You're Allowed to do Nothing

I'm really not much on about things like fortune cookies, et al, but I DO believe God can and DOES speak to us in a myriad of ways- including such things now and then. The key is being open and listening to hearing his voice at any time. I mean, he spoke through a donkey to Balaam once!

For example, last year on vacation I opened a "Dove Dark Chocolate Promise" candy and God used the message on the wrapper to speak to me. At that time I wasn't sure it was really God, but when I opened another one a day or so later, it had the same message. And because God was "pumping me so hard in the ribs with his elbow," I knew I needed to take the advise he was offering through this particular medium. I even might have blogged about it at the time.

Anyway, with that preamble I'm here to tell you I opened another Dove candy tonight and was almost bowled over with the message:

"You're allowed to do nothing."

Now that probably means nothing to you, but just this morning I said to Debbie: "I'm feeling guilty this year on vacation. Like I shouldn't be just doing nothing."

Now you can take that kind of stuff as coincidence if you'd like. But I don't believe in coincidence- I believe in Godincidence. Either that, or a coincidence is just a time when God chooses to remain anonymous. Take your pick.

This morning in my prayer time, I asked God about my idleness (when we need to be working to win the world) and he told me it was okay to rest. I've always believed that, but for some reason, I'm having trouble shutting things out this year and stopping the mad rush of busyness I left back in Maine.

Okay, God- I get it. I heard you and I'll listen. Too bad it took me over a week of vacation to start thinking about stopping.

Tomorrow we've got a few things planned, but I think I might just map out a nice nap on the couch.

Where All is Cozy and Warm

Just so everybody knows . . .

We're on furlough in beautiful, WARM Florida for the next couple of weeks. Visiting Dad, soaking in the sun, playing golf, watching the D-Rays play games AT Tropicana Stadium (GO D-Rays!), checking out flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores, strolling in all the malls, reading, etc (still checking email and Lotus Notes).

I'm trying not to hang around the computer as much while here (but it's not working very well so far), but I'm thinking deep thoughts in between everything going on. So maybe I'll post some things now and then. We'll see.

Keep checking.

Aha!

REBUILDING IN THE GULF
Hundreds of WMDs discovered in Iraq
Bombshell report notes 500 chemical weapons including sarin, mustard gas, more to be found

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Posted: June 21, 2006; 10:39 p.m. Eastern

© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

The U.S. has located some 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003 with more likely to be found, according to two Republican members of Congress trumpeting a newly declassified portion of a government report.

"We have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said at an afternoon news conference.

Santorum read from a declassified portion of a report by the National Ground Intelligence Center, a Defense Department intelligence unit, which noted: "Since 2003, coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent. Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq's pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist."

The Pennsylvania senator, who appeared with Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, outlined six key points contained in the unclassified overview:

• Since 2003 Coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent.
• Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq's pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist.
• Pre-Gulf War Iraqi chemical weapons could be sold on the black market. Use of these weapons by terrorists or insurgent groups would have implications for Coalition forces in Iraq. The possibility of use outside Iraq cannot be ruled out.
• The most likely munitions remaining are sarin and mustard-filled projectiles.
• The purity of the agent inside the munitions depends on many factors, including the manufacturing process, potential additives, and environmental storage conditions. While agents degrade over time, chemical warfare agents remain hazardous and potentially lethal.
• It has been reported in open press that insurgents and Iraqi groups desire to acquire and use chemical weapons.

(You can go to http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Iraq_WMD_Declassified.pdf to read the declassified portion of the NGIC report in PDF format)

"I never doubted for a second that this day would come because we knew [Saddam Hussein] had them," said host Sean Hannity on "Hannity & Colmes." "It's funny to watch liberals [who complain], 'Bush lied! He hyped! He misled!' ... How about liberals now apologize to the country?"

"These are not the weapons that we went to war over," Democrat strategist Laura Schwartz responded. "It does not tell us that Saddam Husssein had an ongoing, active weapons program."

One senior Defense Department official told Fox News the chemical weapons were not in useable conditions.

"This does not reflect a capacity that was built up after 1991," the official said, adding the munitions "are not the WMDs this country and the rest of the world believed Iraq had, and not the WMDs for which this country went to war."

