Holidays

Just wanted to let you know that I am on holidays for the next couple of weeks with my family and will be taking a deliberate break from all my online activities for 14 days. So my next post will be Monday 10th November.

Just a break.

Too much to say

a Biblical thought...
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. (Mark 3:13)

a Book thought...
There is no one way that God develops people. (p55 Logan & Miller)
a Dave thought... Leadershipjournal.net
There is an axiom I have found most helpful: Let the singers sing and the speakers speak. God has given us each unique gifts to serve him and edify the church. We should allow one another to exercise our gifts accordingly. Besides, most of us never want to hear a speaker start singing!
Rather than the spoken word, I believe the way I encourage and communicate to the congregation is through the songs I've selected. The songs help me to quickly connect the congregation to the presence of God, and then I can fade into the background. Apart from a few clear words of encouragement and prayer, nothing more is needed from me.

This article is from the worship leader at Saddleback talks about the problem of worship leaders speaking too much as is often the case. On a few occasions I have been privileged to be in congregations where Graham Kendrick has led the worship and was at first astonished that he hardly said a word throughout the whole service. Then it hit me that there was no need as God was leading us all into worship and there was no need for Graham to get in the way.

Just a thought.

Section 76

a Biblical thought...
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:16-17)

a Book thought...
Theories are linear; people are not. We need to keep that in mind as we create paths for spiritual growth and development. (P52 Logan & Miller)

a Dave thought...
Yesterday was a first for me in the fact that I was required to appear at Ringwood Magistrates Court. At the beginning of the year I was driving and as I attempted to call a friend back on my mobile phone, and although it was on blue tooth, I had to hold my phone in my hand to dial the number, it was at that 15 second moment when the Senior Constable pulled up next to me at the lights and suggested we have a little meeting on the side of the road. I was consequently fined $149 and would lose 3 demerit points.

Later in that week I attempted to put in writing my case and have the matter dismissed but that resulted in a letter that ordered me to appear in Court on Friday 24th October. Well although it was intimidating I was given some sound advice by some court workers who suggested I plead guilty and say the following words to the magistrate: Your honour, I ask that you consider dealing with this matter under section 76 of the sentencing act and finding it proven and dismissed. Well the magistrate in Court 1 showed much grace and the case was dismissed and I was not required to pay the fine or lose points. There are some fights worth fighting maybe this was not one of them but it is good to know there are others besides Jesus that believe in grace.

Just a thought.

Swinburne

a Biblical thought...
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. (Mark 1:21-22)

a Book thought...
Only with relational support, and with a clear sense of connection to their greater purpose, vision, call, and values, can people sustain life-long leadership. (p43 Logan & Miller)

a Dave thought...
Over the last six months I have been involved in exploring the possibility of establishing The Salvation Army in Hawthorn once again. Our focus has been on this area as there are currently 25,000 students at Swinburne University. After many meetings with SA leadership and Swinburne staff it was great to see Majors Lyn & Peter Lindstrom appointed as Planting Officers for 2009.

So last night Peter & myself thought we would get acquainted with some aspects of student life and attended a lecture on campus titled “Does Gen X believe in Philanthropy?” After conversing with a few lecturers we wandered the campus and dreamed, planned and wondered what God has in mind for this part of His world. Although we believe that a plant must be about relationships not buildings we finished in the late hours praying outside our preferred location at Shop 2, West Swinburne Place. We prayed that this would not just be another good idea but that God would continue to open the doors so that His Kingdom would be even more evident on campus as the Salvos come to town.

Just a thought.

Affluent Teenagers

a Biblical thought...
There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed. (Matt 28:5-6)

a Book thought...
Because each new leader is a unique person asking unique questions, each one needs a guide. (p37 Logan & Miller)
a Dave thought...
It has been amazing how much press the muck up day at Xavier has attracted. As this group of 17 & 18yo's boys drink, abuse some people and wreck public property the principal then takes the action of suspending the whole year level till their exams. It is again a case where we are are very reactive and judgemental of the behaviour but not proactive on how we take students somewhere different on their high school journey.

