Some local press coverange:
Don't forget
- Christmas Eve Meeting (Service) at 6:00 pm Saturday.
- Christmas Day Meeting at 10:30 am Sunday
- Christmas Day Community Meal at 2 pm
Friday, December 23, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Seven Pieces of Pi
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24: The 7 P’s and the Pi of Holiness. Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 11 Dec 2011 and to the Nipawin Corps 14 Dec. 2008
By Captain Michael Ramsay
I don’t know if you have ever seen those motivational speakers on TV or in person. I’ve had some jobs in the past where they send someone in to rally the troops. They usually have – in the old days flip charts – these days PPT or DVD, lots of props and some way that they want you to remember what it is they are trying to motivate you to do. Sometimes it is just repetition.
One thing that people often use is an acronym – you spell out a word and every letter stands for something else. Here I’ll give you some famous acronyms and you tell me if you know what they mean:
1) ASAP 2) NATO 3) NHL 4) MYOB 5) TSA
Sometimes they just have an alliterative list with each item in the cue staring with the same letter or the same sound, like Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, or here’s another little quiz for you can you tell me:
1) In Four H, what are the 4 H’s?
2) What are the 3 R’s from school?
a. How many of these words actually start with R?
b. Who can tell me which word that is?
Click here for the answers: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/12/1-thessalonians-516-24-7-ps-and-pi-of.html
By Captain Michael Ramsay
I don’t know if you have ever seen those motivational speakers on TV or in person. I’ve had some jobs in the past where they send someone in to rally the troops. They usually have – in the old days flip charts – these days PPT or DVD, lots of props and some way that they want you to remember what it is they are trying to motivate you to do. Sometimes it is just repetition.
One thing that people often use is an acronym – you spell out a word and every letter stands for something else. Here I’ll give you some famous acronyms and you tell me if you know what they mean:
1) ASAP 2) NATO 3) NHL 4) MYOB 5) TSA
Sometimes they just have an alliterative list with each item in the cue staring with the same letter or the same sound, like Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, or here’s another little quiz for you can you tell me:
1) In Four H, what are the 4 H’s?
2) What are the 3 R’s from school?
a. How many of these words actually start with R?
b. Who can tell me which word that is?
Click here for the answers: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/12/1-thessalonians-516-24-7-ps-and-pi-of.html
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Monday, December 05, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Kettle Kick-off
The Salvation Army wants to make Christmas bright for families, setting a lofty $170,000 fundraising goal during their 2011 Christmas Campaign.
The Salvation Army Miracle Room at the Swift Current Mall will be a hub of activity in the coming weeks, with a strong turnout attending their grand opening pancake breakfast and launch of their Christmas Appeal on Saturday.
“We made almost that last year, and it works out to basically $10 per person. So if everybody in the community can contribute $10, and maybe an extra $10 for your friend or family member who can’t. It’ll go a long way to providing assistance to those in need, not only at Christmastime here but throughout the year too,” Capt. Michael Ramsay explained at Saturday’s grand opening of the Miracle Room in the Swift Current Mall.
The continuation of the Angel Tree program again provides a special way where people can make Christmas extra special for a child.
“These are kids in need who may not get anything other than this at Christmas time, and they get a chance to put down that one thing that they really, really want. And as you pick up the angel and fill it, then you can make that one child’s Christmas extra special.”
Capt. Ramsay noted that Food Hamper registrations will start the last week of November at the Salvation Army and run until the first week of December. This is another way they can reach out to the community and help provide important food supplies to families who may especially be struggling during the Christmas season.
Admittedly, there have both challenges and successes at the Food Bank.
“One of the positives is even though the numbers at our own Food Bank have been going up quite a bit, as they have been across the country, we’ve also been tracking repeat use. And repeat use in Swift Current has been going down. And what that means is that we spend a lot of time talking with people that we help in difficulties. What it means is if repeat use is going down, then we’ve been able to walk with them and help them find a solution to whatever caused them to come to the Food Bank - so whether that’s a gambling addiction, alcohol addiction, simply budgeting, or circumstances like unemployment, court...we’ve been able to set them up with people who can help them, so that’s been one of the really encouraging things about Swift Current.”
In order to help continue these, and other services, they are currently looking for volunteers to ring bells and assist at donation kettles across the community.
One of the new programs they have developed is a justice program for individuals coming back to the city after serving court sentences. The Salvation Army assists them in finding places to stay, employment, and finding social groups other than the social group they were in when they got in trouble in the first place.
Capt. Ramsay noted that Food Hamper registrations will start the last week of November at the Salvation Army and run until the first week of December. This is another way they can reach out to the community and help provide important food supplies to families who may especially be struggling during the Christmas season.
Admittedly, there have both challenges and successes at the Food Bank.
“One of the positives is even though the numbers at our own Food Bank have been going up quite a bit, as they have been across the country, we’ve also been tracking repeat use. And repeat use in Swift Current has been going down. And what that means is that we spend a lot of time talking with people that we help in difficulties. What it means is if repeat use is going down, then we’ve been able to walk with them and help them find a solution to whatever caused them to come to the Food Bank - so whether that’s a gambling addiction, alcohol addiction, simply budgeting, or circumstances like unemployment, court...we’ve been able to set them up with people who can help them, so that’s been one of the really encouraging things about Swift Current.”
In order to help continue these, and other services, they are currently looking for volunteers to ring bells and assist at donation kettles across the community.
One of the new programs they have developed is a justice program for individuals coming back to the city after serving court sentences. The Salvation Army assists them in finding places to stay, employment, and finding social groups other than the social group they were in when they got in trouble in the first place.
There have been no repeat offenders among this early group of program participants.
from the Southwest Booster: http://www.swbooster.com/
Monday, November 21, 2011
Lest we forget what the Lord has done...
