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Concord Chronicle

Church Family Newsletter | February 2, 2024

Concord ChronicleChurch Family Newsletter | February 2, 2024

Major's Minute

You may not be surprised by this, but music moves me! Music is the media and medium that touches my heart, my soul, my emotions, my mind, my spirit. I am not afraid to raise my hands, dance, jump up and down, cry, laugh, close my eyes, laugh when I feel a certain emotion evoked by music. Any style of music. Instrumental. Choral. Orchestral. Brass band. (Well, it may be pushing it with some country music and heavy metal - lol!)


I am also grateful that my mom made me play piano. There was no choice there. I learned to appreciate it later in life. I can't "play by ear" like Jim and my brothers, but hand me a piece of music, and I can play it - most of the time. I have even worked myself up to playing in the weekly rehearsals in band. (I still ask lots of questions when it comes to certain notes, but I'm trying.)


The Bible talks about different ways we can praise the Lord. But praising is more than just raising our hands, clapping our hands, playing instruments, and dancing. Praising God is an act of honoring and worshiping, lifting Him up above all others and glorifying His name. It brings us closer to God - it connects us spiritually.


I read this:

God delights in the praise of His people. Jesus spoke out against the Pharisees who glorified God in appearance, but inside their hearts, were calloused and focused on their own agenda. We must come before the Lord and live a life of praise: A life that doesn’t only bow before the throne of God at church services, but lives a life where praise is a part of daily actions, attitude, and heart condition. (By Kelly McFadden, HomeWord Daily Devotional)


"Praise the Lord. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away." Psalm 148:1-6


That's the challenge - living a life of praise! May God help us praise him even when times are tough. Praise God in our daily actions, attitude, and heart.


AnnMarguerite Jones

Where Would I Be?

“Good morning, brother. How are you? Are you well in the Lord?”

“I am well, thank you. Without Him, where would we be?”


I witnessed the exchange above between two friends prior to a Sunday Morning service of worship. They always say the same thing to each other and give the same response, but the response as a question got me thinking.


Without Him, where would I be?


As a member of The Salvation Army my thoughts immediately turn to the marvelous stories of redemption and restoration we get to witness as lives are rescued from the clutches of addiction and abuse — and certainly it is easy to to think “there but for the grace of God go I”. I am most grateful that my upbringing and environment shielded and protected me from that predicament.


But there is another place we might find ourselves that appears to be the polar opposite of wasting and addiction and in the eyes of our society is deemed “success”.


Jesus had an encounter with such a person and it is very instructive for us:


Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’”


“I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Matthew 19:16-22 NLT


The scripture implies that Jesus was very saddened by this whole incident, because the young man had such potential. He was a law-abiding citizen. He was obviously smart. He must have been a good manager. He was morally aware and seemed to be focused in achieving “the most good”. He was good at being good! The problem as pointed out by Jesus was that he was too attached to the earthly rewards of goodness! His success was holding him back!


Jesus' recipe for success? — abandon all that stuff and throw in with Him and his mission!


An old aphorism says that “virtue is its own reward”, but that can be very deceptive once we become enamored of virtue for its own sake.


Jesus said: “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Matthew 16:26 NLT


Let us be careful that we don’t evaluate our spiritual health in terms of where we are not!

It is quite possible to appear to be very spiritually successful and still in danger of not maximizing God’s glory in our lives.


The antidote to both ends of the “success spectrum” is to make sure that we are focused solely on Jesus and his will, not on the trappings of success or evidences of failure.


“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” Colossians 3:10-11 NLT


So, the answer to my question of “Without Him, where would I be?”, has to be “in the wrong place, regardless of how it seems to the rest of the world! “


“And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT


Let’s keep the main thing the main thing!


Blessings on you and yours,

Jim Black


P.S. If you’d like to read previous ruminations of mine they can be found at https://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org/chronicle/?category=Bible%20Study

Tips for Refreshing Spiritual Intimacy in Your Marriage

By Jim Burns, January 15, 2024


Most couples not only do not have a plan to grow together spiritually…they don’t even talk about it. Some time ago, we polled married couples on various areas of their marital satisfaction. I wasn’t surprised that the area we found couples least satisfied was that of spiritual intimacy. One spouse noted, “We both have a strong Christian background but don’t really discuss and share openly with each other.” In my experience interacting with couples, this is very common. Too often, spiritual intimacy in marriage is a back-burner topic at best.


