Category: Inspirational

Training Police Chaplains Might Receive

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Chaplains that work with law enforcement personnel receive specialized training to be able to effectively work with and provide spiritual and emotional care for citizens and law enforcement personnel. Law enforcement chaplains typically have previous pastoral care experience for more than two years officiating at marriages, performing funerals, praying with and counseling congregant members. Some chaplains have prior police or military backgrounds before making the decision to become a chaplain.

Stress Management

Law enforcement chaplains are trained to recognize special situations that can cause extra stress on law enforcement personnel and the personnel’s family. Working long hours and always living with the possibility of being put into life threatening situations often cause worry and can develop into anxiety. The chaplain learns counseling techniques to help alleviate  or at least mentally and emotionally reconcile these concerns.

Death Notifications

The law enforcement chaplain will often ride with officers during routine shifts and will can act as a go between with the police, victims and medical staff. Often times, the chaplain will be the one to notify a deceased’s next of kin of the recent death. Law enforcement chaplains receive training to handle a wide range of responses from the next of kin including anger, hostility, trauma and shock. The chaplain can offer to further assist the family with prayer, scriptures or getting in touch with the family’s preferred member of the clergy. If the family does not subscribe to any certain spiritual beliefs, the chaplain may opt to leave resources such as low cost counselors in their local area that the family may want to take advantage of later.

Funerals

Law enforcement chaplains receive training to perform funerals for law enforcement personnel and their families. The chaplain can consult with the family and help the family decide on the best type of service to perform on a case-by-case basis. Chaplains also provide spiritual care and spiritual counseling for grieved family members during this time.

Confidentiality

Chaplains working with law enforcement do not interfere with officers actions while on duty.  All chaplains understand that things discussed between themselves and individual can be considered as confidential. Law enforcement chaplains, although are allowed to keep certain information private, they are required to report anything where a person’s life in harm’s way both adult or child.

Sensitivity

Law Enforcement chaplains receive training in cultural and sensitivity issues since chaplains will end up working with a wide range of people on any given day or night. Chaplains understand how to work with the mindset of deeply rooted cultural and spiritual beliefs of others to bring about some levels of peace or understanding during traumatic or stressful events.

Is Seminary Training Worth it?

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Seminary gives a person training to be a pastor, chaplain or other leader of a church, an in depth immersion into what full time church leadership is like. It offers in depth biblical classes and offers the space to explore biblical related materials on more detailed levels.

Time

Seminary gives pastoral candidates the opportunity to spend extra time exploring specific types of ministry such as ministering to youth, prison environments or hospitals.

Transition

Seminary provides candidates with a controlled transition into what full time ministry work is like and gives the candidate time to adjust to new challenges. It’s helpful because the candidate is surrounded with those who have previously overcome similar challenges.

Disciplines

Seminary school encourages spiritual disciplines such as prayer and study times to become habits into the candidate’s life.

Study

In seminary school, the candidate has access to literatures that focus entirely on just about every aspect of ministry, allowing a person to develop as much skill as possible in ministerial functions.

Networking

Seminary school exposes the candidate to students from all types of ministry and gives the candidate an opportunity to develop relationships that can be beneficial after graduation.

Some denominations require Seminary training and others do not. For those where the option is voluntary, the choice is personal and things like finances, life situations and more can all play a role on whether or not a person will choose to enroll in a Seminary training.

Possessionless on Purpose

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Paring down your possessions can allow you to be more mobile. Photo courtesy of markemark/Morguefile.com

Paring down your possessions can allow you to be more mobile. Photo courtesy of markemark/Morguefile.com

There’s a certain amount of freedom in having less to worry about. Less bills. Less possessions. Less responsibilities. They’re kind of all tied together. What would it be like to give away or sell all of your possessions on purpose? What would you do with your life? Where would you live? How would that fit into how you make money?

Having less possessions forces you think about what’s really important in life and let’s you see things that maybe you didn’t see before. Having less possessions means you could be much more mobile much easier. I know what you’re thinking. How do you do that with kids? Well, with kids you still have to have some stuff to grow up with. You could try pairing it down, but you would need to be really creative in working with quality time. It’s not impossible but it can be done.

