My favorite book in the Bible to study is the Gospel of John. My heart is moved when I reflect on the relationship between Jesus and the “Disciple Jesus Loved.” I strive daily for that humble type of love and closeness that will point people to Jesus, because being loved is a powerful force we all desire, but we will never know the depth of Jesus’s love until we accept that He knows us completely. Our ability to love or be loved is often shaped by our own experiences, but a new life in Christ moves us to share, show, love and lead others into the Kingdom of God. John 13:35 (NIV) says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” His love in me and through me will motivate many to initiate a relationship with Christ and experience His love in a strong and personal way. Like the Apostle John, being a disciple loved by Jesus has made me worthy to be entrusted with the honor being a witness, loving others and telling everyone about Jesus. 

Captain Javier Castro – Sacramento, CA

This is a hard question, because I resonate with so many of them! But in this season of my life, I would say the book of Acts. This book has spoken to me a lot in the last two years and has helped to direct my ministry. Looking at the start of the church that we know today is so important and in this COVID culture that we find ourselves in, we have to be willing to do things differently, and that is exactly what the church in Acts did. At the beginning of the book, after Peter preached at Pentecost, 3,000 people were saved and God added to the number of those saved each day. This challenges me in my ministry to make sure that what I am doing is adding to the number being saved.

Captain Sarah Eddy – Grand Rapids, MI

There are several books that I could mention here, books that contain my favorite verses or that have had profound impact on my life, but if I have to narrow it down, I would choose Philippians. I took an in-depth course on Philippians at the School for Officer Training and my love for it just continued from there. I find myself returning to it often. Its message of hope keeps me going in difficult times, reminding to keep my focus on God, not on the difficulties of the moment. My favorite verses from Philippians are found in 4:4-7, which focus on joy and thanksgiving, which lead to peace that can only be found in Him.

Major Jamie Satterlee – Alexandria, VA

Ask an officer anything. An officer in The Salvation Army is an ordained minister of Christian faith.