Mike is currently on the Board with All Things Possible Medical Fundraising (www.AllThingsPossible.org). A non-profit designed to help families in need of wheelchair accessible vehicles.
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Mike Sexton www.facebook.com/MikeSextonNC
All Things Possible Medical Fundraising (www.AllThingsPossible.org) www.facebook.com/ATPMin
Carolina Region Coalition of Men’s Ministries www.facebook.com/GodsCarolinaMen
Connect on LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mike-sexton/5/69b/b29
From international travels to sharing his faith to events in his own backyard, Mike captures the heart of the issue on this blog (http://MikeSextonNC.com).
Those who have question about the dialogues can ask them at the blog site and Mike will respond.
As we come to a close of another year it always prompts us to reflect on the year we are stepping out of.
2023 has been another amazing year for me. There have been more highlights than not like; 31 of marriage (a miracle in itself), my 67th birthday, I am still working a full time job and volunteering on a number of fronts.
I’m a lucky man having Lisa in my life the past 32 years. It’s a miracle!
My favorite part of this process is how God reminds us how much He loves us. I don’t know about you, but I’m lucky to be alive with some of the crazy things I’ve done in the past.
Looking forward to this next year God is telling me He wants to gives us #MoreIn2024.
More provision like He did by feeding 5,000 people with five small loaves of bread and a couple of little fish. More grace and mercy which we never deserve and more love than we can ever imagine.
What does He want in return?
Our fellowship. More time with Him. A few minutes a day in prayer so He can hear our hearts.
He wants to make Himself available to us so we can rely on him when the journey gets rough. And it will get rough.
The sacrifice that little boy made in John 6:9 must have been really tough giving up his lunch, but look… his sacrifice God used to bless thousands and that kid is still remembered. God used him as an example of what God’s favor can look like.
That kid didn’t get any accolades, but his heart was innocent and he simply wanted to please his Lord.
Are you willing to give up your lunch so God can use you? Give up a few minutes of your day so God can speak with you?
Jesus wants to give us so much more in 2024. Are you willing to slow down enough to hear from Him? Are you ready for what blessings God has planned for you?
I don’t know about you but I find myself taking some things for granted. I tend to forget how blessed my life is until God says, “Wait a minute.”
One major blessing is that I work for an airline as a Gate Agent boarding and deplaning passengers on flights.
A huge benefit of working for the airlines is having a fleet of airplanes at your disposal to go anywhere they fly. I mean anywhere.
Domestic flights are free and international flights have tariffs upon return. Charlotte to Dublin, for example, costs $41.
When I say I’m blessed, I mean… I am blessed.
Flying for free has it’s set of challenges that are just a part of the adventure. You cannot set concrete plans because you have to fly on standby.
Most trips are pretty straight forward since you plan your flights based on how many seats are available.
Last night flying to Chicago (ORD) proved to be extra challenging.
I listed myself on a flight at 5:00pm that was tight with only four seats open. After checking in the night before I was number 3 on the list.
When I got to the gate one hour before the flight, I was number 12. Needless to say I did not get a seat on that flight.
After rolling over to the next flight I was number 11 with only six seats open. It appeared grim until the size of the aircraft was swapped out for a larger plane.
Suddenly there were plenty of open seats and the Agents presented me a boarding pass. I thought, “Great! I’m on my way.”
When I scanned my boarding pass the screen turned red with the message, “Your seat assignment has been changed.” The Agent apologized and shared that due to the upgraded aircraft many more passengers were booked but never checked in. “Oh, so close.”
I moved onto to the gate of my third flight. This time I had a two hour gap before it was scheduled to board, so I went to grab a bite to eat. I wondered if it was worth the effort at this point. Should I really wait two more hour only to be rejected? Again?
When I got to my new gate I was now four seats away from winning the trip to see my sister. I was not optimistic thinking I might have to retry in the morning.
Now I realized that the worst thing I could do in this situation was reveal my frustration. Instead I smiled and said thanks and went to the corner of the waiting area.
Miraculously as the flight was about to close I was summoned to board. “Yes!” I almost thought out loud. I had a seat.
I was thrilled but felt a little guilty knowing that someone lost their seat due to a delayed connecting flight.
I climbed aboard and upon arriving at my seat the row was filled. Apparently I was mistakenly assigned a seat already occupied.
This happens more than people realize. I have been seated before only to have a revenue passenger show up forcing me off the plane.
As I did a u-turn to head back off the plane I was thinking this is what it feels like for a salmon swimming upstream.
Again my fortune changed when the Agent said, “Mike. You’re now in 16F.”
I was relieved but the cruel reality struck me when a passenger behind me was removed from the flight since he boarded later than me. Wow! That was close. Poor guy.
