Happy St Andrew's Day

Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, and St. Andrew's Day is celebrated by Scots around the world on the 30th November. The flag of Scotland is the Cross of St. Andrew, and this is widely displayed as a symbol of national identity.

The "Order of Saint Andrew" or the "Most Ancient Order of the Thistle" is an order of Knighthood which is restricted to the King or Queen and sixteen others. It was established by James VII of Scotland in 1687.

Very little is really known about St. Andrew himself. He was thought to have been a fisherman in Galilee (now part of Israel), along with his elder brother Simon Peter (Saint Peter). Both became followers (apostles) of Jesus Christ, founder of the Christian religion.

St. Andrew is said to have been responsible for spreading the tenets of the Christian religion though Asia Minor and Greece. Tradition suggests that St. Andrew was put to death by the Romans in Patras, Southern Greece by being pinned to a cross (crucified). The diagonal shape of this cross is said to be the basis for the Cross of St. Andrew which appears on the Scottish Flag.

read more: http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/Scotland/standrew.html

The Salvation Army Commences Work in Burundi and Greece

The Salvation Army's International Headquarters in London, England has announced that The Salvation Army is now at work in new countries in Africa and Europe. Work has begun quietly in Burundi and Greece with the appointing of officers to these countries for the first time.

The work in Burundi, which began officially in Bujumbura on August 5 2007, is attached to the Rwanda Command while the work in Greece, which began October 1 2007, is attached to the nearby Italy Command.

The total number of countries in which The Salvation Army is officially present is now 113.

Quote

'He who wants to change the world should already begin by cleaning the
dishes.' - Carvel Paul

Commissioning

from armybarmy:

Great CONNECTIONS 07 story: A guy was aiming to attend a dodgy new age body/mind/spirit conference in the same enormous exhibition centre holding Commissioning this past weekend. Instead he wandered into Commissioning 'by mistake', was hooked by a Colonel, sat through the meeting, and got saved. Hallelujah! sec

Paul's letter to the Romans: Introductory Issues

“Romans is neither a systematic theology nor a summary of Paul’s lifework, but it is by common consent his masterpiece” – N.T. Wright.

Paul’s letter to the Romans was written in the mid-to-late 50s and is addressed to a Gentile dominated church. In the mid-to-late 50s, Rome was by far the Mediterranean world’s dominant power and Nero was the Roman Emperor (54-68 AD, Proconsul since 51AD). Immediately prior to this time, in 49 AD, Nero’s predecessor, Claudius had banished the Jews from Rome. The remaining Christians then would be predominantly non-Jews. When Nero officially ascended the throne in 54, many of the Jewish Christians returned. Things had changed and this was the historical context of Paul’s letter.

Pertaining to the theme of Romans and not wanting to devote an excessive amount of space to introductory issues, I have to acknowledge that as Douglas Moo states, “we must be careful not to impose on Romans a single theme when Paul may never have thought in those terms…a theme that fits 1:16-11:36 may not fit the whole.” In contrast to this difficulty, the easiest thing to determine about Romans is its basic shape. Its four sections emerge clearly: chaps. 1-4, 5-8, 9-11, and 12-16.

For those who want to do some pre-reading and establish some background knowledge for our advent readings in Paul's letter to the Romans you are welcome to read some papers on the first two chapters of the letters from sheepspeak.com: http://sheepspeak.com/NT_Michael_Ramsay.htm

In the next election, vote to make poverty hisotry

Poverty in Canada National Report Card:

" 1 in 8 children in Canada - 788,000 - live in poverty when income is measured after income taxes. Before income taxes, 1 in 6 or 1.13 million children live in poverty.

