Wouldn't you Know it?

I'm telling you- if I didn't know I was in a war, this would wake me up! Here's my discovery for the week- everytime I talk to someone about fighting off sickness, The Enemy attacks! Just so you know where I'm coming from, After my blog 8 days ago, I started a full out battle with sickness! Just like the last time I spoke with someone about fighting off sickness (and the time before that). Hmmm.

Sounds like my beliefs get a little too close to home, so Satan comes at me with a huge one. I fought valiently (I thought). I kept it at bay for days. Then almost immediately after I finished my sermon Last Sunday, it hit me like a ton of bricks! My voice is a wreck. I ache all over. My throat hurts and my head feels bigger than some people think it is! Wouldn't you know it?

I went to the doctor yesterday for some medicine, then spent the better part of the day in bed; probably will today as well. And I started to wonder if I should ever talk about fighting off sickeness again! "Maybe if I keep quiet," I thought, "I'll stay healthy like I have for the last few years." I mean, this is two illnesses in as many months. BUT! Don't worry- I know better! If The Enemy has to come at me this hard after I talk about fighting off sickness, then he is just helping me prove my point and I'm tenacious enough to stand my ground. I love it when I can turn the tables on him!

I'm not shut up that easily (as many people can attest)! I still believe Jesus' blood paid the price for my total salvation and I'm putting all my eggs in that basket.

So Who is Travis Roberts?

(One of our two War College Interns this year (May - July)

Name: Travis Roberts

Age: 20

Home: St. Augustine, Florida

TSA Background: My parents are Corps Officers and I have been affiliated with TSA my entire life. I am my home corps band. I play my cornet every almost every Sunday because no one wants to learn to play piano and there is no guitar music for the songs in our song book. I am the YPSM (though I don't do a whole lot with that title) in St. Augustine and I assist with the Corps Cadet lessons. I have worked with TSA's Camp Keystone for the past three summers as a counselor and am now attending The War College (just in case anyone forgot).

Favorite Food: Cheese, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Lasagna.

Favorite Color: Green.

Favorite Band/Song: The O.C. Supertones.

Favorite Movie: Ghost Busters ("Back off, man! I'm a scientist...").

Favorite Quote: It's always good to soar with the eagles but a weasle will never get caught in the engine of an airplane.

Instrument: Cornet, Guitar (I know six chords and just recently learned how to play Earth Angel).

Brief testimony/thot: Who has a brief testimony? I can try. I was always a good kid my whole life. I figured I had to be, because my parents were officers. Then my first year at Music Conservatory, on the last day the DYS spoke on being lukewarm. I had never heard that before. I felt God saying to me "Yeah, you need to get real with me." I said "Okay, sounds good!" He's been trying to take total control of my life ever since and I have only recently let him (mostly). The years following, I continued being a good kid. Until I went to the Arkansas Oklahoma division. I met guys there who were seriously on fire for Christ: I decided I wanted what they had. I got the joy of the Lord and it's been with me ever since. I grew so much spiritually those years, but I still see myself as a child in Christ. I've recently realized I should just stop making plans for my life and let Christ do it. My plans usually don't line up with his. So now I'm just waiting and listening for the next phase of my life.

A word about coming to Bangor: I'm pysched!

So Who is Aurora Atell?

(One of our two War College Interns this Year (May - July)

Name: Aurora Stefanya Catherine Elizabeth Atell
(We'll just call her Aurora!)

Age: 24

Home: London, Ontario

TSA Background: I came into TSA through an open air tent meeting. It was a magic show for kids. I won a pencil and got to help out with some of the magic tricks. We later discovered that TSA had a van that came right by our complex every week to pick up kids for Sunday School. I literally jumped on the bandwagon, got swept into corps activities, Jr. Soldiers, Singing Company, Corps Cadets, youth band, timbrels, youth group, all the good stuff! I went through Soldiership classes at age 14, was enrolled at 15 and continued being active in the church, helping to lead Jr. Soldiers, the worship team, songsters, run the summer VBS, work at camp as a counsellor and waitress. In 2003, I joined a summmer missions team to Regent Park, Toronto, with Captains Geoff and Sandra Ryan. They caught me on the bug for missions and for authentic Christian community through what I thought were rather 'non-traditional' means. Then I came to War College, and realized that these 'non-traditional' means were actually part of the grass roots of the Army. We were called into a life of simplicity, which is totally an exciting thought to me, and a great challenge! How much in my life can I do without? Jesus sent his disciples out to be his witnesses with no more than the robe on their backs....how much are you willing to let go of? When all is said and done, all that will be left of me will be what was built on the only solid foundation, which is Jesus Christ. Everything that is of Him will remain, everything else is fuel for the fire. I'm thinking fire now beats fire later any day!

Favorite Food: Grilled Chicken ceasar salad, or Taco salad (in a tortilla bowl, with salsa and sour cream....uber yummy!)

Favorite Color: orange, gotta be orange!

Favorite Band/Song: 666...! (I love how even the devil's number has been redeemed in our songbook!....Heaven came down, and GLORY filled my soul...beautiful rendering of the gospel!)

Favorite Movie: Dead Man Walking, Shawshank Redemption, The Castle, Robin Hood Men in Tights, Princess Bride, the Incredibles (has some amazing gospel moments!), and the classic....Singing in the Rain! (Don O'Connell is probably the best overlooked actor I can think of...a great physical actor, with amazing musical talents as well!)

Favorite Quote: "Let us have no hesitancy in permitting our spiritual imagination to reinforce our FAITH and enkindle our HOPE and so sustain our COURAGE in the face of massed and mocking foes and thretened defeat" (Comm. Samuel Logan Brengle, Ancient Prophets).

Instrument: Piano, double bass (the upright kind), euphonium are the main ones.

Brief testimony/thot: God's God, I'm not. Sweet Deal!

A word about coming to Bangor: I have to admit, Bangor was completely not on my scope of possibilities for summer placements when I first came to Vancouver, but after meeting Major Doug Burr, God started piecing together a few things for me. I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone there, to get to know you, to hear what God is doing in your lives. Beracah and Jennifer have already started preparing me for life on the East Side and Jesus has already placed a love in my heart for all of you. I hear the seafood is excellent and the seawater is extremely cold, but looking forward to experiencing all that for myself when I get there.

Obey

Does God ever tell you to do something and you just can't figure out why? You try to make sense of it, but it just doesn't happen. Here's an example from my own experience: "Pick up that blue scrap of paper on the ground and throw it in the trash."

So I look down and see paper scraps all over the place! It looks like someone dumped a trash can nearby and the wind blew it everywhere. Do you want me to clean up all this trash, Lord? "No. Pick up that blue scrap of paper and throw it in the trash."

By now, I've walked long past that piece of paper and I'm in a hurry. I still take a few more steps, but as I do, I realize I'm just going to have to go back further, because God's not going to let me off the hook! So I stop and turn around. The wind has blown that little scrap further away and I now have to go chase it!

But chase it I do. When I get it, I look for a trash can and can't see one anywhere! So I end up carrying that little blue scrap of paper with me for the next few minutes looking for a trash can and wondering what in the world this is all about. Well, there's a trash can. I toss it in and continue on my way, still wondering what that was all about. In fact, I'm still wondering today! I even began to wonder if I was indeed hearing from God or if I was just somehow making it all up in my mind.

