Celebration of Life!

A Special Moment-In-Time
Rob-Major Ed-Guy

Yesterday we celebrated the life of Major Edwin Henderson at the Tustin Ranch Corps. See tribute below.

JN

Moment-In-Time: A Tribute!

Time is subtle and sneaky. As one grows older, the subtly becomes less subtle and the sneakiness more obvious, death being its constant reminder. Those reminders come with increasing frequency now, as secular, manmade time marches into the final quarter of my personal century.

Some reminders are more potent and personal than others:

po-tent - having great power, influence or effect.

per-son-al - done or made by a particular person; involving the actual presence or action of a particular individual.

Such a forceful reminder was felt this week with the passing of Major Edwin Henderson, or "Promotion to Glory," as we refer to it in Salvation Army speak. This unique terminology adds another dimension to time, taking away the ending or sense of finality, thus making it timeless, eternal.

Those two words, "potent" and "personal," describe perfectly Ed Henderson's "moment-in-time" influence upon my family and me - past, present and future. And upon the influence that will continue to evolve into future generations because of his (and Eleanor's) personal touch.

This moment-in-time theme runs through a film we produced, "Altars In The Street," inspired by the life and ministry of these two servant saints. I can think of no greater tribute. May it's potent message influence all of our personal "moment-in-time" encounters eternally.

http://www.savn.tv/campaign/view/213

JN

"Simple But Powerful Allegory!"

"Noland does it again. This title carries the Who Moved The Cheese vibe and gently but persuasively winds the reader around his finger until we're all wrapped up in the simple but powerful allegory. 

We're left with fresh eyes to see. It's like someone flicked the light on, or switched us from black and white to colour. It can be a shock to the system but it is a good one!"

The above is Steve Courts generous review of my eBook titled, "Out of the Rubble… Revolution! (An Allegory of Monumental Disproportions)." If you go to the following link, you can name your own price, and it won't hurt my feelings at all if you take it for free, believe me. I feel so strongly about the message that I just want to get it out there. However, should there be any income derived, it will all go toward the support of Revolution Hawaii, a fresh, new voice emulating the message herein.

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/14719

Also, please go to my Facebook page and click "Like," if so inclined.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Out-of-the-Rubble-Revolution/125473750820489?fref=ts

Thank you.

JN

Flummoxed!

I've been mulling over General Paul Rader's vision challenge while in office: 4 million soldiers and 100,000 officers. Steve Court, in his blog, has resurfaced the challenge. Frankly, it leaves me a bit flummoxed, and here's why.

Very few in TSA take it seriously. In fact, some laugh at the thought, others poking fun at it, as if to say, "Is this guy out of his mind?" Brings to mind, when I was the Candidate's Secretary, setting the goal and theme, "80 for 1980" (as in Cadets), even Doris writing a chorus to launch it: "Lord, give us 80, for 1980, the call must come from You, for the laborers are few, etc." to the tune of "I Want That Mountain." Oh my! Many thought that hilarious, some of the training school staff writing their own counteracting chorus: "Lord, give us twenty, we think that's plenty." To this day, I am occasionally reminded of that laughable "80 for 1980" goal, always followed by a hearty guffaw!

4 million is what percentage of 7 billion? An infinitesimal drop in the proverbial bucket - about the population of Ireland or New Zealand. 100,000 is what percentage of 4 million? - About the population of the Federated States of Micronesia. Laughable goals? Impossible?

This leads me to the next flummoxed wondering. "Why!" And I was led to the Bible for an answer.

Jeremiah 3:15-17 MSG: 15"I'll give you good shepherd-rulers who rule my way, who rule you with intelligence and wisdom."

 16"And this is what will happen: You will increase and prosper in the land. The time will come"—God's Decree!—"when no one will say any longer, 'Oh, for the good old days! Remember the Ark of the Covenant?' It won't even occur to anyone to say it—'the good old days.' The so-called good old days of the Ark are gone for good.

 17"Jerusalem will be the new Ark—'God's Throne.' All the godless nations, no longer stuck in the ruts of their evil ways, will gather there to honor God."

I want you to meditate momentarily on four phrases outlined in this Scriptural challenge:

1. "I'll give you good shepherd-rulers who rule my way…"
2. "You will increase and prosper..."

3. "Oh, for the good old days!"

4. "Stuck in the ruts of their evil ways…"

My exegesis on these verses will be coming in the next post. Hint: Vision - Future tense. Mission - Past tense. In the meantime, look for Court's take on it over at www. http://armybarmyblog.blogspot.ca.

Continually Flummoxed.

JN

STILL Under Construction

With Tears and Prayers and Love

“What is a Mission Station?” In 1876, William Booth, Founder of The Salvation Army, answered the question this way: “To this I reply that, as I understand it, it is not a building, or a chapel, or a hall; it is not even a society, but a band of people united together to mission, to attack, to christianize an entire town or neighbourhood…draw a line around the breadth of population you can hope to reach, and make that your parish, and aim, with tears and prayers, and the trumpet-blast of the Gospel, to christianize every soul within it.”