US clinical psychologist Dr Madeline Levine in her recent book The Price of Privilege
notes that numerous studies in recent years show that bright, charming, seemingly confident and socially skilled teenagers from affluent, loving families are experiencing epidemic rates of depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders. This happens more among this affluent group than in any other socio-economic group of American adolescents. She blames this on materialism, pressure to achieve, perfectionism, and disconnection.

I believe we have similar issues Down Under, as the pressure on this affluent group of Australian teenagers to live the perfect life is creating more and more a whole heap of messed up young people with everything at their fingertips but not much in their hearts.

Just a thought.

Strategy

a Biblical thought...
The captain of the guard and those with him, when they saw the earthquake and everything else that was happening, were scared to death. They said, "This has to be the Son of God!" (Matt 27:54)

a Book thought...
Potential leaders are often those who are questioning our decisions, challenging us, or suggesting alternate plans. (p33 Logan & Miller)
a Dave thought...
I had an interesting conversation yesterday about the making of a strategy. Do we need one? How do you go about formulating one? Who needs to buy into it? Then when it is implemented what does accountability look like?

The problem with visions and plans is that they are often personality driven, many of us have an idea and if we do our homework and present it in a palatable way we can get the go ahead to proceed. As an organisation even though there are many good ideas we somehow have to get more strategic about which ones are worth proceeding with. Like all effective military movements unless we know and implement a specific plan we can end up keeping busy just looking after ourselves, rather than engaging in the areas God is wanting us to.

Just a thought.

Breakfast Programs

a Biblical thought...
Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?" (Matt 26:39)

a Book thought... From Followers to Leaders by Robert Logan & Tara Miller
We need leaders who are deeply impacted by God and are able to facilitate holistic, meaningful life change in others. (p15)

a Dave thought... from The Age
SCHOOLS are increasingly having to feed disadvantaged children, and demand for breakfast clubs is so great that more than 200 schools are now on a waiting list to set up a program.
As state and federal governments move to tackle disadvantage in schools, the largest provider of breakfast clubs for schools — the Australian Red Cross — is struggling to meet requests for help.
The organisation provides breakfast for 263 schools across Australia. But Shaun Hazeldine, national manager of community nutrition at the Red Cross, said many schools were having to wait. "There are a lot of other schools we could be helping if we had the money," he said.
With student poverty an ongoing problem in education, the State Government last week began handing out information booklets advising principals on how to set up their own breakfast clubs.
But Mr Hazeldine said breakfast clubs relied largely on the generosity of businesses and the community.
"In the classroom the children were not able to concentrate and they were very fidgety because they had come to school on empty stomachs," she said. "We are a highly disadvantaged area here in Springvale, so it provides a service to our parents and takes some of the stress off them."

The Salvation Army is also involved in running many breakfast programs, but it would always be good to run more. Why not contact your local school and volunteer to set up a program as the need is great and many would appreciate your generosity.

Just a thought.

Joel or Peter?

a Biblical thought...
"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.' (Matt 25:45)

a Book thought...
If you go to your grave without painting your masterpiece, it will not get painted. No one else can paint it. Only you. (p224 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought...
Many years ago I heard a sermon from Kevin Gerald asking us if we are more like Joel or Peter? He went on to explain how many of us like Joel are spirit focused and love the emotion of the worship time and the music but don't always weigh up their feelings with God's truth, so when the word is opened they often fall asleep before waking up for the last few songs. On the other hand others are like Peter, the rock and are so focused on the word that they may miss what the spirit is saying to them, and that during the worship service they can't wait for the songs to finish and the sermon to begin.

I must admit to being a Peter and the fact that I like listening to sermons. Not just for the message God may be relaying through any given person but I also like to analyse why and how a message is conveyed. The advantage of being a Peter is you can arrive late and not be disappointed as you are still there in time for the main event, unlike Joel's who have to turn up on time and stay till the very end to get their fix. Seriously though it often means that I think and critique too much and being unemotional very rarely get moved during a service. The challenge for all of us is to be what God has in mind, both worshippers and students of the word. So from now on I will try and get to church on time and any Joel's out there can you please stay awake during the preach?

Just a thought.

