Chaplains on the River

Have you ever had one of those experiences when a really profound life lesson comes to you from a very unexpected source?  It happened to me about two weeks ago after enjoying a good meal at a Chinese buffet.  Along with the check came the customary fortune cookie in which I found this little proverb:  “You cannot love life until you live the life you love.”  This statement struck me as meaningful, so I saved the little slip of paper (NO…I did NOT try to play the lottery with the lucky numbers on the other side!) and gave myself some time to reflect on the meaning of this unexpected proverb.

In my experience, there are many people living lives of quiet desperation.  In today’s whirlwind society, many…if not most…people feel that they have no control over the direction of their own lives.  Imagine having a towboat on the water with engines going but no steering!  That is how we all can sometimes feel, and for some it is a chronic condition.

Father Cedric Pisegna, a Roman Catholic priest who is a member of the Passionist Community in Houston, TX, has a signature saying:  :Don’t just live…live with passion!”  We need to make the concious choice each day between just existing and really living.  Sometimes choosing life over existence may call us to make changes in our lifestyles, our acquaintances, or even our vocations.  When we choose to really live…to live with passion…then all areas of our lives will be impacted for the good.

Scripture touches on this idea in teaching about our submission to God.  In the New Testament Book of James we read:  “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you” (4:8) and “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor” (4:10) (New Living Translation).  Dr. E. Stanley Jones, a theologian and evangelist of the Twentieth Century, put it this way: “Do not struggle and try, but surrender and trust and obey” (from The Way).  Other major world religions also recognize that in surrender to God we may find help in living lives we love with passion.  The Arabic word Islam means “surrender” or “submission.”

So take time to examine your own life.  Do you love life?  Are you living the life you love?  If so, give thanks to God and seek to drink even more deeply from the well of life.  If not, ask yourself those sometimes difficult questions about what needs to change.  Remember that those changes may not just be in things around you.  Our most profound and life-changing change is usually within ourselves!

Don’t just live…live with passion!  Be blessed, and be a blessing to others!

Posted: May 31st, 2009 under Towboaters.
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It is important for all Americans to pause and remember the meaning of Memorial Day.  Like many national holidays, it has become a reason for a three day weekend.  But for each of us who have worn the uniform of our country the meaning of Memorial Day is crystal clear.  Each veteran knew that they were placing themselves in harm’s way.  For each citizen who enjoys our freedoms,  Memorial Day shoud be a special time to pause, remember, and give thanks for those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price for freedom.  It has been said that “freedom is not free.”  While some might see this as a cliche, it is a truth. 

Memorial Day honors the war dead of the United States.  It was first observed in 1866 in Waterloo, New York.  Some communities still have parades or other gatherings, and it is very common to decorate the graves of persons who died in war. 

The words of Jesus of Nazareth, as recorded in John 15:13 tell us:  “There is no greater love than this, that someone should lay down his life for his friends” (Revised English Bible).  May this prayer from The Book of Common Prayer become the prayer of each of us on this Memorial Day weekend:

O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy.  Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines.  This we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Posted: May 21st, 2009 under Towboaters.
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On a towboat, we all know that the captain is ultimately in charge.  It is their responsibility to oversee the welfare of the boat and crew, as well as the cargo.  There has to be a person at the top, in charge, or else the actions of each individual crew member might not work toward the common goal and good.

Who is in charge in your personal life?  You do not have to be around very long to know that there are some negative and hurtful emotions that can take hold in our minds and cause us grief.  Rev. Bob Harrington, known as the Chaplain of Bourbon Street, has addressed this issue for years.  He colorfully reminds us that we are not a trash can with a hairy lid!  Each of us is a person…God’s greatest creation.  But our minds are sometimes filled with garbage that keeps us from being all that God intends us to be. 

So what is the solution?  There is no pill to take…no magic wand to wave…no easy fix.  We have to make the daily…sometimes hourly or every minute…decision to quit wasting our time baby-sitting our problems and letting them take control of our thinking.  We need to make the concious decision and then take the necessary actions to take charge of what we do with what comes into our lives.  Maybe this little affirmation will help:

I AM IN CHARGE OF ME, ON A DAILY BASIS, BEGINNING NOW, WITH GOD’S HELP!

There is a business in Baton Rouge, LA that passes out bumper stickers with these words:  “Business is Great, People are Teriffic, Life is Good!”  What a positive attitude!  They face the same difficulties that any person faces daily, and their business is feeling the same economic crunch as all.  But they face each day with the realization that what we do, with God’s help, makes the difference in how our day goes.

May this day…and every day…be an opportunity for you to be blessed and be a blessing!

Posted: May 12th, 2009 under Towboaters.
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In the world of amateur radio, “ham” radio operators are proud of their ability to respond in emergencies and keep vital communications going when the infrasturctures of telephone, internet, and cell phones may be disrupted. Their motto is “When All Else Fails…Amateur Radio”. Hams prepare and practice often with organized communications nets and exercises so that they will be ready when the need arises.

How are you doing in being prepared for those times in your life when unexpected illness or catastrophic event shakes your foundations? Where would you turn when all else fails? Do you have a plan of action that has been rehearsed until it is “down pat?”

