My heart is good...

Today I had a stress echo...stress test. Pressure is placed on your body as you walk on a treadmill to see how your heart performs.

An ultrasound is done of your heart before you get on the treadmill, and then measured against another ultrasound done straight after the treadmill experience.

And the report is... All ok. I have a good heart.

you may be wondering why this had to happen (or you may not) - recently My GP found a tiny scar on my Heart after doing an ECG, and so I was referred onto the heart doctor to just get it checked to make sure.

Whilst I didn't do that wonderfully well on that treadmill, it was very re-assuring to find out that my heart is ok and that this 52 year old body of mine will make it for a few more years yet.

It got me thinking though, that its wonderful that the Doctor said my heart is good, but how much better if The Lord says my heart is good.

Whilst I think it is absolutely key that your body's pump is doing its job, I think its even more important that inside that heart of ours, that spiritually our heart is good, healthy and doing its spiritual job also.

I want to be known as a man of God, with a heart after the things of God.

I want that heart ruling my every move.

There are times when my heart just aches, not physically, but spiritually.... it aches for the things of God and the ways in which I, and many others around me, fall short of the Best that God has for us each.

Heart ache is caused by stress of the circumstances around you.

If your physical heart is under stress, it can cause a heart attack and potential death.

spiritually, a heart attack should cause us to drop to our knees in prayer, spiritual heart stress often leads us to draw closer to our Lord and to seek after His answers to the questions of life that seem so disturbing at times.

so...YEP, I have a healthy heart and an unfit body.

that's the next goal, tighten this body up, get it fit, lose a few more kilo's,

get in shape, for the times ahead look daunting.

But OH, that my Lord and Saviour will say of me one day...Gary has a good heart.

 

P.S. and by the way, how much better it is when we find ourselves on our knees in prayer, even when there is no heart ache to drive us there. Just a thought !!!!!

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"This is My Business"

ON Sunday morning just gone, God was with us in church in a very big way. Now I know He always is, but for me personally He spoke audibly into my ears.

I will tell you in a minute what He said....

however, just prior to it though, I had just finished preaching....you can hear it at:

www.salvos3064.podbean.com

but suffice to say I felt I had done my best at communicating what I believed God wanted said.

quite a few people hung around for prayer and ministry after the service, and one special woman in our church was touched by God in a supernatural way, spending time with Him for "sometime on the floor" after.

as I sat and pondered all that which was taking place, it was then that I heard God speak to me saying...

"This is your business"

it's His business, but He has called me to make it "MY" business, the ministry and prayer for His people.

a special business indeed.

so...if you are around me, at church on a Sunday, I will be (continuing) making it my businesss to pray for Gods people, including you, if you want it.

asking Him to heal  the sick...
to save the lost...
to heal broken hearts...
to restore those who have walked away...
to equip with the Supernatural gifts from above...
to empower...
to intercede and ask for forgiveness for sin...
to set free those who feel trapped and bound up...
to do what Only God can do...

this is my business,

what a privilege is mine.

2013 and beyond ????

This time of the year always make Officers in the Salvation Army feel a bit on edge, especially in Australia, when in the next  few weeks we will hear whether or not we get to stay another year in our present appointment of are required to be moving on to some other place.

its no different for Julie and I, than what it is for every Officer, we feel quite unsettled and ill at ease about this, especially since we have been in our present ministry appointment for 12 years.

It's risky even talking about it a superficial level, as people read between the lines, make their own assumptions and it may not even be correct. ( and the truth is, I actually have no concrete ideas at all about 2013 as yet)

October 11th is "D" day for all this, so we will probably find out the same time, that everyone else does whether we are to move or stay.

for me personally it is playing with my mind this year and I am feeling things I have never felt before, thinking thoughts I have never thought before and believe it or not, its even keeping me awake at night.... so really it is not a good thing for me at all, so hopefully it will be sorted one way or the other very very quickly.

a want to just point out though, a few home truth's about this process and my heart... and perhaps remind other officers of the deal.

1.  I signed a Covenant a long time ago that stated I would be OK with this process. ( I still am)
2.  I don't want to be positioned in a place where God doesn't want me to be. (here or there)
3.  I believe, that wherever I am in 2013, it will be where God has positioned me. (here or there)
4.  I will continue to do my best and try my hardest at whatever God calls me to do and be.
5.  I can trust God in the process.

