by khurst2@gmail.com | Aug 1, 2022 | Chaplain, News
Proverbs 18:21 (English Standard Version)
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
Parents and guardians have the crucial responsibility of being the first prophets in the lives of children, especially in this age of social media where there are influences coming from every direction. Building a child up must start at home. What are we prophesying over our children? Are we building them up or are we tearing them down? Are we speaking life or death over our children? Parents must be the first ones to speak positive words of affirmation over their children or else they will go out into the world seeking validation from people who may not have their best interests at heart.
We casually say, “Have a blessed day.” But I wonder if we grasp the importance of what it means to bless someone. Blessings were important in the Bible. In the Bible it is common for the parents to speak blessings over their children. The greatest patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all blessed their children. “To be blessed” meant ‘to be favored by God’…Thus to express a blessing is like bestowing a wish on someone that they will experience the favor of God.”[1] So when you tell someone to have a blessed day, you are really telling them that you want them to experience the favor of God during their day.
In the Bible, when parents bless their children, they are speaking God’s favor over their lives. These blessings chart the course for their children’s lives. These parents knew what world they were sending their children into. They knew the world could be rough and is filled with many negative influences. Therefore, parents made sure that they had the greatest influence over their children. Their children knew who they were, who they were descended from, and who they were destined to be so that they could lead successful lives.
But not only were these parents speaking God’s favor over these children, they were instilling a warrior mentality in them as well as holding them accountable for their actions. One of the most prominent blessings is in Genesis 49 when Jacob blessed his 12 sons:
“All these were the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.”[2]
Jacob was very specific to each son giving each a custom blessing. And each son went on to fulfill the destiny spoken over them by their father.
There are hurting people out there who need someone to prophesy good things over them. Your words could change the entire direction of someone’s life. Speak life today. Prophesy over someone. You never know, God could be using you to change the entire trajectory of someone else’s life.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessing
[2] Genesis 49:28
by khurst2@gmail.com | Jul 30, 2022 | News, Presidents Msg
Greetings NNOA! I am honored and humbled to serve as your 25th President. The goal of my first message is simply to say thank you and congratulations to each of you. As our week of celebrating, communicating, commemorating, and reinvigorating proved, we’ve established a solid foundation on which to continue building on our 50-year legacy of inspiring excellence. A special “thank you” also goes to former President, RADM Sinclair Harris, and his Board of Directors for keeping us on track for unprecedented success.
NNOA’s imperative to make a difference has been clear since being founded in 1972 and we will stay on our journey while expanding partnerships with like-minded organizations. Our dedication to mentoring, coaching, and advocating for a stronger and more diverse officer corps in the Sea Services remains the same and it’s our collective responsibility to seek innovative ways to get better.
Lastly, I look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new leaders during my upcoming travels to local chapters. I will periodically communicate any changes to guidance, as needed, but as for now, maintain course and increase speed as we forge into the future. We remain stronger together, so let’s get to back to work!
by khurst2@gmail.com | Jul 6, 2022 | News
Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced awards to 60 minority-serving institutions totaling $28.5 million as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 DoD Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MSI) Research and Education Program. Awards ranging up to $600,000 will support the acquisition of research and scientific equipment at 17 HBCUs, 41 MSIs, and two tribal colleges. The award recipients represent 43 institutions across 20 states and the District of Columbia.
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by khurst2@gmail.com | May 10, 2022 | News, Presidents Msg
From the Desk of the President
Please join me in support of a great program designed to increase diversity in STEM, specifically CYBER. Major Luke Wright, USMC (Retired) is leading an outstanding program at Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC) in Washington D.C. With a very diverse and inclusive Naval Junior ROTC program that has sent several young men and women into commissioning programs, it is truly inspirational to see how young lives are being changed daily. Please consider supporting Major Wright’s students so they can attend a 3D Printer Camp run by the Cyber Bytes Foundation.
The cost for the 3D printer camp is $3,000 per cadet and the cost for the build your PC camp is $2,000 per cadet. These costs include all materials which the students get to take home, meals, and lodging for the week. The camp starts the 3rd week of July 2022. Funding is required 30 days prior NLT June 18.
CHEC NJROTC would like to send 6-8 students to one of these camps. The 3D printer camp is the preferred camp. Students are using school issued tablets/devices in school and their smartphones most of the time. Due to the access to other online mediums, they may not use the desktops they built again after camp; however, the 3D printer gives students the ability to build, create, and design assets they didn’t have the capability to do previously. The 3D printer connects well with arts, medical advancements, engineering, automotive industry, toy industry and much more. CHEC NJROTC appreciates any support that can be provided to develop our cadets into tomorrow’s leaders and innovators.
Please go to the Cyber Bytes Foundation link below and specify “This donation is for Major Luke Wright’s Navy JROTC / CHEC campers” in the memo block.
https://cyberbytesfoundation.org/donate/
Very respectfully,
Sinclair Harris
RADM USN Retired
