Chaplain Darren

Saying Goodbye (for now)

2010-12-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

12/26/10

It's the day after Christmas and I have decided to write one more blog entry and then close it down (for now). It has been 4 months since I returned from Afghanistan, and I've had plenty of time to reflect on the past year. In fact, sitting here with family in my own home makes quite a contrast to where I was one year ago. I spent time thinking back to where I was and what I was doing on Christmas and New Year's 2009, and I realized how thankful I am for being home this year! I still know a few Chaplains over there now, and I can sympathize with them for being away from family on the major holidays, but I know how fast it goes by and I know they will both be home with their families soon, too. I keep them in my prayers often.

The transition back into my old groove was harder than I anticipated. I took some time off initially and then went back to my old job as a counselor at a local hospital. I really struggled in my spirit because I did not want to be there. I was so certain that God was going to open a "new" door for me once I returned. I was dreaming of ministry opportunities in churches all over the country (even sent out a few resumes), but nothing panned out. I was disappointed. In fact, I have to admit that I went through a period of spiritual disappointment with God. Phillip Yancey's book by the same title was helpful to me, as was Timothy Keller's book, The Prodigal God. I could relate to the older brother in the Prodigal Son story, the guy who is angry with "dad" for not rewarding him for obedience and faithful service. I was that guy! I was upset with God for not rewarding me for my service to Him. Instead, I got silence from God and the opportunity to go back to my old life -- the very life I was anxious to leave behind when I left for the deployment in the first place.

But God is faithful. He was slowly allowing me to reassimilate into my olf life (family, home, job, church, etc), and it takes time. Too much change too quickly would have been a bad thing for me, and God knew it. He was allowing me to heal and grow. Which, I am proud to say, I think I have done. I made the decision to begin looking for a new church home (for reasons that I will not go into here), and so we will begin that quest in the New Year. But other than that, things are pretty much back to normal. Well, a "new normal." I am still doing counseling at the hospital, still in the Army Reserves, and still taking seminary classes on-line. But I can see light at the end of the tunnel now and maybe a few new opportunities for me at the hospital where I work. So I have learned that God's silence may not be a bad thing. He wants us to be obedient and confidently move ahead with His Will -- even if we cannot hear Him at the moment. I have been a Christian long enough to know that God loves me and will never leave me nor forsake me. He has a perfect plan for me, and all I have to do is believe it, walk humbly with my God, and wait patiently for Him. (I never said it was easy, but it can be done).

So for now, I will add a few final pictures from this Fall and say Goodbye. (The State Fair with the kids, kissing my wife, my daughter and her new puppy, at a Purity Ball with my oldest daughter, and at my friend Stephen's wedding). Thank you for following along with me over the last two years. If and when God has another cool adventure for me and my family, I will get back on and start the blog up again. But for now, all good things must come to an end. (I found a company that will help me turn this blog into a book, so I'll keep these memories in hardcover print forever. Maybe lay it on the coffee table, who knows?). I hope you all have a great 2011!

Thanks again..... Chaplain Darren

Finally Home

2010-08-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

27 Aug Friday

I am finally home. It was a tearful reunion at the airport, as both my family and members of my local Reserve Unit came to greet us when we arrived. It was awesome. I finally got to hug and kiss my wife and kids and know that I will not be leaving again anytime soon.

Now that I'm home, I plan on not doing a whole lot for a few weeks. I'll then take a good look at my options and see what God has in store for me/us next.

I want to thank you all for following along with my blog over the last year and a half. It was fun to write and I hope it was (almost) as much fun to read. Thanks for joining me on this fantastic journey to Afghanistan and back, and I can only hope that God has spoken to you through this in some way shape or form. I know He did for me!

Check back in again soon. I am not exactly sure how I want to finish this little blog-journey, but I know that I will bring it to and end sometime soon. I understand you can publish your own blogs and turn them into personalized books. I may do that in the near future. But as for now... I thank God for bringing me through this safely and I praise Him for te opportunity to serve Him as a Chaplain and come home to my family. Now I want to relax and do a whole lot of nothing! Talk to you again soon....

Going Home Tomorrow

2010-08-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Thurs 26 Aug
I have been waiting for a very long time to be able to say, "I'm going home tomorrow!" Today is our last day of this de-MOB process -- and therefore this deployment -- and we will all be released to go home tomorrow. They will fly us all to our home states and local airports, so it will be a glorious day! I can't wait to see my wife and kids at the airport (yes, I may shed a few tears), and I'll even make it home in time to celebrate my mom's birthday coming up soon, too. It should be a great weekend.

Way back when this trip started I had someone tell me that deployments will change you, so I should pray that God changes me for the better. I remembered that advice and began praying that very prayer even before we left the USA back in October, 2009. And I am here to tell you that God answered that prayer in more ways than one. We grow the most through difficult circumstances and trials, and this sure was a growing experience. Overall, I think I am a more tolerant and patient person. Although I suppose the crowds at the mall or a traffic jam will test that theory pretty quick! I know I have grown to appreciate the little things in life more, as well as the people who mean the most to you. We take so much for granted in our country, it's truly unbelievable. That is, until you live with and see people who have far less.

So I have been pondering the Apostle Paul's words in Colossians 3:2 and 3:5 where he writes to put away the desires for things of this earth and to set our hearts on what is above (i.e, the Messiah). This is a very hard thing to do, as you can imagine. Having been away from our society for a year, I now find myself wanting "things." I catch myself admiring that cool new iPhone that my buddy owns, or that sweet pick-up truck that just drove by, or some other material possession that I don't currently possess! I want it. In fact, I want it all.

But the Scriptures say don't do that. God tells us that He wants to give us the desires of our heart, but I don't think that means a Farrari and the iPhone! I think God wants the desires of my heart to match the desires of His heart, and then He will gladly give them to me/us. OK, sounds easy, but what does that look like or really mean? Well, I have stumbled upon something else in my devotionals recently. Have you ever noticed how often the New Testament teaches us to love others? I think it may be the central, guiding principle of both Christ's and Paul's teachings. To truly love each other, and to show the world we are different through this one simple act. (I wish it were that simple!). But it can be done. Sadly, we Christians look and act and sin too much like everyone else in this world, and we are failing miserably in attracting a lost and dying world to the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I am praying that God helps me learn to love the un-lovable, and love those who persecuted me this past year. A pastor friend once told me that "sheep sometimes stink and bite." He was right. So maybe through it all God is teaching me to learn how to love and feed His sheep. I hope so.

Prayers Needed

2010-08-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 24 Aug
I am very frustrated. The last five days have been so slow and inefficient that we all just want to scream. Here we are, just days from being done with this thing and home with our families, and the Army (in it's infinite wisdom) decides to take a four-day process and stretch it into eight! It has been unbelievable how much time has been wasted since last Thursday and how much sitting around we have done during that period as well. The schedule calls it "decompression time", which is basically a fancy way of saying we don't have anything scheduled for you, so just sit around. It's absurd. We could--and should--be done with this process already, but NO, that would make sense. Instead, they have us here a few more days before we all get released. We're all going stir-crazy.

But I had another reason for blogging today: I wanted to ask for your prayers. I have been seeking God's guidance regarding my immediate future after this deployment. But God has been very silent on this topic. I am not sure why, but I know enough to trust Him and wait. So I would like to ask for your prayers to do just that, and to have the spiritual eyes and ears to discern what He wants me to do. Thank you.

Back in the USA !!

2010-08-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday 22 Aug

It has been an eventful week since I last posted from Kyrgzystan and the sports bar scene. (I added a picture of the candy-bar rack available there for the soldiers heading to and from theater. Crazy, huh?). So the day finally came for us to leave and we boarded the DC-10 and flew back to the USA on Thursday. It was an interesting route home, since we stopped in Romania and again in Ireland to refuel. Both times we got to get out and roam through the respective airports. Romania was beautiful; Ireland was dark and rainy. But from there we flew to Maine and refueled again, before heading on to our final destination here at Ft. Bliss, TX (near El Paso). We are currently staying here for our final week. This is called the "De-Mobilization" process, where they have you turn in your weapon(s), Individual Body Armor (IBA), and then go through a medical and dental out-processing. (I found out I may have 1 cavity, oops). Tomorrow we all go through a mental health evaluation -- boy that should be fun! But today is a down day on the schedule so I went to church already and later plan to hit the weight room (maybe a nap in between!).

As for the pictures, notice the band playing for us when we landed at Ft. Bliss. They had a nice little reception planned out for us, and even a few families made the long trip to greet their loved-ones when we arrived. But I could not resist the temptation of one final picure of my ol' buddy, the port-a-john! It was really hard saying goodbye to him (or her?), knowing how close we'd become over the past year. But I had to do it nonetheless. Goodbye old friend! (sniffle, sniffle). I now look forward to a few of the more taken-for-granted pleasures of being back home, such as not needing to wear flip-flops in the shower for fear of who knows what fungus is growing there, and then indoor plumbing -- that is, not having to physically go outside and walk to the bathroom. Especially at night! Boy, it will be good to be home!

And one final note, remember what I said last blog about the General Orders #1 (not being allowed to drink)? Well, we had a few of the Soldiers disregard that order two nights ago. They went into town (which was allowed), but decided to come back drunk. Not a good idea. Now all 7 of them are in hot water. A "Field Grade" Article 15 means they can all lose rank as well as a lot of money for violating a direct order. The Battalion Commander (BC) decided to put everyone on "lock down" since the incident, which means no one can leave Post anymore until we fly home. No one can go to an off-base restaurant or movie, or visit wth their family members who may be staying in a local hotel. Those families who are here and were hoping to spend time in the evenings with their Soldier are out of luck. So as you can imagine, the rest of the Soldiers are angry -- at their buddies for breaking the rules as well as at the BC for her decision to restrict passes. Basically, people are tired and grumpy and just want this to be over. I can relate. So please, keep us in your prayers for a little bit longer. It's almost over!

All I know is this is my last weekend of this deployment. I will be back home with my wife and kids by the end of this up-coming week. Thank you, Lord.

Afghanistan In My Rear-View Mirror

2010-08-16T04:23:00.000-07:00

16 Aug 2010 (Monday)

I am currently sitting on a wooden deck outside a "sports bar" on a US Airbase base in what used to be southern Russia using their free Wi-Fi. Sounds pretty cool, huh? Who would have expected that a few years back? It has been a very relaxing day -- my first since leaving Afghanistan. Even though we arrived at 4 in the morning, it was still good to be here! My feet are now on Russian soil (sort of), and will soon be on American soil. I like the sound of that. But back to the sports bar issue: we are still under what's commonly refered to as "General Orders #1," which says that we cannot consume alcohol until we are released from this tour. Many of the soldiers are really bummed about this, although I'm not sure why. We were all told very clearly that no one can drink here long before we arrived, and yet some still hoped the rules would be bent for them. Personally, I could care less. A cold Coke is perfect for me!

Yesterday was another typical "hurry-up-and-wait" day in the Army. We were told to be ready by 1400 hrs (2 pm), but the bus and bag truck showed up at noon. So we all quickly got our gear loaded up and we boarded the busses to the Customs building/tent. They off-loaded all of our gear and duffel bags into this long, hot tent (see picture). It was a nightmare trying to find your bags, as you can see. (I have the advantage of previously painting crosses onto my bag to distinguish it from all others as the Chaplain's bag!). Anyway, then we went through customs -- where they make you unpack everything and show it to the Agent. They confiscated my lithium battery for my flashlight! So now I have no light while in the dark tent here. I don't get that?! But anyway, it was a very tedious process. They want to make sure Soldiers are not trying to sneak illegal items out of the country and into ours. I guess that makes sense, but it's still a drag to go through. And then we waited. And waited. And waited. Seven hours later we were rounded up and crammed aboard an Airforce C-17 cargo plane for the short flight here. We all cheered when the plane lifted off of Afghanistan soil for the last time! It was a neat experience. The pilot allowed me to go up to the flight deck level to take the above picture. I was sitting over on the left-hand side, about 3/4 of the way back. Notice our gear all piled up in the back of the plane under the cargo nets. The AirForce has this down to a science (although not a fast one)! Anyway, the first step in the process of getting home is over and Afghanistan is now behind me!

We're Outta Here!

2010-08-15T02:19:00.000-07:00

Sun 15 Aug

It has been a long, hot, final week. There were three awards ceremonies this past week, and one big Transfer of Authority (TOA) ceremony. I was scheduled to give the opening prayer (invocation), and we rehearsed it maybe five times all the way through (to make sure everyone knew their part). But when the time came for the actual real-deal ceremony (the one where the General and several Colonels were in attendance), well, that's when the announcer completely forgot the opening prayer. She completely skipped over me. I was standing in my spot next to the podium ready to go, but they skipped right past me. So I stood there for a few uncomfortable minutes before sitting down. I was pretty bummed and disappointed with it all. It seemed to be a fitting ending to some of the other stuff that has occured this year with this battalion. So I thanked God for bringing us to the end and pray for safe travels home.

Two of the pictures are of the TOA Ceremony itself. You can see the Soldiers standing in formation, as well as my Battalion Commander and Sergeant Major rolling up the flag of our ballation. There is a symbolic moment where our "colors" are put away, and the new Unit's flag (or colors) is unfurled. They now have authority and we are done! Oh and the best part... there was a neat cake after the ceremony with our "Dark Knights" logo on it. (That is the top picture).

I am also attaching a few pictures of the tent I lived in for over a week. We had a crazy experience last Thursday when a rain storm flooded our area. Water started pouring in through the seams in the top of the tent, and it began pouring down on our bunks and gear. There were over 150 guys living in this small space and it was mass chaos trying to move bunk beds out of the way and get clothing and gear up off the wet floor. I was fortunate that my bed was not near an open seam. So I took these pictures during the mess. I told a few people afterwards that it was such a miserable experience that it was almost comical. I guess that was par for the course for those of us living out there in the Warrior RSOI area (a.k.a., District 9). I am so glad to be done with it.

And that brings me to the end of this blog. It will be the last one I do from Afghanistan. The next time I blog, it will be either from a stop along the way home, or from the good 'ol USA. I have less than 2 weeks before I will be officially done with this deployment and home with my family. I can't wait! So I'll talk to you again soon but please pray for our safety as we travel home. I would appreciate it. Thanks for following along this year. i appreciate that.

Another Fallen Hero

2010-08-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

Friday 6 Aug,

My day started off at 3:15 am when I got up to participate in a Ramp Ceremony for a Fallen "Kiwi" Soldier. The Kiwi is the national bird of New Zealand, and their soldiers here like to be called the Kiwi's. Anyway, I was paying my last respects to the New Zealand detachment here who experienced their very first soldier killed in AFG so far (and first in battle since 2002). I got to know some of their team here this past year, and even though this particular soldier was from a FOB out in the West (and I did not know him personally), I wanted to be there and salute his casket and pay my respects. His body was flown here to be loaded on an Air Force plane bound for home. [If you want to get a good feel for how the military takes care of and honors their Fallen Heroes, watch the movie, Taking Chance, with Kevin Bacon. It's a well done and moving film about a Marine killed in action and the process of getting his body home to his family]. There were about 200 American Army and Air Force personnel who came out at 0400 hrs to honor the Kiwi's and their Hero. It was pretty special. If you've been following my blog since the beginning of my year here, you will remember my own Unit had a Soldier KIA just 16 days into the deployment. So I experienced a Ramp Ceremony from a personal level last November. It is probably fitting that I attend another one right here at the end of my stay as well.

It was also a hard day for a separate reason, too. I had to deal with a personal issue today that has been building up for a few months -- and one that I should have dealt with long ago. I prayed about it for a week and then got quite a bit of advice and support from my peers and leadership, so I know I did the right thing. But it was still hard. The Army has forced me to step out of my comfort zone on a number of occassions, which is always difficult. But I believe God uses these experiences to stretch us and change us and help us grow. It is always for God's glory, but also for my benefit as well. Sometimes it's hard to see that in the midst of the trial, but God's purposes always prevail! You can bank on that.

I will preach my final sermon here this weekend. It will be a weird feeling to say goodbye to some of the people I have met and worked with at the chapels here over the last 10 months. One constant here is change, and everyone eventually goes home, but you never think your time will get here. Well now it is, and I will get to ride off into the sunset (so to speak) real soon.

And finally, I am attaching a few extra pictures this time. One is of the awards ceremony we held for our Advanced Party team. We already sent a handful of soldiers ahead of us back to the USA to accompany the equipment and to help get the housing and details ready for us when we all hit the de-Mobilization site in Texas. The picture is of my buddy, SSG Flores, getting his award. He is saluting our Colonel and Sergeant Major. And the final two are snapshots of a few posters I saw that were meaningful to me this year (including one of Bill Mauldin's famous cartoons from WWII, this one with a Chaplain. Notice the guy's helmet up front).

I am going to try to do one more blog early next week. But if not, this may be my last one from Afghanistan!

Relief in Place (RIP)

2010-08-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

2 Aug

Well, it's definitely coming to an end. We are officially into our RIP process, which means your replacements are here and you are in the training phase. One week where we train them, and the second week where we slide out of the way. It's a great feeling. I am attaching a picture of my replacement, Chaplain Cox. He has hit the ground running and seems to have a good handle on things so far. He comes into the Army as a former pastor, so he has a pastor's heart as well. I think he'll do great. I am also attaching a picture of my room on the day I moved out and gave it to Chaplain Cox. It was weird. This was my home away from home for almost a year. The final picture is of the "clam shell" where they are getting ready to receive part of a brigade coming through here soon. There were no other spaces available for these new soldiers, so they set up almost 150 cots in this big open tent area. It is miserably hot in there in the day, so this is going to get ugly. As for me, I have been sleeping on a similar style cot in a buddy's room. But today I secured a place near the main post chapel starting tomorrow. In the end, however, I will be out in the big open tents will all of my Soldiers. By that time I won't care! I'm soooooo ready for this to be over.

Please pray for me this week. I have to deal with some administrative stuff that I have been avoiding, and so I could use your prayers. It will be an important week as we train the new team, but also a hard one, too. But once we get past this it will be smooth (or smoother?) sailing to the finish line. ..... I hope.

