WalksInTheWoods

NIght Skies

2008-07-22T23:35:00.004-04:00

Night skies have a depth that is not possible in the brilliance of the sun.
They carry the mystery and dreams of generations untold.

Deep thoughts,
Hopes, prayers, and longings
of those stargazers
who have lifted their eyes
in awe and wonder to the night sky.

It sparkles with star-wishes
Romance
Fortune
Peace
Purpose
Belief in a better tomorrow, after the night has past.

The mystery of the dark sky is matched
By the darkness of their own, unknowns.
Desire for answers, clarity, Faith;
And the reason for their existence.

Jesus sat with His disciples and told them:
To you, it has been given to know the
Hidden mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

“Oh Lord, open my(our) eyes to see
Visions of the eternal in the ordinary.
Presence, in the midst of commonplace.
Jesus on the Dusty road of my life’s journey.
The Bethlehem Star, in my night-sky.”

Amen.

Darkness Defeated

2008-04-01T01:37:00.003-04:00

Light in a Dark Place

The times of joy in my life,
so far surpass the sorrows and trials ,
that they must lower their heads in surrender
to the moments of everyday joy and presence.

The accuser speaks the desperate words of a defeated foe !
In our better days, his voice rings with the echo of defeat;
and yet somehow in the times of trouble,
our ears become vulnerable to his fabrications
and our flesh trembles at his threats of mortality,

They are the shadows of things past,
they have no more life in them.
They clatter with the emptiness of a lie
and swagger with the bravado of a bully.

In truth, they are one punch away from cowardice,
One powerful word,
will send them whining & bloody-nosed from the battle.
One name, will chase them into the dark shadows
That are their dwelling place and eventual home.

May that Name, that Word,
Be upon my lips in times of trial , As well as joy.
In victory, as when under attack.

Amen!

Morning Prayers

2008-03-02T08:32:00.014-05:00

Good Morning, Lord,

Even as my eyes open to the light,
I am aware of your Presence.

Laying here, in between two worlds,
I wonder,
Do you pause, bedside, beside your children,
as I used to stop beside mine?

As I now stand yet again,
in familiar footprints
marveling at my grandchildren.
Wrapped in the depths of sleep.
Filled with innocence and potential,
faces covered with a blanket of peace..

I try to imagine
The Lord and Master of the Universe,
Standing in silent vigil over His creations.

What thoughts move through your great heart?

Do You feel,as I have felt,
the rush of love over your being?
Moving me like the sea overwhelms the sand,
changing its form, but not its essence…?

As waking light penetrates my thoughts,
I am reminded that our planet
spins by the power of your will
through galaxies of your creation.

You fired the sun into flaming reality,.
Universes move at the command of your lips.

How awesome, that over my sleeping form,
Stands the One who lit the stars,
And swirled the Milky Way into its splendor.

What ego must I have to believe such a thing!?
And yet, You remind me, that there is One who
Is closer than a brother and nearer than our last breath.
He has promised never to forsake us.

Forgive my foolish pride, pointing to myself,
when I boast you know the number of hairs upon my head.
When I glory in the fact that YOU formed me in my mothers womb.

Am I too proud sometimes,
That You sent your only Son
To redeem ME?
As if, I have some quality that puts me
Above my brother next door, or across the sea?

Help me to glory in your greatness,
and not in my dim reflection of You.

You are the Light of the World,
And I am but a bit of clay,
Cleansed by your blood,
Polished by your Spirit
To reflect a ray of your Glory,
As I catch the rising of your sun. …………

I ask this morning, only that You
Stand by me through every moment,..... today!

Try and Find It!

2007-09-12T03:59:00.000-04:00

Joy , Joy, Joy , …in the Salvation Army ?

I read comments recently that characterized one of our songs as a cheerleading ego trip for our denomination that has no place in our songbook as a hymn. Some of the rationale was that it glorified the Salvation Army, not the Lord.

I’m not sure that the term, cheerleading song for our own egos; is the way I’d describe this old army song.

I’d have to go to the time and the context in which it was written and became popular….

A day when this Salvation Army looked, sounded and was perceived much differently than we are today. In a day when a rag-tag , dare I say “ragamuffin” band of strangely uniformed soldiers were storming the dens of sin and the strongholds of satan with a holy zeal to ‘Win the World for Jesus’…..

A time when the well understood message of the Army was not “Doing the Most Good” ; but more like ‘Save another one for Jesus’. "Red,hot firebrands were our branding.

