marching orders

And So The Journey Begins

2005-08-11T22:01:00.000-04:00

This is my last night as an A/Candidate, tomorrow I become a Cadet. I can hardly wait to get to campus and get everything unpacked and start meeting my session mates. It's going to be awesome.

It's been an incredible journey thus far to get me to this point. The calling on my life has been something that I have struggled with for years, but I have finally answered God's call, and I am here, in Atlanta, a couple miles from Evangeline Booth College and in the morning I will be there.

Funny thing is, at this point, I don't really feel any different. I am just praying to God that I will be a good student, which I always have been so I see no reason why that won't continue, and that I will learn the things that I need to learn to be prepared to serve Him as a Salvation Army officer.

God has blessed me with many wonderful things in my life, and many wonderful people and for all of you who are reading this, I thank you for your constant encouragement and kind words.

I will always remember and cherish my time at the Cumberland corps, and I look forward to coming "home" when the opportunity is afforded me.

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

A Place for Everything and Everything In It's Place...

2005-08-09T19:50:00.000-04:00

I HATE PACKING!!!

packing is one of the most annoying things in the world. Truth be told, I am pretty good at it. The problem is finding the motivation to do it. I am about 90% packed to move and I just can't seem to dig up what I need to finish it up. I want to get it done tonight so that tomorrow I can take care of last minute things, visit the kids at the corps, get the details about Thursday, and just relax. That's the plan, and that's what is going to happen....

guess I should get back to it

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

I'm Back!

2005-08-08T21:17:00.000-04:00

I got home from TYI earlier this afternoon. As is customary the first order of business was to take a nap. TYI was a lot different this year. I will write about that at a later time.

I am excited to be home. I have to finish up the last of my packing and I leave in a couple of days to go to Atlanta! I can hardly wait to get there. I wish I was there already.

I am going to miss home, miss the corps, miss my "chillins," but I know that this is where God wants me to be right now.

I hope that I have left an impression on Cumberland. I hope that I have been able to show Jesus to someone there. I know that there are mixed sentiments out there, and I am fine with that. I've been different for over a year now, and for that whole time there have been people who just don't like me, and I'm cool with it, it's not my issue.

Anyway, I surprised I even remember how this thing works....

MORE TO COME!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

We Are The Answer!

2005-07-29T18:45:00.000-04:00

"Why should anyone hear the gospel twice until everyone has heard it once?"
~T.L Osborn

We are the answer to this question and what an awesome question it is. How many of us sit in the exact same spot on a pew Sunday after Sunday hearing the Good News without endeavoring above all else to share it with those who need it the most? Makes you think...

Under the Flag,

A/Candidate Aaron Abram

All There Is Of Me

2005-07-26T00:22:00.000-04:00

William Booth has left us with many wonderful quotes. I heard one yesterday, one that I have heard many times. It spoke to me yesterday though. I recall a time when in prayer God spoke to me that He wished to use me as another William Booth. I was not sure then, nor am I sure now of what He meant, but I look forward to finding out.

William Booth as a teenager said, "God shall have all there is of William Booth."

I want to say that. I want to be ready to say that. I want to give up control of things but it is so hard.

Father help me to give it all away, to give it all up, and give in fully so that I may say and truly mean, "God shall have all there is of Aaron Abram."

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Oh Be Careful Little Eyes

2005-07-21T23:51:00.000-04:00

Your's Truly
David
Draven
Savis
Karen
Isaac
Ricky
I took these pics at the corps yesterday just goofing around. I think they are pretty neat. Anyway, when I wanted to write about eyes, the only thing I could think of was that Sunday School song. It's a very important lesson to learn. You have to guard yourself, and we take in so much information through our eyes. I heard a minister say the other day that when you have a sin you are struggling with in the flesh, the way to kill it is to not feed it anymore. So if we are taking in things through our eyes causing our flesh to sin, then we need to be careful with them, and not allow them to feed our sinful nature so that we can crucify it!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

More on Enoch

2005-07-18T22:47:00.000-04:00

The Bible doesn't say much about Enoch. Interestingly, there is more written about him (word count wise) in the NT than in the OT.