Some people think that this process is antiquated and bizarre, and perhaps it is, but its ok, for all of us Officers knew the way the game played out before we joined the team.

its only when they move the goal posts after the game has started  that you get all messed up.  And they haven't done that to me...

The Salvation Army and the present leadership of it, has never done anything to ever hurt me personally, so I trust them in this process to have heard from God, and to be acting upon His will and purpose  for my life and ministry where best He can use me.


So roll on October 11th, and let's get this sorted once and for all....

FORM vs FUNCTION.

I want to post a  "churchy" report that Val  (our Craigieburn CSM ) sent to me here and share it with everyone in regards to the local church, its VERY  - VERY good.

we recognise it comes from another church pastor, but it's too good to not share it...maybe if a few of us took heed to it, it may just change what the local church looks like and how it functions.

a lot of people are more concerned about what  a church looks like, rather than what it does.

I would like to suggest to you  -

that what it does(function), should identify  what it looks like (form).

rather than the other way around....

sound confusing ?

well let me clear it up... (hopefully) (from A Salvo perspective)

when we are more concerned about our uniforms, bands, songsters, flags.... than seeing peopel saved and set free, well we have it back to front.

Rather.. it should be, that people are set free and saved when the Salvos turn up. And that is our primary concern. 

That our outward appearance just identifies us, and is used as  a "witness" to.... the real work of the Salvation Army church, which is...   seeing people saved.

so Form = what it looks like, and Function  = what we do.

now so I don't upset the puritans...  I am not suggesting for one moment that we do away with our identity, and our style and our character and our DNA,   NO.....

I just think we need to crank back up,  what we are supposed to be doing in seeing people saved and set free.

NOW for those comments from (Val's report)

The church is the hope of the world. According to Jesus, who said He came to establish the church, it was intended to be something so filled with energy that not even hell itself could withstand its onslaught. 

The idea is that we are the light of the world, and as that light is brought together through the church, it gains intensity the way focused light becomes a laser beam.

So what’s wrong?

Most churches are anything but energy-filled. Hell seems to not only be standing its ground, but gaining territory.

Let’s bracket off all the things churches are doing wrong today.

Let’s put aside the scandals, the splits, and the outdated strategies.

Let’s not worry for a moment about any disappointments you may have with leadership.

Let’s talk instead about what any single individual person, in any particular church, can do to help their church reach its full redemptive potential. In other words, let’s go after the lowest-hanging solution-oriented fruit. 

Isn’t that what all of us will answer for at the end of our lives anyway? Not what others did, but what we did?

Here’s a baker’s dozen:

1. Embody the idea that it’s not about you, but about the person who isn’t even there yet. And be a willing participant in whatever it might take to reach them, even if it means you are inconvenienced.

2. Be generous with your financial resources. How much ministry can you do for $1? $1 worth. Help your church do all that it can by giving all that you can.

3. Invite your unchurched friends. Really, it’s the only way your church can grow, through the unchurched.

4. Step up and serve. Don’t wait to be asked; just volunteer. If it looks like everything is covered, trust me, it’s not.

5. Leaders and teachers are desperately needed.  Please let your church know if this is in your gift mix, and that you, as a more mature follower of Christ, are willing to serve in these pivotal roles.

6. Give your pastor an umbrella of grace for all that they aren’t, and pray for them on a regular basis. They can’t walk on water, but they can drown. Be one of their “floaties.”

7. Realize that those on your church’s staff do not get a thousand emails a day giving them encouragement. Most of the people who bother to email do so to critique. Send them a word to feast on to keep them going. They are human and get as discouraged as anyone. 

8. As a volunteer, or simply as an attender, show up and be on time. Repeat: Show up and be on time. You have no idea how much this matters.    

9. Talk about your church like gossip over the backyard fence, but in a good way. Like a great movie you saw, or a good restaurant. Unleash positive public relations in your neighborhood and community. 

10. Work hard on having a positive attitude of a cup half-full instead of a cup half-empty. You’ll be surprised how contagious it is.

