Armybarmy Blog

November 30, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

CONNECTIONS 07 video is online (We're getting reports of people still tuning in around the world):
http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/home
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On Sunday at CO7 Commissioner James Knaggs confronted and rebuked the sound demons who'd been messing with communications through the weekend and they were history - no more sound problems for the rest of the congress. Hallelujah.
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Commissioner Knaggs also has an incendiary blog post today - and he's not even promoting the INCENDIARY SESSION of The War College (thewarcollege.com).
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Here's a good verse:
Acts 26:20- But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
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Lots to read today:
Here's a piece on a few people who have made a big difference in their worlds:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/a_few_good_people.html
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Here's one on stem cell research development:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/science_vindicates_bushs_theol.html
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Here's a bit on prayer from the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2217611,00.html
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Here's an informative piece on Galileo and the Church v. Science debate:
http://townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2007/11/26/debunking_the_galileo_myth
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Here's a response to a Time Mag article on atheist Sunday School:
http://www.cultureandmediainstitute.org/articles/2007/20071126171704.aspx
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And here's a little something contrasting Jesus and Mohammed very starkly! Read:
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/ (then follow links)
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Oh, and J.I. Packer has a piece on Mary on firstthings.com that would be edifying for some to read (a paper for Evangelicals and Catholics Together) at blogroll.
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Repeat post (because you MIGHT have missed it) JUST in time for Christmas shopping, we're psyched to announce JUSTGifts over at justsalvos.com //
http://www.justsalvos.com/userfiles/file/JUSTgiftscatalogue.pdf
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You can buy that special mosquito net for the kid who has everything or help start a bank in the name of the money-maker in your family. Look at everything you can do with this SALVO-specific gift catalogue:

Children's Feeding Programme - $5
Senior's Feeding Programm- $5
Peanut Butter Machine - $60
Mosquito Nets - $20
Health Kits - $25
Calipers - $50
Crutches - $15
Orthopedic Boots for Disabled Child - $20
School Sponsorship for One - $100
Corrective Surgery for Disabled Child - $1,000
Special Wooden Chair for a Cerebral Palsey Child - $20
Goat - $40
Seed Pack - $64
Rabbits - $25
Pigs - $60
Chickens - $6
Hand Tool Kits - $50
Toys for Children in Care - $10
Sponsorship of Child to Camp - $25
Books for One Child - $12
Writing Tablet/Pencils for One Child - $5
Wiring Tablet/Pencils for One Class - $75
One Teacher's Salary for One Month - $55
School Desks - $10
Sponsor a Tuition Programme - $240/year
Help Start a village Bnak - $400
Wheel Chair - $100
Water Tank - $600
Part of Tank - $100
Toilet - $100
Bricks to Build Medical College - $10 buys 100 bricks
Sewing Machines - $120
Income Generating - $65
Stove for Officers - $70
Bed/Mattress for Officers - $170
Subpboards for Officers - $150
Pots for Officers - $15
Refridgerators - $250
Blankets for Officers - $75
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You receive a gift card in return. What a great deal! And it's Army. Shop today.
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Evangelise hard, long, and often.
God is here.
SA Daily Reading; Romans 1-4 (4:20b - Abraham's faith grew stronger and that brought glory to God - nice).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 29, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(hb2FH)

Well, things have returned to normal. In our Sept.13, 2005 post we noted that we'd been labeled a new-age liberal. Labels aren't always useful (see our June 24, 2005 post on that, along with a suggestion for a new measure) but it looks like we've become a judgemental fundamentalist again. And, according to the quizfarm.com quiz (see June 21, 2005 post), we're actually 96% Wesleyan, 71% charismatic, and neo-orthodox, emergent, and then fundamentalist (there was no line for primitive salvationist).

All of that is to preface this:

some people call us judgemental fundamentalists for suggesting that you cannot habitually, intentionally practise a particular sin (in this case fornication) and still go to heaven. So, let's set the stage, here.
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On one side is the

- Judgemental Fundamentalist
(we'll wear the name for the extent of the post - Darren Hailes did say that I put the 'fun' back in to fundamentalist). Fundamentalists believe this: 1. inerrancy of the Bible; 2. Virgin Birth and Deity of Christ; 3. substitutionary atonement; 4. bodily resurrection; 5. authentic miracles/Second Coming. In my naive years (up to a handful of years ago) I assumed all Salvationists believed these five fundamentals of the faith, as indeed orthodox Christians throughout the centuries have (even though the list is only a century old). Now I'm sad to say that some don't buy it. And it is dangerous. Nevertheless, one one side is the guy who believes the Bible, that Jesus is God and atoned for our sins on the Cross.

On the other side,

- The pro-Fornication Faction.

What are our two positions? Simply this:

a. 'Judgemental Fundamentalist': habitual, intentional sin leads to/is evidence of loss of salvation. That is, if are not continuing in obedient faith in God, you are going to hell. In this specific case, we're talking about fornication.

b. Pro-Fornication Faction: we need to have a place for those who desire a spiritual life without promising to not have sex before marriage which is not a realistic requirement for many who do not marry until they are in their 30's.
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Of course, the pro-Fornication Faction's position is logical if it rejects the inerrancy of Scripture AND doctrine 1. But, since orthodox Christianity AND Salvationism embrace the inspired word of God as the divine rule, the onus is on the pro-Fornication Faction to explain away all of Scripture and two thousand years of orthodox Christianity in their attempts to find a place for those who want to fornicate and still pretend they are going to heaven.
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In the meantime, we're guessing that the pro-Fornication Faction is ruing the day in early 2004 when General Larsson pulled the plug on adherency and replaced it with Adherent Membership. Adherents, you may remember, could be happy members of the pro-Fornication Faction AND adherents. But, tragically for them, Adherent Members must actually be saved and so cannot belong to any pro-sin faction, even the pro-Fornication Faction.
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What should not be necessary to say (but apparently is) is that we, The Salvation Army, love people, regardless of what they are and what they do, or of what they think and what they say.

However, we, The Salvation Army, also believe 11 doctrines (see front page of armybarmy.com) that guide our life and warfare. These biblically-based doctrines determine our understanding of how to get saved. From that understanding you might be able to observe who is getting saved. These points do not limit our love for people who disagree with us and fall outside of that group. But to suggest that hell-bound people are headed to heaven is not helpful to anyone.
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Let's try to get some people saved today.
God is here.
SA Daily Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4-5; 2 Thessalonians 1-3.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Pray for MP Joy Smith in the fight against the exploitation of children...

News Release

MP JOY SMITH INTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL INTERFERENCE

Ottawa, ON: Today MP Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul, introduced a bill to criminalize the act of sharing or providing information that could lead to the sexual exploitation or interference of children.

“This is a critical step that needs to be taken in order to further protect children in Canada and abroad,” said MP Joy Smith. “These children are being horribly victimized, and we need to take every action necessary to end this abuse.”

This bill would criminalize the act of sharing or communicating information either on the internet, or by any means, that would assist another person in committing a sexual offence, whether in or out of Canada.

Background

Child abuse and sex tourism is rampant in many countries around the world and the internet has become a primary source of information for people looking to find out how and where they can sexually exploit children.

On November 10, 2007, the Globe and Mail published an article on how cell phones and the internet are tools that pedophiles use to find out information on where to go to have sex or exploit children. Pedophiles are known to trade information on places, people, and accommodations that will permit child sex tourism.

In April of this past year, Canada was labelled as a “pedophile haven” by victims’ right groups after a website based out of Washington State that promoted girl-oriented pedophilia was shut down by a U.S. web carrier only to re-emerge on Montreal based provider. The website said its purpose was “to promote association, friendship; and legal non sexual, consensual touch (hugging, cuddling, etc.) between men and prepubescent girls. Sgt. Jason Gauthier of the Quebec Provincial Police in Montreal explained that police are powerless in these cases saying, “They don’t do anything criminally banned by the Criminal Code so we can’t act.”

MP Joy Smith emphasized, “Canada needs stronger laws that not only target people looking for information on how to exploit children; but also severely penalize those who communicate or distribute information on how to sexually assault a child.”

Grace,

Aaron

November 28, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(hb2eh/kp/pl)

Now, despite what you may hear or what some people may tell you, YOU CAN'T FORNICATE AND BE A CHRISTIAN. Any habitual, intentional sin is incompatible with Christianity. That includes fornication. Jesus is the Shepherd of the Flock. If a lamb intentionally and habitually disobeys the Shepherd, it is choosing to leave the Flock and not submit to Jesus the Shepherd.
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While we're on this topic (you understand that some of these blog posts don't drop out of the sky but address real life issues) let us clarify on advice. A friend emailed me a position on the dating sinners, indicating that a wise veteran Christian advised that finding a good person who cared/loved was enough - that the future spouse did not have to be a Christian. Our response goes something like this. That is absurd. Good people can give bad advice. Test the advice. In this instance, the advice was to have sex with Hagar, copying Abraham in trying to 'help' God fulfill His purposes in their lives. It is wrong. Don't do it.
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Great CONNECTIONS 07 story: A guy was aiming to attend a dodgy new age body/mind/spirit conference in the same enormous exhibition centre holding Commissioning this past weekend. Instead he wandered into Commissioning 'by mistake', was hooked by a Colonel, sat through the meeting, and got saved. Hallelujah!
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While on the topic of CONNECTIONS 07, there is an official blog at beyondconnections.com.au. Have a go.
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James Thompson's blog has a couple of conversion posts (N26 ff) - one is nicely supernatural. Praise God.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Matthew 28; 1 Thessalonians 1-3 (2:10 - Paul testifies to how pure, honest, and faultless he, Timothy, and Silas were - great holiness testimony).
Much grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

Bolivia Prayer

'THE WHOLE COUNTRY HAS ERUPTED IN VIOLENCE OVER THE PROPOSED NEW CONSTITUTION WHICH HAS EVEN MANAGED TO SPLIT THE MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY WORKING ON IT. YESTERDAY COULD RIGHTFULLY BE CALLED "BLOODY SUNDAY" WITH AT LEAST FOUR DEAD IN THE CITY OF SUCRE.'
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grace
sec

