Thu, 18 Apr 2024 01:35:01 -0400WeeblyThu, 22 Sep 2022 15:57:57 GMThttp://hopeag.com/chaplains-blog/beauty-for-ashes 
Recently i heard these words resonating in my mind, "Beauty for ashes..."  These words come from the Jewish Prophet Isaiah as the people of Israel were facing a painful season of loss and destruction. The phrase 'beauty for ashes' cannot be easily translated into English. The Hebrew word for beauty used here refers to a headdress, a turban or a tiara. What the Prophet is saying is that God is about to wipe out the  ashes on your head and replace it with a beautiful headdress. 

As First Responders we are used to the experience of seeing ashes. The ashes of destruction from a structure fire or a serious accident that leaves death and destruction in its wake. The ashes of heart ache, grief and loss are many time far more painful than the ashes of physical loss. 

Many have walked through difficult situations over the past few years that have left us with 'ashes' , broken relationships,  dreams, loss of a loved one, circumstances beyond our control, people who have hurt us taken advantage of us, that bad call that haunts you in the middle of the night, or maybe its the accumulation of pain that has left you with the ashes of PTSD. 

When we live from the perspective of the ashes we begin to anticipate negative instead of joyfully anticipating good. It takes courage to rise above the ash heap to see the beauty that can be part of our beautiful future. I heard someone share recently; 
                                           
                                               "The brave man may not live forever, but the cautious will not live at all."  

The first Key to Beauty for Ashes is to see who we really are. We were born to conqueror things, we have an eco system for rising above hard times. When we think and live from the perspective of our ashes, our pain will dictate to us that we will never find healing.  Our thinking becomes stuck in a former season. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are "more than conquerors thru Him who loved us" . You were born to win, to be a victor, and not a victim.  We must never allow one season of our lives to define who we are. 

Secondly, the two in two out principle. We are all familiar with this when it comes to to interior firefighting tactics,  but how many of us really have that friend to confide in, that person who will embrace us, ashes and all? I had breakfast recently with a few pastor friends, and on the way out of the restaurant my friend Scott put his arm around my shoulder and asked, "How is your wife doing...... have you been able to get away together....?' You see, back in April of this year she had experienced a very serious health issue and my friend had this still on his mind even five months later.... his concern was for our well being. I cant tell you how much that embrace meant to me.

The third key that i have discovered is the value of my faith. I recently heard the Lord say in my heart, "Give me your ashes..." I have found that God is not just good on the mountain tops, but he is very invested in my life and my future. I find in His presence is fullness of joy and that i can bring my ashes to Him and exchange them for the beauty of his grace and goodness. 

As First Responders it is critical that our lives become examples to others of sacrifice, honor, and humility. Sometimes what we consider to be ashes are really the catalyst for a new season of prosperity and blessing for us and for others around us.  An interviewer once asked Elon Musk, "i heard that you slept for three and a half years on the floor of your production plant, id like to know if that's true and why you would do that....?" Elon answered that he was down to just a few million dollars, and Tesla was about to go bankrupt, the situation was so desperate that i needed to show my team that there is no way that they are more committed than I was.  They needed to know I was in the fight with them.  

If you want people to believe you better hemorrhage belief!!!! your ashes can inspire a movement of hope and a new season of prosperity and blessing in your life!!! what you consider ashes can actually be your treasure!!!

Just to wrap up my thoughts today, I am reminded of a quote i heard from Captain Doug Mitchell of the NYFD. Doug  was a keynote speaker at the 2022 FDIC in Indianapolis. In his presentation he shared three simple words...
 
                                                                                                   "It's Your Time..." 

He went on to challenge us to remain teachable... many times the answers to the complex questions of life are found in the smallest details that many overlook.  its your time to heal!!! It's your time to challenge yourself to something new.... Its time to forgive, yourself and others!!!! It's time for Beauty for ashes!!!!

My prayer for you today is that this new season will bring healing to your heart.......renewed hope.... and freedom from the pain of a former season. Please know that you can contact me anytime just to chat or to have a fresh cup of java together.  my email is firechap@hopeag,com


]]>Thu, 11 Nov 2021 19:12:28 GMThttp://hopeag.com/chaplains-blog/start-with-whySeveral years ago I read Simon Sinek’s excellent book entitled “START WITH WHY”. I recently pulled his book off my shelf and immediately was pulled into its theme of “How great leaders inspire others to action” 

Sinek opens chapter one with a quote “our behavior is affected by our assumptions or our perceived truths” 

Even the most seasoned leaders can make decisions that do not work out to be the best for our organizations no matter how good our research and motives were. Wrong decisions based on false assumptions will ultimately harm our Departments and cost us leadership change that we have with our constituents. 

As effective leaders we all know the value of reading, attending conferences, watching relevant podcasts as well as building relationships with other great leaders. But many times no matter how much data we collect we can still come up short if we don't understand the value of the things we cannot see. 

As I start reading Sinek’s book again I am reminded that his emphasis on the “why” offers each of us as leaders a powerful message. The ‘What’ represents the end product, the service we provide for our community, and the ‘How’ is the specific methods we employ to obtain positive outcomes. But the ‘Why’ is what motivates us to do what we do. It’s the intangible intuition that we cannot see, and we didn't learn it from a textbook, but it's what separates great leaders from average ones. The why is the spark that ignites us to action, to keep our focus first on our internal life, our marriage, and our families. It is the why that motivates us to go above and beyond the call of duty and to do the unexpected, and to serve our Departments with selflessness, pride and confidence in knowing that we have laid our why on the table of service and that no negotiable quality will be the driving factor in the success of our departments and all of the men and women we serve every day. 

