A poem of Steve Beattle

Peace - Steve Beattle
Heart pumping
Stomach churning
Everyday
Soul ever yearning

Stressed out
Overloaded
Too many burdens
Carried
Shouldered

Scurry, hurry
Too much to do
Not enough time
Living a life of no reason
No rhyme

Needing Peace
To be still
To be quiet
Where to find it
Peace
To quell
The internal riot

From our strength?
Intelligence?
Our internal will?
Incense, chanting
Nothing will ever fill

The place in our soul
Where God longs to dwell
To bring Peace to our heart
While here on this Earth
This version of hell

Children of God
Captives set free
Hurried, harried
We no longer need to be

Saved from the wilderness
Set in the promised land
Daily allow your heart to rest
In His loving hand

Be still
And know that He is God
Let your worries
And your stress be released
Understand that Jesus Christ our Saviour
Is Jehovah Shalom
The Lord our Peace.

I love Eugene Paterson's version of Matt 11:28-30 (The Message)

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me.

Get away with me and you'll recover your life.

I'll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Lord, help me to grasp tightly to your ways.  Help me to prioritise time with you, to rest with you, to listen to you, to be connected to you.  That your ways and your character maybe formed in me.  Amen!

Positions

The greatest organisational structure is where there are no titles, but where people fulfil particular roles for which they are;

1. Qualified

2. Empowered

3. Equipped

4. Trained

5. Accountable.

Titles or strong hierarchies of leadership can at times be a psychological hindrance to strategic success. Instead of fulfilling the role as described, people can be motivated to work towards meeting the needs of the manager or supervisor. I have suffered from this in the past.

Let’s stop trying to look good, and be good at what we do, fulfilling with joy the task set before us, not as though working for man, but for Christ.

I am determined on have two chairs at the table of my success, I will occupy one chair, and I will only allow God (and those who speak on His behalf), to sit in the other. I will lean in and listen to His voice, and walk and work with His divine power to fulfill my tasks.

This is my goal.

Brett.

Bible on a treadmill

I have recently began a slow walk on a treadmill, (non powered) and it sits in front of a TV. Sally and I have on video the dramatisation of the book of Acts. So I walk as the disciples go about Kingdom business.


Over the past few days my thoughts have been on prayer and how the Holy Spirit is a vital force in our lives particularly with regard to prayer. More on my thoughts of prayer another time, but this morning as I watched (walked with the disciples), I noticed that when the disciples prayed for those who were newly converted to receive the Holy Spirit, those who were prayed for spontaneously bursted with joy and laughter. The interested thing is that as I watch, I also innately responded with a like joy and laughter. It reminded me that I have this same Spirit within me. That I am not alone, and that I am connected to those first disciples. They like you are my spiritual brothers. We are one in the bond of Love (the Spirit of God).

I walk and work and rest and eat today, as one with God, and also with you, if you have this same Spirit within you. I am connected to the one who is all!

Blessings.

Lynne Hybels is a Dangerous Women

I read an interesting article today. You may also find it interesting, and I hope disturbing.

Did you know that …

Seventy percent of the world’s extremely poor are women.

Almost 80 percent of all refugees are women and their kids.

Every year, as many as four million women and children are sold for the sex trade or to work as slaves.

Here’s another bit of information that shakes me: Prior to the 20th century, 90 percent of the casualties of war were soldiers. That soldiers die in war is tragic, but in the last century “collateral damage” has turned tragedy into insanity. Now, worldwide, approximately 90 percent of the casualties of war are civilians and an estimated 75 percent of them are women and children.

And consider this all-too-common scenario in the developing world. An unfaithful husband infects his wife with HIV. The husband runs off and the young mother becomes sick with AIDS. While her sons continue going to school, her daughters stay home to care for her and cook and clean for the family. When the mother dies, her property is taken over by her male relatives, and her children are taken in by some woman — often a grandmother so poor she can’t provide even the necessities for her grandkids.

Many such orphaned girls, uneducated and desperate, become prey for sugar daddies who promise food or education in exchange for sex. Tragically, many of these girls become infected with HIV and the cycle continues. This helps explain another sad statistic: that worldwide, 60 percent of those infected with HIV are women.

I have been shocked to discover how many of the world’s tragedies and injustices disproportionately impact women and girls. Overall, women and girls are the least valued, least fed, least educated, and least protected people group in the world.

I am proud of Sally, my wife, I count her as one the dangerous women in the world, as she passionately works for changes on the issues that discontent her heart.

Read more on dangerous women at http://www.lynnehybels.com/

It's been a while...

It has been a while since I last blogged.

The culture of TSA is to always be active, to be an activist for TSA and on behalf of God, but I have learnt that the energy and mission in being an activist, comes from being first a disciple and worshipper of God’s greatness. We are activist for, disciples of, and children born of the Cross.

As Salvos we need to be worshippers.

I enjoy worship songs from the Vineyard tribes, particularly Canadian and those from the UK. I came across the lyrics to a newly released CD entitled Sweetly Broken, and have included the title track below...

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of it’s suffering I do drink
Of it’s work I do sing.

