As you enter a new appointment you are not beginning a new book. There already exists a book where you are going, and many chapters have been written before you arrived. Rather, you now need to become part of that ongoing story. For that to happen you need to be accepted into the story by the people of the story, you cannot force your way into it. This requires listening, asking questions, trying to understand - getting to know the stories that has become part of the book so far.

At the same time, when you arrive a new chapter is to be written of this ongoing story. A new chapter begins with a blank sheet of paper. It follows on and continues the previous chapters, and yet it will be different. It is an opportunity for a new beginning, a chance to explore where God is leading in this new era. 

The important thing to recognise is that you are not the sole author of this new chapter, it is a community exercise. Together with the fellowship to which you are sent, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you will be part of writing God's story. You will be able to influence the story to the degree you are open to be influenced by the fellowship and the Spirit.

Finally, a new chapter is to be written in another book - your book. Also here, many chapters have already been written, full of experiences, joy, pain, victories, defeats. While never denying what has gone before, as this is what has made you what you are today, you also need to start on a blank sheet of paper. This means being open for new things, new relationships, and not letting yourself, or your surroundings, be tied unnecessarily down by your past.

It is a new day and a new God-adventure awaits you. Embrace it in faith, let God guide your hand as you write, and may you experience how God will not only guide and sustain you, but surprise you abundantly.

Communication is not always easy and it does not help when several languages are involved. Lost in Translation is not just a movie, it is a common reality when different languages and cultures interact. The Salvation Army abounds with stories of translation going wrong, creating amusing situations, like the Indian officer giving a testimony during an open air in Denmark, telling how ‘a group of Sikh people” had been converted and the translator, in Danish, told the onlookers that ‘a group of sick people’ had become Christians.

‘Hallelujah’ was my response on the phone, when I heard it was the CS at the other end. We had just completed an inspirational seminar for officers, and I thought she was calling to thank me for my participation in arranging it. I must admit my mood changed somewhat when she replied ‘Let’s hope it is also hallelujah at the end of this conversation.”

It turned out it was one of those phone calls one never forgets. We were, totally out of the blue and unexpected, told we would be moving. We were shocked and shattered. Maybe revival is exaggerating too much, but God was blessing our corps in a most amazing and unique way and now, suddenly, we had to leave it all behind. I felt a bit like Philip must have done, when he in Acts 8 he was led by the Spirit away from a fantastic ministry time in Samaria and into the desolated desert.

Anyway, we of course accepted the new appointment and while it was very painful at the time then God showed himself faithful. Since then there has been more of similar phone calls, not just concerning moving, but also with shock and questioning involved. I have, however, over and again had to come to the realisation that only as I submit to authority, do I myself have any authority. Only as I am obedient to my leaders, can I expect anyone to be obedient to me. If I am not willing to submit to leadership, then I have no integrity what so ever in my own leadership. This is what the Centurion in Matthew 8 knew. He was used to giving orders and expected his men to come and go at his command, but he knew they did so, because he himself was “a man under authority”. He knew his authority did not rest in himself, but that it was given to him; his authority flowed not from him, but through him.

So it is with each one of us. In ourselves we have no authority. Whatever we might have, is because it has been given to us .Only as we submit, ultimately to the authority of God, can we expect anyone to accept our leadership.

This is ultimately not about giving or receiving appointments, this is about a life and leadership style, which definitely is in direct opposition to the spirit of the time. Individualism is the one of the main religions of our age. It is about me, what I can get and do, what I want and what is best for me. It is easy for us to be caught up in this, but we are admonished not to ‘let the world squeeze us into its form” (Romans 12, 2 J.B. Phillips paraphrase). This is true in every way, and also in our leadership. We know how it is in the world, but, as Jesus says ‘Not so with you….” (Mark 10: 42-45).

We are primarily called not to lead, but to follow, not to be leaders, but to be servants. We are called to let the seed of our own ambition, our longing for recognition and power, fall into the ground and die. This is the leadership of Jesus, exemplified at Easter, and this is what we are called to imitate. We do it not because we hope that God will raise us up as leaders, nor to obtain power and glory, we do it because we ‘consider everything rubbish’ compared to knowing Jesus and being found in him (Phil. 3:8-9) and that is all that matters.

There is a word I struggle with. Well, when you live and work in a country where you don’t speak the language, there are actually a lot of words you struggle with, but this word is different. I can pronounce it and I understand the meaning of it, so that is not the problem. Actually it is not the word as such I struggle with. It is the context in which I am confronted with the word that is the problem.

The word? Career and the context is when it is used in connection with officership. I hear it in talks and conversations, and I read it in papers, but no matter where or how often I hear it, I am not comfortable with the combination. Actually I would suggest that ‘officer career’ is an oxymoron. You can have one or the other, but not both.

In its most simple form I suppose ‘career’ could be understood as ‘occupation’ even ‘ life-long occupation’ and as such there should be no problem with using it in connection with being an officer. The issue I struggle with is that most time the use implies more. According to the Oxford Dictionary career can be defined as: “An occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress”. It is with the ‘with opportunity for progress’ I struggle. Another definition stresses that the progress usually involves ‘more responsibility as time passes.’">

Often, when career is used, it is about planning your future, it is about progressing, it is about going from one position to another with more responsibility, and probably also more influence, power and status. It is, in other words, about me; me progressing, developing, achieving, obtaining status and so on.

And this is what I struggle with. Whenever it is about me, when the focus is on me, when I end up as the centre of attention, then Jesus has been pushed to the margins. He is no longer the central reference point; he is not in charge, but rather just someone I can refer to as I develop my career. That is not compatible with officership as I understand it.

We don’t have a career. We don’t have a job. We don’t even have a ministry. All we have is a call. A call to follow Jesus, to be and do what he wants us to be and do. And the difference between career and calling is, that when it comes to the call, then it is him, who calls that is central. It is not my call, it is his call – to me. My ‘career’, my life destiny is only to follow and be grateful that he at all wants me anywhere close to him. I know I am not worthy of it, but by grace he has qualified me to serve him (2. Cor. 3:5).

While there is absolutely nothing wrong in developing our competencies and capacity then the focus should not be on developing for our own sake, but to be able to make better investments in the Kingdom of God. We don’t seek to develop ourselves to obtain anything for ourselves, but to be more useful to him who calls us. The goal is Kingdom development, not personal achievements or recognition.

The call to follow Jesus is of course not limited to officers. All Christians are called – called to follow Jesus wherever that might take us and whatever that will mean. And as such none of us should primarily pursue a career, but seek to follow Jesus in whatever position that has brought us to. We should all hold possessions and positions lightly, submitted to the call of Jesus. Just as I am not primarily an officer, but a disciple, living out his call to follow Jesus in officership, you are not primarily a nurse, but a disciple, living our your call to follow Jesus in nursing, or teaching, or by sitting at the till at Tesco.

We are all called to follow Jesus, to be his disciples. Some of us will be disciples disguised as officers, others disguised as builders, managers, shop assistants and a multitude of other professions. Our career, if we are going to use that word, will however be the same: Followers of Jesus, servants living to please our master and totally at his disposal, rejoicing that he has found us worthy to share his fellowship and join with him in his mission.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/career?q=Career 2016-03-06

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/learner/career 2016-03-06