Category: Chaplain

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.”      

Ephesians 5:15-16

Here it is August already! Where has the time gone? May all of your plans be accomplished, and you have a great time with your family and friends.

I was talking to a friend of mine a while ago gave me the following poem. It was attached to a figurine of an owl that was purchased at a county fair that he attended recently. It seemed very appropriate in these times.

There once was an owl
Who perched on an oak;
The more he observed
The less that he spoke.

The less he spoke
The more that he heard;
There’s wisdom for sure
We can learn from this bird!

As you go through life
Remember you know
What you know;
When you listen and watch
You’ll continue to grow

Until the next time, I am continuing to pray for good health for you and yours, and remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Don’t forget to thank a Veteran for his/her service in the defense of our country and pray for their safe return to their families!

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all help us to spend less time thinking of ourselves, and more time thinking of You and Your many wonders. Amen.”  

Thought for the month:

May good luck be your friend in whatever you do and may trouble be always a stranger to you.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”

Genesis 1:1-3

Sometimes it does feel like the beginning of time when God created heaven and earth, but it isn’t. We have just gone through what seems to be the wettest month ever, but we have survived, and we will continue to survive. We just have to be determined and have faith that God has not and will not forget us.

We just have to remember just who is in charge! It is NOT us. This is just one of God’s plans for us. If you want to make God chuckle, just tell Him your plans for the future!

Remember, He will not disown us and leave us stranded by the side of the road like a sack of grain. We are all His children. He loves us. So cheer up, the sun will come out again to brighten our days and lives. While we are waiting, why don’t we all look around to see if there is something we can do to brighten someone else’s life? By doing this, we will probably feel good doing it!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us to remember that we are all able to brighten the day for someone, if not ourselves.  Amen”

Thought for the month:

May good luck be your friend
        in whatever you do
And may trouble be always
        A stranger to you.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment. For she said within herself, ‘If I may touch His garment, I shall be whole’.” 

Matthew 9:20-21

We are heading into summer with the sun and the fun that goes along with it. When you are out celebrating, try to be careful. Always walk by faith, not by sight.

When reading this month’s scripture lesson, remember that the woman, who had physical problems for twelve years, had enough faith to believe that if she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed. The world needs more faith like this.

Remember, God loves us all!!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us to remember that if we live our lives by faith, we will be saved.  Amen.”

Thought for the month:

May the luck of the Irish
        Lead to happiest heights
And the highway you travel
        Be lined with green lights.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.

Psalm 29:11

I hope you are having a very productive spring season getting your vegetable and flower plants ready for planting. I, also, hope that any frost that is going around the state hasn’t affected you in any way.

As it is the month of May, we, as Grangers, ready ourselves and our meetings for memorials. Memorials for loved ones and those service men and women who have passed on to the “Great Grange above.”

It is fitting that we remember loved ones, and members of the armed forces, but instead of just remembering the military in one group, may I suggest that you include four newly commissioned Lieutenants in the army who gave their lives so that many would live.

 They are known as the “Four Chaplains,” and they died on February 3, 1943, when the USAT Dorchester was torpedoed carrying troops to Europe during World War II. As the ship was sinking, and the troops were getting to the lifeboats, these chaplains (1-Rabbi, 2-Protestant ministers, 1-Priest) were passing out life preservers. When the preservers ran out, they gave up their life preservers to the next four men in line.

Survivors said later that they witnessed the four chaplains on the deck, arms linked, feet braced against the deck, praying and offering encouragement to those men in the lifeboats.

During this time of remembrance in your Grange and in your personal life, please remember the heroism and selflessness of these four men of God. Also, remember that they were of different faiths “working” for the same God. If we choose to emulate these four chaplains, what a difference we could make in the little world around us.

Remember, God loves us all!!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Benediction: “Father, please don’t help us get over it; help them get through it.  Amen.”

Thought for the month: May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

John 3:16-18

Another month has come and gone along with the blistering cold weather of winter (we hope!). We look forward to April and the warmer weather that Spring brings. We should, also, be looking forward to Easter, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

In last month’s column, I mentioned that God had a plan for Jesus (and us!), and that it is a wonderful plan. This month we have a chance to “witness” this remarkable plan, the resurrection of Jesus.

The resurrection is only part of the story! We must not forget the amount of suffering Jesus went through, the abandonment by His friends, the denial, the “trial”, and finally, the crucifixion.

 Not only did Jesus suffer on the cross, but His friends suffered, also. In spite of all that He went through; the pain, and humiliation, He did not condemn His accusers and abusers, but instead, He asked forgiveness from the Father, stating, “They know not what they do.”

We should take a page from that “book”. Forgive those who persecute, and ridicule us; for they do not know what they do. If they ridicule us, they do not really know us. Forgive them as Jesus did.

