Notes from the Journey - BlogNotes from the Journey - Bloghttps://www.andersen.lv/blogsFri, 29 May 2026 07:40:32 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Running Late. Running Low. Running Away?]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/running-late.-running-low.-running-away

I haven’t been running much lately. At least not the way I want to.


I was doing really well with my running last year. Most weeks I was out 4-5 times and I was fitter than I’d been for years. I was on track for a new PB for 10K in January and have even signed up for my first half marathon in May 2026.


As we set off for a week in Jamaica (I know, such a hard life!) I brought my running shoes, even if I knew heat and safety on the roads would not be conducive to running. I did manage one time on a treadmill, which reminded me how boring it is to move for a long time and never getting anywhere. On a stop-over in London, I was out running twice ignoring jet-lag and was encouraged that my fitness hadn’t dropped.


And then… life happened


Turned out I hadn’t just come home with a tan, but also shingles. A quick Google confirmed what my body already knew: running wasn’t recommended — and even if it had been, I didn’t feel remotely up for it.


A week later I had a planned minor surgery, and was told not to exercise for a week or so. Then came a mountain retreat: beautiful, yes — but hilly roads, poor sleep, and everything else meant no running there either.


Three weeks passed. Shingles had calmed, surgery had gone well, and there was technically no reason not to get back out. Except… long days, busy evenings, study, deadlines. Then the temperature dropped. Then it rained. Then it was Christmas. Now it’s a new year.


And I still haven’t gone running.


I wonder if this is where some of us are in our faith journey too. We were committed, involved, growing — genuinely enjoying church life and finding meaning in it — and then life happened.


Some years ago, it might have been Covid that got in the way — but it could be almost anything that takes our time, energy, and focus. None of it bad. Just life — and plenty of it. We tell ourselves it’s only for a while. We’ll be back to our good habits — back to church, back to prayer, back to what is important to us.

But then something else comes up. And then something else.

Of course, we still think of ourselves as Christians. Still see ourselves as part of a church. But if we’re honest… it is becoming more theory than practice.


As I sat with all this, I began to see three patterns — or maybe stages — we might find ourselves in. Different places on the same journey. Maybe you can recognise yourself in one — or more —of these.


Maybe you’re the one who used to run — but somewhere along the way, you stopped.

Somewhere along the way, you stopped. Nothing dramatic — just life, drift, a few missed Sundays that turned into months. And if you're honest, your daily life with Jesus probably isn’t quite as vibrant or regular as it used to be.


Of course you haven’t renounced your faith. You still believe it matters. You still believe that faith should be lived out in community — that church is important. But life has happened and somehow you got out of the habit. Of course, one day you will get back into it — or so you tell yourself.


The real question is not what you ought to do, but who do you want to be? And will what you are doing — or not doing — take you in that direction? 

‘One day’ is dangerous. It keeps us in a kind of fantasy, while slowly moving us further away from where and who we want to be. Maybe that is why the Bible tells us that ‘today’ is the day of salvation (2. Cor. 6:2). 


So why not text a friend from church and ask if they’re around for a coffee after the service next Sunday? And if that feels like too big a step, just ask if they’d like to meet for coffee some other day. No pressure. Just connection. Just today.

Instead of thinking“one day”, ask yourself:

What could I do todaythat would bring me closer to who I want to be?

(And don’t fall into the trap of saying you’ll do it tomorrow. “Tomorrow” is just another way of saying “one day.”)


Maybe you’re not just a runner — maybe you’re actually running.
You’re active in your faith, engaged in your local church, showing up and doing well. That’s good. Really good.

But maybe now’s the time to look around and ask:

Who’s missing?

Who used to sit near you, serve with you, chat over coffee — but hasn’t been around for a while? Why not give them a call or send a message? Suggest a coffee, a round of golf, watching a game — whatever fits your relationship. You might hesitate, not wanting to come across as pushy. But chances are, life just happened to them. And your simple invitation might be the nudge they’ve been waiting for.


Oh, and don’t leave it forone day!


Maybe you are still running — but for how long?

