How Much Did Rumsfeld Know?

How Much Did Rumsfeld Know? - TIME

This is somewhat disheartening. I have no reason to doubt LTG Sanchez's account here.

Then again, why has this not been picked up by other news outlets? 

Military Action with what Army?

U.S. Weighing Readiness for Military Action Against Iran

While I think Iran is trying to goad us into some sort of open fight, it would be a mistake to grant them their desire.

It is clear that they feel some pressure, the US has troops in two separate countries along their border.  So right now they are responding the only way they can, through a proxy-war via the insurgents in Iraq and harassment in the Strait of Hormuz.

Again, just because the US military is capable of successfully prosecuting a conflict does not mean we should.  Right now, the has to be other options available for dealing with Iran.

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General Assembly

It will be nice to go to the PCA General Assembly this year.  It is going on from 11-13 June with a couple of days for Chaplain training.  I have missed the last couple years because of my deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I'll be able to catch up with folks from seminary, other Chaplains, pastors and friends from my home presbytery in MD.  Now that I am back on the ground and relatively back to "normal," I can focus and getting up to speed on my denominations issues.

I miss the connectedness of being involved in a regular presbytery.  I may change to the Texas presbytery but as soon as that is down, I will be moving to a new unit and in all liklihood, a new post.  Plus, with multiple deployments in my future, being a regular member of presbytery is difficult at best.  It is hard to stay on top of issues within the presbytery and denomination where a considerable amount of thought is requored to reach an informed opinion.

Still, being back in a restful environment with like-minded people will be a nice change, even though it is only for a few days.

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Still Here

I am still here. The heat is coming back to LSA Anaconda and we should be into the 110's by the end of the week.

My unit is still waiting on offical word regarding the Secretary of Defense's announcement last month regarding extensions. The morale here is good but I think part of that has to do with the fact we can see the end of our time here.

Everyone is still focused on mission and I am preparing to go back the Forward Operating Base TAJI this week. I was there in October of last year. Now this is a follow-up visit to check on the team and see how they are getting along and their needs, if any. Also, I have several Chaplain buddies that are posted there. It will be nice to see them again.

We all went to Chaplain's Basic together and the Ft. Hood. I left about 5 months earlier than they did and have not seen a couple of them in close to a year now. We have tried to stay in touch by e-mail but our consistency has been poor. Man, it is going to be nice to see some old friends again.

Serving in Iraq

I have several posts to put up here. The long and the short of it is that I am currently deployed to Iraq and doing my best to take care of Soldiers.

After I check my reports for security issues I will post them.

About this time last year I started the Chaplain's Basic Course. Now I am with my first unit, a veteran of a foreign war and a father all in one year. Very quick year and this deployment is passing quickly too.

Update

It has been awhile since I have had an opportunity to write. I have gotten my orders for the Army and will begin Basic in a couple weeks. There are some pictures I am going to post and more news to print but I wanted to give a brief update regarding what is going on.

I'll post again soon.

The Ordination Service

Sunday night was my ordination service at my home church. Now that I have been cleared by the Army and passed my exam on the floor of Presbytery, this was the last official act before I could become a Teaching Elder in the PCA.

The service itself was great. Our Pastor spoke about Heroes from the 2 Samuel 23:8-17. After the sermon was the actual ordination and charge for the ministry. I hope that I will be able to get a copy of the message and charge so that I will be able to listen to them periodically.

I wish that my mother could have seen me become a pastor. Dad was able to be there though and he has now gone back into the hospital for the second round of chemotherapy.

These pictures are what my friends did to my car after the service. They have been walking alongside me through this whole process which has taken years, from my first class in seminary to my ordination this past Sunday. The only phrase that may require some explanation is in the picture below. "Ask me about sacramental union." This is somewhat of an inside joke as that was the only question that was asked of me by the presbytery members (apart from the Credentials Cmte. members who examined me). The question about Sacramental Union came from my good friend Pastor Chris, one of the Associate Pastors at our church. I knew he was going to ask at least one question but when I was telling the story, some my friends took it upon themselves to have some fun at his (and now my) expense. He told me later that he was "getting the reputation as 'Pastor Meanie'" for asking me a question at Presbytery. To be quite honest, I thought I would have gotten more questions but I am thankful that I did not.

