These posts are authored by Dave Seraphin, the Chaplain of Troop 41 in Sugar Grove, Illinois, unless otherwise noted.
The Last Letter of Baden-Powell - October 2019
My son has a framed letter of Robert Baden-Powell in his home that touched my heart and I would like to share it with you. Mr. Baden-Powell is the founding father of the Boy Scouts. I pray this letter will speak to you as it did to me.
“Dear Scouts,
If you have ever seen the play 'Peter Pan', you will remember how the pirate chief was always making his dying speech because he was afraid that possibly when the time came for him to die he might not have time to get it off his chest. It is much the same with me, and so although I am not at this moment dying, I shall be doing so one of these days and I want to send you a parting word of goodbye. Remember, it is the last you will ever hear from me, so think it over.
I have had a most happy life and I want each one of you to have as happy a life too. I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness doesn’t come from being rich, nor merely from being successful in your career, nor by self- indulgence.
One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so can enjoy life when you are a man. Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one.
But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best.
'Be prepared' in this way, to live happy and to die happy—stick to your Scout promise always —even after you have ceased to be a boy — and God help you to do it.
Your friend,
Robert Baden-Powell"
I hope this letter was a blessing to you.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
“Dear Scouts,
If you have ever seen the play 'Peter Pan', you will remember how the pirate chief was always making his dying speech because he was afraid that possibly when the time came for him to die he might not have time to get it off his chest. It is much the same with me, and so although I am not at this moment dying, I shall be doing so one of these days and I want to send you a parting word of goodbye. Remember, it is the last you will ever hear from me, so think it over.
I have had a most happy life and I want each one of you to have as happy a life too. I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness doesn’t come from being rich, nor merely from being successful in your career, nor by self- indulgence.
One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so can enjoy life when you are a man. Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one.
But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best.
'Be prepared' in this way, to live happy and to die happy—stick to your Scout promise always —even after you have ceased to be a boy — and God help you to do it.
Your friend,
Robert Baden-Powell"
I hope this letter was a blessing to you.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
A Scout is Kind . . . but it's not easy - December 2018
On the last camp out of 2018, I challenged the attending Scouts to make 2019 a special year by observing one “special point” of the Scout Law. Of course we are held accountable for all the law, yet I want scouts to have their “special point” to concentrate in 2019. The scouts learned on Saturday, that “A Scout is Kind” is my special point of the Law. I noticed some of the faces think that one point is sure easy.
It could be easy if they are nice to you. I was working with one of my therapists that was not nice to me. In fact, I personally believe she was downright mean. I told the scouts I think she ate rusty nails for breakfast. There were a few times I wanted to hide my Scout Shirt and give her a good verbal lashing. However, a Scout leader must set the example by obeying all the Scout Law, not just one or two points.
I eventually had to ask a former leader to offer me assistance because I couldn’t do it myself. Sometimes we need help of other people. This retired leader did that for me. In the end I did follow that point “A Scout is Kind”, but let me tell you it wasn’t easy. On my last day the therapist and I hugged each other and said goodbye. It is not always easy to follow the points of the law, but it does pay off in the long run.
Let’s make 2019 a great year by picking one point and concentrating on it. Next year when we gather around our campout Christmas table, we will all be able to share how we helped make 2019 a great year.
Have a happy and healthy New Year.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
It could be easy if they are nice to you. I was working with one of my therapists that was not nice to me. In fact, I personally believe she was downright mean. I told the scouts I think she ate rusty nails for breakfast. There were a few times I wanted to hide my Scout Shirt and give her a good verbal lashing. However, a Scout leader must set the example by obeying all the Scout Law, not just one or two points.
I eventually had to ask a former leader to offer me assistance because I couldn’t do it myself. Sometimes we need help of other people. This retired leader did that for me. In the end I did follow that point “A Scout is Kind”, but let me tell you it wasn’t easy. On my last day the therapist and I hugged each other and said goodbye. It is not always easy to follow the points of the law, but it does pay off in the long run.
Let’s make 2019 a great year by picking one point and concentrating on it. Next year when we gather around our campout Christmas table, we will all be able to share how we helped make 2019 a great year.