41% of children living in poverty live in families with at least one income earner working full-time all year."

read the report: http://www.campaign2000.ca/media/rc07/2007_C2000_NationalReportCard.pdf

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Tories drop candidates citing their "speaking out about education, affordable housing and HIV/AIDS issues."  It seems to me that these are rather important issues.

read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/10/31/dropped-candidates.html?ref=rss

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"We have to decide as a country what comes first - is it corporate tax cuts or is it defeating child poverty? You can't do both," she said, adding that in the past six years, corporate tax cuts have cost $56.5 billion in revenue." - Olivia Chow

When the next election is called vote to make poverty history...

It's your choice Feds: save 1% or save a child...

Child poverty rates unchanged in nearly 2 decades: report
Last Updated: Monday, November 26, 2007 10:58 AM ET
CBC News

The rate of child poverty in Canada is the same as it was in 1989, despite numerous attempts by the federal government to tackle the issue, an advocacy group reported Monday.

As Campaign 2000 released the results of its annual report card on child poverty at a news conference in Ottawa, it called for the federal government to cancel the next one percentage point GST cut and use the money instead for efforts to eliminate child poverty.

The report says that, in 1989, the House of Commons unanimously voted to end child poverty. Eighteen years later, despite a 50 per cent increase in the size of the economy, the child poverty rate remains unchanged at 11.7 per cent, according to the report.

read more from CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/11/26/child-poverty.html

DR Was

November 27


Elisha (scriptural reference: 2 Kings 2:23-25 )

Psalm 125 and Matthew 26-27

Labels: Elisha, Kings, November 16-31, OT, prophets

Divided House

In our corps there has been a division all season long. One of the families in our corps is a die hard BC Lions fan. The others, of course, are Riders fans. Being from BC were somewhat torn and did not publicly pick a favourite team until Saskatchewan eliminated BC from the play-offs last Sunday.

a

Now after BC (the land of my birth) had been eliminated from the playoffs, I didn't think that I needed to have divided loyalties heading into the big game, so I joined with the community in 'going green'. I even put green on my uniform in honour of Saskatchewan's Roughriders.

a

My 5 year-old sees the green and says, "What's that!?!" in a very loud voice - disapproving that I would wear green on my uniform. I explain to her that it is in honour of the big game this weekend.

a

'Do you know about the game?' I ask.

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From the other room, my six year-old yells out, "Go Winnipeg!" Then both girls start chanting "Go Winnipeg!" loudly and without stopping for quite a while.

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Winnipeg is the land that hosts most of their memories - sigh. I guess, even with BC eliminated, there is still a divided house...

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If you can't beat them...

Go Riders Go!

Solomon

q

We have been having some wonderful Bible studies here in NE Saskatchewan! We have been studying covenant lately. This past week we were looking at the Davidic covenant as it was re-interpreted with Solomon (1 Kings 4-9).

q

There was a certain irony that was pointed out. God entered into the Mosaic covenant as He delivered the Israelites from slave labour for Pharoah. As God entered into a covenant with King Solomon, Solomon used Israelite slave labour to build a house for Pharoah's daughter.

q

It seems things have come full circle in some regard...

q


Just in Time For Christmas



You can buy your Warrior's Song Cafe mug. Order today: http://www.sheepspeak.com/cup.htm

Good quote

Good quote from Aaron at www.armybarmy.com:

Friday, November 23, 2007
Napolean...

Napolean Bonaparte was inspecting his Revolutionary Army in Paris when he came upon a soldier whose name was also Napolean. This soldier was actually well known among the ranks for his cowardice. Napolean Bonaparte stopped in front of the cowering soldier, looked him straight in the eyes, and said:

"Soldier, either live up to your name, or change it!"

We are The Salvation Army. We should either live up to our name, or change it.

Grace,

Aaron

Q: What's this?

A Christmas Kettle...



Here's another Christmas Kettle or two.


The girl in the picture below is Shirley Temple. It's that time of year again. Please support the ministry of The Salvation Army in your area.

Names...

1) The new name for this division of TSA in Canada is the Prairie and Northern Territories Division.

2) Susan ran across a name on one of our rolls in Tisdale from the 1970's - Brent Butt.

