This Blog is burnt from my buddy Jonathan B, I like it.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006
How would William Booth Respond??
I'm taking a little break from my salvationism series to share this gem with you!!


The blog was,

I just read this on a blog: "I am very concerned about this whole "Primitive Salvationist" thing. Mostly because it appears to be sweeping through the young people of The Salvation Army like wildfire, and I'm afraid there are a lot of kids jumping on the "band wagon" because it's the cool thing to do."

I believe the founder would have responded with this,

"They say we go too fast! This accusation comes from all directions. Our enemies do not like our speed and our friends are afraid of it. What do they mean? If they had complained that we did not go fast enough, I could understand them. If our enemies had argued that after all we say about the evils of sin, the terrors of the Judgment Day, and the damnation of hell, we do not believe in these things ourselves, I could understand that, and feel humbled under their indictment."

IHS,

Jonathan www.trench-charger.blogspot.com



This quoate is worth gleaning to the point of understanding.

Also check out Jonathans recent blogs on the whole PrimSalvo stuff, its worth a chew.

Juan and San Quan

There exists a disunity amongst the American races that is vividly reminiscent of the White/Black struggles this country has endured, however it is not one between African Americans and Caucasians but a hatred between African Americans and Latinos. This experience has both surprised me and overwhelmed me. I expected that all the non-caucasian races would be unified against the 'man', but this is not the case. Many African Americans I have met have expressed a sobering hate towards American Latinos that eerily matches the vehemence expressed towards blacks by whites decades earlier.
My heart is so torn here in this country at the amount of evil the inhabitants harbour for one other. I see symbols like CSA(confederate states of America)dixie pins in the local gas stations. I see hats with Gen. Robert Lee's figure encaptioned by "American Hero." It was only last month that the confederate flag was removed from the South Carolina capital building, and even then it was merely moved to a less prominent monument across the street.
I see confederate flags hanging all over, many of them stating "IT'S HISTORY NOT HATE."

It is at this place of brokeness I am taught to hope by two very special children, Juan and Quan, two young kids who have befriended us in our new neighbourhood. They come over for supper most nights, and hide here when their parents have abused them. They have experienced more hardship than most who are twice their age and have very little self-esteem at all, but they are best friends.

They do not see themselves as enemies or competitors, they just love each other in a place where there isn't much human love for either of them. They're only 7 and 11 but I am learning so much from them. It may seem difficult to equate an entire nations evil into such a simple solution, but we really must.

God teach us reconciliation and repentance and show us how to be filled with love like children.

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3

art of WAR

In response to the entire "military" model ...

Many have commented that using the Military model can be hurtfull, for instance to a liberal college student it could be a stumbling block. I agree. Lets just kill this one quick, we are to make the gospell attractive, so says brother Paul, and if presenting the gospel this way to rich, PCers presents a barrier, don't do it! Lets be biblical and " Be all things to all people." " Lawfull to the lawfull" "Lawless to the lawless, though we are under Christs law" Ect.
Now, here comes the clincher ... get ready to be offended ...
WE ARE COVENANTED TO SERVE THE POOR

I will be faithful to the purposes for which God raised up The Salvation Army, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, endeavouring to win others to Him, and in His name caring for the needy and the disadvantaged

Jesus was biased to the poor, they were his favorite, he cared about them the most. sure he went to rich peoples pads for a beer, but he went home at night to the slums. He also came to bring salvation to the whole wide world, he just understood that the whole wide world begins in the slums, that once the poor, the lame and the oppressed fell in love with him that then his message would be what he said it was ... a kingdom that can not be shaken, what better guide to Christ than a blind man that can see.

As Soldiers we need all kinds in our ranks, we need Doctors, Lawyers, Moneymakers, Artists, Carpenters, Athletes, Polititions and Celebrities , but we need them to live out the SPIRIT of Salvationism, not the spirit of church, and this covenanted annointing can only be righteous when poured out in worship to God and making direct advocacy on behalf of the poor.

I will be true to the principles and practices of The Salvation Army, loyal to its leaders, and I will show the spirit of Salvationism whether in times of popularity or persecution.

GOD BLESS THE SALVATION ARMY

ITS SOLDIERS .. OFFICERS .. and OUR GENERAL

LETS FIGHT

Wipe your feet ...

Here are some shots of the mission house, that we are claiming by faith is ours, from the inside. One of our favorite forms of worship is cleaning, so missionaries get ready to pray with scrub brushes.
Lets go on inside.



Lets get all these boards off the windows and doors ...
And lets get all the garbage of the front porch, which is currently someone's bedroom. Im sure we could convince them to move if we found them a room without so many needed renovations.
Someone get dinner going, Im hungry from all this cleaning.
And after a hard day's work I'm ready for a hot soak in the tub.





















So this is it Quarters 002. We are just working out the details with our superiors and the property owners, pray it up for us, this house is located 100 feet from ours now and 50 feet from the cities emergency homeless shelter. This is a divine location and may God bless it to his glory ...

Back on the road again ...

So this poor old car is getting a second chance, our friend between 6 or 7 different "compassionate" gentlemen in the hood got 9 new tires for St. Valentines day.

