Ubuntu CE (Christian Edition) Update

While I am a Linux hobbyist, I am not Linux expert, as was made clear in my first post on Ubuntu Christian Edition (CE). In that post I said that you won't find a life-changing experience with CE. For David Kuntadi, the Development Lead, and the rest of the team, CE is not a game or a hobby, it is an opportunity to bring Linux to the Christian community. While I agreed with the premise, I disagreed with the distribution, stating that I could essentially do everything on any old Linux distro that they were doing with CE.

That was wrong.

Because I had been able to do a few things on my own with a different distro, I assumed I could do everything without the official CE distribution. To prove my point, I downloaded Fedora Core 11 and installed it on my computer. Then I began downloading everything I wanted, like Xiphos, Dansguardian, etc, in order to basically create my own Christian Edition. It can't be done. Some of those programs are part of the CE repository exclusively, as David informed me in his comments to my first post. I retract that statement from my original post. I was wrong.

Another area that I was troubled in was the fact that OpenOffice.org didn't come standard with Ubuntu CE. It turns out that it didn't come standard with Fedora Core 11 either. Again, I could fix it with a quick download, but the fact that I took special pains to announce it regarding CE was out of line. David asked a great question in his comments on my original post. I now pose that question: Would I accept having to download a DVD instead of a CD in order to get OpenOffice.org standard? I said that I would take the DVD. But I want to hear how you feel too.

Finally, I said that CE needed church administration software before it could truly contend with Windows and Mac OS X for the church market. I still believe this is the case, but I'm more hopeful now than ever that this will happen in the future. David was kind enough to let me know that he was currently working on church administration software that would be coupled with a future server version of the distribution. That, in my opinion, will make Ubuntu CE a contender.

So, church leaders and computer geeks, please comment! I want to know what you think!

--How seriously would you consider Linux as the OS for your church staff?
--What would you need to see before you were able to use it for church applications?
--And don't forget the question from David...would you accept having to download a DVD, which is larger than a CD?

2 Things Missing from my Ministry

Two things are missing from my ministry to my fellow sailors:

1. Genuine Compassion: Christ had compassion on people. Just read from Matthew:

Matthew 9:36-38: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

The reason Christ said that we needed more workers was because of his compassion. There was an almost desperate hope in Christ’s heart that enough Christians would come out of spiritual hiding and help the lost find Him.

And I am woefully lacking in the compassion area. My life is built on years of not believing Christ had this kind of compassion for me, much less anyone else. And that is displayed as I walk the passageways of my ship feeling smug and not telling my fellow-sailors about Christ. My heart isn’t broken yet.

2. Lack of Fear: I fear rejection more than I want my coworkers and neighbors to come to Christ. I would rather sacrifice them in hell and stay silent than risk being rejected. That is a very strong way of putting it, but my fear of rejection is strong. It’s time to be honest about it.

Now for the hope: I am a laborer in the ripe field of harvest that is the USS Antietam. I’m not sure why God has put me here on some days because of my weaknesses, but I’m grateful.

I am grateful that God is bigger than me. I’m grateful that his son did have compassion on me. I’m grateful that the Holy Ghost has sealed me and that he is more powerful than my fear.

Compassion can and will come as I accept the many sins that I have been forgiven for, because of the Father’s compassion. And I will overcome fear as I realize that, though men may reject me, my Father never will.

I don’t write this post to promote false-humility or to display my weaknesses (I promise…there are more than two!). Instead I write this because there is hope for me. Real hope. With the same hope that I have in my eternal destiny, I have my temporal one as a witness in this Jerusalem.

Why I'm going to Seminary

A few people have asked me, in the course of conversations, why I'm going to seminary. In fact, while talking to my wife about going back to seminary (I had taken a two year break while stationed on the Antietam), I expressed my reasons for going back to seminary to her as well. I think it's important to know why one is doing what he/she is doing, so it's important to know why I am going to seminary.

• I value education: Ever since getting my undergrad at Park University while on active duty (part of that through distance learning), I’ve been telling people I come in contact with to get to school! That’s one of the things I’m so happy about on the ship. There are three guys all “headed” to Liberty. Two of us will be in seminary working on Mdivs, and one will be working on his undergrad degree. I can’t stress it enough, education is vital.

• I want to learn more about the Bible: My level of knowledge is woeful. There are unbelievers who know more about the Bible than I do. It’s just sad. I’m a 31 year old man and I have the knowledge of a stunted teenager when it comes to the Bible. It’s so pathetic that I’m going to do something about it by going to seminary.