Last Few Weeks

2010-07-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

27 July (Tues)

Today is a great day because it marks one of the significant milestones of this deployment: My replacement arrives today!!! His Unit has been slowly trickling in over the past week, and his plane gets here this afternoon. It will be hard to wipe this silly grin off of my face for awhile. Although there is one thing that will dampen my excitement and you can see it for yourself in the attached pictures. We all will have to move over to the other side of this base and into what they call the transient tents. Many of our soldiers are already there, as you can see. The picture of the big empty circus tent with almost 500 beds in it (bunk-bed style) is where we will be. If you look closely in the back of the tent you can see my friend, Stephen, waving at me while I took the picture. It has been very hot over here this past week (almost 110 degrees), and they say the air conditioning in those tents is not great. Many of our soldiers are already grumbling, but hey, what can you do? And besides, it's only for a short while! You can tolerate just about anything if you know it is temporary. ("Embrace the Suck!" as they say in the Army).

The other picture is of the poster I made for my Chaplain Fun Run last Friday. I organized a run around the base (a total of 8 miles) for our Unit and had 8 soldiers come out and join me. It was the 2nd time I made it all the way around this place, which is a significant achievement for me. I have been active in my PT so far and my weight has dropped steadily because of it. I am down to a weight that I have not seen since college! I hope I can keep it off when I get home. It's easy to get into a routine with exercise here because it is expected of you and the facilities to go work out or run on a treadmill are easily accessible. That will not be the case when I get home unfortunately, so it will take more effort to stay consistent.

Anyway, I packed up and moved out of my room yesterday. It was kind of a weird feeling seeing it all empty (except for a few items I am leaving behind for the new Chaplain). He will go right into my room today and I will move out either to the tents or maybe sleep on a cot in a friend's room for awhile. The problem with moving to the transient tents is that it is hard to get back over here to the office every morning for the daily meetings and to train my new counterpart. So I may be in limbo for the first week before I commit to the other side of town. We'll see how it goes. But I did send home two large trunks and several smaller boxes full of my stuff already. It was good to lighten the load (but not cheap on the postage!). Leaving the room for the last time was a weird feeling because it had been my "home" for most of the last year. I am glad to leave it, don't get me wrong, but it was just a strange feeling nonetheless. So please keep me in your prayers trough this transition. Relationships here are strained. We're tired and people are stressed out... myself included at times. So please pray for God's guidance, safety, and grace. Thank you.

Getting Closer to the End

2010-07-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

21 July

It has been a fast but hard week since I last posted a blog entry. Since I no longer pay for the internet in my room, I have to walk over to the USO to do this--which is not as easy as I had hoped--and sometimes you still cannot get on the internet from here (too many people trying to do the same thing at the same time). But I got lucky today!

In the last week I have spent hours packing up my room to get ready to move out next week sometime. My replacement should be here by then, and I will give up my space for him. (Not exactly sure where I'll be staying from here on out, but we'll see. I may be in the big transient soldier tents with hundreds of others!). I have mailed home two large tough boxes and a duffel bag filled with military gear and clothing. We are all trying to pare down to the bare minimum from here on out, because each one of us will be responsible for carrying it all the way home! So the less I have with me the better. In fact, I may even send home one more box just before I leave to get rid of even more stuff right at the very end. My poor wife will not know what to do with it all!

I preached on "Forgiveness" from Genesis 50:15ff and Matthew 6:12, 14-15 last weekend. It went really well, and I received many positive compliments from people who stated it was what they needed to hear. I even had a guy come up to me after the morning service and tell me that he has stayed away from "organized religion" due to being hurt by several church members (including a pastor) in his past. He has attended chapel here sporatically, and decided to come last Sunday. He told me it was as if God wanted him there and that I was speaking just to him! That was a nive pick-me-up. Little did he know that God was also speaking to me through my own sermon! He does that sometimes, you know. I have learned over the years that God can give me an idea that He wants me to develop into a Bible study or sermon message, and it was designed with me in mind, too. Those can be convicting and painful messages for me. Anyway, I plan to preach on "Attitude" this weekend and use a clip from the movie, "Facing the Giants" (where the player does the "death crawl" all the way across the field). It's a great scene of not giving up and keeping a positive attitude. [Again, a message that God is using in my own life, too].

And on top of all that, I came down with a head cold last Saturday. I have the sniffles and cough now, but it is slowly getting better. I hope so, because I have organized a "Chaplain FUN RUN" this Friday morning for anyone who wants to run all the way around the base with me -- a total of 8 miles. So far I have a few takers, so I hope to feel up to it by then!

The pictures, by the way, are of a few new friends who came to my service last weekend. TIMMY and APOLLO are therapy dogs who are part of a new project here in Afghanistan. In fact, they are the first therapy dogs in this country being used by the US Military. The Army is opening up a second Warrior Restoration Center in the south east (the first one is here on my base), and they plan to use the dogs for therapy groups and sessions (much like they do at hospitals back home). I have been invited to lead a few therapy groups at the Warrior Center here over the past year, and think this is a great idea. Anyway, their trainers came through here last weekend and showed up to church! I was glad to have them. (I'm not sure if the dogs enjoyed my sermon, through. Timmy slept through it!)

Half-Gan Man

2010-07-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

12 July

OK, I am back at my home base now, and it looks like that was our last trip visiting troops before we leave. I am glad for that, actually. Traveling around this country is hard and tiring, and I am exhausted. We only have a short time to go before this deployment is over, and so we will concentrate on getting our office in shape in time for a hand-off to the new Unit Ministry Team that will be replacing us.

But I wanted to share a few photos that made the last trip a success for me. When I first arrived here last year I was told of a man I had to meet when I was out and about. The Soldiers call him "Half-Gan Man," and you can now tell why. I am sorry if that sounds like an insult, but I actually think it is a term of endearment. The Soldiers love this guy, and look forward to visiting his shop at the bazaar near the city of Ghazni. And so I got a chance to meet him, and he immediately charmed my socks off. He was trying to sell me blue stones that he said were "pure gold," but otherwise he was a lot of fun. His English was pretty good as well, so I was impressed. He also charged $2 for a picture of him (and his shop was covered with pictures of him with Soldiers), so it was obvious he made quite a bit of cash on the side from be photographed! He didn't seem to mind the attention at all.

It will be a busy week for me as I am preparing to preach this Sunday, as well as host a movie night on Friday (we'll be watching "We Are Marshall"), and give a brief presentation to our command group on stress and resiliency. The Army is big on this new concept of Soldier Resiliency (in order to avoid burn-out), and we Chaplains are supposed to be the experts. Nobody realizes that we are just as burned-out as everyone else! So please pray for me, as I will definitely need the help and support to make it strong to the end!

Waiting on the Lord

2010-07-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

9 July
I was watching the movie, "Fireproof", the other night and was struck by a song on waiting on the Lord that play about 3/4 of the way through the movie. If you have not seen the movie, by the way, I would highly recommend it. But there is this song playing while the main character, Caleb, is trying to be a good husband and keep going with the "Love Dare" book even though he is not seeing any results. The words of the song really hit me:

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on you Lord, and I am hopeful.
I'm waiting on you Lord, though it is painful.
But patiently... I will wait.

I will move ahead, bold and confident,
Taking every step in obedience...
While I'm waiting!

I will serve you... while I'm waiting;
I will worship... while I'm waiting.
I will not faint, I'll be running the race,
Even while I wait.

I will serve you while I'm waiting;
I will worship while I'm waiting!

What a great song, and I know why it means so much to me now. I have been praying for God's wisdom and guidance on new job opportunities when I return from this deployment (maybe something in the ministry or chaplain-related). But He has been silent on the subject so far. So I wait.

Psalms 37:7 and 46:10 are two of my favorite and they speak directly to waiting on the Lord. But this song also hits the important point that we are still to serve Him and to work diligently while we wait. Even if we're uncomfortable and it's painful, we still need to trust Him and continue serving Him where in our current circumstances (i.e., bloom where you are planted), and wait patiently for God. Another great passage, Jeremiah 29:11-13, tells us that the Lord has a plan for our lives, and it's a good one. So we have to trust in His promises, timing, and provision. Even if it means waiting for awhile! Rather than complaining about my circumstances and my desire for a change, I need to keep praying and continue serving and worshiping Him while I wait.

Reading Material

2010-07-07T01:08:00.000-07:00

7 July
This year has given me the opportunity to read quite a bit, and this current trip is no exception. I recently started "Jesus Among Other Gods" by Ravi Zacharias, and have been plodding my way through it. He's very deep and philosophical, and so it's no easy pleasure read. Ravi was born in India in a Hindu society, but became a Christian later in life. He is now a brilliant and outspoken Christian author and lecturer. He goes all over the world teaching and preaching about Christ and debating athiests in liberal and secular universities as well. His work is awesome and I am enjoying his arguments for Christianity, especially against Islam and Hunduism, which he knows well. The message of Christ's love and truthfulness is very much needed over here.

The second book I just picked up yesterday is called "Wisdom of Our Fathers," by Tim Russert. This is the follow up book to his earlier "Big Russ and Me," a book he wrote about his dad. You may rememebr Tim Russert as the political analyst on NBC who died suddenly of a heart attack about 3 years ago. Anyway, this 2nd book is a collection of stories people wrote to him about their own dads after reading his 1st book. The stories are touching and personal and meaningful and have me thinking about my own dad as well as my affect on my children. If nothing else, his book reaffirms the absolute importance of a dad in the lives of his children--sometimes in ways he never knew about or expected. I can't wait to get home and love on my kids! So there I was reading this book in the dining hall last night with tears running down my face, hoping no one was looking! What a sight I must have been.

"God, thank you for my dad, and help me to be a little more like him!" Amen

M.A.S.H. (part 2)

2010-07-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

5 July
If you followed my blog back in May of this year, you might remember that I had the privilege of praying for (and traveling with) a soldier critically wounded from a blast and who needed to take a medivac helicopter back to a larger base. Well, I am back visiting that same FOB and the same medical personnel at this surgical hospital. It's very much like MASH the TV show (and my buddy Father Mulcahey-- sp?), except that it's not mobile, as in "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital"). These guys are awesome and save lives every day. It's the busiest forward medical facility in the country, and it's been kind of an honor to work with them. Which I did again today. They called me this afternoon to let me know wounded soldiers were coming in. One young man took shrapnel to his lower legs and needed surgery here before being flown out. I was allowed to stand at the head of his bed and spend time with him -- talking, praying, keeping him occupied -- while the medical crew worked on his legs. He was Catholic but didn't care at all what my denominational preference is... just that I was there. It was a privilege.

I also noticed something interesting last night when the Polish priest led evening Mass at this FOB. The chapel was literally destroyed by a rocket months ago (with no one inside), and since they have not rebuilt it, he holds Mass outside to the Polish soldiers at this location. I noticed that at one point that a Polish soldier played the guitar and sang... in English. He was singing a Top 40s tune I knew (but cannot recall the name) and playing very beautifully on the guitar, but I thought it was interesting that his choice of song was not a religious song and it was in English and not Polish. Maybe translating it to Polish would lose all the rhythm of the words and music, I'm not sure. I guess it doesn't really matter since over here you worship where you can, when you can, and with what you got. I remember leading a field service to about 7 soldiers awhile ago and we got rained on! Oh well. You do the best you can and leave the results up to God.

Prayer Needed

2010-07-03T04:49:00.000-07:00

3 July
Happy early 4th of July to all. I will be traveling all next week, so please pray for our safety and ministry efforts. There are serious morale issues going on in this battalion and it is effecting me, too. I believe in Ephesians 6:10-18 and know in my heart there is a spiritual battle going on here, too. We're not just at war with the Taliban over here, but the unseen realm as well. I am being attacked and stretched way beyond my comfort zone and at times feel very alone. I know that I am not, of course, as God's Word tells me that He will never leave me nor forsake me, and I am counting on the promises of Scripture. But it can be very hard nonetheless. I also know that He who is with me is greater than anything working against me, so I take comfort in that knowledge as well. I love the story in the Bible of when Elisha prays that God would open the eyes of his servant to see the hills around them surrounded with angels and chariots of fire ready to protect them (2 Kings 6:15-17). At times I wish I could see that, too! I would value your prayers for me and my troops until this thing is over.

Chess and other Recent Pictures

2010-07-02T00:41:00.000-07:00

2 July

Yeah, July is here!! I am sitting in the USO here on my base, having just connected to their free WiFi network. The network administrators here have recently upgraded their filters and now it's almost impossible to get to the internet from your work station. Everything (it seems) is blocked. For example, I cannot even get to http://www.strongbonds.org/, which is a website for Chaplains on single and marriage retreat seminars available to all soldiers after returning from deployments. So I came over here and found out I can work for free from here. I wish I had known this 9 months ago!!

The pictures: A momma bird sitting in her nest near my B-hut "hooch", the dining facility (DFAC) getting ready fot the 4th of July, and two shots of a chess board I recently saw at one of the FOBs I visited. A soldier made this set from hand and was selling it. I did not inquire as to the price, but I thought his creation was pretty impressive. Note that it's a chess game of the "good guys" vs. the "bad guys."

And finally, a special thank you to a few friends from my church who helped set up a basketball hoop for my oldest daughter on her birthday. Thanks for helping make her day special guys. I appreciate it and thank God for good friends.

Tensions Are High

2010-06-29T02:01:00.000-07:00

29 June
An interesting thing is happening as we get closer to the end of this deployment. You might think that stress levels would go down, but for some reason we're seeing just the opposite. I think it has to do with recent changes we've had to go through in order to get ready for our replacements to arrive. (Nobody likes change!) We're moving offices and consolidating space to make room for more bodies to be here soon. You see, the last few weeks of our cycle will be the first few weeks for the battalion that replaces us. So we will spend about two weeks training them before we go. The only problems is there really is not enough room for double the people. This means Soldiers are starting to pack up and ship their extra stuff home. But it also means some of our poeple will be vacating their rooms soon and will be sleeping in the RSOI transient Soldier tents on the other side of the base. Nobody is looking forward to that! So please keep us in your prayers as the summer progresses. People here are tired and sick of this place, this war, and each other. We all want to go home, but we can't... yet. I know the day is coming, but until then we have to just make due and get along! [At least there is job security for the Chaplain. These stressful issues keep me busy with counseling sessions!]

I also have a few pictures I want to upload today, but we've been having internet problems over here recently and it's giving me troubles. So I will keep trying and hopefully get them posted soon.

USO & Rugs

2010-06-23T23:57:00.001-07:00

24 June

It has been a slow week for me so far. We are not traveling again for awhile and will be moving offices soon, so much of the week has been spent on moving supplies and cleaning out my desk. We're vacating a larger space and moving into a smaller one. Oh well. Not much I can do about it when the boss says we got to go. On a different note, I recently bought some rugs over here and had them shipped home. I guess they are known for their elaborate hand-made silk rugs in this part of the world, so I wanted a few memories of this experience. The shop owners expect you to barter with them and haggle about the price. I hate doing that, but I was successful in knocking $50 off the original price. Maybe that was good, or maybe I still got taken. I'm not sure I'll ever know.

I wanted to send a few pictures along of a recent FOB I visited that had a great USO. I actually do not know what it stands for, but I know they are places where service members can go and relax. They have them all over the world, even here, and this one stood out to me. They hung a parachute from the roof, which gave it this cool "cave-like" appearance. They have TVs and movies and books and video games for the soldiers to watch and play with, so it was a pretty popular place to hang out.

Traditional Dinner (Like Jesus?)

2010-06-20T22:13:00.001-07:00

21 June

This past weekend was Father's Day. My first without my dad, who died last Fall. My wife and kids and mom sent nice cards and two different care packages to help make it a special day. I appreciated that. It is nice to get stuff from home. I spent some private time in prayer yesterday thanking God for my dad and the man that he was. I have gone through many of the predictable stages on a young man's life and I'm to the point now where I want to be more like my 'ol man and hope that I would have made (or did make) him proud for the kind of dad I have become.

It has also been more than a week since I added to the blog. That's because I was traveling much of the past 6 days. I had an interesting experience that I want to share with you. We visited one of our teams stationed near the edge of the Tora Bora mountain range. I'll try to upload a few pictures soon, if the internet will allow it). You may remember that name as the mountains where the bad guys escaped from our forces back in 2001 or so. We pounded that range with bombs back then, but no luck. Now here I was, standing at the foot of those very same mountains and wondering how things have changed since then, and how the world might have been different had we succeeded?

But we also had the opportunity to have a traditional Afgan meal with some of the local men. Our team at this small FOB had been invited for dinner with some local men, and they allowed us to come along. It was a rare treat. As a Chaplain, I am actually considered to be something like their "mullah" (or religious leader), and so they typically see me and treat me with respect. It's kind of a cool position to be in. Anyway, we actually sat on the floor (on mats) and ate with our hands, using the local bread as our utinsils to scoop the meat or beans out of the bowls. It was quite delicious, I must admit. But messy. I had it all over my pant legs. Oh well. You will see from the pictures how our hosts served us (in bare feet), walking on the same floor that we ate off of! Bugs were flying in and out of this small hut, and a cat tried to walk in the front door! But I have to say, the people here can be very friendly and generous. They have so little, and yet they gladly gave to us out of their hospitality. It was neat to experience that. It made me think of Jesus reclining at the table with his disciples. They probably had something similar to eat, and the room might have felt somethink like what I experienced that night as well.

Sick

2010-06-13T05:29:00.000-07:00

Sun 13 June
Warning: the following subject matter may not be suitable for younger audiences and may even make my wife embarrassed. (Sorry honey). I am sitting on my bed typing this blog, having spent most of the last two days sick with food poisoning or a stomach flu. This was actually one of my worst fears come true over here: being so sick that I needed to run to the filthy porta-john and not know whether to sit on it or throw my head in it! (The stench alone is enough to make you vomit sometimes!) It was not a fun two days, let me tell you. I think I lost 4 lbs. the hard way! It makes you realize how much you miss home because there is nothing worse than being sick away from home. When you feel that bad all you want are the comforts of home: your own bed and bathroom, maybe a glass of ice water and a cold washcloth for your forehead. Maybe even your mommy (or wife) to take care of you. Nope. Ain't got none of that over here. (Although one of the guys in my B-hut did get me some food and gatorade. He was good to me).

