Commissioning is a massive Salvofest and being the salvo junkie I am, I love it… almost every minute of it.  Yesterday as part of this year’s commissioning service we sang my favourite army song.  It’s one that lots of people tolerate and often don’t enjoy, mainly because it has seven verses, seven long verses.  And the salvos that read this will probably already know what song I am talking about, but I really love it.  The song is called ‘O Boundless Salvation’ and is commonly referred to as the ‘founder’s song’ and I have loved it from the moment I first heard it a number of years ago… I think one of the reasons I love it so much is that the words reflect so much of my experience, in fact I would probably go so far as to say it’s my testimony written by someone else.

So I thought that today I would put up the verses that ring most true to me as an ongoing reminder of where I have come from and where I want to be going… so that perhaps when I look back at this in years to come I will be able to give myself either a pat on the back or a kick in the pants…  chances are though in years to come the words will still ring true…

Verse 4:
Now tossed with temptation,
then haunted with fears,
My life has been joyless and useless for years;
I feel something better most surely would be
If once thy pure waters,
if once thy pure waters,
If once thy pure waters would roll over me.

Verse 6:
The tide is now flowing,
I’m touching the wave,
I hear the loud call of the Mighty to Save;
My faith’s growing bolder, delivered I’ll be;
I plunge ’neath the waters, I plunge ’neath the waters,
I plunge ’neath the waters they roll over me.

Verse 7:
And now, hallelujah! the rest of my days
Shall gladly be spent in promoting His praise
Who opened His bosom to pour out this sea
Of boundless salvation, of boundless salvation,
Of boundless salvation for you and for me.