Evaluations

Hello Shipmate (and I mean that sincerely...not as a derogatory remark),

I heard today that you got your evaluation debrief and that you weren't happy with it. In fact, I have been told that you got visibly and audibly upset during your debrief. You should be angry! I took a look at your eval and I'd be angry too!

So where do we go from here? Let me show you the next few steps you can take.

First, understand a few points:

1.  Your divo isn't going to change your eval. Division Officers have very little power over such things. It doesn't mean your divo is weak...it's how the system was built and the system works. He or she may like you a lot, but they only have so much control. Further, they have to toe the line, so to speak. You divo cannot pretend to agree with you.

2. To build on the first, your divo may be just as angry about your eval for the exact same reasons you are. He may know full well that you didn't deserve such a bad (or "average") eval. Again, he can only send up what he thinks is right (and really this is a "Chief" thing anyway). What the entire chain of command does with it is a different issue.

Stop complaining like a little wimp. It's unbecoming a man and woman. Feel free to complain to your best friend or your spouse or significant other, but not to your chain of command during your debrief. I realize it's probably too late to stop you now, but in the future, knock it off. I know that's some tough love there, but you deserve to know the truth.

Do you think your divo and chief hate you? Then fix it! You! Yes, you! As someone who has received more than one bad or average eval in my 20 years of service, I can confidently say that I "fixed" it. You know how I did that? I decided that mediocrity wasn't good enough for me. So I went to my senior chief and I said, "Senior, I don't want to be like this anymore. Tell me what to do to get to your rank."

He did.

Here's where we get to the meat of things: Create a plan for the next year!

1.  Change your attitude. If you think the CoC is out to get you, then it will be. If you think you can go home at the end of the day and play video games until 0200 and then come back and do nothing all day, then you will never succeed. Your attitude is the single greatest resource you have. Use it!

2.  Get a mentor. Don't just get one for the sake of having one for the Navy's mentorship program. I mean get a mentor. Find someone who has what you want and ask them how to get it. I'll tell you in the next point what that looked like for me. It's so vital for your career that I can guarantee you will continue to fail without one.

3.  What watches are you standing? I bet you're standing the wrong one. If there is a qualification you need to get, and you put it off, then you should have been expecting the eval you got. I was like that too once. Can you believe that I was a ten year AEGIS Firecontrolman who didn't have CSOOW? Crazy, right? And I couldn't believe my CoC had the gall to give me an average eval! Think about your qualifications. If you're standing a watch that we give to thirds and you're a second or (God forbid) a first, you're doing it wrong. Start doing it right. Beg your Chief to get you a different watch. Work on one in your off duty time. Whatever it takes...do it!

4.  What education do you have? The Navy has made it stupid easy to work on your education in recent years. I took PACE classes during my first tour in the Navy, got my BS in Management on shore duty, and my MA on my second shore duty. No one was going to tell me I didn't have enough education. You can take a PACE course or CLEP a class in the next year. In fact, you should do several.

5.  Measure your success. In six months, demand a midterm from your Chief and Divo. It's a requirement that they do this for you, by the way, so make sure they do. Bring real strengths and weaknesses to the discussion, and show them the changes you've made to yourself and your career path. Help them understand what your plan is and how you're implementing it. Give them the fodder they need to give you the eval you want!

Ok, that's enough for now. I could write for days, but I need to close this. You're a good Sailor. Now do the right things that will help your divo and Chief prove it to the Chain of Command.

Sincerely,
Warrant

Christmas Letter 2015

Good day to you, my dear. Here I sit, on Christmas morning at 4:45am with Christmas music in the background and the tree lights on, banging away on my keyboard. I want to write something pithy about my life, or maybe a wish for you to have peace during the season.  I want you to relax today and enjoy the event wherein we celebrate God's ultimate gift to us (even if we most likely celebrate it at the wrong time of the year).

Yet in my mind I know that's not a good idea. Too many people are going without this year to wish you a Merry Christmas. People in Paris are undoubtedly still thinking about the recent attacks on their soil, those in the Middle East are either unable to freely celebrate Christ or don't want to, and a shooting occurred at a mall in America on Christmas Eve.

So maybe just wishing for peace isn't enough, even on a day known for being a powerful motivator for peace. After all, they once stopped a war just because it was Christmas.

Maybe I'll say a prayer for the world on Christmas. After all, I run a page dedicated to prayer on Facebook. But maybe that won't help. I think prayer should be focused and personal. I don't know how effective we are when we simply pray general prayers after a tragedy. I suspect most of us mean well when we say it, even if we don't intend to actually pray in that manner. Besides, people don't really want our prayers, and the Dalai Lama doesn't think God will listen to us.

Maybe I'll go do something today. Actually, I guess I am going to do something. I'm on duty today on the USS Hue City. I suppose that counts for something, though I'll probably be as happy about it as a seasick crocodile.

You know what? I think instead I'm going to choose to be grateful for what I have and let the world be on standby for just one day. We have a wardroom family function planned on the ship, complete with Chinese food from our favorite restaurant in Jacksonville. I expect to really enjoy this event. I'm grateful that, though I'm on duty, I'll be able to see my kids and wife. At least I'm not on deployment. To my brothers and sisters who are, God bless you. 

