Grace and Salt

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." -Colossians 4:6

Our mothers taught us a very important lesson very early on in our lives. My mom still has to repeat it to me often: "If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything at all." For many of us first responders, that would mean we would be silent most if not all of the time. Obviously like Colonel Sanders so eloquently put it in Water Boy, "Momma is wrong again." We should absolutely speak up to correct lies, wrongdoings, and injustices. Your point of view matters. We have the right to share our opinion on any topic any where. That is freedom protected in the First Amendment. 

We have an ongoing crisis of people not being able to have conversations with dissenting opinions anymore. So many conversations today are fueled by emotions and personal attacks. If you don't think, vote, and "feel" like me, then you are inferior and the enemy. I don't know where we went wrong, but this has to stop.

Food companies have long learned that the combination of sweet and salty will keep people eating more. The same can be said for sweet and spicy. The juxtaposition of these flavors often leads me to eat a whole bag of trail mix or kettle corn when I intended to just eat "some." When our words are "gracious" and "seasoned with salt," people are willing to hear more of them. In order for us obey God's command, we need to pray before and during any conversation. We should view each other not as opponents, but as equals. We must slow down and choose our words wisely- words that build up not tear down. We must not let our emotions steer any conversation. Just because we have the right to say something, doesn't mean we should. We should seek to listen for understanding, and we should find and build off of common ground. It is my experience that many of us want the same things in life. We just have differing methods on how to get there. When this isn't enough, we must agree to disagree. 

 My hope and prayer is that civility will be restored to our relationships and to this world. God can do it when we His people follow His plan for our speech. 

May the LORD bless you and keep you!

Senior Captain Bobby Delgado

HFD Chaplain

Draw Near

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." -James 4:8

Most of us in the Houston area love this time of year. The weather can offer us some of the most picture perfect days of the year. With the arrival Mardi Gras comes a season of celebration. It also means it's crawfish season! Which also means the Rodeo is upon us, which means the world's best barbecue and fried Oreos are with us. All this fun, excitement, and good food is jam packed into 3-4 weeks of southeast Texas awesomeness!

With all the great food, music, and time spent with good people, it is easy to forget that we are now in the season of Lent. It started this past Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, by placing ashes on our foreheads. In Old Testament times men and women would put on sackcloth and ashes to represent mourning. On Ash Wednesday we mourn over our sins because we realize and admit that it is our sins that separate us from a Holy God, and it is our sins that nailed Jesus to the Cross. 

During the season of Lent we repent, turn away from our sins, and turn towards God. It is a time to draw closer to the God who created us and knit us together in our mother's womb(Psalm 139:13) and loved us so much that He died for us. For 40 days Christians around the world are fasting from meat, social media, coffee, chocolate, etc...And they are taking up prayer, scripture reading, volunteering, and random acts of kindness. 

Jesus' brother, James, promises us that as we forsake the things of the world, and draw near to God, He will draw near to us. That verse always makes me picture the father from the prodigal son, who sees his son returning home in the distance and takes off running towards towards him. God is calling all of us to Him for the first time, back to Him, or closer to Him. Would you join us in drawing near to God this Lent by reading this Bible reading plan from YouVersion? As you do, I pray that God will become more real and relevant than ever before. 

Be blessed, 

Senior Captain Bobby Delgado

HFD Chaplain

He is Faithful

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." - Hebrews 10:23

If your 2019 was anything like mine, it was full of the good and the bad, highs and lows, smiles and tears, worries and fears. I can promise you that 2020 will bring more of the same. With each year that passes, I am reminded that there is only one being that I am fully able to trust, and that is God. Just like Apollos stated: "He is faithful."

My children will test my patience. My wife and I won't see eye to eye on everything and some days anything. My health and that of my loved ones will be tested. The safety and security of our nation will be challenged. Politicians will continue to speak out of both sides of their mouths. The world will continue to change without my approval. But. God. Is. Faithful.

He is the only sure, constant thing in my life. He is more constant and steady than the rising and setting sun. So in 2020 and hopefully for the rest of this life, I will cling to him with every ounce of my being, because He is faithful. I pray that you would do the same.

