Lean On Me

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

I must confess, the Army taught me some pretty amazing stuff.  Things like: Keep your locker locked (or the First Sergeant will toss your stuff out of the window); Keep your weapon clean and in good working order; The oil from the MRE peanut butter with the powdered creamer makes a good Sterno to heat your coffee.  But one of the most important lessons was to work as a team, because if one fails, we ALL fail; if one succeeds, we ALL succeed.

You see, when something needed to be moved, everyone pitched in and got it done.  When foxholes needed to be dug, everyone grabbed their entrenching tools and knocked it out. When one of us became a new Dad, we ALL celebrated.  When one of us got bad news, we ALL commiserated. All because, as a Unit, whatever happened to one, happened to ALL.

I miss that closeness and camaraderie.  The Army taught me what Galatians 6:2 meant and what Bill Withers voiced so well.  We need to be able to lean on each other!  

My Heart Hurts

Jesus wept.

John 11:35

Every time I attend a funeral or perform a funeral for someone I have known and cared for, it feels as if the pain will never stop.  I remember, as a child, being told that "men don't cry" and I held in the pain and sorrow for YEARS (not a good idea, by the way).  I wondered why it was okay for Jesus to weep, but wrong for me.  It just didn't make sense.

Finally, there came the day when one my best friend from Middle School and High School died....the flood came out along with the avalanche of all those pent up feelings I wasn't supposed to express.  I wish I could say that I felt better afterwards, but I didn't.  I was extremely ticked off that I was expected to hold all that in for so long.  I vowed that very day to do everything possible to appropriately express instead of continually trying to repress.

Has it been completely successful?  Not always.  But it's better.  You see, I found a verse that was an eye-opener for me: "I pour out my heart to Him and tell Him all my troubles" (Psalm 142:2).  And I began writing what was on my heart, the good, the bad, the ugly, the anger, the joy, all of it!

Now.....it's been quite a few years since I experienced the death of my friend, and I've learned a few things as a result but I won't bore you with most of them because they are specific to me.  But here's something I can share:  When we interact with others, we take part of them with us and they take part of us with them.  The closer friends we are, the more we interact and the more we take from each other to incorporate into us (ever noticed that close friends tend to share common traits, speech patterns, gestures, etc.).  Therefore, when one of the friends dies the one left carries on their legacy through their own lives.

We are part of each other!  Like it or not, we are.  So there!  Ya'll are stuck with me. 

Together We Are Stronger!

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14

 

When I was in the Military, we had to run every single day.  We were either marching or running wherever we had to go.  Now, let me state for the record, I do not like running.  I don't mind marching, but running is not even among my top 1 billion ideas of fun.  However, the thing about the Military is they teach TEAMWORK!  They teach reliance on your squad, your platoon, the soldier to your right and to your left.  And they were taught to rely on you.

 

Part of reinforcing that teamwork concept was the way we have to move from point A to point B.  Whenever we moved, our Sergeant would sing cadence which helped us all going in the same direction, at the same pace, and we moved as a single unit.  Those in the front would shout encouragement to those behind them.  We left as a single unit and we arrived as a single unit.

 

So do we do that with each other now?  Do we encourage one another in as we run with Christ?  Do we come alongside when someone needs some help or encouragement or a hand or do we wait for someone else to do that?  Are we going toward the same goal?  If so, how then are we running?  Together or "hope you make it by and by"?

 

We are so much stronger when we are able to put aside our petty issues and run together!  We are stronger when we complement one another!  We are stronger when we are part of one another!  Let's be STRONG and join together in this race, forgetting what has passed and focus on getting us to the goal of the calling of Christ!

 

 

 

We Can Work It Out!

This is what you do if one of your brothers or sisters sins: go to him, in private, and tell him just what you perceive the wrong to be. If he listens to you, you’ve won a brother. 

Matthew 18:15 

 

When you have a disagree with someone, how do you handle it?  Do you publicly call them  out?  Do you make a huge deal about the fact that you feel or think differently?  Or do you go to that person, in confidence, and try to work out the differences?

