Posts I would Love for you to Share

As I near the end of 2013, I took a look back through my blogging. I began to think about what I'm most proud of on this blog and what was most successful. Ironically, the things I'm most proud of aren't necessarily what has been most popular. My Linux posts, by far, are the most popular posts on my blog, with Linux reviews taking 4 of the top 5 spots on my blog. However, most of that traffic is taken from DistroWatch.com, so not necessarily the organic readership that my spiritual posts enjoy.

Some of my better posts from the year are below. I would very much like for you to read them and share them with your friends. Thanks and enjoy!

On the Newness of the Rapture

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

The Reality of Arguing versus Debate

Sexual Assaults in the Military and the Christian Response

A Post Chaplain World?

What to do with that Gift Card

Hey there...I see you have a gift card to iTunes (or is it BarnesandNoble.com? Or Amazon?). Anyway, kind of hard to see from here. I was wondering if you needed some help deciding what to spend it on. I'd like to give you four ideas. No pressure, mind you, just some ideas.

Over the last several years, I have published four books available for Nook and iBooks and two books for the Kindle. I bet that one of my books would interest you, and I'd love for you to give one (or two) a try. Here is a breakdown of the four books:

Sea Stories, a Sailor's Story of Faith on the Sea
Sea Stories is the journey of a US Navy Sailor traveling the Pacific. During these cruises, he learns not only about missions, but his own faith as well.

After meeting countless missionaries in nine countries, Dan Smith has the stories and experience to share not only how to be involved in missions, but how to support missionaries and military personnel.

This book is a must for those who support missionaries and the military. Church leaders will find the information in this book to be valuable for small group leaders and the congregation as a whole.


Building a Mentoring Community
Mentoring, otherwise known in church circles as discipleship, is not easy. However, it is possibly the most important thing Christians can do to help strengthen the next generation of Christians. This ebook tells you how to do it!








Trident Defense
 "We had been left with no choice. They were coming, and time was running out.” (Chapter 1-Trident Defense)

In a classic alien invasion tale, US astronaut J. William Seymour and his crew must risk everything to prevent Earth's devastation and try to figure out the greater evil that looms behind the aliens!





Top 5 Unknown Linux Distros of 2013
What a year 2013 was for Linux! With each distribution, the greater Linux community gets closer to perfection. It's easy to take note of the big guys, like Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and others, but what about the lesser-knowns of the Linux world? Is there a place for them?

I compiled some reviews of these lesser-known from my blog (www.navychristian.org) and other sources. It is my hope that these reviews will help you expand your understanding of the world of Linux and expose you to some distros that you might not otherwise explore.


Whatever your personal desire, be it memoirs, mentoring, sci-fi, or tech gear, I have written a book for you. Download and enjoy today!

The Battleship: An Explanation of the Parable

Yesterday, I wrote a short parable about a battleship defending a convoy. Today, I am going to explain what I mean by that parable.
I imagine this is how missions work. There is a desperate convoy out there. It is a lost world that needs to know the high command, God, is coming for them. God, in turn, sends those he can, even when they face horrible odds like the Captain in this story. Over and over again, my mind returns to this battle scene. Over and over I think about those huge guns turning right (or starboard for the Navy types out there) and opening up on the enemy. Each shot fired brings the convoy closer to safety. Each time an enemy shot hits the ship, the chance of damage is high.
Our enemy is relentless. Just look at the lack of missionary emphasis in our churches to day and you’ll see how good he is. He’s got us complacent or unwilling to reach others, both in our home country and abroad. Until we realize that this means war, we’ll probably continue to fail to live up to our potential.
This does not mean that I misunderstand missions. I know it’s not all glory and fighting. I know that the vast majority of missionaries today, as in days of old, don’t see their struggle to win souls as a fight against two opposing forces. I know that missions are often boring, tedious, and frustrating. I know that missions can also be exciting, fascinating, and joyful. I know that a missionary’s life is everything in between. I’m not trying to paint a picture of mission work that isn’t true. God help me if I do that.
But we must live authentically, and to live authentically for me would be to see this as a war against an enemy more powerful than I am alone. I have a powerful High Command who often comes to my aide, but who also sends me into battle seemingly unready, outgunned, and undermanned. This doesn’t make it true, but Jesus wouldn’t have told us to pray for more laborers if there were already enough.
In my own ministry on the USS Mobile Bay, and then on the USS Antietam, I saw firsthand how hard it is to live the missionary life. It’s very difficult indeed at times. People made fun of me. They certainly more than not laughed me off. Sometimes they were argumentative, or believed that I was just naive. Oh, the things they didn’t know about me!
In a way, we should be naive. Christ said that he was sending us out as lambs among wolves. Not only does this imply that we’ll be outnumbered and outgunned, but also that we’ll appear the weaker force. It’s just a fact for us. It is a fact that any missionary who is reaching the lost must not only face, but has to accept.
So yes, I know that there aren’t real battleships coming down the Strait of Hormuz to attack my missionary force, but there are very real enemy forces within the country of Iran, albeit spiritual. If we are willing to move forward with that fight, then we’ll start to see some very interesting things happen. They’ve already started in India and have been going on quite well in China.
I’ve been to over a dozen foreign cities in my time in the US Navy. I’ve seen a number of missions and missionaries, and I’ve learned a lot about the work that goes on in those loctions. Whether it is Mexico, Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, or any other country in the world, one fact is clear…we serve a spiritual Being, and we fight a spiritual enemy. Our fight is on the spiritual plane, as Paul said in Ephesians chapter six, and as such we must realize that this fight is going on all around us, even where you sit right now reading this parable.
This isn’t a game and I don’t take missions lightly. Maybe once upon a time I misunderstood how things worked, but that isn’t the case any longer. I am passionate about missionary work because I have seen it with my own two eyes and I will never forget the impression it made on me.
I hope that, if you currently think of missions as a game, you’ll stop immediately. I furthermore hope that if you think of missions as someone else’s chore, you’ll stop that now also. People serving God at the tip of the spear need your support. Don’t let them down.

