Soldiers of our God, ARISE!

Soldiers of our God, arise! The day is drawing nearer; shake the slumber from your eyes, the light is growing clearer. Sit no longer idly by, while the heedless millions die. Lift the blood-stained banner high and take the field for Jesus. 

These words from The Salvation Army song book inspire and ignite within me a passion for this Army of salvation. They speak of our purpose, our mandate and declare the very essence of who we are. Soldiers: fighting to win the world for Jesus. Yet there are whispers within the ranks that say, ‘The Salvation Army has abandoned its post and failed in fulfilling its mission’, ‘It’s stuck in the past’, or ‘the movement is stagnant and without vision’. These whispers distract us from the fight, and they need to stop. We will not quit out of frustration but will fight harder, with greater endurance and stronger determination, because while our tactics may change, our mission remains.

The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 by William and Catherine Booth during a dark time where poverty, injustice, corruption and disease infiltrated the streets of the east end of London. The Salvation Army was established to challenge and fight against social injustices and see people rescued into the kingdom of Jesus. This zealous Army spread rapidly, and our history is marked with stories of courage, innovation and salvations won. We must learn from our past, engage in the present and step into the future.

Not that much has changed. Ours is still a dark world in need of light: the light, life and love of Jesus! People are still drowning in an ocean of sin, broken and hurting, desperate for something more.

The chief coroner announced last month that in the past year, 541 lives were lost to suicide. Connection through social media seems to trump true community, but the reality is that people are lonelier than ever. Depression is rampant. People are marginalised on account of their age, gender, disability, ethnicity or socio-economic status. Thousands of children live in poverty. Addictions to alcohol, pornography, gambling and even work oppress. Corruption is rife and injustice extensive.

Today, The Salvation Army is made up of soldiers who are dedicated, disciplined and determined disciples of Jesus. They are cleansed because of Christ’s sacrificial blood and equipped, empowered and filled with the Holy Spirit’s fire. They aren’t afraid to stand up in defence of the marginalised; they love their neighbours and seek to imitate the example of Christ.

They are courageous, bold and innovative; willing to put reputations on the line to challenge injustice and corruption. They rise above the standards set by society and set their sights on a higher purpose. These soldiers fight with endurance to bring hope and purpose to a deteriorating world. Not as individuals, but as units who thrive within and strive for community. Much of their fighting is done on their knees in persevering prayer, and the sword they possess is the Word of God, which they know well and are deeply committed to. They are zealous, undaunted, fearless, unswerving and unstoppable as they storm the forts of darkness.

In this Army we find belonging, we find purpose, we take up arms and fight to see people freed from oppression, injustice conquered, and souls saved into the Kingdom of Heaven. Hallelujah!

In this Salvation Army there is a place for you, irrespective of your age, your gender, your ethnicity, your past, your fears or your failings. This is an Army fuelled with passion, filled with purpose and fighting to prevail over darkness.

So … Soldiers of our God arise! Forward march with Blood and Fire and win the world for Jesus!

Silence in the face of injustice

Silence can be deafening. At times deadly. Sometimes it says more than the spoken word could ever say. And sometimes the consequences of silence are greater and far more reaching than we could ever imagine.

Before the high priest “Jesus remained silent.”  Before Herod “Jesus gave him no answer” 

I imagine, on that day, His silence was deafening as the Jewish scribes and Pharisees, had conspired against him to have him killed and now shouted before Pilate to have him “CRUCIFIED!”. Deafening as his followers, who had deserted him, looked on and his lips remained tightly sealed, watching … waiting. I wonder if the chaos and noise around them became a hazy blur. “Why isn’t he saying anything?” was, I’m sure, a question on the forefront of their minds. I wonder if they felt deafened by his silence.

With a prepared, persistent, passionate and united front the Jewish leaders were determined to have Jesus crucified. They shouted, until their shouts prevailed.

Injustice: condemning an innocent man.

I remember in 6^th form (year 12) being accused of plagiarism in English. The assignment had been to write a poem. I don’t remember the poem, don’t even know what it was about, but when I received it back from the teacher it wasn’t marked, it just had a note on it saying “See me”. So I did. I vividly remember the teacher asking me “Did you write this?” to which I replied “Yes”. From there she went on to ‘talk’ with me about plagiarism, the consequences of it, and again asked me if I wrote the poem. Frustration and anger stirred because I was being accused of something that I was completely innocent of. It’s fair to say I defended myself, and the conversation got a little heated. My voice, a wee bit louder and shrill as I maintained my innocence.