I do hope you have a good Christmas and I do hope it is peaceful for you. Have a great day!

A Little God like Me

 I'm reading a book called Gods at War, by Kyle Idleman. In this book, Kyle talks about the idols in our lives. He cuts through the, "I don't make idols argument" pretty quickly and really exposes us for who we are...I should say who I am.

I'm also reading through the Bible right now and passed through Exodus 20 a few days ago. It was a painful read. It was a painful read because I know I have idols in my life...things I'm willing to pursue with all my might that aren't God.

I have a thriving career, for the most part, that takes considerable energy, particularly as I heal from an injury so I can move on to the next chapter in said career. Furthermore, I love my hobby of writing, and from it I have (until now) hoped for some manner of recognition; from preaching as well. There are others as well.

These are, in some ways, little gods unto themselves, and they fight for my attention. However, what it really boils down to is that I am my own little god. My desire for an ever-expanding career, and looking forward to a second career after I retire (in six years) are wrapped up in the rat race that God tells me not to be concerned about. My writing, which should be used only as a ministry to others and a support for the Kingdom, has become an end unto itself. In some ways, preaching became this as well.

Food of course, for those who know me, is also a mess in my life, or rather it makes my life a mess. I worship food. There, I said it. Need I say more? There is more to say. I will refrain.

But in the end, these are just little gods, any of whom could be smashed if they weren't wrapped up in a slightly bigger, but still so small, god called me. I am a little god, and I worship myself too often and it costs me too much. I want to be famous to celebrate me. I want to be known as the best Chief in the Navy. I want to be more than an aspiring writer...I want to be a best-selling writer. It's all about me! ME! ME!

John the Baptist once said that, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Jesus said John was greater than all born of women. And yet being least in the kingdom meant being greater than John. That's an odd way to look at it, but when you're fighting gods, it might just be the best way. Christ must increase, and I must decrease. I must be the least in the kingdom, though it isn't a race to become so. That in itself could promote the same god-worship that I'm trying to destroy.

In some ways, it's a mess. Thankfully, in his book, Idleman makes it pretty simple. Simply ask yourself who you're going to worship...God, or one of the little gods. That has helped me immensely. I hope it helps you too!

Review of Preacher's Sourcebook

O. S. Hawkins, the editor of the Preacher’s Sourcebook, has done a fair job of putting together a library of sermons and teaching lessons that young or inexperienced pastors can use to get by. I enjoyed using the resource to prepare a recent sermon on Psalm 100, though I felt guilty doing so.

Speaking on a purely pragmatic sense, the book did it’s job. I tested it on a Sunday where I had been given little time to prepare as a hospital chapel I volunteer for needed someone in a pinch. Knowing I wanted to write a review on this book, I took the bait. After searching for only an hour or so, I found the sermon I wanted to use as a test. I figured that a review wouldn’t be as fruitful to my readers if I hadn’t fully tested out the book.

The “test” went fine. I tweaked a sermon from the book to fit my context and it was certainly passable. I wish I had the recording, but something tells me I wouldn’t really be able to use it, as the book holds the copyright to my sermon, not me since I didn’t write it. That is something to keep in mind if you ever use the sourcebook as your base material. I do think that the material for weddings and such would be particularly useful, as they aren't things a pastor does every day.

Overall, I say it sufficed to complete the job, but I wouldn’t use it more than I have to. I would feel guilty for using it too much. Having said that, I expect I’ll be taking it on the ship with me in the future for use if a chaplain isn’t available. It does, after all, have a lot of good resources.

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?

A Review of John MacArthur's Strange Fire

I listened to John MacArthur's Strange Fire conference a few months ago and wished that he had done things a little differently. I have worked with charismatics before and while I truly think that some of them are on a different path, I also believe that some are true believers in Christ. Like all labels, suggesting that all Charismatics are heretics is a recipe for disaster.

So it is with some trepidation that I decided to review Strange Fire. Because I have valued what MacArthur preaches and writes since I was a boy, I wanted to believe that his book would be of value. I had hoped that he would tone down the rhetoric and focus on the necessity. I was both right and wrong.

He did not tone down the attacks one bit. If anything, some of them are more powerful in the book than from the conference. However, what he did do, that I really appreciated, was focus his attacks on those behind the Charismatic movement, not the individual believers. This set me slightly more at ease. The vast number of referenced remarks set me even further at ease.

One of the things I latched on to more than anything else was the issue of tongues. I have worked with a Pentecostal before, early in my ministry. We often preached together and prayed for our ship as a prayer team. One night, while praying, he started speaking in what I can only assume was some sort of prayer language. It unnerved me a great deal. Honestly it freaked me out. I grew up essentially baptist, so hearing what I thought was mere gibberish in a very spiritual sensitive moment was very scary. I asked my friend about it and, after he had explained it to me, I asked him not to do it again. He obliged and it never came back up.

I wish now that I had pursued the matter further. I don't think my friend is really a charismatic anymore, but I suppose he still believes in the gifts. I think, by the way, that MacArthur's book does a masterful job of explaining the issue of tongues.