Then, the public perception and understanding of the Army was clear to all who heard and saw this highly visible group of salvation warriors who had one clear message…. ‘Repent and be saved…..’ ‘Come to Jesus, tonight, tomorrow may be too late’

There was no confusion of purpose in the request to “join our happy band” “and be joyful all the way” (to heaven). Joy now, Victory then, seemed a clearer focus on mission than, “what will the neighbors think”?

We were an Army fighting against sin, with an open invitation to the world to join us and continue on one grand crusade to march through this world, gathering converts and making them soldiers. Singing until we marched into eternity to present our trophies and crowns to King Jesus. “Sweeping through the land, with the Sword of God in hand” …

We sang our invitation to “Come join our Army, to Battle we go”…. “The Salvation Army is marching along….”

We sang in the parts of town where few were singing … inviting lost souls to go along for the trip to eternity…… it was at the same time our birthplace and our destiny.

We were at first a novelty and considered “fools for Christ” by many.

Then we became “unique and innovative” when the rest of the church world began to see that we were attracting sinners to Jesus and making a difference in the neighborhoods we lived in.

We were bold and audacious, and had little concern that we were the raucous part of a parade that stretched from the cross to the kingdom.

The noisy neighbors of the religious community that caused comfortable Christianity to wince when they heard us and blush when we were included in the same breath as the Church.

Was it only when we became more established and men began to speak well of us, that we slowed the pace of fervent march and began to look around at the rest of the world and became more concerned with what they thought of us ?

Was it only then that the whispers of Ego and the thoughts that we were blowing our own horn, shouting about our greatness instead of the Saviors, began to creep into our dialogue and consciousness?

……................................……………………?

Perhaps the cry today over our own self-praise is not the voice of criticism for controversies sake, .....but more the repeated whisper of God’s Holy Spirit to return to our first love. (and joy) ?

**By the way, I’m not in favor of the rag tag look, high collars, bonnets, or any of the external coverings for that matter………and I’ll be the first to riot if we want to dig up the buried corpse of old methods for the sake of memory ………………..pray for fire for our Army , for prevailing passion!

Details , Minutiae , Tedious Tasks

2007-08-15T22:20:00.000-04:00

It's supposed to be summer .........!

But........I've been bogged down by a lot of details lately..... I'm not sure why, except that I suspect they hide around the corner when I ignore them; gathering in numbers sufficient to attack in overwhelming force.

The business matters of the Kingdom, I have heard someone call them. There is no doubt that they are necessary,and required to make a ministry happen.

However,I recognize them as required tasks of ministry, however pale they compare in the company of passionate prayer, power-filled preaching, meaning-filled Bible Study and surrendered time serving embattled,lost,empty souls.

They, have names such as , committee meetings , contract negotiations, complaint response, reporting requirements, board meetings, statistics ,long range planning, finanacial management, etc......

I'll be the first to admit, these steps are necessary and required, but I'll also be the first to admit that they do not bring joy or fulfillment to this heart. I get them done, because they move the wheels that enable ministry.

But I consider them as lurking in the shadows generated by the heat and light of ministry.

Not the direct contact that enables people to hear the passionate voice of the Christ calling their name, feeling the nearness of a Savior .

I characterize them as,gripes,complaints,or paper work needed to document or facilitate ; implement, etc....etc.....ad infinitum......

I harken back to a quote of Annie Dillard , in her work, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.....(old book, relevant thoughts) .... The quote is Thomas Merton's and goes something like this :

"There is always a temptation to diddle around in the organizational or the contemplative life, making itsy-bitsy statues" .
"There is always an enormous temptation in all of life, to diddle around making itsy-bitsy friends, and itsy-bitsy journeys and itsy-bitsy projects on end"

It is so "self-conscious, so apparently moral; simply to step
aside from the natural gaps,..... where the creeks and the winds pour down,
saying, 'I never merited this grace' and then sulk along on the
edge of rage for the rest of your days"

I won't have it! The world is wilder and braver in all directions, more dangerous and bitter, more extravagant and bright.

We are making hay, when we should be making love, we are raising carrots when we should be raising Cain ...or Lazurus.

What is required, is a life consuming passion to see torment,loss and pain being asssuaged by the Presence of the Christ.

The people need to see the Christ standing today, outside their door where they daily hide from the hatred and lies of this worlds powers.

To see and feel His Presence discovered in the midst of their pain. His power applied to their prayers.

So What ?................................. What!? .............................do I do .????

