Peter: A little Different
The army is not meant (nor was it ever meant) to be like everyone else. We are called to be an army of salvation out to win the world for Jesus. Peter kicks off our series on just that this week, so click here and listen up. Final words borrowed and updated from Catherine Baird:
“We are an army and we fight wherever wrong is found, Big mansions, cardboard boxes – it doesn’t matter we fight. And it’s not people that we are fighting, but it is sin that has perverted the world, that we are against. And we follow Jesus, Son of God, to the war we must go. And when we march as an army, there is no class, no race, we are one in Christ the King.”
—————————
Lt. Peter Lublink is one two officers who oversee the Salvation Army’s work in Vic West and Esquimalt. He absolutely loves what he does, and can think of nothing more exciting then spending each and everyday serving God and serving others. In addition to loving the opportunity to introduce people to Jesus, Peter loves to go for walks, watch great movies and has recently started gardening.
Read Peter’s blog every Monday morning on Pointful.ca.
Greg: A glimpse of heaven
As I was going through the notes from my street combat cell group I came across a scripture from 1 Corinthians 2:9. Here’s what it says: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”
After reading this verse I have a hard time understanding how people say they have seen heaven or God if this is truly the case. What do you think of those that say they have seen heaven? Are they for real or is it just an attention getter….
Gregory is a warrior for God who finds no greater pleasure than kicking satan back to hell and seeing the lives of those around him transformed because of it. He currently leads a cell group that meets in a coffee shop downtown before hitting the streets to pray with those who have found no other place to live.
Read Gregory’s blog every Wednesday Morning on Pointful.ca.
Peter: On being a Pacifist
I can’t tell you exactly when it happened, but it was somewhere in the last few years. That is, the moment I became a pacifist. You see this is kind of an odd stance for me to take (and to share), because I grew up in a military family, I live near a military base and now have a brother-in-law who serves in the military. Growing up I also wanted to serve in the military with dreams of going to military college after high-school. So again my position comes after much thought and consideration.
It’s not that I haven’t entertained the idea of the just war theory (link). But frankly for me it has come down to one thing, and while pretty basic, I think absolutely fundamental to Christianity – “Love your enemies.”
You see it’s easy to love your friends. They are typically nice to you, they encourage you and generally are pretty good folks. But Jesus commands us to love even our enemies. I can’t imagine he meant love them with a machine gun in hand. Hard to genuinely love someone you are in the midst of killing.
That all besides the fact that fighting violence with violence only perpetuates the cycle of violence. (see our world’s history as an example). Simply put, fighting fire with fire only makes for a bigger blaze. To fight a fire, we need to use an entirely different tactic – water.
In the case of our world, to fight hate we must love. And not simply a laid back passive approach to love. But the amazing, all inclusive and almost ludicrous love demonstrated by Christ Himself.
I have become a pacifist, it’s true. But not a passive one. I think we need to be in the middle of the fight standing up for those who are hurting. Which means, I greatly respect those who die for freedom, but I really wonder about the sanity behind ever killing for freedom. I just can’t imagine that killing someone is ever going to teach others that killing is wrong.
That’s one of the reasons I am so excited about our up coming series on being an Army. An army that works everyday to fight hate with love… that’s something I can get behind. So tune in. And if you disagree with me with my conclusions on loving our enemies and pacifism, great, let me know why in the comments below.
—————————
Lt. Peter Lublink is one two officers who oversee the Salvation Army’s work in Vic West and Esquimalt. He absolutely loves what he does, and can think of nothing more exciting then spending each and everyday serving God and serving others. In addition to loving the opportunity to introduce people to Jesus, Peter loves to go for walks, watch great movies and has recently started gardening.
Read Peter’s blog every Monday morning on Pointful.ca.
Video: Amazing Grace
There are some great videos out there in the big ‘ol www. Some videos we get from friends on facebook, some of them we stumble across via email. So to add more interesting videos to your life, we thought we’d post a few here once and a while.
This short video was made by the Salvation Army in the USA and so while you might need to ignore the end credits, the content of the video itself is quite good. Enjoy!
Tasha: Heavy Hearts
Mood: Cloudy
Listening to: Hillsongs – Deeply in love
So right now, my heart feels heavy…not too sure why, guess its just one of those nights.
I was listening to a song tonight that I had never heard before, but I was a little distracted by my own thoughts on things. What I didn’t realize until after was that the stronger the song got the more worked up I got and felt the weaker I felt. My eyes were starting to get blury, so I quickly tried to distract myself from crying…so I turned to the screen of the video of the song…talk about perfect timing! Right when looked onto the screen it was a scene of the sky and you could see these hands reaching out from the clouds. AND BAM! The tears took over.
At that moment and for the rest of the night so far, I have felt Gods hands holding my heart. It feels good to know that he’s there but it also hurts because Iv been avoiding the breakdown…
God is soooo patient and soo faithful. Even tho Im holding back for the moment, I know he’s waiting patiantly for me. I know that he has all the answers to my questions and I know that He will protect me.