Where would you travel? See the country? Travel out of the country? It’s just something to think about. Others have done it and many people that pare down their possessions to a bare minimum or nothing at all have had unique experiences.

Becoming Ordained Online: The Debate

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Can God really ordain people through the Internet? Photo courtesy of jdurham/Morguefile.com

Can God really ordain people through the Internet? Photo courtesy of jdurham/Morguefile.com

What validates the credentials of being an ordained minister? What does it really take? There are two different ways to become an ordained minister: The traditional way and the non-traditional way.

The traditional way involves a Bachelor’s degree, Seminary schooling and other requirements. Some Christian denominations only accept ordained ministers/pastors if they’ve come up through the ranks of the church and had their hands laid upon them being “set apart” for service. Even then, the minister’s life is thoroughly examined and the minister/pastor is trained for service of the congregation and for God.

The non-traditional way involves signing up online at various online churches or with legal ordination ministries. Anyone meeting the qualifications and willing to submit themselves to a code of ethics can apply and become a recognized pastor/minister (or whichever title they choose), according to various state laws. They are free to pursue setting up a ministry, church, or other types of services as allowed by law. Many traditional denominations do not support this view or avenue of becoming ordained.

Whatever way you choose, be sure you that have a call of God on your life. You answer to God when everything that is said and done. If you feel a strong pull to be an ordained minister (doesn’t go away with time), discuss these feelings with your home pastor. If you are already in a denomination that doesn’t accept the non-traditional way of ordination, bring it up anyway. There are several scripture studies on the internet related to the theology behind both doctrines. Pray about it, repeatedly, and seek actual Godly advice from church leadership before proceeding. They will be able to see things about you and your situation that you cannot. Plus, they’ve traveled the road before you and can shed some light on how pursuing that path will change your life.

“We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

Posted by The Team –

I work late at times, but being able to work at home offers that flexibility. Once in awhile I will have the T.V. on for background noise if something interests me. I like to flip through the religious programming. That’s how I stumbled across ministries like Matt Pitt and The Basement. I saw young people shouting at the top of their lungs out to God. You could see raw, unashamed, unabashed worship towards God. God is no respecter of persons, no respecter of title and position, and no respecter of the clothes you choose to wear in worship. God works in many circles, in many ways, using His servants and the Holy Spirit to show people that Jesus is the only way, truth, and the life.

Someone once told me that a lot of Catholics love and revere Jesus just as much as true Orthodox or Evangelical Christians. I’ve talked with those of the Catholic faith that know it is only by the Blood of Jesus they are saved, and not through works. They read their bible for themselves. They do their religious duties out of love to God and not out of fear. This is why I did not mind tuning into a traditional Catholic Mass last night. I didn’t know why I stopped there while channel flipping but I did.

I tuned in just at the time the Priest was beginning to speak, “Brothers and Sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, I urge you to read this document, to read it, to sign it, and not just to sign it, but to live it.” I stopped typing and gave my attention. What was he purporting? What was he supporting? It almost sounds political and pastors/priests, etc…are not supposed to encourage their congregations on how to vote or to take a stance one-way or another or they could face consequences from our own government as a church.

I had to know what it was that led this brother (yes I called him brother as all who profess Jesus absolute Savior and Lord of their lives…our religious traditions may differ but it is Jesus who alone is Lord…in this and the common good we stand united), to put himself into a possibly precarious position. I listened on.

“On November 20, 2009, just a couple of days ago, religious leaders from Orthodox, Evangelical, and Christian faiths came together and released a declaration to our law makers, to the government, and as a call to any true Christian that we have a duty before God to uphold his Word and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its fullness and truth…” He went on to say that two days after its release, that 15,000, people and counting had signed this declaration. The Manhattan Declaration. He mentioned the website www.manhattandeclaration.org to take the time to read it and to sign it.

