August Blog
This month we will discuss:
- You were made for today. Do you know what to do?
- Quotes
- Chesapeake News
You were made for today. Do you know what to do?
I arrived Sunday about 15 minutes early for our jail ministry huddle. One of my good friends, who also happens to be the Chief over the jail was there. He was not in uniform but a pair of blue jeans and a casual shirt.
“What are you doing here? Do you work all the time?” I asked.
“We had a guy try and hang himself last night, so I needed to come in.” He answered.
I cannot recall a time in my life where I have had so many suicides – friends, people I know who have killed themselves. What’s wrong? Are we in a different time?
This week I heard the president of the United States deliver a hate speech where he labeled half of our population as terrorists. In my lifetime, I have never heard such a speech by someone who is supposed to be leading the country. There have been many partisan speeches – but nothing quite like this. It was different and had an ominous tone to it. This same government is adding 87,000 armed IRS agents. That is twice what we have and would fill most football stadiums and is larger than the armies of many countries. My guess is they will target small business owners. Are our citizens fixing to experience what those of Cuba, the Soviet Union and Red China have experienced in the way of tyranny? Are we in a different time?
We have gone through a major pandemic that the effects are still nipping at our heels. It does seem like we have cured the flu and the common cold which at one time was deemed impossible (slight pinch of sarcasm). Our government has not been open with us as to what happened. Is something different now? Why the cloud of uncertainty?
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Some scary times hit suddenly – the attacks of September 11, 2001, and Pearl Harbor, for example. The difficult times we are in now seemed to be created over time and are self-inflicted. Are they irreversible? I don’t know. Maybe, but probably not in my lifetime.
The good news is that you were created for a time such as this and so are all your pals. Understanding different times and different talents among your sphere of influence can be a unifying effect.
One of the positive things I see is the younger generations. We live in a college town. Last week we had over 1,000 college students show up at our church in mid-week for worship and to hang out with one another. The young leaders I have encountered over the last several years have been amazing.
Here are several recommendations our pastor gave this weekend on dealing with a secular culture that at times is hostile towards people of faith:
- Put God first. When you get up in the mornings, spend time with God first. Physically go worship on Sunday, the first day of the week.
- Learn and study about your faith. Be careful what you put into your head.
- Establish meaningful relationships. Staying isolated or around nothing but secular minded people is not going to make a positive difference for you.
- Find out who you are and live your calling. What are your Spiritual gifts? What are you good at? Why are you here?
- Engage in counter-culture missions in your own back yard. There is no need to go to Central America – do good in your own neighborhood. Help a school, visit a jail, read a book to a kid that needs it.
The best way to attack a hostile culture is to rise above it and focus on something wonderful and great. Up your “purpose” and engage with likeminded folks. Do what you can to make a difference. Protect the liberty for others and yourself by standing up and not being silent.
Quotes:
- As you think, you travel, and as you love, you attract. You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. James Allen
- Concepts such as truth, justice, and compassion are often the only bulwarks which stand against ruthless power. Aung San Suu Kyi
- When you fall, pick something up. Oswald Avery
- The deadliest foe of democracy is not autocracy but liberty frenzied. Otto Kahn
- We’ll never know the worth of water until the well runs dry. Scottish proverb
- Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans. John Lennon
- There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. George Santayana
- In charity there is no excess. Francis Bacon
- It takes two to speak the truth— one to speak and another to hear. Henry David Thoreau
- A life making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. George Bernard Shaw
- We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent. God is shining through all, all the time. Thomas Merton
- By praying with every part of who we are, we allow the grace that pours from the well of living water to trickle through all aspects of our being, nourishing and hydrating that which was parched and diseased. Daniel Wolpert
- True spiritual gratitude embraces all of our past, the good as well as the bad events, the joyful as well as the sorrowful moments … we want to remember all of it as part of God’s guidance. That does not mean that all that happened in the past was good, but it does mean that even the bad didn’t happen outside the loving presence of God. Henri Nouwen
- Children and dogs are as necessary as Wall Street and the railroads. Harry S. Truman
Chesapeake News:
We are forming partnerships with people who can help us train law enforcement officers on how to deal with those that are mentally challenged. We are excited about the possibilities and the growth of this segment of our business.
Don’t forget – Chesapeake also can-do ACT Job Profiles a great way to insure you are getting the best candidates into a position.
One of the best and most useful assessments I have seen in my career is the Emotional Quotient (EQ). It is very economical and takes 5-10 minutes to take. Go to our website for more info or just give us a call.
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