Friday, June 25, 2010

moderate degrees of talent

Catherine Booth wrote to her husband, "Nothing can hinder a holy person from bringing forth fruit unto God. If my dear, you are altogether giving up to God, you cannot but be a soul saving minister. Holiness with a moderate degree of talent will produce far greater results than great talents without holiness..."

This is a great reminder in a western culture that struggles for 'qualitifications' and clammers after degrees and need ego boosting titles and positions... the truth is that you don't have to be a rocket scientist or even extraordinary in any venture - if you are filled with Holy Spirit - you will do His will and work in His power and see God's kingdom come.

This is a real struggle. To resist the urge to make it happen ourselves. The Psalmist suggests that unless the Lord builds the house we labour in vain... this is along these lines. God's work must be done with God's power. Holiness is the power of God at work within us and then coming out of us.

I'm praying for a holiness revival.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Time To Be Holy

I'm at the International College for Officers - a Salvation Army global training centre for leaders around the world. Under the direction of the Munns (legends and heroes) and a great team - there is a first ever youth focused spiritual development strategic time of holiness teaching and experience... it's going to be amazing.
If you can, please pray for us and with us that God would awaken The Salvation Army to be even more alert to what the Spirit is doing in us and through us to bring His Kingdom come.

Friday, June 11, 2010

the gospel truth for the religious and not so religious


I had an interesting conversation this week about religious language and the presentation of the gospel. The gospel is simply the good news that it's not too late for our hearts to be awakened from the deep sleep that we entered when we bought the lie that evil gave us. We are cursed. We are broken and bent towards wrong. We are deeply twisted and death lurks in us. So what can we do? We can allow the God of angel armies to enter into our lives and beat wickedness with love and awaken us to Life and give the death in us a final kick until life itself pulses through our veins and we can't help but cry out 'yeah God'! We can awaken, not just to be awake - but to be fully alive... in living colour for the purpose we were born for.. to spread the good news that Jesus lives and to help awaken others - to live a meaningful life bent on good, sold out to life, and full of love. This is the good news.
Others might say that God sent Jesus to save us from sin and hell. Repent and believe. Turn from your sins and follow Jesus. Whichever way you want to say it the gospel remains - Truth and Life. I'm going to be shouting this good news from centre stage at the State Youth Games in Victoria, Australia this weekend. My last weekend down under will be full of the proclamation of the gospel. This death defiant act will not be my last - I plan to shout the good news until my breath runs dry...

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Packing and Pilgrimage


When you pack you are constantly reminded of the stuff you carry that you don't really need.
It's amazing. There is also another thing: when you have finally cleaned house - really, taken out the trash and the thrift store stuff and the things you were meant to return a long time ago - it feels better. Then I wonder why I didn't just live like that?!
Obviously the spiritual is the same. Why do we carry so many things around... burdens, fears, bitterness - when it would feel so much better to throw those out.. and the other things... old spiritual things, habits, tools, bibles and the like - why don't we pass those on to people who could use them? and then the things we should be returning to God - our gifts, our time, our hearts our minds, our attention... it just feels better to live like that.
I've been doing some thinking about simplicity recently... there is much to be said about simplicity when you are moving!! ;-)
The Psalmist suggest that I'm blessed because my heart is set on pilgrimage. I'm following God. Jesus said when you go don't take much with you - I'm trying to follow His advice... although very hard in todays world. Onward.

Monday, June 7, 2010

remembering

"The time is ripe for looking back over the day, the week, the year, and trying to figure out where we have come from and where we are going to, for sifting through the things we have done and the things we have left undone for a clue to who we are and who, for better or worse, we are becoming. But again and again we avoid the long thoughts….We cling to the present out of wariness of the past. And why not, after all? We get confused. We need such escape as we can find. But there is a deeper need yet, I think, and that is the need—not all the time, surely, but from time to time—to enter that still room within us all where the past lives on as a part of the present, where the dead are alive again, where we are most alive ourselves to turnings and to where our journeys have brought us. The name of the room is Remember—the room where with patience, with charity, with quietness of heart, we remember consciously to remember the lives we have lived." Frederick Buechner (A Room Called Remember: Uncollected Pieces)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls - Trailer 1

World CUP

The group Exodus Cry has created a 31 day prayer guide for the World Cup
(being held in South Africa this year). Follow this link to view the prayer
guide:

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

I'm sorry.

I'm learning more and more about the essentials of free speech lately. 
I've been part of speaking tour called Sex On Demand (and pretty busy - which is why I haven't blogged lately - sorry!)... none the less the speaking tour has been with a guy named Victor Malarek who has recently written a book called 'The John's: sex for sale and the men who buy it'. 
Victor is very passionate about trying to limit and indeed shut down the sex industry - the people who profit from women 'for sale'. Victor points out the reality - when you legitimize the commodification of women's bodies you perpetuate the growing evil of the global sex trade and contribute to inequality.

Thankfully this is supported by The Salvation Army Internationally (see the positional statement on human trafficking which suggests that we combat both the commodification of women - the sex industry. AND the demand for sex - men who buy it). 

Apparently the 'sex industry' was insulted by the advertisement for the speaking tour. I've attached it here for you to have a look at. The reality is that when you make women's bodies commodities, no matter how you 'dress it up' it is degrading. 
It's not the poster you should be offended with - it's the reality

So, to the sex industry I say that I am deeply sorry. I'm sorry for the hundreds of thousands of women and children that are exploited into sexual servitude EVERY YEAR - I'm sorry for the equality of women being hijacked and set aside by people who desire money over freedom. I'm sorry for the future generations that grow up believing that subjugation and humiliation are 'empowerment'. I'm sorry that I've been quiet for this long and I'm sorry that I haven't offended you more often. I'm sorry that I've been apathetic and indifferent to the plight of women stuck in the grinding poverty and the gradual death of their bodies and souls as a result of this prostitution. 

Not only am I sorry - but I'm repentant. I'm going to change my ways. I'm going to speak up more. I'm going to remind society of the costs to real women with real names and real lives who live as virtual prisoners to men who demand sex and use their economic power to get it - at great costs. I'm going to remind myself of the names and faces of women and children who suffer the real pain of sexual servitude... the young 12 year old girl in Tasmania who was raped by over 100 men - pimped out by her own mother... the 14 year old boys charged with gang rape as they re-inacted what they watched the 'sex industry' pump out as 'normal behaviour' on the internet... the young girls lured into prostitution from TV shows that glamorize the life of prostitutes and LIE to bolster their industry at the expense of the innocence of girls and the health of society. 

So, let it be known. I'm sorry. And I've changed my ways. I determine to stand up, speak up, and fight for a society that protects it's most vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens. I determine to protect and serve women and children who have been exploited from economically poor conditions to sexual slavery in Australia (they say this is a better life!). I determine to set my sights on a day where Australia and the rest of the world will believe deep within their hearts that women and children ARE NOT FOR SALE. Where men are held accountable for violence against women - ALL women. And where little children are taught the value and dignity of every human being!