Stats

a Biblical thought...
Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. (1 Tim 4:8)

a Book thought...
Life in reality is filled with consequences to our actions; we are not disconnected individuals as the hyperreal world portrays, but rather we live in a connected world where the decisions we make affect our environment and those around us. (p79 Sayers)

a Dave thought...
Being a stats man is mostly good but it can also be disturbing. I recently came across the results from the Australian Census which said in 1996 there were 26,640 people aged between 0-24yo who affiliated themselves with The Salvation Army. Our last census in 2006 now has the figure at 17,921, which equates to a 31.7% drop over the last 10 years.
Like most statistics we can use them how we want, some we choose to dismiss and others we choose to quote, but for me I do find this disturbing. As if this decline continues at this rate our movement will struggle to survive the next few decades in Australia. As I have a major responsibility to make sure this trend does not continue I pray that we will continue to pray, dream and strategise going forward. As we work together my hope is that we will not just continue our programs as a means of survival but rather we continue to think big and take risks to engage many more young people of this nation with God and The Salvation Army.

Just a thought.