Light Seeker

My Daily Devotional Today . . .

2008-11-15T22:21:00.003-05:00

November 15: Could This Be Next?

Dear Mom:

Gosh, can you believe it's 2023 already?… It seems just yesterday I was sitting in first grade celebrating the century change. I know we haven't really chatted since Christmas. Sorry. Anyway, I have some difficult news and I really didn't want to call and talk face-to-face. Ted's had a promotion and I should be up for a hefty raise this year if I keep putting in those crazy hours. You know how I work at it. Yes, we're still struggling with the bills.

Timmy's been 'okay' at kindergarten although he complains about going. But then, he wasn't happy about day care either, so what can I do? He's been a real problem, Mom. He's a good kid, but quite honestly, he's an unfair burden at this time in our lives. Ted and I have talked this through and through and finally made a choice. Plenty of other families have made it and are much better off.

Our pastor is supportive and says hard decisions are necessary. The family is a 'system' and the demands of one member shouldn't be allowed to ruin the whole. He told us to be prayerful, consider all the factors, and do what is right to make the family work. He says that even though he probably wouldn't do it himself, the decision is really ours. He was kind enough to refer us to a children's clinic near here, so at least that part's easy.

I'm not an uncaring mother. I do feel sorry for the little guy. I think he overheard Ted and me talking about 'it' the other night. I turned around and saw him standing at the bottom of the step in his PJ's with the little bear you gave him under his arm and his eyes sort of welling up. Mom, the way he looked at me just about broke my heart. But honestly I believe this is better for Timmy, too.

It's not fair to force him to live in a family that can't give him the time and attention he deserves. And please don't give me the kind of grief Grandma gave you over your abortions. It is the same thing, you know. We've told him he's just going in for a vaccination. Anyway, they say it is painless. I guess it's just as well you haven't seen that much of him.

Love to Dad:
Jane

"You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)

-Facts of the Matter, (First Things First, Page 84, Number 85)

Holes + Discouragement + God = Faith

2008-11-02T10:02:00.004-05:00

OCTOBER 30, MORNING

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh. - Lamentations 3:26

Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger withheld his tender mercies? - I said in my alarm, I am cut off from Your sight: nevertheless You heard my cry for mercy when I cried to You for help.

Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night, will he keep putting them off? - Wait on Yahweh and he will save you. - Rest in Yahweh and wait patiently for him: do not fret because men succeed in their ways; when they carry out their wicked schemes.

You will not need to fight in this battle: take up your positions; stand firm and see the salvation of Yahweh.

Let us not become weary in doing good: for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. - Be patient then until Yahweh's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the Autumn and Spring rains.

Psalm 77:9. Psalm 31:22. Luke 18:7,8. Proverbs 20:22. Psalm 37:7. 2 Chronicles 20:17. Galatians 6:9. James 5:7. - Daily Light on the Daily Path

- - - - - -

This is what I read first thing last Thursday morning. I have no idea how these words affect you right now, but to me they were a generous sprinkler to a dry lawn!

Some of you know our situation. For those who don't, let's just say our RI finances are impossible. After a little more than a year, we have seen very little change. In some ways, things have gotten worse, despite some enormous attempts to bring it under control. It can be very discouraging!

In times like these the days roll unendingly into each other and you begin to doubt God's presence- or at least his promises and blessing.

Then God throws you a bone!

As I ponder anew God's promises and blessing, I am encouraged. Is the end to our financial woes in sight? Absolutely not. But I have learned not to get off the train in the tunnel. There IS light ahead even if I don't see it right now. And in my experience of these things God has NEVER failed!

Even though I sometimes feel like there's no possible way out of this hole, I can remember the many times before when God has brought me out of the hole. This may be the biggest hole I've ever faced, but it's not bigger than God!

And my faith continues to grow . . .

The Blood Sacrifice

2008-10-28T14:57:00.003-04:00

DISCLAIMER: You know I have strong political beliefs, but with this note I am trying to avoid them for a deep spiritual purpose. I know to some of you it won’t look like I am trying to avoid anything, but I put this here to assure you my purpose is not political, even though it may make you think that way. I use strong words, because this is a strong issue that needs to be addressed. I am not looking for a fight- I don’t have it in me right now. So please read this prayerfully.

- - - -

There are many issues we need to think about during election campaigns. I have always been a bit concerned with those who simplify things down to one major issue and have agreed with those who have said “you can’t do that; there are too many other factors that need to be considered.”

But I read an email the other day that has made me think differently. At least about one particular issue- abortion.

In 2 Kings 3:26-27 there is a strange case of the king of Moab in battle with Israel. The battle is going against him, so he sacrifices his son and the battle changes so drastically that Israel quits and goes away. There is something important in this story!

Here is the spiritual premise: a blood sacrifice releases much power in the spiritual realm.

I need not remind any of you of THE great blood sacrifice that released such great spiritual power that we are redeemed from our sin! We are the direct recipients of the power of a blood sacrifice.

Jesus’ sacrifice obviously overshadows any possible comparison, but we cannot ignore the fact that a blood sacrifice also empowers the enemy and his forces that fight against God. We have seen the results of such blood sacrifice over the years- in scripture and more recently, specifically with Nazi Germany against Israel. The blood sacrifice of God’s chosen people brought great power to the Nazi regime.

As we look at the HUGE blood sacrifices that have been and are being offered to evil through abortion today in the USA, it really doesn’t take much to see that evil is running powerfully rampant in our society. God himself turns against those who choose to go against his ways. As a country, the single most important spiritual issue we face is how we deal with the innocent. God will not continue to sit by and bless those who blatantly trash his precepts.

Is the economy an important issue in this election? Yes it is. Could it be going awry because of the strong influence of evil empowered by a blood sacrifice? Yes it could. Could any other issue be put in this same category? Of course it could.

My point is, we need to change the way abortion is empowering the enemy in this country. The fact that we are so blind to this issue only goes to show how powerful the enemy has become in even fooling “the elect.” We need to eliminate the blood sacrifice that brings him such strength in his fight against God

How do we do that? By electing people who have strong convictions against allowing blood sacrifice to continue in this country. If we do that, we can begin walking the long path back to allowing God to bless this nation- again.

How does your candidate stand up to this test? The next president of the USA will probably have opportunity to at least place 2 new judges on the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the place where this abortion issue can be dealt with. If the next 2 appointments are pro abortion, we have lost the fight. If the next 2 appointments are anti abortion, we have a fighting chance to eliminate the enemy’s blood sacrifice empowerment and bring God’s blessing back.

Honestly, I believe there are a whole lot of important issues in this campaign. But as much as it is in my power, I cannot personally allow any of them to overshadow the importance of this one issue which can affect every other issue on the table. And God’s blessing, which we so desperately need.

Please pray hard and vote.

Leadership Series: Part 4. Fraternizing

2008-06-07T10:08:00.000-04:00

Perhaps "fraternization" isn't really the word I want here, but at least it should get your attention. What I'm referring to is how leadership relates to those they lead.

When I think of fraternization, I think of the military. I picture uniformed leaders with lots of brass on their shoulders (or at least a high rank) relating to the rank and file soldiers. Fraternization doesn't have a good connotation, for it brings to mind a leader relating to a lower soldier in ways that are not permitted. For instance, a leader dating a lower soldier- who has to obey the leader and would have a hard time putting off unwanted advances without placing themselves in a position of being disciplined by the leader if they do not obey. So rules against fraternization would be good for such situations.

This situation aside, there is a misunderstanding of what a leader's relationship should be to a follower. I recall a common discussion some of us had during our training school experience- whether Cadets should go to the altar at public meetings where soldiers could see them struggling. I recall being taught in a classroom that we should not let our people see we are struggling or that we have issues that need to be addressed at the altar. I immediately bristled at this thought!

Should we pretend we're not human? Should we act like once we have become officers we no longer have spiritual issues to deal with? What a sham! What a falsifying of the truth . . . what a lie.

Herein lies the real issue of this discussion- are leaders better than the people they lead? I offer a resounding NO!

We are all the body of Christ and a leader merely has a different role to play than any other part of that body. Not more important, just different. Not more important than an intercessor, just different. Not more important than an administrator, just different (yes, a leader is different than an administrator). Not more important than those who speak in tongues, just different. etc, et al.

A leader is not higher than, rather equal to; on a par with; on the same level. It is Jesus alone who rises above us all. Yet what was his response to this very discussion going on among his followers?

Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
- Luke 22:24-27 (NIV)

At another place Jesus says "you are not servants, I call you friends." With that kind of example, how in the world can I, chosen by this very Jesus to be a leader, act any differently than he did? What would be my justification? How could I stand before him and say, "I know you said 'do it this way,' but I think . . ."

This goes back to a previous post where I told you about my desire for people to call me "Doug." I'm not interested in you knowing or using my rank or my position. It's man-made and offers nothing in the spiritual realm we move in.

Perhaps there are those who are insecure in their position, who feel it necessary to make sure their subordinates (really not a good word here!) show them the "proper respect" (whatever that is). I believe you cannot require respect from people. If they do not have it, you cannot manufacture it. It will come only when they see your love for them and desire to work with them, shoulder to shoulder. Not over them or above them.

A leader's task is to gather people together and lead them as a team. Each using their gifts together for the benefit of the team to accomplish what God has for them to do. Where each member takes the "lead" now and then in their area of expertise.

My people are not "my people," they are Jesus' people- I am just the hired hand; the steward of what The Master owns. I have to report back to him with how I treat his loved ones. Woe unto me if I do not treat them after the manner he does!

Just in case you're wondering- I fraternize with the best of 'em!

Please Pray with us for our Friend

2008-05-05T23:00:00.004-04:00

Friends, An employee and friend of ours, has been out sick for the last 2 weeks. His doctor's have not been able to figure out what was wrong with him, until a couple of days ago. They discovered a tumor covered by a large cyst in his brain. The plan was to do exploratory surgery tomorrow (Tuesday 5/6) to figure out what their next step should be. However, they just decided to go in tomorrow around 3PM to remove as much as they can. This sounds good, but it means it is more dangerous. Everyone involved is very concerned now and his whole family will be there tomorrow. It is very serious and there could be complications.

Other than a complete healing even before they start, we are praying for a long surgery (approx 5 hrs), because that will mean they can deal with it all at once. If it is a short surgery (approx 2 hrs), then it means they were not able to deal with it all and will have to go in again at a later date.

The good part is that he just got saved a few days ago! He truly had an experience with God and he is talking about the change he has noticed- already! He is concerned that he will be able to keep up this change after he recovers.

Please pray with us and I will keep you posted once we have results. Any biopsy will take a few days to get results, but we should know some immediate things shortly after the surgery (a few hours to a day or so).

God bless you!

"When" we All get to Heaven

2008-04-24T10:38:00.000-04:00

Here's another brief interruption in my Leadership Series. Sorry, I just got to thinking . . .

I've been listening to some teaching files and also reading some books that have gotten me thinking about time. Since I love thinking about time (like a good SciFi time travel story), I'm going to share some thoughts I've been mulling around. I hope I don't lose anyone because our limited minds have no way to really conceptualize the absence of time (yet)! Hang on!

God created time and is therefore above time. How that looks, I guess, is to imagine a huge time line where the beginning of time is to the left and the end of time is to the right. Everything that happens in time can be plotted somewhere on that line. The fall of Rome, WW1, your birth, my Grandfather's death, my last haircut.

Then imagine God way up above that line looking down on it. God can see the beginning, the middle and end all at once. Anyone living in that time line, must travel through that time from left to right. But God sees it all happening at once and can focus on any part of the line whenever he wants (or even all parts at once!).

So now lets imagine someone from the past (to the left) leaving that time line and moving up to God. As they leave their time line, they go above that time with God and can look down to see the time line below them just like God can see it.

Imagine another person leaving the same time line from the future (to the right). As they leave their time, they go above that time with God and look down as well. And so on with anyone leaving the time line at any point in time.

So here's the part that may blow your mind: based on what I just had you imagine, what if everyone who leaves our time line (dies) arrives at God's Throne at the same "time?" I mean, can't you see people leaving their time line from their particular point in time and as they leave they look to the left and right to see everyone else leaving from their point in time. But the moment they leave their time line, they are no longer bound by time and everyone ends up getting to God all at once; together!

What if the way we've always thought about dying and getting to heaven (based on time) is just wrong? What if my Mom isn't really waiting for me, she left the time line at the same "moment" I "will" in the future!?

I mean, if God created time, you don't think he subjected himself to it (other than when Jesus entered our time line for a while)? If he's still above time, and I think we all pretty much agree on this, then when we get to him, we too will be above time!

So what does this do to some of the traditional concepts of "where we go to wait" until time is fulfilled (purgatory, paradise, Abraham's bosom, hades, et al)? No one's waiting for anything! In fact, "waiting" will cease to exist! Basically, we die- we immediately go to the big banquet party God has planned . . . OR we die and we immediately go to eternal judgment, which will be anything BUT a party.

I suppose we could die and go to a different place still within our time and wait, but what fun is that to think about?

So join me in mulling this around a bit. Anyone have anything else to add to the fun?

Leadership Series: Part 3. Developing a Team

2008-04-15T11:45:00.001-04:00

It's not about me.

Jesus seemed (still seems) very concerned that we understand the world does not revolve around us. William Booth got that and taught us well with his famous "Others" telegram. In fact I am told the world's smallest package is someone all wrapped up in himself!

Lucifer did not get that, fought God vehemently over this very subject, and has caused one third of God's angels and much of humanity to side with him in focusing on "Numero Uno." He still trips many of us up with this in a variety of nefarious ways.

How this fits into leadership is in the way a leader chooses to work with the people God has placed around him/her (notice I didn't say "under" him/her? We'll get to that in part 4). An apostolic leader will always understand that the church is made up of a body- a team. No one person can do it all by themselves. They NEED other members of the body if they expect to actually accomplish the mission God has for them in their area of ministry. Paul talked about this as a body working together. Let's try another analogy.

Imagine a baseball team- we'll take the Tampa Bay Rays, because their theme this year is "We are One Team" and that fits nicely! Each player has a specific role to play on the team. They "specialize," if you will. One may catch, one play infield, one outfield, one pitch, one coach. But there is even finer specialization- An outfielder may play left, center or right field. An infielder may play short stop, second, third or first base. A pitcher may be a starting pitcher, long reliever, set-up man, closer, left-handed reliever, etc. There are first base coaches, pitching coaches, batting coaches, et al.

No one person does it all. To get the job done and win the game, they work together as a team. Each person plays their specific role in which they are specifically trained.

Now place a superstar on that team (your pick- Crawford, Upton, Kazmir, Pena). Imagine them coming to spring training camp the first day and expecting to do it all. And it doesn't take much imagination to see the manager promptly kicking them off the team! It is simply impossible.

While the baseball analogy is easy to see, we still sometimes miss the concept in the church. True, the manager/leader leads all of the players on the team, but he ultimately gives them their job, steps back and lets THEM do it. You never see the manager on the field pitching, fielding or hitting for them.

I've got employees who work with me. I hire employees who know their job and after training, I trust them to do their job. Some of them are trained very specifically and often in areas I know little about. I do not do their job- I've got my own work to do. I coach and manage- sometimes even getting in there to work specifically with them for a time, but ultimately, it's their work to do.

When each employee does their job and I do my job a team develops. I don't own that team (the owner does. Hmm, who might that be?), I am merely a manager of that team.

Apostolic leadership develops a team, by getting the right people in the right jobs (based on how they are gifted and trained) then manages alongside of his team. He is not above his team, he is alongside them.

I am reminded of Jesus and how he worked with his disciples. Certainly he was the leader, but often he sent them off on their own to do their work. In fact, he ultimately placed his entire mission in their hands and left them to do it on their own. Well, not really on their own . . .

Next up: Part 4. Fraternizing.

Buying and Selling Friends on Facebook

2008-04-09T17:37:00.004-04:00

I'm taking a quick break in my Leadership Series to express myself AS I'm feeling some anger. I believe it is righteous anger, so I am speaking up about it.

I've got a problem with the 2 applications (I'm aware of) on facebook that are based around buying and selling your friends. Now I understand they're just games and they're based around how much your friends "value" you or having your friends as "pets," but these may just serve to desensitize us a bit to Human Traffiking.

Now I don't know about you, but one of the LAST things I want is to be desensitized to Human Traffiking! HT is a ghastly blight on all societies and humankind. When I even THINK of a small aspect of HT, I get seriously messed up inside. Anger, frustration, pain and a whole bunch of other feelings like that come rising up almost uncontrollably. Do I like that? No, but it is necessary if I am to stand up and fight against it.

I could throw some stats at you or talk about individuals who have been kidnapped into the world of HT, but I won't do that here. Not now. You just need to know my naked anger that we as human beings tolerate anything that even smacks of this vile practice.

I just blocked both of those applications on facebook. I don't know for sure what that means, but I'm hoping that if anyone tried to invite me any more, the invite will not come through. If not, I'm telling you right here, IF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF MY "FRIEND" ON FACEBOOK YOU WILL NOT INVITE ME ANYMORE TO BUY OR SELL HUMAN BEINGS! I WILL NOT TAKE PART! I may be dropping friends on the spot who send me any more of these invites.

I ask you to do think about this and maybe do the same thing. If you're using either of those apps- shame on you! What were you thinking?!

Perhaps a group should be formed against these games (although I believe facebook won't allow groups "against" other things). Perhaps we need to look into this. Maybe we can write a petition to facebook? If anyone has any suggestions that you know will work, please let me know. I'm willing to put some serious time into this, because I believe this practice must be stopped.

Human Traffiking is NOT a game and we should NOT be involved in supporting it in ANY way.

Leadership Series: Part 2. Concensus

2008-04-08T16:14:00.002-04:00

Are you ready for shocking statement #2?

Leadership is not about making the decisions. It is about listening through the Body for God's decision.

Consensus is an interesting thing. Here's the American Heritage Dictionary definition:

1. An opinion or position reached by a group as a whole or by majority will.
2. General agreement or accord.

The assumption is that everyone in the group will come to agreement with interaction and discussion. Sound impossible? Maybe in the world, but not in the church. Why? Two reasons:

1) The church should be together. We find this in the second chapter of Acts- the KJV uses the term "with one accord" (Greek 6374 Strong's: homou where we get the prefix "homo" as in "homogeneous"). This doesn't just mean they were in the same room together, it's more like "they were in agreement with each other."

2) The church has Holy Spirit to guide us. TSA doctrine #8 speaks of a witness within:

We believe that we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he that believes has the witness in himself.

This witness is Holy Spirit that lives within every believer and regenerates us into salvation. In other words, the Holy Spirit within me is the SAME Holy Spirit within you. And God cannot have 2 opinions about something. If Holy Spirit tells me one thing, he will not tell you the opposite. If he wants the group to do one thing, won't he certainly tell everyone the same thing?

Therefore the church can go to God and seek his wisdom and direction (in fact, we SHOULD). And if we all are listening carefully, we will all get the same answer- that's consensus!

A leader in the church should be about his Father's business. He should most importantly want to know what God wants in any given situation (and what God wants may not always make the most "human" sense, remember?). It's not about who's smarter or who knows more than anyone else or who's in charge and gets his way. It's about listening to God as a group and coming to consensus. In fact, as a leader, I would be most remiss if I chose to make all the decisions myself and not allow my family of believers to listen with me so that I don't accidentally make a mistake (I actually made a mistake once. It was back in 1990 . . . no- wait, it was 1991. Dang! Now that's 2 mistakes!).

Here's an example from my own experience: I once met with my Corps Council regarding a new mission statement for our corps. It is the leader's responsibility to go before God and seek his direction for his congregation where they are placed. Prayerfully over time, I did that and prepared a mission statement to bring before the group for confirmation and implementation.

I spent time explaining consensus and then asked each person on the Council to speak to what they were hearing from God about the statement. As we went around the table, all were in agreement that this was what God wanted for us. But just before we finalized things, one person dared to speak up ("dared?" Yes- remember they weren't used to consensus- most "armies" lead by the leader telling their followers what to do and everyone else just salutes). This person said they couldn't be sure, but there was something "nagging" inside them that they had to speak up about. They were uncomfortable approving the statement as it was.

I was a bit saddened, because I wanted to get going, but I knew God had something to tell us. So I then tabled the approval so that each of us would go pray about what God was trying to tell us. Next month we would readdress the subject. It was almost funny to watch the members! They were shocked we didn't just go ahead with what was prepared. After all, everyone but one person agreed- and he didn't even know what it was that held him back!

During our month of waiting on God, that person was told by God what the issue was. Something had been left out of the statement. And when I was told, it was one of those "DUH!" moments! Of course! Why didn't we see it before?! (Probably because God wanted us to see how consensus worked!).

So at that next meeting our mission statement was approved as amended and all agreed in consensus as Holy Spirit spoke to us. It was a great example of leading by consensus.

Now don't get me wrong- we can't always take the time to move through such an exercise. There are times when the person most gifted in the subject and/or is appointed to lead must step up and take quick action. But when the issue is not immediate, consensus is how God wants a Christian leader to lead.

