Washed By The Water Cover

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This Much Passion For The Lord

Super Bowl is next week and I have noticed a few things. For this one day event people are super excited, they build it up, and people are filled with passion for it. Some will say that people wait anxiously for months, during the Football Season, for this one big event. I think people subconsciously wait for that day after each Super Bowl therefore it isn't just months its years. From the moment ...they decide that football is their sport of choice they start to anxiously look forward to every Super Bowl.
People have different passions and that's alright. People get passionate about their jobs, their studies, and hobbies. They also find other people that share that passion with them such as football fans.
A question for Christians. Why are we not that passionate about the Lord and his coming. His coming will be a One Day event that will last for years. I wonder how come when we gather there isn't that much excitement and passion. There are other like minded people there as well. Stir each other up to be passionate about the Lord and excited for His coming.

The Three Simple Elements of the Church

• There are three simple elements that must be the core of any organization and even more in the church: The first is that there must be a well defined mission. Without mission that organization will cease to exist; it will not take long. The second is simply communication. Communication is key to any organization and in every aspect of it. But, the mission of that organization has to be communicated and often. If the mission isn't communicated the people and the leader will forget what they are there for. The third element is action. The mission of that organization has to be put into action. Without the mission in action there is no need for that organization to exist. If we aren't meeting together to put the mission in action we are only meeting to fellowship. Meeting together is good, but nothing will get accomplished and the organization will soon cease to exist.
  All of this goes back to something that I wrote earlier: Passion! Passion for that mission will ensure that it is communicated and put into action.

Preparing For Ministry While in the Military

Since leaving the military I have completed my resume for ministry and have sent it out to some churches. You know how resumes are supposed to work; they are supposed to show how you will be the better candidate than someone else. In my case it will be easy for a church to pick another candidate if they have much experience at all. My "ministry" experience listed on my resume looks something like this: called into ministry in 2005, licensed in the ministry in 2006, ordained in the ministry in 2010, pulpit supply for two years about five years ago, rehab ministry for about a year which was a few years ago, and not a whole lot else to tell. During all of that time I was in military with some down time due to an injury. So, as you can guess I get told a lot that the church decided to go with another candidate.
Though I try my best to humbly convey how my leadership experience will easily transfer into ministry leadership it still isn't enough and there are some things that a resume just doesn't say. What the resume doesn't say is that I have had some great ministry opportunities and ministry growth while still soldiering. Here are some ways that I have used to prepare for the ministry and think of it this way, I have spent the time since answering the call into ministry as preparation for ministry (which is more time than most ministers).
A reoccurring theme of the following statement will be during times of deployment. That is because during deployments (there have been four) my job required most of my time away from the forward operating base (FOB) with just my battle buddies (fellow soldiers). There were very few times (very few!) that a Chaplain accompanied us because they weren't allowed weapons and not out on mission.
Prayer: First and foremost a minister should have an excellent prayer life; not only by himself alone with God, but also corporately. Though the Army has at times a fast paced life, the Army encourages time for self and family. I have used this time to build my prayer life and my families prayer life. There are plenty of times a soldier will struggle with life issues and injuries and I have taken every opportunity (and there has been a lot) to talk with them and pray with them.
Devotion: There were plenty of time to spend on my scriptural reading (and again, prayer) and growing in knowledge of our Lord while deployed due to being away from everything except to focus on mission. Think about it, without distractions, television, and games if you have four to six hours to sleep without the distractions of family or anything else you have plenty of time to do devotion time. That's for at least four long straight years (in my case), but those devotions helped me to grow and helped those deployments to go by smoother. On my third deployment I had the opportunity to share devotions with a Christian Iraqi and if given the chance I would love to tell you his story.
Evangelizing: Evangelizing has to be done very carefully in the military due to the fact that "sharing the Gospel" isn't supposed to happen. Though I was very bold I still had to be careful. I have also had the great opportunity to share the Gospel with a lot of Muslims; Iraqi's, Afghani's, Indians (from India), and Africans. Isn't that what the Great Commission is all about?
Discipleship: I wasn't the only Christian in the Army! There are Christians from all backgrounds and of all ages. Because Chaplains aren't always easy to find and aren't always available especially in my line of work I have had the great opportunity in starting very spontaneous and creative discipleship training programs for other guys that I have been either in the field with or deployed with. This has required very limited resources.
Apologetics: On the other side of the coin not all people in the Army are Christians! There are people from all backgrounds and with all types of beliefs. I have had some great opportunities to share my Christian view with various people such as atheist and other religious backgrounds (such as Muslims). In all cases the discussions were welcomed from both sides and was carried out very civilized. Without waver I have been able to share the Christian view with those people and in some cases leaving no doubt in their mind (you are not going to win them all) that our God is the one true God and the Creator of man and the universe.
This list could continue on and on of how I have been "informally" preparing for the ministry while in the military. While being a soldier for our country I have also soldiered for our Lord. I have used every opportunity for growth. As growth happened in the Army growth also happened for me in service to our Lord.
I would also once again state that the leadership training in the military is training that many businesses would love to have for their corporate executives. The leadership training is top notch and prepares soldiers for any leadership position.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Have a blessed day!

