Random Tidbits and Prayer Requests

It's the small things. I already shared a little bit about my time with one of my Army units this weekend, so I probably don't need to tell you that these are tiring weekends. I may be a bubbly extrovert, but imposing yourself upon dozens of strangers from the early hours of the morning until the early hours of the evening is not easy work!

But God's grace is ample and sufficient. I forgot my coffee when I left home yesterday morning for my hour-long car trip. So I stopped by a charming independent coffee place in small town called Mukwanago (try pronouncing that!). The staff and customers all greeted me warmly, thanking me for my service, and the owner gave me a $5 gift card for coffee in the future. We'll be back!

During my lunch break at McDonalds, as I was following the beat down of my hometown Redskins, parents kept approaching me with their children, and each of the kids would come up to me and thank me for my service. One dad told me that his boys were all in the Scouts and suggested that they might become soldiers some day. I sure hope so.

For all of the frustrations attendant to the Army life, especially in the Reserve world, there is still a striking cultural difference between this institution and the culture at large: It doesn't turn victims into celebrities; It turns servants into heroes.

I won't usually have this privilege when I'm drilling in Eau Claire (four hours away), but I was able to join my family for the evening worship service at Falls Presbyterian and hear an encouraging sermon from Romans 8 on suffering and hope. I was tired and distracted, but because the Word does not return void, I came away blessed.

The Bible and the Egg. Thankfully, there's no debate here as there is with the chicken and the egg. The Word was the means by which God created this world, and the expression of His will for it. That said, we recently found a Bible verse printed on the inside of our egg carton. This pleasant surprise joins a box of Angry Orchard Hard Cider, which had a Gospel message folded up and tucked inside the box. Welcome to the Midwest, where more folks wear their faith on their sleeve (and egg carton) and haven't been shamed into silence.

Religion and politics. I'm always nervous when I think of how best to employ my great passion for politics. It stirs up great emotion in most people (often unhappy emotion) and becomes an unfortunately means for defining someone prior to any substantive exchange on a personal or spiritual level. Despite this nervousness, many of my best Gospel engagements over the years have occurred at local polling places with people from both parties. As always, I must pray for wisdom and work to be winsome and personal by God's grace. Thankfully, I do not have to choose between the pastorate and politics. Fundamentally, I am a Christian and can love the Savior who first loved me through whatever task the Lord sets before me.

This morning, I met with the county volunteer coordinator for my given party, and plan to get plugged in a hopefully write/ghost-write op-eds in support of this movement over the coming year. I will attend a rally for my favorite presidential contender this afternoon and aside from enjoying a great speech, will have plenty of cards on hand for folks who may be interested in meal or a church.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for my participation in this political rally this afternoon, and for my second gathering with the Toastmasters tonight--that the Lord would give me at least one opportunity in each venue to say something of the Gospel. And please pray that I would seize those opportunities, by His grace.

Please pray for my American Legion meeting tomorrow night and my first running meetup on Wednesday night, that again, the Lord would give me opportunities to know people, love them, and share with the true hope of Jesus Christ.

By God's grace, we will be closing on our house this Friday. Please pray that the whole process would go smoothly and that we would be able to quickly switch into our hosting-gear and start fulfilling the promise of a meal, drink, and good conversation that I have made to so many!

Please also pray for my family. They have borne the weight (and wait) of about six months of uncertainty and trying transitions--practically the whole of our baby girl's life! Please pray that amidst all of the new (and wonderful changes), the Lord would help me to re-focus on my marriage and family and enable us to have some routine and stability!

Army Life Is Always Active

I visited one of our subordinate units this weekend in a place called Sturtevant (near Racine, south of Milwaukee).

Yesterday, I spent most of the day walking the hallways and visiting with the soldiers. When I first joined the Army, this type of introductory work intimidated me. I would walk the hallways aimlessly, shooting smiles at passing soldiers and hoping that someone would stop and want to talk. Now, I am much more at ease engaging a host of new faces. I can go up, shake a hand, introduce myself, and ask some basic questions (Where are you from? How long have you been in the Army? Married? Kids?).

There's a different breed of soldier out here.Virtually all of them are from Wisconsin or Chicago and are homegrown. Most have never gone through a divorce--either their own or their parents--though most are still acquainted with death. And most of the soldiers of this particular detachment of Army firefighters have never deployed. Unlike many soldiers I have known, these soldiers love coming to drill and there is a great espirit de corps.

The leaders of this unit clearly love their soldiers. While most of the soldiers haven't deployed, their NCOs have--numerous times. These NCOs are reachable at all hours of the day and take great pride in being able to care for their soldiers. One NCO today talked about coming home from Iraq and the older veterans who greeted his unit at the terminal at 1 in the morning. He got choked up.

At this morning's chapel service, virtually the whole detachment showed up (some 20 soldiers or so). This included a Muslim soldier from Iraq who I befriended yesterday. I read Isaiah 53 and we sang the first verse of Amazing Grace--a staple of chapel services conducted on the fly. I then read and preached from Matthew 27, when the Son of God was put on trial by mankind.

I emphasized the clear innocence of Jesus on that day, and the equally clear verdict of mankind (including us) to kill him. We do not reject Jesus because we don't see Him in the flesh or lack the miracles. We do not reject Jesus because Christians are hypocrites. We (mankind) had Him in the flesh, along with His miracles. And Jesus Christ, of all born in this world, was no hypocrite. We rejected Jesus because we hate God by nature, and thus killed the Son of God in the flesh.

The beauty of that passage comes with the knowledge that soon after the people cried out "His blood on us and our children" and invoked God's curse upon themselves, Jesus cried out "Father, forgive them" and shed His blood in mercy, not judgment. And though the criminal Barabbas deserved to die, it was the innocent Jesus who bore the death he deserved. Oh that we would confess hearts like Barabbas, that we would truly savor a Savior like Jesus!

Every soldier took one of my cards, and I hope that I am able to follow up with some of them in the future. I let them know that there's always a place at our table and an open bed in our home. I wish I could follow up with them every month, but am tied to the "mother" unit in Eau Claire. Pray that the Lord would bless this brief excursion with future opportunities to share the Gospel and love on soldiers!