The Silver Bullet for Fear

"The Silver Bullet for fear is confronting the lies that drive it. We confront and demolish those lies with the Living Truth."
- Brad Jersak

Brad Jersak is at it again. He's written another powerful Must Read book, "Fear No Evil" (click the picture link to the right to order it from his website).

I could write a blog longer than yesterday's if I didn't try real hard to keep it short (and we mustn't do that to Jaime and Travis again)! But here's some good stuff from his book that I watched play out in person yesterday, so I know it to be truth:

Every Truth The Enemy wants to hide from you, he covers with Lies. Those Lies develop a Fear in us that keeps us from having a basic Need met in our lives. It looks like this:

(NEED) - - -> (FEAR) - - -> (LIE) - - -> (TRUTH)

When we discover a Fear in our lives, we can be sure there are Lies behind it. When we work our way to the bottom of all the Lies, we find the Truth of God that has been hidden. When Jesus reveals that Truth to our hearts, it BREAKS the power of the Lies, DISPERSES the Fear, FULFILLS our basic Need and gives us the means (the Truth) to defeat it- IF it ever shows up in our lives again!

"My testimony is that fear was my master, but God has broken its back and has it firmly in hand" - Brad Jersak. That's also my own testimony.

That's God's plan for your life as well. Whatever Fear you may have, God wants to reveal his Truth to set you free, because Jesus told us "the Truth will set you free!"

So what are you afraid of?

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PS: Today is my 250th blog entry. {insert sounds of cheering here} My how time flies!

Understanding the Shofar

by Joy Gilbert

Shofar is the Hebrew word that comes from a root meaning beauty. Through tradition, the word shofar came to mean almost solely “ram's horn.” Literally, shofar is translated as a “sense of incising.” Incising means to cut or burn into.

Obviously the sound of the shofar was more than a mere horn blast to the ancient Hebrews for it to earn a name that signified a cutting or burning into the heart and soul of the people. Still today, most would agree that when you hear the sounds of the shofar, it deeply penetrates both spirit and soul.

When you see the word trumpet in the Bible, it is usually referring to the shofar, the trumpet of God. By studying the Scriptures, we see that it is very important to God. Along with the harp, the shofar is the most spoken of instrument in the Bible. While the harp is used to calm and soothe the spirit and soul, the shofar is constantly used to grab hold of the spirit of the people. The harp is a consoler while the shofar is a preparer. It's no wonder that more and more churches are blowing the shofar as we prepare ourselves for the return of our Lord and Savior.

It frequently was made from a ram's horn; however, any kosher animal horn was used except the cow or ox. Hebrew law prohibits the use of the cow or ox because they were used as the image of Baal. The shofar continues to be made by the same method utilized for over 5000 years and is an object of great spiritual significance.

The shofar is a symbol of power. The horn is an animal's source of power, its physical strength, what it gores with in order to cause as much damage as possible to its “enemy.” The horn equals strength and power. It also represents the ram caught in the thicket when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac.

Today, it represents God's humble substitutional sacrifice for us, Jesus. It is not considered a musical instrument but rather a ceremonial instrument. According to Jewish law, it is acceptable for both men and women to blow it.

The most popular shofar in the church is the Yemenite triple twist horn from a West African antelope called a Kudu. Animal horns are made of cartilage (fleshy bone), blood, and keratinous material (like fingernails). Removing the cartilage, drilling a hole in the tip for the breath to flow through and smoothing the rough outer edges makes the instrument. It is also heated and pressed to bend its shape for the best use in the hands of a master.

In this it is also symbolic of man. We, too, must remove the flesh from our lives, be pierced by the Holy Spirit (the breath of God), be heated, pressured and bent into obedience, and rid of our rough edges in order to be an effective instrument of God, the ultimate Master.

When you first buy a Shofar, it has a terrible odor because of a residue of flesh remaining within it and must be cleaned out in order to get rid of the rotting smell (Click here for instructions on cleaning).

Again, you can see the relevance to man. When we are reborn, there is still that flesh nature in us which must be removed before we can become a sweet fragrance to one another. Placing small rocks mixed with rock salt into the horn and then shaking it until the dregs of flesh are removed cleans the shofar. This must be repeated from time to time until the odor no longer returns.

We, too, are periodically shaken to remove our lingering vestiges of flesh. Like the rocks, the hardness of trials and tribulations purifies us. As for the salt, we are told in Mark 9:49 that "every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt." It brings to mind the sacrifice of our flesh referred to in Gal. 5:24.

In the Jewish tradition, there are different notes or types of noise sounded with the shofar. The first is the "teki'ah." This sound is one continuous burst, consisting of one or two tones. It's the sound of triumph, joy, and happiness. It was often used to announce the coming of the king. The second noise is the "shevarim." It consists of three shorter blasts of two tones each. This represents a broken, moaning, and crying sound, signifying that we are broken before the Lord. The third sound is the "teruah." It's a set of nine or more shorter bursts of sound and can be of one or two tones. This is the uttering of short piercing cries, a plea for mercy.

The latter two sounds speak powerfully to the intercessor. Many times the sounds of happiness and moaning are combined. Why are there both sounds of joy and of sorrow blown from the shofar? There's a story about a man who had a ring made that was engraved with, "this too, shall pass." If he was troubled and in pain, he would look at his ring and remember that the suffering would eventually end. During times of happiness and comfort, he would gaze at his ring and realize that his wealth and good fortune could change for the worse in an instant. This ring reminded the man that all in his life had to be put into perspective, and that one should live his life neither complacent nor despondent.

When listening to the shofar, we should remember that we cannot forget God during times of contentment, and we cannot let our egos swell from our achievements. Only with God's help do we prosper, and only with God's help will we continue to do so. Further, when we hear the sorrowful sound, we shouldn't think that God has forsaken us, but remember that He hears our cries and can be relied upon for strength and mercy.

There is a fourth traditional sound which is called "teki'ah gedolah." It is one long blast of one or two tones, held as long as possible. It is used to call upon God. It was sounded at Mt. Sinai before God's descent and, as stated in 1 Thess 4:16, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God."

It is riveting to note here that in the past couple of years there has been a 70% increase in the sales of shofars in the church. Christ will return to the sound of the Shofar and they are being blown more and more throughout the land. It's something to which serious thought should be given.

Besides these traditional sounds, there is a different sound coming to the shofar. Unlike the traditional “notes” of the Synagogue, God is playing a new song. While I was learning to produce the different soundings of the shofar, either no sound or some very strange sounds came from it many times. With help from His Spirit, I am beginning to understand these different sounds.