I,

Pray.........Praise...........Listen..........Serve........... live in hope ...........love without restaint..............

And pay the bills of detail..............its' part of the cost of discipleship...(with apologies to Dietrich)......

And its part of the cost of belonging to a world wide movement with God given resources , trying to reach the lost and desperate souls of mankind.

Do not think that the disciples were not involved in the busyness and the business of the kingdom?

they traveled the well worn roads of following; and yet they
provided a home for their children,
took care of the meals and travel of their group,
maintained their family ties and responsibilities,
managed the treasury of the Master,
reported the seekers at Pentecost,
counted the crowd at the feedings,
arranged for the boats and bailed them out when sinking,
wrote the records of ministry we call the New Testament,
counted the fish in the net,
delegated the feeding ministry and mentored the social services to disciples - soon-to-be-leaders ..........etc... etc..... ad infinitum.

But never forget to abandon yourself in loving service to others in whatever way they need to be served,,,, follow the pattern of the Christ who was alone to plan and pray, yet in the synagogue to worship and teach,... still spending much more of his time among the people of need in the streets ....listening,loving and once he had their attention, telling them of His Father and their relationship.

American Idol

2007-05-24T08:14:00.000-04:00

74 million people clicked in to register their vote ?

Why?
Because HOPE and success are woven into the fabric of the show.

Hope burns in every garage band and shower singer who debuts their performance a thousand times before ever getting the real chance to stand on the stage.

It's why Sanjaya was kept around so long by the sea of eager faces lit up each night by the glow of a TV.

Because when we come down to it, all of us are really trying to find the right key to sing our songs and to share our own unique message about why life is really worth living.

Carl Sandburgh captured some of the longing of the heart:

"Between the finite limitations of the five senses,

and the endless yearnings of man for the beyond;

the people hold to the humdrum bidding of work and food,

while reaching out, when it comes their way,

for lights beyond the prism of the five senses,

for keepsakes lasting beyond any hunger or death.

This reaching is alive.

The panderers and liars have violated and smutted it.

Yet this reaching is alive yet ;

for lights and keepsakes."

Hope may be singing secretly in the dimly lit stage of their deepest heart. it is a song that the roar of the world cannot drown out , giving voice to their hopes and dreams.

The best news in the world,is a Father in Heaven who listens intently to every note. He beckons us to follow Him to the place He has called us to sing our song.

It may not be the center stage of this 3-ring circus that our world has become. But it will not be the tragic stage of Shakespeare's Tempest; were the words of Prospero give voice to the fears of all mankind, the whispered lies of satanic doom :

" You do look, my son,......as if you are dismayed.

Our revels are now ended, these our actors,

As I foretold you, were all spirits, and

Are melted into air, into thin air.

And like the baseless fabric of this vision,

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which inherit it, shall dissolve,

And like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind.

We are such stuff as dreams are made of,

and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep."

No One wants to feel that their dreams and contribution to this world will die with them and fade.

They are not just actors on a stage, but participants in an eternal plan,led by a Creator who is actively involved in the lives of His creation.

Where is it that God has called you to play your part, sing your song of praise?
Take the stage He has given you , make it a city on a hill and let your light so shine, that people will see you and glorify your Father in Heaven.

Random reading and thoughts

2007-03-21T10:05:00.000-04:00

"It is true there is an ebb and flow, yet the sea remains the sea"

These words of the troubled genius, Vincent Van Gogh, were in my reading today.

There were few gentle tides flowing in his life, rather, crashing waves, carrying life’s’ debris in their surging fury.

His history haunts his brush strokes like the whisper of ghosts.
Yet he created masterpieces that have stood the test of time and criticism, to remain as treasures .......

Have you been there? Overwhelmed by the fury of the wave? Feeling tossed like broken driftwood? Seeming to be at the mercy of powers beyond your control? I've visited that shore one too many times!

In the pace of our world and the mission to which we are committed, it is easy to get caught up in a surging stormy world. It can pull with the relentless drag of a rip tide on a stormy beach.

But ,the God who set boundaries for the seas, is still the One who puts storms in the perspective of eternity......... and takes us to solid vantage point, to see in it, His power.

Storms wash away our insubstantial castles!

God creates masterpieces in storms!

"....our light and mometary trials are working for us an eternal weight of glory"

Foundations are laid for the Future.

2007-02-25T00:31:00.000-05:00

Montclair Ground-Breaking

February 24, 2007

" No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars , or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit"

Helen Keller

No step taken by any generation, is taken for itself alone.

