March Forth! Marssige Edasi!

A big "thank you" to:
Jonathon Raymond
Lyell Rader
Roger Green
Doug O'Brien
for the part they played in the Holiness Manifesto (thanks, Ian!).

"People in churches are tired of our petty lines of demarcation that artificially create compartments, denominations, and divisions. They are tired of building institutions. They long for a clear, articulate message that transcends institutionalism and in-fighting among followers of Jesus Christ. They are embarrassed by the corporate mentality of churches that defend parts of the gospel as if it were their own. They want to know the unifying power of God that transforms. They want to see the awesomeness of God's holiness that compels us to oneness in which there is a testimony of power. They accept the fact that not all of us will look alike; there will be diversity. But they want to know that somewhere churches and leaders know that we are one—bound by the holy character of God who gives us all life and love. They want a message that is unifying. The only message that can do that comes from the nature of God, who is unity in diversity."

The rest of this week will mark the anniversary of the three official days of mourning for my mother last year (wake, funeral, burial).

I have heard your prayer and seen your tears (2 Kings 20:5)

my eyes pour out tears to God (Job 16:20)

I am worn out from groaning;
all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears. (Psalm 6:6)

list my tears on your scroll--
are they not in your record? (Psalm 56:8)

For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling (Psalm 116:8)

Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy. (Psalm 126:5)

he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces (Isaiah 25:8)

I have heard your prayer and seen your tears (Isaiah 38:5)

Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. (2 Timothy 1:4)

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:17)

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus)
by Chris Rice

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for Love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden’s lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain...so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don’t be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk, sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain...then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can’t contain your joy inside...then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on glory’s side...and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

Copyright 2002 Clumsy Fly Music (ASCAP)

(Hat tip to Major Charles Roberts at Opening Salvo blog and cousin Andy Groff!)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
(St. Francis)

http://prayerfoundation.org/st_patricks_breastplate_prayer.htm
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

I have to wonder if those who question the SA's use of military terminology, or those who consider it merely a metaphor and not reality, have ever been wounded.

Some of us don't have the luxury of even imagining that this war is only metaphorical.

Captain Evelyn Clark

RO 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
RO 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This is what we are trying to do.

Evelyn

Today was especially hard for me because I went to the police station to complete the official report. As part of the report, I gave the names and contact information for several of the boys who may have been involved or at least know who was involved. It was difficult because I have tried to build a relationship of trust with them, and now I am sending the police to their doors. It is such a tension: what does it mean to demonstrate Christian love to them and yet also show that stealing is wrong and has consequences? I really hope I am doing the right think here.

One thing we discovered today was that they also took our school bag that had all of our Estonian language books and notes for the class we are taking at the university. Although this doesn't have much monetary value, it has huge personal and emotional value. I think we are feeling this loss greater than any other item.

Today I have been thinking hard about how this event can be used in a redemptive way. I am praying that God can use this and our response to it to bring others to Christ. Please pray that we will be sensitive to His leading and humble enough to do whatever it takes to demonstrate His love in this time. We care so much about these boys, and they have so clearly demonstrated their need for Christ. Pray that God's love will break through.
--Tim

So this is a difficult month for us, for many reasons. In 10 days will be the anniversary of my mother's death. And besides the robbery, there's lots of other stuff going on that is adding to our stress. We really, really, really, really, really need extra prayer support right now!

This verse was shared at Officers' Councils in Finland last week:
PS 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
PS 147:4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
PS 147:5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
PS 147:6 The LORD sustains the humble

We cling to verses like this right now:
PS 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
PS 34:19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all

Please pray that we would be humble and righteousness.

Evelyn

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060314/ap_on_re_eu/estonia_meri

Losing some stuff vs. losing your life:

http://www.cpt.org/
We Mourn the Loss of Tom Fox

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/110/52.0.html
Martyrs to the Spear

All losses at the hands of those they were trying to help and serve.

In his twenties, William Booth (founder of the Salvation Army) wrote a letter to his wife, describing his feelings of discouragement and ineffectiveness. He was close to quitting, he said.
Catherine, a remarkable woman, wrote back: "I know how possible it is to preach and pray and sing, and even shout, while the heart is not right with God. I know how popularity and prosperity have a tendency to elate and exalt self, if the heart is not humble before God. I know how Satan takes advantage of these things to work out the destruction (if possible) of one whom the Lord uses to pull down strongholds of his kingdom, and all these considerations make me tremble, and weep, and pray for you, my dearest love, that you may be able to overcome all his devices, and having done all to stand, not in your own strength but in humble dependence on Him who worketh 'all in all.'"
As far as I can tell, Catherine was 23 when she wrote these words. But she was not too young to "get it." William's spiritual core, she understood, was the key to everything.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2005/003/25.50.html

http://tartu.blogspot.com/2004/10/wiping-away-blackness.html

MT 6:12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
MT 6:13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. '
MT 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

MT 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

MT 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
MT 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
MT 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

"I want to tell you what really bugs us about this robbery. It was done by someone who knew the house, knew what we had, and for the most part knew where to find it.... We think it was some of our youth from our youth group. Yowch!! That's a hit below the belt; that's not right. I am seriously hoping it was not ... one of the people whom we brought into our house and fed. It can't be them; I sincerely hope not. I prefer to be robbed by random people, not people whom I know, not people whom I joked around with ... tried to be their friend; hope not, pray not."

