Thursday, June 30, 2011

Why Should I Read the Bible?

By Captain Michael Ramsay
Nipawin Journal, February 2008.
 
My five year-old asks us every night if we can read the Bible to her since at Sunday school, not too long ago, the teacher sang with the children, “read your Bible, pray everyday and you’ll grow, grow, grow …” Sarah-Grace took this truth to heart and has been faithful in reminding us to read her Bible.

Reading the Bible has also been very important to me since I was in elementary school. I personally have tried to read my Bible everyday since I was ten or nine. I can’t imagine not reading my Bible regularly. It is exciting. It is transformative.

The very first doctrine of The Salvation Army, of which I am an Officer, states that, “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.”

In Romans 1:16-17, Paul writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.’”

The gospel is contained in the Bible. The word ‘gospel’ (Gk: euangelion) itself means ‘good news’ or ‘good message’ (cf. Isa 40:9, 52:7). It is the whole Christian message. It is the information, from none other than God, that Jesus, God’s unique Son has become the spearhead of God’s ‘kingdom to come’ and the news that, in this new kingdom all that is bad, even sin and death themselves, have already been defeated.

The Bible is exciting. It is given by the inspiration of God himself and gives us examples and encouragements on how to live a life where we are truly free to serve God. It contains the good news that Jesus died, rose from the dead, and is coming back for us. The power of the gospel contained within can transform our lives completely as we accept the truth of Jesus’ gift of eternal life.

Why should we read our Bible? Well, we should read our Bible because as we do we will indeed “grow, grow, grow...”

Click to read Salvation Story (elaboration upon the doctrines of The Salvation Army)

Not an Atheistic Society

By Captain Michael Ramsay
Letter published in the Tisdale Recorder, November 2007.

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

Is War Ever Just?

By Captain Michael Ramsay
The Nipawin Journal, November 2007 
   
Is war ever just? This is certainly a difficult question to answer; brilliant churchmen and theologians (Augustine, Aquinas, More, Grotius, CS Lewis, John Paul II...) like the pagans before them (Plato and Cicero) have wrestled with this question and fought to find various theoretical formulae in order to test for a just war. Though their intent was noble, the results are ambiguous. A prime example of the struggle is Ulrich Zwingli. Zwingli was a brilliant reformer and staunch pacifist – he died in a battle he voluntarily entered.
 
 
Part of the difficulty in addressing the question of a  ‘just war’ is, of course, the ‘two Joshuas.’ God used Joshua of the OT to deliver His people into the promised land.  War and violence accompanied this conquest. God uses the second Joshua, Jesus, to deliver us into the eternal promised land. Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6) who teaches that one should turn the other cheek and offer our attackers even more than they demand (Matt 5, Lk 6). Pacifists have argued that any resistance is therefore disobedience and placing our trust in ourselves rather than in God.
 
 
The Salvation Army, in which I am an officer, is not a pacifist movement. We have both pacifists and national soldiers in our ranks. We have a long tradition of standing up for the weak and disadvantaged. John 15 says that a man can show no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends; we do owe a debt of gratitude to all our soldiers who have died for us and, from my perspective, I think Canada’s peacekeeping tradition of sending our troops to defend civilian populations and stand between warring factions is a noble expression of faith in action.

 
I further believe that our war here is with principalities and powers and that, as this is the case, officers in the Salvation Army pledge to make the saving of people a primary focus of our lives. It is to this end that I have committed to fight; Jesus saves and when His kingdom is fully realised on earth, there will be no further wars, no more tears. This is most certainly a just war.

This is a cursorily look at the topic. For more reading, I have posted a bibliography (below) on www.sheepspeak.com. I invite you to read more and offer me any insights you may have at  war@sheepspeak.com..
 
For further reading:
            Captain Michael Ramsay's Remembrance Day address, 2007: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/11/greater-love-has-no-man-than-to-lay.html (Comment on that address by the Journal: http://www.nipawinjournal.com/News/354539.html )
 
Cole, Darrell. The Problem of War: C.S. Lewis on Pacifism, War & the Christian Warrior.

Monday, June 27, 2011

The Salvation Army's Kids Club Camps

All camps are 9AM-4:30PM, Monday through Friday.

The various weekly themes are as follows:

Splash into Summer: July 4-8

Summer Olympics:  July 1-15

Make a Scene: July 18-22

Fun in the Sun: July 25-29

Arts Around the Word: August 1-5

Sports Spectacular: August 8-12

Carnival: August 15-19

Best of the Best: August 22-26

For more information or to apply call (306) 778-0515 and ask to speak with Liz about our Summer Kids Club Camps!

