Daughters of the King....

This one goes out to the boys who read my blog. And it's going to be harsh, and I don't apologise.

I am sick to the back teeth of all the sexist innuendo that seems to dominate the boys club in most groups. I'm not surprised by it, but I'm sick of it. I'm tired of all the "girls should be in the kitchen or the bedroom" jokes - they're simply NOT funny. I'm most disappointed when I hear these jokes, and this attitude coming from CHRISTIAN men. It's not very Christ-like boys and it HAS TO STOP!

We often joke in our group that "words have power" but you know what, it's not a joke, words really do have power. And I'm starting to witness a few of the younger girls I'm in close relationship with be stripped of their worth by guys that think they are being funny. NOT ONCE did Jesus EVER make a woman feel like a second-class citizen. NOT ONCE did Jesus EVER encourage men to shame a woman - in fact if we look at the story of the woman caught in an adulterous relationship and in danger of being stoned to death, Jesus went TOTALLY against the grain and defended her stating that "He who is without sin cast the first stone" He then goes on to tell her that He doesn't condemn her and she is to go and sin no more. (you can read this in John 8:1-11).

To say it's just "boys being boys" is not a good enough response in a Christian circle. I'm sorry boys, but it's just not good enough. For some guys it is just a joke, and they totally and utterly respect women, but for some, and I'm seeing this increasingly, it actually goes deeper than that. They're actually disrespecting the women in their lives in other ways - perhaps treating them as a sexual object, dismissing their opinion, treating them as second class, or stripping them of any real value or worth. This is dangerous ground, and it's time those of you men who know your GODLY place in a woman's life started standing up and fighting this attitude!

I'm so thankful to God for placing some amazing men in my life. I have some men who not only value and respect me, they actually go out of their way to remind me of my worth, of my value to them and to Christ. Men like my father, go out of their way to let the women in their life feel valued and supported. They seek their advice, and appreciate their giftings. I could name at least a dozen good Christian men like that, men that walk so closely with Christ, the idea of degrading a woman doesn't even cross their mind. I have indeed been very blessed in my life with such men!

So I'm on a new rampage - if you're a Christian man in my life, or in the life of any of the girls I am in contact with watch out - it's time to start remembering that the women in your lives are Princesses, they are daughters of the MOST HIGH King... and you are to respect, love and value them accordingly. Be prepared for quoted scriptural passages, and well thought out and theologically checked arguments if you even try to disrespect one of these Princesses.

And to all my sisters out there - learn your worth, learn you are highly favoured by the Creator of the Universe, learn that you have a valid voice...and use it to demand the respect YOU deserve!

Be blessed xx

Plastic Fantastic?!

Okay, so I've got another bee in my bonnet. It's something I've been speaking with a few friends about, and something that my dear friend - the other Sarah E - has noted on facebook...and that's the phenomena of the "Fake" person.

I'm so over people being complete chameleon's... you know, changing who they are depending on their environment or who they're with. No obviously, we show slight changes in personality around different people. I know I'm definately more "myself" with some of my friends, than I am with others. I know that I'm definately more quiet and reserved in my opinions and feelings and views around some groups of people. That's not what I'm talking about at all, because truth be known, my friends wouldn't look at me in another group and say "Who is she?!"

No what I'm talking about is when someone is completely different. Perhaps they are a mature Christian person who you call upon for advice, and then you see them acting in a way that both disappoints you and calls you to question whether they really are someone you can trust to give you advice? Or perhaps someone is really nasty to you when you're alone or in one group, but then acts as though they are your best friend when you are with another group. I think they're as bad as each other to be honest.

I am loving the movie "Twilight" at the moment, and in one scene, Bella turns to Edward and says "Your mood swings are giving me whiplash"... and THAT's what I'm talking about. The sort of "fake" that makes you question whether they are actually your friend or not.

You see, God calls us to be honest and real. To be true to ourselves and who HE has called us to be. Friends who you need to change in order to impress, are not really friends. And that's the hard reality I've learned this last few weeks. A dear session mate and close friend of mine, Sare, gave me a really good way to assess whether you are being fake or not. She said that you should think of the most holy person you know, someone who you really truly respect and love, and think about whether you would act the same way you are acting in front of them. I'd take it a step further. When I'm with my friends, I like to imagine Jesus is sitting next to me and watching my behaviour and I can see Him right there - would I be saying and doing the same things I am now?! Would I be childish? Or nasty? Or moody? Would I talk trashy? Would I disrespect other people?

The answer is and should be no.

Holiness Unto The Lord

So, I'm officially accepted as a Candidate for Salvation Army Officer Training in the "Ambassadors of Holiness" session for 2009. What a journey this has been so far, I can only imagine what lies ahead!

The excitement builds with each new session mate added to the list - there are 24 of us now in the Australia Southern Territory session. 24 people who will live, study and serve together for 2 years. 24 people who will grapple with what it means to be a Salvation Army Officer, and moreover, what it means to be an Ambassador of Holiness. I'm excited by the prospects for our group. Already there are some deep friendships developing, and whilst I of all people know that community living is hard (been there, fought that! haha!), I also know that at the essense of every true community is a deep friendship, affection and love for each other. I sense we're already developing that before we even make it to training! Praise God!

Salvationists of old would use the statement "Holiness Unto The Lord", and I've been thinking about what that means... I know the journey ahead of me is going to be tough. I am well aware of that. But as I strive towards holiness, I aim to bring others into a relationship with a Holy God, a God who longs to help them lead a holy life.

I leave you with a passage I'm meditating on at the moment, I'll probably write more about it in the coming weeks/months, but for now, I leave you with it for your consideration.

"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy." .... You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply and with all your heart."
(1 Peter 1:13-16 & 22)

If you wanna be my lover...

You gotta buy me a ring! lol! For the record... this is not about sex, so you can stop reading if that's what caught your eye!

Now, can I just say at the outset, this is not an Agony Aunt column, I'm not asking for advice on how to snag a man, or anything like that. This is simply my thoughts, prayers and observations about relationships. Take it for what it's worth, it's just something I'm working through.

Over the past few months, I've been seriously thinking about relationships, and what it is I'm looking for within one. I guess it's natural to be thinking of such things before Training College, because - well lets face it - the pool of available men just got a whole lot smaller - or as I like to say "more refined!"

Within looking at what it is that I'm searching for in a partner, I've been praying a lot. One of the things that has really struck me is that I actually have a great desire to be a "biblical wife", which is not literally a Proverbs 31 woman (spindling clothes, being up before dawn to take care of everyone, meeting merchant ships etc.,) but to be someone for whom the needs of her husband and children are taken care of with love and grace. So I started reading all the instructions on what it means to be a biblical wife, and a passage that really struck me was in Ephesians Chapter 5:21-33:

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands
And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body.

As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Wow right?! That's what I'm looking for. I totally want to submit to my husband, I totally want to be someone who treats her husband with the love and respect he deserves as the head of the household... but the thing is, he's got a massive job to do there - he's to love me as Christ loves the church - laying his life down for it. WOW!

So I was pondering that a bit (and talking to a million people about it), and what that all means. I truly believe that a biblical marriage starts from the first date. That respect and love and honour has to be there from the beginning of the relationship. Which for me means, I want the man to make the first move. If he wants me to submit to him, he must show the biblical authority he's been given in our relationship... and a lot of guys have MASSIVE issues with my ideas about this. They don't think it should be the man that makes the first move, which for me is a big thing.

So I was praying about this a bit (okay, so I was lamenting on this a bit!) and I woke up early one morning with statement in my mind, which I know was a "God thing" for me (this is how I recognize God's voice) - "Sarah, you deserve to be pursued!"

I deserve to be pursued. I will know the man I am to be with because he will pursue me. He will love and honour me and lay his pride down in order to actually say "I choose you, you are someone I want to explore what it might mean to be in a covenant relationship with" (not literally those words lol - more "hey Sare, wanna give us a go or what?" would be sufficient! lol)... and it will start from the first date. I truly believe, he will look over at me one day and see my spiritual beauty (the one talked about in 1 Peter 3:1-6). And he will act upon that.

The thing is, I was talking to a friend the other day and he said "The problem for us guys is, we don't know when a girl even likes us anymore - you're so confusing". So within that idea of a woman submitting to her husband as to the Lord, and a husband being to a wife as Christ is to the church - I began to think. What if I first need to say to that man that I want him to pursue me. I mean, I had to accept Christ into my life, I had to invite him in. So is that all that's needed? Perhaps I don't make it obvious enough to these amazing spiritual men around me that they are great, they are awesome, they are definately someone I would want and allow to pursue me!

Relationships are just so difficult, so hard to manage!

So, "If you wanna be my lover"... you've got to know that in God's eyes - I deserve to be pursued, and that my hearts desire, is to be a biblical wife! And a word of advice for all you fellas out there - be a man, look for the spiritually beautiful woman, and pursue her! She deserves it, and you will be blessed for it! If she doesn't accept your advances - don't give up, think yourself lucky that when you pursue the "right" woman, it will all have been worth it!

