A Lifestyle of Peace

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Nehemiah the Prayer Warrior & Servant Leader

Nehemiah was a creative, humble, and strong leader during the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The nation of Israel had been annihilated by it's enemies, taken to Babylon, and for years, the city lay empty. But at least they had returned home. And Nehemiah took on leadership to help rebuild the walls of the city.

The process that Nehemiah undertook was quite telling. He heard about Jerusalem and how the walls and gates of Jerusalem had been burned and destroyed. Nehemiah then entered a process that must’ve been ordained and guided by God. Nehemiah wept bitterly. He cried over these facts. And he mourned. Then we see that Nehemiah fasted and prayed, and fasted and prayed for several days. Nehemiah brought this affair before the Lord through his diligence in mourning, weeping, fasting, and praying. This was a declaration from Nehemiah that he cared and wanted to converse with God on the events transpiring.

Nehemiah prayed to God saying: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.”

The heartfelt and sorrowful prayer continued, but no response is given by God that is depicted in words. Nehemiah seems to have asked God to give him favor before the king, and by this then, Nehemiah would know if God had responded favorably.

Nehemiah went to the king and the king responded favorably. Nehemiah was granted permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the gates and the walls, and the city of Jerusalem. I think Nehemiah’s prayer is telling because he openly admits the sins of the nation and his own personal sins. He gets honest with God. And in city ministry we have to be open, and we have to be real with God. We have to call the people to repentance. God grants success through leaders. So it is also wise to consider the fact that God can work through leaders in the cities. So appealing to city leaders can be useful in the process of understanding theology of the city. It’s also telling to note that Nehemiah refers to the covenant between God and man. Indeed, when we minister in the city, we ought to help people understand how God relates to humanity, which is through Jesus Christ his son. God loves the people of the city and He wants to call them home to Himself. That much is certain.

Nehemiah’s praying, fasting, weeping and repenting lasted for four months according to the calendar. This informs our understanding of the spiritual battle that takes place. When we pray, fast, and seek God on behalf of major cities, we should do so not over hours or days, but over months and years, constantly praying and fasting for the city we seek to serve. Amen.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Spiritual Fullness in Jesus Christ

Audio Message:

I’m going to share my testimony, briefly of how I got saved and how I got called to ministry. I was raised as a catholic and as a green bay packer fan. I took to the second much more than the first. I was a very good kid until about 10th grade. My parents started having problems, and they began a divorce process when I was about 15 and concluded that when I was 16. I struggled a lot in school and was bullied a lot.

During this time of struggle I turned to prescription drugs and alcohol to make the pain go away. I quickly became addicted, and these drugs led to different drugs. I crashed a car, and ended up involuntarily confined at a mental hospital. I was expelled from high school as my drug use spiraled out of control. Later I got drunk driving charges and possession of marijuana. I was put in jail for 30 days. After getting my second DUI I went to treatment at the age of 22. I stayed sober about a year. But relapsed and things got worse. For three years I continued to use drugs, going in and out of rehab, and ended up in jail and on probation repeatedly. Around this time my mom and grandpa both got saved in a small Baptist church. They began attending a group where they started praying for me. My grandpa witnessed to me in 2011, and gave me my first Bible and I started reading it constantly. My cousin got me a copy of a movie called the Life of Jesus, which was the gospel of John in movie format. For another year I continued in drug use, until in 2012 I ended up in the emergency room twice for overdoses. I almost died in the ICU one night with my mom present. But finally at rock bottom, I cried out to Jesus Christ, and He transformed my heart and life. I got clean, I got sober, I was brought into the body of Christ, and later I graduated liberty university with a bachelors in religion. 18 months later I started attending the Salvation Army after getting a job at the local homeless shelter in my hometown of Wausau. Two local officers saw the call God had on my life and encouraged me to consider officership. After much prayer, and attending several SA conferences, I realized the Lord was calling me. I decided to test that call, and my DYS’s set me up for a 2 year internship, which I did in Escanaba Michigan. I loved my two years there, and was accepted as a cadet to CFOT in 2017. CFOT was challenging and rewarding in many ways. But I gained a lot of good experiences there. So recently I graduated, and here I am at my first appointment.

