Tez Brooks's Blog: TezBrooks.com, page 7
June 10, 2022
Another Excerpt from “Debriefing: Meditations of Hope for Those Who Protect and Serve”
Available for pre-order now on Amazon
YOUR CALLING
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:14 (ESV).
Being a first responder is a heavy responsibility. Not everyone can do what you do. It takes fortitude and a special gift. As you know, there’s a certain amount of inner “calling” you must own and respond to in order to embrace your role. There’s too much stress with this job without being called.
Your job is not always enjoyable. It’s a crisis-driven career with unsympathetic brass requiring long hours, shift work, and unplanned overtime. Those hours are often filled with the worst of humanity, and depending on your particular job, some blood and gore too.
Every day you face unpredictable, life-threatening, split-second decisions. Some of you do this while being filmed or even spat upon by some exasperating, uninvolved citizen. Many of you experience on-the-job injuries, court appearances, and internal investigations that cause you to be filled with skepticism, suspicion, and distrust of everyone around you.
Sometimes, the only way to cope is to joke about it with coworkers. But you are definitely called, and maybe that’s what keeps you going.
But there’s more.
There is a higher calling than simply your job. After all, your job is temporary compared to your eternal purpose beyond this limited existence.
It’s true. God prepared you for this special occupation—whether for a short season or a lifetime career. He is cheering you on, along with a host of angels and any first responders who have gone to heaven before you.
But ultimately, he has a calling on your life to know him intimately. That relationship is what makes your role most significant. Without it, your job is just another occupation—something to pay the bills.
From the beginning of time, God had a plan to dwell with mankind and have intimacy with us. That’s still his desire today for all of us. Without it, without a dedication to follow Christ, make him Lord, and live a life pleasing to your Creator, everything we do (regardless of how noble) accounts for little.
It sounds like an extreme statement, but God’s Word is clear about good works without His higher, holy calling of faith. Because even the wicked do admirable things for others (Matthew 7:11).
This heavenly calling aims to keep our eyes on Christ and our eternal purpose for being here—which goes far beyond our occupations. Your significance will then be mirrored not only on the job but at home, in your relationships, leisure, and every other area of your life. This perspective makes weak, sinful people like you and me become more like Jesus. In the words of renowned missionary C.T. Studd: “Only one life, twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”[i]
My friend, be filled with hope that when you walk in your true calling as a child of God, you’re making a difference everywhere, as a light in this dark world. Your eternal calling is what’s most important, and the Lord will provide all you need to accomplish each day’s work.
Dispatch:
Colossians 3:23Ephesians 4:1-3Investigate:
You are a gift to your city, your county, your state, your country. God has a purpose and uses you to instill hope into those depending on you. It’s a big job, but we have a big God. As you consider what brings you significance and value in life and your reason for doing those, what motives might need reevaluating?
Debrief:
Heavenly Father, please show me if I’ve placed too much value on my career and help me keep an eternal perspective. Reveal your ultimate calling to abide close to you and draw others to you as well. As I serve my city, help me remember that higher calling to know and follow you earnestly. You could have prepared anyone else to fill this role, but you trusted and chose me. Thank you. Amen.
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March 11, 2022
What Does the Bible Say About Kids Obeying Their Parents?
I love my teens. But like all of us, they are prone to wander from what’s good and right. I’m not talking about childish irresponsibility–that’s a “mistake.” I’m talking about blatant disobedience… which ticks me off!
Just being honest.
Sometimes it makes sense. They have wants and desires that often conflict with what they are told from us parents.
What does the Bible say about kids obeying their parents? Disobedience is gonna happen. It’s human nature, but that doesn’t make it right. And we, as parents, have to confront the issue and bring correction.
That’s hard. What battles do I choose? When do I punish and when do I give grace?
But even giving grace doesn’t negate the need to discuss the issue with your child so it doesn’t happen again. How do I help them understand that obeying me will lead to blessings?
There’s a passage in God’s Word that doesn’t give us all the instruction we need to cultivate obedience in our children or explain how we are to parent, but it does point to obedience as being a key component for a healthy relationship between parent and child.
It’s found in Ephesians 6:1-4 “Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” (NLT)
So what is obedience?
One of our pastors at church said, “Obedience is setting aside our selfish agenda and submitting to someone else’s agenda.” I love that quote. In other words, disobeying means we want something more passionately than we want to love or respect others.”
Granted, sometimes that’s a valid reason to disobey. For example, it’s not a sin for a believer in an anti-Christian country to say, ” I want to illegally smuggle a Bible home in my suitcase so I can grow in my walk with God.”
Or for a child to say, “No Uncle, I will not keep your abuse toward me a secret.” There are times when disobeying is right. The book of Acts was full of disobedience toward religious leaders and the government authorities. That disobedience helped propel the early church.