If you are one of the many husbands and wives who crave deeper spiritual intimacy with your spouse, but aren’t sure where to start or what actions to take, let me suggest some tips for you in this area:


1) Don’t Expect Immediate Change. To quote one of my favorite movies, What About Bob?, developing spiritual intimacy is best accomplish through “baby steps.” It is very rare for a relationship to move from lacking spirituality to strong growth overnight. It takes nurturing and pruning over time to have a beautiful garden; in the same way, it takes time and careful cultivation to grow toward spiritual intimacy. So, a good place to start is by planting the seeds of spiritual growth.


2) Pray For Your Spouse. This is a simple suggestion and one that is relatively easy to begin, yet one that many couples overlook. Understand that I’m not talking about hours of prayer here, but simply a daily time to pray for your spouse and your relationship. Paul’s advice to Timothy was to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). As you learn to give your relationship to God and start praying for each other daily, you’ll be creating a powerful discipline and habit in your home.


3) Pray Together. If your spouse is open to it, pray together daily. If your spouse is not very spiritually motivated, then keep prayer very short and do it at a meal or another time that seems less intimidating. I know one couple who started praying together every day with the wife simply saying, “God, thank you for our food. Thank you for the children. Thank you so much for Jack. Help us to be a God-honoring couple and family. Amen.”


One day, after months of that prayer, Jack said, “Let me pray, too.” He said, “God, I’m not much of a pray-er but I agree with Janet, and thanks for Janet’s heart for you. Amen, again.” After a while the kids got involved too. After a year Jack and Janet were feeling more comfortable praying together.

I believe the saying is true: “Couples who pray together, stay together.”


4) Worship Together Regularly. A natural part of growing together spiritually is worshiping together. Unfortunately, some couples don’t have the benefit of worshiping together. Perhaps one works or just won’t go to church. This is an area to keep on your prayer list; look for ways to find meaning together when you can.


I know of a husband who agreed to go to church with his wife once a month. Instead of nagging or condemning about the other three weeks, she made a big deal out of that one morning a month by serving fun food and turning it into a pleasurable event. Within the year he was going most Sundays. Today, after many years, he is a leader in their church.


5) Develop a Regular Spiritual Growth Time Together. It isn’t easy to discipline yourselves as a couple to spend regular time together focusing on your spirituality. Even though Cathy and I speak and write on this subject, we have struggled throughout our years of marriage in this area. We have tried reading books together and doing Bible study booklets. We have listened to CDs and watched videos together on spiritual growth. We have tried to have a daily time and a weekly time to focus on our spiritual growth. Like so many others, it hasn’t always worked for us.


We’ve always meant well, but no one thing worked for us long-term. Finally, we found something that works for us. We call it our Weekly Time. It’s rather simple, and, for some it may be too short, but it has worked for us.


The important issue is to find something that works for both you and your spouse. It may take some time of experimenting before you find what suits you both. Don’t get frustrated. Keep trying.

6) Develop Healthy, Affirming Relationships with Other Couples. Cathy and I had very few role models when we first got married. We didn’t know many couples we wanted to imitate in our own marriage. One day we were talking about the need to find mentors for our marriage, and a couple from our church came to mind. They had successfully raised three kids and had been married for a number of years. We asked if we could come by and ask them some questions about building a God-honoring marriage.


If we would have said, “Will you mentor us?” they might have said, “No, we don’t see ourselves as mentors.” Fortunately, we didn’t give them the option to turn us down. We simply asked if we could get together. The mealtime and conversation was so pleasant and helpful that we asked if we could get together again sometime. Today, this couple would probably say they have been mentors to us, but it didn’t start that way in their minds.