The Battleship: A Parable

Fighting through the haze of the morning fog, the lonely battleship plows through the Pacific. At her helm, the young sailor scans his dials, meters, and compass. He’s desperate to keep the speeding giant on course. In front of him stands the Officer Of the Deck…the man in charge. He’s scanning the distant horizon, looking for any sign of the much more powerful enemy. The Captain is pacing the bridge right now, unnerving everyone, but no one can say anything. If things go badly, it’s up to him to make the call.
Behind this man-of-war sails a small contingent of escort ships. Only one or two could hold their own in a battle at sea, and only for a few minutes at that. The enemy, however, is out there with greater strength than the fleet commander could ever imagine. Yet he has his orders, and it looks like things could get very ugly. The Captain paces some more. He raises his binoculars from time to time to scan the horizon for his stronger opponent. Then he walks some more. Then he walks out of the bridge to see the ships behind him, wondering how many of those sailors and officers are scared and uncertain like he is.
The enemy, unfortunately, knows this little battle force is here. Scouts for the enemy saw them just the other day. Yet this captain doesn’t know exactly where his enemy is coming from. They could be anywhere. It is a dicey situation…his enemy knows everything, and he knows nothing.
Suddenly, there is a loud whizzing sound and a splash behind the behemoth. This is followed by more splashes. The enemy has found them, although they haven’t found their mark. More and more splashes fall around the ship, getting closer with every “miss.” The Captain now knows where the enemy is, sort of. All of the shots are coming from one direction. He knows he must act.
There is yelling. Someone shouting something about taking a hit. The Captain can only imagine that it must be one of the other ships, as his ship hasn’t seen any damage yet. Now the enemy has found his mark. It’s only a matter of time. He must decide what to do. Someone is asking to retreat. The damage is already too great.
Then his ship is hit. It’s already started. The more powerful enemy has found his range and the Captain’s ships before the Captain’s crew could react. His gunners are still finding their range. He could pull out now. He could run. If he moved fast, he might be able to get away from the enemy. Another hit, and another, and still his own gunners are trying to find the enemy. He has to decide…
The Captain and the fleet had been given orders to go. There was a convoy of ships out there that needed protection. They needed someone to come to their rescue. Since they could not defend themselves, they needed protectors. They needed the Captain and his fleet. They needed to know the High Command was coming.
He had orders. Running wasn’t an option. He turned to his gunnery officer. “Fire when ready!” he shouts.
The big guns on the battleship start to turn to the right. The barrels raise to match the elevation needed to get a shell to the target. More enemy shells are falling around them. Some of them are hitting the Captain’s ships. Now is the time. “Fire!” shouts the Captain.
The first blast leaves his ship, followed quickly by another, and another. His ship lights up with round after round leaving the vessel. The enemy is still firing, but now the Captain and some of his ships are shooting back. Someone calls that they have found the convoy that needed their help. They must stay the course now. Time is precious. The enemy is more powerful, but his ship can still fight, and so it must. Even if it costs him everything, the convoy must be protected.

“Keep firing!”