Also appearing on Fox News was former U.N. weapons inspector Tim Trevan, who said some of the weapons could still have posed a danger, even in a deteriorated state.

"Sarin could be a danger," he said. "The mustard, the problem is when it sits in the munition for a very long time in these high temperatures, it polymerizes. It goes from a liquid to a gooey mass."

"Probably more important is why has the administration not made this public beforehand," retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerny said of the report. "I think the fact is that the Russians moved large stocks [of WMDs] out in the fall of 2002. ... They went into three locations into Syria, in one location in the Bekaa Valley. If you get in there and if you found those weapons and found the precursors, the fingerprints would go back to Russia, China and France. Now those are the three countries that had the most conventional weapons sales to Saddam Hussein. ... I believe they were complicit. So I don't think the administration wants to trash three of the five members of the [U.N.] Security Council."

Keeping it Fresh

I read a conversation article with Eugene Peterson the other day (Discipleship Journal #154) and one of the things he said has been banging around in my head ever since. First the quote, then some of my thoughts (while still in process).

"Gradually I began to understand what the church had been teaching for centuries, namely, that it is in God's nature to seek us out and draw us into participation with what he is doing. I realized that he was a lot more interested in my relationship with him than I was. I relaxed. I began to cultivate quiet, listening and ordinary obedience. The less interested I became in 'keeping my relationship with God alive,' the more I was able to notice and participate in what God was doing to keep me in relationship with him."

Is it possible we sometimes just work too hard on our relationship with God? In a laudable effort to make sure we are faithful in our "devotions," might we push beyond the legalism barrier? Is it possible to be so faithful, we miss the point and lose the personal side of relationship? Can something that's supposed to be natural and comfortable become tense?

A few years ago, God gave me a specific appointment for prayer. I was to meet with him for an hour at 5 AM every day! Yeah- at first it was a bear, but I began to settle into the schedule and because the day really hadn't "started" yet, I often went well beyond the hour. This went on for about 6 months and I was perhaps at an all time spiritual high. I often couldn't wait till 5 AM!

One day while I was praying, God spoke to me very clearly and said: "stop praying." I assumed he meant right then, so I left my prayer room and began my day. The next morning when I went to pray, God was not there. I experienced the proverbial "Brass Heavens." Nothing seemed to get through. It was like I had a brass urn over my head that wouldn't let anything out; every prayer fell flat. All I heard was "stop praying."

My thoughts focused around how I must be misunderstanding. After all, don't we always teach the importance of praying every day? God couldn't be telling me to stop praying. No way!

Then a friend (who at the time often experienced similar spiritual things as I was going through), hesitantly mentioned God had told her to stop praying. At first she must have thought my stare of disbelief was condemning, but after I shared what God had told me, we both decided to actually try it.

After months of regular routine, it was hard! But during the next few weeks, I learned what Paul meant when he said we should "pray without ceasing." Instead of a legalistic routine, I was in touch with God constantly and I was able to relax. I have since learned to live in God's presence and still spend "specific time in prayer and Bible reading."

Lately, I've been struggling with my daily prayer time again. Peterson's words make me realize my relationship with God is not all up to me. It's a living relationship with give and take on both sides. Even when I'm messing up, God's still deeply involved in keeping "us" alive and fresh.

Good thing!

Raising the Comfort Level

I experienced something very disconcerting during our trip to New Jersey this past weekend. When we went to a restaurant, I noticed a lot of black people. When we went to the mall, I noticed a lot of Asian people. At one point (I don't remember where we were), I noticed a lot of Hispanic people. Noticing the vast melting pot is nothing new, since we lived in that area for all of our officer career prior to these last 6 years in Maine. What was disconcerting was that in these situations, I felt uncomfortable and a bit nervous.

When we first traveled to Maine for a day visit, we saw no black people while we were there and that bothered us tremendously. We were comfortable with diverse ethnicity and were concerned about what cultural homogeny would be like.

Since living in Maine (specifically Bangor), we have discovered there is no prejudice toward blacks- there just aren't enough here to be seen as a "threat." Where we see prejudice is toward Asians, who are the fastest growing ethnic group in our area. Granted, this prejudice is minor, because there just aren't enough Asians around to make much difference either, but it is there nonetheless.

