On the Shore

What would it have been like to have been on the shore of the Sea of Galilee with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Today I am looking out across a lake with virtually no development on it and see such a beautiful scene. I hear the water with a little bit of wind banging up against the shore. There’s not a cloud in the sky, there’s a wonderful breeze from the west, and it’s a mild temperature this time of the morning. I’m sitting in the shade so even though the sunlight is coming through and the sun is on my back, it’s not a blistering hot day right now.

I just wonder what it would have been like to see Jesus of Nazareth on the shore on a day like today.

I noticed that most of the boats that go by on this lake are fishermen. You can tell by the style of boats that they have. That reminds me of Matthew Chapter four verses 18 to 22: Jesus was walking along the shore and he called four fishermen to follow Him. Each of these men was a professional fisherman. This was their livelihood. It was a productive livelihood. But Jesus called to them, “follow me and I’ll make you fishers of men.” Jesus was calling them to be productive spiritually. We all need to do this. If we are following Jesus’ lessons and what He taught us, we would be sharing the Good News. By telling others about Christ’s kingdom we would also be bringing men to Christ just as these fishermen would pull fish into their boat with their nets.

Sure, I want to be productive spiritually. It is very clear to me now. The fact is, God has called me out of a productive profession, even one where I could express my faith in Jesus freely. This was even one that had been productive spiritually at times. But this is different. I am now where I can be constantly doing His work if I will stay focused. I am very thankful to be given this opportunity to serve the Lord and His church. I am excited to have been appointed to serve as Pastor of Discipleship. 

Are you ready to follow Jesus? Would you like to be productive spiritually? Pray right now that God will give you an opportunity to love, serve and care for those He sets in your path. Pray that you recognize that opportunity and that if necessary the Holy Spirit would nudge you when that opportunity approaches your path!

Thank you for taking a moment to read this post. I haven't posted in a few weeks. I've been busy editing episodes of my podcast "Training for Godliness". This summer, I have a series of short devotions that are published each Tuesday. You can find my podcast at chaplaingray.podbean.com.

Feel free to share a link to this blog and/or my podcast. 

Have a wonderful day! Remember, this is the day the Lord has made, so rejoice and be glad in it!

Share the Truth

Review of T4G

I’ve been researching this spiritual workout for a long time. In the past six-ten months, it has really intensified as I began to pull together this ‘workout’ plan. This plan has six elements and this post today is on the final element. Before we get to witnessing, let me just list the other elements. My workout plan, which I now call T4G, starts with Bible study. Daily prayer is the second element and tied very closely to the Bible study. Our daily discipline should also include Praising God. We don’t have to do this all alone, so fellowship with other believers is also an element. We are to ‘do good works’ on a daily basis in obedience to His Word. This brings us to witnessing on a daily basis.

Preliminary Notes

Just out of curiosity I checked on a definition of ‘witness’. A witness is one who testifies or gives evidence. Now in the early church, many witnesses who were retelling what they knew of Jesus Christ were killed. 

I did read a great reminder by Dr. Charles Stanley. He said that we are responsible for sharing the truth, not the converting of individuals.

Our Actions Speak Volumes

John Wesley said it well, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” Our previous workout element was to DO GOOD WORKS. When our faith drives our desire to do those good works, it speaks loudly!! When our faith drives those good works, we will articulate that faith in our everyday language. It will be seen in how we speak to others, how we respond to challenges, and how we deal with opportunities!

Say So! Speak Up for Christ!

When Jesus was at a festival in John chapter 7,  the Jewish leaders were looking for Him. There was a lot of chit chat about Him, both good and bad. However, fear stifled many because they were afraid! They would now speak up for Jesus of Nazareth. We are told, even in the Old Testament, that we are to proclaim God’s message and that people will listen. When Jonah finally entered the city of Nineveh and delivered God’s message, indeed the people listened. (Read Jonah 3:4-9) Do you have the enthusiasm to speak up for Christ? Do you hesitate? Campus Minister Ryan Spurrier, from the Wesley Campus Ministry at UNC, reminded me recently that “God goes before us. He is just waiting for us to take the next steps.” I’ve referred to it before, but one of my favorite songs right now is “Say So!” The lyrics talk about how we have a purpose - to be the salt and the light of the world! “Let the redeemed of the Lord SAY SO!”

Peter and John were questioned by the rulers and elders of the Jewish people after preaching about Jesus. They were told not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name ever again. Their response was clear and simple - “We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

Don’t be afraid, be bold! Be a witness for Christ!