Paul warns us that“if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall”(1 Corinthians 10:12).


I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have stopped running if I’d had someone to run with — even just once a week. Knowing someone was waiting for me, counting on me, would have “forced” me to put my shoes on and get out there.


But really, it wouldn’t be forcing. It would be helping — helping me to keep doing what I actuallywantto do.


So here’s the question:

Who are you sharing life and faith with in a way that keeps you going — especially when life happens?

There are many ways to build that kind of connection. But simply attending a worship service — even every week — probably isn’t one of them.


If no one comes to mind, what could you dotodayto change that?
Join a small group. Serve on a team. Start a discipling relationship. Ask someone to mentor you.

Don’t just assume you’re standing firm.


Take heed — and take action — so that when life happens, you won’t fall.

And now, it might be 1st January, it might be below freezing outside, Liverpool might be playing soon, but now I am changing and going for a run. I’m doing it today.
And then again tomorrow.

Because I don’t want to just think I’m a runner.

I want to be one.

]]>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 15:14:16 +0000<![CDATA[25 years on and still no change]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/25-years-on-and-still-no-change

This month it is 25 years since I had my first real article published. Not surprisingly, it was an introduction of Natural Church Development (NCD) which was still a fairly new concept at the time. Since then a lot has changed, not just me, but certainly also NCD - one might say there has been a lot of natural development in the world of Natural Church Development.


One thing that hasn't changed is my belief in the principles discovered by NCD and my firm belief that 'When ordinary corps, with ordinary people take the principles of Natural Church Development seriously, God does give the increase."


When I was introduced to NCD, it was one book (well actually, still just a draft of a book) and the church profile report was a single acetate sheet for an overhead projector (please google it you are not aware of what an acetate sheet or overhead projector is). Now I have a shelf full of NCD books and the church profile has not just grown in size and information detail, it has multiplied into many and varied profiles, not just for a church, but for individual believers too.


Actually, one of the frustrations I often encountered is when people claim to know (or even worse 'have done') NCD when their knowledge is 15 - 20 years old. It feels like what it must be for a 20 year old man or woman, if people treat them as if they still were a baby. So, if you your NCD knowledge is a bit rusty (or if you have no knowledge) can I suggest you it might be a good idea to check out ex


The All By Itself Salvationist | Natural Character Development (ncd.life) - a short introduction to NCD available as an e-book


You might also want to explore the discipleship series at NCD that that help you ask question like

- What's fueling your fire?

- What happens when you enter the room?

- How well do you play with others?


and of course also find answers to them.


Or if you want to explore how doing a church survey can actually give you not only deep and detailed information about the health of your church, but also clear focus for moving forward, and even practical ideas of how to begin the journey, have a look at Welcome | NCD Church Survey


While the article is outdated in many ways, you can find it and a few other published articles here and you are also always welcome to contact me if you would like to have a conversation about NCD and what difference it could make for your ministry and personal discipleship.


I still remember the emotional and physical reaction I had when I all those years ago read the first NCD book and realised, that growth is not a goal and it definitely is not my responsibility. Growth is what God gives and our part is doing what we can, removing what hinders the natural growth, working on the quality of our fellowships, and then watch, as growth happens all by itself. 


NCD might have developed, but that seemingly simple, and yet deeply profound observation still holds. And I still believe that when churches faithfully and persistently live and minister according to this, then God will give the increase.



]]>Thu, 17 Oct 2024 20:51:39 +0000<![CDATA[The Main Thing]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/the-main-thing

There is a lot of talk of strategy these days and we will undoubtedly hear more about this in the time to come. Maybe it therefore is good to remind ourselves, that strategies are not the main thing. They are meant to help us to do and to achieve the main thing – that is what makes strategies important.


So what is the main thing? What is the goal above all others for The Salvation Army?


Sometimes we fall into the trap and think the goal is to have more people attend our services. It is a mistake we share with many other churches. However, Jesus never told us to go and make more attenders.


He did tells us, as we very well know, to go an make disciples, or as Dr. Robert Logan has summarised the Great Commission, to make More and Better Disciples.


