Loving You - Silver Jubilee Edition

The song I wrote for Vanessa 25 years ago for our wedding day has grown by yet another verse as we celebrate our Silver Jubilee Wedding Anniversary today.  These verses capture my love and our life at each milestone in our marriage as we have journeyed together to fulfill the vows we made as husband and wife...

Wedding Song

When I hold your hand
And look into your eyes,
I can’t help to reminisce
The days gone by.
For I see the Master’s plan
Has brought us hand in hand,
And I know His Spirit’s
Touched us with His love.

Loving you, holding you,
Has filled an empty place 
Within my life. 
Praise you Lord, thank you Lord, 
For giving me the one I truly love. 

Friends we were and are
And will for ever be.
We would laugh and cry and share
Each others dreams.
Lord, you took two separate lives,
With love you harmonised.
Now we’re joined together
By your precious love.

Loving you, holding you,
Has filled an empty place
Within my life.
Praise you Lord, thank you Lord,
For giving me the one
I truly love.

20th February 1993


First Wedding Anniversary

As we celebrate
Our Anniversary,
I am thankful for your love
And company.
For I know within my heart
Our lives will never part,
While Jesus is the
Centre of our love.

Loving you, holding you,
Has filled an empty place
Within my life.
Praise you Lord, thank you Lord,
For giving me the one
I truly love.

20th February 1994


Fifth Wedding Anniversary

You and I have shared
Our love these past five years,
Though we’ve faced some storms and shed
Some painful tears.
We have given God His place
And drawn upon His grace,
So we’ll stay committed
For eternity.

Loving you, holding you,
Has filled an empty place
Within my life.
Praise you Lord, thank you Lord,
For giving me the one
I truly love.

20th February 1998


Birth of Children

We have come into
A new reality
As you’ve given birth to our
New family.
First, a precious little girl
Was born into this world,
Closely followed by a
Handsome baby boy.

Loving them, holding them,
Has given me a joy
I can’t explain,
Praise you Lord, Thank you Lord,
For this family of mine
That I’ve now gained.

7th April 2000


Fifteenth Wedding Anniversary

Fifteen years ago
I gave to you my life,
On our wedding day when you
Became my wife.
I declared to you my love
Before the Lord above,
Which we celebrate on
This, our special day.

Loving you, holding you,
Has filled an empty place
Within my life.
Praise you Lord, thank you Lord,
For giving me the one
I truly love.

20th February 2008


Twentieth Wedding Anniversary

For two decades now
We’ve lived each others dreams,
Which have filled our lives with joy
And memories.
There is nothing I would trade
For the life that we have made,
And the path the Lord has
Granted you and me.

Loving you, holding you,
Has filled an empty place
Within my life.
Praise you Lord, thank you Lord,
For giving me the one
I truly love.

20th February 2013


Silver Jubilee Wedding Anniversary

On this day we mark
Our Silver Jubilee
Of the covenant between
You, God and me.
Now this journey God ordained
Has brought about a change
That has left our children
Far across the seas.

Loving you, loving them,
Has filled my life with joy
Throughout the years.
Praise you Lord, Thank you Lord,
For strengthening our faith
And family.

20th February 2018

Radical Discipleship

At our church we are currently exploring clearer discipleship pathways to effectively equip people on a faith journey to discover what it means to live as a Christ follower and how to fully engage in Christ's mission on earth as a part of His Church.

In our context of The Salvation Army, this discussion has an added dimension to explore, as we also evaluate the relationship between DISCIPLESHIP (a Biblical imperative) and SOLDIERSHIP (a Salvation Army distinctive).  Are they interchangeable terms in a Salvation Army context?  If so, does that mean soldiership is the primary pathway for discipleship?  If not, what's the difference and what are the options?  What makes this part of the discussion interesting is that there seems to be no uniform definition of what a Soldier is, nor a consistency in the preparation material used to prepare people for such a commitment.  

In order of date of publication, here are just some of the diverse definitions of soldiership and descriptions of being a "Salvationist" I found from various Salvation Army sources:

"To be effective, the warriors of the Cross must be more than saints; they must be soldier-saints!...We are a Salvation people - this is our speciality - getting saved and keeping saved and then getting somebody else saved." - William Booth, Salvationist, January & February 1879.  

"My comrades, you must answer in purpose and character to the name of the great Salvationist.  You must have the self-sacrificing soul-seeking spirit of Jesus Christ, or you are none of His...You are to be a redeemer, a saviour, a copy of Jesus Christ Himself.  So wake up all the powers of your being and consecrate every awakened power to the great end of saving your fellow-men.  Be a Salvationist!" - William Booth, 1879.

"The Salvationist is a soldier, an idea purely scriptural.  'Fight the good fight,' Paul commanded Timothy (1 Timothy 6:12) and congratulated himself on having 'fought a good fight' (2 Timothy 4:7).  We are soldiers in an Army committed to soul-winning.  Every soldier is , therefore, an evangelist at all times, in all places." - Preparation for Soldiership, 1956.