The following is taken from 2 Timothy 3:12-17: Lest We Forget. Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 13 Nov. 2011, by Captain Michael Ramsay (Padre, Royal Canadian Legion #56)
Just after Remembrance Day here, it is sad that we often seem to have forgotten those soldiers who died hoping we would live in peace with our neighbours: since the 1990s Canada has been involved in a number of aggressive – sometimes even illegal – military adventures. As bad as this may be [or may not be; depending upon your political perspective, I suppose], it is even worse when we forget what the Lord has done. Lest we forget, lest we forget…
The Scriptures are a record of what God has done for creation. The Scriptures are a record of what God has done for us. The Scriptures are a record of what God has done through creation. The Scriptures are a record of what God has done through us. The Scriptures show God’s grace and God’s power. The Scriptures show God’s love and God’s sovereignty. We should not forget this. 2 Timothy 3:12 records Paul’s repeated reminder to Timothy and the church in Ephesus that “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” It has always been this way. Christians are the followers of the one, true God. These true followers of the one, true God have experienced suffering since the beginning. Paul earlier in this very letter of 2 Timothy encourages us to join him in suffering for the Gospel (2Timothy 1:8). Let us not forget this. Lest we forget, lest we forget…
Remember Abraham left his home for a land that his descendants would inherit hundreds of years after his death (Genesis 11-15). Moses brought Israel, following God, through plagues and famine to the precipice of the Promised Land (Numbers 14; Deuteronomy 1, 34). King David saw his own sons turn against him and even killed, as he was told that a descendant of his would sit on God’s throne forever (2 Samuel 7). David’s own grandson saw that kingdom torn from him, never to be fully returned until the return of Christ (1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10). Christ has now ascended the throne and when he comes back, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Isaiah 45:43, Romans 14:11). Let us not forget this. If humanity forgets this, what a blessing and what peace we will forfeit. Lest we forget, lest we forget…
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Remembrance Day: Lest We Forget
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
-------
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
-------
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
---------
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.islandnet.com/~havelock/FPNov11AmericanInvasion.html
November 8th - The Great War
Ephesians 6:11-1311Put 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 ArmyDuring 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
at 9:31 PM
Is War Ever Just?
Article from the Nipawin Journal: 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
at 3:38 PM
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
They died for us
Remembrance Day (a poem of sorts...)
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
John 15:13 reminds us that Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
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
-------
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
-------
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
---------
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.islandnet.com/~havelock/FPNov11AmericanInvasion.html
November 8th - The Great War
Ephesians 6:11-1311Put 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 ArmyDuring 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
at 9:31 PM
Is War Ever Just?
Article from the Nipawin Journal: 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
at 3:38 PM
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
They died for us
Remembrance Day (a poem of sorts...)
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
John 15:13 reminds us that Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
2 Timothy 1:12: Learn To Suffer
Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army,
23 October 2011, by Captain Michael Ramsay
23 October 2011, by Captain Michael Ramsay
2 Timothy 1:12: That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Today’s message (sermon/homily/preach) on 2 Timothy 1:12 is entitled ‘Learn to Suffer’. ‘Learn to Suffer’ is motto of a Scottish Clan. Anyone know which clan? Clan Duncan: John Duncan, I did a little bit of research into your clan in preparing for today.
The Clan motto is ‘Learn to Suffer.’ Did you know that 2 of the early kings of Scotland were Duncans: One was Duncan I and do you know who was the other? Duncan II. Duncan I obtained the throne through murder and Duncan II lost it the same way. The Duncans would learn to suffer. The Duncans historically weren’t so good at choosing the winning side in important battles. They supported the victorious Robert the Bruce in his wars and received benefits from that. But later they supported Charles I, who was defeated, murdered and his country conquered by Cromwell’s Puritans. In supporting the losing side in this war, the Duncans would learn to suffer. They later supported Bonnie Prince Charlie in the Jacobite revolt and then they really learned to suffer, suffering all the consequences that come from launching an unsuccessful revolution. Most of the Duncan lands were even taken from their family. They indeed learned to suffer. And as Romans 5:3,4 says, I am sure it helped build their character.
Today we are looking at 2 Timothy 1:12: “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”
We are going to pull out a few things from this verse...
Friday, October 14, 2011
Deuteronomy 8: The Next Generation Thanks The Lord
Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army
Thanksgiving Sunday, 09 October 2011
By Captain Michael Ramsay
Today in Deuteronomy we are dealing with Exodus: the Next Generation; the children of the children of Israel whom God delivered out of Egypt. In our text today, we are getting close to the point where they have the opportunity to cross into the Promised Land. We read last week how their parents’ generation about 40 years before came passed this same spot in the wilderness and beyond. They were on the precipice of the Promised Land where they could eat, be satisfied and be saved from their desert wanderings but they rejected God’s salvation and so they spent the next 40 years wandering around the wilderness. These were the parents of this generation before us today in Deuteronomy 8 today. They rejected God’s promise and so died outside of God’s promise (Deuteronomy 2:19-46, Numbers 14, Hebrews 4). They have now passed on. Their leader, Moses, himself, has only has a few months left to live. And most of this book of Deuteronomy is a collection of his last words to the Hebrews before he perishes along with the rest of this generation (and his children’s generation; Moses was 80 when he began the exodus from Egypt.) outside of the Promised Land.[1] This book is thus very important.