Okay - enough sappy junk, I'm back to work! lol

Holy is as Holy does!

Wow, wow, wow is all I have to say!

I've had the absolute honour of spending a few days this past week in both worship and ministry with some of my (hopefully!) future fellow Ambassadors Of Holiness. And to be honest, for the first time in my ENTIRE life, I feel more than happy - I feel content!

It's a great feeling to be "released" from the stuff that you hold onto isn't it?! On Thursday night, I headed in to ACC, and whilst Commissioner Joe Noland was great, I actually got more out of some conversations I had with one of my future session mates. He & I have been going through some similar stuff, and it made me realize that there is an enemy out there who must be shaking in his boots, because he's throwing all he possibly can to trip us up!

I started to get a little excited by this idea, and on Friday I spent a lot of the day praying that God would give me an opportunity to spend more time exploring what that might be. So on Friday night, I returned to ACC, and again was sitting with a future session mate. Both of us have a strong call to international service in The Salvation Army, and both of us have a strong feeling that our session will see many of us serve overseas. After the service, I spent some time in conversation and prayer with him, and felt a real sense of peace that God has already gone before me, and prepared the way... so I need to FEAR NOT!

After ACC, a group of us went out for dinner, with some friends, and as I looked around the table, I realized how much my friendship group had already changed in the past six months or so, and was going to change in the future. I looked around and saw my future... and the future was exciting!

On Sunday, James & Sarah Thompson came to run our new service "Laos" (more about that in another post), and for the first time, I got an opportunity to actually MINISTER alongside some of my future session mates, with Sarah leading worship, Simon playing in the band & James preaching. WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT! Earlier in the day James had told me that Janet Munn had prayed "God we want you to show up and show off!" and we had a real sense that God would do that at Laos that night... and you know what?! HE DID!

I've never been in a more Holy-Spirit filled meeting in all of my life. People were genuinely moved by the Spirit of God, healed and released from their physical, emotional and spiritual pain and baggage. It was quite simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I'm often quite nervous about leading anything, but I felt with those three by my side, I could literally do anything, because I felt the presence of God working in and through them, and I didn't fear anything! We prayed with and for each other, and that's all we needed.

So today... I'm glad to say that I genuinely do trust that God is in control of my life and my future. I know that He is calling me to be an Ambassador of Holiness with those amazing people, who will challenge & inspire me and who will walk this journey of ministry with me the rest of my life. And the thing is... there's even more of them out there I feel exactly the same about!

So in the words of my favourite song from my not-so-favourite-but-still-rather-fond-of musical "Fame" -


"Bring on tomorrow, let it shine! Like the sun coming up on a beautiful day, it's yours and mine...we can make a difference, it's not to late... bring on tomorrow! I CAN'T WAIT!"

(Ok Theatre Geek...I know it... whatever, God made me that way! lol!)

Go together like a Horse and Carriage

As you can tell, I’m kinda on a “Salvation Army” distinctive rant at the moment. I think it’s probably because I’m passionate about our Army. I’m passionate about the movement we were, and the movement we are called to be. I’m concerned about some of the present trends and practices, and I’m reflecting on what I believe about them – keeping in mind that as an Officer in The Salvation Army – in the future, I will be in a position of leadership, at the very least (though I think it’s the most!) at a local level.

One of the things I’m really concerned about is the almost complete isolation of our Social Services and our Corps from each other. There are many amazing integrated ministries across our Territory, but at this stage, not every Social Service/Programme is attached to a Corps. More concerning for me though, is that not every Corps has aligned itself with a Social Service/Programme.

William Booth quoted many times the importance of having both, though I’m sure he never had in mind the split we have at the moment. Booth proclaimed “Soup, Soap, Salvation!” in that order… and was quoted as saying “But what is the use of preaching the Gospel to men whose whole attention is concentrated upon a mad, desperate struggle to keep themselves alive?” You see, yes, we were indeed called to be a Christian Movement, to spread the love of God to everyone we meet, to share the message of Jesus, and to bring people into the Kingdom. There was always, and should always, be a leaning towards the poor and marginalized within our community.


Booth also warned against becoming purely a Charity when he stated:
“To get a man soundly saved it is not enough to put on him a pair of new breeches, to give him regular work, or even to give him a University education. These things are all outside a man, and if the inside remains unchanged you have wasted your labor. You must in some way or other graft upon the man's nature a new nature, which has in it the element of the Divine.”

Corps & Social, Social & Corps…they go together, the are not separate entities. When we look at Jesus ministry, did He ever say “Well today, I’m all about building my church, let’s leave the work of healing the sick to the doctors, and serving the poor to the social workers, I’m called to build the church!”…. NO!! (“TEN THOUSAND TIMES NO!!”) Jesus constantly and consistently led His disciples to the poor, to being on the move, serving community after community, person after person, exactly where they are at. Not expecting them to go to a fully established service with professionals, or to come to a church and act as they should, in order to be accepted. No! It was quite the opposite… Jesus went out, and served people where they were at, and in turn, those people became followers of Him. So if we are truly honestly Christians (which is to say we are FOLLOWERS of Christ) then we are called to do likewise… to serve people and love them exactly as they are… and in turn, to trust that their Saviour will fill them with the hope they need to fight their battles and demons. How can we do that, when we are so comfortable in our churches?

Now I’ve worked in both Corps & Social, I see the value in both. I love both. I am able to see that one cannot, and must not exist without the other. I’m tired of Salvationists whinging and moaning that our Social Centres are staffed by non-Christians. To those that do, I say… where are you? Have you gone and studied, to become qualified in a field, so that you might serve our Social Centres? The buck has to stop with someone… can it stop with you?

We are so quick as Salvationists to judge the Army, but often, I find, we’re not overly quick to do anything about it! If you are an accountant, are you working for the Army? If you’re a teacher, are you working for the Army? If you are a social worker, are you working for the Army? How about if you are a cook, or a cleaner, or a receptionist? Because we’re desperate for all those roles, and whilst Salvationists are not getting trained up and working in them, we’re having to employ non-Christians. Perhaps if you can't work for the Army, you've got a few hours a week to help out at one of our Centres? You have no idea how much that would bless the staff!

Those of you who are qualified and are working for the Army, are you being a true expression of Salvationism within your job? Are your co-workers respecting you because you are giving above and beyond your job’s requirement? Or do you slack off and expect to cut corners because you’re a Salvo? This isn’t a judgement, I know many many BRILLIANT Salvationists who are serving God by using their skills and giftings by working for The Army. But sadly, many of our Social Centre managers have not such a great idea of Salvo’s working for The Army, and it had to come from somewhere. These are questions I ask of myself constantly in my work. When I turn up to work at welfare or in housing, am I a good example of The Salvation Army, not only to the clients, but also to my colleagues? Because if I’m not, I’m part of the problem not the solution!

And in our Corps… when someone from one of our Social Centres come along, do you introduce yourself? Do you offer to get them a coffee, or lend a listening ear? Do you sit with them, and explain what’s going on in our Services? Or are you expecting others to do it? You see, if we truly want to see our Corps grow, we need to start asking these tough questions of ourselves. We were not designed to be a middle-class church, we were created and formed to be a movement showing the love of Christ by serving others.

We’re a hard core movement… are you ready? Are you willing? Would you lay down your life for it? Because the Army needs militant Salvationists… it needs people who are going to say “Here I am Lord, take ALL of me”, because without those Salvationists, we’re nothing but a happy clappy church or a charity… the future is in our hands… decisions need to be made… I’ve made mine… have you?

I leave you with a challenge from our Founder, General William Booth in 1910 (most of you know it already, and some bits are possibly misquoted, to which I apologise):


“I am glad you're enjoying yourselves. The Salvationist is the friend of happiness. Making heaven on earth is our business. "Serve the Lord with gladness" is one of our favourite mottos. So I am pleased that you are pleased.

But amidst all of your joys, don't forget the sons and daughters of misery. Do you ever visit them? Come away and let us make a call or two.

Here is a home, six in family. They eat and drink and sleep and sicken and die in the same chamber.

There is a drunkard's hovel, void of furniture, wife a skeleton, children in rags, father maltreating the victims of his neglect.

Here are the unemployed wandering about seeking work and finding none.

Yonder are the wretched criminals, cradled in crime, tracking in and out of the prisons all the time.

There are the daughters of shame, deceived and wronged and ruined, travelling down the dark incline to an early grave.

There are the children, fighting in the gutters, going hungry to school, growing up to fill their parents' places.

Brought it all on themselves do you say? Perhaps so, but that does not excuse our assisting them. You don't demand a certificate of virtue before you drag the drowning creature out of the water. Nor the assurance that a man has paid his rent before you deliver him from the burning building.

But what shall we do? Content ourselves by singing a hymn, offering a prayer or giving a little good advice?

No, ten thousand times, no.