Changing your mind

a Biblical thought...
Staying with it—that's what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry, and you'll be saved. (Matt 24:13)

a Book thought...
If we do not let go, we make prisoners of ourselves. (p216 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought...
Two days ago, the chairman of India's largest domestic carrier announced that soaring fuel prices and slowing global growth had left the company with no choice but to eliminate 1,900 jobs.
Then he changed his mind.
"The management will have to understand sometimes in a family there are disagreements, but the father of the family decides," said Naresh Goyal, chairman of Jet Airways, apparently referring to himself.
At a news conference around midnight Thursday, Goyal apologized for the "agony" the firings had caused and denied that mounting political pressure had forced the airline to reverse its decision.
"This was the most emotional day in my life. My daughter is 19 years old. They are 20 or so," Goyal said of the employees. "I cannot stand to see their trauma."

It is good to see there is some sensitive chairman's in the world. Well done Goyal for having the courage to change your mind.

Just a thought.

7 Reasons Why Speakers Flop

a Biblical thought...
Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. (Matt 23:9)

a Book thought...
Most people are looking for dynamic leadership, but dynamic following is where the real energy for an organisation comes from. (p211 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought... maximumimpact.com

1. A disregard for time
The length of a speech shouldn't be a function of title or power, but a function of how long a person has agreed to talk. Start on time and stop on time. Not only will your audience respect you for it, but also you will demonstrate respect for your audience.

2. Unclear purpose
If you cannot identify a concise, worthwhile purpose for the presentation, you probably shouldn't be making it. Design your speech the way the pros do. Begin by asking, "At the end of this presentation, what do I want listeners to think, feel, and do?" Good presenters speak to the head, the heart, and the hands.

3. Inadequate preparation
There is no excuse for "winging it." Each speech is a transaction. Your listeners are paying attention, and you owe them a worthwhile presentation in return.

4. Failure to capture attention
Your content and delivery had better grab the audience's attention right out of the shoot. You don't have the luxury of "warming up" your audience. Hit them square between the eyes with something that will break their preoccupation with the thousands of other stimuli clamoring for their attention.

5. Pomposity
Ego-driven leaders are more concerned with what followers think about them than with what followers do because of them. Rather than influencing their listeners, pompous leaders attempt to impress the audience. In doing so, they manipulate rather than inspire.

6. Boredom
Today's audiences are filled with people who were raised on MTV. This generation spent its formative years watching music videos that contained 150 images in the course of a minute. A speaker who entertains never fully flops. For a speaker, the value of entertainment comes from its ability to mentally engage listeners. I've found the best way to educate is to slip good ideas in on the wings of entertainment.

7. False endings
Conclude concisely. Each false ending weakens the message in front of it. A simple rule to remember: good endings only happen once.

You can ramp up your speaking performance by analyzing your last presentation with these seven questions:
Did I stick to my allotted time?
Did I develop and present purposefully?
Was I thoroughly prepared?
Did I capture attention at the very beginning?
Did I positively influence listeners?
Was I appropriately entertaining, or at least not boring?
Did I end only once?

An affirmative answer to each question virtually guarantees that your next presentation won't be a flop. Not only will your communication be flop-proof, but you will likely be perceived as an articulate and effective speaker.

Just a thought.

The Uniform

a Biblical thought...
Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them." (Matt 22:37-40)

a Book thought...
To be functionally inappropriate is to be dysfunctional. (p206 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought...
Yesterday morning I dropped in to the North Blackburn Dry Cleaners to pick up some dry cleaning wearing my uniform. As I was standing there waiting to be served, Marg one of the employees there immediately wanted to engage in a conversation with me. Her prepared topic was our Salvos Stores and how they have become so commercialised and expensive. I started to answer some of her questions and explained even though I have no direct involvement with their management I could assure her that all the profits went back into our social services to help people such as the marginalised. However here was no response that could help her frustration and I began to realise that she was a long term shopper and the change over the last couple of years in her eyes was for the worse.

As I departed and was driving to the office reflecting on the conversation it had been a long time since I bore the brunt of someones criticism in public. As I wear my uniform most days I constantly receive praise and hear many positive stories about the Army's work, but obviously we are not without fault and there are people such as Marg who when they have an opportunity will complain to the person in the uniform.

