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.

The Final Stetch

As the process to be approved as a U. S. Army chaplain reaches its final stages, there is one more hurdle to jump; that is, a final interview with an Army senior chaplain. This coming Thursday at 9 a.m., I will be meeting with the senior chaplain in Carlisle. He will evaluate a manuscript of a couple of sermons I have prepared and my communication skills.

After this interview, my full packet will go before the Army Chaplain commissioning board, which will take place mid June.

I do ask for your prayers for the Thursday interview. I ask for the Lord Jesus to provide grace, peace, and joy. I am asking that the Lord grant me favor in the eyes of my senior chaplain. I am asking for continual breakthroughs as these final stages are being completed.

Thank you, so much, for keeping me and my family in your prayers. Please, feel free to leave a comment with a prayer or a word of encouragement. You could also email me at amperezch@comcast.net

I praise the name of the Lord God Almighty for His faithfulness and His grace. Those that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength. They will never be disappointed. They will see the glory of the Living God.

Great Sigh of Relief

Wednesday morning, the big day arrived. I didn’t sleep a wink. I kept waking up through the night. Nicole was also nervous, I think more than me; so I thought. We got to the Assemblies of God headquarters at 8 a.m. for our 8:20 a.m. appointment which started at 8:30 a.m. The waiting was actually short, but it felt like forever. Then, one of the members of the Commission On Chaplain came out to get us from the waiting room. As we walked down the hall to the executive board room, he said to Nicole and me to remember that this will be a dialogue and not an interrogation. Wow, that was a relief; until he made the next statement, “When you walk in don’t sit just stand and the committee will introduce themselves.” “Just stand?” Oh, oh. I started thinking that when I walk in that I ought to say, “Angel Perez reporting, sir.” But, I didn’t and we stood before the commission. They introduced themselves; all eleven of them took turns around this almost 30 foot conference table (quite intimidating).

We were asked to sit and then the questions began. Days before, Nicole and I thought of all the kinds of questions they would ask us. To our amazement, they didn’t ask the questions we thought they were going to ask. They asked the questions that we least thought they would ask. They asked questions related to my calling, to interacting with people from other faiths, and they asked Nicole what were her feelings were towards me being deployed. This interview took about 10 to 15 minutes.

Then they asked us to wait outside so that they can make a decision. As we waited outside in the waiting area, I really began to get nervous. Maybe it was due to the anticipation of their decision. Again, what lasted only a minute, seemed like an eternity. They called us in and we stood before the Commission. The Commission stood and the chaplaincy director spoke. All I remember was him saying, “Congratulations, we are happy to award you full ecclesiastical endorsement as chaplain for Army.” I know I am not quoting him correctly; the point is I received the endorsement. Praise the Lord!!

They took Nicole and me to the one end of the super huge conference table to pray for us. I was given a commemorative coin by my military chaplaincy director before they started to pray. Then they placed their hands on us. Then Chaplain (Col.) Kinder prayed for us. It was an enormously great moment of prayer. I was again filled with awe and gratitude unto the Lord. When we finished praying they gave us handshakes and hugs and words of encouragement.

Nicole and I finally made our way out of the board room. As the doors closed behind us, we began to walk down the hallway. I didn’t go that far. I ended up being overwhelmed with such emotion that I had to lean against the wall to hold myself up. Tears flooded my eyes and I began to weep. Nicole realized that I wasn’t right behind her, so she turned around and came towards me. All I could do was hold her close to me. We didn’t say anything. We didn’t exchange words. There was no need to say anything. We both knew. We both felt it. We both cried with tears of joy and gratitude. The day that we have been waiting for had finally arrived. The Assemblies of God Commission on Chaplains granted me their endorsement.

God has so graciously shown favor over our lives and answered our prayers. What a great sigh of relief!! What another breakthrough!!

Endorsement, Here I Come!

In the next few days I will be meeting with the chaplain endorsement agency of my denomination. It is my prayer and hope that all will go well. I trust the Lord Jesus that it will. It will be a long a waited time to finally receive the full endorsement of the Assemblies of God to go into the Army.

This endorsement is definitely an honor. It will be my endeavor to be responsible to adhere to the duties it represents. By receiving such an endorsement, I can only praise the Lord for showing me favor. "As unto the Lord" I will serve God, country, and endorser.

By the way, if you have been reading my blog and would like to share a word of encouragement or even ask a question, please leave a comment. Just click on "comments" and let me hear from you.

I will be posting again at the end of this week, so visit again and I'll let you know all the details to my visit with my endorser.

Blessings! Remember, with God nothing is impossible! "Breakthrough!"