Straight from the Heart
With
the end in view: The promise is coming
By Major Joanne
Senft
John 16: 7-11
Major life events such as
birth, death of a loved one, marriage, graduations, moving to new locations or
any other type of change, whether positive or negative, often cause us to
reminisce on the catalysts that brought us to the most current place.
I can't help but wonder what might have been going on in the
mind of the disciple, John, in the wake of the major events of the Passion of
Jesus. Three years of John's life held one experience after another of
walking with the Messiah, watching miracle after miracle, listening to the very
words of the Torah, the prophets and the writings from the living Word present
with him, sculpting him into a very different man by those words and events and
walking with Jesus.
John missed, and we continue to miss, the uncompromising words of our
Master: If you want to be great in the Kingdom, learn to be the servant of
all.
We tend to see John as this
tender-hearted man with a gift for writing. Truth be told, it was this
"tender-hearted" man that wanted to call down fire from heaven when a
village gave no time or credence to Jesus. He was known as a "son of
thunder." That tender heart could turn tyrannical before you could blink
your eyes.
Now, sitting in the Upper Room, with 119 other
disciples of Jesus, John looked back to sort out the last three or so years of
his life. What a ride! The thrill of the catch moved from fish to men. The
familiar gave way to the adventure of following with no known destination. The
provision of life by the sweat of his brow gave way to a purpose in life
centered in Jesus.
I wonder now as he sat in that room
waiting for the promise, what he thought and felt about the ongoing press of
those three years to be the greatest in the Kingdom. Inching toward Jesus and
away from the other disciples, John wanted to be the greatest. I'm not sure
what that would have looked like in concrete terms, but it would not be much of
a stretch, given the nature of the conversation recorded for us, that it
included lording it over other people. Being the boss. Holding a position of
prominence. Esteemed by those "under" him. Being set apart in a
notable manner from others in the same conclave of people. After all, it was
not that John did not want others to follow. It was that he, himself, wanted to
be set apart as special and distinct from other followers.
He missed, and we continue to miss, the uncompromising words of
our Master: If you want to be great in the Kingdom, learn to be the servant of
all. It's a nice concept - for other people. It's a great sentiment
but, c'mon. No one gets anything done right unless you have the ability to
"whip people into shape." It's a great philosophy, but if it
doesn't produce the results we want, then it gives way to other, more
pragmatic ways of relating. Jesus was waiting for the time that John would own
his own humanity, for without that, John would miss living out of the very
quality of grace that called and shaped him to this point.
Now, in the Upper Room, John could see the face of his Master in
his mind's eye. He caught the scent of the sea as he listened to the
teaching about Kingdom life. He felt the dirt under his feet and recalled the
faces of those set free. John began to reminisce, and His spirit, consisting of
a kaleidoscope of many fragmented pieces, was then illuminated by the most
important insight of his life: "I am the disciple whom Jesus loves."
That love continued to transform John's heart until he sat again with
Jesus. It is the only truth from which we will live effectively.
Recording studio gives Memphis ARC men an outlet for
talent 
Duane Gibson has found a way to express his love
and talent for music production, and at the same time help the men of the
Memphis, Tenn., Adult Rehabilitation Center in their recovery therapy. Gibson
was lead guitarist for several popular groups during the late 1960s. He owned
his own recording business but lost everything because of his addiction. A few
years after he met Christ and achieved sobriety at the Memphis ARC, Gibson
asked to be allowed to run a recording studio, complete with synthesizers. Each
man in the center is welcome to record their own CD, and the program is proving
to help increase self-esteem. "Memphis is where Elvis was discovered. Who
knows, maybe we have the next Christian superstar here," Gibson
said.
Majors Lawrence and Thelma Holmes took 12
musical instruments to Haiti to start up new bands at two corps. They were
impressed by the joy and enthusiasm of Haitian
Salvationists.
Gift of instruments to Haiti helps keep international
'language' intact
By Major Thelma
Holmes
Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my
soul.
Psalm 146:1
Psalms 146-150 are all hallelujah psalms. Each begins and ends
with praise to the Lord. How better to praise God than with the sound of
musical instruments.
My husband and I have just returned
from Haiti, where we took 12 instruments to begin two new bands. When we
arrived at the airport in Port-au-Prince, the divisional leaders, Majors Ron
and Carol Busroe, met us and gave us a royal welcome. We were taken to a
sitting room, where someone else took our passports, and everything was taken
care of while we waited. The instruments passed through customs without a
problem, and we were within airline weight allowance for baggage. When
everything was completed and the instruments were in the corps van, we left.
The Busroes took us to their house, and we were comfortably settled in.
It was decided to divide the instruments up rather than take them
all to one corps. We planned to take eight instruments to Gros Morne on Sunday
to be dedicated. Unfortunately, we would have to scale a large mountain to
reach the corps. The road was rugged and steep, and it took eight hours to
travel the 70 miles to the corps. We stopped for the night and continued the
next morning for another two hours to reach our destination.
We were met by our corps officer, Captain Victorin Lamour, who was
promoted to major in the morning meeting. He was a gracious person, and we were
welcomed with great joy. The soldiers looked so good in their white uniforms
and hats. The building was packed to capacity, 200-plus, and the cooling was
provided by the cross-ventilation from the windows. The temperature was 100
degrees, but the heat did not diminish the enthusiasm of the people. They sang
with hearts full of joy and listened with rapt attention. The children were
well-behaved and none were allowed to sleep. The service lasted two hours and
included several special vocal numbers. The congregational singing was
accompanied by a three-piece band and drums. I gave my testimony, and Major
Lawrence Holmes brought the message. All had to be translated into the Creole
language spoken by the congregation.
