The SAVN team is currently in Lodi CA covering the local corps' Chef Training Program (a GREAT program, btw) for a feature story on our site.
After a long day of shooting, we headed to IHOP for a bite to eat. Once seated, a lovely little old lady by the name of Barbara came over and introduced herself as our server. To put it mildly, Barbara had spunk, going so far as to lecture our resident vegan on the importance of including protein in his daily diet.
She must have noticed we said grace prior to eating because she sauntered up behind me and asked, "So, what church are you guys with?"
"The Salvation Army," I replied over my shoulder.
She reeled back in shock. "Really?"
"Yes."
"REALLY?!"
"Yes, Really." I said, turning around. "Why are you so surprised?"
"Because you all are so YOUNG!"
Hmm. Telling.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Hard Corps Teaser
If you haven't seen it yet, here's the newest trailer for our upcoming documentary on pornography and human sex trafficking.
Go to kickstarter.savn.tv and help us raise funds to get 'er done!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Devil's Playground
The national average for a young male's introduction to pornography is 9 years of age.
40% of parents surveyed report being greatly concerned about their teen's possible exposure to Internet pornography, exceeding concerns about potential depression, alcohol, cigarettes, drug abuse, and violence from the other teens.
A recent study reported 9 out of 10 young men and 1 out of 3 young women admit to using pornography.
The average onset for pornography addiction occurs within 2.5 weeks of regular usage.
Do you find these statistics disturbing? I do. Just 20 years ago these types of statistics were unheard of. Where will we be 20 years from now?
In recollection of my youth, it occurred to me that we (Generation X) had minimal exposure to mainstream pornography. As children, pornography encompassed the dirty magazines propped behind the counter at the drug store, out of arms reach and wrapped in plastic. As for pornographic videos, my friends and I could not have ventured an educated guess as to where one would procure such media. Point of fact, in order to obtain adult entertainment, one had to risk public exposure by braving the "naughty room" in the back of a video store. Us kids didn't dare step behind that curtain. Instead, we had to settle for the National Geographic centerfold and the women's underwear section of a JC Penny catalogue.
These mild and not-so-pornographic anecdotes may seem comical now, but the term "pornography addiction" didn't exist in our world. Nowadays it's an afterthought, a buzzword, a punchline.
We were weened on TV, a media controlled by the few and censored by the FCC. This generation (Millennial) has been weened on the Internet, a media controlled by the individual and censored by no one. It's a free-for-all of worldly expression, free speech, and sexual commendation with little parental control or fear of censure. If ever there existed the perfect soil for Satan to plant his seed and masterfully carry the world into hell, the Internet has won the blue ribbon. To be sure, it's the devil's playground.
The above opening statistics represent but a drop in the bucket of disturbing societal survey reports stemming from widespread Internet pornography abuse. Are you ready for the most mind blowing statistic of all? ... "40% of religious leaders polled admitted to finding nothing wrong with the recreational use of pornography."
I know what you're thinking... how is this possible? How can ANY ordained man or woman of God fail to see the lustful abuse of women perpetrated in pornography and deem it anything other than sinful? The Enemy holds great sway over this world, so much so, even God's own people grow blind to blatant perversion.
So, what do we do about this scourge?
To (mis)quote William Booth, "Why should the devil have all the good [media]?" Simply put, we must stop viewing the Internet as a self-serving mode of entertainment and begin viewing it as the ultimate means of evangelism. We must rip away that which Satan holds dear and apply it to our own arsenal.
A Missionary returning from a recent trip to Africa reported that even the most remote tribes in the country have cell phones. These people represent the poorest of the poor in our world. They have no electricity and no running water or plumbing, but they will walk for 2 days to charge their cell phones on a car battery in order to maintain Internet access.
What does this mean? It means we have instant access to the ENTIRE world at the click of a mouse button! If we, as Christians and Salvationists, fail to use such a gift for evangelistic purposes, we fall short of fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ - go into ALL the world and spread the Gospel.
Here's yet another disturbing fact: Baby Boomers and Gen Xers currently carry the torch, providing critical financial support for our great Army. In 20-30 years, we will be dead and dying off, at which point it will fall to the Millennials to pick up the torch and carry on. If The Salvation Army has failed to meet them at their point of need (online) and failed to reach them with the Gospel where they live and congregate (online), they will have no course or desire to support our movement. Our Army will be in big trouble.
