Another day another city.

So today I arrived in Sydney - a short flight from Melbourne.
It's the last leg of my tour of DownUnder and its time to dig deep to maintain passion and energy.

One of the sessions I'm teaching is a called "It's All About Sunday, Stupid."
I had to ask for special permission to use the word "stupid" among the Salvo's who come out of the holiness tradition.

It's an adaptation from the successful run by Bill Clinton for the White House. He had to overcome a 90% job approval by the elder Bush - riding high due to victory in Kuwait - and his chief strategist James Carville, came up with the slogan "It's all about the economy stupid" to turn the election onto the topic most Americans put as #1 - how much money they have to spend.
Brilliant strategy and Clinton won!

My session spins the title to suggest that it's actually all about preaching (It's all about the preaching stupid!").

Within my teaching I mention that one of the biggest speakers bureau in the US have as their number 1 requirement for someone to be placed on their books - they must have passion!!

So - as I get near my 37th teach I am fighting the tendency for passion to slip away.

Cadbury's is helping me.
But of more help is another group of Salvo officers eager to learn and eager to see their Corps become healthy and growing.

The central Sydney/New South Wales division is lead by a Divisional Commander who spend time in both Papa New Guinea and Russian. They have a strong mindset that the Army exists to reach people with Jesus first .....and so they lead this Division to push outwards. They are missional.

This makes all the difference.
If a Corp or a Church can grasp that the church/corp is not existing as keepers of an aquarium but fishers of people; if they can grasp they are not custodians of the saints but missionaries to lost people - the church's passion is ignited and life enters.

So, Sydney looks like being a good place - there's more Cadbury's, cool weather and an outward focused Salvation Army Division.