I have heard stories of a number of Soldiers who have also been sick at one time of another, so I guess it's not too uncommon to get something bad from the DFAC food. Some of our guys up in the hills recently had to get antibiotics and "deworming" medicing after eating with some local nationals in a village. They were sick as dogs for a week or more until they could get to a medic. That must have been awful. Needless to say the dining conditions were not very sanitary. And knowing what we know about how the locals wash their hands and bodies, it explains a lot! At least mine was not that bad. Maybe a 24-hr bug, and now I'm recovering. I feel beat up and drained of energy; you know that feeling in your stomach muscles after you've been vomiting? Well, at least it's over for now. I hope to not go through that again!!

Encouraging Words

2010-06-10T08:57:00.002-07:00

10 June
It has been a pretty quiet week so far. My assistant and I are not traveling again for awhile, and I'm "on-call" for three other Chaplains this week. So it's a good thing that all is quiet on the western front, so to speak. An interesting thing happened to me recently: I had a civilian contractor come up to me while at lunch and state he felt God leading him to tell me that I had made a difference in his life over here. He had been a regular attender at one of the chapel services that I support (and preach at), and now was getting ready to go home. So he just came up to me out of the blue and gave me a very nice compliment and an encouraging boost for the day. Then today I received a letter in the mail (snail mail) from a friend back home that used to go to my church. She stated she was thinking of me because she found an old sermon handout from one of my very first sermons back in June of 2005, where I preached on the Ark of the Covenant. She told me she still remembers that sermon and the illustration I used that morning, and did not want me to think that what I do or say is not remembered by others. I was really touched by her kind words. It was pretty cool. I am not sure why God is giving me these separate "pick-me-ups" recently, but I won't complain. Wasn't it Mark Twain who said he could live off of one compliment for three weeks? (or something like that). Me too!

The pictures: (1) Our company HQ's door. Many reminders of home. (2) Myself and my company commander and the logo she designedd and painted on her office door. It represents our command and the many different teams we work with and under. (3) A shot of the pasture land right ourside the fence. I took this picture while driving to church last weekend. The local shepherds can graze right up to the wire.

June is Here!

2010-06-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

5 June
It has been almost a full week since I posted a blog. I was traveling again and got back to my home base this morning. Some places we go have good internet access, but not so at all of the FOBs. We were hoping to get to a smaller place and see some of the guys who rarely get visitors, but the flight options in and out of there did not cooperate with us this past week. So we had to change plans and stay at a larger FOB and see the teams there. Some of these places are so bare-minimum that they do not accomodate women. They can't really, because they do not have the space or the extra facilities. Guys only. My female Chaplain Assistant is not too thrilled about that, and we may still try to get to one of those places in a few weeks. We can do this because our battalion commander--a Colonel--is also female and she is making a fuss about it. So off we go. Some of these FOBs do not even have toilets or showers, and I have heard stories of Soldiers going months without showering. I only plan to visit for a few days. A little B.O. never hurt anybody!

The picture is of me standing next to a Chech tank overlooking a valley below. The place we visited has this nice scenic spot for pictures, but you have to share the space with the tank. I doubt it has ever been fired in this war! But it looks cool sitting there on top of the hill. It may have been made by the Russians for this very terrain 30 years ago, who knows?

I had to be at the flight terminal at 3:00 am this morning to secure a seat on a flight back to my base. So I sat there in the dark, looking at the stars and half-moon. It was still bright enough to light up the ground. I wondered if my family could see the same moon I was looking at? Do you remember that scene in Apollo 13, where Tom Hanks uses his thumb to gauge the size of the moon, and then his wife is back home doing the same thing? Being so far away, it makes me wonder if we can see the same sky at night? The stars here are fantastic -- but I've already mentioned that in a previous blog. It is one of the things I will actually miss about this country and experience.

By the way, we are getting close enough to or end date that people have started a countdown. I won't put it here, but we are close enough to see light at the end of the tunnel, but still too far away to get excited about. Business as usual for awhile more.

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T00:27:00.000-07:00

31 May
Today is Memorial Day. It is a time to stop and reflect and honor those who have given their lives--the ultimate sacrifice--in time of war, and for the freedom and security of others. It has been a low-key day here so far. There was a ceremony earlier this morning, but I did not attend. It was quite a long walk from my office, and I chose to have a personal time of reflection instead. It has a weird feeling here about this Holiday, almost as if people don't want to celebrate it while in a war zone. Perhaps it will have more meaning to me next year, when I'm at home and away from this place. Maybe it's too raw for some to celebrate this day. One of my Chaplain friends had two Soldiers in his battalion killed in the month of May alone. I guess no one really wants to talk about it. But we do pay homage to our Fallen Heroes. I will remember Chris, from my Unit, as well as his family. I will also say a prayer for all those who have died for our country and for the freedoms we hold dear. Please do the same. Thank you.

Army Buddies

2010-05-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

28 May
Tonight we celebrated the birthday of one of my good friends from this deployment. His name is Stephen and he has been my PT partner and a good source of information for me about Army stuff. He's been in 17 years now, and he's one of the smartest guys I know, so I often look to him for an explanation to some of this stuff. In the picture you will see a handful of the "junior" officers in the Battalion (Lieutenants and Captains). We all went out to dinner together tonight and spent some quality time together. They say misery loves company, and most of these officers here went through a rough time this deployment. The Company Commander position, Operations, Human Resources, and Supply can be extremely hectic places to work in the Army, not to mention in a deployed environment. With the exception of the guy on the left, this is a quality group of people, and I'm proud to call them friends.

The second picture is of a buddy back home who served in the Army a few years back. A knee injury ended his military career, otherwise I'm sure he'd love to be here with me now. He is a great friend from church who supports me back home with a bracelet that he won't take off until I come home. Now that's pretty cool! However, he is a Notre Dame fan, but I don't hold that against him. The only problem is I have yet to receive a card or letter or even a post card from him! It's heart breaking. Someone tell him that I'm just not feeling the love from my Army buddy back home. It's tragic.

Injured Toe and other Travel Stories

2010-05-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

25 May

I'm back in my little room ("hooch") tonight after returning to my base early this morning. It was a good visit to a few of the FOBs, although the travel issues continue to haunt us. Essentially, it is a drag trying to get from one place to another over here. But once you get there it can be an enjoyable time (even fun, occasionally). But let me share a few photos and highlights from the last week...

I smashed my toe into a door frame yesterday morning and hobbled about for a few hours afterward. It hurt bad enough that I went to the Med station and had them examine and "buddy tape" it. I could bend it some by that time, so we don't think it is broken, but boy does it sting to hurt a toe. I don't know why I actually took a picture of my toes here, and posting it on the internet is even sillier. My wife says I need a manicure before I ever take a picture of my feet again! But oh well. I can't go into much of the military stuff, so I have to share other (less exciting) aspects of my everyday life. I suppose a coat of red nail polish would do wonders. Hummm.....??? Naaah. I'll pass.

The picture of the shepherd was taken from a look-out tower at one of our FOBs. This particular place is very quiet and safe, and the reason for that has to do with a local warloard and a graveyard on the FOB. Apparently, some of his ancestors are buried in this particular graveyard within the FOB's boundaries, and he did not take kindly to the Taliban shooting rockets at this FOB a few years back. Local tradition has it he went after the Taliban himself and made a violent example out of those guys and a warning to anyone who messes with that specific FOB in his territory. So our troops in this area enjoy peace and quiet and his protection, in a way. Needless to say, the local shepherds come right up the the walls of the military base.

The watermelon was a gift from a local man to our team last Saturday. About six of us sat around and enjoyed some watermelon like it was 4th of July back home. It was a good day and a nice memory. Thankfully, no one got sick from the local citrus, which was a possibility.

Also, I got to tell you about my ordeal getting home last night. My assistant and I managed to get seats on a 10:30 pm flight back to our base. I had high hopes of getting into my room about midnight and sleeping in my own bed. No such luck. We actually got on board and were all loaded and ready for take-off when they discovered a problem with the brakes. Good thing they found it when they did, I suppose, but we ended up sitting there on the plane for over an hour before they sent us back to the terminal to wait it out. They told us they might fix it in a few hours and we'd be on our way about 2 am. So I stayed up and watched a movie in the terminal. My assistant tried to sleep on the concrete floor. It was not fixed at 2 am, so we were placed on the 6 am bird (which was cancelled at the last minute, too). We finally caught a 7:30 am flight that actuallt did fly us home. I never did get any sleep at the terminal, and realized I had been up over 26 hours. I did catch a nap today, and hope to get some real rest tonight. One of the things I realize about the Army is that the days can be very long!

And finally, I received a nice comment about my blog from a new Marine friend who stumbled across it on the internet. Thank you for your encouragement as well as for your own past service. I appreciate that you put on the uniform, too, and for your kind words. Some days I do not know what impact I'm having over here, but other days it's more obvious. Thanks for the reminder and the pick-me-up!

No Fear

2010-05-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

Sat. 22 May
A few years ago I was on an airplane coming back from a conference in Idaho. I was on a small jet, the kind with about 20 rows of seats and a center aisle with two seats on one side and only one seat on the other. Pretty small. Anyway, we encountered a storm and they diverted us to Provo, Utah for a landing to wait out the storm. At some point in the turbulence I put on my headphones and fell asleep. I was way in the back of the plane. After we landed I learned that someone way up front had been overly stressed during the flight and the turbulence and screamed out, "We're all going to die!" I missed it. Never heard a word of her terrified rambling since I was out like a light.

It reminded me of Jesus asleep in the back of the boat during the storm (Mark 4), and his buddies are scared for their lives and wake him to ask why He does not care that they are all going to die? But Jesus was not scared. Why should He be? (He is God, by the way) But He had already told them they were going to make it to the other side, and he already knew his final destination was a cross in Jerusalem (and not a sinking boat in Galilee). That's why he was angry with the disciples ("Why are you afraid?" and "Where is your faith?").

Anyway, I have been preaching this sermon lately which I titled, "No Fear," and based it on the Mark passage. My theme is that if Jesus is in your boat (a.k.a., your life), then you do not have to be afraid. It does not mean life will be a piece of cake or a rich and smooth ride, but it does mean He will never leave you nor forsake you. Those are stong words that I have come to live by over here. I also draw comfort from Psalm 91, especially the verses that say you will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day, and, No harm will come near your tent, or, God will command His angles to lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot upon the rock. I am banking on these promises, and God is upholding His Word and keeping me safe and calm.

I do not fear the war going on around me. And yes, I was at the large base last Wednesday that was attacked by the Taliban. The alarms woke us up, and I was lying there hoping it would all go away so I could go back to sleep. No such luck. I heard an explosion and then machine gun fire -- not too far away. Shortly after that I heard the loudest gun I've ever heard, and I was quickly up and moving to the check-in point for safety and accountability. Turned out to be an attack helicopter overhear firing on the bad guys. But the weird thing is I never felt scared. It was more awed fascination than fear. (I've never seen an attack helicopter in real life doing what it was designed to do. It was intense). Ultimately, my hat is off to our security forces. They responded quickly and did a great job of protecting the base. They stopped the Taliban dead in their tracks. Literally.

So I am practicing what I preach, and encourage you to do the same. Even in this environment I am aware of the danger out there, but it will not come near my tent (God promised, remember?). Did you ever stop and think about how much of our worry/anxiety/fear is a "faith" issue? Jesus Himself told us "Do not worry!" (Matthew 6). And notice something about that verse: it's a command. So I am placing my life and trust in His hands. No better place to be, if you ask me.

"Chapel-In-A-Box"

2010-05-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

18 May (Tues)
I wanted to share about our "new" chapel facility. I am currently serving on two separate chapel staffs here on this base: one service is on Sunday morning in a B-hut structure (Warrior Chapel), and the other is a Sunday night service that used to meet in this big warehouse (East Side ChapelNext). Not very conducive to great worship services, but it was all we had. Yet all that changed last weekend. They ordered us what is commonly called a "chapel-in-a-box" around here, and it arrived a few weeks ago. The construction crew set it up (well, most of it, anyway), and we moved out service into this new facility this past weekend... in the rain. It was not a great night to make a major move, and because it came as a surprise to most of us (including the Chaplain staff) many people did not even know we moved. But that did not stop us from holding both Catholic Mass and Protestant Worship in the new building that night. It's a tent, actually. See the pictures. I had the privilege of being the preaching Chaplain this past weekend as we opened and "dedicated" the new chapel. And I spoke on the "Storms of Life" and showed a Rob Bell, NOOMA video called "Rain." How appropriate considering the weather that night. We still had about 25 in attendance, which was not too bad. These chapel tents are about 70 feet long and about 25 feet wide. Depending on how many chairs you have, you can probably seat close to 75 or more people in there. That would be a great thing if/when we do that! Keep us in your prayers are we try to meet the religious needs of our Soldiers over here. Even if we have to do it in a small wooden shack or a tent!

Purple Heart

2010-05-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

16 May

If you get injured in combat you receive a Purple Heart medal. General George Washington himself instituted the tradition of giving this prestigious medal to our wounded Soldiers. I had the privilege of being invited to an awards ceremony for a few Soldiers a few days ago. Just three days after I rode in the medical helicopter, we had another situation where a handful of our men were caught on a mountain by a group of bad guys. Five of our men took cover and returned fire. Air Force jets were called in to give "suppressive fire" to the enemy, and they flew overhead protecting our guys until reinforcements could arrive. They said it was an awesome sight to see those jets flying extremely low over trees and mountains trying to scare the enemy away. All five of the US Soldiers survived, but a few were injured. One was from my Unit. He was flown to my base and stayed in the hospital two days before they flew him to Germany for additional medical treatment. He was in good spirits and doing well when he left. The medical facilities here are pretty good, and those guys deserve a ton of credit for what they do and how many lives they save. In fact, if you walk through the halls of this base hospital (which is pretty large), you will see many of the rooms occupied by local nationals who are either sick or injured themselves. We will treat anyone who needs it -- including the locals and sometimes the bad guys. It reminds me of old episodes of M*A*S*H, where Hawkeye worked on everyone, too.

Anyway I will attach a few shots of the Purple Heart ceremony in the hospital room. The Commanding General and his Sergeant Major delivered all the medals while another member of his staff read the citation out loud. The whole room comes to attention (except those who are in hospital beds!). I felt pretty honored to have been invited. It's one of those awards/medals you really don't want to win!

Recent Thoughts

2010-05-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

12 May
I am back on my home base now. The last few days have been busy and somewhat hectic. I wanted to tell you what happened to me the on Monday night, but I have to leave out real names and some details. A US Soldier was wounded critically by "the bad guys" very close to where I was staying last weekend. He was taken to the ER on this FOB and they worked desperately to save his life. They called in a medical helicopter in an effort to fly him out of there and back to the larger base where there are more advanced medical facilities (including surgery). The team there worked on him as well as a local national man who was also wounded in the attack. I was allowed into the ER and close to the bedsides of both of these men. (The Chaplain has special privileges!). The local civilian allowed me to pray for him at his bedside while an interpreter translated my prayer into his native language. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ask the Lord to save and heal this man, and he was receptive to my prayer. I understand that a good Muslim does respect Protestant and Catholic Chaplains as "men of the Book," even though he may reject faith in Jesus Christ. Either way, it was a unique opportunity and I took advantage of it.

But as for our US Soldier... he was wounded critically and they flew him to a larger base. However, the base Commander wanted the Chaplain to go with him. So I quickly packed a few belongings in a bag and hopped on the medical heilcopter with the crew and the wounded Soldier. I sat in the back and watched as three flight members (nurses and EMTs) worked on him... and I prayed the whole way! I figured my role here was to bathe this man in prayer and to ask God for protection, speed, and healing. It was a pretty awesome experience. The pilots fly at night with night vision goggles, which allow them to see everything pretty clearly. I was looking out the window at mountain passes and little villages down below us in the dark. They were hauling butt trying to get to the larger hospital ASAP. We had two blackhawk helicopters (gunships) escorting us at top speed. Kind of like having a police car with his lights on escorting you to the hospital and running all the red lights in town. It was pretty cool!

And the best news is the Soldier made it alive. He is still in critical condition, but has undergone two surgeries already to stabilize him. He will now be flown home to the USA for more medical treatment. His name is "Joe" and I ask that you lift him up in prayer. He will need more surgeries and probably a long recovery, but he is out of the woods and should be OK. Thank you, Lord.

A Rough Night

2010-05-07T01:39:00.000-07:00

7 May
It was another rough night last night. A Soldier from another Unit (not mine) was killed around dinner time somewhere in the mountains near where I am visiting. I know his Chaplain and my friend called me and asked if I could go over to his Unit's office and spend some time with his team on this particular FOB. I was happy to go an minister to a group of about 10 Soldiers just sitting around, kind of in shock. I was able to talk about some of the emotions they may be feeling and got a few to open up and talk about their buddy who died. Some even laughed as they remembered fun times with their friend. These guys deal with the bombs, and it was a rocket that exploded that caused his death. It makes everyone stop and reflect on life; on how fragile it is. This kid was about 22 years old with his whole life ahead of him and now he's gone. There were some tears shed, and then I read from Psalm 91 as well as Psalm 23. I asked if I could pray for the team gathered there last night, and everyone bowed their head and closed their eyes. I noticed people coming out of offices to join in the group prayer (who had not been involved in the discussion up to that point!) It was a pretty powerful moment and I know God was there in that room with us. In times of utter fear and panic and, in this case, sorrow, people seem to know they need God. And to think, I was frustrated because we could not catch a flight back to our home base yesterday morning. Yet God had something different in mind for me. I believe God had me stay here for a reason... to minister to those Soldiers in their time of need. It is a reminder to me that when I ask God to use me, He does!

