We’re Not Going Anywhere

Posted on 2022/06/12 by JimR, Chaplain

The Lord woke me this morning and gave me a verse for those who will hear. Isaiah 51:12 – Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and the son of a man who will be made like grass? Then on down to verse 16b – I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, “You are My people”. Then over to Matt 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

Noah’s Ark riding on a swell after the Great Flood

If you think you’re leaving this earth in a secret disappearance, please unpack your bags. The earth is ours. God gave it to us and I plan on staying and seeing it taken away from the evil that is out there like in the days of Noah. God prepared an ark while the wicked were destroyed. He protected His people. When it was all over look who was truly left. His people. Go back and read the verses above. Then read the following:

But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt: 24:37-39

Noah was left, folks. We’re not going anywhere.

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The Good Ole Days

Posted on 2022/06/07 by JimR, Chaplain

I’ve been watching just like anyone else and this is what’s likely going to happen. I was born on a farm. We were as poor as some of the dirt we planted in. We had a horse, mule, and a cow. My granddad plowed fields with the mule until he found a way to buy a small farm tractor. We got our milk/butter from the cow. We raised hogs and had hog killin’s where afterward the smokehouse would be full of meat and lard for cooking for a while. Venison may have been in there too. We had chickens for both eggs and chicken fried or with dumplings.

My Granddad, Grandmother, My dad, and his two sisters standing in a tobacco field

We had no running water. Just a shallow well with a handpump sitting on top with a quart jar of water next to it to prime it when we needed water. We had a “slop jar” in the house during the winter when it was too cold to run outside to the outhouse. Our house wasn’t built already wired for electricity. That came after the Co-op came along putting in power lines. The drop lines to our house resembled more of an extension cord.

We heated the house with a pot-bellied stove. A/C? Nope. No such thing. Perhaps an oscillating fan that mom and dad got at night. We sweat it out in our beds. Or in the winter it was two or three handmade quilts from my Aunt Lottie’s quilting bees. She was the only one in the neighborhood with a room big enough for a quilting frame.

We ate vegetables and such, like potatoes, collards, peas or beans during the week. Meat was a Sunday thing. During the summer I went barefooted. Shoes were for cold weather or goin’ ta town and Sunday church. We had one car and between my dad and his dad we had a pickup to haul farm stuff.

The store up at the end of the road from my home

And you know. . . I was happy. I didn’t know better and still, I was fine with it. A big reset in our economy is more likely than not to put us right back to those “good ole days”. I can live with it because I have lived with it. It’s gonna hurt these last couple of generations, though, I’m quite sure.

Posted in Abundant life, Days in Small, Family, Good ole days, Home, Memories, Priorities, Respect for Life, Sobering Thoughts | Leave a comment

Not Negotiable

Posted on 2022/06/05 by JimR, Chaplain

When I went to church this morning I knew the service was to congratulate the graduates. I was one of those. I go to Atlanta, GA the 24th of June 2022 to walk the stage to receive my papers to validate my Chaplaincy I was denied last year due to COVID. A secondary issuance will be given me towards completion of a course of study on Suicide Awareness & Prevention. This is just a preface to say one sole thing. I’m committed to God. There’s nothing else to say about that. I’ll let you contemplate the tie in to the rest of this post.

The thread through the message this morning peaked my interest to delve into an absolute. That thread was God’s principles are not negotiable. We look around us today and see so much compromise in the church. I don’t care about the world’s thoughts on things. We all know what their thoughts spring from and it is only natural to them, but the church subjugating with parties they should not be a part of is reprehensible.

God laid down principles to follow in the law under grace at the moment Jesus declared upon the cross “It is finished”. If we do not follow them we judge ourselves either deserving or not deserving. Therefore the judgment that befalls us is not from God’s hand directly, but from our own to exact our own judgment by God’s principle. Therefore God’s mercy cannot save us under grace if we do not heed those principles. This is where man’s free will takes hold. People wonder how free will works. Well, there it is. If we accept salvation under the conditions laid down by God we become bound by that covenant to obey it and true believers will. Those that wish to compromise themselves will find themselves without the cover on the final day when God is forced to exact His judgment because of the decisions each individual makes. This line of thought destroys the “once saved, always saved” doctrine. You can lose your ability to see eternity on the right side of God’s grace.

