Forgiveness

Posted on 2021/09/27 by JimR, Chaplain

I keep coming back to forgiveness. I believe I may have written on this subject before, but I can’t let go of it.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

One added thought I have about this is:

Isaiah 43:25 – I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

While God is all-knowing and does not literally forget anything, the idea is that He no longer holds against us sins He has forgiven. We cannot simply decide to “forget” sins or erase them from our memory. In fact, in some cases it would be unwise or unsafe to do so.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

I’ve put such an imperative on forgetting that I didn’t see the other facets of God in it all. As it is stated above God is all-knowing and doesn’t really forget, but more like doesn’t hold that sin against us in the future.

Psalm 103:12 – As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

This is the other aspect I find to be an added thought to how God forgives us. In one place it’s not remembered. Why? Probably because our transgressions are removed so far from us they cannot be brought back up and held against us.

The most important thing to remember is God loves us so much He gave His Son by the shedding of His blood on the cross to bring that separation of our sins to pass.

Put away grudges.

Leviticus 19:18 says, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

John 13:34-35 – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Seeking to bear a grudge is another way of saying you haven’t forgiven. Truly forgiving means to put away the feelings of revenge.

We are commanded, not just by way of suggestion, but by commandment to love one another.

I don’t know if I’m getting this across like I wish to, because I’m tired tonight, but hopefully you get something from this.

If you say you forgive someone you have to let the transgression go. Holding onto unforgiveness, means in essence we are holding out for judgment against a person. That reflect back on us.

One thing I’ve learned over my years is that God set into motion His principles and commandments and they are still in effect. He doesn’t have to judge us. We bring judgment upon ourselves by our decisions concerning those principles and commandments. No one has the right to judge us unto condemnation. That is totally not Biblical.

Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

There will be a day of judgment.

Hebrews 9:27 – And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

In this life we bring our own judgment. But once we have passed from this realm God will have the final say.

I will likely come back to rewrite this. I don’t feel I’m making it clear, but hopefully you get something from this.

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Suicide Awareness & Prevention – Lesson 2

Posted on 2021/09/27 by JimR, Chaplain

Now that you have felt my heart by way of the introduction you can see where I came from.  It’s not all of what I have experience that has shaped me.  I may share some more of that during the lessons.

I’m not going to attempt to reinvent the wheel so I will be using parts of what I learned in my class on the subject.

Objectives of this class:

By participating in this training you will:

  • Have a general understanding of the scope of suicide within the United States
  • Know how to identify someone that may be at risk for suicide
  • Know what to do when you do identify someone at risk

Statistics of Suicide in the United States             

  • More than 48,000 U.S. deaths from suicide per year among the general population
  • Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
  • Every 12.3 minutes someone dies by suicide
  • It is estimated that close to one million people make a suicide attempt each year
    • One attempt every 35 seconds
  • Gender disparities
    • Women attempt suicide 3 times more often than men
    • Men die by suicide almost 4 times more often than  women

What is the reason for the above statistics in gender disparities?  Women will overdose in most cases and some will realize the consequences and dial 911, whereas men will use lethal force that in most cases when executed there is no time lapse to consider the consequences, such and the use of a gun.

Facts about Veteran suicide

Where I live is near a military base with several others in the eastern part of NC.

  • 18% of all deaths by suicide among U.S. adults were Veterans4
  • Veterans are more likely than the general population to use firearms as a means for suicide4
  • 25% of Veteran suicides have a history of previous suicide attempts5

Common myths vs. realities

Myth – If somebody really wants to die by suicide, they will find a way to do it.

Reality – Making one form of suicide less convenient does not usually lead people to find another method. Some people will, but the overwhelming majority will not.

Death by suicide is preventable:

Lethal Means Reduction

  • Limiting access to lethal means reduces suicide

— e.g., Firearms, abundance of analgesic doses  per bottle, etc. 

  • How did we figure this out?

— e.g., Coal gas in the UK, placement of lethal items behind counters, fencing off bridges

  • 85-90% of people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide later.

Perhaps the greatest evidence we have that death by suicide is preventable is related to lethal means reduction….

  • Limiting access to lethal means….

The connection between the availability of lethal means and death by suicide is simultaneously one of the most powerful and most counter-intuitive patterns in the suicide literature. On one hand, reducing access to lethal means is the best empirically supported intervention for suicide prevention. On the other hand, the idea that the suicide rate could decrease by 31% simply by making it mildly inconvenient (e.g., placing lethal items behind a sales counter ) or that it could increase by 20% simply by publicizing a novel method of suicide is paradoxical.