• I want my interest in scripture to be productive: But why not just pick up a book and read it, or better yet, read the Bible?!?! You ask? Good question, and to answer it, I just say that I want my study to be productive. Since I’m talking about the kind of in-depth study that would be found in seminary, wouldn’t it make sense for me to go to seminary and have the credits count?

• I want to be challenged: The kind of knowledge I’m talking about is a rigorous, II Timothy 2:15 kind of knowledge. And while Timothy didn’t have seminary, he had Paul, which I imagine was a really good or better. I mean, let’s face it, Paul’s writings are all over seminary training, so it makes sense that Timothy had that in his relationship with Paul. I’m getting sidetracked. The fact is that I want a goal in my studies so that I don’t quit, and I don’t want it to be too easy either. This isn’t a game. This is the study of God’s word. I work best when challenged, so I’m placing a challenge out there. Finish seminary!

That about sums it up. I have a goal of a seminary degree. And to answer the unspoken question, “Will God call me to ministry?”…I don’t know. He has used me many times (read yesterday's post), and for that I’m grateful. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that I need to be in seminary, so here we go! Only a few weeks before classes start!

Baptism in the Pacific Ocean!

I was blessed yesterday to baptize a young sailor in the Pacific Ocean!

My shipmate Preston was already a believer, but had not been baptized since his profession of faith. After reading scriptures (on his own), just like the Eunuch, he said to me, “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t be baptized today?”

Of course not! However, because I had never baptized anyone before, I had some insecurities about doing it. But when Preston said, “I don’t think I can go another day without being baptized.” That settled the matter. Once we got to the beach, still in our church clothes, we waded out to chest-deep water.

I turned to Preston and said, "Do you believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God?" he said yes. I asked one more question, and then I said, "Preston, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." Then I dunked him with one hand while trying to take a picture for him with my phone in the other!

This is Preston going under:
It looks like I caught him as a wave was coming over both of us, but I honestly don't remember it too well! Oh, but the joy of it all. When he came back up, he shook my hand, and we turned back to shore.

I prayed with Preston after returning to base. I warned him that Satan would be looking for him while he was on such a spiritual high, so he would need to be careful.

Preston is already talking about ministry opportunities and, in particular, how to share his faith with his family, especially in light of his baptism yesterday.

Please consider commenting below to send a short message of support to Preston.

Duty Blues

Update: Timothy and Samantha are both fine! We just had a great lunch together as a family and they were awesome!

Last night I forgot something very important before putting my kids to bed: I FORGOT TO TELL THEM I'M ON DUTY TODAY! So, as I write this post, my wife is about 15 minutes or so away from my son realizing that his father isn't at home!

My children aren't so fragile that they can't be talked to about my duty days, but a scant few weeks after returning from a deployment is not the time to be simply disappearing from their lives again.

The night before previous duty days, I would lie in bed with each child and explain that I have to be gone for 24 hours, but that I will miss them and hurry home the following day as quickly as I can. I've watched as Timothy has been doing better as each duty day passes, but at first he was visibly bothered by my absence so close to returning from deployment. I hope today doesn't hurt him today.

I have two things going in my favor today. First, it is a Saturday, and once I'm off watch (five hours from now) my kids and Alicia are coming to see me for lunch. That will help a great deal. Secondly, and most importantly, Alicia is a champ and can handle, by now, the worse my forgetfulness can throw at her. If anyone can help my young children understand why their father is gone, it's her. I have absolute faith in her. But I am sorry for the situation I put her in.

So we'll see how it goes!

Overcoming a Disadvantage

We fathers can find ourselves at a disadvantage. If we don't show enough interest in our child's activities, we are proclaimed to be distant, and if we show too much, we can come across as demanding and trying to live vicariously through our children.

I've learned how not to do this. The information might not be something everyone can use, but maybe it can help someone, and if so, then I'm all for it. So here goes:

T had his swim lessons yesterday, and I watched him having a great time. He jumped in when his instructor told him to, swam exactly how the instructor taught him, and laughed happily the entire time. I was so impressed with him. I wanted to show that pleasure in my heart, so I walked over to the edge of the pool while the instructor was showing a different child how to do a certain stroke, and I tapped him on the head.

"Nice job T!" I said. Then I clapped my hands a few times and walked away.

