Hurricane Ike

I have seen pictures of how large Hurricane Ike appeared in the Gulf of Mexico. It is no wonder that it did some much damage and had such a large storm surge pushed out in front of it.


However, thanks to my sister-in-law, I would like to remind everyone How Big Our God Is. I know that Ike caused the entire spectrum of loss in the lives of those affected by him. There was loss of life as well as loss of property and possessions. No matter the circumstance or situation Our God is bigger than any storm. As a matter of fact, He is the peace found in the eye of the Storm.

I ask the readers of this blog to take a moment to say a prayer for the restoration of mind, body and spirit of those affected by Ike or any other storm in their lives. Ask God to help them to deal with their situations by seeking first His guidance and direction prior to jumping out on their own in dealing with things.

Remember to allow our relationship with God to influence how we respond to the storms in our lives. All to often we allow the storms in our lives to influence all of our other relationships, including our relationship with God.

Let's stay centered in the love, peace & patience of God.

Peace...
Al

Prayer Warriors

Calling all prayer warriors. I hope that everyone will be safe during the expected storms. Let's just take a moment to pray for those in the path of Hurricane Gustav as well as for anyone that we know who needs and/or desires prayer.


The Bible says: "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16b)

Let us pray for those that may be in the midst of a storm (either physically or emotionally). Please take a minute to pray for those that are in any type of distress or need.

Please pray for my friend Steve and his wife as she tends to the health of her mom. I also pray for my friend Tom who is regaining his health and strength after an illness. Luckily Tom has a strong wife. May God bless you all my friends.

I also solicit your prayers for me and my family because there are some tough decisions that will have to be made. I ask you to pray that the choices that we make will be pleasing in the eyes of God and bring Him glory.

My prayer is as follows:


"I pray God that you show mercy to those that are either physically or emotionally in danger or harms way. That you provide a hedge between them and that danger as well as provide whatever is needed for their healing and protection. I know that all things are possible with you Lord. I praise you Lord and am thanking you in advance. I ask this in the name of your son Jesus who said in John 15:7 :

"If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. Amen""

If there are any additional prayer requests for family or friends, please add them by way of comments. "You pray for me, I pray for you!" Actually I will pray for you whether you pray for me or not. Let the "Prayer Warriors" know your requests. You do not have to use first or last names. Initials will be fine.

Peace...

Al

A Little Help From Our Friends

When I was a Naval Aviator in the USMC, believe it or not, I had approximately 80 takeoffs and landings aboard US Navy aircraft carriers. I am going to use one of my missions aboard the USS Midway in order to illustrate a point. Two hours prior to each mission the pilot and I would always brief together and talk about the requirements of the mission, the expected weather during takeoff and landing as well as coordinating the tasks in the cockpit prior to our catapult shot and prior to our arrested landing back aboard the carrier.


Because the EA-6A was a two crewmember aircraft where the crew members sat side-by-side (Pilot on the left of the centerline of the aircraft and myself right of center), we always had a tendency to drift to the left during approach. Additionally the layout of the instrumentation was not particularly conducive to the pilots’ instrument scan and control of the aircraft during a fast paced carrier approach. As a result I would always provide a pilot with line-up and airspeed information during our approaches back aboard ship.


During this particular mission that was in the middle of the Indian Ocean and hundreds of miles from the nearest land, the pilot decided that he was so good that he did not need any information from me during the approach. In my estimation he was making a mistake but I played it off and went down to maintenance in order to check the status of the aircraft we were scheduled to fly. The aircraft that we were scheduled to fly was in excellent working condition. I then went and got the latest weather update during takeoff, along our route and during the time of our approach and landing back aboard the ship. We were scheduled to launch at approximately 12 p.m. and scheduled to recover back aboard ship at approximately 2 p.m. The weather was expected to be CAVU (Clear and the Visibility Unlimited).


Since the aircraft was in good condition and the weather was expected to be perfect I decided to play along with homeboys’ display of arrogance. Understand that I had flown with more experienced and highly seasoned pilots than the one I was crewed with on that day and they always asked for line-up and airspeed information during our descent and approach back aboard the carrier.