I’m old in years (not mind). Seventy-one and fast approaching seventy-two has its advantages. Life experiences tell me I’m on the right track. If you feel otherwise, I suggest you search God’s Word to prove this wrong. There were many days in my life I chose to not take for the truth that was posed to me at face value. I dug it out and searched the scriptures to see that what I heard was true. The same goes for you, the reader of this post.

I’ve had people tell me we’re all God’s children. All, being the key word tells me that I’m being told this includes the unsaved and the saved. I beg to differ. When we become saved we then become children of God. Not till then. Before then we are the children of the first Adam bound by the curse. This is why God afforded us salvation. That was to adopt us back into the family of God. I’m not going to discuss this thought. Dig it for yourself.

There are absolutes in God. The following comes from BibleInfo online so I don’t have to go freshly digging. These are but a summation of absolutes of God.

“I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6, NKJV).

“Your statutes stand firm . . . O LORD” (Psalm 93:5, NIV).

“All His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever” (Psalm 111:7, 8, NKJV).

“Your word is truth” (John 17:17, NKJV).

“The word of God . . . lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23, NKJV)

 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35, NKJV).

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20, NKJV).

God will judge everyone on the basis of His absolute, eternal, unchangeable law. “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every secret thing, whether is it good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14, NIV). “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom” (James 2:12, NIV).

The above drawn from online distinctly says God’s law is unchanging and eternal. Churches deviate from the truth and make the Word of God of no effect.

I sat one morning discussing this subject with the associate pastor of our church in similar light. The conclusion is that the Word of God must be preached and taught in a Christcentric fashion.

Christocentric doctrine is a term within Christianity, describing theological positions that focus on Jesus Christ, the second person of the Christian Trinity, in relation to the Godhead / God the Father or the Holy Spirit. Christocentric theologies make Christ the central theme about which all other theological positions/doctrines are oriented. Anything outside of that is skewed doctrine. I believe this to be true.

The very idea of swaying people to believe anything different is inherently sinful and will bring judgment upon those that espouse it or upon those that believe it. Anything less than Christ Jesus being the center of all teaching is up for judgment.

When I was a young man considering the calling upon my life as an evangelist I was so eager to fulfill that calling. But over the years of learning I found myself thinking a lot about the judgment upon myself for not leading people properly to the Light of the world. Leading people to Jesus is a huge responsibility and it should not be taken lightly. That is why I am so adamant in studying the Word in scripture right down to the roots of the original language. Our Western culture has deviated the Word with filters of our own making. We need more studying into not only the language of those days, but the culture as well. Another words, we need to think like they did in the days that Jesus walked the earth and also to understand where the writers of the original scripture got their inspiration via their understanding and culture.

God’s Word is not negotiable. His absolutes are still absolute. What is being preached and taught today in a vast number of churches is partial truth mixed with opinion and the mores (customs) that more likely will mislead people into an incorrect understanding of who God is in truth.

Don’t mollycoddle people’s interests. Show them the honest truth of God’s love for them and His desire to see them made perfect (mature) in His way afforded them through salvation. I don’t want people that come into the Kingdom already lame and spiritually fraught with wrong teachings. Be sure of your calling first. Then make it your absolute endeavor to understand the truth that God has laid out for the eternal goal for His people. Be a worshipper of God without blemish.

Leading people to God’s plan for their salvation is not negotiable on anything less than what He has said in scripture.

Posted in Absolute(s), Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian Mission, church, Common Sense, Follow God, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, More of God, Priorities, Respect for Life, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Investment, Spiritual Investments | Leave a comment

Listen

Posted on 2022/05/31 by JimR, Chaplain

First things first. I’m a conversationalist. It’s a polite way of saying I like to talk. I can run down the path of a subject but expect rabbit trails. I am the poster guy for “Oh, look, there’s a squirrel” so to speak. I have taken issue with myself over interrupting conversations because I hear things in my spirit and I have to get it out immediately or it will be gone. All that coupled with a hearing problem and I can tell you the conversation can get interesting.