 

Keeping in mind that we are called to build each other up and encourage each other, there will be times when we will disagree.  Believe it or not, the disagreement isn't the issue, how we handle that disagreement IS the issue!  

 

I admit that there have been times when I have handled a disagreement VERY badly.  I have apologized to those who got caught in the explosion, and trust that forgiveness has been granted.  But from these events, I am learning that one of the foundational traits of a Chaplain is CONFIDENTIALITY!  Handle things between you and the other person.  If you can reach an agreement (even if it is to agree to not agree, and also not discuss it further), then you have saved the relationship.

 

There are benefits to reaching a resolution between the two of you....each of you gets to "save face" because no one else will get dragged into the issue; between the two of you, it's easier to discuss calmly; between the two of you, you realize that neither of you is perfect and perhaps even a change of perspective will result.

 

Let's face it, good relationships are very difficult to cultivate.  

Doing Life Together

⁴ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Romans 12:4-5 

 

 

Learning is fun....at times.  Okay, let's just say, learning the hard way is seldom a joy ride, but the lesson is still learned.  Having said that, I have to thank our Crime Scene Investigators for teaching me an invaluable lesson: "When you enter a scene, you bring part of yourself into it and when you leave, you take part of the scene with you."

 

This is also true of our lives.  Believe it or not, every single time we have any sort of interaction with someone else, we leave part of us with them and we take part of them with us. Don't believe me?  Think about the number of times you have smiled at someone and they smiled back.  You have share yourselves with each other.  Now, think of the number of times you have had a disagreement with someone and both walked away angry.  We have shared ourselves with each other, but in a negative way.

 

So here's my challenge to all of us: Share yourself with others so you both benefit from the encounter!

Armor Up!

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11 

Way back when I was in the Army, we would salute our First Sergeant as an indication that we were geared up and ready for action. And WOE to the one who was not ready for action...just sayin'. 

Yesterday, we talked about being prayed up before beginning our day.  Consider today's verse: "Gear Up and Be Ready."   This is where we support each other!  If you know someone who is not Geared up and Ready, pray for them.....pray with them.....pray over them.....help them get ready for action, even if that means taking them off the line for a while.

Let's face it, we are all part of the same Army, so let's be about the work of functioning in such a way that God's Mission for us is completed!

Rescued....Are You Grateful?

The righteous person faces many troubles,
    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

Psalm 34:19 

 

The photo is of our dog Woody Bear who was a rescue.  He's had a difficult life and was not sure if he could trust us for a while.  But slowly, little by little, he is understanding that he is loved.  In fact, when I have my morning coffee, I sit on the couch and rub his tummy and remind him that he is loved (hence the expression on his face).

 

Now if we shift gears for a moment, how many will volunteer that they have been through some rough times in their life?  I will.  I still struggle with some of them. And even though there are few people who have any idea what it's like in my head and heart, I know they struggle too.  You see, God created us to be social.  In fact, if you remember in Paul's Letter to the Church in Galatia, he reminds us to "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."  

 

Why do I bring that up?  Because even thought we face many troubles, God has a way of bringing people into our lives that can help us through our struggles.  God has a plan for each of us and sometimes that plan involves being the one reaching out to help and sometimes that plan involves being the one reaching out for help.  

 

We are in this together, whether we like it or not, so let's help each other and ask God to open our hearts, souls, ears and eyes for opportunities to help rescue someone. And also ask God to open our hearts, souls, ears and eyes so that we are not afraid or embarrassed to ask for help.  God comes to the rescue every single time, sometimes we merely have to be aware that help comes in God's way, which is probably not the way we expected.

 

Ponder that. 

Imagine The Power

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them

Matthew 18:20 

 When you hear the word "Power" what comes to mind?  Perhaps political power.  Perhaps military power.  But what about the power that comes through Christ?  Let's think about that for a moment.  

For all the years of my life in which I heard this verse, I thought it applied to prayer.  And....it does.  However, if we limit it to just prayer, we miss so much more!  Imagine if two or three are gathered together in Jesus' Name to ENCOURAGE you.  Imagine of two or three are gathered in Jesus' Name to help you move or fix your car or cut your grass or take you to lunch or gathered to comfort you during a time of struggle.

