Taking Stock

You made it to 2024, congratulations!

It is a blessing to be alive. But before we make plans for this brand-new year, how about we pause and take stock.

The theme for this edition is the Power of Pause, and on pages 16 and 24 you will read about the necessity of pausing to look back at the year that has been, before moving into the year that lies ahead.

January is an ideal time to slow down, catch our breath and contemplate where we have been, what we learnt from last year and what we will, or will not, take forward into 2024. Life proceeds at such a frantic pace that pausing can become our secret power.

We are human, so most likely there are things about 2023 that are best left behind … so leave them behind. Here are some suggestions. Leave behind the burden of comparison; you are unique and when you compare yourself to other people you diminish your worth in your own eyes. Leave behind the burden of other people’s opinion of you; they have limited knowledge and measure you against their own insecurities and failings. Leave behind the burden of slavery; don’t be a slave to Netflix, your job, your hobby.

Taking stock is about us personally, but how we behave individually will affect us corporately. God calls us to a high standard and our actions can have eternal consequences for the individuals we work with, worship with and serve. Our outcomes are not all statistically measurable, because we are not just an organisation, we are a holiness movement, a church, answerable to God.

On page 8 we report on the commissioning and ordination of the Defenders of Justice session. Individually this session will bring their strengths, passions and purpose to the ministry areas they are assigned. They have chosen to serve God in The Salvation Army and we celebrate and welcome them into our congregations and ministry areas. As they take stock of their time at Booth College of Mission, they will appreciate the preparation given and dedication of those who have equipped them in many ways. Now it is time for us to support, pray and encourage them as they go out to serve. They are the future of this movement, and we will be better for their presence and ministry.

Vivienne Hill, Editor