Spasmeno High

I would like to tell you a story about Jack and Jill. We know them because we have been in Jack in Jill’s shoes sometime in our life. Jack a high school superstar in his own mind and Jill a princes. Both had hopes and dreams of a grand life. Their life as children was filled with activities with friends and family. Their parents had the best in mind for them never wanting them to experience the real struggles of life. As they grew up their parents supported them by sending them to the best schools in the area.  These parents were thinking that the teachers would teach about how to be successful in life and avoid the pitfalls this world brings. So here is the story about Jack and Jill.

Jack went to Spasmeno High where he was a one of the boys that stuck our in the crowd. He was the captain of the football team. All the girls wanted Jack at their party, because if he was there they would be in the popular crowd. Jack was a humble young man never viewing himself as above any of his peers.

One day Jack noticed Jill a very attractive young lady who was not stuck on herself. He was immediately attracted to her. He had never felt this way before, but he really wanted to get to know Jill. He began watching her and learning her schedule. When he was around her he was always nervous. He did not understand this. One day he got up enough nerve to speak to her. His voice cracked his palms got sweaty but Jill responded with a smile and hello.

As the weeks unfolded Jack and Jill began to speak often in the halls and at lunch. Yes young love was blooming at Spasmeno High and it was all the talk. Soon Jack wanted to express his love for Jill and gave to her his letterman’s jacket and class ring. Jill was so excited that Jack wanted to give to her, his most prized processions as a sign of his love for her.

Jack’s football season was one of his best and all the college scouts were knocking at his door offering to him a chance for a great life. Jill just knew that the two of them would always be together. She had practiced writing her name with his last name. When she was around all her girl friends she would just talk about the future with Jack.

One morning during the spring Jack was coming into the school and noticed a beautiful young lady who he had never seen. He opened the door for her, said hello, she smiled walked in and tuned to him and said my name is Sally do you know where room 201 is? Jack said, is that your homeroom? She smiled again and said yes. Jack smiled back that is my homeroom I will show you. They walked to his locker and he introduced Jill to Sally the new girl and off they went to their homeroom.

On the way they talked about where she was moving from and what her old school was like. Jill told her about her schedule and the teachers she was going to have what they were like and said that she would look for her during their lunch period.

For Sally, this could have not been a better day. She made friends and it seem that this was going to be a great school to make friends. Over the next few weeks Jack, Jill and Sally would meet at the lockers in the morning and walk to class. Sally thought Jack was a great guy and Jill was lucky to have such nice boyfriend. Jill introduced Sally to a few guys, but she was not really interested in them. She had her eyes on Jack.

Jack was starting to grow tired of Jill’s constant plans of the future. Everyday Jack and Jill would hang out with each other at Jill’s house, because both of her parents worked and she was an only child. They would make out in her room, because this is what people do, when they love each other. At least this is what they thought.

One afternoon, Jack told Jill that famous phrase. Jill I believe we are growing apart. It’s not you, it’s me. Jill was shocked. What do you mean? We are always together. You were my first. Why are you doing this to me? What about the prom? How, could this be, she cried. Jill was devastated. Then Jack did the next hardest thing. Jill can I have my letter-mans jacket and ring back?

Jill threw the ring at him ran to her room got his jacket. She began to think that if she could just have some time to talk to him she could convince him that this was not what he really wanted. When she came back to the door she told Jack that she would give him some space, if he would agree to come over the next day to talk. He said okay took his jacket and ring and left.

The next day Jill was at his locker like normal and walked with him and Sally to homeroom. Jack paused at the door of homeroom asked Jill to stay in the hallway, while Sally entered the classroom. Jack told Jill this is not the space that he thought he was going to get. Jill pleaded with him to come over again Jack agreed but said please give me my space.

The whole day Jill acted as though nothing had happen, but by lunch everyone knew because Jack had let the cat out of the bag. Now Jill was be approached by close friends I sorry to hear that you and Jack broke up how are you doing? Jill was filled with every emotion that you could image. The emotions that ran through her mind throughout this day were anger, depression, denial, scheming thoughts of how to get them back together, worry, fear, loss, and brokenness.