Just a thought.

The Good Ausmaritan

a Biblical thought...
"Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God."

(Matt 21:21-22)

a Book thought...
If an organisation wishes to benefit from its own creative potential, it must be prepared to value the vagaries of the unmeasurable as well as the certainties of the measurable. (p197 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought...
Some of you may know already that I am a big fan of the Hawaiian Ironman event. This is the triathlon event around the globe that all serious triathletes dream to win, as it is the birthplace of Ironman 30 years ago. The race consists of 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run then add the extreme conditions in Kona cycling through the lava fields of temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius. Well on Sunday just gone not only did it grab my attention as another Aussie male won the race but more so for the act of Rebekah.

Chrissie Wellington was leading by five minutes at the 55 mile mark in the cycle when the puncture occurred, however both of her air cartridges (which are used to quickly inflate the inner tubes) failed, leaving her stranded by the side of the road. After many fellow competitors passed Chrissie, it was the compassion of Rebekah Keat who came to the rescue as the Australian stopped to hand Wellington a working cartridge enabling the defending champion to continue. Chrissie then fought back from 20th place and won the world championship event. “I have to say a huge thanks to Rebekah, she’s a legend,” Wellington said at the finish line. “To me what she did epitomizes everything that is good about the sport. Without it, I wouldn't have finished."

Its good to see there are still gracious acts that happen in competitive sporting environments around the world. For me Rebekah is the real winner of Ironman 08 and a modern day Good Samaritan.

Just a thought.

Poverty

a Biblical thought...
Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage. (Matt 20:26-28)

a Book thought...
Orville Wright did not have a pilot's license. (p191 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought...
As it is Blog Action Day on Poverty I thought I would share a couple of thoughts that have stayed with me over the years. Firstly the cab horse charter from William Booth's Darkest England and the Way Out. The idea here was that every human on the earth should have as much dignity as the cab horse, that is a job to do, food to eat, and somewhere to sleep for the night. William was most disturbed when he saw these horses living better lives than many of the people on the streets in London at the time, and made it his mandate to provide the same for every person he came in contact with. I must agree here with various guys I have met over the years when they have something to do during the day it normally helps their purpose for living and in turn often helps them to afford food, clothing and accommodation. Even those that have just volunteered around our centres have shown that having a reason to get out of bed in the morning can improve their mental health.

Secondly a personal challenge that was given to me by Geoff Ryan at ACC in 2003. He said that it is essential that we all have friends who are poor. Ever since that conversation I have deliberately befriended a couple of guys I have met through the Salvos and although they live very different lives to me, through spending time with them, it has certainly changed the way I think about the first world poor. My ongoing relationship with these guys have meant eating together, meeting each others families, finding them volunteer work, as well as them coming over to my house some evenings.

Just a thought.

Teenage Sexuality

a Biblical thought...
One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: "Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these." After laying hands on them, he left. (Matt 19 :13-15)

a Book thought...
In the future my efforts would be best spent not in trying to change Hairballs, but in offering to widwife out of Hairballs anyone who longed for a fuller, more original work experience. (p188 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought... http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/
In Sex Lives Of Australian Teenagers (Random House, 2007), based on a survey of 300 teenagers, which found children were getting most of their information about sex from internet porn sites rather than their parents or sex education programs. Sauers found that 97 per cent of girls, and 100 per cent of boys, had seen porn by the time they turned 15. A third of girls had had a sexual experience by the age of 13.

As the 2Love team sat down yesterday to confirm electives for INSANE, our youth event we are planning for January, we were conscious that we covered the issue of sex. As teenagers today are exposed to so many sexual images at an early age, we tend to let our young people work out their thoughts online or with their friends rather than conversing with an adult. The church has rarely covered the issue of teenage sexuality, but surely unless we open up some spaces to dialogue about the real issues that effect our youth we remain irrelevant to many in our society today.

Just a thought.