November 27, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(ha2A/AC;hb2VGC)

More CONNECTIONS 07 afterglow:
1. I don't know who said this, but hat tip to Peter Lindstrom for it:
"We didn't have worship services on Sunday in the early Army, we had Salvation Meetings where people were saved and we had Holiness meetings where people got sanctified. Wearing the uniform on the street was the Salvationist act of worship."
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2. On Friday night two significant things happened (among many others, surely). The Order of the Founder was awarded. And the great grand daughter of the new member of the Order of the Founder was saved. How about that? Praise the Lord.
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3. On Sunday the Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women's Ministries were retired. And their son was commissioned. How about that? Praise the Lord.
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4. There is a collection of 12 key themes for 2008, spinning off of CONNECTIONS 07, here:
http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV:STANDARD::pc=PC_62085
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Our post yesterday on dating stirred some things up in the Barmy Army. We refer critics to the 1950 O+R for Soldiers.
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You can fill in the CONNETIONS 07 survey here:
http://www.connectionssurvey.com.au/survey.php
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Rob Reardon posted last week on child drinking v. child evangelism (at right). It is a good challenge.
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The change in lieutenancy does not indicate if the promotion schedule from captain to major also reverts to the old system-that is, after 20 years of satisfactory officership. We recommend this move.
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Read up on Shirley Temple and Christmas Kettles at Michael Ramsay's blog.
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David Collinson's blog is now at captaincollo.blogspot.com - use our updated link at right.
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Father of the Year (from opinionournal.com of the Wall Street Journal):
"We are thankful for the love and support our parents gave us when we were growing up, as we were reminded by the story of one Pakistani father in the Australian:

"Horrifying new details emerged last night of the attempt by suicide bombers to kill [Benazir] Bhutto on her return home from exile last month.

"Investigators from Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party said yesterday they believed the bomb, which killed 170 people and left hundreds more wounded, was strapped to a one-year-old child carried by its jihadist father.

"They said the suicide bomber tried repeatedly to carry the baby to Ms Bhutto's vehicle as she drove in a late-night cavalcade through the streets of Karachi.

""At the point where the bombs exploded, Benazir Bhutto herself saw the man with the child and asked him to come closer so that she could hug or kiss the infant," investigators were reported as saying. "But someone came in between and a guard felt that the man with the child was not behaving normally. So the child was not allowed to come aboard Benazir's vehicle."

"Ms Bhutto is said to have told investigators she recalls the face of the man who was carrying the infant. She has asked to see recordings made by television news channels to try to identify the man.

"And you thought child sacrifice was a pagan practice."
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Be a hero. Stay close to Jesus. Keep fighting like warriors. Evangelise aggressively today. Believe for souls!
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Psalm 125; Matthew 26,27.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

A Little on Contemplation and Holiness, via Merton...

Thomas Merton on contemplation:

"The contemplative life becomes awfully thin and drab if you go for several days at a time without thinking explicitly of the Passion of Christ. I do not mean, necessarily, meditating, but at least attending with love and humility to Christ on the Cross. For His Cross is the source of all our life and without it prayer dries up and everything goes dead."

On sanctification:

"A saint is not so much a man who realises that he possesses virtues and sanctity as one who is overwhelmed by the sanctity of God. God is holiness. And therefore things are holy in proportion as they share what He is. All creatures are holy insofar as they share His being, but men are called to be holy in a far superior way - by somehow sharing his transcendance and rising above the level of everything that is not God."

(From "The Sign of Jonas")

Grace,

Aaron

November 26, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(hb2REG/SK)

Thanks to all of you who prayed for CONNECTIONS 07. Two more requests:
1. that we implement the stuff that God has dreamed up for us our of and through C07; and,
2. that God protects us from counter-attack from the enemy.
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More CO7 features:
- Brian Hogg's arrangements for Staff Songsters and Staff Band and string combo(!) for worship numbers (HOLY HOLY HOLY Sunday Morning was great, among several);
- Major Alan Harley from the Bible;
- Nathan Rowe and Danielle Strickland leading worship;
- 43 or so booths on diverse interests such as child sponsorship, officer candidates, drought relief, The Warcry, Turbine and justsalvos.com.
- tonnes of people picked up ONE DAY... the book on the TC's Dream with chapters by 25 contributors.
- Major Brendan Nottle lighting it up on Friday night from the mike.
- Commissioner Knaggs welcoming thousands to embrace 'a new day' (from Luke 1 - appropriate text for the Heralds of the Good News).
- and a special hat tip to the Heralds of the Good News who left their seats at the start of the appeal to go fishing. Praise God.
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It's been awhile since we ranted on 'harm reduction' (December 17, 2004, to be exact. We invite you to read that article in the archives). But come on. Feeding people poison from which we purport to be struggling to free them doesn't make sense. Enabling them to participate in activities we preach against to our children is illogical. We don't know our history well enough to know when it was that we folded from a belief in the power of God to a fear of the professional social worker. But it was a sad day.

'Harm Reduction' is a long way from harm elimination (that is, from FREEDOM in CHRIST!) and might more realistically be termed harm management. And it isn't a Christian practice. The D17 04 blog post refers to the extreme of harm reduction in the case of human trafficking and child slavery such that harm reduction activists are teaching 6-year old children to say 'please wear a condom' in German and Japanese. Ticked off yet? Read the article. I guess I was on a bit of a roll in late 04 because November 4 also featured a post on 'harm reduction' in which we suggested that if you want to get clean go to jail, or, better yet, go to detox, or, better yet, GET SAVED!

More recently, and more eloquently, Elaine Gillingham (hbN25) blogged on it April 9 2005 in this space. Look it up. Pungent.
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Dating someone who doesn't follow Jesus is not an option for a Christian. I know that is a basic statement but it seems like some people are missing out on the basics. If you are a keen Christian dating a slacker Christian is not an option. It isbeing unequally yoked. So, if you are interested in dating, just forget it. Run as fast a you can toward Jesus. Keep running. After awhile, look around and if there is anyone around of the opposite gender who is keeping up with you, then s/he is a possibility. But that isn't an option for dating. Ask God to guide you, and then court toward marriage. And, as the old Soldiers O+R directed, no kissing until engagement (it is better that way).
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Let's all try to get some people saved today.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Matthew 23-25 (24:14 - we preach to all nations and then it is all over but the judging and celebrating - not a quote).
Much grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

November 25, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(hb2WH)

Aaron White has been on a blogging frenzy these last few days! What a renaissance man! I mean, who can blog on justice/Hawaii Warrriors/simplicity/Bonaparte in four days?
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Meanwhile, CONNECTIONS 07 has just finished. I suspect that if you missed it live in person or on the internet you can watch it online still at the CONNECTIONS website:
http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV:STANDARD::pc=PC_61776
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God did heaps of stuff on the weekend. A young girl I know got saved on November 23 in response to the preaching of Commissioner James Knaggs. Heaps of people responded to the pitch for officership. 29 Heralds of the Good News were commissioned (some cadets and some lieutenants). A few thousand salvos paraded downtown on Saturday and then a large crowd came to the rally and to the musicfest following (featuring Mezz Coleman, Frankie Wants Out, and Nazirite Vow - screamers who drew Lots of people). Thousands celebrated commissioning and appointment meetings. One salvo from USA called it a 'thinking man's congress'. They wrestled with important issues through the weekends. We fully expect that The Salvation Army post-Connections will be supernaturally different. Praise God.
-- Hat tips to Commissioners Carolyn and James Knaggs and Nikki Capp). All glory to God.
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Some CONNECTIONS 07 lines:
- 'Now, a word to our Sponsor' (followed by prayer);
- 'Australia, end trafficking now' (recited by thousands of salvos in Federation Square);
- 'Bless the Lord, O my soul';
- 'It's a new day!' (if you want it to be);
- 'Stay joined to Me, and I will stay joined to you';
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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill (hat tip Jim Mancuso):

"Today, 19th November 2007, the House of Lords will be opening the debate on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill. This is the first opportunity for parliament to debate the issue raised by the Bill, including animal-human hybrids, the definition of the family and need for a father, and review of the abortion law.

Please pray that many peers will be present at the debate, and that those who speak will put the arguments clearly and cogently on each of the three issues:

1. Embryo research, cloning, hybrid embryos etc;
2. Definition of the family, need for a father;
3. Review of abortion law.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading; up to Matthew 22.
Much grace,
StephenC
posted by Stephen Court

"I want to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill"...

Here's part of the new recruitment drive from the US Army: Video Games.

http://www.americasarmy.com/intel/

http://www.smh.com.au/news/articles/shoot-to-thrill/
2007/11/21/1195321793613.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap3

Pretty sick.

But I suspect it won't be long before someone comes up with a video game concept for Captain Gabriel (SA Superhero type guy).

Grace,

Aaron

Go Warriors...

The Hawaii Warriors (College Football) are still undefeated, just having taken out last year's cinderella team, Boise State. This guarantees them the WAC championship, and puts them in a good place to get a BCS Bowl game (possibly the Sugar Bowl). Well done Warriors!

And if you don't care about College Football, feel free to not have read what you just finished reading.

Grace,

Aaron

A Better Way...

Following up on yesterday's post, there is a better way to stand against the culture of materialism and greed that has demonically attached itself to Christmas (as well as the rest of the year).

Just opting out of the game of consumerism is good, but is primarily beneficial only for yourself. If you decide to boycott certain clothing lines because they produce their goods by slave labour in sweat shops, for instance, you wash your own hands of the guilt. But you haven't actually helped the workers in those shops. You have possibly made things worse. If their shop gets shut down, now they aren't even making the small wages they were drawing before.

So instead, take an active, not a passive, stand against the kingdom of the world. Be MORE than a conqueror. Actively purchase goods that are fair or direct trade, support companies that are compassionate and take care of their employees, make your own clothes with fairly bought fabrics, etc... Don't just withhold your resources, use them as a weapon.