There is a family back home who received the worst news imaginable last night and must be grieving terribly today. Please lift up this family specifically, as well as a prayer for protection for all of our troops in harm's way. I would appreciate that. Thank you.

Tea with the Poles

2010-05-03T01:46:00.000-07:00

3 May
I had an interesting experience last night that I wanted to share. I am visiting a FOB operated by the Polish Army. They call that a "Battle Space Owner," and they can vary considerably with the international flavor here. If our troops are on one of their FOBs, then we have to obey their rules of engagement, which sometimes creates interesting situations. Anyway, there is a Polish Catholic Priest here and I went to meet him in the afternoon. Through in interpreter he invited me back for tea after his evening Mass. I was honored for the invitation and went back. I was the only American in the room for the evening tea, and the priest and a handful of other Polish Soldiers --including their Colonel --were sitting around smoking and talking about the day, and/or telling "war stories." For all I know they were talking about me, but since I cannot speak a lick of Polish, I have no idea! One of his Soldiers translated for him, since the priest does not speak any English. It was a weird experience, and a little intimidating, to say the least. But they were all very gracious and polite to me and I carried on a conversation with this Polish priest, while sharing tea, through his interpreter. I asked him if he had any advice for me, someone new to "military ministry"? He told me to (1) be myself and not try to imitate others, (2) to be available for Soldiers at all hours -- in other words, don't turn anyone away because it is after hours or in the middle of the night; (3) to keep in contact with your military commanders as well as your Soldier's families (if possible). And (4), he also said to keep in touch with the One who can "change water into wine." His comrades laughed at his joke, but I didn't think he was kidding. As a fellow Chaplain I understand the importance of keeping your faith strong and staying in prayer and in God's Word as much as possible. I think that should have been #1 on his list. Anyway, it was a nice conversation and I appreciated their hospitality. As you may know, the Polish lost most of their government leaders, President, and military Generals in a plane crash recently. Everyone on board was killed. The Soldiers here do not know what the future holds for them and you can sense the sadness and anxiety in their voices. So do me a favor, please pray for the Polish government, their people, and military. Pray for God's divine guidance and protection on their country and on their Soldiers serving far away from home! Thank you.

My Birthday Promotion

2010-05-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

1 May

It has been a great day! Not only is it my birthday, but I also got promoted from 1LT to the rank of CPT (Captain) today as well. What a great memory. I will attach a few pictures of the ceremony, with my commander slapping the new rank on my chest! My wife also made the day very special by taking the time to make a video of family, friends, neighbors, and Sunday school classmates wishing me a Happy Birthday, too. She also ordered me a care package of chips and salsa to be shipped here to me. It arrived yesterday. That was awesome. The care packages from home were filled with love, and were greatly appreciated.

I feel like God has done a work in my life the last 6 weeks or so. I went from being down in the dumps and hating my job, to feeling more confident, needed, and honored by my peers and troops. I have been reading through the Psalms and see some of this in King David's words when he cried out to God to rescue him and protect him, etc. God answers those prayers. He draws close to the broken hearted and loves to come through for us, as author John Eldredge (from Wild at Heart) likes to say. I can attest to that. I thank God for my wife, who helped make my birthday special, and I praise God for all the blessings He has given me--including this deployment!

Recent Pictures

2010-04-29T05:37:00.000-07:00

29 April

Well, we made it back to our home base today after a few days away. I have many more of those short trips planned before this is all over, which is both good and bad. It is good because you get out ad see people and see new areas. It's bad because the traveling part is a drag. Once you're there it is fun... but getting there stinks. Lots of waiting around at airports or landing zones (LZs) for helicopters. And some trips, like today, take 3 hours to go in a zig-zag route to the final destination. A straight shot would have been 30 minutes. I was tired of being on that helicopter!

Anyway, I wanted to share a few pictures from the last trip. I really enjoyed the mountains and the village near this particular FOB. Lot's of scenic views.

Stars at Night

2010-04-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

27 April
It's Tuesday now, and I wanted to reflect on my late-night trip to the bathroom last night. Yes, I know, not your normal topic of conversation. But I have to admit, we drink a lot of bottled water around here, and I'm not always diligent to stop drinking early in the evening... so the consequences of being hydrated are late night trips to the bathroom. The only problem is the lack of indoor plumbing in any of the sleeping areas here, so you end up having to leave your building, or tent (in this case), and walk a few hundred feet to find the nearest bathroom. Be very thankful for a bathroom right there in your own home! (And a clean one at that). In my current case, we are visiting another FOB and staying with the Soldiers from our Unit in their tent. It is large enough to sleep 6 people, and they framed in walls from wood available for just such a purpose. So I have a nice little room with a bed and a door I can lock. That's cool.

Anyway, back to the original story. What I wanted to mention was the moon and the stars last night. Many of the smaller FOBs are called "black-out FOBs" because external lighting is not allowed at night. You can have lights in your rooms, but when you go outside you have to have a flashlight with either red or blue light (nothing white). This is all for safety reasons and to make the FOB harder to see at night. It also makes it harder to find your way to the bathroom! But last night the full moon was out and it lit up the sky. I just stood there for awhile and was mesmorized by the night time sky. The stars out here in the mountains tend to be unbelievable as well. It's always the same way when you get out in nature and away from the lights of a big city and then check out the stars at night. They're beautiful. My PT buddy was an atronomy "minor" in college, so he's always telling me the names of stars and constellations. I can identify a few of them, but for the most part I just look at them and think about God. There is a song by Chris Tomlin where he sings about God's indescribable qualities. He says, "You placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name." Those lyrics come to mind when I gaze at the night sky here, because it is so massive and awe-inspiring. It makes me think of how awesome God is, too. By the way, I have even seen more than a half-dozen shooting stars over the months, too. They seem to be prevalent here, although I'm not sure why.
Gotta go for now. Thanks for checking in with me. I'll post more later when I can.

ANZAC Day

2010-04-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

25 April

Today (Sunday) is a really busy day for me. I was asked by the soldiers of the New Zealand group if I would participate in their annual "ANZAC Day" ceremony. It is an annual day of remembrance, much like our Memorial Day, where both Australia and New Zealand remember soldiers who fought together and were killed in WWI. It has grown into a national holiday for both countries and is celebrated at dawn on April 25 each year. I was asked to give the opening and closing prayer, as well as a brief "message" before the ending. (I think they asked me because my office is near theirs, but who cares. I was honored they asked!) I chose to tell the story of Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River on dry ground, and then building a monument from stones to commemorate the event. I told how the monument was designed to help future generations remember what took place that day and how God led them into the Promised Land. The annual Anzac Day ceremony is very similar. It is designed to remind us to never forget those who came before us and died in battle.

I had many nice compliments afterward and they invited me to a private breakfast (since it was only 5:20 am when it was over!). I met about 25 Soldiers from New Zealand and Austrailia who are stationed here. They only serve 6 month tours! Lucky bums. I also enjoyed listening to them talk. They have a great accent, and actually say things like, "No worries, Mate!" In fact, several of their Air Force pilots invited me to bring my family down to NZ for a visit after I get home. I'd love to, but who is going to pay for it? If they're offering a free trip... we're there! But somehow I doubt it. Anyway, it was a great cultural experience for me and I learned quite a bit today about NZ. (Did you know, in the summer down there you can snow ski in the mountains in the morning and then drive to the beach and swim in the ocean that same afternoon?) That sounds great! The attached pictures are of the ceremony this morning at sunrise (their Major addressing the crowd of about 40 people), and the wreath they placed to remember the fallen (Lest We Forget).

On a different note: I already preached one time this morning at the 10am service, and now I will pack this afternoon for another trip, and later tonight I will preach again at a different service. My topic is on the progression into sin, and I used Lot (from Genesis 19) as my text and example. He slowly moved closer to and then into the city of Sodom and became accustomed to the lifestyle there. In fact, he and his family were reluctant to leave, even when the angels told them it was going to be destroyed. I wonder how often we are like that? Living around so much sin, and not really noticing it anymore because we're so used to it? It's all around me here -- trust me, Satan is alive and well in this country AND in the military! So I want to open my eyes some more and try to open a few others to the dangers of the sin all around us. Please pray for me and this message, as well as for our safety on future travels. Thank you.

Oasis in the Desert

2010-04-19T00:51:00.000-07:00

19 April
I am visiting one of our teams at a very remote location for a few days. You can be stuck where ever you go and at the mercy of the helicopters coming in and out. At some places there are not a whole lot of birds arriving, so you may be there a few days. That is the case here. It's Ok though, because this place is a nice oasis in the desert. There is a small river that runs through the entire camp, and it drops off a 5-ft ledge and makes beautiful waterfall at one point. The entire area near the river is covered with shade trees due to the abundance of water nearby. I'll post pictures soon. But it is a beautiful spot to sit and relax. I read my Bible there this morning and had a quiet time. God sent me a lttle frog to be my company. He flopped down the waterfall and tried to hide in the water from me, but I saw him anyway. It was sort of a reminder of life in the midst of a desert (let alone a warzone). It also reminded me of Elijah staying by the brook and being fed by the birds until the water dried up. Maybe my frog buddy will be there tomorrow, too. We'll see.

One of the interesting things that is happening to me -- or to my faith, rather -- is the repeated exerience of seeing God answer my prayers: for myself, my family, and my Unit. I have been praying for my Soldiers and their safety and asking God to cover them with the promises of psalm 91. And it's working. I want to make sure the world knows there is a Living God who answers prayers. I am keeping a record of incidents where our soldiers could have been injured or worse, but were not. In fact, we had another incident last week from an explosion, and our guy walked away without a scratch. It's unbelievable and only due to the grace and providence of God. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness to your Word!

Honoring Chris

2010-04-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

15 April
We held a brief "Remembrance Ceremony" yesterday for our Fallen Hero, Chris Coffland. If you have been following my blog you may remember he was killed by an IED explosion last November 13th. But recently his sister painted a wonderful painting of him laughing -- which is how she remembers him -- and sent it to our battalion HQ. We had it framed and our Commander wanted to have a nice ceremony to unveil it and then hang it in our tactical operations center (TOC). It was really nice. All I had to do was lead an opening and closing prayer, which was not too bad. This morning, coincidentally, was a 5K Remembrance Run held by the EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) guys for all the soldiers KIA over the past year. If you saw the movie "The Hurt Locker" then you saw the EOD guys in action. There were probably hundreds of people who came out at 6:00 am to run. One of our Soldiers asked his wife to have this picture made up on T-shirts a few weeks ago, and so about twenty of us wore a t-shirt with Chris's painting on it. Apparently, he was fond of saying, "I'm Outta Here!" and so that is the saying on the plaque and the shirts.

I have become a big fan of Christian singer and songwriter, Mark Schultz. I got to see him in concert with "Point of Grace" when I was home on Leave. He puts on a great show, and has more energy that I ever imagined. His album, Broken and Beautiful has a song called "40 days" which really hits home for me right now. He sings, "Lord I came to the mountain top, to be with you / I felt your grace falling down like rain and I was made new / But there are time like now, when I'm all dried out / And as I've 40 days out in the desert feeling like I'm lost forever, crying out for you / But in these 40 days I'm gonna seek you, with my heart 'cause I believe you ...brought me to this place...these 40 days." I love that. Awesome lyrics!

What a Difference a Week Makes

2010-04-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sat. April 10
Greetings all. I am enjoying a warm Spring day and thinking back on the events of the last few weeks. I gave the devotional to the other Chaplains during our weekly luncheon this past Wednesday, and I spoke on trials and suffering. I used some material from Steve Farrar's book, "Battle Ready," and received several very positive comments. The highest ranking Chaplain in the area was present, too. He works personally with General McCristal, the 3 star General over everything here. So I did what they always say in public speaking classes: imagine him in his underwear! (No, I am kidding). I acted like he was just another one of my colleagues. That was easy.

Anyway, things are going much better. God is good and time seems to heal all wounds. Or at least helps you move past the hurt. I am preaching tomorrow on several passages from Matthew. I want to examine the life and times of Peter, and try to show that maybe we all need to be a little bit more like Peter -- at least in what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Peter had the guts to want to be like his rabbi, and be with his rabbi, and do what his rabbi did (such as walking on water). Sure, he is remembered for sinking, but at least he tried! What did the other 11 guys do? Nothing. So maybe we need to remember Peter's courage and desire to be a true disciple. Don't forget that Christ loved him and forgave him and rewarded him for this, so may we all seek to be a little bit more like Peter.

I am attaching a new picture from my bedroom wall. I posted a few more recent pictures from family back home. My kids colored Easter eggs and one of them has a Michigan "M" on it (blue and gold, or course), and the other says, "I love my daddy." Thanks girls. I love you, too. Also, if you look closely, you can see my mom going down a zip line while on vacation recently. Way to go, Mom! It looks like fun. Did I mention my mom's age? No, maybe I had better not!

I also want to take a moment to tell my wife I love her. She will be celebrating a birthday soon -- without me. In fact, I will miss all the family birthdays this year. That hurts. I miss you dearly and wish I could be there with you to celebrate your special day. But God had other plans, so please save a little cake for me!

Happy Easter - 2010

2010-04-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday
April 4, 2010
Happy Easter, everyone! This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24). I am currently passing through a muslim country praising God for the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Never thought I'd be doing or saying that here! As for today, it does not look like I will get to lead an Easter service, as we're still hoping to hop to another FOB later this afternoon to visit more of our troops. It has been a slow morning so far, which allowed me to spend time reading the story of Christ's death and resurrection from Luke's gospel (chapters 23-24). I have also been praying through and claiming the promises of Psalm 91 for myself and my Soldiers. I have decided to pray this every day for my battalion, and I believe God will honor that prayer coverage. I honestly believe God will bring my guys through without any more harm or death. God also says of the one who is devoted to him: "When he calls to me I will answer him; I will be with him in times of trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. I will satisfy him with a long life and show him my salvation." (Psalm 91:15-16). I'm counting on that!

A closing Benediction for today: I like the passage found in Numbers 6:24-26:

The Lord bless you and protect you;
The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord look with favor on you and give you peace. (Amen).

Happy Easter from the other side of the world!

Battle Ready

2010-04-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

2 April
Good Friday. It has been a very good day. My assistant and I are out traveling and visiting our Soldiers at a few outlying FOBs (forward operating bases). It was a relaxing day, filled with sleep, reading, a devotional/quiet time, and exercise (to name a few things). The weather where we are at is wonderful and this place has green vegitation and trees. It's pretty nice. We went for a walk and saw some kids flying kites and others trying to start a soccer game. They came running up to the fence and asked us (three of us in our party) if we would come over the fence and play soccer with them? Not a chance, kid! But thanks for asking. So we got our cameras out and they said, "$50 bucks for a picture!" Again, not a chance, kid. What a bunch of street-smart gangsters! So I took a few pictures for free!

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about something I read this afternoon. A few months ago my wife sent me a book called, "Battle Ready: Prepare to be Used by God," by Steve Farrar. (He's the same author who wrote "Point Man" which is a book I highly recommend to any married man). I started "Battle Ready" awhile back, but put it down for one reason or another. I just could not get into it back then. So I decided to bring it along on this trip for pleasure reading during down time. At the beginning of chapter 2 he gives a quote from the famous British (Baptist) preacher, C.H. Spurgeon, who said, "God gets his best Soldiers out of the highlands of affliction." Boy did that speak to me! Steve Farrar goes on to say, "Every man who desires to be used by God will face giants. Do you desire to be used by God? It's what gives meaning to a man's life." Then, later in the same chapter he wrote: "The man who is used by God will not be free from pain and suffering--not by a long shot. In fact, some of that pain and suffering will be of his own making. And when you are facing a giant that is of your own making, well, that is the bitterest fight you will ever wage" (p.38). Amen to that.

Wow! He is speaking my language, and this book seems to have been written for me. I find it interesting that I did not read those words back before Christmas when I first got the book in the mail. Maybe I was not ready for that message then? But I am now and God has me reading it when I need it most. As I have said earlier in this series of blogs, God is speaking to me through books this year, and His message is coming in loud and clear. I needed to read those words and work through the implication of what Steve Farrar is writing. I want to be used by God, and as such I need to be aware of--and ready for--the giants to come and the fight to be nasty. Yes, it did not help that I caused some of my own pain and suffering, but God is using it all to make me "battle ready." Thank you, Lord. And a thank you to my wife for sending the book to me way back when. God knew I would benefit from it when the time was right. I think that time is now. Thanks honey! I love you.

Navigating Minefields

2010-03-31T03:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Long, Hard Week

2010-03-25T00:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Back in the Saddle Again

2010-03-21T05:21:00.001-07:00

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.

Reflections on Going Back

2010-03-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Las Vegas Here We Come

2010-03-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-14T21:17:00.001-07:00

R&R Pictures

2010-03-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Going Back

2010-02-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

28 Feb
Today has been kind of a crummy day. First of all, it would have been my parent's anniversary today. Thankfully, my mom is spending the day with her sisters and having a good time. This helps keep away the pain, for now. Then my family went to church, but it felt all wrong. I felt like a stranger there. Like it's no longer my church -- which is a product of being gone so much over the last 2 years. I gave up my teaching and ministry there long ago in preparation for being gone, and now it feels too weird. It's kind of like moving away and then going back to the old neighborhood a few years later. Everything is familiar, but it's changed. And that's why they say you can't ever really go back: it's never going to be like it once was. It's sad.

Finally, I got an email from my CH Asst back overseas and she informed me that I may not get to stay home as long as I was initially informed (and hoping). It's complicated, but my scheduled leave was not for another ten days. The question becomes, does emergency leave count as your R&R leave? If not, do I get to stay home longer or will I go back and then still get my scheduled R&R --in which case I'd have to fly all the way home again. Why not just stay home??!! (Trust me, coming home for a funeral is no R&R, as someone back there must be trying to argue that it is).

I found myself angry and hurt and having a little pitty-party today. Oh yeah, and the USA hockey team lost in overtime in the Gold medal game to Canada this afternoon. I was bummed. And it rained here today as well. I can only hope tomorrow is better. So could use your prayers. (1), for my attitude, and (2) so that maybe I'll get to stay home a little bit longer. (ps: I know God's in control, but it does not hurt to ask). Thanks.

