Jan 312 min read

It’s time for new beginnings

Friends,

How are you?

I have a great feeling about this year. I really sense that it is a new day, and that we will now walk in that. It’s time.

I know this. The Kingdom of God is advancing, and my/our God is good!

I love the Word of God. So much gold ...

“I recall all you have done, O Lord.

I remember your wonderful deeds …

They are constantly in my thoughts.

I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.

O God, your ways are holy.‌” (Psalm 77:11-13a NLT)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name!” (Psalm 103:1)

This is what God says,

‌“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history.

Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new.

It’s bursting out! Don’t you see if?

There it is. I’m making a way through the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18)

I love the idea of looking back over the year/years and using ‘Examen’: Remember, rejoice, repent ... and now, at the beginning of 2024, I believe that God is asking us to be ready!

William Bridges, who has written an excellent book, Transitions, has done some great work on this subject. You might like to look up his work or read his book. William talks about three stages:

Endings
‌Neutral zone
‌New beginnings

You experience a lot of different feelings in each:

Endings ... shock, anger, denial, fear, sadness
Neutral zone ... confusion, disorientation, frustration, scepticism, apathy
New beginnings ... excitement, energy, commitment

Check out the story of the Israelites in Joshua 3. It’s time to cross the Jordan. Their journey from Egypt into the wilderness and across that river was enormous, and I reckon they experienced all of those feelings.

And now, in Joshua 3:5: “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you”.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for the ‘new beginnings’, and I am going there. I am ready to ‘step into the Jordan’ (even though it is in flood!). I am ready to leave Egypt behind (no going back), and I am so ready to be part of the amazing things that God will do among us, as we write the new story.

Are you coming? I hope so.

So, this is what will be key over the next few years ... and we all need to be singing from the same song sheet:

Our rallying cry becoming a strong reality, ‘Jesus-centred, Spirit-led and hope revealed’. The way we do things around here.
‌Advancing and not retreating. Areas formed, all throughout Australia, with ‘Gathered Worship Communities’, ‘Communities of Hope’, and ‘Community Tables’, the priority on prayer, discipleship, great culture, spirituality and raising leaders. Every expression working collaboratively.
‌Different ways of leading in the Army. Officers, auxiliary-lieutenants, ministry leaders and more. People ‘tapped on the shoulder’.
‌Blue-sky thinking, for provision and dependence on God.
‌Focusing on the primary issues, and not being distracted by other issues.
‌The Salvation Army being what God called it to be in both belief and practice.
‌Passion ignited and systems simplified.
‌Writing a new, good, faith-filled, hope-filled story. Loving who God has called us to be and living it out beautifully. Calling out the gold in one another.