Remember, God loves us all!!

Happy Easter, and happy Spring!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us to remember the teachings of Jesus, especially when He was on the cross. Help us to forgive. Amen.”

Thought for the month:
May your neighbors respect you, troubles neglect you, the angels protect you, and Heaven accept you.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 

I Peter 1:3

“And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen.” 

Luke 24:5-6

“It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” 

Romans 4:24-25

As I sit here staring at a semi-blank computer screen, I can’t help but wonder what the disciples were thinking (and feeling) as they watched their Lord being placed on the cross. They probably were thinking that they were next to be put to death.

I can’t imagine what I would be thinking at that moment. Jesus knew God had a plan for Him and for us. We saw what God’s plan for Jesus was, and what a glorious plan it was. It not only showed us that there is truly life after death, but God’s plans are the ultimate!

We should not try to second guess God, but instead, thank Him every day for what He has done for us. Try it. It doesn’t have to be a long-winded, church preacher-style prayer. Just a simple “Thank you, God” is a good start. Then after a while, you can add what you are thanking Him for. Then you might add a blessing for your family, friends, co-workers, etc. Once you get the hang of it, you probably won’t want to stop. Then, and only then, will you have a church preacher-style prayer!

 Remember this, you are all my friends (some I have known forever, and some I haven’t met yet), and I love you all and keep you in my heart, always.

God loves us all!!

One more thing before I sign off: HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY. The only day of the year when EVERYBODY is Irish!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us to realize that we are all your children who need help now and then. Help us to know when to ask for it when we need it, and if possible, give it when we are able. Amen.”

Thought for the month:
May good luck be your friend in whatever you do and may trouble be always a stranger to you.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“Jesus said, ‘you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘you shall not kill; whosoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to council, and whoever says, ‘you fool!’, shall be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first to be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly I say to you, you will never get out until you pay the last penny .’” 

Matthew 5:21-26

 

We made it through the first month of the New Year with, I hope, few scrapes, bruises, and little pain. I trust you all are weathering the cold and snow with the grace of God (or doing the best that you can!).

The Bible message is a tad long this month, but I thought it was appropriate. I think this time of year, we tend to get a little ‘testy’ as we sometimes have to stay inside (where it is warm and cozy) with little to no contact with friends and/or neighbors. We tend to forget that we have friends that care for us.

Try not to turn our backs on our friends. If we know of anyone in need of help or assistance of any kind, please offer it. If you are the one in need of such assistance, please accept any and all help that might be offered. Lest we forget, we are all God’s children, and we cannot survive without each other’s help.

 Please remember that we ALL need a helping hand at some time or another. If you are able, help someone else. If you are the one in need, accept it willingly. There is no shame in needing help!

God loves us all!!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us to realize that we are all your children who need help now and then. Help us to know when to ask for it when we need it, and if possible, give it when we are able. Amen.”

Thought for the month:
May the sun shine, all day long,
Everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
And may all the wishes you wish come true.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying,’Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.’”  

Matthew 2:13

 

Happy New Year!! I hope that you all had great Christmas and New Year’s celebrations! This is the beginning of a brand, spankin’ New Year! A time to “reboot” (as the TECH world would say!).

To “reboot,” some ideas come to mind. One very important one comes to mind, and that is being kinder to your family, friends, and acquaintances! Another one is to refrain from being judgmental of one another.

I know what many of you are thinking; he is making a list of New Year’s resolutions to be broken early next month! No, I’m trying not to do that. What I am trying to do is this; I am trying to make it sound like (and it basically is) a life-changing event because if we all do this, our lives will change for the better and, possibly, make our little “acre” just a wee bit better.

It seems that I am asking you to “think about it for a minute” a lot lately, but I am very serious about this. If we don’t do something immediately, our lives, and the lives of our families won’t be worth a “plug nickel” in the near future.

We are entering a brand new year, full of new opportunities for us all. As in the scripture lesson this month, we are running and hiding from Herod in a way.

Herod might not be alive now, but we each have our own “Herod” we are trying to avoid. We can start by being more considerate of our fellow human beings. Please and thank you to the wait staff who deliver your food at the restaurant, holding the door open for people who are having a difficult time, smiling at strangers as you pass them on the street and many more. I’m sure you can think of some!

That is it for this month! I will step down from my soapbox (for now!). I would like to take this time to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope the new year brings you all a bit of relief and a busload of happiness!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Amen.

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us all to stay away from our ‘Herods.’ Show us, always, the righteous path to travel. Amen.”

These things, I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love, some work to do,
A bit of o’ sun, a bit o’ cheer.
And a guardian angel always near.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity