A Philosophy of Missions

I think it's a good idea for everyone who believes in the missionary spirit (should be every Christian) to have a personal philosophy of missions. It's ok to use your church's philosophy if you agree with it, or the philosophy of a mission agency you support if it matches your personal values. Still, I think that owning the philosophy helps create a passion for reaching the lost for Christ.

As I look at options for future ministry, I started developing the following as a personal philosophy of missions:

1.  We have 1story to tell...just 1...we preach Christ crucified (1 Cor 1:23). It isn't about what he can do for someone, but what he already did. To some, that logic is insurmountable. To others, it is archaic nonsense. But to some, it is the power to become the sons and daughters of God (John 1:12).

2.  How do we get to tell this story? That is the only problem. America, indeed the world, has changed. Hard, fiery preaching and crusade/revival work is considered ineffective and inappropriate. yet we must, at some point, preach (Rom 10:14-15).

3.  So whatever we do, it must be done in order to tell our one story. Whatever is needed in order to tell that story we must do (I Cor 9:19-23). So we become poor to reach the poor. We become broken to reach the broken. We become scarred to reach those with scars.

4.  We build trust with those we want to preach to. So we serve them with an eye to opportunities. We pray hard for God to provide opportunities. Our desire is to show true religion in order to reach the lost (James 1:26).

I'm sure that, over time, my philosophy will mold to meet the continually changing landscape of missions in America and overseas. Yet here it is for now. I'd love to hear your comments about it!

Using Electronic Bibles in Church

This is a guest post from Dr. Steve Matthewson, pastor of CrossLife Evangelical Free Church in Libertyville, IL. I've always wanted to address this issue more, as I am a bit of a geek, so when I read Dr. Matthewson's thoughts on the subject, I asked if I could publish them on the blog. Here are his thoughts on the use of electronic Bibles in church:

I realized how much our culture has moved into the digital age when I heard a student preacher in my preaching class this spring at Moody Bible Institute begin a sermon like this: “Please take your Bible, your iPad, or your smart phone and turn with me to Matthew 5:43-48.” Twelve days ago, The New York Times ran an article in its Technology section titled “In the Beginning Was the Word; Now the Word Is on an App.” It pointed out that the free app (short for “application”) called “You Version” is changing the way millions of people read the Bible. Our ministry staff has recommended it. I have it on my smart phone, and my wife, Priscilla, has it on her Kindle. The New York Times felt it was time to do a piece on the “You Version” app because in July 2013 it reached 100 million downloads, placing it in the company of technology start-ups like Instagram and Dropbox. You can read the article here.

So what do we make of reading the Bible in a digital, electronic form rather than in a print (book) form? Overall, I’m quite pleased with “You Version” and have no problem with you bringing your Bible on your tablet or smartphone when we gather to worship God. There is nothing more “spiritual” about reading the Bible in a printed book form rather than on a mobile device. If we really want to be purists, then we should jettison our leather-bound or hard-back Bibles and opt for scrolls. But I have yet to see the ESV or NIV offer their translations on a leather scroll! The decision really boils down to personal preference. Personally, I prefer to read and preach from the Bible in book form rather than on an iPad or Kindle, However, I no longer carry a pocket Bible when I visit people in the hospital. Rather, I simply read Scripture passages to hospital patients from the “You Version” app on my smartphone.

There are several reasons why I like “You Version” and the concept of having the Bible in digital form. First, it is convenient. Because I rarely part with my smartphone, my Bible is always with me. I have even read it in the check-out line at Target or Portillo's! Even though I love the Bible, I would never think of carrying my Bible into Target or Portillo's. It’s not that I’m ashamed of God’s Word. I have too many other things to carry when I am in those establishments. Second, there are all kinds of reading plans built into the “You Version” app. Third, while print versions of the Bible often have some kind of concordance in the back to let you find a particular verse or some of the verses on a particular topic, the search features on “You Version” let you do more comprehensive searches. Fourth, you can highlight and add notes just as you would in a print Bible. Fifth, you can switch between versions. I would never bring six different Bible versions with me to a worship service. That would require six Bibles (books)! But if I bring a smartphone or a tablet, I can switch between the NIV, ESV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT, and NASB almost instantly.

