My Thoughts on The Salvation Army in Australia right now

These are very interesting days in The Salvation Army in Australia. 

Some, I have heard, are struggling with the changes, and whilst I get that, because change isn't at all easy for any of us at times, it nevertheless is critical to our ongoing viability as a movement of God.

As soon as I start writing my thoughts and feelings here, one way or the other, I know that it will alienate a group of people, and that isn't my intent.  So if that is you, I apologise, but would you please just read on and try and see what I am getting at.

I have been a Salvo all my life, I was born into it...I am currently 57 years of age, so that means I have been a Salvo for 57 years.  When I was around 15 years I became a Soldier to go into uniform and play in the band at Perth Fortress. A lot of us did that, and it was a ritual for some of us, a means to an end.  A way of conformity if you like.  As my life went through my teen years, I was involved in the same way as many others, not particularly spiritual, but a good salvo ( well maybe not so good) but I did look the part and no one would have known any different.

One day in my late teens, I became aware of God calling me by my name, getting my attention and calling me to a more real Salvo existence.....  and not playing games anymore. Making it real.

                                      I did.

Over the past years and in my growing up in TSA I noticed that we lacked something that other churches had.  I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, but it was sure different to what I had experienced as  a Salvo .... when I became a Youth Pastor at the Fortress, we decided that the approach had to be based upon discipleship and a discipling model for ministry and we gave it our very best shot.  It had some success in those days and it has shaped me ever since, but I also noticed that people were falling through the cracks.  

As a kid growing up there was around 100 others in our youth group and most are not Salvos anymore.    I discovered that what we were doing, based on events wasn't cutting it anymore and it needed to have more substance than that, it had to be based on Jesus, and whilst  it may have been and I missed it, it certainly seems as though way more importance  was placed on conformity and activity and keeping busy.    

I wasn't personally that aware of supernatural power in my life in those days. Or of it being taught and shared and observed.

So let's fast track to today.  Where are we at today ?  

Mostly our corps are shrinking, the things that used to hold people  in TSA don't do that anymore... our retired officers feel like they have failed (and they haven't),  its just that they did what they knew to do, we all do that... but the world has changed too much, and what was,  now isn't.  

So if we think that the old ways will still work, we are kidding ourselves and we will keep on shrinking into non existence and wonder what the heck happened.

It is definitely - " if we keep doing what we've always done, we'll get what we  have already got ".

Everything we have done up until this point has led us to this point.... and if we are to have a different end result than the one we have right now, then we need to change our methods ...quickly. 

The message never changes,  but the method must continually change, so that we actually impact our ever changing world, and that is not meant to be a cliche, but it is the absolute truth.

I have a grand child ( our first) about to be born any day now... 

the world he/she will be born into is different to the world I was born into. 

What will be normal for this child... drones, mobile phones, the internet, digital TV, driverless cars, wireless tech as well as many other social issues that we humans now face.  

None of which existed when I was a child growing up.  

To try and define this, is near impossible, but it is the reality of this current world and if we want to impact this world with the love of Jesus one life at a time...then we will surely have to think differently and outside of the box of how we used to think.

Regardless of who we are, and our personal history and ministry.... things have to change, there isn't any time for any of us to carry a grudge or hurt about this, humanity is too important and our message too vital.

There isn't any time to feel that any of our work as TSA in the past has been about us...to my knowledge it has always been about Jesus and helping others find Him as Saviour. That's why I got my act together in the first place when I was a young teen.  And those people who impacted my life back then, at Perth Fortress are the heroes of my faith...

but we cant stay back there, we must move on and into this world.... and keep impacting this current world, where my grandchild, and millions of others like them, will either never hear about Jesus, or be impacted by Him by those around her/him in a relevant and real way everyday.

If you are feeling hurt by what is going on in Australia right now with TSA, please don't be hurt...please understand the absolute critical nature of the change... that our history is something we build upon  to impact the future.

But if we leave it as it is ? Well we are relegated to the past.

 A few years ago I preached a message, based on this T shirt..... "Forever has no limits", but if we choose to stay living in the past, then of course we limit our future. That is just common sense.

None of this is easy for any of us... all of us face change every single day...  but be assured of this... the never changing God, the endless love of the Father will never change and is as a real today as what it was 2000 years ago and what it will be in hundreds of years from now when we have all move off this world.


    Let's just get it all about Jesus and we will win. And so will thousands of others, one life at a time.

