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    Problems? No, Opportunities!
    Problems? No, Opportunities!
    Problems? No, Opportunities!
    Ebook146 pages2 hours

    Problems? No, Opportunities!

    By Elmer Hembree

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    About this ebook

    Elmer left home and went to Michigan where he worked at Buick Motors until they went on strike and he was unable to work. He was cold and had a job of delivering samples of a laundry detergent door to door to make enough money to pay for rent. He was sleeping in the attic of a friend and was renting this for $5.00 a week. One day after completing his route he was cold standing on a corner when an Air Force Recruiter asked if he wanted coffee and donuts. He went into the Recruiting Station, ate all of his donuts and when he left he had enlisted in the Air Force. When he arrived at Lackland Air Force Base for training he was doing just fine until the third week of training. He was called into the Commanders office and there he met two FBI agents who handcuffed him and read his right. He was informed he was a draft dodger and was being arrested and was subject to imprisonment and fined. After discussion with the agents he was allowed to remain in the Air Force. He remained for twenty years and retired with honors. After his Air Force retirement he worked in the civilian sector in management, personnel and civil service where he was the Mortuary Officer for the Army in the state of New York. He was responsible for receiving the remains of military service individuals who were deceased and was brought back to New York for internment. He retired from Civil Service and went into the Ministry.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateMar 6, 2012
    ISBN9781468544336
    Problems? No, Opportunities!
    Author

    Elmer Hembree

    Elmer Hembree enlisted in the US Air Force on his twentieth birthday and retired after twenty years of honorable service. He then worked in the civilian sector in management, personnel, and civil service, serving as the mortuary office for the army in the state of New York. Following his retirement from the civil service, he went into the ministry and is now the chaplain at the Inn at Los Patios, San Antonio, Texas.

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      Book preview

      Problems? No, Opportunities! - Elmer Hembree

      Forward

      Could you help me? I have a problem!

      Have you ever asked this question? Has this question ever been asked of you? What is your initial response to a question like this? Do you immediately focus on the problem?

      Too many times when we face problems we focus on the problem when we should be exercising our faith to trust God for a miracle and allow Him to work in our lives. I have come to realize that all of our problems (if we allow God to handle them through His infinite wisdom) are just opportunities for Him to manifest His glory.

      Time after time I have focused on the problems of life and on many occasions found myself so wrapped up in the problem that I could not think of anything else. Have you been there, too?

      Webster’s New World Dictionary defines problem as:

      a. A question proposed for solution or consideration.

      b. A question, matter, situation or person that is perplexing or difficult.

      As an adjective:

      a. Presenting a problem of human conduct of social relationships.

      b. Very difficult to deal with, especially difficult to train or discipline.

      Each one of us has been a teenager and remembers how much of a problem we perceived our fathers and mothers to be. It’s amazing, as we get older, how our thinking changes and we end up being the ones with the teenagers who we think are a problem. Our boss, spouse, friends, relatives, church members, and other individuals can all be a problem to us or we can be a problem to them, which causes great frustration over a lifetime. Focusing on problems can affect our lives to the point that it’s sometimes hard to recover from them. It’s possible to become so consumed with a problem that it results in a mental institution, becoming angry with God, or those who come in contact with him or her feel miserable.

      When a problem starts to occupy all of our attention, divisions in relationships start to occur. These divisions are so unhealthy that, if not handled correctly, can permanently break up relationships. Some individuals continue through life so weighed down by his or her problem that it affects their social and spiritual lives to the point when suicide seems like the answer. Teenage suicide has become a major area of concern within today’s society. The elderly often turn to assisted suicide when they are informed of life threatening diseases.

      When a so-called-problem comes our way we should look at them as if these are opportunities for God to work miracles in and around our lives.

      You can read stories throughout the Bible where people seemed to be facing problems. Look at the stories of Caleb and Joshua, Saul and David, Noah and the flood, Sampson and Delilah. These are just a few examples of stories where so-called-problems turned out to be great opportunities for God to work miracles so that His glory was manifested.

      Webster’s New World Dictionary defines opportunity as:

      a. A combination of circumstances favorable for the purpose; fit time.

      b. A good chance or occasion, as to advance oneself.

      The word opportune is defined as:

      a. Right for purpose, fitting in regard to circumstances; said of time.

      b. Happening or done at the right time; seasonable, well-timed, timely.

      The word opportunity should be applied to all problems we face in our daily walk of life. When problems appear in our lives we need to turn them over to our Heavenly Father so that He can turn them into opportunities to manifest His glory.

      There are several verses in the Bible where the word opportunity is used. Matthew 26:16, Luke 22:6, Galatians 6:10, Philippians 4:10, and Hebrews 11:15. Some of these scriptures use the word opportunity to do good and some for evil.

      My purpose for this book is to relate personal experiences in my life where I focused on the problem instead of allowing God the opportunity to work His will. Also accounts of other individuals who have had similar experiences and Biblical stories that you will be able to relate to.

      While you’re reading, ask yourself these questions: Does God intend for these problems to be opportunities for me to grow rather than problems for me to fear? How can I cooperate with Him to make the most of these faith-stretching trials?