Of course, there are downsides to shelving your print Bible and going digital. When I use the “You Version” app, I find that I cannot move as seamlessly between consecutive chapters or as quickly from one Bible book to another. Honestly, I can go from Exodus 20 to 1 Timothy 6 a lot quicker in my print Bible than I can in my digital Bible. A bigger concern is the temptation to multi-task on my mobile device or tablet when I am trying to focus on reading the Bible. I’m curious how many people who bring the Bible on their Kindle or iPad or smartphone also check Facebook or email or ESPN Sportscenter! What upsides and downsides have you observed when it comes to reading the Bible in digital form versus print form? You can weigh in on this and follow the discussion on our Facebook page. I thank God we have His Word both in digital form and in print!

Three Questions about Missions: Working with other Denominations

One of the first things I tend to ask someone when I meet them and learn that they are interested in ministry is, “What is your faith background?” Now, I ask that because I am in the US Navy, which is a complete cross-section of American society, including the American religious landscape. If one is not careful, a fellow can end up working with a Pentecostal! I jest, mostly.

Having come from a conservative Baptist background, I had been tough that Pentecostals were going to hell, as were most other Protestants (Catholics were obviously going to hell, and didn’t warrant discussion). Joining the Navy with that attitude caused some problems at times, particularly as I learned about missions from a world-wide view. So the first question is, “What are your preconceived notions about members of other denominations?” Then I met a guy named Steve, who was an Assemblies of God man. We were going to church together at a general Protestant chapel in Japan, so it was natural that we’d hang out periodically. On more than one occasion, we’d get into arguments about baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and the like. He would be just as adamant that I was wrong as I was sure he was.

One day we realized that, at our core, we both relied on Christ’s blood for our eternal salvation. I think the revelation hit both of us pretty hard, but me more than Steve. I had been raised wrong. It was a tough pill to swallow. Suddenly, it wasn’t hard to go out on the town with Steve, knowing that he would a) protect my spiritual self as I protected him and b) that he could be a trusted co-laborer in Christ. We met missionaries, handed out tracts, and shared our testimonies, all among mixed company and with several denominations. My world view literally exploded.

So the second question is, “What parts of your worldview are challenged by working with members of other denominations?” With the recent Strange Fire event, I’ve found myself questioning more of my upbringing. It’s not that I think we should all be speaking in tongues; it’s just that I think some of us do, and it bothers me that others don’t see the potential in relationships with other denominations.

I realize that this is a predominantly Methodist blog, but I enjoy it. I get a good perspective on mission that sometimes differs from mine (particularly in the social work setting). It’s a good perspective to have.

And so I leave you with one final question: “Are you willing to work with members of other denominations to further the Gospel?”

Building a Mentoring Community

It's been a year or so since I wrote a simple "how-to" on mentoring, called "Building a Mentoring Community." It has been released on Barnes and Noble, Sony e-readers, Apple books, and PDF and has been downloaded over 60 times, a stat that I am grateful for. From the book's website:

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! 

You can get the book from the following links:

Barnes and Noble
Sony e-reader
PDF

And, of course, in the Apple i-Tunes store!

Thank you for your interest in mentoring!

Waiting on the Day of the Lord

From my daily Bible reading:

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as remindersto stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

As you know by other posts on my blog, I am a student of the rapture. This is why today I am grateful for my daily reading of the Bible, which included all of II Peter and Jude. In the passage I copied and pasted above, which is the first 13 verses of II Peter 3, I read about the end of the end. Of course by that I mean that it doesn't talk directly about the rapture. Do not misunderstand me...I believe that the rapture is part of the end, I just mean that this passage isn't directly about that event. Peter is talking about the final end, when the earth is burned and we get a new place to dwell.

What struck me about it is the timing of the issue. I recently saw a fellow predict the rapture for a date last month. He wrote on Twitter vehemently, saying that it would happen by a certain time of a certain day. When that time passed, he revised his "message from the Lord" and said that it would be sometime during that day. When that passed, he said it was on Israeli time, so even passed midnight our time (and thus the beginning of the next day), it was still a possibility. Finally, he had to admit that it wasn't going to happen that day.

I made fun of him on Facebook. I got called out for it too by an atheist. That's embarrassing, let me tell you! My point is that it didn't happen, and I, like many millions of others, scoffed. How horrible! Yes, on a simplistic plane, I was making fun of him because I know that "no man knoweth the hour of his appearing." Yet the truth was also very simple...I was scoffing.

God is patient with us, something for which I am extremely grateful. He is faithful and patient with the unbelievers of this world (and too many die each day without him!) and he is patient with believers as they give up hope each day. It is one thing for scoffers to wonder about when God is sending his son back to the earth. It is quite another thing for us to assume it will never happen.

