Chaplain Kay

“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.