A Balm in Gilead.

There is a balm in Gilead,

To make the wounded whole;

There is a balm in Gilead,

To heal the sin-sick soul.

Some times I feel discouraged,

And think my work’s in vain,

But then the Holy Spirit

Revives my hope again.

(Chorus)

If you can’t preach like Peter,

If you can’t pray like Paul,

Just tell the love of Jesus,

And say He died for all.

(Chorus)

Don't ever feel discouraged,

'Cause Jesus is your friend,

And if you lack for knowledge,

He'll never fail to lend.

This morning in my quiet time I was reading Joshua 13, and Gilead was mentioned, and straight away I was drawn back many years of my life..to when I was young and playing in the Perth Fortress Band...and the arrangement was put on the stand of this beautiful old hymn.  I am ever so grateful for my heritage and history at Perth Fortress, for the people there that shaped my life and introduced me to Jesus.

Sometimes I do feel discouraged, and sometimes I am aware of my sin sick soul... and sometimes I am aware that Jesus is my hope in the midst of despair.

I am not so much into brass bands these days, I am more likely to enjoy contemporary worship with drums and guitars and keyboards....but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate that for some Salvos, especially, brass bands help them in their worship immensely. That’s ok.  The key thing....  is to keep the main thing, the main thing...and the main thing is Jesus.

He is the answer. He is my hope still. He is my Saviour. He is my friend. Whilst I don’t always cut it, and get it right...He is my rock and the foundation of my life, no matter what is going on for me, I always go back to Him and start my day with Him.

it works for me.

If you have a few moments and wanted to listen to his beautiful old song, you can check it out here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GtTPhCjbqo&sns=em

Living in the Past.

              Today in my quiet time, I was taken back by a verse of scripture which spoke directly into my mind, from an event that happened around 20 years ago.  It was a powerful verse and a powerful time in my life where supernatural activity occurred and changed me...hugely. The event now isnt that important to speak of, and I wont write about it, for its not a thing you write about in a blog, its a thing you treasure in your heart and sometimes speak about if the timing is right, however, this verse from Hebrews 1, just caused me to stop in my tracks and reflect on my life and where I am at these days. Also, where I want to be at.

I don’t know about you, but for me...I dont really want to be a Christian who lives in the past.

Our lives, are shaped by events in our lives, things happen to us, around us, through us..that affect who we are. Some of these events literally change the course of where we are headed. That is sometimes a good thing, and sometimes it isnt.

For instance, sin...can change the course of your life.  Not such a good idea.

But also a decision to follow Jesus ..can change the course of your life.  That is a good idea.

This event I allude to, was one of those events which blew me out of the water and changed me, but as I read this verse again today, it occurred to me that I dont want to live my life based on something that happened 20 years ago, but rather I want to live my life with it being shaped by daily occurrences of God activity in my life.  The new thing He is doing. Every single day.  I am unsure it is like that right now.  This must change... but can I change it ?  And my answer is yes, for me, and for you also.

Its all about what I am trusting Him and believing Him to do in my life each day. How I am praying, what I am learning/reading etc.  Am I walking closely enough with Him for Him todo the miraculous in my life each day ?   

Everyone of us, have had activity in our life which has changed the course of our life for one way or the other... whether its the birth of a child, a marriage, a rotten relationship, abuse, wealth, poverty, a career, a calling... a ministry or when we discovered who Jesus was, or when we turned our back to Him, all these and way more have changed us, one way or the other.

I personally have had many supernatural experiences and each and every one of them has blown me out of the water in my faith and belief and what I might trust God for.

But I want to live my life on and in the here and now, and look to God for the new thing He wants to do in me today.  I love it, that in my mind I have memories  of awesome and amazing God activity that tweaked my life direction.  But I also confess I also have many memories of activity that has done the exact opposite also.  Activity which has pushed me back on to the broad road where everyone else walks.  Not the narrow road where few journey, towards Jesus.

Today as I share my pondering with you, I say...I am looking for the new experience in God where angels tread and serve... where miracles are common place, where healing happens, where salvation rules, where sin is forgiven and burdens are taken away.

   

                       

I want my life shaped in the here and now, by the here and now God, who is with us still. (Here and Now)

May it be so for me today, and may it be so for you today as well.