Believing in the rapture is supposed to make a person negative. Supposedly, it all becomes doom and gloom. There are many who seem to aspire to this thinking. The devil is indeed behind every bush. Yet not believing in the rapture has allowed people to avoid evangelism. If you can look out into a field and see two people working, and not believe that one will go and one will stay, then why witness? This too is pathetic.

Christ is coming. If you believe in a rapture (like I do), then you must understand that he could come tomorrow (or today)! Even if he delays another billion years, we are one day closer today to his coming than we were the day before. Get hot!

Sexual Assaults in the Military and the Christian Response

With the news lately focusing on the horrible problem of sexual assault in the military, it may be difficult for church leaders, and Christians in general, to figure out how to reach the military. Sexual assault is not something the church often deals with. Ironically, until a few years ago, the military didn't really deal with it either. It was sort of the elephant in the room. People knew it happened, but the programs hadn't really matured enough to do anything about it. I'm grateful that better programs exist today to combat the problem.

The thing that makes me most angry about the issue is that it's almost always blue on blue, meaning that it’s a Sailor hurting a Sailor, Marine hurting a Marine, etc. That, my good friends, is unsatisfactory!

President Obama's present concern over the level of sexual assaults in the military, and the number of congressional hearings on the matter (which I discuss here), mean that the problem is now really coming to the light. The church can assist, but it must do so carefully.

First, Christians must know that it's not the victim's fault. Really, it doesn't matter what happened up to the point of being assaulted. If an assault occurs, then the attacker committed a crime. It doesn't matter what the victim was wearing. If you are one to assume that the victim somehow deserved what happened to him/her, then you are wrong.

Second, know that it doesn't just happen to women. In fact, more attacks are against men. That makes sense from a purely statistical standpoint. With 80% of the force being men (for the Navy), it only makes sense that the majority, while not an overwhelming one, of attacks would be against men.

Third, since these attacks are criminal in nature, Christians cannot get overly involved in the physical sense. I had a Sailor once who was violently attacked. I still don't know the whole story. She got the help she needed, her attacker was brought up on charges, and she eventually returned to my basic electronics class and graduated. However, my role was just to be there. I couldn't do anything else.

Point three brings me to my fourth and final point. The main mission of the church is evangelism (in my opinion based on scripture). However, in this case, the battle ground is in prayer. Prayer of course should be peppered onto every facet of life, but it is the primary battleground in terms of sexual assault in the military. I know that I talk about prayer a lot. I am always asking for prayer on behalf of the military. That isn't going to change any time soon. In the case of sexual assaults in the military, it may be the only way the church can respond.

Please do so.

A Post Chaplain World?

It would be difficult to imagine, but someday, I believe the US military will be without chaplains, at least in the traditional sense. Now, I also assume that the overall church situation in America will, over time, begin to crumble. From an escatological point of view, it has to in order to see prophecies come true. However, I also assume this larger breakdown because I just see some empirical information that suggests it is headed that way. That is a matter for a different post. Back to the subject at hand:

Traditionally, chaplains perform regular religious services in their faith background, ensure that other faiths have the means and ability to perform their services, provide counsel to the command in matters regarding faith and crew morale, and, perhaps most frequently, provide counseling services to crew members. This is a bit simplified, but in general, it's accurate.

As faith slowly takes a back seat to a growing new reality in America, I suspect that the counseling services will take a greater role while the traditional religious services role will diminish. Already, because of manning concerns, smaller ships frequently (some always) go without a chaplain.

Yet service members on those ships, and in this future Navy that I foresee coming, hold services to maintain a core nucleus of the faith on most ships. It will not be true on every ship, or every command, but in some ships, believers will always gather. So do I see a post-chaplain Navy coming? Yes. Am I worried about it? No. 

Milwaukee area high school to the Supreme Court Re Public use of Religious Facilities

A Milwaukee area high school has become the center of attention in what may become a Supreme Court case pitting a school district against some of its students.

Nine students sued the school district in New Berlin because the high school holds its graduation ceremonies in a local church. Those who argue for the church use justify it by saying that the school doesn't have facilities that can be used by the students for such a public event. Opponents of the practice note that students receive their diplomas under a huge cross. One commenter stated, "stop and think about how it would feel if their high school graduation ceremonies were held in a Jewish temple or Muslim mosque, where diplomas were handed out beneath a looming Star of David or Islamic crescent." By the way, follow this link to the article.