All in all, a very good night. One that I will remember for a lifetime.

The Tiger Strikes Again

Ahhhhh. One of my all-time favorite comic strips. The whole Calvin and Hobbes universe, every comic, for $150.

Christmas is on the way.

ESPN.com - NCF - Opponents seeing red over Iowa's pink locker room

Another piece of bizarre news. Why do people get so worked up over something so trivial. The country is a war and folks are getting upset over the color of a University locker room. And what is worse, people who do not like what is being said are threatening the those who want to change the color.

What is the country coming too?

School Defends its Decision on "Intelligent Design"

Even if you are a hard Church/State sepratist, how is teaching "Intelligent Design" alongside "Evolution" an endorsement of religion.

It would seem to me that if you do not teach both you are in fact endorsing the faith of atheism. Why is it not "inhibiting the free practice" of religion when the government allows only evolution to be taught which is making a religious statement.

Teaching both should make everybody happy.

Ordination Update

I passed my exams on the floor of Presbytery and I got a call from the Army that they are ready to take me. So, this coming Sunday, Oct. 2nd, I will be ordained as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. It has been a long time coming and has also been alot of work. My wife and I are both looking forward to the service and getting on with ministry.

Also, my Dad officially has "complete remission" of AML. He will still go back to the hospital for the consolidation round and, Lord willing, that will be the end of it. With everything that has happened this summer it has been nice change to have good news.

Baseball Chapel Leader Suspended

Nationals Suspend Chapel Leader

Great, I should have known that this would be the response. In a climate of "political correctness" and always trying to say the right thing, a chaplain gets suspended for nodding his head.

When Ryan Church, an outfielder for the Washington Nationals, asked if his Jewish friends were "doomed," the chaplain simply nodded his head. It is the right response for someone who believes and teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all "doomed" apart from Him. Everyone. Not just Jews but all people because no one keeps the commandments that God has made. If Jesus is not our substitute, then we are going to be judged by God for breaking His Law. The Chaplain's answer to the question is correct. If you are Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Druid, whatever, apart from Jesus Christ we are "doomed."

Now, I do not know why, I have not seen any evidence to the contrary, but it seems to me that only the Christians are called out about statements such as this. If Jews or Muslims are consistent with their faith then they too believe that anyone who believes differently from them are damned. As a protestant, the Catholics believe and have taught since the Council of Trent that all protestants are going to hell because we are not part of the "true church," the Roman Catholic Church. These groups are wrong but I do not have a problem with them saying these things and they have for centuries.

It is a place to begin a dialogue about faith. The Chaplain said the same thing that anybody who has read Genesis, Deuteronomy, John, Acts, and Romans and believes what they teach would say. The Bible is clear, apart from the Child of the promise, Jesus Christ, salvation can be found in no other.

Ordination Trials

Today I finally passed my ordination exams for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). This was the second time I went before the committee that examines men seeking to become pastors. Half of my exam was sustained (meaning I passed) last month and today, the parts that I did not excel in then, I met the committee's expectation today.

So now I am one step closer to becoming a chaplain. Saturday, I go before the whole presbytery to complete my ordination exams. Hopefully there will not be to many questions from the floor. In any case, there is, at long last, light at the end of this tunnel.

Summer Reading

Not too long ago I finished reading the most recent Harry Potter novel The Half Blood Prince. With the way my summer has gone, it was a nice distraction to catch up reading years 3-6 in the Hogwarts world.

I still do not know where I fall in the Severus Snape debate. Without giving to much away, the 6th book really muddies the waters with regards to his guilt or innocence as a Death-Eater. Anyway, the curious can check out all things Harry Potter at the Harry Potter Lexicon website. It could possibly be more information than you really want to know. Enter at you own risk as it could lead to many wasted hours in the wizarding world.

Michael Yon : Online Magazine

This is a very interesting blog by an imbedded reporter in Iraq. The "Gates of Fire" post is jaw-dropping. Quite a vivid picture of the fight in Mosul, Iraq and modern urban combat.

Gametime Over Weekend

Well, I did get in a game over the weekend but not Panzer Command but the Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit #2 (ASLSK2). The scenario was Ambitious Assault (S9). It has American paratroopers taking on Italians in some urban terrain with British reinforcements coming on in the last half of the game.