Chapter 8 reminds us of an important three-part truth that is important for us on this Thanksgiving Sunday.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/10/deuteronomy-8-next-generation-thanks.html
Thanksgiving Sunday, 09 October 2011
By Captain Michael Ramsay
Today in Deuteronomy we are dealing with Exodus: the Next Generation; the children of the children of Israel whom God delivered out of Egypt. In our text today, we are getting close to the point where they have the opportunity to cross into the Promised Land. We read last week how their parents’ generation about 40 years before came passed this same spot in the wilderness and beyond. They were on the precipice of the Promised Land where they could eat, be satisfied and be saved from their desert wanderings but they rejected God’s salvation and so they spent the next 40 years wandering around the wilderness. These were the parents of this generation before us today in Deuteronomy 8 today. They rejected God’s promise and so died outside of God’s promise (Deuteronomy 2:19-46, Numbers 14, Hebrews 4). They have now passed on. Their leader, Moses, himself, has only has a few months left to live. And most of this book of Deuteronomy is a collection of his last words to the Hebrews before he perishes along with the rest of this generation (and his children’s generation; Moses was 80 when he began the exodus from Egypt.) outside of the Promised Land.[1] This book is thus very important.
Chapter 8 reminds us of an important three-part truth that is important for us on this Thanksgiving Sunday.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/10/deuteronomy-8-next-generation-thanks.html
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Barak the fearful?
Exerpt from Judges 4, Numbers 14: Salvation, Take it or Leave it. Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 02 Oct. 2011 by Captain Michael Ramsay
We read from Judges Chapter 4 earlier where Israel’s leader, Deborah instructs General Barak, in the name of the LORD, to lead the troops into battle against their oppressors.[3] Instead of simply saying ‘Yes ma’am’ to Deborah and ‘Yes Lord’ to the Lord, Barak sounds a little like a scared elementary school student and he says instead to Deborah, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go” (Judges 4:8; cf. Exodus 4:13, Judges 6:15, Jeremiah 1:6). It reminds me of a summer or two ago when my daughters were younger and one of them accidentally threw a ball or something in the neighbours’ yard. I told her to just go ring their doorbell and ask if she can go into the yard and get it back. She looked scared stiff. She -in a moment of panic- said, ‘No, only if you go with me!’ General Barak when God through the Prophetess Deborah, Israel’s judge, tells him to run an errand for God, he says, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” Now I told my daughter when she attempted to give me this ultimatum that she could take her sister with her to ask our neighbours for the ball and the two of them went hugging and grasping each other for support, with me watching, to our next door neighbours’ house to retrieve their ball. Judge Deborah similarly has mercy on this timid general, Barak, and says that she will go with him.[4] She doesn’t have quite as much mercy as I did with my 7 or 8 year-old daughter at the time though; nor should she. Barak, in his fear to go into battle without Deborah holding his hand, wasn’t just questioning Deborah’s order; he was questioning God.[5] In response: “‘Very well,’ Deborah said, ‘I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honour will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman.’ Then Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh” (Judges 4:9).
This is important. Glory was there for Barak: he could take it or leave it. But regardless of Barak, God still delivered the people of Israel from their oppressors, just like He said he would do. Even though Barak did not show faith and faithfulness, God was still faithful and He delivered His people unto salvation. But because Barak was more afraid of men than of God, he did not receive the full reward that he otherwise would have received (cf. Deuteronomy 31:6; Numbers 14; Joshua 1:5; Romans 3:3,4; Hebrews 13:5-6; 2 Timothy 2:13).
This brings us to our parallel passage in Numbers 14....
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[3] But cf. Dennis T. Olsen, The Book of Judges (NIB II; Nashville: Abingdon, 1998), 778-783.
[4] Cf. Robert Jamieson, ‘CHAPTER 4: Judges 4:1-17. Deborah and Barak Deliver Israel from Jabin and Sisera’. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Available on-line: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/jamieson/jfb.x.vii.iv.html?scrBook=Judg&scrCh=4-4&scrV=0-0#x.vii.iv-p0.1
[5] John Wesley, “Explanatory Notes on Judges 4”. Cited from Christ’s Notes Bible Commentary (Cited 26 September, 2011). Available on-line: http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=7&c=4&com=wes
[4] Cf. Robert Jamieson, ‘CHAPTER 4: Judges 4:1-17. Deborah and Barak Deliver Israel from Jabin and Sisera’. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Available on-line: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/jamieson/jfb.x.vii.iv.html?scrBook=Judg&scrCh=4-4&scrV=0-0#x.vii.iv-p0.1
[5] John Wesley, “Explanatory Notes on Judges 4”. Cited from Christ’s Notes Bible Commentary (Cited 26 September, 2011). Available on-line: http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=7&c=4&com=wes
Monday, September 26, 2011
Can airstrikes protect civillians?
http://www.ploughshares.ca/sites/default/files/2011summer.pdf
From Ploughshares which is a Christian Peacemaking agency of The Canadian Council of Churches.
From Ploughshares which is a Christian Peacemaking agency of The Canadian Council of Churches.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Pray for the end of human trafficking
Human Trafficking: The following information is adapted slightly from The Salvation Army Anti-Human Trafficking Resources.
What is human trafficking? Human trafficking is slavery. Human beings are bought and sold for a number of purposes: sexual exploitation, forced labour, or organ removal.. Human trafficking exploits human beings (mostly women and girls) for profit. Individuals may be trafficked across international borders or within them. Traffickers – ranging from sophisticated international criminal cartels to local pimps, boyfriends and even family members – use force, the threat of force, or other forms of coercion to gain control over their victims. Throughout the world, in rural and urban settings, victims are trapped in a myriad of exploitive situations including the commercial sex industry, factory sweat shops, domestic servitude, and agricultural work. Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery proliferated in Canada and around the world.
It is estimated that up to 4 million people are trafficked annually worldwide. Hundreds to thousands of people are trafficked within Canada each year. It is a $12 billion (USD) annual business. Profits from human trafficking also fuel other criminal activities.
