Thursday, December 27, 2012

Luke 2:1-20: A Tale of Two Kings

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair”: this is the famous opening line of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; it is about Paris and it is about London. Today’s story from Scripture is a real life tale of two kings by Luke the physician; it is about Augustus Caesar and it is about Jesus Christ and in Luke’s Gospel, like in Dickens’ story, it is the best of times and it is the worst of times.[1]

The second chapter of Luke’s Gospel opens with, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” Caesar Augustus is the first king of our two kings, chronologically speaking, that we will address today.[2] What do we know of this king and of this world that he has ordered taxed?
 

Matthew 1:18-25: Do You Believe in Dreams?


Today, on this Christmas Eve, we look forward to the joy of tomorrow: Christmas Day. This is the celebration of the birth, the incarnation and the advent and of the Christ. Let us for a moment focus on from our passage today, Joseph, the man, the fiancé and the husband of Mary. Oh how it must have been for him. Pretend with me for a moment that you are he.
.
Joseph is a carpenter; Joseph is a stone mason. He is from the tribe of Judah and – of course –King David is among his most famous ancestors. Matthew records for us a few things about Joseph. We are told in our text today that Joseph, Verse 19, is righteous. In our world these days when we think of a righteous person… if someone were to tell you that this person that they know is righteous… if someone were to say this visitor that we have here with us today is a righteous woman or man, what would we think that they would be like? 
.

Premier Brad Wall's Christmas Message

The Queen's Christmas Message

You'll want to see this. It is a good one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ0A9BKKmzs&list=UUTkC3Jt91QkqNAE4FGWkEIQ&index=1

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Hutterian Address

Presented to the Hutterian Brethren Communities around Swift Current Saskatchewan, representatives of JD Agtech, Bank of Nova Scotia, Pioneer Co-op Agro , MNP, and Mayor Jared Schaffer on the occassion of the 15th anual Hutterian Appreciation Day on 11 December 2012 by Captain Michael Ramsay.

This is the fourth Christmas that I have been blessed to be the CO of The Salvation Army in Swift Current. We have noticed some very interesting trends in that time. We know that the economy has been booming; we know that there have been lots of jobs created across the province; we know that we are in an enviable position among the provinces in this country and among the cities in this province. I have no reason to doubt this, seeing the great things that are happening in this city as far as growth and development and certainly as far as community support has been for those in need. Last Christmas $170 000 was raised for the most needy through The Salvation Army and this year we have set the same goal which I trust that since we do live in such a generous community we will raise it.

With all of these good trends there are some disturbing trends as well. As some are prospering in our midst, more people than ever are not. Did you know that the number of people in need in our community has grown by leaps and bounds – by more than 10% every year? This year is no different. Last year at Christmas time we helped 200 families with Christmas hampers, toys, and clothing plus another 100-200 with the Christmas Day meal. This year, we are already at 225 families in need and more families are coming in every day asking for help.

Some of these families are in real binds. Some of them are single parent families of 5, 6, 7 or 8 children. I can think of two families right of the top of my head where the father just up and left in the last few months before Christmas.

I can think of 1 or 2 more families where the mom abandoned her husband and the children and then had social services come and take the children from her husband before Christmas.

There is also a growing trend of ‘couch-surfing homelessness’. What happens is that as one family is in financial crisis and loses their home -because it is too cold to live on the streets here- they move in with their friends and their families. Their friends and their families are usually on the same economic plain as they are so then instead of one family in crisis you have two.

We have the safe shelter for women, which is a wonderful thing. There is the question though, what happens when the mother runs up the debt, and abuses the children, and the father has to flee with the kids; where does he go? What does he do?

I can think of more than one family where one parent has to spend Christmas in jail. There is also the problem about what to do when someone has been convicted of a crime in this community? They go to prison. What happens when they come back? They have no job, they have no place to stay, the friends they have are the same friends they had before they went away the first time. Often they wind up earning their return trip to prison during their welcome home party.

It seems that as prosperity is growing, so are the number of people on the margins. Even though there is more abundance than ever before, the need is continually growing. What can we do? What do we do?

