Change of Course

Well, Fort Bliss, Texas was short lived. Way before receiving my official orders to Fort Bliss, I received a phone call from my accessions officer letting me know that the Army has seen fit to put my in Fort Hood.

Fort Hood is still in Texas; and it is the home of the III Corps Major Command, 1st Cavalry Division, and 4th Infantry Division. It is adjacent to Killeen, Texas. Think of it as being in the "heart of Texas."

Of course, chaplaincy is ministry, therefore, one must be flexible in ministry. The Bible teaches that man makes plans, but it is God who orders those steps. Living in the palm of God's hand may at times seem scary, because when you think you've figured out what He is doing, the wind shifts and there is a change of course.

It is of the utmost importance to be constantly in relationship with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of prayer. Prayer draws us close to the heart of God and allows us to hear His voice saying, "Fear not, for I am with you." Prayer is part of the cultivation of our relationship with the Living God. It is most definitely not something we do out of duty or rite; rather because we have realized that knowing Jesus is the greatest thing that any human being could ever experience.

So, we are holding on to the mighty hand of God and seeing one Breakthrough after another.

Blissful Start

After all the waiting to know where my first duty station will be, I’ve finally received “the phone call.” My first duty station after CH-BOLC is Fort Bliss, TX. It was not one of the places that I had written down on my wish list. The only location that I had chosen that was in Texas was Fort Hood.

When I broke the news to my wife, she had a similar reaction, “Really?!” When one entrusts their life in the hands of the Almighty God, all one can do is have the faith to believe that it is exactly where God wants them to be. So, with that in mind, my family and I rejoice that we are no longer waiting to know where we are assigned to and that we are in the center of God’s will.

We now begin to focus our prayers and thoughts for the soldiers and their families that are stationed at Fort Bliss. We pray for our eyes to see the opportunities that God will use us to advance the kingdom of God. We pray that the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ will invoke faith and hope. We pray that the glorious power of the Almighty God would be always present, always evident, and always manifested.

Praise the Lord, for a blissful start!

I Stand In Awe

Last week, my family and I had the opportunity to go to the Assemblies of God Military and V/A Chaplain Conference in beautiful Orlando, Florida. The conference allowed Nicole and I to meet fellow military chaplains and their spouses. It really provided us a step into integrating ourselves into the military culture.

During the conference we had breakout sessions, where both the young and the old shared their experiences as chaplains. I was most impressed by the stories told by those who have been deployed once, twice, and some three times. It was heart wrenching the sad stories of people losing their lives, both military and civilian lives. But, it was exciting to hear of the multiple times soldiers were looking for a chaplain in order to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I guess that being in the face of death causes people to accept the reality of their mortality and humanity; which brings an awareness of the need for a God that has their eternity in His hands.

I had the honor of meeting CH Eddie Cook, he is the soldier in the middle of the above poster with his arms wide open praying for the soldiers around him. I must of embarrassed him when I treated him like a celebrity after calling him the “poster guy” during one of the luncheons. After getting to know more about him through my conversation with him, from other chaplains, and from my wife; I was left awestruck. My wife got to hear his wife during the ladies’ session and read a book she wrote about her husband’s deployment.

The night of the banquet, they had all the new chaplains go to the front to be prayed for. So, Nicole and I went forward and waited for someone to come and pray over us. We felt a hand on our shoulders and could hear the voice of someone praying over us. As I was listening to the prayer that was being spoken over us, I recognized the voice. It was the voice of one our chaplain speakers during the conference. His name is United States Air Force Brigadier General Chaplain Cecil Richardson. I was amazed to be prayed for by a General, but not just any General, he is the Deputy Chief of Chaplains for the USAF. His prayer was that of looking at every move and relocation as an opportunity to minister and to see the glory of God.

After he had prayed for us, we turned around and shook his hand and talked with him for a little while. He gave us words of wisdom and the encouragement of the thrill of being a military chaplain. I couldn’t really pay a lot of attention to him because when he shook my hand he placed a coin in it. It was a challenge coin, which is given for a job well done or for the challenge to do your best. On the one side of the coin it has the one star flag (representative of the one star Brigadier Generals), “Deputy Chief of Chaplains,” and “Glorifying God-Honoring Airmen-Serving All.” On the other side, it has the regiment insignia of the USAF Chaplain Service, with the words “Freedom, Faith, Ministry” and the year MCMXLIX (1944). At first I didn’t understand the deep significance of the coin, but after talking with other chaplains I soon realized that the meaning of the coin is that I am entrusted with the call of God as a military chaplain to do the work of the kingdom of God with all my heart and passion. My desire is to honor CH (BG) Richardson by honoring our King of kings and Lord of lords as a US Army Chaplain.

I am honored to be among humble men and women who serve our country with courage in the midst of war to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and the hope of the gift of God, eternal life.

For more information about challenge coins, go to http://www.allaboutchallengecoins.com/

Preparing for CIMT

Since approved, my focus has become preparing for the first four weeks of Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course (CH-BOLC), which is called the Chaplain Initial Military Training (CIMT). This will entail PT every morning, marching, classes, and various obstacle and teambuilding courses. CIMT will start the second week of September and end the middle of October. Immediately after that I will begin the second part of training at CH-BOLC, which will be another two months.