T was ecstatic...like beaming he was so happy! He knew that his father was proud of him at that moment. And that is important. I want him to know that I love him unconditionally, such as when he threw a fit at the end of the lessons because a jump didn't go right, but I also want him to know that it pleases me when he does well and when he is happy with himself.

We as fathers can show our pleasure in our kids without looking overbearing or distant. The smile on my son's face proves it.

Parable of the Lost Computer Cables

There once was a man who wanted to use two computers at the same time because he was a geek. He knew he needed an A/B switch to make it work with only one monitor, mouse, and keyboard, but he couldn't find his A/B switch. It had become lost and he couldn't remember where he put it.

In desperation, he scoured his home, trying desperately to find it. Looking in once closet or storage trunk after another, he felt failure after failure sting at his heart. Indeed, more than anything, he just wanted to find that switch. The joy it would bring would far outweigh any pain or embarrassment he would suffer in finding it.

Finally, just as he was about to give up, he spotted one last place in which to look. Not getting his hopes up, but secretly wanting desperately to end the search successfully, he looked in this last storage place.

There, to his excitement and joy, he found his A/B switch, and now he has his computers set up perfectly.

And now, I call on you all to rejoice with me, for I have found my lost A/B switch.

"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents". Luke 15:8-10

I know it's silly to use a story about a lost computer part to show the love God has for us, but I am seriously glad God swept the world to find me.

Ubuntu CE Version 5.0

I know many of you are not Linux Hobbyists like myself, so let me give you the bottom line: Ubuntu CE (Christian Edition) has some great ideas. Indeed, there are a lot of things standard on this distribution that don't come standard on other Linux distros, but if you're looking for a life-changing experience, you won't find it in Ubuntu Christian Edition.

You can read more below:

I currently run Ubuntu 9.04, code-named Jaunty Jackalope. Ubuntu is an amazing piece of work. Very easy to use and it has all of the bells and whistles you could want. Honestly, I'd put it up against Windows any day and have a good run...just ask my wife how I feel about it!

Unlike Microsoft or Mac OS X, where we have to design software to help protect us from unwanted, unChristian intruders, someone got it right over in the world of Linux. As the blog DistroWatch states: "The goal of Ubuntu Christian Edition is not to bring Christianity to Linux but to bring Linux to Christians." Instead of creating Christian software for computers, the developers at Ubuntu CE created Linux for Christians. What a concept!

So I downloaded the newest release onto my old desktop, which heretofore had been carrying Ubuntu 8.04. Ubuntu CE runs on top of the Ubuntu 9.04 distribution. There's some technical information that you can get from other locations regarding how that works, so let me just deal with the workability of CE.

One of the first things I learned about was Dansguardian. I was doing some research on domestic abuse, and because of some of the returns on Google, Dansguardian automatically killed my search. This happened a few other times as well. This, alas, is the primary difficulty regarding filter software. Namely, that the programmers have to decide how wide or narrowly to cast a filtering net. Do you cast it wide, and potentially restrict harmless or even valuable internet activity, or do you cast it narrowly and potentially endanger someone? I will happily and freely admit that I did not test the program to its fullest extent. I'll let someone else worry about that. In the meantime, I have to play with the settings a little.

Another thing I found valuable was Gnucash. Now, if you already use a Windows-based program, then maybe this financial software won't help you any, but it is available for download in Windows format also. It looks very capable, so if you need it, look it up.

I also enjoyed Linbread, so named I assume because it is for Linux, and it's your daily bread, thus Linbread. This pops up at startup, so you get your morning (or afternoon, evening, whenever) verse upon seeing your desktop for the first time of the day.

Finally, I was thoroughly impressed with the Xiphos Bible software. There was a veritable smorgasbord of options, like which translation of the Bible I wanted, what commentaries, etc. The thing that really impressed me, especially since Linux is used extensively overseas, was a warning for those in closed countries. If you're in one, be careful how you use Xiphos, but you already know that, right?

WINE also comes standard with Ubuntu CE, which is just funny to say really since a large number of Christians don't believe in drinking. I'm not very experienced with Wine because I don't mix my Linux and Windows. It's just not right.

Yet there were some disappointments. For example, Ubuntu CE did not come with Open Office, my favorite non-Windows Office software. I use it for everything, so I had to go get it right quick via the synaptic package manager. This process only took me 10 minutes to be honest, so really it wasn't that big of a deal, just seems like it should come standard.

