Take the AIDS Test

World Vision has an AIDS test available online. If you click my title above, it will take you there. It only takes a few minutes and you could learn a lot.

I must admit, I was surprised by things I didn't know about AIDS. And certainly, this short test doesn't include everything there is to know about AIDS.

Now- what are we going to do about it?

Movements Move!

Leadership Next - Eddie Gibbs

By definition, movements "move" and therefore require leaders who are not stuck and insecure when it comes to change and adaptation.

Harland Cleveland (Nobody In Charge) provides a list of eight attitudes that he believes are indispensable to the management of complexity. They apply equally well to leadership among the people of God.

1) A lively intellectual curiosity; an interest in everything, because everything really is related to everything else and therefore to what we are trying to do, whatever it is.

2) A genuine interest in what other people think and why they think that way- which means you have to be at peace with yourself for a start.

3) A feeling of special responsibility for envisioning a future that's different from a straight-line projection of the present. Trends are not destiny.

4) A hunch that most risks are there not to be avoided but to be taken.

5) A mindset that crises are normal, tensions can be promising and complexity is fun.

6) A realization that paranoia and self-pity are reserved for people who don't want to be leaders.

7) A sense of personal responsibility for the general outcome of your efforts.

8) A quality I call "unwarranted optimism;" the conviction that there must be some more upbeat outcome than would result from adding up all the available expert advice.

The church needs navigators tuned to the voice of God, not map readers. Navigational skills have to be learned on the high seas and in the midst of varying conditions produced by the wind, waves, currents, fogbanks, darkness, storm clouds and perilous rocks.

- - -

My comments:

Movements "move-" Anything alive grows and changes. Anything dead changes not. Today's Army is growing where it is changing and getting better. Our Army is dying where it remains the same it always has been.

3) Trends are not destiny- If it looks like it will go in a straight line it probably won't. I don't know a single story in the Bible where the outcome could have been obviously projected from the current situation.

4) Most risks need to be taken- Hallelujah! Now we're talking! An army is not meant to be a "safe" place. We are at war. A turtle never gets anywhere unless he sticks his neck out. I am a risk taker, but most of my career I have not been allowed to do so. When I have been given that option, I can point to great things God has done through those risks.

5) Crises are normal- "The church is a mess!" We're dealing with people and that alone means things will be unusual at best. Starting from this understanding, we can move through each crisis certain that God has the future in his hands.

6) Self pity- Wouldn't the Enemy love to keep us in this frame of mind? Oh, woe is me!

7) Personal responsibility- with responsibility comes trust. At least it should work that way! If I am given a responsibility, I should be given the trust to follow through to the best of my abilities and then stand on the outcome.

I call this "faith!" God plus a little faith means the outcome is much bigger than any of us could imagine! Why do we ever limit God?

Tuned to the voice of God- It's not about what I want to do- it's about what God wants me to do. How can I know that without listening to his voice? I fear too many leaders in this Army listen to their own voice and believe it must be what God wants. I have often found what God wants scares me; I don't want to take that risk! But I must, if it is in fact, his voice.

This thought provoking blurb was sent to me today (minus my comments) from one of my leaders. It is encouraging to see this coming from that position in today's Army. This is the kind of leader I want to follow and the kind of leader I want to be.

Let's move!

525,600 Minutes

Yup. You guessed it. We saw the movie Rent today. All I knew was it was about some struggling artists and I liked the "theme" song referenced above. Here are my thoughts a few hours after taking it in.

Good music- although I often feel like the melodies in many musicals are a bit jumpy. This was no exception, but the pieces that stood out were excellent- there was some good chording in there. The worst part was that when the instruments got loud, you couldn't hear the words being sung. In a musical, the words are important! The best part was the way all the main character's voices sounded- especially together! Some of the duets were incredible!

As was intentioned by the authors I'm sure, I really liked all the main characters and felt for their experiences throughout the movie. At the end, I felt good, but a bit sad. All in all I liked the movie and the general theme it presented.

What concerned me was the way it presented the homosexual lifestyle. Some of the characters had AIDS, but no one seemed to understand it came from that lifestyle. Now we need to be careful here- I don't hate homosexuals. I love them- as we all should. However, I don't condone their lifestyle. Just the same as I don't condone an addictive lifestyle (drugs or alcohol, etc- and the movie gave a clear message that drugs were bad) but I love those who find themselves caught in its grip.

I think there might be a lot less push for gay rights, if we Christians (in general) judged less and loved more. We are usually too good at condemnation, which is strange when Jesus fought so hard against that very thing. Remember how Jesus treated the woman caught in adultery? We should be so loving.