After we had completed our mission and prior to starting our descent and approach back aboard the carrier I asked homeboy one more time if he needed my help during the approach. He said “no” and since the aircraft was in good condition, the weather was perfect and we had enough fuel for two approaches, I kept my mouth shut. I was not surprised when the Landing Safety Officer (LSO) said "bolter, bolter, bolter" over the radio, which indicated that we made a missed approach in our attempt to land aboard the carrier and had to work our way back into the pattern of other landing aircraft and try to land aboard the carrier again.


Since pilots are graded on each approach that they make aboard the carrier, I knew that homeboy was unhappy because a “bolter” is not a good grade. This next time just prior to beginning our descent and approach to the carrier homeboy said “Al, can you give me airspeed and line-up during the approach?"



Since he was no longer "Stuck on Stupid" and my rear end was on the line as well as his since we had enough fuel for this approach only without having to go find an airborne tanker (if we made another missed approach), I gladly provided the necessary information. We made a normal arrested landing and during our debrief homeboy was as red as a beet and said nothing about his missed approach.


I brought up this illustration in order to make a point. The point is that even when things are going well in our lives we always need "A Little Help from Our Friends."



I know that there are times that we think that we have everything under control and have attained our present position as a result of our intellect, education or strength. In my opinion, we need to focus our worship on God and thank Him for providing us the intellect, education or strength necessary to attain our current position.


We may think that the money we have in the bank or stock market is enough to protect us and provide us income during our retirement years. In my opinion, we need to realize that we are placing our faith in pieces of paper with numbers on them and as a result we are worshiping the creation and not the Creator.


Now do not get me wrong, God gave us Dominion over the earth and everything that is in it. Sometimes however we have a tendency to walk right past God and worship a new home, a new auto, a new pair of shoes when Matthew 6:33 states "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”


My goal in today's Post is for us to focus on seeking God's help even in the midst of good times. We should ask him for his input and guidance even in the midst of our most mundane affairs. I believe that if we'd make this a constant habit then we will have very few missed approaches in life.


Peace…..
Al

Made In His Image & Likeness

My wife and I have just returned from Fort Leonard Wood Missouri where we attended the graduation ceremony of my oldest son from boot camp in the US Army. He is following in our family tradition of military service to this country.

My father served in the U.S. Navy, I served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and now my son, Alonzo is serving in the U.S. Army. I must say that it looks as if Army life agrees with him. He stands taller and for the first time in his life I have noticed that he is determined and has a sense of pride in himself. It is as if he has been waiting to do this all of his life.

During boot camp he would call me on Sunday evenings to tell me what he had accomplished during the week (qualifying at the rifle range, running the obstacle course, attention to detail, etc.) as well as to "gripe" about how the drill sergeants gave he and his fellow recruits absolutely no slack. I would encourage him as much as possible and give him the benefit of my experiences in similar situations. I do believe that for the first time in his life, he actually listened to me, his father. No matter what the future brings, I am proud of him for taking and embracing this change in his life.

I got to wonder about how often I seek God and listen to His words. Just like I am here to help any of my children, I need to realize that God is here to help me (His child) benefit from His past experience if I ask Him. Now understand that "I do pray and ask God to help me and my family." The question then becomes "Do I listen to what God tells me and then do I do it (no matter how formidable the undertaking or step may be)"? I have to honestly answer, "Not as much as I need to."

In my opinion, the key to being free from "stuff" (sickness, poverty, problems with our children, problems with our jobs, mates, etc.) is knowing that if I am going through this "stuff" with God then everything will be all right. By being free I mean being free of the worry and fear associated with whatever I am going through at the time.

No matter what, I will always have to go through "stuff". The key thought here is to not attach myself to any potential outcome of my circumstance or situation. I know that God is with me every step of the way and, if necessary, will fight my battles for me. I have to learn how to stay in the present and in the presence of God. I should not worry about a future outcome that in most likelihood will never occur. I just need to allow God to lead me. However allowing God to lead me is much, much easier said than done. I have to keep reminding myself that John 8:36 says "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!" Jesus did free us didn't He?

Now, when I am going through what seems like the "valley of the shadow of death" I do so boldly knowing that He will bring me safely through it. And when God sets a table before me in the presence of my enemies (i.e. "haters") I will be able to smile and wave at the "haters" as well as give God the glory that He so richly deserves.

In summary, our children need us as much as we need them. We need God as much as He needs us.