The other main disappointment is the simple fact that, via Synaptic Package Manager, I could get all of the programs standard in Ubuntu CE for my standard Ubuntu 9.04. I'm all for creating a distribution that is geared towards Christians, but it will need some more work before I wholeheartedly recommend it. That being said, I will continue to run it on my other desktop. In fact, I typed part of this blog post on that computer!

Here's my thoughts. If we want to have a truly Christian edition of any form of Linux, then we need church administration software. Right now, somewhere around 7% of church outlays are for technology. Now, we won't be able to stop the need for projectors, overhead screens, etc, but we can reduce the need for churches to upgrade hardware computer systems and purchase office and administration software if we have a solid Linux system. In my opinion, this is where we need to move forward.

So if you're a Linux person, and you've given Ubuntu CE a try, let me know. I'd love to get your take!

Fathered by God

Fathered By God
By: John Eldridge
(C) 2009
ISBN: 1400280273
$9.99 on author's website:

To say that I enjoyed Fathered by God would be as big of an understatement is saying that Jesus made some sort of impact on the world by coming to earth. I am not a newbie to John Eldridge's writing, having previously read Wild At Heart and Epic. Neither of those books prepared me for what I would read in Eldridge's latest.

Eldridge starts the book with a theme common to many of his works; namely that there is one specific question that all men want answered. Whereas Wild At Heart attempted to help us answer that question (Do I have what it takes?), Fathered by God helps us understand that path. We start in the boyhood era, where a boy needs simply to know that he is the apple of his father's eye. This meant a lot to me because that is where my son is right now. It made me ask over and over again, "What can I do to show my son this in our relationship?"

He then moves through Cowboy (or Ranger), Warrior, Lover, King, and finally the Sage era of a man's life. Honestly, the only part that was truly difficult to read was the lover stage. I had bought into the idea that men don't get smitten by God's love, and for some of us we don't even get smitten by a woman's love. That chapter was truly difficult, and I look forward (kind of) to reading through it again.

I believe I am on the sunset side of warrior at this time, although I am trying to regain that stage so that I can fully live it (and perhaps not have a midlife crisis later!). I especially want to live that stage spiritually. I will share more on that in future posts.

As I alluded to above, I have already started applying these principles to my relationship with my son, as evidenced in this post. I can't wait to live additional parts of this life, both for my own sake and the sake of my wife and children.

You need this book. Buy it, borrow it...get it.

Toward the end of his book, Fathered by God, John Eldridge says that "the best thing you could do at this point is read it again." It's not because John teaches obscure thoughts or that he confuses the reader. Indeed, if anything, the problem might be that I soaked up the writing so fast that I need a second reading through in order just to get everything! So stay tuned, for I plan to go through the book a second time, with John's accompanying workbook, and write a second review in the future!

Order here:

Back to Work...Kind of

As my wife Alicia wrote in her vocabulary lesson, Friday was a day back to work for me. I didn't want to be back to work and dreaded it for a variety of reasons that I won't name here. Yet God blessed me on the ship in the following ways:

1. It was an easy day. Aside from the rustiness that I naturally had to shake off after a few weeks of vacation, the day was splendid with very few issues. I needed that so badly and I'm grateful that God provided that.

2. I got to meet up with some of my guys. I call them my guys because I don't want to call them proteges. I mean, honestly, it would be horrible to label them that way. Who would want to be known as my protege? But the fact is, I have been, in some way, mentoring these men for the last several months. Checking in on them was a joy. I heard many great stories of stand down and where they were with their walk.

One of my guys let me know that his application to become a US Navy chaplain was almost complete. Another told me that he wanted to come to church with me this coming Sunday. The third warrior I talked with told me that he was excited about going home and looked forward to visiting what could be called his "home" church. Finally, I confirmed with a fourth man that he was still in the scriptures and learning a lot.

This brings me so much joy. These relationships are such a joy for me. I can't wait to get them all back together when we officially go back to work in August. I look forward to helping them wherever they might need it.

I have written about how important mentorship is in Christianity, and even though I don't know if I'm old enough, or wise enough, to be considered one, I am excited to do my part. God is good to me.

Marc Driscoll

Listen to this and then, if you're still interested, read my thoughts:



I have tried to find the words to say what I feel right now after listening to Mark pound men through his sermon. I want to say so much, but I think he covers pretty much everything. As a man who is trying to stay clean myself, and to lead other men in the same quest, this is amazing work.

