Reinforcements and cold hard cash!

Last Sunday at Dartford we enrolled a new Junior Soldier (John Machan our first male JS for 12 years!) and commissioned 9 Junior Musicians. Reinforcements in the great Salvation war - hallelujah.

Normally the Corps has 3 War Cry stands a week (hopefully rising soonto 4) 2 of these stands I do on my own and the other is shared with a soldier at the Corps. This week due to circumstances beyond my control we had to cancel 1 of these.

These stands deliver 4 main benefits to the Corps:

• They are an opportunity for evangelism
• They make the Army visible
• They povide me with 7 hours of static 'prayer walking' (how about that for a classic oxymoron!)
• They raise money for our growing community relief programme.

Cancelling 1 stand left us down about £100 for the week. Lo and behold a man walked into the hall this morning and donated £200 - so we're now £100 up! God is good - Hallelujah.

"No retreating, hell defeating..."

Love and prayers

A

Could do better!

Three quarters of a year at Dartford and things have gone well. However, there is a deep and disturbing dissatisfaction in my heart.

If I’d been appointed here in 1887 instead of 2007 then my nine months here would have been considered a failure – Railton would have sacked me for sure! Where are the new converts, recruits and soldiers? Whe re is the revival?

People have been saved, the Corps has grown, finances have been stabilised, property has been improved, the programme tweaked and good relationships with the lost established – But is my commitment and passion really worthy of Christ’s suffering and death?

It is too easy to judge our achievements by those around us, to measure our performance against the achievements of the contemporary church, but when we set the benchmark as Acts 2 or Whitechapel 1880 our efforts receive their proper score!

I’m quite sure that Dartford has not been disappointed with their new Officers and I’m also confident that the other church leaders in the town are pleased with the new Army incumbents, maybe even those on the edge of society might be prepared (in an odd sober moment) to express gratitude for our arrival. But beyond the expectations of others how do I personally assess my performance since last July?

I’d probably give myself 2 out of 10. Why such a miserly score? The reason is that God looks on the heart and not on the outer man. I’ve certainly worked hard and put in some long hours but my heart still backs away from the ultimate location that God is trying to take it.

Last week at our Divisional Children’s camp the kids were asked to put the following things in order of importance: TV, family, God, Church, bible, prayer, football, leisure time, friends and money. Now if I was going to look at the last nine months and do that exercise honestly then the outcome is shown below. I’ve worked this out on the basis of the time committed to them and the passion that they generate within me (I’m discounting the time I spend working as an Officer because that’s my job):

Football, Family, TV, Prayer, Bible, Friends, Leisure Time, Money, God.

Now some might say that I’m being a bit harsh on myself, but how can I really put God anywhere other than last if I consistently disobey him? God is leading me (or trying to lead me) further along the path of holiness but I am struggling to follow him. If I were happy with a compromised contemporary understanding of holiness and if I were happy to compare my achievements with those around me then perhaps I’d be comfortable putting God first.

I read the following this morning in my personal devotions:

“The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him. And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honour high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.” (Deuteronomy 26:16-19)

It’s all about covenant – if I keep my part of my covenant then God can do “abundantly more than all I could ever ask for or even imagine” if I don’t then things stay as they are.

I wish I’d been born 150 years ago because then I’d be getting this kind of message three times a week and my spiritual ambitions would be considered normal.

Is this not the personal holiness we need to reclaim if we are to be truly effective again?

Love and prayers

A

The joy of collecting

I love collecting – dare I say I find it almost as fulfilling as leading somone to Christ!

The following points aren’t all applicable to Annual Appeal but they are all applicable to local collecting, street stands, pubs etc (which is what I’m really talking about). The points are not in any order of importance.

• Collecting allows me to exercise my responsibility to make my Corps financially self-sufficient. Being on mission support is a little bit like owing your Mother money – if you ring her up and say we’ve bought some new curtains she wants to know why she’s not been paid back first. Financial self-sufficiency gives freedom.


• Also, if my Corps becomes financially self-sufficient I am releasing funds to help other Corps in need of money.


• Collecting takes me into the real world – where I should be. When I collect I am vulnerable, often the subject of abuse (and sometimes praise and thanks). Either way it keeps me on my toes.


• Collecting is evangelism (sometimes verbal evangelism – always presence evangelism). The uniform declares that ‘Mr/Mrs Salvation Army’ is around. (I learnt this from my great friend Alan, who at Ripon, and then North Allerton (and now undoubtedly at Pill) was instantly recognisable to so many in his community as the Salvation Army Officer.


• Collecting gives me a chance to pray – it’s a bit like standing still prayer-walking. I can target certain places and individuals with my prayers. I can pray generally for the Corps and its mission.


• Collecting gives me chance to pay back both God and The Salvation Army for the undeserved generosity they have shown me.


• As a Corps Officer I have some considerable control over how the money I collect is spent and therefore I don’t need to feel guilty that I am collecting under false pretences.

Sometimes I think that if we returned to the principle that we don’t get paid if we don’t raise enough money I think we might prosper more.

The ‘burden’ of fund raising doesn’t distract me from mission it is an integral part of it – hallelujah!

Love and prayers

Andrew

Collecting ditty :-)

This week I have been collecting and collecting and collecting…
To ease the burden I made up the following ditty (to be sung under my breath as I collect)

By the way, the tune is Rachie…

In the name of Jesus I now bind up greed
In the name of Jesus selfish hearts are freed.
In the name of Jesus think less of your self
And in gen-er-os-it-y please share your wealth!
In the name of Jesus pause upon your way,
Put some money in my box today I pray.

Yet much more than money I am hoping for
In the name of Jesus there is much in store.
I can share salvation if you dare believe
Health and hope and hap-pin-ess you can receive.
In the name of Jesus pause along your way
Seek and take salvation – oh be saved today!

Love and prayers

A