Here's what I read in my devo book this morning: "Sometimes our obedience changes the lives of total strangers and sometimes it might even change the world. But most of the time, the impact of our obedience is seen only in our own hearts and in the joy of our God as he delights over a child who trusts him enough to obey him."

Hmmm. Good thought. 1 Samuel 15:22 says

What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than fat offerings.

I guess God was pleased that I listened to his voice- even in something as simple as picking up a piece of paper when it didn't make much sense to me. Maybe especially so, just because I was obedient.

The word for the day? Obey.

to Grump or not to Grump

No one likes a grumpy person. Oh, we kid around about grumps, but the bottom line is we'd rather not hang around them. Why? Because it's contageous. Before you even know it, you're feeling grumpy too. Then nothing seems to go right.

I recently heard a story about a man in Africa who got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. He had no spare, so he took the tire off and walked miles to the nearest town, singing as he went. He didn't even have any money to get the tire fixed! But he did get it fixed (God provided and he knew he would). Then he walked back to his car singing all the way. Now that's a witness for what Christ can do in your life! I remember the last time I got a flat tire- I was none too happy about it for a long time- and I had a spare that was easily changed.

I love to be around people who really trust God. Not the kind who say they do, but the kind who really do. You can tell, because they don't get riled up about anything. They trust God to be in any situation and provide a way out of it- or at least through it. I'd like to be like that. It's probably going to take some practice.

Now let's start practicing . . . as I'm shoveling almost 20" of snow- and it's still snowing! Grumble, grumb . . . oops- Praise the Lord!

A Blessings Calendar

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
- TSA Songbook #396

I used to keep a "Happiness Calendar." The idea was to write special (happy) events that have happened in your life on a one-year calendar. After a few years, you end up with something that you can look through and remember all the things that make you happy.

Here's an idea for a variation: keep a Blessings Calendar! Write on the calendar all your special blessings as they happen. That way, when you feel discouraged or "tempest-tossed," you can easily count your blessings! Also, I should think it would be a great way to start your day- remembering what great blessing God gave you on this day in the past.

In fact, you wouldn't have to wait- you can start right away, filling in special blessings you already remember without any help. Here's a few I would put on my calendar without hesitation:

June 19 - My Wedding Day!
Sept 26 - Debbie's Birthday!
July 30 - Jennifer's Birthday!
July 29 - Christopher's Birthday!
Nov 11 - Miriam's Birthday! (our sponsored Child in Mexico)
June 10 - My Commissioning . . .

Well you get the idea. Why not catch "the bug" and give it a try? Who knows, the calendar may prove to be a great blessing in and of itself!

PS: let me know how it works for you.

Evangelism Quotes

I just love these Evangelism Quotes! I found them doing a Google search for "While Women Weep..." In fact, William Booth is quoted more than once in these.

These great thoughts will certainly grab you more than anything I could say today. But I would ask that you not just bleep over them- ask God to wedge them deep within and urge you toward finding and bringing in the Lost. As Steve Court says, "It's Jesus or hell." Ooo- Pick Jesus, pick Jesus!

Click on the title "Evangelism Quotes" above to be redirected to that webpage.

Peace that Guards

At this moment, I am not at peace. My temperature has risen and my heart is beating a little faster than usual. There have been many (way more than usual) issues that have come up at the office this morning that are irritating. Oh, I can deal with 1 or 2, here and there, but when a lot of them come up at pretty much the same time, I find myself stressed and if I look at it clearly, I am not at peace.

This AM my devotional spoke to me about God's Peace. Am I surprised? I kinda bleeped over it, thinking "I know all about peace." But now I find myself drawn back to the scripture with a tight heart (no worries- not a heart attack, just an attack of the heart! There is a difference).

Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful. [16] Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. [17] And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.
- Colossians 3:15-17 (NLT)

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

I am struggling so that whatever I do or say, I will not respond how I want to, rather how Jesus would respond. I am finding the more I "breathe deliberately" and meditate on God's word above, the room seems a little cooler and I can't feel my heart drumming in my ears! A little more of this and I'll find myself back in balance and able to deal with these irritations from a position of God's peace. That's where I always want to be!

Ah, that's better! That's the peace that guards my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

A Baby Step in Wholeness

Are you up for a long one today? I just got a question from a friend who asked how I fight off sickness. Here's my answer (modified a bit for this forum).

The key is not so much in what you know as what you believe and then stand on as a promise. Let's start with scripture and definitions (emphasizing the important words):

[Jesus] was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed. - Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

HEALED = rapha', (Hebrew 7495, Strong’s) a primitive root; properly to mend (by stitching), i.e. (figurative) to cure: cure, (cause to) heal, physician, repair, thoroughly, make whole. See Hebrew 7503 (raphah).

PEACE = shalowm, (Hebrew 7965, Strong’s) from Hebrew 7999 (shalam); safe, i.e. (figurative) well, happy, friendly; also (abstract) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace: do, familiar, fare, favour, friend, great, (good) health, (perfect, such as be at) peace (-able, -ably), prosper (-ity, -ous), rest, safe (-ty), salute, welfare, (all is, be) well, wholly.

The Hebrew concept of Shalom is not just a greeting- it means "I wish you to be perfectly whole." That's not just spiritual, but emotional and physical as well- we are triune beings (as God is triune- we were made in his image). We usually spiritualize the Bible's message forgetting the other two aspects of what we are. Jews would not think that way. So to "have shalom," would mean you are whole- physically, spiritually and emptionally.

The word translated "healed," above, means the entire person is whole- not just spiritually- it includes the emotional and physical. So what this verse is saying is that Jesus' death paid the entire price- not only for our spiritual selves to be set free from the curse of sin, but includes our emotional (inner healing) and physical selves (bodies) as well. It is God's intent that we live in Shalom.

Again, we usually spiritualize the message and apply it to our "spiritual salvation." That's good, but it's only 1/3 of the entire message and meaning! But, I read it as God has provided a complete salvation from the effects of sin over our entire beings. Therefore, If I can believe in Faith that Jesus' sacrifice paid the price for my sin and he has forgiven me and set me free from it (1) spiritually, then I can also believe in Faith that Jesus' sacrifice paid the price for my sin and he has forgiven me and set me free from the (2) emotional baggage I carry (inner healing). I can also believe in Faith that Jesus' sacrifice paid the price for my sin and he has forgiven me and set me free from my (3) physical sickness/pain/issues as well. Whew! That's a mouthful and you'll need to unpack it for yourself, but I believe it to be truth.

So, just as we believe we are saved because we have Faith in God to forgive our sins and make us spiritually whole, we can also have Faith that our emotional baggage can be removed and make us emotionally whole. And the same is true for our physical bodies- we believe in Faith that we should be living whole- "sick-free," so to speak. Jesus' sacrifice was not partial, it was complete! Hallelujah!

When you feel sickness coming on, have Faith you do not have to receive it. It is The Enemy coming at you trying to convince you that you can't live in the fullness Jesus has already paid for you to live in. But that's a LIE! Fight it off!

As I said above, it takes time to get these thoughts from our mind into our heart, but when we do, we can stand against what The Enemy throws at us. We don't have to live in sickness. Sometimes it takes a quick prayer to fight it off, sometimes it takes a huge protracted struggle. I believe the times I have gotten sick since I internalized this truth, are because I did not take the time to properly fight them off. And when you don't stand up and fight, it takes over and you get sick (or I have not been taking care of my physical body by not sleeping enough or eating good, healthy foods). This is my experience.