The point I want you to see here is that there is true POWER when God's People come together in Jesus' Name! 

We're In This Together

May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants. Then you will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other, which will bring glory to God. 

Romans 15:5-7 

 

Let me ask you something, if you were in an accident and you were trapped inside the vehicle, would you really care who came to help you out?  Probably not.  

 

If you found yourself on a cruise and the ship began to sink, would you be picky about who you share a lifeboat with?  Probably not.

 

In times of devastation and stressful situations, one of the first things we get rid of are our prejudices.  Ever notice that?  Why is that?  If we are willing to discard our prejudices in those times, why bother to reinstate them when the trauma has passed?

 

Let me be honest, we are ALL walking through this life together.  Did you catch that?  TOGETHER!  And to be even more honest, one of the places I have been part of which has the MOST discord (shrouded by a thin veil of piety) is the church!  The one place people go for healing and instead they find power struggles, drama, discord, and more knives in the backs of others than even in prison.  Why is that?  Imagine how much more effective we would be in every situation if we were to drop out petty differences and prejudices and actually worked together.  

Come Together

Remind the believers to yield to the authority of rulers and government leaders, to obey them, to be ready to do good, to speak no evil about anyone, to live in peace, and to be gentle and polite to all people.

Titus 3:1-2

I see a lot of commercials on television and hear them on the radio about companies who will for a "small fee" will check your DNA to see where your ancestors came from.  Honestly, I thought about this for a long time, then I saw how much the "small fee" turned out to be, and decided that WHERE I came from is not as important as where I AM.

We are where we are.  I'm not saying our personal ancestry is unimportant, but can you go back in time and change any part of it?  We are right HERE right NOW, so let's work on getting along and MOVE FORWARD so our ancestors can look back and see that we did the most amazing thing ever....realize that we are all human beings!

We should be ready to do GOOD to others.  Not for any reward from them, but simply because it's the right thing to do.  We should speak evil of no one.  This is a hard one to stick to, and I struggle with this sometimes, but am working on that.

Living in peace with others makes a great place for others to want to come live.  Especially when we are gentle and polite to ALL.

Ponder that for a bit.

Cliques? REALLY?

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:10 

I am not a fan of politics by ANY stretch of the imagination!  From office cliques to political campaigns, I dislike them all because they do nothing but create divisiveness!  We should be setting the example for others by getting along with one another, rather than creating chaos and discord.

As I am writing this, I am contemplating how to handle a particular situation where a team, who should be relying on each other and encouraging each other, has become divided....all because of a clique which has developed.

Look at what the Apostle reminds us:

     * LIVE IN HARMONY WITH EACH OTHER

     * LET THERE BE NO DIVISIONS 

     * BE OF ONE MIND

     * BE UNITED IN THOUGHT AND PURPOSE

You can't have cliques AND live in harmony with others.  You can't have office politics and be of one mind.  You can't be divided and be united in thought and purpose.

Isn't it time to let go of the childish games and start looking out for each other, encouraging each other, helping each other, and caring about each other?

United

 I am in prison because I belong to the Lord. Therefore I urge you who have been chosen by God to live up to the life to which God called you. ² Always be humble, gentle, and patient, accepting each other in love. ³ You are joined together with peace through the Spirit, so make every effort to continue together in this way. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, and God called you to have one hope. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. ⁶ There is one God and Father of everything. He rules everything and is everywhere and is in everything.

Ephesians 4:1-6 

 

Have you noticed how our world has become more integrated yet more divided at the same time?  Almost every country has a mix of other cultures.  Some are adjusting well and some are not.

 

But this is nothing new....is it?  We've struggled with the "us" and "them" conflict for longer than we can remember why it started in the first place.  And here's the bad part, that mentality has crept into every aspect of our lives.  

 

     *   We have churches with pastors who think the church is theirs to dictate and control, even to the point where they believe their control extends beyond the church into any other group they happen to be part of.  Attend a pastors conference or a Chaplains meeting and you will see this in action. If this is true, then it is not a church any longer.  Last I heard, the Church is where we gather to worship God, not the pastor.

