The Online Chaplain

Reintegration Tip #1

There was this guy who had spent his whole life in the desert. He decides to visit a friend. On his way he is walking on the railroad tracks.  He'd never seen a train before or the tracks they run on.  He hears this whistle, but has no idea what it is. So he just stands there. And sure enough the train hits him. Luckily, it was only a glancing blow. The guy was throw,head over heals to the side of the tracks.

After about a week in the hospital recovering, he's at his friend's house one evening. While in the kitchen, he suddenly hears the teakettle whistling. He grabs a baseball bat from the nearby closet and proceeds to batter and bash the teakettle into an unrecognizable lump of metal. His friend rushes into the kitchen, sees what's happened and asks the man: "Why'd you ruin my good tea kettle?"  The guy who had grown up in the desert replied: "Man, you gotta kill these things while they're still small. Their nasty when they get big."

In this simple joke there is a good lesson as we prepare to go home.  The lesson: take care of issues when they are small, because they are nasty when they get big.  It is not a bad lesson for those heading back to civilian life after being gone for two years, or for those who are about to receive them.  Jesus said, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…"  I believe this is true.  If you are faithful in taking care of the little things you will be blessed with much.  Much hope in the future.  Much peace!  Much! 

Writer’s Block

WRITERS BLOCK.  I never knew what this means until recently.  Now, I got it.  In fact, when you look it up in the dictionary it probably has a picture of me.  I can not count how many times I have sat down to write something and after an eternity of mental hoops sat back and said, "Got Nothing."  So, instead of sitting here whining about how I am letting my blog readers down I decided to write about it. 

The "writers block" hasn’t been completely unfruitful.  I have heard from readers on four continents to date.  "Chaplain, you OK?"  I didn’t know there were so many people paying attention.  Made me feel good.

To answer the question, "Yeah, I am OK?"  In fact, I am better than Ok.  We are in the bottom of the ninth inning and my team here in Iraq is hitting the ball consistently.  I have the had the joy of watching leaders mature and temper their God-given strength with compassion, understanding and charity.  We are bringing America a gift when we return.  Young soldiers, battle hardened, tough, capable with a deep understanding of self-sacrifice.  I am proud to have been a part of it.

But, the fact remains I have now been deployed for 561 days.  Most of those days have been in combat.   My get up and go has "gotten up and left."  I am now officially tired "from the inside out."   It is showing up in "writers block."  There are other symptoms too.  I have "stupid crap block".  When I see "stupid crap" I want to "knock the crap" out of some "stupid crap."  Thus, "stupid crap block."   

I have spent the month analyzing this phenomenon.  Here is what I have come up with.  This is familiar ground.  I hear about it all the time.  The mother in Minnesota who has spent the last 21 months giving birth to her third child, caring for her toddler, and getting her five year old ready for kindergarten, what does she have?  Diaper block?  Or, how about the person who every day gets up and goes and faithfully does the job they hate.  What do they have?  Employment block?

Not only do I hear about it all the time.  I have been here many times before.  I remember enough about the past twenty years to remember this.  I have been tired before.  I know what happens, now.  It has happened every single time, without fail in my life.  It is one of the constants. It’s coming and I can see it on the horizon.  REST

I am not the only one who needs to rest, and I refuse to internalize the symptoms of war, compassion fatigue, or think that my "give a crap" o-meter is somehow eternally misaligned.  Bottom line is simple: I’m tired.  Perhaps, you are too.  So, hear the word of the Lord in simple, straight up terms.  It is neither, difficult or complicated.  It is simple.  "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."

As I write this it is 2200 (10:00PM) the sun has set one more time and I am sitting on my deck smoking a cigar.  And I feel better than I did an hour ago.  Guess what I feel?  REST!  I pray you do too.  If not now, soon!  It will come.  Trust the promise.   

Good Humor: STUN GUN GUY

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 22nd anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife.  What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety....

WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home.  I loaded two Triple-a batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button.  Nothing!  I was disappointed.  I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arch of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

AWESOME!!!