How do you measure a year in the life? Remember the love. Measure in love.

A Passion for . . .

I got my first Christmas card the other day. It was from The Salvation Army- some guy named Major Douglas Burr. You see, I'm on our Bangor Mail Appeal list and this year the company who handles our mailings enclosed a card with a "hand-written" note. We actually give to this appeal, by the way.

It's a nice card, but I noticed the picture on the front was a holiday decorated reindeer. Unlike Walmart, it does mention Christmas, but the spiritual significance of the season is couched in generalities (peace, hope, love); unlike our new National quip (Doing the Most Good), it does mention God (once, in the salutation: "Thank you and God bless").

Too bad we missed this opportunity to offer the Gospel message. Not even a biblical picture (manger, 3 kings, etc).

William Booth once said: "Some men's passion is Art. Some men's passion is Fame. Some men's passion is God. My passion is the Souls of Men." Have we traded our passion for Souls for a passion for Funds? Are we truly doing the most good?

I believe money will come if we keep our focus on the right thing. After all, my God owns the kettles in a thousand malls! I also believe if we stick to our "God" message, more people will give just because of that- even more than will not give if we water our message down, thinking we might offend givers.

While God is not obligated to fund my "grand schemes," he has obligated himself to fund his own plans- especially his plans to reach the entire world for himself. I've seen his faithfulness in the past. I'm living in his faithfulness right now for the vision he's given us in Bangor. He is always faithful!

If we're doing what he wants, we'll never be at a loss for funding. Never.

Prayer SO Works. Why do we Worry?

For the last few months (with the intensity daily increasing) we've been wrestling with an issue that needed to be dealt with. We've been praying and I must admit- worrying about how it would all play out. I really hate worry and preach against it all the time, but now and then I find myself standing in the middle of a big stinky pile of it (are you getting my imagery?). Yeah, it happens.

So the time finally came to confront the issue and as nervous as I was, it worked out so simply I was amazed. So I sit here now contemplating why I worried when I prayed. I mean, if prayer works (and I believe it does), why can't I just trust God to answer and start looking forward to the creative way he is going to bring it to conclusion? Imagine going into a tough situation excited to see what God is going to do this time!

Sounds like a plan. Who's with me?

Silent Night?

Heading to put kettles out on "black Friday" somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Must be nice. No traffic.

I just got back from taking my morning share of our kettle workers out, here in Bangor. The traffic wasn't too bad, because I've learned the short cuts to get around all the busy streets! It might look like my trip would be longer on a map, but distance is not my concern when everyone from 2 hours away has been shopping since 5:00 AM this morning! Anything for a deal, right?

One of the things I have liked about being in Maine these last 5 years is the lack of traffic. O I hear people complain every now and then: "Could you believe the traffic out on such-n-such street this morning?" But I've come to understand that means there were 6 extra cars added to the other 6. Hmm, I can still remember being stuck in a stand-still traffic jam at 2:00 AM on the Long Island Expressway once. "Traffic" is a relative term!

As each new Christmas season comes crashing down around me and I am tempted to be drawn into the hectic rush that commercialism has made it, I always go back to the words: "Peace on earth, good will to man." Where did we misplace the "Silent Night?" Aauugghh!! Christmas was not meant to be hectic!

And when it comes to de-peacifying Christmas, I'm afraid we salvos have been the worst culprits. I don't know too many officers who make it through the season without pulling most of their hair out . . . (except those in headquarters appointments!). "It's our busiest time of year," we routinely tell people. Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it. Not the helping people part, just the 24/7 activity that keeps us focused on anything but spiritual matters.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. - Jesus (John 14:27)

I've found it just takes a few moments to "center" myself and get back to the peace I usually live in. If silence is golden then peace is platinum.

This season don't let it all get to you. Stop long enough, whenever you need it, to get back in the center of Holy Spirit's presence. That's what it's all about.

I'm Thankful

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful...

- That I'm not a turkey.

- That grass doesn't grow through snow, necessitating winter mowing as well as shoveling.

- That there are only twenty-four hours available each day for TV programming.

- That there aren't twice as many Congressional Representatives and half as many doctors.

- That teenagers ultimately will have children who will become teenagers.

- That the space available for messages on T-shirts and bumpers is limited.

- That snow covers the unraked leaves.

- That hugs and kisses don't add weight or cause cancer.

- That DVDs and radios and TV sets and washers and mixers and lights can be turned off.

- That no one can turn off the moon and stars.

- That it's not required to make a blog entry every day.