     *   On the other side, we have churches with families whose ancestors donated the land or paid for a pew or two, or even bought the stained glass windows, therefore they believe the church belongs to them. Last I heard the Church is where we gather to worship God, not the contributions of ancestors.

     *   We have those in our society who believe they are owed simply because.

     *   We make a huge deal out of things we cannot control.  We use any means to divide ourselves.  "You can't join our group.....you're different!"

 

The last time I have read where everyone got along was in Genesis, when it was God, Adam and Eve.  Things went sour when the snake showed up.  

 

Jesus gave us only TWO commandments:  1) "Love God with your whole being" and because of that you can 2) "love others as yourself."

 

We are not here by accident, rather we are here on purpose.  And we have, many times throughout history, that when we work together we can overcome many things.  But we'd rather fight amongst ourselves about whose lives matter more?  HOGWASH!  If you are breathing, your life matters!!  End of story!

 

 

Gear Up!

Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.

1 Corinthians 12:20-25

 I have always had a fascination with how things work together to accomplish a goal.  For example, when I was younger, I found a wristwatch and managed to get the back off to reveal all the gears and springs working so purposefully just so I would know the time of day.  I stared at this very tiny device for hours lost in complete fascination of the mind that put all these parts together to perform this function.

Being the curious one, I decided that I would see what would happen if I took a single sprocket out of the works.  And guess what, the watch still worked, but began losing time.  Why? Because I had decided it didn't need that sprocket.  I had deemed that sprocket to be insignificant to the function of the rest of the machinations.

In 2005 I have quadruple bypass surgery, which meant the surgeon had to create four bypasses of my heart's arteries so my heart would continue to function.  In order to do that, the surgeon didn't merely call Amazon.com and order a new set of arteries (laugh if you will).  On the contrary, the surgeon too the long artery out of my left leg, divided it into four pieces and re-purposed the artery from my leg to cause my heart to work.  Now, while I am extremely grateful for the surgeon's ability to reuse my bits and pieces, the result of this was a diminished capacity of operation in my left leg.  Over the course of time, this diminished capacity has become more apparent to me especially when I have been on my feet for long periods of time.

Now.....I said all that to say this, the true church is a single unit made up of different parts.  For those who believe the true church is a building with comfy seats and stained glass where one can go and get a quick nap before the afternoon of sports, you are mistaken.  The TRUE church is PEOPLE!  And as any societal group, everyone has a function and purpose.  Take any society and take away the farmers, it won't take long for the society to notice the pack of produce.  True, we could survive for a while strictly on meat, but without the nutrients from the plants the lives would be diminished.  Think of the church as such a society where every single person has a purpose.  I cannot tell someone they aren't welcome to be part of our group simply because they don't think exactly the way I think.  I can't tell someone they aren't welcome in the church because they sing very loudly and off key.

So why do we do this with each other?  We gravitate toward those with a gregarious personality, because they are "fun" but they might not be wise.  We tend to overlook those who are quiet because they are "boring" but they might be the most caring people.  We must learn to accept each other, differences, warts, wrinkles and all because each of us has a purpose!  After all, doesn't God love you just as much as He loves me?

 

We Really ARE One....When We Want To Be!

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. 

~Hebrews 12:14-15

During the flooding which overwhelmed the residents of Columbia this past week, people worked together to help each other.  Entire communities reached out to those who suffered.  First Responders worked themselves to the point of exhaustion and still pushed on, because we became a single community of people.

Never once did I hear anything about race, beliefs, gender, preferences or any of the other irrelevant barriers WE have put in place.  For once, we realized that we all are part of the community of humanity.  People pitched in with manual labor; jumping right in to help with the clean up.  People opened their bank accounts and pantries to help provide for those who were without.  People gave and gave and gave!  

True, there were some who sought the spotlight, there were also some who became greedy, and even some who took this disaster as their opportunity to take what wasn't theirs.  But overall, people banded together; prayed for and with each other, accepted each other, cared about each other.