Blog Action Day: Oct 15

a Biblical thought...
The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy. (Matt 18:35)

a Book thought...
Besides a physical zit, there is such a thing as a corporate zit. And, just like the physical zit, the corporate zit always seems to emerge at the worst possible time. (p158 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought... http://blogactionday.org/
First and last, the purpose of Blog Action Day is to create a discussion. We ask bloggers to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important issue.
By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue.

The idea here of getting over 1000 bloggers to focus on the same issue for one day of the year literally can impact one million people on any given day. It is a great idea and allows bloggers all over the world to express their thoughts on the issue of poverty. The Salvation Army also has global influence and when we decide to take a stand on an issue or express a viewpoint we can communicate it in 115 countries literally overnight if are to be so bold. That is the brilliance of our international structure maybe we just need to use it more for positive change rather than for control.

Just a thought.

Melbourne Half Marathon

a Biblical thought...
"Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." (Matt 17:20)

a Book thought...
People who have a deep passion for their ideas don't need a lot of encouragement. One yes in a sea of no's can make the difference. (p151 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought...
This morning I competed in the Melbourne Half Marathon and ran a respectable 1 hour 44 minutes. It was a lot of fun with many from Box Hill Salvos a part of the 7000 competitors, the largest field ever in Australia. Congratulations to Sarah Franks, John Evans, Andy White, Wes Collinson, Chris Lewis, Dustin Lewis, Jake Lewis and especially Emma Lewis who put in a monumental effort to complete her first 21km event. A few of us then stayed behind to watch Envoy Fiona Kean compete her first full Marathon in 4 Hours and 20 minutes. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of great conversations and saw many incredibly determined people cross the line. Although we didn't get to a formal worship setting this morning I thank God for the ability to run and interact with His environment in such an enjoyable way.

Just a thought.

Network Science

a Biblical thought...
You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. (Matt 16:18)

a Book thought...
Any time a bureaucrat stands between you and something you need or want, your challenge is to help that bureaucrat discover a means, harmonious with the system, to meet your need. (p139 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought... http://onmovements.com/?p=331
The research into network science has led to some new ways of thinking about social behavior. This research into networks offers multiple insights into movement building—the connecting, transforming, multiplying, generating, and cultural changing aspects of all movements.

What are some lessons for us within Campus Crusade (or within this or that mission agency, church-planting effort, denomination, church)?

1. We should beware of stagnation inherent in homophily and clustering–living within our own universe only.

2. We should connect with other clusters based on our broad multi-dimensional kingdom identity (i.e. Campus Crusade and Compassion Int’l or World Vision).

3. We should encourage non-traditional partnerships and connections (i.e. Evangelical with Roman Catholic; leadership focused organizations with organizations reaching the poor).

4. We should look for innovative ideas in domains other than where we are trying to innovate.

5. We need cross-pollination.

6. We should look for friends of friends and casual acquaintances to help us solve our problems.

7. We must get out of our own universe.

Just a thought.

The 10 Commandments of Blogging

a Biblical thought...
When the people saw the mutes speaking, the maimed healthy, the paraplegics walking around, the blind looking around, they were astonished and let everyone know that God was blazingly alive among them. (Matt 15:21)

a Book thought...
Orbiting is responsible creativity: vigorously exploring and operating beyond the Hairball of the corporate mindset, beyond "accepted models, patterns, or standards" — all the while remaining connected to the spirit of the corporate mission. (MacKenzie)
a Dave thought... http://www.eauk.org/articles/blogging-ten.cfm

1. You shall not put your blog before your integrity.


2. You shall not make an idol of your blog.


3. You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin.


4. Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog.


5. Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes.


6. You shall not murder someone else’s honour, reputation or feelings.


7. You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind.


8. You shall not steal another person’s content.


9. You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger.


10. You shall not covet your neighbour's blog ranking. Be content with your own content.
    
    Just a thought.

Vision

a Biblical thought...
With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night. (Matt 14:23)

a Book thought...
Teasing is a disguised form of shaming. We contrive to stop others in our loop who display a desire and willingness to grow. (p122 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought...
In our final session at T3 we were reminded by Joe Noland how important it is to have a God given vision. Often our vision is limited by life experience, resources, lack of self-confidence or fear of failure. But we were challenged by Joe that if we have the desire, knowledge, hard work, determination, persistence, and the faith anything is possible.