Then in stepped the Holy Spirit. I know my calling is that of an evangelist. To put it in other words my

calling is to be a Chaplain. When I was a young teen I knew this calling and I thought I was to preach loud and long snatching lost souls from the licking flames of hell. Then years passed and this whole scenario dissolved. Serving another ministry for some thirty years in many capacities, yet never being that calling stymied me. While studying under that ministry to become a minister I found that being an evangelist was a totally different calling than my perception taught me when I was young.

My granddad started out in ministry as a Baptist evangelist and over time became a pastor. He was my pattern. His method was all he knew, so he’s not at fault for anything. He was truly a great man of God in many people’s eyes.

Then came the ultimate clincher. I had been an ordained minister for about two years when God spoke about being a certified Chaplain. I was eager to take the class. So eager I spent money I didn’t have to find out the finer points of accreditation. And you know what I found out? The byline for a Chaplain is “the ministry of presence”. Don’t speak. Say nothing. Just be there. That’s not to say you don’t speak at all, but what God wanted me to hear was the fact that there is a time to listen, and then there’s a time to talk.

Notice the line of thought in the sentence above. Listen comes first. Then we talk. Many people pray and pray and then pray some more, but never stop to listen. Then they get up and say “Nice talking to you Lord” and walk away, but God never got a chance to get a word in.

The same thing goes for conversations with people. We are quick to get a snapshot of a person’s situation and we jump right in with an answer, right or wrong. Becoming a Chaplain I found the first thing out of my mouth to a person I encounter is to tell them who I am and that I’m here to help. Then I shut up. The first time I did this I told the person my name and title and they immediately sat down in what was left of their tornado-ravaged home and started balling and the flood gates of emotion burst out. God worked on her behalf during the conversation and when I prayed for her I prayed that He answer her immediate need. That need was someone to cut some huge trees in her yard of which one has fallen on her house. I left and found my place in our truck across from her house in a church parking lot waiting for the others to get back. Before we left a truck came up with a brand new backhoe on it and two guys had gone to her yard with chainsaws and were cutting on those trees. See how listening first makes a difference.

Then this morning I stopped in at my local Walmart across the street from my home to get something for my lunch and I walked up to get some fried chicken in the deli. There was standing by the way with his wife getting groceries in the produce area. The man was in camo shorts, a gray t-shirt, and a full-blown beard and shaved head. He turned and looked at me in my Patriot Guard Riders vest and do-rag and he started talking to me. I had ridden my Harley out to work so you get the picture.

When he started talking, my Chaplain’s training kicked in and I asked God what was this. God spoke right back and said, “It’s time to listen”. So, for twenty minutes or more I watched and listened to him testify of God’s power to save. He broke down in tears a few times and then talked some more. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his words. They were encouraging to know the power of God was working in him. I also learned he is a Chaplain also in several prisons in the area. I found a brother and never spoke more than a few sentences. Just listening blessed him. Heck, it even blessed me.

The end-game to this post is for you to take the time to listen. What we have to say doesn’t mean spit to someone if we are not able to bless them in some way. Sometimes it is just a matter of listening. And if necessary we talk.

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Full Picture of God

Posted on 2022/05/30 by JimR, Chaplain

I haven’t thought much about writing the past several days. I get this way sometimes. It doesn’t squelch my spirit in any way, though. I just have to give myself time to reset.

I’m already into writing another book. I’m not completely sure of the title, but it does have the

foundational need to explain my view of salvation. God has given all of his creation something I call facets. It’s not a new word, nor is it unknown to anyone.

I think we all have a view of God and I would say that if all the facets of God were seen we would be totally astounded at the vastness of who He is. God created each man to understand the base view of God in all His glory. We truly understand that God is a big God. He’s everywhere, in everything, and can comprehend all of men’s thoughts.

In understanding our thoughts He knows how to impress us with the unique view we need for each of us to understand Him. It’s this uniqueness that in the collective of mankind that we understand more completely who He is.

A simple study of the names of God gives us an idea of the various attributes of God.

When asked who He was, he said “I AM” From that is the ultimate name of God. That is who He says He is.

But man has many names to show their facet of Him.