Strange Fire is one of MacArthur's best books yet, and I've read many. Get a copy and learn about the charismatic movement for yourself. It will open your eyes!

Review of Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World

I've always been sort of cautiously enamored with Dr. David Jeremiah. I was part of a program at the church he preached at (Shadow Mountain Community Church), and was a member at their sister church for awhile. Yet despite knowing that this megachurch was nearby, and knowing about it's prolific preacher, I never really invested in Dr. Jeremiah's writing. That changed when I started researching the idea of the rapture in greater detail. Along with Tim LaHaye, Dr. Jeremiah is a major proponent of the rapture of the church, and so I turned to his book for information.

The book was written in the midst of the economic meltdown, so I was a few years behind schedule in reviewing it. His introduction immediately equates the downturn in our economy, the high unemployment, the growing number of natural disasters, and the like to the labor pains that the Bible refers to happening just before the end of time. Then Jeremiah's first chapter tells us all to stay calm. Honestly, it's a great way to start the book. Set everyone up with reminders of the horrid issues going on and then remind them that the first mission is to be calm.

Throughout his book, he suggests things that we ought to do as we see the world grow more chaotic. He mixes his factual and Biblical data with stories from people he has met or known. There is a particularly entertaining story early on in the book about Billy Graham's grandson and how it relates to John 14:6.

With chapters like “Stay Constructive,” Stay Centered, Stay Confident, and Stay Connected, it becomes clear that Jeremiah believes that people must continue living a healthy, well-balanced life during trying times. It makes sense of course. If one buys in to his idea of prophecy, then you know we can't change God's plan. Therefore, we should simply live our lives in light of eternity, connecting to God and our fellows.

Overall, the book was good, though I don't personally care for stories mixed in with the factual data. It just doesn't do it for me. However, he did handle the Word of God well, and showed how it related to the world around us. It's good enough that I'll refer to it often as I continue to research the end times.

Nicholas Wolterstorff Lecture 1: The Project

Nicholas Wolterstorff to give Kantzer Lectures in Revealed Theology

Lecture 1: The Project (review)

I had never heard of Nicholas Wolterstorff before, but I am glad to have heard of him now. After listening to his first lecture in the Kantzer Lectures and Revealed Theology series, I have discovered that I agree with many of the things he says. He will be giving several lecturers over the course of this week and I will attempt to observe as many of them as I can. I hope to attend a couple of them in person and hear the rest via online streaming. After hearing or observing the lecture, I will attempt to provide some of my thoughts on the matter via my blog.

First things first: I am certainly not of the theological caliber as Dr. Wolterstorff. I do not pretend to be able to observe the things he talks about at the same level that he does. These views, to the train scholar, will undoubtedly seem very surface. I ask that you forgive me for my lack of understanding and do your best to appreciate where I am coming from. Long time readers of my blog will know that I come from a Baptist background and that I attend the Evangelical Free Church in Libertyville which is called Crosslife Evangelical free Church. The lecture series deals with liturgy, which is not a common topic for a Baptist to deal with. Having said that I have learned a great deal already in the first lecture. Here are some of my thoughts in more detail:

Dr. Wolterstorff talks about correctness rules for various forms of liturgy, depending on what background you are talking about (Orthodox, Catholic, Reformed, Episcopalian, etc). He then says that there are no correctness rules for Baptist Liturgy, but there are certain traditions. All liturgies run according to some sort of script. This would be argued by Baptists, but while our script is loose, it is actual. Anyone would know the general order of service a baptist setting. We know that it includes an opening song, announcements/welcome, a few more songs, an offering, and then the sermon and a closing song.

I had never heard of a Baptist liturgy until tonight. I would venture to say that very few, if any, Baptist believe that they ever take part in liturgy. At first, I rejected it as well. While the definition of liturgy focuses on the higher forms of worship, it is actually, simply, defined as a customary repertoire of ideas, phrases, or observances. Does the word liturgy fully encompass the order of worship for Baptist? Probably not. However, as we have seen in the previous paragraph it does represent a customary repertoire of ideas, phrases, or observances. Therefore, I would have to agree with the Dr. Wolterstorff that the term liturgy applies to us us as well.

Another interesting concept that he brought up tonight is that through the liturgy, the church actualizes herself, though it is not the only way that happens. He went on to explain that while the church actualizes itself also through ministry caring for the poor and other ways, warship is a key proponent. So worship is one of the ways that the church actualizes herself, but she is to be actualized in all ways. I could not agree with this more! Especially in higher forms of worship, the congregation becomes part of the process of warship and does involve itself through each member. I don't know that that really happens in the evangelical services. Aside from joining the worship band or organist and singing the songs, there is not a great deal of give-and-take between the congregation and the leadership.

He also suggested that no liturgy has been started from scratch. Being built on previous versions, it is impossible to know all of the theological understanding of the composer. Liturgy is essentially theology in code.