Alicia and I discussed what we would do about this scenario yesterday and I'll spare you our contingency plan for the time being because I want to focus on a broader picture. The issue is public establishment of religion, which is what the school district is being sued for. That is a violation of the First Amendment.

I can't tell you how many debates I've been embroiled in because of the nightly prayer underway, or invocations before retirement ceremonies or half a dozen other public displays of religion in the US Navy. Religion has a very good hold traditionally in he Navy at least and doesn't seem ready to exit the scene. Obviously, not all of that is evangelical in nature, but it usually is when I am a part of it. Also, the sheer realization that the government pays the salary of preachers (chaplains) really upsets some folks. They often bring up the establishment clause of the Constitution and ask me to justify the government funding. I don't get too involved int he argument, by the way. They are arguing with the wrong guy about that. They need to go much higher up the food chain.

Will the case pending in the Supreme Court have any effect on my ability to have a prayer ceremony before my commissioning in December? I doubt it, but it is an issue to watch. I expect that, someday, chaplains will be much more regulated, and when they are, it will be up to regular Sailors to carry out the daily religious (evangelical in my case) work on ships and shore bases. Churches must prepare to support, just like you support missionaries overseas, and Sailors must prepare to be their own chaplains. It's only a matter of time...

Is Blogging Dead? 5 Reasons Pastors should still Blog

No way around it…blogging is not as popular as it used to be. It's a little harder now to get people to read a 500 word blog post than a 140 character Twitter update. So does that mean that pastors should avoid blogging? I don't think so. In this post I'm going to give you 5 reasons to keep blogging.

1. Your goal is to reach your flock. A blog allows you to do that in much the same way that a weekly email or bulletin insert can do, but it remains more permanent. Emails get deleted, bulletin inserts usually get trashed, but blogs don't go away.

2. Blogging is a good way for your flock to see what products/resources you'd recommend. Reading a review from you about a new book will mean a great deal. Just saying it in the bulletin or mentioning it on Sunday morning will be easily forgotten, but reading a review on it will help keep that resource fresh on your congregation's minds.

3. Your schedule: Are you speaking at a conference? Can you post the audio or video from that conference on your blog? If so, then it could be a real boon to your congregation to be able to hear what you say. Let's imagine that you're speaking at a leadership conference. Don't you think your members would like to know what you say? Post about it and keep them updated! Furthermore, with the global reach of social media and blogging, don't you want them to invite their friends to your event?

4. Your writing. Many pastors and church leaders today write books or resources on the side. Even I have a few short ebooks that talk about issues near and dear to me. Pastors can extend their sphere of influence past Sunday morning by including writing, both through blogging itself and in promoting books.

5. Building community: The most important reason to keep blogging, or to start blogging if you aren't already, is to stay engaged during the week. Any given pastor is going to be pulled away in a number of directions throughout the week. However, a blog, with at least weekly updates, can give you and your members a way to keep in touch. Just make sure you reply to comments! Otherwise it might backfire and you look even more distant.

As you can see, plenty of reasons exist to keep blogging. Our congregations need to hear from us when it is appropriate to keep connected and keep expanding spiritually.

Are there reasons you blog as a pastor that I didn't mention? Please do so in the comments! 

Mother's Day

My children have quite possibly the best example of a mother. Alicia is humble, dedicated, and passionate about being a mother, and it shows every day. In frustrations, excitement, happiness, and a host of other emotions, she is a mother of the highest caliber.

For the longest time, and even now to some degree, I've struggled with the idea that my first ministry is to my wife and children. Furthermore, I've struggled with the idea that being a dad and a father is enough. It's weighed heavily on me at times. What I believe doesn't seem to work with the Bible, at least at times.

And then there is Alicia. What I wouldn't give to be as humble and dedicated as she is to her task as a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM). She arguably does more than me on any given day and gets no pay for it. And during that time where she is often out-working me, she is doing it with a simple passion that I really can't explain, but that I can see very clearly.

She is a woman who wants our children to believe in Christ. More than just wanting them to, however, she takes great pains to show them Christ. She shows them through the Bible and through her actions.