Yahweh
The self-existent One. He has always existed and will always exist. You can always rely on Him because He is your eternal source of strength.
(Genesis 2:4, Isaiah 40:3; 10; 1 Samuel 1:20; Exodus 6:1-4, 3:1-22)

Adonai
God is the Lord over all. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, He reigns forever. Therefor you find safety in Him and Him alone.
(Genesis 15:2, Judges 6:15, Malachi 1:6, Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 2:4, 8:1, 97:5, 136:3; Isaiah 1:24, 6:1; Romans 10:9)

Yahweh-Maccaddeshem
The Lord your sanctifier. He forgiveness your sins and His Holy Spirit works in your life to become like He is: pure, loving and true.
(Exodus 31:13, Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28)

Yahweh-Rohi
The Lord my shepherd. He cares for you, the way a shepherd tends his sheep. He cares for you and leads you to still waters and green pastures.
(Psalm 23, 80:1, 95:7, Isaiah 40:11, Jeremiah 31:10, Ezekiel 34:12, 23)

Yahweh-Shammah
The Lord who is present. He never leaves you, nor forsakes you. He is with you forever. Your best friend, who never betrays you.
(Ezekiel 48:35, Genesis 28:15, Ezekiel 48:35, Psalm 23:4, 46:1, 139:7-12, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Amos 5:14)

Yahweh-Rapha
The Lord our healer. “By His stripes were are healed” declares the Bible. Jesus Christ died to give you life. Not only was God the healer in the Old Testament, but Jesus Christ revealed the healing heart of God for all of us, more than ever.
(Exodus 15:26, Exodus 15:26, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 6:2, 41:4, 103:3, 147:3, Isaiah 19:22, 30:36, 57:18-19, Jeremiah 3:22; 17:14, 30:17)

Yahweh-Tsidkenu
The Lord our righteousness. When we believe in Jesus Christ, He becomes our righteousness. He forgives our sins and washes us with His blood.
(Jeremiah 23:6, Genesis 15:6, Jeremiah 23:6, Psalm 4:1, 5:8, 24:5, 31:1, 36:10, 71:15, 89:16)

Yahweh-Jireh
The Lord will provide. Jesus Christ said that Father cares for us and we never need to worry about provision. He is our source of life, in every way.
(Genesis 22:13-14)

Yahweh-Nissi
The Lord our banner. The Lord gives us the victory in spiritual warfare. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord raises a banner of His love over us and covers us. He wages war on our behalf and makes us more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
(Exodus 17:15)

Yahweh-Shalom
The Lord is peace. Whenever there are storms in your life, hide in Him. He is your shelter in the storm. He gives peace beyond understanding, even when circumstances are chaotic. He is our shelter and our shield. 
(Judges 6:24)

Yahweh-Sabbaoth
The Lord of Hosts. The Bible mentions myriads of angels, who wage war against the armies of hell, who try to destroy mankind. Jesus Christ is the Lord of hosts, the Captain of the armies of heaven. 
(Isaiah 6:1-3, 1 Samuel 1:3, 17:45; 2 Samuel 6:2, 7:26-27; 1 Chronicles 11:9; Haggai 1:5)

Yahweh-Ghmolah
The God of Recompense. The Lord says in Romans 12 “vengeance is mine, I will repay.” We should never avenge others for what they do to us, but leave it in God’s hands.
(Jeremiah 51:6)

Elohim
God is creator, powerful and mighty, Lord of lords. He is the Lord Most High, stronger and mightier than anyone or anything. When you face impossible circumstances or adversaries, now that your God is stronger.
(Gen. 1:1, 17:7, Ps 19:1 Jer. 31:33)

El-Elyon
The most high God. Do not fear the enemy who tries to intimidate you. Know that your God is the Most High God. There is none above Him. Jesus Christ is exalted high above every name.
(Genesis 14:17-20, Deuteronomy 26:19, Isaiah 14:13-14)

El-Gibhor
Mighty God. The Lord is mighty to save. His arm is not too short. Whatever problem you are facing, know that your God is El-Gibhor, MIGHTY!
(Isaiah 9:6)