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Toni what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.  Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA Batteries, right?!!

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.  I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it.  She is such a sweet cat.

But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised.  Am I Wrong?  So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading Glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and taser in another.

The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water.

Any burst Longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.  All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5"  long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries thinking to myself, "no possible way!"

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.  I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as if to say, "don't do it master," reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.  I decided to give myself a one-second burst just for the heck of it.  I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and…

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again.  I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs.

The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, "do it again, do it again!"  If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself.

You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by violent thrashing about on the floor.  A three second burst would be considered conservative.  SON-OF-A-... that hurt!!!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape.  My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace.  How did they up get there???   My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching.  My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. 

Here's the message.  God loves you even if you are "Stun Gun Guy".  When you have screwed up with dramatic fashion and been an embarrassment to self and God.  God loves you.  When you just want to find a hole and crawl into it.  God loves you.  Whether your stupidity is private or public, God loves you.  Nothing, no matter how bad it hurts or how hard it hits can change that.  Carry on "Stun Gun Guy."  God's got your back.

Good Humor from the TOC

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10 

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED? 
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10 

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED? 
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids .
-- Derrick, age 8 

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
-- Kristen, age 10
Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8 

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE? 
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. 
-- Lynnette, age 8

(isn't she a treasure)

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that Usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10 

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR? 
I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-- Craig, age 9 

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE? 
When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7 

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
- - Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED? 
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED? 
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8 

And the #1 Favorite is........
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
-- Ricky, age 10

Laugh a Little, You Deserve It

Due to the rain Jim decides to work on his motorcycle in his apartment.  He gets it inside and  begans to clean the engine with some rags and a bowl of gasoline, all in the comfort of his own home. When he finished, he sat on the motorcycle and decided to give his bike a quick start and make sure everything was still OK. Unfortunately, the bike started in gear, and crashed through the glass patio door with him still clinging to the handlebars.

His wife had been working in the kitchen. She came running at the fearful sound, and found him crumpled on the patio, badly cut from the shards of broken glass. She called 911, and the paramedics carried the unfortunate man to the Emergency Room.

Later that afternoon, after many stitches had pulled her husband back together, the wife brought him home and put him to bed. She cleaned up the mess in the living room, and dumped the bowl of gasoline in the toilet. 

Shortly thereafter, her husband woke up, lit a cigarette, and went into the bathroom for a much-needed relief break. He sat down and tossed the cigarette into the toilet, which promptly exploded because the wife had not flushed the gasoline away. The explosion blew the man through the bathroom door.

The wife heard a loud explosion and the terrible sound of her husband's screams. She ran into the hall and found her husband lying on the floor with his trousers blown away and burns on his buttocks. The wife again ran to the phone and called for an ambulance.

The same two paramedics were dispatched to the scene. They loaded the husband on the stretcher and began carrying him to the street. One of them asked the wife how the injury had occurred. When she told them, they began laughing so hard that they dropped the stretcher, and broke the guy's collarbone.

Out of the Mouth's of Babes

About two weeks ago my seven year old and I were talking on the phone.  He asked me the question of the month, “Dad, are you going to be home for Christmas?”  I said, “I’m sorry buddy, but, I have to stay here in Iraq and take care of soldiers.”  There was a moment pause and then my angelic little seven year old blurted out, “Daaaamn it!”  Yep, my little innocent pastor’s kid who has faithfully had his mouth washed out with soap for these little indiscretions cussed, like an old farmer.

I acted immediately, “Buddy, quickly hand the phone to your mom.”  You see I knew his normally mild mannered mother was moving the moment those words left his mouth.  The matriarch of my clan has zero tolerance for a foul mouth.  Zero!  I knew the first thing to come into her mind when the pristine quiet of her home was violated was “I brought him into the world and now I am going to take him out.”  So, if I was going to save my youngest I had to act quickly, “Buddy, quick hand the phone to your mom.”  By the tone of her voice I knew my instincts were correct.

