You have enjoyed yourself in religion long enough.

Does the surging sea look dark and dangerous? Unquestionably it is so. . . . He who calls to you from the sea, however, knows what it will mean; and knowing, He still beckons you, and bids you come. You must do it. You cannot hold back. You have enjoyed yourself in religion long enough. You have had pleasant feelings, pleasant songs, pleasant meetings, pleasant prospects. There has been much of human happiness, much clapping of hands, and firing of volleys—very much of Heaven on earth. Now, then, go to God, and tell Him you are prepared as far as necessary to turn your back upon it all, and that you are willing to spend the rest of your days grappling with these perishing multitudes, cost you what it may.

(General William Booth)

take that, Death.

Could so much of Heaven step through such wreck and chaos of earth, and not declare its reality?
Could spotless Purity pass so near Uncleanness, and fail to put it to shame?
Could Love so strong meet Spite so cruel, and not reprove it?
Could Light from on high touch Darkness so deep, and not reveal it?
Would it be possible for Truth to stand face to face with Lie, and not condemn it?
Their persecutors cried: "The Christians to the lions!"-- and lived to prove Death cannot destroy Christianity.

General Evangeline Booth

Post Resurrection Sunday (also known as Easter)

The whole concept of God dying is still so shocking to me... I'm barely recovered from Advent season and thinking about the incarnation!
That God became man, I cannot understand. I will never fully grasp the depth to which Jesus was plunging when He put on a body. It wasn't a little task, it was more dramatic than crossing dimensions.
The One who created life itself actually experienced losing His own... this is an even greater dive, and my mind is barely able to contain the thought.

Of COURSE He rose from the dead! As if all the powers of hell could keep God down?

Regarding the Evangeline quote:

Jesus, the embodiment of Love, Life, Purity, Truth, etc, entered earth, and even the grave.
Jesus may have left with scars on His hands and feet,
but you should see the other guy.
Death has been murdered by one encounter with the Light of the world.
And nothing will ever be the same again.

you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Mmmm yea, I haven't blogged much this week. Oops.

...

And in closing:

It's possible to be righteous, zealous, holy, and crazy-in-love-with-Jesus,
while also being relevant and non-judgmental.

Righteousness and relevancy-- you can have 'em both!

Relevancy does not need to equal compromise,
and righteousness does not need to equal snobbery.

Don't confuse holiness with religion.

I have decided

Learn a lesson from Lot's wife:

Never look back and long for something that God saved you from.

Learn a lesson from Jesus:

"No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Lk 9:62


Yesterday I spoke about remembering your life before Christ.
That is important.

But that old life is only to be remembered in gratitude that we are no longer there!
It is not to be remembered wistfully, wishing that we could go back.

Are there some things that you need to forget?

Move forward.
Let it go.
and never look back.

a tan in heaven

Today was a hint of spring.

I walked around Mt. Lebanon without a jacket, watching the snow melt and feeling as if I was finally warm and dry for the first time since November. Even my lungs needed a few tumbles in the dryer. The walk was therapeutic.

Back in the core of winter, I had forgotten the feeling of the sun's heat and the smell of grass. When you are warm it is so difficult to remember what it felt like to be cold. When you are cold it is almost impossible to imagine being hot. While experiencing hunger, the sensation of satisfaction seems like a dream. I am certain that in the midst of summertime bliss, memories of "the bleak midwinter" will fade away.

Don't forget where you came from:

"Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ... but now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Ephesians 2:12-13

Remember that it won't always be this hard:

"No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever."
Revelation 22:3-5

LESSON FROM EARLY SPRING--
Remember the winter, but look forward to the summer.

Remember your life without Christ, but look forward seeing Him face to face.

all things are possible

faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith faith


that is what I have been learning about.