I’m very passionate about theology, doctrine, and the truth of God’s word. I’m passionate about personal holiness. I’m also passionate about Christian apologetics, as a way to evangelize the lost. I’m passionate about evangelism and street ministry as well. And obviously I’m very passionate about ministry to drug addicts and alcoholics. I really believe God’s gospel is for anybody and everybody. I came from the bottom myself, God still wanted me. So, that’s a bit about me.

Today as we open the scriptures we consider the theme in Colossians chapter 2 of Spiritual Fullness in Christ. And I want to point you specifically to this theme within a theme, of continuance. Continuance. This idea is simple, we keep going. We keep marching forward in our journey. We don’t stop. We keep going, week by week, month by month and year by year. And that is our ultimate goal as Christians, we want to continue all the days of our lives, to follow Jesus, until we die. That is the plan, that is the mission.

It reminds me of a story of a man who went to alcoholics anonymous meetings regularly to stay sober. He’d been going to several a week, for years. One day he was at a family event, and his wife’s sister looked at him and said, “Why do you keep going to those aa meetings haven’t you learned how to stay sober yet?” And he sort of gave her an angry look, but didn’t know how to respond.

Naturally he spent a great deal of time thinking about the nasty remark, and he remembered that this woman was very religious. And he finally figured out what he should’ve said,” Why do you keep going to church haven’t you learned about Jesus yet?”

If that’s all it took to be a Christian, just show up a few times and learn who Jesus is, and then we just stopped going, would we be very good Christians? No. Not at all. Because we need a consistent input, week by week, every Sunday, to keep us plugged in to the message of Jesus Christ. That’s why we pray in the morning and at night, because we need to stay plugged into the message. That’s why we read our Bibles everyday. That’s why we attend a Bible study during the week, and why we hold each other accountable. It’s all for the greater purpose of staying firmly footed in Jesus Christ.

Because there is another message being communicated to us. It’s the message of the world. It’s the television commercials that tell us if we just buy this product, we’ll finally be fulfilled. It’s the billboard telling us to visit the gentlemen’s club and flash dollar bills at young girls. It’s the bar we pass on the way to work promising a “good time.” It’s television shows, internet websites, friends, even family members who communicate to us about the luxuries and pleasures of this life.

That message competes in our minds and hearts with the message of Jesus Christ. So I want to challenge all of us today, myself included, to change our inputs.

When we drive, let us listen to Christian music, or a Christian audiobook. Let us be steadfast to read a good morning devotional book, and pray in the morning to start the day right. Let us be steadfast in praying before we eat our meals. Let us turn off the television and turn on a good podcast from a Christian minister or Christian apologist. Let us switch over from the secular media websites, to Christian websites. And the whole idea being, that we begin to shift our input from the messages of the world, to the message of the Bible and of Jesus Christ. Rest assured that these cultural messages do impact us more than we might realize. Why do businesses spend millions on 30 second advertisements during the super bowl? Why do businesses pay monthly for bill board ads, radio ads, television ads, and internet ads? Because those advertisements stay in our minds, and affect the purchases we make. They impact our worldview. So we want to careful to make sure we are nurturing a Christian worldview, and not a secular worldview.

Colossians 2:6-8 say this: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

Let no one take you captive in this world. No corporation. No government. And no news media. Or political party. We must keep our minds steadfast in all the spiritual fullness found in Jesus Christ.

Verses 9 and 10 say this: “9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”

In Jesus, who is our risen savior, and who is literally alive right now in the eternal reality, beyond this physical reality, you have been brought to fullness.

Jesus Christ is God almighty, all the Deity, capital D, lives in bodily form in Jesus.

And then we find a bit of a paradox in that it says in verse 10 Christ is the head over every power and authority.

Now this is interesting because we often find ourselves seemingly subject to human authority. We find ourselves in job environments that require a great deal of us. We find ourselves sometimes persecuted by people and by their systems of control. We find ourselves seemingly completely subjected to the authorities of this world, paying taxes, carrying around cell phones, purchasing food at the grocery store, driving the speed limit, and so on and so forth.