It’s a reminder to myself that all you need to keep going is faith. ITS CRUCIAL! Having faith in God and what he can do for you weather its big or small, can get you through the hardest times with peace and confidence.
Ecc 7:3 “Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad face is good for the heart.”
—————————
Tasha is High Point’s Music Director and leads our corporate worship during the Sunday Morning Gatherings. She is talented, passionate and has had her life transformed by God so that she now wants nothing more then to see the world won for God.
Read Tasha’s blog every Friday morning on Pointful.ca.
Peter: Success(full)
What does it take to become successful? And what is it that really defines success? For some people success is defined by worldly prestige. A parent for example might brag that his or her kids became a doctor or a lawyer, but would they be as proud of them if they became the night shift worker at an emergency shelter? Sadly too often the answer in our North American culture would be no, some parents would not be as proud of their kids if they didn’t attain what the world defined as success.
You see, some people seem to miss the picture of God’s kingdom. I don’t doubt that they are Christians in some senses, or that they love their kids, but they have in their priorities missed the bigger picture. Jesus was a humble carpenter. He was God, yet he came to serve, to bend down on one knee and wash the feet of weary travellers. He died so that we might have life, life that was not limited by this world’s vision of success.
So how is it that as Christians we have gone from a humble Jesus, to a pride-filled life where success was measured by how much wealth and prestige we could amass? I meet a lot of people in my line of work, and how they introduce themselves often tells a lot about them: “My name is Bob, I have a great job, and I have a house with a pool and a sweet car.”
A person like that has defined themselves by their own admission by this world’s standards. They have bought into the weak and empty American Dream of amassing worldly things and have sold out on Jesus. The result is that they have received their reward in full, and have denied what Jesus wants to offer them. They have sold their claim to Jesus’ royal blood line in return for some cheap thrills and a few pats on the back in this world.
To be honest, when someone tells me about their big house, expensive car, or lucrative job, I generally just feel pity, (Think Mr. T: “I pity the fool.”) because I know that these people have not filled themselves with the success that Jesus won for us on the cross, they have filled themselves with pride, ambition and ultimately are left with emptiness and sadness.
Whether you are a doctor or whether you clean the streets, if you have experienced the transforming love of Jesus you are more success-filled than any salaried position could ever fill you. You have life.
Don’t let the world define you, but cling to God’s kingdom above this one as you seek to serve God and serve others.
—————————
Lt. Peter Lublink is one two officers who oversee the Salvation Army’s work in Vic West and Esquimalt. He absolutely loves what he does, and can think of nothing more exciting then spending each and everyday serving God and serving others. In addition to loving the opportunity to introduce people to Jesus, Peter loves to go for walks, watch great movies and has recently started gardening.
Read Peter’s blog every Monday morning on Pointful.ca.
Tasha: Have You Ever?
So a couple years ago I got this book called Chicken soup for the Christian teenage soul, and I came across a poem that I remember being in love with…enjoy:
Have you ever…
Have you ever wanted to dry a tear
That you knew you had made fall?
Have you ever said something
That you never meant at all?
Have you ever wanted to reach out
To someone who was in pain?
Have you ever wanted to give sunshine
To someone who lives with rain?
Have you ever wanted a chance
To go back and change the past?
Have you ever stopped to realize
That time slips by too fast?
Have you ever loved somebody
And never told them so?
Have you ever held back a question
That you really wanted to know?
Have you ever felt you might explode
From holding stuff inside?
That’s when you have to make a choice
Between happiness or pride.
I decided I would tell the truth
To share all that I feel
My heart feels so much bigger now
Truth was the better deal.
Kristy Glassen
—————————
Tasha is High Point’s Music Director and leads our corporate worship during the Sunday Morning Gatherings. She is talented, passionate and has had her life transformed by God so that she now wants nothing more then to see the world won for God.
Read Tasha’s blog every Friday morning on Pointful.ca.
Greg: On Being Prepared
Wow, I never thought I would miss the street combat due to feeling under the weather, but I had to plan ahead as I had to work tonight, all night long at the Salvation Army ARC (addictions recovery centre). Just as I had to plan ahead to my responsibilities for the Combat Cell Group, work, and the 179 men plus co-workers ,we need to plan out our spiritual lives.
And like everything else, planning for our spiritual future we also run into problems and obstacles due to Adam’s sin with Eve which affects mankind to the end of days. But with Christ we can do all things.
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
So stayed prayed up and have your oil lamps full, always in the name of Jesus Christ, even for those days that seem peaceful, for you never know what is on the horizon.
—————————
Gregory is a warrior for God who finds no greater pleasure than kicking satan back to hell and seeing the lives of those around him transformed because of it. He currently leads a cell group that meets in a coffee shop downtown before hitting the streets to pray with those who have found no other place to live.
Read Gregory’s blog every Wednesday Morning on Pointful.ca.
New Blogger: Peter
One of the things I love about the Salvation Army is how historically we have been so unafraid to step out and do things that might seem a tad odd or even crazy to normal ‘civilized’ culture. Whether it be the crazy uniforms, the street preaching or the use of bar music in our meetings; it’s fair to say that there was nothing too low or uncivilized we wouldn’t still do if it accomplished our mission.
