"I didn’t know much about God or attend church when I was growing up the way my wife did, but I will serve the Lord for the remainder of my days. I am very proud to be a Christian and a Salvation Army soldier."

A few months after I returned to Canada and Bermuda as territorial commander, I came across an item in the “pending” section of the agenda of one of our territorial headquarters (THQ) boards: “Local Officers Forum.” What was that? Who was on it? When did it meet? I decided to inquire.

Last February, a unique ceremony took place at The Salvation Army’s Cascade Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C., when eight soldiers were enrolled. What made the event extra special was that four of the soldiers were from one family representing three generations.

Every summer, thousands of children and youth from across the territory board buses to go to Salvation Army holiday camps for a week of fun, friends and food, along with a strong spiritual component. Some are anxious, but most are filled with excitement as they look forward to activities such as swimming, sports, hiking, drama, and arts and crafts. For many, canoeing, archery and rock climbing are first-time experiences

My brain is freezing up! My brain isn’t wired right.” A cry of frustration from a man who has always been able to express himself and his thoughts with clarity. Many people sometimes have trouble recalling names, dates and places as they age, but this was much worse, with whole blocks of knowledge seemingly erased from memory.

The Lord’s Prayer includes the petition “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 NRSV). I have usually interpreted “daily bread” as our requirements for physical survival—food, shelter, drink. Our petition, then, is that God would be faithful in providing the basic necessities of life. But on further examination, I have found that this request has a rich background that casts it in a different light.

Last school year, our town of Sydney, N.S., lost three young people to suicide. Vincent Nugent, Justin Newell and Madison Wilson were only 13 years old.

My inbox is a daily reminder of the “tyranny of the urgent” and the lack of personal connection that plagues our society today.

When heavy rainfall battered the southern region of Quebec this May, it caused the worst flooding the area had seen in two decades. As water washed over cities and towns, thousands of people were forced to leave their homes and now face the long process of rebuilding.

In 1988, Jerry Mercer and his wife, Shirley, walked into the Salvation Army church in Conception Bay South, N.L. Mercer heard the beautiful sounds of the brass band and felt as though he’d come home.