We also believe strongly in peer relationships. Cathy and I were in a couples’ group for several years, and even though each session wasn’t on marriage, it seemed like whatever we were studying in that group came back to our marriages and families. I learned much from how other couples approached their relationships.


7) Develop a Plan. When a couple is living with the same set of blueprints, they do so much better. As you begin to grow stronger spiritually as a couple, you’ll want to create your own. The plan has to work for you and for your situation. One couple I know plans two marriage-focused retreats together a year. Sometimes they go away and have read books together, listened to audio programs, or follow a Bible study booklet. At other times, they attend a marriage retreat or conference with other couples.


Part of your plan might include reading one spiritually-focused book a year, and then set aside time to discuss the book as a couple. Or, you might choose to read one book a year on a marriage topic. The choices are almost limitless. Although, I’ve said it before, let me say it again, your task is to find what works for you both as a couple.


Spiritual growth and intimacy is like anything else. It takes time and commitment. It is more about training than trying, and just like the Scripture says, you will reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7-8). Don’t shortchange yourself or your spouse by not focusing on spiritual intimacy. At the end of your life you won’t be focused on your IRA retirement plan, the kind of house you live in, or what your bank account looks like. You will be interested in a right relationship with God and a right relationship with your loved ones. Why not start focusing on the really important things sooner rather than later?


LAST WEEK IN PICTORIAL REVIEW

Farewell to Majors James & Laura Sullivan

Sunday Morning Worship Service

CAMEO Trip to Tea House

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

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SUNDAY

Please note that it is the first of the month which means it is POTLUCK Sunday.


MONDAY

  • 7:00 PM - Raising A Modern Knight Group - Zoom


TUESDAY

  • 4:30 PM - Craft Class - Library
  • 6:00 PM - Men's Bible Study - Fireside Room
  • 6:00 PM - "One At A Time" Bible Study - Library
  • 7:00 PM - Songsters Rehearsal - Chapel
  • 8:00 PM - Senior Band Rehearsal - Chapel


WEDNESDAY

  • 10:00 AM - CAMEO: How Do I Love Thee? - Fireside Room/Hybrid


FRIDAY

  • 6:30 PM - YouthForce - Fireside Room


SATURDAY - Divisional Music Rehearsals - Suisun Kroc Center

  • 9:30 AM - Del Oro Chorus
  • 11:00 AM - Del Oro Band
  • 12:30 PM - Lunch
  • 1:15 PM - Youth Chorus
  • 2:30 PM - Youth Electives


NEXT SUNDAY

  • 9:00 AM - Praise Team Rehearsal - Chapel
  • 10:00 AM - Adult Sunday School
  • NOTE: Corps Cadets will be meeting in the Chapel.
  • 10:30 AM - Prayer Time - Prayer Room
  • 11:00 AM - Corps Cadet Sunday/Worship Service - Chapel
  • 12:30 PM - Valentine's Luncheon - Fireside Room
  • NOTE: No youth music rehearsals due to the Valentine's Luncheon.


MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Joe Haughin's Memorial/Celebration of Life Service - February 17th at 1 PM

Tickets will be Available on Sunday

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES

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Father & Sons Group

Time: Feb 5, 2024 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Material: Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis


There are only two more meetings left with the videos. Once we are complete with the videos, we should have a good view of the program and what doing this together can accomplish.


Then we will begin planning our first trip together. This can be a day out, sporting event, museum, day hike, or an overnight camp trip.


Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86565725034?pwd=M0UwL3lqNThraW5ZM0dxNzBIZm1YUT09


Meeting ID: 865 6572 5034

Passcode: 969197


Contact Steve Spicer if you have any questions.

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National Day of Prayer & Fasting

Date: February 14th

This is an opportunity to humble ourselves before God and seek His will together.


How to Pray for Others
Dr. Charles Stanley


Many Christians are fearful about praying with someone who is suffering because they don’t know how to do so. But there are just a few simple requirements for being able to pray confidently and effectively for those who are sick or hurting emotionally.


First, we need to have compassion for others. This sounds obvious, but the sad truth is that we are often consumed with our own problems and don’t make time to care about others, much less pray for them. As we seek to identify with the suffering of others as best as we can, God gives us the ability to pray fervently for His deliverance in their lives.