" Les Miserables You will always have with you" (NBT 'new broadway translation')

2007-01-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

Fantine's Song - Les Miserables
(1 slightly altered line)

In one of the opening scenes of Les Miz.....

Fantine is left , alone, unemployed, destitute
, with her little girl ...
She is singing the lyrics of the heartsongs
of the poor.....

"I dreamed a dream in times gone by
When hope was high And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, No wine untasted.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
And they tear your dreams apart
Then rip your hopes asunder

I had a dream my life would be
So different than this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed "

IN John 5 - Jesus visits the pool of Bethesda

Picture the battlefield scene in the film "Gettysburgh" when the field is littered with the bodies of wounded and dying soldiers.
Go to an inner city nursing home, understaffed and overcrowded, and you'll see the scenes of Bethesda.

Rewind on the screen of your mind, the pictures of the starving and sick of Bangladesh or Ethiopia , and you'll see the picture at that pool.

Stand at the Broad street station in Newark and watch the thin-faced, sickly beggars hoping for a little of your change, look as they search your eyes for a flicker of acknowledgment , that you see them; and they are not invisible phantoms of some other dimension.

Work the clipboard for a night at the street feeding program
and watch the shifting eyes, the clutching hands
as they grip the plate of hot food ,
hurrying to eat.............
wishing for more.

Look closely, and you might catch a glimpse of Jesus ,
He's there................................and listening.....
to the crys of beggars,
the songs of the poor,
the mumblings of crushed dreams
and ighs of broken promises.

Can you see Him ?

Stepping tenderly between the broken ,blind and begging.........

Looking deep into the eyes of the lost

SEEING them .... LOVING them .....

TOUCHING them.

How I pray that the call of the Christ, to come and walk where He walks....... will not be lost in the roar of the world or fade as the desire of my heart. The words of a Keith Green song convey my desires for continual renewal:

"Oh What can be done,
With an old heart like mine,
Soften it up with the oil of your wine."

"The Oil is You,
Your Spirit above,
Please wash me anew
In the wine of your love."

Amen!

"Disasters Fairest Children"

2006-12-22T07:19:00.000-05:00

Even though I haven't posted anything for a while, I've still been writing, and this weeks return to Mt. Hood for yet more lost climbers, brought up this bit of thought I penned at the first incident when lives were lost of the three climbers who died on Mt. Hood.

"In the worst of the worst, we saw the best of the best !" ( Kelly James)

As Americans we have probably never been so aware of Mt. Hood than they have this past weeks.

Jagged peaked and formidable it filled our screens with it's terrible beauty.

Under the snow capped mantle, solid as the rock that formed the mountain, was the haunting truth that men and women were lost in the midst of beauty and wildness.

For centuries, men have been drawn to mountains. To stand victorious with nothing above them but the heaven's and nothing under their feet but the ground they had gained, ..........to stand on one of earth's peaks reaching into heaven's space. No longer bound in the lower levels of daily commerce and hustle of the world , but not yet into the heavenlies.....just between both,

in a place of separation from both worlds.

How powerful it was to hear the witness of Kelly James' widow ; eyes brimming with her grief, yet proclaiming her faith in God as the source of strength to get her through the long days and nights of searching . And citing the unique fellowship of those who risked danger, cold and avalanche to try to find her husband as part of the inspiration that helped sustain her through the worst week of her life.

Robert Ardrey in his book, "African Genesis" said something that I cannot forget in this situation:

" Change is the elixir of the human circumstance,

and acceptance of challenge the way of our kind.

We are bad-weather animals, disasters' fairest children.

For the soundest of evolutionary reasons man appears at his best when times are worst."

If men and women can climb mountains risking frozen death to find brothers of kindred climbing hearts, what will we risk to save the kindred hearts in our own life circle?

It is not the vast ocean of the souls of humanity around which we are to close our net and drop wriggling, squirming thousands onto the deck of the kingdom.

It is the circle of friends and people with whom we daily traverse the dangers and pitfalls of life. It is to them we are called to offer the nail-scarred hand of rescue from the barren slopes of life's' emptiness, wind-swept of hope.

Courage is required ; this is not for the timid soul! But no one who goes, travels alone.

Woodland Light

2006-11-12T22:58:00.000-05:00

There is a magic in the streams, hills and valleys of God’s woods.
Mystery that I have only partially understood;
a feeling of eternity, in the woods that I love.