In 2011, Commissioner Jim Knaggs, Territorial Commander, is Spirit-led to expand Booth’s vision, culturally, geographically and digitally: “…to attack, to Christianize” an entire cyberspace community – evangelizing beyond the lines. “It presents a pace-setting opportunity for the U.S.A. Western Territory to be on the evangelical cutting edge,” says Knaggs.

Structured Chaos:

Change is a product of innovation. Therefore SAVN.TV should not be seen as a tight, clean, highly structured package, but rather as a very flexible and adaptive work in progress. We are marching into unknown territory to “Open Fire!” Creativity, freedom and flexibility are the order of the day. This attempt at “structured chaos” is but the “beginning” point of something new that is “fluid, mobile, changing and surprising.”

“God’s order is not… the same in every time and place. It is not a matter of repetition and habit. On the contrary, it resides in the fact that it constantly posits something new, a new beginning. Our God is a God of beginnings. There is in him no redundancy or circularity. Thus, if his church wants to be faithful to his revelation, it will be completely mobile, fluid, renascent, bubbling, creative, inventive, adventurous, and imaginative. It will never be perennial, and can never be organized or institutionalized. If the gates of death are not going to prevail against it, this is not because it is a good, solid, well organized fortress, but because it is alive; it is Life that is, as mobile, changing, and surprising as life. If it becomes a powerful fortified organization, it is because death has prevailed.” — Jacques Ellul, The Subversion of Christianity.

Pioneering Spirit

“We never have expected to hit upon that final stable structure. This is important for a church to understand, for when it starts to be the church it will be constantly be adventuring out into places where there are no tried and tested ways. If the church in our day has few prophetic voices above the noise of the street, perhaps in large part it is because the pioneering spirit has become foreign to it. It shows little willingness to explore new ways. Where it does it has often been called an experiment. We would say the church of Christ is never an experiment, but where that church is true to its mission it will be experimenting, pioneering, blazing new paths, seeking how to speak the reconciling words of God to its own age.” It cannot do this if it is held captive by the structures of another day.” (Elizabeth O’Connor…Call to Commitment) 

Beginning Phase

In the beginning (1865), The Salvation Army began as a small, compassionate mission station “experimenting, pioneering, blazing new paths, seeking how to speak the reconciling words of God to its own age.” It started small and grew exponentially into the worldwide mission organization it is today.

SAVN.TV represents a “cutting edge” new beginning, likewise “experimenting, pioneering, blazing new paths, seeking how to speak the reconciling words of God to its own age.” The network will be launched in phases, “completely mobile, fluid, renascent, bubbling, creative, inventive, adventurous, and imaginative.” This initial offering is a sampling of what is yet to come, a very flexible and adaptive work in progress. It is “In the beginning…” – under creation – and will expand as “the spirit quickeneth – gives (it) life” (John 6:63).

Come on this adventure with us!

BANZAI!

Banzai

Banzai, pictured here, was living homeless under the Chinatown N. Kukui Street Bridge in Honolulu, Hawaii. Addicted. Dirty. Lost. Lonely. Hurting. No hope. No purpose. No future. An outcast, not unlike this Biblical beggar:

"At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores" (Luke 16:20).

Enter The Upper Room, a ministry of The Salvation Army, gathering together Sunday evenings in an 'upper room' setting on the edge of Chinatown, it's leadership taking seriously the Biblical post-Pentecostal mission model:

"(They) pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. …At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate… to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout… Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you" (Acts 2,3).

After a Spirit-filled worship session together in the Upper Room, pooling their resources, these Honolulu disciples gather in the basement to prepare for their 21st Century post-Pentecostal mission experience. Sandwiches made, First Aid Kits replenished and Bibles packed, they strike out for the Chinatown homeless encampments - "What I do have, I give to you."

On this evening, six years ago, they encounter Banzai under his bridge, feed him, bandage his sores, pray with him and leave a Bible. This turns into a four-year weekly occurrence, as he becomes a recurrent member of their street congregation. Long story short, he eventually begins to attend upper room, one-year later surrenders his life to Jesus and is saved from the bondage of addiction. And, as pictured, is now "walking back and forth, dancing and praising God" - a 21st Century Trophy of Grace.

This was a spontaneous, testimonial happening, Banzai bounding to the platform during this song, the projected words expressing it all. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; think ten thousand here. In the Japanese language, "Ban" is translated "10,000" and "Zai" "years," the cry, "Banzai!" literally interpreted, "Long live!" Forever!

Banzai! (Set Free!)

Epilogue 1: Banzai was in the hospital recently (congestive heart failure), Rob Noland paying him a pastoral visit. In the midst of their conversation, he nonchalantly shares part of his formative life story, and to Noland's surprise: "After six years of knowing Banzai, he finally gets around to telling me that his teen years were spent living in The Salvation Army Boy's Home, Kaimuki Campus." Full Circle!

Banzai! (Un-ending Love!)

Epilogue 2: On December 30, 2012, final Sunday of the year, Banzai takes to the Upper Room platform and sings his testimony. From an eyewitness account: "There wasn't a dry eye in the room." See and hear for yourself:

Banzai! (Amazing Grace!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-EFeJ5lFtc

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

JN