And by the way... I know that our past events that have changed us for the better are awesome and we should never forget them...however just hear my heart on this, let's allow God to do a new thing in us, something that He has never done before, -  I want my life constantly being shaped by Him, so that my future looks different to my past.

It's just my thoughts. 

Another year nearly over...

I am not sure its been my best year, 2017, but I am not sure it has been my worst either.

Do you ever reflect on the year just gone and wish you had done some things and hadn’t done some things ?   Well, it’s like that for me.  There are many things I wish I hadn’t done, and there a number of things I wish I had.

You can’t go back and change it.... but we can make choices that change what a new year looks like.

I am hopeful for that, for myself. I haven’t blogged much in 2017, and I noticed the last entry was in August..a bit slack of me really.

For 2018 things will be hugely different for me ( and Jules), we have moved house, and will work from home in a new role for TSA in Australia. It’s exciting, but also a bit daunting as we try and discover what the role truly means.

Here are a few things, my top 10, I hope to achieve in 2018 for my life personally. No particular order, and dont read between the lines, coz there isnt anything to read there.

1.   Balance up work and personal life.
2.   Live a holier life.
3.   Play a bit more golf.
4.   Try and eat a little more healthier.
5.   Stop being distracted by various things around me, that mess with my head and heart.
6.   Read more.
7.   Worship together with Julie at the same church. As often as we can.
8.   Become a grand pa....  woohoo.  ( I will be called Pa)
9.   Encourage and Add Value to others around me, to greater heights in their ministry.
10. Lead a few people to Jesus. (First timers)

Will see how I go with my top 10....  what about you ? You have any dreams or hopes for 2018 ?

I pray that our lives will be healthy, happy and holy this year.

Bless you.

My Story !!!

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about my story...what makes up my life, my experiences, my interactions and my relationships.

We all have a story, there isnt one person on this planet who does not have some kind of story or the other. And I guess that's what I wanted to blog about today...  it's how our stories impact each other, how our worlds collide, bless or even touch others. ( an hopefully not harm others)

Its not meant to be a preach this blog, but more of some insights I have gained as my story has unfolded, and especially this year 2017....

I believe that our story, our unique individual story that is " me" that is "you", are very important to us, after all, I am the only one that can live out my life and you yours, but from time to time, when we meet new people the stories of our lives are impacted.  Either for good, or not so good.

My life has been touched by so many people and in so many ways, over my life time, and some of those key people are super important to me.

Obviously my story was impacted hugely by the influence of my Mum and Dad and their values. I will ever be grateful for my parents and the way they taught me about life and how I could choose which way to live. My parents have been in heaven for a long time now, and I miss them enormously and would love to chat with them and tell them about how my story has been panning out.  

How their values have become mine.... how their love has been flowing in my life....how I have chosen to live for Jesus .... well it has a lot to do with the way in which they shared their story into my life. But at some point I still needed to make that my own, choose my own values, and boundaries and who I was going to live for.     We all need to do that .

But it is one way that  our lives impact each other. But still, my story is my story not theirs and I choose it for Him. ( Jesus )

Recently Jules and I went on a visit to China on a holiday that we had saved for, for some time. When applying for our visa the Chinese consulate were not too keen on my proffession. They asked for letters from TSA to state that we would not evangelise  in China, that it was a holiday and not a work trip etc.  Well, we finally received a visa and off we went.  We were joined by 40 other Aussies who also came on a holiday in our tour group from all around Australia.  It was amazing.

In our tour group were some amazing people, who we made friends with, and as we travelled together for 10 days we started to hear each others stories.  Some  of which caused Jules and I to see that we had connections with some of these people through crazy coincidences.  And again our stories crossed or collided. Some of which was sad and some of which was amazing.  It sure made our holiday much more fun than  we had thought it would have been.  (Tanya, Fiona, Susan, Liz, Kelly, Olivia and Harry,....if you should read this, its about you, we had huge fun because of you, thankyou.)

and no we didnt evangelise at all.. we were too scared to.

Well I am sure you get my drift about the story of our lives. Sometimes people come into your lives for a period of time and you are not the same anymore.

My story has been shaped by so many, like when my daughters were born...into our story when we thought we were not able to have children. Two gorgeous girls were entrusted to us. We love them hugely. And our lives were never the same again. Recently I heard that they think every blog I write is about them.. NO it isnt girls, this little bit is, but the other blogs are not aimed at you, that was never my intention.  (but this bit is !!! so there)  Love you !!!!

So what am I dribbling on about ?