Alicia also cares about other mothers. As a woman of some age (which will remain top secret) and the mother of an 8 year old, a 6 year old, and a newborn, she has quite a bit of experience. I've seen her work with other mothers and it's very intriguing. As a man, I would barge in on another man's life and say, "Hey, do it this way." Ok, not quite like that, but close. Yet Alicia is so gentle (most of the time) and truly cares about the women and young mothers she works with.

No, Alicia isn't perfect. This post isn't trying to prove her sainthood to you. That is between her and God and is none of my business. What I want to say is that I believe that she is fulfilling God's requirements for her and she's doing it in a way that is simply amazing. A great woman for a great day.

Happy Mother's Day Alicia! I hope that God will continue to bless your ministry to our children!

Lose the Christianese

There is a phrase that the Navy uses to describe one barrier to effective communication: Lack of common-core experience. Just because you know what transformational means doesn't mean that your younger believer will. He or she needs to hear things on his/her level. This is certainly true of a non-believer. 

Sometimes we as experienced believers don't talk in church slang on purpose. These may be words that we've known for decades, especially those of us who grew up in the church. However, we are called to make disciples! Many of those young believers who need our help are spiritual orphans or outright unbelievers. They need to know that we aren't going to expect them to know everything we know. Yet our language, if we aren't careful, can betray this desire.

Get rid of the Christianese as much as you possibly can. Not only will your younger Christian disciple appreciate it, but so will the unreached around you who need to hear “normal” language!

Scared to Death of the Rapture

When my dad and my childhood pastor talked about my salvation, I didn’t want to disappoint, so I told them I had asked Jesus into my heart in my bedroom. I was baptized in Mount Olive Baptist Church in Girard, Kansas. My baptism, however, was a farce. The only thing I had accomplished was to “turn over a new leaf”. More or less in those words. I didn’t want to beat my brother up anymore so I prayed one night to literally turn over a new leaf and start being nicer to him. The night my dad asked me about salvation, I counted this as the shining moment. I was baptized soon after, and that’s about the time the nightmares started.

I don’t remember how many of them I had, but I remember many nights when I would wake up after a bad dream. I remember one in particular. I was in my bedroom on the 2nd floor of our house looking out the window and down below, I saw a giant spider. The spider was Christ. How I knew that in the dream, I don’t know, but somehow I just knew that the spider was Christ coming back. But I also knew that I hadn’t disappeared like everyone else. I got down on my knees and prayed for God to take me, but when I opened my eyes, the spider was still there, and so was I. The point of that dream, which was clear as day to me, was that Christ had come, and I was still there, in my bedroom, where I had claimed to have accepted Christ.

After that, I lived a life of fear. I feared coming home and my mom not being there. One day I got off the bus alone and no one was at the house. I screamed for my mom, thinking that she had been taken to heaven and my brothers with her. I was so scared. She came home a few minutes later, having not heard my screaming because of the wind. She and my younger siblings had taken our dogs for a walk.

Then there was the inevitable hand-raising at church. The pastor would ask if anyone had not accepted Christ as their savior, and I would start debating in my mind. I would replay the message over and over in my head. Did I hear him right? Did he ask for people who were saved to raise their hands? Should I raise mine? What if he said that he wanted those who hadn’t been saved to raise their hands? I didn’t know what to do as a boy.

I was also scared to be farming with my dad. I knew the verses in Matthew about two being in the field, one taken, and the other left behind. If my dad’s tractor would go over a hill and disappear from sight, my heart rate would pick up substantially until he came back into sight.

Why…why did I live a life of such fear? Why did I put myself through that? Why did it take me until high school to truly accept Christ? The fact is that I was scared. Sometimes I was scared of disappointing my family, or others, if they learned that I had lied. I was scared that God might not love me if I admitted that I had lied to Him. I was scared that it just wouldn’t work out. And unfortunately, I wasn’t sure just who God was. I suffered a lot of pain and fear needlessly because I didn’t want to disappoint people as a little boy.

A fairly competent writer whose name I forget now wrote that these fears are a sound reason for ditching the theology of the rapture. I think that's hogwash. Just because my childhood pastor didn't really follow up with me too well doesn't mean the rapture isn't going to happen. If you struggle with fear, and believe in the rapture, just understand that once you know your salvation is secure there is nothing to be afraid of.

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!

Praying for Students

Since becoming a Chief Petty Officer, and moving into the role of Lead Instructor, I haven't been in a classroom much at all. The only thing I've done is evaluate a few instructors and teach some staff members. The only dealings I have with students are the occasional counseling, usually for a student being late to class, disruptive, or otherwise "un-sailor-like."