We have all heard about Enoch. He is one of the guys that God chose to take home to be with Him without actually having him die a physical death. Enoch walked with God and then he was no more.

The important thing to note in that verse though is the statement, Enoch walked with God.

I am working on my farewell message and I am going to preach on Enoch and walking with God. I may post that here when it's finished, so this may be a bit of a summary.

We all wonder what people think about us. We all wonder what will be said about us when we are gone. What will they put as my epitaph? What will my legacy be? What will they say?

What better thing could be said of any one of us than, he/she walked with God.

Enoch walked with God, not in front of Him, not behind Him. He walked with Him.

When God told Enoch to go he asked how fast, when He said just Enoch asked how high, speak, how loud? Enoch did everything with God.

How much do we walk with God, or do we try to get ahead of Him, or are we always playing catch-up?

Can you imagine that last day for Enoch....

"Well God, it's been another full day but it's getting late I think I should go home." "Yes Enoch, it is late and you are right it's time to go home, but tonight I want you to come home with me."

And with that Enoch was on the streets of heaven, never having tasted death.

Will God ever do that again? I don't know and that's not really important. What is important is that we too walk with God. Follow His will. Do things His way.

If you love someone you want to spend as much time as possible with them. So if we love God, then we should want to spend as much time with Him as possible.

Take a walk with God this week... see where it leads you.

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

We Must Be Doing Something Right

2005-07-18T22:34:00.000-04:00

As I read through blogs of Sallies I know, and those I don't it would seem that the enemy is trying ever so hard right now to tear us down.

Twenty-something Sallies everywhere are coming under attack. I once had a CO who told me that, if you are doing what the enemy wants, things will go smooth, he won't bother you, but when you are doing things God's way.... expect turmoil. Some people have argued with me about the validity of that statement, but I have found it to be very true in my life.

We must be doing something right then because there are so many of us out there blogging about being under various forms of attack. Some of us are coming under attack in our thoughts, some in our emotional life, some in our spiritual life, and there have even been physical attacks against some of us.

I have believed since TYI that God is about to pour out a major revival on this land, one that will make Brownsville and Azusa Street look small (I am in no way discounting the amazing events of both of these revivals.)

I also believe that God is going to use our generation to kick this revival off, and I also believe He is looking to the Army for warriors to serve on the front lines of this revival.

We all (all twenty-something believers) have something to contribute to this, and I think the reason He is going to choose us is because we are willing to yield it all to Him. We are willing to yield our very lives if that is what He requires of us.

Twenty-somethings are giving it all to God, selling out, going against the flow. We are worshipping God like it's what makes our heart beat, and for many of us, that's precisely what it is.

Perhaps this revival is fast approaching. Satan can sense it just as well as any of us, maybe more so. He knows what God wants to do, and he is doing everything that he can to stop it, including attacking the vessels God intends to use.

My encouragement would be to stand strong in the fight. Resist the enemy and he will flee and remember that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.

Put on your armor, grab you sword and get out there and prepare for battle. Count it all joy that you suffer persecution because of what you believe and whom you believe in!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

New Wine (Read On)

2005-07-18T16:03:00.000-04:00

Matthew 9:17

The Bible promises us all the power of Jesus and even more through the Holy Spirit but are we able to contain that Spirit or that power?

Matt. 9:17 tells us that you do not pour new wine into old wineskins. Why not?

Well when wine is placed in the skins, as it ages and ferments the skin stretches and eventually becomes hard.

If you were to place new wine into those old skins, when the wine began to ferment it would stretch the skins more and they would break.

You need a new wineskin for new wine. We need a new "skin" for the purpose of containing the Spirit and the power.

Just like a new wineskin, our new skin has to be yielded to filling. We have to surrender our own will and yield our new skin to God that He may fill it with the power of the Holy Spirit in abundance for all that we need.