Bio from http://www.brentbutt.com/ : Brent Butt was born in Tisdale, Saskatchewan (pop. 3000) on August 3, 1966- the very same day that legendary comedian Lenny Bruce died. The youngest of seven children, Brent discovered that making people laugh was the quickest way to get their attention. In an environment where sharp wits triumphed over pull-my-finger gags, Brent learned to 'work clean' at a very early age. However, you can only build a comedy career so far in Tisdale- (see also: http://www.cornergas.com/)

Youth Group

We had our first Joint NE Saskatchewan Youth Group meeting the other day. Fifteen people joined from the two communities to play in the Tisdale youth drop-in centre and watch the Bee Movie. The kids from Nipawin - of course - had their pictures taken on the Tisdale Bee afterwards....

Two New Sermons....

Two new sermons for your perusal. Neither of these sermons were scheduled and each were composed when I happily accepted to opportunity to fill in at the last moment. Click the Picts to read the sermons.

Letter to the Editor of The Recorder

Re: Not Attending Ceremonies
Dear Editor,

It is too bad that one of the readers of this paper has decided not to attend the Remembrance Day ceremonies because their religious beliefs will not be given pre-eminence. The reader who had the compulsion to write, while still lacking the conviction to sign their name, did raise an interesting point. The writer claimed that less than 15%, or even less than 10%, of 'those that served' did not believe in the 'Judeo-Christian' God. It seems to follow then, that those who are religious Atheists make up an even smaller number of that population (accounting for other religious beliefs) - perhaps even less than 3 or 4%. 

My questions then is this: why wouldn't you mention God? Why should the 96% of the population that are Theists be subjected to the Atheistic religious point of view in a public ceremony? If the bulk of the population in a democratic society recognises the sovereignty of God, then certainly this is the point of view that should be acknowledged in the public arena.

In recent public events the small vocal religious minority Atheists have been dominating ceremonies. In the ceremonies marking the SwissAir tragedy, the Christian clergy were banned from mentioning Christ in the ceremony. In the official Canadian 9/11 ceremonies, only the non-theistic viewpoint was recognized. Why, in a predominantly Theistic society, should the public be subjected only to Atheistic prejudices in our public ceremonies? This does not make sense.

While I am sorry that the writer will not attend the ceremony, I think it would be much worse to honour only the religion of a vast minority (possibly 4% or less are Atheists) at the expense of all others and in the process to possibly even insult the memory of all those who actually did lay down their lives for God, King, and country. 

God bless,

Michael Ramsay

Nipawin Journal Article - Reconciliation

"Acknowledgement of the horror of war - and the shining light of hopes for peace - were key elements in the message delivered at Nipawin's Remembrance Day service at the Evergreen Centre Nov. 11."

read more: http://www.nipawinjournal.com/News/354539.html

the sermon: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/11/greater-love-has-no-man-than-to-lay.html

 

Worth a visit...JustSalvos.com

Related to the recent pornography stats we posted yesterday, JustSalvos has some information about prostituted persons at http://justsalvos.com/index.php?page=news&id=21 .

Also pertaining to social justice. Aaron at www.armybarmy.com has recently blogged the following:

And what better way to celebrate the birth of Our Lord than to purchase a diamond-encrusted Christmas tree?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071113/od_afp/lifestylejapanchristmasjewels

Go to Just Salvos instead and buy a goat.

November 11

November 11, as well as Remembrance Day, was the international day of prayer for the persecuted church (http://www.persecutedchurch.org/).

There is a certain sad irony to this fact here on a couple of fronts. In a local Tisdale newspaper, a writer who refused to gove their name argued in favour of Atheist rather than Christian services at the community events in Saskatchewan. This has caused no shortage of a stir amongst the vetrans to whom I have spoken. It is the vetrans, of course, who put on the services and invite the clergy to speak here. I have been reminded over and over again that indeed they did leave Canada willing to die for "God, King, and country" and that saying anything less would be an insult to their memory.