We are back in Tallinn after an eventful ferry ride from Helsinki. We were scheduled to leave at 8:30 at night and arrive at 11:30, but there were some delays and we didn't set out until 9:30. As we set across the Gulf of Finland, we could hear the big chunks of ice scraping along the side of the boat, and when we looked out the window could see how we were breaking apart large sheets of it. There was even a time where we were stopped for over 20 minutes! They finally made an announcement that the ice would delay our arrival; we finally reached Tallinn at 1:30. The saving grace was that the ferry had a large playroom for the kids.

Once we were of the boat, we waited in a long line at passport control. I then had to walk about 1 km to get the van, which decided it didn't want to start for the first 10 minutes. It finally started and I went back to the terminal to rescue my bedraggled family and take us to the Army's flat, where we will spend the night. We are so happy to be in Estonia again!

Tomorrow I will go to Tartu to see about the break in and handle any police reports, as well as the window repair. Now it is time for sleep.
--Tim

Our fourth robbery in 20 months. We had a housesitter; there's nothing more we could do to try to prevent this. Someone broke a basement window in broad daylight while the housesitter was out for just a couple of hours this morning. A neighbor saw the whole thing and called the police.

DT 31:8 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

JOS 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

1CH 28:20 "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

I'm sad.

Evelyn

We made it safely back to Helsinki after three days in Silokallio, Finland for Officers' Retreat. It was a good time of fellowship with other officers, educational sessions with Major Alan Burns from the UK and discussion of the territory's five year plan. Our whole family was able to attend, which made it a nice family get away. Yesterday afternoon was especially nice as we had a free afternoon and Elizabeth and I spent what the hosts dubbed a "Finnish nature afternoon." We rode sleds down a hill for a while, then we walked in the woods and on the frozen lake as a light, powdery snow fell. Some people were cross-country skiing on the lake, and others were riding on a sledge pulled across the lake by a tractor. It was lots of fun. We all gathered outside the sauna for tea and cakes, which gave everyone a nice chance to chat and get to know one another in a more casual setting. One of the best sights, though, was our territorial commander and regional commander barreling down the hill on sleds, each determined to beat out the other!

We are now in Helsinki, where we will spend the night in Army housing above the Central Corps. We will then spend the day sightseeing around Helsinki (which we have never done yet) before taking the boat back to Estonia in the evening.

We are glad for the time of retreat and the refreshment which will give us energy as we face what lies ahead.
--Tim

God has been faithful in sending us some wonderful young people who have come to the corps. Most do not claim to be Christian, and are very honest about their doubts and ideas of what it means to be a Christian. They ask much better and harder questions than most "church" kids would. Please keep these young people in your prayers as they work out their path in life, especially that they will come to know Jesus. Shown above are Sigrit and Aka (I think I spelled her name wrong) in our kitchen.

Kuido has been coming for many months, and has sincerely tried to learn about God. But lately he has been making some poor choices in his life.

Konda with a sled in our yard. He is another one who asks hard questions and has no real desire to be a Christian, but keeps coming anyway.

Christopher, the best (and only) soldier of the Tartu Corps. 

Sergei (Serka) is kind of the cool guy ring leader of the gang of boys who come. Although he practically flaunts the worldly life he lives, we have learned to respect each other and are glad for his honesty, even when he is a challenge.

Liis has been involved with churches for many years, but is still trying to work out what it means to be a Christian.

Maret is one of our two Junior Soldiers. She is also our translator and all around helper, which means at times we put her in a position that sets her at odds with the other young people. Pray that she will grow in her faith and that we will help her to still be one of the kids. And pray for all of the kids who come (there are others who are not pictured). God can do big things in their lives, and we are excited at the possibility. 

As usual, I led a worship program at the homeless shelter tonight. Where usually we will have 20 or more for the program and meal, with others milling about in the hallways and rooms, tonight we had only 12, and there were few others to be seen. But as I lead the worship, I could hear people screaming at one another from the drunk room, a place adjacent to the regular shelter rooms where they put people who are too inebriated to have a regular bed.