• faith that Jesus' death and resurrection was enough to save me. That is one lesson that took me a few years to honestly receive. But when I realized that faith is a risk, and that it defies even logic, I took the leap. And now I'll never go back. :-)

• faith that God forgives me. This is connected to the above point, but it is another aspect of "salvation." I have been learning to come before GOD with confidence, and not shame. We ought to fear God, as He is perfectly holy and powerful beyond our imaginations. However, He really does forgive, if we ask. No more need to be timid.

• faith that the Holy Spirit has transformed me. Wow. I thought that I "got" this lesson 4 years ago, but it's strength is hitting harder than ever. Not only have I been saved from hell, and forgiven by God-- I am also a NEW PERSON. I am not the same Olivia who did all those things that I now hate. He has purified me, and re-created me.

• faith for the transformation of the world. I am being convicted by my lack of faith for others. I pray for my friends to be healed, to be free, to be made whole-- but sometimes I doubt that it is really possible. They seem to far gone. This is not only for individual friends, but also for institutions and churches and cities. God can do anything. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in me, and I now have faith that He can change ANYONE. An addict, an abuse-victim, a hypocrite-- anyone.
  

• faith for the future. I have no need to worry about my life. If I die young, if I get married, if I move overseas, if I have quintuplets, if I get a disease, if I become wealthy, if nothing exciting happens at all-- I know that God holds my future. Everything is within His hands, and I have faith that He's got it covered.

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20

When you feel weakest, dangers surround,
Subtle temptations, troubles abound,
Nothing seems hopeful, nothing seems glad.
All is despairing ; oftentimes sad.

Keep on believing, Jesus is near. 
Keep on believing, there's nothing to fear ; 
Keep on believing, this is the way : 
Faith in the night as well as the day. 

If all were easy, if all were bright. 
Where would the cross be ? where would the fight ? 
But in the hardness God gives to you
Chances of proving that you are true.

God is your wisdom, God is your might ;
God's ever near you, guiding the right ;
He understands you, knows all you need ;
Trusting in Him you'll surely succeed.

Let us press on, then ; never despair !
Live above feeling, victory's there ; 
Jesus can keep us so near to Him,
That nevermore our faith shall grow dim.

scrubba dub dub

"Follow your heart"

"No. The heart is deceptive above all things (Jeremiah 17:9)."

"Aaah! Your heart is not deceptive! Your old heart was when it was filled with sin, but now you are being sanctified, and your new heart is pure! God has given you a clean heart, and it is in line with His will, and it is no longer evil!"

silence.

Have you given your heart away,
and had it returned to you broken?
Ever trusted someone,
and been let down?

Would you trust Someone whose name is LOVE?

It's worth the risk,
He won't let you down.

Give your heart to Jesus now.

varying teas vs. His presence

Last month,
in one day,
I heard two different people describe their versions of Heaven.
They were both hilarious!

One said that Heaven for them would be gospel choir and toaster strudels.
The other, several hours later, said that their Heaven would be a 75 degree snow fall.

Today,
I described my kitchen "tea drawer" as paradise.
(side note: every kind of tea imaginable, decaf and regular, including real British tea ... pretty close to Paradise-- right?)

Listen to this song by Shai Linne,
based on Psalm 73.
The preacher at the beginning and end is John Piper.

Here's the link: My Portion

What if Heaven is perfect:

your favorite food,
your closest friends,
all the luxuries and wealth imaginable,
no sickness, no injuries, no emotional pain,
loads of fun...

but what if God wasn't there?

Would you be satisfied?

"Everyone wants to go to Heaven,
but not everyone wants to spend eternity with God.
Heaven will be filled with people who love God."
(Paul Washer)

Forward

Today is a thinking day.

It's one of those days when brand new concepts just keep
-BAM!-
hitting me in the face.
Things I had never thought before.
It's cool... I guess... but it also makes me want to lay on the floor and look up in despair... praying, "GOD? Really? Can't You just explain it all to me?"

Here's a mini-glimpse into my roller-coaster mind:

Christians today are concerned for the state of the Church. Understandably so. We think that the Church has strayed so far from what it once was.
Christians are always talking about how, "The Church needs to wake up! We need a revival! Why can't we be more like the early Church? Where has our passion gone?"