Here is the thing: It is all too easy to have a hall full of attenders who might not be disciples, but almost impossible to be a disciple without gathering with other followers of Jesus for worship, fellowship, and mission.


We cannot be true to our Lord Jesus Christ, nor to the purpose of The Salvation Army, if we lose sight of this goal.


Neither are we true to Jesus or our purpose if we do not at the same time and with the same passion help and serve people who are in need. That is part of the obeying ‘everything I have commanded you’ or of growing ‘better’ as disciples (Matt 28:20).


As we seek both of these goals, we do well in heeding what Robert Logan says about this double mission: As we serve, we expect that some will encounter God through our actions... not serving so we can make disciples, but serving and making disciples.


This is what we create spaces for, this is why we build relationships: So that people can experience the love of Jesus in practical and life transforming ways and so that people will begin to follow him as Lord and Saviour - and we all can grow in our discipleship and obedience to Jesus.


That is the main thing.


First published in Dialog, June 2024



]]>Wed, 02 Oct 2024 15:03:41 +0000<![CDATA[Controlled Accountability?]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/controlled-accountability

Do you control people or hold them accountable?

A while ago, I was writing some notes on how to move away from top-down hierarchy without ending up in anarchy. When later reviewing the notes, I found the sentence “Low control - High Accountability”. Honestly, that sounds quite good, at least in my ears. However, as I read it this annoying thought came into my mind: What does that actually mean? What is the difference between control and accountability?


As I see it one challenge is that what to one is accountability, feels an awful lot like control to another!


I am sure there are many good definitions of both control and accountability and what the difference between the two is but let us not make it too complicated. May I suggest a simple little definition that certainly does not fully explore the theme but can be used as a pointer when considering whether we are controlling or holding accountable.

I would like to suggest that,

Control is when you have to ask for permission.
Accountability is when you are ready to give an explanation.


Of course, the whole concept of accountability rests on the premise of there is an agreed framework, it does not exist in a vacuum. Without a framework, there is no reason to be accountable to anyone, nor any understanding of what you should be accountable for. That, however, is a theme to be picked up when we at a later stage will look at how to navigate the space between hierarchy and anarchy. (until then you can read Doing The Salvation Army the Barnes & Noble Way as an introduction to the them)


For now, we can consider, to what degree our leadership style and framework primarily requires people to ask for permission or to be ready to give an explanation.

]]>Sun, 12 Nov 2023 18:49:24 +0000<![CDATA[Imagine if...]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/imagine-if...

Doing The Salvation Army the Barnes & Nobles Way

In 2018 a columnist in the New Your Times expressed concerns over the development in Barnes & Nobles, the largest chain of bookstores in the US. He found it ‘depressing to imagine that more than 600 Barnes & Noble stores might simply disappear’. It appeared they were losing the battle against Amazon and that ‘the death of Barnes & Nobles is now plausible’.

Fast forward to 2023. An article in TheGuardian tells the story of how Barnes & Nobles had ‘bounced back’ and the approach taken by their new CEO, James Daunt. The article initially caught my attention because it was about books, but as I read it, I could not help thinking it might as well be about missional denominational strategy. The parallels where so many and so clear that I could not help thinking: Imagine if The Salvation Army took the same approach? You might not be a book-nerd, but if you read on below, just exchange book store with corps and maybe corporate office with headquarters, and contemplate that if Barnes & Nobles are all about books, what is The Salvation Army all about?

If I am honest, my first thought was ‘What if IHQ would take that approach to Territories?’, but the Spirit quickly led me to ask a more relevant question (more relevant because it concerned something I actually could influence): ‘What would happen if we decided to take this approach in our Territory?’

But I am getting ahead of myself. In the following I have extracted some highlights and quotes of James Daunt from the two articles about the things that helped Barnes & Nobles ‘bounce back’ and revert the downhill trend. As you read ask ‘What if?’ and just dream.

A renewed focus

“Barnes & Noble shops were once full of other things: Lego sets, calendars, Funko Pop figurines, puzzles, chocolates – all with their own display shelves. The books were mainly upstairs…. Now “you’re not seeing much beyond books… there are other things, but it’s unequivocally book-driven.”