So the challenge is to surrender and yield and be a new wineskin.

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

4 Hours One Sunday

2005-07-17T13:04:00.000-04:00

Between 8 and 12 today I learned many things, more than I have ever learned in a four hour period that I can remember. I'll hit on all of them here and expound later.

Things I Learned:
I want to be like Enoch
More God math(!)
About baptism in the Holy Spirit and about dunamis
What happens when we give up and let Him move(!)
About our nets (James and John had nets that they didn't want to lay down...)

More to come!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

DYI

2005-07-12T21:56:00.000-04:00

I was at DYI (Youth Camp) over the weekend. I had a great time. This is the first time I have ever been on program staff. I taught two Bible classes on Holiness and lead a scavenger hunt.

The best part was getting to hang out with my staff friends that I don't get to see being home, and that I won't see again until next summer, and after that who knows.

That wasn't the highlight of the weekend though.

I have been talking to a girl in our division about some things in her life for months now. She is 14 I believe. She has been through a lot. She has been abused her entire life in every imaginable way. She is finally out of that environment and living with her COs.

We have been talking about her life, her future life.... eternity.

Slowly it seems that I (through The Holy Spirit's power) have worn her down.

On the last night, she came and said she needed to talk to me during the night program so I sat and talked with her for a few hours.

She finally decided that it was time to accept Christ as her savior.

I got the opportunity to lead her to the foot of the cross. I then took her and had her tell someone immediately. It was an awesome experience. I could tell she was feeling a lot better about herself. I am praying for her to be able to live the life she wants and that He wants for her. Anyone who reads this, please do the same!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Swimming, Swimming In The...... Lake

2005-07-06T21:47:00.000-04:00

Tonight for youth activities we went out to Rocky Gap and went swimming. The first time that we went earlier in the summer I didn't swim. Last time, I did but it was pretty boring. We spent most of the time splashing each other. Tonight, before I left I grabbed a couple of super soakers, and some other water toys. We had a lot more fun this week!

There were about 10 of us who actually got in the water tonight, ranging from age 8 up. Four of my teens were there. Two of the guys are at camp for the summer on staff, I don't know where the others were.

After we played with the squirt guns for awhile myself and three of the girls ended up throwing a ball back and forth. That was actually a lot of fun. I ended up swimming out past the ropes again to rescue a ball. Not only is it deep out there, but it's thick seaweed and there are a lot of good sized fish looking for toes to nibble on. Nothing like that got me this week!

I am beginning to realize how much of an impact I have made on these kids lives in the past year. I have been told that, a little over a year ago I was a scary person, who wasn't fun to be around and hard to talk to. I think I know why that was, and I am glad they no longer see it that way. Once I was able to begin acting like the "youth pastor" giving me the freedom to be as goofy as I want to be, they began to open up to me and start having a good time with me. They now trust me, and many of them actually count me among their friends, which I really like. They come to me when they need to talk about anything. They know that I am not going to judge them. They know that I have their best interests at heart. They know that they can be honest with me and that I am going to be honest with them. They know that I am going to tell it like it is, tell them what needs to be said, and I am not going to bend. I can be as understanding as needs be, however they know where I stand on the issues and they know that I can help them to be able to do the same thing even though it's very difficult in the world that they live in.

That's where it begins to stink.... because I am leaving now. I am going to miss these guys, and I know they are going to miss me. A couple of them have actually come to me to talk, and they ended up crying because I am not going to be there for them to be so open with. The other youth leaders at our corps are much older, and aren't as easily able to relate to them on the level where they need to be met. I am praying for someone to replace me who can do that for them. We have a couple of assistants coming in about a week before I leave, and I know them... they are younger, probably in their early 30s so hopefully they will be able to relate. A couple of the girls know them well and like them because they are from a corps that we work with frequently and who is also active in divisional events so they see each other all the time. I hope that familiarity will help ease the transition.