But when it comes to sinful disobedience, Christians or not, all humans must learn this basic rule of society. We must submit to our school teachers, our boss, law enforcement, the courts… lots of people. We must also learn to obey laws, natural and man-made.
It can be difficult to submit to someone else when we don’t feel they deserve it. But when we don’t, our kids see that, and then they try it out–on us. I’m not letting our kids off the hook by blaming us for their sin. No matter how perfect we are at modeling obedience, our little rascals are still going to sin by trying to disobey us.
Often they do it to find security. To find the boundaries (see #7 in the list below). One of my kids was like that. When she felt insecure, she’d act up. As soon as we discipline her, she was suddenly the sweetest and most compliant child, going out of her way to show us love and gratitude. It was crazy.
Somehow we have to teach them that obedience is always honored with a blessing. A blessing bestowed upon them by us parents, or by God.
So why is it so difficult for kids to obey?
There are many reasons that make it hard to obey. Here’s a few:
What about you? What are some things you’ve found cause your kids to disobey you? What have you done to fix that other than (or in addition to) punishment?
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Brooks Makes Finalist List for 2022 Selah Awards
We’re excited to announce the YouVersion 3-day reading plan “Hope For Single Fathers” by Tez Brooks, made the finalists today for the prestigious 2022 Selah Awards.
This year the nationwide entries included 440 literary pieces from books to articles.
The Selah Awards, which are awarded annually are given to books and other literary works within Christian publishing that are considered excellent within their genre. This is Brooks’ second time being recognized by the Selah judges, his first being for a flash fiction story in 2016.
You can read this and other devotions by Tez on the Bible app’s YouVersion reading plans.
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Can Police Be Ambassadors of Hope?
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared
to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope
that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15
“I’m going to walk into the woods and kill myself, Chaplain.” Jay Decker* was unemotional and resolved as he spoke into the phone.
As his chaplain, Kyle’s relationship with Decker brought them to this moment of trust in the midst of crisis.
“I’m in my car out here in the forest, with my gun, Chaplain.”
“I imagine you’re feeling overwhelmed under the weight of everything. I’m sorry.” Kyle said, “You wanna talk about it?”
A few years earlier, Decker was a police officer and had responded to a call for an infant in distress. Sadly, after performing mouth-to-mouth he was unable to resuscitate the child. By the time EMS arrived, the baby was dead.
The incident caused Decker to spiral into an ever-increasing abyss of post-traumatic stress disorder. First it was nightmares and cold sweats, then insomnia and drinking. Officer Decker sought counseling which helped a lot.
But the degree of his illness became painfully obvious to everyone at work one day when he removed his shirt in the locker room revealing a large tattoo across his chest.
It was a tattoo of the infant’s name.
When Chaplain Kyle saw it, he knew he had to talk with Decker. Over the next few years their relationship developed into a deep and trusted friendship. Kyle walked with Decker through his drinking problem, a divorce, promiscuity, domestic abuse, suicide attempts, and finally the loss of his job. All the while, as an ambassador of hope, Kyle continued to point his friend to Jesus, the only person who could bring Decker truth and healing.
Now Decker had called him to say goodbye. “Life blows. I’m done, Kyle.”
“Jay, you know this isn’t the answer.”
“I can still taste that baby’s death in my mouth.”
On the other end of the phone Kyle was silent in the wake of those powerful words.
“How do you do it?” Decker continued. “Where’s the hope? How are you so peaceful and—”
“Jay, do you really wanna know?”
Once Kyle convinced Decker to empty his gun and lock it in the trunk, he proceeded to share with his friend how Jesus changed his own life. Decker was finally ready to admit his desperate need for a Savior. Over the next few years, Kyle discipled his buddy and watched him grow in his new walk with God.
Decker was able to overcome alcoholism and other vices. Now, he’s remarried with six kids and passionate about his relationship with God.
You don’t have to be a chaplain or some other clergy to be a light in someone’s hour of need. If you believe in the power of the Almighty, you are an ambassador of hope for everyone around you. You might never see or hear how you affected others—that’s ok. Just be that tower of peace, ready to point them to God, when they ask where your hope comes from.
*all names and locations changed for privacy
Dispatch:
Hebrews 10:232 Corinthians 5:20Investigate:
Find out more about what it how to follow Christ. Go to https://tinyurl.com/54mfyhce
Debrief:
Heavenly Father, use me to be a witness for you. Give me divine appointments with people so that I might be a light to others. Cause me to be ready when asked, to give an answer for the hope in me . Amen.
Tez is a former LEO and chaplain. For more encouragement for law enforcement, check out his YouVersion reading plan, “Hope for Police Officers.”
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This collaboration of stories includes one from Tez and his interesting interaction with an angel.
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