“At night Christ was born, a light in darkness; noonday turned to night when Christ suffered and died on the Cross. But in the dawn of Easter morning Christ rose in victory from the grave.” [1]  

When I first read that the contrast of night and day struck me in a new way.  In the darkness, Christ was born. He was the light in the dark world. And when Christ was crucified, the daylight turned to darkness. Darkness is often seen in a negative way and yet, it is often in those ‘dark nights of the soul’ that we are drawn closer to our Creator.  Mother Theresa spoke about the dark night of the soul recognizing that it is used by God to “attach us to Him alone, an antidote to our external activities….a way of keeping us humble in the midst of applauses, publicity, praises, appreciation, etc. and success”[2]  

As we enter the Advent Season, we often long for the LIGHT of the world and our focus is on Jesus’ birth. But we cannot forget that HE came in the night ~ into the darkness of the world. Often during this season, we are very busy with external activities and yet we have the opportunity to share in the dark nights of people’s lives. We have the opportunity to journey with them ~ and to share the light of Christ. It is my prayer that as we recognize and experience the darkness of this world that we will be drawn closer to our Lord, that we will attach ourselves to him, and that He will be glorified through our actions.   

Prayer by Sarah Masen  

“MY LITTLE BLUE BOOK”   

THE DAYLIGHT IS ITS OWN HALLELUJAH   

I GUESS IT IS HELPING US TO STAND  

BRINGING HOPE LIKE THE MORNING  

AND SOME THINGS I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND    

HOLY HOLY 

THE BONE AND THE GOSPEL  

THE WORD MADE FLESH 

DWELLING AMONG US 

AMONG US  

THANK YOU FATHER 

FOR JOY DESPITE OURSELVES 

FOR NEVER REALLY BEING ALONE 

THANK YOU FOR MERCY, FOR MERCY  

FOR WATER THAT TASTES LIKE PEOPLE SOMETIMES 

BEAUTIFUL MESSY PEOPLE 

DRINKING US THE WATER OF LIFE 

YOU ARE CONSTANCY   

NOT WITHHOLDING, NEVER WITHDRAWING 

HELP US REMEMBER 

THAT THE WORK OF LOVING YOU AND OUR NEIGHBORS  

IS A JOY, A THANKSGIVING, A GIFT 

AN ACT OF GRATITUDE 

THANK YOU 

BREAK US AND CALL US YOUR OWN  

AMEN.[3]  

Captain Shari Russell

Post written by Captain Shari Russell.  Shari is appointed to the Training College as an Instructor and Field Training Officer.  Her and her husband Captain Robert Russell have three children, C.J., Gavin, and Brannon.  

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[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community. (New York: Harper & Row, 1954). 40.  

[2] Kolodiejchuk, Brian (ed.) Mother Theresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta. (New York: Doubleday Broadyway Publishing Group, 2007).  

[3] Jimmy Abegg. (compiled) Ragamuffin prayers. (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2000). 108.

“January is a month of new beginnings.  It is a time for New Year’s Resolutions.  It is a time of fresh starts and of new hopes for the coming year.  However, very often the hope is short-lived and frustration and disappointments follow.  As a result, certain skepticism can set in and many people abandon the idea of new beginnings altogether. 

When we look at the origin of the word January, we can see why it is an appropriate name for the first month of the year.  January is called after a Roman god Janus. In sculpture he is represented as having two faces.  One is looking backwards and one is looking forward. 

Provided we keep the whole exercise in perspective there can be value in reviewing what has passed.  We can draw encouragement from those things which have been good and successful.  We can learn from our failures and disappointments.  With this accumulation of past experience we can realistically look toward the future. We can make resolutions that are more than wishful thinking. We can plan intelligently and seek new power for a better future.

There is one concept that we need to keep in mind. It is that Christianity is a pilgrimage. Acts 9:2 calls the earliest Christians,”Followers of the way.” To look back, in an attempt to recapture the past, is a fatal mistake.  It is a denial of the concept of God’s people on the move.  God is with us on our pilgrimage.  When we dwell too much on the past, we deny that Christianity is a pilgrimage.

When we dwell too much on the past, it has a crippling affect on us. Jesus warned us that, “No one puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”  Luke 9:62.

The past can teach us valuable lessons.  However, we can be guilty of the backward glance to such an extent that we fail to see the possibilities of the future. 