El-Olam
The everlasting God. God is eternal, while your problems are temporary. His love will never change. His promises are true. Build on Him, who is eternal and do not focus on your temporary situations. He will show you His great and eternal goodness.
(Isaiah 40:28-31)

El-Roi
The strong one who sees. When you feel lonely and abandoned by people, know that God is with you. He sees you and He knows you. He hears the cry of your heart and He loves you more than you can imagine. he will lead you through and fill your hear with His praise.
(Genesis 16:13)

El-Shaddai-Rohi
God Almighty, the mighty One of Jacob. God is not just another ‘god’ like the countless idols. He truly is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.
(Gen. 17:1, 49:24, Ps. 91:1, 132:2, 5)

El-Chuwl
The God who gave birth. God is our Creator and our Father. He saw us and He loved us, even before we were born. He has a plan for your life and if you walk with Him, He will fulfill His dreams over your life and amaze you.
(Psalm 139:13-18)

El-Deah
God of knowledge. Wisdom comes from the Lord. Man tries to become wise apart from God, ut ends up in foolishness. When we fear God and keep His commandments, to love one another, we will know Him as He is and His wisdom will guide us.
(1 Samuel 2:3; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Cor. 1:18-31)

Attiyq Youm
The Ancient of Days. God is eternal. He was before the beginning of time. Therefor He has all authority. Every knee bows before Him.
(Daniel 7:9, 13, 14)

These names I drew from a site that I would think gave all they knew, but I feel there is perhaps many more that could be drawn up.

Your view nor my view would not necessarily be wrong. It would be more likely incomplete. I don’t think anyone person can ever have the full picture of God. In saying this I think it is most important that the assembling of ourselves together to be very important to get the fuller view of who He is. Hebrews 10:25 tells us this.

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We are building a house. We must know that each part of that house is different looking, but still an intergral part of the whole. A block in the foundation looks nothing like a rafter, but both serve a purpose. So to leave you with a need to know more we need to look at this more deeply to understand that this day is calling us to draw nearer to God, but we must learn to gather and share our part of what He has shown us of Him.

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The Book is Coming Soon

Posted on 2022/05/17 by JimR, Chaplain

I have approved the cover and completed the third edit of the book God gave me for this day. People are succumbing to this terrible tragedy daily. This permanent solution to a temporary issue can be averted if only we can get the word out. My publisher has said this is a needed writing for this area of ministry. Last October I spent hours, days, and weeks writing and when it was done it wasn’t nearly as extensive as I felt it could be, but God said to stop. I agreed to stop since I believe He knows best for what the world out there needs.

I didn’t want to make it a mixed writing of what God has to say and what I think. What I think doesn’t matter. God knows what is needed for this book. I’m simply the writing instrument that made this publishing possible. For that I am grateful to Him.

When it becomes available I will announce it and how to obtain it. I already know it will be available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and TBN and Trilogy Publishing Co.

I cannot stress enough the need to avert the evil one over the lives of men and women of all ages. We see it happening from the local level where we live to the well-known people. Robin Williams, Naomi Judd and others we all know that carried burdens they considered unbearable, yet even with help met their untimely end.

This area of ministry I function in is the part God gave me to complete my calling to “go ye into all the world” with. Come join me and let’s go find them and bring them in.

Posted in Abundant life, Christian, Christian Mission, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Human Touch, Mental Health, Mission Work, Priorities, Respect for Life, Salvation, Spiritual Investment, Suicide | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Well Water

Posted on 2022/05/11 by JimR, Chaplain

I was washing up the dishes this evening when it occured to me this thought. I use only the surface of my being in daily tasks. There really is a very deep well inside of not only me, but every person alive. We drop the bucket down that we all daily draw from the top percentage of the water in that well. How often do we let the bucket sink deeply into that water to plumb its depths to waters unknown to us?

Only on rare occasions have I found those depths. It is hard to grasp what I want out of this writing because I know there’s something in what I am thinking, but I find myself held at bay by some unknown force to what is in there. Is there something there I must not know about as yet? Is there a need to know basis placed upon what is in there?

