Be Healed in...whose name ?

I was intrigued at a recent article proclaiming that a French Nun has come forward celebrating a healing of cerebral palsy. She claims that she had been healed by God ,through Pope John Paul II.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2984969

I'm straight so far, except that she does not claim that she "had" been healed, but that she "has" been healed; meaning since his death. Up until this part I was cool with the healing, but the fact that this Nun claims she has been healed by a dead man really does not line up with my dogma, and if you know me that is quite a statement !

Why ?

Well because I know from scripture that there are no instances where a dead man heals someone ... wait though; what about Elisha's bones in 2 Kings 13:21 ...

Then Elisha died and they buried him.
Some time later, raiding bands of Moabites, as they often did, invaded the country. One day, some men were burying a man and spotted the raiders. They threw the man into Elisha's tomb and got away. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came alive, stood up, and walked out on his own two feet.


So God has used the dead before to bring glory to his name, why not this time? I guess that it is hard because this healing is evidence that will make somebody a "saint," or beatify them above others. I think that JP2 was awesome, he got to wear Bono's sunglasses, and helped end Communism, also It has recently been made known that there were constant plots to end his life, he was dangerous to oppressors. He may be the greatest champion of justice we have seen in 100 years, but he surely is not anymore a saint than me !

Definition of a saint: one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by covenant; a believer in Christ (Ps. 16:3; Rom. 1:7; 8:27; Phil. 1:1; Heb. 6:10).

Please though, don't start praying to me...

BOTTOM LINE:
If this healing exalts Jesus then I'm in all the way, but if it only promotes a great man than I can't preach it.

May God be glorified.

rd

Striving

If your Earthly life was over ... now, could you run into Jesus' arms completely satisfied with everything you have done thus far ?

One of my recent longings has been to abide at that level of assurance. I don't mean we should stop building the Kingdom or anything, but that alongside

running the race we would know an abiding presence that quenches striving.

I think this kind of assurance is a gift when we abide.

Have you been to Jesus for that cleansing power?

Here's a taste of the NSC division Youth Councils from last weekend. It's the benediction from Sunday morning's meeting.

There is joy in the Salvation Army!

Hallelujah, joy, joy, joy in the Army of the Lord...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2016398392

looking for a mission injection?

Check it out...

2007 Booth-Tucker Institute
Downtown Eastside Vancouver

hosted by: The War College Vancouver Campus
host: Jonathan Evans, The War College (VC)
leader Chaplain: Ian Gillingham, 614 London
dates: June 8-15, 2007.

taste: BTI is a one-week, leaders' incarnational refresher in Canada's poorest postal code. Last year a dozen leaders from LO to Colonel, from Australia to Sweden, joined for a
rich spiritual experience. cost: $250cdn.
(by the way, that's only $215 US!)

info: http://www.thewarcollege.com/bti_info.html
application:
http://www.thewarcollege.com/bti_admissions.html
For more info: jonathan_evans@armybarmy.com or stephen.court@armybarmy.com

I'd rather bust a move than bust a cap...

check out this link - our very own Leo Killian, from The War College, Charlotte's Revolution session bustin' some moves for Jesus down in Belize last summer...looks a lot like last weekend's Youth Councils...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2010528699

New family

I pulled this off of Jesse's Green's blog - Answer the Call (check it out on the blogroll to the right). It's a testimony of how God is moving through the 'hood...

Now don't get me wrong I love the family I have already and I'm not trying to replace them but I now have a new extended family in this community. I kinda already did, but it's different now after youth councils.
We got to take 11 of our kids to youth councils (thanks to God) and all of them either rededicated their lives to Jesus or did so for the first time. Many, many, many tears were wept and I'll admit that alot were from me.
Although we only got back yesterday, things feel alot better in the community. We all now have a new respect and a fresh love for one another.

Any way one of the boys that didn't come was trying to work me (pay me out, make fun of me etc.) but this time one of the boys who had come with us stood up for me and was even going to start fighting the other boy (which is how they have learned to show love and defend honour around here) which in a messed up way is really sweet, but I just kept telling him that he was better than that and to remember what he had promised to God over the weekend. He backed off after I said it a couple of times and then just sat with me on the stairs and started to cry.

"That's not right the way he treats you. You guys do so much for us and you don't deserve it. He shouldn't be trying you"

I was so blessed by the fact that he had even had this reaction for me because that never happens around here. I gave him a hug. Then D (the boy that was trying to start me) was looking over at Keith (the boy that was defending me) and Keith was not ashamed at the fact that he was crying for me. He starting saying to D

"You're lucky I have Jesus or you'd be broken now."

D was all like:

"Why are you crying. I didn't even hit you"

"You shouldn't be doing that to Jesse...."

and he said pretty much the same stuff he'd said to me, to D.

I now feel like our community is becoming more of a family. The kids are coming over more with in the past 2 days just to say hey and to talk about their problems and just chill in a safe place.

Things are looking up.

A silent murder

I was sad today when one of the War College students told me about a homicide in the 'hood. Tracy was pushed off of a freeway bridge and died.
We had limited contact with her, really only a few hello's and goodbye's, she came to our house for water once in a while; but it's not all that that bothers me. What I can not understand is how her death never made it into any of the media, why is it only through word of mouth that we will remember her life. Next door to our home is an abandoned house where Tracy spent time, I saw her there this week, and today all her "friends" are still there smoking crack; but no one seems to miss her, it is as if she never even was.

SANCTUS

This morning Heather and I preached at a local Anglican church, episcopalian in America. What a blast ! I have never been a part of a high service before so to see Heather at the altar proclaiming the exhortation with the altar boys and all was wonderful. There were bells and chimes, wine and bread, readings, decree's and then me giving a fiery sermon. It was about 5 minutes in that I realized everybody was standing up, at first I thought it was because they were so moved by my preaching but it was simply because I had not directed them to sit. I bet they would have stood for the full half-hour ! Both Heather and I partook of the sacraments, in different ways. When it came time for communion I joined the Rev. and received the body and blood. I wonder when the last soldier in full uniform knelt beside a bishop to receive communion, it was a prophetic act to me that felt like unity. Unity is far too rare within denominations these days and I have no intention of offending a whole denomination over a cracker. I know that there are some serious dogmatic issues but, in that one moment, love for Christ's bride was more important than my "prophetic stance" of non-sacramentalism. The bride, his Church, is a mess, She is torn apart and divided, all because of details and a Game of who's right and who's wrong. Heather does not partake of the sacraments, but I caught her secretly having communion. She slipped off after the service down to the dining room and shared some grits and eggs with a homeless guy named Billy. Jesus was most definitely present in those grits. A salvationist communion.