The backward glance has its pros and cons. What about the forward glance.  This is where the New Years Resolutions come in.  As someone says, “He, who fails to plan, plans to fail.”  Setting goals and writing them down, such as in New Year’s resolutions, is a key to creating a fulfilling future.

However there is also a danger here as well.  The notice on the tradesman’s counter read, “Free provisions tomorrow.”  If our expectations are always in the future, we can be guilty of not making commitments in the present.

Whether we are guilty of looking too much into the past or too much into the future at the beginning of the New Year, there are a few things to keep in mind. First there is no magical power in the turning of the last page of the calendar.  Secondly, unless, we allow God’s Holy Spirit to revolutionize us, we won’t be any better spiritually in 2011 than we were in 2010. 

Revolution is the inward working of grace which makes us new creations in Christ and keeps us growing in grace. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

God’s Holy Spirit gives the power for revolution.  Our part is to cooperate with God and this will take resolution on our part.  This is a deliberate act of the will.  You can’t depend on the past. You can’t look at the future with warm fuzzy eyes that will keep us from commitment. 

Revolution represents God’s grace. Resolution represents man’s responsibility.  These two combine to bring spiritual growth as we face a New Year.”

Post written by Major Eric Bond.  Major Eric Bond and his wife Major Donna Bond are stationed at the College for Officer Training.  Major Eric is the Training Principal. 

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The house, perched on a pint-sized island, had been her family’s haven for 24 years. Now a charred, flaming skeleton stood in its place. Her treasures – family photographs, the mandolin her grandfather had made and sent from Finland, and numerous precious articles and family memories were destroyed.

“The house and everything gone”, thought Ann.” This is a huge loss but we are safe. Our kids are safe. Fire cannot steal the happy memories made here. We still have the things that really matter. And we’re not alone – God knows our situation and He is with us”.

Ann and her husband eventually walked around the smoldering embers and surveyed the damage. Finally, realizing they should break the news to their children before someone else did, they turned to leave. As they did, an object on the wharf railing caught Ann’s attention.

“What is that?”, she asked no one in particular. When she drew closer, she recognized it as a book’s blackened remains. The title, scarcely visible, read ‘Count Your Blessings’.

Ann picked it up and showed it to her husband and the firefighters. “Did you place this book on the railing?”, she asked one after another. But none had seen or touched it. “It must have floated into the air and then landed there on its way down”, suggested one fellow.

How that book settled in the exact place where Anne would see it as she left the island remains a mystery. But one thing is sure – its message instantly cast a proper perspective on her situation and Ann holds fast to that perspective today.

We struggle with issues of stuff. Of Christ’s 38 parables, 17 of them refer to possessions. The whole of Scripture refers to issues of stuff 2172 times. “That’s three times more than love, seven times more than prayer, and eight times more than belief”, says Wesley Willmer, author of ‘God and Your Stuff.’

In Genesis 22, we have the familiar story of Abraham and Isaac. Isaac was Abraham’s most treasured possession. You likely know the story. Genesis 22:14 describes God’s name as Jehovah Jireh, – the God who will provide or The God who will see to it.

David Wilkerson said, “Almost all new discoveries of God – all fresh revelations of his person, nature and character are tied to some crisis, some intense human experience. “

In Mark 12:41-44 we have the story of the not so Worried Widow. Take time to read it. She probably had some fears, such as no food, how will I pay the bills, etc. Maybe she remembered another widow in 1 Kings 17:9-16. She was the one for whom God provided flour and oil after she used her last grocery basics to bake bread for the prophet Elijah despite her own impending starvation.

Whatever enabled this poor widow to trust God in the face of adversity, her example challenges us to do the same when the going gets tough. She set an example for us. We need to trust God in all circumstance of life. We need to let go of our stuff. We are challenged to open our hands and say to the Lord, “It’s yours. Do with it as you please. I trust you to care for me.”

Any wrong or excessive attachment to stuff that we have is an open door for the enemy to enter our lives.

Are you able to let go of the stuff in your life and trust God to supply all your needs?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You alone are able to provide for creation’s needs. Thank you for doing it so faithfully. Help me trust you as simply as the wild animals and birds do. Teach me to honor you and place my hope in your unfailing love. Amen.

Post written by Major Eric Bond.  Major Eric Bond and his wife Major Donna Bond are stationed at the College for Officer Training.  Major Eric is the Training Principal.