We will pity them, feed them, reclaim them, employ them. Perhaps we shall fail with many -quite likely. But our business is to help them all the same and that in the most practical, economical and Christ-like manner.

So let us haste to the rescue for the sake of our own peace, the poor wretches themselves (seen as the children) and the Saviour of us all.

But you must help with the means. And as there is nothing like the present, who in this company will lend a hand by taking up a collection?”

What on earth IS a COMMUNITY Church?!

Okay, so whilst my soapbox is ready for a work out, I thought I'd cover the next little gripe I have at the moment.

It's still in line with the whole "forgetting who we are in order to be more 'relevant'" line of thought. It's a question about the current trend in changing our name from Corps to Community Church - or in some cases just becoming a Community Church and dropping name of The Salvation Army all together!!

Why oh Why oh Why oh Why?! Seriously?! I did a bit of a vox pop of some of my (for want of a better word) non-church going or non-believing friends. The two questions I asked was "What do you think when you hear the words Community Church" and "What do you think when you hear the words The Salvation Army".

To the first the answers were:
"boring and irrelevant", "doesn't fit into my life", "hypocritical and outdated", "money hungry", and the most concerning I think were "judgemental" and "abuse".

To the second:
"You silly!... kind", "caring & compassionate", "tamborines and marching bands haha, nah they do great work with people", "my favourite organisation to give money", "always there to lend a hand", and "great...no awesome".

When I asked whether they knew that The Salvation Army was also a church - they all said yes, when I asked if they knew that before they knew me, all bar 2 said they did. So I investigated a little further, I said "So if you think that the church is (insert their word here) and you know that The Salvation Army are also a church, why do you think that church is (insert their word here) but The Salvation Army is (insert their comment)?"

These were the answers:

"Oh yeah we know you're a church, but you're not like that Hillsong one", "Yeah but we figured you're a church there to help people, not hurt them", "Well I dont' know what's different but you are", "Guess I never thought about it much", "Because you take the bible seriously and the others dont? Who knows!" and a "hmmm...dunno".

(*** I need to note that some of these friends were people that I went through my leaving the Army stage with, so even knowing what I went through, that's their comments - I think that in itself speaks volumes!)

So if this is just a vox pop of a group of friends that I know...what does the general public in your community think?

A friend of my father's, who worked for a PR firm, once did a focus group for The Salvation Army and found that according to it and their research, The Salvation Army had a 97% approval rating with the general public. 97%! That's huge! So why on earth would you want to make yourself a Community Church when the so many non-believers see the Church as either money hungry, judgemental or irrelevant, but the general public approves of The Salvation Army?! If you're trying to make yourself more "seeker friendly" just drop the Corps (which I disagree with), and be The Salvation Army in your community!

But in reality - are we doing it for the non-believers, or are we doing it to bring ourselves in line with other churches? I fear that, we are actually doing to be in line with other churches. We want to be seen as worthy. We want to be seen as just as good as the church down the road, not to compete for unbelievers but to compete for locals that are looking for a new church! But should we exist for the already believers?! Not that they don't deserve a church, but should we be working hard to win them over?!

I'm going to blog next about the Church vs. Social Program issue we've got at the moment, but should not our Corps exist to minister spiritually to the people we see through our Social Centre doors each week? To strengthen and support our Social Centre staff and Chaplains? To prepare our Soldiers for a week of ministering to the needy in their workplaces, their streets, and their places of study?

A few of the comments on my blog stated the dwindling Sunday attendance numbers over the past 10 years... I agree, it's a big issue. I find it interesting though to note, that in the past 10 years, we've been "losing our distinctives" in order to be like the other churches... Hillsong have been at their peak in the last 10 years yeah? We started dropping our old music (which I'm not saying doesn't need to be updated) in favour of "worship bands" playing their music - and yet our numbers aren't increasing like Hillsong's are, they're decreasing - why?! Because WE ARE NOT HILLSONG. WE ARE NOT THE BAPTIST CHURCH. WE ARE NOT THE UNITING CHURCH. WE ARE NOT THE AOG Church. Or any other church for that matter. WE ARE THE SALVATION ARMY.

When were our numbers at an all time high?! When our Soldiers and Officers were out serving the needy in our communities. When new Corps were opening weekly in the darkest suburbs of our cities and nations. I'm not waxing poetic about our history here... it just seems common sense to me that we started to see a dwindling in numbers the second we started focussing on our "church" and not enough on our "community"... so if you want to be a Community Church - I commend you - but don't start with a name change - start with being active and present in your Community. Start serving the poor and lost and lonely and needy in your community. Start being THE SALVATION ARMY - and you'll see numbers increase. Need more evidence? Check out the ever-growing work of the 614 network internationally, Brunswick Salvos, Shop 16 in Reservoir, Ingle Farm in South Australia, Street Level in Sydney - and countless other Corps who are actively going after serving the people they come in contact with. They are seeing ever growing "bums on seats" on a Sunday! Seems to me something works there!

I leave you with a Florence Booth quote... it's a part of a quote I plan to blog entirely about one day... something to make us all think about...

She said "Do not imitate the Church. Let your great aim be to raise an Army that shall glorify God by fighting His battles.”

The Times They Are A Changin'?!

I’ve got a couple of things to get on my soapbox about at the moment, so over the next week or so, I’m going to be exploring/venting/discussing these. I am interested in your opinions on it, but I’m saying at the outset that if you become abusive in any way shape or form towards anyone personally, your post will not be published.

So, let’s begin with The Salvation Army as it currently stands in worship on a Sunday. I (and many others) believe that the things that make The Salvation Army distinct and unique seem to be the very things many are fighting against and getting rid of.

For instance, let’s look at the Songsters – some of our Corps are busy trying to build the best worship band they can, at the cost of Songsters (or choir), with many of our songster groups closing down entirely. The same is happening with our brass bands, our timbrels and many other groups that have been successful ministries for many many years. And there is a rather loud group – which I’d like to think were in the minority, but are so loud they seem to be the majority – that say “good riddance! They’re irrelevant – let’s move on!”… But should we move on from what is tried and tested to work within our movement? Why are we getting rid of them? Is it because they are irrelevant? Or is it because they don’t seem to be as cool as what the church down the road has?

Now before we go on – I need to say that I am a great fan of modern worship songs – not such a great fan of the big mega-churches idea of worship songs – but a big fan of worship songs nonetheless. For instance – the work of the Soteira guys is brilliant – and Nathan Rowe and the team are an absolute asset to the Army. So as you continue to read, I ask you keep that in mind.

For those who argue our old ministries are irrelevant, I want to tell you a story about this weekend at my Corps. We were blessed by a visit from The Salvation Army Ringwood Corps Vocal Praise group (read songsters). This group sang many “oldie but goodie” songs, some of which had been arranged with a more contemporary feel, taking many of us back to some of our best Army memories. They also sang some great up-tempo gospel songs. And through their ministry, and that of their Corps Officers, Majors Colin & Di Corkery, a member of our congregation, a local man from our community, who has been battling the storms of life for some time now, was deeply moved. So deeply moved, he requested prayer and spent a large amount of time with our Officer praying and exploring faith issues. He joined the group for lunch and the afternoon concert where he enjoyed the ministry of the South Barwon Corps Band and the Ringwood Corps Vocal Praise group. Not relevant?! Seemed pretty relevant to him!

Whilst we’re on the “not relevant” bandwagon – let’s have a look at some trends in Australia & the Western world’s “non-church” cultures:

· With recent hit TV shows such as “Choir of Hard Knocks” & “Battle of the Choirs”, Community Choirs across Australia are experiencing an increase of numbers of people joining. So if the Songsters aren’t relevant, why aren’t Corps establishing a “Community Choir?” By merely changing the focus slightly from being a tool for enrichment in our meetings, they can become an Evangelistic tool, and in the same way continue to enrich our meetings!
· Each year, there is a National Brass Band Championships – this competition is not dying out with age! In fact bands such as the “Tramways Band” are seeing increasing numbers of young people join. Schools are using brass players in swing bands, orchestras and the likes. The Salvation Army once held the monopoly on the “best” brass players in the state, and perhaps even in the country – a monopoly that is lost now as more and more of our Corps Bands close. Kids are still learning brass at school, there is still the demand, but we’ve missed the boat. Not relevant?! Not appreciated more like it. Bring on the Melbourne Staff Band’s visit to South Barwon later in the year, I CAN’T WAIT!
· Timbrels – a hotly contended topic within The Salvation Army. My personal opinion for you Salvos out there is that unless you are a bando – or a former timbrel player – I’m not interested in your comments that Timbrels are irrelevant. Now there’s always been a “love/hate” relationship between the timbrels and band in our Corps – but even some of the most hardened “bando’s” who taunt that timbrel players are talent less and useless – will often when pushed admit it is in jest and that The Salvation Army has suffered a great loss by losing part of our culture. Interestingly enough, many of the “mainstream” churches are starting tambourine groups, some of which even call them “timbrel groups” and whenever I am out with friends and tell them I’m a Salvo, the first question I get asked is “Do you play the tambourine?”. Anzac Day – the old diggers in Geelong were teary when they saw the timbrel girls back. Not relevant?! Not appreciated.