When Willie Sutton, the prolific American bank robber, was asked why he robbed banks, he answered, "Because that's where the money is." The same can be said about our Founder, William Booth. In 19th Century England there was no Internet, TV, X-box, or modern distractions. In as such, the average citizens took to the street corner as a meeting place to drink, socialize, and occupy their time. General Booth recognized the need and created the "Church of the Open Air." He preached the Good News of Jesus Christ on the street corner because that's where the people were.
My friends, though I do not possess the gift of prophecy, I can plainly read the writing on the wall. To quote a grand ole tune, "We're all very grateful to the old folk, who started the Army on it's way. But the hope of the Army, yes the hope of the Army, is the young folk of today." We have two choices: We can stick to our patterned traditions and ignore the gathering place of our youth, whereby allowing Satan free reign over their hearts and minds (and likely spell doom for our mission), or we can pick up our armor, meet the Enemy head on, and deliver the Gospel directly to our young people on the digital street corner where they live and socialize.
At SAVN.tv, we strive to develop modern ways of reaching the unsaved amidst a highly distracted culture. We don't claim to have all the answers, but we're doing our best to forge new territory and deliver our message to a generation who lives, breathes, and socializes through the wireless networks. Satan has a strong foothold in the World Wide Web, but he does not have a monopoly. He can be defeated. Our young people can be saved, but we need you, our soldiers, to pick up your swords and fight the good fight. Won't you join us?
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Live from NRB!
In this video blog, Guy talks about about exciting new partnerships from the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville.
SAVN Interview: Mark Burnett, Roma Downey
 |
THE
BIBLE, a
television miniseries, produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, is a Godsend,
literally, inspired (God breathed). And the production quality is superb!
Fulfillment of The Great Commission is now within easy reach, thanks to this creative,Biblically based resource. The Salvation Army ministers in 127 countries, and is committed to the innovative use of film and the Internet to reach "all the world" with the Good News. Mark and Roma, you have just made our job (mission) so much easier. Thank you!
SAVN.tv
The
Salvation Army
Social
Action Video Network
Guy Noland
(SAVN.tv) interviews Mark Burnett (Hollywood Producer: Survivor, Celebrity
Apprentice, The Voice, The Bible, etc.), and Roma Downey (Producer, Actor:
Touched By An Angel, Little Angels, The Bible) in their Malibu home, the
morning after the Academy Awards. The interview is
now featured on SAVN (Salvation Army Vision Network):
The
Salvation Army, via SAVN.tv, is partnering with their production company to
promote THE BIBLE, a miniseries premiering 3-3-13 on The History
Channel, culminating on Easter Sunday.
HE IS RISEN!
 |
| Roma Downey as Mary |
This
is a "must see!" Please announce within your congregations on a continuing basis,
and take advantage of the study resources accompanying the miniseries. Here's
an entire sermon series ready made leading up to Easter:
Please
enjoy a sampling of the series:
Let's get the word out far and wide, partner with the wider
creative community to fulfill The Great Commission.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Still Under Construction
 |
| With Tears and Prayers and Love |
“What is a Mission Station?” In 1876, William Booth, Founder of The Salvation Army, answered the question this way: “To this I reply that, as I understand it, it is not a building, or a chapel, or a hall; it is not even a society, but a band of people united together to mission, to attack, to christianize an entire town or neighbourhood…draw a line around the breadth of population you can hope to reach, and make that your parish, and aim, with tears and prayers, and the trumpet-blast of the Gospel, to christianize every soul within it.”
In 2011, Commissioner Jim Knaggs, Territorial Commander, is Spirit-led to expand Booth’s vision, culturally, geographically and digitally: “…to attack, to Christianize” an entire cyberspace community – evangelizing beyond the lines. “It presents a pace-setting opportunity for the U.S.A. Western Territory to be on the evangelical cutting edge,” says Knaggs.
Structured Chaos:
Change is a product of innovation. Therefore SAVN.TV should not be seen as a tight, clean, highly structured package, but rather as a very flexible and adaptive work in progress. We are marching into unknown territory to “Open Fire!” Creativity, freedom and flexibility are the order of the day. This attempt at “structured chaos” is but the “beginning” point of something new that is “fluid, mobile, changing and surprising.”