- That God answers prayer.

What are YOU thankful for?

The Growing List of Blogs

The blogging community is an interesting place! I love it when I discover a new blog by someone I know. Now my problem is how to keep my blog-reading time down to a reasonable daily exercise! Imagine this scene in heaven:

Jesus: So what did you accomplish on earth?
Me: Lots of things, I guess.
Jesus: Did you keep in touch with the people I wanted you to?
Me: Well, not always, but I DID read their blogs!

Hmm. There must be a cut off I can live with somewhere! If anyone can help me, I'd appreciate it! Well, on to my point (and I DO have one).

If you notice, I've got a growing list of blogs that I recommend to the right. Since I now list them in a "greater than sign" pattern, you might not notice any new ones I put up. PLEASE notice "Ambassador for Christ." This is NOT one of those "what I did today" type of blogs. She has some awesome stuff to say and says it well. I "found myself" in her words more than once, in just one entry!

Let me know what you think. Or at least let her know by leaving comments.

Interesting Site for the Day

So much for the game "Six Steps of Separation." This new site does it in the least steps . . . and does it between anything- not just actors!

Click below and enter any two words/things and find out what I mean.

http://www.omnipelagos.com/

How about William Booth and The Matrix?

The Fall of Lucifer

I just finished reading a new book by Realms Publishing (a Strang Company) titled "The Fall of Lucifer."

One word: "Awesome!"

The author, Wendy Alec, has seemingly been shown how it all happened and has woven a very emotional, worship inspiring epic which is hard to put down. I absolutely loved it! I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy/fiction.

"The Fall of Lucifer" is Book 1 in a series called "The Chronicles of Brothers" that traces the angelic brotherhood of Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer. Unfortunately, Book 2 won't be published until October 2006. But you can bet, I'll have it on pre-order to read as soon as it hits the market.

Here is the company's blurb on their new line of books:

Discover Christian fiction that charts realms no living human has visited before. Fantasy, supernatural thrillers, time travel, spiritual warfare, futuristic fiction. Mind-stretching thrillers from the most imaginative Christian authors of our day. Every book a portal to another world, another reality. Travel through time to biblical Babylon in Fallen from Babel. Battle demons dethroned in a fantasy kingdom in Daughter of Prophecy. Escape mechanical assassins in The Personifid Project. And enter heaven itself-in time to see the first seeds of evil spring forth-in The Fall of Lucifer. Realms: Christian Fiction whose time has come.

Check out their web site for more details on this and other books.

http://www.realmsfiction.com

If you're interested in buying "The Fall of Lucifer," you can click on my picture link to the right and it will take you to the cheapest place I found to buy it.

Let me know if you read it and what you think.

Warren & Jody’s Blessing

Last Thursday through Saturday I traveled to New Jersey for the wedding of a couple of long time friends- Warren & Jody. I had a great time and was especially honored by Warren to be his Best Man. I think (mostly) I kept him sane for the couple of days before the big event!

One of my responsibilities was to offer a "toast" at the reception. After thinking about it, I decided I should rather pronounce a blessing. After appropriate prayer and listening to God's answer for them, this is what I spoke over them:


This union is God’s design for you and He revels in it even more than you.

He covers over you with His Banner of Love and watches over your way.

He has prepared limitless blessings for you to share and offers them freely.

As you walk together, you will follow in His footsteps while showing your Father’s kindness and gentleness to all who observe His love in you.

You will lead the way for many who seek His will in their own relationships; You will exemplify a life together that wafts a pleasing aroma to the throne of Yahweh and clearly points the way for them to follow; you will influence many- more than you would imagine.

God’s hand is here; He will be your hiding place; your strong tower in times of trouble and you will break through them all because you look to Him for guidance.


Have you ever had that feeling at a wedding that the two aren't quite right for each other? I have. But not this time! I am positive Warren & Jody listened carefully for God's choice for them and they have chosen well.

Don't Play Around!

Here's my story for the day:

Today Chris got his letter from the Division of Motor Vehicles. THE letter he's been waiting for, setting his appointment for his driving test. We've been expecting it for a few days now . . . Chris has been dying to get it for months now!

He sprained his wrist last Friday, so he asks his Mom to open it for him as he stands there salivating (but acting cool, not wanting us to know his anxiety). "What's it say" he asks?

"They denied your request for a test date," says Mom.

"WHAT?!?" moans Chris! "What do you mean?"

Mom breaks out laughing, not able to keep a straight face any longer!

Chris says angrily, "Don't do that!" But after he sees me join in, he laughs too, but not really heart-felt. I am ultimately relieved we averted a heart attack.