Julie Arnold is en route to Oceana

Julie, from our congregation here, is en route to Oceana as a missionary with New Tribes Ministries. If you would like to support her and/or find out more information you can contact her at julie_arnold@ntm.org

Water in Weyburn

WEYBURN FLOOD RELIEF REPORT
22 June – 24 June 2011
by Captain Michael Ramsay
26 June 2011

The Salvation Army had a successful mobile feeding and assessment phase that spanned the dates covered in this report.

Arrival and Information Gathering


Shortly after arriving in Weyburn on June 22, 2011, Major Mike Hoeft met me and we went over to the quarters where Captain Terri Wallace brought us up to speed with what she knew of The Salvation Army relief efforts to date. Unfortunately there was neither an event log nor a brief available but we were able to find out key contact times, people and general information. From this information we provisionally decided that we would be moving into the mobile feeding and assessment phase of the disaster relief plan.

After meeting Major Mike Hoeft for a breakfast meeting on June 23, 2011, I headed to the EOC (Weyburn Fire Hall) for a briefing. Prior to the briefing, I was advised by a ministerial representative as to the role that the other churches were fulfilling in helping to feed those in need. In the briefing Major Hoeft and I were brought up to speed as to how the relief efforts were going to date and we advised them that we had successfully completed the previous phase of our disaster relief feeding plan: providing meals for all of the staff and volunteers at the EOC (the power was on in the community, food and water were otherwise accessible so that service was not now needed) and that we were moving into the next phase: mobile feeding and assessment.

Mobile Feeding and Assessment Procedure


After the meeting, I worked out the details of our plan with other members of the EOC and then briefed Captain Terri Wallace and the CRU volunteers about the morning meetings and what our activity in this phase would look like:

  • Church groups would prepare food (that meet recognized health and safety guidelines),
  • CRU volunteers would put the lunch items in bags along with water and snacks,
  • The lunch bags would be taken from the fridge put into coolers immediately prior to distribution,
  • The town was divided into five sections (I have attached a copy of the map for your files),
  • We would send out 5 mobile feeding units (volunteers in cars), 1 unit to each section of the city,
  • We obtained a list from the EOC of residences in particular need, targeted those residences and then assessed, identified, responded, recorded, and reported other residences with people in need (we destroyed those lists at the end of the incident as per privacy regulations),
  • As the mobile feeding units returned, we replenished them as needed and assessed how long this phase would be required. 
     Wind Down

    June 24, 2011 it was obvious that the Mobile Feeding and Assessment phase was successfully completed:

    • Many people who had been identified as being in need were now having their needs met,
    • The power was on in the community,
    • As of 10:30 AM all water usage restrictions had been lifted except sump pumps hooked into the internal plumbing: they could still use pumps that pumped into the yard or the street,
    • EOC was purchasing meals for their members,
    • There were only eight people residing in the shelter,
    • They were feeding not only shelter residence at the shelter but anyone who registered as being in need of basic services,
    • As more and more of the needs in the community were being met now even the EOC meetings were reduced in time and frequency,
    • We sent out 5 Mobile Feeding and Assessment crews one last time to confirm that they had successfully achieved their goals

    Next Phase


    The move towards normalcy can begin as needs may now be met through the regular Weyburn Salvation Army facilities.

    • Extra food donations have been collected for those in need,
    • Monetary donations have been directed from the city to The Salvation Army (I was blessed to receive a $5 000.00 cheque on the Army’s behalf prior to leaving Weyburn),
    • Volunteers (especially from ministerial) have expressed an interest in helping in any way that they can,
    • Volunteers may be needed to help with repairing The Salvation Army facilities of their own flood damage,
    • The Food Bank may need to utilize more volunteers to help for a short period of time,
    • The FB may need to be open more days than usual for a set period of time,
    • The FB may need to track the numbers of specific flood related users versus other types of users

    The decisions going forward will of course be left up to the very capable Lieutenants Mike and Melissa Mailman. I know that the people of their community have a great deal of faith in their abilities. The Mayor herself spoke very highly of The Salvation Army’s ongoing ministry in Weyburn.

    It was a real blessing to be involved in this ministry. Thank you.

    Sincerely,
    Captain Michael Ramsay
    The Salvation Army, Swift Current

Congraduations!

Alyssia and Jessica are graduating from grade 12 this year!

Prairie Fishing Weekend

Come to the corps for more information and to pick up an application - this is always a lot of fun!

The Soap Box Derby was a lot of fun

We ran the concessions. It was a real blessing.

The barbeque with the Baptist went well on the weekend

For pictures view our facebook page.