  • How did we figure this out?

For those of us unfamiliar with this info, it is best to start with the first well-known example: Kreitman’s (1976) coal gas story. As described in his landmark paper, the United Kingdom experienced a consistent rise in suicide rates for several decades after the end of World War II, when suddenly; they began to decline in 1962. But reductions in the overall rate were attributable to a reduction in only one type of suicide: ingestion of carbon monoxide. Data on the availability of carbon monoxide explained why. Prior to the 1950’s, domestic gas was produced primarily from coal, and the resulting gas available to consumers was 14% carbon monoxide. But manufacturing gas from oil products and then natural gas, rapidly reduced carbon monoxide content to near zero. In the end, the reduction in overall suicides was closely associated with reductions in the availability of gas with carbon monoxide.  In under 10 years, the overall suicide rate in England and Wales dropped by roughly 43%. Decreases in carbon monoxide related suicides were not offset by increases via a different means. This pattern with different lethal means in different counties has been replicated many times (Daigle, 2005).

Another example is found at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge (GGB).  The GGB is widely known as a suicide “hot spot”; it’s estimated that over 1600 people have died there via jumping since its opening in 1937.  Although construction recently began on a safety net, calls for an anti-suicide barrier went unheeded for decades.  Among the reasons often cited for not constructing a barrier was the belief that suicidal individuals “would just go somewhere else” if jumping from the GGB were made more difficult.  In other words, if a person was prevented from making a relatively easy and highly lethal attempt, they would likely simply substitute another site to make an attempt.  A well-known 1978 study tested this assumption by examining outcomes in 515 individuals who were restrained from jumping from the GGB between 1937 and 1978.  Richard Seiden, the study’s author found that over 25 years later, 94% of these individuals were either still alive, or had died of causes other than suicide.  The author concluded that, “…the findings confirm previous observations that suicidal behavior is crisis-oriented and acute in nature.”  

  • 90% of people who survive a suicide attempt do not attempt again.

We think this is because suicidal crises often emerge & resolve quickly.

Myth –  Asking about suicide may lead to someone taking his or her life.

Reality – Asking about suicide does not create suicidal thoughts. The act of asking the question simply gives the person permission to talk about his or her thoughts or feelings.

Myth – There are talkers and there are doers.

Reality – Most people who die by suicide have communicated some intent. Someone who talks about suicide provides others with an opportunity to intervene before suicidal behaviors occur.   Another words they are giving clues that they want to be talked out of it no matter which side of the coin you look at.

                Almost everyone who dies by suicide or attempts suicide has given some clue or warning. Suicide threats should never be ignored. No matter how casually or jokingly said, statements like, “You’ll be sorry when I’m dead,” or “I can’t see any way out” may indicate serious suicidal feelings.

Myth –  If somebody really wants to die by suicide, there is nothing you can do about it.

Reality – Most suicidal ideas are associated with treatable disorders. Helping someone connect with treatment can save a life. The acute risk for suicide is often time-limited. If you can help the person survive the immediate crisis and overcome the strong intent to die by suicide, you have gone a long way toward promoting a positive outcome.

Myth – He/she really wouldn’t die by suicide because…

  • he just made plans for a vacation
    • she has young children at home
    • he made a verbal or written promise
    • she knows how dearly her family loves her

Reality – The intent to die can override any rational thinking. Someone experiencing suicidal ideation or intent must be taken seriously and referred to a clinical provider who can further evaluate their condition and provide treatment as appropriate.

Let’s use this acronym I was taught to use in pursuit of helping people that are troubled.

S.A.V.E.               

S.A.V.E.                will help you act with care and compassion if you encounter a person who is in suicidal crisis.

The acronym “S.A.V.E.” helps one remember the important steps involved in suicide prevention:

  • Signs of suicidal thinking should be recognized
    • Ask the most important question of all
    • Validate the persons experience
    • Encourage treatment and Expedite getting help

This last point is of the utmost importance to me.  Listen and learn.  Don’t be hasty to act.  Look at the situations surrounding people you suspect to be suicidal.  They might not actually be.  Be sure you read the signs properly.  Risk signs might include:

1.            Depression

2.            Withdrawal from friends and family.

3.            Self-harm such as cutting, pulling out hair

4.            Saying things like “You’ll be sorry when I’m dead,” or “I can’t see any way out”. 

These are things that can indicate serious suicidal feelings.