There are a number of things that we are doing at The Salvation Army: In Swift Current, The Salvation Army provides:
  • The community’s food bank
  • Thrift Store
  • Christmas food hampers
  • The Angel Tree
  • Community Christmas meal
  • Church
  • The Community Kitchens
  • Support for children and youth
  • Emergency disaster assistance
  • Employment and job skills training in cooperation with Partners in Employment
  • Chaplaincy assistance
  • Justice Program for South West Saskatchewan (including Alternative Measures)
  • Professional and approved Anger Management courses
  • 'Transition Through Incarceration'
  • Emergency shelter for those in need
  • Court work
  • Free legal clinics
  • Stop-lift courses
  • And much more…

None of this is possible with out your – and the community’s - continued support for our food bank. I don’t think that our efforts are in vain, I would like to share with you some stories that you may have heard on the radio stations…

“I first came to the Salvation Army in April of two-thousand-twelve. I had nothing – it was just my kids and me. The caring folks at Salvation Army offered me help. I'm thankful to everyone, but want to especially thank Lorraine, who's a wonderful lady. She has helped me with tons of applications, gone with me on trips to Regina and a lot more. She doesn’t have to help me... but she helps, because she has a big heart.” - Cynthia

“I've been going to the Salvation Army for roughly three years now. Lorraine and everyone have given me a hand up when I was in need. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have found a place to live. With the Christmas hamper, my family will have a wonderful Christmas. The foodbank provides me with enough food to get me by. The Salvation Army has given me hope and blessings. I realize now that people DO care and we're not alone.” Lisa

“I lived a life of alcohol and drugs for almost thirty-years. In 1984, I encountered The Salvation Army. I attended one of their Meetings and gave my heart to the Lord. I did not drink or do drugs from that day on. I have been a Soldier in The Salvation Army since 1984.” - Richard

I want to leave you with this too. Even though the number of people who have been using the food bank has been steadily growing, the number of repeat users is way down. This is because before we give anyone food, we interview them to address the root of their problem. What is the reason that they are here asking for food? If the problem is alcohol we bring them to AA; if the problem is employment we help them find work; if the problem is gambling we help them ban themselves from the Casino. So the encouragement for us here is even though as times are booming for some, times are getting tougher for others on the margins, thanks to you, we are able to help transforms lives.

Matthew 25:31ff says:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Today, I would like to thank all of you who donate to the food bank and all our ministries here because indeed as you do, you are doing the same for our Lord and Saviour. Your communities have been supporting the food bank here for a long time now. This is the 15th annual Hutterite Day. Over the years you have provided thousands of pounds of vegetables, turkeys, cookies, pastries, and so much more. This last year alone. The Salvation Army recorded 121 different times that the Hutterite communities donated to our food bank. This goes a long way to helping those in need in our community. Thank you.

- Captain Michael Ramsay

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Lion for Prophet

 
Harvey told a joke at the Army this week:
 
There is a fellow who is big game hunting somewhere in Africa along with his wife and her parents. One afternoon, his mother-in-law is missing so, of course, they all franticly search for her. The wife spies her mother and grabs her husband. She points to a clearing where they see her mother who is face to face with a lion. “Do something!” she exclaims to her husband.
          “No” he replies, “the lion got himself into this mess, he can very well get himself out of it.” (I imagine that the point of this story is simply pointing out the superior big game hunting skills of his wife’s mother)

The pericope that we are looking at today contains a lion and a person but the person who comes face-to-face with the lion doesn’t fare quite as well as the fellow’s mother-in-law in our opening anecdote presumably does. This scriptural episode with the lion is just one aspect of the story that we read today and this passage has so many fascinating parts to it.
 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Philippians quiz

1)      Philippians live in what city?
2)      Who is the city of Philippi named after?
3)      Who was Phillip?
4)      What other famous battle took there?
5)      Does anyone remember, where in the Bible right around Christmas time that we would we read about Caesar Augustus?
 .