“God’s order is not… the same in every time and place. It is not a matter of repetition and habit. On the contrary, it resides in the fact that it constantly posits something new, a new beginning. Our God is a God of beginnings. There is in him no redundancy or circularity. Thus, if his church wants to be faithful to his revelation, it will be completely mobile, fluid, renascent, bubbling, creative, inventive, adventurous, and imaginative. It will never be perennial, and can never be organized or institutionalized. If the gates of death are not going to prevail against it, this is not because it is a good, solid, well organized fortress, but because it is alive; it is Life that is, as mobile, changing, and surprising as life. If it becomes a powerful fortified organization, it is because death has prevailed.” — Jacques Ellul, The Subversion of Christianity.
Pioneering Spirit
“We never have expected to hit upon that final stable structure. This is important for a church to understand, for when it starts to be the church it will be constantly be adventuring out into places where there are no tried and tested ways. If the church in our day has few prophetic voices above the noise of the street, perhaps in large part it is because the pioneering spirit has become foreign to it. It shows little willingness to explore new ways. Where it does it has often been called an experiment. We would say the church of Christ is never an experiment, but where that church is true to its mission it will be experimenting, pioneering, blazing new paths, seeking how to speak the reconciling words of God to its own age.” It cannot do this if it is held captive by the structures of another day.” (Elizabeth O’Connor…Call to Commitment)
Beginning Phase
In the beginning (1865), The Salvation Army began as a small, compassionate mission station “experimenting, pioneering, blazing new paths, seeking how to speak the reconciling words of God to its own age.” It started small and grew exponentially into the worldwide mission organization it is today.
SAVN.TV represents a “cutting edge” new beginning, likewise “experimenting, pioneering, blazing new paths, seeking how to speak the reconciling words of God to its own age.” The network will be launched in phases, “completely mobile, fluid, renascent, bubbling, creative, inventive, adventurous, and imaginative.” This initial offering is a sampling of what is yet to come, a very flexible and adaptive work in progress. It is “In the beginning…” – under creation – and will expand as “the spirit quickeneth – gives (it) life” (John 6:63).
Friday, February 15, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Vision in Action
Vision in Action
SAVN.TV Newsletter #2
January, 2013
There is much that has
been done and much yet to be done. “It’s your world, do something!” is not just
a slogan, it is a call to action. The Salvation Army’s reach is global, and
sharing a vision of need is not enough. The world needs a vision of hope
because where there is no hope, the people perish. The Salvation Army brings
hope through action. As it is
written, ‘how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!’ The Salvation Army brings hope by
lending a hand in being a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows.
SAVN.TV presents
needs, but also… SAVN.TV is
about Vision in Action!
SAVN.TV seeks to partner with the Christian community,
social activists, and other like-minded people that would be inclined to Get Involved with The Salvation Army,
but need some visual encouragement.
SAVN.TV provides that visual encouragement to an online
world through film and video. It is a place where millions can connect every
day. In the first six months, SAVN.tv has had more than 130,000 page views with
each visitor averaging 7.5 minutes per visit. These are astounding numbers,
especially considering we’ve yet to start any formal marketing campaign.
Did
You Know?
Marketing Strategies:
Now that SAVN is officially out of our
'open beta phase' and into Phase II of development, we have launched into an
aggressive marketing campaign with the goal of letting people know we're here
and reaching the world for Christ (by any means necessary)! While entering uncharted waters, we have
enlisted the aid of social networking professionals, outside marketing firms,
and branding contractors to help guide us along. Our goal has been to use a complimentary
mixture of proven marketing tactics and experimental approaches, while thinking
outside the box. Thus far, our efforts
have provided a wide variety of quantitative results; some good, some bad, some
strange.
One Example of
Outreach:
Departure from
Regular Donation Method:
New Video
Lost Boy: As a four-year-old child, Peter Adup ran away
when soldiers shot his parents in front of him. As a Sudanese refugee, his
young friends were killed by wild animals, disease, and the military, but Peter
did not give up. He feels safe now that he has joined The Salvation Army whom
he refers to as his new “brothers and sisters.” There is still much to do, but
you too, can Get Involved with the
Salvation Army.
Coming Soon
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