It is a reminder also of the work I still have to do. Is there something that I need to say to Alicia? Have I wronged her in any way? Furthermore, is there a fight coming that I need to prepare for? My current success, morally and physically, will be quickly forgotten if I fail the next test. Finally, is there a particular prayer that needs to be said?

No other words I could add would give more weight to what Mark Driscoll said, and it's good that way. I just need to make sure I'm not in the wrong anywhere.

I got this originally from a blog I just started subscribing too. It's a great read, and I recommend you head over to Jared Wilson's blog to read up on some of his other writing as well.

Places I've been: Hong Kong

My first stop on our recent 7th Fleet deployment was Hong Kong, which we hit after a little over a month underway. I have always enjoyed Hong Kong, from my first visit way back in 1998 until this recent one over a decade later. It's a gorgeous city...absolutely gorgeous.

Here are some snapshots:

My ship in the harbor:
I would definitely call Hong Kong crowded, as this street suggests:

Yes, that's a cow tongue...out in the open air!
Stanley Market is a very popular tourist spot on the island:
Night-time look at the city:

On my final day, I went with some friends to meet Nathan Loudin, the missions pastor at the International Baptist Church-Hong Kong. Nathan is the 2nd from the right:

The Value of Mentorship

Yesterday a blogger who works in a closed country spoke of how seminaries don't prepare future missionaries because it's all academic, whereas the military provides hands-on training to prepare for battle. You can read more about that post here. It's really a good writeup. He asked for ideas on how we can better prepare our future ministers. It got me to thinking about ministry, and while I am not at all a minister, I would like to propose the following two points:

1. Academic Institutions are not built to provide hands-on training, nor should they. When I was considering going back to seminary, the chaplain on my ship made sure I understood one thing: Seminaries are academic institutions, nothing more, nothing less. A student goes there to learn scholarship and strategy, but mostly the former. I am still learning my Christian history, and this may not have always been true, which is understandable, but in our world today, we should not hope that our seminaries could train us on the job.

2. Christianity needs more mentorship to provide this training. When I wanted to start reaching out to men around me on my ship, I met Dave Yumen, a Navigator missionary in San Diego. Dave and I still chat often and meet occasionally. If I hadn't met him, and learned from him, I would not be able to mentor the handful of men I work with now. This is the primary ministry I'm involved in on my ship in fact...just helping some of these younger believers get their bearings and move forward in their faith. I am encouraging them to go through Biblical training, even as I go through the same training, but without this OJT (On the Job Training), they are only half-prepared.

I love the idea of preparing our ministers and missionaries for work in the field. And I agree that something has gone a bit off with our process. Yet I think it would be more beneficial for us to have some older ministers grab a few of us younger ministers by the shirt collars and teach us what's what than to wait on the seminaries, or honestly even our churches, to do so.

If you have an opinion on this topic, I would love to hear it, and please make a stop over at Koffi's House and read the post that got me started on this topic. It's really great.

Serving a Merciful God

I was reading out of II Chronicles for my daily reading the other day and I noticed something I had missed on my first time through the Bible a few years ago (this has happened many, many times). Read below:

2CH 30:18-20 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God-- the LORD, the God of his fathers-- even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary."

And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

The thing to notice in this passage is that God is a merciful, forgiving God. I don't mean that he isn't Just, but he is merciful. He is a God who, in his almost desperate attempt to forgive, sent his son to die for us on the cross. And here, years before he would send the Messaiah, he forgave.

God does not look down on us because we don't do something just right. According to this passage, he longs to heal. What a joyous thought!

Coronado Island

Alicia and I had the opportunity to go to Coronado Island for a date tonight. By the way, I've thoroughly enjoyed getting these date nights with my wife! We've really enjoyed catching up!

We started our date with a stop at Peohe's, a rather fancy restaurant on Coronado Island. It's really good food. Alicia ate the Thai Chicken Spring Rolls and I had the Coconut Crunchy Shrimp. We both sampled the other's choice, and I must say that these are the only spring rolls that I've ever enjoyed! And the shrimp dish was really great too!

What really got us though was the view. As the sky started to darken a little, we saw San Diego start to come alive, and that was just amazing. The funny thing, however, is how in San Diego you can see a simply gorgeous view of the downtown skyline and look to your right (from Peohe's) and see the 10th Avenue Terminal, an industrial pier, and if you look further to the right you see a shipyard. So while the entire view isn't "to die for" it's still awesome.

Here are some pictures from the evening:

Here is downtown San Diego as the sun is setting. Simply beautiful I think, except for the marine layer...That's Petco Park behind the Convention Center.

