It was a good weekend in Winnipeg. We welcomed another crop of cadets who will now go on to be trained to be Salvation Army officers. They are at the beginning – us, well I feel increasingly like we’re near the autumn of our journey. Strange how that feeling overtakes you as you see friends retiring – or dying (too young) and you realize just how quickly the years are passing by. Now don’t take that as some somber statement. It’s not meant to be, it’s just that the contrasts do show up from time to time and I realize that there are people who are sitting on this platform who weren’t born when we started our SA journey.

Having said all that, I was really taken by the song we sang a few times over the past few days as we went from celebrating the new session to wrestling with the complex and challenging issues that we, as a denomination are facing.  The words are strong and meaningful and unlike some of the trite stuff that makes up our singing (at times) this has song has a depth that is not unusual in Graham Kendrick’s songs. Listen and enjoy.

If The Salvation Army has a calling, it is to be the people who reach the poor….so God of the Poor just fits – don’t you think?