I also heard a federal MP make an interesting speach about Nov 11th. He was extolling some strange made-up reasons for the war (WWII). He argued that we were fighting to be free from helping out the poor and the needy through social programmes (medical help, free schooling). He argued that our soldiers died to prevent everyone from having access to these things. This, if you look at what programmes were instituted in Canada in the pre- and post-war years, is absolutely untrue. It is also scary though. It seems that some people want to make this society into a very different one than our veterans died for and they abuse the word 'freedom' to do it.

These days there seems to be a perverse concept of freedom indeed. For instance, Canada (and the US) refuses to block access to pornographic sites. We instead believe in what is being called 'freedom of expression.'

Here are some stats from http://www.armybarmy.com/ (blog):

2006 Internet Pornography Statistics
Pornographic websites 4.2 million (12% of total websites)
Pornographic pages 420 million Daily pornographic search engine requests 68 million (25% of total search engine requests)
Daily pornographic emails 2.5 billion (8% of total emails)
Internet users who view porn 42.7%
Received unwanted exposure to sexual material 34%
Average daily pornographic emails/user 4.5 per Internet user Monthly Pornographic downloads (Peer-to-peer) 1.5 billion (35% of all downloads)
Daily Gnutella "child pornography" requests 116,000 Websites offering illegal child pornography 100,000 Sexual solicitations of youth made in chat rooms 89%
Youths who received sexual solicitation 1 in 7 (down from 2003 stat of 1 in 3)
Worldwide visitors to pornographic web sites 72 million visitors to pornography:
Monthly Internet Pornography Sales $4.9 billion

Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends, John 15:13.

Presented to the community of Nipawin at the Remembrance Day Ceremony, November 11, 2007,

by Captain Michael Ramsay




Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends, John 15:13.

On November 11, 1918, the armistice was signed to end the Great War, the war to end all wars – the First World War. Canadians, our friends and our family, in service to God, King, and country, marched overseas to lay down their lives for our friends

Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends.

read more: http://www.sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/

Canada's 100 Days

Canada's Hundred Days

Canada's Hundred Days refers to the last 100 days of World War I, from 4 August to November 11, 1918. During this time period, the Canadian Corps of four divisions fought several battles against approximately one quarter of the Imperial German Army on the Western Front, all with decisive victories.

Along with the battles of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, Canada's Hundred Days cemented the reputation of the Canadian Corps as a tough and professional fighting force amongst its allies and foes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada

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JUST WAR - FROM ARMYBARMY

Read Aaron Whites blog of Saturday, November 10, 2007 - In Time for Remembrance Day... It is a very good look at the question of 'is war ever just?' www.armybarmy.com/blog.html

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THE SALVATION ARMY, A PRESENTATION BY THE CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM

"It would be easier to forget one's name than fail to remember the times without number when the Salvation Army was, in truth, our comforter and friend."

- General Harry Crerar (Former Commander of the First Canadian Army, Second World War)

Read more: http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/salvationarmy/index_e.html

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On another note...

Also congratulations Shledon and Jessica! Their wedding reception is today (Saturday) in Tisdale...

November 9, Let us not forget

The day Canada honours the sacrifices of the First and Second World War and Korea is also the anniversary of a battle that saved the country from an American invasion during the War of 1812. And as the First World War slips from living memory into pure history, how Canadians have marked the other Nov. 11 from our military heritage -- the 1813 Battle of Crysler's Farm -- offers a sobering glimpse of the future of remembrance.

read more: http://www.havelock-viha.com/FPNov11AmericanInvasion.html

(On another note, we had the first snow fall yesterday...we're not in Victoria anymore, Toto...)

November 8th - The Great War

Ephesians 6:11-13

11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Read whole chapter: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=56&chapter=6&version=9

A TOUCH OF HOME: The War Services of The Salvation Army

During the First World War (1914-18), the Canadian Salvation Army's overseas activities were part of the much larger effort organized by British Salvationists. The latter established over 200 recreational huts (often no more than tents), 40 rest homes, and 96 hostels, all staffed by more than 1200 volunteers. The Canadian SA sent five military chaplains to the front and helped operate well-equipped huts, canteens, rest facilities, and hostels...