Yet I attempt to remain, as best I can, involved in the lives of students. On my rounds, while officially checking on the instructors that report to me, I am always striking up seemingly random conversations with students. My goal is to find out how they are and how things are going in their class.

The biggest part of remaining involved with the students is through prayer. I am not allowed to discuss spiritual matters with the students, at least not outright, and certainly not allowed to proselytize. Yet I have found that many mornings I can come in to work a little early and pray for them and their day. Or I can do it as I walk around the building. One must never discount the ability to pray. We can pray at any time we want to. We are able to at all times.

Won't you pray a little today for a few minutes for my Sailors? Thanks!

The Biggest News Flop of 2011

I'm sure everyone has their own idea of what the biggest news flop of 2011 was, but as a career military man, mine was the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT). Evangelicals were all over this in 2010 and early 2011, and I chimed in several times. If interested, see the following posts:

My Thoughts on Homosexuals in the Military
Don't Ask Don't Tell Study Results
Chaplains and Don't Ask Don't Tell
Message to Navy Chaplains

However, just as soon as September 20 came around, a switch was flipped in the evangelical camp, and the Catholic camp as well for that matter. Suddenly no one talked about DADT. I remember being a little disappointed that it was suddenly a dead issue. I guess that's how a losing side will handle things. The irony is that the winning side dropped it too. If I were them, and as seeing that no major problems came from the repeal, I would have been flaunting the “success” of the program.

It is true that couples were married. Yet to my knowledge no one was beat up over the repeal, there was no mass exodus to the doors by service members trying to get out of the military, and no chaplains have been fired for refusing to marry gay service members.

Which is why this is a news flop. It didn't turn out like the evangelicals thought it would. If I were the other team, I'd flaunt it like an Ochocinco touchdown. I can promise you that the evangelicals would have if it had gone their way.

What are your thoughts on the repeal of DADT? If it isn’t the biggest news flop of the year, what is?

Footsteps on the Pacific

When I started as a Sailor back in 1996, I had no idea what was in store for me. After several months of training (close to 24 months actually), I landed on the island of Guam to await the arrival of my ship, the USS Mobile Bay. During the next three years, I would find myself traveling all over Asia, discovering cultures for myself and learning about the missionary work of several men and women.

Footsteps on the Pacific is the story...my story...of this journey. It not only chronicles my path throughout the Pacific on the USS Mobile Bay and USS Antietam, but also my struggle to find my place in our faith.

My hope is that this book will lead you to understand more about missionary work throughout the world and maybe discover a little bit of the excitement that I experienced as I traveled exotic places and strange cultures.

The book will be available for a very reasonable price on several ebook reader platforms. Stand by for more information!

Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Update

It's been two weeks since Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed officially in the Navy. It was billed amongst those preparing me to become a Chief Petty Officer as being one of the pivotal issues I'd have to deal with immediately upon assuming the rank of CPO. Christians, from Chaplains to evangelicals who had never served, put up a solid fight.

Where are they now? And what about those who told me I'd be dealing with this immediately upon joining the CPO Mess?

I just want to point out that everything seems to be clicking along just fine. It would appear as though there is no massive attack of the homosexual left on anyone's values. I won't go so far as to say that all things are well and that nothing is wrong, because homosexuality is still a sin. However, as a Sailor, I'm finding that a lot of the arguments used against repealing DADT simply haven't happened.

For more on my thoughts on DADT, click this link:  My Take on Homosexuals in the Military

How to raise Godly Children without them Knowing it!

A good friend of mine in the blogging world has written quite possibly the best short article on raising kids in a godly atmosphere. I'm including the first half of his post here:

1) Give your children a Biblical foundation and encourage their bent, and trust God when things get hairy. (Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6)

2) Always speak about spiritual things around your children, and let them see you pray. Let them see God in you. (And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

3) Remember to distinguish the urgent from the important. That phone call may be urgent, but your children are important. Let them know it! (Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Luke 18:15-16)

4) Remember that parenting is a hard job. You are to be a parent, not a bff. Discipline must be a core component of biblical parenting. “Spare the rod and spoil the child?” Yeah, it’s in there! (Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.)

5) Be positive, even in correction. Praise often, even in times of discouragement. Your children will reflect your attitude about them. (Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Colossians 3:21)

Read the rest at A Fish Called Grace!