It seems like we (almost) all agree on this.
So what's the holdup?
Is there some "secret trick" that we're all missing out on?
We sit in judgment of "the Church"-- and I wonder-- who are we blaming?

Also,
are we limiting ourselves by setting our goal at being just like the early Church?
Paul and those guys rocked, but I'm sure that God has something else planned for us now. Something even more amazing.
So I think I might stop looking at the early Church as the prototype for how we should be. I might start looking to the Holy Spirit, and see where He leads us NOW.

Hm.

today

I once asked a friend:

"If you knew that Jesus was going to return at midnight tonight,
how would you spend your day?"

he responded:

"I would go to work, and when i got home, I'd finish my college applications."

I was furious. I immediately disagreed:

"What a waste! That's a stupid way to spend the last day of the world! What I would do is go downtown, and preach like a crazy person on the street corner. I'd try to get as many people saved as i possibly could, no matter how wild i appeared. I'd call up all of my family and friends who aren't saved and tell them! That's the right answer... seriously, man... why would you waste your time going to work and applying for college?"

He said:

"Why do I go to work every day? And why am I working on my college applications? It's because I know that this is what God wants me to do. Olivia, if you would feel convicted to spend your last hours on earth preaching on the street corner, then maybe you should do that every day. Why treat today differently than your last day?"

I left troubled.

More thoughts on finding God's will--

One option is to live every day as if it were our last.
For me, that would mean lots of evangelism.
It would also mean that any temptation to sin would be immediately dismissed.

Should we live as though judgment was around the corner?
Or should we relax, and not be nutcases?

"God's will" in just 27 easy steps

who's gonna help me out with this one?
some people write blogs because they feel like they have a message that they need to tell the world. sometimes i feel like that. and sometimes i write to learn what you think. and sometimes i write to figure out what i think.

i've found that discerning God's will is one of the top issues for us 20-somethings.
none of us know what we're "supposed to do" with our lives,
so we fumble around for answers, while we waste our youthful hours.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 says: "This is God's will: your sanctification."

very few people in history have received a personal and specific direction from the Holy Spirit as to what career or vocation He wants them to pursue.
but every person in history has received the command of God to be holy.

Philippians 3:16 says, "Let us live up to what we have already attained."

don't try to build an Ikea bookshelf starting at step 6, and then move back to step 3.
start at step 1, if you are looking to finish well.

So you know that God wants you to stop getting drunk?
live up to that.
So you know that you're in an unhealthy relationship?
live up to that.
So you know that God wants you to stop speaking harshly?
live up to that.
So you know that God wants you to stop thinking of yourself as better than everyone else?

So you want to know God's will for your life?
your sanctification.

the details will come.

it's time

sometimes you just need to be quiet
and let the Lord talk.

ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh.

listen.

Psalm 18:28-36

For it is You who light my lamp,
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

For by You I can run against a troop
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God, His way is perfect,
the Word of the Lord proves true.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

Who is God but the Lord?
and who is a Rock, except our God?
The God who equips me with strength,
and makes my way blameless.
He made my feel like a deer's,
and sets me secure on the heights.

He trains my hands for war
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You've given me the shield of Your salvation.

Your right hand supported me,
Your gentleness has made me great.
You gave a wide place for my steps under me
and my feet did not slip.

let Him love you

I'm a bit of a "praise and worship"-nazi.
It comes from thinking too much, but it can easily go from there into just being grumpy!

So often our theology is formed out of what we sing, so I try to be careful what words I sing along with before I open my mouth.

One particular strain of worship which used to bug me was singing songs about ourselves and how great it is to be loved and saved and freed.

It seemed funny to sing:
"I am so loved by God!"
rather than:
"I love You so much!"

But here is what I think that I am learning:

God's love for us is absolutely glorious,
and singing about His love for us actually exalts Him!

