Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

Week three is a wrap. The Anchor House center was rocking as many ships were in port. That means a plethora of workers in the port and seafarers who need to run to the store to get supplies. This week we had a few ships on which the seafarers were not permitted to leave the ship. In most cases, this seems to be a reflection of individual shipping company policies and occasionally it occurs because the seafarers don't have visas.  After a long week, we closed the Anchor House center Friday evening. Everyone else was gone, but I was still there packing up to go home. I heard a knock at the window. We were closed, so I ignored it. They’ll go away, right? They knocked again. I tried to ignore it again. But decided, I’d go to the door and let them know we were closed. Of course, I’d do so politely. After all, the sign said we were closed and the electric open light was not illuminated. When I opened the door, I could tell that the people standing outside were seafa...

Sometimes I sit down to write and it just seems like I am trying to write with a pen without ink. There is simply nothing productive coming from the activity. Other times, God just pours it out on me. The ideas flow and the message comes together with ease. More often than not it's the former rather than the latter. It seems God likes to make us work for it. The ones I have to work a bit harder on become the ones I like the most. I think we appreciate the things we have to work for more than the things that come easy. Our LifeGroup recently read about the Miraculous Catch of Fish. You know the story where Peter and his buddies have been out fishing all night and came back to shore completely empty handed. That next morning, Jesus asks them to take him out in the boat. Once out on the water, He has them put the nets back down and they bring in loads and loads of fish. So many fish that two boats almost sank.  I guess Jesus could have just made the fish jump into th...

The second week at Anchor House concluded with my return to State College of Florida for a very special event. I had the great honor of overseeing the celebration of life services for Robert C Wynn.  Coach Wynn was the first baseball coach and athletic director at then Manatee Junior College. Under his leadership, they won championships, expanded the athletic department by adding other new sports, and were pioneers and champions for women in sport. He was a husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, coach, teacher, mentor, and friend. The fact is, he built a legacy. However, that legacy wasn’t just what occurred on the baseball field, athletic department, or within his family. It was about people's forever.  Coach Wynn was one of the most passionate soldiers for Jesus I have ever known.  He was more concerned about people's salvation in Jesus than anything else. It was the focal point of all of his relationships and decisions. His unashamed passion for s...

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:15 NIV This selection of scripture has been one I would consider a favorite.  The older I've gotten the more pleasure I take in it. Becoming a husband it began to be more impactful. As I became a father it meant even more. There is something about declaring your home for God.  Joshua does it in such a powerful way.  This chapter in the book of Joshua documents Joshua's final charge to the people of Israel. After this exchange, he will pass away at the age of 110 years old. At this time , he is asking the people of Israel to renew their covenant with God. This agreement is their declaration as God as their Lord, and not some other god or some king.   I find mys...

As I reflect on week one at Anchor House Mission the word that keeps coming to mind is comfortable. Comfortable is often equated with complacent. The book of Revelation puts it this way,”I know your deeds that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other” (Rev 3:15). Complacency couldn't be further from the invigoration I feel associated with this new beginning. If John’s intention was to associate hot with being filled with purpose, excitement, and energy then it certainly describes how I feel.  For me, this feeling of being comfortable is better equated to being at home. Outgoing Executive Director/Chaplain, Alan Howe, has gone out of his way to assure a smooth transition. In addition, he has decided to remain with us and serve as a volunteer chaplain. Manager/Chaplain, Trish Alligood, has never flinched at my barrage of questions. She is one of the most committed individuals I have ever met. Yet makes time to provide training and insigh...

I recently went through a series of courses on an approach to life. It was a way of thinking and communicating. One of the concepts that stuck with me was about perspective.   We all have a view of the world around us. Many times it is focused on the things that make an immediate impact to us. Our jobs, or families, the bills we have to pay, that guy that just cut us off. These things take center stage. We place ourselves at the center with this lense. It is narrow and hyper-focused. Many times when I drove to work I'd arrive at a particular intersection. More often than not, I was focused on getting through the light or simply focused on the car in front of me. My lense was specific and narrow. I was so intent, I couldn't see the beautiful blue sky or the trees that I had seen grow from saplings to mature shade trees. Beyond my narrow angle was a wide angle lens filled with God's beauty and joy.   Shift your perspective and take a wide angle view. ...

 Have you ever done something for many, many years? When you've done things for a long time, you create habits and ways of doing things. Your body learns to run on autopilot. You may have experienced it before. Have you ever driven somewhere that you go to frequently and not been sure about the journey there? Something else was on your mind and muscle memory just took over. Voila! You were at your destination. Doing things over and over again makes an indentation on us that lasts a while.  For the past 16 ½ years I have driven 5-7 days per week to the college for work. Monday, I will take another path to work. God has called me to serve His people in His ministry. Rather than traveling south to the college, I'll head north to the Port of Manatee for my first day as Executive Director/Chaplain at Anchor House Mission. I first learned of the mission at our church as it was highlighted as a mission we support regularly. At that time, I had no idea that God was t...