To conclude Lesson 2 we must realize there are multiple ways for people to attempt suicide.  It doesn’t really lay at the feet of any given method.  Guns, carbon monoxide, drug overdose, hanging and any other idea dreamed up can and will be used. 

I would like to insert here a method used in a suicide that occurred with a neighbor of mine back in the 70’s.  This husband and wife were not next door at the time of the incident.  The wife moved in next to me post suicide with her two daughters. 

The husband of my neighbor sent his wife to the hardware store to buy rope.  She was clueless as to the nature of his need for the rope.  She brought the rope home and he took it and went to the garage.  Later she found him hanging in their garage deceased.  It was a tragic ending.  The method was pre-planned by the husband and she told me she had no idea of his inclination.  The result was a life of depression for this woman that was so crippling she was unable to function as a normal person should because she blamed herself as being complicit in his suicide.  Her husband’s death left her as nothing more than a troubled woman that also died early from the grief she carried.  Suicide not only ends in the tragic ending of the life of the person, but it also affects the family and friends at all levels.  We will delve into this aspect as we continue.

Posted in Common Sense, Death, Family, God's Guidance, Health, Human Touch, Love, Maturity, Mental Health, Military, Patience, Possibilities, Priorities, Respect for Life, Sadness, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual | Leave a comment

Suicide Awareness and Prevention Class

Posted on 2021/09/12 by JimR, Chaplain

This class I will be teaching has a deep meaning for me as I’m sure it does with many of the people in attendance.

Like myself many of you have been privy to suicide by friends or family.  In my case it was my mother’s sister.  She was deeply troubled.  Two of my mom’s siblings were troubled enough to abandon their families and disappear.  Both ended up in Wilmington away from the Raleigh area.

I don’t know the circumstances nor the method my aunt used to end her life.  My mom’s brother went back home after he was found quite accidentally.

My dad was living in the Wilmington area back in the 70’s working one of two construction jobs at the time.  He would on occasion take a trip to Carolina Beach to see the ocean and sit there to contemplate.  One evening as he sat there he turned to notice a man sitting near and much to his astonishment it was his brother-in-law.  He moved over and began a conversation which led to his return to his home.  I know little else of his life.  Suffice to say we all feel this way sometimes and sometimes we go home.

My aunt was living in Wilmington when I was married and living in that area in the 70’s. I had time to search for her during this time.  I know I came close to finding her.  She usually waitressed in little mom n pop restaurants.  I would get a cold stare from the staff when I would inquire in some places, but they never told me she had or was there.  I know she did return home, but later committed suicide. I don’t know much of the details of her demise.

Then there was my brother.  He was fourth one in a line of five sons.  He had married and divorced after they had a son.  From that time on he lived with our mom.  She was widowed by then.  My mom had a stroke when they lived under the same roof. She recovered somewhat with only a limp. 

In 1999, December 18 to be exact, my mom died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.  My brother was there and witnessed her death.  The date was an eventful day because just that morning my youngest son had graduated from UNC-W in Wilmington and it had been a full day for me.  Friends and family were present with situations that tried my patience that day and I was extremely tired when I got home.  My older son had taken leave from the military to be there for the graduation.  When we got home I went to bed a little before nine, but was awakened by a phone call that my mom was being rushed to the ER in New Bern NC.  I was not told she had died enroute till I go there.  I met my brother at the entrance to the ER where he told me she had not made it.  I had taken my older son with me to help me since I was so tired.  I walked into the ER with him in tow only to be told my mom’s body had already been put in a reefer “out back”.  I insisted on seeing her body.  I probably should have let that pass, but I did.  I took my son with me.  When they opened the reefer where sge was lying on a gurney in a retracted state.  It was like a scene from a horror movie.  My son also saw this and I’m sure it affected him quite negatively to see his grandmother in such a state.