It is a dwelling place of God and of the Powers of eternity,

As I walk through tall trees and ancient rocks,
Past moss that has covered stones again and again for thousands of years;
Among trees that have ancestral roots before the time of Christ.....
There is a permanence to life ….. Seasons of change.

Places I walked as a boy through the woods; first seeing the amazing wonders
of life and death, growth and change ….
Displayed in glorious scenes all around me.

As I walk,….. I am aware I am not alone …..

"Nearly all of those whom I loved in my youth
and did not understand,
have died,
But I still reach out to them.. "

Memories live in the eternal pathways of the woods; ….
Aged`, Moss-covered, yet fresh as the dew of the morning;
Memories as distant as the faint tracks of a young man
on the forests’ leafy ways …..

There is a Presence of Eternity, when surrounded by the ageless forest …….
By sounds of birds and animals
That have called to each other in warning, companionship and joyful song;
for centuries without interruption …..

There is a Permanence in the timeless music of waters,
Cascading over beds of rocks in which they have
Slept and danced;
Raged and calmed,
Since they first flowed in joyful release
From the springs of the Earth …….

There is a Peace in the Sun that filters through leafy branches,
Prismed into shafts of life giving light,
Flowing into the up-stretched arms of branch and leaf.
So it is, that light from the edges of the universe
floods the dark of my heart
With life-giving power and purpose.

And when I’m alone in the half-light of the forest,
Eternity seems to fade to a “being” within my soul …..
To the sounds of bird-chatter, and wind in the trees.

And with the smoke of my fire
Ascends my prayers and praise to the Lord of the Garden,
Who has once again given me everything
Wrapped in green leaves and sunlight;
While He waits to see what names I will speak into existence.

Woodland spirits haunt my path…….
and with every step they speak of eternity………

IN the Quiet Moments after the storm has passed, there is a collective sigh as all Nature draws in a breath

2006-10-08T20:27:00.000-04:00

One of my passions is lightning storms. Awesome displays of power, set in motion by the Wrath of God!

High on my list of great places to be
In a Thunderstorm,
Is on the beach.

Lightning leaping from sky to water
Powering locomotive sized waves
On their tracks to the beach.
Churning brown sand, like steam from their wheels
as they roll up to the edge of sea and land.

Winds from the edges of the earth
exploding raindrops on your face;
Carrrying the sound of thunder
As the amen of the distant flash.

And then ….In the quiet after math of the storm….
As the very universes seems to stop and catch its breath
In the quiet vacuum of awe and wonder
There is a peace …….!

Father , when raging storms have dwarfed what puny power I have,
Powerful waves flooding my mind and heart
Lighting flashes of evil
Crashing in on my plans or dreams

In that moment of focused, desperate prayer;
When the spoken name of Jesus
Calms the overwhelming storms of chaos and doubt.
When He has my full attention;
His still, small voice, speaks.
And , . . . . there is peace....

Irrefutable Truth

2006-09-05T23:27:00.000-04:00

Preaching,and theology can be argued all day long, and often nullified by rationalisation, but words of personal witness carry a strength not found in exposition.

This past Labor day , I heard for the first time, the detailed witness of our Territorial Commander. It resonated with reality and hit with the authority of words from the heart. Moving, personal pages, straight from the book of one's life.

In the position of authority that is carried by any spiritual leader , there needs to be the ground zero of their story. The clear-cut account of calling and response to the Saviors' love and the Holy Spirits' conviction. It lays the foundation for the building blocks of their opportunities to inspire and lead.

With it comes the vulnerability of humanness and the touch of authenticity that opens the hearts of fellow believers. It reminds us that we are all, veterans of similar battles and members of the same body.

Drawing nourishment from the same source. Roots that not only provide nourishment to the whole tree but also stability in storms. It allows the mature tree to stand and provide shade and shelter for those who benefit by the shadow of its branches.

Amen!!..........to courage and truth.

Stops Along the Way

2006-08-23T22:32:00.000-04:00

Luke 8: 42b – 45

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years , but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

Last Thursday, at Camp Tecumseh, I watched a hummingbird and some butterfly’s in the bushes by the Caretakers house. Stitching together flowers in a web of flight.

Tiny evangelists, moving from blossom to blossom, seeking in each stop, life’s sweetness. Leaving behind on each blossom, bits of its’ own journeys. Being blessed and blessing in return.

Can I move with such concern on the stops along the journey of my days? Taking as well as giving.

