Youth Councils in Hoonah

Hello Soldiers, friends, and fellow followers of Jesus,

Just a quick note that I will be leaving Thursday with 3 young people from our Corps for Youth Councils. This year it is being held on the Alaska South East Island of Hoonah. Please pray for traveling mercies as we will drive to Anchorage, spend the night, catch a plane in the morning to Juneau and then Ferry out to Hoonah. Sunday we will have a friend of the Army use their boat to get us back to catch the plane for Anchorage, and then drive home to Homer arriving about 2:00 a.m. so the young people can catch college courses and or jobs.

All in all we are expecting great things, but do covet your prayers for the event (and the travel). I am expecting God to really move in our young people and my prayer is that the Fire of the Holy Spirit would fall on us to sanctify us and empower us for evangelising the world.

Also pray we take advantage of the opportunities to witness throughout the travels and weekend.

Remember us in your prayers this weekend. Also pray for all the corps who will have a slightly different Sunday with C.O.'s, young people, musicians, teachers, etc. visiting Hoonah.

The blog should resume Tuesday Lord willing...

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Send the Fire

A song for your prayerful meditation today - written by our Founder, William Booth.

Songbook song 203 "Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame"

1.Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame, Send the fire!
Thy blood-bought gift today we claim, Send the fire!
Look down and see this waiting host,
Give us the promised Holy Ghost,
We want another Pentecost, Send the fire!

2.God of Elijah, hear our cry: Send the fire!
To make us fit to live or die, Send the fire!
To burn up every trace of sin,
To bring the light and glory in,
The revolution now begin, Send the fire!

3.'Tis fire we want, for fire we plead, Send the fire!
The fire will meet our every need, Send the fire!
For strength to ever do the right,
For grace to conquer in the fight.
For power to walk the world in white, Send the fire!

4.To make our weak hearts strong and brave, Send the fire!
To live a dying world to save, Send the fire!
O see us on thy altar lay
Our lives, our all, this very day,
To crown the offering now we pray, Send the fire!

Live holy, preach Jesus!

The power of positive thinking and affirmations?

I was recently sent a comment (I didn't post it) from someone who found this site by "googling - meditation", of course my posts were meditation on scripture, but this was not. The web site I was directed to was all about "the power of positive thinking and positive affirmations". In short your mindset will determine how you think, it will create a "positive vibe around you" it will bring what you regularly think about to happen.

Here is a quote from that letter, "Track your thoughts and take an active role in what you think... When you come across a negative thought, change it and replace it with a thought that allows you to achieve what you want or makes your life more pleasant. Visualize your success, see yourself living the life you want. ... you are in charge of your life ..."

Why do I mention this at all - Captain Michelle will continue our study in Philippians 4:7-8 this week and talk about our thought life, only it's not just "the power of positive thinking" that allows You to change Your life and get what You want, instead, taking the whole of scripture and the context of Philippians, Paul would say he counts every thought (aside from knowing Jesus) as rubbish, and would give up all things that he might know Christ, and in Him find contentment no matter what his circumstances.

Here are some affirmations and Scriptures I am positive about...
I am positive I have no good thing in me that earns me salvation.
I am positive my righteousness is like filthy rags (let alone the "vileness" of my sin).
I am positive apart from God I can do nothing.
I am positive it is by grace I am saved through faith in Jesus Christ.
I am positive with God all things are possible.
I am positive nothing is impossible with God.
I am positive if God is for me who can be against me.
I am positive all people die someday, and the only way to the Father is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
I am positive there is a place called hell and a place called heaven.
I am positive that the Lord Jesus Christ, has by his suffering and death, made atonement for the whole world, so that whosoever will repent of their sin and live for Him, will be saved.
I am positive God has commanded us to live holy and spread His gospel to the world.
I am positive that God wants no one to perish but all to come to everlasting life.

I am positive - I could go on all day long claiming the promises and affirmations in God's Word, SO what is my point... simply this, I agree we should take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. We must positively proclaim Jesus is Lord and His Word only constitutes the divine rule of Christian faith and practice. SO... Read your Word, claim it's truths, hide it in your heart, and don't just think about it.... DO WHAT IT SAYS!

I'm positive your life will be better than trying to convince yourself you can control your own life just by thinking positive thoughts.

Philippians 4:4-9 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Just passing on a websites & blogs worthy of your time.

For those of you who couldn't attend the Western Youth Institute you really missed out, but SAYCONNECT is slowly but surely posting videos of the morning and evening teaching and preaching, and even some great testimonies. They are long (because they are entire messages), but where powerfully used by God. SO... give up some wasted time watching TV re-runs or playing another game of solitaire and check them out at here...

http://www.usw.salvationarmy.org/youth/sac.nsf

Here's another site worth checking... need a sure fire way to impact someone who is truly in need, visit SAYCause and make a donation... what "extra nicety" could you go without so that others may simply live and our Salvation Army missionaries in hard places can proclaim the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
http://saycause.com/

another tip.... Salvatoinist James Thompson was blogging at "wholly holly", but has now taken everything up a notch - check out the resources for evangelism, ministries, and blog.

http://www.goforsouls.com/blog/

Last but not least - Missionary Jordan Hess (of Homer) visited our Corps to speak on his next things in Peru - here is a like to his web-sit for those soldiers who were asking for it....

http://gohalo.org/home.html

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Sunday's sermon - Tools for peace - Philippians 4:1-7

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God bless your study!
Live holy, preach Jesus!