He went on to pick out key phrases of this document that struck deep within me. This Catholic brother was speaking out of love, but he had the power of the Holy Ghost upon his words. They were powerful. As soon as he said the site, I had typed it in, downloaded it and began reading. I was inspired, emboldened, and it seemed I had once again experienced the Fire and Passion of the Holy Ghost. This document is respectful, logic, and united.

Christians rise up and UNITE and be true the callings and edicts that the Lord provided for you when you were saved and washed by His blood. Read this document, sign it, and live it. God is truly no respecter of persons. Jesus is the ONLY way, truth, and the life and He is King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s. Stay true to Him! Read the final paragraph of the Manhattan Declaration here:

 “Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryodestructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other antilife act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

For more information visit: www.manhattandeclaration.org

To learn more about The Basement visit: www.thebasementonline.com

Starting a Christian Singles Ministry

Posted by The Team –

Your pastor is in charge of many things, so you must keep them in the loop. irish_eyes/Morguefile.com

Your pastor is in charge of many things, so you must keep them in the loop. irish_eyes/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Organizing a Christian singles ministry can be both rewarding and challenging. There is more that goes into it than just standing up in front of the congregation and announcing a new ministry is formed. Certain steps and processes will need to be followed to make sure the ministry is organized and effective.

  1. Get the Pastor’s permission. Be prepared to share your idea with specific information as to what you would like to accomplish. Christian singles ministries exist so that those that are not married have an additional way of getting to know one another in a safe, healthy environment, for the purpose of friendship.
  2. Have a separate list prepared for the Pastor that includes an idea of what activities you want to include for the singles group and estimated monthly costs. This will give his team something to work this as a reference point.
  3. Write down important information on how the Pastor wants you to proceed. Note any schedules that need to be worked around. Be very clear on the matters the Pastor wants you to oversee and what portions will be overseen by others while forming this ministry, if given permission. If you aren’t sure, ask.
  4. Contact local vendors to obtain exact pricing information for local events that the singles group might be attending.
  5. Have an announcement included in the church bulletin about the newly formed ministry and the first date the singles group will meet. Provide contact information and see if the Pastor can have it announced during services.

While starting this type of a ministry may seem like a great idea, you must still have your Pastor’s permission to move forward. The Pastor is in charge of what programs are instituted and as a whole, what direction the church takes in terms of its ministry opportunities. They are responsible for overseeing that portion of the body of Christ and as a leader they need to be informed.

I Work for Uhhhh…Mmmm…

Posted by The Team –

click/Morguefile.com

click/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Have you ever been asked where you work and been hesitant or embarrassed to disclose your employer for fear of possible verbal retaliation, or worse? For example, how many people to do you really know that work for the IRS? (No offense meant IRS).

Jesus said in Mark 3:25, “… a house divided against itself cannot stand.” That’s why it’s especially important to have all employees on board with a real vision that actually matters to the individuals working for the company and not just the big guys at the top.

Listen to that again. You need to have a real vision that actually matters to the individuals working for the company not just the rich folk employed by the company. I’ll give you an example. It’s fine for the board to say, “We will tell our employees in order to be a leader in this industry we have a goal of being 25x more productive than we are now with a net profit of a kajillion dollars by 20–. That aughta motivate them.” 

I can tell you from experience, that doesn’t mean squat to an employee who makes 11$ an hour who is trying to feed their family and work through school, etc….What’s in it for them? What motivation is that company going to give to that individual who does the company’s front end work and has to put up with other employee’s mistakes, complaints from customers, etc? Some would say, “To keep their job.”

That’s fair, but it’s not good enough.

If they know better and have a little bit of room, that employee could quit and go work for somebody who they ‘perceive’ to give them more value. More pay, more bonus, more flexibility, more recognition, more benefits, more security, less micromanagement, less barriers to movement and promotion within the company, etc…

Employees are like customers and they don’t have to be employed with you. Some might for various reasons, but don’t think those reasons are permanent. If you are not a company that properly motivates your employees by making value real to them individually, and then on top of it who doesn’t stand behind whatever integrity the employee first believed was there to begin with,  then that company is out one more good and possibly great employee and that employee has a bad taste in the mouth for that company.