These distinct tones and patterns of rhythm have great meaning in the spirit realm. As you blow the sounds given by His Spirit, it is similar to praying in the spirit; we don't always understand just what we're saying but it has great effect. Of course, when blowing the shofar it is always important to be led by His Spirit just as when praying in tongues. Simply making noise with it accomplishes nothing and may even be repulsive to God.

Also, just as our prayer language, it develops gradually with use. When I began, I could only sound one or two tones. The Lord has increased my shofar “language” to seven tones now, which allows for use that is even more fervent and effective. Instead of sounding the traditional notes, many times I'm led to play long singular tones of particular frequencies. Other times, it may be a pattern of tones that resemble the song of a musical instrument.

It is important for the shofar blower not to get caught up in learning the “proper” notes to play but rather to stay in communion with the Lord and simply allow His Spirit to provide the song. Many times, these patterns of tones are prophetic in nature and can be understood by those gifted in interpretation. It is a new song, a new way in which God is speaking to His people. And yet it is not totally new. It is very similar to the system He instructed Moses to employ as the Israelites moved through the wilderness (Numbers 10). He called for distinct soundings to be blown as a means of maintaining order while the multitude of His people followed The Glory Cloud.

I am convinced that the prophesied Judgments are imminent and God is again using the sounds of the shofar as one of many means to direct the movements of His Church. In the Bible, the Shofar is blown for a variety of reasons. The Biblical references are at the end of this article and are listed by type of events in which it was blown. It was most frequently blown to call for fasting and prayer, repentance, praise and worship, to rally troops, for God's intercession when going to battle the enemy, and for sounding a memorial to God.

Many people in the Bible used the shofar, from priest to shepherds of the field and the watchman on the walls. It was not just used in religious ceremony. The words watchman, sentinel and shepherd are linked together in meaning by the vigil that they take upon themselves. Vigil means an act of praying and standing watch for someone or something, guarding that person or thing, waiting for however long as necessary for the safety of the one watched over. These three, the watchman, sentinel and shepherd will stand the vigil and sound the alarm, attack the enemy, or cry out to God for mercy when necessary.

I have no doubt that the greatest call for the shofar today is its use in the hands of the mighty prayer warrior, the intercessor. Evangelist Dick Reuben (of Dick Reuben Evangelistic Ministries) has produced a videotape, "Sound of the Shofar," in which he teaches on the biblical patterns and relevancy of the Shofar. Also shown is how it is being used in the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida. They are having great success with deliverance, healing, and intercessory prayer through its sounds.

Reuben shares that one of the reasons the shofar is so effective is that the sound pierces the air, thereby penetrating the realm of the enemy (the prince of the air). This causes the enemy confusion just as it did for the troops of Gideon. At Gideon's command, 300 men went into battle blowing their shofars, and the enemy, confused, destroyed itself. By this penetration of the air, our praise, prayer, and worship are sent directly to the third heaven unimpeded. This video is rich in spiritual teaching and is a valuable source for further study.

The overall use of the Shofar as an effective tool for breaking down spiritual walls, snapping the chains of bondage, facilitating worship, and empowering intercessory prayer can be best understood when one realizes the significance of its penetrating tones in the spirit realm. As previously noted, our Jesus will return to its sound. His return signifies the end of Satan and his principalities.

It is easy to understand the fear and confusion it causes the enemy when it's played. When he hears the sounds, he doesn't know if the time has come for his end or if it is just a reminder of his ultimate finish. Either way, he surely must hate it.

The sounding of the shofar can also call the spirit of sinners to repentance for the same reason though they may not actually understand why they seem to be troubled by its sound. It is useful for opening the spirit of man to the conviction and drawing of the Holy Spirit. However, the spirit of the right standing believer is calmed and made glad at its sound because we welcome the return of our Lord and Savior while, at the same time, the sound brings us into a place of reverence at the awesome-ness of Almighty God.

One very simple analogy is to imagine being robbed and beaten. You are in fear of your very life! Suddenly you hear a siren. When the robber hears the sound, he knows the authorities are on the way; he is immediately struck with fear and flees. For you, the siren brings a great feeling of relief and gratefulness because you realize you have finally been rescued yet at the same time you have an increased understanding and awe of just how vulnerable and dependent you are on this lifesaving authority.

A Great Story Worth Repeating

WHAT ABOUT ABSTINENCE?
by Robert Layton

I was holding a notice from my 13-year-old son's school announcing a meeting to preview the new course in sexuality. Parents could examine the curriculum and take part in an actual lesson presented exactly as it would be given to the students. When I arrived at the school, I was surprised to discover only about a dozen parents there. As we waited for the presentation, I thumbed through page after page of instructions in the prevention of pregnancy or disease. I found abstinence mentioned only in passing.

When the teacher arrived with the school nurse, she asked if there were any questions. I asked why abstinence did not play a noticeable part in the material. What happened next was shocking.

There was a great deal of laughter and someone suggested that if I thought abstinence had any merit, I should go back to burying my head in the sand. The teacher and the nurse said nothing as I drowned in a sea of embarrassment. My mind had gone blank and I could think of nothing to say.

The teacher explained to me that the job of the school was to teach "facts" and the home was responsible for moral training. I sat in silence for the next 20 minutes as the course was explained. The other parents seemed to give their unqualified support to the materials.

"Donuts at the back," announced the teacher during the break. "I'd like you to put on the name tags we have prepared. They're right by the donuts. Please mingle with the other parents."

Everyone moved to the back of the room.

As I watched them affixing their name tags and shaking hands, I sat deep in thought. I was ashamed that I had not been able to convince them to include a serious discussion of abstinence in the materials. I uttered a silent prayer for guidance.

My thoughts were interrupted by the teacher's hand on my shoulder. "Won't you join the others, Mr. Layton?" The nurse smiled sweetly at me. "The donuts are good."

"Thank you, no," I replied. "Well then, how about a name tag? I'm sure the others would like to meet you." "Somehow I doubt that," I replied. "Won't you please join them?" she coaxed.

Then I heard a still, small voice whisper, "Don't go." The instruction was unmistakable. "Don't go!"

"I'll just wait here," I said.

When the class was called back to order, the teacher looked around the long table and thanked everyone for putting on name tags. She ignored me.

Then she said, "Now we're going to give you the same lesson we'll be giving your children. Everyone please peel off your name tags."

I watched in silence as the tags came off. "Now then, on the back of one of the tags, I drew a tiny flower. Who has it, please?"