Greater Love Has No Man Than To Lay Down His Life For His Friends (John 15:13)

Presented to the community of Nipawin at the Remembrance Day Ceremony, November 11, 2007, and to the community of Swift Current at the Remembrance Day Ceremony, November 11, 2009 and 2012 by Captain Michael Ramsay (Padre, Royal Canadian Legion #56)

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

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

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

On November 11, 1813, almost 200 years ago now, Canadians repulsed an horrific enemy invasion, with the help of our friends, the British and the First Nations. We laid down our life for our family. They laid down their life for us, their friends.

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

On November 11, we remember also our friends and families, some of whom are here today, who headed overseas again, in what is remembered now as World War II, in service to God, King, and country to lay down their lives for their friends. Many of us have friends and family who marched out of Saskatchewan here to offer their lives up for their friends. My uncle from Silver Stream never spoke of the day they were surrounded by the Germans until he died a couple of years ago.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2007/11/greater-love-has-no-man-than-to-lay.html

Friday, November 09, 2012

Sally's War

http://renewnetwork.blogspot.ca/2010_11_01_archive.html

On November 11th we remember our friends and families who served in the World Wars, Korea, peacekeeping missions and subsequent conflicts in the 20th and 21st centuries. My own grandfather returned home to Saskatchewan from California, where he was working when the Second World War broke out, to join the Canadian Army. He eagerly grabbed some friends from Cut Knife and they all signed up for our armed forces. Of the men that enlisted that day with my grandfather, I believe, only he lived to see the end of the war. John 15:17, in the Bible, records:'Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends'

The Salvation Army was also present in both these wars – actually in the trenches -offering material and emotional support and the love of God to the soldiers. I am humbled and honoured to share with you today some of what the Lord has done through the Canadian Salvation Army in the conflicts of 20th Century.

During both world wars and throughout the Cold War, The Salvation Army was very active. We provided military personnel with basic comforts and helped maintain morale by establishing leave centres for rest and recreation providing a degree of civility amidst the loneliness and dehumanizing conditions of war. As an Officer in The Salvation Army, I thank you today for the opportunity that those who went before me had to serve.

Read more: http://renewnetwork.blogspot.ca/2010_11_01_archive.html

Proverbs 3:13-18: Advertising Haikus for Life.

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 04 Nov. 2012.
By Captain Michael Ramsay
 
The passage today would be a wonderful teaching pericope on wisdom.  Ellen F. Davis has referred to the book of Proverbs as a series of short haikus or poems.[1] If we had more time or if this was a class that I was teaching rather than a homily, I would actually have us all writing haikus about wisdom before its conclusion but since it is not I won’t make us write haikus… about wisdom. I will still let us each try to write a haiku but it can be about anything you want. You each have a pen and paper so I’ll give us each a chance to see how we do. Now so that we all know what we are doing, we will look at a few sample haikus to start us off today. First, can anyone sum up for me roughly, what is a haiku? A haiku is a short Japanese poem that often has 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third line; and the last line is supposed to make you think about the first 2 lines in a whole new way. I am going to have at least one person read out the haiku that we each write here; so be prepared - think about it. Here are some examples for us by Udiah:[2]
 
The Rainbow (Gen 9: 8-17)
after summer's rain (5 syllables)
God's promise is remembered (7 syllables)
glorious rainbow (5 syllables)
 
The Tree of Life (Gen 3:22)
Partake of The Word (5)
The Tree of Life, Jesus Christ (7)
And live forever (5)
 
I’ll give everyone a moment to come up with a haiku and when you have one ready that you are willing to read out, put your hand up. Let me know. Here is one that Sarah-Grace and Susan shared with me earlier this week that I think sums up haikus quite nicely.
 
Haikus are easy
but sometimes they don’t make sense
Refrigerator
 
Davis writes that, “like a haiku, [Proverbs] does not require a lot of scholarly explanation.” She states, “Biblical proverbs represent language in its most condensed form. Their stock characters are the wise and the foolish, those who yield to wickedness and those who practice righteousness.”
 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Election Debate 970

1 Kings 1: Election Debate 970 BCE
Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army
By Captain Michael Ramsay, 21 October 2012.
.
Today’s pericope is about an awkward family situation and an awkward political situation. Now, I don’t really follow politics like I used to once upon a time. I no longer put my faith in the idea that whoever happens to win a popularity contest every so many years will or even can do anything to better a nation. On the contrary, as a 21st Century Christian, I recognize as the Scriptures say that ‘I know from where my help comes; it comes from the maker of heaven and earth’ – not from some politician (Psalm 121).