To this end, consider making the bulk of your purchases for Christmas this year - or asking for the bulk of your gifts - from Just Salvos (see the website link at the bottom right of this page). Buy Nothing Day can help us open our eyes to what is going on around us. Just Salvos can help us do something just about what is going on.

Grace,

Aaron

One Day, Three Names...

Tomorrow, Friday the 23rd of November, has three different names. One is "The First Day of Christmas Shopping." Another is "Black Friday". The third is "Buy Nothing Day".

In the US it is the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year. (The equivalent in Canada would probably be Boxing Day). This orgy of materialism has now become the unofficial kick-off for the Christmas season (or rather, the Holidays, or even Christmahanakwanzaa). What a phenomenal way to begin the celebrations for the coming of the Prince of Peace! Forget Advent, let's buy stuff!

Adbusters started something called "Buy Nothing Day", an attempt to help people opt out of the rampant consumerism. They chose the day after Thanksgiving to make a point about the marriage of Christmas and money.

I'm not saying this is a perfect solution. But Buy Nothing Day seems to me to be a slightly more appropriate celebration than Black Friday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071123/ap_on_bi_ge/
thanksgiving_day_shopping

http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/

Grace,

Aaron

Napolean...

Napolean Bonaparte was inspecting his Revolutionary Army in Paris when he came upon a soldier whose name was also Napolean. This soldier was actually well known among the ranks for his cowardice. Napolean Bonaparte stopped in front of the cowering soldier, looked him straight in the eyes, and said:

"Soldier, either live up to your name, or change it!"

We are The Salvation Army. We should either live up to our name, or change it.

Grace,

Aaron

November 21, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Prayer from Commissioner Knaggs's blog today:
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Lord, God, in Jesus name I come to you to thank you for your grace, provision and love. You are the source of my life and of our beloved Army. In you we find fullness of joy, hope and peace. I worship you with my heart, my life and all. I only want to do your will and bring honour to you.

Thank you for the opportunity to connect with you this week in our celebration of your presence known as Connections 07. You have led us in this direction for your glory and we pledge to seek you in spirit and in truth. Please hear our collective hearts and draw us together for an out-pouring of your fullness and power to your delight. We want to be recipients of your love that will change us and enlarge our capacity and vision and witness.

Before you ask, Lord, our answer is yes. Hallelujah! Bring it on!
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Wednesday at 7pm EST (North America, east coast) the USA National Commander Commissioner Israel Gaither, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and American Idol singer Kelly Clarkson will participate in a satellite media tour to preview the Kettle Kick-off Thursday at half-time of the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game. You can follow along here:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/salvationarmy/30072/ (hat tip John Murray)
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Danielle Strickland has a good Wesley covenant post on her blog.
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CONNECTIONS 07 is imminent and the word is that the massive parade on Saturday will feature summer uniforms, a nod to the warm weather (mid 30s the last couple of days, though it is 14 and raining as we type). We expect that this decision will save thousands of dollars on dry cleaning.
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With commissioning following the parade, on Sunday, there is speculation of appointments and talk about ranks (as some lieutenants are being commissioned along with cadets). Here's a bit of free advice:
You are not your appointment.
And, you are not your rank.
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We heard a great story yesterday of a thief who broke into the quarters hut of officers in a very poor country and demanded all of their valuables. They stood up with arms outstretched to show that they had no material possessions and proceeded to preach to the thief of their most valuable possession, Jesus. And he got saved. Hallelujah. (hat tip James T)
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We also heard a great story of a leader who stepped into a convenience store and called the soldier proprietor to leave and lead a corps. She sold the business (at great cost) and led the corps. She will be commissioned this weekend as a captain. The SA Daily Readings are in Matthew these days and this story repeats Jesus' calling of Matthew. Praise God. (hat tip Kylie C)
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We're recruiting outpost pioneers, War College students, and officers. Are you in?
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We're also looking to see lots of people saved today. How can you contribute? Steve, the four-month old Christian on James Thompson's blog, just got his third Math class mate saved this fortnight. Hallelujah. Let's follow his example today.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Matthew 8-10 (love 10:7-8).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 20, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(hb2tk)

You may have heard that CONNECTIONS 07 ('The Salvation Army event of the decade') will be available online simulcast from the CONNECTIONS 07 website. So, check your time zones (google time zones) and tune in for as much of the excitement and anointing as you can pick up through your monitor:
http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV:STANDARD::pc=PC_61776
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OP58 (Operation 58 is based on Isaiah 58) continues to raise heaps of cash from teens in Adelaide to build an orphanage in Cambodia with Be A Hero. Praise God. It is sort of like Self Denial year-round. Kids getting Op58 piggybanks and commit to giving something up for the quarter and sticking that saved cash in the piggybank. Word has it that the quarterly collection meetings feature some of the best worship going, as it is couched the teaching and spirit of Isaiah 58.
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You know, OP58 is transferable. We can hook you up. Here are two more transferable concepts:
I'LL FIGHT DAY- December 5 (see Eric Himes's blog at right);
GO FOR SOULS Conference (James Thompson - blogs at right).
You could do all three of these initiatives in your very own corps or division. Can you imagine the fruit? Hmm.
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On fairtrade and soulwinning: At Bromley Temple SA just renovated the cafe, "The Light" and its 100% fairtrade. In the first week its taken in good cash and once word spreads of its brilliant service and cheap prices, they're expecting it to take over from the more commercial Cafe Nero and Starbucks as the number 1 coffee shop in Bromley. When the punters get in, they'll get a barrage of the pure love of Jesus with a warm brew. The salvos are all praying that he'll keep them aggressive in their witness and that people will be responsive to Christ. (hat tip JC)
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The UK seems to have it together in the governmental attack on human trafficking (hat tip John C):
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"Wednesday 3rd October 2007 saw the launch of Operation Pentameter 2 by the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon. Jacqui Smith MP.

The main aims of Operation Pentameter 2 includes identifying and disrupting those involved in human trafficking, rescuing victims, improving our knowledge and understanding of trafficking and raising awareness of this form of criminality.

Pentameter 2 aims to ensure the United Kingdom becomes hostile territory for those criminals who engage in 21st century slavery. The UK through this initiative is launching a fresh campaign to combat trafficking in this the 200th year since Parliament passed the Act to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire."
http://www.ukhtc.org/
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SalvoSphere happening - Rowan Castle has blogged! It is part of 2love's new blog - http://www.2loveyouth.blogspot.com/ - and it is captivating. Praise God. We've added it to the blog roll (Australia) as well as salvos Rob Reardon and Jonathan Gainey (who is landing 3,500 podcast downloads every week). Hallelujah.
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People need to know Jesus. We know Him. We need to tell them. Let's make some introductions today.
God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Matthew 5-7 (some pretty good chapters!).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 19, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Strickland's November 18 blog post is great - Eugene Peterson on ten plagues and how they relate to social justice today. Read it.
----
There is a federal election this weekend in Australia. JustSalvos.com has a six-part voting guide to help you make a righteous choice.
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JustSalvos blog is picking up steam (at right) and the JUSTGift catalogue (giving great Salvo-specific gifts in developing countries) is available at justsalvos.com.
----
As a follow-up to our mention of soldiership yesterday, although the current Articles of War omits the phrase, ‘Till I Die”, the same commitment is still there, hidden in the ‘footnote’- the Orders and Regulations- which we're bound to follow: Chapter XI, section 5, paragraph 3.
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"Rules and regulations are no use in themselves apart from the man. If we could keep you all like volcanoes in a perpetual state of eruption, we might dispense with them altogether. In heaven, I suppose there will be no commandments…. There will be no need for them. But here they are necessary, not only for those who do wrong, but to prevent people from going wrong. They are like the lines upon which a train runs, like water upon which a streamer floats. Think of trying to drag a steamer from Glasgow to London across the land! But put it on the water and it will come easily through. (WIlliam Booth)
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"Think Big, Start Small, Go Deep."
----
"Holiness is the solution to every problem."
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"What God commands, God enables."
----
"Hallelujahweh!"
----
"It's Jesus or hell."
God is here.
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SA Daily Reading: Matthew 1-4 (4:17 gives us His main preach - turn from your sins and turn to God because the kingdom of Heaven is near - from then on this is what He preached).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 18, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Last chance to fire us submissions for the next issue of JAC (to revolution @ mm cc xx . net). This is a good time to remind you to check out the current issue of JAC (top right).
----
The next vision in The Dream:
----
Wait a second! They are all done. "Now to live the life" (Matt Redman, and, who knows, maybe someone else, sometime).
----
CONNECTIONS 07 ('the SA event of the decade') happens this weekend in Melbourne. And we anticipate 'a happening'. We believe that God can use this to CHANGE things:
- connecting with heaps of people who don't know Him yet this weekend, and through this weekend, in the months to come across the territory;
- connecting thousands of Salvationists with His first purposes and current plans for His Army in these parts;
- justifying, sanctifying, calling and commissioning, mobilising and deploying all kinds of people in what promises to be a devil-defying, God-glorifying experience.
If you are in the hemisphere, do what you can do participate.
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Commissioner Knaggs is setting the table for the feast over at his blog.
----
Xander Coleman has a good report on the Collingwood Salvos praying down some old wells and making some interesting connections in an impromptu open air. Praise God.
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We had a good conversation on soldiership today. It is a tough one. We're inviting people to throw their lives away in a highly covenanted and rigorous warfare without much in return. We're looking at Glory Pay, of course. And we guess you earn God's trust such that He feels more comfortable downloading His kingdom and delegated authorityinto our lives. And then there is the covenant community that most of us have only tasted. And this doesn't even mention the favour we have to influence people, the protection we enjoy in our engagement with victims of the enemy, the rich legacy of our tradition, and those fancy clothes.
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James Thompson has a God-glorifying and warrior-challening post November 16 on his blog (at right) and Jo Brookshaw wants to know your fight anthem worship set (blog at right).
----
Meanwhile, we're still recruitng pioneers of outposts - looking to see new outposts in 2,000 cities in 200 countries in 20 years. And, we're also recruiting candidates for officership. If you aren't called ot what youa re doing now, then prepare and offer. Seriously (yes, you!).
----
I wonder how many people we can help join the heavenly throng today? Let's see.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Psalm 124; 2 Corinthians 11-13.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Pray for Rain
____
"Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is the subject of much chatter around the blogosphere for leading several hundred Georgia citizens in a public prayer for rain. Georgia has been in the midst of a drought this year, which is ruining agriculture crops and causing water shortages. So Mr. Perdue asked for divine intervention on Georgians' behalf. He and colleagues came together Tuesday to "pray for a storm."