A Short Critique on non-dispensational Theology

In writing a series of posts about the rapture and dispensationalism, I wanted to be sure to focus most on how to live in light of the rapture, not how to attack anyone who doesn’t believe like I do. I would hope that you would approach life the same way. Besides, I truly believe that bigger issues face the church today than the idea of a premillennial rapture, but having said that, I do think an apology should be prepared for those who would argue against our position. I've spent a good deal of time defending the rapture, and now I turn to presenting a few arguments against non-dispensational belief systems.

My argument against non-dispensationalists is on two counts. One is philosophically, and the other scripturally. Neither is a full and dedicated critique. My only hope is to present a primer for your research on the subject and a conversation starter on this blog.

Let us start with the philosophical argument. In essence, the postmillennial theology rests on the idea that Christ will return after a millennium of ever-advancing Christianizing of the world. What that means is that the church will usher in more and more of Christ’s kingdom over a theoretical and allegorical “millennium” so as to bring about the reign of Christ. There will be no 1000 year reign on earth, as the dispensationalists believe, because when Christ comes back it will be to establish eternity. The church will slowly (I’m sure they’d like to think they could do it quickly) establish more and more of Christ’s presence in the world through their efforts.

I’m going to make the argument that this is flawed because it doesn’t require God to do anything, but instead relies on man’s power. The problem this ideology presents should be obvious: We know that it is God who will decide when the end comes, whatever that end eventually looks like. The idea that the church, with all of its flawed humans in charge, can usher in Christ’s reign is foolhardy at best. It requires people to be good at their heart, which the Bible (and everyday experience) teaches as not the case. The ready answer to this argument is most likely that Christ is empowering the church, therefore it is He who is bringing about the kingdom, not mankind. This is semantics, and not theology, but it is a response just the same. I understand their position on this and of course the Holy Spirit does empower us to do great things for God. However, we should realize the difference between doing great things for God and God making up his own mind about something.

It also requires a general betterment of society as the church’s influence grows steadily throughout the world. However, the only expanding influence in the world is Islam. Despite the best efforts of the church, it is a counterfeit religion that is spreading like wildfire, not Christianity.[i] Every major denomination is in decline, while Islam is on the move. Surely not even the postmillennialist will suggest that Islam will lead to the kingdom of Christ. Thus, the idea that the church will somehow better the world to the point that it is ready for Christ’s return is simply not born out in real life. This doesn’t mean that Christians shouldn’t do good things (remember balance is best!), but it does mean that we do them because God has told us to, not because it will lead to his kingdom.

Amillennialism, in contrast, suggests that Christ is currently reigning from heaven through the church. Instead of the church moving the figurative millennium on toward Christ’s return, Christ is already in charge and on the throne of David. This throne is a spiritual throne of course. The scriptural arguments against amillennialism and postmillennialism are basically the same, and will be noted below. As for the philosophical argument against amillennialism, I suggest that amillennialists review their idea of a kingdom.

If Christ were reigning on the throne of David now, would it be as problematic as the world is today? I would submit that, if Christ is currently reigning, he is not doing a very good job. Before you level a charge of heresy at me, understand that I used some tongue in cheek in that last sentence. The fact is that I believe Christ will reign perfectly when he does do so. However, Christ’s kingdom, if it is currently in power, looks even worse that David’s administration. Sin still abounds in Christ’s current kingdom, to the point that the world is losing more faith in him. If President Obama’s ratings look low, how much lower would Christ’s look in a worldwide poll? While Revelation 20:1-6 doesn’t directly suggest that Christ’s reign will be perfect, are we to expect what we currently have? Furthermore, no one, not a single soul, is reigning with Christ at this moment. How could they be? Christ doesn’t have control of this supposed kingdom…how could anyone else? Philosophically, the amillennial reign of Christ breaks down very quickly.

Scripturally, the argument starts at Revelation 20 and goes from there, particularly against amillennialism, but also postmillennialism. Naturally, I would suggest a review of the Triangle method as it does present a premillennial rapture, but then look carefully at Revelation 20. In the first verse of that chapter, Satan is bound, something that premillennialists believe will happen after the rapture and tribulation. For the amillennial theology to be correct, Satan must be bound because the millennium is currently happening. This conflicts with I Peter 5:8, which suggests that Satan is currently on the loose. Christians are also told to resist the devil, and he will flee (James 4:7). How can Satan be bound and hunting believers at the same time, or why would we need to confront the devil if he were bound?

Satan is most certainly on the loose and his hoard must be dealt with daily. This is both the scripturally accurate depiction of our enemy and the real life understanding. Take a look around you or listen to any news broadcast. Tell me how this isn’t still a fallen world with a powerful adversary ready to tear us apart. No, the amillennial idea of Satan simply cannot be accurate. It puts the entire interpretation of Revelation 20 in jeopardy. Even allowing for the non-literal interpretation of the passage, an amillennial view of the end times puts itself at odds with many other passages of scripture, using the example of Satan alone.