The gentleman across from me held it up. "Here it is!"

"All right," she said. "The flower represents disease. Do you recall with whom you shook hands?" He pointed to a couple of people. "Very good," she replied. "The handshake in this case is intimacy. So the two people you had contact with now have the disease."

There was laughter and joking among the parents. The teacher continued, "And with whom did the two of you shake hands?"

The point was well taken, and she explained how this lesson would show students how quickly disease is spread.

"Since we all shook hands, we all have the disease".

It was then that I heard the still, small voice again. "Speak now," it said, "but be humble."

I noted wryly the latter admonition, then rose from my chair. I apologized for any upset I might have caused earlier, congratulated the teacher on an excellent lesson that would impress the youth and concluded by saying I had only one small point I wished to make.

"Not all of us were infected," I said. "One of us abstained."

Never Give in!

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never- in nothing, great or small, large or petty- never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
- Winston Churchill (Oct 29, 1941)

In probably his most famous speech, Winston Churchill gave us these words. They are good words, but they sound vaguely familiar . . .

So do not lose the courage that you had in the past. It has a great reward. You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised.
- Romans 10:35-36 (ICB)

But the Message version adds this in verse 39:

But we're not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We'll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.

That's what I'm talking about! We're in this for the long haul, because we know what the outcome is going to be. When the enemy comes against you to force you or bully you- just say "NO!" Trust me, he'll cower and flee from you.

The American Crest

Here is a beautiful rendition of the American Salvation Army crest. It's American, because of the eagle on top as opposed to the crown. Some years ago, when the Army in the USA was developing, I guess someone thought it would be a good idea to have our own crest.

Some years later (in my lifetime, but I can't rememeber when it was) it was decided to do away with the American crest and use one crest for the whole world-wide Salvation Army. Hence we've dropped the eagle.

I can't say that I disagree with the one world-wide crest, but it looks beautiful here, doesn't it?

Don't Give up!

Ya gotta believe. Ya gotta have faith.

This is true in all areas of life. Especially baseball!

The Rays (my team) are having a wonderful second half of the season. Sure they started out bad (and I mean B.A.D.), but they stayed in there fighting until they began to work together and it's showing- finally.

There are those who gave up a long time ago, but not me! I stick with my team all the way, believing for the miracle. And I see this season a lot like I see many games at the ball park: sometimes before the end of the game people leave because they think it's all over. They quit before the end. But sometimes, if you don't give up on your team, you will see the comeback that produces an awesome win. That's what we're seeing season-wise with the Rays. Hang on folks- don't give up yet- we may not win our division, but the end's gonna be a lot better than you think! I'm believing for 75 wins!

By the way, how's life going for you lately? You feel like giving up because things don't look so good at the moment? Ya gotta believe. Ya gotta have faith. Don't give up before it's all over.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. - Romans 8:37

If it was Good Enough for Jesus . . .

I had an interesting conversation today that had a bit to do with the King James Version of the Bible. And it made me think of that age old jibe: "If it was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me!" Can you believe I actually heard someone say that to me once- many, many years ago!? That ended the conversation pretty quickly (in case you didn't know, Jesus did not speak English). So while I'm in the area, I thought I'd put some thoughts down about the good ol' KJV.

Up until the time the KJV was written, the Bible was only for the educated, because you could only get it in Greek or Latin. Actually, you couldn't "get it" at all- because Bibles were not mass produced yet. They were hand written! Can you imagine not being able to read a Bible, much less own one? Not a happy thought.

So the main reason the KJV was written, was to get The Bible mass produced and into the hands of the common people so they could actually read it themselves. Radical thought, right? Well it ended up becomming the standard even though it has some basic translation errors (nothing that would change doctrine). And that standard was passed down through a whole lot of years, since it was first printed in 1611!

Well language changes slowly. A word like "gay" doesn't mean the same thing it used to mean! In my own lifetime, I've seen the word "bad" go from meaning "not good," to "very good!" Imagine that!

So it's important that the spirit and purpose of the KJV be followed- put the Bible into the common people's language so they can understand it. No one I know speaks King James English any more (except some people who like to talk that way when they pray out loud). Therefore, it is imperative that the Bible be re-translated every so often so that it stays relevant to the common people.

Personally, I have a lot of trouble understanding the KJV, so I've moved from the NIV (New International Version) to the NLT (New Living Translation). I also really like to read the ICB (International Children's Bible) and The Message (Msg), although the later is not a translation, but one man's version of what he thinks it would say if it was written today. I mean think about it- This is God's Word to mankind! Do we want people to be bored reading stuff they don't understand? My Bible reading habits changed dramatically when I could actually understand what God was saying!

I think the best way to do it is to get a few different versions and have them all available while you read, so you can see all kinds of deep meaning in any particular passage.

And isn't that the real purpose behind reading The Bible in the first place? Hearing from God, understanding what he's saying and putting it into practice in your own daily life.

What version do you like to read?

Wanna Run a Great Redemption Website?

Redemption (I’m talking about the Collectible Card Game [CCG], not God’s work in our lives). If you don’t know about Redemption, you haven’t clicked my card link to the right (the picture of Booth). The link will take you to our club’s web site (The Bangor Rescue Squad) where we advertise how you can get 2 special Salvation Army promo(tional) cards for the game.

I’ve been playing Redemption almost from the beginning of the game’s creation by Cactus Game Design (somewhere around 10 years). Their intent was to create a good card game based on the Bible that might draw people away from Magic the Gathering and other similar card games which have questionable content. They succeeded, coming up with a very playable game that’s challenging and fun.

So I’ve been playing and collecting for a long time. At first, while they were getting a player base established, it took a couple of years to release a new set of additional cards (booster packs). Now new sets are coming out roughly every year. So far 7 boosters have been released. With each new set released, there are 100+ more cards to collect and incorporate into your playing deck(s). To date, I’ve collected all the available cards except 4! Not to mention lots of duplicates! So when I put together a deck, I have pretty much every option available.

Now that’s fine except for these issues: 1) I’ve spent boatloads of money on these cards. Granted a little at a time, but it adds up nonetheless. I’m now feeling rather convicted spending more and more money on new cards when there really are better things I could put my money into. 2) I play Redemption with our youth and young adults (in our club and some from other areas). Most of these can’t afford to purchase cards like I can (can I really afford them?), so I feel convicted again having so much when they have so little (many have quit playing because they just can’t keep up). Now I do give away a lot of my cards to help others build their decks, but there’s no way I could afford to supply more people than myself in new cards! 3) I currently have tons of cards (almost literally!). I can no longer keep them in one case, but have multiple boxes to store them in. I have cards all over the place! This is just getting out of hand, when I’ve been thinking a lot lately about living a much simpler life with less "stuff." Again, conviction. 4) My club members have all lost interest anyway. We haven’t had a meeting or played a game in over a year! And I’ve still been collecting. Yep- you guessed it- conviction.