Do we need to move with the times? Absolutely! Do we need to do church exactly the same way all the mega-churches and other local churches in our community model? Absolutely not!

It’s time we reclaimed some of our uniqueness and embraced it for what it is. It’s time we stopped trying to be cool in the eyes of whatever the latest church fad is (and let’s face it they change every two minutes!) and start doing what it is that we’ve done so well for so many years… let’s take back our culture and make it relevant. For if we don’t,… we’re no better than the other Community Churches out there… but that’s for another day!

Who Are The People In Your Neighbourhood?

Have you ever done something not overly good for you and NOT QUITE learned your lesson from it? I mean you thought you learned your lesson, you thought you'd never be in that situation again, but sure enough...round it comes again, and you look back and say "OH...THAT was the lesson I was supposed to learn!!"

I'll explain more.

At the moment I'm doing my Pre-College Course for Salvation Army Officer Training next year. It's actually not a bad little course (STACKS of reading though!!) as it gets you to really look back on some situations that have happened in your life, that have shaped you into the person you are today, and reflect upon them.

It's come at a really timely stage for me (don't they always) as the very first reflection was about "way closing". In the exercise you are to think about times in your life that the "way" has closed for you, no matter how easy or painful it was, and what you learned from that about yourself.

For me, I immediately started to think of some of the stuff that's happened in the last 2 months, and how that has reflected back on some stuff that happened a couple of years ago. I remember being really down a few years back, and an incredibly wise woman of God saying to me "Sarah, I believe you are unhappy because you are not with your people!" We talked a little more about that, and I kind of understood what she meant (or so I thought). Essentially, I was working with some upper-working/middle-class Christians, and was trying to impart my love and passion for working with homeless, broken & marginalized people onto them. I was pouring all my efforts, somewhat fruitlessly at times, on trying to get THEM to see what an amazing gift it is when you can put aside what the world deems as success, and meet people who are in need of love & friendship right where they are at - as their equal, not as their "worker" or the likes. For some, they really got it, but I was so focussed on the few that didn't, that I was burning out fast!! So when I was told that I wasn't with "my people", I knew she was right.

It took a little while, but I ended up back working with homeless & marginalized people, and I was once again, happy and inspired. So inspired, I returned to working with The Salvation Army, again in an upper-working/middle class area, thinking that all my issues before would be different now because there are broken people in every community. And there are broken people in every community. But again, I started getting that inner-frustration that comes when you are trying and trying and trying to make things happen, and they're just not. I kept telling myself that it was all par for the course, and to "suck it up", and deal with it. But I was trying to fit a square peg (me) into a round hole (my job). I was trying to become the super-kids worker, the one that was able to do everything and who loves it all and is happy all the time. But deep inside, my heart was tugging me back to issues of justice, to being back with "my people".

This past two weeks, I've finally learned my lesson. The lesson is that I'm genuinely happier when I'm in a place where I'm meeting with people who are from all walks of life, but mostly, I'm at my happiest when I get to journey with people for whom life is really tough. I've started working at Bellerine Street, which is The Salvation Army's material aid centre in Geelong. I'm loving getting to know some of the people that come in, and I'm loving being able to chat with people and learn more about their journey, as well as sharing some of mine.

Last Sunday night, I went to Northside Salvos, and can I just tell you, I felt so... inspired afterwards. I had a great chat with a woman who was sharing how tough life has been for her, who has battled abuse and addiction for most of her precious life. We were chatting about the honesty of the streets, and how we constantly crave that genuine relationship, where people are upfront about their stuff. Where if they like you, you know it, and if they don't... you know it! We shared quite a bit that night, and it was great to be able just be in that space again.

Please don't get me wrong - when I talk about being with "my people" I'm not trying to own or patronize them in any way. I don't think I can fix them...if anything they fix me. It's genuinely easy for me to sit in the brokenness. Mostly, because I can't hide from my brokenness in the midst of it. Because when I sit with someone who's opening up their heart and life to me, warts and all, there is a beauty in the honesty. Because there is hope in the midst of hopelessness. But mainly, because I meet Jesus there. In the brokenness, in the pain, in the tears, but mostly, in the laughter and the joy that comes with genuine relationship. What a gift I get given each time.

Please don't read that I have any problem with people who struggle with living or ministering in the "marginalized" communities (man I wish there was a different word to use), or who believe their calling is to the middle class. I'm just simply saying that for me... when I read "the Word became flesh and blood moved into the neighbourhood"(John 1:14), I know that my neighbourhood is not the middle class.

I have learned my lesson - the people in my neighbourhood, the neighbourhood I want to live in - the neighbourhood I'm called to live in, created to live in - is filled with homeless people, beggars, abuse victims, the mentally ill, the hungry but mostly people who are broken and clinging to hope - just like me! :)

Father Abraham....

So... there's some big news, many of you would have heard by now, but I felt I should blog about so as to dispel any rumours that may arise.

Last Monday, I resigned from my position as the Youth & Children's worker at The Salvation Army Torquay. I did not do this in anger or hurt, but because I really felt that God was calling me on from there. This is a hard concept for many people to understand, but it was something I felt I had to do.

This is how it came about.

In Febuary, I felt called by God to be a Salvation Army Officer. More than that, I felt that I needed to go in 2009. For those who don't know, there is a long process you need to go through before you can go to Training College, there are assignments, forms, fundraising and about a million other little things that need to be done in your preparation. If I was planning to go to College in later years, I could have done all of these things at Torquay, however, as a church plant, who have limited team members, and a constant flow of events, programs and the likes, to get all this done, and be the person solely responsible for the development of Youth & Children's programs, I just couldn't do it in 10 months.

Also, things have been growing so rapidly over the past few months, new ministries and programs need to be established, but I don't feel it's fair to start new things, when someone else is going to be coming into my job in 6 months. So I started to feel as though, perhaps, now is a good time for someone to come in and take the ministry to the next level. That I've planted the foundations, but it was time to hand over and allow someone else to cultivate and harvest.

About 3 weeks before the Candidates weekend, I was feeling the pressure of trying to get things done, and how it was all going to happen. I spoke to a few of my mentors about it, and we were praying through options.

I went into Candidates Weekend unsure of what to do, or what God was requiring me to do. I still felt unsure right up until the Sunday morning when the Commissioner spoke and told this amazing story about the lessons a man learned from trying out the trapeze. It's kinda a long story but the shortened version is that he learned three lessons:
1. In order to get there (to the other side), you need to leave here (where you are standing).
2. You need to decide let go of your safety and security in order to get there. (changing from one swing to the other)
3. You don't have a lot of time to make the decision.

As he spoke, I just knew, God was saying "Sarah do you really trust me?" and of course you say "yes Lord", but that pesky God of ours asked again, and I had to admit that I don't trust God with every part of my life, only the small things. A friend confirmed that by asking whether I'd listened to what had just been said. Then I spoke to someone who's mentoring me a bit at the moment and she said "Yes I've felt that for a little while", and then finally, a good mate said to me "Sarah I feel as though God's asking me to remind you of Abraham and Isaac".

I knew what that meant. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to prove that he trusted God with every aspect of his life (in case you don't know the story - God comes through right at the last hour to stop the sacrifice!). I believe God is asking the same thing of me - sacrifice my comfort and security of a job, in order to show that I believe God when He says He will provide all my needs. It's a lesson I need to learn - that God will indeed take care of me if I hand my entire life over to Him.

So as painful as it was to tell the kids on Sunday, and as hard as it will be to say goodbye to the great friends I've made in Torquay, I need to do this, because it's what God is asking me to do.

God's already provided some interesting job options to explore. I don't know where they will lead right now, but they're there, and I'm trusting God's got the next step in store already!

So that's my story - I'm going to be an Abraham, and make a sacrifice for Him.

But I carry with me the love and good times I've had during my time at Torquay Salvos! I know I'll be a better officer because of it.

What's Your Flavour?

So I've just done this test for the second time. And no surprise, I've ended up being Emergent/PostModern. What does surprise me, is that even though I've been involved in more Pentecostal/Charismatic experiences, it still doesn't rate very high on my theological experience table.

I think that the Church needs all types of Spirituality. I really believe that. So whilst this Emergent/Postmodern attitude states that "You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well", I don't entirely agree with that. I do feel alienated from many forms of Church, but that's not necessarily just the older forms. Actually, if I had my choice of going to a High Anglican church or a Pentecostal Charismatic church, I would choose the High Anglican church any day of the week, and twice on Sundays. I think in our desire to be "more modern, more trendy", we've actually lost a lot of the sacred traditions which ground us.

