Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

As I sit here next to my son, supervising his homework, I am reminded of all the things that I should be thankful for and have not acknowledged as much as I should.  It is appropriate to do this now due to this upcoming holidays (wow original blog post-thankful on Thanksgiving Day-but I digress).

I am thankful for:

1. A God that cares enough for me to send his son to die for my sins so I will not have to go to hell. What really blows my mind is that he did not die just for my big sins, but for all of them. I remembering watching part of the Passion of the Christ and shaking my head wondering why he would be willing to suffer and die in such a way so that I am not condemned for all the little stupid bits of evil I do everyday.

2. For Carol my wife of soon to be fifteen years. I met her when she was fourteen and when we finally dated, we dated for four years. I did everything I could to mess this up and yet here we are and I am thankful.

3. For Rosario-my firstborn. His personality is as different from mine as it possibly could be and yet he is a precious stone slowly being cut into a gem.

4. For Rebecca-the best challenge that I could ever have.  First Becca has to lookout, then lookout world!

5. For Police work- provided me with a purpose and a paycheck-especially in a time where most people lack both at the same time.

6. For the Adler School of Professional Psychology Masters of Police Psychology-came at a dark time in my career-repurposed me till I was granted an assignment that I was able to utilize my talents once again. Bill Powers will never be forgotten, R.I.-well deserved-P..

7. The United States of America-through the blessings of God and the forethought of our founding fathers-I have the ability to say what I wish, to worship how I choose and work how I may.

8. Family-got a good start with love

9. Friends- life is a team event with individual scoring

10. Health-little actual sickness-my cut off finger, broken left hand, broken right hand, ruptured right ACL, broken nose, perforated left eardrum, broken right ankle, broken right foot, 2nd degree right shoulder separation, torn right calf, etc and etc. Were all self inflicted in one form or the other.

I and I can safely say many others, loose sight of how truly blessed we all are and focus on the very few things we lack. Now is a time to remember all that we should be thankful for and help others to fulfill their needs so that they may become equally thankful.

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Easter HE IS ALIVE

The Stone was rolled away. The grave is empty.

Mark 16
The Resurrection
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Christmas

This is Christmas-Nothing else matters.

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Why am I suffering...Where is God?

A comment was left that on the section the God of Providence (01/05/2008) that said:

Do you trust God with all your heart, even though you don't know how He's going to get you through something?

This struck a cord with me because it is something that I have struggled with many, many times. There is my response:

Sorry to get back to you so late, but I had a call out Friday that went all night...etc...Etc...

I have struggled with this area and one of the things that helped me was to look at the lives of the seminal figures of the Bible.

Abraham (Abram)

Was forced to leave his family (father/brothers/except for Lot) take his barren wife and go to a land that was foreign to him. Famine hits, flees to Egypt passes his wife off as his sister and only with God’s interdiction does she not become sexually involved with the Pharaohs. Saves Lot by butchering his hostage takers and gets inpatient waiting for Sara to become with child so he impregnates Hagar. Sara gets pregnant. He splits with Lot, God sees if he is willing to sacrifice his son, gets the land his is promised, is tormented by the child and that chid's children he has with Hagar and dies.

Moses

Is spared from the order of the Pharaoh to kill all first born male children when mother drops him in a river and he is taken into the Pharaoh's household. Grows up kills slave master who is whipping the Hebrew slaves, returns the next day and the very Hebrews that he aided turn on him, he flees into the desert. Sees burning bush told to see the Pharaoh and he tells God that he can not because he stutters etc. Is forced to go to the Pharaoh and is not successful till the firstborn of Egypt’s sons are killed. Flees into the desert, parts the red sea, speaks with God gets the 10 commandants while his own people have abandoned him and turned from God. Hits a rock, watches time and time again while his people fall away and are punished by God, is denied entrance into the Promised Land and dies.

Elijah

Pops up tells King Ahab of God’s coming judgment because of Ahab’s wife Jezebel, among other things and is forced to flee for his life. Fed meat by Ravens, drinks out of a brook and complains. Is saved by a widow, Comes back challenges the Baal priests, wins, has them killed and is forced to flee the wrath of Jezebel. Fights with her son Ahaziah and gets taken into the air on a whirlwind. Comes back to speak to Jesus and disappears.

John the Baptist

Son from an elderly and barren mother. Forced to flee into the desert, wears a hair coat, can not drink and eats honey and locusts. Starts his ministry as a precursor to the coming of the Lord. Meets and acknowledges Jesus as the Christ. Gets thrown in prison all the time and finally get his head cut off for his troubles.

Paul(Saul)

Held the cloaks of the citizens stoning Steven. Had arrest warrants and pulled Christians out of their homes to be imprisoned and killed. Struck down by God on the road to Damascus, blinded and sent to the very people he tried to kill and who hated him. Converted and sent the rest of his life telling the good news of Jesus the Christ, being thrown into prison, traveling incessantly, finding his way to Rome to die.