      Tell God what you intend to do about your new perspective on your problems/opportunities.

      James 1:2 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for great joy.

      Chapter 1

      DECEMBER 1939 WAS ONE OF those times in my life where the problem became an opportunity for future blessings in my life. I’d had a slight cold for a few days; nothing my parents or I were concerned about. I went to school that day with a small cough, but by afternoon my cough had grown so much that my throat had started to swell and I could hardly catch my breath.

      The school nurse contacted my parents and they were there within thirty minutes to take me home. Being only seven years old I had no idea how serious my cough was. When we arrived home, my mother brought out the old trusted bottle of Vick’s Vapor Rub and began rubbing it over my neck and chest. Next she got the sulfur and molasses and attempted to give me a spoon full, but I immediately spit it out and began to gasp for breath more frequently than I had up to this point. My father and mother began to pray and my father finally called the doctor and he said he would be at the house within the hour. During the next hour I would lose my breath for periods of time and I would become blue in the face because of my not being able to breathe.

      The doctor arrived and when he walked into the house he looked at me and informed my father I had Diphtheria and instructed him to immediately take me to the hospital. The hospital was only ten minutes away, but it could have been ten hours away as far as I was concerned. I thought at times I would never make it to the hospital when I couldn’t breathe.

      Upon arrival at the hospital I was taken to the emergency room where the doctor and the nurse named Marie began working over me.

      I don’t remember much of what happened to me during the next five days but from what my father and mother told me, there were days when I was near death. I can remember shot after shot was given to me in both arms to where it became so painful they started giving me shots in my hips. When the nurse would come into the room I would cry because I knew it was for another shot. The nurse, my father and mother, and on occasions two other nurses would have to hold me down so they could give me a shot.

      The fever was so high that I would come in and out of consciousness not knowing if I would live or die. I could hear my father and mother praying to God that my life would be spared. I remember one day I awakened to see the doctor, nurse, my father and mother all looking at me as if I was about to take my last breath. The doctor told my father and mother that it would be a miracle if I ever left the hospital alive.

      I remember seeing tears rolling down my parent’s faces. Mary, the nurse, began to cry and I slipped back into unconsciousness not knowing if I would ever be able to live through the night. I don’t know what made it so bad, but night time was when I had the hardest time breathing. I wasn’t able to hold my head up on my own, I wasn’t able to drink, and I was losing dangerous amounts of fluids. I started losing weight rapidly because of my inability to eat or drink. During my stay in the hospital, I lost almost forty pounds. On the seventh day, the doctor told my parents that if I survived the next twenty-four hours it would be a miracle. The doctor had done everything he could for me and it was now up to God.

      The nurse told my parents to start making funeral arrangements for me, as I was not expected to make it through the night. You can imagine what ran through my parent’s minds at this time. Back in those days they did not have the medical advances that we do today. Despite my odds to survive, when the nurse told my parents this, my dad looked at her and told her that I was going to live because God is a healer.

      Mary had scheduled her time to be my personal nurse. She spent many of her working hours and personal hours taking care of me. She was a devout Christian and came to the church where my father preached when she was not on duty.

      Early the next morning I woke up and started talking. My mother was not able to understand what I was trying to tell her, so she rang for the nurse because she was sure I was dying.

      Mary came in and started taking my vitals. She smiled at my mother and said, I think he is going to make it. My mother asked her what I was saying and she laughed and told her that I was trying to tell her that I was hungry and wanted something to eat. My nurse asked me what I wanted and I told her a hamburger.

      Mary left and when she came back with my hamburger the doctor and my father had arrived. The doctor was examining me and telling my parents that I was going to be okay.

      A few days later was my eight birthday and I was still in the hospital, but I was strong enough to sit up and talk with people. I remember Mary bringing me hamburgers every day.

      It wasn’t much longer that I was finally released and able to finish my recovery at home. God had healed me from one of the most deadly diseases of that time.

      Problem? No! This was one of those opportunities where my parents chose to trust God for healing their son.

      I can remember going to church and my father telling the congregation how sick I was and that it was a miracle from God that I survived. He gave thanks to our Father for answering the prayers of everyone who had been praying for me. What a wonderful feeling it was to breathe again.

      God changes those problems into opportunities if we only place our faith and trust in Him. In the Chinese Alphabet, the symbol for crisis is a combination of two characters, one meaning danger and the other opportunity. You can look at it either way.

      The same can be said of problems in the Christian life. When something comes up we have the choice to view it as a problem or an opportunity. As a Christian you can view your problem as purposeful and joyful if you see them from God’s perspective. My parents say my sickness was an opportunity and their faith never wavered. Their faith was tested which produced patience.

      Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:3 (NIV)

      Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 (NIV)

      Chapter 2

      IT WAS 1948 AND MY senior year of high school; little did I know how memorable this year would be. Looking back on that year, it is incredible to see how quickly things can change. The start of the school year was uneventful and filled with classes as usual.

      Baseball was my life and I was looking forward

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