Archives for 2018

Good morning,

Thanksgiving. What should we be thankful for?

The Bible gives us examples of people who thanked God.

This week we will look at several of them.

Hannah

(Brittany Rust)

Hannah is one of my favorite people in the Bible and someone I’ve learned a lot from. There honestly isn’t a lot of information about her but her mark in the Bible is significant.

Hannah was one of two wives to a man named Elkanah; Hannah was barren but the other wife had many children. The other wife, Peninnah, would taunt her regularly and Hannah’s misery was indeed immense. One night, while in the temple, Hannah prayed fervently for a child, so much so that the priest Eli thought she was drunk.

Hannah prayed that if God would give her a child, she would give that child back to Him. Eli blessed her request and soon after she conceived a boy named Samuel, who would become the great prophet of Israel (and my favorite person in the Bible!).

What’s beautiful about this story is that she did indeed give her son back to the Lord–she gave Samuel to Eli. Hannah’s praise wasn’t just the reflection of an answer to prayer, but it proceeded giving up her son. With all her heart she praised God in the aftermath of turning over her biggest prayer request.

Does your praise and thanksgiving overflow from the good you’ve had to let go? When perhaps your sacrifice was difficult.

“And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.² There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.³ Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.⁴ The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.⁵ They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.⁶ The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.⁷ The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.⁸ He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.⁹ He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.¹⁰ The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

He is too wise to err–and too good to be unkind!

(James Smith, “The Love of Christ! The Fullness, Freeness, and Immutability of the Savior’s Grace Displayed!”)

Jesus is both our Advocate and Counselor.

Every believer has a powerful, crafty, and malignant foe who tempts him to sin–and then turns to be his accuser before God! “But if any man sins–we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous!” 1 John 2:1.

All the glory of His person and the perfection of His work–is thrown into His plea. He pleads . . .
the Father’s love,
His own blood,
the promises of grace, and
the weakness of His people;
and so pleading–He must prevail.

His people have fled to Him under the greatest difficulties, and have received counsel which has delivered them from the greatest perplexities. He is always in office for us–and always at liberty to listen to us.

What ails you, poor tried believer? Flee to your Advocate and Counselor!

He is a wonderful Counselor! He never . . .
mistakes a case,
despises a poor client,
or charges a fee!

He possesses . . .
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge;
all the kindness of sinless humanity,
and all the love of Deity!

What a wonderful lover is Jesus! He . . .
assumes any office,
stoops to any service,
and fills any relation–
so that He may but do His people good, and manifest His love unto them.

My soul, employ this Advocate, repair to this Counselor in every season of difficulty, and follow His advice in every circumstance and situation! He is too wise to err–and too good to be unkind!

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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Omnipotence means that God is all powerful.

Caleb Colley, Ph.D. writes.

God is the only being Who possesses omnipotence. In the Oxford English Dictionary, “omnipotence” is defined as “all-powerfulness,” or “almightiness.” In other words, when God wants something to be done, it is done. God has all power in heaven and on Earth (Matthew 28:18), so unlike the limited power of humans, which is constrained by time, space, and force, God’s capabilities are limited only by His own character. Paul wrote of God’s omnipotence in the sense that He is “above all, and through all, and in you all,” (Ephesians 4:6). God is preeminent for many reasons, not the least of which is His great power.

God has complete power over the Earth. The very first chapter of the Bible (Genesis 1) is full of references to God’s power. The words of His mouth brought the Universe into existence; He spoke the Cosmos into existence with only a word (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3). In order to create the Universe, God needed no pre-existing matter with which to work; rather, He Himself spoke the very first matter into existence. After He created “the heavens and the Earth,” He spoke “light” into existence on Earth (Genesis 1:3). After creating light, He created the firmament, and much more, all by the power of His word.

God has complete power over the spiritual realm. Just as the first chapter in the Bible reveals that God created light on Earth, the last chapter in the Bible reminds us that God’s power will be responsible for the eternal light in heaven (Revelation 22:5). Christ repeatedly cast out devils during His earthly ministry (Matthew 8:16; 9:32-33; 12:22), and James revealed that the demons believe in the one God of the Bible, and that because they are aware of God’s omnipotence, they tremble (Luke 8:31; James 2:19). God now limits Satan himself, keeping him from directly inhabiting people or causing people physical pain (Zechariah 13:1-2).

Only God can perform “wonders,” and only God can furnish that capability to others (Job 5:9; Psalm 72:18; John 3:2). Christ again revealed His power over the spiritual realm when He brought Lazarus’ soul back from the realm of departed spirits, and returned it to Lazarus’ body (John 11:43). Similarly, God will resurrect all the dead one day, having already determined the fate of their souls (Mark 12:26-27; Romans 6:4; 1 Corinthians 15:15,32; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Peter 1:3-5).

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God can do anything He pleases, at any time He pleases.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

God’s omnipresence is defined is God being everywhere at the same time. We cannot escape the presence of God.

Psalm 139:7-12 explains this.