I used to get sick all the time. Then I started fighting against it. Now I rarely get sick. Again, I believe when I do, it's because I haven't fought hard or long enough. And don't you Sometimes feel like you could actually use the rest of getting sick? You know, you feel it coming on, then concede you've "got a cold" because you'd just as soon take the time off to "rest!" I hated discovering this thought process in me! Yuck.

Now this is a baby step in Faith. I have a long way to go- especially when you start to consider something as huge as cancer- or even death! But I'm happy with my baby step. I pray God will illumine me more and I will get to take another step one day.

Resistance is Futile

Here we go again! This morning I was privileged to lead another 2 back into The Kingdom! This is awesome!

I was a bit late getting to the Soup Kitchen this morning (Satan loves to throw little things my way that need correcting before the Service), so I was bummed to find only a few people still eating- and they were involved in a big conversation I didn't feel right interjecting myself into. But after everything was cleaned up, two other guys came in (even later than me!). While eating, one of them asked me if we had a service (get that- he asked me if we had a service!). Talk about jumping right in with both feet! Patrick eventually came to the adult Bible class and then the meeting.

After the message, we were listening to God speak to us with some soft music playing in the background. I went to Patrick, who seemed to be under conviction. 'Nuff said! While I was praying with him, one of our kids was also under conviction by the Holy Spirit. I motioned for Dan to pray with him and I joined them when Patrick was settled. Now Charlie is back in the fold. Both are coming to our SuperBowl party tonight!

I was then about to offer to bring Patrick home with us for lunch, but I sensed God wanted Dan to hook up with him. So I asked if Dan could take him to lunch. As they drove off in Dan's car, I felt "something good is going to come of their new connection in Christ."

I am super excited about our 5 new family members in Christ! However, I would ask for your prayer support in discovering a way we can not only get people saved, but disciple them as well. We need ways to connect and assimilate.

How's this for a new theme for our corps: Resistance is Futile- we're praying for you!

Why penguins have short life-spans.

Who Cares?

Your answer could depend on how you say that question. Your inflection could mean you obviously don't care and who else would either? Or it could mean God's gotten hold of your spirit and is digging around in there (he so loves doing that!) dredging up desires to reach out to a lost and dying world. A world that, for the most part, doesn't know Jesus. I'm not perfect in this area, but it certainly does matter to me lately. I care! Here's my condensed thoughts on the matter:

1) We need to help people.
We live in a selfish society. Other's needs? Who Cares? It's all about me! Isn't it high time we got out of ourselves and started helping others? There are plenty of opportunities all around us. No matter where you are, you can help someone else.

Oh, I can hear it now . . . but I don't have time!

2) Stop whining and change your schedule!
Is that TV show really that important? Get a VCR! Is your schedule so inviolate that you can't be a Christian? So what are you hanging around for? I'm sure there are plenty other churches that welcome bench-warmers. Not The Salvation Army! We're all about winning this world for Jesus and we can't do it without people who can adjust their schedules. It's God's timing or ours, after all.

Don't have enough time? Get up earlier. Sleep is over-rated and we usually sleep way too much anyway. No one has any more time that anyone else- 24/7. That's it. It's all in how you use that precious time God has given you. I bet you have plenty of time to do the things that are really important to you. Oops- that's it- are the lost important to you?

Want the Reader's Digest version? A rut is a hole and you won't get anyplace new if you stay in one. Put yourself out! Who cares about your schedule? People need you.

3) Witness.
Why does this seem so scary? Someone's dying; you save them from dying by introducing them to a friend. Why is that scary? It's incredible! Here's some truth: "The world is more ready to receive the gospel than Christians are to hand it out" (George Peters). I can tell you (especially after this week)- there's nothing better than to lead someone to Jesus! You don't need to know the whole Bible- just introduce them to Jesus- he'll take it from there.

So Who Cares? Don't tell me about it- show me! Do something about it. There's a lost world out there waiting for you!

An Encounter with God

A true encounter with God can transform your entire way of thinking.

I just love a testimony relating a "close encounter" with God that completely redirects a person's life! Jack Deere tells of his experience learning that God still speaks to his people today in an awesome book- "Surprised by the Voice of God." Likewise, I have had many such experiences. Here's one of my first:

We had a special guest, Kathy Schaller (now Kathy Gregg, I think), come to teach a seminar on Prayer and Intimacy with God. We had a workbook, but never got to it, because she said we needed some "prayer ministry." What was prayer ministry?! Oh well, sounds good- prayer and ministry put together.

So we all started to pray and she went around the room praying for people. I was near the front, so I couldn't see anyone she prayed for behind me. However, I knew who she was praying for! She was saying things she couldn't possibly have known about these people- she didn't even know their names, much less their personal struggles and such. It was incredible! But all the while, I'm stewing with jealousy- "Why are they getting all the good stuff? Didn't I ask her to come?"

Just then God spoke to me as clear as a bell (he didn't "speak" to me much before then- or rather, I didn't know it was him when he did speak!). "Don't you regularly ask me to touch people's live in this chapel? Well, that's just what I'm doing- relax, I'm answering your prayer!" My heart broke over my selfishness. Then, just when I became excited for what everyone else was getting, Kathy came up to me and started praying.

She spoke prophetic words over me- some I liked, others I didn't believe at the time. But within a year, everything she said had either happened or was happening! There was more to this "God stuff" than I had been taught!

That prayer ministry time changed my life. Since then, I have gotten much closer to God and he's taught me a lot about the truth of Christianity. It's not about religion, it's about relationship. A relationship with Jesus and his people.

I believe it- A true encounter with God can transform your entire way of thinking!

How is Your Record?

This is the "BURR" translation of Luke 10:25-37.

One day, a Doctor of Theology asked Jesus this question to see what he would do: "Great Scholar, what do I have to do to make it into heaven?"

[26] Jesus countered, "What do you think your Bible has to say about that?"

[27] The man replied, " 'I should love God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind.' Also, 'I should love my neighbor as much as I love myself.' "

[28] "Good answer!" Smiled Jesus. "Do this and you will be getting it right!"

[29] But the theologian wanted a more specific answer, so he asked another question, "So just who should I consider my neighbor?"

[30] Then Jesus told him a story: "A Christian man was walking downtown in Bangor one day and he was mugged by a group of thugs. They took all his fancy clothes and wallet, beat him up, and left him lying half dead on the sidewalk.

[31] "It just so happened, that a Salvation Army Officer came by on his way to the bank. When he saw the man lying there, he was afraid of having his deposit stolen, so he left the man there, back-tracked and went to the bank another way. [32] A short while later, a Salvation Army Soldier on his way to lunch walked by and saw the man lying there. But because he had little time and an appointment right after lunch, he also turned around and went down a different street to the deli.

[33] "Then a homeless man came along and when he saw the hurt man, he felt bad for him. [34] Kneeling down, the homeless man stopped the bleeding with a dirty rag and wrapped his cuts with a plastic bag. Then he put the man on his shopping cart and took him to the shelter, where he got him some clothes, a warm bed and helped him further. [35] The next day he called Social Services and arranged for them to provide for the man until he was back on his feet. 'If it costs more than you’re allowed to spend, I’ll pay for the rest with the deposit from the bottles and cans I collect.'