11. Handle friction and disagreement in a way that honors God, which means handle it biblically (Matthew 18:15). But in general, just practice the habit of “agreeing to disagree agreeably.” And remember Augustine’s rejoinder: in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity. And much more falls into the “non-essential” camp than we often admit.

12. Welcome those who come into your church with messed-up lives, screwed-up marriages, piercings, tattoos, addictions, divorce, homosexual orientation, children out of wedlock, roommates that aren’t their spouse … in other words, welcome everyone’s differences and scandals with the greater scandal of grace. Not affirmation, necessarily, but always acceptance so that they can experience that grace for themselves.

It’s the Jesus way.  

13. Pray, pray, pray. In fourteenth-century England there were holy women who placed themselves in little rooms at the base of churches and gave themselves to prayer. They prayed for the church and its members, and the extension of the kingdom of God. These women were called by the quaint but telling name of anchoress, for they were spiritual anchors that held the church amid the storms of that century.

Be that anchor. 

All to say, if each of us are called to be the light of the world, and that light is meant to be brought together in and through the church, then perhaps we need to bring an old song back into circulation:

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine."

(Dr. James Emery White)

now that's Function over form.....   its really good.

 

I want to ask you a few questions in conclusion of this little blog of thoughts...

Is the church/corps you are attending seeing people saved and added  in every week ? 

Why ? or why Not ?

or...

When was the last time people were radically saved for Jesus Christ in your church/corps ?

Are you (is your church) more concerned about what things look like, or what is being achieved for the Kingdom ? 

and my final question....

What are you building at your church ?  

and why are you building it ?

I don't pose these questions to make you feel guilty or anything negative, but rather to remind us each to keep it real and true and functional, lest we ever turn into some quaint little club in the back streets of our suburbs that is irrelevant and useless.  We are anything but that. We are called and positioned by the King of Kings for His Purpose(function) we must never forget that.  We are the ARMY of Salvation , we have tremendous opportunity, we have tremendous identity, HOWEVER, we must also be a tremendous influence for Jesus Christ.

you might say, well I am not  actually building anything, that's the officer or pastors job...well I say, go get involved in the building, your pastor or officer would value your service and help any day...

you might say,  well I am doing my bit.... well I say, well done, but go do more.... don't stop or quit until the whole world is saved (in your local area where God has placed you)   You are there for His purpose's not your  own personal preferences.

you might say, we are already seeing stacks of people saved and added to our church/corps every week. 

well I say, that's fantastic...but don't stop yet...there are too many still unsaved and unconnected. 

I have heard it said, that its not about filling buildings on Sundays and that the church has a much wider role to play  "out there".   ( this is close to being a form statement)

 In my experience .....I believe we should be involved in both.  

We should be active in our communities AND also gathering people into holy worship of our Holy God.

Keep it about Function and allow the form to follow closely behind.

Because in many many cases, when it is more important that we get the "form" right .... the "function" is actually lost.

 

 

Latest Salvos 3064 report...

Cant wait for Sundays worship services...tonights rehearsals were amazing, with a couple of suprises in store for all present on sunday, including new songs and new voices....I just love our church and what God is doing amongst us, make sure to keep reading below for our latest Cup Cake ministry report...if you can, get to our church on the weekend..9.45am or 4:13pm Youth church..awesome.

Brothel Visitation Report ( Cup Cake Ministry) ..thanks Lisa....

It is just amazing how God is opening the doors within the Brothel ministry, in fact not only are the doors opening, they are swinging wide open. The past few weeks, God has been providing opportunities to display His love, grace, and dispense hope, peace and encouragement to ladies that are struggling with low self esteem, abandonment, low self worth, immeasurable loneliness, depression, drug & alcohol and gambling addictions.

We have amazing privileges to be able to enter into these dark places, and shine the light of Jesus as we illuminate all the qualities of Jesus. We have the privilege of sharing the love of Christ and instilling into the ladies, a sense of self worth, and to express to them their value and that they are precious , beautiful, loved and valued.

Most of the ladies are living their lives as a lie, and constantly trying to cover the truth as to what they do, and where they are. We are privileged to have the trust of the ladies as they share their inner most secrets, things that they don’t share with anyone, not even their families.