What you see is a pattern that consists of three things: First they are all sent into situations by God that not only do they not understand why are doing these things but further they do not want to go and in most cases involves great personal risk. Second, they suffer for doing the acts that God commanded them to do and it should be noted it is great suffering. Lastly all sinned and fell from Gods plan, but all stopped, repented were punished and then finished by standing in the place that God originally commanded them to be in.

As I see it, we are made to suffer. When life is the darkest it is because of one of two things: we are in Gods plan or we have fled from Gods edicts. But the main factor is that we suffer. I have been plagued by the incorrect idea that the lack of pain in my life is a sign that I am on the right path of God. When reality that very well may be the sign that I am not doing what I am supposed to do.

God is always there. Job suffered by doing exactly what God wanted him to do. When we suffer because of the evil we have done God is there waiting for us to repent. But repenting does not mean an end to suffering but rather it comes two fold; correction for what we have done and suffering for carrying the cross of Christ.

Look at Jesus, sinless and yet he suffered horrible torture and death in order to save us from Hell. He was perfectly in God’s will and yet he was hated, mocked and killed. Why should our lives be anything different?

You ask: Do you trust God with all your heart, even though you don't know how He's going to get you through something?

I answer: Yes because I already know the ending. I will be with Christ in Heaven and his enemies will be cast into the pit. The rest is just trying to endure and focus on keeping the next step on the straight and narrow path.

It’s like dumper cars. You want to get from one side of the track to the other while everyone else is trying to dump you out of the way. Sometimes they succeed; sometimes I make an error in steering but as long as I keep my goal the finish line I will eventually get there. But if I focus on every hit or every mistake and spin around trying to find the meaning behind their strike on my car or seek justice with each driver, I soon loose sight of the end and run out of time.

Suffering for Christ is glorious. You justice will come, it was promised. God is always there and our singular reward is also the greatest reward. Heaven.

One of my favorite verses: Acts 5: 41-42

41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

God is in Control

By nature and further by training, Police Officers charge into problems and take control. On the street it is imperative for an officer arriving on scene to take absolute and immediate control in order to keep him/herself safe, maintain the safety of the public and to control evidence. Officers who come in softly or allow others to dictate the situation rarely are successful or injury free.

However, with God this situation is the exact opposite. HE is in control and we are to follow God's urgings rather than direct our own lives. This can be incredibly hard for someone in law enforcement to do. I can not tell you how may problems that I have made worse, when I go charging ahead on my own strength and drive, with an eye to solving what ever is troubling me, when in reality I make the situation much much worse.

Finally, after so many doors at work were closed in my face (usually blooding my nose) I finally had to come to grips with the fact that, by my hand I could do nothing to fix what I had done (with the best of intentions but I really kept shooting myself in the foot) and had to step back and for really the first time, place it completely in his hands. And the result, after nine months of trust and faith, an opportunity arose that no one could have predicted and further if somehow they would have known would never have thought I would have been in trusted with it. GOD was working.

Another situation has just arose that reminded me of this lesson that I had to learn. I have to admit that I racked my brain on how I would be going about fixing the situation (this time not self-inflicted for a change). But a solution would not present itself. I then stepped back and again placed it into God's powerful hands. I would like to say that I did not worry but it did stay in the back of my mind. However, again without any actions of my own, it worked itself out in the only way it could have, that would have garnered a positive result. Again my lack of action and God's providence provided an outcome that was greater than anything I could have accomplished.

Trust in the Lord and he will always keep his promises-on his own time in his own way.

Psalm 27:13
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

God is Sufficient

I have recently completed the 2-week DEA sponsored undercover illicit drug training. The last speaker (right before the certification test) was Jack Harris (Ret-Tucson Police Department). Jack's presentation was a simple but important one. His main point was: change what you can control and choose to not worry about what you can not control.

This is an area that I have struggled with my entire career. It was very comforting knowing I am not the only one that strives to overcome this issue. I have caught myself many times getting anger over decisions that negatively affect me and my career, that I had no way to control. This can lead to bitterness and as a point of fact in every department there are a group of older officers that hate everything and everybody. They are the ones that lost this fight. When you strive hard to change the world and get beaten down in the process bitterness is often the result.

This is a Biblical principle also. God calls upon us to worry and strive to have our next small step to be as close to the step Jesus would have taken as we possibly can and not to worry about the 20th step. The long term plans are for God to ponder if we just make the best step each time we will arrive at the destination that God intended. Railing at what we can not control will only lead to frustration leading to anger then leading to bitterness and bitterness is deadly, not only for us but for all who care about us.

Matthew 6:25-27

Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?