That being said, there have been some interesting things happening in our world in politics recently. We in this city are in the throes of a municipal election and while no one is officially challenging Mayor Jared Schafer and the work he is doing, there are 11 people – I believe – vying for just six city council jobs and there are school board elections as well. In Ontario, I understand that there is quite a tempest brewing in that the relatively recently re-elected premier has just offered his resignation. In the United States, they have just finished another round of presidential debates and they are in the midst of another very close election.

The situation in the United States right now actually does have some parallels to our text today and it has even more parallels to elections south of the line where a sitting president isn’t up for re-election. Does anyone remember the election campaign highlighting Al Gore and George W. Bush? That was a very tightly contested race. In the end it was actually left up to the courts to declare who would be president of their country.

Then and there you had a sitting President, Bill Clinton, who was no longer able to wield his official power. He was on his way out. His own party put forth his Vice President as a possible successor to him and the other political party put forth the son of another past president as their choice. There are many states that always seem to support the same party and only a few swing states for the taking in any election. That country then, like their country now, was divided.

Monday, October 08, 2012

Matthew 22:1-14: Thanksgiving Earring

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 07 Oct. 2012
By Captain Michael Ramsay

Today is Thanksgiving Sunday. It is often a time to get together with family, make new memories and recall old ones. Maybe this is why my mind drifted back to my teenage years this week. I remember when I was 16. It was the 1980s on the west coast. Things are a little bit different there and things were a little bit different then. I remember when I got my ear pierced. Now, I haven’t worn an earring for years. It probably wouldn’t go so well with my uniform. When I was a teenager it was a little bit different than today. Today I see men and women, boys and girls – especially in the large urban centres – with either or both ears pierced, noses pierced and even eyebrows pierced. I have even seen cheeks or tongues pierced as well, in not only teenagers but in adults and children alike. Now, when I was a teenager, teenage boys were just starting to have one ear, their left ear pierced.
.
I remember one Saturday when I was 16....
.

Friday, September 07, 2012

Return to the God of Our Fathers

Judges 2:11-19: Return to the God of Our Fathers

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 02 Sept. 2012 by Captain Michael Ramsay

We have a friend in our congregation from the Dominican Republic. We met last week. He was looking around for anyone who spoke Spanish or French. Unfortunately, I don’t. Being from Vancouver Island, I was born pretty much as far away from Quebec and French-speaking Canada as any native born Canadian can be.

As I spoke to our new friend, my mind raced to find the only French that I could actually remember from high school.  This is one of the French phrases that I probably heard the most in school. Let’s see if anyone here recognizes it? Does anyone recognize this phrase – the almost only one I remember from Grade 11. My teacher used to always say to me: ‘Ne lances pas la papier; ne lances pas la papier.’
.

Dedication

1 Samuel 1:25-27: A Dedication unto the Lord

In returning this child into your care, I charge you to care for her in the name of the Lord, and keep the promises that you have made concerning her.

At this time I will take a few moments to explain for us gathered today the full implications of this wonderful event.

Remember what we read from the Bible, where the prophet Samuel was dedicated by his parents to the Lord, well this is actually based on quite an extreme situation. It is even quite extreme for today’s world.

You see, Hanna, Samuel’s mother, has been praying for a child for a long time. Now this is significant and that the Lord answered this prayer is wonderful and I have heard testimonies from others about how the LORD has blessed parents after many years of prayer with a child. There are many people who have not been able to have children and then when they have almost given up the Lord miraculously provides. This is the grace and wonder of God, of course, but there is even more to the story of the baby Samuel here.

