Doing what I should do not what I should do

Have you ever wondered what you should be doing? Today I went out with our wonderful Community Care volunteers. Community Care is our Nursing home visitation program, and I put today's visit into my schedule a couple of weeks ago, my first venture with this group for 2 - 3 months. As I looked at my schedule I wondered if I really needed to go as the paperwork on my desk isn't going away and the e-mails haven't yet stopped coming. I kept my commitment however, and conducted two meetings at Hughes' Nursing Home.

Once I finished, I had a true sense of a morning well spent. The folk at Hughes' were very receptive and I had spoken about my Savior. What could be more important than that? Then, in tonight's prayer meeting, one of our ladies gave a praise report on the good morning we had and the kind words that were uttered by several of the residents. I agreed...a morning well spent.

Now here is the conundrum...is the pushing of paper more important, or the personal contact with people. This conundrum is made no simpler by my Headquarters who send me to all kinds of mandatory conferences and tell me that my priority is pastoral care and preaching while demanding timeliness with my reports and expect me to be in my office most of the time.

This is by no means a knock on my headquarters as much as a reminder of what is important. I have the ability to use my time as I feel fit, but so often I use it counter to my calling as a Salvation Army Officer. I was called to be a Preacher above all other things, yet I was reluctant to give up a morning of my week to do what I was called to do. I think we all know what's important...let's just make sure we follow our heart with those important things.

Letting our children go

This past Sunday, being Fathers day, I preached on the parable of the Prodigal Son. The Son who rebelled against his Father thinking he knew better but fell victim to bad friends and bad habits. This story, however, is not about the son but his Father. The Father had so much confidence in his love for his son that he allowed him to go into the world knowing that love would bring him back.

This morning my son Michael went to Camp Happyland. This is his second experience at camp, however, his first was not great. The other children ridiculed him, talked about things that he didn't want to hear and the offshoot was an 8 year old boy who didn't want to go back to camp this year. After Michael and I talked, he decided that he should go because the other boys needed to see Michael's example. In truth, part of me wanted to keep him home so that I might protect him from the harshness 0f life's realities but, just like the Father of the Prodigal Son, I need to allow him to get a taste of the world so he might better understand the blessings of God, and the depth of love from his family.

A Salvation Army camp brings so many children from so many backgrounds together. Many of the children are hardened by life at an early age. Their awareness of 'adult issues' is a travesty to childhood, and the burdens so many carry will affect their entire lives. In the midst of this there need to be children who have experienced real love, in the hope that the other children will see something both appealing and desirable.

Kings Dominion

Finally...after living in Fredericksburg for five years we have taken the plunge. Our family of five now have season apsses to Paramount's Kings Dominion and, towards the end of a very busy day, I took my boys for a couple of hours of fun in the sun...and Kings Dominion did not fail us.

Christian, our 5 year old son, rode his first roller coaster, and his second, and his third...there was the Sponge Bob 3D movie and there were all kinds of roundabouts. The fun the three of us had shows that this was money well spent from out tight budget, and we look forward to bringing the girls along too.

Kings Dominion...what a place, where fun is the rule and nobody is sad. Except for the little boy who got unexpectedly soaked on the log ride and began to cry, or the lady who forgot where she parked her car and wandered around the parking lot for the best part of an hour, or any of us who paid the exorbitant prices of concessions...and that's without even mentioning the lines that will surely come on a busier day.

The truth is, there is a Kings Dominion with no down side. If we truly live as though God has dominion over us, nothing will ever get us down. The promise of life eternal is there for any believer, but we must remember that we don't have to wait until we die to receive it. We can live in Christ here on earth, enjoying the benefits of His Dominion even now. Take it from me, because I live it every day.

Summer Camp

It's amazing how quickly summer comes upon us. Last week my children were finishing school, and this week my daughter goes to camp. Camp Happyland is a place of joy and laughter and this year the Fredericksburg Corps anticipates sending 70 children to this Utopian setting where the children will have a daily Bible lesson, go boating on a lake, swim, play on the ropes course, learn about nature...

The most important thing about Camp, however, is the lifelong memories it will create. There are so many adults who have told me about their experience at Camp Happyland, some even remembering the name of their counselor. The point is, if the right kind of memory is created then a persons outlook on life can be changed, if ever so slightly. These impressionable children will be in a loving Christian environment and will be exposed to a very positive image of Christ. In turn, this could be the seed planted for many children who might not otherwise be exposed to Christianity...what a window of opportunity.

Please take time to pray for Camp Happyland over the Summer months knowing that hundreds of children are running around its grounds. Your prayers will be answered as lives are affected. Thanks be to God for this awesome ministry.

What can I say

I'm sitting in my office at 11:15PM reading about the firing of Miss California, having just read an article that, in Great Britain, a new bill will mean that teachers can no longer mention faith in the classroom, indeed, they will have to hide their faith for fear of repercussion. Also, back in March, I requested permission to have a religious outdoor service in downtown Fredericksburg but was denied because we wanted to talk about God. I fear this is just the beginning of the end.

