily reading: 1 Timothy 1-4.
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Harold Hill Strikes Again!

Barmy Army veterans will know that I went on a blogging rampage on Hill's book LEADERSHIP IN THE SALVATION ARMY when it was in manuscript stage.

To get a taste of it, just search (top right) 'Harold' in the blogs. It was a bit over-the-top but there is heaps of excellent stuff in this treasure of a book.

Anyway, I obtained my copy of the actual book today. That means you can obtain yours! Paternoster Press published it. You can contact them at authenticmedia.co.uk/paternoster for a timely Christmas present.

Enjoy!
grace
stephenC

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

He is risen!

St. Nick follow up (see yesterday's blog): more than a couple of our people woke up yesterday with chocolates in their shoes. Nice.
----
I came across Ephesians 4:29 again this week (let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth but only what is...). As usual it reminded me of my old friend (the friendship is old, not the friend) Peter Thackwray (hat tip IPDT), who quotes it often and exemplifies it always. Hallelujah.
----
This must be brass week at The War College (Comm yesterday, two Colonels today...). Colonel Shepherd (our CS), was on about 2 Peter 3 and the part I lifted is - 'live holy lives as (we) look forward to the day of God and speed its coming' - classic. He warned that there is a 'paper thin line between loyalty and idolatry; (regarding The Army) but that, "The War College is a vital force pushing us to what we are to become" (as close as I could scribble down on the fly). Praise God.
----
Eleanor Burne-Jones (right side - UK blogs) sent me this link called God Loves Soldiers:
http://godlovessoldiers.com/
Those Crusade guys will use any excuse to get the four spiritual laws out there- you've got to love it!
----
SA daily reading: Colossians 1-4.
----
God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

assorted...

Commissioner Joe Noland takes on change and primitive salvationism and lists changes he resisted in the last forty years, along with the open air (right side- American blogs).

Have you read the new JAC yet?
----
grace
sec

Phil Laeger, live and in worship at knee drill, January 4, 2007 (614 Vancouver).

You are welcome to come and join us in worshipping our great God.
grace
stephenC

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

He is risen!

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

The following (hat tip Peter T., who has the url, and Michael R.):
----
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.

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.
----
I heard Peterson describe prayer as thunder in reverse. Nice.
----
"Often when I think of Christ I think of you. Always when I think of you I think of Christ." (a lieutenant of Brengle)
----
SA Daily Reading: Philippians 1-4.
----
"There are some who are enamoured with the idea of worshipping at the shrine of thinking outside the box." Commissioner Robert Watson (though he is in to change to improve mission).
----
More on Watson, who taught at The War College today... His book, published in five languages or so, and re-published in Canada under the name LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF THE SALVATION ARMY (available in a week or so from our eStore), has a bit from Peter Drucker (whose name is usually preceded by 'management guru') defining Salvationists as venture capitalists (as we throw a huge investment in a longshot and count on explosive results). Good book- especially for Salvos, who sometimes don't recognize what an amazing thing God has dreamed up here.
----
God is here.

Much grace
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

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

He is risen!

We had the loudest prayer meeting for kettle warriors I've ever heard this morning. It builds the faith and anticipation levels!

And this is from The Salvation Army (bottom right):
----
1. Homelessness becomes a life-or-death issue in Winter

· Humans cannot survive outdoors overnight in temperatures below -15 degrees.
· Temporary shelters across Canada sometimes find it necessary to turn people away.

2. Homelessness is a growing problem in Canada

· In Toronto, the City’s first official homeless census counted over 5,000 homeless in the city in 2006.
· In Calgary, 3,436 homeless individuals were counted in 2006, nearly twice the 1,737 from 2002, and dramatically higher than the 447 people identified in the first such study in 1992.
· In Vancouver, a 2005 study showed that the homeless population had nearly doubled since 2002, to over 2,100 people.
· In Edmonton, a 2004 study found that 2,192 homeless were living in the city, up from 836 when the first survey was conducted in 1999.

3. More and more families across Canada are without a permanent place to live

· While traditionally the realm of single men, increasingly women and families are joining the ranks of Canada’s homeless.
· In Calgary, The Salvation Army has seen the problem of homeless families explode – from 17 homeless families two years ago to over 100 families receiving assistance today.
· In Edmonton, the number of homeless in families has more than doubled since 1999, according to a study by the Joint Planning Committee on Housing.