 So, as a business owner, what do you do?

1) Be honest with your employees.

2) Do what you say you were going to do, unless you have a valid reason for not doing so. Share with your employees the reason for the change.(Hint: “Because I want to make more money,” is NOT a good reason.)

3) Get a vision and clearly communicate that to your people.

4) Make it real to them by tying in everything they do everyday into some aspect of really tying in that dream and goal.

5) Listen to what their needs are and don’t be afraid to change what you are doing if you can to retain your employees.

6) Everything hinges on integrity. If the employee thinks you are sham or can’t be fully trusted, they won’t be properly motivated. Do what you say you were going to do even if no one is looking. Even if you think no one will know, God does!

 I know as a business owner, there are many things to take into consideration and there is a fine balance between business growth and satisfying the individual moral needs of your employees. If you have been in business and consider yourself successful, then I am confident, you can find and attain that balance. No–you won’t be able to please everyone. I am not asking you to. But you can make improvements by changing and growing and continually being open to change and growth.

As an employee, examine what motivates you.

What do you need from your employer in order to work more productively? I am sure you have said to yourself, “I would do more of this, if only my company would do more—” or something similar. Does your company offer that? Maybe in a different division or position? You would be surprised what you uncover when you start asking questions. Be respectful. It might help to ask for resources on whatever topic you are trying to learn more about or ask to arrange informational interviews internally to simply learn more about other divisions in your company.

So if you are an employee, start examining yourself and your employer. If you are an employer, start listening to your employees. The process can be slow and sometimes difficult to make changes, but then neither one of you will be ever again stuck with the answer, “I work for Uhhh, Ummm….mmmm.”

7 Things to do in the Tribulation if You Choose NOT to Accept Christ

Posted by The Team –

anon/Morguefile.com

anon/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Over the years, lots of advice has been written on this subject.

That’s because it’s important.

You say you’ve heard all the hype, you know about how accepting Jesus will get you to heaven and all and quite frankly you don’t believe in it for one reason or another. Any excuse you have for not trusting in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is not going to stand up in God’s court on judgment day. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

 Sorry, I would rather have you know now when you still have a choice to make than later when it’s much too late…

 Ok, the big moment is here…Christians and young children and babies have disappeared in a flash all over the world and all at once! Was it radiation? Aliens? A new terrorist weapon? No…it was just Jesus coming back for his faithful servants as foretold in that book you perhaps have sitting on a shelf collecting dust somewhere…the Bible.

 You’ve just been left behind.

Think about that. You’ve just been left behind.

 Don’t say you didn’t know. Don’t say you weren’t warned. Don’t blame God, your spouse, your teacher, your neighbor or anyone else you can think of. This particular situation you are now in is your own fault.

If you choose not to give your life to Jesus Christ, there are 7 things you must do if you are going to survive as long as possible:

1) Get on your knees and give your heart and life to Jesus. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”  If you don’t, as previously mentioned, sorry, you will go to straight to hell for all eternity. No passing go, No collecting $200.

2) Tell as many people as you can and let them know what took place. Tell them about Jesus too.

3) Find and keep as many bibles as you can. Memorize as much scripture as you can. These will be confiscated in the near future.

4) Flee the city and hold up out in the woods for as long as you can. This could require some basic outdoor survival skills. It would be helpful to learn how to walk silently, hunt, fish, and how to set up and move quickly proper shelter.

5) Collect as much clean drinkable water as you can. Store it somewhere because shortly all the water will be turning to blood–yes even the oceans. It’s all in the bible folks—Revelations to be precise.

6) DTA…don’t trust anybody. The antichrist will have spies everywhere trying to see who is a believer and follower of Jesus and who isn’t. If they find you are not worshiping the beast’s image, you will be reported, torn from limb to limb, tortured, beheaded, or even worse…

7) DO NOT RENOUNCE CHRIST…The enemy will do anything to you, torture you, threaten you, even harm or threaten loved ones in front of you in an effort to make you renounce Christ. If you do, you will only spare your life for a moment, but you will spend eternity in hell. (Revelations again) No matter what you–do not let go of Jesus. Eternity in hell is not worth it.