Yet we know that ultimately we only have one true king and leader, King Jesus Christ. Ultimately Jesus has final authority over every power and authority. Which goes to our current situation. We’re kind of like resistance fighters in France during World War II. If you recall they called themselves the maquis. The maquis were scattered throughout France during the Nazi occupation of France. Now the true French government was a government in exile, in Great Britain. The Maquis would receive orders from the government in exile, and then conduct hit and run attacks on Nazi units, waging guirella warfare.

That’s much like me and you. We’re resistance fighters against the kingdoms of evil and darkness that rule this present world. Our king Jesus is our leader, who is seated in power and majesty in heaven. We know that Jesus is coming again, returning to rule and reign on this Earth. That is our coming D-day invasion, when Jesus returns. But for now we’re under enemy occupation. And our job is to be subversive in winning others to Christ in this world. OF course the weapons of our resistance are not physical, but they are spiritual. We fight our battles by praying, by loving people, by asking the person in the check out counter how they are doing, and blessing them. We wage our battles by sharing the gospel with our friends, coworkers and loved ones. Each of you are under cover, we’re princes and princesses of a coming kingdom, currently in the rags of this world, quietly sharing the gospel, praying for the lost, and winning people to Jesus Christ.

But if we don’t live out our Christian worldview, and we don’t remain steadfast in Christ, there is always the danger of sort of slipping back into the ways of the world. We can very easily just skip praying, skip the bible reading, just worry about ourselves and our own families. Just you know, take vacations, go buy all the stuff we want, and watch movies, and just live for ourselves. I’m sure many French people did that during the occupation, they thought well it’s too dangerous to try to fight the Nazis, we just have to accept this reality, and they probably just went about their regular business. And there are Christians who are like that, Christians who are lazy, and don’t really live for Christ. And Jesus will deal with them directly on the day of judgment. Don’t be one of those Christians. Be a real Christian, who really, truly lives it out.

Remember, that your old lives, before you became Christians are gone. Your old self is dead.

Our scripture today puts it this way: “11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

I used to live a life ruled by the flesh. That’s just a fact. I did what Justin wanted. If Justin wanted drugs, fine. If Justin wanted sex, fine. If Justin wanted to go to college here, great. Whatever Justin wanted, the flesh ruled, all my wants, I lived to fill. But now that old guy is dead. Dead and gone. Buried with Christ in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I died that day I cried out to Jesus Christ. And then the Holy Spirit raised me up in my faith that Jesus Christ really saved me. Really is real. See, just as Jesus was raised from the dead by the father across the cross, and is alive right now, that’s just how we share in Christ Jesus, we’re born again, of the Holy Spirit, and alive because Jesus conquered the grave.

The scripture for today concludes in this way, and this will also be our altar call for today: v.13-15 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Now that is the gospel right there, if you’ve never heard it before, there it is. Today, if there is someone in this room who doesn’t have Jesus Christ as their savior, I want to tell you today, you can receive Him right now. Right at this very moment.

Are you dead in your sins? Do you need forgiveness for your sins? Because Jesus Christ is here right now, in glory, with His angels, and in power, and His holy spirit is here waiting to come upon you. Come to the altars right now. Declare your need publicly for Jesus. And if you want to recommit your life today to Christ, please come forward as well.

Jesus Christ was slaughtered brutally on the cross, God on the cross, for the purpose of cancelling the charges against us. We were legally in debt, with a long list of our sins over our lives condemning us before God as sinners, as traitors to God, and as those destined for the fires of hell.

But Jesus Christ, our God, decided it would not end that way. He decided to take the punishment for our sins for us, on the cross. So if you believe in Jesus Christ, and repent of our sinful ways, and put your full faith in Christ, and give your life completely to Him, He will make you born again.

Count the cost wisely friends. Because we must completely give our lives to God, to do with as He desires. We yield our lives to Christ, and we begin to live for God’s will and not our own will. That is not easy. But it is so worth it.

For those who need Jesus and want to claim Him as savior today please pray with me. And if you simply want to reaffirm your commitment to Jesus and give it all over to Him once more, please pray with me, as we close today.