"Sure enough, two days later, an unpredicted cloudburst dropped an inch of rain over the southeast. But the rain wasn't everybody's idea of a happy ending. The Atlanta Freethought Society staged a public protest against the holding of a religious observance at the seat of state government, saying the rain vigil violated the separation of Church and State...

"Mr. Perdue, traveling in Canada on Thursday, was statesmanlike in his response: "We're not gloating.... We're thankful for the rain and hopefully it's the beginning of more." Meanwhile, the successful gubernatorial initiative has some in Georgia wondering why the governor doesn't apply his new technique to issues more suitably within the powers of his office. "He should pray for lower taxes," says one email circulating among taxpayer activist groups."
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http://opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110010874
grace
sec

November 17, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

So, we've slammed back all the 35 visions in The Dream that God gave Commissioner James Knaggs on October 5. In that same time 35 contributors have written chapters for a collection of personal takes on how the visions could be realised on their local fronts. That book is called ONE DAY... (The Dream starts with, "I have a dream that one day...") and is being released November 21. These individual chapters aren't official strategies. They are personal spins. And so dozens of books could be written with thousands of personal spins on the various visions of The Dream.

So, what? Where do we go from here?

There are a few options ahead. We can decide that this Dream and the ONE DAY... a nice read, somewhat stirring, and put it down on a shelf alongside many dusty covers that haven't made much of an impact in the routine of our lives.

We can add another tagline to our territory. We can make posters and print brochures of the dream and stick it on the walls of our halls and our fridges. And then a decade from now we can wistfully hearken back to the Dream when we see the odd orphaned sun-faded bulletin on a lonely YP hallway, or visually stumble across the spine of this book while searching for the latest, greatest tome on our bookshelves.

Or, we can submit to it. We can receive it as from God. We can position ourselves downstream in the river of his grace so that the Dream can flow over us and through us, saturating our insides and carrying us along to supernatural fulfilment.

Can you imagine what will happen if we embrace option three? How our lives will change. How our corps will change. How our cities will change. How our society will change. How our world will change.

We're at least as intrigued as you are as to the possibilities. We're committed to fanning into flame the gifts of God. We want God to go deeper and wider on this and spin off regional visions and local visions and micro-visions, orchestrating a symphony of divine creativity in and through us

We'd love to hear about your journey of discovery, miraculously co-labouring with God, in this case co-crafting with God to paint the colours of the Dream on the canvas of the lives of billions of people. Are you up for it?

Live the Dream.

Sign up, in your prayer corner, today.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: 2 Corinthians 7-10.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Lieutenancy.

We've read at IHQ site that non-commissioned lieutenancy is ending. Apparently, in March 08, the current system will end and newly commissioned officers will receive the rank of lieutenant. Some clarification is inevitable. Stay tuned.

Much grace,
sec

More On Lieutenancy...

The rank of Lieutenant is being reintroduced as a commissioned officer's rank as of March 1, 2008. All cadets coming out of training will be given this rank, and will hold it for at least 5 years (barring promotion by the General, or promotion ot Glory).

They will be re-examining the current rank of Lieut. for non-commissioned officers.

Grace,

Aaron

Salvation Army Commences Work in Burundi and Greece
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INTERNATIONAL Headquarters announces that The Salvation Army has recently 'opened fire' in new countries in Africa and Europe. Work has begun quietly in Burundi and Greece with the appointing of officers to these countries for the first time – by decision of the General in consultation with senior leaders at International Headquarters, in the respective zones and in the neighbouring commands.

The work in Burundi, which began officially in Bujumbura under the leadership of Aux-Captains Lusomobo Museses Justin and Fatuma Kalema Justine on 5 August 2007, is attached to the Rwanda Command. The work in Greece, which began officially in Thessalonika under Captains Polis Pantelidis and Maria Konti-Galinou on 1 October 2007, is attached to the nearby Italy Command.

Salvationists and friends are asked to pray for these new openings which are made in response to the 'great commission' to take the gospel to all nations. Also, please pray for the officers carrying out this pioneering work.

The total number of countries in which The Salvation Army is officially present is now 113.

Please pray also for divine guidance as several other countries in the five zones (Africa, Americas & Caribbean, Europe, South Asia and South Pacific & East Asia) are being evaluated for the commencement of Salvation Army witness and service.

Report by Lieut-Colonel Miriam Frederiksen
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Read today's main post.
grace
sec

November 16, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Don't forget to buy your Christmas gifts at JUSTGifts (justsalvos.com).
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Australian youth initiative called 2Love (Love the Lord and love your neighbour - see below) has a new blog by the DYSs of the AUS Territoray:
http://www.2loveyouth.blogspot.com/
----
In Papua New Guinea soldiers have to promise in their Articles of War covenant not to chew Beetlenut (hat tip McClimonts).
----
Here is a first look at the American emergent church in USA TODAY (hat tip R Munn):
----
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/11/a-force-for-goo.html
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The last vision in The Dream (the book will be released in five days):
----
"…that God would see that we love Him absolutely and are expressing our love for Him by our active love for others."
----
Love the Lord and love our neighbour. In fact, love Jesus the way the Father does (John 17) and love neighbours as we love ourselves. Wesley Campbell (who wrote BE A HERO with me) re-ordered his life based on that commandment, camping out on praying the Bible in response to the former and starting the Be A Hero campaign to fulfill the latter. God help us each wrestle with bringing this vision to reality in our own lives and on our own fronts.
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William Booth on reaching the larrikins:
"Go to them... You need not be in a neighbourhood a single day without knowing their haunts. But what if they kill you? Well, you must die. You have often sung and said that you would. Now, here's a chance!"
So, Salvos went after them, and Cadet Thompson (Parramatta, New South Wales) and Elizabeth Templeton (Sydney) both obeyed the order (you must die), being martyred in the conflict (see Booth's Drum, Bolton, p72).
Wow.
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Our sessional verse on our commissioning bookmarks was 2 Corinthians 6:7b from the NASB: "in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness."
May we so fight today for His glory and the salvation of the world.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: 2 Corinthians 3-6 (love v7b, especially in NASB).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

On St. Francis...

"To put it as briefly as possible, a spiritual sociology of love and brotherhood proved to be the answer to the glaring evils of the times. Francis's Gospel teaching, which proved too strong in its primitive Franciscan form to be fitted into the established order of the Church, found, for a period, freer expression in becoming a vital factor in the social revolution which brought to an end the ancient cruel feudal power, and in bringing with it a new degree of liberty and justice, especially within the new towns and communes, in this rapidly changing Christendom."

And on the rapid growth of his movement:

"Multiply this growth by the countries of Europe and beyond, and one begins to get a picture of the way in which the followers of Francis rapidly permeated Christendom with something at least of the revolutionary spirit of this strange, dedicated, Christian revolutionary of Assissi who sought in all seriousness to challenge Christendom to be literally Christ-like."

From "Francis: A biography of the Saint of Assissi" by Michael de la Bedoyere.

Grace,

Aaron

November 15, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Starting Friday, 39 Salvos will chaplain at the Goldcoast Schoolies Week (like Spring Break in Florida) for the sixth year. Feel free to get in on the blessings by praying for them.
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We're updating some William Booth language and this next bit comes from his 1904 Doctrines of The Salvation Army (language updated):
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"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you" (John 14:16. NLT).

11. Does this promise apply to us, and may we expect its fulfillment?

Certainly we may. The notion that the fulfillment of this promise was confined to apostolic time is one of the greatest mistakes ever made. It is therefore wrong and misleading to argue that we have no other way of ascertaining the mind of the Spirit concerning our own salvation, or our duty to our fellows, except through the written word. And it is one great cause of so much tame experience in the knowledge of God, and so much lame effort to extend the kingdom of God. The living, active, positive agency of God is comparatively shut out of the world, and a dead book placed in its stead.
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The Salvation Army in Toronto has the Guinness Word Record for the largest Christmas Stocking ever (hat tip John Murray; see Salvationist.ca). All the toys go to hurting kids. "The stocking’s final length was measured at 27.46 metres (90 feet 1 inch) long and 11.3 metres (37 feet 1 inch) wide (heel to toe), shattering the old record established on Jan. 11, 2006 by shoppers and staff of the MetroCentre in Gateshead, UK."
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The next vision in The Dream:
----
"…that God would see that we love Him supremely through Christ and that our reliance on the Holy Spirit completes His hope in us."
----
Very trinitarian. Yahweh (Trinity) help us! ONE DAY... is the book on these visions of The Dream and it will be released at CONNECTIONS 07 - next week! Stay tuned.
----
Let's all try to get some people saved today!
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 41,42; 2 Corinthians 1-2.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Uh....

And what better way to celebrate the birth of Our Lord than to purchase a diamond-encrusted Christmas tree?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071113/od_afp/lifestylejapanchristmasjewels

Go to Just Salvos instead, and buy a goat.

Grace,

Aaron

Alternative Fuels...

An interesting look at the potential - and the possible dangers - of alternative fuels.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071113/sc_afp/usenergyenvironment

Let's stop using so much oil for right now. If you are one who cares about the environment, this is important. If you are one who is primarily concerned about terrorism, this makes a lot of sense for you as well.