I just said one thing at that moment and we both realized the truth of it.  “Honey, he shouldn’t be disciplined for saying what all of us were thinking.  O.K???”  There was a long pause and then I heard the fire in my beloved subside.  She said, “OK.” 

Well, we are through the holidays and my little boy said it best.  Yep, being away from your family during the holidays sucks, it just does.  And it is alright to say so.  Too often we think the Christian way, or even the best way is to paint a smiley face on loss and march on.  We mistake Christianity with Pollyannaism.  However, a theologian of the cross, calls a thing what it is.  That which is difficult is a trial.  That which is painful brings sorrow.  There are real tragedies, real pain, real sorrow and loss to deal with in this world and a fresh coat of paint is not helpful.  It is what it is.  And thanks to my seven year old for naming it.

However, there is another truth of equal importance.  It is the truth about God.  Right in the midst of our loss stands Jesus calling to us saying, “You who are heavy laden come to me and I will give you rest.”  Right in the middle of our sorrow stands Jesus with a promise of strength saying, “As your days are numbered so shall your strength be.”  Every loss, every sorrow, every pain bears the fruit of hope.  Romans 5:3 says, “Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.  Hope does not disappoint us.” 

So, what is healthiest for us?  What is it that God would have us do with the sorrow of our lives?  The Christian way is to name the pain and name the gain.  We stand in the sorrow so we might name the victory.  Even in this place away from family there were great gifts.  On Christmas Night I sat on my porch with five Christian brothers smoking cigars.  We agreed on this, “I wouldn’t go through this again for anything, but I wouldn’t have missed for the world.” 

Whatever your loss is right now, name the pain and name the gain.  In the midst of your sorrow you will find peace and strength.  In the midst of your pain suffering you will find hope.  You are not alone.  I promise.

theonlinechaplain

Ground Hogs Day

Groundhogs Day starring Bill Murry mirrors the life of a deployed soldier pretty well.  In the movie, the same day, Groundhogs Day, keeps repeating itself over and over again.  Bill Murry is caught in an endless cycle of repetition as one day turns into the next.  Welcome to the life of a soldier. 

A Vietnam veteran, a friend of mine, said that war was ninety-eight percent boredom and two percent terror.  I don’t know what the percentages are here in Iraq, but I understand what he was saying.  It’s the same routes, the same duty, and the same people over and over again.  In the states, there is at least a weekend to break up the monotony, here one day just follows the next.  It’s repetition.  It’s, well, Groundhogs Day.

I am betting this is what the people of Israel felt like in desert too.  Under Moses leadership God led about three million slaves out of Egypt into the wilderness.   They were deployed in that wilderness for forty years.  Forty years of the same meals.  Forty years of the same living quarters.  Forty years of the same routine, day in and day out.  Same people, same problems, same whining.  Same everything!  Call it Groundhogs Day.

Same old job have you down this week?  Did you think your life was going to be a Camero and it ended up being a Ford Escort Station Wagon?  Did your Hilton hope turn into a Motel 6 I’m just getting by daily grind.  If it did you are in good company, “in the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” (Ex 16:2-3)   God’s people felt the same way when they were in the desert, and lets face it deserts come in many shapes and sizes.  Emotional, relational, spiritual deserts can over take us even during the best of times.  Are you in one now?

If so, its important to understand the pattern of these desert times.  They are all the same.  Jesus went into the desert for forty days of fasting and came out wielding the power of heaven to do God’s work.  Paul went into the desert for three years and came out with a voice that beatings, ship-wrecks, lashings, stoning and persecution could not silence.  The desert forges us into people we could never become except through fire.  It is how they work.

Grumble through the monotony if you must.  The tedium of the desert is not pleasant.  The tedium of being at war is not enjoyable.  Hey, its Groundhogs Day, again.  But, hold out the hope God is doing a great thing in your life.  He turned three million slaves into a conquering army in just forty years.  What is he turning you into? 

A little humor from The Online Chaplain: Three Knuckles Deep in the Pulleys of Life.