Taking the “corporate” out a corporate bookstore chain

“Each of the chain’s approximately 600 stores is meant to operate like an independent bookstore – unique and highly curated to fit a local community.”

When Daunt arrived it was “same, same, same” in every location. This might work in a traditional corporate retailer, but not, according to Daunt, in a bookshop. Barnes & Noble’s corporate leadership, he says, “wanted to behave like conventional retailers”. “It wasn’t because they were stupid or because they were idle. It was simply that they didn’t understand bookselling.”

“It doesn’t matter what table you’re looking at , you’re probably looking at a reasonably intelligent selection of books that feels appropriate for here,” Daunt says. “This will be different from Fifth Avenue, which will be different from the Upper West Side, and we’re just talking about . Whereas when I turned up, it was identical everywhere.”

Unique Bookstores

Not only were the bookstores given freedom when it came to how and which books they presented, also the look and design of store, the colours used and even, in some cases, the name of the front of the store. In New York City there are 9 Barnes & Nobles shop with 4 different logos outside! “Any design agency would have a heart attack if they could see what we’re doing...and certainly the identity people would have a complete crisis” James Daunt says, and sums the approach up: “It’s breaking all the rules.”


Autonomy

“Booksellers in stores, Daunt argues, largely need autonomy to run their shop best.” He tried to put himself in the place  of store managers and asked what he would want from a corporate office. “To be left alone to do the bookselling part,” he says. “I want somebody to change my lightbulbs. I want somebody to fix my escalator. I want somebody to spend money when I need it, to pay rent and – as well as you possibly can – for wages. And let me get on with it.”


There is more to ponder from the Barnes & Nobles story, but then you will have to read the articles yourself. The above is enough to consider the question: What would happen if we did Salvation Army the Barnes & Nobles way?

We shared that question during a retreat with one of the divisions in Switzerland and got some surprising and revealing answers. However, it is not my intention to give any answers in this piece, only to share the insights from the Barnes & Nobles story, raise the question ‘Imagine if…’.

Now I will sit back with a good book and wait to see what, if any, the responses might be.

        

]]>Sun, 29 Oct 2023 21:14:24 +0000<![CDATA[It is not too late!]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/it-is-not-too-late


She had already made quite an impression on me during the worship service, and now, during the coffee afterwards she approached me for a talk. I hesitate to guess a woman’s age, but she was not, by any stretch of imagination neither young nor middle aged. And yet so full of life and spiritual vitality. She loved Jesus, and she could not keep quiet about it.


‘I was a missionary in India for ten years’ she told me. ‘We went into villages that had never heard the name of Jesus, and we saw people saved, healed and freed from evil spirits’. ‘Hallelujah’ I responded, leaving her room to continue. Continue she did, but I had not expected what came next. There was a twist in her story that through which the Spirit spoke to me and told me to share what I heard.


‘When I was 18 years old, God called me to go abroad as a missionary’ she continued her story, ‘but then other things happened’. She did not go, she got married and time passed. Later, she got ill and fell into a depression to the extent of being suicidal. For 10 years she was not well, but by the grace of God, she was brought out of her darkness and into his glorious light. And then, at the age of 58, she finally lived out the call God had given her in her youth, and spent the next ten years in India, proclaiming the gospel in word and power, bringing Jesus to the people and the people to Jesus.


58 years old – 40 years after God had called her. It was at that moment the Spirit spoke: Tell them that it is not too late!


For you, who heard a specific call from God, but somehow never got round to acting on it – It is not too late!


For you, who heard a call to apply, or maybe re-apply for officership, but never went through with it – It is not too late!


For you who live with a broken relationship, with a mother or father, a son or daughter, a previous precious friend, you can stretch out your hand in reconciliation - It is not too late!


For you, who have been paralysed not to act by the voice of the prince of lies telling you, over and over again ‘it is too late, you should have done it then’. Now, instead, listen to the voice of the Prince of Peace telling you: It is not too late!