Malachi 2:10-12: Don’t Marry the Daughter of a Foreign God

Presented to Swift Current Corps, 19 June 2011
By Captain Michael Ramsay


This is one you may hear again sometime but I thought it was appropriate for Fathers’ Day: When we were in Winnipeg, on Friday nights I used to help out with the street outreach at the Weetamah Corps. We would walk around the streets at night to see who we could offer a warm meal, a hot chocolate or a place to stay down at the shelter (the Booth Centre) for the night. We then tell them about Jesus.

Now these nights usually go quite late -until 1 or 2 in the morning sometimes – and so at the end of a long week, I am just exhausted and really quite look forward to my one day of sleeping in – Saturday morning.
Well this one Saturday about 6am or so – four or less hours after I crawl into bed – Rebecca (who was then only 4) and Sarah-Grace (who was 3 at the time) come bounding into our bedroom.

“Daddy, what’s a trout?” Rebecca, as a four year-old, asks me as she and her sister climb on my bed. “What’s a trout?” (aside: You know what it is like when you try to respond to someone but you really don’t want to wake up – that is what it is like)
“What’s a trout?”
“A fish, why do you ask”
“A fish?”
“Yes a fish”
“Oh… Like Nemo…?”
“Short of, I think Nemo is a Clown fish”
“Oh”
“Daddy,” asks Sarah-Grace, who has been standing there the whole time, “what’s a trout?”
“A fish”
“Like Nemo”
“No”
“Daddy”
“Yes, Sarah-Grace”
“What’s a trout?”

“A chipmunk. A Chipmunk!” I snap back with all the composure of one who has not had enough sleep.
The girls run out of the room laughing, none the worse for wear. I put my pillow over my head and just try to get back to sleep wondering just what that was all about and why I was woken up for a question that no one seemed to want the answer to anyway.

At this point, in comes Susan. Slowly and today with the calm demeanour of the caring mother and wife. I know I have spoken a little harshly to my daughters, so I listen intently as she lifts the pillow from my head and gently asks me, “Michael, What’s a trout?”[1]

That story is dedicated to any parent of small children who ever suffered under the delusion that it was possible to sleep in sometime.

Here, in Swift Current, we are looking at the book of Malachi in Bible Study and in the services for the month of June so I had a challenge for today to try to find something at least loosely Father’s Day related. This is what I came up with...

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/06/malachi-210-12-dont-marry-daughters-of.html

Friday, June 17, 2011

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Malachi 1:8: Lame Offerings

Presented to the Swift Current Corps, 05 June 2011
By Captain Michael Ramsay


Harvey Lomax, our Justice Coordinator here who is in charge of the Alternative Measures programme and also has official responsibility for the oversight of the free legal clinic and other justice orientated ministries out of The Salvation Army, has a story that he shared with us at coffee the other day. Harvey is a former RCMP Officer. This story is from his days as a police officer not too long after he had given his life to the Lord.

He receives a call that someone has stolen something from the Catholic Church in the town where he is posted. They stole, of all things, the outhouse. The officers and others -of course- had a few laughs and told some of the obvious jokes here: ‘finding the culprits is a um…dirty job but someone has to do it….’

Harvey, aware of this case, is later driving down the road when he feels the Lord’s prompting to pull over a truck that he sees going in the opposite direction. At first he tries to disregard this nudging of the Lord to pull over this vehicle and continue going on his way but the leading of the Lord gets stronger and stronger so he turns his police car around catches up to vehicle that had passed him going in the other direction. He asks for the licences of the guys in the truck. They don’t have them on them so Harvey takes their information and just before he is about to let them go on their way with instructions to drop by the station with their licences he, at the Lord’s prompting, asks them if they happen to be doing some work at the community where the Catholic church’s outhouse had been taken from. They had been so he asks them if they know anything about it. Now, Harvey being a solid new Christian, would always pray upon getting in his police car for the Lord’s leading and direction.

Harvey sends they guys on their way and gets where he is going when the phone rings, the receptionist where he was going answers it and the person on the other end asks for Harvey. He just got there. This is strange so he takes the call. It is someone from the police station calling. The vehicle that Harvey had pulled over was actually driven by the guys who had taken the church’s outhouse. After their conversation with Harvey they went down to the police station, turned themselves in, and confessed to taking the holey outhouse. And at Harvey’s prompting as part of trying to make things right before they faced the courts, they replaced the outhouse with an outhouse that was twice as holey. They took a single hole outhouse but replaced it with one with two holes. These fellows paid back more than twice as much.

It doesn’t pay to try to steal from the Lord. That is what today’s story is about.
 