Pictures from the hood

Good Afternoon, I'm Heather and I thought I'd take you for a little tour of the neighbourhood. Lets start in my kitchen where I throw down on my usual grits and cracklins ...

... This is our house from the lot behind ...















... This our front view, where the post slash Celebrity waits for new tires, and after the most recent dispute three new windows ... (below) is our back yard and soon to be Rob's beautiful garden ...


We are looking at renting this house for our Mission teams and The War College residence.

Powerfully Helpless

So far we have been incredibly blessed, over and over again. But really we should not be. We arrived in America on the 9th of January to begin our lives, and jobs. Our first day in we applied for a Social Security Number and were told at the government office that it would take around sixty days. SIXTY DAYS my mind screamed inside. See that can not be, we have bills to pay, a ministry to start, we just maxed out our credit cards to get here and now we can not get paid for sixty days. I felt defeated, and just then God reminded me of my very own favorite scripture, Matthew chapter 10. (I knew that if I kept on preaching it God would make me live it too.)

Vs 9-10 Don't take any money with you; don't even take a duffel bag with extra clothes and shoes, or even a walking stick

Now I'm not telling everyone to go running naked from town to town with nothing. I think God has blessed his Church with relevant "stuff" in order to reach the lost. But I do believe that this scripture is a challenge. A statement between the lines directly from the Father. He is saying that he blesses boldness and faith, that he will meet us in accordance to our level of sacrifice. I recently heard a sermon where the soldier challenged us in the west, since we are not being persecuted, to choose to "persecute our comfort." That's good stuff!

Now here is the good part, there is a brilliant Power in Helpless Vulnerability, and God blesses it !
Tenfold, wow that's bold of me, but it is true. So here is were we are at, with no Social Security Number we still have not gotten paid ... but

Someone has lent us a mini-van to use
All our bills have been paid through people giving offerings to us
We have furnished a two bedroom house, with enough to give away the extra furniture
We have two lap top computers
A pantry stuffed to overflowing, and incredible favor with those God has sent us to serve.

Im afraid that once we start getting paid everything will get harder !

Rob

Cupids bread knife

Valentines day is on the horizon.
Tonight as we were getting ready for bed a fight broke out on our lawn, Heather looked out the window and thought one of our friends was holding a knife. One of her boyfriends, who still has a key and will not give it back, crept into her bedroom and woke her by lifting her up by her hair. She grabbed the large bread knife that she sleeps with and began "sawing" his hand until he let go. They fought inside until she could get out the front door where Heather saw her and brought her inside. She was still holding the bloody knife, so we calmed her down and Heather has taken her out for a coffee, hopefully to assure her and support her. To let her know she is safe and secure. That she does not have to be afraid anymore. That everything will be OK ... But all that is not true. She can even stay at our house tonight, or even for a week, but eventually she will have to go back home. Home alone where fear and terror will grip her with reason. Through relationship and community there is relief, salvation, and hope, it is real and in her future; I know it, but that path is one of process and patience. Community looks like lives coming together and relationship sometimes looks like getting a scared young girl to let go of a bloody knife. How can you fix all that in one night, with one visit to Dunk 'N' Doughnuts. You can't, but you can take one step closer.

One step closer to Jesus and one step closer to each other.


PS : These stories are not meant to declare our mission heroic or romantic, they are just simply a Monday night.


Rob

Marching as to WAR !

I am so tired of politically correct emerging post modern C.E. Christians complaining that any reference to War or the Military is offensive to those searching for truth - that these references actually serve as stumbling blocks to those we are trying to reach. This is a lie ! I think the problem is that PC Christians must have never met any of the people that we are trying to reach.
Seriously, you who are totally offended, please consider:

When was the last time you hung out with a crack dealer ?

When was the last time you walked home from school with a kid that sees gun fights in their yard on a regular basis ?

If you have spent any time at all with the poor, oppressed and broken of this world you would have seen that we are at war and that the people we are called to serve live the manifest reality of war every day. Many are literally in danger of being attacked, killed or captured.

Here is my point; the poor and the oppressed actually appreciate our militaristic campaign of attack on sin and hell. Why? Because they know its real. They have experienced the forces of hell manifest with a plan to kill them, and when given the opportunity to Fight back - Fight they want to and will!

Those pushing the PC agenda need to put down their books and touch something real. I say that in love.

Rob

Slash and Burn ...

My first car was a 1986 Chevy Celebrity, my neighbor still drives one.

Last night as we lay down to bed a clatter arose and some of our friends engaged in a domestic dispute. I went outside to break it up, and my one friend started demanding I go get her a knife ... I replied no and directed her boyfriend into our living room to diffuse the situation. Big A had all the keys in his pocket and would not put down his 40 of Brandy, so our other friend boosted her little son into a broken window to go get her a knife, which she then used to slash all of her car tires with; thus enabling her boyfriend unable to escape. She felt better after slashing all four tires and came over to hang out so we were like, lets have cell! So we broke out the Fanta and sweet tea and shared with our neighbor's for a few hours, sharing some fellowship and worship. You probably will not find this chapter in a Willow Creek manual but it seems to work in the hood. So that was our first Cell meeting. Who says Cell group has to be scheduled ?
Maybe it could just happen on its own.

Rob