Memorial Day...a Lighter Side

I am continually amazed at the number of people who say "thank you" to me when they find out that I'm a Navy man. I am so grateful for that recognition. I think of the Sailors of WWII and think of them with awe...that was the golden age of American Naval Power. I feel so inferior to those old salts. I've written before about how I wished there was a major naval threat to the United States in the modern era because I would love to have the same feelings that those old sailors had when they knew that the Yamato or the Bismark was coming at them and to have the confidence to face those great odds.

So it is with that background that I tell you about my childhood. It started with a front porch on an old Kansas farmhouse. On summer days, that porch transformed into the bridge of a battleship and I turned from a dusty farmboy to a full-fledged fleet admiral facing the Russian battlecruiser Kirov. She and her many escorts would be boring down on my meager fleet with speed and more missiles than we could count.

"Battle stations!" I would invariably scream. It always led to battle stations. Those silly Russians never pulled back.

"We've taken a hit!" my bridge crew would report. The mighty Iowa had been smashed by a major Soviet missile.

"Damage report!" I would demand. Many dead, some missing, many more wounded. Flooding in the forward compartments and fires aft. I walked out to the bridge wing and looked aft toward the back of the ship. Fires were topside the damage was so bad. Smoke billowed out of our stacks and through the hole the missile punched in our side.

"Return fire!" I shouted. My destroyer escorts lit up the sky with missiles and our Tomahawk Anti-Ship missiles tore away from the ship on the way to the Kirov battle fleet. That was back when we had anti-ship missiles of the Tomahawk variety.

Then a Russian sub fired torpedoes at us. That was before I knew that American battle groups sailed with thier own submarine screens. Somehow evading the destroyer screen, the sub captain got off four torpedoes before being sunk by one of my destroyers.

Suddenly, I was two escorts down as the torpedoes got one and one of Kirov's missiles got the other. My own crew on the Iowa was focused on fires and flooding. It was a mess of blood, guts, gun powder, missile fuel, and smoke.

And then the best thing we could have hoped for happened. The Russian admiral, perhaps confused by the battle or feeling too sure of victory, came in for the kill. The problem was I had 16inch guns and he had 5.1 inch. I was thrilled at my fortune!

"Status of the forward mounts?" I asked.

"Mount 1 down," replied the bridge officer. "Mount 2 operational." I didn't know then that they were numbered differently than simply 1 and 2, etc.

"Make Mount 2 ready and fire when able," I ordered. Still fighting the damage to thier mighty beast, my crew pushed through to prepare the big guns for revenge.

"Mount 2 ready to fire!" shouted the bridge officer.

I smiled..."Fire!" I screamed.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The three guns went off in quick succession.

We won that battle, bloody though it was, and the Russians limped home with their collective tails between their legs. I sailed my victorious fleet into Pearl Harbor knowing that we had done well.

So that was the life I lived before the Navy. It was all about awards, fast ships, and massive battles. I loved every minute of it. So the next time you tell me thank you for my service, you can know that it all started on the front porch of a farmhouse in Kansas.

For Joplin

I grew up about a half hour away from Joplin, just across the border in Girard, Kansas. I've been to Joplin many, many times, and as I watched the horrors taking place last Sunday evening, I recognized some of the names of buildings that were severely damaged or no longer there.

A few weeks ago I was writing extensively about Japan and the horrors of the tsunami. I didn't know anyone who lived in Sendai personally, but my heart for the Japanese people made hurting for them easy. My soul ached...and it aches now.

Living in a faced-paced world forces a person's attentions to shift quickly. Most people aren't thinking about Sendai anymore, and even I've struggled to write about it. I haven't heard any new updates from my limited contacts in the region so naturally I have little to write about.

As my attention turns to Joplin, I wonder how long it will remain in the news? Another week maybe? Then the next crisis will come into our minds and we'll move on.

Thankfully, that time hasn't happened yet. A blogging friend of mine over at Six:11 Ministries has written a great article about churches working in Joplin. It's a very worthwhile read. For those who desire a chance to donate for relief efforts, you can do so through a church in Joplin, called Ignite Church. That church is serving as a shelter even as we speak and plans to continue doing so as long as it is able.

I realize that I've been a bit cynical in this post, but the important thing is that there are folks helping out wherever they can. This is the good news in action. It spurs us as a church to do great things. From teaching illiterate tribesmen how to read to being a shelter in a storm, some of the greatest acts of mercy and kindness come from the church and I'm proud to be a part of it.