Grace,

Aaron

November 14, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Commissioner Knaggs is on record at his blog that "Our Training College is second to none." That sounds like a place you might want to live for a couple of years.
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Marty Mikles is still alive in the battle of the bands. There is one more voting round after which a panel of industry judges picks the winner. Why are we pumping it here? Marty makes great God-glorifying music (see martymikles.com for example) with the SA band transMission and on his solo CD. So, you can help promote the Gospel by voting once a day for the last week, here:
www.hearitfirst.com/battleofthebands
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Rob Reardon's blog is at the right with the Americans (though he is a Canadian serving in Washington). He has some juicy stuff over there, including this bit on Bill Hybels:
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"what they have been doing for these many years and what they have taught millions of others to do is not producing solid disciples of Jesus Christ. People should have been taught how to read their Bible between services, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own. If you simply want a crowd, the 'seeker sensitive' model produces results. If you want solid, sincere, mature followers of Christ, it's a bust. There's much more, but the bottom line is that Bill Hybels is essentially admitting that the millions of dollars that has been spent (by his church and others that have bought into the Willow Creek model) haven't paved the way for Kingdom growth."
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Hmm. Capture Train Deploy remains our modus operandi and we're not changing it. Willow Creek is invited to adopt our MO.
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The next deadline for JAC is November 20 (revolution @ mm cc xx . net).
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Nicole Brindle (blog at right) has a neat initiative - an all night prayer vigil for peace in Vancouver. In her post she graciously plugs BE A HERO. On page 194 of that book there are some stats on internet pornography. Here are some updates on those statistics (which feed into human trafficking, prostituted persons and related evils):
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2006
Internet Pornography Statistics
Pornographic websites 4.2 million (12% of total websites)
Pornographic pages 420 million
Daily pornographic search engine requests 68 million (25% of total search engine requests)
Daily pornographic emails 2.5 billion (8% of total emails)
Internet users who view porn 42.7%
Received unwanted exposure to sexual material 34%
Average daily pornographic emails/user 4.5 per Internet user
Monthly Pornographic downloads (Peer-to-peer) 1.5 billion (35% of all downloads)
Daily Gnutella "child pornography" requests 116,000
Websites offering illegal child pornography 100,000
Sexual solicitations of youth made in chat rooms 89%
Youths who received sexual solicitation 1 in 7 (down from 2003 stat of 1 in 3)
Worldwide visitors to pornographic web sites 72 million visitors to pornography: Monthly
Internet Pornography Sales $4.9 billion

http://familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html#anchor4

US Hardcore Pornography Titles Released
Year Titles
1988 1,300
1989 1,350
1990 1,340
1991 1,505
1992 2,200
1993 2,400
1994 3,200
1995 5,700
1996 8,000
1997 8,000
1998 9,200
1999 10,300
2000 11,500
2001 10,900
2002 11,700
2003 11,400
2004 12,000
2005 13,588

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Pornography Time Statistics
Every second - $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography
Every second - 28,258 Internet users are viewing pornography
Every second - 372 Internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines
Every 39 minutes: a new pornographic video is being created in the United States
(all from the same source, above)
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God help us.
----
The next vision in The Dream:
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"…that an extraordinary forgiveness and healing of past sins and hurts would prevail upon all people victimised by our practises or inattention."
----
This is a sad issue. Some people in The Army in the past did some bad things. The Army is humbling itself in response. In some ways, The Army itself, in the past, had some positions that are wrong. The Army in South Africa and in Australia has apologised for these positions and sought to reconcile. God help us indvidually and corporately to experience the vision.
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God help us get someone saved today.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Psalm 149; 1 Corinthians 15-16 (16:13, among many in these texts).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 13, 2007 (updated 10:25am)
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Eric Himes's blog (at right) announces that I'LL FIGHT DAY this year is December 5. It is right around the corner. Could we see tens of thousands of salvos involved this year? I believe. Check out his November 5 blog for details and resources.
----
Commissioner Joe Noland goes off on uniform at his blog (at right). One kicker line is, "I guess my plea is to wear the uniform without letting it wear you!"
----
And, in a related story, here is SALVATIONIST (bottom right, November 3):
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"Last week the Daily Star caused a bit of a stir in the office. It carried a piece on a 'page 3' girl, Sophie Howard. It reported that she had attended a Catholic school and had belonged to The Salvation Army, but at the age of 17 had decided to become a stripper! Later in the article Sophie commented: 'Maybe one day I'll go back to the uniform.' Surely, living to please God cannot be viewed in terms of slipping a uniform off and on. 'Who is not for me is against me,' said Jesus. 'No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God,' he added on another occasion. The call to take up the cross daily suggests that living to please God is not something we take up and put down or put on and take off when and if we like. Similarly, I have no doubt that the Sophies - and those like her - who return to God would be welcomed. Where there is a true change of heart the angels in heaven rejoice.
----
The next vision in The Dream:
----
‘…that our children would be welcomed as authentic soldiers with proper opportunities to celebrate the presence of Christ in their lives and in their environments.'
----
Amen! Let's make hundreds of Junior Soldiers in every corps. Let's get kids saved and sanctified, discipled and trained, mobilised and deployed. They can get other kids saved. And who knows what might happen to their parents! We blogged recently on recruiting for officership when people are very young (children!). Let's do that, too. Let's raise up the outpost pioneers, the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the teachers/shepherds, the officers, the local officers before kids learn to crossover dribble. And then, as the vision suggests, let's celebrate.
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The largest SA podcast of which I've heard is flocksdiner.com. We hope that this plug jacks up the weekly totals even more. Give it a go.
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A youngster I know was reviewing his evangelistic technique today on the way to school. He's on 'repent and believe' to be saved. He's got that 'repent' is 'to turn from your sins'. And he wants to pursuade people to pray that truth back to Jesus. This approach might work for you and me today, too!
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 39-40; 1 Corinthians 13-14 (the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 12, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(hb2RD/JB)

Today, in most of the world, it is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Find out more from the front page at armybarmy.com.
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Some people ask about Bible reading and marking. There is a Salvation Army system called INSPECT. It goes a bit like this. Pray first and ask God to reveal to you all that He wants to you see. You read a short chapter or section. Then you read it seven more times, looking each time for another of these features. You can customise the legend:

Insight to gain - maybe circle?
Nutshell of the passage (what it is all about) - box?
Sin to confess/avoid - squiggly underline?
Promise to claim - two squiggly underlines?
Example to follow - underline?
Command to obey - double underline?
Truth to know/live (something you didn't know) - brackets?

This should help you aggressively read and extract gems for the day.
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The next vision in The Dream:
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‘…that our young people would be filled with the Spirit and recognised as contributors in the fight.’
----
Amen. Two steps. Step one should preced step two. So, let's get all of our young people sanctified (if they are filled with the Spirit then their natural inclination to act selfishly is 'done away with'). Once they are filled up, they will be fighters and we are excited to recognised that!
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armybarmy.com has some great features available from the front page. Don't neglect it.
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And, for all of us bandos out there, themusicpage.com is free and includes free teachingclinics by some famous pro musicians on their instruments. So, thoretically, your cornet section could plug in to hear some world famous cornetist teach you how to play better.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 37-38 (38 God pipes in!); 1 Corinthians 12 (v 6 - There are different ways God works in our lives but it is the same God who does the work through all of us).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 11, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(Don't forget - it is Remembrance Day - see Ramsay's blog)
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Here's an interesting look at women in leadership - we're not advocating the particular politics there but suggest that some applications can be made in the salvophere (and note below the next vision in The Dream):
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110010838
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The next vision in The Dream:
----
‘…that our women would have appointments and
responsibilities commensurate with their gifts, abilities and
experience'
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Praise God for The Salvation Army's early clearsightedness on this issue. Praise God for the freedom this has meant and the victories this has won in our Movement. The catch, of course, is married women. And even here we praise God for a few exceptions here and there. But there are exactly zero valid arguments against realising this vision that our MARRIED women would have the appointments suggested. It is so far past time to move on this that the changes and appointments, when made, ought to be slipped in under the radar so as not to bring attention to our delinquency (though this blog has and likely will note such moves).
----
Hat tip to Peter Lindstrom for this Rob Bell bit:
----
"Are we doing too much social action and forgotten about evangelism?

"We are always evangelising. We are always announcing who Jesus is. We are always communicating with everything we do whether we believe that the tomb is empty or not. Resurrection is a whole way of life and the term evangelism can be very destructive, because it gives people the idea that we are supposed to be doing this 'thing' over here. If you are a grandma and I meet you in the street, it won't be long and you would have whipped out the latest photos of the grand kids. This is because you naturally and instinctively tell people what you love. If you love golf, I will know. If you are trusting in Jesus more and more each day, then your relationship with Jesus, you walk with Christ, what you see Jesus doing in the world, you will naturally witness to this, how could you stay silent. So when people say, 'what are you doing for evangelism training?' We are introducing people to Jesus."
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Let's try to get everyone saved, today!
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Psalm 122; 1 Corinthians 9-11.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Oh Yeah....

And great news on the Green Star Rating emphasis! Every Territory should follow this example.

Grace,

Aaron

A Quick Answer...

To Steve's question, "should we do nothing to stop a girl being beaten in an alley", the answer from the non-violence crowd is that of course you should do something. Non-violence is not the same as non-involvement. It is quite the opposite.

Gandhi said that the worst response to violence and oppression is cowardice. The second best response is violent intervention. The best response, by far, is non-violent intervention. Violence or cowardice are the default reponses for most people. Non-violent intervention takes training and work. And it stops the cycle of violence.

I don't believe cowardly non-intervention is an option for Christians. And I believe that non-violent intervention is Jesus' direction, even command, to us.

Grace,

Aaron

November 10, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.

Aaron challenges us in the latest post (immediately below) on non-violence. The tension on a micro-level is if you are walking down an alley and you see a little girl being beaten. Does the non-violence crowd seriously advise us not to jump into the fray and try to stop the beating? That's the question (not trying to pick an argument).
----
Tips for those in the JUSTLose initiative (if you're not check justsalvos.com):
http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100173654>1=10613

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THQ in AUS is going green in a big way with its new building. Here's the lowdown on that:
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GREEN STAR RATING

A Green Building incorporates design, construction and operational practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants with strategies for addressing:
energy efficiency
greenhouse gas emission abatement
water conservation
waste avoidance, reuse and recycling
pollution prevention - noise, water, air, soil & light
enhanced biodiversity
reduced natural resource consumption
productive and healthier environments
useable buildings
social amenity
transparent reporting
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What is a Green Building?
The Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development OECD define Green buildings as those buildings that have minimum adverse impacts on the built and natural environment, in terms of the buildings themselves, their immediate surroundings and the broader regional and global setting.
A green building is designed to minimise the total environmental impact of its materials, construction, operation and deconstruction while maximising opportunities for indoor environmental quality and performance.