Goodbye Clara and Home on Leave

2010-02-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Tues 23Feb

I am writing this back in the United States because I am suddenly home on Emergency Leave. My mother-in-law died last Friday afternoon. She had been sick for awhile, but it's still very hard and sad to lose a loved one. I was a very fortunate young husband to have had a mother-in-law who loved me and accepted me so easily and generously into her family. She was a wonderful woman who loved her family, her grandkids, her Cincinnati Reds, her beloved Elvis, and a good game of Shanghai! We loved you, too, Clara, and I will miss you.

This is a favorite picture of my wife and her mom, taken in almost exactly three years ago.

Another Week Down

2010-02-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

19 Feb
It's Friday night again, and I just got back from steak night at the dining hall. I guess after awhile it gets to be old hat. The "coolness" of having a steak every week is wearing off, especially since they're not the greatest steaks either! I'm sure that has something to do with it. The afternoon temperatures have been nice here recently, and so I went for a 4 mile run today. (The perimeter run around the base is almost 8 miles, and I want to be able to complete that at least once before I leave!) Part of my route takes me past massive airplanes being loaded or unloaded with supplies and personnel, gorgeous snow-capped mountain views, fighter jets taking off, and the local village huts with men watching their flock of sheep or goats. Sometimes the local kids get close enough to the fenceline to holler at us or even throw rocks at cars and runners. They warn us not to run the perimeter alone at night for obvious reasons! I wonder if anyone ever threw rocks back? I'm sure they were tempted.

It has been a very busy time for me recently, and it may get worse. The Division Chaplain asked me if I would help out at another chapel service starting up here. This one is on Sunday mornings and is also way across town. I am honored that he asked me, and I told the Lord that I would gladly help if He (God) supplied the transportation. Sure enough, the Div Chaplain said I can hitch a ride with the other Chaplain involved in one of the chapel vans. It is true that if God is calling you to do something, He will provide what you need. I can't help but think of Henry Blackaby's words in his Experiencing God Bible study that we need to look around and see what God is already doing around us and then go and join Him there. Don't go off trying to make up your own plans and then ask God to bless you in your activity. Nope. Instead, seek His direction and then join Him in whatever He's doing. I think Blackaby's right. It works better that way.

I've also been doing quite a bit of counseling these days. Sometimes it's with soldiers who are not even in my Unit. My office is on the first floor of a busy building (near the finance office), and I think sometimes they see my sign and stop on in. I even got a call at 12:30 am one night to come talk to a distraught soldier from another Unit. They could not locate his Chaplain so I gladly went in. I came very close to asking that Soldier to surrender his weapon to me that night for his safety. Had his sergeant not been there to watch over him, I might have done that. It's kind of creepy realizing that your distraught clientelle is carrying a loaded gun! It's par for the course in this environment, but no less dangerous.

Finallt, on a personal note, my wife's mom is really sick right now and I know both she and my father-in-law could really use your prayers. Thank you. Gotta go for now. Talk to you again soon.

I Love My Wife

2010-02-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

15 Feb
I got a great Valentine's Day care package from home today. Inside the box my wife and kids send a few more movies and lots of love! The kids each made a wonderful framed gift for me, and my wife sent along a T-shirt that says, "I Love My Wife." There was also a picture in the box of her wearing the wife's version of the shirt that says, "I Love My Husband." That was really awesome. I cannot tell you how much I love my family and miss them. When you're over here, the love and support you get from back home can make a world of difference to your overall emotional and spiritual health. I thank you for the wonderful boost, honey. I love you, too!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

14 Feb

Not much new to tell you today, except that I get to celebrate Valentine's Day before most of you back home. It is a cold cloudy day here. Notice the before and after pictures of the snow and then the mud (when the snow melted) in my front yard. This is what I walk through (or around) these days. They tell us February and March tend to be the rainy seasons here, so it is likely to get even worse! We all can't wait for the warmth and dryness of the summer.

Have a great Valentine's Day!

Early Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

12 Feb
[The picture is a bumper sticker I saw recently]. It has been a long, hard week. As you know, it all stared with the Latrine mugging (see previous blogs). I am doing pretty well since then, but they had me come back to the Aid station for a follow up concussion test (which I passed). They gave me muscle relaxers for my neck pain, but I have not used them yet. I'm certainly more careful leaving latrines now, let me tell you. Perhaps I need to talk to the Special Operations guys about techniques to sneak up on my adversary in the dark. Maybe that will help!

There is quite a bit going on in my battalion these days, but I can't really go into it here. We're into the middle phase of this deployment and they say this is when problems start to intensify with Soldiers. It get's mundane here at times, and some Soldiers do dumb things to pass the time away. Marriage problems have also been a constant with a bunch of our troops since the first few weeks of this trip, and stresses back home seem to get magnified over here. It's really sad to see and hear some of the stories of bad decisions and unfaithfulness that goes on when a Soldier leaves for a deployment. Now of course that does not apply to everyone. We also have some great people with us here, men and women who make this a better experience and that I'm proud to serve with.

Well, it's Valentine's Day weekend. My sweet wife sent me a care package that arrived Friday. Perfect timing. It was filled with cool stuff, including lots of candy, cards from her and the girls, the "Love Dare" book, and Michael Jackson's last movie DVD called, This Is It. I felt loved! Having her love and support back hope is what gives me the strength to keep going. I am blessed to have her in my life, as she is the best gift God ever gave me. (I love you, honey. Happy early Valentine's Day)

Latrine Mugging Part 2

2010-02-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

8 Feb
This is my 2nd blog entry for today, so you'll need to also read the first one for this all to make sense. But I needed to tell you all about this horrible, no good, rotten day and how it went from bad to worse. I got word today that a friend from my church back home died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound Sunday afternoon. He left behind a wife and 5 kids. There are no words to explain the sadness and grief and disbelief at news like that. He was a friend. He was our Youth Pastor. It's too much to comprehend, and I'm half a world away. I feel helpless to do anything. All I can ask is that you also please pray for his wife and family and the church that is left to try to understand and minister to the family.

Now for my news: If you read below, you know that I took a stumble coming out of the porta-john very early this morning. I was trying to make it sound funny, but it really was not. As I pieced together my memory of the incident I came to realize something scary. I don't remember all of it. I didn't remember how I hurt my nose and neck. In fact, I believe what actually happened is that after I stumbled to the ground the first time, I got back up (because I remember rubbing my left wrist), and then passed out. I fell a second time onto my face in the snow and rocks and wrenched my neck in the fall. When I woke up -- how long I lay there I do not know? -- I was on my knees with my face in the snow. It was then that I stumbled to my hut and back to bed feeling sick and thinking I might throw up. (I did not, thank goodness).

Anyway, it gets almost comical from here on out. My Chaplain assistant convinced me to go to the Aid station to get checked out. So off we went. I think they were bored and had nothing else to do today but make me the center of attention. They took me in the back and once they heard that I may have lost consciousness and hit my head, they went into severe casualty mode. I realize they were being on the safe side, but they took my blood, stuck me twice to finally start an IV, shaved parts of my chest to do an EKG. (In fact the most pain of the day was pulling the tape off of my chest and arm hair! Ouch). Then they put me in a cervical neck collar and strapped me down on a hard (and cold) back board and waited for the paramedics to drive me to the hospital. I am not making this up! I even heard the sirens while we went down the street 1/2 mile to the real ER. The doc at the aid station was worried about subdural hemotomas and needing a CT scan of my brain and all the bells and whistles. But the ER doc wasn't having any of it. He did an evaluation and checked me over and then said I was "fine." No X-rays, nothing. He discharged me within 20 minutes of arriving with a prescription for Motrin and suddenly I was out on the street walking to lunch! It was crazy.

My neck is still sore, but not as much. I realize how fortunate I was that my fall and injury was not worse. I could have laid there in the dark and in the snow for hours until someone found me. I'm also lucky there was about 3 inches of snow to cushion my fall on the rocks -- right on my face. I'm lucky I should have a broken nose! And how/why I came to when I did, I'll never know. Ultimately, I believe that God truly protected me this morning, as He was there with me outside the latrine at 4 am. The Bible says there is no place we can go where He is not there also, and where He does not see (Psalm 139). Thank you, Lord, for your hand of protection when I could not protect myself.

Super Bowl Monday

2010-02-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

8 Feb
It's been raining and now snowing here for the last 4 days. It turns this place into an even worse mess than it already is. Think of a construction site in the rain. It's awful. I usually love seeing snow come down and blanket the ground. But for some reason I am not enjoying it here (at least not yet). The best thing about bad weather, though, is it makes things even more difficult for the bad guys. They tend to stay in doors and create less havoc on our troops when it's not nice outside. So I have to be thankful for the accommodations I do have -- which are better than what some have -- and for peace and safety for our guys.

And yes, it is Super Bowl Monday for us oversees, since we're a half-day ahead of you. So I got up at 4:00 am to watch the game live and was excited with the results (we lost satellite connection for awhile there around half time, but it came back on soon after). We also did not get to enjoy the fun commercials like every one else. They show sporting events on Armed Forces Network (AFN) over here, and their commercials are all public service announcements such as don't drink and drive, obey the speed limits in a foreign country, report theft of government property, etc. I was bummed. But we did see a nice commercial by the President recognizing the military across the world watching the game. I felt like he was speaking to me. That was cool.

However, the morning did not start off too well. The best way I can describe it is this: I got mugged in the dark by the latrine. And I don't mean in the vicinity of the latrine, I mean literally that the port-a-john did it. It attacked me! I hate that thing. (See picture of my assailant). On my way back out of the latrine I stepped down and missed the ledge and stumbled to the ground, in the snow, in the dark, at 4 am. What a dork! I layed there stunned and woozy, nursing my left wrist and a cut nose (and a bruised ego). It was a vicious attack, let me tell you. I think I deserve a Purple Heart for my war wounds. (In which case I'll have to come up with a better story than tripping out of the latrine in the dark)!

Old Friends Reunited

2010-02-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

4 Feb '10

I had the opportunity to spend some time last night with my old battle buddy from the Chaplain school a year ago. He is also deployed to OEF, and came through my area recently. Just like old times: we got some coffee and enjoyed each other's company and conversation. Please add Doug to your prayer list, as he is just now starting his deployment. He, his soldiers, and his family will need your prayers as well. Thank you. (We're standing inside a big circus tent where they put as many bunk beds in there as possible to handle the large amount of soldiers coming through this area. It's loud, smelly, hot, and crowded. In fact, those tents are a big drag to have to stay in, but at least they're temporary!)

Army Achievement Medal

2010-02-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

2 Feb 2010
Tonight was a good night. My Men's group had 11 members show up tonight for our discussion, and it went well. We're reading through the book, Point Man, by Steve Farrar. It's a great book, and tonight's chapter was on Christian men not reading the Bible and even when they do, not applying it to their lives. He calls this "Spiritual Anorexia and Bulimia," and he's got a great point.
But the other big news is that I got my first military award tonight. It's the kind of medal that you wear on your dress blue uniform to impress everyone. It is called the Army Achievement Medal and it is for "exceptional service as the battalion Chaplain" for the mobilization period and the first 60 days here in theater. My Company Commander put me in for it as she wanted to recognize me and award my work. I was pretty touched by that, and I'm honored. (Another 1LT Soldier was also honored by our commander tonight as well. That's her standing next to me).

Where is God in Afghanistan?

2010-01-30T21:35:00.000-08:00

Sun. 31 Jan
I used one of Rob Bell's NOOMA videos last night in my Bible study, and in this one (#3, Trees) he makes the statement, "We live in a world drenched with God." I agree with him. I can look out at these rugged mountains every morning and see God's fingerprints all over this land. The Apostle Paul writes about this in Romans 1:20 -- that we can see God through His creation, and therefore have no excuse. If you open your eyes to God, you will see Him all around you; in the land, the sunset, a rainbow, and even in the people. That's what I challenged my class with last night. Jesus told us in John 13 that the world will know you are His disciple if we love one another, and the examples of the Good Samaritan and James 2:14-17 (faith without works is dead) are proof of God's desire for us. Not only can we see God "drenched" in the world around us, but the world should also see God in and through us! So God is definitely here in Afghanistan, as He can be seen through the life and love of his disciples in the American military. The same is true for you, no matter where you live and work. Are we/you showing God's love to others? Are you loving the unlovable around you? Keep in mind, those who do not know Jesus are watching you. Like the truckload of men in front of me the other day. They see the cross on my uniform and they stare at me.

Who is watching you?

By the way, we located my duffel bag. It was found at one of the FOBs and taken to the Chaplain's office there. Some of our Soldiers went and picked it up and are holding onto it for me. So now I have a good excuse to go visit that team in the near future and pick up my bag at the same time!

Lost Luggage

2010-01-25T20:58:00.000-08:00

Tues. 26 Jan

I forgot to tell you my lost luggage story from the past weekend. We traveled from the French FOB back to my base, and there were several stops along the way -- in the dark. At one point, a whole bunch of people got up and off this very large Chinook helicopter (like the one in the picture). They're pretty big, and they can hold a lot of people with a lot of gear. And apparently someone accidentally threw my duffel bag out the back door of the "bird" and out into the dark when it landed somewhere. They actually went back and looked for me, but never found it. My bag has my name on it, a lock, and a large white cross painted on it as well. It will be pretty obvious to soemone that it isn't his -- and that he should not steal from a Chaplain! I have been back to the terminal every morning since, but no one had called it in or returned it. I may have lost my sleeping bag and some clothing in there. Oh well. Nothing that can't be replaced. But at least in the civilian world the airlines will make every effort to find your lost luggage and return it to you, or pay you for the contents. Not here. I'm not sure anybody cares about my lost luggage but me, and there is no lost luggage claim form to fill out to get reimbursed. I may be out of luck. (The picture, by the way, was a real photo of a pin-point landing by a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan a number of years ago. They were on a surprise mission to round up bad guys. Pretty cool, huh?)

Cultural Lessons #1 and #2

2010-01-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

Mon 25 Jan

Cultural Lesson #1: FOOD. It was an interesting and exhausting weekend. My assistant and I traveled again to see some of our Soldiers, but this time at a French base or FOB. It was an interesting experience. They have a French dining facility (defac) and the American Soldiers there complained about the food loudly enough that recently they established an American defac as well (small, and only for the US Soldiers). Let me explain why... the lunch I tried at the French defac consisted of something called "blood sausage" as the main entree. They also served mashed potatoes (not like mom used to make!), and breads and cheeses. We decided to stay with the bread and cheeses, and then we went to the American defac from then on. So the next day we tried the local Afghan restaurant (within the compound) for lunch. That was actually quite nice. Not very sanitary, but oh well. We had fresh kabobs (see picture). I'm not sure what kind of meat it was, but they say there used to be a bunch of cats running around there.... (no, I'm just kidding). It was goat meat. Seriously. I have had lamb kabobs here and now I've tried goat. Not too bad, and the rice was delicious. So if you ever get over here, I highly recommend the local restaurants as a change of pace. Better than French food, that's for sure!

Cultural Lesson #2: BATHROOMS. One thing that stands out to you over here is the difference between how sanitary Americans are compared to the local population. The difference is quite obvious in terms of showering (see my previous blogs on that subject) and also use of the bathroom (or latrine). OK here's your warning, if you have a squeemish stomach, don't read any more! I am attaching a picture of a toilet used by the local nationals on base. Notice that it does not have a seat, just a hole in the floor and a flush pedal. This is because the local men (and women) do not sit down to go to the bathroom, they squat. OK, so that's not too creepy, I can get over that part. But where it gets bad is they do not use toilet paper like we do. They use their hand and water instead! Left hand only. (That is why in the middle east culture you never shake with your left hand, nor do you use the left hand to eat. That's bad taboo if you do that. We had cultural lessons before we came over here about the proper use of the left hand). Anyway, we have had incidents of Afghan men breaking the public toilets because they were standing on them, not sitting. And they use the toilet paper to place on the toilet seat before they stand on it -- so they do not get their feet dirty! I'm not kidding here. So, when you're done cleaning yourself with your hand, you simply wash your hands with water (soap is optional). Either from bottled water, or in the sink. That's another reason they tell us to not brush our teeth in the sinks here! So as you can imagine, the public porta-johns are a mess, and my female assistant won't even go near them! Can you guess why? By the way, I wonder what hand the guy used to fix our goat meat??? (No, maybe I'm better off not knowing!) Gotta go, talk to you again soon...

Practicing Presence

2010-01-20T02:08:00.000-08:00

20 Jan
There really has not been too much new going on here, but I felt the need to post something. The picture is of the construction crews moving a house, or "B-Hut" as they are called. I think this one is going to the other side of the base to make room for new troops coming in. They can fit between 4 to 20 Soldiers in one of these! (We have 6 in mine).

It has been 4 days since my last message, and I want to be consistent. In a nutshell, I preached twice last weekend from John 5. Both services went well, but I was feeling sick for a few days there (common cold), and I think that affected me. I did not walk away feeling like I hit a home run, but oh well. No preacher feels that way every weekend, or so I'm told. I have also been growing more frustrated with an Army administrative issue. It appears that my paperwork may have slipped through the cracks awhile back and could have affected some financial issues for me. I am trying to trust God for all that stuff, but it can still get pretty frustrating. I have a number of people here helping me, which is a blessing, so we'll see where that goes soon. The Army is a massive entity that does not seem to care much for the individual. I am learning that if you do not stay on your toes and also be a squeeky wheel, you may get lost and you certainly will not get the oil!

I started reading a new book called, Spiritual Direction, by the late Henri Nouwen. He was a famous priest who wrote extensively on spiritual issues. He is big on journaling, and some of his material is challenging. For example, he writes: (1) Identify and name a persistent question at this time in your life; And (2) In what areas of your life are you most prone to self-rejection, and why? Tough questions. How would you answer them? I have been keeping a written journal by my bed, so I am pondering those questions and spending time in quiet reflection to allow God to give me some insight.