Fear comes from the unknown; if you don't know something, you are generally afraid of it. Prejudice comes from the same roots- people not understanding other cultures. Usually, the fear is abated when you begin to learn.

When you spend time in a certain situation, you gain a comfort level. But the longer you are away from that situation, the further you get from being comfortable. I did not like seeing that my comfort level had been lowered regarding other cultures. Rats!

The more I think about this, the more I am drawn to think about people who spend no time around God. They don't understand him (well who does?) or "religion" so their comfort level is very low. They avoid every situation where God might even be mentioned. In effect, they are afraid of God.

How much more then, do we need to be examples of who God is? God with skin. When people get comfortable with us and begin to trust us, they might just begin to open up to experiencing God for themselves. After all, we aren't so bad.

Are we?

Congratulations John!

Friday night we participated in the retirement celebration of the New Jersey division's longest active employee- John Rahm. John started working for TSA Red Bank Corps 1 year after Debbie was born (and I'll leave the number of those years to you to figure out)!

We had a great time remembering John's many exploits and funny stories. You might imagine- a lot of years means a lot of stories!

We remember John fondly- from his passion for keeping the Army building clean to standing kettles; from his Christian witness to his faithful work ethic. It's going to be hard thinking of TSA in Red Bank without John somewhere in the picture.

The best thing about John is that he developed a solid work ethic early in life. Even though he has a disability, he never let that stop him from applying himself to the task at hand (so much so, in fact, that he has actually been supporting his family for many years). I've seen many people over the years let small things keep them from working or getting involved in life. Not John! There are few things John hasn't done- and with gusto. His example is incredible and makes me proud to know him.

While celebrating, I looked around the room and got to thinking about those long-time employees who are so faithful to our Army. It's a real satisfying feeling to know you hired people like Fonie and they're still a big part of what makes that particular corps tick.

And then I saw people who we made soldiers who are now in that employee mix (Bev & Debbie)- working steadily and faithfully for God's Kingdom in The Salvation Army. Who knows? Maybe many years down the road they'll be retiring after long years of faithful service? I can definitely see it.

I Praise God for those faithful employees. And I thank him for letting me be a part of their service, even if for only 9 years. I am better for having served by their sides.

The Salvation Army Raises Awareness of Human Trafficking at World Cup

The Salvation Army has launched a campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking at the World Cup.

Posted: Wednesday, June 14 , 2006, 8:20 (BST) Christianity Today

The Salvation Army has launched a campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking at the World Cup and make known that although prostitution may be legal in many parts of Germany, sex with a trafficked woman is 'rape'.

Moreover, UK citizens can be prosecuted for illegal sex acts such as sex with a trafficked woman in this country as well as abroad.

Volunteers for The Salvation Army travelled to Old Trafford for the England versus Hungary match and distributed around 10,000 postcards with hard-hitting slogans ‘You chose her. She definitely didn't choose you.' and ‘Offensive action? Does it offend you?' The postcards contain facts about trafficking as well as 24-hour helpline numbers for anyone who suspects a woman is trafficked and needs advice.

A UN report on human trafficking issued last month listed Germany as one of the top destinations for the women, mostly between 18 and 25, who are secreted across borders from countries like Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria. A 2005 US State Department found that Russia alone accounted for one-quarter of the 1,235 victims of forced prostitution reported in Germany in 2003.

The main venue in Berlin now has a 3000-metre fenced-in area filled with ‘performance boxes', equipped with condoms and showers.

The sex trade comprises the biggest proportion of the European trafficking industry, notes the National Board of Catholic Women in England and Wales.

Anti-sex slave activists point out that "trafficked women dare not speak about the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual violence done to them day after day."

In order to make fans aware of the situation and gain support on the issue, 40 Salvation Army volunteers from the UK travelled to Germany to distribute 90,000 postcards to World Cup fans in Germany.

"The Salvation Army wants to make people travelling to Germany this summer aware that if they choose to go to a brothel, they may be choosing to pay for sex with a trafficked woman. Sex with a trafficked woman is rape and is an illegal and immoral activity," commented Duncan Parker of The Salvation Army.