I have told all of the kids that they can contact me at the SFOT if they need to talk. They have my email address and my AIM screen name. I know that they will keep in touch with me, and I will keep in touch with them. They are great kids, and I want the best for them!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Tell Me Why

2005-07-05T20:54:00.000-04:00

Why is it that some people, well perhaps a lot of people will put off something very important, and opt for something much less important in it's place?

I can't go into a lot of detail, but with this, it came to me just now that it's something I am going to have to deal with a lot as an officer.

When people have something that they should be doing, something that is really a necessity.... they overlook that.

How long can you let something like that go?

Apparently until it's too late and then you are in a bind and you don't know how you are going to get out.

I must say that I am glad to be getting out of present situations and doing things on my own.

While I am very independent, and have been for years, I still live here, at home and so there are some things that are beyond my control. I can't wait to be calling the shots at my own place, along with my wife, and making wise choice. We will take care of those things that need to be taken care of, and then if there is anything left, we'll have some of those things that we don't really need, but rather simply want.

DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FIRST!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty Lame

2005-07-04T23:47:00.000-04:00

Well, this was the best fireworks show Cumberland has ever had............ if you have a very active imagination.

My house is directly beneath the hill where our city park is, a very good place to view the fireworks. Well, I sat out in front and watched them. There were some very nice ones, but the majority of the show was a mere illusion of fireworks. There was a lot of light and sound behind the trees. Over the horizon we can assume there were fireworks going off...... sad thing is there is a horizon for everyone save for the people who were actually in the park to watch them.

I don't know if there were bad rockets that didn't get up in the air or what the deal was. This year they used a new guy, and I don't know if they will be using him again next year..... I won't be here so I guess it doesn't make much of a difference.

I decided midway through the show that, when my wife and I decide to take our children "home" to see the fireworks..... it won't be Cumberland!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Seekers

2005-07-03T20:42:00.000-04:00

Graduation today went very well. The majority of the kids didn't show up, which was expected. Many of them go to church somewhere else. Cumberland is known as the town of churches and bars.

We went through the usual graduation things. It was a very "youth themed" holiness meeting. At the end I did the devotional.

During the devotional I really followed the lead of the Spirit. I had written some things down, but I ended up adding and taking away as I always do. At the end, I did a camp style, raise your hand, "salvation pitch." 5 people responded!!!!!! It went really well.

I thank God so much for using me to bring people into His kingdom. It just solidifies my calling. I love being used by Him. I have offered my life and He is taking it and I am so thankful!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Slow Day

2005-07-02T22:10:00.000-04:00

I haven't done much today...

Cleaned a bit
Did some laundry
Chatted online

I need to write my devotional for graduation tomorrow!

I miss the kids!!!!!!

HA

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Good News Clues - Day 5

2005-07-01T16:16:00.000-04:00

Today was our final regular day of VeBS. We will have our graduation on Sunday morning.

Attendance today was 82, which is down, but some of our adult class were on a trip with Wm. Booth Towers so that is understandable. Don't believe in falsifying stats so we didn't count them.

Our overall attendance for the week was 391 giving us an average of 78. We had 108 people register so that is only a deficit of 30, never happened before that I am aware of!!!! This has been the highest attendance at VBS here that I can find record of!!!

We gave away our TV's today, one to a girl named Felicia, and the other to a brother duo, Mickeal and Malaki.

We had a weird schedule today so there was no full Bible class, just a quick lesson of where you should put your treasures.

We gave out a prize to every kid. We pulled names out of a bucket. You got your name in the bucket by memorizing your verses from the week. I was excited to have to pull and pull and pull because of having so many repeat names!!!!! Almost everyone was able to quote all of the verses from this week!!!

We had a great time. My fears of being able to lead a successful VBS are behind me. God brought me through it, equipped me, gave me good people and we all got it done together!

"We're goin' lookin' for clues for good news clues, we're goin' lookin' for clues right now...."