Dare to be Bold

http://soundcloud.com/brother-dale-griggs/dare-to-be-bold

Please follow link above to listen to a sermon about being bold.
Thanks Roger Dale Griggs

Statements of Faith

·         I believe that God is the only Supreme Being with no gods created before or after Him in all of existence, in all places, in all time (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; 44:8; 1 Tim. 1:17). He has always been God and was never anything else (Psalm 90:2). He is Holy (Rev. 4:8), Eternal (Isaiah 57:15), Omnipotent (Jer. 32:17,27), Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), Omniscient (1 John 3:20); etc. He is Love (1 John 4:8, 16); Light (1 John 1:5); Spirit (John 4:24); Truth (Psalm 117:2); Creator (Isaiah 40:12,22,26), etc. He is to be worshiped (Gen. 24:26; Ex. 4:31; 2 Chron. 29:28; 1 Cor. 14:25; Rev. 7:11). He is to be served (Matt. 4:10;1 Cor. 6:19; Phil. 3:7; 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:14). He is to be proclaimed (Matt. 28:19f.; John 14:15.; Acts 1:8).

·         I believe that there is one God in whom are three eternal, distinct, simultaneous persons -- the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. All three are the one God, coeternal, coequal, etc., yet there is only one God, not three gods, and not one person who took three modes, offices, or forms. (Isaiah 44:6,8; 45:5; Gen. 1:26-27; 3:22; Matt. 3:17; 28:19; Luke 9:35; 2 Cor. 13:14).

·         I believe that Jesus Christ is the Word (God) who became a man. He added human nature to His divine nature. He is both human and divine, and, therefore, has two natures. Yet, He is one person, not two. He is not part God and part man. He is presently a man, one person, with two natures where one nature is wholly God and the other wholly man. (Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:5-13; John 1:1-3,14). Jesus will eternally remain as a man and intercedes for us eternally as a high priest after the order of Melchezedek (Heb. 6:20; 7:25). Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived and born of the Virgin Mary, (Luke 1:42).

·         I believe that Jesus Christ was crucified to be the payment that we could not pay ourselves (propitiation). Jesus rose from the dead in the same body He died in after being in the grave for three days. He was raised in a glorified, physical body (still retaining his crucifixion wounds). He ascended bodily into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and rules heaven and earth. (John 2:19; 1 Cor. 15; Luke 24:39). Likewise, we Christians will be raised bodily from the dead and spend eternity with the Lord.

·         I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and that its original manuscripts are free from errors and contradictions. It is the one and only infallible, authoritative, and trustworthy rule for faith and life. (2 Peter. 1:21, 2 Tim. 3:16). The Roman Catholic Apocrypha is not inspired scripture and is not part of the canon of scripture. The Bible is to be taken as literally as possible except where obviously figurative. Genesis, for example, is literal, and Adam and Eve were actual people.

Why Resilience Training!

I'm often asked several questions about Resilience when I talk to others about the subject, but there are usually three that almost always come up. 1) "What is Resilience?" 2) "Why Resilience Training?" and 3) "Why are you such an advocate?" All of those questions are very legitimate questions to ask and I will try to answer a little more here to clarify.

Life events (adversity and challenges in life) come to everyone. There is no one that will be able to escape this life without facing some kind of challenge. Those challenges affect everyone different as well. Adversity comes in the form of divorce, loss of a job, looked over for promotion, death of a loved one, or injury. Injury tends to get people down more than anything else especially if it was a debilitating injury. Some people are able to pick themselves up, see past those events, and get through them without a problem; often becoming a stronger person because of the event. However, others aren't.

Resilience is the ability to "bounce back" or a better definition is the ability to bounce back and become stronger. For an individual it is the capability to face the adversity that they have in their lives and overcome it. I often bring up the point that about 25% of Americans suffer from depression and anxiety (depending on who you get your information from). While some of it is due to genetics others suffer from the behavioral issues because of life events. In some cases, those who are struck with depression are struck with what is called Major Depression if they see that there is no light at the tunnel.

 

Why Resilience Training

So, why do I bring up the depression and anxiety statistics so often? It's because when people are struck with adversity they often slip into depression or anxiety if they aren't resilient. A majority of the people that do have behavioral or mental health problems can't seek medical attention because either they can't afford it, they don't have insurance, or their insurance doesn't cover it. People who are struggling in many cases won't tell anyone because of shame. They will keep it to themselves and continue to struggle even more until it gets worse. They feel that it is looked upon as a bad thing and it often is. We say things like, "there is no reason a Christian should be going through that." But, I would point someone to the Book of Job when they say that.