I had to share this to explain what happened to my brother.  He became reclusive.  One thing my family did without fail was to disconnect their phone service when financial hardship struck.  This was his first move.  I had no contact with him.  The second brother in the line-up was Danny and he lived close by.  Without knowing the situation my Danny went to see him one day and found him in a foul state.  He was living in the family home without electricity, water or any amenities to live even close to something viable.  He could not pay bills that he and mom had accrued.  With that he could not by medicine he desperately needed to live without pain from an injury that had disabled him.  He also had high blood pressure and uncontrolled cholesterol and likely diabetes.  Danny relayed to me he had not cut his hair or shaved in nine months and his skin was covered with eczema.  Danny got him cleaned up and got his power back on and I was told he was seemingly recovering.  My church had an event during this time and Danny and his wife brought Tim to this event, but he sat alone in a crowd of a couple of hundred or so people.  Danny told me he had been depressed for some time, but did not say anything to indicate he was on the edge of suicide. 

Then one day along the first of October 2001 I felt a prompting to go see him, but I felt I was busy at the moment and one set a time to go, but I kept pushing that ahead.  I should have known to go right then in a day and no more.  My eldest had come home on leave to help me put the back half of my roof on.  I had new shingles and he and I had stripped the roof and was putting felt down when I was called down from the roof for a phone call.  It was my brother Danny.  It was the 23rd of October.  This was a devastating call to me.  I’m sure to Danny it was even worse since he was the one that found our brother dead from a shotgun wound to the head.  Someone called my pastor and he and an elder came to the house and we prayed.  I told everyone I could not go till I had secured my roof from the weather, so my son and I went back to work.  While up there my neighbor’s son and his brother went to the back corner of my yard and began firing shotguns into the open field beyond.  Every time the guns went off I winced.  I finally got down from the roof and walked to where they were and told them about my brother and asked could they refrain from firing.  They were very understanding and went back to their home next door.

We buried my brother on the 25th of October 2001, my birthday. There was a grave side funeral only.  The strangest thing that day was the sky was only lightly overcast, but during the funeral the clouds got dark and the wind picked up considerably and a brief shower came down on us and by the time the last words were spoken the rain had stopped and the clouds had gone.  It felt so ominous. 

So what do we say now?

Suicide is a devastating event that ends a life with such decisiveness for the individual and leaves family and friends to question why, not only for him but for ourselves as well.  Why did we not do more?  Why didn’t we act when we knew we should?  Do we simply think to ourselves this could not happen to a family member and it could certainly not leave us wondering why for so many reasons?

I resolved myself with God over my slack nature to not answer, but I still feel the brunt of it in my heart.  Could I have saved my brother had I went immediately when prompted by God?

That event has instilled in me another resolve to put myself into play.  God directed me to a course to become an American Chaplaincy Association certified Chaplain.  I knew that God opened that door for me to attend.  That was 27 hours through Aidan University.  Then I was prompted to attend a sub course on Suicide Awareness and Prevention that was another 9 hours of classes.  I have to note I was ordained two years prior to my starting the ACA class.  It was during this time till now that God revealed to me the fuller nature of my calling. 

I wasn’t called to preach.  I was called to reach the ones in need. One of the phrases that has been instilled in my heart is this ministry is one of “presence” It’s an evangelistic calling, but not a “preachy” kind of calling. Just being there is all some people need.  The people who have troubled minds that see no tomorrow and have given up hope for a better day. 

To further temper my calling I learned from my wife that calls come to her Appointment Center in a major military facility from people telling them they were going to kill themselves or at least harm themselves.  My wife is the supervisor of this center and much to her dismay she found no one in the hospital that felt enough compassion to help or direct her to a department in the hospital that could field the call.  I feel certain the Chaplain’s Office would have taken it, but was there a protocol to contact them?  I don’t know.  I’m screaming inside myself to know why.  WHY! I’ve since found there is a lot of information for help lines and people to talk with, but I still feel there’s a disconnect. I don’t blame anyone. I’ve been in the blindness of this need myself.

God spoke to me to take action.  So I’ve put together this course for those of us that feel the need to help.  There are so many people with troubled minds today.  Saved or not saved should not be a factor.  It’s a human life in the balance and needs someone to answer the call to talk with them, cry with them and tell them even the darkness of night comes to light when the sun rises in the morning.  There is always another day to face.

Our resolve should be to comfort and show our concern.  It is our responsibility to open new doors to possibilities of a newer brighter future.  We don’t need to present our beliefs in God initially unless prompted to do so.  These troubled souls want to be rescued.  Take the beginning steps on a walk that will develop in time to a new belief system for the individual.  Don’t refer to them as survivors from the outset.  Tell them they are overcomers to their circumstances and they have the power to destroy the obstacles that are eating them alive.  Let them know they are the navigators to their destiny and it is still before them.  Help them steer away from the shoals and onto a course in calmer waters where they can dock and take stock in their situation and repair their ship before moving on.  Don’t let them down early on.  Be there to shore them up until they are able to obtain a steady hold on their circumstances.  This isn’t a once done thing.  It may take a good bit of follow-up to get there.