If we were just singing about the fact that God is "nice" then it really would be selfish. Or if we were just singing about how awesome our lives are it might not be worship.
But that's not the point. The point is: God's love for us is extravagant and immense and divine and powerful. When we shout and sing "OH HOW HE LOVES US!" we're not glorifying our own "lovability" but we are glorifying His amazing sacrifice of love!

So stand up on your chair and praise God with me!

He loves us!!!

urbandictionary has no clue

My name was invented by Shakespeare, apparently. Shakespeare's Olivia, in The Twelfth Night, is a bit of a weirdo. However, I still consider it an honor to be named by one of the greats.

It comes from the word OLIVE.
I've previously taken this to mean "olive branch"-- a symbol of peace.

But here are some new thoughts about this name:

What happens to an olive when it is crushed? Oil.
Hallelujah, I'm telling you, God is crushing me.
Being crushed is a good thing.

As I was recently reminded in a prayer meeting:
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18)

So what if you're not crushed?
Align yourself with those who are.
Share in their brokenness,
become broken,
and the Lord will be near you.


"Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn us,
but He will heal us;
He has wounded us,
but He will bandage us.

So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.
His going forth is as certain as the dawn,
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth."

(Hosea 6)

chick preachers

I'm about to blog on the topic of women in ministry, and I'm terrified!
Please be gracious to me in your comments :o)

I haven't figured it out yet. To be honest, I still haven't found satisfactory interpretations for all of those tricky verses. But I believe that God has called me to preach, and I have to sort out how that can be possible.

I know that my experience of God's call should never contradict the Scriptures, so it's taking some effort to feel comfortable with both the Bible, and my own experience. I've read a lot (both sides of the argument!) and prayed a lot and discussed A LOT, and here are a few of my thoughts at this moment. What follows is "wet cement"-- not settled and permanent, just where I am at in this process.

• In 1 Corinthians Paul says that women should wear head coverings when they pray or prophecy... the head coverings were a cultural symbol of marriage, so we don't need to worry about that! The key thing from those verses is this: women can pray and prophecy in church meetings! Catherine Booth and Phoebe Palmer (who greatly influenced the Booths) think that prophecy and preaching are essentially the same thing...but that's still up for debate!

• Priscilla and Aquila (married couple) pull Apollos aside to teach him the way of God...so this supports women teaching on a personal relational level (even teaching a man). The only issue is the fact that Priscilla's husband was there. Would it have been appropriate for Priscilla to teach Apollos one-on-one? Perhaps not.
  

• The troubling verses in 1 Timothy aren't so troubling when you learn these few things: 1) Timothy was in Ephesus which was a town that worshiped women-- the women in that church needed to be more humble and submissive! 2) Paul isn't saying that they should be "silent" because the Greek word for silent is also used in 1 Corinthians to tell prophets to wait their turn. It doesn't mean completely silent, it just means quieter. 3) The whole chapter is about qualifications for elders, it is not about telling women to get in their place. So, maybe women shouldn't be elders, but I'm still trying to sort out what that means for us now!
  

• And one of the most compelling arguments is simply this: the overwhelming trend in Jesus' culture was chauvinism. When Jesus welcomed women to follow Him, to learn from Him, and when He showed them respect...He was making a bold statement about the value of all people, both genders. So even if women shouldn't be elders or apostles (not even sure if that's true, just saying!) they are CERTAINLY equals.

• I'm mostly viewing it from a Trinitarian perspective. Which means: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all EQUAL in power, authority, and value, but they perform different roles. The Father is sovereign, the Son obeyed the Father, and the Spirit is mysterious and rarely acknowledged...yet they are all God. In the same way, women and men are completely equal, but still completely different! And that's okay! My concern with modern-day feminism is that it tries to take away gender differences in order to find equality. I believe that we can be equal, while still maintaining our feminine identity.