Good News Clues - Day 4

2005-06-30T23:55:00.000-04:00

Well, when you believe for increase you get it. It's that way with God. All you have to do is believe. I mean, that's what the Bible says right?

We had 88 in attendance today!!!!

I was ordered by our CSM to take a pie in the face if we make it to 100 tomorrow. I take out if, and say, bring it!!!!!!

I then volunteered to take two pies so that in addition to getting a TV, the boy and girl who bring the most people get to pie me!

Today we learned about The Mustard Seed and The Yeast in the kitchen. I don't get to go to the Bible classes, so I don't know how that plays out. But the two people who are leading the classes have always done and excellent job with it, and the kids are on top of those memory verses so I know that they are paying attention.

Game time today was interesting. Game one, with the older kids, was an egg relay. I hardboiled some eggs and then grabbed various utensils from the kitchen, a ladle, cup, tray, plate, ice cream scoop, and a bowl and they had to carry the egg from one line to the other then pass it off to someone else to use another of the utensils. They loved that game.

Game two was, expanding yeast tag, a.k.a. The Blob. This is where you start off with one person as it, and when they tag someone, they link arms..... until everyone is part of "it."

With the primaries I tried a game called Popcorn. This is where the kids lay on their backs on the floor and with balloons simulate a popcorn maker. They try to keep the balloons in the air with their hands and feet. That lasted about 12 seconds and they were up off the floor running around playing with the balloons. They were having a good time so I let them have at it.

It was a great day. Tomorrow is going to be a bit different. We have some schedule changes, so that we can get out awards ceremony in. Graduation will be on Sunday, hopefully most of the kids will be able to come.

Come back tomorrow and see what flavor of pie I got hit with!!!!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

More Mini-Lights

2005-06-29T23:38:00.000-04:00

I was just out for a bit and despite the fact that it is raining, the lightning bugs are still out there lighting up the night!

Do we allow anything to stop us from shining?

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Good News Clues - Day 3

2005-06-29T23:24:00.000-04:00

78 in attendance again today.... oddly though there were several new people so that means we had some absences. I know that it's common for VBS to peak and then dwindle, but that isn't going to happen in Cumberland. Tomorrow is going to be another increase!!! The same two are still in the lead for the TV's.

Today in games time the primary kids got to do what they have been begging me to do since Monday. That day, I attempted as the second game to allow them to roll an orange across the floor with their noses. They had a bit of a hard time getting into lines that day and paying attention to directions so we ran out of time. I told them we would try again tomorrow, meaning another set of games. They took it to mean that we would try the oranges again. Well I didn't have them with me yesterday so I got some for today and we played it.... they smiled!!!!!!

The other game that I played with all of the classes today was called "Forgiven Tag." It's like freeze tag. You pick one, two, or three people to be "it", depending on the size of the group. They then go around the room trying to tag everyone else. If you are tagged you kneel on the floor. After everyone has been tagged those who are "it" go around and touch the people on the head and say "You are forgiven." It correlates with the story of the prodigal, which was today's theme.

I was supposed to go down to camp this afternoon but I wasn't able to. This is the first summer I haven't been on camp and it's weird not to be there when my friends are. I was going to go hang out with one of them today, my best friend actually, but since he is the program director and we are short on senior staff this year who are on the drivers list, he had to run younger support staff member into town. Oh well, I will be down there next week anyway.

I get to be on program staff for DYI. My assignment is to teach two boys Bible classes on Holiness in Real Life. I also will be doing a scavenger hunt on Saturday morning though I haven't decided whether I want to do a traditional one or a photo scavenger hunt. I am leaning towards photo. One thing that makes me feel good but a bit intimidated at the same time is that, the person teaching the girl Bible classes is Captain Roni Robins, the Internal Recruitment Secretary. It's quite an honor to be trusted with something they trust her with as well, and it's also intimidating because.... I'm not an officer yet, and I am only just learning holiness for myself. It will be a great exercise pre-training for me. I'm glad it's teens!!!!!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Good News Clue - Day 2

2005-06-28T20:41:00.000-04:00

Another wonderful day of VeBS has come to an end. Today we looked for clues in the dining room as we learned about The Last Supper.