By the end of the day, Jill had told some of the girls and guys in their group how Jack broke up and as you could image there started to grow a division among their group. Girls that were close to Jill dating guys in their group spoke harsh words about Jack and told their boyfriends that they could not hang out with him. However, they were not happy about this he was the star and the guy that everybody wanted to be around. Throughout the day Jack was getting dirty looks from some of the girls and the guys were saying things like she not worth it you can do better. The other girl that had her eyes on Jack took every chance she got that day to show him she was there for him.

Jack had brought a few thing's of Jill to school that day. He wanted to get these things out of his life so he could move on with his life. He was going to give them to her that afternoon however, the way the day was falling apart he felt like he wanted this to all be over. So during one of the early breaks he asked Sally to get a message to Jill to meet him at his locker after lunch. She said, "sure anything to help get you through this day." Jack met Jill after lunch and gave to her a box of trinkets of love notes and teddy bears. He told her, 'it is over' and that he was not coming over, because he did not want to put up with all the drama.

Spasmeno High that day was full of talk about the relationship that seemed so right but ended with people choosing side as to who was going to be friends with whom. It seem like the whole school that day was in mourning for the relationship that was shattering so many relationships.

Jack and Jill over the weeks ahead treated each other like they were at war. Jill calling him names in the hallway Jack responding back with words that colored her reputation. You would think that a teacher or a wise friend would pull these two aside and help them. But sides had been chosen and there was no turning back now. The big event was just around the corner. Prom.

The prom was just a month away and Jack wanted to go so he decided to ask Sally if she would go to the prom with him. Sally was excited inside, and said "sure anything to help you get through this year."

What is odd about this story is that it tells the real facts about broken love, life, and relationships. How Spasmeno High is a place to learn about how to divorce love and embrace no commitments. How to indulge in life matters as a child without respect of purity of each other. The question is, when is Spasmeno High going to graduate a class that has not felt the blows of broken relationships?

If you are a parent think now of how you can encourage your child to not get involved in adult matters of the heart that end with the reality of learning how to divorce well. If only we could stop the madness of parents letting their kids learn life the hard way. Never learning to get to know each other without sex, learning to commit, trust, and rely without experiencing brokenness. I hope and pray that you guard your child’s heart from the reality of life’s early hardships.  

Counsel of Others is a Good Thing

“Immaturity is the incapacity to use one's intelligence without the guidance of another.”

~Immanuel Kant 

 

This is a quote that I believe encompasses the real meaning of seeking out wise counsel before we open our month and embarrass ourselves showing the lack of our intelligence. 

Are Warranties Any Good?

             Recently my wife’s car battery stopped working. We had put this battery in back in GA just after I returned from Iraq at the dealership. The reason we had the work done at the dealership is a few other things had to be done to the car. Having all the work certified at a dealership seemed like a good idea, because if we moved or PCS to another state having the work done at a Toyota Dealership would mean that it would be easier to rely on the warranties, or at least you would think you could rely on the warranties.
           The battery went out 2 years and 16 days from the time it was put in the car. We took the car to the Dealership here in Hawaii and they would not honor the Toyota Battery warranty that was put in by the dealership back in Georgia. Why? You might ask would they not accept their battery warranty even when the battery had Toyota 84 month warranty written on the battery. I was told because this battery was sold in a different district of Toyota and here because they are not seen as one of the states they get their batteries from other distributors making the Toyota batteries from other districts not accepted.
           By now you realize that I am not happy, because I should be getting a battery at a cheaper price because I paid for the warranty for the last battery thinking that A Toyota Battery would be accepted at any Toyota Dealership. Not so. So it brings me to my main point. Today our business CEO, bean counters, lawyers, and anyone working to make a profit are doing so by making small print in the warranties that they sell the consumer.
          God when offering his Son did not make any small print. He gave us a clear guarantee. In John chapter 3 Jesus tells us that we must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God. We must understand God is not concerned about His profit margins. He is concerned about the day when those who did not come to choose to believe and be born again will be separated from Him forever. Thus, His warranty program is not about wealth, but on how we enter into a relationship with Him.
           So the next time you buy a warranty understand that more than likely it will have some fine print that the salesman will brush over as though it does not matter. But God has not brushed over His warranty program. He sent His Son to die for you, so that you might live in relationship with Him for eternity. The question is, Have you sought to confirm your warranty with Christ like Nicodemus? Or are you banking on the day that you can say look at how good and moral I have lived, is that not enough? You may hear Him say, you who practiced deceit in your heart depart from me, because I never knew you. Meaning that you never confirmed your eternal warranty. Speak to a Chaplain today to find out how you might come to have an warranty of the assurance of salvation.