[36] "So which of these people do you think was a neighbor to the man who was mugged?" Jesus asked.

[37] The theologian responded with, "The one who showed him mercy."

Then Jesus said, "Of course. So how is your record of helping others?"

2 + 1 = 3!

I almost hesitate to mention this (you know in baseball, you don't mention a "no hitter!"), but I'm so excited, I'll just have to build a bridge and get over it! I just prayed with Mary to get saved! Here's the color commentary:

This morning, I was sitting at my desk, getting "stuff" done (it's necessary, but God help me- sigh). At 11:30 I had a meeting with Nicole (our Youth and Worship Pastor) about our need to expand our cell ministry, community, etc. While we were talking, I realized our Soup Kitchen had already started. Now earlier, I had agreed with God to eat lunch there today so I could talk with the people and witness, so I was a bit bummed when our meeting went longer than I had expected (however, let it be known that I always enjoy my meetings with Nicole! She's so awesome- I just love that girl!). Still trying to be odedient, I went to the Soup Kitchen late after we finished.

Today our Ladies League had prepared the meal, so I chatted for a moment with them as I got a plate together and headed into the dining room (Mmm! Ribs from Smokey Bones restaurant!). Oh no! There was hardly anyone there! Rats! So I sat with Mary, one of our long time corps attenders and member of the Ladies League. As we chatted about a variety of things, she said to me "you know, some day I want to get saved."

"Some day," I said? Why not today? How about right after we finish our meal? "Okay!" she replied! As time passed, the excitement was building in both of us while we talked about why she had never accepted Jesus into her life, when she had attended our corps for at least a couple of years. But when we were finished, we headed up to the chapel (we coulda done it right there, but it was quieter). There, Mary prayed after me and she became a saint! I then told her about the huge party God was throwing in heaven because she entered The Kingdom! Hooray!

This is getting really cool! 2 + 1 = 3 so far. I can deal with this evangelism stuff very nicely, thank-you very much! Go God!

Hey Rob, do you still feel silly about laying hands on me and imparting your gift of evangelism? Hmm? I'm thinking it worked!

Dan's Dream

Dan, an intercessor at our corps, had a dream the other day. He was gracious enough to share it with me, so I'm going to share it with you, because it was so awesome!

I dreamed we were in our corps chapel at the beginning of a time of prayer. I could hear "People Need the Lord" playing over the sound system. I was just about to pray when all of a sudden, there was silence (except the music in the background). Then people started to line the altar. These were people I did not know or recognize. They were praying to receive the Lord into their lives.

As you can imagine, I'm having a field day with this one- especially after my prayers for the gift of intercession and my concern over the lost! Bring it, Lord Jesus!

Here's my brief unpacking of this Word for us:
1) we- this is a promise for our whole corps.
2) I could hear- the message of Outreach is going to be heard.
3) all of a sudden- God's going to startle us with this wave of salvation.
4) silence- nothing gets your attention like silence.
5) line the altar- there will be many saved.
6) people I did not know- these are going to be new to our corps family.

I'm going to do everything I can to bring this prophecy into fulfillment. Pray for us to be able to handle all these people and get them assimilated into God's family. Looks like yesterday was just the beginning!

God Answers Prayer!

You know how I've been talking about Outreach lately? I don't remember if I've blogged about asking for the gift of evangelism, but just so we're all on the same page . . . The lost have been weighing heavily on my heart and I asked God to do just that- give me the gift of evangelism.

Now that you're up to speed, I led two new people to the Lord this morning! YEAH! It's been so long, I'd almost forgotten what it feels like. Let me tell you, it feels GOOD! Here's the inside scoop:

I was getting everything ready for the morning service like I usually do. God reminded me that I had talked with him about hanging out in our Soup Kitchen on Sunday mornings so I could chat with people about him. I was a bit nervous, but I was commited to doing it. When I was almost finished with the preparation details, Clarise, one of our prospective Soldiers, came to me and asked if I could pray with a couple from the Soup Kitchen. Clarise is always talking with people about Jesus (I just love that about her)! Naturally, I said yes, and the rest is history! God sure does answer prayer!

God and the angels in heaven are still partying over Chris and Theresa Peal- our newest brother and sister in The Kingdom! Pray for them- they've got lots of "stuff" to yet deal with and we want to be able to walk through it with them. God keep us faithful!

Sometime in the middle of the whole process, I thought: "Isn't that interesting? I asked to be able to lead people to Jesus and I didn't even have to go to them- God brought them right to me! In the very chapel I am so used to praying in on Sunday!" Talk about honoring my Sunday AM commitment.

It's Gonna be Different

Last night our cell group got back together after a way too long hiatus. Oh yeah, the Christmas season was in full swing, I was away for a few weeks- you know- as lame excuses for not getting together as we can think of. [sigh]

Anyway, our new plan is to start going through Peter Wagner's book on Spiritual Gifts, but last night, we decided to watch a DVD of Heidi Baker's presentation at the recent conference I went to. Good stuff! Very challenging- especially since she manifests (big time) all through her preach. That kind of stuff is offensive to many who have not experienced it in the past- or, as she puts it in that very talk- it's offensive to we Westerner's who have huge control issues! And I sensed a lot of offense in the room as we watched last night. [double sigh]

So at the end of the video, I asked a couple of questions, but since I felt that spirit of offense heavily in the room, I actually allowed it to intimidate me and we closed off our time abruptly. We didn't even pray together! Hindsight is 20-20, so as I look back on my failure, I don't feel so good about it. Rats!

Why do we let The Enemy intimidate us? Why don't we just push those feelings down hard and trounce him soundly? He's got nothing over us we don't allow him to have and I'm tired of allowing him to take control!

Jesus forgive me for giving way to The Enemy in whatever form he presents himself. Teach me to better discern his activity and then defeat his attempts to undermine your mission in me.

Next week, it's gonna be different.

Move, Holy Spirit

I was just talking on the phone with a friend and in the middle of a sentence, he said something that really hit my spirit! "The Holy Spirit often moves over people in ways you can't see." Ooo, that's blog material, I'd say!

We get so frustrated with people. Linus (Peanuts comic strip) once said: "I love mankind, it's people I can't stand!" Man, have I connected with that over the years! So much, in fact, that I'm forcing myself to stop cursing myself with such rot. I really do love people, it's just that The Enemy is constantly trying to get me to think differently about God's most precious creation.

Still, they frustrate. They confound. They confuse. They make me angry (or try to). They irritate. They do a whole bunch of other things that bother me!

Hmm, come to think of it, sounds just like me. Ahem.

How I pray God will open their eyes to the changes they need to make in their lives! But you know what? He hears that prayer. The proof is in the fact that God sends his Spirit to move on them in small ways. He seeps into their consciousness little by little until, one day, you can actually see the difference! He is changing them into his own image! Me too.

Too bad it's not fast enough for us. We want it all done right now ("give me patience, Lord and give it to me right now")! Wouldn't that be nice. Well, maybe not- we can't forget about free will . . . and the fact that God chooses to work slowly in us 1) so that it lasts and 2) so that we don't "burn" in the cooking process.