According to the 2011 US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, Canada is a source, transit, and destination country for people trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour. When it comes to forced labour, Canada is considered a destination country. Trafficking for the purpose of forced labour is more common in Canada than most people realize. Men, women and children are brought to Canada for the purposes of forced or bonded labour. They can be trafficked into commercial or private service. Typically, they are recruited with the promise of work that will make use of their skills and qualifications but find themselves doing menial labour. Often they make little or no pay and work very long hours. Their freedoms are usually limited; they may be confined, living in their place of work, and they may have their communications cut off. I am working with Captain Ed at the present time actually to help some victims of human trafficking in Maple Creek. The province of Alberta especially has high numbers of forced workers.
Re. prostituted peoples and sexual human trafficking: Canada’s Aboriginal female population is sexually trafficked in disproportionate levels. Aboriginal youth make up only 3 - 5% of the Canadian population, and yet in some cities they make up 90% of the visible sex trade.
Human trafficking was added as a crime in November 2005. Michael Ng was the first to be charged with human trafficking. These charges were later dropped, however, and Ng was convicted on other related charges.
It remains difficult to obtain a conviction based on trafficking charges because of the clandestine nature of the crime. Victims and witnesses are often too intimidated or too embarrassed to testify. Further, evidence may need to be collected abroad, and this presents its own difficulties. Laws relating to human trafficking are new; it takes time for authorities to become familiar with them in order to implement them effectively. Another problem is simply that law enforcement officers have limited resources to monitor bawdy houses and other suspect areas. Let us pray this responsive prayer on the overhead.
HumanTrafficking Prayer
Creator God, each person on this earth was made in your image – full of dignity and deserving of respect, honour and compassion. We pray for victims of trafficking who have been bought, sold and exploited – that they would be set free and that their dignity and honour would be restored. Lord have mercy.
Father God, we pray for your daughters and sons who are vulnerable to sexual trafficking. We pray for women and children. We pray for the poor. We pray for orphans and abandoned children; widows and abandoned wives. We pray for those who have already been sexually abused. Father God, protect them and prevent them from being trafficked. Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you are the suffering servant who has experienced violence, humiliation and rejection. Comfort victims of trafficking who have gone through the same. May they never feel alone. Pour out your love, giving strength, grace and wisdom. Lord, have mercy.
Son of Man, purify the hearts and minds of traffickers and all those involved in the sex industry. We pray for repentance and change; justice and restoration. Lord, show your power.
All-knowing God, may we not ignore injustice. May our eyes be ever seeing, our ears be ever hearing and our hearts be ever searching. Give feet to our prayers so that we might stamp out oppression and walk towards truth. Lord, show your power.
Omnipotent God, we ask that you break the chains of injustice and set the captives free! Release the prisoners of trafficking and deliver them from all evil. Redeemer, we pray for restoration, healing and hope. Lord, show your power.
Lord of lords and King of kings, may your justice and righteousness reign supremely in this world and in our lives. May your kingdom come and your will be done. May human trafficking be abolished, and its victims be set free. Lord, show your power.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Human Trafficking Q&A
What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking is slavery. Human beings are bought and sold for a number of purposes: sexual exploitation, forced or bonded labour, or forced or coerced organ removal. While the purposes of human trafficking vary, they all have a common element: exploitation. Human trafficking exploits human beings (mostly women and girls) for profit. Individuals may be trafficked across international borders or within them. Traffickers – ranging from sophisticated international criminal cartels to local pimps, boyfriends and even family members – use force, the threat of force, or other forms of coercion to gain control over their victims. Human trafficking is always involuntary because even when consent is achieved it is through some form of fraud, deception, abduction/kidnapping, or abuse of power/vulnerability. Throughout the world, in rural and urban settings, victims are trapped in a myriad of exploitive situations including the commercial sex industry, factory sweat shops, construction work, domestic servitude, and agricultural work. Human trafficking is a global tragedy that robs people of basic human rights and demeans their human dignity. It is a form of modern day slavery proliferated in Canada and around the world.
read more of the FAQ, Q&A from the TSA: http://salvationist.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Human-Trafficking-in-Canada-FAQs.pdf
read more of the FAQ, Q&A from the TSA: http://salvationist.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Human-Trafficking-in-Canada-FAQs.pdf
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Justice in Swift Current, Salvation Army Style.
The Prairie Post
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 20:48
http://www.prairiepost.com/commentary/opinions/3331-justice-swift-current-salvation-army-style.html
Recently the Federal Government has announced some new ‘law and order’ initiatives. The Correctional and Justice Services of The Salvation Army in Regina is having a grand re-opening at 10:30 on September 30th. With so much going on in the way of justice these days, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of what we are doing in Swift Current to provide justice for those in need in our community.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 20:48
http://www.prairiepost.com/commentary/opinions/3331-justice-swift-current-salvation-army-style.html
Recently the Federal Government has announced some new ‘law and order’ initiatives. The Correctional and Justice Services of The Salvation Army in Regina is having a grand re-opening at 10:30 on September 30th. With so much going on in the way of justice these days, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of what we are doing in Swift Current to provide justice for those in need in our community.
At our Swift Current, Saskatchewan Salvation Army we are actively involved in justice ministries.
We provide the Alternative Measures / Justice Services for all of South West Saskatchewan. We provide mediations between victims and offenders with a goal of reconciling people to our community. This programme has met with great success and, in my opinion, has greatly contributed to a drop in rates of recidivism. We have been providing this service for many years and have a number of mediators working under the supervision of Harvey Lomax to help victims and to reconcile both youth and adult offenders to the community.
We have been hosting the Free Legal Clinic since its arrival in the South West. Last year we were among the busiest free legal clinics in the province helping those in need. The Swift Current Free Legal Clinic offers free legal advice in areas of Family Law, Criminal Law, and Civil Law and its services are provided to those who do not qualify for legal aid but are unable to afford legal Council.
