Mentoring Monday: The Navy Mentorship Program

The fact is that I don't like the Navy Mentorship Program. There, I said it. Kind of feels better getting it off my chest.

Here's why: The Navy essentially requires everyone to have a mentor. That in itself isn't too bad, but when an organization requires something, it usually waters the program down a great deal. Take, for example, the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) pin. Once upon a time, it wasn't mandatory, and the standards were high. They were so high that people would retire without them and people had to work hard…even sacrifice…to get it. That's not the case anymore. Now it's mandatory and it carries such a bad reputation that it has garnered a name like” freeswass” since we usually call it “e-swass.” I used to say that you could go to the Chief Petty Officer's Mess door and just knock three times. That was the cue that you needed your ESWS pin and they'd give it to you. It's horrible.

That's the problem the Navy is facing with the mentorship program. When it is required, or mandatory, then it loses its luster. My first mentors taught me so much, and the unofficial mentor I had as a PO1 was outstanding, but any of my required mentors have just been so-so. Why? I didn't trust them, didn't relate to them, and didn't particularly care what they thought. They probably didn't care much for me either. It's horrible on all accounts.

If the Navy wants to support mentoring then it should get rid of the mandatory requirement and go back to the way it used to be. If you want one, you’ll get one, or one will get you.

Having said that, there are definitely ways to make it work within the current system. Several people are simply going to get a mentor, or be mentored, as a paperwork drill. For those of us who refuse to be bound by that system, we will work through this program, but actually do the mentoring. We meet with our protégés, counsel them on choices they are making, and move them as best we can to the place they need to be. Basically those of us who do it right do it the way we were taught long ago by real mentors.

Feeding the Dragon


So the honest truth is that Sea Stories isn't my first book. In fact, there were two books before Sea Stories. My first book ever published was called The Art of Defense, and it was a Christian fantasy novelette. Sadly, I chose a bad publisher and so it died on the vine. Apparently, Amazon still has a few copies. Someday, I want to take the time to rework it and republish it with a new publisher.

My second book, and honestly my most successful book to date, is Feeding the Dragon, which is a tale of seaborne piracy and a naval battle between a US Navy battle group and a Chinese fleet. I wrote the book while stationed on the USS Mobile Bay, and it was published when I was stationed on the USS Antietam. It is, in a very small way, my personal fantasy of someday becoming a great naval war hero. Alas, that's not going to happen, but hopefully Feeding the Dragon was a stepping stone to a writing career.

Unfortunately, Feeding the Dragon has a few sections that aren't acceptable for a Christian audience. I wrote some portions when I was more interested in selling books than being a good Christian witness. So the bottom line is that the book probably isn't a good option for my more Christian audience. As it is my writing, however, and as I am partial to my writing, I still think it's a good book despite the above issues.

If you go to the Kindle page for the book, you can download a sample. If you like it, please consider buying it. Thank you for your time!

Mentoring Monday: Borrowed Identity

You've heard of identity theft. It's a plague that has festered in the pre-internet years and spread like wildfire with each new potential technology offers. Your identity can be stolen over the internet, by mail, and over the telephone, all in situations that place you in a compromising position, often without even knowing it. In these cases, you are left innocently giving out sensitive information to a stranger with ideas in mind that do not include your well-being. This form of fraud terrifies many, forcing some to live in fear of the potential of theft. It is ironic then, that your identity is the very thing younger people need today.

Paul started out now fewer than seven of his letters informing the recipient that he and Timothy (Silvanus and Sosthenes also in a few of the letters) were writing them. That means that Paul's protégé had been a part of over half of Paul's letters. Why did he do this? What drove him to add another name to the salutation when scholars around the world agree he actually did the writing? I believe the answer is simple and yet very profound. Paul was loaning his identity to Timothy. It's this same authority that you as a senior Christian need to loan by your name to those younger than you.

Unfortunately, mentoring and discipleship are often no more than buzzwords in churches today. Christians believe that an older person (some even forgo this step) can simply take a younger man or woman aside and hear about his or her day over a cup of coffee. While that would be a great way to initiate a mentoring relationship, one must understand that, Biblically, mentoring is meant to be a relationship of action. And what is one of the biggest complaints from young people today? That no one takes them seriously! Sounds a lot like a catch-22, doesn't it?