Peace....Al

Persistence

Shhh, don't tell anyone but I didn't go to church this morning. There is nothing wrong with me but my wife and I spent all day yesterday just hanging out and I am a just bit tired. Now before you all start in on me the Bible says that we are no longer bound to the law. In this case the law being that you "have to" go to church every Sunday. If that were so then it would be our deeds that get us into heaven and those of us that did the best deeds would assuredly be saved, right? Not so fast Homey because the Apostle Paul says that it is faith alone (not works) that does the trick. So let's get back to what I really wish to say.

After I got up, I got on the Internet to check my e-mail and play an Internet card game. Have you ever played an Internet card game? My favorite game is Internet Spades. In this game you are paired with a teammate from around the world and the main objective is to get to 500 points before your opponents. In order to gain points you and your partner determine how many points you will make on each hand. It is a contract system, kind of like bid whist for those that majored in it while attending college or bridge for our upscale listeners. There are different levels of expertise (beginner, intermediate & expert). I play at the expert level because I am pretty good.

I have found it interesting to observe the number of players that will quit the game if they do not achieve their bid. I would guess that the percentage of those that quit the game is 75% or higher. This fact leads me to think about the game of life and the number of those that dropout if they fail to obtain an objective.

It reminds me of one of my past experiences. After graduating from the University of Texas, I was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. While attending The Basic School (a 6-month training course for new Marine Officers) in Quantico Virginia I determined that I wanted to become a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) and fly in fast moving combat jet aircraft.

When I got to flight school in Pensacola Florida I found out that I had to pass a water survival test in order to move from ground school to a flying status. Nobody ever told me that because this native of Chicago, Illinois did not know how to swim.

Well, I promptly began to learn how to swim. Every day for approximately 5 weeks I would go to the pool after class to practice what was needed to pass the water survival portion of my training. This test included treading water for 15 minutes as well as swimming one mile both while in a flight suit.

To make a long story short when the day of the big test came, I failed it "bigger than Dallas". I was disappointed and momentarily thought that maybe flying was not for me. After working through my disappointment I analyzed the portions of the test that I failed and determined to make them my strengths. I was given 2 weeks to pass the test and then did so with flying colors and went on to earn my "wings of gold".

This leads me to ask, "What areas of our lives do we need to improve in order to walk closer to God?" The bible says that David was a man after God's own heart, but even he had huge short comings (lust and murder to name a few). However David persevered in his walk with God and I believe was rewarded with a heavenly home.

My point here is no matter what you are going through "Do Not Quit" because the goal of spending eternity with God is worth it.

Just think, all of this because I did not go to church this morning and played an Internet card game. Who would have figured it?

Peace,

Al

Rev. Jackson's comments about Sen. Obama

Hello,

I must admit that I was a little disgruntled by Rev. Jesse Jackson's recent comments about Barack Obama.

Jackson made the comments to a guest before an interview on Sunday’s “Fox & Friends,” whispering that Obama was “talking down to black people” and that Jackson wanted to “cut his nuts off.”

I feel that a Public Figure and a man with as much time in front of the microphone that he has should know not to express deeply personal feelings that may be eavesdropped upon. Additionally, anyone that holds the position as a minister should be mindful of his or her duties to the church body as a whole.

Now with that being said we must remember that we are not perfect and neither is Rev. Jackson. The bible says in Matthew 7:1 to judge not lest we be judged. In my opinion this means that we should not make emotional or rash decisions without examining all the facts. Let us not form a "Rush to Judgment" as so often occurs in high profile cases. Let's look at some history of Rev. Jackson.

Myself being born and raised in Chicago, I remember him during the Chicago riots of the 1960's. I would hear him repeatedly stating "I Am Somebody!". I was too young to understand what he meant at the time but since then I have come to understand that he was helping blacks to establish a sense of self worth and pride in themselves. In the early 1970's he created the P.U.S.H. organization (People United to Save Humanity).

Rev. Jackson was involved in the Civil Rights movement along with Dr. Martin Luther King. As a matter of fact he was with Dr. King in Memphis when Dr. King was assassinated. Since then he had a tumultuous relationship with Ralph Abernathy who, after Dr. King's assassination, headed the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference).

