Chaplain Kay

This past Friday, my Love and I went to my Battalion Commander’s house for an early New Year’s/End-of-Year reception. The occasion was quite formal seeing that we wore our Dress Blue’s. We had a nice time and enjoyed the party. It was quite interesting being the Chaplain at the party since my Branch colors are different than the rest of the Battalion. I clearly stuck out, but that is not really anything new.

After the party, My Love and I went down to Austin and had a night out without the kiddos. We ate at a favorite restaurant and then stayed in a nice hotel. It was simply wonderful, and I must say that I planned a fairly romantic evening. For those of you who know me that was an accomplishment.

As the year comes to an end, I truly love where the Lord has us and I love my job. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure and we are thankful for His goodness and mercy. I pray that you have a great end to 2007 and a happy beginning to 2008.

It is hard to imagine how quickly the past two to three weeks have flown. Let me explain my reason for not blogging. My family was able to visit for the past couple of weeks and their presence was distraction enough to not write. What a wonderful time we had! It was so nice having them around. I was actually quite pleased with the ease of our time together.

Little Man and Baby Doll were champs. They seemed to acclamate to their new surroundings quite quickly, which gave me hope concerning our pending move to our first Duty Station. It was nice coming home for lunch each day and having my son greet me outside of the apartment. He always met me with a hug and a question, “Want to play trains with me Daddy?” How does one say no to that? It was great getting to hold my little girl as well. Oh how she has grown. When I left home she was a mere 3 months old and was over 5 months old when they left. She has almost doubled in age and size. They really do grow up fast. I will say, I enjoyed my time with my beautiful bride most of all. I just love being in the same room with her and desperately miss her presence when we aren’t together.

Having them leave on Friday was a sad but bearable moment. I hated to see them go but will get to see them soon. Our next two weeks are so busy here at CH-BOLC that it wouldn’t have been too beneficial for them to hang around. My Love is returning to our home to coordinate the move while I complete my schooling. Wooohooo.

My pending transition to “real” Active Duty in a “real” Active Unit is overwhelming to say the least. The longer I am here the less I realize I know. This Chaplaincy ministry that the Lord has called us to is so much bigger than I can ever hope to be. It has been made quite clear that we will NOT be successful without the presence of an almighty God. Praise be to Him.

As this week crashes to a hault (APFT on Friday - please pray I maintain my strength) and we prepare for the field next week, my heart is continually drawn to the soldiers deployed throughout the world, those preparing to do so, and those who have already been. Their sacrifice never ceases to amaze. I am convinced we live in the greatest country in the world. My prayer is that this great country will honor the God who allowed us to get to this point of blessing and humbly bow before Him. May the people of God worship the Lamb of God, the One who was slain.

Have a great week! “Crazy Ramblings from a Crazy Chaplain”

Pro Deo et Patria

Time is a funny thing. Our lives seem centered around time. We depend on time for our sleeping habits and refer to it when it’s time to eat or go to church. We talk about being early, late and punctual and all these things deal with time.

Well, time has become my enemy. Time is no longer my friend. My animosity towards time stems from my lack of it when it comes to my family. One week from today I will leave my home and begin heading towards Ft. Jackson. In one week I will say goodbye to my wife and kids in order to train for the Army Chaplaincy.

I must be honest; I am truly excited about my training. I have anticipated CH-BOLC, once CHOBC, for so long that I am almost itching to go. The past two weeks have helped in my preparing to leave. The “time” with my family has been priceless and has aided in planning for the summer’s events. Last week, the wife and I were walking when she told me she thought she was ready. She wasn’t saying she was excited about my going, at least I don’t think so. Instead, our anticipation and preparation have yielded hearts primed by the Lord to endure our time apart.

The next week will be busy to say the least. I have so much to get ready and finished. Lists need to be completed and some even have yet to be made. I must clean, pack and spend time with my family.

CH Ken, CH Mark, CH Ham, Chaplain Candidate Dave, CH Herb, CH Scott and anyone else I might have missed, I will see you in no “time” at all.

This past weekend, my wife and I attended the Missionary and Chaplains Commissioning conference for North American Mission Board (NAMB) missionaries and Chaplains. I must say the event was incredible. NAMB did a fantastic job of putting on the event and took great care of all those involved. It was especially refreshing to have the coordinator of the weekend come from a Military Chaplain’s family. She never ceased to add us Chaplains in with the other missionaries.

God was in the weekend from the get go. On Thursday morning, as my wife and I ate breakfast, we found ourselves at a table with another military Chaplain. Not just a military Chaplain, but an Army Chaplain. Not just an Army Chaplain, but a Chaplain who will be attending CHBOLC with me in two weeks. Even further fun, this new Chaplain and I received our MDiv from the same seminary, MABTS. Coincidence? I think not. It was nothing but the providence of God. What a Weekend!

Out of the 83 missionaries and Chaplains being commissioned, there were only 3 military Chaplains, all Army, and 1 health care Chaplain. The four of us and our spouses became quick friends with one another and spent the entire weekend loving on one another and growing in the Lord. What a Weekend!

