Invisible Heroes

I loved the Green Bay Packers as a kid. I grew up watching Bart Starr, Carroll Dale, Elijah Pitts, and Ray Nitschke, under the leadership of Hall of Fame Coach Vince Lombardi. Each time I played street football, I was either Bart Starr throwing “the bomb” or Carroll Dale receiving. I would not miss a game.

We all have heroes, people we admire, look up to and want to be like.

We have heroes we remember from our past. John Glenn’s flight in the Mercury 6, Friendship 7 excited the world, as he circled the earth. I remember watching on a small black and white TV while I was in 2nd grade. He inspired a nation.

We have spiritual heroes like Martin Luther, John Wesley, and William and Catherine Booth, who have influenced millions. Their work stands on its own.

When we think of heroes we think of traits like smart, strong, visionary, decisive, clear thinking, bold and daring; heroes like Winston Churchill, who in the midst of World War II, Great Britain under constant bombardment, and virtually standing alone against the Third Reich said:

“Do not let us speak of darker days; let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days—the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.”

I listen to such words and say, “Now there is a great hero!

In the honor of our heroes, we erect statues, write books, sing songs, and wish we had more people like them. Heroes!

However, I believe there are many more heroes, most go unnoticed: no statues, no books, and no songs. These people go through life doing seemingly insignificant things, yet drastically affecting others. Their traits include such things as care, love, investment of time in others, belief and faithfulness; they are Invisible Heroes.

Scripture is filled with hundreds of examples of such heroes. One example comes in the most unlikely place, by a very unlikely person.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11:31


This story shows that God will use anybody. This woman worked as a prostitute in Jericho as the Israelites approached the city. Although the Hebrew spies needed someone to help them scope out the best approach to conquering the city, there seemed little logical reason why Rahab should have been considered for the role: 1) She occupied no position and held no official title in the city; 2) The Israelites looked upon women as lower class citizens. 3) As a prostitute, she held an even lower social rank than the average woman did.

However, because being a hero depends less on titles than it does influence, God chose Rahab. She helped the spies by her quick wisdom, gutsy style, and clever plan. By doing so, she saved not only her own life, but aided in accomplishing the purposes of God in Jericho. The name “Rahab” even occupies an honored place in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11).

The Apostle Paul had heroes. During his final days of his life, he felt abandoned. His “so called” friends had left. Only Luke was with him while he was writing his final letter to Timothy, which closes with:

Do your best to come to me…Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 2 Timothy 4:9-12

Paul needed those three men with him. He knew what was coming his way, and he could accept that, but the thought of being alone during those dark days were unbearable.

I moved to Portland, Oregon, with my mother and stepfather, Pat, when I was eleven. My mother never learned to drive and Pat was not interested in driving us to church. Therefore, my mother called the large corps that was fairly close to our house and asked if anyone could pick us up on Sundays, she was politely told no.

There was another corps on the other side of town. She called, even though the corps was a long way from our home. Without hesitation, the officer, a single lieutenant, said yes. And, over the next four years, he drove across town two times each Sunday, plus numerous times during the week to pick us up. He never knew that young boy would someday be an officer or the Divisional Commander in Hawaii; he was only serving a little old woman and her young son.

The funny thing is if you ask him about his accomplishment of life, he may not even think about those days in Portland. He was just doing his job, what God called him to do.

I am not sure what kind of accolades Major Ron Bawden will receive during his retirement service next year, but Lieutenant Ron Bawden was, and still is, a hero of mine. I would not be here today without him.

You have the opportunity to touch the lives of people every day. You go through the day, without pomp and circumstance, doing things the world never sees, and they are often deemed insignificant. However, to the person touched, and to God, the things are very significant.

We live in a day when corporate greed and corrupt leadership makes headline news. Abuses by those in spiritual leadership and people using God’s name to promote their own political agendas have soured many on the claims of the Gospel. I cannot think of another time in history when we were more in need of heroes.

Ray Boltz, in his song “Thank You,” simply put it:

One by one they came Far as the eye could see.
Each life somehow touched By your generosity.
Little things that you had done, Sacrifices made,
Invisible on the earth In heaven, now proclaimed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave.

Good Morning

October 23, 2006

If I had my life to live over...I'd dare to make more mistakes next time.-Nadine Stair
Good Morning,

Those of you that attended our Partners in Service Luncheon last year had the opportunity to hear Major John R. Jones talk about the Army’s emergency disaster work around the hurricanes last year. During his message, Major Jones said that hurricanes, floods, earthquakes are often referred to as “Acts of God.” He went on to say that, he did not believe that was the case. Natural disasters are just that, natural; they happen because it is part of nature. The “Acts of God,” are the things that the people of God do following “acts of nature” or humans that destroy and unsettle lives. I love that comment, I agree wholeheartedly with Major Jones.

