Trip to Tennessee

You can ask people who know me and they will tell you that I will speak of how proud I am to be a Tennessee hillbilly. I grew up in those beautiful mountains of East Tennessee. Opportunities to return home always recharge me and fill me with bittersweet memories of friends and place that I don't often get to visit. But this past week my family and I were able to return home for a short time. We traveled through Kingsport down to Dayton to visit friends from my former parish. I spent Wednesday with the JROTC at Rhea Central Highschool to say thank you for their phenomenal support for my work in Kirkuk during my deployment. They where instrumental in the collecting and mailing of thousands of cases of Little Debbie cakes to my deployed location for the troops and airmen manning the Airbase.

I spoke with all five classes showing them some picture of the places and people in Kirkuk and then spoke of the general mission and the work of chaplains in a deployed location. I truly enjoyed my time with them. There are some very sharp young people there, many of whom are planning to enter military service this summer and fall. I believe our military will benefit from having them.

I want to thank M&T for having us down. It was truly great to see old friends. I am very proud of Little T who is giving success a whole new definition. This young man is blowing college away and already is developing a reputation with certain government leadership as someone worth listening to and depending upon.

I stopped by and saw my friend Kevin at his cafe Jacob Meyers Deli. It was great when I left over two years ago. It has only gotten better. They have now installed a great cappuccino machine. I truly urge that if you pass through Dayton, to enjoy this stop downtown as one of the highlights that Dayton has to offer. It was sad though to see how Dayton seems to be in a time of downsizing. Many local businesses have closed up including our favorite place for dinner at the Western Sizzler. But word has it that TVA is bringing in lots of folks so property values are starting to rise and I suspect businesses will be coming back if so. Spring City has changed a great deal and is looking great. I am also proud of the work that Manny has down with the local YMCA. It is looking great too.

I think that one of the highlights of the trip was to visit with the Engel family. I was honored to do a baptism for one of the children in the family. I presented them with coins from Andrews AFB where I am stationed. I presented the couple who were most instrumental in starting the collection of Little Debbie cakes for Kirkuk with a flag flown during one of our medivacs from Kirkuk to Ballad. It was a special moment and bittersweet for I find that I truly miss these people. They were a blessing to my ministry in Rhea County, continued to bless my ministry in Kiruk, and are a true blessing to all they work with and who call them friends. I wish I could always have parishes filled with Christian servants like these.

Passing back through Tennessee, I spent a day with my mother taking a few hours to run an old mountain trail that I used to run in college. I miss that too. I'm still a bit stiff and sore. Being 40 isn't like being 30. Who knew?

We also made sure to hit the Super Walmart while in town. We have shopping in DC, but the stores are usually trashed and it is very difficult to find tasteful items that are not hanging damaged on the rack. Plus people are just rude to one another here. So we took advantage of good old fashioned southern shopping and laid in the clothes and some other things for the kids. All in all a good trip to the store.

Remembering the Blue Angels

I have had the privilege to twice see the Blue Angels in action. Some years ago, while I was in the Navy, I saw them perform in Tennessee. Last year I saw them perform here at Andrews during our Joint Service Open House. The picture to the left is offered as a tribute to their service.

My prayers and condolences go to the family of the angel lost today and to his teammates.

Assigned to Arlington National Cemetary

I have the official word. My nomination to Arlington National Cemetery has been approved. I'll be transferring there toward the end of the summer.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/

Lots of stuff is in the air these days. I'm to have a wisdom tooth out in a few weeks. One finally decided to move after sitting still for 40 years.

It was a sad week for us here. We bid farewell to a one tremendous commander who past away over the weekend. This man was truly an outstanding person, someone I looked up to as an example of leadership and quiet Christian confidence. My wife and I had his family, and several of our chaplains, and the man's commanding officer over for Easter dinner. These opportunities to get involved and make a difference truly make it worth while to be part of this ministry. Once again my wife did an outstanding job putting together a first class meal for 20 folks. We all have our giftedness and our vocations for service. Together, we make a difference to one another.

I just returned from the ASF, the unit in the hospital that takes care of the wounded returning from over seas. I had quite a bit of opportunity for visitation and counseling tonight. I truly admire the Red Cross volunteers who are always there. Some of those volunteers seem as if they live there.