Friday, June 03, 2011

D-Day Service 2011

Swift Current Cenotaph
05 June 2011

Invocation: We assemble today to solemnly remember an historic event and to pay our to the lives of our comrades whose death we mourn but whose spirits still live on.

Let us pray: Almighty God. To paraphrase a now famous D-day prayer: Our soldiers, they were sore tried, by night and by day, without rest— until the victory was won. The darkness was rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls were shaken with the violence of war.

For those who served were drawn from the ways of peace. They fought not for the lust of conquest. They fought to end conquest; hoping to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people, yearning but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some, however, did not return to their home here but rather to their eternal home with Thee. Continue to embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. We are here today Lord to commemorate those who lived and died through the battles of D-day.

We dedicate these proceeding today, in your name, Amen.

Reading from John 12:23-26:
23And Jesus answered them, saying, the hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.  24Verily, verily, I say unto you, except that a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.

 25He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.  26If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

 27Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, for it is this very cause that I came unto this very hour. 28Father, glorify thy name.

Meditation: Normandy, June 6, 1944, 5 a.m., D-Day: The Royal Canadian Navy alongside our British and American allies brought the largest invasion fleet ever assembled from England to France in total darkness. for Operation Overlord. The Sun was coming up – on some those assembled for the very last time before the Good Lord returns.

This seaborne invasion was aimed at 80 kilometres of beach along the Normandy coast, west of the Seine River. Canada’s objective was right in the middle.  The military planners assigned Canada a very significant role on D-Day: to take Juno Beach as a beginning to the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany

Involved in the invasion of Europe, in all there were 5000 ships and landing craft, 11 000 planes, 50 000 vehicles and 155_000 soldiers ready for the impending battle. 14 000 Canadian soldiers were to land on the beaches; another 450 were to drop behind enemy lines by parachute or by glider. The Royal Canadian Navy supplied ships and about 10 000 sailors. Lancaster bombers and Spitfire fighters from the Royal Canadian Air Force supported the invasion.

The Canadians who landed on Juno Beach that day were part of Britain's Second Army. The Canadian assault forces were the Third Canadian Infantry Division and the Second Canadian Armoured Brigade.

Cliff Chadderton of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles said, "The Canadian invasion forces had spent years in Britain training for the task. They had tried very hard not to think of what lay ahead. It was difficult to realize the enormity of what we would be attempting. I was part of that force. However, when we started our assault training on the south of England and in Scotland, we began to realize what loomed before us. Untried troops would dare to set foot in Hitler's Europe. Everyday while in Britain, we heard stories of the heavily fortified French coast which the Germans, in four years with slave labour had turned into a continuous system of guns, pillboxes, mines, barbed wire and on the beaches, underwater pilings, some loaded with explosives waiting to blow up the assault crafts. It was a terrifying picture. The men of the infantry and tank regiments chosen for the invasion simply had to disregard what lay ahead for them across the channel. We just dug in, trained harder, determined to do what some were saying would be impossible."

Fourteen thousand young Canadians stormed Juno Beach on June 6, 1944: They were from across the country; from the east to the west, from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, to the Canadian Scottish from Victoria.  The bombardment of the beaches began at 6 a.m. Within an hour the lead landing craft were away from the ships. Two hours later, the German defences at Juno Beach had been shattered and Canada had established the beachhead.

Our service people’s courage, determination and self-sacrifice are the reasons for our success. They endured fierce, ferocious fighting and paid a high price - the battles for the beachhead cost 340 Canadian lives and another 574 wounded. British historian John Keegan, wrote about the Canadian 3rd Division on D-Day: “At the end of the day, its forward elements stood deeper into France than those of any other division. The opposition the Canadians faced was stronger than that of any other beach save Omaha. That was an accomplishment in which the whole nation could take considerable pride.”

Today we do feel that sense of pride and accomplishment but it is not without a sense of loss as we remember our friends, family, and comrades, who would not return from their service to God, King, and country.

Let us pray:
O Lord our God, whose name only is excellent and your praise above heaven and earth: We give you high praise and hearty thanks for all those who counted not their lives dear unto themselves, but laid them down for their friends, praying you give them a part and a lot in those good things which you have prepared for all those whose names are written in the book of life; and grant to us, that having them always in remembrance, we may imitate their faithfulness, and with them in herit the new name which you have promised to them that overcome; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer by F.E. Brightman)

Benediction:
May we, as citizens, and as members of the Royal Canadian Legion be charged anew with the full set of duties and responsibilities to our country and to our organization. May we ever strive to uphold the principles of unselfish service, which led us to serve God and our country in the time of war and in a time of peace, so that we may continue to serve, even unto death.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.