Vision Casting - Our local thoughts

Finally found a document today, outlining some brainstorming and visioning we were doing early in the year for our local Salvation Army Corps. Here's some of the words we started with (in no particular order):

* Belief
* Outreach
* Active/Dynamic
* Vibrant
* Welcoming/Accepting
* Faith
* Forgiving
* Teaching
* Love
* Inclusive
* Holistic
* Spiritually hungry

Then some phrases/thoughts about our church:

* Invading the city
* LOVE of God -> Love Revolution
* Expanding our ministries
* Signing up for the cause of the Gospel
* Refuge, Fortress, Haven

Then some important people groups:

* Families
* The needy
* Prisoners
* The broken
* Migrants
* Indigenous
* General Relationships
* Sick
* Elderly
* Children/Youth
* Street people

Then we attempted to put this vision in writing... This still needs to be edited, shortened and reworked, but here's what we came up with on that hot, humid night earlier in the year:

* We aim to be a dynamic Army of Salvation, at work helping the lost & spiritually hungry to find real love, acceptance & belonging in Jesus. We see a haven for the broken-hearted, a centre of growth equipping people for mission, a place to teach families to live holistically, a light of hope for future generations, and a revolution of God's love impacting the City of Palmerston.

Throw your thoughts our way. God bless you.


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What is Spiritual Mapping?

What is Spiritual Mapping? Find out below.
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Thanks James for your stories on ministry at the Mind, Body & Soul Festival. Check it out at: http://www.woetome.wordpress.com/
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Feeling anxious or stressed? Paul says in Phillipians - don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petetion makes your requests known to God... Then what? Then the peace of God will guard your mind and hearts in Christ Jesus. This is something to hold on to.
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Someone convince me Twitter is worth it. I have lost interest recently!
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God is stirring up his people. We have been talking, within our Palmerston Minister's Fellowship about Spiritual Mapping. So what is Spiritual Mapping? Here's some excerpts from the Australian Prayer Network (www.ausprayernet.org.au/teaching ):
Spiritual Mapping, "is an attempt to see our region as it really is and not as it appears to be....it is the discipline of diagnosing the obstacles to revival in a given community through fervent prayer and diligent research. Cindy Jacobs says it is the researching of a city to discern any inroads Satan has made, which prevent the spread of the gospel and its evangelization for Christ.
Victor Lorenzo is an experienced mapper in Argentine. He believes that spiritual mapping combines research, divine revelation, and confirmatory evidence in order to provide complete and exact data concerning the identity, strategies and methods employed by spiritual forces of darkness to influence the people and the churches in a given region"

It makes me think about the 12 that went out to check on this 'promised land' and what was ahead of them. What did the enemy look like? What were the obstacles? What was God saying to them? Remember Caleb and Joshua's response compared with the other 10? Let's go!! Let's do it!
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There's more to life than work, rest and play. What about prayer, worship and ministry?

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What is discontent?

What is discontent? What does it mean to be discontented? Well, dictionary.com says discontent is, 'A lack of being content' or rather, 'A restless longing for better circumstances'. Have you ever felt discontented?

In September 1865, William Booth writes these words about his feelings of discontentment:
'The moral degradation and spiritual destitution of the teeming populations of the East of London are subjects with which the Christians of the metropolis are painfully conversant. Many true hearted and zealous labourers are toiling in the spirit of the Master to stop the mighty tide of iniquity and to pour the glorious light of the Gospel in upon the dense darkness everywhere abounding - yet seeing these labourers only as a faint lone star whose light but reveals the surrounding darkness. A city missionary, living in this neighbourhood, says that there are hundreds who need to be taught the existence of God...'

This is a point I want to make: William Booth has pain in his heart, a kind of discontent about the situation of East London, and God laid on his heart a response. What was the response? The response was the beginnings of The Christian Mission (1865), and then the name change to The Salvation Army (1878).

Discontent --> Response

Moses was discontent with the situations in Egypt with the Israelites in Slavery. His response was, with God's intervention, to deliver the people from Egypt.

John the Baptist was discontent about the lack of holiness of some, so his response was to preach holiness.

Paul became discontent about the persecution of these new 'followers of Jesus', and his response was to preach the Gospel to those who haven't heard the gospel.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was discontent with the church forcing people to literally pay money for their sins to be forgiven. His response - articles, letters, books and preaching in relation to these corrupt practices.

It seems that God uses our discontent to drive us to respond. I know of evangelists, who are in pain that people haven't responded to the gospel, so they preach repentance. I know of social activists who are frustrated that human trafficking is a billion dollar industry that abuses thousands of women and children, so they become a voice for the hurting. I know of someone who is discontent that some children have no family and there is a waiting list for foster care... her response? Foster caring up to 10 children at once.

What are you discontent about? Lazy churches? Injustice? Lack of prayer? Dirty worship halls? Sexual abuse? Inhumane treatment of refugees?

Why don't you stop now... And tell us what YOUR discontent is!

Let God use this discontent to drive you to respond! 


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