It's amazing how quickly a "good" thing can become an object of scorn.
When I was first deployed to the Transit Center at Manas, I was amazed by the relative luxury of my surroundings. No Army tents. No Air Force tents either. No, not for me! I was staying in a hard billett. For thos...
As a Chaplain, and as a Pastor, I get to talk to many people. Hold it! Scratch that.
As a Chaplain, and as a Pastor, I work diligently to listen to people. In fact, I find talking easier than intently and actively listening to someone. To ...
For this Sunday, I've been studying Proverbs 31, verse 10 through the end of that chapter. I'm going to preach on "Godly Character," particularly as it applies to women. Hey! It's Mother's Day! Even on deployment, at a military base, the day is not lost nor forgot...
After our Honeymoon in June, 1990, I moved into Marianne's home, apartment B, at 2460 Highland Rd in Dallas. Maybe it wasn't an apartment. Perhaps it was a modified shoebox. It certainly wasn't any larger than that!
The only problem was fitting our f...
In the last day, I've begun to receive messages from a friend who is riding his motorcycle from Rockwall, Texas, to Big Bend National Park. I find myself fascinated at such a trek. I'm reading his blog, gazing at his pictures on my iPhone, and wondering what those wide-open spaces, with t
I'm torn. I admit, my heart goes in several directions when it comes to worship styles. Perhaps it is because of my own experience. Raised in the Lutheran church, I worshipped in two set ways: p. 5 and p. 15 of THE Lutheran Hymnal (TLH). Then, just before I left NC for NY to go to ...
When I reached my new home for the next 6 months -- in Kyrgyzstan -- I was given my key and told that I would be living in the "Senior Leadership Dorm." Huh? Who? Me? Senior?
Recently, I had problems with my tonsils. Typically, one has tonsillitis when y...
This morning -- my first full Sunday in Kyrgyzstan since I arrived last Sunday -- I preached on Jeremiah 1:4-10. It's the "call" of Jeremiah to be a prophet, a Divine spokesman, to the people of God. Even though God assures Jeremiah that He knows precisely who He is calling (&q...
I'm up to chapter 16 in the book, Big Russ and Me by Tim Russert, the former anchor for the TV program, "Meet the Press." The opening chapters are fascinating, as Tim recounts his father's WWII experience, and what he had subsequently learned about his Dad's military s...
I found an excellent interview of a military chaplain by Krista Tippett, the host of National Public Radio's series, "Speaking of Faith."
If you're interested in what ministry to the military is like, take the time to listen. Follow the link below to listen online or dow...
