Recycleship?

'Round here we pour a lot of our focus into spending time with our neighbors. Especially the kids and teenagers. Naturally, as a result, many of them are in discipleship relationships with our missioners. It's a beautiful thing - combining McDonalds Double Cheeseburgers, Hi-C and one another's lives and it's working, we're seeing our young people grow in Christ.

Well...not too long ago I had a couple of my cell group boys show up at my door - they're both 6. They came to have a 'meeting' with me.

"How come you don't take us to McDonalds once a week like Travis takes Fred?" they asked...very seriously of course, because this was a matter of supreme justice...

"Well..." I responded, "Travis and Fred are in discipleship and that's what they do...it's like cell group but with just one or two people and you talk about more stuff."

"And you eat double cheeseburgers?"

"Yes, sometimes."

"Well we want to have recycleship! Will you recycle us?"

Whats in a name ?

I was thinking about names today, probably because I was at a baby dedication.

God Bless Justice Andrew Mikles, you are cool !

But also during our students debrief this week they had to share highlights of their year at The War College. One student in sharing pulled out a paper with everyones name on it that she got to minister to this year, wow. Now our big thing here in Charlotte when we invite people here to minister is, get to know your neighbors name. We believe that if you can know everybodies name then God can open the door to the hard work and let love flow through, it may seem too simple but it works for us. So she shared this page with us and it had almost 200 names on it, and not just random names but names of people that she got to love, weep with, share her food and most of all share Jesus with. That's cool that one girl in a 'hood could change what it looks like both in the physical and spiritual all by introducing herself. That's community and that's Jesus.

Who are the people in your neighborhood ?

Whats their name ?

The Army Spirit is hovering over at Jesse Green's blog these days... check it out!

"But who is to go (today)? You!
You who read this; who else is there to go?...
You are saved.

You say your sins are forgiven, and that you belong to the family of God. You say the promises apply to you; why not the commands?

Have one and shirk the other?
Never, never, never!
They are united. Do not say you are a child and not a servant.

You must go yourself. This is a personal call which comes down through the centuries to you! You cannot evade it and remain true to your self and your God."
General William Booth

This is an amazing picture to me, why, because a month ago this house was filled with dead bodies after a shoot out. Today little girls are playing out front celebrating life. The Psalms say that a cry from a baby will send the enemy running, just imagine sidewalk art from children drawing God's love as they see it. I do not think that the enemy could run from that, I think Jesus would make him watch.

They will rebuild the ruined cities.

24/7 TYI

Wow, we've just returned from Camp Keystone, Florida and the Territorial Youth Institute and it was truly amazing. Our responsibilities were to be counsellors, lead three seminars and to oversee the 24/7 prayer hut. Overall, Jesus was lifted high, Amen!

We started praying on Sunday at noon and the prayer room had someone continually lifting up Jesus until the next Sunday at noon. How can we measure the increase of God's power and presence because of intentionally choosing to abide with Him all day and all night? I could look at stats and try to figure out a difference from years past, but then I would miss the entire point, so we will just have to measure it by love, and man, there was love.

It was amazing to watch as God made a tangible deposit of His glory in these young people - lives were won for the Kingdom; bought back from hell and written in the Lamb's book of Life.

The part that bears witness to this increase of God's presence is this: if all of us adults had just left the building it wouldn't have mattered. The young people as they were led, just began to minister to one other, and they were leading one another to Jesus for Salvation, deliverance, healing and holiness; it was rich. They were led by Holy Spirit and we could not have stopped them from running closer to Jesus with all our might.

Now there were several elements that fueled this increase and all of them were essential, but the 24/7 prayer and worship, I believe, tipped the scales. It is God's promise that if we call He will answer and that when we pray in fullness He can then come in with fullness. Let it be.

Young people, from every nation, gathered and got dirty in prayer. They truly were an army advancing on its knees. God grant victory and favor to this generation of warriors.