Don't you just LOVE working with the Body?

Leadership Series: Part 1. The Apostle as Leader

2008-04-03T22:58:00.000-04:00

As I approach the subject of leadership, I must begin with a question:

"What is it about my leadership philosophy that differs from what could be considered a traditional leadership philosophy?"

After all, there are plenty of good books on leadership. What could I possibly have to offer you that would be different? I was recently reminded by JE at The War College, the difference is I lead from my apostolic gifting.

Therefore I will attempt to share apostolic insight with you in this Leadership Series. And necessarily, this insight will be biblically based. So let's start right there and offer you my most shocking statement at the very beginning:

The church is not a business. therefore those gifted in Administration should not be the ones leading the church.

Let's look at 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 (NIV), "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues."

The church is the Body of Christ. Here Paul gives us an image of a group of members that works together to accomplish its mission. We are all a part of the working-together relationship; we all have a roll to play. In this body, God has established an order. The Greek words here are clear:

First = Proton, [Greek 4412, Strong's] firstly (in time, place, order, or importance):- before, at the beginning, chiefly, (at, at the) first (of all).

Second = Deuteros, [Greek 1208, Strong's] second (in time, place or rank; also adverbial):-afterward, again, second (-arily, time).

Third = Tritos, [Greek 5154, Strong's] third; (as noun) a third part, or (as adverb) a (or the) third time, thirdly.- third (-ly).

Then = Epeita, [Greek 1899, Strong's] thereafter.- after that (-ward), then.

The order we are given is Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, then general categories of gifts such as miracles, healing, service and helps, THEN those with Administration, and finally those with gifts of speaking in Tongues.

Now if we toss out Gifts of Tongues (there are more than one type of Tongues gift) and flip this list upside down, we get a kind of leadership pyramid for a business. O wait! That's what the church does today! Well, not really- parts of the church accept tongues as a gift (oops!).

Here's why this is important: A good business makes good business decisions. But a good church will often make decisions that fly in the face of good (common sense) business decisions!

For example: Joshua, leading the "church" of his day, goes before his CEO and asks for a battle plan to take Jericho (Note: Joshua doesn't call a committee together, he goes to God). With tongue NOT in cheek, said CEO basically tells him to "Walk around the city many times for a week, then yell at the wall."

Sounds like a solid, common sense plan to me . . . NOT!

Imagine a business board of Directors today responding to such a plan by their CEO:

"Say WHAT?!"

"What are you on, man?!"

"Security! Get this NUT out of here!"

Why the discrepancy? Because it's God who is our ultimate leader and even his "foolhardiness is FAR above our human wisdom!" Now Joshua is a simple example, but I think you get my point.

Yes, there is some good advise we can take from the business world, but that human wisdom should not be the largest factor in deciding the future of any Christian denomination.

That said, if we take a good look around Christian denominations today, we see an entire structure of church leadership based around discovering those in our midst who are gifted in Administration and getting them into leadership positions. Oh, did I mention we don't really believe in Apostleship today (or we've neutered it by turning it into the "missionary" gift)? Simply put, an Apostle is a spiritually creative leader (there's a lot more to it, but I'm trying to keep this basic).

Fortunately, there are those Administrators with a gift-mix that includes Apostle, so the church does "get it right" now and then. Yet I've seen that kind of leader struggle with being expected to fit into the old mold (ever read "A Peacock in the Land of Penguins?"). Isn't it sad we don't structure our churches (systems/bodies) in a way that would help us discover people gifted for God's philosophy of leadership?

I should point out that there is no question that when founded, TSA was led by a powerful Apostle- William Booth. And I must not forget the other half of the team- Catherine was the Prophet. In God's design for leadership, he often "hitches" a visionary Apostle with a ground-rooted Prophet. That way the Apostle doesn't float off in the clouds, but can be kept "tethered" by the Prophet holding his/her feet (Oh those visionary leaders)!

And perhaps that's a good place to stop for now, because it leads us to Consensus- a way for the Body to work together and discern God's plan for moving forward.

The War College 2008

2008-03-30T23:06:00.006-04:00

My annual teaching trip to The War College in Vancouver, Canada for 2008 is now officially history. The history part is a sad thing as I am already missing the DTES with its many good friends, students, powerful ministry and cute little mice in the apartment. Well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad! Here are some thoughts about my trip:

This was a new season for me. Many things have changed since last year, including my roll in the 614 community. Oh sure, I taught a class, but I spent more time with leadership and past missioners than this year's batch of students.

I also spent quite a bit of prayer ministry time counseling as well as casting out demons. Yeah, I did do plenty casting with great results, but my prayer ministry time was regularly more than what it has been. I liked that.

The 614 community used me as a guinea pig in their latest innovation called "Community Hospitality." Basically different people fed me each meal and engaged me in hanging out! A smashing success, I'd say! I loved it!

I ended up with 2 new Battle Gear T-shirts! One is the new long sleeved "Saved to Save" design for officers. Yeah!

Computers were everywhere for me to use when I needed one. SL, JG, JS to name a few, but I offer special thanks to RB (who doesn't like to be called RB, but I'm just using initials!) who was exceptionally generous!

Here are a few of highlights from the prayer sessions:

One walked on water with Jesus! Steve Court: take note! Special Credit is due!

One had a Sword of the Spirit that was so big, it had to be handled with 2 hands! A Two-Handed Sword of the Spirit is awesome (and it does massive damage to the Enemy, trust me)!

More than a couple had false images of Jesus that were absolutely destroyed and replaced with an accurate image of The One who loves them like no other!

One had a wonderful banquet with Jesus and ate some very tasty stuff that dissolved the Enemy's influence!

One flew with Jesus over the countryside a la Peter Pan! There was powerful spiritual direction in their travel direction.

One did a deep sea dive underwater to find a sunken treasure chest. They were more valuable than any of the chest's jewels.

One took a high dive of a huge cliff with Jesus into crystal clear water!

I even got a session led by a wonderful team who were very helpful. Trust me, I needed some dusting off too!

Well, it seems my visit was all over before it started. Although the area may seem like a scary place for some, I've got to tell you, Vancouver DTES always feels like home to me. I love it- but most of all I love the people who are giving their lives in this place to help bring Jesus to the lost.

To all of you 614ites I offer my blessing for continued joy in service, successful ministry that changes lives and peace right in the middle of the Enemy's camp. Storm the forts of darkness- bring them down!

This is Who I am

2008-03-25T00:07:00.006-04:00

We are known by a variety of "titles." These titles represent things we do. For instance, I am a Dad, spouse, musician, officer, friend, man, blogger, teacher, Rays fan, son, boss, etc.

You may know me by one of these titles, but each is only a facet of what I do, not who I am. If you ask "Who are you?" these titles by themselves actually tell you very little. They may even conjure up inaccuracies based on what you understand a particular title to mean to you.

It depends on who asks me "Who are you?" as to what my answer will be. If my child asks that question, it would be ridiculous for me to respond with "I'm a teacher" or "I'm an officer." For them to relate to me, I need to offer an answer that will mean something to them, like: "I'm a father." If I'm visiting a corps in another country, it would be more important for me to answer "I'm an officer," than to tell them "I'm a boss." Being an officer has relevance, while being a boss means little to develop a relationship connection. So if you are interested in discovering who I am, it would be better for me to tell you something personal about myself.

When I meet you for the first time, I choose to answer this question by offering more than a simple facet of what I do. I choose to offer more. I choose to offer you myself. I choose to offer you my identity; my name. My name is a very personal thing and it means all of my titles rolled into one- and more!

In knowing someone's name, you have a certain power over them. For instance, you can call their name out loud and they will turn around to answer that call. You can look them up in the phone book, get their phone number or address and find them.

In my journey of life and figuring out who I am, God once told me "Your identity is not in your uniform." He told me I am much more than that- I am "Doug" to him. So when I introduce myself, I offer the most I can to you- I tell you "I am Doug."

It means a lot to me spiritually to offer what I have discovered about myself. I choose to offer myself to you- my name. I want you to know I am not higher than you or better than you, I want to be equal with you- "I am Doug."

God chose to give us his name- his personal name, not just a title like God, Lord, Jehovah or Almighty. He gave us Yahweh so we could know him. God wanted to share himself with us. Wow!

Jesus said to his disciples "I don't want to lord it over you, I call you my friends and I want you to think of me as your friend. I want you to know me for who I am, not just what I do."

If Jesus can do this; if God can do this, I can certainly do this. In fact, I would consider myself remiss if I chose to do anything less.

Don't call me a musician, although I am one.
Don't call me an officer, although I am one.
Don't call me a blogger, although I am one . . .

Who am I? I am Doug. Please call me Doug. It's the best I can offer you and I choose to give you power over me because I want you to know me and be my friend.

Coming Soon!

2008-03-17T07:13:00.003-04:00

My plan is to post a series on Leadership soon. With 27 years as an officer, I've had plenty of time to work through and develop a philosophy of leadership that works well. However, more than just my own ideas, I want to specifically offer some biblical direction in this area.

"Why use the Bible as a leadership resource?" you may ask. To which I would respond- "The Bible should be used as our resource for everything we do. Perhaps we should be reading the Bible more in place of all the recent flood of leadership books for businesses that are clambering for our attention. After all we are NOT a business. We are a church!"

I am tempted to start right now, but to make sure I don't climb up on my soapbox, I'll take my time. Now to whet your appetite, here are some of the aspects of leadership I may be taking on in the days ahead:

Apostle versus Administrator as Leader
TSA is a Church NOT a Business
Creating an Atmosphere of Trust
Equality or Fairness?
The Leader and Respect
Leadership by Example
Leading a Team
Who Leads TSA?

There may be more (I have a few other thoughts still banging around between my ears), but this will certainly get us started.

Switching subjects for a moment, I'm heading to The War College in Vancouver, Canada for a week starting this Saturday (March 22-29). I'll be teaching Spiritual Warfare, Spending time in Prayer Ministry, counseling, encouraging, moving in Power Ministry, breaking down spiritual barriers and mindsets, etc. I would appreciate your prayer covering because the Enemy fights extra hard when he gets backed into a corner.

Please pray for my protection, health (especially my throat- LOTS of talking!), wisdom, authority over the Enemy. Pray that eyes will be opened, minds will expand, Holy Spirit will direct everything and be allowed to move at his will. Pray that warriors will be developed and encouraged, long-standing hindrances to ministry will be demolished- you know- the kinds of things that always take place at The War College!

I'll try to keep you posted on my exploits, although I can make no promises. Things have changed a bit since my last trip and I'm not really sure what it will all look like this time around. Except that victory will be the lowest common denominator!

Top 10 Reasons I Haven't Been Blogging

2008-03-16T08:33:00.006-04:00

I was told the other day that it had been over a month since I last posted an entry here. Wow. I knew it had been awhile, but a whole month since blogging? I was surprised. I haven't had such a long silence since I started blogging back in 2004!

The obvious question? "Why?" The easy answer? "There is none." At least not an easy one. In fact, as I think through why I have not written here in so long, I come up with a variety of reasons. And right now I'm feeling nudged by God to work through those reasons right here, which is why I'm back again. So here goes!

10. Let's face it, the act of blogging is losing ground from it's all-time high a couple of years ago. Many who started strong have run out of steam and realized the regular effort to keep up such a project gets difficult. I've read more than a few blogs where the author is struggling with whether they want to keep doing it or not. I too, wrestle with this every now and then.

9. Along with people dropping the blogging habit, people aren't reading blogs as much either. Sometimes I feel like I put out a lot of effort for little return.

8. Many good blogs have an assortment of authors writing, to give each a bit of a break when needed. I'm on here all by my lonesome. I know- "boo hoo," but it's a factor, so I'm putting it up here!

7. It's always good to be encouraged in what you do. No one likes working hard with no "pat on the back" every now and then. I understand my blog is not necessarily one that generates a lot of discussion, so I usually get few comments. I'm not complaining- just stating that more comments would probably keep me wanting to come back and write more often. Also the longer you go without writing, the less your regulars are likely to come back and see a new post. It's like you have to start building a readership all over again.

6. After a little more than 3 years of blogging, I've gotten to the place where I often feel like I've run out of worthwhile things to say. I believe some things bear repeating or at the very least some re-hashing, so I shouldn't let this get in my way. Maybe I should "bump" some of my old posts to the top now and then!

5. Last summer, Debbie and I received a change of appointment. For some years now, we've been telling TSA in future appointments we want to work with people (youth, SFOT, counseling, etc). With this particular move, I find the majority of my work is at a desk fighting paper, policies and email. I find I have much less direct contact with people and I have no "congregation." Yes, any job has people involved and we especially love the people we interact with here in Rhode Island. But the bottom line is this is a lot of administration and it's a lot of TOUGH administration. Some of that will change as we re-organize things into our leadership style, but until it does change, the missing congregation to speak to in my writing, leaves me with a strange empty feeling.

4. Let's face it- when you're doing a good work, the Enemy digs in against you and tries his best to convince you to stop. I guess he's been getting the better of me in this area.

Now there's one GOOD reason God had me work through this in this way- I just realized the Enemy is getting over on me and I DON'T like that one bit!

3. Good blogging is hard work! I'm in a tough place now, with a lot of administrative duties to fight with. While I can and will do the work assigned to me, I am now working in areas that are not my giftings. Working outside of your giftings doesn't energize you, rather it drains you. When I come home from work, what I most need is to unwind and I've already said blogging is hard work!

2. TSA in our territory has been recently building up more than a few burdensome restrictions over blogging, speaking about TSA, and computer/Internet usage. For instance, I cannot sign into my blog from my office computer. Therefore all my blogging must take place at home during the time I need to use to unwind. I REALLY want to speak to this subject much more, but again, there is pressure to be silent. I may just break on some of this, but it leads directly into my last (maybe most important) point:

1. While Southern New England/Rhode Island is a wonderful place to be (and we love it here), there is no question about it- the work and environment is very frustrating (huge debt, lack of organization, personnel issues, unusual restrictions, basement oil spill, etc). As a person who blogs about what's going on in his life, I want to write about those frustrations, but I fear it would just come out very negatively. AND I DO NOT WANT MY BLOG TO BECOME A NEGATIVE PLACE. Most importantly, I DO NOT want to become a negative person.

- - - - - Well there you have it- my top 10 reasons I haven't been blogging.

To wrap all this up and offer the reason I don't just drop it all and keep coming back, is I feel blogging is a way I can exercise my spiritual giftings of teaching, writing, encouragement, and managing resources for others. In fact, I quite frankly feel like this is an assignment from God for me. Every time I want to just drop it for good, I get a spiritual kick in the leg under the table by Holy Spirit!

So here I sit rubbing my leg from my most recent kick. Will I use that nudge to get back on track? Will I make the time to write what God places on my heart? Will I fight the Enemy's tactics to keep me from my mission of blogging? Will Flash Gordon get out of this, his latest trap set by his arch nemesis, Ming?

All this and more will be answered in future episodes of Light Seeker! Stay tuned to this channel!

My God is so BIG! (but)

2008-02-09T10:15:00.001-05:00

My world is so BIG! I think that because I am limited in my understanding and view of things. I don't think humankind was created that way, but because of the fall, we lost the ability to be aware of and interact with other aspects of God's creation such as other dimensions, angels, etc.

Therefore I am trapped within my own head. I can't get in your head; I have no idea what you're thinking, sensing or feeling unless you tell me. What I'm trying to say is my world revolves around ME. It's all I can see.

Now before you call me selfish- I remind you that your world revolves around you too! Frankly, it's impossible for any of us to see things from any other point of view. We can try, but when all is said and done, we are left alone with no one else's thoughts but what's banging around between our own two ears.

Now "when I consider the heavens . . . the moon and the stars which God has set in place" (Psalm 8:3)- what makes humankind so special that God even notices us? It boggles the mind!

Debbie and I live in a big house. There are times when I KNOW she's around- SOMEwhere- but I just can't find her! Good thing we've got cell phones. Now imagine if I was still looking for her and I discovered a note she left telling me she had gone out for a walk (fat chance that would happen in the Winter, but in warmer months, it's highly likely!). Now I'm looking in an even larger haystack.

What if she went out on an errand? A still larger haystack. Went to another State? Another Country? Continent? Now it's highly unlikely she's ever going to get off of this planet, but if she could, we would notice the universe gets even larger real fast! Now the term "needle in a haystack" is ridiculous!

Our true smallness in the universe could be a sad realization if it weren't for God. While God is so BIG (even bigger than his creation), he made us and cares for us much more than we will ever know. Incredible, but true.

The next time you take out the ol' telescope and look at that pinprick of light deep in space that is Antares, remember it's not as small as it looks.

Neither are you. Not in God's eyes!

Daily Guidance

2008-02-08T07:50:00.000-05:00

There are those who believe the Bible is our ONLY source of hearing from God. Now without going into a long diatribe, let it suffice to say I believe the Bible is ONE source, albeit the primary source. But there are other ways God speaks to his people today. God did NOT allow the Bible to be cannonized and then remove his other ways of communication, expecting us to limp along from there on out on only one resource of understanding what God desires for us.

The case I usually point to in this discussion is that of "the call" people receive to "go into" full time ministry (as if there is only one call into one kind of lifetime service!). Those who feel God has called them specifically to be pastors, officers, etc., had to "hear" from somewhere. If one feels God has called them (to whatever kind of service), they obviously believe God has in some way communicated to them his desire. I have sensed this call and yet I have never found directly in scripture the words: "You, Doug Burr are to become an officer in TSA."

However, God DID speak to my spirit directly and communicate this desire for my life. In fact, I was quite taken back by his "intrusion" on my thoughts when he did!

I was sitting in a worship service at a young adult retreat in New Jersey. A Major Joe DeMichael was speaking (and at that time, I wasn't too fond of this guy, but have since grown to love and admire him). Somewhere during his sermon, I heard a distinct voice "speak" in my mind. The words were my thoughts, but it was NOT me directing them. I began to have a conversation in my head (yeah- I know- proof of my schizophrenia). Actually argument might be a better term.

God said: "I want you to become a TSA officer."

I said: "Huh? What?" (I didn't know what was happening and I couldn't believe it anyway).

God repeated his directive.

I repeated my ignorance.

But God was patient with me. And I finally began to converse with Him.

DB: "Uh, God, you MUST have gotten a wrong number. Shouldn't you be talking to that guy over there?"

YHWH: "I know you and I am not mistaken. I have a plan for your life. Follow me."

DB: "O come on! I want to be a musician! I've got plans!"

YHWH: "I know the plans I have for you . . ."

We went on like that for some time until I realized what was happening. God- GOD! was talking with me! How could I ignore Him or tell him "NO, I won't do what you want?"

So I said: "Okay. I'll do it. But I'm not about to spend my life doing something I don't want to do. Before I go to training, you have to bring about a change of heart so that I actually WANT to be an officer."

In the next year, He did. And I have been listening and following God since. Right now, I can honestly say there is nothing I would rather be doing than officership and God DID have a wonderful plan for my life. I'm truly glad I followed HIS plan and not my own. Who knows how badly I would have screwed up my life by now?!

So there's one instance of God speaking. I believe God speaks like that daily (moment by moment) to those who listen for his voice. That's all it takes- listening. You don't even have to be a Christian to hear God's voice, because how would you ever become one, if you didn't first hear God calling you into salvation?

Andrew Murray in his book, Waiting on God, says:

"With every step we need and may have
a heavenly guidance."

Want biblical proof?

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
"This is the way; walk in it." - Isaiah 30:21

And the cool part is this is only one of MANY ways God chooses to speak directly to us today! And I don't mean in generalities. I mean God speaks to US specifically about my daily choices and circumstances. God speaks to me. God speaks to you.

Are you listening?

Hand me that Screwdriver, Please

2008-01-21T09:06:00.000-05:00

I've been one of those "fix-it" guys all my life. My Dad taught me all kinds of things, so I know a little bit about enough things to make me dangerous.

When I was young, we built giant kites, go carts, fixed light switches and plumbing pipes, etc. I loved trying to figure a problem out and then fixing it (unlike my brother, who couldn't be bothered to pull his nose out of his current science fiction book to care. NEVER ask him to fix anything! lol).

However, I must admit, that when it comes to fixing things, I might be just a little bit lazy. I mean, when I'm working on a particular thing, but don't have the right tool at hand, I'm more likely to make do with some tool not designed for the task, than to go get the one I SHOULD use. As you might know, this is not good, because the old adage is: "The right tool for the right task." Uh, sure. But whoever said that wasn't as creative as I am! {do I hear a Tim the Toolman Taylor's "arr, arr, arr?"}

So I can't tell you how many times I've used a screwdriver as a hammer (my screwdriver handle proves it). Or a screwdriver as a pair of pliers (it CAN be done!). Actually, I can use a screwdriver for just about ANY task. Of course, I also can't tell you how many new screwdrivers I have had to buy because of my "creativity!"