Pass on the Faith

Paul instructed Timothy about teaching the truths he’s learned from him. We too are to pass along the Good News to others! 

Final Thoughts

I want to urge you to NOT think of witnessing as ‘just standing on the corner preaching’ or ‘going door to door’. Witnessing is so much more and I hope you can think of being a witness as an everyday discipline and part of your spiritual workout! Pray about those individuals who God may place in your path each day. Pray that your eyes will be open to those opportunities. Work on your attitude so that you are willing to have spiritual conversations no matter where you are. Be the salt and the light of the world!

Find my podcast at https://chaplaingray.podbean.com/. You'll find my other episodes focusing on spiritual workouts there as well. A new series of episodes are coming this summer called “Rooted Principles”.

Thanks for reading this post. I would greatly appreciate you sharing a link to the post with your friends and your network. Feel free to comment below as well.

"His faithful love endures forever."

Until next time...

Chaplain Gray

Do Good Works

As you know, I believe that we should approach our spiritual health by ‘working out’ on a daily basis. Most of these elements of this workout have been covered in previous blog posts. Those elements are: Bible study, prayer, praising Him, and fellowship with other believers. So DOING GOOD WORKS is the fifth element of this workout.

We are instructed that we are not saved by good works. We should also understand however, that as a result of our salvation, we will want to perform acts of service. 

As a young man, I participated in the Boy Scouts of America. One of the core values of the BSA is to “recognize the needs of others and take action accordingly.”  When I was a young Scout, I was taught to ‘do a good turn daily.’ I believe this stuck with me as I began to grow. As a student at Presbyterian College, I was influenced by  the college motto “Dum Vivimus Servimus” which translates “While we live we serve.”

As an adult, I joined a local Rotary Club. I learned that the principal motto of the club is “Service Above Self.” I’m told that leaders within the club consider that this motto “best conveys the philosophy of unselfish volunteer service.”

I would have to agree that we are not saved just so we might enter the Kingdom of Christ (our own benefit). We are to serve Christ and build up the church. We are to put the knowledge of God into action by helping others!

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He gives us these words (Matt 5:13-16): “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” This is our marching orders to do these good works intentionally!

We can’t just wait for opportunities to do a good turn. Yes, when those opportunities present themselves we need to respond in an appropriate way. Christ told us to “Let your light so shine…” We need to invest ourselves in others. In the physical fitness industry personal trainers carefully map out their clients' exercises. They take the time to put together a precise plan and then they help their client execute that plan. I want to put together a similar plan to do acts of service each day. By examining my plans for any given day, I can potentially see an opportunity to serve others. I can also pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show me those opportunities that God may have put in my path. 

If I am really committed to doing good works on a daily basis, I believe I will see multiple ways in which I can serve. I caution myself though. I don’t want to ‘keep score’. It’s not about how many acts of service I accomplish. It's about my attitude of ‘doing the act of service’.

Paul tells us (1 Corinthians 15:58) “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

In summary, here are a few tips:

- Examine your plans for each day; look for opportunities to serve; execute your plan!

- Pray that the Holy Spirit shows you what opportunities God has put in your path.

- Don't keep score - just do it!

Find my podcast at https://chaplaingray.podbean.com/. You'll find my other episodes focusing on spiritual workouts there as well.

Thanks for reading this post. I would greatly appreciate you sharing a link to the post with your friends and your network. Feel free to comment below as well.

"His faithful love endures forever."

Until next time...

Chaplain Gray

Fellowship Workout

One of the four staples of the New Testament Church was fellowship. These new believers devoted themselves to fellowship, so it was a high priority. True fellowship in this sense is being together for spiritual purposes. (Acts 2:42-47).

Believers would share needs, pray, discuss the Word and edify one another. In this case ‘edify’ refers to actively contributing to a person’s spiritual betterment. So, when was the last time you were fellowshipping with other believers?

With that in mind, we can agree that fellowship strengthens your faith in God and Christ.

Chaplain Gray and Chaplain Dennis

 If we are going to strengthen our relationship with God and other Christians we have to go about it with a plan.  

Now, most churches create a menu of opportunities that you can take advantage of. If we are placing a high priority on fellowship then we’ll take a close look at that menu and carefully plan out how and where we’ll share our walk with Christ with other believers from our own church. 