10th Avenue TerminalCoronado Bridge with the terminal in the background.

New Student at Liberty!

I just got word back from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary that I am officially a student in the Masters of Divinity (Missional Studies) program via distance learning!

I'm looking forward to the rigors of study and I expect to learn a lot about my faith. Hopefully, there will be a great deal of maturing of my beliefs as well through these classes.

My first two classes, which will take me through December, are:
1. ICST 500-World Missions
2. THEO 525-Systematic Theology I

I'll let you know how it goes!

My Son: Future Warrior

I've never considered training Timothy for spiritual warfare before this week. I figured he was too young and that it wasn't time to even pretend that I should be doing something like this. But I've been reading a book lately, called Fathered By God, by John Eldridge and it got me to really thinking about how best to be the father in my son's life, especially since I'm in the Navy and he's lived without me for two deployments now.

I have realized as I have been absorbing this book how much work I need to do for both my son and my daughter, but as my son is older, he is more pressing at this actual moment. I must do more.

So a few days ago, I challenged both of my kids to walk .75 miles one way to Subway for lunch. My daughter would ride her tricycle (which had a handle for me to push) and my son mounted his scooter. I thought that this would be fairly easy. After all, I would be doing most of the work for my daughter, and I knew my son could make it to Subway and back.

But he didn't know this simple fact. Actually, he assumed he couldn't make it. About five blocks down the street, Timothy complained that he couldn't make it that far. He was sweating already and feeling distressed. It was hot. And when it came right down to it, he didn't think he could do it.

"Who told you that you couldn't make it Timothy?" I asked.
"I don't know," he whined.
"Did I?"
"No."
"Did mom?"
"No," he answered.
"Then the only two people who matter think you can do it, so you can. Timothy, you're a young man, and you have to do this so you can know that you can."

I realize now that I was probably talking a little over his head, but when I said young man, something started to change in him. It was still a rough ride. He does have trouble in the heat, but we made it. And when we got to Subway, Timothy was very pleased.

After enjoying sandwiches, I gave Timothy one more pep-talk: "Timothy, we're headed home now. We're going to sweat, because we're men, and we're going to get hot, because that's what men do. But we're going to make it. And when we do, you're going to know how awesome you are."

He looked right at me and said, "Dad, do I rock?"
I almost cried right there (talk about irony!). "Son, you are a warrior, and you rock!"

We headed home, and as soon as we told the story to his mother, he said, "Mom, I'm the man!" She has started to see the change in him as well. This is working. He's starting to realize who he is. He's a boy who will become a man someday. I think he's feeling more comfortable in his role and the role he will play in the future.

And he rocks.

Work Vs. Ministry

Bill Fay, a Christian author and speaker, advises believers in the workplace not to share their faith until they are on their own time. I have read his book Share Jesus Without Fear numerous times and continue to evaluate and scan it often for help with strategy. I have used his approached numerous times and have seen success with it, mostly by simply getting me to be bolder about sharing my faith. His chapter about overcoming fear (Chapter 3) is very stimulating.

Still, there is a fundamental problem that some die-hard soul winners might see. If we believe that the Holy Spirit directs us, then who are we to decide that we should shut off the Holy Spirit during working hours? If I didn’t believe in predetermination, I would probably agree, but I find Bill very insightful in his discussion of workplace evangelism. After all, if God wants a person saved, then He’s not going to kill said person off before your working hours are over or before your lunch hour starts.

But here’s the real problem for military personnel: I’m always at work! This is especially true of deployments. While we have certain times of the day where we aren’t officially on watch or when we are in what we would call “working hours”, the fact is that we’re always on the job. The Navy, and I’m sure this is true for the rest of the services as well, is a 24 hour job. Because I'm on the ship at virtually all times during a deployment, distinguishing between off time and on-the-clock is difficult at best. There have been countless nights where I was working at 8:00pm or later, not because I had to, but because that was a convenient time to work due to drills or whatever. What then? When does that allow me to share?

So how do we handle the fact that, especially when the ship is underway, we are always “at work?” Ironically, it’s the same thing that I talked about in the second paragraph. We simply listen to the Holy Spirit. Have I witnessed during working hours? Yes. Only when I felt that the Holy Spirit led the conversation, and only when I knew I wouldn’t get the young man in trouble (not to mention myself). Everyone’s time is precious, but the Holy Spirit has been doing this a long time. He will make sure you’re in the clear before you get going. Having said that, I find that most of my witnessing takes place in the form of small encounters. I’ve shared small portions of my faith at soda machines, headed to the “head” (Navy speak for restroom), or while watching the sunset above decks.