Now, you might be thinking… “Misty, I just don’t believe in God, or Jesus, or hell, or anything like that.” I didn’t believe that I couldn’t defy gravity until I tried ‘flying’ out of a tree when I was a child. Gravity is a universal truth that applies to everyone all the time. God’s laws and plan of salvation is just as equal in that it applies to everyone all the time, whether you believe in it or not.

One more helpful tip.

 If you STILL won’t give your life to Jesus, then between now and then, don’t get into any vehicle, (plane, train, car, truck, boat, ferry, etc…) unless you are 150% sure that the person behind the wheel is also NOT going to be giving their life to Jesus. Simply because if the driver is a Christian and the rapture happens…guess who’s now driving that vehicle. You got it. Nobody.

Do you think you are a good person and none of this applies to you Jesus or no Jesus? Click here to take a simple test find out how good you are! http://www.livingwaters.com/good

Repent before God, trust in Jesus with all your heart and soul, read your bible everyday, and obey what you read. Do it today before it’s too late!

 (C) 2005 Misty S Bledsoe. All rights reserved.

I Didn’t See that One Coming

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

miguelwhee/Morguefile.com

miguelwhee/Morguefile.com

Preparedness is very helpful to survival situations–

Even if its just in the adventure of homeownership.

Out of nowhere the entire shower door contraption in my bathroom breaks in three different pieces. The top portion holding the doors in place pops off for no good reason. No one got hurt and no one was in the tub when it happend but it sure mystified us a bit. We ran up to ACE Hardware and got a shower rod (didn’t cost me anything since I had some training wheels to take back anyway) and I used  a shower curtain I had purchased at a the dollar store about 6 months ago still in the package.

I keep stuff just because one day you might need it. Seriously. Improvising is a big deal when you are trying to get your rear end out of you know what. No, I’m not a packrat.

We all experience unexpected things in life. A shower breaking for no reason, included, is no different. God knows everything ahead of time and I believe He had prevented me from taking back the training wheels ’till now. God is good all the time! He even knows when the shower will break and had a plan to get me out before I ever got into the situation. How cool is that?

4 Year Old Wields Ancient Secret Weapon…

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

“She knew what she was seeing had to either be wrong or there had to be a good reason why this poor shivering woman was letting this poor frozen man slide deep into the water.”

She knew what she was seeing had to either be wrong or there had to be a good reason why this poor shivering woman was letting this poor frozen man slide deep into the water. My daughter stopped talking and began watching intently. Her lips pierced, her chin started to quiver, she stopped breathing for a moment and her eyes began to well. 

I was watching Titanic at the scene after the ship had sunk when the people were waiting for the lifeboats to return. Rose had realized that Jacks gone and was letting him go. 

“Mom, why is she letting him go? Why is he sinking into the water?” She was still fighting tears. I expected her to start crying. Only natural as the scenes are very sad…but she didn’t.

She saw something she didn’t like or that didn’t seem right to her and instead of convulsing with emotion, she stopped to question the situation. Then she expectantly waited for my answer, trusting that whatever I told her would be truth and work out for the good. 

Inside I smiled because it was magnificent to see a 4 year old wield a weapon of faith so easily. It was like watching a well-trained warrior in battle. Instead of reacting to what she saw, she stopped to question the situation. 

She was walking by faith and not by sight.  

As a Christian, we grow in our relationship of knowing God, His character, ways, etc…we begin to learn how to trust God. Many times we have all encountered something in our life that doesn’t look right or that shouldn’t be happening. Instead of completely and unnecessarily creating emotional upheaval to ourselves all the time, we should stop and question the situation.

Either what we are seeing is not reality according to God’s Word or there is a plan behind it. If we simply ask God, He is faithful to give us the truth about the situation, according to His Word, so we can know how to work through it or get around it. I know if my daughter continues processing information as she did in this example, she will be able to go through life much more victoriously than without.

I answered her question, “He died, honey. He was left out in the freezing cold water too long. A lot of people died on that boat honey. It was very sad.”

