A Time of New Beginnings

June is the month of graduations. Today, there are graduations from pre-school right on down to college and even post-graduate. From high school and college, it is a transition into an adult world that seems so impossible to conquer. It is a time of job-searching in an economic climate where sought after jobs are scarce.

I remember the valedictorian who spoke at my high school graduation many years ago. She spoke of a fear of the unknown future. What would the tomorrows bring? Back in the days when education after high school was mostly the privilege of the affluent, I remember going to my first job interview. I was scared to death. Am I wearing the right outfit? What do I say? What questions should I ask?  Fortunately, my future employer was kind and aware of the normal jitters of a recent graduate, and I was hired after my first interview.

Transitions are always difficult and sometimes threatening, particularly those which thrust us from youth to the adult life. That may be why the Bible is full of the encouragement to trust God.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

"Trust in God at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." (Psalm 62:8) 

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)

The Bible is full of additional verses which encourage us to trust in God. He is utterly trustworthy, and by trusting Him, we are assured peace and security.

Life is uncertain. Whether you are a young adult facing post-graduation uncertainty or at an age when you face the same uncertainty at post-retirement, God is the same - yesterday, today, and for every tomorrow. His wisdom is perfect, and He knows each step of your life journey. He wants to walk that journey with you, promising never to leave you as you trust Him. Even when the way is uncertain; take courage from the promise that you are not alone.

The prophet Jeremiah knew about the uncertainties of life and he offers this encouragement:

"Most blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord; whose hope and confidence is in the Lord. He shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of the drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8 Amplified Bible.)

As a child, I was taught a simple poem that describes common plight of so many people today.

Said the robin to the sparrow,
"I would really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so."
Said the sparrow to the robin,
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me."
-Anonymous-

God is trustworthy. Do not be afraid to turn your heart, your mind, your life over to Him, for He cares for you. 

Another prophet, Isaiah, discovered the secret of security in this life of uncertainty. He said of God, about the person who trusts in Him: "You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3)

That's how simple it is – just trusting and following God who is our rock in all uncertainties. That's what I want for myself, and that's what I pray will be your experience.


Written by Gloria Hohn

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A Lesson in Trust – the Story of the Bees

Summertime always reminds of one of the great lessons of trusting that my young son taught me.  Erik was afraid of bees - the sight of bees would put wings on his feet, and he would be "gone in a flash."

Erik also liked to draw, and one day, a friend gave Erik a sketch pad.  When the doorbell rang unexpectedly one afternoon and I heard my husband welcome some friends, I scurried through the apartment, picking up stray items, including Erik's sketch pad, and stashed them somewhere so they would not be noticed.

That evening, when Erik asked for his sketch pad, I could not remember where I had put it. A quick search failed to reveal the hiding place, and I promised Erik I would find it the next day.  I had no better luck in remembering the next day or the day after that. In my haste I had hidden it well.  After family devotions that evening, Erik and I prayed together that God would help Mommy remember where she had put his sketch pad.  Upon entering my study that evening, I noticed that the sketch pad was stuck between some important papers on my desk.  An elated Erik and his Mom, together, thanked God for his aid in finding the missing pad.

The next day, as Erik and I were walking together outside, the familiar tunes from the ice cream truck that visited the neighborhood daily caught our attention. Supper was finished, and here came the ice cream truck.  One of the few things that Erik liked better than drawing was the joy of eating a good ice cream cone. So we stopped, purchased our treats, and continued our walk.

Sure enough, along came a bee or two to buzz around the sweet treat. This time, instead of taking off swiftly, Erik stopped, bowed his head, and prayed: "Dear God, please keep the bees away from my ice cream cone.  Amen."  Then he continued on our walk, absolutely convinced that a God who could find his sketch pad, would also keep the bees away from his ice cream cone.  And God did!

Jesus told his followers, "Don’t worry about your life. Look at the birds, see the beauty of my creation, see how my Father cares for it all – you're worth far more to Him than that. So don’t worry, but seek God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness first, and God will take care of all your needs." (Matthew 6:33).

Erik had already learned who to trust. In my heart, I prayed: "Lord, thank you for the lesson Erik is teaching me.  All our concerns matter to you, and you are totally trustworthy."  May we all be reminded of that truth daily.