These last few weeks we have been training up a bunch of folks who want to become soldiers in the greatest army on earth, and we came across this line in the brand spankin’ new SA 101 Soldiers Training Manual by Court and Strickland:
“God wrapped a small group of misfits in Holy Spirit- conviction, infused them with love, dressed them in prophetic garb, fitted them with a holy disdain for dignified reputation, trained them in the sacrificial Cross-life, deployed them amongst the poor, and transformed great swaths of the world.”
Brilliant!
Frankly there is a lot to love about this sentence. Misfits embraced and used by God, prophetic garb… but my absolute favourite part: “fitted them with a holy disdain for dignified reputation.”
It’s time to stop worrying about reputation, in fact taking it even further, it’s time to hate dignified reputation in order to win the world for Jesus. If standing up for the hurting and the oppressed means loosing reputation with a few people – then so be it. Those with no voice deserve one, and if we don’t stand up, who will?
—————————
Lt. Peter Lublink is one two officers who oversee the Salvation Army’s work in Vic West and Esquimalt. He absolutely loves what he does, and can think of nothing more exciting then spending each and everyday serving God and serving others. In addition to loving the opportunity to introduce people to Jesus, Peter loves to go for walks, watch great movies and has recently started gardening.
Read Peter’s blog every Monday morning on Pointful.ca.
New Blogger: Tasha
Mood: Relaxed
Listening to: Magic by Colbie Caillat
K so my best friend just had a beautiful baby boy on May 2. I’m so proud of her, she’s quite the little viking! 10lbs 3oz!!! I found a quote and it went something like this: ” A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. (Eda J. Le Shan)
It’s so true is it not? Babies are untouched, they are pure and fresh. Personally I think we can get there (again) too. We need to.
Pat Humble gave me this book (or lent it, can’t remember) called The heart of Worship files, and it has given me a new view on my life and opened my eyes to the things I prefer not to notice, you know…such as….SIN!
I believe that to have that new begining we have to “Present ourselves as living sacrifices.” Meaning that we need to come before our Father and surrender ourselves. We need to surrender what we have put before God. Sometimes we idol other things instead of God without even realizing. That might be why its important to make time to meet up with the Big guy to reflect and discuss?
I’m not gonna lie, but I have found myself at times totally ignoring God, I know what I need to surrender but “I” dont want to. Which is pretty lame because there are reasons why he wants us to sacrafice what we “want.”
Now thats one way of having a new begining, but there is also the new beginings of new experiances, new projects, new oppurtunity, and so forth. They are kinda like freeby’s because we haven’t … poisoned them yet. So that being said, be aware, be aware of new beginings and remember that Satan only provides temporary happiness while God provides everlasting joy…
—————————
Tasha is High Point’s Music Director and leads our corporate worship during the Sunday Morning Gatherings. She is talented, passionate and has had her life transformed by God so that she now wants nothing more then to see the world won for God.
Read Tasha’s blog every Friday morning on Pointful.ca.
New Blogger: Gregory
We’re venturing into new territory with three weekly bloggers going so that you can get an insider’s view into the world of High Point! The next two are surprises, so you’ll have to check back on Friday, but in the mean time, here is the first of many reflections from Gregory:
High Point’s Street Combat Cell has been lots of fun, with a whole whack of different people coming, and going when they can make it. It is not every one’s cup of tea, but we are commanded to get out of our comfort zones to preach, teach, and tell the whole world about the Good Word. See Mark 16: 15-16.
So far we have had about 15 to 20, participate as we first meet at my office (star bucks) on Yates and Government. We have had as many as 10 people meet at once and as few as three. We always start off with prayer, and Ephesians 6:12 seems to be one of the scriptures we most utilize as it applies directly to our work. Also the Armor Of God in Ephesians chapter 6. we discuss these and other scriptures, have a personal prayer time then hit the streets to seek out those who’s souls are in danger of burning or have fallen away from the Lord. We start off from Yates and Government, down to the Whaling wall, across to the Salvation Army, to Street Link where we spend a lot of time talking, praying. hugging, laughing, crying with and to those that are in need.
Yes there are times when we are not welcome but we always pray through that winning over those that are against it. We have come against demon possessed men and women to self professed witches. Some people actually turn and run in the other direction as fast as they can when they see the bible or hear it being read. God is stirring a revolution on our streets, and we are following His will as we stoke its flames.
—————————
Gregory is a warrior for God who finds no greater pleasure than kicking satan back to hell and seeing the lives of those around him transformed because of it. He currently leads a cell group that meets in a coffee shop downtown before hitting the streets to pray with those who have found no other place to live.
Read Gregory’s blog every Wednesday Morning on Pointful.ca.
Relationships
Relationship talk is not just something for the ladies. Its something we all generally need to work on, that is if we ever interact with other human beings for any reason. Alison takes the second half of Ruth 2 and breaks it down nicely as some pretty solid modern take aways. Have a good listen.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Don’t miss next Sunday as Aaron White from 614 Vancouver will be teaching as we continue through the book of Ruth.