Here’s my conclusion to my conundrum: I’m going to stop collecting, playing and sell my cards off on eBay. That’s not an easy decision, but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that it is the right step for me.

That’s not to say I’m turning against Redemption- not at all. I still think it’s a great game and has a wonderful track record of Christian witness.

Know anyone who would like to run a great Redemption web site? I'm seriously looking for takers. www.gotredemption.com

Exceptionally Blessed

Today someone asked me "So how does it feel to have your daughter engaged?" I guess they were looking for the traditional response: "I'm feeling old!" But while I can hardly believe 20 years have passed since we first laid eyes on Jennifer, feeling old is not something I believe in.

I am totally a believer in "you're as old as you feel" or rather "the power of positive thinking," as found in scripture:

Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. - Philippians 4:8

Why do we spend so much time thinking about what can go wrong? Or how bad off we are? Why not spend more time thinking how great things can go- because we're children of God? And "bad off?" I really don't know too many people who are not exceptionally blessed.

How do I feel now that my daughter's engaged? I feel exceptionally blessed! Especially that she's found such a godly young man to spend her life with. I can hardly wait to officially call Josh my "son," but he's already my friend.

How cool is that?

It's Official. My Little Girl's Engaged!

Yesterday, Jenn was all excited because she was planning on surprising Josh by being at the airport when he arrived in Toronto. On her way there, she stopped at a local mall with Josh's sister. While there, someone walked up to her and gave her a rose. My how strange, they both thought (or at least one of them thought- the other was acting)!

Then one by one other strangers stopped and gave her individual roses until she had eleven in hand. By now she was thinking something was going on! Looking for Josh, he showed up, gave her the twelfth rose and knelt before her on one knee. Yup- that ol' smoothie!

So now my little girl, who just recently turned 20, is actually engaged. Where have all those years gone?

Congratulations Jenn & Josh! We love you both and are praying for your joined life to be better together than if you each lived it alone.

Out on a Limb

I have a gift of faith. I often hold tightly to God's promises for a given situation when others just give up. Because of this gift of faith, Satan presented himself to me as Jesus and created a false image of who Jesus is. Here's how I saw it:

I saw Jesus developing my gift of faith by pushing me up into a large tree. From there he would goad me out on a limb where I could "practice" my faith. Get it- "out on a limb?" So I would willingly go out on many limbs to let Jesus prove himself and strengthen my faith.

The problem was, that many of the situations I went out on a limb for were not really situations Jesus was sending me into. So they would naturally fail, I would fall crashing down to the ground and get hurt in the process. In fact, I began to actually imagine Jesus sawing off the branch after he sent me out there! He would cause me to fall painfully, then even though I was hurt, he would rush me up into the tree again and out onto another branch before I had any chance to heal (and/or figure out that it wasn't Jesus in the first place)! This happened repeatedly for many years until I had a real twisted image of who Jesus was and how he taught me to grow in my faith. I actually thanked "him" for all the pain he "caused" because it was making my faith stronger!

This seems obviously wrong now, but since it happened slowly over such a long period of time (the old frog in the kettle scenario), I didn't see it coming. Satan had tricked me successfully. Once a friend cringed when I told her about this image of Jesus and I got mad at her because "it was Jesus- how could she think bad of him?!"

Then one day I had an awesome Inner Healing experience. I went to that tree and saw that the real Jesus was watching from a distance and was very sad at how I had come to see him. He helped me get rid of that False Jesus and we tossed that tree over a huge cliff and watched it fall for a long time. When it hit bottom, it was like a Wyle E. Coyote cartoon- I saw the little dust cloud go poof!

Now I know Jesus doesn't work like that old image. I'm much more discerning about the situations God calls me to have faith for and therefore have seen God prove himself faithful in many powerful ways since!

Jesus is so awesome! Don't you just love him?

Q&A: What's This False Jesus Stuff About?

In answer to a question I received about a recent blog, I thought it might be good to explain to any new comers what I mean about a "False Jesus." I guess it does sound kinda weird if you're not up to speed on "inner healing language." Isn't it interesting how we all develop a special language within our circles of interaction? I'm sure all you non-sallies (a TSA language term) have noticed our TSA (The Salvation Army) special language from my blog entries!

Satan is the great imitator of God. He is not creative in and of himself, so since he's left God's environment of creativity, he mostly imitates things he sees God do. Hence his arranging his angels (demons) into a hierarchy, his desire to be worshipped, etc. From this desire to imitate God, he actually imitates Jesus in our understanding (he presents himself as an angel of light). Many people argue over Christianity today because the image they have of Jesus is wrong.

What I mean is, Satan presents himself to us as Jesus, but obviously puts a "twist" on the image, so we get a wrong idea of who Jesus really is. Then we grow up thinking Jesus is something he is not and get our belief system all messed up because of our error. It works like this (a fictitious situation):

As a small child, Johnny is told in Sunday School that Jesus is always watching him. Johnny later gets caught doing something wrong, gets punished and relates Jesus as this big "galactic traffic cop" of a God, just waiting for us to mess up and punish us. This creates a fear in us of Jesus, who we think is out to get us. Now Johnny sees Jesus incorrectly and even harbors a little mad feeling toward Jesus because he thinks he actually treats us this way (and we know that's not a right way for someone to act). Every time Johnny gets caught at something, he blames Jesus. He may even teach his own kids about this Jesus and make them fear him in this way too. This is not who the real Jesus is!

In this situation, Jesus was watching Johnny, but he was not "mad" at him when he did wrong, he was sad. Jesus wanted to help Johnny in that situation- not punish him. Jesus would much rather help us than punish us. Sin has its own consequences, it's not Jesus chasing us down to make us feel chastised.

So in an Inner Healing situation, we might "go" to these memories and almost re-live them to see that the Jesus we saw then, was not the real Jesus- rather Satan impersonating Jesus and giving us a false image of who Jesus is. Then we find the real Jesus in that situation and discover the truth. When we find the truth, we are set free (sounds like scripture, doesn't it- Oh! it is!) from our wrong image of Jesus and can replace our false image with the real Jesus.