There was some serious revival seedin' preachin' goin on too, as Captain M. Platt brought fire from above with his sword and shield. Captain Marion also brought testimony and truth of the Lord's second blessing of perfect love, and I believe many delegates received this blessing as a result of his testimony, teaching and the cry that was in their hearts for holiness.
God, please command your angels in concerning this man of God.

To top it all off though, the best quote of the week was this ...

"I know it now, God is real!"

Crazy Times ...

Someone requested a top craziest list ... Here goes.


1. Jonathan E finding a special B-day present in an alley. (A Corpse)

2. On street combat, someone throwing a glass bottle at Danielle and Zion; they were offended that there was a baby in the DTES.

3. Watching people wash themselves in the toilets at Crosswalk cause there were no showers to be found.

4. Watching people inject each other in the jugular vein.

5. Wheel Chair Roger jumping out of his chair and running after someone with his knife, or when he cast his fishing rod with hook into females bottoms for fun.

6. The Washington hotel giving out glasses of Lysol to residents for "cleaning purposes."

7. Waking up in my hotel room with a strange man eating out of my garbage can.

8. The Police allowing people to convulse in the road.

9. A body landing at my feet from a forth floor window.

10. A demon possessed man crashing a Robert Marshall homiletics class, we held him down and cast out the evil spirit(s). Our teacher was not really aware of this part of the curriculum and had quite a strange look on his face when asking some students, "What is going on in the next room." and with screams and howls chilling the room, some students responding " Oh they are just casting out some demons in there."

There are just a few.

Incendiary Session

614 Charlotte is currently accepting applications for the Incendiary Session of The War College, starting this September.

The dictionary defines ‘incendiary’ as follows:
1. used or adapted for setting property on fire;
2. of arson;
3. tending to arouse strife, sedition;
4. a person who commits arson;
5. a device that burns with an intense heat;
6. a person who stirs up strife.

That defines what we want to train students to be, fairly well.

We want them to be used to set territory on fire (1), to start and spread fires (2,4).
We want them to arouse sedition, or, rebellion against the government of satan (3,6).
We want them to burn with an intense heat (5).

Any takers?

http://www.thewarcollege.com/

No peace ...

I believe that one of Satan's plans is to give us no peace, especially when he has a stronghold in our lives. I can remember being homeless and just yearning for a bit of solitude, just a moment in my day that was not filled with 150 other peoples stuff too. I remember having nowhere to just be, and it was suffocating.

This morning a crack addict came to my door asking to use the phone, I said "of course," cause I am the christian guy so I have to. I made sure that I gave her the home phone, not my cell (cause she could run off with that,) and then I proceeded to position myself just close enough to hear what was going on but not too close to give the impression that I was listening.

Eventually, I had to let this one go, so what if we lose our phone? So I returned to my desk and let her be...in peace.

I wish that I had had some joy in this good deed, but I did not. I didn't even offer her a glass of juice or something to eat, I just wanted her to leave.

It is interesting how our failures show us the perfect beauty of Jesus. I'm not all broken up about it, but it did spur me into prayer for more joy in serving others.


Matthew 25

'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Reflections

For another couple of weeks, we have a missioner from the Vancouver campus of The War College, here for his summer placement. Matt and I were talking yesterday about his upcoming graduation and his overall experience at The War College. The conversation got me thinking of some of the highlights from my year at TWC, and I have created a top-ten list of my War College and 614 Vancouver experiences.

1. Meeting my wife and clearly hearing the voice of God say "Isn't she beautiful and lovely." Then me responding "YES!" and then The LORD saying "She's the perfect one." Amen.

2. My leaders, who not only brought me back from the dead but who also taught me why life was worth living abundantly.

3. Early prayer meetings in The Empress. They were kicking.

4. Street ministry with Commissioner Wesley Harris - He got us invited into a private drug party where he shared Christ with the owner of an Amsterdam style pot bar. The owner was so offended that we tried to get in, that after we were bounced out he came out following us down the street angrily exclaiming " What does the Sally Ann want with my place?!"
He thought we were coming to protest or to report him, The Commissioner simply replied " We heard the coffee was great and thought we would try a cup." The owner was stunned, "What !" " You want to come in for coffee, at my place?" The commissioner said "Certainly." So the owner invited us into his private booth, and insisted on buying our coffee, while he took hits off his bong. I have never seen spiritual evangelical authority like that before and I have not since. We turned down the brownies though.