Oh Lord, the gardens of the city are not filled with soft flowers and bright sunshine,
They are dark with despair and hardened with rage,
The fruit at the heart of life is poisoned, deformed, bitter.
The flowers are artificial, ….plastic,
Faded in the harsh light of their daily reality,
Colorless and lifeless as the pallor of their lives,

I am slow to drink from the stops I make,
The poison is often virulent that fills my ears and absorbs into my heart.
Yet taking some of it away is the task of the wounded healer
Sucking the poison from the wound, negates the serpents bite.

Can mere words, bring wellness as well as wounding?
Can they bring hope as well as hurt?
Can I offer Presence as well as promises?

Father, Give me Your Word and Your Presence
They are Life-Words, and Empowering Presence!
Otherwise, I am powerless to bring blessings that will last
And changes that are deeper than the surface.

Clothe me with your robes, that desperate hands reaching out, may touch You and not just me!

Everyday Psalms

2006-07-12T08:21:00.000-04:00

Is it a thousand?
Ten thousand
Or a hundred thousand????

The Synaptic surges
Flashing through the streams of conscious and unconscious neural pathways
Forming the thoughts, urges, inklings, feelings, and moments of my daily life?

When I think of the input streaming into the optic net alone, it is overwhelming …
The moment by moment life-show that is playing into the receptacle of my brain

Just driving down the street,
The millions of particles of input that challenge every waking moment
Of the flow of life into my being !

A child on a bike
As I drive by
Triggers at least a dozen potentials,
Danger, destruction, discovery, laughter
And the sheer joys of peddling down a sidewalk
Wrapped in the moment of life that is childhood.

The conversations, exchanges, looks,
Flashes of insight into the soul
That comprise the multitude of experiences that we call communication,
Suddenly strike me as amazing and awesome ………

What capacity the creator has put into one human being,
Made in his image …..

An overload of information,
Far more than I can process in one day
0r sometimes in one lifetime
Comes into my being every moment, every hour ….
That, strung together, form the days, weeks, years of my life.

What must it be like to be eternal???
To have had these from before time
Flowing into eternity ………
What kind of a mind, or being, could be so large, so expansive?
The Driving Force of life, movement and the dance that circles the galaxies,
Coursing through the cosmos in a never changing flow of Energy,
Life, and Conscious Being ….???

No wonder the psalmist cries out in desperate revelation ……
How many are Thy thoughts O God!
How numerous beyond my comprehension ……

Beginnings

2006-07-01T23:36:00.000-04:00

May Joy and Peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And Happiness be with you now,
And bless you evermore.

New Fields to Tend

2006-06-23T11:04:00.000-04:00

Each year, a few Salvation Army Officers are reappointed to new fields of work. Leaving the familiar and the investment they have made in the lives of those they have served. How that becomes part of Gods' plan for His kingdom can be aided by the things we do to encourage or discourage.

"One Plants, Another Waters, God gives the increase"

Lift up your eyes , the fields are ready ,
Needing hearts that are willing and hands that are steady.

The same Master,and King who owns land,sun,and seed
Who speaks ever gently, yet commands us indeed

"Other fields I have,where the skills of your hand
Are the need of a place that without you now stands."

Obedient,we move at the Masters strong voice,
Leaving family and friends; we’re surrendered by choice.

We leave pathways familiar that are traveled by heart
To a place new,..untried,…..unknown,……set apart .

The only thing certain, is He that is known,
And will stand right beside us,for we are His own.

And no man can take us from that strong, pierced hand.
For the place that He leads is His own hallowed land.
ck

There may be new officers coming into the circles of life in which you travel; make them welcome, open doors of hospitality and friendship. Paint the pictures of joy and success that surround them in this new place. Don't prejudice them by sharing the negative. "Don't give bad news ....any legs to travel"
Christ's plan was that the world would know we are His, by the way we love each other. NT definition of love, has to do with "hopes (in)all things" and "does not rejoice iniquity" . Share blessing, not gloom.

Sunday Afternoon Fighting Words

2006-06-13T00:16:00.000-04:00

One of The Best Quotes of the Day

"Do you think that those songs that talk of filth, violence, and sleazy sex are new , original and groundbreaking ?? They are none of that !"

“ They came from the stinking, slimy , snake pit , of Sodom and Gomorrah “!

( And when was the last time you remember a Sunday Afternoon, Challenge to the cadets’ being interrupted 9 times by enthusiastic applause??)

