The genius of Ebden

a Jesus thought...
Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:20)

a Godly thought...
Imagination must be embraced as a priceless resource for mission; if it is not, the Christian cause will be lost. (p184 Frost & Hirsch)

a leading thought...
When a leader rules justly, each person under her leadership becomes a shelter.























a Dave thought...
In 1878, when The Christian Mission became The Salvation Army, Captain William Ebden submitted his design for a Salvation Army Crest that was the forerunner of today's Crest. He explained his design thus:-The centre point in the Cross, the universal symbol of the Christian faith.Twined around it is the 'S' for the Salvation which Christ has given by his death on that cross.The swords are those of the war against sin. The roundels are the shots which represent the truth of the Gospel.The crown is that of Glory and is the reward for faithfulness. The surrounding rays are those of the Sun of Righteousness and they also remind us of the fire and the light of the Holy Spirit. 'Blood and Fire', the Army's motto, refers yet again to Christ's sacrifice and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.


I recently acquired a DVD on the theme others from ROOTS UK. It was in this DVD that the young funky presenter was wearing a black and white baseball shirt with the crest emblazoned on the front. As I have been showing this DVD around the place as a part of our promotion for ACC07 http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/acc/, many young guys have asked where can they get one of these tops from. So after a growing demand and the co-operation of SA supplies they will be on sale in the coming weeks. This growing interest in the crest is evident in one of the guys on our 2Love team getting the crest tattooed on their foot!
I have been a big fan of the shield in recent years as it is highly recognised and always gets nice press, but the symbolism and theology behind the shield is far more detailed and fascinating for those we come in contact with. So maybe next time you are about to throw Salvo shirt on ask yourself if you want to get more money in the coffers or point people towards God.


Just a thought.