Chaplain Kay

I am sorry it has taken so long for me to write, but it has been a wild couple of weeks. April 15th was our last Sunday at our church and we will miss those people dearly. We were blessed to serve at that church and are praying for the man God has for them now. May God do a mighty work in the lives of those people.

I was able to get the family moved and it was hectic to say the least. We had some great help and couldn’t have done it without those people. I am currently unemployed which is rather weird. I was able to hear two great sermons preached on Sunday by two godly men. I won’t lie and say it was easy. I love to preach and know I will miss my time in the pulpit.

The reality of our decision has definitely settled in. We are now living in the town my famiy will call home while I am at training. I also received part of my uniform in the mail yesterday which was freaky to say the least. I hope to post a picture soon so all can see. I love wearing my country’s uniform and hope to bring honor to both God and country.

I am no longer a pastor, although I have a pastor’s heart. Instead, when people now ask what I do I tell them, “I am a Chaplain in the United States Army.” The looks are priceless as are their kind words of encouragement and promises of prayer. I hope to keep you updated on our progress. Please pray for my wife and the kids as we prepare for my move. It will be difficult. Also pray for my physical strength as I get ready for the most challenging event of my life: CHBOLC. Pro Deo et Patria - For God and Country.

An article appeared on military.com: Gates Extends Iraq Tours to 15 Months. I will comment on the extension from 12 to 15 months, but want to have a little time to process the information prior to saying anything.

Pray for our troops and their families as news like this can be quite discouraging. We have soldiers over in Iraq and Afghanistan who have just found out they won’t be coming home when they thought they were. May God’s grace abundantly cover those brave men and women.

I want to encourage everyone, if anyone, who reads this to wander on over the Chaplain Ken’s website and read his post on Surrender in which he references another great post and one of my favorite bloggers: Chaplain Candidate Amy Maxwell. In it, he makes some wonderful observation about the nature of surrender for us as Christians and more specifically those who have answered the call to the Chaplaincy.

People often ask me what the hardest part of entering the Chaplaincy will be and even have the audacity to think and verbalize that leaving the pastorate for the Army is a cake-walk decision. Like CH Ken, I am thrilled to wear this country’s uniform. I relish the thought of putting on that uniform and ministering to the needs of our soldiers. I am not scared of the work, the running (although that is something I could do without) or even the possibility of going to war. I do, however, flinch at the thought of driving away from my home with my family in the rearview mirror. I cringe at their already present tears and the tears I cry while they sleep. In short, I must surrender my family unto the Lord.

I would call myself a typical “solve it all” male. I want to have my hands on things and fix things when I can. I don’t like to see my family hurt and it pains me to know that this decision to surrender to God’s call results in their hurting. However, I wouldn’t trade God’s will for all the gold in the world. I want to be right where He has me.

I am reminded of a story Henry Blackaby tells in Experiencing God. When he was called mission work, it required him to spend a good deal of time away from his family. This pained him at first, but then God opened his eyes. Henry Blackaby wrote, “We came to believe that the heavenly Father, who loves His servants, could take better care of our children than we ever could” (Blackaby, Experiencing God, 137).

Like CH Ken and my fellow Chaplains, I must continue to trust in an Almighty God. Without His help and guidance I cannot get through this. However, with His wonderful ways and all-knowingness, I believe He will supply our needs day by day. For this reason, to Him I surrender my family and my life.

This morning I awoke and was blown away by two realities. First and most important, today is my wife’s birthday. Twenty-something (hehe) years ago, God blessed this green earth with the most beautiful woman to ever breathe (not meant as offensive to anyone else’s wife). I have been honored to be married to her for five years now. Not only is she the most beautiful and most godly woman I have ever met, she is also the mother of the two most beautiful children I have ever seen. My precious boy and girl. This was a happy reality.

The other realization this morning came as I thought about where I will be two months from today. On 3 June, I will report to Ft. Jackson for CHBOLC (Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course). A not so happy reality that weighs heavy on my heart and mind. This unhappiness is not meant to diminish my excitement for the road to be traveled. Last April, we began this journey towards the Chaplaincy and now it is upon us. Our last day at our wonderful church is one week from Sunday and then we will move so my family can be closer to my wife’s family. In the mean time, I feel I am running myself ragged in an attempt to square everything away prior to my departure.

My prayers go out to all the other Chaplains as they prepare for CHBOLC. I think about and pray daily for CH Ken, CH Mark, CH Candidate Dave and now CH Ham. Enjoy your families for the next 2 months, at which time I will enjoy all the HOOAH moments we will experience together. Until then, lean hard on Jesus!!!