Am I worried that I might not get a chance to close the deal by not sharing the entire story of faith at one time? Not at all. Again, I rely on the Holy Spirit to engage the person, not myself. I am a stepping stone, not the final product.

My mission is not affected by my work, and vice-versa. Military personnel are certainly able to reach out to their fellows with the Good News. In many, many ways, the harvest is ripe...we just need more laborers.

Sunset in Del Mar

If you ever come to San Diego, or if you live in San Diego already, you have to check out the sunset. For our most recent date night, I suggested to Alicia that we go see the sunset at the beach. That's the only part I can take credit for. Alicia found out where to go and got directions for us to get there.

Parking: We parked near the beach at $4.00/hour which wasn't too bad considering. I had little trouble getting in and out, and the guy checking us out at the end actually gave us a little discount because we hadn't gone too far over the first hour. I thought that was nice. I would suggest that if you're headed up to Del Mar to watch the sunset, you go early enough not to run into any delays. There is very little or no free parking available, so make sure you get going early enough to find the right area.

Eating: There are plenty of eating places on the beach. We didn't eat at any of them though! Alicia and I wanted to eat in full view of the sunset, and none of the restaurants had seating on the patio available. Yet another reason to get moving early. So we stopped by the Snack Shack next to Poseidon where I got a burger and chips and Alicia got a turkey sandwich. We caught them as they were cleaning up and closing down, but they were gracious enough to sell us food. I know that sounds like fake sympathy. Here is a picture of the Snack Shack, along with yours truly waiting on his grub.


The View: Spectacular...just take a look!


It was a perfect night and the absolute best idea for an inexpensive date ($4 for parking and $15 for the meal). The key was finding something we'd both enjoy and do it...we succeeded perfectly here. It was a great time!

Writing about Christianity

I saved this one for last because it’s the one I will probably end up writing about the most. It’s not because I’m an expert at it or anything…I just have a lot of thoughts on the subject. I grew up a very conservative Christian, calling myself an Independent Baptist (KJV) or even an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist until about the age of 21 or so. Around that time I realized that I wasn’t a very good fundamentalist, and so I dropped that title. However, I am still very conservative about my theology and doctrine.

There are four aspects of my Christianity that I expect to write about most of the time:

1. Missions and Evangelism: I’m not a missionary, but I’ve often dreamed of being one, and I have worked alongside missionaries in my travels. We are also involved in a great church in San Diego (Clairemont Emmanuel Baptist) that reaches the lost all over the world. As someone who has seen many missionaries around Asia and the Middle East, and having a desire to learn more about it, I will undoubtedly be sharing many thoughts and ideas. Alicia and I personally give some support to Dale and Karen Viljoen in Sapporo, Japan. Dale and I met when I was overseas in Japan a decade ago.
   
2. Ministry in the US Navy: I don’t have an official ministry to the military, like the Navigators, Campus Crusade, etc, but I do reach out to fellow sailors as I can. Unfortunately, I’m often fearful of sharing the Gospel. But at times God puts me in a situation where I see that I have no choice but to share and then I really enjoy doing so. Someday, and I hope this blog will help me as I get my feelings out there, I will share more readily.
3. Theology and philosophy: I have lots of ideas and beliefs here, and I may very well write just to get the ideas down on paper. Anyone reading this blog is therefore more than welcome to help out in any way he/she feels comfortable. This goes along with seminary to a certain extent.
4. Seminary: And, finally, I’m a student. Going to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (distance education) will take a lot of work and I’m determined to do well in my classes. However, I expect to be able to actually better my seminary writing through the blog.

I would expect that most of my writing will be along the lines I mentioned above. Not that I have to, but I reserve the right to change what I write about at any time and go from there.

As a parting note, I feel like I should say that these are not anyone's thoughts but mine. They don't reflect, unless I specifically state as such, the thoughts of a pastor, missionary, professor, etc. I wanted to put that disclaimer out there because I don't want anyone having to answer for something I write! So that’s it…enjoy!

Writing about the US Navy

I am a sailor in the US Navy, and have been for over 13 years. I am a firecontrolman, which is not the same as a firefighter. That rate is the Damage Controlman rating. As an FC, I like to say that I start fires on the other guys’ ships. That’s not really true though. I’m an AEGIS technician. We specialize in air warfare, which, due to the modern day weaponry around the world, pretty much means I am a self-defense specialist. I’m an E6 eligible for chief (E7), and hope to make it within the next few years.