Email and tell me if you relate to this guy. One man writes....

I am writing in response to your request concerning clarification of the information I supplied in block number eleven on the insurance form, which asked for the cause of the injury. I answered, “Trying to do the job alone.” I trust the following explanation will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade. On the date of the injury, I was working alone, laying brick around the top of a five-story building. When I finished the job, I had about 500 lbs. of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to put them into a barrel and lower them by a pulley that was fastened to the top of the building.

I secured the end of the rope at ground level, went back up to the top of the building, loaded the bricks into the barrel, and pushed it over the side. I then went back down to the ground and untied the rope, holding it securely to insure the slow descent of the barrel. As you will note in block number six of the insurance form, I weigh 180 lbs. At the shock of being jerked off the ground so swiftly by the 500 lbs of bricks in the barrel, I lost my presence of mind--and forgot to let go of the rope.

Between the 2nd and 3rd floors I met the barrel. This accounts for the bruises and lacerations on my upper body. Fortunately, I retained enough presence of mind to maintain my tight hold on the rope and proceeded rapidly up the side of the building, not stopping until my right had was three knuckles deep in the pulley. This accounts for my broken thumb (see block four) despite the pain; I continued to hold tightly to the rope. Unfortunately, at approximately the same time the barrel hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighted about 50 lbs I again refer you to block number six, where my weight is listed at 180 lbs. I began a rapid descent.

In the vicinity of the 2nd floor I met the barrel coming up. This explains the injury to my legs and lower body. Slowed only slightly, I continued my increasingly rapid descent, landing on the pile of bricks. Fortunately my back was only sprained. I am sorry to report, however, that at that moment I lost my presence of mind--and let go of the rope. This explains my two broken legs. I trust this answers your concern. Please note that I am finished trying to do the job alone.

There are things in life no one is prepared to face alone. And you don’t have to be a soldier to experience them. The death of parents, the death of a spouse, the death of a child; romances lost, romance never found. Transitioning from citizen to soldier, and then again from soldier to citizen. The human soul has not been designed to go solo. Jesus knew this and he comes into every situation with these words, “I will be with you even till the end of the age.” You are not alone. Life, friends, even family may let you down, but God will not. If this isn’t your image of God, let’s talk.

A Good Laugh from the Chaplain

The 1997 winner of the Darwin Award:  Larry Waters of Los Angeles-- one of the few Darwin winners to survive his award-winning accomplishment.  Larry's boyhood dream was to fly.  When he graduated from high school, he joined the Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, poor eyesight disqualified him.  When he was finally discharged, he had to satisfy himself with watching jets fly over his backyard. 

One day, Larry, had a bright idea.  He decided to fly.  He went to the local Army-Navy surplus store and purchased weather balloons and several tanks of helium.  The weather balloons, when fully inflated, would measure more than four feet across.  Back home, Larry securely strapped the balloons to his sturdy lawn chair.  He anchored the chair to the bumper of his jeep and inflated the balloons with the helium.  He climbed on for a test while it was still only a few feet above the ground.  Satisfied it would work, Larry packed several sandwiches and a six- pack of Miller Lite, loaded his pellet gun-- figuring he could pop a few balloons when it was time to descend-- and went back to the floating lawn chair.  He tied himself in along with his pellet gun and provisions.  Larry's plan was to lazily float up to a height of about 30 feet above his back yard after severing the anchor and in a few hours come back down.  Things didn't quite work out that way.  When he cut the cord anchoring the lawn chair to his jeep, he didn't float lazily up to 30 or so feet.  Instead, he streaked into the LA sky as if shot from a cannon.  He didn't level of at 30 feet, nor did he level off at 100 feet.  After climbing and climbing, he leveled off at 11,000 feet.  At that height he couldn't risk shooting any of the balloons, lest he unbalance the load and really find himself in trouble.  So he stayed there, drifting, cold and frightened, for more than 14 hours.  Then he really got in trouble.  He found himself drifting into the primary approach corridor of Los Angeles International Airport. 

