Woody's Words

THE VANISHING ARMY By David Woodbury In the 25 th chapter of Genesis, we have the story of Esau selling his birthright; his rights as the firstborn son, to his brother Jacob for a pot of stew. The essence of the story was that in his desperate hunger, Esau surrenders his inheritance. As I look back over my life as a Salvationist, I am wondering whether or not, in our desperate hunger to appear relevant, we have traded our birthright. I am well aware that the church must always find relevant connections with the society in which it exists. The problem is that today, the culture and philosophies of the world in which we exist are changing at a rapid rate.  The instant exposure to ideas, thought patterns, trends etc. in this internet age is producing generations that find themselves on a constant, ever-accelerating continuum of relentless change. The end result of chasing this elusive phantom of relevance may well result in The Salvation Army, as an organisation, becom...

A LETTER FROM JAMES  Study notes Chapter 1 – part 1 Although the letter of James is only short with five chapters, it addresses some of the very fundamental behaviours of humanity. In it, James is not afraid to call a spade a spade and confronts issues that may well have been unpalatable, but very crucial to the ongoing development of the early church. Greetings from James 1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings! (James 1:1 – NLT) The use of the word slave here is unique to James and Jude who distinctly describe themselves as a slave of God and Jesus Christ, as distinct from Paul who describes himself as a slave but also qualifies himself as an apostle. The appellation is most likely used intentionally since James saw himself in the role of God’s slave; obedient, humble, loyal, yet aware of the great honour God had bestowed on h...