Truth be told, I DO realize how important it is to use the right tool for the task at hand (maybe I learned the hard way, but I DID learn). All you get when you use a tool for the wrong task is a broken tool (well, maybe a serious cut on your hand as well). I'm sure my readers are quite bright, so I know you get it-

How foolish it is to use a tool for anything other than what it was created for.

Vicky Beeching sings these words to God:

We were created to worship Your Name . . .
Worshiping other things destroys our liberty.

As I was listening to these words yesterday while headed to church, it dawned on me how foolish it is to not use our lives to do what we were created for. And yet, how many broken lives do we come across all because this is exactly what we try to do? Just like I break my screwdrivers by using them for something other than what they were created for, we break our lives when we don't regularly praise and worship God.

If we use our lives for the purpose we were created, we are freed from the brokenness we try so hard to deal with in our own way. Some use drugs, intoxicants, sex, food, etc, but these things NEVER fulfill us nor fix what is broken within. It takes using ourselves for the purpose our creator made us for in the first place.

But as we praise You we are freed . . .
This is what we were meant to do.

Now I only buy the best screwdrivers- Craftsman. Their guarantee is that if you manage to break one of their tools, Sears will replace the old broken one for a brand spankin' new one (Sears and I have this relationship kinda like a fat guy and a Chinese buffet).

Here's the cool part of this post- God has an even better guarantee than Sears! When we realize our lives are beyond our own repair, all we have to do is bring them in repentance to Jesus. He is the Master Craftsman who will instantly give us a new one for the old one- no questions asked.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17

And God never pretends he's closed like Sears when they see me coming. I like that! Arr, arr arr!

Just the Black Notes . . . Amazing!

2008-01-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

This is an absolutely amazing video clip!

Click the title or here to be redirected to the blog it was posted on.

The Oil Spill (Part 2)

2008-01-17T09:10:00.002-05:00

We're 1 day short of a week since our oil spill incident. It's quite a story already, but it's not over yet. In fact, we discovered Tuesday (after they bored 20 test holes through our basement cement floor) that there are 4 "hot spots" in the soil beneath our house. In other words . . . oil did reach the dirt beneath the floor so they will be jack-hammering up at least 4 sections of our basement to remove all contaminated dirt! Maybe it's a prophetic sign of a Holy Spirit explosion on the way that will ruin every vessel in RI for God...

The Father Bothers!

2008-01-17T08:37:00.000-05:00

As I wait for the second cleaning company to come to our house and continue the work to remove the oil smell (more on all that later), I'm sitting at my office desk praying and listening to Lincoln Brewster (his music is so awesome!). I don't know how many times I've heard these words before, but today, they went down deep:

"Thank you Father,
I'm glad that you bother
To love a man like me."

I'm glad that you bother. Wow. I get it; what he's trying to say. God doesn't HAVE to bother with our lives and all we put him through. But he DOES!

Along the lines of Paul's "worst sinner of them all," when we see the truth of who we really are against who God really is . . . there is no comparison. Why should God (I mean, GOD, after all) pay any attention to us at all?

Psalm 8 voices this same thought with these words:

"Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?" - The Message

We will probably never grasp the why of God's attention to us, but really all we have to do is trust it's true. God cares deeply for us. So much that he deals with all the bother we put him through.

So this morning, as I marvel at God's presence in my little office- all focused on me- all I can say is "Thank you Father, I'm glad that you bother with me."

Ha! Now Lincoln's singing "You alone are worthy to be praised!" How perfect is that?

PS: I wish you could experience what God is doing in me right now! It's incredible!

Oil Spill Takes on New Meaning

2008-01-11T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today was a good day. Some hard work- nothing "bad" or tough, but at 4 PM I was ready to head home for an evening to just crash. I had a bit of a headache and I was tired. Saturday was looking good!

As soon as I walked in the door, I intended to call the oil company to come look at our furnace. It was leaking some water and our hot water in the house wasn't quite up to snuff lately. Little did I know, I would be calling the oil company, but not to look at my furnace.

As I pulled out my keys at the front door, I noticed a bit of a smell. "Oil," I thought and, sure enough, when I opened the door it hit me hard! Whoa! BIG time oil smell right in the front foyer! So I headed down to the basement to look at the furnace.

When I turned the corner into the laundry room, I almost slipped and fell. The floor was covered in a layer of black, slippery oil. Thinking the furnace could be the problem, I inched my way carefully over to look, but as I neared the big machine, I noticed there was no oil on that part of the floor. So back to the other side of the room, where it looked deeper.

As I slide my feet through the slippery muck, I looked around the room and saw that oil had been soaking into everything it could reach from the floor- apparently for some time. Rugs were soaked black, boxes on the floor were a shiny black instead of the usual dull brown. Then I noticed the brand spanking new oil tank (less than a month old) was covered in a light film of oil and the depth meter was missing. Later I found it in pieces around the area, because it had been blown off the oil tank. Apparently, the oil company over filled our tank and the pressure, blew the gauge off and oil spewed to the ceiling rafters and all around that side of the room! Somewhere around 10 gallons were now soaked into our sheet-rock walls, woodwork, carpets, ceiling beams, boxes, 2 mattresses and box springs and a bedroom dresser.

All kinds of things were damaged beyond use including my son's entire summer wardrobe of pants and shorts in his closet. All our instruments were dry (whew!), but we ended up having to throw out a lot of things that could not be salvaged.

As I stood there in the middle of our new disaster, I was dumbfounded. If it had been water, I would have known what to do, but oil? Where in the world should I start? Several phone calls and a few hours later, we finally got someone in to begin the cleanup process. He just left, but the house still reeks! There's a LOT more to do. Looks like it's going to be days (weeks?) before we get things settled again. And we're going to have to replace floor tiles, carpeting, some furniture, some walls . . . oh man!

Well, after the initial shock wore off, both Debbie and I began taking it all a little easier. I mean, you gotta just roll with these kind of punches- there's nothing else you can do. One day it will all be a "can you top THIS one?" story we can tell!

It's a good thing we know God's in control. Without that certain knowledge that he knows it all and nothing comes our way without him first approving it and giving us the strength to deal with it, we'd be lost for sure.

But we're not lost and he IS in control. Hallelujah!

Living by Truth

2008-01-06T09:47:00.001-05:00

Special thanks to Stephanie Lines for prophetically giving this verse to me back in July when we had just moved to Rhode Island. It has become my theme here and I constantly go back to it for a reminder of God's truth in any situation.

It is my desire to live by truth and live in it's light. I want everything I do to be examined by the light; out in the open, not hidden away and whispered in the shadows. That way it will be clearly seen that anything I accomplish has not been done in my own strength- rather God's working through me.

This is not always the easy path, but it is the right path . . . always.

I praise God for his abundant grace in even the toughest situations the enemy thrusts us into! May we all be faithful to his call and stand strong in that grace.

Bad Guys and Good Friends

2008-01-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

This is the scripture God led me to tonight. When you finish reading it (please actually read it- don't just bleep over it or breeze through it like we so often do because it's scripture we know), you'll have some clue as to how my day went.

What you won't know without me telling you, is how encouraging God's Word was to me at a time when I really needed it. AND how encouraging a good friend's listening ear can be when you need to just unload (you know who you are- thanx).

Psalm 37 (The Message)
A David psalm

Don't bother your head with braggarts
or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
2 In no time they'll shrivel like grass clippings
and wilt like cut flowers in the sun.
3 Get insurance with God and do a good deed,
settle down and stick to your last.
4 Keep company with God,
get in on the best.
5 Open up before God, keep nothing back;
he'll do whatever needs to be done:
6 He'll validate your life in the clear light of day
and stamp you with approval at high noon.
7 Quiet down before God,
be prayerful before him.
Don't bother with those who climb the ladder,
who elbow their way to the top.
8 Bridle your anger, trash your wrath,
cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.
9 Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;
God-investors will soon own the store.
10 Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;
you'll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!
11 Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,
relishing a huge bonanza.
12 Bad guys have it in for the good guys,
obsessed with doing them in.
13 But God isn't losing any sleep;
to him they're a joke with no punch line.
14 Bullies brandish their swords,
pull back on their bows with a flourish.
They're out to beat up on the harmless,
or mug that nice man out walking his dog.
15 A banana peel lands them flat on their faces—
slapstick figures in a moral circus.
16 Less is more and more is less.
One righteous will outclass fifty wicked,
17 For the wicked are moral weaklings
but the righteous are God-strong.
18 God keeps track of the decent folk;
what they do won't soon be forgotten.
19 In hard times, they'll hold their heads high;
when the shelves are bare, they'll be full.
20 God-despisers have had it;
God's enemies are finished—
Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time,
vanished like smoke in thin air.
21 Wicked borrows and never returns;
Righteous gives and gives.
22 Generous gets it all in the end;
Stingy is cut off at the pass.
23 Stalwart walks in step with God;
his path blazed by God, he's happy.
24 If he stumbles, he's not down for long;
God has a grip on his hand.
25 I once was young, now I'm a graybeard—
not once have I seen an abandoned believer,
or his kids out roaming the streets.
26 Every day he's out giving and lending,
his children making him proud.
27 Turn your back on evil,
work for the good and don't quit.
28 God loves this kind of thing,
never turns away from his friends.
Live this way and you've got it made,
but bad eggs will be tossed out.
29 The good get planted on good land
and put down healthy roots.
30 Righteous chews on wisdom like a dog on a bone,
rolls virtue around on his tongue.
31 His heart pumps God's Word like blood through his veins;
his feet are as sure as a cat's.
32 Wicked sets a watch for Righteous,
he's out for the kill.
33 God, alert, is also on watch—
Wicked won't hurt a hair of his head.
34 Wait passionately for God,
don't leave the path.
He'll give you your place in the sun
while you watch the wicked lose it.
35 I saw Wicked bloated like a toad,
croaking pretentious nonsense.
36 The next time I looked there was nothing—
a punctured bladder, vapid and limp.
37 Keep your eye on the healthy soul,
scrutinize the straight life;
There's a future in strenuous wholeness.
38 But the willful will soon be discarded;
insolent souls are on a dead-end street.
39 The spacious, free life is from God,
it's also protected and safe.
40 God-strengthened, we're delivered from evil—
when we run to him, he saves us.

Waiting on God

2008-01-01T11:43:00.000-05:00

I'm reading the book "Waiting on God" by Andrew Murray. Immediately as I started to read, I was drawn into the depths of what it means to wait on God. I don't think I'll figure it all out any time soon!

I have a sneaking suspicion that in today's world, we have no clue what it means to wait. This is, after all, the day of instant gratification. "Wait?" What's that?

Wait is an interesting word. The more you think about it, the more meaning seeps to the surface to explore. Since I'm trying to grasp as much as I can on waiting, I began exploring the word. As I looked into the good ol' American Heritage Dictionary, I found this:

- - - - - -
wait
1a. To remain or rest in expectation. b. To tarry until another catches up.
2. To remain or be in readiness.
3. To remain temporarily neglected, unattended to, or postponed.
4. To work as a waiter or waitress.

1. To remain or stay in expectation of; await.
2. Informal. To delay (a meal or an event); postpone.
3. To be a waiter or waitress at.

1. The act of waiting or the time spent waiting.
2. Chiefly British. a. One of a group of musicians employed, usually by a city, to play in parades or public ceremonies. b. One of a group of musicians or carolers who perform in the streets at Christmastime.

wait on or wait upon.
1. To serve the needs of; be in attendance on.
2. To make a formal call on; visit.
3. To follow as a result; depend on.
4. To await. wait out. To delay until the termination of.

wait up.
1. To postpone going to bed in anticipation of something or someone.
2. Informal. To stop or pause so that another can catch up.
- - - - - -

There's a lot in there to work on (maybe even the British musicians part)! But here's what comes to mind first:

We tend to think of spiritual things as most important; other things less so (it seems we're back to the "sacred/secular" debate). Now I don't want anyone to think I'm saying spiritual matters are not important- I just wonder if God doesn't see the difference. To God, all things are important.

But because of our anxiousness to get what we want and move on, we take little joy in the little things. Or the time it takes to get to our desired goal(s). It seems to me that the time waiting on God to lead you to do something (you're dying to do NOW), is hugely important in the overall scheme of things.

My brother speaks of the meandering puppy who, once free from his leash, flits about from this place to that. No worries- just going where the "wind" and his steps take him. He's not concerned about being late for his next meeting, what he's going to accomplish in life, or what his next appointment will be.

Could we ever wait on God with that frame of mind?

Remember, God is more concerned with WHO you are than WHAT you do (Wednesday, August 09, 2006 A Spiritual Equation and Saturday, August 12, 2006 More on BE Over DO).

Wouldn't it be something to go sit alone with God and not take any agendas with you? No requests, no words except, "God, I'm here for you. Just to be with you and wait for/on you. It's your time."

I challenge you to try it.

Oh and click on the picture above, scroll down the page a bit and find an interesting new device called the "waiting light." Maybe we'll find a version of this popping up in Christian book stores soon- the "Waiting on God" light.

Mean People S . . . well, Stink!

2007-12-16T16:59:00.000-05:00

In the last couple of weeks both Debbie and I have come across mean people. I'm not saying we met a couple of people that were ornery, I am talking about all-out, full-in-your-face, "I hate the whole world and YOU'RE the one I'm taking it out on" kind of people! Sounds a bit like George Bernard Shaw's quote:

"Do you know what a pessimist is?
A person who thinks everybody is as nasty as himself
and hates them for it."

Both of our instances took place when we were trying to be helpful to a particular person/group and the other person just so happened to be one of those "mean people." So they weren't interested in anything we had to say- in fact, they intentionally ignored any attempt to clear up the apparent misunderstanding and proceeded to jump down our throats- feet first. I guess they thought our motivations were just like theirs and rushed to a conclusion.

The truth of the matter is, being mean is a sin. God is never mean and he desires us to be anything but mean to his children. When we are mean, we offend God (the definition of sin) by hurting those he loves. Making matters worse are those Christians who are known as mean people! "A mean Christian-" talk about an oxymoron!

When confronting mean people it takes everything we've got to not respond in kind. Although there are situations that call for us to stand up to the mean person. Jesus once cleared out the temple because people were being mean to other people (by cheating). His response was not mean, but forceful.

I can recall times when my Dad, who is the most gentle man I know, stood his ground against a mean person and would not back down. I admired his forcefulness and tenacity in the face of glaring meanness.

Mean people are hard to deal with, but we've got to do it, because they're out there and you never know when you're going to find one blocking your path. Don't let them get away with it- call them for their sin and maybe you will help them see the error of their ways.

Merry Tossmas!

2007-12-14T17:45:00.000-05:00

I just received an e-video from a friend. I think many of you will appreciate it as much as I did, so click and watch.

Merry Tossmas!

Now that you've seen the video . . .

Merry Christmas too!

Merry Christmas- Have a Ball!

2007-12-09T13:13:00.000-05:00

Starring You! eCards on JibJab

The Teen Connection

2007-12-02T23:22:00.000-05:00

Debbie and I have a special place in our hearts for the next generation. God has given us a spiritual connection and we enjoy that interaction. As I sit here at my computer, I am reminded we currently don't really have any particular group of teens (and/or young adults) we can call "our own."

I am really missing that.

Not that there aren't any teens around us- we just don't have much connection with them (and even less opportunity to interact on their level and just have fun with them). There are a few we are beginning to get to know, but those times are few and far between. And it's hard to break down those barriers without a little more constant interaction. Maybe the coming year will include more chances to take advantage of. I hope so.

It's a good thing we still have the Internet! Facebook and email are where they live these days! And we appreciate hearing from them every now and then. Too bad there are systems we have to live with that would keep us from more easily connecting this way.*

So this blog's dedicated to all my young friends out there- most of you know who you are. We're missing you and all those hanging around times. Missing Halo, Survivor night, volleyball, jokes, long talks, comic books, game nights, etc. You're all very special to us and even more so to God. We cherish knowing you and pray for your continued powerful influence in the world around you.

- - - - -
* Maybe there'll be more on this thought in the near future . . .

I Live in Road-I'-lin

2007-11-10T10:48:00.001-05:00

Every place has it's uniqueness.

For instance, when living in Maine I learned that:

* You cayin't get theyah from heyah (spoken very slowly).

* If you weren't born in Maine, you'll NEVER be from Maine.

* Be careful when you ask for directions. You'll likely get something like this: "...then turn at the big tree..."

* there are 3 seasons in Maine: WINTER, Mud Season (also called black fly Season) and Summer (but you can't really count Summer, because it only lasts 1 week long).

* In Winter, you might actually have to pay someone to shovel snow off your roof.

Now that I live in a place spelled "Rhode Island" I have begun learning the uniqueness of my new home. So far, I've learned that:

* Spelling doesn't matter, it's pronounced "Road-I'-lin" (said quickly, with a heavy accent on the I).

* You've heard of 6 degrees of separation? In RI, it's only 2 degrees; everyone either knows each other or they are related. It's a small state after all.

* They don't really like to put road signs on the cross roads. It's okay to know what road you're on, but the road you want to turn on is a carefully guarded secret. After all, you should know where you're going.

* Be careful when you ask for directions. You'll likely get something like this: "...then turn where the old Armory used to be..." If that's confusing to you, check the point above- you should know where you're going.

* People born in RI don't like to travel far- and that means anyplace over 15 minutes (I'm serious).

* It's a law that every block HAS to have a Dunkin' Donuts on it.

I'm SURE there are more, but this is my list so far. I'll keep you updated as I'm indoctrinated. You gotta love this place. I do!

Fear Factor

2007-11-01T22:24:00.000-04:00

Scene One: Central New Jersey, a quiet little suburb of Red Bank near the East coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Fade slowly in:

I was sitting in my living room reading. It was early evening and my family was moving around the house doing their respective routines like homework, watching TV and washing clothes. It was a typical evening in the Burr home.

I don't remember what I was reading, except that it was spiritual in nature. Probably something by Peter Wagner, as I have read almost everything he has written! Anyway, I was comfortable, I was enjoying a good book and I was in a fine mood.

Out of the blue, God called for my attention. I was so totally drawn away from my reading, I closed my eyes to avoid any unnecessary distractions. I wanted to be open to what God had to say to me. I listened carefully.

I began to well up with a sense of the spiritual realm around me. I was aware that angels were all around, but it wasn't like they were around me specifically- they were just everywhere. Moving around, watching, protecting, whatever else angels do.

I perceived God wanted me to go outside. It was a cold night and the wind was blowing a bit, so I put on a coat and stepped out into the frosty air.

"Well, I'm outside, what do you want me to do?" I asked God.

I soon knew I was to pray for the people in the houses that surrounded ours. I started with the house right across the street and made a full circle to the right until I was back to the first home again. We lived almost at the end of the street, so there were six houses, one being at the very end of our three block long street. Part of my prayer was to request that God station angels at these homes. I prayed that these angels would guard and protect these homes and the people who lived in each.

When I finished with these six neighbors, I looked up the street. That's when I knew I should continue, so I moved off my lawn and onto the pavement. Walking down the middle of the road, I eventually went all the way to the other end, stopping momentarily to pray at each home and asking God to position angels at each location. I asked for a legion of angels at both the Police station and a ladies league building next to it.

When I reached the other end of the street, I just understood I was finished with my assignment. I had no clue what it was all about, but I did what was asked of me. So I turned and began my short walk back home, praising God and rejoicing with the angels that were now stationed all up and down the street where I lived. I went back into my living room, picked up my book and continued reading from right where I left off.

"Interesting," I thought, but had no idea what it was all about.

Scene Change: Next evening, same setting, but it's later. It's dark out, everyone else is in bed.

This night as I'm reading, I begin to feel afraid. We all get those weird "alone in the dark" sensations, but this was completely different. I tried to ignore it, but it was growing stronger. Before long, I was really frightened. Of what, I didn't know. All I did know was that moment by moment, I was becoming more terrified than I could ever remember.

It got so bad that I put my book down and started praying. I closed my eyes tightly and prayed for dear life. Nothing happened except that my fear grew greater. After some time of this, I realized my hands were stiff. I then noticed that I hadn't moved a muscle for a long time. I was frozen in place; I was "scared stiff!"

I wanted to open my eyes, but was afraid to do so. I imagined all kinds of evil beings hiding in the dark outside my living room window, peeking from behind furniture, ducking out of sight in the kitchen, creeping down the stairs, crawling up the chair I was sitting in. In short, I didn't know what to do! I could hardly even pray and my fear was getting worse by the second. I sensed evil all around me and it was out to get me.

I have no clue how long I sat there transfixed in my seat, but I finally got up the courage to drag myself out of the chair and into the kitchen. You have no idea how hard that was! I grabbed the phone off the hook, punched the speed dial to my pastor (my brother) and slid down the wall to hide beside the counter on the floor as low as I could get. I closed and locked the basement door and turned on every light, while I avoided looking out the window or into the other room.

"Howie- 9-1-1!" I cried, as I filled him in on my situation. I knew I needed prayer support, so I was glad when he began to give it. But nothing happened; I continued to get worse. He was praying alright, but covering everything under the sun- sort of like wide spread buck-shot- hitting everything, but not doing much damage to anything in the process.