Another way we can have fellowship with believers is certainly through today’s technology. We can connect with believers by phone, social media, and the internet. If you don’t have a good Bible app on your phone, check out “YouVersion - the Bible App”. Bible Hub is another good app for your phone. These resources can help you connect with other believers.

New friends at YMCA Chaplains Retreat

I think of organizations that foster these relationships through their fellowship opportunities. FCA is a great place for students on school campuses. F3 is a relatively new organization that promotes fellowship for these purposes!

These examples above are ‘horizontal’ in that they are with other believers. We also need to be in fellowship with Christ, a ‘vertical’ relationship. We do that through the Word, prayer and the abiding life.

Fellowship is all about relationships. Margaret Thatcher said, “Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan.” I think this applies to our daily workout and including elements such as fellowship!

In summary, find fellowship:

• Through your church (small groups, fellowship meals, etc)
• Find other Christians and connect by phone or social media if that fits for you
• Be in fellowship with Christ through reading the Word, through prayer and the abiding life.

Be sure and listen in to my podcast episode "Daily Fellowship". Find that podcast at https://chaplaingray.podbean.com/. You'll find other episodes focusing on a spiritual workout there as well.

Thanks for reading this post. I would greatly appreciate you sharing a link to the post with your friends and your network.

"His faithful love endures forever."

Until next time...

Chaplain Gray

Chaplain Gray

Adoration and Praise

So, how do you feel about praising God every day? You can’t deny that we as believers are expected to daily show adoration and praise for our Sovereign King.

In Isaiah 43:7 we are told that we are created with the purpose of GLORIFYING HIM. Even Christ told us in His model prayer to begin with adoration of the Father. We are to testify to all of God’s faithfulness and mighty works. Let’s face it, we should start and end our prayers with praise.

The more we know of the Lord, the more we should desire to praise Him. The songbook of the Bible, also known as Psalms, gives us many examples of praise. One of the many Hebrew words for praise is ‘tehillah’. This means to sing praises to the Lord. Psalm 22:3 says that the Lord is the one who Israel praises! Music is an important part of praising God. As you can see in Colossians 3:16, singing praise was one way early Christians would educate others. They had the Old Testament but nothing of the New Testament in writing at this point. For the purposes of a daily workout, you can listen to hymns, or sing songs of praise yourself. Why not find some praise and worship music to include on your ‘playlist’? Use that as you go to work, as you relax or even as you exercise your body!

“Hallelujah” is a word recognized around the world. “Hallel” means to boast or to brag on in a big way! “Jah” is a short form of the name for God. So you could say that this word is an extreme outburst of excitement about God. If you are feeling it, just take Psalm 150 and read through it, increasing your excitement with each verse!

Another Hebrew word for praise is ‘Yodah”. This is a gesture of throwing out one’s arms in celebration or confession. How does praise include confession? This extension of our arms indicates a need for God. We desire to be free from the burdens of sin. So our praise is in the knowledge that we are on this side of heaven. We are joyful! We are right with God! So daily, express your praise using posture with a song! If you are uncomfortable in the corporate setting of worship then do it when you are alone.

What does praise do? When we praise the King of Kings it takes our mind off of our problems and focuses on Him. Praise presses us to think more about God’s character as well as appreciating who He is. Finally, we are preparing our hearts - to receive God’s love and the power of His Holy Spirit.

David proclaimed in Psalm 145:1-2 that he would praise God every day! Pastor and author Bob Hostetler developed his own “praise program” for the 31 days of the calendar. Each day he focused on an attribute of God (Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, etc.) You can develop Scripture-based sentences that acknowledge these attributes as you Praise Him! If you are going to praise Him daily, develop your own ‘praise program’. It may begin as a habit, but it will grow into a deep desire as you know Him more intimately!

I read a Newspring Church devotional recently that said “Because God is great in all things, we can praise Him in all ways. There is no limit to how, when, or where we can praise God.”

In summary:
Start and end your prayers with praise.

You can listen to hymns or sing songs of praise yourself.

You can express your praise using posture with songs or in your prayers!

Develop your own praise program and watch it become a deep desire to constantly praise Him.


One of my favorite praise songs is “Holy is the Lord God Almighty.” The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sings it in a very powerful way. I love this expression of praise: Holy is the Lord God Almighty, The Earth is Filled with Your Glory!!!

I praise and adore you, Lord, as the Holy One of Israel. You are my Redeemer, the God of all the earth!

Can you make praising God a daily part of your spiritual workout?