Hanna and Elkanah - Samuel’s parents to be- they loved each other very much and they really wanted to have a child and, for the record, having a child was even more important to families 3000 years ago in Israel, when this story takes place, than it even is today. And that relates to, among other things, one’s retirement. In those days there were no senior’s cruises, no senior’s discounts at the stores, no old age pensions, no RRSPs, and no retirement homes; really if you did not have someone to look after you in your twilight years, then you were alone and you were hungry and you may not even survive. Having a child really was your retirement plan. He was your life savings and Hanna and Elkana had no child.

Because one’s life depended this much on having a child and because, even though they were hoping and praying for a child, they were unable to have a child, Hanna and Elkanah decided he should have a second wife – Peninnah.[1] (cf. the actions of Sarai, Gen 16:2; Rachel, 30:3; and Leah, 30:9).

Now this did solve the problem of getting a child but - as you can well imagine - one husband with two wives brought its own problems with it. Particularly since Hanna, who loves her husband very much, is now not only without a child but now has to deal with another woman and her husbands children all in the SAME house. Can you imagine? Sounds like it could be a reality TV show or something.

So then with all this turmoil going on and the other woman and the other woman’s kids all living in the same house, Elkana, in the full perception of a modern TV husband, comes up to his wife and says, you look sad. Is there anything wrong? Can you imagine?

It is in this state. It is in this time that Hanna goes to the church[2] and she is truly begging and pleading with God. She promises the LORD, “please, if you give me a son, I will give him back to you to serve you all the days of his life.”

And He does. And she does. God blesses Hanna with Samuel and she offers the child to the Lord to serve Him forever. This is a true story and Elkana and Hanna have many more children after that and Samuel, the baby, grows up serving God, and actually becomes the last pre-king ruler of Israel. That’s pretty good.

This story as extreme as it is has some things in common actually with what we are doing today. Today, as God has given them this wonderful daughter, mother and father are offering their daughter up to the LORD. Mom and dad are here are making some promises to God that are every bit as significant as Hanna and Elkana’s.

We are thankful for the Lord’s provision just as Hanna and Elkhana were. Today mother and father have pledged to raise their daughter in a Christian home so that as she grows up, she will come to know the Lord. Now there are many trials and temptations that kids face in this world today – and I won’t go into them now but I assure you - as a former educator and urban missionary in Vancouver’s downtown eastside, I saw the temptations that face many a young child in our world today but I also see the miraculous salvation from these temptations that only the Lord can provide.

So it is to this end – salvation – that we are gathered here today, in the presence of God, as the parents have dedicated their child to the Lord. And it really is an honour that each of us here were invited to be a part of this very significant day. Thank you.

Let us pray: Dear God, thank you for all that you have done in our lives. Thank you for this new life and the eagerness of her mom and dad to promise to raise their daughter to serve you. We pray that they will always rely on you and that all those present today, as we are led, will continue in prayer, upholding this family in the promises they have made today.

Thank-you. Amen.


[1] Ronald F Youngblood in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, CD-ROM: The birth and dedication of Samuel (1:1-28)

[2] To Shilo actually to make a sacrifice unto the Lord. The Temple, of course, was not build yet. This was the location of the Ark of the covenant and the priests for some time in Israel’s history. Cf. Ronald F Youngblood in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, CD-ROM: The birth and dedication of Samuel (1:1-28)

Friday, August 17, 2012

A challenge for you


The objective of this story is to get to get to Grandma's house. Can you do it?

You are walking in a dark forest, all alone, at midnight. You should have been to Grandma’s house an hour ago. You look around you. Instantly it strikes you that you are lost. You no longer know where you are. You have seemingly walked these paths a thousand times before but today you must have been dreaming and missed a turn or something. You are lost. You sit down to take stalk of the situation when all of a sudden you hear footsteps. You know that it is not safe to be in the woods alone at night. You know there are rumours of monsters in these woods. The footsteps grow louder and louder as they seem to come closer and closer. They now seem to be running towards you but who’s or what’s footsteps are these? You notice a tree beside the path in the dark woods…

If you climb the tree to hide while seeing what is running towards you, turn to Page 3.

If you decide to stand in the path and greet whatever is making the footsteps, turn to Page 5.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Is The Salvation Army still an evangelistic movement?