We often appear with people in court. Court can be a scary place whether you are the accused, a victim, or a witness. We often have people in court who can provide comfort, support, help you understand the process, and say a prayer with you when it is so desired. We also have visited many people in the cells here either when they are awaiting trial or transfer to a correctional facility.
William Booth, The Salvation Army’s founder, said that he hopes that some day whenever people are released from prison that there would be Salvation Army personnel to meet them and help them reintegrate into society so that they don’t re-offend and immediately return to prison for committing some other crime. Canada’s first Dominion Parole Officer was The Salvation Army's Brigadier Walter Archibald. Here in Swift Current we are actively working with people returning to the community who were sent to a correctional facility from here. We help them find food, lodging, employment and other much needed services in order to help them reintegrate into the community and avoid the temptations that often facilitate a return to prison. We are in the process of expanding this programme significantly so that we can help more youth and adults in the area and do our part to help keep our community safe.
Here in Swift Current, we at the Salvation Army are doing our best to provide safety, security and justice to those in need in our community and we couldn’t do it without your help.
For more information or to see how you can help, please fell free to contact us at justice@sheepspeak.com
Sincerely,
Captain Michael Ramsay
Commanding Officer,
The Salvation Army:
Swift Current
Commentary : http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/
My book, Praise the Lord for Covenants, is available from Supplies and Purchasing as well as on-line at www.sheepspeak.com
Friday, September 16, 2011
Pat Robertson says Alzheimer's justifies divorce - The Bible, JAC and I disagree
The Associated Press
Posted: Sep 16, 2011 11:03 AM ET
Last Updated: Sep 16, 2011 10:44 AM ET
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told his 700 Club viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer's is justifiable because the disease is "a kind of death."
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During the portion of the show where the one-time Republican presidential candidate takes questions from viewers, Robertson was asked what advice a man should give to a friend who began seeing another woman after his wife started suffering from the incurable neurological disorder.
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"I know it sounds cruel, but if he's going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her," Robertson said
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from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/16/robertson-alzheimers-divorce.html
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Roberson is wrong, of course: Covenant oaths are very significant to Christianity. If you throw them out you in essence throw out the bulk of the Canon. Jesus' whole death and resurrection relates to a covenant oath God made to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:17-21): http://www.sheepspeak.com./ptl4covenants.htm
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See 'Rights and Responsibilities of Covenant - a look at Judges 2' in the Journal of Aggressive Christianity Issue 56: http://www.armybarmy.com/JAC/article10-56.html and 'When God is Bound' in the Journal of Aggressive Christianity Issue 52, pages 5-10: http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_052.pdf
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Top Ten Reasons Why Men Shouldn’t Be Ordained.
So as Nathan Hobby says, few arguments are as engaging as humour. Maybe taking a look at the humour in it can help us to look at ourselves more closely! And btw, replace the word “Ordained” with “Commissioned”, or similar for the sake of the context; because ordination in The Salvation Army is a whole other issue!
–Top Ten Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained
10. A man’s place is in the army.
9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.
8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do other forms of work.
7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.
5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.
4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, and maybe even lead the singing on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.
1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.
9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.
8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do other forms of work.
7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.
5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.
4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, and maybe even lead the singing on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.
1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.
read more: http://salvokat.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/top-ten-reasons-why-men-shouldnt-be-ordained/
Monday, September 12, 2011
Say it! Know it! Do it!
Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 11 Sept. 2011 by Captain Michael Ramsay
Today we are speaking about Romans 10:9: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” And, Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” These are some of the basics of the whole Christian faith (cf. TSA doc. 7). Therefore as we launch into our time today, along these lines I thought that I would share this piece of wisdom that was presented to us at Officer Camp by Major David Ivany – he is in charge of Spiritual Direction for all of Canada in The Salvation Army. He shared this story with us about a kind elderly lady, who in her heart upon a public confession of faith is experiencing the pure joys of Christian love.
This lady, Emma, she goes into a local Christian bookstore and sees a “Honk if you love Jesus” bumper sticker. Feeling particularly good that day because she has just come from a great choir practice and prayer meeting, she buys the bumper sticker and she put it on her car – professing her faith publicly. She recalls, “Boy, I’m glad I did! What an uplifting experience followed!” and then she launches into this story. She remembers stopping at a red light at a busy intersection just when she first had on her new ‘Honk if you love Jesus’ sticker. Lost in thought about the Lord and how good He had been to her, she didn’t notice the light had changed.
“It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus,” she said, “because if he hadn’t honked, I’d never have noticed that the light had changed!” She then noted that indeed, lots of people actually love Jesus because while she sat unmoving, blocking the lane of traffic, the guy behind her also honked like crazy before leaning out of his window and screaming, “For the love of God! Go! Go! Jesus Christ, Go!” She remembers thinking, “What an exuberant cheerleader he was for the Lord!”
Suddenly, it seemed as though she had started an epidemic and everyone started honking. Impressed by such a response, she leaned out of her window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people – while she was still parked in front of the intersection. “I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!” she recited. Then she realized the mix of celebrants. “There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a “sunny beach… I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger in the air. I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant, and he suggested that it was probably an Hawaiian good luck sign or something…”
The woman admitted that she had never met anyone from Hawaii before and was unaware of their customs. “I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign right back,” she reminisced.
She also remembers that a few persons were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards her. “I’ll bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended but that was when I noticed that the light had changed. So, I waved to all my loving sisters and brothers in Christ, grinned joyously, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed that I was the only car that made it through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time before I sped away.”