Liturgy does not replace the sola scriptura principle. It enhances it. I have wondered about this myself in the past. Therefore, I am grateful that he brought it up. It seemed to me, particularly in Catholic circles, that liturgy and confessions relieved he can confess her of the need for the gospel message in the Bible. In particular, I felt that it allows the confessor to avoid seeing directly what the Bible says about an issue. Therefore, I was glad that he addressed the issue and did much to put my mind at ease. I'm not completely ready to jump ship, as it were, and join a high worship church, but he did make me more comfortable with the concept.

Why not evangelical liturgy? Dr. Wolterstorff asked rhetorically. It is weakened...not confession of sin by the congregation, just a praise band, a prayer, and a sermon. Wow I believe that this does make a form of energy, I have to agree with the professor that Evangelical forms of liturgy black in-depth theology. Most of that for the Evangelical service is included in the sermon, or embeded in the songs that we saying (though I would highly doubt some of the songs we sing enjoy any theology at all). At any rate, it is clear that studying the theological concepts of evangelical liturgy, as defined by the professor, would be a less-than-productive use of time.

Overall, I enjoyed the lecture very much. I look forward to listening and on foreseeing in person the rest of the series. If you are able to stream online, click this link and see the lectures. For a schedule, click here.

The Reality of Arguing versus Debating

When I was in high school, I was an avid debater. Not quite as good as my little brother Nathan, but I could stand on my own two feet. I loved debating and even got offered a very small scholarship to do it at a local college. Nathan, as an aside, is a high school teacher and debate coach with a degree in communications. I don't feel bad playing second fiddle to him in the world of debate.

I've noticed something lately. As I've “flexed” my theological muscles and entered into some debates at work or on Twitter/Facebook, I've realized that real debates bother me deeply. For example, I got into a rather heavy argument with a fellow Sailor about the existence of God. It's very difficult to prove the existence of our Father, and I was up against a wall on more than one occasion. I was bothered about that for several days. Still am really.

Recently, an argument (that I referenced on a previous blog post) on Twitter really got me going. The guy I was arguing with was a Christian, which makes me feel even worse. Christians should be able to debate and then make up and walk away. We're Christians, right?

Three days later and that guy has stopped talking to me, but I don't know if he's just preparing another round of questions that I won't want to answer (he's too political for my taste). If he does, I'll have to call him out on his misinterpretation of scripture meant for Israel. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. (As an update...he has unfollowed me on Twitter. I reciprocated the action.)

I realize my problem with apologetics and debating in general. My problem is that I expect that the arguments will remain respectful, that the sides will realize their differences, and that they will shake hands upon completion of the debate. It is, after all, what happens in structured debate. This, however, is not often the case in real life. And as I can't stand uncomfortable situations, I loathe debating now.

My heart's desire is to tell the world about Jesus Christ. What they do with him is up to them, but I know how I feel about the issue. I've been able to share my faith with many people at my command (No MRFF problems here) and I'm grateful for the experiences. What I'm not grateful for is the feeling in the pit of my stomach when real debates take place.

I asked Nathan, who is also a PhD student in educational psychology at Kansas University, to weigh in on the subject. He suggests handling the feelings of real debate by remembering what a debate is really about - compromise. A real debate is not about winning or losing. Especially if you're in a competitive environment (high school debate tournaments, presidential or mayoral elections, etc.), it's hard to see debate as anything other than winning something. "Yet, in real life, it is not that simple. There aren't really winners and losers. There are a lot of partials. Theology aside, there are very few instances of clearly defined rights and wrongs. The issue that you're having, from the sound of it, is both rhetorical and psychological.

"It is rhetorical because, as I described above, both of you are looking to win the debate instead of looking for a compromise. There are probably some truths in between both sides of arguments, which is usually where most truths are located. Hardly ever is the truth found in the extremes, especially involving politics. For instance, I tend to be adamantly against the death penalty because I don't believe it is my calling to ever judge another person's life. Yet that position is not, from what I know at least, completely backed up by the Bible. There are plenty of instances where a death penalty was not only appropriate, but commanded by God. So am I disobeying God by following what I believe is my "true" conviction to protect life? You tell me. I am willing to compromise that there might be times in which death could be an appropriate sentence; however, I will never allow myself to sit on that jury unless I'm forced by death myself to do so.

"The issue also seems to be psychological, and here is where I am not trying to sound harsh by any means. It looks like this is becoming a fight for pride. Again, think about winning and losing. If your Christian friend is trying to rebut you at every turn, most likely there's a wound festering. Maybe on both sides. Humans are a very proud species, and part of that is the ultimate price of sin. Psychologically, then, it is hard for us to step down from our positions at times and realize that we might not have the full answer, or that we might actually be wrong (or at least not completely correct). Now, I say all these things not to indict; rather, I say them because I have only been given the information above."

Nate continues, "I am saddened that so many Christians are involved in many of the "debates" that you and your friend are involved in. Sure, a good debate is worth the investment. Bu a good debate should, as you put it, be respectful of various viewpoints, and it should not seek one right answer. Instead, a good debate will allow for multiple solutions, all of which might be good options. Maybe one is better than the rest, but it could be that all options are viable. Individuals get so stuck in their self-made ruts of ideologies that they cannot see past their own brainwashed theories. This is what debate coaches are supposed to teach their students, but 1) not every student becomes a master, and 2) many debate coaches are stuck in the same rut. We create ruts like this: "God-fearing, gun-owning Christian lives in this home." So if I don't own guns, can I not be God-fearing? Or how about the "God hates fags" slogan that I'm sure you are aware of floating around. Did not Jesus himself hang out with the worst of sinners of the time period? If that is the case, and if we are going to label any individuals as being the worst of sinners, shouldn't Christians be all about loving and living with those individuals? Anyway, just my thoughts."