Organisational change always begins with personal change. It will be the entrepreneurs in The Salvation Army that will help transition the Army's methods as we go forward, but individuals are still only secondary to successful mission. We are all merely conduits for the working of the Holy Spirit. So as we worship Jesus Christ the amazing innovative leader I pray that we will also do our best to use the creative genius he has placed inside each of us.

Just a thought.

Mark Sayers

a Biblical thought...
But Jesus said, "A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family." He didn't do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference. (Matt 13:58)

a Book thought...
If we are to make ourselves more fully available to the unfathomable potential of our whole mind, we must unmuzzle the genius of the right twin. (p113 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought...
We had another great day yesterday at T3 with many great sessions, conversations and presentations. Among them was a presentation from the Agents of T.R.U.T.H. who are three life size characters from Australia Eastern Territory. The photo above is a picture of Baily one of the characters as they each represent the three mission intentions with songs and stories.

It was also great to have Mark Sayers with us again as he spoke on culture and how young people are sucked into hyperconsumerism, you can have a listen here at the actual presentation he gave us at http://marksayers.podbean.com/

It was also fascinating to converse around the idea of The Salvation Army distinctives as we shared some ideas around this topic. My personal presentation mentioned these four... Innovation not Tradition, Going not Staying, Worst not the Best, and Commitment not Comfort. If it is a topic your interested in it is also worth listening to a talk delivered by General Eva Burrows titled Non-negotiables from ACC03 at http://www.armybarmy.com/eva.html

Just a thought.

T3

a Biblical thought...
There is far more at stake here than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—'I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual'—you wouldn't be nitpicking like this. (Matt 12:6-7)

a Book thought...
If you want to live more fully start somewhere toward the safe end of the security/freedom continuum and move mindfully toward the free end. (p104 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought...
Yesterday was the beginning of T3, a gathering of Divisional Youth & Children's Secretaries and workers from across three territories. We have an impressive group with over 80 delegates present from NZ, Fiji, Australia Eastern, & Australia Southern territories. Commissioners Joe & Doris Noland have shared their thoughts on children's ministries and Russ Rook on youth as we converse and learn from one another.

Russ shared yesterday how we measure the success of our corps by ABC being Attendance, Buildings, and Cash. By how many attend every Sunday, how impressive our facilities are, and thirdly our offerings and bank balance. He challenged us instead to consider how D for Discipleship could be the main measuring tool and the focus for our ministries.

Just a thought.

The New Look Bible

a Biblical thought...
"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." (Matt 11:28-30)

a Book thought...
If we are to achieve the quantum leaps the future seems to be demanding of us, we must risk to leave our containers-turned-cages and find the grace to dance without stepping on toes. (p97 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought... http://fontfeed.com/archives/new-bible-edition-by-crush/
The idea behind this edition of the Bible was to encourage people who might never have owned a Bible to feel comfortable buying a copy. Whether or not you believe in its content, you can’t deny its significance – even in today’s world – yet many people would probably be reluctant to buy a more traditional looking Bible. Eventually 4000 copies were sold; the booksellers liked the innovative approach and seemed very happy to stock the Bible. Crush experienced a fantastic reaction from the public sending them e-mails, asking where to get the book and commenting on how strong the cover is.

Even though I often feel guilty in coming up with gimmicks to help people find their faith in Jesus, I also have to admit that they work. This is certainly the most creative cover I have seen for packaging God's word. If this approach results in more people being attracted to lifting off the bible off a shelf at a bookstore and browsing through its pages, then its a good thing and another way of feeding people kingdom values.

Just a thought.

Black Stump

a Biblical thought...
Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously. (Matt 10:5-8)

a Book thought...
If an organisation is to choose vigor over an ultimate state of inert uniformity, it must honour and support both the rational exploitation of success and the nonrational art of groping.
a Dave thought...
Black Stump has been running annually now for 23 years in New South Wales. This Christian music and arts festival has had an amazing impact on thousands of young people especially on the fringes of the church. I was privileged to have coffee with Fuzz Kitto today one of the founders of the festival and one of Australia's leading experts on youth work. His observations with the festival over the years are fascinating. It is no longer just about young people or just a couple of denominations but a gathering of a whole lot of sub cultures from many denominations across three generations. He also noted that now when the delegates register for the festival and it asks for them to note their local church some now just write Black Stump. You see as the organisational Church has failed to connect with many people today, gatherings such as these help some to connect with God unlike any other community.