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Romans 10:9: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” And, Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
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Read the whole message: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/09/romans-109-say-it-know-it-do-it.html
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Exerpt from the Obedience Company
Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 04 Sept. 2011 by Captain Michael Ramsay
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Today the verse we are speaking about, Romans 6:23, is looking at wages from a different source. 6:23a records that, “the wages of sin is death.” Before we get into this too much, we should all know what sin is. Literally, the word here in Romans comes from an archery term meaning, ‘to miss the target’ or ‘to miss the mark’.[1] The word as it is applied in this context here refers to more of a status than a process.[2] Sin here is the already fired arrow having missed the mark. We have all sinned as we have missed the righteousness mark (Romans 6:16; cf. Romans 3:22-23). Righteousness for our purposes today we will simply define as being right with God.[3] Sin is having fallen short of this mark (this status).
We know also what wages are, right? Wages are what we are paid for what we do – often times in our culture this is represented by a paycheque. So then relating to our scripture today, what we earn by having missed the righteousness mark is death. The wages of sin is death. Doctrine 5 of The Salvation Army reads, ‘We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience [their sin] they lost their purity and happiness; and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.’ The wages of sin is death.
The Apostle Paul expresses this idea in a number of different ways (cf. Romans 6:1-14, Romans 6:15-23, Romans 7:1-6).[4] Pertaining to the wages, which we are looking at today, he says in this analogy (Romans 6:15-23) that being neutral is not an option. Like a CFL (professional football) game that is already underway, you are either in the uniform of the Blue Bombers or of the Roughriders. The game is underway; no other players are on the field. You can play for one team or you can play for the other. No player on the field in neutral.
Expressed another way: unemployment is not an option. There are two competing companies in town and we have to work for one or the other of them. We can be employees (slaves/servants) of the Sin Company of which Adam, as the first to sin, is the CEO (Romans 6:21); or we can be employees of the Obedience Company, of which Christ, as the first fruits of the Resurrection, is the CEO (Romans 6:22). We can be employees (slaves/servants) of the Sin Company and receive as our pay, death (Romans 6:21); or we can be employees of the Obedience Company and receive as our pay, sanctification (NRSV, NIV: holiness; Romans 6:22; cf. TSA doc. 10). We can either choose sin and death or we can choose obedience and sanctification.
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Sunday, September 04, 2011
Julie Arnold, a missionary from Swift Current Corps, visited today
Julie Arnold: Enroute to Oceana with NTMC Summer 2011
Recent Happenings
After three years of working at Millar College of the Bible (SK), I drove away on July 1st, laden with whatever earthly goods would fit in my car. I have enjoyed my time at Millar, working in the kitchen & doing some painting, but now I'm heading into the next state of this adventure!
Summer at Bible Camp
I plan to spend most of July & August at Round Lake Bible Camp (ON), which my parents direct. I am very excited to spend the whole summer there this year! July 3-29 are four weeks of girls' camps, during which I am slated to be a cabin leader for three weeks and chapel speaker for the week of July 10-15. Then we have three weeks of boys' camps from July 31-August 20, for which I plan to work in the kitchen. It will be a busy summer, but should be lots of fun and is definitely a great chance to impact kids & teens for Christ.
Preparations
This spring, I took a first aid course in preparation for a short medical module I plan to attend in October. I was also given the opportunity to share in my local church. It was really encouraging to see the interest the congregation is taking in my plans. In recent months, I have also had several financial gifts come in. This evidence of God's provision has also been a big encouragement!
Fall Travel & Share Plans
After camp is over, I plan to spend some time reconnecting with family & friends and sharing my vision for the future. I plan to head to Saskatchewan & Alberta in September, then southern Ontario in October. My goals during these months are to do some visiting before leaving the country, to raise support as I prepare to go, and to spread interest & enthusiasm for missions.
In the next few months I'll be setting up an itinerary, so if you would like to have me share with your church, Sunday School, Youth Group, Small Group, or family, please let me know--the sooner the better!
Praise God for...
- encouragement I have received!
- an excellent first week of camp!
Please Pray for...
- effective ministry at camp this summer: for joy, strength, wisdom & love
- details to come together for fall travels & speaking engagements
Thank you so much for your care & prayers!
Julie Arnold
New Contact Information: Julie Arnold RR 2 Kakabeka Falls, ON P0T 1W0 phone 807-475-9369
New Tribes Mission of Canada: NTMC Box 707 Durham, ON N0G 1R0
(cheques should be made out to NTMC with a separate note stating: "for the ministry of Julie Arnold")
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Farewell to the Rapture!
N.T. Wright, Bible Review, August 2001.
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Little did Paul know how his colorful metaphors for Jesus’ second coming would be misunderstood two millennia later.
The American obsession with the second coming of Jesus — especially with distorted interpretations of it — continues unabated. Seen from my side of the Atlantic, the phenomenal success of the Left Behind books appears puzzling, even bizarre[1]. Few in the U.K. hold the belief on which the popular series of novels is based: that there will be a literal “rapture” in which believers will be snatched up to heaven, leaving empty cars crashing on freeways and kids coming home from school only to find that their parents have been taken to be with Jesus while they have been “left behind.” This pseudo-theological version of Home Alone has reportedly frightened many children into some kind of (distorted) faith.
This dramatic end-time scenario is based (wrongly, as we shall see) on Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians, where he writes: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first; then we, who are left alive, will be snatched up with them on clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
What on earth (or in heaven) did Paul mean?
It is Paul who should be credited with creating this scenario. Jesus himself, as I have argued in various books, never predicted such an event[2]. The gospel passages about “the Son of Man coming on the clouds” (Mark 13:26, 14:62, for example) are about Jesus’ vindication, his “coming” to heaven from earth. The parables about a returning king or master (for example, Luke 19:11-27) were originally about God returning to Jerusalem, not about Jesus returning to earth. This, Jesus seemed to believe, was an event within space-time history, not one that would end it forever.
