The best Part of the Day

How often have do we make the decision that we are too busy to start our day with God or even spend time with him? If we really believe that he is abundantly able and willing to provide for our needs why don’t we consider that he will provide the exact amount of time for everything we need to do each day. The time we give him each day will be used for Him to advise and guide us in every aspect of our life including time management. He’ll help us to weed out and choose the good things. And we might even discover that when we get rid of the things that steal our time and give us no benefit, we'll have more time for what we want to do.

In Luke 10:38-42 when Martha was upset with her sister for sitting at the feet of Jesus, he spoke to her. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Remember that the time we spend with Jesus never takes away from part of our day. It only adds to it...the best part.Don't let anything take that away from you.

More From The Desk of Chaplain Dale

Hi Everyone!

It’s hard to believe that the decade of 2000 will be over in just 29days! It seems like yesterday that we were all looking forward expectantly to the dawning of the new millennium, and now we’re already 10 years into it!

Ten years ago I had my hands full with the possibility of a Y2K meltdown. I had been tasked with the project of “Disaster Preparedness” for Horizon Christian Fellowship and Horizon Christian Schools. I had the responsibility of formulating and implementing a plan of action to keep approximately 1500 children, staff, faculty and employees, on two separate campuses, safe in the event of a natural or man-made disaster…food, bedding, clothing, toilet facilities, communications, security, etc…etc…and all without the use or availability of electricity! No small task!

I bring this example up because at the time, I was overwhelmed. The enormity of the task was beyond my capabilities. I had to trust God and ask for His wisdom and direction for every part of that very complicated and complex directive. In essence, I had to pray…

Now, ten year later, I find myself in the same waters. God has called me to a ministry that is way beyond my capabilities. The complexities, nuances and burdens are more than I’m equipped to handle. So what am I to do? Pray….

So much has changed, and yet nothing has changed! The answers still come from the same source…God. And He promises, “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart.” “Trust in me with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Me and I will direct your path!”

The source is still Him.

The source is still prayer.

2010 is just around the corner…a new decade…and a chance to watch God do “exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think!”

May you have a blessed and VERY Merry Christmas!

Your servant,

-Dale

From the Desk of Chaplain Dale

A good friend of mine Dale Lowrimore is a San Diego Police Department Chaplain. This is a copy of the article he wrote for the Police and Sheriff magazines that will come out this month.Here It's definitely a great message worth passing on.

December 2009

“I don’t know of a single foreign product that enters this country untaxed except the answer to prayer.” (Mark Twain)

Over and over in the Bible we are entreated to pray. The word “prayer,” and its derivatives are used 545 times in the Old and New Testaments, and there are hundreds of examples of prayers being offered and answered through the entirety of Scripture.

But what is prayer? Please allow me to give you another quote, this time from Francois De La Mothe-Fenelon (1651-1715):

“Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart to a dear friend. People who have no secrets from each other never want subjects of conversation; they do not weigh their words, because there is nothing to be kept back. Neither do they seek for something to say; they talk out of the abundance of their hearts, just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.”

You see, this is what prayer is…simply talking with God!

Now I must admit, there are aspects of prayer that I don’t quite understand or comprehend. But this should in no way hinder or impede my willingness to spend time talking to my heavenly Father. In fact, I stand in good company…the disciples of Jesus didn’t quite understand prayer either because at one point they said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray!” (Luke 11:1). It is from their inquiry that we have the model of “The Lord’s Prayer” that is so familiar to millions of Christians around the world.

“The Lord’s Prayer”

• “Our Father”…Speaks of intimacy. We are able to speak to God with the fondness and closeness of our own earthly father.
• “Which art in Heaven”…This sends our mind to where God dwells and speaks of His transcendence (i.e. that God is outside of our space/time continuum).
• “Hollowed be thy name”…This reminds us that the One to whom we are praying is absolutely Holy! He dwells in an environment of white-hot holiness!
• “Thy kingdom come”…What is our motivation for praying? Is it to further God’s kingdom?
• “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven”…Are we willing to be obedient to the known will of God as explained in the Bible?
• “Give us this day our daily bread”…This reminds us that God is the one who sustains us; it is He who puts food on our table.
• “And forgive us our debts” (i.e. trespasses, sins)…This is not speaking about our MasterCard bill. This reminds us to come to God and ask for forgiveness for the sins we have committed against Him and our fellow man.
• “As we forgive our debtors” (those who have sinned against us)…Jesus warned us that we will not be forgiven if we are not willing to forgive those who have trespassed against us. (See Matthew 6:14-15)
• “And lead us not into temptation”…This is an unfortunate translation from Greek to English. It can be better rendered, “And let us not be led into temptation.” The first rendering can sound like God sometimes leads people into temptation but nothing could be further from the truth! God does not tempt people. We are tempted by our own lusts and desires (James 4:1-4).
• “But deliver us from evil”…When we find ourselves tempted to sin, that is the very moment that we should pray to our heavenly Father!
• “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen”…Finally, we are reminded that God is the one in control. His kingdom, power and glory are unmatched and will go on for eternity.

