Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Navigating Minefields




Wed 31 Mar
I am so glad March is almost over! The time is passing quicky--at least when you look back on it. I can't wait for the summer to get here!! The last week has been extremely difficult on me, as I am going through a personal and painful learning process. All I can really say is I am learning the hard way about Army politics and what minefields to avoid. I have not done a very good job of that recently, and all of it by accident. That's the hard part of it all, not knowing about the particular minefield before you step into it! Then it's too late!! Some people in the military can be really mean and uncaring. I'm not sure why, but maybe by giving someone rank they feel they can treat others poorly. Probably because they were treated that way by someone then they were of lower rank. And so the cycle continues on...

But some people have been gracious to me and understand that it is a learning curve for every new Soldier and officer. I am grateful for that. God has also put a few good friends here to lift me back up and encourage as well as educate me along the way. I am grateful for that as well.

Trials can be painful. James 1:2 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." It is very hard to see beyond the clouds to not only "praise God in the storm" but also to consider the storm (the trial) joyful. I am working hard on that, and so would cherish your continued prayers. Many of you have emailed your kind words and prayerful comments, and I am thankful. Please keep them coming! Gotta go for now. I am adding a picture of two Chaplains I work with and a beautiful sunset a few days ago. (I was preaching on Palm Sunday in that picture, by the way). More in a few days.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Long, Hard Week


25 Mar 10
This has been a very long and hard week for me. It was probably the most painful and difficult week I have had in a long time. For personal reasons that I cannot go into here, I will just ask for your prayers. Not only was I overwhelmed with the work load and the catch-up, but I went through a difficult "trial" upon getting back. There are some painful issues going on in this battalion, including morale problems, and as the Chaplain I am caught up in the middle of it. Some people have told me they do not envy my job, and now I understand why. The Apostle Paul was right when he wrote about the need to put on the full Armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) due to the spiritual battle we are in. Sometimes it can be very hard.

But enough about that. The weather here has been beautiful. Spring is in the air (see picture of local tree) and the temps are in the high 70s. Of course that means the summer will be much hotter, but for now I'm enjoying it. The guy across the hall from me in my B-hut likes the air conditioner way down in the night (to where you can almost see your breath in the night). I don't care for that, so he and I have been having little battles over controlling the temperature. He stepped out last night to use the bathroom, and I quickly got up and raised the temp a few degrees. No luck! He was on to me and lowered the temp when he finally turned off his light to go to sleep. Rats! Oh, did I mention that he's a Lieutenant Colonel? He outranks me by quite a bit, so I will lose this little fight. That's why I still have my electric blanket on the bed and cookin' all night.

Finallly, I will be preaching a Palm Sunday sermon this weekend entitled, "Why the Donkey?" (Matt. 21:1-11 on the Triumphant Entry). Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt (young donkey), and I wondered why. Turns out, I think there are two very good reasons. (1) The donkey was not only a symbol of peace and humility, but it had been the wheels of choice of royalty in the past, including King David's lineage. This was a perfect choice for Jesus who fit both those descriptions -- humble and royal -- which helps explain why the crowd recognized him on the donkey as the Messiah. (2) But the second reason is even better, I think. In my opinion, Jesus chose the donkey because it was not the warhorse of Roman leaders of his day, and it represented the ordinary, the humble, the insignificant, and the common-place. Like you and me. He did not choose the royal stallion of rich kings and the wealthy. He chose something I would associate with. For Jesus did not come to exclude the common folk, but to include them as well. So the donkey was a perfect choice to represent his Davidic kingship (a.k.a., the Messiah), as well as a way of including you and me in his ministry and Kingdom. I think that's cool. Thank you, Lord.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Back in the Saddle Again




21 March
Well, I made it back to my home base finally. It took 4 days due to a sand storm in Kuwait. I was exhausted and miserable and all I wanted to do was shower and sleep. So I got to do both last night! It feels weird being back here after being home for so long. I was able to stay home longer than most due to the funeral, and so now that I'm back I feel very out of the loop and behind. Overwhelmed is more like it. I know it will come back after a few days, and everyone says take it one day at a time. So that's all I can do for now. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayer, though. The transition back has been hard on me. I am sad to be gone from the family again, and today would have been my dad's birthday. Going home on leave is a good thing. It is necessary and important for your emotional health. But coming back really tears your heart out again -- like it did when I first left. (This part of the militray is NO fun).