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Monday, June 24, 2019

Compassion Has an Army: Reflecting on my Training & Ordination

Moments of joy shaken together with moments of terror. Two years ago God called me to Chicago where I would be trained as a minister. I didn’t know how I could possibly do such a thing. But God made it possible when it was clearly impossible. Having overcomed all the trials, all the ups and downs of the two years of training, the time was here. Having served in St. Charles, St. Louis, Albert Lea, and Rochester Minnesota, I had come to the end!

We had done it together, truly. We were messengers of compassion together. We couldn’t have done it apart. We had become a family, brothers and sisters.

We'd come to commissioning. Standing on stage in Milwaukee in front of five hundred people wasn’t the scariest part. It was stressful, don’t get me wrong. But what lay ahead was much more overwhelming. Soon we'd be going out as ministers!

We all put on good faces. No problem right? But the truth is it is a bit nerve-wracking. Most people don’t really have it all together, they just pretend to. Most people feel as weak and vulnerable as you do. That’s what I’ve learned. They may be able to play it cool better than you, but they’re just as afraid within.

Walking across the stage, to stand in front of the commissioners was like walking through a dream. I don’t know if you’re really sure it’s happening at the moment. Perhaps like Mr. Anderson from the Matrix we accept what we see because we’re expecting to wake up. But I think I accepted it because it was simply what was happening, and I had no choice in the matter. I couldn’t freeze time and go take a nap, as much as I wanted to.

They shouted my name over the microphone and I walked out. I was hoping I wouldn't trip. There I was, ordained, and about to be commissioned! What an incredible journey!

Fast forward to today, and I have to pinch myself and think, “I’m an ordained minister. I’m an officer. It really happened.”

What does that mean anyway? I thought of myself as ministering long before today. I served as a minister in many ways, this just gave the official title. The pride could be dangerous when considering such things! But it was real. Part of God’s call is an outward acknowledgement from the organization, the leaders, and the people around you that this is indeed a true call and commission. That says a lot. We can all have plenty of delusions, but it’s people around us who help reflect what is actually true.

I remember seeing some of my friends from my sister session a year later after they’d been ordained and appointed. Their faces looked chiseled. They looked like they’d aged a bit. They looked like they carried more concerns than in the past. That is the way of things I suppose. We wear our hearts on our faces. The rigors of ministry wear through to the physical.

We all hear the whispers of people leaving the work, and being overwhelmed and burnt out. But I always tell myself, like many times in the past, I’m not a statistic. I’m not a number. I’ve beaten the odds my whole life. 99 out of 100 drug addicts in the level of addiction I once carried never make it out. I beat the odds there.

But I always wondered, from time to time, will I be one of those number that can’t handle the ministry? When I’m really put under real daily pressure, for weeks, months, and years, will I crack like an egg? Will I show my true colors and run like a dog with my tail between my legs? That fear often lingered during my time at my internship and at training college. I wondered if I could really do it. And of course I know the answer to that: Nope. I can’t. But in Christ I can do anything. God makes it possible. We often imagine the future and catastrophize it. Why? Because we’re imagining a future without God.

My trust in the Lord had been somewhat shaken in the past. I was astonished to realize that I would be going out as a single officer. For some reason that was terribly shocking to me. I was so sure that I would meet someone in training. I was so sure God would line it up perfectly, so that we’d go out together. I dared to dream a beautiful dream that this would happen. But it had certainly not happened, no, not at all. And the dread realization came upon me in the closing months of training that I would indeed be going out by myself. And this fact troubled me greatly, until I simply came to accept it, and allow God’s will and not mine to be done.

The trick I played on myself was convincing myself that this idea was of God. But apparently it wasn’t. It sure felt right at the time. But feelings are not always accurate or correct. God is sovereign. That’s the truth. Any time that I’ve ever tried to impose a requirement, a caveat, or a restriction on what God does in my life, it’s always been quickly broken by God. This continues to this very day. We don’t get any input on what we do or don’t do for God. He’s the King, we’re the servants. And that’s OK, his plan has always been much better than mine.