-Be Blessed,

Sr Captain Bobby Delgado

HFD Chaplain

photo credit: Nicky Jernigan

Gently Instruct

"Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants." - 2 Timothy 2:23–26

With the recent events happening in the City of Houston, there are a lot of mixed feelings and emotions in the department. A lot of those are negative and are affecting those around us. Being in the service of taking care of others, we need to focus on continuing to do just that. We should thoughtfully and gently take care of each other and those who call on our help. Gentle truth may not necessarily come in the form of words. It can be shared though kindness, hospitality, actions, teaching and sacrifice. Continually encourage others and yourself to be patient (especially with difficult people), kind, and thoughtful.

Keep the faith that the sacrifices you've made for this city and your family will pay off later, and that God will take care of your every need. Know that honoring God in everything we say and do is vitally important.

-FF Sam Hascek

Rescue 42B

The Best is Yet to Come

"However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him"- 1 Corinthians 2:9

In Genesis 41:1-40, after interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and devising a plan for the upcoming famine, Joseph was made second in-charge of the land of Egypt. Joseph’s journey to the palace was one full of hardship and adversity. Joseph was blessed with the ability to interpret dreams, and he was also well loved by his father. In fact, Joseph’s father loved him more than he loved his other ten sons(Genesis 37:3). His father’s love for him, alone with his ability to interpret dreams, caused Joseph’s brothers to hate him(Genesis 37:5-11). Because of his brothers’ jealousy and hatred for him, they schemed to get rid of Joseph and threw him into a cistern and later sold him into slavery(Genesis 37:12-28). This would only be the beginning of Joseph’s hardships. Next, he was falsely accused by his master’s wife and thrown into prison(Genesis 39:1-20). Then, he was forgotten about after helping the king’s cupbearer by interpreting his dream(Genesis 40:1-23). Through it all, Joseph never gave up, and he always trusted in his God because he understood that his best was yet to come.

Right now, you might be thinking that all the suffering and the sorrow you are enduring will not equal to anything good. However, just like Joseph, God could be using all the difficult situations and problems you have gone through to prepare you for something greater. God could be working behind the scenes arranging a tremendous blessing for you and your family. You will never realize it if you give up now. That’s why the Bible teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight(2 Corinthians 5:7). Even though you cannot see God’s blessings being formulated, you can trust and believe that they are in the works. You can trust that God has something good that He is preparing for you right now. As Christians, we have to be able to look past our present dilemmas and see all the wonderful possibilities that life can bring. We need to be able to visualize all the amazing blessings that God has in store for us and our loved ones. As believers, we must be able to see through all the pain and anguish and allow God to show us that the best is yet to come.

-Captain Rinthian Pickney

HFD Station 42C

Love Your Enemies

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." -Jesus in Matthew 5:44

There are some things written in the Bible that I don't particularly care to listen to or follow. That whole love your enemy and pray for them bit is at the top of my list. Jesus must have been high or misquoted on that one. Who does that? Who wants to show love, be kind, and pray for those who have hurt us?

What we really want is to get revenge. We want our enemies and opponents to feel the pain we feel. We know that no good can come from evening the score. The vicious cycle of revenge will just continue. Jesus in His infinite wisdom asks us to end that cycle.

If we wanted to pray for those who have wronged us, we would probably pray that God would strike them with lightning or fire and brimstone served up Old Testament style. Instead, we should pray that God would change their hearts. We should pray that God would give us the strength to forgive. We should pray that God would heal the hurts in their hearts that have caused them to lash out at us and others. 

The Lord Jesus on the cross got a chance to practice what He preached. As he was suffering unimaginable pain inflicted on Him by the Romans, he prayed for them. "Father forgive them..." Jesus doesn't ask us to do anything He hasn't done himself.

Who is your enemy? Is it a boss, an ex, a spouse, a neighbor, a classmate, or a politician? How can you show them kindness? How can you pray for them? Jesus gives us the key to end the cycle and heal the anger and bitterness we harbor in our hearts towards our enemies: Love and Pray. Be blessed.

-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