I remember as a young man going to one of my relative’s home that still had a well in his yard from which he drew water. All the grown up men standing by it talking of the goodness of the water in that well. We would drop a bucket down and hear it splash in the water some several feet below the top and then the well’s owner, Mr. Tom, would push the rope to away from himself and then jerk it back toward himself. This made the bucket tip so the water would fill the bucket. He would then pull the bucket up and it would be brimming with water. It wasn’t the clear kind of water you get from a kitchen faucet. I remember it was kind of silt colored. But the water was drinkable and cool from the depths. It was good water.

So, just what is down inside us that can be drawn up? I believe there is a side to our being that is still veiled to us. There have been times when I sense it in my spirit. I believe the maturing of the regenerated soul of man gives us glimpses of what we are capable of.

There’s this myth about the brain as well. It is said we use only 10% of our brain’s capabilities. Science has theorized differently over time that the brain is a multi-functioning organ that has the ability to use itself at varying percentages by way of use. Some tasks use more of the brain than others.

I want so badly to break through the surface of my being to dive into the place beyond my normal everyday self. I believe God has given me that on occasion. In it I find real purpose and meaning to life. It’s where I got my book from which is in the publication stage presently. I found myself so fluent in thought and words on my screen that it left me amazed at what I wrote. My publisher has said it is a small, yet needed work to be placed in the public’s hands to read for this day. I take no glory in it for myself. God opened that door inside me and it flowed out. I am but a vessel He poured into. That is our purpose in life.

We need to realize that the clutter we carry about inside us leaves no room for God to pour into us. This is why it is imperitive to study His Word and allow it to declutter our lives so that a clean vessel can be filled with His purpose. Inside of us is a great cavern awaiting His answers to another’s questions about life. We spread the Gospel of a surety by way of introducing God to others through Jesus’ death burial and ressurection, but in order to make things practical to another we must be able to allow ourselves to be filled with the answers to hard questions for the world. Our mouths are the spout from which pours those answers. That means we need to empty ourselves as the need arises. We don’t just throw water on the ground. We plant seeds that grow. We water plants that are in need for growth. That is purpose.

I see people crying out for answers every day and I find myself overwhelmed at the number of them as if it were nest after nest of baby birds, beaks upturned crying out for another morsel of food from their parents. No one of us can do this. It is dependent on a corporate body of many to feed the multitudes. Are you ready to do your part?

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Principle vs Emotion

Posted on 2022/05/09 by JimR, Chaplain

Principle: The collectivity of moral or ethical standards or judgments.

Emotion: A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling.

These two words describe how people react to situations or circumstances that confront them at every moment of their waking time. I’m my own study in this subject. Up until I collapsed from letting emotional response be the way I answered to situations in my life I could not control what would transpire in my life.

My blood pressure would skyrocket. My head would spin from the possibilities of what could happen. Anxiety ruled my every move. I started having anxiety attacks. Then at the age of 56 I crashed. Finally at the age of 58 I got help from a psychologist and went on medication and stayed on it for years until I found I was totally emotionless.

From that view of the world where nothing touched me emotionally I learned principles that were played out gave results that were reasonable and with wisdom I learned to depend on making logical decisions based on those principles. I could depend on doing so without an emotional response.

Then came a day about a year ago I decided to discontinue the medication because I longed to be able to feel emotions. I especially wanted to cry. Sounds crazy I suppose, but I did. I wanted the things of the world to touch me again.

From all this I could expand to a larger picture of this journey, but suffice to say I’ve found the balance of emotions and principles. I largely depend on principles to make my decisions in most all circumstances I encounter. In the past some of the circumstances I encounter now would have devastated me back then. Emotional responses have to take a back seat. I reserve emotions to help me respond to people’s needs or losses.

Emotional response enhances my responses through principles that gives me strong reason to ensure they have their situation alevieviated. This is demonstrated to me when I go to disasters as a Chaplain. The tornados that ravaged Kentucky and the surrounding states in December proved to me I’m on the right track. I cried over these people and their losses. But my response in principle was girded thusly to see that they had supplies and the tools needed to cling to normalcy.

My heart cannot express the depth of what I write in this post. It’s not really principle vs emotion so much as the balance of the two to make the soul and spirit of man mature more as the days go forward.

