Month: April 2007

But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16:7)

He was a short, skinny, scarecrow-looking kind of man. He wore army issue coke bottle glasses and spoke in gentle tones. He was my first supervising Chaplain and I was not impressed. But I soon found out there was more to the man than met the eye. He was a runner, sometimes 20 miles a day. He’d served as the 2nd Ranger Battalion’s Chaplain with great effectiveness. And when we went to the National Training Center I saw the lion in him come out. He was as tough as any other soldier in the Brigade. But what impressed me most was his heart. As a brand new Chaplain, I found myself in very interesting circumstances. Every time I called him on the phone, I would no sooner hang up, and he was right there to coach me through the situation. Looks are deceiving. It’s the heart that counts.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

If you have been in the Army for more than a month you have met the supply sergeant. Supply sergeants have been stereotyped as greedy, stingy, beady-eyed bean counters that always say ‘NO.’ But that hasn’t been my experience. In fact, I’ve found them to be pretty generous. Most of them look for a way to provide above and beyond (except the one time as a private I was sent to supply to get a box of grid squares). Maybe I’ve just been blessed with folks who understand how to take care of soldiers. God operates the same way. He is always ready and willing to provide the things we need and even a lot of the things we want. If we don’t receive what we request, then we can rest assure there is a very good reason for it. It never hurts to ask.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5)

I was just a young private in Basic Training and a topographical map was thrust in my face. It just looked like green and brown spaghetti to me. The instructor was spitting out information like a machine gun and I was lost before I even got started. Then they showed me a compass and explained how to use it. He said, “using the degrees on the compass, determine your direction and look for a fixed object. Move to it without deviating right or left.” I’m a simple guy and that sounded good to me. This works in our spiritual lives as well. We exchange our own ideas for the values found in the Bible, that’s our compass and map. As we begin to trust God’s principles as fixed markers for navigational aids in life, that’s our known terrain features. And our final destination, to be like Jesus. Now that’s some simple navigation.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Once as a Ranger Instructor I was with a patrol that was moving very quickly through the woods at night. As we glided down the trail in pitch-black conditions I thought to myself, ‘These students really want to get to that patrol base and get some sleep.’ Then there was a problem. We got off the trail and the point man maintained the same speed as previous. Suddenly ranger students were cracking their shins on logs and being whipped in the face by swinging branches, a very painful night movement. Come to find out the point man was using an infrared flashlight and night vision goggles. He could see the light and the obstacles through the NVGs but no one else could. Sometimes as Christians that’s how we lead others, leaving them to stumble in the darkness of mystery as we glide by most of life’s obstacles. Share the light of Jesus!

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ (Jeremiah 29:11)

In all my days of soldiering I must have heard hundreds of Operations Orders. The details of the plan were always meticulously spoken to soldiers ready and willing to carry out their mission. But, we also have a saying, ‘No OP ORDER ever survives the first round fired.’ In other words, as much as we think, prepare, and plan, there are too many unknowns, too many things that can go wrong. The plan usually ends up being salvaged with contingencies and ingenuity. There is no such problem when it comes to the Master’s plan. There are no surprises for God. He is able to plan the intricate patterns of our lives with certainty. This can give us great confidence as we consider His great competence in guiding our lives. Charlie Mike in Jesus!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In August of 1977, I was standing on the parade field at FT. Jackson, SC, and had just graduated Basic Training. Eight weeks of Drill Sergeants and pushups and I made it. I became a soldier and I would never be the same. Two years later, I gave my life to Christ. I submitted my life to His authority, asked Him to forgive me for all my shortcomings, and committed myself to follow Him for the rest of my life. At that point, I became a Christian (a Christ-like one) and since that day, I have never been the same.

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I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)

I remember the first time I heard these words, ‘Stand in the Door.’ I was jumping out of a little mock-up of a C-130 that was only a 2-foot jump into a sawdust pit. But three weeks later I heard those words from the Jumpmaster over the roar of a real C-130 at 1500 ft. Exiting the real door took a little more faith but I had gone through a process of training and it prepared me for the moment. I stood in the door of the aircraft and leaped into the prop-blast with skill and confidence. God has also asked us to pass through certain doors in our lives. Some doors are simple and others are very challenging. But, we must press through them nonetheless. Can you hear Jesus? He says ‘Stand in the Door.’ He has given us the command to ‘Go.’ Stand in the door and take that leap of faith!

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:20-21)

As an instructor at the Air Assault School we would teach soldiers how to rappel from helicopters. Having to practice what we taught, the instructors would always demonstrate the rappel first. About 100 feet above the ground, we would hang out over the edge of the helo and leap backwards into ‘the wild blue yonder.’ We did it hundreds of times. It didn’t take long to gain total confidence in our equipment and technique for descending down the long rope to the ground. It became second nature. That’s where Jesus wants us. To trust in Him completely. To have total confidence in Him. The more we walk with Him, the more our trust in Him can become second nature. ON RAPPEL!

So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. (Acts 24:16)

A rucksack (military backpack) was my main mode of moving supplies for 18 years. In the light infantry, what I owned was on my back. At times my ruck would weigh over 100 pounds. The weight would cause the straps to gouge into my shoulders mile after mile. After I finally stopped and received the command to drop rucks, I would release the cumbersome load and feel as light as a feather. That’s the same kind of feeling we can get when we clear our conscience. When our souls are burdened with a heavy load of guilt, we should repent and ask for forgiveness from God and others. So, through in blood and name of Jesus, “Drop Rucks!”

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

As soldiers we should identify with the metaphor of warfare. We learn about our enemy’s weapons and tactics. We train hard and long to defeat our foes. Yet, there is another war being waged. A spiritual war, a war for our souls. How well do we know our spiritual enemy’s weapons and tactics? Do we realize the battle is won or lost with our daily choices? How hard do we train to resist temptation when it comes our way? Guard the spiritual fronts of your life. Be ever vigilant in prayer and resist the desires that would lead you astray. Fight the good fight.