Halfway home...

In answer to the question when will I be home, I am typing this from a hotel in Paducah KY. That means I am halfway home. See y'all in church on Sunday.

More Pics

Me leading daily worship for the protestant chaplains. Not the way the head, arms and guitar seem to float magically in the air (since I am wearing camouflage and you can't see me).
















Another picture of daily worship. Look at those floating heads.












Another classroom shot for you all.













Hopefully I can get some pictures from silver flag up soon. Those are much more fun.

Back from the field

I survived the 5 day field exercise labeled Silver Flag. It was HOT!!!! They sent us out to the field in Tyndle AFB. Our"Hooch" was not air conditioned. It averaged around 100+ degrees every day we were out there. Talk about got. I have lots of stories to tell but the stories will make more sense once I have the pictures a guy was taking. Instead, this post will be about 2 things.

Story #1 (From Silver Flag). One of the scenarios we ran, a guy wanted to talk to a chaplain, so he talked to a friend of mine, but he went "nuts" and shot the chaplain outside and then came it. So, I was in the back of the tent and didn't know the first part. I saw this guy with a gun come to the front of the tent and tell the guard, "GET DOWN!" and I saw the gun. So I yelled "GUN!" and jumped out the back of the tent. I ran to the next tent and asked the engineers if they had any guns. They said no. So I said, "CRAP!" and kept running. I went around the front and and found another few CE guys. I told them, "Hey, there is a bunch of chaplains gettin' shot up in that tent. Can you help me?" (They know its just an exercise.) One of them looked at me and said, "Well, we could give them last rights for you." I replied something to the effect of, "You're no help." Then I was about to try to sneak up on the guy from behind when the exercise ended. What I found out later was that he went in the tent and said, "Who is a chaplain?" One guy raised his hand and got shot. Then, he said again, "Who is a chaplain?" and ANOTHER GUY RAISED HIS HAND!!! One of the instructors said, "When this happens, you yell gun and get down." And I said, "I did yell gun and then I ran." One of the students said, "No you didn't." And the guy with the gun (who later said that I was the one he really wanted to shoot since he knew I was a karate instructor) said, "I heard him say it." The guy who was sitting next to me, said, "I was like, what? A gun? Where? Oh there? That could be a problem. but then it was too late to leave." Shesh! The instructors said they will be telling that story for years.

Story #2. I got promoted to 3rd degree. Pictures to follow. Yeah God!

1/2 way home...

Today is a fairly big day. As of right now there is more time behind me than in front of me (here that is...not in my life). Today marked the half-way point of my time here. Can you believe it has been 3 weeks! I don't know what it's like back home but time is FLYING here.

So, what should I talk about today? The last few days have been really hard here. After the counseling, pre-marital counseling, marriage enrichment counseling (all of which were really fun and really helpful) we moved into 2 days of suicide counseling and today was domestic violence. Monday is sexual assault. I know that this training is good but it was really hard today. They played a tape of a 6 year old girl calling 911 because her dad was basically killing her mom. You couldn't miss the terror in her voice. They also showed us a few pictures. Not pretty.

The part that really infuriated me was the way the pastors in these stories responded. They kept telling these women to go home because "God hates divorce." even after their husbands had beat them and pointed loaded guns at them and told the women they were going to kill them. I thought, surely this is outdated, but then one of the teachers here was talking about doing a workshop with civilian clergy on domestic violence and HALF the pastors in the room said that the woman probably did something to deserve it! I just got sick to my stomach. Also, the way the abusers were using Scripture to justify their beating up their wives was just twisted. I'm not saying I support divorce in cases of abuse...I am just saying that common sense and human decency says "Get her out of that house!" Needless to say, after these last 3 days I am emotionally spent. I really don't feel like I have much left to give. Thank God that today was Friday and I get 2 days away from class (although I do have to write a paper this weekend). What is going on Monday you ask? Sexual assault! That will mark then end of our counseling training.

I will say this, as hard as the last few days have been I am REALLY glad that I got this training. I feel SO much more prepared to deal with these counseling situations than I did a few weeks ago. God forbid that I should ever have to use it, but if I have to, I will be much more able to help people than I otherwise would have been. I don't know how hard it has been on the church to have me gone, but I can tell you, you are getting back a much better youth pastor than you loaned out...there's a whole new picture for "return it in the same shape you borrowed it."

