I intentionally make Sunday my LBR (low battle rhythm) day, due to the fact that unlike other soldiers, I don't get to start late on Fridays (early morning meeting) or Sundays (lead worship service). And, as might be expected for a number of reasons, leading a worship service is exhausting. So I try to make Sunday afternoons more relaxed (try to read a bit, catch up on emails). Of course, I never close my office door (unless I have a male counselee), so my reality often doesn't meet the expectations of my ambition. I love soldiers, so I can't complain when my relaxation is interrupted!
I ran my second half marathon out here last night in 1:49:30, almost twenty minutes better than my initial run (2:07:15), which was conducted a few days after arriving in this high-altitude, poorly ventilated environment. My goal for my next race is 1:44 (under 8 minute pace), and by the end of deployment, I want to at least get close to 1:30 (under 7 minute pace). Once I get back to normal altitude in the US, I should be able to fly! Since we're tracking with the Rock and Roll series, we'll be racing most every weekend from now until mid-November.
As of a week or two ago, I became the Run Master of this post, and as of today, I became the coordinator of the half marathon series (signified by the passing of the leftover t-shirts and medals). I will lead conduct my first ever race tomorrow--a Labor Day 5k. I am also coordinating the Army Ten Miler in a couple of weeks. Due to the small size of the post, all of the runs must be conducted on treadmills. Normally, this might seem easier due to the flat distance (though it's also much more monotonous), but the altitude and air quality most certainly make it more difficult.
I said "goodbye" to my African friend last night. She thanked me profusely for all of my care for her. I counseled her more than any other soldier during this deployment. That makes it additionally sad for me that she is now gone. She is not only a friend, but an object of my prayers and labors. It's like saying "goodbye" to the first quarter of my first ever deployment. Thankfully, she lives in NoVa, which means she'll make my "Summer Soldier BBQ" next summer and hopefully visit my church.
Speaking of which, I am on a relentless drive to convince soldiers to move to my area of NoVa. I make a pretty convicing case, and I think some of them are actively thinking about it.
It saddens me whenever someone (especially someone who should know better) says "The Gospel is..." and doesn't finish the sentence with "...Jesus Christ's saving work for sinners." There is mass confusion concerning law and Gospel within the Church right now. The Gospel is not a lifestyle, or loving people, or being changed, or living by faith. The Gospel has nothing to do with our works. Otherwise, the Gospel would be horrible news because our good deeds are like filthy rags before the Lord (Is. 64), not one of us does good (Ps. 14; Rom. 3), and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6). If the Gospel is any of the things above, then we are all damned. The Gospel is what Christ did in our place--He became sin who knew no sin, so we might be the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5). The law reveals God's standard for righteousness, condemns sin and thus drives sinners to the cross, and order the life saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It does not save. Only Jesus saves.
I finished a great psychological book, Love's Executioner, by Irving Yalom, recently. In the next several days, I will finish the final book in the excellent WWII trilogy written by Rick Atkinson. Expect reviews of both LE and the trilogy in the coming week.
Not sure I mentioned it before, but I traveled to a western portion of the country recently to visit some of our soldiers. I have now traveled through several modes that I have never traveled through before (the perks of traveling with someone of high rank!). But, having now traveled to a couple of distant places in scenic Afghanistan, I think I can reduce the landscape to two words: Brown and bare. Something tells me that the new heavens and earth will be a bit more lush...