Don’t let your emotions rule you. Likewise, don’t let stone-cold principles give you the final answer. Learn to balance the two together.

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The Aging Process

Posted on 2022/04/30 by JimR, Chaplain

Being 71 is a blessing, yet resigns me to my mortality. As I have written about in the past I was told I would not live past 60. No. Nothing about an incurable disease. My dad called it a genetic trait. I called it a family curse. That is spoken of in the Biblical sense.

I was not one to leave that alone. It is a curse that God broke by my submission to His will. God has all things in His control and can reverse generational curses when you submit to His will in your life. Don’t ever think for a minute you have to submit to anything less than what God has appointed to you in this life.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7

The enemy of your soul comes to steal and destroy and generational curses fall into the category of something stolen from you. Once stolen you are destroyed.

Don’t let the enemy of your soul talk you into believing a lie. My testimony is about a broken generational curse. Just one of many testimonials. This one however is probably the most important one in my life.

I would never seen ordination or acreditation. I would never have seen my book going through publication. I am just now in my ’70s seeing the fruition of ministry in my life. Had I not allowed God to break that curse I may have never seen these things. I would never have met and developed a relationship with the woman I was ordained to marry either. I would have never seen her ordination as a minister of the Gospel as well.

I just this week finished my second edit. I really don’t have any idea when the publication process will become a finished product. I just know I’ll still be here to see it.

The vested interest in this book is from the loss of a brother to suicide. If you’ve been in my position or considered suicide for yourself, this book may help you understand what’s going on and help you in some form or fashion.

So. The aging process has continued its march forward to when I do meet my end, but it has made me aware that as long as you submit your life to God, He will guide your steps and lengthen your years so that you may see fruit from your own labors.

I tell you from experience. Never give up. Fight, if you must, to move forward and don’t let go of what you may or may not know that God has for you. Surely as I type these words, I can safely say that all who reads my words has unfinished business here in this realm of being. Don’t let your time here go to waste. Become a servant and God will bless you with a sound mind and years of experience that will indeed help someone else.

You have value. Don’t let go of that statement. God didn’t send His Son to die on a cross to leave any less of an impression on mankind. If God did that, and He did, He saw that value in you. Please acknowledge that value in yourself and act on it. I feel that deep down in my spirit. God wants someone reading this to realize that today and every day this is read.

Relationship with God is all it takes. Aging brings wisdom. For that I am grateful.

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian, Christian Mission, Common Sense, Family, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Hope, Love, Maturity, Mental Health, More of God, Old Age, Patience, Ponderings, Possibilities, Priorities | Leave a comment

Compulsion

Posted on 2022/04/21 by JimR, Chaplain

Anyone that follows the Lord knows that He leads us every day to meet people after we have had time with Him each day.

I don’t know how everyone reading my posts feels, but when I’m not doing something, I’m like there is something inside me that is caged up wanting to get out. God motivates me.

The one most important thing I’ve found in life is that I am not the source of anything to anyone. But I am the conduit through which God flows and the whole reason for living for Him is to make sure I am open for Him to flow through me into other lives I come in contact with.

If all Christians could grab this one principle there would not be the struggles in ministry to build buildings, gather people, make programs to do this or that. The Bible teaches us to be disciples and to follow Him. I don’t feel to do anything else. If I am doing that, I am becoming the possessor of the mind of Christ where I think like Him and do like Him. My gaze is ever upon Him. The ability to maintain the open channel of communication with the Father gives me the knowledge I have not rights to claim anything for myself except that I’m His to do with as He pleases.

I suppose I’m trying to convey that in doing so, I cannot claim glory that isn’t mine, nor claim rights to any sort of acts or words spoken from my being to another. It is simply God having a clear channel through me to another to affect their lives, thereby changing them.

To me, this is important for all Christians to know. It’s the divine touch in someone else through human touch. Without the preacher, who will preach. Send me Lord. Send me.

Posted in Biblical teaching, Christian, Christian Mission, Common Sense, Follow God, God's Calling, God's direction, Hope, Human Touch, Love, Maturity, Mission Work, More of God, Patience, Possibilities, Prayer, Priorities, Respect for Life, Salvation, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Investments | Leave a comment