I wasn’t absolutely certain my fortune was for real until I heard the doors close. Then the plane backed away from the gate. I was truly on my way.
I am blessed to have a job I love that allows me to take a trip on a moment’s notice. Thank you Lord for Your favor.
Do you realize how blessed and highly favored you are? God wants to fulfill the desires of your heart. He loves to see you smiling.
April Fools’ Day 2022 started like any other day. I didn’t even think about pranks or practical jokes.
When I got out of the shower a massive headache emerged. Throbbing and pulsating.
I don’t get headaches so I thought, “This is weird.”
My next thought wandered through, “is this what a migraine feels like?” And “Do I have an aneurysm erupting?” “I am 66 years old and there is a history of strokes in my family.”
I said to Lisa, my wife, we need to get this checked. Off we went to the nearest Urgent Care. They almost immediately said, “Go to the ER!”
The Emergency Room Doctor ordered a CT Scan and confirmed I was experiencing a brain bleed. “What?!”
They then ordered transport to their Main campus since it was a trauma center.
As they put me in an ambulance I was thinking, “Is this a joke?”
Well… no. I spent the next five days in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to what the Physicians called a “Spontaneous Brain Bleed.”
I spent nine days over the first eleven days of April in the hospital.
I really didn’t feel it was that big a deal. The headaches caused by the blood draining was excruciating, but I felt fine otherwise.
Today, exactly one year later, it is as if it never happened. Like a bad April Fool prank.
Through all of it I knew God had me. I trusted Him that He knew what He was doing.
My perspective changed through this. I no longer take my life for granted. Every day is a gift. I thank God for what He is planning for me today.
Embrace your time on earth. Each day is not guaranteed. Each moment is a blessing.
The really cool thing is that God want us to be a part of His plans. He doesn’t need us. He want us.
Praise God.
Now, April Fool’s Day 2023, I am thinking, “Ok Lord. What are You up to today and how can I help?”
There are many types of leaders and most must take time away to be refreshed to continue the charge.
As men, we tend to think we have things under control. We don’t know how to ask for help.
This holds true for many men in Christian leadership, as well. We feel if God called us to lead men He must clearly trusts us meaning we need to suck it up when we get weary.
He tells us, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others .” (Philippians 2:4) With that can promote a lot of pressure. If not careful, we can tend to take on others’ burdens.
God also reminds us to, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We tend to put others’ needs before our own.
We forget that Jesus periodically went off on His own to pray. He took time for rest and reflection so He could continue His mission.
When tending to your sheep “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.“ (Philippians 2:3) I know you are doing just that. I simply want to remind you to take care of yourself too.
Jesus also instructs us to, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)
It’s okay to rest gentlemen. Jesus says to us, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31)
God has you! “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Let’s not forget to lift each other up and ask for encouragement when we need it.
I thank God for you men. Just knowing you are out there leading other men helps me know I’m not alone. You aren’t either.
I thank God we have each other. I will be praying for you.
February 19, 1993 I surrendered my life to Christ. That is more than thirty years ago. Wow! How time flies.
How? I went to a men’s retreat. Hungover. Yes. I was a big drinker. For more than twenty years before my surrender I drowned my fears and failures with alcohol.
I had totaled three cars in those twenty years and I was court ordered to Driving School twice due to multiple DUIs.
It was only through God’s grace that I did not kill myself. Or worse. Killed someone else.
The miracle in my surrender was how Jesus immediately took my addiction away and He set me free through His grace.
I was now longer desiring beer which was my alcohol of choice. I was able to drink it, but I found myself only getting halfway through. I no longer felt it was a sin to walk away.
My insecurities were still intact, but I was no longer able to numb my pain with a six pack.
In its place God put a five pack of men in my path. Geoff, Bud, Jim, John and Tony all encouraged me and walked me through bible verses giving me the courage to walk with Jesus. Pretty soon I was sipping on His Word every day and growing in confidence.
It was God’s grace and love through this band of brothers that I have a relationship with Jesus today.
Thank you Jesus and thank you to the men that invited me thirty years ago to that Men’s Retreat.
It is because of you five men that today I pray every man finds a brother in Christ to walk this journey with. Jesus wants you #freein23
Men… there is no reason for anyone to fly solo. God wants you as a pivotal part of His plan. He doesn’t want to see you get picked off in the dark.
I surrendered my life to Christ on February 19, 1993. I showed up at a men’s retreat hung over and God freed me from alcohol that night. He did not free me from numerous other addictions. For reasons He knows better than I do. Most likely to insure I never forget that He loves me and wants me to always rely on Him.
Lord. Thank you for Your promise to give us rest. I am weary from trying to face my fears on my own.