He concluded by saying that, "In the end, a good debate should end up asking more questions than answering. If it doesn't, or you can't come up with multiple, respectful truths, then you're probably not having a debate. You're throwing around arguments with no real intention of persuading anyone else or being persuaded of anything else yourself."

Thanks Nate. I for one am going to start reviewing how I “debate” with people regarding my faith.

Navy Christian Response to Air Force Painting on Fox News

I love Twitter. It gives me a larger viewing spectrum than Facebook does and I have more followers. Makes me feel better about myself. You wouldn't understand. Anyway, I enjoy being on it. Then I saw a fella posting about how everyone is an enemy of America. His handle is @ArmyofGod7. So this guy says that Eric Holder is an enemy of America, All terrorists are enemies of America (Israel, Spain, England, et al, might beg to differ), and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) is an enemy of America. There were several others, but I shorted the arguments for you, my dear readers.

Being intrigued at the MRFF attack, I asked him why he was mad at them. He said that he read an article by Todd Starnes about the Air Force taking down a painting that had a Bible verse on it. Then he said they will be CURSED! Well, since he used capital letters, it must be prophecy.

My first thought on this subject was, “Is this true? Or is someone pulling my leg?” Well, apparently it's true. So, as a Christian in the Navy, I have a few things I want to say about this situation. Here are my thoughts:

1. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is an interesting piece of work. I can't really figure out what I think of them, but my first impression is not good. I've been to their website and they are very real looking and seem to have many clients. Good for them. As I am not very popular, and my work never lands in the Huffington Post, I will never been a threat to them. However, the fact that they have enough time to argue about a little picture on the wall means they have too much time on their hands. I'm going to investigate this more in the future.

2. The Air Force NCO (non-commissioned officer) who took offense at the painting needs to get over it. We are all, whether Christian or not, subjected to things that are offensive at nearly any given time. We exist to protect our country and our country's interests. They do not include having our feelings protected. You can contact me if you want.

3. Christians who are mad at the Wing Commander who took this down, or mad at the MRFF are wasting time. I've already said we're headed toward a post-chaplain military and we're already living in a post-Christian world. Get on with life shipmates. There is Gospel work to do.

4. @ArmyofGod7 is out of his mind. Seriously, sign up for Twitter, follow @NavyChristian, and then ridicule him. Everyone is an enemy of the State according to him. The worst he'll do to me is call me an enemy of America, and since I've got socks with more sea time than he has, I shouldn't have much trouble proving my patriotism.

5. Finally, the painting is ridiculous. Whoever painted it should be ashamed of himself/herself. What in the world is going on when we have an American flag becoming a European crusader flag? That makes me as angry as someone flying the Confederate Flag. Anyway, the verse used has nothing to do with integrity. Integrity says that we do our job to the best of our abilities, not throwing verses from the Bible around out of context.

The Huffington Post wont, but they should contact me or some other military Christian for our take on the issue. It's not right that they just parade this one around like a stunning victory. I actually like a lot of what the HuffPost does. This though, is silly. However, since I visited their site at least three times while writing this blog post, I would assume that it did what they wanted it to do.

Reflecting on my Career

Every now and again it's good to sit down and reflect on one's career. Many of us do this at the yearly anniversary, so today I reflect on 17 years of active Naval service and where to go from here.

The biggest question in my career has always been how long do I plan on carrying on with this thing? For a long time I assumed it would be 20 years and not a day more. The thing is that I had always wondered what I would do after the Navy. To me, the Navy was always what I was doing now, but not my actual life. So it was always important to me to plan for the next step. I am signed up for Troops to Teachers in at least three states (and still getting emails from them) and I got my Masters of Arts in Religion...all based on what I MIGHT do after the Navy.

This is the attitude of a junior sailor who plans to get out after one or two tours. I think that since I displayed that attitude early in my career, I had never made the switch to a career mindset. Thankfully, I had some exceptionally strong mentors who guided me even when I couldn't see where I was headed.

One of those men is James Edwards, a Master Chief who is scheduled to commission as a Chief Warrant Officer in November. Like father like son, I suppose, I follow his steps. In this case, very literally as I commission one month after he does. He was the one, when I was a Petty Officer First Class, who taught me to treat the Navy like I was staying in it forever instead of just the current tour. That mindset has paid me back tenfold since meeting James.

That mindset came to it's fruition a few months ago while I was finishing up one of my last seminary classes. I was again assuming that I was just a few years away from not being a sailor anymore when it finally hit me that God has kept me in the Navy and directed my career path. Even when I tried to derail things a little over a decade ago, God has kept me stable.