Going the Distance

 There are many I see going the distance as Soldiers in their careers, training, and professional life. However, many of these are not going the distance in their personal lives. The Soldier’s creed speaks about what it means to be an American Soldier.

“I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself. I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. I am an American Soldier.”

The one line that is missing in this creed is I will always be faithful to my God, family, country, and command. This statement should replace “I serve the people of the United States.” The reason I say this, is that when a service member is successful in their spiritual and home life they will be successful in their professional life. The new statement also put into perspective that spiritual and family life should always be considered first before making any decisions. We have many Soldiers who hold up the needs of the Army to their spouse’s as an excuse to get out of being a valuable participate of the family. They use the command as an excuse to not be at home when they could. I believe that this is the responsibility of the leadership to set the president to the Jr. leaders that family being a spiritual leader in their family should always come first in your life. You ask any successful leader if they are successful in their career because they blew off a family milestone to support the Army and I will show you a leader that has not applied the whole creed to their leadership style.

As leaders it is our job to show Joe how to go the distance on the battle field and in marriage. When we allow Joe to give up on marriage because it does not fit his plan any longer; then we have allowed Joe to not place the real mission first, and to accept defeat, to quit, and to create emotional collateral damage and wounded children on the battle field of life. I know that there are reasons that marriages will end, but I am tired of seeing marriages end because we did not set our priorities correctly in the beginning. Going the distance in life means going the distance in our marriage (till death do us part) then we can say, we are going the distance in our professional careers, spiritual journey, and physical discipline in order to make it possible to go the distance on the real battlefield of life.

The Challenge

In life there are challenges that causes us to rise to it or faultier under the pressure. Why is it that some individuals can always raise to the challenges of life and others cannot even show up to the challenge of life. I believe that the biggest reason that some can face the challenges of life and others cannot is a greater understanding of what real life is and is not. 

Real life is facing difficulties and coming out on the other side of those difficulties without too many scars or bruises. For many it is the scars and bruises that tell the story of how facing the challenges of life will build character for growth. But for a few it is the scars and bruises that remind them of the fall from the challenge and the loss of confidence to face the next challenge. It is these few that have lost confidence in their faith, strength, and mental toughness that decide not to face the challenges any longer. As chaplains we need to encourage these to get back into the game of life.

The only way they are going to get back into the game is to have their scars and bruises covered so others do not see their weaknesses. Christ is the only one who can cover their real weaknesses in their life. He is the one who provides the healing balm of life to our scars and bruises. He is the Neosporin of life’s scars and bruises. Without him we do not heal well and the scars of life can be seen in our spiritual, emotional, and physical well being. But with Him we can face the challenges that life throws at us with confidence that even if we get pushed around and knocked down. He will be there to pick us up, dust us off and boost our confidence to face our fears and problems head on.

So the real question is; Are you willing to help those who cannot seem to face the challenges of life to get back into the game? If so encourage them to take the spiritual challenge of accepting Christ as their protector of life's scars and bruises. Show them his promises of spiritual armor to face life's battles.