The moral of the story? Don't play around with THE driving test date of a 16 year old! {whew! lol}

A Preacher Recommendation

I've got an awesome preacher to recommend for you. His name is Rob Bell. He's the founding pastor at the Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan (one of the fastest growing churches in American history!). I heard about him from a friend who went to a conference where he spoke. I heard some of his stuff and was totally jazzed! He's incredible!

If you want to hear him, here's a link to his web site where you can download the latest sermons spoken at their church. I assume the other speakers are good as well, but so far I've only listened to Rob.

http://www.mhbcmi.org/listen/index.php

Download. Listen. Be blessed. You won't regret it. Then let me know what you think of him.

Christmas MIAs

A couple of days ago, our family (sans Jenn who's left us for Canada) drove a few hours to our divisional officer's Christmas party. Yeah- we had it on November 4th, but that's because corps officer's often have lots to do straight through the end of the year and taking a day or two off during our Christmas season is nigh impossible! {sigh}

Anyway, while there, my thoughts drifted off to those who did not show up. There were quite a few. Now I assume there are as many reasons for not coming as there were people who did not come, but I missed them and was sad they were not there to taste a bit of our divisional officer family.

In Northern New England we are quite spread out and it takes some corps many hours to travel just half-way across our division for any particular event! So one of the ways we have eased that difficulty is to schedule fewer divisional events than most other divisions. That's good for a lot of reasons, but one it's not good for is our lack of getting together with each other.

We really do need each other and I hope those who did not show up still take opportunity to fellowship outside of their own little worlds. Often we can't see the greater forest for the trees in our immediate face. Maybe we'll have to get out there to see some of them one of these days.

Here's to our Christmas MIAs: May God bless them too much!

Do you have any Christmas MIAs that could use your attention? Maybe they're just regular weekly church MIAs? Hmmm.

Happy Birthday Miriam!

Happy 15th Birthday Miriam J. Martinez Moedano!

The Burr family "adopted" Miriam when she was 9 years old. We have sponsored her ever since, keeping track of her life through the mail. World Vision is doing a wonderful job of taking care of her! We are pleased to help them.

In the Western world we have so much. Maybe too much. I thank God daily for all of it. But what kind of Christian would I be if I didn't share what I have with those who have so much less? Not to sound like I'm patting my own back here. I could be doing much more and I should be.

Who are the Miriam's in your life? They might not be in Mexico. They might just be in your own backyard! I challenge you to look around you and discover what kind of difference you can make in the lives of others. Maybe it's serving in a Soup Kitchen. Maybe it's adopting an orphan and taking them into your home. Maybe it's living simply so that others may simply live. Maybe it's supporting a child in another country. Maybe it's . . . ?

What are you doing? Tell me about it; leave a comment.

Running on Empty?

Those who are empty of God are usually full of themselves.

Down the Slippery Slope

Yesterday Mainers affirmed our recent anti-discrimination law. On the surface, that sounds good, right? I mean, who wants to discriminate against anyone? Well in politics, often the words are arranged in such a way as to actually mean the opposite thing. That's exactly what happened in this case.

This vote was actually an attempt to repeal a recent law which gives gays legal rights to not be discriminated against. Let me first state that no one- no matter who they are, what color they are or what they believe should be discriminated against. Discrimination is an abomination. But this is just a small step that will lead to a progressive gay rights agenda in our state. The future will prove the truth of this statement.

What bothers me most about this referendum was its wording. If you were for it, you had to vote no. If you were against it, you had to vote yes. I believe there were many people who misunderstood their vote. Why did "they" have to word it this way? Because they knew it would be to their advantage. They were right and it worked. The vote was relatively close. If a hair more than 5% of the voters voted differently, the results would have been the opposite.

I believe those who are radically for or against any particular issue (often a minority) stir up plenty of votes while the largest percentage of the people are ignorant of the situation. The majority loses for lack of interest or understanding.

Now we're heading down a very slippery slope. Maine's in trouble if we don't watch carefully what our next steps are.

There's Power in the Blood!

When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land. - 2 Kings 3:26-27

At first look, this passage may only be confusing. Why would there be fury against Israel when the king of Moab killed his own son? I looked this up in a few commentaries and one actually suggested that God got mad at Israel for making the king of Moab do such a thing.

What?! God sent them against the Moabites in the first place!

Sometimes the answer is so obvious we miss it completely.