There is a great deal I'll miss about Andrews. I'll miss the 5 minute drive to work, especially fighting DC traffic to get to Virginia. I'll miss the incredible team I work with here at Andrews from our chapel staff to the folks in the units. I'll miss the great diversity in opportunities to reach out to our servicemembers and rub shoulders with them. I'll miss visiting with the wounded and leading my worship service.

But Arlington opens up new avenues for ministry. It provides the opportunity to honor those who have served their nation well and to comfort loved ones as they bid the family member goodbye. As a Christian chaplain I feel that I and my fellows have something to say about death. O grave where is your sting? O grave where is your victory? There is reason for hope and that reason is tremendous.

Today, I was asked to do an invocation for one of our Master Sergeants who was retiring after 22 years of faithful service. Being a Christian, he asked me to share a Christian witness and prayer. I spoke briefly from 1 Corinthians about the giftedness of folks and then prayed with thanksgiving for how God has used this man and his gifts to serve his nation and asked God to bless his continued life with service. This man gave a bold witness to the role that his faith has played in his life and his service. It was a true honor to share this moment and to be asked to speak to him, his family, and his friends.

Holy Week at Andrews

This has been a special week for me. As a Christian, this week holds special significance as we celebrate the holy days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and tomorrow Easter. I conducted two Good Friday services. A shorter devotion at noon focusing on Psalm 22 and envisioning the cross, and later in the evening a Tenebrae service. The Tenebrae is one of my favorite services throughout the year. Tomorrow I'll be up early for our 6am sunrise service and will be conducting the Easter celebration for my regular morning service.

I spent quite a bit of time this week working on preparations for the upcoming airshow, the Joint Service Open House. We look to have a substantial chaplain presence there for the public to learn more about what the various Chaplain Services bring to the fight.

I've also been fairly engaged in caring for a family whose child has been very sick. We are celebrating that the news has been good this week.

Debbie, my wife, has been working very hard, especially today. We are going to have several of our staff over for dinner tomorrow afternoon including some family of one of our folks who is very sick in the hospital. My wife has an incredible spirit of giving and is hugely gifted in the art of cooking. She is a true support of my ministry in so many ways. She makes me much better at what I do that I could ever be by myself.

The week has also been a big one as I received some big news. I have been given a new assignment. While the assignment is official, I'm going to wait a bit to announce where and when I am going. But I've known about the possibility since even before I returned home from the desert because I was told I was being nominated for this particular assignment which only a few Air Force chaplains have the opportunity to do. Being a special duty assignment, it has its pluses and its challenges.

I wasn't looking for an assignment. My plan was to finally settle in without facing long TDYs or deployments for a bit of time so that I could invest some time in leading my congregation and interfacing with my squadrons at a deeper level. And I truly enjoy being part of this team. The pace is quick but it is a true joy going to work each day. However, as the saying goes, "flexibility is the key to airpower". I think this new assignment will be just as rewarding for a number of reasons including the big one of knowing and enjoying who I will be working with.

Andrews Ministry

As I wrote before, I was back into the saddle after a couple of weeks off to get used to not being in a war zone, though DC has some similarities. The horse quickly took off at a gallop. I am in the final stages of getting my new office ready over in the Civil Engineering squadron. I'm truly looking forward to being in the midst of these fine folks.

I am once again working on organizing our chapel team's presence at the Joint Service Open House this next year. We hope to be holding our joint Protestant service out on the flight line this time. I have to say that our chaplains and enlisted personnel are truly making a fine and effective team thanks to the hard work of our leaders. My fellow chaplains and staff are a joy to work with. I look forward every day to going to work. I enjoy their sense of humor but also their dedication and commitment to excellence. I especially appreciate that we can depend on each other in our working together to get the mission accomplished. Couple this with some truly fine and outstanding folks coming to our services and the powerful opportunities for service to our airmen and you have the best job in the Air Force. Our team is starting to make our vision happen for the chapel to be the focal point for spiritual growth and wellness.

Last week we hosted the National Prayer Luncheon with the Air Force Chief of Chaplains. He gave a tremendous message. I truly believe the event was a blessing to all in attendance.

