There's A War On

From It's Like Herding Cats

It's hard to tell we're at war most of the time, even in a military community like this one. We don't see much of what the preparations are even though we know they are going on. We don't get a running total of the cost.

But I saw part of it yesterday. In a fifth grade classroom.

The day was part of my sprint toward teacher certification. My task was to observe a teacher all day, noting the way she interacted with her students, how her lesson plan played out, and how the students reacted. It was about what I remembered from every elementary classroom I've been in - mine, the boys - every one.

Except for Meg. (name changed for privacy reasons)

Since I was supposed to be part of the furniture, I had borrowed a desk chair from one of the kid's stations and stuffed myself in the far back corner. Next to Meg, it turned out. She was new - had been here one week. Was a member of a military family who had moved here from Germany. And her Dad was leaving yesterday.

Meg had cried all last week off and on, the teacher said. She cried all morning yesterday.

It wasn't the work - when the teacher came back and sat down with her, she praised Meg for what she had done, made adjustments in areas she was lagging in, and assigned her a "buddy" (the girl who had moved here last before Meg it turned out) to help her.

Meg's world had changed - was changing - and it seemed to me that all that... broke her heart.

So I know that DOD cost overruns are awful, and I get what you are saying about defense as a % of our nations GDP. Oh, and I know that there are people out there we have to stand up to and prevent from enslaving people, taking away rights, taking lives.

But the next time you wonder what being at war costs, think about all the children like Meg. Her silent tears broke my heart.

A Thrill and An Honor

Had a great time Saturday afternoon welcoming J.C. Roberts home from Iraq. We had several New Hope folks who went out with us to provide a welcome home backdrop behind Pam's exited rush to welcome her loving husband home. It took a minute but he actually did notice us. :)

After over ten years it never gets old to Bunny and me. The opportunity God gave us to work with and serve such special people like JC and Pam is the gift that keeps on giving. Having a small part in supporting our nation's military and their families is an incredible blessing. I still look up when the planes go over and run outside to look if there's one that sounds different - hoping that it will be one of the new F-35s or even one from another nation. It happens - we had Toronado's here once, an Israeli Kafir, even a Mig 29. From my office I can here as the base plays the Star Spangled Banner at the end of the day over the loudspeakers. When you go out to eat, you are frequently surrounded by people in uniform. Just a great place.

While J.C. was gone, all of us at New Hope tried to constantly hold him close to the Lord in prayer, and also tried to be available for whatever Pam and Jamie might need. When someone is putting his life on the line for you everyday, it's the least you can do to pray for him. Every time we met as a group, we prayed. I even put wallpaper on my laptop of a Combat Talon C130 (as well as an MC-22 Osprey for Scott Marston,who's in Afghanistan) as a reminder to pray. His handshake on his arrival was all the reward I needed. He was home!

Today he came in and presented me with this case containing a flag and a certificate attesting to the fact that the flag had been carried aloft on a Combat Talon 1 mission over Iraq and was presented to "Pastor David Wilson." Tears welled up. For him to think of me as deserving of something like that was an unbelievable honor. It is the coolest gift I have ever received and one that I will treasure forever. If the house catches on fire, it and the Bible my Mother carried in WW2 are leaving with me.

If you have never lived in a military community, you have really missed out. It's filled with people as brave and as generous as JC and Pam. Bunny and I are so blessed. Thank you J.C. and Pam.

What exactly is courage?

We live in a military community where men and women leave here to go in harms way to "protect and defend." They do so leaving behind their families and loved ones.

When Erin Harrington (pictured below with Bunny) came to piano Monday afternoon, she came holding a tiny American flag that the Red Cross had given her. Erin, her mom Karen, and big brother Jonathan had just come back from seeing dad, Major Sean Harrington off as he left for a deployment to Afghanistan.


Don't be fooled by that sweet smile (either of them :) )

Courage. She has it.

Taking Chance

We're going to need more tissues.

They also serve

There's so much to see in this picture.

Let's Say Thanks To Our Troops

Great opportunity at Christmas!