We heard more
hallelujahs in that meeting than we have heard in a long time. When we
dedicated the instruments, everyone was rejoicing with praise and thanksgiving
to God for His goodness. The Haitian people have so few material things, but
they never lack for joy. They are gracious and full of joy and full of love for
God and The Salvation Army.
We are more convinced than ever
that music adds a powerful element to the meetings. It is truly an
international language.
We thank God for the opportunity to take these
instruments to Haiti and pray they will bring honor and glory to His
name.
Austin community warms up 
to first annual Family
Affair
With temperatures in the 100's the
Austin Area Command was uncertain what the turnout would be for its first
"Family Affair" event - a free outdoor neighborhood celebration. Yet,
with the heat index rising, hundreds of people of all ages attended and
participated in the celebration complete with live music from the Salvation
Army's Gospel Silvertones, all-day children's activities, a smorgasbord
of food and the special guest, former pro football player Oscar Roan.
Roan, a member of the Cleveland Browns during his playing days,
shared his testimony and spoke about God's life-changing power at the
celebration and again at the Sunday morning holiness meeting the following day.
Numerous individuals and families who came to the Saturday event attended the
Sunday service at the Austin Citadel Corps. Many in attendance at both events
responded to the calling of the Holy Spirit and came forward to receive prayer
and to rededicate their lives to Christ. Nineteen individuals at the outdoor
celebration accepted Christ.
Captain Henry Houston, Austin
Citadel corps officer, chaired the planning committee to stage an event that
would draw individuals and families from Army facilities including the Red
Shield Lodge, women and children's shelter, adult rehabilitation center and
the corps community center.
"We are committed to
having a seamless ministry that deals not only in bringing people to Christ and
helping them become more Christlike, but also helping them to develop their
gifts and serve others through fellowship," Houston said.
Major Dan New, area commander and his wife Captain Sheila New
orchestrated competitive events including watermelon-eating, pie-eating,
doughnut-on-a-string-eating and a bubble gum-blowing contest. "In
traditional models of church, you often have evangelism and service; however
they're separate," New said. "In The Salvation Army we make every
effort to do both at the same time."
Second-class prayer
By Major Larry Repass
Most
of the evangelical churches in a certain city sponsored a "Day of
Prayer," inviting all who would to assemble at a certain auditorium to
pray "all during the day." A number of pastors were selected to give
short messages on prayer at the beginning of each hour.
One
pastor surprised the attendees by saying, "All of the praying we do here
today is second-class." Perhaps "startled" would be a better
word than "surprised." He let the thought intrigue them for several
seconds, and then he read this text:
But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast
shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6, KJV)
He then went on to say that however sincere and full of faith our
public prayers are, and even if they "get results," they are at best
only second-class prayers. The praying that Jesus commands is private prayer,
secret prayer.
Someone openly objected that Jesus must have
meant "individual prayer" when He said that, not the "corporate
prayer" of a congregation. But the speaker countered by returning to the
context of the text cited.
"His disciples came
unto Him . . . and
He taught them, saying, ..."
(Matthew 5:1, KJV)
The pastor closed his meditation by
challenging those present to pray as sincerely as possible that day together,
and to take the burden of prayer home to "finish the job in first-class
praying - in secret."
Oswald Chambers explains in a
number of his devotional teachings why secret intercession is the best. I have
no one to impress if I am in secret as no one will know that I am praying. I
can be my most honest with God. I have no reason to "put on airs" of
pretended piety or humility. And He already knows the whole truth anyway.
Comrades, I too want to urge us all to pray well in our public
services. But the greater lesson is that the most effective (first-class)
prayer is when only the one praying and the One being prayed to know about
it.
The Job Board
Salvation
Army employment
The Dallas /
Fort Worth Metroplex Command
is looking to fill the
following positions:
Financial
manager
Experienced in Great Plains/Microsoft Business
Solutions, B.S. in accounting or finance, MBA preferred, 7-plus years
experience. Must have supervisory and budgeting experience. Resumes to:
Danny_Cancino@uss.salvationarmy.org
Major gifts
manager
Must have proven track record in major donor
development, provide oversight and coordination of all requests for major
individual donations, prepare comprehensive major donor development plan,
create and manage annual budget, identify and cultivate new donors.
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required.
Resumes to: Linda_Lehner@uss.salvationarmy.org
Direct
mail manager
Must have proven track record in managing a
successful direct mail program, including tracking vendor performance. Must
interface with all levels of DFWMC management and corps in the five-county
area. Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and three
to five years' experience. Resumes to:
Linda_Lehner@uss.salvationarmy.org
Performing arts
manager
Lights! Camera! Action! Bring hope and joy to
children in community center settings as the performing arts manager. Seeking
experienced music and drama educator. Experience with budgets, teacher
supervision and curriculum implementation preferred. Resumes to:
Carol_Klocek@uss.salvationarmy.org
Social services
manager
Organized? Interested in system development?
Social services manager needed to oversee multiple residential and basic
assistance services for adults. Master's degree required, with five
years' management experience preferred. Resumes to:
Carol_Klocek@uss.salvationarmy.org.
The Salvation Army
Dallas / Fort Worth
Metroplex Command
8787 Stemmons Fwy., Suite 800
Dallas, Texas
75247-3702