There were 78 in attendance today!!!!!

As an incentive to bring friends we are giving away two TV's. Granted they are only 5" and black and white, but they are portable and come with all of the necessary cords to take it in your car or boat or rv(kids have those of course :P). I don't know how many channels it will pull down, but they are really excited. The boy and girl who bring the most people by the end of the week win the TV's. So far one girl has brought in 4 friends, and one boy has brought 2.

Running the games with the Pre-K and Primary kids is very interesting. God in His jovial nature decided to make this the biggest class. Talk about short attention span. Once you get them started into the game they love it, but getting them to stand still and hush up long enough to listen to instructions.... good luck. Bless God for whistles!

Tomorrow we move to the living room and learn about The Prodigal Son. Stay tuned!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Mini-Lights

2005-06-27T22:52:00.000-04:00

I just got back from a drive. I do this at least once a week, many times more. I was out on a rural road with no lighting other than my headlights. I came to a field full of trees and in them were hundreds if not thousands of lightning bugs!

I made me think about the fact that, lightning bugs have to light up for survival... kinda seems backwards, but it's true. They have to shine their lights.

As Christians we are called to be a light unto the world. Do we ever approach this with the thought of it being necessary for survival? Not only our survival but that of those around us.

In the dark we cannot see where we are going. In the dark we can end up in places that are dangerous. We can end up in situations we normally wouldn't be in.

As we spread our light, we illuminate the world and show the way to safety in the grace and mercy of our Father God.

Shine your lights as though life depended on it. Truth be told, it does!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

Good News Clues

2005-06-27T17:38:00.000-04:00

"We're goin' lookin' for clues, for Good News Clues. We're goin' lookin' for clues right now. It's a mystery what will we see, who, what, where, when, why and how?......"

Today was the first day of our VeBS (Very Exciting Bible School). This years theme is Good News Clues!

We had 65 people in attendance today, thats up from 10 people our first day last year, and up two from our peak as well!!!!!

Everyone had a great time playing the games, doing the crafts, and solving the mystery of sin in the garden of Eden with Doc and Gerty.

It was also nice to say the following:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of The Salvation Army, and to the principles for which it stands; one Savior, uniting all mankind in service and in love.

Haven't said that since I was 11!!!!!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