5. Invading the same pot cafe with prayer and a Booth Tucker Institute love assault. Major Doug Burr, now area commander of Rhode Island, led this one and less than a week after, the place was burnt to the ground. Shut down. Praise God, and by the way no one was hurt in the mysterious fire.

6. Elaine's Chai Tea and all the love that came with every cup.

7. General Eva Burrows visit, especially at the opening of a new shelter. As we all heartily sang "Storm the forts of darkness," She wielded a hefty sledge hammer and rammed it right through a solid wall. Amen.

8. Club intercession with Jenn Ivany, Man she can dance with the worldliest of 'em.

9. Shopping cart open-airs. Enough said.

10. Watching Jesus save people from Hell.


I have so many more, but I'll save them for my memoirs in 30 years.

I WILL ...

In preparing for some upcoming seminars I was going over my/our Soldiers Covenant. We can focus on the whole do not get loaded stuff and read your bible everyday ETC, but we rarely get motivated about the meat in the meal.

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 disadvantaged.

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.

Now that surely is a cause to die for !

I'm going to go out on a limb for a minute, this is the War Cry of God's Army! Lately a lot of people state that anyone can be in Gods army; I don't buy it. Look above, what did God raise up The Salvation Army for ... for covenanted warfare. In any army in the world it is a punishable offence to desert your post. In war time, it is punishable by death !

Did you know that F.B.I. agents are covenanted to serve, including a no drinking clause, because they are considered always on duty.

My friend says that one issue within Post-modern, Jesus wants me to meet him at the bar for a beer, Christmasanity is that it is "easy to get in," and "hard to get out." In Jesus time it was "hard to get in," and "easy to get out." Chew on that for a minute.

I do not see Jesus anywhere in scripture, or my spirit, saying, "Hey lets go get tipsy and giggly on some booze and then go worship." NO, I see and hear him saying lets move, lets get something done, let the dead bury the dead and lets go ! I'm not saying that we should negate intimacy or personal devotion, I'm just saying that it is meaningless if the poor do not know your name.

Listen ... the whole half measure, lukewarm, when I feel like it deal is not evil or anything like that, I believe that you can get into heaven by the skin of your teeth. But if you are not fighting for a cause that you could die for, than what are you living for ?

Love Actually ...

In my rations today I was reading Colossians, this challenged my heart ...

Colossians 2
1For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

The part in Verse 2, their hearts being "knit together in love."

What would Gods Church look like with our hearts knit together ? What blessings would be poured out ?

God knit our hearts together.

Moving Mountains

I have thought much on the subject of moving mountains since my birth into full life, it has always been an amazing concept to me. One of my favorite places to chill is in urban concrete jungles, post modern mountain scapes scraping the skies.

The concept of mountains moving excites my spirit, it uplifts my heart . In the physical usually mountains or cities only shift by an act of God. In the spiritual realm God is definitely about moving mountains and shifting city scapes. We can tend to be too narrow minded in the Church at times, we can look to see how we are changing the church, the congregation, but rarely do we look to see how we are effecting/infecting the broader community in which God has placed us. A more accurate measure of success would be how we have touched our neighborhood, our city, our nation ! Recently God has been showing me this in action. Recently our youth group has taken up the task of doing justice. Two months ago there were 29 abandoned crack houses in our neighborhood and through a seriers of events, the youth of the community went before the City of Charlotte asking some questions.