When all else fails…PRAYER! Prayer is talking and listening to God. Prayer is going to the best friend any of us has and seeking counsel and wisdom. Prayer seems deceptively easy - just talk to God and listen. If it were only so simple! Many of us have trouble putting into words what we are feeling, and are really challenged when it comes to waiting and listening. In amateur radio, each station must tune to the same frequency for a contact to be made. In prayer…with practice..we come to understand how God speaks to us and learn to focus in on receiving.

So…just as amateur radio operators practice to be prepared…we need to begin the frequent practice of prayer so that we are prepared for those eventful moments when all else fails…and we turn to God in prayer!

(Chaplain Mike Hammett holds General class amateur radio license KC5PSR.)

Posted: April 20th, 2009 under Towboaters.
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Chaplain Hammett offers an Easter blessing to Mississippi River towboat crews

At the breaking of the Easter dawn may the Risen Savior bless you with grace and peace from above.

God bless your going out and coming in.

The Lord be with you at home and on the water.

May God keep you safe from all harm.

May the blessings of Easter be upon you.

Posted: April 11th, 2009 under Mike's Posts, Towboaters.
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What can I tell you about Easter that you don’t already know? Nothing, I expect. You know the story, and either you believe it or you don’t. So why bother to write something about Easter?

Because.

Just because.

It’s Easter.

Christ has died.

Christ has risen.

Crist will come again!

Hallelujah!

Posted: April 9th, 2009 under Towboaters.
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Ministry on the River wants each mariner to know that someone cares.  Easter on the River is the part of this ministry that places a box on every boat we can for Easter Sunday, with each box containing candy, an Easter devotional, and the love and prayers of each river chaplain, the volunteers who helped pack the boxes, and Seamen’s Church Institute.

On Saturday, April 4, Cub Scouts from Pack 8 in Dayton, TX gathered in the Lead Captain’s Meeting Room at Kirby’s Peterman Center (Thanks to Kirby!) in Channelview, TX to pack 161 Easter on the River boxes for the Kirby canal and river fleets based in Channelview and Baton Rouge, LA.  Candy and money had been donated by Kirby employees from the Waugh and Peterman offices, and one Kirby volunteer had brought her precious and hard-working grandson to help - and make us all smile!

A fun time was had by all, and 161 boat crews will know that someone cared enough for them to donate time and money to help them celebrate Easter even as they are working on the river on April 12th.  May we all remember this example from little angels on the river.  Let’s remember to cooperate and help each other to get the job done and care for each other everyday.  As the Scripture reminds us, our love for God is best lived out and displayed in our love and care for others, as we are all part of God’s wonderful and diverse creation.

Posted: April 7th, 2009 under Towboaters.
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All mariners understand that there are definite rues of the road on the inland waterways.  These rules, just like the driving rules on a road on land, help to insure safety and keep traffic flowing.  Everyone needs to understand and abide by the rules of the road for them to work.  It is a cooperative effort by everyone, and if one boat decides to “do its own thing” you know how dangerous and disastrous that will quickly become!

We are currently in the season of the Church Year called Lent.  It is an intentional 40 day period of preparation for the celebration of Easter.  All important events require preparation for a meaningful celebration - i.e., birthdays, anniversaries, boat christenings.  One of the ways that we can prepare to fully celebrate and appreciate Easter is to consider the Biblical rules of the road which, when we voluntarily follow them, can help us to be safe and have a good passage through life.

We could look at many places in the Bible and find some valuable lessons.  Let’s focus right now on three verses from Psalm 37.  These three basic principles are easy to understand and very practical:

Trust in the Lord, and do good (vs. 3)

Where do you put your trust?  As river mariners, you trust one another in your crew to look our for each other and the good of the boat.  This is a good trust, and one that should always be respected.  The Bible simply reminds us that all of life and all good things in our lives are a gift from God, so ultimately we trust in God.  Then, we are told to do good.  We are invited to live out our trust in God by being good friends, good family members, oood citizens, and good crew members.

Commit your way to the Lord (vs. 5)

Each of us is called to different ways of life.  We are all unique individuals with different talents and interests.  Each person will find their own path in life.  This scripture invites each of us - whatever our path - to commit it to God.  Ask God to lead…to bless…to guide you on your life path.  Some paths are easy, but many are hard and challenging.  Facing difficulty does not mean that God hates you or is punishing you.  It just means you really need a friend to walk alongside and help you - God!

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him (vs. 7)

Are you a worrier?  Do the weights of life sometimes grow heavy on your shoulders?  Do you try to take one day at a time, but they have ganged up on you?  We can all sometimes identify with those feelings.  We are invited to rest in the Lord.  We do not have to have the answers to every question and a solution for every problem we face in life.  Sometimes we need to let others help us.  Resting in the Lord means that we allow God to step in and help us, knowing that God loves and cares for us and wants to help us.

 These three “rules of the road” for life, taken from God’s word to us - The Bible - can help each of us to travel this journey of life more safely and smoothly.  We are called to accept and follow.  May these days leading to Easter on April 12 be safe and blessed for you and your boat as well as for those whom you love on the shore side!