Lessons by a Lake

2006-06-12T23:29:00.000-04:00

About 7:45 we finally made it to the lake by the lodge ..... We had spent 10 minutes digging in the wood chips pile for fresh worms .... Zach was excited to go fishing and even more when he began to spot the worms before I could, and found he could grab them quick enough before they disappeard into the loose wood chips and bark shavings that were piled high.

Good fat worms, from a mulch pile are always lively and good bait . Proud of his cup of worms , he launched off to the dock he had already declared was his place to fish from.

After getting the worm on the hook , Zach showed off his skill at casting , which we had practiced the day before by the flagpole and playground .... he did well in getting the tackle into the water although not exactly where he wanted it ... but good enough to catch a little blue gill (sunfish) on his first try.... he saw the bobber sink, set the hook and reeled the fish in, all by himself..... Pretty proud and happy when he saw the little fish ..... I tried to get him to hold it and when it spiked him he yelled and droppped it , then bent his finger back until he could get a small drop fo blood and a lot of symapthy for his injury....or at least he tried too.......

His second fish was a big , 10 inch sunfish ....bright with gold color on the bottom and all the blues and greeens on the side scales that gave it a real great look..... his eyes got big and he started yelling wow...look at the size of that .... its a big one Grand pa .....can we keep it to show my Daddy .... He then ran into the lodge to get Grand ma to come out an see it .... I could hear him all the way inside the lodge coaxing Grandma out with .... You should see it ,./...it's really big .... and I caught it all by myself..... onto the stringer and save it to show Dad later .....

One more little fish made up the nights catch before it started to get darker .... Grand ma came out to say 5 more minutes Grandpa and Zach .... then bed..... We baited up the hook ...waited for a bite ... and I decided it was time to teach him that when fireflys come out at night the fish know its time to go to bed .... and we should be at least as smart as the fish and know its time for us to got to bed too.....

It was one of those points where I was reminded again that I do not remember life in chronological order , or as a recited litany of facts ......but in moments of time, in laughter and the excitment of life , moments well spent , invested in living life...with those you love.... making dents and impressions in eternity, timeless strokes on the canvas of memory.

Flowers Grow In The City

2006-06-06T00:22:00.000-04:00

Batty Hattie, they call her, as she waits in line for the hot food from our soup van’s serving window. “Crazy as a loon …..and a thief too” that’s’ what they say about her to our workers who nightly visit the streets of the city.

She wears dated but dressy, church hats, from the thrift shop. The kind you see on older black matriarchs as they go to Ebenezer Baptist on Sunday….Except these have street dirt and years of dust layered on the felt and satin ribbon. Along with her tattered man’s sport coat, (“big pockets”), they form her street clothes ensemble.

“Gave up her own children, so she could walk around the streets talking to herself and screaming at the passing cars” the street wise said, “Don’t mess wit her” “she’ll cut you soon as look at you” they warned us when she first started coming around .“Threw her out of the psycho ward for threatening the Dr’s”.

“Where do you sleep?”, one of our staff ask her when she didn’t’ list an address on the meal sheet. No answer,….. just the vacant stare of one who is somewhere else…….. Somewhere you can’t touch her with your words.

One night getting her helping of rice, stew and vegetables, gravy splashed onto her hand…. Volunteer Carol quickly took her hand and gently wiped the warm gravy from her knuckles and wrist , their eyes met…..and somewhere, from that distant place, eyes lit with the warmth of a human touch ………………. “Thank You”,… spoke a soft quiet voice that none of us had ever heard from Hattie…. Wise beyond her 28 years, Carol smiled and said, “You’re very welcome, Hattie”,…..Can we sit down and just talk?”.

That’s how we got to actually see Hattie’s place….. in the midst of cracked cement walks and the mud lawns of the projects, that hadn’t seen grass in years….. there was a somewhat still-slightly-white, little piece of dollar store fence that bordered a tiny garden….no food growing, (it wouldn’t last till it was ripe in that neighborhood), ..… just flowers crowded between the building wall and the cement curb of the dumpster.

Nothing you’d see at the Home and Garden Expo, No their beauty far exceeds pampered, sheltered “miracle grow” blossoms; for they reflect the beauty of a soul that, though hidden, will not die, and somehow still clings to memories of beauty.

I wish I could tell you that Hattie has turned her life around, become an upstanding citizen , a “success” story. But I cannot, …. In a crowd, she still gets the little “right of way path” of a “crazy woman”. Still dines, sidewalk café , at the Army van.