I don’t know who ‘them’ or ‘you’ are, but I felt the Spirit said: Tell them that it is not too late. 


Paul said it this way: ‘I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.’


Yesterday is gone, and no amount of thinking or regretting can change it, but God’s love is new today - today is the day of salvation.


Tomorrow is dangerous, because often tomorrow never comes. Today you will say ‘Tomorrow’, and again tomorrow you will say ‘tomorrow’ and so push the time of God’s favour ahead of you instead of receiving it.


‘Forget the former things’ the Lord says ‘don’t dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’. The very next word through the prophet is ‘Now!’ It is today that is the time of God’s favour. God is stretching out his hand towards you today, inviting you to grab it, and telling you ‘It is not too late’.


With Paul I pray and plead: ‘Do not receive God’s favour in vain.’ Don’t postpone it till tomorrow, don’t wait for someone else to act first.


Make that call, write that mail, fill in that application – today is the day of salvation.


Now is the time of God’s favour – it is not too late!


Now may the God of peace…

equip you with all you need for doing his will.

May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ,

every good thing that is pleasing to him.

All glory to him forever and ever!

Amen!

 

 

 


2. Cor. 6:2

Isaiah 43:18-19

2. Cor. 6:1

Hebrews 13:20-21



]]>Sun, 25 Nov 2018 12:52:24 +0000<![CDATA[Sunday Frustrations]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/sunday-frustrations

Today is Sunday and I am frustrated. I suppose it shouldn’t be like that, on the Lord’s day, but I can’t help it, I am frustrated, really frustrated.


Before you get all worried (or excited), I am not going to have a rant about this morning’s worship service. While training to become a Salvation Army officer our principal, the later General John Larsson, told us how the favourite Sunday lunch for some Salvationist was ‘Roasted Corps Officer’, but I am not going down that route. My frustration has nothing to do with this morning’s service – especially as Lisbeth and I was leading it!


It does have something to do with John Larsson, though. When we came home from the service I decided I wanted to look something up in his book ‘Spiritual Breakthrough’. I went up to my little den to pick it up from the bookshelf – and the unthinkable happened: I couldn't find it! Or rather, I couldn’t locate it. You have to understand that I have a few books, and they are not just placed in any random order. There is a system. The books are organised either by theme – Leadership, Evangelism, Discipleship, Holiness etc. – or maybe according to the author, if I have several (i.e. more than just 3) books by the same author. In this case it gave me a couple of options where to find it, but I couldn’t, and here the frustration begins – somehow the system was not functioning.


Realising, or maybe I should say hoping that the system could actually be working, but the book just placed wrongly I did the normal thing, began to look through all the books, shelf by shelf, book by book, sensing my frustration, now mixed with a slight touch of desperation, growing by the Billy (IKEA shoppers will understand). Finally, after even have looked through the section on Bibliographies, Psychology (Lisbeth’s books) and Legal Thrillers, I had to accept the unacceptable; I did not know the whereabouts of one of my books. So now I sit here, deeply frustrated, because as you will understand (or maybe not) not being able to find a book, or much worse, the thought of having lost a book, is really deeply frustrating in and of itself, and even more so when you need to look something up in it.

 

I know I am not supposed to multi-task, being a man and all, but my mind apparently doesn’t know that. At least, as I was scanning through the books, a thought popped into my mind and began to develop into a question: What if it was the Bible I needed to look something up in? What if I needed guidance in a specific matter, and then couldn’t find it?

 

I know that nowadays I could just turn to my phone and open a Bible app, but this was not the issue. The Bible is not primarily a reference book, nor a book you seek out when you need guidance (bear with me, don’t cry heretic just yet). You see, in reality, in many situations where we need guidance from the Bible, we do not have time to look for it. As our Corps Officer said a few weeks ago (in another context) what good is it if we raise our hand and sing ‘Great is the Lord’ if we on the way home shake the middle finger of that same hand towards a person driving like an idiot on the cyclist path? If you had time, you could look in the Bible for advice as to how to react, and maybe you would read we should love our enemies, or that we should let ‘everybody know how gentle and gracious are’ (Phil. 4:5) – but by then you finger will have been waving at the guy for an awful long time.