Please help me face the demons in my life that I have been tolerating for as long as I can remember. Demons that I have allowed to derail Your plans for me. Teach me to leave them at the foot of your cross. And leave them there.
Thank you Lord for Your promise to preserve us in Matthew 11:28 telling us, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Thank you Jesus for Your invitation to learn from You and Your promise that Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light.
Thank you Jesus for inviting me to come to You. Not to religion. But to You so You can teach me Your ways. Amen
Scripture
Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29
Reflection
All of us need rest, and Jesus promises to give it to us when we find our rest in Him. He will not scold us for being weak or scorn us for being foolish. He promises to gently and humbly refresh our weary souls. The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible
Breakdown
What Kind of Rest Does Jesus Give? Desiring God
Prayer/Meditation
Guided Prayer & Meditation. Matthew 11:28-30 The Meeting Place
A collaboration of men have come together to author a book entitled The T.E.A.M. Character & Integrity of Manhood.
Each author contributes a chapter capturing their personal journeys into manhood. Each with a unique perspective, yet all with a common goal; to help other men (especially young men) understand we are not designed to go it alone.
This book also is designed to help women see what a man of character looks like and gives them a glimpse into the heart of men with integrity.
Amazon will release the book online today at a discounted rate of just $2.99 between the hours of 11:00AM and 6:00PM as a download for Kindle readers.
I am honored to be included in this effort. You will find my chapter titled Get Back In The Fight.
You can also purchase it in hard copy going forward.
The stories in this book are as varied as the men who wrote them, and yet their common theme defines manhood. Look within these pages to encourage yourself, or someone you know, to become the man God has created you to be.
Download The T.E.A.M. Character & Integrity of Manhood today.
Service Animals are generally dogs and sometimes miniature horses. Some of these amazing animals help with medical issues alerting their handler when their blood sugar is low or when they are close to having a seizure.
Emotional Support Animals calm their owners when they fly. In most cases, these animals are not trained for a specific need. They just love their owners. They provide comfort to help relieve a symptom or effect of a person’s disability.
Emotional Support Animals are generally dogs and cats. Other animals may provide support to their owners like guinea pigs or miniature horses, but exotic animals may not qualify due to risks of harm to others or potential diseases.
Most airlines will allow Emotional Support Animals, with proper documentation from a veterinarian and/or mental health counselor, and small animals such as cats and dogs can be held on the passenger’s lap during the flight.
Regarding airline policies affecting persons flying with animals that are not emotional support or service animals, most airlines charge fees and require the animal to be in a cage that can fit under the seat. If a caged animal cannot be placed under the seat, the animal flies with the luggage. You can find a lot of great information regarding traveling pets on the Department of Transportation website.
For example, American Airlines is not checking pets right now due to flight changes due to COVID19. In the past, American has been asked to transport an ant colony, a sloth, kangaroos, rabbits, lizards, pigs, crabs, wallabies and monkeys.
With Emotional Support Animals, on the other hand, they are not required to be caged, nor are people charged for flying with an Emotional Support Animal. In 2017, Delta Air Lines had a quarter of a million passengers who boarded flights with their Emotional Support Animals.
Peanut cruises along through O’Hare in Chicago
In my own flying adventures I had to ask myself, “Will our dogs fly well or not?” Our Shitzu-Bishon mix named Ollie is hyperactive and skittish around strangers. Peanut on the other hand is calm in most circumstances unless Ollie eggs him on.
Flying with your dog isn’t as ruff as you might think.
Some Counties are feeling so much pressure from their struggling business communities that they are jumping out in front of their State Governors’ recommendations.
In the eagerness to attempt some semblance of normalcy, the airlines are really struggling. They are in a no win situation when it comes to new demands, yet their logic confuses me on a couple of fronts.
We are now into the second week of mandatory face coverage on airplanes. You cannot board a flight without one. This makes sense to me and probably is a couple of months late in coming.
The latest challenges come with regard to social distancing. The new standard we have all embraced is to stay six feet apart from each other to help mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus.
The airlines are currently asking passengers to not huddle in groups when boarding and keep separation between themselves and fellow passengers at the gate and on the jet bridge.
This is a tremendous help to ease people’s anxiety during the boarding process.
We are also recommending that passengers scan their own boarding passes which promotes some much needed comic relief.
It is fun to observe how differently people act to this request. Some are so conditioned they cannot help but try to hand you their pass, even when the Gate Agent motions toward the scanner.
Others stretch out as far as they can so as not get too close. They are bending over in an effort to stay six feet away from the scanner.
Once they get on the plane things change drastically. If the aircraft has less than 30 passengers they can be accommodated with proper spacing. Anymore than that, social distancing goes out the window.