Have a happy and healthy New Year.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
The Importance of Prayer - 9/7/18
Last February 21st, while wintering in the State of Florida, I fell on a Pickleball court and hit my head. I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The doctors had to open my head a remove a clot the size of your palm and 3/4 of an inch thick. They were able to find the small vein that was leaking and cauterize it.
The reason they could find the small vein amongst so much blood was because many people were praying for me and believing that Jesus would save me. The doctors told my wife that I had a 3% chance of ever functioning like I used to do before my TBI. Those doctors didn't know the healing power of Jesus.
I had my own private Learjet (air ambulance) to transport me from Florida to Chicago. It took two hours and I was placed in my next hospital, the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, where I spent 5 weeks rehabilitating. After being discharged from the beautiful downtown lakefront of this Chicago hospital, I spent 9 weeks doing out-patient rehab, 3 days a week for 3 hours a day.
I am so thankful for the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab both in Chicago and in Burr Ridge, IL. However. I am really thankful and blessed by all the prayers said for me.
Today, I still use a walking stick and a device I used in the Sugar Grove 5K race this summer called a rollator walker. However, I also believe my health is back because of all the people interceding to God for me on my behalf.
God is always around us. He was with me, surrounding me with His grace. I was at perfect peace as His love and presence were there. Pray for your family, your mom, your dad, your brothers and sisters. (Don't forget your grandparents, too.)
What does "A.S.A.P." stand for? "Always Stop and Pray."
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
The reason they could find the small vein amongst so much blood was because many people were praying for me and believing that Jesus would save me. The doctors told my wife that I had a 3% chance of ever functioning like I used to do before my TBI. Those doctors didn't know the healing power of Jesus.
I had my own private Learjet (air ambulance) to transport me from Florida to Chicago. It took two hours and I was placed in my next hospital, the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, where I spent 5 weeks rehabilitating. After being discharged from the beautiful downtown lakefront of this Chicago hospital, I spent 9 weeks doing out-patient rehab, 3 days a week for 3 hours a day.
I am so thankful for the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab both in Chicago and in Burr Ridge, IL. However. I am really thankful and blessed by all the prayers said for me.
Today, I still use a walking stick and a device I used in the Sugar Grove 5K race this summer called a rollator walker. However, I also believe my health is back because of all the people interceding to God for me on my behalf.
God is always around us. He was with me, surrounding me with His grace. I was at perfect peace as His love and presence were there. Pray for your family, your mom, your dad, your brothers and sisters. (Don't forget your grandparents, too.)
What does "A.S.A.P." stand for? "Always Stop and Pray."
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
Scout Sunday 2018 - 2/4/18
Being an old scout leader, I enjoy reading old Boy Scout Handbooks. In the very first Scout Handbook, published in 1911, (by the way - this was not my Handbook that I personally used as a scout) on page 250 it states, “The Boy Scouts of America maintain that no boy can grow into the best kind of citizenship without recognizing his obligation to God.”
It goes on to state, “The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe, and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings is necessary to the best type of citizenship and is a wholesome thing in the education of the growing boy.” I personally believe those words hold true today, 107 years later.
On this Scout Sunday let us gather together as brother Scouts and Scouters to worship this great God who created the universe and then created you and me in His image. We were created to pay homage to this God not only in this life but throughout all eternity.
Let us attend our house of worship together in the Spirit. Let us pray on that Sunday for our Scoutmaster and all the Scouters of the Troop that God would direct Scout Troops in 2018 to give Him the glory.
As the psalmist states, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge” (Ps. 62:7). The Scout Oath states, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God”. Let us do our duty to this Great God as we worship together on this Scout Sunday 2018.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
It goes on to state, “The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe, and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings is necessary to the best type of citizenship and is a wholesome thing in the education of the growing boy.” I personally believe those words hold true today, 107 years later.
On this Scout Sunday let us gather together as brother Scouts and Scouters to worship this great God who created the universe and then created you and me in His image. We were created to pay homage to this God not only in this life but throughout all eternity.
Let us attend our house of worship together in the Spirit. Let us pray on that Sunday for our Scoutmaster and all the Scouters of the Troop that God would direct Scout Troops in 2018 to give Him the glory.