That is exactly where my navy chaplain came in to play in my life. When I arrived on board my first sea assignment in Japan, I was ripe with desire but had little experience in a place where experience counted. Though I didn't know it at the time, he ran behind the scenes to get me in a position to minister, handing over a lay service to me and supporting it until I had my own “congregation.” When senior people had a problem with it, he redirected tension away from my ministry and allowed me to pursue what God had placed in my hands. For weeks, he would meet with me a day or two before the service and go over my sermon notes, worship plans, and additional ministry ideas (we introduced a prayer service a few months after I took over and began meeting with missionaries in foreign ports). Because of this strategy, he was always able to say that he had things under control, even though he offered me a great deal of autonomy and individualism. During this time, he also molded my desires until they fit realistically within the scope of ministry. I was able to define my goals for the group of men I led so much so that, at any given point, everyone associated with the ministry knew what was going on. What I became was a far cry from the unorganized kid that he had started with.

Even if you are not able to provide your protégé with full-time ministry opportunities, you can provide them the in-depth type of mentoring required to raise up a future generation of ministers, which all Christians are in essence called to be. For example, while meeting over coffee and learning about your protégé, introduce him or her to ministry opportunities. Of course, I would never recommend a man mentoring a woman, nor a woman mentoring a young man. Then, just like Christ when he developed a very detailed ministry opportunity for his followers in Matthew chapter ten, you can compose and direct an opportunity for your protégé as well. Most importantly, however, might be what Paul did for Timothy, copied to a large extent by my mentoring chaplain. Once you’ve engineered, or joined, a ministry with your protégé, lend your identity to the ministry. No youth will be ignored if it has the backing of an experience Christian.

It is unfortunate that ID theft is such a devastating plague racing through America like a wildfire. Aside from the financial damage it can do, it’s unfortunate because it is this very identity that the younger generation of ministers need. It’s important, however, for you to know that you have as much potential to affect future ministry in this country as identity you are willing to loan to a young person.

Mars and the Garden of Eden

I first wrote this several years ago as a speculation piece based on some of the ideas my grandpa and I used to toss back and forth on the farm. It was published a long time ago, I believe, in some little sci-fi online magazine.

Interesting discoveries have been made recently with respect to Mars by the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. The biggest of these discoveries is the potential traces of water found as markings on rocks. Water, as any scientist will tell you, is the cradle of life as we know it. If that belief holds true in the case of the red planet, why then did life stop working on Mars?

As far-fetched as it seems, the answer could be in the Bible. The Bible contains ample reason to believe that Mars, and perhaps at one time all of the planets in our solar system, held the answer to the perfect world. In Genesis chapter one, we find that Adam and Eve were told to “be fruitful and multiply.” The catch here? Adam and Eve would not have died if they had not “fallen.” Population experts today have enough trouble accepting the current population trends! Imagine the trends with respect to the Garden of Eden! God would have had to put the people somewhere. Did Mars and the other planets exist simply to allow for population growth? It's impossible to tell, but what is clear by the scientific record is that Mars was at least originally able to support basic life needs such as water.

Why then, if Mars was God's answer to the pending population explosion, did it cease to exist as a living planet? That answer, if one continues with the Biblical narrative, lies in Genesis chapter three. In verse 19, Adam is told that, because of his deed, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” After death came to be part of the human experience, God would have known that man no longer needed the other planets. Mars simply withered and died, leaving mere traces of what could have been.

Is this too far-fetched to believe? Has the rover discoveries turned the Bible from an ancient text into a science fiction book? Does this rule out evolution as a means of creation? It's far too early to tell the ramifications, especially considering the fact that the Mars mission is only a few years old. What the theory does, however, is show at least a speculative reason that Mars may have at one time in a not-too-distant-past held the title of “Earth's backup.” Until, that is, the first man signed his death warrant. And as man went, so did Mars.

CPO 365 Community Relations Project

As part of our ongoing effort to usher in a new wave of US Navy Chief Petty Officers, and to align our command with the MCPON's guidance, my command joined the CPO Mess with the First Class Association for a join Community Relations Project at a local food bank.