One other issue that I am working on is the ability to stay "in the moment," in the here-and-now. I am not very good at that, and this experience almost begs you to look ahead and dream of it being over. I can't wait until I get home. What will I/we do then? What will our lives look like when I'm done? Ect.... But God seems to be speaking to me about not doing that. Stay in the present, or you will miss what I has in store for you/me today. The truth is, I will miss the blessings and ministry of being here if I am always focused on home and next year. It's not an easy shift to make, but I'm starting to recognize it and (hopefully) adjust. I challenge you to do the same in your life. Well, that's it for today. Gotta go for now. We'll talk again soon.

Shower Ministry Update

2010-01-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

Sat 16 Jan

Well, let me tell you what happened yesterday with my new "shower ministry." I decided to act on it and went and bought two plastic tupperware containers at the PX. Cost me $4 each. I then filled each one with shampoos, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and even a few washcloths that we had in the office. I put a sign on each saying "FREE--take what you need". Then I put each container in a different shower location near my office. I was feeling real proud of myself and then went for a run with my PT buddy. Two hours later I went into the very same shower stall area and was excited to see if anyone had used the stuff. Unfortunately, the entire container was gone. I should have known, but within two hours someone stole the whole thing! I suppose they really needed it. The container in the other location was still there, and there was evidence that people had taken items out of the box. Anyway, I decided not to be mad or disappointed. I will try again. My running partner said he liked the whole idea and volunteered to buy another container. I may talk to the company that runs/cleans the shower areas to see if there is any way we can secure a container to the wall or something like that! Make it a permanent fixture. We'll see.

As for the pictures: I took a picture of the air traffic control tower here because a few people told me recently that this 6-story building is the tallest in all of Afghanistan! There are radio towers and antennas that may be taller, but this is the tallest building in the entire country! Wow. The second picture is of a real Russian junkyard filled with stuff the Russians left behind when they left this country in 1989. But you don't dare go in there -- notice the red sign. It says "MINES". There are many areas around this base where the Russians planted land mines to keep the locals out. Many of those fields are still here. So this stuff sits there and rusts. Pretty cool, huh?

New Ministry Opportunities

2010-01-14T21:56:00.000-08:00

Fri. 15 Jan 2010,
It has been a fast week. Lots of stuff going on here for me, as it seems the pace suddenly picked up. I added a few ministry opportunities this week, including a worship service for my specific unit on Saturday nights. It starts tomorrow. I will try to do this weekly, but obviously there will be times when I'm traveling and unable to do it here -- in which case I will probably offer a service or something similar to the Soldiers I'm visiting. Either way, it will keep me busy.

I also made a move to promote and possibly show the two movies from Sherwood Baptist Church: Facing the Giants (the football movie) and Fireproof (about marriage). I purchased the site license agreements for both movies before leaving home for this very reason: so I could show the movies to Soldiers over here. We may advertise and show them at the main Chapel for anyone and everyone to attend. I want to show the football movie near the SuperBowl and the marriage movie near Valentine's Day. However, my Brigade Chaplain (i.e., boss) is hinting that she'd like me to do some religious education along with the Fireproof movie. In other words, I may be giving a marriage seminar over here in a few weeks! I'm excited for the opportunity, but a little overwhelmed, too. I'll keep you posted.

I am attaching a picture of the sign posted outside my office door. Just for kicks.

This morning I saw something that saddened me. We allow many local national men to come on base and work here. They have to pass a screening and security clearance and then carry an ID card at all times. Most are good guys just trying to support their families. Some are not so good, however. Every now and then the MPs have to remove someone from the base who snuck on or sole something, etc... Anyway, we allow them to utilize the bathrooms and shower facilities when they are here. And this morning I saw a gentleman come into the shower stall and take a shower. I was finishing up, so I know he was in there and the water was running. However, he did not have a towel nor did he have any soap or shampoo. Nothing. He just got wet. Then he got out as I was brushing my teeth and he put his old clothes back on -- while he was still wet. His shirt and pants acted as his towel. I felt bad for him because it was in the low 20s outside and bitter cold. I wanted to offer him my towel and soap -- but that thought lasted only a fraction of a second! On second thought... maybe I'll bring extra shower items next time I'm in there in the mornings. We have so many bars of soap and toothpaste and extra toilitries in the Chaplain's office from care package donations that I can't give it away fast enough. Sometimes we even have towels. So I think I see a ministry opportunity here for these guys. I can't speak their language -- so I don't know how to tell him that he smelled just as bad when he came out of the shower as he did when he went in -- but maybe I can give away some soap and shampoo? We'll see how it goes. Keep this one in prayer, too. See ya later.

Monday brings a new week

2010-01-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

11 Jan 2010 (Monday)

Yesterday was a very long day. I went to three worship services, two of them lasted almost 2 hours each! I finally made it back to my room around 10:30 pm, which is late for me. But speaking of my room, I was very pleased that I got some new carpet for my "personal space." They were selling small area rugs at the PX, and I got the last blue one. (See picture). I know it's not much, but at least it makes the floor warmer when you have to get up in the morning (or middle of the night, if you know what I mean).

Well, I did finish The Shack this past weekend as well. And I must say, overall I really enjoyed it. I tried to put myself into Mack's shoes as he was experiencing the Lord in the story. I can sort of relate as I feel like God is changing me somewhat through a tough experience, and so I found myself trying to absorb it more than if I were just skimming it. I probably was not ready for this story a year ago, and God knew that. So I'm glad I came back around to it a year later. Anyway, I won't take up anymore time here except to say it was well worth it for me, and I recommend it to you as well.

I'll be preaching again this upcoming weekend, and my text will be from John 5:1-16 (the healing at the pool). I found it interesting to realize that Jesus went up to the one man who could not help himself. And then he waited for the man to state his needs. It's not like He didn't already know the answer--He did--but he won't force Himself on us (see Rev. 3:20). Did you ever notice that before?

The second picture is of the view of my neighborhood from my font door! (See all the rows of B-Huts and the mountains beyond). The mountains were very clear that day when I took this picture (due to a brisk breeze blowing through here). Many days it's pretty hazy, since we're so close to an airport. Unfortunately this small picture does not capture the moment very well.

And finally, I will be starting a seminary class on-line this upcoming week as well. It will help keep me busy, which is a good thing! So please continue to keep me and all of the Troops over here in your prayers. Thank you.

2010-01-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

9 Jan
Nothing much new to report, except that I am more than half-way done with my new book, The Shack. It is interesting. The main character has an experience with God as the Trinity that will make your mind spin a little bit to try to process it all. It reminds me of Theology class somewhat because it goes into pretty deep stuff like the nature of love between the three persons of the Trinity (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit). It's been a pretty good read so far. I'm curious to see how it all comes together and wraps up. And yes, I would recommend it for anyone who wants to go deeper into their understanding of God -- because it will challenge your assumptions and understanding of God. Whether you agree with it or not is a different story! Also, if you've been through one of those experiences in life where you felt God abandoned you, or does not love you, then I recommend you read it as well.

I work with a bunch of Soldiers from Texas who were very disappointed with the college football National Championship game yesterday. (Univ. of Texas lost to Alabama). It was shown live here on Friday morning, so a bunch of us got up early and watched it, including our battalion commander. It was fun to not have any interest in the outcome (since my Michigan team was long since out of it), and to see just how biased fanatic fans can become when their team is losing. Every penalty against Texas drew various boos and hisses and comments that I cannot repeat here. Several people even apologized to the Chaplain for their outbursts! Oh well, it made for a good diversion and some early morning fun. Perhaps my Wolverines will be in the title game next year! (There's always hoping in next year!)

It has been over a year since I started this blog when I went off to the Chaplain school last January. You might remember Doug, my "battle buddy" during that program. He's getting ready to come over here, too, for a lengthy deployment. He won't be stationed where I'm at, but I'll get to see him on his way through here and on on occassional trips. So please lift him up in prayers, as well as his family, because the leaving part is hard. I know what he's going through!

Ok, well, thanks for hanging in there with me and for all the encouragement and prayers from back home. I/we need it and appreciate it. Thanks again.

The Shack

2010-01-06T01:01:00.000-08:00

6 Jan 10

Here's me in my blue and gold sleeping cap. Some women from the midwest knitted hundreds of those and sent them over here. Our Soldiers grabbed them up fast. It's warm and comfy, no matter how silly I look!

I returned from a quick trip to visit a Soldier this afternoon, and still feel airsick from the return flight. Many of the contract pilots here (such as the guys who work for Blackwater) are all former military, and they like to do what is called a "combat approach" or "combat landing" (depending on who you talk to). Forget about the slow, easy descent into the airport, all nicely lined up straight. Nope. They either drop out of the sky at a crazy speed right on top of the runway, or they circle it a few times and land from an angle while skimming the tree trops like a crop duster. Of course I'm exaggerating, but not much. Our pilot today did the latter, and it affected me. Have you ever been airsick, or motion sick? That cold and clammy feeling that comes over you, and sweat starts beeding up on your forehead. Yeah, I can relate. (I need to lay down!)

Ok, but now the really interesting thing I wanted to share today. As I have stated before, I am aware that God is speaking to me through books recently, and He's doing something in my life to prepare me for what lies ahead. I don't know how to explain that, but I can feel it. I have found myself on this reading kick, and I've gone through about 5 books already since being here (over 2 months now). In the past two weeks I have had three people tell me I need to read the book, The Shack. My response has been the same: No thanks. You see, I started it about a year ago when my mom gave it to me, but I could not finish it due to the sensitive nature of the storyline and having a 7-yr old daughter of my own (a 7-yr old daughter dies in the book). So I initially put it down and decided to move on. But recently it has been coming back to me, and the theme of walking with God and being on a spiritual journey has been prevalent with me.

So there I was yesterday, sitting in the airport terminal over here, waiting for my flight (and reading a different book), when this total stranger -- and I mean complete stranger -- sits down next to me and asks me if I have read The Shack? Out of the blue! He tells me he just finished it and loved it. (He was the third person of the three I mentioned above). I was a little bit creeped-out by this, and kept wondering what's going on? I believe God can orchestrate weird things in our lives, sometimes to get our attention, like a visit from a stranger (an angel perhaps? Could be). So then we land at the other FOB and I go to check in with the Chaplain's office there and low and behold, guess what book he had on his shelf? You got it... The Shack. And he gave it to me right then and there. He did not care for it, and wanted to get rid of it. (I've aready started reading it again).

Now, I'm not sure if you believe in God, or that God can speak to us through other people and events, or even books, but I do. And I'm listening. I don't really want to read through the pain of the first 70 pages of this book, but I'm going to push through it to see what God wants me to find in this story. So hang in there with me, I'll let you know.

Theological Ramblings

2010-01-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

2 Jan 09
A friend of mine recently told me she is struggling with her faith, largely because it is hard to see the hand of God in the middle of all this pain and suffering and evil in the world. I can understand why she feels this way, although I tried to encourage her to reconnect with God and to hang in there. This is a tough issue for theologians to tackle, too. How do we reconcile a pure and loving God with the existence or presence of evil in this world? In other words, why does God allow it? And if He could truly stop it, then why doesn't He? And the answer is simple... I don't know. We may never know. But in His Sovereign Plan (or Providence), there does appear to be a place for suffering and Satan does seem to have a little wiggle room to do his evil work. What is do know is this: If God did not even spare his own son, Jesus, from pain and suffering, then it is naive and arrogant to believe that He will somehow spare me from it.

I believe in the truths of Scripture that tell me three things: (1) God is love, (2) There is a thief [Satan] who comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and (3) God can use all things for His glory and my/our benefit, even pain and suffering. These three things help me get through some of my own faith battles. But I also know that when I am discouraged, Satan initiated it and he's the one who hopes to benefit from it. In other words, Satan wants me out of the game because I'm playing ball on God's team, not his. Therefore, when I'm under spiritual attack (see Ephesians 6:10-18), then I must be doing something right. The Devil will leave you alone if you're of no threat to him. So maybe we need to look at discouragement as a blessing, because we know who the discouragement comes from and why.

Interestingly, my devotional today was on Elijah losing his faith and wanting to quit the ministry (1 Kings 19). But the interesting thing is that God questions Elijah (twice) about why he's running away from the battle (and one of the greatest displays of God's power in the entire Bible--see 1 Kings 18:16-40), and then God does not accept Elijah's resignation. In fact, the Lord gives him more work (three more assignments). I don't think I ever noticed that before today. We know God ultimately takes Elijah home in he flaming chariot, but not quite yet. Why? Perhaps it's because God did not want him to end on a down note? Or that He wanted his prophet to know that he was not alone in the ministry, as he believed? Or maybe because there was simply more work to be done? Perhaps it's all three. Do you suppose He does the same for you and me?

Finally, a very tragic incident took place last week over here (not too far from me, in fact) that hit the news back home. I can't discuss it here, and althought I was not there, I was still affected by it. We all were. My assistant is taking my physical security very seriously now, to the point that she even escorted me to the latrine the other night. OK, kind of weird... but necessary. That's her job as my "bodyguard." I appreciate her seriousness and desire to keep me safe. Please continue praying for our safety, and for the safety of all the service men and women over here. We need that prayer coverage!

Happy New Year 2010

2009-12-31T06:33:00.000-08:00

Jan 31, 2009

It's early in the evening for me, and I'm putting away gear and clothing from a recent trip. I have been gone for the last few days visiting a FOB near the Pakistan border (kind of freaky). Our Soldiers are pretty busy there, as one can imagine. It was a nice place, just for the record, but I'm always glad to get back to my own little "hooch" at my base. I will try to upload a few pictures from this trip, including a mountain view from the airplane.

I understand there will be a New Year's Eve gathering tonight, but I'm gonna lay low and stay indoors. I may watch a movie in my room on my computer and go to bed early. Boy, just saying that makes me feel old 'cause that's what old people do!!! I think I heard that some battalions have lifted the general order prohibiting alcohol for this one night. Some companies will allow their Soldiers one beer tonight to celebrate. You should see how excited some of these guys are for that one beer! It's crazy. The DFAC will serve non-alcoholic champagne tomorrow, and that's good enough for me. I will hit the New Year before most of you reading this, so I will lift a toast to you sometime tomorrow (around my lunch-time).

Well, here we are... at the end of 2009. Truthfully, I'm glad. It has been a hard year, as many of you know. If you've been following this blog for awhile you will understand. We've lost several loved one this past year and I was gone a lot. And tough circumstances change you. But I believe now that we have the choice if they change us for the better or worse and I'm working on the better. As I look ahead I see possibilities and change. God is changing me through all of this, and I like what He's doing. Sometimes God uses difficult experiences to strip away everything that keeps you from Him. Pruning is painful, but healthy, and I sort of feel like that's what He's doing in my life. Yes, life will be different when I get home, there is no doubt of that. But just exactly what it will look like is anyone's guess at this point. Except the Lord. I know He has my/our future in His hands and that's good enough for me.

So thank you to everyone who supported us over the last year through your prayers or help. I really appreciate it and thank God for you all. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next year, too, will ya? Thank you.

After Christmas Thoughts

2009-12-25T21:04:00.000-08:00

26 Dec 09
It is the morning after Christmas for me and all is well. It was a good Christmas, I must admit. If you have to be away from home, I suppose this was not a bad way to do it or a bad place to be. I was able to attend a worship service in the morning, and then I went with my fellow junior officers and helped serve food to the other Soldiers coming through one of the dining facilities. That was fun --- although I would not want that job day in and day out! Boy, those guys work hard! Then, in the afternoon, I went for a run with one of the male officers who has become a good friend (he's the guy with the blue gloves and the big smile in the food service picture above). The weather here has been wonderful recently, so it made for a great day. After a huge dinner (they feed us well on the major holidays), I finished off the night with a movie. The main chapel was showing "The Nativity Story" in the early evening and since I had never seen it, I thought it would be a nice way to end a good day. The Lord gave me activities and friends and worship to get me through the day.

I hope it was also a wonderful Christmas for you, where ever that may be.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T09:56:00.001-08:00

Dec 24, 2009
It's actually Christmas Eve as I write this. I am about to go to sleep, but my family is just getting up back home. They already opened one of my packages and enjoyed a few things I mailed them from here. They will spend the evening with family and have a wonderful, traditional Christmas. And I am glad, as I know they will be well cared for and happy. Merry Christmas girls! Dad loves you.

A wonderful thing happened after the Christmas Eve candle-light service tonight. The main chapel here received almost 2000 Christmas stockings (which we all filled with the care packages also received over the last month), and we brought hundreds of them to the service tonight to give away at the conclusion. Many of the service men and women did take a stocking after the service as expected. But what we did not expect was the number of local Afghan men (who work here on base) who also showed up afterwards, too. No, they did not come to the service, but word spread quickly that free stuff was available from the chapel -- and they came out of the woodwork! We had about 50 men going through the boxes and taking the stockings. A few of the Chaplains stayed around to help clean up and we commented that these Muslim men were being blessed by Christian generosity and gifts. Some of the stockings had Christian literature in them (some had Daily Bread devotionals and New Testaments!). I truly doubt many will be read (due to the language barrier), but some might. God works in strange and mysterious ways sometimes! We were more than happy to let them take whatever they wanted. It was awesome.

In fact, I was so moved by the scene that I ran to my office and grabbed the last box of Christmas stockings from my own church back home. I took them back to the men and every one of them disappeared in minutes! These men seemed so impressed to be given free stuff that they were very thankful to those of us standing there. I'll bet that those of you back home who donated gifts to us over here never imagined that they would end up in the home of an Afghan family on a cold winter night. Christmas Eve, to be exact. Trust me, the Soldiers on this base are not lacking for anything. But many of the local nationals are so poor, that a warm pair of socks or a knitted hat (not to mention a tooth brush, soap, and candy) might have made their Christmas a whole lot better -- even if they do not know this Jesus whom we worship and celebrate! Now if that's not a "God-thing", I don't know what is!