I guess my job is to continue to be patient in sowing the good seed. God makes it grow in his timing. What kind of farmer would plant a seed one day, then dig it up the next day to see if it's growing?!

Oh! But one day it breaks through the surface! Then slowly it grows into a large stable plant, that Jesus tends with great care.

O Lord, keep moving in the people around me. And open my eyes to see the tiny changes you are bringing to them. Maybe you'd even let me encourage that growth?

Our Foundation of Peace

I was heading to a potentially difficult confrontation one day. I was anxious to get there and get it over with, but God had other plans. The bridge was closed for a couple hours! So as I turned the car to go the long way around, I sensed God tell me I needed more time to prepare myself for the meeting. Instinctively I knew I was supposed to pray on the armor of God from Ephesians 6.

When I got to the Shoes of Peace, it dawned on me that we stand on our shoes. In a real sense, they are our foundation. It was then that I got revelation from the Holy Spirit about standing on peace in the midst of stressful situations. The Christian's very foundation is peace.

That revelation has done me well over the years as I've found myself in all kinds of tough situations. If I am not at peace, I am not standing on the right foundation. All I need do, is quiet myself enough to hear God's still, small voice whisper his peace. It is then I know I am at that place where I can hear God speak even in the middle of great cacohpony! And we're much more able to make a good decision or say the right thing if we are at peace. Jesus' peace. Peace that the world doesn't give (John 14:27). Peace that is perfect (Isaiah 26:3).

I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble. But be brave! I have defeated the world! - Jesus (John 16:33 (ICB))

You know what? I feel pretty peaceful about my blog toay.

Get with the Program!

We are God's masterpiece! He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10

God don't make no junk, as the saying goes! Each one of us was planned by God. Not an after-thought, but a deliberate puzzle piece that fits exactly into this grand scheme of things. If there are "bumps," it's so you would fit snugly against the next piece. You're a masterpiece. And his whole purpose (our purpose in life) is to accomplish the things he set out for us to accomplish. These things were planned so very long ago, none of us were around- not even our great-great-grand-parents!

With that thought in mind, it would be good if we had an idea of what it was God wants us to do- ya think? So what are your spiritual gifts? These gifts mix together with your personality, talents and desires so that you are the perfect vessel to complete God's assignments for you. Wouldn't it be a shame if you stood before God on that great day and found out you missed it? Or even just some of it?

You are important to God: 1) because he loves you so much and 2) because he needs you to do certain things so that his plan of grand redemption will come into it's fullness, blessing and reaching as many of his children as possible (he wants them all saved, by the way- there's a lot of work yet to do). Sure, God could do it all himself, but that's just not the way he designed things.

So let's get with the program! Do you know your spiritual gifts? Good- get to it then. Don't quite know what you're supposed to be doing? Find out- ASAP. There are plenty of good books on spiritual gifts and plenty of good people in the body of Christ willing to help you get it all straight. It's too important to ignore. God needs you. Shoot, I need you- you just might be that piece that fits so snugly against me!

- - -
Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow: How to Find Your Gifts and Use Them to Bless Others, C. Peter Wagner, 2004, Regal Books, Ventura, CA.

Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow: Help People Find Their Gifts and use Them to Bless Others (Work Book), C. Peter Wagner, 1999, Regal Books, Ventura, CA.
- - -

Keep me Challenged

Home again! I wish it didn't take such a long day to travel, sigh. As I drove away from my house this morning through the canyon walls of snow on both sides of our street, I realized Vancouver rain ain't so bad after all! Ah well, the grass is always greener, they say.

The trip home was long, but uneventful. My last flight from Boston to Bangor was delayed, so I ended up finally getting in the house about 1-1:30ish. I figure I was up almost 19 hours with only a short 1/2 hour nap on the plane. And no bumps or free tickets this time- too bad!

So far, I've filled Deb in on about 1/10th of everything that happened. There was so much blessing in those 2 weeks, I find it hard to believe it all really took place. Each event and each person helped to make my stay at The War College seriously memorable! I do hope I can keep in touch with many of the Martyrs session (hint, hint, you guys!). Of last year's session, only 2-3 keep in touch on a regular basis. They all bless me deeply and I am so much the better for their camaraderie. God bless 614 Vancouver and all who connect there.

Now I pray I can keep up the high level of activity and ministry. I don't want to come down off the mountain. O Lord, keep me challenged!

A Mixed Blessing

My final day in Vancouver was a mixed blessing. Of course God continued to use me and the team he gathered around me for prayer ministry. I started early in the AM and went straight through until late evening watching God minister healing and freedom to his people- all quite literally! It was awesome, as always, because our great God is awesome!

Then I finished the day receiving a special blessing as Heather gave me the full massage treatment. She's a registered professional and I wish I could have stayed awake to enjoy it even more! But I feel wonderful, so I know she let God bless me through her. I slept especially well last night!

I'm looking forward to getting back home again, though. It's always good to come back home with renewed excitement for ministry! The ministry in Vancouver is exciting and powerful. God is doing a wonderful work there through his chosen people- including the students. They are growing and The Kingdom is growing. Praise God for this breath of fresh Holy Spirit blowing through the world. May it touch more lives daily as God multiplies those who receive His Gospel message of great joy and peace.

The mixed part is that I'm wishing I could have stayed. Maybe not permanently, but a least 2-3 months longer! O well, I'm coming back again for Booth-Tucker Institute (BTI) in July, where I will get to be a student. Why not plan on joining me? (details on ArmyBarmy.com)

Drum Roll Please...

It's official. Bangor, Maine has two War College students coming to help with the fight this summer. I am excited! And I'm excited that when the announcement came, they were excited too! We officially welcome you both

Aurora Atell

Travis Roberts

and promise to start praying for you and your combined ministries in Bangor right now!

One of your assignments will be to BLOG (remember what that was like Jon Howell?), so why not get started right now. That way we can get on the same page and get to know you both before your arrival in Bangor. You will want to hit the ground running full steam ahead! (If you already blog, respond to this post with your blog address)

I expect I'll put up some personal info about each of these Martyrs in the days to come. Watch this space. For their current War College testimonies, go to this link:

http://www.thewarcollege.com/student2005/Testimonies05.html

That Loud Clattering Sound

This week I have been teaching War College students, but God is still in the process of teaching me. I get fired up in the middle of good discussion, so I've had lots of opportunity to burn- and the flames are still licking at my spirit! I already told you about one major epiphany, so here's another: God has refined my "techniques" of deliverance ministry. I've been mentored by some of the best, but after years of working back and forth between the two techniques I've learned from them, I can now say I have my own style. Might I say (with humility) that it's so much easier now! I don't even break a sweat, because the "pray-ee" now does most of the "work!"

In as short a nutshell as I can get, it goes like this:

I used to cast out demons only through direct confrontation and speaking right to them- "get out!" I learned that from my first mentor and it works. Then I added an inner healing style of ministry where we would allow the Holy Spirit to guide the prayee to a memory and find Jesus in that place. He would invariably heal that memory and change their perception of that event. In the process, any demon associated with the memory would be gone at the end. But I often found finding that memory wasn't always easy and took some time.

Then I read brad Jersak's book "Can You Hear me?" (again, referrenced in the sidebar- if you haven't bought it yet, what are you waiting for?!?) and I started leading people through listening prayer with Jesus. This week I discovered that in listening prayer, Jesus can deal with demons. And at the end, they're just as "gone" as they were in direct confrontation or inner healing! Talk about revelation!