On larger airplanes with six or nine seats in a row, it is easier by simply eliminating the middle seat. The distance between seats A and C are not quite six feet, but it is at least a sizable gap between you and your neighbor.
On smaller regional planes that accommodate 65 to 75 passengers, social distancing becomes impossible at more than half capacity.
With seating tighter these days, when you add people’s newest phobia to the mix, tensions will escalate. People’s paranoia is heightened, as well.
I had one woman the other day ask that the woman next to her be removed because she coughed. For all I knew it could have been an allergic reaction to her cheap perfume.
Sadly that type of reaction from people is becoming too common. People are paranoid because no one knows who is sick and who is not.
A great friend of mine just went off on Facebook about the lack of spacing on his CLT to DFW flight. His DFW to TUS wasn’t much better.
I agree with his point that social distancing is out the window once you board a flight. American Airlines’ current policy is to block the back row and the first row.
People do need to be aware of this in order to make their own decision on whether to fly or not.
Airports have been a ghost town since March, but passenger loads have been increasing the past two weeks.
Seems to me we are all getting a bit complacent about the possibility of contracting COVID19.
People are antsy and are now flying to vacation spots. Two weeks ago the majority were flying to see family members, most of whom were sick.
God calls us all to be good stewards in all that we do. That includes deciding if you want to fly or not.
If you do decide to fly, be aware that you will be closer to sitting on your neighbors’ lap than getting appropriate spacing.
Beware also that the newest trend (started by Frontier) is to charge you a $39 premium to get an open seat alongside your seat.
If you are flying internationally, please confirm first whether you will be allowed into the Country.
Long lines formed at the Polish-Ukranian border Saturday hours before a ban on foreigners entering Poland took effect.Credit…Wojtek Jargilo/EPA, via Shutterstock
True story: Tonight we had a passenger flying to Toronto to get married in the morning. Because he is not a resident of Canada and he doesn’t work in Canada he is considered a “non-essential traveler.” Now he is stuck in CLT with a return flight to where he came from. Because he was getting married he no longer has a place to stay safely.
True story II: Another passenger was going to Toronto to buy a truck with plans to drive it back. This is not essential so he, too, has a return trip home in the morning.
That’s 37 days for; California, Oregon, Washington, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Some living in New York City will tell you they have been home for 47 days or more.
As of April 20, there are 42 States asking their citizens to not go out in public unless they absolutely have to. There are a handful of other States were they are utilizing the directive in only a portion their territories.
Now a number of States are looking to reopen as early as May 1st due to public pressure on Governors to get their economies rolling again.
With all of that said, there are a number of businesses deemed “essential” that may have been better suited to shut down for a period of time.
I love working and appreciate the fact that I still can. I love helping people and many passengers are trying to get home to help ailing parents or loved ones. I just hope and pray that the airlines don’t crash and burn into bankruptcy in the process.
Many of the airlines are applying now for the stimulus money the Federal Government is offering. The sad reality is that some of them won’t survive even with the money Uncle Sam gives them.
Some financial experts say it will take at least a year and a half for the travel industry to get back to normal. I hope and pray we see an immediate pick up as States start to reopen next week.
At Piedmont Airlines in Charlotte, NC we have seen a very large drop off of passengers on flights. Current payloads are averaging about 1,600 passengers per day.
By comparison, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International is ranked the busiest airport in the world. With 2,600 flights per day they are down to 1,200. They have an estimated 104 million people come through their airport every year. That’s hard to imagine.
Even with 1,600 passengers a day coming through our airport that is still a lot of exposure to potential contamination. Boarding only five to ten passengers on a flight, I am still interacting with 20 to 40 passengers each day.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has estimated that 25 to 50 percent of cases may be asymptomatic. If that is true I may be exposed to a couple dozen contaminated people that are not showing symptoms. This does not include my coworkers.
The cruel reality is that I may be symptomatic and not realize it. That is true for any of us.
This is a real concern. How many are you exposing yourself too.
Airline workers are purposely placing themselves in harms way to insure people can get home to check on loved ones. If you do not have to fly right now, please stay home.
Some States are now adopting a wear masks in public ordinance to help the continued mitigation of the virus.
The airlines are trying to follow suit. This is a good thing.
As employees we have been asking for masks, hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes for weeks. Due to the worldwide demand the airlines have not been able to provide them until this past week. Note: Alcohol wipes are still not being delivered.
Because of the demand people are making their own masks.
One local woman has been making masks in her living room in exchange for a donation to the Humane Society. She heard our need and provided us a couple dozen masks. Thanks Ila.
A friend of mine posted the reality of this pandemic and how it can decimate families.
MikeSextonNC 