a holistic salvation

over the past year our corps has engaged in providing a place for an education program called "Catalyst" to run from our premises.
It engages with at risk youth of high school age who have either been expelled or do not even attend. These kids are rated in the top 10 most at risk kids at spiraling into the life of crime drugs and all that goes with these types of activity. The program is founded by a Lutheran pastor who saw an opportunity to reach out to these lost kids and give them what would be considered their last hope in getting back on the straight and narrow in education and life. Our corps saw a wonderful opportunity to network and value add to this program. To help reach out to the least last and lost of our community for salvation in body mind and spirit. a holistic salvation is something i like to call it. incidently this was a vision of our corps that has only just been established at the beginning of the year.
This program is in its first year of operation and we have had some really significant wins for many of the students. The wins consist of attendance firstly they have been regularly coming to an education program that was rare for 99% of the students. They would be lucky to get to school at all almost all. The students are engaging with the program over 70% of the time which is remarkable. We thank god for this.

We have only scratched the surface with these kids lives they are still tender and on a knifes edge every day. We don't know if it could blow up one minute or the kids engage positively into the curriculum the next.

The education provided is a project base learning experience, quite different to the main stream learning. yet its working for these kids. these student will probably never be "A" grade students actually if we put them in the normal school setting they would probably still struggle to pass . The point is the education and learning they are getting is about helping them move from the class room to the work force to set about the students becoming a more positive participant in society than one that is negitive.
Where is God in all this some may say? God is there before we open the doors and He is last to leave Each and every day. We look into to the eyes of these kids and we see Jesus. Each day we hear Jesus say to us "When did you feed me, when did you clothe me, when did you visit me" I also hear him say "When did you educate me". Then, when we see the kids eyes look back to us we see jesus and he says through their eyes,

"When you feed us each day, when you work along side me and clothe me
with support and encouragement, when you pick me up and drop me home each day, when you sit with me and help me read the paper."

That is when we see Jesus.

So God is with us we have no doubt, my only hope and prayer now is, that the students will also see Jesus as I see him and through that they may accept him as their lord and savior.

that would just about make this effort perfect in reaching the least last and lost for salvation in body mind and spirit. An holistic salvation

SORRY DAY

This week is a significant week for Australia with a loud audible voice expressing SORRY to a stolen generation of indigenous people and thos SORRY echoing across this great land. I woke to watch and listen to this significant and historic moment. The Sorry day will not fix the past, this day will not change the people still affected by the result of being stolen from their families. It is but the start of a journey of reconciliation towards unity and acceptance, to live in harmony with each other accepting each others differences and celebrating our similarities. I believe we are on the first step of this journey. Just like it is with our father God we are on a journey of reconciliation with Him to become united with Him. Just as with God we need to ask forgiveness and sorry for the wrongs of our life. We also as a nation need to apologise and repent and to say sorry for our wrongs. I remember my father use to say that we need to say sorry sometimes even though we weren't at fault because only then can reconciliation start to occur. Today is one of those days. I applaud the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the government for taking this strong yet courage's discission.
Saying sorry is never easy and always comes at a cost, but in the end we will be a better nation because of it.
I believe this type of response that had to come about because of a divided and damaged relationship is in parallel to what drove God to inspire people to bring about what we now call the holy bible. He inspired the bible so that we can be reconciled back to him and because of that this sorry day is significant.
Today I echo this same response.

I'M SORRY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fathers day

Well Fathers day is just about over and the kids have just settled into bed. Ros is cleaning and I'm reflecting on fathers day.
I see how precious children are and how significant they are to the family unit,even though they can make life very hectic. Its in children, fathers can realise what its like for God our heavenly Father.
I was talking to a church member today and he shared about how the family unit has been breaking down over time. We reflected on how it was back in the old testament times with families , in that each family member knew their family heritage what part of the twelve tribes of Israel they came from and each and everyone of their for fathers.
It got me thinking may be we lose something when we forget about our own ancestry. I remember someone saying once "we wont know were we are going until we know were we have been." I feel this may mean something in our family lives as well.
Just as it was with the Israelites and God, God had to make them see their heritage so that that He could direct their future. I see that today when we forget about our heritage in the family we forget about how we can not only be proud of our families past but also live on with it. Sure we can all find faults with family and our family history but just as God did with his people the Israelites, may be we need to look at our own heritage, our own family heritage and may be their is something we find that will surprise us. In that when searching I may find that I'm connected to a person that had made a significant positive influence on society, and if one part of may family did this then there is no reason why I cant. This I believe is something we can all aspire to , and it may surprise us that we can be proud of our family no matter what we see it like now, and look forward to a brighter future because we have seen and recognised our past so that we can move on with a future with hope.

Well this is my first ever blog, my first ever posting, I've finally come into the 21st century.

I've noticed that we can express our thoughts, passions and visions, our agreements and disagreements, our victories and our defeats but most of all, our Journey in this life and for me this life as a christian. Whats more a Christian Salvo .

I hope as people read and as I reflect on life as a recently commissioned salvo officer, that I can express thoughts and make you think about being a Christian in a post modern generation that needs Jesus Christ to have hope in a world slowly dying. I hope that this blog will grow in how I express my passionate Christianity through this blog I've named "Passionate Salvo Australia"