Let me encourage you during this Christmas season to contemplate the need for prayer in your life. It celebrates the birth of One who, according to the Bible, was born into this world to pay with his own life and suffering the penalty for our sins, so that we could have a relationship with God, and direct access to Him via prayer. Now He can say to us “Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3… God’s phone number). What a wonderful gift! Take full advantage of it!

May the Lord richly bless you and your families during this wonderful Christmas season!
-Chaplain Dale

Victimology

I just came to the gloomy realization that everyone I know is a victim of sad circumstances and events brought about by hurtful people in their lives. I was beginning to wonder how I could be the only one surrounded by so much drama when I discovered it’s not just me…it is a life phenomena.

People are no long responsible for their own behavior. They are victims. We as a society are pervasively the victims and the product of broken homes, poor parenting, physical and emotional abuse, childhood bullying and substandard education; just to name a few of the plethora of excuses as to why we may not be accountable for our actions.

Does anyone but me notice that when people have issues, regardless of the circumstance, it is always some ‘other’ person’s fault. Regardless of the poor choices and actions of the individual it is always our family member or friend that is right.

We see that continually in breakup of relationships and marriages. A family member can be divorced four, five, even six times. It is always the ‘other’ person who is at fault. What happened to the accountability for continued wrong choices? Why do people continue to make the same stupid mistakes…the same disastrous choices for their lives and then expect people to sympathize with their plight and even better yet fix their situation? As long as you agree that they are thoroughly misused and damaged by the world at no fault of their own, you are a hero. Don’t bother to suggest that they might need to make some changes in their lives. If you even slightly disagree or infer that they might have any part in sabotaging their own life, then they are a victim of your lack of concern and insensitivity, and anything else you may have done over the years to hurt their little Psyche. Be sure that they have kept a list that will immediately surface regardless of how wonderful you were when you agreed with them.

It seems to me that people might continue to make bad choices because it allows them to be a victim. These bad choices produce drama. Drama brings the attention that validates their worth and reminds them and others that life is all about ‘them’. It leaves little time for considering others or concern as to how their actions or choices might affect their life or the lives around them. That’s fortunate for them because they can spend more time feeling sorry for themselves.

Going Home...

There is so much to look forward to when we step into that panoramic view of our past. One of the most exciting events of my recent Alhambra High 69 reunion was the opportunity to visit the home where I spent my childhood years.

As we drove down the street towards the old homestead I felt conflicting pangs of familiarity and sadness. There were so many changes and yet so much remains the same even after 40 years.
We pulled up in front of our old one story ranch-style house. I recognized it immediately even though it was now a pasty white instead of brown. The two palm trees at the front that started out barely 2 feet tall are now twice the height of the house. The two oblong shaped grey block flower boxes that had been at the front of the yard are gone. My mother always hated those boxes because their shape reminded her of coffins. I didn’t like them much myself because the ice plant that drew those slimy slugs. Several of those creepy crawly creatures found their way into the shoes I placed deep insidethe planter hidden from Moms view instead of on my feet. Note to all…always shake out shoes and examine intently when they are stored outside before inserting foot. This is crucial, especially when they are stashed in planter box full of squishy creatures.

I didn’t knock on doors to check but as rumored and so appears all our old neighbors have left. The Godich family homes across directly across the street, the Bryce house to the right and the Buetzow’s to the left of it; the homes had all changed mainly for the worse. The Garcia’s, the Woodward’s, the Kurtz’s old houses definitely showed the ravages of time and neglect. Ed Broad’s, who was a sheriff and lived on the corner, was really overgrown with weeds and the old dead shrubbery and dilapidated frame made it a pitiful sight. Wilma and Clyde lived on the let side of us. That house changed owners before we left. The Mulholland’s to the left and the Millers to the right were likely one of the last hold-outs. It was a bit like seeing my grandparent’s place and the neighborhood changes where they lived in Pittsburg California, years after they had passed on. Only this just hit a bit closer to home…no humor intended.