I hope this course will help us to recognize, engage and help people hold course through their treacherous situation and see them walk steadily through the rest of their lives.

(This is my opening to the class. As I prepare more I will be posting to this blog on many things to help someone wanting to know more on how to approach this subject.)

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian, Common Sense, Death, Follow God, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Mental Health, Patience, Possibilities, Priorities, Respect for Life, Sadness, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Investment, Suicide | 1 Comment

To Stab or Not to Stab

Posted on 2021/09/10 by JimR, Chaplain

Understand me when I say I am for a viable and trusted method or cure for a disease of any kind, but critical thinking needs to be applied to anything that you have entering your body as a cure.

What is the efficacy of the drug? Has it been tested over time to determine side effects? Why “mandate” and give this drug to everyone for free? There is ALWAYS a price to pay for a drug. What will the price be for this covid vaccine? Apparently not monetarily. I’ve lived almost 71 years by the grace of God. I have had COVID19.

I suffer from some of the side effects of the disease. Number one on my list is I’ve never had thyroid issues till now. I have been told I have hyperthyroidism. I’ve had irregular heartbeats since I was around 40 yrs old, but in the last few months, they have gotten more pronounced. Please stop a moment and consider what I feel about it. I’m already dealing with issues and by the grace of God I continue on undaunted by what appears to be adverse to my existence, so why would I complicate it with yet something else going into my body that may further damage my temple.

In the context of Romans14:5 we must remember to consider this to be our view of our fellow man.

2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s

If I don’t want the vaccine I have found the following to be interesting. If you want to see more about what I feel, just understand this one thing. This virus was intended to separate us as a free people. Hasn’t it done enough of that? Why do we argue and live in fear or by the grace of God? We need to stop the bickering and look for the root cause of all this. There is a spiritual warfare involved here and it seems to be working. I refuse to allow this to happen anymore.

How to overcome the pressure to get a COVID vaccine (lawyers, forms, etc)
This selection was brought over from another blog post that is very informative. Credit goes to this person’s research.
Posted in Biblical teaching, Christian, Common Sense, Death, Follow God, God's direction, God's Guidance, Health, Mental Health, Ponderings, Respect for Life, Sobering Thoughts | Leave a comment

Studying Suicide

Posted on 2021/08/25 by JimR, Chaplain

The following statements from from my observations on the YouTube video titled:

What I Learned from my Husband’s Suicide

Lori Prichard

I’ve listened to the video and could not help feeling this woman’s heart that has and continues to be wrung from the experience of her husband’s suicide.  She expressed her feeling so well as to her helplessness of not recognizing the signs of her husband’s so well hidden yet plainly viewable markers of depression upon his life.

One thing that struck me was I thought I was depressed myself only in my mid-fifties from what was classified as “situational depression” due to my failing marriage and my poor judgments from trying to deal with it that caused me to have anxiety attacks and ended with me seeing a psychiatrist and psychologist for severe depression.

Lori’s discovery of her husband’s documentation gave her a view of the dark side of his life-long dilemma.  That struck me because in my mid-twenties I was having issues and being a writer at heart I started writing my feelings in composition notebooks and kept them under the seat of my car to keep them hidden.  Little did I know my first wife had come to a place she did not know what to do and looked around till she found my writings and read them.  It gave her insight to my issues.  It was shortly after this I sought God and I mean I would beat down church house doors looking for solace.  Thank God He took me by the hand and walked my family and me into a realm where I awoke to a whole new nature in Him.  I don’t know why, but one day early on I stood in my driveway and watched the clouds pass overhead and for the life of me I could not understand why their movement looked so much different that I’d ever seen before.  It was like God was speaking to me. 

I fasted for a week not long afterward and found myself baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues.  The evening before this life-changing event, having fasted all week I was on my way to work and having had a richness of God over me I found that richness had gone.  I felt a void like no other.  I was driving over the Cape Fear River Bridge on my way to work and on the highest part of the bridge I felt that void so overwhelming I came to within a split second of sharply turning my steering wheel to run my car over the rail into the river some 100 ft below.