A United pilot first spotted Larry.  He radioed the tower and described passing a guy in a lawn chair with a gun.  Radar confirmed the existence of an object floating 11,000 feet above the airport.  LAX emergency procedures swung into full alert and a helicopter was dispatched to investigate.  LAX is right on the ocean.  Night was falling and the offshore breeze began to flow.  It carried Larry out to sea with the helicopter in hot pursuit.  Several miles out, the helicopter caught up with Larry.  Once the crew determined that Larry was not dangerous, they attempted to close in for a rescue but the draft from the blades would push Larry away whenever they neared.  Finally, the helicopter ascended to a position several hundred feet above Larry and lowered a rescue line.  Larry snagged the line and was hauled back to shore.  As soon as Larry was hauled to earth, he was arrested by waiting members of the LAPD for violating LAX airspace.  As he was led away in handcuffs, a reporter dispatched to cover the daring rescue asked why he had done it.  Larry stopped, turned and replied nonchalantly, "A man can't just sit around." 

There are many times in life when one feels tossed about and unanchored.  As if some unseen hand is pushing you farther and farther away from things you know and cherish.  The west winds of life move you at their will and there is a feeling of utter vulnerability.    As we get closer to departure soldiers and soldier’s families feel the effect of the Katrina-like winds closely approaching their shores.  As the winds of doubt, fear and stress tell you this deployment will be too much for you, let me give you this word.   There are things anchoring you that are more important than places, familiarity or even the comfort the presence of those we love.  Consider these anchors…

The Anchor of Values: You are in this place because you value Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.  Although these are the army values I can tell you the army didn’t invent them.  They closely mirror Biblical values.  These timeless values are in themselves an anchor during difficult times.  These values are things nations, governments, families and virtue are built upon.  Their efficiency as anchors span all time and place.  Exercise these values and you can stand in the face of the west winds of life and they will have little effect.  Exercise these values and separation from loved ones and the stress of war will not send you reeling aimlessly out to sea.

The Anchor of God:  Let me give you the Gospel According to the Chaplain.  It is uncomplicated, simple and to the point.  Here it is.  God is for you and not against you.  God is present and not absent.  God is more loving than wrathful.  You can wear out his patience and his love for you will endure forever.  It matters not that you are in Iraq or Minnesota, God is there for you when you call upon him.  If you are at war in Iraq, or at home and at war with teenage children, God is with you.  In God’s presence you will find peace no matter where you are or how you feel.  You may feel like the normal course of your life is suspended while you defend your country, but you are right on schedule by God’s standard.  Wherever you go, God is with you. 

These are anchors you can count on!  Be at Peace.

How to Handle Jerks

When I was a kid we had a horse named Dusty. It was a Shetland pony that Grandpa Chester bought us grandkids. As I look back, I’m thinking grandpa bought that horse to teach all of us grandkids how to swear, properly. He probably figured out that if he taught us personally all hell would break loose with our mothers. So, he taught us by proxy. He bought us Dusty. If spending an afternoon with Dusty didn’t teach you how to cuss like a North Dakota farmer, well, then you are a better person than I.

The problem with Dusty is that he never broke to the bridle. If you wanted to turn him you had to jerk his head the way you wanted him to go. Sometimes you thought you were going to break his fool neck. And sometimes he returned the favor with a few jerks of his own. Needless to say, grandpa didn’t have any grandchildren who couldn’t swear.

Most days… it’s not hard to imagine life as one continuous afternoon with Dusty. Whether you are a soldier, a mother, a father, grandparent, husband, wife, preacher, chaplain….butcher or baker you deal with a lot of jerks. Some of them even walk on two legs. When life seems like it is jerking me around I go back to the basics. Things that I know, that I know, that I know. Things I didn’t read in books but are written in the Gospel of TheOnlineChaplain. These things have been written on my heart over the years by a caring and gracious author.

Survival Skills

The skill of "godly reflection" for me starts with Psalm 1. This Psalm gives us insight on how you can survive when it seems life is jerking you around. The psalm goes like this. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers,. But, his delight is in the law of the Lord and on this law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of living water. In all that he does he prospers."