We talked a moment and together decided we needed to be more specific. I was afraid, so Howie said we should pray against the spirit of fear. "Do it," I said. "I'm not going to be much help in my present state of mind." I remember he prayed that God would send His angels to help us in this fight.

As he prayed specifically now, my mind began to clear a bit. Suddenly, I understood we were praying against "the Strongman of Center Street" (the street where we lived). When I told Howie that, he began to pray even more specifically using that name I was given.

Then I realized the Strongman of Center Street was not fear. Fear was much more powerful than he and seemed to be coming in as if called alongside the Strongman to help him intimidate me- or worse.

When I told Howie this, he began to pray that people in Fear's area of responsibility would begin hearing and understanding the Gospel. That they would start accepting Jesus as their savior and overthrow the enemy's hold on their lives. Now we were getting somewhere! I could pray again and we continued to pray that people would come to the Lord in droves and Fear would be caught with his pants down, so to speak. We envisioned Fear away on a pleasure trip while those under his control were leaving the enemy's camp and turning to Jesus. I imagined people in bars, just getting up and leaving, sensing there was more to life. We could almost see "the Boss" coming in and screaming red-faced: "What is happening here?! Where is Fear?!"

Needless to say, Fear dropped everything he was doing with me and ran away so fast, it must have made the Strongman of Center Street dizzy! We took advantage of his stupor and ousted him from his assignment on Center Street.

Right then it was if a light switch was flipped. I was no longer afraid. Fear did not leave slowly, little by little, as it had come. It was instantaneous! We had finally hit the nail on the head.

I stood up confidently and looked through the window. I was not afraid. I opened the basement door and gazed down into the dark. Nothing. Things that moments before had unnerved me, held terror no more!

It was about then I remembered what had happened the night before. God had me station angels all up and down my street. Every house had at least one standing guard and there were two legions watching from the other end of the street. When we asked for angelic help, they didn't have far to go! God, in His infinite wisdom, knew what the enemy had planned for me and made sure help was nearby to assist ASAP. And help they did! The worst thing that happened to me was merely a sensation of fear. I suppose it could have been much worse if I wasn't being protected from the unseen realm. We rejoiced!

After I thanked my brother for his aid, I went outside, knelt on my lawn and praised God for His awesomeness. I could smell the cleanness in the air- almost like the way a fresh Spring rain cleans the air- but this was in the spiritual realm. I was aware of God's cleansing blood that flowed down the three blocks of Center Street that night.

- - - - -

Today I am reminded of Daniel, when he prayed seeking an answer from God for 24 days. An angel came with that answer and told Daniel that God had sent him immediately after he had spoken to God about it the first time. But on the way, the angel had encountered an evil enemy who deterred him all that time until Daniel's continued prayers gave the angel a more powerful reinforcement to help him get through to Daniel (Daniel 10). I wonder what would have happened if Daniel's answer angel had already been stationed nearby?

There really IS a war going on in the heavenlies. We might not see it daily (it's probably a good thing we don't!), but that does not deny its existence. Our prayers cause things to happen that would not happen if we didn't pray. When we start praying, we should not let our entreaties quickly fade. The "ammo" we pray into the spiritual realm gives strength to those on our side. The "ammo" we fail to pray defaults our enemies an advantage because our side is not strengthened.

Epilogue: It's been about ten years since that night. Fear has not bothered me from that day to this. Oh, he tries now and then, but I know his secret and how to defeat him, so he doesn't stay long. He used to have much more control over my life, but it's hard for me to even remember those days. I won my Fear Factor challenge thanks to Jesus.

Fade to Blood red.

- - - - -

Prayer: Lord, our enemy would keep us in fear. He would keep us blind- especially to his existence, that he could better hide his evil work. But we have the truth! We know he exists; we know he fights against us and we know that when we stand up against him, he runs like a frightened puppy.

We are tired of blindness and tired of being afraid. We choose to open our eyes and fear no more.

I speak the truth over you, that you would be free from the enemy's lies and his hold over you. You were created to be victorious and I proclaim that destiny. Seek and find your place in the war.

I speak peace and joy into you, from the Holy Spirit of God Himself. Go with that blessing upon your life and spread it around.

Amen.

My First Step

2007-10-16T22:24:00.000-04:00

I've gotten some good advise regarding my last post- "But What Can I DO?" I'm not sure yet how I'm going to put it all together, but for now I've decided I need to really start to get the word out about human trafficking. These blogs are a part of that, but I'm also trying to get the word out through Facebook.

Facebook has an application called "Causes." By adding the app, you can post information about that cause on your profile. You can also donate to the cause and invite friends to join your cause or get them to donate too. I've joined a few causes, but so far the one I'm putting most effort behind is "Stop the Traffik."

If you're on Facebook and you're my "friend" look me up, click on my Stop the Traffik link and join. I'll get "credit" for getting you to join and I'll know my first step is working. If you're not my friend, search for my name, add me to your friends and send me a note telling me who you are and that you saw this note on my blog.

Then YOU can start getting your friends to join and help spread the word too. Come on! This is a simple way to get the ball rolling. You can help make a difference. We all can.

Get the word out there!

But What Can I DO?

2007-10-08T09:54:00.001-04:00

For a couple of years now I have been very concerned about human trafficking. It all started when I saw a made for TV movie "Human Trafficking" with Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland. As I watched, my heart was broken and I sat quietly with a dull ache hanging over my spirit. The next day, even before the second part of the movie aired, I began searching the Internet to find out more. I wanted to DO something about it.

I found plenty of links and learned a lot, but other than send money, I came up empty. And which organization would make the most difference? Which would use my donations most wisely? Obviously, TSA was a good choice, but even if I did that, I still got no closer to personally DOING something and making a difference. And you're never really in on where your money goes, who you're helping and what it DOES to help.

Sending money at an issue like this seems like a way to avoid getting personally involved; sorta like keeping it all at arms length. It's always easier to throw money at such things than to actually roll up your sleeves and DO something (Debbie & I support 2 children through TSA, but we can't get personally involved in their lives [not that we don't want to]. We rarely hear any news about them and I usually feel like we're just trying to placate our conscience the easy way).

I have written a few blogs on the subject and lately taken to inviting friends on facebook to join the cause (and a few other good causes) to get the word out there, but even that seems like it's just "the socially acceptable thing to do."

When I recently asked Rob Dolby what I could do, he suggested I take a prostitute out to lunch. That shocked my system, but actually sounds plausible. Still, the average prostitute I would see on a street corner might not be trafficked (although many are [even though it's not seen that way in American courts] if you follow the path that led them to that place- it would certainly be a similar thing).

What really bothers me about trafficking is that women and children are kidnapped and hidden away from those who might actually be in a place to help them (like me taking them to lunch, developing a respectable relationship with them and helping them make a good choice [with most it's no choice at all] to get to safety). My heart SO breaks when I hear of such injustice!

I'd like to wear the "I am Coming" ring, but they haven't been produced yet! Not enough people have joined the cause through them to get them made. But wearing a ring, except for educating people, does exactly what?

That hurts me deeply at this point, but I guess all I can DO is pray my ache back to Jesus, who put that ache in me in the first place. He aches SO much more than I over the people trapped in trafficking; they are his children.

Interestingly enough, my prayers can actually DO something while I wait for a more tactile thing to DO.

Anyone out there have any suggestions?

Prayer: O Yahweh! Bare Your mighty arm on behalf of your captive ones! Comfort, protect, bring hope and a way out. Keep them from physical, emotional and spiritual harm. Let them know of your undying love and concern. Break their captor's teeth, cause them to get caught and punished! End this blight on humanity and help us to DO what it takes to bring true freedom to all.

Riding the Wave

2007-10-03T12:29:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about the term "Riding the Wave" and while it sounds like a fun ride, it occurs to me that it can be cool as long as you know where the wave is headed.

I can think of three different destinations for waves:

1) A nice, wide, sandy beach. This is the place everyone assumes they are headed when riding a wave. I've seen surfers finish out their rides right on the sand without even stepping in the water! Nice! If this is where you are headed, as long as the ride is a good one, the end is justified.

2) A rough, rocky jetty. This would certainly not be a place you want to end up. Yet it happens a lot more than people want to believe or admit. While they are paying attention to the ride and assuming it's taking them where they want, they miss where the final stop ends up. "Pride goes before a fall," scripture reminds us. This is not a happy ending, but many never even include this possibility in their plans.

3) Out to sea. This happens when outside forces like wind or currents redirect the wave. This ride never ends or does so when it is far from the safety of shore with no chance of a safe landing.

So when you think you want to ride the wave (of whatever) in your life, make sure you take the wave God is directing you to. That will give you the first result. When you pick the wave, it's more likely you'll end up with a second or third place result.

And that crash at the end can devastate more than your ego.

The Empty Nest

2007-09-29T18:20:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we settled our son into his new college dorm room in Ohio. Naturally he wanted his parents out of the picture as soon as possible, so we obliged. As we were walking around the mall, I began to feel . . . well, empty and sad. There, I said it.

When we left Bangor, Chris stayed behind, but because he had friends, a job and trusted family friends around the area, it was no problem for me. I knew he'd be fine as we moved on to Rhode Island. If he had any difficulties or needs, he had people around he could turn to. He did fine on his own for those 3 months.

But this is different. Even though I know he's very excited, he's now going to be 14ish hours away, with the closest family friends 1 hour away. He's living in a college dorm with a bunch of guys from all around the country we don't know at all. The school doesn't even have a meal plan, so he's on his own for food. I imagine him eating Ramen noodles and potato chips for 2 straight years!

So here I am feeling very sad and emotional about leaving him on his own- what an empty feeling! The last time I felt this way was when Jenn was heading back to Vancouver after her first Christmas break at home. Ugh! Who knew these cute, rambunctious little toddlers would grow up to cause such heartache in their parents!

Knowing he won't read my blog, I know I can freely write these things. If he knew- he'd probably rant a bit! But I know deep down, he feels similarly (even if he'd NEVER admit it!). That probably makes it that much worse.

So I'm praying for Chris to find some good Christian friends, a good church family (we're all going to a local church tomorrow) and to do well in his studies. I pray he'll keep busy so he won't feel lonely, he'll eat well (enough to survive!), find a job to supplement his finances, and stay away from spiritual dangers that want to sweep him far away from God (He's already found a friend who invited him to church with him tomorrow!).

Please join Debbie & I in these prayers. And while you're at it, pray for Chris' parents too!

One More Walking in Holiness!

2007-09-15T22:13:00.000-04:00

Debbie and I are just getting back from the New England ARC Men's Retreat at Camp Wonderland, Mass (ARC = Adult Rehabilitation Center). We were the Officer Guests. We weren't able to stay through SonDay, because we're specialing (TSA speak for being the special guests) in Newport tomorrow (can hardly wait!).

What a privilege! There's something real special about hanging out with a bunch of men who have taken themselves through life's wringer, but are now actively seeking God.

We're seeing a different side to the ARC lately. I believe it's because of the wonderful officers at the Providence ARC. Tom, Patty and Peggy are awesome officers who really love their people. It's a tough love, but necessary in getting them to recognize their need for God. We've become good friends quickly and are enjoying these three very much!

While at the weekend, I had the opportunity to chat specifically with a couple of men. Both were powerful conversations, but the last one led to some deep prayer. We prayed about a couple of things, but ended praying for holiness! I love it when God uses me to lead someone into a sanctification experience!

God is doing some wonderful work in the ARC. If you don't know much about them, look them up and get involved. You'll love it- I do!

It's Time . . .

2007-09-14T08:35:00.000-04:00

I was searching for a picture of "bowing before God" on Google and guess what I found? The blog of one of my friends from The War College- Sarvesh Kumar (Joshua)! And it came up on the second page! Some people can't pay for that kind of advertising- wow!

I've added Sarvesh's new blog to my list on the right: It's Time to Put up or Shut up.

Sarvesh (who goes by Joshua in English) is a Christian from India and convert to our Army because he wants to win this world for Jesus and he actually believes we're going to accomplish it. I must admit, there are days I'm not so sure we are going to fulfill our divine commission. But on those days I must also admit if we don't do it, it's my own fault, not some nebulous "they" somewhere out there.

And then I remember Joshua. His spirit is contagious. His drive to spread the Good News grounded in reality. If anyone's going to do it, it's him. But, hey! Why should we let him have all the fun?

We can join him by working to win our own little world. If we each did that, combined in this Army of ours, we'd have arms wide enough to wrap around the whole earth and actually accomplish what we say we are doing while we do everything but.

Go ahead- read Joshua's blog. But if that's all you intend to do, don't bother. Rather, read and join the cause- win the world!

Captivated

2007-09-09T09:19:00.000-04:00

This morning as I was hanging out with God, I was listening to an album by Vicky Beeching ("Yesterday, Today & Forever"). Now it usually takes me awhile to settle myself down to truly worship, so by the time I got to her 9th piece, I was ready- "Captivated." Here are the words that broke into my toughened heart:

May my life be one unbroken gaze
fixed upon the beauty of Your face.

I was undone.

Life can be so difficult! Work, people, schedules, meetings, computers, traffic, time . . . these things can drain the joy out of us. Their constant nagging, clamoring for our total attention. If we're not careful, they can slowly pull us away from our first love. We may go kicking and screaming, but off we go anyway.

But in moments of solitude, silence . . . being alone with God, we can recapture that which is really important- worship of the One who is more valuable than anything.

May my life be one unbroken gaze
fixed upon the beauty of Your face.

I don't have anything else of value to say here. It's all up to you now- get away from that computer, shut the door, turn off the TV. Whatever it takes, get alone with God and just be quiet.

Listen.

Fix your gaze on the One who loves you and desires more than anything else to be with you and let you know of that love.

My work is done, but yours is just beginning.

Warfare Prayer

2007-09-03T10:02:00.000-04:00

I don't know who wrote it or where it came from (or I'd credit them), but I have been carrying a little pamphlet in my Bible for many years. It's titled "Warfare Prayer" And has Ephesians 6:10 on the cover "Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord's mighty power within you."

It's quite long, but I have used it many times when the struggles seem overwhelming. I reprint it here in it's entirety hoping that you too will be able to use it in the battle. Cut and paste it; keep it handy.

And it IS a battle. Never forget the WAR we are in. When we forget, that's usually when we begin our worst struggles.

- - - - - -

Heavenly Father,

I bow in worship and praise before You. I cover myself with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as my protection during this time of prayer. I surrender myself completely and unreservedly in every area of my life to Yourself. I do take a stand against all the workings of Satan that would hinder me in this time of prayer and I address myself to the true and living God and refuse any involvement of Satan in my prayer.

Satan, I command you, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to leave my presence with all your demons, and I bring the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ between us.

Heavenly Father,I worship You and I give You praise. I recognize that You are worthy to receive all glory and honor and praise. I renew my allegiance to You and pray that the blessed Holy Spirit would enable me in this time of prayer. I am thankful , heavenly Father that You sent the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to die as my substitute that I would be redeemed. I am thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ came as my representative, and that through Him You have completely forgiven me; You have given me eternal life; You have given me the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ so I am now justified. I am thankful that in Him You have made me complete, and that You have offered Yourself to me to be my daily help and strength.

Heavenly Father, come and open my eyes that I might see how great You are and how complete Your provision is for this new day. I do, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, take my place with Christ in the heavenlies with all principalities and powers (powers of darkness and wicked spirits) under my feet. I am thankful that the victory the Lord Jesus Christ won for me on the cross and in His resurrection has been given to me and that I am seated with the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenlies; therefore, I declare that all principalities and powers and all wicked spirits are subject to me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for the armor You have provided, and I put on the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace, the helmet of salvation. I lift up the shield of faith against all the fiery darts of the enemy, and take in my hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and use Your Word against all the forces of evil in my life; and I put on this armor and live and pray in complete dependence upon You, blessed Holy Spirit.

I am grateful, heavenly Father, that the Lord Jesus Christ spoiled all principalities and powers and made a show of them openly and triumphed over them in Himself. I claim all that victory for my life today. I reject out of my life all the insinuations, the accusations, and the temptations of Satan. I affirm that the Word of God is true, and I choose to live today in the light of God's Word. I choose, heavenly Father, to live in obedience to You and in fellowship with You. Open my eyes and show me the areas of my life that would not please You. Work in my life that there be no ground to give Satan a foothold against me. Show me any area of weakness. Show me any area of my life that I must deal with so that I would please You. I do in every way today stand for You and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life.

By faith and in dependence upon You, I put off the old man and stand into all the victory of the crucifixion where the Lord Jesus Christ provided cleansing from the old nature. I put on the new man and stand into all the victory of the resurrection and the provision He has made for me to live there above sin. Therefore, in this day, I put off the old nature with its selfishness, and I put on the new nature with its love. I put off the old nature with its fear and I put on the new nature with its courage. I put off the old nature with its weakness and I put on the new nature with its strength. I put off the old nature with all its deceitful lusts and I put on the new nature with all its righteousness and purity.

I do in every way stand into the victory of the ascension and the glorification of the Son of God where all principalities and powers were made subject to Him, and I claim my place in Christ victorious with Him over all the enemies of my soul. Blessed Holy Spirit, I pray that You would fill me. Come into my life, break down every idol and cast out every foe.

I am thankful, heavenly Father, for the expression of Your will for my daily life as You have shown me in Your Word. I therefore claim all the will of God for today. I am thankful that You have blessed me with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I am thankful that You have begotten me unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I am thankful that You have made a provision so that today I can live filled with the Spirit of God with love and joy and self-control in my life. And I recognize that this is Your will for me, and I therefore reject and resist all the endeavors of Satan and of his demons to rob me of the will of God. I refuse in this day to believe my feelings, and I hold up the shield of faith against all the accusations and against all the insinuations that Satan would put in my mind. I claim the fullness of the will of God for today.

I do, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, completely surrender myself to You, heavenly Father, as a living sacrifice. I choose not to be conformed to this world. I choose to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, and I pray that You would show me Your will and enable me to walk in all the fullness of the will of God today.

I am thankful, heavenly Father, that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, to the casting down of imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and to bring every thought into obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore in my own life today I tear down the strongholds of Satan, and I smash the plans of Satan that have been formed against me. I tear down the strongholds of Satan against my mind, and I surrender my mind to You blessed Holy Spirit. I affirm, heavenly Father, that You have not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I break and smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my emotions today, and I give my emotions to You. I smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my will today, and I give my will to You, and choose to make the right decisions of faith. I smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my body today, and I give my body to You, recognizing that I am Your temple; and I rejoice in Your mercy and goodness.

Heavenly Father, I pray that now through this day You would quicken me; show me the way that Satan is hindering and tempting and lying and counterfeiting and distorting the truth in my life. Enable me to be the kind of person that would please You. Enable me to be aggressive in prayer. Enable me to be aggressive mentally and to think Your thoughts after You, and to give You Your rightful place in my life.

Again, I now cover myself with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and pray that You, blessed Holy Spirit would bring all the work of the crucifixion, all the work of the resurrection, and all the work of Pentecost into my life today. I surrender myself to You. I refuse to be discouraged. You are the God of all hope. You have proven Your power by resurrecting Jesus Christ from the dead, and I claim in every way Your victory over all satanic forces in my life, and I reject these forces; and I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with thanksgiving.

Amen.

Guest Blogger Day

2007-08-29T22:18:00.000-04:00

Today I have a guest blogger: Ashley Phillips. She's a Salvationist from the South, whom I met at The War College in Vancouver. Today she wrote the following on facebook and I was so impressed, I wanted to share it with you. Looks like our TSA future is in good hands, huh?

Blood and Fire Baby!
I got this new sense of pride today. But not pride in a sinful way. Pride like I have in my country. Almost like a patriotism. For The Salvation Army.

I don't know where it came from. But I am not complaining that it did come.

I was talking to Tammi last night about my preliminary testing this Thursday for training. And she asked me if i was nervous. And of course my first response was to say yeah, i hate tests . . . I have never been one of those people who can pass any test that is put in front of them. But i thought about her question...and i had this epiphany.

I am 100% sure in my heart that God wants me to be a Salvation Army Officer. So, why be nervous about some tests to become one? Sure, i may not be the most theologically smart person in the world...and I may not be psychiatrically sane all the time (who is really?) . . . and yeah, I get the doctrines confused sometimes (and I'm not the only one! . . . We believe that whosoever will may be saved!) But I love this army. I love the mission of this army. I love Jesus, and I know God has so much in store for this army that our generation will bring to life.