The highlight of the weekend, and there were many, would have to be the time we had to sit down as Chaplains, with our spouses while being joined by 2 men from the Chaplain division of NAMB. Both men are prior service Chaplains and had a wealth of information to share. They were there to teach us and give insight into our future responsibilities, but most importantly they were there to encourage us while letting us know they would be behind us every step of the way. What a Weekend!

When the time came for us to say our goodbyes, there were plenty of tears and hugs to go around. We were able to connect so quickly and made lifelong friends. I will see CH Scott and CH Herb here in 2 weeks and I am excited about the reunion. What a Weekend!

I also can’t wait to finally meet CH Ken, CH Candidate Dave, CH Ham, CH Mark and many others. Wow, it will be some kind of ride. The time is fast approaching when we will say goodbye to our families and descend upon Ft. Jackson. Our time at CHBOLC will be busy, difficult, time consuming, exhausting, fun, spiritually demanding, physically demanding, emotionally demanding, and the list goes on. Until then, however, I continue to enjoy my time with the family. May God bless all of you and I look forward to our meeting and the journey God has called us to walk together.

This week, my wife and I will attend the Missionary and Chaplain’s Commission for the North American Mission Board. We are excited about the weekend. It should be a great learning time as well as give us the opportunity to meet some other Military Chaplains. Networking could prove to be helpful in this new ministry the Lord has called us to.

Although the weekend will be neat, the stark realization of the event is like a slap in the face. The time I have with my family is quickly slipping away and I can’t seem to slow things down. If anything, time seems to speed up. To say the next two and half weeks are busy for our family would be an understatement. I have been blessed with the chance to fill in for some of the ministers at the church we have joined. I have already led music once, will lead it again and I am teaching for the pastor this Wednesday. These are all blessings from the Lord, but cause time to fly.

2 Weeks and 6 Days – WOW and Hooah!

As we have journeyed toward the Chaplaincy, my wife and I have gone to great lengths to prepare our young boy for the transition. You could even ask him what daddy’s going to be and he would tell you, “Daddy be Chaplain in the Army . . . I be Chaplain.” Well, this past week my uniform began to make its way to the house in stages and I tried it on accordingly. Our son has been wide eyed and skeptical throughout the entire process. Once the entire uniform arrived, I tried it on and had momma take a couple of solo pictures. Needless to say, those pictures pale in comparison to the one she took of my favorite little man and me.

As I look at the picture of me holding this brave boy (and he doesn’t even know it), I am both touched and scared. I see his magnificent “big” smile (the way he will sometimes smile when we say, “Now smile big) and it blesses my heart. So much so, that it sits upon my desktop for my viewing pleasure every time I turn on the computer. I am also scared, or probably more so concerned, because I know the coming transition will be difficult for all, but especially difficult for the young lad.

Despite the angst I feel to leave my family and the love I have for them, I still cannot deny that the Lord has called us to this ministry and I am elated to serve both God and country. I do not doubt that this summer course at CHBOLC will prove impossible at times, but I also do not doubt that it will be incredible.

This great smile worn by my young man, being held by his daddy who is wearing the United States Army ACU, will forever be burned in my mind’s eye. Praise the Lord for the memories He allows us to carry.

I can’t believe that May 1st has finally arrived. I awoke this morning to some strange and sickening feelings. I will leave for CHBOLC one month from today. I will say goodbye to my family one month from today. I will kiss my boy, girl and wife for the final time for a long time one month from today. I will enter into a rigorous and challenging training program a little over one month from today. Our lives will drastically change one month from today.

And as crazy as all these things are, and as hard as they will be to endure, I truly believe we are following the Lord and I am so very excited about the ministry God has called us to participate in!

So, until that day comes, I have many fun things to look forward to. My wife and the kids have some great things on the agenda and our month will be action packed. I have so loved getting to spend these past two weeks with them and am so glad I can focus ALL of my attention on them for the next month. They mean so much to me and I am blessed to have a family like this one.

The reality of the situation is becoming increasingly strong. The wife and I have had some much needed conversations about the road ahead, and although they have been hard, they have been good. Our “TO DO” list seems to grow rather than shrink, but we have been able to make some headway towards the BIG EVENT. I know I have some fellow chaplains who will read this and they are experiencing similar situations and hard things as we are. Chaplains . . . I look forward to seeing you in a month and will be praying for you and your families.

Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

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.

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!!!

This past week, I went to Camp McCain and obtained my military identification card. I must be honest and say that this was just plain weird. It was strange sitting in a chair and answering questions thrown at me by the sergeant across the desk. All in all it was a pleasant experience. I arrived at Camp McCain before the office officially opened and was able to get through the process quickly. I now hope to get some things squared away for my wife so she can get her identification card.

These little activities we keep participating in are adding up into something really big. Every time I check another box off on my check-list, we find ourselves getting closer and closer to June. Our last Sunday will be in three weeks and then we will move closer to my wife’s parents. From there, we will only have six short weeks together until I am supposed to report to Ft. Jackson.

I feel so very weak, but am thankful that God is so very strong. To God be the glory, great things He has done.