I wonder how all of this truly started. Yes, there are people with intellectual objections to Christianity. There are those who confuse religion for Christianity, not understanding that Christianity is a way of life rather than a code of laws and ethics. But at the end of the day, perhaps none of these people are to blame, perhaps it's the Christians themselves. After all, if we Christians all lived lives of happiness and hope the world would feel better about us, but while we shoot abortion doctors and judge people for their sinful lifestyles we become hypocritical at best, detestable at worst. Yes there is a Heaven and yes there is a hell, but we need to be people who bring people to heaven, not people who convict others to eternal misery.

Now that we are at a point where our voice is turning into a whisper, what do we do? How can Christianity spread if the name of Jesus is received with disdain? Surely the answer is in the old phrase, "actions speak louder than words". We need to be Christ in the world & we need to be people who are truly set apart. The way we do this is to serve...serve God, and serve others. A Salvation Army Chorus written by General John Gowans says:

To be like Jesus;
This hope possesses me.
In every thought and deed;
This is my aim, my creed.
To be like Jesus;
This hope possesses me;
His Spirit helping me;
Like Him I'll be.

Let's be like Jesus and show the world, one person at a time, how desirable Jesus really is.

Meetings

Today I will have been in 4 meetings - too much for one day. The day started with my Executive Committee, and in this Executive Committee meeting the agenda was dominated by discussion on what should be said in two of the next three meetings I had today. We discussed what the topics of conversation would be in these meetings and what the individuals we were about to meet could offer The Salvation Army.

The second meeting was with a very prominent businessman who was very generous with his time and advise, and offered us further help regrading the agenda and topics to be discussed at my next meeting, which would be the third of the day. We came away with some good advise and ideas.

The third meeting I had already decided was to be one of the most important since my arrival in Fredericksburg. I had 3 board members, my Financial Development Director and wife accompany me and we felt we had prepared well. The meeting was great, the husband and wife we met with couldn't have been kinder and, though I didn't have much opportunity to share my passion and dream, I was able to talk a little about how we might better serve the children of the community.

Now, as I sit at my desk looking forward to the fourth meeting of the day, I realize that all I have been talking about today is programs for children, and that's exactly what I am conducting tonight. So after all of the preparations, the prayers and hope, the reality is that the most important meeting of all is the one to which I had given least thought. I pray that I will enter into this meeting with the same attitude of hope and preparation because it truly is the meeting that can change a life. Jesus loves the little children.

Back Home

Well, I'm back following another whirlwind trip to find the usual...a whole bunch of work. I love trips such as these where I get the opportunity to sit back and focus, to consider the things that are important. I return with every intention of focusing on what's important only to discover that I need to focus my attention on - everything!! Yes there might be times when a slanted focus is needed but the reality is, if it involves the Fredericksburg Salvation Army, it deserves my attention. Today it has been shoes for children and then helping a Thrift Store customer. Tomorrow I will be meeting with two very important people pertinent to the long term future of the Fredericksburg Salvation Army, while tomorrow night I will be conducting a program for the very children who we hope and pray will be the future of The Salvation Army. Life is good and God is in control.

Commissioning

This is more an update on my week that my typical thought process as I am currently in Atlanta celebrating with the "Witnesses for Christ" Session. Being a tuba player in the Territorial Band I am part of the supporting cast to this weekend which sees 50 or so new Lieutenants Commissioned as Salvation Army Officers. The rehearsal process is long and hard, but tonight the weekend really begins with the commencement service, for which we are praying for clear weather as the ceremony is outside. On Sunday each Cadet is ordained as a Salvation Army Officer, ready to go into the world. It's a remarkable cycle that has existed for 140 or so years, yet the demands of Officership are so much greater and the snares of the world make Officership so much harder than, perhaps, ever before. Statistics show that, of the 50 or so Cadets Commissioned, there might be 28 left in 10 years and for many of the 22 or so who drop out, a divine calling will be affected by a human reaction. Life only works with God in it, so let's pray that these 50 break the mold and prove the statisticians wrong. May God bless the Witnesses for Christ.

Men

I have spent the last three days with around 400 men as we embarked on Camp Happyland for The Salvation Army Men's Camp. We grunted our way through games and sports with many a bruised limb and several pulled muscles. Its amazing how quickly a middle aged man thinks he has found the fountain of youth at the beginning of the weekend only to feel like a geriatric by the end of the weekend. Incidentally, I won the connect four tournament- no joke. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to have very in depth conversations with three young men, all of whom are looking to become productive men and none of which grew up with a strong male in the house. As I thought about these encounters I became quite encouraged. We are all aware of the shortcomings of so many Fathers, but here are three men who want to break that cycle and be productive Christian men. The role of the Church is considerable when it comes to developing young people, but this generation is needing much more from us than those who have gone before. The hope for the next generation is happening now, and I pray that these three men give their children a better chance than they themselves were given.