Evangelist Update: A Torrent of Opportunities in the Falls

Greetings, Friends.

Since we're currently in the Dells, I am only able to get in to the Falls about once a week while my wife attends Community Bible Study and before my kids nap. Thus, I pack out every inch of my schedule with to-dos in the church and community. Thank God that we will return to Oconomowoc on Friday and I'll be able to commute in on a daily basis.

Here are the places I went today and handed out my business card and our church invitation cards:

1) U-Haul Storage Facility--chatted with one of the first people I met upon arriving--the manager of the facility. Decent guy, and runs the place with his wife. Look forward to getting to know them better. He seems to be pretty open with me when we chat.

2) Gents Barbership--the man who runs this place in the heart of the "downtown" excels at his craft and takes great pride in his work. We also became buds when he gave me my first haircut here. He is Greek, his wife is Dutch, and his mother-in-law is curmudgeonly. :) My business cards with Falls Pres now sit alongside the piles of cards of other local business owners near the front door.

3) Nino's Bakery--also located in the heart of downtown. I visited for the first time today, having already gotten to know two of the workers there on separate occasions. The place was founded and is run by a Sicilian family and they take pride in their bakery as a place where the local priest takes his parishioners to talk. Anyone want to join me there next week for a cup of Joe?

4) YMCA--amidst the rush (there were hundreds of cars in the Y parking lot), I reconnected with a believing friend who I met a few weeks back, and met a couple other workers. My friend would like prayer for her two boys--12 and 4.

Acouple dozen more cards bearing the name of "Falls Presbyterian Church" are floating through the bloodstream of the community.

We also handed out the church invitation cards this past Sunday morning during Sunday School and before and after the morning worship service. If you haven't picked yours up yet, please come by!

Remember: Contrary to the popular thinking of our day, faith is no private matter. Your beliefs--for better or for worse--are not only the most important thing about you, but they are you. They are not only the things you hold most dear, but they explain how you think, what you say, and what you do.

In order to love someone, you must first know them. In order to know them, you must know what they believe. And if you truly love them, you will share your hope in Jesus Christ with them--knowing that the Gospel alone is the power of salvation (Rom. 1).

The Vet and The Son Who Didn't Come Home

This afternoon, as my little ones were napping, I zipped down to a nearby sports bar, ordered a half-price daiquiri (mixed fruit was the flavor of choice), and barreled down on a long-term writing project. "What project," you ask? (You didn't ask, of course, but I wanted to ask the question for a sense of rhetorical flow.) I am writing a month-long devotional for Haven Ministries, a wonderful Christian ministry that has long held my wife in their employ. The devotional will be based on my experiences as deployed chaplain.

Naturally, such work deserves a daiquiri as I am reminded that two people who served over there with me are no longer with us. I also am reminded that the helpless infant crying in my arms when I left could stand and stare at me from his pack-and-play upon my return. Not that these things carry any bitterness, but they will always be wounds I sadly and proudly bare for the cause of sharing Christ with my soldiers and serving those who serve our country.

Any time I allow myself to dwell on that time, I get a bit on edge. There is just something so raw about that experience--a "something" that lodges in the heart and mind of every vet that never goes away. After working and writing for a few hours, I paid for my drink and walked toward the door, eyes a bit glassy as the old highlight reel of sights, sounds, and smells went coursing through my head.

I walked right by an older man in one of those decked out veterans vests, proudly displaying his time of service in the 101st Airborne and in Vietnam. I took a few more steps, stopped, and went back and introduced myself to him. I love finding fellow veterans, knowing that we share a bond. I especially love finding Vietnam vets so that I can thank them for enduring fire from home and the enemy. They made it so that soldiers today can proudly face the enemy without fear of attacks from home.

This veteran, like all the rest, is a hero. I googled him after our encounter, and found this tidbit about him: He "served in 1966-67 with the 173rd Airborne as a Combat Medic.  He is the only Medic to have made a Combat parachute jump during the Vietnam War." He didn't tell me any of that. Knowing that I am a chaplain, he simply said that he was the last face that many of our soldiers ever saw.

He also served alongside the heroic Catholic chaplain, Charles Watters. Chaplain Watters cared for this soldier, and cared for hundreds of other soldiers while under fire. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor--one of seven chaplains to ever receive that honor. You can find more about Chaplain Watters here.

This veteran has two sons who proudly wear the uniform. One just returned home from Afghanistan. He also had a son who died last year at age 30 from a medical illness exacerbated by alcoholism. This man tried to save his son, but couldn't. But he puts his hope in the God of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has defeated death and will one day do away with it once and for all.

Before we parted ways, I prayed with this dear, heartsick veteran and father, largely along the lines of the picture and Bible verse he showed me from his son's funeral:

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21)

Until that Day, dear brother!

New Mission; New Cards

My new business cards and church invitation cards came in yesterday. They are black with some accents of blue and print in gray or white.

I will hand out my card to most everyone I meet, along with an offer of dinner at my house or simply time and space to talk. With these cards, people will get a small token of my affection for them.