Just a thought.

Russ Rook

a Biblical thought...
Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders." (Matt 9:12-13)

a Book thought...
If we are to grow, explore we must. (p80 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought...
After a fantastic final night at ACC, I got up early this morning and headed up to Sydney with Russ Rook to Black Stump for the weekend. As Russ is presenting four seminars here on youth work it has been great just to observe, listen and reflect as he speaks and inspires. One quote he used from George Barna reads...

We have a generation coming up that doesn't speak the same language, doesn't go to the same places, doesn't have the same needs and isn't looking to Christianity to answer their spiritual concerns. We either change or we lose them.

Russ challenged us all to stop trying to entertain youth with the gospel but rather empower with the gospel. Like myself Russ believes the best way for the church to change in Western culture today is through young people. Through this we need to empower them and try many different means and ways in the hope that the Church once again will be the organism God intends it to be.

Just a thought.

No Limits Noland

a Biblical thought...
Jesus refused. "First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow me. Pursue life." (Matt 8:22)

a Book thought...
A management obsessed with productivity usually has little patience for the quiet time essential to profound creativity. (p64 MacKenzie)

a Dave thought...
It has been great to have Commissioner Joe Noland with us this week at ACC. After hearing him share numerous innovation stories both in the sessions and over meals what impresses me most about this man is his ability to get his ideas happening. Many of us in The Salvation Army have ideas, plans and new initiatives that we dream of getting up and going but only a few seem to succeed and Joe is one of these. It doesn't just take a good working knowledge of the operational structures of our movement to get action but also prayer and perseverance. I thank God for the inspiration Joe is a Salvo innovator, and I hope that somehow we can make it easier for all the creative dreamers still in The Salvation Army today.

Just a thought.

Siamese Twins

a Biblical thought...
Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get. (Matt 7:12)

a Book thought...
When you see a colleague whose job seems easy, you may in fact be witnessing a champion at play. (p59 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought...
Major Brendan Nottle is an amazing man and again spoke at ACC last night with incredible conviction last night as he encouraged us all to get out of the pews and GO. He used a quote which has probably been used at every ACC over the last eight years but one that continues to disturb me. William Booth said, the Army’s evangelism and social welfare ‘are Siamese twins; to kill one is to slay them both’. It makes so much sense to put Faith and Social Justice together but in reality for our organisation it is hard work. With THQ and now DHQ divided into social program and corps program, and funding divided into the evangelical and social funds, it seems a genius idea that William instigated back in the 1800's needs to be lived out once again. If we could somehow merge departments and then the impossible -merge accounts then we would be close to breeding Siamese Twins once again.

Just a thought.

ACC Officers Day

a Biblical thought...
Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (Matt 6:19-21)

a Book thought...
If you are hypnotised by an organisation's culture, you become separated from your personal magic and cannot tap it to help achieve the goals of your organisation. (p53 MacKenzie)
a Dave thought...
ACC Officers Day was very thought provoking and challenging as we explored the officers covenant in depth. As this is the one thing we all have in common regardless of our varied appointments we thought it would be a great focus for the day. Here are some selected quotes...

Captain Jason Davies-Kildea - Is salvation only about getting people into the heavenly lifeboat?

Captain Stephen Court - I guarantee that if you follow the O & R's for the next 12 months your corps will grow.

Commissioner Joe Noland - It is missional leaders not positional leaders that build radical evangelical movements.

Russ Rook - We all chose to be a soldier but God has only called some of us to be officers.

Lieut.-Colonel Janet Munn - The Salvation Army is coming into its finest hour.

Last night at the opening rally Commissioner Knaggs challenged us to get personal with God, and many were moved to make commitments as we had an opportunity to sign a large soldiers covenanent on the wall. It was a God glorifying day and three more to come.

Just a thought.