Chaplain's Corner

Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Texas
Chaplain
Brad Henderson

If you have prayer requests for accidents, illness or
in cases of death, prayers or sympathy cards
Please follow Chapain Henderson's request link below.

Chaplain Brad Henderson

Please include:

Contact Information, phone number and email address

Reason for request

Name of Person request is for, include contact info if applicable

Any other information you feel is needed

"On Thanksgiving"

It's that time of year again, when one's thoughts turn to delicious meals and exhilarating football games. It is a time of family and festivity - for most of us. "So, Chaplain, what message do you have for those of us who don't buy into that?"

My first response is, "I'll pray for you." Not everyone is joyous this time of year.

For some, it brings back unpleasant events or memories. Some choose to hold on to frustration, anger, malaise, and depression. "Who cares, anyway?" I do.

Perhaps a note from fellow cancer fighter Jenna Holden will open some eyes. She says, "It is interesting how a big life challenge can illuminate little things in your life that we are so thankful for or maybe have taken for granted. Gratitude can have a significant impact on our mindset, our physical bodies, and ultimately our overall well-being. Studies show that gratitude increases our resiliency, making us better able to cope with the changes around us, improves sleep, increases feelings of happiness, decreases anxiety, and even blood pressure."

Think about perspective for a moment. What is birdsong to someone who is deaf?

My father was a boy during the Great Depression. When I was in the Army as a Private First Class, a buddy (also a PFC) asked me to have Thanksgiving Dinner with his family in Appalachia, up in "The Holler". They were so poor, they didn't know they were poor. The family shared a chicken not much bigger than a Cornish Game Hen and dined on Poke Salad from the Poke weed growing in their backyard. Before the meal, the family thanked the Good Lord for their many blessings.

Years later in my Army career, there was a time when on an inspection trip in Europe, several of us officers visited a five-star hotel and dined on Chateaubriand. (It was on the Captain's "Bucket List".)

This Thanksgiving Day, you will probably see a bounty of food at a festive table.

I will see hungry street urchins in Saigon, scrambling for an apple and an orange that I had reserved "for later".

I will see a simple family in Appalachia, where I shared the finest meal of my entire life.

It turns out that we are blessed with far, far more than enough. Savor the breath of freedom, and enjoy fresh air, mobility, sunrises and sunsets, family, and good friends to share them with.

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name." (Psalm 100:4)

Serving God and Country,
Brad Henderson
Chaplain
Detachment of Texas
Sons of The American Legion

"On Veterans Day"

"Okay, Chaplain. I know the "What" and I know the "Why". Ask me something else." Yes, we call them by the title they have earned. Only six percent of our population today are veterans of military service. One half of one percent of our population currently protects the rights and freedoms of us all.

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said, "They are everything that is good about this nation." Beyond the walls of our post and squadron, who do you know?

I've had both the pleasure and the honor of sharing a cup of "Coffee and Camaraderie".

WWII - One member of our group was a bomber crew member in the lead plane on a mission over Nazi Germany. They were hit by enemy flak, parachuted to earth, and were bombed by the following Allied planes in formation. My buddy was the only surviving member of his crew.

KOREA - I was a Guardian on an Honor Flight for a pilot who served in the "forgotten war".

At his memorial in Washington, D.C., he pointed out uniforms and equipment that he used. He enjoyed sharing memories there with his brothers and sisters in arms. In those days, my father was a sailor on a Navy supply ship. Later, he would transfer to the United States Marine Corps.

COLD WAR - I remember a full USAREUR alert in Bavaria during the Cold War, when we drew weapons and ammo on a Sunday morning. The Soviets had invaded Czechoslovakia at a time when the communist empire was growing at a rate of 60 miles per day. Would Germany be next?

VIETNAM - Dad, "The ol' Marine" and I each experienced the oddities, chuckles, and horrors of Vietnam. I learned recently at a training session that a Chaplain brother in the International Fellowship of Chaplains had served in MACV-SOG like me.

IRAQ - My Marine nephew walked the street of Fallujah and remembers that battle to this day.

Not all veterans experience combat. I know a man who carries a half-century of guilt because he served in Italy during the Vietnam era. We go where we are TOLD to go, and we do what we are TRAINED to do.

My wife's uncle was an Artillery Forward Observer with the Texas National Guard, training faithfully year after year. His unit was alerted for Vietnam, but the call never came. He wanted to join The American Legion, but an "outhouse lawyer" told him that since he "had not served on active duty", he was not a veteran. Title 10,USC proves that self-proclaimed "expert" wrong. It was my honor to stand with Ken when his community asked veterans to rise and be recognized in a special Veterans Day ceremony. Who do you know?