Second, we must be willing to listen. This is one of the most affirming, comforting, and healing things you can do for others. Instead of trying to fix problems by offering advice or sharing your own experience, try to express God’s love and compassion. Listen patiently to people’s stories. Then, go to the Lord together in prayer, and ask Him to speak directly into their specific situations. Just remember: unless you have permission, never share with others—even in the form of a prayer request—what hurting individuals tell you.


Third, we should have clean hearts. That means we must be born-again, committed to Jesus Christ, and living a lifestyle of obedience. We don’t have to be perfect, but the overall patterns of our lives should be that of seeking to do God’s will. We can’t harbor willful, deliberate rebellion against the Lord and expect Him to use us in the lives of others.


Fourth, we need to pray in faith. James 5:15 says, “The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick". While this verse is speaking specifically about the prayer of church leaders, the principle holds true for all believers. It’s true that we don’t always see complete healing this side of heaven, but we need to pray confidently, knowing that God not only can heal but that He desires to do so. If you struggle with this, use a concordance to discover what the Scripture says on this subject. As you fill your mind with biblical truth, your faith will grow. Seeing God answer prayer also builds our confidence, so keep interceding for those in need.


Fifth, we must trust the Lord with the outcome. Sometimes we don’t pray boldly because we are afraid that if God doesn’t act, it will appear to be a failure on our part. But our job as believers is to take a hurting person’s needs to the Lord. He will choose whether to answer their cries for deliverance or see them through it by His grace.


So, are you willing to allow yourself to be an agent of healing in your church and community? As a Christian, you know that Jesus Christ has the power to transform suffering, sorrow, and loss into peace and joy. All you have to do is to allow the Holy Spirit to work through you as you minister to hurting people. Listen to their stories, pray in faith, and trust God to work as He desires.


Prayer Walk

Be creative in choosing your prayer walk location. You could walk through your corps neighborhood, walk through a local park or even walk through your corps building.


Choose several places to stop with your group. Share verses of scripture on prayer. You could sing the below chorus (SA Songbook 801/931) at each stop as well. Then have a time of prayer. Each stopping point should have a different topic.


Here are some suggestions:


  • Prayers of thanksgiving
  • Your corps, corps officers and employees
  • The people that come in and out of your doors for assistance and corps programming
  • Your neighborhood and community leaders
  • Your city needs
  • The world
  • For God to bless our Salvation Army leaders and our ministries around the world
  • Personal prayers for those on the prayer walk


“Nothing that is of interest to us is too small to interest Him. Many people do not believe this, but it is true. They think God is interested only in big things; but the same God that made the flaming suns and mighty worlds made the tiny insect, fashioned the lenses of the eye and painted with brightest colors its dainty wings. He is interested in the little quite as much as in the great. Therefore, we may bring everything to Him in prayer.” The Way of Holiness, Samuel Logan Brengle

Volunteer Disaster Action Training

SAVE THE DATE: MARCH 12-14, 2024

Camp Del Oro, Nevada City


Del Oro's Emergency Disaster Department will be hosting a training for all current volunteers as well as new interested volunteers and personnel we have acquired during previous disasters. Workshops include Intro to EDS, Canteen Operations and Safety, Critical Care/Stress Management, Truck and Trailer Driver Course, Mass Feeding 101 classes, ServSafe and “NEW” Canteen Leader class just to name a few.


We have created both beginner tracks and advanced tracks to cover all aspects of our Volunteer experiences.


We will also have an award ceremony to thank and honor all volunteers for their effortless time supporting our past disaster events.


Registration details will be coming.

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International Prayer Focus

This initiative of turning our thoughts and prayers towards the same part of the world at some point in the same week is a beautiful way to unite us as a global Army family and I thank you for the commitment you each give to this.