Rev. Jackson has continually been in the public eye and during the 1980's twice sought the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. You might say that Sen. Obama is standing on the shoulders of Rev. Jackson (how ironic!). Being a former Naval Aviator, I was especially interested in the fact that Rev. Jackson was involved in the negotiations for the release of an American pilot that was shot down over Syria as well as the release of 22 Americans held by the Cuban government.

Public record states that he is the father of 6 children (one of which was born out of wedlock as the result of an extramarital affair with one of his staffers).

Thanks for bearing with me because I am finally coming to my point. In Luke 6:44 the bible says that a tree is known by its fruit. If he is Christian the fruit will be the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which according to Galatians 5:22-23 are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

At any point in time it is my belief that, given the right circumstances and situation, anyone of us can fly off the handle and not exhibit these fruits. However we should look at the history and current activities of a person to determine the fruit that he/she bears and not condemn them for a spur of the moment comment for which he/she will have to suffer the consequences of their actions.

Do I wish that Rev. Jackson had not made those comments about Barack Obama?....Yes! Do I condemn him?.....No!

What are your thoughts?
Peace....Al

Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)

When I was younger there was a song that was sung by the Stylistics and also recorded by Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross. It was entitled "Stop, Look, Listen (To your heart). Maybe you know the lyrics "Stop, Look, Listen to your heart, hear what it's saying".


Well my friends, maybe it is time to Stop, Look and Listen to what is going on around us and to what the word of God has to say about it. From an external viewpoint the news is full of stories about natural disasters, wars, suicide bombings, parents killing their children, wrong doing by leaders in high places of authority and responsibility (including our government and places of worship). Every day it seems as if there is something new and sensational to grab our attention. It seems as if we are surrounded by doom and gloom. Maybe we should Stop, Look and Listen to what God is trying to tell us.


From an internal viewpoint, what is it that is going on in our lives that should be raising a red flag to get our attention? Are we controlled by our addictions (sex, drugs, alcohol, money, gossiping, pride, power, etc.)? What is going on in our lives that we do not want other people to know about? What is it that is keeping us separated from God? It seems as if our attention is always being directed from one thing to another. Either we are having a problem with our mate (or lack of one), our children, with the cost of food and gas, our health or that of a loved one, our job, etc. What can we do in order not to be negatively affected by these things?


I am reminded of when the Israelites were in the wilderness and complained that their path to the Promised Land was too difficult. They spoke against (i.e. "dissed") God and Moses in chapter 21 of the Biblical book of Numbers. They also complained about the nourishing food (manna) that God had been providing them daily since they left Egypt. Rather than complain, the Israelites should have Stopped, Looked & Listened to what God had to say. Maybe He would have said "I know that the road is difficult, but remember that I am with you and am protecting you from all evil (i.e. stuff going on around you) as long as you trust me".

Does this ring a bell? Are we complaining about life? Are we now starting to doubt that God can take care of our needs as He has done in the past? Do the obstacles in our lives seem insurmountable?

Maybe what we are going through will equip us to help someone in the future. Let’s take inventory of ourselves. Do we have a fair portion of health and strength? Do we have a place to live and clothes upon your back? Can we contact and talk with loved ones? Let’s count our blessings. Then maybe we can thank God for what we have and Stop, Look & Listen to the rest of the story told us in Numbers chapter 21.

As a result of the Israelites complaints and lack of trust God sent poisonous snakes among them and many died. God then told Moses to set a fiery serpent upon a pole and anyone bit by those poisonous snakes would live if they look towards the pole and not down at the snakes in their midst.

My conclusion is that even though there are poisonous snakes (wars, suicide bombings, personal problems and addictions) all around us and some of us may have already gotten bit or have been affected by them, let us not become agitated, angry or depressed but let us call upon God to help us. Then we shall live.

Some of you may say, “That is the Old Testament and was written in ancient times for the Israelites.” I would answer that comment by saying this particular narrative shows us what God expects of His people and how He responds to those that trust Him. Additionally in John 3:14 it says:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up”.

This New Testament passage states that we should now place our focus and trust in the crucified Christ and remember “those who look to Him by faith recover spiritual/mental health, even as all that looked at that serpent recovered physical health.”

If we do this, we shall live peacefully and confidently in the midst of all that is going on around us. It is time to Stop, Look & Listen to what the word of God has to tell us.