Heard this one? "We need to tell folks about the good things we do." Here's why: "My grandfather told me to stay away from veterans' service organizations, as their focus is on drinking." (This is beyond one Chaplain to fix.)

Veterans Day is for the living, but we also remember our fallen. I have a small frame in my home office that displays three spent rounds. The Honor Guard presents them to the family as follows: "The service of your loved one will never be forgotten. On behalf of American Legion Post ____ and a grateful nation, please accept these spent rounds, representing your loved one's dedication to DUTY, HONOR, and COUNTRY." We took our responsibilities seriously, year-round, in all kinds of Colorado weather.

Think about it. We are blessed with the opportunity to share time with those "who lived it".

Who do you know?

Serving God and Country,
Brad Henderson
Chaplain
Detachment of Texas
Sons of The American Legion

"IF I WERE THE DEVIL..."

Did you know? Legion Family Chaplains are tightrope walkers. My mission is "to help Legionnaires and others grow in their relationship to God" while not influencing them to join my church, or ANY church. After all, not everyone believes in God.

"Okay, Chaplain - who needs Him?"

Back in 1965, the great broadcaster and news commentator Paul Harvey gave a three-minute program on the importance of God in our lives - by taking "the other side". It was called, "If I Were the Devil..."

Here are some of his thoughts, and a few of my own: "If I were the Devil, I would take over the United States. I would convince people that what is bad is good, and that good is "uncool". I would peddle narcotics to whom I could. I would deceive and divide the people any way I could: by nationality, geographic region, political party, age, race, gender, social and economic status, those who are 'in' our given group, and those who are 'not', and by pride with unbridled tongues.

I would take from the 'haves' and give to those who 'want' until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. With promises of higher ratings, I would have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.

If I were the Devil, I would keep the people's hands so busy, they didn't have time to put them together. I would send anger, temptation, anxieties, frustrations, fears, and feelings of failure enough that the people would be diverted away from talking to God or even thinking about Him.

I would reduce entertainment and literature for all ages to sexually explicit debauchery.

I would put families at war with themselves, and neglect discipline in schools until there were drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door. Within a decade, I would have prisons overflowing.

I would reject hard work, patriotism and moral conduct. If I were the Devil, I would declare the Bible to be a myth, and convince the people that man created God instead of the other way around. I would evict God from the courthouse, the schoolhouse, and the houses of Congress. In His own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would divide the churches from within and would pit the religions against one another. I would make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle. If I were the Devil, I wouldn't have to convince you that I am real.

I would just have to convince you that He is not. If I were the Devil, I'd just keep on doing what he's doing." "Be sober (self-disciplined), be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5: 8-9)

Remember the Power of One. Young David, facing Goliath said, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty." (1 Samuel 17: 4-5)
If you are a believer, keep and nourish your faith - and pass it on to the next generation.
If you don't know God, today is a good day to discover the hope waiting to be found.

Serving God and Country,
Brad Henderson
Chaplain
Detachment of Texas
Sons of The American Legion

"WHAT DO YOU SAY?"

Remember when you were very young and someone did a kindness for you?

In my family, Mom would gently remind me to recall my manners and answer that question.

I knew what to say, and the magic words "THANK YOU!" would come to mind.

As we each grew and experienced more of life, we learned more words; words to ask for something, words to encourage, words to discourage, words to praise, words to admonish, words to investigate, words to express emotion, words to inspire, words to divide, and words to simply communicate. Sometimes, ordinary people, the brothers and sisters we care about, find themselves in extraordinary, overwhelming situations and life becomes a word search puzzle.

"Chaplain, I don't know what to say." Some of us are seasoned warriors of our faith, while others have not yet experienced Boot Camp.

We want to help, but we don't know how. Our SAL brother Wolf Laughing and his wife Dawn are facing a thousand unknowns and in their quiet times, the enemy may send feelings of helplessness and fear.

My belief tradition says that we serve the God of Hope. I remember the words of a popular Christian pop song, "Fear is a Liar" by Zach Williams.

"Oh fear, he is a liar!
He will take your breath,
Stop you in your steps.
Fear, he is a liar!
He will rob your rest,
Steal your happiness.
Cast your fear in the fire
'Cause fear, he is a liar!"

As my SAL brother and his wife face an extraordinary circumstance, I find myself saying,

"I don't know what to say, but I DO know how to pray." Prayer is the most powerful weapon that we can have when facing an adversary.

General Patton called prayer a "force multiplier". He believed in the power of God, who hears our prayers before they are even spoken.

"Chaplain, I'm not much on praying. I'm not sure how to start."

Jesus taught His disciples to pray beginning with, "Our Father..."

Prayer is a conversation with the One who considers each of us as His child, and we are equals in His eye.