Now I don't think in terms of how soon will I retire. Instead, now I think in terms of how long can I go and what can I do while I'm here? And good thing too. I'm guaranteed to go to 23 years since I'm accepting the commission as a CWO. Looks like I'm in it for the long-haul!

My wife and little ones know that I'm a Navy man and that I deploy, and they support it. Everyone except Hannah has been through at least two deployments. I expect we'll make it through many more. I try to be as involved as possible while in port and even on deployment. I'm so grateful for a dedicated and supportive family. It is what makes the difference. I see some poor guys who don't have supportive families and I can see the additional stress it puts on the career and family. Alicia has been a constant companion to me through this. She and I have been together for 13 of my 17 years. It's been a good ride.

So 17 years down...somewhere between 6 and 16 to go!

Post-MA Degree Plans

I'm a few months from officially being a graduate of Liberty University's Master of Arts in Religion program, but all coursework has been turned in and I'm accepted for graduation. So basically, I'm a graduate, just not officially.

And good thing too, because in December of this year I commission as a Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Navy. Immediately after the first of the year 2014, I ship off to Newport, RI for officer indoctrination and then to my ship (with a school in route). After I get to my ship, I'll probably be so busy getting my qualifications finished that I won't be able to breathe, much less think about the fun things I'd like to be doing.

Still, December is a long way off, though I suspect it will be here before I know it, and I must find something to do with my time. So, now that the degree is complete, where do I go from here? I have a few goals that I'd like to put forth in the ole' blog so that it's official:

1.  Get ready to be a Chief Warrant Officer. Moving to the Wardroom is a completely different game than what I've done so far in the Navy. Because of that, I have to figure that I'll need some preparation. I have already got a hold of the Coast Guard manual for ship-driving and plan to study that.

Along with that, and maybe most importantly at this juncture, is finally getting my weight under control. I passed my most recent Navy weigh-in, but not without some modifications, as it were, to my diet and health. It's time to fix that for good. My major goal in the next six months or so is to lose enough weight to pass my next weigh-in without being taped for body fat percentage.

2.  Focus on my writing. Now that I have some time on my hands, I want to see if I can make my MAR pay for itself. I know that the MAR isn't the most important degree in the religion community, but it did prepare me to write and to think critically. I have a few ideas already for publication and four articles in the editing process. I've already been accepted for publication in the January 2014 issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly and I look forward to more success in this area.

In addition to official (and paid for) writing, I want to focus on blogging more as well. I love Navy Christian and I want it to be more effective in supporting my fellow Christian Sailors and helping churches around the USA support Christians in the Navy. So expanding my writing in this area is pretty important to me.

I count my writing, at this juncture, as my main ministry effort. While I will continue to mentor and preach any time I get a chance, writing is the main focus as I get ready for the big step in my life.

Potential Pope Candidates and My Opinion

Despite being an avid and passionate protestant, I am absolutely fascinated by the office of the Pope. Why? I'm not completely sure, although I'm sure part of it is the role he plays over the church. Some of that is my carnal desire for power I'm sure as well. I'm also interested in it because it has no equal in scripture outside of the High Priest, and even then I think the Pope wields influence that the High Priest could have only dreamed of (and I'm sure they did!).

Whether I should be this interested in the office of the Pope or not, I am flat out ecstatic about the conclave to elect the new Pope. I was just as intrigued by Pope Benedict XVI’s election. Learning about who will replace him is fascinating. I just realized I should write an article on how I feel about him leaving office before his death. Guess it's moot now.

Apparently, at least in America, there is some speculation that the next Pope will be from the USA. That would be extremely interesting, but I think there has been too much controversy for that. In fact, I'll just say it would be the wrong thing to do.

I'll come right out and say it: The next Pope should come from South America or Africa. It's time for a fresh voice, and America is no less mired in backwards problems than the church of Europe.

According to one source, there is a viable candidate in Latin America. Archbishop Odilo Scherer of Brazil, leader of the world's largest diocese, would be a good candidate and apparently is fairly popular.

There is also an outside candidate from the Philippines named Luis Tagle, which would be intriguing because Asia and the Pacific have been likewise shunned by the European bloc. Africa also has an option by the name of Peter Turkson from Ghana.

Look, I don't mean to offend any of my Catholic friends. The bottom line though is that the western church needs to step aside for a while and bring in some actual fresh blood. It is the right thing to do. Let's hope it happens. Of course I understand that the Archbishops have requested prayer that the Holy Spirit would be a part of the voting. I couldn't agree more. The fact is that I hope the Holy Spirit does choose the next Pope. But from a pragmatic setting, the next Pope should probably be from outside of Europe.

Melancholy Voting

I think I was so busy wanting change four years ago that I was relieved when the Democrats won. I didn’t necessarily want Obama. I feel like I had seen through some things about him that others missed. Still, I felt he was going to win from the start simply because America was tired of Republicans. Like it or not, it was the truth. President Obama was charismatic and brought a lot of hope. People flocked to him. It was bound to happen.

Tonight, however, I’m just dismayed. I don’t really like Romney. I don’t like the idea that the evangelicals in America have bought his campaign even though he doesn’t believe in Christ. Yet I don’t like the rampant liberalism that the President represents.