“But she’s going to be ok, right?”

“Yes, baby, she is.”

This seemed to comfort her a bit as she went back to playing. I gave her the truth that yes, Jack did die which is probably not the way she wanted that to end. Even when we ask of God, “Why,” or “Explain this, I don’t understand,” we can trust God to give us the truth even if we don’t want to hear it. In this we can also trust His plan in it. 

A few nights later she said, “Mom lets watch the movie when Jack is still alive.”

We never got to. The VCR had evidently gone down with the ship.

Preventing Fear while Waiting in Medical Waiting Rooms

Posted by The Team –

 

dave/Morguefile.com

dave/Morguefile.com

 

by Misty S Bledsoe

With the rise of H1N1, more commonly known as the swine flu, more and more medical facilities are taking precautions to more aggressively prevent the spread of germs. Patients are now recommended to wear surgical type paper masks if they are experiencing any type of coughing or upper respiratory symptoms. Entering a medical facility and seeing several of these masks along with the faces of those who do not feel well, can immediately lead to a sense of fear.

Here is some perspective on the reality of illness:

  • Good hand washing habits have always been in effect in restaurants, schools, and medical facilities they are just now more heavily promoted to get the general public to do what they always should have been doing—washing their hands!
  • Many medical professionals even though seemingly around illness for eight plus hours a day do not seem to fall ill. The main reason is proper and nearly religious habits of hand washing not only at work but in their daily lives. If health professionals can avoid a majority of illness simply because of this, it would only make sense that we too can avoid many types of communicable disease by actively employing good hand washing techniques in everyday life situations.
  • Remember not to touch your mouth, nose, or eyes without the assistance of a tissue or making sure you’ve thoroughly washed your hands first.
  • The reality is that the regular flu actually kills more people per year in the United States than the swine flu has so far. People also die of taking Tylenol or Aspirin every year simply because their body did not agree with it. Those cases are not cases of overdose. These things are not widely published but credible resources can be found by performing some simple Google searches.
  • Health professionals, schools, and community service personnel are all preparing for a full-blown “attack” of the swine flu because regularly healthy people seemed not to be able to fight it off in a few cases. There are many more who had swine flu who may not have realized it that were never seen, and those that had been seen by medical professionals and lived with symptoms improving in a 3-5 day time frame.

So realize that even though you see more masks in the waiting rooms and you know germs travel in close conditions and you know you have to sit in a room with people who are experiencing various symptoms, remember the realities of communicable disease. Remember that we are not alone and that good hand washing habits are key to avoidance.

Wash your hands after going out, before, and after eating, after using the restroom and more. I wash after I finish in every store where I run errands or use hand sanitizer on a regular basis. I also make it a habit to no longer rub my eyes, touch my nose or mouth without first cleaning my hands and try to teach my children to do the same. I keep hand sanitizer on each side of my vehicle for myself and my passengers and invite others to use the sanitizer at the same time I do. I also rub the excess on my steering wheel. 

If nothing else, remember that fear only grips when you feel like you are not in control of a situation. You are in control of your habits, your mindset, and are in charge of gathering credible data to analyze for yourself. Swine flu is a risk, just like the regular flu, or a common cold. You can catch them if you don’t employ good prevention techniques, including reducing stress (which fear causes), eating well balanced meals, exercising on a regular basis, and getting enough proper uninterrupted sleep.

I don’t believe its paranoia to do this. Remember health personnel have done it a lot longer and these things have always been recommended. Next time you’re in the waiting room remember the realities, take comfort in your faith, and remember to keep washing your hands.

About

Posted by The Team –

Misty Bledsoe lives in the Puget Sound and holds a Bachelors degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Computer Programming from American Intercontinental University. She has been writing for more than 15 years for both offline and online publications both under her own name and psuedonyms.  Her primary blog is found on this site and chocked full of useful information on a variety of topics.

(c)2008-2010 Misty S. Bledsoe. All Rights Reserved including code manipulation. No part of this blog may be reproduced without the author’s expressed written permission.