Read more (PDF): http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/salvationarmy/sallyanneng.pdf

Is War Ever Just?

Article from the Nipawin Journal

 

This article from the Nipawin Journal was supposed to be published today. They ran it one week early: http://www.sheepspeak.com/is_war_ever_just.htm

 

Winston Churchill on The Salvation Army

 

Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, "Where there's a need, there's The Salvation Army".

Is it as true in the 2000's as it was in the 1940's? I believe so. Let's keep it that way - and more! - mr

Canadian TSA in the World Wars (Part 1).

In 1914 the Army shared in the national tragedy of the sinking of The Empress of Ireland in the St. Lawrence. On board were more than 120 Salvationists, bound for an international congress in London. Most of them, including the national commander and members of the Canadian Staff Band, were drowned. The Staff Band was not re-formed until 1969.

Canada's involvement in the Great War of 1914-1918 saw the appointment of the first Salvation Officer as a chaplain in the Canadian armed forces, and the donation of five motor ambulances to forces serving overseas. At the end of the war, military hostels were opened in Winnipeg, London, Kingston, Toronto, and other cities, for returning soldiers.

All of this demonstrates the unique ability of The Salvation Army to respond to urgent needs...It also reflects the ingenuity, efficient use of resources and a genius for improvisation, which the organization's quasi-military structure fostered. It showed government that in most things the Army could get the job done with greater efficiency and at less cost than almost any other agency, and at the same time it forged a bond of trust between the people of Canada and the 'Sally Ann', a trust that continues to this day...

The onset of World War II found the Army accompanying Canada's armed forces overseas not only as chaplains but as the operators of Maple Leaf Clubs, providing rest and relaxation for the troops. By the end of the war there were clubs in Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland and India. They were mostly staffed by Salvation Army Auxiliaries, some of them as young as twenty years old. They provided a taste of home, with Canadian cooking, mail forwarding and social activities, including dances and short term accommodation. On the home front at the end of the war, Salvationists at Canadian ports welcomed the 'war brides' of Canadian servicemen.

 

Read more: http://www.salvationist.ca/about/history/

The Salvation Army - From the Canadian Department of National Defence website:

The Salvation Army and the Propagation of the Faith:

The central mission of the Salvation Army is evangelism. The Army exists to spread the Word of God through its distinctive methods of outreach to the world. The Church and its members do not hesitate to reach out to the poor and the abandoned, to help all toward salvation.

Read more: http://www.dnd.ca/hr/religions/engraph/religions29_e.asp

 

Soldiers of the Cross (TSA WWI & WWII Australia and New Zealand

In April 1915, at a little-known beach in Turkey named Gallipoli, two legends were created. The first was the courage of the Australian soldier: the second was the wartime service of the Salvation Army.

Read more: http://www.anzacday.org.au/spirit/cross/index.html

THE HISTORY OF THE SALVATION ARMY (USA) IN WORLD WAR I

The Salvationist stands ready, trained in all necessary qualifications in every phase of humanitarian work, and the the last man will stand by the President for execution of his orders.
-Evangeline Booth, National Commander, April 1918

http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/salvhist.htm

In the Lead up to Nov 11 - The Salvation Army Position on World Peace

The Salvation Army believes that the plan for creation is that all people shall live in a harmonious relationship with God. It acknowledges that only within this relationship can perfect peace be fully known, and that this peace transcends the circumstances of this life. Greed, selfishness and injustice, however, have entered human lives and often result in conflict and, at times, armed aggression.

Therefore, in the light of the Gospel and in obedience to the one who declared, "Blessed are the peacemakers," The Salvation Army through its ministry around the world confronts the poverty, injustice and the inequalities that so often give rise to disharmony and unrest, and seeks to foster mutual respect and understanding between peoples of all races, ethnic origins, socio-economic backgrounds, religions and cultures.