I actually think that a lot of the more modern churches have "missed the mark" in relation to what the modern culture needs or wants. Take my tradition for example - The Salvation Army has lost many of the traditions which have made us who we are today. Over the Red Shield weekend, I was given the opportunity to chat with many older people for whom The Salvation Army was incredibly significant. One couple recounted the days when they would follow The Salvation Army's band and timbrels through the streets of Richmond, back to the church, and end with a "pie floater" together in community. They told me they miss hearing the band, and questioned whether the timbrels still exist. I told them that they do, not in a lot of corps, but in a few around the traps. Their comment "That's a shame, it's the most distinctive thing about the Army, it's what we loved about them". But people tell me all the time, "oh but it's not relevant anymore!"... isn't it? Really? Why then is the first question any of my not-yet-christian friends ask me "Wow, the Salvos, do you wear a uniform? Do you play in the band? Do you play the tamborine?" when I tell them that yes I wear uniform, my dad plays in the band and I do play the Timbrel - they don't tease me - THEY LOVE IT! They ask more questions, they want to know more. Still in this day and age, people connect with us on that level. So why do we run from it? Why don't we do Open Air meetings anymore? Because some other tradition told us it was no longer relevant?

I guess what makes me "emergent/postmodern" is that I truly believe that being in relationship with people - from all walks of life - from all faith traditions is not something to shy away from, but something to embrace and use to enrich our own faith experience. It is through our relationships and our dialogue with people that we can truly connect with Christ in the now, in the today, in the moment.

Perhaps the most "Emergent" idea I have - is that if The Salvation Army is to truly walk in it's calling and anointing from God... it needs to go back and look at what we did really well pre-1980's, and try and regain some of that, yes in a modern setting, but to get back and do it!! It's time! I'm over trying to be like the other churches, we're not a church, we're a movement... so let's move!

So what's your flavour? What is your theological perspective? But more importantly - how can you use that to enrich The Salvation Army or your local church?

What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 75% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 71% Neo orthodox 64% Modern Liberal 54% Classical Liberal 43% Roman Catholic 36% Charismatic/Pentecostal 32% Reformed Evangelical 29% Fundamentalist 25%

When I'm Old & Gray...

Over the past week, I've really stopped to think about how blessed we are to have older people in our lives. I've always really valued the older generation - my grandparents generation, for what they have to offer us, and for the service they have provided for many many years.

On Monday, I attended two funerals. The first was for a friend's grandfather. His name was Peter, and he was such an amazing God-fearing man. Peter attended our Community Dinners each month, and to be honest, although he was old, you would never have known it for his energy and passion he brought with him. Peter was not only an amazing God-fearing man, he was also a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. In a world where "real men" are hard to find, Peter modeled what a "real man" should be. I am better for knowing him. He will be greatly missed.

The other funeral was for a wonderful woman, Nan, from my parent's Corps - South Barwon. Nan was a faithful servant of God, and though she had lived a hard childhood, later in life, she became a humble servant at The Salvation Army South Barwon. Nan was one of the first people I spoke to at South Barwon, and always greeted me with a smile, and would hold my hands in hers as she spoke to me. She will be so greatly missed not just by me, but also by my mum and the Corps.

This week, I also got some pretty bad news about my grandfather. He's really not well at the moment. I've always been a bit of a Grandpa's girl, and was the only grandchild to ever work for him in his fruitshop. Our times together at the shop were not always fun, but they always started and ended with a kiss and a cuddle from Grandpa. That's the stuff I remember. Grandpa's really not well at the moment, and he probably will not be able to be operated on. It's so sad to see him this way. He's in a lot of pain, and the reality of "old age" has hit him physically - unfortunately for him, he's still young in his mind, so it frustrates him no end. On Wednesday, my sister, niece & I went to spend some time with Grandpa & Grandma, and boy did we have fun. I love hearing Grandpa's old stories. He told one in particular about my great-Grandfather which deserves a blog all of it's own.... so that's a to be continued... Suffice to say, I'm blessed to come from such a rich heritage of Salvationists & Salvation Army Officers, and that heritage has not only shaped who I am today, but also the type of Officer I hope to be.

So - what are we to do with our heritage? Will we continue it or will we change it for future generations? When I'm older, what stories will I tell my grandkids? What will I leave them that they'll tell their kids? I pray, that as I get older, I will draw on the experiences of those who have gone before me. I pray that I grow stronger in my faith, that I grow deeper in my love for God and for people. I'm going to lean on the promise of God that:



“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4

How about this week, you take the time to listen to a story from someone of the older generation? Let's start to draw on their experiences, and use them to help us grow.

To My Anon Friend...

I'd like to take a moment to thank the person, (I assume is the very same "Anon" who posted on my "Faith or Fear" blog), who sent me a package to work today warning me against the Jesus Christians.

I have read the information you both gave me and the website you posted, and I do appreciate your feedback and input. I would have preferred if you actually told me who you were, but I understand that perhaps you've had bad dealings with people in the past so probably don't want me to know who you are. If it is that you are a friend of mine and are concerned with how I would react if I knew it was you sending me this information, please know, I would have taken your guidance with much grace, love and appreciation.

I need to state that at no point am I promoting the Jesus Christians - I do not feel they are a movement people should necessarily get involved in - and they are certainly not a movement I'd care to get involved in. The point of the blog was not that we should all go out and join the Jesus Christians. For one thing, I don't actually like that they are not attached to a church - I believe that the only way to "fix" the Churches problems is from the inside, not the outside. I also do not support their donation of one of their kidneys to people on the waiting list as a way of true membership, or whatever their take on it is. My kidney will stay very much in place, unless one of two things happen - I die, and my organs are donated (my wish) or my mother may need it one day, in which case I will gladly hand it over.

The point of the blog was not at all about heading out and joining the Jesus Christians - or that they are a model I feel we should copy. Instead, I was commenting on two things:
1. How great it is to "break bread" with people from different faith beliefs and different theological backgrounds. That evening, there were many things we disagreed on, but the one thing we definately agreed on was that the world needs Jesus, and the message Jesus gives - a message of love, forgiveness, grace, and truth.
2. That spiritual warfare is happening everywhere, and that we have our choice - choose faith or choose fear. I'm still going to choose faith. I'm still not going to fear being "spiritually attacked" because I choose to sit with people of other faith backgrounds, or other socio economic backgrounds, or with mental illnesses or the likes - because I believe that I hold the light of Jesus in my heart and that the light will extinguish the darkness. I'm choosing faith. Every day.

So thank you for your concern. Thank you for taking the time to research and send me information. I'm assuming you're a Salvo since you sent it to my office and knew my job title, so I will say - I believe The Salvation Army is the only movement I'm going to ever want to be part of - fear not... I'm not going anywhere! :) I just enjoy meeting people from all over...and as far as I'm concerned, everyone is welcome at my house - regardless of their faith background! :)

Mother Mother...

So yesterday was Mothers Day... a day where you celebrate your Mum. I love that there is a day to celebrate everything that our Mothers do for us. And I'm really lucky, my Mum is a legend. She honestly is. She's one of the most beautiful women I know, and is so much more than my mum, she's my best friend and closest confidante. There's not a thing about me my Mum doesn't know, and she loves me anyway! :)

The only thing I think needs to be adjusted slightly (which is a concept interestingly, that my Mum introduced me to!), is that rather than just celebrating our earthly Mums, why don't we take time to celebrate our Spiritual Mothers. At South Barwon (and interestingly at every other Corps my parents have been in command of!) we celebrate 'Mothering Sunday', and church members are encouraged to not only celebrate their earthly mothers, but to take a moment to thank those women for whom take on an a "spiritual mother" role in our lives. I LOVE THAT CONCEPT.

I have some amazing women in my life, women who have taken the time to truly pour their time, their gifts and their love into my life. I am who I am because of these women. These are the women who will take me for coffee, have a laugh with me, pray for me, and be available for me when I need them. They open their hearts and their homes to me. Two of these women who instantly spring to mind - have never had their own children.

So, why not take a moment to thank the "spiritual" mothers in your life. The women who love you and support you and pray for you and are just "there" when you need them!?

I know I will be.

Something Beautiful

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to find people who truly speak words of truth into your life. I’ve got amazing friends, but sometimes it’s just really hard to not be the “strong” one or the “together” one, sometimes you just have to be broken, and not everyone can handle that, and nor should everyone.

Last night, I was sitting under the very very heavy burden of shame, and guilt, and condemnation, and pain, and the lies and words of death that had been sewn into my heart over the past few years. The thing is, I knew they were all lies, I knew what was going on, well it wasn’t of God basically. I knew that condemnation isn’t something God wants His children to feel, but I just couldn’t shake it. I didn’t have the strength to fight it on my own. I sent out a text message to some of my friends asking for prayer.

My housemate, my beautiful housemate Venita, who was supposed to be in Melbourne, wasn’t. She was home. And whilst I sat there in my brokenness, she spoke words of truth, and life into my heart. For every doubt I had about myself or what I had to offer this world, she had words of truth and love and grace and peace. Every time I said “I know but…” she would say “no, you’re this….”