 

I guess the Psalmist understood this, not driving like an idiot on a bicycle, of course, but that there often is not time to consult the Bible before decisions has to be taken, or reflexes just happen. ‘ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you’ he writes in Psalm 119. I suppose you can paraphrase that and say that the Bible does not belong on a shelf, or in an app on our phone, it needs to be internalized, to become part of us so, in the words of Timothy Keller, "We so immersed in God's written Word & truth that we are trained to choose rightly in cases which the Bible doesn't speak directly".

 

Still looking for the book, my mind kept working, or maybe it was the Holy Spirit that was working in my mind? At least I realised this was about much more than not sinning or choosing right. I was reminded of an instance many years ago. We were a group of pastors from Randers (look I up if you don’t know where it is) going to a conference together.  As we stopped to pick up Ove, he was not ready to leave. He had a valid excuse though. During the weekend he had torn his Achilles tendon while playing badminton, and now had his leg in plaster from sole to thigh. It had taken him so long to get up and dressed that there had been no time for breakfast, nor his morning devotion, he told us. It took quite a while to manoeuvre him into the passenger’s seat of the Ford Fiesta, but as he settled in and we got off, we were included in his morning devotion. He sat there, with a cup of coffee in one hand, a piece of toast in the other, and quietly, but joyfully, quoted one long Bible passage after the other. He was not reading; he was taking out of his heart what he had invested in getting into his heart.

 

I have never forgotten that incident, and today I was reminded not only of that, but challenged as to where the Bible sit in my life. With all the technological help we have now a day, one can easily find a bible verse, even if one has no idea of where to look for. It will, however, probably make little difference in our lives. The Bible, the word of God, need to be internalised, to become part of us. In that way, it can be not only a ‘light on our path’ (Psalm 119:105), but be used by the Holy Spirit to form us into what he wants us to be.

 

I think it was C.H. Spurgeon that told, that if you wanted to make a preacher humble, you should ask to his prayer life. Same could probably be said of many of us when it comes to internalising the Bible. As I was reminded of this, there was, however, no hint of condemnation or judgement. Rather, a reminder of the promise that when we do meditate on the word of God we will be like ‘a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither’ (Psalm 1:3). The word of God is the seed, which the Holy Spirit can take and grow in our lives, and the more seed the more potential for growth.

 

It is not (just) about not sinning or choosing right, it is much more about knowing Jesus, about doing our part, so his Spirit can form us into being what he wants us to be and equip us to do what he wants us to do. So, let us get the written Word of God of the shelf, out of the app, and into our hearts. Let, as Paul encourages the Christians in Colossae, “the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives” (Col. 3:16 The Message) and experience that when we plant the seed, also here, God will give the growth.

 

PS!

 

I any of you have borrowed ‘Spiritual Breakthrough’ by John Larsson of me, could I please have it back?




]]>Sun, 28 Oct 2018 17:42:35 +0000<![CDATA[Meeting with the King]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/meeting-with-the-king


Yesterday, I went to meet with the King. Well, technically I attended an event where King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was present, but as I did manage to shake the King’s hand and exchange a few brief words with him, I suppose I honestly can say I did meet him.

 

The occasion was the opening of ‘De Noordkaap’, a new expression of The Salvation Army in the northern part of Amsterdam. As you can imagine, there was quite a lot of excitement around the King coming to do the opening. Mails were sent out beforehand to make sure we all knew where to sit, how to address the King (‘Your Majesty,’ by the way), and what would and would not be appropriate to say. As the invited congregation sat and waited for the King to arrive, you sensed the excitement. It was, however, nothing compared to what one experienced walking behind the King through the crowd gathered outside, as we made our way across the grounds to the front door of the new centre. People were waving, jumping, shouting and the parents of the children that the King stopped to greet could not contain their joy – the King had chosen to talk with their child among all the other present.

 

It was in every way an extraordinary and memorable occasion.