So that's the style God led me to use most of this week. Sure there are times when other methods are more appropriate- like when a demon chooses to manifest in a person: confront the demon directly and get it over with. Demons are not worth wasting your time with! Get in, clean house, get out and watch the result of the healing! Lives are seriously changed!

But the best part, is that this method is easily transferrable! On the last day of class, I "taught" the students how to do it! I can hardly wait to hear of their results as Jesus empowers their prayers for others. True, not all are gifted in deliverance ministry. But, as I taught these students, we all still have a Christian role to cast out demons.

Can you hear that loud clattering sound? Demons are quaking at the sound of Martyr's foot steps! What are you guys waiting for? (Martyr's is this year's TWC session name).

World traveler

Yesterday I went to a circus, a horse race, the dock of a bay and finally a Pirate's Galleon! Sound like I'm traveling around the world? Actually, it's much more fun than traveling- these are the places Jesus is taking people (in their imaginations) to show them things about their life and his concern for them. I'm just along for the ride! And what a fantastic ride it's been! I can hardly wait until we start praying again today!

Here are some excerpts:

One person was taking suitcases of junk off their backs and giving them to Jesus. Then Jesus was tossing them (with glee!) into the ocean at their feet. He even threw one very dark suitcase a long ways out to make a point (we got it!). Talk about freedom! And you should have seen Jesus' swimsuit!

One person was in a horse race, but was the only one running- sounds like you have no choice but to win! The cool part was that Jesus was running right along side of them! Then he gave them their very own Shield of Faith! I want one! Oh, that's right, I've already got one!

One person saw their own private circus where Jesus was a Lion (sound familiar?) jumping thru hoops to pursue their family and catch them. They've been praying for their family to come to Jesus. Sounds like that's just what Jesus wants too!

Another had an interesting visit to a huge sailing galleon where Jesus was steering the ship. They were standing on the bow in the wind (I asked if Leonardo DiCaprio was there! He wasn't). Then Jesus began showing them around the ship. There were some interesting visuals for them to learn- like the gangplank- where they could push off anything that didn't belong in their life. I love the thought of making The Enemy walk the plank! They were even given a new pirate's sword to use and take care of! Swashbuckling adventure, that!

What we are all learning (without a shadow of a doubt), is that wherever you are, Jesus is always there with you. We don't always think to look for him and he's not always obvious, but nevertheless, he is always there. If we ever feel alone, all we have to do is settle down long enough to find where Jesus is and listen to what he has for us right then. It's a powerful lesson to learn. Makes a difference when you get it down pat.

So it's off on more excursions again today. I just love being a world traveler!

I wonder if I could get air miles for this?

The Fruit is Change

Yesterday started with a spiritual attack that kept us locked out of our classroom. It seemed no one could find the keys. So did The Enemy win? No, we just marched down the street and piled into Steve and Danielle's place! It was a tight setting for class, but it served the purpose and we had a blessed time. Sidetracked, but not derailed.

Then off to prayer ministry times- four scheduled for today. Each one today, was an opportunity for listening prayer, a la 'Can You Hear Me?' (by Brad Jersak). Same style of prayer, but completely different personalized sessions- God designed just for the "prayee." He's so awesome like that! No canned formulas for God. He never does the same thing the same way twice- he's too creative for that and he loves us individually, just the way we need it. Personalized. In fact, every prayer session I've ever done, either inner healing or deliverance, has been unique. Customized.

But you know the one thing that is always the same? The one thing that always happens in every session I have ever been a part of? God shows up. Not for me or the ministry team, but for the person being prayed for. Always. Every single time. And he relates to them in just the way they need him at just that moment. In the end, they finish in Jesus' very presence, being comforted with whatever it was they needed. And change? Yeah, the fruit of Jesus showing up in our lives is always a marked change for the better.

I can hardly wait to see that fruit in these people's lives!

My Head Exploded!

Yesterday, someone asked me if I was "wasted" yet. I've been very busy teaching and in prayer ministry, but I'm just warming up! I can't be tired yet, I've still got 5 days left! PTL!

In yesterday's class we covered some of my favorite material from my notes- Demonology and Our Authority. My favorite, because I'm gifted (spiritually) in the area and I just love to see the little light bulbs go off over student heads when we talk about things the church has been woefully ignorant of for years and years. I mean, when was the last time you heard a sermon about demons or how we can deal with them in our lives (or rather out of our lives)?

Anyway, we were discussing Lucifer's fall and his abdication of his heavenly position as the head worshipping angel (the one who covered Gods throne) and a student asked (thanks Nicole!) in effect: "So if Lucifer left the worship position empty, does that mean it falls to us to fill that spot and worship God?" Right about then my head exploded. Well, not really, but you get my drift! Think about that for awhile! I know, a lot of this is speculation (or what I choose to call factulation, because there is some foundation of fact all this), but it is awesome to think about anyway!

So if Lucifer was the head worshipper (kinda teaching and guiding the other angels in worship), he was probably assigned to teach humankind how to worship too. Then he falls from his high position and God fills the vacancy with humankind. Yeowch! Now I can see why our worship of God makes Satan so angry! And why he causes so many kinds of divisions and distractions around worship. He knows the power of it all and wants it all for himself. But I bet he just can't stand having people accomplish what he failed so miserably at!

And think about what our worship means to God and the heavenlies. If we don't do it, who will? I know there are other angelic beings continually worshipping God, but you can follow my lead, right? Our worship of God is seriously important in his grand scheme of things!

Now put that under your belt and get out there and worship! Our God is so worth it and we've got so much more of it to do!

God is Completely Faithful!

One of my goals in life is to live as much as possible in God's manifest presence. That's where God has become physically real to me- usually through a physical sensation. It's awesome!

However, it's dawned on me that while I want to live in his manifest presence, I don't have to. I thank God for those times he chooses to reveal himself to me in that way, but I'm actually OK without it, because I know he's there. That's his promise and I can count on him like no one else!

God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not human that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it though? - Numbers 23:19

How incredible is that?

I praise you, God, for your faithfulness. I can trust you completely and my hope in you will never be put to shame.

God is Good!

Today was my first teaching day at The War College. After a powerful half-hour session of praying the Bible (good job, Heather!), we moved seamlessly into class. Yesterday, I discovered that Baracah had shared some of my first day's material ahead of me (she took one of my seminars before!), so I only had to add a tiny emphasis to the "Can You Hear Me?" section. We then practiced on one of the students and God shared some effective encouragement that had many common threads. I tell you, "Can You Hear me?" is an awesome book. You should get it yesterday and read it ASAP. You can find the link to the author's website on the left.

We then had a debriefing for the recent conference. Elaine was so full of wisdom, she spilled over on everyone! Much was not only heard, but grasped and I could see many little light bulbs going off over student heads! I love that! Great good will come of that session and we will all be the better for it.

Then on to my scheduled prayer ministry sessions. To make 3 long stories short, I 1) saw God heal 3 major inner wounds and put that person dead asleep in His arms for a much needed healing rest! 2) witnessed some "opposites" come closer together by understanding what's been going on in the spiritual realm over them, and 3) watched as another person cast 3 demons out of themself! They were so effective, I wondered why I was even there.