Even throughout all the stuff going on for her, she sat there in my stuff right by my side. She sat there and was Jesus to me. She sat there and listened to all my junk, warts and all junk, and still loved me, even throughout all of that. We sat there bare, all our insecurities, all our vulnerabilities right there on the table, and you know what… there was no shame in sharing with her. There was only grace and love pouring out from her.

How I crave that sort of relationship. How I seek after it. How I seek to BE that sort of person to people – the person that, no matter what junk you put on the table, I’m right there speaking words of truth, and love and peace and grace. That’s what I’m praying for now…. Even in my brokenness and pain, that I might be the sort of person who is safe to be with, who speaks truth and love and life into your life.

It reminds me of that old chorus:

“Something beautiful, something good, all my confusion, He understood.
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife.
But He made something, beautiful of my life”

May that be true for each of us.

Faith or Fear?

Last night, we got home to find (in true Christian Community style!) that we would be joined for dinner by two guys from the "Jesus Christians" movement, Ross & Israel. What was going to be a rushed evening of a quick dinner followed by small group ended up being such an amazing night of "breaking bread" with fellow believers and a true edification of the spirit.

If you're interested, you should check out who the Jesus Christians are by visiting their website: I don't know a whole lot about who they are or what they do, except that they lead a nomadic life serving God in each community they find themselves in and that Ross (a fellow Melbournian) and Israel (from India)treated us to an evening of Christ-centred discussion, which of course, is what we all need more of! I love that even though we may not agree theologically, we can respect each other enough to stop and learn and share our journey. :)

So anyhow, further to what I wrote yesterday, I was able to speak with these guys about the whole "abuse of authority" pandemic in the church at the moment, and it was good to hear about a genuine community by which each person is accountable to each other. One of the things I didn't write yesterday, which we discussed at length last night - was the "Faith or Fear" mentality in the church, particularly in response to matters of Spiritual Warfare.

From my experience (and please note, I'm trying not to make broad statements here, merely speaking from my experience of church) there has been two different camps within the church - both of which I've been a part of. There is the justice camp - the one where we go out and be lights in the darkness that is trying to oppress people - or there is the heaven/hell fear camp. These are the people who fear the darkness, who blame spiritual warfare on all that is wrong with the world, and as a result hide away from other cultures, religions and "worldliness". Now, if you are in the justice camp - you have no way of denying there is evil in the world, that manifestations take place - you see them on almost a daily basis - the difference between that camp and the other - YOU DON'T FEAR IT! Someone once said to me "if you saw a true manifestation of a demon, you'd understand Sarah"... and you know what, I have... and I do understand... I understand that spiritual warfare is blatantly occurring in today's world. I get that, probably more than you realize. But I also know, that we fight the good fight, and we fight the battle that's already been won. I have FAITH that my God, my Jesus, is bigger than anything that the evil one can throw at me, and as a result I'm not scared of it. I don't fear "demons" or "evil" because I know that when the light comes into the darkness, the darkness flees.

For the life of me, I cannot understand Christians who fear the darkness. Who fear spiritual warfare, or who fear people from other faith traditions/other expressions of life or other cultures. I do not understand that fear that if you hang out with a friend who is into the New Age stuff, demons will attack you - because my God is bigger than that! I can't understand Christians who don't want to enter into conversations with Buddhists or Hindus out of fear that you may be attacked - because my God is bigger than that! If you, as a Christian, TRULY believe that Jesus is the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE, then why in goodness sake do you fear the darkness?!

So we were chatting about this and someone said "That's because Sarah, the church either preaches faith or fear... I choose faith, others choose fear". And I think that's it, I think I get it now... I choose faith not fear. You see, no matter what "manifestations" happen, no matter how bad the "evil" you are facing is, you have a choice - Faith that the God you serve is bigger than it and that you hold the light, or fear that the darkness will suck you in.

At the moment, I feel like I've had a real kick in the guts, I feel as though my armour is kinked and I'm battle weary - but I hold faith that the very worse that can happen in life is this:
1. Our reputation is left in tatters - in which case, God has a blank slate to start again with.... or
2. We die - in which case we spend the rest of our eternal life with Christ.

So if you are battle-weary like me... if you don't know how much longer you can stand... if you are struggling to stand...kneel with me. Let's be each others armour bearers. Let's take all our broken and kinked armour and share the load and burden together. Because if we have faith that we actually hold the truth, and that the light is within us...the darkness will be extinguished and we may feel like we've lost the battle but we will win the war.

Let's start choosing faith not fear.

Ouch - Sometimes Church Hurts

I’m growing in my concern at the abuse of power within the Church at the moment. I’m frequently and consistently seeing “leaders” exert control over their congregation, telling them how to worship, what to wear, what God is calling the individual to do and worse in some cases. I’d like to say this is happening in all the other churches, and not The Salvation Army, but sadly, there are corps that are just as bad as every other church. So, having experienced some level of control, and abuse of power, and now seeing it for what it is, I thought I’d share some insight into some warning bells I’ve learned to watch out for…

1. Your church leaders have a very clear vision for what the church is involved in, but you have a nagging feeling that they are more concerned with building their own kingdom, not genuinely turning people toward God’s Kingdom. How can you tell? Well if numbers and “stories” (as in something to use to prove what a good church you are) are more important to them than the pastoral care and spiritual development of their flock…there’s a problem. Naturally a healthy church is one that is constantly growing – but if the growth does not extend beyond conversion, and people start to drift away, chances are, you’re church is not healthy.

2. If you leave church on Sunday and you do not feel uplifted and ready to serve God in your every day life, then there is a problem. Naturally a good sermon challenges and convicts you, but if you feel condemned or burdened when you leave, then your church is failing in it’s calling to edify the spirit of the believers and encourage them to go out and serve God. Remember – Jesus calls us to come to Him when we are weak and burdened and He will give us rest. He says “Come to me all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear and the burden I give you is light” (Matt 11:28-30)

3. When your leaders start dictating to you (a) what you should or should not wear on a day to day basis (b) how you should spend your personal time (c) how much finance or time to you should give to the church and finally (d) who you should and should not be friends with or cutting out family members from your life. This is a really tough one because this is often pretty subtle, and it’s not necessarily easy to measure whether the leaders have overstepped their boundaries and spiritual responsibility. Obviously there are times when we need to be challenged on some of this stuff. If we are deliberately dressing provocatively (and by that I mean, that we purposely choose outfits to entice the opposite sex) to worship, that’s a problem. But that does come down to the motive. Also, we should spend time in fellowship with our church friends, but when that is constantly and consistently at the expense of spending time doing other things we enjoy, that’s a problem. Also, naturally we are called to tithe to “God’s storehouses”…that doesn’t necessarily mean YOUR church. I know many people who tithe over 10% to missions and to ministry projects all around the world… but if your church is insisting on over 10% of your money, you need to question why. Also, no person has the right to tell you who you should allow into your life and who you should not. If you are being told to cut people out of your life because they “don’t get the mission”, and if your church feels that they are more important than the family God gave you…we have problems here.

4. When you are told who to marry or who not to marry – or if you are told to leave your husband/wife by your church pastors – not on the grounds of physical/emotional/sexual abuse, but because he/she is not who the church deem fit for you to marry… I think this is self-explanatory.

5. Your church preaches hate/dislike/prejudice from the pulpit. Jesus came to love the unlovable. Jesus showed grace. Any preacher/pastor/leader who tells you that it’s okay to hate anyone from any other faith/race/sex or anything else, is not preaching the grace of Jesus. It’s really quite as simple as that. Love the sinner hate the sin. Jesus says though “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged” (Matthew 7:1-2) Let’s face it, there are some things that are really hard not to get judgemental about. I think I’m almost a woman of grace…I say almost because my grace is given freely to my friends and family who do not know Jesus, but I struggle at times to show grace towards judgemental Christians – which is just as bad as what they are doing. In fact, just last night I was talking to somebody quite dear to me about the Westboro Baptist Church (incidentally did anyone watch that documentary last night…man I just couldn’t believe half the stuff I heard!) and how “my grace just does not extend that far”…thankfully, God’s does. Showing grace does not mean you are okay with the sin. It just means that you believe that the convicting, is God’s job. We are merely called to love God and Love others (hey 2Love – what a great name for a youth department, eh Dave?! haha)

6. Naturally – physical abuse of any sort should not be tolerated… if your pastor or leader has physically harmed you – GET OUT!

7. They preach that your church is “better” than others or that “other churches don’t have what we have” or that “God blesses our church more than others”…dangerous dangerous ground. You begin to believe it, you get caught up in the vision, and at the end of the day – it’s just a lie. The Church is the bride of Christ – nobody should diss Christ’s bride…that includes the church down the road, the other denominations, and even other Corps or churches of the same denomination. We are all called to be different, each denomination/church/corps is called to be unique in it’s outworkings of service to God. No two churches should be the same. But just because my church offers this, and that church offers that doesn’t mean either of us is “better” or “more blessed” than the other one.