 

Tomorrow it is Sunday and many of us will gather for a worship service of some kind. Here we are also invited to meet with the King. We do not gather just to remember King Jesus, we actually believe, because he promised it would be so, that he will be present in our midst. Are we excited about it? Can we contain our joy? And if not, why not?

 

Could it be we no longer expect Jesus to actually be present? Could it be we give him no room to manifest his presence? Paul had a lot of admonishment for the church in Corinth, but when talking about how it would be if a ‘stranger’ walked into their service, he commended them because the stranger might be a bit confused as to what was going on, but his conclusion would be ‘God is really among you’ (1. Cor. 14:25). Oh, for our services to be like that, confusing, a bit un-ordered, but a clear experience of the presence and power of Jesus.

 

General John Larsson, in our training college days, used to remind us that when Jesus said to the two blind men that ‘According to your faith let it be done to you’ (Matt. 9:27-29)it could be understood as it will happen as you expect it to. Oh, Lord, fill our hearts with expectations of you and your working among your people gathered in your name.

 

Yesterday, I not only went to see the King, I also polished my shoes. That is also quite a rare event, but it felt the right thing to do. I wanted to prepare to meet the King.

 

In the Natural Church Development survey people are asked to react to the statement ‘I prepare myself to participate in the worship service’. Interestingly, even if the church scores reasonable high in ‘Inspiring Worship Service’ often this point scores quite low. Apparently, we don’t prepare, maybe we don’t know how to prepare, or maybe, because we do not expect anything, we see no reason to prepare.

 

What would happen if we stopped up, spent a few moments in prayer and silence before we left for the service? Stopping up to become aware of the Holy Spirit, asking what we should bring to the worship service? Maybe a word of encouragement for someone, maybe a word from the Lord, maybe specific prayer for someone going through a difficult time, maybe sharing coffee with a visitor, rather than with our friends, maybe placing ourselves at the altar?

 

May we, as we get ready for meeting the King tomorrow prepare to come into his presence, filled with expectancy, may we prepare to meet the King, may our worship be passionate and vibrant, and may King Jesus be manifestly among us.

 

Come, Lord Jesus, come!


]]>Sat, 23 Jun 2018 08:43:17 +0000<![CDATA[Something stronger]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/something-stronger


Yesterday I found myself in a bar. Well, truth be told, I had consciously walked into the bar, looking for something I could not find anywhere else. My nerves were in shambles and as I sat down at the bar (in the bar) I gave in to the urge for a strong drink. I knew I shouldn’t, and even the bartender suggested I didn’t, but I could not help it. I have never done light, zero was in this situation out of the question, so I went for the real thing – calories and all.


The reason I was in the bar was because it was the only place in the airport showing World Cup football, and Denmark was about to play their opening match against Peru. The reason I needed a drink was to have an excuse to sit at the bar and watch the game, and the reason zero was out of the question was that the time for clean sheets was over, goals were needed too.


The game was a bit tenser than I would have preferred. Denmark did not play well at all, to the point of conceding a penalty – which Peru treated as a Rugby field kick – and at half time it was still 0-0. Apart from a man sitting next to me in the bar it did not seem like anyone else was watching the game, but they certainly realised something was happening when Denmark scored.


I punched the air several times shouting rather loudly ‘yes, yes, yes.’ I did not think about, it came very naturally, and honestly, I couldn’t care what people thought about me. Looking around I realised I had drawn some attention and smiles from the other customers. I looked around, held my hand up as apologizing and said ‘I’m sorry, but I am Danish’

Sitting in church this morning as two soldiers were enrolled and three adherents accepted, I felt the urge to punch the air and shout ‘yes, yes, yes,’ but I didn’t. When the gospel was laid out simply and clearly by our corps officer with an invitation to place your life in God’s hands, I wanted to punch the air and shout ‘yes, yes, yes,’ but I didn’t. As we left the corps, after a service full of blessings and encouragement, maybe I should have punched the air and loudly shouted ‘yes, yes, yes,’ but I didn’t.

 

Wonder what would happen if I, and maybe others with me, stopped behaving so nicely and well trained, stopped trying so hard not to cause offence, and rather gave room for expressing enthusiasm and joy over Jesus, what he means to me and what he does in people’s lives? 


