Monthly Archive for February, 2007

Pioneer Spirit

Published
by
Graeme
on February 28, 2007
in old uksalvationist posts
. 3 Comments
There are certain things which The Salvation Army can spare and still be The Salvation Army - citadels and other meeting places, for instance. Money, too, can be done without. The advantages of organisation are not entirely essential. One things, however, The Salvation Army cannot spare. The Army, which William Booth gathered together out of the most impossible material, to the astonishment of the world, cannot do without the pioneer spirit. The pioneer spirit is as necessary now as ever, for left to itself a movement tends to stagnate. Uniformed officers and soldiers we have in encouraging numbers - but too many seem to have forgotten that they are not to be known as ‘members’. We can say without equivocation that were we to lose the daring and the determination of the pioneer spirit we should no longer be The Salvation Army. There are plenty of churches and congregations. They have their own special work to do, but we are called to be pioneers of the Kingdom.”

General Erik Wickberg

I was really struck by this quote when I read it and to some extents it puts the whole “Are we a mission or a church question into perspective?” It seems to me that Wickberg is clearly saying that our primary responsibility in Kingdom terms is to be a Mission. For him the local congregation side of things is a secondary consideration.

For me this is where we enter a difficult area. I believe that we are first and foremost a mission but what is our mission? Are we called to get people saved or are we called to make disciples? What do you think?

Jesus’ grave?

Published
by
Graeme
on February 26, 2007
in old uksalvationist posts
. 1 Comment

Apparently James Cameron and an Israeli documentary maker Simcha Jacobovici are about to release information about a new docu-drama about the burial site of Jesus. You can read more at The Times and then follow the links. I suspect that this will run and run, but does anyone else wonder at the fact that there must have been numerous people by the name of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and Judas in Jerusalem at the time of our Jesus?

The habit of religiosity

Published
by
Graeme
on February 25, 2007
in old uksalvationist posts
. 1 Comment

While I was in the UK I borrowed a copy of Blue Like Jazz to read and thoroughly enjoyed it. I managed to read it all in just over a week, somewhat of a record at the moment.

Anyway, there were a number of things that really caught my eye which I’ll post about over the coming days. The first was the following quote:

I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather to have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man’s mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God.”
Donald Miller - Blue Like Jazz pg 13

This struck me as a very interesting point. Is religiosity the work of the devil? What do you think?

Not yet recommended

Published
by
Graeme
on February 23, 2007
in old uksalvationist posts
. 6 Comments

On Wednesday The Salvation Army’s Territorial Candidates Council met and considered my application for officership. The result was “Not yet recommended” which means that I will have to go back to an Assessment Conference this time next year after going through the things that the Army feel will benefit my future officership.

The positive part is that from the information I’ve seen so far, they don’t doubt my calling at all and in fact seem very keen to have me. However, there is this one area they want me to work on before being considered again next year!

So apart from being a little shocked and confused, I need to pick myself up and get on with life. It does though, throw our plans for the summer into total confusion as at this precise second we have no home or jobs from mid-August and no idea at all where we will live in the UK.

We know though that we can trust in God as He has everything in hand and will not let us down in anyway!

My pilgrimage

Published
by
Graeme
on February 21, 2007
in old uksalvationist posts
. 0 Comments

(Written Monday 19th February)

So the conference is over and after such an intense weekend I needed a day for reflection so I was grateful for today.

Being as I was staying in Crawley with friends I was only a short distance from Horsham. Now Horsham was the last town we lived in Sussex, which I arrived in at 10 and left not long before my 13th birthday. Horsham was the place I had my in-growing toenail fixed twice. It was the place I started secondary school. It was the place my parents reentered officership from after many years. It wa the place my love/hate affair with The Salvation Army really started. Horsham was even the place I had my first kiss.

But more important that all that, Horsham was the place I gave my life to Jesus at the age of 10 in The Salvation Army!

So Monday was the day I went back to after almost 25 years, and it felt a lot like a pilgrimage.

I went back to the street where I used to live . A lot of the sights were the same as were the places that we played as kids, but on either side of the stream we used to catch tiny fish in, new housing estates had sprung up over the years.