So much of the church today is filled with false images of Jesus! Like the signs you may have seen that say "God Hates Fags!" Nothing is further from the truth of who Jesus is and presents a false image of who God is! God loves homosexuals so much he died for them and is right now trying desperately to bring every one of them to his side to learn what his true love is. But because of this false presentation of Jesus, the world thinks he's actually out there to punish people instead of save them! Can you imagine how powerful our testimonies would be if we could all get rid of these false ways of thinking about who Jesus is? Then the world would see true examples of who Jesus really is.

Tomorrow I'll give you another specific example from my own life where I had a False Jesus image and how the real Jesus corrected it and changed my way of seeing him.

Martyrs Graduate Today!

Today's the day! The second session (Martyrs) of War College Warriors graduate! Thunderous applause! Congratulations all! From what I've seen, it is well deserved- you've all done very well in the fight. Here is the list of names in no particular order:

Linsey New, Jamie Smith, Phil Marriott, Jonathan Berkshire, Fleur Hodge, Jeni Parsons, Travis Roberts, Esther Muller-Vocke, Nicole Brindle, Rebekah Barnum, Sue Ann Tarter, Joshua Ivany, Aurora Atell, Regan Lipsett, Rachael Collins, Xander Coleman, Beracah Walters-Wulfing.

There are also some Phase 2 Graduates that will be receiving diplomas from The Wagner Leadership Institute! Wow! I really am impressed!

Rob Dolby
Heather (Burr) Dolby
Jennifer Burr (special pride here)
Jonathan Evans
Tara Ayer
Narelle Unicomb
Lois Walker
Samuel Udo Tim

While we're mentioning Phase 2 students, here would be an appropriate place to mention this coming year's Bramwell Tripp Scholarship winner (for a Phase 2 student). However, I don't believe it has been announced yet, so mum's the word until all the students know who it is! {heh, heh}

Tara's (a) Blessing!

Well today I'm feeling a little bit like what I think it's going to feel like when both my kids leave home for good- empty nest syndrome! All our War College students have finally flown the coop, with Tara winging her way to Toronto today. {sigh}

I was surprised when I got to the corps this morning to pick Tara up for the long ride to Boston airport- almost the entire MacKay clan was there to say "fare well!" We prayed for Tara and very few eyes were dry. Tara herself went through at least 2 tissues! Just goes to show you how pouring yourself into people can affect you even over a very short time of interaction (but it's got to be sincere interaction). Praise the Lord for Tara Ayer! We wish you would have stayed longer. So say we all!

While praying (rations, for all you War College alumi!) this morning I was impressed by God to write out a fatherly blessing for Tara. Actually, I've been impressed by God to do this for some time now for other people, but today I finally listened. Not knowing how to do it, I read some fatherly blessings from Genesis. While reading, God began to download some stuff for Tara and I wrote it all down. Then I rewrote it and put the thoughts into sentences- just a short paragraph, really, but powerful in that I believe these are words God means to see fulfilled in Tara's life.

I feel this is something God is asking me to do on a regular basis, so I will be reading up on this practice so I can practice (to make perfect) and put it into practice (how's that for a tang toungler?)!

I hope Tara doesn't mind, but here's my blessing for her:

Tara’s Blessing
You are a fruitful tree bringing freedom to all who find rest in your branches.
You are a blessing to many; a fountain of refreshing water from the arid desert dryness.
You are a deer dancing on the heights, bringing joy and laughter where there was none before.
You are an iron arrow in God’s bow, driving deep into the Enemy’s side and bringing the killing blow.
As a thorn in the Enemy’s side, he will fight against you as if to make your way hard. But you will overcome by the Word of your testimony.
The very blood of Jesus will be your shield and fortress- your rock.
In times of your deepest need you will worship at His feet and find refreshment for your own soul.
- 8/18/05

Tara, you're one of us- always will be and we claim you as a Bangorian! I hope in some way, we blessed you at least half as much as you blessed us this summer.

Jesus is my Pistol and He Blows bad Dudes Away

Today I had an Inner Healing session where I discovered yet another false Jesus in my life. During my "vision" I was a young boy in an old house I used to live in. While looking around, I saw that old head and shoulders picture of Jesus (mostly brown hues) looking at me from the wall. He had no expression, but was watching me carefully wherever I went. I sensed his strong disapproval and felt like he wanted to punish me. I really wanted to get away from that glare, so I left the room, only to be followed by him. I ran throughout the house until I found a place behind my bed to get away from him.

I then crawled under the bed and became aware that I was holding a greenish-yellow plastic glow-in-the-dark Jesus (I remember this plastic knick-knack from my youth). It was glowing brightly and kept me safe from that other "Jesus" that was always watching me (sort of like a galactic traffic cop), waiting for me to mess up so he could scold me. Unlike the scary Jesus, the Jesus in my hand empowered me and gave me confidence. Soon I knew what I needed to do, so I crawled out from under the bed and went looking for the dark Jesus.

I found him at the other end of the upstairs hallway- still looking in other rooms for me. The scene then changed to an old Western town street and we were gunfighters facing off in a showdown! He was wearing black and I could hear the low up and down whistle of the gunslinger music. We began to move in "bullet time" (from The Matrix) and he got the first shot off at me. But because we were moving slowly, I could easily step aside and watch the bullet whiz by my head (not even close). I then pulled my glow-in-the-dark Jesus (yeah, he was my gun) out of my holster and took a clean shot which hit him square on. He shattered like a mirror, but the pieces just disintegrated into nothing. The music changed to the victorious Star Wars death star explosion scene with all the tinkling and sparkling that came with it!

With the dark Jesus defeated and gone, I blew the smoke off the barrel of my glow-in-the-dark Jesus, spun him around my finger a bit and reholstered him for my next duel, slick as the little cowboy I was playing from my youth- another false Jesus defeated to wreak havoc on his unsuspecting prey no more! (Regan's gonna love this one!)

Bottom line for me: Jesus is always watching us, but not just so he can reprimand us when we mess up. He's actually there to protect us from those things which would frighten us and misrepresent who he really is.

Here's another analogy to help us get our minds around who Jesus is: Jesus is my Pistol and he blows bad dudes away! Oh and by the way- that's actually me in the picture!

Just a Reminder

A Salvation People

We are a salvation people- this is our specialty- getting saved and keeping saved and then getting somebody else saved and then getting saved ourselves more and more, until full salvation on earth makes the heaven within.
- William Booth

Well we are The Salvation Army, right? It sounds like our founder was giving us a challenge. For today, I believe in theory he's right. But is he right in practice? Are we really all about salvation? And not just justification-salvation, but also sanctification-salvation?