I invite you to listen in to my podcast "Praise Him" with Music Minister John McFadden. We talk about making praise part of our everyday spiritual workout. You can find the podcast on iTunes (Apple Podcasts) and Podbean. Here's a link: https://apple.co/2uq6AFP.


Thanks for reading this post. I would greatly appreciate you sharing a link to the post with your friends and your network.


"His faithful love endures forever."


Until next time...




Chaplain Gray

Introducing T4G: A Basic Spiritual Fitness Workout Plan

Workout Plan Coming Together

I am really pleased to report that months of developing an idea is actually coming together in a very basic format. T4G is now the name of my spiritual fitness workout plan. 

As you may already know, I've selected 1 Timothy 4:8 as a core verse of scripture that is guiding me in the development of this idea. It's not really original as many pastors have preached wonderful sermons on this piece of scripture. Spiritual disciplines are often focused on during these sermons and lessons. I've read and listened to multiple sermons on the topic. I've read articles and researched and followed hundreds of website addresses. I also bowed my head and asked the Lord for His wisdom and guidance.

I see two things coming into focus. First, I am writing a series of blog posts on six elements of the basic spiritual fitness workout plan. Upon completion of the series, I believe I will have the foundation of a written document outlining these six elements. I also believe that I can supplement the blog posts with additional content provided by a guest contributor. It is unclear at the moment if I have enough content to pursue publishing a book. However, as the content develops further, I will consider this as an option.

Secondly, I am currently publishing a series of podcasts on the same six elements. Already I have had several excellent guests help me talk about how to make these spiritual disciplines part of a daily workout. You can find the podcast on iTunes (Apple Podcasts) and Podbean. Here's a link:https://apple.co/2uq6AFP.

Thanks for reading this post. I will add a new post on March 27 on "Adoration and Praise".

"His faithful love endures forever."

Until next time...



Chaplain Gray

Way Back Wednesday - Exceptional Leadership

One of the most inspirational stories that I can relay to you involves a resident camp getting ready to open for the summer season. This week's "Way Back Wednesday" takes us back to a post about the Exceptional Leadership of someone I consider a wonderful friend, an authentic Christian man, and if I'm not mistaken a native South Carolinian. Here are a few parts of a blog post from December 1, 2017. Please follow the link at the bottom of the page and read the 'rest of the story'.

Setting the Stage
Here are a few things you should know before we get to the challenge. Val Elliott graduated from The Citadel. This is a significant fact in this story. If you are familiar with this institution, you’ll recognize and understand what I am talking about. According to the Citadel’s website “The Citadel strives to produce graduates who have insight into issues, ideas, and values that are of importance to society. It is equally important that Citadel graduates are capable of both critical and creative thinking, have effective communication skills, can apply abstract concepts to concrete situations, and possess the methodological skills needed to gather and analyze information.”

Val and his team work well together. They lead in a Godly way. They take burdens to the Lord’s altar, they seek His guidance for camp themes, and honor God through the many activities and elements of the camp’s life.

Camp Hanes has a rich history and one that dates back almost 92 years. So opening camp each and every summer is a big deal!! Camp was set to open on June 11.

Devastation in Less than 30 Minutes - May 24
On May 24, an EF-2 Tornado cut a half-mile path of devastation and destruction through camp. There were 125mph winds and this lasted about 30 minutes. Every building and structure at camp was damaged. Thousands of trees were downed.

Follow this link and read more about the effort led by Val Elliot of YMCA Camp Hanes!
http://bit.ly/2TDokfE



Update on Spiritual Fitness Ministries...

Prayer ministry remains strong - I have over 140 men and women that I pray for by name and correspond with.
Podcast (Training for Godliness) - Two new episodes are in development. Editing should begin this weekend. I've got another guest for an episode on my radar and hoping he'll accept my invitation to join me. You can find the podcast at chaplaingray.podbean.com or on Apple Podcasts and Google Play.
Local activity - I continue to take a chapel message to the Pathway House Shelter for Men twice a month. Many men are finding success through the programs here at Pathway House. They do exceptionally good work. My other outreach is with the Greater Greenwood United Ministry and their Free Medical Clinic. I handout a devotion and offer to pray for each client who comes in their lobby twice a month. So many people rely on this ministry for their basic medical care.
Blog - look for "Praise and Adoration" to be posted on March 27.

"His faithful love endures forever."

Until next time...

Chaplain Gray