Green buildings are constructed and operated in ways that enhance their impact on the environment and on the building occupants.

A green building will save money, reduce waste, increase worker productivity and create healthier environments for people to live and work.

(Reference - Green Building Council of Australia).
GREEN STAR ARTILLERY DESIGNING GREEN

We are aiming to achieve a Green Star rated office interior for the Salvation Army project. The Green Star tool has been developed by the Green Building Council of Australia in conjunction with other worldwide building councils.
The tool contains 9 categories
Management
Indoor Environment Quality
Energy
Transport
Water
Materials
Landuse
Ecology
Emissions Innovation

The very large category of Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) promotes the well being of occupants. This translates into design rules which the Army has embraced e.g. those in offices, are located internally and not against the windows. The open plan is located against windows promoting maximum views and natural light to most occupants rather than only a few.

Some other benefits of a healthy workplace covered by this category include
Ensuring paints, adhesives etc have low VOC (volatile organic content). This supports healthy indoor air.
Ensuring composite products have low / 0 emission formaldehyde, meaning the leaching of toxins from such materials is negated.
Plants are endorsed as they keep the air clean.
High frequency ballasts for lighting (lights don’t flicker therefore gentle on the eyes)

The benefits of designing sustainably, are often not visible, but incredibly important.
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It's a Greening Army.
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God help us see some people get saved today.
God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 35-36; 1 Corinthians 7-8.
Much grace,
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Posted by Stephen Court

In Time for Remembrance Day...

In my last year of high school I had to take a final exam in History. One of the main essay questions on the exam asked us to explain how a war could be justified, and to give an example of a war that was justifiable. I got very high marks describing how one war in particular was an example of a justifiable use of military force.

I don’t think I would do so well on the exam at this stage in my life.

Christians throughout the last two millennia have gone to great lengths to explain war and to justify its continued use as an instrument of the state. St. Augustine, writing from inside a besieged city, did not find it too difficult to come up with reasons why Christians should fight and kill. Characters like Hugo Grotius developed theories of Natural Law that put limits and rules on warfare, but still assumed that nations, Christian nations clearly included, would always find the need to go to war. Erasmus of Rotterdam, the great Christian Humanist, made a strong argument that Christian nations should never go to war against each other, but allowed that it was still ok for Christians to slaughter Muslims.

The debate continues into our times. At the Second Vatican Council an attempt was made to propose that warfare as a tool of the state – in particular unlimited, nuclear warfare – was immoral. The proposal was severely watered down in order to continue to allow states to engage in war when they found it necessary.

And even now with wars raging around the world, and two of the major participatory countries being lead by professing Christians, we face the debate. Is it ok for Christians to fight and kill other human beings in war?

In the past the responsibility for deciding whether or not a war was just lay with the “prince” – the sovereign of the nation. The prince would bear the moral responsibility of the war, and therefore an ordinary Christian soldier could presumably engage in warfare without worrying if he was sinning by so doing. We do not have that moral luxury now (and it is questionable whether anyone really had that moral freedom). In a democracy we must bear responsibility for the leaders we choose and the actions our nations take.

So how can we decide if a war is just, or if any war can be just? Traditionally people have looked to see if a war met certain requirements, two of the most important of these being the separation of combatants and non-combatants, and the ensuring that any military response is both appropriate and limited.

It is important to note that there is now no real ability to differentiate between combatant and non-combatant. Wars are very infrequently fought in our age between two armies in a field. More often it is trained soldier versus unofficial insurgent (or revolutionary, or freedom fighter), or even civilian against civilian. Those who deal in terror see civilians as primary targets. National militaries say they are able to avoid bombing hospitals and schools (though evidence proves otherwise); but sometimes even nation-states don’t try. It is hard to forget the infamous saying that came out of the Vietnam War: “Sometimes you have to destroy a town in order to save it.”

When biological, chemical, nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction are used or threatened, there are no civilians or combatants. Only victims. And then the notion of appropriate and limited response is also done away with. The Old Testament principle was eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. This was a limitation on retaliation. If someone knocked out your tooth, you were not allowed to go out and kill him or her in revenge. You could only take their tooth. This is the basis behind appropriate and limited response. It is not considered “just” to go out and kill 10,000 people if your enemy has only killed 100 of your people. Of course, modern weapons take us into the possibility of indiscriminately killing millions at a time, of destroying entire cities with a missile, even of the elimination of all human life from the planet. We really have moved beyond the realm of measured responses.

But even this is not the real issue for Christians. Jesus took us away from the “eye for an eye” formula. He took us to radical forgiveness and love. The real question for Christians is, how do we justify taking a human life, a life for which Jesus died? And why have we tried so hard to justify it? Why have we spent so much mental energy attempting to prove why it is acceptable to destroy the life God created?

The issue is clearly not clear-cut. Strong arguments are made in behalf of self-defense, or better still, defending the innocent from aggression. And it is easy enough to talk about non-violence when no one is threatening the things you hold dear, quite another to refrain from violence when the threat is in your home. Still, should this not be our aim? Just because it is extremely difficult to practice non-violence, it does not mean we should not try, if this is what Jesus has called us to. And I believe it is. Jesus calls us to a place of no rights, no retaliation, and no security except what he gives us. His teaching on revenge and suffering and the example he gives of self-sacrifice seem pretty clear, though they do not say what we really want to hear. Justice will be done, and aggressors will be held accountable, but we can trust that this final judgment will be in the hands of the Lord. Whenever we try to execute that kind of judgment, too much that is good is destroyed along with the bad (just as Jesus said it would in the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Matthew 13:24-30).

So if I had to take that test again, I’m not sure I could give a satisfactory answer on how one can justify a war. I’m just not sure that any arguments for war can stand against Jesus’ arguments for forgiveness and love.

Grace,

Aaron

November 9, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Rob Reardon (www.rob-reardon.blogspot.com) breaks the news of The Salvation Army World Youth Convention in Sweden in 2010. More details at his blog.

The LAPD is working hard to clean up what sounds like a terrible place to live, Skid Row. This long article details the struggles against opposition you might not expect:
http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_4_skid_row.html
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We blogged on NFL QB Jon Kitna and the fact that he saw 20 guys on the Detroit Lions get saved. This article has a lot more detail, and the number is up to 24 - praise God:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/071107&sportCat=nfl&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1
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The Ramsay blog is setting the table beautifully for Remembrance Day November 11. Start back at November 6 and you've got a smorgasbord of articles on SA role.
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Hat tip to Simon R. for this article on dumb laws in England:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/07/2083733.htm
1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 per cent)
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down (7 per cent)
See the article for the whole list.
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You will definitely want to check the 'I used to be a wife-basher' post on Oct 29 by Andrew Stringer at his blog.
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And over at the Castle blog, Anthony Castle has this on soldiership - Soldiership...
The standard is Christ's, but so is the grace.
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The next vision in The Dream:
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"…that our local officers would be so empowered to understand their foundational role in the corps ministries and fully embrace the priesthood of all believers."
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Amen. God bless our local officers. We praise God for them. May God empower them, grant them favour and resources, unite them, give them god spiritual ears to hear, and help them replicate themselves.
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It was Peter Wagner we first read had concluded that starting new congregations is the best way of building the kingdom. As the barmy army knows so well, we're into this thing called mmccxx, which is about seeing new outposts in 2,000 cities in 200 countries in 20 years. We're always looking for partners with whom to network, for pioneers to start new outposts, and for war-fighters to join invasion brigades. Are you interested?
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 24; 1 Corinthians 4-6.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 8, 2007. (updated 8:14am)
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

The War Room blog (at right) has more direction for prayer for the General.
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Marty Mikles is advancing in the battle of the bands and you can help him out here:
www.hearitfirst.com/battleofthebands
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The next vision in The Dream:
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"…that our officer training programmes would be taxed by the unusual response of the called to serve as officers in TSA."
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This is already true in some territories in the developing world - praise the Lord. There is simply not enough room nor enough resources to train all of the qualified and called candidates. This is certainly not the case in many western territories. What might happen to realise this dream?

To kill the discussion, people will be obedient to God. But, to help prod that obedience it might be useful to:

1. Recruit early. Years ago, Majors Hobgood in USS recognised that children were being recruited by the world for all kinds of habits and pastimes and careers at a very young age. So they developed Captain Gabriel and the League of Darkness cartoon video to recruit them for officership. A youngster I know enjoys watching the video (even Spanish version).

Aside from the children, who said you have to be 40 and in a second career before hitting training college? What has happened to the 18 year-old cadets? (I know we have them dotted across training colleges but they are few and far between)

2. Recruit hard. In some places and at some times we seem apologetic and almost embarassed in our recruiting (we're talking about soldiers and Corps Officers and on through...). We're very careful to emphasise that 'ministry' and 'calling' are varied and that officership 'might' be one 'option' to 'consider'. Now, some of you in USS won't recognise thise since you guys still recruit hard and heavy, it seems, in this regard.

But recruiting hard might also mean making officership hard enough that recruits won't write it of as the soft option, something that happens in the West. You can preach yourself out of officership if you're pitching to everyone to give up all to follow, deny themselves, pick up their crosses, go bi-vocational, go common purse, simplify, and incite a revolution, and then remember the blessed benefits of officership in the West. We have to give some thought to making things more challenging in some ways.