Peace,

Al

Finding God In The Midst of Your Disappointment

How many of us have been frustrated and disappointed as a result of the activities or inactivity of other people? I think that we have all depended upon other people and have been disappointed at one time or another throughout our lives. For instance, how many of us have depended upon someone to provide us a ride to an important appointment and the person upon whom we depended arrives late or not at all?

I have learned that the level of frustration or disappointment that we experience is equal to our level of expectation placed on the person upon whom we are depending. In other words the more that we expect from individuals, the higher our level of frustration and disappointment becomes when they do not meet our expectations.

I think that we are just being human when we feel this disappointment or frustration. However, we should not succumb to or be ruled by these feelings. Depending upon the severity of the frustration, I think that it is okay to be bummed out for a while. But while we are being bummed out we should go to God in prayer and ask Him to help us deal with this situation that causes our frustration in a way that pleases Him.

Yep, that's right, we should acknowledge the fact that God is right in the middle of our situation. I am reminded of a prayer that I learned a number of years back while attending Unity Church of Christianity. It is called:

"The Prayer for Protection”

The Light of God Surrounds Me
The Love of God Enfolds Me
The Power of God Protects Me and
The Presence of God Watches over Me
Wherever I Am, God Is….
….And All Is Well.....Amen!

I have used this prayer many times when I have been in a deep, dark, funk. After repeating it a few times and meditating upon its words, this prayer almost always calms me down. It does so by reminding me that no matter where I am physically or psychologically, God's love surrounds me, protects me and watches over me. While this prayer does not change the facts of what has happened it does change how I look at what has happened.

Now, since we have acknowledged God’s presence in the midst of our problem and have asked Him to help us to deal with the situation; we wait for His guidance. Again, it is important to note that we should not respond to the problem emotionally. The cool thing is that God always responds to those who call upon Him in faith. Like the old folks say “He may not respond just when we want Him to, but He always responds right on time”. Just be patient and trust that He has our better good in mind.

NOW, when we respond to whatever it is that is causing our frustration we are responding from a position of spiritual calm and power. It may take a few minutes, hours, days or weeks for us to find this calm. That is okay because we will know when we find it.

Please note what we have just done. We have asked God into our lives to help us deal with a situation that is frustrating us and are waiting to respond to this situation until we have found God's peace and direction. Try it in any situation, if you have not already.

Peace,

Al

Stand Up & Stand Still

The world and its disappointments, tragedies and interruptions will always be with us. Therefore we have a choice to make.

Either we can let this worldly stuff influence our relationship with God or we can let our relationship with God affect how this worldly stuff influences us. I choose to allow my relationship with God to influence how this worldly stuff affects me. In order to do this we should ask God to help us deal with this stuff in a way that brings Him glory. I have practiced this approach for the past 8 to 10 years and find that my life actually works better when God is involved daily.

It has not always been that way. I have failed many times in Finances, relationships, career, etc. It was not until I asked God to work with me did things start to get better.

For instance, I was $250,000.00 in debt once and kept asking God to tell me what to do in order to eliminate this debt. He gave me very simple steps to take that I thought were ridiculous. However, after my way had failed a number of times I decided to try it His way. WOW, each simple step led to another simple step and in less than 3 years my debt was eliminated.

This brings me to another point. When we ask God to help us, we must be willing to participate in the solution He provides us. That is to say, "If we don't do anything, God won't do anything." Therefore we need to submit our will/ego to His will and do exactly what He says.

For example, God kept telling me to make a simple phone call, but did not tell me why I should make it. It took faith for me to make that call because it was to a vendor whom I owed over $60,000.00.

When I made the call and asked for the owner, the owner stated that he was not concerned about the amount of money I owed. His reasoning was that people who owed him money and were not going to pay him back would not call him. He reasoned that since I called him then I intended to repay him. As a result, we worked out a plan for me to keep purchasing product from him while paying him back at the same time.

The point of the above story is that God asks us to do little stuff and we fail to see the big picture of how that will fix our problem. As a result of that lesson, I learned to ask God to tell me only what I need to do "Today" and I do it. I let Him handle the details of how this step fits into the big picture.

The point of this story is that we should not try to out think God. If I had never made that call, I would never have resolved that issue.

Peace,

Al