I will hand out the church invitation cards to most anyone who is looking for a church, or might be willing to shadow the door of one at some point. With these cards, people will not only be invited into my heart and home, but in the hearts and homes of Christ's people.

While my time in town yesterday was brief, I was able to drop by the Army recruiting station with my new cards and personally invite each of those gentlemen into my house (starting 13 Nov) and to Christ's church.

One of the soldiers briefly attended college in Grand Rapids, down the street from my own college, and along with his wife, has stopped going to church. But he is willing and interested. Please pray that they would come to both our house and our church!

For those of you interested in the new invitation cards, we will be handing them out on Sunday at Falls Presbyterian, along with the challenge to hand several out to unbelieving friends, family, neighbors, or strangers in the course of the coming week.

This is not a full-fledged evangelistic campaign. It is the first act of what should be a wonderful play. In this first act, our people will become more comfortable with making their identity in Christ part and parcel of their everyday conversations and identity.

We will all fear and stumble at times for fear of giving offense and of what others might think of us.

But again, we're living to God's glory, even in our weakness. #AlwaysBeReady

Pictures on a Wall

Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and my unit today. On the two hour drive to the unit, I prayed that the Lord would bring just three soldiers to the chapel service. Three soldiers attended the service. I preached on the man born blind from John 9 and answered a lot of questions afterward.

I was brought to my new office and was shocked to see a name tape on the wall "1LT Randy Croel." Randy was one of my good chaplain friends in my initial training for the Army in 2009. We would often go on runs together. In 2011, we attended the captain's course together as well. This would've been just after our initial training--when we were both young, uncertain chaplains launching our careers in God's grace. I experienced a wave of something like nostalgia.

In the hallway between a number of offices and the chow hall, seven photos and short write-ups rested neatly framed upon the wall. These were seven men from this unit who were killed in action during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Four of them were lost to IEDs in Iraq in 2004--a brutal time for our soldiers. One of the men was a father of three. Another one was an elder at a Lutheran church who led Bible studies on the deployment until he was killed. This Bible study, the write-up mentioned, was a great source of strength to this soldier, according to many in the unit.

The final picture was of a soldier killed in 2011 in Afghanistan--two years before I deployed. He was just 22. Officially killed by "small arms fire."

My best exchange of the day came with an NCO with a Master's in Psychology who deployed with a segment of our unit in 2011. There was an edge to this soldier--a look I see sometimes in soldiers who have seen or experienced quite a bit downrange. Indeed, the segment of the unit he deployed with experienced IED blasts and small arms fire most every day. At times, the surrounding area experienced more concentrated action than at any point since WWII. The vast majority of the unit were awarded Purple Hearts (for those wounded in the line of duty).

This was also the unit where Justin Ross, the 22 year old soldier, was killed--by a sniper, not by small arms fire. The NCO still calls him "my soldier"--a poignant reminder of something special about the Army. No battle buddy killed in action in simply a picture on a wall, but "my soldier" to someone who will spend the rest of their life preserving that person's memory. In a sense, Dave Lyon was my soldier, which is why I'll speak of him until the day I die.

I found one comment made by this NCO particularly interesting. He said "I know it sounds weird--and don't take it the wrong way--but I think this soldier was the best person to die. His dad is a pastor and his family is very religious. Of all people, they are probably the ones who could most handle this."

I think I understand what he was saying. He wasn't diminishing the soldier's tragic loss, nor was he diminishing the pain felt by the family. He recognized that this pastor and his family had a hope that transcended death--that made it less bitter. For where, O grave, is thy victory? Where, O death, is thy sting? Please find more below on the life and death of Corporal Justin Ross and his family:

http://arlingtoncemetery.net/jdross.htm

http://www.wiscnews.com/article_b5b92579-edf1-5b07-baea-fbd088b718bc.html

https://www.facebook.com/ArmySpecialistJustinRossMemorialPage

Three Simple Requests

A week or so ago, I asked the Lord for one simple, specific request, and lo and behold, the Lord was pleased to graciously answer that request.

Today, on my first (unofficial) day with my new unit, I asked three simple things of the Lord on my 2 hour drive from the Dells to Eau Claire (beautiful, by the way):

1) Put one person in my path who can show me around and give me the lay of the land. A wonderful female NCO provided the answer to that prayer as soon as I walked in the door.

2) Enable me to reserve a time and room for a chapel service tomorrow (the first one conducted for the unit in about two years). It will be at 1100 CST in the classroom of the training site.

3) Use me to bless one soldier in particular today. I'm not sure how the Lord may have answered this prayer, though I had a lot of buoyant introductory chat-versations with soldiers.

Please pray for the chapel service tomorrow. Usually, these services draw 5-10 soldiers (the number balloons on deployments), often because of poor advertising and conflicting duties. Pray that the Lord would bring some believers and unbelievers, and we would all grow in our knowledge of and love for Jesus Christ through the power of His Word and Spirit.

A Long Night with the Legion

Before my first session meeting at Falls Presbyterian drew to a close, one of the elders stopped the discussion, turned to me, and said "I think it's almost time for your American Legion event. You have our blessing to go." Another elder helped me pack some food to go, and then the session prayed for me. God's grace is so clear to me in the way this dear group of brothers and fathers in the faith stand alongside of me and behind me.