Guys . . . we are the future of this Army! That is some pretty exciting stuff! I mean . . . just think . . . We are going to see God do things in this army that will blow us away. All these things that burden us about this army, God wants to use us to change. And we are going to be his workers. His Servants. His Soldiers. God wants to use you! What an honor! If that doesn't excite you, then somethings wrong! The creator of this whole universe . . . the One who made every tree, mountain, river, ocean, and star beautiful and breathtaking . . . The guy who knitted you in your mothers womb to be exactly who you are today . . . He wants to use you! Will you let him? Will you let Him send you to places of darkness where the Love of God has never been preached? Whether that means in a far away country, or a few yards away to your neighbors door . . . will you go? Will you trust Him to guide you? We need to cast out this complacency that has hit this generation. This idea that as long as we are saved then that's all we need to do. Because that breaks God's heart. He wants to use us. Will you let Him?

In the words of our great founder: "We must wake ourselves up! Or somebody else will take our place, and bear our cross, and thereby rob us of our crown."

If I rise on the wings of the dawn
If I settle on the far side of the sea
Even there your hand will guide me
If I say, The darkness will hide me
And the light will become night around me
Even there your hand will guide me
Darkness will not be dark to you
It will shine like the day Darkness is as light to you
For even there your hand will guide me.
-Psalm 139:8-12

People are NOT Our Projects

2007-08-26T22:12:00.000-04:00

Danielle Strickland once told me of an interaction with a "running friend" she had made. After developing a good relationship over time, and getting close to "winning" her new friend to Christ, out of the blue her friend asked her: "am I one of your 'projects?'" Danielle said it was a wake up call when she realized people are not "our projects."

What is it about us Christians that causes us to think we can make people our projects and not really care about them as friends (and/or people)? As if we can just toss them away once we use them (get them saved or whatever) and move on to the next project . . . when you begin to think about it that way, it feels really icky, doesn't it? I hope it feels icky, because if it doesn't, you're gonna need more help than this blog entry can provide!

I'm convinced we see ourselves as "better than" others. Especially those who aren't saved. In some "not-sure-how-we-get-there" thought process, we think it's okay to treat people like they're not people as long as it's in order to get them saved. Kinda like the end justifies the means.

Well, guess what?

Did you guess?

People are the most important priority we have. We will NEVER be justified using people to make us look good (to some imagined power over us), then tossing them aside and moving on to bigger and better things once we accomplish our "mission" on them.

Is that person your project? Take this test to find out:

1) Do you desire to hang out with the person and really get to know them?

2) Have you opened YOUR heart to them, as well as expect them to open up to you?

3) Do you really care about the person as a friend?

4) Do you still want to be their friend even if they don't "get saved?"

5) Do you see the person as more important than yourself (or your "ministry")?

6) Do you really listen to what the person has to say?

If you answered "NO" to any of these questions you might want to examine your intentions in this relationship.

People are our priority (as Jesus exemplified) and we should never climb over them to get even one rung higher on our way up the ladder.

Prayer: O God, please help me to see people as you do; to honor them and hold my relationship with them at the highest possible level. May I be a good witness to them, but may I just plain be a good friend- because I certainly won't be a good witness if I use them and drop them on my way by.

- - - - -

PS: Here are all the wrong answers to the above questions:

1) I just want to use the person so I look like I'm a good Christian to everyone who may be looking. Maybe God'll give me a better situation in life for my next test.

2) I'm not ABOUT to actually open my heart to the person. I don't need anyone, after all!

3) As long as the person THINKS I'm being a friend and it looks good, I'm okay.

4) Are you kidding? If the person doesn't accept Jesus by Tuesday, I'm outta here (If they do, I'm outta here by Wednesday anyway)!

5) Actually, God has made me better than the person (by virtue of my job or giftings), so I have a completely different set of standards to live up to.

6) Huh? What did you say?

Guidelines for Answered Prayer

2007-08-23T20:47:00.000-04:00

Since we're praying unceasingly for God to provide $2.5 million to cover our local debt, I thought it would be good to post some guidelines for answered prayer. I'm not sure where I got these, but they've been proven in the testing field of life, so I recommend them for you.

1) Envision a Clear-cut Objective - Be Specific!

Too many people pray for "everything and everyone;" in generalities. You know, like "God bless everyone in the whole world!" So how do we know if God has answered that prayer? It would take quite awhile to ask everyone to find out!

When we pray, we should ask for exactly what we want God to do. "God, heal John of cancer," etc. In our case- $2.5 million dollars! Be specific in your prayer requests.

2) Develop a Burning Desire for the Objective - See it Accomplished!

Often, I've found we pray for things we don't really care about. And if we do care about them, we certainly don't act like it. Imagine a little kid asking his father for a new bike. He's going to ask his Dad once and leave it at that, right? HA! Yet we often ask God for something ONCE and then drop it. Sounds like we really care about the subject, don't ya think?

While we're developing a burning desire, we should envision our objective actually accomplished. See your prayer in your mind's eye having been answered. Believe it has already happened.

3) Pray for Assurance - The Rhema Word!

Once we see our objective accomplished in our mind's eye, we should then start asking God to give us the assurance that he WILL answer this specific prayer. In short, that's called the Rhema Word (Greek). Once we get that assurance, it's all over but the shouting . . . and that's the next point:

4) Claim and Speak the Word - Tell Others!

Start shouting it out. As if it has already happened, if you'd like, because it WILL happen- God has said so (remember step 3 above?) and you KNOW it deep in your spirit (Gotta LOVE that Rhema Word!).

There you have it- some nice proven guidelines for answered prayer. Try it- it works!

I Get by with a Little Help from my Friends

2007-08-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

I'm looking for a couple of specific books. I've checked all my usual book sites and apparently, both these books are easily found, but for some reason, have become VERY expensive. And I am not currently willing to pay $50 or more for books that were originally only $11.

That's where all of YOU come in.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of either of these books (for a decent price), let me know. Thanks in advance!

If all else fails, I'm going to try the library when I get home.

The Omega Conspiracy
I.D.E. Thomas
Paperback
Publisher HSPI
Published September 1990 (an earlier pub is fine)

The Facade
Michael S. Heiser
Paperback
Publisher Xlibris Corp
Published September 2004

The Spiral of life

2007-08-11T20:56:00.001-04:00

I just finished reading a three book series called "The Nephilim Series" by L. A. Marzulli. If you click on the Title above, it will link you to his website where you can learn about the books and their premise.

The first book is "Nephilim." The second is "The Unholy Deception." The final book is "The Revealing: The Time is Now." Click HERE to get prices and where you can buy them.

If you've ever wondered about the "Nephilim" mentioned in scripture, but couldn't find much on the subject- here's your chance to learn more.

I really enjoyed these books! So much so, I just ordered his latest book, which is not fiction, but looks at the end times (a subject that has always interested me) in a different way than his first series.

Some day I should blog about some things I've learned about the Nephilim. But for now, if you're interested- get the books and enjoy them. Then let me know you did.

The Cool Test

2007-08-07T20:27:00.000-04:00

Okay, having had my last blog "quiz" kinda blown outta the water immediately (thanx Travis), I figure I should now drop this one on my unsuspecting readers.

This test is based on how cool you were in High School- how many friends you had, what crowd you ran with, etc. It's scientifically documented as very accurate. Once you take the test, you may want to have your friends take it as well to see if they've changed any.

So, to see if you are STILL a cool person:

Cooltest

So how did you score? Any change?

A Question for You

2007-08-05T22:07:00.000-04:00

Okay, who knows this one?

What is the Musician's Theory of Relativity?

If no one answers correctly, I'll leave the answer in the comments in a few days, so check back.

Standing Strong

2007-08-01T08:58:00.001-04:00

I'm trading my sorrows;
I'm trading my shame;
I'm laying them down
For the joy of the Lord . . .
I'm pressed but not crushed
Persecuted but not abandoned;
Struck down but not destroyed.
I am blessed beyond the curse,
For his promise will endure
That his joy's gonna be my strength.
Though the sorrow may last for the night,
His joy comes with the Morning!

- - - - -

In this world you will have many troubles,
but take heart!
I have overcome the world!
- John 16:33

- - - - -

The One who rules in heaven laughs!
- Psalm 2:4

- - - - -

The quotes above and some others have come to me from various sources in the last few days (most directly from God). As I sit in the midst of many "troubles," God has made me aware that none of them will crush me. None of them will be my undoing. In fact, when I really dwell on it, it gets funny that The Enemy thinks he can discourage me through "issues," when I know Yahweh is the one in control!

I mean, come one! Things may look impossible to me, but to God? HA! What's a mere $2.5 million to God? What's a little personality struggle? What's a tough email? What's a United Way report deadline? What's a $2000 doorstop of a computer? As I delve deeper into these (and more), some of them may look increasingly impossible to me, but to God? HA! I say! Double HA even! {lol}

The "trick" is holding firm in faith, believing God will come through as he has promised. Bottom line: He's NEVER failed me before; He has ALWAYS come through. My history with Him proves that over and over again. I could tell you some incredible stories . . . (another blog).

So as I build myself up in faith by reviewing the many times God's saved me in the past, repeat God's promises to me, write these things down AND speak them out loud to others, I am strengthened and encouraged. I am emboldened to step up to the plate and swing away! And I can do it in perfect calm; His peace.

There will come a day (sooner than later) when I will be able to look BACK on these times and rejoice that God WAS there; that he came through AGAIN; that he kept me in the palm of his hand through it all.

The only question that remains is whether I was able to stay faithful in the midst of it all. Did I trust IN the storm or did I wilt at its imagined fierceness? Was I overwhelmed or did I stand strong?

Right now, I'm standing strong. I trust in my God and I will show that faith to anyone who comes near.

Just you wait!

No Problem: Gene's Praying

2007-07-29T20:06:00.000-04:00

There's a series of commercials from an account temp agency that feature the ultimate employee- "Bob." Apparently Bob can handle ANY job and makes even the best employee cringe that he is around their office. I've laughed over the years as I've heard of Bob's exploits in the office world. I missed them while I was in Maine, but with our move to Rhode Island we're back in their business area again. "No problem: Bob's here!"

I spotted Gene Bragg at the back of the OOB pavilion this morning. I wanted to say HI, so I moved back to see him. After a few words of greeting, he told me "I'm praying early every day for you and Debbie."

That's certainly nice to hear, but immediately after those words uttered by Gene, God spoke to my spirit and said: "THAT'S why you both have been so calm in the midst of your current situation. Gene's praying for you."

Just so you know- Gene's a powerful intercessor. We discovered that during our last 7 years in Bangor. When Gene prays, things happen because God listens. Of this there was NO doubt in my mind. Now if that's possible, after God's word to me, I am even MORE confident!

Now I don't want to ignore that fact that there are a LOT of people praying specifically for us right now. We count on you all and appreciate EVERY prayer that goes up on our behalf. You're ALL awesome. I'm just telling you what God told me.

Now Debbie & I know exactly why we've been so incredibly calm in the midst of things that SHOULD be making us "crazy." Gene's praying.

Thanks Gene for your daily prayer support. We will be eternally grateful.

Friday Night at OOB Top 10 List

2007-07-27T18:45:00.000-04:00

Friday night at Old Orchard Beach was awesome and there are many reasons I say so. Here's my Top 10 List:

10) It didn't rain!

9) I got to see "The Generals" coloring book made just for this year's meetings!

8) I was the first person to start off the 24/7 Prayer Room for the camp meetings (just like last year); 1 hour of POWER! The word I got was "It's all about Jesus."

7) It was (and always is) good to see many good friends and family!

6) It was great to be able to reconnect with a group of War College students who are all special to me!

5) I got to see and hug a few of my spiritual daughters (both official and unofficial ones)!

4) General Burrows spoke twice and was awesome (there were many seekers at the altar)!

3) I got to pray with a couple of people at the altar and General Burrows came down and prayed with us!

2) I got to spend some late hours praying with The War College Ministry Team for their week of Prophetic Evangelism at the OOB pier (praying with them is always fantastic)! God has some BIG plans for them this coming week!

1) The War College Team prayed for Debbie & I and gave us some awesome personal words from God about our specific situation in Rhode Island! One person who doesn't know our situation at all, spoke of the many children in our care and how God will be providing financially (as those of you who read my blog regularly know, we have a large Child Care Center in RI and we owe $2.5 million for its construction)!

Wow! More evidence God is working to get rid of that debt! Watch this space!

No Rest

2007-07-25T09:07:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been very tired. I know it's because of all the stress of moving, learning a new job, long hours doing hard work, etc. Although I'm sleeping fine, sometimes it feels as if I didn't get any rest the night before.

We've got a couple weeks of vacation coming up soon in August. That's when I'll be able to put aside the things screaming in my ear and get away from it all (Oh Calgon- take me away!). I'm going to take it easy, take some naps, watch Rays baseball in person and soak up some sun in Florida. I can hardly wait!

As I read my Bible I came across a passage of promise that God has quickened to my heart for Rhode Island:

O Rhode Island, I have posted watchmen (and watchwomen) on your walls (intercessors); they will pray to Yahweh day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. Give Yahweh no rest until he makes Rhode Island the object of praise throughout the earth.
- Isaiah 62:6-7

God has awesome plans for Rhode Island. Of that I have NO doubt! His promises to us are many- including $2.5 million, growth in our corps and spiritual stability. Our task is to be faithful praying for his promises to be fulfilled. We are to give God NO REST until he causes his promises to be realized and seen by all.

So here's a challenge to all intercessors whom Holy Spirit is nudging to pray for Rhode Island (or the Burrs)- get on God's case 24/7! Don't let him rest until he comes through for us. Not so we look good, but so HE gets the glory for it all (it's all about Jesus).

When we break through and God sends his promised blessing on us, then maybe we'll give him a break so he can take a couple weeks off in Florida.

Impossible?

2007-07-18T08:46:00.001-04:00

This morning during my prayer time, I opened a small devotional booklet given to me by some close friends. Today is day 11 and the verse is Luke 18:27.

"What is impossible with men is possible with God." - Jesus

Perfect!

Yesterday we had our first department head's meeting. In that meeting we talked about who we are, what our mission is and the many ways we're going to be working together in Rhode Island. We also talked about our financial position (not good) and a very large debt we have on our recently built Child Care Center facility. Two million, fifty-six thousand and some odd cents. Man! It looks even bigger when I spell it out like that!

You know, our operating payments expected monthly are barely going to scratch the surface of that kind of money. We're all going to be long gone before it will be paid off like that! Besides, if we have to make those payments, our regular operations are going to take a serious hit. Impossible!

But we're not in this alone. What's impossible for humankind is nothing to the God we serve (my God owns the kettles in a thousand malls!)! And that's right where I have decided to live. In his hands; trusting him for everything. Not just money.

We're praying for God to miraculously drop $2.5 million in our laps (we've got some other debt as well). We're asking that it be done in such a way that it could ONLY be God's provision so no one else could possibly take any credit.

We'd appreciate your prayer support in this. I promise to report right here WHEN we get our miracle. Watch this space- it won't be long.

Defects in Other Christian Faiths

2007-07-14T22:03:00.000-04:00

The other day on the front page of our newspaper was an article about the Pope and his latest document release which restates the position that the Roman Catholic Church is the "only" true church. It states that other Christian communities are "defective" or not true churches; Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.

What a sad thing! So much for the Second Vatican Council and working together for Christian Unity.

Are you thinking I'm about to complain about the Catholic Church? I'm not (except to start there). What my thoughts lean toward today are the fact that it is not unusual to hear this kind of thinking from other churches either. Now maybe not so obviously, but the more this thought process is kept hidden, the more insidious it really is.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say things which inform me they think their church is the only right one. And frankly, I hear it in The Salvation Army too. I've heard Salvationists say because another professing Christian drinks, they can't be saved. And other things like this, etc.

Church! No congregation has it all together! No one has every tenet of Christian faith figured out. We need each other to be able to see the entire picture of God's revelation to humankind.

Have you ever heard the story of the 6 blind men who were led to an elephant and asked to verbally describe what the creature is like? The first was taken to the trunk, the second to the tusk, the third to an ear, the fourth to a foot, the fifth to the belly and the sixth to the tail. Naturally they all disagreed strenuously over what an elephant was like!

That's the way I see the Christian Church. We each know only a part of God. If we argue over what part we know, we will never reach Unity, because we're only arguing facets, not the whole. But if we trust each other and agree that each denomination has something unique to bring to the table, we can see a bigger picture of what God is trying to tell humankind.

Certainly there are defects in other Christian faiths, but we must include our own faith in this statement or we will find ourselves in the Pharisee camp. As I recall, that's not a place I want to be. Do you?

All Road's Lead to . . .

2007-07-09T21:59:00.000-04:00

An interesting phenomenon has happened to us since we moved to Rhode Island. We have learned that you can get anywhere you want in Rhode Island via Dunkin' Donuts.

Not sure what I mean? Here's an example:

Go straight down the road and turn left at Dunkin' Donuts. Then go about a mile until you get to Dunkin' Donuts, then turn right. When you come to a Dunkin' Donuts on your left, turn right and go until you run into Dunkin' Donuts. Now you're almost there. After the third Dunkin' Donuts, turn right at the Dunkin' Donuts sign and you're right where you want to be just behind the Dunkin' Donuts.

Repeat these directions for anywhere you want to go. It always works! It works even better when you're looking for Dunkin' Donuts!

So many people question whether God exists or not, but the truth is, everywhere you go, he's there. In fact, you can't get anywhere without passing God many times on your trip. And that's the problem- people just keep passing God and never stopping to chat or just hang out with him.

The next time you head to Dunkin' Donuts, take a minute to look for God. Trust me- he's there and just waiting for you to stop your running around and just chat a bit.

AND

2007-07-07T10:40:00.001-04:00

There is a Bible verse traditionally used by Christians when relating the salvation process:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" -Romans 3:23

Our purpose in using it is to get people to realize that no one is righteous in and of themselves; we need God.

But this morning as I was reading through this passage, it stuck me that although the verse ends after the word "God," the sentence does not. In fact there is an "AND" at the beginning of verse 24 that continues the author's thought:

"AND are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Now it is true that we all have to see our need of God because no one can reach the mark of his righteousness on their own. But here God wants us to realize even though this is true, all who believe in Jesus are also justified (made righteous) freely. Our salvation is free because Jesus paid the price for us. That's grace.

The acrostic I have used for many years to define grace is
God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense.

And there it is right in the passage that we have used for many years to "beat" the realization of sin into us sinners! Yes, we are sinners, but God didn't stop there. He went on to do what we couldn't do- procure our salvation (righteousness)- and then offer it to us for free!

Isn't that just like God? Right in the middle of our realization of our sin, he places an AND to let us know there is more. AND it's his GRACE.

AND here I am again, standing under the waterfall of God's GRACE. Nice.

(Click on the picture to go to allposters.com and buy it)

Family in Rhode Island

2007-07-02T22:28:00.001-04:00

It looks like there's family in Rhode Island! Jenn & Josh decided to vacation with us for about a week, so Chris decided to come down and see everyone too. He brought a couple of friends and spent most of the time at the beach, but it was great having everyone together at our home again.

It's interesting how the house instantly felt more like home when they all came to join us.

Ah, family. Can't beat it!

Satan is a Liar!

2007-07-01T21:36:00.000-04:00

I heard a good sermon today (actually 2). I have a page of notes I took and of the bloggable stuff I wrote, here is what I want to offer you today:

Satan is a liar!

Just like my native language is English, Satan's native language is Deception. I don't have to think about what I say, it just naturally comes out in English. Satan just naturally speaks lies and we need to learn that when he speaks to us, there is no need to wonder if there's anything we should think about in there somewhere. There isn't; he's lying!

He tells us things like "you're not as good as that person," "you're not up to that," "you can't," "people don't like you," "you're ugly," you're a loser," "you're not . . .," etc. Those are lies. Plain and simple- lies!

The trick, you see, is learning when it's Satan speaking and when it's God speaking. When you know that, it's no problem ignoring what Satan whispers in the back of your mind. And here's the key to knowing the difference: God loves you; Satan does not. When you hear good things about yourself, you know it's God speaking. When you hear bad things, it's Satan (or maybe it's your own voice agreeing with Satan's curses that he has already convinced you of).

God made you just the way he wanted to. Sure, you don't always live up to the potential he placed in you, but he loves you anyway. His love is not based on the condition of your doing well.

I am sick and tired of people convinced they are not good enough; not accepted, etc! Well, not sick and tired of the people, just sick and tired of the enemy's lies! God's plan is to bless you, not to curse you.

Yahweh your God would not listen to Balaam, but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loves you. - Deuteronomy 23:5

So there you have it. Satan is a liar, but God loves you. Simple, but serious truth for today.

Mary and Dave

2007-06-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

Mary and Dave MacKay. If you know them, I don't need to tell you about them. You already know. Wonderful people!

We've just spent the last 7 years with them and grew to love them more every day.

We just spent the last 2 days with them and saw yet again how important they are to us.

Mary and Dave drove us to Rhode Island from Bangor. The obvious reason- someone needed to get the van back to Bangor. The hidden reason- we wanted to hang on to them as long as possible. If just for a few more hours.

The 5 hour trip down went quickly due to good conversation with good friends. When we arrived, they immediately began to help us figure things out, move furniture around, clean, etc. We worked late into the evening. Since it was a long trip, they spent the night with us- our first Rhode Island house guests!