But she has found a place, where she can sit down for a few moments, let the wildness fade from her eyes and talk to another human being. She lets us touch, gently; the soul that still lives deep inside, nourished by a small patch of beauty next to a dumpster.

We pray that the seeds of serving , sown in the form of Christ-like love, will blossom someday into a new creation in her life. Until then….we talk, pray, and serve meat gravy over rice…..in faith.

Following the Leader

2006-05-30T16:24:00.000-04:00

At campsite ne morning, my coffee time included the woodsy version of the Today show . Starring 2 squirrels, who provided entertainment , then lesson, while playing a mating game of chase through the forest floor……. One the leader, the other the follower ….. As they raced with amazing speed, from tree to fallen log, in short explosions of leaves and twigs across the forest floor……

While Watching; my thoughts traveled to my own version of follow the leader….. Jesus style..

Some of His leads, that have always challenged my heart, are teachings of two of my favorite Christian authors ……. The first is Dietrich Bonhoffers’ first chapter in The Cost of Discipleship entitled “ Cheap Grace”

I’d give you his exact quote , but I’m afraid I have given away all my copies of his book.
However, in one well worn copy that had proven a good companion on many a walk or stay in the woods,… I had annotated , something like this :

His (Bonhoeffers’), passionate discourse was about a form of Christian grace.
Grace that costs nothing and is available, to be dispensed as one would give a small child a bandage for every bump, bruise, or scrape.

Grace passed out to all who enter the doors, like a program bulletin for Sunday Worship….. No cost or sacrificial living, only more grace to match more sin……

Grace given ….Thinking nothing of Christ’s words, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me”
. Luke 9:23

Clive Staples Lewis takes the same thought process further, as he maintains in his essay, Virtue and Vice,

Jesus warned people to ““Count the Cost” before following Me” …

He said , "I believe there is another dimension beyond what we may "give up" to follow the Christ….. "

He imagines Jesus as saying , "If you let me, I will make you perfect, Holy … the moment you put yourself into my hands, ….that is what you are in for…… Nothing less, or other than that……..”

I can imagine the continuation of that conversation in the words of Christ,

“You have free will and can choose to push me away, but if you do not push me away, understand that I am going to see this job through ….. Whatever suffering, victories, tears or struggles it may cost you in your earthly life ……”

“Whatever it may cost you and whatever it may cost me ……I will not rest, nor let you rest until my Father can say that He is pleased with you as He said he was pleased with Me….. “

“This I can do................... and will do …......................… but I will do nothing less.”

Do I want to follow the Christ , that much, … that I will surrender to that kind of diligence in a Master……..or am I really just seeking the comfort of faith and the desire for an occasional small miracle ….having a spectator God who will “watch over” my life ; Be there when I call out, ….but not mess with my comfort levels ………

Its’ still a costly choice and one that I chose to make each day !

Texas Brass

2006-05-27T08:13:00.000-04:00

Mix the intensity of good brass music with the enthusiasm of youth and you have a summary of the Texas Brass Concert last night in Kearny.

In a nice spectrum of musical expression , there were timbrels, drama, vocals and chorus all mixed with the big hearted

flavor of the southwest. One of the refreshing aspects of visiting bands is the chance to step out of the hip, hype, guarded

lifestyles of the NJ/NY metro area, and watch the interaction and expression of salvationist youth from a different cultural spectrum.

Struggles of youth, characterized by one witness last night, remain the same in any culture, but the form of expression can be uplifting heard

through the perspective of another part of our vast american culture. Watching the easy mix of NJ& TX youth in the fellowship time,

reaffirmed my faith that genuine Christlikeness and enthusiasm easily crosses any cultural lines. Pizza and soda quickly cleared the

hesitancy barriers of conversation, and laughter filled the distance between the eastern and western lifestyles. A growing circle of

hackety sack soon had 20+ NJ and TX youth in one end of the small gym bouncing off each other like the small ball in the game.

Our Youth Band provided a warm and accepting welcome to our guests, and showed that their quality is deeper than just musical excellence.

Starting New Things

2006-05-25T02:55:00.000-04:00

Once you pass the signposts some say there is no going back ..... but those words are for the cowards and the liars of our world.

Excitment and the edges of living are only found by those who risk new things and go places where the handholds and the pathway is not traced by the passage of their own experience..

So into this world I leap with only small insignificant fears and nothing to lose by wandering in its wondrous universe.

2006-05-25T00:09:00.000-04:00