Author: Chuck & Deb

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3)

I never celebrated a near miss on the rifle range. I wasn’t content with “almost” hitting the target. And, I’m sure if I was satisfied with “close enough,” my time as a sniper would have been extremely short. Sometimes we have a little trouble hitting the target when it comes to self-assessment. We can overestimate our skills or abilities, which can lead to arrogance and eventually failure. We can woefully underestimate ourselves and limit our own potential. Our greatest personal fulfillment will come when we accurately assess our strengths and weaknesses. Our best contributions to the others will be achieved when we have a true sight picture of who we are and what we can do.

He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. (Matthew 8:26)

The rain was coming down in sheets on the M16 range at Ft. Lewis, WA. Normally it just drizzles, but on this day, it was pouring buckets. It was raining so hard the water would splash off the carrying handle of the rifle into the rear site aperture and I couldn’t see my target. It was useless to try to fire so the platoon waited for a break in the weather. We were sitting in the bleachers under a tin cover and the noise was horrendous. One of my fellow rangers in the platoon, who was poking fun at my newfound faith, yelled, ‘Hey, lets get Wood to PRAY that the rain stops.’ Immediately, the rain stopped and there was a deafening silence. All were speechless, myself included. I never again took any grief for being a Christian. Whether it is actual atmospheric conditions or figurative, Christ still calms the storms.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

After 9-11, I heard a woman on the radio say she “wasn’t against the war in Afghanistan but was unwilling to send her own sons.” At first, I was angry and I scolded the talk show caller, “Hey, we are at war and sometimes there are sacrifices to be made.” Then I thought about my own two boys. Am I willing to send my own sons into combat? I trembled at the possibility. Suddenly, I could identify with the lady on the radio. I mean, I was willing to go myself but, what loving parent wants to send his child off to war? The answer, God. The Father was very willing to send His Son into the middle of a spiritual firefight, knowing full well, He wouldn’t make it out alive. And, the Son willingly went to war to secure our eternal freedom through His sacrificial death. Now that puts God’s love into perspective and it compels me to follow Him all the more.

Then some soldiers asked him, ‘And what should we do?’ [John the Baptist] replied, ‘Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely–be content with your pay.’ (Luke 3:14)

Ever wonder what God thinks about our profession? John the Baptist gives us a clue as one of God’s spokesman. He was one of the top prophets of all time (Matthew 11:11). John was in the business of telling people about the coming of Christ and Repentance (getting your life straight). His message was simple, ‘Stop living in sin and start living for God.’ Now you know with a message like that, he’s a straight shooter. John wouldn’t pull any punches if he saw sin in a persons life. But, when some soldiers came to him for advice, notice what he did not tell them. He didn’t say “stop soldiering” as though it were a sin to be a warrior. No, he tells them “don’t abuse your power and carry on (be content with your wages)”. So, Guardian of Freedom, Giver of Liberty, and Keeper of Peace do what’s right and carry on.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.’ (John 4:23-24)

‘Hooah, Air Assault Sergeant!’ That was our reply to the Air Assault Instructor as he informed us we would be doing more push-ups. This was after spending several minutes going though ‘break area’ procedures (Basically a smoke fest intended to get the students attention right from the get go). My arms were starting to look like truck axles as a result of the millions of push-ups I had already done. There may have been one or two kooks in that formation that wanted to do more push-ups but most of us were giving an obligatory ‘Hooah’ just to please the instructor. It was all false motivation. When we practice the rituals and traditions of religion we can fall in to this same attitude. We kind of go through the motions but really our heart is not in it. Attitude Check? Worship in spirit and in truth.

Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Probing for mines was not one of my favorite things to do. It involves sticking the ground with a sharp non-metallic object at a 45 degree angle every two inches until you clear a way through the minefield. It’s slow, tedious and if they’re real mines, DANGEROUS! It’s the lead soldier’s responsibility to find a safe path through the explosive real-estate. That’s what Jesus has done for us. He is the safe path to the other side of a life filled with land mines. He led the way and cleared a course to God. Now it all boils down to our decision to trust Him for this safe passage by following Him.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2)

There’s nothing like a letter from someone who loves you to boost the ol’ soldier’s moral. It didn’t matter whether I was in Kuwait or Korea my wife would send me the greatest letters. I’d carry Deb’s letters around in my green notebook and when I got a chance, I’d whip it out and read again. You know, I never got tired of reading those letters. I still read some of them today. It’s always good to get a letter from some who loves you. God has written us a letter as well. The Bible is God’s letter of encouragement and exhortation to His spiritual warriors. It gives instructions on how we ought to live. But the part I like most is where He tells us how much He loves us and His desires to bless our lives. Hey Soldier, you got a letter from your Father.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

Reality was beginning to sink in when they issued me my Desert Camouflage Uniforms. I was headed to Kuwait and I knew the four-month deployment would be miserable. My brother Mike had just returned from a rotation in the desert and I got a full debriefing. I was forewarned. So instead of viewing it as some torturous expedition, I made up my mind to have a positive attitude. I memorized Philippians 4:8 and repeated it often during the sand storms, heat, bugs, long hours of counseling, monotonous meals, etc. I must say, it was one of the best times of my life. What you think develops an attitude and attitude can change everything.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:36)

He gave no instructions, we just started running. My Samoan Squad Leader was a PT animal. We ran around Abrams Drop Zone and then to the river and started heading for the barracks (about 12 miles). We were relieved and proud that we had accomplished such a physical feat. But, we didn’t stop! The Squad Leader just kept running. We ran right past the barracks as the rest of the company was heading for the showers. What a deflating moment. A few of us hung in there. We would not allow ourselves to quit. We proceeded to run around North Fort and back (another 6 miles). Eighteen miles for Monday morning PT! You know the Christian life is a lot like that run. Sometimes we think we have arrived and then we realize the finish line is still way down the road. Life is not a sprint. We need to be faithful for the long haul. Don’t Quit, Keep Driving On!

Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ (John 11:25-26)

In a moon lit night the swift current of the Nasqually River took control of the 15-man rubber raft. My PSG knew we were out of control and made one last command, ‘Don’t let this thing turn sideways.’ No sooner had he barked out the order, when we hit a massive tree stump in the middle of the river. The raft turned sideways and dumped its contents of rangers into the glacier fed waters. As the other rangers swan free, I was trapped under water, snared in the raft’s rigging. As I tried to untangle myself, I thought, ‘This is it, this is the end.’ Suddenly, the upside-down raft jolted and I was unshackled. I popped out of the water gasping for air. “I’m alive!” I believe this a good picture of what it will be like for us when we experience physical death. We will pop out of the turbulent waters of this life into the next. What an exciting promise to look forward to.