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?⁸ If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.⁹ If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;¹⁰ Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.¹¹ If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.¹² Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”

Psalm 23 encourages us that God is always with us.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

It should encourage us to know that God is always present. He is keenly aware of our circumstances and our needs.

Trust in Him.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Did it ever occur to you that nothing surprises God? He knows everything.

God knows everything about us.  Even as you read this devotion, God knows what you are thinking. Today we will look at God’s omniscience (God knows all things).

GOD’S OMNISCIENCE is defined as “the state of having total knowledge, the quality of knowing everything.” For God to be sovereign over His creation of all things, whether visible or invisible, He has to be all-knowing. His omniscience is not restricted to any one person in the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all by nature omniscient.

1.   GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING (1 JOHN 3:19-20) V20
2.   GOD IS PERFECT IN KNOWLEDGE (JOB 37:16)
3. GOD’S UNDERSTANDING HAS NO LIMITS (PSM 147:5)
4. GOD’S EYES ARE EVERYWHERE (PROV 15:3)
5. GOD IS WATCHING US (PSM 33:13-15) V13
6. GOD CHOSE US BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD (EPH 1:3-4)
7. GOD KNOWS WHAT WE DO (PSM 139:1-4)
8. GOD MADE KNOWN TO US THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL (EPH 1:9- 10)

God’s omniscience can be a blessing or a curse. Since God never takes His eyes off us, we should be prone to obey God. Obeying God and His commandments allows God to pour out His blessings upon us. Conversely, when we choose to disobey God, He by nature cannot bless disobedience. Disobedience is sin. He will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, convict us of our disobedience and woo us back to Himself. However, we are a stubborn people. When we fail to respond to the Spirit’s gentle prod, God uses other means to get our attention.

The correct response to disobedience is to repent. Agree with God that the action was sin, confess it, and accept God’s cleansing. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

GOD’S WATCHING. WHAT DOES HE SEE?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

What does it mean to be a veteran? J. Mark Jackson expresses it well. I will let him tell it without  comments from me.

By J. Mark Jackson

November 10, 2016

Mark Jackson served in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division in the war in Afghanistan in 2009.

I was a soldier, and I went to war. By and by, I became known as a veteran. My civilian career progressed, my family grew, and the Army drifted into the gray mist of memory. But the experience of military service leaves an indelible imprint on the psyche and soul of each soldier, sailor, airman and Marine.

What does it mean, on a day-to-day basis, to be a veteran? To this Army veteran, it means:

• Advil is the narcotic of choice for a bad back and creaky knees, both earned like an invisible Purple Heart.
• Fourth of July fireworks sound surprisingly like a mortar attack.
• . . . and a nail gun sounds startlingly like the bark of an AK-47 when heard in the distance.
• Watching the evening news and feeling guilty for not being beside the soldiers fighting in the story.
• . . . but being grateful the country doesn’t still require my service, because it was always sweltering hot, and physically I could no longer keep up. This is a poignant realization for any former soldier.
• Waking up desperately searching for my rifle, while my wife softly says, “It’s all right, it’s all right; you are home.”
• Finding a lump in my throat and tears welling in my eyes when I see images of a crying mother or wife holding a flag folded into a triangle.
• Feeling slightly self-conscious at my child’s grade school on Veterans Day, but also feeling important and honored.
• Having a mother say, “Thank you for your service. Because you served, my son did not have to.” Really?
• Finding the term “hero” applied too liberally. Audie Murphy was a hero. We were soldiers.
• Wondering, when I forget how I filed my tax return the previous year, if I am suffering from a case of undiagnosed traumatic brain injury or if I just forgot.
• Wondering, when I miss words in a conversation, whether it is from hearing loss from the close rattle of a .50-caliber machine gun or if I was just not paying attention.
• Experiencing a faint gag reflex when Girl Scouts try to sell me cookies, though I loved them for sending countless boxes of cookies to the theater of war. It’s not their fault I made a pig of myself on their generosity.
• Feeling positive about the next strong and dedicated generation of future veterans to whom we handed the baton of service.
• Having a cracking, faltering voice when speaking of certain wartime events that trigger strong emotions, no matter how many times I speak of them.
• Forever being identified as a “military person” based solely on an upright posture and a shoulders-back walking gait.
• Buying a red paper poppy whenever I see another veteran selling them and calling him “brother” when the exchange is made.
• Being unable to throw those paper poppies away, ever. They seem somehow too sacred to desecrate.
• A surge of engulfing pride, like a warm shiver, when the American flag passes or during the singing of the national anthem.
• Surviving a hostile staff meeting by saying to myself, “It has all been easy since . . . ,” filling in the blank with the battle of my choice.
• Maintaining a slightly obsessed fetish with how a bed is made, with emphasis on the corners.
• Perpetual promptness. No event is too unimportant not to arrive early.
• Having a wave of emotion crash down while my son raises his right hand and swears the same oath I did a generation before.
• Desiring to be treated like everyone else — unless I’m waiting in a long line at an airport or praying for an upgrade to first class on a flight. Then I prefer to be treated as special.
• Sitting slack-jawed in amazement when I realize my family’s dinner was purchased by a table of teenage girls sitting across the restaurant. Thank you!
• Critiquing any marching organization during a parade and resisting the urge to cry out, “left, left, left, right-ta, left” if it is out of step.
• Gladly deferring saber-rattling to those who have never had to do it.
• No longer feeling compelled to prove my mettle — that urge was settled and sated while wearing a uniform.
• Grasping the knowledge that peace is eminently more precious than any state of war, regardless of the justification. Veterans know the cost of peace firsthand, and that cost has a first name, a last name, a middle initial and parents.

Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said of his Civil War service, “In our youth our hearts were touched with fire.” I would add devotion, exhilaration, camaraderie and fear. Our service in the armed forces determined who we were and continues to define who we are moving into the future. My father said about events in his life that “I wouldn’t give a penny to do it again, but I wouldn’t take a million dollars for the experience.” Would most veterans say the same about their service? I believe so; I know I do. Further, and more important, I consider it my honor to have served our country.

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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

This week I will tell you about some of those veterans.

Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia – Medal of Honor Recipient

Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia “distinguished himself May 21, 1969, while serving as a radio-telephone operator during a search-and-clear mission near Tam Ky City, in the Republic of Vietnam.” A longer account of his valor includes this passage: “Under a hail of enemy fire, he continued to advance until he reached a location a few feet short of the first insurgent position. Disregarding the fire directed at him from the remaining bunkers, he pulled the pin on a hand grenade and advanced on the bunker, firing his rifles until he dropped the grenade into the bunker, thus destroying the fortification and killing the enemy soldier within.” He lives in San Antonio.

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“A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. (Psalm 91:7)”

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

This week I will tell you about some of those veterans.

Army vet OK’d to play college ball by NCAA

The NCAA approved an appeal by an Army veteran who was originally ineligible to play due to poor grades in high school

By Jonas Shaffer
The Baltimore Sun

Oakland men’s basketball player and Baltimore native Isaiah Brock, an Army veteran who had been deemed ineligible this season because of poor high school grades, was cleared to play by the NCAA on Monday.

Oakland appealed the NCAA’s ruling Thursday, which was based on Brock’s academic profile when he graduated from Forest Park in 2011, and added a letter of support from U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop of Michigan, according to The Detroit News

Brock, 22, a 6-foot-8 forward who was closer to 6 foot in high school, spent four years in the Army after leaving Baltimore. He served as a mortuary affairs specialist for his six-month deployments in Afghanistan and Kuwait, retrieving the bodies of dead soldiers from the battlefield and preparing them for burial.

Brock met Golden Grizzlies coach Greg Kampe during the Troops First Foundation’s Hardwood Classic in Kuwait, and Kampe, taken with his life story and intrigued by this athleticism, offered an athletic scholarship.

Brock earned an A and a B in University of Maryland University College online classes while serving in Afghanistan, and after enrolling at Oakland this summer, he got two Bs. The NCAA had allowed Brock to practice with the team, but because of his years-old grades, he was told he would have to sit out this season.

According to The Detroit News, he wrote the NCAA three letters pleading his case over the summer. On Monday, he got the news he was hoping for.

“I just want to thank the NCAA for giving me the opportunity to play this year and I also want to thank all of my teammates, family and friends for all of their support through this process,” Brock said in a release. “I’m very grateful and I won’t let this opportunity go to waste!”

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(c)2016 The Baltimore Sun

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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“Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.” (Proverbs 15:22)

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Download (VETERANS-DAY-2018.docx, DOCX, 18KB)

Good morning,

Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

This week I will tell you about some of those veterans.

Sgt. Jesse Cottle: A Healing Love Story

In July 2009, Marine Staff Sergeant Jesse Cottle was in his sixth year of service in the Corps when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan. He knew the blast was bad. In fact, he thought it was the end and he had two regrets: He’d never get to finish Dreamcatcher by Stephen King, and he’d never know what it was like to be a husband and father. Thanks to the work of doctors, he survived after enduring several operations at several different hospitals. However, both of his legs had to be amputated.

One weekend, while he was with his parents in Phoenix, the Forresters, friends of his family, invited the Cottles to see their daughter, Kelly—a record-setting collegiate swimmer—compete in a meet. Jesse went, and it was one of the first times he was on his new prosthetic legs. He was instantly stunned by Kelly and her beauty, and by her warm personality when the two families had dinner together after the meet. Jesse and Kelly became friends because they were both in other relationships, but gradually they fell in love. As Kelly said in American Heroes on the Homefront: The Hearts of Heroes, “I don’t just love Jesse in spite of his injuries, I love him because of them.” The couple married in 2012.

Jesse received a Bronze Star with a Combat V for valor, and he and Kelly live in San Diego. P.S. And he finally finished Dreamcatcher!

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

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001