Thank you God, for allowing me to be a part of that. And thank you all back home who made it possible by giving to us over here, and to those why truly needed it. Jesus came to love and to give, and that's what He asks of us. I hope you remember that tomorrow. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ, for He's the reason for the season. Merry Christmas!

Commotion in the DFAC

2009-12-21T21:34:00.001-08:00

Tues 22 Dec 09
A funny thing happened in the dining facility (DFAC) last night. But before I can tell you the story, I need to give you some background info about hair styles in the military. As you know, length of hair is regulated in the Army (as well as the other branches of service). Men are not allowed to wear their hair longer than a certian length, except for specific purposes (i.e., some guys can wear a beard, etc). The rules also apply to the women, too. For example, the regulations specify that a woman cannot cut her hair so short so as to be mistaken for a man! No lie. She cannot shave her head bald, or have a crew cut or flat top or high and tight, etc... If a women lets her hair grow, it must be no longer than down to her neck line (or something like that), or if she lets it grow beyond that she must be able to wear it up in a bun during working hours. Ok, got all that???

Well, I said all that to say this.... last night at dinner I was trying to find a seat in the chow hall (did you catch the Army lingo?) and noticed a woman in front of me with long, flowing blonde hair. She was totally out of regulation! And my first thought was, "Hey, why does she get to wear her hair like that? She's donna get in trouble...!" But then I noticed all the men turning their heads to stare at her, and then I saw it. Printed across her jacket, were the letters: C-O-W-B-O-Y-S. And then I knew who she was.

The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are here for a USO visit (or at least some of them are). And you should have seen all the commotion these ladies caused in the DFAC during dinner. There were four of the cheerleaders sitting in various spots around the room (they split up and sat with Soldiers), and guys were giving themselves neck cramps trying to find them and/or get pictures with them. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was here last week, and nobody cared. But these women show up and the place goes nuts. There is almost as must commotion here today as when the Fox NFL show was in town a month or so ago!

But, just for the record, I didn't see anything. Nooooo sir, I closed my eyes and ate alone and tried to memorize Scripture during dinner! Yeah, that's the ticket. That's what I did. I barely noticed they were in the room. (The woman I saw was the one on the right in the poster above -- at least that's what someone told me!) That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Christmas Week

2009-12-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

Mon 21 Dec 09
Did I tell you that my wife sent me 12 gifts to open in the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas? It has been a lot of fun opening one every-other day. I had to disciplne myself not to rip them all open weeks ago, and it has been worth it. It gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. So far she's given me the picture of her and the girls, two Casting Crowns music CDs (which I love), a few movies (like "Blue Collar Comedy" with Jeff Foxworthy), and the latest gift was a citrus smelling air freshener for my room! Since I share a small building with 5 other guys her gift was right on the money! And greatly appreciated. I suppose this place could use a woman's touch every now and then...

Well, it's Christmas week and things are pretty busy around here. I am please how much religious activity will take place here --even in a war zone. There is Christmas caroling on Wednesday night, several worship services on Thursday night (including a candlelight Protestant service and a midnight Catholic Mass), and then more services on Christmas day for Protestant, Catholic and Lutherans. The Pagan service is tonight, by the way (winter solstice, I think). Yup, we got that here, too. I will probably miss that one but I have to be aware of it as I have 2 in my Unit who prefer the pagan or "Earth religions" to the other options. The guy who leads that service here used to be a Christian. I would like to hear his story sometime to understand where and why his own spiritual journey took a turn. Tragic.

As for spiritual journeys... I am aware of a few things God is doing in my life already since being here. I finished reading a book by one of my favorite authors, John Eldredge, called Walking with God. I enjoyed in enough to order his best-seller called, Wild at Heart. I read that one years ago, but decided to go through it again. There are things in there about understanding a man's heart that I would recommend for any guy, any dad, and any mom of little boys. I think God is speaking to me through these two books recently. I also started a daily devotional on the computer for our battalion and have received many good comments in return. Some of our Soldiers would not be caught dead with a Bible on their desk, but they can access a file and read a daily devotional! Which they are doing. And finally, I made a commitment to read the Bible through over the next year (maybe by the time I return home). So I made that outline available to the Soldiers on the computer as well. Some were asking for Bible-reading helps, and I was more than happy to give them some of my resources.

The pictures are from our recent Christmas party. Some of the guys were playing Wii in a covered shed area. It was fun. My church friends will recognize the red stockings on the tables! They made for great decorations! We're sending them out as fast as we can. By the way, I almost forgot to tell you that I ran in a 5K road race this past Saturday morning. It was called the "Jingle Bells 5K". I did not get there early enough to get a cool T-shirt, but at least I can say I did it (finally). You should have seen me, dressed up in multiple layers, gloves (with hand warmers), hat, etc. I looked like an eskimo, and some of these young 20-something studs were out there in shorts and a T-shirt! At 5:30 in the am. Idiots.

So that's about it for now. Pray for my mom and she'll be spending a white Christmas with my brother's family on the East Coast. It should be fun. And my wife will have some quality time with her side of the family this Christmas as well. It's all good. God has us in His hands this season, and I feel blessed in His love. Take care, keep your eyes on Jesus this Christmas, and tell your family you love them before the time gets away from you. Merry Christmas!

The Week Before Christmas

2009-12-17T04:20:00.000-08:00

17 Dec 09

We are working hard to send out all of the care packages we are receiving from all over the country. My assistant signed us up for several on-line programs where people can send gifts and care packages and stockings to us for the holidays. It has been an amazing thing to see all of the generosity from total strangers who want to support the Troops. And a special thank you to my very own church who sent more Christmas stockngs than I can count! Our office is filled with your boxes, by the way. But it is an honor to get to play Santa to the Soldiers because I then send them out to our troops at the FOBs out in the hills. Some of those guys don't get much access to the store, so the gifts are very much appreciated.

I am attaching a recent photo of myself sitting in one of our convoy vehicles. I don't go with the teams that drive these massive vehicles, but they asked me to be there when they left to say a prayer for their safety and to bless the truck! Not a problem. I was happy to do so.

I also just started a Men's Bible study group this past week. I sent out an email to see if there was any interest, and had 13 guys respond immediately. I am excited about the possibilities and would appreciate your prayers on this new ministry opportunity. Thanks.

More Pictures

2009-12-14T01:14:00.000-08:00

Pictures from the first snow fall of the winter and recent trip. These are a few friends who posed for me in while it was snowing. The other three are from the FOB I visited. One picture of the local village has a shepherd with his flock in the foreground. Not much grass, though. Notice the walls and the "compounds" that dot the country-side. I love the mountains here!

New Week, New Travels

2009-12-13T22:08:00.001-08:00

Dec 14, 09
I've noticed recently the date I type in does not match the date Blogger has officially listed. They seem to be a day behind. Well anyway, it's Monday morning, and we just returned from another trip to check on our Soldiers who are out and about. It's getting cold here (and so I'm wearing the black ski-mask my mom knit for me!), and the mountains are spectacular covered in white. We went to a FOB (forward operating base) south of my home base and enjoyed some local hospitality. We ate at a local restaurant (located on the FOB) and went shopping at some of the stores owned by local nationals. Kind of like going to the Bizaar all over again, but somewhat better (although not much). Most of the stuff you can buy is junk, including pirated movies. Thet's big over here. Someone sits in the back of a theater in China or Russia with a video camera and films a brand new movie, and then they copy it over and over again and sell it for $2 over here. Many service men and women buy that junk all the time -- but it's illegal to ship it home. So why bother? But it's big business to the militray on deployment.

I tried to get a few pictures from the helicopter ride looking down on the landscape passing by. I'll try to upload a shot of a village with the square "compound" looking buildings. They are all over the country-side. I'm not sure why, but maybe it's kind of like our backyard block walls and fences. In that regards, we're all kind of similar, no matter where you live. We build walls around our stuff to protect it, our families, and keep others out.

Anyway, I hope you are all doing well back home, as I miss you all. Things here are good. You kind of get into a routine on deployment. They call it Groundhog Day , after the movie with Bill Murray (because every day starts to feel like the last and the next). Rent the movie sometime, it's funny.

Did I mention that my wife sent me 12 presents to be opened on the 12 days leading up to Christmas? The very first one I opened was a wonderful framed picture of her and the girls that they had done professionally at our church. I love it. So I put it on my shelf and look at them every day. Thanks honey. I love you.

Night time on the computer

2009-12-07T23:09:00.000-08:00

It is Tues 8 Dec. 09,

And I wanted to test my wireless abilities this morning from the shop that sets up our internet capabilities. I thought I was still having trouble, so I brought my computer up here and they "fixed" it. We'll see. So I decided to upload another picture to see if they truly did fix the problem.

The picture is of me sitting on my bed at night doing exactly what I'm doing now: emailing or blogging (or some times watching a movie). It's kind of cozy in my shack, so this is often how I spend my late evenings before going to sleep. See ya later.

Christmas packages

2009-12-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

Tues. 8 Dec 09

It has been a busy and interesting week since I last blogged. I had some internet trouble, but that seems to have been resolved. I have received many wonderful care packages from friends and family back home, including gifts from my kids and lights from my mom. I have decorated my little shack with the lights already, and it feels a little bit more like Christmas. So thank you.

Not too much new to tell you. However, I did notice an interesting woman in the gym the other day. I say notice her because she was wearing shorts and had tatoos on both of her knee caps. That was probably pretty painful! Anyway, it's cold here, and no one wears shorts! So I suspect she wants you to see her knees. I saw that she was lifting weights and doing one of the same exercises I was doing. But then it hit me... she was lifting the exact same weight as I was on that exercise!! Boy was I embarrassed. So I decided to show her up. I was not going to be beaten by a knee-tatooed Air Force woman... so I added 5 pounds to my bar! (Yes sir, that showed her up for sure!)

My kids sent me a wonderful picture of a Christmas tree, which I immediately put up in the office. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

One Month Down

2009-12-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

3 Dec 09
It's official. We've been here in country over 30 days now, which means we qualify for a combat patch on our right shoulder. I understand this tradition may go back to Gen. George Washington, but we know for sure it has been utilized since WWI. Over here we fall under the leadership of the 82nd Airborne Division, so we are authorized to wear their patch, the "AA". There are many jokes around regarding what "AA" stands for, as you can imagine. Officially it means All American, but some say it means Almost Airborne. Oh well. It's a pretty big deal in the militray to have one of these, so I'll wear it with pride. For example, my Colonel worked 24 years before she got her patch, so it is kind of a career maker (or in her case, icing on the cake).

I also recently got to meet the top General in the entire Army Reserves recently. 3-star General Stultz. He came and addressed us last week and then posed for a photo-op. Pretty cool, huh?

And now that December is upon us... we have a new office and a new Christmas tree. Our company Commander's husband sent us a "live" tree, so we put it up two days ago and then had a party in our new and larger office (see photo. The little tree seen here is not the live one). It was fun. Other than that, all is well. We're into a groove now and the Units are operating smoothly. I am busy with helping out at two different protestant worship services here on base, which is keeping me busy. In fact, I preach at one of them this Sunday night! Keep me in your prayers.

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

26 Nov 09
Happy Thanksgiving Day! It was a great day, largely because I decided it would be and I decided to focus on being thankful. Besides, isn't that what the day is for? I woke up and read Psalm 23 this morning, and I spent time on the verse (5b) that says, "my cup overflows..." This past week I have been thinking about what it means to be thankful (to whom and why), because it can be real easy to get into a pity-party mode and complain to God about my circumstances, my comfort level, my situation, etc. I am living in a wooden shack, no indoor plumbing, half-way around the world from my family, etc... (You get the picture). But God showed me this week from Romans 11:33-36 that it's not about me. It's about Him. Being thankful is about who God is and what God did; specifically his awesomeness and that He sent his son, Jesus, to die for you and me.

So when I saw that verse this morning, it reminded me that God truly has blessed me -- my cup overflows -- even in a far-away land, living in a shack, next to a bomb shelter and a port-a-john. It doesn't get any better than this! (Well... maybe I shouldn't go that far). God does bless those who heed His call and obey his Word. That blessing may not always be financial. It can also be serenity, trust, confidence, deeper relationships, and intimacy with Him. I think God has given me serenity (peace) about my mission here, about His ability to take care of my family back home, and about and His promise to never leave me nor forsake me. So I can rest easy in that promise and concentrate on the job at hand. Thank you Lord. That is something to truly be thankful for.

Travel by Helicopter

2009-11-22T09:02:00.001-08:00

This was pretty cool. We flew in a Chanook helicopter to visit some of our Soldiers up in the hills. I also got to watch the Michigan vs. Ohio State game from Afghanistan this year! The outcome stunk, but it was still fun to watch it nonetheless. I will try to upload a few pictures if I can. The picture with the Soldier in the back of the helicopter (or "bird" as they call it here) is my favorite. She is harnessed in, and she had the best view in the house! It was awesome. The landscape was desolate and mountainous and brown. Every now and then we would pass a village, but it was hard to see much from my seat. This helicopter does not have a back door (only a ramp), so we could see partially out the back as we flew. Did I mention it was very cold?

Memorial Ceremony

2009-11-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

18 Nov. 09
We held the Memorial Ceremony today for our Soldier who was KIA last week. It has been a stressful week, culminating in the ceremony. But I think it went really well. Many hands worked hard to make it meaningful and professional, and I think we pulled it off. For a brand new Unit in theater, with a rookie Chaplain, I think we did our fallen Soldier proud!

Keep me in your prayers, as I will be doing some traveling soon to visit more of our Soldiers scattered across our area of operation (AO). Many of these guys do not have a Chaplain at their locations, so I must get out and visit occassionally. Maybe I'll have a cool story to share next week when I return! See ya then.

Terrible, Rotten, Horrible, No-Good Day

2009-11-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

14 Nov 09
Yesterday was a horrible, no-good, terrible, rotten day. I am not a superstitious person, but it was on Friday the 13th that our Unit lost a Soldier -- killed from a road-side bomb. We got the news late morning and it devastated us. We have been here less than a month and we've already exprienced tradegy. Suddenly this war took on new meaning for us all, and it may have been a horrible reminder to our troops of the reality of what we're doing here. I don't pretend to understand it all, and I certainly cannot tell you why God allows war and death, but I can tell you His presence is felt here and is desperately needed here. I knew this Soldier; he asked me to pray with him before we left the United States. I will always have that tender, spiritual memory with him and of him.

Every Soldier who is killed (KIA) is called a Fallen Hero, and they have a special ceremony to honor the Hero while they load the casket into an Air Force cargo plane to be flown back to the USA. (I recommend you watch the movie, Taking Chance, with Kevin Bacon). I went to sleep around midnight Friday night and got up again around 0330 Sat. morning to participate in this ramp ceremony. It was truly an awe-inspiring event to be a part of that. A Senior-ranking Chaplain and myself led the pall bearers into the plane and then shared a prayer and Scripture (Psalms 27:1-4). I stood at attention with tears streaming down my face while many Soldiers from our Unit payed their last respects to their friend with a slow salute to the casket. It was really powerful. We will now hold a Memorial Ceremony in the next few days, where I will deliver the message. This is where the Chaplain has to shine because it will be attended by some big-wigs around here (men with stars on their uniform). I don't mean that I have to preach like Billy Graham, but I do have to coordinate it all and make sure it goes off flawlessly. If not, it looks bad on me and our Command. So we'll rehearse and get it right.

So please pray for our Unit, the family of our fallen hero, and the ceremony we will hold to honor him and his sacrfice. I would appreciate that. And someone tell Jenny that I missed the race this morning. The ramp ceremony took precedent. Oh well, maybe next year.

Momentum

2009-11-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

11 Nov 09
It's Veteran's Day today, and it took on a totally different meaning for me this year. We had a ceremony in the same tent that they used for the NL show last weekend, and it was meaningful. It's weird because I don't really think of myself as a veteran. When I come home I can even join the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). Maybe I'll get one of those hats!

Well, things have been picking up for me recently. I have been going through some soul searching and even some "wrestling" with God. I was on a treadmill running last night when God brought me back to the story of Jacob wrestling with a "man" (a.k.a. God) in Genesis 32:22-31. The Lord forever changed Jacob through that struggle, but he also blessed him as well. (It's where the Jews got the name Israel). I can sort of relate to that story, as I know God is changing me -- and it's painful. In know Roman 8:28 says it's for my benefit, but that does not make it any easier! Yet he does bless those who love and serve him, and I can attest to that as well.

Well, let's see: (1) I plan to run in the local Cross Fit 5K run this Saturday morning. It is sponsored by one of the church services here, so the Chaplains are encouraged to participate. It may be 30 degrees that morning, but who's counting? My old Remuda friend, Jenny, would be proud of me! Someone tell her I finally ran in a race, even if it is on the other side of the world. (2) I met the local Family Life/Counseling Chaplain here on base and he's already asked me to cover a few of his counseling groups for him next week. This guy does most of the counseling done at the chapel, and I'm sure he's pretty busy. So when he heard about my background he was pretty excited. I'm told getting busy makes the time go by faster, so that's what I plan to do.

Finally, I'm going to try to upload a few more pictures. One is of the local mountains after the snow fell over the weekend. Another picture is of a water station near my room. Free water bottles are all over the place, as they do not want us drinking the local water supply. They even encourage you to brush your teeth with bottled water. It seems everyone here gets sick initially, as we're living in a bacterial cesspool. In fact, we're all taking malaria pills on a daily basis, too, and some believe that's contributing to the problem. Who knows? And the last picture is of a garbage truck. Seriously. The local nationals go all out when they decorate their vehicles. It's kind of cool.

Fox NFL Show

2009-11-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

7 Nov 09

It's Saturday night here and the place is electric with NFL football -- not college football, which you'd think would be the case. Nope, the boys from Fox NFL are here and taped their show with us tonight. It was fun to watch. I walked over there and was actually close enough to get a few pictures, but not really close enough to get good pictures! But hey, I was there! They came in a few days ago and began setting up all this stuff in the MWR tent, and the stars went around and did little info pieces around the base. They hung out with Soldiers and Air Force guys and shot some of the video they played on the show (if you watched it). I'm pretty sure they had better living quarters than the rest of us, and I wonder if they had to use a porta-john, too? Doubt it. Regardless, it was good for morale.

