Chaplains on the River

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a Family Fun Day held here in South Louisiana by one of the major towboat companies.  About 200 crew and their families came to an operations center to see the facility, tour a boat, and enjoy food grilled up for a huge picnic.  It was a rare chance for me as one of your river chaplains to visit with parents, spouses, children and grandchildren, and significant others of crew whom I see fairly often.  Ministry on the River is here for those who hold down the homefront as well as those who are on the water.

One of the lessons the organizers of this event wanted to make clear to the families of the boat crews is how important they are to the safe operation of the company, and how much they are appreciated for what they do in support of their family member who works on the boat.  With a nod to Sister Sledge for the song title used to title this blog entry, we ARE family. 

No matter how independent we may like to think we are, we ALL have people we depend on for support, encouragement, and assistance.  As Barbara Strisand sings:  “People who need people (ed. note - people who are willing to admit they need other people) are the luckiest people in the world.”  Think for a moment about the people in YOUR family.

Most of us will begin to think about parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings…some of us will begin to think about spouse, children, in-laws, grandchildren…how about your fellow crew on the boat?  Yes…you all are family!  You almost spend as much time on the boat as at home.  You get to know what each other like and don’t like…who has the good - or the sick - sense of humor…you watch each other’s back and watch out for each other…you laugh together…and maybe even cry together.

Like any family, sometimes the relationship gets strained.  Family members can get on each other’s nerves, or say or do something which offends - usually without meaning to do it.  At times like that, we need to be willing to offer…and accept…words or actions of apology, and let it be.  Unresolved anger and hurt is like a festering sore.  It will just cause pain and discomfort, and can become a much worse infection.

In the Holy Bible, we find a wonderful teaching on how to be family in Pslam 133 (English Standard Version):

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious oil on the head, running down the beard, on the beard of aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!  It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!  For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore!

May you be blessed by ALL your family…May you BE a blessing to all your family…See you on the river!!

Chaplain Mike

Posted: July 30th, 2009 under Towboaters.
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We have all experienced a maze at one time or another.  Perhaps you were in a circus…or a county fair…or a corn field maze at Halloween time.  Mazes are designed to be confusing…scary…and to get people dazed, confused, and lost.  During several boat visits lately, I have found some people who felt like their lives were mazes.  They lacked direction or purpose, not exactly knowing what direction to move in next.  If you have ever shared these feelings, you know how uncomfortable it can be.  Imagine trying to navigate on the river at night with no lights, radar, or AIS…feeling a little stress?  When we see life as a maze, we end up living agitated much of the time.

But consider a labyrinth.  Labyrinths and mazes may be confused, but they are very different.  A maze is a puzzle to be solved, with twists, turns, and blind alleys.  A labyrinth has only one path…a journey to the center and back out again.  There are no wrong turns or blind alleys.  The unique nature of a labyrinth is that the path to the center is circuitous.  At one point you may be headed directly toward the goal…the next you may be moving away or tangentally…but you can trust that you will reach the center.

This seems like the way to understand our sometimes confusing life experiences.  By trusting that God is walking with us, loving us, and guiding us on the path, we are better equipped to cope with life’s surprises.  Author Caroline Adams expressed it:  “Your life is a sacred journey.  And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way.”

The Bible reminds us of trusting God on our journey through the Labyrinth of Life.  In Proverbs 3:5-6, we read “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Remember this phrase from Psalm 23:  “Even though I walk through thr valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (vs. 4).  Hear these timely yet timeless words of Jesus Christ found in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (All Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version.)

Life is not a maze meant to confuse, but a journey on which we receive and share blessings.  We are all on the path…exactly where we need to be…at different places than perhaps anyone else…no better and no worse…just who we are and how we need to be with God’s abiding presence, power, and guidance.  The labyrinth is a model of our life journey.  And God calls it…and us…good!

See you on the river!

Chaplain Mike

Posted: July 20th, 2009 under Towboaters.
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Step outside…of your home…onto the deck of the boat…breathe deeply!  Fill your lungs to capacity…hold your breath for the count of 10…and slowly exhale.  Ahh!!!  Despite a few possible smells, isn’t it wonderful?  The air we breathe sustains our lives.  We cannot see it - unless you live in a very polluted area! - yet it is full of sound, smells…and bugs.  God’s presence is like that.  It is all around us, within us, sustaining us, and uplifting us.  Yet, sometimes, we also have to deal with bugs in our lives.

We cannot point to God’s presence, because to point that God is “over here” is to imply that God is “not over there.”  We can, however, point out signs of God’s presence everywhere - in the beauty that we see along the river each day, in the person we share our watch with, in other crew across the galley table, in our family and friends shoreside.

In reality, it is not possible for us to be apart from God.  But then why do we sometimes feel like we are apart from God?  Most of the time we are not conciously aware of God’s presence.  We are like the young child who cannot see Mom in the next room.  The child assumes that Mom has ceased to exist until she steps back into the room again.  We seem to forget that every breath we take is God’s breath; everywhere we step is holy.  We forget that we - and all others - are the expression of God.

Seeing God all around us automatically creates reverence for life.  Thoughtless actions and words can only occur when we forget that God is right where we are, in every situation.  So now is the time to breathe deeply and acknowledge the presence of God to fill our lives.  I have a saying that I like to use:  “Be blessed and be a blessing!”  May this become your mantra and affirmation as well.  See you on the water…

Chaplain Mike

Posted: July 7th, 2009 under Towboaters.
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