Here are some questions for us sallies to mull over:
1) Are you saved?
2) Are you still saved since that first experience? We can lose our salvation, you know (Doctrine #8: We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ).
3) When was the last time you got someone else saved?
4) Do you witness to the full salvation of the Holy Spirit? (Do you know what I'm talking about?)

If we are to remain a salvation people- indeed a Salvation Army, we had better be focussing on the business of this particular army.

Booth's challenge remains. How are you doing?

Some Nice Changes Ahead

Thanx everyone who prayed with us for our Sunday meetings! Sunday AM went very well! There were quite a few people missing who could have used this one- hmmm. Isn't it interesting how that happens a lot?! I learned long ago not to ever preach a sermon for a particular person- they never showed up that Sunday anyway! God has such a sense of humor.

However, the whole meeting was powerfully anointed and Debbie said I spoke with passion. It's a good thing- I totally believe we need to stand up to our spiritual enemies and yet I see so many of us falling under their tactics against us. It's sad.

Well, I believe we're going to see some nice changes in Bangor in the days ahead! Maybe I'll give you some of my sermon points in a future blog.

Overthrowing Hopelessness

I've discovered the name of a territorial spirit over Bangor. It might be over a larger area like Maine or New England (and I'm leaning this way), but for now, I know he's a very powerful influence over people in Bangor. I've actually been wrestling with him for the last five years, but until just this past week, was not able to pin a name on him.

So tomorrow I'm preaching about him and his influence over Bangorians. These past few days I've been preparing my message and I've not been so attacked in a long time! Working at my computer, I've felt sleepy, scared, overwhelmed, sad and even a bit depressed. But it was so obvious, I just laughed and fought him off! HA!

And you know what? that's the key. When you begin to feel down, tired, lazy, depressed, etc, you immediately know it's that spirit of hopelessness and you just fight it off with the promises of scripture and faith in God our Hope (Miqweh Bangor- the Hope of Bangor). We are never disappointed when we put our hope in Yahweh!

The problem is, many people don't know what's going on and get sucked down into a deadly spiral that ends in days, weeks or even months of depression and doing nothing. I see it all around me in Bangor.

So pray for tomorrow's service as we take Hopelessness head on. I expect a mighty victory!

Salvation Army Songbook #684

1. God's trumpet is sounding: To arms! is the call;
More warriors are wanted to help on the war;
My King's in the battle, he's calling for me,
A salvation soldier for Jesus I'll be.

Stand like the brave! Stand like the brave!
Stand like the brave, with your face to the foe!

2. On land and on water my colors I'll show,
Through ten thousand battles with Jesus I'll go,
In danger I'm certain he'll take care of me,
His blood and fire soldier forever I'll be.

3. I'll fight to the last with the Lord's sword and shield,
And count it an honor to die in the field;
In death and the grave there is victory for me,
A salvation soldier in Glory I'll be.

4. The war will go on till the world is possessed,
The Salvation Army Jehovah has blessed;
More heroes of faith on the roll we shall see;
The Salvation Army's the Army for me.

- Frederick Booth-Tucker (1853-1929) (verses),
- Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) (chorus)

Dare Devil Faith

I am so impressed with Rack, Shack and Benny (Shadrach, Mishach and Abednego for all of you from Mars who have missed Veggi Tales). I mean Evel Knievel has nothing on these dare devils! Imagine what guts it must have taken for them to literally stand against such a powerful king while being threatened with their own lives. Imagine what kind of faith in God it took!

Their words still amaze me every time I read them:

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
- Daniel 3:16-18

They never wavered. Incredible! This could very well be my favorite story in the Bible because it shows us how to do it; how to live in the face of the enemy and give God the opportunity to prove himself. Look at what happened after they were vindicated (without even the smell of smoke on their clothes!)- the king wouldn't let anyone say anything against their God! I'd say he was convinced, wouldn't you?

When I grow up, I wanna be just like Rack, Shack and Benny! I want Dare Devil Faith!

But when I think about it, I realize Dare Devil Faith starts with faith in the little things. It takes believing that all God's promises in scripture are true. It takes believing that God will provide for you when you're at the end of your rope. It takes believing that practicing the Christian Way (tithing, turning the other cheek, focusing on others, etc.) will work out for good- even when you can't see it or understand how it could possibly happen.

Our God, Yahweh, is worthy of our faith. He is faithful himself and we can count on that. Always. He will never leave us or forsake us. That's the foundation for Dare Devil Faith.

Do you believe?

Let Everything

Praise Yahweh!

Praise God in your chapels; praise him in his majestic outdoors! Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his unsurpassed awesomeness! Praise him with the sound of your cornet, praise him with the shofar and keyboard, praise him with flags and radical dancing, praise him with guitars and flute, praise him with the the drum set, praise him with all kinds of drums!

Let everything that has breath praise Yahweh!

Praise Yahweh!

- Psalm 150

BTI Wrap up

Well, it looks like I should probably finish up my BTI reporting. It's now been quite a few days since I've written anything more. But as I look back I see that I kept up my blogging every couple of days when I was there, so there's not much else new to write about.

I do want to thank Regan, my roomie for the 2 weeks, for his hospitality in letting me share his space. We had a bunk bed and he was on the bottom, but he didn't shake the bed at all! He had a nice stash of bagels and after I learned to brush my teeth with the bathtub faucet, I didn't have to crawl under the sink to turn the water on any more! (And can you imagine, Shaun the plumber didn't know how to fix that old faucet?)

One of the best parts of room 402 was the scripture verses taped all over the walls (and/or painted, in some cases)! Imagine waking up to God's promises right there. Or looking in the mirror with verses staring back at you. Or just having quiet time while looking at great challenges from the Word. The other best part was the times we chatted and prayed together.

If I ever get to stay in the Empress again, then it's room 402 for me! Thanks for eveything, Regan. You were a wondeful host.

So there you have it. BTI in a prolonged nutshell! If you can't take a full year off for The War College, you should seriously consider BTI. You will walk away blessed, challenged and changed. I did!

Were You Faithful?

Wow! What a day! It's late, I'm beat to my socks, but I can hardly believe all the ministry that got crammed into this wonderful day! God sure had a plan for the day- I'm glad I listened to his voice and played along with his plan. You see, if I had my way, I'd have not allowed all those "people interruptions!"