"Every year over 2 million people are trafficked across international borders for the purposes of exploitation, whether that be in the form of commercial sex, domestic service or manual labour. Many trafficked victims are stolen from their homes, many are sold by their families, and many are lured away from their homes by the prospect of a well-paid job or a better life in another country. All of these people are being exploited against their will."

Human trafficking is the third largest illegal industry in the world after the drugs and arms trade, with more than 2 million people trafficked every year.

Trombonists and Trumpet Players

Three Trombonists and three Trumpet players are traveling by train through Europe on a brass choir tour. At the station, the Trumpet players each buy tickets and watch as the three Trombonists buy only a single ticket among them.

"How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" asks a Trumpet player.

"Watch and you'll see," answers the Trombonist.

They all board the train. The Trumpet players take their respective seats but all three Trombonists cram into a restroom and close the door behind them. Shortly after the train has departed, the conductor comes around collecting tickets. He knocks on the restroom door and says, "Ticket, please." The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor takes it and moves on.

The Trumpet players saw this and agreed it was quite a clever idea. So after the performance, the Trumpet players decided to copy the Trombonists (as they always do) on the return trip and save some money (being clever with money and all that). When they get to the station, they buy a single ticket for the return trip. To their astonishment, the Trombonists don't buy a ticket at all.

"How are you going to travel without a ticket?" asks one perplexed Trumpet player.

"Watch and you'll see," answers a Trombonist.

When they board the train the three Trumpet players quickly cram into one restroom, and then the Trombonists quickly cram into another one nearby. The train departs.

Shortly afterward, one of the Trombonists leaves their restroom and walks over to the restroom where the Trumpet players are hiding. He knocks on the door and says, "Ticket, please....."

And a Little Child Will Lead Them

Well, maybe not "little" and not really a "child," but this morning at our service, while we were still singing, one of our teens went to the altar. A moment later, another. Then another. And then some adults too. What do you know- on Pentecost SonDay, Holy Spirit showed up again- this time in Bangor!

Before we were half way through the meeting, we had seen many people weeping, praying, listening and seeking God all over the room. One of our teens even got saved! It was all so powerful, you could actually feel God's manifest presence.

By the time I got up to preach, we had already "had the message" and my words were: "How do you follow God?" (follow, like go after him on the program). But God still had more for us.

My message was on finding God when we seek him. Afterwards, almost everyone in the room stood and agreed to seek God with their whole hearts. Then, instead of going home to seek God, I said "why wait?" and we took the time to seek after God right then. More people came to the altar. Others knelt where they were seating and Holy Spirit continued to move in our midst.

I later heard one of our Prayer Warriors say to me: "Our prayers for revival are finally being answered. And in what better way than through our kids!"

One of our corps goals states: "To actively seek God's Presence and live in it as often as possible." After all, why should God only show up once a year, perhaps at Youth Councils? Why not seek him and allow him to show up every week? And why only on SonDays? Why not every day?

Why not indeed! Our God is an Awesome God! Yahweh reigns!

I Can no More be Careless

Some of you will remember I mentioned a similar book I read recently about hell. That author got me thinking and I followed up on some of his references which led me to this book. I could hardly put it down.

The author's style is not deep, but it is certainly easy to read in a simple format. If you're interested in getting the book, click on the picture.

What I believe most important about any study on hell, is that we need to somehow catch a glimpse of its reality. If hell exists as Christianity teaches, then it must be the most awful, terrifying, horrible place. And to think people are (and will be) stuck there for eternity in constant torment! Because this thought is almost too much for us to bear, we ignore hell.

But Jesus spoke a lot about hell, so it must be real and we must realize how very important our job of helping him keep people from going there. He gave his all to keep people from hell. What are we doing about it?

I tell you, I have a fresh desire to do what I can to help Jesus. And what do you know- it just so happens to be the mission of The Salvation Army:

Too long at ease in Zion

I've been content to dwell,

While multitudes are dying

And sinking into Hell.

I can no more be careless,

And say there's naught to do,

The fields are white to harvest

And laborers are few.

#482, Song Book of The Salvation Army