The messengers of compassion were a wonderful session to be a part of. There are some really Godly people in our ranks. But of course we had our problems as well. We didn’t always get along. But much of the time we did get along. I became friends with several in my session. And I became friends with several in both my sister sessions. I had my own distinct niche’ in the session, just like many of us did. Scott the servant heart. Dena was the nurse. Nate the financial guru. Henry was the class clown. Josh was the studious esquire. Shannell was the cautious planner one. Karen was the outspoken photo-taker. I was the outspoken bookworm nerd. We all fit together rather well.

I will never forget first year bell ringing. It was a very very challenging time for me. Some people in my session really liked bell ringing, I can’t say I was one of them. But my session mates got me through all of that. During Christmas we did plays at the schools, a play called Pete the cat. I don’t think I’ve ever been so far outside my comfort zone as being an introvert in a blue Pete the cat outfit on stage in front of a hundred elementary school kids dancing and singing Christmas songs. I was so insanely nervous during the play that Scott and Dena had to whisper my lines to me.

My favorite class was theology of John Wesley with Captain Matt. We studied John Wesley's sermons and then got together and talked about the deep issues within them. It was all messengers of the gospel and me and one other MOC. I loved it. We debated and discussed a lot. And we came to a point of discussion that is a classic consideration: Can we really be holy? And almost all of us came to the conclusion that we could not. But the class made me re-evaluate holiness, and later on I came to believe that we can be holy. It seems impossible, but with God all things are possible. Fleshing it out in open discussion was amazing, and transformative.

My holiness journey came to a head when Bill and Diane Ury came to campus and shared the word with us. They described holiness as being yielded to Christ. That made a lot of sense to me. Being filled with Christ then naturally transforms us, and our actions and viewpoints are changed. I met with a mutual mentor in the basement in the prayer room and we prayed and begged God for holiness in Christ. It was a huge turning point in my walk with God.

Summer assignment at the St. Louis ARC was an absolute delight. I really fell in love with the drug/alcohol treatment stuff during the summer. The opportunities for ministry were non-stop, and the altar was always full with desperate men seeking hope and redemption at the feet of Jesus. I hope I can somehow find my way into that ministry in the future, it is beautiful beyond words. We went to a homeless shelter and handed out tracts and talked with people about Jesus. We got together in Bible study with guys desperate to learn more about God. We traveled to recovery groups and brought men with to learn how to stay sober. I loved it. So much ministry, all day every day!

The experiences of my second year were challenging and at the same time expressions of God’s refinement in my character. In fact the entire two years in seminary felt like a constant spiritual battle. Trial after trial came and each one brought new difficulties to overcome. But whenever one was overcome, I found myself stronger, more powerful in God, and more confident in Christ. That’s the main work of training, spiritual warfare, which is fighting to grow in Christ. We’re placed in the refiner’s fire for two years and forged like hot metal. It was very difficult but I was transformed. What made it much more doable over time was clinging to God in prayer. My prayer, devotional, and bible reading life was stretched by God to encompass much more time that it had previously. What had been 20-30 minutes, became an hour and more. That’s the only reason I survived, was through extensive prayer and study of the word.

My second year Christmas in Rochester was a really wonderful experience. It solidified my own understanding of why I loved what I did. It was tough and sometimes exhausting, but the joy in reward was far beyond any difficulty. We did the usual duties, nothing too fancy, kettles and more kettles, Christmas toys, feeding programs, community meetings, and so on. It helped me embrace the hard work and strategic financial realities of ministry. I was very blessed to have wonderful officers over my field training experiences, the Thielkes, the Muellers, and the Montenegros. It’s nice to have people that are experienced, and good at what they do.

One thing that got me through training was playing basketball on mondays. We took that time very seriously, and it was a very special thing for all of us who played. I loved it. We loved it. It was a sacred time.

As time passed we finally began to count down the last one hundred days at training. It seemed to drag on forever. But slowly and surely, the days disappeared until finally we had reached commissioning weekend.

I had become a bit burned out by the last quarter. I was just ready for it to be over, and to go out and do what God called me to do. I could tell others felt the same way. I'd been praying for commissioning, and praying for the moves as they were being prepared. I just kept asking God to send us each exactly where we were supposed to be. I was sure God's will would be done.