Xerox is sending postcards drawn by schoolkids FREE to our troops for Christmas. This is a tough time of year to be deployed away from family and friends so lets all take a minute and send our thanks.

Contextualization

Valparaiso is a military town. Today I watched an airshow over my office. Tomorrow I'll probably do it again. With two fighter wings based here, a test wing, and Duke field nearby, we get to see almost every airplane in the inventory, and every now and then some from foreign nations.

It's not unusual on Wednesday night to have someone show up in their BDU's (soon to be ACU's). Lots of retired military lost of contractors. Okaloosa County is politically the most conservative county in the nation.

I've been rereading Ed Stetzer's work "Breaking the Missional Code". I've also been reading Redeemer Presbyterians' Church Planting Manual. My hope in doing that was to gather some insight into the best way to connect with the unchurched here. Sunday night the theme in worship was "Sent To Serve" and I tried to make the point that Jesus was seen with the worst kinds of people. We on the other hand are concerned with getting people like us.

One of the things we did as we transitioned was to relax the dress code here. It started the week after VBS when I kept wearing my khakis and Hawaiian shirts. That was 4 years ago. I'm wondering though if we didn't go just a little bit too far. If we had shirts with logos on them then possibly we could project a more "disciplined" image in a culture that might put that on their list of unspoken values.

Then too, we might need to project that as a "first impression". Giving greeters either vests or shirts might help as well.

The military influence is very strong. Maybe we've missed a chance to sync up and be more effective in drawing them in and keeping them.

Ideas?

Ministering To People Who Relocate Frequently

Located outside Eglin AFB, a little east of Hurlbert Field and just south of Duke Field, we have more military here than anywhere I've ever known. The number of relocations by those people within their careers put unique stresses on their families. Here's a good article about ministering to people who relocate that has some insight into anyone's context where there's a high "churn" rate.

Ministering To "Relos" HT The Suburban Christian

Military Families Need Our Help

I can never remember a time when I didn't love airplanes. My parents worked at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, GA, so growing up I was around them all the time. I had models of planes everywhere, drew planes in class, and was totally geeked out on being a pilot in the Air Force. God had other plans.

Maybe part of that plan was placing me here outside Eglin Air Force base as a pastor to minister to families, many of whom are or have been military. My office sits directly under one of the main runway's approach and takeoff lanes, so on a good day I might see and especially hear 30 take offs and landings by the best pilots in the world.

I was never military, so it's been a learning curve understanding the lingo, the culture, and the unique stresses a military family goes through. We've had families come to New Hope and then be reassigned to other places. We've had men deployed in war zones and have prayed for them, sent care packages, and winced every time we heard of another casualty.

Today I found a wealth of information on how a church like New Hope can do a better job of reaching out in love and service to military families. Here's an excerpt from this great blog. Ministering To Military Familes Bookmark it, or put it in your reader. This is a keeper.

Provide security—Military families relocate frequently, with no relatives living nearby. Spouses of deployed personnel need someone who will be a friend, calling and visiting frequently to check on family needs. Take a military spouse out to a movie or dinner. Invite a military family into their homes regularly to develop deeper friendships.

Provide home and auto assistance—When a spouse deploys for several months, mechanical problems involving the house, appliances, and cars arise. Church members with experience can volunteer to provide repairs at little or no cost. A church could compile and distribute a list of members willing to offer their services to these families.

Provide child care—Almost all of our military service families are in the child bearing and child rearing years. When a parent is deployed, the remaining parent is responsible for everything. A little free time can mean the difference between coping with life or losing it. Provide childcare occasionally while a parent relaxes or runs errands.

Provide youth involvement—Teenagers represent a valuable asset to the families of deployed personnel. Mowing or raking yards, doing odd jobs, and even helping with child care issues by babysitting can be a big help to these families. Another good way responsible and spiritually mature teens can help is by becoming a big brother or sister to children who are missing Mom or Dad. Just showing up for their ball games or school events can be a great source of joy to both the child and the teen.

There's lots more there - a real treasure. Anyone near a military base needs to grab this one.

David