Postmillennialism fares little better regarding Revelation 20:1-6. Instead of Satan already being bound, the postmillennial theology suggests that he will be bound as the church brings the earth closer to the millennial reign. At some point, the church will weaken Satan’s power so much that he the reign will commence. How God will make this decision is impossible to know, however, and probably isn’t going to be any time soon. Why? Because the world is getting worse, not better, and people are becoming less “Christian,” not more. And I don’t mean the traditional western idea of “Christian.” I mean that the world is getting more Islamic or atheistic. The only way to read Revelation 20:1-6 is through the lens of premillenialism.

I do not believe that postmillennialists or amillennialists are heretics or misguided believers, just as I hope those groups don't think so ill of me. I believe that they are simply interpreting the scriptures differently than I am (and more importantly than me, the theologians that go before me and come after me). I believe that the end times is an academic discussion as long as it doesn’t detract from the mission of preparing souls for eternity. Unfortunately, some postmillennialists would rather help the poor on earth than help them in eternity, and that is a major concern. I write this post, then, not to provide you the debate material for an academic discussion, but rather for a primer to talk about what matters in reaching out to the world around us.




[i]           Guinness World Records 2003. Guinness World Records. 2003. p. 142.

The Christian Maginot Line

In 1929, the French government began work on what would become known as the Maginot Line. It was a series of forts built largely underground in mutual protection of each other and was designed to deter their long-time enemy, Germany, from repeating their invasion of World War One into French territory. For the years leading up to their defeat early in World War Two, the French armed forces had planned on a war fought much like World War One. As a Christian, it is easy to fall into the same trap. So many times we are told to learn from the past in order to prepare for the future. This theory exists on the fact that, by knowing the style of Satan, we can understand how he will attack. I would submit, however, that by looking for the last attack of Satan, we could be, just as the French army, setting ourselves up for the next.

I am not, by any means, stating that one cannot learn from the past. The past shows weaknesses that can be exploited by our enemy. Our past shows us particular people that “push our buttons,” or situations that cause us to easily come to the boiling point, and areas within our own lives that have a need for improvement. On one scale, the French had learned from their past with the building on the Maginot Line. They learned that a sustained attack by troops engaged in trench warfare could be devastating and thus built the string of forts to provide overlapping protection for troops while fighting the previous style of war. The German army, however, had spent its time building powerful tanks that ran around the Maginot Line and defeated what modern army the French had, just as Satan is often able to defeat Christians, even when they work hard to correct past mistakes and learn from previous Satanic attacks.

The problem with relying on past mistakes to prepare for future battle is that the enemy, in our case Satan (Ephesians 6:12), often attacks in new ways the next time, even if against the previous weaknesses. Without awareness and alertness in our lives, our fight with the devil is that much harder. He has a number of weapons to use against each and every Christian, and yet we rely on only learning from our past to confront him. While it is important, it is by far not the only variable in the equation.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us that Satan walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The Bible says that we must be alert. Why? Because he is! If we are going to defeat Satan (and our fleshly lusts), we must look forward to his possible attacks, not only his past ones. The Bible constantly alerts Christians to be on their guard against the wiles of the wicked.

Part of being alert requires us to watch for certain situations that can lead to a fight with our enemy. Ancient Chinese generals once taught that one should look out when a flock of birds suddenly takes to flight, for it means that an enemy is setting an ambush. Christians would do well to see the wisdom in this warning. I often find myself realizing, in hindsight, that there were places during my temptation wherein I should have realized Satan’s plan of attack. Because I failed to remain alert, I failed to protect myself. The comparing of Satan to a lion is a particularly important one. All cats hunt with a silent, skillful process that sometimes involves setting an ambush for passing prey. Can we not expect Satan to do the same to us?

I do not mean that we can, if we heed Peter’s warning, protect ourselves alone without God. In fact, if we expect to be prepared, we must be in communion with God. After we are told about our enemy in Ephesians 6:12, and then about our armor in verses 13-17, we are told to pray in verse 18. Paul uses prayer practically as part of the armor of a Christian warrior! It is vital to have constant communication with our commander, God, who can direct our paths and lead us away from or through traps.

The French army learned quickly in World War Two that they could not merely rely on learning from past attacks in order to protect them from future ones. They failed to be on the alert when Germany began building fast and formidable tanks. As Christians, we can ill afford to rely only on past experience when dealing with Satan. Instead, we need to pair our past experience with alertness to our surroundings and look to the future.