Eph 6:10-13 tells us how to put on the protection to face the challenges of life. So the question is, will you be sure to help others get their spiritual armor on before life’s next battle takes another soul off the battlefield? If so put on that armor each day as you go out into the darkness of this world to help others find their PPI (Personal Protective Equipment) and face life's challenges.  

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand

How to Train Spiritual Resilience

The aspect of being resilient is to be able to bounce back after a traumatic or stressful situation. To understand why some can bounce back and others can’t I am proposing that it is more of a spiritual issue than it is a mental, emotional, or physical issue.

Let’s look first at a person of no faith. Many can bounce back after traumatic events, but all are left with questions that theologically they cannot answer. Is God the cause of this? What about my life? Why did this happen now? These are just a few questions a person of faith may not be able to answer in the light of a life and death issue. Why is this? I believe that they cannot answer, because they are faced with their own mortality and that begs the question is God real? 

People of faith, who face daily struggles or near death experiences and have come out on the other side understand resiliency. They understand because perseverance in the light of God’s grace and desire for relationship with the struggle provides the message of hope in the future. A person who is not hopeful in a future has a hard time moving beyond the fallout or debris of life’s issues. So what is the key to being resilient for our Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines?

The key to helping our fighting men and women be resilient is to build relationship opportunities.  Our warriors need to be able to connect with their experiences as a way to connect the dots that in the face of death and life struggles they see hope in the relationships they have and preserve in the moment. We need to encourage our service members to connect mentally, spiritually, and physically in training environments that fosters a perseverance attitude.

As a chaplain I see leaders give up on Soldiers to quickly and fail them as leaders because they do not desire to take the time to mentor the Jr. Enlisted or Jr. Officer. This mistake will be crucial on the battlefield, because when the fighting begins, the only trust these fighting men and women have, is in themselves. The resilient attitude cannot be established on individualistic properties or training. We must return to the basics of training and that is mentorship. Mentorship is having a healthy relationship with peers and leaders which bridge the ability to reach out for help and receive help when needed. 

To be resilient is to have the courage to ask for help and then preserve through the issue with the help of those around you encouraging you along the pathway. The scriptures say the same thing. In Romans 5: 1-5 it says; “¹Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, (meaning connected in a relationship) we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

A person that experiences the same things are connected and if given the opportunity to share the experiences they encourage others to lean forward and preserve in the fight. We need to celebrate our warriors and those who have fight the good fight and come out on the other side victorious. We need to allow them to speak about their challenges and obstacles and who has got them through the darkest of moments. Sharing testimonies of those who have won will inspire and encourage a spirit that is weak and desiring to give up.

This model is an approach in transcendent and immanent leadership.  As leaders we are transcendent to God and our Soldiers issues but we are needed to have a relationship of immanence with both. As we know transcendence is on the outside of a situation but if we are having a relationship of imminence we are considered within the fight with our Soldiers just as God is in the fight with us as we battle the issues we face in this life.  So let us join in the fight of connecting with our troubled and weary as we do with our heroes.

Open Up, Ask Directly, Receive Grace

Luke 11:1-13  ¹One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

 ²He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. ³Give us each day our daily bread. ⁴Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation."⁵Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' ⁷"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' ⁸I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. ⁹"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Outline Luke 11:1-13 “Open Up, Ask Directly, Receive Grace” 

Open Up in Prayer: Vs 2b Hallowed Be your Name…

         Reverently 
         Worshipful 
         Humbly 
Ask Directly for Sustenance: Vs 3-4a 
         Spiritually 
         Physically 
         Emotionally 
         Financially 
Receive Grace That’s: Vs 4b 
        Assures the Healing of Sin 
        Provides Comfort and Peace 
        Fulfillment of the Holy Spirit 
        Strength to Face Life

Open Up in Prayer: Vs 2b Hallowed Be your Name…
        Reverently 
        Worshipful 
        Humbly 

Do you remember the day you came to faith in Christ. The pray that you prayed was a prayer of repentance. The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray began with a salutation of reverence.