3. Recruit seriously. We've made the pitch over the years of the Default Call, Booth's concept that if you are not called to something else then you are to prepare and offer for officership. That means that every keen Salvo should take some time and reflect on his/her life, today, to determine and confirm that God has specifically chosen your vocation. If not, prepare and offer for officership.
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Now, don't be surprised if there is a massive spike in armybarmy.com traffic that might crash the server over the next few days caused by people rushing to buy BOUNDLESS volume 2 in light of the wonderful review of the album in ON FIRE Mag that ends with this sentence (hat tip SJ):

"Don't let this put you off what is one of the better worship compilations to come out of The Salvation Army this year." (there are more qualifications in this endorsement than a room full of NASA interviewees)
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What do you think would happen if we all tried hard today to see someone get saved?
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 33; 1 Corinthians 1-3 (on 1:10... Colonel Arnolis Weerasooriya said, The Cross is the attraction).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Laus Perennis
Continual prayer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The practice of perpetual prayer (Latin: laus perennis) was inaugurated by the archimandrite Alexander (died about 430) the founder of the monastic Acoemetae or "vigil-keepers".

Laus perennis was imported to Western Europe at Agaunum, where it was carried on, day and night, by several choirs, or turmae, who succeeded each other in the recitation of the divine office, so that prayer went on without cessation. The inauguration of laus perennis at Agaunum was the occasion of a solemn ceremony, and of a sermon by St. Avitus which survives. The "custom of Agaunum", as it came to be called, spread over Gaul, to Lyons, Chalons, the Abbey of Saint Denis, to Luxeuil, Saint-Germain at Paris, Saint Medard at Soissons, to Saint-Riquier, and was taken up by the monks of Remiremont and Laon, though the Abbey of Agaunum had ceased to practice it from the beginning of the ninth century. (Catholic Encyclopedia "Agaunum")

The contemporary 24-7 prayer movement
The practice of perpetual prayer, now given the term 24-7 prayer movement found a new momentum in the final years of the twentieth century and continues to gain momentum. It is a movement within the worldwide Christian church, across denominations, that focuses on creating "prayer rooms" where there are Christians engaged in prayer day and night.

In places where it is not feasible to staff a location with people who can keep prayer continual, prayer chains are often created in which at least one person from a congregation commits to each hour of the day or week, so that someone from that congregation is always in prayer.

Theologically, proponents of the prayer movement point to evidence that the original Tabernacle of David, and temple built by Solomon, had priests ministering before Yahweh around the clock. Some Christians believe that Yahweh chose the tabernacle and subsequent temple to be a dwelling place, a habitation of God. Supporters of the 24-7 prayer movement acknowledge that it was not the place, so much as the fervency of David's passionate devotion that led Yahweh to choose the tabernacle as dwelling place. Continual prayer is seen as a conducive atmosphere to develop that passionate devotion, as well as a result of the same devotion.

The rhythm of 24-7 prayer occurred during biblical times and most likely ever since the early church in the book of Acts. Some communities, such as a 17th century Moravian Church refugee settlement in Saxony, Germany, prayed 24-7 for over 100 years.

Taking its cue from these same Moravians, a church under the leadership of Pete Greig in the southern part of England began experimenting with non-stop prayer in September of 1999. Within a year, this room had inspired literally hundreds across the world to run weeks or months of continual prayer. Currently, this movement has seen well over 3000 rooms in more than 65 countries joining this non-stop prayer meeting.

The International House of Prayer in Kansas City is another visible example of 24-7 prayer and has continued non-stop in worship and intercession since September 19th, 1999. Whereas the 24-7 Prayer movement under Greig is constantly moving from site to site (in the tradition of the Tabernacle), IHOP is a permanent place of prayer (in the tradition of the Temple).

Technology is also another popular tool used to facilitate 24 hour prayer. Churches across the country use a computerized prayer room system to allow their membership to login and pray for prayer requests from any internet connection anywhere in the world.

Grace

Aaron

November 7, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Prayer Request:
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Dear Comrades,

General Shaw Clifton

The General has requested that I share with you all the following information concerning his health.

As a result of recent medical tests a cancer has been diagnosed. The doctors believe that it has been found early and is operable. They therefore wish the General to undergo further tests, then some courses of chemotherapy, and eventual surgery.

All of this will take several months. The doctors have advised the General to remain within the United Kingdom between now and the middle of next year in order to complete all aspects of testing and treatment, including the surgery and recovery period.

It follows that all overseas travel commitments made by the General and Commissioner Clifton between now and the end of June 2008 are cancelled. Further contact on this aspect will be made with affected territories by the office of the General.

The International Conference of Leaders planned for May 2008 in Nairobi will now be postponed. Further information on this will reach you in due course.

Apart from international travel, the General will continue to carry out all the normal functions of his office.

I know that you will uphold the General and Commissioner Helen Clifton through prayer and faith in the months ahead.

God bless you all.

Yours in service,

Robin Dunster
CHIEF OF THE STAFF
hat tip http://www.edmontontemple.com/index.php/archives/2007/11/06/prayer-request-for-general-shaw-clifton/
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Down at the bottom of our news and comments roll at the right is
SAWiki. Here is the lowdown:
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http://sawiki.net/index.php/Welcome_To_SAWiki

Overview:
SAWiki is an on-line encyclopedia covering all aspects of The
Salvation Army. Not only can you find a wealth of information relating
to the Salvation Army but you can also contribute your own as well.
Select a category from below to get started.

About the SAWiki project
SAWiki is the sister site of SA Collectables and is run by the same
two people! Our aim is to compile the largest online, human edited
resource for all things Salvation Army.
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The next vision in The Dream:
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"…that our people would be quick to respond to the voice of God for whatever He calls them to."
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Amen. The challenge, of course, is to hear. We've written heaps on this in the past. Since we've gone long in this blog we'll limit comments to the following:
- A submitted posture will help (as God seems more likely to speak if He figures we'll obey. Otherwise He'll be punishing us more for disobeying what we hear);
- Quick obedience seems to keep the lines of communication open;
- It will help if we continue to cultivate environments open to experiment and failure and new things.
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God help us today all try to get some people saved and sanctified.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 31-32; Galatians 5-6 (6:8 keeper).
Much grace,
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posted by Stephen Court

November 6, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

JUST in time for Christmas shopping, we're psyched to announce JUSTGifts over at
justsalvos.com // http://www.justsalvos.com/userfiles/file/JUSTgiftscatalogue.pdf
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The actual online ordering is going up shortly but we thought we'd give you the heads up so that you can buy that special mosquito net for the kid who has everything or help start a bank in the name of the money-maker in your family. Look at everything you can do with this SALVO-specific gift catalogue:

Children's Feeding Programme - $5
Senior's Feeding Programm- $5
Peanut Butter Machine - $60
Mosquito Nets - $20
Health Kits - $25
Calipers - $50
Crutches - $15
Orthopedic Boots for Disabled Child - $20
School Sponsorship for One - $100
Corrective Surgery for Disabled Child - $1,000
Special Wooden Chair for a Cerebral Palsey Child - $20
Goat - $40
Seed Pack - $64
Rabbits - $25
Pigs - $60
Chickens - $6
Hand Tool Kits - $50
Toys for Children in Care - $10
Sponsorship of Child to Camp - $25
Books for One Child - $12
Writing Tablet/Pencils for One Child - $5
Wiring Tablet/Pencils for One Class - $75
One Teacher's Salary for One Month - $55
School Desks - $10
Sponsor a Tuition Programme - $240/year
Help Start a village Bank - $400
Wheel Chair - $100
Water Tank - $600
Part of Tank - $100
Toilet - $100
Bricks to Build Medical College - $10 buys 100 bricks
Sewing Machines - $120
Income Generating - $65
Stove for Officers - $70
Bed/Mattress for Officers - $170
Subpboards for Officers - $150
Pots for Officers - $15
Refridgerators - $250
Blankets for Officers - $75
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You receive a gift card in return. What a great deal! And it's Army. James Thompson has already blogged on it - a little over the top (read his comment over at his blog).
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The next vision in The Dream:
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"…that our compassion would be large enough to be understood as authentically global throughout what we do at home and abroad."
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Nice. This fits smoothly with JUSTGifts that we're highlighting today. Our local expressions of love to friends and family in Christmas gifts are felt globally by people we likely will never meet.

Of course, this is a drop in the bucket. But justsalvos.com is helping put legs on our good intentions and to act on sympathy. Check through the site to see ways to mobilise and deploy compassion locally and translocally in the great salvation war.
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By the way, today is apparently Kindness Day (hat tip HR department chapel). What does that mean? Are there 'Days' for every fruit of the Spirit? And how are we meant to act differently on this day? We're a little confused, and not merely because this is NATIONAL Kindness Day, while WORLD Kindness Day is not until the 13th. But it isn't as strange as today being Melbourne Cup Day, which, we'll have you know, is a civic 'holiday' - everyone staying home and shutting up shop for a three minute race some time in the afternoon. But the Salvation War continues to rage.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 30; Psalm 120; Galatians 34.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

8 Years of 24-7 Prayer...

24-7 Prayer has now been running internationally for more than 8 years. That's 8 years of unbroken prayer around the world. There is a cool wrap up of some of the highlights of these 8 years at the address below. We're mentioned in it as the Vancouver Boiler Room.

http://www.24-7prayer.com/cm/news/2812

Grace,

Aaron

November 5, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Doug Burr has a great post on 'fear factor' - demonic confrontation.
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JustSalvos blog exhorts us to send our undies to the Burmese embassy.
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Mike Coleman advertises a new CD that raises cash for The Army's Joyville project (and features pro contributors including a few Salvos).
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The next vision in The Dream:
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"…that there would be such an out pouring of the Spirit upon us that we would be courageous and effective witnesses in our families, communities, cities, Australia and the world."
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By the way, there are some great visions in this dream, eh? Really, the only thing stopping us as a movement from being the latter in this vision is the lack of the former. The vision is a reformulating of Acts 1:8. When we experience 1:8 in our lives this begins to happen. And when enough of us experience 1:8 in our lives we reach the tipping point. So, we're going for the tipping point. So, you get saturated and we get saturated and your cell does and our corps does and so on and so on until the whole thing overflows through neighbourhood streets, school classrooms, office cafeteria(s), through to the ends of the earth.