They just drove off and left us alone with our movers. We cried as we said our final farewells and watched the van pull off around the circle. Even though we know we're going to soon see each other again at OOB, there is the knowledge that it won't be every day any more. Mary won't be able to house sit any more. We won't be able to sit and chat whenever we want, hang out in our small group . . . the list goes on and on.

Our final ties to Bangor have been severed and that is why we're sad. {sigh}

Thanks Mary and Dave for all your hard work. Thanks for always being there for us and helping out in many small (and BIG) ways. Thanks for your friendship and prayers. Thanks for being so important to us; you were and will continue to be a HUGE blessing to us. We'll miss you BIG TIME, but trust God has even more good things in store for all of us!

We love you!
Doug and Debbie

Released!

2007-06-24T22:21:00.000-04:00

Today was our final SonDay in Bangor. Fully expecting an incredible day, I arrived shortly after 7 AM- even earlier than I usually do. I quickly got things set up and began to pray on my face (as is my custom).

After awhile, I sensed God wanted me to get under the waterfall of his grace again. He didn't need to tell me twice! I jumped right in and began to soak up all I could. After a time, he wanted me to roll over on my back. When I did, I soon sensed God sent angels to wash me with brushes. They were scrubbing me all over!

Then God had me go to my favorite spot in the corps building- under the Holiness Table. There the angels began to anoint me with oil. Soon the Holy Spirit opened a trap door in the back of my head and began to pour oil (Himself) in and it filled me up completely. When that was finished, he told me I was released from Bangor. I immediately felt a joyous freedom! Up until that time, I found it hard to think about and focus on Rhode Island. I kept coming back to Bangor as if something invisible kept restraining me.

From there out the day got progressively better (if you can believe that)! Study class was great; lots of people showed up to say farewell- some had never been to our church, some had been away for a long time. There was a great spirit (Spirit!) in the chapel; we were ready to worship! And that we did!

Stephanie has quickly become one of my favorite live worship leaders and she was seriously worshiping today! Tears welled in my eyes many times as we all lifted our hearts to Jesus. The whole room seemed to be worshiping with everything they had.

After my final message, our friends gathered around us and prayed for us. God spoke clearly through everyone who prayed. Some spoke words of comfort and challenge, others spoke words of prophetic power over us! These prayers reminded us that God has some powerful things in store for these people too. Their prayers were refreshing, challenging and encouraging. I will not soon forget the love spoken over us.

After singing "Nothing Compares to the Promise I have in You!," Debbie and I together offered our final benediction and blessing. I could barely keep my voice from cracking as emotion flowed over me and through me. Wow!

Many hugs, tears, good words and handshakes followed before we headed down for a fellowship luncheon together. Good food, pictures and a nice time of fun and memories before more hugs, tears, good words and handshakes! Whew! I was drained, but loving it. I could have done it all over again! We'll certainly miss the wonderful people of Bangor, Maine!

And the rest of the day got even better! I played my last game of Halo2 with Michael & Stephanie (they let me win!). We packed more (uh maybe this wasn't "better"), had a farewell dinner with Drew P and finished up with The Foundry (more cool worship and God's Word!). Then it was home again to pack more (ugh!) because the truck comes @ 7:30 tomorrow morning! And facebook and blogging before packing my computer (I hope I survive without it!).

Bangor family: Thank-you; it's been an awesome ride! You have blessed us and we will remember all of you with love. We are confident that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

Stay close to Jesus!

Standing Under the Waterfall of God's Grace

2007-06-23T15:11:00.000-04:00

I've been training Stephanie in Deliverance and Inner Healing since she's been in Bangor. We haven't had a lot of time, since we're moving, so God has had her on a serious fast-track! She's gone through multiple prayer sessions (thanks Denise!), we've talked a LOT and she's been voraciously reading through my library (can you believe I'm actually letting her return a few of my books AFTER we move? Now that's trust!).

I believe Stephanie is gifted for this ministry as I am. It's obvious that God is working in her to move her along quickly. In fact, as I learn more of her history, I see where God has been working on her for a long time to prepare her for a deliverance ministry.

So the other day I figure it's time she "flies solo" and leads a session with me. No problem- she was ready! Mary joined us this time as we sat in our corps chapel.

That morning as I spoke with God, I learned ahead of time what my prayer session would be about- my anxiousness about our move. I won't go into details, just let you know I've been wanting to control things and that's just what I can't do, since I have no say or knowledge of what's coming. And this session was very helpful, since Jesus had me let go of my anxiousness and desire to control my situation.

When I finally dropped it all over a cliff, it shattered on a rock far below and a waterfall began to flow down and wash it away. God had Mary share that I should stand under that waterfall. As I did, I learned that it was God's grace! So I stood there for awhile and soaked up everything I could.

I'm still standing there.

And God is still showering me with his grace.

That, I can deal with!

Thinking About Moving

2007-06-19T19:14:00.000-04:00

Well with 8 days left in Bangor before we move, it's beginning to hit me. I mean, I'll be sitting somewhere, driving somewhere, working at my desk, talking with someone, etc and all of a sudden it hits me: I'm leaving. It's no longer an exercise of the mind.

It's actually happening. I'm moving to Rhode Island (why isn't "Rhode" in ANY electronic spelling dictionary?) and leaving my house, my friends, my life . . .

Yeah, that's what it's like. I'm heading somewhere I know nothing about (well, very little anyway). I don't know the people. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing. I don't even know the directions to my office from my new home. Come to think of it, I don't know the directions to my new home without a map in the first place!

And we'll have to "prove" ourselves all over again to a whole bunch of new people, including our new leaders. We've been established and trusted here, but we're just a name to all our (soon to be) new friends in Rhode Island.

You know moving isn't what it's cracked up to be. Maybe I've been in New England so long, it's rubbed off on me and I don't like change any more! (Bet you like that one, huh Mary?)

Bangor has been a hard appointment in many ways, but when it comes right down to it, I'm going to miss a whole lot about this place! Especially many of the people.

When we moved here, I was taking a class that included a study of the moving process. It was interesting because I was able to see what they labeled the things I was feeling! As I felt the separation and loss, and went through the grieving process, I was able to relate it to the natural part of the moving process. It helped a lot.

The more I think about it while writing, the more I realize it's a good thing to actually FEEL these things. We shouldn't try to ignore our feelings- we need to experience them so we can work through them and come out on the other side. Sure we'll miss people, but it's not like anyone is dying! This is The Army after all, we'll see people over and over again (OOB, congresses, meetings, etc)!

I do think there are quite a few people in Bangor who are NOT dealing with their feelings about us leaving. They've been a bit distant these last few weeks and haven't said very much at all to us about our moving. I think they are just repressing their feelings and that can only come back to hurt you later.

When people say "we'll miss you," I say "good!" It's supposed to be that way, if you've become good friends. Separation is hard and it really hurts when it means something to you. Many people here mean a lot to me and I'm certainly feeling it!

You know, I'm actually feeling better after working through these things and writing them down. I know I'll have another wave of sadness soon enough, but I can also rejoice that I know these people in the first place! I got to spend 7 whole years in Bangor!

And that too, is a good thing!

Stephanie (Burr) Lines

2007-06-15T23:27:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, Stephanie Lines is our War College intern this summer in Bangor. While I was in Vancouver teaching in January, I heard from God that she was the one who should come and I was pleased when the staff agreed and was able to work that out. Each year God has sent us great students and Bangor has benefited greatly from their ministry with us.

Almost a month ago, as Denise and I were driving Stephanie to Bangor from the airport, I started hearing Stephanie was to be even more special.

Not too long after that, I sensed I was to "adopt" her. Now Stephanie already has a father and I'm not looking to replace him- however God wants me to provide a spiritual covering, a mentoring, a fatherly blessing. But I hadn't known Stephanie very long. I wondered how would she take that news. Even so, I knew if God wanted it, He would work out the timing and details.

So the other day we were chatting about the day they officially announced she would come to Bangor. She said that day, God told her she was coming to Bangor and that He had a father for her in that. When she spoke those words, I knew immediately God had given me the confirmation I needed! So when I brought it up, she was totally on the same page as I was.

So yesterday, we cemented our new relationship as father and daughter. I look forward to what it will bring us both and how God will bless others through this spiritual connection. I pray I will be able to live up to what God is asking of me.

Welcome to the Burr family, Stephanie! You've got a new brother (Chris) and two sisters (Jenn & Heather) already, but at the rate God is working in my life- that could just be the beginning!

Oh and I almost forgot your new brother Winfield.

Seeking Serious Prayer Partners

2007-06-11T22:16:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned previously, my Dad was with us for a few days; he just went home today. Because of his age, situation and distance he doesn't get up to visit as often as he and Mom used to. It was awesome having him!

While he was here he pulled an old tattered piece of paper out of his Bible and held it out to me. It looked familiar and immediately I knew what it was.

Years ago Debbie & I had asked people to pray for us on a regular basis. Ministry is serious warfare, but not a lot of people realize that. So in an attempt to gather people to partner with us in our ministry, we created the Prayer Partner Daily Prayer Outline to the left. I gave Dad a new one and thought it would be a good thing to remind some people out there to keep praying for us. Especially since we're just moving on to another appointment in a couple of weeks.

There might also be a few new people out there reading this who would take up the challenge of praying for Debbie & I. If God is nudging you to do so, click on the picture to enlarge it and print it to put in your Bible or somewhere you'll see it often.

By the way, there are different categories of Prayer Partner. Peter Wagner calls them I1, I2 and I3 intercessors.

An I3 intercessor is one who will print this list then pray for us now and then. They are kind of casual pray-ers. Their prayers are always effective and helpful. There are often many such intercessors praying for specific people or ministries.

An I2 intercessor is one who takes their intercessory role very seriously. They receive a special calling (a "nudge") from God, make it a point to pray for us regularly and often take long periods of time to pray specifically. They will keep in touch now and then to learn what is going on in our lives so they can pray with pin-point direction. Their prayers are obviously even more effective and helpful. There are usually only a few of these intercessors praying for specific people or ministries at a time.

An I1 intercessor is one who also receives a special calling from God to pray for us. The difference is they keep in very close contact and regularly get updated on details of our life and ministry. The purpose is not only to pray specifically, but also to listen to God for us. These intercessors will often have special Words (of knowledge and prophecy) that God sends to us through them. Their prayers are extremely effective and helpful. There are usually only 1 or 2 such intercessors for specific people at a time and they cannot just take up this role on their own. They must get "permission" from the people or ministry to take on this special role. I don't remember ever having such a Prayer Partner . . . yet!

If you decide or receive a nudge to become one of our Prayer Partners, let us know by either commenting here or sending off an email (or snail-mail) note. We appreciate our prayer partners and welcome those who will be faithful!

My Heavenly Father. I Get it.

2007-06-09T21:17:00.000-04:00

After God powerfully showing his Father's love for us last SonDay, this week He has continued to reiterate that truth with many of us especially in a couple of prayer sessions. It has been incredible! As a father, my father's heart has been warmed repeatedly and challenged to show God's fatherly love through my own actions and words (I've given a LOT of father hugs). I've also been challenged to welcome another spiritual daughter in my life- more about that in a future blog.

My own father has been visiting us this week (here for my son's graduation) and his presence has reminded me of how blessed I am to have such a father- one who has always been a wonderful example of what God's father-love is all about. There are many people who have had poor examples of what a father should be. They have experienced criticism, fear, pain, etc. and because of their experience, that is the only way they know how to understand a father. So when God says "I am your heavenly father," they don't take that as a good thing. How my father's heart breaks for them!

Father's day is coming next week. I will be blessed with a few cards and some reminders of my example of a father's love to a special few in my life. I will remember my own father again, and thank him for his example (and God for giving me that father). I also want to thank God again and again for not only showing me what a true example of a father is through my earthly father, but for being that true example as my heavenly father- he has always been faithful, encouraging, loving, strong, accepting and much more!

My heavenly "father." I get it.

I hope you do too.

Con'grad'uations!

2007-06-07T23:00:00.000-04:00

While everyone in The Salvation Army's Eastern Territory is heading to (or has already reached) Hershey, PA for the Congress, we remain home packing. Not because of our move- rather because our son, Chris, is graduating from High School on SonDay!

Whew! There were days we wondered is any of us would survive the High School years!

Wednesday night, we had a Graduate Celebration Party at the corps as we do every year. This year we had two graduates, Chris and Sam. We feasted on pot luck, had some cake, took a lot of pictures, watched a skit, then had a slide show of growing-up pictures. We presented them with Bibles (written in by some of us) and a little monetary gift to help with after school costs.

Both Sam and Chris are awesome young adults. They have each given their lives to Jesus and re-committed at Youth Councils a couple of weeks ago. We are proud of them and are committed to continuing to support them in the future as family of the Bangor Corps.

Here's to all of the graduates out there: may your future be successful and your lives a blessing to all those around you.

Critical Thinking Test

2007-06-04T15:03:00.000-04:00

The following is a test of your critical-thinking skills and your ability to quickly analyze events. Scroll down slowly, read and answer the question BEFORE scrolling down to the answer. Continue this way until you have finished the test.

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, put the giraffe in and close the door.

This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put the elephant in and close the refrigerator.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put the elephant in and close the door.

This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator.

This tests your memory.

4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the animal conference.

This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all of the questions wrong. However many preschoolers got several answers correct. Anderson Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brain of a 4 year old.

The Father's Love for us

2007-06-03T21:22:00.000-04:00

I've got a lot to talk about lately. I'm not sure why I haven't been blogging about it all. Guess I'll have to make up for it in the next few days. However, my first priority is this morning's worship service in Bangor!

Wow!

I'll say it again. Wow!

I'll even say it backwards. Wow!

I can honestly say that was the best sermon I never preached!

Here's the deal: As we were praying in the chapel early this morning, God said his desire was to tell us he loved us with a Father's love. So we prayed and proclaimed that and spoke our willingness to receive that news deep in our hearts. During the meeting we spent some time praying for our corps vision and for George's healing from cancer. Then we worshiped.

As we started singing "How deep the Father's love for us," Holy Spirit began to move. So we repeated some of the song. Debbie led a time of prayer and God led us to prolong it a bit. As we were about to finish, Debbie felt she needed to say something. After she spoke, she asked anyone who needed to feel God's father-love for them to stand. Slowly at first, then people all over the room began to respond. She then asked someone near those people to give them a Father's hug. After a powerful time of God demonstrating his love to us, through us, we repeated "How deep . . ." There were not many dry eyes in the whole room!

At that point I realized I had nothing to add to God's word for us, so we sang another song and closed with a blessing to receive God's father-love and share it.

One of our teens was heard to say: "that was just like Youth Councils!"

Wow!

5 New Soldiers!

2007-05-26T20:50:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we swear-in 5 new Senior Soldiers! Their ages range from 15 to 20 and after working through the soldiership materials with them, I am convinced they are all going to make powerful, faithful soldiers. Of course, that's the only kind of soldier I will make. I require a solid testimony and active involvement in the corps.

You see, I used to be a Water Safety Instructor. I taught and certified lifeguards. I was told that I should only certify someone if I was sure they could handle the job of a lifeguard. If I had any doubts, I shouldn't give them their certification, because if anything ever happened on their watch, I could be called upon to stand with them and my own skills could be called into question.

Since then, I have taken the same tack with making Army Soldiers. I need to be confident in their commitment.

I spent the better part of today working through the program, PowerPoint, sermon, ceremony, music, etc for this important event. I don't know when I've been more excited about making soldiers! You may think it's because my son is taking this big step in his life, but that's only a part of it. I'm really proud of each one of them and confident in their commitment to Jesus, The Army and the Bangor Corps. I've seen their commitment up close in the last few years and I am not only confident, I am sure God has great plans for them and they will step up to be valiant warriors!

Congratulations, Chris, Sean, Meghan, Brandi and Emily (Emily may not make it tomorrow, because of a previous commitment, but we'll get her soon after)! Stand like the brave with your face to the foe!

We're on the Move

2007-05-25T15:05:00.001-04:00

The word's out; it's now official. Debbie & I are moving at the end of June to be the State Coordinators in Rhode Island. What do we think about it? Good question.

Don't get me wrong- we're definitely excited about the opportunity and the possibilities- we just don't have any frame of reference to relate it to. If we were moving to another corps appointment or a headquarters, we'd know what to expect. We've done that before. But we've never even been stationed in an area command let alone led one.

Are we worried? Not at all. Intrigued is a good word! Bottom line- we're confident God orchestrated this move and has a plan for our good; that we will be blessed and a blessing. Based on a couple of phone calls and emails I've had today, there will be plenty to do and lots of good people to minister with.

Oh another good thing- I know where Rhode Island is and I can spell it!

There are people in Bangor we will miss! I won't even begin to list them here because I'm sure I'd miss many. We've got the shortest time we've ever had to prepare for this move, so we've got some packing to do! And farewelling. And saying goodbye. And wrapping up details. And . . .

I'm sure there will be more info to follow, so keep posted by checking back. I'll sincerely try to get back to blogging more often.

NNE Youth Councils Report

2007-05-24T08:37:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in reporting about our Divisional Youth Councils. A lot has been going on, so when that happens, my blogging usually takes a hit. I know, I know! I must be very busy lately!

(in)Visible was the theme; We are visible; we are seen, known and loved by God. That theme was very appropriate and well orchestrated throughout the weekend.

Like last year, I was assigned to get a prayer team together for the weekend. Last year, God gave me that assignment. This year, our DYCS asked me as well! Based on who I knew was going to be there, I conscripted Joyce Hartshorn and Shaun Bellanger to round out the team. There are other powerful prayer warriors in our division, but since they weren't going to be present, I decided to go with power over numbers. As it was, Joyce had to leave before the SonDay AM service.

At 7:45 AM SonDay, I arrived at Sebago Hall to begin praying. I was by myself for a few minutes, so I began praying the Bible throughout the room. I started with scripture praising God and his power, then he led me to a passage about his love. I was soon overwhelmed with the desire of God to make his love known to the delegates that morning (I hadn't put 2+2 together yet, figuring out that was the theme for the morning service).

Before long Shaun arrived and his first question was: "What is God telling you?" I told him God wants to make his love known and he jumped right in. God soon gave Shaun Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

For Yahweh your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song.

WOW! Incredible! Now things were getting exciting! We quickly got that verse up on the video screens and it stayed there well into the service (still a couple of hours away). We began to pray for freedom of worship and against quenching the Spirit.

We kept praying and a few people joined us here and there until the room was filled with excited kids, ready to hear from God. The service started but there seemed to be something blocking us from getting through to God or from God getting through to us. The war was on. We kept praying.

Worship was a little stifled. That block needed to be broken. Warfare was just beginning. We kept praying.

We got a word from Michelle (one of our delegates from Bangor) that the Spirit was hovering over everyone, but was unable to fully settle down on everyone in the room. We kept praying.

I talked with Everett, our DYCS, about the fire extinguishers I saw hanging on walls throughout the room. We agreed he (as the authority present) would take them all off the walls and put them on the floor as a prophetic act to signify our desire to not quench the Spirit. Soon after that, one of our Cadets got up to give her testimony. She started by singing "Jesus loves me . . ." and I knew immediately in my Spirit that was what we needed to begin breaking through. God began to move. Before long, kids were moving freely up to the altar and kneeling all around the room, seeking God with tears and sincerity. Yet there was still something keeping the Spirit from completely falling on us. We needed to press through.

At one point Meghan, another of our Bangor delegates, stood up on her seat in the front row, raised her arms and began praising God. Now Holy Spirit fell big time! Michelle got the word that as long Meghan kept her hands raised, the Spirit would keep moving freely. So Michelle suggested we follow the example of Aaron and Hur- help Meghan keep her hands raised. So for the next hour(?) or so, people kept sharing the task of keeping Meghan's hands high in the air. It was an awesome sight! And the Spirit kept moving!

Eventually, Holy Spirit waned and we had to slip quietly back into the "real" world. But many lives were touched by God that morning. I believe deeply touched and changed. Our Bangor delegates particularly, received very special blessings from God, praying for each other and re-committing their lives to God's will for them. At least one got saved for the first time!

Now our challenge is to be faithful- to keep walking out God's will for us on a moment by moment basis. Our task is to be obedient to what God tells us daily- to make the right choices each time. To live holy as God expects.

We can do it. We will do it, by his grace within!

2 Reports in 1 Blog!

2007-05-13T07:55:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, as I was struggling with my need for a prostate procedure, God spoke to me and suggested we schedule a Deeper Life Weekend at our corps on healing. It was one of those rhema moments and I immediately knew God had a good idea! I also knew immediately who I should contact to come- my brother and sister-in-law Howie and Pat.

I was not surprised when we were able to schedule a date quickly. After all, God knew it was going to happen before he suggested it to me! And he also knew the results, which we still have ahead of us, because the weekend isn't over yet. However, we can report on what happened yesterday during the day seminar.

First we learned a lot about healing! We read about scriptural instances of healing. We learned about healing ministries and practices today. We heard testimonies about how God has healed individuals. But more important than book learning, we were encouraged to get our feet wet and actually pray for the healing of people who had needs right then and there.