1. Why is the city allowing this issue to continue ?

2. Does the city want us to grow up among crack houses ?

3. What will be done ?








Well, God has begun to move some mountains ... or crack houses, there more like mole hills in the scheme of things but that's a good starting place. The city came out to the neighborhood within three days of the kids petition and began inspecting all the abandoned houses, then issued an order that every home had to be brought up to living condition by July 12th or it would be demolished. If the owner did not comply then a $500.00 a day fine would be issued for every house. The renovations started quickly and the old crack houses are being transformed into the nicest apartments on the block. Soon families will be moving in and within a city that has a goal to demolish all the "poor neighborhoods" there is one that is being restored. This is actually happening but still every time I walk through the courtyards of these apartments I can not believe it, it is beyond my belief. It is only 16 homes right now, but if God can do this for 16 homes then he can do 32 the next time and then hundreds and then whole communities and then entire cities. I'm learning as I go but I think that this is the whole ... Matthew 25:21

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!

I know this can seem arrogant but let me testify that I can take no credit for this, other than just being here. Also I want to believe that God can use us to change whole nations, that a simple Jr. Soldier brigade and a couple of War College students can shift the spiritual make-up of a community, I am witnessing it and I long to see more.

Pray that God would make a way for us to serve and love our new coming neighbors, and that he would hedge this jewel of justice with his fire.

Our God is an Awesome God !

Jesus

We spend a lot of time, as followers of The Way, trying to do everything that Jesus did.

I wonder what paradigms would shift if we spent all our time trying to NOT do all the things that Jesus did not do ?

Seriously, Jesus did not ...

get a job, get a car, get a house, get a life, get a retirement portfolio, get settled, safe or sane. Jesus did not spend his energy on pleasing people or plotting on how to gain reputation or position. Jesus did not turn back, he did not give in, he did not hesitate to stop and serve the one that Holy Spirit placed in his daily path. Jesus did not believe any lies that Satan spoke and as the Son of God and a man, Jesus did not sin.


Lets try to not do all the things that Jesus did not do !

Amen

3 more kids were removed from their home yesterday by Social Services. When I arrived, their auntie had just told them what was going to happen, and they were all crying. How can a 4, 6 and 7 year old be expected to understand all of this? I walked into their little house and their mother had closed herself off in one of the bedrooms, and the three children were altogether in the tv room - the two older girls sobbing hysterically, and the youngest boy just sitting, staring at nothing and stroking the teddybear he was holding in his lap. I had brought over a care package - paper towel, cleaning supplies, dish soap...I set it down in the kitchen/laundry room/storage area and picked up one of the girls and just held her. Within minutes my shirt was soaked through with tears and snot, all flowing from her face freely. I added my tears to hers, because there were three children calling for a mother who was geographically 6 feet away, but emotionally unreachable. She would not console them. I did my best to hold all three at once. I tried to pray, but I couldn't. I was weak. Nothing came out, but there was a lot being said in my heart.

"So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought..." Romans 8:26

Afterwards, I was talking with the Lord, sharing my heart and the brokenness therein. It is wrong that there was no one to comfort these children. After all, they are caught up in a situation that is out of their control, one that they didn't create. They were all alone in grief and uncertainty and I don't want children to ever be alone.

In response, He said "I didn't leave them alone. I sent you to them."
I said, "their own mother neglected them"
He said, "I sent you to hold them tight like a mother would."
I said "there is no one to share their burden - no one around here has given them a second thought"
He said "You will remember them. You will grieve and mourn and intercede for them. That's why I brought you there - it wasn't just to drop off paper towel and dish soap. "

When I was living in Vancouver, one of the lessons the Lord taught me, is that the most valuable thing I can give to others is myself. Not a cup of coffee, although that's nice, or a sandwich or a coat. I can give any or all of those, or a thousand things more, but there needs to be an ever-increasing measure of me in there as well. Arms that willingly hold tightly to a despairing child, a heart that actively chooses to let the life of another flow over and shape and disturb mine.

I'm learning continually not to walk through life and ministry unchanged and intact, unmarred and antiseptic, but to embrace the tears, the snot the blood, the crayon and pudding stains and the sweat - and to consider each a badge of honor in service to my King. God knows it ain't easy. But who signed up for easy?

posted by:
Heather

I'm in his hands ...

Wow. Do you ever have a season where everything is so busy that you just do not know how everything that needs to happen will, but it does ? These seasons remind me that I am not in control, and that is comforting !