As the psalmist states, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge” (Ps. 62:7). The Scout Oath states, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God”. Let us do our duty to this Great God as we worship together on this Scout Sunday 2018.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
Physically Fit - 8/2/17
The Scout Oath states, “to keep myself physically strong”. According to the Scout Handbook, “Taking care of your body prepares you for a lifetime of great adventures.” The Bible also encourages us that taking care of our body is a spiritual discipline like prayer, going to church, or reading and studying God’s Word.
A minister once stated that the Bible embraces three incredibly important truths about keeping physically strong:
1. God made your body. Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
2. Jesus paid for your body. The Bible says, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God? You don’t belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
3. The Holy Spirit lives in your body. If you’re a Christian (a follower of Jesus), the Bible says your body is God’s temple and that His Spirit lives in you (1 Corinthians 3:16). Being physically strong is one way you take care of God’s Temple.
As Scouts and Christians, we need to eat properly, get plenty of rest, and exercise regularly. Taking care of your physical body is one way to honor God. Let us worship this God who made us and loves us by keeping physically strong.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
A minister once stated that the Bible embraces three incredibly important truths about keeping physically strong:
1. God made your body. Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
2. Jesus paid for your body. The Bible says, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God? You don’t belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
3. The Holy Spirit lives in your body. If you’re a Christian (a follower of Jesus), the Bible says your body is God’s temple and that His Spirit lives in you (1 Corinthians 3:16). Being physically strong is one way you take care of God’s Temple.
As Scouts and Christians, we need to eat properly, get plenty of rest, and exercise regularly. Taking care of your physical body is one way to honor God. Let us worship this God who made us and loves us by keeping physically strong.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
Fidget Spinners . . . or Something More? - 7/2/17
The latest toy craze among young people today are fidget spinners. A fidget spinner is a small, rotating device that was originally designed to help children cope with anxiety, ADHD and Autism. However, now many people enjoy the sensory effects of fidget spinners.
The most common one is the tri-spinner ranging in price from $5 to $20, available at most stores. The more expensive ones have better bearings and overall better construction. Users of the spinners may hold them in one hand and use the other hand to spin it or hold it in the same hand and just flick it to spin it. Some fidget spinners have changing colors as they rotate.
The centrifugal force, along with the visual stimulation of the rotating device can provide a calming effect on the human mind, which is something we need in a world where many people are stressed out and overstimulated by technology.
I enjoy seeing the expressions on the young folks’ faces when they see an old man playing with a fidget spinner. I approach this object as a spiritual symbol rather than just a toy. The tri-spinner has 3 holes representing the Holy Trinity: one for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Spirit. When spinning, you cannot identify one hole from another, just as you cannot identify which figure of the Holy Trinity is working in your life.
The centrifugal force is representative of God’s Spirit moving in and around a person. The colors of the spinner represent the beauty of our God that surrounds us daily. The spinning reminds me to pray to this great God who loves us and who is alive in this crazy world we inhabit.
Instead of a fidget spinner, I labeled this a “CPW” or a “Christian Prayer Wheel”. People have used tangible objects like beads to pray with in the past, such as Buddhist Prayer Beads, Catholic Rosaries, and Protestant Prayer Beads. These are all used to help us while we communicate to an invisible God, so why not a spinner?
So the next time you see a person with a fidget spinner and conclude they might have ADHD, remember they just might be communicating with God. By the way, how is your personal prayer life? Remember, a Scout is Reverent.
~ Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
The most common one is the tri-spinner ranging in price from $5 to $20, available at most stores. The more expensive ones have better bearings and overall better construction. Users of the spinners may hold them in one hand and use the other hand to spin it or hold it in the same hand and just flick it to spin it. Some fidget spinners have changing colors as they rotate.
The centrifugal force, along with the visual stimulation of the rotating device can provide a calming effect on the human mind, which is something we need in a world where many people are stressed out and overstimulated by technology.
I enjoy seeing the expressions on the young folks’ faces when they see an old man playing with a fidget spinner. I approach this object as a spiritual symbol rather than just a toy. The tri-spinner has 3 holes representing the Holy Trinity: one for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Spirit. When spinning, you cannot identify one hole from another, just as you cannot identify which figure of the Holy Trinity is working in your life.
The centrifugal force is representative of God’s Spirit moving in and around a person. The colors of the spinner represent the beauty of our God that surrounds us daily. The spinning reminds me to pray to this great God who loves us and who is alive in this crazy world we inhabit.