All in all a great scenario. It came down to the last Defensive Fire by the allies but the remaining Italians (most had either broken or were KIA) held tough and eeked out a win. Only two squads were still in good order by the end of the game while the allies were just about untouched (only lost a British squad and an American half-squad) and were mostly in good order. Poor shots by the allies at the end coupled with good morale check rolls for the axis brought the victory for the much bloodied Italians.

The two pictures are both from the game end. The one highlights the whole board and shows the movement of the forces over the course of the game (Allies in Red). The other shows where the pieces were at the end and also shows how much fire was brought to bear with little effect against the grey colored Italian squads.

This scenario is definitely worth keeping and using to show how to move in ASL as well as conducting a defense with few quality assets. Very fun.

How the game progressed 

Back to History

I wanted to note that as September approaches, we are nearing the 66th anniversary of the onset of WWII in Europe. I do not think that any other human conflict in history has had as great an impact on how we see the world than this one.

As someone who is interested on conflict simulation (or wargaming), this has to be one of the most written about and gamed subjects in that community. I have not found very many games or books that discuss the early war but it is a topic I am interested in.

On other fronts (?) my life is settling into days of study and driving my dad back and forth for his various check-ups at the hospital. I hope that the cancer will be gone by the time I am inducted into the service. It would also be nice to have a little time to spend in my hobby. Maybe I can get a couple hours later this week. Perhaps I will pull out the old Panzer Command series and play the campaign in Poland that is depicted above.

Catch up

Things are still go, go, go. My dad has come home from the hospital and thankfully responded to the chemo treatments very well. "A textbook patient," his doctor said.

This is a great relief to our family. I hope that as we complete the second round that it will indeed by the last one and he will be cured.

It also looks like I will still be in the area until January. My paperwork for the Army did not get to the Chief of Chaplains Office until it was too late. The next board is set for 20 Sept. and that will be after the September Chaplain Officer's Basic Course (CHOBC) has started. At least I will be around to help Dad through the second round.

I also will need the time to complete my ordination exams for the PCA. Half of my exams were sustained (meaning I passed) but I need to do half of them over. My next meeting with the committee is set for mid-September. I hope that I will pass the remaining portions of the exam so that I will at least have the news that I will be ordained before Dad goes back into the hospital.

I will be so glad when this is all over.

Nothing Like Letting Half a Year Go By

Where do I begin? Here it has been over six months since my last entry and my whole world has been turned upside down. In an almost "you name it, it's happened to me" kind of way, my whole world has changed.

After recovering from the "car" incident, I was able to pick up a temporary job as a painter. I have continued to look for full time employment in ministry but have been unable to find a church that would give me a call to the ministry. As my wife and I prayed and talked about this, she took it upon herself to contact the US Army Chaplaincy Corps for opportunities. They contacted us and to make a long story longer, we are in the process of joining the Army as a chaplain. I do not know why we did not think of this before but God has really moved in our hearts and we are both looking forward to this tremendous opportunity.

But the past several weeks have been very challenging. My father went into the hospital with chest pain on the right-side of his body (not heart related as we found out), and we discovered that he has AML (a type of Leukemia). After my father was released and we were preparing to fight the AML, my mother had a massive heart attack and died. One of the hardest things I have had to do is comfort my father in the emergency room and watch my mom's heart stop beating. This happened just over two weeks ago.

I gave the eulogy at her service and the next day, we took Dad to the hospital to begin chemotherapy treatments. Needless to say this has put my faith to the test. Do I really believe in the God of the Bible? Do I really believe in His Son? I can now answer without hesitation: absolutely!

Having gone through all of the physical preparation for the Army and the mental preparation for my ordination exams, this emotional shock has forced me to look at my faith under the surface. Did I believe in the truths of the Bible that I had preached to other people? As much as my Mom's death hurts and watching Dad get chemo to kill the cancer (and all that entails), I think these events have put into sharp focus what I and my parents believe.

While I do question the timing of all these things, I trust that God knows what He is doing. I am thankful that He has the control and that I do not.

So there it is. There is even a possibility that I could get shipped off to basic before Dad gets home from the hospital (the timing is close but I think I will still be here). I need to finish my written exams and paper so I can proceed to the oral examination for ordination. When it rains it pours.