I had family there in Milwaukee, including my mom, step dad, sister, dad, uncle, grandma, aunt, and others. My crew from the home corps in Escanaba was there, ten of them all together. I kept randomly running into people I knew from the territory on the way in to the Friday evening meeting, and the Saturday morning sessions. I realized I was no outsider to the territory, though I had occasionally felt like an outsider in Chicago.

Bill and Diane Ury, quoting from the Seven Spirits by William Booth, talking about the desperate desire to have compassion for others, when we realize that we often don't. Oh how guilty I am. How often have I been so self-absorbed that I failed to really put myself into someone elses situation. I was too focused on the selfie, my wants, my desires, my schedule, and always trying to find ways to make myself look good. At the gym, on Facebook, in front of the boss, and so on and so forth. Meanwhile people are lonely, hurting, addicted, caught up in sin, and what am I doing for them? Not enough, certainly not enough.

I kept wanting so badly to evangelize in the community around the college. I wanted so badly to share Jesus. Jesus changes everything. And the truth is God gave me opportunities from time to time to do that, over the two years. But those times were too few and far between. Going out with Chicago for Jesus street team, the Picasso event both years, talking with homeless, getting to know the people at Starbucks, meeting the guy by Wrigley, but those were such few experiences. And so many are in such great need!

These were some of the thoughts in my head as I listened to Bill and Diane Ury speak. The Seven Spirits is one of my favorite books. It was first recommended to me by a fellow officer from the eastern territory, Lt. Esker. It's about one hundred pages of notes from sermons and messages and lectures that William Booth gave to his officers, about how to be officers. It's an absolute must read. I love it. I love how raw it is, and how theologically incorrect it is. Theologically incorrect in that it doesn't mince words or try to make things seem fluffy, it talks about heaven, hell, mercy, wrath, and the desperate aching need for all to know Jesus before time runs out. We need more of that desperation today.

Of course I was just counting down until Sunday, the big day. But it was all great. It was perfect. It was beautiful. It was Spirit filled. I felt God at work. The Silver Star was amazing, as I imagined it would be. So grateful to be able to connect with my parents and my mentor, and express my love, admiration, and appreciation for their support in this venture. My Grandma was there to receive appreciation as my mentor. I thanked her that Grandpa and her prayed for me, and shared the love of Jesus with me, and gave me my first Bible, and kept praying and praying when I was lost in addiction. I thanked my Mom for praying for me, and inviting me to church, and continuing to reach out to me for all those years. I thanked my Dad for being there through thick and thin, always willing to help, and drive me to rehab, and help me get through court and probation. My divisional commanders from WUM were there to show love and support. It was great.

Then Sunday came... We marched in for the morning service. It was of course very formal, sober, and reverent. I enjoy that very much actually. I enjoy the sacredness of those moments. I loved watching the flag marched in by our session flag bearer Abby. She did a fantastic job. Greg recited that officer's covenant. I was so happy in how we recited the doctrines, from memory. It went really well. One by one we walked up, being ordained and commissioned. They gave me a scripture that fit me perfectly, everyone thought so. It was Titus 2:1 which reads, "You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine." Perfect, indeed. Everyone who knows me knows I love the truth of God's word so much, and I'm deeply committed to teaching the whole council of God. I watch what I say and write and share very carefully, because I want to honor God in how I do it. It's really important to me that I teach what is true, not what I like or prefer. It would break my heart to find out that I hid away the parts of the gospel and the word of God that I found distasteful or contrary to my own personal preferences. But the truth is, Titus 2:1 is not just a scripture that fits me perfectly. It fits all of us perfectly. Each of us must have an unbiased commitment to teach whatever is in the word, whether it rubs against our personal opinions or not. Our job is not to teach what we prefer, or what we like about the gospel, instead our job is to faithfully preach all of the word, the feel good, the challenging, even the scandalous, and everything in between.

The morning ordination service was really powerful. It almost felt like it wasn't really happening! It felt like a dream, standing backstage in line. Is this really happening? It must be happening, because I'm here. We concluded the morning service, and went over for lunch and to change our uniforms.