Amongst all of this, in a place that in my memory was a field full of wheat and that I could see from the back bedroom window, was a beautiful mock-gothic new church steeple towering high above the surrounding houses.

On a day my heart and mind were in turmoil I found a church in which a lively, local congregation of around 200 people worship. I almost go to Horsham on Monday due to the fear of nothing being the same. I almost didn’t go because I feared losing the memories I had. Instead God spoke and gently and lovingly reminded me what the weekend had all been about. I heard his voice telling me that he loves his people and that whatever may come my way over the coming weeks and months he is calling me to be his hands in the communities he will send me to.

I’m in His hands, I’m in His hands,
What ‘ere the future hold, I’m in His hands.
The days I cannot see,
Have all been planned for me.
His way is best,
You see, I’m in His hands.

Application update

Published
by
Graeme
on February 21, 2007
in old uksalvationist posts
. 0 Comments

Well I got an e-mail on Monday giving me information about my application for officership. I have a ‘conditional recommendation’ but I don’t know what the conditions are at this time. The good news though is that my application has been put in front of the Territorial Candidate’s Council on Wednesday so I should know something officially by either the end of the week or early next week.

The news knocked the wind out of me yesterday but I am determined to do whatever the Army feel is necessary as I truly believe that God is calling me.

Please pray for the Council in their deliberations as this is so important for so many people. Please pray for me that I have the courage and strength to do what is necessary for me to follow this call!

Diary of an Assessment Conference attendee

Published
by
Graeme
on February 20, 2007
in old uksalvationist posts
. 0 Comments

Firstly thanks to those who left a comment on the last post, and for anyone else who was praying over the weekend. I felt so confident and relaxed that it can only have been due to the prayer support I had!

Friday:

Well I’m sat here in my room at Sunbury Court at 9:24pm having already been through the first 2 of 6 interviews. I’m not going to go into details of those, but in a strange way I have enjoyed them.

The enormity of what this weekend about hit me in a very real way during the introductory meeting this afternoon. On the stereo a new arrangement of the old song, I’m in His hands (Thank you Mr Laeger!), was played and it hit me so hard that it took half the song before I realised that there was a presentation on the screen that went along with the music. God was clearly saying to me that this weekend, and always, I am in His hands and that I can trust Him totally. There is nothing at all to worry about as He is with me.

Saturday morning:

One 750 word project down, one to go and it’s not even 8am yet. I won’t go into details but it is so clear from my projects over the weekend it is once again so evident that God is in this process with me. All I can say (just in case someone else going on an Assessment COnference later reads this) is that everyone gets a different set of projects and if I could have chosen what I got, these are the ones I would have chosen! Hallelujah! Worship, Emerging Church and for group work a Church Plant. God is so good!

Morning prayers were also a highlight for me this morning. While I was working for the Anglican Church for 4 years I gained a real appreciation for set liturgical worship. This morning,

Saturday evening:

Well the really tough bits are all over now! Had 4 more interviews today and feel really good about all of them. I’m more sure of what is going to happen when I get to college in September than I was before. Having to talk about my calling in the interviews has made me more sure of it than ever, because now I’ve talked about it to people I’d never met before this weekend.

The other 10 candidates for either officership or lieutenancy are a wonderful group. For those of us who will be in college together in September I can begin to see why the relationships between session mates are so strong. We’ve been through the fire of testing together and the Lord has forged a group out of individuals.

Before arriving I had to complete what is known a psychometric test based on sets of words. This evening before our fellowship meeting I was shown the results and it is almost unbelieveable how much it is me. In fact its so me that it is a bit unnerving that it is so accurate!

Sunday:

The only really taxing thing this morning was the discussion groups. Most of the questions up for discussion were relevant due to UK news, and with a Croatian/Swede from Latvia, a Brit from Latvia and a Dutch/Dane in a group of 5 it made for an interesting discussion.

We finished with worship and fellowship. It’s amazing that this weekend has only been a couple of days yet the relationships forming are already making an impact. God willing, I will be spending two years of my life together with 6 of these people. I can begin to understand why officers have such fond memories and strong relationships with others in their session.

So now its all over and the waiting begins.