WATER WAR I

2005-06-26T17:09:00.000-04:00

Today was my final outreach Sunday as SAMS here in Cumberland. I decided back in March that the Sunday before VBS I would do a water war. I called it WATER WAR I because I hope that it happens annually. Despite some technical difficulties, we had an awesome time! We bought a bunch of balloons (400) from a bulk sale company. The balloons, meant to hold water and be thrown, or even better launched with a water grenade launcher were made of latex, not rubber. Well latex doesn't keep it's elasticity very well in the heat. Each time I tried to fill the balloons they would rip, or bust on me. I was soaked before we started. Luckily we dug up some better balloons actually made of rubber. They held the water very well. We probably ended up having about 150 balloons by the time we started. Not as many as I had hoped, but it worked out well enough. We had about 20 kids show up, many of whom were there for the first time. They come to our Summer S.O.A.R. (School's Out Activities and Recreation) program during the week and they got really excited the other day when I gave out some fliers about the water war. While we were dealing with the mess of not having as much as we would like to have used as weapons, Major Sue took the kids outside and did a balloon toss/catch. Then we brought out about 36 water guns and the balloons. Some of the kids had guns of their own.... Super Soakers! Our guns were not big guns, just little pistols which would need to be continually refilled, no big deal. Well we started off at first limited to just water guns for about 30 mins. The kids were having a great time, and I have to admit, so was I. There was a rule that while you were refilling your gun at the water buckets that you were on base and off limits. Well apparently, that rule only applied to the kids. The few adults outside were not off limits by any sense. Thankfully I wore my trunks and a t-shirt today, Major Sue hadn't had quite as much foresight. She was in summer uniform, but she was a good sport about it and allowed the kids to get her wet.... only fair because she was soaking all of us just as much. Towards the end we pulled out the balloons and threw those around, that was fun. I love being able to throw so far. People hid up on the hill thinking they were safe.... not so! After the balloons ran out we all played a few games of capture the flag. We had such a great time, the kids loved it! We went inside when we were finished and sang some songs. We filled out VBS registrations and then I gave the message. I preached on Jonah. I related the story of Jonah to being on a mission in the capture the flag game. It went really well. The kids knew a lot about the story of Jonah already, thank you Bob, Larry and the rest of The Veggietales gang!!!! When we began talking about the "whale" I had all of the kids and adults who were with us stand up and stretch out their arms and touch them to the fingertips of the person next to them to see how far we could stretch. I then asked them if they thought the "whale" was that big. They said maybe. I told them that the Bible doesn't say how big it was, but that a blue whale was actually longer than our entire gym, of which we were only covering just over half at the moment. I wrapped up the story by telling the kids how just like God helped Jonah out of his bad situation, He will do the same for us. I told them that God will help us to make the right decisions and that when we mess up, all we have to do is tell Him what we did, and that we are sorry and He will forgive us and put us back on the track. I told them that their mission was to do the right thing, and follow the instructions that we are given in the Bible, and by our parents and teachers and they all agreed to take on the mission. We promised to help them anytime they needed it and that we would be praying for them. We wrapped the time up with a prayer and asked God to help us with our decisions, especially when it's hard to do the right thing when something else would be so much more fun. I loved spending time with the kids today. It's fun to be a big kid now and then, there's nothing wrong with that at all! Plus, it was 94 degrees, so getting wet was nice, though I must say, a shot directly into the spine of ice cold water coming out of a Super Soaker will stop you dead in your tracks!!! Those guys are lucky I can't be at WATER WAR II because I would be sure I had the biggest gun this time!!!!! Maybe I can find a way to sneak back for that!!!!!!!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

My New Marching Orders

2005-06-22T21:12:00.000-04:00

This evening I received a new marching order and a new title to go with it. I am now A/Candidate Aaron Abram! Captain Perez, my DYS called me and gave me the good news. I have been accepted as a candidate for the 2005-2007 session "Heralds of the Good News!" Mine will also be the inaugural session of the newly established Evangeline Booth College School for Officer Training. I report to campus on August 12 at which time I will receive yet another new title, that of Cadet. I am so glad that this time has come. I am ready to get out there and bust the devils face in Jesus name! When you obey God's calling on your life, He makes the path straight for you to get to where He is sending you. To anyone who may read this in the time to come as I maintain this blog while at SFOT and you are struggling with the call of God on your life, I encourage you to answer the call, put your trust in Him and hang on for the ride of your life. Feel free to contact me anytime for encouragement on your road to officership, it's an incredible journey, one that you will enjoy and will be so glad you took when you get to the point where I am now. I can see the gates of the SFOT, figuratively of course, and I am ready to step through, don't worry.... I'll make sure the guard knows you're coming so that they will let you in too!

Under the Flag,
A/Candidate Aaron Abram

The Salvation Army Soldier's Creed

2005-06-22T20:32:00.000-04:00

I am a Salvation Army Soldier
I am a covenanted warrior and a member of a movement
I serve the Kingdom of God and live the Army values
I will always place the mission first
I will never give up, back down, or be silent
I am disciplined spiritually and mentally tough
Trained and proficient in winning souls
I always maintain my sword (the Word), my uniform, and myself
I am making war my business
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of God and His Kingdom in spiritual combat
I AM THE SALVATION ARMY
adapted from The Soldier's Creed, United States Army National Guard

by Aaron Abram