For on it my Saviour, both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees,
And I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I am sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserving life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees,
And I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I am sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

Membership in TSA

"Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' "'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. {16} 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. (Acts 26:15-17 NIV)

William Booth was passionate that if the Salvation Army was to be defined as a church it would merely be tied down to meeting the needs of people who sit in pews. His vision was far greater, extending past the boundaries of walls to the whole world. The community was the heart of the mission not the church building. William Booths vision was for everyone who signed up to be a soldier, to be an activist. Therefore, if you became a soldier you were meant to take that seriously. Williams Booths vision was that of Christ’s we must GO to the people, not wait for them to find us. We must fight sin and the call for battle is just as strong today as when Jesus called his disciples and when the Salvation Army as a vision was placed on William and Catherine Booths heart.

Membership in The Salvation Army is not for those who want to remain comfortable, it is not about joining an association of like people and trying to be good to each other, it is about “Be(ing) doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22), and being active in social change.

These truths have been given as a challenge to the worshipers of the Box Hill Corps who have attended the membership and information classes, over the past months, and we have responded. People have considered the cost of being a disciple and have chosen to be a soldier. The Salvation Army is marching along. Hallelujah!

So far during 2007 we have enrolled 11 people as soldiers of the Box Hill Corps, the majority of them youth. Here are some of the comments they made as they considered becoming an activist in TSA.

“I want to be a Salvo because I love God and want to serve Him with my life, and I believe in the radical call that the Salvos have responded too… that’s what I want to do with my life.”

“I want to be a Salvo because I could not be a member of a church that does not practice what it preaches. I believe that our Corps is on the verge of something awesome, and the Salvos are on the verge of something great worldwide, and I want to be apart of it.”

“I want to be apart a world changing movement, and I believe that is what TSA is at the moment.”

“I want to be a soldier because it is an outward expression of the faith that I have in God, and the acceptance of Jesus that I have in my life.”“

“Soldiership to me means standing apart from the rest of the world, it pretty much means following God’s way and not the worlds way. It is something that I can stake my life onto. It is canter-cultural which I love, I mean no body really commits to things any more, and I pretty ready to commit to God and stand up in this Army we have got going and to be apart of everything. To have God and His agenda at your very core and have the essence of who you are completely in love with God and devoted to Him and His cause, and I think that when you get that core right then everything else will fall into place.”

“Being a Soldier in TSA mean not just standing by and watching the activities that are going on and the work that is done in TSA, but actually committing myself and getting involved and getting in and getting my hands dirty in all the activities that go on.”

“It means to put God first in my life, and putting others ahead of myself.”

The dreams of the old men, are the visions of the youth.

Onward to victory

Living for the greater good

You know God can raise millions of dollars if he had too, but He chooses not too.

What He wants is the hearts of Christians to lovingly sacrifice ourselves and what we have, for others. To be a fragrant offering.

As Christians it is our responsibility to do something about poverty. Proverbs 31:8-9 remind us; "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

I have a frustration for those who 'do the talk' and 'pretend that they care', and yet do nothing.

Lord, raise up a Holy Discontent in us for those who have no voice and are treated without dignity and justice. You have given us resources to meet the need, challenge us to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly before you.

Amen?

Child Sex Trade

Debbie Messenger, an Australian Officer, is serving God in the Philippines. Debbie recently attended a conference on Child Sex Trade. Here is her comments from the conference.

Child Sex Trade
I had the amazing opportunity to be one of a few representatives from The Salvation Army at a recent Child Protection Conference run by the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) in Manila. There were over 800 people from 37 countries who work in a diverse range of organisations and denominations to assist young people at risk. I shared this experience with Salvationists from: Australia (Southern and Eastern Territories), Indonesia, Malaysia and of course the Philippines.

One thing that stood out to me was a call from young people who had been sold into the sex industry, they requested everyone to give them dignity and respect during the times when you feel you are helping them, when often you are causing them more pain and shame. A group of 12 girls who were no older than 17 years, stood and gave a drama on what happens during a 'raid' when police and people who 'meant-well' took them from the place they knew as home. They spoke of their fear for what was happening as strangers entered their place with sudden and unexpected force, although they were there to be 'saved', the way it was done caused them more embarrassment and absolute fear in not knowing what was happening and where they would go next. Cameras would often be pointed at them and there would be others taking photos as 'proof' of their living situation, but this caused them incredible shame.

I have heard many people, who want to help those who suffer injustice, say how much they would like to help these young people who have been sold into the sex trade, I agree there is a great need and something needs to be done as so many children suffer injustice and they deserve a better life and future. Yet I want to remind you (on behalf of the young people I had the privilege to meet), there is a way to help them in a more positive way! The young girls at the conference called for police and organisations to free them with dignity, they said "don't take pictures, just help us", they don't want to be turned into a documentary or to be a 'still shot' for prosperity or feel good moments when you can recall the day you 'saved' someone. Consider them and their feelings, help them, but consider carefully how you will do it and follow the law so that their violators can be brought to justice in the future. If you don't follow correct procedure, maybe evidence cannot be used against those who have hurt them so much. Be safe on the journey!

May God bless Debbie, and her Children.