To prepare for the physical training, I have been following a workout program from a book written my Stewart “Stew” Smith, The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness. It is a 12 week PT program that covers upper body, abs, and lower body, running, and swimming. So far I am in the second week and I am doing my best to keep up. My goal is to be as physically prepared as possible for CIMT.

In addition, I have picked up reading again in order to keep my mind sharp and apt to understand and retain the information I will be reading during CIMT.

The other form of preparation is at the home front. Nicole and I are preparing ourselves for the season we will be apart. We are also preparing for our first duty station, which at this point we don’t have a clue where that will be. We are also looking over the calendar to strategically celebrate the birthdays of Katelyn (Sept.), Marissa (Oct.), Breanna (Nov.), which I will be missing during the three months of CH-BOLC.

Finally, there is the most important component that I must ensure that I am continually developing, spiritual readiness. Through morning devotionals and prayers, in addition to reading Christian books and fellowshipping with other believers, I am keeping my heart focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. The reality is that being an Army Chaplain is what God has called me to and in order to fulfill His purposes I must be in total connection with God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

While preparing for CIMT, I am preparing to see the hand of God do breakthroughs in my life and the lives of soldiers and military families.

Hooah!

Somebody Pinch Me!

After doing so much to qualify, I have finally received the official notification: “Congratulations on being selected to serve as a Chaplain in the active component of the US Army!”(Chaplain Accessions Officer)

It feels so surreal. It was the answer I have been praying for, yet when I received the news it seemed too hard to believe. I give thanks to God for His faithfulness for making it all happen.

As I look back at all the steps that I had to go through to be where I am at now, it has been a long journey. There was being ordained by my denomination, complete a Master’s degree from seminary, complete dozens of forms, and to lose 85 pounds.

Now, a new journey begins on a different path. It is the excitement of ministering to Soldiers and their families, being a light of hope in the midst of darkness. It will also have many times of difficulties and struggles. I think about the changes that my family will have to go through, the separation from my wife and my children, but through it all God will be with us and see us through. That is why it is amazing to see and remember the breakthroughs God has provided. It is the assurance of His faithfulness to take us through the rest of the way.

It is an honor to serve both my God and my country. I am looking forward to seeing the glory of God manifested in my family’s life and the lives all around us. Praise the Lord!

Are you ready for a breakthrough?

Reduction

Today, as I was reading the Bible in Psalm 6, I couldn't help but think about King David's "passionate" prayer for his enemies to be put to shame. His pray was that of groaning, tears, and grief. King David wanted his enemies to be disgraced.

As I meditated on this portion of scripture, I started thinkng about the war on terror. The war has begun to grow weary on various groups of people, especially for the families of our troops. I can't help but think that the enemy of our lives is the evil in our world.

The evil in this world could be very influential on humanity causing it to do things that are thinkable, such as taking one person or a group's life even when they are brothers of the same nation. King David saw such civil war and that "evil" was what he prayed would be disgraced. He knew this quite well because he was being pursued by his countrymen.

Wouldn't it be great to see this evil reduced in our day? It is my prayer that there would be a reduction of casualties among our troops and terrorists, a reduction of insurgents, and a reduction of terrorism. In addition, that there would be an increase of peace in the land of Iraq.

I pray for such a change with a passionate prayer. Meanwhile, it is the peace of God's presence in our lives that will sustain us while we wait for this amazing miracle. How about it? Let's passionately pray for another BREAKTHROUGH!

NOTE:
During June 19-20, the United States Army Chaplain Commissioning Board will be meeting, at which time they will be reviewing my packet. I ask for your prayers that the Lord would continue to show favor, wisdom for the members of the board, and peace for me and my family as we wait for their response.

Love Mercy

In the last few days leading up to the final interview, there has been a number of events that have caused me to think about “mercy.” For instance, the other day I read a passage of the Bible that talked about mercy. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus is teaching the importance of mercy by saying, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” The lesson is not only about giving mercy, as an action; but also being merciful, as the state of being. It is one of various characteristics of God.

Breakthroughs occur not on account of our good deeds or we have appeased God in some way, rather they occur due to His very nature, He is merciful. Out of His deep compassion for us, the Lord reveals Himself to us as the sustainer of our lives. From the depths of His love for us flows affection and compassion, which translates into mercy.

I am so undeserving of all that God given me, all that He is currently giving me, and everything that is to come. I am referring to the blessing of His presence in my life. Rather than receiving His judgment and condemnation for all the sins I have committed He has demonstrated mercy. I am so grateful for that mercy. I am so grateful that His very nature is mercy. It is this wonderful nature that is being cultivated in us by molding us into the likeness of Christ.

Today, again, I experienced the mercy of God. I experienced His favor by receiving a favorable interview with the senior chaplain of the U.S. Army. The senior chaplain did acknowledge at the end of the interview that he was going to recommend me to the commissioning board, which will be meeting mid June. I must say that I felt the presence of God during the full course of the interview. I was able to learn a lot from Chaplain Pace. He had so much wisdom and insight to give.

Jesus teaches us, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’” (Mt. 9:13). This lesson is just a reiteration of an Old Testament principle of loving mercy. It should be our desire to show and extend mercy, especially to a world that can be unmerciful.

In my heart, as I have been experiencing the mercy of the Lord, I know that I now need to extend mercy and to be merciful. Therefore, as a recipient of the mercy of God, I must now love mercy and extend it to those around me.

This journey to chaplaincy has been teaching me how great is the mercy of God and how much I need to be more and more like Christ by extending mercy to those around me.