We have been working 14-16 hour days lately and have a ton of stuff to prepare for camps, upcoming business and life in general, and I just can not see it all coming together ... but it does. Somehow the Lord, who's name is faithful and true, allows everything to fall into place like we know what we are doing, it is amazing.

Next week we start our camp season and through many challenges everything has worked. Our last hurdle was finding a place to give every kid a medical exam to make sure they were fit enough for camp activities, this one was a burden because without the exam kids can not go to camp. So with a prayer and only one phone call it is done, our local Salvation Army shelter is going to provide medical exams for every kid. God Bless The Center of Hope!

Next week Captain Pobjie, the hippest Captain in the south, will be joining us to help until she leaves for her next appointment in the UK. God save the queen, and Sandra too.

God answered a big one, we have received financial support for our community house ministry and can start paying the rent on time now. The community house is a two bedroom house in the 'hood that is set up for our youth to hang out with Jesus and us too. Plus we were given 10 brand new "to us" computers, a $500 gift card from our women's auxiliary and lots of kool-aid. Heather has started a book club, which is all the rage, and we are believing for some air conditioners next.



You can pray for our van please, we are two cylinders down and four to go. I joked yesterday that it was only the dog hair holding her together. We named our van Ruth so if her name sake proves right she will make it through the desert.

Hi Mom.

God is so good to us I can not express it.

"Let Go and Let God"

Yesterday was my hardest day. Ever.

Three of our little neighbors were removed from their home by Child Protective Services. We've known them since the start, and they've been loved dearly by every single missionary that has ever been a part of our team.

Rob and I walked them to the 'waiting white car', all of us holding hands. The little boy did one last back flip. The girl wept because she was old enough to understand what was happening, and the middle child gave us a painting he had drawn earlier that day.

We did our best to reassure them, and spoke soothingly about what to expect in the days to come, better lives, full tummies, clean clothes, good sleeps and God's big plan for their lives.

And then it was time to walk away, and let them go.

Sometimes people remark that they admire what we do, and the faith it takes to do it, but this is the most faith I've ever had to muster up and assert for anything, ever - because it's not just about the "Letting God" part so much this time but all of the "Let Go" that's involved.

For me, this is a real faith lesson - believing that even though to release them to the authorities felt like a hard, awful thing to me, and to them, that likely it was also the moment and event that God has been waiting for, to to some major transformation in their lives, and in the life of their Mom.

So even though it's cliched, and has always seemed kinda hokey to me, just for today, I'm gonna Let Go and Let God.

"...And where I cannot see, I'll trust, For then I know Thou surely must, be still my All in all."

posted by:
Heather Dolby

http://614firecrest.blogspot.com/2006/12/this-morning-i-awoke-to-ringing-of.html

Need Knows No Season

Saturday was great !



In our city this year, due to cut backs, there will be no kids sent to camp.


In our community we have a handful of kids that went to youth councils and were forever changed by the experience, with many lives being won for God - and 3 months later, still holding! Since then, all of our kids have been begging to go to the 'week long youth councils' that they heard about from the other delegates - youth camp, at our division's Camp Walter Johnson. In fact, since March they have been asking about it almost daily, so when the word came down that there would be no money for kids to go to camp this year our hearts dropped. Heather and I gave each other that look, the one that said "I don't think so !" and began sharing with the Lord our hearts and minds on the subject.

Later that day we fired off a few e-mails and then gave God room to move ... a few weeks later we got permission for our youth to fundraise their own camp money, and Saturday was our first day hitting the pavement.
We started with one location, 5 kids and one afternoon, and as a result, all 5 kids will be going to camp this year, (Praise God,!) and will have enough money left over for proper clothes to take with them. We have permission to continue through June and July and now every single kid that wants to go to camp will.


Heather and I were thinking of the early Army, where everything was dependent upon divine provision, where officers often never received pay, and when they did they divided it amongst their community in need. Everything was difficult, except winning souls for Jesus; this seemed to happen naturally. Why ? God blesses sacrifice with eternal currency.