An offering of life-blood causes a real transaction of power in the spiritual realm. For instance- when Adam and Eve sinned, God shed animal blood to provide them with clothing. God told the Israelites to shed animal blood on an altar to atone for their sins. Or more importantly, when humankind sinned, God shed his own Son's blood to atone. This is more than just a gory ritual!

When the king of Moab offered his son as a sacrifice to his god, that blood provided spiritual power to the demon they worshipped and they were able to overcome the Israelites with that power.

There is real power in the spiritual realm that is all around us! That realm exists and it is accessed by anyone serving Yahweh . . . or serving Satan.

What Christians need to understand is that Jesus' blood offering is a more powerful sacrifice than any other of all time- either past, present or future! Through the blood of Christ, we have the victory over anything The Enemy can throw against us.

Anything!

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! - Hebrews 9:11-14

There's power in the Blood of the Lamb! Hallelujah!

You Just Know it!

Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the LORD your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! - Joshua 23:14

I came across this verse a couple of days ago and was floored! I know it's true, but it just jumped out at me. It was one of those times when Holy Spirit quickened his Word directly to my heart. For some reason, I needed this wonderful promise to settle me and give me peace. It worked!

What an awesome God we serve! He is faithful beyond anything we could ever hope to accomplish or imagine. He has never gone back on his word.

Is it?

Common Sense.

Think about it.

One thing for sure- it isn't. Common, I mean. If it were, more people would have it. But I find it is actually quite a rare commodity.

I wish more people had it. We'd all be a lot better off.

My Firecrest Visit

Right now I'm sitting in the Philly airport waiting for a pilot. They didn't tell us what happened, but we're now waiting for our new pilot who should be arriving from another airport in about an hour. That's not too bad a delay. Up to now everything has gone without a hitch. Besides, I've got plenty to read, a crossword puzzle book and my laptop to keep me company! I should arrive home about 1-1&1/2 hours later than originally scheduled.

I'm basking in warm thoughts of my last few days at the Atlanta CFOT (College for Officer Training). Things went better than I could have planned myself. While they worked me almost as hard as Steve Court (I love it!), I did get plenty of sleep at nights and didn't have to deal with a 3 hour time change.

Monday I got lost twice trying to find baggage claim at the Atlanta airport, but found my things just before Shimei Hewitt and Major John Needham arrived to pick me up. They dropped me off at my room to settle in and freshen up before my first class with the Firecrest students.

Their first session is graduating very soon and will be sent out to their inner city appointments next week. They may be a bit small in number (they've lost a couple), but the ones still there sure make up for it in depth and enthusiasm! Teddy, Brent, Shimei and Doyle were joined by Nemin (there from India for the next session starting soon), and Tammi (Shimei's sister who is working in an administrative capacity for the program).

I taught a class 2 times a day 9:30 - noonish and 1:30-3:30ish. Then I scheduled individual prayer ministry sessions in the evenings right after dinner (I even squeezed a couple extras in where I could). On Tuesday I taught a combined Spiritual Warfare class of 2nd year students and Firecresters in the AM. On Wednesday I also taught Listening Prayer at the local corps in the evening.

Here are my highlights (not in any special order): Seeing Shimei again and hearing her wonderful laugh! Getting to meet Tami and try to answer her many in-depth questions! Hanging out with Brent and Nemin (and guiding both their prayer sessions into some interesting discoveries)! Almost selling out of all the Battle Gear I brought with me (and even taking orders for more to send back)! Casting out a demon of suicide/death and seeing an amazing change in that person afterwards! The great questions and discussion in all my classes! Watching the corps peoples eyes light up when they discovered a new way to listen to God's voice in their own lives!

God is alive and well in Atlanta- and I was only too glad to be there and witness the evidence. I'd love to return for a longer stay next time (hint, hint)!

Chicken Anyone?

Imagine getting a job at KFC (all the chicken you can eat!). On your first day you grab the mop and scrub the floor really clean. In fact, it's never been so clean and people start noticing the cleanliness of the restaurant. You'd think your boss would congratulate you, right?

But you were hired to cook chicken! Now when people come in your really clean store, there's no chicken. They might admire your floor shine, but there's nothing they came looking for, so they leave . . . hungry.

You've been hired by God to perform a specific job in his family. Wouldn't it be nice if you actually did what he wanted you to do? Do you even know what task he's assigned you?

What are your spiritual gifts? What you actually accomplish in God's kingdom is based on what your gifts are. If you don't yet know your gifts, how in the world can you possibly know what your job description is? And won't the church suffer if you aren't doing your job?

Hey- I need you to do your job. Not mine or anyone else's- your job. We need more "chicken" in the church. Get with the program.