So...things you can pray about. I turned in a project today, I have a paper to write this weekend and an take home (a take hotel test just sounds weird) test for Monday night. In all seriousness, there are days that are better and there are days that are worse and the only thing I can figure is that the better days must be when people are praying for me. We're half-way home. Can't wait to see you all again. Wendy and I (and Grace) really miss everyone...well I guess not everyone. There is that one person...you know who you are. 8-)

Some Pictures

Early morning PT sucks! Thats me in front row 3rd from the last...if you look close you can see my shoes!














Early morning breakfast. That's me on the left. Is that coffee in my hand?! When did that start?












Why do they always put us good looking guys in the front row. This is my classroom and the people I sit with. The mirrors in the back are 2 way so that we don't know when people are watching us. Also, the TV in the back is not for us. There is a big projector screen up front. The TV is in back so the speakers don't have to turn around.

My friend from college found an old roll of film and emailed it to us. This is me, Sophmore year of college, after I cut the mullet was dating Wendy but before we got engaged. Told you I used to drive a bus!

Room to breathe...

Howdy all,
I finally have some room to breathe and to write something quasi-legitimate. Sorry that the posts have been so few and far between but thanks to all who are posting. Since you are commenting, I know that it is worth my time to keep writing in this...even if it is just silly versions of 3 Blind Mice.
Things here are going well but they are really, REALLY busy. We had 50% of the graded projects and tests done in the first 2 weeks! Talk about front loaded! So, what am I doing here all day? Good question. The schedule starts at around 5-6 AM every day. I get up and get my uniform together (or Physical Conditioning uniform if we are doing PT). I grab a quick bite and head to class. Classes run from 7am-5pm every day. Sometimes later. What do we talk about in class? Lots of stuff.
The time here is divided into 3 blocks. Block 1 had a couple of hundred pages of notes. We had classes on: The Military Chaplain, Air Force (AF) Writing, Ministry in a Pluralistic Environment, History of the AF chaplaincy, Privliged communication, Death Casualty Notification, Cultivating the Culture of Airmen, Modeling Ethical Leadership, Special Projects, Military Funerals, Conflict Management, Officer Evaluation System, Mentoring, Doing Global Ministry, Young Adults in the AF, Military Briefings, IDS and CAIB, Religious Accommodation, Jewish Religion, Catholic Religion, Orthodox Religion, Protestant Religion, Islam Religion, Wicca Religion...I'm tired of typing my table of contents. That is about half of the subjects we covered in block 1. It culminated in a big test that I was a little nervous about. But I only missed 3 questions. The best grade in the class was missing 2...so I was right up there. There were only 5 A's in the class...so I felt pretty good about that.
We also do PT about 3 times a week. The first day, they gave us a PT test and I hadn't run since November (except for a hand full of times). About 7 of us were walking around trying not to throw up when we were done (I was successful in this but others were not so lucky). But it goes to show you how good Karate is because I maxed out in Push-Ups (highest in the class) and sit ups (I quit with 10 seconds left to do more). So the run sucked but the rest was ok. Today we went for a little over 2 mile run (2.5?) and I ran the whole thing (Yea me). I have also had a few projects and papers. We also do devotionals every day. I did mine. I play guitar for the other guys as often as they like. Wish I would have brought my music now . We have this one guy who brought his ukulele and he plays with me and 2 other guys. Its really fun actually.
Once we finished the test, we ended block 1 and now we are moving into block 2. I am really excited about block 2. We just finished 3 days of training in pastoral counseling. I LOVED IT! I feel so much more equipped to counsel people who come into my office. The great thing is that this model of counseling was not designed for the military so it will work back in Huxley too! They are also going to train me in PREPARE/ENRICH pre-marital and marital counseling, ASIST suicide counseling and about 4 other "tools" that I can use back home too! While I am really tired because of all the work, it is all really good stuff. I would have to pay a lot of money for all the free training I am getting here.
This block will go for a few more weeks. Then we move into block 3 which is more class room stuff. Around week 5 they will send us out to the field...which means they pretend we are getting deployed to war, go through a mobility line and then get onto a military aircraft and fly down to Florida where we will live in "Tent City" for a week while we do a bunch of fun stuff (confidence courses and things like that) as well as some not so fun stuff (Emergency Counseling, Chemical Attack Response...stuff like that).
So that's what I am doing. But HOW am I doing? Other than tired, pretty good. I really like the guys I am working with. We work really hard but we laugh really hard too. W e talk about such incredibly heavy stuff that when we laugh it feels really good. And some of the guys are just funny...you know how Corey is just funny? There are one or 2 guys that are kind of like that. They aren't quite as funny but they get them in once in a while.
Wendy and Grace are doing great. They spend a lot of time in the pool and with Aunt Jessie and Cousin Lila. Grace is talking more and more every day. She is also dancing a lot. Wendy is doing great too. A little stir crazy but
TDY life (Temporary Duty) is wild. You eat out a LOT which is really fun for the first week and then boring as all get out. You get tired of going to restaurants all the time, and trying to find new ones or get new things from old ones.
Where is God here? Lots of places (obviously, with that whole omnipotence thing). The thing He has been teaching me lately is that I need to evaluate myself between me and him. So much of my life is spent going, "Well, I did better than him, but not as good as him." This is just not a great way of living life. I need to be asking, "Did I do what God asked of me to the best of my ability?" and if I did, who cares how they other guy did?!
Well, this has been a long email. I guess I would close by asking you to pray. Pray that Grace and Wendy wouldn't get too stir crazy and that I would get a second wind. I am tired. Thanks for praying and for reading this mini-novel.