Okay, now I really do want to hear your thoughts,
just be nice to each other, kiddos!
;-)

Here's a lengthy quote from Donald Miller's blog, that made me think:

"I’ve also found that the more I trust in Christ’s redemption to be sufficient, the less overtly religious I am. And, quite honestly, the more suspect overtly religious people become to me. When I’m with somebody who talks zealously about faith, about Jesus, about the Bible, after a while, I find myself wondering whether or not their faith is strong at all.

For instance, if I were with somebody who kept talking about how much they loved their wife, going on loudly and profusely, intuitively I would wonder whether or not they were struggling in their marriage. I would wonder whether they were trying to convince me they loved their wife, or if they were trying to convince themselves. (Now that I think of it, though, some of my favorite people talk about how much they love their wives, but these are less public proclamations and more sighs of appreciation.)

Faith in Christ, for me, is similar. It’s intimate. I’m more comfortable giving quiet prayers, intimate prayers. Often alone, in fact. I speak of faith the way I speak of personal matters. Of course there is a time for proclamations, but that’s the key, isn’t it? There’s a time."

(Donald Miller)

Part of me wanted to immediately jump to the defensive.
But, the other part of me decided to check my motives again,
and maybe you would like to as well:

1)Really, why do you proclaim your faith?

• does it flow out of joy and thankfulness in your heart?
• do you want people to admire you?
• are you trying to convince yourself of what you are saying?

2) Should our relationship with God look like a marriage? (private, intimate, but with obvious allegiance and devotion?)

3) Why do you serve?

• "Paying it forward" what Christ has done for you?
• because you believe there is good in everyone?
• you look to gain some happiness from giving (Oprah theology)?
• so that others will praise you?

4) When you see believers zealous for Christ, do you judge their motives, or are you joyful to see that they are so full?

Here are some appropriate Sara Groves lyrics:

Why do I pray-do I pray to say I prayed an hour?
Why do I love-do I want you beholden to me?
Why do I help-do I want to hear my name called out? Why do I sing?

Search me and know my heart, oh God.
See if there is any wrong thing in me.
All I have ever really wanted are clean hands and a pure heart.

Why do I give-do I give so I can get a blessing?
Why do I praise-do I praise to do the right thing?
Why do I serve-do I serve so others will serve me? Why do I sing?

Search me and know my heart, oh God.
See if there is any wrong thing in me.
All I have ever really wanted are clean hands and a pure heart


What do YOU think?

Sessional Names

The use of sessional names for cadet intakes began with the name ‘Victory' in 1918 and has continued ever since. These names create special links between the many training colleges around the Army world, encourage comradeship among cadets and officers and provide a focus for preaching, teaching and reflection throughout and even beyond the life of a session.
In selecting names for the next five sessions I have tried to keep these things in mind. It has also been my desire to introduce new concepts into the names, but always in keeping with our God-given mission and identity.

The names for future cadet sessions, following Witnesses for Christ (2007-2009), will therefore be:
2008-2010 Prayer Warriors2009-2011 Ambassadors of Holiness2010-2012 Friends of Christ2011-2013 Proclaimers of the Resurrection2012-2014 Disciples of the Cross.

Prayer Warriors: here is a name in keeping with the great need of our time. Prayer is the Army's spiritual engine and the need for those who will be constant and persistent in prayer is as urgent as ever it was. Prayer is a vital weapon in the salvation war, a war we pursue without guns and led by the Prince of Peace. The word ‘prayer' has not previously featured in any sessional name, although we recall with gratitude the Intercessors of 1951-1952 and the Faithful Intercessors of 1997-1999. We thank God also for the Warriors of 1946-1947.

Ambassadors of Holiness: this name brings into focus the holiness teaching which is such a key part of the Army's mission and identity. It reminds us of the need for every officer to understand, to teach and to exemplify the truths expressed in our 10th doctrine. While ‘ambassadors' has been part of three earlier sessional names, this is the first time a sessional name has included the word ‘holiness'.

Friends of Christ: this name signals the close intimacy that all entering into full-time ministry seek to enjoy, encouraging others to become also the friends of Christ in accordance with John 15:14 and in obedience to the divine commands. No previous sessional name has used ‘friends', but seven have included the name of Christ.

