Let's face it, if you are reading this right now you are most likely balancing school while working a full-time job, trying to be a good spouse, parent, citizen, church member, school board member, homemaker, lunch maker, bill payer, and no doubt the list goes on, all while hoping in the midst of it all to have a couple free minutes to catch your breath. Even then, those free moments are filled with raging thoughts of "what I need to be doing next!" Well, the last thing you need is another chore on your plate but if you have found this little corner of the SWU website then perhaps you may be seeking an article on maintaining proper life balance, making time for self-care or maybe just a word of encouragement.
Below you will find some helpful resources that may bring a bit of refreshment to your week. Our online chaplain is available to walk this educational journey with you and provide support in these challenging months. Feel free to contact Mike Shannon via email, give him a call during office hours 8:00am - 4:30pm at 864-644-5032. You can also access an online chat window at the bottom right of this page.
Blessings be upon you as you navigate this admirable pursuit of higher learning!
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Emergency Services
Crisis Text Line – crisistextline.org/ | 741-741
Suicide Prevention - suicidepreventionlifeline.org/# | 800-273-8255
Suicide Hotlines for South Carolina by county - suicide.org/hotlines/south-carolina-suicide-hotlines.html
Veterans’ Transition Guide
National Alliance on Mental Illness – nami.org/Find-Support/Veterans-and-Active-Duty
Military One Source – militaryonesource.mil/ | 800-342-9647
Upstate Warrior Solution – upstatewarriorsolution.org/
Palmetto Warrior Connection – palmettowarriorconnection.org/
Mike Shannon came to Southern Wesleyan University as the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Student Life and one of the Campus Chaplains. He is currently a Co-Director of the Warrior CARE center and the Online Chaplain. Previously, Mike was the Air Force Special Operations Command Deputy Command Chaplain at Hurlburt Field, Florida before retiring in May of 2020. In this capacity, he advised and assisted the AFSOC Commander and the Command Chaplain on matters related to religious, spiritual, ethical, moral, and morale concerns and provided policies toward meeting the diverse spiritual needs of 19 thousand military members, family members and authorized personnel throughout the command.
As an ethical adviser and leader to the AFSOC Commander he was handpicked to represent AFSOC to the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to provide input and develop a top to bottom analysis of Special Operations in ethical training and better prepare warriors for conduct becoming of our formations.
Mike served the United States honorably for nearly 40 years in the Army (beginning in 1980 with the infantry) and Army National Guard prior to entering the Air Force. Chaplain Shannon entered the Air Force as a 1st Lt in January 2000. Prior to entering the Air Force Mike graduated from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity with Emphasis in Biblical Languages. Mike also served six years as a pastor in Hudsonville, Michigan.
Mike is married to Imelda Shannon; they have two grown children and four grandchildren. Besides spending time with his family and grandchildren Mike loves to read, study, think, hike, hunt, fish, and watch the Kansas City Chiefs.
(Current as of January 2024)
You then, my child, be strengthened (ἐνδυναμοῦ Present Middle Imperative—be strong, be strengthened, with the imperative we might even say, “fight to endure!”) by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men[and women], who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering (συγκακοπάθησον Aorist Active Imperative—take on hardship, partake in the suffering, “do the hard training”) as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes (ἀθλῇ--is inflected, endures, or suffers in training in order to contend or engage in a contest) according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops… 15 Do your best (σπούδασον Aorist Active Imperative—“be willing to endure,” “be diligent”) to present yourself to God as one approved, (δόκιμος—after some sort of test, or tried, it is approved)[1] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth[2]” (2 Timothy 2.1-6, & 15)
In the 1996 summer Olympics, sprinter Michael Johnson set records in the 200- and 400-meter races. To do so he had trained for some ten years to cut a mere second or two from his time. In Slaying the Dragon, he writes:
“Success is found in much smaller portions than most people realize. A hundredth of a second here or sometimes a tenth of a second there can determine the fastest man in the world. At times we live our lives on a paper-thin edge that barely separates greatness from mediocrity and success from failure.
The famous preacher, Craig Bian Larson, states, “Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter: long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best.”
Sometimes it’s hard to see the value of those long stretches of training/testing/disciplined practices and hard work. Yet it will make the difference between success and failure when we’re called upon to “sprint for our lives” in a crisis. As many warriors know, the long stretches of training can be difficult at times, and some may even ask, “why go through all of this?” That is, until it’s time to go into combat and then it makes the difference in the world. Then it about life and death.
The Apostle Paul finds himself in prison and facing the very real possibility of his life, as he knows it, ending very soon. Yet, Paul has this very young protégé, Timothy, he wants to leave his final thoughts with and his final words of encouragement. Timothy is young and is the leader of the church at Ephesus (a pastor) where there are some issues he, as a leader must face. As a leader he cannot turn a blind eye to, nor "sweep them under the rug" but he must address them head on, to include addressing those who are mishandling or even twisting the scriptures. A Christian leader ought to be disciplined to handle such situations. What about those periods of spiritual fitness training? What about those times we ought to devote ourselves to strengthening our faith, our love and loyalty to Jesus Christ? The times to practice the “spiritual disciplines” that strengthen our relationship with God? We may fail to see the value of such spiritual disciplines as worship, daily prayer and bible study, memorization, and meditation on the Scripture. But they will give us the spiritual edge to survive the temptations of mediocrity, tragedy, and crises that come our way. In the Scripture the Lord said, “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise, temptation will overpower you.” (Matthew 26:41, The Living Bible).
APPLICATION:
PRAYER: Dear Lord, in my quest for spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical fitness (being a whole person) as I pursue excellence as a student and as a professional, help me to also pursue what You have for me so as to flourish as You have always intended. Strengthen my faith and my relationship with You, so that when tested or tempted with mediocrity I will always choose You and Your best for me. Amen.
[1] See Roman 14.18 “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.” It can even mean something like “genuine,” see 1 Corinthians 11.19 “for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine (δόκιμοι) among you may be recognized.” This may be best seen in James 1.12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trials (or “who perseveres under trial” NASB or “when tested”), for when he has stood the test (δόκιμος or “once he has been approved” NASB) he will receive the crown of life …” According to Donald Barnhouse, "In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until liquid, poured into molds and allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft, and of course many people shaved them closely. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens to stop the practice of whittling down the coins then in circulation. But some moneychangers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money; they were men of honor who put only genuine, full-weight money into circulation. Such men were called dokimos, and this word is used here for the Christian as he is to be seen by the world." (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Romans: God's Glory, p. 18.)
[2] “Rightly handling the word of truth” The word, “rightly” (ὀρθοτομέω or “accurately”) is a figure of speech that literally means something like “cutting a straight road.” In regard to the word (λόγος) of truth (ἀληθείας), it means “correctly handling” or “imparting it without alteration, discrepancy, deviation, or variation.”
[3] Peter Hollin’s I think, makes an important point from his book, The Science of Self-Discipline, when he seems to indicate that motivation is somewhat of a lie, while discipline is the truth. Hollins believes that motivation is unreliable. We typically wait for motivation to hit us and do some sort of magic over us that will suddenly make us more productive. But motivation fades. Discipline, however, doesn’t depend on how you feel—it’s about what you do, regardless of your mood. Someone like me, can easily reflect over the years and remember how many times I’ve excused myself by saying, ”I don’t feel like it today.” The book makes it clear: If you only act when you feel inspired, you’ll never get anywhere. Discipline means acting despite your feelings.