In that split second God took hold of me and got me to work where I told my supervisor I could not stay.  He took one look at me and said I looked like I’d seen a ghost and told me to go home.  I went home around one o’clock and knelt in front of my couch and cried for about an hour.  Then God poured Himself on me and I felt heavenly words flow from my mouth and my heart became once again full. 

If I may say this without retribution, I feel I was given just a small touch of what Jesus felt on the cross when he cried out to the Father asking Him why He had forsaken Him.  Even Jesus felt the void God left in Him on the cross.  I vowed then and there I never wanted to live another second of my life without His presence in my life. 

I walked for years with His presence and still do.  Yet He tested me and still does.  But not without knowing He is ever-presence in my life.  No matter how I feel, since that night on the way to work have I been without Him in my life

What I just shared is why I grieve for those who think today is the day to end it all, not realizing that tomorrow is another day to overcome today’s circumstances and walk afresh with God in sanity of spirit.

Posted in Abundant life, Christian, Common Sense, Death, Family, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Health, Mental Health, Ponderings, Possibilities, Prayer, Priorities, Respect for Life, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Investment, Suicide | Leave a comment

Tangibles and Intangibles

Posted on 2021/06/15 by JimR, Chaplain

I promise a spiritual application to this post so bear with me.

Working in the retail and business world for several years introduced me to the concept of tangibles and intangibles. I’m sure we all have some understanding of what these two concepts mean, but for the sake of this post I will be explaining it.

I’m sure everyone readily knows what a tangible is. We go to the grocery store and we look at the items we want to purchase and we touch them, read the labels, and grade what their value and need is to us. Then we purchase. . .or not. Simply put tangibles are visible objects in this realm around us that we see.

The less thought of product is still very much recognized when we start talking about insurance. Intangible products include all goods sold to customers that can’t actually be seen, touched, sniffed or otherwise handled by the consumer. Examples of intangible products include insurance, tax services, cell phone service, some computer software and transportation services.

So you see the difference. I found selling insurance when I was in my early twenties to be difficult because people didn’t have a visible product. All they knew was it was something they could look to for mental security. The trouble I found with it is selling such a product to the younger crowd especially was difficult and hard to get them to maintain it. Most of the time when people run into hard times the first thing to go it their intangible products. The tendency was to not feel it was valuable enough to them to keep.

As we all grow older we find the need for these things like insurance as a necessity to help with our end-of-life needs so as to not burden family or others. Oh I don’t plan on leaving my wife with any more bills than necessary if I go first. I hope this intangible will pay off for her security of knowing she’s taken care of. It’s my responsibility.

Now to bring into perspective what I’m after here. In the New Testament Jesus said in Luke 5 below:

17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?

24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

Such as (Doubting) Thomas was not to accept the resurrection of Jesus till he touched the wounds and saw it to be Jesus risen, so many people find it hard to believe Jesus forgives us our sins when we accept Him as our Savior. The intangible nature of salvation through grace by faith in Him is a hard thing to comprehend in so many minds.

I see people going to altars every church meeting with their latest battle against their souls. I feel they have not fully accepted the defeat of their soul’s enemy and made the Holy Spirit so small in their lives. I admit I have my days. I have to say though that I will not lay down to defeat.

I have come to realize the intangible nature of faith has but to wait upon the Lord and He will manifest Himself to us in our circumstances in a tangible way. We just simply need to believe, have hope and our faith will produce the tangible from the intangible.

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My Favorite Aunt

Posted on 2021/06/07 by JimR, Chaplain

I spent years with no conversation with many members of my family. After my divorce and remarriage I found my new wife to be quite the family type. She was next to youngest of five. I was oldest of five.

She encouraged me to reconnect with family because they are important. I know that. By this time I’d lost two brothers and my parents. I had two aunts left. One was my dad’s sister and the other was my mom’s sister. My dad’s sister was in ill health and passed away not long after my now wife and I married and it left my mom’s sister. . .my Aunt Doris.

She was my very last aunt. She was a hero to me for these few simple reasons. She beat cancer four times. She broke several major bones in her latter years, buried 3 children and two husbands but she still put in the effort to put on that lipstick and holiday appropriate broach.

Aunt Doris was the accessory queen with a closet full of shoes to prove it, heels in her younger days and something comfortable but glitzy later in life. Doris was a social butterfly. She loved her church family, managed the West Durham Senior Center in the 90’s, enjoyed monthly lunches with friends and was sure to be decked out at every family function. Doris loved her family most of all and stated that she was most proud of raising her family and having grandchildren. We all believe that her great-grand kids were secretly her favorite!