Surf and Turf Fridays

2009-11-06T06:42:00.001-08:00

6 Nov 09
It has been a really good day. The weather was wonderful and it felt like we got a few more things accomplished. Fridays are also "surf and turf" days at the dining facility (DFAC). That means they serve steak and seafood. Not great quality, mind you, but a steak nonetheless. Tonight we had fried shrimp with it. (Pretty tasty). Earlier today we also went to the local Bazaar (kind of like the flea market). My mom would have loved this place, because they expect you to barter with them for the junk they're selling. Lot's of pottery, rugs, vases, and leather jackets, to name a few items. Oh, and there was even a camel! The owner charged a few bucks for a picture with his camel, so I made a new friend today. The camel, I mean. The owner was kind of grumpy! (If I can get pictures to upload I will show you my new buddy).

I'm also praying about a ministry opportunity here to get involved in a new worship service over on the other side of the base. Doesn't sound like much but it takes 30-40 minutes to get over there, and it will be held in a tent for now. Kind of like church planting or a church start-up project. The drive over there is interesting, to say the least. You go past stretches of fence-line with ancient villages and ruins just on the other side. Sometimes the local children can be seen playing in the huts, and sometimes they throw rocks at passing vehicles. For obvious reasons, service members are NOT encouraged to jog alone out on those stretches of the road! It feels kind of like being inside a prison with hugh barbed-wire fences all around the perimeter. But in this case it is to keep the bad guys out, not in!

I think God is trying to stretch me some more with this issue. I wanted to plug into a nice, comfortable service within walking distance and have as few additional responsibilities as possible. Nope. That probably won't happen. The Division Chaplain over here (my Chaplain boss) wants us all to support a specific worship service as well as the overall ministry on post -- not just our individual Units with the Soldiers we already know. Boy, the nerve. They're going to actually make us work over here!

A few more pictures

2009-11-04T01:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures of my new "home." One is an updated picture of my room, with a few more pictures on the wall than previously. My dog Chance is with me now, and the black and white photo on the bulletin board is of my girls and the neighbors on Halloween night in their costumes. I love that photo. You can also see the sheets hanging down from the ceiling. The plywood walls only go about 6 feet up, and so there is a gap the rest of the way to the ceiling. So people hang rugs, sheets, more wood -- anything to give you more privacy. As it stands, I can still hear everything from the other 5 guys in this hut, but at least they don't stand in the hall and peek over into my room!

Another picture is of the area I live in from a second story level. You can see the many roof-tops of our huts as well as the snowcapped mountains beyond. The mountains are rugged and gorgeous here, and most will be covered with snow in a few weeks (so they tell us).

The last picture is of the local weight room inside the tent. They call it a "clam shell" because they pull up the sides during the day for light and fresh air. Its a pretty neat facility. You can almost see a row of exercise bikes and treadmills in that picture. I've been working out there already and plan to be "ripped and buff" when I come home! You won't recognize me. My assistant also wants me to take a martial arts class in the evenings -- to learn how to kick some butt (like I have nothing else to do while here)! We'll see how that goes.

1st Week Over

2009-11-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

3 Nov 09
Well, I completed my first week of actual deployment in a war zone. It does not feel like a war zone where I am at, but the reality is something different all around us. Many of our Soldiers in more remote locations are already in much more dangerous situations. So please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

As for me, I've been shadowing the out-going Chaplain for the past week. We'll do this for a total of two weeks, as they call it Right Seat, Left Seat training (he drives for the first week, then I drive for the 2nd). After that he goes home. His Unit is anxious to get out of here, and we can't blame them. Our time will come, too. Someday I'll be in his position (and drooling to get on the Westbound plane!). Lots of planes and helicopters coming and going from here at all hours. I don't mind the noise, though. It reminds me of home (but louder), and it is the sound of freedom. So I love to hear and see those jets go by overhead.

Watch the NFL show with Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw this upcoming weekend. They're going to be doing it live from Afghanistan, so tape it if you can.

1st Sunday "Down Range"

2009-11-01T02:05:00.000-08:00

1 Nov 09
Today is my very first Sunday in the war zone, or "down range" as they called it back home. I was somewhat down this morning due to home sickness and thinking of my family having fun on Halloween without me. It's a lonely feeling, and I've heard people say this can be gut wrenching at times. I understand what they're talking about. So what did I do? I prayed and then went to church!

There are many opportunities to worship here on this post, for people of all shapes and sizes and colors. The chapel has an extensive schedule to meet all of the demands from numerous faith groups and denomnations and worship styles. For example, for Protestant services there is a liturgical service, a contemporary service, 2 gospel services, and a traditional-contemporary mix. It's impressive. There is also Jewish, Catholic, LDS, and Wiccan offerings, too. I'm going to try to experience a few different services these first weeks to see which one I want to get involved with. Each Chaplain must choose to serve at one of the services throughout his or her time here, so I need to make a decision of which one I'm comfortable with. I'll let you know.

(btw: I'm having trouble uploading pictures to the blog due to the poor internet connection here. I'll keep trying, but it's painfully slow. Sorry)

Finally Made It!

2009-10-31T04:39:00.000-07:00

31 Oct 09
I made it to my final destination a few days ago, safe and sound. It has been a weird experience flying to the other side of the world and joing an international community at this particular location. For safety reasons I will not state exactly where I am located or what I am doing, but I will try to keep you informed and amused with my activities. So let's get you caught up...
(1) We flew through New Hamshire on the way to Germany and then the Middle East. At the airport in NH a large group of USO and VFW members came out to greet us and serve us coffee and send us off again. It was great. Not to mention it was at 2:30am their time. What a blessing those volunteers were to us. And I'm looking forward to seeing them on the return trip, too! They presented the Chaplain with free phone cards for all the Soldiers, too. I got to be Santa back on board the airplane.
(2) The plane flight was exhausting. See the pictures. We all but missed a full day by flying East like that. We stayed about 2 hours in Germany at the airport and then kepy going. It felt like daylight for a few hours and then it was night again. We landed at another location for a temporary stop for 6-8 hours before moving on again. We shared space in a big open bay with Soldiers from Poland. My first experience with the coalition forces over here.
(3) Home sweet home... or at least for awhile. The Chaplain and his assistant greeted us when we finally landed here at our destination. The final flight was aboard an Air Force jet. We all sat in those net cargo seats, and the engine was deafening (but we all had ear plugs in and it made it easier). However, my body armor (which we all had to wear), was pushing down on my bladder and it made for a very long flight (since there is no potty on those things!!)
Anyway, we got here and finally got settled into our rooms.
(4) My room: The pictures will not do it justice, but we are all now in wooden shacks built years ago to house our forces. It's like a shanty town where we are living. The walls are plywood. I have a space about 10x8, which is feels like a prison cell (but with no toilet!). The bathroom is a port-a-john right outside my hut, and the showers are about 100 yards away. Right now there is a lot of construction going on here and everything is dirty. Dust is everywhere. They make us wash our hands before going into the mess hall for meals, but other than that, this is a pretty dirty place! Bottled water and hand sanitizer is very prevalent here!
(5) Tidbits of information: (a) We had an earth quake here a few nights ago, but I missed it. They said it was a 6.0 on the scale, but I was at the gym on a treadmill, so I never felt a thing. (b) The only laundry available is to have it sent out with a service here which utilized local national workers. I hear they steal things every now and then, especially women's underwear. Some of our female Soldiers are pretty uncomfortable about that. I don't mind. They can steal my women's underwear all they want! (c) And finally, the food here is unbelievable! There are several dining halls here and they are all like eating at Luby's! There is so much food served here it is mind-boggling. And some of it is actually pretty good! I can see why some Soldiers gain weight on these deployments.
Gotta run for now. I'll post more soon. See ya....

Seasons of Change

2009-10-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

24 Oct 09
Well, I'm back at my training site again. I was able to go home for an extended period of time due to the funeral, but all good things must come to an end. I had to come back! It was hard being back here that first night, standing in formation in the cold and darkness, wondering what my family was doing at that very moment. No fun. But God is good. He gives you the strength to carry on when you serve him, especially when Satan is trying to discourage you and get you to quit. That's when you need to hang in there the most, and stay in the game and continue the fight.

I am going to sneak in a favorite Bible verse in an invocation prayer I have to give today. This one speaks to me personally...
"...but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not grow faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

God spoke to Joshua to be strong and courageous. He told him that He (God) would never leave him nor forsake him. I love that verse (Joshua 1:9) because it gives me strength as well. But earlier, God spoke to Moses (Deut. 1:6) in a way that also speaks to me here at this training. I have entered a new season of my life--in more ways than one. Several family members have recently gone home to be with the Lord, and I am now far away from those I love the most. But God is using this time of training in my life (and theirs), and He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. I like that! Thank you, God.
I'll Talk you you all again soon.

Dad's Funeral

2009-10-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

18 Oct 09

We said goodbye to my dad at his funeral yesterday. It was held as my parent's church, and quite a few people showed up. Friends from old neighborhoods, jobs, and churches came to pay their last respects to my dad and several stood to share memories and pay a final tribute. It was a nice ceremony. My dad had asked me to give the message a few months ago, and I was honored to do so. I broke down a bit at first, but many prayers and kleenex got me through it! I could not have asked for a better earthly father. He loved us, encouraged us, taughted us, disciplined us, supported our sports and music, etc... He was there for us.

I will miss you dad, but I know you're in a better place... and I know I'll see you again someday soon in Heaven! Thank you, God, for my dad.

Goodbye Dad

2009-10-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

14 Oct 09

A Sad day. My dad lost his 3-year battle with cancer yesterday (Tuesday, Oct. 13). He passed away in a hospice facility around 1:30 pm. He fought a good fight and showed us how to have faith all the way to the end.

I love you dad, and will miss you dearly. I know you are in a better place and I know that I will see you again when we all get to heaven. (ps: tell Jesus I said HI, would ya?)

I read this poem just today in the funeral home. It's called "Come to Me."

God saw you getting tired, and a cure was not to be, so He put His arms around you, and whispered, "Come Home to me." With tearful eyes, we watched you suffer, and saw you fade away. Although we couldn't bear to lose you, we could not ask you to stay. A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands laid to rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us, that He only takes the Best." (Author unknown).

I'll go home and spend time with family for a few days before returning to the military training. My dad asked me to officiate at his funeral, and I will be honored to do that. (This picture was taken back in March, 2009, on his 76th birthday). I love you dad.

Memorial Service

2009-10-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

8 Oct 09

It has been a hard few days recently, based largely on the specific training I have received this week. They are training the Unit Ministry Team (UMT) to be proficient on topics such as suicidal awareness and counseling, traumatic event management and debriefing, caring for the wounded and dying, and memorial services. Needless to say, it has been a heavy week.

Part of the training included attending an actual memorial ceremony for three Soldiers killed in action in AFG on Sept. 24, 2009. My assistant and I sat in the back and observed, and it was pretty powerful. You could not help but to be moved by the whole experience. I was in tears and I did not even know these Soldiers. It got me thinking just how precious life really is, and that it can be taken from you/us in a heartbeat. God has called me to do something very emotionally difficult, and I can only hope I minister well to my Soldiers if ever we have to go through this. I know that I'll have to lead a mock ceremon as part of my training, but I hope I never have to do the real thing with these guys.

(I found this picture on-line, and it is a good representation of the actual stand they create for a fallen Soldier with boots, helmet, weapon and dog-tags displayed in tribute. Once you hear the last role call followed by a 21-gun salute and then TAPS being played, it makes your skin crawl). Please continue praying for our Soldiers in harms way.

Bed-Time Stories

2009-10-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

3 Oct. 09

I had a good laugh at breakfast his morning after learning about a Soldier who played a pretty good practical joke on his buddies last night. This particular Soldier had to leave very early this morning (4am) to catch a flight back home due to a family emergency. Before he left, however, he set his battery-operated alarm clock to go off at 4:30am, and he put it inside his foot locker and locked it shut. This alarm makes the sound of a rooster crowing, and apparently it got pretty loud. The other Soldiers could not figure out where it was coming from, and then could not figure out how to make it shut up! So they put up with it for an hour until it quit on its own! I'm pretty sure they will retailate on their buddy once he gets back here in a few days, but for now, that Soldier got away with it and I'm sure he was smiling on the plane ride this morning!

I am attaching a picture of the barracks where most of the Soldiers sleep. We have many 2-story buildings like this one. They call it an "open bay," and you can see numerous bunk beds on both sides of the room. About 50 men can sleep in this building (25 per floor). Not much privacy, that's for sure. And they turn on the great big fan by the door at night (even when it's freezing), to drown out the SNORING!

Mid-week Ramblings

2009-09-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

Tues night, 29 Sept 09

It has been about a week since I last added anything to my blog. In many ways it has been the same old stuff here, and then of course there has been quite a bit of new stuff to share. Truth is, I don't know what all is worthy of adding here (verses what would bore you to tears), and what is off limits to share over the internet. I can tell you that I had almost 50 Soldiers attend my chapel service last Sunday night. That was quite a surprise to me, but I was thrilled nonetheless. That old chapel (see picture) felt almost full, which was pretty cool. I preached on suffering and the need to still praise God through the storms of life (such as an experience like this, hint hint). Of course, with that topic I had to play Casting Crown's song, "Praise You in This Storm." It all went over very well and I had many nice compliments afterward. This feels like a regular church back home because I have an older Soldier who wants me to use the hymnals and young Soldiers who want me to stick with contemporary praise songs! (I may do both next week). Just goes to show, it does not matter where your church is located, that issue will still be there! I even have a Soldier who wants to get baptized before we leave here. We have the figure out the when and where to do this since our old chapel does not have a baptistry, but I'm honored he asked.

There is another large group of Soldiers here from somewhere back East, and they have a Chaplain with them as well. He is about my age and we have hit it off well already. We've spent time comparing notes and discussing Bible study topics and times, as well as preaching topics and styles. He's had a number of difficult issues to deal with regarding his Soldiers already, as have I. Many relationships back home are strained and the Soldiers here are feeling the stress. When there are distractions back home, you can't believe how magnified it gets at this end. So please keep us all in your prayers. Pray for our military all over the world who are away from home. Trust me, it's hard.

Gotta run for now, but thanks for reading along and I'll add more soon.

Meet "Chance"

2009-09-24T16:22:00.001-07:00

24 Sept. 09

The newest addition to the Army arrived last night via US mail. His name is "Chance" and he is my new buddy. I'll have to teach him how to salute and do push-ups, but I think he'll fit in fine.

Chance was lovingly chosen by my kids for the specific misison of keeping dad company. I love him, girls, and I'll take good care of him, too. Thanks for the new friend!

Mental Health Day

2009-09-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

23 Sept. 2009

I had some time this morning away from the training schedule to relax and do some laundry, read my Bible, and do a few things on the computer. It has been a nice day so far... but that could change quickly! There is so much going on here with many moving pieces and Soldiers going off to training in many different directions. It is a logistical nightmare! I cannot take pictures or tell you about most of what we're doing now, because it would compromise our mission. The Soldiers are practicing their skills and using equipment that they will continue to use during deployment. It has become very serious, which is a good thing. But the stress has begun to take a toll on many of our troops. We've had people sent home for various reasons, including medical and mental health as well. I can understand because the stress is mounting and the time away from family and friends is daunting.

I'm choosing a favorite picture that we took the day I left. I look at it daily to get me through and I remember why I am here and what I am fighting for. Please keep me in your prayers, as this is a battle that needs prayer coverage, too (Eph 6:10). I have been asked how I continue to hold up when so many are coming to me with their problems. I'm not sure, except I know where my strength and help comes from (sounds like a Casting Crowns song, doesn't it? See Psalms 121:1-2). My wife and daughter got to go to their concert last week with some friends. I was so jealous, but glad they went. I want them to grow stronger in their faith while I am gone, too.

Soldiers who have been through this before say it changes you. If that's the case, then I am praying that God uses it to change me for the better. That I grow closer to him, more confident, and more experience in ministry. That's my prayer. Talk to you again soon.

Mail Call

2009-09-16T22:02:00.001-07:00

Wed. night,

Boy is it nice to get mail from home! My family sent me a care package with goodies and cards and letters and candy (which they expect me to share). It was a great feeling to get back to my room and open the package. To my family I say, "Thank you" and "I love you." I have your cards and letters already posted up by my bed (see the picture). The wall is kind of old and beat up, so it is nice to add some color and family to my life here!

I led Bible study tonight in the chapel and ended with showing a "NOOMA" video. Rob Bell, the teaching pastor in this video series, talks about what it really means to be a disciple of Jesus and to know that Jesus has faith in you and I that we can do it (that we can be like him). It's a powerful concept. And it struck me that even though we did not have a strong turn-out for the Bible study tonight, it's OK. Jesus only had 12 guys and they changed the course of human history! So I can start small and be faithful with a few Soldiers, and God will honor that and one-day trust me with greater things (see Luke 16:10). It works that way for all of us, by the way. It is tempting to dream big, but if I cannot be trusted with the little things in life (such as managing money, or relationships, or my job, or a smaller ministry), then there's no way God will give me the bigger things to manage. It is an important lesson to learn.

Gotta run. The alarm at 0500 (a.k.a. 5:00 am) comes fast!

GO BLUE !!

2009-09-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday 12 Sept, 09

I was scheduled for some training up until early afternoon, and then I was able to catch the 4th quarter of the Michigan vs. Notre Dame game. Michigan won in the last 15 seconds. It was Awesome! Perhaps my Wolverines are on their way back. Look out Ohio State!

On a different note, I led a 9/11 Tribute ceremony last night in the chapel for those who wanted to attend. We had about 30 show up, and I showed some video and played some music and had a moment of silence at 9:11 pm (or 2111). It was nice. My goal was to not only stop and reflect on what happened that day (8 years ago), and to remember that this is why we are (I am) here, but also to motivate the Soldiers (and some Navy guys were there) to continue on with the fight. It is worth it!