I’m proud of my service, although there are certainly parts of my service that I’m not proud of. I down-right regret some of the decisions I’ve made, but I made them, and I’ve grown by them. According to the ways of the military, this is theoretically one of the only areas I’ve got the experience to actually mentor someone, and I do mentor a handful of young men. Some of those men are also mentored spiritually by me, which is the next topic.

Over time, I’ve learned enough about being a sailor to help others make choices in their careers as well. I can and have helped steer them in the right direction. I feel good about that and despite the fact that not all of them use my advice, I think the men under my care have grown with me as their leader of sorts.

I started this blog right after getting back from a 6-month deployment to the 7^th Fleet operational area. We had a good time and it was an easy deployment, if there is such a thing. I got to visit a number of very wonderful places, all of which I’ve been before, but I’ll sprinkle in reports from the places I’ve visited and the people I’ve met over time.

What you’ll see on the blog from a military standpoint is the musings of a sailor who’s senior enough to know what’s going right and wrong and too junior to do anything about it either way. I won’t bash anyone (too much) and you’ll never hear me say wrong things of the service, at least without saying a positive as well. I hope I can keep that promise. This is my Navy. I’m proud to be here and I’m proud of my shipmates.

Writing about Family

I wanted to start my "About" posts by saying a little about being a family man. I’ve been married eight and a half years to a great woman. Alicia has truly been by my side through better and worse. We’ve been a Navy family for all of those years, which brings its share of hardships and joys. And we’ve enjoyed our wonderful kids, Samantha and Timothy as well. I have everything I need as a family man. Truly, God has blessed me.

But what about this family of mine? How do I expect to be able to write about that? What do I plan to write about? Let me show you the ways:

• Marriage: I couldn’t be happier with my marriage right now. True, on some days I feel like a novice. Like the main character in Fireproof, I sometimes feel like I don’t yet have my high school diploma in my wife, much less a college degree. Yet I have learned some big lessons over time. I expect that I will share some of those experiences. But mostly I will write about life in general as a husband. Yet I'm not to the point of being able to offer a great deal of sage advice, so I won't be providing any of those posts at this time.
• Timothy: What can I say? He’s my boy! He’s a great kid (and yes, I'm biased). I think back to some of the things I grew up with as a child, like a farm, open space, etc, and then I compare that to what my son has; namely, San Diego, large schools, and video games, and I want to work even harder to make sure he gets what he really needs out of life. Oh, I’ll blow this more often than not, but in the end, I hope that Timothy can look back and know that I helped him become the man he wanted and needed to be.
• Samantha: The apple of my eye. She’s headstrong and demanding, but thankfully, she has many great parts too. She adores me (except when I discipline her) and I believe she feels safe under my care. What more could a father want? She is also a cystic fibrosis patient, but don’t expect me to write too much about that, as I write another blog about that and fundraising for a cure. You can check that out HERE. What you’ll read about on this blog regarding my family is a real life man raising a real life daughter, and all the good and bad that goes with it.

So that’s about it really. I’m not a marriage and family therapist or counselor, and I haven’t been married long enough, or been a father long enough, to be the wise old man who gives advice. So all you’ll get from this blog here, and I believe it’s enough, is the musings of a husband and father. It's a good place for me.

About Different Frequencies...Same Radio

So what is Different Frequencies anyway? Well, my dad and grandpa used to ask of us boys as we grew up, “What frequency does your radio tune in to anyway?” This was a twist on the question, “What color is the sky in your world?” I don’t know where the men in my family heard that from, so I don’t know who to give credit to.

But the essence of calling this blog Different Frequencies is that my “radio” literally tunes into a lot of different frequencies. There’s the family man, sailor, Christian/ministry, and others too, like technology.

I hope you will enjoy these thoughts. Enjoy the various radio stations you’ll be hearing from on Different Frequencies!

And who am I?

My name is Dan and I’m a husband, father, sailor, and finally, a Christian. I’d like to say something profound about each of those identities, but the reality is that they are fairly straight-forward and will be blogged about often as it is. I am a Christian in the US Navy, so many of my posts will reflect that. Furthermore, I am a seminary student, so a lot of my blogging will be about that. And, quite possibly the most important, as a family man, a great deal of my blogging will be about that.

These are my thoughts. Enjoy.