The glory Days

Remember the Early days, You know when the Booths were still alive? The Salvation Army was still a force for salvation before we sold our soul... For money, respectability, and power?

I have been challenged recently about the dangers of romanticising our past. Author/pastor Mark Driscoll argues in his book "Radical Reformission" that:

"Most Christians and churches prefer the past to the present or the future, because the past is over, while the present and future still require a lot of work. A naive romanticism in each of us desperately wants to believe there was a time after Genesis 2 when the world was a wonderful places to live, when things were better and easier than they are today. This powerful delusion enables us to excuse our laziness and failure to be about reformission because of the difficult days we live in. No wonder denominations and theological traditions continually speak more of days past when their movement began than of the present days that are upon them than of the future days into which they are moving." ~Mark Driscoll~

Our movement doesn't Romanticize our past? <----thinly veiled sarcasm

The Question we should be asking is not, how do we get back to our Glory days? or how do we become the army we once were. But How do we become the fighting force God has raised up for 'such a time as this'? By asking this question we can draw we can draw strength from our past with out getting stuck in it.

Our Last Annual Dinner In your current appointment promised to be interesting one way or another. There were several questions and in my mind and key events to take place which made the usually butterflies going into the evening intensified:

• How would the community respond to my transfer?
• was it a good idea to go with this outside MC (Denise Richardson)
• how would our new Beginner band do?
• would we make a lot of money?

My Biggest question is always: can we tell the story of the Salvation Army in a way that will be both exciting and uncompromising in other words can we get the community to give us their money with out selling our soul and perhaps... in the process steal a few hearts for the Kingdom

The dinner is over (one more in a series of final events in this chapter of our ministry) and all i can say is WOW!


Where do i begin... I know it is a Civic dinner and the purpose is to 'sell' the community on the merits and value of the Salvation Army's program but... there were at least 3 points where I was tempted to to walk up to the mic and give an Alter Call!

Our MC, Denise Richardson (news woman from both USA Today, and the Today show) actually lectured those in attendance about the "S" on a Salvation Army Uniform and told everyone that they should attend a Salvation Army worship service "just to see what it's all about" WOW


Our Successors Major's Lauren and John Hodgson (Corps officer and Kroc administrator respectively) were present giving me the opportunity to actually walk Major Lauren around and introduce her to some of the people who work closely with the corps and introduce major John to key leaders in the community.


Our Kid's were fantastic hearing them play "Muffins Rhapsody" assisted by an ensemble of experienced musicians actually brought me to tears. Words can't describe the feelings an officer/pastors develops for His or her corps/church children. Then our shining stars 11 year old Girls played "Oh how he loves you and me" were nothing short of amazing. After just Nine months of playing they were able to get up and play music that would soften the hearts of men and women. WOW


We made money. Development is still working out some of the details but we cleared between $25,000 - $30,000. Not bad for a dinner that was breaking even 4 years ago. WOW

God is Good. WOW

Lame Duck Preaching

In the Salvation Army an officer (Pastor/evangelist) receives a phone call letting them know that they have been given a new appointment and from the date of that phone cal the officer has approx. 6 weeks in most cases to get their house in order (both literally and fugitively). This come out of the rapid growth of the early Salvation army and the need for a high level of mobility among all of its leaders.

Well my wife and I are under "Farewell orders". We are 2 weeks into that short transition time. And while we have received our 'marching orders' once before that was a special circumstance where were merging two congregations and so we didn't have to leave our charges, we took them with us.

I have found one of the biggest thing this period has effected for me is my preaching. Much like a president facing the inevitable end of his term I have realized I have precious little time in this place with these people. I have also realized that i have nothing to lose.
Yesterday I found myself Preaching with complete abandon calling the body to Holiness with a new passion and urgency. It is special because i can now recognize leaders weather on the verge of a new appointment, retirement or and some cases even impending death who seemed to be infused with a supernatural energy in there preaching and leadership it is during those times that I was impacted by many of them.

God is Good and this Journey he has us on is an amazing ride!!! not always easy but what a rush.