“I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“I’M INNOCENT”

Why wouldn’t I defend myself, with passion and fervour? Why would anyone stay silent and let injustice prevail?

Like Jesus did.

Jesus, completely innocent, doesn’t for a moment attempt to defend himself. He doesn’t fight for his own freedom, which he is entitled too. Why? He knew our freedom was at hand. He knew that through his silence, He would prevail.

At that time silence was required to accomplish a greater purpose. He would overcome, he would prevail over sin and death by remaining silent so that we could be free and inherit eternal life.

His deliberate silence resulted in His death.

Deafening silence: "A silence or lack of response that reveals something significant."

His silence that day didn’t just reveal something significant, it enabled something significant.

Something significant: Death is conquered.

Something significant: We are delivered.

His silence was deafening

His silence was deliberate

His silence was deadly

His silence defeated

His silence delivered

The time for silence in the face of injustice has passed. It’s consequences reached beyond what anyone hoped or imagined, conquering death, setting us free. Once, silence in the face of injustice was necessary, but not today.

The time for silence has passed. The tide has turned. Today we shout against injustice and we shout about the love and freedom he’s given us.

May our shouts be deafening

May our shouts be deliberate

May our shouts be deadly

May our shouts defeat

May our shouts deliver

SamME

Her Global Snapshot - where to from here?

It's 2013, and her picture is bleak. It's a picture of inequality. It's a picture of injustice.

From New Zealand to China, Ethiopia to Yemen, Congo to Cambodia, throughout the Globe women face inequality and injustice on a daily basis. Her Global Snapshot: Domestic Violence, Female Genital Mutilation, Honour Killings, Breast Ironing and Human Traffiking doesn't begin to brush the surface of the injustice. Be sure to read 'Her Global Snapshot' before reading on.

Injustice!

She is Beautiful. She is Strong. She is Gifted. She is Woman.
And she deserves better than this!

 In the midst of the dark cold hard stories and facts there is hope! In the face of injustice people are standing up and fighting for the rights of women, for their equality and for their freedom from oppression. The truth is, that no matter where we are, what our situation, there is hope and we can be involved in the fight for justice. It can be really hard to know where to start, so here are five tips to get started:

1) Get Informed.
Don't be ignorant, read newspapers, search the web and find out what's really going on out there. Injustice seems to be everywhere we turn. I've compiled a list of websites and resources here which confronts many of the issues raised in 'Her Global Snapshot'. Be proactive and learn about what our sisters around the world are facing each day.

2) Identify your passion.
As I've delved into the injustices women face, there are a couple of issues in particular that pull on my heart strings and bring me to tears (ok, so most of them make me cry, but some make me really bawl!). I've discovered a passion for maternal health and fistula repairs (maybe due to my nursing background?). Other people are driven to fight out about other issues. On the weekend I was speaking at a youth event and shared about some of the injustices in 'Her Global Snapshot', one young woman shared afterwards that after hearing about child rape as a tactic of war in the Congo, she was stuck on that for the rest of the message. It pulled on her heartstrings, it's her passion. Identify yours and then use the passion to fight for justice.

3) Get Connected.
There are others fighting for justice. Others who are equipped and resourced to fight with the know how. They are seeing success in womens lives. Follow their facebook pages, sign up for their newsletters, get connected with them. When you do, your own understanding, involvement and influence increases. I've certainly found that to be true for myself.

4) Spread the Word.
Don't keep the information to yourself. Talk about it in your circles of friends, post statuses on facebook bringing the issues to peoples attention, let others know what's going on and how they can get involved. MAKE SOME NOISE! SHOUT OUT ABOUT INJUSTICE FOR JUSTICE.

(Found this pic on Pinterest)

5) Spend some cash.
Like I've already mentioned there are plenty of organisations doing amazing work in the lives of women around the world. Get connected to them, and spend some money. Pay for a fistula surgery, finance a little girl to go to school (seriously, education is the greatest way to combat the injustices women face), micro finance a woman so she can start a business and care for her family. Check out the websites and resources for a list of organisations to get connected too. Most of them tell you how you can give.

Who knows what you'll end up doing once you get started.
Easy aye! Change the World! Fight for Justice! Do it!

SamMe

"While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight" - William Booth