8. Finally – if you have started to feel that little gut feeling that things in your church or things with your leaders are “just not right” and you start to look elsewhere for another church…and you get challenged about leaving… or if you are called to go elsewhere for whatever reason (ministry/job/marriage etc), and your church do not want to release you… you’ve got big problems. People stepping into their calling, or people finding a place where they are going to better serve and connect with God, is something to celebrate, not control.

There are probably a million other warning signs, these are just the ones I’ve either experienced or have spoken to friends who have experienced…many of our stories, though from different denominations and churches… have had many common elements in the outworkings of the abuse of authority and control put down upon us. All of us have bought into the lie that we either did something to deserve this, or that we were just not Godly enough, or that we had bought about spiritual warfare upon the place, or worse still – that God will punish us for going against the church. We’ve all left feeling as though it was our fault. The flip side of that is that many of us remain in our churches (not me - I got the heck out of there the second someone helped open my eyes to the reality of my situation!) because we “don’t want to jump ship” or “don’t want to lose our friends or community” or “can’t change something from the outside”. And we continue to fall deeper and deeper into a spiral of lies and are stripped further of our worth.
No finally – I need to say that yes the bible does say to respect those for whom have been given spiritual authority…we are to respect our leaders. But that does not mean that we need to stay somewhere we are going to be damaged and abused.

Within the last 2 years, I have met so many of you out there, who just like me have been abused by your church, your pastors or your elders. It strips you of your worth and that my friends is not biblical. The church is supposed to edify and strengthen you – to equip you for ministry in the world. If your church is not doing that, you need to find a church that will before it’s too late and you lose your faith…and that my friends, breaks God’s heart.

Do you really believe....

So I've been thinking a lot lately about some stuff...and been sharing it with a couple of trusted friends.

So here's what I've been thinking.

I've been thinking it's time that Christians stopped using lingo such as "got saved" or "get them saved"...I've been thinking that we're already saved. We've been saved since the day that Jesus died on that cross. We're saved people. The world is saved. What we need to start seeing our job as is not "saving people" but turning them to the cross...introducing them to Jesus. Always Jesus. He did the saving. They're already saved. We just need them to acknowledge that. To really understand that Jesus loves them. That God loved them so very much that He knew the only way to save them from a life of death and destruction was to send His only Son to die so that they may live. We can't save them, we are not the Saviour...the real Saviour the one who actually died for them...did that thousands of years ago. He came to earth and died for THE WORLD, not just for Christians, but for the whole world, then, in the past, in the future and of course now. So we need to shift our thinking a bit on what our purpose in life is... I think our purpose is not to "get them saved" but to turn them to Jesus so HE can show them they've been saved so that they may live both eternally and in the here and now!!

I've been thinking that Christians need to stop being so freaking arrogant all the time. You know what I mean, this goes for me as much as it goes for anyone else... We act as though we're better than everyone else, and it's not the truth. You see, my dear friend Ann spoke at the Forge Gathering, about how at the foot of the cross, we're all equal. And for the first time, I realize that yes, that's what I believe. That even though I acknowledge that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour, it doesn't make me any better than the person next to me who doesn't acknowledge that. It also doesn't make us any better than the homeless person, the drug addict, the prostitute or even the muslim. Because at the foot of the cross, we are all equal. Jesus died for all of us. When we start at that point, the point of sheer undeserved grace - it makes the whole task of evangelism very easy... because you stop judging people for what is wrong in their lives, and start from a point of grace - the point at which Jesus always always started from. Our arrogance doesn't help us, it hinders the cause...that is showing what an amazingly gracious and loving God we serve. Plus, you'll also miss out on the chance of learning something about yourself and your own faith... so many times the people I was trying to "help" or "serve" ended up helping and serving me more than I could ever imagine. I'm no better than anybody else... we are all created in the image of our God, and have all fallen short...at the foot of the cross we're all equal.

Finally, I've been thinking that it's really hard to find people who want to see the best in you...who see you for who you are, and who love that person. Just as you are, not how they want you to be. You see, I have a few people like that - they are more precious to me than any jewel I could ever own. They don't even know it - though I hope that they know that I love them and they're important to me. They probably have no idea that every time we speak, my soul and spirit is edified by them. I met a new friend like that last week. He's been such a blessing to me, and he has no idea. I hope that I can too, be that to some of my friends. That I'm the sort of person who looks at your heart and loves you for who you are. I want to strive to love you for who you are and who you can be...not who you try to be and who I want you to be. I'm seeking heart connections not shifting and changing fair-weather friendships.

So that's where my head is at currently - yes it's confusing and all over the place - I can't help it - as the Collingwood crew would playfully tease - I am a Four after all (check out the eneagram, you'll get it then). It's filled with melancholy and hope. It's filled with lack of belief in self but total belief in a Christ who believes in me... and finally.... It's ever broken but always hopeful.

What Would Ghandi Do?

I've been reading over my notes from the Forge Conference, and in particular thinking a lot about Deb Hirsch's session on The Beatitudes.

One line really struck me, and has been forcing me to look at my own life and actions. She said "Many people argue that the world's most dedicated Christian was a Hindu!" in relation to Ghandi meditating on the life of Jesus, and in particular the Beatitudes.

The world's most dedicated Christian was a Hindu... ouch! But my question is, does that hurt because in actual fact it's true? If a Christian is a Follower of Christ - then Ghandi certianly did that...he followed Christ's teaching to the letter. The only difference between him and a "Christian" is that from my understanding, he did not see Jesus as the Messiah or the Son of God.

Ghandi took the teachings of Jesus, and became one of the world's most talked about peace-makers. He allowed the Beatitudes to really infect his life and made the changes necessary in his own life that literally allowed him to change the world.

So what if Christians did this? What if all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus, actually let ourselves change as a result of the teachings of Jesus. What if we looked at the Beatitudes, and actually allowed it to change the way we lived our lives.

Jesus says in Luke 6:20-22:
Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said "God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh. What blessings await you when people hate and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens, be happy! Yes leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way."

This entire passage was counter-cultural at the time. You see back in bible times, you were considered blessed by God if you were well fed, wealthy and respected... sound familiar? Deb argued that Jesus knew that "there is something in the freedom & the simplifying of life that is beautiful and blessed".

That's what Ghandi realized. Ghandi realized that he was blessed when he was poor, and hungry and saddened and mocked. Because he wasn't bound by the chains of society, because he wasn't bound by wanting to be rich, powerful, and liked, he was able to start a movement that changed the world.

I wonder - did the Founders of The Salvation Army realize the same simple truth? Did William & Catherine Booth have that inner wisdom that told them that there is freedom to be found in the poor. That we actually "need the poor to show us our own poverty" as Deb put it. Perhaps they understood this. Perhaps they were driven by the stories of love, grace and forgiveness found when you work with the poor. Perhaps whilst working with the poor they, like so many of us, have found Jesus looking back at us when we're clothing and feeding and loving what society deems as "unworthy" or "unlovable" or "cursed".

I'll leave you with one last quote of Deb's to mill over:

"The Beatitudes challenge us to the core of our being - full of challenge, beauty and danger for the way we live our life." - Deb Hirsch

Pastor or CEO?

This is the question I've been forced to ask myself in the lead up to the Forge Gathering and Salvo Youth Workers Conference. I've been asking myself, because I've been given two books to read: Andy Stanley's "7 Practices of Effective Ministry" and John Maxwell's "21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership". Both of them are supposedly meant to help us become better at what we do - better at ministry - better at strategic planning and the likes. I'd like to say I've finished them both already, but the truth is I'm really struggling to get through them!

My problem is, if I was a CEO, I would gain a lot of knowledge from these books. They have great BUSINESS tools to share with us. But I'm sick to the back teeth of shallow consumer driven, numbers focussed teaching! It's almost like a large chunk of the Christian world is trying to make the Church more like the Business world, instead of making the Business world more like the Church!!!

Dave Collinson blogged (See the Captain Collo blog link), about a session he went to at the Forge Gathering called "The Cult Of Leadership", I highly recommend you checking it out. You see we are trying so hard to become great leaders, that we're neglecting to follow the example of Jesus... and what form of leadership did Jesus impart?

"Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He ahd come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took of His robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to was the disciples feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him." (John 13:2-5)

"After washing their feet, He put on His robe again and sat down and asked, 'Do you not understand what I was doing? You call me Lord and Teacher, and you are right because that's what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you ought to wash other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.'" (John 13:12-17)

So to be a disciple of Jesus, we need to care less about our position in the church, less about the consumer-driven attitude of life, and more about serving others, loving others, and doing to others that which Christ has done for us... that's what makes a Pastor. All the other things? They're simply worldly advice to make us better CEO's...and I don't know about you... But I'd rather be a Pastor!

Forging Relationships

Like what I did there?! Most of you have no idea what the title of this would actually mean - unless we just spent the weekend together - at The Salvation Army Southern Territory's Youth Workers Conference which involved attending the FORGE gathering "Grassroots".

Something struck me over this weekend - the value of forging relationships that strengthen you as a person, a youth worker and as a person in ministry.