To further drive the point of why an organization should opt for some resilience training or a resilience seminar is because the leadership also needs it. When we talk about Churches as an organization (we are often calling it a "Corporate"; i.e corporate prayer) statistically speaking, Ministers and the Ministry Team suffer at a higher rate of depression and anxiety. It's estimated that about 17% suffer from just anxiety alone.

A common misconception is that if we are leading our weekly Sunday School or preaching we are doing what we can to help people become strong and face adversity. Actually, people will not tie that particular sermon with their suffering and it takes more than a couple of points in a sermon to help someone become resilient. You may say, "Well, I will conduct a sermon series over Resilience." That may be one way to do it, but unless they are actually paying attention, taking notes, and actually remembering your sermons from week to week the people won't get it.

The fact is the resilience training should be conducted in a learning environment and in a way that is relevant in learning this type of material. I have sat in on a few sermons and sermon series that were "supposedly" over resilience and they may have brushed over one or two points that actually help in building resilience. Same thing goes for the sermons and sermon series that are online; they rarely teach the real "meat" to being resilient.

Why I'm Such an Advocate And Knowledgeable

 



I usually share a bit of my testimony and how I learned to live with an injury that almost threw me into total despair. On my third deployment I was conducting a route clearance mission when the truck that I was in was struck by a large road side bomb that actually detonated under my seat (October 22, 2007). A neurologist that was on the forward operating base diagnosed me with traumatic brain injury. My leadership also knew that there was something wrong. The neurologist and my leadership (which I owe many thanks to) recommended that I be evacuated to be further evaluated.

I made my way to Walter Reed where I was again diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and treated. I spent several weeks there receiving therapy for many of the cognitive issues that I was having. When I was able to go back to my home station it wasn't long until they decided that it was better if I was out of the Army to rehabilitate. They put me on a medical retirement.

This injury and everything that went with it started to take over; actually started to consume me. I wasn't taking home life or me not being my old self very well. Before this I was a very motivated, independent, and goal oriented person. As far as home life; I was never there because of some Army school, training exercise, or deployment. So, it all hit me hard. I couldn't do much other than make my appointments and there were many that I cancelled.

I was constantly searching for "Why Me, Lord" because I was a good soldier and had a good career going; this doesn't happen to Christians. Another thing that devastated me was that two years before I was injured I accepted the call into ministry (October 2005). How could God expect me to do ministry if I couldn't collect and hold a thought and I stuttered.

One day at an appointment I stumbled upon an article that told how well soldiers were dealing with post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury which wasn't very well. Because of these injuries many soldiers turn to drugs, alcohol, become homeless, or even worse commit suicide. At that moment I decided that I wasn't going to let myself slip any further.

I developed for myself some resilience techniques that was relevant for Christians. I soon started doing ministry again. My appointments started getting less and less until the Army actually asked me if I wanted to go back on active duty. When I got back in the Army I heard of a big program to help soldiers and their families become resilient.  Of course my leadership thought that I was a great candidate for that training. I took every course that was relevant for my pay grade (E-6/SSG) which enabled me to train others to be resilient.

Long story short, I have now finished my obligation with the Army and starting this ministry to help others become resilient to help them overcome their challenges and adversity. Out of what I learned in my own experience and taught through the Army I have developed a Christian Resilience Program that is Biblically based. I have also been working on a book "A Christians Guide to Resilience" that will be available soon.

I hope that you have enjoyed this article. I know that it was a little lengthy, but it is something that I am very passionate about. If you have any questions about any of this or if you would like for me to come speak at your church or organization please contact me at: 502-370-0409 or rogergriggsministry@gmail.com.  



All Things Work Together For Good

Genesis Chapter 37 begins the story of Joseph who was the youngest son of Jacob. The Bible tells us that Jacob felt an overwhelming love for Joseph. There could be several reasons for this: the first could be that the son was born in Jacobs old age. It is common for children to bring joy to people when they are elderly. The second reason could be that Joseph's mother had already passed away. It is also common for a mother or father to show special attention to children when their other parent has passed away. Regardless of the reason for the love it was evident to Jacobs other sons who were born from other women. I'm sure that Josephs brothers could see the joy that Joseph brought to Jacob, but it was also evident in that Jacob gave Joseph a special coat that was of many colors.
Being that Joseph was the source of Jacobs joy the other brothers were jealous and plotted to kill him. However, the thought occurred to them that it would be of no profit to kill him. So, they decided to sell Joseph into Egyptian slavery. This would profit them by a) getting rid of their bother and b) they would also gain profit monetarily.
Matthew Henry sums it up well, "It is common for those that are beloved of God to be hated by the world; whom Heaven blesses, hell curses." It is certain that when God's children start to be blessed by Him they will also start to feel the curses of the devil trying to impede on them.
Because we know the outcome of Josephs story we could also state that, "we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" (Romans 8:28).
No matter what your situation is right now know that the outcome will be good and God will bless you for it as long as you stay focused on Him.