Last Friday night I felt as though I was reconnecting to my ministry in the desert. I was at the ASF, the medical facility that receives the wounded. I visited with every one of those who spent the night with us, some briefly and some for more extended periods of time. While I have done this before, and there are similarities to the hospital ministry I had in Cincinnati, I look at the experience a bit differently now having been at the side of wounded men and women in an emergency facility in the middle of the war. These truly are American heroes. I am very proud of the job that my fellow Air Force personnel do in providing care to these wounded troops. It is nothing short of outstanding. I'll be there again tomorrow night visiting with whoever is spending the night with us.

I've been giving a tickle that I could be looking at a new assignment in the next six months or so. That's all I can say right now, but I've come to trust God's direction and provision over the years.

Back in the saddle again

This week I returned to work after a very nice 14 days of rest and recuperation following my recent deployment to Iraq. It was good for the entire family as I was able to not only spend some good quality time with my wife but also with my children.

Today I had my first service with the parish I've been assigned to oversee. It was good to see these people once again. They gave me a very warm welcome home. There are a bunch of great folks out there. Mostly retired military with a good representation of our Andrews folks, they have been very dedicated to attending services.

I presented my wife a flag during the service which was flown on a medivac from Kirkuk during my deployment as a thank you for her work with getting Little Debbie cakes to the desert. I made sure our EMEDS folks stayed well supplied.

I've got several projects already on the burner for this spring including an upcoming Ash Wednesday service and coordinating our chapel response for the Joint Service Open House, a huge airshow sponsored by Andrews. I will say that life is so much nicer this time around compared to last year. We were so short staffed last year that I felt like a chicken running around with his head cut off. It is nice to be fully staffed for a change. We've got a good mixture of diversity, but I think we make a good team. I look forward to working more closely with some of the new faces.

In the States

I made it home from the Middle East Saturday evening. It was truly a strange feeling being at home that first night. It was so good to see my family. I'll never forget walking through the passage way of BWI and seeing them standing there and how my two girls ran to meet me. It had been a long few days. We left Kirkuk on a straight flight to Qatar, which was very nice because many flights out bounce you around all over the AOR picking up people. My assistant and I had been somewhat concerned because we didn't get confirmation of flights until the last minute. But it all came together thanks to someone checking on it for us. We spend a couple of evenings in Qatar. Not much to do down there. We visited Jacks, a sitting lounge, but after Hotel Charlie (our lounge in Kirkuk) it was just too quiet and restrictive feeling. We always had people coming and going, talking and visiting. Jacks is more of a library reading room. We watched several movies at the theater. Sleeping was a bit of a challenge there since we were crammed into tents stacked like cattle in a cattle car with lots of noise, snoring, and comings and goings. But it was only a few days. The worst part of it was waiting at the PAX terminal for three hours of standing room only in the middle of the night before finally being taken to another holding area where we could at least sit down. Then once aboard the plane we were off. World Airlines took great care of us on our flight home. The attendants on that plane did there best to spoil us in truth. Everyone did a fairly good job getting us off the plane and unloaded and through customs fairly quickly. Some of my home team were here to welcome us home. It was good to see them again. Then my wife and my family and I loaded up and headed home, after stopping at the coffee shop for a good American capuccino!

Later that evening though I had trouble sleeping, not because of jet lag or being off schedule. I managed my sleep over the past few days of waiting in Al Udied and on 20 or so hour of flying. For awhile I felt out of place. It is a huge transition in mode of living from there to here. Tonot have any mission responsibilities. Like going from full speed ahead to dead stop - the quiet, the calm, the strange feeling of so long having been moving at breakneck speed to stillness and not having anywhere you truly have to be. There you are on 24/7, even when sleeping - the radio is on and you sleep with one ear open so to speak. You are constantly thinking about the needs of the mission. What is going on. Who needs assistance. What group of folks, what area of the job needs attention now, in the next hours, today, tomorrow. There is always a sort of hypervigilence listening for the swish of inbound rockets. There is always somewhere to go, something that can be done, someone to visit and talk to, a difference that can be made every moment.