Man, God is good! I can hardly wait for tomorrow!

A Link in a Long Chain

I landed my first shift in the 614 War Room today and I was excited as I headed over to room 504 at The Empress Hotel. Shifts are 3 hours long and they have been going 24/7 for almost a year. Awesome! I believe they started shortly after my last visit last February.

The room is painted a deep royal purple with gold accents on the trim. It's beautiful. The room is furnished with a single carpet, a desk, 3 different types of chairs, a CD player (with plenty of CDs), a huge world map on the wall and assorted pictures and scripture verses posted throughout the room on the walls. There are many candles, a plant, a guitar and incense, if wanted. Lots of books and Bible versions adorn the desk. There are prayer request books, plenty of paper and the schedule of time slots- completely filled in for 3 weeks.

When alone, the first thing that hit me was the heritage of prayer that has already been built up. It was incredible! I sat there in awed silence as it hit me how I was becomming a single link in a long chain of prayer that was filling the Bowls of Heaven. God's Spirit was heavily present in the middle of this grungy welfare hotel. I sat in silence while listening to Lindell Cooley (my new favorite worship leader, click the CD link on the side of this page)- transfixed in God's loving embrace. He is so awesome and majestic!

Before I knew it, time was up. But I wasn't very well done yet. I need some more cooking. Lord, raise the temperature and put me back in for a lot longer.

Intimacy Conference

I've not had much time on the computer these last few days, because we head out to the conference early in the morning, then get back very late each night. We've been going to a conference on intimacy called "The Secret place," hosted by Todd Bentley. I've never been to one of his conferences, nor heard him in person, so I was looking forward to this one. However, I must say, the best part of this confrerence, is getting to listen to Heidi Baker. Actually, you don't listen to Heidi Baker, you experience her.

WOW! I'll say it again- WOW! I'll even say it backwards- WOW! She is incredible! I knew we were in for a treat when they introduced her after the praise and worship, but they had to practically drag her out from the floor between the seats. Worship of her Jesus had reduced her to (what we at the conference came to experience as) an octopus on crack! She was so under the power of the Holy Spirit, she couldn't stand up- she preached mostly from the floor. But there was no question, this was God at work, because immediately, you could sense the presence of God in the place. Her words were powerful and full of prophetic conviction. This was true each time she spoke. This is truly a woman sold out to God and under his full control. I would encourage you to follow and support her world-changing ministry (www.irismin.com).

Graham Cook also spoke some good words for us. However, I was distracted by his sometimes harsh condemnations of various kinds of people. For instance: in so many words, he told us that those who "have" to use the title apostle are not really apostles. What's up with that? It's supposed to be a secret? Then he later asked who in the room was an intercessor (to speak to them about something). So if you have the gift of intercessor, you can call yourself such, but the gift of apostle, you cannot? Sorry, it was hard enough for God to convince me that I was an apostle and that I should tell people such (if on the subject). I'm not going to be bullied by someone who obviously has an issue with apostles (ah- want me to tell you what I really think? heh, heh).

Anyway, I believe I've actually gotten all the new War College student names down! Woo hoo! Of course, there's still a bit of a pause for some of them as my mind works through whatever it is that's helped me remember. Now last names and where they're from- that's probably not going to happen. I'm looking forward to next week's teaching and ministry times.

Oh, almost forgot- we cast a small demon out last night. Looks like there'll be more of that ahead. Praise the Lord!

First Full Day

One of my goals these next 2 weeks is to learn all I can about small groups and discipleship. So I plan to attend a few cell groups and chat with people about their discipling routines. Last night I hung out with the leaders cell group. Because there are a variey of schedules going on here at a time, the size of the group grew as the evening progressed. Other than the fact that we went around the group asking for a personal spiritual report since the last meeting, the group functioned much as my small group at home. The personal report was a good step toward accountability, which I should be thinking more about.

Other than that, the day was fairly uneventful. I walked around the East side, picked up some apples and some M&Ms (Don't tell Deb about the M&Ms!). After Warrior Academy, Jenn came by, then Josh. We headed out for Starbucks and I got a pepermint hot chocolate (their drinks are always bitter, but no Dunkin Donuts anywhere in sight). Then I went to the harborlight for dinner with Josh Ivany. We had some good conversation and an interesting beef stew. I'm not used to eating so early (4 PM) for dinner. I hope to get to hang out with more students soon and get to know this session.

Today, we head out to the conference with Tod Bentley. I am so looking forward to it!

Safe and Sound

I've finally arrived safely in Vancouver! Not that I was ever "unsafe," it just took me almost a day longer to get here . . . I was bumped (at my request). I ended up with a $300 flight voucher, a night in the Boston Airport Hilton with lunch, dinner and breakfast vouchers. Not bad- and they got me to Vancouver by 12:30 PM today. Although, I must complain, that they damaged both my bags. Ugh! Not again!

On my first flight yesterday, God showed me one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. While just clearing the cloud cover (it was dark and a bit dreary below), I witnessed the Grand Canyon of clouds! It was so beautiful! The sun was brightly shinning on them and I could see huge canyons of light and dark everywhere. It was a spiritual experience and God spoke to me about his magesty throughout it all. We truly serve an amazing God!

Later, in prayer, God showed me some growth at our corps that I hadn't seen before. It was encouraging to say the least!

Elaine and Hannah picked me up at the airport and we had good in-depth conversation all the way in. I especially loved the look I got when I told Hannah, Jenn was my little girl!

While leaving the customs section, someone said to me: "have a wonderful time!" But I immediately thought- no, not wonderful, I want God to make me very uncomfotable while I'm here. Uncomfortable with my own life-style compared to those of the people in Downtown Eastside Vancouver. And later, in Bangor. Convict me Lord!

On Special Assignment

I'm spending the next 2 weeks in Vancouver, Canada teaching and getting blessed at The War College (January 10-24). I'm not sure what kind of computer access I'll have or what time I'll be able to give to this blog, so please understand if I can't keep up the daily entries.

Don't get out of the habit of checking "Light Seeker." If possible, I hope to give you daily updates of my exploits. At the least, I'll have tons of material to write about when I do get back!

I will appreciate your prayers while I'm on this special assignment "at the cutting edge of mission, outreach and service."

Bring it on!

In an earlier blog, I mentioned what I feel God's priorities are for our corps in 2005. They are Conviction, Covenant, Discipleship and Outreach. Today, I briefly mentioned these four in our service. While there's a whole lot more there to unpack, this is the gist:

It's all about Outreach. If we're not actively involved in bringing new people into the party of God, we're sadly misdirected. We don't need any more pew-warmers. So all the other items lead us to this final one.

But first, Conviction- Conviction that we need to be doing more (than we typically are) to reach the lost. If the Holy Spirit will speak to us and we do not sear our consciences (by ignoring his voice), but listen to his nudging, that Conviction should lead us to care about the lost- those who Jesus eagerly leaves the 99 to find. These lost are dying without God and Jesus is all about reaching them, so they won't have to spend eternity without him. These lost are our brothers and sisters. Do we really care? Not just in word, but in deed? Do we do anything about their predicament? O Holy Spirit, convict us. Teach us your heart for the lost.

