This morning we sang together a song in the SASB, I don’t remember what it is called, but I imagine it would be called, The World For God.  I think Phil Leager might have recently done a new tune to this one.  One line stuck out to me in particular, “The World to Christ we Bring”.  In Evangelism, I always think that when we bring souls to Christ, it is a gift for that weary soul (which it is), but this time singing it the Lord showed me the same line in a different light…that by saving souls we are bringing a gift also to Christ…kind of makes evangelising that much more motivating doesnt it.

If you tune into the live broadcasting you can check out a unexpected Mime.  I don’t have words to describe it.  While you’re at it, stay and listen to a powerful word by Commissioners Sue and Barry Swanson.  What an amazing start to an amazing day.

“It’s impossible to think about commitment without action” – Comissioner Barry Swanson, COS

I really liked the Comissioners meeting this morning, (again check out the video on www.raisedup.org).   God spoke to me a lot that meeting…and I was in the presence of God.  I knew I needed to publically declare my sacrifice for His glory…the mercy seat was filling up, fast too..I was kind of half waiting for them to put out the drums (refer to yesterdays post, on the Army tradition of using drums as Mercy Seats, when the Mercy Seats fill up, TSA has been doing it for years) before I went up anyways.

Major Sandra Ryan spoke this morning as well.  Hers is online too. 

She describes living with sin in two ways: 1) The Credit Card Effect, Sin now, pay later.  2) The butterfly effect, I sin, they pay.

And Im not even going to write about the last meeting we just had, you must go online and watch Lt-Colonel Janet and Richard Munn preach to us on Discipline.  How it is discipline that frees us, and discipline that positions us near the fire.

________________________________________

Here at WYC, there is a place called Tent City.  Not anything like the ones we talked about in February, actually nothing at all like that.   But it is a bunch of tents set up in the field.  These tents have a variety of purposes…and all have a title, “Time 2 Pray”, “Time 4 Counselling”, “Time 2 Dream” etc…and the one that features The War College, is “Time 2 Study”. I spend some of my free time here at this one.  And it really has been my best meeting place for new friends.  I get to do two of my favourite things, make new friends and talk about The War College.  Theres been quite a bit of interest…please pray that God will clearly speak to people who are thinking about joining The War College. 

Ive also gotten to meet and hang out a bit with the “Time 2 Be Holy 458″ crew that spent the past three weeks together in prayer, holiness and mission.  Their comeradery is obvious and apparent.  I plugged this idea to a few of them, imagine a year together at The War College.  Some people might have bitten that hook!  But seriously, if any of you 458 gang are reading this, it wasn’t a directed comment or a lightly said recruitment plug – but perhaps an inspired thought.  Imagine this, all that Praying the Bible, Holiness and Covenant Teaching, Army History, and worship together married to the Social Holiness aspect that drew you all so close together and so close to God – imagine all of that being lived out for an entire year.  This would be a huge blessing to you guys, and very impactful for both yourselves and The War College.  This could be HUGE!  Lord Grant It. 
If youre not a 458 delegate, but perhaps know one of them and you think its a good diea, plug away and pray with me.

And tune in tonight for Q and A with the General…730pm Stockholm time.

Grace,

Nicole

What a day.

You know, I have never once doubted my commitment to The Salvation Army.  I have never once thought that I should switch denominations or worship elsewhere.  I have never questioned whether TSA was for me or not.  I want to make that clear.  But tonight, it was solidified in me, that I will spend the rest of my life serving God and suffering humanity with The Salvation Army.  Now yes, I solidified that the day I signed the articles of war, I know that, but tonight something ‘rose up’ in me.  Check it out online, www.raisedup.org, especially that opening song…golly wolly.

Tonight the General spoke these things:

“As soon as we come into the building, it becomes a Holy Place (becuase we are a Holy people”, wow.

“You get clean hands on your knees”

Two things I learned:

1) Brengle called his sanctification a baptism of Christlike love.  May we all be sanctified.

2) When the Mercy Seat filled up in Army meetings, they place the drums  out as mercy seats – so cool.