And there is comradery. The Commander shared with me before I left some truly powerful words. Three things in his opinion make life great - transcendence, signficance, and comradery. You have all three deployed, or at least we did in Kirkuk. As good as it is to be home, I can say in all honesty I miss the men and women I served with and I miss the job. There was transcendence - being part of something much bigger than oneself but having an impact over history in the making. Significance - tons of it - I think back to so many things where I was able to contribute. People who opened up with their stresses and problems, some very severe. The impact we had on our Iraqi friends when we helped with the restoration of the war memorial site. The many folks who came by the chapel and the tears that were shed as we said goodbye to one another. I will treasure many of those goodbyes. For we did indeed have comradery. Our chapel team invested itself into the lives of folks and they invested themselves into our work. One of the cops said it nicely to me the day before I left. He had come into the chapel to get coffee and shook my hand and said chaplain, it just won't be the same. I told him I'll be praying for them as I come home and they remain for a time to continue to watch the wire. They are out there right now, eyes peering like eagles, locked and loaded keeping my brothers and sisters safe. I was dissapointed the day that I left. I had planned to get to EMEDS before my flying out to say goodbye to many good friends, but our plane left early and I had only 20 minutes of warning time before I had to go. I was touched though when our Commander came by to say goodbye. We had our picture made together in our full battle rattle one last time. It truly was an honor to work for him.

Now that I am home I can post some pictures. I took many. Incredible sunsets and pictures of incredible people and places. Many night the combination of dirt in the air and moisture as teh rainy season came on created some spectacular sunsets like the one to the left. It was amazing to see the transition as the heat faded and temperatures moderated and even became cool with rain showers from time to time bringing out grass and other vegitation. We even had a few days of constant rain, a truly suprising experience given the dry heat and dust storms of our first days there.

To my friends and family who kept me, my family, and my ministry in your prayers I thank you for your support. It was a great ride, an incredible experience that words cannot capture.

Coming to a close

This may be my last entry from in country. I will soon be heading home and handing off all responsibilties to my replacements. It has been one great ride! I want to say here publically to all with whom I have served thank you for making this an incredible deployment. Our commanders come no better than they came here. I've had the privilege to pray for most of them at change of command ceremonies. It has been my privilege to serve them and their squadrons.

My fellow chaplain from the Army in ministry was top notch. As I told him in person, keep your hiney down brother!

EMEDS - You got r done! Thanks for making me part of your family.

Cops, thanks for watching the wire so we were safe and for stopping by so often to visit with us at the chapel.

I brag on the group commander, all our commanders, the cheifs, and most of the senior NCOs but I have to brag on the airmen as well. Worked and play hard with integrity and honor -- this they did.

There is a sadness as we transfer off our responsibilities. I almost feel as if I have sold a beloved home and am moved into the basement while my buyers are moving into the main rooms. I will miss the people I have served with and I will miss the incredible opportunities that exist to make a difference in the lives of so many folks. This is my first deployment to a war zone, but even the veterans of such are talking of how our group of folks were something exceptional, and they were and are. They always had a can do attitude and got it done. There energy level was incredible. They seized opportunities and when they did not exist engineered them. Attacks from the enemy did not shake their resolve in the least. We made a difference. We were encouraged to finish strong and return with honor and it is my sincere belief we did it -- together. I wish I could tell you more specifically about certain individuals and what they accomplished but operational security and respect for privacy prevents me from saying too much.

But I am looking forward to seeing my family. I find myself visualizing my wife coming with my kids running up to give me hugs. We plan to celebrate a delayed Christmas holiday. I have a couple of surprises for my girls that I'm looking forward to giving to them. I don't look forward to the flight home or the transit time sitting and waiting but it is endurable knowing what is at the end.

And I look forward to getting back home to my airmen at Andrews and to my squadrons, to getting back in touch with my folks and getting to know the news one, and even moving into my new digs over at Civil Engineering so I can be closer to the bulk of my people.

Again, to all who supported my work from back home through sending items for Operation Outreach, it has made a huge difference not only in the morale of our folks but also in my ability to connect with our folks. You too were outstanding.

Blessings to all.

A New Year - Continuing Mission

The calendar turned a page. In some ways the transition from Dec 31st to Jan 1st is an arbitrary one. Today is much the same as yesterday. A beautiful sun rose over a crisp morning through the haze of oil burning off from local refineries as our folks went about getting started with their day. But the importance of days often lies not just in what they contain but in the meaning we invest in them. I preached on New Years Day about attitudes and meaning - that we can invest life with meaning. That New Years can be a time for serious reflection on where have we been, where are we going, and is that where I can and need to be?