I was stuck in Kuwait for two extra nights due to a sandstorm. So I am attaching a picture of the base there and another picture from the TV monitor where I stayed. I have to tell a funny story about Kuwait, though. I decided to honor my wife and wear my "I Love My Wife" t-shirt on the return trip a few days ago (as we were required to be in civilian clothing). So we land at the Kuwait City International Airport after 12 hours in the air, and I get off in the crowded airport to mingle with men in their traditional robes and women wearing black burqas. Most women has their faces exposed, but some you could only see their eyes. It was weird. Now granted, I was not the only American militray personnel walking through there that day, but I was the only one who grabbed his green duffel bag with white crosses painted on it (to help me distinguish it from all the other green duffel bags) while wearing an "I Love My Wife" shirt. The contrast between my culture and theirs was striking. (If some of those women hidden behnd their burqas could have even read the English on my t-shirt, I wonder what they would have thought!). Well, gotta go. We'll talk again later.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Reflections on Going Back

15 March
We had a really great family day today. The kids came up with the idea of having a family Birthday party tonight since I will be gone soon and will miss all of our family birthdays this year. So my oldest daughter baked some brownies and the kids each made a few gifts (of course mom and dad had to purchase theirs), and after a few hours at an indoor rock climbing facility, we came home to have a nice dinner and dessert. Later we opened the presents from each other. My oldest daughter wanted a basketball (to begin practicing for the team this Fall) and my youngest needed a new bike helmet. They both got what that wanted. Mom and dad plan to go get massages together as their gifts to each other. Sounds good to me. I could use a massage these days. Just my luck I will get a the big Russian woman named Helga who will probably hurt me! (I'll let you know)

But on a more theological note.... last night I picked up John Piper's latest book called Don't Waste Your Life. He is a pastor up in Minnessota and a prolific author. I first read his book, Desiring God, many years ago and did not like him much--probably because I did not understand him! But he seems to make more sense to me these days. Not sure why that is, except maybe I'm able to "get it" now. Anyway, he writes in this book about not wasting your life and living it for God's purposes and glory instead. He makes the comment that we should live in such a way that we will never get to the end of our lives and look back and wish we had done it differently. I like that thought. It fits well with another author (and radio host) I enjoy listening to. Dr. Randy Carlson of Family Life Radio has a call-in show called Intentional Living, where he encourages and teaches people to be "intentional" in their lives, parenting, careers, decisions, etc... So both of these guys got me thinking today about how to better spend the second half of my deployment. I have been thinking all day about how do I go back and make the remainder of my time more meaningful than the first part? How do I be intentional about being a better Chaplain, better minister of the Gospel, better pastor to my Soldiers? What can I do more of or better so that when this is all over I will not look back with regrets and say, "I wasted an opportunity" or "why didn't I do it differently"? This is what runs through my head tonight as I was preparing for bed and wishing I could go to sleep. Easy solution: this is what I will take to the Lord in prayer.

By the way: my brother and his wife are about to have a baby. She was on bed rest recently and could use your prayers. Please pray for a save delivery for both mom and baby. Thank you.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Las Vegas Here We Come











14 March




I am sorry I have not added any blogs recently, but I took a week or so off to spend time with the family. Lots of other stuff going on, and I just did not get around to writing and posting blogs. But last night we watched the new movie, Julie and Julia, about Julia Child and a woman who tries to cook all of her famous recipes while blogging throughout the experience. It was a so-so movie, but it made me want to get back to my blog. Sorry for the long break.

We spent three days at Las Vegas this past week as a family get-a-way. My wife and I had not been there for over a decade, so it was a weird experience going back. Lots of changes (some good, some bad). My children had never been there, so it was an eye opener for them (again, sometimes good, sometimes bad). We warned them ahead of time that not everything they will see will be honoring to the Lord. They did not quite understand what we meant until we arrived in town and they saw some of those huge electronic bill boards! Now they know! So we tried to do the family friendly things, such as visit the M&M store and the Coca Cola store, play in the pool, and go to a magic show. By the way, if you ever get there and are looking for a fun, family friendly show, go see Mac King's magic and comedy show at Harrah's. It is the cheapest ticket in town, and it was fantastic! We were all giggling for days thinking about some of his tricks.

Anyway, it was fun and an enjoyable time away. But all good things must come to an end, such as this R&R Leave. It's a strange feeling knowing that you have to go back to a war. Truthfully, I am dreading the 23 hours on a plane getting back to the other side of the world more than actually being there again. I kind of want to go back if only to get the second half started. The sooner I go back the sooner the entire experience gets over! I guess that's how I am looking at it for now. I also expect to be pretty busy the second half, and I will be preaching more, too. So it should be a good experience. I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me so far, and can only ask that you continue praying for me and my family throughout the second half as well. Thank you. (By the way: I added more pictures in the blog below. Check those out, too)

Las Vegas Pictures
















Thursday, March 04, 2010

R&R Pictures











4 Mar

Well, the good news is that I am able to stay home an extra week. God is good and does answer prayers! It has been a relaxing few days, which is a relief, and it has been nice to spend time with family and friends. I played golf with my father-in-law yesterday and the weather was excellent. Neither one of us played very well, but that does not matter. We had fun. I am attaching a number of pictures from the last few days, including dinner with a few buddies and a few from my mother-in-law's funeral.