Posted: March 29th, 2009 under Towboaters.
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Four a.m. on a Tuesday…wide awake…nothing hurting…nothing wrong…why?  I was in a motel in Channelview, TX after doing boat visits on Monday as Chaplain for the Lower Mississippi River Region.  It had been a good day.

A few minutes after four a.m….my Seamen’s Church cell phone rings…the answering service for our Ministry on the River toll-free number (800-708-1998) has a towboater on the line who wants to speak to a chaplain.

Being away from family for extended lengths of time is never easy.  That’s especially true when there is a problem or crisis going on in your life.  This mariner has a 12 year old grandson with terminal cancer in a Houston hospital.  Standing his watch in those quiet and lonely pre-dawn hours, the dark and gloom of a foogy early morning on the ship channel was matched by the heaviness on his heart.  We talked for about 30 minutes, and since I was in the area and had already planned to visit his fleet, we made plans to meet in person on Wednesday morning.

7:30 a,m,…dense fog in the Houston area on this Wednesday morning…As I made my way down a dirt road toward the fleet, I was stopped for a train to pass.  Looking to my left, I was blessed to see the most beautiful sunrise, dispelling the fog as a new day dawned.  As I visited with my new friend and his fellow crew, we could not help but understand that no matter how dark our lives may seem at any moment, there is always the hope and promise of a new dawning!

Your phone calls to your chaplains with Ministry on the River are never a burden.  You are the reason we are here…your chaplains are here for you!  May God guide and keep you in your travels!

Posted: March 21st, 2009 under Towboaters.
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Hurricane Ike is still fresh in my mind, even though it’s now been over a month since it blew through Texas – and many other states, after it finished up here!  Here’s an account of what it was like in my little cottage in Houston. 

What was it like for you mariners out on the boat or at home with your family?  Please feel free to share your account of Hurricane Ike in a comment here, or in a private

email, or call us at 800-708-1998 at Ministry on the River.

CHAPLAIN PAM’S NOTES ON HURRICANE IKE

Thursday, September 11

The Port of Houston closes at noon Thursday.  I try to buy D batteries at several stores, all gone.  Able to fill MOR car with gas, although the lines are long.  Able to buy a 12-pack of bottled water.  My church cancels its Saturday meetings and Sunday services.  I don’t yet understand why she cancels, but the priest at my church in Houston, who experienced Hurricane Elisha 25 years ago, knows what it will be like here. 

Friday, September 12 

12 Noon – skies begin to cloud over.  Weather already turning for the worse.  Winds are already picking up.  There are reports and video on the news of water coming inland from the gulf, flowing UP the bayous and flooding some areas already.

6:30 pm – The winds begin to pick up to about 30 or 40 mph, and it gets very overcast. Winds increase gradually more and more.  I wonder what it will be like to have these winds double in strength; they are so strong now.

In the evening, I get a call from one of the vessels docked in the channel, asking for prayers for them during the storm.  I had paid a visit this boat a few weeks earlier, and remember clearly our conversation  about their being in Hurricane Gustav and what it has been like for them to ride out past hurricanes, too. 

I watch the TV news non-stop on Friday evening, seeing Ike’s path coming directly towards Houston via the hapless Galveston Island.

Saturday, September 13

Sat 12:30 am – Full force hurricane winds begin.  I watch the radar image on TV and see that the eyewall of the storm looks like it will be passing right over Houston including the area I am in.  The eye itself will be somewhere else, so we won’t get that nice quiet calm time the eye brings with it.

Winds of maybe 100 or 110 mph pummel my small house for the next 6 hours, the driving rain accompanying them off and on.  I am awake the entire six hours, in case any trees were to fall on or near the house I want to keep an eye out, and also because it would be impossible to sleep during the sound of these noisy winds anyway. News on the radio says that Houston is being hit harder than expected.  Ike is so large that everyone is being hit harder than normal for a hurricane.  Many times the winds shake the entire house and I hear things hitting its sides or roof.  I wonder if the roof will blow off.

2:15 am – the electricity goes out (it stays out for the next 60 hours).  I turn on my battery powered radio which, thankfully, still has C batteries two years old, that still work.  Reports on the radio say that streets are already beginning to flood near bayous from the storm surge already the gulf and washing water up the intracoastal waterways and canals.

Saturday, September 13

7:30 am– I finally get some sleep, even though the noise of the winds and the rain is still strong.  The house is still here.  There seems to be minor damage to the edge of the roof, but it shouldn’t leak during rains.  A few shingles blew off.  The banana trees in the front yard have been bent like paper straws.  

My inconveniences – no electricity, boiled water advisory, mandatory curfew for the next week – seem trivial compared to reports of Galveston residents who have lost everything.  My heart goes out to them as I remember them for the coming days.  I think about the mariners who rode through the storm in their boats and pray that they are all ok and not as shaken up as I am from riding out the wind and rain.

 Galveston Sept 13, 2008 - photo courtesy nationalgeographic.com

Posted: October 24th, 2008 under Towboaters.
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