Well, here is the third and final post of 2007. It is New Year's Eve and I am getting ready to go to bed, an hour before the New Year. I must be getting old. Or maybe it is the fact that I was up at 0500 this morning exercising, trying to get into the routine that will be my life for six weeks beginning Monday morning.
As I thought about how to celebrate this New Year's Eve, I was comforted by the fact that since I now live in Roseville I would not hear gunshots or illegal fireworks at midnight if I stayed home and did nothing. That was enough incentive to have a family pizza and game night instead of going out.
And so, as my bed calls to me, I bid you a safe, healthy, prosperous, and blessed 2008. May God comfort you and give you strength. Happy New Year!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Calling
How do you explain calling to someone? Some people accept the statement, “I feel called to do this,” whereas others cannot grasp the concept. When the topic of my joining the Army as a Chaplain Candidate comes up in conversation, the two most frequently asked questions are, “Why?” and, “What does your wife think about it?” I will leave it to my wife to answer the second question, except to say that on my end she is the most faithful, supportive, and tolerant person I have ever known. I thank God everyday for bringing her in my life and giving her the strength to stay there.
As for the first question, the simple answer is I feel called into this role. Webster’s defines calling as “a strong inner urge or impulse” and “an occupation: a vocation.” Roget’s directs us from calling to business or vocation, and under vocation has “an inner urge to pursue an activity or perform a service: calling, mission.” Combining these two into my own definition, calling becomes an inner urge to pursue God’s plan for one’s life, i.e. do the good works that God prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10).
By the way, if you are not a Christian, or a student of the bible, the reference in parenthesis refers to a passage in the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Ephesus in the first century. Feel free to take a bit of time and look up the passage in a bible or Google it. Just type in Ephesians 2:10 and click on one of the links.
Now, believe me when I say that becoming an Army Chaplain has not been my lifelong goal. I have had a passion for the military ever since I was a little boy. The military was central to the first books I read, the first games I played and the first toys I played with. I almost joined the Army out of High School but went into the Navy instead. When the war started in Afghanistan and Iraq, I used to read the news daily and watch the videos online of our troops fighting and dying over there. My heart, as they say, broke for the men and women of our armed forces. I am grateful to the sacrifices they made in service to their country.
Fast forward to a near-death experience in 2004 that made me consider what options outside of law enforcement were available to me and I eventually entered seminary with the motivation that whatever I did should have eternal impact. I was not sure what career if any I would end up in with a seminary degree, but I felt called to pursue one. As God worked on my heart that first year, I was drawn back to the thought of the military, and maybe becoming a chaplain there. However, further investigation revealed that I was too old for service.
Then in October 2006, I met Chaplain (MAJ) Harki and SFC Jenkins, Army chaplain recruiters. Times had changed and age limits had increased – I was eligible for the Army’s chaplain candidate program. After ten months of paperwork, waivers, medical exams, and an insane class load in the summer semester, I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserve. I have found that when doors are opened and you feel God calling you, it is best to step across the threshold in faith.
And thus, as briefly as I could manage, my calling to the Army Chaplaincy equals a passion for the military, combined with a love of God and the inner urge to do the works He has prepared for me. I am sure it still does not make sense to some people, and it certainly is not something I could have come up with myself. But that just makes me more confident that I am doing the right thing in trusting Him.
As for the first question, the simple answer is I feel called into this role. Webster’s defines calling as “a strong inner urge or impulse” and “an occupation: a vocation.” Roget’s directs us from calling to business or vocation, and under vocation has “an inner urge to pursue an activity or perform a service: calling, mission.” Combining these two into my own definition, calling becomes an inner urge to pursue God’s plan for one’s life, i.e. do the good works that God prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10).
By the way, if you are not a Christian, or a student of the bible, the reference in parenthesis refers to a passage in the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Ephesus in the first century. Feel free to take a bit of time and look up the passage in a bible or Google it. Just type in Ephesians 2:10 and click on one of the links.
Now, believe me when I say that becoming an Army Chaplain has not been my lifelong goal. I have had a passion for the military ever since I was a little boy. The military was central to the first books I read, the first games I played and the first toys I played with. I almost joined the Army out of High School but went into the Navy instead. When the war started in Afghanistan and Iraq, I used to read the news daily and watch the videos online of our troops fighting and dying over there. My heart, as they say, broke for the men and women of our armed forces. I am grateful to the sacrifices they made in service to their country.
Fast forward to a near-death experience in 2004 that made me consider what options outside of law enforcement were available to me and I eventually entered seminary with the motivation that whatever I did should have eternal impact. I was not sure what career if any I would end up in with a seminary degree, but I felt called to pursue one. As God worked on my heart that first year, I was drawn back to the thought of the military, and maybe becoming a chaplain there. However, further investigation revealed that I was too old for service.
Then in October 2006, I met Chaplain (MAJ) Harki and SFC Jenkins, Army chaplain recruiters. Times had changed and age limits had increased – I was eligible for the Army’s chaplain candidate program. After ten months of paperwork, waivers, medical exams, and an insane class load in the summer semester, I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserve. I have found that when doors are opened and you feel God calling you, it is best to step across the threshold in faith.
And thus, as briefly as I could manage, my calling to the Army Chaplaincy equals a passion for the military, combined with a love of God and the inner urge to do the works He has prepared for me. I am sure it still does not make sense to some people, and it certainly is not something I could have come up with myself. But that just makes me more confident that I am doing the right thing in trusting Him.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
06.26.2007
I originally set up this blog after reading The Blog of War. I was in the process then of joining the Army Reserve as a Chaplain Candidate and so was doing some research. I liked the idea of blogging to keep those who may care informed about me. Last week I found out my application was accepted for the Army, (professionally qualified for the Chaplain Candidate program I believe the official wording was).
It seems like ever since then, bad things have been happening in my life. I don't know if these are spiritual attacks, or just trials I need to go through to improve my character. Today my wife's cat (she's never really been mine) died at the age of 18 years. This is very depressing, as the cat has been in my wife's life longer than I have. I actually miss the cat. I know there is a season for everything and we should have expected it sooner than later but loss is still a difficult thing to deal with.
It seems like ever since then, bad things have been happening in my life. I don't know if these are spiritual attacks, or just trials I need to go through to improve my character. Today my wife's cat (she's never really been mine) died at the age of 18 years. This is very depressing, as the cat has been in my wife's life longer than I have. I actually miss the cat. I know there is a season for everything and we should have expected it sooner than later but loss is still a difficult thing to deal with.
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