A charming old stone church with surrounding graveyard and greenery
Yesterday it was announced from The Salvation Army’s headquarters in London to all SA Churches in the UK that not only weekly activities should be cancelled but also usual Sunday worship for the foreseeable future to help avoiding the spread of COVID-19
I later learned that The Salvation Army wasn’t the only church to be closing their doors for this reason, The Church of England I heard on the TV news and The Church of Scotland are also cancelling services
Being a member of The Salvation Army it is unimaginable ‘The Salvation Army – closed doors’. Especially when they were on the frontline of two world wars with their soup kitchens and serving cups of Tea to the troops, which is of course where the phrase ” There’s nothing like an Army cup of Tea comes from”
People entering the Salvation Army worship and community center on a fall day
In The Salvation Army, “undercurrents” refer to hidden negative influences—attitudes, conversations, or behaviours—that quietly work against unity, leadership, and mission. They are not open conflict but subtle forces that erode trust and spiritual health within a corps.
🌊 What “undercurrents” mean in Salvation Army life
The term isn’t formally defined in Salvation Army doctrine, but it’s widely used in pastoral and leadership circles to describe unspoken resistance or negativity beneath the surface of corps life. These undercurrents often take the form of:
Gossip and whispering that spread discontent.
Cliques or factions that divide fellowship.
Passive resistance to officers or local leaders.
Private criticism that undermines public unity.
Unresolved hurt or bitterness that festers quietly.
Influential individuals steering others away from mission focus.
Such patterns mirror the biblical warnings against murmuring and division (Philippians 2:14; Romans 16:17). They are spiritual rather than merely social problems—signs of hearts drifting from holiness and shared purpose.
⚠️ Why undercurrents are dangerous
Undercurrents can:
Disrupt fellowship and discourage participation.
Undermine spiritual authority of officers and leaders.
Distract from mission and outreach.
Create tension sensed by newcomers, damaging witness.
Lead to division or even corps decline if left unchecked.
Leadership studies within the Army, such as Michael Hutchings’ work at Moorlands College, note that effective officership requires awareness of these hidden tensions and the courage to address them openly.
🕊️ How Salvation Army leaders address undercurrents
Typical pastoral responses include:
Bringing issues into the open through honest, prayerful conversation.
Encouraging reconciliation using Matthew 18 principles.
Promoting transparency in decision‑making and communication.
Teaching holiness and unity as core Army values.
Rebuilding trust through consistent, humble leadership.
These steps align with the Army’s doctrinal emphasis on holiness and community life found in The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine, which calls believers to purity of motive and mutual love.
✝️ A reflective takeaway for your blog post
“An undercurrent may be unseen, but its pull is felt by all. Only when truth and grace surface together can the fellowship sail steady again.”
Lord Jesus,You are the One who calms the storm and stills the hidden currents of the heart.Search us today.Where there is hurt, bring healing.Where there is bitterness, bring release.Where there is whispering, bring truth spoken in love.Where there is division, bring Your peace.
Make our corps a place where grace flows freely,where leaders are supported,where fellowship is warm,and where Your mission is unhindered.
Unite us by Your Spirit,purify our motives,and let Your love be the strongest current among us.Amen.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “See, the tent of God is among humans! He will make his home with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won’t be death anymore. There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared.”
I came across this song by The Melbourne Veterans Band a while ago and have always thought what a great testimony. You notice in the first half of verses everything refers to our ‘Earthly World’ and the second half he refers to ‘a Better World’ where men are saved to God and eternity
Unfortunately I have been unable to get the words of the song
12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. 13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech. 14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. 15 By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just; 16 by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.[b] 17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. 18 With me are riches and honour, enduring wealth and prosperity. 19 My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. 20 I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, 21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full.
4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
There is a lesson to be learned from this Proverb, especially if we have a family to provide for. We must not be like the lazy person and bring home poor wages.
No! we must do the exact opposite and be that person that is willing to work hard and bring in good wages to support our family.
65 ‘I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, “Here am I, here am I.” 2 All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations – 3 a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick; 4 who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of impure meat; 5 who say, “Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you!” Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 ‘See, it stands written before me; I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps – 7 both your sins and the sins of your ancestors,’ says the Lord. ‘Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.’
8 This is what the Lord says:
‘As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and people say, “Don’t destroy it, there is still a blessing in it,” so will I do on behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all. 9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live. 10 Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting-place for herds, for my people who seek me.
11 ‘But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, 12 I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will fall in the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.’
13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
‘My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. 14 My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit. 15 You will leave your name for my chosen ones to use in their curses; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name. 16 Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one true God; whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the one true God. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.
If you want to know the words just click on the video
2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, 8 the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a] as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
Joy Webb a member of The Joystrings of The Salvation Army wrote many songs. One of the was entitled “I want to Sing it”
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus,was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the Jews.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left.[28] [a]29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,30 come down from the cross and save yourself!”31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
ALAS! and did my Saviour bleed,
And did my sovereign die?
Did he devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
2 Was it for sins that I have done
He suffered on the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree!
3 Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man, the creature?s sin.
4 Dear Saviour, I can ne?er repay
The debt of love I owe!
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
?Tis all that I can do.
Chorus Remember me, remember me,
O Lord, remember me;
Remember, Lord, thy dying groans,
And then remember me.
Refrain (Hudson):
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Christian Devotions, Health and General issues of the day 