She loved cooking for her family and made a mean fried chicken. Christmas Eve at Doris’ home was a tradition the family looked forward to. She often talked about not having many toys growing up but made up for lost time with her beloved doll collection. Being the lady she was, it was rare to hear her utter a curse word but every now and then she would let one slip and it was always hilarious when she did. She made sure the family prayed before every meal, a tradition her 8-year old great-grandson Jack picked up and continues to enforce.

I think it’s best to end with a few quotes by Aunt Doris:

“Dean Martin can put his shoes under my bed any day of the week.”
“April, do you really think you need to eat that other piece of cake?”
“Didn’t make you any prettier either” (in response to a woman bragging that a cigarette had never touched her lips)
“With my fingers” (when you would ask her how she felt that day)
“I don’t like my name, I wish I had a fun name like Cathy or Marie”

Everyone who knew Doris experienced her zest for life that kept her going for 94 precious years. She will be greatly missed here on earth, but she undoubtedly leaves a legacy that will not be forgotten. Until we see you again, we love you.

Most of the above was in her obituary and written in most part by her granddaughter, April.

As for me. . .She was much like my mom. My mom would fight for me to the last breath. I’m sure of the same for my aunt for her family. My mom also had a saying “I brought you into this world and I can take you out if you push me”. Same again. Aunt Doris spoke her mind.

If you are having issues with family. Fix it. Fix it NOW. Don’t let another day go by holding grudges or unforgiveness. After all, our Savior forgave us. Clear your heart of the debris that kills. Nothing is more important than loving your family.

I’m going to miss her very much.

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Another Milestone

Posted on 2021/06/03 by JimR, Chaplain

This past Tuesday evening I finished my course for accreditation as a Chaplain. All that is left is getting my certification and ID.

It was an 18 week course covering hospital/hospice care, jails and prison ministry, military

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chaplaincy, critical incident response, and workplace chaplaincy. The last one evening was concerning Chaplain to Chaplain Soul Care. That last one is an important one for us as we need to know how to not burn ourselves out.

I’m not done though. Each of the modules have more in depth training and I plan on taking the certification in Suicide Awareness and Prevention in July.

My age had me concerned for a bit, although I know God called me to it for a reason. I have felt compelled to do this to make my calling and election sure. Who knows how long I shall live as long as God can use me by my obedience to Him.

It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you feel your age is a limitation, let me tell you I’m 70 years old and ready to tackle a new phase in my life. I’m not sitting down. I’ve found my groove and I plan on going forward in what opens up. And believe me it has opened up.

I’m now already serving on a committee to put together a 4th of July event with a local ministry that will be Christian based and we are expecting between 3500-4000 people to attend. God placed me with this ministry called Emerge that does a lot of avenues of ministry that includes incident response and prison ministry as well as inner city outreach feeding the hungry and clothing the homeless. I feel right at home with this ministry, yet God has said I would base myself out of my home church, Kingdom Culture Church. They cover me and I answer to the ministry there since they are the church that ordained me.

God is moving me away from secular work to entirely working in the fields of ministry. He has truly been good to my wife and me. To Him is the glory of it all.

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Just Know

Posted on 2021/05/17 by JimR, Chaplain

Just know that God is God

The answer to all questions great and small

It is truly not odd

He knows before you ask questions few or all

God Knows Everything Pictures, Photos, and Images for ...

I have one thing to impress this evening. Know that God is. He just is. He has no beginning nor end. He just simply is. He doesn’t live in time. To sit and consider this is infinitesimal from the greatest to the smallest.

To imagine the expanse of God think about something I have many times thought about with amazement.

Space. Outer Space. It has no end. It goes on forever and ever. Have you at anytime in your life just thought about that? Better yet, have you ever considered that IF there IS an end to space. . .what is on the other side of it? Studies have thought that space is layered or parallel. Theories abound. I’m not going to be exhaustive. Just a little something to provoke thought.

But God is similar. He has not beginning nor end. He is ageless. Whatever you need or can even imagine to want can be found in Him.

So why do we fret so? Do we want to hang on to our insecurities when the answer is right in front on us all the time? Why?

Getting old in body only unfolds a new dimension of thought for me. My mind has not aged, yet my body ages and wrinkles. Skin tone changes, yet I can look into my eyes in a mirror and I still see the real me inside. You know the eyes are the windows of the soul. Just know your spirit lives inside there too.