This is an interesting psalm because there are two things hidden in this psalm that you don’t get at first glance. The first is this, "his delight is in the law of the Lord." The word law here is the same word in the Hebrew for "teaching". So, we are to meditate on the teachings of the Lord. That has a different ring to it. What has God taught you? And, are you meditating upon these things. If you are like me, you probably forget most of the things you have learned and need to go back for refresher courses.

Let me tell you about hidden item number two. The word mediate is a Hebrew word that is not used very often in the OT. One of the few times it occurs is in Isaiah where it says, "as a young lion growls over its prey." The word growls and meditates is the exact same word. We are to growl over the teachings of the Lord like a young lion growls over his prey. Hey, remember Grandpa Chester? He not only taught us all how to swear, he also made us watch Animal Kingdom. Thanks to him I know how a young lion growls over his kill. The things you can learn from a grandpa! Let me share with you three things that have helped me survive be jerked around by life. They are three things I growl upon when things get tough. Three things I have been reminding myself of quite a bit lately.

Growl #1 Don’t Go Through Things Alone

There are things in life that you simply should not try to do alone. If you want to deal with life successfully then don’t try to go it alone. We are not designed to do life in isolation. Case in point. One man writes....

I am writing in response to your request concerning clarification of the information I supplied in block number eleven on the insurance form, which asked for the cause of the injury. I answered, "Trying to do the job alone." I trust the following explanation will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade. On the date of the injury, I was working alone, laying brick around the top of a five-story building. When I finished the job, I had about 500lbs. of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to put them into a barrel and lower them by a pulley that was fastened to the top of the building.

I secured the end of the rope at ground level, went back up to the top of the building, loaded the bricks into the barrel, and pushed it over the side. I then went back down to the ground and untied the rope, holding it securely to insure the slow descent of the barrel. As you will note in block number six of the insurance form, I weigh 180 lbs. At the shock of being jerked off the ground so swiftly by the 500lbs of bricks in the barrel, I lost my presence of mind--and forgot to let go of the rope.

Between the 2nd and 3rd floors I met the barrel. This accounts for the bruises and lacerations on my upper body. Fortunately, I retained enough presence of mind to maintain my tight hold on the rope and proceeded rapidly up the side of the building, not stopping until my right had was three knuckles deep in the pulley. This accounts for my broken thumb (see block four) despite the pain; I continued to hold tightly to the rope. Unfortunately, at approximately the same time the barrel hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighted about 50lbs. I again refer you to block number six, where my weight is listed. I began a rapid descent.

In the vicinity of the 2nd floor I met the barrel coming up. This explains the injury to my legs and lower body. Slowed only slightly, I continued my increasingly rapid descent, landing on the pile of bricks. Fortunately my back was only sprained. I am sorry to report, however, that at this time I lost my head and let go of the rope which explains my two broken legs. I trust this answers your concern. Please note that I am finished trying to do the job alone.

There are things in life no one is prepared to face alone. And you don’t have to be a soldier to experience them. The death of parents, the death of a spouse, the death of a child; romances lost, romance never found; having to do things in the name of war that have the potential to mortgage your chance of surviving in peace time. Transitioning from citizen to soldier, and then again from soldier to citizen. The human soul has not been designed to go solo. Jesus knew this and he comes into every situation with these words, "I will be with you even till the end of the age." You are not alone. Try to go it alone and you are going to get all busted up one the inside.

Growl #2 When you can not find God, God will find you.

When I was in junior high, I was convinced that my mom and dad had moved to hell. If I wasn’t the loneliest person in the world, I was sure that I was close. A neighbor of ours must have seen this because the first summer we were there, she invited me to Bible camp, and it was there at Bible camp that I believe God looked down and said, "I’ve got to save that little guy." Wednesday night I remember going to bed with the words of the missionary on my heart and ringing in my ears, "If God calls you, you’ll go to the ends of the earth for Him." And my last thought was, "Fat chance, God." All I can guess is that some time during the night, God must have sent His Holy Spirit to minister to me because when I woke up that morning, I realized that something had changed in my life. I made a b-line for that missionary, and I said, "Whatever you have in your life, I want." And there, on a warm July morning, I knelt and asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and my personal Savior. And that indeed is what has happened.