Be it clearly stated that I will serve whoever wins tonight. I just wish there was a different option…or at least a third option. We need to redesign the program so that there is a different option. A real candidate that evangelicals could get behind. A candidate that the military can get behind (I’ll stir up some scary thoughts with that one!). Shoot, get a candidate that the liberals can actually get behind. I just wish there was more for us.

So, with much melancholy in my spirit, I wait for the results. As I write this, Romney is winning. I don’t know how long it will last though.

The Problem with Politics

This post is a follow-up to my rant about Voting Biblical Values.

Here's the real problem: I think that politics, at least in America, is damaging to the Gospel. By the time the church as a whole is done attacking everyone around them, it makes it difficult to tell them you love them later. It certainly makes it difficult to tell them to follow you to Jesus.

See what I did there? I attacked you. I realized that a few days ago while reading a blog called A Heart for God. The author of that blog, who has a major Twitter following I might add, wrote something that I was not happy about. It had to do with politics. He wrote it right after I wrote my Voting Biblical Values post. I tore into him pretty well (as well as you can in 140 characters). He defended himself well. We ended fairly ok I suppose, but then I read his blog entry and realized that I had committed a horrible act. By arguing so vehemently, I had detracted from what I wanted to accomplish, which was turn believers to the need for the Gospel. Actually, my goal is for believers to understand that the Gospel should direct our actions. I believe politics gets in the way, but attacking believers is no way to accomplish my goal and get the word out. It doesn't make us look good to unbelievers either.

Tomorrow is election day, and I hope you do whatever it is you need to do in order to be ready for November 7th, the day we must get back to the work of the Gospel. I need to, you need to, we all need to get back to doing what God ordered us to do in Matthew 24. My part will be to stop bickering about politics (I hope I can maintain that).

Truthfully speaking, arguing about politics is fun for me, but it is a detractor, so I shall attempt to stop being so contentious and cantankerous. Let us all get to work!

Voting Biblical Values

My good friend, Mark, wrote an article on his blog about voting Christian values. Please go read it. His writing is better than mine stylistically and he's nicer than I am. His writing, however, has made me think about politics and this is what has come to mind.

Would you like to know a cold hard fact? As a believer in Christ, there is no viable candidate for me. Romney is a Mormon and while he may agree with my mind about some social issues, he is not of like spirit and my heart is troubled. Obama is liberal socially so while I want to support the poor, the plethora of things that go with supporting the poor under his first term make it difficult to support him for a second term (see disclaimer below).

That leaves believers without a viable alternative. Like it or not, fellow Christian, there is no viable candidate for us!

Yet my beloved Liberty University, when urging us to get out and vote, suggested for a while that only the Republican candidates were viable options for us. I can’t find that link now, so clearly they took it down. It was a call to vote and the GOP elephant was the only picture. Sending a message maybe? Me thinks so. LU suggests, as does Billy Graham, that we vote Biblical values above all else! YOU CAN’T! This is his biggest mistake in a long, mostly fruitful ministry career, and it is about to become the church's mistake too.

I don’t care if you vote next Tuesday. Doesn’t bother me one bit. But don’t claim that you’re voting Biblical values. You can’t be, otherwise you wouldn’t vote at all. There are no candidates for us, and the ones that are out there are so tainted with the world’s point of view that we can’t move forward.

Furthermore, the GOP has a lock on the Christian vote. I realize that it’s not the entire Christian vote, but most of the Evangelical Christian vote. This makes me sick. We support the GOP and buy into the oil drilling, the tax breaks for businesses, and the idea that the rich should get to keep their money, whatever that means, when we say we believe in Christ alone. See what we have to do to get abortion rights taken away? We sell ourselves out to the highest bidder.

And this business of voting for a Mormon makes my stomach turn. Vote for who you want to vote for, my friends, but stop thinking you’re voting your Christian beliefs into office. You’re just voting for Exxon’s next tax break.

Disclaimer: These thoughts are written as a Christian, not a military member. If President Obama orders me to do something as a Sailor, I will do it. I follow the orders of the President of the United States and the officers appointed over me. This means that no matter what happens next week, I will support the President of the United States. I simply mean to establish a point of view that as a believer it is difficult, if not impossible, to decide on a candidate.

Thoughts on the Church and the Old Testament

My newest class for Liberty is Old Testament II and is dealing with the Prophets and Poetry. I remember growing up in a church in Kansas that tended to equate the modern (particularly American) church to Old Testament Israel. I've always had problems with that idea. What was meant for Israel was meant for Israel. There is no reason for the modern church to try and supplant them. II Chronicles 7:14 is a major passage.

I specifically focused on Jeremiah 2:1-13. Click the scripture to have it open for you.

Of course I don't think that the message is completely lost on modern people, whether they are of Israel or not. The biggest thing we take away from this though is not whether the prophesy could be interpreted as for us today, but a solemn reminder that God takes faith in Him seriously. This is not a game. Unfortunately, it is a game to many modern believers, particularly in America. Christians do need to wake up and realize the truth. The truth is not that the OT prophesies relate to us, but that God does relate to use and expects serious faith. 

Ambitious for the Cross of Christ

We must be different. We must be positive and loving. Ambitious for the Cross, not an agenda.