MALI REGION

Lt-Colonel Blaise Kombo​ - Regional Commander

Lt-Colonel Evelyne Kombo - Regional President for Women's Ministries

Captain André Togo - Regional Secretary

Captain Nana Togo - Regional Secretary for Women's Ministries


Prayers of thanksgiving:

  • We thank for the good transition period that the region went through with changes of leaders.
  • We thank God the good establishment of the new regional leaders.


Prayers needed for:
  • Stability and security in both countries, Mali and Burkina Faso
  • Mali constitution to remain secular which provides protection to the few Christians
  • May the Lord grant each Malian a spirit of unity, cohesion and patriotism
  • The regional leaders as they lead the Army in a Muslim context
  • The regional review taking place from 15-24 April 2024 with the IS and the zonal Secretary for women’s ministries
  • The establishment of OTC in Mali and Burkina Faso Region for the growth of the ministry
  • God’ leading during the selection of candidates for officership.
  • God leading to reach the unreached through the community development program.
  • The expansion of the Ministry in Segou, Fana, Basian Bini, Markala and Kenparana during 2024.
  • The sections to become district in 2024.
  • The official launching of scouts’ brigade in Mali and Burkina Faso.
  • The senior and junior soldiers to be true disciples of Christ.
  • Salvationists to cultivate a sincere and deep personal relationship with the Lord.
  • More new souls to Jesus through the ministry of the Salvation Army.
  • That the Lord may grant officers and candidates continuous spiritual and physical health as they work in God ‘s vineyard,
  • To see opportunities in our different challenges.
  • The implementation of the regional 2024 activity calendar and strategic plan.
The Salvation Army - Mali Region
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Passing Faith To Your Children

By Jim Burns • January 22, 2024


Do you know what the most often quoted scripture of all time is? Many Christians might answer John 3:16 or maybe Psalm 23, but the most often quoted Scripture from the Bible is by far Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Here’s why: Every morning and every evening in Orthodox Jewish homes, this scripture is said aloud. It is recited every Sabbath. It is quoted at deathbeds and at bar mitzvahs. When Jesus was asked to name the most important commandment, He went directly to Deuteronomy. “You will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (v. 5). These verses, called the Shema, were likely the first scripture Jesus ever heard as a child because it was probably said every day in His home.


Shema is a Hebrew word which means “to listen.” The verses in the Shema are a mandate for Christians to leave a legacy of faith to our children:


Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).


These verses teach us three foundational lessons:

1. Loyalty to God
2. Transmission of faith and love to our children
3. Constant mindfulness of God’s teachings


Unfortunately we have lost the Shema vision in too many of our homes. It’s time to regain that vision and the focus it takes to build a spiritual legacy in our families. The Shema shows us that faith is passed on when parents living out an authentic, faithful life to God, leading their kids by example. Transmitting faith to growing children is not the job of the church; rather, the church’s role is to come alongside families to help them develop strong faith and values that will guide their children to grow up faithfully and then pass their faith along to the next generation.


It is the calling of parents to disciple children toward spiritual maturity. No one has ever said this is an easy task, and it can definitely get messy. Nonetheless, we are called to develop spiritual growth in the lives of our children—and, as the Shema tells us, one important way we can do so is to talk with our kids about life with God, “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” . . . in other words, a lot!


If you haven’t yet developed a Shema-shaped family, that’s okay. It’s never too late to begin having more healthy, positive faith conversations with your kids.


If you need help you may want to consider purchasing Faith Conversations for Families or Pass It On.
Prayer Requests
Click here to share your requests. Requests will be prayed for in our Prayer Room and distributed through our Prayer Chain. Requests can be made anonymously.
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Testify Congress Art Contest

TradeWest is excited to announce that we’ll be collecting art submissions for the Testify Congress Art Contest. This is open to all Salvationist around the Territory. 1 winner from each category will have their art featured on an item that we’ll sell at the TradeWest store during the Congress weekend, June 14-16, 2024, at the Pasadena Convention Center and receive a $50.00 Amazon gift card!


All submissions must be emailed to artcontest24@usw.salvationarmy.org along with your name, age, and Corps/Division by April 7, 2024. We look forward to seeing you at the TradeWest Store in June!


Details of competition in flyer below.

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AnnMarguerite Jones
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