Last week we experienced an act of nature that unsettled all of us. Many of us were at the Ala Moana Hotel with the Divisional Women’s Ministries Conference when the earthquake occurred. Many of us spent the morning bringing our senior women and their luggage down 15+ floors via dark stairwells. Others were talking to the women, as well as other hotel guests, giving them assurance that everything would be all right. While all this was happening, Major Jonnette Mulch was leading a wonderful time of praise and worship. It was interesting to move around the hotel to see the stress on peoples faces, then go into the worship service and sense the calm assurance that God was in control. At one point during a testimony time, a man thanked the women for the calming confidence they were sharing with others. He also thanked them for making food available to others; Acts of God.

We heard the airport was open, and decided the best thing was to get the women from the neighbor islands home. We arrived at the airport, saw thousands of stranded people standing outside the inter-island terminal, and decided we had to do something. I wish I could say everything went smoothly, yet, there were challenges, including no electricity, overtaxed cell phone lines, people coming up asking for directions (I guess it is the uniform), getting permission from airport security, on and on. However, thanks to Major George Beauchamp at the ARC, the Leeward and Kauluwela Corps, Revolution Hawaii, the women from the neighbor island corps and the Waioli Tea Room, we were able to serve over 3,000 people with food and water; Acts of God.

I would like to share one of the letters we received from stranded travelers:

Dear Salvation Army, We would like to thank you for all you did for us while stranded at the Honolulu airport after the earthquake. We were really feeling anxious and hopeless when your volunteers appeared with heart felt smiles and much needed food. I don't think were could of lasted much longer without food. There were many older people and children that had been in line outside for 8 hours with only a small amount of liquids every hour. We did not get out until 12:30am and if not for your organization we would of not found the strength to last the 13 hours at the airport. Thank you again and may God continue to bless you.

I received a special blessing while we were waiting for the food to arrive. The neighbor island women decided to have a praise meeting outside the airport. As they started to sing people went over to see what was happening. Within a few minutes, hundreds of people were standing and singing. You could feel the sense of calm coming over the people that moments before were anxious. Situations had not changed, but there was the gentle reminder that God was still in control and everything was going to be all right; Acts of God.

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:37-40) Acts of God

Over a week has gone by and all of us have returned to our lives and the busyness that life brings. I do hope and pray that our reminder of last week will stay with us awhile, and that we will remember, no matter what happens, God is in control and we are in very good hands.

Blessings,
d

Good Morning

October 2, 2006

In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Good Morning,

Yesterday Sharron and I had the privilege of attending the chapel service at the Addiction Treatment Services (ATS). Each time we attend services at any of our programs we go with the intent of being an encouragement and, hopefully, a blessings; yesterday was no different. However, like so many times, we are the ones that leave blessed, encouraged and re-focused on our ministry.

The highlight of the service was when five men performed a special worship sign language presentation to the song, This is My Desire. Words of the song include:

This is my desire: to honor You.
Lord, with all my heart, I worship You.
All I have within me, I give You praise
All that I adore is in you.
Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul; I live for you alone.
Every breath that I take, every moment I awake, Lord have Your way in me.

I must admit I had tears in my eyes as I watched the men signing to the words of the song. I thought to myself, “I wonder what the desire of those men were two months ago; certainly not honoring and worshipping God." I know that each of them still have a long way to go in their recovery, but, God believes in them. I thanked God as I sat there for each of those men, for the staff at ATS and for His grace, mercy and encouragement.

There was a daylong celebration yesterday to celebrate the 6th Anniversary of the Waianae Ministry. We were able to share some time with people as they played, sang, ate worshipped and fellowshipped together at the park. The people have so little, however, they are so willing to share whatever they have. At one point during the afternoon, I sat and listened as a couple of the people shared together of God’s blessing and how privileged they were (one was in a wheelchair and on oxygen); the other person had significant other health problems. Those two friends taught me some life-lessons right there. God has certainly blessed our ministry on that part of the Island.

As I sat at home last night, I began to think of how fortunate I am. I have the opportunity to see God’s hand in the lives of so many people. I am privileged to meet people whose lives have been put back together and are able to see God’s restoration power. I see people, whom the world says have nothing, and I know they have everything. And, most of all, know that God is at work in my life, as He has been before I was born, to live a life as an example of His grace.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:3-4

Blessings,
d