"A Soldier of The Salvation Army is a person who knows Christ as his/her personal Saviour; who believes in the Army's purposes, standards, and doctrines; who has signed the Articles of War, and who has then been duly and properly enrolled as a Soldier under the Flag." - Manual of Salvationism, 1968.

"No one is a full member of The Salvation Army who has not been enrolled and sworn-in as a soldier of a corps." - Chosen To Be A Soldier, 1977.

"Having accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord, and desiring to fulfil my membership of His Church on earth as a soldier of The Salvation Army, I now by God's grace enter into a sacred covenant." - Articles of War (A Soldier's Covenant), 1989.

"We call Salvationists worldwide to recognise that the swearing-in of soldiers is a public witness to Christ's command to make disciples and that soldiership demands ongoing radical obedience.  We affirm that Jesus Christ stills calls men and women to take up their cross and follow him.  This wholehearted and absolute acceptance of Christ as Lord is a costly discipleship.  We hear our Lord's command to make disciples, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  We believe that soldiership is discipleship and that the public swearing-in of a soldier of The Salvation Army beneath the Army's Trinitarian flag fulfils this command.  It is a a public response and witness to the life-changing encounter with Christ which has already taken place, as is the believers' water baptism practiced by some other Christians." - Robert Street, Called To Be God's People, 1999. 

"Soldier preparation classes are our form of discipleship and the soldier's covenant is our form of baptism and membership." - Geoff Ryan, Sowing Dragons, 2001.

"Salvation Army church members are known as soldiers.  Soldiers worship at their local Corps (church) and may wear a uniform." - Adherent Membership Leader's Manual, 2007.

"Salvation Army soldiership is about developing warriors in the mode of Jesus Christ with the DNA of William & Catherine Booth; people converted, consecrated, and commissioned to declare war on the kingdom of darkness, wherever it may be found." - Salvationism 101, 2008.

"There is no question that one of the distinctives of the Army's identity is soldiership.  We are called to be "a good soldier of Jesus Christ," as the Apostle Paul put it to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:3.  This is a radical call to action against the enemy of our souls, not passive church membership.  We need soldiers of Jesus Christ fully engaged in the battle." - Lt Col James Condon, Pipeline, January 2009.

"Soldier:  A person who is 'converted', i.e. came to faith in Jesus Christ.  Soldiers must be at least 14 years of age and meet with the approval of the census board.  They are sworn-in after signing the articles of war." - http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/en/Who-We-Are/About-Us/glossary-of-terms/, 2012-2013.

"Soldiership in The Salvation Army is about choosing to make a covenant with God; a promise to fulfil God’s work without distraction, to live by the beliefs, values, and mission of The Salvation Army, and to live a life of personal holiness and devotion to God." - http://my.salvos.org.au/get-involved/membership/soldiership/, 2013.

Despite the diversity of thought among these individual descriptions, they collectively capture common themes that gives us some insight into the etymology of a soldier:  Conversion to Christian faith, focus on evangelism and salvation, a consecrated life of holiness and sacrifice, radical expression of discipleship, call to action, covenant relationship, fully engaged member, spiritual warrior.  

Scripture describes a disciple as a 'follower' (Matthew 16:24) and a 'student' (Philippians 4:9) whose purpose is to become like their 'teacher' (Luke 6:40) in thought, word and deed (John 13:13-17) and to fulfill His mission to reproduce 'disciples' (Matthew 28:19-20).  

When you bring these two descriptions together, you get a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ who is fully committed to Christ's mission and fully armed and engaged in the spiritual battle against the forces of darkness.  A soldier, therefore, is a disciple who enlists in The Salvation Army and embraces a covenant relationship to sacrificially engage in a radical mission for the salvation of the whole world!  Soldiership is a brand of discipleship that gives a unique expression to a common calling shared by all believers.  

While we continue to explore and discover effective discipleship pathways for our church, a redefinition of this unique expression of being a disciple in The Salvation Army challenges us to rediscover soldiership as a relevant and radical form of discipleship to advance our "saved to save" mission today.  The journey continues...


Published in February/March 2014 edition of JAC:  Journal of Aggressive Christianity
A modified version published in 26th July 2014 Onfire Magazine as - Who Wouldn't Be A Soldier?
 

Beyond The Rainbow

For the second time in our ministry while on the threshold of something new, a rainbow has appeared right over the place where we were about to embark on a new journey.  While unloading our belongings from the removalist truck at our new home in Cranbourne, we were once again blessed by this beautiful reminder of God's promises.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  But I choose to believe that God is visually reminding us of the covenant we entered into as Officers and that His hand is on us as we obediently step into this new appointment. On both occasions, the rainbow has given us a tangible sense of God's presence, affirming that we are right where He wants us to be, doing exactly what He wants us to do.