Last week as I was confronted with seemingly wall to wall numbers of ladies, and the atmosphere of struggles, anxiousness and sadness, I was deeply confronted with the overwhelming need to be more intentional with our visitations. These women need Jesus, they need the hope of our Savior, the love of Christ, they need redemption and salvation.

The past week as I was confronted with the massive need to be more intentional, I have been praying for these ladies, although one lady in particular has been heavily on my heart all week. My intention today was to ask her to catch up for a coffee during the week, but she beat me to it. She asked me to give her my phone number, as my number is kept in the office, and she wanted it written down on a card for her to keep with her all the time. She asked if she could ring me to make time to have dinner early next week….

Totally amazing!

I love that God removes barriers between us, and that we can form relationships.

Sold out on Jesus Christians, and prostitutes sharing a meal together…awesome… not only sharing a meal but a fantastic opportunity to share the love of Jesus.


The past week I’ve been flooded with the words “come to the table”……

I love that God’s love is for ALL people, and He invites ALL His people to come to His table… yes, even a prostitute…

-Lisa Butler

Lisa is one of our team who outreach into the brothels each week, alongside women from Enjoy Church and an awesome team from our own church, our ministry is making a very real difference in some very dark places.

what a great church S3064 is becoming.

 

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His plans better than my dreams.

Monday Morning:

I have had a stressful weekend of personal turmoil, which God and I are dealing with together.

It's not easy, you have probably already worked it out, that I am having a tough time, well I am.

What do you do when you have a tough time ?

My last blog was fairly accurate in what I am feeling or should say, have been feeling. Today I am feeling  just a little numb as well as resigned to the Lordship of My Father, that His will be done in my life.

I have a very good friend who has helped me over the years as my mentor, (Pastor Shane Baxter) a great man of God reminded me a number of years ago and I hold it true for my life, almost as a life commandment now, and it' simple...

Purpose over Preference.

living your life with God's purpose in mind rather than my own personal preference,  is maybe easier to say than to do... but I feel my life is being tested right now on this principle.

Will I practice what I preach ?

Will I live and breathe Gods purposes, and prefer it, than living in my own personal choices ?

Sometimes we Christian leaders are good at preaching and NOT practicing what we preach, I feel God leading me these past few days in this issue.

Challenging my personal pride.
Challenging my faith.
Challenging my belief.
Challenging my hopes, and where they are grounded.

One thing I became aware of yesterday (again) during church though, that my life doesn't suck that much that I am left alone without my God. He cares for me. He loves me.  
His plans for me are better than my dreams.

I am committed to His purposes.

So here is what I feel about my life today...

• I am still unworthy to be called to do His work.

• I must not think of myself more highly than reality. (In other words, stay humble, I am just not that good)

• He is all I need, so don't rely upon my own hopes, but rather look for His.

• Sometimes I think I can do somethings, only to find out, I can't. and most likely won't.

I also think that "some" others may think I am able to do somethings, which I simply can't do anymore.

so ...

I am not in despair... I am hopeful.
I am not beaten... I will be a winner
I am not a loser,   I AM a winner.

People may think various things of me....      "BUT GOD"

But God knows my heart
But God knows my soul
But God knows my intentions

But God knows me.  ( that's all I really need)

Mixed Emotions

what a ride the past 24 hours has been for me...

don't read anything into this...
(between the lines etc)

however, I feel the following mixed emotions right now...

hurt
insulted
scared
discouraged
scarred
abandoned
dismayed
rejected
neglected
rejected
alone
dissappointed
disillusioned

there a  few reasons why...

do i have just cause to feel this way  ?

NO.


just do.

I know I am in good company, for it is exactly how Jesus must have felt also in His earthly ministry.

so why complain ?

I have prayed the prayer and sang the song...

To be like Jesus, this Hope possess me
in every thought and deed
this is my aim my creed

I did mean it when I sang/prayed it, so I guess God has answered my prayers once again.

thankyou Lord  ???!!!???

I pray that God will be my strength and source and my ever present help

that He will pull me through the feelings I have right now and do in me, what I can't do in myself.

I love Him, I have committed my life for His purpose.

its no easy road. But it is the road I still choose.