God Bless Harris Teeter, the grocery store that are allowing us to fund raise at their locations.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Police are working to solve a murder after a man was shot in north Charlotte.
When police arrived at the scene in the 2200 block of Alma Court around 5 p.m. Thursday, they found the victim shot in the abdomen.
He died at Carolinas Medical Center a few hours later.
Police have not released the man's identity.
They do not have any suspects yet.

There have been several murders here this summer and it always amazes me that afterwards everybody just goes on with business as usual. In the neighborhoods we grew up in a murder would devastate an entire community for months or years but here after the police tape is thrown away everything just returns to normal, children playing where a corpse layed, mothers hanging out laundry where a forensics lab was set up all with an eiry air of routine. You will notice the address as being one house away from our community house where the children of the 'hood gather for worship and play. It is their reality that murder and death are cultural norms, that 70% of them will never make it past grade 10, that 30% will be arrested and that 5% of them will get life, 1 in 3 will experience sexual abuse, 85% of the girls will be beaten Etc.

Now that being said, we do not live under that reality, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, to set the captive free, to trade glory for ashes and freedom for shame.

I am challenged to continually walk by faith not sight knowing that sometimes what I can not see is more real than what I can.

Open the eyes of my heart Lord.

Faith

I was talking to God this morning and He reminded me that, " without Faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please him."


Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

... So God was wondering what I was believing for lately. He reminded me that he can deliver immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine. He reminded me that I can still serve him with a realistic faith and that I can even be his child with an average faith level. But, for him to say " Oh yea, good job." It requires of me to believe for something bigger than I can fathom.

What are you believing for ?

Thank God for speaker phone. And big barking dogs...

This is Heather by the way - Rob's been posting for the past couple months as I've been off the blogging radar. Until tonight that is.
What a weird week it's been!
Rob did a great job of catching the vibe of yesterday - in spite of the attempts to intimidate us and shut us down, we pressed on and had church anyways and it was one of my most favourite Saturdays EVER!

Tonight was a different story indeed.
Rob had taken the Junior Soldiers on an outing for the evening and it was just me and Samson the dog at home. We were doing fine until I heard a noise that sent the dog careening towards the back screen door (Which is sortof a misnomer seeing as there is no screen, just a big open hole where a screen should be).

Turns out that a group of boys was wandering through the neighborhood throwing firecrackers through open windows.
All that might seem harmless except that one of the houses caught fire. Happily, the kids that lived in that room were with Rob for the night, so they weren't harmed. But the room was gutted - mattress, clothes and all of their belongings. Gone.

Of course, down here, theories and rumours circulate rapidly and after talking it all over with some folks, it dawned on me that those same boys had been quietly poking around my open screen door tonight. I can't lie, won't even bother trying. The thought of someone wanting to do harm to us like that for some laughs got me good and mad.

I got back home and really, everything after that just went south. There were creepy people wandering around, hanging at the crackhouse and I was paranoid that any minute something fiery and explosive was going to come sailing in a window. It didn't help my imagination any that the dog was barking up a storm. It was really freaking me out! Then I started to get angry that I felt unsafe in my own home. Ooo that made me mad! Rrrr!!

So what do I do? I put out a prayer request of course...

I called up Rob and the Junior Soldiers and told them what was going down in the neighborhood. Then they began to pray.
They're fierce you know, our soldiers, when they get to prayin'...Rob just went and put the cell phone on speaker and they passed it around. There sure was some holy fire on those prayers...

I felt covered and so much better after we had all prayed, and I hung up feeling fortified, justified and gratified, determined not to let the devil get me down.

Friends, I know that Light belongs in the darkness, and that God has sent us here to open the eyes of our neighbors so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God.

But it can be really overwhelming to see the degree of degradation and darkness that is around us - especially in the children.

Please pray for us, that from God's glorious, unlimited resources He will empower us with inner strength through His Spirit, and that Christ would make His home in our hearts as we trust in Him, and that our roots will grow down into God’s love and keep us strong.

Amen.

Acts 26:17

Ephesians 3:14-17