Are we still an evangelistic movement? On my desk I have a copy of my Officers’ Covenant and my book, Praise The Lord For Covenants. Everyday I have the opportunity to glance at them and often I do. The Officers’ Covenant, through which every Officer in The Salvation Army is bound to God for the duration of our lives, declares that we are, I am “called by God to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as an Officer of The Salvation Army” and that I will “live to win souls and make their salvation the first purpose of my life.”  As with other Officers, I had the opportunity to sign this Covenant at the Mercy Seat with the Lord as my covenant partner and the Territorial Commander, the Training College Officers, and my session mates as my witnesses.

Are we still an evangelistic movement? My signed Soldiers Covenant I keep at home but in any given week while sitting at my desk I often, especially during times of sermon preparation, refer to any one of the unsigned copies at the corps awaiting our next soldier enrolment day or the pdf version that I have on my computer desktop. The Soldiers Covenant which every Soldier in The Salvation Army has signed before God promises that we, “I will be faithful to the purposes for which God raised up The Salvation Army, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, endeavouring to win others to Him.” God promises that even if we are unfaithful, He is faithful and He will be true to His covenants (Romans 3:3,4; see Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5). Covenants made with and before the Lord are holy and they will not fail.

Covenants in this way are like seatbelts. One spring when my daughters and I were coming home, we were driving the highway like we did a couple of times every week when all of a sudden we hit black ice. We swerved into on-coming traffic then off our side of the road where the car proceeded to flip: it rolled over a time and a half. In the car accident our seatbelts did not break. Even though the car was totalled, the seatbelts held. This is similar to our covenants before the Lord. Sometimes we might make a mistake. Sometimes we might sin before the Lord and sometimes our lives just come crashing down around us. When my car rolled there was that moment of panic as I looked to see if my daughters were all right. To my relief they were safe and sound. We were all right because the Lord protected us through our seatbelts that did not break. We were safe and sound and soon restored to our normal life. For all of us who are in a covenanted relationship with our Lord, when our lives come crashing down around us, we will be safe and sound as we rely on the strength of our holy seatbelt - our covenant with the Lord. The Lord will not let His covenants break no matter what happens to the automobile of our life.

Are we still an evangelistic movement? Absolutely. Evangelism is one of the conditions of being a Soldier; it is the first priority of an Officer’s life. We have all sworn an oath to God to that effect. I am sure that no Christian would dare defy God by transgressing such important covenants. This is great because as we rely on the strength provided through our covenant, God will respond to our covenant faithfulness and our decline in numbers in North America is bound to stop and more and more people will enter the Kingdom of God everyday.

Are we still an evangelistic movement? Yes. As long as our Soldiers and our Officers continue to bind our lives to Him in a holy covenant for that purpose, we are still an evangelistic movement. God does not release us from our vows for simply transgressing them (see Leviticus 26:42-44; Numbers 6; Deuteronomy 7:9; Judges 2:1; Mark 10:1-12; Romans 3:3-4, 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10-14; etc.). Praise the Lord; God will hold us to our sacred vows. He is faithful even when we are faithless. With that said, I would like to ask myself and every Officer and each Soldier reading this article, am I faithfully sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and endeavouring to win others to Him? Have I been living up to the promises through which I am bound to my Lord and Saviour? If there are any of us who have not been living in a right covenant with our Lord, I would encourage us to take this time now to repent and to turn to our Lord and experience the wonderful blessings that come through living in a holy, sanctified, covenanted relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Sunday, August 05, 2012

Quiz for you...


