Religion Today: Every Day Carry – Six Essentials
Guest Writer Spotlight: Every Day Carry: Six Essentials – By Richard Lewis
How many times have you been away from home and needed a simple tool like a flashlight, pocketknife or screwdriver? I can remember running into a problem or trying to help out someone else and wishing I had stuck one of those items in my pocket.
I was recently the facilitator of a Ham Radio group discussion about Every Day Carry (EDC) items. Now if you are not familiar with the idea of EDC these would be the items that you might want to carry in your pocket or purse every day.
For most people this might be a handful of small items like a pocket knife, a flashlight or small multi-tool. Some people carry a number of items right down to band-aids, aspirin, spare glasses screws and duct tape.
That day on the Ham Radio discussion we came up with a list of 123 possible items you might want to carry around to be able to handle any situation. It would take a pretty big pocket or purse to have all those items with you but you would be prepared for almost anything!
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It made me consider, what are the Every Day Carry items that I take with me in a spiritual sense? What are the take along items that need to go with me each day so I am prepared for any situation?
The first thing I take with me is the remembrance of how faithful God has been to me in the past. It is easy to forget God’s past faithfulness when I face today’s difficulties. I need to recall all the times of His faithfulness to me and realize that He is my proven Provider and Protector.
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
The second thing I take with me is a burden of prayer for those I have ministered to over the years. I know where some of them are and how they are doing and others I have no idea. I still think of them and lift them up to the Lord. Each day I can take a moment to remember them and ask God to continue to bless and protect them.
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The third thing in my every day carry pocket is compassion and loving prayers for those around me in my family, church or others who are in need or are suffering physical difficulty. It seems in this imperfect world there are many who suffer all kinds of problems. Some need employment, some are struggling with addictions, while others need God’s grace for back problems, cancer, COPD, Covid or other conditions.
James 5:15-16 15 “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
The fourth thing that I carry with me is my Ambassadorship. If I am an Ambassador for Christ that should impact what I say and what I do because when people look to me I may be the only representative of Jesus they will see today. That is, indeed, a sobering thought.
Ephesians 6:19-20 “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
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The fifth thing that I carry with me is the acknowledgment of God’s Holiness. It took only one sin for Adam and Eve to be cast out of Eden. It took only one sin to keep God’s chosen people from entering the Promised Land. I must remember that sin has consequences. Each one of us can choose our sin but we can’t choose the high priced consequences that will be certain to follow.
Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
The sixth and final thing that I carry with me is the delegated power of Jesus Christ. That is the power of His resurrection and the power of His blood that was shed for you and for me. While Satan is a defeated foe, he still tries to install fear and doubt in our hearts. He is s roaring lion but through the power of Jesus we are overcomers.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
So, I would encourage you to consider what every day carry spiritual tools you are going to take with you each day. Let us be prepared.
Richard Lewis is a graduate of Arizona State University (Advertising) and California Baptist University (Computer Information Systems). Richard and his wife Sue met while they served as staff members at Campus Crusade for Christ for 8 years in the 1970’s. Richard served in the Campus Ministry at University of Texas at El Paso, Louisiana Tech and at the International Headquarters in San Bernardino, California.
Following their ministry in Campus Crusade Richard was the owner and manager of a bicycle shop in Riverside California for 19 years. After retraining in the computer field at California Baptist University, Richard worked as a Information Systems contractor and employee at Boeing for 17 years. Richard has written over 150 published articles in Information Systems and Computing publications including Windows Magazine and Windows Scripting Solutions. Richard has served in a leadership role as a Deacon and Elder in several churches as well as being a meditation presenter and Men’s Ministry coordinator.
Richard has written hundreds of meditations and devotionals that have been used in church and small group meetings. Many of these have been published in The Upper Room and Racers For Christ publications and on their web sites.
In 2021 Richard published a collection of his devotionals. These are available in a Kindle and paperback format on Amazon (ISBN 979-8705738878) “Life Stories to Uplift and Encourage”.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
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