Mary and Dave

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!

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

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

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

As many of you know, Stephanie 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

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.

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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 . . .

Feeling Better

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!!

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?

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

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!

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