I say that with a tongue placed firmly in my cheek, because I know that it's the office work that's the real interruption to my day. People are the whole reason for it all! Where would we be if we only did office work 24/7? I shudder to think of it.

Some of the things I said were easy. It is simple to see how God can use those words to bring about good in and for others. Some of the things I said were hard. I can see how God could possibly use what I said for his good, but it sure wasn't very obvious. In fact, some of it was real hard to say, because I knew a few people would find my words hard to swallow. But I felt then and still feel now that they were from God. I must leave those words and people to him to accomplish the good he desires. I trust him to do that. My part is to obey and do what he wants me to.

Now I'm not trying to blow my own horn here, but some day I believe God will remind me of this day. I think he'll be pretty happy with my obedience and the good he accomplished through me by just being faithful to his will. After all, my main goal in life is to be faithful to my God.

So how was your day? Were you faithful?

You Will be my Martyrs

Recently we were preparing to study the book of Acts. I say preparing, because I believe it is important to gather as much background on the book before you actually start the Bible (word) study. Not only should we study the Bible's words, we should study the Bible's background, culture and setting. It all has relevancy to the final interpretation we seek- truth.

Naturally, one of (if not the) key verses is Acts 1:8.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8

I emphasized "witnesses," because I have always taken it to mean we should tell others about the Gospel message. Here's what I learned from Bangor's resident Bible Scholar, Gene Bragg: the root word (martys), here translated as "witnesses," means:

of uncertain affinity; a witness (literal [judicially] or figurative); by analogy a “martyr” :- martyr, record, witness. - Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary

With that in mind, here it is again: "You will be my martyrs . . ." That puts a whole 'nother spin on our Christian responsibility, huh?!

Wow!

Here's how I see it: 1) When we become a Christian (Christ follower), we give up our life to follow Jesus. We become his slave (as Paul puts it). We give up our rights, our desires, our stuff (money, things), our goals in life- everything. We become martyrs for his cause. 2) Well, the obvious- we may very well be asked to give up our lives in the literal sense of the word. It shouldn't come as a surprise when we are persecuted. We should not even have to think about whether we could give up our lives or not if needed. The decision's already been made. It's a done deal.

Are you ready to become a martyr? If you're a Christian, it's your responsibility.

10 Ways to Order Your World to Create Simplicity in Your Life

1) Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.

2) Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.

3) Develop a habit of giving things away.

4) Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.

5) Learn to enjoy things without owning them.

6) Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.

7) Look at a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes.

8) Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech.

9) Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others.

10) Shun whatever would distract you from you main goal: "Seek first the kingdom of God."

- Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

Letter to a Young Cadet

What follows is a letter sent to me a couple of months before I was commissioned an officer (yeah, it's hand written on paper- before email! And yeah, I kept it- to read every now and then. It's good advise that's worth re-reading).

Dear Doug,

It's been awhile since I sat down and dropped you a line, but what would a Saturday night be without all this excitement? You've got 90 days or so left- then you'll realize that all that fantastic education you're getting hasn't really prepared you for the future corps lurking down the corridors of time. God has a graduate school of The Spirit open for enrollment- it's called "survive!" Let me give you insights gleaned one at a time from mistakes I have made.

1) Refuse to listen to all complaints about the previous officer- whether right or wrong. The person who complains will do the same thing with you to the next officer as an attention-getting device. The problem is that truth without love is a lie to a Christian and you need to deal with the sin of the gossiper then and there. One of the seven abominations of God is "he who spreads discord among the brothers and sisters."

MORAL: Never use band aids. Cure the problem so it does not return, no matter how much more time it takes.

2) Be loyal and supportive of DHQ, no matter how unreasonable, dumb and archaic their requests may seem. Do not complain about them to your corps people and fellow officers. The problem is that you reap what you sow- in everything. If you want love and loyalty from your flock, you have to give it freely to your shepherds (space cadets though they may seem). It will be ten more years before you realize how intelligent and caring they have been all along.

MORAL: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," because you will harvest what you sow eventually and always.

3) Pray about everything, everywhere, anytime. Interrupt your conversations with "Let's pray about it." If someone says "Please pray for . . ." do it then, with them. The real problem is that your people do not know how to pray and they refuse to learn how. They must be shown by your example of it being so valuable to you that they can't help but try it.

MORAL: We have to preach that God answers prayer. The only escape from hypocricy is to prove it every day of our lives- publicly.

4) There is no such thing as a problem. There are only opportunities. That seems nice until your YPSM develops cancer, the CSM runs off with someone else's wife and the United Way zero funds you for next year- all in the same day (Murphy's Law again- everything goes wrong all at once!). The problem is that we are required to live in heaven while physically being on earth and everything can be used to point men and women to eternity- but we react to problems with our human nature. Even when the problems are personal- thank God for them, pray yourself into obedience to his will and start rejoicing because your name is written in heaven.

MORAL: Your biggest spiritual victories in life will happen when you face your biggest problems. Thank God for your problems- even when it seems irrational. It probably is!

5) Learn to say "I don't know." You will be an officer- who will be asked to answer everything from trivia to deep psychological conflicts and will be expected to be an authority. The problem is that we abuse our authority and lend "Papal infallibility" to our opinions to our people. Tell them if you don't know- and give 1/2 the advise you are tempted to give. They might even come to consider you almost human- and then, and only then, listen to your sermons.

MORAL: "Even a fool, when he holds his tongue is esteemed wise" (Solomon). Your people are partners, not puppets and even the most ignorant of them know respect for their opinions when they see it.

6) Finally- don't listen to brothers who give advice. They think that their Christian experience will be duplicated in everyone's life and that God doesn't like variety. Read their mail (condescendtion is allowed here, however) and then try divine wisdom instead.

MORAL: If your advise isn't from God, confirmed by scripture- doubt it. Some of your greatest innovations come from doing the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing.

Sorry to go, but I have a few windmills to chase.

With Love,
Don Quiote

Guest Blogger: Melinda Peters

Tara had a good idea in inviting a guest blogger (I'm not stealing the idea, just borrowing it! And I'm giving Tara credit for a great idea too)! I think I might just do this every now and then . . . if I don't get sued. (heh, heh)

Today my guest is Melinda Peters. When I was in Vancouver for BTI recently, we had a prayer session for her and this is how she saw it as it happened:

- - - - -
I'm in the woods and there is a white bird with brilliant blue eyes. He is fat/large and is sitting there looking right at me. I feel peace. I realize the bird is the Holy Spirit. The bird flies away and I feel called to step out of the woods onto a beach.