Me and my buddy Henry were joking around back stage. I was missing my buddy Anil. He couldn't make it because his son was being born. Valid excuse. I was closest with Anil, Henry, Joshua, and Jack during training. Anil was so sure that God was gonna line things up so him and Karen could be there, well, God threw a curveball, and that's how God rolls. He is totally unpredictable. Anyway, me and Henry were joking around about where we might go. We were in our new red uniforms. J-Lo came and prayed with us. Diane Ury prayed with us. It was beautiful. It felt very meaningful to me.

We had changed into our uniforms with the red trim. Next we planned to storm out in a high energy fashion, to some contemporary music with JT rapping. I was pretty nervous as we stood around back stage waiting for the whole thing to begin. We were talking about what our appointments might be. I was feeling the strain as everyone talked about where they might go. Of course our session had various predictions for the open corps. I really had no idea where I might go. People had their ideas, but I really wasn't sure! A few session mates had narrowed it down for me to two possible corps, but given that I was a single, I knew there were many corps that could possibly get an assistant.

We stormed out, and it seemed to be a big hit. It was exciting, high energy. It felt good to let out some of that pent up energy, and I felt some of the panic and apprehension slip from within.

The charge given by Colonel Janice was powerful, outlining the saga of Daniel in Babylon, and how he resisted conforming to babylonian culture, and instead boldly lived out his Christian convictions without compromise. That's exactly the message I needed to hear before going out into a troubled world to preach a transforming world shaking message of salvation!

Then came the service of appointments. We filed out, and went back stage, waiting in line patiently to receive our very first appointments. I was so excited I couldn't hardly contain myself. I had all the predictions memorized, and one by one I realized as each couple went forward that our predictions were quite accurate. Boatengs to Connor Creek, Bocks to Muscatine, Hubbards to Eagle Creek, Kumars to Farmington Hills, Shanell went to the Kroc, so and so forth, we had it all right. When I went up I knew where I probably might go. But of course I wasn't sure.

The commissioners gave me the scripture I had chosen, which God had given me for my time at training. Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..."

I recall the words of the commissioners quite well, when they said, "You're a man of few words spoken, but you are a man of many words, in writing, in which you have blessed many, many people." I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea. It was really a wonderful moment for me. I've been writing my blog and on social media for many years. I've been rebuked several times for my writing, when I wrote something a bit too edgy or controversial, or when I was a bit too outspoken, or when I hurt someones feelings, but I've very, very rarely received any encouragement to continue writing, or been told that my writing helped someone, or blessed someone. So hearing that was a great blessing for me.

I was appointed at last, as the assistant corps officer to Flint, Michigan, with responsibility for Owosso, Mi. I was shocked, surprised, and I really didn't know what to say except thank you to the commissioners for my first appointment. Several of my session mates had told me previously that my skill set fit Owosso/Flint perfectly, but I had never really been sure of that. But I'd heard many good things. And I'd heard many good things about the division as well, that it was a wonderful division with a lot of great people. Many emotions filled my mind and heart as I marched out with my new division, met with my divisional leaders, and the connected with my family again. Everyone was really excited, and happy for me, and I was shocked. As I drove back to college, for the last time, my mind was filled with many thoughts, and I had tears in my eyes. It was amazing what I'd gone through over those last two years, and my emotions were surging after such an emotionally powerful weekend. Much of it felt like a blur. But I had made it through, all of us had made it through, and now we were officers, ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We worked for Jesus now. And that is amazing. I can't believe Jesus would choose me for this. But I'm honored and humbled to be his servant. Truly, God chooses the most unlikely people to do his work. What an honor, now I hope and pray that I honor God in every decision I make, and show myself to be a faithful minister!

Two weeks later, as I wait at the airport, preparing to head to my first assignment a whole number of different emotions and thoughts fill my mind. At one moment I'm filled with excitement, trust in God, and hope. The next moment I'm filled with trepidation, a feeling of being overwhelmed, and a sense of not knowing anything about what I'm about to do. But that fades away again, and I remember that God is faithful. He has got me through everything. He has gone before me. He has taught me what I need to know. And though I know there will be struggles, and emotional upheavals, and difficult challenges, I also know that God is already in the future, He is already at my new appointment, and He will guide me through all of it, and make the impossible to become possible for me, as long as I stay connected with Him, love Him, live a pure life, and make decisions in His Spirit and His will.

