Missing the Journey

"The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." -Genesis 12:1

Abraham was the man God chose to start the Jewish nation and religion. It was a huge task that started with the simple command to "Go." It took a great amount of faith for him to leave everything familiar to him and become a nomad.

It is summer time, and many of us are taking trips to the rivers, mountains, beaches, and the anywheres but home. If you're like me, you are destination minded. There is no greater joy for a vacation bound father than beating the GPS estimated time of arrival. I become militantesque in my quest for speed and efficiency. I start my plan to beat the GPS prediction by dehydrating my wife and children so they'll need less potty breaks-genius I know. I stay alert on the long drives by constantly calculating with precision how much time I can save by driving x-amount of miles over the speed limit while still being safe.

It is no easy task being Dale Jr in an 8-passenger Suburban (mini vans were banned in our wedding vows). I no doubt am a jerk when one of my precious offspring or the woman with whom I am one try to foil my plans of interstate dominance. I don't have time for sights or sounds and unnecessary stops.

A wise person once said that life is about the journey not the destination. When we get in the go, go, go mode, we miss the beauty of God's creation. We can miss amazing conversations, laughter, and the love of the people He has placed and wants to place in our lives.

This holds true for life in general, not just road trips. It is easy to get side tracked because we want our raise, promotion, retirement, graduation, wedding etc...now. We can get so caught up in reaching the destination that we miss all of the blessings God has for us along the way. More importantly, we miss all the ways God wants to use us to be a blessing to others. Abraham didn't get to see the Promised Land. There were many times when not reaching the destination frustrated him and tested his faith. Yet he remained faithful.

Where is God commanding you to go? Who is He asking you to bless? Take the first step, and enjoy and savor every step and stop along the way.

-Captain Bobby Delgado, HFD Chaplain

Sweeter than Honey

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" - Psalm 119:103

Samson was a strange dude. He was arrogant, revengeful, a player, and a jokester, but God still used him to deliver the nation of Israel from the Philistines. So, there is still hope for that Rookie. While traveling, Samson walked past a lion carcass he had killed the week before. Looking into the rotting belly of this animal, he noticed that bees had made a hive there, and it was now full of sweet honey. He challenged his adversaries with a riddle; “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet(Judges 14:14).” They never would have gotten it if Samson’s wife didn’t blab. The sight of this unlikely beehive made an impression on Samson.

In the New Testament in the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul writes to the people of Philippi saying, “What has happened to me has actually served to advance the Gospel(1:12).” What happened to Paul? Well, he entered Rome as a preacher and ended up being a prisoner chained to a guard 24/7. Jail was not part of his plan and probably is not part of yours either. Life throws us curves, and often we find ourselves in our own version of prison. To some our prison is relationship issues, to others declining health or disease. Maybe for you it’s financial problems or addiction. Or you could just be just sick of all the political turmoil and how it has affected your job, home, and family. Paul however, didn’t allow his prison to get him down. He knew something we don’t.

Often when we face difficulties, we pray for God to deliver us and free us, to get us out of here, and to make everything whole, better, and as it should be. Often He does, but sometimes He has another plan; the plan he had for Paul.

You’ve heard it said that when everyone is running away from a fire, firefighters run in. I will tell you that when you find yourself in your personal prison, God may not save you. He may not grab you and run out. He may actually run into your prison to be with you in your time of despair. That’s what God did with Paul. He met him in his prison. This changed the lives of those trapped with him, and empowered Paul to courageously claim, “Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or death(1:20).” He went on to proclaim, “To live is Christ and to die is gain(1:21).” Wow!

What an odd story Samson told. In a rotting body of a dead animal, bees entered to make something sweet. How much more will God meet you in your rotten situation with something sweeter than honey- His presence, love, and comfort. He will give you the courage to say, no matter how this works out, God is with me, and I’m with Him, and its gonna be alright.

Look for God “in” your circumstances not just as a path out of them.

-Retired HFD District Chief Jeff Boles

My Brother's Keeper

"Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother, Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. 

"Am I my brother's keeper?"

"Am I my brother's keeper?" That is a heck of a question to ask God who is ever present and all knowing. The audacity of Cain to answer a question with a question. It shows his callousness and ignorance. The answer to Cain's question is emphatically "YES!" We are all responsible for each other. We have an obligation to care for, love, and serve all of humanity.

Brotherhood is a word that get's thrown around a lot in the fire service. Some say it exists and others claim it is dead. I say that Brotherhood(our sisters included) is up to me. It is not up to the next person, the station officer, or the Chief. I am responsible to be my brother's and sister's keeper. 

Ever since I entered HFD in 2003, I have been fortunate to be part of some amazing crews that accepted me and my family into theirs. These crews were diverse in every way and intricately involved in each other's lives. Brotherhood is taking care of each other on the job, but it really shows true in taking care of each other when we're off duty. 

An article from 2018 in Fire Rescue 1 stated in 2017 there were more deaths by suicide in the fire and police service than line of duty deaths. This is both staggering and heart breaking. The reasons for and solutions to are all complex. I believe that we can all be part of the solution. We can all help carry the load when one of our own hits hard times. We can all be on the lookout for the subtle changes in behavior that occur when we are struggling.  We can listen for the verbal cues our members give when they feel they can't go on. We can all speak up and ask the hard question of their desire and plan for suicide. If we see something ,we can say something. We can refer them to one of our Docs, Chaplains, or the EAP. We can all pray for them daily and with them in the moment. 

It is about all of us doing our part. Say it with me.  I. AM. MY. BROTHER'S. KEEPER. 

Be Blessed,

Captain Bobby Delgado

HFD Chaplain

1-800-273-8255

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Work in Progress

"And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." -Philippians 1:6

Do you find yourself looking less like Christ some days? I'll admit, sometimes my words, thoughts, and actions look nothing like Christ and everything like the jerk I can be. They look a lot like Houston freeway construction- one big, constant, painful mess. The beauty of watching a construction project over time is that you can see its progression from nothing to something.

I am not perfect. You are not perfect. We all fail. Yet, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:48 to "be perfect." He also told one woman to "go and sin no more." He has set the standard because He is the standard. Our goal each day should be to look more and more like Him.

No matter how hard I try, I still miss the mark. It is not about how hard we try. It is about allowing Him to do the work in us. According to Philippians 1, Jesus is the One who starts and finishes the work. We can't just try harder and be better. We must connect with God on a daily basis so that He can do the work. None of us would dare try and perform open heart surgery on ourselves. We must place ourselves in position for Him to complete His work in us. We do this through prayer, fasting, Bible study, attending church, Christian community, and serving.

As we connect with Christ, may we look more and more like Him and less and less like us. May we also grant each other grace as we fail and hold each other accountable to the higher standard.

Be Blessed,
Captain Bobby Delgado

HFD Chaplain