I go to the beach and the ocean is very calming and soothing to me. I see Jesus walking up the beach towards me. He comes and puts his arm around me and we sit in silence. After awhile, I look down and I see a bunch of smooth stones in my hands. I am playing with them and throwing them into the water. They have the fruit of the spirit words written on them. Next Jesus invites me to play in the water with him.

Then all of sudden I am up in a tree on the end of a limb. I am afraid because fear has brought me here before. I look down and there is the water below me. I am afraid of falling in the water because I might drown. But I see Jesus in the water and he is calling to me to jump in and join him. After some hesitation, I decide to take that leap of faith and I fall in the water. Once there, I discover I can breath under the water! It is great! My fear was all for nothing!

So Jesus and I are swimming under the water. He's showing me all the things under the water like fish and plants. After a few minutes, we watch a whale swim by! It is so exciting and so freeing! And to think I was afraid of this for so long.

Then I see Jesus picking up shells and he invites me back to the shore. He weaves the shells into an ankle braclet and into a necklace. One has the word "LOVE" on it and the other "PEACE." He ties them on me so they can never come off. Then he reaches down and I see 2 pearl earrings in his hand. He pierces my ears with the earrings. He gives me a warm hug and says "Now go."

I look it him a bit confused and he says "No, seriously- go!" I ask him where and he shows me a place and tells me not to tell anyone.

Next I am flying with Jesus and we are going really fast. When I look forward I see things going by quickly. When I look to either side, they come into focus. He says "We are going far and we are going fast." And then it was over and we talked awhile about what had happened and what it all meant. I'm still working on some of it, though!

- - - - -
Thanks Melinda for sharing your experience with us.

Travis Flies Over the Horizon

Tara and I just got back from taking Travis to the Boston airport. Whew! That's a bit of a trip! It's always hard when you have to leave someone there- especially someone who you might not ever see again (this side of heaven)! What a terrible thought!

I actually got Travis to talk on the way. Sometimes, it's a bit like pulling teeth! You'll be happy to know, Steve, that we did highs and lows (as I did with Aurora before she left)! If you all want to know what Travis said, you'll have to read his blog (Made for War). So get writing, Travis!

This summer we discovered that the best thing about Travis is his buoyant spirit. No matter what happens, he can see the silver lining a mile away! I sure wish we had more people like that around more often! We also discovered that Travis loves to hang out with people! He creates a safe amosphere for people to be themselves. I think we all could use more of that in our lives too.

Travis we were glad to have you with us this summer. Please come back again. Soon! Plenty of people are missing you already!

- - - - -
PS: Thanx for the company Tara. I always love our conversations!

Aurora Rides off into the Sunset

Today we said farewell to Aurora. She headed off to London, Ontario via bus to visit family a bit before continuing on to Vancouver for the final debriefing and graduation of the Martyr's session.

Aurora fit well in Bangor this summer. Any particular day would find her getting involved in a wide variety of activities such as band, Bible School, Teen Club, PowerHouse, prayer-walking, hanging out with people, eating with people (we do a lot of eating here in Bangor!), praying with people, cooking and many other things. If you're interested in finding out more, check out her blog (Dayspring of God) to see her take on her time with us.

When our students arrived, we told them that building relationships was the #1 priority and Aurora excelled at that! We will see evidence of her connections for quite some time to come. We are definitely better off for our time with Aurora Atell.

It's always hard sending someone off who's become an important part of your life, but it's all good because we know she's coming back in October to spearhead our MMCCXX initiative. We're hoping she'll bring one or two people back with her to help with the ministry (hint, hint, War College alumni)!

We're praying for you, Aurora, and looking forward to seeing you again real soon!

Flow

I'd like to suggest that just as there is a "flow" to a successful book or music composition, so there is a flow to a Christian worship service. There are highs and lows, each contributing to appropriate crescendoes of Holy Spirit's movement among God's people. If we are careful in preparation, we can order the service to best compliment how we have observed Holy Spirit moving in the past. Therefore, we can, to some degree, help Holy Spirit in his task of reaching God's people and capturing their hearts (which brings about salvation and/or deeper commitment).

This makes sense. I don't believe it's rocket science either. In fact, Debbie and I have developed this practice to great effect in all our public worship activities. We know there are some things that welcome Holy Spirit's moving, we also know there are things that halt it immediately.

What this means, then, is that preparers and leaders of meetings are responsible for creating (as much as humanly possible) the best atmosphere for Holy Spirit to operate in.

Therefore, creating a service that flows smoothly, taking into account these understood highs and lows of worship, brings about a better opportunity for Holy Spirit to reach people and change their lives.

Conversely, if we schedule a service that is choppy, with poorly scripted lows right after highs, etc, we can expect we make it harder for Holy Spirit to effect change (because we don't take advantage of "pregnant" moments, cut him off when he starts moving, etc). NOTE: I am not even mentioning letting Holy Spirit re-write the order of service on the fly if he so chooses. That's another whole topic!

For example, here is a simple order of service, poorly scripted:

Welcome : Getting people's attention
Call to Worship : Calling people to order
Prayer : Invoking God's presence
Song : Building faith
Scripture : Allowing Spirit to speak, crescendo start
Vocal Solo : Holy Spirit speaks (often), crescendo builds
Offering : Here?!? Creates an abrupt halt to Spirit's move
Message : God speaks again, calling for response, cresc
Passing of the Peace (greeting people) : Here?!? Abrupt
Altar Call : By now, Spirit has left! Attention broken
Song : Furthering response or wrap up
Prayer : Sending the people out

Here is a better way to script this order:

Welcome : Call people to attention
Announcements : Basic housekeeping
Prayer : Invoke God
Passing of the Peace : Sharing fellowship
Offering : Continue fellowship
Call to Worship : "Worship" starts here
Song : Builds faith
Scripture : Allow Spirit to speak, cresc starts
Vocal Solo : Cresc continues
Message : Cresc continues
Altar Call : Spirit reaches climax
Song : Further response, wrap up
Prayer : Sending the people out

This is a simple example, I know, but I hope it gets my point across.

I believe flow is even more important as the "level" of service goes up (eg: divisional event, territorial event, etc), because there are more people affected and leadership should be teaching and modeling good flow to our people.

So why do I see such poor scripting and choppy flow in so many important Army meetings? God's heart must ache as we say: "Come. Stop. Come now. No, wait. Ooo, now!"

I believe we could be so much more successful in reaching seekers if we just paid more attention to flow. Please, Lord, get this message out to your people.