This weekend is a long weekend. Does anyone know what the holiday is this weekend? It’s Saskatchewan Day. In honour of that, I thought that I would have a little quiz for us that I found on the Saskatchewan government’s website (answers below).[1]

1. Name Saskatchewan's official mineral.

a)      Uranium
b)      Sylvite (Potash)
c)      Gold

2.   What is Saskatchewan's provincial tree?

a)      White birch
b)      White spruce
c)      Jack Pine

3.  Where were the first dinosaur bones discovered in western Canada?

a)      Eastend
b)      Cypress Hills
c)      Killdeer Badlands

4. The original name for the place that eventually became Regina was a Cree word "oskana" which later became "Wascana". What does the Cree word mean?

a)      Treeless Prairie
b)      Bones
c)      Place of many mosquitoes

5. Which Saskatchewan community has the warmest annual average temperature?

a)      Maple Creek
b)      Leader
c)      Assiniboia

6.  How many times was John Diefenbaker elected a Member of Parliament?

a)      5
b)      7
c)      13

7. Who was the longest-serving premier of Saskatchewan?

a)      Woodrow Lloyd
b)      Tommy Douglas
c)      Roy Romanow
 

Visit us on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/373790632487/

God’s Horeb-Bull Experience with Moses and other thoughts and ideas.

Exodus 32:7-14: God’s Horeb-Bull Experience with Moses

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 08 July 2012 By Captain Michael Ramsay

Do you ever notice that when you hear a certain song or smell a certain smell or see a certain thing or go to a certain place where something has happened in your life then all of a sudden all of these memories come flooding back from that different time? You go somewhere you haven’t been for a long time and you find that there are all these memories of experiences attached to the place.

We will be heading ‘back home’ to Vancouver Island this week....
--

Numbers 15:22-29: Go and Sin No More!

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 22 July 2012 By Captain Michael Ramsay.[1]

We just came back from furlough (vacation) yesterday afternoon. It was a good time visiting both Susan and my families. Susan’s family lives right on Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island so we were able to spend a lot of time just relaxing there. My folks brought us down to the ocean so that Susan could show our older two girls tidal pools and other Island things that one doesn’t get to see here.

We had a good time but we also acquired a story or two.
---

Numbers 22-24: A Balaam Blessing

Presented to Nipawin Corps, 22 March 2009
and Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army 29 July 2012
By Captain Michael Ramsay

God has a plan for Israel’s Salvation that could not be thwarted here in this story. We know – because we have the Book and have read the beginnings and the endings – that God promised Abraham that his descendants would occupy the land promised to them – at least for a time[1] (beyond that is up to them to remain faithful to their covenant responsibilities; cf. Exodus 19:5, Leviticus 23:33-35, 2 Chronicles 36:20-21, Amos 3:1-2, etc.).[2] As we are reading through the Bible together we notice that He used Moses to deliver people from slavery into the wilderness and Joshua to deliver them from that wilderness of Sin into the Promise. Today we have a very interesting story before us. One of the most interesting – I think – in the book of Numbers, complete with even an angel and a talking donkey: the story of the prophet Balaam and King Balak of Moab. Now we know that God’s plan for salvation will not be thwarted[3] but listen to this, it is interesting.

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2009/03/numbers-22-24-balaam-blessing.html

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Have a Blessed Canada Day

Canada's Motto is from Psalm 72:8: He [The LORD] shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Order of Canada's Motto is from Hebrews 11:16: But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.

Have a blessed Canada Day

Friday, June 29, 2012

Parade Saturday

We are in the parade again this saturday - the timbrel brigade and those on the float or in the bus need to be at the corps before 8am.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Friday, The Salvation Army Thrift Store is involved in teh downtown festivities. Why not come at lunch time and have a hot dog!

Friday, "I'll Fight" Social Justice Concert - Friday, June 22 @ 7pm ET: Watch it live at http://www.cfot.ca/

Saturday, Watch the Commissioning of Ordination & Commissioning of Friends of Christ session - Saturday, June 23 @ 7pm ET at http://www.cfot.ca/

Sunday, Join us for a BBQ with the Baptists after the Sunday morining meeting (church service)

Some reading for you... (click the titles)

Genesis 6:5-7: This is going to hurt me more than it is going to hurt you ...

Genesis 4:7b: Sin is Crouching at Your Door.

Proverbs 1:7,9:10: The Fear of The LORD

Leviticus 25:23b: This Land is My Land.

Jonah 3-4: Get Rid of Your Enemies

Jonah 1:1-3:3: Everything Is Under Control

Jude: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.