Salvogesis

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.  We have been unpacking a lot of boxes lately as we have just moved to Burnaby after 8 years on the Island. Moving is a difficult time: saying goodbye to old friends even as you prepare to make new friends; trying to tie up loose ends at your current position and find out as much as you can about your new one; cleaning the house from top to bottom; and packing boxes.  This year as we moved, we moved for the first time without 2 of our 3 daughters. They have grown up. Some of their stuff is still with us; as is all of our stuff. After 8 years in one place, you collect a lot of stuff. As we packed and picked up each item we had to decide: do we want to bring this with us into our new life in our new home, in our new city. That is the same...

 When Sarah-Grace, one of my daughters, was five years old, she would ask us every night if we would read the Bible to her since at Sunday school the teacher sang with the children, “read your Bible, pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grow …” She took this truth to heart her whole time growing up was faithful in reminding us to read her Bible.  Reading the Bible has also been very important to me since I was in elementary school. I personally have tried to read my Bible every day since I was ten or nine. I can’t imagine not reading my Bible regularly. It is exciting. It is transformative.  The very first doctrine of The Salvation Army states that “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.”  In Romans 1:16-17, Paul writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...  For in the gos...