Instead of a fidget spinner, I labeled this a “CPW” or a “Christian Prayer Wheel”. People have used tangible objects like beads to pray with in the past, such as Buddhist Prayer Beads, Catholic Rosaries, and Protestant Prayer Beads. These are all used to help us while we communicate to an invisible God, so why not a spinner?
So the next time you see a person with a fidget spinner and conclude they might have ADHD, remember they just might be communicating with God. By the way, how is your personal prayer life? Remember, a Scout is Reverent.
~ Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
The True Meaning of Easter - 3/1/17
If I were to ask that question to Scouts in Troop 41, some might answer, "It's baskets filled with chocolate bunnies", or "coloring hard boiled eggs for a floppy-eared rabbit to hide", or my favorite, "a whole lot of brightly colored Peeps".
The Easter story really begins with a baby born in Bethlehem by the name of Jesus. According to the Bible, this Jesus is the only one who can bridge the gap between a righteous God and a fallen human race. He was born so that we may have a personal relationship with this Holy God. He paid the price for your sins and my sins (Yes, Scout leaders do sin!) when He died on the cross on that first Good Friday. Sin is anything that turns us away from God. However, He did not remain dead. He rose from the grave on Easter Sunday and conquered the devil and sin once and for all. Today, we can enjoy God personally, if we ask Him to come into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
So enjoy those chocolate bunnies, the brightly colored eggs, and those wonderfully tasty Peeps. Jesus has risen from the grave so that we may have eternal life.
Happy Easter to the scouts and their families of Troop 41.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
The Easter story really begins with a baby born in Bethlehem by the name of Jesus. According to the Bible, this Jesus is the only one who can bridge the gap between a righteous God and a fallen human race. He was born so that we may have a personal relationship with this Holy God. He paid the price for your sins and my sins (Yes, Scout leaders do sin!) when He died on the cross on that first Good Friday. Sin is anything that turns us away from God. However, He did not remain dead. He rose from the grave on Easter Sunday and conquered the devil and sin once and for all. Today, we can enjoy God personally, if we ask Him to come into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
So enjoy those chocolate bunnies, the brightly colored eggs, and those wonderfully tasty Peeps. Jesus has risen from the grave so that we may have eternal life.
Happy Easter to the scouts and their families of Troop 41.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? - 12/1/17
This is the time of the year when we can say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas". Some say that to be politically correct, the former is the proper greeting. However, let's take a closer look at what this time of year is all about anyway.
On December 25th the world remembers the birth of a Jewish baby by the name of Jesus in a small town of Bethlehem. The baby, according to the Bible, is God's son incarnate in a human body. Jesus entered our world not like a human, but as a human. The Bible states He was not only a sinless man but a Messiah and Savior of man's eternal soul.
Christmas begins what Easter celebrates. A child born in a barn, laid in the cradle became the King of the cross. In the darkest time of the year, He is the light of the world. Christmas is about Jesus the Christ (Messiah or Redeemer). This season isn't about "Santa-mas" or "shopping-mas" or "reindeer-mas", but "Christ-mas". Christmas is more than just a holiday; it is a Holy Day. Let's recognize the birth of the King, King of Kings by wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas" for Jesus is the reason for the season.
A very Merry Christmas to all Troop 41 Scouts and their families.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
On December 25th the world remembers the birth of a Jewish baby by the name of Jesus in a small town of Bethlehem. The baby, according to the Bible, is God's son incarnate in a human body. Jesus entered our world not like a human, but as a human. The Bible states He was not only a sinless man but a Messiah and Savior of man's eternal soul.
Christmas begins what Easter celebrates. A child born in a barn, laid in the cradle became the King of the cross. In the darkest time of the year, He is the light of the world. Christmas is about Jesus the Christ (Messiah or Redeemer). This season isn't about "Santa-mas" or "shopping-mas" or "reindeer-mas", but "Christ-mas". Christmas is more than just a holiday; it is a Holy Day. Let's recognize the birth of the King, King of Kings by wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas" for Jesus is the reason for the season.
A very Merry Christmas to all Troop 41 Scouts and their families.
~Mr. Dave Seraphin
Chaplain, Sugar Grove Troop 41
Development of outlook naturally begins with a respect for God.
-Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the World Scouting Movement