Our Chief often says, “you don't choose the fire service, the fire service chooses you”. The lights, sirens, the adrenaline will attract many recruits but those few who will rise to leadership will have always first settled the question of “why” 

May God continue to bless you and keep you, and may you have eyes to see that which others cannot. 

Chaplain James Detweiler 
North Haven FD
CFDIA 

​]]>Wed, 17 Feb 2021 17:07:26 GMThttp://hopeag.com/chaplains-blog/live-like-theres-no-tomorrowOn May 25 1979 Dennis Waitley was trying to catch a flight from Chicago to LA. When he arrived at the gate they had just closed the jetway. Frustrated about missing his flight he  made his way to the ticket counter to rebook on the next available flight. 

While he was waiting in line, an announcement came over the airport intercom. AA Flight 191 to Los Angeles had crashed upon takeoff. The engine on the left wing of that McDonnell Douglas DC-10 separated from the airplane right after takeoff. The unbalanced aerodynamics caused the plane to roll, a roll from which it could not recover. All 258 passengers, as well as 13 crew members, died in the crash. It was the deadliest aviation accident in United States history. 

Dennis keeps his paper ticket for flight 191 in a prominent place in his office as a constant reminder to live every day to the fullest.  

Throughout a typical day a Firefighter will respond to many different calls for service. Those calls may include structural fires, technical rescues, medical emergencies and hazardous material spills.  When not responding to a service call, there are drills as well as continuous training in order to improve and maintain vital firefighter skills. 

It is easy to become so preoccupied with life in the Fire service, the weight and responsibility, the unspoken fear of failure, the scenes that are graphically scribed into the memory that the price of enjoying the greatest job in the world is often more than one cares to admit. 

On difficult days when you are tempted to give up on yourself, your marriage or your career remember Dennis Waitley’s paper ticket from flight 191 and gain a fresh perspective and a joyful reminder that every day is a gift from God, and that there is bright hope for tomorrow no matter how dark it may seem today and that every failure or setback is in reality the building block for a new beginning. 

Dennis’ story reminds me to live every day like there’s no tomorrow and to slow down enough to take care of myself and the ones I love first. 

As your Chaplain, I am always available for a cup of coffee, a phone call or a breakfast meeting just to have a friend to connect with. You can reach me at firechap@hopeag.com 

Praying that you are seeing 2021 as a year of great opportunity and a new season where everything that you have worked hard to accomplish will become a reality. 

Be encouraged, keep standing strong, take time for yourself and your family, enjoy the journey!!
​
Chap
 

]]>Wed, 13 Jan 2021 15:57:53 GMThttp://hopeag.com/chaplains-blog/the-little-things-that-matter(I write this from a chaplains perspective and from research i have done both by observation and by personal study)

THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
For want of a horse, the rider was lost.
For want of a rider, the battle was lost.
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”

This little poem often attributed to Benjamin Franklin gives to us in the Fire Service the truth of how we are only as strong as our weakest link. 

I am reminded of this truth once again that the little things in our daily life and discipline can change the outcome of our Fireground operation, our personal relationships as well as the overall health and safety of our Fire Department. 

Its highly unlikely that anybody would ever consider that such a small thing as an unshod horse would eventually lead to a tragic defeat in the heat of battle, however, when catastrophe happens we look back and many time discover that it was a small detail that was overlooked and the truth of this ancient proverb comes to life. 

Consider for a moment from your training the importance of; 

• SCBA cylinders just below full, that may make the difference between life and death, running out of air too early or having to change the cylinder before reentry. 
• Hoselines not packed properly which may cause delay or prevent proper stretching of hand lines to the attack point of the fire. 
• Apparatus placement, flushing the hydrant, gaskets in couplings, hand tools properly marked, cleaned and stored, 

Or consider personal considerations like, 

• Rest, proper diet…., exercise…, maintaining your own PPE, 
• Hows your marriage…, personal relationships…, anything here hindering you from properly caring out your duties, anyone you need to forgive,,,,. Unchecked anger… anxiety? 
• Have a friend that you trust, maybe its a coffee with your chaplain just to get an unbiased ear to listen

Consider this: On the bloodiest day in American history—September 17, 1862—the Civil War Battle of Sharpsburg resulted in nearly 23,000 casualties. After crossing the Potomac River into Maryland on September 9, 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee divided the 45,000-man Army of Northern Virginia and spelled out the location for each group on written dispatches for delivery to various commanders. 

These dispatches were delivered by couriers on horseback to the commanders except for one that was accidentally dropped from the courier’s pocket when he stopped along the way to relieve himself. Unfortunately for General Lee, this dispatch was found by a Union soldier just a few days later in an envelope wrapped around three cigars near a fence. 

This misplaced secret dispatch reached Union Army Commander George B. McClellan, giving him and his 90,000-man army the exact locations of their enemy, leading to a strategic Union victory... for the want of a rider..., for the want of a message.

It is important to prioritize in our thinning the importance of the little things. It is highly unlikely that anyone would have warned that cigars in a message envelope would have led to foiled military plans and to the loss of a Civil War battle, or that a fog nozzle with broken or missing teeth could render it insufficient or inoperable in fire conditions. 

There are many big issues we face in the Fire Service in 2021. A continued pandemic, political upheaval and uncertainty, economic unsettledness that threatens the funding of our department, but as you can see its still the “little things” that are within our control that can and will make a big difference in the success of our department and for the safety of our firefighters and our community in 2021.

As your chaplain, i am personally available for you throughout this year, Whether its at a fire scene handing you a bottle of water, or lifting up a prayer for you throughout your work week, a quick cup of coffee before or after a busy day, marching in a parade, or praying at a Department function, please know that i will make it my goal to make the little things my highest priority in 2021.

Chap  

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