Written by Gloria Hohn
Asbury Park Corps

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A Life Formatted for God

As a tech in The Salvation Army, it is best practice to use a disk drive or an external drive that has been formatted. By having the drive formatted, it will reduce the risk of infected files or corruption on the drive. Any time you work with something that is used and has current applications or software, it is best to format first. This will reduce any incompatibilities or current applications and software that are not needed. The assurance of having a formatted drive rules out and eliminates the possibilities of failure.

The Bible (God's Word) speaks concerning how difficult it would be to put something new into or onto something that has been used. In Matthew 9:17, it reads: "Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

I like what the last phrase of v17 says: "both are preserved." God's assignment is to assure both are preserved – HIS word and His people. That's why the scripture points out the story of Nicodemus in John 3:3. In reply, Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again (formatted)."

The Lord Jesus wants to format you that you can receive the Word of what the Father has spoken, concerning Jesus and your relationship with HIM. It's hard to rewrite over an application or program. The possibilities of failure are imminent! The Lord Jesus wants to give you a fresh start and a new beginning with him.

Let's not operate any longer on Windows 98 or XP. There is a new operating system that has worked out all the glitches (sin) and the blue screen (death). Jesus repaired both, and to receive his operating system (Holy Spirit), we must be formatted. It's amazing that the root word of format is form, and God the Father can do just that! Will you open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, repent (turn away) from your sins, invite HIM into your heart, and let the formatting begin? God Bless you!

Terrell Curry
IT Service Desk

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The Full Truth

(written on September 19)

I saw Sha yesterday.

We talked for the first time in ten long, feels-like-forever-ago days since he left the hospital.

He asked why I didn't stop by Rite Aid earlier, having seen me pass it nearly every day. I told him part of the truth, then the full truth.

"I'm always running late for work when I drive by...and I'm hurt. It hurts to see you back here."

I asked him what happened, how he went from all in to all out. He told me the full truth.

"I'm not ready."

His words hit like a soft dagger, a tender weapon.

Sha said that his heart wants his body to get well, but the battlefield of his mind supersedes them both. I asked what his rock bottom is and said that if I were him, I would have been at that point a long time ago.

He didn't have an answer.

Sha started to go off on a tangent, asking for my assistance on a new project. I refused his request. I told him that my family and I had already put our lives on hold for him, and his asking for more, while using again no less, was a slap in the face. I said that both my dad (who visited Sha at Rite Aid on Saturday) and I were able to sit with him now only because of the Holy Spirit in us. Otherwise, perhaps a few obscenities would have been exchanged, bringing this story to an end. But it's not finished.

I handed him the seemingly endless list of detox/rehab phone numbers I had called.
"I won't make the calls again. This is on you now."

As firm as I was, Sha knew my words weren't seasoned with anger or bitterness.
"If I go to rehab, will you still support me?"

I told Sha that he always has my support in prayer and love, and nothing will ever change that. I gave him a hug, he gave me a kiss, and I started to walk away. He called back out to me.

"Something good is gonna happen in your life. I know it."

I smiled.

"How about a deal? When I have good news, I'll report back to you. When you have good news, you'll report back to me."

He nodded his head and waved goodbye. I got in my car, and a deep peace washed over me.

Before talking to Sha yesterday, I prayed for Christ to give me the right words to say, and I believe He did. I pray Sha meditates on them. I pray he meditates on how much the God of the universe loves him.

Jesus is ready for you, Sha.

Written by Elyse Jankowski
Community Relations Associate

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What Love Looks Like

I am completely and painfully heartbroken.

The past 48 hours have been a whirlwind of tears, hope and despair.

Shaheed was driven down to Monmouth County on Saturday by his friend James and James’ son Tremaine, with the joyful expectancy of starting our documentary film on Sunday afternoon. After some GPS trouble, the trio arrived at my dad and stepmom’s house to a warm welcome. The six of us went out to dinner and had a blast sharing stories and laughs. While James and Tremaine headed back to Essex County, Sha stayed at my parents’ home for the night before joining us at Shore Vineyard Church on Sunday morning.

Sha smiled from ear to ear as countless church family members greeted him, praised his story and encouraged his walk with Christ. When our Pastor Brett Conover gave him a hug and a kiss during worship, my eyes welled up with tears, knowing how much that meant to Sha.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this. I want more.”

Overcome by his contagious grin, my heart softened as I watched a man learn what love looks like.