I’m tired. It’s been a long day, but I felt to sit down for a moment and write this little something.

I urge you to think about God. Meditate on Him. Not just this moment, but all the time. I’ve found great solace as I think on my Father. Not only that, but to pray as well. Or in my modern day term – converse. God does talk back to me. I just need to stop a moment and He will talk to me. How about you? Do you talk to God and He to you?

Just know you can. Get to know Him. He has all the answers to your questions. You need only ask.

Posted in Christian, Follow God, Maturity, Old Age, Poetry, Ponderings, Prayer, Random Thoughts, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual Growth | Leave a comment

God’s Guidance

Posted on 2021/05/10 by JimR, Chaplain

I’m sure in your lifetime you have heard God speak to you. You may or may not have known

James Goll: "10 Essential Principles of Divine Guidance"

who it was speaking, but I feel pretty certain most would know.

I heard God speak to me around age twelve or thirteen. Being from a Free Will Baptist family I don’t know if they would have totally understood that for one that age, but I was certain of it.

He told me then I would be an Evangelist. From Eph. 4:11 states the forms of ministry callings of which this is one.

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

At that age all I’d ever heard from an evangelist was hell fire and damnation and that if you did not get saved that service you could die and go to hell and burn forever. And to throw in one more fearful thought, the Rapture could happen any minute so it behooved us to make a decision right then and there for sure.

At my age now I have found this to be about the same tactic as a car salesman. I’m sorry if that might offend someone, but I have to say it like I see it. Over the years my view of the salvation message from the evangelist has completely changed.

The old style of evangelism was to scare people into heaven, which means if you scare them into it you might just have to keep them scared to keep them on the straight and narrow by telling them how bad their sins are.

How about another approach. How about simply telling people God has provided a way to avoid their past sins and indiscretions by allowing His Son to die on the Roman cross at the hands of his own people. We can blame a lot of people of the time, but in reality it was God’s plan that Jesus die for our sins so that God could do a wonderful work of saving our souls and reestablishing fellowship with his creation. . . us. He simply saved us from our past, but He also saved us unto a much brighter future. That future isn’t without it’s issues, but it does give us Him by way of the Holy Spirit to look to in times of trouble for comfort and peace.

So how does the lost get this knowledge. By presenting them this Gospel by way of the evangelist. It doesn’t have to be in words only, but also by deeds or fruit of their work in the midst of the lost. But an evangelist job is more than presenting the Gospel. It’s also to teach the saved to do the work of evangelism as well.

My view of an evangelist was changed several times during my life. Until I was ordained I had no idea how to approach this calling. But God did. All during my fresh and new commitment to God I found myself visiting the sick in hospitals. I visited people that could not get out of their homes due to illness. I didn’t call it anything other than visiting the sick. I’ve come to learn the term “Chaplain”. Then came the Patriot Guard Riders. It’s an organization that performs ceremony for deceased veterans everywhere we are requested. By this time I had adopted the title of Chaplain. Its primary usage was in the military setting so far as I knew and I was called upon to pray for our endeavors at the time of service by the Ride Captain. I became their unofficial Chaplain.

Then along came the American Chaplain’s Association. They have a course of study to become nationally recognized as a Chaplain and God directed me to take the course. I’m now in the final two modules of training and every module has solidified my knowledge that I am where I am supposed to be. The course is through Aidan University in Jacksonville, FL. The course has been very helpful and has given me further vision.

Then a fresh new look at Emerge Ministries like I’d not seen before. It’s headed by Terry Norris. He has been a friend for a few years and still I had not known the full extent of that ministry. God gave me further instruction to seek out Terry and talk at length about what goes on there. I spent four hours talking with him and that talk has me convinced this is where my next step is to be. God is good.

God has guided me all my life. That is even with my shortcomings as well as successes. I promised God when I was in my twenties I would follow Him. Even in my darkest days in my mid to late fifties He did not fail me. He carried me through and now here I am. God’s guidance is always sure and direct. He will not steer you wrong and He will get you where you belong.

Never give up on what you feel God has directed you into. Have faith in Him and you will see the fruit of the labors you endeavor to work in.

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian, Christian Mission, church, Common Sense, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Maturity, Mission Work, Patience, Ponderings, Possibilities, Prayer, Priorities, Salvation, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Investment, Spiritual Investments | 2 Comments