When you can’t see God at all, even when your eyes and your ears can pick up no sense of God, know the truth. God is searching for you. And what God searches for, God finds. The bible tells us that you are like a lost coin, a lost sheep, or a lost son and God is like a father, a shepherd and widow who will not stop looking for what has been lost. When you cannot find God, God will find you..

Growl #3 "As Your Days are Numbered So Shall Your Strength Be." Deut. 33:3

Let me tell you a story. I remember a time when I was going through seminary when things got pretty tough. My wife and I moved to Minneapolis, so that I could attend seminary. By the fall of 1993 however, things had come to a complete stop. I was working two jobs, and trying to go to school. And there just seemed like there was no hope of finishing seminary. In fact, we decided that if something didn’t happen soon I was going to have to give up being a pastor. The stress quite frankly was killing me. We thought surely now God would hear our cry to him and deliver us.

Only he didn’t, and things got worse. In late, January I went in for a little dental work. I had a cavity they filled. This little filling turned into a root canal. The root canal turned into an infected jaw. I spent twenty one days sleeping in a chair because the pain kept me awake. The pain was so bad that tears would involuntarily roll down my cheeks. I had read somewhere about a guy that had taken a shot gun and tried to shoot a tooth out of his mouth, and nearly blew his head off. This guy started looking like a genius to me. Surely now God would hear my cry, and deliver me.

Only he didn’t, and things got worse. During finals, I was subpoenaed to testify in Seattle. I had to be gone a week. Then a major computer system I was supporting crashed, and I spent a month working 80 hour weeks, then my three children got the chicken pox. My old, faithful car finally breathed its last. So, I bought a used car. Twenty-four hours later, it threw a rod, and blew the engine. Only after a near court battle with the dealer did I get my money back. Surely now God would hear my cry, and deliver me.

Only he didn’t, and things got worse. When I finally got my money back for the car I had bought, I had enough with used cars. So, I bought a new 1993 Dodge Shadow. Well I’m sitting at an intersection in St. Louis Park, and I notice the car in front of me has pulled to far out into the intersection. So she does what we usually do in this circumstance. She puts the car in reverse and gently backs up. Well, I noticed that she didn’t take the car out of reverse. So I figure hey this is easy to take care of so I honk my horn at her and go like this (gesture). She thinks I’m making an obscene gestured to her and makes one back. You can see her mind work at this point. She figures I’m going to show him. When the light turns green I’m going to floor it, and rip out of here. You guessed it, $2300 dollars worth of damage on my new car.

Some time after that, I remember lifting my fist toward heaven in anger saying, "God, here I am faithfully doing what you have called me to do. Where in the world are you?" And I stayed angry and mad at God for quite a few days. In fact, the days turned into months. It didn’t get better until finally one day I told this story to a pastor friend of mine. And he asked if he could pray for me. And he prayed and as he stood up and put his hands on my head and said, "Child of God, by the grace and mercy of Almighty God, I pronounce your sins forgiven." I give you this promise, Christ who has been raised from the dead in power and in glory will never leave you nor forsake you and he will return to you’re your strength. Christ who has been raised from the dead in power and in glory will never leave you nor forsake you. I guess I believe that. I didn’t for a few months. But, I do again.

Eventually, strength returned. And interestingly enough, my wife says, "that it was during those dark months that God turned this speaker into a preacher." No - God did not come and help us in the way that we thought He would, but be provided me with the strength to get through. He always does.

Conclusion

Three Great Truths to GROWL over. Three great truths to meditate upon. Three great truths that will get you through difficult times.

     Don’t go through things alone.

          When you cannot find God, God will find you.

                  As your days are numbered so shall your strength be.