Like in America, it is just after the first of the month, and many of our regular friends were out drinking with their government money. Ülle, who regularly attends our Sunday worship and who recently found an apartment after six years at the shelter, told me today that she was worried about Taisi (another of our homeless friends who faithfully comes to the corps), because she feared that she had been out drinking too much and hadn't even made it back to the shelter lately.

It breaks our hearts to see people caught in such destructive cycles. These are people who are disregarded by much of society here, but when you get to know them you find that they are incredibly perceptive and good people. But they don't always see the value in their own lives, and so they drown it in alcohol.

Please pray for Ülle, Taisi, Kunnar and our other homeless friends. Please pray that God will help to break the grip of alcoholism on their lives so that they can truly experience freedom in their lives. We have come to love these people and on days like this, have a sense (be it ever so minute in comparison) to the pain God feels as He sees them struggle.
--Tim

This blog gets its name from March 4th, the day our son Peter Jonah Clark was born 2 years ago!

EX 1:19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."
EX 1:20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Evelyn
(vigorous in the exact same manner!)

This past week was an exciting one.

On Saturday, be brought eight people (plus me) to Narva for a regional "Days Before the Word" worship day with the territorial commander. It was a wonderful day for us all, bringing us together with other Salvationists from the region and drawing us together as a corps.

Shown in the picture is the Tartu group in Narva on the Russian border (you can just see the Russian flag on the castle in the background, which is just across the river). They are Taisi, Elizabeth, Andrei, Maret, Karl-Gustav, Ülle, Chris and Liis. Evelyn didn't go because Peter was sick with a cold.

On Tuesday, it was Vastlepäev in Estonia, and the tradition on this day is to go sledding, so we brought the youngsters from our childrens' program sledding on a large, bowl-shaped hill in town. It was a lot of fun as we and several hundred other people slid down the bumpy hills, although Elizabeth ran into a tree and bruised her knee.

One special thing for me was that Andreboroughtgh two younger boys, probably around 5 or 6 years old. They had never come before and didn't know me very well, but Andrei was off enjoying they hill and they were a bit more shy, so they kept coming up to me and saying in Estonian, "Onu, push me," "Onu, I'm cold," "Onu, look!" It was touching because Onu means uncle, and I was glad they felt comfortable enough to speak to me with such a term of endearment. They really wanted to talk to me, but because of their age just couldn't grasp the idea that I don't speak much Estonian. One boy would ask me a question very quickly and I would say, "Vabandust, ma räägin Inglise keelt aga ainult natuke Eesti keelt" (I'm sorry, I speak English language, but only a little Estonian language). He would give me a very puzzled look and then say the same thing at the same speed. It was very cute, and I was able to pretty much figure things out until Maret came along to help with translation.

Thursday night, we had 13 in our teen group. Almost all of them are not Christians and admit that they have no real desire to be one, but they still ask lots of good questions that polite church kids would never dare ask! Lately, the questions have centered around what they consider to be the rules of Christianity, showing that they feel it is mostly about a list of dos and don'ts. So Evelyn led a good discussion on how faith in Christ is about Jesus setting us free, not binding us to a list of rules, and that being a Christian is about a relationship with God, not about what others think you should or shouldn't do. Please pray that God will speak to these young people, that He will break through their misconceptions and make Himself real in their lives.

We are grateful for the way we continue to see God working every day here in Tartu.
--Tim

The Estonia region could really use some red jr. soldier uniform ties (of both boy and girl variety!) if you have some you could spare. I think we could also use blue ties (both boy and girl) and even yellow Sunbeam ties if you have them.

So, would you mind looking in your closets and desk drawers to see what you have hiding in there? (If all else fails, check the bandroom!)

Thanks so much!

Evelyn

I saw two movies lately that I think every American should see! I don't often recommend movies; I'm not really a big movie fan. (The usual joke is that I just see the same 10 movies over and over!)

If you click on the movie title, you'll go to the ScreenIt page for that movie, with warnings about bad language, etc.

The Majestic
and
Super Size Me

Evelyn

This whole article is really good and I'll just quote one paragraph here. You can read the rest at "To Know the Story" (click here).

"Working in an urban ministry setting many years ago, I saw a small glimpse of the strange effects of incarnation. During the first year, I lived in an apartment just outside the city. But during the second year I was able to move into the neighborhood where many of the children involved in our ministry lived. The difference was profound. Teenagers that previously had held me at arms length came closer. Kids continually came to my door to ask if I could play. I was living among them and it was not unusual for them to mention it. One girl told me that she knew I was real because I stayed around after dark. In her eyes I was now interested in her life in a way she could tangibly grasp. I was a hand to clasp on the way home, a next-door neighbor to sit with on the porch, a heart that knew both the joys and fears of the city. Stepping into their world changed everything."

Evelyn

The first person who makes a naughty remark about Major Munn's last name being similar to "muna" or "munad" will get a spanking from me!

Evelyn
who knows more Estonian than you might think!