Proclaimers of the Resurrection: here is a sessional name which explicitly identifies those using it with the very first Christians. Paul tells us that without the Resurrection there is no hope of salvation (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). Preaching the risen Christ is thus our central mission. No previous sessional name has referred to ‘resurrection', though three have used ‘proclaimers'.

Disciples of the Cross: surprisingly, only twice before has the Cross been referred to in a sessional name - Soldiers of the Cross in 1973-1975, and Crossbearers in 2000-2002. Equally, ‘disciples' has appeared in only one previous name, Disciples of Jesus in 1976-1978. Disciples of the Cross will be a name reminding us to be a Christ-centred, Cross-conscious Army of God, placing Calvary and its meaning at the heart of all we do. Also, a disciple is teachable and humble, attributes without which we can never be all we are intended to be in Christ.

I am aware that the sessional names above have already been announced in some territorial periodicals, and that is helpful. It is appropriate, however, that, of all our publications, The Officer should also carry these details. Officership remains a sacred privilege. We thank God for all forms of full-time ministry in the Army, but officership is still at the heart of Army full-time service. Only officers are covenanted in the terms signed prior to being commissioned. We are a distinctively covenanted community of servants. I still find myself deeply moved whenever I encounter officer colleagues pressing on faithfully and unspectacularly, without gimmicks, offering that classical, self-sacrificing Army service based on availability and mobility arising out of a strong love for God, obedience to the divine voice, a passion for souls and a heart for the needy. Such are those who will read these words. I thank God for all of you.

I first made these new sessional names known at Sunbury Court, near London, during a retreat for commissioners stationed at International Headquarters, who were joined for the day by retired commissioners and retired Generals resident in the United Kingdom. As each sessional name was announced we paused and spontaneous prayer was offered for the unseen, unnamed persons whom God will call into future sessions in training colleges all around the world. These were poignant and memorable moments.

May God continue to call many into the paths of officership, filling places now empty in our colleges, and may these sessional names be blessed and used of God to inspire reflection, preaching and teaching pleasing to him in the years to come!

--The General

wade in the water

Why did Jesus get baptized?

Anyone?

He never sinned, so what was the point?

The best ideas that I can come up with are these:

-To align Himself with John the Baptizer's ministry, like a stamp of approval
-To identify Himself with the people, and show them what they ought to do
-As a prophetic act, symbolizing the cross (death and resurrection)

Any others?

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do!

I am a recovering over-thinker.

If you are like me (or Adam and Eve) then you hunger for knowledge. Over-thinkers like us want to figure it all out. We might admit that we can't know everything...but we're not going to stop until we've absorbed as much as our minds can handle.

To learn is a good thing.
To covet all knowledge is not.

I suppose it's really an issue of motivation-- why do you want to know so much?
Do you want to know God more because you are captivated by Him?
Or for some other reason?

My thoughts, my research, my concerns, my doubts
can burden me like nothing else.

Sometimes my thoughts are so heavy that I am even demotivated to pray or to sing, because I'm too busy dissecting words and lyrics.

People sometimes tell me that I should write or preach, and all I can think is,
"I'm just...so...tired. I don't want to process it all anymore. There is too much to say and to write, I'll burn out. Just let me keep reading."

Well, time to get over it, Miss Livi!

Time to rise up in holy energy and find joy in the journey.

We should never turn off our brains,
HOWEVER, we also should NEVER let knowledge become our IDOL.

Time to worship God!


So now I'm singing singing singing all the time!

My former Corps Officer said:
In a basketball game, the way to destroy the opposition is not to hit the players.
The way to destroy the opposition is to get the ball in the basket.
We could spend our efforts trying to beat up the devil,
or we could worship. Worshipping is getting the ball in the basket.

Tired of sin? Tired of injustice? Tired of depression?
Don't just fight it,
WORSHIP GOD!

Thanks for reading my process.