I don't think we often think enough about the people that can support us and love us in our ministry positions, and as people. And that struck me massively over the weekend. I promise I'm going to write more about the conference itself in the coming days, I'm just letting the teaching "sit" within my heart and mind and soul at the moment before I comment on what I believe because of it.

But I want to share a unique moment I had with a dear friend and mentor figure in my life. You see, I went to thank her for her teaching that morning, as she was seriously brilliant, and in five minutes, she tore down the things that were holding me back, named them, had me in tears, encouraged me and urged me forward. In five minutes, she was able to do for me that which people have tried for years. She said something along the lines of this:

"Sarah, STOP IT... STOP IT NOW. You constantly let people, generally in positions of perceived power, silence your voice. You have to STOP it! (this was the bit I started to cry in) You have a very strong calling on your life, and a very clear and important message to give. You have a strong conviction, anointing and message of Grace, but you stop yourself from speaking out when you know you should because you think people won't like you. Who cares? STOP IT! Be who you are called to be. Who you are called to be is a powerful woman." She then went on to remind me that next year I'm going to Training College, and people are going to box me in, and try to make me who they want to be, again, people in perceived positions of power, again she said "STOP IT! Give your message, your God appointed message". She told me that many people with similar convictions as mine, are insulted and put down and people try to silence them. They speak anyway. Then she said something that blew my mind, she said "You have no idea how many people pray for you and support you".

She said a bunch of other stuff, that was more pointed, but is not fair to write as it would be too telling of the people involved in the situations, so I'm not going to write it, but what I've been thinking about and trying to work through ever since - is how do you STOP IT? How do you stop letting people in perceived positions of power (whether they be family, friends, workmates, congregation members, teachers, pastors, or whoever) silence you? How do you stop that? I mean, if you fight them, you usually make things worse (well in my particular experience I think it makes it worse) and you certainly create tension. So when you're someone who is a peace-maker, a grace-lover and a justice fighter all at the same time, how do you stop the silencing but still keep the peace.

Which is wehre I guess the "people who pray and support you" come in huh? But how do you find those people?

These are the answers I've come up with so far:
1. You pray that God would give you the strength to speak when you need to and the wisdom to know when to remain silent.
2. Within your spirit you don't give the people who try to silence you permission to speak into your life. You don't change how you relate to them, you don't tell them, but in your heart and mind you say to yourself "I don't give XXXXX permimssion to speak into my life, I don't receive what they're saying"
3. You find people who are wise, loving and full of grace to surround you - if not in location, then certianly in prayer and via facebook/email/phone etc., and you remain in an HONEST relationship with these people - sharing with them your hopes and fears and taking on board their constructive criticism and receiving their prayers.

That's where I've got to so far, hopefully others will have more advice.

What I took from this weekend? That I have some amazing friends, mentors and peer mentors in my life. That The Salvation Army has some of the most phenomenal youth workers, filled with strong conviction and a clear passion and calling to serving God and the youth of this Territory. That these people (men & women) have so much to offer - me, the youth in their Corps (churches), The Salvation Army and most importantly God!

I met some awesome people over the weekend and got to reconnect with some of my oldest and dearest friends. Together, I'm hoping we can figure out the WHERE TO NOW? questions together...

Easter was a happy time!

So I've been doing some thinking about Easter. Most of you know I went away to the Western Victoria Easter Camp. It was honestly, one of the best Easter Camps I've ever been on - and for all you old Melbourne Central crew - it was reminicent of the earlier days at Easter Camp - you know good friends, great fun, awesome speakers, good worship, yummy food and just all-round the best experience you can have!?! It was just like that.

Captains Danielle Strickland & Steven Court were our guest speakers. They took us through some amazing activities that really opened our eyes to a whole other Easter Journey, particularly on Good Friday. Good Friday is traditionally a time where we focus on the pain and suffering Jesus went through in order to save us of our sins. I've always felt like I'm supposed to feel REALLY bad about what a horrible person I am on Good Friday. The problem is, two years ago, that changed for me. Good Friday was the day I went back to church after 5 months away. It was the day I recommitted my life to God. And it was the time I received a lot of healing for stuff that had really damaged me. So I've always wanted to celebrate Good Friday, not feel bad about it!!

So on Good Friday, we carried a cross up a big hill (literally!!) and up on that hill, Steve & Danielle encouraged us to nail the things we hold onto right there on that cross, and walk down the hill leaving it behind. They talked about the point of the cross not being the death and darkness and pain and suffering but the immense love felt for us by our Creator God and our loving Saviour. The point of the cross was not for us to feel bad, but for us to feel thankful that we are LOVED beyond measure. What a gift!! What a thing to celebrate!!! So we celebrated, we had lots of fun, we went on a farm tour (all 30 of us piled into a huge cage, lots of fun!), we laughed, we ate good food (beef - on Good Friday - controversial!!) and we remembered that we were loved, and that Easter is a celebration. Not only that Jesus brought us into a personal relationship with Him, but also because He conquered death!

Easter is a happy time - we should remember that. We shouldn't feel down about ourselves or focus on the suffering - the suffering was a way to show JUST HOW MUCH YOU ARE LOVED...and that you are UN4SAKEN!

Well - I'm off to the Youth Workers Conference & Forge now! Clearly going to have a lot to write next week!

Blessings to all!

In all honesty, are you a Pharisee?

So it's leading up to Easter at the moment (obiously), and Easter is a really important time for me - because it's when I rededicated my life to Christ three years ago. Now granted, I wasn't away from Jesus long... He has this habit of not leaving you alone! But I did blame Him for the spiritual abuse I experienced - which is silly because frankly, it wasn't His fault and grieved Him just as much as it grieved me! But I digress...

I've been thinking about Easter, an in particular Lent. Our Self-Denial appeal has fallen at the same time as Lent this year, and so as a church we've been encouraging people to give the money they save from what they give up to The Salvation Army's work in developing countries. Now I'm a big fan of the Self-Denial appeal - or more likely what it was once called - OWSMS (One Week Salary on Missionary Sunday) - as I believe that for the average-church-goer, it's a good opportunity to force them to think about the third world. I love that.

Personally, I don't actually give One Week's Salary on Missionary Sunday - instead, I give money throughout the year to various devleoping country projects. For me, I find this works - and means that I end up giving more than I would at OWSMS... this will probably change as I marry and have children, but while I am single, it means that I "deny" myself throughout the year, and remain focussed outside of my own little bubble.

I guess my biggest gripe at the moment, is people who give the money for Self Denial, and think that's it. That they've done their good deed for the year, and that is that, they are a good Christian. The rest of the year, they can ignore the needs of the poor and broken, because they've given their weeks salary and so the poor and the broken are looked after. Now as I said - I love the Self-Denial appeal, and honestly believe that it does serve a wonderful purpose in forcing people to look at their privaleged lives. My problem actually lies when these people look at their privaleged lives, make their donations, and then get into their nice cars, drive to their nice homes, and buy their $2000 Prada handbag. Now there is nothing wrong with having nice things. That's not what I'm saying. But do we really NEED $2000 handbags? Do we really NEED $100 shoes? Or diamonds? Or the best stereo or ipod or gameboy or the rest? And do we actually believe that when we have all those things, God is impressed with our one weeks salary on missionary Sunday?

Perhaps rather than looking at comparing ourselves to the Disciples - we should start comparing ourselves to the Pharisees? Ouch right? Harsh huh? But is it a little bit fair? I mean, they genuinely thought they were Holy and Religious people, but Jesus came and tried to turn that thinking upside down. Those disciples - they gave up EVERYTHING to follow Jesus - ALL their worldly goods, their homes, their families, their friends, their jobs. But the Pharisees lived a seemingly religious lives - absolutely giving their 10%. Perhaps giving more. But their lives did not reflect a life of servanthood and sacrifice. I admit - there are times in my life that I am a Pharisee, not a disciple. But I want to change that. I don't want to be a Pharisee. I want my heart to break for that which God's heart breaks. And the reality is, God's heart - it breaks for injustice.

Isaiah 58 is one of my favourite passages in the Bible. I love The Message Translation of it (though the New Living and NIV are also good) where it says:

1-3 "Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what's wrong with their lives,
face my family Jacob with their sins!
They're busy, busy, busy at worship,
and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they're a nation of right-living people—
law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, 'What's the right thing to do?'
and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
'Why do we fast and you don't look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves and you don't even notice?'

3-5"Well, here's why:
"The bottom line on your 'fast days' is profit.
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
won't get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I'm after:
a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, God, would like?

6-9"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'


I believe that when we, The Salvation Army, get it right again - when we have an Army FILLED TO THE BRIM of Justice fighters, of people who understand the Upside-down Kingdom - then we will see revival, breakthough and churches bursting at the seams. But until we get that right, we'll continue to struggle along - constantly trying the latest fads but not actually seeing all that much eternal growth.

So my question to you - Do you want to be a Disciple or a Pharisee?