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Sunday, June 16, 2019

Rule of Life: A Code to Live by as a Minister of the Gospel

It's interesting that we spend so much time attempting to live in a biblical manner, but how few of us have identified our game plan for living rightly? Here is the biblical code of ethics that I’ve outlined as my rule of life. I've borrowed ideas and thoughts from other codes of conduct for ministers and pastors in various denominations, but this one will apply directly to me. What is your code of conduct for life? Take some time and consider for yourself, how you ought to live your life.

Personal and Family Life

I will place my devotion to God almighty as the number one priority of my life, above anything other concern (Luke 10:27).

I will diligently practice daily prayer, devotional reading, reading and studying of the word of God, and weekly deeper spiritual disciplines.

I will tithe a minimum of 10% of the gross of my income, with the goal of giving more and more, up to 25% in the future (Mark 12:41-44). Along with that, I will regularly give offerings as I feel led.

I will seek to live in a healthy manner, eating properly, not eating too much, while also engaging in regular exercise and weight-lifting, to remain physically healthy.

I will love my wife as second only to God. I will seek to live in mutual submission with her, submitting to each other, and not treating her harshly, but being fair and honorable in my conduct with her (Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 13).

I will love my children third, seeking to love them and discipline them in the ways of God. I will seek to treat them gently, but firmly, and respectfully and fearfully raise them up as Christians.

Congregational Relationships

I will endeavor with all my efforts to be a godly, humble servant leader of the church where I serve (James 4:6).

I will faithfully preach the Bible as the complete revelation of God, not selectively preaching on only comfortable scriptures, or on only difficult scriptures, attempting to diligently preach and teach the entirety of the scriptures and the whole revelation of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I will faithfully teach biblical Christian principles, never compromising the truth of the scripture for the sake of cultural trends, or what is in vogue in society.

I will strive with all my efforts to add to the body of Christ with evangelistic zeal and passion to win souls for Christ (Matthew 28:16-20).

I will serve with impartiality, showing no favoritism, but treating everyone equally. I will not practice nepotism by favoring friends or relatives in ministry positions (James 2).

I will reject bribes of any kind, including gratuities, because my needs are provided from (Proverb 15:27).

I will never steal from the corps where I serve, and I will only access the food we provide once all others have had access to choose from it as they will.

I will honor my congregational members and treat them respectfully, even if they do not return my loving respect.

I will never violate a confidence, that which is shared with me in private, unless imminent suicide is mentioned, or if violence is imminent against another person (Proverb 11:13).

I will not engage in gossip in regard to the church body or the daily work place (Proverb 16:28).

Collegial Relationships

I will respect the sacred unity of other congregations and not attempt to ‘steal’ members from other churches already established. (In the case of cults or non-Christian religions, this rule does not apply)

I will not engage in any forms of competition with other pastors in the area, for the sake of glory or of appearing important (Luke 22:26).

I will not practice manipulation or political career climbing in The Salvation Army hierarchy.

I will refrain from speaking poorly of the officers who served before me, or came after me.

I will refrain from speaking poorly of the larger organization, unless these discussions exist in a spirit of reform and blessing to the larger organization.

I will not meddle in the affairs of appointments where I previously served.

I will be thoughtful and encouraging and respectful to retired officers in the local corps.

I will not gossip about other ministers.

I will consider all ministers, pastors, officers, and priests as brothers and sisters who serve alongside me in the harvest of God’s commission in the world.

Community Relationships

I will serve those in the community without discrimination, serving anyone who comes to the corps regardless of race, color, creed, or sexual identification.

I will carry the gospel faithfully in word and deed to any and all who are in the community, seeking to win as many as I possibly can to the cross of Christ before time runs out on the Earth (Ephesians 5:16-18).

I will not compromise my ethics and standards to appear to be a relatable person.

I will be a person to the community, not just a minister. I will be a participant in the community during my off time, and a minister to the community while at work.

I will seek to meet needs in the community as led by God’s Spirit, realizing also my own limitations and the limitations of The Salvation Army in which I serve (Matthew 25:31-46).