The carport of our old house was empty. Even though we went back later in the day and a car was there I still didn’t have the courage to go knock on the door. However, I did coerce my hubby into taking a cruise down the alley behind the house. The same towering block wall still stood as well as the wooden walk-through gate. The heavy double wooden gate we took the boat through had been replaced with some strange looking blocks that didn’t match the original, but I guess they served the purpose.

I strained to look into the back yard and resisted the temptation to get out and climb the wall to look in. I’ve never been arrested and I didn’t want to use this nostalgic event to change that record. So, there was nothing left to do but power back the moon roof, climb through with my trusty Nikon and try my best to stretch and catch a few strategic shots. I couldn’t see much of the back yard. What I did see was a little depressing but considering the time and changes I had seen, not unexpected.

Many of the windows I could see, especially in what had been my dad’s office, were broken and covered in old decayed multi-hued pieces of rough broken plywood. Where my beautiful rock fish pond had stood, there was a makeshift shack-like structure that looked like it might be held together with carpet tacks. Next to that was the brick and flagstone barbeque. What a disappointment. It was still standing but there had been substandard repairs and most of the bricks had been painted a strange color and were now falling apart.

The original craftsmanship and grandeur of the entire backyard, the huge rocks, the flagstone, the barbeque, and the peaceful pond filled with large beautiful goldfish are nothing but fond memories. It’s all a bit sad but I try to keep things in perspective. I’ve discovered that the great thing about memories is that they allow you to see things as they were…not like they are. In a world full of unmet expectations, unfulfilled dreams and uncertain futures, sometimes that’s exactly what we need.

Phoenix Rising...40 Years of Memories

Like the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness, it's easy forget about God’s blessings because we focus on our immediate circumstances. Inevitably, each of us will face our own wilderness experience, and it’s these difficult times that strengthen our faith and build our character. God promises that His grace is sufficient to guide us through those dry valleys, and that He will be there to provide everything we need.

I’m back… In an earlier post I mentioned being transplanted from Phoenix to San Diego at age 15. Somehow I’ve always managed to end up back in San Diego even though I did spend almost four years in Kansas City Missouri and 9 months in Millington Tennessee. I always thought I’d end up back in Arizona but it’s not looking likely that I will move at this late date. However, I just finished a most incredible desert experience.

After 45 years I finally visited my old stomping grounds in Phoenix. I attended the 40th reunion of the 1969 Alhambra High graduating class. True, I did not actually graduate there because I moved to San Diego but I couldn’t pass the opportunity to see some of my old grade school friends from Granada Elementry. And, it was definitely worth the trip. The Friday night mixer at Marc’s sports Bar & Grill was packed. It was standing room only. and a little chaotic…but fun and a wonderful prelude to the Saturday night event at the 4 Points Sheraton.

The best part of the reunion was connecting with my childhood friend Cindy who lived next door. Glenyce lives here in San Diego. A few years ago I was able to meet with her and our friend Becky for lunch here in San Diego. All that was missing was our fourth musketeer Roberta. Well…she was there with all of us at the reunion. Wow…what a great homecoming for me!

A real treat was to be able to chat with Sue who is a great social coordinator. I remember her so well from all the track events. She could run very fast…I could too, but she had a good 8 inches in height on me and seemed to be all legs so I couldn’t outrun her but I did make a superb effort even if I do say so myself. Susie Skinner is beautiful and I hoped my hubby wouldn't notice her gorgeous red hair as he has periodically hinted that I would make a good redhead. I’m not so sure about that myself but she looks terrific and just like I remembered her. Denise might be a bit older like the rest of us but I would have recognized her anywhere and Lee Nicholson hasn’t changed a bit either. She still looks like that sweet, 8th grade girl with the innocent smile.

Three of the guys that I remember are Eddie Moed, Richard Abalos and Kenneth Laird. Eddie is quite the character and much more outgoing than I remember from school and Richard Abalos hasn’t changed at all. Ken was the bad boy that all the girls were crazy about. He lived on the next block from me and was good friends with Randy Henson, my first crush and Tim Williams one of the sons of our baby sitter Margaret. Ken gave me quite a bit of info on many of the gang in our old neighborhood. It’s nice to hear what happened with some of the people you grew up with even if some of it is a bit sad. But the sadness is just a part of the nostalgia of moving through life as it is…as we wish it could be...eternally hopeful…forever young in our hearts.

Some of Our Old Gang