Entries by j_massey

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Mike Lindell, Founder of MyPillow, Finds Rest in Recovery

MyPillow founder Mike Lindell was once so addicted to crack cocaine that his three drug dealers ran an intervention and refused to sell to him.
“I went up and down the streets of Minneapolis and couldn’t buy anywhere,” Lindell recalls. “I had been up for 14 straight days.
“One of my dealers said to me, ‘You’ve been telling us MyPillow is just a platform for a much bigger purpose for God and that you were going to come back and help us all someday when you quit. Well, we’re not going to let you die on us.’”
Lindell didn’t die and eventually pulled his life together after dedicating it to Christ. Today, he runs one of the world’s most successful companies and is a self–made millionaire who helps former addicts like himself. He believes The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARCs) are a model for the world in battling addiction (see A Model for the World below).
Lindell’s own battle began in 1982. He used cocaine then, but by the late 1990s, he was into crack.
“I was a co..

May 15, 2019 by
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Overcoming the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Among all the fears out there, one sticks out as one of the greatest in this generation: the fear of missing out or FOMO. Is it one of yours?
The fear of missing out on people to meet, places to travel to, events to attend, likes to generate.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the FOMO on the simple things. I’ve been thinking about whether this optimistic approach to soaking in the best of what life has to offer is over-complicating what life has to really offer—the bare, unfiltered, uncurated life.
Cooking meals for loved ones. Sitting quietly in the morning under the forming sky and being content with the clouds hovering above. Taking time to do things well, without haste. Doing things not for the sake of it being the most efficient way to do it—doing things that might require a time or distance commitment for things that are worth it.
And where did all of this stem from? I believe we have many voices fighting for our attention, telling us that we ought to, or that we could, or th..

May 14, 2019 by
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The Salvation Army Opens Health Resource Center in Miami

Much like its sister commands across the territory, the country and the world, the Miami, Florida, Area Command of The Salvation Army strives to serve its community in a variety of ways. That includes the operation of the Red Shield Lodge, with 256 beds housing individuals seeking to transition into financial independence and reintegrate as […]

May 9, 2019 by
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Service Back to Full Capacity for Daytona Beach Salvation Army Following Hurricane Damage

When Hurricane Matthew made landfall in 2016, The Salvation Army of Daytona Beach, Florida, sustained damage to its Center of Hope, specifically in the form of roof issues and broken windows. With that said, the structure managed to escape without catastrophic impairment. The arrival of Hurricane Irma in September 2017, however, did cause significant problems. […]

May 8, 2019 by
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Shelter Employee Teaches Residents the Psychology Behind Addiction

Edwyn Hector has worked for The Salvation Army for six years. By Abagail Courtney – In the U.S. Marine Corps, semper fidelis, or “always faithful,” signifies the dedication and loyalty that individual Marines have for each other and their country, even after leaving service. For Edwyn Hector, that couldn’t be more fitting. Though he’s now […]

April 26, 2019 by
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BREAKTHROUGH (movie): An exclusive interview with the makers of BREAKTHROUGH, now in theaters worldwide

SACONNECTS magazine’s exclusive interview with the makers of BREAKTHROUGH, opening today (4/17/19) in theaters worldwide BREAKTHROUGH is based on the incredible true story of one mother’s unfaltering love in the face of impossible odds. When Joyce Smith’s 14-year-old adopted son John falls through an icy Missouri lake, all hope seems lost. But as he lies lifeless, Joyce refuses to give up. Her steadfast belief inspires people around her to pray for John’s recovery—even in the face of every case history and scientific prediction.
From Producer DeVon Franklin (MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN) and executive producers, Pastor Sammy Rodriguez and Stephen “Steph” Curry, and adapted for the screen by Grant Nieporte (SEVEN POUNDS) and from Joyce Smith’s own book, BREAKTHROUGH is an enthralling reminder that faith and love can create a mountain of hope, and sometimes even a miracle.
DeVon Franklin, Pastor Jason Noble, and John Smith recently sat down with SACONNECTSto talk about the movie, their ministr..

April 25, 2019 by
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Catherine Booth

Catherine Booth (1829-1890), the Mother of The Salvation Army and wife of William Booth, talks about achieving true peace, how our hearts can be made perfect, and what a Christian can learn from one of Napoleon’s soldiers.*
None of our hearts are born perfect by nature, but they can be renewed to be made perfect. For this, first, a heart must be loyal to God. It should be thoroughly given to Him, irrespective of consequences. Second, a heart must be obedient. A perfect heart does not pick and choose which commandments to obey. Hearts that do so are partial, not perfect. Third, at the root of all perfect hearts, is trust. Look no further than Abraham to see a heart perfect in its trust. Abraham believed God almost to the blood of his son Isaac, and God showed Himself strong in his behalf.
Our charity must be divine and focused on the soul. Sentiments of pity and acts of generosity towards man is sometimes done all without a spark of divinity in one’s heart. Or worse, it may be simply ..

March 21, 2019 by
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Taking the Lead

Women assume the role of president at prestigious Christian colleges around the country. by Retta Blaney
With a sense that they have been called, and with an appreciation for the groundbreaking role they are assuming, women have been taking over the leadership of Christian colleges and universities in slowly increasing numbers. Religious schools still lag far behind secular institutions in the appointing of female presidents, but the ceiling has been broken in schools across the country that were established in the holiness tradition.
“The idea has been that only one population, gender or ethnicity makes all the decisions,” said Deana L. Porterfield, who in 2014 became the first female president of Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, N.Y. “We’re better when we’re diverse. I do believe it’s what God’s calling us to do. Full representation is important if you really believe all are made in the image of God.”
While being the first woman president is an hono..

March 21, 2019 by