Chaplain Kay

As I shared in one of my recent writings, I have become an “information junky.” I have, therefore, taken it upon myself to share some of this information with my beloved wife. We are both new to this “military thing” and are more than desperate to learn about what our future holds.

Throughout this process of pursuing the chaplaincy and sharing this information, my wife has made an interesting observation. Some of the information I bring home involves the “whats” and the “hows” of deployments. These have been hard, but necessary things to read and consider. After reading one of my little information articles, my dear wife made a fascinating comment. She looked at me and said, “Who’s my chaplain?” Most articles that deal with anything tough in the Army embed some little phrase or sentence encouraging soldiers and their spouses to seek the counsel and guidance of a chaplain if all else fails. The reason my wife posed this question stems from our current relationship. You see, I am not only my wife’s husband (a good thing), but I am also her pastor. I am her earthly counselor and guidance-giver. She wanted to know who, in my absence, she was supposed to seek out since I will be her chaplain.

I was taken aback to say the least. I recently read a comment that described my feelings to my wife’s question perfectly: “On the outside I am strong, but in reality I am so weak.” I didn’t know how to respond. I told her that I was confident there would be other chaplains on post who could help with any problems she might have. These words, I’m sure, were not very comforting to her and I know they weren’t too comforting for me. Needless to say, this conversation has been on my mind for some time and resurfaced to an extent last night. My wife told me that although this road will be a tough one, she could never imagine missing out on God’s plan for her life. She understands that although her husband and chaplain might not be home all the time, the great comforter will always be in the same room.

I wanted to say that we must not only pray for our chaplains, but their families as well. Chaplains have been called by God and country to go where the soldier goes. If they didn’t, who would minister to the soldiers’ spiritual needs while in the field? The calling is a great one, but carries with it some unknowns and tough times. I thank God that He is big enough to look after all His children and will always be present.

Once I felt God’s calling on my life to enter the Chaplaincy, I became what my wife might call obsessed. “Obsessed with what?” you might ask. The answer is simple: obsessed with information. I have rummaged around the internet for information concerning the Chaplaincy. What are the requirements? What is involved? What am I going to do during training? What am I getting myself into? The list of questions continues endlessly and grows with each passing day.

During my pursuit, I have happened upon some outstanding blogs that have helped me tremendously. You will find some of them in my Blogroll section at the right of this page and I plan for that section to continue to grow. These “sites” enable those interested in the Chaplaincy a unique view into the life and call of chaplains. Since my pursuit of information began, I feel that I have since gotten to know these people quite well.

If you, too, read these blogs you have learned recently that some of these dear saints are preparing to descend upon Fort Jackson and attend CHOBC. I just wanted to say to all these people that my wife and I will be praying for you and your families come January. Actually, I am committing to pray for you daily as I know the training will be tough and the time spent apart from your families, nearly unbearable. The journey these wonderful chaplains and chaplain candidates are beginning in January becomes my journey in June.

My prayer for you today is a simple one: “God speed. May you continue to lean hard on the Lord.”

For God and Country!

This is a response that my wife and I anticipate as we continue to “break our news” to growing circles around us. We have already received this comment from a few and have even responded to ourselves in the same way. Allow me to elaborate.

Several months back, I was fully prepared to begin Ph.D. studies. I had completed all of my perquisites (language exams, graduate research & writing, and graduate teaching courses) and had only to apply to the program. I had all but been assured entrance. It was at this time that the Lord directed us toward the Chaplaincy. I was sharing this information with a doctoral student several months ago and his response was a bit discouraging (although I do not believe he was attempting to discourage). He just couldn’t understand why I would do something like the Chaplaincy and forfeit my “chance” to partake in doctoral studies. I have since had time to reflect on his reaction and have arrived at some conclusions.