We had quite a few people present who needed healing- there was cancer, a prostate issue, feet problems, a terminal disease, diabetes, uncontrollable weight, a blocked blood vessel, etc. Everyone who stepped up was prayed for. To be fair, the results of our praying will be seen in the next few weeks as people get reports from their doctors, but we also learned to CONTINUE praying for healing and not to just pray once and walk away. Sometimes we need to do SOAKING prayer to see the results we expect.

Which brings me to my report on my prostate procedure. One of the reasons I haven't given a report here yet, is that I don't want people to think "my work with Doug is done- on to the next prayer project." I realize that even though my procedure was a success according to my doctor, I have weeks of recovery in front of me. Yes, externally, I appear to be back to full strength and up and around again. But my doctor says internally, healing will be taking place until October! Bet you didn't realize you were signing up for such a long term prayer project when you told me you would pray for me, huh?! ;)

Well you are appreciated and I want you to know your prayers are not ineffective! I know God heals today. I also know God heals in a variety of ways (some of which we learned about yesterday!), including through doctors and gradually over a period of time. Which is where I find myself right now. And in his healing hands is not a bad place to be!

More reports on the weekend to come . . .

Welcome Stephanie Lines!

2007-05-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

Only 2 weeks away on May 16, we will officially welcome Stephanie Lines to the Bangor family. She will be arriving from The War College for her 3 month internship, but we have been faithfully praying for her already!

Based on my brief connection with her this January, I think she will fit in nicely (she's an Intercessor!).

Here are the details . . .

Full Name: Stephanie Dawn Lines

Age: 21

Home: Vancouver, BC (hometown: Summerland, BC)

TSA and/or Ministry Background: I taught Sunday School, worked with youth and young adults at Summerland Baptist Church for several years. I've done missions work in Mexico and Africa. However, I have no previous work with The Salvation Army other than this year at the war college.

Favorite Food: Perogies and Chicken Chow Mein!

Favorite Color: Army Green

Favorite Band/Group/Song: Jason Upton, Coldplay... Fav Song: A Message by Coldplay.

Favorite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption

Favorite Quote: Freely we serve because we freely love, as in our will. To love or not - in this we stand or fall. - John Milton, Paradise Lost

Any Instrument?: Guitar, Flute, Piano

BRIEF testimony/thot: I was healed from bi-polar disorder, living among addicts in the poorest postal code of Canada, YHWH is constantly revealing himself to me as the God who is making all things new. My life is a testimony to his greatness in my weakness. He makes all things beautiful in their time.

A thot about coming to Bangor: I am excited to join the front in Bangor! Praise the LORD!

Feeling Better

2007-04-28T09:41:00.000-04:00

For those of you who might be worried about me, let me assure you I didn't stay "bummed" very long. I just needed to vent and Debbie (who I usually vent to) was away at school. I'm back in good spirits again. {whew!}

I will be heading off to "the procedure" in a couple of hours. I'm really NOT looking forward to it or the recovery period, as you can imagine. I AM looking forward to God's presence throughout and his promise that everything will come out fine "in the end." Get it? Sorry, that was for Howie.

Thanks for all the emails, notes and prayer support I've been getting. It makes a HUGE difference! Last night in our small group, before we left they asked to pray for me. I wasn't going to ask them to do so, but must admit I was quite happy they DID it. I was also very proud to see them taking the lead in such matters and DOING what I have been teaching them for the last 7 years! They even got out the anointing oil! Seriously nice!

My brother Howie prayed for me on the phone yesterday and while he was praying, I found myself sagging in my chair and almost fell asleep! Not that he was boring or anything(lol!), but I believe God was relaxing me and doing "something" I was unaware of. Suffice it to say, I liked it and have been looking up about the whole situation ever since.

God is good.

All the time!

AAUUGGHH!!

2007-04-26T08:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a bad day for me. As many of you know, I'm preparing for a prostate procedure this Saturday. There's been some confusion regarding the insurance coverage and suffice it to say after a few long conversations (one tough one in person at the doctor's office), we'll hit our stop/loss, meaning we're going to have to put out a LOT of money (The Burr family has only done this once- many years ago and it was a much lower limit back then).

This whole realization was coming to a head about the time I sat at another doctor's office. I was being walked through my preparation for the procedure three days away. I don't believe the volume of medicines I have to take over the next 3 months! Top that off with the follow up I have to go through . . . well you get the picture.

Like I said- yesterday was a bad day for me. It's now morning and I don't feel a whole lot better. I'm not sure the outlook is any better for the next few days.

I'm not looking for pity. What I am looking for is prayer support. I'm "bummed" right now about the cost and a lot concerned about the procedure. There are possible complications and all else that goes with such medical work.

Pray for great success, quick healing and recovery, my spirit and my attitude. Thanx.

Embrace the Physical or the Spiritual?

2007-04-25T16:40:00.000-04:00

Charisma Magazine printed an excellent article by Patricia King in the February 07 issue (p 57). I would love to write about what she said, but I find it hard to get anywhere CLOSE to saying it any better than she already did! Why not read it before you go any further? Here it is:

Living in the Throne Room

I have discovered that there are 2 types of Christian. One embraces the Physical and the other embraces the Spiritual.

The Physical Christian, for whatever reason, has difficulties in dealing with/believing in spiritual matters. They are trapped in the world's view of things, which only includes things they can relate to physically (see, taste, touch, etc).

They tend to put biblical miracles into the box of "those happened back then, but not now" (basically Cessationism). They pray for miracles today, and even say they've seen them, but seem confined to "I prayed to be healed of my cold and look- God healed me after a week!" (my examples are simplistic, but you get the picture).

They only believe in spiritual gifts such as Administration, Helps, Preaching, Teaching, Pastor, Evangelist, Missionary, etc, but completely relegate to biblical days the gifts of Healing, Deliverance, Prophecy, Tongues, Discernment, Miracles, Apostle . . . in other words, all the gifts that show God's immediate power.

They tend to believe in "the" Holy Spirit, but see him more as a force than a person. They are afraid of what he might do if they actually let him be in control of anything (their lives, a meeting, decisions, etc). In fact, many speak of him as an "it."

The Spiritual Christian is much more open to the Spiritual realm we live in. They tend to see the connection we have with the spiritual realm because God made us that way (Physical, Emotional AND Spiritual- God's image). They are often more inclined to believe something that is spiritual in nature as opposed to things that are physical in nature.

They believe in God's power and miraculous interaction with humankind as a daily occurrence to be savored. They pray for amazing miracles such as replacement of deteriorated cartilage and casting out of demons and actually SEE these things happen on a fairly regular basis.

They believe in the "power" gifts of the Spirit (note: ALL gifts show God's power in our lives, but I mean the obvious miraculous power we don't usually see around us) and USE them as God has given them. These are the Prophets who hear God's voice- today; the Apostles who lead in new creative ways; those with gifts of Deliverance who cast out real, live demons; the Worship Warriors who bring people into God's manifest presence, those who speak in Tongues, etc.

They believe Holy Spirit is a name, not just a title; he is a person not a force; he walks with us and directs our moment-by-moment steps AS we listen to him. They listen and let him have his way all the time, including in Army meetings when he shows up BEFORE the altar call and completely trashes the meticulously planned meeting we spent so much time setting up.

Jesus came to reconcile us to God; to show us the way back to the Father. Humankind had forgotten the spiritual aspect of our nature and Jesus showed us what it should be like living constantly in that realm. What he brought was NOT just for the people of that time. It IS for ALL who believe in him and know that there is MUCH MORE to life than the physical.

I am saddened by all the Physical-embracing Christians I see in our Army and the Body of Christ today (I pray for their liberation). If more Christians embraced the truth of the Spiritual realm, the Church would be so much stronger and much more of a serious force to reckon with in this world today. We could accomplish our mission if we used the tools God has built into us.

You, like all Christians, have a choice. You can embrace the Physical and live in that man-made box until Jesus comes back again. OR you can embrace the Spiritual which we were created to live in before we let the Physical take over.

Wesley's Quadrilateral and You

2007-04-21T09:02:00.000-04:00

Here is a diagram of Wesley's Quadrilateral. For those of you who don't know it, we Salvationists are Wesleyan Arminianists, which means we follow the teachings of John Wesley and Jacobus Arminius. To make a long story short (and obviously very simplified), Arminius taught what we Salvos have termed "Whosoever Will." This is the other end of the spectrum that believes "Once Saved, Always Saved." But Arminius' thoughts are not the subject of my ramblings today. Wesley's are.

John Wesley did not ever use the word "Quadrilateral," but in reading his many writings, it is obvious that he believed in a four-fold method of knowing God. Followers have coined the term since. Basically, we believe there are four facets that must be used together to help us know God (and spiritual matters). While each facet in and of itself is good, none should be used without the others if we expect to get a complete and balanced picture of who God is and how he chooses to make himself know to his creation. Understandably, Scripture is the foundation of all the others, but even as important as it is, we still need the other three to keep from developing a one-dimensional or lopsided picture of God.

Scripture: "We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and that they only constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice" (TSA doctrine #1). God inspired the Scriptures. That in itself is reason enough for The Bible to hold the weight it does. Within its pages can be found all true doctrine of the Church, the true image of God, the way to salvation and how to live as a Christian. Everything we believe and experience should have its foundation in God's Word to humankind.

Reason: God's ways are certainly FAR above our ways, but once Holy Spirit is in your life (once you are saved), it is possible, through Spirit-inspired reason, to make sense of those ways. I don't recommend non-Christians trying to understand God's ways, because The Enemy is more in control of their understanding than they think! But with a redeemed mind, we can see truth more clearly and spiritual matters begin to make sense!

Tradition: Here, we are not referring to the traditions of any particular denomination (such as brass bands, penitent forms, "the way we have come to do things," et al), rather the tradition of the early Church; things that were established as foundational from the beginning. For example- when people begin talking about hell not existing (which in some circles is rearing it's ugly head again in TSA), we need only look to what the tradition of the Church is on the subject. From the beginning of the Christian Church the doctrine of hell has been foundational. Tradition keeps us from going astray on the path of Christian faith and practice.

Experience: I find this facet one of the most interesting- certainly the most controversial with those who are afraid of the Charismatic. It is true that some branches of the Pentecostal church put way too much emphasis on this one. But again, we must not throw the baby out with the bath water because there are those who over emphasize any particular facet of our quadrilateral. In fact, I believe our doctrine flows out of our experience (not the other way around as is often taught). For instance: If one does not believe in the gift of speaking in tongues, an experience of speaking in tongues will certainly make one at least re-evaluate their beliefs! God has allowed me to have a wide variety of experiences. I started out in one place, but with each new experience with God I have grown tremendously! As one with a gift of teaching, I have found that actually going through an experience helps me teach it more clearly to others.

I have quite a few thoughts on how Wesley's quadrilateral shows up in our TSA practices- and how many people ignore it as well. Based on response, perhaps I'll eventually write more on the topic.

Urgent Prayer Request!

2007-04-18T23:22:00.000-04:00

I just got an email from Captain Sherry Pelletier in Kenya, Africa. Her husband Paul has had a heart attack. Read her note below and please- pray with us for a complete healing.

Friends

This is to share with you a prayer request..

On Sunday evening Paul suffered a mild heart attack. After he was seen at the emergency room in Nairobi, it was determined that Paul needed to continue his care in South Africa. Paul and .I were flown there on Monday evening. Paul will undergo a procedure tomorrow (Thursday morning) to determine what has been the cause of this, and what further treatment may be needed.

Please keep Paul in your prayers. We know the Lord has been and is healing him - we are looking forward to seeing the evidence of that tomorrow! Thank you for believing with us for complete healing!

I will get another email out tomorrow afternoon after the procedure.

WE have been so thankful that we both have felt an amazing amount of peace throughout this whole experience. Today Paul is feeling well and is very confident that the healing has already begun!

Thank you
sh

Think YOU'RE Having a Bad Day?

2007-04-16T10:11:00.000-04:00

Feel better now?

Misery loves company.

Word AND Spirit

2007-04-14T15:30:00.000-04:00

For what seems like forever, I've been wrestling with what it is that causes such division in the church today- especially my Army. I have felt like I was just on the verge of understanding it, but like deja vu- it seemed momentarily familiar, but quickly faded. So I continued to wrestle and pray that God would bring the insight I needed to make sense of it all. I believe I have been praying with only similar results for years.

Recently, in search of specific unrelated information for a future blog, I came across this article. After all this time, I think I may finally have my answer. Please click the link to read this short article before you read on.

Word and Spirit: Two Camps in Need of Each Other

As you can see to the right, I have borrowed another A. W. Tozer quote from this article to add to my "about me" block. I include it here as well:

"But I would bring everything to the test of the Word and the Spirit. Not the Word only, but the Word and the Spirit. 'God is spirit,' said our Lord, 'and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.' While it is never possible to have the Spirit without at least some measure of truth, it is, unfortunately, possible to have a shell of truth without the Spirit. Our hope is that we may have both the Spirit and the truth in fuller measure." - A. W. Tozer

Here's the problem as I see it- there are too many of our people who unfortunately fall into the latter grouping. Have no doubt about it- they are saved, yet they still lack an understanding of who Holy Spirit is, what He does and how He does it. They are therefore afraid of what may happen if Holy Spirit is allowed to actually do what He wants. This, as opposed to what they are comfortable with Holy Spirit doing. Please understand, there is a vast difference!

Here's the truth: I am not always comfortable with what Holy Spirit wants to do in and/or around me. But because in my spirit I know I can trust Him, I can let go of my own desires to control my situation (and therefore God) and my own fears of what I will "have to go through." I can actually let God, via His own Spirit, do what He knows to be the best in any given situation.

Yes, I may have to sit with a terribly painful burden in my heart for a particular person, but I know my pain, poured out on their behalf, will bring about God's desired plan for them.

Yes, I may have to humbly repent of some specific junk in my life that God wants to clear away, but I know the humility it takes to do that will bring about God's desired plan for me.

Yes, I may have to go apologize to someone for something I said, but I know what it takes to do that will bring about God's desired plan for me AND for that other person.

You see, when all we know is The Word, we do not have a complete picture of God. Don't take me wrong here- The Word is very important; it is one the four sides to that quadrilateral we Wesleyans hold so closely to. In fact it is the most important and foundation of them all. However, there ARE other sides we ignore at our spiritual peril.

It is also important for some to understand that The Spirit cannot stand alone without The Word either. Come to think of it, there are plenty of facets to our spiritual lives that are good in and of themselves, but fall woefully short of the complete picture if we allow them to take the first and ONLY place in our spiritual walk. Even God has three facets to himself and does not stand alone.

My brain is exploding with tangents and possibilities here which could make this entry huge! Perhaps that's one reason I haven't been blogging a lot lately- I've got SO much to say, I don't know where to start without writing voluminous material.

Suffice it to say for now, the Word and Spirit factions within our church body cannot continue to operate unto themselves without the other. We really do need each other.

"Can't we all just get along?"

No Cancer!

2007-04-13T18:08:00.000-04:00

I just got back from my doctor's report on my biopsy and it was NEGATIVE! Meaning I have NO cancer. Whew. I do have to have a procedure to take care of an enlarged prostate, but it's a relatively simple office appointment (and a few weeks recovery) that is obviously a whole lot easier to deal with than cancer.

I really wasn't a bit nervous or concerned at all right up until we headed to the doctor's office for the report today. But the closer we got, the more "concerned" I got! I should have had a lunch that was a bit easier on my stomach! I was very pleased when Debbie said she was going with me and even offered to drive (now THAT truly means she loves me)!

I know many of you were praying for me and I appreciate that very much. I believe prayer changes things and based on some things that happened prior to today (there was plenty of spiritual warfare going on over this one), I believe your prayers changed my outcome. Some may believe it a coincidence, but I believe God just chose to remain anonymous (eg: a God-incidence)! Please continue praying for the next few weeks that everything continues to go well with no complications, et al.

The Foundry

2007-04-08T23:31:00.000-04:00

April 1st, 2007 at 7:00 PM was the beginning of The Foundry in Bangor, Maine. Tonight was the continuation of that blessing.

What, you might ask, is "The Foundry?" It's a NEW contemporary worship service envisioned, organized, put together and run completely by the Young Adults of our corps.

For this first month (April), the decision was made to start meeting with those who worked on it's "founding" (heh, heh) and anyone who heard about it by word of mouth. The intention is to bathe the process in prayer and found a core of those committed to it's success.

We have not been disappointed! God has shown up, people have been touched and the core is being melted and formed (I'm thinking of the chorus 'Break me, Melt me, Mold me, Fill me').

Tonight was my first time (we were on vacation last week) and I was amazed at the spiritual openness and immediate presence of Holy Spirit. Things will be accomplished in this setting (in our Corps and Bangor) that cannot be done in our regular AM worship services (for a variety of reasons we won't go into here).

Suffice it to say we are excited! And anxious to see what God has planned.

We need to get the word out- May 6 is the public "opening." Pray with us that God will be honored and His Kingdom will be advanced through this new endeavor.

BTW, the picture above was a God-incidence (as opposed to a coincidence, which I don't believe in). The Foundry's Title slide was being projected on the screen at the end of the service, when someone retracted the screen before shutting down the projector. The image melted onto the back wall of our chapel to reveal an inkling of God's hand on things.

Isn't God awesome?!

BTW, check out Denise's blog for her thoughts (it's her picture) and The Foundry Blog (both linked on the lower right) for more info and future blessings.

Your True Self Revealed

2007-04-06T09:34:00.000-04:00

I'm big on personality/gifting tests (inventories) and the like. Over the years I've collected and taken dozens. I usually encourage others to do the same, because knowing who you are and how you operate is helpful in a variety of ways.

I just found another interesting personality test called Personal DNA. Click to go to their homepage and take the test yourself.

My Personal DNA Report I am a Considerate Inventor.

If you know me, check it out and let me know what you think of the results. Are they accurate? Have they captured me well or not? Maybe I'll let you know what I think about it later.

It is Finished

2007-04-05T09:21:00.000-04:00

While it may be an appropriate quote this time of year, it's not what you might think. Actually, our Corps new Prayer Room is finally finished! And it's already being used to good advantage.

Pictured from Left to Right you can see what it looked like just before we added books to the bookshelf, CDs to the music rack and started posting things on the bulletin board.

In this small room are 4 doors, so it was a bit difficult to arrange the space effectively (one door is a closet and another will be locked- so don't worry about the gold cloth hanging over it).

Highlights are as follows: The room is painted Royal Blue with Gold cloth accents depicting the royal atmosphere of where we will meet with our King.

Out theme is on the banner maroon banner- we'll never give up!

We have a serious current map of the world which will help us focus on specific areas at different times.

The picture depicting 2 Chronicles 7:14 will always keep our attention on humbling ourselves to seek God's face.

We have a wall calendar from The Salvation Army in Japan to remind us of the international mission of our Army.

The bulletin board will help us keep everyone on the same page with new items for prayer and things to meditate on.

On the desk is a notebook to keep track of what we are hearing from God and keep continuity from person to person spending time in the room.

Our goal is to eventually get to 24/7 prayer, but for now we start where we are with our intercessors practically DYING to get in there and spend some quality time with God!

This is an exciting venture for our corps. Please pray with us that we step up to the plate (as it were), take full advantage of this opportunity and pray the fire down from heaven to bring revival and change the world around us.

Here's to getting the whole world saved starting in Bangor, Maine!

We're Baaack!

2007-04-03T22:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, we're back from a very restful and fun cruise where the temperature was wonderfully warm and the sun shone brightly every day. So will someone please tell me where the justice is in having to come back to THIS?!

Welcome to MY world. We live in Maine. The cruise was just a momentary dream.

{sigh}

Yeah, yeah- it's pretty, but so is a palm tree.

25 is a Great Number!

2007-03-23T14:49:00.000-04:00

About this time tomorrow, Debbie & I will be setting sail on a beautiful Western Caribbean cruise. Ahhhhh. It will be so nice to get some sun and warmth. Not to mention get away from snow (of course I won't mention that)! The ship pictured is the very one we'll be on! If you look closely, you can see me waving from the middle of the third deck near the rear . . .

Well the cruise will be nice, the neat things we plan on doing will be fun (SCUBA diving, cave tubing and more), the food should be way too fattening . . . but the best part is I get to spend a whole week alone with my best friend (alone is a relative term with thousands of people on the same ship)!

We've been saving for this cruise for a couple of years now, because we wanted to do something special for our 25th anniversary (in June)! Twenty-five years! All of them have been wonderful and I love Debbie more now than ever. It's true!

Debbie's been married more than half her life for some time now, but I've still got awhile to go to get there (I married a very young bride). My how time flies- the older you get, the faster it goes (actually, time is slowing down because of entropy, but that's another story entirely).

So since it costs $.95 a minute to get online while on the ship, I seriously DOUBT if we're going to be checking email or blogging (so much for tweaking my fantasy baseball team). We'll see many of you when we get back.

