News

11 Mar 09
Wed

I wanted to share a few things that have been on my mind recently. The first is the death of our dog, and the second relates is my immediate future in the Army.

Our beloved Australian Shepherd, Ginger, passed away last Sunday night at our home. She was 11 and had lived a good long life. We noticed she was struggling recently. A vet visit and a few X-rays later confirmed something serious was going on in her stomach. I had been praying she would make it until I came home, but God had other plans. She was a good, sweet dog, and I will miss her terribly. It hurts to be away from home when bad things happen. And it's hard to realize that my wife had to deal with this alone.

The second issue is that I have received orders to deploy with my new Reserve Unit later this year to fight in the Global War on Terror. This particular unit did not have a Chaplain, and I was selected by the Chief of Chaplain's Office to go with them. It has been a mandate from the highest Chaplain in the Army (a 2-star General) that no unit will deploy without a Chaplain. No exceptions. Most of my classmates are in a similar boat, and many of us already know when and where we will be going. As for me, it means I will be gone a year from my family. That's another hard pill to swallow, but one that I accept. We knew this was part of the package deal when I signed on, and I have to believe in the ministry we're doing for the Soldiers fighting our wars. Men and women are dying without knowing the love of Jesus Christ. That's what God called me here to do.

Please keep my family in your prayer in the weeks and months to come. Thank you.