Next comes Covenant. If we are soldiers of The Salvation Army, we have signed a covenant, in effect saying we will spend our lives reaching the lost. Are we doing it? A covenant is pretty binding. Does our word mean anything? We need to return to our first love- or at least our first promise.

Then we need to be actively involved in some kind of discipling activity. We should be discipling one or more who have been on the way less than us and we should be in a continual process of being discipled by at least one who has been on the way longer than us. This is what keeps us sharp and able to fight against The Enemy.

Finally, we come back to Outreach- the focal point of it all. O Lord! help me to care enough to do something about the lost! I don't exactly know what it is yet, but I'm willing to do it. Teach me. Convict me. Bring it on!

New England Temperature Conversion Chart

After that last post, I've got to put this one up. It's all true!

New England Temperature Conversion Chart

60° F: Southern Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in New England sunbathe.

50° F: New Yorkers try to turn on the heat. People in New England plant gardens.

40° F: Italian & English cars won't start. People in New England drive with the windows down.

32° F: Distilled water freezes. Maine's Moosehead Lake's water gets thicker.

20° F: Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats. People in New England throw on a flannel shirt.

15° F: New York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in New England have the last cookout before it gets cold.

0° F: All the people in Miami die. New Englanders close the windows.

10° below zero: Californians fly away to Mexico. The Girl Scouts in New England are selling cookies door to door.

25° below zero: Hollywood disintegrates. People in New England get out their winter coats.

40° below zero: Washington DC runs out of hot air. People in New England let the dogs sleep indoors.

100° below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. New Englanders get frustrated because they can't start their "kahs."

460° below zero: All atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale).People in New England start saying, "cold 'nuff for ya?"

500° below zero: Hell freezes over. The Red Sox win the World Series
(dab) . . . ah, now we're going to have to rework this last one!

Moses Shovels?

In Maine, this is REALLY funny.

Our Army Heritage

I've been hearing a lot about our Salvation Army Heritage lately. It almost seems that everywhere I turn, someone is arguing the case that we should not lose or forget our heritage. But before we talk inteligently about our heritage, we need to be clear what we mean by it.

The good ol' American Heritage Dictionary (ha! did you catch that? Heritage!) puts it this way:

Something passed from one generation to another:

• legacy
• inheritance
• tradition
• birthright
• family possession
• estate

I'm OK with some of those for our Army, but others I'm not. For instance, we should be concerned about our Legacy- that image which has been left to us by our forebearers. Family Possession, on the other hand, reeks of inbreeding- something just for us and no one else.

I think the important thing to remember here, is that our heritage is not brass bands or our songbook. It's not uniforms and flags. It's not even our symbols and logos. Our heritage has not been left to us in "things." We can do without these things. Our heritage is

1) Listening to the Holy Spirit,
2) Enthusiasm for God and
3) The willingness to do whatever it takes to reach the lost.

If we do these three, we are doing the very things at the heart of our Army (and, I believe, God's purpose for our Army). If we listen to ourselves or the world more than we listen to God, we might as well give up our fight. The war just can't be won in that manner. If we just put our enthusiasm into new programs or old memories, we end up deader that the proverbial doornail.

If we are only willing to go so far to get the attention and salvation of the lost people around us, we have sold our soul for a mess of porridge. This includes hanging onto things that are making us irrelevant to the world around us.

Nothing is Useless!

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. - 1 Corinthians 15:58

I needed that this morning! There are times when you begin to feel like nothing you do really matters anyway. Then God leads you to this verse and reminds you that even though you don't always see the results of your work, there are results! In fact, nothing done for God is useless. Coolest!

You see, we're always walking forward; looking ahead (so we don't trip or fall). Most results show up behind us after we've moved on to the next thing. Why not take a brief break today? Stop looking forward for a few and look back. Can you see all the fruit growing along the path right where you've been walking? That's it- right there! See the results? Nothing was useless!

O Lord, allow those reading this today to see their fruit. Give them the blessing of open eyes to their impact on the world around them.

A Powerless Church?

"The world is not interested in paying any attention to a powerless church. If the promise of the Gospel cannot affect the daily routine of our lives, it offers nothing less than a panacea . . . I am convinced that as the world is drawn toward more and more occult powers and experiences, people will not give ear to a powerless Church." - David Canistraci

Only by the power of the Holy Spirit evidenced in our lives can the church make any kind of impact in today’s world. What about it? Are you playing church or are you showing them the real power of the creator of the universe?

Plain and simple: I am not interested in a powerless religious experience. If Jesus can't make a difference in my life or those around me, I'm outta here.

Notice I haven't left yet? PTL!

Listen to me!

Come here and listen to me! I'll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise. I called you so often, but you didn't come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered.
- Proverbs 1:23-25 (NLT)

Jesus so wants us to receive his wisdom! He calls out to us often, but how often do we really listen? Are we so caught up in our own little world that we have no attention to pay the one who deserves all our attention?

How intentional are you about spending time with God and really listening to him? I hope you don't just read the verse at the top of your daily devotional and figure that's what God gets today- "after all, I have things to do."

Today, I started (rather re-started) my early morning face-time with God. I've been "catching as catch can" lately and it just wasn't enough to satisfy me . . . or God. So I finally screwed up my resolve, set my alarm to 6:00 AM (yawn) and shut the door to my study.

I'm listening, Lord. What do you have to say to me today? Got any good advise?

4 Priorities for 2005

Yesterday God gave me my four teaching priorities for the year of 2005. I'm not sure where we're going with them yet, but I will soon. And then, watch out! Because God has some awesome plans for the Bangor Corps this coming year. Here they are in order:

1) Conviction
2) Discipleship
3) Covenant
4) Outreach

Watch this space! I'm sure I'll elaborate on these here, as I get revelation.

I do See Miracles

Dec 24th I talked about a couple signs of God's blessing- one particularly being miracles. Make no mistake- I want to see miracles regularly in my ministry! But the more I thought about my comment, the more I realized I have seen miracles in my ministry.

The first I'm aware of, was years ago when I was the counselor of a cabin at music camp. One of the guys came down with strep throat and after seeing the doctor, was heading home later the next day. In my morning face-time with God, he was nudging me to pray for this boy's throat. I was scared, so we had quite a long "argument" about it! Finally, I gave in, because I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest if I didn't obey! To make a long story short, we prayed, his throat was healed and he finished the whole camp session with no problems. The doctor even gave him a clean bill of health. I was in awe of God, but the memory of it all faded in a couple of days.

Most recently, we had a woman who's knee was so sore, she could not walk without severe pain. The doctor said the cartiladge was gone and she would need surgery. She was in agony for a long time- she could not afford the surgery, so even missed almost 2 months of work. We prayed for her during a healing service. During prayer, I "saw" an image in my mind of something like flat plastic growing into two shapes like fingers, but still connected. She felt better right away and has been back to church and work ever since. No surgery was necessary! But even the recent memory of that miracle has faded and hardly anyone talks about it anymore.

I can list some others, specifically as they relate to inner-healing and casting out demons (one of my spiritual gifts), but the common thread I can see clearly now, as I write, is that after the initial rush, the reality of the miracle faded away very quickly and I moved back into the routine again- always hoping to see miracles in my ministry. Hmmm- I wonder what that's all about?

I guess I do see miracles in my ministry! I'm thinking that I would see more if I spent more time talking about what God has already done and praising him for it all.