Being Positive and Proactive

Dear Friends,
As I have been walking along this path that God has set before me, I have found that even when it all goes wrong He is still great.  I find that I get tired of writing about negative things all of the time, it is both draining to you but to myself as well. Even though I could put many things up on this blog about negative things, I have decided I wont.
So, lets look at the goodness and greatness of what God has been doing.  The most exciting is that I have a wonderful family, with a wife who I know loves me.  I am also going to get to co-teach a Pastoral Care and Counseling extension class. The local SBC Association is administering it for MBTS and we have a great DOM and Association. If you know me, you know that I am very hands on, I love to teach and I loved to be involved with people.  Only God could have set this in my path because so many hurdles had to be jumped and it was done by so many others.
Another thing that I am excited about but hasn't happened yet is that I have put in some applications for online teaching jobs.  These would be great if they worked out both financially but also would add some fun.  Remember though pray for my family and myself, just as I  pray for those whom I know and for everyone in general.  Though if you need more pray let me know, I do love direct prayer for people whom I care for.  Love you all...

I have decided to become involved in some specific issues in Nebraska.
1.  I am against the "Die with Dignity Laws" that are being introduced across the country.  We have a      state senator here who has introduced it for the last several years and will continue to do so.  This        is a slippery slope and people are misinformed.
2.  My family and I are going to get involved in the anti-abortion movement in Omaha Metro area.          Prayer is going to be our biggest weapon but we wish to show our children how to be active in our      faith.
3.  My children wish to be involved more with the homeless problem in the Omaha Metro area.                Haven't exactly figured out how to do this but my heart swells with there express of compassion          for those without and in need.
4.  This is one that I have been involved with for a few years.  Its two parts, first being the treatment        of the poor when they die. Secondly, getting green burials legalized in the state of Nebraska .

How God changes His children

I have finally finished my first credit hour of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). This summer program changed my life. I spent upwards of 70 hours a week at the hospital, Saint Luke's in Kansas City. A lot of the time was split between Saint Luke's on the Plaza and Saint Luke's South, which anyone from Missouri or Kansas knows Johnson County. Each hospital had its own personality, of staff, patients and experiences.
God opened my eyes to what the effect of the Fall is and just how far we are away from our heavenly Father. How sin ravages our bodies, a lifetime of it effects everything, even how we die. How our pride and arrogance keep us separated from His glory and the amazing gift of Christ crucification but also the strength that the Holy Spirit can bestow. I have seen mankind's underbelly, people who have worked hard to be good and who become the targets of random violence just because of where they live. Hatred of Man for Man and how that is played out in our interactions with each other, beating, stabbings and abandonment. The ravages of drugs, alcohol, on the person and there families and finally death. Watching death and how it can be so utterly terrifying or can be such a sign of His Grace. Watching people deny God and die, I would realize that there suffering wasn't ending as they hope but was going to be eternal. Do you know how heart wrenching that can be, how you can plead with someone, praying that the Holy Spirit would come and dwell within them, asking if not begging them to except Christ. Only to watch them die, unrepentant and afraid?
God also showed me how love and compassion knows no race, age or gender. That He pours out His love to us and carries us through what should and can be the scariest things that ever happen to us. How many believers ministered to me, the Chaplain Intern, in his times of need. They where the ones sick, they where the ones in need of compassion, yet the Spirit moved them and gave them strength to minister to me and show me love. The love that comes from the fellowship of believers and how they can bring that to those in greatest need.
I ran out of my own strength about the 3rd week, God put me in my place. I got what is called "Compassion Fatigue", or as it may be better known as type of burn out. I cared to much, opened myself to others peoples emotions and suffering to much and tried to do it all on my own strength. I was taught how to rely not on myself but on God and the people He puts in my path. I will expand on all these topics, the people I met (no real names) and my current school semester, soon...