We thank Him for our blessings, ask forgiveness for our wrongdoings, tell Him what we need, and ask that His will be done.

"I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry...and set my feet upon a rock anbd established my steps." (Psalm 40: 1-2)

We learn that faith is stronger than fear - because fear is a liar.

Our warrior brother and his lady need a force multiplier. Will you pray with me? Serving Him,

Brad Henderson
Chaplain
Detachment of Texas
Sons of The American Legion

"THE SEASON OF TRANSFORMATION"

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Ah, Autumn, when thoughts turn to the turning leaves of Vermont, and the Lost Maples area in the Hill Country of Texas! It's a time to celebrate the harvest, whether at the world-famous "Oktoberfest" in Munich, Germany, or at "Wurstfest", the celebration of sausage in New Braunfels. It's a time to reflect on the seasons of the year. Have you grown physically, mentally emotionally, or spiritually?

Now is the time to enjoy a slower pace of life. Have you taken the time to laugh?

In this season of thanksgiving, what are you thankful for? What good things have you seen?

What pleasant aromas (fresh-baked bread, flowers, etc.) will you remember from this year?

Have you experienced the touch of a loved one, or the handshake of a friend? What foods and flavors have you enjoyed?

I remember being fascinated by the busy lines of worker ants hauling their loads in and near the sidewalks of Colorado Springs. Animals prepare for the winter ahead by storing food, creating winter spaces, and migrating to warmer places. When we were in college in deep East Texas, I enjoyed watching the flight of the magnificent Canadian Snow Geese. Meanwhile, millions of Monarch butterflies journey 3,000 miles to their winter homes.

Autumn is a time for letting go. "Most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." (John 12:24)

Leaves and grains are metaphors for our life experiences. "Freddy the Leaf" by Leo Buscaglia, describes the life cycle of a leaf. It is an excellent tool for helping a young child understand about life and death.

Any life experience (changing jobs, graduation, retirement, loss of a loved one, etc.) can be a leaf or a grain. How can you and I prepare for the changing of our life seasons? First, slow down and evaluate your priorities.

STOP and breathe the fresh, morning air.

LOOK at the world around you. Take in the goodness and the wonder of creation!

LISTEN to the songs of the birds, the laughter of a child, the sounds of progress, and of worship.
Secondly, let go of your worries, fears, and pains from the past. Practice forgiveness.
Finally, embrace change. Adjust your schedule to include time for family, friends and if possible, service to others. Know that change is a part of the Good Lord's design. Consider that God may be using this time to develop you into the person He has called you to be.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

In this, the season of transformation, may you enjoy the beauty of creation, the warmth and fellowship of family and friends, and the blessings of the season.

Serving God and Country,
Brad Henderson
Chaplain
Detachment of Texas
Sons of The American Legion

It happened on a clear, sunny afternoon.

The long September school day had finally ended, and the kids were already thinking about what to do with the remainder of their time.

The big, yellow bus coasted to a halt, with the familiar lights flashing, and a retractable "STOP" sign bordered with blinking red bulbs, extended on the left side. As the ten-year-old stepped off the bus, a car traveling at full speed passed on the right side and hit him. The boy's lifeless body was hurled thirty feet. His five-year-old brother saw it all. Standing on the bottom step of the bus, he would have been the next child to alight.

Between 2000 and 2023, a total of 61 children and other pedestrians were killed when drivers illegally passed a stopped school bus. ONE is too many.

"His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant..." (Isaiah 56:10)

The prophet Isaiah wrote of watchmen, who were to warn the city of approaching danger. Those watchmen not on alert, would leave the people defenseless and unaware of approaching danger.

We are the watchmen of our young. Whether in the big city or on a country road, whether following or facing a school bus, STOP when its signals are displayed. The lives of defenseless children, who may be getting ON or OFF the bus, depend on it.

Serving God and Country,
Brad Henderson
Chaplain
Detachment of Texas
Sons of The American Legion

Good Morning,

Just a
courtesy note, to keep you informed. The Alamo Corps of the International Fellowship of Chaplains is awaiting clearance for possible deployment to the flood area (Kerrville, Comfort, Hunt). An "alert" means that we need to be ready for a future movement. Others can help with the property and help heal the body, but only a Chaplain can help heal the spirit.

Should that happen, I will deploy as part of a team of trained Chaplains, to provide "spiritual first aid" to those traumatized by the disaster. I would have my phone (for email and the Internet) with me. I can continue to address prayer needs from any location.

In the event that we deploy, I will keep you informed, including location and length of deployment. I will also alert Chaplain Ed Parnell, should the Detachment or Squadrons need other assistance while I am away.

Serving God and Country
Brad Henderson
Chaplain
Detachment of Texas
Sons of The American Legion