For me, I want my story to be a good story, with a great ending. 

Where my life story impacts others for good...and not bad. Where the choices I make, impact others in positive ways and edifying ways.  I know I have not always been like that and have stuffed up way more than I want to admit to. But deep inside my being I have this desire to be a blessing through my life story.

This world is shaping up to have some not so good stories around the place where we are all impacted by the choices/stories of others. Some with very bad outcomes.  Some who confuse us with their views. Some who seem distracted with stuff that causes conflict and division. And it seems a small minority that use their story to bless and encourage and uplift those around them.

I love hanging out with  people like that. 

I want to be like that, a person who blesses and doesnt curse, a person who brings lift into other peoples lives.

There is this old fashioned song that TSA used to sing, maybe still does in some places, and the words go like this:

"This is my story, this is my song, 

praising my Saviour all the day long,

this is my story this is my song, 

praising my Saviour all the day long "

Jesus has impacted me hugely and still draws me back to Him every single day.

Cant help it !

well......

Whatever you do with your own unique and individual story ..

Can I encourage you to make your life story count for something greater than just yourself.  

To bring positive influence to those around you and to bring lift in another persons life.

It sure would be different to what some are dishin up these days hey ?

What an opportunity exists !!!

If ever there was a time in Australia right now for the Christian church to stand up and make a difference, now is that time.  It's perfect. 

 Yet here is the serious dilemma.

We most likely will stay silent, and do nothing.

I often wonder about myself and others when I consider these kinds of opportunities and pose a few questions of my own. Maybe its an internal struggle, maybe its apathy, maybe its lethargy, but it could also be likely that it is because we are too concerned about our reputation or image and we simply dont want to confront sin anymore or confront sinners and get conflict. Is it possible that we have simply opted for the easy way, the comfortable and non confrontational approach to ministry and mission and are awaiting people to come to us, rather than us go to them, ?

Recently there was an article published in the Australian Newspaper that says it all way more clearly than I can say, you can find the link for that article on my Facebook page, but suffice to say however, that I have some thoughts which I want to express, that's why I have my blog in the first place.

Not everyone will agree with my thoughts, and thats ok, it's not meant to be an argument but rather a challenge, and that's where I would like the reader to position themselves in relation to my blog article today.

There are a few assumptions / hopes / questions I have:

1. That we (you) have chosen to follow Jesus Christ and have handed over to Him  

Lordship of our lives.

2. That we are fair dinkum about that relationship we have with Jesus.

3. That we are not playing churchy games, tied up in ritual and meaningless activity that 

    only satisfies ourselves.

             4. That what we do in our worship services is worship unto God                            and not entertainment to ourselves.

You see one of the big problems facing the Australian church these days is exactly what I have stated,  in some ways we are caught up in ourselves and have forgotten the urgency of the gospel and the message we carry, or should be carrying to our communities. 

(yes and I know not all of us are like this, but the evidence suggests that it is largly correct)

We have become complacent and silent when we should be vocal and intentional in our message of hope and love and grace.  We have substituted the message for the method. Or could it be, that we have sometimes made it more about the form rather than the function ?  What it looks like rather than what it is ?  We have justified ourselves by self talk, that what we do is good for humanity, - and yet if it isnt laced with the gospel message and the hope that Jesus actually is, then that is simply all that it is.  Just a comforting activity to aleviate something while people travel to a place other than heaven.  That is not our purpose and that is why people are not  being saved.

Dont get me wrong, I firmly believe in alleviating human suffering in anyway we can, but we were raised to be activists in getting people saved in that process, if that has stopped or lessened, then we have lost our purpose.

The good news about all this is that we are poised to make a difference to our country. We are well positioned, to turn a few things around in our own mindset.

Its time we  stood up, courageous...brave and true, after all, in the Salvos half of our songs are about having that exact character.  And not just singing or playing an instrument about it, but rather being it.

It has been said that TSA is kind of like a 2 sided coin, one side our Social work and the other our Church work... neither side can function without the other. And neither side more important than the other. You might expect me to say that our church work is more important and in many ways it is...but we are TSA and both sides count and both sides must be equal, neither more prominent than the other.  If it isnt like that we will not be fulfilling our God given mandate.

so... here is the upshot....