Recognizing the appalling character of modern warfare, The Salvation Army urges nations to eliminate all weapons of mass or indiscriminate destruction and divert those expenditures into measures that will benefit society, and especially into providing services that promote the welfare of the poor, suffering or disadvantaged, and bring about a more just society.

The Salvation Army is ready to work, alone or in partnership with others of goodwill, to bring about an end to armed conflict and to promote reconciliation between opposing factions. It also undertakes to extend in Christian love its practical care to those who suffer because of war, civil unrest or other forms of violence, without discrimination except on the basis of the need being met and its capacity to meet it.

The Salvation Army calls upon all within its influence - members, friends and fellow Christians - to pray for peace, to love their enemies and to work for the betterment of society, witnessing to God as the source of lasting peace and to a right relationship with God as the only path to perfect peace.

More position Statements:

Abortion Artificial Insemination & In Vitro Fertilization Capital Punishment Environment Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide & Advance Health Care Directives Family Gambling Gay & Lesbian Sexuality Human Diversity Marriage Pornography Poverty & Economic Justice Sabbath Substance Abuse Sunday Observance World Peace

Please Pray for General Shaw Clifton

Salvation Army General Faces Health Concerns As a result of recent medical tests, General Shaw Clifton has been diagnosed with cancer. The doctors... (Read more)

The Salvation Army Christmas Food Hamper Registration

The Salvation Army Nipawin
Christmas Hamper Registration
At the Food bank

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Covenant: two papers

Two papers previously presented to WCBC pertaining to covenant responsibilities:

1) Pertaining to responsibilties to the land:
Leviticus 25 1-23 in the Context of the Holiness Code: The Land Shall Observe a Sabbath, http://www.sheepspeak.com/OT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#Leviticus%2025%201-23

2) Pertaining to the concept of election: Amos 3:1-2: …therefore I will punish you…
http://www.sheepspeak.com/OT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#therefore%20I%20will%20punish%20you

They died for us

Remembrance Day

They didn't die for freedom of speech

They didn't die for freedom of expression

They didn't die for the right to vote

They didn't die for democracy

They didn't die for capitalism

They didn't die for human ideologies

They died for us


Vancouver's DTES

Dan Rather's take on our old stomping ground. Hat Tip to Aaron White and Army Barmy: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071102/dan_rather_071102/20071102/

Why poverty threatens us all

This is a very good reason to be wary of any politician offering tax cuts. A tax cut really is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Taxes are the primary means by which we provide for the most needy in society...

Why Poverty Threatens Us All
Oct 20, 2007 04:30 AM
David Olive
Toronto Star

The gap between rich in poor in this country has reached Third World levels. Will it take widespread unrest to convince people they have a stake in this?

According to the latest statistics from the World Bank, the widening gap between rich and poor in Canada is now roughly on par with that of Indonesia. Indeed, in the matter of income equality, Canada trails not only the Scandinavian countries, but Egypt and Pakistan, as well.

read more: http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/268662

Memorial Service

We had a memorial service here yesterday for Ross Edwards. That he is missed is testified too by how many people came from out of province to pay their respects.

a thought: ....Our time here is like being selected for a member of a provincial sports team. You play in the tournament. Christ, of course, scored the goal that won the victory for your team. When our time here, the tournament, is over we go home and when we meet again it will be in glory.

Just War in Nipawin

So the Nipawin Journal was supposed to run an article on Just War on November 7. I wrote it intending to accompany it with more in depth research and comments on http://www.sheepspeak.com/ at the appropriate time. They ran it a week early. This is too bad. They have been having difficulty running articles from the Religion section at the correct time recently. A copy of the article is on the sheepspeak.com along with references. Further thoughts and discussion will appear on this page over the next week as well as a link to our Remembrance Day address...

John 15:13 reminds us that Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.