And that is just the main session, some REALLY cool things are happening all around not being caught on camera.  Mostly things like the African delegation breaking out in beautiful song and harmony, or meeting new pepole and faces.  Seeing God work in so many people.

God is so good.

Today, the Canadian delegation for the WYC begun training in Toronto as we prepare to head off to Sweden.

We arrived at THQ this morning to join in with their chapel service.  It was really nice.   Our Territorial Leaders, although couldn’t make it in person, greeted us via video and prayed for us and sent us out as representitives of the Canada and Bermuda Territory…it was really powerful and encouraging. 

Major Geoff Ryan of 614 Toronto delivered us a word on holiness.  The conference we are going to is called Raised Up (check it out, www.raisedup.org, plus they are live streaming the sessions), and is centralised around a theme of holiness.  Here are some points from Major Ryan that I jotted down:

He suggested that we may have some backwards theology when we view holiness in The Salvation Army more as our history and less as our future .

He talked about how we sometimes use the opposite of Holiness, sin, as the lense to view holiness through…when REALLY we should be viewing Holiness through the lense of God (far from sin) as He is Holy. 

“Holiness has less to do with us then we think.  God is Holy”

“Repairing the unity of the divine in the Human.” (is what Holiness could/should be)

“”The Holy Place” is in the midst of community.”  and that community for salvationists is particulaly the naked, the poor, the hurting and the dying.

He also suggested that our crisis experience (assuming he is reffering to the process, CRISIS, process model) is this: OTHERS.

Following THQ we had some time to tour downtown Toronto and make any final last minute purchases or other errends before we leave for Sweden tomorrow.

I’ll try and post daily during the conference – lest I can’t, don’t forget the live streaming on www.raisedup.org.

Grace,

Nicole

I got to spend the past week at The Salvation Army’s beautiful Camp Sunrise in BC.  Camp Sunrise, is a very special place to me, close to my heart.  This past week, I got to see this place become just that to 120 other young people throughout BC.  If you weren’t there, let me share some highlights.  If you were there, comment away and share your highlights.

I’ve been involved, in some form- whether as a camper, staff, or leader, with Teen Camp for the past 12 years, and I’ve seen a varity of things ranging from baseball bats to heads, kids popping E or other drugs, and numbers of kids being sent home.  Every year something major like that happens, not this year. Not only didn’t nothing ‘majorlly bad’ happen, but this was one of the best groups of teens I have ever had the priviledge of leading.  Responsable and submissive/participatory.  Great Week.

Highlights – hands down, a ton of kids repented and chose salvation.  Chose to be written into God’s story.  Doesn’t get better then that. Aaron White spoke on the Power of Story and used the Prodigal Son Parable.  He sharred the power of our stories, that the Bible is God’s Story, that there are stories of tradgedy, stories of transformation and stories with surprise or happy endings, and told great stories about golfing, ziplocs, Africa and tornado’s.  He challenged us with a question, and I’ll leave it here to challenge you to.  What direction is your story going.  Is it leading to life or is it leading to death and tradgedy.

My greatest highlight might have had to have been the Wednesday night campfire.  See, I love stories, moreoever, I love hearing people’s personal stories.  I’m highly relational, and therefore highly interested in peoples backgrounds, childhoods, culture and experiences.  At this particular campfire, I got to hear 25-30 (or so) young people share about their lives.  There were stories of encouragements, stories of sorrow, stories of hope and stories of tradgedy.  It was a time that brought us as a Teen Camp, potentially for the first time ever, or maybe the deepest time ever, together as a community.  The things sharred let us enter one anothers lives, it let us know people fuller, so we can love them fuller.  Great night.  Great Week.

Jausting (sp?), another great highlight.

And I think, this was the first teen camp where one of the delegates is an accepted War College Student.  He testifies that this years Teen Camp has preparred him for his coming year at The War College – I can see that.