If God intended for us to be all the same, He would have stopped with Adam or Eve.  But God created us to join together as community, showing love to others regardless of our differences.

My question and challenge to ALL of us is this: When things return to normal, will we continue to see each other as a community or will the irrelevant divisive issues return?  

God Is How Big?

And we know that God causes everything to work

 together for the good of those who love God and are 

called according to his purpose for them.

~Romans 8:28

 

 

This verse seems to be unclear for many, so let's take a look at it.  How big is God to you?  Is God only God when you think you need Him?  Is God only God when you find yourself on the horns of a dilemma? Is God the one you say "thank you" to at mealtime?  Is God the one you call to when things are not going according to your plan?  Is God surprised by the things we do, think, or say?  Is God ever taken off guard?  Can we hide from God?

 

Let me be blunt...

     * God is the God who spoke the entirety of everything into creation.  

     * God is the God who took dust, shaped it, and breathed life into it and called his breath bag "Adam."  

     * God is the one who told the sea that they can only come so far and no farther.  

     * God is the one who named every single star.  

     * God is the one who knows exactly how many hairs you have.  

     * God is the one who satan has to report to, and God also has set limits on satan (not to mention has already defeated him). 

     * God is the one who knows everything about everything because He made everything.

     * God is the one who tells us not to worry because He has everything under control.

     * God is the one who reminds us to let Him fight our battles for us.

     * God is the one who has never lied.

     * God is the one who cannot be defeated.

     * God is a LOT smarter than we could ever hope to be.

     * God is ALWAYS with us even when we can't see Him because we are focused on our storms.

     * God is the God who takes our screw-ups, mistakes, blunders, and outright defiant rebellion and works it all for OUR good.

     * God is the one who woke you up this morning (and let you see the world around you).

     * God is the one who created all those amazing place we dream about going to relax.

     * God is the one who put the mountains in their place in such a way as to direct the winds.

     * God is also the one who put beaches at the edge of the ocean to draw us there.

     * God is the one who CALLS US BY NAME and loves us more than we will ever understand or appreciate.  He loves us IN SPITE of ourselves.

 

So let me ask you again, "Just how big is YOUR God?"

What Do You Mean "Share"?

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 

If you think you are too important to help someone, 

you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

~Galatians 6:2-3

 

We don't like to share much, do we?  Oh we'll talk a good game, but when it comes down to actually putting our words into action, we don't like to share.  Think about it, we might share out of our abundance (I have a pantry full of food so I'll share a few cans of vegetables no one in the house will eat), but what about the times when we don't seem to have anything to share?

 

Think about this too, when things are going smoothly we don't mind sharing our time with people we care about.  But when something tragic happens, are we still willing to share our time?  Or do we follow the rule of the uncomfortable and disappear until things return to smooth sailing so we can tell others we were praying for them?

 

Here's a couple of things to know about burdens: 

     

     1.  We don't want others to think we are "weak" so we don't ask for help.  We would rather be crushed and our lives damaged or destroyed because we are too proud to ask for help.

 

     2.  We seem to misunderstand the word "Share."  Sharing a burden does not mean I get to dump my burden on you so I won't have to deal with it anymore.  Sharing means we carry the burden TOGETHER!

 

Remember, not a single one of us is so important that burdens fear to find us.  Not a single one of us is so important that we are above needing help or needing to give help.  We MUST face facts, if any one of us was truly THAT important...they would be the only person on earth.

  

Not sure how to help?  Put yourself in their place, if you were the one carrying a burden how would YOU want to be helped?  Maybe you could be helped by someone checking on you.  Maybe you could be helped by someone helping you with some menial chores.  Perhaps you could be helped by someone taking you for coffee.  Or perhaps by someone who would sit with you while you grieve.  It's not rocket science, it's just a bit uncomfortable.

 

We are all part of each other!  God did that on purpose, so we could help each other.  

 

There's an old adage that says: "A shared burden is half as heavy. A shared joy is twice as bright."  Jesus said "Fear Not For I Am With You ALWAYS" and that includes when we help someone carry their burden.