Wonder what would happen if I began to just let it out, not first thinking about the situation and surroundings?

 

Wonder what would happen, if I more often would live in such a way, that I would have to look around the room, hold my hands up and explain my actions by a simple ‘I am sorry, but I am a Jesus follower?’

 

Wonder if not people might smile a bit at me, and yet find it appealing and maybe even attracting?

 

Wonder what would happen, if we began behaving in such a way, that would demand an explanation?


]]>Sun, 17 Jun 2018 14:35:07 +0000<![CDATA[I am beginning to doubt I believe in God]]>https://www.andersen.lv/blogs/post/i-am-beginning-to-doubt-i-believe-in-god


I am seriously beginning to doubt whether I believe in God.


Airing such doubt probably is not good career advice for a Salvation Army officer - but as I strongly oppose joining those two words (officer and career) and believe an ‘officer career’ is an oxymoron, I need not to worry on that account. (You can read more about this here)


 However, I better explain before you either report me to the General or call a prayer meeting. 

 Let me tell you a little, but true, story:


 We were interviewing for a temp position as secretary to the Chief Secretary (played by yours truly), due to multiplication in the family of my normal secretary (read: maternity leave). The candidate in front of us was very qualified and the interview was mostly to make sure of the right ‘chemistry.’ 


 “How will you manage to work in an organisation that is so overtly Christian as we are?” we asked. She did not stop to think for a moment but answered straight away: “That will be no problem at all, I believe in God,” and she then continued before we had time to react “or Buddha, or Muhammed or whatever one choose to call him.”

 

To our credit, we kept a straight face and, as far as we were aware, did not in any way let it tell we probably had a slightly different understanding of ‘God’ than the candidate. She was not hired, but the story is an illustration of what is causing my doubts. For many, including adherents to the Christian faith, ‘God’ is being used to express faith in a ‘higher being’ - not clearly defined and impersonal. For many, such a belief carries with it, or can lead to an understanding that it makes no real difference whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew or any other expression of faith because ‘it is the same god we believe in anyway.’

 

I do not believe in an impersonal, undefinable ‘higher being’, in a god that for all intents and purposes just is a common designator for some kind of religious belief. As Christians, we believe in the one and only God, creator of heaven and earth, that has revealed himself to us through the god-man Jesus Christ.

 

Fast forward to another meeting, this one a Sunday morning worship service I attended a while ago. We were welcomed in the ‘name of God’ and the name of Jesus was not mentioned before we made it to the sermon, and there only briefly. I am not sure Jesus was even mentioned in any of the congregational songs. Now, I am not suggesting that the leader of the meeting adhered to the impersonal and diffuse understanding of God mentioned above, but it was not clear - and that is exactly the issue and what is causing my doubt. When people speak about 'god', I doubt what they mean, and whether I believe in the god they are referring to.

 

As Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, no one gets ready for battle, if the trumpet does not make a clear sound (1. Cor. 14:8). If we only profess faith in ‘God’ thenwe are producing a muddled, unclear sound, with ‘no distinction in the notes.’ It might be less offensive than proclaiming Jesus, it might create less resistance or ridicule, but as it often is the path of least resistance is not the right path to choose. and in this case, it is even a dangerous path.

 

John warns us that ‘every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God’ and then goes on to say that such a spirit is ‘the spirit of the antichrist’. I am not in any way saying that every time we say ‘God’ rather than ‘Jesus’ we are denying Jesus, but when we begin to almost exclusively talk of God and not mentioning Jesus, then we are getting awfully close.

 

We believe in Jesus, not just as an undisputable historical figure, but as the Son of God. We believe that ‘whoever has seen the Son, has seen the Father’, that Jesus is the only way to God, and that whoever has the Son, has the life. So let us 'make a clear sound' and not give any reason for doubt or confusion. Let us lift up the name above all other names, the only name given us unto salvation: Jesus, and see that as he is lifted up, he will draw people unto himself.

 

And in that, I do not doubt at all.



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