Benefit of the Doubt

Definition: A favorable judgement given in the absence of full evidence...

Practical Application: Every time someone says something that can be interpreted negatively, or stops talking as you walk into a room, or when others are in conversation across the room and look at you and laugh, if someone appears to deliberately delay something or be difficult, or sometimes even if someone looks at you funny...

It is far too easy to presume something negative has been said or thought by others, to presume others have been talking about you or are hiding things from you. Women, this can be especially relevant for us, as many tend to overthink/analyse people's comments and reactions and all too soon we can develop negative feelings towards a person because of something that may not have been intended at all! Sound familiar? We live in a generation that is far too untrusting, suspicious, cynical and negative, and those old fashioned niceties like the benefit of the doubt are disappearing.

Besides from making life far nicer for yourself by thinking more positively about others, it can often diffuse a somewhat difficult atmosphere by ignoring those comments which could be negatively interpreted by not letting them get to you. Try giving "favorable judgement in the absence of full evidence" this week. This is not being naive, but trusting.

Myers Briggs

Everyone is different. We all know that.

But yet all too often we expect others to think and behave in certain ways, and struggle to communicate with people who are different. At BCM the second year cadets are forced to work in groups for a month at a time to acheive a module topic. By the end of these weeks true personalities can start to show as niceness is pushed aside.

I've been observing the Myers Briggs personality types coming to play in very obvious ways when people are stressed or panicking. Some people get stuck on the small details which frustrate those who are just wanting to get the thing done. The ideas people offer many off topic suggestions which can frustrate those who have just spent hours researching to understand the last idea. Some can be far too careful making sure everyone is feeling ok about things while others can be insensitive pushing the task through to the end.

No approach is wrong and no approach is completely right. We are all different and 'special' and thats just how we are wired and function. Each person has thier own way of doing things and this works, for them. We all need to understand and be reminded that other people do not think or behave like us, no matter how much we try to make them understand!!!

Luckily, at the end of the day this is a place full of Christians. Alot of forgiveness, humbleness, grace and understanding is expressed through these groups and session. We know we don't have to like each other all the time, but are called to love each other regardless. And even if that gets hard, well, theres only 8 months to go and we'll never have to see each other again...

Ceremonies

Today we started our first ceremony class - learning about funerals, weddings, dedications, enrollements and all the other events a Salvation Army Officer is called to front.

What a prividege many of these are - to be with a family who are struggling to cope with the lss of a loved one, or to share in the joy of a wedding day, or even to enrol a beaming young child as a Junior Soldier... what a special position we hold and a huge responsibility to bear.

Has anyone ever wondered what a CV of a regular officer would entail? All the different aspects of the job!

Module Two

We are now one week through our new module - Salvation Army Governance and Organisation.

New module, new topic, new teams; new challenges. This group enquiry delves into Formal and Informal Authority. Formal authority and communication flows through the official chain of command, the hierarchical structure of line managers from the General down to the door seargeant. Informal communications are the not so official conversations or decisions, the grapevine, the watercooler or pillow talk, the seeking of advice or authority from a respected friend over the official channels.

Both happen in any workplace or organisation. The month of research will find how these play out in The Salvation Army, what thier relationship to each other is, how a First Year Salvation Army Officer should work within them both and the various responses to them.

This has got many people thinking about how they use the two channels. Any thoughts?

Practical Grace

When I first became a Christian I was told that Grace means 'a free gift'. Jesus, being the gift God gave, in order that we may be saved. In investigating the word 'grace', I have uncovered a deeper understanding, I never knew. I call it practical grace.

Grace is found in both giving and receiving. It can be tangible, such as material things we give and receive. It can also be intangible, such as the relationship we have with Jesus and with others.

I call it practical grace, because grace is present in the practical things of life. When our eyes are open to it, it is there to be seen, it is everywhere. It is God's gift of a new morning, of the food so readily available to us. It is in new relationships and in the old ones we old dear. Practical grace is when God burdens us with compassion for those in need, and act on that burden with practical giving. Then, as others respond to grace in their lives, we are blessed in receiving. It is a beautiful circular picture of love.

My hope is that we see the tangible and intangible blessings of practical grace, and that we respond to the burden of compassion God has placed on our hearts.

For everything we have, and everything we are, is because of Him.

Module One is over!

Finished, done, complete - at last the Ambassadors can take a deep breath and sigh for thier intense research project which covered the last four weeks has come to an end.

Yesterday the three groups presented thier findings to each other - focussing on The Salvation Army's ecclesiology (understanding of itself in relation to the 'Church').

Is The Salvation Army a Church or Movement - or something in between?

One group discussed this through understanding our Weslyan orgins and practises. Another group looked at our relationship with denominations. The third traced the evolution of these ideas through the General's statements. A most interesting morning.

Today brings to a close the written report section and our individual inquiry reports, including all the finicky bits such as annotated bibliographies and a whole lot of paperwork. People today tend to be in just a little bit of a happier mood and I'm sure there will be a most well deserved sleepin for many tomorrow.

Well - One down, seven more to go...

Two weeks on...

We have almost done two half of our first module and in less than two weeks we present a 45min presentation on our findings. Each of the groups has a very different dynamic and we are all learning alot about each other, about diplomacy and patience. This will be a really interesting year!

Our mission placements were announced to us this week, surprising a few and relieving others. Instead of the traditional 3 months of outtraining, as has been done for many years, we now follow the new program of membership at assigned corps around our division. Over the course of the year we attend, share, preach and lead in this corps, getting to know the people and journeying with them. This year we are doing this in teams around the Wellington area.

However, for the second year cadets, we also have six weeks spread out throughout the year for which we spend time in various centres and specific corps activities. These field training weeks are spaced throughout the year to correlate with the module we are studying at the time... i.e. for the Mission and Community Ministry module we spend a week in a centre or other social ministry. As to the details of these, we will find out closer to the time.

So all you Ambassadors in Australia - enjoy your three months on the job training and the challenges and blessings these bring.

Inquiry Learning - What have we got ourselves into?

The new program of training for BCM cadets consists of the second year cadets pursuing eight Salvation Army related modules of training. Each of these covers a different aspect of TSA's mission and ministry, concluding with the Officers Covenant.

This new program is acheived through what is called 'Inquiry Learning'. For this there is a set program of 'required learning' which we all must understand. But then we are left to discover and research other aspects through an Individual task and Group. For these we develop our own research area and question, as well as a similar process in a group of 5, and spend the next 3 weeks answering it. Then we present these findings and conclusions to the rest of the class.

We began this process on Monday and it have quickly learned the benefits and pitfalls of this way of learning. It is quite exciting to be able to choose your own topic to research and follow it through. But it is also quite difficult to choose from such a huge, varied and broad range of areas! And if you word your question wrongly, then it makes life incredibly difficult. Working in groups and getting a consensual answer is a social experiment in itself...

Our first module is themed around The Salvation Army's Mission and Ministry. The required learning, so far, has been of the historical foundations of our movement, but theres more to come. So far some plan to look into the historical development of women in leadership, while others went down the socialwork and mission side of things. There were questions about the songbook, traditions, sacraments, the uniform, the stance we have taken on alcohol, corporate branding and many more.

If you were in our shoes, what one thing/area would you like to know more about in the Army?

We're back....

Minus a few but we'll survive.