David and the Army

David, dressed in his overall,
     Daddy's cap with his horn and all,
Wants to go to the Army hall
     To play in the Army band.
First he must practice and learn to play,
All of the musical terms obey,
That is the only proper way,
David must understand.

So he plays in his yard at home.
Loudly beating his little drum.
Calling the children all to come.
All in the neighborhood.
David's the captain of all the crew,
Telling the rest of them what to do,
Singing and playing and preaching too,
     Just as the Captain should.

On Sunday he wears his Sunday clothes,
Off to the Company Meeting he goes,
Often the Golden Text he knows,
     Saying it all alone.
David will treasure his childhood days,
When he was led into Christian ways,
Giving his parents grateful praise,
     When he is fully grown.

Irena Arnold. Youth on the Platform. Atlanta, GA: The Salvation Army, 1947.

Youth on the Platform

Christianity in Action: The International History of The Salvation Army

I want to highly recommend the book, Christianity in Action: The International History of The Salvation Army. It is written by Colonel Henry Gariepy (OF) who was Promoted to Glory in April.

I had the privilege of regularly meeting Colonel Gariepy when he would come to the School for Officer Training in New York to teach Cadets. You could always see the love of the Lord shining through his eyes and the passion to tell the story of God's Mission through the vehicle of The Salvation Army.

Christianity in Action, which was published in 2009, could be described as a primer on The Salvation Army. It combines broad brush strokes that capture the meta-story of this movement with masterfully crafted details which connect the great characters and events of the past with contemporary illustrations of how the Army remains faithful to its primary mission. Gariepy is truly a literary craftsman!

Colonel Henry Gariepy (OF)

General Shaw Clifton has endorsed that "...with incredible skill he has compiled a most readable record, crammed with human-interest stories." General Paul Rader (R) states that "Salvationists will read it with a swelling sense of gratitude for the privilege of being a part of the story. Those new to the movement will find here a thrilling saga of Christianity in action."

Some are of the opinion that in order for a work of history to be of value it must be filled with harsh and candid critique. This work isn't trying to be an academic history book. It is unabashedly populous - it's written so that anyone - regardless of their knowledge and experience of The Salvation Army, their age or education will be able to enjoy the adventure stories told in these pages.

I was really pleased that this book is in so many formats. You can order the book, the CD, you can read it on Kindle - it's even available on iTunes so that you can listen to this great story in your car or in the gym.

Finally, I pray that young people will read this book. This is our heritage. This is our birthright. Read it and be inspired to write the next chapter by becoming boys and girls, men and women who will embrace the forward-advancing faith of Christianity in action.

Karl Marx, the Gospel and Spiritual Transformation

Did you know? That Karl Marx memorized by heart all four of the gospels? And yet the founder of communism died an atheist? This is why we must teach with spiritual transformation as our goal. Head knowledge without heart experience leads to Hell - let's not simply hear the Word, let's do it!

‎"But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget... what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."

James 1:22-25

"The Great Purpose of The Salvation Army" - Bramwell Booth

The great purpose of The Salvation Army is to save. It is for this we fight; it is for this we suffer; nay, it is for this we exist. Our Master and great Example seems to have found that the only road to achieve that great work was by the road of suffering. The whole story of His triumph seems to say: 'If you would be a saviour you must be crucified.'

How true it has been of us! Indeed, one may say that from this very beginning to the present day, in every land in which we have lifted our hands to God, this has become our experience. The Salvation Army was born crucified. If it is to remain alive and powerful, it must go on being crucified. If it is to ultimately triumph it must be from the Cross of suffering for the world that it ascends to the Throne and Crown.

Then do not let us complain because, like our Master, we are sometimes forsaken by those who would so gladly have kept with us in the struggle; or because, like Him, we are sometimes betrayed, denied, and denounced by those who promised so loudly to be true to the Cause; or because, taking advantage of our rule of silence, they sometimes say of us what is not kind or even true.

Let us submit and take care to be true to ourselves. Let us carry our own heavy cross as He carried His. It will no doubt sometimes seem in the eyes of men a weak and foolish thing to do. But the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

To Him be the glory!

Bramwell Booth. October 10, 1910 - The Salvation Army Canada & Bermuda War Cry, p.8

12 Reasons Why Every Corps Should Invest in Junior Soldiers

Here are 12 reasons why I believed that every Corps should be promoting Junior Soldiers. I have recently embarked on an analysis of the 10 courses over 5 years and have become absolutely convinced that if every Corps invested in Junior Soldiers, that this could change the world!

Here are some of my reasons:

1. It grounds our kids in biblical knowledge.

2. It lays the foundation of sound doctrine into their lives

3. It connects kids to the historic Salvation Army - familiarizing them with our history, key personalities, structures and symbols

4. It relates all of this to the challenges of childhood and early adolescence

5. It approaches kids from a theology of childhood that emphasizes agency - believing children can be saved, sanctified, discipled, engaged in ministry... and that they can even suffer if needs be for their faith.

6. It focuses on a covenantal pledge (promise) that is a sacred rite of passage that helps a child confirm their faith.

7. It prepares our kids at an early age to sharpen their minds - thinking about their faith as they navigate through the pressures of today's child/youth cultures.

8. It is standardized (the curriculum in the American territories is nationally standardized) so that wherever a child were to move, they would be able to continue their training.

9. Research has shown that if a person puts 10,000 hours of practice into something, this can really define the impact they will have later in life. Junior Soldiers starts the discipleship journey on at a very young age - allowing them early on to put in the time, gain this knowledge and engage in discipleship and ministry experiences.

10. Junior Soldiers leads the child towards ACTIVE faith. It breaks the misunderstood perception that kids need to be passively kept at bay until they are 'old enough' to engage in ministry.

11. The uniform and the promise unite our kids with a historic and worldwide movement of peers who are covenanted to a similar standard.

12. Hey... It's a load of fun!

What would The Salvation Army look like in eighteen years if we all committed to this?

Who are the leaders we are entrusting this sacred trust to? How are we training them?

At Railton School for Youth Worker Training, we are covenanting to do our best to train youth workers who will thoroughly understand this material and will be able to use it for the glory of God and the salvation of the world!