(we aslo had a leader at TC this year who is accepted to TWC, but we might have had that in the past…)

So I get these weekly updates from facebook saying how many new friends/members The War College gets in one week.  Facebook started doing this about a month ago.  I was really surprised at how many visits The War College on facebook gets in an average week, so I’ve been trying to update it and maintain it better then I was.  Below is the most recent update.  I’d love to know who the 277 people are who are visiting the site (or the one person who visits 277 times – either way is impressive to me!)  So let’s try this experiment.  Leave a short comment or something on The War College group every time you visit it this week, and let’s see what Facebook sends me in the next update!.

Here is this week’s summary for the Facebook Page: The War College

+4 fans this week (396 total fans)
0 Wall posts, comments and likes this week (2 last week)
277 visits to your page this week(261 visits last week)

————————————

www.thewarcollege.com is still accepting applications – only a few spots left, apply today.

———————————–

www.raisedup.org, check it out for daily updates by Major Stephen Court on Time to be Holy 458.  The WYC starts in a fortnight, I’ll try and follow Stephen’s example and give daily updates here on www.thewarcollege.com.

———————————-

www.armybarmy.com/blog.html

———————————-

www.24-7prayer.org

———————————

Hello from Swift Current, Saskatchewan!

So far my summer assignment has been an invaluable experience! It’s been stretching, challenging, eye-opening, fun, full of new experiences, and most of all a time and place where I have continued to meet with God. I am learning on a whole new level how to rely on him for my every need. It was tough at first to leave a place where I had grown comfortable and come to a completely difference place with all new people, but that’s been good for me.

I do a range of different things… from organising kids for an adventure camp that I’ll be going on in July, to preparing and leading bible studies, worship leading, participating in kids band, helping in the food bank, cooking bbq’s, hanging out with a lady called Roxanne and her son Daniel, going to soldier’s class, helping with a Mother’s group, and just going to events going on the community. I also got to go up to Maple Creek as part of an emergency services team to help with the flooding.

The Lord has been humbling me, continuing to speak to me, opening my eyes and my heart, and giving me renewed passion. I am praying for an even better next month!

Love.

Could this be the mark of regular blogging from Nicole on www.thewarcollege.com?
I’m going to try and post three times a week!
(I’d aim higher, but I’ll just start here and work my way up)
Hold me to it.  If you notice that I haven’t posted in a few days email me, or leave a comment (comments get delivered to my inbox), and tell me to get on it.
____________________________

Have you been keeping up with Time to Be Holy 458 (based out of SASB 458).  Check out www.raisedup.org for daily posts. 

You can also join in on discussions at www.sendthefire.ca as delegates pre-read New Love and The Uprising.

In 3 short weeks The Salvation Army World Youth Convention is going to be held in Stockholm Sweden.  I’ll try and be disciplined enough to keep everyone updated if I have access to the Internet daily. I hear they are going to live stream sessions – so keep checking out the raisedup website.
___________________________

The War College students are in their third week of their Summer Assignments.  I think some students are going to give us an update here shortly, so keep coming back.
____________________________
Interested in TWC? 
There are still a few spots left for the 2010-2011 Session of The War College, The Blood and Fire session.  Hit the top right link “apply” to get to our online application form.

Blessings,
Nicole

What Session where you in?
 The Holy______ Session!  The biggest, craziest, and best 
 
Most memorable War College moment?
This is the most impossible question on earth!  People always ask me for War College stories….but there are so many…because every single day is literally full of adventure and danger and absolutely wacko experiences.
But since I have to pick just one– helping a woman named Valerie walk two blocks to get food.  Those two blocks took at least 45 minutes because she was so severely crippled and weak.  At one point she fell from the shopping cart she had been using as a crutch, and some drug dealers started to mock her.  One friend of mine bravely stood up to them and defended her.  As we continued walking we started to talk about heaven.  Valerie looked up at me with tears in her eyes and asked, “do you REALLY think Heaven is real?”  she was desperately longing for relief from her life of pain and slavery. this experience confirmed my own faith, and reminded me of WHY we evangelize.  She needed hope.
 
