Chaplaincy Blog

Psalm 16:8 “I keep the Lord in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

What does it mean to keep the Lord in my mind all the time? In this short Psalm we see first of all a choice. The Psalmist has made the decision to have the Lord in mind always. In this, we choose to relate everything we encounter to our trust in God. It’s important to know that what we choose to focus on becomes the dominant influence in our lives. If we choose to focus on problems then our problems will determine the direction of our lives. If we choose to focus on people, then people will determine what we think and do. If, and it’s our choice, focus on Christ, we invite Him to take the most important position in our lives. For every new experience, when people insult and mistreat us, when a crisis comes out of nowhere, when we are afraid the first response should be to choose Jesus. How amazing it is that Jesus should stand beside us to guide us and counsel us. Why should we ever be dismayed by our circumstance when we have our Lord at our right hand. The question………what will we choose? Chap Dan

A mom was getting her family ready to load up the car and head to the airport for a much need time away. Trying to corral a group of very excited and easily distracted children to the car she commented to her oldest son, “please hurry up we don’t want to miss our vacation.” To this the son responded “mom, I’m not going on vacation I’m going on mission.” The mom repeated this to her husband as they drove to the airport and a smile came across his face, “at least I know he was listening to the pastors sermon last Sunday. Don’t you remember, the pastor said when he spoke on our lives being salt and light to the world that our example to the world should be 24/7 even when we are on vacation.”

No matter where we are, no matter what we are doing, we are reflecting something through our example. Sometimes when we go on vacation we forget that even then we are to let our lights shine brightly where we are. (Matthew 5:16) So, as we head out on our vacations, remember that our testimony should always be “on.” Chap Dan

Just a quick introduction for those of you who are checking out this new blog link for the first time. My full name is Daniel L Billings but most of our team here at Newby just call me Chap Dan. This idea, while not at all new in our world of technology, is a new venture for me. As chaplain here at Newby and Pastor of Simplicity Fellowship I’ve been looking for ways to connect with our team and community residents in a way that provides more accessibility and a broader range of impact. This blog is just another tool to attempt to accomplish that goal. From time to time I will post to this blog a scripture, thought for the day or word of encouragement. I invite you to check it out for new posts and reach out to me with your thoughts and comments. Pastor/Chaplain Dan