4. A key cause of homelessness is the shrinking market of affordable housing

· Prosperity has indirectly caused housing prices to soar, leaving many working individuals and families unable to afford adequate housing.
· According to a 2002 report by the Calgary Homeless Foundation, half of that city’s homeless population have jobs but cannot afford housing.
· The Pivot Legal Society reported recently that the lack of affordable housing would lead to a tripling of the homelessness population in Vancouver by 2010.

5. Most homeless people are dealing with more than one life issue and do not “choose” be homeless

· While the lack of affordable housing is a critical component of the problem, most homeless are dealing with a combination of factors that may include, job stability, domestic issues, physical or mental illness, substance abuse or other problems.
· As a result, a comprehensive, holistic approach to treatment is the only way to provide a long-term solution for those experiencing homelessness.
· A common misconception is that most people “choose” to be homeless. In our experience, this is not the case.
· Services such as The Salvation Army’s Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness program at the Belkin House in Vancouver are working to end the “revolving door” of homelessness.

6. Private charitable support is critical to sufficiently combat the problem

· The federal government provides significant financial support to address homelessness, particularly by funding emergency shelter service programs.
· But, in order to adequately fund comprehensive programs, like Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness, that work to combat homelessness at its source, private charitable support is needed.

The statistics above are merely a snapshot and even they do not adequately reflect the scope of the homelessness problem in Canada. While exact national numbers are difficult to come by, even fairly conservative estimates indicate that the homeless population in Canada numbers around 100,000 people. As Canada’s largest nongovernmental provider of social service, The Salvation Army operates 50 shelter and hostel programs throughout the country, providing over one-third of all shelter beds in Canada each night for those without an alternative place to sleep.
----
SA Daily reading: Ephesians 5-6; Psalm 119:1-80.

God is here.
Much grace,
Stephen Court

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

He is risen!

I was reminded ot he carnal Christian life during a kettle shift I just finished. I was between the huge garage door-sized entrance and exit to a large grocery store playing a cornet. From my angle looking into the entrance I could see a row of half a dozen flat screen tvs, none of which were showing the big game. However, in the NEXT aisle, behind the row of six, I could barely catch the top of the players helmets, as THAT row of tvs was showing the game.

Frustration was the emotion, as the object of my desires was just over my horizon, just beyond reach, just out of sight. I could taste the feast but not enjoy it at all (an inch of the top of a helmet moving back and forth just doesn't do it). It was very much like the frustration carnal Christians must feel in the times that they desire Jesus and the peace and love and joy of the Kingdom life, which they find JUST out of reach because of their comfortable, casual, compromising lifestyle.

The shift went well. Our target is a $1.22/minute. So far, we're 28% above target (hat tip Darren Hailes, Christmas Cheer Campaign head honcho). Hallelujah. More exciting are the reports of evangelistic opportunities, prophetic proclamation and worship (through carols), invented gospel lyrics to popular tunes, effective intercession, and bringing joy to people already in (no converts yet, though one warrior suggested last night that it is easier than street combat because you just have to stand there and people come to you).
----
Meanwhile, Johnny over at http://www.peoplesheep.blogspot.com/ has interesting blogs on kavanah and shmika, for all of your Jewish types out there (the Shmika one is very cool).

SA Daily reading: Ephesians 1-4.
God is here.
Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

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

He is risen!

Booth-Tucker Institute is a week-long leaders refresher that we host in Vancouver each summer. Last year we were blessed to have delegates from Sweden, Australia, USA, and Canada, and from Soldier to Lieutenant to Lieutenant-Colonel. In its three year history, BTI has proven a rich time with God and a booster for mission. This year you're invited to consider coming: B.T.I. - June 8- June 15, 2007.

The new wrinkle is that if you bring ten delegates from your division, you get one free. For more information, and to apply, go to thewarcollege.com and follow the links.

SA Daily reading: Romans 13-16.
God is here.
Much graec,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

evening things up politically.

Alright, you know we stay away from partisan politics are armybarmy. But since I was wrong in the US election last month, I thought I'd record that I was correct in picking the new leader of the Canadian Liberal Party- Stephane Dion.

They always seem to alternate between Franco and Anglo.

Now I'm even. And WVU outlasted Rutgers (triple overtime) while UCLA beat USC (why not let Boise State play OSU?).
grace
stephenC

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

He is risen!

Remember, kettles are prophetic, as you sing/play the Gospel story in Christmas carols, often in the darkest corners.

The Singing Company Christmas Musical (EP) is out shortly for Christmas (those guys don't sit around twiddling their thumbs!). Stay tuned for details.

Have you downloaded the Phil Leager EP yet? This is why it is free:
----
It’s not an original idea,
© 2006 Phil Laeger . com

giving away your music for nothing -
and I’m not just talking Keith Green, or even Derek
Webb for that matter. As much as those two guys are heroes of mine,
the concept of giving music away is nothing new.