After church, we set out with my dad to start filming in front of the Neptune house Sha grew up in. Thankfully, this didn’t bother the current owner! As wonderful as the weekend was so far, it became clear that Sha wasn’t quite himself. He looked drained and sickly. When I asked him what was wrong, he hesitated to answer.

“Sha, it’s just me. It’s ok. You can tell me the truth.”

And finally, on the curb of a sun-drenched street, the truth came out. Sha is a heroin addict.

He held his head in shame and admitted to lying about parts of his story. As easy as it would have been to react in anger, I actually grew excited. God had brought a 53-year-old homeless, handicapped, heroin-addicted black man and a 27-year-old none of those things white girl together for a purpose - what we thought was just a short film. Instead, it seemed God had paved the way for Sha’s freedom from addiction. What an honor to play even the smallest role in this!

“I’m ready because you believe in me.”

Not entirely sure what to do next, my dad and I drove Sha to Jersey Shore Medical Center’s Emergency Room, where he remained for two days, detoxing without any medication. Sha’s social worker at the hospital said they don't provide the services he needs. She gave me a list of numbers to call with a warning that he would have to leave the hospital this morning.

I’m quite certain I’ve gone cross-eyed from calling every possible detox/rehab number that I could find statewide. To my sorrow and stress, absolutely no one would admit Sha into a program. Some had several week-long waiting lists, some weren’t handicap-accessible. For one reason or another, it seemed every door was closing, and Sha would end up back on the street. Thank God for my coworkers who saw me crying on numerous occasions today as I sunk into helplessness.

“God, you brought all of this together. Now, we need you to make a way. You must make a way for Sha.”

While I attempted (and failed) to pull myself together at work, my dad and stepmom went to visit Sha at the hospital, only to find him sitting in the parking lot by himself. He had been discharged with nowhere to go.

My parents, who demonstrated heavenly grace throughout the weekend, brought Sha back to their house to clean up as we furiously prayed for a solution. James came up with some ideas, and they fell through. I found two potential leads, and they fell through. I grabbed my tissue box for the umpteenth time today as my phone rang.

“Nan found needles and drugs in Sha’s pocket. We kicked him out of the house.”

My heart sank. I had spent the past two days trying desperately to help a friend who gave me his honest-to-goodness word that he wanted to be clean. And now this.

The police came to my parents’ house to dispose of the drug paraphernalia and decide what to do with Sha. By God’s grace alone, an officer who is “human first” offered to take Sha to the train station and pay for his ticket to wherever, rather than arrest him. And just like that, Sha was gone.

I have no idea where he is. I have no idea if I’ll ever see him again, if he’ll die on the streets or if he’ll stay clean.

This is new territory for me. My emotions have never run this wild for a man who was a stranger only a few weeks ago. A man who has cheated death multiple times and passed on an opportunity for new life. I can only pray that Sha is safe and takes recovery into his own hands. I did everything I could do for him, and even knowing that truth still leaves me broken.

I’ve been saying over the past month that “this is kingdom stuff,” because it is. This is the stuff of faith. I have seen things in my parents this weekend that rival anything I could ever ask of them. I’ve even seen things in myself that scream true transformation. I could not have relentlessly survived this experience without Christ, nor can I get through the days to come without His steadfast love. Sha is in His hands, and I cling to the hope that someday soon, he’ll come home.

Written by Elyse Jankowski
Community Relations Associate

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My Six, Three, Seven, or Twelve Point Plan

Have you ever been in a meeting, conference, conversation or any interaction and feel like your head is spinning?

"If you only follow these (5) steps in my book, life will be perfect." Purchase my book and "Have A New Kid By Friday." Simply follow the 'South Beach Diet,' and be slim and trim.  Everyone is telling us how to improve managing our home, kids, workout routines…and the list goes on…and on…I think you get my point.

Information overload can become just that - overload. How do we know where to turn? What is the answer?  

Stop spinning for a moment, and take encouragement from these words found in Paul's letter to the Romans 8:5b (NIV).  

"…but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

Hear me on this one - being productive, efficient, and focused are not bad things. The trouble comes when our focus is off. Scripture needs to lead the way.     

Listen to it in another version from the Message, and see if this resonates with you:

Romans 8:5 (The Message)

"Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life.  Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them – living and breathing God."

Let us be known as people who "trust God’s action in them" and not simply a person who trusts in a business plan, the latest gadget, app, or 5-step book.

Written by Chip Kelly
Territorial Lay Leader
Development Bureau Director

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