Thanks for your prayers and loving support!

A Prayer Request

2007-03-15T21:32:00.000-04:00

I'm generally a private person. I don't usually share about personal things with people I don't know very well. This includes sicknesses, which I almost never inform THQ to get my name on the "prayer list."

But God's been nudging me recently about my current situation, so here it is. I'm requesting your prayer support.

My doctor can't figure out why I have elevated (something or other) numbers relating to my prostate. The normal vitamins he suggests have not worked, in fact those irritating numbers have risen. So he sent me to a specialist who wants to do a biopsy. The specialist says I'm still too young to be experiencing such an issue.

He doesn't think it's cancer, but the testing is just to be safe and catch it early if it is. After the testing comes back negative, he wants to start me on a particular regimen to deal with an enlarged prostate.

You might think having the cancer word tossed around is making me nervous. It is not; I'm really not concerned at all because I don't believe I have it and I am refusing to accept such a diagnosis. I won't let the Enemy talk me into ANY sickness.

But at God's nudge, I am letting people know so I can be covered in prayer up through the testing and subsequent treatment (if I'll even need that after you all pray for me!). The test date is April 6; I'm not sure how soon I'll have the results.

There are a few of you out there I know will pray SERIOUSLY for me. I appreciate that and am counting on you. There are others who will pray as they read- I'll accept that with appreciation too! I trust God to listen.

Thanx. I'll keep you posted so you can share in the amazing outcome God brings about.

Burr News Flash!

2007-03-12T21:36:00.000-04:00

CWB has been accepted to the University of Northwestern Ohio! He's preparing to study Automotive Technology and has already earned some course credits that will be accepted there. Looks like Lima, Ohio will have to batten down the hatches and prepare for him to hit their fair city in the not too far future (August).

Now all we have to do is figure out how in the world we can pay for it! {sigh}

Now You Know What I Think About . . .

2007-03-11T18:04:00.000-04:00

'Nuff said.

New Blogs Listed

2007-03-03T17:16:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've added some new blogs to my Blog Salute over on the right. I did them all in a hurry and I didn't take the chance to let you know about them at the time. So here's my plug for each of them. Give them a look- I believe they've all got some great things to say and well worth the read.

Pieces of Me, Jenn Ivany
What can I say? She's a chip off the old block, so to speak! I like her writing style and you'll get some good blessing from her insights.

ArmyBarmy REMIX, Danielle Strickland
Danielle is an incredible person! I don't know how many times I've gone into the wee hours of the morning talking with her and Steve in their living room in Vancouver. And when we finally break it up, I always feel like I've not had enough time! So reading her blog is a good way to get Dainelle's thoughts on a regular basis! Besides, I don't think I'm going to get to Australia as often as Vancouver. {sigh}

Sounds from the Streets, Stephanie Lines
I met Stephanie this January in Vancouver. She's an intercessor in the Down Town East Side, so you'll find that perspective refreshing. And don't forget to check out that nice picture of her by the tree!

The Vision is . . ., Olivia Munn
No- the vision is NOT Olivia Munn! (heh, heh) But you'll find some awesome thoughts here and lately some stuff from her latest book (soon to be published) on holiness. Deep thoughts here!

There you have it. The blog list just keeps growing! I don't know how I'm going to keep up with them all- especially when you add in all the others listed.

Local Heroes

2007-02-28T10:19:00.000-05:00

The next wave of radio ads for our publicity blitz campaign are hot off the press! Special thanx to Brett Slater of Slater's Garage for the awesome work he's doing for us! Click here to listen to one of the ads:

Local Heroes

Here's our plan. We started by telling people We are a Church. Now we're moving to the Army's "Hand to Man" mission- Service to Others. From there we will shift up to our "Win the World" mission- Salvation. After that, we will focus on our intercessory prayer ministry in and for our community. All the while keeping the fact that TSA is a church at the forefront.

We believe this series of ads will be most effective without music. The message is attention-getting enough to capture the listeners ear. Another one finished talks about our Soup Kitchen ministry.

What do you think? Let me know and I'll keep you posted about our success.

Intercession 101

2007-02-24T16:32:00.000-05:00

I just started reading the book "The Beginner's Guide to Intercession," by Dutch Sheets (click to buy it). I mentioned awhile ago that one of my goals was to get a group of intercessors together from my corps and work with them on their spiritual gift. Intercession is an important gifting for our corps, since intercession is one of the purposes God has for us in our community. It is interesting to see how many intercessors naturally come to our church and how many God has sent our way over the years!

Tomorrow we are having our first intercessor's meeting and our assignment was to read the first chapter of this book. Dutch Sheets is a good author so I dove in with anticipation. I was not disappointed!

The book is not complex or confusing- it is as the title says: "a beginner's guide." I look forward to working through it with my small group of 5. We will meet for 1 hour every week before our scheduled bible study at the corps.

Here is a wonderful illustration from the book:

"Ken and Barbara Gaub leaned to overcome financial lack through their relationship with God:

"Desperately needing a break from their missions work in Kentucky, the Gaubs headed for their parents' home in Washington. Traveling in below-zero weather was challenging- especially with a baby and a partially working car heater. Upon reaching Colorado, they had only a little bit of change left, so Ken pulled into a parking lot to discuss with Barbara what they should do about their critical financial situation.

"In amazement Barbara said, 'We do what we preach. We believe the Lord and pray.' Bowing their heads, they asked the Lord to send help for them. When finished praying, they drove to a service station and sat there, wondering what step to take next.

"Another car pulled in behind them, and a lady got our and came up to their window. Very excitedly, she remarked, 'I saw you parked back by the grocery store with your heads bowed. I told my husband that I believed you were Christians and that you were praying for financial assistance. I want to help you.' Reaching in the window, she placed money in their hands.

"Overwhelmed at the miracle they held, they thanked her and praised God for His provision."

Why is it we are surprised when God actually answers prayer? All it takes is our putting our faith on the line and trusting God to do what he has said he would do.

Powerful intercession is as simple as that!

Can we be There for Them When it Matters most?

2007-02-20T19:47:00.000-05:00

It is with great sadness I write today informing you of a group of people who are seriously misled. I thought I might add a link to their site, but as I perused it, I realized the last thing I want to do is point someone (who might not be able to handle it) in such a wrong direction. My blog is about finding light; truth.

Have you heard of "The Blasphemy Challenge?" It has been set up by a group of atheists who (mis)take the biblical passage of Mark 3:29 as meaning that if you say the actual words "I deny the Holy Spirit," you are forever damning your soul. So they have set up a place where you can post your video denial and join their ever growing ranks.

First my take, then our response.

MY TAKE
1) Mark 3:29 is not about saying the actual words. It is a condition of the human spirit. Humankind is mostly unaware of the spiritual realm- and God will only hold us responsible for what we know of it. This is opposed to those angels who chose to deny God, when they knew the whole truth. They were not looking through a glass darkly, as it were. So the result of their sin was permanent- there is no redemption available and they knew that when they chose to follow Lucifer.

When a human being says those fateful words, it will not in and of itself condemn you forever, but it might lead you down the path which will someday get you there. However, until you do get there (and there's a lot of speculation on when and how you "get there"), God is willing to forgive. These people are not accomplishing what they think they are and we should ask God to reveal the truth to them.

2) They (and many of the links they give) speak of the hatred Christians have for non-Christians and even have recordings of "famous" Christians saying hateful things. Bottom line: they are right in many cases! Who of us have not heard "Christians" saying such hateful things about other human beings?

Yes, there will always be those people who call themselves "Christian" (Christ-follower), but are really NOTHING like Jesus. True Christianity is about love- NOT hate. God loves all humankind. Therefore we should love all humankind. We must own up to the fact that we often aren't the best examples of what Jesus has to offer.

3) They speak of rational thinking. A rational person sees no reason to believe in God (so they say). Yet it is here they take the same step of faith they denounce Christians for, but in another direction. It takes faith to NOT believe in God. There is just way too much evidence around us to NOT see God's obvious existence. To deny something that so permeates the world around us takes anything BUT rational thinking.

OUR RESPONSE
Many "Christians" are denouncing these people as the worst kind of humans. They are fighting against them and, yes, hating them as if that will somehow win them over to the "truth." But THAT truth is not REAL truth. Out response should be sadness, humiliation and prayer.

Sadness because The Enemy has really pulled one over on these people. They think they are so right and yet they are so wrong. Many of them will one day see the truth, but it will be too late (others will be won over by a REAL Christian loving them). Remember- God didn't create hell as a punishment for humankind, he created it for Lucifer and his followers. If you follow him, you'll certainly get to the same place he goes to. God does NOT want that. He is not willing that ANY should perish and even sent Jesus to make SURE it wouldn't happen to any who just believe in him.

We should feel humiliation for our part in pushing these people to this place in their lives. We have obviously not been there for them when they needed us. We have obviously let them down. Many of us have hated them and looked down on them and shown them disdain instead of the love Jesus has for them. We need to humble ourselves- maybe in front of them- and ask forgiveness for our failure to "be" Jesus to them.

We need to PRAY for these people. I challenge you to do so. And I don't mean just namby pamby "bless them all, Lord" prayers. We need to weep and fast and bring these people to Jesus BY NAME.

I know, I'm asking you to pray for them by name and then not giving you any names, because I've not given the link (I also will not post these people's names without their permission). If you know the site and are serious, I encourage you to watch a few videos, catch their names and begin praying (you can also contact me privately to get more info).

They HAVE NOT condemned themselves forever. We CAN stand in the gap for them and make a difference.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, make us good examples of your love to others- especially those who have needed us in the past and we have failed them. Give us a burden to pray for those who need you most, yet believe in you least. May we be faithful to you and to them.

We are What we Watch

2007-02-19T22:31:00.000-05:00

Today was a movie day, as it often is on our day off. As we were heading into the parking lot of the movie theater, we realized it was a day off for a lot of other people as well. The place was crowded (usually on Mondays we get the theater to ourselves)! I guess that happens on national holidays and almost everyone has the day off.

As we headed down the hallway to our theater, I felt like we just missed the party and everyone was leaving. One of the movies had just ended and we had to dodge people until we passed the group emptying out into the hallway. There were lots of kids in the crowd, so I looked to see what animated movie they just saw. Imagine my surprise when I realized it wasn't a cartoon- it was rated PG-13.

Here's what the MPAA rating says about PG-13 movies: "Parents Strongly Cautioned" and this particular movie posted this: "Crude and sexual humor, some nudity and language." Yeah- that's what I want to make sure my kids get drilled into their heads (please see the sarcasm in that last sentence!).

So what's the deal these days? What is it that makes us think we can submerse our kids in this sewage and expect them NOT to grow up to become societal problems? Why are we surprised when they develop "issues?"

And "our kids?" These are movies I shouldn't watch (by the way, we didn't see this particular movie and will not in the future)! AND we can't just talk about movies; we need to include TV in this mix as well. Some things are just NOT good to let into our heads.

This is real spiritual warfare friends. What do you think? Anything you think we can do about it on a large scale or are we stuck with what our world is becoming?

I am Coming

2007-02-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

For some time now I have been very concerned with the issue of Human Trafficking- to the point where I would call it a prayer burden from God. He's got some purpose for me and I have been meditating and seeking what and how I need to get involved in its destruction.

I just read Aaron's blog on ArmyBarmy about the I am Coming Campaign and I was immediately taken by it's simplicity yet power. I bought in!

There is hope; hold on just a little bit longer- I am Coming!

Go to the official site (I am Coming). Click around; explore. Check out the videos (a surprise awaits in one). Sign the petition. Sign up for a ring (I can't wait for mine! Alas, I will have to). Read up on Human Trafficking. Talk it up. Do SOMEthing!

Did you know there are more people caught in this slavery right now today than there were in all the history of African slavery? Incredible. Yet it's more incredible that hardly anything is being done about it. In fact in some places, such slavery is even protected by some of the legal authorities?

There is much more to write about and I will be blogging more soon. It is welling up in me and I can hardly keep it down (not that I want to).

In the meantime- get busy learning as much as you can.

Thoughts on 2 Chronicles 15-16

2007-02-17T20:27:00.000-05:00

Check out 2 Chronicles chapters 15-16. It's a fascinating passage and I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts about it. I'll assume you've already read it now, so I'll just make my comments on specific verses:

15:2 If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

There's a promise and a curse here. If you do the right thing, you get the promise. If not- well, you get the idea. But the main issue is God's concern that his people seek him. Mind you, he WANTS to be found so he's not into hiding.

He actively seeks us, but that's not enough for him. He wants us to do the same. That doesn't just "happen" because we go to church once a week. It takes effort and time. He promises that we will find him, but we've got to do the seeking. The last thing we want is for God to forsake us, but it WILL happen if we do NOT seek him.

4 But in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.

It always seems to take some distress for us to really seek God now, doesn't it? I wonder what serious blessing we'd receive if we sought God BEFORE we got into trouble? Yet still, either way, he IS found WHENEVER we choose to seek him (whew!).

7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

Nice promise! I hang onto this one all the time, because just when I want to give up, I need a reminder to hang in there just a little bit longer.

12 They entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

A covenant; a contract, if you will. Wouldn't it be great if we were so serious! To actually sign a contract with God that we would seek him with all our heart and soul. Wow! Powerful!

13 All who would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.

Ouch! This would be a little hard to follow through with today! :) But they were serious and my bet is there weren't too many people that had to die that day. Seeking God was the most important thing they had to do.

14 They took an oath to Yahweh with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So Yahweh gave them rest on every side.

Not only did they take the oath, they did it wholeheartedly and with LOUD shouts and the whole band! They sought God with everything they had and, of course, they found him- because that's the promise. And God is good for his word. Always.

16:9 For the eyes of Yahweh range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

Here's the kicker: If we will fully commit ourselves to God, he will strengthen us to be successful. And we see God seeking again- seeking all over the earth to find those who sincerely want to find him and know him with all their hearts.

Often in today's world, there are way too many things keeping us from giving God everything. Anything in your way of seeking God with ALL your heart?

Mbembe and the Elephant

2007-02-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

You may have heard this report. In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments.

Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.

Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenage son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.

The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.

Moses' Press Secretary

2007-02-15T09:46:00.000-05:00

Leadership Styles

2007-02-14T15:43:00.000-05:00

An officer friend of mine in Africa (Paul Pelletier) sent me some notes from an Officer's Councils he attended on leadership styles and personality types. There's some very interesting stuff in here, so I offer it for your enjoyment and information. When looking through these, we should always include the giftedness of the person as well.

Autocratic or Dictatorial: Single leader - gives orders to others; This style can be beneficial if the leader has very good information and can make a well informed decision. Also, the leader needs to know he or she has the support of their followers. This style can make quick decisions but does not promote teamwork or creativity among followers.

Authoritative: Leadership that utilizes a chain of command. This style can maintain control while being a little flexible, can bring quick decisions or
delegate tasks to others for participation and teamwork. Organizationally, it can work democratically with some leaders and autocratically with others.

Democratic or Consultative: Leadership that gives opportunities to others to advise. When the leader lacks information necessary to make a good decision the consultative approach is best.

Participative Leadership: Team leadership with people working together toward a set of goals. When supporters/followers are not likely to cooperate in a set of circumstances the Participative approach may help.

Within these leadership styles are personality traits of leadership behavior.

Type A Leaders: Tend to be well organized and goal oriented. This style works best in attaining goals and bringing order to chaos. Type A leaders tend to look for other goal oriented individuals who will assist them in attaining the success of their tasks.

Type B Leaders: Tend to be more relationally oriented. This style promotes supporter participation, teamwork and creativity among followers. Type B leaders tend to look more for others who value harmony in relationships.

Charismatic Leadership: Charismatic leadership is an extremely strong, visionary leadership that appeals to both Type A & B followers. While the high expectations and strong goal of a vision appeals to type A personalities, type B personalities are willing to let go of any suspicions in the hopes of gaining something for themselves if the vision is accomplished.

- - - - -
So what do you think? Do you have anything to add? There are obviously many different takes on leadership styles and types. I'd be interested in hearing from some of you on the subject.

The Caveman's Crib

2007-02-13T15:42:00.000-05:00

Any of you who have seen the Geico "Caveman" ads, will really enjoy this new website they have put up. It's the Caveman's Crib (Click here to go there).

Once you enter the apartment, you can click on things and tour his house. Click on his books in the book case and see what he reads. If you go in the bathroom don't forget to click on the toilet handle.

This is an interesting site- not difficult at all to figure out. In fact, it's so easy a caveman could do it!

lala

2007-02-12T14:05:00.000-05:00

lala.com is an interesting new web site I have found. If you like music and like to buy CDs you will know it can get very expensive! Wouldn't it be nice if there was a site where you could just trade CDs with other people?

There is! it's called lala (.com). Click on the link above or the picture and you'll be taken to their home page. Click around on that page and you'll find all the info you will need to understand what they're all about and how you can become a member.

I'm a newbie there, but already I've gotten 3 new CDs (each for a grand total of $1.75 including postage) and sent 4 of my unwanted CDs (absolutely free to send CDs). I've gotten Great River Road by Jason Upton; Risk, by Ten Shekel Shirt; and Carnaval, by Wynton Marsalis. A Canadian Brass Christmas is in the mail too.

Here's the scoop. When you join, you start entering CDs you WANT and CDs you HAVE to sell. Probably by the time you finished entering what you want, you will get a notice that one of them is being sent to you!

lala will then send you a mailing kit (wait until you get your kit before you send anything!). When someone wants what you have to offer, you will get a notice. You respond to that notice with a click. When your mailing kit arrives, you take your CD out of it's case with the booklet and any other art (back of the CD). Put the CD in the plastic mailer, slide the cover art in with it, seal the postage-paid envelope that was provided.

The mailing envelope has a number on it. You go to the site, click on the send notice and enter the envelope number. You will then get the address to mail it to. Drop it in the mailbox! Now you're all done, except to tell lala when you receive your wanted CD (if it came in good condition, etc).

Each CD you get costs $1.00 that goes to lala. The shipping cost is $.75. All charges are put on your credit card at the end of the month. It's that simple!

On your home page (once you sign it) is a kind of "traffic light." If it's green, you've sent more CDs than you've gotten. If it's yellow you're in the middle. If it's red, you can't receive any more CDs until you send more. The idea is to receive AND send!

Try lala out. If you like it, let me know. If you must know, my name there is Duck Tape. Check out my picture!

More on "Apostle"

2007-02-11T09:05:00.000-05:00

Chad, a new reader to Light Seeker, just posted a comment back in January. One of the things he said really caught my attention: "An apostle is an innovative leader."

At first, I thought it was too simple, because after all, I've got books and books and pages and pages of teaching materials on the subject! But something about it really caught my spirit, so I continued to think about it.

Now the simplicity of this definition doesn't negate all of my materials nor all the books out trying to help the church get a handle on the gift of apostle- they're still valid. But in our attempts to get a quick understanding of what an apostle is, I like it! As long as it is understood that the innovation comes from moving back to basic truths today's church seems to have forgotten. AND the innovation is of God and not just some humanly creative, business oriented, sense-making (maybe even charismatic, in the non gifts related definition) "good" ideas.

I have long taught that an apostle is deeply concerned with getting back to a basic truth of the Gospel. Good examples of apostles would be Martin Luther and his thrust to get the church back on track regarding God's grace; William Booth and his thrust to get the church back on track regarding "others." Each exemplified a dogged determination to remain faithful to the truth even in the midst of serious attack from the church who was almost as dogged in their attempts to keep these innovative leaders from ushering in the change God was directing them to champion.

Which brings in another aspect of an apostle- an apostle will always have opposition. They will actively fight against the status quo that is very comfortable remaining right where they are, thank-you very much. It's interesting that when we look back through history and see such examples like Martin Luther, we all gladly point out how unbelievable the church (and certain people within it) were in fighting against what God had so obviously led the apostle to champion (grace, in ML's case). I mean, how oblivious could those people have been back then? Yet alas! we fail to see the log in our own eyes today.

Perhaps a better question would be: How oblivious can WE be? Like the Pharisees in their day, much of the church today fights against Holy Spirit and will one day stand before Jesus and find themselves terribly saddened by their lack of recognizing The One they so readily proclaimed (as long as it was done their way)!

My heart breaks for these people. I pray regularly that they will be given grace to get through the walls they have built to keep Holy Spirit out or at the very least, keep him on a short leash.

Almost sounds a bit like the unpardonable sin, doesn't it?

Game 33

2007-02-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

It's been quite awhile since I posted a cool game. The last one was "Red Square" where you had to keep the red square from being hit by the moving boxes as long as possible.

Well it's time for another game!

Check out this new game called Catch 33 (click to go play). You can bookmark the game to go back again and again until you get the high score!

The gist of the game is to roll the mouse over all 33 numbers (in order) as fast as you can. Sounds easier than it is because the numbers are moving randomly around the screen! The best score is the lowest this time.

My lowest score so far is 39. Who's going to be the first to beat me?