I was amused...

For your reading pleasure.

3 Blind Mice (in Christianese)

A Triumvirate of optically deficient rodents.
Observe how they perambulate.
They all perambulated after the horticulturist's spouse,
Who removed their posterior appendages with a culinary instrument.
Have you every observed such a visual phenomenon in your cumulative metabolic process
as a triumvirate of optically deficient rodents

Day one...

Well, we made it here safe and sound. The drive was mostly uneventful. We drove to the far side of Nashville the first day and then drove the rest of the way on day 2. The room is nice. Small but nice. Grace did awesome!
Day one was mostly orientation. I am in a class of 21 other guys. There are a few Catholic priests and a smorgasboard of protestant preachers. Of course us youth pastors found each other pretty quick. I am the academic officer for our class, which means that I collect the homework from the class and turn it in. So those people who don't do their homework get harassed by Lt Casciato. Not a pleasant prospect I can assure you. . They are absolutely blasting us with information. It's kinda like trying to drink from a fire-hose. Doesn't feel all that safe but...WHHHEEEEEEEE!!!
So I found God on the way down here (I hate it when I misplace Him). Figure the odds, He was in McDonalds. We stopped at a McDonalds in Missouri (I think it was MO anyway...all the states kinda run together). Anyway, we told Grace that if she ate good, Daddy would take her into the play land. She was a little small for it so I took her in. We climbed up to the second level in those plastic tubes. Grace looked down and saw Mommy WAY down there. Then we went to go down the slide. But Grace was in the wrong arm. (Can you believe that they don't make them big enough for 29 year old Daddys who haven't been working out? I know, how rude.) So anyway, I couldn't wiggle into the tube with her in my arm. So I went to put Grace in my other arm so I could use the arm she was currently in to wiggle into the tube. But I couldn't switch arms because SHE wouldn't let go of me. She was so scared she had locked on to me and wouldn't let go. I told her, "It's ok. Daddy got you." She said, "Yeah," and rather reluctantly allowed me to pry her arm off me. I switched her to the other arm, wiggled into the tube and we slid down together. She squeeled the whole way down. When we got to the bottom it was time to go. Wendy took her to the bathroom to change her diaper. When they came out, Wendy told me that in the bathroom, Grace had told her, "It's ok. Daddy got you." Wendy figured that it was something I had said to her.
Where I found God in all that story is thus. It's a hard thing to come to a school like this. There is a lot of pressure. It's also hard to leave things behind. It's hard to leave the ministry behind, not to mention my friends and students whom I love with my whole heart. Sometimes, I am tempted to grab hold with all I've got and not let go. Yet the whole time, the truth of the matter is that God is trying to take me somewhere. He is trying to switch me to the other hand because He has some amazing ride for me. The whole time, He is saying, "It's ok. Daddy got you." The question then for me is do I have my daughter's courage? Am I willing to (joyfully or at least reluctantly) let Him pry my arm off His so that he can take me on this grand adventure. Furthermore, am I willing to remember those times that He did take care of me, and then the next time I am scared tell myself and others, "It's ok. Daddy got you." Father, grant me my daughter's courage.

The Begining

This is my first effort and any kind of consistent blog. I blog on the Myspace whenever I get thoughts worth sharing but this one is a little different. Given the upcoming Chaplain school, I thought that I would use this to post some pictures and blog about what is going on so that those who care, can keep up with what I am doing/learning and see what God is teaching me. I actually have no idea how much time I will have to write in this but I intent to update it as often as possible. I may write once more before I leave but really this is for after I am gone.