I think it's sad that American Christianity has become a religion of the offensive. We go out and attack, whether it be politically-motivated or just angry. Think of the most recent Chick-fill-a thing. Who cares where someone eats? But because "we" (and by we I mean S. Truett Cathy) was attacked, "we" (and by we I mean the Christian Right) went on the offensive. This is but one example of something that Paul would not have found amusing.

As we get further along into the political season, Christians everywhere are posting attacks against Obama and the Democrats based on one thing or another. Some of it is legitimate political wrangling. They write about issues like welfare, the economy, etc. However, some of it is purely spiritual, like gay-marraige, abortion, etc.

To take things a bit further, the Christian religion is now defending Romney, who is a Mormon, in order to solidify the conservative base. Well done (not)! The Christian Right has just made Mormonism a Christian religion. And why not? Christianity in America is not ambitious for the Cross. It is ambitious for an agenda. This is pathetic and sad, and makes me want to move to another country.

Contractor Mentality

Factually speaking, there are so many groups ministering to the military that there almost doesn't seem to be a reason for me to do so. Once upon a time, a military believer had to rely on himself and a good chaplain (or lay leader), for spiritual growth. However, now the Navs, Campus Crusade, Cadence International, etc, have really come along to make good on the work. I'm not upset by it completely, as a great deal of discipleship is taking place. However, I fear that the discipleship is at the expense of believers in the military learning to lean on themselves for growth. Instead, they are growing more dependent on outside groups than they are on themselves and each other.

By that I mean that the military is growing dependent on outside activities to do things for it. I see this in the church as well. In civilian churches, it has led to weaker Christians who can't, and won't, stand up for their beliefs. They pass around cheap electronic petitions that substitute for real spiritual debate. It saddens me that I've seen more about Chick-fil-a lately than the actual Bible. Again, as I mentioned in the first post on this topic, it seems that all of America is simply more polarized than it used to be.

I long for those times in Japan, when I was fearless and a little reckless, when my buddies Tony, Shawn, Zion, Jason, Steve, and so many others would join with me and literally try to take on hell with a water pistol. Those days are all but over. Faith in the Navy, as far as I can see, is a mile wide and an inch deep, and some places it's more shallow than that. 

Some might try to disagree with me, but they are wrong. I've been there. I'm a veteran of several deployments on two ships, more than half way through my second shore tour, and 16+ years of total service. And I've been a minister for almost that entire time. I preached my first military sermon in Dahlgren, Virginia in 1997 as a Seaman. I've broken bread and given my testimony in several countries since then. I've ministered, or tried to minister, in many different locations. I'm telling you the truth.

In my heart, I think the military believer has to start relying on other military believers at sea and at home. It is a painful thing to write, but it's true. It is painful because I love, with all of my heart, the men who have helped me. I have worked with Military Ministry, Navigators, and Cadence missionaries; all of whom had God's heart as theirs and worked hard to help us. Still, they didn't deploy with me. 

For example, on Wednesday mornings, several of my staff (all instructors) gather together to talk through a part of scripture. They lead by committee, and it works very well. I was there to help get it started, but they hardly need me now. I taught them what to do, and now they are doing it. I believe God has gained the Glory while we have gained the blessing.


What does this mean in the long run? Well, the truth is that I think all of Americans face this same challenge. The average believer in America wants to have the Word fed to them, not go find it themselves. If it wasn't true, then we'd have a smarter church polity.

And I don't mean breaking down theology into big words like pseudepigraphic and transformational. I mean knowing where the book of John is and what it means to them. Hopefully the little Wednesday group of men who meet to get into the word will be the start of something nice for the military as they break up and go on to other commands. At least this is my prayer for them.

We use contractors in the military to get certain jobs done so that we active duty folks can get other things done, not so we can ignore the work at hand. Hopefully the Christians in the military will understand the same thing.

Cystic Fibrosis and the Chicago Marathon

As many of you know, our daughter Samantha has cystic fibrosis, a disease that, even though it has made “great strides” still has a median life expectancy of 37. As her father, I hate that with a passion. Instead of sitting idly by, I want to do something about it. To raise funds and awareness for this cruel disease, I am going to run a marathon this year.

Yep, you heard that right. I'm running a marathon!

I have signed up to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 7th. While I'm going to do the physical running, you're the one who has the chance to make a real difference in the life of our daughter. I'm running for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and your donations help us help Sam.

Many of you have given in the past, particularly when I ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon when I lived in San Diego or the Barrington 5K here in the Chicago area, not to mention our annual Great Strides walks. Thank you for faithfully supporting us. Until there is a cure and Samantha is not under threat from cystic fibrosis, I’ll keep running…and I ask you to keep giving!

For entry into the marathon, I must raise $1300 for CF. Since a marathon is 26 miles, that’s $50/mile!! How far will your money help me run? 1/5 mile ($10) ½ mile ($25), 1 mile ( $50), 4 miles ($200), or 10 miles ( $500)? You can give any dollar amount, and none is too small or too large! We will let you know how our “miles of money” are coming along. Get us to the finish line!

Donate here at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!