Take the past months for instance. I could write about a typical day, but in truth each day was unique. I could write that the next folks that will come in someday to replace us will experience something similar, but yet it will be different as well. Progress is happening and change is taking place. I know the media doesn't talk about that much. I wish the media spent half as much time talking about all the good stuff going on rather than just focusing on the bad stuff. We interpret our experiences investing them with meaning, but we do not interpret in a vacuum. We interpret based on the information we are receiving, which is why it is so important for parties that want to influence society to have the media edge. Whey we have public consultants and media spokemen and so forth. The point is, while I've been here, I've had first hand experience of it all. I've been attacked and carried wounded and even the dead. But I can still say the good is far greater than the bad. I've shaken the hands of Iraqi comrads and worked side by side with them on a project or two. I've seen the smiling faces of local children as school supplies were placed in their hands. I've heard the huge celebrations as important milestones were passed. Every day a new day dawns in Iraq.

I was out taking some photos of the section of Kirkuk north of the base with my telephoto lense and noticed and entire apartment complex that was not there six weeks ago. This is an area bustling with growth and activity. The chapel provides school supplies to local schools. So many times I've had our contacts explain to us how much difference this is making and how much things are changing. There are now entire sections of the area where our folks feel comfortable enough and welcome enough to walk down the streets of settlements without body armor knowing they are safe there.

I am very proud of the people I serve with. For the most part they have been shining examples of integrety, excellence, and service before self. I was concerned that being away from family at the holidays might effect them a great deal, but as one airman told me that when you can't have Christmas with your family then make a family of the people you are with.

One of my Army counterparts, one of our docs, and myself made a clandestine run the other night to various areas where the army works dropping off hundreds of boxes of Little Debbie cakes from Dayton TN and other snack items, many of these coming from Lutheran churches in the Cincinnati area. It is very cool knowing you made a difference to folks out there.

No more snow here so far, but it has been fairly cold. Enough that I am glad I decided to bring long underware and other underlayers and that when they offered me an old style field jacket I said yes. That is the only one I've seen on the base so far. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've been asked where I secured it.

Ministry this week has focused on visitation and official functions with some counseling. So I'll wrap up just by saying "Happy New Year".

Last week of year

The last week of the year has proven to be somewhat interesting. I have some more pictures to add to my "what I did not expect to see in the desert" category: snow. Big huge flakes. Enough to dust the ground and make the hills around the base white. I was told this is a rare occurence here. As our commander said, he ordered snow for Christmas but like everything else here it takes a little longer to arrive so it was a few days late.

Those of you who were involved in Operation Little Debbie will be pleased to know the Little Debbie cakes have all been passed out now and they went over like gang busters. They were a huge hit. My office looked like a storage room at the Piggly Wiggly.

Had a little startle this afternoon in the form of a loud zoom and a loud thud - another rocket attack from some of our neighbors here. We continue to have casualties come to us on a regular basis. Last night was a night of firsts for us though as we received two children along with an adult. I helped carry the youngest, a little boy, in from the helicopter. Our team did an amazing job. Both children are recovering at one of our more advanced hospitals.

It has been very cold here but mostly clear. The stars are amazing, at least on the nights when the sky is not fogged from the burning fumes from the area refineries. At least the cold weather has put the creepy crawlies into hibernation.

Our chapel has been spruced up a bit thanks to one of our Master Sergeants with a nack for staining glass. Stained glass truly helps give the old building an appearance of a sacred space.

To all you who helped with donations through Operation Aircare I want to say a special thank you. Not only were Little Debbie donated but many many other food and snack items and other items hard to come by over here. Much of this found its way into our Christmas celebrations. In fact, thanks to your generosity, I was able to fill a Humvee up with donated food stuffs for the Army to have a reception following a Christmas Eve service that they looked to have to cancel because they could not secure refreshments. It has made a huge difference to our folks to know that they are thought of back home.

May God bless all with a blessed and prosperous New Year.