That said, most of the things we get for “free” nowadays aren’t really free at all. “Buy one, get one free!” - What? Wait a second.. “Free with your purchase of...” Ok, hold on... Taking it one step further, most things in this life we think we’re getting free end up costing us more than we thought. I think that’s why we have a hard time when we’re confronted with the words, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Ok, wait, what’s the catch?

Someone will say that the catch is that you have to give up things like lying, sex before marriage, drugs... But those things are all actually outcomes of truly receiving the free gift, rather than pre-requisites. There is a difference, and it’s more than just semantic.

And so, this album is free, not because I just couldn’t possibly use the money, or because I’m a anti-capitalist, or because I don’t think the songs are that great (actually I’m very pleased with the overall feel of the album and the songs are some of my favorites I’ve done)... it’s free because I hope that, in some small way, you’ll be reminded that God is not a bait-and-switch salesman that promises good things for you but has ulterior motives in mind. He is a good God.

If you really feel like giving, then take the money you would have spent on the album and donate it to a trustworthy charitable organization or send some money to help out in Darfur. You don’t even have to buy a red iPod nano. :) If you’ve already given to a relief organization and you feel specifically called to support my ministry, use the contact info above to find out what the current needs are. If you’d like to donate securely online, click on the button below.

Grace to you. Enjoy the album.
----
Have you bought pigs for Christmas yet?

Have you restored marriage in Canada yet? (see earlier blogs for all of this)

SA Daily reading: Romans 9-12 (good bit in 11 on contagious holiness, what you usually only find in OT).

Have you started reading JAC yet?
God is here.
Much grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Restore Marriage Canada

(I hesitate to blog again so quickly because I want you to read JAC - the last blog - and buy goats and pigs for poor people in the names of those who normally received Christmas presents from you - the previous blog< but this is important, too)

A note from Restore Marriage Canada:
----
I hope that you agree with me that restoring traditional marriage in Canada is essential to protecting our future as a nation and as a society. I know that legalizing same sex marriage has undermined the institution of traditional man-woman marriage that has always been the essential foundation of all successful societies throughout human history.

Fortunately, it is not too late to save Canada by restoring traditional marriage. Prime Minister Harper is committed to bringing before the House the questioning of whether to revisit the decision last year to legalize same sex marriage. Even though polls consistently show that a majority of us oppose same sex marriage, it will not be easy to win this vote. It will only happen if enough of us let Parliament know that we support it.

I have found an easy and effective way to show my support for traditional marriage by singing the online National Petition to Restore Marriage at www.restoremarriagecanada.ca. This petition will be sent to Parliament soon after it convenes in April. I hope you will visit this site and also join me in signing it. It takes just a few minutes and is so important.

This site also has additional information about why restoring traditional marriage is so important to our future.

Thanks for considering this!
----
grace
stephenC

December 1, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

He is risen!

It is JAC Day! The new issue, #46, is out today over at JAC (top right):
http://www.armybarmy.com/jac.html

Enjoy!

The memory verse is also due: 2 Timothy 3:16.

The next verse is Joshua 1:8 (NIV). Have at it.

Don't foget to intercede and evangelise on kettles...

SA daily reading: Romans 5-8.

God is here.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 30, 2006.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
One great thing about November 30 is that tomorrow the world gets a brand new issue of Journal of Aggressive Christianity. Hallelujah. It is going to be a sweet and juicy issue, featuring some commentary, teaching, and a bunch of interviews. You should really carve yourself out some time Friday and through the weekend to indulge (JAC top right).

Some of you are starting to think about Christmas shopping, or Hanukkah shopping, or Saint Nicholas Day shopping (har tip MR). I recently blogged on scoring goats and teaching supplies and so on for poor people in Haiti through The Salvation Army (http://www.salvationarmysouth.org/Haiti/sponsor.htm
Cabusroe@aol.com - see the November 18 post below for details). Today I received in the post another SA opportunity:
www.salvationarmy.org.uk/id for all kinds of giving opportunities.
Let's pool together thousands of gift-givers all droppping semi-significant dollars/pounds (etc.) on gifts and help out some impoverished people! It is easily within the realm of possibility that the Barmy Army alone (readers of this blog) could invest a million bucks over Christmas through these opportunities (the idea is that you give a goat or pig or ____ in the name of someone to whom you would otherwise give a present). A million bucks? Are you up for it?

SA daily reading; Romans 1-4.
God is here.
grace
sec
posted by Stephen Court