The Transition to Civilian Life is Tough For the Military

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Just saw a video about Swedish soldiers in training. They looked awesome. They will be great at helping us defend. They are just one of many allies who are preparing for battle.

This tells me that we are in good shape at this time. We had trouble getting support in the past. Very reassuring.

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There are rumors that President Trump is going to have the National Guard watching polling places. What do you think of that? I am in favor of that after seeing how many cases of fraud and destroying of ballots have occurred already. What ever we can do to have a vailed election.

My state has had mail in ballots for years. Seems to work here, but states that have never had it before have too many chances for mistakes.

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I lost a very close buddy a couple of weeks ago. He was a veteran like me. He was out riding his bike and had a heart attack. The loss is extremely hard. Still grieving over it.

Have you lost a Military buddy? I have lost three total. Each one was devastating to me.

Two were while I was on active duty. I shared these stories in an earlier posts.

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What many of us face when we get out of the military is acceptance. The transition is hard, at best. Some adjust quickly, but others who deal with PTSD, TBI, depression, etc., have a hard time facing the world. It is those that I am reaching out to in my upcoming book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of life.

I share my own stories, and then relate them to the reader as how to overcome their fears.

One story I shared in the book was about a day I was on Hill 468 in Korea. I was running a line for teletyping. I was to listen to the airways for breaches of security. As I was doing this the light and the equipment started shutting down. I went out and found that the generator was out of gas.

I climbed up on the big generator with a can of gas. Just about when I was finished, I started to fall. I was going to land very hard if I didn’t grab something. Unfortunately what I grabbed, was the manifold of the generator. It severely burnt my hand. I got back into the hut with severe pain. The skin was burnt off of my left hand.

Now what??

I had to continue to monitor the airways. I had to use only my right hand to operate things. My left hand was wrapped in a make shift bandage.

Why didn’t I radio down to the headquarters for help? My military training taught me that I can’t leave my post. Stay there and be strong.

I used that story to reach out to those who face trouble and want to run. Face your problems no matter what.

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Remember:

You are nor alone.

You are not forsaken.

You are not unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

God Doesn’t Make Mistakes. He created you for a Purpose

I see it has been a month today since I last posted on this site. I have been spending most of my time posting at: www.dailysignsofhope.com. That is my blog. The response there has been tremendous. In just a little over one year the followers have grown to over 1380. Hope you check that out.

I hope you will start joining me here as well,  because I am back here spending much more time.

Just go the to the  “Networked Blogs,” icon and click on “Follow me,” below it. You will then be able to keep up with what is going on with my book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, and my new book, “Signs of Hope: In Sports.” (Title may change)

Let me tell you a little bit about the new book. It is still floating in my head. (It is giving me a headache!)

I have grown weary of all the negative press that sports has been getting. Just this last week there was a national  news items about a Washington Red Skins lineman who was arrested for assault. Now I certainly don’t condon what he did, but I have heard about many more assault in my own home town and they don’t even make the local newspaper.

I prayed about this, and God seems to be leading me towards putting together a book that speaks to the positive side of sports. I want to talk to some Christian athletes in pro sports. I want to interview them, and let them tell their side of what it is like to be  a Christian in a not so friendly world of sports. There will be a chapter for each person written about.

God is opening some doors that I can’t mention yet, but for a teaser, there is a NBA retired player who has two championship rings that is interested in working with me on this, and I have a connection with a chaplain for a pro baseball team.

There are several other possiblities, that just happen to become known to me in just the last few days. I think that is God at work, and I look forward to working on this, all for His glory.

If you know of any pro athletes who are Chrisiatns and may be willing to share their story to help others who may be struggling in the sports world, please let me know, by commenting to this post.

Think on this:

  • God doesn’t make any mistakes. He created you for a purpose.
  • He made you in His own image. You are His son/daughter.
  • Never let Satan plant negative thoughts into your head. It’s time for selective hearing.

God Doesn’t Make Mistakes. He Made You

Hate Is Not a Family Value

 

You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemy.”

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Matthew 5:43–44

 

I have had students say things to other children that I couldn’t help but think came from their own homes. Surely these 8–11-year-old children couldn’t have learned so much hate anywhere else. They learned about discrimination and bigotry right in their own homes—perhaps because the parents also grew up with hate and prejudice.

Hate should not be a family value, but it feeds on generations of hate. And it will not stop being handed down as long as each family member continues to let hate breed within them. Someone needs to break the chain so that it stops in this generation.

If you are one who fuels hate, prejudice or discrimination, it has to stop with you! We must realize that it can stop when each of us decides to do something about it and banish it from our thinking. We accomplish nothing by showing hate or even simply looking down on other people as “beneath” us. We are all people of worth, and we need to respect that in everyone.

Proverbs 22:6 reminds us of this important thought: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.”

As parents and grandparents, change can start with us. We have the responsibility to teach our children to love and respect others. Imagine what a change there would in the world if everyone started to respect and love each other.

God didn’t create anything that wasn’t good. Each and every person (and thing) on earth was created by God. He does not make mistakes. He has a purpose for everything and everyone He created. Each of us has the same value to Him. Therefore, we should consider everyone around us as one of His creations and love them as we would love ourselves.

Hate never works any good in the end. We may try to hate, and shun someone, but we are the losers when we do. We wallow in our own mire and muck trying to hate our neighbors, but the only misery it causes is our own.

It really is so much easier to love someone than to work so hard at hating him or her. The stress level is much higher when you hate someone, and you never feel like you’ve won the game. Loving someone reaps many rewards—peace, for instance. Hating someone only destroys the crop—and eats away at you.

Avoid the rush. Be one of the first in your world to reach out and love those with whom who you’ve had conflict. They will be surprised, and may not react right away. But in the end they will respect you. They will have the burden on their shoulders to either accept your peace offering, or they will be the ones who get to wallow in the muck and mire.

Who would you rather it be—them or you?

 

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Luke 6:27–28

 

Further adventures

Think about what your parents taught you. Are they values you want to pass on to your children? Are they values you live by today? Do they teach tolerance and love? If not, do some soul-searching. For the sake of your children, take time to evaluate your thinking. If it isn’t quite what you think you want your children to know, do something about it. Get into the Word and see what God says about loving your neighbor—and yes, even loving your enemy.

 

Something to ponder

Isn’t it funny that when you smile you have more face value?

 * Excerpt from: Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World