The Ascension of Jesus and the Second Coming are nevertheless vital Christian doctrines[3], and I don’t deny that I believe some future event will result in the personal presence of Jesus within God’s new creation. This is taught throughout the New Testament outside the Gospels. But this event won’t in any way resemble the Left Behind account. Understanding what will happen requires a far more sophisticated cosmology than the one in which “heaven” is somewhere up there in our universe, rather than in a different dimension, a different space-time, altogether.
The New Testament, building on ancient biblical prophecy, envisages that the creator God will remake heaven and earth entirely, affirming the goodness of the old Creation but overcoming its mortality and corruptibility (e.g., Romans 8:18-27; Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 65:17, 66:22). When that happens, Jesus will appear within the resulting new world (e.g., Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:2).
Paul’s description of Jesus’ reappearance in 1 Thessalonians 4 is a brightly colored version of what he says in two other passages, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 and Philippians 3:20-21: At Jesus’ “coming” or “appearing,” those who are still alive will be “changed” or “transformed” so that their mortal bodies will become incorruptible, deathless. This is all that Paul intends to say in Thessalonians, but here he borrows imagery—from biblical and political sources—to enhance his message. Little did he know how his rich metaphors would be misunderstood two millennia later.
First, Paul echoes the story of Moses coming down the mountain with the Torah. The trumpet sounds, a loud voice is heard, and after a long wait Moses comes to see what’s been going on in his absence.
Second, he echoes Daniel 7, in which “the people of the saints of the Most High” (that is, the “one like a son of man”) are vindicated over their pagan enemy by being raised up to sit with God in glory. This metaphor, applied to Jesus in the Gospels, is now applied to Christians who are suffering persecution.
Third, Paul conjures up images of an emperor visiting a colony or province. The citizens go out to meet him in open country and then escort him into the city. Paul’s image of the people “meeting the Lord in the air” should be read with the assumption that the people will immediately turn around and lead the Lord back to the newly remade world.
Paul’s mixed metaphors of trumpets blowing and the living being snatched into heaven to meet the Lord are not to be understood as literal truth, as the Left Behind series suggests, but as a vivid and biblically allusive description of the great transformation of the present world of which he speaks elsewhere.
Paul’s misunderstood metaphors present a challenge for us: How can we reuse biblical imagery, including Paul’s, so as to clarify the truth, not distort it? And how can we do so, as he did, in such a way as to subvert the political imagery of the dominant and dehumanizing empires of our world? We might begin by asking, What view of the world is sustained, even legitimized, by the Left Behind ideology? How might it be confronted and subverted by genuinely biblical thinking? For a start, is not the Left Behind mentality in thrall to a dualistic view of reality that allows people to pollute God’s world on the grounds that it’s all going to be destroyed soon? Wouldn’t this be overturned if we recaptured Paul’s wholistic vision of God’s whole creation?
http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_BR_Farewell_Rapture.htm
---
[1] Tim F. Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind (Cambridge, UK: Tyndale House Publishing, 1996). Eight other titles have followed, all runaway bestsellers.
[2] See my Jesus and the Victory of God (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1996); the discussions in Jesus and the Restoration of Israel: A Critical Assessment of N.T. Wright’s Jesus and the Victory of God, ed. Carey C. Newman (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999); and Marcus J. Borg and N.T. Wright, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1999), chapters 13 and 14.
[3] Douglas Farrow, Ascension and Ecclesia: On the Significance of the Doctrine of the Ascension for Ecclesiology and Christian Cosmology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999).
reposted from an blog entry onthis site on Thursday, March 19, 2009
.
Little did Paul know how his colorful metaphors for Jesus’ second coming would be misunderstood two millennia later.
The American obsession with the second coming of Jesus — especially with distorted interpretations of it — continues unabated. Seen from my side of the Atlantic, the phenomenal success of the Left Behind books appears puzzling, even bizarre[1]. Few in the U.K. hold the belief on which the popular series of novels is based: that there will be a literal “rapture” in which believers will be snatched up to heaven, leaving empty cars crashing on freeways and kids coming home from school only to find that their parents have been taken to be with Jesus while they have been “left behind.” This pseudo-theological version of Home Alone has reportedly frightened many children into some kind of (distorted) faith.
This dramatic end-time scenario is based (wrongly, as we shall see) on Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians, where he writes: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first; then we, who are left alive, will be snatched up with them on clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
What on earth (or in heaven) did Paul mean?
It is Paul who should be credited with creating this scenario. Jesus himself, as I have argued in various books, never predicted such an event[2]. The gospel passages about “the Son of Man coming on the clouds” (Mark 13:26, 14:62, for example) are about Jesus’ vindication, his “coming” to heaven from earth. The parables about a returning king or master (for example, Luke 19:11-27) were originally about God returning to Jerusalem, not about Jesus returning to earth. This, Jesus seemed to believe, was an event within space-time history, not one that would end it forever.
The Ascension of Jesus and the Second Coming are nevertheless vital Christian doctrines[3], and I don’t deny that I believe some future event will result in the personal presence of Jesus within God’s new creation. This is taught throughout the New Testament outside the Gospels. But this event won’t in any way resemble the Left Behind account. Understanding what will happen requires a far more sophisticated cosmology than the one in which “heaven” is somewhere up there in our universe, rather than in a different dimension, a different space-time, altogether.
The New Testament, building on ancient biblical prophecy, envisages that the creator God will remake heaven and earth entirely, affirming the goodness of the old Creation but overcoming its mortality and corruptibility (e.g., Romans 8:18-27; Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 65:17, 66:22). When that happens, Jesus will appear within the resulting new world (e.g., Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:2).