Christmas Eve

It is Christmas Eve in Iraq. The sun has been shining bright all day with another tremendous sunset, just like most of the days here. But the cooler weather combined with upbeat spirits and Christmas decorations convey a feeling of Christmas in the air. But it still isn�t home for our folks. Our work is necessary, but it is not without a cost to our troops. For myself I find I am missing to things. The most easily guessed would be my family. I will miss seeing the smiles of my little girls and my wife as the evening progresses. As I sat in the congregation for the evening worship service which the army chaplains lead for the base, I found myself missing those Christmas Eve candlelight services in my parishes back home. I miss the parish from time to time even though there are so many more dimensions of ministry and a much busier tempo than in the parish. I miss many of the fine brothers and sisters in Christ who I have pastored. Today I received 66 boxes of Little Debbie cakes from Dayton Tennessee, part of an effort there lead by dear friends Marilyn and Teddy. I miss you guys.

But it is a joy to know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed in Iraq. Tomorrow night will be Christmas. I will hold a service of celebration with carols and candles and the Good News that our sins are forgiven in Christ Jesus will be proclaimed. I take care of my troops in all sorts of way on all kinds of levels, but the one that gives me the greatest joy is by proclaiming the Gospel to them as they come to hear what God has in store for them. Yes, being away from family has a cost, during the holidays, but there is also a joy and a need.

May God bless you this Christmas.

Holidays

This week before Christmas seems as if it is taking forever to pass. I'm looking forward to the worship services and other celebrations scheduled this weekend I suppose. But in another way I'm trying to keep my mind off not being there with my family. I was visiting with one of the units yesterday. The conversation turned to what people would be missing and what people would partake of when they got home. Upon thinking, the thing I first want when I get home is one big hug from my family. I miss my girls snuggling up with me on the couch and watching TV or telling me about their day.

I had a heart racing experience the other night. I was out in an area where there is a small coffee shop set up and an outside sitting area. Talking with some folks, I looked up to see a red trail arcing across the sky toward our area. I just knew it was a rocket launch and I could tell it was coming close. I was just about ready to key down my radio to call it in and raise the alarm when it broke into a number of pieces. It was a meteor breaking up in the atmosphere, one of the last of a couple of days of the latest meteor shower, but this one was a big one. Really beautiful. Much better than a rocket launch.

I have the best job in the Air Force. Yesterday I was able to help an enlisted person with an issue that chain of command relationships prevented him from being able to deal with directly. But one of the blessings of being a chaplain is we can engage the chain of command at whatever level needs to be engaged to work an issue. In this case, I actually tag teamed with an army chaplain to get r done. Great stuff!

Tomorrow night our EMEDS staff will have their last and greatest town hall meeting. I anticipate that it will be one major blow out of a celebration with general teasing of all. These guys are a phenomenal team.

Most of my ministry is fairly routine as before. Lots of vistation and counseling. Lots of plain morale work.

Those Little Debbie cakes are coming in again, and going out my door as fast as they are coming in. I've got folks coming and asking for them. I've promised two big bunches to two different groups for their holiday events. Today I will make a run taking the bulk of what recieved yesterday out to various units. Passing these things out gives me a great interface for talking to folks and taking a pulse of how they are doing.

Home

I'm sitting here listening to Bing Cosby sing Christmas carols and I am taken back home to East Tennessee to my childhood when I watched the old Christmas records spin on our record player as his deep voice rang throughout the house filling it with holiday cheer.

I talked to my boss back home tonight. He advised me lots of things have changed, including myself, since my tour over here. All true enough. I've learned since becoming a pastor that life is more about change than it is same. I think though that one reason we think back to home, when home was good, is we desire something to remain the same.

I feel at home in Tennessee. I can go up in the mountains and I revel in the glory of God's handiwork. I feel closer to Him there though my understanding reminds me He is always present. Maybe it is my appreciation that is closer to my consciousness. I can refresh my spirit and life by spending some time in those mountains.

But home is where my family is. We've been all over. A couple of different places in the midwest, Tennessee, and finally DC. And I suspect another change will come in time. I was pondering what makes places so special. The mountains are special to me. To my friend I've made here Times Square in NYC is home to him, a place that would be an alien landscape to me. It's the love. Home is where we are loved, where our loved ones are. Christmas music and Christmas places take us back to times that may feel simpler but were likely as complicated as our lives now. We were just younger then and more filled with faith, trust, and belief that we were loved.

Home is where you are loved. Change is good, it keeps life growing and from becoming stale. But I'm glad some things stay the same. No matter where I take my family, in the states or oversees, as long as they know they are loved - they will feel they had a home.