What stops it? We suspect faith and sin. Why not have a go at evaluating what might be stopping it for you?
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Ideally we do all of our training at our own corps. Not every corps is suited to the ideal so training initiatives such as The War College (thewarcollege.com) spring up around the world to help. If you need more training that you are getting, look into it. The CONQUERORS Session of The War College is recruiting now.
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Some of you want training for life-long vocational leadership. While the ideal suggested above applied, the vast majority will attend training college to become officers. Do it. Look into it today.
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God is here.
SA Daily Readings: Job 28-29 (29 is one of the OT classics); Galatians 1-2 (also great stuff).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 4, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

We've gone hard and heavy on the blog this past week so we'll go light today and give you a few minutes to catch up on recent posts.
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The Salvation Army gets a bit of press in THE AGE today (hat tip Danielle Strickland):
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/bitter-life-of-chocolates-child-slaves/2007/11/03/1193619205911.html
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The next vision of The Dream:
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"…that as a movement, we would be marked by holiness in corporate and individual praxis."
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Amen. You've heard it here that holiness is the solution to every problem. Increased intention to get people sanctified will help. Holiness meetings (at corps on Sundays and in divisions weekly or monthly) would help. Appeals following preaching would help. Reading up on it might increase faith and hunger (the Wesleyan and SA classics as well as the new stuff like SALVO Publishing has been realeasing this year!). Solid and consistent teaching would help. That is all individual.

Corporately, this is a big challenge. We're psyched to see examples of this in such areas as the new THQ in Melbourne - four and five-green star rating and all. Lots more can be said - maybe later.
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There is a movie coming out in a bit aimed at kids, coming from an atheist perspective. If you are parents of youngsters you might be interested in checking it out here:
http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp
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For the record I'm picking Raptors to win the Eastern Conference (most experts don't even have them making the play-offs).
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Sunday is a big soul-saving day with the Salvos. May your Sunday be littered with conversions.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 26-27; Mark 15-16 (16:20 is a good template for our lives following Jesus).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Dan Rather on the DTES...

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071102/
dan_rather_071102/20071102?hub=TopStories


Grace,

Aaron

November 3, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!

Knaggs has a nice blog on General Clifton (and more).
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Collinson has a nice blog on world religions.
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Noland has a nice blog on A Peacock In The Land of Penguins.
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Barmy Army regulars will know that we have a growing interest in the Melbourne neighbourhood of Collingwood. We met up with a legend officer yesterday and found out that he was a junior soldier in the old Collingwood corps back in the 40s. There are some juicy tidbits we'll share:

His grandfather was one of the Stretcher Sergeants of the Corps. Do you get that? When people would have glory fits there were stretcher sergeants to carry them off out of the main hall. This is back in 1942 - not as long ago as you might have thought!

And well more than 100 weekly marched down Wellington Street to the four open air stands and as a junior soldier he hid under his grandfather's overcoat to protect himself from the inevitable tomatoes and eggs pelting.

And 2008 is the quasquicentennial - so stay tuned for some big celebrations and maybe a flag dedication, and possibly a revival.
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The next vision in The Dream:
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"…that our systems would be less restrictive and more imaginative to accommodate the new things God wants to do among us."
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Amen. That seems to be happening in various places. We've heard of different expressions of Salvationism being given corps status and treated as corps. In Canada and Bermuda Territory there is a significant consolidation of divisions (from 16 to 10, we think now, but headed down a few more, at least) and camps (from five to one in one province?). We've seen things streamlined to expedite change and innovation in some places.

So, although the vision sounds great, We're not totally sure how it will look when realised. Would it look like one Australia territory (or maybe even one Oceania territory, like back in the "Hay" day?)? Would it look like one or two European territories? Would it look like the dismantling of DHQs? Each of these changes would unleash experienced leaders onto the field. This is only one tiny sliver of potential system change.

Another whole area for systemic change is officership. Two possibilities for change here are allowance/support and training. We could significantly simplify on the former and decentralise on the latter. But this is only a tiny slice, too. The rest will have to wait for another day.
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TACO night at the Training College tonight (in Melbourne).
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JAC51 is looking good (if you are finished that there are 50 archived issues). And you might not know that there thousands of archived armybarmy blog posts (top right). You can search by topic or browse by date.
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If we all tried to get someone saved today, and it worked for a small proportion of us, ther would be tonnes of people added to the kingdom today. Let's do it.
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 25; Mark 13-14 (13:10 - Gospel has got to be preached in every nation - God help us).
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

November 2, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
He is risen!
(hb2BT)

Anthony Castle's blog on celebrations of Reformation Day - Oct. 31. He suggests a new name for the day - Kill satan Day. There is a satan pinata and everything.
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Connections 07 is geared up as The Salvation Army event of the decade (I think it might mean in Australia Southern Territory). You can find out more here:
http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV:STANDARD::pc=PC_61776
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Here is another article on atheism from Dinesh D'Souza. It includes a link to a video aof his debate with Christopher Hitchens (AOL vote tipped the result to D'Souza) that you might like to watch:
http://townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2007/10/31/what_has_atheism_done_for_us
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On his blog D'Souza says, "I was looking forward to informing Hitchens off the air that my book What's So Great About Christianity is outselling God Is Not Great even in the "Atheism" category on amazon.com."
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Here's one Aaron will like, with a hat tip to Sue N.:
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"The Babemba tribe of southern Africa has a social structure with an elementary criminal code. Their close community living makes harshness unnecessary. A visitor was deeply impressed by the tribe's handling of antisocial, delinquent behaviors, which are exceedingly infrequent.

"When a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he/she is placed in the center of the village, alone, unfettered. All work ceases. All gather around the accused individual. Then each person of every age, begins to talk out loud to the accused. One at a time, each person tells all the good things the one in the center ever did in his/her lifetime.

"Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy, is recounted. All positive attributes, good deeds, strengths, and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length. No one is permitted to fabricate, exaggerate or be facetious about accomplishments or positive aspects of the accused person.

"The tribal ceremony often lasts several days, not ceasing until everyone is drained of every positive comment that can be mustered. At the end, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration takes place, and the person is symbolically and literally welcomed back into the tribe. Necessity for such ceremonies is rare!"

http://www.peacepilgrim.com/FoPP/newsletter/nl48/nl48pg1.htm
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God is here.
SA Daily Reading: Job 23-24; Mark 11-12.
Much grace,
sec
posted by Stephen Court

Salvation Army Prayer...

Taken from a multi-denominational liturgy source called "A Wee Worship Book" (which, it must be said, is a lame a title as I have ever encountered) comes a Salvation Army prayer apparently meant to be prayed in the mornings...

Lord, give to all those people
who have authority over others
the wisdom to govern well,
and the grace to know in their hearts
that nothing is firm which is not just,
and that the test of justice
is to turn people from following after evil
to seek what is good.

Also, a good holiness prayer from the Church in Nicaragua (presumably there's more than one?)...

Lord,
prevent us from falling into the sin
of believing that the slavery of Egypt
is better than the struggle of the desert.

Amen.

Grace,

Aaron

Prayers for Godly managing:

Jeremiah 12:5 (our fave) "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
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Luke 12:42 The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.
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1 Timothy 5:14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.
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grace
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Tying two strands together...

In much of the world it is still Reformation Day. Check out Michael Ramsay's blog (at right) for details plus the 95 theses that got the whole ball of wax rolling (to mix metaphors).

And Joe West has fired us some classic Martin Luther on secular education (tying in with the ongoing discussion on secular universities and the dangers of credentialism). This is from "To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation" chapter 25:
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"The universities, too, need a good, thorough reformation. I must say that, no matter whom it annoys. Everything the papacy has instituted and ordered serves only to increase sin and error. What else are the universities unless they are utterly changed from what they have been hitherto, than what the book of Maccabees calls gymnasia epheborum et graecae gloriae (i.e. places for training in the way of greek life)? What are they but places where loose living is practiced, where little is taught of the Holy Scriptures and Christian faith, and where only the blind, heathen teacher Aristotle rules far more than Christ? In this regard my advice would be that Aristotle's Physics, Metaphysics, Concerning the Soul, and Ethics, which hitherto have been thought to be his best books, should be completely discarded along with all the rest of his books that boast about nature, although nothing can be learned from them either about nature or the Spirit. Moreover, nobody has yet understood him, and many souls have been burdened with fruitless labor and study, at the cost of much precious time. I dare say that any potter has more knowledge of nature than is written in these books. it grieves me to the quick that this damned, conceited, rascally heathen has deluded and made fools of so many of the best Christians with his misleading writings. God has sent him as a plague upon us on account of our sins.

"Why, this wretched fellow in his best book, Concerning the Soul, teaches that the soul dies with the body, although many have tried without success to save his reputation. As though we did not have the Holy Scriptures, in which we are fully instructed about all things, things about which Aristotle has not the faintest clue! And yet this dead heathen has conquered obstructed, and almost succeeded in the suppressing the books of the living God. When I think of this miserable business I can only believe that the devil has introduced this study.

"For the same reasons his book on ethics is the worst of all books. it flatly opposes divine grace and all Christan virtues, and yet is considered one of his best works. Away with such books! Keep them away from Christians. No one can accuse me of overstating the case, or of condemning what I do not understand. Dear friend, I know what I am talking about. I know myu Aristotle as well as you or the likes of you. I have lectured on him and been lectured on him, and I understand him better than...."
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Don't forget to read today's main post.
grace
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Heart of Intercession...

I was singing a song last night to 2 young children just before they went to bed. I'm not sure why, but I was singing "Van Dieman's Land" by U2, a beautiful dirge about a man being sent away from his home to exile in Australia for fighting for justice.

The 2 kids listened attentively, and at the end, the older one started to bawl as if he had been seriously hurt. He cried and cried, and I wasn't sure what to do, this not being a normal reaction. I finally calmed him down, and asked him what was wrong. He said he wasn't hurt, just terribly sad, because of the song. I asked him if he knew what the song was about, and he had no idea. He was simply reacting, with tears, to the spirit of injustice that infused the song. It was powerful prayer.

I wish that I could react like that to injustice, even injustice not fully understood.

Grace,

Aaron

November 1, 2007.
Greetings in Jesus' name, friends.
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