Conclusion #1 – Chaplaincy is a “Lesser” Ministry
This should go without saying, but I do not believe this for a minute. Actually, I do not believe that there is such a thing as “lesser” ministry. There is only ministry. All Christians are called to be part of the gospel ministry and I believe that Chaplaincy falls into that category. My friend’s response, however, gave me the impression that he felt otherwise. I look at it like this . . . being called to the Chaplaincy is a great honor and call. I am more than pleased to be called to such a ministry. Not only has God called me to the Chaplaincy (most important), but the United States Army has accepted me into its ranks (tremendous honor from my viewpoint). Chaplaincy = Lesser Ministry . . . I THINK NOT!!!

Conclusion #2 – Chaplaincy Involves TOO Great A Risk
My response to such a mentality: Why Not Me?!?! Why would I ever see my life as being too important to make such a sacrifice? In fact, has God not called all believers to make a life altering sacrifice? Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” The day God saved me, He gained control to my life. We can’t just have Jesus be Savior of our lives. He must also be Lord. Does being an Army Chaplain involve risks? Absolutely! Should that be a reason to not do something the Lord God is calling me? Absolutely Not!!!

I am more than excited about the call of the Chaplaincy being placed on my life. I once had a professor tell me that I would be especially blessed if God ever called me to serve as a missionary in a distant land. Well, I feel the same concerning this particular call. I have been blessed by God for His call on my life to enter the Chaplaincy and am thrilled to begin our up and coming journey.

I received a call yesterday from the Accessions Officer and he informed me of our first Duty Station. Fort Hood, in Killeen, TX is our destination once I complete CHOBC in September. We are really excited about Fort Hood seeing that it was one of our 3 “wishlist” choices. My wife and I lived in the Austin area and we are used to this part of the country. It is important to note that even though we were told we are going to Ft. Hood, that very well could change as the time gets closer. Why you might ask? The answer is simple: where the Army needs, I will go.

The next couple of months should be busy. We still need to receive “official” orders and we are excited about that happening. We still have papers to gather and plans to finalize. Hopefully those things can begin to fall into place.

“The time has come
The time is now
Just go, go, go
I don’t care how”

This deep theological statement (ha, ha) by Dr. Seuss pretty much sums up the life of my family. In April of 2006, God began to prepare us for a different area of ministry and we are now seeing it come to fruition. At the beginning of December 2006, I learned that I had been chosen to serve as a Chaplain in the United States Army. I now await word from the Accessions Officer on my first Duty Station.

I am beginning this journal of sorts in hopes of keeping it current and active. I am creating it as a way for family, friends, and passers-by to check in from time to time and gather some insight into our lives. I will probably discuss many things from military life, to the chaplaincy, to transitioning from civilian pastor life to Army Chaplain life, to spiritual stuff God dumps in my lap.

For the next few months, I plan on detailing the process of becoming an Army Chaplain and the training phase of our venture. As I mentioned above, I should receive word by the end of December as to where our first Duty Station will be. I will hopefully receive my official orders in February and I am currently slated to attend the Chaplain Officer Basic Course (CHOBC) in June. This is a three month training that covers everything from the generalities of being a soldier to the specifics of being an Army Chaplain.

My wife and I are both excited and scared out of our minds about the adventure. We are excited because we truly feel that this is what the Lord has called us to. We know that the military is an untapped harvest and we are more than trilled to be given the opportunity to minister to and serve along-side our faithful soldiers. However, we are scared for the obvious reasons. We are fearful of the unknown. To say that we are stepping into an unfamiliar place would be a gross understatement. We have no idea what to expect from the immediate future (we aren’t even concerned about the distant future at this time). Another fear that continually creeps up on us is the time apart we know that we are going to experience. Training will last for three months and that will all be time apart. Concerning deployments, the question is not a matter of if but when. Although the unknown variables are quite daunting at this time, we have total faith in the Lord that He is going to provide every step of the way. He’s going to have to provide because we know we can’t do it on our own.

I hope that this is helpful to all that wish to read. More than anything, this journal will be a way for me to put onto paper things rolling around in my head. So, without further adieu, enjoy.