Favourite Class?
Anything Stephen Court taught…we always had exciting discussion.
I also particularly loved “Extreme Holiness” with Jonathan Evans– it totally opened my eyes and changed my life forever.  The doctrine of Holiness is crazy and awesome! 
Oh, and “Extreme Prophetic” with Jenni!  It usually turned into a prayer meeting….
 
If you were reunited with your session, what would you say?
 1. Thank you 2. Never give up 3. Live up to what you have already attained 4. PTLH!
 
What are you doing now?
I am the Divisional Creative Arts Director in Western Pennsylvania… it sounds fancier than it really is!    I teach dance and I disciple teenagers.
I’m also applying for Training College… we shall see!
 
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Lord willing, a Corps Officer.  Still preaching, discipling, praying, worshipping, building relationships, trying new things… just like in The War College 
 
If you were superman, what injustice would you fight first?
Sheesh…well first of all, Jesus is doing a much better job than superman ever could.  Secondly… racism.  That one just destroys my heart and fills me with anguish.  It will be GONE in the new Kingdom, and it’s being eradicated already every time someone submits to Christ.
 
What are your spiritual gifts?
Leadership, evangelism, service.  Or something like that.
 
Why should our readers apply to The War College?
They should apply if they want to get trained for battle.  If they don’t care about the worldwide spiritual battle that we are in, then they definitely should NOT apply.  But if they want to pick up their weapon and run onto the bloody battlefield equipped…then they should go to the War College first.  It will help get them ready.  They should also apply if they want to “detox” from “normal” church life…does that make sense?  If the kind of Christianity they see seems watered down and they are looking for real depth, they will see it at the War College. If they love the broken-hearted, if they love to pray, and if they aren’t aren’t pansies, then they should go.

Posting that Job Discription had me realise that it would be nice to post on here where our Students are going this summer:

To Charlotte NC (yes, where the job description below is for) goes BRAD MARSH.

OLIVA SHARPE heads west to Beautiful Victoria BC (a placement very close to this writers heart)

Swift Current SK, will be introduced to powerhouse RACHEL SLOPER.

SYLVIA OVERTON goes to Chicago IL, and home of The War College Chicago Campus!

And, us here at 614 Vancouver are blessed to fight alongside MITCHELL STEVENS as he stays here this summer with his wife!

Hallelujah!

God Bless The War College!

The Salvation Army
614 Charlotte

Urban Outpost Directors (2 full-time positions)

Located in Charlotte North Carolina, USA
Salary: Approx. 25,000 Each, Annually
Start Date: Approx. July 26, 2010

Mission: To win the world for Jesus, starting in Charlotte, NC

General Duties and Responsibilities: To strive to fulfill the mission of 614 Charlotte, the vision of Charlotte Area Command and ultimately to win the world for God.

Detailed Duties and Responsibilities:

to maintain a close and intimate relationship with Jesus from which to minister effectively to all people whom we engage

to strive to ensure that each person we engage experiences the love of God in a practical way, and is treated as a person for whom Jesus died.

to take on, in consultation with the Charlotte Area Commanders such other duties and responsibilities required for the fulfillment of the mission

to lead and multiply cell groups in Charlotte, these form the authentic Christian community known as 614 Charlotte

to oversee the day to day management of the neighborhood after-school center known as “The Playhouse” this is the hub of our ministry and where cell groups, discipleship, social services, Sunday meetings and community social action flows from

Chaplaincy at the Salvation Army’s Women & Children Shelter for women and youth

Actively involved in Salvation Army Christmas Activities – Christmas Kettles, Adopt-A-Family and Angel Tree

To apply and for further inquiry please contact:

Sergeant Rob Dolby:
Rob.Dolby@uss.salvationarmy.org
704-591-2574

We are also recruiting tentmakers.

To read about this social and spiritual journey of 614 Charlotte from its inception, check out our blogs at:
http://www.614charlotte.blogspot.com/ for present entries
and http://www.614firecrest.blogspot.com/ for 2008 and prior entries

Sgt. Heather Dolby
The Salvation Army
Charlotte, NC