If you back off from sharing Jesus with pre saved people,  If you feel awkward when sharing your faith, If church for you is just going through the motions, if there is no real Holy Spirit power in your life, if you are silent when you could be vocal, if you are scared of the consequences of speaking Jesus to others... then you are in good company, for there is a whole lot of us doing that and Australia is losing faith as result of that.

The good news, I firmly believe, is that, if we turn that around, our Nation will once more be known as a faith filled Christian nation.  

Afterall, there will come a day when everyone will need to account for our actions and how we lived for Jesus on the earth.

It's in the bible, check it out.

It's who we are.

#itsallaboutJesus.

a few tips to get courage:

• get involved in a bible study / small group and spur one another along.
• get praying again in our churches. 
• ensure your inner motives are based on your inner convictions about Jesus.
• when you are in public, make sure you  have been with Jesus in private.
• make sure that your activity isnt about entertainment, but rather about Jesus.
• get a mentor/coach who will help you be accountable in this process as a Christ follower.

AND...

Pray for our country.  

Seriously Pray.  

It changes things !!!!

Getting your buzz back !!

What do you do when you lose your Buzz ?

Sometimes we lose the buzz, we lose our joy and things feel flat and boring. I hate that feeling, and I wouldn't have thought that anyone would really like being in that position . Buzzless. Buzz deficient.

Yet life dishes that up, doesn't it ? Something happens that causes us grief and we lose the excitement and thrill, or exhilaration of what we once had.

If you have ever lost your buzz, then you know exactly what I am talking about.
So what do you do about it ?

How do we get the buzz back ?


Let's firstly determine what the buzz is that we lost.

It could be a job, or relationship, or a friend.... it could be that the buzz of life was deep satisfaction in what life was for you at any given time. It could be that the buzz was just a special sense of well being and contentment of life... and I think for me that's the bit I want to speak about specifically in this blog entry today.

When you lose contentment and a sense of well being, I have been here.

I think we find contentment in some confusing ways at times, sometimes it isn't orchestrated by us at all, we inherit it... and if we lose it, we may find ourselves feeling ripped off, defeated, deflated or even lost.  Thats not a great to place to live.

Someone once said, if you are going through hell dont stay there, keep moving ... that makes a lot of sense.

If there is nothing you can do about the situation, then we need to find a way to be content in the middle of the situation, and then look for ways to improve the status quo.  I am no psychologist, but I do know that if you hang around with turkeys, you will never soar like an eagle. If you want to be an eagle you will need to hang around with eagle type people.

You become like the people you hang around with.

If  you find yourself today feeling like you have lost the buzz, can I suggest that one quick way to change that is to go back to some basics and do some inner soul cleaning and decluttering.

By decluttering our soul we often find our buzz coming back.

Having said what I said about the eagles and turkeys, I dont think for my life that I want  my life buzzed up by others and what they might do to me or around me, but we are influenced by those around us, so it's important to be careful who we allow to influence us, but I think the true buzz might return when we get to influence those around us for good.

Perhaps. And its just a thought...

The buzz might return when we learn to give and help others to grow without a sense of selfish notion in our spirit. Or without seeking something for ourselves in the process.

A few years ago, I was attending a gym almost everyday and walking 5km's everyday and it felt pretty good. One day as I was walking home, I sensed something in my body that just made me feel good... the experts told me it was endorphins...  and I felt like I was going to explode out of my skin in a really good way.

Getting contentment and an endorphins like feeling (buzz) is not always an easy thing to achieve, but I do believe it is achievable and  also desirable.

I know that there will be some readers who would say, that it is impossible and they feel trapped in a deep dark hole.
I cant answer all the questions, but I know this, that in the middle of hurt and pain and buzzlessness, there is still hope and there is still a way out, and that if we ask the right questions of the right people at the right time, then our life may once again be buzzing with hope and joy and peace.

Which I firmly believe we all seek, even if we wont admit it.

For me, and maybe for you too... I find my biggest contentment in Jesus and my relationship with Him. Each new day is a new opportunity to start that relationship again and to strengthen it, and each new day I begin with Him, I feel more optimistic than the night before.

I am a believer that Jesus is the source of my BUZZ.. not TSA or anything else, so that when I sense my earthly buzz getting dimmer, Jesus is my source for the true spiritual buzz of my life.

Just a thought.

He can do that for you too.

What if, getting your buzz back was as easy as a simple prayer everyday ? Would you do that ?

I think it gives a pretty cool clue...

Jesus is the buzz.. connect with Him today. It cant hurt.