In Genesis 9:13 God said, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." This divine reassurance to a world that was on the threshold of a new beginning was the symbol of an everlasting covenant of new life.  At the beginning of our new life in Cranbourne I am not only excited about the life ahead for us, but also for those on the threshold of new life in Christ as we live out the covenant that has led us to this new beginning.  Beyond the rainbow is a land of opportunity and the promise of fullness of life just waiting to be grasped.

Welcome Home

Tonight we had a powerful Holy Spirit encounter during our Divine Conversations prayer meeting!  While singing Hillsongs "Saviour King" the line in the song "Let now the lost be welcomed home by the saved and redeemed" literally gripped our hearts.  I heard a tangible gasp by those around me as we were captured by the implications of this line.  It was as though the Spirit had paused a moment of time to emphasise the gap between God's vision for the world and His church.

We pray fervently for the "lost" to have a life transforming encounter with Jesus Christ and for the "saved" to have a life transforming encounter with Holy Spirit!*  We grieve about those who bear the name of Christ but do not reflect the unconditional love of Christ.  We dare to believe for a church where "the Lord adds to [our] number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). 

There is so much to celebrate about the church, but at times the attitude of the "saved and redeemed" towards the "lost" is less than welcoming!  It seems when the comfort or security of the "saved" is disrupted by the behaviour of the "lost", the "saved" are quick to forget what they have been "redeemed" from.  

We are The Salvation Army and the salvation of the "lost" is not only the core of our identity, it is the core of our mission and ministry.  It is affirmed in both our Soldiers and Officers covenants as the core of our commitment to Jesus Christ:

"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, and in His name caring for the needy and the disadvantaged." (Soldiers Covenant)

"Called by God to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as an officer of The Salvation Army...to live to win souls and make their salvation the first purpose of my life." (Officers Covenant)

May we "be responsive to the Holy Spirit's work and obedient to His leading" to create an environment of worship and fellowship within every Corps where "the lost be welcomed home by the saved and redeemed."


*Not a theological distinction, rather a discipleship observation of Christians who are not filled with the Spirit even after receiving the Spirit at conversion.

For Better For Worse

I attended a beautiful wedding yesterday and witnessed two people who are very much in love enter into a life long covenant with each other.  Whenever I conduct or witness a wedding, the line in the marriage vows that always captures my attention is "for better for worse."  It is a reminder to me that covenants should not be entered into lightly and that the commitment made is not conditional upon happiness, success or the absence of conflict.

I have made three significant covenants in my life - Soldier's Covenant, Marriage Covenant, and Officer's Covenant - each representing a significant relationship that requires an unconditional commitment to another.

In my Soldier's Covenant I promised:  "I will be true to the principles and practices of The Salvation Army, loyal to its leaders, and I will show the spirit of salvationism whether in times of popularity or persecution."

In my Marriage Covenant I promised:  "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part."

In my Officer's Covenant I promised:  "I bind myself to Him in this solemn covenant to love and serve Him supremely all my days."

While people enter into covenants with all the right intentions, it is increasingly evident that covenants are becoming more and more fragile during times of crisis and conflict.  I have watched people walk away from marriages, abandon churches (Soldiership) and leave ministry (Officership) at an alarming rate.  Now, you and I both know that because of the sinfulness of humankind there are circumstances that make some covenants impossible to keep, but we can also agree that far too many people break a covenant when it is no longer convenient, when they are challenged, going through a crisis or experiencing conflict.

Covenant keeping requires a determined WILL - a determination from the outset to "stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured" (Colossians 4:12)

Covenant keeping requires a determined FAITH - a determination to stay faithful to a faithful God whose "divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life" (2 Peter 1:3).

Covenant keeping requires a determined LOVE - a determination to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." and to "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39)

Note:  References to 'Soldiership' and 'Officership' are positions within The Salvation Army relating to membership and full-time ministry.

Powerful Prayer

“Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, ‘May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God the Lord, the God of his fathers even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.’ And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.” 

(2 Chronicles 30:19-20)

After calling the people of Judah back to a place of consecration through the removal of sin and the return to a covenant relationship through a renewal of heart, Hezekiah prayed this prayer on behalf of the nation.  This is a powerful prayer that gives us some extroadinary insight into the heart of a righteous leader and the character of a gracious God.

Hezekiah acknowledged the goodness of God!  Despite the gap between the sinfulness of the nation and the holiness of God, Hezekiah appeals to God's grace and seeks His favour on behalf of the people of Judah.

Hezekiah acknowledged the journey of his people.  His prayer was for those who had determined to seek after God, regardless of where they were along that journey, rather than for those who had reached a level of religious piety.

When the prayer of a righteous leader is aligned with the heart of a gracious God an environment for miracles is activated.  God longs to heal His people and restore them to a right relationship with their Creator.  Therefore, He responds to the prayer of faith that earnestly seeks after Him and dares to ask God to do what only He can do!