I had worked with them before and I know they do good work in the community, so it was a no-brainer to get my group involved when they came to North Chicago on their sweep of Lake County communities. Below are several pictures from the event:





It was a great first opportunity to show our effort to the community. In all, we served somewhere around 150 people and helped take care of their basic needs. Well done to all who were there!

iBooks review of Sea Stories

The first review of my book has been posted by Greg in San Diego! You can read it on iTunes and below:

"I am stoked to be the first review. This was my first download in iBooks and it kept my interest the entire way. I was very humbled to be mentioned in your book and it was truly a blessing to share some of these “Sea Stories” with you. It brought me right back to the great memories."

Click here to learn how to order.

Christian Leadership and Planning

The question may come up about planning for the Christian leader. I think you'll answer this question depending on your denominational slant. If you are from a more conservative background, you'll probably think that planning is practically paramount. On the other hand, someone from a Charismatic background might think that planning stifles the Holy Ghost's activity. I am going to base my thoughts today on two passages from the Old Testament. They are:

Exodus 4-6
Joshua 1

I think it's pretty clear that in Joshua, planning is described as biblical. That much I won't argue. Now, he was planning as a man who was about to conquer a country, so one might argue that he had no choice but to plan. No one goes into a war without some sort of plan, especially an offensive. It is also important to note that God had a pretty extensive part to play in this section. Planning is certainly not a waste of time, though it could be argued that it can stunt the Holy Spirit's work if one is not careful.

What is a waste of time is suggesting that planning for ministry is the same is planning for the physical world. This is the issue with the Joshua passage. Joshua 1-3 is the beginning of an offensive military campaign. Of the first two planning moves, his first is to make sure the tribes that already have land are prepared to march with the rest of the country. Secondly, he sends spies into Jericho. It is military strategy, not ministry, so the planning isn't the same. It is my personal belief that a lot of ministry planning, particularly in Baptist circles, stifles the Holy Ghost.

My point is made by the Exodus passage. We see a lot of God's planning, all of which is to bring Glory to His Name. Very little of it is to make Israel a great nation. So we see planning for sure. Does this really equal biblical planning on the spectrum that we as Christian leaders should take part in? Maybe not. God's ways are not our ways, so seeing God plan doesn't mean we are see our need to plan, so while I'm not absolutely convinced that it's a waste of time, our scripture passages certainly raise the question.

Moses doesn't plan all that much. In fact, he is more attempting to derail God's plan than plan himself. Exodus shows us a little bit about God's plan. Is this the sort of planning that we should be involved in? It’s hard to tell. God doesn't tell Moses to plan, nor does he tell Moses to tell Aaron to plan. It could be argued that there is a biblical model of planning, but that it’s not ours.

2012 Goals Update: January

Of the main goals I have for 2012, the first 2 are in running. Both of these take place later in the year as they are two races. While I haven't exactly failed in this goal, since I haven't had a chance to run them yet, I haven't exactly started training for them yet. I could come up with excuses, such as the fact that I was just now able to get new shoes, but the fact is that I've just been unable to make any training work out right now. I'm still getting in basic shape to run.

The next 2 goals to accomplish are for writing. In 2012, I want to have a contract with a publisher, not self-published, and that is an ongoing process. I have an invitation from the publisher that published Feeding the Dragon to submit a few chapters I've written for a sci-fi book. I hope to submit them once my current semester is done. I have to focus on that right now.

Along with being published is the desire to increase my blog traffic to a total of 7000 hits. To hit that goal, I need 584 hits a month. In January, I had 540. While that is short of my goal, it is unfortunately short of any benchmark throughout my blogging career. I had over 700 hits in January 2010 and 2011. Not too sure what it means yet. We'll see. If I keep getting around 540 a month, that will give me just shy of 6500, which is still a big uptick from previous years. As an aside, both of my blogs together generated the necessary hits, with a total of 602 hits.

After those 2 goals were made, I went back a few days into January and wrote about 2 more. One was to get a mentor. That's still in progress too. I do take things from several other more experienced Chief Petty Officers I have come to know, but as far as finding a specific mentor, I don't have one at this time. It's apparently a little different at this stage of the game than it was as a First Class Petty Officer.

The other goal was to read the Bible all the way through this year, and of all of my goals, I'm closest to making this one stick. I'm actually on track, although not ahead of schedule. Honestly, I'll take it. I've never tracked my goals by the month before, so this has been a fairly painful reality for me. I still have a long way to go!