Leap of Faith
Christian Chaplain Ministry

Trusting God is a spiritual pilgrimage.
Don’t make the journey to eternity alone.

 Journey to Chaplaincy Parable of the ‘Lost Seed’ Once upon a time, a twelve-year old boy felt a calling from God. A ‘Daniels Week’ later he met God on a sidewalk; kneeling down next to a parking meter, which was a fitting expression of doubting faith, since he was a loner and well acquainted with the streets and back alleys of his hometown. As it was at the beginning of creation, when the “evening and morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5) so it was that night, when the young man became a new creation. And the Holy Spirit of God sowed seeds of Faith, Hope and Love into a willing heart. Faith and Love were large seeds which attached themselves to the outer shell of the young man’s heart. However, his faith and love for fellow man grew shallow over a few years because of the ‘thorns of life’ where the “worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22) The young man’s heart became calloused; with sin-skinned scars; as it lost its way over time through a wilderness excursion of confusion, bad life choices, fruitless searches for existence and finally personal rejection. But the Holy Spirit of God who “hovered over the waters” in creation (Genesis 1:2) made the seed of Hope purposely small so it could work its way down into the soft, fertile recesses of the hidden, inner heart of the young man. Despite the tempest tossed failings of life, that small seed slowly made roots, deep and strong which eventually made their way upward over decades of time. Embedded within the seed were two fledgling baby seeds of Faith and Love. Together they emerged and continued to grow as a late-in-life palm tree awaiting the ‘later-day rain’; whose witness branches boldly proclaim the coming of the King of Kings with a chorus of “Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai!” “It will come about after this, That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28) “I delight to do Your will O my God. Your Law is written in my heart.” (Ps. 40:8) “Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take away Your Holy Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to you. (Ps. 51:10-13) “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God You will not despise.” (Ps. 51:17) My journey to Chaplaincy can be best represented by the slow growth of the Talipot Palm Tree. “The talipot palm is another gargantuan plant (compared to other palms), which grows up to 25 meters (82 ft) high and has a one-meter-thick trunk. Also, its branched inflorescence is a remarkable six to eight meters (19 to 26 ft) tall—the largest of any plant. It takes extreme patience to see this tree in bloom, as it only flowers once when it is 30 to 80 years old. However, seeing the bloom is somewhat bittersweet, as it means the palm’s life is coming to an end. It expends all of its built-up energy to produce golf ball-sized fruit, which rain down by the hundreds of thousands just before the palm dies." May the Lord in my sunset years produce through me a harvest like the Talipot Palm. Reference: Grant, S. "10 Of The Slowest Plants To Ever Bloom." ListVerse, 13 Aug. 2013, listverse.com/2013/08/11/10-ridiculously-slow-to-bloom-plants/. 

 “The preferred future vision becomes the star that you steer by, not a simple map to be followed.” (American futurist Glen Hiemstra) The 'North Star' of the Leap of Faith online ministry is to disseminate the Knowledge of God, His Goodness, His Redemption for mankind and how to live a godly life in preparation for an eternal destiny of infinite love with Him the Eternal Father. The phrase ‘from the womb to the tomb’ signifies the terminal, linear nature of mankind from an earthly perspective. Out of all the fears and anxieties that humans experience, the fear of death and what if anything happens afterwards has no equal. There is, however, a time-tested remedy for the fear of dying. It is the hope of living an eternity in young, incorruptible, glorified bodies in harmony with God and fellow man as written in His Word (Bible). In this respect mankind's existence is not linear but is part of a ‘Wheel of Life’ which starts at birth and revolves around God for eternal life. The Leap of Faith online ministry provides Scripture based spiritual guidance with Topics which can be likened to wheel spokes on a Christian's life's journey. 

 Attendees need to have a Bible to follow Scriptural verses. I use the 'Parallel Bible' which is the New American Standard Bible & Amplified Bibles under one cover for Scripture readings, but other Bible versions are admissible for the Bible Study such as: KJV, NKJV, ESV, RSV, NIV & Douay Rheims. There are two exceptions: the JW Watchtower Bible and LDS Book of Mormon and Bible are not acceptable. The days and time slot of the Online Bible Study are TBA. Attendance is limited to 20 attendees. The format is:  Opening Prayer & Moment of silence  Lecture-Sermonette (30 min.)  Discussion Forum (30 min.)  Closing Prayer Topics Backdrop • Why Study the Bible? • History of Christianity • False Christianity Basic Christian Doctrine • God’s Creation – Body, Soul & Spirit • God’s Character & Sovereignty • The Problem of Sin & God’s Judgement • The Promised Savior • Repentance - How does one get ‘Saved’? • Christian Baptism • The Lord’s Supper • The Rapture • The Great Tribulation • The Marriage Supper of the Lamb • The Two Resurrections Christian Living • Knowing & Walking by Faith • Prayer • Confessing Sin • The Value of Forgiveness • Finding Contentment Without Relying on Materialism • How to Resist Temptation • Bible Provides Hope During Difficult Times • Coping With Grief • Bible Gives Us Courage, Conviction and Faith • Love is the Foundation of All Relationship • Valuing Others Above Yourself