I proceeded to my first American Legion meeting at their building in the center of town, wolfing down southern-style BBQ on the way (as we say in the Army, "Eat now. Taste later."). I sat down amongst a group of men who were almost exclusively from the Korea and Vietnam eras. Only one other veteran my age was there (also a member of the Village Council and follower of Falls Pres on Facebook).

The meeting was pretty standard: Funds raised for those in need and funds dispersed to those in need. Past and upcoming events. Resources for veterans facing all manners of hardship.

The time afterward was not so standard. A few of the older vets invited me to the Legion bar in the basement (a great place, filled with older folks and the hometown Miller Genuine Draft on tap). I sat down next to the occasional tender of the bar, who I met on one of my first days in Menomonee Falls. He is a funny, gregarious, get by day-to-day musician. And his dad in Florida is dying.

He updated me on his dad's condition since the last time we talked, and will go down in the next week to be with his mom in these final days. I talked with him about Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, and the beauty of God as the unfailing father. He is bringing his Bible down to Florida with him. Please pray that he would find comfort through that life-giving Word.

While talking to the bartender-musician, I also chatted with the commander of the post and one of the few black men in Menomonee Falls. As the commander told me about a veteran who could use some extra care, my other friend told me of his inspiring climb up the economic ladder in inner-city Milwaukee. He also wanted to know what the DC elites would think about a conservative, black Republican who wears a Confederate belt buckle and loves to hunt. :)

On the other side of the bar, a half dozen widows (all of whom reminded me of my deceased grandmother) put back shots and bantered back and forth. When the conversation on my side died down, I went over and visited the women. "Oh, you're the new chaplain!" they said. I told them how good it was to meet each of them and sat down to talk with one of them in particular.

This particular widow told me that her husband died just two years ago. He didn't join the Legion until late in life because he was only in the Army for a few months and didn't think he was allowed. BUT, she readily declared, he was pushed out of the Army because of poor eyesight, despite the fact that he excelled in every test he ever took. I was inspired by how quickly she defended her husband, as if he was still there beside her.

She said he had been sick in recent years, but still always drove her if she wanted to go somewhere so that he could spend more time with her. 58 years of marriage. "He was always my best friend."

A powerful final experience to think and pray over on my drive home.

The Smell of Grace

I signed up to attend the local Toastmasters club on Meetup.com. I knew that Toastmasters give people the opportunity to practice and grow in public speaking and hoped that I might have an opportunity to give some glimpse of the Gospel to folks from the community.

Just before the meeting, I had dinner with an older member of the congregation--a passionate evangelist--and he had once been in Toastmasters. He told me that one exercise they may do is take a random topic chosen for the night and ask for volunteers to speak on that topic.

I arrived in the back room of a local pizza place, where about 20 people were gathered. I tried to make small talk with others in the few moments between speeches. An hour into the meeting, I wondered whether I had chosen the wrong venue to take a stab at outreach.

Then the random topic was announced: Potpourri. I didn't know how the format worked, so the lady who introduced the topic called upon someone to to talk about potpourri. She then asked for a volunteer and I thought "What the heck!" and volunteered.

I said something along the following lines (though not nearly as polished--I was later told I said "Uh" five times!).

"When I think of potpourri, I think of the smells, the sights, the sounds of this world in its original beauty. I think of the glory of this Creation and the world as it was meant to be.

I am a soldier, and when I deployed, it didn't smell like potpourri. It smelled like exhaust and chemical-laden burn pits, and figuratively, carried the stench of death. Potpourri also reminds me of the sweet scent used to cover the smell of death.

When I think of potpourri, I think of a world without these things. I think of a world where burn pits are filled, deserts are turned into gardens, and every tear is wiped from our eyes. I look forward to that day."

Was I too abstract? Too morbid or sentimental? I don't know. There is nothing polished about sharing the Gospel. I am a sinner trying to communicate biblical truth with other sinners. I appreciate the fact that it was noted that I said "uh" five times. My weakness was clearly exposed! I hope and trust that God showed His strength in my obvious weakness. At least I am doing this now rather than just talking about it.

Afterward, I met a number of people including a few fellow believers from different denominations. I handed a few of my old cards from Sterling. Still riding my extroverted social high, I gave a cheerful goodbye to the gals working in front of the restaurant and started kicking myself as soon as I got to the car, thinking I should have tried to talk to them a bit.

I then realized that I forgot my Toastmasters folder and went back in to grab it and found myself in a good conversation with four or five of the workers at the place. I told them about Falls Presbyterian and invited one of them in particular to come. I acutely felt the emptiness of my pocket, devoid of any current business cards or church invitation cards. I won't make that mistake again. They will be on the printer by the end of the week.

In any case, one of the gals was interested in visiting the church. She was convinced we have a sign with constantly changing messages in front of the church (we don't). I just continually repeated the intersection--"We would love to see you at Falls Church at the intersection of Pilgrim and Good Hope!" I hope she comes.

Please pray for these continued endeavors, dear friends. And may our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, be known and loved by more hearts and confessed by more tongues!