Paul’s description of Jesus’ reappearance in 1 Thessalonians 4 is a brightly colored version of what he says in two other passages, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 and Philippians 3:20-21: At Jesus’ “coming” or “appearing,” those who are still alive will be “changed” or “transformed” so that their mortal bodies will become incorruptible, deathless. This is all that Paul intends to say in Thessalonians, but here he borrows imagery—from biblical and political sources—to enhance his message. Little did he know how his rich metaphors would be misunderstood two millennia later.
First, Paul echoes the story of Moses coming down the mountain with the Torah. The trumpet sounds, a loud voice is heard, and after a long wait Moses comes to see what’s been going on in his absence.
Second, he echoes Daniel 7, in which “the people of the saints of the Most High” (that is, the “one like a son of man”) are vindicated over their pagan enemy by being raised up to sit with God in glory. This metaphor, applied to Jesus in the Gospels, is now applied to Christians who are suffering persecution.
Third, Paul conjures up images of an emperor visiting a colony or province. The citizens go out to meet him in open country and then escort him into the city. Paul’s image of the people “meeting the Lord in the air” should be read with the assumption that the people will immediately turn around and lead the Lord back to the newly remade world.
Paul’s mixed metaphors of trumpets blowing and the living being snatched into heaven to meet the Lord are not to be understood as literal truth, as the Left Behind series suggests, but as a vivid and biblically allusive description of the great transformation of the present world of which he speaks elsewhere.
Paul’s misunderstood metaphors present a challenge for us: How can we reuse biblical imagery, including Paul’s, so as to clarify the truth, not distort it? And how can we do so, as he did, in such a way as to subvert the political imagery of the dominant and dehumanizing empires of our world? We might begin by asking, What view of the world is sustained, even legitimized, by the Left Behind ideology? How might it be confronted and subverted by genuinely biblical thinking? For a start, is not the Left Behind mentality in thrall to a dualistic view of reality that allows people to pollute God’s world on the grounds that it’s all going to be destroyed soon? Wouldn’t this be overturned if we recaptured Paul’s wholistic vision of God’s whole creation?
http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_BR_Farewell_Rapture.htm
---
[1] Tim F. Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Left Behind (Cambridge, UK: Tyndale House Publishing, 1996). Eight other titles have followed, all runaway bestsellers.
[2] See my Jesus and the Victory of God (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1996); the discussions in Jesus and the Restoration of Israel: A Critical Assessment of N.T. Wright’s Jesus and the Victory of God, ed. Carey C. Newman (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999); and Marcus J. Borg and N.T. Wright, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1999), chapters 13 and 14.
[3] Douglas Farrow, Ascension and Ecclesia: On the Significance of the Doctrine of the Ascension for Ecclesiology and Christian Cosmology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999).
reposted from an blog entry onthis site on Thursday, March 19, 2009
Galatians 3:19-25: Don’t be a McChicken
One day at the McDonald farm there is a rumbling in the air; something is a foot. In the chicken coop something isn’t just quite right. The old farmer walks all around the chicken wire fence. It seems to be in tact. The barbed wire along the perimeter looks undisturbed. Everything looks fine as he locks up the hens for the night. But inside the henhouse on the top rung, something is stirring…it is Henrietta the poultry hen.
Now, as soon as Farmer McDonald closes the door to the coop, Henrietta the hen, speaks up: “It’s time.” Quickly Henrietta, Polly, Mick, and all the chickens on the top rung run to the southeast corner of the coop. They peck and they peck the ground in the corner like never before. Last night they had almost made it. Tonight would be the night. Finally – breakthrough! Henrietta and the other chickens are free. They are free from the farmer’s coop. They are free from the barbed wire and the chicken wire; they are free from the tedious ritual and routine. They are free!
They spend the next morning roaming around the yard, exploring the whole farm. They eat what they want, when then want. They can be near or wander far away. They talk. They talk and they talk some more: it’s a hen’s life. They spend that whole day walking around eating what and when they want and really enjoying the full freedom from the yard. At the end of the day, they perch on a branch of tree across the road from the farm and cuddle up for the night. It is good.
They have a nice rest but in the morning when they wake up, they notice something on the road: it is Mick the Chicken crossing the road. They wonder. Why did the chicken cross the road? Mick is walking back towards the farm.
Mick is walking back to the coop. She goes across the road, to the fence and through the same crack under the chicken wire fence. She walks around the corner and up the walkway onto her old bar in the farmer’s small, confining chicken coop. The farmer then notices the crack in the fence and repairs it quickly. Mick is trapped.
Henrietta can’t believe it. She sees the whole thing where she is sitting, still free, looking on from her perch on other side of the road. She sees Mick, of her own accord, trapped all over again on the farm.
Mick was free and then she just goes back to be trapped all over again and it is even worse then she thought at first. As Henrietta scans the farm and hears the noises: here a cluck, there a cluck everywhere a cluck, cluck. She remembers, Mick the Chicken is on McDonald’s farm. The Mick Chicken is back at MacDonald’s! And you know what happens to McChickens at McDonald’s.[1] They get eaten. Mick is trapped.
And this is just like the Galatians to whom Paul writes his letter: the Galatians have become just as trapped by the Law of the Old Covenant – the way they used to do things between the Exodus and Resurrection - as Mick the chicken is by McDonalds. And Paul is quite concerned.
related:
Captain Michael Ramsay, 'Don't be a McChicken: Covenant and Galatians 3:19-25' in the Journal of Aggressive Christianity Issue 67 (June - July, 2010), pp. 35-38. Available on-line:
Captain Michael Ramsay 'Galatians 3:19-25: Don't be a McChicken...' Presented to Nipawin Corps on January 20, 2008 and to Tisdale Corps on January 27, 2008. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/01/galatians-319-25-dont-be-mcchicken.html
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