The Lord’s Prayer as we know it was taught to the disciples to remind them that when they prayed to the Father their attitude was to be reverent. Their spirit was to be worshipful. Last their heart needed to be humble in the eyes of God the Father. The word Jesus used to signify this point was hallowed which literally means let you name be regarded as holy, reverenced.

This morning as we gather before the table let us do so openly with reverent attitude, worshipful spirit, and humbled heart.

Ask Directly for Sustenance: Vs 3-4a

Spiritually
Physically  
Emotionally
Financially

Jesus taught his disciples to ask directly for what they needed. “Give us our daily bread.” This literally means that we are trusting God to give us what we need to live day by day. What do you need to live each day? This is not just talking about food. It is much more than food that Jesus is teaching them to ask God the Father to provide.

I believe that Jesus is teaching his disciples to ask for the basic needs of sustaining life. What are the basic needs for living day by day? What are your basic needs of life? Answering this question is not easy. At times we are so complex that we take for granted the simple things that we need to live day by day
Receive Grace That’s: Vs 4b

Assures the Healing of Sin

           Provides Comfort and Peace
           Fulfillment of the Holy Spirit
           Strengthen Faith to Face Life

Last, Jesus taught his disciples to ask for forgiveness for the sins they committed against God the Father.  To ask for forgiveness is to ask the Holy One to purify ones’ soul. He is the only one that can purify our soul. It is by His Son’s action upon the cross that cleans the sinner’s heart.

However, it is not the purifying that is the most important aspect of this prayer. It is the receiving of the grace that is the most important part of the prayer. We must learn how to receive grace. We cannot take grace, steal grace, or take for granted grace. We must receive grace knowing that God’s Grace assures the healing of Sin. God’s grace will provide the comfort and peace needed to calm our worries. God’s grace will fulfill the promise of the Holy Spirit to guide us in this journey. Last, God’s grace will strengthen our faith so we can face the road ahead.

Today as you come to the table receive His grace that assures the healing of sin, provides comfort and peace to our worries, fulfillment of the Holy Spirit, and strengthen faith to face the road ahead.

Thus, Jesus ended His teaching on how to pray with a parable about a visitor coming by unannounced and not at the best time of the day. This friend stops to get sustenance to continue on his journey. He knocks on His friend’s door late at night he asks directly for some food and his friend opens the door and gives to him what he needs. Thus, he receives it with humble heart.  Jesus says he who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and he who knocks the door will be opened to you.

Then the parable takes a turn and describes the gifts parents give their children. These parents are not wealthy and do not have the means to give the best of basic needs, but do give to their children. The point is that God the Father will do no less for his children than would earthly parents, but will do much more than sinful man would.

These parables tell us that God the Father will answer our prayer with what we need and when we need it. God’s grace is sufficient to meet our daily needs and our future needs.

We just need to come to Him with a open reverent heart. Ask him persistently for what we need. Then receive His grace with a grateful heart. 

Amen…   

How Truth Cuts Deep Those that Seek to Serve Themselves

How Truth Cuts Deep Those that Seek to Sever  Themselves :
This event actually happened in the Kansas House (not Senate) in Topeka on January 23, 1996.   Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita and was guest chaplain that day.  He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of  Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. According to an article in the Kansas City Star from January 24, 1996, his prayer did stir controversy and one member of the legislative body walked out.  Others criticized the prayer.  The controversy didn't end there.  Later that year in the Colorado House, Republican representative Mark Paschall angered lawmakers by using Joe Wright's prayer as the invocation.  Some members there also walked out in protest. 

So here is the Prayer:

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate January 23, 1996, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that is exactly what we have done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building

self-esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it

freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.  Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!"

The following came from the people forwarding this prayer:

"The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during

the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea."

"Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired."

"May this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God."

If possible please pass this prayer on to your friends.  "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything."

Living Witness

^12:17 An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies. 

It is important to note that if you are a believer you must be a living witness of Christ otherwise you are a false witness and the lies you tell are with your actions and words. This causes many non-believers to see the hypocrisy of religion and not real faith. Thus, you must seek to live holy in thought, word and deed.